Drew Angerer/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Less than a day after getting an intelligence report on Russia's alleged interference in the presidential election, Donald Trump asserted that the U.S. will benefit from a better relationship with Russia and that the hacking is an issue only because Democrats are 'totally embarrassed' by their election loss.

The president-elect posted a series of tweets on Russia Saturday morning.

Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only "stupid" people, or fools, would think that it is bad! We.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2017

have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2017

both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2017

Trump also said the hacking was possible only because of "gross negligence" by the Democratic National Committee, and that the cyberattack "is discussed" only because of Democrats' embarrassment over their loss.

Gross negligence by the Democratic National Committee allowed hacking to take place.The Republican National Committee had strong defense!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2017

Only reason the hacking of the poorly defended DNC is discussed is that the loss by the Dems was so big that they are totally embarrassed!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2017

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
In a Facebook post Eugene Arhin said it was an oversight.

I unreservedly apologise for the non-acknowledgement of this quote to the original author. It was a complete oversight, and never deliberate.

It is insightful to note that in the same speech were quotes from Dr. J.B Danquah, Dr. K.A. Busia, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the Bible which were all duly attributed and acknowledged.

A paragraph in Nana Akufo-Addo's inaugural speech at the Independence Square was lifted verbatim from a speech former US president George Bush delivered at his inaugural address in 2001.

"I ask you to be citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character," Bush said on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2001.

Akufo-Addo told a roaring crowd at the Independence Square that: "The change can and should start now. I not spectators; citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens building our communities and our nation. Let us work until the work is done."
This happened at the time when the actress was trying to commence the production of her "Jenifa's Diary" television series.

That meeting was the catalyst for a now blossoming marriage between the pair who got hitched in July 2016 at a secret wedding in London.

The movie director expressed some of his feelings about the actress in a chat with Punch News'Sunday Scoop.

Responding to a question regarding how fast their romance began, JJC Skillz said, "Absolutely, it was an instant connection.

"In fact, it was love at first sight. I saw her,she saw me and, we saw stars. From that point on, everything was aligned.

"She had an idea called Jenifas Diary that she wanted to do, and she was looking for a good director and cameraman, so she called me to help her shoot the TV series, and that was how we met."

Before her marriage to JJC Skillz, Akindele had already entered a short-lived relationship with Adeola Kehinde Oloyede.

The pair got married on Saturday, May 26, 2012, but ended up having a divorce the following year.
This was in response to an earlier rumour that both could not stand the sight of each other and only got along on movie sets.

Speaking concerning the subject in an interview with Punch News'Sunday Scoop, Iheme stated that he still has a good relationship with the actor.

He attributed the alleged beef between them as a media invention.

There is no hostility between Aki and me. We are still best of friends, and we are on good terms.

We talk when we need to, and any report of fights between us is the figment of the writers imagination.

Both actors have had a good chemistry when playing their movie roles.
The monarch posted some pictures on his Instagram on Sunday, January 8, 2017, showing him as he held the infant.

Some of the images displayed suggests that the emir's family had just had the child naming ceremony as he looked to have dressed up for an occasion.

Members of his family, including his daughter also looked dapper in their kingly attires.

ALSO READ: OAP gushes about stylish Emir of Kano

One of Sanusi's daughters, Fulani Siddika Sanusi, recently had her wedding on Friday, December 23, 2016.
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Reacting to the death of Kure, the Senate spokesman told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja that the deceased defined governance in Niger while he was governor.

Abdullahi, who represents Niger North Senatorial District, added that Kure set a benchmark for assessing subsequent administrations in view of his laudable achievements in the state.

The lawmaker said Kures strides in terms of rural development, broad base governance, participation and inclusiveness was second to none.

It is a huge loss and we are shocked at his demise. He was our governor and he did his best.

There are projects that he has done that have touched the lives of our people and we will surely miss him.

This is the temporary nature of life, Abdullahi said.

He prayed God to grant Kures family, the people Niger state and the entire nation the fortitude to bear the loss.

NAN reports that Kure died at the age of 57 in a German hospital.
Ambode gave the assurance at the states annual thanksgiving service with theme Gratitude to God held at the State House, Alausa.

He said that the surprises would be witnessed in every sector of the state.

We are determined, and God willing, we shall continue to achieve an all-inclusive progress and prosperity in the state.

We believe that as we are gathered this evening to praise Him and glorify His Holy name, new doors and windows of opportunities shall be opened for us as individuals, as a state and a nation.

Exactly a year ago, we were gathered here.

Recall as part of my wishes, I had stated that despite the bleak economic outlook predicted in many quarters, Lagos State will grow in leaps and bounds and be prosperous.No doubt, God has been faithful.As we covet greater prosperity for all of us here and the state this year, we are confident that our God will never fail us, Ambode said.He said that the occasion was to reaffirm faith and belief in God and His grace.The governor said he believed that the occasion would also open new doors of opportunities.He prayed that God would honour President Muhammadu Buhari as he leads the ship of the nation to its rightful destination.Ambode, while thanking religious leaders for their steadfastness, urged them to continue to pray for the state and for the government.We appreciate your ceaseless prayers and wise counsel and pray that divine anointing shall never cease to flow in your lives, Ambode said.

In his sermon, General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Worldwide, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, said for people to experience a new beginning, they must be willing to follow God completely.

He said there was the need to serve God in truth and spirit to have such experience.

ALSO READ:

Adeboye said that leaving the camp of the devil and embracing Gods camp was necessary to achieve positive change in life.
The commissioner made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto on Sunday.

Katami said that the decision was taken on Saturday during a meeting with the leadership of three factions in the commission and the officials of ministries of religious affairs and Justice.

He said This action was taken as the three groups had failed to harmonise themselves into one group, for efficient and united operations.

 The state government had given them a grace of over one year to do so, but the groups had failed to harmonise, this is contrary to the Act establishing the commission.

 This had allowed unnecessary bickering, unilateral operations, while myriad of complaints were received from members of the public about alleged overzealousness and high handedness of its operatives.

Katami directed the Chairman of the commission, Dr Adamu Kasarawa, to immediately hand over all documents and property of the commission to his office.

Reacting, Kasarawa denied the allegations of wrong doing by the over 9,000 strong operatives of the commission.

He said This action by the state government is very unfortunate, but I will hand over all items and documents with me as directed, because I am a law abiding citizen.

 It is not also true that we have been operating unilaterally, but some officials were not happy with some of our most recent operations.
This is coming weeks after the Army authorities announced that the sect has been dislodged from Camp Zero in Sambisa forest and its members have fled.

The source, who spoke to The Nation, revealed that one of the men that was killed, was a medical doctor who was just posted to Buni Yadi.

He also revealed that troops also killed many members of the Boko Haram sect, adding that they are still in pursuit of those who ran away.

The Army source also said Nobody had time to start counting the numbers of the bastards that were killed because we were busy pursuing the one that were running, but I must tell you that many of them were killed and their dead bodies scattered in the bush.

Speaking on the issue, the spokesman of 27 Task Force Brigade, Lt. George Okupe said the troops successfully repelled the attack.

Adding that Buni Yadi came under attack at about 0615pmbut things are under control. Casualty figure of BHTs yet to be confirmed, on locales, none for now likewise own forces. However, details will be relayed to you soon.
Idimogu, representing Oshodi/Isolo Constituency II at the Lagos State House of Assembly, gave the commendation in Lagos.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that such development has become imperative for the good of the nation, saying the country and Nigerians, had suffered enough due to the unrest in the region.

NAN reports that the Federal Government had paid two out of the four months stipends owed the repentant militants in Niger Delta under the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

Mr Ramsey Mukoro, Leader of the Third Phase of the amnesty programme, had on Saturday said that some former agitators had received two out of the four months outstanding allowances.

Idimogu said, This is a good development for the country to move forward.

Whether we like it or not, peace in the Niger Delta is paramount, because it is the area that lays the golden eggs for this nation as of today.

We should go ahead and do everything possible as a government, to maintain peace in the region, and in other places.

We are pampering them (the region) already as a result of the 13 per cent derivation the region has, apart from the normal allocation. Let the Federal Government do more to get result.

The lawmaker also urged the government to always try to have robust discussion with stakeholders from the region, and regard the people as stakeholders in the nation.

Idimogu said that the region had long been neglected by the government in the area of provision of road infrastructure, urging the government to commence rigorous road construction in the region.

Crises in this region had been affecting the nations economy, putting the whole Nigeria in crisis. We should take care of the region.

Lets make them happy, and if we need to also do extra things for the people there to achieve our goals, lets do such things.

Nigerians are suffering because of the dwindling government revenue. We all know that without peace, no family, community and nation can progress.

Let that region be happy by developing the place. When you make the people there happy, all these crises will die down naturally.

Communication and dialogue solve a lot of problems. The government cannot meet every need at the same time, but communication will make people understand and stop unrest, he said.
Buhari gave the reassurance in a statement to commemorate the 1,000th day of the abduction of the schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno.

The statement was issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.

He expressed gratitude to God on this landmark day that the nation was not completely in the depths of despair, but buoyed with hope that the girls would yet rejoin their families and loved ones.

We are grateful to God that on this landmark day, we are not completely in the depths of despair, but buoyed with hope that our daughters will yet rejoin their families and loved ones.

Three of them have been recovered by our diligent military, while the freedom of 21 others was secured through engagement with their captors.

We are hopeful that many more will still return as soon as practicable, he said.

He reiterated his pledge, pronounced many times in the past, that government would not spare any effort to reunite the girls with their families.

I salute the fortitude of the distraught parents. As a parent also, I identify with their plight. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and today, it is 1,000 days.

The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts. But hope remains constant, eternal, and we believe our pains will be assuaged.

Our hopes will not be shattered, and our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to, he added.

On the occasion of the 1,000 days, President Buhari commended all who have been in the vanguard for the return of the girls, both nationally and internationally.

The president also reassured that the nations intelligence and security forces had redoubled their efforts toward ensuring speedy recovery of the remaining girls and others in captivity.

He said Someday soon, we will all rejoice together. Our intelligence and security forces are unrelenting, and whatever it takes, we remain resolute.

Chibok community, Nigeria, and, indeed, the world, will yet rise in brotherhood, to welcome our remaining girls back home. We trust God for that eventuality.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that about 276 school girls were abducted when members of Boko Haram terrorists stormed their boarding school in Chibok town in Borno in 2014.

No fewer than 50 had escaped in the initial days after the abduction, while another one, Amina Ali, was found roaming around the Sambisa forest with a baby and a man who claimed to be her husband.

ALSO READ: 1000 days of keeping hope alive

NAN also reports that Rakiya Abubakar, another rescued Chibok girls, was the latest recovery made by the Nigeria Army on Thursday in the Alagarno area of Damboa Local Government Area of Borno.
Their abductors were Boko Haram terrorists who shot their way through an unmanned school gate, picked the girls from their dark dormitory, before herding them into the back of a truck.

The girls were thereafter driven to the heart of a vast Sambisa Forest--until recently, Boko Haram's stronghold.

The date: April 14, 2014.

Weeks later, the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group began the advocacy for their release.

"Bring Back Our Girls" became a rallying global cry with United States First Lady Michelle Obama, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, A-list Hollywood actors and TV personalities like Christiane Amanpour and Ellen DeGeneres holding aloft #BringBackOurGirls placards.

The abductions sparked global outrage and marches were held across major cities of the world.

In April of 2016, CNN released its 'proof of life video' which showed that some of the abducted girls were still alive. Some parents who identified their daughters in the video, devolved into a mixed bag of emotions.

And hope made a return to Chibok and elsewhere.

In the video, the girls were made to speak and sing. They were clad in Hijabs.

In May, 2016, one of the missing girls, 19-year-old Amina Nkeki, was found by an army backed vigilante group in the Sambisa Forest. She was carrying a baby.

ALSO READ:

In October, 2016, 21 of the Chibok Girls were released after negotiations between the Nigerian government and the terrorists.

In January of 2017, another abducted girl, Rakiya Abubakar was found as troops profiled captured Boko Haram terrorists after dislodging the insurgents from Sambisa and seizing the 60,000sq/km swathe of forest.

BBOG convener, Madam Obiageli Ezekwesili told Pulse in an exclusive chat that the advocacy to rescue the girls won't stop until all the girls return home.

It is believed that 195 of the abducted girls are still in Boko Haram custody even though Sambisa Forest where they were believed to have been hidden, has been recaptured by Nigerian troops.

"The negotiated release of our 21 Chibok girls in October demonstrated what our movement always believed the Federal Government was capable of. We want to see more of this type of decisive action that will bring back the remaining 196 Chibok girls who have been left with their abductors for far too long. The fact is that our Chibok Girls could long have been rescued had the two successive governments acted with absolute focus on attaining results speedily", Ezekwesili said.

In the course of the advocacy, Ezekwesili and the BBOG movement have come under attacks from Police and government hirelings.

However, the former Vice President of the World Bank for Africa and former Nigeria Minister, says the attacks have only served to keep the group focused.

Said Ezekwesili: "I think put it best when he said that you will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks. Abusing me, assaulting me, denigrating me, accusing me and maligning me is the ministry that such people have chosen in life and so I wish them well.

ALSO READ: Oby Ezekwesili is Pulse Person of 2016

"They have to fulfill their own ministry. As for me, I can never be distracted from living my values. I have my courage of conviction that standing for our Chibok Girls is an expression of my values and one thing people know of me is that I never negotiate my values. I can negotiate my views...... but never my values. And so, for our Girls, I shall stand to the end.

"I was not born with silver spoons in my mouth. I can relate with the circumstances of the families of our ChibokGirls. The value they placed on education is reason their own children-- girls- were in school even in a dangerous zone. My parents similarly gave up everything in order to give my siblings and I education. They always said it would pave the path to greatness for us. I believe in justice.

"If education brought me thus far in life, then my responsibility as a human being must be to ensure that others would never be deprived their opportunity. Imagine the children of poor people in rural Chibok being ignored in their tragedy by the rest of us simply because they are not considered as "high and mighty". Poverty must never be a reason for Nigeria to not respect the dignity of life of any of our citizens.

"Another important point is that as citizens in a democracy, we cannot sit by and do nothing while the political elite wage bets against Nigerias future. We always say that the fight for the Chibok girls is the fight for the soul of Nigeria. We must remind our governments of their social contracts with citizens.

"When the Danish Foreign minister visited our movement during one of our daily sit-outs at he added that it is also a fight for the soul of the world. Its our collective soul and our humanity that threatens to be eroded if we dont do our part".

President Muhammadu Buhari has said in the past that the war against Boko Haram would not be said to have been won until all the abducted girls and all other Boko Haram captives, return home to their families.

In his message on the 1000th day of the abduction of the schoolgirls, the President expressed similar sentiment.

We are grateful to God that on this landmark day, we are not completely in the depths of despair, but buoyed with hope that our daughters will yet rejoin their families and loved ones. Three of them have been recovered by our diligent military, while the freedom of 21 others was secured through engagement with their captors. We are hopeful that many more will still return as soon as practicable, Buhari said.

The President added that: I salute the fortitude of the distraught parents. As a parent also, I identify with their plight. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and today, it is 1,000 days. The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts. But hope remains constant, eternal, and we believe our pains will be assuaged. Our hopes will not be shattered, and our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to.

"Someday soon, we will all rejoice together. Our intelligence and security forces are unrelenting, and whatever it takes, we remain resolute. Chibok community, Nigeria, and, indeed, the world, will yet rise in brotherhood, to welcome our remaining girls back home. We trust God for that eventuality.

Amnesty International has asked the Nigerian government to redouble efforts toward the rescue of the remaining girls still in captivity.

"One thousand days after the chilling abduction of 276 school girls in Chibok, the Nigerian government must redouble its efforts to ensure the release of the girls, and all other victims of mass abduction, said the organisation in a statement signed by Mr. Makmid Kamara, Acting Country Director for Amnesty International, Nigeria.

This terrible anniversary is a chilling reminder not just of the tragic disappearance of the Chibok school girls, but also all other individuals  many of whom are also children  who remain captive in Boko Harams hideouts across the country. These abductions and other attacks on civilians, many of which constitute war crimes, must stop.

While the Nigerian government is making considerable efforts to recover the 195 Chibok girls still in Boko Harams custody, we are concerned that victims of less well publicised mass abductions have not benefited from comparable efforts to secure their release.

The Nigerian government should also dramatically step up its efforts to ensure the safe release of abductees and provide proper psychological and medical support to those who have already been rescued, released or have escaped captivity, Kamara added.

The BBOG group says its daily sit-ins and marches to the Presidential palace in Abuja, will continue.
According to The Nation, a massive estate allegedly belonging to Alison-Madueke has also been discovered in an elite area in Bayelsa state.

Sources say the properties are located on Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Street, off Goodluck Jonathan Road in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Reports say the EFCC discovered the properties while they were carrying out investigations into the whereabouts of some funds that were unaccounted for during the ex-ministers tenure.

A source also said Following our obtaining a court order to recover some assets belonging to Diezani, we were able to gather intelligence which led to the location of the hidden estate in question in Bayelsa State.

ALSO READ:

Our operatives also conducted searches in some houses on the estate based on tip off on the ex-minister.

We will follow due process in invoking the relevant laws on asset forfeiture on all the mansions in the estate.
SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, who led the Lagos State Task Force and Kick against Indiscipline (KAI) operatives in the exercise, said the activities of the traders and hawkers constituted environmental nuisance.

Egbeyemi, who described the street trading and hawking around Tinubu Square as worrisome, said that the agency would strictly implement the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Laws on offenders.

Many of these monumental arcades are primarily meant to preserve our cultural heritage and to serve as archives for academic research.

Others were provided just for relaxation and were named after heroes of this country.

The Tinubu Arcade which was re-constructed by the present administration was named after Madam Efunroje Tinubu (1810  1887), a female aristocrat and trader during the pre-colonial period in Nigeria.

Tinubu Monumental Arcade has been seriously abused, with environmental nuisance particularly street traders and hawkers, who by extension block road setbacks and walkways constructed around the arcade.

We enjoin market leaders across the state to warn traders and hawkers to immediately stop displaying and selling wares around monumental arcades provided by the government, he said.

Egbeyemi advised traders not to extend their trading activities beyond areas the government had designated as markets.

He said anyone arrested selling on road setbacks and walkways across the state would not only have his or her wares confiscated, but also face charges in court.

NAN reports that the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) has been relocated from Ikeja to Multi-purpose Agency complex, Bolade Oshodi, opposite the Arena complex.

The relocation which affected some government agencies was meant to strengthen their operations.
Looking at the world through the eyes of the Web
NAN survey on Sunday showed that the product was not available in any filling station in the Cross River capital and its suburbs.

However, the product was available only in surface tanks in parts of the city, where dealers sold it at N350 per litre.

The survey revealed also that the itinerant retailers sold the commodity between N380 and N400 per litre, depending on the area.

Mrs Grace Nja, who resides in Ikot Efanga area of the city, said that she bought the product at N280 at a filling station early last week.

Nja alleged that petrol product marketers in the state sold their consignments wholly to some middlemen from neighbouring states, instead of the consumers within the state.

I went to buy kerosene and I saw some women from outside the state carrying big cans and buying the product in large quantity.

So, they are the ones that buy up the entire supply in the state, she said.

Another resident, Mrs Elizabeth Sunday, decried the situation and described it as greed on the part of the product marketers.

This is bad for us the poor people of this country. I am a widow and I dont have money to buy gas cooker.

Now the price of kerosene is out of my reach and it is hard to feed nowadays.

My appeal is that government should do something to change the situation in the interest of the masses, she said

Contacted, Mr Esue Obi, Chairman, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Calabar Depot, attributed the situation to lack of supply to the depot.

As I speak, there is no kerosene in Calabar depot and all the tank farms in the state, Akwa Ibom and Rivers. Those having the product now travelled to Lagos to buy it.

So, when they add the cost of transportation and other sundry expenses, the price must be high; that is the situation now.

Importers are complaining of lack of foreign exchange. So, we dont know when the product will be available,  Esue said.
The situation had deteriorated in the last one week, forcing residents who could afford, to buy the product at exorbitant prices.

NAN reports that the situation was compounded by non-availability of the commodity at most filling stations in the metropolis.

Some of the retailers told NAN that for the past one week, no filling station in the metropolis sold the product.

One of the sellers at Tarauni market, Malam Mohammed Aminu, said even those with old stock had jerked up the price by about 200 per cent due to its scarcity.

A consumer, Malam Annas Abba-Dala, said a four litre gallon of kerosine now go for N1, 600 as against N800.

Even today (Sunday) I bought a gallon of the product at N1, 600 as against N800, he said.

Another customer, Malam Garba Ahmad, said he had since switched to the use of charcoal until the situation improves.

With this recession and the current price of Kerosine, men with large families cannot afford to buy it.

So, people like us have to resort to the use of charcoal or firewood as an alternative though their prices has also increased slightly due to high demand," he added.

A filling station attendant on Audu Bako way said, the owner of this filling station stopped bringing the product when a litre was sold at N230.

ALSO READ: Kerosene scarcity hits Calabar

Effort to contact the state Chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Bashir Dan-Malam, failed as his mobile phone was switched off.
The IYC spokesman, Mr Eric Omare, made this known in a statement to newsmen in Warri, Delta, on Sunday.

Omare decried the continued invasion, arrest and detention of ex-agitators without any justifiable reasons.

The latest of such invasion and arrest is the commando style arrest of ex-agitator, Bounanawei Smith on Jan. 7, 2017 in Warri, Delta.

Smith was arrested while hosting some IYC members in his guest house at Esiso Estate, Warri, by a combined team of military officers.

They invaded and ransacked the whole of his guest house and some of the IYC members who were with him narrowly escaped death when the military officers shot sporadically into his apartment, he said.

The spokesman subsequently demanded the immediate release of Smith,who he said, was currently in the custody of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, Warri Naval Base.

Omare said Smith had since accepted amnesty and had been very active in maintaining peace and security in the Niger Delta.

Few days ago before his arrest he hosted a meeting of Ijaw and Urhobo leaders toward resolving the age-long inter communal crisis between Ogbe-Ijoh, Isaba, Diebiri and Aladja communities.

In recognition of this, the Delta Government appointed him into the land and Waterways Security Committee and he has since been working closely with security agencies.

Such invasion, arrest and detention of Niger Delta people by the military has become a norm. On Jan. 1, 2017 military officers invaded Gbaraun community, southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa arrested a youth leader, Kalami Inakemeduo.
Col. Sagir Musa, the Deputy Director Army Public Relations of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, in a statement in Awka on Sunday, described it as an unjustified, invidious and over flogged accusation.

He said the CD claimed that no fewer than 2000 Igbo youths had been killed by the Nigerian Army under the guise of Rules of Engagement.

He said that other publication allegations including Military Killed 150 Pro-Biafra Protesters had also been severally thoroughly refuted in many media platforms by the Nigerian Army.

It is the same position that this rejoinder has soundly adopted.

For emphasis and clarity, the Nigerian Army as an accountable, morally and professionally sound organisation had variously through its Human Rights Desk at the Army Headquarters, painstakingly investigated allegations of rights violations.

The results indicated specifically that this claim is false, malicious and should therefore be ignored for the sake of Nigeria.

Instructively, the Nigerian Army under its constitutional authorization to aid Civil Authority and Military Aid to Civil Power must continue to act in the best interest of the nation (in collaboration with other security agencies).

This included, de-escalating violence and checkmating security threats across the nation.

This task must be done, in spite of the sordid propaganda and possible politicization of the issue by ill meaning Nigerians, Musa said.

Looking at the recurrent posture of this allegation, the 82 Division Nigerian Army wishes to state that relevant authorities in the South East are at liberty to set up an inquiry into this accusation.

This is with the view to getting to the roots and end of this obnoxious and unfounded claim, he said.
According to Punch, Ribadu was one of the people who stopped the communal clashes in Plateau state, in conjunction with a non-governmental organisation, HD International.

The former EFCC boss said At the height of the crisis in Plateau State at that time, I decided to reach out to a couple of friends within the community. I reached out to people I thought we could initiate something.

I got Shehu Baba from the House Fulani Community, a respected young man and told him we cant sit down and do nothing. We started talking.

I also reached out to my good friend, Yusuf Pam, from the Birom Christian community, a former Attorney-General of Plateau State and we started by doing a proper research to understand the problem, study it and proffer solutions.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate has said that it will launch an investigation into the killings in Southern Kaduna.

Senator Danjuma Laah also advised the Senate to invite Southern Kaduna community leaders, so as to get a better picture of the happenings in the area.

Laah said the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, does not have a better understanding of what is going on in the area.

He said Even if the IG was summoned by the Senate to talk about what is happening in southern Kaduna, he might not be in a better position to give a concrete and honest account of what is happening there.

It must be the locals, those from Southern Kaduna, who can speak nothing but the honest truth about what is happening. And for those security men who are on the ground in Southern Kaduna can as well give their advice based on facts, without fear or favour. Let them come and say precisely what they saw.
The police authorities sacked the policemen for allegedly misusing their weapons during the Rivers rerun election which held on December 10, 2016.

Speaking in their defence, the Rivers state government said that the security men only foiled an attempt to assassinate Governor Wike.

According to Daily Post, Governor Fayose described the policemen as heroes of democracy, adding that their names will be written in gold.

The Ekiti Governor also said the men foiled the attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the rerun election.

He said that it is Funny, they claimed that the six police officers, while in the convoy of Governor Wike misused the firearms in their possession and I have asked myself, who did they shoot with the firearms said to have been misused?

The policemen simply did their job by protecting their principal and punishing them for performing their duties can only be meant to discourage policemen from protecting Governor Wike and other opposition Governors.

Fayose also challenged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris to reveal its findings on the killing of the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mohammed Alkali, and his Aide-De-Camp (ADC).

The Ekiti Governor said Since Christian Chukwuemela Ekikeme, a member of the gang that killed DSP Alkali, and his driver reportedly linked a certain Mr Kachi Nwokocha, who is a top member of the APC and an aide of the Minister of Transportation and immediate past governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi as sponsor of the gang, the police has been silent on the murder.

Up till today, the man mentioned as the sponsor of the gang that allegedly killed the DSP has not been questioned by the police.

Why didnt the police handle the murder of DSP Alkali and his driver with the speed of lighting that it handled the dismissal of the six police officers?

Why are Nigerians not being told anything about the murder and the involvement of an APC chieftain just the way the police paraded the six police officers?

It is sad that instead of focusing on those who killed its men, the police are now acting as an arm of the APC by punishing whoever acted against the wish of the vindictive leaders of the party.
Lungu announced this week that he was prepared to stand for re-election.

"I am eligible to stand in 2021 and if you want you can go to the Constitutional Court and they will tell you I am eligible to stand in 2021," Lungu told supporters in the central Copperbelt province on Thursday.

"God willing and if the people allow I will stand," he added.

His declaration has sparked debate among Zambians on his eligibility. The constitution allows a president two five-year terms.

Lungu came into power in 2015 to complete president Michael Sata's five-year tenure after Sata had died in October 2014 -- two years before completing his term.

Lungu was re-elected last August, narrowly beating Hakainde Hichilema, head of the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND).

The opposition party argues that Lungu is ineligible to stand again in 2021.

"Lungu does not qualify... We can't continue with a dictator, his police are killing people every day," UPND lawmaker Douglas Syakalima, an adviser to Hichilema, told AFP on Saturday.

"Who in Zambia would want to continue with a tin-pot dictator? His election is still been challenged but he is already talking about 2021," he added.

However in Luapula province on Saturday Lungu's Patriotic Front (PF) party endorsed his candidacy for the 2021 election.

Political analyst Alex Ng'oma, of the University of Zambia, said that the current constitution allows Lungu to seek another five-year mandate.

"The portion of Sata's tenure that Lungu served is less than three years so he is eligible to stand. But the party has to follow democratic channels to arrive at who becomes their candidate," Ng'oma told AFP on Saturday.

Lungu's bid for re-election is hampered by divisions within the ruling party, emanating from his sacking of information minister Chishimba Kambwili in November.
Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, the country's water, environment and planning minister, was shot dead shortly after midnight on New Year's Eve in the most high-profile killing since Burundi's political crisis began nearly two years ago.

Police were quick to term the killing an "assassination" although the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Prosecutor general Sylvestre Nyandwi told journalists that the minister had been shot in the head as he returned home in the capital Bujumbura.

"After this foul act, investigations began quickly and six suspected perpetrators were apprehended, including four men and two women," he said.

Nyandwi said investigations were still ongoing and did not reveal the identities of those arrested nor their alleged motives.

Niyonkuru is the first cabinet minister to be killed but other senior regime figures have been targeted since the crisis erupted over President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid to run for a third term in April 2015.

General Adolphe Nshimirimana, considered Nkurunziza's right-hand man, was killed in August 2015. Almost a year later former government minister and spokeswoman Hafsa Mossi was killed by gunmen in her car.

Other attacks have failed, with senior presidential advisor Willy Nyamitwe, a spokesman widely regarded as the public face of the government, escaping an ambush by a group of gunmen as he returned to his Bujumbura home in November.

Burundi has commonly blamed neighbouring Rwanda for the attacks.

At least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled the country since the unrest began as protesters -- and then military coup-plotters -- fought against Nkurunziza's third mandate.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai who attended the inauguration of the new Ghana President Nana Akufo Addo later met the new leader in private after the inauguration.Party officails posted on Facebook photos of Tsvangirai sitting in an office with Addo.MDC-T President Morgan Tsvangirai is in Ghana where he attended the inauguration of Nana Akufo-Addo. He was accompanied by his Deputy Nelson Chamisa who confirmed that Tsvangirai will hold private talks with the Ghanaian president soon after the inauguration ceremony.MDC-T Vice President Nelson Chamisa also attended the swearing in Ceremony of the New Ghana President. The President of Ghana is a personal friend of Chamisa, they studied together in America.
Those detained are accused of public order offences during a demonstration outside the Jerusalem residence of President Reuven Rivlin following a reconciliation rally in Tel Aviv.

An eighth person was arrested on charges of seeking to disrupt Saturday's rally in the commercial capital.

Another was detained on suspicion of taking part in a hate campaign against armed forces chief of staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot, who ordered the prosecution of Sergeant Elor Azaria that angered many on the Israeli right.

"During the night dozens of demonstrators arrived opposite the president's residence where they wanted to carry out an illegal protest in support of the soldier Elor Azaria," a police statement said.

"Some of them blocked the road and refused to obey police instructions. Seven demonstrators were arrested for breach of public order."

Since a military court found Azaria guilty on Wednesday, there has been a wave of public protest and threats against officials involved in the prosecution of the 20-year-old French-Israeli infantryman.

After the verdict was read out, protesters scuffled with police outside military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Radio and television channels broadcast recordings of the demonstrators chanting that the chief of staff should beware unless he wanted to share the fate of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by a Jewish extremist in 1995.

"Gadi, Gadi be careful, Rabin is looking for a friend," they shouted.

Saturday's unity rally, convened after a moving Facebook appeal by reserve Captain Ziv Shilon, was held in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square.

Azaria's conviction has deeply divided Israeli public opinion between those who believe he was wrongly tried and those who say the conviction was the right and proper consequence of his actions.

Right-wing politicians -- including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- have already called for Azaria to be pardoned, even though he has yet to be sentenced and his lawyers say he may appeal.
The widening unrest came after troops seized control of Bouake, the country's second city, firing rocket launchers in the streets in an angry protest over pay.

Bouake was the headquarters of an armed rebellion that broke out in 2002 and split Ivory Coast in two until 2011.

"Shots were heard here in Abidjan at the Akouedo military base," a newsflash on national television said Saturday, referring to a camp in the northern sector of the city.

Troops closed off a large junction near the Akouedo base, leaving all roads leading to the camp gridlocked with traffic and hampering access to several neighbouring districts.

The unrest erupted in the early hours of Friday morning with troops demanding hefty pay rises, and the protests quickly spread to other cities, including Man in the west.

In an attempt to defuse the crisis, Ivory Coast's defence minister headed to Bouake.

"We are going to talk with our men, hear their complaints and find solutions to this situation that is understandable but regrettable," Alain-Richard Donwahi said in a televised address before his departure.

The rattle of automatic gunfire, which raged throughout Friday night, could still be heard on Saturday morning along with the sound of heavy weapons fire, Bouake residents and an AFP correspondent said.

"We heard shooting all through the night," one resident told AFP by phone.

Disgruntled former rebels

Similar protests erupted in several central and northern towns throughout the day and by Saturday morning, the unrest had also spread to Man, witnesses and a military source said.

"I went out of my house at 7:00 am when I heard the first shots," a local resident called Jean told AFP, saying that within an hour, the firing had "intensified."

"The military is now parading through the streets in vehicles," he said, with a military source confirming the unrest had hit the city shortly after dawn on Saturday.

There were also protests in the central towns of Daloa and Daoukro as well as Korhogo in the north, where angry troops demanded salary hikes although witnesses said they had largely disappeared from the streets by Friday evening.

Speaking to AFP on Friday, a military official said the unrest was spearheaded by former rebel fighters now integrated into the army who were demanding bonuses of five million CFA francs ($8,000, 7,600 euros) each plus a house.

Troops wary

"We are emerging from a crisis and our army is being rebuilt," the defence minister said.

"Things are not moving as quickly as we hoped but they are moving none the less."

However troops expressed wariness over Donwahi's intentions, with one telling AFP; "we believe they are getting ready to do something against us."

"If he wants to come to negotiate, there won't be any problems. But if they want to attack us, we are ready for that too," he added.

President Alassane Ouattara, who is currently in Ghana for the swearing in of that country's new president, was expected to return to Abidjan, the economic capital, by the end of the day for a cabinet meeting.

Friday's unrest saw troops breaking in to Bouake's main weapons depot, arming themselves with rocket-launchers and other weapons mounted on pickup trucks, a military source said.

Troops then attacked all seven police posts, manned strategic junctions and put up barricades in the town centre, an AFP correspondent said.

An ongoing issue

A similar dispute by rebels-turned-soldiers erupted in Bouake in November 2014 which spread to Abidjan and briefly brought the country to a standstill.

The nearly 9,000 strikers, who joined the army between 2009 and 2011, were demanding full payment of back pay and promotions.

Bouake was the capital of a rebellion which erupted in 2002 in a failed attempt to oust then president Laurent Gbagbo, who remained in power.

The effective partitioning of the country between a rebel-held north and a loyalist south sparked a decade of clashes and crises.

Rebel forces generally backed Ouattara, the current president who took office in April 2011 after a bloody post-electoral showdown which ended with Gbagbo's arrest.
RBU hosts get together of senior citizens

Educational institutions of the SGPC are leading in every field: Sukhminder Singh
Besides the video cameras following his every move, it was a normal day at work for Joseph McLemore.

There were clumps of hair falling to the floor, conversations about girls and sports, and barbers working with, as McLemore says, the precision of doctors.

Thats what you do at Joes Barbershop  you socialize and make people look fresh, McLemore, who has owned the shop on Harrison Street for 49 years, said. Each haircut is very important.

And on Saturday, each haircut served as a piece of art.

Joes Barbershop is the focus of an upcoming exhibit at the Figge Art Museum put together by Chicago-based artist Jefferson Pinder. Pinder offered free haircuts to customers on Friday and Saturday while shooting video and taking photos at the barbershop.

Its like a reality show at the barbershop today, Nick Thompson, who has worked at Joe's for six years, said. "We're not used to that."

Thompson, who describes his boss as unique, dedicated, trustworthy and someone who wants to help his community, said hes not surprised by the star treatment.

Hes a figure of the community and a pillar of being positive, not negative, Thompson said. Hes a real guy and a good guy. Thats something you want to see in a museum.

Not a book about it

When the Figge Art Museum hired Pinder to capture the African-American experience in the Quad-Cities, he didnt know where to start.

Pinder, a Chicago-based artist, had only visited the Quad-Cities a few times.

At one point during his past year of research, somebody told him to go to Joes Barbershop.

After five minutes with this guy, you can tell the community needs to hear from him, Pinder said. Hes one of those gatekeepers. Hes been here for all these years and hes seen the community change and progress.

Pinder has spent several months of the last year in the Quad-Cities and plans to stay here until February to finish up his exhibit, which is called Ghost Light. It will run March 4 to June 4. He is also designing a piece around Rock Island activist Virgil Mayberry.

I started out with this big question of How do you unravel the African-American experience in the Quad-Cities? and, you know, theres not a book about it, Pinder said. I think you have to look at individuals who know the community really well and give them the platform."

That makes for an exhibit thats not typical for the Figge, Pinder said.

These museums tend to ignore people that are right in front of them, he said. The idea is to show a slice of the community thats hidden and that people forget about.

'Like a home'

If anything, McLemore, wants young people, especially young people of color, to see Ghost Light and think that anything is possible.

I hope it gives people inspiration, he said. I started off cutting hair to take care of my family and Im still here all these years later. Im proud of that.

McLemore is also proud of the sense of community he has built here, a place where nobody is a stranger, that other barbers describe as a brotherhood and man cave, and where a simple haircut can make someones day, or even, "bring somebody back from the dead," Thompson said.

When you walk in Joes Barbershop, youre accepted no matter what, McLemore said. Its an upbeat place where nobody is a stranger. Its not just a place for haircuts; it's like a home.

That was clear to Pinder on Saturday. He hopes "Ghost Light" brings new people to the Figge and that the exhibit shines a light on Joe's Barbershop.

What goes on in this barbershop is a real human experience and worth talking about," Pinder said. "When people leave here, they feel better about themselves. That's magical in a way."
SPRINGFIELD  Time is running out for the 99th Illinois General Assembly to do what it has failed to do so far throughout its two-year term: pass a comprehensive state budget that will earn the signature of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Lawmakers return to Springfield on Monday for a two-day lame-duck session. Thats traditionally a time when outgoing legislators can help push through controversial measures, such as a temporary income tax increase that was approved in 2011 and has since partially rolled back.

Its widely acknowledged that it will take a combination of spending cuts and tax increases to begin stabilizing the states shaky finances. Rauner also has insisted throughout the first two years of his term that any long-term budget deal include policy changes he says would boost economic growth and restore confidence in the states political system.

Whether lawmakers in both parties and both chambers of the General Assembly can forge a compromise that meets all those requirements remains uncertain.

Rauner acknowledged during an unrelated appearance in Carbondale on Friday that he has been briefed on discussions between Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, about a possible budget deal thats in the works.

Im heartened by that, Rauner said of the talks. Im optimistic that Democrats and Republicans are negotiating in good faith to come up with changes to our system so its not broken anymore.

The governor said it would be premature for him to comment on specifics because a lot of the detail is still in flux.

Spokespeople for Cullerton and Radogno declined to comment on the discussions, which were first reported Thursday by the Capitol Fax blog.

The components being discussed include an income tax increase, a short-term property tax freeze, changes to the states workers compensation laws and public pension systems, and term limits for legislative leaders, according to the Capitol Fax report.

Also being discussed is a new proposal to overhaul the way Illinois funds elementary and secondary education, an issue lawmakers have been working on for several years without success.

There is bipartisan agreement that Illinois relies too heavily on local property taxes to fund schools and does a poor job of directing state money to the school districts that need it most.

A commission that Rauner convened is working to produce a proposal before its Feb. 1 deadline, but other discussions are taking place on the sidelines.

Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, a member of the commission and a leading voice for his caucus on education funding, couldnt say whether a new school funding reform plan might be introduced during the lame-duck session.

Im not certain that were there yet, but were closer today than we were yesterday, Barickman said Friday of a bipartisan agreement on school funding. I continue to sense that the majority of the people involved in this have a sincere desire to fix this.

Past reform efforts have run aground due to the political difficulty of passing a plan that shifts money from some districts to others and the cost of trying to prevent any district from losing out under a new funding formula.

Passing an education funding bill during the lame-duck is perhaps less pressing because, unlike higher education, social services and other state operations, elementary and secondary schools are funded through June. The stopgap deal that was funding other operations expired when the calendar turned to 2017.

Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, another member of the education funding commission and a point man for Democrats on the issue, said that regardless of whether its during the lame-duck session or after the new General Assembly is sworn in Wednesday, fixing the states flawed school funding formula has to be a party of a final budget compromise.

It has to be accomplished, one way or the other, Manar said.

Neither he nor Barickman could comment on the wider discussions between Cullerton and Radogno, and both said they would reserve judgment on any deal until all the details are known.

No legislation representing components of the reported deal had been filed as of Friday.

Even if the Senate can approve an agreement Monday or Tuesday, its prospects in the House remain dim.

During their fall veto session, Democratic and Republican state representatives joined together to pass a resolution opposing any tax increases during the lame-duck session.

---
DES MOINES  For income tax-relief advocates in Iowa, opportunity apparently knocks once every 20 years.

Its been two decades since the GOP-led Legislature passed and Gov. Terry Branstad signed a 10 percent across-the-board income tax cut. Now, Republicans are back in control and bring an appetite for tax relief and reform to the Statehouse that has some groups salivating and others hoping lawmakers dont bite off more than the state budget can handle.

Were Republicans. Were always interested in reducing the tax burden on Iowa taxpayers. Thats what we do, said House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, who will be a key player when the 87th Iowa General Assembly convenes Monday with Republicans holding a 59-40 edge in the House and a 29-20-1 majority in the Senate.

Front and center in an aggressive GOP agenda for change over the next two years will be a concerted effort to make Iowas income tax system simpler, fairer, streamlined and more competitive while maintaining the flow of revenue necessary to fund essential government services Iowans expect.

This is a tough year when youve got declining revenue, and yet we dont want to ignore the opportunity, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said.

Were going to look; were going to study; were going to see whats possible. Wed love to have taxes be lower. Its who we are, but were going to do the right things for Iowans, Upmeyer added. Were going to make sure that were funding priorities, and then were going to look for opportunities for taxpayers to keep more of their dollars in their pockets.

Key lawmakers already have been busy laying the ground work for tax-policy discussions by analyzing data and past tax studies, meeting with stakeholder organizations, testing the effects of various rate-change scenarios and looking at what other states are doing to better understand the successes and pitfalls of revamping complex tax structures.

At this early stage of the process, said incoming Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock, everything is on the table for discussion, but he expects the focus will narrow as House and Senate members hold closed-door discussions at the Statehouse aimed at reaching a consensus.

What we want to generally look at is how can we reduce our rates, make it more simple and get the Legislature out of the business of picking winners and losers, Dix said. The states that are growing the fastest today are the ones that have recognized that economic policy and tax policy makes a big difference. High income tax punishes people who want to work, save and make investments in our state. We need to recognize that.

Federal tax issue

One feature of Iowas income-tax system that few other states have and complicates the way Iowas rates are calculated and perceived is the ability for Iowans to deduct their federal tax liabilities from their state individual or corporate income taxes.

Muscatine-based Iowans for Tax Relief have defended federal deductibility as protection from a tax on a tax, but a growing number of GOP and business interest groups see it as an impediment that skews Iowas true tax rates in national comparisons.

Our states complex system makes Iowa less competitive and requires a cumbersome explanation to prospective businesses, said Jason Hutcheson, a Greater Burlington Partnership executive who is chairman of the Iowa Chamber Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition representing the 16 largest chambers of commerce and economic development organizations throughout the state. Lowering and simplifying income taxes for both corporate and personal taxpayers is a critical need to make Iowa as competitive as it can be in realizing economic growth.

Currently, Iowas personal income tax system has rates in nine brackets that range from 0.36 percent up to 8.98 percent, but state officials argue the top effective rate is closer to 6 percent when the effect of federal deductibility is factored into the calculation.

Federal deductibility is an issue whose time is now, said Mike Ralston, leader the Iowa Association of Business & Industry.

Over the past 12 years, he has seen a shift from a majority of his association members supporting the deduction but now think it's time to get rid of it in favor of lower rates.

I think theres a chance that something will happen on that, Ralston said.

Chris Ingstad, president of Muscatine-based Iowans for Tax Relief, said his members want to preserve federal deductibility but would be open to considering other taxpayer protections. Ideas include adopting constitutional amendments limiting future tax or spending increases or making such decisions subject to a super majority of both legislative houses for passage. He also said his group supported a House approach to offer a two-track tax system in which a taxpayer could file under the current system or a separate flat-tax option.

We hope to work with legislators and understand what direction they want to take with the tax code, Ingstad said. Were going to be a little bit flexible this year and help legislators where we can. If there comes a time where we need to stand up for something that our members just wouldnt take, then well do that. But were optimistic that well get a pretty good tax reform or tax relief package passed.

Focus on spending

GOP lawmakers and interest groups say the state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and a key component is reducing government and the spending needed to support it.

The problem is not that the state doesnt have enough money, said Drew Klein, state director for Americans for Prosperity-Iowa. "Its that there are a lot of hands in the lobby that are open, expecting something for themselves.

Priority No. 1 is fiscal discipline and growing the economy. If we can take care of those issues, then eventually, we can start to address some of the wants and nice to haves that we would like to fund. But if we cant grow the economy, then all of those are just a pipe dream.

Kevin McLaughlin, a Des Moines investment counselor and long-time income tax-cut advocate, said although prospects are good and groups are working to present a unified front, he thinks the challenge might be harder in a situation of GOP control because the lobby against tax reform also will be working to keep whatever entitlements or benefits they enjoy under the current system.

Were not out to skin anybody, McLaughlin said. Were out to have everybody benefit.

Budget shortfall

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, who has served as Senate Ways and Means Committee chairman, said Democrats would support addressing federal deductibility to lower rates and to rein in the explosion of tax-credit spending that has mostly gone to out-of-state corporations but his colleagues do not want to see inequities toward working people exacerbated in the name of tax reforms.

I hope that whatever tax reform we do provides relief to working people and not millionaires, he said.

Bolkcom also noted that lawmakers face a $100 million shortfall in the current budget year that they have to address once they reconvene this week.

Given the fact that this budget is going into red, it seems ill-advised at this point to do any major tax cutting because we simply cant afford it, he said.

Branstad expressed similar reservations last week, telling reporters he does not think the state can afford to cut income taxes right now given the current budget shortfall, so he will not be making a tax-policy recommendation as part of the 2017 legislative agenda he lays out on Tuesday.

However, Branstad said he would be open to considering tax policy changes that majority Republican lawmakers may send him with a benchmark that whatever is proposed must be fiscally responsible and sustainable for the long term.

Considering the difficult budget decisions were faced with this year, at this time at least, Im not making a recommendation for a major tax reform this year, he said. Its certainly something I support and would like to see done, but at this point, I dont have anything in my program.

Rep. Guy Vander Linden, R-Oskaloosa, who now chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, took a similar cautious posture, saying tax-cut enthusiasts should just cool your jets until lawmakers get a better fix on the states economic situation and what appears to be the best course of action in setting future tax policy.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett, a former state legislator who was speaker of the Iowa House in 1997 when Republicans last spearheaded an effort to cut state income taxes, said he knows only too well how difficult the path to tax relief can be at the Iowa Capitol.

I had to use almost every piece of political capital that I had built up over the years as being speaker of the House and a state representative to get that bill down to the governors desk, he said. It will be a challenge for them, but it will not be impossible. Its been 20 years since Iowa has even tinkered with the rates, and its long overdue.
Among my Christmas emails was one titled "9 years and not counting."

It was from Wendy Kall, wife of my husband's lifelong friend Dave Kall, a 1970 graduate of Davenport Central High School.

Until nine years ago, Dave and Wendy worked for a Florida public school system, he as a teacher and she as a counselor. When they qualified for retirement, they decided to follow a long-held dream to set sail and explore the world.

They presently are in New Zealand, where they have permission to stay for two years. They began their journey in Florida, sailing the Caribbean, traveling down the coast of Central America, making their way through the Panama Canal and, island by island, sailing to New Zealand in a 44-foot sailboat named Elysium.

Wendy's emails, Dave's online blogs and their stories told in person during periodic visits back to the Quad-Cities leave me slack-jawed.

When the two are in port, a portion of their time is spent doing chores much as they would do on land  laundry, cleaning, buying and making food, reading, listening to podcasts.

Other time is spent exploring and experiencing the places in which they find themselves.

In Fiji, for example, Dave taught in a local school that was just introducing science as a subject. He gave instruction in the scientific method  how to construct a hypothesis, test it with an experiment, analyze the results and draw a conclusion.

In another place, they helped rebuild a school destroyed by a hurricane.

Wendy's emails share their observations.

"Into our 9th year of cruising now, we have visited countries and cultures different from our own," she writes. "I have found myself out of my comfort zone more times than I can count! Comfort zones are seductive, and 'bubbilicious.'

"Yet having experiences out of my comfort zone renews energy, offers new perspective and expands my world view."

The Kalls also report finding common ground with people they meet, both natives of the countries they visit and other "cruisers."

"There are things that divide us for sure, but so many more things that bring us together," Wendy writes.

Amid the accounts of exploration and reflection, there also are those that speak to the dangers they face. There are just two of them, after all, so what if there is an accident or health issue and one becomes incapacitated?

The open sea still has its pirates  people with real guns who might want to rob a lone boat.

There is a need to avoid sailing too near countries whose politics are openly hostile toward the United States, lest they encounter hostilities themselves.

And always there is the ocean itself. Getting from one place to another on the high seas requires courage, brains, planning, hard work and a dependable boat.

The trip from Fiji to a northern island of New Zealand, for example, took 11 days with total mileage of roughly 1,000 nautical miles.

There were a few periods of calm, but "the rest of the time we were clawing our way southward with relentless southerly swells, along with many other cross swells," Wendy writes.

"Bashing to windward is noisy, rough, raucous, and scary at times. When we come off a wave, sometimes there are small bangs or big bangs and if a wave hits in a particular spot, loud pops causing some consternation. At one time, we heard a 'different' noise and identified it when we found one of the controls from the stove had flown off and landed on the floor about three meters away!

"Offshore passages require a 24-hour watch, and with just two of us that means sleep deprivation will occur, the challenge being to stay as rested as possible in case both people are needed to attend to something. When those moments happen, they don't sneak up but roar loudly.

"Our watch schedule at night is three hours on, three hours off, then two on, two or so off. "

And there is beauty.

"We experienced a full moon, or near full, the entire passage," Wendy writes. "It lifted my spirits. It is important to keep up the spirits and not become too dispirited, for instance, screaming, 'Will we ever get there?!'"

I learn a lot reading Wendy's emails. There's a lot to think about, too.

The way she concludes her emails always makes me stop.

"No hurries, no worries."

Definitely thought-worthy.
You can kick the can down the road, but when Kim Jong Un announces, as he did last Sunday, that "we have reached the final stage in preparations to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic rocket," you are reaching the end of that road.

Since the early 1990s, we have offered every kind of inducement to get North Korea to give up its nuclear program. All failed miserably. Pyongyang managed to extort money, food, oil and commercial nuclear reactors in exchange. But it was all a swindle. North Korea was never going to give up its nukes because it sees them as the ultimate guarantee of regime survival.

The North Koreans believe that nukes confer inviolability. Saddam Hussein was invaded and deposed before he could acquire them. Kim won't let that happen to him. That's why Thae Yong Ho, a recent high-level defector, insisted that "As long as Kim Jong Un is in power, North Korea will never give up its nuclear weapons, even if it's offered $1 trillion or $10 trillion in rewards."

Meanwhile, they have advanced. They've already exploded a handful of nuclear bombs. And they've twice successfully launched satellites, which means they have the ICBM essentials. If they can miniaturize their weapons to fit on top of the rocket and control re-entry, they'll be able to push a button in Pyongyang and wipe out an American city.

What to do? The options are stark:

(1) Pre-emptive attack on its missile launching facilities. Doable but reckless. It is the option most likely to trigger an actual war. The North Koreans enjoy both conventional superiority and proximity: a vast army poised at the Demilitarized Zone only 30 miles from Seoul. Americans are not going to fight another land war in Asia.

(2) Shoot down the test ICBM, as advocated by The Wall Street Journal. Assuming we can. Democrats have done their best to abort or slow down anti-missile defenses since Ronald Reagan proposed them in the early 1980s. Even so, we should be able to intercept a single, relatively primitive ICBM of the sort North Korea might be capable of.

Though such a shoot-down would occur nowhere near North Korean soil, it could still very well provoke a military response. Which is why the new administration should issue a clear warning that if such a test missile is launched, we will bring it down. Barack Obama is gone. Such a red line could be a powerful deterrent.

(3) Return tactical U.S. nuclear weapons to South Korea. They were withdrawn in 1991 by George H.W. Bush in the waning days of the Cold War. Gorbachev's Soviet Union responded in kind. A good idea in general, but not on the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang had railed constantly against their presence, but they did act as a deterrent to any contemplated North Korean aggression. Which might make them a useful bargaining chip.

(4) Economic leverage on China, upon which Pyongyang depends for its survival. Donald Trump seems to suggest using trade to pressure China to get North Korea to desist. The problem is that China has shown no evidence of being willing to yield a priceless strategic asset -- a wholly dependent client state that acts as a permanent thorn and distraction to U.S. power in the Pacific Rim -- because of mere economic pressure.

(5) Strategic leverage on China. We've been begging China for decades to halt the North Korean nuclear program. Beijing plays along with sanctions and offers occasional expressions of dismay. Nothing more. There's one way guaranteed to get its attention. Declare that we would no longer oppose Japan acquiring a nuclear deterrent.

This is a radical step that goes against our general policy of nonproliferation. But the point is to halt proliferation to the infinitely more dangerous regime in North Korea. China is the key. The Chinese have many nightmares, none worse than a nuclear-armed Japan.

The principal strategic challenge facing the United States is the rise of revisionist powers -- Russia, China and Iran -- striving to expel American influence from their regions. In comparison, the Korean problem is minor, an idiosyncratic relic of the Cold War. North Korea should be a strategic afterthought, like Cuba. And it would be if not for its nukes.

That's a big if. A wholly unpredictable, highly erratic and often irrational regime is acquiring the capacity to destroy an American city by missile. That's an urgent problem.

North Korea may be just an unexploded ordnance of a long-concluded Cold War. But we cannot keep assuming it will never go off.
Back in December, Gov. Bruce Rauner was asked by a Chicago TV reporter if he planned to run for reelection. Rauner said he wasn't focused on such things.

Just three days later, Gov. Rauner contributed $50 million to his own campaign fund.

So, either he suddenly focused himself on the 2018 campaign, or he simply wasnt telling the truth.

Rauner does this a lot. Whenever he's been asked about the Illinois Republican Party's blistering post-election campaign attacks tying Democrats to House Speaker Michael Madigan, Rauner has said he doesn't pay attention to that stuff - even though he has given his party almost all of its funding during the past year and even though he has often referred to himself as the leader of the state party and put his own people into positions at the party.

Look, all politicians play with the truth. But this is getting to be a bit too much to bear because these actions are at the very core of what Rauner is doing as governor.

You will recall that some of Rauner's buddies set up a huge and ostensibly Democratic political action committee (IllinoisGO) right around the time Rauner was inaugurated in January of 2015. That campaign committee was, in reality, solely designed to mess with Madigan.

In June of 2015, the governor launched an expensive statewide TV advertising campaign attacking Speaker Madigan, blaming him for the failure to cave to the governors demands for pro-business/anti-union reforms in exchange for a state budget solution.

Shortly thereafter, the governor moved into the primary season, spending millions more. And then he started spending real money on state legislative races in June of 2016, an unheard-of early start date which actually came while lawmakers were still in session. Rauner even began paying for Chicago broadcast TV ads for Rep. Mike McAuliffe, R-Chicago, in early August, also an unheard-of start date. And the governor launched a TV ad touting his support for term limits, a not so subtle dig at the House Speakers record longevity.

Republican candidates picked up four House seats during last years campaign. But days after the election ended, the state GOP launched a new website, "BossMadigan.com." The site is filled with profiles of Democrats whom the Republicans say are really just Speaker Madigans pawns. The party is also spending money on social media to spread the word about those naughty Democrats whove allegedly dared to align themselves with their own state party chairman.

This is still a free country and Gov. Rauner can do whatever he wants. The House Speaker is, after all, notorious for holding floor votes on ridiculously political bills. Madigan must've forced Republicans to vote against a phony "property tax freeze" bill 15 times in order to bash them with their own votes during the campaign. And this Madigan stuff goes back decades. We've always been in constant campaign mode in Illinois. Rauner is simply upping the ante with actual year-round campaign spending.

So for the governor to deny involvement or even knowledge of campaign activities when his entire organization and others around him have been deeply in campaign mode since Day One defies all credibility. This is not some ancillary activity.

To put it as simply as possible, Rauner has used campaign tactics to try and force a wedge between Democrats and Speaker Madigan. That's what IllinoisGO was supposed to be about - an alternative source of campaign money for Democrats who defied Madigan, or a bludgeon against those who stuck with him. Everything Rauner has done since then has had the same two goals regarding Madigan.

And yet, when asked again about this topic just last week, Rauner said, Im not getting involved in any of the General Assemblys decisions on their leadership.

Right.

But this obsession with Madigan means Rauner has defined his own term in office as a crusade against the Great White Whale. Yes, there is plenty of public support for that. Madigan is the least popular politician in this state, and perhaps in the entire country.

"Moby Dick" didn't end well for the pursuer, however. Madigan's top people have been saying for more than 18 months that they know they can't move their own guy's poll numbers up very much, so their plan is to drag Rauner down to Madigan's level. Rauner has eagerly followed Madigan into that rabbit hole and failed to accomplish much of anything else in the process.

At last check by a Republican pollster, the governor's favorable rating was 36 percent, with an unfavorable rating of 48. He's gonna need every bit of that $50 million, and a whole lot more.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is either willfully ignorant or dishonest.

Pate rolled out his proposed voter ID laws Thursday, a so-called move toward stifling nonexistent election fraud. It's a curious move given that, just two months ago on these very pages, he lauded the "security" of Iowa's elections. Pate defended the cognitive dissonance Thursday by arguing that the move would pre-empt any future election fraud, according to Iowa Public Radio.

And Pate's statement announcing the crackdown on voters really flew in the face of established fact.

"We are one of the top states in the nation for voter registration and voter participation. This legislation will not have any negative impact on either of those," he said. "Instead, it will help instill confidence in our voting system and let every Iowan know that their vote counts."

Yeah. That's demonstrably false.

Republican-run states throughout the country have employed fear of some nonexistent fraudulent voter to erect barriers to poll access. Court after court has called the various iterations little but racially targeted suppression, direct attacks on the Voting Rights Act. It's hard to believe that Pate isn't aware of this.

But the federal jurists are only as good as the facts before them. The research about the devastating effect on racial minorities is not only undeniable, according to peer-reviewed research. It's downright sinister.

Minority voters are incredibly less likely to vote in states with voter ID laws, says a 2016 landmark study by researcher at University California, San Diego. Blacks are especially hard hit, the first-of-its-kind study says. But Hispanics, Asians and mixed-race voters, too, are exponentially less likely to cast ballots.

The result  already known by the masterminds of these ridiculous laws  is a pronounced benefit for Republican candidates.

It's a strategy that opts to keep opposition voters from the polls instead of working for their votes. It's nothing more than Jim Crow's well-dressed grandson.

Pate looks to have known all this. That's why he chose a more watered-down approach, as opposed to the disgusting, blatant and unconstitutional measures passed in Texas and North Carolina only to die in the courtroom.

Any registered voter without an ID will be issued an ID card, Pate said. No worries, he proclaimed.

Pate's dodging the real issue, and he knows it.

Public services are harder to access for those living in poor neighborhoods. Public transportation is somewhere between lackluster and nonexistent in most of Iowa. Access to motor vehicle offices and county clerks is a nationwide problem that, in part, explains the suppressive effect these voter ID laws have on targeted communities.

In Des Moines, like in Washington, D.C., freshly empowered Republicans are climbing over each other to plant their flag in some ideological hill. They're proposing defunding women's health clinics for alleged violations that don't exist. They're eyeing tax cuts while schools and highways rot on the vine. They're yearning to set up gonadal checkpoints outside public restrooms. They're hoping to hold on long enough to redistrict Democrats out of existence in some parts of the country, yet another attack on voters who don't back the GOP.

Then there's Pate. He's a man who, in one moment, lauds the above-board nature of Iowa's election when it best suits him. In the next moment, he's stoking paranoia and fear of some fraudulent voter that he himself admits doesn't exist. And he has the gall to claim that his pitch won't disenfranchise a soul.

All Pate's proven is his utter contempt for a significant portion of Iowa's voting public and his burning desire to keep them from the polls.
News / National

by Simbarashe Sithole

A 22 year old Mvurwi fish monger was put behind bar for impersonating a soldier and harassing people in night clubs.Guruve magistrate Antony Sanyatwi heard that Lovewell Kabote was moving about on New Year's Eve threatening and harassing people at Dendere night club in Mvurwi Mashonaland Central province.He reportedly flashed a fake identity card to one of his victim who then filed a police report prompting police intelligence constable Ben to apprehend him.He was slapped with effective four months behind bars at Kachara prison in Guruve.Surprisingly his girlfriend Joyce Gweshe is an ex-convict of assault who was freed last month after glassing a rank marshal Pasiinhamo hence the two have exchanged jail service
CEDAR RAPIDS  In the timing is everything category, Secretary of State Paul Pate thinks 2017 is the ideal time for Iowa lawmakers to address election integrity by requiring voter IDs and other measures to increase voter confidence in voter registration and absentee voting.

His proposed $1 million upgrade to the states election system to guard against fraud comes on the heels of a campaign cycle marked by concerns about fraud and Russian hackers.

Pate, who also served as Secretary of State in the 1990s, said there always are people concerned about electoral integrity, but this election cycle it was unusually high.

We were bombarded with questions about the Russian thing and every kind of hacking, Pate said Friday afternoon, emphasizing that whatever Russian interference there was, they didnt hack a single election system anywhere.

Any suggestion of fraud plants seeds of doubt in the minds of some voters who then decide their vote wont count. So Pate is trying to prevent any loss of confidence in Iowas voting system by proposing that voter identification  including existing Iowa drivers licenses, passports and military IDs  be required and signatures be verified at polling sites. Eligible voters, out-of-state students and others who lack approved identification would be issued free ID cards including an ID number that would be required for all absentee ballot requests.

Iowa county auditors share Pates pride in the electoral process, but are not enthusiastic about his proposal.

Checking ID cards at the polls doesnt guarantee the elimination of voter fraud, said Linn County Auditor Joel Miller, and it adds steps to the process.

Its not a slam dunk, he said. Youve taken something that already has a lot of moving parts and variables and added more moving parts and variables, and cost.

Pates proposal would require Linn County to have four to five computers at each of its 86 precinct. That would mean buying close to 300 additional computers at a cost of more than several hundred dollars each, Miller said.

Johnson County keeps a minimum of three computers at each of its 57 precincts, Auditor Travis Weipert said. In addition to the cost of equipment upgrades, he said Pates plan also may require the county to spend more money training poll workers to use new equipment and better spot fake IDs.

Pate wants the state to pick up some of those costs. His proposal calls for the state to provide poll books to the counties without them and security updates for the counties using poll books now. The state would provide poll worker training, too.

There will be costs to counties associated with his proposal, Pate said, but they need to upgrade and update their technology. Much of the new voting equipment was purchased more than 10 years ago following the 2000 election that exposed flaws in the election system.

Legislative Democrats initial reactions have not been positive.

House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, called voter ID laws a solution in search of a problem. Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, charged it would disenfranchise older Iowans, younger Iowans and people of color.

Pate acknowledged that similar changes in other states have prompted legal challenges. The results are a mixed bag. For example, North Carolinas far-reaching election restrictions were rejected by a federal appeals court that found state legislators had intentionally made it harder for minorities to vote.

The same court upheld Virginias voter ID law, which unlike Pates proposal would require a photo ID, to be constitutional because it is more flexible than other states measures and was not designed to discriminate.

That gives him confidence his proposal could withstand a court challenge.

We are not profiling, were not putting any voters out in any respect at all, he said. Its so passive. I just dont see where they can challenge it.

The biggest challenge may be winning legislative approval for a $1 million capital expenditure at a time lawmakers face cutting $100 million from the state budget. With that in mind, Pate is calling for the upgrades to be in place for the 2020 presidential election. However, finding $1 million in the $7 billion general fund budget is not too much to ask to ensure Iowans that their votes are secure and they will count, he said.

(Gazette reporters Mitchell Schmidt and Erin Jordan contributed to this report.)
Robert Hengen was the last one out of the Gate City Building, but he was still three months ahead of a generous deadline to move his business.

Hengens Black Hills Tent & Awning became the last of four former tenants of the small Second Street retail strip to make the mandated move to new quarters, since the Gate City Building is slated to be demolished for a new Black Hills Federal Credit Union downtown branch to be built starting later this year.

As reported earlier, other Gate City tenants have already found new homes.

Tim Hamilton moved his Sand Scripts engraving business to 410 Maple Ave. Sand Scripts' neighbor, Pam Stainbrook reopened JJs Engraving at 215 E. North St. David Randolph moved his Dakota Fine Rug Cleaning to 2340-D Deadwood Ave. in the Summit Plaza.

Hengen has settled his tent and awning shop at 2425 E. St. Charles St., near the Star of the West softball complex, and south of Western Dakota Technical Institute. He completed the move last month.

Its actually smaller square footage from what we had but its laid out a lot better, Hengen said. Weve got a nice showroom area and a nice production area.

Black Hills Tent & Awnings location may have changed but the phone number remains the same, 605-342-0135.

On the move

Chuck Cressy at Independent Goldsmiths has closed his storefront at 621 Main St., and plans to take a couple of months off before resuming his jewelry repair and custom jewelry business at a new yet undermined location.

Check with him at 605-718-7859 for more information.

Meanwhile, his old spot will become the new location for Perfect Hanging Gallery later this month.

Owner Chance Whelchel moved the longtime custom framing shop and gallery from Haines Avenue to Main Street Square about five years ago.

Before that, Perfect Hanging Gallery was located on Kansas City Street and on St. Joe Street where Crankys Bike Shop is now.

Whelchel said the newest location will offer more production space for framing, along with more room for gallery display.

Scott Peterson Motors honored

Scott and Susan Peterson of Scott Peterson Motors, with dealerships in Belle Fourche and Sturgis, will be honored with the 2017 South Dakota Retailer of the Year Award during the South Dakota Retailers Association annual awards banquet in Pierre on Jan. 9.

The Retailer of the Year Award, based on a businesss commitment to customer service and contributions to the community, has been presented annually since 1982 by SDRA, a nearly 4,000- member statewide business organization.

In 2014, the Petersons accepted the Small Business of the Year award from Black Hills Community Economic Development.

Susan Peterson said in 2014 that their business is about cars but also about people. The couple has been active in community service projects in Belle Fourche and Sturgis, including their recent annual food drive which brought in nearly $16,000.

We feel lucky to be part of this community, excited for its growth and proud of its heritage, Scott told the Meade County Times-Tribune in 2013. Any good will that we can give back is only because of the good will of the community we are part of.
PIERRE | South Dakota lawmakers start their legislative session Tuesday constrained by weak state tax collections, a trend that's expected to mean no major new public spending and could worsen as the session proceeds.

Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard in December proposed modest increases for the upcoming fiscal year to key budget areas including education, Medicaid providers and state workers. But he's warned since then that even those might be too much.

Beyond tending to the state's fiscal house, the GOP-held Legislature is expected to repeal a government ethics initiative that voters approved in November. Daugaard has said voters were deceived by campaign advertising that implied lobbyists were bribing legislators while ignoring public campaign finance provisions in the initiative.

"I just feel it was very misleading," said Daugaard, who has suggested studying the issues covered by the initiative to find other solutions.

The beleaguered ballot measure  a state judge put it on hold while a legal challenge from Republican lawmakers and others moves forward  doesn't appear to have many legislative allies. The incoming House and Senate Republican leaders, Rep. Lee Qualm and Sen. Blake Curd, are among those challenging it.

Measure supporters hired a lobbyist and have said they're prepared to fight for it at the Capitol, which likely won't offer many friendly faces. Democrats' ranks are even thinner this year, with Republicans controlling about 85 percent of the legislative seats after November's election.

Incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lance Russell, a Republican, said he has concerns about the constitutionality of provisions in the ethics law. But he said the Legislature should wait for resolution in court before touching it.

"For us to simply negate the will of the voters, I think, is somewhat arrogant on our part," he said.

Concerns over ballot measures extend beyond the anti-corruption initiative. A campaign season that brought in millions of dollars from out-of-state groups has some Republican lawmakers considering changes to make it more difficult to get measures on the ballot. Daugaard has said he's open to altering the initiative system.

The governor has signaled little appetite for a rehash of last session's fight over limiting the bathrooms that transgender students can use at school. Daugaard said the same bill would face his same objections, though he said he'd need to examine alternate proposals if they materialize.

The governor's office is reviewing proposals by Attorney General Marty Jackley, including a bill to crack down on criminal conflicts of interests among public officials. Jackley's plan would treat the offense as theft, which is a felony when the value exceeds $1,000, from the current misdemeanor self-dealing penalty.

"This, depending upon the circumstances, could be used by prosecutors to hold individuals responsible that misuse taxpayer dollars," he said.
MANDAN, N.D. | A petition to let out-of-state lawyers represent pipeline protesters has drawn thousands of public comments to the North Dakota Supreme Court.

The vast majority of the comments, which come from as far away as Hawaii, are in favor of the petition, which arose from concerns among some lawyers there were not enough criminal defense attorneys in the state to handle the 570-plus criminal cases arising from the Dakota Access pipeline protests.

When the petition was filed in mid-December, 264 people were listed as being without attorneys, a problem they said could be partly attributed to a shortage of public defenders and private criminal defense lawyers.

But many key North Dakota stakeholders, including the state bar association and the presiding district judge, expressed reservations about allowing such lawyers to practice in the state without strict supervision, a review of public comments shows.

The petition, which was submitted in mid-December by 10 North Dakota and Minnesota lawyers and organizations, asks the state Supreme Court to relax the rules on out-of-state lawyers. One way they suggest doing this would be to allow lawyers to practice in North Dakota as long as they are licensed in the federal system.

Currently, out-of-state lawyers must work closely with a local lawyer, who must appear at all hearings. According to the petition, willing lawyers have had trouble finding local partners because of existing workloads, conflicts and extra fees.

By leaving the rules as is, the petitioners say many peoples constitutional right to a defense attorney is at risk.

The fallout from the DAPL protests is unprecedented in North Dakota. The sheer scale presents a legal crisis in providing quality representation to all defendants, the petitioners wrote.

The State Bar Association of North Dakota did not oppose the petition but said it was concerned with the protection of the public and unauthorized practice of law.

The bar recommended that any rule changes apply only to lawyers working on protest-related cases. Also, it suggested there should be rules that lawyers must be in good standing in their respective states, pay licensure fees at least once and be subject to discipline. It also said it may not be the best organization to supervise such a program.

If the court eases any of the requirements  those changes should be done in light of the interests of the protection of those being represented, President Charles DeMakis wrote.

The Indigent Defense Commission remained neutral with respect to the petition, which is purportedly written to help it handle an ever-increasing number of cases. In a letter to the court, the executive director detailed the efforts the commission has taken to appoint 81 lawyers to pipeline cases and said she was committed to continuing to provide services to all who qualify.

The DAPL cases have added significant work volume to an already record-breaking year. The commission and its employees and contractors are dedicated to their mission of providing high-quality, professional and effective defense services to those in need and will continue to fulfill it, Executive Director Jean Delaney wrote.

South Central District Presiding Judge Gail Hagerty, writing on behalf of the judges in the district, including Morton County, opposed the petition and said she had not seen the issues obtaining lawyers that were pointed out in the brief.

We have not experienced difficulty in having attorneys appointed for those who are indigent and are entitled to court-appointed counsel, Hagerty wrote. It should be remembered that there are only a handful of prosecuting attorneys involved in the cases involving pipeline protests.

However, a judge on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation said he wished the court would allow the relaxed rules as an excellent way to ensure legal counsel for defendants, many of whom are indigent, while saving Morton County and the state monies for courtappointed counsel.

The judge, B.J. Jones, said several attorneys had asked him to be their associate counsel, but the time commitment was too difficult, as he would need to appear with them at any proceeding.

The rules associated with appearing with outside counsel are very laborious and would require me to be away from court so often that I have had to turn down these requests, Jones wrote.

Neither the North Dakota States Attorneys Association nor the North Dakota Criminal Defense Lawyers Association provided comments.

Among the supporters were civil rights and legal defense groups, including Amnesty International, the Civil Liberties Defense Center and the National Lawyers Group, which has helped coordinate out-of-state lawyers to assist protesters with their cases.

The right of both indigent and non-indigent defendants to adequate and effective counsel undergirds the guarantees of a fair and speedy trial, due process and equal protection that constitute the cornerstones of the rule of law. Timely intervention by this court could protect these foundational principles and preclude the time and expense of years of subsequent litigation should these defendants be denied their constitutional rights, the NLG commented.

The NLG said that, if the rules were approved, they could help provide attorneys from its network.

Some tribes and native organizations, including Standing Rock, also endorsed the measure.

Thousands of members of the public, many from other states and using a template response, also wrote the court to endorse a temporary change.

Allowing out-of-state attorneys will help to ensure our water protectors receive as fair a trial as possible, many wrote.

Meanwhile, some North Dakota members of the public rejected the idea, condemning it as special treatment or a way of pulling business from local lawyers.

Comments were accepted Dec. 15-30.

The court has yet to rule on the petition. There is no hearing scheduled.
The push to legalize medical marijuana in South Dakota last year targeted voters with a plea for compassion for the sick.

Now, a new push to legalize recreational use of the drug in South Dakota will target something much different  tax revenue and jobs.

New Approach South Dakota will submit the proposal for an initiated measure to go to a statewide vote on the 2018 ballot. The group will submit the proposal to the attorney general's office early next week, and it plans to begin gathering signatures after his explanation is released. A separate measure reviving the medical marijuana issue has also been submitted for the statewide ballot process.

The group says the tax revenues that could be generated if the measure passed would create millions for South Dakota's education system and for general government spending.

Melissa Mentele, a leader of New Approach South Dakota, says marijuana is a $6 billion dollar industry in the county and South Dakota is missing out.

"Cannabis legalization is a self-sustaining industry that brings thousands of jobs in the ag industry, farming, manufacturing, retail, tourism and the health care industry  skilled jobs that South Dakota desperately needs."

Mentele said a notary error was the reason the medical marijuana measure failed to qualify for the statewide ballot in 2016, even though the group got more than 16,000 signatures. She said this drive would be different for both the recreational and medical measures.

"We have learned many lessons from our last petition drive, the most important one being: Check and double-check your notary and seal," Mentele said in an email.

Mentele said most of the interest for the medical marijuana referendum came from voters 50 years or older, but she expects interest for recreational use to come from a younger demographic.

"We feel very optimistic about this petition drive," she said.

Seven states and the District of Columbia allow the sale and use of recreational marijuana. California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts all voted in favor in November. Arizona voted it down. Colorado is the closest state to South Dakota where recreational pot is legal.

Early adopters have used marijuana taxes as a source of significant tax revenue for governmental coffers.

Last year, marijuana sales in Colorado totaled more than $1 billion, and the state collected more than $150 million in taxes and fees from those sales.

"South Dakota, with our beautiful state, unlimited outdoor recreational opportunities, hunters, and bikers during Sturgis, has the potential to bring in millions in tax revenue," Mentele said.

The South Dakota measure would set an excise tax on marijuana that would include $50 per ounce on marijuana flowers, or buds, for buyers. Other taxes would apply to buying immature plants and other parts of the marijuana plant.

But the proposed ballot measure will surely face opposition from top government and law enforcement officials in South Dakota.

Tony Venhuizen, chief of staff for Gov. Dennis Daugaard, said the governor opposes the legalization of marijuana and even a potential sales tax revenue boost would not change his mind on the issue.

"The governor does not believe expanding drug use is a good idea for South Dakota," Venhuizen said in an email.

The recreational measure, titled "An Act to Regulate and Tax Marijuana Like Alcohol," would allow a person 21 years or older to buy and possess marijuana or marijuana products up to 1 ounce or less at a time.

It would also allow for the cultivation of up to six immature marijuana plants per person and would set up rules for cultivation facilities and establishments to sell the drug.

This measure would provide for tax money to be doled out every three months to a variety of state agencies. Forty percent would be distributed to the South Dakota Department of Education to retain and recruit educators.

"We lose brilliant, bright, engaged educators due to the inability to properly compensate them for educating the future of South Dakota," Mentele said. "Every board member, coordinator and administrator for New Approach South Dakota is a parent, and this is an issue very near and dear to our hearts."

Other tax distribution would include 20 percent to the Department of Health for drug and alcohol abuse programs and for a public education campaign about the risks of drugs and alcohol. Thirty percent will be distributed to the general fund, and the final 10 percent would go to South Dakota law enforcement for training, detection dogs and education programs to aid youth diversion.

Section 26 of the measure lays out provisions on the sale and use of recreational marijuana. It would allow recreational use in public places and would not allow the drug to be used while operating a moving vehicle. Municipalities would be allowed to prohibit the operation of marijuana stores and cultivation facilities but only through a public vote.

If the measure is passed, section 25 would also commute the sentences of offenders who had been convicted or are charged with nonviolent marijuana offenses before the measure was passed.

"We are not doing our state and its residents any favors by imprisoning people for nonviolent cannabis crimes," Mentele said. "The savings alone on the court and judicial system is millions of dollars."

But Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom sharply disagrees with that assessment. "That is bad idea and a bad plan," Thom said.

He questioned what would happen if an offender had taken a plea deal and only a marijuana charge was left on the record.

"They may have plead out of a much larger charge and we wouldn't know it," Thom said. "If we are going to throw open the jail doors and call it a victory, we are going to have problems."
An 11-year-old written promise by a former state official to never charge the public for access to certain parts of Spearfish Canyon has been resurrected during ongoing debate of a proposal to turn part of the canyon into a state park.

The promise was made in a 2006 document by John Cooper, who was then secretary of the state Department of Game, Fish & Parks. Former state legislator Jerry Apa, of Lead, referenced the promise in an op-ed piece earlier this month in the Journal.

The Journal has since obtained a copy of the document, which is 48 pages long and titled "Spearfish Canyon Homestake Lands Acquisition."

The document consists of an ultimately successful proposal from Cooper to obtain $3.1 million from a legal fund designated for the restoration of areas damaged by gold mining. The state used the money to help acquire water rights and about 350 acres of land in the canyon from longtime owner Homestake Mining Co. and its corporate parent, Barrick Gold Corp.

At least three times in the written proposal, Cooper promised never to charge a fee for access to the acquired areas. Those areas included Roughlock Falls and Savoy Pond and some associated stream sections, plus 300 acres at the canyon mouth near Spearfish.

Fees will never be charged to view or enjoy these lands, said the most emphatic of the promises in the document.

Another part of the proposal earmarked $600,000 to be placed in an interest-bearing fund for the operation, maintenance and environmental restoration of the acquired land and water. The proposal stated that Homestake required the fund to guarantee that fees will never be charged to the public to view or enjoy these acquisitions.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard now wants to obtain nearly 1,500 acres of Black Hills National Forest land in the canyon  including two U.S. Forest Service campgrounds  and pair it with some state-owned land to create a 1,600-acre state park.

Roughlock Falls and Savoy Pond, two of the areas covered by the 2006 no-fee pledge, are included in the proposed park boundaries. Apa, in his Jan. 1 op-ed piece, suggested that the creation of a state park and the imposition of an entrance fee would violate the earlier promises.

In terms of bureaucratic life, the ink isnt even dry on this document and GF&P is trying to circumvent the intent of the agreement between Homestake and GF&P, Apa wrote.

Cooper, who is now retired, said in a phone interview last week that he included the no-fee promise in the 2006 proposal at the request of Apa, who was then the chairman of the Legislature's Joint Appropriations Committee.

But Cooper said he intended to prevent fees only at the three places that were being acquired at the time  the Roughlock Falls area, the Savoy Pond area and the canyon mouth. He does not think the no-fee pledge is applicable to other parts of canyon that the state has acquired since then or might acquire in the future.

Current GF&P Secretary Kelly Hepler took the same position last week during a visit to the Journal while he and other state officials were in the Black Hills to promote the state park plan. He said no fees will be imposed to drive through the canyon on U.S. Highway 14, but said other fees are possible and are under discussion as part of a master-planning initiative that will include public input sessions.

Hepler indicated that some user fees will be necessary to operate the proposed park. He said annual interest from the $600,000 fund established in 2006 amounts to only about $6,000, while the cost to maintain basic visitor infrastructure at Roughlock Falls  which is already designated as a state nature area  along with Spearfish Falls and Savoy Pond is about $34,000 annually.

Other fees besides an entrance fee could be used to maintain the proposed park, Hepler said. He gave examples including camping fees, and fees to hold weddings and other special events.

There are multiple ways you can do that, and it would be irresponsible for us to say at this point that we know exactly what this is going to look like, because we dont, Hepler said.

Besides fees, the other main concern expressed by critics of the state park plan is the threat of overdevelopment that a state park could pose to relatively pristine sections of the canyon. State officials have said the buildup of a park could include improved roads, expanded campgrounds and more visitor amenities. But they insist they will be good stewards of the land and resources, just as the state has been at existing state parks.

In 2006, Cooper expressed his own concerns about overdevelopment in his land-acquisition proposal. Quoting a statement by the Black Hills National Forest and a task force of canyon stakeholders, Cooper wrote, The carrying capacity of the area is currently maximized  biodiversity and scenic values are at risk as the demand for public use continues to expand  Further development will encroach on the unique qualities of the Canyon's natural landscape .

Last week, Cooper said the environmental concerns he expressed 11 years ago do not apply to the creation of a state park in the canyon.

From what I understand about the state park development process, its going to be developed with that kind of situation in mind, Cooper said.

Cooper also said, as did Hepler, that Spearfish Canyon is bound to remain popular with visitors, and a smartly designed park could be the best way to accommodate visitors while still protecting environmentally sensitive areas.

Meanwhile, the fate of the proposed park rests mostly with Congress and the president.

The states congressional delegation, at Gov. Daugaards request, is trying to pass legislation that would transfer the federal canyon land needed for the park to the state, in exchange for some state land east of the Black Hills that would be transferred into two national grasslands. Bismarck Lake, which is adjacent to Custer State Park, would also be transferred to state ownership as part of the swap.

State officials said during their visit to Rapid City last week that they also foresee Bismarck Lake becoming a natural addition to Custer State Park, and that amenities there would likely be improved under state ownership.
The holidays may be over, but the need for relief for some area veterans is not.

South Dakota American Legion Auxiliary is partnering with Miss South Dakota 2015 Autumn Simunek to host the fifth annual Veterans Holiday Relief Drive, and American Legion Auxiliary Unit 22 of Rapid City is asking locals to help.

The drive lasts through Jan. 30 and aims to provide a comfortable holiday season to our veterans, military members, and their families who may be homeless or in need.

People can create or contribute to Buddy Baskets and Buddy Bags filled with essential household or personal care items.

Monetary donations or shopping gift cards may be mailed to: S.D. American Legion Auxiliary, Attn: Vets Relief Drive  129 N. Main Ave., Hartford, S.D. 57033; or American Legion Auxiliary Unit 22, Attn: Vets Relief Drive, 818 St. Patrick St., Rapid City, S.D. 57701.

The Rapid City drop-off location is American Legion Post 22, 818 E. St. Patrick St.

Statewide drop-off locations and additional information are available at: SDLegionaux.org, Autumn Simunek at VeteransHRD@gmail.com or 890-3093.

Fundraiser to support Humane Society of the Black Hills

SPEARFISH | Art and communications alumni from Black Hills State University are hosting an event to support the Humane Society of the Black Hills.

BHSU alumna Chris Yushta, Class of 2011, and Adam Roosa, Class of 2008, are hosting a Whiskers and Wine Fundraiser from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Firehouse Wine Cellars in Rapid City.

At the event, which will also feature live music by Elle Carpenter, patrons can bid on original, donated art items including photography and paintings.

Firehouse Wine Cellars will also donate a portion of that evening's sales to the Humane Society of the Black Hills.

A release from BHSU said the fundraiser was prompted by the Humane Societys recent intake of 76 neglected animals from a Creighton home.

To donate an art or other item for the silent auction, email chrisyushta@gmail.com.

Volunteers place 1,000 wreaths on veterans' graves

Pennington County 4-H members were among 75 volunteers who placed 1,000 wreaths on the graves of service members laid to rest at Black Hills National Cemetery as part of the Wreaths Across America Ceremony in December.

Pennington County 4-H partnered with the Sturgis Boy Scouts, Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary and community members. All the wreaths were purchased by families of service members.

"Pierre Claeyssens said that to be killed in war is not the worst that can happen, to be lost at war is not the worst that can happen. The worst thing that can happen is to be forgotten, and so we're trying to remember and make sure that our fallen service men and women are honored during the holidays," said Matthew Olson, SDSU Extension 4-H Youth Program Adviser for Pennington County.

Local trust gives $16K to Lawrence County residents

The James E. Shea and Lillian E. Shea Charitable Trust contributed a total of $16,400 in 2016 to seven Lawrence County charities and eight residents with medical or disaster-related expenses, according to a release from the trust.

Charities that received contributions were Good Shepherd Clinic, Bella Pregnancy Resource Center, Teen Court, Lords Cupboard, Twin City Animal Shelter, Lead-Deadwood Backpack Program and Adams Museum Endowment Fund.

Jim and Lillian Shea were lifelong residents and former business owners in Deadwood who long served the community as volunteers for civic, community and church organizations. In 1999, the Sheas established the trust to first provide financial assistance to residents of Lawrence County in need because of unforeseen emergencies and second to selected Lawrence County nonprofits if there were excess funds at the end of the trust year.

Two new mobile dental trucks to serve kids in SD

Two new mobile dental trucks hope to help kids across South Dakota get healthier smiles.

Delta Dental of South Dakota said in a release that it ordered the trucks for its mobile program, which provides dental care to children who cant afford or don't have access to a dentist. The vehicles will be used to treat kids starting this week.

We found theres more need and greater demand than we anticipated when we started with our first truck 12 years ago, said Scott Jones, president and CEO. Our current trucks have served well, but theyre aging. It was time to replace them so were prepared to care for kids for the next decade.

Kids in Lemmon and Newell will be the first patients on the trucks during clinics in the two towns this week. Both trucks will then spend approximately 40 weeks of the year traveling across the state.
WASHINGTON | Coming from a presidential candidate, Donald Trump's misty-eyed admiration of Russia and its autocratic leader was weird. Coming from a president-elect, it's alarming.

I repeat the questions I asked back in September: What's the deal with Trump and Russia? Does he have financial entanglements with Russian banks, businesses or billionaires that color his views? If not, as he claims, then why won't he release the personal and business tax returns that could put the matter to rest?

The latest sign of Trump's infatuation is his refusal to accept the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community that Russian state-sponsored hackers meddled in our election  a risky and provocative operation that could only have been authorized by Vladimir Putin.

"It could be somebody else," Trump told reporters on New Year's Eve. "And I also know things that other people don't know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation." The president-elect added that "I know a lot about hacking, and hacking is a very hard thing to prove."

It is unclear how Trump could know even a little about hacking, since he rarely uses computers. Aides reportedly must print out news articles for him to read. In my experience, experts on cybersecurity know how to use a web browser.

Trump received a full briefing on the issue on Friday from senior officials including FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. President Obama has seen the evidence and was convinced enough to impose new sanctions against Russia as punishment.

When Putin decided not to reciprocate, given that Obama will soon leave office, Trump offered this glowing comment on Twitter: "Great move on delay (by V. Putin)  I always knew he was very smart!"

Trump has argued that since the CIA was in error about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, it may well be wrong about Russian hacking. That's ridiculous. It's like saying that since Trump was wrong when he claimed early in the campaign to have seen thousands of Muslims celebrating in New Jersey on 9/11, everything he has said since may well be exaggerated, half-baked or a flat-out lie.

On second thought, maybe I should choose a different analogy.

One possible reason for Trump's stubbornness is that intelligence officials believe the intent of the hacking was not merely to shake public confidence in the U.S. electoral process, but to help Trump win the election. The hacked material that was allowed to surface, mostly through WikiLeaks, contained embarrassing information about Democratic institutions and individuals, including the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. Republicans were almost completely spared.

Perhaps believing that the legitimacy of his victory is being impugned, Trump is willing to take the founder of WikiLeaks  a fugitive from justice on sexual assault allegations  at his word. Trump tweeted Wednesday: "Julian Assange said 'a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta'  why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info!"

Another possible explanation is that Trump is deliberately making a huge shift in U.S. foreign policy regarding the other two global superpowers. Not only has he been much more indulgent of Russia than recent presidents, he has also taken a much tougher and more confrontational line toward China. This smacks of 18th- and 19th-century balance-of-power statecraft, which became obsolete with the advent of modern weapons. Such machinations cannot be advisable in the nuclear age.

On New Year's Eve, as Trump prepared to host a black-tie gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee  John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.  joined Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in meeting with front-line Ukrainian troops who are defending their country against Russian-backed military aggression. In 2014, Putin annexed Crimea by force. A few years earlier, he sent troops into the sovereign nation of Georgia.

The senators made clear they want tougher sanctions against Russia to punish its territorial ambitions and its outrageous attempt to influence our election. How to deal with Putin could be the first big foreign policy fight between the new president and the Republican-controlled Congress.

Perhaps McCain and his colleagues will get to the bottom of why Trump, who sounds like such a tough guy with regard to the rest of the world, is such a pussycat when it comes to Russia. Senate committees can issue wide-reaching subpoenas and should.
Outspent by nearly a 2-1 ratio by Hillary Clinton and conspicuously not endorsed by the two most recent Republican presidents or the two most recent Republican presidential nominees, Donald Trump was still able to capture six states Democrat Barack Obama had twice carried  Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin  and the White House.

But this was only, we recall, after Trump organized a hostile takeover of the Republican Party, which, less than a year previously, had generally stood for free markets, free trade, cutting spending on Social Security and Medicare, reforming the nation's immigration system, and an activist, often hawkish, foreign policy. Trump won the Republican nomination on a platform of deporting all undocumented immigrants, preventing Muslims from entering the U.S., building a wall along the country's southern border, condemning the most recent Republican administration for taking the U.S. into war against Iraq while knowing full well that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction, billing himself as the only Republican who didn't want to cut Social Security and blaming "stupid" negotiators for free trade agreements that benefited elites while destroying American jobs and industries.

And on Nov. 8, Trump successfully breached the Democrats' vaunted "blue wall" of safe states and became the first Republican since Ronald Reagan in 1984 to carry Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and he helped the Republican Party hold on to its majorities in both the Senate and the House. So why, then, with complete GOP control of the presidency and the Congress, is there an almost palpable nervousness among Republicans on Capitol Hill?

For starters, half the Republicans in the Senate and a solid majority of House Republicans have been elected (and re-elected) since 2010, when they had the advantage of being able to run on the political offensive as critics of President Obama's policies. These Republicans have never served under a president of their own party, a task that requires you to defend or distance yourself politically from "your" president's unpopular policies. In elections while George W. Bush was holding office, Republicans  playing defense  suffered a net loss of nine Senate seats and 45 House seats. Democrats in the Obama years fared even worse  holding today nine fewer Senate seats and 62 fewer House seats than they did eight years ago. Beginning in 2017, Republican candidates will be running on Trump's record.

But the real concern for Republicans is the man himself. More than a month after his upset victory, Trump, according to the Gallup Poll, was still rated unfavorably by 55 percent of his fellow Americans, and barely 42 percent favorably graded the president-elect. Compare that with the ratings of his three immediate predecessors at the same stagbetween election and before inauguration. Obama had a favorable rating of 74 percent, and Bush's favorable rating was 62 percent. Bill Clinton's was 65 percent.

In the wake of a bitter campaign, Trump has made no public effort to heal the deep divisions within the country. Instead, he has continued to campaign, holding rallies that energize his core supporters but feature Trump's sustained, ungenerous taunts at his defeated opponent and only further aggravate the nation's polarization. What all this means is that Donald Trump could take office with no presidential honeymoon and a historically low approval rating. For nervous Republicans, this means that President Trump, when the going gets rough, will have no cushion of public support to buoy him, and for GOP officeholders, Trump's coattails could turn out to be a tank top.
For six years, Steve Puppe offered the world a glimpse into the world of a Montana game warden.

The Hamilton man spent thousands of hours riding alongside wardens from one side of the state to the other while filming their exploits for the Outdoor Channels Wardens reality series.

A lot of things happened in those six years that I never thought I would see, Puppe said. We filmed over 100 episodes. For any series, thats a milestone. Im very proud of that.

The show came to an end this past year when Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials opted to pull the plug on Puppes contract with the state.

Puppe said he was never really given a reason why.

This year, the millions of viewers of the popular program will find themselves riding and walking alongside game wardens in Michigan instead.

Retired Montana game warden Jeff Darrah believes that will Montanas loss.

Darrah was a key liaison between FWP and Puppes production in getting the show started.

When this first began, what I wanted to let the public see for themselves what game wardens do on a daily basis, Darrah said. I wanted them to see how they did their jobs and what kinds of things they had to deal with.

From the very beginning, Darrah said the idea was not about creating situations that werent real like some reality television shows.

We didnt want the wardens to have to go out there and do some kind of acting, he said. We didnt want to try to make it look trumped up likeWe wanted it to be real.

As a result, Darrah said the show rung true with its viewers.

It ended up being one of the highest ranked shows on the Outdoor Channel, Darrah said. We had millions of views. We didnt need to act or make up stories because of what Montana had to offer.

People tuned in as much for the views of wide open vistas and the scenes with wildlife running free. Along the way, Darrah said they had questions answered on whats right and wrong under the laws that manage the states public lands and wildlife.

I think it educated a lot of people, he said. I had a lot of people tell me that they had watched the show and didnt even this or that was against the law. I also heard from a lot of people from out-of-state that said they were coming to Montana because of what they had seen on the show.

FWP Administrator Ron Aasheim said the public feedback his office received on the program was mixed. While some people really liked it, others said they would never come to the state if they were treated the way that some were on the program, he said.

Aasheim said FWP officials decided they wanted to see the program move toward more of a conservation theme rather an entirely focused purely on law enforcement.

Even with that idea in consideration, there was a concern the department didnt have enough resources to meet the needs of the television show.

Someone has to come up with the ideas and find the people willing to participate, Aasheim said. With the limited resources that we have, we decided the show had run its course. It was no knock on the program, there was just a difference in opinion and we decided to look at other options.

Jim Kropp was FWPs chief of law enforcement at the time when the show premiered. He and Darrah were its chief supporters.

When they both retired, Kropp said there wasnt anyone willing to step into those shoes.

It was one of those things that dropped into our lap and really kind of caught fire, Kropp said. Viewer participation was kind off the charts.

Kropp was always amazed at the kinds of detailed questions that viewers would pose after watching the show.

They wanted to know what kind of guns the wardens carried and where they bought their leather gear, he said.

We even had one guy who wanted a picture of a game wardens truck, Kropp said. He and his son were building a model replica of the truck because he thought wardens represented the kinds of things that he wanted his son to be involved in.

The majority of the comments came from people living outside the state. Kropp believes the program did do a good job in promoting Montana.

Unfortunately, for a lot of us who live here, we take what we have in Montana for granted, he said. People from other places saw the wildlife, natural resources and the scenery. Definitely, in terms of hunting and fishing, Montana sells itself if you can just get it out there.

Kropp believes thats probably why the Montana Office of Tourism was willing to put some money into the pilot for the show.

But hes not surprised that it came to an end.

I could see that by the time I left the interest was kind of waning, he said. There wasnt anyone stepping in behind us. Its not like there is a lot of extra incentive to do that.

While it lasted, Kropp said it was a good ride. He enjoyed seeing some of the wardens develop their own personas and even a little bit of fame.

Some even found themselves asked for an autograph.

None of them set out to be TV stars, he said. We never forced anyone to do a ride alongs. I do think it helped create an understanding on what wardens do everyday. And I think it was highly positive for the state.
Opinion / Columnist

Zimbabwe Partnership for Prosperity is a political party that is a product of almost a decade of research and desire for Zimbabwe to have God fearing, accountable, responsible, and competent leadership. A leadership with viable and practical solutions to resurrect Zimbabwe from the current ashes.Since 2008 sons and daughters of Zimbabwe working in the diaspora together with those that chose to remain local, have been deeply involved in brainstorming for solutions to restore Zimbabwe back to the Jewel status that the icon Julias Nyerere saw in a night vision concerning Zimbabwe.Over the past 20 years (two decades in all ) since 1997 to 2017 , the Zimbabwean economy has been bombarded by floods of problems, waves of corruption as well as a plague of non-empathetic leadership that has been blatantly insubordinate to their own crafted good policies on paper.Worse still, Zimbabwean leadership has allowed foreign institutions to dictate and define policies most that never saw meaningful implementation until all the electoral mandates are expired.We have today an elderly State President, a statesman (struggling to put the economy back on track) surrounded by ministers seriously involved in unethical practices. The corruption by most of them is clearly visible. All are simply facing difficulties to cope with the advanced dynamics of globalisation and complex modern economic demands. To those that claim to be innocent, the words of the CEO of Nokia giant identify with them, WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG BUT WE FAILED".This saw Nokia being swallowed by Microsoft of Bill Gates. We are also seeing a country at risk of new exploitation by other foreign states like China. Heavy natural resource leakages and criminal exploitation of Zimbabweans is a common sight. The borrower is slave to the lender and we've been holding the begging bow for long.Zimbabwe Partnership for Prosperity (ZIPP) has a team of technocrats, academics, pastors, seasoned captains of industries, young implementers and ordinary good people who have the love of the motherland at heart. This partnership has come together to drive economic prosperity in Zimbabwe. The Zipp partnership believes that Zimbabwe does not only need our diaspora remittances, it needs an investment of capital of ideas.This cannot however be loaned or trusted into the hands of our tired elders, of whom some should be comfortably playing with their grandchildren. We cannot even pledge this to the other current opposition parties for their vision of our nation does not have Zimbabwe at the apex of nations in Africa and the world. Any political party no matter how popular, as long as it does not seek to bring back the pride of Zimbabweans and if they still believe that economic freedom comes from mortgaging our God given natural resources then they shall remain an opposition party.Zipp believes in multi-party democracy, therefore we shall not discourage differing views. We will however continue to seek partnership with all Zimbabweans in their individual capacity to assist in building the Zimbabwe that is good for our great grand children.ZIPP therefore, is ready to contest 2018 elections fueled by a revolutionary spirit- a spirit of partnership. ZIPP is an offspring of ordinary Zimbabwean that travailed in the maternity prayer room. It is an answer from God, to the cry of citizens.With our youthful God fearing and learned executive leadership, advised by a team of experienced elders, ZIPP believes and has confidence that we are an answer to the specific generational needs to which we have a obligation and mandate to deliver on.On 16 December 2016, while Zanu PF was officially opening its conference in Masvingo , ZIPP made a bold statement that it has answered the call-up to take the baton stick from the current Zimbabwean leadership.Unique to ZIPP is our ability to negotiate from a position of strength with all other investors such as FDIs, IMF and world Bank. ZIPP believes that Zimbabwe has already 75% of the factors contributing to economic productivity- land, human capital, an indomitable spirit of entrepreneurship and skilled labour. Zimbabwe's prosperity starts with its citizens investing in the country.ZIPP will ensure the existence of a stable and favourable economic environment for citizens investments within the country. ZIPP will introduce a cabinet of accomplished scholars and experienced business men and women and seasoned activists to ensure transformation of political liberation into economic freedom that leads to economic growth and development as well as political stability.We will create a political and economic environment that is conducive for investment.ZIPP has forums for War veterans, Women and Youth.We have a vision uncontaminated, to harness the intellect, energy and competencies of all Zimbabweans of all ages or forums to contribute to a better Zimbabwe.We are simply ignited by the revolutionary spirits of true heroes in the spiritual realm of Zimbabwe.Words may not sufficiently explain what we are. We are not super beings but something heavenly has triggered us to conquer fear with faith and hate with love.There is unextinguishable fire within us. A revolutionary spirit rekindled by returning nationalistic and patriotic African desire that has become a tree of life. It is plucking a leaf off this tree of life that heals all the 17 year wounds of fear since the appearance of the opposition in Zimbabwe.Our train has taken off and has designated stations. The time table has been announced. See to it that you have your tickets bought and ready to ride on. We are already fully charged with the pneumatics of love, power, and of a sound mind.There is no fear within us to make us bond servants again. We are fearless hearts ready to cast out the ghosts of apathy and indifference before casting in the ballot of change. We are not advocates for war or terror.Not even third degree criminal nuisances.The only AK47s we have are accumulated knowledge in our young leadership, the wisdom of our elders and the fear of God. This is the ammunition we need to serve and save Zimbabwe completely.This also makes us unique, and in summing up let us briefly state it. ZIPP powered by Christian virtues and religious tolerance of all progressive philosophical thinking of other religions, we do not curse but bless. WE SPEAK OPENLY AND ONLY PROSPERITY AND POSTERITY, We do not speak bad about political parties. That includes the ruling party or elders whom we want to rest from the burden of leadership of this great nation.Simply we are saying handover peacefully in 2018 to your children, for shona idiom has it CHIRERE CHIGOKURERAWO.ZIPP creating wealth to the third and fourth generation.Nhaka neBudiroImpumelelo LeLifaProsperity and PosterityI M NetanyahuNational Spokesperson ZIPP
Harry and Karen Northey have waited nearly 12 years for some kind of acknowledgment from the woman who killed their daughter.

It has never come.

Instead, the Missoula couple recently received notice that Shelley Tischler will go before the parole board on Jan. 25 seeking an early release from her 70-year sentence for felony charges of negligent homicide and criminal endangerment.

She hasnt earned it, Karen Northey said. She hasnt acknowledged that she killed my daughter. She hasnt acknowledged that she has done anything wrong at all.

Those denials started at the scene of the accident on the Eastside Highway south of Florence in September 2004.

Tischler offered three theories to the first Highway Patrol trooper on the scene, including that she had been run off the road by a stalker. At her sentencing hearing, she insisted that federal agents had tampered with her vehicle, and then blamed her public defender for not revealing that information during her trial.

Tischler insisted to the court that she had been involved in a single-car accident that day and didnt have anything to do with Bauers death.

At the time of the accident, Tischlers blood alcohol content was 0.22. The legal limit is 0.08.

The trial included testimony from numerous community members who stepped forward to document how intoxicated Tischler was that day. Several said that she ran them off the busy highway just moments before the crash.

Four other cars swerved out of the way, Northey said. Angie didnt have a chance to do that. She was hit straight on.

Tischler was sentenced in 2005 to the Montana State Womens Prison in Billings, where she spent a total of 1,660 days before being transfered to Warm Springs State Hospital, where she currently resides.

Montana Womens Prison Community Relations Manager Annamae Siegfried-Derrick said Tischler will be eligible for parole on March 26, 2017. Her case is tentatively set to be heard by the parole board on Jan. 25.

Tischler, 62, would be 99 years old if she serves out her entire sentence, which runs through 2054.

George Corn was county attorney when Tischlers case to trial.

She never took any responsibility for killing Angela, Corn said. She never acknowledged that she had a drinking problem. It was always someone elses fault. If she was released with that attitude, she could easily kill someone else.

It was such a tragedy that this wonderful young womans life was taken, Corn said. It would be compounded if she ended up hurting someone else.

Ravalli County Attorney Bill Fulbright serves as prosecutor against Tischler.

This crash happened while the Highway 93 expansion was underway in the Florence area, Fulbright said. Everyone was using the Eastside Highway that day. It happened at the end of the business day and traffic was crazy thick.

Tischler had attempted to buy alcohol at the Valley Drug store in Stevensville. Employees there had notified authorities that she appeared intoxicated.

Law enforcement was actively looking for her when this head-on crash occurred, Fulbright said. It was a horrific situation. From the very first contact with law enforcement and all the way through the trial, she never acknowledged that she was in a collision.

Fulbright said he will recommend to the parole board that she not be released.

I believe that she was and still remains a tremendous risk to our community, Fulbright said. She has already proven that.

Siegfried-Derrick said the parole board accepts written and verbal statements from victims and the public.

The board will consider the nature of the crime, her parole plan and recommendations from her case manager at Warm Springs. Siegfried-Derrick said she did not have a copy of the recommendation.

Karen Northey said shes not looking for sympathy in her attempt to spread the word that Tischler could potentially be paroled.

I dont want people to feel sorry for me, she said. I want people to know that this woman is an absolute danger. She will kill someone else if she gets out. I would swear to God on my deathbed to that.

We do have a hard time understanding that she was sentenced to 70 years in prison and shes already been moved from there, Northey said. Weve never received one comment from her. Not a letter, just nothing to show that she admits to killing my daughter. Weve never heard a single word from her.

And the last words that they did hear from Tischler still ring loud in their minds.

The last words that I heard that woman speak was I have problems too. I have bad teeth, Northey said. Maybe that will help you see what Im up against.
Start the New Year with determination to improve your life with better health. The Montana Tobacco Quit Line assists tobacco users in achieving the goal of being tobacco free.

If you are a tobacco user quitting could be the most important thing you do for your health, said Lyndsay Stover, program director Tobacco Free Ravalli. The Montana Tobacco Quit Line has been very successful in helping people quit with over 31,000 callers reporting that they have quit successfully.

Stover said to call the Montana Tobacco Quit Line to receive a personalized quit plan that is designed and customized for personal success. The quit line also has counseling, free and reduced cost medications and specialized programs pregnant women and American Indian callers.

Stover said that quitting tobacco can be the most important step toward improved health and added that e-cigarettes are not a proven way to quit.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on their website smokefree.gov, does not recommend e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking.

E-cigarettes contain nicotine, says the CDC. Nicotine makes tobacco addictive and can affect how the brain develops. There are other proven, safe and effective methods for quitting smoking.

The CDC said the FDA is working to regulate e-cigarettes but manufacturers currently do not have to list ingredients.

Currently, there is no way of knowing exactly what you are inhaling, Stover said. The Quit Line and FDA-approved cessation medications, available through enrollment, are proven to be effective ways to help you stop using tobacco successfully. When using the Montana quit line in conjunction with cessation medications such as nicotine gum or patches you are about eight to 10 times more likely to quit than trying to quit cold turkey.

Stover recommends calling the Montana Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669), or visiting the website at www.QuitNowMontana.com to enroll.

Your best bet if you are trying to quit for good is to call the Montana Quit Line, Stover said.

The Tobacco Free Ravalli office, 375-6573, is giving away free tobacco quit kits at the Ravalli County Environmental Health Office, 215 S. 4th Street, Hamilton.
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In his waning days in office, Obama is going all-out to provoke Russia recklessly.



He imposed new illegal sanctions, expelled Russian diplomats, blamed Moscow for nonexistent US election hacking, and deployed more US combat troops and heavy weapons to Eastern European countries on the phony pretext of deterring Russian aggression.



Pentagon Special Operations Command head General Raymond Thomas lied, claiming former Soviet republics are scared to death of Russia, absurdly adding (t)heyre desperate for our leadership.



Washington maintains a permanent presence provocatively close to Russias borders, requiring Moscow to respond defensively, uncertain what America might do, hoping Trump will pursue saner policies far different from Obamas recklessness.



Added numbers of combat troops and heavy weapons from America and key NATO partners will maintain a permanent presence in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Rumania and Bulgaria. Theyll hold joint military exercises with host country forces.



Their mission is unrelated to defense. No Russian threat exists. US General Timothy McGuire, saying (t)he best way to maintain the peace is through preparation.



Americas deployment is about showing the strength and cohesion of the alliance and the US commitment to maintain the peace on the continent.



Fact: Longstanding US policy calls for endless wars of aggression, peace and stability anathema to its imperial agenda.



Fact: Building up near Russias borders is hugely destabilizing, risking possible direct confrontation by design or human error.



Fact: Obama is recklessly pushing the envelope in his final days in office. Trump called for normalizing relations with Russia, both countries cooperating in combating terrorism, while maintaining a healthy skepticism about NATO - a US-dominated killing machine unrelated to defense.



Neocons infesting Washington wants no change in aggressive US policy. They want adversarial relations with Russia continued.



Their agenda represents a huge challenge for Trump to overcome if he intends diverging from longstanding US geopolitical policies.



Efforts to undermine him are well underway. He risks impeachment or removal from office by something more extreme - full-blown tyranny replacing him if hes ousted.



Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.



His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."



http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html



Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.



Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
Guwahati: Worried over one of the leading media houses in the country, HT Media Ltdas decision to shut down four editions of its English daily Hindustan Times , Journalistsa Forum Assam (JFA) expressed serious concern over the development.

It may be mentioned that various bodies of journalists across the country expressed serious concern over the HT Media's decision to shut down Hindustan Timesa four editions. Leading scribe body

Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists (BUJ) while condemning the HT Media Ltd's decision said that for this development, hundreds of journalist would lose their job. The Assam based media rights body asserted that the development shows the lack of goodwill of the newspaper managements to offer due

benefits to their own employees.

Mentionable is that the BUJ, in a recent statement from Mumbai, strongly condemned the decision of HT Media Ltd to shut down four editions of Hindustan Times (HT) in Kolkata, Bhopal, Indore and Ranchi

and three bureaus of Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi with effect from 9 January 2017. The journalist union also demanded to immediately revoke the decisions, failing which it would draw the attention of the apex court in the country to these developments in the hearing slated for 10 January next.

The closing down of four editions and three bureaus at one go is an unprecedented event in the history of Indian print media and has clearly been done to circumvent the implementation of the Majithia Wage Board Award, which was upheld by the Supreme Court by its judgment dated 7 February 2014,A said the BUJ statement.

It also added that apart from closing down four editions, the HT authority was pruning staff in various departments as well as in The Mint, a sister publication from the New Delhi based group and shut down the business bureaus in Mumbai and Delhi, besides the bureau in Kolkata. Hundreds of journalists and other media employees are likely to lose their jobs as a consequence of these malicious and illegal decisions, added the statement.

A BSE listed entity, HT Media Ltd with an annual turnover of over rupees 2000 crore has not implemented the recommendations of Majithia wage board in any of its units and forced employees to submit undertakings under clause 20(j) of the award to renounce the benefits under it. The company also failed to implement clause 9(b) that entitles even those working on contract basis to receive variable pay at the rate of 30 percent of basic scale.

It is astonishing that a hugely profitable company like HT Media Ltd (whose third quarter of Calendar 2016 earnings stood at Rs 602.23 crore) has chosen to illegally close down six editions of Hindustan Times and sack several other journalists working in various bureaus rather than implementing the statutory wage board recommendations,asserted the BUJ.

Also added, aFurthermore, the company's official website has projected a total revenue of Rs 662.40 crore, in Q1FY2017, which constitutes an increase of 7.5 per cent over the corresponding quarter of the previous year. It also maintains a strong balance sheet position with

net cash of Rs 823.40 crore.

We, in Assam, witnessed the sudden closure of a mainstream Assamese daily in November last year, where the management (proprietor being a former Congress minister) maintained serene silence over thematter. Many journalist friends, engaged with Janasadharan, preferred to quit

the job with three months cumulative salaries, but the rest are still on warpath against the management, said JFA president Rupam Barua.

As the heat of Majithia wage board rises, most of the newspaper managements in Guwahati have adopted many clever (also innovative) ways to deal with the situation, said a JFA statement adding that some

of them preached for reappointing all of their employees in the contract system.

Some media house managements proposed to degrade all the employees including the journalists in positions with an aim to reduce the financial burden, and few have more astonishing idea to pay an

employee according to the guidelines of the wage board with an inherent condition that he/she would return a major portion of the salary to the account department.

Even though The Assam Tribune group of publications set the example in implementing the Majithia wage board recommendation years back, it has not inspired the other Guwahati based newspaper managementsto take similar initiatives for offering legal dues to their employees,A asserted the JFA statement questioning, aAAre they waiting to get their newspaper establishments declared as law-breaking institutions in India?
Guwahati : At least two CRPF jawans were injured in a powerful explosion in the trouble torn and poll bound Manipur on Saturday evening.

According to the reports, a powerful Improvised Explosive Device was exploded near the 143 battalion CPRF camp at Lamphelpat under Lamphel police station in Imphal West district at around 6-30 pm.

In the blast two CRPF jawans who were returning to their rented house after completing their duty got injured.

The injured jawans were identified as Ct.Visvender Jat (24) got splinter injured on the left hand and Ct Brajesh Singh (28).

The injured cops were rushed to RIMS hospital in Imphal.

Manipur police said that, suspected militants are behind the explosion.

Top police, army, CRPF officials had rushed to the area and launched operation against the attackers.

The trouble torn Manipur is going to hold the assembly poll on March 4 and 8.

The north eastern Indian state has faced economic blockade since November 1 imposed by the United Naga Council (UNC) protest against the Okram Ibobi Singh led state government announcement for creating seven new districts.

Several violent incidents, militants attack on security personnel have been reported in the poll bound north eastern Indian state in past two months.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
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PM lauds security services' role during Saudi aggression





SANA'A, Jan. 08 (Saba) - Prime Minister Abdulaziz Bin Habtoor praised the national role and successes made by the security services in maintaining cohesion of the internal front during the Saudi aggression.



During the opening of the annual conference of the Interior Ministry's leaders held on Saturday, Bin Habtoor also lauded the security services' significant efforts to control various crimes in the country.



He said that the aggression's forces and mercenaries could not been able to achieve any breakthrough in the border front.



"They have tried with all their strength to penetrate and undermine the internal front, but they miserably failed thanks to the cohesion of the Yemeni people and its support to the political leadership represented by the Supreme Political Council and the Government of National Salvation, and thanks to the vigilance of the security services and armed forces as well."



He indicated to the terrorist and sabotage acts taken place in Aden and the southern provinces, saying such acts were "clear evidence for the nastiness and failure of the project of the aggression and its mercenaries" in there "They deliberately vacuumed the institutions and the security services, and replace their cadres with militias that do not grasp anything."



The Prime Minister stressed that the Government of National Salvation would provide all support to the Interior Ministry and its various bodies to be able to maintain the country's security and stability.



AF

Saba

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[08/January/2017]
Intro

Greetings! I am a political scientist , specializing in International Relations , my research and teaching focus on ethnic conflict and civil-military relations . I watch way too much TV, and I like movies as well so I tend to write about both and find IR stuff in pop culture. I rant alot about American politics and sometimes about Canadian politics. I like to take ideas I once learned a long time ago and apply them to whatever strikes my fancy.


Shirley Contreras lives in Orcutt and writes for the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society. She can be contacted at 623-8193 or at shirleycontreras2@yahoo.com. Her book, The Good Years, a selection of stories shes written for the Santa Maria Times since 1991, is on sale at the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society, 616 S. Broadway.
- T. S. Eliot

Thoughts After Lambeth

"The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide."
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Dos And Don'ts Of Winter Fashion

The Dos And Don'ts Of Surviving Winter In Style

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.

Fall and winter reign supreme when it comes to fashion. With longer evenings and cooler days, now is the time to layer up and get savvy with accessories. From Military parka jackets to oversized man-bags, 2017 is set to be a casual affair with lots of high-end designer accents. Look out for camouflage and navy or green items to compete with catwalks around the world.

Youll see some firm favorites, like the humble Chelsea boot and bomber jacket returning to stores near you, alongside new seasonal trends, like statement sweaters and shirts taking center stage. Whether youre just looking for some quick style pointers on how to brush up for winter, or you want to step out into the spotlight, youre about to get a winter breakdown on what to wear from head-to-toe.

Remember, what you wear says a lot about who you are, and broadcasts a signal to your friends, family, and even the people you work with. While some people might underestimate the power of a new pair of shoes or a sweater, these simple style hacks also play a powerful role in how we carry ourselves. Learn to step forward with an empowered outlook, and see how fashion is a practical tool for success.

Keep reading to discover the dos and donts of winter fashion, and how to incorporate this year's biggest trends into your repertoire.

DONT Dress for an Arctic Freeze

Unless you live somewhere that genuinely grapples with the depths of winter, chances are layering, and a decent winter coat is sufficient. Layers are perfect for fall and winter and instantly create a seasonal look. Think scarves, bobble hats, leather gloves, and cashmere sweaters, and youre already on your way to becoming your a winter fashion mogul.

If you want to go one step further, youll want to invest in a decent coat thatll put you on trend without having to shop for a whole new closet. Parka jackets and trench coats are going to be big this year, and feature a military appeal that most men can carry off. Look for a three-quarter length coat for a dapper look, and stick with this falls color of choice, moss green, for instant appeal.

DO Use Layers : Wear a sweater over a shirt to add interest to an outfit, or add an undershirt to keep away the chill.

: Wear a sweater over a shirt to add interest to an outfit, or add an undershirt to keep away the chill. DO Choose Interesting Textures : Laying is an excellent opportunity to mix and match different textures to create an eye-catching outfit. A cashmere sweater over tweed pants is a simple way to feel and look more festive.

: Laying is an excellent opportunity to mix and match different textures to create an eye-catching outfit. A cashmere sweater over tweed pants is a simple way to feel and look more festive. DO Prepare for Varying Climates: Fall and winter mean different things to different locations, but one thing we all agree on is that the climate will change. If you anticipate blizzards, ensure you prepare with a cold-climate jacket, but dont discount a lighter jacket for the off-season.

Hickey Freeman Classic Contrast Leather Gloves

$195.00 at Nordstrom.com

Schott NYC MA-1 Sweater Jacket

$125.00 at Nordstrom.com

DONT Wear Open Toe Shoes

While many people will be able to wear shorts in fall, it doesnt mean that open toe shoes are always acceptable. If the weather is still warm, trade in flip flops and sandals for a leather moccasin. These will give you the same comfort, but with a seasonal twist. For everyone else, consider now a great time to pull on a pair of leather military boots, or at the very least, a classic real leather Oxford shoe.

From high-end designer brands to a simple work boot, ankle-high footwear is a versatile addition to your winter closet and can be dressed up or down for the occasion. The Chelsea boot is still the boot to own, and pairs with everything from jeans and a t-shirt to a suit. A simple way to bring the Chelsea boot into fall 2017 is to choose a pair in a navy or tan leather, and avoid a dull black.

DO Trade in Summertime Shoes for Boots: Boots are the epitome of fall fashion and work with all outfits. Look for a quality leather boot.

DO Invest in Wool Socks: Switch out light-weight cotton socks for wool socks to instantly feel more festive and warm. Neutral, black, and off-white socks are perfect for fall and winter, as they will compliment your outfit without standing out.

DO Look After Leather: Salt and snow wreak havoc on leather and suede. Invest in a cleaning kit to wipe off any residuals and to keep your shoes and boots in tip-top condition. Dont leave shoes outside, and let wet shoes air dry (but not in front of the fire as this can crack them).

Ted Baker London 'Hann 2' Wingtip

$129.90 at Nordstrom.com

The Rail Brysen Chelsea Boot

$87.90 at Nordstrom.com

Synovia Suede Cleaning & Protection Kit

$19.95 at Nordstrom.com

DONT Over Accessorize

The temptation to pile on coats, scarves, gloves, and pocket squares is tempting, but unless you want to look like youve fallen out of Marry Poppins bag, its best to limit your statement accessories to one or two items at any one time. The runways around the world are proudly showcasing oversized bags and neckties as being the winter accessories for men.

Also on trend is the return of high-end brands to accent your winter outfit. Louis Vuitton showcased its return to the classic LV pattern, alongside a military camouflage. Both of which will match your parka jacket and Chelsea boots. Scarfs and neckties will be fashionable this winter, accenting the neck to show off a defined jawline. A simple woolen scarf is as on-trend as a fancy silk necktie.

DO Use Layers: Think of layering as your accessory, and ditch the extras to keep things simple and sophisticated. You can fake a winter look by simply increasing the length of sleeves and as you put one on top of another, and wrapping up in a scarf.

DO Keep Things Simple: Now is a great time to pack sunglasses, hats, bright-colored socks, and other small accessories in favor one bold statement piece, such as an oversized bag or scarf.

DO Look for Slogan Shirts: This season is set to see many shirts with bold patterns. These single-wear items are perfect for making a splash and are all the accessory a man needs.

Ermenegildo Zegna Paisley Silk Tie

$195.00 at Nordstrom.com

Stance Graved Stripe Socks

$22.00 at Nordstrom.com

DONT Theme All Your Outfits

Rather than trying to theme all your outfits, consider a broader, more neutral theme, so that all your clothing is complementary, and can be worn year-in-year-out. Put down the Thanksgiving turkey sweater, and instead, replace it with a mustard brown or moss green sweater. Small changes like this project a sophisticated and seasonal look without having to buy lots of new clothes.

Then, rely instead on accessories to add a trendy accent to your outfit. Winter is the perfect time to invest in quality brands as your clothing should look good, be tailored, be functional, and keep you warm. Your winter staples (thats the sweaters, shirts, pants, and other everyday items you wear) should be of the best quality you can afford and can be worn for many years with the right care.

DO Choose a Color Spectrum: Layer outfits using a color palette rather than one hard color to create a multidimensional look. This style hack will help you create endless outfit combinations without breaking the bank.

Layer outfits using a color palette rather than one hard color to create a multidimensional look. This style hack will help you create endless outfit combinations without breaking the bank. DO Use Cool Colors in Fall: Many people get strung up on colors that remind them of pumpkins and squash, but cool colors such as white, blue, greens and purples are all fantastic choices for winter and add an icy cool touch to suits.

Many people get strung up on colors that remind them of pumpkins and squash, but cool colors such as white, blue, greens and purples are all fantastic choices for winter and add an icy cool touch to suits. DO Stick to Neutrals: If in doubt, neutrals are the best way to fall into fashion. Pair tan leathers and suede jackets for an effortless outfit.

Nordstrom Men's Shop Cotton & Cashmere Crewneck Sweater

$49.50 at Nordstrom.com

Topman Faux Suede Bomber Jacket

$110.00 at Nordstrom.com

DONT Avoid Trends

While shopping for cashmere sweaters and leather boots, dont altogether avoid trends. These are what inject seasonal interest into an outfit. If you feel like you wear the same outfits each year, you might be lacking a stylish accent. This can be as simple as adding a new hat to your collection or upgrading your gloves from wool to leather.

DO Pick Trends That Have Longevity: Not every trend is going to stick around until Spring, but if you love a specific style that comes into fashion  seize the opportunity to buy items you want to wear every year. Leather jackets, for example, never go out of style.

Not every trend is going to stick around until Spring, but if you love a specific style that comes into fashion  seize the opportunity to buy items you want to wear every year. Leather jackets, for example, never go out of style. DO Go with Your Gut: Not everyone can wear every trend. But if wide pants are your thing, and you carry them off, then go with it. Fashion is all about customization and using clothes to put your best self forward.

Not everyone can wear every trend. But if wide pants are your thing, and you carry them off, then go with it. Fashion is all about customization and using clothes to put your best self forward. DO Throw in a Statement Piece: Rather than adopt a whole look for a season, consider adding a piece or two to your usual collection. A new pair of boots or a moto jacket can add an edgy and exciting dimension to your everyday uniform.

Nordstrom Men's Shop Cashmere Cable Knit Sweater

Starting at $169.00 at Nordstrom.com

Cole Haan Washed Leather Jacket

$595.00 at Nordstrom.com

DONT Forget About Color

Style is all about the details, and winter offers a playground of opportunity for the fashion-conscious man. This winter, consider wearing a new color or exploring different styles of boots or bags, to see what suits you. Trends are an easy and often inexpensive way to add personality to an outfit and will give you a confidence boost.

Fall and winter 2017 will see lots of earthy colors return: moss green, mustard, burgundy, navy, and other rich hues are all on-trend. Pair these with dark denim, and light shirts to create a dimensional look. Youll also see lots of color in shoes this winter, with navy and tan playing a significant role in mens footwear.

DO Wear Moss Green: Add a simple sweater or moss green shirt to your winter collection to instantly jump on-trend. A few small statement pieces will carry you through the season.

Add a simple sweater or moss green shirt to your winter collection to instantly jump on-trend. A few small statement pieces will carry you through the season. DO Wear Winter Whites: Another big trend for fall and winter 2017 is winter whites: think off-whites, worn with varying versions of white for a dramatic and layered look.

Another big trend for fall and winter 2017 is winter whites: think off-whites, worn with varying versions of white for a dramatic and layered look. DO Wear Statement Sweaters: Everyone looks a good statement sweater, and this year, youll be thankful theres so many to choose from: pair with denim for a casual brunch date, or over a shirt for the office party.

Remember, whatever you choose to wear this fall and winter, keep it simple, functional, and add a splash of color, and you wont go wrong. When possible, purchase the best quality on offer (think cashmere sweaters and real leather boots), for understated sophistication. Layers are your friend, and if in doubt, rely on a classic military inspired bag or coat to pull an outfit together.

AG 'Graduate' Slim Straight Leg Jeans

$178.00 at Nordstrom.com

Herschel Supply Co. Little America Mid-Volume Backpack

$100.00 at Nordstrom.com

Alpha Industries 'MA-1' Slim Fit Bomber Jacket

$150.00 at Nordstrom.com

Make everyday a winter wonderland with these simple style hacks for fall and winter 2017; presented by Victor Macias, Founder of Male Standard.com. From fashion-forward men to guys who just want a few pointers on what not to wear, Male Standard is your one-stop guide to becoming your best self. Get style ideas and seasonal looks @MaleStandard, with style tips from real men living the dream

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 "Mending the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Approach to Consideration of Juvenile Status" | Main | SCOTUS back in action with booking fee process as first notable criminal case of 2017 

January 8, 2017

Why I think at the hearings for AG, Senators should try to kill... question with conservative kindness

This new Washington Post article, headlined "Jeff Sessions should have been a tough sell in the Senate, but hes too nice," details some reasons behind my thinking that it is unwise for advocates of criminal justice reform to adopt an overly aggressive opposition posture to Prez-Elect Donald Trump's nominee for Attorney General, Senator Jeff Sessions. Here are excerpts from the piece, with a few lines emphasized for commentary to follow:

He is one of the more well-liked members of the Senate, a place that still retains elements of one of the worlds most exclusive clubs. He is genial, respectful and patient toward colleagues and staff. And that has given fellow Republicans and even some Democrats reason not to scrutinize the more unsavory allegations of his political history. Take Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine who, under other circumstances, might be a target for Democrats to peel off in hopes of defeating Sessionss nomination. Instead, shes his lead spokeswoman.... Hes a decent individual with a strong commitment to the rule of law. Hes a leader of integrity, Collins said in an interview, dismissing attacks from liberal activists about his conservative views and his actions as a young prosecutor. I think the attacks against him are not well-founded and are unfair.... I genuinely like him, said Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Judiciary Committee. Coons still might vote against Sessions because of the stark differences between the two on policy, but they are friends.... [M]ost senators tend to see Sessions in the same way Collins does  as a friendly man who never broke his word to them. Many have prayed with him and traveled with him on official overseas trips. Almost no one wants to review the original allegations against him during his 1986 nomination; for the most part, they dont think that he is the racist that some have painted  at least not anymore. I dont know the dynamics of what happened then, but I can speak to Jeffs character in the 20 years that Ive known him, Collins said.... One senator who has wanted to focus more on Sessionss past on race is Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the chambers only black Republican. I think judging a person on 30-year-old history is questionable. Eliminating or exempting 30-year-old history is probably not wise as well, Scott said. So, making sure that you understand what it actually was and who he is, has been an important part of what Ive tried to do. Scott hosted Sessions in mid-December in North Charleston with activists who peppered him with questions about federal prosecution of a police officer who fatally shot a black man in the back. The attorney generals position has more impact on communities of color than perhaps any other nominee, Scott said, adding that he was still considering the nomination. By and large, senators want to focus on other topics. And theres plenty there to discuss, from how Sessions would handle the deportation of illegal immigrants to allegations that in 1995, while serving as state attorney general, he supported the use of chain gangs for prisoner work. Coons suggested that Sessions had so many staunchly conservative positions in the recent past that there was little need to relitigate the 1980s. He spent an hour with Sessions on Thursday talking about legal philosophy. Coons and Sessions have spent the past six years talking at the Senates weekly Bible study and working out together in the gym.

The lines I have stressed here highlights my belief that everyone interested in criminal justice reform ought to be looking toward the Sessions' hearing as a high-profile opportunity to make in a high-profile and high-impact way the strong conservative case for criminal justice reform (and especially federal sentencing reform). Particularly because it seems all but certain that Sessions will be confirmed as Attorney General, I hope that some folks inclined to oppose Sessions appreciate that it could be much more productive at this week's hearings to try to co-opt Sessions from the right rather than attack him from the left.

For the record, and as highlighted by this recent helpful Brennan Center analysis, I fully understand how Senator Sessions' record in the criminal justice arena makes so many advocates so concerned and so eager to fight. But these advocates should remember that, in just the past few years, a number of tough-on-crime GOP stalwarts like Senator Charles Grassley and Representative Jim Sensenbrenner have become vocal advocates for federal sentencing reform. Indeed, a large number of prominent GOP Senators on and off the Judiciary Committee have been vocal supporters of federal sentencing reform in some form  I am thinking here of Senator Cornyn, Cruz, Lee, Paul and Tillis among others  and these folks seem to view (rightly, in my opinion) sentencing reform as conservative cause.

Of particular importance in this context, especially given the passages stressed above, are what I might call the "equal justice" and "religious redemption" arguments for federal reforms. As noted in this prior post, Senator Sessions was an early and prominent voice calling for a reduction in the crack/powder 100-1 federal sentencing disparity. This suggests Sessions might in a hearing voice support for sentencing reforms intended to reduce unequal application of the harshest mandatory minimum sentencing terms. And all the references to prayer above leads me to think Sessions also could and would be moved by religious leaders talking about the importance of second chances (which, I surmise, help moved Senator Grassley and also fits with the huge and too-often-overlooked corrections part of the SRCA).

Even more fundamentally, though Senator Sessions has roots and a history supporting a big and tough federal criminal justice apparatus, lots of his GOP colleagues are very skeptical of federal prosecutorial powers, and for good reason. Notably, Senator Sessions has himself expressed concerns on the Senate floor about federal prosecutors "encroach[ing] upon the historic powers of our State and local law enforcement to enforce the law in their jurisdiction." Especially in the arena of marijuana reform and perhaps business crimes more generally, I also think Sessions could and should be questioned about the conservative case for keeping the federal Justice Department out of what are generally local matters.

In the end, this all may be wishful thinking on my part, a desire to turn a glass more than half-empty upside-down so that it looks close to half full. But given all the remarkable and important criminal justice reform work done and supported robustly in recent years by self-described conservatives, I am strongly disinclined to view Senator Sessions as a Darth-Vader-like character until he actually starts ordering the Justice Department to begin work on a Death Star.

A few prior related posts on the AG-nominee Sessions:

January 8, 2017 at 02:08 PM | Permalink

Comments

"a desire to turn a glass more than half-empty"

seems to be a trend of various posts while others go the other direction ... maybe the average is okay though

Posted by: Joe | Jan 8, 2017 3:08:30 PM

Look at Hugo Black's early "history" when he was a klan member. But in later life on the U.S. Supreme Court he was one of the best civil rights advocates we have yet seen.

Posted by: Liberty1st | Jan 8, 2017 5:23:58 PM

Black was a Klan member because you basically had to be one to be a mainstream pol those days like being a member of the communist party in Russia. He wasn't an active member or something. Sessions did more to earn his opprobrium.

Posted by: Joe | Jan 8, 2017 5:31:51 PM

Joe. Feminism is to 2016 what the KKK was to 1916, PC, assumed to be correct, a white supremacy ideology, a lawyer founded, run, and promoted enterprise, serving the agenda of and enriching the lawyer profession.

As there should be zero tolerance in any government funded or affiliated activity for a member of the KKK, so there should be zero tolerance for feminism. All institutions or agencies receiving government funding or subsidy should be purged of feminists and male feminist supporters.

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 8, 2017 7:49:24 PM

Democrats have zero leg to stand on. Eric "Marc Rich" Holder--need I say more?

Posted by: federalist | Jan 9, 2017 9:10:12 AM

Post a comment
BERLIN  An annotated edition of "Mein Kampf," Adolf Hitler's notorious manifesto, has become a non-fiction best-seller in Germany. The publisher said that a sixth print run will go on sale later this month.

Some 85,000 copies of the book have been sold since it was first published a year ago, according to the Munich-based Institute for Contemporary History. The publisher spent years adding comments to Hitler's original text in an effort to highlight his propaganda and mistakes.

The institute said in late 2015 that it planned an initial print run of up to 4,000 copies and wasn't sure whether more would be printed. In April, however, the book topped the weekly Der Spiegel's non-fiction best-seller list.

The bulky two-volume edition, titled "Hitler, Mein Kampf: A Critical Edition," weighs in at 1,948 pages and costs a hefty 59 euros ($62). It was the first version to be published in Germany since the end of World War II.

Before the copyright on "Mein Kampf held by Bavaria's state finance ministry expired at the end of 2015, the ministry had used it prevent the publication of new editions in the country.

Despite its incendiary and anti-Semitic content, the book wasn't actually banned in Germany and could be found online, in secondhand bookshops and in libraries.

The Institute for Contemporary History said fears that the new publication might help make Hitler's ideology socially acceptable had proven unfounded.

"On the contrary, the discussion about Hitler's world view and how to deal with his propaganda offered the opportunity to look at the disastrous roots and consequences at a time when authoritarian political ideas and right-wing slogans are again gaining followers," Andreas Wirsching, the institute's director, said.

German authorities have made clear they won't tolerate new versions without annotations.

A far-right publisher announced last year that it planned to produce an edition "without annoying commentary," prompting an investigation of suspected incitement. Prosecutors say there's no indication that the book actually went on sale.
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MIAMI  This year at Felix Varela Senior High School, there were six new students in Yleana Escobars veterinary science program. And, as newcomers, some of them had a hard time adjusting. One student refused to interact with his peers. Others acted out, jumping on desks and refusing to sit still.

But Escobar and the other students understood. The newcomers had been through a lot before getting to the high school. They had been abandoned at a young age and some had lived on the streets. One was covered in ticks and fleas and was losing his hair to mange.

Before Escobar and her students brought them to Felix Varela for training, the six dogs faced a bleak future.

We had one dog about to be euthanized, said Alyssa Dawson, 18, one of the students in Felix Varelas SPOTS Dog Training Program, part of the schools veterinary science magnet. We gave them a chance at life.

Over the past semester, the SPOTS students have lovingly trained the dogs, even coming to school on weekends and holidays to work with the animals. Their goal was to turn the motley crew into perfect pooches so they had a better shot at getting adopted into a loving home.

One of the top reasons people give up dogs is because of behavior, said Escobar, who runs the veterinary science magnet. We want that to change. We want people to understand that even your hardest cases can be assisted through proper behavioral care.

The program started four years ago in collaboration with Karen Ashby, a Miami vet who was shocked by the number of abandoned animals she saw while working at a local animal shelter. Many of the dogs had been dropped off by pet owners who were unable to cope with behavior problems.

I became overwhelmed by the number of animals that are left there, and the overwhelming number of animals that were being euthanized at that time, Ashby said.

She reached out to local dog trainers and rescue groups, and started the Miami Veterinary Coalition to Prevent Unwanted Pets & Pet Euthansia. The organization teaches local vets and the public about force-free training, a technique that uses positive reinforcement like treats to shape dog behavior.

Ashbys group partnered with Escobar to teach the technique to students in the vet science program, and for the first few years the students brought dogs from a local rescue program to the school for training.

This year for the first time, Felix Varela has partnered with Miami-Dade County Animal Services to bring dogs directly from the shelter to the high school. The six dogs taken from a Doral shelter this semester lived in kennels attached to Escobars classroom and played in a spacious outdoor area behind the school.

For 10 weeks, students trained the animals, coming in at 6 every morning to check on the dogs before class and squeezing in whatever time they could during the day between classes, homework and their other obligations. On weekends and during Escobars class, they doubled down on the behavior training.

The students also documented the dogs transformation, posting pictures and videos on a Facebook page for prospective families.

By the end of the semester, the students had found homes for all of the animals. The hardest part, they said, was saying goodbye to the dogs they had grown to love. One student broke down in tears when the dog she had worked with all semester was placed with a family.

The sense of loss will be short-lived, however. This month, the students will pick six more dogs from the shelter and start the training process all over again.

Students in the vet science program are studying to become veterinary assistants while they are in high school, and many plan to become vets or work with animals in another capacity after they graduate.

Ashby and Escobar hope that as the students start their careers, their knowledge of force-free training techniques will help change the way pet owners interact with canines and hopefully keep more animals from ending up in shelters.

In the meantime, the SPOTS program also serves another purpose, said Jennifer Hernandez, 17, one of three seniors who helps Escobar oversee the training along with classmates Dawson and Marcela Alvaro, 17. For students who feel out of place at school or struggle to make friends, the SPOTS program provides a sense of belonging.

This is their getaway, Hernandez said. The dogs dont judge the kids  the dog becomes their best friend.
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen have announced their divorce. The superstars who respectively reached the pinnacles of football and fashion each posted statements to Instagram on Friday saying they had finalized the end of their 13-year marriage. The announcement landed in the midst of Bradys 23rd NFL season and just months after the seven-time Super Bowl champion changed his mind about retirement. Brady had long expressed a desire to spend more time with Bundchen and his three children, but later said he had unfinished business with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Records show the couple filed to end their marriage Glades County, Florida, a rural location near Lake Okeechobee.
MINNEAPOLIS  When Susan Carrigan got married 34 years ago, she vowed a lifetime of love to her husband, Steve.

She did not, however, make that same commitment to her ring.

To mark her 25th wedding anniversary, Carrigan did what more and more women are doing: She upgraded her wedding ring.

I wanted something that better reflected 25 years of marriage, the Little Canada, Minnesota, woman said. My original ring was used as part of the design for my daughters wedding ring. It was meaningful to pass it along.

It was an age-old idea that rings were a symbol for eternity. But today theyre being upgraded like some people trade in cars.

It seems to be happening more often and earlier than it used to, said Bob Moeller, president and co-owner of R.F. Moeller Jeweler in the Twin Cities. It used to happen at 25 or 30 years. Now its not uncommon to see that upgrade happening at 10 and even five years.

Moeller estimates that as many as a quarter of his customers  mostly women  have upgraded their wedding rings.

Its more of a generational thing, he said. The younger generations dont feel the same attachment  for them, the wedding ring is more of a dynamic experience than a one-time thing.

While Carrigan passed her original wedding ring down to her daughter, the decision for other women to trade their rings is driven by changes in taste, income or to mark meaningful milestones in a relationship, such as an anniversary or the birth of a baby (also known as a push present among women of current childbearing age).

At many jewelry stores, the idea of an upgrade is promoted when a ring is purchased. Some jewelers offer a trade-in program for couples whose budgets have grown since they first purchased an engagement ring and will adjust the price of a new diamond or gemstone based on the price of the original engagement purchase.

There is no downside to upgrading a diamond, said Eugene Gittelson, owner of Gittelson Jewelers in Minneapolis. Their value is always going up.

Alyssa DeRusha married WCCO-TV anchor Jason DeRusha in 1998 when she was 22. Since then, DeRusha discovered Stephen Vincent Design, a Minneapolis custom jeweler, and fell in love with Vincents signature modern aesthetic, particularly his tension-set diamond rings.

[We] had come a long way since our college days and my tastes had changed, she said. In 2012, I finally pulled the trigger and I have no regrets.

The center diamond from DeRushas original ring was made into a pendant and some of the side stones were made into stacking rings.

Wearing a ring symbolizes our love, but to me that love is not just represented by the original ring, she said. When we go on vacation, I sometimes just wear a cheap band. I want to wear a wedding ring, but to me it doesnt need to just be one ring.

While DeRusha says her husband was supportive of the idea, approaching a spouse with the idea of an upgrade can be a daunting discussion.

Sometimes, its the man who makes the first move.

[My husband] has asked me to upgrade mine, but I cant bring myself to do it, said Heather Weirich, of Plymouth. We were engaged at 21 and he worked hard to buy me the ring he did. It means so much to me, I just cant upgrade.

Some say 'no thanks'

Weirich isnt alone in her attachment to sentimentality. For many, the symbolism contained in the original ring trumps both carat size and cost.

Last April, a Minnesota woman wrote on Facebook in defense of her small wedding ring after hearing from friends and family that the size of her ring didnt represent the level of success she and her husband had achieved.

Since when did the size of someones ring become an indication of success?! Rachel Pederson of Eden Prairie wrote. For me, the ring is so much more. My ring symbolizes a whirlwind, storybook, make you sick love story.

HGTVs Fixer Upper star Joanna Gaines also publicly decried an upgrade. In her book, The Magnolia Story, Gaines revealed that she turned down a recent opportunity to upgrade her wedding ring because of the sentimental value attached to the original.

This is the original diamond I picked, and its perfect just the way it is, wrote Gaines.

A changing of the wedding rings isnt just for women and doesnt always cost more, either. Andy Borne has been married for 16 years, but says it might be time to update his ring finger.

I have often toyed with the idea of downgrading my wedding ring from platinum/gold to some other metal, perhaps molybdenum or titanium just because its cool and unusual and gold is so common, the Eagan man said. Iridium would be my first choice and it would be an upgrade.

Minneapolis resident Jessica Reipke adores the sapphire solitaire engagement ring her husband proposed with, she just doesnt love to wear it.

I just did not find it to be practical for a pretty low-maintenance person like myself, Reipke said.

The sapphire ring is worn for special occasions or around her neck on a chain, but Reipke now dons a simple gold band on her ring finger.

I actually downgraded, she said. Simple is where its at for me.
ORANGE CITY, Iowa | Most new parents who work at Northwestern College can now qualify for paid time off to care for their child.

The small private, four-year school recently became one of the first colleges in the tri-state region to offer paid parental leave for both new fathers and mothers.

Full- and three-quarter time employees with at least 12 months of service are eligible for up to six weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child.

"A few colleges in Iowa offer paid maternal leave, but having a parental leave benefit gives fathers the same opportunity to bond with the child as mothers do, said Deb Sandbulte, director of human resources for the faith-based school in Orange City. Offering equal parental leave benefits to dads, to moms who give birth and to parents who adopt sends a clear message that we value all families.

The United States is the only developed country in the world that does not federally mandate some form of paid time off for new parents. Only 12 percent of American workers are offered paid parental leave.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act mandates 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave over a 12 month period, but only to full-time workers at companies with 50 or more employees.

Northwestern's paid parental leave runs concurrently with FMLA guidelines. After exhausting the six weeks of paid leave, new parents can take an additional six weeks of unpaid FMLA leave, Sandbulte said.

The benefit applies to full-time and three-quarter-time employees. Sandbulte said three staff members have already taken advantage of the new paid leave.

College officials had talked about adding the benefit for a number of years. The school conducted extensive research and consulted with other institutions that offer gender-neutral paid parental leave.

We want to be competitive, but we still had to figure out if we could afford it, Sandbulte said.

The new policy states the paid leave will not affect any status of seniority or tenure, and an employee on leave will also continue to access other benefits such as health insurance coverage.

With increasing costs of health coverage and the expenses of having or adopting a child, its one more way we as an institution can support those families in a small way, Sandbulte said.

In order to take advantage of parental leave, Sandbulte said a parent must submit a request form with FMLA request forms and let a supervisor know they intend to take parental leave. Employees are encouraged to use the six weeks at one time.

Bonding and the importance of the early moments of a babys life are why the policy was offered to fathers, as well.

She added that this could also give mothers time to recover and allow them to go back to work.

Statistics show that in almost half of two-parent households in the U.S., both parents work full or part-time and fathers are taking on more child care responsibilities, she said. Despite this, the U.S. is the only country among 41 nations that does not mandate any paid leave for new parents.

Of the states public three public institutions, none offer a separate parental leave. The University of Iowa allows birth mothers to have up to six weeks of parental leave used against accrued sick leave. A birth mothers partner or spouse may use time allotted through FMLA.

Staff members at the University of Northern Iowa are allowed to use sick leave for pregnancy related absences.

Disability or illness caused or contributed to by pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, childbirth, and recovery for Iowa State University employees are covered under the colleges medically-related disability program.

Briar Cliff University and Morningside College do not offer parental leave outside of the FMLA guidelines.

Sandbulte said the parental leave plan gives both parents and the college an advantage.

I believe this sets Northwestern College apart and helps in the recruitment process, she said, and is a good fit with our culture and our consistent approach to be a family-friendly workplace.
WASHINGTON -- Doesn't anybody here know how to work this thing?

For 10 years, Republicans have waited for their chance to govern, and finally the voters handed them the car keys: unified GOP control of Congress and the White House.

But the moment the starter's flag dropped Tuesday, the opening day of the 115th Congress, the eager majority seized the wheel of power, hit the gas -- and immediately lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a guardrail.

It was the simplest of tasks for the new Congress: The House was to approve a new rules package for the 2017-2018 term, normally a routine matter. But a group of House GOP lawmakers, ambushing their leaders, persuaded the Republican caucus to tack on a plan that would gut ethics enforcement.

Thus did Republicans, after the "drain the swamp" campaign of 2016, propose in their first act of 2017 to overflow the swamp with a new pipeline of sleaze. The headlines were murderous, and Donald Trump tweeted criticism of his fellow Republicans on Tuesday morning: "Do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog ... their number one act and priority?"

By midday, Republicans called an emergency caucus meeting to undo the proposed changes, but not before House leaders were emasculated. House Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.), though he opposed the rules change, had just issued a statement defending it. And House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), in a painful welcome-back Q&A with reporters Tuesday morning, explained how he had been thwarted by his own backbenchers.

"Why were you not able to stop it?" asked Erica Werner of the Associated Press. "Doesn't that suggest that you're very weak leaders of the conference?"

McCarthy, at the end of a long conference table, looked stunned. "Man! Welcome back!" he replied.

He likened managing the House GOP to his domestic life in California. "At my house, I got my wife and my two kids, and I usually don't win what we watch on TV," he reasoned.

The difference is that here in Washington, McCarthy and Ryan have 239 children.

And if this fractious bunch can't agree without a brouhaha on the routine matter of a rules package, wait until they get to tough stuff, such as replacing Obamacare and funding the government.

Those worried that President Trump and congressional Republicans are about to enact a sweeping agenda may have an unexpected ally: legislative incompetence. As Carl Hulse points out in the New York Times, nearly two-thirds of House Republicans have never served with a GOP president. McCarthy, elected in 2006, has never experienced unified Republican control. Now Republicans have to switch from reflexive opposition to passing their own laws and being held responsible for the consequences. Turns out they haven't developed those muscles.

Take Obamacare. For six years, Republicans have talked of replacing it, and dozens of times they voted to repeal it. But now they're in no hurry. At Tuesday's session, McCarthy said repeatedly that Republicans hadn't yet decided what to do about Obamacare. "We're being sworn in today," he pleaded.

What are some possible alternatives?

"No decision has been made yet. There's nothing right out there."

Would the GOP alternative cover as many as Obamacare?

"There's a lot of areas that you want to look at."

When will repeal happen?

"I only do week by week."

How would they avoid upsetting insurance markets?

"Nothing has been decided yet."

McCarthy was equally unprepared to talk about another longtime GOP priority: the repeal of regulations. "We're just being sworn in," he demurred, again, when asked.

First they had to solve a problem of their own creation: the plan to defang the independent Office of Congressional Ethics and put it underneath the deadlocked House Ethics Committee.

McCarthy offered a halfhearted defense of the proposed changes, even while making clear that he opposed them. He kept misstating the proposal and, when corrected by reporters, said he would need to "sit down after and walk through it" or get "a legal opinion on how the wording goes." Excuses accumulated: "That's part of the whip's job ... wasn't here ... I was in the district ... I'm late for a meeting."

"You can't even explain it clearly and you're expecting the House to vote on it?" a reporter asked.

McCarthy was philosophical. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose," he said.

And sometimes you spin out on the first lap.
Are you happy with Novembers election results? Unhappy? Or, are you looking for a new year's resolution that will positively impact your community? Then I have a proposal for you to seriously consider. Your county, city and school board needs to hear your voice and gain from your perspective by having you serve on one of their boards, commissions or committees.

What are these local boards, commissions and committees? Generally speaking, they are advisory or regulatory groups that work with the school board, the city or the county. Members usually fill out an application and may be interviewed before they are appointed as unpaid volunteers. For the Siouxland area, the best way to learn about the opportunities awaiting you is to visit the websites of Woodbury County, city of Sioux City or Sioux City schools. If youre still uncertain and you think it is too far out of your comfort zone, then attend a Board of Education, City Council or Board of Supervisors meeting; read the agenda, listen to the discussions and find out what aspect of local governance piques your interest.

In 2009, the Iowa Legislature mandated gender balance on city and county boards so both the city and the county make it easy by listing their committees and vacancies and providing the application form right on their website for you to complete and submit, all online.

There are numerous motivations for donating time and wisdom gleaned from your education background, your current profession, your life experiences or your hobbies/interests. It could be that you want to influence local government and policies or perhaps you are trying to connect with others who share similar interests (the citys Historic Preservation Commission or the countys Veteran Affairs Commission are good examples). Maybe you have a professional skill set that matches up well with some aspects of civic governance, such as accounting or legal degrees. You might want to test the waters to see if an elected position holds any interest for you. Or it could be as simple as wanting to give back to your community in some meaningful way.

Mayor Bob Scott highly recommends serving on any of the many city boards available because you gain a much greater appreciation of municipal services, how public policy is formed, and you will get a better understanding of Iowas open meeting laws. He encourages all citizens to apply because of how much they can learn from the experience.

Quasi-judicial committees exist, such as the Civil Service Commission or Planning and Zoning. Maybe the Public Museum, library system or Art Center hold a stronger appeal for you. Woodbury County also has a lengthy list of committees for you to consider, from the Area Solid Waste Board to the Zoning Commission.

I spoke with attorney Ryan Ross, who is finishing his second term on Sioux Citys Planning and Zoning Commission and is an unabashed booster for serving on civic boards. He was asked to serve on the commission, but he agreed to it because, originally, he thought it would allow him to apply his skills as a real estate and business attorney and help the city plan for physical development in an orderly manner. The high points for him were the friends he made and the opportunity to learn a tremendous amount about what a city needs to function for its citizens. Ross maintains he got much more out of it than he gave, and he would definitely serve again. Thats saying a lot because he also chaired the commission to rewrite the zoning ordinance, which will have an impact for 20 years. Even though he felt that his profession was an asset, he insists that the most important voice comes from people that dont have legal or real estate training  just regular folk who care about the big picture.

Ive been fortunate to be able to serve on two civic boards - the Museum Board of Trustees and the Woodbury County Board of Adjustment. Despite two very different focuses, both boards pushed me out of my usual routine and schooled me on how to listen with an ear to making local government responsive and responsible.

So, whether you are feeling energized, despondent or puzzled at the start of this new year, I highly recommend turning it into positive action by getting involved in your own governance.

Next week: Jim Wharton

Katie Colling is the executive director of Women Aware, a private nonprofit agency. She was elected to two consecutive terms on the Woodbury County Extension Council and serves on several civic-organization boards. She and her husband, Ron, live in Sioux City.
Iowa's Legislature opens on Monday. Today, our editorial board offers, in no specific order, 10 priorities for action by lawmakers during this year's session.

In our view, the Legislature should:

1) Strengthen bullying law

After three sessions of discussion and near-passage in 2015 of a bill to strengthen state anti-bullying law, the Legislature in 2016 virtually ignored the issue. Governor Terry Branstad didn't direct funds to the Governor's Office for Bullying Prevention in his budget recommendation for this fiscal year and the Legislature budgeted no money for the office.

Our hope this year is for passage of a stronger anti-bullying law, similar to a 2015 proposal passed in overwhelming fashion by the Senate but denied a floor vote in the House, and state money for the Governor's Office for Bullying Prevention.

2) Extend school sales tax

We support an extension of the one-cent sales tax for school infrastructure, but only for school infrastructure as was the original intent. We do not support diverting money from an extended school infrastructure tax for other purposes, such as water quality.

For purposes of planning and bonding for future infrastructure projects, school districts need an end to uncertainty about the tax's future.

3) Establish 24/7 program

The program - begun in South Dakota in 2005 - monitors abstinence from alcohol and drug use by convicted alcohol-related offenders, who are approved for enrollment in 24/7 by a judge, through a variety of tests conducted every 12 hours as an alternative to incarceration. Participants are required to cover the costs of their tests. If an offender fails or skips a test, he or she faces punishment, likely jail.

This self-sustaining program promotes abstention from alcohol in effective fashion and reduces alcohol-related crime. A valuable byproduct of 24/7 is reduced jail population, something of particular importance here in Woodbury County where the jail is near capacity.

4) Address texting while driving

We support making use of a hand-held cellphone while driving illegal. At a minimum, the state should make texting while driving a primary offense.

The state was right in 2010 to make texting while driving illegal, but because the ban is enforceable only as a secondary offense - or only when a law enforcement officer stops a driver for a primary offense - it lacks impact.

5) Move school elections to general election day

Moving school board elections to November requires action by the Legislature. As we have said on multiple occasions in this space, no useful purpose exists in holding Iowa school board elections on any day other than general election day in November (we, in fact, advocate for moving all special elections to general election day).

By moving school elections from September to the same day we elect candidates for all other public offices at all levels of government, including municipal offices, not only would counties in Iowa save money, but important decisions about who serves on school boards across the state would involve more citizens because voter turnout would be higher.

6) Pass voter ID law

As we have said before in this space, we believe every voter should be required to show some form of identification before casting a ballot.

Proving you are who you say you are is a requirement for nearly everything we Americans do in our daily lives. Voting should be no different.

7) Study collective bargaining changes

We have made no secret of our support for changes to collective bargaining laws for public-sector workers in Iowa.

Our biggest concerns relate to arbitration. Under existing laws, an arbitrator or panel of arbitrators must choose between the two final offers in an impasse. No middle ground can be considered. In making the binding decision, the arbitrator or panel of arbitrators is severely limited in what it can take into consideration. For example, current economic conditions can't be considered.

8) Renew Targeted Jobs Program

In 2013, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed a five-year extension of the Targeted Jobs Withholding Tax Credit Program aimed at helping border communities attract private investment that might otherwise go to a neighboring state. The program allows qualifying businesses to apply for state-withholding tax credits if they plan to relocate or expand in Iowa, provided they are creating or retaining jobs.

The program will expire in 2018, which is the second year of the new Iowa General Assembly.

9) Unify state minimum wage

In addition to discussion of the issue here in Woodbury County, boards of supervisors in Johnson, Linn, Wapello and Polk counties have voted to raise the local minimum wage above the state level. We see no value for the state as a whole in having a patchwork of minimum wages. We urge lawmakers to prevent local governments from setting their own minimum wage.

Since talk about studying whether to increase the minimum wage for Woodbury County began in June, we have opposed the idea. We opposed the idea of a local study not because we necessarily oppose an increase in the minimum wage (the Legislature voted to raise the minimum wage to the current $7.25 per hour in 2007), but because we believe this discussion should take place at the state level. We do not have a position on a minimum-wage increase for Iowa today, but we are open-minded to a discussion of the issue.

10) Correct flaw in medical marijuana law

Iowa's Legislature was right in 2014 to pass a bill through which patients afflicted by epilepsy can legally possess an anti-seizure medicine derived from cannabis.

Since its passage, though, Iowans have raised reasonable complaints about a shortcoming of the bill. In simple terms, the bill didn't address production and distribution of the drug within the state. In other words, an Iowan can legally possess the drug for treatment of epilepsy, but it remains illegal in the state to produce or distribute it. The end result is Iowans who would benefit from the drug can't get it here, so they are forced to travel to another state. We urge Iowa this year to, at a minimum, expand the existing medical marijuana law by including legalized production and distribution of cannabidiol for use by epilepsy patients.
SIOUX CITY | Local parks and recreation directors say 2017 will be a landmark year for the metro area's recreational trail system.

Construction on as many as six projects could begin in Sioux City this year, coupled with another two planned for South Sioux City.

Fundraising and planning will also continue for a proposed 16-mile trail in Woodbury and Plymouth counties, stretching from Sioux City to Le Mars.

Siouxland Trails Foundation spokesperson Bob DeSmidt said 2017 will easily have the most area projects going on at once since the trail foundation was formed in 2003 to champion trail maintenance and construction in the metro.

"There have been several trails built over the succeeding 13 to 14 years, but nothing of this scale," DeSmidt said.

Matt Salvatore, Sioux City's Parks and Recreation director, has referred to 2017 as the "Year of the Trail."

"This will be the probably the best year ever for trails in Sioux City," Salvatore said. "I dont think well ever see another year where well be doing five to six trails."

The most anticipated project will be the long-awaited connection of two trails along Sioux City's riverfront. The new trail will span the 1.5-mile gap between the Chautauqua Park and Chris Larsen Park trails, establishing 12 miles of continuous trail along the Missouri River.

Salvatore said a bid letting for the project is scheduled for June of this year. He expects the majority of the project will be completed in 2017, but the trail may not open until 2018 if more progress is needed.

Other connections to be completed this year include the second phase of the Big Sioux River Dike trail, which will extend from the Riverside Aquatic Center to Florence Avenue for seven-tenths of a mile along the riverfront.

On Sioux City's north side, a nearly half-mile trail piece will connect the Floyd River Trail to the Outerbelt Drive Trail, including a bridge crossing railroad tracks in Leeds. Another new trail at Sertoma Park will loop around Cone Park, the all-seasons park slated to open in December 2017.

On the other side of Outer Drive, a .18-mile trail near Clark School will connect to the west arm of the Outerbelt Drive Trail.

A privately funded trail expected to be built in upcoming years along Christy Road near the new Summit Apartments, UnityPoint Sunnybrook Medical Plaza and proposed Overlook Development, could also undergo construction sometime during the year, Salvatore said.

In South Sioux City, two trails to be added will add about a mile to the trail system. The first, completely funded by Nebraska's federally funded Safe Routes to School program, will connect Covington Elementary School to the city's trail system.

South Sioux City Parks and Recreation director Gene Maffit said the project brings the city closer to its goal to connect all of its schools and parks to its trail system.

"I think when that project gets done well have only one school thats not connected," Maffit said.

A second trail, funded 80 percent by the Nebraska Department of Roads and 20 percent by South Sioux City, will be a lighted trail running from Siouxland Country Estates, crossing U.S. Highway 20 and connecting with existing trail.

"It's so kids can get from the mobile home court to school if theyre walking to school," Maffit said.

Maffit said the start and completion dates will depend on how soon the state gets to the projects this year.

Organizers also hope 2017 will be a year of progress for the PlyWood Trail, an envisioned 16-mile mixed-use trail connecting Plymouth and Woodbury counties from Le Mars to Sioux City.

PlyWood Trail Executive Board member Lesley Bartholomew said the trail, estimated to cost between $10 million and $12 million, currently has $1 million in seed money from the city of Le Mars.

Bartholomew said the committee will look for private and public sector fundraising throughout the year and look into finalizing the route of the trail, which will stretch from Sioux City to Hinton to Merrill to Le Mars.

"We are trying to finalize the trail map and visit with potential landowners around the trail," she said.

Bartholomew said the committee is exploring connecting the PlyWood trail to existing trails in Le Mars and Hinton.

Interactive map: Zoom in and out on this interactive map created by the Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council (SIMPCO) to see current walking and mixed-use trails as well as future projects planned for the upcoming years.
SAN FRANCISCO  George Lucas is no stranger to epic struggles on the big screen, but he didn't expect one off-camera when it came to his art collection.

For nearly a decade, the filmmaker has tried to build a museum to house an extensive personal collection that includes 40,000 paintings, illustrations and film-related items. But legal entanglements and other complications have thwarted his efforts.

After several false starts, Lucas and his art team say they will decide later this month whether to put the museum in San Francisco or Los Angeles, a strategy that has stirred a California rivalry.

The prize is big, and both cities want it badly.

"This is the largest civic gift in American history," L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti told The Associated Press. "I think Los Angeles is the natural home for it"  a notion that San Francisco officials enthusiastically contest.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, as it will be called, promises hundreds of jobs and a high-profile attraction  and it's essentially free.

The "Star Wars" creator is financing the project himself. He plans to spend more than $1 billion to build the museum, endow it and provide a trove of initial artworks valued at over $400 million. Together with Chinese architect Ma Yansong, Lucas has proposed a sleek, futuristic design looks like a cross between the Guggenheim and a galactic starfighter.

The museum's bold design and concept make clear that the 72-year-old filmmaker sees it as part of his legacy, and he is increasingly impatient to break ground.

"It's not just an enormous philanthropic gift to a city and to the world, but it is a unique museum in the way it is envisioned," said Don Bacigalupi, an art historian and respected museum director Lucas hired as its founding president. "Certainly, we'll be looking forward to the day we can move the art into a museum."

The museum will not, as many assume, be a repository for "Star Wars" memorabilia.

It will, however, show how Lucas spent some of his filmmaking fortune and that his interest in art extends beyond movies.

An avid collector for more than 40 years, Lucas is giving the museum some 10,000 paintings and illustrations that include dozens of Norman Rockwells and works from French impressionist Edgar Degas to American contemporary artist Keith Haring. There are illustrations for classic children's books by Beatrix Potter of "Peter Rabbit" fame and Jean de Brunhoff, who created "Babar."

The museum gets its pick from some 30,000 film-related pieces including storyboards and costumes from "The Wizard of Oz," ''Casablanca," and, naturally, "Star Wars."

There's art from comic books, graphic novels and other popular works that Lucas hopes will attract people who don't typically visit museums.

In 2010, Lucas first pitched his project to San Francisco and considered a site in the Presidio, but the trust that oversaw the park ultimately rebuffed him. He then took his project to Chicago, his wife's hometown, but preservationists sued to keep it off the lakefront.

Lengthy delays prompted Lucas to abandon that bid in June and change strategy.

In October, Lucas unveiled similar but competing designs for Los Angeles and San Francisco sites, turning the project into a public competition. It seems to have worked.

Government leaders in both cities have unanimously approved it. And officials are quick to stress that this time there is no apparent opposition, and construction could begin quickly ahead of a projected 2020 finish date.

Later this month, Lucas is convening the museum's board to decide between two distinct locations.

In San Francisco, his project would virtually have an island unto itself.

The city offered Lucas a 4-acre waterfront plot on Treasure Island, a man-made creation in the middle of the bay with cinematic views of the city skyline.

The island was built for the 1939 World's Fair, then used as a World War II naval base. These days it's populated mainly by seagulls, boarded-up barracks, some art studios and old warehouses, but officials hope the museum triggers its transformation. A massive $6 billion redevelopment project includes apartments, hotels and a ferry terminal.

"It's a risk they would be taking, but it's a bet on the future," said Adam Van De Water, project manager for the museum at San Francisco City Hall. "We think his heart is here in the Bay Area."

Lucas has spent most of his life in the San Francisco area, and Lucasfilm was based in the city before he sold it in 2012 to Disney Co.

"Put yourself in his shoes. You could be on Treasure Island, where you're visible throughout downtown San Francisco," said Van De Water, pausing to take a swipe at Los Angeles. "Or you could be a museum in a park with other museums."

Los Angeles has offered Lucas a 7-acre spot in Exposition Park, a sprawling cultural compound that holds three other museums and the Coliseum, home to the LA Rams. It has its own light rail station and is near the main campus of the University of Southern California, where Lucas went to film school.

"A museum should not be cloistered away from the people," LA Mayor Garcetti said. "We don't live life on islands."

Exposition Park also is near eight public high schools and could help expose young people to Lucas' collection, Garcetti says.

If Lucas has a favorite, Bacigalupi won't say.

But Bacigalupi calls Treasure Island "sort of magical." Not only does it offer stunning views, but the island would give the museum an iconic location on the water's edge, which he compares to the Sydney Opera House. And, he says, Lucas is deeply devoted to the Bay Area.

Los Angeles is exciting for different reasons, he said. Its proximity to schools and being part of a community of museums "is certainly attractive," he said. And, like San Francisco, Los Angeles is part of Lucas' history.
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The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. 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S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. 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Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC.

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Red Hat, Inc. provides open source software solutions to develop and offer operating system, virtualization, management, middleware, cloud, mobile, and storage technologies to various enterprises worldwide. It offers infrastructure-related solutions, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, an operating system platform that runs on hardware for use in hybrid cloud environments; Red Hat Satellite, a system management offering that helps to deploy, scale, and manage in hybrid cloud environments; and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, a software solution that allows customers to utilize and manage a common hardware infrastructure to run multiple operating systems and applications. The company offers application development-related and other technology solutions, such as Red Hat JBoss Middleware, a solution for developing, deploying, and managing applications; integrating applications, data, and devices; and automating business processes in hybrid cloud environments; The company's application development-related and other technology solutions also includes Red Hat cloud offerings, a software solution that enables customers to build and manage various cloud computing environments; Red Hat Mobile, a software development platform that enables customers to develop, integrate, deploy, and manage mobile applications for enterprises; and Red Hat Storage, a software solution that enables customers to manage large, unstructured, or semi-structured data in hybrid cloud environments. It also provides consulting, support, and training services; and realtime operating system, distributed computing, directory services, and user authentication. Red Hat, Inc. has collaboration with Juniper Networks Expand to provide a unified solution for enterprises designed to manage and run applications and services. The company was formerly known as Red Hat Software, Inc. and changed its name to Red Hat, Inc. in June 1999. Red Hat, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Ashford Hospitality Trust is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on the hospitality industry. The companys portfolio is concentrated in upper upscale, full-service hotels across the US. The portfolio strategy seeks to optimize total returns by maximizing the value of new acquisitions while paying dividends over time. The company boasts a geographically diversified portfolio of dominant branded full-service hotels. Ashford Inc externally advises Ashford Hospitality Trust.

Ashford Hospitality Trust is the culmination of decades of real estate experience dating back to the 1960s. Now based in Dallas, TX, the company was founded and went public in 2003. The company is geared to withstand the ups and downs of the hospitality and hotel cycles. The company is committed to disciplined capital market activities, has a successful transaction track record, and brings value-added asset management to the table.

Ashford Hospitality Trust is guided by five principles that best describe the company. These are Ethical, Innovative, Profitable, Engaging, and Tenacious and all key components of its reputation for integrity.

The companys portfolio is well-diversified across brands and includes but is not limited to Courtyard, Crown Plaza, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton, Marriot, Ritz-Carlton, and Sheraton. Properties are located in 25 of the 50 US states and Washington, D.C. targeting the top 25 markets in the nation. The company also owns a number of private and boutique names as well.

Ashford Hospitality Trust was founded by Monty J. Bennet who is the Chairman of the Board as well as Chairman, CEO, and President of Ashford, Inc which also trades on the NYSE. Mr. Bennet has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry including owning and operating major hotels.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




Wed, 26.10.22 - 12:09

Another blast of heat at the end of the month is likely to break the record in Spain With only a few days left in...
Pretoria, Jan 2017 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, arrived Friday in Johannesburg, expressed his satisfaction with the "distinguished" relations between Western Sahara and South Africa.

As part of a working visit to South Africa at the invitation of his counterpart Jacob Zuma, Mr. Ghali expressed his "satisfaction with the distinguished relations" between the two countries, at the end of his meeting with the President of the Republic of South Africa.

The president of the Republic also welcomed the support of South Africa to the Sahrawi people in their struggle against the Moroccan occupation for self-determination in accordance with international legality.

The South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, had stressed that the visit of President Brahim Ghali in South Africa "is important because it comes in the wake of celebration of the 40th anniversary of the proclamation of the SADR", founded in 1976, and "at a time where the illegal occupation of Western Sahara by the Kingdom of the Morocco continues".

The visit of the President of the Republic in South Africa is intended to "further strengthen and consolidate the relations between the two countries", she added, recalling in this context that, in September 2004, South Africa had decided to recognize the SADR" when Morocco has shown clearly its refusal to hold a referendum of self-determination in Western Sahara in violation of resolution 1495 of the UN Security Council adopted in 2003 ". (SPS)

062/090/TRA




Driver Bob McClure capped a career-best season in 2016. Canadas dash leader, he won 576 races in his campaign last year, which was almost double his previous win records the two years prior, and amassed $3-million for the first time in his career en route to an O'Brien Award nomination as a finalist for Driver of the Year.

Its hard to believe [how incredible last season was], McClure said. Ill definitely appreciate it more further down, but the most amazing part is that I cant recognize a point where it all started to change. I won way more races than I did last year and it didnt feel like that big of a difference.

Through my career there have been a lot of people helping me. Guys like Greg Graham and Gary Kingshott put me down for their whole barns, my cousin Ryan McClure and Chad Milner gave me big boosts as well.

Bob McClure won 214 races in 2014 and followed it with a 340-win season in 2015. In 2016, his 576-win season secured him the driving titles at Flamboro Downs, Georgian Downs, and Grand River Raceway.

I cant really attribute [my success] to one thing. I show up; I definitely put the time in, and I think anyone who wants to have a career driving has to do that. Ive definitely paid my dues; I started at the small tracksHanover Raceway to this day is my favourite racetrack. I spent a lot of years there and I was their leading driver. It wasnt until I moved to the bigger tracks that I started to have more luck.

McClures milestone season was highlighted by a driving quintuple on September 19 at Mohawk Racetrack while many of the WEG regulars competed in Ontario Sires Stakes events at Grand River.

There was a trotter I really liked of Jim Ritchies, so I told him Id go up to drive him at Mohawk and I ended up driving the whole card, McClure said. I went down, hoping I could make some money, and I came out with five wins.

McClure attributes some of his success to his uncle, Jim McClure, who also drove horses and taught him how to work with the people in the harness racing industry.

Anytime I came into a tough situation where I was stuck between the two very good trainers at a track, he was always really good to talk to, McClure said. I always had a fairly good understanding of horses, but he helped me to deal with people a lot.

As a result of his breakout season, McClure was recognized as an O'Brien Award finalist to be Canada's Driver of the Year along with Sylvain Filion, who was the leading driver at both Woodbine and Mohawk in 2016.

I was driving with my girlfriend to have lunch with my grandparents when I got a call [from Standardbred Canada] and I completely misunderstood the call, McClure said. I thought they were calling to tell me I was a finalist, but in the top 10, kind of like Hey! Not bad, good for you! I didnt think at all that Id be one of the finalists out of two.

My girlfriend Jodi knew more about the phone call, and it turned out she was right. It was when I woke up from a nap and saw all these people congratulating me that I went Wow. I was actually surprised; its not very often that a B-track driver gets that kind of recognition. Its satisfying and surreal; it hasnt sunk in yet at all.

All of the McClures are likely to be in attendance at the OBrien Black Tie Gala on January 28.



Bob McClure with his son, Ryder Bob McClure with his son, Ryder

We dont know yet if my son Ryder is coming, but my grandparents are buying a table, and Im going to have a table with some friends, so theres no shortage of room at the OBriens for family.

I dont have a tux ready, though. Ill have to go rent one.

Heading into the 2017 racing season, McClure is aiming to improve the quality of his stock and ultimately improve on his current success.

Id really like to protect the dash title, McClure said. There are no plans to move to WEG anytime in the near future, but I do hope to get on some more stakes horses. Last year was the first year where I was kind of an option for all the trainers, like when I came down [to WEG] when the OSS was [at Grand River].

Hopefully I can further that because they go for more money, but that will also mean more travelling and less wins because Ill be away from my regular mounts. Id like to drive more quality than quantity.

(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Ray Cotolo)
Fans of international trotting looking forward to the dream match-up of Bold Eagle vs. Nuncio will have to wait a little longer.

Reports from Sweden indicate that Nuncio will not be entered in the 2017 Prix d'Amerique. Trainer/owner Stefan Melander pointed to a fever Nuncio had in early December that threw off the horse and his training schedule.

"I sat down and thought and concluded that it is wrong for the horse to start in Paris," Melander told Expressen in his native Swedish tongue. "Nuncio has been training well, but the last week of severe weather means that it will not be optimal now either, so we refrain [from racing in the Prix d'Amerique this] year."

One of the world's most dominant racehorses over the last two years, Nuncio ran the table in 2016 going unbeaten in 11 starts. In his two seasons of racing in Europe since concluding his three-year-old season in North America, the son of Andover Hall - Nicole Isabelle has won 21 of 24 starts and has yet to finish worse than third in his 51-race career.

Nuncio - 2016 Elitlopp Final

Melander told Expressen that Nuncio will now be pointed toward defending his Elitlopp title this coming May.
Although accomplished in completely different fashions, Saturdays co-featured pacing events at The Meadowlands both ended with Marcus Miller in the winners circle.

Miller, recently named the U.S. Rising Star Award winner, put heavily favoured Parnu Hanover on the front end past a :27.2 opening quarter and blazed to a 1:50.3 victory in a $13,000 conditioned pace. The time was even more impressive on a cold and snowy night in New Jersey that had the track rated with a -2 track variant. Parnu Hanover won by a length over Sassy Hanover with Mister Truth rounding out the trifecta.

It worked out exactly as I wanted it to, said Miller. I wanted to move to the front sometime before the half and make them catch me. He went the mile I hoped he would.

Parnu Hanover is trained by Erv Miller and shared in ownership by the Erv Miller Stable, Alva Miller, and Sara Miller. His ninth career win moves his lifetime earnings past $100,000.

Two races earlier, a wild stretch drive saw 24-1 outsider Preparty slip up the pylons to upset a field of conditioned pacers for Jim Marohn Jr. However, the judges ruled that Preparty gained an unfair advantage by going inside a pylon and disqualified him. That moved Moonwriter, driven by Miller, into the win spot at 11-1.

Millionaire Alexie Mattosie was intent on the lead with Drew Monti and parked out Ontario Success through a half-mile in :55.1. At the top of stretch, Pansformative swung three-wide around a tiring Ontario Success. Moonwriter followed that move with Ashleys Husband gearing up with his patented stretch drive. Preparty stayed inside and just got up under the wire first in 1:52.1 before being placed ninth.

Moonwriter is trained by Andrew Harris and co-owned by Harris and Michael Gallicchio of Beachwood, New Jersey.

For the first time in 2017, the 20-cent Jackpot Super High Five was hit in the fifth race for $7,236.80. Stratocaster, at 30-1, stormed to the lead just before the wire to win followed by 3-2 favourite K Lees Shakenbake and 8-1 Dreamlands Art. At 35-1, Sky Is The Limit was fourth and 9-2 Barimah was fifth to round out the single winning ticket.

Stratocaster was one of two huge longshot winners driven by Marohn, who finished the night with a hat trick. He came back to win the 11th with 55-1 Baggage Claim for trainer Patti Harmon to become the second $100-plus winner of the weekend after Abbijade Hanover won Friday at 54-1.

Greg Merton, Vinnie Ginsburg, and Bill Mann also posted driving doubles.

Total handle for the 13-race card was $2,348,381.

Live racing resumes next Friday.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)
My crystal ball CB said that the war in Ukraine will end by March 2023. Why? - Ukraine does not want to continue fighting, as most of thei...
Members of the Woodland Ceramic Club hosted an Empty Bowls fundraiser dinner Dec. 1, raising more than $2,775 for the Woodland Action Center food bank.

Nearly 100 community members attended the event held at Woodland High School.

"We're incredibly pleased with the turnout demonstrating how many community members truly care for this cause," Michael Smith, event coordinator and an art teacher at Woodland High School, said in a press release.

The handmade ceramic bowls were thrown and kiln-fired by members of the ceramics club. Each attendee chose a bowl to keep and sampled soups donated by local restaurants, including Guadaljara, Rosie's, the Oak Tree and the American Family Diner. Bread was donated by the Kalama Bread Company, and coffee and other beverages were provided by Red Leaf Coffee. Grant funds for the event were donated by the Arts of Clark County, Southwest Washington State School Retirees Association and Georgie's Clay.

Additional ceramic pieces made by local professional and student artists were auctioned during the event and students in the Woodland High School Music Program performed a number of songs.

The fundraiser was inspired by Empty Bowls, a national project created by Imagine Render, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to create positive and lasting change through the arts, education, and projects that build community, according to a press release. The Empty Bowls Project has operated for 25 years as an international grassroots effort to raise money and awareness in the fight to end hunger.

The Woodland Action Center is a community services organization based in Woodland, incorporating best practices by offering nontraditional hours and a personal shopping experience intended to empower client choice and waste, states the press release. To learn more, visit www.woodlandaction.org. Details about Imagine Render and the Empty Bowls Project can be found at www.emptybowls.net.
Watching National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper Jr., a gruff, 50-year veteran of the spy world, answer congressional questions Thursday, you couldnt help wondering whether perhaps this time President-elect Donald Trump has met his match.

To recall a quip made years ago by a prominent Washington lawyer, Clapper is not a potted plant. He has served Republicans and Democrats alike with the same grumpy dislike of political criticism.

The showdown between Clapper and Trump over allegations of Russian hacking will shape public perceptions of the next president in the two weeks before his inauguration. Well learn more about what Russian hackers did during the 2016 campaign. Well also learn more about Trump and whether he will bring his Russophilia into the White House.

After this weeks briefings of Trump and President Obama, the real circus will come next week, when members of Congress receive their own classified reports. Democrats would be wise if they kept their mouths shut and let GOP Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) do the talking.

Trumps post-election line on Russian hacking has been to blame U.S. intelligence agencies and the news media. Bashing the elitist media has been a standard GOP tactic since Richard Nixons day. But Trump at times has actually seemed to be siding with Russia and other anti-American critics and against U.S. intelligence agencies.

The standard response of a president-elect to any allegation of foreign meddling in the U.S. election, youd think, would be to call for an investigation. Instead, Trump called the allegations of Russian hacking ridiculous, said it was the Democratic National Committees own fault if its cybersecurity was poor, needled the CIA for its Iraq WMD mistakes, and otherwise sought to belittle the intelligence agencies.

Weirdest of all was Trumps embrace this week of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder and a person many U.S. officials, Republican and Democratic, see as having damaged U.S. national security by leaking classified documents about nearly every area of foreign policy.

When Assange sought to pooh-pooh Moscows role with a careful denial that his source hadnt been the Russian government or a state party, he got three Pinocchios from The Posts Fact Checker. But Trump treated him like a new friend. He approvingly tweeted Assanges claim that U.S. media coverage was very dishonest and added: More dishonest than anyone knows.

Then, in one of those who, me? reversals that are a Trump specialty, he tweeted Thursday: The dishonest media likes saying that I am in Agreement with Julian Assange  wrong. I simply state what he states . . . The media lies to make it look like I am against Intelligence when in fact I am a big fan!

Well soon see how supportive of U.S. intelligence Trump really is. But in recent months, his approach to the hacking story has been worryingly similar to Russias own response: Its all lies, circulated by a dishonest media. Nobody can believe anything.

This sort of information fog is precisely what Moscow seeks to spawn in its own propaganda campaigns. The Russian goal is to corrode democratic norms and institutions by discrediting the electoral process and to tarnish the reputations of democratic governments in order to establish a kind of moral equivalence between Russia and the West, Thorsten Benner and Mirko Hohmann wrote last month in Foreign Affairs.

Anyone who thinks that the Russian hacking charges are simply an attempt to belittle or discredit Trump should study Russias current covert-action campaign in Europe. Benner and Hohmann quote Bruno Kahl, the chief of Germanys intelligence service, who told a newspaper there that cyberattacks are taking place that have no purpose other than to elicit uncertainty. The head of French information security similarly warned last month that Western countries face the development of a digital threat for political ends and for destabilization.

This Russian political assault has been hiding in plain sight. Andrei Soldatov, a Russian investigative journalist, wrote in July when news surfaced that the DNC had been hacked that Hillary Clinton was seen by Moscow as a tough and uncompromising adversary, that the U.S. elections were the most sensitive problem facing the Kremlin and that only President Vladimir Putin could decide what to do.

And what did Trump say back then about Russian hackers? Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing from Clintons private email server. He egged on a foreign intelligence service to help his campaign, then claimed they didnt do it, then blamed U.S. intelligence for faulty reporting.

And the question is: Why?
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A team of the US-based iPhone maker Apple will meet a group of senior officials from ministries, including IT and finance, on 25 January to discuss its demands for setting up a manufacturing unit in the country.

Officials from departments of commerce, industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), revenue, environment and forest, electronics and information technology (DeITY) will take part in the deliberations.

In a communication to the government, the Cupertino-based technology major has asked for several tax and other incentives, including long-term duty exemptions, to enter the manufacturing sector in India.

(Also Read: Apple demands for tax concessions and sops could adversely affect Make In India campaign)

However, the sources said the technology major should set up the manufacturing unit in India without seeking additional support.

As many as 42 companies are making mobile phones in India, including Chinese firm Huawei and Xiaomi, and no firm has approached the government for any additional incentives.

Currently, the government provides support by way of benefits under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS) to boost electronic manufacturing.

The scheme offers financial incentives to offset disability and attract investments in the electronics hardware segment. It also gives subsidy for investments in special economic zones, among other benefits.

Apple's products are manufactured in six countries, including Korea, Japan and the US.

Earlier, the finance ministry in May had rejected relaxing the 30 per cent domestic sourcing norms as sought by the iPhone and iPad maker as a pre-condition of bringing in FDI to set up single-brand retail stores in the country.

The company had sought exemption on the ground that it makes state-of-the-art and cutting-edge technology products for which local sourcing is not possible.

The government had also turned down the firm's proposal to import refurbished phones and sell them in India.

The company sells its products through Apple-owned retail stores in countries like China, Germany, the US, the UK and France, among others. It has no wholly-owned store in India and sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro.

The government has announced incentives to promote electronic manufacturing in India and reduce the import bill.

PTI
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Bitcoin plunged by as much as 12 percent on Friday after China's central bank urged investors to take a rational and cautious approach to investing in the digital currency, which is on track for its heaviest two-day drop in two years.

Bitcoin had been on a tear until Wednesday, gaining more than 40 percent in two weeks to hit around $1,139 on the Europe-based Bitstamp exchange, just shy of its all-time record of $1,163.

But the web-based digital currency, which has shown an intriguing inverse correlation to the Chinese yuan in recent months, plunged as the yuan soared on Thursday, falling as much as 20 percent at one point.

It continued that fall on Friday, with its losses accelerating after the central bank's warning.

It fell as low as $871, down almost a quarter from its peak on Wednesday, before recovering to about $900 by 1455 GMT (9:55 a.m. ET). That still left it down 10 percent on the day and on track for its worst two-day performance since January 2015.

The Shanghai head office of the People's Bank of China (PBOC) noted in a statement that bitcoin prices had shown abnormal fluctuations in recent days, and said those investing in it should do so carefully, with awareness of the currency's volatility.

The PBOC's words carried echoes of its 2013 warning that financial institutions should steer clear of the digital currency, which sparked a $300 slide in bitcoin.

The PBOC also repeated on Friday its 2013 view that bitcoin is not a currency and could therefore not be circulated as a real currency in the market.

"This is the Chinese authorities saying: we're watching," said Charles Hayter, CEO of digital currency data analysis website Cryptocompare. "The relative size of the bitcoin market is minor, but trading has reached up to $10 billion a day on the bitcoin-yuan pairs."

"The full meaning of the government's comments aren't 100 percent clear, but restrictions and regulation of trading is one avenue that could affect volumes and therefore price."

Hayter said trading between the yuan and bitcoin had made up about 98 percent of the market for the past six months, according to his analysis. Because there are no trading fees on Chinese exchanges, it is much easier to get in and out of trades and therefore creates a higher trading volume, he said.

Bitcoin can be used for moving money across the globe quickly and anonymously, and operates outside the control of any central authority.

That makes it attractive to those wanting to get around capital controls, such as in China, and also to investors who are worried about a devaluation in their currency - one of the reasons often cited for bitcoin's surge in 2016. While the yuan fell 7 percent, its worst year since 1994, bitcoin outperformed all other currencies, with a 125 percent climb.

But many bitcoin experts say Chinese trading volumes are overstated and attribute sharp moves to speculation by, for example, U.S.-based hedge funds.

"VOLATILE MARKETS"

The volatile trading prompted officials from the PBOC's Shanghai branch on Friday to meet representatives of a major bitcoin trading platform in China, BTCC.

"On January 6 the People's Bank of China Business Management Department and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Financial Affairs jointly met with the relevant regulatory authorities of the 'currency network'," the PBOC said in the statement.

BTCC said in a post on Twitter: "BTCC regularly meets with (the) PBOC and we work closely with them to ensure we are operating in accordance with the laws and regulations of China."

"All of our users should be aware of the current policies on virtual goods as well as the risks involved in trading in volatile markets," another Tweet read.

Eric Gu, a blockchain expert and founder of ViewFin, a Chinese blockchain start-up, said the PBOC meets the country's major bitcoin exchanges regularly but had previously never made such meetings public.

But recent volatility has increased risks and has triggered fears that the market could be used as a channel for money laundering, he said.

"Previously, bitcoin trading volume was small, and money laundering was not possible in such a market," said Gu. "Now, the volume is up ... everyday, there are tens of billions of yuan worth of bitcoin changing hands. Volume is still (comparatively)small, but big enough to make the central bank worry."

Reuters
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Accusing LinkedIn of flouting local laws that require internet firms to store data on citizens within the nations borders, the Russian authorities have asked Apple and Google to remove the professional networking site app from their online stores.

Recently, a Russian court blocked the Microsoft-owned LinkedIn service for breaching the countrys data protection rules. According to The New York Times, Apple has confirmed that it was asked to remove its LinkedIn app in Russia about a month ago.

However, Google has not confirmed if it had removed LinkedIn in Russia but said that it adhered to Russian local laws, the report added. Meanwhile, LinkedIn responded that the company was disappointed with the decision by Russian regulators to block the service.

It denies access to our members in Russia and the companies that use LinkedIn to grow their businesses, Nicole Leverich, a spokeswoman for LinkedIn, was quoted as saying. LinkedIn has several million users in Russia.

Earlier this week, Apple removed the New York Times from its app store following a request from Chinese authorities claiming the app was in violation of regulations.

China is known for banning digital sites like Facebook and Google that it believes harm its national security or promote misinformation. The Wall Street Journals Chinese-language site has been blocked since 2014.

IANS
Four soldiers were killed, and 17 wounded, after a flatbed truck driven by an Arab terrorist rammed into a group of conscripts adjacent to the Armon Hanatziv promenade in southern Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon.



Four soldiers, Lt. Yael Yekutiel, 20-years-old from Givatayim, Shir Hajaj, 20 -years-old from Ma'aleh Adumim, Shira Tzur, 20-years-old from Haifa and Erez Averbuch, 20-years-old form Alon Shvut, were declared dead at the scene, which was called a mass-casualty incident.



According to the IDF spokesman, an additional two cadets were seriously wounded, and 15 other officers and cadets sustained less severe wounds. Some 300 soldiers were in the area at the time of the attack, the IDF said.



Yossi Fraenkel, deputy commander of ZAKA in Jerusalem, said 12 of the wounded are in light condition, four are in either serious or moderate condition, and one is in critical condition.



All the victims were evacuated to different area hospitals.



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited the scene with Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman shortly after the 1:30 p.m. attack, said the terrorist was identified as Fadi al-Qanbar, from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, long a hotbed of incitement and violence.



We know the identity of the attacker, and according to all the signs, he is a supporter of Islamic State, Netanyahu said, without elaborating.



He added that there may be a connection between this attack and similar attacks recently in France and Berlin.



We are fighting this plague, and will defeat it, Netanyahu said, noting that Jabel Mukaber has been cordoned off, and that we are taking other actions that I will not detail here.



We will overcome this terror, just as we overcame other attacks, he said. There are a number of actions that we will not specify at this time, which we will have to take to ensure that incidents such as these do not recur.



Lieberman said the attack was clearly the result of incitement against Jews living in Israel.

In another attack similar to those that occurred in France and Germany, a jihadist ploughed a truck into a crowd in the Armon Natsiv neighborhood , murdering 4 soldiers before being shot down himself:More precisely, it's the result of the UN's own ill-laden activities. They led to this in their own way, and now they owe apologies they'll never give.

Labels: anti-semitism, islam, Israel, Israeli Arabs, Jerusalem, jihad, military, terrorism, war on terror
Dedicated to the Restoration of Progressive Democracy
These 10+ Better Than Anything Cake Recipes are sweet, delicious, and topped with things like sweetened condensed milk, cool whip, caramel, and candy. You really can't go wrong when you need to serve something delicious for dessert!

From chocolate poke, lemon lovers , oreo , and our favorite -- caramel apple, we have something that everyone will love!

The best part is that these recipes are easy to make and take minimal prep work. Clean up is also a breeze so what are you waiting for? Go and get busy!

COOL WHIP CAKE, POKE CAKE, BETTER THAN RECESS CAKE?

What do you call it? We prefer BETTER THAN ANYTHING CAKE! Because seriously, these cakes are way better than anything if you ask me.

These recipes are ooey gooey cakes that are always a favorite when we serve them. You can't go wrong with moist cake drenched in sweetened condensed milk and topped with cool whip, candy, or caramel.

1. BETTER THAN YOU KNOW WHAT CAKE

From SPACESHIPS AND LASER BEAMS :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. Sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce are poured over the cake and then its topped with Cool Whip and crushed Heath bars before being served. Its irresistible!

2. LEMON BETTER THAN SEX CAKE

From THE KITCHEN MAGPIE :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. Lemon cake, lemon pudding, whipped cream and lemon cream cookies combine to make this dessert a lemon lovers dream come true!

3. BETTER THAN ANYTHING ZUCCHINI POKE CAKE

From EAT CAKE FOR DINNER :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. You can taste the caramel inside the moist chocolate cake and when combined with the sweet Cool Whip and rich toffee bits, this is guaranteed to be a huge hit. No one will ever know there is zucchini inside.

4. BETTER THAN ANYTHING OREO CAKE

From CHEF IN TRAINING :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. This is the perfect cake for all the chocolate-lovers out there! This cake is super impressive and super easy!

5. CINNAMON ROLL POKE CAKE RECIPE

From I HEART EATING :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. Cake recipes dont get much better than this Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake  tender white cake filled with buttery cinnamon-sugar filling and rich cream cheese frosting!

7. ROLO POKE CAKE

From MY ORGANIZED CHAOS :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. This Rolo Poke Cake is a delicious chocolate and caramel taste explosion with caramel sauce and a chocolate drizzle.

8. BEST BANANA PUDDING POKE CAKE

From THE COUNTRY COOK :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. Best Banana Pudding Poke Cake is an easy original recipe made with cake mix poked with banana pudding, topped with Cool Whip and crushed Nilla Wafers!

9. CARAMEL APPLE POKE CAKE

From CARLSBAD CRAVINGS :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. The spiced apple cake is baked, poked with holes, then filled with caramel for an incredibly tender, cake literally seeping with flavor.

10. STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM POKE CAKE

From LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. Strawberries and cream poke cake starts with a cake mix, filled with a fresh and sweet homemade strawberry sauce and topped with whipped cream.

11. PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE POKE CAKE

From THE FIRST YEAR BLOG :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. Peanut Butter Chocolate Poke Cake is the ultimate EASY reeses cake!

12. CREAM CHEESE LEMON POKE CAKE

From GREAT GRUB DELICIOUS TREATS :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. The lemon cake is so moist, then topped with the delicious cream cheese lemonade pie mixture, and next, cool whip topping, and finished off with sliced lemon slices. Makes for one DELICIOUS dessert.

13. CHERRIES IN THE SNOW POKE CAKE

From THE COUNTRY COOK :: Click HERE for the RECIPE. Cherries in the Snow Poke Cake is a super easy, pretty pudding poke cake.
Each year when the Army All-American Bowl is played, multiple athletes play the hat game and decide where they are going to play college ball.

Sometimes the results are funny and sometimes the results are cute. This is a mix of the two.

Darnay Holmes is a highly touted cornerback and is rated as the #12 player in the class of 2017. Anyone who would pick him up in recruiting would be pretty lucky.

His nephew already had made his mind up on who Holmes should pick as his school. Ohio State was the little guys choice and he was deeply disappointed when Holmes ended up picking UCLA.

He picked UCLA over Nebraska, Ohio State and USC. If Holmes is ever upset at UCLA, he may need to consult with his nephew. Thats a guy with conviction who knows what he wants. Who knows, maybe we see an early commitment from the nephew later this year with the way Urban Meyer recruits. Dont be surprised.

[Land of 10]
Gov. Whitmer challenged by Republican Tudor Dixon LAPEER COUNTY  You may have seen a TV commercial or two (hundred?), but theres a hotly contested race on Nov. 8 for who sits in the governors office in...

Nessel, DePerno in contest for state Attorney General LAPEER COUNTY  Democrat Dana Nessel is running for re-election to serve another four-term term as Michigan Attorney General  challenged by Republican Matthew DePerno and Libertarian Party candidate Joseph...

Nov. 8 voters to decide race for Secretary of State LAPEER COUNTY  Lapeer County and Michigan voters on Nov. 8 will elect a Secretary of State  a four-way race between incumbent Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, challenged by: Republican...

Michigan election officials outline certification procedures ahead of midterms LANSING  Michigan officials are trying to get ahead of misinformation by explaining the process of certifying elections ahead of next months midterms. County canvassing boards certify results and send...
Over 20 die in cold snap across Europe

People walk in the snow, in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul.

AFP, Warsaw :

A cold wave across Europe has left at least 20 people dead in the past two days, including several homeless and migrants, authorities said Saturday, with the frigid temperatures expected to continue through the weekend.

Russia meanwhile celebrated the coldest Orthodox Christmas in 120 years, and Istanbul was covered with a blanket of snow.

Ten of the latest victims of the cold perished in Poland where sub-freezing conditions remain with minus 14 degrees Celsius (seven degrees Fahrenheit) forecast on Saturday.

"Seven people died on Friday in what was the deadliest day this winter," said spokeswoman Bozena Wysocka from the Polish government centre for security (RCB).

"We recorded three other victims the previous day," she said. "This takes to 53 the number of hypothermia victims since November 1." In Italy in the past 48 hours the cold has been blamed for seven deaths, including five homeless people, two of them Polish nationals, authorities said.

There was heavy snowfall in central Italy and also in the southeast where the airports at Bari and Brindisi as well as in Sicily were closed Saturday morning.

Temperatures in Moscow fell to minus 30 degrees overnight and to minus 24 in Saint Petersburg where police found the body of a man who had died of hypothermia.

And in Bulgaria on Friday the frozen bodies of two Iraqi migrants were discovered by villagers in a mountain forest in the southeast of the country near the border with Turkey.

Authorities expect the toll to rise as weather conditions are set to remain unchanged this weekend.

The winter snow storms reached Turkey, paralysing its biggest city Istanbul where hundreds of flights were cancelled on Saturday. Traffic through the Bosphorus strait was also disrupted.

Greece likewise has seen fierce cold weather this past week. In the north near the Turkish frontier a 20-year-old Afghan migrant died of the cold on Tuesday.

With more than 60,000 mainly Syrian refugees on its territory, Greece has moved many migrants to prefabricated houses and heated tents.

The temperature in Athens on Saturday was zero degrees Celsius and down to minus 15 in the north of the country.

The coldest temperature in Europe so far this winter was recorded on Friday in the Swiss village of La Brevine at minus 29.9 degrees.

That was still much warmer than the village's record of the coldest temperature ever in Switzerland at minus 41.8 degrees on January 12, 1987.
DhIU becomes UNAI member

A view of the seminar on \'Higher Education and Scholarships Opportunities in USA and Europe\' held at Canadian University of Bangladesh on Saturday.

Campus Report :

Dhaka International University (DhIU) has become a member at the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) with a vision to share a culture of intellectual social responsibility. UNAI is a programme of the Outreach Division of the Department of Public Information.

Now DhIU will gate opportunities to share library, logo, different ideas, experiences and for fostering the educational linkages with all collaborative spirits and resources.

As a participant, DhIU commits to support the Ten Principles of the UNAI in the areas of Human Rights, Educational Opportunity for All, Higher Education Opportunity for Every Interested Individual, Capacity-building in higher education system, Global Citizenship, Sustainability, peace and conflict resolution etc. as well as to advance these ten principles within the institutes' sphere of influence, and make a clear statement of this commitment to all stakeholders and the general public.

DhIU is firmly to take part in all permissible activities of the UNAI. UNAI stands ready to support university's best efforts to embrace the Ten Principles and contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive global benchmark in education, research and in economy. DhIU has became a participant at United Nations Global Compact in November 2016.
Corey Anderson blitz helps NZ sweep T20I series against Bangladesh

The New Zealand players strike a pose after winning the T20 I series 3-0 against Bangladesh after 3rd T20I at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand on Sunday.

Corey Anderson bludgeoned 94 off just 41 balls as New Zealand beat Bangladesh by 27 runs in the third Twenty20 at Bay Oval on Sunday to sweep the series.

Anderson, who put on 124 runs for the fourth wicket with Kane Williamson (60), hit a New Zealand record 10 sixes in his batting blitz as New Zealand posted 194 for four.

Bangladesh in reply made 167 for six in their 20 overs.

Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar launched Bangladesh's reply by reaching 44 in the fifth over when Tamim was dismissed for 24.

Bangladesh were 89 for two after 10 overs, but with Soumya having fallen for 42, they could not sustain the run rate.

The tourists still had an outside chance of reaching their target at 120 for three after 14 overs when spinner Ish Sodhi produced a crucially tight over in which he took one for three, blowing out the required run rate to an improbable 14.44 per over.

New Zealand captain Williamson said the blustery conditions meant the win was not as easy as it appeared on the scoreboard.

"Corey's knock was outstanding. It wasn't easy at times-you had to adjust to the wind but I don't think the wind mattered to Corey," he said.

"He hit it to parts and hit it a long way and it was a good knock that set us up for victory."

New Zealand, sent into bat, were on the back foot early, slumping from 34 for nought to 41 for three in the space of 11 deliveries.

That brought Anderson and Williamson together and after taking a few overs to settle in, with only 55 on the board at the halfway stage, they let fly in the second half of the innings which produced 139 runs.

They also set a New Zealand fourth-wicket partnership record of 124, one more than the previous mark set by Colin Munro and Tom Bruce in the second game two days ago.

The big-hitting Anderson only faced 41 deliveries for the highest knock of his career while Williamson faced 57 balls for his seventh Twenty20 half-century.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who had the misfortune to see Williamson dropped off his bowling on 53 and 58, was unable to complete his fourth over because of injury, compounding his team's problems.Regular opener Imrul Kayes was also injured in the field. He dropped down the order during the Bangladesh innings and was not required to bat.

Rubel Hossain was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with three for 31, including two wickets in one over when he removed Jimmy Neesham (15) and Munro, a century-maker two days ago, without scoring.

Sodhi took two for 22 and Trent Boult two for 48 for New Zealand.
Djokovic admits "unacceptable" to hit ball into Qatar crowd

AFP, Doha :



Novak Djokovic said he did not intentionally hit a ball into the crowd during his Qatar Open final against Andy Murray, an incident which threatened to take the gloss off his victory.

The incident happened in the sixth game of the first set when Djokovic, upset at losing a point, fired a ball into the stands which then flew into the crowd, apparently striking a female spectator.

The Serb received a warning for the incident and a further warning for smashing his racket in the second set saw him deducted a point.

Djokovic, who won the absorbing contest 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, told reporters he was unaware that the ball had hit someone and said it was an accident.

"It was not intentional at all," he said. "Of course people get hit, especially in the first rows, from big serves and so forth."

Pressed on whether it was acceptable behaviour, the world number two said no and added: "I definitely didn't want to hit the ball at anybody."

"I have to be more careful, I guess, in the future."

But he admitted that the consequences could have been far worse, in terms of the on-court penalty he received.

It is not the first time he has been involved in such an incident.

Last year at the French Open, the Serb admitted he was lucky not to be disqualified in his quarter-final against Tomas Berdych.

During that match, frustrated at missing a break point, Djokovic went to smash his racquet into the ground but it slipped out of his grasp, flying into a backwall.

Had it hit a nearby line judge, who was forced to take evasive action, Djokovic would have been automatically disqualified.




Khadiza asked to appear before court Feb 26

UNB, Sylhet :

A court here on Sunday asked the authorities concerned to produce college student Khadiza Akhter before it on February 26 for recording her testimony.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Saifuzzaman Hiru passed the order

following a petition filed by her lawyer. Mahfuzur Rahman, additional public prosecutor, said Khadiza could not appear before the court on Sunday due to her illness and a petition was filed with the court seeking time.

The court took the petition into cognigence and fixed February 26 for recording her testimoni, he said.

Already 33 people out of 37 have been testified before the court in the case.

Earlier, on December 5, a court started hearing the case filed against suspended Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader Badrul Alam for stabbing college girl Khadiza Akhter.

Khadiza Akhter Nargis, 23, daughter of Mashuk Miah of Biswanath upazila and a student of Sylhet Govt Women's College, was stabbed repeatedly by Badrul on her way home from college on October 3. Badrul hacked Khadiza mercilessly after she reportedly rejected his offer to have an affair with him.

Hearing the victim's screams, locals rescued Khadiza and caught Badrul from the spot and handed him over to police after giving him a good thrashing. Khadiza was taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital from where she was moved to Dhaka for treatment.

On October 5, Badrul Alam confessed to hacking Khadiza in his statement he made under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc). Police submitted chargesheet against lone accused Badrul on November 8. The court indicted Badrul Alam, a suspended leader of BCL's Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) unit, in the case on November 29.


Five killed as train hits car in Gazipur

Communication restored after 6 hrs

Five of a family including two women and two children were killed as train rammed a private car at Goalbathan Rail Crossing in Kaliakoir Upazila of Gazipur on Sunday morning.

Staff Reporter :

At least five people, of a family including two kids, were killed when a Kolkata bound 'Maitree Express' train rammed into a private car at Sonakhali Rail Crossing in Kaliakoir upazila of Gazipur district on Sunday morning.

The ill-fated people who met with the tragic end of their lives were identified as Tahmina Akhter, 38, her son Talha, 12, Laki Akhter, 35, and her daughter Nurjahan, 6, of Goalbatan village of Kaliakoir upazila and driver Minhazuddin, 32.

Train communication between Dhaka and South-Western, Western and Northern regions of the country had remained snapped for six-hours as two bogies of the train were derailed following the accident.

However, the train communication was restored at about 3:30pm, police and officials of Kamalapur Railway Station told The New Nation yesterday.

Motaleb Miah, Officer-in-Charge of Kaliakoir Police Station said the Kolkata-bound 'Moitree Express' train hit the private car at about 9:05am when it was crossing the rail tracks through the level crossing, leaving its driver and four members of a family dead on the spot.

"They were going to Trisha Mission School from their village home at Goalbatal," the police official said.

Different Express trains such as Sirajganj Express, Sundarban Express, Dhumketu Express and Neel Sagar Express got stuck off at different railway stations following the accident.

In Sunday's incident, the car driver appeared not to have heard whistle warning about the approaching train, locals said.


Textbooks to be made easy

M M Jasim :

The government is going to take a massive plan to make the secondary level textbooks readable, attractive and easy through brushing up the current books.

The Education Ministry has asked all the officials concerned to find out the uneasy writings and mistakes in the textbooks.

The educationists at a workshop held in the Cox's Bazar on November 25 to 27 last year recommended the Ministry to form many sub-committees to enrich the secondary-level syllabus.

As per the plan, the Ministry has formed two committees with the country's noted educationists, researchers and top officials of the Education Ministry.

Additional Secretary (Secondary and Higher Education Division) to the Education Ministry Chowdhury Mufad Ahmad will act as coordinator of the two committees.

A committee was formed to analyse the textbooks of 2012.

Founder of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Professor Monjurul Islam of Dhaka University,

Professor Manzoor Ahmed of BRAC University, Professor Husne Ara Begum of Institute of Education and Research of Dhaka University, Principal Quazi Faruque Ahmed, Chairman of Dhaka Board, Professor Mahbubur Rahman, Former Principal of Motijheel Government Girls' High School Tanzil Ashraf and Chairman of National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) Professor Narayan Chandra Shaha will work as members while NCTB Member Professor Md Moshiuzzaman as Member-Secretary of the committee.

Another committee was formed to brush up the textbooks of Class IX and X.

Professor Muhammed Zafar Iqbal of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, DU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Akhtaruzzaman, Economist Professor M M Akash, Professor Mohammad Kaykobad of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Former Chairman of Dhaka Board Professor Taslima Begum, Director General of Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education Professor SM Wahiduzzaman, NCTB Chairman Professor Narayan Chandra Shaha and Headmaster of Uddipan School Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury will work as members of the committee while Member of NCTB Professor Enamul Hoque Chowdhury as the Member Secretary.

The committees have been asked to submit their reports within 60 days.


Human rights bodies fear intimidation

Sagar Biswas :

The rights organizations are now playing a deaf and dumb role even though incidents of human rights violation have been increasing alarmingly in the recent days.

There are widespread allegations that the rights bodies seldom focus on specific violation of human rights and speak academically on human rights, like teachers. These bodies depend on courts for any relief but they do not say anything why the judiciary is becoming weak.

The main grievance against these human rights bodies is that they are not committed to protect human rights; they also lack of knowledge how to protect human rights.

In fact, the human rights situation in Bangladesh is downgraded in comparison to other South Asian nations.

In the latest incident, plain-clothed policemen picked up one Abu Sayeed in Talbaria village of Sadar upazila in Jessore on Friday and demanded Tk 2 lakh from him. As he refused to give the money, the policemen started beating him at the police station. The photo of torture went viral on the social media, including facebook.

In such suffocating situation, the human rights bodies are passing busy time in preparing reports based on newspaper articles. Not only that, they do not utter a single word about the anti-people role of the state machineries and weak-state of judiciary.

Several human rights defenders, while talking to The New Nation on Sunday claimed that attacks on activists have created a state of fear which is obstructing the activities of rights groups.

Pointing out some reasons, Executive Director of Transparency International Dr Iftekharuzzaman said: "Firstly, the rights bodies are not showing interest fearing humiliation, and secondly due to prevailing atmosphere of intimidation."

"Especially, the total political field has been monopolized in absence of genuine opposition party in the country. The democratic system along with the good governance has been adversely affected as there is no formal accountability structure," he said.

Earlier, the global community started paying attention on human rights situation in Bangladesh since the law enforcement and intelligence agencies had started curbing down the opposition protests against the verdicts of the war crimes tribunal.

Against the backdrop of boycotting general election by the opposition, political violence had erupted in the country leaving several hundred people killed by the security forces over the recent years. Besides, the RAB was constantly accused by the rights groups of contract killings and abductions.

Referring the issue, Secretary of Sushashoner Jonno Nagarik[Sujan] Dr Badiul Alam Mazumdar said: "Violation of human rights -in any form-is not acceptable. At present, it is very difficult for any human rights body to issue statement against the violation of human rights."

"Apart from political violence, the country is also allegedly marred by abduction, contract killings, forced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and detention without trial by the state-run organs. There is a fearful atmosphere everywhere. The human rights defenders are scared seeing these increasing incidents," he said.

It is to be noted that, several human rights activists had also been arrested when they tried to report the situation. Many of them had faced threat, persecution and public attack because of reporting on human rights violations. In some cases, the government showed reluctant mood to release foreign funds to them.

Former National Human Rights Commission chief Dr Mizanur Rahman said: "In any country, the human rights are the preconditions of good governance. The man doesn't have minimum dignity, if the human rights are violated. I think the main task of NHRC to pay attention to this issue.

"If innocent people are harassed, nabbed or killed in the name of curbing militancy and terrorism, it obviously will hamper human rights conditionIn this regard; the NHRC has to play a vital role against such activities. It must register its protest. But unfortunately, we're not seeing such role of NHRC. It seems, they're not interested about the matter," Dr Mizan said.

Chairperson of Right to Information Forum Advocate Alena Khan, however, did not want to take the blame; rather she put the equivalent responsibility on the shoulder of media.




Criticise constructively, CJ tells SC lawyers

Staff Reporter :

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha on Sunday urged the Supreme Court's lawyers to criticise him constructively.

"If you (SC lawyers) criticise me constructively, I will welcome you. But nobody does do so," he said while addressing an inaugural session of a book fair at Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) premises in the city yesterday.

SCBA organised the weeklong book fair at its premises. Many SC lawyers are taking part in the fair with bookstalls.

"Now we are showing less interest in reading books. But in the past, we had a very good habit in studying books," Surendra Kumar Sinha said.

He admitted that many errors are found in the judgments but no lawyer came to him with allegation.

"Even, I myself find errors in my judgments. But no lawyer pointed out to me about the errors. Sometimes, many say democracy is being destroyed by a judgment. But why you are not writing on this?" he questioned.



SCBA President Advocate Yousuf Hossain Humayun, Senior Vice-President Advocate Fahima Nasreen Munni, Secretary Barrister A M Mahbub Uddin Khokan and ex Secretary of the bar Advocate Saidur Rahman also attended the inaugural session.
Police hunt for top militants

Md Joynal Abedin Khan :

After the killing of alleged mastermind of Neo JMB leader Nurul Islam Marzan in a recent 'gunfight' with the cops, some influential leaders led by Mainul Islam alias Sumon are trying to establish a 'Post Marzan Neo JMB regime' in the country, Detective source said.

At least 12 JMB men have already been appointed to different posts to overcome the leadership crisis as per the pre-instruction of the slain militant leaders, they said.

Several teams of the intelligence agencies are trying to arrest the notorious militants at any cost to take the control over the militancy across the country, claimed the detective personnel.

In this context, the detective have already raided at least 20 possible militant dens in the city and other districts and they expected the fugitive masterminds will be arrested soon, they added.

Of the wanted militants, Mainul Islam alias Musa, Engineer Basharuzzman alias Chocolate Bashar, Shohel Mahfuz alias Hat Kata Shohel, Ujjal, Sagor and Firoj, have already been taken the charge to establish a post Marzan platform for the new JMB members, said a Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit official.

Besides, Senior Mizan and Junior Mizan, who were blamed for providing arms to attack Gulshan Holey Artisan, took the duty of the operational units of the new JMB, he said.

Marzan, who allegedly organised the Gulshan cafe attack, was next in the rank to Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the top "Neo JMB" coordinator killed in a police raid in August in Narayanganj.

When asked who might lead the group after the death of Marzan, the CTTC Unit Chief Monirul Islam said it could be Mainul Islam alias Musa.

Musa has become a key leader of "Neo JMB" following the killing of its top leaders, including Tamim, Major (retd) Jahid and Tanvir Kaderi, in separate operations in the capital and Narayanganj, he said.

We are conducting raids in the city and its adjacent districts following information that the militants are staying in the areas, he said.

Some investigators, however, say it is also possible that Hasidur Rahman Sagor, brother-in-law of Marzan, would take the helm of the group, a faction of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Once a member of the mainstream JMB, Sagor has a bomb-making expertise. He had good relations with JMB's executed leader Siddikul Islam Bangla Bhai.

According to investigators, Sagor was recruited to the faction Neo JMB. He made grenades using the detonator and explosives sent by Mahfuz from India, police said.

"To nab Musa and Sagor, we are conducting drives in different areas," said Abdul Mannan, Additional Deputy Commissioner of the CTTC unit.

Another CTTC unit official said, mid-level leader Basharuzzaman and trainer Jahangir alias Rajib Gandhi would play the lead roles while Musa is possibly getting the charge of operations.

Bashar, who escaped arrest during the Azimpur raid in September last, has huge knowledge in information technology and he used to collect funds from different financiers as per the directives of Marzan.

"Rajib, 35, from Gaibandha district, was involved in over 30 secret killings and terrorist attacks in northern and south-western regions. He is thought to be one of organisers of the Gulshan and Sholakia attacks. He sent two militants from Bogra to take part in the Gulshan attack and another from Dinajpur for Sholakia," another CTTC official said.

"We are trying to find out the new militant dens from the city and other parts of the country where at least 12 wanted militants might have stayed to avert the arrest," said Muhibul Haque, Deputy Commissioner of the CTTC unit.

He claimed that the fugitive militants were trying to collect new members. They would then misguide them in their new hideouts.

They influential JMB leaders generally take shelter by hiding their names and identities during renting any house for living, the DC said.

The Detective sources said, the banned ABT's coordinator and military commander sacked major Syed Ziaul Haq alias Zia, neo-JMB coordinator Mainul Islam alias Abu Musa and Basharuzzman alias Chocolate, had been asked to collect new members and trained them after the killing of Marzan.

Meanwhile, the fugitive militants Khalid, Ripon and Zunayed have already fled to India and prescribed their followers by using high technology, according to them

In Friday night's "gunfight" with police in Mohammadpur Beribandh area, Nurul Islam Marzan, 22, was killed along with his associate Saddam, who led the group's activities in northern region.


Dy Secy caught red-handed while taking bribe

Staff Reporter :

A Deputy Secretary was trapped by the Anti-Corruption Commission officials when he was accepting bribe from a complainant on Sunday night.

Mizanur Rahman, a Deputy Secretary, who is now serving as legal officer at the Roads and Highways Department on deputation, caught red handed by ACC officials while accepting bribe.

He was arrested from a fast food shop in city's Khilgaon area.

Nasim Anwar, a Director of Dhaka Division's ACC office, confirmed the arrest to The New Nation.


ACC sends letters to 15 schools

Staff Reporter :

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday sent letters to 15 educational institutions on charge of imposing extra fees from the students.

Director of the ACC Mir Joynul Abedin Shibli issued the letters.

The institutions have also been asked to submit a report about the number of vacant seats and other information by January 12.

"We have got information that many school authorities promoted unsuccessful students to next level by collecting extra charges," said an ACC official.

Sources said several allegations of admission irregularities were filed with the ACC. After scrutinising the allegations, the commission decided to probe the matter.

The 15 schools are: Motijheel Government Boys' High School, Ideal School and College, Motijheel, Viqarunnisa Noon School & College, Willes Little Flower School and College, Udayan Higher Secondary School, Government Laboratory High School, Azimpur Government Girls' School and College, Agrani School and College, Dhanmondi Government Boys' School and College, Mohammadpur Preparatory High School, Saint Joseph School, Dhaka Residential Model School and College, Holy Cross School, Monipur High School and College and Rajuk Uttara Model School and College.

The ACC has asked the deputy commissioners (DCs) of all the 64 districts to submit a report by February 15 on whether any student was promoted to the next higher class despite being unsuccessful in exam inations.




Foreign sponsors pressed for changes

Staff Reporter :

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Sunday said that Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) has recently brought massive changes in its top management posts due to pressure by the Middle East-based shareholders of the bank.

"Foreign sponsors who had majority of the shares in the bank desired for changes in the bank's top management forcing the bank's board to make massive changes in its top brass," said Muhith.

Changes have been made to the posts of the bank's chairman, managing Director, Heads of various committees and chief of the Islami Bank Foundation at a meeting of the bank's Board of Directors on Thursday.

Terming the change a "good sign" for the banking sector, Muhith said that the government was observing the current situation of the bank.

The Minister came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting with the leaders of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) yesterday."There was a question over the use of the bank's profits which used to be spent for a political party. I was notified by the IDB president that a Middle-East based financial institute used to handle this transaction," Muhith said.

He mentioned that the financial institute is a shareholder and original partner of Islami Bank. Foreign sponsors had 52.16 per cent stakes in the bank, according to bank data.

On Thursday, Islamic Bank's board of directors elected Arastoo Khan, a former member of the Planning Commission, as chairman of the bank. It also elected Abdul Hamid Miah, incumbent managing director of Union Bank, as the new MD.

Besides, former health secretary Syed Monjurul Islam and Islamic Foundation Bangladesh Director General Shamim Mohammad Afzal, were elected the new chairman and vice-chairman of Islami Bank Foundation.

Last year, four new independent directors were inducted in the bank's board in accordance with orders from the government's high-ups. IBBL is the largest Shariah-based bank in Bangladesh. Since its inception its board has been populated with people associated with the Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami.


Robots, not nature, now make the selection

Baher Kamal :

British naturalist Charles Darwin published in 1859 his theory of evolution in his work On the Origin of Species, he most likely did not expect that robots, not nature, would someday be in charge of the selection process.

In his On the Origin of Species, (more completely: On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life), Darwin introduced the scientific theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection.

Now the so-called "fourth industrial revolution" comes to turn Darwin's theory upside down, as the manufacturing process has been witnessing such a fast process of automation that machines will more and more replace human workers.

So fast that it is estimated that by the year 2040, up to 40 per cent of the production process will be handled by robots.

Moreover, the robotising trend is now being perfected in a way that machines are gradually able to solve problems posed by other machines.

Oxford University predicts that machines and robots will perform nearly half of US jobs within the next 20 years.

And the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says in its report "Future of Work in figures" that some studies argue that 47 per cent of US employment is subject to substitution (39 per cent in Germany, 35 per cent in the UK).

"By the year 2040, up to 40 per cent of the production process will be handled by robots"

"The assumptions of what tasks are replaceable are key, but the undisputed fact is that the occupational structure will change and the tasks required to carry out jobs will also change," says the OECD while trying to inject some optimism: "Substitution may mean the destruction of certain jobs, but not the destruction of employment."

This process of "substitution" could not come at a tougher time, as the so-called job market is already much too precarious. Just an example: this organisation grouping nearly one fifth of all countries -those considered most developed-in a report titled "Employment and unemployment in figures," says that there are now over 40 million unemployed in the OECD area - that's around 8 million more than before the crisis, i.e., one million jobs lost yearly over the last 8 years.

Add to this, the fact that 1 in 3 jobs are considered precarious in the industrialised countries, and that workers now earn between 15 and 20 per cent less than in the year 2009.

These figures, however, are viewed in a positive light by the business sector as they imply a growing reduction of the costs of production.

What to do with humans then?

Politicians, likely propelled by big business pundits, have just started to think now of how to face this challenge.

One of the trendiest formulae is now to give a basic income to citizens.

Such a basic income (also called unconditional basic income, citizen's income, basic income guarantee, universal basic income or universal demo-grant) implies that all citizens or residents of a country regularly receive an unconditional sum of money, in addition to any income received from elsewhere.

According to its defenders, this would be financed by the profits of publicly owned enterprises. But it will be a difficult exercise given that the private sector has been taking over the roles of the state, which has been gradually dismantled.

Many citizens' first reaction to this formula would be -is- " sounds great getting money without even working is a dream!"

The realisation of such a dream poses, however, a number of questions and concerns.

For instance: where will governments find the resources needed for such basic incomes? From which national budget items will these amounts be deducted?

Will governments continue anyway to provide social services, such as public health care, education, unemployment subsidies, pension funds? Are such services sentenced to privatisation?

Will this mean the elimination of the 20 billion dollars that the OECD countries dedicate every year to the employment funds, which are aimed at promoting the creation of job opportunities?

And how can unemployed people contribute with their basic income to replenishing the retirement funds of the elderly, whose lives are already long and expected to get longer and longer?

Let alone infrastructure like public transport, roads and highways, subsidies to alternative sources of energy, and a long et cetera.

In other words, will such basic income without even working lead to the definite dismantlement of the already rapidly shrinking social welfare?

Most likely it will be so. After all, it would be about a step further in the very process of robotising the very lives of human beings.

This way, the citizens will be kept alive, will complain less about the evident failure of governments to create job opportunities, while doing what they are expected to do: that's to consume what industries produce and, by the way, continue playing their role as voters (not electors, mind the difference).

The rule of the multimillionaires

This trend, which seems to be unavoidable, will likely receive a giant push pretty soon-as soon as the new United States administration, lead by Donald Trump, takes office in January 2017.

An administration, by the way, made of multi-millionaires who are highly unlikely to have the sensibility of average citizens and workers.

The effects on Europe will be immediate in view of the irresistible rise of the extreme right in countries like Germany, France and Italy - which will go through elections in 2017 - as well as the Netherlands, Austria, Hungry and even Greece, to mention a few.

Inequality, that dangerous gap

Add to all of the above the fact that growing unemployment will deepen the already considerable inequality.

Roberto Savio, Founder of IPS and of Other News, in a recent master lecture at the Diplomatic Academy of Chile, compiled the following shocking data: six years ago, 388 persons possessed the same wealth as 3.2 billion people; in 2014, their number was of just 80, and in 2015 only 62.

These figures, added to the fact that, according to the International Labour Organization, 600 million new jobs need to be created by 2030 just to keep pace with the growth of the working age population, will leave more millions behind, forcing massive displacements, especially from developing countries, as survival migrants.

"The factory of the future will have only two employees: a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment."

This is how Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, a private company that "makes software for people who make things," described the current, unstoppable process of automation.

Bass' comment was quoted by Xavier Mesnard in an article titled "What happens when robots take our jobs?" which was published in the World Economic Forum.

Most probably Darwin would have never expected that the current artificial selection process -propelled by an irrepressible greed and subjected to the financial interests of big private corporations exercising full control without any regulation mechanism, amid short-sighted politics - would replace his great theory of evolution and natural selection.



(Baher Kamal is Senior Advisor to IPS Director General on Africa & the Middle East. He is an Egyptian-born, Spanish-national, secular journalist, with over 43 years of experience).
Illegal sand lifting destroying Padma embankment

INDISCRIMINATE and illegal sand lifting from the Padma has now become a major reason for quick erosion of its banks while causing damage to its flood-protection embankments in some places of Rajshahi city besides four Upazilas in the district. Concerned authorities in-charge of monitoring the river's maintenance has turned a blind-eye not because of unprofessionalism, but seemingly for the preferential treatment shown to local political leaders directly linked to the current AL regime.



Some eight sand traders, who managed to get lease of the eleven designated sand quarries are purportedly lifting sand from outside the designated sites randomly. According to District administrative officials, the Organising Secretary of the Rajshahi City AL and also the kingpin of the trading group is in full control of conducting the trade. The rest of the trade members are AL politicians at different stages and capacities too. However, spot visits conducted by reliable news sources suggests that the dredging operations for lifting sand has gone well beyond the designated sand quarries. Moreover, according to lease documents, the traders are not supposed to dredge at night, but illegal sand lifting is also happening by the night time too.



What's unacceptable is that, according to Additional Deputy Commissioner (revenue) of Rajshahi, dredging activities after leasing out the sand quarries were not monitored since 'no one filed any complaints'. Do our local administrative authorities only act in response to formally lodged complaints? Don't they have any other responsibilities with regard to overseeing of public land and properties?



At a more technical stage, erosion is a natural river trend but, it can be accelerated at dangerous speed due to unplanned random dredging and sand lifting. Moreover, it can seriously hamper the natural balance and water flow of a river, leading to dramatic and unforeseen changes such as increased erosion while causing massive damage to embankments.



Question automatically arises - who is in-charge for both monitoring and maintaining Padma's embankments and its surroundings? Who is there to regulate and stop the ongoing illegal sand lifting crimes?



According to the Chief of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association, no environment assessment was done before leasing out the designated sand quarries to traders. Why wasn't any environment assessment done before leasing out the designated spots?



Markedly, an unholy nexus of local politicians of the current regime has indulged in quick profiteering by damaging the environment unlawfully. They have blended politics, corruption, environmental destruction, to the art of quick and illegal money making altogether.



We draw the government's sincere attention for addressing this organised crime before it looms at large.






United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. SEIDNER ELINE, Defendant-Appellant. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. FLORE DORMEVIL, Defendant-Appellant. No. 15-14828 Decided: January 03, 2017

Before WILSON, MARTIN, and ROSENBAUM, Circuit Judges.

Seidner Eline and Flore Dormevil appeal their prison sentences, imposed after they each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud, as well as aggravated identity theft. Eline and Dormevil appeal the district court's 4-level enhancement for fifty or more victims under United States Sentencing Guidelines  2B1.1(b)(2)(B) and its 2-level enhancement for the production of an unauthorized access device under  2B1.1(b)(11)(B)(i). After careful review, we affirm.

I.

Eline and Dormevil pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud under 18 U.S.C.  1029(b)(2) and aggravated identity theft under 18 U.S.C.  1028A(a)(1). Their plea agreements contained statements of facts detailing their offenses. Eline and Dormevil used the personal information of employees of the city of North Miami to make unauthorized unemployment insurance claims and then receive benefits. At Eline's residence, investigators found a thumb drive containing personal information for 300 people, as well as several unemployment-insurance debit cards in the names of others. Both Eline and Dormevil used at least two of these cards to withdraw money at automated teller machines. Their presentence investigation reports (PSR) detailed that Eline and Dormevil filed 218 claims and that the Florida unemployment insurance paid them benefits for seventy-five people.

At the sentencing hearing, the district court overruled objections made by Eline and Dormevil to a 4-level guideline enhancement for fifty or more victims and a 2-level enhancement for producing an unauthorized access device. Eline and Dormevil first argued that Florida's unemployment insurance fund was the only victim. The government responded that Eline and Dormevil were paid for seventy-five claims, and suggested calling a witness to establish this fact. Eline's counsel replied, I am not sure what the Government wants to call a witness for but my position or my point is that the victim, there is really just one victim. The district court asked both defendants about Guidelines  2B1.1 Application Note 4(E), which defines victim in this section as any individual whose means of identification was used unlawfully or without authority. The court said this definition of victim suggests no testimony is necessary because the number of victims under that definition is undisputed. Dormevil's counsel agreed with this point. The district court overruled the objection to the enhancement based on the number of victims, noting the Guidelines' definition of victim together with the PSR's finding that Eline and Dormevil used the personal information of seventy-five people to receive benefits.

Eline and Dormevil also objected to the enhancement for production of an unauthorized access device. They argued they did not produce the debit cards, but rather received preloaded cards from the state unemployment insurance fund. The district court overruled the objection, reasoning that the facts in the PSR were not in dispute and the access devices would not have been produced but-for their actions.

On appeal, Eline argues that the government produced no evidence at the sentencing hearing to support its request for either enhancement. Dormevil adopts Eline's arguments. She also reasserts the arguments made against enhancement before the district court, namely that there was only one victim and that Eline and Dormevil did not produce the debit cards. Further, Dormevil argues for the first time on appeal that the enhancements are barred under Guidelines  2B1.6 Application Note 2, which renders certain sentencing enhancements inapplicable when a defendant is also sentenced for aggravated identity theft.

II.

This Court reviews de novo the interpretation and application of the Guidelines, and reviews underlying factual findings, including the District Court's calculation of the number of victims, for clear error. United States v. Rodriguez, 732 F.3d 1299, 1305 (11th Cir. 2013). But [w]e review sentencing arguments raised for the first time on appeal for plain error. United States v. Bonilla, 579 F.3d 1233, 1238 (11th Cir. 2009).

Eline and Dormevil argue that they challenged the lack of evidence to support the two guideline enhancements, triggering the government's burden to prove each enhancement by a preponderance of the evidence. Because the government did not offer evidence at the sentencing hearing to support the enhancements, Eline and Dormevil argue the district court erred in applying them.

Eline and Dormevil rely on Rodriguez, 732 F.3d 1299, in support of their argument. In Rodriguez, the defendant objected to the fifty-or-more victim enhancement on the basis that the government had proven only ten victims. Id. at 1304. At the sentencing hearing, the government provided affidavits of forty-two victims and a summary chart listing more victims. Id. at 130405. We held a district court could not rely solely on a summary chart to establish the number of victims. Id. at 1305. We noted [w]hen a defendant challenges one of the factual bases of his sentence the Government has the burden of establishing the disputed fact by a preponderance of the evidence. Id. (quotation omitted and alteration adopted). Further, we said an attorney's factual assertions alone do not constitute sufficient evidence. Id.

However, Rodriguez does not apply here. Unlike in Rodriguez, Eline and Dormevil made no factual attack on the number of victims listed in the PSR. Instead, they disputed the definition of victim in the Guidelines. Questions of Guidelines interpretation are questions of law, and thus do not require evidentiary support. See id. at 1305 (holding that interpretations of the Guidelines are reviewed de novo). Eline's counsel even questioned the need for witnesses. And Dormevil's counsel agreed with the court that testimony would not be necessary because the number of victims under the Guidelines' definition was not disputed. The factual dispute over the number of victims and the argument that the government did not offer evidence to support that number are therefore raised for the first time on appeal. The district court did not commit plain error when it applied a guideline enhancement for fifty or more victims based on the undisputed statement in the PSR, nor did it plainly err by failing to ask the government to present evidence on this undisputed point. See United States v. White, 663 F.3d 1207, 1216 (11th Cir. 2011) (The district court may base its findings of fact at sentencing on  undisputed statements in the PSR ).

Eline and Dormevil's argument that enhancement for production of an unauthorized access device was improper because they only received preloaded cards from the state unemployment insurance fund also raised a legal, not factual, objection. See United States v. Taylor, 818 F.3d 671, 674 (11th Cir. 2016) (treating the same argument as a legal question). Because they raised a question of law and not fact, the government was under no burden to prove the enhancements by a preponderance of the evidence. The district court therefore did not commit plain error in overruling the objection about the production of unauthorized access devices.

III.

Dormevil also reasserts here the arguments she made in the district court: that there was only one victim and that she and Eline did not produce the debit cards. The district court did not err in its rulings on these points.

As the district court pointed out at sentencing, one of the Guidelines' definitions for victim in  2B1.1(b)(2) is any individual whose means of identification was used unlawfully or without authority. USSG  2B1.1 cmt. n.4(e). This Court has held that a person's means of identification is used when the identification is employed towards implement[ing] the purpose of the conspiracy. United States v. Hall, 704 F.3d 1317, 1322 (11th Cir. 2013). The defendants implemented their conspiracy by filing for unemployment benefits with the personal information of at least seventy-five people without their authorization. Thus, these seventy-five people count as victims under the Guidelines.

This Court addressed the production argument in United States v. Taylor. There we h[e]ld that production for purposes of the  2B1.1(b)(11)(B)(i) enhancement includes a situation in which a defendant willfully causes or induces an innocent third party to produce an unauthorized access device. Taylor, 818 F.3d at 678. Eline and Dormevil caused the Florida unemployment insurance office to produce the debit cards. Thus, the district court properly found that the defendants produced the debit cards.

IV.

Dormevil also argues for the first time on appeal that the enhancement for production of an unauthorized access device is barred under Guidelines  2B1.6 Application Note 2. In relevant part, Guidelines  2B1.6 Application Note 2 says: If a sentence under this guideline [for aggravated identity theft] is imposed in conjunction with a sentence for an underlying offense, do not apply any specific offense characteristic for the transfer, possession, or use of a means of identification when determining the sentence for the underlying offense. Id.

In Taylor, this Court held that Guidelines  2B1.6 Application Note 2 permits an offense-level enhancement when a defendant's criminal activity involved conduct that is separate from or in addition to the simple transfer, possession, or use of the means of identification at issue. Id. at 676. In other words, an enhancement for production, which is separate from transfer, possession, or use, is permitted. Thus, we h[e]ld that imposition of the two-level enhancement pursuant to  2B1.1(b)(11)(B)(i) is not prohibited in [aggravated identity theft] cases, so long as the enhancement is premised on the defendant's production of an unauthorized access device  Id. Here, because the enhancement for an unauthorized access device is based on the production of debit cards, the district court did not plainly err when it applied the enhancement for production of an unauthorized access device.

Finally, Dormevil argues that Guidelines  2B1.6 Application Note 2 should also bar the victim enhancement. The victim enhancement is unrelated to the transfer, possession, or use of a means of identification, so the district court did not plainly err when it applied the victim enhancement.

AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. We consolidated the appeals of these codefendants.

. Dormevil made vague objections to the number of victims listed in the PSR (including disputing that there were 218 victims), but she made no explicit objection to the finding of seventy-five victims, on which the 4-level enhancement was based. To the contrary, Dormevil's counsel acknowledged at the sentencing hearing that this fact was not in dispute.

PER CURIAM:
The Undead Archives

I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world.
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United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. DIEGO ARMANDO PINTADO-YUNGA, Petitioner v. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Respondent No. 16-1990 Decided: January 03, 2017

Before: GREENAWAY, JR. GREENBERG and ROTH, Circuit Judges

OPINION*

Diego Armando Pintado-Yunga, proceeding pro se, petitions for review of a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) dismissing his appeal of an Immigration Judge's decision denying his application for relief from removal. For the reasons that follow, we will deny the petition for review.

Pintado-Yunga, a native and citizen of Ecuador, entered the United States without inspection in 2000 or 2001. He was later convicted of crimes in New Jersey state court. An Immigration Judge ordered his removal from the United States because he was present without having been admitted or paroled. Pintado-Yunga was removed to Ecuador in 2005, but he re-entered the country without inspection in 2008. In 2014, his removal order was reinstated. Pintado-Yunga expressed a fear of harm and his case was referred to an Immigration Judge. Pintado-Yunga, through counsel, applied for withholding of removal and relief under the Convention Against Torture (CAT).

Pintado-Yunga testified at his hearing that after he was removed in 2005, a friend wanted him to traffic drugs for a gang named Los Convoys. Although his testimony is not detailed, Pintado-Yunga stated that he had many encounters with the gang from 2006 to 2008. When he refused to sell drugs, gang members threatened him and hit him and he needed medical treatment. Pintado-Yunga testified that he filed complaints with the police many times and identified the gang members, but the police took no action. In his written statement, Pintado-Yunga said that gang members and/or Colombian drug dealers stabbed him on three occasions in 2008, took his house, and threatened to kill him and his family if he did not join them or disappear.

Pintado-Yunga also testified that he fears the police in Ecuador as a result of an incident in 2007. Pintado-Yunga gave a boy a ride at a friend's request, the police found drugs in the boy's possession, and the police wanted to know who the drugs belonged to. Pintado-Yunga said he did not know. The police detained Pintado-Yunga for forty-five minutes. The police hit him with a stick and then put him in a tub of water and gave him electric shocks. They stopped because he was bleeding. He was then released.

The Immigration Judge (IJ) denied CAT relief in a decision issued November 6, 2015. The IJ acknowledged that Pintado-Yunga had suffered torture in the past, but ruled that he had not shown that the Ecuadoran government acquiesces to gang violence. The IJ explained that Pintado-Yunga had stated in his affidavit and to an asylum officer that the police had issued arrest warrants for the gang members whom he reported. The IJ also noted that Pintado-Yunga had been arrested for drug possession. The IJ recognized evidence of corruption, but stated that there is also evidence that the government is taking measures to stop it.

The IJ also concluded that Pintado-Yunga had not shown that he will more likely than not be subjected to torture by the police. The IJ explained that the police had tortured him over seven years ago and released him when they found that he had no information. The IJ found any fear of torture by the police to be speculative. The IJ also noted that an article that Pintado-Yunga had submitted on police reform contradicted his argument that he would be subjected to torture by police.

The BIA dismissed Pintado-Yunga's appeal. The BIA affirmed the IJ's determination that Pintado-Yunga did not establish that it is more likely than not that, if removed, he will be tortured by or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. Reiterating the reasons given by the IJ, the BIA agreed that the evidence did not show that it was more likely than not that public officials would acquiesce to torture by gangs, or that the Ecuadoran police would torture him upon his return. This petition for review followed.

We have jurisdiction pursuant to 8 U.S.C.  1252. We will uphold the BIA's decision if it is supported by reasonable, substantial, and probative evidence in the record as a whole. Ghebrehiwot v. Att'y Gen., 467 F.3d 344, 350 (3d Cir. 2006) (citation and internal quotations omitted). We will not reverse unless the record compels a contrary conclusion. Id.

An applicant for CAT relief must show that it is more likely than not that he would be tortured if removed. Pieschacon-Villegas v. Att'y Gen., 671 F.3d 303, 310 (3d Cir. 2011). The applicant also must show that he will be tortured by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. Id. at 310-11 (quoting 8 C.F.R.  1208.18(a)(1)).

Substantial evidence supports the BIA's determination that Pintado-Yunga did not show that it is more likely than not that he will be tortured by the police if removed. Although past torture is a relevant factor, see 8 C.F.R.  1208.16(c)(3)(i), the BIA noted, and the record reflects, that Pintado-Yunga's torture by the police was tied to a specific incident when the police found drugs in the bag of a child in his care. The BIA stated that Pintado-Yunga was released once police were satisfied that he did not know about the drugs or their source. The BIA concluded that it was unlikely that the police would still be interested in Pintado-Yunga. The record does not compel a contrary conclusion.

We also conclude that substantial evidence supports the BIA's ruling that the evidence does not show that public officials in Ecuador would acquiesce to torture by gangs. Acquiescence of a public official requires that the public official, prior to the activity constituting torture, have awareness of such activity and thereafter breach his or her legal responsibility to intervene and prevent such activity. Pieschacon-Villegas, 671 F.3d at 311 (quoting 8 C.F.R.  1208.18(a)(7)). The BIA reasoned, and we agree, that Pintado-Yunga's own arrest for drug possession in 2007 cuts against his assertion that the police take no action against criminal gang drug traffickers. We also agree with the BIA that the background evidence of corruption in Ecuador does not reflect government acquiescence to torturous acts by gangs.

Pintado-Yunga asserts in his brief that the 2013 United States Department of State Report shows that gangs and drug traffickers operate in Ecuador and that the government is aware of and willfully blind to their existence. He also notes that the Report reflects a high level of violence in Ecuador that is linked to the police. The 2013 Department of State Report Country Report on Human Rights Practices reflects that police use excessive force, commit isolated unlawful killings, and torture criminal suspects and prisoners, but it does not show that police acquiesce in gang violence. In addition, a Department of State Report on U.S. Relations with Ecuador reflects that the government is working to combat illicit drug trafficking. Pintado-Yunga has not shown that the record compels a conclusion contrary to that reached by the BIA.

Accordingly, we will deny the petition for review.

FOOTNOTES

. The IJ initially issued a decision on May 29, 2015. On appeal, the BIA remanded the record to the IJ for further findings. In addition to denying CAT relief on remand, the IJ denied withholding of removal. Because this ruling is not at issue, we will not discuss it.

. Although Pintado-Yunga does not raise this in his brief, he stated in his affidavit that police beat him when he was removed to Ecuador in 2005 because he could not pay their request for a bribe. This statement is insufficient to compel the conclusion that it is more likely than not that police will subject him to torture.

. We do not rely on the arrest warrants noted by the BIA and the IJ as we find it unclear from the record whether these warrants were issued in connection with harm Pintado-Yunga suffered after he was removed in 2005 as opposed to harm he suffered years earlier when he was a child.

. To the extent Pintado-Yunga argues in his brief that the IJ's adverse credibility finding is not supported by substantial evidence, the IJ made no such finding. To the extent he contends that the BIA's decision conflicts with the credibility determination, this contention lacks merit.

PER CURIAM
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The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
With 15 years of skin care and makeup experience, Walker said she decided it was time to merge her creativity and training as a painter with her love for the art of transformation. A former plus-size pageant queen, she said that she is an advocate for positive self-image, as well as helping professional women and mothers to make safer choices when shopping for beauty products and how to put their best selves forward with quick tips and tricks for everyday beauty.
MURPHYSBORO  In the opinion of Mayor Will Stephens, the City Seal is long due for a design overhaul, and he plans to present his idea for a new branding at the council meeting on Tuesday night.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Murphysboro City Hall, Council Chambers, 202 No. 11th St.

At a previous meeting, Stephens had said the seal looked like it could belong to any other municipality or government and that there was nothing Murphysboro-specific about it. The mayor said he sketched out a new seal design on a piece of paper.

"It is a seal that I designed  and Silkworm (a Murphysboro-based design company) produced," Stephens wrote in an email. "I hope that it will be adopted to replace the generic-looking City Seal that has been used for the last 50 years. The old City Seal is same seal as the state of Illinois'."

In other business, the city council is expected to hear requests for street closures for the annual Cruise Nights and discuss improvements to the road leading to the city's new wastewater treatment plant, which went online in the fall.

City council members are also expected to discuss the proposed contract with HeartLands Conservancy for completing a Comprehensive Plan, another plan that last saw updates several decades ago, city officials have said.

Also on the meeting agenda is discussion and approval of the new health insurance carrier; increases for department heads; and an update on the contract with the Fraternal Order of Police.
People observe a statuesymbolizing women forced into wartime Japanese military brothels in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Sunday.Ahn Young-joon / AP

A South Korean Buddhist monk is in critical condition after setting himself on fire to protest the country's settlement with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves, officials said Sunday.

The 64-year-old monk had third-degree burns across his body and serious damage to vital organs. He's unconscious and unable to breathe on his own, said an official from the Seoul National University Hospital, who didn't want to be named, citing office rules.

The man set himself ablaze late Saturday during a large rally in Seoul calling for the ouster of impeached President Park Geun-hye, police said. In his notebook, the man called Park a traitor over her government's 2015 agreement with Japan that sought to settle a long-standing row over South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan's World War II military, police said.

Under the agreement, Japan pledged to fund a Seoul-based foundation that was set up to help support the victims. South Korea, in exchange, vowed to refrain from criticizing Japan over the issue and try to resolve the Japanese grievance over a bronze statue representing wartime sex slaves in front of its embassy in Seoul.

The agreement failed to bring closure to the emotional issue. The deal continues to be criticized in South Korea because it was reached without approval from victims, and students have been holding sit-in protests next to the Seoul statue for more than a year..

At the time of the deal, Seoul said there were 46 surviving South Korean victims.
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. ILCIA AVELI PEREZ, Petitioner, v. LORETTA E. LYNCH, Attorney General, Respondent. No. 11-72031 Decided: January 03, 2017

Before: GOULD, BYBEE,** and FRIEDLAND, Circuit Judges.

MEMORANDUM*

Ilcia Aveli Perez, a 41-year-old native and citizen of Guatemala, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals' (BIA's) denial of her application for asylum and withholding of removal. The main question on appeal is whether substantial evidence supports the BIA's determination that Perez did not face persecution on account of her membership in a group of Guatemalan women who object to being forced into a marital relationship. See Parussimova v. Mukasey, 555 F.3d 734, 739 (9th Cir. 2008). Substantial evidence does not support the BIA's decision. Perez presented both direct and circumstantial evidence showing that her resistance to marital requests was at least one central reason for her persecution. 8 U.S.C.  1158(b)(1)(B)(I); INS v. Elias-Zacarias, 502 U.S. 478, 483 (1992). That evidence included (1) Perez's credible, uncontroverted testimony that her assailant harassed and attempted to rape her because she objected to marrying him; (2) Perez's testimony that two of her cousins were harassed, raped, and attacked for resisting marital requests; and (3) the U.S. Department of State's 2009 country report and several newspaper articles, all of which described violence against women in Guatemala.

To the extent the BIA held that Perez had not established past persecution, the BIA also erred. The repeated harassment, the threats, and the attempted rape that Perez suffered were sufficiently serious to amount to past persecution, see Lopez-Galarza v. INS, 99 F.3d 954, 959 (9th Cir. 1996) ([R]ape or sexual assault  may constitute persecution.), and Perez presented credible evidence that she reported the attempted rape to no avail, sufficiently demonstrating that the police were unwilling or unable to help her, see Singh v. INS, 94 F.3d 1353, 1360 (9th Cir. 1996) (concluding that the government was unable or unwilling to protect the petitioner and his family when petitioner reported his assaults to the police and identified his assailants, but the police failed to respond).

Although we hold that Perez demonstrated that the persecution she faced has the required nexus to her claimed social group, we cannot decide in the first instance whether that group is a cognizable social group. The BIA did not reach that issue, and the BIA must have the opportunity to address the matter in the first instance in light of its own expertise. INS v. Ventura, 537 U.S. 12, 17 (2002). We also note that the BIA's decision below predated our en banc decision in Henriquez-Rivas v. Holder, 707 F.3d 1081 (9th Cir. 2013) (en banc), which clarified the appropriate social-group analysis.

We therefore GRANT the petition and REMAND the case to the BIA for further proceedings consistent with this decision.
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In 2016, China was once again the main purchaser of Uruguayan beef, having purchased 188,411 tons of the meat, a 15.8 percent rise over 2015, according to data from the National Institute of Meats.

In 2016, Uruguay gained 624 million U.S. dollars from its exports of beef to China, which has long been a reliable source of revenue for the country, as published by local daily El Pais on Saturday.

The NAFTA bloc which groups the United States, Canada and Mexico was the collective second market for beef, having bought 99,902 tons, a 9.2 percent rise, with the U.S. alone claiming 69,837 tons.

In third place, the European Union bought 54,616 tons, a large 16 percent rise, the data showed.

The South American country made a total of 1.474 billion U.S. dollars from beef exports around the world in 2016, the data revealed.
A university professor is searching in Orangeburg County and surrounding areas to find the missing pieces of a puzzle associated with the origins of a slave-era artifact that has been described as a "national treasure."

Central Washington University Professor Dr. Mark Auslander, who teaches in the Department of Anthropology and Museum Studies at the university and is director of the Museum of Culture and Environment, has spent the past year and a half researching "Ashey's Sack," a cotton sack that features a multi-colored, embroidered text recounting the slave sale of a 9-year-girl named Ashley and the gift of the sack to her by her mother.

Mark Auslander's research traces Ashley's Sack from the initial gift during the era of slavery to the present, including its connection to Orangeburg County's Goodland Township.

On loan from South Carolina's Middleton Place, the sack is now on display in the new Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

Auslander has researched the lineage of the three women whose names were stitched into the sack, which was created by Ruth Middleton in 1921. Middleton presented an account of her family's legacy, including tracing the story of Ashley, who was born a slave; being sold to another owner, and how Ashley's mother, Rose, provided her with family keepsakes. Ashley was Ruth's grandmother.

The sack that Ashley was given by her mother contained a tattered dress, three handfuls of pecans and a braid of Rose's hair.

The original object was found in 2007 at a flea market in the small town of Springfield, Tennessee. Little was known of its history, but Auslander became intrigued by who the females listed on the sack actually were.

"It's now displayed very prominently in the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, but it was still a great mystery. So that's how I got involved about a year and a half ago as an anthropologist and someone who works a lot on history in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and so forth," Auslander said.

"We all knew there was a Rose and an Ashley in South Carolina, but we didn't know when it was or where they came from. We had a few hints, and one of the things is when a 9-year-old girl is sold, it could be for a lot of reasons, but often it was because the old master died and the estate, of course, was being broken up," he said. "It's a terrible thing."

The professor found that Rose and Ashley had been owned by a wealthy slave owner named Robert Martin who lived in Charleston. Martin also had a plantation near Allendale on the Savannah River with more than 100 slaves, including Ashley, Auslander said.

"But Rose was held as an enslaved house servant in Charleston. And then Martin died in December of 1852 and under those circumstances, his widow made the obvious decision to sell off some enslaved people," he said. "So all of that made sense in terms of what was actually written on the sack."

That was the first piece of the puzzle, but the second part was trying to figure out who Ruth Middleton was. The search led Auslander to Orangeburg County.

"The sack had obviously passed down through generations of black women in slavery and freedom. We know from my research that Ruth was a young single mom living in Philadelphia, and must have made the decision to keep telling the story of how her family came from this line of strong black women because that was the oral story that had been passed down all those generations in South Carolina," the professor said.

"We know that Ruth's daughter lived until 1988 in Philadelphia. She died in a nursing home, I think, without any next of kin, and the sack gets passed on. It must have been given to Goodwill and then just ends up in flea markets and things like that," including the flea market in Tennesee where the sack was purchased, Auslander said.

After he found Ruth's marriage license, the connection to Orangeburg was made.

"On that you see that her mother was named Rosa Clifton, and that's really how it got connected to Orangeburg, because the African-American Cliftons were mainly concentrated around the Goodland Township," Auslander said.

"You find some (Cliftons) in Blackville, some in Springfield and some in the Goodland area of Orangeburg. Some are also extended into Bamberg. So they sort of spread out from the plantation that was along the Savannah River where Ashley was," he said.

The professor said his goal is to find as many Cliftons as he can and connect them.

"There are a lot of Cliftons. Some of them moved down to Florida, but a number of them stayed in Orangeburg County. Everybody at the Smithsonian would just be thrilled if we could connect actual descendants of the family up," Auslander said.

"Here we have this object that people are now talking about as a national treasure, and the question is: Could we find some real, live descendants on the Clifton side of the family that are connected to this amazing story?"

Auslander said he's excited about where his research might take him.

"I'm still working at it and hope to get down there to chat with people. There are very helpful people in the different geneological societies in Bamberg, Allendale and Aiken," he said.

The sack's story is a compelling one, Auslander said.

"What's amazing is we have a lot of stories about slavery, but we have very few that were written down within a family of enslaved and free families themselves. It was very hard for enslaved people to own anything, but here we have an object that was given to this little girl and held on to all the way through slavery into freedom," he said.

"It's been passed down through the generations, and then Rose's great-granddaugther turns it into this wonderful work of art. So it's kind of unique in American history to have all those things happening at the same time," Auslander said.

Anyone with information about the Clifton family that may aid in Auslander's research can contact him by email at auslanderm@cwu.edu.
COLUMBIA  As the New Year arrived and many people were making resolutions about things they want to accomplish in 2017, the American Red Cross was busy responding to home fires. Over the holiday weekend, volunteers from the Red Cross helped 90 people in South Carolina after home fires. The Red Cross is asking everyone in South Carolina to add getting prepared for emergencies to their list of resolutions for the coming year.

Households need to plan what they would do if an emergency situation occurs, said Rebecca Jordan, executive director for the Red Cross of Central SC. All it takes is three easy steps, get a disaster kit ready; develop an emergency plan and be informed about what possible risks you may face where you live.

By taking steps now, individuals will be better prepared to take care of themselves, their family and their community should a disaster strike. The Red Cross has three easy steps to help people keep their resolutions to get prepared.

1. Get a kit. If youve ever fumbled to find a flashlight during a blackout, you know what it feels like to be unprepared. Use a downloadable checklist available on redcross.org to make it easy to get your emergency preparedness kit ready. You should include:

 Three-day supply of non-perishable food and waterone gallon per person, per day for drinking and hygiene purposes

 Battery-powered or hand crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)

 Flashlight and extra batteries

 First aid kit, medications and medical items

 Copies of all important documents (proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)

 Extra cash

2. Make a plan. Talk with household members about what you would do during emergencies. Plan what to do in case you are separated, and choose two places to meet - one right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency such as a fire, and another outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate.

 Choose a contact person from out of the area and make sure all household members have this persons phone number and email address. It may be easier to call long distance or text if local phone lines are overloaded or out of service.

 Tell everyone in the household where emergency information and supplies are kept.

 Practice evacuating your home twice a year. Drive your planned evacuation route and plot alternate routes on a map in case main roads are impassable.

 Dont forget your pets. If you must evacuate, make arrangements for your animals. Keep a phone list of pet friendly motels/hotels and animal shelters that are along your evacuation routes.

3. Be informed. Know the risks where you live, work, learn and play.

 If summer brings to mind not just beaches and picnics but also tropical storms and hurricanes, arm yourself with information about what to do in case one occurs. If you travel to areas near a fault line, learn how to prepare and what to do during an earthquake. If your adventures bring you places with harsh winter water, learn how to take care of yourself during a blizzard. Remember that emergencies like home fires and blackouts can happen anywhere, so everyone should be prepared for them.

 Find out how you would receive information from local officials in the event of an emergency.

 Learn First Aid and CPR/AED so that you have the skills to respond in an emergency before help arrives, especially during a disaster when emergency responders maybe delayed. Visit redcross.org/takeaclass for online and in-class offerings and to register.
You just hunt the hair off of him, just hunt the hair off of him, Robbie Rhodes said about Grand American Friday Nite Hunt winner Bad Habit Sam.

Rhodes, a resident of Due West, said the misting, raining, cold weather was no match for Sams ability to tree raccoons for the Friday Nite Hunt.

We was just treeing coons, Rhodes said of Sam, which he co-owns with Elliott Shuler of Holly Hill.

Thats his best operating, when the conditions are right. Thats when he shines, he added, patting Sam. The dog is a 4-year-old cross-breed of walker and bluetick heeler.

He was striking coons and then off by himself, treeing them without any dogs around, Rhodes said.

He was by himself every time, he added.

Rhodes said hes happy that Sam won the Friday Nite Hunt. He, along with Doug Shuler and Randy Adcocks, hunted Sam in Elloree.

I felt confident coming out here, but Ive been in two final four world hunts, (of) different associations, Rhodes said.

The Grand American is sponsored in part by American Cooner and the United Kennel Club.

Im just more proud of my dog, he said.

Rhodes has been coming to the Grand American, which is held annually at the Orangeburg County Fairgrounds, for the past 12 years  from the time he began coon hunting at age 15.

Rhodes said hes traveled from the Upstate each year to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow coon hunters.

I just enjoy seeing old friends. I like to socialize and just see old friends, talking to people and just catching up on old times, Rhodes said.

Evan Thompson, a 12-year-old from Evergreen, N.C., has been coming to the Grand American for the past five years.

Saturdays Grand American was the coldest that he can remember.

Thompson comes to the Grand American each year with his uncle and granddad.

He stopped by one of the dozens of vendors, which were spread throughout the fairgrounds, to purchase some beef jerky to take back to his sister and cousin.

Thompson said he enjoys attending the Grand American so he can see the dogs.

At home, Thompson has a pet Labrador retriever.

Lamar Snipes, of Woods & Water Outdoor Supplies in Chapin, has been a vendor at the Grand American for the past 37 years.

"The crowd didn't come," Snipes said. It was due to the weather, with temperatures hovering just above freezing and the threat of wintry precipitation.

Snipes estimates the crowd was down by about 60 percent.

"All those guys that come out of Ohio and West Virginia would end up traveling through snow and ice coming down," Snipes said.

The cold, overcast weather continued at the Grand American and throughout The T&D Region most of the morning, with the sun peering through the clouds by mid-afternoon.

National Weather Service meteorologist John Quagliariello said the region saw a few, brief episodes of light snowfall Saturday morning, but no accumulation.

Quagliariello said the temperatures are expected to stay low over the next few days, with the next unseasonably warm air coming in around Wednesday and into Thursday.

On Sunday, highs will be in the upper 30s with the lows in the 20s, he said. The wind chill factor will be between 12 to 17 degrees.

Quagliariello said to expect a gradual warming around the middle of the week with temperatures in the in the upper 60s and highs on Thursday and Friday in the 70s.
Improving school funding will be a top priority during the upcoming legislative session, local lawmakers say.

The lawmakers say theyre ready for the General Assembly to address a S.C. Supreme Court ruling calling for the state to provide rural students with a better education.

Rural districts dont have the tax bases needed to match spending by other districts, Sen. John Matthews said.

They cannot provide the amenities that they need to educate those kids, he said.

In 2014, the S.C. Supreme Court handed down a decision in the Abbeville vs. South Carolina lawsuit. It found the state has failed to provide a minimally adequate education for children in rural, poor counties and instructed the state to address the issue.

Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg, said state lawmakers should be obligated to deal with the Abbeville decision after they return to Columbia on Tuesday.

I have a major concern that until we address the Abbeville situation, I think were going to continue having the gap, he said.

Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, agrees.

Last year when this issue came up, people shot me all kinds of dirty looks and all of that because I said well talk about it and well still be here next year and well still be talking about that. Well, here we are, still talking about it, Cobb-Hunter said during the S.C. Press Associations Legislative Workshop on Thursday.

This lawsuit is 24 years old, she said. Weve had two generations of kids who have started first grade, finished high school or dropped out and we are still talking about this issue.

Cobb-Hunter believes that lawmakers are delaying the issue by creating study committees.

Youve still got poor districts that are not being adequately funded, she said. At some point the executive, legislative and judicial branches of this state decided that disparity is OK as far as economic development, education and a whole lot of other things.

Year after year, the Legislature fails to connect the dots, Cobb-Hunter said.

If you are in a rural community and there has not been an aggressive, assertive approach to economic development, to bringing industry in so that you have a tax base to fund not just schools but everything else that government deals with, then youre going to have disparity, Cobb-Hunter said.

She went on to say that recruiting businesses for economic development is great but, do you really think theyre going to stay here if they cant hire educated workers?

Matthews said, 60 percent of the wealth in this state is in 14 counties. South Carolina has 46 counties.

If you take all the teachers salaries in this state and compare it to the Abbeville school district, its almost about a $5,000 starting salary differential, the Bowman Democrat said.

In his district, a school lost four math teachers due to offers of higher pay at different schools.

Matthews added, Poverty is the elephant in the room in terms of education.

Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, said Over 90 percent of most of the children in most of these rural Abbeville districts live in poverty.

They are not only worried about their education, theyre worried about getting enough food, theyre worried about their health care.

Hutto believes lawmakers should focus on getting jobs and road repairs in rural areas.

We need the same thing basically that everybody else needs, but we have a lot less resources to deal with that, he said. It is a bigger picture when we try and figure out how to fund education than just funding the school system.

The quality of the states roads and bridges will be another priority this legislative term.

Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, said Roads are continuing to be one of my constituents biggest concerns.

Ott wants to see funding for the S.C. Department of Transportation increased.

Im hopeful that we will be able to cross the finish line this year on a recurring revenue stream for the Department of Transportation, he said. They havent had enough money to be able to fix our roads.

Matthews agreed, saying, The first thing youve got to have is sufficient revenue and its got to be predictable.

Matthews said predictability and a reliable source of funding are needed for the creation of a long-term road plan. Thats not possible with one-time borrowing, he said.

He suggests raising the gas tax. That would bring in revenue from travelers in South Carolina, including those who do not live in the state.

The 33 percent of the population who drive our roads that dont live here have got to be in that equation, Matthews said.

Ott said the gas tax in South Carolina has not been increased since 1987. An increase could help the roads, but Ott does not think it will alleviate the problem completely.

I am supportive of that but I dont think thatll be the end-all solution, he said. I am continuing to be of the opinion that we have to get some dependable money in the DOT.

Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, said the state needs to solidify, a new, long standing form of revenue to fund road and bridge repair. We have not yet been able to do that.

He said good ideas are being discussed, such as using revenue from casinos.

Well probably reintroduce the bill to place a toll on I-95, Hutto said. I think it might be not just for Orangeburg, but the entire state.

Health care is another issue lawmakers hope to address.

Cobb-Hunter prefiled a bill that seeks to expand health insurance coverage to those who dont yet have it. The bill follows a model used in Arkansas.

In Arkansas, it is a Republican plan passed by a Republican Legislature, Cobb-Hunter said. I want us to try it here.

She has been pushing for the bill since the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, was first implemented.

Regardless of how people feel about the Affordable Care Act, it has resulted in the number of uninsured people going down even here in South Carolina, she said.

Govan said, We cant have a health care system that is partisan and only addresses those that can afford it.

South Carolina is one of those states with the highest incidents of everything from strokes to diabetes, infant deaths, sexual abuse and sexual assault, criminal domestic violence and the list goes on and on.

He said an unhealthy population does not make for a productive workforce.

I think quality education (and) quality health equates to positioning ourselves to be competitive as a state to attract those businesses, Govan said.

Lawmakers believe the consolidation of school districts will be discussed again this year.

I think it might be not just for Orangeburg but the entire state, Hutto said.

The time is coming for us to have a legitimate talk about school consolidation, Bamberg said. Not merging the districts but consolidating school districts into one.

I think it might be not just for Orangeburg but the entire state, he said.

Ott said, I do believe that it will come up again. I still want to proceed with caution.

He said it should be looked at from a statewide level as well, but in the end he will vote in the best interest of the students.

Ott said he will vote in favor of it, if consolidating means that we can see savings in administrative and overhead costs.

Lawmakers are not too concerned with how the recent indictment of Rep. Jim Merrill, R-Charleston, may affect the legislative process.

I think thats something that the General Assembly is certainly looking at and focused on, Ott said. Whats problematic is that it gives the entire body a black eye.

Merrill, the former House majority leader, has been indicted on misdemeanor corruption charges. They include two counts of misconduct in office and 28 counts of ethics violations.

Govan is praying for the family.

Were saddened to learn about it, he said. We just pray that things will allow them to move forward and get their lives together.

He also hopes Merrills actions do not paint a bad picture of the body.

In my time being in the House, I have found that  if you purposely make sure you follow the rules, you dont have to worry about potential criminal effects of your actions, Govan said.

One piece of legislation Bamberg would like to see passed is his rural revitalization act.

It creates an incentive for young people to move to areas that are economically distressed, he said.

The bill makes newly graduated teachers and retired military eligible for a tax exemption while they live and work their first five years.

He said it allows more individuals to stay in an area and not just come for a year and leave when something better comes up.

Bamberg previously filed the bill two years ago but chose not to prefile it this term in hopes that it wont get lost under the numerous other bills.

Hutto said he will be filing a bill, that would require training of people that sell alcohol to recognize fake IDs and to try and get at any underage drinking issues.

The bill would require employees to go through an online training course.

He also plans to introduce a bill that protects individuals taking a friend or relative to the hospital for medical treatment after a drug overdose. Otherwise, the friend or relative might not take the overdose victim to the hospital out of fear of prosecution.

This type of bill has been passed in many other states, he said.

Ott seeks to introduce a bill giving dam owners a certain amount of time to decide whether theyll fix or replace a dam.

He said there are two dams in Calhoun County still out of commission following the 2015 flooding.

Under current law, DOT cant do anything until the dam owner makes a decision on whether they will fix the dam or replace it, he said. We need to make sure that our dams are as safe as they can be.
With just days left in President Barack Obamas presidency, many Americans are reflecting upon the administrations historic achievements and attempting to measure the legacy that his administration will leave behind. How history will remember Obamas presidency can only be revealed with time. But one indisputable fact remains: President Obama and his administration have tirelessly worked to make our communities safer, our families healthier and our nation more prosperous.

Upon entering the Oval Office, Obama inherited an economy that was on the brink of collapse, and millions of American lost their jobs  2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008 alone. Yet through bold action and progressive policies, Obama has led the nation through 81 months of consecutive job growth, to the tune of 15 million private-sector jobs.

Arguably Obamas biggest legislative achievement was the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Presidents have tried for more than a century to marshal support for universal health care legislation, and all of them fell short  until Obama.

Prior to the ACA, millions of Americans struggled to afford their medical care, and many were left without insurance or access to preventive health services. Today, thanks to the ACA, the nations uninsured rate has fallen below 10 percent for the first time, more than 20 million Americans have gained coverage, and individuals can no longer be denied insurance for having pre-existing medical conditions. As the nation ushers in a new administration and Congress, we must fight any attempt to erase this historic progress.

As part of his plan to boost Americas economy, Obama also placed a premium on education  helping to ensure that todays students are prepared to become tomorrows workforce. The Obama administration has invested in early learning opportunities for more families, supported states as they implemented systemic education reform, doubled funding for Pell grants, and expanded apprenticeships and job training programs to help American workers of all ages adapt to a 21st-century economy.

Of course, Obama also understood that our nations health is intrinsically linked with the health of our environment. Thats why he has taken unprecedented action to combat the threat of climate change and protect our planet for future generations. Through historic international climate deals and investments in clean energy jobs in the United States, the Obama administration has made significant strides toward making our air cleaner, our environment safer, and our energy future more secure and sustainable.

Importantly, the Obama administration has also improved our nations standing abroad, forging critical diplomatic achievements in the process. This includes the Iran Deal  which has placed Irans nuclear program under intense international scrutiny, putting the United States in an even stronger position to respond forcefully to Irans destabilizing behavior.

Finally, the Obama administration has taken great strides to make our nation more just and equal for all Americans. From advocating on behalf of womens equality and expanding protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, to facilitating a national dialogue on race in America and confronting our nations discriminatory criminal justice system, President Obama has been an unwavering voice for millions of marginalized Americans.

Of course, there is much work that remains. While our nation is far better off than we were eight years ago, too many Americans still live in poverty or on the brink of poverty; too many workers are still looking for a good job that pays a decent wage; too many families are still struggling for the most basic opportunities of a middle-class life: access to child care, affordable housing and healthcare, and a path to a secure retirement. Too many people across the country feel like the deck is stacked against them.

Meanwhile, violent extremism continues to be a real threat to the United States and its allies. And far too many Americans live in fear for their safety and well-being, whether because of the color of their skin, their religion, their gender or gender identity, their sexual orientation, or their immigration status.

So we must keep fighting. But while there are challenges ahead, there is no denying that the progress driven by President Obama and his administration has made America safer, healthier and more prosperous. As Americans prepare to bid farewell to the nations first African-American president, we must remain focused on moving our nation forward, and we must resist any effort to dismantle or roll back the progress of the last eight years.
The people of Orangeburg and Calhoun counties own the Regional Medical Center, an asset unmatched in most rural communities.

As 2017 dawned, the owners of the public hospital have legitimate questions about the future. And they are not getting answers from the public officials selected to govern the facility.

The county councils in Orangeburg and Calhoun select trustees to oversee RMC as a board, a public body subject to all provisions of the states Freedom of Information Act.

While FOIA allows for public bodies to consider certain matters, such as contracts, behind closed doors, the public has a right to expect explanation of key decisions.

The RMC board can contend it is obeying the letter of the law with its discussions in executive sessions regarding QHR, the company that has managed RMC for 23 years and which employs hospital CEO Tom Dandridge, who has been in the position since 1993.

But closed-door sessions followed by votes with no explanation to the public of the actions are not what the people of the two counties, and their elected leaders, should expect.

The very future of the hospital is at stake and trustees are divided in making a decision to terminate the contract with QHR, a move that will mean the end of Dandridges tenure as CEO unless QHR grants a waiver for the hospital to hire him.

That is no certainty even as trustees indicate they plan to enter into a consulting pact with QHR. Beyond that, little is known about the future and exactly why such a major change is being pursued even as the country is likely to undergo another transformation in the health care system.

Calhoun County Chairman David Summers was blunt in his assessment that present board members are not qualified to make such a decision. And the board members with the most to say  those in the minority in the 8-6 vote  are indicating the trustees have little idea about what comes next.

And no one  not the board chairman, the board attorney, Dandridge, any trustee  is offering a real explanation for why the change is being made.

The public is given to assume the decision is related to hospital finances, though RMCs fiscal condition is improving.

Last year, the hospital received about $2 million more than it spent. The hospital system, including Edisto Regional Health Services, lost $3.5 million the year before.

The hospital system had a total loss of about $1.3 million in 2016. That is attributable primarily to an unrealized loss in its investment portfolio of about $744,000.

The trustees' vote means the hospital will be under QHR management for 90 days, or until March 31, at which time the hospital's management contract with the company will end.

During the 90 days, the hospital is to negotiate the details of a new advisory contract with QHR.

But there may be a hitch, particularly if the hospitals medical staff challenges the board.

RMC Medical Executive Committee Chairman Dr. Arden Weathers, a member of the board, abstained from the vote, questioning whether the motion will deny the medical staff a joint conference vote.

"The bylaws state we have a right to joint conference prior to taking the vote," Weathers said.

Trustees opposed to ending the QHR contract openly stated the vote was not in compliance with the boards bylaws, though that does not mean the trustees action is illegal.

But it is hard to see it as wise, particularly when the action has the appearance of being a move to force out Dandridge, who has served RMC and Orangeburg well for more than two decades.

The assessment of trustee James Amaker, who voted against terminating the contract with QHR, is cause for great concern  and reason for a demand by the county councils in Orangeburg and Calhoun, the ultimate authorities, for answers.

Amaker told The Times and Democrat: "I don't think the members sitting on this board know about the day-to-day operations of the hospital more than those who walk around the halls and do it every day. I think it was a mistake, but I hope I am wrong. We will eventually see for sure."
Bamberg County employees Brittany M. Barnwell, emergency services director and Mallory D. Biering, Keep Bamberg County Beautiful director and public information officer, completed a grant writing certification course in December.

The course was taught by the University of South Carolina at its USC-Salkehatchie campus and was paid for by the SouthernCarolina Alliance.

The course was offered after the need for this resource was presented at multiple South Carolina Promise Zone town hall and work group sessions. In an effort to ease the expressed frustration in locating, researching, writing and winning grants, the course was offered to help take full advantage of programs available within the South Carolina Promise Zone.

The certification program was a four-day course that students could attend at no cost. Course work included an introduction to grant writing, needs-based assessments, intermediate grant writing and program evaluation. Each course allowed students the opportunity to hone their skills in grant writing, while also creating responses to grants and editing grant proposals.

Barnwell and Biering spent more than 30 hours completing the course during which they produced responses to current grant applications and referenced past grant applications for areas where improvements could be made in writing.

Brittany and Mallory are the first certified grant writers that Bamberg County has ever employed," County Administrator Joey Preston said. "While both of these employees have already written award-winning grants, they now have the ability to improve on their skills and help Bamberg County progress to places where it has never been. We are proud to have two certified grant writers and are looking forward to more employees gaining this certification in the future.

Barnwell said, "Being able to take advantage of this great opportunity from SouthernCarolina Alliance is allowing us to acquire the needed knowledge as to how we can restore and enhance Bamberg County to achieve a better life for the residents and visitors of Bamberg County. Every day we learned how we can improve; we discovered new grant sources; we took full advantage of the networking opportunities before us. ... "

Biering said she and Barnwell eagerly anticipate future opportunities to expand their departments with award-winning grant proposals thanks to Bamberg County, the University of South Carolina and SouthernCarolina Alliance.
President Barack Obamas regulatory-based legacy will be easy to unravel because most anything one president can do unilaterally, a subsequent president can undo.

The flimsiness of Obamas legacy demonstrates a constitutional crack in the foundation of American governance. Over the last few decades, the executive branch has accrued an unhealthy amount of power at the expense of Congress and the judiciary, such that now every change of party in the White House results in wholesale shifts in the administrative rules that increasingly govern American society.

Consider, for example, the controversial stream buffer zone rule. Its a regulation to protect streams from surface mining activity. During his administrations lame- duck time in late 2008, after a five year rulemaking process, the George W. Bush administration issued its version of the rule, which asked little of industry.

Obama disliked the Bush-era rule, and after a seven-year rulemaking process, his administration issued its own lame-duck version of the rule, one that is unreasonably punitive. Almost assuredly, the Trump administration will revise the stream buffer zone rule such that it wont look anything like what the Obama administration promulgated. And if a Democrat wins the presidency in 2020, it is likely the rule would be significantly altered yet again.

There are hundreds of rules like this across scores of federal agencies that flip-flop between two extremes as the White House changes political parties. This sort of seesaw policymaking is unfair, because regulated entities have no certainty as to what the rules are or will be. They are forced to comply with moving targets.

Unfortunately, ping-pong policymaking is on the rise as more and more law emanates from the executive branch. Not long ago, it was taken for granted that Congress is the lead policymaking organ of the U.S. government. However, over the last few decades, the presidents administrative apparatus has become the primary lawmaker.

According to my colleague Wayne Crewss latest Unconstitutional Index, Congress passed 211 public laws in 2016, while the executive branch promulgated 3,853 regulations with the force and effect of law. Thats 18 law-like regulations imposed by the president for each law enacted by Congress.

There are two major reasons for this troubling shift in power from Congress to the executive branch.

First, lawmakers in Congress give precedence to party loyalty over institutional pride. For most of American history, protecting the Congress turf from presidential power grabs was a bipartisan matter in the House and Senate, but this is no longer true. Now, if a Republican resides in the White House, congressional Republicans do not care about presidential aggrandizement. And its the same for congressional Democrats if one of their own is in the Oval Office. These skewed priorities undercut Congresss ability to oversee the presidency.

Second, the judiciary has abetted the rise of the administrative state by adopting expansive deference doctrines that permit agencies to broadly interpret their own statutes so as to enlarge their own power.

The result is a growing imbalance among the three branches of government. The Founding Fathers intended for a separation of powers maintained by institutional ambition, yet, in spite of this constitutional design, the Congress and courts have passively stood aside while the executive has aggrandized itself.

The solution is straightforward. Both the Congress and the judiciary should reassert themselves among the separated powers and thereby check the ascendant executive branch. For Congress, this means acting with bipartisan unity in defending the legislatures power; in practice, this would entail effective oversight of administrative agencies, and also a greater willingness to use the power of the purse to influence regulatory agendas. For federal courts, the answer is to abandon deference doctrines that allow courts to say what the law is, and administrative law should not be an exception.

By getting back into the permanent competition among branches of government, the Congress and federal courts would fulfill their constitutional roles and, at the same time, put an end to the policy whiplash caused by the growing primacy of administrative lawmaking.
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By Trend





Turkey is in Iraqs Bashiqa out of necessity, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told his Iraqi counterpart Haidar al-Abadi during his visit to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Saturday, Anadolu reported.

Yildirim is on an official visit to discuss regional issues, including bilateral cooperation against terrorism. He arrived at the Baghdad International Airport along with a high-level delegation.

A closed to the press meeting was later held between Yildirim and al-Abadi.

In remarks made after the meeting, Yildirim said: Your recent statement stating that we will not allow the PKK to threaten Turkey from Iraqi territories is of great importance to us.

He said al-Ibadi's statement showed what the two countries could do together while fighting against terrorism.

About Turkey's military presence in Iraqs Bashiqa, Yildirim said: Turkey is in Bashiqa not arbitrarily but out of necessity.

"We see that important steps have been taken in clearing the area from Daesh. We will accordingly reach a solution in a friendly manner about this [PKK] issue as well."

He also said the situation in Iraqs northern Sinjar region constituted a first-degree threat to Turkey and thanked al-Ibadi for his sensitivity over eliminating the threat there.

"We will continue our cooperation with Iraq against all threats from Iraq, not only Sinjar," Yildirim said.

Oil pipeline with Turkey

Al-Ibadi, for his part, said Iraq would open an oil pipeline with Turkey after Mosul gets liberated, "which will be based on an agreement between the two countries."

Describing Turkey as a "neighbor and friendly" country, he said Iraq was eager to increase its economic and commercial ties with Turkey.

About the PKK terrorist organization's presence in Iraq, al-Ibadi said Iraq's constitution "does not allow attacks on a neighboring country for any reason".

"We conveyed our request to withdraw Turkish soldiers from our territory in the final declaration signed on Bashiqa. Turkish side emphasized that they will respect Iraq's territorial integrity and sovereignty," he said.

Turkey has a longstanding military training mission at Camp Bashiqa, where Turkish soldiers have trained both Peshmerga fighters and local tribal volunteers in combat techniques.

In recent months, the missions presence in Mosul in northern Iraq has led to tension between Baghdad and Ankara amid calls by some Iraqi lawmakers for Turkish troops to withdraw.

The Turkish premier is expected to later meet President Fuad Masum and Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri. Regional stability and security are on top of the premiers agenda during the visit. Steps to strengthen bilateral cooperation and counter terrorist groups such as the PKK, Daesh and FETO are expected to be discussed.
By Azertac





Udins, the Orthodox Christian community in the village of Nij, Azerbaijan`s Gabala district, have celebrated Christmas. The celebration took place at an ancient Albanian Church called Cotari. In his remarks, head of the Alban-Udin religious community, priest of the church hailed the conditions created by the Azerbaijani government for representatives of all religions, including Orthodox Christians.





Local residents, who addressed the ceremony, said they have never encountered any discrimination or intolerance.





They praised the renovation of the Cotari church as a beautiful illustration of tolerance in Azerbaijan.





There are three churches and two mosques in Nij, which is home to 3,700 Udins. There are only 10,000 Udin people all over the world. Udins have preserved their language, religion and traditions for 2,500 years.
Iran's exports to Oman reached $390 million over the past seven months and is expected to rise to $600 million by the end of the Iranian year in March, head of the Iran-Oman Joint Chamber of Commerce said on Saturday.



This is while Iran's annual exports of commodities to the Arabian Gulf country used to be at $148 million just four years ago, Mohsen Zarrabi was quoted as saying by Irna.



He said that the rise in Iran's exports to Oman is due in part to launching a direct shipping line between the two countries.
mCarbon, an Indian mobile technology service provider, is looking at expanding into Bahrain to tap into the countrys large mobile subscriber base, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.



To read further, please visit GDNonline.








Tehran has signed an agreement valued at $2 billion with South Korea's petchem giant Daelim Corporation to renovate and expand the Isfahan Oil Refinery, a top official said.



The deal is aimed at reducing fuel oil production and boosting output of higher-value products such as gasoline, Abbas Kazemi, head of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), was quoted as saying in an Iran Daily report, which cited Mehr News Agency.



NIORDC is also in talks with two high-profile Japanese companies for projects to curtail mazut production at Tehran and Bandar Abbas refineries, Kazemi said. The final agreements would be signed soon, he added.




Rex Oman, a unit of Singapore-based Rex International Holdings, has injected $8 million into Masirah Oil Limited (MOL), the operator and 100 per cent owner of Block 50 offshore Omans east coast.



The funding follows a subscription of new shares of Masirah Oil (MOL), said an Oman Daily Observer report.



The capital injection was necessary to allow (Masirah Oil Limited) to pursue its drilling activities and continue its operations in Oman, as well as for general working capital requirements; and was fully satisfied in cash by Rex Oman, said Rex International Holdings in a statement.



"Masirah Oil has high potential for growth, as the discovery made in the concession in early 2014 was the first offshore discovery east of Oman, after 30 years of exploration activity in the area, it added.



The move comes as Masirah Oil prepares to drill another exploration well in Block 50. Dubbed Karamah-1, the well is the second of a multi-well programme and will be drilled from the Aban VII jack-up rig, the report said.



The company conducted a successful drilling of its first exploratory well Manarah-1 nearly a year ago, which confirmed the presence of a source rock and a working petroleum system in the concession.


Oman is expected to issue a tender for a bulk liquid terminal at the Port of Duqm within a month, a report said.



The $1-billion project is a key component of the infrastructure being developed by the Oman government to support a major refinery, reported Times of Oman.



More than 2 km of the quay wall is for the liquid berth to serve the refinery. We expect that it (the tender) will be awarded in the coming one month or so. It is in the final stages, Reggy Vermeulen, chief executive officer of the Port of Duqm was quoted as saying in the report.



He said work on the liquid berth will take two-and-a-half years to complete. If the project is awarded in the first quarter of 2017, it will be completed by the end of 2019. Since the refinery will be fully dependent on the liquid berth, its construction has to be in line with the berth, he added.



The winning engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor will carry out dredging and reclamation, jetty structure and topside facilities including product storage tanks, dry bulk facilities, pipelines, buildings and roads, the report said.



Vermeulen also said that most of the packages for completing Duqm port have already been awarded. These contracts include gates, superstructure, remaining work at terminals, buildings for the port and dredging works.



The contracting firms are already working on the ground. This shows that now we have a firm date, end of 2019, for completing the entire work for full-fledged operation (Phase One) of the port, said Vermeulen.
Boeing delivered a total of 60 commercial aircraft to Middle Eastern carriers in 2016, as against 52 in the previous year, marking a rise of 15.3 per cent, with Emirates heading the list having received 16 planes, the US manufacturer said.



Qatar Airways took the second position with 11 deliveries in 2016, while Flydubai received eight aircraft.



Globally, Boeing recorded strong commercial delivery numbers during the year and achieved several airplane programme milestones. The company delivered 748 commercial airplanes.



Boeing booked 668 net orders, valued at $94.1 billion at list prices. The backlog at the end of the year stood at 5,715 unfilled commercial orders.



Airplane development programems continued to make progress in 2016. Key milestones for the year included the first flight of the 737 MAX, the opening of the 777X Composite Wing Center in Everett, Wash., and start of 787-10 final assembly in North Charleston in the US state of South Carolina.  TradeArabia News Service


The TransGriot is available for speaking engagements, college lectures, panel discussions, media interviews, conferences or Trans 101 education efforts for your school, business or professional organizations.



For local Houston area, Texas or national events, you can e-mail me at transgriot@yahoo.com



For events outside the Houston metro area, I ask that my travel and lodging expenses be covered.



This is separate from my speaking fee.



If you are interested in having me appear as a speaker or panelist, you can e-mail me with the date and details of your proposed event.

Please book as early as possible because my speaking and event calendar slots during the year rapidly fill up.
Help Yourself</&h1>

Child passenger safety training in Casper

A Child Passenger Safety Technician Training is being held Jan. 10 to 13, 2017, at the Casper City Center Building/Room A and B, 100 West B Street. The training, which is standardized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was developed because of the increasingly complex issues involved in child passenger safety and because unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes, continue to be a leading cause of death and injury to children.

The newly certified technicians, under the supervision of Child Passenger Safety Technician instructors will perform free child safety seat checks for families on Friday, Jan. 13, from noon to 3 p.m., at at Fire Station #1 located at 200 W. 1st St. in Casper.

Topics covered during the four-day course include: basics of injury prevention, crash dynamics, vehicle occupant protection systems, selection of child passenger restraints, correct installation of child safety seats, misuse and compatibility issues, safety in other vehicles, and setting up a child safety seat check-up event.

Agencies supporting the training include the WYDOT Office of Highway Safety and Safe Kids Wyoming.

Gallery to showcase art academics

The Casper Artists Guild, ART 321 is a vibrant showing space for artists in the Western region. We are hosting an exhibition in February, 2017 for all Wyoming college and university art professors. Our goal is to showcase the immense talent this state holds within its academic system. We would be honored to have your participation in this exhibition. Please consider sending 1 to 3 moderately sized works in any media. The work can be sold from the gallery at a 35 percent commission to ART 321, 65 percent to the artist if you are a member or 45 percent commission to ART 321, 55 percent to the artist if you are not a member. Yearly membership is $65.

Work should arrive to ART 321 by Jan. 27, 2017 (we apologize, but we are unable to help with the cost of shipping.) The artist opening reception is Feb. 2, 2017 from 5 to 8 p.m. Work will be ready to be picked up on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017.

For more information regarding installation, please contact Dandee Pattee, ART 321s exhibitions chair at 262-9103 or dpattee@gmail.com.

You will find submission forms and information on our website. art321.org

Thank you so much for keeping art in Wyoming a vibrant endeavor!

Parkinsons support group

Join us on the second Tuesday of each month at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 East 2nd Street, Building #500, at 5:30 p.m.

This support group is open to anyone with Parkinsons or caring for someone with Parkinsons.

Our Tuesday, Jan. 10 meeting will have Rachel McPherson, from Central WY Hospice, speak on Respite Care.

To RSVP call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon.

Casper Womens Roundtable

Small Business Administration presents a Business Planning Seminar from noon to 1 p.m., on Wednesday at the Small Business Administration Training Room, 150 E. B Street, Room 101. RSVP to Susan Rezanina, susan.rezanina@sba.gov or call 307-261-6520.

The presenter is Leonard Holler, CPA, CVA. He has recently retired from the University of Wyoming  SBDC, and currently practices in Douglas as a CPA and CVA. He has degrees in business administration and accounting and his background includes public, private, and non-profit accounting. Mr. Holler has extensive experience in the areas of business management, finance, business valuation, accounting and income taxes We will discuss how to determine your businesss health, strategies for operating improvements and business expansion.

Dont forget to bring your lunch!

CLIMB for office careers

CLIMB Wyoming will host an information meeting about free training for office careers at 5:30 p.m., on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the Casper office, 632 S. David St. Space is limited, no children please. Launch a professional office career with starting wages from $11 to $13 an hour in fields like receptionist, assistant, file clerk and more. CLIMB Wyoming is dedicated to improving the earning potential of single mothers through job training and placement assistance. For information, visit climbready.org or call 237-2855.

Learn Windows 10

The Natrona County Library will offer a Windows 10 class from 2 to 4 p.m., on Thursday, Jan. 12. Learn how to navigate Windows 10, including the updated Start menu, Action Center, and more. Feel free to bring your Windows 10 device with you to follow along. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information.

Saturday watercolor classes

ART321/Casper Artists Guild begins our Saturday Morning Watercolor Sessions under the direction of Ellen Black. Sessions are Saturday mornings, 10 a.m. to noon. $10 per session.

Jan. 14: Creating Texture with paper collage; Jan. 21: Practice Session; Jan. 28: Painting Wet in Wet: instructor Michele McDonald; Feb. 4: Practice Session; Feb. 11: Tree Studies; Feb. 18: Practice Session; Feb. 25: Mountain Landscapes. Instructed by Jennifer Morss. Please contact Ellen Black at 265-6783 for any questions. Hope to see you all again this season.

Caregivers support group

Are you caring for a loved one with a debilitating condition? Confusing and conflicting feelings are likely to come up: anger,sadness, hopelessness, resentment and guilt for having those feelings. Please join us on the second Thursday of each month to talk about your feelings and learn effective ways to release difficult emotions by joining a support group. Our next meeting will be Thursday, January 12, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. Meetings will be held at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 East 2nd Street, Building # 500 at 5:30 p.m. To RSVP please call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon.

Self-help classes set

Conscious Co-Creation/Self-Transformation & Healing will be taught Jan. 21 and 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., in person at the Agricultural Learning Resources building on Fairgrounds Rd in Casper and also via live webinar. Its not too late to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration discount! Regular tuition pricing goes into effect on Jan. 7. Also, be sure to visit my website Home page and click on the Special Offers link to see the additional Bring A Friend discount!

In this seminar/playshop, we will learn how the universal and physical laws of creation work together to form our daily experience, how modern physics bears out what the ascended masters have known for eons, and how to become aware ofand instantly start changingthe patterns of consciousness that are preventing you from realizing your best potentials for a joyful, truly fulfilling life. Join me for this expansive, life-changing class!

For a full class description and registration information, visit: www.cathyhazeladams.com/pp/classes-webinars-event/

Conscious Co-Creation, Part Two: Field Play, Feb. 18, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., offered in person at the Agricultural Learning Resources building on Fairgrounds Rd in Casper and also via live webinar.

In this follow-up to Conscious Co-Creation Part One, well explore in depth some of the ideas and skills gained in Conscious Co-Creation. Well workshop more fleld of the heart exercises, look at different healing modalities and learn why, ultimately all healing comes through the heart. Well also PLAY with idea fields, which are the very building blocks of our experience!

Prerequisite: Conscious Co-Creation/Self-Transformation & Healing

For a full class description and registration information, visit: www.cathyhazeladams.com/pp/classes-webinars-event/

Living from the Heart: The Key to Peace, Freedom & Creative Empowerment, Feb. 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offered in person at the Agricultural Learning Resources building on Fairgrounds Rd in Casper and also via live webinar.

In this new four-hour class/playshop, well learn what the field of the heart really is, practice easy, practical ways to go into Heart field, and learn how to live every day from this place of peace, love, well-being and personal empowerment. When you start living from the Heart, your life immediately changes for the better! No prerequisite.

For a full class description and registration information, visit: www.cathyhazeladams.com/pp/classes-webinars-event/

Chronic pain/illness group starting

Highland Park Community Church and The Healing Place are starting HopeKeepers. HopeKeepers is a support group designed to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of the person who lives with chronic illness or pain. Through the support group setting you will have the opportunity to grow spiritually surrounded by others who share similar circumstances, unrevealed answers, and even joys, living with chronic pain or physical pain.

The group will meet Mondays from noon to 1:30 p.m., Highland Park Community Church, Rm #1327-The Prayer Room. This is an ongoing group. Call The Healing Place at 265-3977 to enroll.

Parenting classes available

Mercer Family Resource Center offers three classes in 2017 designed to help parents become more effective.

Strengthening Families for parents and their children ages 9 to 14 will be held Jan. 11, 18 and 25 and Feb. 1, 8, 15, and 22 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. This is a seven-week, evidence-based program with onsite childcare available. Dinner is provided. Fee is $50 per family.

Parenting the Love and Logic Way is for parents and caregivers with children of any age. Onsite childcare is available. Class is Jan. 23 and 30, Feb. 6, 13, 27 and March 6 and 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Cost is $35 for individuals and $50 for couples.

Make Parenting a Pleasure is for parents and caregivers with children ages 0 to 8. Class meets March 1, 8, 15, and 22 and April 5, 12, and 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. Onsite childcare available, meets once a week for seven weeks. Cost is $35 individuals and $50 a couple.

For more information or to enroll, call Lisa Brown at 233-4276.

Teen Challenge offers fall classes

Teen Challenge Wyoming offers classes this fall at local churches, True Care and the Link (Youth for Christ). For more information on these groups or on other Teen Challenge programs, please call 258-5397.

Peacemaking: Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. In this world of division and conflict, it is important for Christians to stay grounded in what the Bible teaches about resolving our differences with orders in a God-honoring way. For more information, call Pat at 258-5397.

Save One: A group for post-abortion healing. For more information, call Judy at 251-5644.

Single & Parenting: Sundays at 6:30 p.m. Covers major challenges single parents face in raising their children, and offers tools to help them meet these challenges. Enter anytime, each lesson stands alone. Call Cathie at 258-6119.

Professionals in Recovery: An ongoing Christian recovery group. For more information, call Gary at 267-7777.

Insight: Discovering the path to Christian character, especially in the midst of stress. Time to be announced. For more information, call Teen Challenge Wyoming at 258-5397.

Possible offering: Committed Couples and/or the Smart Stepfamily (groups designed to strengthen marriages for both married couples and those anticipating marriage) may be offered later this year. For more information on these possibilities, please call Teen Challenge Wyoming at 258-5397.

Caregiver support meets monthly

Are you caring for a loved one with a debilitating condition? Confusing and conflicting feelings are likely to come up-anger, sadness, hopelessness, resentment and guilt for having those feelings. Please join us on the second Thursday of the each month to talk about your feelings and learn effective ways to release difficult emotions by joining a support group. Meetings will be held at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 East 2nd Street #500, at 5:30 p.m. Different topics will be discussed each month. Coffee and lemonade will be served. We will be meeting on Dec. 15. To RSVP please call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon.

Seedling trees, shrubs and perennials on sale

Premium quality seedling trees, shrubs and perennials are available for windbreaks and wildlife habitat enhancement from the UW/Natrona County Extension. Order forms are available at the Ag Resource and Learning Center, 2011 Fairgrounds Rd. There are 41 species available. Order now for best selection with May 2017 delivery. For more information, call Rose Jones at 235-9400.

Caregiver support

Wyoming Dementia Care offers five Alzheimers Caregiver Support groups each month. Caregivers of those with dementia-related illnesses and the loved ones they care for are welcome at any of the group sessions. Professional staff from Intermountain Home Companions will be on hand to offer separate activities and snacks for those who need care. There is no charge for Wyoming Dementia Cares support groups or for the respite care provided during the approximately one hour long sessions.

The morning support group sessions meet on the first and third Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. at Central Wyoming Senior Services, 1831 E. 4th St. The afternoon support groups meet at 1 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at Life Care Center of Casper, 4041 S. Poplar. The evening groups meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Meadow Wind Assisted Living, 3955 E. 12th St.

For information, email wyodementia@casperseniorcenter.com or call Dani Guerttman at 265-4678.

Family continues suicide support

Good Grief, Support will continue at 5:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at the 12-24 Club, 500 S. Wolcott, by request of attendees. The family of J.R. Hunter, who died from suicide in June 2015 began the support before the especially tough holiday season. Anyone who is grieving a suicide, death, or considering suicide is encouraged to attend. Attendance at the meeting, as well as the content, will be strictly confidential. The Fresh Start Cafe will be open, and you can eat during the meetings. This meeting place was offered by Dan Cantine of the 12-24 Club. You need not be a member to attend. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

New depression group begins

J.R.s Hunt for Life is offering See it Clearly, a free peer support group for persons suffering from depression and other mental conditions that lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. We are not professionals but rather a group of like-minded peers wishing to support each other in these struggles. We offer anonymity and confidentiality to all attending. Our meetings are at 6:45 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 500 South Wolcott in the conference room on the second floor, (12-24 Club). If you have ever considered or attempted taking your life or are struggling, please come. You are important to us. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

Family offers faith-based groups

The family of J.R. Hunter, who committed suicide, is going to begin two more support groups, these faith-based, in addition to the groups they run on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at the 12-24 Club. Those continue. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

J.R.s Hunt; for life presents faith-based grief and depression peer to peer support groups at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Restoration Church, 411 S. Walsh. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

Grief Support Group, Good Grief: A faith-based grief support group that our family hosts on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 5:30 p.m. at Restoration Church. Our loss has moved us to offer this to anyone grieving. Youll experience comfort and understanding. We get it. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

Depression Support Group, See It Clearly: A faith-based free peer to peer support group for persons suffering from depression and other mental conditions that may lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. We are not professionals but rather a group of like-minded peers wishing to support each other in these struggles. We offer anonymity and confidentiality to all attending. Our meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Restoration Church. If you have ever considered or attempted taking your life or are struggling, please come. You are important to us. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

Parkinsons exercise

Rocky Mountain Therapy is offering a Parkinsons exercise program. Join us from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 E. Second St., Building 500. These classes are open to anyone with Parkinsons or caring for someone with Parkinsons.

Thursdays class is tailored for the individual with more advanced Parkinsons and focuses on improving endurance, safety and managing symptoms. We are open to all ages and can tailor the class to meet varying exercise needs. The cost of the class is $5. To RSVP, call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon.

Celebrate Recovery every Friday

Celebrate Recovery meets at 5:30 p.m. every Friday at Highland Park Community Church, just south of Elkhorn Valley Rehabilitation Hospital on East Second Street. We start with a family meal, followed by praise and worship. At 7 p.m., theres either a lesson from Celebrate Recoverys planned curriculum or a testimony by a person who has found recovery through Christ. Then, people go to gender-specific small groups until 8:30 p.m., when dessert and fellowship conclude the evening. Child care is available at no cost. For more information, contact Chris at 265-4073.

Here and Now: Dementia-focused monthly art class

Classes are every third Tuesday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. There is no charge. Here and Now is a program made possible through a collaboration between Wyoming Dementia Care and the Nicolaysen Art Museum. It is designed to provide a supportive environment for people with dementia and Alzheimers and their loved ones.

To register, contact Dani with Wyoming Dementia Care 265-4678, ext. 106, or at wyodementia@casperseniorcenter.com or Zhanna Gallegos at 235-5247 or at zgallegos@thenic.org.

Latin Club meets

Wish you had taken Latin in school or had paid better attention when you did? You are welcome to join the Latin Study Club at Mount Hope Lutheran School, 2300 Hickory. This friendly group of language enthusiasts meets on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m., to study Latin, free of charge. We will pick up where we left off last year, Chapter 4 of Wheelocks Latin, 7th edition. Noli timere!

Mount Hope Lutheran School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin.
Brent Kleinjan is the CEO at Nerd YMCA of Natrona County, which opened the first phase of its new facility last Monday. He has been in Casper for six years, coming from the YMCA in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Formerly the Casper Family YMCA, the new name comes from the leadership donation of the McMurry Foundation. The Casper-based Nerd group of companies was founded by Casper native, oil and gas pioneer and philanthropist Mick McMurry, who along with his wife, Susie, began the McMurry Foundation in 1998. Mick McMurry died in March 2015; Susie and the family continue to run the companies.

Even for us internally, you just refer to yourself as one thing for so long, but as time goes on it will be less confusing, Kleinjan said.

Because of the cold and wind, there has been a delay in constructing the new sign, which will also help with the name recognition, Kleinjan said.

How have the first few days been in the new facility? Theyve gone really well. Monday (Jan. 2) was a holiday. So we opened at 5 a.m., and we didnt realize because of the holiday, everybody who was off was sleeping in. Then from 10 a.m. on, it was nonstop busy. We have signed up 100 new units (memberships of varying kinds) already in two days. New people are signing up right now while we are talking.

What has the response of the public been? People just love it. The building flows nice; its visually appealing; the colors are great. Just a lot of excitement. The new building is 38,000 square feet and includes a primarily open area with one entrance so staff can see everybody come and go. Features include a fieldhouse that fits two regulation-sized gyms, a wellness center, fitness center and free weight area, an in-house, drop-in child care area for parents who are working out (with an adjoining outdoor playground) and new locker rooms and steam rooms.

There is also a member lounge with a fireplace and large windows that face the parking lot, where seniors can enjoy coffee after exercising and youth can wait for rides after school and in the evenings.

Will you explain Phase 2 and the timetable for the new pool? The footprint for the pool was designed into the Nerd YMCA building. The space is already there. We just knock out a cement block wall, and thats the pool. The pool space needs to be designed, then you know how much its going to cost. We have about 10,000 square feet of space for the pool. So the design is first. Once we get designed, well get a cost and then determine the timeline for fundraising. We dont really have one yet; we think well start on that this winter or spring and maybe by summer have the conceptual design basic features and what it will cost. Both an outdoor skate park and playground, as well as all landscaping, are not yet complete. We just ran out of weather. Those are Phase 1, and they are definitely being done.

What should folks unfamiliar with the YMCA know? I invite them to come check it out. Its there for them; many wonderful donors built it for the community to use. We want the community to know everyone is welcome here. It doesnt matter how much you have worked out in the past. This is for everyone.

Kleinjan says there will be a day-long official grand opening celebration on Jan. 28. Details will be forthcoming.
As a public defender, Nichole Collier never thought shed someday sit on the other side of the bench.

She liked working one-on-one with her clients and giving a voice to those who couldnt afford their own attorney. She enjoyed the thrill of trial.

But for years she listened to herself encourage her female friends to apply for high-level jobs and run for public offices that were overwhelmingly staffed by men. In 2015, she decided she should take her own advice. She applied to work as a magistrate for the Natrona County Circuit Court to fill in when the full-time judges werent available.

She got the job.

Now, almost two years later, the city has hired Collier as one of the judges for the Casper Municipal Court, a more consistent and high-profile job than intermittent days on the bench. The municipal court handles violations of city ordinances, including traffic laws and misdemeanor crimes.

You dont see as many women on the bench, she said Wednesday, her first day in the new position. Its important that all citizens think theyre fully represented in the justice system.

About 19 percent of state court judges in Wyoming are female, while women make up about half of the state population, according to a 2016 database compiled by researchers at Vanderbilt University and the University of Toronto. Nationally, about 30 percent of state judges are female, even though about the same number of women attend law school as men.

Former Casper Municipal Court Judge Kara Fink announced she would leave the position on Nov. 2. Three members of the Casper City Council interviewed candidates for the position, and Collier was selected.

Working as a judge isnt entirely new to Collier, however. Since 2015, Collier has filled in as a provisional magistrate in the municipal court and Natrona County Circuit Court as needed. Despite her previous experience, theres still quite a bit of a learning curve to her new position, she said.

Its different being on this side of the bench, she said. When youre an advocate and an attorney for someone, youre in a completely different position.

Collier earned her law degree in 2003 from George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. She returned to Casper later that year to work as a clerk for the district court.

In 2004, she was hired by the Wyoming Office of the State Public Defender as assistant public defender in municipal, circuit and district court. During that time, she represented between 100 and 300 clients a year and brought multiple felony cases to trial.

She left the public defenders office in 2009 to spend more time with her children, though she continued to practice law part-time as a private attorney. She will continue to work as an attorney in her free time while she serves as municipal judge.

Collier said Wednesday that she wouldnt rule out eventually serving full-time as a circuit or district court judge if given the opportunity.

The city will pay Collier about $56,000 for the part-time position, according to her contract. Municipal judges work one month on and one month off. When shes on duty, she expects to work between 20 and 35 hours a week, Collier said. Unlike judges in state circuit and district courts, municipal court judges serve at will and can be fired by council.

While she doesnt have any specific goals for the court in the near future, she expects shell develop some as she settles into the job.

At this point in time, Im just kind of learning and finding my groove, she said. Im figuring out how Im going to be when Im on the bench.
More nonviolent felons who have completed their entire sentence  including probation and parole  would have their voting rights automatically restored under a bill introduced in the Wyoming Legislature.

Under the current system, nonviolent felons who completed their sentence before Jan. 1, 2016, were convicted under federal law or who were sentenced out of state can have their rights restored, but must first complete an application process.

Felons who were sentenced in Wyoming and completed their sentence after Jan. 1, 2016, would be exempt from the application requirement.

House Bill 75 eliminates the application process and instead directs the Wyoming Department of Corrections to automatically issue certificates of voting rights restoration to affected people if their conviction was in Wyoming.

Felons convicted outside of Wyoming or by a federal law would have to submit a request to the Department of Corrections.

The department would also have to notify the respective county clerk that voting rights have been restored if the felon is a Wyoming resident.

In the past couple years, I have encountered numerous people who cant figure out how to get through the system, said Rep. James Byrd, D-Cheyenne, the lead sponsor of the bill.

Byrd called the last election absolutely a travesty for those people that are eligible to have their voting rights restored but couldnt navigate the application process.

The application is on the Department of Corrections website and requires felons to mail to the department the application, a copy of the judgment and sentence, and a document showing the expiration of sentence or completion of probation or parole.

The department then issues a written decision on voting rights.

Most of these people are on the edge of giving up on society as it is, Byrd said. It is disingenuous for us as a society to make it that difficult for nonviolent felons to get their voting rights back.

Wyoming has had some of the strictest laws on felon voting rights.

Two states  Maine and Vermont  never take away a felons right to vote, while 13 states and the District of Columbia remove the right only while the felon is incarcerated, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The rest of the states either dont restore the right to vote until after a sentence has been completed or require action by the governor or a court to do so.

State Reps. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette; Stan Blake, D-Green River; Charles Pelkey, D-Laramie; and Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, have co-sponsored the bill.
The lawmakers responses were blunt and immediate: The looming education funding crisis, a shortfall of $400 million annually, is the most serious issue the Legislature will face during the session that begins Tuesday.

A downturn in the energy sector has forced lawmakers to finally grapple with the looming question of how to pay for Wyomings public education system with less mineral revenue.

Last year, Gov. Matt Mead wanted a task force to address the issue. The group was never formed.

But now, the half-dozen legislators who spoke to the Star-Tribune warned against doing the ostrich thing and pretending the crisis, projected as a $1.8 billion shortfall by June 2022, isnt as serious as it is. Many said it had to be addressed now.

You cant put your head in the sand, said Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper. This is real, and you have to deal with it.

Right now, lawmakers dealing with the massive monetary hole created by a two-year downturn in the energy industry said cuts are likely: Landen estimated $80 million to $100 million in reductions to the School Foundation Program Account. That number sounded right to Rep. David Northrup, R-Powell, Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody, and Sen. Drew Perkins, R-Casper.

Weve got to get significant parts of it solved right now, this session, Perkins said, emphasizing the last words.

And if they dont, if a solution isnt fully in the works by the time the Legislature adjourns in March, Speaker-elect Steve Harshman said he has a backstop bill to build a supercommittee of select legislators, with an eye on a special session in July.

Its very serious, he said. Weve got to get it solved. All hands on deck.

The white paper

Lawmakers say there is no one way to fix the education funding problem. Instead, theyve identified five areas to examine:

cutting budgets;

tapping into savings, including the Legislatures rainy day fund;

modifying existing funding sources;

changing spending policies;

raising taxes.

Were not going to tax it all, not going to cut it all, Harshman said of the shortfall. A multi-pronged approach, then, is the way to tackle the crisis. But he acknowledged that none of the options would be easy to pursue.

Still, he said, I think all five of (the areas) are doable.

Landen agreed but said, like several other legislators, that taxpayers would want to see state leaders make cuts before they consider any tax increases.

I do think just about everything is on the table, he said. First looking at reductions.

The white paper report, drafted by an education subcommittee around Christmas, also identified a number of suggestions to help fill in the shortfall. It included halving the budget for school activities, eliminating funding for the instructional facilitators program, cutting school operation days from 185 to 180 and increasing the sales tax.

To gauge the response to these wide-ranging and potentially controversial proposals, the subcommittee asked for feedback on the suggestions.

The other piece (to the crisis) is that people care, man, Harshman said. Theyre passionate about their schools and their communities.

A consortium of school districts, including Laramie No. 1, Campbell No. 1 and Sweetwater No. 1 and 2, released a response to the white paper. They, like Natrona County superintendent Steve Hopkins, who was not part of the coalition, praised the plan and its multifaceted approach to school funding, (which was) not singularly focused on cuts.

Still, though, they criticized the small amount of time given to districts to respond to the broad proposals. They pointed out that the report was released on Dec. 27, and districts and other officials had a week  which included the New Year holiday  to respond to a report that has massive implications for education funding.

During that brief window, nearly 600 comments were sent in. Harshman has read every one, and he said the comments were almost all constructive. But, he added, they didnt make legislators jobs any easier by uniformly calling for the elimination of one program. Many did acknowledge the heavy reliance school funding has upon minerals; roughly 65 percent of money for public education in Wyoming comes from that sector.

A foggy proposal

Unfortunately, the economic downturn means Wyomings mineral-reliant schools are going to get squeezed. Lawmakers said an omnibus bill, representing lawmakers primary attempt at addressing the crisis, will likely be drafted partially off of the white paper report and the public comments that followed. Using the areas identified in the report, such a bill would likely divide the $400 million annual shortfall into five categories, each responsible for around $80 million of the shortfall.

Because the subcommittee disbanded without drafting the bill, its difficult to say what exactly the legislation will look like. But within that fog lies the immediate future of funding for Wyoming public education, which last week was ranked seventh best in the nation.

Despite the uncertainty, lawmakers have ideas for what will be targeted.

Coe said legislators will look at student activities; the white paper report recommended cutting activities funding in half and shifting some fees to parents, which would save $15 million a year. Northrup said he thought a 10 percent reduction was more likely. He pointed to research that shows students involved in extracurricular activities do better in school.

Natrona Countys Hopkins agreed. He said around 98 percent of students in his district who participate in school activities graduate. As of last spring, the district-wide graduation rate was around 75 percent. He also expressed concern about the white papers proposal to shift fees to parents, which Hopkins called pay-to-play.

Still, he said the district was ready to do its part to address the crisis. He said he supported a 0.6 percent reduction  one of the options outlined in the white paper report. Such a reduction to each districts budget would yield the state $10 million a year in savings.

The report also mentioned consolidating the states 48 districts into 23, one per county. The move would close no schools, the report says, but would consolidate administrative duties. Legislators have expressed little appetite for that move, which would save $7.5 million annually, and though Coe said it would be an option, he doesnt support consolidation.

The teachers teachers

One program that legislators did express interest in examining was the instructional facilitators program, Northrup said. The program, in which experienced educators help teachers learn new styles and deploy schools educational strategies, was also frequently mentioned by lawmakers who spoke to the Star-Tribune.

Instructional facilitators may be cut in half (this year), and then next year phased out entirely, Northup said. The white paper report says eliminating the program would save $22 million a year.

But research shows the program improves student achievement, superintendent Donna Little-Kaumo of Sweetwater County School District No. 2 said Friday. Additionally, getting rid of it would be a messy move that would cost teachers their jobs, she said.

Instructional facilitators have a lot of experience  they have to have a masters degree, Little-Kaumo said. So when they get put back into a classroom, somebodys going to lose their job ... (cutting) instructional facilitators feels like an easy thing to do, but nobodys talked about people wed have to bump out of jobs.

Lawmakers may eye the program as an easy cut because it lies outside of the block grant given to the schools each year. Officials are hesitant to toy with the funding model because of its history: It was created after the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled 20 years ago that the state had to provide the best education possible to every student in the Cowboy State.

That funding model guarantees the amount of money each district receives from the state and is recalibrated every five years. Lawmakers are so hesitant to adjust individual parts of the model that they effectively killed two bills last month that wouldve increased class sizes, a move that would have opened up the model and tinkered with one of its parts.

At the time, Coe said there was consensus among lawmakers that a solution to the crisis would come from studying all aspects of it. Harshman and Gov. Matt Mead had similarly been calling for a holistic approach by legislators.

Enter the white paper. In addition to suggesting reductions and other partial solutions, it also recommended dipping into rainy day funds, including the Legislatures. Harshman said that the fund exists for times like this: This is the fastest drop of revenue in state history, he said.

But because of the decline, the Legislature has spent $1.2 billion of its rainy day fund over the past two years, he said, half of which was allocated to education.

Its buying us some time to get some solutions, he said.

But its one-time money, said Sen. Bruce Burns, the Senate chairman of the Joint Appropriations Committee. Hes opposed to the idea of using the Legislatures reserves for education funding.

You spend that, and you dont have it again, he explained. The idea of dipping into the rainy-day fund tells me that we have failed to pass a sustainable funding model (for education) or for anything else for that matter.

Time and taxes

There was similar lack of consensus on the contentious issue of raising taxes.

The fifth part of the plan, revenue enhancements, received, at best, a lukewarm response from lawmakers. Coe and Perkins said they opposed tax increases until at least there were cuts to education. Hopkins said he understood a tax increase was unlikely until the districts showed they were willing to do their part and take the pain of a reduction. In his assessment, Perkins was blunt, all but kicking the white page reports fifth leg out from beneath it.

I would be very surprised if a tax-raising bill passed this session, he said.

There was near-universal agreement, however, about giving the districts time to adjust to whatever was  or wasnt  coming down the pipeline.

Perkins anticipated any cuts would be phased in over a two- or three-year period, with maximum control given to the districts.

For the most part ... (the cuts will) come out of the block grant, he said, referring to the money given to districts. Itll be up to each local district to implement changes themselves.

Many of the comments that followed the white paper advocated for local control of the process, Harshman said. He agreed with the idea, saying that no lawmaker ran against local control.

Hopkins has similarly asked for phased-in cuts. Distributing cuts over time would help districts absorb heavy blows.

If they stay in the realm of $80 million ... and they spread that over a few years, and they let us know what theyll look like, Im realistically optimistic that we could pull this off, he said.

But if an $80 million hammer falls all at once? Thats when its going to become more challenging to achieve the reductions without letting it negatively affect the quality of education.

In other words, its all about timing. Take the instructional facilitators program. In Natrona County, those are contracted employees. If the Legislature axed the program immediately, those teachers would still be contracted, while other teachers might not be. Layoffs, which Hopkins stressed is the last thing the district wants to consider, would be hard to avoid.

But should the program be eliminated slowly, it would allow the district to open up positions for those facilitators as other faculty and staff retired or moved on, Hopkins said.

When its all said and done, lawmakers said that they had a duty to address the massive shortfall and make the cuts needed to keep public schools across Wyoming up and running.

We cant go home to our constituents without having done our jobs, Perkins said. Its our primary job this session. If we dont do our jobs, we ought to be held accountable, frankly.
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The overall health of Arizonas banks continued steady improvement in the third quarter, judging by the latest ratings from a major bank research firm.

For the third quarter of 2016, 70.6 percent of banks operating in the state were recommended by Florida-based Bauer Financial Inc.  meaning they won one of Bauers top two ratings, superior or excellent  while 11.8 percent were rated troubled or problematic.

Nationally, 87 percent of banks were recommended by Bauer, while 2.6 percent were on the troubled or problematic list. Bauer bases its ratings on federal regulatory filings.

The percentage of recommended banks operating in Arizona was up from 68.4 percent in third-quarter 2015, while the percentage of banks rated troubled or problematic rose from 10.5 percent in the prior year.

For banks operating in Arizona, the only changes in Bauer ratings from the prior quarter involved two smaller banks with limited operations.

Mohave State Bank, which operates in Mohave County, saw its rating rise a half-star to four stars, or excellent. North Dakota-based First International Bank & Trust, which has three branches in the Phoenix area, dropped to four stars from five.

Ratings were unchanged for all rated banks operating in Tucson, including two local banks that have been under regulatory orders to raise capital.

Commerce Bank of Arizona remained at Bauers one-star, or troubled rating.

Commerce, which got slammed by a wave of bad small-business loans in the wake of the recession, has been under a consent order with federal and state regulators to raise its capital reserves since 2013.

The bank raised $2.7 million last year mainly from local investors and began a new fundraising round in December that is going very well, Commerce CEO John P. Lewis said.

Commerce Banks capital reserve ratios remain below the level required in the banks consent agreement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., but its percentage of non-performing assets continued to improve, to 5.5 percent in the third quarter from 6.3 percent in second-quarter 2016.

Commerce posted net income of $53,000 in the third quarter and $106,000 through Sept. 30 last year, after reporting a $271,000 loss in all of 2015.

Canyon Community Bank posted a $117,000 third-quarter loss and is still rated just two stars, or problematic in Bauers most recent ratings.

The bank raised $9.5 million from a Texas-based investment holding company in November 2015, making it one of the states best-capitalized banks.

Canyon had filed a request with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to lift a 2013 consent order that required the bank to raise its capital reserves. The order remained in effect as of last week, according to online records.

Meanwhile, Arizonas credit unions remain financially strong, with more than 84 percent recommended by Bauer and no troubled or problematic institutions.

Nationwide, 80.3 percent of credit unions were recommended while 2.2 percent were troubled or problematic.
A new clinical diagnostic lab in Tucson aims to provide sophisticated analysis to health-care providers and clinical-trial groups, while carving a niche in the emerging market for molecular analysis for new drug research.

Founded by a group including a former University of Arizona biotech program administrator, Pharos Diagnostics has set up a new high-complexity lab in midtown Tucson.

Pharos specializes in a molecular analysis technology known as mass spectrometry or simply mass spec, which identifies molecules based on their masses and the trajectories they take through an electric or magnetic field.

The company has set up one mass spectrometer in its lab, a former dental office at 3814 E. Fifth St., and plans to install two more, said Nina Ossanna, vice president and co-founder of Pharos and former business-development director for the UAs Bio5 Institute.

Ossanna founded Pharos with several former employees of California-based LCMS Laboratories, which opened with some fanfare in Oro Valley in 2015 only to close last year.

In December, Pharos won federal certification under the guidelines of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), allowing it to begin offering services.

Pharos Diagnostics plans to provide diagnostic services to clinicians, researchers, and drug-development companies.

The labs Agilent mass-spectrometer, which cost upward of $200,000, is a state-of-the-art instrument that can rapidly identify a range of substances at the molecular level. To separate molecular fragments for mass spectrometry, Pharos uses a technique known as high-performance liquid chromatography.

When subjected to mass spec, Each of those fragments is like a fingerprint, said Ossana.

This is essentially the most precise diagnostic instrument there is  it really is the gold standard of diagnostics, she said.

Initially the company hopes to provide sophisticated testing services for such things as vitamin levels and hormones, as well as high-sensitivity drug testing.

Longer term, Pharos hopes to collaborate with the UA and local drug research companies to help identify molecular targets and therapies, including development of companion diagnostics, matching individual patients with specific drug therapies.

Ossanna said Pharos isnt looking to do the volume of bigger labs, some of which focus on drug testing.

Tucson already is home to several CLIA-certified independent labs, including some that offer moderate-and high-complexity testing, in addition to labs affiliated with physicians and hospitals.

Larger independent lab players include Sonora Quest Laboratories, a joint venture between Banner Health and Quest Diagnostics, and J2 Labs, which has four Tucson lab sites.

But some local labs send high-complexity tests out of Tucson for processing, and Pharos aims to scoop up some of that business.

In the past, youd have to send samples to New York or Salt lake City, said Ernest Jimenez III, Pharos lab manager and a UA alumnus and former LCMS lab manager.

Pharos has also set up a veterinary side of the business and is already discussing work with some veterinary providers, Ossanna said.

The company has 10 employees, and its founders and investors include lab veterans Jimenez and several staffers from LCMS Labs shuttered operation here.

Those include former LCMS Vice President Mike Bergthold, now Pharos CEO, and Dale Ziegler, formerly CEO of LCMS and now chairman of Pharos.

Ossanna said Pharos founders so far have bootstrapped the companys development with investments from the principals and some investors in California.

The company recently hired Dr. Diane Eklund, a UA alumnus and former director of the San Diego Blood Bank, as its chief medical officer. Eklund completed her residency and her clinical pathology certification at the UA in 1996 and was transfusion division chief at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center until 2001.
A key permit decision on the proposed Rosemont Mine  which would be the countrys third-largest copper mine  wont be made until after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

The Army Corps of Engineers said last week it doesnt expect to issue its decision on a Clean Water Act permit for the mine until after Jan. 20, when Trump is inaugurated. It declined in response to a question from the Star to give a timeline for the decision.

A lower-level Corps office in Los Angeles recommended denial of the permit last July. The higher-level, San Francisco-based South Pacific Division will make the decision and continues to review records associated with the recommendation, said spokeswoman Heather Babb.

This includes the final environmental impact statement, scientific studies and permit and agency comments, Babb said in an email.

Two outside legal experts of widely different political views agreed that all things being equal, a Trump administration decision would likely be better for the mine than a ruling under the Obama administration. But that doesnt make the mines approval a sure thing, said law professors Jonathan Adler of Case Western University and Patrick Parenteau of the Vermont Law School.

In fact, a recent statement from the Corps new South Pacific commander, Pete Helmlinger, to mine applicant Hudbay Minerals Inc., could be a signal that a denial is coming, said the two professors, who have closely followed the Army Corps for years.

Helmlinger, who started the job in August, toured the proposed mine site in the Santa Rita Mountains last month. He has advised Hudbay that if the decision is to deny the permit, he would provide prior notification about the reasons the application does not meet regulatory requirements and would discuss any measures that could lead to a permit approval, Babb told the Star.

Trump, while not taking a public position on Rosemont, has repeatedly blasted what he sees as federal regulatory overreach.

Obama has tightened a number of federal environmental rules and proposed many new ones, and his administration has in the past eight months denied permits to the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota, to a coal export terminal in Bellingham, Washington, and to a mine on Forest Service land in Minnesota. The first two of those decisions were made by the Army Corps.

If Im seeking the permit for some sort of extractive project, the mine or something else, I prefer my chances in a Trump administration rather than the Obama administration, said the libertarian-leaning Adler.

But as a military operation, The Corps prides itself on maintaining independence from the political operatives, at least at the level where this decision will be made, Parenteau said.

Its not clear Rosemont would necessarily be high-profile enough for administration higher-ups to get involved or to have a major effect on the decision, added Adler. But there is that possibility, he said. Agencies are aware that new folks may want to evaluate it differently.

Babb said she cant speculate how the Corps is leaning while its review is being conducted.

Parenteau, who has worked for environmental groups and federal agencies, said simple logic suggests Helmlingers statement could foretell a denial.

No need to give Hudbay one last crack at it if the permit was about to be issued, said Parenteau, senior counsel for Vermont Law Schools Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic.

Its certainly an indication, suggestive, or a signal that a denial could be coming, said Adler, director of Case Westerns Center for Business Law and Regulation and a senior fellow for the Property and Environment Research Center, which seeks to improve environmental quality through free markets and property rights.

At the same time, there is often some degree of back and forth between the Corps and permit applicants over mitigation terms, Adler added. That happens if the Corps believes a project could be done in a way that meets its standards, but whats proposed doesnt specifically meet them, he said.

The Corps permit is one of two key decisions remaining for the $2 billion copper mine project. The other is a formal record of decision from the U.S. Forest Service. Rosemont would dispose of its waste rock and tailings on Coronado National Forest land while mining on private land.

Forest Service officials have been generally favorable to the project, having issued a tentative approval in December 2013 on the grounds that they believed the mine would meet all environmental laws.

But the Corps has been much cooler, with its Los Angeles-based officials repeatedly saying through 2014 that Rosemonts plans to compensate for mine impacts on neighboring washes and streams were inadequate. The Corps has since said little publicly about the mine, other than to confirm the negative recommendation of July 2016. It has declined to release a copy of the recommendation.

The mine would remove about 243 million pounds of copper a year from Rosemonts open pit. Hudbay has pledged to hire at least 400 permanent employees, many at high salaries. It commissioned a study by an Arizona State University economist that concluded the mine would bring many billions of dollars in economic benefits to Arizona over the projects expected 25-year life.

But environmentalists and other mine opponents, including Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, have expressed concerns that the mine would pollute air and water, jeopardize imperiled species including a rare jaguar, and drain neighboring water supplies including the lush Cienega Creek. Their views have won acceptance at some federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, but not from others such as the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Another reason a Trump administration decision isnt necessarily a done deal is that Helmlinger is an Obama administration holdover, Adler and Parenteau said. Hudbay can appeal a negative decision to the Corps chief of engineers, who reports to the assistant Army secretary.

At the EPA, top regional administrator jobs traditionally flip when the White House changes parties, but theres normally less political turnover at the Corps, the two professors said.

The Army Corps is part of the Army. The military has a chain of command and a seniority system that is based on military criteria, Adler said. There arent as many political positions that are selected on a political basis.

The question is whether Helmlinger will get any direction from above, Parenteau said.
The Tucson City Council will be asked on Tuesday to sign off on a deal to give the regions largest private employer, Raytheon Missile Systems, $6 million worth of additional tax breaks to help the company expand and hire 1,900 new employees.

The deal is the second amendment to what is called the pre-annexation agreement that dates back to 1995 between the city and what was then Hughes Missile Systems Co., now Raytheon.

The agreement was meant to help offset costs Raytheon would incur when it was annexed by the city by depositing revenue from certain use and electricity taxes paid by the company into a fund that would be used for the mutual benefit of the company and the city.

The money, for example, could be used to fund public infrastructure improvements, such as roads around the company, improve transit services, buy property to help create a buffer around the companys facility near the airport as well as other agreed-upon capital improvements.

Under a previous amendment, the city allowed for up to $8 million of tax revenues paid by Raytheon to be set aside to help the defense contractor expand locally.

The revised deal set for a vote Tuesday increases the cap amount to $14 million.

The proposed agreement also includes a new section that states Raytheon would agree to the city annexing its facility at 9000 S. Rita Road, in the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park, if and when an annexation petition is presented.

Raytheon is expected to spend roughly $400 million on the planned expansion, creating a minimum of 1,900 new jobs at an average salary of $110,000. The expansion, officially announced in November, is also expected to create new jobs in Tucson indirectly, ranging from construction jobs to partners that have service contracts with Raytheon.

The median household income in Pima County was about $46,000 in 2014, according to the most recent estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The contract contains six separate clauses allowing the city to sever the agreement if Raytheon fails to meet expected deadlines.

For example, Raytheon must break ground on the expansion no later than September 2018, must spend at least $100 million on the expansion before September 2019 and must have hired at least 1,900 new employees by January 2021.

Another clause requires the new employees must work for Raytheon in Southern Arizona for at least three years.

Councilman Steve Kozachik is looking forward to finalizing the new agreement .

Allowing them to reinvest money generated by their own operations to catalyze 1,900 net new high-paying jobs and see a $400 million capital improvement makes sense from everybodys perspective, he said.

Councilwoman Regina Romero said the agreement is a shining example of the citys Primary Jobs Incentive program, whose mission is to attract high-wage, long-term jobs with health-care benefits for Tucsonans.

This project exceeds all of the goals of the program, she said.

A representative for Raytheon declined to discuss the details of the agreement.

Pima County has also approved several incentives with the company following the announcement of its expansion.

Raytheon has about 10,000 employees, according to city documents.
Hey, Tucson High Badgers. Have you talked to Jerry Strutz lately? Havent? You should.

The guys got a ton of passion for the old school. Get him talking about Tucson High and he wont quit. Loves the school. Loves the people who went there. And he wants to help the students, staff and faculty who are there now.

Seriously. The dude is all Tucson High, 24-7.

Funny thing is, Strutz didnt go to Tucson High. Nope. Not even for a day.

But hes a true, true Badger. Hes from Wisconsin, said his wife, Margie Navarro Strutz, who graduated from THS in 64.

Yup, this University of Wisconsin Badger is all in for Tucson High Magnet School, and as chairman of the Tucson High Badger Foundation and its board of directors, Strutz is leading the effort to reinvigorate the group with new members and increased funds to support the students.

Everybody I talk to from Tucson High has so much pride, said Strutz.

As well they should.

As the citys oldest high school  in fact, Tucson is the states oldest high school  thousands of Tucsonans, here and elsewhere, are alumni of the grand school on East Sixth Street and North Euclid Avenue. As a magnet school, its programs in media arts, sciences and math, and language arts have produced numerous outstanding graduates.

Strutz and the foundations board of directors are looking to tap the alumni and ask them to give back to the 110-year-old school.

A lot of people, graduates of Tucson High, dont even know what the foundation does, said Strutz, who for 40 years had an insurance business on North First Avenue.

Among its activities, the foundation provides grants to students who are unable to pay for Advanced Placement tests and other academic fees, or costs associated with music and dance programs. The foundation also gives two annual scholarships to Pima Community College. And annually the foundation recognizes top students and their parents for their accomplishments, and elects former alumni, staff and faculty to the foundations Hall of Fame.

The foundation could do so much more if it had more members who could help the Badger support group increase its reach.

Its been the most gratifying volunteer opportunity Ive had, said Barbara Escobar, who graduated from Tucson High in 1983. Her husband, Martin Escobar, is also a Tucson grad. Their son Levi graduated in 2014 and daughter Miranda is a junior.

At 51, Escobar is one of the younger members of the foundation board. Recruiting new members is hard, she said, because of time commitments. But Escobar emphasizes to her family and friends that they can make a difference, direct and immediate, in students lives.

There are now about 500 foundation members, but at one time there were twice as many, said Strutz. Members pay $25 a year.

The foundation relies on the interest generated from a $150,000 endowment to pay for scholarships and grants. It also sells merchandise at sporting events, and sells commemorative pavers for $150. The bricks are engraved and placed on the campus.

The school was created in 1906 and in the first two decades, classes were held at several sites, including the present Roskruge Bilingual K-8 School on East Sixth Street and at 1010 E. 10th St., where the Tucson Unified School District offices are located. Tucson High at its present location, with its magnificent columns adorning the main building, opened in 1924.

The schools graduates include a whos who of well-known Tucsonans. It would take several columns to list them all.

But its not just the well-known Tucson grads the foundation is seeking as new members. The group wants any and all who want to support the students and staff, and in doing so make our town that much better.

You gotta make people believe, said Strutz in his best sales-pitch voice.
The first thing you'll learn at Creative Tribe Workshop is that meeting new people doesn't have to be awkward.

That's why they have you doing something.

Making a flower crown. Decorating a cupcake. Learning how to take Instagram-worthy photos.

All the while, the tribe regulars hope you'll get past the small talk and start discovering common interests and mindsets.

That was how the whole thing started in the first place. Theresa Delaney and Susana Starbuck wanted to make some friends and find some mentors. That was in September 2015.

"We met at Time Market and over some pizza just brainstormed ideas for how to tap into this creative culture we could feel that was within Tucson, but there wasn't much to cultivate it and grow it," Starbuck, 28, says. "How do we unite people who are artists and entrepreneurs who want to get together and talk about their own ideas and learn other trades?"

How? You create a tribe.

A place to call home

Fast forward to a new year and a new studio.

In October 2016, Creative Tribe Workshop moved into its own space at 236 S. Scott Ave.

On the second floor of what was once downtown funeral home, light streams through a row of windows.

It was once a place for endings.

But no more.

The crisp white walls and rough wood floors in the former Bring Funeral Homes on Scott Avenue now provide a canvas for beginnings.

Friendships. Ideas. Skills. Delaney envisions all of it blossoming here.

"We had been in restaurants and didn't have much control over the style or aesthetic, and for a creative community that is so essential," Delaney, 24, says. "It's just something that creative people care about, and it nurtures their creativity."

Creative Tribe Workshop opened the studio in November 2016, welcoming the community into a multi-room space big enough for a long conference table, a sweet lounge, an open space for workshops and a co-working space for creatives to sub-lease.

"A physical presence is a relief for the group," says Emily Powell, a 31-year-old who has attended many of the monthly workshops and most of the monthly bonfires, or collaborative sessions. "It was fun to go around and try new businesses, but if you're doing a physical project, you need space to get messy and sit on the floor or spill a little paint or have some elbow room."

Collaborative community

The first Creative Tribe Workshop gathered creatives in September 2015 at Ermanos Craft Beer and Wine Bar to learn notebook painting from Phoenix artist Paige Poppe. They followed that with a wellness workshop at Presta Coffee Roasters in November 2015.

"We saw interactions happening and people excited about it and telling us they were looking for something like this but hadn't know it until they attended the workshop," Delaney says.

Danielle Schiess, 28, an instructor for Yoga Oasis, taught at the wellness workshop after attending the first Creative Tribe gathering.

"They're kind of organizing events that I would want to go to anyways, without me having to organize them, and now a lot of my friends go to them," says Schiess, who is also the operations manager at Connect Coworking. "So all my girlfriends can get together, do something creative and off the beaten path. They will introduce me to things that I may never have done before."

When Delaney and Starbuck envisioned Creative Tribe over pizza, they weren't sure if the idea would have any traction.

Delaney had left her full-time job with a local marketing firm to start her own branding business six to nine months before the creation of Creative Tribe, and Starbuck, a stay-at-home mom, was on the cusp of launching her own product photography business.

"I didn't feel like I fit in at professional networking events or with mom groups. Puppies don't count at those," Delaney says. "I didn't have that university bubble to go to either, so I was struggling with finding a place where I felt comfortable asking questions. I mean, I could go stand by the food table, that was easy, but having the confidence to be part of the conversation was different, and that's what I was looking for."

They wanted a place to learn new skills and meet likeminded people. Sure, Delaney had made connections in Facebook groups, but she wanted face-to-face interactions with other Tucsonans.

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"We were like, 'All right, let's figure out a way to resolve this for ourselves,'" Delaney says. "We didn't know there would be other people out there who would be looking for the same thing."

There were.

"Gosh, for me it has been a total game-changer," says Powell, who moved to Tucson in January 2014 not knowing anyone. "It changed Tucson from a place I was looking to leave to a place I'm interested in staying in to be part of this community that is in a formative stage."

The Creative Tribe model

Each month, Creative Tribe hosts a workshop and bonfire  it's not a real bonfire, but rather a space to share ideas, get some work done or just escape the house for a few hours.

The bonfires have helped Powell, a toy product manager for MasterPieces Puzzle Company, begin executing her dream to start a toy company of her own.

Delaney says that about 75 to 80 percent of workshop participants are first-timers. The workshops can be a bit pricey (around $40-60)  supplies, snacks and drinks are usually provided  so many of the tribe faithful make a habit of picking one workshop every few months and then hitting all of the bonfires. A few die-hards make it to most workshops.

As Creative Tribe has grown in popularity, the size of the workshops has stayed the same. Thirty or fewer people in a class makes for better conversation, so workshops have a cap.

"We opened it outside of lines of profession or gender or skill level or age and invited all of these people in regardless of their place in life to gather and learn from each other...." Delaney says. "I found myself meeting people, which had been the intention, but seeing other people in the community connect with each other was inspiring and motivating to see happen."

Mostly women come to the workshops (flower crowns anyone?), but men do make occasional appearances. The ages of participants range from 18-year-old college students to 25-year-old college graduates to 35-year-old stay-at-home moms to 55-year-old empty nesters. Schiess says the age range has widened over time, with younger women now bringing moms and grandmothers.

"Our primary intention is to create space for people to gather and connect, and the way we tie in creativity is that it serves as the facilitator and provides something for people to bond over," Delaney says.

As Creative Tribe has bloomed, so too have similar movements like Cultivate Tucson, Starbuck says.

Powell says Creative Tribe Workshop offers a mix of opportunities to make friends and build professional connections without the formality of typical networking. Outside of work friends, the creatives she has met through these workshops have become her network. And although these aren't friendships that go beyond the monthly Creative Tribe meet ups, they are comfortable.

"I have been to a lot of networking things, and they have a forced feel, and everyone has their peacock tail out, showing off what they can do..." Powell says. "With friendships, you can reveal things that are question marks for you and are in the middle of being formed, not something you're ready to brag about."

Looking forward

Over the summer, Starbuck decided to step aside and focus on her business Little Flower Studios and her four children, ages 4, 3, 2 and 9 months.

"Theresa had these big and amazing plans for Creative Tribe, and as much as I wanted to stay involved, I knew there was a time and place for everything," Starbuck says.

In the coming year, Delaney hopes to add workshops that are more family-friendly and perhaps duplicate some of the more popular events.

The year may also bring an expansion to other cities with the Creative Tribe model adapted to fit a city's culture.

Oh, and she's still running her branding business full time.

"The response has been astounding," Delaney says. "I think this evolution into becoming a real community fixture has been a real natural progression, but one we didn't anticipate. I just knew I wanted it to be locally focused and showcase Tucson and make it a space for people to meet locally and make an offline connection."

Upcoming events:

February Bonfire: 5 to 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6. $7 in advance. $10 day of.

Valentine Floral Arranging Workshop: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12. $55.
Help India!

By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,

Kabul: On Sunday the Independent Election Commission announced the partial result of the Presidential Election. With nearly 10 % votes counted so far, Dr Abdullah Abdullah is leading with 41.89% of votes, while Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai is close behind with 37.60%.

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For partial results we only counted 10 percent 500,000 voteswe are still counting the remaining votes for the final reveal, IEC Chief Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani said, assuring to segregate the dirty votes from clean votes and have a fair final result on time.

Eight candidates are trying their luck to succeed President Hamid Karzai, although the main contest was among three front-runners. Zalmai Rasoul, behind whom Karzai, had put his weight seems to be distant third with 9.8% of the votes counted so far.







Other candidates in the fray are trailing far behind: Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf with 5.1% votes is in the fourth position, followed by Qutbuddin Hilal (2.7%), Gul Agha Sherzai (2.2%), Daoud Sultanzoy (0.5%) and Hedayat Amin Arsalan (0.3%).

The Taliban, who unsuccessfully tried to derail the election process has meanwhile rejected the election and its outcome saying that they are not legitimate. Meanwhile, the other six candidates held a joint press conference at the residence of Sayyaf rejecting the partial result, alleging, large scale fraud, adding, the IEC officials will be held accountable for any negative consequences.

The contest is still wide open as 90% of the vote counts are still left and so far the votes counted include only 26 of the 34 provinces. Result of Nuristan, Daikondi, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Ghor, Ghazni, Paktika, Wardak, etc. are not known yet and they may turn the table.

Although Dr Ghani appeared favourite for many, with Dr Abdullah giving a tough fight; if early signs are indicators of the outcome, it seems that the division in the Pashtun votes may have hampered the chances for Ghani, while Abdullah has been successful in consolidating his vote base. Thus results out so far, indicate that Abdullah is clearly leading in his strongholds: Panjsher (91.75%), Parwan (76.35%), Bamyan (70.17%), Herat (66.52%), etc. Although earlier  unverified result  had suggested Ghani leading in Balkh, it appears now that Abdullah has got over 57% of votes, counted there too.

Largely owing to his strong campaign, Ghani appeared to be popular primarily among Pashtuns, but also among educated class, cutting across ethnic lines, particularly in Kabul. Abdullah has been able to hold on to his vote base even in Kabul and has got 50.31% of votes counted, while Ghani could manage only 34.66% of votes counted in the Capital.

In Kunarha (56.8%), Paktia (73.39%), Khosht (80.28%), etc. Ghani is leading, but in provinces like Nimroz, Helmand, Kandahar, etc. he lost considerable votes to Rasoul as well as to Sherzai and others. In Kandahar, for example, Rasoul is leading with 45.44% of votes. Kandahar has been strong base of Karzai and Qayoom Karzai, brother of Hamid Karzai, had withdrawn his candidature in favour of Rasoul. Sherzai too has got 19.44% of total votes counted so far here. In Helmand, Ghani is the leading candidate with 37.96% of votes counted, but Rasoul (23.77%) and Sherzai (16.61%) again appears to have considerably cut into his vote base.

While Dr Abdullah has welcomed the outcome, calling it highlight of the final result, Dr Ghani still appeared hopeful and said that once fraudulent votes are distinguished from the valid votes, and by the time final result is out things will change in his favour.

Afghanistan had created history on April 5 by turning out in large number to vote for the first transition of power since Hamid Karzai took over after NATO intervention in 2001, braving the incessant rain and threats issued by Taliban. 7 million of the 12 million eligible voters (about 60%) had turned out at 6,212 polling stations defying Talibans attempt to sabotage the election process for a peaceful transition.

The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) has meanwhile received over 3,274 complaints , 1017 of which was against election workers, 338 against presidential candidates, 537 against provincial council candidates (election for provincial council was held simultaneously) and the remaining 699 complaints were miscellaneous issues.

Final result of the Presidential election would be declared on April 24. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in the first round a second round must be held pitting the top two candidates against each other that may elongate the whole process into months.

While Ghani had indicated that he was open to some sort of consensus government in case he is ahead to avoid any run-off, Abdullah appeared opposed to the idea. In case a run-off is held between two front-runners, it would be interesting to see, who would be able to get the support of the rest of the candidates  whose votes might appear as the deciding factor.

Karzai is seen as opposed to Abdullah, and hence if he supports Ghani, he may have the edge, but as the early result points out you cannot underestimate of Dr Abdullah.

Related:

Resilient Afghans come out in large number despite Taliban threats

Nostalgia for Karzai era grips many Afghans
Help India!

By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,

Bhopal: Advocate Haji Mohammad Haroon, president of Madhya Pradesh unit of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, has urged the Government of India, Supreme Court of India (SCI), and National and State Human Rights Commissions to take immediate cognizance of the misuse of Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 1968 in the state. He demanded immediate action against the Shivpuri district administration and trouble monger Hindutva forces, who are indulging in violation of the Act, so that the democratic and human rights of the people of Madhya Pradesh could be saved.

Support TwoCircles



Haji Haroon, who is also the former president of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committees Minority Department, has described the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act as against freedom of religion. He said that this Act is totally contrary to the spirit of the Indian Constitution and is being misused for committing atrocities and harassment of minorities. Therefore, this Act should be abrogated, he further demanded.





Advocate Haji Mohammad Haroon



He pointed out that some Muslim converts had visited Shivpuri collectorate recently to complete the formalities of conversion of religion. They were not only prevented from this but also some Hindutva organisations forcefully decimated their new religious identity. Instead of giving protection to the Muslim converts, Shivpuri district collector registered an FIR and jailed them. The way justice, law and human rights have been violated in this case, is quite contrary to right to freedom and its preaching given by the Constitution of India, he added.

Meanwhile, it may be recalled here that nine members of a Dalit family in Shivpuri district of central Indian state Madhya Pradesh were allegedly prevented from voluntarily converting to Islam in the first week of this month as the officials were not ready to accept their affidavit for conversion with scores of activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, affiliated to the ruling Hindu right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mobbed the family and created ruckus at the office of District Magistrate.





Two of the four members of a family arrested in Madhya Pradesh under the Freedom of Religion Act. (File photo)



Four members of the family, who had converted to Islam, were arrested on September 4 hours after they told a court that they had not been forced into adopting another religion. Seven others were held for questioning. Tularam Jatav, his son Keshav and relatives Manikram and Makhubhai Jatav were arrested under the states Freedom of Religion Act, which allows conversions only if the district administration has verified that they are not forced. Those wanting to change their religion have to seek the states permission. All four, if found guilty, face two years in jail.

It may be mentioned here that when the Jatav family went to a district magistrate with affidavits affirming that they were converting willingly, a large group of activists from VHP and Bajrang Dal arrived too, and started protesting and chanting slogans. Later, an FIR was filed against the Jatavs and a team was sent to their house.





Manikram being taken away by the police. (File photo)



Government officials had said the Jatavs appear to have violated the law, as the probe team had learnt that they had switched to Islam months ago without informing the government.

It is said that Tularam Jatav reportedly converted to Islam two years ago, but retracted the move to settle a property dispute. Last year, he reportedly converted to Islam again, this time along with his son and two relatives.

Others in their village went to the police on August 28 and alleged that forced conversions were taking place in the family. The Jatavs denied it twice, but shortly after they tried to submit affidavits in a court, they were held.
The motive of the attack at the airport is under investigation, but there is a possibility that the attacker probably acted alone. Witnesses told the media that it looked like a war zone, the attacker named #Esteban Santiago opened fire in a baggage claim area at Florida's Fort Lauderdale airport after loading his gun in the restroom. The 26-year-old pulled the weapon from his checked bag and started shooting travellers who were waiting at the Carousel, travellers were standing out and waiting for their turn at baggage claim when they heard shots fired.

People ran had to find some cover

Santiago remains silent throughout the shooting and when he ran out of ammunition, he surrendered to the police. Officials said, whoever is responsible will be held accountable to the full extent of the law. Santiago was flying from Alaska, carrying an army ID. Esteban Santiago served in Iraq in 2010 but was discharged from the Alaska army national guard for unsatisfactory performance in August.

Esteban Santiago was a former US veteran

His mental health is now a subject of a police investigation as his family says he received treatment in Alaska. Although #Terrorism has not been ruled out it is thought that the attacker is mentally disturbed and It is not something new for the United States because it has the highest rate of mass shootings in the world.

The worst in its recent history took place last year when Omer Mateen apparently inspired by ISIS killed 49 people in the LGBT nightclub in Orlando Florida. Esteban Santiago had viewed extremists material online, but it is too early to say at this time whether Terrorism was the main motive.

According to Santiago's brother and the FBI, he was seeking psychological help after he had been diagnosed with mental illness

He apparently was taken to a hospital where he voluntarily checked himself into the hospital and had been receiving treatment, so obviously, a picture is being painted of a troubled individual. Esteban Santiago was understood to have been an Iraq war veteran and deployed to Iraq for about a year. It is not clear whether he saw combat in that role, but it is understood that he was a member of the Puerto Rican national guard and then the national guard in Alaska. #Fort Lauderdale
A former New Jersey woman who had claimed more than a quarter of a century ago that her five-year-old son had disappeared while the two were attending a carnival has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the killing of the little boy, though prosecutors wanted her sent away for the rest of her life.

Prosecutors in New Jerseys Middlesex County were seeking life in prison for 49-year-old Michelle Lodzinski for the 1991 murder of her son -- a crime theyre describing as one of the most notorious crimes in the history of the county. Instead, a judge on Thursday imposed the 30-year sentence, the minimum allowed by New Jersey law.

Despite her efforts to conceal one of the most notorious crimes in the history of Middlesex County by killing her son, dumping his remains in a swamp, falsely claiming he was abducted by strangers, and spearheading a desperate search for a child she knew was already dead, Michelle Lodzinski was sentenced to the minimum sentence permitted under the law, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said in a statement criticizing the sentence.

Lodzinski claimed son disappeared when she went to get a soda

The case dates back to May of 1991 when Lodzinski -- then a 23-year-old single mom -- had reported her son Timothy was missing, telling police he had vanished after she went to get a soda as the two attended the carnival in Sayreville, New Jersey.

Hundreds of volunteers spent days searching for the boy, with the search coming to a sad ending nearly a year later when Timothys remains were found in a swamp in nearby Edison.

Case had gone cold until 2014

Though some investigators had long suspected Lodzinski had killed her son, it wasnt until August of 2014 that the cold case was reopened when prosecutors were able to link Lodzinski to a childs blanket that was found near the boys remains.

Lodzinski was subsequently arrested in Fort Lucie, Florida, where she lived with her two teenage boys, who were both born after Timothys death.

Prosecutors say Lodzinski showed no remorse during the trial and declined to address the court before being sentenced. Shell be eligible for parole after serving 27 years and five months in prison.
Michelle Obama gave her final White House remarks in a passionate and emotional speech as first lady on Friday, January 6, 2017. The 21-minute speech was made while honoring the 2017 School Counselor of the Year. Her final public remarks came exactly two weeks before the Obamas will leave the White House and become private citizens. The speech was during a program that the first lady initiated in 2015 to focus on high school counselors. It was part of her "Reach Higher" program that promotes higher education.

Michelle Obama's final speech

First of all, Michelle Obama thanked all her supporters and said being their first lady has been the greatest honor of her life, and she hopes she has made them proud.

In her final speech as first lady, she gave advice to young people and encouraged them not to be afraid but to be determined and stay focused. She suggested that they be hopeful and empowered as well. In order to be empowered she recommend that they get a good education so they can lead by example.

Michelle Obama's accomplishments

During her eight years in the White House, Mrs. Obama's major causes included education, fitness, and military families. She often spoke out about those issues in the East Room or on the South Lawn. For the young people, she has hosted musicals and theater performances and other cultural events.

The first lady listed some of the things she will miss when she leaves the White House.

At the top of her list, she said she will miss her personal staff that she had grown close to over the eight years they have been attending to her. In a Vogue interview last November, she said she is going to miss waking up every morning and seeing the South Lawn and the Washington Monument.

Not last public appearance

Friday's event included Michelle Obama's last White House speech, but it will not be her last appearance as first lady.

She is scheduled to be a guest on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday, January 11, 2017. That appearance comes nine days before the Obamas will leave the White House.

President Obama's farewell speech

President Obama's farewell speech to the nation is set for Tuesday, January 10, 2017. It will be his last major speech as Commander in Chief. His speech will be delivered in the president's hometown of Chicago 10 days before Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.
The departure of Judith Currey from her safe, tenured position at Georgia Tech should provide a wake-up call for the field of climate science, a discipline that has been rocked by corruption and well-founded accusations of political bias. Currey, while an eminent climate scientist, does not subscribe to the revealed orthodoxy that global warming is human caused and will inexorably cause the death of humanity unless it is addressed with draconian policy measures. For her pains, she had been subjected to savage abuse in the media and scientific community.

So she has decided that her efforts would be best made outside the academia bubble.

Those who have been following the ebb and flow of the climate change debate are familiar with Climategate, the incident in which emails were revealed that suggested that a conspiracy was afoot to alter the data that indicated that there was less than meets the eye about global warming and efforts to silence dissenters. More recently, a controversial climate scientist named Michael Mann filed a defamation suit against journalists to silence criticism of his work which many feel is a threat to the First Amendment.

Currey, not willing to adhere to orthodoxy and wanting to go where the science directs her, has clearly had enough trying to fight the Leviathan from within.

Groupthink, the corruption of government grants, and ego have combined to make free scientific inquiry into the subject of climate change all but impossible.

Mark Steyn, one of the targets of Manns lawsuit, suggested when he was guest hosting on the Rush Limbaugh show that more than a little bit of sexism and misogyny motivated some of the attacks on Currey.

Considering the traditional problems faced by women in the STEM fields, the accusation would seem to be plausible.

In any case, climate science has been broken and ways to fix it dont appear to be apparent. When the media collaborates with the global warming dogma by spreading the meme that those who dissent, no matter what their credentials, are deniers, the equivalent of people who deny the Holocaust, then they cannot be counted on to provide the watchdog role that could shine a light on the problem. Perhaps the Trump Administration could start offering incentives by freeing up government grant money to scientists who want to delve into the natural causes of climate change.
An employee of the U.S. Consulate in the Mexican city of Guadalajara (West country) was shot during the day, this Saturday 7th January, the Public Ministry and the US authorities said. They offered $20000 (64000 R$) as a reward for those who capture the perpetrator.

According to the official press release of the Ministry, an official of the Consulate of the United States was injured by a firearm. State and federal authorities are communicating with the Consulate in Guadalajara and the American Embassy in Mexico City to find the author of the attack.

The diplomatic delegation released videos of the assault, which occurred on last Friday.

Videos of the attack on the American Consulate employee

In one of the videos released by the American Consulate, you can view the official dressed in sportswear being followed by a black-haired man, wearing blue clothes, and sunglasses.

In another video, the suspect waits quietly for the American, who drives away the car. The shooter pulls out the gun, shooting and wounding the official then runs. The local press says that the American wounded occupies a position of high rank at the Consulate and was shot in the chest.

In the city of Guadalajara, the capital of the State of Jalisco, there are increasing cases of violence due to the presence of organized crime.

At the time the authorities didn't mention what could be the reason for the crime, but they intend to solve the case and identify and apprehend the suspect as soon as possible. No further details have been disclosed about the features, age or origin of the shooter.

If someone can identify the suspect or has more information to help with the case they can contact the American authorities.

The FBI is offering a reward of $20000 for information leading to the identification of the man who shot at the United States Consulate official.

The medical report released by the United States Consulate reports that the official was wounded in the chest but is not too badly off and is in stable condition. If he remains so he will probably go home in the next few days.
"Days Of Our Lives" is set for action this week! As some story lines become more clear, others become even more complicated. With sightings of Stefano and Hope's future hanging in the balance, a group sets out to learn the truth.

The following contains spoilers. If you don't want to know, stop reading now.

Is Stefano an arms dealer?

Marlena, Rafe, Steve and Paul make it to Prague to begin their investigation. As the trail to Stefano becomes more complicated, Marlena realizes she is the key to getting to the truth! Out of nowhere pops Anna! She wants to help Marlena but takes a shot at someone thinking it is Stefano and it's not!

This lands them in jail. Austin and lawyer Carrie show up to get them freed only to have Anna disappear.

Back in Salem, Jade is pulling away from Joey. More info comes out about Valerie. Gabi questions Chad over his business with Dario.

Deimos proposes to Nicole! Can she finally find happiness? Of course not! Deimos has to do something stupid, like hire a hitman to take out an enemy, that will lead to murder charges. He also teams up with Andre for some shady business. JJ is investigating Eduardo in his new detective role. He calls up Gabi to say they need to meet to discuss something. She is curious and agrees. When he starts questioning her about dear old dad, she is appalled.Abigail and Chad try again to grow closer.

They have a much needed night out together while Jennifer gets some bonding time with Thomas. Chad is torn between his feelings for his wife and Gabi.

Hope is in trouble!

Hattie tries to help Hope by advising her on how to deal with Sheila and Coco. Hope, however, wants to do it her way. Hattie backs her up as Hope fights back.

An all-out war is declared in Statesville and Hope's life is in jeopardy. She manages to go on the run! Her family and friends are afraid for her safety because the police have been given permission to shoot on sight.

Chloe finally wakes up from her coma. She really wants to clear up the paternity of Holly but Nancy is still doing everything she can to protect that secret.
Lala Kent may not have been featured on the latest episode of "Vanderpump Rules," but the former reality star was a hot topic for her co-stars. After being a no-show to Ariana Madix's birthday celebration in Sonoma, California, and failing to explain why, Kent's co-stars spoke of her failure to join them on their trip -- and of her mysterious relationship with her unidentified boyfriend.

On Twitter, after watching Monday night's new episode, Kent poked fun at her co-stars for making the show all about her -- despite having quit weeks ago. "How was I not in last nights episode, yet I was the only one in last nights episode?" she asked her fans and followers.

Lala Kent joined 'Vanderpump Rules' during season four

After Stassi Schroeder took on a reduced role during that season, Kent joined the Bravo reality series after being hired as a hostess at Lisa Vanderpump's SUR Restaurant, where the series is based. Although Kent seemed to hit it off with a few of her co-stars right away, she ultimately got caught in the middle of the drama after she and Jax Taylor were seen flirting with one another at a restaurant. Kent then returned to the series for season five with just one ally in the cast: James Kennedy.

Lala Kent is rumored to be dating a married man

Throughout the 5th season of "Vanderpump Rules," Kent has been accused by several members of the cast, including Katie Maloney, Stassi Schroeder, and Jax Taylor, of dating a married man.

However, Kent has vehemently denied that her mystery man is married and his identity has not yet been revealed.

During Monday's show, Vanderpump and Kennedy were seen speaking of Kent's mystery man and during their conversation, Kennedy seemed to hint that the unnamed man was controlling of Kent's day-to-day activities and had actually led Kent to fear him.

Meanwhile, Vanderpump expressed her concern for her employee.

To see more of Lala Kent's co-stars, tune in to the remainder of "Vanderpump Rules" season five, which airs on Monday nights at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV.
Om Puri passed away but his death has opened the gates for an investigation by the Mumbai police. Initially, it was announced that Om Puri had died at the age of 66 from a massive heart attack. A post-mortem was carried out on the body. The report revealed that Om Puri had injuries on his head. Further investigation has also brought out that the actor was in depression and had frequent fights with his second wife Nandita from who he has a son. His wife had complained to the police that Om Puri was beating her and the actor had been called to the police station and asked to give a statement.

Doubts about his death

The post mortem revealed that the actor had injuries on his head. The police claim that the injury marks show that either Om Puri fell down or was hit by someone. The investigation is on and the police have said that they will call his wife Nandita for a statement if required. The driver of the actor has also been asked to be present for questioning. The police have however confirmed that the actor was drunk at night. Friends have confirmed that Om Puri was greatly depressed and was hitting the bottle in a big way.

A great character actor

Om Puri has left a mark as a character actor, and despite unconventional looks had carved a niche for himself in Mumbai and world cinema.

He was one of the few actors who has the distinction of acting in Indian language films, Bollywood, Hollywood and films made in Pakistan. The actor was honored by the Queen with the OBE and was also awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India.

Last word

His funeral was well attended and top Bollywood stars from Amitabh Bachan to Rishi Kapoor attended the last rites.

There is some evidence that prior to his heart attack he had a big spat with his wife Nandita. As the case is in the investigation stage, one cannot hazard a guess on this death. Om Puri was a much-respected actor in the film industry. He leaves behind an endearing image of a fine character actor who lived his roles. It's a pity his death is surrounded by controversy.
According to some new intel, coming out of the Washington Post news camp, the very well-known Honda corporation, currently has a schedule in place to feature a very interesting car that they've been working on, called the NeuV. It's supposed to feature artificial intelligence technology and be able to feel emotions and stuff. I guess that means you can hurt its feelings if you kick it when you're angry. Don't ever kick this car.

We're going to see this thing in action

No, seriously. It's sounds pretty neat. The big reveal is set to go down at the big International Consumer Electronics Show, next month, which of course, falls on January 2017.

They didn't give us an exact day, so right now, we can just say it'll be in January. They made a little joke that I thought was pretty cute, saying that you'll either love or hate this car, and that it'll be able to hate or love you too.

They went on to elaborate that the car is going to be able to determine what the driver is feeling when they hit the road, and will then be able to start to develop its own feelings. Honda has yet to let anyone know just exactly how this crazy technology will work, or if it'll alter the way the driver operates the car.

Conversations could be had

Right now, this is just a concept project, and it's being presented as an automated electric vehicle with the ability to start feeling.

Honda reportedly, teamed up with a Japanese telecommunications firm, named SoftBank, earlier this year, and the two companies then came up with this new artificial tech idea. They went on to reveal that the car will also be able to have conversations with the owner, and determine how he or she is feeling.

It could be a partner

Honda described that this car will be able to grow up with the driver, like a child's mind grows and expands. It will share in the emotional experiences that happen on a day to day basis, and eventually cause the driver to feel like they are partners on their daily travel adventures, which could cause a strong, sentimental bond to form, or not.

Who knows?

We don't know if you can ever buy it yet

As of right now, there hasn't been any verification of when or if the NeuV car will actually be sold to the general public, because it looks like they are just really focused on this showcase that's taking place ,next month, and how everyone reacts to it. Right now, they've just got this lame, boxy design. Hopefully, that'll quickly change if they decide to go ahead and launch these things. Stay tuned, and make sure you share this article with all your social media pals.
The Bahujan Samaj Party on Sunday announced candidates for 101 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, completing the exercise for all but two of the 403 constituencies, fielding 12 more Muslim candidates this time to ensure Dalit-Muslim consolidation in a bid to wrest power from Samajwadi Party.

Candidates for the two remaining seats in Sonebhadra district will be finalised after a decision is taken as to whether they are general or reserved for Scheduled Tribes, the BSP said in a release in Lucknow on Sunday.

Out of the 403 seats up for grabs, the BSP had prepared a final list comprising 97 Muslim candidates (12 more than 2012), 87 Dalits and 106 other backwards castes, besides earmarking 113 seats for upper castes -- Brahmins 66, Kshatriyas 36 and others 11.

Since Muslims account for nearly 20 per cent of the voters in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati decided to field more candidates belonging to that community, playing her Dalit-Muslim consolidation card to come back to power.

Muslims, who had by and large supported the SP in the 2012 elections, are in a quandary in view of the squabbling in the Yadav family and factional fight between Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

With a weak Samajwadi Party, Muslims will look for alternatives and Mayawati wants to be at the right place at the right time, say analysts. If she manages to direct the entire Muslim vote her way, she could pose a tough challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party and SP, they believe.

Before releasing the fourth list of candidates, Mayawati presided over a meeting of party office-bearers, leaders, legislators, MPs and party candidates where she told them to fan out in their respective constituencies and work for the BSPs victory.

She also asked her party leaders to expose Samajwadi Party government on lawlessness and the Centre on demonetisation.

She took potshots at the Yadav family spat saying voters should not spoil their ballots by backing Samajwadi Party as doing this would indirectly benefit the BJP in the polls.

An analysis of the complete list released by the BSP brings out an interesting fact that it is not Dalits but the upper caste which has got the second biggest share after Muslims.

Uttar Pradesh goes to polls in seven phases between February 11 and March 8.

In the first list of 100 candidates released by party supremo Mayawati on Thursday for the communally sensitive western Uttar Pradesh, 36 tickets went to Muslims and 27 to the upper castes including 17 to Brahmins and eight to the Thakurs.

In 2012, she had fielded 31 Muslims in western UP, five less than this time.

Twenty seats were given to OBCs, which have significant strength in the region which goes to polls in the first two phases on February 11 and 15.

OBCs constitute 45 per cent of UPs total population.

Mayawati replaced 10 sitting MLAs in the region, including four who have defected to the BJP. But, she retained nine candidates who lost in 2012 by narrow margin.

After giving maximum tickets to Muslims in the first list, Mayawati gave 27 seats to Dalits in the second list of 100 more candidates released on Friday.

In the second list, covering major portions of Rohilkhand and central UP, the number of Muslim nominees came down to 23 compared to 36 in the first list.

She also appeared to strike a balance with the upper castes giving Brahmins 14 seats and Thakurs 8. OBCs got 24 seats.

Areas covered in the second list include some SP strongholds like Kannauj, Etawah and Mainpuri, besides Lucknow and Kanpur.

Muslims once again got the lions share in the third list another 100 aspirants released by the BSP on Saturday when 27 candidates belonging to that community were given tickets -- seven more than what the party had fielded in 2012.

Mayawati retained as BSP candidate from Allahabad Pooja Pal, wife of former BSP MLAs Raju Pal, allegedly murdered by the brother of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed in 2006.

The BSP has put up a Muslim candidate in Ayodhya seat.

In a bid to strengthen her hold over Muslim voters, Mayawati has fielded Bazmi Siddiqui from the prestigious seat that has been projected by BJP as the symbol of Hindu resurgence.

The constituency, currently represented by SP, has 18 per cent Muslim voters and 20 per cent Dalits.

BSP leaders claim the Dalit-Muslim combine is expected to pay rich dividends to the party considering the fact that SP is in doldrums.

IMAGE: BSP supremo Mayawati waves a party meeting in the view of UP assembly polls at the party office in Lucknow on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
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Pham Ba Huan is a famous businesswoman who uses modern ways to produce huge numbers of eggs.

She learned about eggs from her mother who bought and sold them.

However, her mother only had a small business and the family grew up poor.

Pham Ba Huan says she learnt all about how to work hard by being with her mother.

Inner Sanctum: Can you tell us how you first became involved with eggs?

I was born in a very poor and crowded family. My parents had 8 children, and I was the second. My mother was a small egg trader. At the age of 12 I had to wake up very early in the morning to accompany her to purchase chicken and duck eggs from farmhouses in Tien Giang, Hau Giang and other Mekong Delta provinces, and transport them to Sai Gon (now HCM City) to sell at Cho Lon Market.

My mother worked very hard to earn a living to feed us. Her trade and hard work had the most influence on me.

I had to drop out of school at the age of 13 to help my mother. She taught me how to foster good relations with farmers, choose fresh eggs and the value of good customer service.

Despite having left school, I felt happy because I was able to help my mother and learn about the egg trade.

When I was 16 my mother was taken very ill, and she had to hand over her trade to me. At such a young age, I faced many difficulties, for example I had no money in hand even though I tried to borrow from my relatives.

I decided to purchase eggs on credit by meeting with each farm owner, and attempting to convince and implore them that I will pay them back right after the first batch of eggs was sold. They didnt believe me at first, but after a little persuasion they gave me a chance. By purchasing directly from producers and selling to customers, I had my first capital investment two years later. I had money to pay producers on time, and was able to win their trust.

My business quickly expanded to almost all Mekong Delta provinces, purchasing eggs and supplying them to customers promptly. In 2000, I set up a company with more than 100 workers.

Inner Sanctum: What are main factors behind your companys success?

The first was using modern technology. In early 2000 the epidemic of H5N1 (commonly known as bird, or avian, flu) seemed to kill off the traditional chicken and duck breeding in the Mekong Delta.

We decided to import a processing line from the Netherlands at a cost of 650,000 euros, with a capacity of 65,000 eggs per hour.

We also invested VN35 billion to build Viet Nams most modern plant in HCM City supplying organic eggs.

As a result, Vietnamese customers have benefited from eggs of an international standard on quality and food hygiene for the first time. Meanwhile, farmers have been able to restore some trust to continue their traditional poultry breeding.

Two years later we continued to invest more than VN100 billion to import a second processing line with a capacity of 120,000 eggs/hour.

Inner Sanctum: How has your company helped farmers deal with difficulties, such as the bird flu epidemic?

In 2003, the bird flu epidemic hit farmers, chicken farms and egg business as a whole.

I witnessed thousands of chickens and ducks dying. Many farming households had to adapt and take on other produce.

My imported modern technology from the Netherlands helped breeders regain production.

Inner Sanctum: Can you tell us about your companys process of checking egg quality?

We first clean the eggs, dry them and kill off any bacteria. The second part is inspecting the eggs to find rotten and low quality ones, and then covering them with a special oil to prevent further bacteria.

After finishing these processes, our eggs will be stamped and packaged.

All of our processes aim to ensure the highest quality and food hygiene standards for our customers.

Up until now we havent received any complaints.

Inner Sanctum: How does your company act to benefit farmers?

Farmers living standards have been improved because weve signed contracts to purchase all of their eggs.

In addition, we have co-ordinated with the National Centre for Agriculture Promotion to implement a programme to assist young farmers and guide them along the process of breeding.

Currently, thousands of farmers have joined safe poultry breeding lines in co-operation between themselves, scientists, businesses and the government.

This joint-venture model has assisted poor farmers with capital investment, baby birds, immunization, and output of their produce with stable pricing.

Inner Sanctum: How do you rate the potential and opportunity for Viet Nams organic eggs in the future?

The potential of using organic eggs is great but competition between companies is also great.

There are companies investing heavily in organic eggs, which means we have to try our utmost to compete with them.

Currently, we have 400 agents distributing and selling our products. This makes up 40 per cent of the market share.

Our products now have a presence in retail markets, supermarkets, restaurants and food processing factories nationwide. VNS









GLOSSARY



At the age of 12 I had to wake up very early in the morning to accompany her to purchase chicken and duck eggs from farmhouses in Tien Giang, Hau Giang and other Mekong Delta provinces, and transport them to Sai Gon (now HCM City) to sell at Cho Lon Market.

To accompany someone means to be with them.

To purchase means to buy.

Her trade and hard work had the most influence on me.

If her mothers trade and hard work had influence on Pham Ba Huan, it had what it takes to shape her character.

She taught me how to foster good relations with farmers, choose fresh eggs and the value of good customer service.

If you have good relations with someone, you get on well with them.

To foster good relations means to encourage good relations.

Customer service means the help and advice offered to people by a business.

I decided to purchase eggs on credit by meeting with each farm owner, and attempting to convince and implore them that I will pay them back right after the first batch of eggs was sold.

To buy things on credit means to receive them and pay for them later, usually at the end of the month.

To implore means to ask someone to change their attitude towards something.

They didnt believe me at first, but after a little persuasion they gave me a chance.

Persuasion is the act of encouraging someone to make a certain decision.

By purchasing directly from producers and selling to customers, I had my first capital investment two years later.

Capital investment is money you put down to start a business or to give it more strength to make it grow.

My business quickly expanded to almost all Mekong Delta provinces, purchasing eggs and supplying them to customers promptly.

Promptly means very quickly.

Inner Sanctum: What are main factors behind your companys success?

Factors are things that add up to make it possible for something to happen.

In early 2000 the epidemic of H5N1 (commonly known as bird, or avian, flu) seemed to kill off the traditional chicken and duck breeding in the Mekong Delta.

When there is an epidemic, many people, or in this case birds, in the same place catch a disease at the same time.

Avian means to do with birds.

Breeding means giving birth to babies, or in the case of birds, chicks.

We decided to import a processing line from the Netherlands at a cost of 650,000 euros, with a capacity of 65,000 eggs per hour.

To import means to buy something from another country.

A processing line for eggs is a structure that is especially made to have places for hens to live and lay eggs then for the eggs to land up where they can be collected and packaged.

We also invested VN35 billion to build Viet Nams most modern plant in HCM City supplying organic eggs.

When you invest in something you spend money on it in the hope of making more money from it.

Organic eggs are eggs from chickens that have not been fed any chemicals or hormones but have been rather eating only natural food.

As a result, Vietnamese customers have benefited from eggs of an international standard on quality and food hygiene for the first time.

If something benefits you, it brings you something that is good for you.

Hygiene means health conditions.

Meanwhile, farmers have been able to restore some trust to continue their traditional poultry breeding.

To restore something means to fix it so that it once again becomes good.

I witnessed thousands of chickens and ducks dying.

To witness something means to see it happen.

Many farming households had to adapt and take on other produce.

If farming households adapt, they change in order to be able to function under different conditions.

Farmers living standards have been improved because weve signed contracts to purchase all of their eggs.

Contracts are formal deals.

In addition, we have co-ordinated with the National Centre for Agriculture Promotion to implement a programme to assist young farmers and guide them along the process of breeding.

To implement a programme means to put it in place.

To assist means to help.

Currently, thousands of farmers have joined safe poultry breeding lines in co-operation between themselves, scientists, businesses and the government.

Currently means now.

Co-operation means working together.

This joint-venture model has assisted poor farmers with capital investment, baby birds, immunization, and output of their produce with stable pricing.

A joint venture is a business project that involves two or more people, or companies.

Immunization means the giving of injections to stop diseases from happening in the future.

When there is stable pricing, the price stays much the same and does not go up and down all the time.

Inner Sanctum: How do you rate the potential and opportunity for Viet Nams organic eggs in the future?

The potential of organic eggs means the possibility of organic eggs doing very well.

There are companies investing heavily in organic eggs, which means we have to try our utmost to compete with them.

Utmost means very best.

Currently, we have 400 agents distributing and selling our products. This makes up 40 per cent of the market share.

The market share is the portion of a market controlled by a particular company or product.

Our products now have a presence in retail markets, supermarkets, restaurants and food processing factories nationwide.

To have a presence somewhere means to be there.

Retail markets are places where things are sold to the people who will use them rather than sell them on.

WORKSHEET

State whether the following sentences are true, or false:

Pham Ba Huan is also known as Ba Huan. Hau Giang is a province in the Mekong Delta. H5N1is commonly known as avian malaria. There are 40 agents who distribute Pham Ba Huans egg products. Pham Ba Huan bought a special processing line from the Netherlands that cost her 650,000 Dong.

ANSWERS:

 Duncan Guy/Learn the News/ Viet Nam News 2017

1. True; 2. True; 3. False; 4. False; 5. False.
HA NOI  Thousands of people, mainly students and volunteers, donated blood at the first blood donation festival in 2017, called "Ngay Chu Nhat o (Red Sunday), at Ha Noi National University on Sunday.

The event was jointly organised by Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, the National Steering Committee on Traffic Safety (NSCTS) and the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusions.

Speaking at the event, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh highlighted the outstanding achievement of the blood donation mobilisation movement in recent years in Viet Nam, while praising the initiative of Tien Phong newspaper and the contribution of volunteers and donors.

Blood donations from the Red Sunday festival would contribute to saving the lives of thousands of patients during the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival period, when most hospitals are expected to experience blood shortages due to the increase in traffic accidents and a decline in blood donors, said Binh.

The good news is that no hospital reported blood shortages in 2016. The communication activities and organisation of large-scale blood donation festivals have created a new look and gained promising results in the countrys voluntarily blood donation movement, stressed Binh.

Ninety-eight per cent of the blood was collected from voluntary donors in 2016, compared to 14.5 per cent in 1994, noted Binh.

Alone in 2016, the country received more than 1.4 million units of blood, equivalent to 1.5 per cent of the countrys population that donates blood. The collected blood has met 75 per cent of the countrys emergency, treatment and preventive demands, according to the deputy PM.

However, Binh said, the country needs two million donations yearly for emergencies and treatment in hospitals nationwide, equivalent to 2 per cent of the population to donate blood.

The Deputy PM also asked ministries, sectors and localities to expand blood donation festivals, such as Red Sunday, Red Spring or Red Journey, to all provinces and cities nationwide, as well as to promote the voluntary blood donation movement in communities, along with strengthening communication activities and blood transfusion programmes, in efforts to improve peoples health care and protection.

Tien Phong newspaper editor-in-chief Le Xuan Son said the event has set a target to collect at least 25,000 units of blood, an increase of 2,500 units compared to last years festival.

The event was part of a series of more than 40 blood donation festivals taking place in 25 provinces and cities nationwide on Sunday.

Launched by the newspaper in 2009, the festival aims to ease the serious blood shortages in hospitals resulting from increases in traffic accidents and the declining number of blood donors prior to Tet. The event collected nearly 54,000 units of blood over the past eight years.

The health sector has set a goal to collect at least 1.7 million units of blood in 2017.  VNS
A NANG  A Navy ship from Navy Zone 3 rescued and towed home a fishing ship carrying 10 fishermen that had broken down 138 nautical miles off the coast of a Nang.

The Navy Command said it received emergency signals from the fishing boat, DNa 90307TS from a Nang, off Son Tra Peninsula on Saturday evening.

A duty naval ship was sent and found the fishing boat around 5pm on January 7th, before tugging it to the Navy Zone3s port in a Nang yesterday afternoon.

All crew members were well.

Last year, ships from Navy Zone 3 rescued four fishing boats and repaired an engine at sea, bringing home safely 30 fishermen.  VNS
Would you believe that bonsai trees made from copper wire can be as beautiful as the real thing? Le Duy uc, manager of the Handmade Art page on Facebook, can confirm this is the case. Hoang Trung Hieu reports.

Every Saturday or Sunday morning, at a cafe in Ha Nois Long Bien District, Le Duy uc teaches his skills to a small group.

"Bonsai trees made from artificial materials have been around for a long time, and I encountered the process back in 2005. At that time, I grew real bonsai. Once, when I went to buy scrap mental wire to shape my trees, I found a lot of small aluminum wire, so my original intention was to use this to wrap and shape the young branches of the bonsai. But then I had the idea of making a tree out of the metal wire itself.

During my first attempts at this, I began to use copper wire. The wire I used most frequently was between 0.5 to 1mm in size," he said.

Creating a bonsai out of copper wire is never a simple job.

Before making a bonsai tree, in addition to preparing the necessary materials, the maker must have a specific idea in mind.

To make a product, the first thing, we should have an idea about what we will make.

"We cant painstakingly make a product without determining the meaning and the shape of the work. The shape for the bonsai should be clearly defined before the process begins. Each tree should fit a specific container, uc said.

The next step is to choose some hard metal wire to make the skeleton (the trunk) for the bonsai. uc said steel wire is not recommended because it is too hard, so the bonsai would not have a natural shape.

Work of art: uc uses copper wire to make the bonsai trunk, then uses different kinds of plastic, wood, crystal, or stone beads to make the bonsais leaves. VNS Photo Trung Hieu

He uses copper wire to make the bonsai trunk, then uses different kinds of plastic, wood, crystal, or stone beads to make the trees leaves. uc reveals that these beads can be bought in Hang Ma Street and ong Xuan Market of Ha Noi.

After finishing the shape of the bonsai, the maker continues to add decorative items such as small statues, driftwood, or pieces of rocks.

A bonsai product usually takes him about two or three hours to complete, but the bigger tree may take a week or even longer if it involves a unique design.

Sometimes, if clients want a product in line with feng shui, the maker would need to choose suitable materials and colours, he added.

uc recalled: "Previously I did not have access to social networks, so had no opportunity to exchange with other fans of this art. I just made these products to satisfy my own interest, and as gifts for friends.

In 2013, I began to use Facebook and I saw people all over the world who shared the same passion of making metal bonsai. I compared their methods with mine to perfect my craft".

Natural shape: One of ucs bonsai products made with copper. VNS Photo Trung Hieu

Unfortunately, his family complained that uc spent too much time and effort on his work, and he was forced to stop his passion temporarily.

Recently, thanks to encouragement from friends, uc began to return to this work. He now holds a free class on metal bonsai every weekend.

uc does not keep secrets, sharing all of his skills with those who share in his passion. Because "passion is a fire, if we want the fire to burn strongly, we need more people, he said.

With his eyes focusing on a half-finished product, uc said: "The most important thing is passion. When the passion is big enough, you will have enough perseverance to sit for hours just to perfect each little detail."

Le Thi Phuong Lan, one of his students, said she made friends with uc last year on Facebook, as she was impressed with his products, and began to learn the skill.

uc teaches us very carefully. Thanks to his guidance, I understood what makes a metal bonsai, and now I am able to create my own products, she said.

This art is my passion so I will be patient and put all my effort into the craft, Lan added. VNS
New Zealand-based poet Huyen Thu has become popular among readers recently. She was the first runner-up at the 2016 National Schools Poetry Award, organised by the International Institute of Modern Letters, under the Victoria University of Wellington. She talks with Minh Thu about the inspiration behind her writing.

Inner Sanctum: So, how did you become a poet?

I have been in New Zealand for five years. I am studying for a bachelors degree in Urban Planning, at the School of Architecture and Planning of the University of Auckland. You may not think that theres anything in common between an urban planner and a poet. Maybe dont call me a poet because it sounds a bit weird to me.

I started writing poems more than a year ago. It hasnt been very long so I hope in the future I can do better and improve my writing.

I am interested in poetry because they are brief, and also have rhythm and rhyme like a song. How amazing it is when you can depict a lively picture with only a few words! Especially, they dont require a long time to write like short stories or novels. You just grasp the ideas, images and get them written down as soon as they come to your head. I am sure random things sometimes create amazing verses. "Whatever will come, will come. And we will have to meet it when it does." This matches what I think: join words together and wait for the resulting poem.

For me, poetry is one of my passions. It keeps me calm in this busy life. Especially, writing about my childhood and the characteristics of Viet Nam makes me feel happier. They remind me of wonderful memories with my family when I was little.

It is a great way to express my feelings and emotions because I dont usually tell other people about these things. In addition, writing a poem is the moment I can return to memories of some family members who are not in this world anymore. I think the words keep them alive in my heart and soul.

Im also writing poems to express other peoples feeling. For example, my close friends and readers sometimes share their stories with me. Indeed, all of us have gone through a period of time in our life where we had to overcome difficulties and suffering in family life, at work or even amongst our friends. I am pretty sure everyone has been through this at least once in their lives. However, not many people can actually say what they think or express their feelings clearly. From my perspective, I definitely think that sharing is a way to get people to understand each other and resolve problems. It doesnt matter which way you use. Im writing poems as a way to share my stories as well as other peoples.

Inner Sanctum: A lot of your poems focus on the theme of nostalgia. Is that the main inspiration for your writing?

I think youre right. Nostalgia is a part of my writing and also my inspiration because I have been living away from home from a young age. It can be considered as the main inspiration for my poems. However, there are many other things that come to mind when I write. Those include my surroundings, the stories I hear from other people, and also things I witness.

I really hope that my poems have an influence on readers. I think everyone in Viet Nam has heard of the novel Give Me a Ticket to My Childhood, written by famous childrens author Nguyen Nhat Anh. We know that we can never return to our childhood, however, the memories will always live in our hearts. As we grow up and begin a busy life, we have less time for our parents and for coming home, we start to regret our time in the past. Especially, for me, the family with mom and dad is an important part of my life. This is what I think at the moment. I dont know if this thinking will change later when I begin new relationships. Therefore, now, childhood is still one of the main inspirations behind my poetry. I hope my childhood memories and images in my poems have an influence on readers and help to bring them some calm.

Inner Sanctum: Could you explain the inspiration and context behind the poem "How much is too much for remembering?"

It was a rainy winter day in New Zealand. I looked at the rain thinking about my childhood and wrote this poem. I grew up in Thai Binh, a northern delta province of Viet Nam. There, the weather is clearly different each season and extreme in summer. I remembered the rain always came unpredictably and sometimes the road was flooded. This image came through strongly in my poem as well as other images of people I knew such as the neighbour boy, the old woman waiting for her son, Grandpa and also Vietnamese natural features like a cobblestone path on a rainy day, flute sounds, cicadas. If you are reading my poems often, you will find some very similar features running through them.

Inner Sanctum: The judge of the New Zealand poetry contest said that your poems are beautiful and you use art and beauty to ease the sorrow of the world. What do you think about this remark?

I want to say thanks to Anne Kennedy, the judge at the National Schools Poetry Competition 2016 in New Zealand for her thoughts on my poem. She wrote: "This poem does something tried and true but very important in how art can help us process trauma: it asks us to compare tragedy with beauty, the beauty of the lyrics and the images."

The main disaster in this poem is the flood in the village. Even though following this trauma, the village is devastated, I want people to notice that there are still many beautiful images of our lovely people and nature. That is what we should treasure to build up a better village and a better life.

At least one time in our lives we will have to overcome suffering and difficulties. I really hope that my poems can make life better and soothe sorrow and pain. We live in reality, not in a fairytale. So I think experiencing troubles and even negative emotions sometimes is the right thing. But from that, we need to find a way to stand up and be positive about life.

Inner Sanctum: Can you describe an ordinary day in New Zealand?

I love the feeling of welcoming and warmness that Wellington brought me since I came here. Unlike other countries, New Zealand is a multicultural country so this gives me lots of chances to get to know friends from different backgrounds and cultures. For me, coming to New Zealand is a great experience of having strong senses of natural beauty and a fresh environment.

Life here is quite relaxing as school work and afterschool activities are very balanced. I have a normal routine of going to and from school like other students. Apart from that, I sometimes spend time at home writing poems. It actually depends on my mood; therefore, I cant plan the exact amount of time I spend writing each day.

Inner Sanctum: How often do you return to Viet Nam? Each time you visit, do you realise changes in your homeland? What do you think about that?

I usually return to Viet Nam at the end of the year and I realise that there are so many changes at my homeland including new infrastructure facilities and also the natural environment. There are positive but also negative changes. I think changes are good as my homeland is developing, but that means I will miss my childhood even more because the spectacle is not the same as before. However, people are still very lovely and welcoming when I come back. This is the most important thing.

Inner Sanctum: Would you share your plans for the future? When will you publish your book of poetry?

For the near future, I think I will keep up with my studies over the next four years. Writing poems is still a big part of my life. I will never drop my interest in poetry and will still arrange time to keep writing. I plan to release my very first book this year when I come back to Viet Nam. VNS
Blast in Syrian town kills nearly 50

BEIRUT (AP)  A car bomb ripped through a busy commercial district in a rebel-held Syrian town along the Turkish border Saturday, killing nearly 50 in a huge explosion that damaged buildings and left rescuers scrambling to find survivors amid the wreckage, opposition activists said.

Rescuers and doctors said the explosion was so large there were nearly 100 wounded and burned. Over 50 wounded were transported to the Turkish border town of Kilis for treatment, as local hospitals couldnt cope.

Locals said a rigged tanker caused the explosion and blamed Islamic State militants, who have carried out attacks in the town before.

Mexicans march against gas hike

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Looting largely subsided in Mexico following a 20-percent hike in gasoline prices, but protests continued on Saturday

Official in Veracruz, one of the states hardest-hit by the looting on Wednesday and Thursday, said some neighborhood groups had begun to form patrols of residents armed with staves or machetes to ward off looters.

The Interior Department reported more than 1,500 people have been detained for looting or disturbances nationwide since protests began early in the week.

Hundreds of stores were looted, mainly on Wednesday and Thursday.

Ohio mall begins restricting youths

CLEVELAND (AP)  An upscale suburban Cleveland shopping mall where police broke up a post-Christmas melee with pepper spray joined other shopping complexes in Ohio and the U.S. on Friday in restricting children 17 and under from entering during certain weekend hours.

Beachwood Place announced new rules that juveniles must be accompanied by a parent or an adult 21 years or older after 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

The new rules were put in place less than two weeks after police at malls in several states were confronted by large groups of people fighting and causing disturbances on Dec. 26.

Gun lobby talking loudly on silencers

WASHINGTON (WP)  The federal government has strictly limited the sale of firearm silencers for as long as James Bond and big-screen gangsters have used them to discreetly shoot enemies between the eyes.

Now the gun industry, which for decades has complained about the restrictions, is pursuing legislation to make silencers easier to buy, and a key backer is Donald Trump Jr., an avid hunter and the oldest son of the president-elect, who campaigned as a friend of the gun industry.

The legislation stalled in Congress last year. But with Republicans in charge of the House and Senate and the elder Trump moving into the White House, gun rights advocates are excited about its prospects this year.

Gorilla, 32, dies at Cleveland zoo

CLEVELAND (AP)  One of the Clevelands zoos two male western lowland gorillas died on Friday, zoo officials said.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo first announced the death of 32-year-old Bebac on its Facebook page.

Zoo Executive Director Chris Kuhar called Bebac one of the zoos iconic animals in an interview Saturday. Dozens of tributes along with photos of Bebac taken by zoo visitors were posted on Facebook.

Bebac, pronounced BEE-bak, and 29-year-old Mokolo, pronounced mo-KO-lo, came to the Cleveland zoo in 1994 from Chicagos Lincoln Park Zoo, where they both were born.
WATERLOO  Temperatures in south Florida were expected to hit 70 degrees this week.

That wasnt lost on Edward and Olivia Walker, who joined more than 600 Bertch Cabinet Manufacturing employees and spouses packed into the Waterloo Regional Airport on Sunday morning waiting to embark for a company-funded cruise from Miami.

What is it here now? Negative 2? said Edward Walker, who was looking forward to trading in his winter coat for some beachwear. Its the perfect time for this, and Im loving it.

Company founders Gary and Becky Bertch are taking their employees on a Caribbean cruise as a reward for the Waterloo-based company meeting its goals last year.

The couple funded similar trips in the past, the last coming in 2005 before the national economic downturn put the incentive on hiatus.

Walker, whos worked for Bertch Cabinet nearly five years, will be taking his first cruise.

Ive worked for the railroad and different places across the United States and this is the first time my job actually did something like this, he said. Two of my dreams came true: a job that gives you a trip and the Cubs won the World Series.

The airport terminal was bustling early Sunday as travelers were divided into groups with different colors of passports for the four charter flights heading to the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., airport.

They were expected to overnight Sunday in a five-star Miami hotel before boarding a Carnival Cruise ship with planned stops in Key West, Fla., and the island of Cozumel off the coast of Mexico.

Not even a delayed first flight or the prospect of a Transportation Security Administration pat-down deemed to dampen spirits.

Were super pumped, said Justin Everett, a two-year Bertch employee who also was looking forward to good weather and relaxing with his wife, Reina, who is pregnant.

You dont hear about any other companies doing this, especially when times are tough, he said. It feels good to be rewarded for your work.

The trips are old hat to Cory Sherwood, whos been on three or four cruises and company-funded trips to Hawaii and Acapulco, Mexico, during his nearly 24 years at Bertch. He was already wearing shorts.

Well, I wear shorts year-round, he conceded. But I am looking forward to getting out of the cold weather, relaxing, just unplugging for awhile and resetting the battery.

Sherwood was amazed at how social media, which wasnt prevalent during past trips, has brought national and international attention to his employers generosity.

Its about time it gets the kind of recognition about the kind of people Gary and Becky are in extending this offer to the employees, he said. Im grateful to work for a company like that.

Theron Montgomery was equally grateful to Bertch Cabinet, where hes worked nearly 14 years. But his thanks extended beyond a Caribbean cruise.

When we come off the ship, I wont be a Bertch employee anymore because I have a job with Waterloo Community Schools, Montgomery said.

If it wasnt for Bertch giving me the opportunity to work there  and being so flexible to allow me to go to work and go to school and get my degree  I would never have been able to live out my dream of working with youth, he said.

This is a great way to go out, Montgomery added. Im looking forward to some alone time with my wife. We have five children, and were extremely active with them, so we hardly ever get some one-on-one time.

The workers were expected to return from their trip and be back on the job Jan. 16.
CEDAR FALLS  It isnt every day a company, let alone a person, turns 95 years old. Especially a technology company.

Yet, thats exactly how old Farnsworth Electronics is this year.

Founded in 1922 as Farnsworth Radio shortly after the dawn of broadcast radio, the multi-generation company sells everything from old phonograph needles to credit-card-sized single-board computers. Company founder Gerald Farnsworth, whose father worked as company bookkeeper, was a cousin of 1920s inventor Philo T. Farnsworth, credited with developing the first fully functional and complete all-electronic television system.

The local firm was located in Waterloo most of its existence, moving in September from its longtime location on East Mullan Avenue, where the company has been located since 1954, to a storefront at 807 E. 18th St. in Cedar Falls, sharing a parking lot with Ace Hardware.

Company operations passed to Jim Farnsworth when he returned from service in the U.S. Army in Vietnam in 1970, and the shops now run by his daughter, Anji Barnard. Jim Farnsworth still works there part time.

The shop is full of vintage electronics components for those who want to keep their old phonograph, radio or other video or audio device running. The store also has electronic kits for kids to tinker with. Barnard makes jewelry from circuit board components. And they do repairs in the shop.

Both Jim Farnsworth and Anji Barnard grew up in the trade. Jim started out checking out radio tubes at age 5. Barnard similarly started at an early age.

Weve always been on the leading edge of technology, Jim Farnsworth said  from black and white to color television, stereo, from open-reel and 8-track cartridge audio recorders to cassette tapes and compact discs.

Were still trying to get kids involved with learning about electronics and getting more involved with STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Barnard said, promoting electronics equipment such as SparkFun and Adafruit. Were trying to get more involved with the schools and offer electronics classes for kids and adults, she said.

Jim Farnsworth said the company in decades past dealt in two-way radios for law enforcement agencies as well as background music for grocery stores and professional offices. We had 280 phone lines coming into the store, he said. His father also helped local television stations over the years.

Farnsworth also is heavily involved in repairing presumably outdated equipment. A lot of people are bringing in their old reel to reels and record players for repair, Barnard said.

Thats a lost art, Farnsworth said. Nobodys doing it anymore. Instead of throwing it away, we can fix it, he said.

Farnsworth has discovered a partner in a business next door, Metro Records, which sells vintage vinyl phonograph records, from which they get referrals for people wanting to repair their old record players. Theyll repair just about anything except car stereos. We still have, I couldnt tell you how many, filing cabinets full of old manuals, she said. We have over 400 vendors.

Barnard decided to move the business to Cedar Falls. I live in Cedar Falls and wanted to move to Cedar Falls. I thought it would be a better fit. Location wise it just came about, the opportunity, and I couldnt say no.

I dont want to have anything and everything, but I want to have specialty items you cant find in other places, and they may be more readily available than ordering online and waiting for delivery, Barnard said.

Thats the forte of the business, Farnsworth said. Weve always had the stuff you cant find.
SUMNER  A Davenport man is dead and another person is injured following an apparent home invasion shooting in Sumner.

The Bremer County Sheriffs Office on Sunday identified Steven Anthony, 46, of Davenport as the person killed in the incident late Friday.

The name of the injured person, who was transported to Community Memorial Hospital in Sumner, was not being released.

Sheriffs officials said they believed releasing the names of those present during the incident could seriously jeopardize the investigation and pose a danger to the safety of those individuals.

Deputies responded to reported shooting about 10:55 p.m. Friday at 1359 Whitetail Ave.

The preliminary indication is that the death appears to be the result of a home invasion, Sheriff Dan Pickett said in a news release.

The Bremer County Sheriffs Office is being assisted in the investigation by the Iowa Department of Public Safety and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Persons with any information related to the incident are asked to call the sheriffs office at 352-5400, option 3.
CEDAR FALLS  Local government budgets across Black Hawk County will benefit this year from past growth in the Cedar Falls Industrial Park.

New valuation reports show the countys overall tax base grew nearly $282 million, or 5.5 percent, last year due in part to $125 million in property value moving out of the Cedar Falls tax-increment financing district onto the general tax rolls.

New construction and a boost in the taxable portion of existing homes and farms also fueled the increase in values to be used when cities, school districts and the county set budgets for the fiscal year starting July 1.

A growing tax base means local governments can collect more revenue without raising property tax rates.

Any time valuation is added to the tax base that is not simply a result of revaluing current properties its a good thing, said Black Hawk County Auditor Grant Veeder. It gives local governments greater flexibility to deal with new or expanding needs without just shifting the burden among existing taxpayers.

While the tax base grew by $133 million the previous year, the lions share of that growth came from higher taxable values on existing homes. Conversely, new construction and the release of TIF valuation essentially brings new taxpayers on board to help shoulder the load.

The shift of a significant amount of valuation in Cedar Falls from a TIF district to general taxation is very encouraging, Veeder noted. The whole idea of TIFs is to benefit the whole community in the long run, so hopefully well see other TIFs following this example.

Tax-increment financing allows cities to keep all of the taxes generated from new construction to pay for roads, sewers and incentives provided to help lure new businesses in a specified area. Once those development costs are paid off, the new taxes can be released to other taxing bodies and the citys general fund.

The city of Cedar Falls, which had more than $286 million in value tied up in TIF last year, has cut the amount to just under $161 million for the coming tax year.

The cause of the release was due to a major portion in our industrial park urban renewal area meeting its sunset or expiration date, said Jennifer Rodenbeck, Cedar Falls finance and business operations director.

The TIF release represents about two-thirds of the overall $183 million, or 11.6 percent, growth in the Cedar Falls tax base. Based on current property tax rates, that would provide a significant boost in tax revenue for the citys general fund and countywide taxing authorities, such as the Board of Supervisors, Hawkeye Community College and agricultural extension office.

Rodenbeck said the City Council would determine how to deal with the potential new revenue during the upcoming budget process.

During a goal-setting session, she said council members discussed reserving the windfall from the TIF release to pay for future economic development projects or to offset lost revenue should the Iowa Legislature renege on its promise to backfill commercial and industrial property tax cuts they provided three years ago.

Cedar Falls was not alone in releasing TIF values this year.

The city of Evansdale saw its TIF values drop from $19.2 million to $13.9 million, while Raymond is not using its TIF increment after tapping it for $2.3 million in value last year.

Evansdale Mayor Doug Faas said his city was able to release a portion of its TIF due to growing values and lower debt payments tied to the district. But he said the increment may be pulled back into the TIF in the future depending on future economic development project costs.

Waterloo City Council members voted to release a small portion of value from the Northeast Industrial Park TIF this year, but the citys $230 million TIF valuation remained virtually unchanged.

Meanwhile, Waterloos overall tax base grew just $40.8 million, or 1.8 percent, for the coming year, which will not provide much additional revenue to pay for general fund operations, the largest being public safety.

County records show Waterloo saw a $43.6 million jump in the taxable value of residential property values and a $7.3 million increase in commercial and industrial property citywide. That was offset by a $3.3 million loss in value from multifamily property, or apartment buildings, and a $6.7 million drop in gas and electric utility values.

A state legislative policy to shift more of the property tax burden on to residential property owners and away from businesses and apartment buildings also helped drive up the tax base in Black Hawk County this year.

Homeowners are currently taxed based on 55.6 percent of their homes assessed value, but will see that rollback grow to 56.9 percent next year. That that adds value to the tax base, but it means a homeowner would see a 2.3 percent jump in property taxes if tax rates are maintained.

Agricultural property owners would see a 3 percent increase based on changes to the ag rollback.

Meanwhile, commercial and industrial property owners will continue to pay taxes based on 90 percent of their assessed values, a level frozen by the Legislature, while owners of multifamily buildings will see their rollback fall from 86.25 percent to 82.5 percent.

While the new values and rollbacks will factor heavily in what happens to local property tax bills payable in September 2017, any changes wont be determined until councils, school boards and other taxing bodies set rates and adopt budgets in the coming months.
C.F. intersection undergoes work

CEDAR FALLS  The intersection of 18th Street and Hudson Road in Cedar Falls will be under four-way stop sign control beginning Tuesday.

It is being done for electrical service repairs. Repairs are expected to be completed by days end.

UnityPoint opens in C.F.

CEDAR FALLS  UnityPoint HealthPrairie Parkway, 5100 Prairie Parkway, will hold a grand opening celebration 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The grand opening will feature refreshments and activities for adults and children including a coloring contest, treadmill challenge other health-related activities and giveaways. The day will also feature building tours while visiting with UnityPoint Health physicians and staff.

UnityPoint HealthPrairie Parkway includes family medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics, urgent care, therapy and rotating specialty providers as well as pharmacy, imaging and laboratory all under one roof.

HCC Alumni Day at Grout

WATERLOOThe Hawkeye Community College Foundation will host an alumni day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Grout Museum of History and Science, West Park Avenue and Washington Street.

All Hawkeye Community College and Hawkeye Institute of Technology alumni, faculty and staff will receive free admission to Hawkeye Community College: 50 Years of Making Connections during that time.

The exhibit chronicles Hawkeyes history.

RSVPs are requested, but not required. To do so, email alumni@hawkeyecollege.edu.

West High can drive Saturday

WATERLOOThe West High School vocal music department will hold its monthly can drive 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Baltimore Street entrance of the West High School parking lot.

Students will be outside to remove 5-cent refundable glass, plastic and aluminum beverage containers from vehicles. Funds raised each month support the West High School vocal music department.

La Porte City election set

WATERLOO  La Porte City will hold a special election Feb. 7 to fill the City Council seat vacated by David Williams.

The deadline for candidates to file in the Black Hawk County Election Office is 5 p.m. Friday. The polls will be open from 7 to 8 p.m.. Feb. 7 .

The last day for voters to preregister at the Election Office is Jan. 27.

Following the deadline and on Election Day, new and moved voters must provide proof of residence and identity.

Voter registration forms may be found at www.sos.iowa.gov or www.co.black-hawk.ia.us. Voters with valid Iowa drivers licenses or non-operator IDs may register to vote online through the Iowa secretary of states website: www.sos.iowa.gov.

Questions may be directed to the Black Hawk County Election Office, Room 210 of the Courthouse at 833-3007 or election@co.black-hawk.ia.us. The location is Room 210 of the Black Hawk County Courthouse, 316 E. 5th St, Waterloo, 50703.
When our country was founded, a system of checks and balances was perceived as a way of maintaining a balance of power. The president could veto congressional actions, Congress could override the president and the Supreme Court was the watchdog over both. Justices were appointed by the president with Senate approval.

Im not sure the checks and balances can be counted on for the next few years. Congressional leaders and President-elect Donald Trump have been making peace noises. Further, Trump will immediately have a Supreme Court appointment ensuring a continued conservative court. We could see a marked alteration in the direction of our country unless something changes. This might be where the press comes in.

The so-called Fourth Estate can be a strong force for tempering or even reining the power of the executive and legislative branches of government and it has some influence over the judicial branch. Ultimately, most power resides with the people, and the press can serve an important function by keeping us informed. We in turn can put pressure on Washington and can potentially restrain the political class. The problem is Trump has convinced millions of his followers and perhaps even some detractors the press is biased and cant be trusted. This is dangerous in the current world. Who can we trust if not the press? We dont live in the information age, we live in the misinformation age. So many people get their news from social media and postings by non-authoritative sources with questionable accuracy. We have already learned of people posting online stories they knew were inaccurate simply to make money. Its sad but true many Americans have lost the ability to be critical thinkers and investigate what they hear, instead choosing to say, It must be true. I saw it on the internet.

Trump is a master at managed news. He is already limiting press access to him, choosing instead to send out late-night tweets presenting only his positions. The beauty for him of releasing his opinions this way is it is impossible to question him. Information streams one way. I predict we will see few if any press conferences during his term. He doesnt like tough questions, and he hates to be challenged. This forces the press to report only what he says and does not bode well for the country. The press does not have to acquiesce to the controlling of news. If Trump chooses to seclude himself from probing discussion, the press should do more analysis of the meaning and implications of his tweets. I have always believed the role of the press is to report, not to influence, and I dislike anyone managing our information, but Trump is forcing this on us. We cannot have a country where our leaders are not publicly questioned and forced to explain actions. The time has come for the media to step up and fight for open and accurate information. We are perilously close to leaving the misinformation age and moving to the propaganda age. That would be a serious problem.
Despite warnings on ubiquitous electronic highway signs, Iowa eclipsed 400 traffic fatalities in 2016, reversing a recent trend.

The 401 deaths marked a big spike from 2015 when 316 lives were lost, tying 2013 for the lowest total in the past seven decades, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. It was the highest since 412 people died in 2008 and 446 in 2007.

The record for traffic-related deaths was 912 in 1970, while the lowest was 261 in 1925  the last year fatalities were under 300.

Of the 400 fatalities tallied by Jan. 1 (the DOT monitors injuries 30 days after accidents), almost a quarter (99) involved motorcycles, pedestrians or others, while 301 were killed while in cars or trucks, including 123 not wearing seat belts.

The high rate of fatalities among those not wearing seat belts belies Iowas seat-belt compliance rate of nearly 93 percent, according to Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig.

However, Ludwig said Iowa law does not require seat-belt use in the back seat for those 18 or older, which can be the difference between life and death in high-speed collisions. The 7 percent that are not buckling up are 40 percent of the fatalities, he said.

Deaths from alcohol-related crashes remained around 30 percent, according to Patrick Hoye, the Governors Traffic Safety Bureau chief.

In 2015, intoxicated drivers were responsible for 123 deaths. The Des Moines Register then cited an increase in blood alcohol content levels every year since 2012, reaching 0.163 in 2015  more than twice the legally impaired limit of 0.08.

Iowa actually was bucking a national trend in 2015, but not so in 2016.

Traffic fatalities in 2015 had the largest recorded annual percentage increase in 50 years. The first six months of 2016 were even worse, up 10.4 percent, to 17,775, from the same period a year earlier, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Much of the recent focus is on distracted drivers, particularly those using technology  from apps on smartphones to hands-free systems that have been introduced on new cars.

Relatives of victims are suing Apple for a Facetime conversation that occurred when a driver hit their car, killing their 5-year-old daughter, while Snapchat faces multiple lawsuits for high-speed fatal accidents while drivers recorded their speed on the app.

Automakers defend the hands-free systems offered on cars, including Apples CarPlay and Googles Android Auto, contending they limit distractions otherwise created by smartphone use. Traffic safety advocates and insurance industry officials disagree.

Robert Gordon, a senior vice president of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, told a National Transportation Safety Board conference last year, This is a serious public safety concern for the nation. We are all trying to figure out to what extent this is the new normal.

In 2015, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation, distracted drivers killed 14 people  double the prior year. Another 601 were injured compared to 270 in 2014 and accidents were up 43 percent to 1,100.

While 45 states and the District of Columbia have made texting while driving a primary violation, in Iowa its only a primary violation for those 14-17. Otherwise, another traffic violation needs to occur.

In 2015, the state Senate passed a bipartisan bill, 44-6, in to make texting while driving a primary offense for adults with a token $30 fine, but the Republican-controlled House rejected it.

A 2015 Des Moines Register poll indicated 85 percent of Iowans supported making it a primary offense.

Because of the increase in drunken-driving fatalities nationwide, the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended lowering the BAC to 0.05 (no state has done so) and requiring ignition interlock devices on vehicles driven by those convicted of drunken driving, which 23 states have made mandatory.

Iowa doesnt mandate ignition interlock devices, but allows drivers convicted of operating while intoxicated  with their licenses suspended  to obtain temporary restricted licenses if the devices are installed on their vehicles.

The driver must blow three times into the device to determine if their BAC is less than 0.04 or the vehicle wont start.

Gov. Terry Branstad created a task force last summer to study ways to combat distracted, drunken and drowsy driving. By November it had identified 66 proposals, and Hoye said a recommendation of legislation barring drivers from using a hand-held device would not surprise him.

In a contentious political environment, traffic safety should be a priority as a bipartisan issue of concern to all Iowans. Too many lives have been lost already to distracted and drunken drivers. Legislators must take real action  not a mere $30 fine for texting  to limit the carnage.
Early in the 1980s, now-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on the University of Northern Iowa campus. He showed a tremendous grasp of history and the political climate of the Middle East. A professor friend from the UNI political science department commented he would not be surprised if someday Netanyahu would play an important leadership role in Israel. Indeed, he has shown brilliance and thoughtfulness in his speeches over the years.

As the only real democratic country in the Middle East, Israels political system works on the basis of proportional representation with a multi-party system. The low threshold for elected representation  at 3.5 percent of the votes  results in numerous small parties forming different coalitions to gain seats in the Knesset. As a result, Netanyahu has included in his Likud party coalition some parties with extreme views. It is not difficult to see the progression of Netanyahus speeches becoming more accommodating to hardliners.

The U.S. has shown a steadfast support for Israel and will continue to do so unconditionally. But during the recent past, we have seen U.S. interest and timetables diverging from those of Israel. An example is Israels vocal objection to the U.S.-Iran deal. Some in Israel were advocating for another war. Since the Iraq war and the civil war in Syria, the U.S. has been trying to resolve the chaos in the Middle East and root out ISIS. Another war, the Obama administration figured, would not be supported by a war-weary nation.

Similarly, the U.S. has supported a two-state solution, as do many political parties in Israel. Netanyahu has been allowing the construction of Jewish settlements in occupied territories to continue. The U.S. sees a possible opportune timing for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem. The theory is that perhaps at the end of a Syrian civil war and with the defeat of extremists a period of peaceful coexistence could be achieved, although such an achievement has been a moving target for several generations.

With a little more than 8 million people, Israel faces a sea of enemies. Some countries can hardly afford to see the Palestinian issue go away, using it as a perennial distraction for their masses. The Palestinian leadership has been selective in condemning terrorism, instead aggrandizing some terrorists as martyrs. But the war on terror requires more than drones and boots on the ground. It requires overcoming years of propaganda against Israel and America as its benefactor.

Secretary of State John Kerry put it, My job, above all, is to defend the United States of America  to stand up for and defend our values and our interests in the world. And if we were to stand idly by and know that in doing so we are allowing a dangerous dynamic to take hold which promises greater conflict and instability to a region in which we have vital interests, we would be derelict in our own responsibilities.

He concluded that friendship does not mean the U.S. must accept any policy regardless of our own principles even after urging again and again that policy must change.

Israel has many valid arguments about how some Arab countries, the Palestinian Authority or the extremists in the Middle East view and threaten its existence. But, due to the military strength of Israel and its allies, the nature of the threats have changed from direct military conflicts to provocation by all means to empower the extremists within Israel. History has shown extremism draws out extremists on all sides. Israel should consider the voices of reason even as the extremists are becoming louder and impatient.
Swing states get a candidates time and money during presidential campaigns. Safe states dont. Even delegate-heavy states that are certain to go Democratic or Republican are less important to the campaign than states with fewer delegates that could flip either way. Picking up three, six or more toss-up delegates is important in the race to 270 electoral votes.

And so, some heavily populated states and their many voters feel left out of the process in electing a president. This is one reason, they argue, the Electoral College should be abolished and replaced with a popular vote.

Of course, the popular vote would have the opposite effect. Candidates would concentrate nearly all of their time in the heavily populated states of California, Texas, New York and Florida, with little concern for the rest of the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, half of our countrys population is contained within just nine states. The popular vote could never work in a just manner for all 50 states for that reason alone.

Its evident that with either system somebody feels left out. The problem isnt the system. Its the voting pattern of the electorate. The question that needs to get answered is, Why is any state consistently safe for one party or another?

Candidates use polling and voting history to determine the safeness factor of a particular state. Neither strategy is foolproof, as the 2016 election showed. It helps, though, to explain why a candidate may visit one state only once and travel to another a dozen times.

The voting patterns of several of our largest states  California, Texas and New York  have been very predictable. In the last six presidential elections, Californians (55 delegates) and New Yorkers (29 delegates) voted Democratic. Texans (38 delegates) voted Republican in the last six elections. These states are so reliable less attention is given to them.

Florida is different. It has a sizeable amount of delegates at 29, but its a swing state. In the last six elections, it voted Democratic three times and Republican three times. As candidates, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton made numerous trips to the state. Floridians voices and concerns were heard because the state could have easily tipped either way.

Perhaps the people of California and New York are perfectly happy with their consistent liberal vote and Texans with their repeated conservative choices. That is their right.

And it is the right of presidential candidates to strategically use their time and resources in a way that will achieve 270 electoral votes. Its not a flaw in the electoral system to do that. Its a lack of diversity of thought in safe states that leaves its voters largely ignored.

Iowans tend to lean Democratic in presidential elections, but still voted twice for the Republican candidate in the last six contests.

It takes a sizeable amount of the electorate to vote in such a way that the vote swings back and forth between a Democratic or Republican winner. Thats a lot of independent thinking, and its a good thing.

In the perfect world, all 50 states would be swing states  every single one a wild card because each would be filled with voters who have diversity of thought and who arent pigeonholed as a sure Democratic or Republican win.

No one party has all the answers, all the time.

In Iowa, and other swing states, voters get that.
Finding honesty

BOB BLACK

WATERLOOLie: To make a false statement one knows is false with intent to deceive. Fake news is lies, to misspeak is to lie, etc. We have become a nation that seems to accept lies as common behavior. When Greek philosopher Diogenes went looking for an honest person, he lit his lamp in the middle of the day, knowing full well he would not find one.

How do we change this behavior? Fact check, consider the source, try as hard as possible not to bear false witness ourselves, and we just might turn this behavior around.

Wind farms

MARGARET WHITING

WATERLOO  The Courier published the article Company eyes Black Hawk County wind farm Dec. 27. A wind farm in Black Hawk County would be great since we already know wind farms are successful in Iowa. Scientists tell us we need much more renewable energy soon in order to avoid a worldwide disaster.

The article said opponents of the wind farm worry turbines would kill birds. The vast majority of research shows when ranked with other deaths to birds, deaths from wind turbines are very low. Birds are killed in much greater numbers by collisions with buildings and cars, poisoning from pesticide and mercury and being killed by cats. The National Audubon Society released a report about the greatest threat to birds (Bird and Climate Change Report www.audubon.org/climate). This study of 588 North American bird species reports more than half of the species are likely to be in trouble within this century due to altered habitat.

The report indicates numerous bird extinctions are likely if global temperature increases are not stopped. The opportunity for wind energy to displace fossil fuel energy will bring many benefits for the birds  and humans.

Popular vote

BERYL RICHARDS

NASHUA  Im a bit surprised by the amount of anger directed at our election system. Personally I think it protects those of us in the agri-dominated part of the country from the demands of the huge urban and college areas who, for the most part, really dont have a clue and dont care what goes on in rural America.

Beware what you ask for. If popular vote were the standard, Obamacare would not have been enacted. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid would probably not exist. Speed limits would be higher. Most social programs would be gone or so limited in scope they wouldnt really help.

Im game for popular voting to be the standard as long as it reflects the will of the majority for every government program, not just those the liberal side approves of. In four years there will be another election and we can try again.

Fund the trust

DAVID VOIGTS

JESUP  In 2010, 63 percent of Iowans voted to protect our natural resources by allocating 3/8ths of one cent of the next sales tax increase to the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. Once established, the trust fund could only be used to ensure productive agricultural soils, improved water quality, enhancements to parks and trails and thriving wildlife habitats.

Iowas citizens understand our conservation needs are real. In a recent survey, 67 percent said they would like to have the sales tax increased to fund the trust fund. Moreover, 81 percent said they supported the trust fund.

It is time for our Legislature to carry out the will of the people and fund the trust fund by raising the state sales tax by 3/8ths of a cent. The effort to do this is being led by Iowas Water and Land Legacy, a coalition of conservationists, sportspersons, farmers and business leaders who believe improving our environment will strengthen Iowas economy and improve our quality of life. For more information go to www.iowaswaterandlandlegacy.org/resources/.

I urge you to join with IWiLL and ask the Legislature to raise Iowas sales tax by 3/8ths of one cent to leave a legacy of improved water and lands.

Obamacare

MARK HUNZIKER

CRESCO  Can someone, including our state and federal politicians, explain to me a valid reason to repeal Obamacare and give me a legitimate answer how it is responsible for the drastic increase in cost for health care for everyone?

Please dont give a whimsy answer that can be torn apart easily.

Legion gratitude

TERRY BREKKE

WATERLOO  As a member of American Legion Post 138 Honor Guard, thank you to the family of Phil and Mary Thomas for their thoughtful generosity helping with expenses caused by the relocation of our post. It is commendable the Thomas family aptly demonstrate ideals of the World War II era.

The Cedar Valley has responded to (granddaughter) Karris Goldens Dec. 9 column with overwhelming generosity, and we thank the community as well. This has reaffirmed our faith and hope.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: When Steffy moved in with Thomas, Liam blamed Quinn, but Steffy said Eric wanted her to leave Liam. Steffy pointed out she wasnt setting the right example of a company CEO by living with Liam while still married to Wyatt, but promised Liam she would return to him after her divorce is final. Ridge told Brooke his plan to get Quinn out of their lives was working but didnt mention it involves his flirting with Quinn. Ivy made Quinn swear she has no feelings for Ridge after seeing them in the steam room.

DAYS OF OUR LIVES: At the prison, Rafe told Hope he believes Stefano may be alive, and if he is, then Hope, who is in prison for killing him, would eventually be freed. Rafe, Steve, Paul and Marlena headed for Prague after learning of a Stefano sighting there. Chad told Andre he didnt want to hear anything about Stefanos status. Before leaving, Rafe visited Hope in the prison infirmary after she had been stabbed in a fight with Coco and Sheila. Steve and Kayla consoled Joey after Jade had a miscarriage. Gabi told J.J. she was done with him for good after learning he betrayed her by sleeping with Lani. Brady, who looked for proof Nicole is baby Hollys real mother, was unaware Chloes mother, Nancy, switched out the babys DNA sample.

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Lulu and Dante were stunned when Nina and Valentin announced they had gotten married, and Lulu accused them of tying the knot in order to make it harder for her to get custody of Charlotte. Valentin assured a worried Nina that Claudette would not be returning for Charlotte. Maxie and Nathans wedding didnt come off, as she had the flu and Nathan learned he is still married to Claudette. Franco vowed to find Toms killer, assuring Elizabeth it wasnt him. Julian panicked when he learned Jason and Sam know about Rudge, who works with him and their mystery boss. Alexis told Diane she was with Tom the night he died, but doesnt remember anything more. Carly and Sonny reunited.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Christine and Kevin warned Dylan to be careful before he left town on an undercover assignment as Derek Young to capture drug dealer/murderer Luther Fisk. Sharon was in tears when Dylan (who thinks he may not return) left, telling her he wont be able to contact her or reveal his destination. Victorias son Reed showed up on her doorstep and begged to live with her because he didnt want to go with his father, J.T., who is moving to Poland for his job. Devon confronted Hilary after learning she had caused Mariahs fall on live TV and had been lying to him and using him to get what she wanted. Neil and Hilary learned Devon was seriously injured in a high-speed car accident and undergoing surgery.
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# # #
Jessica Lahey in The Atlantic:

Math has never been my strong suit. I opted out of it at every turn, particularly in college, where I enrolled in linguistics to fulfill my quantitative reasoning requirement. I even tried to overcome my aversion by taking a second whack at Algebra in my forties, but sadly, I still hand restaurant bills to my husband when its time to calculate the tip, and have long since given up on helping my teenage son with his Algebra II homework. Despite my negative feelings about math, I am a huge fan of Steven Strogatz, author, columnist, and Professor of Applied Mathematics at Cornell University.

I follow Steve Strogatz on Twitter, and while I dont always understand his tweets (Would you like Bayesian or frequentist statistics with that?), I do find them fascinating. When Steve tweeted that hed be teaching an introductory math course for non-math majors at Cornell University (#old_dog#new_tricks#excited), I emailed and asked him to tell me more. Why would a veteran professor of higher math choose to spend a semester in the company of undergraduates, many of whom would rather visit the dentist than spend two hours a week exploring mathematical concepts?

The short answer is that Strogatz has discovered a certain thrill in rectifying the crimes and misdemeanors of math education. Strogatz asks his students, more than half of them seniors, to provide a mathematical biography. Their stories reveal unpleasant experiences with math along the way. Rather than question the quality of the teaching they received, they blamed math itselfor worse, their own intelligence or lack of innate talent.

More here.
Nicholas Stargardt in The New York Times:

At the center of Final Solution are the words of Jewish victims. In mid-August 1942, Rudolf Reder arrived at Belzec on a train that had taken many hours to cover the 60 miles from Lvov. He was assigned to a small group of men held back on the platform, while the rest were led away. After a few minutes prisoners appeared with stools and hair-cutting equipment: Their job was to shave the women. It was at this moment that they were struck by the terrible truth. It was then that neither the women nor the men  already on their way to the gas  could have any illusions about their fate.  Reder saw how the women, naked and shaved, were rounded up with whips like cattle to the slaughter, without even being counted  Faster, faster  the men were already dying. Two hours was the time it took to prepare for murder and for murder itself.

Why the Jews? Why murder? Why didnt more Jews fight back more often?

Hayess answer to this last question is characteristically balanced and astute, as he sketches out the different courses set by four different ghetto leaderships. Whether it was Adam Czerniakow in Warsaw, Chaim Rumkowski kowtowing in Lodz or Jacob Gens in Vilna and Jewish leaders in Minsk who tried to assist Jewish partisan groups, it ultimately made no difference. As Hayes concludes, whatever the Jewish leaders did  kill themselves, aid the resistance, appease the Nazis  the outcome was the same. Theirs were truly choiceless choices. Contemporaries may have debated the right course of action, and Cesarani recounts the confrontation between Rabbi David Kahane and Henryk Landsberg, the respected lawyer and head of the Jewish Council in Lvov, in which Kahane declared that it is better that all die and not one Jew be delivered to the enemy, while Landsberg countered that the rabbis were not living in the prewar world. But neither Hayes nor Cesarani has any time for the old accusation leveled by Raul Hilberg and Hannah Arendt that without the collusion of the Jewish Councils, the Nazis could not have carried through the Final Solution to the same extent. Cesarani faults the Jewish leaders in Poland not for things over which they had no control, but for their venality and social conservatism when it came to allocating the scant resources they possessed. Cesaranis central claim to originality is to reconnect the Final Solution with the military campaigns of World War II. As he argues, recent historiography has shown that making war was the central mission of Hitler and the Third Reich, but that their preparations for war were erratic; that the decisive victories over France, Britain and the Soviet Union in 1940-41 were achieved mainly thanks to the mistakes of their opponents; and that the regimes response to the changing military tide thereafter was marked by inadequacy.

Picture: Children from Lodz on their way to the Chelmno extermination camp, 1942.

More here.
Previous Next The Solfar, a massive sculpture by Jon Gunnar Arnason, sets sails in the middle of the reykjavik. Photo: Peter Blahut Previous Next Photo by Brandon Presser Previous Next Icelandic horses are petite. Photo: Paul Taggert, Redux. Previous Next Photo by Brandon Presser Previous Next Photo by Brandon Presser Previous Next Harpa, Iceland's First Concert Hall. Photo: Connie Zhou. Previous Next Bathing in the Blue Lagoon is said to promote health. Photo: John Huba, Art & Commerce. Previous Next Photo by Brandon Presser Previous Next Photo by Brandon Presser Previous Next A wet-suited surfer brave enough to withstand the chilly waters of Jokulsarlon a large glacial lake. Photo: Chris Burkard Previous Next Photo by Brandon Presser

Theres a dignified building in the center of Reykjavik thats painted in thick coats of brown varnish. Constructed in the 18th century, its the oldest wooden house in the capital, but it keeps its age a secret, just as it hides the ancient bones of the Viking hall buried under its cellar.

I visit the house every time Im in Iceland, and Halla always greets me at the door, her matronly gait accented by the rattle of her stone jewelry. She shows me the newest waresknits from the rural east, a chandelier made of reindeer antlers, and a wooden stool sporting a fluffy puff of sheeps wool.

Although the ancient site of the building has seen a myriad of iterations over many years, its now home to the citys best design store, Kraum, a showcase for 200 local designers and their creative takes on fashion and furniture.

I vividly remember my first visit to the shop, when I ran my fingers over a wallet made of fish skin while Halla explained the stores concept. The word kraum (pronounced kroym) is the Icelandic term for simmering, a nod to the quivering tectonic plates that formed the volcanic island. But when it comes to the stores name, theres a second meaning as wellthose simmering minds responsible for the creations scattered along the tables and shelves.

Icelands embodiment of the first definition of the wordnatures roiling forcesis what initially captures the hearts of those who visit this country. Wickedly photogenic, the country scatters its natural wonders like bread crumbs, leading tourists away from the capital. The one-two punch of the shimmering chutes of Gullfoss (the countrys most famous waterfall) and the spouting waters of Geysir (the name says it all) delight day-trippers. Further on, the highlands are scarred with stripes of sulfuric earth, and the North Atlantic Sea carves its course through the deepening fjordsso beautiful and yet so fragile, as the brooding volcanoes that tower over us remind us that a blast of ash could render the landscape anew without notice.

In Reykjavik, the grand majesty and the severe extremes of the Icelandic landscape feed the local culture. Flourishes of lava glimpsed through the fog give rise to myths of lurking trolls, and warrior legends are vividly depicted across the plains. But in the past hundred years, as the tiny nation has careened toward modernity, the landscape has informed artistic pursuits beyond the crafting of ancient sagas. All disciplines, from fashion to music, borrow from these ethereal surroundings.

The eccentrically Icelandic elements of originality, made internationally known by the likes of Bjork and Sigur Ros, intensified after the infamous currency crash of 2008. Born from the economic rubble was a legion of artists who turned toward a hobby when they couldnt find a job. And another phenomenon has arisen, beyond the relationship between the tumult of the earth underfoot and the fiery minds of those who dwell on it. Iceland has entered a sweet spot unlike anywhere else on the planeta unique climate where artists exist within a creative incubator fostered by the intimacy of the nations tiny population.

In a place that registers barely more than 300,000 inhabitants, locals say only half jokingly that everyone in Iceland is famous for something, from the band members who play in the capitals cafes to a carpenter who builds Hallas stools. It may seem quaint to some, but self-expression is steadfastly encouraged.

As tourism numbers have started to climb again, Reykjavik is starting to lose its innovative footing while walking the line between cosmopolitan capital and Arctic outpost. So I look beyond the capitalquite literally, to the edge of Icelandto find those pockets of unadulterated creativity.

The township of Stykkisholmur sits along the rugged escarpment of the Snaefellnes peninsulaa craggy arm of land jutting out into the sea. Jules Verne set his Journey to the Center of the Earth here, and since then its been a mystical place for many. The village itself was once a Danish trading post and is anchored by a merchants home that was built around the same time as Kraums wooden-frame building.

The rest of the tiny town, however, is far from traditional. The public library is now home to a dramatic installation by American artist Roni Horn. Inspired by her repeated journeys to Iceland, the artist captured gallons of water from more than a dozen local glaciers in cylindrical floor-to-ceiling tubes, that reflect and refract the Arctic light. The 10 rooms at Hotel EgilsenIcelands best attempt at boutique digsare filled to the brim with a variety of modern decorative artworks. And Leir 7, a ceramicists gallery and studio in what was once an industrial space, is where local art sensation Sigriur Erla Gumundsdottir uses clay from the adjacent bay to craft beautiful earthenware.

Stykkisholmur exemplifies the simmering spirit of Hallas revered artistic hall. But if you dont have the time to venture to Icelands edge, you can always pick up a set of Gumundsdottirs mugs at Kraum.

Ready. Steady. Go!

Icelands design scene is the constructed manifestation of an island nations collective consciousness, fueled by dramatic, lonely landscapes. After taking in the architecture, fashion and home wares, its time to venture towards the simmering earths and stark fjords that make Iceland so unique. Check out our back-to-nature picks that seamlessly tack onto any itinerary, whether youre in Iceland for a weekend, a week, or more.

Get There: Fly to Keflavik International Airport

When to Go: July - September

Who It's For: Adventurers, Nature Lovers, Culture Buffs

Go Wild Outdoors: South Iceland Adventure offers tailor-made adventure daytrips and multi-day toursincluding ice climbing, horse back riding, and river jet toursinto the wilds of southern Iceland.

Eat: Fridrik V, a family-run restaurant with only 32 seats, serves up honest-to-goodness Icelandic fare championing the farm-to-table trend sweeping across the country.

Dip in The Blue Lagoon; Sure, its a bit of a Disney-fied version of Iceland, but theres no denying that youll feel positively invigorated before your flight home. Theres an adjacent clinic and hotel, and Lava, the on-site restaurant, is run by Viktor Orn Andresson, who was named Nordic Chef of the Year for 2014.

Shop for Local Wares: Kraum sells unique items made my native Icelandic artists and craftsmen. Another major design store is Epal with a large location just outside of central Reykjavik, and two small outpostsone in Harpa (the major concert hall in Reykjavik) and another at the international airport.

This article was published in 7x7's May 2014 issue. Click here to subscribe.
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How to watch, what to know about South Dakota State at Northern Iowa
By Claire Bernish

Were an empire now, Karl Rove nefariously asserted in 2004, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while youre 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.

Rove might have said that 12 years ago, but the words hauntingly describe our situation in 2016  Oxford Dictionaries, incidentally, named post-truth the international word of the year  with facts seemingly relative, truth debatable, and a falsely-premised war on fake news, Orwell must be rolling in his grave.

In fact, given these telling circumstances, perhaps Oxford Dictionaries didnt go far enough  this year epitomizes a new era of post-coherence. Rove and his ilk  the dynasties Bush and Clinton, reigning powers for nearly 30 years  must chuckle behind closed doors as Americans quarrel savagely over the authenticity of falsehoods and facts, alike.

With ostensibly everything now up in the air, the U.S. power apparatus has inarguably created a new reality  one in which doubt has been so instilled as to obstruct and thwart the dissemination of accurate, factual information.

This purposeful manipulation of perception, in other words, does exactly what Rove and the aptly-termed historys actors intend  it keeps the rest of us confused  and bitterly arguing over whats actually going on.

Online communication facilitated this madness exponentially  its doubtful such disorientation would have occurred decades ago, when social media didnt have critical influence.

Of course, this tumult and turbulence isnt manufactured without reason  it allows the surreptitious and sometimes flagrant distribution of propaganda favorable to the American political establishment to circulate largely unhindered.

But those aspects of post-coherence unintentionally also gave rise to a furious backlash  the Internet might facilitate confusion and propaganda, but it is, after all, a global library of information  and wary independent and alternative media outlets immediately tear apart false information published by collusive corporate media presstitutes.

With all of this in mind, the following are just a smattering of many outrageous examples of how the Fake News narrative brought us post-truth, intentionally shaping the events of 2016  and promises to continue the inanity far into the future.

Perhaps the most laughable Fake News came to us courtesy of CNNs Chris Cuomo, who warned the planet amid ongoing publication by WikiLeaks of documents deleterious to the credibility of the Democratic establishment to remember, its illegal to possess these stolen documents. Its different for the media. So everything you learn about this, youre learning from us.

Cuomos conspicuous ploy to limit the spread of the actual documents  and win CNN additional reader- and viewership  constituted a reckless foray into censorship of information.

Of course, CNN didnt proclaim the leaked emails verboten for nothing  the outlet bears the snarky moniker, Clinton News Network, as its parent company, Time Warner, donated over $400,000 to Hillary Clintons campaign  and was exposed by alternative media countless times for cutting off reporters who dared criticize its darling candidate or report on revealed corruption.

Further, CNNs pernicious claim came as the documents revealed the outlet and others colluding with the Clinton campaign to report news portraying Democrats in a favorable manner  of course, those who took Cuomos warning to heart and relied solely on the Clinton News Network would never know that pertinent detail.

Other mainstream media outlets who coordinated with the Clinton camp struggled to accurately report the contents of the WikiLeaks documents  when they bothered covering the revelations. Corporate propagandas spin machine seemed to be on overdrive for the duration of the election cycle  and has reached the level of absurdity following Donald Trumps win.

Because, according to corporate media  who ignored the depth of corruption exposed by WikiLeaks  the election of Trump was so anomalous, there had to be an explanation beyond the fact the American people didnt find Hillary qualified for the job.

Enter The Russians.

Taking cues from the era of McCarthyism and leading the new Red Scare with a bullhorn is the once-illustrious Washington Post, who first posited, without any evidence sans statements from unnamed CIA officials, that the Intelligence Community had reached a consensus  Russian hackers had interfered in the election to install Trump.

Famously in lockstep, the New York Times quickly parroted the same assertion as if it were steel truth  neither outlet, however, bothered consulting officials from the 16 other agencies comprising the U.S. Intelligence Community.

In actuality, no such consensus had been reached  not even inside the CIA. Shortly after the Posts shameful scare piece was published, the FBI came forward to denounce the Russian hacking theory as fuzzy and ambiguous  showing the lack of cohesion amongst intelligence officials, as well as the rush to shirk blame for the lost election.

Wikileaks, itself  the one organization with insider information  has vociferously and repeatedly denied their source hacked anything, is not Russian, and that the documents were leaked by an insider.

Nonetheless, news of the report went viral and furthered current administrations agenda to both paint Russia as a villain and Trump as having somehow stolen the election.

Indeed, the utterly unproven Russian Hackers theory provided the impetus for President Obama to an embarrassing diplomatic meltdown this week, announcing the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, sanctions, and the shuttering of two compounds owned by Russia.

While that move could have easily brought the two superpower nations yet closer to military conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin allowed cooler heads to prevail, went against the fury of other officials, and announced there would be no diplomatic tit-for-tat  no United States diplomats would be expelled from Russia.

Incidentally, the mainstream press jumped the gun again, publishing the statements of Russian officials claiming the country would be mirroring moves by the U.S.  before Putin announced Russia would not be stooping to such diplomatic pettiness.

While these points show the unseemly power of misinformation and make the corporate media a soft target for ridicule, its imperative to understand these false and misleading news items amount to government propaganda  the more the public buys the preferred narrative, the easier it will be to shove unsavory actions, including war, down our throats.

Labeling some 200 independent and alternative outlets as Russian propagandists and Fake News was another feat the Post underhandedly managed in 2016  and, thanks to its efforts, Obama officially wrote into law, in essence, a Ministry of Propaganda to putatively combat foreign State disinformation. Of course, considering the Posts owner, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, has received $600 million in CIA funds, albeit ostensibly for a stand-alone project, this hardly comes as a shock.

With truth in the balance, 2016 seemed to be a year plucked straight from the pages of George Orwells 1984  perhaps lightly edited by Aldous Huxley.

We dont need censorship from Facebooks neoliberal Fake News slayers or the U.S. Ministry of Truth  but in this new era of post-coherence, the masses fell for the trick, and now believe themselves incapable of discerning fact from fiction despite the still-accessible, voluminous information available on the Internet.

If the somnambulant masses were coherent enough to see through the ploy, freedom of speech and the press wouldnt currently hang in the balance. An idiotic need to be spoon fed information could quash the institutions at the heart of our supposedly-free society.

However, until the government acts more drastically, we still have independent media  whose integrity has a phenomenal track record of refusing to publish bogus information, or retracting any items later found to be mistaken.

In the very near future  without hawk-like vigilance  dissenting opinion and reports accurately depicting corruption endemic in government may become a thing purely of the past.

Claire Bernish writes for TheFreeThoughtProject.com, where this article first appeared.
By Vin Armani

In the video below, after a short Australian propaganda video sponsored by the banks, Vin Armani breaks down signs the establishment agenda for a cashless society is moving forward full steam ahead moving into 2017.

The Australian cashless propaganda piece was titled $100 note to be scrapped? Australia to crack down on cash payments and states,

Australia looks set to follow in the footsteps of Venezuela and India by abolishing the countrys highest-denomination banknote in a bid to crack down on the black economy. Speaking to ABC radio on Wednesday, Revenue and Financial Services Minister Kelly ODwyer flagged a review of the $100 note and cash payments over certain limits as the government looks to recoup billions in unpaid tax. Mondays midyear budget update will include the appointment of former KPMG global chairman Michael Andrew to oversee a black economy taskforce. The black economy accounts for 1.5 per cent of GDP, given many cash payments are untaxed.

Gizmodo recently wrote a article titled Indias Prime Minister Plans for Cashless Society:

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has an economic firestorm on his hands following his decision to ban the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. In his monthly address on Sunday, Modi took his ambitions further with a call for a cashless society. According to a translation by Reuters, Modi said, I want to tell my small merchant brothers and sisters, this is the chance for you to enter the digital world. The ban has removed 80 percent of the countrys currency from circulation and brought commerce to a virtual standstill. But rather than backing up, it appears that Modi is doubling down. We can gradually move from a less-cash society to a cashless society, he told listeners.

And the EU already axed the 500 euro note after a successful propaganda campaign that labeled the note the bin Ladin to make seem like a dirty weapon for terrorists. Fortune wrote The End of the 500 Euro Note Could Lead to a Cashless Economy:

After months of heavy deliberation, the European Central Bank decided in April to phase out the 500 banknote in an effort to curb terror financing and other illegal activities. The bank announced plans to end production of the 500 noteworth $574by the end of 2018, though bills in circulation will be taken as legal tender.



The note, also dubbed the Bin Laden, is rarely used by the general public. About 60% of Europeans say theyve never seen onebut has been used to evade taxes, in terrorist operations, and other illegal activities.

.

Eliminating the bank note could help temper criminal activity, but in reality the implications are much broader, analysts from Stratfor wrote in a February research note. The idea is just the most recent step in an ongoing process moving Europe, and indeed the world, closer to an entirely cashless economy.

The cashless society is also coming to the United States with former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers recommending killing the $100 bill in The Washington Post:

What should happen next? Id guess the idea of removing existing notes is a step too far. But a moratorium on printing new high denomination notes would make the world a better place.

Watch the full broadcast here

See Vin speak and hang out in person Feb 25-28th at Anarchapulco

Vin Armani is the host of The Vin Armani Show on Activist Post, TV Star of Gigolos on Showtime, Author, DJ, and Agorist Entrepreneur. Follow Vin on Twitter and subscribe on YouTube. Get the weekly podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.
By Shaun Bradley

Bureaucrats in California are ringing in the new year by doubling down on their failed policies to stop gun violence. As of January 1st, six new bills are being phased in that close the so-called bullet-button loophole and require background checks to buy ammunition. Another policy would have banned magazines that hold over ten rounds, but in a surprise move, the magazine restriction was repealed on December 29th, just ahead of the deadline. Although California has always been a poster child for the progressive agenda, support for these extreme measures seems to have faded  especially since the result of the presidential election.

These new standards were signed by Governor Jerry Brown in the wake of the San Bernardino attack last December, and in many ways, they mimic the registry created in Connecticut after Sandy Hook. Even though the changes solidify Californias status as the most draconian state when it comes to gun rights, public opinion may be at a turning point.

The reality of a Trump administration has shocked many Californians into a newfound appreciation for the 2nd Amendment. Since November, there has been a record number firearms sold in the Golden State  and many of those buying them are liberals. Hopefully, instead of being blinded by identity politics, this can be a moment for both parties to realize gun ownership is a necessary check on centralized power. The 2nd Amendment has long been a point of contention between the left and the right, but perhaps a year like 2016 is what was needed to find some common ground.

Regardless of ones beliefs, when the president has far-reaching, violative power, concerns of authoritarianism will inevitably come from both sides of the political spectrum. An armed populace, though, has much less to fear from the whims of a dictator, whether they are a fascist or a socialist.

Yet if the original magazine ban hadnt been repealed, thousands of innocent people would have been turned into felons overnight. Those who dont comply with the numerous other new stipulations are still at risk.

For this reason, those who oppose the drug war should empathize with gun owners who find themselves in the crosshairs of the State. People who have experimented safely with marijuana or psychedelics understand that when used responsibly, they can be important tools in improving quality of life. Thats why its infuriating to see politicians who have never experienced the benefits of these substances make laws that put people in jail for simply possessing a plant.

But why isnt there the same anger when politicians who have never been in a fight or shot a gun (yet are protected by armed bodyguards) create laws criminalizing individuals choices on how they defend themselves? The drug war uses law enforcement on non-violent people to enforce arbitrary victimless crimes, but it is just as immoral when law-abiding gun owners are targeted by the State at the behest of a fearful public.

This targeting amounts to the collectivization of millions of people, the vast majority of whom will never harm anyone. In the same way, the majority of cannabis or psychedelic users do not harm others  let alone themselves  proving blanket bans unreasonably violate the rights of non-violent individuals.

Further, instances where firearms are used in self-defense are almost never covered by the press  but lives saved by guns should carry significant weight in the discussion. Taking away legal firearms only limits options for those who become victims when the police arent close enough to intervene. Obviously, not everyone has the desire to carry a firearm, just as there are many people who have no interest in using drugs, but entrusting government as the mediator of what is reasonable and ethical is a fatal mistake that has been highlighted throughout history.

The well-known tactics of doublespeak and problem-reaction-solution have been deployed on the public to link societys perception of gun ownership to criminality. Terms like bullet-button, high-capacity, automatic rifle, and ghost gun are all manipulative words that have been used to confuse those who arent assimilated into American gun culture. With little personal experience on which to base their opinions, many liberals unquestionably accept the States assertions that guns are to blame  accusations that inevitably follow these tragic scenarios.

Unfortunately, the government has a poor track record of addressing the root cause of the issue and not just a symptom of the disease. There is no amount of laws that can be written to solve the underlying societal problems driving the violence, and like it or not, the weapons of millions of Americans are here to stay. When crucial information from the media is being intentionally omitted, the result can be just as deceptive as an outright lie.

Even the infamous false claim that there were 355 mass shootings in 2015 made its rounds and was regurgitated on major networks. But deliberate wording was used to skew the data and guide the publics reaction. Out of those 355 incidents, only a handful resulted in any loss of life, even though the audience associated mass shootings with the few mass murders they had seen broadcast non-stop.

The source of the data is a site called Mass Shooting Tracker, and their calculations are vastly different than most would assume. The organization clearly states how they define mass shootings on their web page:





The current FBI definition of mass murder, commonly accepted by the media as a proxy for mass gun violence, is three or more people murdered in one event. We believe this does not capture the whole picture. Many people may survive a shooting based on luck aloneOur definition is this: a mass shooting is an incident where four or more people are shot in a single shooting spree. This may include the gunman himself, or police shootings of civilians around the gunman.

The statistics echoed throughout the mainstream media to convince the public that were in the midst of a mass shooting epidemic  and that assault rifles are largely to blame  has been a spectacle. Even something as simple as the number of gun deaths is consistently inflated by the rate of suicides, which are often included in tallies. The gun control position would at least have some integrity if they went after the weapons that are used in 68% of all murders  handguns. But instead of standing on the values they preach, gun control advocates turn to emotional manipulation that undermines logic to target rifles, which account for only 3% of all murders. FBI reports have consistently shown an overall decrease in violent crime, but only cities that have instituted the strictest gun control, like Chicago, have fallen victim to unprecedented turmoil  turmoil that, if state gun laws worked, would be avoided.

The democratic nature of the United States is only valuable if it remains representative of all opinions without marginalizing the rights of the minority. The rise of the Calexit movement has created a unique opportunity to open up the debate on the issue of state rights, which until now has mostly been associated with right-wing parts of the country.

Hopefully, the perfect storm of political upheaval and government overreach can bring people together behind individual freedom. The new laws being implemented in California exemplify a failed solution to a complex problem. If 2016 did one thing, it highlighted the differences in values and vision that separate the ideologies of the nation. In the pursuit of diversity, the differences in ideas have been placed on the back burner, but if progress that is more than skin deep is going to be made, then all views  even the unpleasant ones  need to be heard.

This article (Heres Why Liberals Are Suddenly Embracing the 2nd Amendment) by Shaun Bradley is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Shaun Bradley and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11 pm Eastern/8 pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, please email the error and name of the article to edits@theantimedia.org.
By Bernie Suarez

Lets face it. Staged sloppy and laughably fake events are now occurring regularly; and in just the past week or so weve seen painfully not-so-organic events reported by the fake news mainstream media in exactly the way they always present events that they want to push on you  by repeating the same exact stories and showing you the exact same images, interviews and video clips.

While many truth seekers are seeing the fakery for what it is, others are more reluctant to call events fake because it just doesnt feel right. Perhaps it simply doesnt feel very logical to call events fake in real-time. A part of their brains is thinking that somehow all these events cant all be staged. Someone would speak up right? Havent we heard that one before? Well, they ARE being staged. If theyve staged events in the past and gotten away with it and in fact gained financially and much more from these events, why wouldnt they keep doing a tactic that works all the time?

The fact of the matter is that more than ever we need a solid foundation by which to measure these ongoing controversial events which are being questioned by many people. Isnt it about time we review some quick and easy rules on what to look for medically speaking when someone gets shot? I hope that by putting this information out people will start digging and doing their own research so that they know for themselves what to look for in the next fake shooting.

In the meantime its time to lay to rest many false beliefs and assumptions about how the human body and mind responds to the threat of real bullets and real weapons being fired upon it.

The following facts about the human mind and body and its reaction to gunshot wound situations should help you more quickly, easily and definitively point out the next fake shooting event without having to worry about being wrong and without having to rely on your favorite alt media website guru to tell you whether the event is fake or not. Once you see the in-your-face fakery youll hopefully also help others to see the fakery as well.

In order to quickly spot fakery one must know how the body works. So lets take a look at some important details about the body:

1  Understand the heart and vascular system of a human body

Lets begin by looking at a diagram of the human body focusing on the vascular system. Take a look at how many blood vessels there are in the body connected to the heart and try to imagine where you would have to shoot someone to miss their abundant blood supply channels. It would not be an easy task!

The human heart itself is a strong muscle powered by nerves that conduct electricity automatically. In other words your heart is a strong pump which squeezes blood in one direction. Its also important to understand that the average person has about 5 liters of blood in their circulation.

The electrical system of the heart pictured above is part of the so called autonomic nervous system; in other words, its automatic. The force generated by each contraction of the heart and the rate at which it contracts varies between people and the individual circumstances. On average during one minute the heart will circulate all the blood in your body. For a larger-sized person with a healthy heart very likely the pumping power will be greater because the heart must do more work to get blood to peripheral organs. This automatic pumping action is also carried out in the blood vessels including arteries and veins along with even smaller channels that reach peripheral organs. Together these body parts work as a whole pumping blood continuously even though someone may be hit with a bullet and in the process of dying.

To shut down the autonomic innervation to the heart in order to stop the pumping action of the heart, and thus the forceful flow of blood rushing out of entry and exit wounds, one cannot shoot someone once or a few times and expect these small bullets to accomplish all of this at once. For this reason gunshot victims rarely die right away. In fact, often gunshot victims, upon initially being shot dont even realize theyve been hit. For this reason also a person who has been hit with a bullet will run, crawl, stagger, moan and fight for their lives with any number of bullets lodged inside of them.

Some people say, what if a person is shot many times? If the person is shot many times continuously like an execution scene in a mafia movie, or is shot with a high-powered weapon, obviously the amount of blood pouring out of their system will be substantial; the damage to the body, particularly the vital organs, is more significant and death will usually occur much sooner but again almost never right away. Well come back to this topic later.

2  Some basic facts about human blood

A second point everyone should know is that oxygen is what provides the red color of blood. For this reason blood circulating in your arteries (not your veins) is bright red. Thats because arterial blood is highly oxygenated. However blood from a gunshot victim spilled on the floor and open to the air for more than a few seconds quickly deoxygenates (loses the oxygen molecules) and takes on a blueish color. This is the typical color of blood seen when the nurse draws your blood from your veins. Next time you have blood drawn from you or someone you know take notice of the bluish dark red color. This is the color of the blood we should be seeing in pictures of supposed shot-up people.

3  When and how do people lose consciousness during gunshot wounds

Another factor important for calling out fake shootings is understanding how and when people lose consciousness when shot. In the video presentation linked below (see item number 5) Anesthesiologist Dr Andreas will discuss how most people do not lose consciousness just because theyve been shot. In the video below you will see the gunshot victim very much wide awake and even walking away minutes later even though he is shot multiple times in the torso where many vital organs are located. To get the desired Hollywood-style instant drop we see on TV you would have to shoot someone in the head for that to happen.

Another reason someone would lose consciousness is due to loss of blood to the brain. This happens when the person really is bleeding profusely and the response by the body (i.e. faster heart rate, faster breathing) is not enough to keep the person conscious. In this case we would expect the dying person to be moving not lying still (e.g. gasping for air, grabbing their chest, moaning and agonizing, etc). In many fake shootings we see none of this behavior and that is another red flag.

4  Facts about the human fight or flight survival instincts

Often in staged shootings we see staggering fakery when it comes to the expected natural fight or flight survival instincts embedded in every human being. In the real world, upon hearing gunshots any and all humans in the vicinity would immediately (without thinking) duck, dive and run for cover. This is a built-in survival instinct we all have. Take a look at some of the fake shootings presented to us on TV and look to see if the reaction of every single person including those being shot is consistent with the human fight or flight reflex. They are not!

We now see camera people relaxed, videotaping and comfortably photographing the shooting WHILE its happening. In some cases we are even seeing the photographer taking pictures while in the direct line of fire as we saw in the pizzagate self-investigator shooting staged event. (See image below)

5  Here are some more important facts about gunshot wounds

The video below mentioned earlier, which I linked for readers following the Orlando shooting psyop in June of 2016 where I discussed the ongoing medical impossibilities commonly seen in staged events, explains the effects of gunshot wounds on a typical person and how most people dont die from gunshot wounds at all. In fact 6 out of 7 people survive gunshot wounds! And if they do die they usually die much later on. These statistics alone show you how unlikely it is that these often-shown live shootings are truly real and organic.

Interestingly, in the video below Dr Andreas points out that the only part of the body needed to live is the brain stem. He also debunks the widely believed notion of instant kill with a handgun (see at around 13:20). The notion that a person is somehow instantly killed by a handgun wound is a myth sold by Hollywood movies which regularly portray people dropping dead as soon as they are shot. Amazingly, we happen to also see this in fake events which portray one shot one kill or a couple of shots and instant kill. Again, there is no reality to this fictional portrayal of gunshot victims pushed by Hollywood and now mainstream media.

This single major misunderstanding is where most people are being fooled by many staged shooting events. You cant evaluate whether something is real or fake unless you know what you are looking for. Doesnt that make sense? And when it comes to seeing people shot live on TV one cannot see the often laughable fakery unless you are sure about how the body works.

Conclusion

Now that you understand how the body works in terms of getting hit with bullets particularly from a handgun you can easily review the recent Russian Ambassador assassination videos and see the fakery screaming out at you. Particularly notice how split seconds after the shooter fires the Ambassador is already in the snow angel position lying perfectly still on the floor. Also he drops vertically down (building 7 style) instead of falling over head first or attempting to run away. This is what got my attention about this video along with many other oddities pointed out by others. Frankly, the only thing more fake than this is the infamous Virginia TV reporter live shooting of Alison Parker in 2015.

Were any of these shootings real? Were they purposely staged to look fake in order to confuse people? You decide after looking at all the facts. I say these shootings are all missing the component of reality regardless of what actually happened. Ultimately we should not get too hung up on the details that are hidden from us. It is more important to understand that these events are staged for political reasons.

What we should get out of all of this is that we are living in an era of fakery and not everyone that calls themselves a truth seeker seems to be willing to see the fakery for what it is. Instead people are trying to rationalize as to why these events must be real. While many people holding to these opinions are being genuine in what they believe others simply refuse to reconcile the times in which we live in terms of the fakery were seeing. For those who refuse to see the fakery I have a 2017 message in the video below. If you agree please share.

2017 MESSAGE FROM BERNIE SUAREZ

Bernie is a revolutionary writer with a background in medicine, psychology, and information technology. He is the author of The Art of Overcoming the New World Order and has written numerous articles over the years about freedom, government corruption and conspiracies, and solutions. Bernie is also the creator of the Truth and Art TV project where he shares articles and videos about issues that raise our consciousness and offer solutions to our current problems. As a musician and artist his efforts are designed to appeal to intellectuals, working class and artists alike and to encourage others to fearlessly and joyfully stand for truth. His goal is to expose government tactics of propaganda fear and deception and to address the psychology of dealing with the rising new world order. He is also a former U.S. Marine who believes it is our duty to stand for and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. He believes information and awareness is the first step toward being free from the control system which now threatens humanity. He believes love conquers all fear and it is up to each and every one of us to manifest the solutions and the change that you want to see in this world because doing this is what will ensure victory and restoration of the human race and offer hope to future generations.
By Melissa Dykes

Here we go again with more Russia hysteria, courtesy of the Washington Post.

Any time a story comes out of Washington Post, readers should realize three things. First, WAPO is a regular attendee at the secretive elite Bilderberg annual conference, has been for decades. Two, so is WAPOs relatively new owner, Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos. Three, Bezos literally works with the CIA, having taken contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars from the agency to provide its cloud data storage.

When those three facts are taken into account, its a lot easier to consider the possible agendas at play when you hear that the paper was forced to retract an unfounded story scaremongering that Russian hackers penetrated the US electric grid.

The original story was that a virus was found in a laptop at a Burlington, Vermont electric company, and that virus was proof that a Russian hacking operation penetrated Americas power grid.

Turns out, the infected laptop was never hooked into the power grid. Also, theres apparently no actual proof Russians hacked said laptop.

WAPO was forced to retract, adding this editors note:

An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that Russian hackers had penetrated the U.S. electric grid. Authorities say there is no indication of that so far. The computer at Burlington Electric that was hacked was not attached to the grid, the editors note read.

Do you really think an accusation like this was just a casual mistake? Do you think a paper like the Washington Post doesnt have an editing and vetting process for what goes to print?

The editors note comes a little late, as the Cold War-like panic over Russia hacking what weve been told over and over for years now is our extremely vulnerable power grid already occurred. The original story prompted a flurry of angry accusations, with Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a thug in a written statement quoted excessively all over the mainstream media.

Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the worlds leading thugs, Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality-of-life, economy, health, and safety, said Shumlin in a written statement.

The damage the story caused has already been done, which seems to be the whole point of Russian hysteria stories like this.

The propaganda war against Russia (and the American people) is in full swing. We should also keep in mind two more things: A) domestic propaganda dissemination by the U.S. government against its own citizens is now officially legal (heres why) and B) Obama just signed the Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act into law, also called the Countering Information Warfare Act of 2016.

Put two and two together and you can already see 2017 is going to be a bumpy ride

Read Also: OOPS: Washington Post Appends ProporNot Russian Propaganda Fake News Story, Admits It May Be Fake

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We encourage you to share and republish our reports, analyses, breaking news and videos (Click for details).

Contributed by Melissa Dykes of The Daily Sheeple.

Melissa Dykes is a writer, researcher, and analyst for The Daily Sheeple and a co-creator of Truthstream Media with Aaron Dykes, a site that offers teleprompter-free, unscripted analysis of The Matrix we find ourselves living in. Melissa and Aaron also recently launched Revolution of the Method and Informed Dissent. Wake the flock up!
At least 10 crocodiles have broken loose from a zoo in Nakhon Si Thammarat province of Thailand after floods hit the area.

According to a government official, all the reptiles, deer and rare bird species had escaped from Tha Lad Zoo that houses more than 10 crocodiles, some measuring up to five metre long, Xinhua news agency reported.

Authorities said crocodiles were swimming through rising flood waters and warned the locals to take special caution.

Municipal workers tried to locate the animals in order to keep them away from populated areas but the rising water level made the task complicated.

Deputy Mayor Manas Pongyeelar was quoted as confirming that the crocodiles were missing from the zoo, adding authorities were patrolling the park to locate them.

I was informed that some crocodiles could have escaped from the Tha Lad Zoo due to the high level of flood waters, he told local media.

The reptiles, he said, were being located to prevent them from reaching populated areas but municipal workers faced a challenging task due to rising water levels.

Two days ago, residents in the Muang district had reportedly shot dead to other crocs, measuring 3-4 meters long, that broke loose from a private farm due to the floods.
The announcement of dates for Assembly polls in five States by the Election Commission found the BJPs national headquarters is filled with anticipation. The results of densely populated and numerically important Uttar Pradesh to the crucial states of Manipur, Goa, Punjab and Uttarakhand will not only be significant in the specific political contexts of these States, but will also project the impact of demonetisation and Prime Minister Narendra Modis attempts to transcend the segmentary vote bank that the party has depended on till now. The upper castes, especially trading communities, the traditional bedrock of support to the BJP, havent exactly heaped encomiums on the Prime Minister on the decision to demonetise 1,000 and old 500 notes, and difficulties in remonetisation persist. Despite all that, party is expected to get majority vote and keep the carping critics quiet and show the supremacy of the party at all India level.

Jayanthy S. Maniam

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
The Election Commission announced poll dates in 5 states. The growing popularity of BJP in the states may be vindicated in the election in UP, the largest state in India. It is a shot in the arm for the saffron party after Prime Minister Narendra Modis demolition move ahead of these five assembly polls. The party swept local bodies in Chandigarh elections and the bye elections with consumable ease and hope that the people will repose the same faith on Modi. This is in addition to the facile wins in Maharashtra State in local body elections few days back. This illustrates the faith people had seeing the all-round progress and will not tolerate corruption and misgovernance. The table is tilted towards BJP despite all the exaggerated reports in the media after demonetisation. Modi means business. He is a man of action as Modi commenced probity at home and made BJP MPs and Ministers to reveal detail of Bank account details by January first. PMs popularity is going up after the surgical strike on terrorists and the demonetisation of Rs.500 and Rs.1000 notes in recent times. Modi is making most of the favourable situation.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
A U.S. consular official in the Mexican city of Guadalajara was shot by a gunman but was in stable condition, Mexican authorities said on Saturday, prompting the FBI to offer a reward for information.

The victim was gunned down on Friday evening in Mexico`s second largest city, in the often violent western state of Jalisco, according to Mexico`s Attorney General and the U.S. embassy.

The unidentified official was shot in the chest, said a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The embassy said that it is working closely with Mexican law enforcement on the matter. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of $20,000 for information that helps to identify the shooter.

The safety and security of our employees overseas is among our highest priorities, said an embassy spokesperson who declined to be identified.

A video posted online by the consulate in Guadalajara shows the shooter appearing to wait for the official`s car to pull up to a car park barrier before shooting directly at the driver and running away.

Jalisco is one of the engines of the Mexican economy, but the states southern border turned into a battleground between rival drug cartels  the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNG) and the Michoacan-based Knights Templar.

In May, 2015 JNG gunmen shot down an army helicopter in southwestern Jalisco, claiming the lives of six military personnel.
Four labourers were killed and six others injured when a speeding car rammed into a night shelter in Dalibag locality in Hazratganj area in the wee hours on Sunday.

Around 35 labourers were sleeping in the shelter when a Hyundai i20, which was allegedly being driven at a high speed, crashed into it. Two of the people travelling in the car tried to escape after the tragedy but other labourers in the shelter caught hold of them and handed them over to the police.

The two occupants of the car  Ayush Kumar Rawat, son of a former Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA stays at Vishal Khand, Gomtinagar, and Nikhil Arora were allegedly drunk and have been arrested, police said. Nikhil is a son of a businessman and stays in an apartment in Gomtinagar. Both of them are close friends and often hang out together.

Around 1.15am owner of the car Nikhil was heading back home from Dalibagh when he ran inside the shelter home. The car mowed down people who were sleeping. As he tried to reverse the car, more people were injured. Daily wage labourers and rickshaw pullers sleep in the shelter home which has been erected by an NGO.

Two of the accused, who were drunk, have been arrested and the car has also been seized, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manzil Saini.

The victims, aged between 30 and 37 years, were identified as Prithviraj, Abdul Kalam, Gokaran, Devraj and one unidentified  all daily wage earners from eastern Uttar Pradesh.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here are volumes of reports and stories published on Chhattisgarh police and their atrocities on tribals but government never took serious note over it. Frustrated police always go after soft targets like journalists, activists and opposition party members or poor woman of the state. There are many cases where police has raped tribal women, outraged their modesty and if opposed then they are killed in encounter by getting labelled as Maoists. Chhattisgarh activists and local people protesting against police repression of tribal folk in the name of anti-Maoist operations are either burnt or bullied. The maximum number of undertrials in the country are housed inside the jails of Chhattisgarh. Tribal women are the worst victims of police atrocities, and they are raped, abused and tortured by the men in uniform. The worst thing is that there is nobody to listen to their grievances and people, who listen to them, are put behind the bars with false cases. Fake encounters and false allegations are very common in remote areas. The government needs to act against injustice being meted out to tribal people.

One such attack was on tribal activist and Aam Aadmi Party member Soni Sori, who had her face smeared with a hot, black grease-like substance last February when she was on her way to home at Jagdalpur in Bastar. The mother of two has a blackened, swollen and burnt face, her condition worsened but she stood back strong and continued her fight. She receives threats even now. Sori had been a schoolteacher campaigning against the controversial anti-Maoist militia Salwa Judum when, in late 2011, she was accused of helping the insurgents extort money from Essar as a conduit. She shot into the limelight when she alleged prison torture, prompting the Supreme Court to order a medical check-up. She received bail few years ago and then joined politics to make difference but stood helpless against the brutal system and failed in getting elected too.

The police in Chhattisgarh hounding people, who are asking uncomfortable questions about fake encounters, rape of tribal women during anti-Maoist operations, and fake Maoist are made to surrender or encountered. Due to lack of investigation and deterrence police department is taking people for granted. The police always dismissed the charges of atrocities and extra-judicial killings as Maoist propaganda.

Chief Minister Raman Singh was always asked to press for investigations, but told each time that he would look into it, but his government always shielded the police than the villagers and tribals of the state. The National Human Rights Commission has asked the state government for detailed reports on civil society groups charges of sexual assault on women in Bijapur and Sukma. However, one of the multiple complaints has led to an FIR in the past six months, and no arrests or inquiries have been made.

The police claim to have eliminated many Maoists in south Bastar in the past several months without suffering any casualties. They have not revealed the names of the slain. Many innocent people have been killed. Hardly, any of the surrendered Maoists the police are flaunting had ever been an insurgent. Bastar has become a police state.

At least 16 women were raped, and assaulted sexually and physically by police in Chhattisgarh, the National Human Rights Commission has said, serving a notice to the state government and holding it vicariously liable for the incidents reported in 2015 and 2016. The Commission, in a news release said that it awaits the recorded statements of about 20 other victims. The human rights panel has directed its officials to record the statements of survivors whose statements were not recorded either by the NHRC team or by the Magistrate and submit it within a month.The NHRC has also asked the government to explain why it should not recommend an interim monetary relief of Rs. 37 lakhs to the women who were raped and assaulted.

The NHRC said it had launched an investigation after a report in The Indian Express newspaper in November 2015 said women from five villages in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh that state police personnel had sexually harassed and assaulted more than 40 of them and gang raped at least two. It was also reported that belongings of many villagers were destroyed, stolen or scattered by the forces passing through the villages. During the course of the probe, the Commission also received another complaint that alleged more incidents of sexual violence by the security personnel against women had taken place between 11 and 14 January, 2016 in two other villages. There is rampant violation of human rights of Adivasis and Dalits and the government is not supporting their cause.

The huge negative publicity in the press forced the people to believe that whosoever got killed in Bastar or Chhattisgarh are Maoists. The official enquiry regarding the culpable police personnel is still a question. It remains to be seen what the Police action is against their own culprits. What all this underlines is the impunity of the government functionaries which allows them to indulge in corruption and oppression due to the lack of exemplary punitive action by higher authorities who are in turn boundless by rules and more by the interests of scammers. There are only a few areas in this country where NGOs or activists have challenged this impunity in any effective manner. Even though, this power is tenuous because if the state decides it can at anytime crush the organisation. So, democracy is not something that can be easily established when there is a huge centralisation of economic and political power. No one knows how long the tribals and Dalits of this country will going to suffer in so called independent India.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
An underwater remote-controlled video submarine on Saturday morning discovered the body of a Rice Lake man who was missing after his snowmobile went into Stump Lake.

The Barron County Sheriffs Department identified the man as Todd Kane, 42.

According to Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald:

The sheriffs department was called at 8:54 a.m. on a report of a possible missing man. At 9:48 a.m. a friend looking for Kane reported finding a snowmobile helmet on the ice by the Stump Lake Bridge, north of Rice Lake.

The Sheriffs Department, Rice Lake Police and Fire Departments, Wisconsin State Patrol, LMC Ambulance and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources then went to the scene. The Chetek Fire Departments dive team was also called.

Rice Lake firefighters in cold water suits went into the water near the bridge and they found a snowmobile in the water.

The DNR then used its Rov-an underwater remote controlled submarine to look for Kane.

The submarine found Kanes body at 11:45 a.m. and personnel from the Rice Lake and Chetek fire departments removed the body from the water.

The Barron County Medical Examiners Office, the DNR and the Barron County Sheriffs Department continue to investigate the accident.
9th January is celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. It was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led Indias freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever. The first PBD was held in January 2003 in New Delhi. So far 13 editions of the PBD Convention have been held, the last in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in January 2015 which coincided with the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhis return from South Africa.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention is the flagship event of the Ministry organized every year since January 2003, with a view to connect India to its vast Indian Diaspora and bringing their knowledge, expertise and skills on a common platform. From 2003 to 2015, this was celebrated like a festival commemorating the Indian Diaspora and dedicating it to them. This year the 14th PBD Convention is to be held in partnership with Karnataka on theme Redefining Engagement with the Indian Diaspora. Indian youth and their Diaspora counterparts should come together in developing strong networks, to lead to partnerships in trade, industry, entrepreneurship and social work. The event also serves as a platform to discuss concerns and issues related to the Indian Diaspora around the globe.

The little-known event is also known as Non-Resident Indian Day. It also acknowledges the contribution of Indian community living abroad in the development of India. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated over three days from January 7-9.

According to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi Indian immigrants went abroad looking for opportunities, but today, that situation had changed drastically. In the global context today, India has huge strength and capital. PBD is the most suitable time and hilarious atmosphere to all Indians in India or abroad to come together and work together for strengthening the nations economy. Its good to have such gathering of NRI but it should have long term results for the working class who bring foreign remittance.

The event holds much importance as it also helps in extensive networking among the Indian community who attend it from various parts of the world. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas programme serves as a platform for them to share their valuable experiences in various fields, be it economic or social. The point of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is to showcase Indias unity and present the country as a transnational nation that incorporates the 30-million strong Diaspora and is built upon supposedly shared cultural values in a fictional historical continuum. India can become a superpower and had the potential to become a spiritual and cultural hub. Today India has changed and there are many new opportunities available for everyone to earn and make a very good living. Let us on the occasion of Pavasi Bharatiya Divas; pledge to make our contribution towards the development that is taking place in India.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Three persons, including a woman, have been arrested in connection with the murder of a senior citizen at Masjid Bunder, police said.

The woman, who happens to be the sister-in-law of the deceased, Iqbal Darvesh, and a few of her friends, used to frequently visit him. This was one of the reason for suspicion, Dnyaneshwar Chavan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-2), said.

After verifying the details of the persons visiting the victim, we decided to focus on them. The woman was detained first and after thorough inquiry, she along with her two associates were arrested, he said.

Iqbal Darvesh (72) was found dead by his grandson at his house in Sai Manjil building in Israel mohalla. The door of the house was open and the television as well as the fan was on when the grandson spotted the senior citizens body.

Police said Rs. 15,000 in cash was found stolen from the victims residence.

Robbery seems to be the prime reason behind the crime, police said, adding, they were probing other angles too.

The trio, whose identity was not revealed, has been booked under section 302 (murder) and 397 (robbery), police said.








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For a long time now, there has been growing concerns about how majority of the Canadian population are being marginalized when it comes to issues that deal with governance. Past governments were unable to tackle the problem of this marginalization of the majority even though they claimed to help arrive at the Just Society that Pierre Elliot Trudeau spoke about when he envisioned Canada as pacesetter for the entire world to follow with regards to democracy.

Not long ago, the greater part of the Canadian population were overjoyed when it came out that the selection of members of the Senate was going to be free and fair through giving citizens the right to be represented by people who reflect our diversity. This was seen as a step in the right direction towards the attainment of the Just Society that Canada aims for. However, latest developments has further helped to prove that there are in fact certain elements within the higher authorities who simply do not want democracy to truly prevail in Canada as the selection process of the Senate has been made very cumbersome.



By the new directive, Canadian citizens are being asked to put in a written form the reasons why they think a particular person has to be in the Senate. This is a complete smack in the face of the millions of Canadians who do know people that can move Canada forward in the right direction but do not possess the requisite skills needed to put together an enticing written reference.

Is this the democracy that Canada seeks for? Then it appears that the future is very bleak for Canada in terms of developing as a democratic country for all to emulate. As if being asked to write lengthy pieces as references is not enough, people are also being asked to exhibit a level of understanding with regards to constitution of the land. This simply goes to prove that majority of citizens who might have a competent person in mind will be forced to stay away from the whole process if they cannot present such "Written Letters of References".

The written letter of references process was designed by political elites to keep "non-elites" frozen out of the Senate selection process.



The running of the country through the Senate will remain a task for only the elite under the so-called "new" Senate appointment process which only supports a cosmetic change by taking away official political party affiliations.



If a process that was meant to bring some sanity and fairness to the idea of democracy in Canada can manipulated to favour the very few elite in the society, then the idea of achieving a Just Society is actually a dream that can never be fulfilled. How can democracy in Canada be ridiculed in this manner? When the decision of only a few people is able to bring public ridicule to the entire country, then there is a long way to go before Canada can claim to be a democratic nation.

How can people be asked to put in writing their defence of someone they know is qualified to be in the Senate? What happened to taking all the selected candidates through a free and fair vetting process to ascertain their competency? To the outside world, this is not what Canada stands for and the earlier the right thing is done the better it will be for democracy in Canada.

Support online petiton here - https://www.change.org/p/peter-harder-stop-elitism-in-the-canadian-senate-s-new-appointment-process










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World has been looking for the news about real policies of newly elected US President Donald Trump to have an idea about what kind of presidency he would prefer to install- particularly if he would make nay departure from the usual US foreign policy matters with regards to Russia and Palestine or he would also continue the Neocon ideas of regimes everywhere by terror wars to make entire world to promote US agenda for the world.



Already, Trump has revealed his conflictual mindset by making contradictory statements, especially its readiness to promote the Zionist criminal regime in Mideast b7 continuing to shield the crimes being perpetrated by Israeli military and police against humanity y in Palestine. Whether he would let his Jewish son in law to decide the Mideast policy as per the will of Israel remains to be seen. His policy statement would make the matter somewhat clear to the world.



Precedent has seen American presidents-elect field numerous press conferences during the transition to power to discuss matters such as their choices to fill their cabinet and policy plans for the incoming administration. The methods of the new president communicating news about the transition have been unorthodox for an incoming head of state.



President elect Donald Trump has largely snubbed thus far the tradition that the presidential news conference has become. Instead Trump has relied largely on rallies, photo ops, select interviews and  in unprecedented fashion  on tweets.



Trump, elected in November, has not held a press conference since July, and his announcement gave just the latest date set for the much-delayed event previously due to take place 15 December.



In a tweet, Trump said he will hold a press conference on 11 January, during which he has previously indicated he would unveil his governance plans in order to avoid any conflict of interest between the White House and his business dealings.



Economic announcements of this magnitude are rare and generally take place through a news release or a carefully planned press conference, requiring the efforts of many public relations experts who carefully consider every word and gesture. Last month, he unexpectedly announced to reporters camped in the lobby of his Manhattan Trump Tower skyscraper that Masayoshi Son  the flamboyant head of Japanese telecoms giant SoftBank and a self-made billionaire  had announced a $50 billion investment in the US that would create 50,000 jobs. Steven Mnuchin, tapped to become Secretary of Treasury, and Wilbur Ross, the commerce pick, announced on CNBC television that they had been appointed to their Cabinet positions by Trump. The official announcement was published several hours later.



Trump voiced new doubts that Russian hackers attempted to influence the US election on his behalf, accusing Democrats of lax security and saying WikiLeaks had denied Moscow was behind the documents it made public. Trump, in a spate of notes on Twitter, continued to raise questions about the findings by US intelligence agencies that Russia was behind a series of leaks that embarrassed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign ahead of the Nov. 8 vote. Documents stolen from the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, Clinton's campaign manager, were leaked to the media in advance of the election. One email showed the Clinton campaign received a question in advance of a town hall forum.



Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20, is scheduled to receive a briefing from intelligence officials on the hacking issue on Friday. He has suggested the briefing was postponed to give intelligence officials more time to build their case."The 'Intelligence' briefing on so-called 'Russian hacking' was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" Trump tweeted on Tuesday.



Over years of occupational and expansionist brutalities of the Zionist regime in Palestine have emboldened the Israeli soldiers (heroes) to kill any Palestinian anywhere at will because they know the Israeli government would call the state crimes like this as heroism.

Meanwhile, a Jewish soldier , another "Our hero!" , who shot dead a Palestinian lying wounded and motionless on the ground in the occupied West Bank was surprisingly convicted of manslaughter on January 04 Wednesday in one of the most polarising cases in Israel's history. So far Israeli courts do not punish any Jew even if he or she commits heinous cremes against Palestinians.



The decision to court-martial Sergeant Elor Azaria, who shot the Palestinian after he stabbed a Israeli soldier last March for routine harrassment, stirred public controversy in Israel from the start, with right-wing politicians calling after the verdict on President Reuven Rivlin to pardon the 20-year-old defendant. As the decision was being read at a heavily guarded military court in Tel Aviv, several hundred far-right core backers of Azaria - one of them even carrying a Donald Trump "Make America Great Again" banner  willingly clashed with police. Ten months ago, Azaria was an army medic serving in the Israeli-occupied city of Hebron when two Palestinians carried out the stabbing. Hebron has been a longtime flashpoint of violence, and the incident occurred during a wave of Palestinian street attacks on Israeli criminals. .



While one of the two Palestinians was shot dead by troops, the other was shot and wounded. Eleven minutes later, as the wounded man, Abd Elfatah Ashareef, 21, lay on the ground incapacitated, hero Azaria shot him in the head with an assault rifle. At the trial, Azaria contended that he believed the Palestinian, though motionless, still posed a danger because his knife was nearby, and that he might have been carrying explosives. "He deserves to die," Azaria was quoted in the verdict as telling another soldier after pulling the trigger. The three-judge panel rejected Azaria's argument."One cannot use this type of force, even if we're talking about an enemy's life," the court said in its verdict. "We unanimously convict the accused of manslaughter and of conduct unbecoming (a soldier)."Azaria, who was smiling as he awaited the verdict as the chief judge read out the conviction.



Video footage of the shooting, taken by a Palestinian human rights activist, showed the knife was not within Ashareef's reach, and no bomb was found. The video was distributed to news organisations, ensuring that the incident drew international attention amid allegations by Palestinians and rights groups that Israeli soldiers have been using excessive force against the Palestinians they come across on daily basis.





The point is the Israeli military thinks Trump is going to be on the side of Zionists to shield their crimes as his own and, as his predecessors haves done, would naturally work against Palestinians.



Guantanamo Bay controlled by CIA-Pentagon duo in Latin America to terrorize Muslims the worst possible inhuman ways is the most shameful black blot on western democracy claims. The 59 prisoners who remain at Gitmo today have never faced a fair trial. Many  like more than 700 before them  are held on the basis of a mix of bogus statements, made under torture or coercion. Unfortunately, Trump  a self-proclaimed patriot  appears happy with this most un-American state of affairs.



The president-to-be obviously knows nothing about Guantanamo Bay, like many other things, including foreign policy, said that "There should be no further releases from Gitmo." His tweet adds: "These are extremely dangerous people and should not be allowed back onto the battlefield." And on top of leaving people to rot in Gitmo without trial, President-elect Trump promises to bring back "a hell of a lot worse than water boarding". Trump doesn't "think it's tough enough." Trump seems to be fairly ill-informed about torture techniques as well: the main conclusion of the US Senate's 2014 probe into Bush-era torture was that it "was not an effective means of acquiring intelligence."



What Trump doesn't appear to understand is that most Gitmo prisoners can't go "back to the battlefield"  because they were never there in the first place. In 2002, the last Republican administration said that those held at Guantanamo were "the worst of the worst," but thus far the vast majority of the prisoners held there have been cleared. Most of the men there were never the worst of anything.



Those who Trump would keep forever without trial, but for whom my charity Reprieve will continue to advocate, including a former Pakistani taxi driver who was mistaken for a terrorist called Hassan Gul, and taken to a secret prison for "unauthorised" torture over a year. And a young man from Yemen who had travelled far from home in search of work, and then got caught up in the chaotic aftermath of 9/11. The US military was offering life-changing sums of bounty money to Afghans and to Pakistanis if they turned over Arab men.



The outgoing president Obama was dead right to say that Gitmo is a blot on the US. As long ago as 2004, an intelligence agent opined that for every detainee we hold at Guantanamo, we have provoked 10 people to want to do us harm. Today, the same expert would no doubt revise this estimate up to hundreds. Osama bin Laden estimated that he had 100 followers in 2001.



It is time to make America great again, and to apply such Trump parlance where it rightly belongs. That is emphatically not torture, rendition, detention without trial and assassination. It is respect for human rights, and US values like due process and the rule of law.



The horrific ways in which Guantanamo's prisoners have been repeatedly tortured makes it surprising there aren't more who hold a mighty grudge. In my experience, the overwhelming majority just want to return home, rebuild their lives and forget the terrible nightmare of the last decade and more.



Meanwhile, much peace loving Americans seek a month of resistance leading up to the president-elect's inauguration on January 20. Thousands of activists, journalists, scientists, entertainers, and other prominent voices took out a full-page call to action in the New York Times on Wednesday making clear their rejection of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence with the simple message: "No!" Trump is "assembling a regime of grave danger" that is an "immoral peril to the future of humanity and the earth itself," the call to action continues. "Millions must rise up in a resistance with a deep determination such that we create a political crisis that prevents the Trump/Pence fascist regime from consolidating its hold on the governance of society." "Stop the Trump/Pence regime before it starts! In the name of humanity we refuse to accept a fascist America!" the ad states, followed by a list of signatories that includes scholar Cornel West; author Alice Walker; Chase Iron Eyes of the Standing Rock Sioux; educator Bill Ayers; poet Saul Williams; CNN's Marc Lamont Hill; Carl Dix of the Communist Party USA; and numerous others.



Criminal minded politicians can only promote state terrorism. Palestinians are being persecuted and perpetually terrorized by Israel because it is being ruled by criminal minded Jewish leaders who enjoy drinking Palestinian blood. Thus far, Washington whose terror goods Israel employs in killing the Palestinians also indirectly enjoys that cruelly.



If Trump also decides to pursue a Zionist agenda that would enable Israeli military rogues attack the besieged Palestinians as their usual hobby, he would also be thrown into history as a big joker with blood stained hands ably hidden in his suit pockets. Madam Hillary Clinton would have done it with a smile on her face.



Will Trump put his signature on the Israeli fascist regimes crimes against the humanity?



Trump can end bloodshed in Palestine as well as entire Mideast or help Israel complicate the saturation further. Does he also seek disasters?



Choice is Trumps



As the unusual president elect, Trump would do well by pursuing a new set of policies abroad that would greatly benefit the shivering humanity. Terror wars must end.

One hopes Trump wont help the Israel further criminalize Israeli military regime. Trump should recognize Palestine and ask Israel also do the same for the sake of creating the necessary preconditions for the natural establishment of Palestine and for peace in Mideast.



Sept-11 was a hoax engineered and executed by anti-Islamic forces led by Neocons and fanatic Jews to weaken Arab and Islamic world and make the besieged people of Palestine look terrorists. NATO has destroyed many Muslim nations, murdered millions of Muslims, destabilized Arab world, Afghanistan, etc.



Hopefully Trump would have to let the world know that he cares for humanity and peace in the world and he is well reformed from being a mere political hawk to become a genuine statesman to lead America and world positively and in the best ways possible.












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Date: 26 December, 2016.

Place: Laguna Hills, State of California, United States.

On 26 December, the small city of Laguna Hills, in the State of California, was the scene of an eerie event.

According to an anonymous report published just three days later on UFO specialised website MUFON.com, a small grey alien allegedly burst into a familys bedroom.

On December 25, 2016, I went to bed between 9pm - 10pm PST, the author of the report stated. At approximately 3 a.m. PST in the morning I was awoken by a commotion in my bedroom involving my wife and daughter, he continued. I didn't investigate the matter and tried to return to sleep; however, my young daughter and wife failed to return to the bedroom.

Nevertheless, in a matter of seconds, everything would change. When I fell asleep I had a vivid dream that bothered me and I suddenly awoke. It was still dark outside and I was lying on my left side. I was thinking about the dream when all of sudden I felt static electricity all around me. At that moment I knew they were coming. I started to roll over onto my back at the static electricity grew stronger but I also began to feel paralysis in my body. It felt like I was moving in a giant jar of molasses, the witness described.

I then saw a small grey alien no more than 5 feet tall materialise through my bedroom wall on my right side. It was then standing right through my night stand and in front of light fixture, the Californian citizen affirmed.

He [the alleged alien being] then grabbed my right hand that was hanging off the bed and squeezed it, the unnamed man said. I then heard a voice inside my head saying, Yes... were real. While he was squeezing my hand I felt a sudden sense of euphoria, excitement, and elation. I then communicated back to him using my thoughts and I said, Hi, my name is .... As soon as that the event was over, the witness claimed.

After this, the being left through the bedroom and at the same time the static electricity in the room started to dissipate, the California resident explained.

I was in such a state of shock, I couldn't believe it, he expressed.

Draw your own conclusions

For further information: https://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=view_long_desc&id=81205&rnd=

Long Description of Sighting Report

On December 25, 2016, I went to bed between 9pm - 10pm PST. At approximately 3am PST in the morning I was awoken by a commotion in my bedroom involving my wife and daughter. I didn't investigate the matter and tried to return to sleep; however, my young daughter and wife failed to return to the bedroom.

I got up to find out what happened. I found my wife and daughter going to sleep in my daughter's bedroom. My wife briefly explained to me our small dog who originally went to sleep with me pooped on the far side of the bed. When my wife and daughter got into bed, my daughter got it on her leg. My wife cleaned my daughter and semi-cleaned the sheet. We have a very small dog (under 5 lbs) so we're not talking a lot of waste.

Anyway, I went back to my bedroom and changed the sheets because I could still see a little of the dog waste. I then told my wife she could return to bed with me but she was too tired to get back up so I let her be. Well, I am light sleeper so it was hard for me to fall back asleep. I want to mention I wear a sleeping mask to bed at night and take magnesium before going to bed because both help me fall asleep faster and have more sound sleep. I have had sleeping problems my whole life. I turned on the TV and watched it for about 1 hour before becoming sleepy again.

When I fell asleep I had a vivid dream that bothered me and I suddenly awoke. It was still dark outside and I was laying on my left side. I was thinking about the dream when all of sudden I felt static electricity all around me. At that moment I knew "they" were coming. I started to roll over onto my back at the static electricity grew stronger but I also began to feel paralysis in my body. It felt like I was moving in a giant jar of molasses.

I was just able to begin to turn on my right side before I was unable to move any further. My right arm and hand were hanging off the bed. I then realized I could see through my night sleeping mask. There was no color; everything looked blackish gray and very fuzzy. It was like I was seeing the static electricity.

I then saw a small gray alien no more than 5 feet tall materialize through my bedroom wall on my right side. It was then standing right through my night stand and in front of light fixture. I remember thinking how diminutive in size he was. He then grabbed my right hand that was hanging off the bed and squeezed it. I then heard a voice inside my head saying, "Yes...were are real." While he was squeezing my hand I felt a sudden sense of euphoria, excitement, and elation. I then communicated back to him using my thoughts and I said, "Hi, my name is ...." As soon as that the event was over. The being left through the bedroom wall and I remained paralyzed for a little while longer. The static electricity in the room started to dissipate too.

I was in such a state of shock, I couldn't believe it. I sat up in bed not knowing what to do. I laid back down because then a deep comfort overtook me. I felt such a great sense of satisfaction because I now knew in my heart and mind that I was going crazy and that others I know weren't going crazy too. I had been given piece of mind.

I went back to sleep having another vivid dream which I still remember. I then awoke around 8:30am PST. My wife was still asleep but she awoke a short time later and I told her everything. I was expecting her to tell me it was a dream but she said the exact opposite. She believes our dog sensed something was going to happen and that's why it went potty in our bed. Our dog that we've had for 7 years has never done that. She also mentioned our dog was acting very strange the night before and we thought she was getting sick or ate something bad. This ended up causing my wife and daughter to sleep in another room which left me sleeping alone the bedroom.

I've seen and experienced things my whole life. Starting when I was little boy all the way up until now. I made a report to MUFON on June 5, 2016, regarding an object I filmed during the evening over my house on June 4, 2016 (a small plane at lower altitude is also in the video starting at the 24 second mark); however, I did not report that events that unfolded later that night. I was too embarrassed and afraid of what the MUFON folks would think so I left the dream details out.

That night I had a vivid dream of awakening, laying on my left side and completely naked. Everything was fuzzy and my vision was somewhat blurry. My first thought was "Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening in my house" but then I noticed I wasn't laying on my bed. I then noticed a small alien whose skin appeared brownish gray (like a grocery bag) on my right side. I was laying on the very edge of a table. The alien had his left hand on my right shoulder and his right hand towards my feet. His head was turned towards my feet and he was slightly bending over me at the same time. At this time I noticed a feeling of deep discomfort on my lower back and buttocks area. But I couldn't move or say anything. Right at this moment, the alien somehow knew I was aware/awake and turned his head towards me. We were looking eye to eye.

Next thing I know, I'm awake in my bed and it's early morning and I can see blue sky out the window. I told a close friend who advised I should look for any strange marks on my body. I found 2 parallel marks on my left so I took pictures of both my knees. The marks have faded since then.

I don't believe I can no longer doubt everything that has happened to me and that continues to happen to me. I am just happy knowing I don't have to torment myself everyday wondering if I am insane or not.
PHOENIX, Jan. 8, 2017  The head of the nations largest farm and ranch organization says agriculture should be hopeful for what could come out of the Republican-led Congress and Trump administration.

Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said hes encouraged by the priorities of the president-elect and members of congressional leadership, many of which line up with AFBFs policy portfolio.

There is hope, and I am optimistic about making progress with the new Congress and the new president, he continued, pointing to president-elect Donald Trumps stated desires to address regulatory reform.

We cant keep cutting off the top of the weeds; weve got to get right down to the root of that weed and keep it from coming back, again and again, Duvall said in his keynote speech, alluding to the need for a wider regulatory reform conversation rather than handling issues on a case-by-case basis.

Duvall expanded on those comments in remarks to reporters Sunday. He said Farm Bureau has long had allies on Capitol Hill to address their regulatory concerns, but a collaborator in the White House will be a new advantage.

We should have some really good accomplishments in regulatory reform, especially endangered species and water, he told reporters.

But Duvalls remarks werent entirely focused on his Trump administration wish list. He also delivered thoughts that revolved around familiar Farm Bureau priorities: immigration reform, regulatory relief, ag literacy, and a stable safety net for the nations producers. He told stories of some of the 33 state visits he took during his first year as AFBFs president, detailing the unique issues facing those regions and decrying the current state of affairs, usually pointing a finger at the federal governments management practices.

Immigration and trade are two areas where Farm Bureau may be at odds with the incoming Trump administration. Trump was perhaps best known in the early days of his campaign for his pledge to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border  a wall that would be financed by Mexico  and for pledging to get tough with certain countries  mainly China and Mexico  on trade.

Duvall said immigration reform and getting an adequate agricultural workforce remains a focus for Farm Bureau, and his travels across the country only reaffirm why that is the case.

Many of our farmers and ranchers as I travel the country say that if you dont help us fix farm labor, all the other issues doesnt really matter, Duvall said. Its time for American people and the leaders in Washington to decide whether theyre going to let us import our labor or are they going to have to import their food.

Learn about the benefits of subscribing to Agri-Pulse. Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription.





AFBF  and many other ag groups  also stand at odds with Trump about the role of trade. Agriculture groups, for example, was largely supportive of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an agreement that Trump has pledged to walk away from in his first 100 days in office. Duvall pointed out that this isnt the first time presidential tough talk has put agricultures trade endeavors in jeopardy

Were always the whipping boy when it comes to tough talk and trade fights; were always the first one that gets hit, he told reporters. And yes, we are nervous about that, and we continue to talk about how we want America to be tough and stand up and have a backbone. But youve got to be real careful how you do that, because you could destroy our industry by doing that if you dont do it right.

AFBFs convention wraps up later this week with a policy discussion among AFBFs membership. That membership meeting is the first on a national level of the major ag groups that will likely involve language offering suggestions for the upcoming farm bill. Further discussions along that topic are expected at similar meetings in the coming months.

#30

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Aiken City Council will try to answer residents' questions on Monday night regarding the city's downtown Renaissance project.
A Madison man who shot and killed his 19-year-old step-daughter before shooting himself in May had argued by text message with his wife about a divorce she wanted shortly before he committed the murder-suicide, Madison police detectives who investigated the case said.

The last message Mike Jackson sent to Susan Jackson, his wife and the mother of the slain teen, TuNeija Tornai, on the morning of May 24, read, I love u c u next life time I tried, according to a police account of the incident provided at the request of the Wisconsin State Journal.

Police also explained why two guns were on the bed where the bodies were found and how they were fired.

The murder-suicide in the family home off Siggelkow Road stunned friends and neighbors of the family in the close-knit Twin Oaks community on Madisons Southeast Side, near McFarland.

Tornais friends remembered her as thoughtful, generous and fun-loving, as they addressed a crowd of some 150 people who gathered on the night of the incident and for a vigil outside the familys home two days after the deaths.

Madison Police Chief Mike Koval described the incident as domestic violence and a murder-suicide in which the 39-year-old step-father was the aggressor. Koval spoke to reporters a few hours after the bodies were discovered by Susan Jackson in a basement bedroom she shared with her husband, shortly after she arrived home from work that day around 6 p.m. with the couples 14-year-old son.

The newspaper asked police for a more detailed narrative of the incident after a search warrant unsealed in December stated investigators discovered two handguns on the bed on which the bodies of Jackson and his step-daughter, each shot once, were found, with Jacksons body at the foot of the bed and Tornais at the top.

One gun, a black 9mm semiautomatic pistol found near Jacksons left elbow, was jammed. The other gun, a silver revolver, was found in the center of the bed, according to the search warrant.

Test fires of the guns at the state

Crime Lab showed the gun that jammed after firing one bullet was the one used to kill Tornai. Similarly, a test firing of the silver revolver produced a round that matched the one taken from Jacksons body.

Police determined both guns, which were registered to Mike Jackson, had been fired only once, and Jacksons DNA was found on both weapons. There were no bullet holes in the bedroom, which showed no signs of a robbery or a struggle, except for one defensive wound to Tornais right hand.

The house also showed no signs of forced entry, further confirming to police that no one else had been there.

Police theorized that Tornais defensive wound, described as a through-and-through gunshot wound to one of her fingers, occurred as she tried to cover her head with her hands as she was being shot in the head by Jackson.

Police believe the handgun used to kill Tornai jammed when it was fired because its muzzle was touching her hand.

Police theorize Jackson didnt know how to fix the jammed gun, so he left it on the bed and walked to a gun safe in the bedroom closet, from which he retrieved the second gun, loaded it and shot himself in the head with it.

Keys to the gun safe were found still in the safes locking mechanism, according to the incident narrative provided to the newspaper by case detectives Mark Hull and Brad Ware and their supervisor, Detective Lt. Melissa Schiferl.

Police also noted the autopsy showed Tornais core body temperature was lower than Jacksons, citing that as additional evidence that she was killed first.

Police found Mike Jacksons cellphone on the bed on the night of the killings, later extracting from it the series of text messages with his wife about a divorce that police said seem to have prompted his decision to kill himself.

Hull said it appeared Jackson also killed Tornai merely because she was the only other person home at the time.

An autopsy found no street drugs or alcohol in Jacksons system, police confirmed.

Mike Jackson was an employee at East Madison Community Center, where he worked his way up to assistant youth program manager and was described as a genuine and caring co-worker who always wanted to make a difference, the centers executive director, Tom Moen, said a day after the murder-suicide.

However, according to a search warrant, Tornai told friends that he threw her down some stairs in 2015, pushed her into walls in an incident in late 2015 or early 2016, and hit or slapped her on a few occasions while she was a student at La Follette High School.
T. Bond Calloway Jr. will serve as a member in the governance committee, which provides oversight of the manufacturing institute for AIChE.
South Aiken's Audrey Robinson, seated center, signed Monday to swim collegiately at Gardner-Webb. Seated with Robinson are her mother Anne, left, and father Jeff. Standing are, from left, South Aiken swim coach Holly Rickman, brother Michael, sister Emily, brother Grant and Aiken Pacer Aquatic Club coach Lee Wright.
The amazing story of Luis de Carvajal, a secret Jew who was murdered in the 1500s, and the unlikely survival of his handwritten memoirs.

Nearly five hundred years ago, Luis de Rodriguez Carvajal, a secret Jew living in terror of the Spanish Inquisition, penned the following words at great risk to his life: To practice Judaism is not heresy; it is the will of the Lord our God.

The Jewish book he secretly wrote has been found and is on display for the first time in decades.

Luis de Rodriguez Carvajal and his family lived in the 1500s in Spain. Judaism had been banned in Spain in 1492 but many Jews, including the Rodriguez family, continued to secretly cling to Jewish faith and rituals, while living publicly as Catholics. The fearsome Spanish Inquisition ruthlessly hunted these secret Jews, torturing and executing anyone suspected of engaging in Jewish rituals.

Photo of Carvajal Manuscript

In in 1580s, Luis de Rodriguez, his mother, father and siblings were invited to settle in the Nuevo Leon, an area in todays Mexico governed by Luis uncle, Don Luis Carvajal. The family moved, and became close to Carvajal, changing their surname from Rodriguez and publicly embracing their powerful relatives Catholic faith.

In New Spain, Luis de Rodriguez, now de Carvajal the Younger, continued to keep his Jewish identity as best he could. On Fridays before Shabbat, Luis mother and sisters washed the bed linens and prepared festive food, including a chicken dinner for Friday nights. The entire family wore their best clothes on Saturday, and the women of the household refrained from the sewing that customarily kept them busy (though they made sure to keep their sewing handy in case unexpected visitors dropped by).

For a month, he transmitted his knowledge to Luis, preparing him to be the leader of their circle of secret Jews.

Before Passover, Luis and other secret Jews in their Mexican community would slaughter a lamb, roast it and eat it, trying to recreate, as Luis described, the first Passover feast: On foot, like people about to set out on a journey, staves in hands and loins girded. Their community also secretly celebrated the Jewish holidays Purim and Yom Kippur.

In 1585, Luis and his father, Francisco Rodriguez, who worked as barterers and traders, travelled together to Mexico City for business. There, Francisco became gravely ill. Fearing he might never recover, he told his son Luis all he could about their secret Jewish faith. For a month, he transmitted his knowledge to Luis, preparing him to be the leader of their circle of secret Jews. It was an intense time that profoundly changed the course of Luis life.

When he returned home, Luis was more committed to his secret faith than ever. He circumcised himself and began to declare his Jewish beliefs publicly. He also encouraged other secret Jews to do the same. Sometime around 1590, Luis and his family were arrested for encouraging Judaism. His mother, Francisca Nunez de Carvajal, was tortured into near madness. The Inquisition authorities later said that under torture shed implicated her husband and children as secret Jews.

During this time, Luis began writing his memoirs, titled Memorias, in tiny script on miniature pages, about four by three inches. In this secret book, Luis seemed to give his imagination free reign, calling himself by a new name that might have had some secret meaning in his community, Joseph Lumbroso.

The book begins: Saved from terrible dangers by the Lord, I, Joseph Lumbroso of the Hebrew nation and goes on to address itself to all who believe in the Holy of Holies and who hope for great mercies.

Memorias eventually grew to 180 tiny pages penned in an almost impossibly small script. As well as Luis memoirs, it included Jewish prayers, the Ten Commandments, and Maimonides Thirteen Principles for Faith. Luis painstakingly stitched the book together; its small size implies that it was hidden in a pocket and carried with him.

Luis jumped out of a window to escape his horrific torture. Somehow, he survived.

Luis was briefly released from prison. Some modern scholars think this was so the Inquisition authorities could track his activities. Tragically, in 1596, he was arrested, along with his mother, four sisters, brother and a number of other Jews, and they were tortured. At one point, Luis was shown his manuscript and acknowledged that it was his. He was tortured so severely that he jumped out of a window to escape the agony. Somehow, he survived.

Finally, after weeks of gruesome torture and imprisonment, nine of the Jews were put to death in a mass public burning for the crime of being Jewish. The victims included Luis mother, his sisters Isabel, Catalina and Leonor, and Luis himself. Luis was 30 years old. (Five years later, another sister, Mariana, was publicly burned at the stake.)

Miraculously, Luis secret book somehow survived. Tattered, well-worn, its pages apparently turned over and over by an unknown number of readers through the years, Memorias eventually was placed in Mexicos National Archives, where it remained for hundreds of years, until vanishing in 1932.

For eight decades, Memorias remained lost. In Dec. 2015, it suddenly resurfaced in a London auction house.

No one knows who took it but modern scholars have a theory. At the time, at least three academics were researching the de Carvajal family at the National Archives. One historian accused a rival, a Jewish academic from Northwestern University near Chicago, of stealing the book. The Jewish academic spent approximately three months in jail for the theft but no evidence implicated him in the crime. Its thought that the academic who accused him was the true thief.

For eight decades, Memorias remained lost. Then, in December 2015, it suddenly resurfaced in a London auction house. Bloomsbury Auctions didnt recognize the books importance, blandly describing it in their auction listings as small devotional manuscripts and pricing it at $1,500, a small fraction of the works actual value.

In response to questioning about the documents whereabouts, all the auctioneers would reveal is that it came from the library of a Michigan family...in their possession for several decades. Timothy Bolton, a specialist at the Bloomsbury Auctions, justified their decision to keep the previous owners identities private saying one of the fundamental cornerstones of the auction world is our clients privacy.

Memorias was bought in London, then promptly listed for sale in New York. There, Leonard Milberg, a prominent 85-year-old New York collector, saw it and recognized its importance. He consulted with experts who agreed that the tiny book was Luis de Carvajals, and also cautioned Mr. Milberg that it had been stolen. It is the earliest surviving personal narrative by a New World Jew...and the earliest surviving worship manuscript and account of coming to the New World, explains scholar David Szewczyk.

Mr. Milberg viewing Luis de Carvajals manuscript at the New-York Historical Society.

Credit Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Mr. Milberg got in touch with Diego Gomez Pickering, the Consul General of Mexico in New York, and arranged to repatriate the book, paying tens of thousands of dollars of his own money to acquire the book so that it could be returned to Mexicos National Archives. He had only two requests. One was that before its repatriation in March, Memorias be on view in New York, where its currently on display at the New York Historical Society.

Mr. Milberg also asked that digital copies of Luis de Carvajals book be made for Princeton University and for Manhattans Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue. This, Mr. Milberg explained, is a way of getting back at anti-Semitism. I wanted to show that Jews were part of the fabric of life in the New World, he explained. This book was written before the Pilgrims arrived.
A South African representative offered my mother, a war refugee, a ticket to freedom. Youre white. That makes you a first class citizen.

In the summer of 1968, when the Soviets reasserted their dominance over Czechoslovakia, they drove their tanks into Prague, the capital, and into a quiet Slovak border town called Michalovce where my mother lived.

The sound of tanks rolling down the main street woke my mother and she ran into the streets where her fellow citizens of Michalovce tried valiantly, but in vain, to stall the invasion of their homeland. Those who spoke Russian argued and pleaded with the soldiers. Others tried to sabotage the Soviet advance by turning around street signs in an attempt to confuse and disorient the army. All to no avail.

The Warsaw Pact Invasion of 1968 reinstated complete and total Soviet control over Czechoslovakia.

In the first few weeks after the invasion, border control with adjoining countries had not yet been taken over by the Soviets and was still manned by locals. Through a friend of a friend, my mother's family was able to expedite passports for her escape.

At the age of 22, with her parents promise that they would follow when they could, my mother packed two suitcases and boarded a bus to Austria, under the auspices of a brief vacation.

Once in Austria, the stress of the escape caused her to break out in painful hives which she endured for the next six weeks. Though fluent in Czech, Slovak, Hungarian and Russian, she studied day and night to learn German so she could navigate the city, the systems, the unknown future. She spent many hours just walking, watching the rich Austrians sit in the outdoor cafes, eating Sacher Torte and drinking coffee, wondering and worrying about her own lack of money.

My mother was regaled with promises of a two bedroom house, a nice yard, fine linens, and a servant.

Through the assistance of a Jewish Agency, to which my mother would always be grateful, she sought options for relocation. Austria offered her permanent residence but she felt it was too close to her turbulent homeland. Australia offered sanctuary, but she felt it too far. There was also Canada and South Africa.

When my mother met with the representative from South Africa, she was regaled with promises of a two bedroom house, a nice yard, fine linens, and a servant.

My mother did not want to seem ungrateful but with nothing to her name and no one to claim her, my mother asked, as politely as possible, why she deserved such generosity.

The representative explained that the social system in South Africa needed upholding. It would not have been seemly for someone like my mother, the representative said, to be poor and destitute. It would have been detrimental to their class system for my mother to live financially on par with the native population.

You're white, the representative told her. That makes you a first class citizen.

Anti-Semitism in Czechoslovakia

When Communism first came to Czechoslovakia in the late 1940's, my grandfather, grateful to the Russians for having helped liberate the camps, felt it his duty to join. But when he walked into the recruitment office, he saw that the room was filled with former Hlinka Guard. The men responsible for killing his sister, forcing him, his wife and child into hiding, and placing his brothers-in-law into forced labor camps, became the head of the Communist party in his town.

While there were no more death camps, the atmosphere of anti-Semitism in Czechoslovakia did not change. My mother grew up unable to openly claim her Jewish heritage. Once a year in elementary school, the teacher called on students to rise and state their religion. The first would stand and say, Catholic. The next, Protestant. The next, No religion. And on it went around the room. All the children who stated no religion were Jewish.

Throughout her childhood my mother saw synagogues razed to build parking lots, and Jewish cemeteries desecrated. She lived through daily humiliations and silent sorrows.

When they had been forced into hiding, this woman had ransacked their home and taken belongings for herself.

One day in her youth, she accompanied my grandmother to visit a non-Jewish friend they'd known before the war. The woman would not let them inside her apartment. They visited repeatedly, always denied entry. Finally my grandmother, suspecting something, forced her way through the door. There, inside the apartment, she saw all her old belongings. Apparently, when they had been forced into hiding, this woman had ransacked their home and taken belongings for herself. The deep rooted anti-Semitism of Czechoslovakia was such that she did not feel the need to return it, nor did my grandmother have any recourse to reclaim her possessions.

My mother sat across from the representative of South Africa, penniless, alone, with only two suitcases of clothes, and a college degree worth nothing. He was offering her a home, financial security, servants, social status.

All because being white meant she could be a first class citizen.

My mother did not hesitate. No, she replied.

The representative was surprised and asked why my mother would decline such an offer.

I just came from a country where I was a second class citizen, my mother said. I would never do that to another human being.

Land of Hope and Dreams

I have spent my life grateful to, and inspired by my mother. She turned away from safety and comfort to be true to her ethical convictions and follow the purest of God's truths: Love your fellow as you love yourself.

Her simple, yet powerful, decision in that one moment taught me that this truth does not only apply when it is convenient to uphold. Its in those hardest of times, when our fear and anxiety rise to the surface, that it becomes most important to remember our values and commitments to each other, to love one another, even when we cannot expect anything in return. To love, even when it is frightening or seemingly futile.

Instead of choosing the safe, secure path offered by the South African representative, my mother came to Canada. She spent six months learning English and then emigrated to the United States. She cleaned hotel rooms and worked her way up to bookkeeping. Eventually she met and married my father and went back to school to earn her second Bachelor's, then a Masters Degree so she could become a school teacher. All while raising three children.

Recently, my eight-year-old daughter wrote a paragraph on her family history for school. She wrote, My Oma was born in Czechoslovakia. In her country she had no freedom of religion or speech. In 1968, she escaped and came to the United States. Because of her courage, I live in a country where I am safe and free.

My daughter gave this essay to my mother as a Hanukkah present, a holiday we can openly observe with joy because of my mother's journey. We may not know the impact of sticking to our ethical convictions, but in time God shows us that no act of love is ever insignificant.
January 5, 2017

Last year was not altogether kind to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Financial hardships amid an era of cheap oil, Islamic State (IS) attacks on Saudi Arabian soil, a costly quagmire in Yemen and setbacks in Syria have all weakened the kingdoms position in the region. Despite these challenges, Saudi Arabia has managed to establish a network of Sunni states within the framework of the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT). Although the US-backed anti-terror coalitions purpose is to crush IS, al-Qaeda and other extremists, the notable absence of Iran and Iraq from IMAFT illustrates the members geosectarian alignment with Riyadhs anti-Iran posturing.

Last month, the kingdom scored another victory by bringing in a new member: Oman. For the sultanate, which has traditionally distanced itself from Riyadhs efforts to isolate Tehran, joining IMAFT raises important questions about Muscats foreign policy agenda as Arab Gulf-Iranian tensions escalate. Saudi voices were quick to hail Omans decision to become the Saudi-led alliances 41st member as a sign of strong Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) strength and "a new chapter in regional and Muslim unity."

As neighbors and fellow GCC states, Oman and Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close alliance, yet Muscats close ties with Iran have created friction in Omani-Saudi relations. By hosting secret talks between American and Iranian officials in Muscat, which led to the historic 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, Omani officials unnerved their Saudi counterparts. More recently, members of the Saudi government have accused Oman, which has thus far maintained neutrality in the Yemen civil war, of permitting weapons smuggling across the Oman-Yemen border into the hands of Houthi fighters  a claim denied by officials in Muscat.

During his tour of GCC states last month, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud's notable exclusion of Oman signaled Riyadhs disapproval of Muscats close ties to Tehran, even if Saudi officials never publicly aired their frustrations with the sultanate. According to a former high-ranking GCC official, some in the council view Omans neutrality as "negative neutrality" given that the Saudis and others seek to establish a unified Arab Gulf front against Iran and its regional allies from Lebanon to Yemen.

Oman did not surprise observers of the countrys foreign policy when it avoided joining IMAFT at the alliances inception in December 2015. Muscat has never perceived the Islamic Republic as an existential threat and has often refused to toe Riyadhs line on matters regarding Iran. Furthermore, in recent years, a wide range of factors has prompted Oman to invest in its relationship with Iran, most notably underscored by Muscat and Tehrans plans to complete a subsea natural gas pipeline project, making Oman the first GCC member to develop energy infrastructure directly linking the Arabian Peninsula to Iran. Moreover, a major reason why Oman has turned closely to Iran is Muscats strategic thinking that deeper ties with Tehran affords the sultanate greater independence from the GCCs powerhouse  Saudi Arabia  which the Omanis often see as an overbearing neighbor. Not lost in the equation is the fact that numerous Saudi clerics have promoted intolerant views of Ibadi Muslims, labeling them heretics. Naturally this does not sit well with the Omanis, the majority of whom practice Ibadism, a characteristically peaceful and tolerant sect of Islam. Maintaining autonomy from the kingdoms geopolitical and religious authority has always been a pillar of Omani foreign policy.

It is premature to conclude that by joining IMAFT the Omanis have abandoned their longstanding regional neutrality in favor of a closer alignment with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. More likely, Oman is signaling its commitment to working with fellow Arab Gulf states in the quest to fend off new transnational threats from ultraviolent and extremist Salafist-jihadist forces such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and IS in Yemen, which is not in itself an indicator that Muscat plans to drastically redirect its foreign policy or backtrack in its relationship with Tehran.

In fact, last February and March  two months after Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman announced the launch of IMAFT  19 of the alliances members held a joint drill in Saudi Arabia called Operation North Thunder. Oman, although not an IMAFT member at the time, participated in the historic exercise of 20 Arab/Muslim nations. Muscat partaking in Operation North Thunder underscored the sultanates interest in working with the coalition to share intelligence and strengthen counterterrorism initiatives within the Arabian Peninsula even if the Omanis were cautious about officially joining IMAFT right off the bat. Put simply, Muscat wanted to learn more about the Riyadh-led alliances purpose and tactics before entering it.

It is not clear that Omani-Iranian cooperation will suffer as a result of the sultanate joining the Saudi-led coalition. Iran has vested interests in maintaining its multifaceted and maturing ties with Muscat, and it is unlikely that the Iranians will walk away from the Omanis because of the sultanates recent decision. Oman likely made this move based on the premise that becoming the alliances 41st member would not come at the expense of Muscat and Tehrans relationship. Assuming that Oman and Iran continue their own joint military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, the sultanate will likely remain the only Arab state that conducts military drills with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, highlighting Muscats unique role in the Middle Easts geopolitical order.

The long-term strategic implications of Muscat entering IMAFT are unclear. Omans foreign policy has largely rested on the key pillars of neutrality and nonintervention. By staying out of the Yemen civil war, having not joined the US-led military campaign against IS in the Levant and refraining from any intervention in the 2011 uprising against Libyas former regime, the Omanis have avoided deploying their military forces for combat outside of GCC territory despite other Arab Gulf states doing so in recent years. Given that IMAFT is based on the idea of a pan-Sunni Muslim military alliance working together to defeat terrorists in hotspots across the Islamic world, active Omani participation in such deployments  if they ever take place  would mark a major change in Muscats foreign policy. Thus far, however, there is no evidence that the Omanis have any plans to embark on such a strategic shift.

As tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran escalates, Muscats ability to strike a balance between both countries will become increasingly difficult. For the sultanate, however, positioning itself as a neutral platform for talks aimed at solving regional and global security crises by promoting a Gulf detente has always been a high priority ever since the GCCs establishment in 1981. Although officials in Riyadh and Tehran may see their rivalry as a zero-sum game, Oman does not. Muscat views its interests as best advanced by strengthening its alliances with the other five GCC states as well as Iran. That being said, this year the sultanate will likely come under greater pressure from Saudi Arabia to align more closely with Riyadh at Tehrans expense, challenging Muscats efforts to maintain its unique role in the region as both a Saudi Arabian and Iranian ally. Indeed, no one ever suggested that it is easy to conduct a Swiss foreign policy in the Middle East, yet thus far Oman has done an excellent job of doing so.
After six years of upheaval and realignment in health care, the 2016 election has, again, left many asking Whats next?

The immediate answer seems certain with the coming inauguration of a president who will sign a repeal of Obamacare. The real uncertainty, the real high stakes, comes in the when and how the Affordable Care Act is replaced

Republicans now occupy center stage in this ongoing saga, moving from antagonist to protagonist in a role reversal that brings great expectations and new accountability. Objective observers agree that Obamacare is in need of repair if not overhaul, but while it still exists, its flaws remain the property of its namesake.

Repealing it, however, means owning what comes next, a shift that should underscore how serious a policy and political undertaking replacing Obamacare will actually be. Because for all its warts, the quandary that is Obamacare has given something to nearly a quarter of a million (and growing) Wisconsinites that they and their families do not want to lose  health insurance.

Love it or hate it, it is an undeniable fact that Obamacare has extended health insurance to millions of people across the country, in congressional districts both red and blue. In increasingly red Wisconsin, our already low uninsured rate dropped another 38 percent since Obamacare kicked in, the result of Gov. Scott Walkers strategy of combining Wisconsin-style Medicaid expansion with Obamacares premium subsidized insurance exchanges.

Wisconsins successful hybrid approach could be a national model going forward and proves that expanding health insurance coverage is a bipartisan aim. The differences come in the means of achieving this goal and, more importantly today, sustaining Wisconsins gains.

The fact is theres simply too much here to quickly unwind and political leaders from both parties know this. The challenge is a complicated (and politically risky) one of scale, pace and effectively translating campaign pledges into post-election policy, all against a backdrop of growing Obamacare enrollments, falling uninsured rates and teetering exchanges.

Indeed, the how of replacing Obamacare is as important as the what. Our health care delivery and insurance systems have seen massive upheaval and realignment during the past few years. While Wisconsin health care is a national quality and value standout, its leaders forward-looking, nimble and adaptive, an abrupt U-turn could backfire, causing even greater dissatisfaction and frustration than already exists.

This means replacing Obamacare will not happen overnight. Ample time must be allowed to implement and transition, or bridge, any major changes. Ironically, Congress may need to fix Obamacare before it can fully replace Obamacare.

Wisconsins low uninsured rate coupled with high-quality care means we have much to either gain or lose in the coming debate. If Obamacare is repealed, the 225,000 people it now helps cover in Wisconsin will need a better alternative.

Theres a lot at stake in replacing the law that delivered that coverage. Fortunately, Wisconsin could be in a strong position. With Congressman Ryan in the speakers chair and Gov. Walker now leading the Republican Governors Association, no other state should be as well positioned to shape whats next and sustain the coverage gains we have achieved in the process.

Bottom line is we should be prepared for more changes coming to health care, along with the imperative that we engage in defining whats next for Wisconsin. Its a task the Wisconsin Hospital Association and our member hospitals and health systems are prepared to undertake in partnership with our elected leaders.

The fact is theres simply too much here to quickly unwind and political leaders from both parties know this.
January 6, 2017

There is unprecedented concern and alarm at European Union headquarters with Israels accelerated settlement and annexation policies.

EU leadership and some of its leading member states consider themselves as the real architects of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 on the Israeli settlements. Indeed, France joined forces with Egypt and the Palestinians for the drafting of the resolution proposal  with the United States being informed. From the French point of view, the upcoming Jan. 15 Paris Conference, the July Quartet report and the Security Council resolution are part of an ensemble of moves designed to revive a two-state solution process.

A senior official close to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the Quartet report and the Security Council resolution serve as a basis for the EUs 2017 policies on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. In that respect, the Dec. 28 speech by US Secretary of State John Kerry correlated perfectly with the EU stance. According to the EU official, Secretary Kerry reflected the EU consensus on the permanent status issue, although some European states, such as Spain, take more pro-Palestinian positions.

The official added that the EU shares Kerrys alarmism on the new Israeli annexation policies, stating that this tendency is a dangerous watershed, as reflected by the [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu initiated settlement legalization bill. The EU is determined to prevent Israeli annexation measures, using all the means at its disposal.

Brussels, Berlin, Paris and London are currently discussing the possibilities at hand vis-a-vis Israels new annexation policy, reflected already in four areas. The first being the Regularization law, which legalizes illegal West Bank settlements. The second is the accelerated Israeli construction in the Jerusalem area, to prevent any contiguity of a future Palestinian state. Then there is the issue of Israeli economic expansion in Area C (under Israeli control), which the EU considers a de-facto annexation of the area (60% of the West Bank). The last point is the paramount role of Education Minister Naftali Bennet and his party HaBayit HaYehudi in leading the government to adopt extreme right policies.

According to the official, the EU intends to take more stringent measures against annexation policies of the Israeli government compared with the measures it took in previous years on settlement expansion. The two-state solution must remain the only viable realistic option to be advanced by the international community, he said.

The measures that are being explored by EU policy planners are more rigid labeling of goods from Israeli settlements, sanctioning Israeli institutions and individuals prominently active on settlement expansion along the lines of the sanctions against Russia on the Ukraine occupation (Germany is against using this measure), and encouraging the International Court of Justice in The Hague to investigate Israeli legal infringements of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention.

With Resolution 2334 adopted, the next step on the international agenda is the Paris Conference on a two-state solution. More than 50 foreign ministers have been invited, and it is expected that Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend, as will the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

A French diplomat told Al-Monitor that Israel should perceive the conference as another last-minute warning against its annexation policies.

Both Paris and Brussels realize that the Donald Trump administration could offer Israel a free pass to settlement expansion, at least within the settlement blocs and in the Jerusalem area. Thus, Europe wants to create a global consensus, isolating Israel and the United States. The French Foreign Ministry is coordinating policies on the settlement issue with Russia and China. The purpose is to create one P4+1 group (namely France, the United Kingdom, Russia and China + Germany, without the United States) that will deal separately with the Israeli-Palestinian issue and the Iran file. Such a group would then initiate a dialogue with the new administration on the United States joining the two forums. The issue of sanctions against Israel will await reports on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2334.

Official Israel, while exaggerating the hostile nature of the resolution, is not taking the European warning seriously. A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official told Al-Monitor that Netanyahu is convinced that German Chancellor Angela Merkel will prevent any discussion of sanctions beyond the existing labeling of settlement goods. In Netanyahus views of 2017, the international system will be led only by the Trump administration with some coordination with Russia, sidelining the EU.

But Netanyahu is wrong. Even after the UN Security Council vote, with only the United States abstaining, he does not seem to realize that the EU, China and Russia share the same position. Such a broad agreement could advance diplomatic moves in the spirit of the European plans, even without the new US administration. A global consensus against settlements (even without the United States) can lead, at a later point, to severe European countermeasures, especially since the EU is Israels leading trading partner.

If President-elect Trump gives Netanyahu a green light on settlement expansion, Israel will suffer growing international isolation and endanger its very identity as a Jewish democracy.
The Limited, once of mall staple across America, is closing all 250 of its remaining stores.

The closures were announced in a post to the clothing retailer's website.

"We're sad to say that all The Limited stores nationwide have officially closed their doors. But this isn't goodbye. The styles you love are still available online - We're just a quick click away 24 hours a day," the announcement said.

All stores are slated to be closed by Jan. 8. About 4,000 jobs, including season and temporary ones, will be lost.

The Limited currently operates one store in Alabama in Dothan's Wiregrass Commons Mall.

Limited was founded in 1963 in Columbus, Ohio. It has already shuttered stores throughout the country in the last year and most recently signaled it was struggling to keep up with the crush of online business.

In December, the company apologized for its shipping falling "significantly behind schedule."

"We definitely understand how frustrating and unexpected this is for those of you who have not received your orders. This is not the kind of service we planned to deliver, and we sincerely apologize," the company said during the height of the holiday shopping season.

The Limited is the latest traditional retailer to close its doors in response to ongoing competition from online merchants. In the last week, Sears and Kmart announced they are closing as many as 200 locations; Macy's is shutting down 68 stores.

.
William Rufus King served as Vice President for six weeks before his death in 1853. Benjamin Fitzpatrick, a few years later, served as the U.S. Senate's president pro tem.

From 1936 to 1940, William Bankhead of Jasper served as the nation's 42nd Speaker of the House. And though a native of Birmingham, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has long resided in California, where she was once a provost at Stanford University.

But that's it. For Alabama, it's rare for one of its native sons or daughters to get close in the line of succession to the President of the United States.

Jeff Sessions, a native of tiny Hybert and a 1965 Wilcox County High School graduate who now resides in Mobile, gets his chance to join the exclusive club next week when he goes before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a two-day confirmation hearing regarding his nomination as the 84th U.S. Attorney General.

"It's as close to the Oval Office as you can get without occupying the Oval Office," said Jess Brown, a retired political science professor at Athens State University and a longtime political observer in Alabama. "It's a real plum for the state."

But Sessions' confirmation hearings are likely to be contentious, and old wounds could resurface from 31 years ago when a similar hearing before the same Judiciary Committee torpedoed his nomination for a federal judgeship.

Allegations surfaced in 1986 that Sessions made racist comments while he was a U.S. Attorney based in Mobile. He was accused of calling a black staffer "a boy," of saying he considered the NAACP "un-American" and of using criminal prosecutions to thwart voting rights for blacks in Perry County.

A mounting, last-minute effort by civil rights groups and law school professors in the past week could also toss a monkey wrench into what had previously been predicted as a for-sure confirmation from a committee which Sessions has long served on.

The groups believes that the revelations in the 1986 hearing, coupled with scrutiny on his hardline conservative views on issues, such as immigration reform, disqualify the senator as the head of the Justice Department and FBI.

"Senator Sessions may be Trump's most controversial cabinet member," said Richard Fording, political science professor at the University of Alabama, who believes the forthcoming hearings could also put Alabama's past difficulties with race relations in the national spotlight.

"I suspect that Senator Sessions' hearings will receive considerable attention by the national media and that the details of his involvement in alleged voter suppression in Perry County will be rehashed in some detail," Fording said. "Given the image that Alabama has outside the South, I am sure that this will only reinforce negative stereotypes regarding the state of race relations and voting rights in Alabama."

Support and opposition

President-elect Donald Trump returned to Mobile, Ala., on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016, as part of his "Thank You" tour. U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Mobile, who is Trump's nominee for the next U.S. attorney general, left, and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, center, greet Trump upon his arrival. Bentley, as governor, has the authority to choose Sessions' replacement if the senator is confirmed as attorney general by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Hearings start Tuesday. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)

For Sessions, who is a conservative darling in one of the reddest states in the country, a Senate confirmation as attorney general would add to a long and undefeated string of political victories that have occurred since the 1986 setback.

The soft-spoken lawyer and Eagle Scout first won election as Alabama Attorney General in 1994. He followed that up with four consecutive wins to the U.S. Senate starting in 1997.

His popularity among Alabama conservatives has grown in a state where Republicans currently hold all of the state's constitutional offices and where the GOP currently claims a statehouse supermajority. His hardline conservative stance on issues such as immigration reform, religious liberty, gun control and abortion has endeared him to the majority of voters in the state.

In March 2016, Sessions became the first senator to endorse President-elect Donald Trump's candidacy. He served as an advisor to Trump on the issue of immigration reform, with the possibility of a wall between the U.S.-Mexico border serving as a key policy initiative.

Trump won Alabama in resounding fashion: His margin of victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8 surpassed every presidential election in the state since 1972.

But among civil rights organizations and liberal Democrats, Sessions' policy background is chilling.

The NAACP, on Tuesday, conducted a sit-in at Sessions' Mobile office to oppose the senator's nomination. Six NAACP leaders were arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing.

Among those arrested was NAACP Alabama conference president Benard Simelton, who on Wednesday, told AL.com that Sessions' is unfit for the federal office. He believes that Sessions' views on immigration reform are too extreme, and that the senator has a checkered record on civil rights.

"If he's confirmed, we're in for a rude awakening," said Simelton.

Rev. Al Sharpton (file photo)

Other leading civil rights representatives have come forward in recent days to express similar outrage. Among them is the Rev. Al Sharpton, who on Friday during a conference call with the national media, questioned Sessions' past views on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which the senator once called a piece of "intrusive" legislation.

"This is the epitome of an insult to anyone who believes in the facts that the Justice Department was established to enforce the law and to protect people against law breakers," said Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network and frequent contributor on MSNBC. "It's not a bully pulpit for those who want to change civil rights and the rights of immigrants in this country."

If Sessions is confirmed, Sharpton said: "It's a nightmare we cannot wake up from."

Sessions supporters chalk up the outrage to predictable reaction for advocacy groups against a politician whose policies they simply don't support.

"Sessions will be drug through the mud so liberals can make a point, trying to destroy a good man," said Brent Buchanan, a managing partner with Cygnal, a campaign and communications firm in Montgomery. "In the end, he will prevail."

William Smith -- the current chief of staff with U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover and former Sessions aide during the senator's time on the Judiciary Committee - said Sessions' character should not be in dispute during next week's hearings.

"He respects everyone and cares for people and he does not treat anyone differently," said Smith, who is black and who has defended the senator during national media appearances in recent days. "He's a man who could treat people differently based of his stature as a senator, but he doesn't do that. He wants to spend more time about hearing about their life and relationships than hobnobbing with big-time politicians."

Meanwhile, a group of more than 1,200 law school professors around the country have signed onto a letter in opposition of Sessions' nomination.

"Like the great majority of professors today, especially those in the social sciences, law professors tend to be quite liberal," said William Stewart, professor emeritus of political sciences at the University of Alabama. "It's not surprising that these men and women would oppose Sessions because he's not one of them."

Senatorial relationships

Quin Hillyer, a conservative columnist based in Mobile, said he believes both sides of the Sessions' dispute will be "very well-organized" during next week's hearings. "This is nothing new," he said.

But what Hillyer said is different is that Sessions' is well-known among Democrats who sit on the Judiciary Committee. Some of them, such as Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Al Franken of Minnesota, have acknowledged that he has been a good colleague.

"The Democratic senators coordinating with the anti-Sessions groups know very well from personal experience with Sessions that the picture that the anti-Sessions groups are painting is outrageously false," said Hillyer. "They have praised him copiously. They like him personally. And they know he's a good man."

That chumminess among senators could pave the way for Sessions' confirmation following Wednesday's hearing, according to political observers like Brown.

"Historically, if you're a senator and have rubbed shoulders with them and are a part of the club, it's difficult for other groups to come in and critique you," he said. "Many of the senators believe they know the senator as much as the interest group activists who may show up to testify against the nominee."

The hearing, itself, is scheduled to include five witnesses from Republicans. Democrats are allowed four witnesses. Republicans, with 54 Senate seats, are in the majority.

Civil rights groups have blasted the two-day process in recent days, saying that four Democratic witnesses are unfair. Sessions' 1986 hearings included dozens of witnesses on both sides, and former Attorney General John Ashcroft's grilling lasted four days.

Brown said he believes that Democrats will likely wage more of a battle against some of Trump's other cabinet selections, including those that have no prior political experience or with questionable ties to foreign adversaries such as Secretary of State hopeful Rex Tillerson.

Brown said that, politically, Democrats should be wary of opposing one of their own colleagues who has close ties to the White House. Stephen Miller, who is Trump's senior adviser and who is assigned to author the president-elect's inauguration speech, was a longtime Sessions adviser.

"Even as a member of Congress, you don't just pick up the phone and call the President of the United States," said Brown. "At least 90 percent of them can't, and you have to work through the legislative affairs office. Who will be running the place? Jeff Sessions."

Said Hillyer: "I think that the safe seat Democrats will make a lot of noise but that in the end, the Democratic caucus as a whole will not drag this out as much as they drag out other nominations. There are seven Democrats up for re-election in 2018 who are at serious risk if they engage in racially-charged politics."

Civil rights groups are hoping that senators rebuke their ties with their colleague and focus on whether Sessions is fit for the office.

Simelton said that Sessions' nomination, in the NAACP's viewpoint, is "probably about the worst one" among Trump's cabinet choices. They are pushing a "StopSessions" hashtag and Sharpton is planning a Jan. 14 march in Washington, D.C., partially out of protest.

Future displays of civil disobedience, similar to the one in Mobile on Tuesday, are also expected.

"I don't think anyone believes it will sabotage his nomination," said Fording. "I think the strategy is to put Trump and Sessions on notice that if there is any attempt to roll back the stringency of civil rights and voting rights enforcement, there is going to be widespread protests and more civil disobedience. I believe this is something that a President Trump will want to avoid."

Splitting household

Back at home in Alabama, Sessions' confirmation - if it goes through next week - will likely be met with cheers from his GOP supporters and interest from political observers like Stewart who has once called Sessions "as one of the most popular Alabama politicians of all time."

But viewpoints on Sessions, polarizing among liberals and conservatives, are also splitting households. Evelyn Turner, who told USA Today that Sessions isn't fit to "catch dogs," was one of three Perry County residents acquitted of criminal charges brought forth by Sessions in 1985 on allegations she helped tamper with absentee ballots.

Her son, Albert Turner Jr., is endorsing Sessions' nomination. He said that Sessions was simply "doing his job" in prosecuting his mother and father, who were part of activists involved in a case that became known as the "Marion 3."

Turner Jr., who is a Perry County Commissioner, has encouraged civil rights groups to "engage in constructive dialogue" with Sessions concerning voting rights protections for blacks, among other issues including gun control.

"Jeff Sessions has dedicated his career to upholding the rule of law, ensuring public safety and prosecuting government corruption," Sessions' spokeswoman Sarah Flores said. "Many African-American leaders who've known him for decades attest to this and have welcomed his nomination to be the next Attorney General."
A Roanoke man was killed in a single-vehicle crash over the weekend.

According to Senior Trooper Chuck Daniel, Michael Bryant was driving a 2002 Ford F-150 around 4:40 p.m. Saturday when the truck left the roadway and overturned multiple times. Bryant, 45, was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was not wearing a seatbelt.

Daniel said the preliminary investigation indicated alcohol and speed may have been factors in the crash.

The incident happened seven miles west of Roanoke on Randolph County 35.

Alabama State Troopers are continuing to investigate the crash.
It should be clear by now. Crystal.

If your city expects its municipal court to make money, your city is run by imbeciles who have no business running a lemonade stand. If your city judges think they can simply jack up fines and toss you in jail if you can't pay, then the criminal is the one wearing the robe.

Crystal.

Time after time it has been decided in the last few years, since now-retired Circuit Judge Hub Harrington in Shelby County - like Amos in the Old Testament - began to point out the injustice of profiting from the poor and jailing the indigent for no other reason than they couldn't scrape up enough money to pay a traffic ticket.

Harrington rubbed the grime away for all to see. Cities all across Alabama used private probation companies to collect their fines, and many, like Harpersville, gave those companies power to punish people without trial or conviction.

And - glory be and hallelujah - Alabama is a better place because Harrington and others spoke for those who too often have no voice.

Judicial Corrections Services, the company that ran the Harpersville debtors's prison and 100 others in the state, decided the climate was too hot and announced it would leave Alabama.

Then the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission laid down the law, removing all doubt that cities cannot trample on basic rights in the pursuit of cash, and - private probation companies or not - judges are the ones responsible for making sure those constitutional rights are upheld and guaranteed and honored.

Or else.

A judge has a duty "to enforce the constitutional rights of those who appear in his or her court in matters of adjudication of guilt, imposition of sentence, provision of probation, revocation of probation, and incarceration for failure to pay by indigent defendants," the JIC said in 2014. The judge "must exercise that authority to uphold the integrity, impartiality, and independence of the judiciary and the court system."

It seems so basic. It seems so obvious. But across Alabama that idea of basic justice had been tossed out the window in a mad dash for cash.

But Alabama is better now.

Because again and again, judges have had to pay for their mistakes.

Alabama Circuit Court Judge Marvin Wiggins was censured by the JIC last year after he gave indigent defendants an ultimatum: come up with the cash, donate blood or go to jail. He got off too easy, but the message was clear.

And this week Armstead Lester Hayes III, presiding judge of Montgomery's municipal court, got a little more than a slap on the wrist.

He was suspended from the bench for 11 months and forced to pay $4,312 in court costs.

It's nothing like getting tossed into jail just because you're broke. It's nothing like seeing the cost of a speeding ticket escalate to more than $4,312 because of crazy fees and fines imposed by private probation companies. It was far less than Hayes deserved.

But it is a message. Not just to Wiggins and Hayes, but to judges all over Alabama.

If you are going to put profits over basic American rights, you are going to pay a price. Maybe not an equal price, and maybe not every time. But Alabama now sees you for who and what you are: the bad guy.

You can call yourself a judge, but you can't call yourself just.

It's clear as crystal now. And because of that - and all who have fought for those who cannot fight for themselves - Alabama is a better place.
The Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino is a small batch cigar by Tabaqueria 1844 based out of the Dominican Republic. The rise of boutique and small production cigar brands has often been associated with Nicaragua, but the Dominican Republic certainly has also its share  and Tabaqueria 1844 is a good example of one. Tabaqueria 1844 was founded by Edgar Sued Caraballo and its products are available in the U.S. market. Campesino is the companys primary line offered in two vitolas. Today we take a look at the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino in the Robusto Definitivo (5 x 52) size. Overall I found this cigar to be an excellent offering and a nice revelation out of the Dominican Republic.

Tabaqueria 1844 also has an associated cigar lounge called Casa de Tabaqueria 1844 located in the coastal town of Cabarete, located on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. In fact the name Tabaqueria means tobacco shop. As for the 1844, it is the year that the Dominican Republic declared its independence from Haiti. Finally the name of the cigar line Campesino pays homage to the Dominican Republics agriculture industry as it means Farmer.

Without further ado, lets take a closer look at the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitive and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino is a Dominican puro. It is made in the Dominican Republic.The cigar is highlighted by Dominican Havana Vuelta Abajo (HVA) from the Navarrese region in the Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Dominican HVA Navarrette

Binder: Dominican Criollo 98

Filler: Dominican

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Vitolas Available

The Campesino is available in two sizes. Each is packaged in 21 count boxes.

Robusto Definitivo: 5 x 2

Buey Maraso: 6 x 44

Appearance

The HVA wrapper of the Campesino Robusto Definitivo has a strong colorado red color. Upon closer examination, some darker marbling can be seen on the surface. This is a wrapper with an oily surface. The wrapper has some visible veins and thin visible wrapper seams.

The band of the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino is white in color with gold-colored trim and gold-colored font. The front of the band has a circular field, the text CAMPESINO is on the center of it. Just below it in smaller font is the text SERIES. There is a leaf design above the text. In addition, here is a dull-colored spiro pattern toward the edge of the circular field. On the left side of the band is the text PEQUENAS PRODUCCIONES in dark font. to the right is the text PURO DOMINICANO also in dark font. The far right of the band contains a small Tabaqueria 1844 circular logo.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I normally do, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut to begin the start of my cigar experience of the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo. Once the cap was removed, I proceeded with the pre-light draw experience. There was a decent amount of sweetness on the pre-light draw as I picked up notes of bakers spice, sweet cedar, and natural tobacco. While normally I dont like a lot of sweetness on the pre-light draw, it somehow worked with this cigar and I classified this as an excellent pre-light experience. At this point, I was ready to light up the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start of the Campesino Robusto Definitivo continued where the pre-light draw left off with notes of bakers spice, sweet cedar, and natural tobacco sweetness. In addition I picked up some notes of black pepper. The natural tobacco notes moved into the forefront early on. This natural tobacco sweetness also had an orange-like component to it. There was also a slight syrupy quality to this natural tobacco. Meanwhile the cedar and bakers spice became a secondary note while the black pepper was further back. As for the retro-hale, it produced an additional layer of black pepper and orange.

During the second third, I found the bakers spice joined the natural tobacco / orange combination in the forefront. By this stage, the slight syrupy quality to the natural tobacco seemed to become less and less. The cedar and black pepper remained in the background, but the bakers spice diminished along the way. Just past the midway point, a dusty earth note surfaced in the background and began to increase in intensity.

The last third of the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo saw the dusty earth and natural tobacco / orange combination remain in the forefront. There still were notes of black pepper and to a lesser extent cedar in the background. This is the way the flavor profile came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo scored well. While there was a slight curviness from time to time on the burn line, this cigar still maintained a straight path. The resulting ash had a light gray color with some dark speckling in there. This was an ash that was on the firmer side and came off the cigar in clean chunks. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo was not too tight, nor was it too loose. In the end this was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

When it came to strength and body, the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo was pretty much in the medium range for both attributes. I didnt find much variance in the intensity of these attributes as both stayed medium until the end. Both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

Final Thoughts

As I mentioned in the introduction, when it comes to the small batch and boutiques much of the attention has been on the Nicaraguan ones. Tabaqueria 1844s Campesino Robusto Definitivo is a great example of such a project coming out of the Dominican Republic. While this is a cigar that delivers a lot of sweetness, it is still kept in check. In addition the medium strength / medium bod level of this cigar meshed well with the flavor. Finally, coming in at just over $7.00, I found this to be a nice value. The Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo is a cigar I would recommend to a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar Id smoke again  and one that is certainly worthy of a box split.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Orange, Black Pepper, Cedar, Bakers Spice

Burn: Excellent

Draw: Excellent

Complexity: Medium+

Strength: Medium

Body: Medium

Finish: Very Good

Rating

Assessment: 3.5-Box Split

Score: 90

References

News: n/a

Price: $7.10

Source: Cigars Provided by Manufactuer prior to August 8th

Brand Reference: Tabaqueria 1844
Despite recent politically driven violence, community say Kyrgyzstan is their home now and they want to move on.

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan  Remote and landlocked, Kyrgyzstan is framed by the Tian Shan mountains that take up nearly 90 percent of the countrys territory and form its border with Chinas northwestern province of Xinjiang.

Xinjiang province is home to several Muslim Turkic ethnic groups, the largest being the Uighur, making up 46 percent of the areas population.

The historical tensions between the community and the Chinese government have flared-up in recent decades, receiving attention from the international media and rights groups. As many as 700 Uighur have died between 2013 and 2014 alone, according to the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP).





Uighur communities in China say they suffer repression at the hands of the Communist government, and demand greater religious and cultural autonomy. The Chinese authorities deny any wrongdoing, though they insist they are working against religious extremists and separatists with links to terrorism, al-Qaeda, and other armed groups.

The conflict has spilled over Chinas border to the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, where, in August, the Chinese embassy in Bishkek was subjected to an attack that injured three employees of the diplomatic mission. The Kyrgyz authorities accused the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a Uighur separatist group, of orchestrating the attack.

But, this attack against Chinese interests in the region is not new, similar incidents have taken place on numerous occasions over the last decade. In a previous such incident, two Chinese government representatives were killed and another injured in an apparent attack in 2000 in Kyrgyzstan. And two years later, a Chinese diplomat and his driver were shot dead in Bishkek. The Kyrgyz authorities blamed Uighur fighters for both attacks.

Uighurs in Central Asia

There is a significant Uighur community in Kyrgyzstan. Uighurs migrated to Kyrgyzstan from Xinjiang in the mid-1950s, says Rosjan Kurbanov, head of the Ittipak ethnic Uighur cultural organisations chapter in south Kyrgyzstan, seeking to escape repressive Communist rule in China.

Uighurs share similar linguistic and historical heritage with the Turkic nations in Central Asia.

Our parents came to this country and Kyrgyz people accepted us very well. They allocated land to our fathers, so Uighurs could build homes in Kyrgyzstan, Kurbanov told Al Jazeera. And so many years have passed since then. Now, we have our grandchildren born here.

Central Asias post-Soviet republics have become a second homeland to an estimated half-a-million Uighurs, the majority of whom settled in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic. There are reportedly more than 250,000 Uighurs living in Kazakhstan and close to 50,000 in Kyrgyzstan.

Alisher Nasrakhunov, chairman of the Uighur council of elders explained that the violent incidents involving Uighurs are a big concern for the community.

Surely, we know from news reports about conflict between Chinese authorities and the Uighur population in China, he told Al Jazeera. This is, of course, regrettable. Conflicts disrupt the peaceful life of the population. Therefore, we reject violence, Narakhunov said from his office in the southern city of Jalal-Abad in Kyrgyzstan.

But we are not in the position to make assessments of what is taking place in China. Every country has its own policy on certain issues. That is why we think that we cannot evaluate these processes from outside.

Political implications

Beijings Strike Hard campaign in Xinjiang during the 1990s and emergence of the political ties between the Central Asian states and China after the demise of the Soviet Union has added pressure on the Uighur communities of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic to respond to actions carried out by the members of the Uighur community.

China is concerned that the conflict in Afghanistan presents a threat to the stability of Chinas western province.

Nicolas De Pedro, Research Fellow at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs says the issue of Uighurs was always part of the Chinas policy towards Central Asia.

It is a key factor to explain the rapid rapprochement between Beijing and the newly independent republics after the collapse of USSR. Beijing was interested in putting an end to the Soviet policy of traditional support and sympathy for the Uighur activism, particularly in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, De Pedro told Al Jazeera.

For Kazakhstan and to a lesser extent, Kyrgyzstan, the control over the Uighur community is an asset to bargain for better deals with Beijing on border and trade, De Pedro said. The Central Asian republics are not interested in becoming a safe haven for Uighur exiles.

Effects on community

Many in Kyrgyzstans Uighur community have become increasingly distrustful of the state. One 41-year-old Uighur trader in Bishkek, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, claims security services in Kyrgyzstan have been watchful of the Uighur community for more than two decades.

Growing up in the 1980s and later in the 1990s, I witnessed Kyrgyz state security service agents come to speak with my father who was a Uighur community activist back in those days, he says.

He thinks that after the latest bombing incident, things may get worse for the community.

When we celebrate a holiday or attend a wedding, we only talk about business, family or friends because politics is not something Uighurs in Bishkek want to discuss, the trader tells, explaining that the community is wary of surveillance.

The security service of the Kyrgyz Republic (GKNB) declined to comment to Al Jazeera regarding allegations of state policies towards the community of Uighurs in the country.

Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia-based researcher for Human Rights Watch says the situation for Uighurs who are Chinese nationals in Central Asia is complicated by the fact that there are large populations of Uighurs who have long resided in the region and are citizens of the post-Soviet Central Asian states.

While theres no official information on the surveillance of these communities, Human Rights Watch is aware that the security services of the Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, do conduct surveillance on Uighurs, closely monitor their borders, and keep tabs on all those they might perceive to be sympathetic to or involved with the Uighur cause for greater autonomy, Swerdlow told Al Jazeera.

For those of us who were born in Kyrgyzstan, the conflict in Xinjiang is something that we may share only among very close friends, but not in the public, because you never know whether an informant is next to us or among us, the trader said. In a way, we, Uighurs who are citizens of Kyrgyzstan, are in a better position than Uighurs in Xinjiang because the Kyrgyz government deports Uighur Chinese citizens upon Chinas request.

The Kyrgyz ministry of interior and GKNB did not respond to Al Jazeeras request to comment on alleged deportations.

Leaders of the Uighur community are concerned by past Kyrgyz government and local media efforts to tie Uighur activism with global terrorism and separatist organisations in Xinjiang.

Let us ask ourselves: What good does it serve attacking the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek? It certainly doesnt do any good for local Uighurs and those living in East Turkistan [Xinjiang province], said Kayum Masimov, former head of the Uighur Canadian Association in Montreal.

The Chinese Communist Party will further clampdown on Uighurs and justify its heavy-handed rule in the region, Masimov told Al Jazeera.

Many Uighur community organisations have condemned violent act against Chinese interests in Kyrgyzstan.

We are against extremist ideas and terrorism. This is a concern for our peaceful lives here. It will only bring negative feelings, said Alisher Nasrakhunov.

Zhalil Saparov contributed to this report.
Daryl Davis talks to Al Jazeera about how his efforts to reach out to white supremacists led to many renouncing racism.

Daryl Davis, a renowned black American blues musician, took the initiative to reach out to members of the Ku Klux Klan, the US white supremacist organisation, which has led to more than 200 leaving the group.

He has travelled across the country, sometimes with ex-KKK members, to give lectures aimed at curbing racism.

Davis has written a book on the KKK called Klan-Destine Relationships. And an award-winning documentary about his unique efforts to combat racial hatred  Accidental Courtesy  is set to be aired across the United States in February.

Hate acts have been on the rise in the US since president-elect Donald Trump, who made many statements against minority groups during the election campaign, saw a drastic rise in popularity last year.

Davis talked to Al Jazeera about his journey in confronting the KKK, and what Trumps election means for the country.

Daryl Davis, blues musician, author, and anti-racism activist

Al Jazeera: What inspired you to reach out to the KKK?

Davis: My parents worked in the US foreign service so I was an American embassy brat. I spent a lot of my youth in the 1960s living overseas and when I attended schools abroad my classmates were from around the world.

At that time there was not that kind of diversity at home in the US. When I would come back to the US I would be in all-black schools or black-and-white newly integrated schools.

When I was overseas I felt like I was living 12 to 15 years ahead of my time, and when I came back home I did not understand why people had a problem with skin tone. It was the norm for me, but not my country.

One time I was attacked because of the colour of my skin. And that made me ask: How can you hate me when you dont even know me? No one had been able to answer it.

So who better to ask that question than those who hate others who do not look like them?

I reached out to Klan members all over the country. Right here in the state of Maryland where I live, I would put out these questions, but was never set out to change anybody and never under the impression they could be.

I wanted to know why they made a judgment on my ability to learn and work  and why they assumed we all sold drugs, raped white women, or were on welfare.

READ MORE: Black Americans fear racism, police violence post-Trump

Over a course of time, a number of them began shedding their racist ideologies and left the Klan.

I have changed a number of hearts and minds by having these conversations. They started to see me as a human being, as someone who wants the same as them.

If you sit with your worst enemy for five minutes, you will find out you have something in common and if for 10 minutes, you will discover more similarities.

If you build on those commonalties, the things you do not have in common matter less and friendship can be formed. Even if you disagree  and this has to do with all matters, whether its about abortion or whatever  when two enemies are talking, they are not fighting.

They may be yelling and screaming and beating their fist on the table to make their point, but at least they are not fighting. It is when the talking ceases, that the ground becomes fertile for violence and fighting. So, keep the conversation going.

The problem is that in the US media, people talk about each other or at each other but not with each other. People refuse to do that. Many will hide behind social media, but they will not sit and meet with the person.

Al Jazeera: How many KKK members left the group because of your efforts?

Davis: I know that I have directly been the impetus for up to 40 Klan members leaving and indirectly for about 200 others.

I continue to get emails from those who I dont even know after they hear me speak or read my book.

The leader of the KKKs Maryland branch and I became friends. After he and his top members quit, their group fell apart here.

No longer is there an organised racist organisation in Maryland.

Al Jazeera: What type of conversations would you have with them and what did you learn from that?

Davis: I would find out why they joined the Klan, what their goals were, and what their educational background was.

And what you find out is this that the common thread is hatred and ignorance. In terms of education and jobs, they are all over the board.

They come from all walks of life: high school and college dropouts, lawyers, and doctors. There were even presidents of the United States who were KKK members.

READ MORE: US hate incidents spike after Donald Trump elected

Al Jazeera: What do you think about Donald Trumps impact on racism in the country?

Davis: I think Donald Trump is the best thing that happened to the country. He is not the best choice for the presidency.

But as a residual effect of the election all these racist people are coming out and making themselves known.

America is hypocritical because we deny racism exists. Now they can no longer deny it. Now we are seeing KKK spray painted on cars. Talks on racism have been taboo, but now more conversations about it are starting.

You cannot solve any problem unless you see it and then you can talk about it. This country did not want to address racism. Well, now they are seeing it and are obligated to address it.
It is my daily attempt to stave off the death of my family, one man says, as the countrys civil war grinds on.

Sanaa  Mahdi Abdullas hollow cheeks, skeletal body and pale skin all speak to his living misery.

The 45-year-old Sanaa resident has no job and no money to buy food. Today, there is just one place to which he knows he can turn for help: The dump.

For several months, I have been out of work. I have not earned one single rial, Abdulla told Al Jazeera. This has forced me to provide for my family by any means, including searching for food in the rubbish dumps or asking people for aid.

Living in Sanaas Bait Bos neighbourhood, Abdulla roams the city daily, checking through rubbish piles to find something for himself and his family of 10 to eat.

It is my daily attempt to stave off the death of my family by hunger, he explained. I have become a frequent visitor of the rubbish dump. There, I also see my likes.

READ MORE: Starvation in Yemen  We are hoping just to survive

Millions of people have borne the brunt of Yemens civil war, nearly into its third year. Massive food shortages have gripped the Arab worlds poorest country, with the World Food Programme estimating that around 14 million Yemenis are food insecure, half of whom are classified as severely food insecure.

Yemeni economist Ahmed Shamakh told Al Jazeera that the war has driven Yemen towards a severe famine.

Development has ceased in the country. Businesses have also shut down. This has largely contributed to augmenting the deterioration of the food situation in Yemen, Shamakh said. Additionally, the conflict has cost a lot of Yemenis their daily jobs  Today, some civilians in Yemen do eat from the rubbish and take the leftovers they find at restaurants. This helps them survive.

Prior to the war, Yemen was already importing 90 percent of its food products from abroad, but the importation process has stalled amid the countrys ongoing conflict.

The economic situation for Yemeni families also worsened late last year, after the countrys internationally recognised government relocated the Central Bank of Yemen from Houthi-held Sanaa to Aden, a move aimed at dealing the rebels an economic blow. However, the repercussions have affected all state employees, who have not received their salaries in months.

If the status quo goes on unchanged, the food insecurity issue will be more worrying, Shamakh said. This will lead to further security imbalances and robbery of public and private properties.

Back in Sanaa, 12-year-old Bashar has become another victim of Yemens food crisis.

I go out to the street every day, asking people for aid. Some give money, and some do not, Bashar told Al Jazeera, noting that he begs and searches through rubbish for food to feed his family. I have four siblings. My father died many months back.

The United Nations has estimated that more than 370,000 children are at risk of starvation in Yemen, while more than two million are out of school due to the ongoing war.

READ MORE: Millions of Yemenis staring at famine as war rages

The humanitarian crisis has prompted some local initiatives to help mitigate the suffering of the neediest Yemenis. In Sanaa, the Hand in Hand youth programme coordinates with supportive restaurants to get food aid distributed.

Several Yemeni families are living in difficult times when it comes to food. Many families are struggling to get even enough bread to subsist, said Abdulfatah al-Hamadi, the head of Hand in Hand.

In Sanaa, Hand in Hand has already aided hundreds of families struggling with food insecurity by providing their daily meals, he added.

However, not all families are willing to ask for aid.

Some families would prefer to die than to ask others for food, Hamadi said. The initiative has tried to support them. Over one million government employees used to receive salaries prior to September  When the salaries were halted, the people have felt the hardest suffering.

Their lives torn by war and politics, many ordinary Yemenis are simply hoping to return to a form of normalcy.

I want to live in peace, Abdulla said, and I want to see my children safe from hunger, and not dependent on aid or dumps.
Paul Krugman et al conveniently forget that corruption, cronyism and contempt for the rule of law long predated Trump.

Apparently, for a host of progressive writers, American history began on November 8, 2016.

People and events before that notorious date have been forgotten or marginalised, in effect, to sanitise Americas not-so-distant past in order to paint an apocalyptic picture of its not-too-distant future as US president-elect Donald Trump prepares for his inauguration.

These writers arent principally seized by a lazy, predictable historical revisionism  although theres certainly an irritating dose of that, to be sure  but rather a wilful amnesia that has infected their thinking and writing like a synapsis-sapping virus.





Lately, that contagion has contaminated the thinking and writing of marquee New York Times columnist and progressive Paul Krugman.

Earlier this week, Krugman penned a piece suggesting that America  with Trump and his fellow feather-bedding cronies manning the states cash register  is destined to morph quickly into one of those garish, tin pot Central Asian regimes, or stans for short.

Krugmans satiric abbreviation was instantly and wildly popular with his fellow progressives as the derisive column ricocheted quickly and widely on social media.

But Krugmans column proves that even Nobel prize-winning economists can conveniently forget the past in the smug, grating service of American hubris and exceptionalism.

Americastan

Look, Trump is an unabashed reflection of what America is and will continue to be  whether Krugman and company are prepared to admit it or not. America was a stan long before the Manhattan megalomaniac was elected president by more than 62 million Americans chomping to install their stan-like version of a tin-pot dictator into the White House.

Still, I dont recall any of the other stans invading and subsequently destroying a sovereign nation and its people based on cooked-up intelligence.

OPINION: Americas flawed democracy

I dont recall the other stans setting up black sites across the globe where countless people were shipped like pieces of baggage to be tortured out of the Red Crosss sight or those pesky, irrelevant human rights conventions.

I dont recall the other stans secretly hauling Muslim and Arab men  many of them innocent  to a gulag at Guantanamo Bay without charge to rot, to be tortured, go mad or commit suicide.

I dont recall the other stans unilaterally ordering extrajudicial killings by way of remote drones and having to apologise repeatedly and pay compensation for massacring children, women and men who thought they were attending a wedding, not their summary executions.

I dont recall the other stans engineering the near collapse of the global financial system because of the insatiable avarice of mostly middle-aged, pinstripe suit-wearing con men on Wall Street.

I could go on, but you and, perhaps, Krugman get the point.

Forgetting inconvenient truths

Like other pedestrian polemicists, Krugman begins his oh-so-pithy column with the oh-so-pithy caricature of Turkmenistans president cementing, as it were, his cult of personality with a gaudy, oversized sculpture of himself on horseback.

Turkmenistans resident narcissist-in-chief could have carved, I suppose, a 60ft-high, granite likeness of himself into a mountainside as a permanent ode to his greatness like, say, presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln at Mount Rushmore.

Of course, when Americans do the chiselling to immortalise, while simultaneously scrubbing the nasty parts from their mythic, heroic leaders visages, its called art. When others do it, particularly in those authoritarian stans, its called ugly, self-aggrandising kitsch.

Not surprisingly, in Krugmans calculus, Trump would be comfortably at home in any of the kitsch-loving stans since he fashions himself as strongman surrounded by a clique of wealthy crony capitalists intent on capitalising from their cozy access to the gilded throne.

Donald Trump seems to be assembling a team of cronies, choosing billionaires with obvious, deep conflicts of interest for many key positions in his administration, Krugman wrote.

A perfunctory grasp of recent history reveals that Trump wont be the first US president to populate his administration with rich, white men inclined to enrich themselves at the expense of Americas national interest.

My goodness, have Dick Cheney and Haliburton receded that far into the distance that Krugman and all of his sanctimonious fans have already forgotten Darth Cheneys profitable escapades? If any major US political figure is the walking, talking, possibly war-crime committing definition of a strongman, it is Cheney.

Not done airbrushing, Krugman wrote this astonishing paragraph: But lets get real. Everything we know suggests that were entering an era of epic corruption and contempt for the rule of law, with no restraint whatsoever.

Its astonishing because Krugman appears to be suggesting that the systemic, deeply entrenched nexus of corporate and political malfeasance that led to the savings and loans crisis during the 1980s and 90s and the collapse of the subprime mortgage market in 2008 that triggered another depression, somehow dont constitute epic corruption, nor are they classic examples of an unrestrained contempt for the rule of law.

If memory serves, not one of the rogues gallery of white-collar architects of the financial meltdown a decade ago has been charged, let alone seen the inside of a prison cell in the time since. So much for Americas shining, pre-Trump notion of probity and the rule of law.

Lets get real, indeed.

To provide himself with some factual cover, Krugman makes passing reference to the calamitous Iraq war, as well as the cronyism endemic to the Clinton and Bush administrations. Krugman buries these inconvenient truths in his column.

Progressive conspiracies

Taking their cue from Krugman, other amnesiacs wailed on Twitter and elsewhere that the House Republicans ramshackle and unsuccessful attempt to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics amounted to a blatant scheme to legalise corruption on Capitol Hill.

These hyperventilating progressives are blissfully ignoring the fact that generations of Democrats and Republicans have conspired openly to make Capitol Hill an ethics-free zone, where real crimes perpetrated by real power are rarely, if ever, prosecuted.





Beyond re-writing history, progressives have recently been busy channelling one of Americas more odious charlatans, Joe McCarthy.

Employing McCarthy-like innuendo and fantastical, thread-thin connections, writers for so-called elite news organisations are seriously claiming that Trump has been groomed for decades by Vladimir Putin, who has waited patiently to elevate his orange-haired poodle into the Oval Office.

As supposed evidence of Trumps closet treachery, progressives have cited Trumps and his sons business trips to Moscow and that Ivanka Trump was reportedly introduced to her future husband by a woman who is now allegedly Putins lover. Connect the ephemeral dots and there you have it  Trump emerges as the modern-day Manchurian candidate guilty of being compromised: a polite euphemism for treason.

Move over Joe and blathering Alex Jones, youve got conspiratorial company, not on the lunatic fringes of the web, but in mainstream media.

Progressives, it seems, arent immune to Trumps penchant for hyperbolic smears, wacky conspiracy theories and contagious stupidity.

Andrew Mitrovica is an award-winning investigative reporter and journalism instructor.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
From unsuccessful trade policies to a civil service in chaos, Britain is far from ready for Brexit.

When Theresa May appeared on the steps of Number Ten in her first address as Prime Minister, she seemed like a sudden moment of serenity in a chaotic post-Brexit Britain. She had reassuringly grey hair for a start.

Her predecessor, David Cameron, had been just 43 when he took office. Tony Blair had also been in his 40s. May was pushing 60. Now the seriousness of actually getting on with Brexit was upon us, it was like the kids had finally been booted out from the halls of power; and the adults were back in charge.

May had a reputation for competence. She had been the longest-serving home secretary in modern times, responsible for immigration, policing, and national security over six long years. She had endured, keeping herself out of political squabbles, and focused diligently on the work in hand. Many hoped the quiet vicars daughter would apply the same professionalism in Number Ten, and guide Britain through Brexit with steadfast efficiency.

She has not.

Six months on, Britains ambassador to Brussels has just resigned, causing a storm that has highlighted increasing disillusionment among those who will actually carry out Brexit  the bureaucrats and diplomats  and she who will steal the undeserved credit later down the line  Theresa May.

More resignations are already rumoured, because Mandarins are tired of being blamed for bad decisions by politicians. Ivan Rogers, the ambassador in question, was one of Britains most respected diplomats, and was praised by key players for his in-depth knowledge of how the European Union actually works.

A former very senior civil servant took to his personal Twitter account to call out the government for a wilful & total destruction of expertise, and accused the May government of amateurism. It was frustrations with Mays haphazard and ignorant office that appear to have driven Rogers out.

It is this deep disparity between the expertise of the bureaucratic and diplomatic professions, and the dogmatic, ignorant amateurism of the May team, that is essential to understanding how badly Number Ten is handling Brexit.

Last week, a union leader for civil servants said that May lacks the political courage to admit how complex and time-consuming this will be. When anyone pops their head above the parapet [] and says this is going to take a long time, and its complex, they are immediately shot down and accused of betraying the will of the people.

Others have simply said the officials are unable to cope, because of spending cuts that have brought the civil service to its smallest size since World War II. May is, incredibly, insisting these cuts continue.

OPINION: Theresa Mays Brexit gambit

Perhaps the worst decision May has made is not to make any. She has maintained a stance of almost complete silence since taking office, as to what the governments overall objectives for Brexit might be.

Are we aiming to stay in the single market? Nobody knows. Are we to pay a reduced subscription fee to retain some access? Nobody knows. Will EU citizens already settled in the UK be able to stay? Nobody knows. Has anyone begun disentangling the enormous web of agricultural, scientific and regulatory connections the British economy has with the EU? I hope so  but nobody knows.

Will British businesses face a cliff edge in which no new trade deal is in place before we leave? We thought we maybe knew  when May hintedat a transitional deal  but then we didnt, when she said it was just one option under consideration.

This vacuum of leadership and exodus of expertise are not May's only failings; she is a luke-warm saleswoman too. by

Instead of leading with vision, May has instead become prone to taking cheap shots at her own team to distract from her own floundering strategy, and has failed to rise above petty rows about her choice of trousers. Meanwhile experts continue to warn that her secretive approach to Brexit is a brewing disaster.

This vacuum of leadership and exodus of expertise are not Mays only failings; she is a luke-warm saleswoman too. Her only major trip to try to boost trade ties with other parts of the world has been to India. The delegation was a damp squib. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that Britain was now a low priority for commerce.

Ironically, this was Mays previous job coming back to haunt her. Although she appears to have lost her knack for competence when it comes to her new job in Number Ten, as a minister for immigration she was so ruthlessly efficient at limiting entry to Indians that she has almost irreparably damaged relations with Delhi.

Indian businesses had been interested in Britain because it had access to the single market. It was no surprise then that some business leaders didnt even bother to turn up to her meetings. May returned to Britain forlorn.

In desperation, she has been fawning at the heels of Donald Trump, while most of the world turns away from America in revulsion.

There was a moment when Theresa May swept into Number Ten, and seemed to be a mature beacon of calm, amid a chaotic post-referendum backdrop. Unfortunately she has not turned out to be. Perhaps worst of all  2016 was the easy part. This year looks set to throw up more challenges  but is May really up to it? I sincerely doubt it.

Alastair Sloan is a London-based journalist. He focuses on injustice and human rights in the UK and international affairs, including human rights, the arms trade, censorship, political unrest and dictatorships.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Seven demonstrators arrested near presidential home in Jerusalem as discord over Israeli soldiers verdict continues.

Israeli police have arrested seven people following a protest against the conviction of soldier Elor Azaria, who shot dead a wounded Palestinian man.

The arrests made on Sunday were due to public order offences during a demonstration that took place outside President Reuven Rivlins residence in Jerusalem.

During the night dozens of demonstrators arrived opposite the presidents residence where they wanted to carry out an illegal protest in support of the soldier Elor Azaria, police said in a statement.

Some of them blocked the road and refused to obey police instructions. Seven demonstrators were arrested for breach of public order, police added.

Last March, army medic Azaria was filmed firing a bullet into the head of Abed al-Fattah al-Sharif, a 21-year-old Palestinian, as he lay wounded on the ground in the city of Hebron after he reportedly stabbed an Israeli soldier.

After Azarias arrest, there was an outpouring of sympathy for the soldier from the Israeli public, politicians and fellow soldiers.

After a military court convicted Azaria on Wednesday, the country saw a wave of public protest and threats against officials involved in the trial.

Ilan Ben Zion, a reporter at the Times of Israel, said on Twitter that demonstrators were chanting against the armed forces chief of staff, Gadi Eizenkot, who ordered the prosecution of Azaria that angered many on the Israeli right.

"Gadi, Gadi, be careful, Rabin is looking for a friend"  #Azaria supporters chant outside IDF HQ, referring to IDF chief of staff  i  o (@IlanBenZion) January 4, 2017

The biggest protest took place in Tel Avivs Rabin Square on Saturday, where over one thousand people assembled to oppose the conviction.

The Tel Aviv rally was initiated by Ziv Shilon, a former Israeli army officer, who called for protests after sharing a Facebook post on Thursday condemning the outcome of the divisive case.

I feel that our people are divided, hurting, hating, disappointed, desperate, he said.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, has called for a pardon of Azaria, while President Rivlin said he will wait for the legal process to run its course before making a decision on whether to issue a pardon.

READ MORE: Elor Azaria case  No hope of equality before the law

Azarias conviction has deeply divided Israeli public opinion between those who believe he was wrongly tried and those who say the conviction was the right and proper consequence of his actions.

The 20-year-old soldier could face a maximum 20 years in prison. The Israeli military expects that he will be sentenced on January 15, and his defence team has already said it will appeal.
Behind the prison bloodshed is an escalating feud between Brazils biggest drug gangs with about 100 killed in a week.

A new prison uprising in Brazil on Sunday left four dead, adding to the chaos in the countrys penitentiary system that has seen nearly 100 inmates die in the past week in a brutal gang war.

The latest violence took place at the Desembargador Raimundo Vidal Pessoa jail in the centre of the jungle city of Manaus, according to a statement from the government penitentiary agency in Amazonas state, where the facility is located.

Brazil: Dozens more killed as prison gang war escalates

Three of the dead were beheaded while one was strangled. It did not give a motive for the killings and it was not yet known if drug gangs were involved.





In the past week, 64 inmates have been killed in prisons in or around Manaus. A prison uprising in the neighbouring state of Roraima left at least 33 dead.

Behind the bloodshed is an escalating feud between Brazils biggest drug gangs, which ended two decades of an uneasy working relationship about six months ago.

Brazils most powerful gang, the Sao Paulo-based First Capital Command (PCC) split with the Rio de Janeiro-based Red Command gang when the PCC took over drug trading routes in Brazils southeast.

Previously, the two groups worked together to ensure a heavy flow of drugs and arms over Brazils borders.

Members of the PCC were targeted last Sunday in the first violent outbreak, which left 56 dead, many decapitated and butchered. It was Brazils deadliest uprising in more than two decades.

56 killed, many beheaded, in grisly Brazil prison riot

Five days later, PCC members killed 33 people at a Roraima state prison. Brutal scenes captured on a mobile phone video spread widely on social media, in which the inmates are seen hacking away at bodies in acts of revenge.

Experts say the PCC is moving to infiltrate areas in the Red Commands home base of Rio and infiltrating Brazils Amazon region in efforts to control cocaine-smuggling river routes.
At least 12 killed and 50 others wounded in blast that hits Shia neighbourhood in the Iraqi capital.

At least 12 people have been killed and 50 wounded in a car bomb blast in eastern Baghdad, police and medics say, in an attack claimed by the armed group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The explosion hit the mainly Shia district of Jamila on Sunday, sources told the Reuters news agency.

In an online statement, ISIL said that a suicide car bomber carried out the attack.

Jamila is the main wholesale vegetable market in Baghdad and lies in Sadr City, which has been repeatedly targeted.

A series of attacks in the Iraqi capital and other cities in just over a week has killed dozens of people.

Several have been claimed by ISIL, also known as ISIS, which is coming under increasing pressure from an offensive in Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq.

The most recent major attack claimed by ISIL, was on January 2  also in Sadr City  when a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives among a crowd of day labourers waiting for work, killing 35 people.

In July, a car bomb attack also claimed by ISIL at a shopping district in the busy days before the end of the Ramadan fast killed almost 300 people, the worst such incident in years.
Federal prosecutors charge Esteban Santiago with firearms offences and carrying out an act of violence at an airport.

US authorities have charged a US army veteran accused in a deadly shooting rampage at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport, with offences that could carry the death penalty, while continuing to probe whether terrorism was a potential motive.

Federal prosecutors charged Esteban Santiago on Saturday with firearms offences and carrying out an act of violence at an airport, US Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said in a statement.

If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison.

Santiago, 26, was accused of killing five, wounding six and sending thousands scrambling for safety on Friday before authorities shut down the airport in Florida, a major gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America.

Opinion: Gun control in the US is not a fantasy

The suspect was scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Monday.

Murder charges could be forthcoming from state prosecutors, but no decision has been made yet, according to the Sun Sentinel newspaper.

Santiago had travelled from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale on Friday.

After retrieving a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and ammunition that he had declared and stowed inside his checked luggage, he allegedly loaded the weapon in a toilet and opened fire in the crowded baggage claim area.

FBI special agent George Piro said law enforcement was continuing to investigate motives for the attack, including continuing to look at the terrorism angle.

Mental problems

A former member of the Puerto Rico and Alaska National Guard, Santiago served in Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011. He ended his service in August.

An aunt, Maria Luisa Ruiz, told the NorthJersey.com news site that Santiago became a father to a baby boy in September, and that he was having mental problems.

Like a month ago, it was like he lost his mind, Ruiz said. He said he saw things.

On November 7, Santiago walked into the FBIs Anchorage office and complained that his mind was being controlled by national intelligence agencies, which were forcing him to watch videos of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

The erratic behaviour led agents to contact local police, who took him to a medical facility for a mental health evaluation, Piro said.





He was not placed on a no-fly list.

Anchorage police chief Christopher Tolley said Santiago came to the FBI office with a loaded magazine, but left his gun and newborn child in his car.

Santiagos weapon was taken by police for safekeeping at the time, and he was able to reclaim it on December 8.

Santiagos brother, Bryan, criticised the way authorities handled his case.

They had him hospitalised for four days and they let him go. How are you going to let someone leave a psychological centre after four days, when he said he hears voices that the CIA is telling him to join certain groups? Bryan Santiago told CNN, in a Spanish-language interview the network translated into English.

Not everyone has the same reaction when they return from war. Some are better, and some, not so much.

The shooting renewed anxieties about airport security, a concern that has loomed large in the post-9/11 era, and shed new light on ongoing US gun-control debates.

The Transportation Security Administration, the agency responsible for security at US airports, allows passengers to travel with unloaded firearms and ammunition as checked baggage.

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, rebuked the government for not taking legislative action to tighten gun laws.

Political cowardice is the accomplice of every mass shooter, he wrote on Twitter.
Office of new president apologises for lifting passages from speeches by ex-US leaders during his inaugural address.

The office of Nana Akufo-Addo issued an apology on Sunday after the new Ghanaian president was accused of lifting passages from speeches by Bill Clinton and George W Bush during his inaugural address to the nation.

Not long after his swearing-in ceremony on Saturday in the capital Accra, social media users started pointing out similarities between Akufo-Addos speech and those delivered by the two ex-US presidents.

Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Ghanaians have been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us, Akufo-Addo said.

It echoed Clintons 1993 inauguration speech: Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. And Americans have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. We must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who come before us.

Ghana's President Nana Addo caught in inauguration plagiarism pic.twitter.com/k7KZWGlEml  Adeola Fayehun (@AdeolaFayehun) January 8, 2017

In another instance, Akufo-Addo said: I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building your communities and our nation.

In his 2001 inaugural speech, Bush said: I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character.

The presidencys communication director acknowledged the plagiarism and offered an apology.

I unreservedly apologise for the non-acknowledgement of this quote to the original author. It was a complete oversight, and never deliberate, Eugene Arhin said, according to DPA news agency.

Akufo-Addo, a 72-year-old former human rights lawyer, defeated incumbent John Dramani Mahama in elections last month.

In September, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari also issued an apology for plagiarising quotes from US President Barack Obama in a speech promising change in the West African country.

Buharis office said at the time a paragraph in the speech urging Nigerians not to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country so long was copied from Obamas victory speech after his election in November 2008.

It was observed that the similarities between a paragraph in President Obamas 2008 victory speech and what President Buhari read in paragraph nine of the 16-paragraph address  are too close to be passed as coincidence, Buharis office said in a statement.
Human rights commission calls for arrests of security forces who sexually assaulted women in fight against rebels.

Indias human rights watchdog said more than a dozen tribal women were raped by police in restive Chhattisgarh state with the victims lawyer slamming authorities over delays in arresting the accused.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said on Sunday at least 16 women were victims of rape, sexual and physical assault after it concluded an investigation into reports that police attacked several villages in Bijapur district in the central Indian state during an operation against communist rebels in October 2015.

Prima facie, human rights of the victims have been grossly violated by the security personnel of the government of Chhattisgarh, for which the state government is vicariously liable, the government commission said in a statement.

OPINION: Nepal  A costly constitution

The NHRC said it was in the process of recording the testimonies of 20 more victims who were allegedly sexually assaulted during the incident.

India is fighting thousands of armed communist rebels in the so-called Red Corridor, which passes through swaths of resource-rich areas of central and eastern India and is mostly inhabited by underprivileged tribes.

Several media reports at the time said police officers had raped or sexually assaulted at least 40 women in five villages, and destroyed and looted homes during the anti-Maoist operation. Chhattisgarh is about 1,200km southeast of the capital, New Delhi.

Reports said 11 women were gang-raped, including a 14-year-old girl and a pregnant woman.

Police launched an investigation over the allegations, but no arrests have been made yet.

Kishore Narayan, who is representing 14 victims, told AFP news agency the panel had backed their claims and accused the police of deliberately shielding the culprits.

The victims gave the names of the policemen involved in the barbarity but nothing has happened. They carried a sham investigation and are trying to obfuscate the case, Narayan said.

He said they have filed a petition in the Chhattisgarh High Court demanding an investigation by a special police team from outside the state.

INTERACTIVE: Nepal  The Maoist dream

Activists often accuse Indian security forces of committing gross human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, arson, and sexual assault in the conflict-torn region.

Communist fighters, inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, say they are battling the Indian government for land, jobs, and other rights for poor tribal groups, with thousands of lives having been lost in the decades-old insurgency.
The Israeli embassy has apologised to UK deputy foreign secretary Sir Alan Duncan for comments made by one of its staff members on plans to take [him] down due to his criticism of Israels settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

The comments, made by a senior political officer at the Israeli embassy Shai Masot, were secretly captured on film during a six-month undercover operation by Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit, which reveals plots by the Israeli diplomat and a British civil servant to destroy the careers of senior politicians.

In a conversation with Maria Strizzolo, who was then chief of staff to MP Robert Halfon, the deputy chairman of the ruling Conservative Party, Masot asked her if he could give her some names of MPs he would suggest she take down.

Masot named Duncan, who in 2014 said that while he fully supports Israels right to exist, he believes settlements on occupied Palestinian land represent an ever-deepening stain on the face of the globe. He also likened the situation in Hebron in the occupied West Bank to apartheid.

Strizzolo later hinted that a little scandal might see Duncan dismissed.

At the same dinner table conversation, Masot described British foreign secretary Boris Johnson, Duncans boss, as an idiot  without any kind of responsibilities, while Strizzolo said he was solid on Israel.

RELATED: Israels parliamentary plot against UK politicians

Since the announcement by Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit of its findings  and the international media coverage that followed  the Israeli embassy tweeted a response saying that Masot would be ending his term shortly, adding that Mark Regev, ambassador of Israel to the UK, had apologised to Duncan and made clear that the embassy considered the remarks to be completely unacceptable.

But this latest disclosure is just one among the Investigative Units many findings, which will be revealed in a four-part series The Lobby that will be broadcast daily on Al Jazeera from January 11 at 22:30 GMT.

The undercover investigation reveals how the Israeli government is in the midst of a brazen, covert influence campaign in Britain.

For half a year, Robin (alias), an undercover reporter working with Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit, met with members of Britains lobby network that enjoys strong support from the Israeli government by way of the Israeli embassy in London.

Robin posed as a graduate activist with strong sympathies towards Israel who was eager to help combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement prominent in Britain.

Shaping foreign policy agenda

Strizzolo, while advising Robin, revealed that she had a strategy of manipulation to ensure Israel remains at the top of the UKs foreign policy agenda.

If at least you can get a small group of MPs that you know you can always rely on, when there is something coming to parliament and you know you brief them, you say: You dont have to do anything, we are going to give you the speech, we are going to give you all the information, we are going to do everything for you, she said.

She also advised trying to infiltrate Prime Minsters Questions, a weekly session in which the leader of the country answers questions from MPs. The debate is televised live.

If they already have the question to table for PMQs [Prime Ministers Questions], its harder to say: No, no, no, I wont do it, she said.

Strizzolo then boasted how her own efforts once made an immediate effect on the national debate.

While in Israel with the Conservative Friends of Israel parliamentary group in 2014, she persuaded MP Halfon to question the prime minster in public over three missing teenagers believed to have been kidnapped and murdered to get a response from the government, Strizzolo said.

Halfon took the request and called on former prime minister David Cameron to support the Israeli government, which he said should do everything possible to take out Hamas terrorist networks.

In response, Cameron promised that Britain would stand by Israel.

Al Jazeera Investigative Units series The Lobby can be viewed on Al Jazeera at the following times:

Episode One  Wednesday, January 11, 22:30 GMT

Episode Two  Thursday, January 12, 22:30 GMT

Episode Three  Friday, January 13, 22:30 GMT

Episode Four  Saturday, January 14, 22:30 GMT

The series will also be available online.








President Jacob Zuma calls for end to ANC infighting as South Africas ruling party marks 105 years since its formation.

South Africas President Jacob Zuma called for unity as the ruling African National Congress marked its 105th anniversary on Sunday amid deep divisions within its ranks.

The ANC, which has won every election since the end of apartheid in 1994, has been plagued by infighting and public protests as South Africa struggles with high unemployment, increased poverty and corruption allegations.

Our people have told us that we come across as too busy fighting one another and do not pay sufficient attention to their needs, 74-year old Zuma told thousands of supporters dressed in the ANCs yellow and green at the Orlando stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg.

We must give our people hope, we must unite against our common enemies, which are unemployment, poverty and inequality, and not against one another.

South Africas ANC marks 105 years amid deep divisions

Some senior ANC members called for Zuma to resign in November, pointing to the damage several corruption scandals had had on the partys image following its worst ever local election performance in August.

The ANC has heard the message that the people delivered in August. We accept that we have made mistakes, said Zuma, who survived an attempt by ANC rivals to oust him in November, shrugging off criticism of his conduct by the official anti-graft watchdog and the Constitutional Court.

When leaders and members of the ANC are corrupt and steal they are betraying the values of the ANC, the people and our country. We will not allow this.

Al Jazeeras Haru Mutasa, reporting from the ANC celebrations in Soweto, said Zuma mentioned the issue of infighting within the ANC early in his speech  an indication of how problematic divisions in the party are.

He urged people to stay united, said Mutasa. He said some South Africans feel the party now is too consumed with fighting itself and not dealing with the issues of the economy, rising poverty and other day-to-day bread-and-butter issues affecting the poor.

The ANC will pick a new leader at a conference in December. Given its national dominance since coming to power, the winner is likely to go on to be South Africas next president when elections are held in 2019.

South Africas constitution dictates that Zuma must stand down as the countrys president after his two five-year terms end in 2019.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chairwoman of the African Union and a former wife of Jacob Zuma, is viewed as a frontrunner. She is a Zulu, the largest tribe in South Africa, and is expected to have the backing of her former husband, who will have a major say in who succeeds him.

Dlamini-Zuma was regarded as a capable technocrat during her time as South Africas minister of home affairs between 2009 and 2012, and has since gained international exposure as the first female head of the African Union.

However, critics of Dlamini-Zuma, a medical doctor trained in South Africa and Britain, say she should have done more to intervene when former president Thabo Mbeki denied that HIV causes Aids and imposed anti-scientific policies.

Jacob Zuma survives no-confidence vote at ANC meeting

Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa, a unionist-turned-business tycoon, is viewed as her most likely rival after powerful trade unions endorsed him last year.

Neither Dlamini-Zuma, 67, or Ramaphosa, 64, have declared their intention to run.

Ramaphosa, who was once touted as a successor to Nelson Mandela, would be the first choice for many investors because his background in commerce suggests that he will support more pro-business policies than many in the traditionally left-wing ANC.

However, he will face criticism from opponents for his role at platinum producer Lonmin, where he was a director and shareholder when violence led to police shooting dead 34 striking miners in 2012.

An investigation cleared him of wrongdoing.
Buddhist monk sets himself on fire in demonstration against agreement with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves.

A South Korean monk is in critical condition after setting himself ablaze to protest against the countrys deal with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves.

The 64-year-old Buddhist monk suffered third-degree burns across his body and serious damage to vital organs following his self-immolation during a rally late on Saturday in the capital, Seoul, calling on impeached President Park Geun-hye to stand down, police said.

He is unconscious and unable to breathe on his own, an official from the Seoul National University Hospital told The Associated Press news agency on Sunday on condition of anonymity.





Police said in his notebook, the monk called Park a traitor over her governments 2015 agreement with Japan that sought to settle a long-standing row over South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japans World War II military.

According to The Korea Times, he left a memo at the scene demanding the nullification of the contentious settlement.

Please dont make my death worthless, he reportedly wrote.

Rising tensions

Under the agreement, Japan pledged to fund a Seoul-based foundation set up to help support the victims. South Korea, in exchange, vowed to refrain from criticising Japan over the issue and try to resolve the Japanese grievance over a bronze statue representing wartime sex slaves in front of its embassy in Seoul.

Yet, the deal continues to be criticised in South Korea because it was reached without approval from victims, and opponents say it does not go far enough in holding Japan responsible for its wartime abuses.

Students have been holding sit-in protests next to the Seoul statue for more than a year over fears the government might try to remove it.

On Friday, Japan announced it would recall its ambassador to South Korea and suspend economic talks in response to the placing of another comfort woman statue representing wartime sex slaves in front of its consulate in the Korean port city of Busan.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged South Korea to remove the statues and implement the 2015 agreement.

It has been mutually confirmed that this is a final and irreversible agreement. Japan has sincerely fulfilled its obligation, Abe said on a NHK news talk show aired on Sunday. He said Japan had already paid one billion yen ($8.5m) in compensation.

Next, I think South Korea must firmly show its sincerity, he said, adding that the agreement should be implemented regardless of leadership change as a matter of credibility.

At the time of the deal, Seoul said there were 46 surviving South Korean victims.
The announcement comes two days after the Pentagon says it will deploy 300 US Marines to southern Helmand province.

Around 200 NATO soldiers, mainly Italians, have been deployed to Afghanistans volatile western province of Farah, officials confirmed, after attempts by Taliban fighters in recent months to overrun its capital city.

The announcement on Sunday came two days after the Pentagon said it would deploy some 300 US Marines to the southern province of Helmand, where American forces engaged in heated combat until their mission ended in 2014.

The troops will mainly train and advise local forces, NATO officials say, but the deployments underscore how foreign forces are increasingly being drawn back into Afghanistans conflict.

At the request of the Farah provincial governor, General John Nicholson [top US commander in Afghanistan] has authorised approximately 200 coalition members to support Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, NATO said in a statement.

They will conduct their training, advise, assist mission for approximately one week on location.

READ MORE: Kabul deplores exclusion from trilateral meeting

Last year, Taliban fighters attempted to overrun several provincial capitals, from Kunduz and Baghlan in the north to Helmand in south and Farah in the west.

Afghan forces backed by coalition air strikes pushed them back on many fronts, though the rebels managed to briefly seize Kunduz city in the north and breached parts of Lashkar Gah city in the south.

NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but US forces were granted greater powers in June to strike at Taliban fighters as US President Barack Obama vowed a more aggressive campaign.

The US still has some 8,400 troops in Afghanistan.

In early December, General Nicholson said the government in Afghanistans capital Kabul directly controls about 64 percent of the countrys population of 30 million, down slightly from 68 percent earlier in 2016.
President Buhari is hopeful the remaining 195 girls will be saved as activists urge him to treat issue as a priority.

Sunday marks a 1,000 days since 276 Nigerian girls were abducted from a school in the countrys northeast by Boko Haram fighters.

Some of them have since been released while others managed to escape  but nearly 200 girls still remain in captivity.

In a message to mark the mass kidnapping, Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari said he remained committed to ensuring the abducted schoolgirls were reunited with their families as soon as practicable.

We are hopeful that many more will still return, Buhari, who came to power in 2015, said. The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts.





Our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to.

Bring Back Our Girls

On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram fighters stormed the government secondary school in the remote town of Chibok, in Borno state, seizing 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams.

The abduction drew international attention to the armed group, while the Nigerian governments failure to act quickly to free the girls sparked a global Bring Back Our Girls movement.

Eighty-one, including 21 whose release was negotiated in October 2016, are now free and in government care, with the latest one being freed on Thursday along with her six-month-old baby.

At least 195 girls are still in captivity, according to official records.

We are all in captivity

In the capital Abuja, Bring Back Our Girls campaigners were preparing to march to the presidential house later on Sunday.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Aisha Yesufu, one of the campaigns leaders, said the government needs to specify a timeline as to when families can expect their children back.

READ MORE: The women who love and loved Boko Haram

Its so sad that today is 1,000 days and we are still here demanding for the rescue of our Chibok girls, she said, urging the president to deal with the issue as a priority.

Buhari should realise that for 1,000 days his daughters have been in captivity and they need to come back home; its been too long, Yesufu said.

We still have 195 that are waiting for the whole world to bring them back because right now the Chibok girls are no longer just Nigerian girls  they are world citizens; they represent everything that a girl child goes through to get education and they have been in captivity for 1,000 days because they dared to dream, Yesufu added.





As long as they are in captivity, we all are in captivity.

Despite winning back swaths of territory from Boko Haram fighters, Buhari has faced intense criticism for failing to recover the young captives, who became the defining symbol of the armed groups violent campaign in northern Nigeria.

The country has recently trumpeted a major victory in its battle against Boko Haram, claiming in late December that its army has routed the fighters from their Sambisa forest stronghold, in Borno state.

But Boko Haram still poses a threat to the region, launching sporadic raids on remote villages in Nigeria and attacks on soldiers in neighbouring Chad and Niger.
US defence chief, meanwhile, vows to shoot down any ICBM tests near American territory  or that of its allies.

North Korea says it can test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at any time from any location chosen by leader Kim Jong-un, adding that the United States hostile policy was to blame for its arms development.

Kim said on January 1 that his nuclear-capable country was close to test-launching an ICBM.

The ICBM will be launched any time and anywhere determined by the supreme headquarters of the DPRK, an unnamed foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying on Sunday by the official KCNA news agency, using the acronym for the countrys name.

READ MORE: Analysts say North Korea not bluffing on ICBM launch

The North is formally known as the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.





Ashton Carter, the US defence secretary, said on Sunday that North Koreas nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes constitute a serious threat to the US.

Washington is prepared to shoot down a North Korean missile launch or test if it were coming towards our territory, or the territory of our friends and allies, Carter said during an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press.

The US said on Thursday that North Korea had demonstrated a qualitative improvement in its nuclear and missile capabilities after an unprecedented level of tests last year.

Analysts have said while Pyongyang may be close to testing an ICBM, it would likely take years to perfect the weapon.

Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the continental US, which is about 9,000km from the North.

US president-elect Donald Trump responded last week to Kims comments on an ICBM test by declaring in a tweet, It wont happen!

READ MORE: Kim Jong-un says close to testing long-range missile

North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The sanctions were tightened last month after Pyongyang conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test on September 9.

The US is wholly to blame for pushing the DPRK to have developed ICBM as it has desperately resorted to an anachronistic policy hostile toward the DPRK for decades to encroach upon its sovereignty and vital rights, KCNA quoted the spokesman as saying.

Anyone who wants to deal with the DPRK would be well advised to secure a new way of thinking after having clear understanding of it.
South Africas ruling African National Congress is marking 105 years since it was formed but there are deep divisions in the ranks of Africas oldest liberation movement.

President Jacob Zuma, ANC leader, will speak to party members on Sunday in Soweto, Johannesburg.

The party, which has won every election since the end of apartheid in 1994, has been plagued by infighting, corruption allegations and public protests  most recently by university students.

It will pick a new leader at a conference in December and, given its national dominance since coming to power, the winner is likely to go on to be South Africas next president when elections are held in 2019.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the chairwoman of the African Union and a former wife of Jacob Zuma, is viewed as a frontrunner. She is a Zulu, the largest tribe in South Africa, and is expected to have the backing of her former husband, who will have a major say in who succeeds him.

Dlamini-Zuma was regarded as a capable technocrat during her time as South Africas minister of home affairs between 2009 and 2012 and has since gained international exposure as the first female head of the AU.

However, critics of Dlamini-Zuma, a medical doctor trained in South Africa and Britain, say she should have done more to intervene when former president Thabo Mbeki denied that HIV causes Aids and imposed anti-scientific policies.

Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa, a unionist-turned-business tycoon, is viewed as her most likely rival after powerful trade unions endorsed him last year.

Neither Dlamini-Zuma, 67, or Ramaphosa, 64, have declared their intention to run.

Ramaphosa, who was once touted as a successor to Nelson Mandela, would be the first choice for many investors because his background in commerce suggests he will support more pro-business policies than many in the traditionally left-wing ANC.

However, he will face criticism from opponents for his role at platinum producer Lonmin where he was a director and shareholder when violence led to police shooting dead 34 striking miners in 2012.

An investigation has cleared him of wrongdoing.
Driver shot dead after ploughing into Israeli troops, killing at least four and wounding several others in Jerusalem.

At least four Israeli soldiers have been killed and several more wounded after a truck rammed into the troops in Jerusalem with authorities calling it a deliberate attack.

Al Jazeeras Bernard Smith, reporting from Jerusalem, said the driver of the attacking vehicle was shot dead following the incident on Sunday.

Disturbing CCTV footage shows the truck coming down the street, clearly the driver spotted the soldiers when he hit them, Smith said.

At least 10 soldiers were trapped under the truck but later rescued with three in critical condition, he quoted a medical official as saying.





Leah Schreiber, a witness, told reporters: He drove backward to crush more people. That was really clear.

An image posted on social media showed a white lorry with several bullet holes through its windscreen.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the victims were disembarking from a bus when suddenly the lorry driver ran his vehicle into them.

A police spokeswoman said on Israel Radio it was a terrorist attack, a ramming attack, adding bodies were strewn on the street.

Police said the dead, three women and one man, were all in their 20s, without identifying them further. Soldiers deaths are announced in Israel only after families are notified.

The attack comes amid a more than year-long wave of Palestinian shooting, stabbing, and vehicular attacks against Israelis that has slowed of late. Sundays incident marks the first Israeli casualties in three months.

Palestinian shot dead after alleged car attack

Since October 2015, 247 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed in the wave of violence, according to an AFP news agency count.

Israel says the violence is driven by Palestinian incitement. Palestinians say its the result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation.

The Palestinian Hamas group that governs Gaza praised Sundays attack.

We bless this heroic operation resisting the Israeli occupation to force it to stop its crimes and violations against our people, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told Reuters news agency.








The two-day visit to Baghdad and Erbil are meant to improve economic ties, and a coordinated effort to target the PKK.

Turkeys Prime Minister has arrived in Erbil on the second leg of a trip to Iraq aimed at bolstering Ankaras role in the fight against ISIL.

Binali Yildirims meeting on Sunday with the head of Iraqs Kurdish region Massoud Barzani follows a meeting on Saturday with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad aimed at overcoming differences between the two countries over Iraqs role in the battle to take Mosul from ISIL.

Yildirim is hoping his meeting with Barzani will enhance ties between Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over three main issues: the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS), trade, and Turkeys fight against Kurdish separatists lead by the PKK.

The KRG and Ankara will probably want to continue building on the estimated $8bn worth of trade between the two.

But Turkeys fight against the PKK and other Kurdish groups, who Ankara blamed for numerous bombings across Turkey that have killed hundreds of civilians, will serve as a point of contention between the two leaders.

READ MORE: Turkey vows active role in Syria, better regional ties

Yildirim also met on Saturday with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, with the relationship between the two governments under pressure.

At the heart of the fallout between the two was the presence of Turkish troops in Baashiqa, a town near Mosul that has served as one of the frontlines in the battle against ISIL.

Baghdad has called for their withdrawal, but Turkey has maintained that their troops would only leave once ISIL was defeated.

Ankara says that their estimated 500 troops in Baashiqa were invited by local forces to help train Iraqi militias and Peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIL, though they never got permission from Baghdad.





This Turkish delegation came to Baghdad more for economic purposes, as well as to push for certain policies regarding the PKK, in return for their withdrawal from Baashiqa, Metin Gurcan, a military analyst, told Al Jazeera from Istanbul.

There has been tension since the diplomatic crisis that erupted in October 2016 over Baashiqa, where Baghdad is complaining that Turkey has an uninvited presence, Gurcan added.

Ankara will agree to withdraw [from Baashiqa], but in return for this gesture, the Turkish government wants the disruption of the PKKs presence in Sinjar region, which connects Iraq to Syria  this region is very important for Ankara.

Gurcan says economic discussions came as Baghdad and Ankara were in an economic crisis and have an appetite to fix this, including the planning of a new pipeline project that would transport Iraqi oil to Turkey, which would then be able to access global markets.

It is important to note that there is a very big delegation accompanying the Turkish prime minister, including delegates from the ministries of defence, economy, energy, trade, and especially important Turkish businessmen.
Senior members of parliament have slammed comments made by an Israeli diplomat on plans to take down the UKs deputy foreign secretary over his criticism of Israels settlement policy in the occupied West Bank.

Emily Thornberry, the Labour Partys shadow foreign secretary, called the statements by Shai Masot  a senior political officer at the Israeli embassy in London  extremely disturbing and demanded a probe into the potential extent of political interference in the United Kingdom.

Masots comments were secretly captured on film during a six-month undercover operation by Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit, which reveals plots by the Israeli diplomat and a British civil servant to destroy the careers of senior politicians .

It is simply not good enough for the Foreign Office to say the matter is closed. This is a national security issue, Thornberry said in a statement.

The embassy official involved should be withdrawn, and the government should launch an immediate inquiry into the extent of this improper interference and demand from the Israeli government that it be brought to an end, she said.

Israel apology after plot against UK politicians

In the recorded conversation with Maria Strizzolo, who was then chief of staff to MP Robert Halfon, the deputy chairman of the ruling Conservative Party, Masot asked if he could give her some names of parliamentarians he would suggest she take down.

Masot named Deputy Foreign Minister Sir Alan Duncan, who in 2014 said that while he fully supported Israels right to exist, he believed settlements on occupied Palestinian land represented an ever-deepening stain on the face of the globe.

He also likened the situation in Hebron in the occupied West Bank to apartheid.

Strizzolo later hinted that a little scandal might see Duncan dismissed.

At the same dinner table conversation, Masot described British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Duncans boss, as an idiot  without any kind of responsibilities, while Strizzolo said he was solid on Israel.

Since the announcement by Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit of its findings  and the international media coverage that followed  the Israeli embassy tweeted a response saying that Masot would be ending his term shortly, adding that Mark Regev, ambassador of Israel to the UK, had apologised to Duncan and made clear that the embassy considered the remarks to be completely unacceptable.

Al Jazeera learned on Sunday that Strizzolo had resigned from her post.

Scottish National Party MP Alex Salmond reiterated the call on Sunday for Masots deportation.

Boris Johnson must right now revoke Mr Masots diplomatic status and remove him from the country as would most certainly have happened had the circumstances been reversed. Perhaps then the Israeli government representatives will regard the foreign secretary as less of a fool.

Salmond also backed an official investigation into the matter so that we can be confident our elected officials are free to carry out their jobs to the best of their ability and without fear of having their reputation smeared by embassy officials who do not agree with their views.

READ MORE: Israels parliamentary plot against UK politicians

Ben White, a researcher and journalist who has written about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, told Al Jazeera it is not surprising that Israel would seek to influence British politicians, but he added this case was unique because it involved a secret video that has been publicised.

We know that the Israeli foreign ministry  and also interestingly the Israeli ministry of strategic affairs, which it actually seemed that this individual [Masot] is an employee of  are very focused on fighting what they see as dangerous, powerful solidarity activism with particular focus on trying to thwart and undermine the Boycott Divest and Sanctions campaign, said White.

The incident is just one among the Investigative Units many findings, which will be revealed in a four-part series The Lobby that will be broadcast daily on Al Jazeera from January 11 at 22:30 GMT.

The undercover investigation shows how the Israeli government is involved in a brazen, covert influence campaign in Britain.

For half a year, Robin (an alias), an undercover reporter working with Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit, met members of Britains lobby network that enjoys strong support from the Israeli government by way of the Israeli embassy in London.

Robin posed as a graduate activist with strong sympathies towards Israel who was keen to help combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement prominent in Britain.

Shaping foreign policy agenda

Strizzolo, while advising Robin, revealed that she had a strategy of manipulation to ensure Israel remains at the top of the UKs foreign policy agenda.

If at least you can get a small group of MPs that you know you can always rely on, when there is something coming to parliament and you know you brief them, you say: you dont have to do anything, we are going to give you the speech, we are going to give you all the information, we are going to do everything for you, she said.

She also advised trying to infiltrate Prime Minsters Questions, a weekly session in which the leader of the country answers questions from MPs. The debate is televised live.

If they already have the question to table for PMQs [Prime Ministers Questions], its harder to say: No, no, no, I wont do it, she said.

Strizzolo then boasted how her own efforts once made an immediate impact on the national debate.

While in Israel with the Conservative Friends of Israel parliamentary group in 2014, she persuaded MP Halfon to question the prime minster in public over three missing teenagers believed to have been kidnapped and murdered to get a response from the government, Strizzolo said.

Halfon took the request and called on former prime minister David Cameron to support the Israeli government, which he said should do everything possible to take out Hamas terrorist networks.

In response, Cameron promised that Britain would stand by Israel.

Al Jazeera Investigative Units series The Lobby can be viewed on Al Jazeera at the following times:

Episode One  Wednesday, January 11, 22:30 GMT

Episode Two  Thursday, January 12, 22:30 GMT

Episode Three  Friday, January 13, 22:30 GMT

Episode Four  Saturday, January 14, 22:30 GMT

The series will also be available online.








Source : People's Daily

China's environment minister said he "felt guilty" and "wanted to reproach himself" aswidespread air pollution has harassed people's lives, an official statement said Saturday.



Chen Jining, minister of environmental protection, made the remarks when holding apress conference late on Friday in Beijing, introducing China's efforts on air pollutionprevention.

Since the beginning of last winter, heavy air pollution has happened repeatedly in manyplaces in China, covering large area and lasting long, which disrupted production activitiesand harassed people's everyday lives, Chen said.

The public felt anxious about the smog problem, he said.

Detailed analysis showed emissions from automobiles have became the primary source ofurban atmospheric fine particles in major cities, accounting for 31.3 percent in Beijing, 29.2 percent in Shanghai and 28 percent in Hangzhou, according to the environmentminister.

Fine particles are defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as compoundsthat have a diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers. Substances that may formthese particles come from power plants, industrial facilities, agricultural practices, motorvehicles, among others.

Chen said the ministry was evaluating 20 cities' emergency plans in dealing with heavy airpollution, hoping to improve their response ability.

The cities include Beijing, Tianjin and 18 other cities in Hebei and surrounding provinces.

Inspections had found some cities failing to take effective measures following alerts, ortheir measures were impracticable, Chen said.

The ministry will enhance supervision on whether local governments have practiced itsprecautions, according to the minister.

Chen vowed to take concrete steps and employ more stringent and effective measures todeal with outstanding environmental problems and improve environment quality.

China has been cleaning its environment and will continue to improve the response oflocal governments to pollution, Chen said.
Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic party cohorts are flailing against the likelihood that Obamas signature screw-up, ObamaCare, will be repealed.

As Dilbert creator Scott Adams notes, apparently on the advice of the satire site, the Onion, they have adopted the fighting words Make America Sick Again.

Actually Obama and his party, with the aid of what Instapundit has dubbed Democratic operatives with bylines continue to make me sick of their lies and distortions of truth.

As for the death of ObamaCare, if past is prologue -- and with these folks it is -- we can expect the press will flood us with sob stories, because in a nation chock full of feelers, emotive accounts are more compelling than economics and logic. Remember when they were working our heartstrings to get it passed?

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter probably deserved a blue ribbon for her tale of a constituent who couldnt afford dentures and had to use her dead sisters as an example of why we needed ObamaCare (which incidentally doesnt include dental coverage).

Sob stories are not the only way Obamas administration contorts reality and masks the consequences of its initiatives says Victor Davis Hanson in an article well worth reading in its entirety.

After outlining its many deceits, Hanson says why they do this:

Obama advanced an agenda to the left of that shared by most past presidents. Obamacare, the Benghazi catastrophe, the Iran deal, his strange stance toward radical Islam, and the Bergdahl swap were unpopular measures that required politically-driven recalibrations to escape American scrutiny. Second, Obamas team believes that the goals of fairness and egalitarianism more than justify the means of dissimulation by more sophisticated elites. Thus Gruber (the stupidity of the American voter) and Rhodes (They literally know nothing) employ deception on our behalf. Central to this worldview is that the American people are naive and easily manipulated, and thus need to be brought up to speed by a paternal administration that knows what is best for its vulnerable and clueless citizenry. Such condescension is also why the administration never believes it has done anything wrong by hiding the facts of these controversies. Its players believe that because they did it all for us, the ensuing distasteful means will be forgotten once we finally progress enough to appreciate their enlightened ends.

This week, two incidents come to mind: the Chicago torture revelations and the claims about the Russians hacking our election. In both cases, once again, the Democratic handmaidens of the press played what helpful role they could.

The Chicago Torture Case

In Chicago, four young black thugs kidnapped a mentally ill young white man, held him for about two days, tortured him for around six hours while texting his parents that they were holding him. They slashed him, bound and beat him, made him drink water out of a toilet, ripped his clothing and forced him to say f**k Donald Trump f**k white people. In contrast to the drummed-up Trayvon Martin and Ferguson cases, just to take two examples, reporters downplayed the incident if they reported it at all, and cast blame on everyone but the perpetrators. At CNN, Don Lemon said he didnt think it was evil. On the same channel, Symone Sanders, Bernie Sanders former press secretary, said the incident was Trumps fault. We cannot callously go about classifying things as hate crime, Motive here matters.

In this regard she was consistent:

In November, Sanders also dismissed the possibility of a hate crime after another shocking video out of Chicago showed a mob beating a white man while taunting him for supposedly voting Trump. The assailants stole his car and dragged him, stuck in the door, through the streets. Hate crimes and protesting are not the same thing, Sanders said. A hate crime is a crime that is committed against somebody because of their religion, because of what they look like, because of their sexual orientation. Thats not the same thing as protesting.

In its initial coverage ABC and NBC skipped the story and CBS, which covered it, left out the revealing f***k Trump, f***k white people part of the story, which certainly goes a long way in describing their motive.

CBSs blackout on the details of this story, and their competitors embargo of the story itself, dovetails perfectly with Iowahawks observation that Journalism is about covering important stories. With a pillow, until they stop moving, and Jim Treachers line that in the 21st century, the profession is all about deciding which facts the public shouldnt know because they might reflect badly on Democrats.

Unfortunately, for the propagandists the story could not be ignored because the perpetrators live-streamed the torture in three videos posted on Facebook. Facebook eventually removed them, but too late to hide the evidence -- viewers had captured, saved, and shared them. This might explain why after some clumsy two-stepping the Chicago police finally decided to add a hate crimes charge to the list of offenses although they claimed it was a hate crime, not based on race, but on the victims mental disability.

I dont recall the Washington Post covering the news that Bob Creamer, husband of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (one of the Democrats who voted this week against the House bill criticizing the administrations UN abstention of the resolution attacking Israel) admitted on camera his role in paying mobs to beat up Trump supporters. On the other hand, this week, Callum Borchers penned this piece of ridiculous vitriol, claiming that the incident confirmed racist Trump voters' view and was therefore being distorted out of significance by the right.

John Hinderaker at Powerline had a different take: I dont want to hear another damn word about hate crimes against minorities supposedly inspired by Donald Trumps campaign or election, not unless they equal this level of depravity.

Hacks and Hacking

When vitriol isnt sufficient to attack the president-elect and his followers, add more lies to the mix and get your toadies in the intelligence community to play along with those in the press. Thats the story of the claim the Russians hacked the DNC and Hillarys emails and passed them to Assange because they wanted Trump to win.

James Clapper, the DNI (Director of National Intelligence) destroyed any reputation for probity when he lied under oath before Congress in June 2013 on NSA surveillance of citizens. Last week the DNI and FBI published a report on purported Russian hacking of the DNC which any rational analysis discounts as fantastical.

Zerohedge fisks it:

Specifically, the report concludes the following {report in bold,}: We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russias goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. What proof is there? Sadly, again, none. However, as the intelligence agencies state, "We have high confidence in these judgments"... just like they had high confidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. And while the report is severely lacking in any evidence, it is rich in judgments, such as the following: We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russias goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments.

We also assess Putin and the Russian Government aspired to help President-elect Trumps election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him. All three agencies agree with this judgment. At this point a quick detour, because the intel agencies responsible for drafting the report then explain how "confident" they are: "CIA and FBI have high confidence in this judgment; NSA has moderate confidence." What do these distinctions mean? High confidence generally indicates judgments based on high-quality information, and/or the nature of the issue makes it possible to render a solid judgment. However, high confidence judgments still carry a risk of being wrong.

Moderate confidence generally means credibly sourced and plausible information, but not of sufficient quality or corroboration to warrant a higher level of confidence. In other words, while not carrying the infamous DHS disclaimer according to which last week's entire joint FBI/DHS report is likely garbage, the U.S. intel agencies admit they may well be "wrong." Going back to the report, we then read: Moscows approach evolved over the course of the campaign based on Russias understanding of the electoral prospects of the two main candidates. When it appeared to Moscow that Secretary Clinton was likely to win the election, the Russian influence campaign began to focus more on undermining her future presidency.

Further information has come to light since Election Day that, when combined with Russian behavior since early November 2016, increases our confidence in our assessments of Russian motivations and goals.

Moscows influence campaign followed a Russian messaging strategy that blends covert intelligence operations -- such as cyber activity -- with overt efforts by Russian Government agencies, state-funded media, third-party intermediaries, and paid social media users or trolls. Russia, like its Soviet predecessor, has a history of conducting covert influence campaigns focused on US presidential elections that have used intelligence officers and agents and press placements to disparage candidates perceived as hostile to the Kremlin.

Russias intelligence services conducted cyber operations against targets associated with the 2016 US presidential election, including targets associated with both major US political parties.

We assess with high confidence that Russian military intelligence (General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate or GRU) used the Guccifer 2.0 persona and DCLeaks.com to release US victim data obtained in cyber operations publicly and in exclusives to media outlets and relayed material to WikiLeaks.

Russian intelligence obtained and maintained access to elements of multiple US state or local electoral boards. DHS assesses that the types of systems Russian actors targeted or compromised were not involved in vote tallying.

Russias state-run propaganda machine contributed to the influence campaign by serving as a platform for Kremlin messaging to Russian and international audiences.

We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned from its Putin-ordered campaign aimed at the US presidential election to future influence efforts worldwide, including against US allies and their election processes. Or, as some have stated, just a regurgitation of already existing opinions and absolutely zero facts.

Days before Trump was given an opportunity to see the findings, the White House likely leaked them to NBC and other suppliant members of the media.

Once again the Washington Post uncritically sensationalizes the findings.

And once again people like the investigative reporter Sheryl Attkisson, like Zerohedge, find the press reliance on the report unpersuasive:

There has also been a concerted, political effort to blame the Russians for Trumps victory. In fact, as I wrote in 8 Facts on the Russian Hacks, to prove that the DNC hack or leak (whoever committed it) helped Trump win, one would have to know that tens of thousands of Trump voters were planning to vote for Clinton but changed their mind based solely on the WikiLeaks emails; that the emails somehow managed to only affect the electoral vote but not the popular vote (which Clinton won); and that they somehow selectively swayed voters in key swing states, but not voters in states where Clinton won. To date, such evidence has not been provided. This isnt to say the U.S. assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin directed the hack of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails is incorrect. But the huge effort to put the allegations on the front pages only after a Donald Trump victory, the rush to act and retaliate in the final weeks of the Obama administration when theres been years of inaction regarding comparable or more egregious hostile acts, and the attempts to portray the DNC hacks as something that changed the election outcome, certainly raise reasonable questions.

Powerlines John Hinderaker also agrees:

Today the U.S. intelligence community -- i.e., the CIA, the FBI and the NSA -- released a report titled Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections. This is the declassified version of a longer report that was delivered to President Obama, President-Elect Trump, and indirectly to the Washington Post and other news organs friendly to the Democratic Party. [snip] Weirdly, todays report never mentions the one the same agencies (apparently) released eight days ago. That report did purport to contain evidence of Russias involvement in the email intrusions, but, as we and many others pointed out, that supposed evidence was essentially meaningless. Anyone could have carried out the simple attack described in last weeks report, and neither the malware used nor the IP addresses implicatedcontrary to the conclusory claims of the reporttied the intrusion to Russias government. That first report stands as the only publicly available evidence that Russia had anything to do with hacking the DNC account, or John Podestas (which was not addressed at all in that first report). Todays report adds nothing. It is purely ipse dixittake our word for it. If the agencies have any responses to the many critiques of their first report, they are keeping those responses to themselves.

I agree with Hinderaker, who says if we are going to investigate this more thoroughly, lets go all the way. Start with the most obvious Russian interferences in domestic political affairs -- the support direct and indirect to various left-wing movements like Occupy Wall Street and environmental efforts, including the anti-fracking effort in the U.S., so useful to Russias energy program. I also am in synch with my online friend Cecil Turner:

And the really funny thing is that what the Russians tried to do to Hillary, Obama is now trying to do to Trump: delegitimize the President to weaken the nation.

The present administration has been able to keep the opposition off balance by throwing so many balls into the air at once. Now theyre about to see how it works on them as the incoming administration begins with a scheduled six cabinet-level confirmation hearings and a new budget, a vast number of personnel changes, department cuts, reorganizations, and new executive orders cancelling Obamas. That should keep Pelosi and her merry band too busy to dream up even more laughable slogans and the press home guard in constant hair-pulling mode trying to fit everything into a racist, misogynistic, anti-gay, anti-Semitic template they use on Republicans.

revised: Department of National Intellgence to Director of National Intelligence
Muslim attacks on Christian churches are on the rise all around the world -- including in America. The worst occurred last month when a bomb exploded in Egypts St. Peters Cathedral, killing 28, mostly women and children. Preliminary investigations had indicated that a woman entered the church, sat in the womens section, and then left an unattended purse that later detonated. Later reports asserted that, although others were involved, including one Muslim woman, a male suicide-bomber was the chief culprit (graphic pictures of his remains here).

How much hate must a woman have to enter a church, smile in the faces of Christians, pretend to be worshipping alongside them -- heres a similar example from Turkey -- and then knowingly leave a bomb precisely where it would kill mostly women and children? How much hate must a man have for people who are peacefully praying that, in order to kill as many of them, he is willing to kill himself?

The answer is an unfathomable -- and, to Western and Christian minds, unbelievable -- amount of hate. Yet, the wonder isnt that the church was bombed but rather that many are surprised by it. After all, many Muslim scriptures, clerics, mosques, schools, satellite stations, and Internet sites -- even the ministry of education -- openly incite hatred for Egypts indigenous (but infidel) inhabitants: the Christian Copts. Among other forms of animosity, they teach that Muslims must hate -- and show that they hate -- Christians, even if they are their own wives.

Worse, they teach that the most abominable crimes in Gods sight -- worse than murder and bloodshed -- take place inside churches: there, Christians flaunt their rejection of Islams core doctrine of tawhid (monotheism) by ascribing partners to God (shirk) via their worship of the Trinity. This is why some of Islams most revered ulema (scholars) describe churches as worse than bars and brothels and dens of iniquity which breed corruption throughout the lands (see Crucified Again, pgs. 32-36).

Modern Egyptian clerics constantly echo these hateful slanders. In August 2009, Al Azhars Dar al-Ifta issued a fatwa likening the building of a church to a nightclub, a gambling casino, or building a barn for rearing pigs, cats, or dogs. In July 2012, Dr. Yassir al-Burhami, Egypts leading Salafi, issued a fatwa forbidding Muslim taxi and bus drivers from transporting Christian clergy to their churches, an act more forbidden than taking someone to a liquor bar. When ISIS launched a suicide attack on a packed church in Baghdad in 2011 -- killing about 60 Christians (graphic images of aftermath here) -- they justified it by referring to the church as a dirty den of idolatry.

But its not just ISIS and radical clerics that harbor such animosity for churches. After the fatal bombing inside St. Peters, everyday Muslims wrote things like God bless the person who did this blessed act on social media. One average-looking Muslim woman appears in the streets of Egypt jubilantly celebrating the massacre (video with English subtitles). She triumphantly yells Allahu Akbar! and says that our beloved prophet Muhammad is paying you infidels [Christians] back for rejecting tawhid, which must be proclaimed in every corner of Egypt!

Americans may remember that Muslims around the world also celebrated the terror strikes of September 11. Then, the assumption was we mustve done something to make Muslims hate us so much. But if powerful America is capable of provoking Muslims, what did Egypts already downtrodden and ostracized Christian minority do to make Muslims celebrate the news that a church was bombed and Christians blown to pieces?

In other words, the hate is everywhere and on open display for those with eyes and ears to see and hear with. Its a regular feature of the West these days for Muslims to go on church vandalizing sprees (heres a video of one from Rome). Indeed, the ongoing desecration of churches, crucifixes, and Christian icons at the hands of Muslims is so virulent that -- from the earliest writings of Islam (see Athanasius of Sinais 7th century chronicles) till today -- it continues to be described as the work of Satans offspring.

In Egypt, the hate is usually simmering below the line of what is deemed newsworthy and only reaches the West when Muslim piety boils over and leaves a trail of carnage in its wake. Amateur attacks on churches that fail to claim lives, or Muslims abusing, kidnapping, beating, raping -- and sometimes even murdering (The other day a Muslim man crept up behind a Christian store owner in Egypt and slit his throat for selling alcohol, which is forbidden Muslims. Because no English language media had mentioned it at the time I saw it on Arabic news media, I translated it here.) -- Christians, are habitual occurrences in Egypt and other Muslim majority nations that rarely get reported in the West. Yet the fact remains: the animus that regularly causes large Muslim mobs to torch buildings on the mere rumor that they are being used as churches, causes more zealous Muslims to bomb churches.

These latter -- the professional jihadis and martyrs -- believe themselves to be the greatest allies of God. They cite the Islamic doctrine of al-wala wal-bara (Loyalty and Enmity), which is based on a number of Koran verses. It teaches that the best way for a Muslim to proclaim his loyalty to Islam (submission to Allah and adherence to Muhammads teachings) is by showing and exercising hate for those who reject it.

The most supreme way of living this hate is by becoming a jihadi -- killing and being killed, as Koran 9:111 puts it: Allah has bought from the believers their lives and worldly goods, and in return has promised them Paradise: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall kill and be killed Rejoice then in the bargain you have struck, for that is the supreme triumph.

Whenever Muslims kill Christians for their faith, eulogies for the latter -- including for St. Peters 28 slain -- often invoke the words of Christ: The time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God (John 16:2). Not only is this verse prophetic; its key to understanding why Christians are under attack throughout the Muslim world: Their persecutors truly think they are offering a service to God by killing Christians. And they believe this, not because they are radical or have perverted the teachings of Islam, but because the impostor god of Islam tells them so.

Raymond Ibrahim, author of The Al Qaeda Reader and Crucified Again, is a Shillman fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and a Rosen fellow at the Middle East Forum.
This may be the single most despicable act of media bias I have ever encountered. It took a lot of effort and art for CBS Radio to put together an early report on the Chicago torture incident that was strictly factual, yet created the impression on listeners that a group of white Trump supporters had attacked a helpless mentally challenged black man. Mediaite provides a transcript of what was reported last Thursday morning by a top-of-the hour broadcst distributed to radio stations across the country.

In the brief Thursday morning report which attracted attention when a listener posted the clip on Reddit Friday heres how CBS characterized the attack: The viral video of a beating and knife attack in Chicago suggests the assault had racial overtones. CBSs Dean Reynolds tells us the victim is described as a mentally-challenged teenager. In the video he is choked and repeatedly called the n-word. His clothes are slashed and he is terrorized with a knife. His alleged captors repeatedly reference Donald Trump. Police are holding four people in connection with the attack. [Emphasis added by Mediaite] The report is technically correct, but widely misleading. By noting the attackers used the n-word during a racially-motivated attack while referencing Donald Trump, the clear implication is that the victim was black and his attackers were racist Trump fans.

Please note that the clip posted on Reddit has been taken down. I do not know as a fact, but can reasonably infer that the copyright owner (CBS) demanded that its intellectual property rights be respected. However, thanks to the Armstrong & Getty Show, a morning talk show heard in most of the major cities of the West, you can hear the actual CBS radio broadcast segment with your own ears, in the podcast of the shows third hour (8 AM Pacific) on January 5th (click here). Go 1 minute 28 seconds into the podcast here, and ask yourself if there is any possible interpretation other than that Trump supporters attacked a helpless black man.

Note also that A&G were the very first media outlet to target this deceptive broadcast, highlighting and criticizing it shortly after the broadcast itself, which was heard by listeners on several of its stations, and which was replayed on air with highly appropriate and devastating commentary by the hosts. (Armstrong & Getty may be the best kept secret from the national radio audience, an insightful, funny, and thought provoking way to start the day. I have been a daily listener for many years.)

Now consider for a moment how difficult it must have been for CBS News employees to make themselves bulletproof (in their minds, at least) by being factual, yet create a counterfactual message in the minds of its listeners. This is the sort of lying that takes skill and practice.

Dean Reynolds was the reporter who voiced the misleading claims, His CBS bio calls him an award-winning reporter who has covered major stories from datelines around the world who is now based in Chicago. And in fact the details of his professional career include serving as CNNs White House correspondent in the Reagan years (1982-84), and extensive service as an ABC News correspondent overseas. He is also the son of former ABC News anchor Frank Reynolds.

In other words, Dean Reynolds was born into the mainstream media, and has spent his entire career in it, at the national broadcast level, until relegated to Chicago.

I have no way of knowing if Reynolds prepared the copy he spoke himself, or if it was prepared for him to read. I think that would be an important question for the head of CBS News ascertain  if CBS has any integrity at all. As many readers know, the head of CBS News is David Rhodes, the brother of Ben Rhodes, who turned his education on writing fiction into a gig at the White House National Security Advisors office, where his talents have been put to use in crafting communications and policy.

Does the Federal Communications Commission have any jurisdiction over the seemingly deliberate broadcast of false, inflammatory reports designed to mislead the public? I know that radio and television licenses are granted on the condition that stations operate in the public interest. CBS maintains a large collection of owned and operated affiliates in the television industry  14 major markets -- and owns and operates 117 radio stations in all of the major markets, most or all of which may have broadcast the deliberate distortion. These broadcast licenses are worth many billions of dollars, and according to Variety, the corporate parent is planning to sell off the radio group.

Deliberate distortion of the news to create an impression exactly opposite of the true facts cannot be considered operating in the public interest, can it? Particularly when the report could reasonable be expected to aggravate racial tensions.

There may be an opportunity available for a challenge to CBSs broadcast licenses on the basis of deliberate, racially inflammatory falsehoods being broadcast. A major broadcaster at the time, RKO General, was stripped of the license to broadcast on Channel 7 in Boston for corporate misbehavior, suffering a loss valued well into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The license was awarded to a consortium that had launched the challenge and today operates as WCVB television, one of the most admired local stations in the industry.

If America is serious about correcting the pervasive bias in mainstream media, stripping CBS of its broadcast licenses for radio and television stations would send a memorable signal to others that false reporting aimed at inflaming racial tensions is not in the public interest. It would no doubt require millions of dollars and years to proceed with a formal challenge to CBSs broadcast licenses. But for conservatives who are sick and tired of media lies, this might be an opportunity to bring about change.
Fake news was prevalent during the presidential race, and it might well have influenced the outcome of the election by pushing fear-mongering and conspiracy theories on an unsuspecting electorate that couldn't discern truth from rumor.

I'm referring, of course, to the 1800 election. I won't bother posing the hyperbolic question of whether democracy and a free press can survive, because obviously both did. While Federalists and Democratic-Republicans bemoaned the ugly contest between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, fake news wasn't a prevailing complaint as it is now.

But, as I point out in Tainted by Suspicion: The Secret Deals and Electoral Chaos of Disputed Presidential Elections, it wasn't unusual for the news media to report things that weren't true to advance a political agenda in the early days of political coverage.

It turns out that much of the fake news in 2016 came from Russian propagandists, according to the intelligence report released Friday, to "denigrate" Hillary Clinton. In 1800, accusations swirled about foreign espionage as well. Jeffersonians claimed that Adams had conspired to reunite the new country with England, while Federalist warned that Jefferson wanted to turn the country into godless post-revolutionary France.

From the book:

The Connecticut Courant (today the Hartford Courant) even said, a Jefferson presidency would mean, "murder robbery, rape, adultery and incest will all be openly taught and practiced, the air will be rent with the cries of the distressed, the soil will be soaked with blood, and the nation black with crime."  Long before the Truthers and Birthers came the theory that went like this: President Adams was conspiring with the Royal Family to reunite the United States of America as a colony of Britain by having one of his sons marry the daughter of King George III. The original story included George Washington, but since Washington could do no wrong in the eyes of most, he was portrayed as a good guy. After making two prior pleas that Adams rejected, Washington came to his successor wearing a Revolutionary uniform and threatened to stab him with his sword if Adams went forward with the diabolical plan. Apparently unable to stop with a good conspiracy theory, the story elaborates by swiping the running mate, saying Charles Pinckney went to England as part of the deal to procure four mistresses, two for each. Adams simply found this comical. He joked: "I do declare on my honor, if this be true, General Pinckney has kept them all for himself and cheated me out of my two."

If only there had been an internet in those days  who knows what other great stories of Adams and Jefferson could have emerged? Still, newspapers were shockingly vibrant. As for how discernible the public was then as compared to now, it's difficult to say.

A few websites might have spread phony, outlandish stories that some folks believed in 2016, just as early American newspapers did in 1800, and every other presidential election. The Jacksonian press could be also be pretty wily.

Much of the intelligence report regards anti-Clinton information in the "Kremlin's principal international propaganda outlet RT (formerly Russia Today)," which had a cozy relationship with Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.

"RT's coverage of Secretary Clinton throughout the U.S. presidential campaign was consistently negative and focused on her leaked e-mails and accused her of corruption, poor physical and mental health, and ties to Islamic extremism," the intelligence assessment says. "Some Russian officials echoed Russian lines for the influence campaign that Secretary Clinton's election could lead to a war between the United States and Russia."

The report also says, "Putin's chief propagandist Dmitriy Kiselev used his flagship weekly newsmagazine program this fall to cast President-elect Trump as an outsider victimized by a corrupt political establishment and faulty democratic election process that aimed to prevent his election because of his desire to work with Moscow."

The Kiselev magazine means absolutely nothing, but RT actually has a significant audience in the U.S. and has included some big media names such as Larry King and Ed Schultz. Nevertheless, it's no secret to the left or right that RT is a propaganda arm of the Russian government rather than a news organization.

Bottom line: Just as in 1800, Federalists who were inclined to believe the worst about Vice President Jefferson believed news reports that his administration would bring unspeakable horrors, while only rabidly partisan Democratic-Republicans would have believed that President Adams was conspiring with King George.

The downside to democracy and a free press is that free people are free to lie. The upside is that without either, there would be no check on government's lies. The truth about fake news is that it's as old as news  and likely never swayed very many people to change their votes.

Fred Lucas, author of Tainted by Suspicion: The Secret Deals and Electoral Chaos of Disputed Presidential Elections" is the White House correspondent for The Daily Signal.
The media and law enforcement have told us over and over that Esteban Santiago is merely a madman, so the Fort Lauderdale horror is more like a Columbine, not a Brussels Airport mass slaughter. But thanks to detective work that should be the sort of review the FBI would undertake if somebody came in and spoke about voices in his head and ISIS, we know that Santiago showed every sign of converting to Islam long before his deployment to Iraq.

Pamela Geller cites a Got News report and gets right to the point:

Estaban Sanitagos aka Aashiq Hammad journey to Islam goes back at least 10 years. His MySpace page is eyeopening. More news the enemedia ignores, censors, scrubs  thanks to Charles Johnson over Got News. As for mental illness, that is now the default cover for Islam. It was lone wolf until the number of lone wolves made the narrative ridiculous and absurd. Now Islam is a mental illness.

The evidence presented by Got News, complete with images of public records, ties Esteban Santiago directly to a MySpace account created in the name Aashik Hammad, where three Islamic songs recorded by Santiago were available. I urge readers to examine the evidence themselves, and then imagine being an Anchorage FBI official confronted with a young man who heard voices in his head. Would you try to obtain a social media profile? I understand that law enforcement in general, and the FBI in particular, are pretty good at checking social media profiles these days.

So, if the FBI discovered someone is crazy, and is also a Muslim, is that a danger sign? I suspect that the doctrine used by the FBI currently does not allow agents to make such a connection, even though the Koran has many injunctions toward violent jihad.

In any event, with so many people wondering why Santiago was allowed to bring a gun on a flight, isnt it interesting that nobody in law enforcement and nobody in the major media has yet connected Santiago and Islam publicly? I suspect that the public would be even more critical of the failure to prevent Santiagos evil. The problem is that the awful truth is unspeakable by most of our government officials and media: Islamic doctrine contains multiple, direct incitements to violence against infidels, and Jews in particular.

Who is more vulnerable to,influence by these commands than a mentally ill man? Pamela Geller's observation that mental illness is a cover rests on the foundation that most of the acts of cruelty of jihadists seem to be insane by the standards of contemporary Western Civilization. But in the Islamic world, the example of Mohammed -- the most perfect man ever born and a model for all Muslims, according to Islamic doctrine -- teaches that hearing voices is a sacred act.

Jihad motivation could explain why Santiago made such a long journey  close to the longest possible journey within the continental United States  to be in Fort Lauderdale. The catchment area of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport happens to be the home of many Jews. If one were choosing the airport with the highest concentration of Jewish passengers, Fort Lauderdale would be a logical selection. Anchorage Airport, not so much.

This guy being a danger of turning jihadist doesnt seem that remote to me.

Unless, of course, law enforcement is not allowed to consider being a Muslim anything to take note of.
The race for DNC chairman is shaping up to a race among Congressman Keith Ellison, who is Muslim; South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is gay; and Tom Perez, the former head of the civil rights division (for non-whites) at the Obama Justice Department.

Mayor Buttigieg didn't reveal to voters that he was gay when first running for office, but they sure found out after he was elected, when he immediately pushed a bill that forces private businesses to hire men dressed as women and reportedly allows disguised boys into girls' bathrooms.

Tom Perez is a radical Hispanic, who ran the Justice Department to the benefit of only certain racial groups:

Perez dropped voter intimidation charges against Black Panthers who brought weapons to a polling place. In 2008, two men from the New Black Panther Party, one brandishing a nightstick, stood in front of a polling place in Philadelphia and became aggressive when a video tracker asked them what they were doing. The Department of Justice had a straightforward case against the two, according to former attorney J. Christian Adams, until Perez, then head of the agencys Civil Rights Division, intervened. Perez doesnt think White people Are protected under the Voting Rights Act.... According to Perez, applying Section 5s retrogressive-effect protections to White citizens would create dramatic complications  noting that many voting changes  will almost always have some racial effect in some direction, and if the retrogressive-effect standard protects everyone, then virtually no proposed voting changes would ever be approved.

Meanwhile, Ellison has associated with black racists and anti-Semites.

A CNN KFile review of Ellison's past writings and public statements during the late 1980s through the 1990s reveal his decade-long involvement in the Nation of Islam and his repeated defense of Farrakhan and other radical black leaders against accusations of anti-Semitism in columns and statements to the press.

Questions for discussion:

1) Which faction is likely to prevail at the DNC: Muslims, Hispanics, or gays? Which group is most virtuous?

2) Which do Democrats view it as most virtuous to be: a Jew-hater, a white-hater, or a hater of established genders?

3) If Ellison wins, do you think he could retain Buttigieg as his deputy for outreach to Muslims?

4) If Buttigieg wins, do you think he could retain Ellison as his deputy for outreach to gays?

5) If Perez wins, will he condemn Buttigieg for his whiteness or praise him for his gayness?

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
The election is over, but President-Elect Donald Trump is still rolling up victories in Ohio. As The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported on January 6:

In another victory for the forces of Donald Trump, Stark County attorney Jane Timken was narrowly elected Ohio Republican Party chair Friday against incumbent chair Matt Borges. Timken, Trump's favored candidate, was elected by the state GOP's central committee after two deadlocked votes. After closed-door negotiations, Borges agreed to withdraw in exchange for being named chairman emeritus of the party -- though he said it's not exactly clear yet what that job will entail beyond helping Timken during the transition process. Timken's victory is the latest display of the president-elect's newfound clout within the state party. It also marks a defeat for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who endorsed and lobbied for Borges to remain.

The selection of the Ohio Republican chair is important.

In the 2016 election, Gov. John Kasich did not support Trump, nor did he put the party's formidable machine fully behind the GOP candidate. Given that Ohio was a critical swing state, this petulance on Kasich's part was seen as indirectly enabling the election of Hillary Clinton.

Why did Kasich renege on his prior commitment to support his party's nominee? Why would Kasich stand aside and be willing to see Hillary Clinton elected president?

Many political observers believe that Kasich, after being crushed in the Republican primaries to a humiliating degree, still harbored dreams of the presidency. With all the faux polls predicting a Hillary win, if not a landslide, perhaps the Ohio governor thought he could burnish his anti-Trump credentials and position himself to run against Clinton in 2020 as a "moderate" Republican.

Ah, but the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Not only did Trump not disappear, but he came back to Ohio to give Kasich a well deserved black eye in Kasich's own backyard.

With the selection of Jane Timken as the Ohio Republican chair, Kasich's political future just dimmed considerably. If Kasich can't hold his own local base together as a sitting governor, what chance does he have nationally?
According to the Obama administration, there is a lot of trading going on with Cuba. After further review, there is not a lot of trading at all. In fact, the difference may be somewhere between the $6 billion that the Obama administration is projecting and about $380 million in real commerce going on.

This is from The Miami Herald:

The Obama Administration has said that trade with Cuba could reach up to $6 billion under its new policies, but U.S. companies in fact exported barely $380 million worth of goods to the island since the beginning of the thaw in bilateral relations two years ago. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said early last year that her department had issued 490 licenses to companies trying to do business with Cuba valued at $4.3 billion. More recently, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that since late 2014 more than $6 billion in trade has been initiated between Cuba and the United States since then, which obviously has an important economic benefit here in the United States. Experts said the administration is exaggerating, and that those numbers must be put in better context.

Well, put me down as one who never bought this nonsense that Cuba and the U.S. were doing $6 billion in trade.

First, let's understand that these are the people who told us you could keep your health care policy if we wanted to. How did that one work out? Not hard to be skeptical after that or the nonsense about ISIS being the J.V. team!

Second, as the article confirms, Cuba's economy is not growing. Cuba's GDP grew by 0.9% in 2016. Cuba's GDP is $81 billion. How can the U.S. and Cuba be doing $6 billion in trade?

Third, Cuba does not have the liquidity to pay for all of these U.S. goods or services. This is because no one is lending Cuba any money, and the US embargo cuts off access to credit lines in the U.S.

Fourth, the article points out that U.S. exports to Cuba, food items such as chicken, soya, and corn, actually fell since the Obama administration eased sanctions on Cuba.

So be cautious with all those expectations about how opening up Cuba would lead to all of those opportunities on the island.

In other words, there are no opportunities, unless you want to build a hotel to fly in U.S. tourists. Of course, such investments require you to have the Cuban government as your partner  the family business, that is!

How can you expect a country with very little purchasing power to buy anything?

We say it again: the Obama policy toward Cuba has not really benefited U.S. companies or the Cuban people. It has been pretty good for the Castros and the thugs who protect them.

In time, a free Cuba could return to the economic relationship it had with the U.S. before 1961. It won't happen anytime soon as long as the aforementioned family is running the island for its own gain.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Director of national intelligence James Clapper, who resigned rather than serve under President-Elect Donald Trump is now certain, where he wasn't so certain before, that sophisticated Russian hackers were behind the revelation of the DNC's and John Podesta's emails. This is the John Podesta whose password was "password." Clapper now says "we assess" that the Russians hacked the John Podesta and the DNC under direct orders of Vladimir Putin for the purpose of releasing information damaging the credibility of Hillary Clinton and helpful to Donald Trump.

Clapper did not address why the Russians would want to help Trump, who has pledged to rebuild our military, modernize our nuclear arsenal, and drill like there's no tomorrow for oil, the only thing of value the Russians have to sell. Nor did he address the fact that the emails detailing the corruption, bigotry, and collusion among the media and the Democrats and Hillary Clinton were all accurate and true. Hillary damaged her own credibility, and her loss is more likely due to her "deplorable" remark and the spike in Obamacare premiums just before the vote. As investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson notes:

There has also been a concerted, political effort to blame the Russians for Trump's victory. In fact, as I wrote in 8 Facts on the "Russian Hacks," to prove that the DNC hack or leak (whoever committed it) helped Trump win, one would have to know that tens of thousands of Trump voters were planning to vote for Clinton but changed their mind based solely on the WikiLeaks emails; that the emails somehow managed to only affect the electoral vote but not the popular vote (which Clinton won); and that they somehow selectively swayed voters in key swing states, but not voters in states where Clinton won. To date, such evidence has not been provided.

Trump has been skeptical of the conclusions of Clapper and the intelligence community, and rightly so. Is this the same James Clapper who once reassured the Congress that the NSA wasn't conducting surveillance of the American people?

As U.S. News and World Report noted, his recent resignation didn't assuage critics who believe that James Clapper, like other Obama administration personnel, dodged a perjury bullet when he testified before Congress on the issue of NSA surveillance of American citizens:

Some lawmakers reacted to the long-expected resignation announcement from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Thursday by wishing him an eventful retirement, featuring prosecution and possible prison time. The passage of more than three years hasn't cooled the insistence in certain quarters that Clapper face charges for an admittedly false statement to Congress in March 2013, when he responded, "No, sir" and "not wittingly" to a question about whether the National Security Agency was collecting "any type of data at all" on millions of Americans. About three months after making that claim, documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed the answer was untruthful and that the NSA was in fact collecting in bulk domestic call records, along with various internet communications. To his critics, Clapper lied under oath, a crime that threatens effective oversight of the executive branch. In an apology letter to lawmakers, however, Clapper said he gave the "clearly erroneous" answer because he "simply didn't think of" the call-record collection. Clapper later told MSNBC he considered the question akin to asking, "When did you stop beating your wife?" and so gave the "least untruthful" answer.

Critics who say President-Elect Donald Trump has no right to disparage our good and faithful intelligence servants or to be skeptical of the intelligence they gather might be willing to accept "least untruthful" answers, but others are not. As Investor's Business Daily editorialized in June 2013 after Clapper's testimony:

... Director of National Intelligence James Clapper struggles to explain why he told Congress in March that the National Security Agency does not intentionally collect any kind of data on millions of Americans. "I responded in what I thought was the most truthful, or least untruthful, manner by saying 'no,'" Clapper told NBC News on Sunday. Least untruthful? Lying to Congress and the American people is just that, except in Clapper's mind. And it seems to depend on the meaning of "collect," a reminder of President Bill Clinton's defense that charges of his lying depended on the meaning of the word "is." Are blanket collections of data, even just phone numbers, on large swaths of America a good idea? In 2006, when George W. Bush was in office, Joe Biden, in a rare moment of lucidity, told Harry Smith on CBS' "Morning Show" of the pitfalls of what the NSA is doing now. "Harry, I don't have to listen to your phone calls to know what you're doing," Biden said. "If I know every single phone call you made, I'm able to determine every single person you talk to, I can get a pattern about your life that is very, very intrusive. "And the real question here is: What do they do with this information that they collect that does not have anything to do with al-Qaida?"

U.S. district judge Richard Leon ruled that the NSA surveillance program was in violation of the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure. As Judge Andrew Napolitano noted in Fox News Opinion:

"Almost Orwellian"  that's the description a federal judge gave earlier this week to the massive spying by the National Security Agency (NSA) on virtually all 380 million cellphones in the United States. In the first meaningful and jurisdictionally grounded judicial review of the NSA cellphone spying program, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee sitting in Washington, D.C., ruled that the scheme of asking a secret judge on a secret court for a general warrant to spy on all American cellphone users without providing evidence of probable cause of criminal behavior against any of them is unconstitutional because it directly violates the Fourth Amendment. Readers of this page are familiar with the purpose of that Amendment and the requirements it imposes on the government. The Framers intended it to prevent the new government in America from doing to Americans what the British government had done to the colonists under the king. The British government had used general warrants -- which are not based on individualized probable cause and do not name the place to be searched or the person or thing to be seized -- to authorize British soldiers to search the colonists wherever they pleased for whatever they wished to seize.

Clapper defended and lied about an intelligence agency unconstitutionally spying on the American people. Shouldn't we be skeptical about his conclusions on Russian hacking? Consider that Clapper was also reportedly involved in the cooking of intelligence reports by U.S. Central Command analysts. As Business Insider reported, reports were changed for political reasons to make ISIS look weaker and our campaign against it look stronger than the facts actually suggested:

The top intelligence official in the US reportedly was aware that assessments of the fight against the terrorist group ISIS were skewed to give a more positive view of the conflict, according to a new report from The Daily Beast. Analysts at US Central Command, the Pentagon agency covering security interests in nations throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, reportedly complained to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, headed by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. The analysts said their intelligence reports were changed for political reasons.

Clapper downplayed the report of intelligence tampering for political reasons but he in fact may have been involved:

... there's evidence to suggest that some of President Barack Obama's inner circle, including Clapper, may have been involved. The Guardian reported in September that Clapper was in "frequent and unusual contact" with the military officer who is suspected of allowing the reports on ISIS to be altered. "In communications, Clapper, who is far more senior than" Army Brig. Gen. Steven Grove, "is said to tell Grove how the war looks from his vantage point, and question Grove about Central Command's assessments," The Guardian's Spencer Ackerman wrote, noting that sources said "such a situation could place inherent pressure on a subordinate."

Considering Clapper's assessment, one can wonder if we would even be having this conversation had Hillary Clinton won. The Russians and others have been hacking for a long time, and only now, post-election, is it considered a crisis. What did President Obama do about cyber-security in eight years, other than tell Putin to "cut it out"?

Vladimir Putin did not flip some 200 counties that voted twice for Obama to Trump. He did not cost the Democrats some one thousand legislative seats at all levels over the last eight years. Clapper has a credibility problem, and despite his assessment, the score is still Trump winning 37 states, Hillary Clinton 13, and Vladimir Putin zero.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investor's Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
Buttons have many uses, but not many buttons have as many possible uses as The Button Corporations bttn. The startup  based out of Finland  first announced the original bttn in 2014.The company has now released a second button that also does pretty much everything in the realm of Internet of Things at  you guessed it  the push of a button. Whatever other buttons do, bttn Mini does it better.

The purpose of bttn Mini, the latest addition to the bttn family, is similar to the original. The device allows for management and autonomy of various tasks tied to the button. In fact, trying to list everything that it is capable of would be a futile effort at best. However, some of the functionality touted by The Button Corporation include home automation integration, notification automation, among other things. For example, a video for the device shows a child coming home from somewhere and pressing the button. A message is automatically sent to the childs parents informing them that she has arrived at home. Another example use case reveals multiple connected devices being started up so that they are ready to go when the user arrives or is ready to use them. Because bttn Mini integrates so well with so many connected platforms, the possibilities are really almost endless. Bttn Mini works with Sigfoxs network and can be programmed with IFTTT recipes, to work with OpenHome, and Zapier Zaps  among others. It plays well with social media, SMS, e-mail, and can also integrate with other servers for other purposes using REST API and webhooks. Bttn devices have three different function actions including short-press, long-press, and not pressed.

Best of all, the new bttn Mini is more compact  at about half the size of the original bttn  and about half the cost at $79.99. The required cloud subscription service is also marked way down. The subscription service with bttn Mini is $2.00 per month as opposed to the original bttns subscription cost at about $8.00 per month. Changes have also been made to the battery. The original bttn worked with  but didnt come with  4 AA/LR6 batteries. Bttn Mini is packed in with a brand new Li-Po battery, ensuring that power efficiency is better with an average of twice as many bttn presses over the original. The Button Corporations bttn Mini is available now at the bttn website.
Americas largest cellular carrier, Verizon Wireless, has installed fixed 5G networking technology in over ten American cities. The company also confirmed to the source website that whilst it has installed the equipment, it may not align with the 5G technical standards that the 3GPP has yet to release. However, whilst Verizons current equipment might not meet the exact technical specification requirements, the operator confirmed it is using standardised equipment. Ericsson separately confirmed was providing this but neither company would confirm what American cities were partaking in the trial. At the end of 2016, the 3GPP completed sufficient work on the 5G standards project such that manufacturers and carriers knew enough to be able to use hardware that should conform to the final agreed standards, providing it could be reconfigured by software. This represents an important milestone for carriers all over the world as replacing hardware is significantly more expensive than a software update. A Verizon spokesperson explained the company expect a light lift from our pre-commercial phase, based on the Verizon 5GTF spec, into 3GPP standardized equipment. In other words the carrier does not expect it will need to carry out extensive reworking once the 3GPP standards have been released. Furthermore, Verizon highlighted that should the company have to replace hardware, as this is a limited deployment of network nodes, it will not require that much effort.

Not everybody in the cellular industry shares Verizon Wireless optimism that the carrier will only need make minimal changes in order to ensure its network is compatible with the upcoming 3GPP 5G specification. In October 2016, Michael Thelander from Signals Research Group explained that there was no obvious migration path from Verizons 5G platform (5GTF) and the 5G standards still under development by the 3GPP. In the detail, Verizons 5G technology uses a subcarrier spacing of 75 kHz, which is not included in the 3GPPs current 5G specification. It is unclear how readily adaptable Verizon and Ericssons technology is to adjust the subcarrier spacing to 75 kHz. Verizons networking standard is taken from the fixed 5G standard established by a group it helped form in 2015 also including Cisco, Ericsson, Intel, LG, Nokia, Qualcomm and Samsung. Verizon is planning to deploy commercial fixed 5G services later in the year.

With governments all over the world encouraging carriers to start deploying 5G networking technology as soon as possible, but there being no final networking standard available, carriers are facing a difficult position. Carriers need to deploy prototype 5G networks in order to gain experience in how the technology will work, but naturally do not with to finance a new expensive technology if it must be ripped out and replaced with new equipment, and if the prototype infrastructure is too different from the final version any information gleaned may not be relevant. This may explain why Verizon is only deploying its fixed 5G deployment to a limited number of cities.
Czech Republic fight EU over gun control as the Super Holocaust looms

What do we think about the right to carry arms? Amanda Erikson tells us:

Czech government tells its citizens how to fight terrorists: Shoot them yourselves

Good idea?

The Daily Express thinks it is. Czech citizens may soon be able to legally shoot terrorists, it says. The story is illustrated with a series of images entitled Horrifying acts of terrorism we will never forget. The paper also repeats the words of President Milos Zeman. He already told the Czech population to buy weapons in preparation for a super Holocaust perpetrated by Muslim terrorists.

The Czech Republic is home to 300,000 people with gun licenses. We dont know how many of them are Muslim. But it cant be many. There are about 11,000 Muslims in the country.

Obtaining a weapon is relatively easy: Residents must be 21, pass a gun knowledge check and have no criminal record. By law, Czechs can use their weapons to protect their property or when in danger, although they need to prove they faced a real threat.

The move to arm the populace is being promoted by Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec. He says:

The terrorist attacks we have seen in Western Europe and elsewhere have increased security concerns among the public. More Czechs are getting firearms licenses and I think that if the situation does not improve in the coming months, then the number of firearms holders will grow.

As the WaPo notes, the push if for citizens to use guns against terrorists if police are delayed or unable to reach the scene.

But the EU is not in favour:

People across the EU will now have to go through medical checks before getting a license to buy firearms. Online sales will also be limited. Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the European Commission, called the agreement a milestone in gun control in the EU. We have fought hard for an ambitious deal that reduces the risk of shootings in schools, summer camps or terrorist attacks with legally held firearms, he said.

Europe is experiencing a mass wave of immigration of a type seen in the USA . Should Europe too have a Second Amendment to maintain order  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?

Or is this all about the right to bear arms if youre not a Muslim or a refugee?

Karen Strike

Posted: 8th, January 2017 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink




1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
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Travis Hayslip, 34, of Carlsbad, was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Las Cruces to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for violating the federal firearms laws when he ignited a fire that destroyed the Quality Inn Hotel in Carlsbad on March 9, 2016.

Hayslip also was ordered to pay $2.4 million in restitution to Choice Hotels for the damage he caused to the under-construction hotel.

Hayslip was arrested March 31, 2016, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on a federal arson charge. According to the criminal complaint, on March 9, 2016, a fire was ignited that caused more than $2 million in damages to the Quality Inn, a hotel that was under construction at 4106 National Parks Highway in Carlsbad.

The complaint alleged Hayslip walked through a part of the hotel that was under construction and lit a piece of debris with a lighter. Hayslip subsequently was indicted April 26, 2016, on the charge of maliciously damaging and destroying the hotel by means of fire.

On June 29, 2016, Hayslip pleaded guilty to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. In entering the guilty plea, Hayslip admitted that on March 16, 2016, in Eddy County, he possessed a firearm despite his prior felony conviction for theft in Arizona. Hayslip also acknowledged that he was responsible for the arson and was therefore liable for the $2.4 million in damages caused by the fire.
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The longtime Village Voice writer earned this glorious paragraph in his NYT obit: The Hentoff bibliotheca reads almost like an anthology: works by a jazz aficionado, a mystery writer, an eyewitness to history, an educational reformer, a political agitator, a foe of censors, a social critic. He was, indeed, like the jazz he loved  given to improvisations and permutations, a composer-performer who lived comfortably with his contradictions, though adversaries called him shallow and unscrupulous, and even his admirers sometimes found him infuriating, unrealistic and stubborn.
The film Loving, about the court decision that struck down anti-micegenation laws in the United States, stars Ethiopian actor Ruth Negga, who says, People like Richard and Mildred often are one of many untold stories. And we have a duty to revisit these stories and share them.
Hope is the focal point of every visual story that photographer Monica Tiwari narrates.

Monica Tiwaris frames are not only pregnant with meaning but also suggest that their creator carefully froze a significant moment for posteritys sake. For instance, one of the photographs that she took in earthquake-hit Nepal shows Manju Adhikari, 24, getting dressed for her wedding. The event had originally been scheduled for April 30, 2015, but calamity came in the way just five days earlier. The wedding was postponed to the next auspicious date, May 8, and the ceremonies were conducted in Manjus new, under-construction home, since her familys original home was destroyed completely. She remembers that out of consideration for the general sense of loss in Nepal, the grooms side held a silent baraat with no music.

Sunderbans, Sagar island

Phone photos from the Sunderban series.

Deeply interested in storytelling, whether it is through the medium of visuals, words, films or music, Delhi-based Monica fell in love with the camera and its possibilities ever since she picked it up for the first time after her graduation in English Literature. Her first job as a photojournalist sharpened her skills and opened up her mind. When I am photographing a certain story, I keep the theme in mind while also exploring its peripheral areas, she says. However, in other cases, say in street photography, I let visuals unfold at their will and I just try to be an active spectator who can click when the moment appears.

Phone photos from the Sunderban series.

Last year, she started working in the Sunderbans, aided by a fellowship from the Centre for Science and Environment. I was there only for a month, and didnt feel that my story was complete. So I applied for the India Habitat Centre Photosphere, and upon receiving the award, shifted base to Kolkata and worked in the Sunderbans for three more months. Running water and electricity were luxuries, and I had to get used to and learn a different language, cuisine, thought processes. It was very trying at times, but in the end, I loved every bit of it. I worked on the climate change-led migration patterns and parents leaving behind their children with ageing grandparents as they leave Bengal to find work, in the face of erosion of their native islands of the Sunderbans. It was heartbreaking to witness, but it is the resilience of people and the presence of hope that becomes the focal point for me in every story. Of course, love and beauty in everyday life is a theme that runs across her work.
Puri subdued the attacker to prevent further strikes, took Shah to the hospital in a police van, and saved his life.

Shah has stated that Puri was suffering health wise over the last few years.

Mumbai: That Om Puri was a close friend of Naseeruddin Shah is well-known, but little is known about the time when the Ardh Satya actor saved the latter's life during a knife attack.

The incident during which Jaspal, one of Shah's former friends stabbed him with a knife at a restaurant, finds mention in Shah's autobiography 'And Then One Day: A Memoir'.

Shah writes in the book that Puri, who passed away recently following a cardiac arrest, had jumped across their dinner table, subdued the attacker to prevent further strikes, took Shah to the hospital in a police van, and saved his life.

"While the shooting for 'Bhumika' (1977) was on, Om and I were in the middle of dinner when Jaspal, whom I had kept well away from for some time now, also entered and greeted Om. We ignored each other but, eyes fixed on me, he passed to sit on another table behind me, so I thought.

"After a while, I was reminded of his presence by what felt like a short sharp punch in the middle of my back. I started to rise, wearily preparing myself for another free-for-all. Before I could move, Om with a strangled cry lunged at something behind me. I turned to see Jaspal holding a small knife, its point dripping blood, his hand raised to strike again, and Om and two others grappling to subdue him," he narrates the episode in the book .

As a debilitated Shah struggled with pain, Puri dealt with Jaspal and argued with the hotel manager who refused Shah to be taken to the hospital until the police arrived.

"Om returned to inform me that Jaspal had been taken to the kitchen and was being given the treatment. He wanted to take me to a doctor but was thwarted by the restaurant staff refusing to let us move till the police arrived.

"A sizeable crowd had collected by now, the muscle in my back was beginning to go into spasm, blood was soaking my shirt back and had begun its progress down my trouser seat," Shah writes in the book.

He recalls how Puri had riled the policemen by climbing into the police van without permission before the Ishqiya actor was taken to the hospital in a bleeding condition.

"Om made the cardinal error of climbing in as well without permission and managed to rile the boss-man, thereby asking the cops to be gentle with me. He was ordered to get off and after considerable pleading with the goon in charge was allowed to stay. Neither of us had an idea where we were headed but I prayed it was not the police station.

"The bleeding had not seized, the pain was getting intense and these cops obviously had not quite understood the situation. After a few cursory questions to us, and some garbled transmissions over the radio in Marathi, we arrived at Cooper Hospital in Juhu," the memoir notes.

Shah said he was thankful to his "guardian angel" that Puri was present during the incident to take charge and save his life.

Both actor, who were among the most prominent faces of the 'new wave cinema'(1980s), not only worked together in several films like Maqbool and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, but also studied together at the National School of Drama (NSD) and Pune's Film and Television Institute (FTII).
The delegates at the conference also talked about incidents wherein several students were cheated by agents.

Bengaluru: Twenty world-class universities will be opened in the country, and public and private players will be given an equal opportunity to start these institutions, said minister for human resource development Prakash Javadekar during an interaction on Reaching out to Indian Students Abroad and NRI, OCI students in India at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

I want private universities to be among the top 10 in the world, said Mr Javadekar, adding, The government has released funds under the PM scholarship programme for 150 students, of which 50 are reserved for children of Indian parents residing in Gulf countries. The government will give Rs 2,000 for boys and Rs 2,250 for girls per month. But there are very few takers for the Gulf scholarship.

The delegates at the conference also talked about incidents wherein several students were cheated by agents. Aniket, an NRI student, said, I came back to India to study in Pune. I spent weeks at the police commissioners office for visa verification. It was a huge waste of time.

Siddharth, an Indian student who went to study law in the UK, said, It is easy for an Indian lawyer to work in the UK. I went to study law and want to come back to work in India, but they dont recognise my bachelors qualification.

Mr Javadekar promised to look into these issues.

The national academic repository, which contains authenticated academic transcripts and qualifications of all NRI students including past records, has been launched.
Cinematographer Tassaduq Hussain joins J&K ruling party, pledges to bring peace to Valley.

Srinagar: Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, the cinematographer brother of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, on Saturday formally joined the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and pledged to bring peace and prosperity to the State and ensure common people and VIPs walk together.

Mr Hussain announced his decision to join the ruling party at a rally organised here to commemorate the first death anniversary of its founder and his father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. He said, Im joining the PDP not because being the son of late Mufti Sahib but only after Im convinced and inspired by the amount of work the PDP has done for Jammu and Kashmir and its people.

The 45-year-old Mufti may be the partys candidate to contest the election on Anantnag Lok Sabha seat wherefrom his sister Ms. Mufti was elected in the 2014 elections, the party sources said. Till the bypoll is held, he is likely to be assigned immense responsibility and given important party work in the PDP, the sources said. He is the only son among the four siblings.

Mufti, an American Film Institute graduate, who has lensed Bollywood blockbusters like Omkara and Kaminey, had attended a meeting of the PDPs extended core group in January last year, giving credence to reports that he has been successfully persuaded by the family and some close associates of his late father to join active politics and supplement the effort aimed at taking his (Mr. Sayeeds) mission forward. However, it took him almost one year to do it actually as he was busy and waiting for the completion of a couple of Bollywood projects he was associated with.

He after announcing to join the PDP formally said that he remained aloof from politics all his life. But today I have joined the PDP officially and it is a very important day of my life. I will walk with you and take your aspirations along, he said, adding that he dream was to clean up politics in Kashmir. Mr. Hussain had during the lifetime of his father repeatedly said that he is not interested in politics. His mother Gulshan Nazir Ara when asked about it had in an interview said, Wherever he is, he should be happy.
He also thanked the Indian diaspora for supporting the governments steps against corruption.

Bengaluru: Castigating the opponents of demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said those terming the government's move as 'anti-people' were the "political worshippers" of graft and black money which were making the economy, polity and society hollow.

"You know we have undertaken a big responsibility in fighting black money and corruption... Black money and corruption have gradually made our polity, economy, society and the country hollow, he said.

Modi also added, "It is unfortunate that there are some political worshippers (rajnaitik pujari) of black money who term our actions against it as anti-people," at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention here.

Thanking the Indian diaspora for supporting the government's steps against corruption and black money, he said, "It is very saddening to see some black money supporters maligning the moves against corruption."

Emphasising the role played by overseas Indians in the country's development, the Prime Minister said they have made an "invaluable contribution" to the Indian economy by investing over 69 billion US dollars.

"For me, FDI has two definitions -- one is 'Foreign Direct Investment' and the other is 'First Develop India'," he said, asserting that "I can say with full confidence that 21st century belong to India."
Black money and corruption are making our polity, society and administration hollow gradually, says Modi.

Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, continuing his tirade against political parties protesting against demonetisation, took a swipe on Sunday at the political worshippers (rajnaitik poojari) of black money for dubbing his governments move as anti-people. It is unfortunate that there some political entities that worship black money. They are carrying out a misinformation campaign that the efforts of our government against black money are anti-people, Mr Modi said on the second day of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017, touted as the largest-ever gathering of the Indian diaspora. ...You might have noticed and heard we have taken up a big fight against black money. Black money and corruption are making our polity, society and administration hollow gradually, he said.

Praising the role played by overseas Indians in the nations development, the Prime Minister said they have made an invaluable contribution to the economy by investing about $69 billion and urged them to convert their Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cards to Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards. Our government is closely working with the governments of Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Suriname and other Caribbean countries to put in place new procedures so that Indian communities abroad will be eligible to get OCI cards. The deadline for converting the cards has been extended from December 31, 2016 to June 30, 2017, without penalty, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hugs his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa in Bengaluru. (Photo: Asian Age)

Referring to the earlier brain drain trend, the PM said: During a discussion on the brain drain before I became chief minister of Gujarat, I used to wonder if all the good brains in the country emigrate, then is the country left with only fools? But today I can say with confidence that because of the steps taken by our government, we are changing brain drain into brain gain.

India was fast moving on the path of development, he said, and added: One definition of FDI is Foreign Direct Investment, while the other is First Develop India. He said that non-resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) have made outstanding contributions to their respective fields.

Wherever the Indian diaspora has gone, they have represented the best of Indian culture, values and ethos. They are loved for their hard work, discipline and peace-loving nature worldwide. Even though the objectives and paths of the Indian diaspora may vary, theyre all united by the feeling of Bharatiyata or Indianness, he said.

He also offered the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana, and said: It is aimed at Indians who want to seek overseas employment. They will be given soft skills training and made aware of the social mores and mannerisms of the countries they are emigrating to, so they can go abroad with confidence. The grievances of migrant workers are addressed through 24x7 helplines, Indian embassies, open house meeting with Indian embassies and also the social media platforms, he added. Mr Modi was given a roaring welcome as the delegates stood up and chanted Modi, Modi as soon as he entered the venue on the second day.
The four northeastern states share a 1,643-km border with Myanmar.

Supporters of Naga United Council scuffle with security personnel during an agitation against Manipur government for creation of 7 new districts, in Senapati, Manipur. (Photo: AP)

Guwahati: After the NSCN (I-M), the Naga Hoho  the apex body of tribal organisations in Nagaland  has now opposed the construction of border fencing along Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.

The Naga Hoho, in a statement, said Nagas cant allow any authority to divide their history and remove the feeling of oneness among the Naga family between India and Myanmar. Nagas cant accept the imaginary boundary fencing between India and Myanmar, the Hoho said.

The reaction of the apex council has come close on the heels of the NSCN (I-M)s hard-hitting statement, that said: We shall no longer accept any policy to further divide the Naga family in the form of artificial boundary fencing between India and Myanmar. The Nagas will defend their ancestral land at all costs.

The NSCN (I-M) spokesperson said: The NSCN seriously viewed that overriding and ignoring the will and interests of the people may give rise to an unfavourable situation with heavy consequences and the sole responsibility shall be borne by both India and Myanmar.

The NSCN (I-M), which recently signed a framework agreement with the Government of India to resolve the decades-old conflict, said: When the two sides are at the threshold of a final solution, the motive behind the construction of artificial fencing along the Naga areas is highly questionable and unacceptable. The outfit, engaged in peace talks since 1997, said: The Naga people have the right to maintain and protect their territory, identity and social and political institutions.

The four northeastern states share a 1,643-km border with Myanmar. The NSCN (I-M) describes the Naga-inhabited areas of Myanmar as Eastern Nagaland.

Referring to the McMahon Line, a line agreed to by Britain and Tibet as part of the Shimla Accord, the Naga Hoho said a treaty signed in 1914 had become the basis of boundary demarcation between India and Myanmar and thus the Nagas were forced to divide in the eastern sector.

Pointing out historical facts in its statement, the Naga Hoho said: It was an undeniable fact that Nagas were divided through unilateral decision of Nehru and U Nu through aerial survey in 1953, which the Nagas had never accepted.

Asserting that there was no cultural divide or ideological differences among Nagas to live together, the Naga Hoho reiterated they have the inherent rights since time immemorial to be together.
4-day meet to focus on sustainable economic and social development.

New Delhi: A host of foreign leaders including presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers of several countries, will converge in Gandhi Nagar to attend the eighth edition of four-day Vibrant Gujarat summit beginning Tuesday.

Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa, French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault have already confirmed their participation at the Summit.

Launched in 2003, the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is aimed at attracting investment in the state and is considered as an important event attended by top Indian industrialists besides representatives from many countries. The central focus of the upcoming Summit is Sustainable Economic and Social Development.

It will bring together heads of state and government, ministers, leaders from the corporate world, senior policy makers, heads of international institutions and academia from around the world to further the cause of development and to promote cooperation, the organisers were quoted by news agencies, as saying.

The Kenyan President will be in India on a three-day visit beginning Tuesday during which he will also hold extensive talks with PM Narendra Modi besides attending the Summit at Gandhinagar. He is also expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee while vice-president Hamid Ansari, home minister Rajnath Singh and defence minister Manohar Parrikar are likely to call on Kenyatta during his stay here.

Rwanda President Kagame will arrive in Ahmedabad on Monday and will depart from there Wednesday. He will have a bilateral meeting with Mr Modi in Gandh-inagar and will address a select gathering of CEOs of top companies.

Portuguese Prime Minister Costa, who arrived in New Delhi on Saturday on a seven-day visit, will attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit on its inaugural session. The Serbian Prime Minister will arrive in Ahmedabad on Monday and will hold a bilateral meeting with Mr Modi on range of bilateral and regional issues at the Mahatma Mandir exhibition-cum-convention Centre, the venue of the summit. Vucic will also visit Mumbai during his four day visit.

Israel's Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel will also attend the Vibrant Gujarat summit. He will arrive tomorrow on a four-day India trip. Israel's participation in Vibrant Gujarat will also include a country Seminar on doubling farmer's income via Indo-Israeli agricultural cooperation.
The Prime Minister, sources said, gave an earful to the panel and asked them to come prepared the next time.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his disappointment over suggestions made by group of secretaries to reduce the subsidy on urea at a meeting on Saturday.

Mr Modi also pointed out lack of coordination among the group of secretaries, which was formed last year to suggest innovative ideas in various fields of governance.

The PM is learnt to have pulled up the secretaries for failing to thrash out a plan pertaining to the agriculture sector. The secretaries also reportedly came to the meeting without any preparation.

Sources, privy to the development, told The Asian Age that Mr Modi is learnt to have asked the panel to come up with out of the box ideas.

Everyone knows that the dependence on urea needs to be reduced and, therefore, subsidy needs to be cut down on it, therefore what is new in it, Mr Modi reportedly told the panel, asking it to come up with a solution to the problem.

Mr Modi, sources said, asked the panel if their idea would get the nod could be later implemented as policy measures in future.

He asked agriculture secretary S.K. Pattanayak, who heads the group of secretaries, to form sub-groups on various sectors such as animal husbandry, fisheries, dairy farming, to thrash out a comprehensive plan.

Sources said that Mr Modi was also not satisfied when he learnt the panel on agriculture reportedly failed to implement measures suggested by the group on science and technology.

Mr Modi, sources said, gave an earful to the panel and asked them to come prepared the next time.

Mr Modi is learnt to have told the group that the basic idea behind forming the eight groups of secretaries on various sectors was to improve governance.

Mr Modi also sought ideas to improve dairy production.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will be roped in to woo Kurmis in the state.

New Delhi: The proposed alliance between the Congress and Samajwadi Party, it seems, became hostage to the internal feud within the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh.

Talks were going on to form a Mahagathbandhan ahead of the Assembly elections between the SP, Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal-led Ajit Singh, Janata Dal(U) and other parties in the state.

Strong indications of the alliance in the state came when Congress chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh polls Sheila Dikshit had willingly offered last week to step aside if the tie-up takes place.

According to sources, the Samajwadi Party will leave somewhere around 125 to 135 seats for other parties. Of these, the Congress will have to distribute seats among other parties such as Rashtriya Lok Dal, JD(U), Peace Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal, Sanjay Nishads party of Nishads, Rajbhar Party and one faction of Apna Dal.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will be roped in to woo Kurmis in the state. Mr Kumar will also be the grand alliances face in the eastern Uttar Pradesh, which adjoins Bihar. The three main players of the alliance would be Akhilesh Yadav, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Jayant Singh.

However, there are certain seats in the parliamentary constituencies of Amethi and Rae Barielly, which the Congress is keen on contesting.

Sources indicated that the next week might see an announcement, but leaders of both parties feel that time is running out as the first phase of polling for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections is just a month away.

One seat in Amethi is that of a sitting minister Gayatri Prajapati in the Mr Akhilesh Yadav government, while MLA Manoj Pandey is a sitting Samajwadi Party MLA from Unchahar in the Rae Bareilly constituency. Mr Pandey is also a cabinet minister in the Mr Akhilesh government.

Another major problem the two parties could face would be relating to the seats, where their candidates had came second in the last assembly election of 2012. Senior Congress leader Vivek Bansal from Aligarh and Vivek Singh from Banda stood second in the last assembly polls.

Sources indicated that the next week will might see an announcement, but leaders of both parties feel that time is running out as the first phase of polling for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections is just a month away.
Z security cover showed that Mr Singh was hand in gloves with the government.

New Delhi: The Centre on Sunday provided Z category security cover to Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh on Sunday. However, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav camp said the decision to accord the

Z security cover showed that Mr Singh was hand in gloves with the government. The camp further alleged that Mr Singh wanted to split the party and help the BJP win elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Singhs security was enhanced due to a threat to his life. Mr Singh is close confidante of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is battling to save the party from splitting, after Ramgopal Gopal Yadav had last week declared Mr Akhilesh Yadav the party president.

Mr Akhilesh Yadav camp blamed Mr Singh squarely for the rift within the party. Several attempts to patch up had also failed. The order for the Z category security cover for Mr Singh was issued by Union home ministry on Saturday. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will provide security. Mr Singh will have a contingent of least two dozen armed commandos of the CISF around him.

Officials said Mr Singh was a protectee of the central CISF cover from 2008 to mid-2016 and this task was transferred to UP police by the Union home ministry later.

The security cover was provided to Mr Singh on basis on threats he received and inputs gathered by central security agencies, which promoted the Centre to provide Z security cover.
The publication apologised for their mistake and also came up with a new version of the cover, but the damage was done.

The cover story was about women marching in Washington D.C. (Photo: Twitter)

Washington: In the wake of several shocking incidents like the mass molestation in Bengaluru, the need for strengthening womens rights has been reiterated. But even as numerous campaigns are underway to ensure gender equality, it seems there is still a long way to go in terms of raising awareness.

While publications like National Geographic are featuring transgender individuals on their cover, another reputed name has landed itself in a soup with a terrible goof up. Washington Post Express carried a cover story about thousands of women planning a protest march in Washington D.C. a day after Donald Trumps inauguration ceremony, but while it used pink excessively on the cover, it printed the gender symbol for men in the image.

Shout out to The Washington Post Express who accidentally put the MALE symbol for the WOMAN'S march on their cover today pic.twitter.com/xGS0XE8RTd  Kimberly Betsill (@kimmybetsill) January 5, 2017

Such a grave mistake from a well known publication was quickly notice by twitterati who were quick to take Washington Post to task, as users called them out for their sexism and male-centrism.

is this some kind of record for largest typo pic.twitter.com/kOZ9UIp0Ig  Sam Thielman (@samthielman) January 5, 2017

As a magazine designer I'm literally having secondhand heart palpitations over that WaPo Express cover  Monica McLaughlin (@rococopacetic) January 5, 2017

I have never seen or heard of the Washington Post "Express" before today so I guess the cover worked.  Card Sharp (@card_sharp72) January 5, 2017

Washington Post Express bungles womens rights march cover story by assembling the crowd into masculinity symbol https://t.co/wURvx4IlAW  Giles Morgan (@gilesmorgan) January 6, 2017

Listen, everybody makes mistakes. But perhaps this is a sign that @WaPoExpress needs to hire more women in the art dept.  pic.twitter.com/GDHYN5xuy7  Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) January 5, 2017

Meanwhile Washington post issued an apology for the fumble and also tweeted a corrected version of the cover, but the outrage suggests that the damage has already been done.

We made a mistake on our cover this morning and were very embarrassed. We erroneously used a male symbol instead of a female symbol.  Express (@WaPoExpress) January 5, 2017
The AAP-MCD politics heats up at a time when municipal polls are due this year.

New Delhi: Slamming the BJP controlled civic bodies of being the breeding houses of grave corruption, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday announced a fresh fund of Rs 119 crore to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). Mr Sisodia, who also holds the finance portfolio, said: Enough funds have been given to the municipal bodies, but one doesnt know where that money is being flushed out.

The development came as the indefinite strike by the EDMC sanitation workers, which entered its third day on Sunday, had left the trans-Yamuna region reeling under a garbage crisis, with waste dumped in the open in several areas from Laxmi Nagar to Patparganj.

The MCD has been telling that Delhi government has not given them funds. So, I am presenting some of the figures in this regard. In 2012-13, Rs 399 crore was given as fund, in 2013-14 Rs 416 crore, and in 2014-15 it was Rs 441 crore. Then our government came and we released Rs 702 crore under the non-plan head. So far, in 2016-17, we have released Rs 609 crore. Also, till 2015, these funds were released with Rs 60-70 crore of loan adjustment. But we gave them (MCD) the funds without such deductions. We want to ask  where did that money go? he said.

If these funds were not used, then is there a corruption pipeline opened by the civic bodies? Besides, we have also released a fund of Rs 119 crore to the EDMC under the non-plan head. It should duly be used for payment of salaries. The fund was released on Saturday and it should reach the civic body soon, said Mr Sisodia.

The AAP-MCD politics heats up at a time when municipal polls are due this year. Mr Sisodia said, People will teach them (BJP led MCD) lessons in the elections. From three seats (in Delhi Assembly polls) they would be wiped out completely this time.

The AAP leader also took the opportunity to reach out to the sanitation workers, saying, They were being exploited by the MCD. They should expose these civic bodies.

Mr Sisodia also said that as per the recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission, the civic bodies should get about Rs 3,552 crore from the Centre. Now the government at the Centre and at the municipal level is BJPs, then why are they (MCD) not getting funds? Also, the civic bodies have to collect tax from DDA, but it has not happened. The MCD, instead of collecting taxes properly, is busy indulging in corruption in sanctioning building plans in unauthorised colonies. If they collect these taxes properly, they can pay the salaries of these workers, Mr Sisodia alleged. The erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated in 2012 into North Corporation, South Corporation, and East Corporation. MCD was getting far less fund from earlier dispensations before our government came, and now MCD is complaining that they are not getting enough money to pay for the salaries, Mr Sisodia said.

The deputy chief minister also alleged that the government has time and again sought audited balance sheet from the civic bodies, but they have never provided it. The workers were to be given salaries by now as per the court ruling. What the MCD has been doing, amounts to contempt of court. But, still no action, he said. We even went out of the way and gave them MRF (municipal reform fund) last year. But, they say that no fund was given. Where is the money going? he asked.

EDMC is a politically elected body and now they are not able to do political management. They are a complete failure and are now exploiting the sanitation workers, Mr Sisodia said.

Meanwhile, the sanitation strike crisis deepened on Sunday with Sanjay Gehlot, the president of the Delhi unit of MCD Swachhata Karmchari Union, saying: We are yet to be paid our three months salary (October-December), DA, and bonus. Due to this we arent able to pay the childrens school fees and marriages have been postponed. He claimed that 17,000 sanitation workers are participating in the strike.
Other Pakistani publishing houses which participated in the fair were childrens publications.

People scan books on the second day of the 60th World Book Fair at Pragati Maidan. (Photo: Asian Age)

New Delhi: Amidst the rising cross-border tension between India and Pakistan, the presence of only one distributor from the neighbouring country at the ongoing 25th New Delhi World Book Fair has left book lovers disappointed.

With the Pakistani representation being reduced to a sole distributor this year compared to four last year, it is understandable that Lahore-based Manshurat Publishers at the foreign pavilion is attracting noticeable footfall with bibliophiles thronging the stall asking for sundry titles in Urdu.

Books in Urdu, like Jab Zindagi Shuru Hogi by Abu Yahya  a fictional narrative of life after death, and Jannat Kay Pattey by Nimra Ahmed  a socio-romantic novel about courage, reality, struggle, and faith, were picked up in large numbers by bibliophiles from Shadabs stall.

We are actually based in New Delhi and act as Manshurats distributors here. Unlike in the past, no one has come from the Lahore-based Manshurat this time. So, the responsibility to run the stall has fallen on our shoulders, said Mohammad Shadab, Manshurats distributor in India.

Other Pakistani publishing houses which participated in the fair were childrens publications, Al Hasanat Books Pvt Ltd and National Book Foundation.

Reena Zariwala, a Gujarati housewife who happened to be in Delhi and visited the book fair, said: It is sad that Pakistan is practically missing from such an event, and as happens often, it does not realise it has lost an opportunity, she said.

Another visitor, Bhupinder Singh Kolianwali from Punjab, had turned up at the stall owing to his fascination for Pakistani serials that were banned following the terror attack in Uri.

A professor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that reading of books from across borders must be encouraged to diffuse the prevailing narrative of ignorance and hate.
A Federal Trade Commission attempt to rein in a poorly secured IoT device is raising questions over whether the U.S. regulator has the power to crack down on vendors suspected of shoddy practices.

On Thursday, the FTC filed a complaint against Taiwanese manufacturer D-Link Systems that charged the companys internet routers and web cameras can easily be hacked, putting consumers at risk.

But the FTCs complaint doesnt cite evidence that the products have been breached, only the potential for harm to consumers.

Thats among the reasons D-Link is contesting the complaint. Notably, the complaint does not allege any breach of a D-Link Systems device, it said in a statement.

"Instead, the FTC speculates that consumers were placed 'at risk' to be hacked, but fails to allege, as it must, that actual consumers suffered," the company said.

No harm, no foul? Thatll be a key question as a federal court examines the case, said Jeremy Goldman, a partner at law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz who specializes in digital law.

This usually doesnt happen. Most of the time, there is a settlement made with the FTC, he said. But with D-Link fighting back, there is a real question over the scope of the FTCs power.

The action comes as cybersecurity experts warn of the dangers posed by poorly secured internet-connected devices. Hackers can easily take them over to steal a consumers data or infect them to form botnets that can be used to take down websites.

The FTC said on Thursday it was very aware of the potential dangers, and so decided to sue D-Link, an alleged offender that produces wireless routers, web cameras and other products.

The FTC alleges D-Links promotional materials deceived consumers into thinking the products were secure, when they actually contained vulnerabilities. But no U.S. law defines what constitutes a secure router or web camera.

The FTC's approach is problematic, said Robert Graham, CEO of security firm Errata Security.

You cant really hold people accountable, when no one knows what the law is doing, he said.

Under the FTCs logic, any company, from D-Link to Microsoft to Cisco Systems, could be sued for promising security in their products but failing to address vulnerabilities, he said.

"Perfect security is impossible," Graham said. "The FTC is just applying arbitrary standards.

The FTC has been taking an aggressive stance in promoting better security standards under the Obama administration, said Goldman at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. The complaint against D-Link sends a warning shot at the IoT industry, he said.

Right now there are no U.S. laws that set the minimum level of security for these devices, he said. So the FTC is trying to fill those gaps in the name of protecting consumers.

But the commission still might face legal difficulties in holding D-Link accountable for its products.

"You have to show that the company's devices caused or are likely to cause substantial injury to consumers," he said. "That's where the battle is going to be."
One fisherman ws also injured when he was allegedly attacked by Srilankan Navy.

Rameswaram: Ten Tamil Nadu fishermenwere on Sunday were arrested and their boats impounded by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters.

While four of the fishermen belonged to the island town of Rameswaram, the others hailed from Jegadapattinam in Pudukottai district, Fisheries department officials said.

The fishermen from Rameswaram, who had ventured into the sea on Saturday were arrested near Katchatheevu this morning and were taken to Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka by the navy personnel, they said.

Those from Pudukottai district were arrested while they were fishing in Neduntheevu and were taken to Kangesanthurai port, they added.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Fishermen's Association General Secretary, NJ Bose said, "Nationwide protests will be held to condemn the continuing arrests of the state's fishermen, if the Centre fails to take steps to find an amicable solution to the problem."

On Saturday, a 34-year-old Tamil Nadu fisherman from here was injured when he was allegedly attacked by the Lankan naval personnel for fishing off Neduntheevu.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had on January 5 written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take up the issue of apprehension of the state's fishermen by Lankan Navy at the "highest diplomatic level," besides ensuring their safety and security.
Deposes as witness in 20-year-old case where Sainiks ransacked official bungalow.

Mumbai: Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Chhagan Bhujbal on Saturday was produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court where he deposed as a witness in a more than two decade old case in which members of Shiv Sena had attacked and ransacked his official bungalow near Mantralaya.

Bhujbal has been in judicial the custody after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him for his alleged role in a multi-crore scam.

After deposing before the court, Bhujbal requested the court to forgive (let off) the accused as he did not wish to pursue the case; however, as per the prosecution, Bhujbals request has no meaning in eye of the law because  despite being the victim  he is just a witness in the case and state is conducting the trial.

In his testimony, Bhujbal confirmed the incident but also requested the court to forgive the accused. He told the court that after Sena supremo Bal Thackerays health deteriorated, he withdrew his defamation case against him and Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana. Bhujbal did not identify any accused and told the court that these people (accused) had been coming to court for the last 20 years and he does not wish to pursue the matter.

As per our case Bhujbal was not expected to identify any of the accused because he was in another room when the incident happened and he had no occasion to see the attackers, said public prosecutor Rajendra Suryawanshi adding that the case of prosecution is intact. Bhujbal has narrated the incident and accepted that his official bungalow was attacked and ransacked. He was called because it was his bungalow which was attacked and there are other witnesses who had seen the incident, Mr Suryawanshi further added.

Bhujbal was brought to court at around 11.45 am and he deposed in Marathi. Initially he narrated entire episode on how he had parted ways with Shiv Sena due to differences with Bal Thackeray. In 1996-97 somebody had desecrated a statue of BR Ambedkar at Ramabai Colony in suburban Ghatkopar, following which Dalits came out on streets in protest but the police fired at protesters, resulting in death of 10 people and another 26 persons were injured.

The incident led to a blame game between the Shiv Sena and BJP-led ruling government. Bhujbal was opposition leader at that time. After the incident, an individual had claimed that desecration of the statue was done at the instance of Bhujbal and, on the basis of this claim, the Sena mouthpiece had published news on its front-page portraying Bhujbal as villain.

Justice Gundewar panel after conducting an inquiry gave clean chit to Bhujbal in its report and following this Bhujbal filed defamation case against Bal Thackeray and Saamana.

Due to the allegations some Shiv Sainiks attacked Bhujbals official bungalow A-10 but Bhujbal hid in another room and was saved and a case was registered against 11 persons including Shubhangi Valawkar, Manohar Salvi.

In a dramatic scene, when Bhujbal came out of the courtroom, the accused became emotional and waived at him, saying Jai Maharashtra. Bhujbal replied to this gesture, repeating their salutations.

Background of the case

Around 9.15 am on July 1997, Shiv Sainiks started gathering near Chhagan Bhujbals bungalow A-10 near Mantralaya. Around 10.30am the mob attacked Bhujbals bungalow from all sides. All doors of the bungalow were broken open and attackers smashed furniture, a telephone, and a photocopy machine. They also shredded files and set a bonfire of the debris on the main road in front of Mantralaya. The mob ran away when somebody shouted fire, fire. The police later registered a case against 11 Shiv Sainiks.
After the completion of MUTP III by 2021, Mumbaikars wont need to change trains to travel to far off suburbs.

An official said the project has scope to provide space for more passengers than MUTP I and II.

Mumbai: Mumbaikars travelling woes could end in the next five years. After the completion of Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) III by 2021, Mumbaikars wont need to change trains to travel to far off suburbs. The railways expects to accommodate 2.2 crore new passengers via the new corridors like Panvel-Karjat , Airoli-Kalwa and Virar-Dahanu. A total of 47 brand new trains are expected to be ready by 2021.

The MUTP III was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the city on December 25, last year. An official said, The project has scope to provide space for more passengers than MUTP I and II, which had accommodated 1.1 crore passengers.

The work for MUTP III will begin soon. An official on the condition of anonymity said, The current corridors cannot be increased, so these corridors are important for us. They will help in reducing the crowd as we anticipate that the offices and residences will grow around these areas. MUPT III will also decrease the pressure on the conventional routes of CST and Churchgate.

The total number of passengers that travel on both the Central and Western Railway has gone up by almost 74 lakh per day and the railways fears that the lack of alternate modes of transport will further saturate these corridors.

Prabhat Sahai, chief managing director, Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC), said that, The average number of kms travelled by one person per day had gone up from 28 km per day to 33 km between MUTP I and II. So we hope that this distance will increase further after completion of MUTP III.
One hopes that the next time the prime minister, the army chief and the intelligence bosses sit down to discuss security issues.

Karachi: In one of the most noticeable statements from Pakistans military leadership, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Bajwa has proposed that a people-centric approach based on local ownership should be adopted as far as securing the ongoing developmental activity and future trade in Balochistan under CPEC is concerned.

The army chief also acknowledged that the province has been unfortunately neglected in the past for a host of reasons but said that was not the case anymore. Gen. Bajwas thoughts, shared with an audience in Khuzdar, are significant, given that the army has been the senior partner in the running of state policies, including security affairs, in the province for a number of years now.

If the army chief is prepared to walk the talk and if the government, with a new dispensation at the helm of the army and its intelligence set-up which isnt hostile to it, feels empowered now to seize the initiative and roll out policy measures aimed at assuaging the pain of the Baloch, a new beginning can be made. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is supposed to bring in direly needed investment to the resource-starved ramshackle infrastructure of the country to boost growth in the economy, and eventually deliver its fruit to the people of Pakistan in the shape of more job opportunities, better standard of living, etc.

Therefore, if many voices that represent the Baloch people are expressing concern at the prospect of being marginalised and overwhelmed by the influx of the non-Baloch as CPEC takes concrete shape, then these concerns need to be looked at and addressed. That is why Gen. Bajwas view that a people-centric approach and local ownership is needed to realise the benefits of the huge investment in infrastructure and the resultant trade appears significant.

Just as the government, after making CPEC controversial among the three smaller provinces and almost alienating them, decided to include the chief ministers of Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in last months Beijing meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee to very positive effect, it should take the initiative to invite all significant voices expressing concern in Balochistan to sit around the table and address their misgivings.

One can understand the security establishments discomfort with leaders such as Brahmdagh Bugti who have now chosen to seek Indias help, which the Pakistani authorities believe is involved in fomenting violence in the province. At the same time, there are many, many Baloch leaders (and I am happy to talk specifics should someone be interested) who are still struggling for the rights of their people within the ambit of democratic conduct and the federation. These voices must not, under any circumstances, be allowed to become despondent.

Side by side with such a move possibly by the government, the military, for its part, needs to debate within the institution how far it is prepared to go to repair the damage done to national cohesion by the utterly mindless, roughshod policies pursued by some of its past leaders. The chain of events leading up to the transformation of Nawab Akbar Bugti, until then one of the iconic pro-Pakistan and pro-establishment figures in the province, into a rebel who took to the mountains and was killed fighting the military, are an abject lesson in how not to handle the Baloch and Balochistan.

Even after his killing, no attempt was made to apply the healing touch to the province and its poor yet proud people. Well before Indian involvement exacerbated the situation, the man described by his own Army colleagues as near-psychopathic, one Maj. Gen. Nadeem Ijaz, Musharrafs DG MI unleashed a reign of terror in Balochistan. Apart from his proximity to his relative Musharraf, there was no apparent reason why military intelligence was given the lead role in Balochistan areas traditionally seen as the responsibility of the Inter-Services Intelligence.

The idea here is not to dwell too much on the tragic, bloody past and a still uncertain present but merely to illustrate what may be needed to undo the damage done by callous state policies over the past decade and some. I have repeatedly written about the disastrous policies of use of non-state actors, most notably sectarian elements, to curb those seen as separatists.

The province is still reeling in the aftermath of that policy as characters such as Shafique Mengal are now openly identifying themselves with Lashkar-i-Jhangvi al-Alami and attacking the state itself. If one wasnt aware of all the sensitivities and sensibilities in the country and the institutions, it would have been easy to propose a general amnesty, and then a truth and reconciliation commission on the lines of the successful South African model headed by someone of the stature of Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

But no, it wont work. Pakistan has no tradition of such openness and many of those who have wielded power of life and death over fellow Pakistanis, and exercised it once too often, would obviously not like to be identified as most of their actions were from the comfort of obscurity. One hopes that the next time the prime minister, the army chief and the intelligence bosses sit down to discuss security issues they also have Balochistan on the agenda. I have had the privilege of having travelled in the beautiful province, falling in love with it and having many of its proud sons as friends.

If a foreign hand is indeed actually involved in fanning unrest, an iron-fisted security policy on its own wont be enough. It rarely ever is. While those who remain hell-bent on breaking the law need to have the book thrown at them (not snatched, shot and dumped), the rest need to see a sincere hand extended to them. This is not rocket science.

By arrangement with Dawn
Caste is a reality in our social life and politics is merely a reflection of our society.

The importance of Indian judiciary in bringing about important policy changes in various fields cannot be underestimated. And if the intervention is by the apex court, the Supreme Court of India, its impact is far more deep and wide. The past decade has witnessed several interventions by the Supreme Court on important matters of public importance ultimately resulting into legislations, most of which have been appreciated by the people at large.

When there is a ruling by the Supreme Court on matters of reforms in Indian elections and politics, it is welcomed by much more enthusiasm compared to any other reform. In 2002, it directed all candidates to file affidavit detailing their criminal antecedents, educational qualifications and details of their asset.

In 2003, the SC ruled that an elected representative would be immediately disqualified on conviction and sentence of more than two years. Then came NOTA (none of the above, a ballot option that a voter can choose to apply instead of giving their vote to any of the contesting candidates), which again was widely celebrated. The recent ruling of the Supreme Court declaring use of religion and caste as corrupt practice and call for disqualification of the candidate has certainly created some euphoria among the common man, but I doubt this would have the desired impact in bringing about reforms in Indian elections or nature of campaign.

The recent judgment by the seven-judge bench of the SC in a majority decision held that an appeal for votes during elections on the basis of religion, caste, race, community or language, even that of the electorate, will amount to a corrupt practice and call for disqualification of the candidate. The judgment says: Election is a secular exercise and, therefore, a process should be followed. The relationship between man and God is an individual choice and state should keep this in mind. The Supreme Court held in a majority judgment of 4:3. The court was interpreting the pronoun his used in Section 123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act. The provision mandates that it would amount to a corrupt practice if a candidate or his agent or any other person, with his consent, appeals for votes on religious or such grounds. The majority on the bench  the Chief Justice and Justices Madan B. Lokur, S.A. Bobde and L. Nageshwara Rao  interpreted that Parliament meant by his a complete ban on any referen

ce or appeal to religion, race, community, caste and language during elections. This meant the pronoun extended to the social, linguistic and religious identity of the voter also.

What this judgment does is only re-emphasise these rules/provisions, which is already there in Section 123 (3A) of the Peoples Representation Act, which prohibits use of religion and caste for political mobilisation and considers its use as illegal. It says, The promotion of, or attempt to promote, feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of the citizens of India on grounds of religion, race, caste, community, or language, by a candidate or his agent or any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of that candidate or for prejudicially affecting the election of any candidate has been declared as illegal under Representation of Peoples Act under section 123 (3A), which has never been taken seriously by candidates and political parties.

While we may find instances when charges may have been filed against candidates using name of religion or caste for mobilising voters, hardly any candidate have been convicted for that resulting in his/her being debarred from contesting election. The only name that comes to my mind is Balasaheb Thackeray who was debarred from contesting election and voting rights for six years in 1999. The ban was lifted in 2005 and he voted for the first time after that in 2007 Bombay Municipal election. While the new ruling of the Supreme Court will be a matter of discussion for some time in near future, I doubt this would have any significant impact on the nature of campaign on the ground.

While we could celebrate these reforms that are seen as efforts towards cleaning Indian politics, some did make an impact, but most of these reforms are merely lip service. Candidates have been barred from contesting elections in different states on various grounds, mainly on issue of not filing return about their expenses in election. However, we hardly have cases where candidates have been debarred from contesting election on other grounds. Disclosure has been celebrated and still being celebrated by common people but hardly any candidate has been debarred from contesting election due to false disclosure. There is hardly any check on the authenticity of the declaration. Similarly, the introduction of NOTA has been widely celebrated, but is there any after effect of that? What if large number of people voted for NOTA? Even if majority of voters opt for NOTA it may not affect the election result in that constituency.

In a multi-cultural society like India, with voters of varied religious belief, multiple caste identities, various languages and similar such identities with which people have strong affiliations, it is difficult to imagine how political parties and candidates would be able to reach out to their voters without any reference to the identity of religion, caste or language. This is much truer since in our multi-party democracy, various regional parties own their existence to having appeal amongst voters of particular caste or religion. Caste is a reality in our social life and politics is merely a reflection of our society. How can we expect candidates not mentioning caste when they raise issue of discrimination and make their commitment to fight such injustice? What may be desired is to refrain from attacking other religion and caste but not a blanket ban on candidates not using caste or religious appeal.
In office, Obama sometimes struggled to turn that poetry into the prose of governance.

Obama, just 47 at his 2009 inauguration, harnessed magisterial oratory to rally a diverse electoral coalition behind a message of "hope and change." (Photo: AP)

Washington: As Barack Obama prepares to leave office on January 20, here are nine things his presidency may be remembered for:

Making History

If historians were to write only one thing about Barack Hussein Obama, they would likely note that -- 143 years after slavery was abolished -- a young Illinois senator became the first black president of the United States.

Obama, just 47 at his 2009 inauguration, harnessed magisterial oratory to rally a diverse electoral coalition behind a message of "hope and change."

In office, Obama sometimes struggled to turn that poetry into the prose of governance. Racial tensions -- underscored by police shootings of unarmed black men and conspiracy theories about his birthplace -- persisted.

But the very fact of his election confirmed monumental changes in American society.

Too Big To Fail

Obama's first term in office was dominated by economic freefall.

A real estate crisis spawned a financial meltdown that torpedoed Wall Street banks and lenders, and was metastasizing into an economic crisis of global proportions.

Outgoing president George W. Bush and the Federal Reserve had kicked off the government's first panicked efforts at containment, but Obama faced down ideological opposition to large fiscal stimulus, extending government spending by $831 billion and providing ballast to the economy.

As he leaves office, the political and social aftershocks of that financial cataclysm are still being felt, but the economy has added jobs for 75 straight months.

'Justice Has Been Done'

"Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden."

With those words on May 2, 2011, Obama exorcised the anger and frustration of millions of Americans -- that the most powerful country on earth could not hold the man accountable for the 9/11 attacks.

The risky special forces operation was also illustrative of Obama's controversial drone-and-raid approach to counterterrorism. As he leaves office, Al Qaeda offshoots and affiliates remain potent, but their leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been decimated.

Legislative Toil

"It's one of the few regrets of my presidency -- that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better," Obama said in his final State of the Union address.

From the moment Obama was elected, Republics in Congress vowed to oppose him tooth and nail.

Efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and enact gun controls -- even after the massacre of young students at Sandy Hook, the emotional nadir of his presidency -- would fall victim to partisan rancor.

A Deal With A Half-Life

For more than two decades, the United States had rolled out sanctions and covert actions to prevent arch foe Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Obama tried a different tack, engaging in secret talks with the Islamic Republic.

That gambit ultimately yielded a deal that saw Iran halt its sprint toward a nuclear weapon, in return for substantial sanctions relief and a dollop of international legitimacy.

The pact would strain US relations with Iran's enemies Israel and Saudi Arabia, but prevented a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and defused tensions between Iran and the United States that have simmered since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

No Turnabout On Syria

No international crisis tested Obama's foreign policy or his high bar for US military intervention like Syria.

Even when Bashar al-Assad defied Obama's red line on chemical weapons use and killed countless thousands of civilians -- along with Russian and Iranian forces -- the man who came to office on an anti-war ticket rejected calls to step in.

Syria will likely be in crisis for years to come.

Critics will long argue about whether Obama's policy was sensible and to what degree his decision damaged America's reputation, allowed the Islamic State group to grow, fueled an immigration flow that destabilized Europe and allowed Russia and Iran to extend influence in the region.

Change The Climate

After the climate skepticism of Bush, Obama's eight years in office resulted in a tidal wave of environmental legislation, protecting marine ecosystems, curbing carbon emissions and boosting renewable energy.

In a bid to engrain environmentalism into America's body politic, Obama hiked Alaskan glaciers, snorkeled at Midway Island and rushed through ratification of the Paris Climate Accord.

But Obama's environmental agenda is likely to come under sustained assault from his successor, putting the durability of that legacy into question.

A Very Big Deal

Democrats had tried and failed for decades to provide Americans with universal health care. Obama wasn't quite able to do that but he extended insurance coverage to tens of millions of citizens who previously had none.

Republicans decried the "Obamacare" plan as socialism incarnate, at one point claiming it would even create "death panels." But they failed to stop it from passing. They may yet have a crack at repealing it under Donald Trump's watch.

Meet The Neighbors

Obama's trip to Cuba may be remembered in the same way as Richard Nixon's visit to China, but in truth it was the capstone of a much broader effort to improve US relations with Latin America.

Resurgent left wing populists in the region had rekindled past memories of "yanqui imperialism" -- US-led coups, death squads and heavy-handed intervention.

Barely 100 days after Obama took office, he told regional leaders at a Summit of the Americas that the United States had changed. The approach was to deny leaders like Hugo Chavez any excuses for sideshow anti-Americanism.

He shook Chavez's hand, met Nicaraguan firebrand Daniel Ortega and visited the tomb of a popular Salvadoran priest killed by US-linked death squads.

Obama alluded to "mistakes" in a coup that installed dictator Augusto Pinochet in Chile, released documents about involvement in Argentina's dirty war and, of course, visited Havana.
The Marines were among the first US forces sent to Afghanistan after the 2001 terror attacks in the USA.

The Marines will be deployed in Afghanistans Helmand province to help a NATO-led mission train Afghan forces.

Washington: Some 300 US Marines will head to Helmand province in Afghanistan this spring to help a NATO-led mission to train Afghan forces, the Marines said on Friday.

The move puts Marines back in Helmand, who left in 2014 as NATO withdrew its forces and let Afghan troops lead the fight against the Taliban.

They were among the first US forces sent to Afghanistan after the 2001 terror attacks in the United States. Several thousand were deployed in Helmand, an opium-producing region, where they engaged in a bitter combat with the Taliban insurgency.

The administration of outgoing President Barack Obama had hoped to withdraw most US military forces from Afghanistan by now, leaving behind just a small force.

But the United States still has some 8,400 military personnel in the country, and is now returning the Marines to Helmand.

At the request of US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the US forces in Afghanistan, approximately 300 Marines will be deployed to Helmand Province Afghanistan in Spring 2017 in support of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, a statement from the Marine Corps said.

The Marines will train and advise key leaders within the Afghan National Army 215th Corps and the 505th Zone National Police, it added.

Advising and assisting Afghan defence and security forces will assist in preserving gains made together with the Afghans, it added. The Afghan Army and the police are struggling in their fight against a resurgent Taliban.

In December General John Nicholson, the chief US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said Kabul directly controls about 64 per cent of the countrys population of 30 million, down slightly from 68 per cent earlier in 2016.

He said the Taliban have been especially active in Helmand province and are working opium with traffickers.

Afghanistan is the worlds largest opium producer. The UN estimates 2016 production at 4,800 to 6,000 tons, up sharply from 3,300 tons in 2015.
Gunman also served in Iraq, said government controlling my mind.

People lie prone to escape from gunfire as a police officer scans for threats at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. (Photo: AP)

Fort Lauderdale: An Army veteran who complained that the government was controlling his mind drew a gun from his checked luggage on arrival at the Fort Lauderdale airport and opened fire in the baggage claim area Friday, killing five people and wounding eight, authorities said.

He was taken into custody after throwing his empty weapon down and lying spread-eagle on the ground, one witness said.

People started kind of screaming and trying to get out of any door they could or hide under the chairs, the witness, Mark Lea, told MSNBC. He just kind of continued coming in, just randomly shooting at people, no rhyme or reason to it.

The gunman was identified as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago of Anchorage, Alaska, who served in Iraq with the National Guard but was demoted and discharged last year for unsatisfactory performance.

His brother said he had been receiving psychological treatment recently.

A law enforcement official said Mr Santiago had walked into the FBI office in Anchorage in November to say that the US government was controlling his mind and making him watch Islamic State videos.

Agents questioned an agitated and disjointed-sounding Mr Santiago and then called police, who took him for a mental health evaluation, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.

FBI agent George Piro, who is in charge of the Miami field office, confirmed that Mr Santiago had come into the Anchorage office and said he clearly indicated at the time that he was not intent on hurting anyone. Authorities said the motive for the attack was under investigation. Shortly after the shooting, and before details of Mr Santiagos mental health became public, senator Bill Nelson of Florida said that it remained to be seen whether it was terrorism or the work of someone who is mentally deranged.

Mr Piro said authorities are looking at leads in several states and have not ruled out terrorism. Were looking at every angle, including the terrorism angle, he said

At Fort Lauderdale, after he claimed his bag, he went into the bathroom and loaded the gun and started shooting. We dont know why, said Chip LaMarca, a Broward County commissioner who was briefed by investigators.
Mr Priebus said Mr Trump plans to order the intelligence community to make recommendations as to what should be done.

A file photo of US President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus. (Photo: AFP)

Washington: President-elect Donald Trump accepts the US intelligence communitys conclusion that Russia engaged in cyber attacks aimed at disrupting the presidential election and may take actions in response, his incoming chief of staff said on Sunday.

Reince Priebus, the former Republican National Committee chairman, said Mr Trump understands that Moscow was behind the intrusions into the Democratic Party organisations. He accepts the fact that this particular case was entities in Russia so thats not the issue, Priebus said on Fox News Sunday.

Mr Priebus comments marked a major shift. Mr Trump has repeatedly dismissed claims that the Russians were trying to help him, arguing that those charges are the product of his political opponents trying to undermine his victory.

It was the first acknowledgement from a senior member of the President-elects team that Mr Trump has accepted that Moscow was involved in the hacking and subsequent disclosure of Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential election.

In a statement on Friday after receiving his intelligence briefing, Mr Trump did not refer specifically to Russias role in the presidential campaign.

Mr Priebus said Mr Trump plans to order the intelligence community to make recommendations as to what should be done. Depending on those recommendations, actions may be taken, he said. He did not elaborate.

The top Republican and Democrat on the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on Sunday cast doubt on whether Russia can become an ally of the United States, an idea Mr Trump has embraced.

Republican Devin Nunes, chairman of the committee, said on Fox News Sunday he would like to see a US-Russia friendship but does not know if it is possible.

Adam Schiff, the committees ranking Democrat, said on CNN it would be great if Russia could be an ally, but, Its not realistic and we need to be clear eyed and sober about just what the Russians are about.

Mr Trump had condemned Russia critics on Saturday, calling those who oppose better relations with Moscow stupid people and fools in his latest Twitter tirade.

Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, he tweeted on Saturday. Only stupid people, or fools, would think that it is bad! When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now, he said.
The drills are seen as a show of strength by Beijing as its ties with the self-ruled island and the US deteriorate

Taipei: Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen left for the United States on Saturday, a trip that will be scrutinised by China, incensed by her congratulatory call to Donald Trump.

While the focus of the nine-day trip is to bolster relations with Taiwans Central American allies, Ms Ing-wens US stopovers will be closely watched amid speculation that she may make contact with the President-elect and his team.

She is to transit in Houston this weekend and return to Taipei via San Francisco next weekend.

The call with Mr Trump in December after he won the presidency upended decades of diplomatic precedent, in which Washington has effectively ignored Taipei in favour of Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold.

Since then, China has stepped up military drills near Taiwan, speculating that its sole aircraft carrier may pass through the Taiwan Strait during or shortly after Ms Ing-wens trip.

The drills are seen as a show of strength by Beijing as its ties with the self-ruled island and the US deteriorate. What China cares most about is whether Ms Ing-wen and Mr Trump will meet, said political analyst Liao Da-chi.

These are all warning signals to see how Taiwan will respond, as well as testing waters with the US, added Mr Da-chi, a professor at the National Sun Yat-sen University.

Beijing has asked Washington to bar Ms Ing-wen from flying through the United States airspace.

A transit is a transit, the Taiwanese leader told reporters last week, when asked if she would be meeting anyone from Mr Trumps administration.

The US President-elect himself appeared to have ruled out meeting Ms Ing-wn this trip, saying it is a little bit inappropriate to meet anybody until he takes office January 20.
The opposition parties had claimed that the bill was against national interests and should be withdrawn.

Kathmandu: Nepal government on Sunday tabled the Constitution amendment bill in Parliament to address the demands of agitating Madhesi parties amid protests by the main opposition CPN-UML and other fringe parties.

The bill was registered at the Parliament Secretariat on November 29, 2016; but the coalition government led by Prime Minister Prachanda could not table it owing to the continuous obstruction of the House by the nine-party alliance led by main opposition CPN-UML.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ajaya Shankar Nayak tabled the bill on behalf of the government.

The opposition parties had claimed that the bill was against national interests and should be withdrawn.

The opposition Lawmakers were standing in protest against the amendment bill while the minister was tabling it.

The bill aims to accommodate the demands of the agitating Madhesi and ethnic groups that include citizenship and boundary demarcation issues among others.

Re-demarcation of the provincial boundary and citizenship issue are the two major demands put forth by the Madhesis.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a six-month-long agitation from September 2015 to February 2016 in which more than 50 people were killed.

The agitation had also crippled the landlocked countrys economy as supplies from India were blocked.

The next Parliament meeting has been scheduled for Monday.
Accuses India of destablising region, calls for restraint.

Islamabad: Pakistan has handed over a dossier on Indias alleged interference in the country to new UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, urging the world body to play a role in restraining India from such activities, the foreign ministry said.

Pakistans Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi, handed over the dossier and a letter from the Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz to the UN chief here on Friday, the ministry said in a statement.

Pakistan has asked the United Nations to restrain India from interfering in Pakistan and from activities aimed at destabilising the country, the statement read.

It added the dossier contained additional information and proof on India and its intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wings (RAW) alleged interference in Pakistan and involvement in terrorism, particularly in Balochistan and Karachi areas.

This is a follow up to the three dossiers, which were shared with the United Nations in October 2015, the statement read.

In the covering letter sent with the dossier, Mr Aziz claimed that the arrest of Indian RAW agent Kulbhushan Yadav from Balochistan and his confessional statement, admitting involvement in activities aimed at destabilising Pakistan, and support to terrorist elements vindicated Pakistans long-standing position about Indias involvement in such activities.

Yadav was arrested in Balochistan in March last year for allegedly spying and carrying out terror strikes in Pakistan. India has acknowledged that Yadav had served the Indian Navy but denied his connection with the government.

Mr Aziz said India was carrying out these activities in clear contravention of the UN Charter and resolutions of the UN Security Council on counter-terrorism and international conventions on terrorism.

Indias hostile intentions towards Pakistan were borne out by the recent statements of its political and military leadership, he said.

Mr Aziz said Pakistan has made immense contribution in countering global terrorism, apart from registering significant gains in fighting terror at home.

This achievement has come at a great national cost, including the lives of thousands of civilians and security personnel. Indias actions threaten to undermine these gains, he said.

He urged the Secretary-General and relevant United Nations bodies to take note of the issue in light of the information shared by Pakistan and play a role in restraining India from carrying out activities, which are in clear violation of international law and pose a threat to regional and international peace and security.

Pakistan, he said, aspired for peace with all its neighbours, including India.

It is convinced that the common objectives of economic development and prosperity for our people can best be promoted through regional cooperation, conflict resolution and peaceful settlement of disputes. At the same time, however, Pakistan will resolutely defend its territorial integrity and take all necessary measures to counter any threat to its security, he added.
South Korea is expected to have a new administration following the impeachment of Park but Mr Abe demanded the accord be honoured.

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called on South Korea to remove a statue of a comfort woman which has reignited a diplomatic row over Tokyos wartime sex slavery. Tensions spiked on Friday when Tokyo recalled its ambassador over the statue which was placed outside its consulate in Busan last month. Japan argues it is against a 2015 agreement between the neighbours.

Japan has already paid $8.6 million as we sincerely fulfilled our obligation. I think its now South Koreas turn to show sincerity in an unwavering manner, Mr Abe said in a programme aired Sunday on public broadcaster NHK.

The plight of the women has marred relations for decades but the governments of Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye reached an agreement in late 2015 to finally resolve it.

Under that accord, which both countries described as final and irreversible, Japan offered an apology and a one-billion yen payment to surviving Korean comfort women.

South Korea is expected to have a new administration following the impeachment of Park but Mr Abe demanded the accord be honoured. It is a matter of national credibility to implement (the agreement) even if the government changes.

Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia including China, were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.

The statue in Busan was initially removed by local authorities after South Korean activists placed it in front of the Japanese consulate in the southern port city.

But after the Japanese defence minister paid homage at Yasukuni Shrine last month  a spot where senior convicted war criminals are honoured  Seoul allowed the activists to put the statue back up.
The cabinet approved an emergency plan by the Education Ministry to repair 50 schools in the eastern sector over six months.

Syrian regime forces flash the victory sign in the former rebel-held Sukkari district in the northern city of Aleppo. Photo: AFP)

Damascus: The Syrian government on Saturday decided a plan of works to restore services, industry and security to the war-ravaged northern city of Aleppo, state media reported.

Aleppo, split into a government-held west and rebel-held east since the early days of the almost six-year Syrian conflict, became a focal point of the war.

Months of fierce air strikes and siege on the eastern sector destroyed infrastructure, homes and hospitals before the government and its allies took control over the last remaining rebel pocket in late December.

The cabinet said it had a plan to secure electricity, water and fuel supplies, assess which buildings could be repaired, and open roads so citizens could lead normal lives, media reported.

The cabinet approved an emergency plan by the Education Ministry to repair 50 schools in the eastern sector over six months. By the start of the next academic year, it wants to have repaired 100 schools.

The plan also includes the rehabilitation of five health centres and two hospitals, as well as the renovation of Aleppos international airport and 18 km of train track.

Aleppo was Syrias most populous pre-war city and a commercial and industrial powerhouse, and the government said it also plans to rehabilitate industry.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "True mission is never proselytism but attraction to Christ," through "our own witness from a strong union with Him in prayer, adoration and concrete charity, which is service to Jesus present in the least of our brothers".

On the day that the Church dedicates to the baptism of Jesus, in his Angelus reflection the Pope stressed that "this feast makes us rediscover the gift and beauty of being a nation of baptized, that is, sinners saved by the grace of Christ, who have really entered, through the Holy Spirit, in the filial relationship of Jesus, with the Father, and welcomed into the bosom of Mother Church, in such a fraternity that knows no boundaries and barriers".

"Today - his words to the 20 thousand people present in St Peter - feast of the Baptism of Jesus, the Gospel (Mt 3,13-17) presents a scene that took place at the Jordan River: amidst the penitent crowd that advances toward John the Baptist to be baptized, Jesus is there too. Giovanni would stop Him saying, It is I who need baptism from you (Mt 3:14). The Baptist is aware of the fact that there is great distance between him and Jesus. But Jesus came precisely to bridge the gap between man and God: if He is all on the side of God, He is also all on the side of man, and brings together what was divided. For that reason, He asks John to baptize Him, in order to fulfill every justice (cf. v. 15), that is to say to realize the plan of the Father which passes through the path of obedience and solidarity with fragile and sinful man, the way of humility and of real closeness of God to His children. Because God is so close to His children, so close!".

"The moment that John baptizes Jesus, from the waters of the Jordan River, Gods Fathers voice is heard from above: This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased (v . 17). At the same time, the Holy Spirit, as a dove, lands on Jesus, giving launch publicly to His mission of salvation; a mission characterized by a humble and meek, servant style, that holds the power of truth, as Isaiah prophesied: He will not cry out, nor shout, nor make his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed* he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench. He will faithfully bring forth justice. A humble and meek servant.Here is the missionary style of the disciples of Christ: to proclaim the Gospel with gentleness and firmness, without arrogance or imposition. The real mission is never proselytism, but attracting to Christ, from the strong union with Him in prayer, adoration and concrete charity, which is service to Jesus present in the least of our brothers. In imitation of Jesus, good and merciful Shepherd, and animated by His grace, we are called to make our life a joyful witness that illuminates the path that brings hope and love. This feast makes us rediscover the gift and beauty of being a nation of baptized, that is, sinners saved by the grace of Christ, who have really entered, through the Holy Spirit, in the filial relationship of Jesus, with the Father, and welcomed into the bosom of Mother Church, in such a fraternity that knows no boundaries and barriers. May the Virgin Mary  he concluded  help all Christians to preserve an increasingly lively awareness and appreciation of our baptism and to follow faithfully the path opened by this sacrament of our rebirth. And more and humility, gentleness and firmness".

After the Marian prayer, the Pope recalled that he had baptized this morning, "I baptized several babies. Let us pray for them and for their families. And I would like to extend my prayers to all parents in this period that are preparing for baptizing their sons or daughters, or for whom, I have just done so. I invoke the Holy Spirit upon them, and on the children, so that this Sacrament, so simple and yet so important, is lived with faith and joy."

"I would also like to invite you all to join the World Network of the Popes Prayer Intentions, which even through social networks, spreads the prayer intentions that I propose every month to the whole Church. In this way, the apostolate of prayer continues to carry on and increases communion".
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Oversized watches are something most men have given some serious thought to on occasion. Like many of the appealing items adopted by fashionable gents over the years, their unique design was developed for purely functional reasons by men working under military or government contract for whom style was hardly a consideration.



Their enduring popularity, in many cases long after new technology or new ways of doing things has made them more or less obsolete, is a testament to the excellent design principles used in their original creation. And its worth keeping their historical context in mind before dismissing them as a mere fad  they have in fact been around for nearly a century.



To begin, we should clarify what the term oversized means  and what it does not. It does not mean, for instance, simply wearing a watch that is too big for your wrist. The name applies to a specific standard of case size in fine mechanical watches that are designed that way for a reason. However there is no one hard and fast number certified by a board of Swiss officials; to some, oversized may apply to any timepiece over 42mm in diameter, or 44mm, though personally we would peg it at 46mm and above.



At 46mm and above there can be no question at all that a watch is oversized, and only a certain number of men may feel they have either the requisite wrist radius or style chops to pull off such a sizable timepiece. For the fellow who is less concerned by trends than timeless design, however, an oversized watch of the right caliber can be a more powerful declaration of an affinity for fine mechanics, notes Paul Altieri, founder and CEO of Bobs Watches, the renowned pre-owned watch boutique and exchange site, as well as a hint that the wearer is ready for serious action.



That said action may be more likely to occur in a boardroom than during a covert military maneuver does not dilute the powerful presence such a watch can have. While the initial wave of oversized watches that were barely changed from the original military models ushered in a trend for outsized timepieces several years ago, that reversed itself in the past few years or so, but oversized watches are now experiencing a resurgence of sorts. You should be aware of these trends but by no means a slave to them.



Officine Panerai, original inventors of the military diving watches which were made with especially large cases, both for visibility and durability, is credited with popularizing the genre. Pilots watches by the likes of IWC were also made in oversized gauges for much the same reasons. Both have since made much smaller versions but still produce the larger sizes, in Panerais case up to 48mm. Indeed, IWC recently launched one of the largest watches in the world, a heritage example of its Big Pilot timepiece in a borderline-ridiculous 55mm.



You should consider your foray into oversized watches as an investment rather than a fad, which means its well worth shelling out enough money on a high-end model that will guarantee a return. However there are still a few relative bargains to be found. One final but vital point from Altieri: Dont make the mistake of thinking that your whole outfit has to be larger-than-life simply because youre wearing an oversized watch. If your wrist candy is truly investment-grade, have the confidence to let it do all the talking. A quiet, well-cut suit is the best backdrop for the stunning oversized watches weve selected here, though theyll look just as good with a glove-soft leather jacket:

Chotovelli Aviator Pilot Chronograph

Italian watch brand Chotovelli and Sons applies similar design principles to Panerais in a pilots watch. In the 1920s, Simone Chotovelli got his start by repairing and restoring antique mechanical and automatic watch movements, many of them originally designed for the military. In 2005, his grandsons came out with the first Chotovelli-branded timepieces, designed in homage to gauges on Italian-made fighter planes. The 47mm Aviator Chronograph packs serious style for the money.

$395.00 at Amazon.com

Shinola Runwell Chrono

Shinola has breathed new life into the American watch industry, though they are still a few years away from full manufacturing capability. In the meantime, their stylish timepieces, like the 47mm chronograph version of the Runwell, are an assuredly great deal for the price. Sporting one on your wrist says that you might not be rich but you know good style when you see it.

$750.00 at Amazon.com

Luminox Swiss Quartz Chronograph

Luminox, an American watch brand manufactured in Switzerland, outfits some of the worlds biggest badasses with their wrist gear  the Navy SEALS. When youre taking out a terrorist cell, fancy watch movements dont count for much, but knowing what time the choppers due to land and withstanding a grenade blast or two sure does. You cant beat the price on this 47mm number either.

$415.00 at Amazon.com

Citizen Eco-Drive Perpetual Calendar

Japans Citizen makes some of the best deals in the watch biz, and its Eco-Drive models employ some pretty neat tech too: they run off a battery recharged by a solar panel hidden under the watch face that can use either indoor or natural light. This blacked-out 47mm chronograph has all the bells and whistles, with stealth bomber looks.

$393.75 at Amazon.com

Scuderia Ferrari Aerodinamico Chronograph

You may never be handed the keys to a Ferrari, but that doesnt mean your wrist has to suffer a similar fate. This 46mm chrono is as racy as the tachometer on one of the marques famous supercars, and the Aerodinamico design is made to be sleek and speedy as well. Plus, the ventilated silicone strap echoes the design of the diffuser on the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 car.

$207.51 at Amazon.com

Oris Aquis Automatic Dive Watch

Oris has been making fine watches in Switzerland since 1904, and price-wise it has always positioned itself for enthusiasts who plan to actually use its timepieces for the purpose they were designed for, rather than mere prestige. The handsome 46mm Aquis automatic is a marvel, with 500 meter water resistance and three sub-dials for timing different dives.

$1,942.09 at Amazon.com

Related Readings

Best Watches Under $5,000

Best Watches Under $500

Best Watches Under $300

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John Wick And Jason Bourne Battle To The Death In Intense Mashup Trailer

Trending News: Watch John Wick Battle Jason Bourne In This Epic Fan Made Trailer

Quick Take

Screenwriters don't mind plucking superheroes out of their own universes and pitting them against another beloved superhero in an all out death match (Batman v Superman, anybody?)  so what not do that with action heroes?

YouTuber Stryder HD wondered: What if Jason Bourne, an ex-CIA agent with a slight problem remembering things, was responsible for the death of John Wick's wife? And what if John Wick had something to do with Jason Bourne's father's death? John Wick is, of course, the badass kill em' all assassin played by Keanu Reeves.

So, Stryder HD used some excellent editing skills and made an intense mashup trailer between the two, and it gets the heart racing, that's for sure.

"I am a huge spy/assassin movie fan and have been a huge fan of the John Wick franchise since it started a few years ago now," wrote Styder HD on YouTube. "Going back to James Bond, these movies have always intrigued me and millions of people all over the world. Here is something Id love to see come to reality, another famous assassin Jason Bourne going up against one of my favorites as of late John Wick. Enjoy everyone!"

Would LOVE to see this movie happen. Hollywood, you know what to do.

Drop This Fact

The most recent Bourne movie came out last summer and John Wick 2 will be in theaters on February 10.
By Dave Swain, Professor of Agriculture, CQUniversity Australia

CSIRO, CC BY

The cattle in northern Australia are different to the rest of the national herd and the most striking thing is they have humps. But these humped Brahman cattle are here for a reason: because they adapted to surviving where others cannot in harsh tropical environments.

Brahmans were first introduced to Queensland in 1933. Today the national beef herd is around 26 million cattle and Brahman genetics can be found in around 50% of the national herd. More than 70% of the bulls working north of the Tropic of Capricorn are Brahman.

Such has been their impact that, before you can leave Ausralias beef capital of Rockhampton, you are greeted with a giant statue of a Brahman bull, a tribute to the immense economic benefits it has delivered. In 2001 it was estimated that Brahman genetics had contributed an extra A$8.1 billion to the Queensland economy.

But its impact has been far greater than just dollars and cents. With the benefit of hindsight, we can now see that the great experiment of introducing these bloodlines into Australia laid down the ideal model of research and industry collaboration that all fields of science can still learn from today.

Like all great advances in human endeavour, it began with an insight, followed by a vision and then years of unrecognised and thankless toil.

Inspiration from Texas

In the 1920 the Australian veterinary scientist John Anderson Gilruth toured the United States and viewed the cattle at the Pierce Estate in Texas. According to Angus Packhams book of Cattle Breeding Research at Rockhampton, Gilruth said that a vigorously controlled cattle breeding experiment in north Queensland would be wise.

Gilruth later became the rst chief of the new division of animal health at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR was the precursor to todays CSIRO). There, he put forward a proposal to acquire Zebu cattle (Brahmans are a sub-breed of the Zebu species of cattle).

Wise indeed, but it took until 1933 for the first Zebus to be imported by CSIR on behalf of a handful of cooperating progressive pastoralists, even though most cattlemen did not see value in these humped feral cattle of inferior genetics.

The CSIRs animal geneticist Ralph Bodkin Kelley said at the time:

A cooperator refused to use a CSIR-installed cattle weigh-bridge and another stated that nobody was going to tell him how to breed cattle that were his.

Even then it wasnt until 1941 that Kelly was able to record that the most worthwhile experiment with respect to Zebu crossbreeding in Australia had begun. It was another decade before the property Belmont, north of Rockhampton, was purchased as a dedicated research property for cattle research.

Every scientist with a grand vision would appreciate these long thankless years. In fact, the CSIR Executive Board questioned:

[] whether anybody is cognisant of the very large number of major and minor diculties and problems, of husbandry and science, which will have to be overcome or solved on the ground before Belmont can become the centre of a beef cattle research programme of which CSIR can be proud.

Thankfully, things reached a tipping point, and this is where things get really interesting for designing future research collaborations.









CSIRO, CC BY





The Queensland herd

In 1965 less than 15% of the Queensland cattle herd contained Brahman genetics. By 1981 it was 60%.

That rise coincided directly with a rise in industry visitors to CSIROs research facilities at Belmont, which coincidentally or not, tracks a similar rise in the number of scientific papers published by the researchers.

Strong links with industry reected by ocial visitor numbers appears to have been vital in maintaining research momentum, helping to frame industry-relevant research questions and driving adoption of innovation by Queensland cattlemen.

Alas, amid government funding cuts and rationalisation of research activities, the CSIRO left Rockhampton in 2009. It consolidated its northern livestock program to Townsville, leaving the beef capital without a research presence.

The once crowded Rendel Research Laboratories were emptied, Belmonts pastures were used by private herds, and producers started looking elsewhere for inspiration.

A new approach

Despite the successes of the Brahman breed, the challenge facing the north Australian industry remains the same: identifying superior genetics that can thrive in harsh and remote environmental conditions with limited human intervention.

Case in point being the abysmally low fertility rates in some northern Australian herds, where 47% calving rates are normal, compared with the national average of 76%.

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) research also shows that the 25% of producers in the northern region (i.e. those operating profitably) are acutely focused on their genetics, their pastures and their labour efficiency. They achieve higher reproductive rates, lower mortality rates and heavier sale weights than the rest of the producers.

So the focus now is on engaging producers in the development of new automated monitoring systems to identify new genetics that will take the industry to the next level of productivity.

Systems have been developed that are capable of gathering data on individual animals and Belmont (now owned by farmer association AgForce) is again the touch point for industry.









CSIRO, CC BY





This allows our researchers to track in real time which cattle are reaching optimal markets weights the fastest, and which cows are most fertile, as well as the pasture and water availability.

If this sort of technology is rolled out across the industry, the data gathered will dramatically enhance analysis of industry-wide genetic linkages. Producers will be able to more accurately select from a larger number of bulls and cows which have detailed fertility records, and whose progeny will grow faster than their ancestors while consuming less pasture.

For the producer this means more beef produced per hectare, bolstering their bottom line and the nations export returns. For the consumer it means industry can select genetics that are known to produce tender beef. And for the environment it will reduce the amount of grazing pressure on ground cover and waterways.

But this will all remain just a scientists crusade if producers cant see the value in adopting new innovation. The key to that riddle is once again opening the doors to Rockhamptons beef research facilities and recreating that strong link between researchers and producers that proved so successful in the past.

The challenge for governments and the research community is to understand the value of investing for the long-term, riding out the dark and lonely days and the importance of engaging with end-users along the way.

Dave Swain receives funding from Meat and Livestock Australia and works for CQUniversity, he is a member of the North Australian Beef Research Council.

Originally published in The Conversation.
Be Cautious



Hi Sirenita



I've been to Havana it is a magical place!

I also know many cubans here in Au and most are lovely but the men are known to play around. As you know they do not earn much and are often looking for a way off the island. In saying this of course not all are like that but you have to be pretty lucky to find the 1 on holiday there. I personally know a few aussies who went through the lengthy process out of 5 couples only 1 has made it past the 5years.

1 who didn't make it even lived over there for a year to make sure she was doing the right thing but within months of him being here he had cheated. Cheating over there is not such a big thing it seems .it is more a way of surviving and getting what you can from as many people as possible. I would seriously not recommend even contemplating it. It is alot of money alot of time alot of stress and a massive culture shock when they do get here. Think $10000+ and it might not even work out.And that is before your travel expenses and supporting him and purchasing a flight for him and visas to go through countries to get here if it gets that far. As for the cuban gov. it is slightly easier now to leave cuba. it would just mean having a valid visa.There are always costs that the cuban consulate impose in au too. If a medical is needed they are not easy to get. There will be so many hoops to jump through and a few bribes to be paid on that side as well. Don't forget they will want to send money home to family its going to be a constant drain. If he did come out what perspective job would he do? would he need retraining ? English lessons? I know cuban musicians here and they are known players, I wouldn't want my partner a part of that scene. Think a few years of upheaval and bleeding money and you will get the idea. The chances of your heart being broken by him would be way higher then a man you would meet over here. Im sorry for such a dismal view but I really think you should cherish those memories and move on. He probably already has......., multiple times.
I'm about to apply for the 801 and besides all the information/documents that I put together that I need to upload with my application, I was wondering which are the specific questions that I have to answer at the moment of the online application for the 801?



Perhaps someone who has recently apply and remembers could tell which ones they are.





Thanks
Hi guys,



I'm an English teacher and hubby is a crane operator. I've had a look at Visa options and it looks like we could apply for a state sponsored visa based on my job. Anyway, my question to all you oracles is which way round should we do things? Should we try and find jobs first or apply for the visa first? I have to register with the Victoria teaching institution before being considered for any jobs but most job adverts state that applicants must have the right to work in Victoria.



I'd love to hear if anyone else had had similar dilemmas
After we buy a new car, we're all excited about the purchase so we don't really think about the money. Then, we become so used to our vehicles that we begin to see them as a whole and not give any consideration to the myriad of features they have.For instance, we see the dashboard with all of its buttons and think it's just that, a dashboard. In fact, it's a very complex assembly that required lots of individual parts, as well as someone putting them together. Not to mention somebody else who had to think of a way to do that.We could go back even further to design or even research and development, but we won't. We don't feel we have to. Seeing how complicated it is to put a car together is enough to leave us in awe.Watching this process (all 11 minutes of it) makes you realize just how important the production line is and why companies give it so much thought. If you've been paying attention to Elon Musk, he's been talking a lot about "the machines building the machines" and how they are pivotal to Tesla's ambitions to ramp up production to 500,000 units a year by 2018.Unlike Tesla , Mercedes-Benz has a long history behind it, which also means plenty of time to perfect every aspect. Despite that, the assembly line is still populated by workers, each manning their stations, each knowing exactly what they need to do. It may not be wartime, but the line does not stop, so everybody has to be at their maximum game.Or maybe they are at war - an economic one that, as it happens, Mercedes-Benz is actually winning. The Stuttgart-based company has become the world's best-selling premium brand this year, stealing the crown from its Bavarian neighbor, BMW , and the C-Class had a significant role to play.The compact-sized sedan is built at Daimler's factory in Bremen, as well as some other locations around the world, but in smaller numbers. Watch as the car starts to catch shape from a simple frame all the way to the quality inspection. No words, no explanations, just pure industrial magic at play.
8 January 2017 10:18 (UTC+04:00)

Udins, the Orthodox Christian community in the village of Nij, Azerbaijan`s Gabala district, have celebrated Christmas. The celebration took place at an ancient Albanian Church called Cotari. In his remarks, head of the Alban-Udin religious community, priest of the church hailed the conditions created by the Azerbaijani government for representatives of all religions, including Orthodox Christians, Azertag reported.

Local residents, who addressed the ceremony, said they have never encountered any discrimination or intolerance.

They praised the renovation of the Cotari church as a beautiful illustration of tolerance in Azerbaijan.

There are three churches and two mosques in Nij, which is home to 3,700 Udins. There are only 10,000 Udin people all over the world. Udins have preserved their language, religion and traditions for 2,500 years.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
8 January 2017 11:40 (UTC+04:00)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over the phone on Saturday about the developments in Syria and Cyprus, Anadolu reported.

Erdogan and Guterres swapped notes on the negotiation process in the divided island of Cyprus as well as the recent developments in Syria, the source said.

The Turkish president reportedly said Turkey supported a fair, permanent and comprehensive resolution of the Cyprus issue, which would satisfy both communities.

Erdogan and Guterres agreed the coming talks in Geneva could be an important opportunity for reaching a settlement.

Guterres also expressed his gratitude for Turkey's recent efforts towards finding a solution in the Syrian issue along with regional actors, as well as its efforts for helping refugees.

The Cyprus reunification talks will start on January 9 in Geneva.

Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akinci said last week the reunification referendum could be held in mid-2017 pending an agreement in Geneva.

If a deal is reached on territorial changes, negotiators are expected to announce a date for a final summit between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders and three other states involved in the process as guarantor countries: Turkey, Greece, and the U.K.

Reunification talks resumed in May 2015, and both sides have repeatedly expressed optimism that a solution would be found by the end of last year.

Once a final agreement is reached, it would be put to both communities in a referendum.

A UN-brokered peace deal was approved by Turkish Cypriots in 2004 but rejected by Greek Cypriot voters.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The Hill reports:

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox on Friday knocked President-elect Donald Trumps promise to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, reiterating that Mexico will not pay for that f wall. Be clear with US tax payers. They will pay for it, Fox told Trump in a tweet.

Reports emerged Thursday evening that Trump was coordinating with House Republican lawmakers to build the proposed wall using U.S. taxpayer dollars, despite his campaign pledge that Mexico would pay for the project.

Trump on Friday appeared to concede that American taxpayers would foot the initial bill for the wall. In a tweet blasting the dishonest media, Trump wrote that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later.
A virtual super-majority of high-profile fashion designers, including Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs and Sophie Theallet, have publicly refused to dress the incoming first lady Melania Trump. In contrast, Stefano Gabbana happily posted a photo of Trump wearing one of their dresses on New Years Eve dress, which retails for an obscene $2,995 at Saks Fifth Avenue, to his Instagram account, with the hashtags #DGwoman and #madeinitaly.

When being called out on Twitter for the fact that the gay D&G team took pride in the fact that the Trump wife wore one of their creations Gabbana fired back at the user, Dont call me gay please!! Im a man!!! Who I love its my private life.

This isnt the first time that D&G has shown its slef-loathing homophobic side. In 2015, he and his design partner, Domenico Dolce, faced a backlash after claiming that children of same-sex parents were children of chemistry, synthetic children. Uteruses for rent, semen chosen from a catalog in an interview with Italys Panorama magazine.

Dolce went even further, adding, I am gay, I cannot have a child. I guess you cannot have everything in life. Life has a natural course, some things cannot be changed. One is the family. Here is a hastag for Dolce & Gabbana #BoycottDolceGabbana

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Right before the Sundance Film Festival is set to begin, Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the worldwide rights to Call Me by Your Name, a gay love story directed by Italys Luca Guadagnino, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Call Me by Your Name is based on Andre Acimans novel of the same name and stars Armie Hammer as a 24-year old American scholar spending the summer of 1983 in Northern Italy, where he attracts the attention of a 17-year-old Jewish-American boy, played by Timothee Chalamet.

Guadagnino co-wrote Call Me by Your Names screenplay with James Ivory and Walter Fasano. The film also contains original songs written and performed by Sufjan Stevens.

In a statement, SPC said, Visually rich, stunning, deeply emotional and sensual, Call Me By Your Name confirms Luca Guadagnino as one of the worlds master filmmakers. It will be a privilege to bring the movie to audiences around the world.

The films rating isnt known yet, but the book involves several sexually explicit scenes that could raise the ratings boards puritanical hackles if they end up in the finished cut.

At this point there is no trailer available.

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It happened again, as we knew it would inevitably. This time, it was at an airport in Florida - by someone who had just got off a plane instead of trying to board one. The aftermath was five dead, eight wounded - and the shooter in custody.

President-elect Donald Trump said Friday's shooting was a "disgraceful situation that's happening in our country and throughout the world." He's right, of course, and that's about all you can say when one of these tragedies first strikes.

But pretty soon state and federal authorities will have a better idea of why 26-year-old Esteban Santiago erupted there and in that manner. The initial indication is that he had been receiving psychological treatment at his home in Alaska. But he was also a National Guardsman who had served in Iraq, and his family said he wasn't the same when he returned. Clearly, questions need answers.

But airport security has always been important in the age of modern terrorism. The threat evolved from hijackings to Cuba to something entirely different on 9/11.

We think we have the planes themselves fairly well-protected - unless a pilot wants to commit suicide, which is probably what happened with Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 in 2014.

We think we can prevent passengers from bringing weapons on board, though federal testers routinely slip fake guns past Homeland Security screeners to see if they will spot them.

In fact, this shooting seems to have occurred because Santiago was able to bring a pistol and ammunition on his checked luggage, which he then retrieved when he deplaned.

On the one hand, he got off at least 13 shots, which is 13 too many. On the other, authorities said the carnage could have been worse. Modern airports have lots of armed security, and Santiago was subdued fairly soon after the gunshots began.

Yet the very fact that he was able to stuff a gun and bullets into his suitcase shows another flaw in the ever-changing realm of airport security. One quick answer might be to call for tighter screenings. Yet passengers and airlines are already complaining that the current process is too burdensome. The last thing they want is another layer on the cake, even if it could make flying safer.

In 11 days all of this lands on the desk in the Oval Office, which will have a new president sitting behind it.

Is the answer privatizing airport security, since Trump rightly wants to trim federal spending? Maybe so. But while private security can be more nimble than a sprawling bureaucracy like the Department of Homeland Security, it can also be glaringly ineffective at times. If one of those occasions is the flight you are on, it's not a moot issue.

We'll soon find out if Trump and his team have some new answers to these old problems. Let's pray that they do.

----------------------

Thomas Taschinger, TTaschinger@BeaumontEnterprise.com, is the editorial page editor of The Beaumont Enterprise. Follow him on Twitter at @PoliticalTom.
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Police believe the killer of a German backpacker had detailed knowledge of the remote Co Antrim beauty spot where her body was dumped 20 years ago, it was revealed today.

Detectives investigating the murder of teenager Inga Maria Hauser have launched a fresh public appeal and published a detailed map, in a bid to identify all those with knowledge of the forest area where her body was discovered.

Officers said the location - in Ballypatrick Forest in north Antrim - is known to have been used at the time by people who rented forestry plots, Forestry Service employees and sub-contract labourers and turf cutters.

Previously one of the main lines of inquiry had been that Inga Maria might have been murdered by a lorry driver who picked her up as a hitchhiker.

The German 18-year-old travelled to Northern Ireland on April 6, 1988, arriving in Larne on a ferry from Scotland. Her body was discovered on April 20, 1988. Police believe that she died shortly after she arrived in Northern Ireland, having been subjected to a vicious and ruthless assault.

Detective Superintendent Raymond Murray today said: "On the 20th anniversary of Inga Maria's murder, police are publishing a map of the precise location where her body was found and a photograph of this location. Our inquiries lead us to believe that whoever killed Inga Maria and left her body in Ballypatrick Forest was familiar with that particular remote part of the forest. We need to talk to anyone who would have had such a knowledge prior to April 1988 - whether through their work, or if they rented forestry plots there or any had interest in that area."

He added: "There have been significant scientific advances in recent years in criminal investigation and detectives from the PSNI's Serious Crime Branch are using a number of processes to further our inquiries."
Outgoing US president Barack Obama will return to the Republic of Ireland once he has left the White House, Washington's ambassador in Dublin said.

Kevin O'Malley said Mr Obama had asked him to tell the people of Ireland he would return to the country once he had left office.

Like millions of Americans, Mr Obama has Irish roots - something he celebrated on a visit in 2011 when he supped a pint of Guinness at a pub in his ancestral homeland Moneygall.

Mr Obama's great-great-great-great-grandfather was a shoemaker in the rural village and his son, Falmouth Kearney, left for New York in 1850.

Mr O'Malley, whose tenure as ambassador will also end when Donald Trump enters the White House, said Mr Obama told him he would be coming back to Ireland - possibly later this year.

"The last sentence that the president said to me on Wednesday of this week when we were saying goodbye was 'please tell them I'm coming'," he told RTE Radio 1.

"So I think that's the president's way of saying informally that you will probably see him again and my guess is in the coming year or so."

The ambassador refused to be drawn on reports that the president-elect has appointed his friend, businessman Brian Burns, for the Dublin post.

"I read the same reports that you read," he told the Marian Finucane Show.

"The president-elect hasn't consulted me on this issue, nor probably should he.

"All I would say is that there are always a lot of names floating around. This is a very sought-after post. People, especially Irish-Americans, are thrilled to come here."
A Garda spokesman confirmed that they are investigating all aspects of the sudden death.

Gardai are investigating if a criminal shot himself in the head by mistake while sitting in a stolen car en route to a potential gangland hit.

Glen Clarke, a father-of-two, was discovered unconscious with a single gunshot wound to his head in the vehicle - which had been fitted with false plates - in the Riverdale Estate in Leixlip, Co Kildare on December 2.

The 26-year-old was found at 1.30am and brought by ambulance to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown where he subsequently died from his injury.

Gardai in Co Kildare initially believed that he had died by suicide after discovering a handgun in the footwell of the silver Vauxhall Zafira.

However, a senior source has told the Irish Independent that detectives now believe he shot himself by mistake.

The Sunday Times today reports that Clarke had purchased a can of petrol shortly before his death and one theory being investigated is that he was on his way to carry out an assassination on behalf of the Kinahan crime cartel.

The gun has undergone ballistics test to establish if it was used in any previous crimes. The car had been stolen in Blanchardstown in October.

Clarke, from Cabra in Dublin, was known to gardai but was not considered a major criminal.

A senior source said: "This case was always regarded as an unusual one. He was discovered in a stolen car in a private estate.

"It is highly likely that he was going somewhere. If he was there before carrying out a hit then gardai are very anxious to establish who was at risk.

"At the moment gardai have not identified who the target was and this is something they are very keen to do."

The source added that the death was "most likely" an accident.

Detectives have been unable to identify any potential targets in that specific estate and believe it is far more likely that a potential victim was in Lucan or another nearby area.

On December 22, Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan was shot dead outside his home in St Ronan's Drive Clondalkin.

It is believed that Kirwan was shot dead because of his close friendship with Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch.

He was the 11th victim of the Hutch/Kinahan feud.

A Garda spokesman confirmed that they are investigating all aspects of the sudden death.

Gardai have appealed for anyone with information about Clarke's death to contact them in Leixlip on 01-6667800.
Seventy six thoroughbred horses have been flown to Beijing in the largest ever single export of Irish racing bloodstock to China.

The animals transported in the three million euro airlift have all been purchased by Chinese businessman Zhang Yuesheng.

The transaction has been hailed as a major leap into the lucrative Chinese market. To date, over 90% of thoroughbreds imported into China are sourced from Australia and New Zealand.

The horses were bought from Irish breeders on behalf of Mr Yuesheng by Kildare-based bloodstock agency BBA Ireland.

They were flown in a Boeing 747 cargo plane from Shannon airport. They travelled with a team of professional flying grooms and a vet, with 30 handlers on the ground involved in the three-hour process of loading the animals at Shannon.

On arrival the horses were transported to stables where they will go into training in China before debuting in Chinese races.

BBA Ireland worked in conjunction with the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM), the not-for-profit, government-backed company that promotes Ireland as a leading source for the production and sale of quality thoroughbreds worldwide.

Declan Murray, managing director at BBA Ireland, said: "This is really good business for the Irish equine industry, not least for small breeders from whom most of these horses were purchased.

"Many of these horses might not have met the high standards of the Irish and European market but they are still of a higher standard than the average horse currently racing in China.

"So Irish breeders get a good price for horses they might not otherwise have got, the industry here further develops the emerging Chinese market and China gets a higher quality race horse. Everyone wins with this."

Chief commercial officer for Shannon Group, which operates Shannon Airport, Andrew Murphy said: "We are well used to 'firsts' at Shannon but having a record airlift of Irish horses to China from here was very exciting for all concerned.

"BBA Ireland are experts in this market and we are delighted to be working with them. We also have considerable experience and expertise over the years in handling this type of precious cargo through sizeable equine lifts for some of the Irish larger stud farms that have horses going to the United States, Middle East and onto Australia."
Donald Trump tweeted that he is looking forward to meeting Theresa May in Washington in the spring (AP/Evan Vucci)

Boris Johnson has held talks with senior members of Donald Trump's team as the Government seeks to strengthen its links to the US president-elect before he takes office.

The Foreign Secretary met Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and the president-elect's chief strategist Steve Bannon after flying to New York on a hastily-arranged trip.

Mr Johnson will also meet key Republicans in Washington.

The meeting came after Theresa May condemned Mr Trump's comments about groping women as "unacceptable" but indicated the special relationship between the UK and US would flourish when he was in the White House.

Mrs May, who is expected to meet Mr Trump in the spring, said she has had two "very good, positive" conversations with Mr Trump.

But challenged about the 2005 tape recording of Mr Trump bragging to TV host Billy Bush about women and how he could "grab them by the pussy" because of his celebrity status, Mrs May was blunt in her response.

Asked "as a woman" how she felt about the comments, Mrs May told Sky News: "I think that's unacceptable, but in fact Donald Trump himself has said that and has apologised for it.

"But the relationship that the UK has with the United States is about something much bigger than just the relationship between the two individuals as president and prime minister.

"That's important, but actually we have a long-standing special relationship with the United States.

"It's based on shared values and it is a relationship where, actually in the UK, we feel we can say to the US if we disagree with something that they are doing."

The status of the transatlantic relationship has been the subject of intense scrutiny since Mr Trump won the US presidential election in November.

That interest has been partly fuelled by the president-elect's apparent close relationship with the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage and the fact both Mrs May and Mr Johnson have been critical of the tycoon's comments in the past.

One controversy followed the president-elect's comments about parts of London being no-go areas for the police.

Mr Johnson said then: "The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump."

Mr Johnson's visit followed talks between the Trump camp and Mrs May's closest advisers Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill.

Mr Trump has tweeted that he was looking forward to meeting the Prime Minister in Washington in the spring, describing long-time US ally Britain as "very special".

A date for the meeting is yet to be revealed, but it is expected to come within weeks of Mr Trump's inauguration on January 20.

Mrs May said: "I have had two very good, positive conversations with Donald Trump already - I think we are going to look to build on that relationship for the benefit of both the US and the UK.

"I think that is something that is optimistic and positive for the UK for the future."

Mr Johnson's US visit will also see him meet key figures in Washington including House Speaker Paul Ryan and senators Bob Corker and Mitch McConnell.

A Foreign Office spokesman said the visit followed a successful meeting last month between the Prime Minister's chiefs of staff and Mr Trump's team.

"The discussions will be focused on UK-US relations and other foreign policy matters," the spokesman said.
The shoot-out took place in Riyadh

The man who planned a suicide bombing in July outside the mosque where the Prophet Mohammed is buried was one of the two extremists killed in a shoot-out with police in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour al-Turki said Taie bin Salem bin Yaslam al-Saya'ari was killed on Saturday by police in the capital's northern Yasmeen neighbourhood.

The July 4 bombing outside the Medina mosque killed four Saudi security force members and wounded five.

Millions of Muslims from around the world visit the mosque every year as part of their pilgrimage to Mecca.

The same day, separate suicide bomb attacks targeted a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia and the US Consulate in Jeddah.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Mr al-Turki's comments early on Sunday.

AP
With Fridays show, Matt Lauer has officially been an anchor for the Today show for 20 years. Over the years, Matt has made us laugh, cry, and gasp like no other television host in the business.

From his first days as an co-anchor alongside Katie Couric  who happens to be back this week filling in for Savannah Guthrie, who is on maternity leave  to his recent stretch alongside Savannah Guthrie, Matts seen and done it all on the show. Today made sure to have a celebration for Lauer to commemorate this milestone and record-setting run.

So many high points and so many low points, Katie teased as the show opened. Im just so excited to celebrate you.

As Matt told her earlier this week, the time hes spent covering breaking news, traveling the world and interviewing dignitaries and celebrities alike has simply flown by.

But that means its a good thing, he explained. That means its been fun and interesting and challenging, and it all started with you in 1997.

Everyone has something they love about Matt, and after a flashback to his best moments aired on the show, the whole gang  including Savannah and Dylan Dreyer, whove been out on maternity leave  showed up on the plaza to cheer him on.

Matt is known for tackling tough topics with ease and grace while also having fun during lighter moments.

Through the years, Matt has taken on covering everything from the Sandy Hook Shooting, Hurricane Katrina, and interviews with Lindsay Lohan, Kanye West and Tom Cruise. He has taken stories across the ocean, including speaking with British Princes Harry and William and his Where in the World is Matt Lauer series.

During his 10 year celebration, Miss Piggy from The Muppet Show popped out of a cake to surprise Matt, and serenading him and giving him a kiss. Matt first joined the Today show on January 6th, 1997.
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It can be tough to be a vegetarian. You have to work harder than everyone else to make sure youre getting all the nutrients your body needs. So, when its time to take a
Astrological Significance Of This Vaikunta Ekadasi Day Faith Mysticism oi-Lekhaka

"If you need dramatic results in your material wealth, you will have to go to Vishnu. He is the God of Wealth and Material Prosperity. Vishnu readily gives boons to people who come to him."- Dr. Pillai

This Vaikunta Ekadasi is very rare and unique, as this falls when the planets Mercury and Jupiter will exchange their strong signs, forming an auspicious yoga (Parivarthana Yoga), which occurs once in 12 years.

This exchange between Mula Trikona signs is considered stronger than the exalted position in Vedic Astrology - it is an optimal day for spiritual awakening and money miracles.

Your actions to obtain material wealth through strategic and smart action are enhanced when Mercury is placed in the sign Sagittarius, the house of Fortune ruled by Jupiter - the planet of wealth, and Jupiter in turn is placed in the sign of Mercury (Virgo), which represents intelligence and smart thinking.

LIVE at 6.00 AM on 08th Jan, 2017

Astrology Significance of The Vaikunta Ekadasi Day

On this day, the Moon will be in Bharani star, ruled by Venus and sharing a sign with Ketu and Mars. The star Bharani represents the cycle of creation (birth) and dissolution (death). On this day, annihilate your pessimistic thoughts about money and sow the seeds of prosperity. A strong intent to do so will become fruitful on the powerful day of this star.

Planet Mercury, presided over by Lord Vishnu, will be in the 9th House from the Moon, activating this planet to shower enhanced blessings of fortune. Worshiping Lord Vishnu in the form of Vaikuntanathar is auspicious to get your boons granted. He is the protector of the universe.

BENEFITS OF ASTROVED'S SPECIAL VAIKUNTA EKADASI CEREMONIES

According to the scriptures, Vaikunta Ekadasi is the only day of the year when Vishnu gives you access to his Celestial abode Vaikunta, where Goddess Lakshmi resides with Vishnu in abundance and prosperity. AstroVed has created a sacred Vedic ritual package for you to connect powerfully with Vishnu and petition him to bring you wealth.

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Story first published: Sunday, January 8, 2017, 9:00 [IST]
James Robert Jimmy Hodge, Jr., 70, formerly of York, passed away on Friday, January 6, 2017 in the Lebanon V. A. Medical Center.

A viewing will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 followed by funeral services at 12:00 p.m. in the Ewing Brothers Funeral Home, 630 S. Hanover St., Carlisle, with Rev. Vearnol Hazel officiating. Burial with military honors will be private at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Annville. Please visit www.Since1853.com to send condolences or to view a full obituary.
HARRISBURG  Animal rights activists disrupted Gov. Tom Wolf's speech during opening ceremonies at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

Activists yelled, "It's not food," and held signs inside the farm show complex in Harrisburg on Saturday.

Pennsylvania State Police removed the protesters.

Rachel Ziegler, founder of the Harrisburg chapter of the group Direct Action Everywhere, said 12 members of the group were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.

The group also protested at last year's opening ceremony.

The 101st edition of the farm show opened to the public Saturday. It features nearly 6,000 animals and more than 10,000 exhibits.

The farm show runs through Jan. 14.
It is a natural human tendency to want all good things to go together and all bad things to go together. Thats why we dont like hearing that Hitler built great roads and was kind to animals, or that Mahatma Gandhi could be petty and nasty. In other words, we hate hearing good things about our villains and bad things about our heroes.

This sort of thinking is downstream of tribalism. The essence of tribal thinking boils down to: The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the friend of my enemy is my enemy.

Politics has its own kind of tribalism as well, bending facts and principles to partisan loyalties.

The clearest sign that one has given over to a kind of tribal partisanship is when someone  or whole groups of people  cannot countenance inconvenient truths.

In the 1990s, for example, feminists had laid down a series of arguments about sexual harassment. Then Bill Clinton got in trouble. Rather than maintain the principles theyd been asserting or acknowledge the facts they found regrettable, they rallied to Clintons defense. In their rush to help him, they left behind the baggage of their credibility.

Which brings me to Julian Assange and the issue of Russian hacking.

Donald Trump and many of his supporters are having a hard time acknowledging the following: Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is an avowed enemy of the United States who has openly admitted  and acted on  his animosity toward America. A onetime TV host for Russia Today, a Vladimir Putin-directed propaganda network, he is if not in the employ of Russia than objectively in service to it.

The government of Russia, through surrogates and proxies, meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, much as it has done in numerous other countries. The Russians used WikiLeaks as a very effective tool for their mischief. That mischief probably had some effect on how the election played out. Russia, under Putins authoritarian rule, seeks to undermine the legitimacy of American and Western democracy and to weaken NATO.

Democrats and many people in the media are having a hard time admitting the following: All of the election-related documents leaked to and by WikiLeaks have been authentic and pertain to legitimate issues for news organizations to explore. Much of the evidence for Russias meddling may in fact be circumstantial or hard to prove unequivocally.

The appointed leadership of the U.S. intelligence community, under Barack Obama in particular, has been politicizing intelligence (downplaying ISIS and Islamic terrorism generally, hyping the extent of al-Qaidas degradation, soft-peddling Irans intentions, etc.). Skepticism toward what they say on the way out the door is warranted (though perhaps not in the way Trump has expressed it). Even if Russia meddled in the election, Trump was legitimately elected.

Now, I consider all of these things to be true. But that leaves me  and many like me  in the middle of a partisan shooting war.

Trump and his subalterns have found themselves in the position of rehabilitating Assange as some kind of heroic truth-teller, because they feel it necessary for political reasons.

In 2010, Sarah Palin rightly described Assange as an anti-American operative with blood on his hands. This week, she apologized.

In 2010, with a bit of hyperbole, Newt Gingrich declared: Julian Assange is engaged in terrorism. He should be treated as an enemy combatant. This week, Gingrich told Sean Hannity (one of Assanges most prominent fans these days) that Assange is a down-to-earth, straightforward interviewee.

In 2010, Michael Moore put up $20,000 for Assanges bail  hed been charged with rape in Sweden  because there is a concerted attempt to stop ... anybody that is trying to do the job of telling us the truth. Now, Moore says Trump has no right to be president because of Russias use of WikiLeaks truth-telling.

The Huffington Post was initially enthralled by WikiLeaks, running pieces with such headlines as Let Us Now Praise WikiLeaks. Now, the Huffington Posts hyperventilating threatens to suck the oxygen out of the atmosphere.

Of course, people are allowed to change their minds when new facts present themselves. But those facts should be relevant.

The problem is that the most pertinent facts  about Assange, Russia, etc.  have not changed. The only truly relevant new fact is that Assange is a useful tool for Republicans, and all other facts must be bent  on the left and right  to fit that new reality.
The Citizens' Assembly is meeting again today, to hear from more experts on the issue of abortion laws in Ireland.

The group will make a recommendation in the coming months, on whether or not a referendum should be called on repealing the Eighth Amendment.
In the UK - an Israeli embassy official has been secretly filmed saying he wants to "take down" a British Foreign Office minister.

Senior political officer Shai Masot was recorded saying Alan Duncan (pictured) was causing "a lot of problems".
Update at 10pm: An armed man who took hostages at a bookmakers has been arrested.

Northumbria Police said they were called to the Coral bookmakers in Grange Road, Jarrow, following a report of a man in possession of a firearm.

The force said the incident was brought to a close by officers using a "less lethal weapon", which locals said was a Taser.

Four hostages are thought to have been taken by the man inside the shop. Local people said they watched as three were released but police continued to negotiate for the release of the fourth until the stand-off ended.

Social media users said the noise of shots was heard just before the end of the stand-off.

A force spokesman said: "At 8.44pm police negotiated the safe release of the fourth person from inside the premises then, at 8.53pm, the man in possession of the weapon was arrested by officers.

"A firearm has been seized by officers and the 39-year-old man will be taken into police custody.

"A police issue 'less lethal weapon' was discharged during the incident in order to bring this matter to safe conclusion - this was the 'shots' that people may have heard.

"Nobody has been injured during the incident.

Update at 9pm: In the UK, armed police are surrounding a bookmakers in Tyne and Wear where it's reported one person has been taken hostage by a gunman.

Residents have posted images on social media of the betting shop windows being blanked out with newspapers.

At least four police cars have surrounded the building in Jarrow.

It is believed to be a failed robbery.
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LAHORE: A fresh spell of westerly waves will bring rain right from the Northern areas to the plains of Punjab from...
Missing Canberra man Robert Kulczycki, also known as Robert Amess, 46, has been found safe and well.

ACT Policing said they held concerns for Mr Kulczycki's welfare after he went missing on Saturday, January 7. He was found on Sunday.
Todd Bulkeley found himself the centre of attention at Summernats Central Park on Sunday morning.

While the 38-year-old from Lithgow stood out as one of the few entrants in the people's choice section in a wheelchair, his immaculate 1969 Datsun 1600 SSS was the real star.

Todd Bulkeley, 38, of Lithgow, has had a passion for Japanese sports sedans since before the accident that left him a paraplegic 19 years ago. He has fitted hand controls to his Datsun 1600 SS coupe so he can drag race it next year. Credit:David Ellery

A 15-year labour of love, the rare Japanese sporting sedan ranks just behind wife, Kristy, and children, Carly, 11, and Tyler, 6, in his affections.

"We finished it on Wednesday night," he told Fairfax. "It was on the truck to Canberra at 4am on Thursday morning."
By many measures, counterfeiting is one of China's leading industrial sectors. A study by the US Chamber of Commerce found that it brings in about $US396 ($543) billion annually, representing some 12 per cent of China's total exports and 1.5 per cent of its gross domestic product. Last year, when just one Chinese province decided to crack down, it shut 417 "manufacturing and sales locations" with stock worth more than $US200 million.

Alibaba isn't keen to be associated with this motley group. But like Amazon.com, eBay and other online marketplaces dependent on Chinese manufacturers, it has struggled to maintain its integrity against an onslaught of counterfeiters. Without an aggressive crackdown by China's government, these marketplaces won't stand much of a chance against the fakes.

That's an unseemly place for a publicly held company: Other members include a Chinese shopping mall that specialises in counterfeit leather goods and a Paraguayan border market rife with organised crime that hawks everything from fake Ray-Bans to knockoff DVDs.

It's hardly a happy new year for Alibaba Group Holding. Just before Christmas, the US Trade Representative added Alibaba's Taobao e-commerce site to a list of "notorious markets" that traffic in counterfeits.

This large-scale criminal enterprise has surprisingly staid origins. The global outsourcing boom that started in the 1980s brought foreign factories and expertise to China. Workers at those factories excelled at making iPhones and other consumer goods, but also learnt how to knock them off.

These days, it's not unusual for a new product to face counterfeit competition in China within days of its release  or, in the case of the iPhone 6s, days before its release. In some instances, as with last year's hoverboard craze, the knock-offs proliferate so quickly that the original patent and brand owners are forgotten in favour of generic "made in China" versions.

This parallel economy is no secret. Last year, Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma bluntly told a gathering of retailers that counterfeiters use exactly the same factories and raw materials as legitimate manufacturers. Local governments tend to look the other way  or worse. A 2009 diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks reported that China's economic downturn at the time was weakening efforts to enforce intellectual-property protections. In one passage, it described how Apple's effort to shut down a MacBook counterfeiting line was rebuffed because it would threaten "100 local jobs."

That's pretty sizeable for a knockoff operation. I've visited counterfeit iPhone "manufacturers" in Shenzhen that consisted of only a handful of family members. They would expertly assemble parts into reasonable facsimiles for sale via online marketplaces such as eBay, Lazada and Taobao. Though none of these marketplaces welcome counterfeiters, they do welcome small Chinese manufacturers  and distinguishing between the two is often difficult.

Amazon, for instance, has tried to fight off a growing problem with fakes, but in doing so has risked disqualifying legitimate small retailers, who use the site to sell everything from paper clips to pillow covers directly to consumers worldwide. Such entrepreneurs reduce costs for customers and constitute an important and fast-growing segment of Amazon's online marketplace.
Years before becoming a top cancer specialist, Eric Winer used to save money on his own medical care by talking US pharmacists into giving him expired treatments for free.

Winer, who has haemophilia, knew the drugs would still work for a brief time after the official use-by date. The young physician was trying to stay within his insurer's spending limit and avoid having to pay out of pocket. Decades later, he recollects that anxious time as he tries to make sense of the soaring prices of drugs for his own cancer patients.

Cancer drugs are the most expensive on the market but drug companies are resisting pressure over high prices. Credit:Fairfax

"Cancer is just viewed differently in our society," said Winer, 60, who is chief strategy officer and director of the Breast Oncology Centre at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. "It evokes more fear. And somehow, I think the manufacturers of these drugs are able to take advantage of that in terms of the prices they set."

That cancer angst, combined with prices that have surpassed $US200,000 ($275,000) a year for revolutionary new treatments, is poised to give oncology medicines the biggest share of the $US519 billion ($712 billion) global pharmaceuticals market this year, eclipsing drugs for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases for the first time. And while drug makers claim the revenue will propel innovation, the costs are stoking patients' distress and creating a rift between manufacturers, health authorities and payers in many markets.
He's done the rounds of angel investors and venture capitalists and John Kelly has some words of advice for the Turnbull government: putting all your eggs in the venture capital basket for ensuring more Australian biotech outfits commercialise their technology locally is not the way to go.

In December, the government finalised $500 million to be invested via three venture capital funds aimed at getting biotech discoveries to market, with the government putting up $250 million, which is to be matched by private investors.

John Kelly of Atomo Diagnostic.

Quite apart from the doubts that there are sufficient projects locally to absorb this volume of funding there are also deep question marks over the calibre of management in the sector given the lack of international success seen to date.

"To put all of your eggs into one funding model is short-sighted," says Kelly, the founder of Atomo Diagnostic, which has won the backing of the Gates Foundation. It decided Atomo's diagnostic devices are so cutting edge, it wants a slice of the equity.
KCR  BJP      : -      ;       
Health Minister Sussan Ley has stood down from the frontbench following controversy over her taxpayer-funded travel but says she is confident she will return to the ministry when investigations are complete.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced on Monday that the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Martin Parkinson, would conduct an investigation into Ms Ley's use of taxpayer-funded entitlements.

Mr Turnbull said Ms Ley would stand aside without ministerial pay while the investigation was conducted.

Ms Ley has come under fire for buying an $800,000 apartment on a taxpayer-funded trip to the Gold Coast in May 2015. It has also been revealed that she has taken 27 flights in and out of the Gold Coast over recent years including two trips over the New Year's Eve period.
The "big pharma bro" best known for increasing the price of a lifesaving drug from from $US13.50 ($18.50) to $US750 ($1028) a tablet has been banned from Twitter after repeatedly harassing a Teen Vogue writer.

Martin Shkreli, founder of Turing Pharmaceuticals, made headlines in September 2015 when he increased the price of anti-malarial drug Daraprim by 5000 per cent, prompting Hillary Clinton to accuse him of "price gouging" and multiple news outlets to refer to him as the "most hated man in America".

Martin Shkreli was called before a congressional committee last year to explain why he bought the rights to an older drug and raised the price. Credit:AP

But the vocal Trump supporter is in the news again, after his repeated harassment of a female journalist saw his Twitter account suspended on Sunday.

Shkreli first started engaging with Teen Vogue weekend editor Lauren Duca on the social media site after she accused Trump of "gaslighting America" in an opinion piece published on December 10.
Distressed former students of a Sydney college owned by a prominent NSW political donor have claimed they were signed up to diplomas costing thousands of dollars just weeks before the beauty college collapsed.

In December, up to 800 students were left stranded without a qualification and in student debt after the Australasian College, owned by Order of Australia medallist Maureen Houssein-Mustafa, went into liquidation over the Christmas break.

Despite being under a NSW police investigation over allegations hundreds of "phantom students" were enrolled in courses they never completed, the college earned more than $10.4 million in taxpayer-funded loans last year.

Teenager Sarah Flawn is among the hundreds of students who have since been sidelined by the college's collapse.
Firefighters remain at a commercial building in Brisbane's south after a fire ripped through the property on Sunday afternoon.

Fire crews were called to Culture Kings clothing warehouse on Beenleigh Road, Acacia Ridge just after 3pm after a fire had broken out in the building.

Firefighters used ladders to fight the blaze after parts of the building collapsed.

Crews managed to control the fire, which had gutted the commercial building, by 7pm.
Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale has threatened to cut council funding of March's Harmony Day Festival unless its president, disendorsed One Nation candidate Shan Ju Lin, stepped down from its organising committee.

Those comments, in which Ms Lin suggested gay people engaged in "abnormal sex behaviour" and should be "treated as patients", saw her disendorsed as One Nation's candidate for the state seat of Bundamba on Saturday.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale says Ms Lin's comments were 'crazy'. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

That came after a personal intervention from Senator Pauline Hanson on Friday night.

On Sunday, Senator Hanson said Ms Lin's views were not shared by her party.
Police are appealing for public help to find a man with a European accent who sexually assaulted a teenage girl in Noosa on Sunday.

The 18-year-old victim was walking between David Low Way and Bicentennial Way in Sunrise Beach just before 2am when she was grabbed from behind and sexually assaulted.

Police are investigating after a teenage girl was sexually assaulted in Sunrise Beach during the early hours of Sunday morning. Credit:Glenn Hunt

A local man passing by came to the woman's aid, causing the offender to flee on foot.

The attacker is described as 180 centimetres tall with a European accent, possibly French. He was wearing long dark pants and a red t-shirt.
Police are continuing to search for a man who was swept away by a current into crocodile-infested waters in the state's North West on Sunday morning.

According to a police spokesman, the man, in his 20s, was swimming with a friend at the Ivanhoe Crossing near Kununurra when he was caught in a strong current and swept downstream.

The area police are searching for a missing man. Credit:WA Police

"The friend searched for him, and after not being able to locate him has contacted authorities," the police spokesman said.

A land and air search of the area, which has experienced heavy flooding in recent days, will continue until last light.
London: A piece of fabric described as the Holy Grail of fashion history will become one of the star attractions at Hampton Court Palace after it was identified as the only surviving piece of clothing worn by Queen Elizabeth I.

Britain's leading experts on royal garments have spent the past year piecing together clues about the provenance of the beautifully embroidered textile, which had been cut up and used for hundreds of years as an altar cloth in a Herefordshire parish church.

The Armada Portrait of Britain's Queen Elizabeth I. Credit:AP

They say all the evidence points to it having once been a skirt worn by the Tudor queen, making it the only known survivor of her famously lavish wardrobe.

Eleri Lynn, curator of historic dress at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), first discovered the cloth hanging on a wall in the 13th-century church of St Faith, Bacton, last year.
An injured woman is taken into Broward Health Trauma Centre in Fort Lauderdale. Credit:AP The bloody rampage sent people scrambling through the terminals and across the airfield at one of the country's busiest airports, shutting down all flights for hours as paramedics flooded the scene along with federal and local law enforcement officers. Six people were injured in the shooting, and dozens more were hurt in the chaos that followed. Santiago was placed in federal custody Saturday morning, following a lengthy interview by Broward County Sheriff's deputies and FBI agents. Suspect Esteban Ruiz Santiago flew specifically to Florida to carry out the attack. Credit:Broward Sheriff's Office The FBI is leading a sprawling investigation that spans from Florida to Alaska. Names of the victims have not yet been released, because not all families have been notified. The Associated Press reported that at least four of the five were vacationers picking up their bags before going to board cruise ships.

Santiago is believed to have lived most recently in Anchorage, with a girlfriend and a young child. Neighbours said two other children also lived at the house. Local police and FBI officials in a Saturday news conference described his life as chaotic, with frequent police run-ins. At least four times in 2016, police were called to Santiago's house for physical disturbances or domestic violence. It is unclear who made those calls. In one case, he appears to have taken a plea deal and, in exchange for compliance with its terms, the charges were dismissed. When he showed up in November at the local FBI office, he had a newborn and a weapon in the car, Anchorage Police Chief Chris Tolley said. But in an interview at the time with the FBI, Santiago stated that "he did not wish to harm anyone," said Marlin Ritzman, special agent in charge of the FBI's Anchorage field office. "Our agents contacted local authorities who took custody of Mr. Santiago and transported him to a local mental-health facility for evaluation," Ritzman said. He said that the FBI interviewed his family members, conducted database reviews and interagency checks, and ultimately closed what it termed an "assessment" of Santiago. Santiago's weapon was logged "for safekeeping", Tolley said. But one month later, the weapon was released to him.

Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Friday after flying from Anchorage, with a layover in Minneapolis. He travelled alone and checked a single bag - one that contained his firearm, said Jesse Davis, chief of police at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where passengers routinely check weapons. "We're a big hunting state, so we get quite a lot of that," Davis said. Travellers are allowed to bring firearms with them onto flights as long as the guns are unloaded, locked in a hard-sided container and in checked baggage, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Ammunition can be brought onto flights but also must be placed in checked baggage. "Everything appeared normal," Davis said. Santiago checked in for his Delta flight more than four hours early, which was unusual, Davis said, but "didn't call attention to himself at all". In Fort Lauderdale, at the Terminal 2 baggage claim, Santiago picked up his bag from the carousel, went to the bathroom and loaded his Walther 9mm semiautomatic handgun, federal officials said. When he came out, he began firing, shooting the first people he encountered, according to an FBI affidavit. Mario Andrade, a driver from Carey Limousine, was waiting for his customer, Ari Fleischer, who was White House press secretary under President George W. Bush, near the bottom of the escalator in the Delta baggage area of Terminal 2. He was holding a sign with Fleischer's last name and talking on the phone with another driver. Fleischer's 12:15 pm flight was late, and it was nearly 1 pm.

Then, Andrade heard gunfire. "It was very fast, like tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat," Andrade said. "I said, 'Oh my God, someone is shooting!' " He said that he immediately dropped to the floor, people were running and he heard screaming all around him. Andrade said he looked up and saw a man in a blue shirt who had a gun in his hand. The gunman, he said, began walking slowly toward him and had a "surprised look" on his face, "like, 'Oh my God, what happened?' " Relatives told news outlets that Santiago had a history of mental-health problems, including some that followed his military service in Iraq with the Puerto Rico National Guard.

"Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn't feeling too good," his uncle, Hernan Rivera, told Newark's Star-Ledger newspaper. His aunt told the newspaper that Santiago was hospitalised after returning from Iraq. "He lost his mind," Ruiz Rivera said in Spanish. He had seemed to get the help he needed, and became a father in September, she told Noticias Telemundo. But his mental-health issues, she said, worsened in December. "They took him to the hospital, but they didn't tell me what for, but they had him in an isolated room because he was a little wrong in the head and he started to like hear things," she said. Loading
Bannon was fond of showing his disdain for refined Washington by wearing baggy cargo pants through the streets of the capital, shaggy and unshaven. Credit:AP Kushner, who declined to be interviewed for this article, has hired a Washington law firm, WilmerHale, to advise him on how to comply with federal ethics laws should he join the White House staff as an adviser to the president. The firm has concluded that one potential sticking point, a federal anti-nepotism law, is not applicable, though not all ethics experts agree. While the law prohibits federal officials from hiring relatives for agencies they lead, Kushner's lawyers argue the White House is not an agency and is therefore exempt. As for conflicts of interest, Kushner would be required to make limited financial disclosures. Jared Kushner, son-in-law of of President-elect Donald Trump, will have to negotiate an 'ethical thicket'. Credit:AP Jamie S Gorelick, a WilmerHale partner who served in the Clinton administration, said that while plans were not final, Kushner was taking significant steps to extricate himself from the family business.

He will resign as chief executive of Kushner Cos, and although the law does not require it, she said he would divest "substantial assets". She did not name them, but Heller said they would include his stake in 666 Fifth Ave. Jared Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, last May. Credit:AP Kushner's representatives declined to detail his personal financial interest in Kushner Cos' properties, and they said he intended to keep his interest in other properties beyond 666 Fifth Ave. He also has a stake, through a family investment vehicle, in a private equity firm run by his brother, Joshua. Kushner played a pivotal role in persuading Trump, who made the Wall Street powerhouse Goldman Sachs a bete noire of his presidential campaign, to appoint the firm's president, Gary D Cohn, as his chief economic adviser, according to several people involved in the transition. Goldman Sachs has lent Kushner Cos money and is an investor in a real estate technology company co-founded by Kushner and his brother. Gary D. Cohn, when president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs Group, is to be Trump's chief economic adviser. Credit:Bloomberg

Trump has said that his son-in-law, an Orthodox Jew, will play a central role in dealings with Israel. Kushner's company has received multiple loans from Israel's largest bank, Bank Hapoalim. Matthew T Sanderson, a lawyer at Caplin & Drysdale and former general counsel to Senator Rand Paul's presidential campaign, said deals like the one with Anbang "might not be illegal under the conflict-of-interest rules, but raise a strong appearance that a foreign entity is using Mr Kushner's business to try to influence US policy". Charles Kushner pictured in 2006. Credit:New York Times The family business In the 1980s, Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, took over the New Jersey-based construction business started by his father.

But the company was upended when Charles became engulfed in a family feud over how the business' proceeds were to be distributed. The fight resulted in a plea deal for Charles, who in 2005 was sentenced to two years in prison for tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations. Jared, 23 at the time of his father's conviction, had recently graduated from Harvard. He was studying for an MBA and law degree at New York University in 2006 when he bought The New York Observer. Kushner quickly became the company's public face as it expanded across the Hudson River into Manhattan. Charles Kushner was released from federal custody in August 2006. He immediately resumed a significant role in the business and remains heavily involved. Still, it was with Jared as headliner that the company soon made its biggest play: $US1.8 billion for the skyscraper at 666 Fifth Ave. Around this time, Kushner met the woman he would marry: Ivanka Trump.

Everything was looking up, until suddenly it wasn't. Within a year after the deal, the overheated lending market seized up and Kushner Cos struggled to repay its considerable loans - and to hold on to 666 Fifth Ave. To the rescue over the next few years came the Carlyle Group, a giant private equity firm; Vornado Realty Trust, then a co-owner of two of Donald Trump's largest properties; and Inditex, owner of Zara, the fashion retailer founded by Amancio Ortega, the Spanish tycoon who is one of the world's wealthiest men. Kushner's company survived, and he and Ivanka Trump became fixtures on the international boldface-name circuit. Since 2012, Kushner Cos has acquired at least 120 properties, mostly a mix of commercial and residential buildings in New York and New Jersey, according to data compiled by Real Capital Analytics. Anbang draws scrutiny In 2015, Kushner began pursuing a grand vision for 666 Fifth Ave. Renowned architect Zaha Hadid was asked to come up with a design to resculpt the 40-story, 1950s-era aluminum-clad office building, adding apartments, a hotel and a mall and nearly tripling its height to 430 metres.

But the plan needed money, and while Kushner had managed to hang on to his family's flagship building, it still had a lot of debt. Anbang, which got its start as an auto insurance company in 2004, had become one of the most aggressive Chinese buyers of US real estate, and had begun investing in hotels. But its byzantine ownership structure had given rise to concern on Wall Street and in Washington. Anbang's structure has stoked such suspicion about its true ownership that some Wall Street firms, including Morgan Stanley, have opted not to advise the company on US mergers and acquisitions because they cannot get the information needed to satisfy their "know your client" guidelines. While Anbang's planned $US1.57 billion purchase of Des Moines-based Fidelity & Guaranty Life, first announced in November 2015, was cleared by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, it stalled after the New York state Department of Financial Services demanded more information about Anbang's shareholding structure. Anbang officials had cultivated a relationship with Benjamin M Lawsky, who had earlier led the financial services agency. Lawsky, by then a consultant, introduced Anbang to Kushner Cos, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. Lawsky declined to comment.

Kushner led the negotiations, Heller confirmed. Kushner Cos would disclose little else about the joint venture, except to say that Anbang would become one of the equity partners in the building's redevelopment if an agreement is finalised. Anbang declined to comment. By the time of the November 16 meeting, Kushner had decided to hand off certain business relationships, including the one with Anbang, to others at Kushner Cos, according to Heller. Heller stressed that the US has "not found Anbang to be a state-owned enterprise" - an important technical point, given that the Constitution's Emoluments Clause prohibits the acceptance of payments and gifts from foreign governments. Should it consummate its deal with Anbang, she said, Kushner Cos will seek any necessary approvals from the federal government. She expressed confidence that any deal would pass muster with the foreign investment committee. Loading
Latest News Expect another interest rate increase before Christmas And one more in February, says economist

New way to own a slice of paradise Platform provides co-ownership model for holiday homes

To stop the ever increasing levels of debt in Australia, one economist believes that there needs to be a hard reset of private debt levels via a peoples quantitative easing.In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, author and economist Steve Keen, outlined his two-step plan to reduce household debt from current levels of 120% to between 50 and 100%.The first step involves banks using government cash injections that reduce account holders existing debt. Customers with no debt would receive cash.Keen said this instalment would be a bit larger than the $1,000 stimulus Kevin Rudd offered in 2009.In anything like this, which hasnt been tried before, I would want to do it in small doses, he told the AFR.Radical yet simple reform of the banking sector would then be required, he said.What I want to do is bring in a range of bank rules which would limit the amount of lending you can give against an asset to some multiple of the income-earning capacity of the asset.For instance, banks could put a loan limit of $500,000 on an estimated annual rental income of $50,000. This ensures that the bidder for the house with the most savings who is more capable of handling the debt comes out as the winner.I want to cut off the asset bubble lending. When you look at the empirical data, overwhelmingly its leverage that determines asset prices. You have this positive feedback loop between lending and asset prices and thats how you get the bubbles weve got. These guys are making money by creating Ponzi schemes.
Latest News Expect another interest rate increase before Christmas And one more in February, says economist

New way to own a slice of paradise Platform provides co-ownership model for holiday homes

Challenger bank ME has announced a partnership with global tech consultancy Capgemini, outsourcing some of its core banking capabilities to focus on greater digital expansion.The five-year deal will see Capgemini assist ME in getting new products and services onto the market a lot faster. The banks chief technology officer, Mark Gay, told the Australian Financial Review that the consultancy will focus on technology that is more of a commodity to give ME the opportunity to then build on customer experience.All of the infrastructure and data and ownership of assets will remain with ME, and they will provide a managed service for that infrastructure. We've put in a contemporary platform ... so we were looking for a partner to run that as efficiently as possible.He added that the design and security elements of the core banking system would always be retained by ME.We are a small bank with all of the same technology and overheads that a big bank has. If we hadn't taken this approach, we were going to be spread very thinly, so by doing this we really believe that we can focus on the stuff that matters to customers.Technology is the centre of MEs growth plans, Gay said, since technology will be the key factor to decide whether banks succeed or not in the future.It is our view that that the competition is going to come from banks that service their customers in the simplest way. Branches are an old way of doing business; the most important banking channel in the future is digital on a digital platform.
Nailbiter: Astros survive in Game 5, take control of World Series in 3-2 win

The Astros are one win away from the second World Series title in their history because of the greatest bullpen in postseason history.
The American Red Cross has issued an emergency call for blood and platelet donations during a severe winter blood shortage. Hectic holiday schedules for many regular blood donors contributed to about 37,000 fewer donations in November and December than what was needed.

Snowstorms and severe weather have also impacted donations. Nearly 100 blood drives were forced to cancel in December, resulting in more than 3,100 blood donations going uncollected.

American Red Cross External Communications Manager Joe Zydlo said the region consists of the entire state of Missouri and southwestern Illinois and its not as bad as some of the other regions.

When you are down about 320 donations in November and December it certainly impacts it, said Zydlo. Especially if the blood is divided, potentially, in three ways. It can be divided in platelets, blood cells and plasma. You are talking about people who are potentially not getting what they need in our region, to the hospitals that we work with.

Zydlo said its a concern and they have already seen weather where it has impacted donations in various regions. He added that there has been ice and snow that has forced them to cancel some blood drives within the region and it has even made it more critical now.

We are at the mercy of the weather, said Zydlo. The weather is going to impact weather people are able to get out of their houses or if its too cold. Hopefully people can step up and the weather holds up so they can get out. 

Zydlo said the numbers drop each year around this time because are getting ready for the holidays and they arent thinking about donating. Also the fact that it is cold and flu season and if people arent healthy, they cant donate.

If you have a cold or the flu or you are on some type of medication for a virus or viral infection you will be deferred, explained Zydlo. You wont be able to donate. You want to make sure you are healthy to be able to donate.

Zydlo added another reason is they do 20 percent of their blood drives at schools. The schools are on break for the holidays and they dont have any blood drives during that time at the schools.

This is one of those times of years that we have to go to an emergency appeal and the other time would be around late June early July because people are on vacation and schools are out, said Zydlo. That is the other time of the year when donations really, really drop.

Zydlo said those who are interested in donating can go to redcrossblood.org to see if they are eligible to donate. He added to make sure you are healthy, those who have a cold or are fighting something off should wait to donate until they are healthy.

Another thing is we want to make sure people have good iron counts, said Zydlo. That is one of the first steps you do when you make a blood donation. At a donor center or a blood drive you will answer some background questions. You can eliminate that step if you do it from home through rapid pass. If you fill out that information online on our website, it will take about 15 minutes out of your wait time.

Eat a good breakfast, have a banana, get the potassium, drink a lot of water and make sure your iron count is good, said Zydlo. Its just a combination of factors and base it on how you feel. If you dont feel good, then obviously you want to hold off on donating.

Zydlo said every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all require blood to save their lives.

Blood and platelet donations are critically needed in the coming days so that patients can continue to receive the lifesaving treatments they are counting on, said Zydlo. We encourage donors to invite a family member or friend to donate with them to help meet patient needs. Right now, blood and platelet donations are being distributed to hospitals faster than they are coming in.

The Red Cross is extending hours at many donation sites for more donors to give blood or platelets. Overall, the Red Cross has added nearly 200 hours to blood donation centers and community blood drives across the country over the next few weeks.

Donation appointments and completion of a RapidPass online health history questionnaire are encouraged to help speed up the donation process.

In about an hour, you can help save someones life, said Zydlo. This simple act can have a profound impact on another human being.

To find a blood donation opportunity and schedule an appointment to donate by using the free Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Here's where Andy Kim stands on abortion, inflation and more

The USA TODAY Network New Jersey asked Andy Kim and Bob Healey where they stand on key issues in the midterms. Only one answered.
announced yet another acquisition in Europe, as it signed a binding agreement to acquire Portuguese drug firm Genesis for 135 million euro (Rs 969 crore). Aurobindo has been steadily expanding its European footprint since 2006 and had acquired commercial operations of Actavis in seven Western European countries in 2014 to drive growth. Europe contributes about 25 per cent to Aurobindos overall sales.
As the fight between multinational stent providers and domestic manufacturers intensifies over stent pricing, the healthcare federation of India has proposed that the Medical Technology Assessment Board should be fixing prices based on the efficacy of the stents.
After four-and-a-quarter years, Pankaj Jain has moved out of being a partner for 500 Startups, where he continues in an advisory role for now. Pankaj, who divided his time between the US and India, handled the India portfolio for the iconic early stage seed fund and accelerator.
Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.

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The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Army Corps of Engineers will host Eagle Days, Feb. 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Eagle Days event includes live eagle presentations at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge every hour and wild eagle viewing locations at Mingo, Duck Creek CA and Wappapello Lake.

Pat Holloway, an MDC education consultant, said families and visitors of all ages can expect a fun, adventurous event that will help conquer cabin fever.

Join us for an outdoor nature experience and discover cool facts about bald eagles, which were chosen as our nations symbol in 1782, Holloway said, adding that visitors are encouraged to dress appropriate for outdoor winter weather.

The Mingo National Wildlife Visitor Center will display items related to eagles. Several outdoor spotting scope sites on Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, Duck Creek CA and along Wappapello Lake will provide opportunities to view eagles, ducks and geese in the wild. All three of these locations are expansive areas, so visitors are encouraged to pick up a brochure containing a map of the eagle viewing stations when they arrive.

All Eagle Days activities are free. Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Duck Creek CA are located along highway 51, north of Puxico.

The Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center at Wappapello Lake is located at 10276 Missouri Hwy. T in Wappapello. From Poplar Bluff travel east approximately 5 miles on Hwy. 60, head north approximately ten miles on Hwy. T. The destination will be on the left. From Puxico take Hwy. 51 south one mile, turn right on Hwy. T, travel 9 miles to Hwy. D, turn left, cross the dam, your destination is on your right.

For more information about Eagle Days events, call Mingo National Wildlife Refuge at (573) 222-3589. To learn more about eagles and places to view them in Missouri, visit mdc.mo.gov.
Prime Minister will be on a two-day visit to Gujarat from Monday to inaugurate the 8th edition of 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit' and a slew of other initiatives.

Ahead of the opening of the four-day 'Vibrant Summit' on January 10 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Modi will inaugurate four different projects tomorrow after his arrival, starting with the bhumi-poojan ceremony for the redevelopment of Gandhinagar Railway Station.

Gujarat BJP has made elaborate arrangements at the airport to welcome the Prime Minister.

"Modiji is expected to land at the city airport tomorrow afternoon. State BJP has planned to welcome him in a grand manner at the airport," said convener of state BJP's media cell Harshad Patel.

As per the detailed schedule released by the Gujarat government, Modi will first perform 'bhumi-poojan' for the redevelopment of Gandhinagar Railway Station.

The government has announced the project will commence as soon as Modi performs groundbreaking ceremony at the railway station, which will get a face-lift at a cost of Rs 250 crore and will have a five-star hotel built on top of it to accommodate delegates coming here to attend next Vibrant Gujarat Summits, which is held every two years.

Modi will also inaugurate 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show' tomorrow, which is spread across 1.5 lakh sq meters of area, where over 15 lakh people are expected to visit over the course of five days.

Modi will then head to GIFT City near Gandhinagar to inaugurate country's first International Exchange being set up by the BSE.

From GIFT City, the Prime Minister will head to Science City on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city to inaugurate Nobel Prize Series exhibition, which will feature works of nine Nobel laureates from across the world, who are invited by the Gujarat government to be a part of the Summit.

After the inauguration, Modi will also take part in the Roundtable meeting with all the invited Nobel Prize winners, including India-born Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan.

On January 10, Modi will officially inaugurate the 8th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit-2017 at around 3:30 PM.

The summit, to be held at Mahatma Mandir, will continue till January 13.

Apart from over 1,500 and international delegates, heads of states and industry leader from across the world, as many as 12 central ministers and several Chief Ministers are expected to participate in the opening ceremony.

Before inaugurating the Vibrant Summit on January 10,



Modi will interact with various heads of state and ministers serving in different governments across the world, who are invited to the Summit.

Some of the prominent dignitaries include Nisha Desai Biswal, an Indian-American serving as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs in the US Department of State.

Other dignitaries are - President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa, Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin, first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Heritage, Poland, Poitr Glinski.

Later in the evening, the PM will chair Global CEO Roundtable, where he will interact with 50 CEOs from India and other countries.

The session will commence at 6:15 PM and end with a gala dinner.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will also be present during the Roundtable talks.
The central government is working on a performance-based structure for the 650,000-odd personnel who are employed in rural areas as employment assistants and community resource persons.
Madhya Pradesh aims to raise production of by 60 per cent in the next three years to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi achieve his goal of making the country self-sufficient in the staple, the states chief minister said.
Petrol-pump owners on Sunday night deferred till January 13 their decision to not accept credit- and debit-card payments for fuel sales, after banks put off the move to levy a charge on every plastic transaction.
As many as 35,000 more personnel will be recruited to the CISF which is a "multi-dimensional" force, Union Home Minister said on Sunday.

"A total 35,000 more personnel will be added in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which would take the strength to 1.8 lakh," he said here.

Inaugurating the Eastern Sector Headquarters of CISF and Residential Complex here, he said the "CISF has a multi- dimensional role."



Earlier, CISF used to guard industrial units, but now its responsibility has grown  working in Naxal-hit areas, being deployed at ports, airports, power installations, nuclear centres  and they are discharging their duty commendably, Singh said.

Stating that CISF was "special" among the para-military forces, he said whenever personnel are needed for UN peacekeeping forces, the attention goes to CISF.

Quoting experts, he said India is the fastest growing country and the $2-trillion economy places the country among the top 10 economies in the world.

India, he added, could reach to $5 trillion in the next seven-eight years and probably in the next 15 years, the country could be among the top three economies.

"When the economy is growing, there would be evil eyes as they don't desire such progress of India," Singh said and stressed upon fighting terrorism.

He said the forces have the competence but improvement and up-gradation are necessary.

Another area which required attention is technological competence in the cyber sector, he said.
A parliamentary committee, probing the government's decision to scrap high-value bank notes, has sent the country's central bank governor a list of questions on the process and asked him to appear before it on January 20.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has asked the governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Urjit Patel, to explain how the decision for was taken and for details on its impact on the country's economy, PAC Chairman K V Thomas, also a senior member of the opposition Congress party, told Reuters.

Patel, under fire from some politicians over shortages of replacement currency and restrictions on depositing old notes that have caused long queues at banks and ATMs, is already set to testify before another parliamentary committee.

Last month, the RBI unexpectedly kept its key policy rate unchanged at 6.25 per cent, despite calls for action in the face of an intense cash shortage that threatens to slam the brakes on the world's fastest-growing large economy. The bank was widely expected to cut the rate by at least 25 bps.

Pressure on the central bank and Patel has grown since Prime Minister Narendra Modi stunned the country on Nov. 8 by abolishing 500- and 1,000-rupee ($7.34-$14.69) notes, removing 86 percent of the currency in circulation in a bid to crack down on the "shadow economy".

The PAC has asked Patel to provide details on the value of the currency that has been returned to the bank, the quantity of "black money" it has received and the amount of new currency released so far, Thomas said.

Thomas added that the governor has also been asked about the country's preparedness to handle cashless transactions.

"We had decided to call the RBI governor sometime in December but because the prime minister had asked for 50 days, we decided to postpone it to sometime January," Thomas told Reuters. "We did not want to give it a political colour."

Apart from Patel, the PAC has also called other finance ministry officials, including the revenue secretary and finance secretary, Thomas said.
Following a decision by four banks to levy a charge for every sale on a credit or debit card, two petroleum dealer associations have decided not to accept any card transactions at fuel retail outlets from Monday.
The government on Sunday said charges on that had been waived till the end of December cannot be extended further without impacting the health of .
Chinas foreign currency holdings remained above $3 trillion in December even as the yuan capped its steepest annual decline in more than two decades. Reserves fell $41.08 billion to $3.01 trillion, the Peoples Bank of China said in a statement Saturday. That matched a $3.01 trillion estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists. China may take measures to keep its foreign-currency stockpile from slipping too far below the key $3 trillion mark to avoid hurting investor confidence and spurring further declines in the yuan, according to economists at major banks. ...
A controversial experiment with a six-hour workday in one of Swedens largest cities wrapped up this week with a cheerful conclusion: Shorter working hours make for happier, healthier and more productive employees.


but NOBODY vetted Barack Obama after Barack Obama politicized his own mother's cancer

for his own political gain during the 2008 democratic race, and then again in the presidential debates.

Did Barack Obama tend to his own mother in any personal way

during her last couple of years of life, when she was dying of cancer in Hawaii?





If I am wrong, or can be proven wrong about my concern, then I will stand corrected.

But until then, the timeline I have been able to put together shows that Barack Obama

chose to finish writing his book instead of being with his mother.

With apologizes to the filmmaker for politicizing his film,Or, did Barack Obama CHOOSE to fly over Hawaii, where his mother was dying of cancer,so he could go to Bali to finish writing his book about his sperm donor father?
The system for taxing businesses is a mess. If theres one thing nearly everyone can agree upon, it is that.
Of the many questions left unanswered by the American intelligence agencies accusation that Russias president, Vladimir V Putin, led a multilayered campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election, one stands out: Why did it take the Obama administration more than 16 months to develop a response?
About a fourth of 500 stocks are trading below the levels they hit in January 2008, when stocks had hit new highs before the global financial crisis.
At least 11 people have been killed and 25 others wounded in a suicide car bomb explosion at a busy market in eastern Baghdad, local police officials said.

A suicide bomber blew up a car in Alwat-Jamila market in eastern Baghdad's Sadr City, reports CNN.

The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The ISIS statement said that the attacker targeted Shiites gathering in the area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav submitted affidavits to the Election Commission to prove majority support for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav-led faction, Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh on Sunday claimed that the signatures of support are forged and hence their authenticity is doubtful.

"The numbers of MLAs supporting you matters when a government has to be formed. It's not the same for party symbol," Singh told ANI in an exclusive conversation.

Reiterating his support for Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Rajya Sabha MP said the executive meeting called earlier on January 1 was not legal.

"Only elected president has right to call executive meeting and no one can ignore the fact that Mulayam Singh Yadav was then the party president," he said.

Singh also trained his guns on Akhilesh loyalist Ramgopal, saying it was unconstitutional as per the party's constitution to cancel the latter's ouster from the Samajwadi Party.

Singh further said that they would stake claim to the party's name and symbol tomorrow.

"We will visit the Election Commission on Monday and will give our memorandum. We will submit the list of old office bearers appointed before 1st of January," he added.

Asserting that prime facie the party led by incumbent Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister is the real Samajwadi Party,

Ramgopal yesterday said that relevant documents, brought in "seven cartons with more than 1.5 lakh pages", were submitted to the poll panel to assert Akhilesh's right over the party name and symbol.

He said that he submitted affidavits of 4,716 delegates of the total 5,731, indicating overwhelming support for Akhilesh.

The Election Commission had given both sides time till January 9 to submit proof of their legislative support.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, along with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) officials, on Sunday took to street for cleanliness check drive in Saket.

A week after he was sworn in by President Pranab Mukherjee, this was Baijal's first official field visit.

This cleanliness check assumes significance as the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) staffs have been protesting against the non-payment of their salaries and is currently on a strike.

Baijal's visit is not an impromptu inspection but a planned exercise. It is to take a round of the area around Saket to address the complaints and to make way for improvements.

Meanwhile, Baijal's first week saw him take to Twitter, hold meetings with government officers, Delhi Police top brass and give approval to nursery admission guidelines for schools on public land.

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Janata Dal (United) leader Mukesh Singh was shot dead by unknown assailants in Barh, Patna, on Sunday morning.

The incident reportedly took place at the Dhelwa Gossai locality.

Singh was the general secretary of JD (U) Barh district unit.

The Bihar Police has begun its investigating into the case and sent the JD (U) leader's body for post-mortem.

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Explosive Australian batter Aaron Finch, who has been axed from the squad for the upcoming five-match ODI series against Pakistan, has admitted that nobody but himself is to be blamed for his omission from the team.

Finch, along with experienced Australian batsman George Bailey have been sidelined for the ODI series against Pakistan, while uncapped fast bowler Billy Stanlake and Chris Lynn have been included in the 16-man line-up.

Bailey has scored one fifty in his past 10 ODIs while Finch has scored four fifties in his last 18 innings.

After his BBL team, the Renegades, were thrashed by cross-town rivals Stars on Saturday, Finch said, "I was disappointed but I can't really kick cans. I haven't made may runs in the last couple of series. It's something like 215 runs in 10 hits and that's just not really good enough. When you have guys performing well in this [the BBL] and the Matador Cup - of course I'm disappointed but I have no one to blame but myself."

"They just said make some more runs," ESPNcricinfo quoted Finch as saying. "When Trevor [Hohns, the interim head of the selection panel] rang me I just said 'I can't disagree with you, which is the sad thing'. Usually when you're dropped you want to be able to fire back some bullets but I had absolutely nothing!"

The 30-year-old has made 144 runs in the four BBL innings this season but again fell when set against in Saturday's match, making 27 in his side's 46-run defeat.

Despite helping his franchise qualify for the finals of the BBL, Finch said he did not take any consolation in being able to stick around rather than joining up with Australia.

"I don't really see that as a silver lining, no. You never want to be dropped, and any time you get an opportunity to play for Australia you take it with both hands no matter what's happening around you. I'm disappointed not to have that opportunity now but I only have myself to blame. I can't be too disappointed," he said.

"I need to stop making 30s and 20s and start making match-winning scores. I haven't done that. I'm trying to get the side off to a good start but I've got out when I've done the hard work, which is frustrating."

The explosive right-handed batsman insisted that at the moment he is just getting out despite hitting the balls beautifully.

"I'm hitting them beautifully at the moment and picking it up well but just getting out. I got deceived a bit for length today but that happens when you're going hard in a T20," he said.

"When a guy gets in at the top everyone can bat around them but I'm not doing that at the moment - I'm exposing new batsmen at once, which is not ideal," he added.

Australia squad: Steven Smith (capt), David Warner, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

The five-match series will begin on January 13 at the Gabba and will end on January 26 at the Adelaide Oval.

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World No. 2 Novak Djokovic on Saturday defeated Andy Murray in a three-set thriller Qatar Open final, thus bringing the Briton's 28-match winning streak to an end in Doha.

Djokovic beat Murray 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in a high-quality, action-packed match that lasted for almost three hours.

"Definitely one of the best ways to start a year," Djokovic was quoted as saying by Sport24 immediately after his victory.

"I had three or four match points in the second set, he turned it around and I thought: Wow! I hope this isn't payback time!"

"He was close... all the way to the last shot you never know with Andy," he added.

It was a perfect tonic for the Serb in his buildup to the defence of his Australian Open title in Melbourne this month and provided food for thought for Murray, who lost for the 25th time against his old rival.

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World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who unintentionally hit a ball into the crowd during the Qatar Open final against Andy Murray, has said he needs to be more careful in the future.

The incident, which threatened to take the gloss off Djokovic's victory on Saturday in Doha, occurred in the sixth game of the first set when the Serb, upset at losing a point, fired a ball into the stands which then flew into the crowd, apparently striking a female spectator.

The World No. 2 received a warning for the incident and was given a further warning for smashing his racket in the second set that saw him deducted a point.

"It was not intentional at all," Sport24 quoted Djokovic as saying. "Of course people get hit, especially in the first rows, from big serves and so forth."

When asked if it was an acceptable behaviour, the Serb said no, adding, "I definitely didn't want to hit the ball at anybody."

"I have to be more careful, I guess, in the future," he added.

Djokovic defeated Murray in a three-set thriller final, thus bringing the Briton's 28-match winning streak to an end.

He beat the numero one player 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in a high-quality, action-packed match that lasted for almost three hours.

The 29-year-old admitted that the consequences could have been far worse, in terms of the on-court penalty he received.

It should be noted that it is not the first time Djokovic has been involved in such an incident.

Last year at the French Open, he admitted he was lucky not to be disqualified in his quarter-final against Tomas Berdych in which out of frustration of missing a break point, Djokovic went to smash his racquet into the ground but it slipped out of his grasp, flying into a backwall.

Had it hit a nearby line judge, the Serb would have been automatically disqualified.

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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday said both India and France reiterated the need for early finalization of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

It further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault discussed international terrorism of which both the nations had been victims.

Both sides affirmed the close strategic partnership between India and France which had received a further fillip with the closure of the Rafale deal.

The French Foreign Minister quipped that bilateral ties should now move forward with the speed of Rafale.

There was a comprehensive review of bilateral relations including defence where Prime Minister Modi reiterated the call for 'Make in India' in defence, cooperation in civil nuclear energy with particular reference to the Jaitapur Nuclear Power plant, and space where both sides acknowledged the significant potential for win -win partnerships given India's capability for low cost launches.

On economic cooperation, the French Foreign Minister said French companies had invested more than 20 million Euros in India and he was looking forward to his participation in Vibrant Gujarat which would provide further opportunities for French companies to invest in India.

In this context, he looked forward to an early discussion on a revised Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement with the EU.

The two leaders also discussed French participation in sustainable development for Indian cities where more than 60 French companies are working in sectors such as transport, water and waste management.

The French Foreign Minister appreciated India's ratification of the Paris COP21 agreement which he said had sent a very strong signal of India's commitment to combating climate change.

He said the French Government was looking forward to working with india on the path breaking International Solar Alliance.

The French Foreign Minister reiterated its support for India's membership of NSG and candidature as a permanent member in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.

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Accusing the Congress Party of indulging in vendetta politics and blame-game, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday questioned the former's role in Punjab when it was in power from 2002 to 2007.

He alleged that the Congress instigated different groups in Punjab to stand against each other.

"In their time, the Congress did nothing but lately there has been a surge in number of Central Government's educational institutions in Punjab," he said while addressing Bharatiya Janata Party's Vijay Sankalp Yatra Rally in Amritsar.

Jaitley said that no government had the guts to cross the Line of Control (LoC) for the country's security or make such a huge attack on black money and corruption.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said that the "compromise formula' undertaken by the Congress and the Samajwadi Party to resolve stalled alliance talks ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly polls is a futile exercise while adding that formula lies with the people who will only vote for development.

"Congress and Samajwadi Party can come to any understanding, but at the end of the day the Samajwadi Party has realized that their cycle is not moving anywhere, it's got jammed. The Congress, which Rahul Gandhi took out a khat panchayat, they have realised that they are still in the ICU and lying on the cart," BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh told ANI.

He added that none of these parties have been able to give development or hope of development to the people of Uttar Pradesh.

"So therefore, the people of Uttar Pradesh have made their mind that it has to be BJP," he said.

Reportedly, a meeting between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has been fixed for January 9 and discussions on an alliance are on the cards.

As of now, the Samaj Party is undergoing an internal crisis as both factions, one led-by Akhilesh and another led by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, are at the Election Commission's office at New Delhi staking claim of the party's symbol 'cycle'.

Akhilesh's mentor and uncle Ram Gopal Yadav last week staked claim to the party's symbol 'cycle' before the Election Commission stating that 90 percent of the MLAs are backing him.

The 77-year-old veteran had also visited the Election Commission's office accompanied by his trusted advisor and younger brother Shivpal Yadav.

At a party gathering in Lucknow, Akhilesh was named the Samajwadi Party's president, last week.

He then pushed his father into retirement by declaring that he would function as patron and mentor of the party.

Mulayam and his aides have insisted his faction is the legit Samajwadi Party.

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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif-led government has said it is planning to introduce uniform prayer timings for all religious sects across the country.

Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Saturday that he would get in touch with the Chief Ministers of all the four provinces to introduce "Nizam-e-Salat", reports the Express Tribune.

Detailing the decision, Yousaf said the provincial governments will notify a local timetable, at least at the district-level in their respective provinces, for prayer timings.

These timetables will be formulated according to the local time-zones across Pakistan.

Earlier in May 2015, the government introduced the system for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). However, the decision has hardly been implemented in spirit.

The minister stressed that the government had consulted the MeT office and religious leaders of Ahle Hadith, Hanafi (both Deobandi and Barelvi) and Ahle Tashee- before notifying uniform prayer timings for the ICT.

The same pattern will be adopted for a countrywide plan in order to promote uniformity and unity, he said.

Implementing 'Nizam-e-Salat', Yousaf said, will be the responsibility of the provincial authorities and his ministry has so far been receiving a positive response from them in this connection.

He did not set a deadline to implement uniform prayer timings but said this is the government's priority.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit of Gujarat from today to inaugurate the eighth edition of 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit' and a slew of other initiatives.

Ahead of the opening of the four-day 'Vibrant Summit' on January 10 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate four different projects today after his arrival, starting with the bhumi-poojan ceremony for redevelopment of Gandhinagar Railway Station.

Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show'.

Later, he will head to GIFT City near Gandhinagar to inaugurate country's first International Exchange being set up by the Bombay Stock Exchange.

During visit, he will also inaugurate Nobel Prize Series exhibition in Ahmedabad, which will feature works of nine Nobel laureates from across the world.

He will also take part in the Roundatable meeting with all the invited Nobel Prize winners, including India-born Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan.

Apart from over 1,500 and international delegates, heads of states and industry leader from across the world, as many as 12 central ministers and several Chief Ministers are expected to participate in the opening ceremony.

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President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, will visit India from January 9 to 11.

Kagame will arrive at Ahmedabad Air port on January 9 and will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Vibrant Gujarat Convention Centre.

On January 10, he will attend the inauguration of Vibrant Gujarat Summit by the Prime Minister at Mahatma Mandir Exhibition cum Convention Centre.

The President will then attend a meeting with senior officials.

On January 11, he will attend the the Seminar for Seminar for Investors.

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The call for revocation of ban on Jallikattu intensified as the protestors took to the streets in Chennai on Sunday demanding that the ban on the bull taming sport be lifted at the earliest.

The protestors asked the Central Government to promulgate an ordinance so that the ancient sport is played again.

More than 5000 people gathered at Marina beach for a rally demanding Jallikattu to be conducted this year.

The protestors raised slogans against PETA and demanded government to act on their demands.

"We don't do anything to make the bull aggressive, it is their nature," one of the protestors told ANI.

He said that the Tamil Nadu Government should place an application to the Centre to pass an ordinance to conduct jallikattu.

Earlier in May 2014, the Supreme Court had banned the practice of Jallikattu, citing animal welfare issues.

The government later on January 8, 2016, passed an order exempting Jallikattu from all performances where bulls cannot be used, effectively reversing the ban.

The Supreme Court, however, in January last year refused to re-examine its 2014 judgement banning use of bulls for Jallikattu events or bullock-cart races across the country.

Jallikattu, also known Eruthazhuvuthal, is a bull-taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of the Pongal harvest festival.

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Shahid Kapoor has revealed he was nervous about portraying Nawab Malik in 'Rangoon' but the tremendous response that the trailer is getting is immensely gratifying for the actor.

The 35-year-old, who plays the role of a freedom fighter and army officer, recently took to Twitter to express his gratitude as he wrote, "Thank you thank you thank you guys. Was rather nervous about this one. The response has been tremendous. Big big love to you all."

The trailer of Vishal Bhardwaj's upcoming flick, starring Shahid, Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan, has created quite a storm as people are going gaga over it.

Shot mainly in Arunachal Pradesh, the war romance drama is set in the 1940s amidst the turmoil of India's independence struggle and will hit the big screens on February 24.

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President of Rwanda Paul Kagame will arrive in India today on a three-day visit.

Kagame will arrive at Ahmedabad Airport following which he will proceed for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Vibrant Gujarat Convention Centre.

Kagame, accompanied by business officials, will hold official talks with Prime Minister Modi on January 9 in Gandhinagar.

He will attend the Summit on January 10 scheduled to be held at Gandhinagar and will be addressing a Business Seminar on Rwanda.

Rwanda will also be participating in the Global Trade Show 2017.

On January 11, he will then attend the Seminar for Seminar for Investors.

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Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, will visit India from January 9 to 12.

Vucic will arrive at Ahmedabad Airport on January 9 and hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 10 at Mahatma Mandir Exhibition cum Convention Centre.

The Serbian Prime Minister will also engage in a bilateral Meeting with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

He will also attend the inauguration of Vibrant Gujarat Summit by Prime Minister Modi.

On January 11 he will arrive in Mumbai where he will address business officials as well as hold a dialogue with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

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Supporting the speculation of alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress for the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday said even they are also willing to join the 'ganthbandhan' to ensure defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.

NCP leader Majeed Memon said it is being heard that Congress is keen to join hands with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's camp and added that the latter has emerged as the powerful centre and would probably be the chief ministerial face for the polls.

"The Congress joining them (Samajwadi Party) will certainly be making a very formidable, secular combination and we wish that the differences of number of seats to Congress may be from 60 to 120. Even we would support such a 'ganthbandhan' and we would also see if we can join them and support them to ensure defeat of BJP," NCP leader Majeed Memon told ANI.

Reportedly, a meeting between Akhilesh and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has been fixed for January 9 and discussions on an alliance are on the cards.

As of now, the Samajwadi Party is undergoing an internal crisis as both factions, one led-by Akhilesh and another led by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, are at the Election Commission's office at New Delhi staking claim of the party's symbol 'cycle'

At a party gathering in Lucknow, Akhilesh was named the Samajwadi Party's president, last week.

He then pushed his father into retirement by declaring that he would function as patron and mentor of the party.

Mulayam and his aides have insisted his faction is the legit Samajwadi Party.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After having a gala time celebrating New Year's Eve in India with her family and friends, Global icon Priyanka Chopra has her work mode on.

The 'workoholic' actress, who is in New York, has already begun shooting the second half of ABC's thriller series 'Quantico 2'.

PeeCee took to her Instagram account to give us a glimpse of her 'working snow day' as she posted a picture of herself enjoying snowfall in between busy schedule.

"Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes #winterishere #nyc #WorkingSnowDay," read her post.

On the work front, the 34-year-old is all set to make her Hollywood debut with Baywatch alongside Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.

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At least five persons, including four members of a family, were killed on Sunday when a Kolkata bound Indo-Bangladesh Maitree Express collided with a car, the media reported.

According to a police official, the accident took place around 10 a.m. in Gazipur district, near Dhaka, Xinhua news agency reported.

The car got stalled on the tracks while it was passing an unmanned level crossing and collided with the Indo-Bangladesh Friendship Express from Dhaka, the official added. Earlier media reports said it was a mini-bus that the train smashed into.

Despite severe damage to the train, none of the hundreds of passengers it was carrying on board was injured, according to the official. Rail service in parts of Bangladesh remained suspended due to the accident.

Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rates in train accidents.

There are many unmanned level crossings along the Bangladesh Railway across the country, where most of the railway tracks are in a dilapidated condition. These often cause accidents, media reports said.

--IANS

sm/vt

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About 70,000 people have visited Cuban leader Fidel Castro's tomb in the city of Santiago de Cuba over the past month since his interment.

The large gray stone at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, marked simply "Fidel" under which Castro's ashes have rested since December 4, is visited by an average of 2,000 Cubans and foreigners daily, EFE news quoted cemetery administrator Yudis Garcia as saying on Saturday.

According to Garcia, she is keeping in her office letters, flags and drawings that visitors  most of them Cuban citizens, but also foreigners from countries as diverse as Guatemala, Mexico, Japan and Italy  have brought to the tomb in tribute to Castro, who died on November 25 at the age of 90.

"Also visiting Castro's tomb have been dignitaries and personalities, including a Saudi Arabian prince who promised not to cut his beard until he came to the tomb", the administrator said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who attended the intimate interment ceremony for the Cuban leader, wrote in the tomb's registry book that he had come to the site "with revolutionary fervour... to pay tribute to the Father of all revolutionaries of Our Americas and the world".

After being honoured for two days in Havana, Castro's ashes were transported by caravan to Santiago de Cuba along the same  albeit reversed  route that Castro had taken from that city to Havana after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.

Castro's tomb is located beside that of Cuban independence hero Jose Marti.

To avoid the development of a personality cult and in compliance with the leader's wishes, the Cuban government approved a law prohibiting the use of his name and/or image by institutions on monuments or for commercial ends.
A Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Ranjit Singh Nikra on Sunday joined the Congress in Punjab ahead of the February 4 elections to the 117-member assembly.

Nikra, a national political advisor in the Akali Dal and Director of Punjab Agro Food Grain Corporation, has been appointed as Chairman of the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Congress's state unit.

Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh welcomed Nikra, who hails from Patiala, to the party fold, saying this was "another shot in the arm for the Congress and a sign of the total collapse of SAD".

--IANS

sid/tsb/dg

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From Jeff Kinneys Wimpy Kid series to Amar Chitra Katha, the second day of the ongoing World Book Fair saw huge demand for childrens' books from tiny book-worms who thronged the venue in large numbers.

With weather remaining pleasant and not playing a spoilsport like Saturday, the book fair witnessed a large number turning up at the Pragati Maidan. As hours passed by, the crowd which was in a week-end mood kept coming in large numbers.

This year, many of the stalls have focused on children's book giving the kid visitors a reason to rejoice. Accompanied by their parents, the children crowded from one stall to the another looking out for their favourite books.

"I come to book fair every year. Though I have my board exams but spending few hours at book store is worth. It gives readers to pore over variety of books which one cannot find online," Gauri Bharadwaj, a student of Seth Anand Ram Jaipuria School who purchased Devdutt Pattanaik's "Devlok", told IANS.

Aatharv Srivastava, a class 1 student in Viswa Bharti School, was holding a copy of "My First Book of Dough Modelling" as he happily roamed around the stalls saying he is looking for more books on art and crafts and painting books.

Jeff Kinney's book Wimpy Kid series seemed to be the latest favourite among the children while "Game of Thrones" too remained popular. Some classic book series written by author Enid Blyton, John Grisham, Geronimo Stilton still found place in almost all the book stores.

J.K. Rowling's magical creation Harry Potter series is always preferred by all the kids.

"The variety of books that is available here gives children the scope to know a lot and also encourages reading habit. In an era where almost all the kids are more into digital world, book fairs are the only scope to get them physically attached with books. Kids come and they see others of their age reading books or buying some and they are equally motivated to purchase books," Shobit Aggarwal, a resident of East Delhi told IANS.

Aggarwal was here for the first time, accompanied by his son Aanjaney, a class 6 student from Amity School who got a Wimpy Kid book for self.

Hindi fable tales like Amar Chitra Katha, Vikram-Betal, comic series like Chacha Chaudhary, books on Akbar-Birbal also found places in the shelves of book stores.

"We tried to revive the popularity of these age old books through some discounts like buy one and get one free and in just two days we have seen huge sale of the books," said Praveen Bhandari from Partap Publisher and Distributor stall.

Even the international stalls from countries like France, Germany, Spain have focused on the children's book.

Children's Pavillion is another attraction at this year's book fair where a host of activities like drawing competitions, storytelling sessions, skits, author meetings and discussions are being organised. The Pavilion also showcases some of the best of recent publications for children from across the country.

Nearly 800 publishers from across the country and abroad are participated in the Fair, which goes on till January 15.

--IANS

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Depressed over the sudden death of their son in school, a couple committed suicide in Guntur town of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

Chandrasekhar and Navina ended their lives by hanging at their house in Pattabhipuram in the town. The couple was suspected to have committed suicide on Saturday night.

They were depressed since the death of their only son in the school in November. Vamshi Krishna, a student of ninth standard, died in Sri Chaitanya Techno School on November 22.

The boy, who was staying in school hostel, was suffering from fever for three days. The parents had alleged that the school management did not inform them about his ill-health.

Vamshi's parents and student organisations had staged a sit-in infront of the school along with his body, demanding justice.

Student groups said Vamshi's parents had been asking the authorities to take action against the school management for their negligence, which led to their son's death.

They alleged that no action was taken against the management of the corporate school.

--IANS

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Cuban Interior Minister Carlos Fernandez Godin has died here after a "chronic illness", authorities said on Sunday. He was 78.

According to his will, Fernandez Godin, who died on Saturday, will be cremated, and his ashes will be honoured at the Pantheon of Veterans in Havana's Colon cemetery, Xinhua news agency reported.

The late minister's ashes will be interred in the Second Front Mausoleum in Santiago de Cuba, where he will receive military honours.

Godin, who fought in the Cuban Rebel Army before the revolution, was promoted from first Deputy Interior Minister to head the ministry in October 2015.

He had replaced Abelardo Colome, who served in that capacity since 1989 but resigned due to health problems.

--IANS

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said demonetisation has dealt a blow to terrorism and Left-Wing Extremism in the country.

Inaugurating the Eastern Sector Headquarters of CISF and Residential Complex here, he said many people don't want the poor and tribal people to prosper but misguide and exploit them.

Appealing to the Maoists to quit violence, he said "the government is ready to have a dialogue".

Singh said cyber terrorism is a challenge for the whole world and special preparation is needed to deal with it. The security forces need technical upgradation to deal with this challenge, he added.

The Home Minister said the Indian economy is the fastest developing economy in the world and that India would be among the top three economies of the world in the next 15 years.

Observing that the CISF has "a multi-dimensional role", he said that at present there are 1.45 lakh CISF troopers in the nation and very soon 35,000 more will be recruited.

--IANS

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With the Inner and Middle circles of Connaught Place going traffic-free for three months from February, experts say the move will go a long way in improving the area's ecosystem.

However, they added that the government needs to come up with an effective plan in consultation with all stakeholders to make it a success.

Arjun Pandey, founder of Delhipedia, an audio-visual encyclopedia of the city,, says that Connaught Place has lost its relevance as a well-designed historic structure due to its vehicular population.

"The move to pedestrianise Connaught Place would give Delhiites a chance to admire the beautifully-designed place rather than cribbing about the traffic there," he told IANS.

Acknowledging that the traders located in the market have objected to the move, he said: "The government must make sure they consider their views as well and come up with an effective plan where nobody suffers."

The traders having their business establishments at Connaught Place have opposed the move to pedestrianise the area fearing loss of business.

However, Pandey feels it is very important that the move shows positive outcomes so it could be replicated to other congested parts of the city as well like Chandni Chowk, Gaffar Market, etc. and later on in other cities as well.

"Unless a step is implemented we can never speculate how it is going to turn out to be. Therefore, Delhiites must welcome this step taken by the government and see if it works out," he said.

Asked if it would be practical to enforce the decision, Pandey said it depends on how people of Delhi react to it.

"The parking space at the parking lots at Shivaji Stadium, Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Palika is big enough to accommodate more than 3,000 cars. People can easily park their vehicles in these parking lots and avail the shuttle service for there to the inner circle."

"But at the end, it depends on people if they accept this move or not," he adds.

Sohinder Gill, Director, Corporate Affairs at the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), welcomed the decision of the Urban Development Ministry to allow electric vehicles in the Middle and Inner circles.

"It was extremely necessary that we adopt the greener mode of transportation in India in a mission mode. The spark has been created by the government and the mission has kick-started. The initiative will go a long way in improving the ecosystem of the area, providing cleaner, healthier and safer mobility to the commuters," he said.

As per directions of the Urban Development Ministry, the Inner and Middle Circles will be made traffic free on pilot basis for three months from February as a part of Central government's Smart City project.

--IANS

vv/vd

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Four people were killed and 13 others injured here on Sunday when a truck ploughed into pedestrians in a busy shopping area in what police said was a terror attack.

The truck veered from its course along the Armon Hanatziv promenade and rammed into a group of people getting off a bus, the Haaretz daily reported.

Police chief Roni Alsheich described the incident as a terror attack and said the assailant came from East Jerusalem.

The driver was shot and killed, Alsheich said, adding that there was no advance warning for the attack.

People were initially trapped under the truck. The victims were three women and a man, all in their 20s.

Among the wounded, three are in serious condition, the daily said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday asserted that her government's thoughts on Brexit were "not muddled at all".

Her comments came in the wake of UK's former ambassador to the European Union (EU) Ivan Rogers criticising Ministers' approach to negotiations, the BBC reported.

May said the government's priority was to get the "best possible deal" and that she would set out more details on her aims "in the coming weeks".

Brexit talks with the EU are expected to begin as early as April.

Ivan stepped down from his ambassador role on January 3, criticising "muddled thinking" among Ministers. He has been replaced by Tim Barrow, UK's former ambassador to Russia.

May said: "Anybody who looks at this question of free movement and trade as a sort of zero-sum game is approaching it in the wrong way.

"I'm ambitious for what we can get for the UK in terms of our relationship with the European Union because I also think that's going to be good for the European Union.

"Our thinking on this isn't muddled at all," she added.

In the June 23 referendum, voters opted by 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent in favour of Britain exiting the EU, the BBC noted.

"We are leaving. We are coming out. We are not going to be a member of the EU any longer," the Prime Minister said.

"So the question is what is the right relationship for the UK to have with the EU when we are outside."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iran will receive the first commercial plane purchased from civil aircraft manufacturer Airbus, authorities here said on Sunday.

The plane, an A321 class, was officially registered under Iran Air ownership on Saturday, CEO Farhad Parvaresh said.

The plane will arrive and will be operated by an Iran Air team who have been attending Airbus flight operations training courses in France for months, said Parvaresh.

"Iran Air has made necessary arrangements for the incoming A321 to be used for domestic flights, nevertheless it could also be used for international flights if required," he said.

According to reports, this would be Iran's first brand-new plane in over 37 years. The country's current fleet is comprised of planes purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

All post-1979 purchases that were made with a variety of providers involved second-hand planes.

In December, Iran sealed a contract with Airbus to buy 100 aircraft worth over $18 billion.

Parvaresh said that Iran Air will receive seven or eight planes from Airbus in 2017. He hoped that the delivery would be made in due time.

In January 2016, Iran signed a preliminary agreement with Airbus to purchase 106 commercial planes. However, the agreement waited for the US Treasury Department's go-ahead license which was issued in November.

In December, Iran Air also finalised an agreement with Boeing to purchase 80 commercial planes.

The agreement envisages the purchase of 50 twin-jet narrow-body Boeing 737 planes and 30 long-range wide-body 777 aircraft with a total value of $16.6 billion.

The planes by Boeing would be delivered to Iran within 10 years, Parvaresh said, adding that the first deliveries are expected in 2018.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a city known as a gastronomical heaven with so many multi-cuisine outlets, it is difficult to find delightful fine diners hinging on the concept of comfort foods. There are a couple of them that now offer such heartening fare, and adding to the lot is the newly-launched Capital Kitchen that has replaced Kafe Fontana at the poolside of the Taj Palace Hotel.

The all-day diner is a confluence of cuisines from across the globe. Its culinary concept is based on the central theme of comfort foods with a menu that invokes a sense of nostalgia and timelessness.

"It has always been our endeavour to be innovative, keeping up with the changing times. We needed a completely new face to the all-day dining offering here. Thus was born Capital Kitchen," Marketing Director Nikita Das told IANS.

"The objective of the new space is to make the restaurant very unpretentious and comfortable with flavourful recipes made from fresh produce and served home-style," she added.

According to the Executive Sous Chef Amit Rana, the primary differentiator of the place is that it breaks away from the traditional hoteliering food and service philosophy.

Rana had visited various parts of the city to get the authentic flavours of street food.

"It was a nice exposure to Delhi's street culinary delights. The city is an eye-opener as it reflects the basic ingredients of food, cooked with the right methodology," Rana told IANS.

The new restaurant is elegant and classy with hues of bronze and copper coupled with burnished brown. With its additional outdoor seating arrangement at the poolside, you can plan a romantic evening of great food and stunning ambience -- if the weather permits.

I started my meal with roma tomato soup that was served with goat cheese crostini and chopped basil. The taste of the broth would have been absolutely perfect without the use of truffle oil that sabotaged the essential tang of the tomato soup.

This was followed by the restaurant's signatures -- cobb salad, fish and chips, lobster roll, chicken bunny chow, and lamprais.

Every dish was an absolute delight to partake of and what one should not miss is the Sri Lankan delicacy lamprais that consists of a large potion of rice, meat and sambol chilli sauce, served on a banana leaf.

The restaurant in reality has a pretty good variety of cuisines with best from everywhere. There was also the very British fried and battered fish and hot chips.

What stood apart among the signature dishes was the traditional South African fare of chicken bunny chow -- a hollowed-out half bread loaf filled with aromatic chicken curry; a wholesome of bun, full of chicken -- that is tasty and extremely filling.

This was followed by the northern Italian rice dish -- wild mushroom risotto. I was hesitant to try the risotto, owing to how it looked but this interesting mixture of ceps and field mushrooms, carnaroli rice, parmesan cheese and truffle tasted nice.

Also tried A RGW fiery chicken, which was not up to scratch, another dish with the unique but unpleasant flavour of truffle oil. For those who enjoy its aroma, it should be a thumbs up.

Dilli Ka Khana: Now was the time to taste the heavenly chole bhature, which is undoubtedly one of the most popular, mouth-watering, spicy and delicious Punjabi recipes.

Saved for the last were the best desserts ever. The last course had scrumptious bites of doodh jalebi, seasonal fruit crumble, nostalgic ice cream sundae, and chocolate indulgence, un minuto la tiramisu.

However, the clear winner was the nostalgic ice cream sundae with its mouth watering ingredients of vanila, chocolate, strawberry ice creams topped with crunchy granola, nuts, fresh seasonal berries and fudge sauce.

Capital Kitchen also boasts of a distinctive bar that will showcase the creative translation of the expat liquid chef Joel Scholtens, the aroma of fresh ingredients, and the smooth harmony of mixing them together -- innovative presentations that invoke all the senses.

Each signature cocktail represents the passion, knowledge and respect for the art of mixology. In addition, cold pressed juices made from fresh produce of organic ingredients are also available for the fitness and health enthusiasts.

FAQs:

Where: Taj Palace Hotel, Sardar Patel Marg

Timings: 24 hours

Meal for two: Rs 4,000 (exclusive of taxes)

(The writer's visit was at the invitation of Capital Kitchen. Mudita Girotra can be contacted at mudita.g@ians.in)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has indicated he will urge South Korea to remove statues symbolising those referred to as "comfort women".

In an NHK TV programme on Sunday, Abe referred to the statue of a seated girl that was installed in front of the Japanese Consulate General in the South Korean port city of Busan last month.

He indicated he would call for its removal, along with another in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.

Abe said both governments have confirmed that a 2015 bilateral agreement resolved the "comfort women" -- women who were forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II -- issue finally and irreversibly.

He said Japan has been sincerely carrying out its obligations under the agreement and has contributed $8.5 million dollars, to a South Korean foundation supporting former comfort women.

Abe said South Korea needs to fulfil its own obligations. He said honouring the agreement is a matter of national credibility, even if the government changes.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the Indian diaspora to first develop India by investing and contributing its expertise in the land of its origin.

"To me, FDI means First Develop India through Foreign Direct Investment, whose norms have been fully liberalised for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and made on par with domestic firms for availing same benefits," Modi told the the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Non-Resident Indian Day) here.

Inaugurating the three-day mega event, Modi exhorted the diaspora to participate in the government's flagship programmes like Digital India, Make In India, Start-up India, Swacch Bharat (Clean India) and Namami Gange (Clean Ganga) for the country's all-round development.

"Diaspora can contribute to India by sparing their time and energy on implementing our flagship programmes and stay connected," said Modi during a 40-minute special address in Hindi and English.

Asserting that engaging with the overseas Indian community was a priority area for him, the Prime Minister said the government was trying to convert 'brain drain' into 'brain gain' by inviting the diaspora to contribute their mite in making India strong and self-reliant.

"Brain drain has been considered a loss for the country as Indians went abroad seeking jobs and better life. But for me and my government, such a movement is not a brain drain but brain gain as they can help us in the development," noted Modi.

For young Indians seeking jobs abroad, Modi said his government would soon launch a skill development programme.

"We will shortly launch a skill development programme, the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana, targeted at Indian youth seeking overseas employment" he said.

The programme will train the job-seekers with soft skills so that they do not feel strangers in the country they migrate to in terms of manners and culture.

Modi also appealed to all persons of Indian origin living the world over to convert their PIO cards into Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card at the earliest.

"We are working on new procedures to ensure all descendants of Indians, especially their fourth and fifth generations living in Fiji, Suriname, Guyana and Caribbean states to become eligible for OCI cards," Modi said.

Clarifying that the government does not see the colour of the passport but the blood ties, the Prime Minister said the PIO card superseded the individual's passport as far as his or her ties to India were concerned.

When the PIO card is seen, "we don't see the colour of the passport but the blood ties", Modi said to huge applause.

Referring to Mahatma Gandhi's return from South Africa, Modi said this day marked the return to India of one of the greatest Pravasis and that his government's priority was to convert "brain drain" into brain gain".

"NRIs and PIOs have made outstanding contributions. Among them are politicians of great stature, scientists of repute, outstanding doctors, brilliant educationists, economists, journalists, musicians, engineers, bankers and did I mention our well known technology professionals," added Modi.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Popular tourist destinations Shimla, Manali, Chamba and Dalhousie remained cut off from the rest of for the second consecutive day on Sunday.

The supply of essential commodities and transportation of struck tourists was hampered on Sunday.

The electricity supply has been disrupted here and in Manali since Friday night due to snapping of transmission lines. Even the water supply was affected due to busting of pipes.

Connectivity on the Chandigarh-Manali highway remained snapped near Kullu, some 40 km before Manali, since a large stretch of the highway is under a thick blanket of snow, a government official told IANS.

Shimla, which experienced 53 cm of snowfall, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

Traffic bound for the state capital from Chandigarh remain disrupted near Shogi, about 15 km from here. Rail traffic on the Kalka-Shimla line also remain hampered.

Picturesque Dalhousie and Chamba towns were cut off from the rest of the country due to heavy snowfall near Banikhet which is located on Pathankot-Chamba highway.

The Kinnaur district and towns in Shimla district such as Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Kumarsain, Kharapathar, Rohru and Chopal are also cut off due to heavy snow, the official said.

A government spokesperson told IANS that no state-run bus has been plying in upper Shimla since Saturday morning as a large number of vehicles were stuck between Kufri and Narkanda.

According to him, work is on to clear snow from the highways and major roads in the state.

Other hill stations such as Chail, Kasauli and McLeodganj also experienced snowfall.

Rain lashed lower areas of the state such as Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi, pulling down temperatures.

"The entire belt in Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Shimla, Kullu and Chamba district witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall during the past 24 hours," a weatherman said.

The government has warned tourists not to venture into the high hills as chances of road cave-ins and landslides are high.

The Met department forecast that western disturbances -- storm systems originating from the Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region -- would start withdrawing on Monday.
Sri Lanka has hailed China's intention to invest over $5 billion in a new economic zone in the south of the island country.

Chinese ambassador Yi Xianliang on Saturday said in Hambantota that this was a great opportunity for Sri Lanka as more than 50 Chinese investors were keen on investing in the southern development project, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said China would invest about $5 billion in the new economic zone within the next three to five years, which could also help create 100,000 jobs especially for the people of Hambantota and the south.

"With all this, no negative force can stop the corporation between China and Sri Lanka and no one can stop the strong friendship between our two peoples," the ambassador said.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appreciated China's investment in the southern economic zone and also thanked China Merchants Holdings for helping develop the Hambantota Port.

"No one can stop us from establishing a new Sri Lanka so that our youth will benefit. Like Malaysia, Singapore and China, we will also be proudly developed," Wickremesinghe said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tamil superstar Vijay's forthcoming action-drama "eBairavaa" will release in 55 countries with premieres planned on January 11.

In a statement, the film's overseas distributor A&P Group confirmed the film's release in 55 countries.

Apart from regular release in key overseas markets, the film will also release African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia among others.

The statement further added that the film will also release in virgin markets such as Mexico, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Russia where no Tamil films have been released so far.

Directed by Bharathan, the film also stars Keerthy Suresh and Jagapathi Babu.

In India, the film releases on January 12.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress has sought to downplay the reported anger among Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders, who were purportedly not invited to share the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Patna where he praised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for banning liquor in the state. Kumar took the decision of prohibition after winning a third term in office in 2015 in alliance with the RJD and the Congress. Congress sources said the liquor ban was promised in the joint manifesto and the party still backs it. The Congress also took the opportunity to remind the Prime Minister that the Grand Old Party had banned liquor in Gujarat much before he became chief minister of the western state.
Every day when returns after a joust with political adversaries to his Camelot, which is Lucknows 5, Kalidas Marg, its time to hold court with advisors and loyalists. A motley lot, they include his trusted bureaucrats, father Mulayam Singh Yadavs socialist associates, an uncle, cousins and the knights from his Samajwadi Youth Brigade. Here are pen sketches of some of the known and less known from Akhileshs Round Table.
The internal feud in the Samajwadi Party (SP) took another turn on Sunday as reasserted that he is still the chief of the party. He called the January 1 convention where his son Akhilesh Yadav was crowned as the president as illegal.
Hitting out at Congress for opposing demonetisation, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Sunday said Rahul Gandhi was looking for ways to disrupt Parliament and his party was siding with "black money friendly status quo" when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being "futuristic" to create a technology-driven cleaner economy.

Jaitley said that Congress, despite being a party, has decided to adopt a political position, opposing both technology, change and reforms, but their "exaggerated claims on the disruption of the economy have proved wrong".

In a Facebook post, titled 'Demonetisation -- A look back at the last two months', the Finance Minister said there was a marked difference in the approach of the Prime Minister and his opponents.

"The Prime Minister was being futuristic, and thinking of a more modern, technology driven cleaner economy. He is now speaking of cleaning the political funding systems. His opponents want a cash dominated, cash generating and cash exchange system to continue.

"The difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi was clear -- the Prime Minister was thinking of the next generation while Rahul Gandhi was only looking at how to disrupt the next Session of Parliament," Jaitley wrote.

After the shock demonetisation of Rs 500/1000 notes announced by Modi on November 8, the opposition Congress and Trinamool-led protests disrupted about a month-long winter session of Parliament which ended on December 16.

Last month, Gandhi had attacked Modi over demonetisation dubbing it as the "biggest scam in the history of India".

There are fears that Opposition might also disturb the Budget session, which is scheduled to begin on January 31 with President's address to both the Houses of Parliament.
The appeared to be on the verge of a split with Mulayam Singh Yadav asserting himself as party chief saying that a recent convention where Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was named the head of the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh, was illegal.

After several rounds of failed patch up attempts between Mulayam and Akhilesh over the past week, Mulayam asserted his authority.

I am the party chief, Akhilesh is only the chief minister, Mulayam said in Delhi after he held extensive parleys with close aides Shivpal Yadav and Amar Singh.

Mulayam also declared a recent party convention called by the Akhilesh faction, where the chief minister was named the partys national president and Mulayam the adviser, as illegal. The SP convention in Lucknow last week had been called by party veteran Ram Gopal Yadav, whom Mulayam had expelled earlier and then taken back.

Ram Gopal has been expelled from the party for six years. He had no right to call the convention, Mulayam said.

The SP patriarch further negated a decision made by Ram Gopal saying that Shivpal was the SPs UP unit chief.

With the Election Commissions deadline asking both sides to prove their claim over party symbol cycle ending January 9, a split in the SP seemed imminent.

While Ram Gopal, who is supporting Akhilesh, has submitted seven boxes of documentary evidence to support his claim, Mulayam is scheduled to meet the poll panel on Monday.

According to Ram Gopal, majority of the partys members and lawmakers were supporting Akhilesh and this has been proved when around 200 of the 229 MLAs attended a meet called by Akhilesh.

Sources said Ram Gopal has submitted personal affidavits signed by around 205 of the 229 MLAs, 56 of the 68 MLCs and 30 of the 45 national executive members, as proof before the EC.

We have the majority support. Why cant Mulayam Singh see all this, he wondered.

Sources said that Ram Gopal believes that Shivpal and Amar Singh are using their influence on Mulayam and instigating the party veteran against Akhilesh.

However, sources in the Akhilesh camp said that a patch up was still possible if Mulayam withdrew his claim before the poll panel and acknowledged Akhilesh as party chief till the Assembly polls were over.

They said after the polls, Mulayam would be given complete charge of the party but he should not disturb the apple cart when the party was trying hard to retain power.

If the SP splits, the poll symbol cycle could be frozen by the EC. Both sides would then new symbols.

UP will have seven-phased polls for 403 seats from February 11 to March 8. Results will be out on March 11.
debuted in Parliament as a Lok Sabha member in 2000, unsure of himself. Mulayam Singh Yadav, his father, forced him into on deciding the young man wanted to do nothing but roam around the country with wife Dimple, whom he married in 1999.
As many as 157 MoUs in the education sector will be signed during 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit', which include big ticket investments of Rs 1,000 crore each for setting up two private universities, Gujarat Education Minister Bhupendra Chudasama said today.

The 157 investment intentions approved by the state include seven for setting up private universities, eight for start-ups and research institutes, 18 for skill development and knowledge centres and 103 educational institutes, he said here.

"Out of 185 proposals received by us, a record-breaking 157 MoUs will be signed during the 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit' this year, which is around 170 per cent more what was signed in 2015," the minister said.

"Of these, 16 MoUs are for investment intentions ranging between Rs 100 crore and Rs 1,500 crore, 6 MoUs for investments between Rs 50 crore and Rs 100 crore, and the rest below Rs 50 crore," he said said but did not provide the total investment expected by these MoUs.

Among the big ticket investments are Rs 1,000 crore for setting up of Amity University by Ritnand Baldev Education Foundation, and another Rs 1,000 crore for setting up Indrasheel University by Cadila Pharmaceuticals at Dholera SIR, said Chudasama.

Other notable MoUs are Rs 600 crore investment by Asia Charitable Trust for setting up a private university, and Rs 100 crore investment by G P Jain Charitable Trust and Arihant Seva Samiti for setting up engineering, pharmacy, ayurvedic, architecture, medical and start-up institutes, he said.

Chudasama informed that out of 96 MoUs signed in education sector in 2015 Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, 90 were realised, 26 were realised out of 54 MoU signed in 2013, 46 out of 92 inked in 2011 and 52 out of 94 signed in 2009.

"Setting up of educational institutes will help generate job opportunity in the state. Setting up of Amity University will generate 1,500 jobs, while the university by Asia Charitable Trust is expected to generate 6,300 jobs," the minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man here while her parents were away in the field in Gambhira village under Nainwa police station of the district.

The girl yesterday approached the police station with her parents and lodged a case of rape against Surender Meena of the same village, said Prushottam Mahariya, SHO at Nainwa police station.

The victim in her complaint alleged that the accused entered her house and raped her on January 5 night, the SHO said, adding the parents of the victim, were away in the field at the time the incident took place.

Acting on the girl's complaint, police yesterday lodged a case against the accused under section of 376 (rape) of IPC and sections of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, Mahariya said.

The victim has been sent for the medical examination, he said.

The accused is absconding and efforts are on to nab him. The exact age of the accused is also yet to be confirmed, the SHO said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sashashtra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel have arrested 18 cattle smugglers and seized 51 cattle from two trucks near Caltex Chowk in Bihar's Kishanganj district late last night.

Deputy Commandant, SSB's 12th battalion, Kumar Sundaram said that the cattle were being taken to Barpeta district in Assam from Dalkhhola in West Bengal to be sold across the Bangladesh borders.

Sundaram said all the 18 smugglers have been handed over to the Kishanganj police station.

Of the 18 smugglers, 16 belonged to Assam's Barpeta while two others hailed from Bihar's Vaishali district, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two Indians have been arrested with 21 grams of brown sugar near Tribhuvan International Airport here, Nepal police said today.

Din Dayal Rao, 25, and Manoj Kumar Tripathi, 25, both from Bisheshworgunj ofBahraich districtin Uttar Pradesh were arrested yesterday evening from Tilganga area by a team of the Narcotics Control Bureau.

According to police, the confiscated drug is worth around Rs 1,36,500 in the local market.

The police is carrying out further investigation in this matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three children, allegedly trafficked and confined as bonded laboures, were rescued in a joint operation from three establishments in Assam's Hailakandi district.

Acting on a tip-off that the minors were employed as child labourers, searches were conducted by the Labour Department, local police, and Childline and Child Welfare Committee, following which the children suspected to be aged below 14 years, were rescued, District Labour Officer Alimuddin Barbhuiya said today.

The employers have been asked to provide documents to prove age of the children, rescued yesterday.

"We are also looking into the need to subject the children to age-determination test. If the children are found to be younger than 14 years, we shall file cases against the employers under Section 67 of The Factories Act 1948 which provides for a fine upto Rs two lakh and jail term extending to two years for employing children below 14 years of age, Barbhuiya said.

The boys were produced before the District Child Protection Society and presently under its custody.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With a day left for extended deadline for filing nominations to six councils of the 32 urban local bodies in Nagaland, the State Election Commission (SEC) so far has recorded a total of 558 candidates for the February 1 polls.

According to an official statistics released by State Election Commission (SEC) for ULBs, the 558 candidates include 268 from NPF, 31 from Congress, 79 of BJP and 180 Independents.

There are 171 women candidates, who have also filed their nominations.

The figures were released following the actual date of filing the nominations fixed by the SEC on December 21 last coming to an end yesterday.

However, the number of candidates are likely to increase, as the SEC in consultation with the state government yesterday extended the last date of filing the nominations till 3PM on tomorrow, excluding today, being Sunday.

State Election Commissioner Sentiyanger Imchen, while announcing the extension however informed that the extension was necessitated following request from political parties and candidates as they could not file the nominations till yesterday because of the boycott and bandh imposed by various Naga tribal bodies.

He said that the extension is only for the councils which have reported nil nominations till yesterday.

There are only six such councils, including Kohima and Mokokchung Municipal Councils and Medziphema, Changtongya, Tuensang and Mon Town Councils, the official statistics revealed.

Though candidates have filed nominations, standing firm on the boycott call made by respective tribal organisations, specially Angami Public Organisation (APO), Ao Senden, Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO) have asked their community members to withdraw the same before the expiry of the last date of withdrawal, which is January 17 next or face ex-communication.

CPO vice-president Ariyi Nienu has confirmed that 13 of its community members who have filed nomination papers in various councils under Phek district have yesterday entered into an undertaking with CPO to withdraw their candidatures while process with other 56.

Altogether 69 candidates including, 20 female have filed their nominations in three councils, Phek, Chozuba and Pfutsero Town Councils under Phek district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An average 67.36 per cent voter turnout was registered today for the fourth and final phase of elections to municipal councils in Nagpur and Gondia districts , according to the state election commission (SEC).

The figure of 67.36 per cent voting is the primary figure and the SEC will issue the final figure after local returning officers complete their verification procedure, an official release said.

The polling for the 244 seats in the 11 nagar parishads of the two districts came to an end at 5.30 PM.

There were long queues in some polling stations, where booth level officers issued chits to the voters in the queue and completed the voting procedure, officials said.

Nagpur district has nine nagar parishads, while Gondia has two where the voting took place.

Meanwhile, violence was witnessed in Katol council in Nagpur district during polling today, following which local BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh was booked for criminal intimidation.

Police said 'Vidarbha Maza Party' leader Charansingh Thakur has filed a complaint stating that Deshmukh broke mirror of his four-wheeler at Hetipeth Budhwari, around 2 kms from Katol police station.

An offence has been registered against the MLA under various sections of IPC, including criminal intimidation, mischief and the act endangering life or personal safety of others, they added.

There were 3,82,060 voters in these 11 bodies of whom 1,91,791 were male and 1,90,263 female. Six transgenders were also in the voting list, a SEC spokesperson said.

Counting of votes will take place tomorrow at 10 AM.

As many as 1,190 candidates are in the fray for the 244 seats.

Like previous elections, nagar parishad chairman will also be elected directly by the voters.

This is the last of the four-phase local bodies polls which began from October 17, last year. There are a total 192 nagar parishads and 20 nagar panchayats in the state.

The election was not held in two local bodies. At Shirala nagar parishad in Sangli, no nomination form was filed.

At Vaijapur nagar parishad in Aurangabad, the election was suspended due to a legal matter. Since, the case is in court, the Election Commission decided to wait for its directives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 68 fighters have been killed in two days of fierce battles between Yemeni forces and Shiite Huthi rebels near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, military officials said today.

Government forces launched yesterday an assault to recapture the coastal Dhubab district, just 30 kilometres north of Bab al-Mandab which links the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Since then at least 55 Huthis have been killed in fighting and 72 others wounded, military and medical sources said.

Clashes since yesterday have also killed 13 loyalists forces, including an army general, Brigadier-General Abdul Aziz al-Majidi, a loyalist commander, told AFP.

Landmines planted by the rebels have slowed down the advance of government forces, military officials said.

The government and its allies in a Saudi-led coalition recaptured Bab al-Mandab strait in October 2015, pushing the Iran-backed rebels further north.

But the rebels still control nearly all of Yemen's Red Sea coast to the north, posing what the coalition says is a threat to international shipping.

In September and October, two US warships and a United Arab Emirates vessel contracted to the coalition were targeted by missile fire from rebel-held territory.

Pro-government troops seized Dhubab in early October 2015, but the rebels managed to recapture the area in February.

The Yemeni conflict has killed more than 7,000 people since the coalition's military intervention began in March 2015, according to the United Nations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nine persons were arrested for carrying 74 buffalos in three trucks on Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway in the district, police said.

After a tip-top off, a team of police intercepted the trucks which were carrying the buffalos to Manesar on Friday, Investigating Officer of Sadar Police Station Laxmi Narayan said.

The accused have been identified as Imran, Rihaj, Aslam, Nisar, Alfaz, Prakash, Irfan, Anwar and Sahjad.

An FIR has been registered against the nine accused under various sections of the IPC and an investigation is underway, police said.

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Taking its fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to newer pastures, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will "actively campaign" against the saffron party in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly polls, though it will not enter the electoral arena.

After the completion of elections in Punjab and Goa, where the AAP will be contesting, all leaders including star campaigners, will concentrate on UP to expose the BJP, "which has betrayed the country and which is the biggest devil in politics", AAP spokesman Vaibhav Maheshwari said.

Details of senior AAP leaders' tour programme will be worked out soon but almost all of them will campaign against the ruling party at the Centre so as to apprise the people of the BJP's real face and tell them what all can happen if they are elected in the state, he said.

A detailed itinerary will be released later in which the AAP will apprise people of the "wrongs" committed by the BJP although they will not seek votes for any party in the Uttar Pradesh polls, he said.

BJP is contesting the elections with demonetisation as the central issue and the AAP has dubbed it as the biggest scam, Maheshwari said, adding this campaign (against BJP) can also be termed as a new kind of in which his party will be putting its energy and money into the elections in which its stands to gain nothing in terms of seats.

"This move is to ensure that UP is not made to pay heavily in case of a wrong decision by the people as the state make a big impact on politics, with the next Lok Sabha polls scheduled two years hence. We have to caution people as to how can a party which has proved to be a failure at the level be a good option in the politically crucial state," he said.

Although the AAP is not in poll fray in UP, it is contesting in Punjab and Goa where polling is slated for February 4. The seven-phase UP polls start on February 11 and end on March 8 and AAP leaders will get enough opportunity to criss-cross the state, Maheshwari added.
The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travellers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida has been charged and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said.

Authorities do not know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Santiago was yesterday charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death which carries a maximum punishment of execution and weapons charges.

"Today's charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors," US Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

Authorities said during a conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with the cooperative suspect, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska.

Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.

Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska. He had two magazines with him and emptied both of them, firing about 15 rounds, before he was arrested, the complaint said.

"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack," FBI Agent George Piro said.

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiago's motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said.

In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the US government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

"He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day," FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.

On that day, Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.

On December 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities would not say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.

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The Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs, today awarded religious punishment to Punjab minister Sikander Singh Maluka after finding him guilty of "distorting hymns" and asked him to clean utensils in the community kitchen of the Golden Temple and shoes of devotees.

Akal Takht jathedar Gurbachan Singh pronounced "tankhah" (religious punishment as per Sikh tenets) based on a probe conducted by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee into the charges levelled against the minister.

A complainant had last month alleged that Maluka had taken part in a private function in Bhatinda where 'ardas' (Sikh prayer) was "intentionally" distorted.

Maluka appeared before the five Sikh head priests who questioned him about the "blasphemous" act.

The minister admitted to making a mistake and said he wish to atone for the offence with "tankah".

Singh, while pronouncing the punishment, directed him to clean utensils in the community kitchen of the Golden Temple the shoes of devotees for an hour daily for three days on the trot.

Maluka was also asked to organise an "akhand path" (continuous recitation of hymns) and deposit Rs 51,000 with the Akal Takht.

The clergy told him to listen to hymns, recite the Sikh religious scripture and deposit Rs 1,000 at Gurdwara Talwandi Sabo.

The Akal Takht Jathedar had on December 27 directed SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar to probe the "blasphemous" act in Bhatinda.

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In a boost to the Congress ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, national political adviser of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Ranjit Singh Nikra today joined the Congress.

Nikra, who is also a Director in Punjab Agro Food Grain Corporation, joined the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) along with several of his supporters in the presence of Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh, who welcomed the development as another shot in the arm for the Congress.

Nikra, who was also the national president of the Anti Drug Federation of India (ADFI), has been appointed as the Chairman of the Anti Narcotic Cell of PPCC.

Among those present at the joining ceremony was Sanjiv Garg, Chairman Human Rights Cell and former Vice Chairman Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Limited, who was instrumental in bringing Nikra into the Congress, besides Amarinder's former adviser BIS Chahal.

Nikra, who hails from Patiala, started his political innings as the president of Youth Akali Dal (Badal), Patiala, in 1994, and had since worked with SAD in various capacities, including national Organising Secretary of SAD (Badal) from 2011 to 2015. For a brief period, from 2009 to 2011, Nikra had joined Akali Dal (Longowal) and served the party as its national youth wing president.

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Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today said the state has materialised almost 70 per cent of MoUs signed in all the earlier Vibrant Gujarat Summits, attracting investment worth lakhs of crores of rupees over the years.

Rupani made this statement while laying the foundation stone of 'ITC Narmada', a luxury hotel coming up in Vastrapur area here with an investment of Rs 600 crore.

ITC Ltd had signed an agreement during the previous Vibrant Summit to set up the hotel.

In an apparent attack on the Congress, which has been alleging that Vibrant Summits were a "total failure", Rupani claimed that Gujarat is having the lowest unemployment ratio just because of Vibrant Summits.

"This hotel is coming up with a total investment of Rs 600 crore. Today's function marking commencement of construction of work is a fitting reply to those who claim that nothing worthwhile happens during such Summits," he said.

The 8th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 10 at Gandhinagar.

"Out of all the MoUs signed in the past Vibrant Summits, almost 70 per cent have been materialised, attracting investments worth lakhs of crores of rupees. I can say with confidence that millions of our youths got jobs just because of these Vibrant Summits," said Rupani.

"Because of these MoUs and subsequent investments, Gujarat has become India's growth engine. Thanks to Vibrant Summits, Gujarat is having the lowest unemployment rate in the country," the Chief Minister added.

Gujarat Congress had earlier alleged that despite tall claims made by BJP-led government about the success of Vibrant Summits in attracting investment and creation of millions of jobs, the ground reality is totally different.

Senior Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela had recently claimed that over 60 lakh youths in Gujarat are still unemployed despite government's claims about the success of Vibrant Summits.

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A white American convert to Islam, who became one of Islamic State's frontline fighters and is one of the world's most wanted terrorists, was married to a British Muslim woman, a media report said today.

John Georgelas, who uses the name Yahya Abu Hassan, quietly married Joya Choudhury, at the town hall in Rochdale, Lancashire, in north-west England after her family disapproved of the marriage and disowned her, the Sunday Times reported.

The couple met online while Choudhury, then 19, was at college.

Georgelas persuaded his British wife Choudhry to enter the warzone with their three young sons while she was pregnant with their fourth child.

Choudhury, now 33, managed to flee Syria and has since divorced Georgelas, the newspaper said.

Georgelas is now a key propagandist and recruiter for ISIS and his activities are believed to have led to him being placed on a US government "kill list".

The 33-year-old's conversion and rise within the ISIS ranks was reportedly fuelled in part by his time in Britain before he joined the terror group in Syria in 2013.

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Corey Anderson bludgeoned 94 off just 41 balls as New Zealand beat Bangladesh by 27 runs in the third Twenty20 at Bay Oval on Sunday to sweep the series.

Anderson, who put on 124 runs for the fourth wicket with Kane Williamson (60), hit a New Zealand record 10 sixes in his batting blitz as New Zealand posted 194 for four. Bangladesh in reply made 167 for six in their 20 overs.

Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar launched Bangladesh's reply by reaching 44 in the fifth over when Tamim was dismissed for 24. Bangladesh were 89 for two after 10 overs, but with Soumya having fallen for 42, they could not sustain the run rate.

The tourists still had an outside chance of reaching their target at 120 for three after 14 overs when spinner Ish Sodhi produced a crucially tight over in which he took one for three, blowing out the required run rate to an improbable 14.44 per over.

New Zealand captain Williamson said the blustery conditions meant the win was not as easy as it appeared on the scoreboard.

"Corey's knock was outstanding. It wasn't easy at times -- you had to adjust to the wind but I don't think the wind mattered to Corey," he said.

"He hit it to parts and hit it a long way and it was a good knock that set us up for victory."



New Zealand, sent into bat, were on the back foot early, slumping from 34 for nought to 41 for three in the space of 11 deliveries. That brought Anderson and Williamson together and after taking a few overs to settle in, with only 55 on the board at the halfway stage, they let fly in the second half of the innings which produced 139 runs.

They also set a New Zealand fourth-wicket partnership record of 124, one more than the previous mark set by Colin Munro and Tom Bruce in the second game two days ago.

The big-hitting Anderson only faced 41 deliveries for the highest knock of his career while Williamson faced 57 balls for his seventh Twenty20 half-century.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who had the misfortune to see Williamson dropped off his bowling on 53 and 58, was unable to complete his fourth over because of injury, compounding his team's problems.

Regular opener Imrul Kayes was also injured in the field. He dropped down the order during the Bangladesh innings and was not required to bat.

Rubel Hossain was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with three for 31, including two wickets in one over when he removed Jimmy Neesham (15) and Munro, a century-maker two days ago, without scoring.

Sodhi took two for 22 and Trent Boult two for 48 for New Zealand. The defeat left Bangladesh winless after three 50-over matches and three Twenty20s, with two Tests remaining on their tour.

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Andhra Pradesh would help Sri Lanka in service delivery through information technology, the state's Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandra Babu Naidu said here today.

The chief minister was attending the second anniversary celebrations of President Maithripala Sirisena in office.

Naidu said Sirisena has made "Sri Lanka a democratic country".

Asked what Sri Lanka expects from his visit, Naidu said, "two things immediately they want me to look at, that is to replace all traditional street lights with LED bulbs. I asked them to visit and make a study. The second matter is the ground water technology, there will be real time billing leading to 40 per cent savings".

A study conducted by Andhra University and Engineering Staff College of India showed that Andhra Pradesh saved about 421 million unit of power last year because of the use of LED bulbs in four of the 13 districts.

"Andhra Pradesh would help Sri Lanka in service delivery through information technology," Naidu said.

Naidu said Andhra Pradesh was willing to extend to help where there is a Sri Lankan interest and where technology and expertise is available in the state.

"It is for the overall benefit of people," he added.

Naidu said Sri Lanka has a bright future ahead, recalling his long association with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

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A team of the US-based iPhone maker will meet a group of senior officials from ministries, including IT and finance, on January 25 to discuss its demands for setting up a manufacturing unit in the country.

Officials from departments of commerce, industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), revenue, environment and forest, electronics and information technology (DeITY) will take part in the deliberations.

In a communication to the government, the Cupertino-based technology major has asked for various incentives including the tax incentives and long-term duty exemptions, to enter the manufacturing sector in India.

However, the sources said the technology major should set up the manufacturing unit in India without seeking additional support.

As many as 42 are making mobile phones in India, including Chinese firm Huawei and Xiaomi, and no firm has approached the government for any additional incentives.

Currently, the government provides support by way of benefits under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS) to boost electronic manufacturing.

The scheme offers financial incentives to offset disability and attract investments in the electronics hardware segment. It also gives subsidy for investments in special economic zones, among other benefits.

Apple's products are manufactured in six countries, including Korea, Japan and the US.

Earlier, the finance ministry in May had rejected relaxing the 30 per cent domestic sourcing norms as sought by the iPhone and iPad maker as a pre-condition of bringing in FDI to set up single-brand retail stores in the country.

The company had sought exemption on the ground that it makes state-of-the-art and cutting-edge technology products for which local sourcing is not possible.

The government had also turned down the firm's proposal to import refurbished phones and sell them in India.

The company sells its products through Apple-owned retail stores in countries like China, Germany, the US, the UK and France, among others. It has no wholly-owned store in India and sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro.

The government has announced incentives to promote electronic manufacturing in India and reduce the import bill.
The Goa Assembly elections are likely to be a three-pronged fight with the ruling BJP, opposition Congress and new entrant AAP pitted against each other in the coastal state.

While the Manohar Parrikar-led BJP had won in the 2012 elections in alliance with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), this time it has been abandoned by its political friends who have now ganged up against it.

Hence, the BJP has decided to go to the polls on its own for he Assembly elections scheduled to be held on February 4.

As per a recent announcement, the party will contest in 37 out of the total 40 seats. In the remaining three constituencies under Salcette taluka, which has a Catholic stronghold, it will support the Independents.

Departing from its 2012 strategy when it had announced Manohar Parrikar as the chief ministerial face before seeking votes, the BJP this time has said that the elected members will chose their leader.

Standing alone, the BJP has covered majority of the ground through its 'Vijay Sankalp' rallies, which have been addressed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, in 35 constituencies of the state.

The BJP, which has seen steady growth in the coastal state, has its strength in the robust organisational set up which percolates to every booth level.

BJP Goa chief Vinay Tendulkar recently said that the party is confident of winning over 26 seats on its own.

"We are fighting this election on the plank of good governance and development. We have shown the people that BJP means development," he said.

But according to political experts, it would have been an easy election for BJP if its ally MGP had not split with it and the medium of instruction issue had not given rise to another political outfit - Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) led by RSS rebel Subhash Velingkar.

The three pro-Hindutva outfits - MGP, GSM and Shiv Sena - may eat into the votes of BJP and are likely to give the ruling party a tough challenge in several constituencies.

MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar is slated to be projected as the chief ministerial candidate by these parties, which are likely to tie-up soon.

The MGP split with the BJP on January 5, a day after election dates were announced.

Dhavalikar has exuded confidence that his party will form government in Goa, in alliance with GSM and Shiv Sena.

"BJP will be wiped out from the state. For the 2012 elections, majority of the seats were won by BJP with the support of MGP. BJP would not have won 21 seats on their own without MGP," he claimed recently.

For the Congress party, Goa elections are an important



opportunity to salvage its political fortunes which sunk to the lowest level during the 2012 state polls.

Realising the ground reality, the Congress, after initial reluctance, is now ready to forge a pre-poll alliance with like-minded parties like Goa Forward, NCP and Atanasio Monserratte-led United Goans Party, in few constituencies.

The party is expected to announce about its alliance on January 10.

After a humiliating defeat in 2012 when it was reduced to a single digit party (of 9 legislators) in Goa Assembly, its Goa unit chief Luizinho Faleiro and All India Congress Committee secretary Girish Chodankar have been trying to bring the party back into a position to fight the polls.

Independent legislator Vijai Sardesai-led Goa Forward Party is likely to form an alliance with Congress, which may pose a formidable opposition to the BJP in the state.

Interestingly, the Congress has made promises similar to the ones made by BJP during 2012 polls.

"The BJP's promises of zero tolerance to corruption, drugs and prostitution have been a failure. We want ethical tourism and not drugs, prostitution and casinos in the name of promoting tourism in the state," Faleiro said recently.

"At the same time, we will ensure protection of environment and ecology," he said.

Faleiro himself is in the election fray this time, contesting from the Navelim constituency.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has also been trying to make an impact on the coastal state's polity.

Several groups which were neither with the BJP nor with Congress have joined AAP, which has announced former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes as its chief ministerial face.

Kejriwal has in recent times made frequent visits to Goa to gear up the party rank and file for the polls.

AAP has also said that it will contest in all the 40 Assembly constituencies, and expects to repeat the 'Delhi magic' in Goa too.

Kejriwal yesterday said that the contest would be bi-polar in the state, with AAP against others.

"BJP and Congress are having a friendly fight in the polls. But their fight is spoilt by AAP. People now have a choice," the Delhi Chief Minister said, adding that "the fight is between the honest and the corrupt".
Bahrain is hunting four suspects wanted for their alleged involvement in a deadly attack on the central prison and a jailbreak earlier this month, the interior minister said today.

On January 1, gunmen attacked Jaw prison south of the capital Manama, killing a policeman and allowing 10 inmates to escape.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid al-Khalifa told parliament that investigators had identified four key suspects involved in the prison attack and jailbreak.

A number of suspects who helped them had been arrested, including the owner of the car used in the operation, he added, in remarks carried by the official BNA agency.

"Negligence and complicity were the key reasons behind the jailbreak," the minister said, recalling that authorities had referred to the prosecutor three officials as part of the probe into the operation.

The interior minister also urged lawmakers to adopt legislation "that would help security forces fight against terrorism" and to "toughen sanctions" against those who attack security forces.

Shiites convicted over anti-government protests in Sunni-ruled Bahrain were held at Jaw.

Seven of the escapees had been serving life sentences and three were serving lengthy jail terms for "terrorist acts", the interior ministry said last week.

Tiny but strategic Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, has been rocked by unrest since the authorities crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.

Hundreds of Shiites have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations.

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The relevance of books will never diminish, even in the digital era, and a balance must be struck between the print and online domains, Union Minister of State for HRD Mahendra Nath Pandey today said.

Addressing a gathering of captains and senior executives of leading publishers from the country and abroad at a function here, Pandey also exhorted the Indian publishers to patronise regional languages.

"Online age is important and, and it has brought in a lot of transparency and access to people. Our Prime Minister, himself has been promoting 'digital India'. But, we must know that the relevance of books would never diminish, nonetheless.

"Our history harks back to the age of Vedas, and ancient text written on 'bhojpatras' (old manuscripts). And, so, while we must move ahead in the digital era, care must be taken to strike a balance between the two domains (print and digital)," he said.

On the occasion of the New Delhi World Book Fair, FICCI and National Book Trust (NBT) organised the 5th edition of 'CEOSpeak over Chairman's Breakfast', which was attended by representatives from Sharjah Book Authority and the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, among others.

The theme of the event this year is 'The Idea and Business of Creating Culture of Reading: Experience & Challenges Across Societies'.

"While English is a good international language for communication, publishers here must also patronise our regional languages. India is a land of linguistic diversity and many of our languages have their own scripts as well. So, work in regional languages must be promoted as well," Pandey added.

"An economist has said that in last 15 years, online readership has gone up significantly. But, people's appetite for reading in print has not abated either," he said.

Secretary General of FICCI, A Didar Singh said, "FICCI aims to works towards advocacy for the National Book Promotion Policy of the Ministry of Human Resource and Development."



"Work is also being done for Google Centre for Indian Languages," he said.

New Delhi World Book Fair is being held at the Pragati Maidan from January 7-15.

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US Ambassador to India Richard Verma and megastar Amitabh Bachchan came together for a live video chat on Facebook and discussed about the important issue of tuberculosis (TB) with their fans and followers.

Going live from Mumbai today, the two talked about the US Embassy's collaboration with Bachchan for ending TB in India and US-India partnership among others, an official release said.

Speaking live to viewers, Verma thanked Bachchan "for his dedication to support the cause and for sharing his story as a TB survivor to reduce the stigma associated with TB."



"Together we can save more lives and remove the burden this disease places on families, communities, corporations, and India," said Verma referencing the high rates of TB-related deaths in India.

Before the live chat, the US diplomat also presented an award to Bachchan on behalf of the US Embassy in recognition of his efforts and support to the US-India partnership for the TB-free India campaign, it said.

Thanking Verma for the recognition, Bachchan said, "Last year, Ambassador Verma initiated this campaign around the fight to end TB in India, and it was a privilege to know him personally and to work with him and his team closely".

"I am presently an ambassador for TB eradication in India for the campaign 'TB Harega Desh Jitega' and am a TB survivor. It is inspiring that India and the US are natural partners with a long history of collaboration on TB prevention, treatment, research, and cure, and I hope to continue to do my bit in this partnership to end TB in India," said the 74-year-old actor.

Verma and Bachchan first came together to work on TB during the "Mumbai Dialogue: Towards a TB-free India" event organised here on September 10, 2015.

The professional engagement soon developed into a personal relationship with the two exchanging letters, updates, and sharing a stage around the common cause of TB.

On March 7 last year, Bachchan flew to Delhi to attend a reception hosted by Verma at his residence, the Roosevelt House, to commemorate World TB Day.

Bachchan had attended the reception as "TB Brand Ambassador" and a TB survivor, it added.

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Maratha leader and BJP-backed MLC Vinayak Mete, sulking for some time over being sidelined, today called on Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, the bickering ally of ruling BJP, at latter's residence here.

Mete, founder chairman of pro-Maratha Shivsangram Sanghatna from Beed district, had supported the BJP against Sena in 2014 Assembly elections.

When contacted, he told PTI that nothing should be read into his visit.

"My visit to Uddhav Thackeray at 'Matoshree' (Thackeray's residence in suburban Bandra) was to apprise him about various issues related to Maratha community seeking reservation in jobs. I also gave more details to him about the proposed Shivaji Maharaj memorial, which is going to be largest one in the world," Mete said.

Mete has been in sulk since last year over his non-induction in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government.

The MLC had last month accused the BJP of turning the foundation laying of Shivaji memorial in Arabian sea into a "party event to derive a political mileage", a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ceremony.

Mete heads the 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Smarak Samiti' which is overseeing the execution of the ambitious project, coming up off Mumbai coast.

He was former ally of Sharad Pawar-led NCP.

Mete's visit came at a time when much-awaited civic elections, including to high-stake Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), are round the corner.

The State Election Commission has already called for a press conference tomorrow afternoon.

However, Mete stressed his meeting with Thackeray was strictly in the context of the memorial project and issues concerning Maratha community.

"There is nothing to read more about in such visit. I have worked with BJP as per our earlier arrangement, but Shiv Sena being an ally of 'Mahayuti' in Maharashtra, I am also of the opinion of BJP-Shiv Sena should form alliance ahead of civic polls," he said.

When asked about Mete's visit, Sena spokesperson and senior leader Neelam Gorhe said, "Vinayak Mete is a senior leader and our leader Uddhav Thackeray also know him for some time. There is nothing new or unusual that leaders are visiting Matoshree.

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Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said candidates for the 23 seats BJP will contest in Punjab in alliance with the Akalis would be declared in three to four days.

BJP is yet to announce its candidates for Punjab polls. Its ally SAD has announced candidates on 93 of the 94 seats it will contest out of the total 117 constituencies in Punjab.

Jaitely said BJP will field best candidates and he hoped that the SAD-BJP combine would form government for the third consecutive time in the state.

Jaitley was in Amritsar to address BJP's 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra', which concluded today.

Asked about talks of former BJP lawmaker from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu joining Congress, he refused to comment.

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The BJP in West Bengal has lodged a police complaint against a Imam of Kolkata for issuing a 'fatwa' against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded his immediate arrest.

Syed Mohammad Nurur Rahman Barkati, the Shahi Imam of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan Masjid, yesterday issued a 'fatwa' against the Prime Minister, accusing him of 'bluffing' people through demonetisation, evoking a sharp reaction from the BJP, which demanded his arrest.

"We want him to be arrested and put behind bars. This is not only insult to the Prime Minister but also to the people of this country. We will go for legal action against him, " BJP state president Dilip Ghosh told PTI.

BJP state secretary Ritesh Tiwari, had lodged a police complaint in Jorasakho police station and demanded action against him.

"I have lodged a police complaint and urged the police authorities to treat it as an FIR. You can't just say anything you want against the Prime Minister of our country," Tiwari said.

Barkati yesterday said during a joint conference by the All India Majlis-e-Sura and All India Minority Forum here said, "Everyday people are harassed and facing problem due to demonetisation. Modi is bluffing the society and the innocent people of the country through demonetisation and nobody wants him to continue as the Prime Minister."



BJP national secretary Sidharth Nath Singh, who is in-charge of party's West Bengal affairs, said in Delhi, "We demand that Mamata Banerjee immediately order his arrest. The fatwa against our Prime Minister is highly condemnable. TMC MP Idris Ali was sitting next to him when he issued the fatwa."



Last year Barkati had issued a 'fatwa' against BJP state president Dilip Ghosh for his comments against Banerjee.

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A British man has put his gender transition on hold to have a baby after finding a sperm donor on social media and is expected to become the first UK male to give birth.

Hayden Cross has been living legally as a man for three years and is already part-way through hormone treatment to transform from a woman to a man.

But the 20-year-old's full transition was paused after the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS) refused to carry out a 4,000-pounds process to freeze his eggs - which he hoped would enable him to have children in the future.

The former supermarket worker instead found a sperm donor via Facebook and, now successfully pregnant, is set to give birth in a few months, according to 'The Sun'.

Cross is expected to become the first UK male to give birth.

Sixteen weeks into his pregnancy, Cross told the newspaper: "I want the baby to have the best. I'll be the greatest dad."



He took to social media to find a sperm donor and an anonymous donor came forward and, having self-administered the sperm, Cross became pregnant at the first attempt.

Speaking of the discovery, Cross said: "It was mixed emotions.

"I was happy but I also knew it would be backtracking on my transition."



He said he felt pressured into getting pregnant before completing his gender transition, as hormone treatment would have set irreversible changes into motion.

Gender transition treatment costs the NHS on average 29,000 pounds per patient.

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Inderjit Singh Randhawa and Deepinder Singh Randhawa, brother and nephew of Congress candidate from Dera Baba Nanak seat Sukhjinder Randhawa, today joined Apna Punjab Party (APP).

APP president Sucha Singh Chhotepur, while welcoming Inderjit and Deepinder into the party fold, said, "We have high regard for the individuals who have a vision and believe in taking the state to a new height."



He also announced Deepinder as APP's candidate from Dera Baba Nanak seat to contest against his uncle Sukhjinder.

Earlier, Inderjit, who was a permanent invitee to the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), had resigned from the party after his son allegedly was denied the ticket for the polls.

Deepinder was the secretary of Punjab Youth Congress who was "unhappy" with the party's decision of allotting ticket to his uncle Sukhjinder.

He had applied for the party ticket from Fatehgrah Churrian and Dera Baba Nanak constituencies respectively.

Randwahas are well known and politically influential family of the area as Sukhjinder's father late Santok Singh Randhawa had remained MLA for three terms.

Meanwhile, Chhotepur and Bhartiya Republican Party president Prakash Rao Ambedkar have decided to jointly contest the forthcoming Assembly election in the state.

The leaders met in Jalandhar yesterday to discuss the tie up in detail. Later, Rao and Chhotepur, in a joint statement, stated they would soon disclose the seat sharing of the front.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BSP today announced candidates for 101 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, completing the exercise for all but two of the 403 constituencies, fielding 12 more Muslim candidates this time to ensure Dalit-Muslim consolidation in a bid to wrest power from Samajwadi Party.

Candidates for the two remaining seats in Sonebhadra district will be finalised after a decision is taken as to whether they are general or reserved for ST, BSP said in a release here today.

Out of the 403 seats up for grabs, BSP had prepared a final list comprising 97 Muslim candidates (12 more than 2012), 87 Dalits and 106 OBCs, besides earmarking 113 seats for upper castes -- Brahmins 66, Kshatriyas 36 and others 11.

Since Muslims account for nearly 20 per cent of the voters in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati decided to field more candidates belonging to that community, playing her Dalit-Muslim consolidation card to come back to power.

Muslims, who had by and large supported SP in the 2012 elections, are in a quandary in view of the squabblings in the Yadav family and factional fight between Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

With a weak Samajwadi Party, Muslims will look for alternatives and Mayawati wants to be at the right place at the right time, say analysts. If she manages to direct the entire Muslim vote her way, she could pose a tough challenge to BJP and SP, they believe.

Before releasing the fourth list of candidates, Mayawati presided over a meeting of party office-bearers, leaders, legislators, MPs and party candidates where she told them to fan out in their respective constituencies and work for BSP's victory.

She also asked her party leaders to expose Samajwadi Party government on lawlessness and the Centre on demonetisation.

She took potshots at the Yadav family spat saying voters should not spoil their ballots by backing Samajwadi Party as doing this would indirectly benefit BJP in the polls.

An analysis of the complete list released by BSP brings out an interesting fact that it is not Dalits but the upper caste which has got the second biggest share after Muslims.

Uttar Pradesh goes to polls in seven phases between February 11 and March 8.

(REOPENS DEL 43)



In the first list of 100 candidates released by party supremo Mayawati on Thursday for the communally sensitive western UP, 36 tickets went to Muslims and 27 to the upper castes including 17 to Brahmins and eight to the Thakurs.

In 2012, she had fielded 31 Muslims in western UP, five less than this time.

Twenty seats were given to OBCs, which have significant strength in the region which goes to polls in the first two phases on February 11 and 15.

OBCs constitute 45 per cent of UP's total population.

Mayawati replaced 10 sitting MLAs in the region, including four who have defected to BJP. But, she retained nine candidates who lost in 2012 by narrow margin.

After giving maximum tickets to Muslims in the first list, Mayawati gave 27 seats to Dalits in the second list of 100 more candidates released on Friday.

In the second list, covering major portions of Rohilkhand and central UP, the number of Muslim nominees came down to 23 compared to 36 in the first list.

She also appeared to strike a balance with the upper castes giving Brahmins 14 seats and Thakurs 8. OBCs got 24 seats.

Areas covered in the second list include some SP strongholds like Kannauj, Etawah and Mainpuri, besides Lucknow and Kanpur.

Muslims once again got the lion's share in the third list another 100 aspirants released by BSP yesterday when 27 candidates belonging to that community were given tickets -- seven more than what the the party had fielded in 2012.

Mayawati retained as BSP candidate from Allahabad Pooja Pal, wife of former BSP MLAs Raju Pal, allegedly murdered by the brother of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed in 2006.

(REOPENS DES28)



The BSP has put up a Muslim candidate in Ayodhya seat.

In a bid to strengthen her hold over Muslim voters, Mayawati has fielded Bazmi Siddiqui from the prestigious seat that has been projected by BJP as the symbol of Hindu resurgence.

The constituency, currently represented by SP, has 18 per cent Muslim voters and 20 per cent Dalits.

BSP leaders claim the Dalit-Muslim combine is expected to pay rich dividends to the party "considering the fact that SP is in doldrums".
The Pro Wrestling League's star quotient is all set to take a massive hit after the Phogat sisters, who are in the limelight following a blockbuster biopic on their struggle, were rendered doubtful for the ongoing season.

The much in demand real-life 'Dangal' girls -- Geeta and Babita -- were roped in by the Uttar Pradesh franchise, which also exploited the success of Aamir Khan-starrer Bollywood movie and chose to name their team 'UP Dangal' in PWL-2.

However, the two star wrestlers are now uncertain to take any further part in the tournament. While there are conflicting reports on Geeta's status, Babita has been laid low by an injury.

While some sources are claiming that Geeta is under the weather with high fever, others are saying that she is carrying some niggles.

According to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), replacements have been sought by the UP team for both Geeta and Babita.

Pinki has been named as a replacement for Babita in women's 53kg, while Manisha has been brought in place of Geeta in women's 58kg. Another grappler Reshma Mane, who fights in a higher weight category, has been asked to reduce her weight to fit into 58kg, so that she could be an eventual replacement of Geeta as she is a better wrestler than Manisha.

"Geeta and Babita are not pulling out of the tournament. They would be sticking with the team but in all probability would not take part in the competition further," a top official in the WFI told PTI.

"In place of Babita, Pinki has been included in the UP Dangal squad, while Manisha has come in for Geeta for the time being but she is expected to eventually be replaced by Reshma Mane as UP team wanted her on the basis of her being a better grappler," the source added.

In the match against Mumbai Maharathis last night, UP Dangal had fielded Manisha in place of Geeta in women's 58kg as the veteran wrestler was down with high fever and had been advised by her doctor not to take part in the match. Manisha lost 1-9 to Mumbai's Sarita.

(REOPENS DEL 47)



Meanwhile, owing to Mumbai blocking women's 53kg, Babita sat out of the tie yesterday.

In UP Dangal's opening match against Haryana Hammers, UP had chosen to block Geeta's category, while Babita was thrashed by Rio Olympics bronze-medallist Sofia Mattsson in just 46 seconds by virtue of a 'Win by Fall' verdict.

"No one expected Babita to pull off the bout against Sofia, who is a very very strong wrestler, but going down in just 46 seconds dented Babita's confidence badly. She could have given at least a good fight had she been 100 per cent fit but Babita was already carrying some niggle," a source close to Babita claimed.

"Also the fact that the promotion of the movie Dangal had not allowed enough time to both Geeta and Babita to prepare for the tournament. There is a slight chance that they would be seen in action in the rest of the competition but even if they do, it would not be more than one or two bouts," the source added.

However, the UP Dangal team owners Investors Clinic officially denied that either Geeta or Babita are doubtful for the remaining of the competition, claiming that both would be fighting as soon as they are fit enough.

"Geeta and Babita have suffered injuries as luggage fell on their feet while they were going for the Kapil Sharma Show. But they would be fine soon and would certainly be fighting in the tournament," Rakhi Sharma, Investors Clinic's AVP Marketing and Communications, claimed.

Before the start of the tournament, both Geeta and Babita had said that they were unable to practice as much as they would have liked to as they were busy in the promotion of the movie.

"Yes, we have been busy with the interviews and promotion of the movie but still we make sure to train at least once everyday. Generally we train twice a day," Babita and Geeta had earlier said.
A 65-year-old former sarpanch of a village was killed and his wife injured in an attack by a wild elephant at a forest in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district.

The incident took place last evening in Tamnar forest range when the victims were returning to their native village Jivri from a market, a district police official said today.

As per preliminary information, Jivri village's former sarpanch Nanku Ram Rathiya, his wife and their neighbours had gone to a market in nearby Saraipali village.

On way back home in the evening, they came face to face with the pachyderm in the forest where Rathiya and his wife got trapped, while the others managed to escape.

The pachyderm smashed Rathiya with its trunk before stomping onhim, killing him on the spot, the official said adding that his wife sustained injuries on her legs.

After the victims' neighbours informed other villagers about the incident, they called up police and forest officials and rushed the injured woman to a local hospital, he said.

Meanwhile, Rathiya's body has been sent for postmortem to the district hospital.

The kin of the deceased have been given an instant relief amount of Rs 25,000 by forest department, police said.

Last month,a 47-year-old womanwas trampled to death by anelephantinOngna village of Raigarh district.

The thick forested northern Chhattisgarh, comprising Surguja, Korba, Raigarh, Jashpur, Surajpur and Korea districts, is infamous for human-elephantconflicts.

The region has witnessed several killings of tribals and widespread damages to houses and crops by rogue elephants in the past years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China has said it plans to invest $5 billion during the next 3-5 years in a new economic zone in southern Sri Lanka to create 100,000 jobs, a move welcomed by the government in Colombo.

Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang said at the launch of the southern economic development zone in Hambantota that this was a great opportunity for Sri Lanka, as more than 50 Chinese investors were interested in investing in the southern development project.

He said China would invest about $5 billion US dollars in the new economic zone within the next three to five years, which could also help create 100,000 jobs especially for the people of Hambantota and the south.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appreciated China's investment in the southern economic zone and also thanked China Merchants Holdings for helping develop the Hambantota Port.

"No one can stop us from establishing a new Sri Lanka so that our youth will benefit. Like Malaysia, Singapore and China, we will also be proudly developed," the prime minister said.
Jharkhand government has given the go-ahead to setting up of a CISF central training school here to cater to the training requirement of the large number of units of the force located in the state.

A central training school (CTS) would come up in Ranchi with Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das agreeing to provide a 100 acre land following a request of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), according to an official release.

CISF Director General G O P Singh had made the request to the state government in his speech at the inaugural programme of the force's Eastern Sector Headquarters and residential complex which was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Chief Minister has agreed to the request, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's business ties with a Chinese financial behemoth are raising concerns over potential conflict of interest as he prepares for a role in White House, advising the President- elect on foreign policy that could affect his company's bottom line.

About eight days after his father-in-law was elected President of the US in November last year, Kushner had met with Wu Xiaohui, the chairman Anbang Insurance Group, a Chinese financial behemoth with estimated assets of USD 285 billion and an "ownership structure shrouded in mystery," according to an extensive report in the New York Times.

The meeting at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Midtown Manhattan "was a mutually auspicious moment" and Wu and Kushner, husband of Trump's daughter Ivanka, were nearing agreement on a joint venture for redevelopment of prime New York real-estate property, 41-floor building at 666 Fifth Avenue, a "crown jewel" of the Kushner family real-estate empire.

The report added that Anbang, which has close ties to the Chinese state, has seen its aggressive efforts to buy hotels in the US slowed amid concerns raised by Obama administration officials who review foreign investments for national security risk.

After Anbang acquired Waldorf, such were the security concerns that Barack Obama broke with presidential protocol and did not stay at the Waldorf when he visited New York for the opening of a session of the UN General Assembly in September 2015.

American officials cited security, counterintelligence and cyber-surveillance concerns for the same.

Following the meeting, Wu toasted Trump and declared his desire to meet the President-elect, whose ascension, he was sure, would be good for global business.

"Since the election, intense scrutiny has been trained on Trump's company and the potential conflicts of interest he will face.

"But with Kushner laying the groundwork for his own White House role, the meeting at the Waldorf shines a light on his family's multibillion-dollar business, Kushner Companies, and on the ethical thicket he would have to navigate while advising his father-in-law on policy that could affect his bottom line," the NYT report added.

The Kushner family business, led by the young Kushner, is a major real estate investor across the New York area and beyond and has participated in roughly USD 7 billion in acquisitions in the last decade, many of them backed by opaque foreign money, as well as financial institutions Kushner's father-in-law will soon have a hand in regulating.

The Anbang talks began roughly six months ago "well before



the President-elect's victory," Kushner's spokeswoman Risa Heller said but just at the time Trump clinched the Republican nomination.

Kushner has hired a leading Washington law firm to advise him on how to comply with federal ethics laws in the event he joins the White House staff as an adviser to the President.

"As for conflicts of interest, Kushner would be required to make limited financial disclosures, which could give the public a clearer picture of his holdings.

"And, unlike Trump, who as President will be exempt from conflict-of-interest laws, he would have to recuse himself from decisions with a direct and predictable effect on his financial interests," the NYT report said.

A WilmerHale partner Jamie Gorelick said that while plans were not final, Kushner was taking significant steps to extricate himself from the family business.

"Kushner is committed to complying with federal ethics laws, and we have been consulting with the Office of Government Ethics regarding the steps he would take," she said.

Kushner will resign as chief executive of Kushner Companies, and though the law does not require it, he would divest "substantial assets", she added.
CPI-M today rejected the 'national government' idea mooted by West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee saying it would be a "hotchpotch arrangement".

An alternative government should be based on programmes and policies and then only it would be sustainable, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said while briefing the deliberations of the three-day party Central Committee meeting that concluded here today.

He said that the party was also opposed to the proposal to hold simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

On questions on alternative government, Yechury said "you cannot have an alternative as suggested by Mamata Banerjee. A national government...Instead of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, you have Advani as Prime Minister, both belonged to same party. It would only be a hotchpotch".

"The alternative should be based on programmes and policies, then only it will be sustainable", he said adding the Left would take initiative in giving shape to such an alternative.

To a question on the allegation of TMC supremo that CBI raid and arrest of her party MPs in chit fund scam was part of political vendetta of BJP, Yechury said CBI was acting on the scam as per the directive of the Supreme Court and it has nothing to do with the present demonetisation.

Yechury also said that both Modi and Mamata are "playing tantrums". One caters to Muslim community and the other to Hindu community, he said.

On the Centre's decision to advance the annual budget, Yechury said all opposition parties have opposed this.

"We are opposing due to two reasons...First, it has to be done after consulting with other parties and none of us have been consulted. Second...Election process to five states have already begun. We have already appealed to the President and Government on India on this," he said.

On the strategy to be adopted in the five states going to polls, Yechury said CPI(M) along with other Left parties would contest these elections independently projecting the left alternative policies against the dangers of the current neo-liberal economic offencive on the people.

In UP, the party's focus would be fight communal forces and combinations, he said and also ruled out the possibility of a "grand alliance" in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 10 crocodiles were on the loose from an open zoo after floodwater inundated a national reserve in Thailand's southern province.

Muang district municipal officials, who oversee the Tha Lad Zoo yesterday warned residents living around the Somdet Phra Srinagarindra 84 Public Park, to take extra caution for fear the reptiles might be hungry and attack people, the Bangkok Post reported.

The zoo houses more than 10 crocodiles, some measuring up to five metres each, rare bird species and other animals.

Municipal staff were racing against time to evacuate animals from the flood-hit zoo as unseasonal storms continued to lash southern Thailand and northern Malaysia.

The municipality had asked electricity to cut off power at the public park as the water level increased.

An official confirmed that all the crocodiles were missing from the zoo.

Municipal workers in boats were patrolling. The park in hopes of locating the animals and keeping them away from populated areas, but the task was complicated by rising water levels.

There were reports that local residents shot dead two other crocodiles on the loose from a private farm in Muang district two days ago during the flooding.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A suspected jihadist held in eastern Libya told a local television channel that two Tunisian journalists who went missing in 2014 were killed by the Islamic State group.

IS had claimed in January 2015 to have executed blogger Sofiene Chourabi and photographer Nadhir Ktari but later the same year the Tunisian government said it had evidence the pair were still alive.

The prisoner, identified as Libyan Abderrazek Nassef Abderrazek Ali, told the Al-Hadath Al-Libya channel that he had witnessed the pair being executed in a forest outside the eastern town of Derna, which was then under IS control.

He said the two journalists had been captured at an IS roadblock between the towns of Ajdabiya and Labraq and then taken to Derna.

He said an IS court had ordered them killed on the basis of testimony from Tunisian jihadists.

Some 3,000 Tunisians have joined the ranks of jihadist groups fighting in Libya, as well as in Syria and Iraq, according to Tunisian officials. The United Nations puts the figure at 5,000.

Al-Hadath Al-Libya is close to eastern Libya's military strongman Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

The channel said that the suspect, who was shown shaven-headed and wearing an orange jumpsuit, was being held by Haftar's forces.

Relatives of the two journalists conducted a long campaign for information from the Tunisian government on the fate of their loved ones.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A judge who does not record court proceedings "honestly and fairly" does the greatest injustice to litigants, the Delhi High Court has observed while transferring a corruption case from one trial court to another.

The high court, which appreciated the efforts of the special judge to expedite the trial in the case, said it does not mean that while doing so the lower court can act in a "brazen and uncompassionate manner".

"A judge who does not honestly and fairly record the proceedings, does the greatest injustice to parties. A judge is supposed to have no personal interest in a case being tried or dealt with by him. He is always expected to truthfully record the proceedings conducted by him," Justice Vipin Sanghi said.

"It is for this reason that the proceedings recorded by a judge in his orders are accepted as true. If a judge breaches this trust reposed in him, it reflects on his credibility and on his independence and impartiality," the high court said.

The court passed the order while transferring a 16-year- old graft case from the court of a special CBI judge here to another trial court.

The high court also reminded the special judge of the aphorism that 'justice should not only be done but also be seen to be done'.

The high court agreed with the submissions of the counsel for the petitioner, an accused in the graft case, that the way the trial judge was conducting the proceedings "smacks of bias" and there was reasonable apprehension that he would not get justice.

"It is clear to me that the special judge, in his haste to conclude the trial, and even otherwise, had conducted the proceedings unfairly and his approach in the case, and the orders passed by him, disqualify him from proceeding any further in the matter. I am satisfied that a fair and impartial trial of the petitioner accused cannot be held before the special judge... In the present case," the judge said.

The petitioner's counsel had told the high court that the



trial judge had not allowed lawyers to assist his client during the process of admission and denial of documents.

The high court observed that it was the right of the accused to seek advice and assistance of his counsel at all stages of trial, irrespective of whether he is literate or illiterate.

Regarding an instance where the trial court had turned down the plea of one of the accused seeking exemption from personal appearance for one day on the ground that his father was admitted in hospital and he was the only son, the bench said, "Heavens would not have fallen, had the accused been exempted" that day.

"It is human beings who are put to trial, and they deserved to be treated as human beings with the same dignity as any other person. Merely because they are accused of an offence, it does not mean that they have lost their right to be treated with respect and dignity.

"Even a convict has to be treated with dignity and courtesy. The court cannot exhibit such indifference in its attitude to the rights and needs of an accused.

"The special judge should have appreciated the anxiety through which the petitioner/accused would have been undergoing on account of his 90-year-old father being admitted in ICU of a hospital while he was away to court to attend the hearing of the case in which he is an accused," the bench said.
DMRC is keen on extending its cooperation with Japanese government funding agency JICA for its Phase IV expansion, under which six new corridors spanning around 103 km will be built at a cost of around Rs 50,000 crore.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) shares an over two- decade-long association with JICA. The lion's share of funding of Metro's Phase I, II and the upcoming Phase III project has come from it.

"We believe that they (JICA) will support Phase IV. There has been a very good sort of understanding and working relationship between JICA and DMRC. We hope that it will continue," DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh told PTI.

Earlier, the Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) India office Takema Sakamoto had confirmed that the organisation was in talks with DMRC over its future projects.

A senior metro official said the funding roadmap of Phase IV has not been chalked out yet. The Centre acts as a liaison in getting the loan, the official said.

The proposed Phase IV corridors are Rithala - Narela (21.73 km), Inderlok - Indraprastha (12.58 km), Tughlakabad - Aerocity (20.20 km), Lajpat Nagar - Saket G-Block (7.96 km), Janakpuri (west) - RK Ashram (28.92 km) and Mukundpur-Maujpur (12.54 km).

The third phase of the DMRC is being supported by JICA with a 48.57 per cent loan. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 41,079 crore.

The loan comes at a concessional rate of 1.4 per cent and carries a repayment period of 30 years with a grace period of 10 years.

The first two phases had JICA's shares at 60 per cent and 54.47 per cent respectively which were built at a cost of Rs 10,571 and Rs 18,783 respectively.

In all the cases, the rest of the amount came in the form of Centre and state government equities (equal share), interest free subordinate debt towards land cost and property development among others.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"A tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye" cannot be the criteria for handing down punishment to convicts in a civilised society, the Delhi High Court has said while setting free a former DU student who has already undergone jail term of over 16 years in two murder cases.

Jitender, a former Delhi University student, who was awarded 30 years jail term by a trial court in a murder case, was directed by the court to remain in prison for the rest of his life in another murder case.

It was clarified by the lower court that the jail term till death would commence on conclusion of the 30-year-term awarded to the convict, now aged 42.

Referring to the "doctrine of proportionality", a bench of Justices G S Sistani and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said that it has a "valuable application to the sentencing policy under the Indian criminal jurisprudence".

"We believe that being a civilised society -- a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye ought not to be the criterion and as such the question of there being acting under any haste in regard to the life imprisonment would not arise; Rather our jurisprudence speaks of the factum of the law courts being slow in that direction and it is in that perspective a reasonable proportion has to be maintained between the heinousness of the crime and the punishment.

"While it is true, punishment disproportionately severe ought not to be passed but that does not even clothe the law courts, however, with an opinion to award the sentence which would be manifestly inadequate having due regard to the nature of offence since an inadequate sentence would not subserve the cause of justice to the society," the bench, in its 38-page judgement, said.

Modifying the sentence handed down to Jitender, the bench said that sentence was "in excess of the requirement of the situation" and the "trial court in this case has acted in utter haste by passing the order on sentence on the same day with a pre-determined mind".

The trial court has shown "utter impatience" and "also incorrectly applied the law", the high court said while awarding the sentence of 16 years and 10 months on the convict, the period already undergone and ordered his release if he is not wanted in any third case.

The high court said, "While it is true, punishment



disproportionately severe ought not to be passed but that does not even clothe the law courts, however, with an opinion to award the sentence which would be manifestly inadequate having due regard to the nature of offence since an inadequate sentence would not subserve the cause of justice to the society.

"...The doctrine of proportionality has a valuable application to the sentencing policy under the Indian criminal jurisprudence. Thus, the court will not only have to examine what is just but also as to what the accused deserves keeping in view the impact on the society at large."



It said, "In the contextual facts, on considering the aforesaid principles and having regard to the nature of the offence and the methodology adopted, we are convinced that the power to impose a modified punishment providing for any specific term of incarceration or till the end of the convict's life as an alternate to death penalty, can be exercised depending on the facts of the case.

"Further, the punishment awarded to the appellant herein is in excess of the requirement of the situation and as such the mitigating factors put forth by the learned counsel for the appellant are meant to invite mercy on the appellant."



The verdict had come on two appeals of the convict against the trial court's July 2013 order on sentencing in FIRs for two separate murders.

On March 10, 1999, Jitender had stormed into reception of a wedding in north Delhi and had shot dead Anil Bhadana, the then president of Satyawati College Students' Union.

According to the prosecution, Jitender had killed Bhadana because he was about to depose against him (Jitender) in a criminal case.

He had also injured the father of the bridegroom when he fired indiscriminately. People attending the function tried to nab him, but he escaped.

The next day, he went to the house of Sumit Nayyar, an eye witness, who had informed police following Bhadana's murder.

Jitender then pumped three bullets in the chest of Sumit's father K L Nayyar, killing him on the spot.
To avoid frequent damage to optical fibre cables during construction and widening of roads, Telecom Department has proposed that a utility conduit or duct be made part of the road and national highways design.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has put forth this proposal to states, the Ministry of Rural Development, as as well as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Telecom Secretary JS Deepak told PTI.

"We have proposed having a conduit for utilities including



optical fibre cable as part of the road design, be it national highways, state highways or Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana rural roads...This duct can be an assigned space below the footpath, along the roadside wherein all the utilities can flow. We are trying to converge and get this done," Deepak said.

He said the idea was to get a conduit as part of the road design itself so that cables which are laid do not get cut repeatedly when roads are widened.

"It is a duct which will be laid and you can put utilities like optical fibre cable, into it. It is not being done right now. If optical fibre has to be put, one can put the fibre, or if gas or water line has to be put, that can be put separately," he said.

Deepak conceded that such a design would lead to cost escalations but pointed out that the same could be recovered in form of rentals.

"The telecom operator can rent the space. They pay a rental to the road agency and put the fibre. It is a cost issue...The cost will go up, but that they can recover in form of rentals," he said.

He said the department has initiated talks with states, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to pitch the concept of having a duct for various utilities, including optical fibre cable. The talks are at an advanced stage, he pointed out.

"We have requested the Rural Development Department to make it a part of the design of rural roads...The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana roads...We have requested the States through video conferencing, to make it a part of State road plans. We have also written to the Chief Secretaries and we have requested Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to make it a part of the national highways design," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dutch police have taken from a journalist items, including possible human remains, which he found at the crash site of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine, prosecutors said today.

Freelancer Michel Spekkers was met by police as he returned to Schiphol airport late yesterday after visiting the region and writing an article about his discovery at the site.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 passenger jet was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur killing all 298 on board, most of them Dutch citizens.

A Dutch-led criminal investigation concluded in September that a BUK missile, transported from Russia, slammed into the plane after being fired from a field in a part of war-torn Ukraine then controlled by pro-Russian rebels. But it stopped short of saying who pulled the trigger.

Prosecutors said in a statement today that Spekkers had "refused to hand over photographic and film material from the crash site" when he arrived at the airport near Amsterdam.

The material including "various bags with metal parts and an object which may be human remains" would now "be examined as soon as possible."



Spekkers said in a Tweet late yesterday he had arranged to "voluntarily" hand over the items, but in the end there was "a total seizure" of his possessions including his camera, telephone and laptop.

He wrote in the daily Noordhollands Dagblat he decided to visit the crash site during a trip to Donetsk for a documentary about daily life there, after being told that debris was still strewn around the area.

He described seeing things lying in the snow -- including a piece of bone -- saying he had videoed everything, labelled some of it and placed it into sealed ziplock bags.

Writing in the Dutch provincial daily, he said he had "an uncomfortable feeling of helplessness", wondering why such items were still there, and whether Dutch authorities would have left the site like that had the crash happened on Dutch soil.

He decided to bring back "a small number" of things in the hope that "there may be some answers to outstanding questions.

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Defence personnel will be able to caste their votes by using electronic postal ballot facility at four assembly constituencies for the first time in the upcoming Punjab assembly elections.

To facilitate service voters, Election Commission of India has introduced Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) to help the service voters cast their votes in the upcoming Punjab Vidhan Sabha Elections, the Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab V K Singh said.

The Returning officers of four assembly constituencies- Atam Nagar, Ludhiana (East), Ludhiana North and Jalandhar West (Reserved) was imparted training here today.

Giving further details, Singh said that this technological intervention would enable the facility for service voters to cast their vote using an electronically received postal ballot from anywhere outside their constituency.

The army personnel and their wives could cast their votes for the first time in the ensuing Assembly elections in the state, he said.

The officer also said that Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) is totally secured with five layer security system, developed by Election Commission of India with the help of C-DAC, for the use of service voters.

Service voter eligible for Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot can cast their vote through this system, he said.

The ROs of the four identified constituencies were given extensive training regarding this system by the team of ECI, headed by V K Shukla Director IT, he said adding the vote ballot would electronically reach the service voter and would return through the postal system.

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Digital wallets, followed by online cabs, were the top performing categories for cashless transactions post demonetisation, a study said.

Food ordering platforms and grocery were also popular for cashless transactions following government's demonetisation of high-value currency notes, which caused a cash shortage in November and December, according to the study by cashback platform CouponDunia.

Paytm, Freecharge, Mobikwik, Dominos Pizza and Yatra were the top performing brands, it added.

Interestingly, traffic on e-commerce sites dropped in the past two months.

According to data provided by CouponDunia, Amazon's traffic fell by 22 per cent, while Flipkart's and Snapdeal's traffic fell by over 50 per cent.

Tier II towns were significantly more affected by the cash crunch compared to the top metro cities, it said.

Among the tier I cities, Mumbai was the most affected with 37 per cent less traffic online post-demonetisation, followed by Kolkata at 26 per cent lower traffic. Delhi saw a 7 per cent decline, while Chennai saw 16 per cent drop in online traffic.

The search term 'McDonald's online order' increased by 90 per cent during this time, and online ordering platform FoodPanda saw over 11,000 new user orders within 10 days of demonetisation.

Other interesting findings include 400 domestic flight bookings on Yatra since demonetisation, and over 3,500 Uber rides taken within a week of November 8, when the move was announced, CouponDunia said.

The study also noted that over 8,000 pizzas were ordered within three weeks of the announcement.
Streets in east Delhi and AAP-MCD politics in the city today seemed to turn messier over the ongoing indefinite strike by EDMC sanitation workers, even as Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia claimed that the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation has given "more funds" to civic bodies than any other previous governments.

"This government (AAP) has given more funds to the municipal corporations than any other governments in the past. I don't know where do they spend it," he said.

"The political executive of the municipal corporation takes interest in things like not letting the MLAs do their works under development funds, and ask municipal corporation officials to not roam around with MLAs. But, what do they do with funds given by us," he asked.

Sisodia also alleged that BJP-ruled civic bodies were "busy extracting bribe and not taxes".

"If they would collect taxes properly, from half of its amount they can pay for the salaries of these employees. But, we don't know which drain they flush the money," he alleged.

The BJP-ruled corporations have blamed the AAP government for the civic mess in the capital.

"You (media) should ask the MCD, what happened to the fund we gave them. What are they accusing us of," he said.

Meanwhile, the civic condition in east Delhi has worsened, with garbage dumped in the open in area like Laxmi Nagar, Patparganj, posing health hazard for people.

"We are yet to be paid our three months' salary (October-December), DA, bonus due to which we aren't able to pay school fees of children and marriages have been postponed. We will continue with the strike, until our demands our met," president of Delhi unit of MCD Swachhata Karmchari Union Sanjay Gehlot said.

"If our demands are not met, we will take sterner stand from Monday," he said and claimed that 17,000 sanitation workers are participating in the strike.

"Delhi government has given more money to the MCD than what should have been given. If you didn't have money, you should have requested for funds to the Delhi government in advance," claimed AAP MLA from Kondli Manoj Kumar.

East Delhi generates a large quantity of garbage with Ghazipur landfill site receiving on an average 2,500 tonnes of waste daily.

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An Ex-servicemen association today accused former army chief and SAD candidate from Patiala JJ Singh for "demeaning the Army and the high gubernatorial office for petty political gains" even as Singh said he is contesting the polls to serve the people.

In a statement issued, the India Ex Servicemen Joint Action Front Sanjha Morcha hit out at Singh, terming him as an "opportunist officer" who always "hungered for publicity and indulged in shamelessly brazen display of rank".

"With his decision to contest the Punjab Assembly elections, the General had not only downgraded the status of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) but also disgraced the high office of Governor - both positions given to him by the UPA government," said the ex-servicemen group, led by Sanjha Morcha chief patron Lt Gen J S Dhaliwal in a release here.

Former Army Chief Gen J J Singh yesterday joined the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and would take on Punjab Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh from Patiala urban seat in the February 4 state assembly elections.

Meanwhile, Singh today slammed the group for accusing him of entering politics for "petty political gains".

"What political gains? I have joined political party to serve people and people are appreciating my move," the former army chief said this evening.

"Why they are bothered," Singh asked the representatives of the ex-servicemen front, accusing them of being a "motivated group".

He alleged that they are being instigated by Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh as they do not have any issue against him.

"I carry no baggage and Captain Amarinder Singh is now feeling that he can lose elections. Therefore, he is instigating such groups to speak against me," alleged Singh.

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A number of his films have been festival favourites but actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui feels the movies which get tremendous acclaim abroad, unfortunately get stuck here because of censorship issues.

The actor, who has worked in critically acclaimed films as diverse as "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" and "Miss Lovely", says he is saddened by the fact that things really haven't changed as much as one was expecting.

"There are lot of things we were expecting to move ahead, which haven't. Five years ago there was a glimmer of hope because such good films were being made. Now, they go to festivals, get awards and acclaim, but the moment they come here, it all fizzles. It is very scary," Nawazuddin told PTI.

When asked if censor board is one of the reasons, he says films made on real life stories find difficult to be passed.

"There are a lot of places where films are selected only when they get passed by the film federation, censor board. So our films get stuck there. People like when films are made on real topics, but they won't let it pass or move ahead."



The 42-year-old actor, however, is happy that his upcoming film "Haraamkhor" is finally releasing on January 13, after the Examining Committee of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had earlier declined to pass the movie citing that the movie's theme was "unacceptable."



The film chronicles the relationship between a 14-year-old girl (Shweta Tripathi) and her tuition teacher, played by Nawazuddin, in a small town.

He says though the subject might look sensational to some, the film's treatment is anything but that.

"We have shot it in a very normal way. It is the story between a teacher and his student, even the title might make people think we are trying to do something sensational.

"But it's a very smooth, well made film where the aim is not to sensationalise. There is nothing deliberate in the film, or done to grab eye balls."



Nawazuddin says he was fascinated with the film the moment director Shlok Sharma narrated him a brief idea.

They shot the movie in a small town within 16 days, "improvising scenes as we went along", he says.

His character, of a married man cum teacher pursuing his young student, is a tricky one to play, and Nawazuddin says there lies the fun.

"What happens usually here is that we have very straight characters. If there is a good guy, he will remain good throughout. We haven't been able to explore the complexity of a human in our films.

"If a person is good, he must also be having some wrong qualities. That complexity is rarely seen but thankfully new directors are focusing on this, which is good because this kind of cinema will give us an identity worldwide," he says.

"Haraamkhor" was premiered at the 15th annual New York Indian Film Festival, where Nawazuddin received the Best Actor award for his performance.

The film was also presented the Silver Gateway of India trophy at the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

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Experts in the field of water conservancy, industrialists and scientists have stressed on the need to bring about integrated sustainable solutions to solve water crises besides creating awareness among people about holistic solution to greener environment.

Speakers at a one-day conference, organised by Govardhan Eco Village of ISKCON and Artha Forum here yesterday, also focused on building up community initiatives to conserve water bodies.

Addressing the gathering, Madhur Bajaj, vice chairman, Bajaj Auto Ltd, said his group NGO Jankidevi Bajaj Gram Vikas Sansthan has decided to support Maharashtra government's initiative to make the state 'tanker-free' in next five years.

Bajaj said water conservancy was the most neglected subject in India and added that 80 per cent of the diseases in rural areas were water-bound.

The entrepreneur suggested interlinking rivers in the country so that a situation does not arise where there is drought in one region and flood in the other.

He apprised that the Bajaj group NGO has covered many villages and households to provide water besides constructing nullahs and drains to store water for future use in rural parts of the state. It has also supported actor Aamir Khan's 'Paani Foundation'.

Water conservationist Rajendra Singh, popularly known as the 'Waterman of India', said 40 per cent of the dams in Maharashtra are quite large and huge amount of money was spent on improving and strengthening water works, yet, there were some areas where suicide cases are reported mainly due to water shortage.

Singh said most of the dams in the state were built during 1960s and these should be de-silted and recharged because a lot of water loss occurs due to evaporation.

"We have to befriend nature and then find a solution. If Maharashtra should be water sufficient then the people have to understand the nature of the soil. If one has to grow sugarcane, then you have to chose the soil which can hold sufficient water," the Ramon Magsaysay award winner explained.

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Maharashtra Government has filed an FIR against Cambata Aviation and Bird Worldwide Flight Service which has leased the former's equipment for not cooperating with officials to seize the equipment as directed by court, to pay dues of employees.

The case was filed last night against the company, a government official said today.

State Labour Minister Sambhaji Patil-Nilangekar had already initiated a legal action to seize Cambata's equipment because the company has delayed its response to settle dues of its employees, as per an official communication.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier directed Cambata to settle the dues of its employees and warned of stringent action in case of delay.

The action was taken after the company ceased operations in Mumbai early last year, leaving over 1,000 employees in the lurch.

"As per the FIR, Cambata Aviation was sent a notice on October 26, 2016 by the Mumbai suburban district administration to deposit an amount of Rs 4,45,14,633 within a period of 30 days failing which further notices were sent to them.

"Later, on December 22, 2016, another notice was sent informing them about the seizure but the company failed to cooperate following which the FIR was filed," it stated.

Earlier in August, the company had written to its employees not to report to work after it lost its ground handling contract to its competitors Celebi and Bird Worldwide Flight Service (BWFS).

Of around 2,100 employees, about 722 were absorbed by the rival companies. Rest are still waiting for their salaries and provident funds.

The minister said, "This is the first FIR in the matter and we have decided to take stringent action if the company refuses to cooperate. The equipment owned by Cambata Aviation are now being used by Bird Worldwide Flight Service by changing the stickers on the equipment and BWFS has now refused to let the officials identify the equipment. They are going against the law."



The employees had met Nilangekar seeking help. following which he took meetings to resolve the issue. The CM had also intervened in the matter to speed up the process and appropriate action was taken as per the labour laws, stated the communication.

"However, the company failed to act on the notices and requested for more time to look for investors to pay the employees. They had also mentioned selling their equipment to settle the dues but nothing has been done so far and the government initiated the action of seizing the equipment," it stated.

Started in 1967, Cambata Aviation used to provide ground support services to British Overseas Airways Corporation and Swissair.

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Police have killed a foreign insurgent during a skirmish with a pro-Islamic State group in the southern Philippines, an official said today.

The firefight erupted as police were hunting down members of the Ansarul Khilafa Philippines (AKP) group on the restive southern island of Mindanao Saturday, local police spokesman Superintendent Romeo Galgo said.

"A foreign national initially identified as Abu Naila and one female member identified only as a certain Kadija... resisted arrest by attempting to lob a grenade against the arresting personnel," he said in a statement.

The police responded by opening fire, killing the two, he added.

Authorities did not disclose the nationality of Abu Naila although they have previously said the AKP has worked with foreign militants.

Extremists from other Southeast Asian nations have been known to come to the Philippines to train local fighters especially in the use of explosives.

The AKP is one of several violent Islamic militant groups on Mindanao, homeland of a large Filipino Muslim minority where a decades-old separatist rebellion has claimed more than 120,000 lives.

The government has been hunting down other members of the group after its founder and leader, Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, was tracked down and shot dead last week at a beach resort in Mindanao while three "cohorts" were arrested.

The group has been known to fly the black flag of the so called Islamic State and Maguid appeared in a video circulated on social media last year with the leaders of other local militant groups pledging allegiance to IS.

The authorities are looking into Ansarul Khilafa's role in a bombing in Davao, Mindanao's largest city in September last year that killed 15 people and injured dozens of others.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR in a case of 8.5 kg of worth over Rs 2 crore going missing from the customs vaults at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Sources in the agency said a case has been registered against unknown officials under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust besides provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

A complaint was received from the Customs department saying it found during a joint stock-taking exercise with DRI and CBI teams that the was removed and replaced with non- precious metals in 10 packets, they said.

The sources said a total of 8.5 kg of precious metal was allegedly found missing from the customs vault.

Authorities ordered the CBI probe after it surfaced that seized from smugglers mysteriously disappeared from customs vaults at the IGI Airport.

There have been many cases of gold, both in form of bullion and jewellery, going missing in the last over four years from the customs warehouse.

In all these cases, it was replaced with non-precious yellow-coloured metal, official sources said.

The cases of disappearance of gold had earlier been reported to the Delhi Police. As the pilferage continued, the Finance Ministry decided to recommend a CBI probe following approval of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the sources said.

The vigilance wing of the Finance Ministry is also looking into the suspected role of customs officials, the sources said.

Earlier, Delhi customs in reply to an RTI query had said over 23 kg of gold worth more than Rs 6 crore had gone missing from its warehouse.

In June last year, the customs officials had lodged an FIR in connection with the disappearance of 11 kg of gold worth Rs 2.92 crore from its vault. The gold was seized in five incidents from passengers at the international airport.
A gram panchayat in Pune district has razed over one-year-old house of an Army jawan over "failure" to secure requisite permissions from local governing body, forcing him and his family members to take shelter in a cow shed.

Pune district collector Sourabh Rao today told PTI he has asked the Block Development Officer of Zilla Parishad to submit a report about the situation by tomorrow and look into making them available temporary accommodation.

The demolition took place in Mandavgan-Farata village on December 28 and since then the jawan, Balu Chowgule, his parents and a younger brother are staying in the cow shed of a villager.

Chowgule, second son in the family of a landless labour, has been with Army for last six years.

He said he is part of the National Rifle Association of India and has won some medals as a shooter for country.

"As I did not own any land, I was awarded one guntha (around 1,000 sq.Ft.) piece of land in 2014. I even obtained a loan of Rs 5 lakh for the construction of the house. The house was ready and we have started living there for more than one year," Chowgule said.

After serving in Kashmir for four years, he was posted at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.

According to Chowgules, after construction of the home, gram panchayat elections were held and a new governing body sent them a notice stating that we have not taken necessary permissions for construction.

"My son resumed duty on December 24, 2016. However, after he learnt about razing on December 28, he immediately sought leave and rushed to village.

"Despite several requests made by us, the village authorities brought it (house) down with a machine. We were told that we had not taken all the permissions required for the construction," said Balu's father Anand Chowgule.

He said he rears domestic animals of some people on contract in the village which helps him earn some money.

"The piece of land allotted to my son was also not a very prime location or given to us by snatching from anyone. It is an unused piece of land and full of shrubs. We first cleaned the piece and then constructed home. Despite having gram panchayat's resolution, our home was demolished," he said.

Meanwhile, Rao said, "I came to know about razing of the house from an officer. I have asked Block Development Officer of Zilla parishad to submit a report about the situation by tomorrow. I have also asked them to recommend other possible ways to provide an immediate shelter to the family. The legal aspect in the whole issue will take some time, but arranging a shelter is priority, as the family has lost their home.

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Lighting firm Halonix Technologies is eyeing over two-fold increase in its turnover at Rs 1,000 crore by fiscal 2020 and aims to become one of the top three players in energy saving lighting segment in India.

"We are targeting Rs 1,000 crore turnover by financial year 2020 and come among top three players in the energy saving lighting space," said Halonix Technologies Managing Director Rakesh Zutshi.

He further said: "At present, Phillips is the market leader in terms of market share followed by Syska LED. Then come players including Bajaj Electricals, Havells, Crompton Greaves and Halonix with 5-7 per cent market share each. We are looking at becoming one of the top three players."



The company, which is expected to close the current financial year with a turnover of Rs 400 crore, has a portfolio of products across LED, luminaires, home decorative lighting, commercial and industrial lighting, street lighting, flood lighting, halogens and high intensity discharge lamps.

Retail sales account 75 per cent of the company's total turnover while institutional client contribute the rest.

Elaborating on growth potential, Zutshi said: "LED segment in India is still evolving and there is huge opportunity in terms of innovation which lighting industry players can tap. We are focused only on Indian market for growth".

Halonix Technologies is 100 per cent owned by Hong Kong-based private equity firm NewQuest Capital Partners.

At present, in India's lighting industry, 70 per cent of sales come from energy saving products, while 30 per cent from incandescent light products.

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Haryana government has deicided to launch a Rs 510 crore project to boost infrastructure-related facilities for farmers with a focus on 'Baagwani Villages', Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister O P Dhankar said today.

The 'Crop Cluster Development Programme on Farm and Marketing Support to Horticulture Farmers' in 2016-17 would be executed in three years during which infrastructure-related facilities would be created with a focus on Baagwani Villages.

Dhankar said the project would be undertaken as part of the Swarna Jayanti celebrations in the state.

The project aims at collectivising farmers, especially small producers, at various levels, fostering technology penetration, improving productivity, enabling improved access to inputs and services, and increasing farmer incomes, thereby strengthening their sustainable agriculture-based livelihood.

It also aims at ensuring suitable market availability, both domestic and international.

Issues such as aggregation of produce, market linkages, grading, packing and standards, sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, pesticide residues, microbiological contamination and market access would be addressed through the project.

It would help in finding a way out of such problems as direct approach to targeted beneficiaries, improvement in quality, grades and standards, improvement in post-harvest management and increase in bargaining power of farmers, he said.

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From Leonardo DiCaprio to Tom Hanks, Hollywood A-listers lent their voices to a farewell tribute honouring the outgoing US President Barack Obama.

In the video "Yes We Can: Your Most Memorable Moments from the Obama Presidency", celebrities shared the achievements Obama made during his tenure in the White House, reported People magazine.

The video was shared just one day before Obama, 55, and his wife Michelle, First Lady of the United States, hosted a party for their friends and major donors at the White House.

Those in attendance included George and Amal Clooney, Robert De Niro, Nick Jonas, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Rowland as well as Chrissy Teigen and John Legend.

"When I was at the UN and I heard our president say that climate change is the most important issue facing, not only this generation but also future generations, it was inspiring," DiCaprio said in the clip.

Hanks shared, "When he just changed all the rules on the table in regards to Cuba with the most succinct motivation imaginable, which is 'What we've been doing hasn't worked'- which made all the sense in the world."



For many celebrities, simply seeing his 2008 election was their favorite moment during the Obama administration.

"I never cried before, from an election result," John Legend said in the video.

Kerry Washington said, "You really felt those first three words of the Constitution, 'We the People.' It was one of the first times in my life that I felt like I was really part of that 'We'."



Meanwhile, "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes reflected on watching the Obama family celebrate in Grant Park in 2008.

"Just the magic of that moment - of that man, who we'd all been on this journey with, take that stage with his family. I was sitting at home in my living room and I felt like I was a part of that crowd in the park," she said.

Samuel L Jackson said, "The moment that we got the Affordable Care Act passed, because I have relatives that can't afford health insurance, so it was really a great thing to know that if something happened to them, they could get cared for."



Ellen DeGeneres and Kobe Bryant looked back on the funnier moments from the last eight years, saying "The CVS experience with (First Lady Michelle Obama) was pretty cool and dancing with Barack at his birthday party. And he's a good dancer. He should not get any flack for that - you're a good dancer."



And for Michael Jordan, Obama's legacy is what he will always remember.

"How often do we remember Jackie Robinson - everybody knows him. To me, he will be the Jackie Robinson of politics.

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Ivory Coast's mutinous soldiers withdrew from the streets of the second city Bouake today after the president announced a deal on their demands for bonuses, pay rises, housing and faster promotion.

"There has been no firing since Saturday night," a correspondent in Bouake said. "Traffic has resumed this morning and the shops have reopened."



The world's top cocoa producer was rocked by two days of unrest after soldiers seized control of Bouake's streets early Friday, firing rocket-launchers and terrifying residents, in a mutiny that spread to other cities including the economic capital Abidjan.

In Abidjan -- a bustling seaport that is home to the presidency and parliament -- national television reported that shots had been fired at the eastern Akouedo barracks yesterday morning.

Today, Abidjan's central Plateau area where several government offices and leading businesses are located, was calm.

"Life is back to normal," a resident said.

The same was true for the northern city of Korhogo and Man in the west. A Man resident, who identified himself as Jean, said: "The soldiers have returned to their barracks."



Yesterday evening President Alassane Ouattara announced an agreement had been reached. In a brief televised address he said it took into account "the demands relating to bonuses and improving the living conditions of soldiers".

"Having given my agreement, I ask all soldiers to go back to their barracks to allow decisions to be carried out calmly," he added, without giving any details of the accord.

The soldiers had detained Defence Minister Alain Richard Donwahi yesterday for two hours in a tense standoff over their demands, firing Kalashnikovs and heavy arms around the home of a senior local official where Donwahi was meeting with the soldiers' representatives.

Shortly after Donwahi's release, troops lifted the barricades that had blocked entry to Bouake and the automatic rifle fire that had rattled all through the previous night and into Saturday fell silent.

Bouake was the capital of a rebellion which erupted in 2002 in a failed attempt to oust then president Laurent Gbagbo.

Twelve years later, a similar dispute over pay by rebels-turned-soldiers erupted in Bouake which spread to Abidjan and briefly brought the country to a standstill.

The government had then agreed to a deal that provided amnesty for the mutineers and a financial settlement.

A Bouake resident said today he had had enough.

"We no longer want this situation in Bouake," said Adama Coulibaly, a teacher. "We are tired of these actions of the soldiers. I can't wait for President Ouattara to find a definitive solution to their problems."



Ivory Coast was seen a haven of peace and stability in troubled west Africa until the 2002 rebellion which sliced the former French colony into the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south and triggered years of unrest.

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Esteban Ruiz Santiago

Investigators say Florida airport shooting suspect Esteban Santiago told them he planned the carnage and purchased a one-way ticket to Fort Lauderdale to carry it out.





But it is still unclear why South Florida was targeted.





Federal prosecutors filed court documents Saturday detailing airport violence, gun and murder allegations against Santiago. If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in federal prison, they said.





"Santiago fired approximately 10 to 15 rounds of ammunition from his firearm, aiming at his victims' heads. He was described as walking while shooting in a methodical manner," FBI Agent Michael Ferlazzo wrote in court records.





Five people died and six more suffered gunshot injuries.





"At one point, he exited the Terminal 2 baggage area [and went] onto the sidewalk and then re-entered, still carrying the handgun," agents wrote.





Moments later, a Broward County sheriff's deputy approached Santiago, who "dropped the handgun on the ground, in lock-back [mode], meaning that all the ammunition had been fired, and [he] dropped to the floor," investigators wrote.





They say Santiago told them he checked baggage that contained a Walther 9mm semiautomatic handgun and two magazines of ammunition. After claiming his baggage, he said he took it into a stall in the men's restroom, removed the gun, loaded it and put it in his waistband, authorities said.





"He then left the men's restroom and shot the first people he encountered," agents wrote. "Santiago emptied his first magazine, then reloaded and shot until the second magazine, too, was out of bullets. He believes he shot approximately 15 rounds before his arrest."





The shootings were apparently recorded by security video, which agents said corroborated Santiago's confession and witnesses' statements.





Santiago, 26, of Anchorage, is due to make his first appearance at 11 a.m. Monday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale.





He traveled nearly 5,000 miles from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale. But after interviewing Santiago for hours, investigators said they had no clear answer to the question: Why did he come to Fort Lauderdale?





"The early indication is that there was no specific reason why he chose Fort Lauderdale International Airport," said George L. Piro, the special agent in charge of the FBI in South Florida.





"Indications are he came here to carry out this horrific attack. We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack, but again it's very early in the investigation," Piro said.





It could be several days, or weeks, before formal charges are filed. Prosecutors will most likely seek an indictment by presenting their evidence to a federal grand jury in Fort Lauderdale.





At the initial hearing Monday in federal court, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alicia Valle will explain the allegations to Santiago. She will probably also appoint the Federal Public Defender's Office to represent Santiago, if he does not hire a private attorney.





Though state prosecutors in Florida frequently seek the death penalty, it is uncommon for federal prosecutors to pursue it.





Federal judges and jurors in Florida have only sentenced two men to federal death row since Congress reinstated the death penalty in 1988.





State prosecutors in Broward County could seek to file murder charges against Santiago separately because the shooting deaths occurred there.





The Broward State Attorney's Office is cooperating with federal prosecutors, and no decision on that has yet been made, a spokesman said Saturday.





Federal authorities say they are still investigating the motive for the attack and have not yet ruled out terrorism. They say Santiago was acting alone.





An Iraqi war veteran, Santiago sought out the FBI in Anchorage in November and was hospitalized for mental health treatment after what agents said was erratic behavior," authorities said.





Anchorage police and the FBI confirmed Saturday that Santiago went to the FBI office in Anchorage seeking help Nov. 7. He was hospitalized for a mental health evaluation and a firearm he had left in his vehicle outside the office was temporarily taken from him.





The gun, which investigators said may or may not be the one used in the mass shooting at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, was returned to him by law enforcement on Dec. 8.





Despite reportedly being disturbed and delusional and having had incidents of reported domestic violence, Santiago was not on the government list of people prohibited from flying that was set up after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.





"During our initial investigation we found no ties to terrorism," said Marlin Ritzman, the agent in charge of the FBI's office in Anchorage. "He broke no laws when he came into our office making comments about mind control."





The FBI contacted the Anchorage Police Department, which transported Santiago to a mental health facility. The department took his weapon and "logged it into evidence for safekeeping," Police Chief Christopher Tolley said.





"Mr. Santiago had arrived at the FBI building asking for help," Tolley said. "Santiago was having terroristic thoughts and believed he was being influenced by ISIS, an acronym for the Islamic State extremist group in the Middle East.





The FBI closed its assessment of Santiago after conducting database reviews and interagency checks.





"He was a walk-in complaint," Ritzman said. "This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day."

Florida airport gunman charged, US seeks death penalty

The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida was charged Saturday and could face the death penalty if convicted.





Esteban Santiago, 26, told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. Authorities don't know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.





Santiago was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death  which carries a maximum punishment of execution  and weapons charges.





"Today's charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors," US Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.





Authorities said during a news conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with the cooperative suspect, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska. Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.





Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska. He had two magazines with him and emptied both of them, firing about 15 rounds, before he was arrested, the complaint said.





"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack," FBI Agent George Piro said.





Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiago's motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the US government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.





"He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day," FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.





On that day, Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.





On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldn't say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.





Santiago had not been placed on the US no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.





The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.





Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, he said. When he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.





By that time, a deputy had arrived and grabbed the shooter. Lea put his foot on the gun to secure it.





Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being demoted for unsatisfactory performance. Bryan Santiago said Saturday that his brother had requested psychological help but received little assistance. Esteban Santiago said in August that he was hearing voices.





"How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for only four days, and then give him his weapon back?" Bryan Santiago said.





His mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the family home in Puerto Rico, wiping tears from her eyes. The only thing she said was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode next to two of his friends when he was around 18 years old while serving in Iraq.





Santiago will make his first court appearance Monday.





It is legal for airline passengers to travel with guns and ammunition as long as the firearms are put in a checked bag  not a carry-on  and are unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container. Guns must be declared to the airline at check-in.





Despite his mental evaluation, US Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a high standard.





Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Anchorage aboard a Delta flight Thursday night, checking only one piece of luggage  his gun.

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Source: Los Angeles Times, Paula McMahon, Megan O'Matz, Deborah Ramirez, January 8, 2017Source: The Associated Press, January 8, 2017
Oscar-winner Ben Affleck, who shares three kids with estranged wife and actress Jennifer Garner, says he would not much encourage his children from becoming actors.

The 44-year-old star says he does not want his kids to follow in his or Garner's footsteps as "overnight success and stardom" has made him confused at times, reported Femalefirst.

"I wouldn't allow them to do it until they're 18, and once they were 18, they can do whatever they want to do, but I would discourage it," Affleck said.

The "Argo" actor opened up about his own journey to stardom, saying, "Overnight, I went from somebody no one ever heard of, to somebody that gets recognised on the street and could get a table at a restaurant. I was 24-years-old and it was a confusing time.

"I've got three kids now, and it's a whole long road later. I have a much better perspective on it all, although it still can be confusing and difficult to deal with. There's no map to it, you've just got to figure it out on your own.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dan and Janice Kovacs and their two children were passing through airport security when the gunfire erupted. They were shoeless with wallets, passports and carry-on items chugging along a conveyer belt when they sprang into the mass of people running to safety.

Now they're among stranded travelers at Fort Lauderdale trying to recover what the airport director says are 25,000 pieces of luggage, cellphones and other belongings separated from their owners during Friday's shooting rampage.

"We have no IDs, we have no passports, no money," Janice, 39, said Saturday afternoon, wearing sandals borrowed from a brother-in-law. "We just had to leave our stuff and run."



"All our stuff is being processed. We might not even get that until Monday. I have an 11-year-old who is freaking out. This has been traumatic for her," she said.

The shooting Friday afternoon, which killed five people and wounded six, also stranded about 12,000 outgoing and incoming travelers, many returning from cruises or arriving ahead of the usual Saturday departures of the massive ships based in the tourism hub's Port Everglades terminal.

Some travelers were kept on planes for more than seven hours while police put the airport on lockdown; others scrambled to protected corners or were hustled out onto the tarmac. The Kovacs, on the way back from a Caribbean cruise, went out onto that rough surface barefoot.

The Florida Highway Patrol sent computer-equipped buses to the airport Saturday afternoon to issue temporary ID cards to help travelers get out of state and even abroad. "We are doing what we can to help," Sgt. Mark Wysocki said.

Sydney Rivera, a 21-year-old Purdue University student, received a temporary Florida identification card that is nearly identical to the state's driver's license. On Friday, she had been about to board a flight home to Indianapolis in another terminal when people scattered over false fears of a second shooter.

"This will make it a lot easier to get through security," Rivera said as she rushed to finally catch a flight.

Gov. Rick Scott said cruise ship companies were asked to accept travelers with provisional IDs. Once authorities began allowing travelers to depart the airport Friday evening, buses took thousands of them to the cruise terminal.

Airport spokesman Greg Meyer said most bags won't be available until Monday. The airport hired an outside firm to collect discarded bags and sort them by where they were found so they can be identified by their owners. Those with lost luggage were told to call a toll-free number.

Richard Lanbry, his wife and 15-year-old daughter were about to board a plane home for Montreal when the shooting began. Amid the commotion, he was separated from the other two and frantically searched for them for about an hour.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Seeking to give a greater momentum to their strategic relationship, India and France today discussed a wide spectrum of issues, including defence and terrorism, with the French side saying the bilateral ties should move forward with the speed of a Rafale fighter jet. During the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault here, both leaders had "considerable" discussions on international terrorism of which the two countries are victims.

"I spoke about different aspects of our partnership," Ayrault told reporters here on the sidelines of a function after his meeting with Modi, who was here to attend the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the Centre's outreach programme for overseas Indians.

The French minister, who began his three-day visit to India from here, said: "We spoke about defence because India needs to protect itself. Therefore, defence is an important area. I also shared with him concerns about terrorism and how we are together in fighting it."



Noting that India has various defence needs, for example Rafale, he said, "It needs submarines, it needs helicopters. So we did discuss all of these."



In September last year, India had inked a Euro 7.87 billion (about Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and equipped with latest missiles that will give the IAF greater "potency" over arch rival Pakistan.

In his media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swaroop said Ayrault and Modi reaffirmed close strategic partnerships between the two countries and deliberated upon several issues including bilateral relations in defence and international terrorism. "The PM of India today welcomed the French Foreign Affairs Minister on his first visit to India. Both sides reaffirmed close strategic partnerships between India and France, which will be seen as a further fillip for the closure of Rafale deal," he said on the sidelines of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, now on here.

The French Minister said "the bilateral ties should now move forward with a speed of Rafale," according to Swarup. Swaroop also said both the leaders had a comprehensive drill on bilateral relations in defence and Modi reiterated upon "Make In India" slogan in defence. The two leaders discussed about the cooperation in civil energy with specific reference to Jaitapur nuclear plant, he said.

On economic aspects, Swaroop said the French Foreign



Minister spoke about the 20 billion Euros investment in India by French companies and he was looking forward to his participation in a Gujarat event (Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit) which would provide further opportunity for French companies to invest in India.

The two leaders also discussed French participation in sustainable development of Indian cities, where more than 60 French firms are working in sectors including transport and water.

Swaroop also said the French Minister reiterated the French support for India's Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and permanent membership of UNSC.

"There was considerable discussion between two sides on international terrorism as we know both India and France are victims of terrorism...," he said.

Ayrault said he and Modi also spoke about civil nuclear energy because it can contribute to India's energy mix as the Indian Prime Minister has made a commitment to the Paris climate agreement.

Besides, space, another area of cooperation between the two countries as also the economic aspects of the Indo-French partnership and "multiple aspects of our investment" were covered during the talks, he said.

The issue of French companies investing in India in various domains like smart city, transport, energy, waste management and automobile was discussed, he said. "We spoke about multiple aspects of our investment. Many French companies are present in India. We would also like Indian companies to invest in France. We must have the principle of reciprocity," he said.

Ayrault said he would meet Modi again on Tuesday, when he would attend the "Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit" in Ahmedabad.

France is a partner country of the Summit. The French minister, who began his visit to the country's IT hub by going to a temple and Russel Market, an old landmark in the city, also highlighted the cultural aspects of the relationship between India and France.

At Alliance Francaise, Ayrault launched the Bengaluru chapter of France Alumni network, a digital platform to connect foreign students who have studied French in higher education institutes.

The network would help alumni acquire key industry knowledge and explore career opportunities.

Ayrault said 4,000 Indian students had come to France in 2016 "which is a low number" and he had set an "ambitious goal" to take it to 10,000 by 2020.

Swaroop said Modi also met Surinam Vice President Ashwin



Adhin and discussed issues relating to various sectors such as agriculture, animal husbandry, palm oil and wood processing for improving bilateral cooperation.

Adhin said he saw considerable potential in Ayurveda in Surinam and sought India's help to create an eco-system for propagation of Ayurveda and turn the country into Ayurveda capital, Swaroop said.

He said that Adhin also sought investments in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals and mining.

He said Adhin sought an early meeting of India-Surinam joint commission to take forward bilateral cooperation.

The two leaders also discussed global issues such as UNSC and Adhin reaffirmed Surinam's support to India for its permanent membership.

The Prime Minister also met Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam and discussed about some bilateral issues.

They also discussed about Modi's visit to Malaysia in 2015, Swaroop said.

He said the Prime Minister is looking forward to the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's visit to India.
India-US relationship is one of the great success stories of the Obama administration, during whose term it witnessed an unprecedented level of cooperation for mutual benefit, a top presidential advisor has said.

"This (India-US relationship) is really one of the great success stories of the Obama Administration," Peter Lavoy, Senior Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, White House, told PTI.

Deepening and expansion of partnership with India on a whole host of issues are of critical importance to the US, he said.

Lavoy, who has been working on South Asian issues, in particular on India-Pakistan issues for past several decades in various capacities in the US government, exuded confidence that the relationship would continue to strengthen further given the bipartisan support it has in both the countries.

"When you talk about expectations for the future, I think, all the signals point to this continued trajectory - deepening and expanding partnership," Lavoy said.

Outgoing President inherited what essentially was a bipartisan issue towards India.

"I think, this is how we are handing off the relationship from President Obama to his successor. It is very much a bipartisan issue. So I think, on both sides of the aisle in the US there is a very strong appreciation of not only the benefits but also the imperatives of partnerships with India for the continuation in our interest," he asserted in response to a question.

"My expectation is that it will continue, because it is in India's interest and it is in US' interest. Republicans and Democrats alike recognise the importance of continuing (this relationship) and in fact deepening partnership with India. That's why I am very optimistic of the future," he said, as he refrained from giving a direct answer to a question on India-US relationship under a Trump Administration.

Referring to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, Lavoy recalled his speech to the Congress in June wherein he said India and the US have overcome hesitations of history and turned barriers into bridges and partnerships.

"I think, that's much more than rhetoric. I think that is very very genuine. During the past years and actually over the last eight years, we really expanded our co-operation in wide range of areas," he asserted.

"The partnership now covers every single area of significance to the US and I believe India," he said, adding Obama actually inherited a very strong relationship with India that is something that his predecessor George Bush prioritized.

"President Obama has taken it into an unprecedented level



of co-operation for mutual benefit," Lavoy said.

When Obama came to office in 2009, he noted that there was still a very strong trust deficit between the leadership in Washington and the leadership in Delhi.

"What I have been very very pleased to see that the trust deficit has significantly diminished. Now the leaders of both countries, senior officials of both countries interact as familiar and trusted partners on a whole wide range of issues, whether it is cyber defense, terrorism, or any other issue," Lavoy said.

"It is something, I think here your leadership should be aware of because what happens in the internal meetings the level of trust and mutual appreciation that takes place in these meetings has been a very palpable change over the last eight years," the official said.

"A lot of the credit goes to the personalities, President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before and more recently Modi. They had the vision, they had the recognition that the pursuit of both countries interests cannot be accommodated fully without the full contribution of the other country. And they managed to overcome the barriers of partnership, the suspicions, the skepticism and giving now giving the benefit of the doubt to the other one," Lavoy said.

"And today there is no issue of significance to the US, where we do not consider how we can cooperate with India. I suspect the same would be said by our counterparts in Delhi as well. This is a very significant change. As I said earlier, we fully suspect this kind of behavior, kind of orientation will continue for many many years to come to the benefit of both of our population," the White House official said.
India-US relationship is one of the "great success stories" under President Barack Obama during whose term it witnessed an unprecedented level of cooperation and bipartisan support for mutual benefit, a top presidential advisor said, days ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump administration.

Peter Lavoy, Senior Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, White House, also said that deepening and expansion of the partnership with India on a whole host of issues are of critical importance to the US.

"This (India-US relationship) is really one of the great success stories of the Obama Administration," Lavoy said.

Lavoy, who has been working on South Asian issues, in particular on India-Pakistan issues for past several decades in various capacities in the US government, exuded confidence that the relationship would continue to strengthen further given the bipartisan support it has in both the countries.

"When you talk about expectations for the future, I think, all the signals point to this continued trajectory - deepening and expanding partnership," Lavoy added.

Outgoing President Obama inherited what essentially was a bipartisan issue towards India.

"I think, this is how we are handing off the relationship from President Obama to his successor. It is very much a bipartisan issue. So I think, on both sides of the aisle in the US there is a very strong appreciation of not only the benefits but also the imperatives of partnerships with India for the continuation in our interest," he asserted in response to a question.

"My expectation is that it will continue because it is in India's interest and it is in US' interest. Republicans and Democrats alike recognise the importance of continuing (this relationship) and in fact deepening partnership with India. That's why I am very optimistic of the future," Lavoy said, as he refrained from giving a direct answer to a question on India-US relationship under a Trump Administration which will be inaugurated on January 20.

Referring to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, Lavoy recalled his speech to the Congress in June wherein he said India and the US have overcome hesitations of history and turned barriers into bridges and partnerships.

"I think, that's much more than rhetoric. I think that is very very genuine. During the past years and actually over the last eight years, we really expanded our cooperation in the wide range of areas," he asserted.

"The partnership now covers every single area of significance to the US and I believe India," he said, adding Obama actually inherited a very strong relationship with India that is something that his predecessor George Bush prioritised.



"President Obama has taken it into an unprecedented level of co-operation for mutual benefit," Lavoy said.

When Obama came to office in 2009, he noted that there was still a very strong trust deficit between the leadership in Washington and the leadership in Delhi.

"What I have been very very pleased to see that the trust deficit has significantly diminished. Now the leaders of both countries, senior officials of both countries interact as familiar and trusted partners on a whole wide range of issues, whether it is cyber defense, terrorism, or any other issue," Lavoy said.

"It is something, I think here your leadership should be aware of because what happens in the internal meetings the level of trust and mutual appreciation that takes place in these meetings has been a very palpable change over the last eight years," the official said.

"A lot of the credit goes to the personalities, President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before and more recently Modi. They had the vision, they had the recognition that the pursuit of both countries interests cannot be accommodated fully without the full contribution of the other country. And they managed to overcome the barriers of partnership, the suspicions, the scepticism and giving now giving the benefit of the doubt to the other one," Lavoy said.

"And today there is no issue of significance to the US, where we do not consider how we can cooperate with India. I suspect the same would be said by our counterparts in Delhi as well. This is a very significant change. As I said earlier, we fully suspect this kind of behaviour, kind of orientation will continue for many many years to come to the benefit of both of our population," the White House official said.
Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a wily political survivor and multimillionaire mogul who remained among the ruling elite despite moderate views, died today, state TV reported.

He was 82.

Iranian media reported earlier today that he was taken to a hospital north of Tehran because of a heart condition. State television broke into programming to announce his death.

Rafsanjani's mix of sly wit and reputation for cunning moves both in politics and business earned him a host of nicknames such as Akbar Shah, or Great King, during a life that touched every major event in Iranian affairs since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

His presence whether directly or through back channels was felt in many forms. He was a steady leader in Iran's turbulent years after overthrowing the US-backed shah, a veteran warrior in the country's internal political battles and a covert go-between in intrigue such as the Iran-Contra arms deals in the 1980s.

He also was handed an unexpected political resurgence in his later years.

The surprise presidential election in 2013 of Rafsanjani's political soul mate, Hassan Rouhani, gave the former president an insider role in reform-minded efforts that included Rouhani's push for direct nuclear talks with Washington.

Rouhani's victory was also another example of Rafsanjani's remarkable political luck. Rafsanjani was blocked from the ballot by Iran's election overseers presumably worried about boosting his already wide-ranging influence.

But, in the end, many liberals turned to Rouhani as an indirect vote for Rafsanjani.

It came after years of dwindling influence. Another presidential comeback bid was snuffed out by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's surprise victory in 2005 elections, which left Rafsanjani and his powerful clan as fierce critics of Ahmadinejad.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has clashed with the country's powerful and conservative judiciary, in a rare public row as tensions rise ahead of this year's presidential election.

The moderate Rouhani, who is expected to stand for a second four-year term in the May vote, has targeted the judiciary in a series of public statements over the case of a billionaire businessman on death row for corruption.

Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani has hit back with accusations of his own, and today supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made reference to the dispute.

In a speech to thousands of people in the religious city of Qom, Khamenei alluded to "recent arguments" among powerful figures, adding: "This will be resolved with the help of God."



Rouhani launched the first salvo in a speech late last month referring to the case of Babak Zanjani, sentenced to death for fraud and other financial crimes in March after a lengthy trial that saw him convicted of fraudulently pocketing USD 2.8 billion.

Zanjani was arrested in 2013, three months after Rouhani took office pledging a crackdown on corruption.

He rose to prominence after sanctions were imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme, boasting in media interviews of finding ways around banking restrictions to ensure Tehran continued to receive money for international oil sales.

In his speech, Rouhani appeared to suggest that the judiciary had not done enough against others potentially involved in the case or to recover funds embezzled by Zanjani.

"How is it possible that a single man can pocket $3 billion? Who has helped him? Who are his accomplices?" Rouhani asked.

The death sentence against Zanjani was "very well", Rouhani said, "but what becomes of the money?"



Last week Larijani hit back, defending the judiciary's handling of the case and criticising the government for not doing enough to help track down missing funds.

"It should not be implied that the judiciary has done little on this case," Larijani said, insisting it was working "to recover the misappropriated money".

"The case remains open... We have summoned former ministers and the former director of the central bank," he said.

Larijani, brother of the moderately conservative parliament speaker Ali Larijani, said the government and foreign ministry were "not doing their duty of tracing the money taken abroad by Zanjani".

Iranian authorities have so far only been able to recover about USD 600 million of the embezzled money from the seizure of Zanjani's assets in Iran.

Larijani called on the foreign ministry to demand information on the funds from the governments of Malaysia, Turkey, Tajikistan and China. The ministry replied that it had given its "full cooperation" to the judiciary.

Larijani also revealed claims made by Zanjani during his questioning that he had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to presidential candidates in 2013.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iraqi forces battling jihadists in Mosul reached the Tigris River that divides the city today, a key step and a first since the launch of a huge operation in mid-October.

The Islamic State group was on the back foot in Mosul after a week of significant gains for Iraqi forces but pressed a deadly campaign of bombings in Baghdad, where two more attacks killed 18 people.

Elite Counter-Terrorism Forces (CTS) took control of the eastern end of the southernmost bridge in Mosul, a morale-booster in a 12-week-old operation that has encountered many difficulties.

CTS forces "reached the Tigris River from the eastern (side) of the fourth bridge," Sabah al-Noman told AFP. The was also confirmed by Iraqi army Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir Yarallah.

Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces launched an offensive on October 17 to retake Mosul, the last major urban centre in Iraq still controlled by the group that seized around a third of the country in 2014.

Several areas around the city, Iraq's second largest, were swiftly reconquered, but the elite forces that pushed into the streets of Mosul itself have faced stiffer than expected resistance.

In late December, the federal advance inside the city had slowed to a crawl but a fresh coordination effort between CTS and other forces gave fresh impetus to the operation.

Iraqi forces, backed by increased support from the US-led coalition that has carried out the bulk of air strikes against IS and deployed military advisers on the ground, made rapid progress in the first week of 2017.

Their push to the banks of the Tigris River marks a symbolic and tactical victory for the Iraqi forces but they have much work left to do to take full control of Mosul's eastern side.

Having eyes on the river should further complicate IS's already reduced ability to resupply the eastern front with fighters and weapons from the west bank, which it still firmly controls.

Commanders had predicted when the operation, Iraq's largest in years, was launched nearly three months ago that the eastern side of the city would be easier to retake.

But die-hard jihadist fighters, estimated at around 5,000 to 7,000 before the start of the offensive, fought back with sniper fire, booby-traps and a seemingly endless supply of suicide car bombs.

The continued presence in the city of hundreds of thousands of civilians -- either forced to stay by IS or reluctant to leave their homes for crowded and cold displacement camps -- has impeded the federal advance.

Baghdad and partnering aid organisations had predicted an exodus of civilians in the first weeks of the operation but the flux of fleeing Mosul residents was more limited than expected.

According to the United Nations, more than 135,000 people have been displaced since the start of the operation to retake Mosul, a significant proportion of them from outlying areas.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A suicide bomber targeted Baghdad's main vegetable market today, killing at least 12 people in the latest attack claimed by the Islamic State group as Iraqi forces battle the jihadists for Mosul.

Iraqi forces have pushed IS out of much of the territory it once held, but this bombing and the many others that have preceded it highlight the danger the jihadists can pose to civilians even as they lose ground.

"A soldier at the gate of Jamila market opened fire on a suicide car bomb after noticing a suspect vehicle but the terrorist blew up his car," interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said.

A police colonel and a hospital official said at least 12 people were killed and 39 wounded. Maan said the soldier who opened fire on the attacker was among the wounded.

Jamila is the main wholesale vegetable market in Baghdad and lies in Sadr City, a vast, mostly Shiite neighbourhood in the northeast of the capital which has been repeatedly targeted.

IS issued an online statement claiming the attack, using a nom de guerre indicating the bomber was Iraqi and saying that he targeted members of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, whom the jihadists consider heretics.

IS claimed an attack on January 2 -- also in Sadr City -- when a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives among a crowd of day labourers waiting for work, killing 35 people.

The jihadists overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in a swift 2014 offensive that swept through security forces unprepared for the assault.

The number of bombings in the capital declined following the June 2014 offensive, apparently because the jihadists were occupied with holding territory they seized and later defending against Iraqi attacks.

Federal forces and units from Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region have since pushed IS back in a series of battles over a period of more than two years.

On October 17, Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to recapture Mosul, now the country's last city in which IS holds significant ground.

Iraqi forces punched into the city from the east, retook a series of neighbourhoods, and are now approaching the Tigris River, which divides the city into its eastern and western sides.

The western side, which is the smaller but more densely populated of the two, remains entirely under IS control.

Iraqi forces have also launched an operation to recapture IS-held towns near the Syrian border in Anbar province that along with Mosul and the northern town of Tal Afar are among the last populated areas under jihadist control.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in late December that three months were needed to eliminate IS in the country.

But even if the jihadists no longer openly hold territory, they can still strike at Iraqi civilians and security forces using bombings and hit-and-run attacks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
England captain Eoin Morgan today said it will be a big challenge for the visitors to beat India at home but they are ready for the "special experience" that awaits them in the upcoming limited overs series.

"Yes, I am really looking forward to it. Playing against India in India is special experience. (They) are a strong side and hard to beat at home. I think, that's something we are looking forward to as a side (and) it's going to be a challenge.

"It is only a short series, but we think we can learn a lot from it," Morgan told reporters in suburban Malad here.

Morgan along with vice-captain Jos Buttler attended a "Net Session" organised by HyperCITY retail in association with Waitrose, one of the super-chains in England this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Buttler said that the ODI series will be different from the Tests.

"Little bit, yes obviously. Good to play before Christmas, we got used to conditions and stuff. But the ODI matches will be completely different. We have got a different side but every time you come, you have to re-adjust and get ready for the matches accordingly," Buttler said when asked whether he would like to carry his form from the Tests to ODI series.

India will be led by a new skipper -- Virat Kohli -- in ODI series following the sudden resignation of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the limited-overs captain.

Asked about his reaction, Morgan said, "He (Kohli) is a natural successor. One thing we do as a side, (is) that we don't look at the opposition that much and focus firmly on ourselves and on what we need to do in this series."



England, who were comprehensively beaten in the Tests, play the first ODI in Pune against the hosts on January 15.

"Any ODI series we play, we don't have a great deal of preparation going into it. So a lot of guys (players) do preparations in the lead up to a tour, which the guys have," Morgan said when quizzed whether two warm-up games were enough to adjust to the conditions.

Buttler believes that playing India in India is a great challenge.

"It's a great challenge (playing India in India). We are very lucky to come here and play as probably (it is one) of the best places to play in front of the crowds, it is a great challenge (and) everyone in our side is looking forward to that," said Buttler.

Asked on the personal front whether he is making any special preparation, Butler replied in the negative.

"Three months in the subcontinent before Christmas, practising against spin, we fairly had good preparation and are looking forward to the matches," said the 26-year-old right-handed batsman.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Students in Louis Bourgeois literature class will study centuries of great writing from Camus, to Kierkegaard, to Richard Wright. The only difference between this class and a course at the nearby University of Mississippi, is that most of the 40 men signed up to take the class are death row inmates at Mississippi State Penitentiary, the only maximum security prison for men in the state.





Though Bourgeois has been teaching classes at the prison  more commonly known as Parchman  since January of 2014, this is the first time anyone in the state of Mississippi has been allowed to teach in J-Block 29, where the majority of the states death row inmates are housed.





The students, who are the most tightly guarded in the state, are allowed only very limited movement. Since the men are not permitted in the prisons classrooms, the class will be taught from the very center of the unit with students still behind bars.





The response among the prospective students has been overwhelming.





There are about 40 inmates in J-Block alone, and all of them are taking the class, Bourgeois said. Everyone recognizes this is an historical class.





The men at Parchman are not the only ones who acknowledge the programs positive impact. Last year, Bourgeois was asked to open a class in Unit 29, which houses the most violent criminals, due to the benefits prison officials noticed in the prisoners who took his class. The Mississippi Humanities Council awarded him with the 2016 Humanities Educator Award and decided to provide funding permanently for the program, instead of providing yearly funding based on a grant application process.





(The Humanities Educator Award) recognizes extraordinary efforts to bring humanities education to ordinary Mississippians, Carol Anderson, assistant director of the Mississippi Humanities Council, said. I cant think of another program thats gone to such extraordinary lengths to bring the humanities to Mississippi audiences.





Anderson, who noted that the classes she has attended at the prison are extraordinary primarily for the engagement of the students, emphasized that studying the humanities is important especially for this under-reached population.





(The humanities) have a humanizing effect on all of us. It helps us realize were all humans living together on this planet, and allows us to think contextually  how what we do impacts others, how what others do affects us, Anderson said. (Studying history and literature) is beneficial in helping them examine their own humanity and how they live their lives.





Expressing themselves





The goal of the course is simple. Bourgeois wants to give the men an opportunity to not just read the stories of others, but also to tell their own story.





Our goals are simple, Bourgeois said. (We want) to allow the inmates in 29 to tell their story. Most if not all the inmates have been told their whole life they are worthless and do not matter. These classes allow them to tell the whole world what they are about.





Bourgeois will then publish the inmates writing in the Fall through Vox Press, a literary magazine and 501 (c) 3 organization he co-founded and runs. Vox Press, according to the companys mission statement, continues to publish works of experimental literature, chronicling important voices outside of traditional publishing.





Stories from Bourgeois first group of prison writing students was published in Voxs In Our Own Words: Writing from Parchman Prison, which is available both through the press website and on amazon.com.



Finding forgiveness





Though programs like Bourgeois have been proven to reduce recidivism and increase job retention following release, these positive benefits do not apply to this new class of men, most of whom are slated to die.





Instead, the benefit is one of forgiveness.





The reason (we do this) is the same reason Christianity gives absolution for ones sins: because these prisoners are human beings who still possess consciousness, who suffer and feel, Bourgeois explained. Our class serves as a kind of absolution of ones sins.

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Source: The Oxford Eagle , Ginny McCarley, January 8, 2017
Hospitality major ITC Ltd today commenced the construction of its super premium five star hotel 'ITC Narmada'.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today laid the foundation stone of the luxury hotel, coming up in Vastrapur area of the city with an investment of Rs 600 crore.

Rupani appreciated the company for choosing 'Narmada' as the hotel's name.

"Despite being a rain deficient state, Gujarat has done tremendous development just because of Narmada river. This river is more than our life line. I thank the management for choosing this name for their hotel," the CM said in his address.

ITC Ltd's Chief Operating Officer Sanjiv Puri said the hotel is being constructed in an area of around 6 lakh sq ft, and claimed it to be the largest and most premium hotel in the state with 300 rooms.

"ITC already operates eight hotels in Gujarat under our brand names of WelcomeHotels, WelcomeHeritage and Fortune. This will be our 9th hotel, built over 6 lakh sq feet with an investment of Rs 600 crore. This will be the largest and most premium hotel in Gujarat upon completion," said Puri.

The company had signed an MoU expressing their intention to open this hotel here during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit held in 2013, he said.

He further announced that ITC will open another hotel under the Fortune brand.

"We are also planning to open another hotel in Vadodara under the Fortune brand in near future. With that, ITC will have 10 hotels in Gujarat," Puri said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least four Pakistani activists known on social media for their secular leftist views have gone missing this week, relatives and NGO workers said today, as analysts voiced rights concerns.

Two of the men -- Waqas Goraya and Asim Saeed -- disappeared on January 4, according to a cybersecurity NGO, while Salman Haider vanished Friday and Ahmed Raza Naseer today, relatives said.

The interior ministry has said it will investigate the disappearance of Haider, a Dawn newspaper blogger known for his outspoken views on enforced disappearances in the southwestern province of Balochistan, but made no reference to the others.

All four were active on social media groups promoting leftist, secular views, often against the military or conservative state.

Pakistan is routinely ranked among the world's most dangerous for journalists, and reporting critical of the military is considered a major red flag, with journalists at times detained, beaten and even killed.

"The state has controlled TV and now they're focusing on digital spaces," said Raza Rumi, a writer and analyst who left Pakistan in 2014 after he was attacked by gunmen who shot his driver dead.

A security source denied intelligence services were involved in the disapperances.

Naseer, who suffers from polio, was taken from his familiy's shop in central Punjab province, his brother Tahir told AFP today.

Hours after Haider was due home Friday evening, his wife received a text message from his phone saying he was leaving his car on the Islamabad expressway, his brother Faizan said.

Police later found the car and registered a missing persons report. Faizan said his brother had not received any specific threats.

Waqas Goraya, who is usually a resident of the Netherlands, was picked up on January 4, as was Aasim Saeed, said Shahzad Ahmed, head of cyber security NGO Bytes for All.

"None of these activists have been brought to any court of law or levelled with any charges. Their status disappearance is very worrying not only for the families, but also for netizens and larger social media users in the country ," Ahmad said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lt Governor Anil Baijal today took stock of cleanliness efforts in South Delhi's Saket area on ground and appointed SDMC commissioner as the nodal officer for coordination among various agencies for sanitation in the city, even as he vowed to conduct more regular inspections.

This comes at a time when thousands of sanitation workers of EDMC have gone on an indefinite strike, demanding payment of their salaries, due for three months (October-December).

Baijal said keeping the city and its public spaces clean and ensuring organised parking will be amongst his high priorities.

The LG's inspection, a first by him after assuming office, is considered to be a part of strict implementation of the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' in Delhi.

Baijal conducted inspection at Saket area with senior officers from police, municipal corporations and Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

"Inspected Saket area with MCD, police and DDA today for ground reality check of cleanliness efforts..Comm South MCD to be the Nodal Officer for coordination amongst agencies..Regular inspections to continue (sic)," Baijal said in a series of tweets.

After taking charge as the Lt Governor, 70-year-old Baijal had said, he would put his best efforts on improving law and order situation, women's safety, traffic congestion, besides strengthening infrastructure and civic amenities in the city.

"Delhi is a megapolis which has several problems like women safety, law and order, huge population, infrastructure, civic agencies and congestion. We all know about these problems. We will work with elected government to solve them," he had said.

Hitting out at BJP leaders of East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain had yesterday alleged that "corruption in the BJP-ruled civic body is the main reason behind its poor financial health.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
He became a star with his debut film "Slumdog Millionaire" but British-Indian actor Dev Patel went through a period of struggle where he felt pigeon-holed as a performer until "Lion" came his way.

Directed by Garth Davis, the true-life inspired movie is tipped to get nominated at the Oscars this year.

Patel says he knew he had a great role the moment he read the script and jumped at the chance to play Saroo Brierley.

"The film has opened people to my potential. After 'Slumdog Millionaire', it was really hard for me to get quality work. You think it would be easy but it is actually quite a struggle. I felt pigeon-holed.

"But I kept working hard and have been patient for many years now. So, when a role like this came, I gave everything that I had to do justice to it. It feels really good when it is recognised," Patel told PTI in an interview over phone from Los Angeles.

The actor is in LA to attend the Golden Globe Awards tonight where he is nominated in the best supporting actor category. Actress Nicole Kidman, who plays his Australian adoptive mother, is also nominated.

Patel, who prepared for eight months for the part, says playing Saroo was quite a transformative journey for him and helped him reconnect with his roots in India.

"I isolated myself from my normal reality. I travelled in trains across India, visited orphanages and met many wonderful people. It really changed me as a human being.

"This is why I love what we do. You can walk into someone else's shoes and understand different perspectives on love, family and life. It made me a more conscious individual."



He is also full of praise for Sunny Pawar, who plays his younger shelf in the movie.

Patel says Sunny, who had never faced camera before the movie, is "electrical and carries the first half."



Before "Lion", which releases in India on February 24, Patel's most recognisable role was in "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and its sequel.

Patel, 26, says he is grateful for "Marigold" and actually fought to play the bumbling but well-meaning Sunny as the part was initially written for a middle-aged man.

"I am actually quite grateful to 'Marigold', that film changed my career. It was a small film that went on to make 150 million dollars. That story meant a lot to me as I fought to get it. It was initially written for a middle-aged man.

There were some misses along the way as well for Patel but the actor says it has been an interesting journey for him so far.

"Every film may not work but you learn more from those which don't work. But sometimes it is straining if you don't find roles that challenge you and then it is also about maintaining some sort of integrity. I have tried to do that. It has been an interesting journey."



Patel comes across as a really shy person but the actor says he has made his peace with the scrutiny that comes with the job.

"I flourish on a film's set. I feel alive there but media, I can honestly say, has been a struggle for me for sometime. But when you are talking about a film like this, it is so much easier.

"I don't wish to be a celebrity. I don't have a social media account. I just want to be regarded as a good actor and artiste.
Scientists have found potential evidence of Ebola virus replication in the lungs of a person recovering from infection, an advance that may pave the way for new treatment approaches and help better understand how the deadly virus is transmitted.

From 2013 to 2016, West Africa experienced an unprecedented outbreak of hemorrhagic Ebola.

Lab studies, animal studies and observations of evacuated patients treated in Europe and the US have suggested that Ebola might cause lung damage by replicating itself in lung tissue.

However, no direct evidence yet exists for lung infection by the Ebola virus.

To better understand how the lungs might be involved in Ebola, researchers at the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Italy tracked the presence of Ebola virus genetic material in the lungs and the blood of a single patient during treatment and recovery.

The patient was a healthcare worker who was evacuated from West Africa and treated in Rome.

Specifically, the scientists monitored the patient's lung levels of viral RNA fragments known to be associated with Ebola replication and compared these with viral RNA levels in the patient's blood.

They found that viral RNA and viral replication markers remained in the lungs for about five days after it was no longer detectable in the blood.

The results suggest that Ebola virus may have been replicating in the lungs. It is possible that the lungs simply provided a protective environment that allowed RNA to linger longer than it did in the blood.

However, the presence of RNA for both total and replication markers in the lungs supports the possibility of active replication, researchers said.

"We demonstrated a long persistence EBOV replication markers within the respiratory tract, compared to plasma," they said.

"This suggests a major role of the respiratory tissues in the pathogenesis of Ebola virus disease," they added.

Further research will be needed to better understand the potential role of lung infection in Ebola and whether it may be a factor in transmission of the virus from one human to another.

The study was published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal has written to the director general (prisons) seeking his response to a complaint from a former inmate of Tihar Jail who has alleged several malpractices and harassment by the jail authorities.

"The representation is self-explanatory. You are requested to please provide a point-wise response on the same," Maliwal said in her letter to Sudhir Yadav.

In the letter, Maliwal also informed that she along with the members of the Commission will undertake a visit of Tihar Jail and stay there for three days to understand the issues of the inmates.

"It has been brought to the notice of Delhi Commission for Women that Tihar Jail continues to remain overcrowded. Even the High Court of Delhi has recognised that many under-trials in the jail have spent more than half of their possible sentences waiting for their trial to commence.

"It has also been brought to our notice that children of many women inmates are also living in Tihar Jail with their mothers. In order to understand the problems faced by these women and their children as well as assess the facilities provided to them in the jail, the Commission wishes to interact with the women living in Tihar Jail," Maliwal said in the letter.

She said the exercise will allow them to connect with the inmates of Tihar Jail and properly understand their issues in an in-depth manner.

In case there are any security concerns, the Commission would be willing to give an undertaking for the same, she said.

Maliwal said the Commission would stay in barracks and urged the DG to not make any special arrangements.

"I assure that this will be an important exercise that will lead to crucial policy insights for helping the system of prison reforms in Delhi," she said in the letter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 21-year-old missing youth was found dead with injuries at the base of Lohgad fort near Lonavala in the district today, police said.

The deceased, identified as Rahul Narale, was a degree student of Wadia collage here.

He had gone to Lohgad fort area along with a group of friends on December 30 and had been missing since then.

His decomposed body was found with the help of local fort lovers' group, police said.

An officer, attached to Lonavala rural police, said Narale's body was found in forest at the base of the fort.

"We suspect that he might have slipped and fell to his death. We have registered a case of accidental death, however, we are probing other angles such as any foul play in the death," said a police officer.

He said a group of 15, including three girls, had come to Lohgad fort on December 30.

"As per the other group members, they found Narale was not with them when they reached a spot on fort and started searching him. They came back and informed his parents," he said.

On the next day, Narale's family members lodged a missing complaint and thereafter search operation was started.

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In a stinging attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday alleged that the prime minister had taken away the money of people like a "pickpocket" and contested the claim about economic growth not being affected much.

Taking to Facebook, Yechury charged Modi with helping black money hoarders to exchange it with white money and said the government was "playing fraud" by claiming that the growth rate will be 7.1 per cent despite the note ban.

The scathing remarks from the Marxist leader come a day after the ruling BJP hailed scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes calling it a "sacred movement" that will lead to a clean economy.

Yechury wondered how the saffron party can claim "victory against black money" when the government has not produced data on money that was returned to banks and restrictions on withdrawals continue.

"Modi behaves like a pickpocket, who has picked pockets of the people first, and now says he will come out with welfare schemes," Yechury said in the post.

Recalling that Modi had, in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, said that 90 per cent of black money is parked abroad, Yechury alleged that the prime minister was doing nothing on this front.

Yechury expressed apprehension that the end result of demonetisation, with time till March 31 to exchange scrapped notes, could be that banks will have more currencies than they have printed.

The defunct notes can be exchanged at designated Reserve Bank of India (RBI) counters after explaining the reason for the delay in depositing them by December 30.

"This will ultimately see that black money will become white and counterfeit will turn legal currencies," he claimed.

Referring to RBI's projection that the growth rate will be close to 7.1 per cent, the Rajya Sabha member accused the government of "playing fraud".

Yechury said the figure was calculated by allegedly considering only the first six months of the present fiscal and not the months of October, November and December.

"... And hence, they say that growth had not been affected," he added.
Cooperatives Department of Madhya Pradesh government would honour farmers who are repaying the loans on time, a state Minister said today.

"The officials were told to prepare the list of farmers who are repaying their loans on time. Such farmers would be honoured on special occasions or during other programmes," Minister of State for Cooperatives (Independent Charge) Vishwas Sarang told PTI here.

"This will encourage other farmers to repay their loans on time," he added.

Sarang said he has also asked officials in a meeting of 'innovation wing' of the department to run a campaign to enrol the eligible farmers with the credit cooperative societies.

He said the possibilities of forming the cooperative societies in other sectors too should be explored.

The minister also directed officials to form tourism and e-rickshaw cooperative societies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An embattled Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav today asserted he continued to be the party's president and questioned the legality of the convention called by son Akhilesh Yadav camp which declared the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister the new party chief.

Mulayam's remarks came a day before he visits Election Commission where he is set to question the authenticity of documents submitted by Akhilesh Yadav faction yesterday claiming support of a majority of MPs, MLAs, MLCs and party delegates.

"I am the national president of Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav is (only) the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Shivpal Yadav is still the president of Samajwadi Party's Uttar Pradesh unit," Mulayam, who is locked in a bitter feud with Akhilesh-Ramgopal camp for control over the party, told reporters here.

"Ramgopal Yadav was expelled from the party for six years on 30 December, 2016. Therefore the party's national convention called by him on 1 January, 2017 was illegal," he asserted reading out a prepared text.

Mulayam's confidante Amar Singh, who has been blamed by Akhilesh and his supporters for the family feud in the party, said the Mulayam camp will approach the Election Commission tomorrow where it will question the genuineness of the affidavits filed by Ramgopal, the SP patriarch's cousin and general secretary of the rival faction, on behalf of the Akhilesh camp.

Singh claimed the signatures of the MLAs supporting Akhilesh have "no value" as after the model code of conduct came into force on January 4, they practically ceased to be legislators. He said most of the delegates who have signed the affidavit were appointed after January 1.

Meanwhile, Ramgopal ruled out any rapprochement between the two factions of UP's ruling party, saying "4-6 people have misled Netaji (Mulayam) into believing he enjoys the support of 200 MLAs. They stand exposed now."



He, however, maintained that Mulayam was made the party patron at the national convention which appointed Akhilesh as the new SP chief. "Netaji's nameplate is still there at the Delhi party office," Ramgopal, who has stood by Akhilesh in the internecine family feud, said.

Earlier in the day, when Mulayam reached Delhi from Lucknow, some of his supporters were heard raising slogans against his son Akhilesh. Some of the supporters claimed that Mulayam later told them at his residence that though he may not have the numbers, Akhilesh is still his son and the supporters should desist from raising slogans against him.

Mulayam's reported remarks, however, could not be confirmed by any senior leader of his camp.

Claiming that the convention called by Ramgopal was a



"fraud", Amar Singh said only the elected president of the party was authorised to call an emergency convention. "Can anybody dispute that Mulayam is still the only elected president of Samajwadi Party."



He rejected suggestions that he was the reason behind the factional feud in the party. "I offered to resign to keep the family united."



Soon after reaching Delhi in the afternoon, Mulayam went into a huddle with Amar, Shivpal and a clutch of lawyers, apparently to strategise over tomorrow's visit to the Election Commission.

Shivpal and Amar Singh were also present at the press conference.

In a bid to buttress its claim over the cycle symbol to contest the 7-phase Uttar Pradesh assembly elections beginning next month, the Akhilesh Yadav camp had yesterday submitted to the Election Commission affidavits signed by party legislators and delegates.

Ram Gopal Yadav submitted the documents in copies of seven as asked by the poll panel.

He claimed the papers number over 1.5 lakh pages and carry signatures of over 200 MLAs, 56 of the 68 MLCs, 15 of the 24 MPs and nearly 4600 of over 5000 delegates supporting Akhilesh.

"90 per cent of the legislators and delegates are with Akhilesh Yadav, therefore, it is crystal clear that we are the real SP...We should be given the cycle symbol and considered the real SP," he told reporters after handing over documents.

Ramgopal claimed a set was also sent to Mulayam Singh Yadav at his Delhi residence but he refused to acknowledge receipt. "Now, it will be sent to his Lucknow address," Ram Gopal said.

On January 3, a split in the SP was formalised after both the sides moved the poll watchdog staking claim over the SP name and its symbol.
Singaporean M Ravi, founder of the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign

S Prabagaran is to be executed in Singapore before the end of the month for trafficking drugs in the island republic.





PETALING JAYA: Malaysian S Prabagaran, 29, is doomed to the gallows for trafficking drugs in neighbouring Singapore in 2012 and is set to be executed in a couple of weeks.





But a prominent Singaporean lawyer and two of his Malaysian counterparts are racing against the clock to save his life.





Singaporean M Ravi, who founded the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign is working with human rights lawyers Latheefa Koya and N Surendran to stop Prabagarans execution.





Both Latheefa and Surendran are members of PKR. Surendran is also the Padang Serai MP.





According to Singapore website The Independent, the Malaysian lawyers may file for a judicial review in the Kuala Lumpur High Court for an order to compel Putrajaya to file an immediate complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).





They hope that this would save Prabagaran from being unlawfully executed under customary international law, on account of a breach of his right to a fair trial in Singapore.





Ravi also said he met with Malaysias ambassador-at-large for human rights Shafee Abdullah and briefed him on his ICJ memorandum addressed to the Malaysian government.





Anti-death penalty activists in Singapore say that Prabagaran has maintained his innocence and helped Singapores Central Narcotics Bureau to disrupt drug activities. He is waiting for the result of his clemency petition to the Singapore President.





If the Public Prosecutor so certifies, and if the offender is also merely a courier, then the sentencing judge has the discretion to impose life imprisonment in lieu of the death penalty, said Ravi.





Both Singapore and Malaysia have strict anti-drug laws which can carry the death penalty.

Lawyers from both sides of Causeway cooperate to save Malaysian citizen sentenced to die in Singapore

The Singapore Anti-Death Penalty activists, led by human rights advocate M Ravi, are collaborating with lawyers and lawmakers from across the Causeway to save the life of a convict currently on death row, Prabagaran A/L Srivijayan (Praba).





Praba (age: 29) a Malaysian citizen was arrested on 12 April 2012 when he was just 24 years old, for a narcotic trafficking offence. He has been on death row for more than 4 years since 2012, and is awaiting the result of his clemency petition to the Singapore President.





Writing in his Facebook Mr Ravi said that he was extremely grateful to prominent Malaysian Human Rights Lawyers Latheefa Koya and N Surendren (also a Member of Parliament in Malaysia) for agreeing to represent Prabagaran in Malaysia.





They are considering filing an urgent application for Judicial Review in the High Court in KL for a court order to compel the Malaysian government to file an immediate complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to save Prabagaran from being unlawfully executed under customary international law on account of breach of right to a fair trial in Singapore. Mr Ravi said that he also met with Malaysia's ambassador-at large for human rights, Tan Sri Dr Shafee Abdullah and briefed him on his ICJ memorandum addressed to the Malaysian government.





The Ambassador assured Mr Ravi that he will speak to the Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs on Monday and do his level best to assist.





The Singapore Anti-Death Penalty activists allege that Praba is being deprived of his life in a manner that is in breach of the principles of the separation of powers, the fundamental rules of natural justice, and the rule of law.





"In respect of a person who has been convicted of a drug offence that is punishable with death under the Second Schedule of the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA), Section 33B(2)(b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) provides that the Public Prosecutor may certify that a person convicted of a drug offence punishable with the death penalty has substantively assisted the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in disrupting drug activities. If the Public Prosecutor so certifies, and if the offender is also merely a courier, then the sentencing judge has the discretion to impose life imprisonment in lieu of the death penalty. If the Public Prosecutor does not so certify, then the sentencing judge must sentence the offender to the death penalty.





As discussed above, although in this case Praba has maintained his innocence, he has, in fact, done his best to provide CNB with credible leads that could well have resulted in persons involved in drug activities (i.e., Balu and Nathan) being apprehended."





They argue that the right to a fair trial is one of the most important fundamental human rights and that the death sentence imposed on Praba violates the right to fair trial under customary international law.





The activists said "the Public Prosecutor's determination of whether or not substantive assistance was provided is too fluid and unstable a standard by which to determine the penalty which an offender should receive."





In an earlier statement, they further strongly suggested that the matter should compel the Malaysian government to lodge a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and urged the Malaysian government to safeguard the life of its own citizen who is facing impending death.





The activists also urged the Malaysian government to consider several factors including the irreversibility of the death penalty and make submissions to ICJ without delay.





"In light of the punishment's irreversibility, the very limited time available may not be enough for preparing submissions to the ICJ. Therefore, if a submission to the ICJ is to be ultimately made, that submission should ideally be made as soon as possible."





In speaking to this publication, the activists say that Praba is likely to be executed by the State in the third week of January.

Recommended reading: The government of Singapore does not want anyone to read this book. When it was first published in Singapore, police raided [author] Alan Shadrake's hotel room and arrested him. He was taken into custody and interrogated for two full days and two sleepless nights, then charged with contempt of court by "scandalising the judiciary". As Shadrake awaited trial, he discovered to his discomfort just what happens when a person challenges the Singapore system... Once a Jolly Hangman, Singapore Justice in the Dock , July 23, 2016.

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Source: FMT News , January 8, 2017Source: independent.sg, January 8, 2017
Mutinous soldiers released Ivory Coast's Defence Minister Alain Richard Donwahi after detaining him for two hours in a tense standoff over pay.

Donwahi, who flew into the west African country's second city Bouake earlier yesterday in a bid to defuse an escalating crisis, was whisked out on a plane from the local airport shortly after his release, an AFP photographer said.

President Alassane Ouattara had announced a deal to end the dispute yesterday evening following talks between Donwahi and the soldiers, who took control of Bouake early Friday.

But angry troops rejected the terms of the agreement, firing Kalashnikov rifles and heavy weapons outside local government offices where they were meeting to block Donwahi and his team from leaving.

Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, has been rocked by two days of unrest after soldiers seized control of Bouake's streets early Friday, firing rocket-launchers and terrifying residents, in a mutiny that spread to other cities including the economic capital Abidjan.

The soldiers are seeking bonuses, pay rises, housing and faster promotion.

Bouake was the headquarters of an armed rebellion that broke out in 2002 and split Ivory Coast in two until 2011, sparking a decade of clashes and crises.

The current mutiny appears to have been spearheaded by former rebel fighters who have now been integrated into the army.

Shortly after Donwahi's release, troops lifted the barricades that had blocked entry to Bouake since Friday, and the automatic rifle fire that had rattled all through the previous night and into yesterday fell silent.

Neither Donwahi nor the mutineers made any comment as the minister was released. Donwahi and his aides headed straight to the airport and their plane took off immediately, an AFP photographer said.

Ouattara had given no details of the deal offered to the mutineers, saying in a brief televised announcement earlier that it took into account "the demands relating to bonuses and improving the living conditions of soldiers".

"Having given my agreement, I ask all soldiers to go back to their barracks to allow decisions to be carried out calmly," he added.

In Abidjan, national television reported earlier that shots had been fired at the northern Akouedo barracks, as soldiers put up barricades in the bustling commercial hub that is home to the presidency, government and parliament.

Troops closed off a major junction nearby, leaving the surrounding roads gridlocked, although images broadcast on national television showed traffic returning to normal.

Schools and businesses remained shut yesterday in Bouake, where the unrest erupted early Friday when troops broke into a weapons depot, arming themselves with rocket-launchers and other weapons mounted on pickup trucks before attacking police posts, manning strategic junctions and putting up barricades.

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Facing the crisis of shrinking parking space and growing number of vehicles, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) will construct an 8-storeyed parking facility having the capacity to accomodate 900 cars.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will provide funds for multilevel parking near Karol Bagh Metro station while NDMC will provide land for it, Deputy Chairman of the NDMC standing committee Rajesh Bhatia said.

"The NDMC will construct a multilevel car parking for 900 cars at Rajender Nagar near Karol Bagh metro station. The car parking would be 8 storeyed with three underground floors," Bhatia said.

It would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 92.34 crore over an area of 4261 sq metres. Surface parking of 300 cars will begin in third week of January, he said.

"The process for approval of drawing of the multilevel parking is underway. Construction work is expected to start later this year," he added.

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Nepal government today tabled the Constitution amendment bill in Parliament to address the demands of agitating Madhesi parties amid protests by the main opposition CPN-UML and other fringe parties.

The bill was registered at the Parliament Secretariat on November 29, 2016; but the coalition government led by Prime Minister Prachanda could not table it owingto the continuous obstruction of the House by the nine party alliance led by main opposition CPN-UML.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ajaya Shankar Nayak tabled the bill on behalf of the government.

The opposition parties had claimed that the bill was against national interests and should be withdrawn.

The opposition Lawmakers were standing in protest against the amendment bill while the minister was tabling it.

The bill aims to accommodate the demands of the agitating Madhesi and ethnic groups that include citizenship and boundary demarcation issues among others.

Re-demarcation of the provincial boundary and citizenship issue are the two major demands put forth by the Madhesis.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a six-month- long agitation from September 2015 to February last year in which more than 50 people were killed.

The agitation had also crippled the landlocked country's economy as supplies from India were blocked.

The next Parliament meeting has been scheduled for Monday.

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Pakistan plans to introduce "uniform prayer timings" for all sects of Islam across the country, a significant move in a society divided along sectarian lines.

Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said he will get in touch with chief ministers of all four provinces to introduce 'Nizam-e-Salat', The Express Tribune reported.

Elaborating the plan, he said the provincial governments will notify a local timetable, at least at the district level in their respective provinces, for the prayer timings.

These timetables will be formulated according to the local time-zones across Pakistan, the paper said.

Pakistan's early years were largely peaceful, except for occasional sectarian flare-ups. In 1980s, military ruler Gen Zia-ul Haq's policies promoted discord among different sects. The Pakistani society is now divided along sectarian lines.

In May 2015, the federal government introduced the system for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). However, the decision has hardly been implemented in spirit.

The minister said that the government had consulted the met office and religious leaders of Ahle Hadith, Sunni Hanafi (both Deobandi and Barelvi) and Shia sects - before notifying uniform prayer timings for the ICT.

The same pattern will be adopted for a countrywide plan in order to promote uniformity and unity, he said.

Yousaf said that implementing 'Nizam-e-Salat' will be the responsibility of the provincial authorities and his ministry has so far been receiving a positive response from them.

In response to a query, he said that 80 per cent of the mosques in the ICT were observing the Nizam-e-Salat and he wants that the same model in implemented in all major cities and districts of the country, the paper said.

However, sources in the religious ministry said that the federal government has so far been unsuccessful to implement uniform prayer timings in ICT despite its claims.

There are around 700 mosques in the capital territory and the managements of a fewer mosques are implementing the calendar of uniform prayer timings.

Yousaf did not set a deadline to implement uniform prayer timings but said this is the priority of the government.

He added that a decision to adopt uniform sermons for Friday's prayers would also be taken sometime later.

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A Palestinian rammed a truck into a group of Israeli soldiers visiting a popular tourist spot in Jerusalem today, killing four and wounding at least 15 people, authorities said.

The driver was also killed in what Israeli police were calling an attack at the location overlooking holy sites in the Old City such as the Dome of the Rock and providing one of the most spectacular views of Jerusalem.

Chaos broke out at the scene when the truck ploughed through the crowd, with hundreds of soldiers having arrived there as part of a tour for troops about the history of Jerusalem.

"A lone terrorist drove his truck into a group of soldiers standing on the side of the road," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told reporters at the scene.

"They got off the bus, and as they were getting off the bus and getting organised, he took advantage."



Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the driver was killed by Israeli forces, without specifying whether it was soldiers or police.

Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the windshield of the truck.

Police only confirmed four people were dead, but a medic at the scene said they were soldiers.

Video said to be of the incident being shared online showed a flatbed truck with a crane in the rear drive through a group of soldiers standing next to a bus.

The driver then pulls off to the side and tries to reverse back towards where the soldiers were hit before the truck eventually comes to a stop.

Ambulances rushed to the location and video showed visitors, including soldiers, running for cover as the incident began. Bodies were later covered in sheets.

"I heard my soldiers screaming and shouting," said one of the tour guides, Lea Schreiber.

"I saw a truck that went on the side of the road. Soldiers starting shooting... There were orders and screaming everywhere. They told them to hide behind the wall because there was fear of another attack."



Besides treating the wounded, rescue workers also began providing immediate psychological care to traumatised soldiers, said Miriam Ballan of the United Hatzalah rescue service.

Palestinian security officials in the West Bank city of Ramallah said the driver was a Palestinian in his late 20s from the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Jabal Mukaber, located close to the scene.

Rosenfeld said it was not yet clear if the attack had been planned earlier or was spontaneous.

A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks broke out in October 2015, but the violence had greatly subsided in recent months.

Since October 2015, 247 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed in a wave of violence, according to an AFP count.

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A PIL in Bombay High Court has challenged an ordinance issued by the Union government restricting members of public from depositing the demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in Reserve Bank of India branches.

The petition, filed recently by Congress leader Sachin Sawant, has sought quashing of the ordinance issued by the government on December 30 last year. On the ground that it caused discrimination against people.

The PIL says that the impugned ordinance allows only a particular category of Indian citizens to exchange the banned notes. This concerns only those citizens who were outside the country from November 8 to December 30, when demonetisation had come into effect, as they could not exchange the banned currency with new notes in banks, it said.

The public interest litigation, filed through lawyer Asim Sarode, is likely to come up for hearing in due course.

The petition further alleged that the RBI had failed to follow its mandate of regulating the issuance of currency.

"The apex bank should be asked to clarify whether it was working under some pressure or is being overpowered by any politician," the PIL further contended.

The PIL said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured the people and a government notification on November 8 last year also said that if the citizens of the country were not able to deposit by December 30, 2016, the scrapped currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 in the banks on account of any reason, they would get an opportunity to approach the specified offices of RBI by March 31, 2017.

However, the Centre's ordinance had given opportunity only to those citizens who were outside the country during the period November 8 to December 30 last year, to exchange the banned currency. This was against the assurance given by the PM in his address to the nation and hence, it constituted to a breach of trust, the petition argued.

It also alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre had set an example of "bad governance", which has resulted in causing hardships to the common man. By taking such a decision, the government had become more intrusive, the petition further alleged.

The petitioner, who is spokesman of Mumbai Congress unit, has also sought an interim stay on the impugned ordinance, pending hearing of the PIL in the high court.

"Paragraph 4 (i) of the ordinance creates discrimination between people who travelled outside India between November 8, 2016 to December 30, 2016 and people who were not travelling anywhere outside India for no valid reasons whatsoever," says the petition.

The ordinance, dated December 30, 2016, is contrary to the earlier government notification of November 8, 2016, and hence people are facing many day-to-day problems and violation of their rights, the PIL alleged.
In a bizarre incident, an American woman living near an airport thought a massive bird had splattered her car with droppings only to realise that it was a plane that had dumped human waste on her property.

Bethany Bowker, from West Jordan, Utah, left to pick up her children from school when she noticed the foul-smelling feces scattered all over her driveway and her car.

"It's disgusting...At first I thought, 'Wow, some bird really took a dump on my car!" Bowker said.

She quickly realised she was not dealing with fecal matter of the bird variety.

"This is undeniable," Bowker told KSL-TV.

She came to the conclusion it was human waste. Then she realised, this is not the first time this has happened.

She recalled that years ago seeing similar matter all over her property. Bowker believes it came from a commercial aircraft releasing the waste from the air at the wrong time.

"I don't know, they might have been flying low this time?" Bowker said.

She lives in West Jordan south of Salt Lake International airport, and it is not uncommon for her to see dozens of airplanes fly over her house daily.

This time, she documented the dumping to report to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

"I just want it to stop," Bowker said.

"The FAA periodically receives reports of blue ice (frozen wastewater) falling on a house. If the person can tell us (the FAA) exactly when and where it happened, we can try to run radar replays to see if an aircraft flew overhead around that time. We don't provide any advice on how to clean up blue ice," the FAA said in a statement.

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Eight persons were today arrested and 65 litres of illicit liquor was seized during different raids conducted at various places across the city, police said.

Police conducted raids in Nagwa area in Lanka police station area and arrested one person identified as Ashok Kumar with nearly 20 litres of illegal liquor here, said police.

In another incident, a police raid was conducted near Bakhani crossing in Rohaniya police station area in which Raju (21) was arrested and nearly 20 litres of illegal liquor was seized from his possession, they said.

Police also conducted a raid in Adampur police station area and arrested one person identified as Rajesh near the Kashi Railway Station here.

Nearly 10 litres of illegal liquor was seized form his possession, they said



Police also arrested two persons in Lohata police station area and seized illegal liquor from them. The arrested men have been identified as Sanjay Kumar and Shivam, both resident of Varanasi, they said.

A raid was conducted in Phoolpur police station area, where police arrested three persons with 15 litres of illegal liquor.

The arrested men have been identified as Om Prakash and Gulal native of Varanasi and Jitendra, native of Ghazipur, they said.

According to a press release from SSP office, police seized nearly 65 litres of illegal liquor in its raid at various places in the city.

Also it conducted a vehicle checking drive and removed black films from nearly 15 vehicles.

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II today made her first public appearance for Sunday church service on her Sandringham estate after weeks of recuperating from a heavy cold.

The 90-year-old monarch arrived for the morning church service at St Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, Norfolk, after having missed the customary Christmas and New Year's Day church services.

Members of the public came out to greet the Queen in the East Anglia region of England.

A local said, "We saw her very close up. We have been waiting the past three weeks to know she has attended. It is very nice to see her and of course, Prince Philip too".

Wearing a blue hat with feathered detailing, black glovesand blue coat with a silver bow brooch pinned to it, the Queen arrived at the church in a burgundy Bentley with husband Duke of Edinburgh - Prince Philip.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and wife Kate, also attended the service after walking the short distance from the house to the church, but there was no sign of Prince George or Princess Charlotte.

Both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had cancelled their plans to travel for Christmas on December 21 because of heavy colds.

The next day, they travelled by helicopter to the estate, rather than taking the train.

Prince Philip made a full recovery by Christmas Day and attended church with Prince Charles, Prince Harry and others, but the palace said the Queen was staying indoors to help with her recovery.

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Blog Hinangai

While there is much discussion in Guam about the economic benefits of increasing the islands military presence, the damages/dangers that they represent are rarely mentioned. This blog, a supplement to the Peace and Justice for Guam Petition, is meant to counter that by providing information about the US military in Guam, with the hopes of steering policy away from a dangerous unilateralist course to more sustainable notions of regional development and a strengthening international solidarity.
Footwear maker Relaxo, which has recently gone in for new brand identity by changing its logo, is expected to continue to grow at 20 per cent by keeping its momentum intact, a top company official said.

The Delhi-based firm, whose products are retailed at around 90,000 outlets, would also focus to expand network of company-owned stores by adding 30 in 2017, taking total count to 280 and invest in brand building.

The company's focus is on markets such as Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra for expansion of company-owned company-controlled (COCO) retail outlets.

"Relaxo has managed to grow revenues at a five-year compounded annual rate of 20 per cent. We would like to continue with the same momentum," Relaxo Director Gaurav Dua told PTI.

In financial year 2015-16, Relaxo had a turnover of Rs 1,715 crore.

He further added: "In COCO model, We have over 250 stores spread across 143 cities and we are planning to take it to 280 by the end of this year".

Besides, Relaxo which is present on e-commerce platforms through its own channel shop@ Relaxo and several other channel partners, is expecting a "steeper" growth from it.

"We can see that we can peg our growth rates on e-commerce channels to be significantly steeper than traditional channels," said Dua.

Moreover, Relaxo would continue to invest in brand building and retain its base as the competition in the segment is increasing as brands as the young generation are going for aspirational brands as Reebok, Puma, Adidas etc.

"The marketplace will definitely become more challenging with more players joining in... At Relaxo, our thrust will be to provide relevant consumer offerings customized to regional preferences and fashion sensibilities. We will keep investing in Brand building activities," Dua said.

Presently, Relaxo has four key brands - Sparx, Flite, Bahamas and School Mate in which Sparx and Bahamas are youth oriented brands.

Dua further added that Relaxo's October-December quarter has been impacted because of the demonetisation, which created cash crunch in market coupled with a subdued consumer sentiment to spend on luxuries.

"This time demonetisation has slowed the pace, we could not achieve the targeted figures. At an aggregate level, our business growth projections have been slightly impacted." he said.

The company has 8 manufacturing units and has presence in 25 countries.

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In a setback to Ajit Singh's Rastriya Lok Dal (RLD), its legislative party leader Dalvir Singh today joined BJP.

Singh, who was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Barauli in Aligarh on RLD ticket, joined BJP, along with his supporters, at its headquarter here in presence of the party's state president Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Besides Singh, former BSP MLA from Karchana (Allahabad), Anand Kumar, Congress spokesperson Dhirenda Singh and others also joined BJP.

Speaking on the occasion, Maurya claimed that BJP would get absolute majority in the upcoming Assembly polls and said the party's state unit requests the Election Commission to remove officers, who could affect "free and fair" conduct of polls.

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A South Korean hospital says a Buddhist monk is in critical condition after setting himself on fire to protest the country's settlement with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves.

A hospital official says the 64-year-old monk suffered third-degree burns across his body and serious damage to his organs. He's unconscious and unable to breathe on his own.

Police say the man set himself ablaze late Saturday during a rally in Seoul calling for the ouster of impeached President Park Geun-hye. In his notebook, the man called Park a "traitor" over her government's 2015 agreement with Japan that sought to settle a long-standing row over South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan's World War II military.

Many South Koreans say Japan's compensation is not enough.

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Affected by the cash crunch following demonetisation, BSH Household Appliances, part of Germany's diversified group Bosch, has witnessed a 15-25 per cent drop in sales, a top company official said.

"It (demonetisation) has had an impact in the last 10 weeks and that has been a reduction in sales from our stores to the end user. It was somewhere between 15-25 per cent in the last two months," BSH Household Appliances Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Gunjan Srivastava told PTI.

The government on November 8 banned the old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes worth around Rs 20.51 trillion to control black money and counterfeit currency.

Noting that it is a temporary blip, Srivastava said he expects the situation to normalise by March.

"We see this as a temporary blip till the monetary situation corrects itself and then the growth will be back to normal. The bigger cities are recovering faster but in smaller cities we still see an impact of 15-25 per cent. My anticipation is by March we should be back to normal," he said.

For the last couple of years, BSH Household Appliances has been growing at 40-50 per cent year on year, and it aims to enter new categories and segments over the next two years.

"We will enter new categories and we will also expand into newer segments of the categories in which we are already present," he said.

The company, which sells its products through e-commerce portals like Amazon, Flipkart and Pepperfry, said the share of online sales is likely to increase to double digits in the next three to four years.

"The digital aspect of consumers is increasing. E-commerce is part of the purchase cycle and purchase behaviour of the consumer. The customer is buying online or is doing research or comparing online.

"Currently the contribution is small in low single digit but we do see it increasing because of the trend which we see picking up and in the coming years, in three to four years, it might be in double digits," he said.

It also has 75 branded stores and plans to take the number to 200 in the next two or three years.

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Saudi Arabia says the man who planned a suicide bombing in July outside of the mosque where the Prophet Muhammad is buried is one of the two extremists killed in a shootout with police in Riyadh.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said Taie bin Salem bin Yaslam al-Saya'ari was killed yesterday by police in the capital's northern Yasmeen neighborhood.

The July 4 bombing outside of the Medina mosque killed four Saudi security force members and wounded five.

Millions of Muslims from around the world visit the mosque every year as part of their pilgrimage to Mecca.

The same day, separate suicide bomb attacks targeted a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia and the US Consulate in Jiddah.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported al-Turki's comments early today.

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A 60-year-old security guard of a private company engaged in refilling cash at ATMs died allegedly due to cardiac arrest here in Cantonment area, police said today.

Jitendra Singh had yesterday gone to collect cash of a private bank at its chest on Maqbool Alam road, where he suffered a severe heart ache and fell unconscious, they said.

Singh, a native of Ghazipur, was rushed to the government hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, they said.

The body has been sent for post mortem and further probe was on, police added.

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The Shiv Sena district unit has decided to go alone in the forthcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections and will be fielding candidates on all the seats to counter BJP, a new addition to it's "foes list", along with Congress and NCP.

Though BJP and Shiv Sena are partners in the state government the decision to forge alliance for local level elections is taken by the district committees. The Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections are to be held in next couple of months.

Shiv Sena MP from Yavatmal-Washim constituency Bhavana Gawali, addressing a party gathering yesterday said, "It (Shiv Sena) places BJP in the foe list along with Congress and NCP and hence any pre-poll alliance with them has been ruled out."



"The BJP leaders are disturbed with the evergrowing cadre strength of Shiv Sena and hence they have replaced the guardian minister without consulting either our party chief or minister Sanjay Rathod," claimed Gawali.

"People are with the Shiv Sena and it will certainly unfurl the saffron flag atop the Yavatmal Zilla Parishad (ZP) this time," said the MP



For the 61 ZP seats, over 898 applications have been received and 800 aspirants have applied for the party ticket for Panchayat Samiti elections, she added. There are 16 Panchayat Samitis in the district.

MoS for Revenue Sanjay Rathod, district chiefs Santosh Dhawle and Vishwas Nadekar, former MLA Balasheb Munginwar was among those who attended the gathering.

Rathod, who was recently replaced by Madan Yerawar as guardian minister of the district, reacted sharply to this decision of CM Devendra Fadnavis, saying, "I don't care for ministership and can even resign from the post if the situation arises."



"The BJP leaders have become restless as Sena is becoming popular under my leadership and hence the post was snatched away from me when there was no public complaint other than the complaint from BJP itself," Rathod alleged.

"They (BJP leaders) targetted me and managed to get their planned agenda implemented through the CM," Rathod further said.

He urged the gathering to work unitedly for the party candidates in the ZP and PS elections.

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A host of foreign leaders including Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of several countries will converge at Gandhi Nagar to attend the eighth edition of four-day-long Vibrant Gujarat summit beginning Tuesday.

Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault have already confirmed their participation at the biennial Summit.

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, which started in 2003, is aimed at attracting investment in Gujarat and is considered as an important event which is attended by top Indian industrialists besides representatives from many other countries.

The central focus of the upcoming Summit is 'Sustainable Economic and Social Development'.

"It will bring together heads of state and government, ministers, leaders from the corporate world, senior policy makers, heads of international institutions and academia from around the world to further the cause of development and to promote cooperation," said the organisers.

The Kenyan President will be in India on a three-day visit beginning Tuesday during which he will also hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi besides attending the Summit at Gandhinagar.

He is expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee while Vice President Hamid Ansari, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar are likely to call on Kenyatta during his stay here.

Rwanda President Kagame will arrive in Ahmedabad tomorrow and will depart from there Wednesday. He will have a bilateral meeting with Modi in Gandhinagar and will address a select gathering of CEOs of top companies.

Portuguese Prime Minister Costa, who arrived here yesterday on a seven-day visit, will attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit on its inaugural session.

The Serbian Prime Minister will arrive in Ahmedabad tomorrow and will hold a bilateral meeting with Modi on range of bilateral and regional issues at the Mahatma Mandir Exhibition cum Convention Centre, the venue of the summit.

Vucic will also visit Mumbai during his four day visit.

Israel's Agriculture MinisterUri Arielwill also attend the Vibrant Gujarat summit. He will arrive tomorrow on a four- day India trip. Israel's participation in Vibrant Gujarat will also include a country Seminar on doubling farmer's income via Indo-Israeli agricultural cooperation.

Speaking on the upcoming visit by Minister Uri Ariel, Israel's Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said, "India and Israel's relations today, marking the beginning of the 25th year of our diplomatic relations, are stronger and more visible than ever before."



"The second visit of the Minister of Agriculture within a year proves that Israel is committed to being India's technological partner in agriculture, water and every other field of mutual interest," he said.

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Describing the counter-terrorism cooperation between India and the US under the eight years of Obama Administration as "incredibly successful", a top US official has said this has not only "diminished the threat" of terrorism in the two countries, but also foiled several terror plots.

"I can tell you quite definitively that due to our partnerships, several terrorism plots were foiled. Indian lives and American lives were saved because of this partnership," said Peter Lavoy, Senior Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, White House.

"So it's a very significant development and I think, it can continue," Lavoy told PTI.

On India not becoming a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) under the watch of US President Barack Obama, Lavoy expressed hope that it would be granted membership of the elite group "not before too long" as work is in progress.

"So, are we disappointed that India has not become a member (of NSG) so far? Yes, probably. But we also recognise that the NSG has to work through the procedures and its own other standings on how to consider non-NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) membership into the NSG.

"So, that's not a trivial issue. But we would hope that there India would be granted membership not before too long," he said answering a question on India being unable to become a member of NSG mainly due to the opposition from China.

He said that under the Obama Administration, which took over the reins of the country a few months after 26/11, counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries have reached a new height in the last eight years.

"I think, the partnership with India, in combating terrorism has really been incredibly successful," he said, adding that the two countries now have dialogues on counter- terrorism at multiple levels.

Lavoy said the US remains concerned about al-Qaeda, though the outfit's activities in the Af-Pak region have been significantly disrupted because of continuous efforts.

"We (also) remain concerned about ISIL. This is something that President Obama has talked about in his State of the Union and other addresses on the threat that both of these groups pose to the United States.

"And we would continue to take steps to counter them. We expect that those policies would continue. This is bipartisan in the vital interest to the United States," he said, adding that cooperation on counter-terrorism issues "diminished the threat" to the two countries and is of incredible importance.

"I would highlight that US-India consultations about terrorist threats not only that are against India or the United States but throughout the region is an important hallmark and feature of our new and expanded counter-terrorism cooperation," Lavoy said.

He also said the US does think that "any regional dialogue between India, Pakistan for including Afghanistan and to counter terrorism would be desirable".

"Terrorism is a threat to all of us and no country will be safe, unless terrorism is irradiated in every other country, especially in the neighbourhood," Lavoy said.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today urged NRIs around the globe to join hands with the state government for the growth of Assam which, along with the entire North East, can become the new growth engine of not only of the country but for the whole of Asia.

"Future growth of India can come through its North East by Acting Eastwards to Southeast Asia and East Asia and the government would soon set up an Act East Department to explore the opportunities lying across the border in the international neighbourhood," Sonowal said at the Chief Ministers' Session at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru.

This would help in strengthening business, communication, investment, and cultural relations, he said.

Assam is going through massive transformation - in every sector from infrastructure to reforms, land policy, investment, good governance, connectivity, social security and welfare, he said.

"Assam is rapidly emerging as a strategic base for foreign and domestic investors to tap its vast potential. Assam's location in combination with its rich natural resources and skilled manpower provide a natural backdrop for promising business", an official release quoted the Chief Minister said as saying.

Sonowal said that in terms of connectivity, industrial infrastructure, natural resources and policy initiatives, Assam has a very promising and investor-friendly environment.

Assam is connected to all major cities of the country through East-West corridor, air and rail network. The state has highest number of airport density in the country with international airport at Guwahati, he said.

The waterway through the river Brahmaputra provides access to sea ports of Kolkata and Bangladesh while the proposed Trans Asian Railway and Trans Asian Highway will further improve connectivity with most of the BIMSTEC and ASEAN nations, the Chief Minister pointed out.

Sonowal later met several NRI entrepreneurs and representatives of foreign companies and sought their cooperation for industrial growth of the state.

NRI Delegates and representatives of companies from countries like US, UK, Canada, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Malaysia, China, Kenya, Mauritius, West Indies, and France took part in the discussion.

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The TDP circles in Andhra Pradesh are abuzz with speculations of a likely expansion or reshuffle of state council of ministers around mid-January.

Speculations are rife that one of the inductees may be Nara Lokesh, son of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. He is likely to be given the Information Technology and Municipal Administration departments.

The exercise may be carried out around Makar Sankranti festival, before the Chief Minister's scheduled trip to Switzerland beginning January 15, or it might happen in the first week of February.

At least two MLAs of the lone opposition YSR Congress, who switched sides to the TDP in the last few months, are expected to be given Cabinet berths.

Another YSRC defector is also eyeing a berth under the minorities quota, according to sources.

The Muslim community doesn't have a representation in the Cabinet now.

The AP Cabinet, formed on June 8, 2014, now has 20 members, including the Chief Minister and two BJP ministers. At least three slots remained unfilled in the last 31 months.

With just half the tenure left, many leaders in the party are anxiously seeking a rejig at least now.

According to TDP sources, four incumbent ministers may lose their posts for a variety of reasons.

The name of a Dalit YSRC legislator is also being heard for a likely Cabinet slot.

There is no dearth of aspirants within the TDP but the Chief Minister holds the report card of each MLA to decide whom he could pick up, the sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Expressing concern over aviation regulator ordering a review of the data collection procedure of airlines' on-time performance (OTP) at four airports on IndiGo's complaint, officials from Jet Airways and SpiceJet are expected take up the issue with the DGCA next week.

These airlines allege IndiGo of having "double standards" as the airline marketed itself on its very OTP in the past but when the same started declining, it now says that the system is "flawed," sources close to development said.

Civil aviation regulator DGCA on January 5 set up a panel to look into the procedure of computing of the on-time performance (OTP) data of domestic carriers by the airports following Gurgaon-based carrier IndiGo questioning its accuracy.

IndiGo had approached the regulator in December last, seeking a probe into the data collection method of the GVK-run Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), from where nearly 40 per cent of its flights had failed to either depart or arrive on their scheduled time in November.

As long as IndiGo had the best OTP, the mechanism to calculate on-time performance by the DGCA and airports was perfect. In fact, OTP was their USP and they ran advertisement campaigns like "on time is a wonderful thing" citing this very data, " they said.

"Now, for many months when their OTP has been the poorest, they are questioning the DGCA mechanism to calculate OTP itself, " the sources said.

As long as you were No 1 the mechanism was fine, now it is flawed. These are clear double standards, said an airline official.

The data collection system at airports like Mumbai has been in place for many years now.

Other airlines are worried with the aviation regulator succumbing to IndiGos unjustified demands.

"The haste with which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has set up the panel to review the data collection mechanism for measuring the OTP of domestic airlines at four airports suggest that it has given in to the IndiGo's demand," sources said.

Senior SpiceJet and Jet Airways officials would meet the DGCA chief BS Bhullar on Tuesday to discuss this issue, they added.

Tomorrow, if an airline questions the passenger traffic data, will the DGCA constitute a committee to investigate that too?" questioned another airline official.

Last month, ICICI Securities, the investment banking arm of the ICICI Bank, had in a report said that IndiGo's OTP was likely to remain under pressure in the current fiscal as it adds more aircraft in the remaining period.

IndiGo witnessed a sharp decline in its OTP from four major airports to 72.4 per cent in November 2016 from 81.2 per cent the previous month, lowest in more than last two years.

"While this could be due to fog related disruptions in the winter, with even higher capacity addition planned during the remainder of FY17, the OTP could remain under pressure for IndiGo and will be keenly watched," ICICI Securities said in its report.

SpiceJet said in a statement "SpiceJet has ensured that it maintains its impeccable operational standards even in harsh weather conditions to continuously emerge as the best on-time performing airline with a record load factor of over 90% for 20 consecutive months in a row," said a SpiceJet spokesperson.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A suicide bomber blew up a car at the entrance of Baghdad's main vegetable market on Sunday killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens, security officials and medics said.

"A soldier at the gate of Jamila market opened fire on a suicide car bomb after noticing a suspect vehicle but the terrorist blew up his car," interior minister spokesman Saad Maan said.
After "packing a punch" in the domestic aviation space, two-year-old airline is preparing to take to the international skies even as it admits that the journey will not be a "walk in the park".

A joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines, -- a full-service carrier with a fleet of 13 planes at present -- is battling intense competition in the high-growth market.

Vistara, which completes two years of operations this week, may be small in terms of fleet size but it has "packed a punch," Chief Executive Officer Phee Teik Yeoh said in an interview.

Referring to in general, Yeoh said, "I have not gone overseas yet but one thing is sure, we take no chances. We are not disillusioned to think that international operations is a walk in the park, both from competitive as well as operational stand point."

According to him, the board is likely to soon discuss the airline's plans for overseas flights.

In the joint venture, Tata Sons holds 51 per cent while the rest is with Singapore Airlines (SIA), a well established international carrier.

Vistara took to the Indian skies on January 9, 2015. Currently, it operates to 18 domestic airports with a fleet of 13 Airbus A320s.

Emphasising that operating in the overseas market was far more complex than flying on domestic routes, Yeoh said then "We are dealing with weather and climate of huge differences and diversity from our experience here".

Vistara would go overseas only when it is ready (to take on competition, the airline CEO said, adding that competition is probably "far more keener than what we face here (in the local market)".

"We are going to be exposed (when flying overseas) to competition from airlines of far bigger pockets, and they are the ones who have invested heavily in product and services... the competition is just not going to be of pricing alone, but also on the unique customer value proposition that everyone goes after," Yeoh said.

Admitting that there were many "hits" and some "misses" during the two-year period, he said the greatest achievement was the launch of the airline in a record period.

"In the first year (2015), when we started, the number of aircraft we had were just seven and ended the calendar year with nine. In the second year, we ended with 13 (aircraft) and now we have 13 today. Small number of aircraft... We may be small but we have packed a punch," he said.
Three persons, including a woman, have been arrested in connection with the murder of a senior citizen at Masjid Bunder area in south Mumbai, police said today.

"The woman, who happens to be the sister-in-law of the deceased, Iqbal Darvesh, and a few of her friends, used to frequently visit him. This was one of the reason for suspicion," Dnyaneshwar Chavan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-2), said.

After verifying the details of the persons visiting the victim, we decided to focus on them. The woman was detained first and after thorough inquiry, she along with her two associates were arrested, he said.

Iqbal Darvesh (72) was found dead by his grandson at his house in Sai Manjil building in Israel mohalla yesterday. The door of the house was open and the television as well as the fan was on when the grandson spotted the senior citizen's body.

Police said Rs 15,000 in cash was found stolen from the victim's residence.

Robbery seems to be the prime reason behind the crime, police said, adding, they were probing other angles too.

The trio, whose identity was not revealed, has been booked under section 302 (murder) and 397 (robbery), police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three persons were today arrested from Dadri while they were selling garments allegedly stolen from a godown, police said today.

Jaipur police inspector Mohan Lal along with his team had come to Dadri on Friday and arrested three persons with stolen readymade garments today, Dadri police station in-charge Sanjay Kumar Tyagi said.

The persons were working at Jaipur garments trader and had gone to Dadri for few days, allegedly after stealing garments from the godown, the officer said.

The traders at Jaipur garments searched the godown and found garments worth Rs 50 lakh missing following which an FIR was lodged by them.

Investigation is underway, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Times Internet, the digital product company owned by media conglomerate BCCL, is looking to be a billion dollar firm in the next five years, riding on the back of greater reach and high growth of Internet penetration.

As part of the strategy, will adopt an "aggressive" approach and pursue organic as well as inorganic growth and try to enhance and monetise its reach.

" would cross Rs 1,000 crore in terms of net revenue during this fiscal and is aiming to become a billion dollar company (revenues) by 2021," CEO Gautam Sinha told PTI.

"Times Internet has a current compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46 per cent and expects to increase it to 51 per cent, going forward."

Times Internet, according to him, has evolved itself as the biggest player in the Indian consumer Internet space with its properties such as Cricbuzz, Gaana, MagicBricks and the like, which are market leaders in their respective domains.

"Times Internet is aiming at securing the dominant market share in verticals that it operates in," Sinha added.

With 190 million monthly users, more than those of popular social platform Facebook, Times Internet has a reach of more than 50 per cent of India's Internet population.

"Times Internet is the largest Internet company in India and the ambition is to take a lead position by a margin which is invincible in years to come," Sinha said.

He added that Times Internet, which has made acquisitions in the past, will be aggressive in both organic and inorganic space as the intent is to enhance and monetise the reach as much as possible.

"Times Internet would look into strategic investments or acquisitions, going forward. In the next 4-5 years, the company would look at seed investments, Series A and B investments and acquisitions," he said.

Currently, Times Internet's 47 per cent revenue comes from advertisements, 17 per cent from classifieds and up to 24 per cent from transactions, with subscriptions contributing up to 15 per cent.

"However, by 2021, ad revenue would come down to 44 per cent from 47 per cent and that from classifieds will shrink a little while revenue from subscriptions would increase to 20-23 per cent and that of transactions would also rise significantly," Sinha said.

In the last three years, Times Internet has invested in and developed Ad-Tech platform  Colombia  which allows the company to get into performance marketing through identification of interest and online behaviour of consumers and classifying them under 25 parameters.

"Colombia has the ability to acquire and mobilise customers across Times Internet's 37 properties, minimising customer acquisition cost (CAC) and optimising average revenue per user (ARPU), which is a win-win situation for marketers," he said.

Asked whether the company would consider raising funds for expansion, he said: "The company would look at raising funds only if competition comes with acquired or infused funding. Else, we operate in a manner to ensure profitability with an aim of 30 per cent profit EBIDTA at a steady rate.
Ten more fishermen from the state were today arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in the island nation's waters, taking the total number of those held in the past one week to 20, as the state government sought the Centre's intervention to secure their release.

The fishermen from Rameswaram and Pudukottai district were apprehended and their boats impounded in two separate incidents, for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters.

As the latest arrest came barely days after Sri Lanka agreed to release the 51 fishermen already in its custody, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to secure the release of the 20 fishermen.

Panneerselvam thanked Modi for ensuring the release of 51 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, but rued over the arrest of 20 fishermen, including 10 today.

"Unfortunately, even before the sense of relief following the release of the 51 fishermen could fully set in and the released fishermen reached our shores, the Sri Lankan navy has yet again resorted to its harsh and unjust tactic of apprehending Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu while peacefully pursuing their avocation in the traditional fishing waters of the Palk Bay," he said in the letter.

The state government "is extremely concerned about the continuing frequent apprehension and detention of our fishermen," Panneerselvam said.

"As you are aware, in 2016 itself 290 Tamil Nadu fishermen along with their 53 fishing boats were apprehended in 39 incidents. Subsequently, all 290 fishermen were released due to the unstinted efforts of our revered leader the late Chief Minister Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Jayalalithaa)," he noted.

He recalled that even though Sri Lanka released the fishermen, it however, did not return their boats and fishing gear, their "only livelihood means".

Jayalalithaa had often pointed out that "this was part of a sinister strategy to immiserate our fisherman community," by Sri Lanka, he said, adding such a move was "fuelling despondency and great unrest amongst the fishermen.

"The 118 boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen in Sri Lankan



custody are deteriorating due to lack of maintenance on a daily basis. These boats have remained exposed to the elements over two North East Monsoon seasons and continue to suffer further damage and deterioration," Panneerselvam said.

This is why our late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had repeatedly urged Centre to secure the release of the fishing boats and ensure their return to the fishermen in a refurbished condition, he added.

Panneerselvam urged Modi to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to take expeditious steps to secure the release of a total of 20 fishermen and 118 fishing boats without any delay.

He recalled that the 1974 Indo-Lanka agreement on ceding Katchatheevu islet to that country had been challenged by Jayalalithaa in the Supreme Court.

The Chief Minister also reiterated the state government's demand for a Rs 1,650 crore deep-sea fishing and infrastructure package.

(Reopens MDS16)



Meanwhile, various fishermen's associations said they would launch a rail roko to protest against the "continued assaultand arrest of fishermen."



Rameswaram fishermen's association president S Emirit said they would also seek release of 20 fishermen arrested in the last one week, compensation for 18 damaged boats and also release of boats impounded by the Lankan government.

The fishermen demanded that they be allowed to fish peacefully in the traditional areas in the Palk Strait.

The date and time of the rail roko would be announced soon,he said.
Amid widespread outrage over the molestation incident in Bengaluru on New Year eve, superstar Shah Rukh Khan has also condemned it, saying parents must treat their sons in a way that they learn to respect women.

The New Year revelry turned into a nightmare for several women who were allegedly molested despite huge police presence at a large gathering on December 31 in Bengaluru's downtown region, sparking nationwide outrage.

When asked about it, Shah Rukh told reporters, "The feeling is exactly the same as other celebrities have said. I think it's completely wrong. We all, mothers and fathers, have to treat our sons in a way that they learn to respect women from an early age."



The 51-year-old actor was speaking at a special fashion show of designer Archana Kochhar here last night.

About women empowerment issues, Shah Rukh said women should be treated with utmost respect, whether they are working professionals or housewives.

"I think women are close to my heart, my daughter is close to my heart, mother is close to my heart, all girls are close to my heart. I think it is high time we realise that and make sure they are the most respected people on the planet," he asserted.

"If they were not there, we wouldn't be here. Working women, housewives, every women who is there in the world should be respected," the actor stressed.

On New Year's eve, several women were allegedly molested and groped on MG Road and Brigade Road where the revellers had gathered, despite the presence of more than 1,500 police personnel, an incident that led to a national outrage.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US intelligence officials are convinced that Russia meddled in the presidential race. But that hasn't changed President-elect Donald Trump's call for warmer relations with Moscow.

Trump declared in a series of tweets yesterday that "only 'stupid' people or fools" would come to a different conclusion.

"Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," he stated from Trump Tower, adding: "We have enough problems without yet another one."



American intelligence officials on Friday briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election in order to help him win the White House.

An unclassified version of the report explicitly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a "clear preference" for Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton.

Trump has repeatedly sought to downplay the allegations, alarming some who see a pattern of scepticism directed at US intelligence agencies and a willingness to embrace Putin.

During the election, Trump praised the Russian strongman as a decisive leader, and argued that the two countries would benefit from a better working relationship, though attempts by the Obama administration at a "Russian reset" have proved unsuccessful.

At the same time, intelligence officials believe that Russia isn't done intruding in US politics and policymaking.

Immediately after the November 8 election, Russia began a "spear-phishing" campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting US government employees and think tanks that specialise in national security, defence and foreign policy, the unclassified version of the report said.

The report said Russian government provided hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

The website's founder, Julian Assange, has denied that it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted that the emails could have been passed through middlemen.

Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid "trolls" to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said.

Moreover, intelligence officials believe that Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumbprint on future elections in the United States and allied nations.

The public report was minus classified details that intelligence officials shared with President Barack Obama on Thursday.

In an interview with The Associated Press after the briefing, Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion that Russia had intruded in the election on his behalf.
excalibur said: The Democrats controlled the Senate 2009-2014. That's 6 years.





 Click to expand...

The slow crawl of Senate votes stems in part from acrimony over Republican objections to Obamas nominations for all posts and the change of longstanding rules by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to make it easier to pass some nominations.



In protest, Republicans are routinely refusing to give the unanimous consent required to proceed on quick confirmation votes. Without consent, it can take up to eight hours on the floor to confirm a single ambassador.



So who are the Republicans hurting? Reid said last week. Theyre not hurting me. Is this some payback for me?



Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the Senate Foreign Relations Committees ranking Republican, said Reid bears the responsibility for the logjam.



Rather than filling vacant embassies to alleviate the national security concerns raised by Secretary Kerry and others, the majority leader  who controls the Senate floor  chose to spend last week on a sportsmans bill and previous weeks confirming mostly judges, Corker said in a statement.



Bob Silverman, president of the American Foreign Service Association, blames both parties.



Its a bipartisan failure of the Senate, Silverman said. Its a Senate leadership problem . . . at the top. They just dont see eye to eye, there are blowups, they dont get along, theyre not able to agree on things that used to be routine.



Silverman and some Senate Republicans also say that the White House has complicated matters by tapping a higher-than-normal percentage of campaign contributors, fund raisers and political friends  some of whom with questionable international expertise  for ambassadorships.



Historically, presidents have adhered to a 70-30 combination on ambassadorial nominees: 70 percent of them career diplomats, 30 percent of them political appointments.



Since taking office in 2009, 64.8 percent of Obamas ambassadorial appointees have been careerists and 35.2 percent political, according to American Foreign Service Association statistics.



Only Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan had higher rates of political appointees, according to the association. 

That article was slack on why there's a logjam.More: Quarter of world has no U.S. ambassador | McClatchy DC
US President-elect Donald Trump today said he is looking forward to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May in the spring, praising the UK as a "very special" ally.

"I look very much forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime US ally, is very special!," Trump tweeted.

Trump gave no details of the proposed meeting but both sides have now confirmed it will go ahead.

The meeting is expected to take place at the White House after the January 20 inauguration of the new American President and before May's deadline to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to trigger Britain's official exit negotiations from the European Union (EU).

After Trump won the US election in November, May was behind 10 other world leaders that he spoke to.

Negotiating a favourable trade deal with the US will be crucial as Britain leaves the European Union and tries to forge a new place in the global economy.

May, like her predecessor David Cameron, has previously expressed concern about Trump's stance on immigration, saying in December 2015 that his suggestion that Muslims should not be allowed to enter the US was, "divisive, unhelpful and wrong".

But she went on to welcome his election unreservedly.

Last week, it emerged that May's two closest aides, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, had visited Washington to pave the way for a meeting between the May and Trump later this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttarakhand Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay held a meeting with poll strategist Prashant Kishore who has been roped in by the party to formulate a plan for the upcoming Assembly polls.

The party has given the responsibility of coordinating with Prashant to the party's state secretary Vinod Chauhan under the leadership of state party vice-president Jot Singh Bisht, Upadhyay said.

He said the strategy of the party will now have an edge and added that Prashant is giving providing his services to the party willingly.

Congress is completely prepared for the Assembly polls and is working to make a comeback in the state, Upadhyay said.

He also said the party has agreed upon the names of 63 candidates for 70 Assembly seats, however, the final decision will be taken after getting nod from Congress' Central Election Committee in New Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Strategist Prashant Kishor who has been roped in by Congress for the Uttarakhand polls today met state party chief Kishore Upadhyay, even as Chief Minister Harish Rawat said his involvement will act as a "tonic" for them.

"Kishor is like Chyawanprash," Rawat told reporters here, adding that, "people resort to such tonics as they age".

The party has given the responsibility of coordinating with Prashant to the party's state secretary Vinod Chauhan under the leadership of state party vice-president Jot Singh Bisht, Upadhyay said.

He said the strategy of the party will now have an edge and added that Kishor is giving providing his services to the party.

Congress is completely prepared for the Assembly polls and is working to make a comeback in the state, Upadhyay said.

He also said the party has agreed upon the names of 63 candidates for 70 Assembly seats, however, the final decision will be taken after getting nod from Congress' Central Election Committee in New Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre has formed two panels to look into modalities of setting up five universities for minorities and offer grant-in-aid to madarsas offering mainstream education, a move that comes ahead of polls in five states including UP which has a sizeable Muslim population.

The 10-member committee on varsities, formed at the fag end of the last month, is expected to submit its report in the next two months to Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF), which comes under Minority Affairs Ministry, sources said.

Former secretary to Government of India, Afzal Amanullah, is the convener of the committee.

Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor Lt General Zameeruddin Shah, his Jamia Milia Islamia University counterpart professor Talat Ahmed, ex-Calicut varsity V-C Padmashri Iqbal Hasnain and former Parliamentarian Shahid Siddiqui are among other members of the panel.

MAEF secretary D Madhukar Naik is the member secretary of the panel.

The government has decided to set up the universities to empower minorities educationally. These new varsities will have world class institutions that will impart education in medical, skill development and other areas.

The committee is expected to tell the Foundation modalities of how the universities will be formed, sources said.

The panel, inter alia, is supposed to help the government identify places where the campuses of the varsities will be established and also discuss whether the universities will hold minority tag.

The government is looking for big spaces, around 100 acres for each of the varsities, to set up the institutions to impart Ayurved, Unani medical education, skill development training to students from the communities and to set up residential schools.

The Haryana and Rajasthan governments have already evinced interest in it and suggested some properties where the varsities can take shape there, the sources added.

Banker Udayan Bose, educationists Feroze Bakht Ahmed and Qamar Agha and social activist Kulsoom Noor Saifullah are the remaining members of the panel.

Sources said the government plans to commission academic



sessions at the universities in 2018.

While the varsities are meant to empower minority students educationally, students from other communities too can undertake education here, they added.

The other panel on considering a grant-in-aid scheme for madrasas will have seven members with Syed Babar Ashraf, MAEF member, as its convener.

The committee is expected to submit a report on a scheme to offer grant-in-aid to madarsas which are imparting modern education to their students, they added.

Besides Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will go to polls between February and March.
MDMK founder Vaiko today appealed to Chief Minister O Panneerselvam to release seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case on the occasion of the birth centenary of former Chief Minister, late MG Ramachandran, citing precedents in the past.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Vaiko also sought release of convicts who had completed ten years of jail term.

Besides recalling past precedents where prisoners had been released on occasions including India's independence, birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi in 1969 and efforts by Ramachandran himself as Chief Minister, Vaiko also referred to a Tamil film where the former matinee idol strives to reform some prison inmates.

"In this background, I request that on the occasion of the birth centenary of MGR (as he is addressed), who was an epitome of humanity, the seven persons in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case who have spent 25 years in jail should be released," he said.

Such a decision should be taken on "humanitarian" grounds, he said in the letter which was released by MDMK headquarters.

Tamil Nadu government should use the "authority" provided to the state government under Article 161 of the Constitution of India for this purpose, he added.

Article 161 deals with the "Power of Governor to grant pardons etc and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases."



Vaiko, who noted that death penalty has been abolished in 137 countries, added that many of them have accepted that prisons are not meant to punish but reform.

Therefore to rehabilitate those who have undergone ten years of prison term, such persons should also be freed on the occasion, he said.

Vaiko recalled that Ramachandran had played the lead role in the Tamil film "Pallandu Vazhga" where he sets out to reform some tough prisoners.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shahid Kapoor is relieved after getting overwhelming response to the trailer of his upcoming film "Rangoon" as the actor said he was bit "nervous" for it.

The 35-year-old star, who shared the first look and trailer of the Vishal Bhardwaj directorial on Januray 5, thanked fans for giving it a thumbs up.

"Thank you thank you thank you guys. Was rather nervous about this one. The response has been tremendous. Big big love to you all," Shahid wrote on Twitter.

Shahid has teamed up with Bhardwaj for the third time as they have previously worked in "Kaminey" and "Haider".

The film, which is set to release on February 24 this year, also stars Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The year 2016 started on a tough note for and Special Economic Zone but, eventually, turned out as one of the best in recent times.
The (SC) has referred the issue of demonetisation to a constitutional bench of five judges. It has framed nine issues for decision and the seventh issue is whether the apex court can intervene in economic policy.
Regulator Sebi has sought detailed explanations from some listed Tata firms on alleged violations of corporate governance and insider trading norms flagged by ousted directors Cyrus Mistry and Nusli Wadia.

The fresh queries have been raised by the capital markets watchdog following receipt of letters from Mistry, who was ousted as Chairman of over USD 100 billion conglomerate, as also from Wadia who has also been removed as independent director from various Tata firms.

The regulator has asked some listed Tata firms to provide specific details and explanation on allegations levelled by Mistry and Wadia, even as an ongoing scrutiny is underway which was initiated soon after a bitter boardroom battle broke out at the conglomerate following ouster of former chairman, a senior official said.

However, the ongoing scrutiny, including of the details submitted by various listed Tata companies in reply to clarifications sought through stock exchanges, has not shown so far any serious violation of prescribed listing rules, he said, while adding it is yet to be completed and nothing can be said conclusively about the outcome at the moment.

Incidentally, Sebi last week came out with a detailed guidance note for evaluation of boards of listed companies including the role of independent directors in order to provide more clarity for stakeholders.

While the regulator did not mention any particular instance or company, it said the guidance note has been prepared to "guide listed entities by elaborating various aspects of board evaluation that may help them to improve the evaluation process, derive the best possible benefit and achieve the objective of the entire process".

Ever since Mistry's sudden removal as Tata Sons Chairman on October 24, allegations have been rife in the air. Since then, Mistry and Wadia have got out of boards of various Tata companies, while a process has now been initiated for the former Chairman's ouster even as Director of Tata Sons, where Mistry family has over 18 per cent stake.

Stocks of various Tata companies took a severe beating in the days after the boardroom battle broke out in the open, but have somehow stabilised since then.

Soon after his sacking, Mistry had written a scathing letter to the board of Tata Sons, the holding company of various Tata firms, raising various issues including that the conglomerate might have had Rs 1.18 lakh crore in writedowns because of some unprofitable businesses.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has been keeping a close watch on the developments related to the group and has already carried out a preliminary inquiry into the allegations.

Wadia, a prominent businessman who has been associated with Tatas for decades, wrote to Sebi flagging alleged instances that violated corporate governance and insider trading regulations with regard to some listed group firms.

Wadia has been removed as independent director from the boards of Tata Chemicals, Tata Steel and Tata Motors. Mistry too has quit the boards of various Tata firms.

Last month, Mistry moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) alleging oppression and mismanagement of minority interest at Tata Sons, a charge which the holding entity has contested.
Madhya Pradesh aims to raise production of pulses by 60 percent in the next three years to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi achieve his goal of making the country self-sufficient in the staple, the state's chief minister said.

India, the world's biggest consumer of pulses, faces an acute shortage of the protein-rich food, forcing the country to fork out about $2.65 billion a year to import the scarce commodity from Canada, Austria, and Ethiopia among others.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked me to help achieve his objective of making India self-reliant in pulses by raising production in Madhya Pradesh," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told Reuters in an interview.

Madhya Pradesh, a top producer of pulses, could raise its output of crops such as chickpeas, pigeon peas and black gram to 8 or 8.5 million tonnes in the next three years from about 5 million tonnes now, Chouhan said.

Stung by spiralling prices for pulses, New Delhi last year signed a long-term deal with Mozambique to import the commodities and has also been looking to import pulses from Myanmar.

Pulses, mostly consumed in curries, are the primary source for protein, especially for the poor. Any spike in pulses prices stokes anger against the government.

"We have started encouraging farmers to grow more pulses by giving them a lot of help and support and expect the trend to continue until we obviate our import requirements," Chouhan, who flew to New Delhi from the state capital Bhopal, said.

In the 2015/16 fiscal year, India imported a record 5.8 million tonnes of pulses after domestic prices more than doubled. Pulses production totalled 16.47 million tonnes, lower than annual demand of 22 million tonnes, which is steadily rising due to robust economic growth. Modi aims to make India self-reliant in pulses by 2020.

"The target of the state government is definitely plausible. But it depends a lot on the amount of rainfall the state is going to receive over the next few years," said Pukaraj Chopra, a leading trader of pulses.

Under Chouhan's watch, wheat output in Madhya Pradesh raced ahead of Punjab and Haryana, India's traditional grain basket.

"Wheat production has reached the optimum level, so we're not that keen to raise it further. Other than pulses, we also aim to raise basmati rice production by doubling the area under the crop," he said.

Currently Madhya Pradesh produces about 500,000 tonnes of basmati rice. India and Pakistan exclusively grow the premium long-grain, aromatic basmati, largely in the foothills of the Himalayas.

New wells and a focus on micro-irrigation have helped raise farm output in Madhya Pradesh, Chouhan said. Madhya Pradesh has clocked an annual 18 percent farm growth against a rather modest 4 percent at the national level.
Ares, a Brazilian subsidiary of Elbit Systems will supply the Brazilian Armed Forces remotely Controled Weapon Stations (RCWS) over a period of five years supporting various armored vehicles programs.

The company Aeroespacial e Defesa S.A. (Ares) announced today the award of a framework contract from the Brazilian Ministry of Defense, in a total value of approximately $100 million, to supply 12.7/7.62 mm RCWS to the Brazilian Army. The RCWS, named REMAX, will be supplied over a five-year period. An initial production order, valued at approximately $7.5 million, has been received.

REMAX is a stabilized weapon station for 12.7/7.62 mm machine guns that was Specifically designed by Ares to meet Brazilian Army requirements as part of the VBTP program. The system have been successfully tested and fielded in Brazilian Army Guarani 6X6 vehicles. It will be used in armored vehicles and logistics vehicles utilized in combat for troop transport, border patrol and peace keeping missions. Some of the Brazilian VBTP vehicles are also armed with a larger weapon station mounting the 30mm automatic cannon.

As a major subcontractor to the Guarani program AEL was awarded in 2011 a framework contract valued at up to $260 million, to supply of UT30 BR 30 mm Unmanned Turrets to the Brazilian Armys Land Forces. The contract calls for Elbit Systems UT30 BR to be installed onboard hundreds of Iveco 66 APCs. A year later, in 2012, the company was awarded $25 million order for the development and initial supply of REMAX weapon stations.
A pair of legislators from central Oregon recently made a bit of news when they said they would not accept the pay raises for legislators that were included in Gov. Kate Brown's proposed budget.

The legislators, Rep. Knute Buehler and Sen. Tim Knopp, said it sent the wrong message to accept the pay raises at a time when the state is facing a budget deficit that's closing in on $2 billion for the next two-year budget cycle. They said the law doesn't allow them to actually decline the raises, so they planned to donate the extra money (the 2.75 percent increase works out to about $648) to charities.

OK, that's fair enough. We have considerable respect for the work that Buehler and Knopp are doing in the Legislature, and they're free to do what they like with their money.

Still, this raises a couple of points that are worth additional discussion.

First, although it's tempting to take a political slap at Gov. Brown, she included the increase for legislative pay because that's what was in state statutes; the governor doesn't decide unilaterally what legislators should be paid. (Although it would make for interesting news stories if the governor did get to make that call, say at the end of each session.)

If Buehler and Knopp want to make an issue of how much legislators get paid, they should launch an effort to change the law. (To be completely fair, the two have said they plan to do that in the 2017 session.)
Secondary Education Boss Ngalle Bibehe Negotiating Last Bend Wilson MUSA

The people of Ndop in Ngoketunjia Division, North West region have reportedly jeered at the Minister of Secondary Education, Jean Ernest Massena Ngale Bibehe Sunday January 8, 2017 during his working visit to the region as part of measure to lure teachers, students and pupils go back to school this Monday.

In a crisis meeting held in Ndop, the people threatened to walk out of the gathering as soon as the minister started delivering his speech in French.

The Secondary education boss was compelled to speak in English for close to thirty minutes after the people pressed on him to do so. After addressing the people in English Jean Ernest Bibehe begged for permission and read his speech in French which was interpreted in English by the Regional Delegate for secondary Education Mombakuet Victor.

The minister who has a one week mission to the North West region has been moving from one town to the other trying to lure stakeholders to give go ahead for school resumption Monday. On Saturday January he met with leaders of Trade Unions in Bamenda in which he is said to have been on bended knees for them to call off the strike action. The Bamenda meeting did not yield fruits.

41 Youths Arrested Soon To Be Released

A source has revealed that the youths arrested in Bamenda on December 8, 2016 following the strike action will be released late Sunday or early Monday. Their release is part of demands of the trade unionists who vowed that dialogue would continue if the youths are released and those who have died in prison buried. A source has hinted that they could be received by North West governor Adolphe LELE LAfrique. The youths were among others who were released a forth night ago in Yaounde.

However the release of the youths was only a bargain for dialogue and not for strike action to be called off, a trade unionist reiterated to Journalists.
But festival-goers at the event on Saturday seemed unfazed by the death, and the frozen cocktails continued to flow. Many revellers who spoke to Fairfax Media said the death, the first in the history of the event, had minimal impact on the 30th instalment of the car festival.
Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited news content and The Canberra Times app. Premium subscribers also enjoy interactive puzzles and access to the digital version of our print edition - Today's Paper.
Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
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.
Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

A chef and the Okanagan Valley Healing Society, ONHS, have stepped up to sponsor a new workshop series in Penticton, focused on cooking healthy food.

Starting on Jan. 16 at the Shatford Centre Community Kitchen, this four part workshop series, offered by Chef Benjamin Overland and the ONHS, will provide skills to create healthy nutritious food for a lower cost and include recipes to take home.

This round of the workshop is open to all past and current clients of the South Okanagan Women in Need Society, SOWINS, and there is no cost to attend.

Overland and the ONHS plan on running more workshops with other agencies in the near future.

The classes will provide education about the local sourcing of food with the goal of giving participants an increased level of confidence in shopping and cooking.

Participants will take home extra food from each session.

Overland has more than 20 years of experience cooking in some of western Canada's best restaurants and loves to share his passion for cooking healthy and diverse meals.

The Okanagan Valley Healing Society is a non-profit society dedicated to educating for better health of people in the South Okanagan, while SOWINS provides emergency housing for women and families fleeing violence and abuse.

To register, call 250-493-4366 or email [email protected]
Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

A well-known Cree author and lawyer is slated to speak at the Okanagan College Penticton campus next week.

First off, Monday night, Harold Johnson will discuss his new Governor-General award-nominated book, "Firewater: How Alcohol is Killing My People (and Yours)" and his role as a crown prosecutor in northern Saskatchewan.

On Tuesday he will read from his new book, as well as his fiction, and will discuss his writing life.

Okanagan College English instructor Frances Greenslade said she invited Johnson to speak as part of their Canada Council for the Arts Writers Series because he a writer with an interesting perspective.

"Johnson's book challenges the idea that drinking alcohol is normal and natural," she said. "His focus on the stories we tell ourselves about alcohol helps to explain why in spite of it being the cause of many tragedies so many of us still make alcohol a part of all our celebrations."

Johnson worked as a miner and logger across Northern and Western Canada before quitting the mines to pursue a bachelor's degree in law from the University of Saskatchewan and a master of law degree from Harvard University.

He lives with his wife Joan at the northern end of Montreal Lake where they continue the traditions of trapping and commercial fishing common to Johnson's Cree background.

The first event is at 7 p.m., Monday in the Penticton campus lecture theatre, PL107.

The second is 7 p.m., Tuesday at the same location. Both are free.
Photo: Contributed

An Air Canada plane made an unscheduled stop in Winnipeg due to a mechanical issue.

Winnipeg Airports Authority spokesman Tyler MacAfee says the plane was flying from Fort McMurray, Alta., to Toronto on Saturday when it developed a mechanical problem.

He says emergency crews were ready to respond, but he notes the plane landed safely.

Air Canada spokesman John Reber says in an email that the Airbus A319 had trouble with an engine throttle and landed without incident.

Reber says the plane is being inspected to identify the cause of the problem and will return to service after it is repaired.

He says there were 96 passengers on board the flight, and that they would be accommodated on other flights to Toronto as soon as possible.
Photo: Contributed

The federal government is confirming it will pay for the funerals of four people found dead in a Nova Scotia home last Tuesday.

However Veteran's Affairs officials would not elaborate further Saturday on the arrangements for Lionel Desmond, his wife, mother and daughter.

Media reports quote family members as saying they were told Saturday afternoon that the government would cover funeral costs.

Police have said Desmond shot his 31-year-old wife Shauna, their 10-year-old daughter Aaliyah and his mother Brenda Desmond, 52, in their home in Upper Big Tracadie before killing himself.

Family members have said Desmond was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after a tour in Afghanistan in 2007, and had received treatment from the military.

An online fundraising campaign to help pay for the Desmond family's funeral expenses had raised nearly $22,000 in donations by Saturday evening. The gofundme.com campaign was aimed at raising $30,000.

A candlelight vigil was held in Upper Big Tracadie Saturday night to mourn the deaths of the family members.

Global News reported that dozens of people gathered for the event to remember the Desmond family.
Photo: SMU

Police in Halifax are telling people to watch what they post on social media after a photo of a man holding a realistic-looking paintball gun prompted a partial evacuation of a university dormitory.

Investigators say security staff at Saint Mary's University were shown a photo Friday evening of a man holding what appeared to be an assault rifle inside of a university residence.

Police say they were then called to the building and evacuated the floor where the student suspected of being in the photo lived.

The student was not there, but was found at another location and was taken into custody.

However, police soon learned the item in the photo was a paintball gun, not an assault rifle.

Halifax police say people should not post photos of themselves on social media with guns that appear to be real.

"Police have to treat these investigations as if they were firearms which could potentially lead to dangerous situations," Halifax Regional Police said in a news release.

"It also ties up police resources and could result in various charges for the person posting the pictures."

Halifax police said no charges were laid in this case.
Photo: Mike Biden

For a while, Mike Biden thought he was in a live version of the X Files.

After spotting a strange object in the skies above the Okanagan, Biden grabbed his camera and started snapping pictures of the round, silver object.

Biden estimated the mystery object was at 60,000 feet, and when he enlarged the pictures at home, he was baffled as to what he had captured.

I couldnt figure out what it was, so I called the tower at (Penticton) Airport. They told me it was a Google balloon on radar measuring something in the Earths orbit.

"Well, that was the end of my UFO, Biden told Castanet.

Castanet has reached out to Google for comment.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A Canadian couple died while being rushed to a hospital in Cuba.

The Winnipeg couple, who were on vacation, died after an ambulance transporting them to hospital crashed on the island of Cayo Coco.

They have been identified as Janos Boda, 50, and Rozsa Boda, 51. The two were celebrating Janos' 50th birthday.

Rozsa began experiencing chest pain early Thursday morning. The crash occurred as she and Janos were being driven to hospital.

They are survived by their three children.

- with files from CTV
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
JERUSALEM  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is nothing to a second police investigation into corruption charges.



Netanyahu has been questioned twice already about allegations that he improperly accepted lavish gifts from high-profile figures in international business and Hollywood. Local media have reported that the second affair involves Netanyahu being caught on tape negotiating mutual benefits with a high-powered media mogul.



Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, portraying the accusations as a witch hunt against him and his family by a hostile media. Netanyahu told ministers from his Likud Party Sunday that "there will be nothing, because there is nothing."



While the probe is still in its infancy, a mounting investigation could imperil Netanyahu's lengthy rule. Should Israel's attorney general decide to indict him, Netanyahu could be forced to step down.



Associated Press
This image provided by NOAA. taken Oct. 7, 2016, shows Hurricane Matthew over the Southeastern part of the U.S. (NOAA / AP)

I recently planned to attend the Miami Broward Carnival to celebrate the birthdays of two of my cousins. In total, 14 of us were traveling to Miami from Canada. My flights were on Air Canada, and I was booked at South Beach Plaza Hotel, a reservation I had made through Booking.com.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Matthew was forecast to hit the east coast of Florida on the day I was scheduled to arrive. A state of emergency was declared. Air Canada canceled my flight. I alerted the hotel about the situation even before my flight was officially canceled. Once it was canceled, I called the front desk to ask for a refund. After several days of back and forth, the hotel charged me 50 percent of the cost of the room  $320  which I think is ridiculous and unfair.

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I was going to attend the Miami Broward Carnival and had purchased two tickets online for $30 plus service fees. After trying to reach someone for several days, a representative finally responded to my email with the same "no refund" policy and an offer to honor my ticket next year.

I have no intention of attending next year, after this horrible experience. I am a single mother with two children; it is not a simple task for me to get away or to know if I will be able to afford it next year. This entire experience has tainted my view of Miami.

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 Fennella Bruce, Pickering, Ontario

A: I'd be disappointed with the way your family reunion turned out, too  and I might blame Miami. But this is actually a travel-industry problem with a unique travel-industry solution.

The problem? Your hotel and the carnival offered a nonrefundable rate and ticket, and didn't want to take the losses if you couldn't show up, even if it wasn't your fault. This is a common and customer-unfriendly policy across the global tourism industry and is hardly unique to Miami.

The solution: travel insurance. A policy that would cover trip interruption might have allowed you to recover some  or all  of your expenses.

Your case underscores the importance of reviewing the terms and conditions of any travel purchase. Some hotels will allow cancellation at the last minute; others are completely nonrefundable and can't be changed. If you're planning a vacation anywhere in the Southeast United States or Caribbean during hurricane season (June 1 to Nov. 30), you need to be prepared for a disruption. I was in Florida during this storm, and Hurricane Matthew was particularly worrisome because, as I recall, it kept changing course.

I contacted both the hotel and the carnival on your behalf. Unfortunately, my involvement didn't change the answer. But there's a silver lining. You received all of your money back for your airline ticket, since Air Canada canceled the flight. Your cousin was able to sell the carnival ticket, allowing you to receive a full refund minus the service charges. And you also found out that you had travel insurance through your employer and were able to file a claim to recover some of your costs.

I hope you'll give Miami another chance. As a former resident, I can tell you that the experience you had was exceptional and caused by the hurricane.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the author of "How to Be the World's Smartest Traveler." You can read more travel tips on his blog, www.elliott.org, or email him at chris@elliott.org.

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Chicago woman with wheelchair-using husband wants refund from Amtrak
Ron Grossman, left, now a Chicago Tribune reporter, stands with his kid brother Bob on the streets of Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood in the 1940s. (Family photo)

My kid brother was proof that you can take the boy out of the neighborhood, but you can't take the neighborhood out of the boy.

Often bedridden in his last years, Bob Grossman still answered the phone with the trademark greeting that made him "a character" to fellow lawyers and bailiffs at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

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It was a verbal bouquet of shticks, quips and practical jokes wrapped around a "potch," Yiddish for a light slap. A holdover from the streets of his youth in Chicago's Albany Park, it was patent medicine for other people's blues.

Cook County Judge James Donegan told me about a time years ago that he'd be in his chambers, exhausted by bickering lawyers. Then Bob would phone to say: "Judge, let's go to Manny's for lunch." Donegan said he'd return from the Near West Side delicatessen refreshed by Bob's antics.

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"My brother was a happy warrior," I told 300 mourners in a funeral chapel recently.

Bob's moods cycled between exuberant and morose. Shrinks call that manic-depressive. I see it as Jewish  a personality shaped by where and when we grew up. In the 1950s, the persecutions that inspired family members to flee Europe were living memories.

Opportunities were growing, yet the door wasn't fully open. We were brought up expected to go to college by parents who didn't finish high school. But we knew not to apply to Northwestern University, where a lid was kept on Jewish enrollments.

That combination of possibilities and barriers taught us that joy is followed by sorrow like night follows day. Bob's response was a philosophy that life is like a roulette wheel. The ball rarely drops where you want it to.

He died at 77, still a street-corner boy.

Bob married his high school sweetheart, and they raised two children in a spacious suburban home a few miles but also light-years away from our own childhood apartment.

"My father talked about 'wash pants,' but I didn't know what that meant," his daughter recalled in her eulogy.

"Wash pants" were the cheap kind our mother washed and dried on a clothesline strung across a back porch of the courtyard apartment building where we lived, as opposed to nicer slacks that had to be dry-cleaned.

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Bob moved out of the neighborhood but remained emotionally tethered to a nearby lamppost with street signs marked "Montrose Ave." and "Sacramento Ave." He feared losing the walk and the talk he learned there.

We called our neighbors aunt-this and uncle-that. Some were blood relatives, others weren't  a distinction lost on a child. It was the last Jewish building on the block. Just beyond, the world of the "Other" began  the two-flats and bungalows of German and Irish families. Scarcely perceived was the far different "Other" the North Shore's white, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant inhabitants.

But once cognizant, my brother became the Don Quixote of Albany Park. Like the Man of La Mancha, Bob fantasized about carrying a lance, ready to do battle with the WASPs. His lifelong friends included an Assyrian Christian and an Italian.

But having gone to law school nights, he couldn't abide children of affluence who made the Harvard Law Review while he unloaded railroad cars. "Why can't I be writing a memo to file at a WASP law firm?" he'd ask.

Had that been his job, he would have died of boredom long before cancer and Parkinson's did him in. Bob was a criminal defense attorney, but hardly a crusader convinced his clients were innocent and society was guilty. He'd be disappointed if his were choirboys. His favorite literary form was the police report.

"Listen to what my guy did," he'd say. He loved cases that squeamish lawyers wouldn't touch. He rejoiced when an inexperienced co-counsel was assigned pro bono by a prestigious firm. It fed his conviction that city streets are the best preparation for the "game of law," as he called it.

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How could he be judgmental about his clients? Their court dates shared his calendar with big shots' transgressions.

"When a judge is indicted, there's a fundraiser. A send-off when he's convicted," Bob said. "When he gets out, there's a party where we say: 'You don't look a day older!' "

Bob's obituary might have advised forgetting flowers and establishing a fund for the preservation of mafia history. He romanticized gangsters as the antithesis of WASPs. I know some mob lore, the epic poetry of Chicago schoolyards. Bob's knowledge was encyclopedic.

A seatmate once was writing about an Indiana restaurateur whose stories of having been a Chicago mobster were posthumously verified. She needed background material.

I called Bob and handed her the phone. He lectured for 20 minutes.

The night before his funeral, I had a dream about recess at the Bateman public school. In the dream, Bob wanted to tag along with me, his reluctant big brother. Now I'll chase after him in heaven's schoolyard. I'll beg for his tale of wiping a courtroom floor with a WASP lawyer. Or a bedtime story about tough guys with gun bulges in their suit jackets.

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rgrossman@chicagotribune.com
Soundproofing could begin for more than 1,000 homes around O'Hare International Airport this year. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

A little peace is coming for some homeowners around O'Hare International Airport, as the Chicago Department of Aviation gears up for what could be the busiest and most expensive year for residential soundproofing in the insulation program's 20-year history.

Soundproofing could begin for more than 1,000 homes this year, primarily on the North Side of Chicago and in suburban Park Ridge, said Aaron Frame, deputy commissioner of environment for the Aviation Department. That number includes 167 historic homes in Chicago's Norwood Park Historic District and up to 860 nonhistoric homes.

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The city is ready to bid on soundproofing work for 660 nonhistoric homes, whose owners have enrolled in the program. The city is waiting to hear from owners of 200 additional nonhistoric homes who have been told they are eligible.

"Enrollment is still open," Frame said. "Once we get enough enrolled, we'll go out for another contract."

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The Aviation Department is waiting to send informational letters to owners of the historic homes until it gets final approval on its approach to soundproofing from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

Soundproofing for historic homes requires more expensive materials and techniques  such as custom-made windows  in order to preserve the homes' historic appearance, Frame said. The city expects letters to go out this quarter.

Contracts could be awarded for the first batch of nonhistoric homes by Feb. 1, and if all goes well the work could start as early as June 1, Frame said. The work can include installation of solid-core wood entry doors plus windows and storm doors that muffle outside sound.

Nonhistoric homes will cost about $25,000 each for soundproofing  or up to $21.5 million, paid for by Federal Aviation Administration grants and passenger facility charges, which are not part of the city's general budget. Historic home insulation will cost about $100,000 each for a total of $16.7 million if all eligible homeowners sign up. So the entire tab for what's known as Phase 17 of the Residential Sound Insulation Program could be up to $38.2 million.

Illinois preservation officials noted that "historic" does not just mean "old"  owners had to maintain the home's historic character. An owner who put an aluminum-sided addition on top of a brick house, for example, would be out of the running. The homes selected are part of a historic district and contribute to its character, state officials said.

Landmarks Illinois, which advocates for historic preservation, praised the sound insulation program as a "smart and deserving investment in a nationally recognized historic community."

This is the first time Chicago has done specialized soundproofing for historic homes  something similar has been done near the San Diego International Airport and could be done in Queens, N.Y., near LaGuardia Airport, Illinois preservation officials said.

Chicago's Aviation Department has soundproofed 10,924 homes since the program started in 1995, with the majority in Bensenville, Schiller Park and Chicago's 41st Ward, at the cost of more than $200 million. The city plans to do an additional 500-plus homes in the next phase of the project. These are homes whose owners rejected an offer to have sound insulation done in past years but have since decided to go ahead, Frame said.

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Homes eligible for soundproofing under FAA rules have to be within a "noise contour," where the average daytime and nighttime noise has been measured at 65 decibels. No matter how bad jet noise seems, homeowners can't just raise their hands for insulation  the city has to send a letter inviting them to enroll, Frame said.

One longtime Schiller Park resident, Irene Moskal Del Giudice, was disappointed that she was not offered soundproofing even though jets are so loud that pictures fall off the wall.

"These planes  it's like you can reach up and touch them," said Del Giudice, who successfully worked for Washington Elementary School soundproofing in 1984 when she was District 81 board president.

Frame said the FAA is doing a nationwide study to decide whether to stick with the 65 decibel threshold for homes.

The city must finish soundproofing eligible homes by the time a new east-west runway, known as 9 Center , is commissioned in 2020. When the entire O'Hare Modernization Program is complete in 2021, the noise contour will be re-evaluated and if it changes, the insulation program will continue with more homes, Frame said.

Complaints shot up dramatically in recent years after the city began shifting traffic from diagonal runways to new parallel east-west runways, which concentrate more traffic over the city's North Side and the western suburbs. The city got more than 4 million noise complaints in 2015 and was on track to have about 5 million for 2016, with nearly 4.4 million complaints through October.

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Rudeness on Metra: A poll

Metra is asking passengers for their opinions  about each other.

The commuter rail service launched its first courtesy campaign last summer to address some of the most common complaints customers have about other customers. The first round of campaign posters addressed hogging seats, blocking aisles, talking too loudly, putting feet on seats and personal grooming.

Now Metra is asking customers to help choose the next topics to cover. They can pick from Metra's list of suggestions, such as littering and "manspreading" (legs held wide open), or write suggestions of their own. Polls are open through the end of January at www.metrarail.com  look for the survey in the rotating images on the home page.

About 1,850 riders have already posted their opinions, said Metra spokesman Michael Gillis. Popular complaints include rowdy groups and people who sneeze or cough without covering their mouths.

"It's a gentle reminder for people that you're not in your house," Metra CEO Don Orseno said of the campaign. "Be polite. Be nice."

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"Getting Around's" vote is smelly food  nothing worse than getting on the train after a long day to smell fries and burgers all over the car. If you can't wait until you get home to eat, could you at least get a bagel and keep the smells to yourself? Or bring enough fries for everybody?

New CTA group sales site

In a small victory for the city's social service agencies, the CTA has launched an online portal for group sales of Ventra passes, which will allow the easy purchase of multiple, single-ride passes to distribute to impoverished people, allowing them to get to school, work or to the doctor.

Social service agencies have complained that they have had to use an antiquated paper order system for bulk purchases of Ventra passes, and that sometimes passes arrive weeks or months after they were ordered. Problems with bulk purchases of passes has led some providers to stock up on single-ride passes at CTA "L" station vending machines, which can take hours.

CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said the CTA implemented a group sales system at the end of the year that agencies can use to register as bulk purchasers and place bulk orders for passes. It can be accessed under the "group sales" tab at www.ventrachicago.com.

Social service providers are "very excited" about the online option, though it's too early for feedback on how well it is working, said Eric Halvorson, policy and communications associate for the Chicago Jobs Council, an employment advocacy group.

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A. Anne Holcomb, supportive services supervisor for Unity Parenting and Counseling, which provides services to homeless youth, said she will try the system soon  she just finished a big order of passes through the old mail-in-a-check system.

"Hopefully, with on-line ordering, we won't continue to experience long, unpredictable delays in getting our transit cards," Holcomb said in an email.

The Chicago Jobs Council and other social service agencies also have complained about a 50-cent surcharge attached to Ventra single-ride passes, which has severely reduced the number of passes cash-strapped agencies can buy. The CTA has said it cannot remove this charge because it covers production and administrative costs of the limited-use tickets. Ventra is run by Cubic Transportation Systems.

mwisniewski@tribpub.com

Twitter @marywizchicago
Transcription

1 The Bahamas High Commission London Fact Sheet # 14 THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS RESIDENCE Annual Procedure for obtaining an annual residence permit Persons wishing to reside in The Bahamas on an annual basis may qualify under one of four categories: 1. Spouse or dependant of a citizen of The Bahamas 2. Spouse or dependant of a permit holder 3. Independent economic resident 4. Resident home owner, including seasonal resident homeowner. The following are required: Category 1 a. Immigration Form 1, Section B, completed and notarized with $4 in Bahamian postage stamps affixed thereon; b. A covering letter from the supporting applicant stating relationship and accepting financial relationship for the subject of the application; c. Birth, marriage and/or any certificate evidencing depen-dence of the subject of the application; d. Applicant s birth certificate; e. Medical certificate dated not more than 30 days prior to submission; f. Police certificate issued less than six months earlier; g. Two passport-size photographs and h. A processing fee of $25. If an applicant is married to a Bahamian citizen, a resident a resident spouse permit may be issued, provided the marriage has existed for less than five years. The

2 resident spouse permit is issued for a max period of five years. A one time fee of $250 is charged to cover the permit, regardless of the amount of time remaining in the five year period. An application is made for permanent residence or citizenship after five years or more of marriage. See this section. Category 2 a. items (a) through (h) of category (1) and b. a copy of the sponsor s work permit, permit to reside, certificate of permanent residence or other lawful authority to reside in The Bahamas. Category 3 a. items (a) through (h) of category (1), except item (c); b. financial reference from a reputable bank verifying economic worth, i.e, citing a figure range and c. two written character references. For an annual residence permit, a head-of-household pays $1,000 and each dependent, $25. Category 4 Under this category, non-bahamians who own second homes in The Bahamas may apply to the Director of Immigration for a homeowner s residence card. This card is renewable annually and entitles the owner, spouse and any minor child/children, endorsed on the owner s card when travelling with the owner, to enter and remain in The Bahamas for the validity of the card. The fee is $500 per year and is intended to facilitate entry into The Bahamas with minimal formalities by: 1. obviating the need for return tickets; 2. obviating provsion of proof of main-tenance ability upon entering the country and 3. entitling the holder to visit for a stay of up to one year. Requirements for qualifying under this category are: 1. letter of request; 2. two passport-size photographs of applicant; 3. application form; 4. proof of property ownership in The Bahamas; 5. proof of existence of a home (house) on property and 6. processing fee of $25. Successful applicants in any of these categories are not permitted to engage in employment. Procedures for obtaining a work permit An inflexible principle of The Bahamas government is that no expatriate may be offered a position that a suitably qualified Bahamian is available to fill. 2/Residence

3 Employers with vacant posts are required to advertise locally and consult The Bahamas Employment Exchange. If unsuccessful in fulfilling their requirements by these methods, they may apply to the Dept of Immigration for permission to recruit outside The Bahamas. The following will then need to be submitted: 1. Application Form 1, Section A, completed and notarized with $4 in Bahamian postage stamps affixed; 2. a covering letter from the prospective employer stating reasons for the application, the position, and the priod of time needed; 3. two passport-size photographs with signature on reverse of prints; 4. police certificate covering a period of five years residence immediately preceding the application or a sworn affidavit in lieu of same; 5. medical certificate dated not more than 30 days prior to submission; 6. written references from previous employer(s); 7. copies of exam certificates referred to in the application; 8. copies of local newspaper advertisements with replies thereto and results of interviews, if held; 9. certificate from the Department of labour (Employment exchange) indicating that a Bahamian is not available to fill the position and 10. a processing fee of $25. Normally, an application will not be processed if the prospective employee is already in The Bahamas, having entered as a visitor. Work permit fees range from $350 to $10,000 per year dependaading on the category. The Bahamas Immigration Bahamianization Policy, which is critical to the granting of work permits, provides that: 1. Whenever there is a position that a Bahamian is qualified to fill, he should be given the position in preference to anyone else. 2. The Bahamian must be given that job on the same terms and conditions as his expatriate counterpart. 3. Where the company has a career structure, whether here or abroad, the Bahamian employee must be given the same opportunities for advancement as would be afforded other employees. 4. The Bahamian must be helped whenever possible to broaden his skills in the individual s chosen field of endeavour by constant exposure to further training at home and abroad. Where work permits have been granted, each employer will be required to identify a suitable Bahamian to understudy the expatriate so that the Bahamian trainee will fill the ezpatriate s position within a reasonable time. Genuine investors usually have little difficulty in complying with these requirements. 3/Residence

4 Employers may obtain permits for longer periods than the standard one year period in respect to certain key personnel on contract. Such contracts should indicate their renewal would be subject to obtaining the necessary immigration permission, and they may be endorsed to the effect that the employee is expected to train or be replaced by a suitable Bahamian within a stipulated period. Each permit issued by the Immigration Board relates to a specific post. Permits are not altered by the director of immigration to reflect change of employment or residence. However, a person holding a work permit may make application for a new one (his new employer having been unsuccessful in recruiting a qualified Bahamian to fill the post) without having to leave the islands. The renewal of a permit on expiration is not automatic. Generall, no expatriate may be continually employed in the country in any capacity for more than five years. However, there are likely to be cases where hardship will be caused by rigid implementation of this policy. According to government, this factor will be kept in mind in applying the regulations. An employer must inform the Dept of Immigration within 30 days that a non-bahamian employee is no longer employed or be liable to a fine not exceeding $150. A non-bahamian who ceases to be employed must take his permit to the Dept of Immigration for cancellation within seven days of ceasing to be employed. The permit shall be deemed cancelled with effect from expiration of that seven-day period. An employee failing to comply with this regulation is liable to prosecution and may, if convicted, be liable to a fine not exceeding $100. Bonding A bond is required for each person granted a work permit, if necessary, to repatriate the employee and his dependents and to pay any public charges, including medical expenses, incurred by the employee. Travelling salesman s permit Travelling salesman planning to do business in The Bahamas must obtain work permits from the Dept of immigration, and a licence from the Licnsing Authority. The requirements for such a permit are: 1. completed Immigration Dept Form 1 (notarized, with $4 in stmps) with two passport-siz photographs signed on the reverse, and a police certificate; 2. two letters of character reference; 3. passport or other travel document; 4. a letter from salesman s company stating he is travelling to The Bahamas to sell on its behalf (address letter to: Director of Immgration, P. O. Box N-831, Nassau); 5. two letters sponsoring him as a salesman from two sponsors in The Bahamas in the type of business on which he plans to call; 6. a complete list of accounts on which he will call and 7. payment of an annual fee of $4,000. (A permit may be obtained for any period up to six months at a prorated fee.) The licene is issued when 4/Residence

5 the approved work permit is presented at the Licensing Authority office. Permanent residence Applicants for this status of residency must be of good character and prepared to show evidence of financial support. Such an applicant must also state that he intends to reside permanently in The Bahamas. Persons may apply for permanent residence in any of the following categories provided they stisfy statutory requirements of The Bahamas: 1. As the spouse of a citizen of The Bahamas, and in the case of a male, he must have been married for not less than five years. 2. As an economic applicant; that is, one who seeks to permanently reside in the Bahamas because of a. investment business or home or b. established roots through family ties. Persons who held valid certificates of permanent residence prior to the Immigration Act, 1975, continue to hold such status automatically. To initiate an application in either of the above categories, the requisite application form should be completed in duplicate, notarized and submitted along with the following to the Dept of Immigration: Category 1 (Application Form IV A) a. two passport photographs; b. a police certificate of not more than six months issue, covering five years residence immediately prior to the date of apploication, or where these are not issued, a sworn affidavit in lieu of same; c. birth certificate; d. spouse s birth certificate; e. marriage certificate; f. proof of immigration status in The Bahamas and g. processing fee of $25. Spouses of Bahamians may be issued certificate of permanent residence with the right to engage in gainful employment. In the case of a male, such application may be made only after five years of marriage to the Bahamian wife. Women married to Bahamians may apply at any time after marriage. Category 2 (Application Form IV) a. items (a) through (g) in category (1); 5/Residence

6 b. financial reference from a reputable bank verifying economic worth; c. two written character references; d. a medical certificate dated niot more than 30 days prior to submission of the application and e. proof of ownership of property and/or investment in The Bahamas in the form of copies of conveyances, deeds or mortgage contracts, etc. A person holding a certificate of permanent residence who wishes to include his wife, or dependent child under the age of 18 and ordinarily resident in his household, may have them endorsed on the certificate at the time of his original application or at a subsequent date, subject to such conditions as might be laid down by the Immigration Board. Cost of a permanent residence certificate varies according to status. A person who has resided in The Bahamas at least 10 years and less than 20 years and who holds a work permit may pay anything from $1,000-$5,000. A person who has resided in the country at least 20 years and who holds a work permit may pay anything from $500-$2,500. the spouse of a Bahamian citizen pays $250. A person without a work permit, or holding a work permit in one of the top professional categories, and who has resided in The Bahamas for less than 10 years, not married to a Bahamian citizen, pays up to $10,000. Persons who held valid certificates of permanent residence prior to the Immigration Act, 1975, continue to hold such status automatically. Persons who formerly possessed Bahamian status (belongers) whose applications for citizenship were not determined by Aug 1, 1976, should have also applied for permanent residence. Belongers who failed to apply prior to Aug 1, 1976, lost their immigration status. Persons in this category, on acquiring a permanent residence certificate, would continue to enjoy the same rights and privileges they had known under the old Bahamian status, with the exception of the right to vote in a parliamentary election. Permanent residents who were formerly belongers enjoy the new status for life. The certificate is free and contains no restriction regarding the right of the holder to engage in gainful employment. A certificate of permanent residence may be revoked if the person holding the certificate: 1. has been ordinarily resident outside The Bahamas continuously periodof three years; 2. is or was imprisoned for a criminal offence for one year or more; 3. has so conducted himself that in the opinion of the Immigration board it is in the public interest that he should continue to enjoy the privileges conferred by the certificate or 4.being the wife of a holder of a permanent residence certificate, she becomes legally separated from her husband or the marriage is dissolved or annulled. Temporary annual residence permit A person attending an institution of higher education in The Bahamas on a full-time basis or as a trainee pays $25 a year. 6/Residence

7 Business investors A business-sensitive legal framework and investor-friendly climate encourages non- Bahamian investments, supported by the Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA), Office of the Prime Minister, P. O. Box CB-10980, Nassau, Bahamas tel (242) /7, fax (242) , Although an investor is granted a licence by the Licensing Authority, he must still apply for a work permit if he is to be resident and an employee of/or operating the business himself. Contact the director of immigration, Ministry of Labour and Immigration, Post Office Bldg, East Hill Street, P. O. Box N-831, Nassau, tel (242) Information Department, Bahamas High Commission, 10 Chesterfield Street, London W1J Tel: , Fax: , 7/Residence
Chicago police are warning businesses in the Loop and nearby areas about a man or men who have been breaking into stores, bars and restaurants overnight in recent months.

The man or men have stolen cash and items including electronics, police said Sunday. The break-ins date to Sept. 9 and happened most recently in the last week of December, according to a police alert issued Friday.

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The burglar or burglars broke into taverns, restaurants and retail stores through rear doors or by breaking front glass doors, according to the alert.

The burglaries have happened:

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About 1:50 a.m. Dec. 27 at a bar and about 2:30 a.m. Dec. 29 at a restaurant in the 200 block of West Van Buren Street.

About 12:30 a.m. Dec. 5 at a restaurant in the 100 block of North Wells Street.

About 3:05 a.m. Nov. 18 in a restaurant in the first block of East Washington Street, just east of State Street.

About 10:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at a small retail store in the 400 block of South Financial Place.

About 3:20 a.m. Oct. 6 at a bar or tavern in the 500 block of West Polk Street in the South Loop.

Between 5 p.m. Sept. 28 and 7 a.m. Sept. 29 at a convenience store in the 200 block of West Randolph Street.

Between 8:40 and 11:40 p.m. Sept. 25 at a restaurant in the first block of North LaSalle Street, just north of State.

At 3 a.m. and between 1 and 5 a.m. Sept. 13 at a restaurant in the 100 block of West Van Buren Street. Between 7 p.m. Sept. 12 and 4:30 a.m. Sept. 13 and about 3:10 a.m. Sept. 9 at a tavern in the same block.

The burglar or burglars are described as black men with a dark complexion, ages 20 to 52, 5-foot-8 to 6 feet, weighing 170 to 210 pounds. No clothing descriptions were released.

Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call Area Central detectives at 312-747-8384.
Malik Neal has been charged with aggravated battery to a peace officer, aggravated battery and criminal trespass to state land after breaching a checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Jan. 8, 2017. (Chicago Police Department)

Charges have been filed against a Joliet man who police say forced his way past security at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to get to a restricted area, injuring four law enforcement officers.

Malik Steffon Neal, 21, was charged with aggravated battery to a peace officer, aggravated battery and criminal trespass to state land. In a hearing midday Monday before Cook County Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil, he was ordered held without bail, according to prosecutors and court records.

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Just before 5 a.m. Sunday, Neal breached a checkpoint in Terminal 3 of the second-busiest airport in the country and tried to get on an airplane. Chicago police said the man's attempt was unsuccessful  he never boarded an aircraft.

Officers stopped the man from entering the gate. The man then attacked officers and hit them in their faces and bodies, according to a news release.

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Two Chicago police officers and two Transportation Security Administration agents were battered by the man, according to police. One Chicago officer was taken to Presence Resurrection Medical Center for treatment of injuries to the face, and a Chicago sergeant was treated at the scene. Treatment information for the TSA agents was not released.

Neal, of the 200 block of South Raynor Avenue in Joliet, was taken into custody and directed to Presence Resurrection Hospital for evaluation.

The incident occurred just two days after a man in Florida killed five people at a baggage claim in Fort Lauderdale. On Friday, five people were killed and six others were wounded in a shooting at Florida's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Authorities arrested Esteban Santiago, 26, of Anchorage, Alaska, who faces three federal charges that hold the death penalty as the maximum sentence. Though he complied with regulations and declared his handgun when departing Anchorage, Santiago is accused of taking his weapon out of its firearms case and loading it inside a Fort Lauderdale airport bathroom, from which he came out shooting, according to witness accounts.

Santiago, who was extensively interviewed by authorities in the aftermath of the mass shooting, had trouble controlling his anger after serving in Iraq and told his brother that he felt he was being chased and controlled by the CIA through secret online messages. When he told agents at an FBI field office his paranoid thoughts in November, he was evaluated for four days, then released without any follow-up medication or therapy.
Several of the thousands who lined up Jan. 7, 2017, for tickets to President Barack Obama's farewell speech, to be held Jan. 10 in Chicago, share their thoughts on what the presidency meant to them. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

While President Barack Obama's farewell address was intended to be a free event for those hoping to hear his final oration as commander in chief, there appears to be no shortage of people looking to make a profit from the historic occasion.

Obama, a former U.S. senator turned two-term president, will deliver his last presidential speech Tuesday evening at Chicago's McCormick Place. Free tickets were available on a first-come, first-served basis Saturday morning, prompting several thousand people to withstand single-digit temperatures to wait in line for tickets. By 7 a.m., Chicago police officials were warning hopefuls not already in line not to bother. The crowds had grown so large that all of the available tickets would be scooped up.

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By Sunday, advertisements to auction dozens of the elusive tickets had sprouted up on secondary market websites like eBay and Craigslist asking for as much as $5,000 apiece.

Left unclear, however, was whether those tickets were legitimate or could be legally sold.

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Steve Bernas, Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois president, strongly warned against buying tickets. Whether its tickets to a Cubs game or the musical "Hamilton," there are invariably reports of counterfeit tickets and other hoaxes, he said.

"Stay away from anyone selling these tickets," he said. "You don't know who these people are. It's different buying a couch on Craigslist. You can see the couch. ... There's no way to verify these tickets."

Though there were no complaints of fraud related to the Obama farewell as of Sunday, Bernas said generally people won't know they've been scammed until ushers stop them at the door. Bernas said it was unlikely police would pursue scalpers.

"Someone is always looking to make a profit on a situation, disaster or calamity," Bernas said. "I guarantee someone will be turned away on Tuesday."

Bernas also cautioned those who plan on attending the event against sharing pictures of tickets on social media. Scammers, he said, might be able to duplicate them as a result.

Images of the tickets posted in some ads appeared to match those that people snagged Saturday. Those same images also had fine print clearly saying the tickets were "not for sale or re-sale."

Spokespeople for the White House and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which owns and operates McCormick Place, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

John Holden, 55, of Edgewater, booked a hotel near McCormick Place in anticipation of the ticket release. While standing in line for 21/2 hours to get his ticket, he remembers officials telling the crowd that the tickets were not for resale, but he didn't note any precautions to ensure that resales didn't take place.

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"I've been to rock concerts where there was more security to make sure precious tickets weren't resold," Holden said. "That's a little discouraging. I don't think the president would like to see this turn into a money-making opportunity."

Some Craigslist users were not thrilled about the attempt to scalp tickets. One user wrote a post in which he referred to the sellers as "absolute garbage."

"You're gonna go wait in line, get free tickets for an event that was meant for the people, then put up those tickets for sale, gouging people for their money to hear one last speech by Obama," the commenter wrote. "Meanwhile people that woke up early waited in line in 5 (degree) weather to get tickets had to hear after 45 mins or more of waiting, 'sorry folks tickets are all gone', due in part to (expletive) such as yourself."

Linda Spice and her two daughters, who left their home in Milwaukee at 4:45 a.m. Saturday only to go home empty-handed, had another proposition for resellers on Craigslist: "I will give you for these tickets exactly what you paid for them: zero."

Spice, whose family saw Obama twice in 2012 when he visited Milwaukee, expressed disappointment over losing out on the noteworthy moment to those who only hope to hawk the tickets for cash.

"I get it," Spice said in an email to the Tribune. "They can potentially make a quick and very large buck. Truthfully, though, I was angry to see the tickets being sold. For our family, this was not just an event that would allow my children to witness history but one in which, as we look toward a new administration, would provide them hope."

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The resale of tickets isn't specifically mentioned in details regarding the event, according to the White House website. It says the event will be accessible by all members of the public but asked attendees to arrive early to allot time to pass through "airport-like" security.

In a statement last week, Obama said he hoped his final remarks would be "a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here."

For Holden, who attended Obama's 2009 inaugural address, he said he hopes to witness the closure of a proud and "unlikely" chapter during which Chicagoans were able to see one of their own in the White House.

"It's been a challenging eight years," Holden said. "But we're expecting much more than a fond farewell. I think it'll be more of a call to action and how to continue."

The address will be broadcast live online at www.wh.gov/Farewell or on www.Facebook.com/WhiteHouse.

tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter @_tonybriscoe
SPRINGFIELD  Lawmakers return to Springfield on Monday for a two-day lame-duck session, with some top lawmakers privately pushing for a Hail Mary agreement to end Illinois' 18-month budget stalemate amid significant political obstacles.

For months, Gov. Bruce Rauner has said he viewed the time in January before a new crop of lawmakers is sworn in Wednesday as the key to breaking the impasse. The idea is that legislators who are on their way out the door are more prone to cast unpopular votes because they are no longer beholden to voters.

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But talks broke down last month between the Republican governor and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, and stopgap funding for universities, social service agencies, prisons and veterans hospitals expired with the new year.

The political gamesmanship continues, however. The Illinois Republican Party that's largely funded by Rauner has sought to put a focus on whether Democrats in the House will elect Madigan to another term as speaker, a position he has held since 1983, save for two years when the chamber was under GOP control.

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It's a continuation of the anti-Madigan theme Republicans used to hammer Democratic candidates ahead of the November election. At the same time, Rauner gave his campaign fund $50 million to jump start his re-election bid, which remains nearly two years away.

Meanwhile, Democratic and Republican leadership in the Senate has been talking behind the scenes in an effort to break the stalemate and perhaps step out of the large shadows cast by Rauner and Madigan, though both sides are downplaying the possibility of a pending agreement.

Senate staffers continued to work on details over the weekend, and both sides remain tight-lipped amid worry that momentum could come to a crashing halt. While details are fluid, talks include raising the personal income tax rate to somewhere just below 5 percent and a new tax on sugary drinks.

In return, Rauner would get a temporary freeze on local property taxes, changes to the workers' compensation system, an overhaul of the employee pension system and possibly some mandate relief for schools required to pay for things like driver's education. A rewrite of how the state funds schools also is part of the mix. But those familiar with the talks urged caution because these major issues have stalled for more than a year.

"The leaders and the governor haven't met since early December, so I do not think we are likely to see an overall budget agreement, which is incredibly discouraging," said Sen. Heather Steans, a Chicago Democrat who chairs a Senate budget committee. "I just don't think the trust is there between the leaders for them to get a budget."

In the House, Madigan-led Democrats could try to push through a different plan to funnel some emergency funding to universities and social service providers. Such a move could be rendered symbolic because the governor previously has nixed similar efforts, saying the state doesn't have the money.

"We have done that in the past and we certainly might be willing to try it again this time, the problem of course has been that the governor has vetoed those measures," said Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat and top Madigan lieutenant.

It's a divide in strategy between the chambers that could mean nothing gets done this week. Even if a compromise gets through the Senate, it also would need approval in the House, where Madigan has been less willing to compromise with the governor. Democrats and Republicans agree that it'll take a combination of cuts and tax hikes to begin to bail Illinois out of its financial mess, but neither side has wanted to be the first to lay out just how high taxes will go or how deep cuts will be.

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After calling for daily meetings in December, Rauner abruptly pulled the plug, saying Democrats should put forth their own budget plan. Under the state constitution, it's the governor who is charged with presenting a budget.

That disagreement is the latest squabble in the unprecedented gridlock, which at its root centers on Rauner's position that he won't sign off on a larger budget deal unless Democrats also go along with at least parts of his political and economic agenda. His wish list includes an overhaul of the workers' compensation system, term limits for elected officials, a property tax freeze, public employee pension changes and a new school funding formula.

Madigan repeatedly has argued the governor's agenda should not be linked to the budget but considered as separate measures. Even then, he's noted the deep ideological differences between Republicans and Democrats on many of the issues, labeling many of Rauner's proposals "extreme" and saying they would harm middle-class workers.

Because Democrats control the House and Senate, Rauner's plans are difficult items to pass on their own, not to mention checking multiple issues off that score card at once. But the governor contends they are vital to proving to job creators that Illinois is on a new path, even if some of his ideas, such as term limits, have little to no direct budgetary impact.

So while Senate brass led by President John Cullerton and Republican leader Christine Radogno may be trying to find some common ground, it could be tougher in the House where Madigan has drawn a clear line in the sand.

"If they think they can create a deal, that's great, I will believe it when I see it," said Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard. "It seems like there might be some openness to some level of compromise, but at the same time we are a year and a half into this and you want to see better movement if we are going to get a deal done."

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Rauner said he was briefed on the Senate talks and was "heartened" by the movement, but noted the long road ahead.

"I think it's premature for me to comment, frankly. I think a lot of the details are still in flux," Rauner said Friday during a stop in Carbondale. "They need to have their space to negotiate, and I am encouraging them to do that."

Madigan spokesman Steve Brown was more guarded when asked if the speaker had been briefed on the developments, saying he didn't "know that there was anything to tell the speaker." Asked if a deal was looming between the two chambers, Brown responded, "Those aren't words I would use."

That leaves a handful of lower-profile issues for lawmakers to try to wrap up before new members take the oath Wednesday.

The Senate could take up Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan to shore up two city worker pension funds, though the measure also would require Rauner's signature. The House may consider legislation to extend an economic development program that provides tax breaks for companies that hire more workers and a measure that would require judges to give tougher sentences for those who commit crimes using a gun and have a prior conviction for a violent crime.

The House also may take up legislation dealing with workers' compensation changes and a property tax freeze, though Rauner's office already is dismissing those measures as game-playing, calling the workers' compensation bill "phony."

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As for whether he thinks Madigan deserves another term as speaker, Rauner said late last week that he wasn't going to comment on the matter, saying it's a decision for lawmakers. "That's their prerogative," Rauner said.

His comments came just hours after the Rauner-funded state GOP blasted incoming Democratic Rep. Mike Halpin of Rock Island after he told a local TV station he would vote for Madigan.

Democrats have dismissed the campaign against Madigan as a distraction that makes reaching a budget resolution only more difficult.

"I don't think that's going to go anywhere, I mean nowhere," Currie said. "So I don't understand why they are spending time spinning their wheels on projects like that. They would be better off paying attention to the crisis that various programs and vulnerable people face after Jan. 1. I would say that's plenty on our plate without having side spats."

mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @moniquegarcia
LONDON  Queen Elizabeth II has attended church near her rural Sandringham estate, after missing the previous two Sundays due to ill health.



The 90-year-old British monarch was applauded by well-wishers as she arrived by car at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 110 miles north of London. It was her first public appearance in several weeks.



Dressed in royal blue, the queen attended the service with her husband Prince Philip, 95, and other members of the royal family including grandson Prince William and his wife Kate.





The queen is a regular churchgoer, but missed the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades due to what Buckingham Palace said was a heavy cold.



She also did not attend on New Year's Day as she continued to recover.



The queen  Britain's longest-reigning monarch  has generally been in good health in recent years, although she has cut down on travel and public appearances as she enters her 10th decade.



Associated Press
NEW YORK  President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that "only 'stupid' people or fools" would dismiss closer ties with Russia, and he seemed unswayed after his classified briefing on an intelligence report that accused Moscow of meddling on his behalf in the election that catapulted him to power.

"Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump said in a series of tweets.

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He added, "We have enough problems without yet another one," and said Russians would respect "us far more" under his administration than they do with Barack Obama in the White House.

Trump repeatedly has questioned the assessment by American intelligence agencies that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election, and a classified report presented to him Friday seemed to have little changed his thinking.

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The report explicitly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a "clear preference" for Republican Trump in his race against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

But Trump tweeted that with the many global issues confronting the United States, it doesn't need testy ties with Russia on the list. "Only 'stupid' people, or fools, would think that it is bad" to have a good relationship, he said, and suggested his approach might allow the adversaries to work together to solve "some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!"

Even as intelligences officials looked back in their reports on the election, they also made a troublesome prediction: Russia isn't done intruding in U.S. politics and policymaking.

Immediately after the Nov. 8 election, Russia began a "spear-phishing" campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting U.S. government employees and think tanks that specialize in national security, defense and foreign policy, the report said.

The report was the most detailed public account to date of Russian efforts to hack the email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and individual Democrats, among them Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta.

The unclassified version said Russian government provided emails to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks even though the website's founder, Julian Assange, has denied that it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted that the emails could have been passed through middlemen.

Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid "trolls" to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. Moreover, intelligence officials believe that Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumbprint on future elections in the United States and allied nations.

The public report was minus classified details that intelligence officials shared with President Barack Obama on Thursday.

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In a brief interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion that Russia had intruded in the election on his behalf.

After finally seeing the intelligence behind the claims of the outgoing Obama administration, Trump released a one-page statement that did not address whether Russia sought to meddle. Instead, he said, "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election" and that there "was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines."

Intelligence officials have never made that claim. And the report stated that the Department of Homeland Security did not think that the systems that were targeted or compromised by Russian actors were "involved in vote tallying."

The report released publicly lacked details about how the U.S. learned what it said it knows, such as any intercepted conversations or electronic messages among Russian leaders, including Putin, or about specific hacker techniques or digital tools the U.S. may have traced back to Russia in its investigations. Exactly how the U.S. monitors its adversaries in cyberspace is a closely guarded secret. Revealing such details could help foreign governments further obscure their activities.

The unclassified version included footnotes acknowledging that it "does not include the full supporting information on key elements of the influence campaign." It said its conclusions were identical to the classified version, which was more detailed.

The unclassified report said the Russian effort was both political and personal.

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"Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton and harm her electability and potential presidency," it said. "We further assess Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump."

Putin most likely wanted to discredit Clinton because he blames her for inciting mass protests against his regime in late 2011 and early 2012, and because he resents her for disparaging comments she has made about him, the report said.

Before the intelligence agencies completed their assessment, Obama announced sanctions against Russia. Trump has not said whether he will undo them once he takes office, but lawmakers are calling for more punitive measures against Russia and have little to no appetite to roll back any current sanctions.

Trump said he would appoint a team within three months of taking office to develop a plan to "aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks."

On Saturday, he said he wanted retired Sen. Dan Coats to be national intelligence director, describing the former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee as the right person to lead the new administration's "ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm."

Coats, in a statement released by Trump's transition team, said: "There is no higher priority than keeping America safe, and I will utilize every tool at my disposal to make that happen."

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Associated Press
The City of Hammond has agreed to move a historic locomotive to Fort Wayne for restoration and preservation.

The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society announced the Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive No. 624 will be moved to a private facility in northeast Indiana for a full cosmetic restoration, and possible operational restoration after further inspection.

The initial restoration is estimated to cost $250,000, but a full restoration that would make the locomotive operational could cost about $1.2 million.

"Considering how long the locomotive has been outside, it's in remarkably good shape. The abatement early in its display life did wonders to preserve the boiler," Zach Hall, the society's operations manager and mechanical consultant, said. "While there is some obvious deterioration, it can be repaired. Beneath all the rust and faded paint is a locomotive in decent condition."

The locomotive was built in 1922 by Lima Locomotive Works and was donated to the City of Hammond in 1955. The restoration project will be sponsored by a private donor, with the historical society providing technical support.

"Conversations about what to do with park engines like the 624 can be challenging for any community and it's rare to have both the right opportunity, partners and experience as we do in the situation with 624," society vice president Kelly Lynch said. "We are excited for the opportunity to give this important artifact a bright new future and carry on the legacy of Hammond's railroad history."

The historical society, which announced the plans on Wednesday, plans to eventually house the locomotive at Headwaters Junction, a railroad roundhouse and museum planned for downtown Fort Wayne.

Associated Press
A "No Freight Trains" sign sits on the steps outside of one of U.S. Rep. Peter J. Visclosky's town hall forums at Valparaiso Public Library on Jan. 7, 2016. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

More than 50 members of a local group opposed to Great Lakes Basin Transportation's plans for a freight train plan attended U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky's town forum Saturday at the Valparaiso Public Library.

They had to wait until the end of the forum, after Visclosky, D-Merrillville, had answered myriad questions submitted on notecards on everything from the future of the Democratic Party to trade agreements, for his comments on the issue.

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Bob Cauffman, a founder of Residents Against the Invasion of Land by Eminent Domain, or RAILED, said he submitted a series of questions to Visclosky's office Monday and was assured he would discuss the matter during the forum.

"We want to know what his position is on the railway," Cauffman said. Among them, he said, was whether Congress knows which rail lines support the GLBT plan, since Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have publicly stated they do not, and whether he knows the position of the other four Class 1 railroads the freight line is supposed to serve.

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GLBT proposes an $8 billion, privately funded freight train line from Milton, Wisconsin, into LaPorte County to provide a bypass for Class 1 railroads going through Chicago's congested rail yard and take trucks off the road. The line would cut through southern Lake and Porter counties.

The freight train line's proposed route has raised concerns from residents here and elsewhere along the route about loss of farmland, drainage woes and delayed response times by first responders stopped at train crossings.

"The fact is, I became involved early on at the behest of Porter County officials because there was no public hearing here," Visclosky said of the scoping meetings on the proposal held in the spring.

The federal Surface Transportation Board, which is reviewing the project, later added a meeting in Valparaiso.

There is a federal process for GLBT to go through, Visclosky said, adding some of the railroads have said they won't participate.

"I do feel my role is to make sure that the federal process is followed," he said.

Last month, the transportation board agreed to temporarily suspend an environmental review process for the proposed freight train line until a formal application for the proposal is in hand. GLBT must provide a status update to the federal agency by Feb. 28.

Visclosky encouraged those opposed to the freight train line to contact his office if they have questions about the process, and congratulated people for getting involved in the matter.

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"Not enough people get involved in issues and it is a healthy concern," he said.

After the forum, Cauffman, who pointed out that RAILED members made up more than half of the 100 or so people there, said he spoke further with Visclosky's aide, who told him Visclosky can't comment on GLBT's application specifically because it hasn't been submitted.

"Our main concern is that he see there is a large body of people who do not want this railroad, and that he see the numbers," Cauffman said.

Visclosky is holding annual town forums throughout the region over the next couple days. RAILED representatives also are expected to attend his forum at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Crown Point Civic Center, 101 S. East St.

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Transcription

1 Annotated Bibliography of Books About Vietnam Here s a list of great books about Vietnam, many focused on the country and the culture and a few about the war. For more books about the war, there are a zillion websites out there. Fiction: Novels The Gangster We Are All Looking For by le thi diem thuy thuy, a Vietnamese-American performance artist as well as a writer, has developed a style of non-linear storytelling that is almost like poetry. In this account of one Vietnamese immigrant family s experiences in America, the tiniest details the color of a swimming pool, the cut of a man s suit lead the reader to a deeper understanding of the most complex, and often heartbreaking, emotions. The Book of Salt by Monique Truong Truong, a first-generation Vietnamese-American, has written a novel that examines the lives of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas from a very intriguing perspective: that of the Vietnamese cook who worked for them in their home in France. By contrasting his very personal point of view with what we know of their public lives, Truong throws light on the figures who remain in the background of history, but whose own private stories can be equally captivating. Grass Roof, Tin Roof and The Gentle Order of Girls and Boy by Dao Strom Strom, who also grew up in the United States, writes in a style that is graceful and beautiful to read. Her characters are both complicated and utterly believable. Her stories illuminate the experience of being non-white in America, but, more importantly, they illuminate the experience of being human in America, an experience to which everyone can relate, but not every author can capture with so much intelligence, wit, and luminous detail. Paradise of the Blind By Duong Thu Huong Huong, one of Vietnam s leading writers and a well-known dissident there, presents a view of post-war Vietnam that is both barren of joy and rich with the textures of every day existence. The story is a testament to the waste and corruption that followed the hardship of war, but it s also brimming with details that will make you yearn to go there. Nobody can write about Vietnamese food like Huong can. Also, try Novel Without a Name (about the war years) and Memories of a Pure Spring, by the same author.

2 The Sorrow of War By Bao Ninh In my classes on Vietnamese literature, I like to pair Bao Ninh s Sorrow of War with Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried. There s no better way to recognize the commonality of the tragedy suffered by Vietnamese and American soldiers during the war than to read these books and see the startling similarities in their accounts of hopelessness, alienation, and despair. Bao Ninh s story of the soldier Kien is a beautifully written, and angry, testament to how much the Vietnamese people suffered, not only at the hands of Americans but also at the hands of their own leaders. The Quiet American by Graham Greene This novel sets a captivating story of love and espionage against the backdrop of a Vietnam few non-vietnamese ever had a chance to see Saigon in the years just before the United States got involved there. The place has changed so much since then, but one only has to step into one of the old cafes in downtown Ho Chi Minh City to get a feel of what Greene experienced way back then. The Women on the Island By Ho Anh Thai Thai s surreal novel looks at how the years of war in Vietnam affected the Vietnamese people, women in particular. Centered on Cat Ba Island off the coast of Vietnam, the story examines how, after having struggled for years to achieve Vietnam s victory in the war, a group of women find that their country at peace has no place for them. Fiction: Short Stories The Stars, The Earth, The River: Short Fiction by Le Minh Khue By Le Minh Khue I translated this book, along with Bac Hoai Tran, so I m partial to it, but I m not alone among its fans. This story collection contains work by one of Vietnam s leading fiction writers, some of which date back to the war years and others of which were written more recently. The early stories, particularly the charming The Distant Stars, are quite romantic in their view of wartime Vietnam. Later stories show a sharp change in tone, as Khue reveals the disappointments of the post-war era. Sarcastic, bitingly funny, and often full of pathos, Khue s stories present Vietnam today in all its richness and complexity. Fake House: Stories by Linh Dinh By Linh Dinh This collection of stories by Vietnamese-American prize-winning poet Linh Dinh offer an acerbic, insightful look at life among Vietnamese immigrants in the United States. Kirkus reviews noted the stories vividly imagined characters and the author Jessica Hagedorn called Linh a unique voice in contemporary American literature.

3 Crossing the River: Short Fiction by Nguyen Huy Thiep By Nguyen Huy Thiep This collection, which I edited with Nguyen Nguyet Cam, is the most comprehensive edition ever published in English of work by Thiep, acclaimed as Vietnam s most provocative and controversial contemporary writer. Widely diverse in form as well as content, these stories offer a broad and complicated view of Vietnam, from the eerie mountain villages of the Thai and Muong minority people to the stark and brutal lives of rural farmers to the cut-throat existence of city dwellers who will do anything to get by. If you re really interested in understanding Vietnam, you have to read Thiep. The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien Maybe the most wrenching, heartbreaking account of war, ever. O Brien writes so beautifully that you almost forget how horrifying his story is. Also, try Going After Cacciato. We Should Never Meet: Stories by Aimee Phan In this series of lively, often gripping interlocking stories, Vietnamese-American Phan explores the peculiar experience of the Vietnamese children, now adults, who were brought over on Operation Babylift, the U.S.-led effort to evacuate them from war-torn Saigon and place them with adoptive families overseas. Fiction: Anthologies The Other Side of Heaven: Post-war Fiction by Vietnamese and American Writers One of the first American books since the end of the war to include writing by contemporary Vietnamese authors, The Other Side of Heaven is something of a sampler of good writing from Vietnam. It also includes work from American writers who have written about that period in American history, including Tim O Brien, Wayne Karlin, Robert Olen Butler, and Bobbie Ann Mason. Night, Again: Contemporary Fiction from Vietnam Edited by Linh Dinh A wonderful collection of writing by some of Vietnam s best contemporary writers. Linh has a quirky taste for fiction and he s picked some of the edgiest work to come out of the country today. Highlights include Nguyen Huy Thiep s Without a King and Nine Down Makes Ten by Pham Thi Hoai. Vietnam: A Traveller s Literary Companion Edited by John Balaban and Nguyen Qui Duc This collection, put together specifically with the traveller in mind, offers a vivid portrait of Vietnam, from the hectic life of Ho Chi Minh City in the South to the rural villages of the Red River Delta in the North. Highlights include Pham Thi Hoai s hilarious and

4 surprisingly moving The Saigon Tailor Shop and Nguyen Huy Thiep s Remembrance of the Countryside. Folktales Two Cakes Fit for a King: Folktales from Vietnam Collected by Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Dana Sachs; introduced and illustrated by Bui Hoai Mai This collection of folktales introduces an English-speaking audience to Vietnam s expansive and enthralling oral tradition. From the legend of how the watermelon became a part of Vietnamese cuisine to the tale of a poor, lovelorn fisherman with an exquisite voice, these stories give a taste of the vast range of stories within Vietnam s traditional culture. The book contains beautiful illustrations by Hanoi painter Bui Hoai Mai. Poetry The Tale of Kieu By Nguyen Du, translated and annotated by Huynh Sanh Thong This long narrative poem is Vietnam s great literary epic, learned in school and quoted in Vietnamese daily life in much the same way that English-speakers learn and love Shakespeare. It s also a terrific adventure story about an ill-fated heroine and her attempts to find happiness and true love. Huynh Sanh Thong s bilingual, annotated edition provides both an exquisite rendering of the verse and fascinating asides about Vietnamese language and culture. Spring Essence: The Poetry of Ho Xuan Huong By Ho Xuan Huong, translated by John Balaban Ho Xuan Huong was an 18 th -century concubine and poet. Her poetry, written in the ancient nom script, is both subtly erotic and brazenly straightforward in its articulation of the injustice of her world. This collection is outstanding, not only because of Huong s gorgeous poetry, but also because the translator and editors took the trouble to produce a trilingual edition in English, Vietnamese, and nom itself. It s a treasure for scholars and anyone who wants to see (if not read) the original script. When Bill Clinton became the first American president to visit post-war Vietnam, in 1999, he included an homage to Huong in one of the speeches he gave there. You only have to read a couple of these poems to understand why. The Women Carry River Water By Nguyen Quang Thieu, translated by Martha Collins and Nguyen Quang Thieu This bilingual edition of poems by contemporary Vietnamese poet Nguyen Quang Thieu presents a vivid, often agonizing portrait of Vietnam today, during the war, and in the now-remote past of the poet s youth.

5 Non-fiction: Memoir The House on Dream Street: Memoir of An American Woman in Vietnam By Dana Sachs For more information on my memoir, see the BOOKS section of danasachs.com. When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace By Le Ly Hayslip, with Jay Wurtz As the old saying goes, When elephants and rhinos fight, it s the flies and mosquitoes that suffer. Le Ly Hayslip s story of growing up in war-torn Vietnam provides what may be the best example yet of how ordinary civilians suffered, caught in the middle of a bloody war without an allegiance to any ideology. The memoir is a terrific page-turner, alternately heartbreaking and uplifting. Hayslip s sequel, Child of War, Woman of Peace describes her emigration to America and her attempt to make a life for herself and her children here. Where the Ashes Are: The Odyssey of a Vietnamese Family By Nguyen Qui Duc This memoir offers an intertwined account of the fate of one formerly privileged South Vietnamese family just before and following the end of the war. While the young Duc fled to the United States and spent his teenage years growing up in California, his father spent years in a North Vietnamese prison camp writing poetry, and his mother, a onetime teacher, struggled to provide for her family in Ho Chi Minh City by selling noodles on the streets. The author Gloria Emerson called Where the Ashes Are an exceptional and haunting memoir. Dispatches By Michael Herr Michael Herr s classic account of the war in Vietnam, mostly told from the frontlines, is a testament to the ridiculousness of the situation and the waste of human life. It s beautifully written and completely absorbing, even now, more than three decades after it first appeared. A reviewer for The New York Times said, It s as if Dante had gone to hell with a cassette recording of Jimi Hendrix and a pocketful of pills: Our first rock and roll war. Stunning! Understanding Vietnam By Neil Jamieson Jamieson s study offers a detailed, thoughtful look at Vietnamese history, culture, and traditions. In The New York Times, Herbert Mitgang said that Understanding Vietnam Discloses what the American military and political leadership largely misunderstood: the nature of Vietnamese society, the confrontation with colonialism and Western values, the resistance of the intellectuals, and the culture of the people.

6 Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam By Andrew X. Pham Pham s beautifully written memoir mixes an account of a solo bicycle journey along the Pacific Rim with a story of family, identity, and returning to roots. Winner of the prestigious Kiriyama Prize. Shadows and Wind: A View of Modern Vietnam By Robert Templer Templer, a former correspondent for Agence France-Presse, has written a sharp, perceptive, extremely well-researched account of contemporary Vietnam. Few writers have been willing to look at this subject so honestly and the result is both unsparing and enlightening. A Vietcong Memoir: An Inside Account of the Vietnam War and its Aftermath By Truong Nhu Tang Even if you re not particularly interested in details of the war, it will be hard to resist this account by a former Viet Cong minister of justice, the highest Viet Cong official to go into exile. Truong s story reveals in telling detail the harsh reality of life for the Viet Cong, and it also gives a comprehensive description of political bickering, turmoil, and heroism behind the lines. It s a gripping story, extremely revealing and hard to put down. The Girl in the Picture By Denise Chong A well-told and interesting biography of the life of Kim Phuc, the little Vietnamese girl whose agony became world famous when a photographer captured her running down a rural road after a U.S. warplane dropped napalm on her and her village. The book is particularly provocative, and at times infuriating, when it explores the peculiar intersection between Kim Phuc s private life and her status as Vietnam s most famous war victim. A Sense of Duty: My Father, My American Journey By Quang X. Pham An account of a Vietnamese-American immigrant growing up in the United States after fleeing Vietnam as a young boy. While Pham s father remained imprisoned in Vietnamese re-education camps, the rest of the family struggled to make a new life in America. The story also details Pham s experiences as a U.S. soldier during the First Gulf War. Photography Books Vietnam: A Portrait By Lou Dematteis Dematteis book, for which I wrote the captions and a short accompanying essay, presents a stark, surprising portrait of contemporary Vietnam. From a shot of a bride and groom

7 celebrating their wedding to a look at AIDS patients in an ill-equipped hospital, Dematteis captures contemporary Vietnam with both beauty and candor. Hanoi: Biography of a City By William S. Logan For fans of Vietnam s great capital city, nothing could be better than this informative, nicely designed collection of photographs and history. The photographs of contemporary Hanoi show a city on the verge of reinventing itself, while the pictures of Old Hanoi demonstrate how, in some important ways, the city hasn t changed that much at all. Guidebooks To Asia with Love: A Connoisseur s Guide to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam edited by Kim Fay Granted, you re going to want your Lonely Planet, or Frommer s, or whatever series you like, to bring along with you when you travel to a new country, but you should consider bringing this one along as well. Fay, the editor, asked dozens of expats who have made their homes in Southeast Asia to describe the places and things they love best about their adopted countries. The result is To Asia with Love, the first in a series that promises to soon offer an entire volume on Vietnam. For the time being, you can content yourself with the more general one, which offers a host of tips for having wonderful, out-of-theordinary, off-the-beaten-track experiences in Vietnam. It also includes tips on how you can help the countries that you visit through acts of charity or volunteering.
The U.S. department-store chains Macy's has announced its plan to close 68 stores and lay off more than 10,000 employees in 2017 after a disappointing holiday shopping season.

Macy's sales at established stores fell 2.1 percent in November and December compared to the same period in 2015, Macy's said earlier this week.

Macy's chief executive Terry Lundgren said the closures will target stores that are "unproductive or are no longer robust shopping destinations." About 3,900 workers will be laid off when the stores are closed; another 6,200 jobs will be cut.

Macy's said the 68 store closures, which span the United States, are part of the 100 closings it announced in August.

"Of the 68, three were closed by the middle of 2016, 63 will close in the spring and two will be closed by the middle of 2017," Macy's said in its statement.

The company intends to opportunistically close approximately 30 additional stores over the next few years as leases or operating covenants expire or sale transactions are completed.

In the past two years, Macy's, the nation's largest department store chain, has seen slowing sales as it battles competition on all fronts and changing shopping patterns.

"Revitalizing the business will not be easy," Neil Saunders, chief executive at retail consultancy Conlumino, told reporters. "Shopping trends are firmly against Macy's, and its brand, while not completely diminished, is most certainly tarnished."

Lundgren said the number of shoppers at its stores continues to decline, but its online business performed well.

He said Macy's, which also owns the Bloomingdale's brand, will save 550 million U.S. dollars this year through the store closures. It also plans to invest 250 million dollars of that into expanding and improving its digital operations and other areas.
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China's digital economy is predicted to create over 400 million jobs by 2035, a new report has said.

Internet-based economy could be worth 16 trillion U.S. dollars by then, according to a Boston Consulting Group report, released at a new economy summit sponsored by Alibaba Group on Saturday.

Alibaba, China's biggest online trader, is expected to generate over 100 million of those jobs, according to the report, with 30 million created last year.

As jobs are created, digital technology like cloud computing and artificial intelligence will replace more and more manpower, the report said.

Meanwhile, 20 percent of the world's population will become self-employed or freelance via the Internet in the next decade, Alibaba Vice President Gao Hongbing said at the summit.

The digital economy will surpass the manufacturing sector in scale and account for a quarter of the world's economy, Gao said.
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A car bomb was detonated on Saturday in the rebel-held city of Azaz in northern Syria, killing at least 43, a monitor group said.

The car was detonated near the a rebel-run courthouse in Azaz in the northern countryside of Aleppo province in northern Syria, near Turkey, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Meanwhile, other activists placed the death toll at 50.

Azaz has changed hands among rebel groups including the Islamic State several times since falling out of the government control in 2012.

The recent attack is believed to have been carried out by the IS, which withdrew from the city in 2014, as since 2015 the city control has become shared between the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army.

The city is highly valued as a logistical supply route close to the Turkish-Syrian border.

The latest explosion comes as the country is observing a nationwide ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey since last week.
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Iraqi government forces on Saturday freed more areas from the Islamic State (IS) militants in the city of Mosul, bringing the troops closer to the bank of Tigris River for the first time in northern Iraq, the Iraqi military said.

In the eastern front, the elite forces of Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) continued their progress in two routes; the first one was the push further beyond al-Muthanna neighborhood, which was freed the day before in an overnight raid, and recaptured the adjacent neighborhood of al-Rifaq, a statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said.

The heavy clashes with IS militants in al-Rifaq neighborhood left some 20 extremist militants killed and three car bombs destroyed, the statement said.

The second CTS route within the eastern front made a significant progress when they freed the neighborhoods of al-Atibaa and Furqan and took new positions close to the fourth bridge on the Tigris River which bisects the city, killing some 65 militants and destroying a car bomb and a vehicle carrying heavy machine gun, the statement added.

In the southeastern front, the Iraqi federal police and army soldiers recaptured the medical complex, which includes the hospitals of al-Salam and al-Shifaa and college of medicine, while heavy fighting with slow progresses continued in Mosul's southeastern neighborhoods of al-Salam, Palestine, al-Shaimaa, Domiez and Sumer, according to the statement.

The battles on Saturday in southeastern Mosul were covered by the U.S.-led coalition warplanes and Iraqi helicopter gunships, it said, adding that the clashes left dozens of IS militants killed and 10 of their vehicles destroyed.

In the northern front, the army soldiers backed by international aircraft fought sporadic clashes during clearing operation to many of the 168-building residential compound of Hadbaa, which were freed in the advance which occurred for the time on Friday in the northern edges of the eastern side of Mosul, leaving some 26 militants killed, according to the statement.

In southwest of Mosul, the federal police forces repelled an attack by dozens of IS militants on the troops positions at the village of Bakhira, killing some 20 militants and destroying a booby-trapped vehicle and a vehicle carrying heavy machine gun, it said.

The battles in Mosul came as the CTS commandos, army troops and federal police launched on Dec. 29 the second phase of a major offensive to free Mosul. The troops made their new push into several neighborhoods in the eastern side of Mosul, locally known as the left bank of the Tigris River.

Last month, battles in Mosul had been slowed as extremist militants used locals as human shields, resorted to suicide car bombs and made mortar and sniper attacks in stiff resistance.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a recent report that the military operations in Mosul, have pushed some 132,000 civilians to flee their homes in the city and its adjacent districts since the beginning of military offensive in October to reclaim the IS largest stronghold in Iraq.

More than 1.5 million people were trapped in the city of roughly two million population previously. Cold winter worsened the conditions for the displaced people who suffered severe shortages of food and water, while camps and other emergency shelters reached maximum capacity.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Oct. 17 announced a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Since then, Iraqi security forces, backed by international coalition forces, have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
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The total number of migrants reaching Europe by sea in 2016 fell by nearly two-thirds in comparison with 2015, Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency said Friday.

Illegal migrants arrive at the Zawiyah port, a naval base some 45 kilometers west of Libyan capital Tripoli, after they were rescued off the western city of Sabratha on May 24, 2016 as they were trying to reach Europe by boat. [Photo/Xinhua]

According to a Frontex statement, some 364,000 migrants arrived in Europe last year. The number is a sharp drop from the more than one million migrants who entered the EU in 2015.

Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis accounted for the largest share of the arriving migrants.

The decreasing flow on the sea route was in large part due to the EU-Turkey deal, which came into effect in last March.

The deal led to tighter border control by the Turkish authorities and readmission of migrants from the Greek islands to Turkey, Frontex said.

The drop was also influenced by tighter border controls in the Western Balkans, as the people who crossed over the Mediterranean Sea to Greece tried to make their way via the the Western Balkan route towards western Europe.

The number of migrants across the Western Balkans in 2016 fell sharply to 123,000 from 764,000 in 2015.
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The shooter who killed five at the Fort Lauderdale airport in the U.S. state of Florida was officially charged with federal murder on Saturday.

The suspect, identified as Esteban Santiago, a 26-year-old Iraq war veteran, could face life sentence or death penalty if convicted, though his motive remains unclear.

"Today's charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors," U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

The suspect was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.

Santiago told investigators of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that he bought a one-way ticket to the busy airport for the attack, local media reported.

Santiago went there "specifically to carry out this horrific attack," Miami FBI Special Agent George Piro told reporters earlier Saturday.

Authorities don't know why he chose his target and do not rule out terrorism.

"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack," Piro said.

The suspect was not placed on the U.S. no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.

Santiago flew into the airport at noon on Friday. Upon disembarking, he went to the baggage claim area, picked up his checked luggage, entered a bathroom, took out a pistol from his bag and loaded bullets. He then went out towards a baggage carousel and shot randomly, plunging the crowded terminal into chaos.

After firing 15 rounds, he dropped the handgun, lay on the ground facing down, spread eagle and waited for being arrested with no resistance, several witnessed said.

Aviation passengers in the United States are allowed to transport unloaded guns and ammunition in their checked baggage that are declared, according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The firearms must be kept in a secure container and declared to airline representatives at ticket counters, according to TSA regulations.

Five people were killed and six, instead of eight as earlier reported, were wounded in the attack, while about 40 people were taken to hospitals with bruises or broken bones suffered in the rushed evacuation after the rampage.

Since occurring at a usually-thought unlikely place, the shooting immediately raised alarm over U.S. aviation security, which has already been greatly tightened since 9/11 attacks.

The 26-year-old spent nine years of service in the National Guard including a 10-month tour of Iraq, the U.S. military confirmed. His last military assignment was in Alaska where he served as a member of the Alaska Army National Guard until August when he was discharged for unsatisfactory performance.

In November, Santiago walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

His relatives said he had a history of mental health problems especially after returning from Iraq and received psychological treatment last year. "Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn't feeling too good," his uncle, Hernan Rivera, told The Record newspaper.
Transcription

1 Vietnam War Oral Histories Scott Fields, McKeel Academy Summary For this student-directed independent research assignment, students will have the opportunity to interview people in their community who were involved in, or affected by, the Vietnam War. Students will then write oral histories that record the interviewees experiences. As a culminating activity, students may invite their interviewees to class in order to discuss how the Vietnam War affected their lives, and what its legacy is on the United States and the American people. Objectives As a result of this activity, students will: 1.) make inferences using oral histories; 2.) research and obtain primary sources of the various Vietnam War participants, and compare that information with their text; 3.) appreciate a variety of perspectives on the same historical event, and will make comparisons among the viewpoints of the interview subjects. U.S. History Event The Cold War/Vietnam War Grade Level This lesson is designed for high-school American History students. Materials Worksheets for each student ( Questions for Vietnam War Oral History & Guidelines for Writing a Vietnam War Oral History are included with this lesson), a set of classroom computers or a SMARTBoard for which to show websites of Vietnam War-era oral histories (found in the Resources section of this lesson), and After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection by James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle (one copy per classroom). Lesson Time This activity is an independent project, so not much class time will be needed. A teacher should plan on no more than one class period to assign the project, establish expectations, discuss appropriate interview subjects, etc. At teacher discretion, a class period can be set aside at the end of the Vietnam War unit that would allow some of the interview subjects to visit the classroom and take part in a forum-type discussion about their experiences during the Vietnam War. [CAUTION: Emotions are still raw among many people that personally experienced the Vietnam War; be sure to read each student s finished project in order to find the best candidates for a classroom discussion. When you invite the interview subjects, be sure to have boxes of facial tissues handy).

2 Procedures 1.) Conduct a review, or provide a short summary, of the Vietnam War. This project will work best if your students are already familiar with the timeframe of the Vietnam War, and how the war affected different groups (American servicemen, high-school and college students, African-Americans involved in the ongoing struggle for civil rights, etc.). 2.) Introduce students to oral histories. There are many useful tools that students can use to better understand what oral histories are how they are important in conducting historical research. Two websites that can be used in class, or on your students own time, are: - The Vietnam War: Oral Histories ( Florida Center for Instructional Technology - Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History Project ( Library of Congress 3.) Create a T-chart on an overhead transparency with the headings Characteristics of Good Listening and Characteristics of Poor Listening. Ask students to think about a time when someone listened to them particularly well. Have them share specific behaviors that showed that person was listening well, and write down a few examples under the appropriate heading. Then ask students to think about a time when someone did not listen to them particularly well. Have them share specific behaviors that showed that person was not listening well, and write some examples down under the appropriate heading. Next, explain to students that this oral history assignment will require them to use good listening skills. 4.) Tell students that they will conduct an interview and write an oral history about a person in their community who was involved in, or was affected by, the Vietnam War. If possible, and if time allows, arrange to interview someone who lived through the Vietnam War (a fellow staff member at your school perhaps) in front of the class. Sit across from the interviewee, and ask him/her some of the questions from the attached worksheet Questions for Vietnam War Oral History. As you conduct the interview in front of the class, make sure you model these interviewing skills: *Greet the interviewee warmly. Explain the reason for the interview, and the probable length of the interview. *Face the interview subject as he or she talks. Use positive body language and facial expressions to show interest in what he/she says. Do not interrupt. *Ask open-ended questions to encourage in-depth answers. Ask follow-up questions to allow the interviewee to go beyond the bounds of the initial question. *Be patient; let the interviewee answer completely before you ask another question. *Do not judge or argue with what the interviewee says. Just record what is expressed. *If you cannot take notes as fast as the interviewee talks, ask him/her to repeat what you missed, or to pause so that you can catch up [Encourage students to individually record their interviews you may want to offer extra-credit for students who turn in taped interviews with their oral history assignments]. *Thank the interviewee at the end of the interview. 5.) After modeling an interview for the class, pass out the worksheet titled Questions for Vietnam War Oral History. Tell students to use the questions on the handout to guide their interviews. Encourage them to brainstorm other pertinent questions for the interview as well. Explain that some interviewees may be uncomfortable talking about the war, particularly American servicemen who were actively involved in warfare throughout Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia towards the end of American involvement; members of families that moved to the United States as a result of the war may also be uncomfortable. Therefore, instruct students to first ask potential interviewees whether they would be comfortable talking about how the war affected them. 6.) If any students complain that they don t know anybody that was alive during the Vietnam War (believe me, it will happen), point them towards grandparents, aunts and uncles, people from church, or older neighbors. Explain to students that older people cherish the opportunities to share their life s experiences with the younger generations. If they can t think of an interview subject immediately, instruct the student(s) to ask their parents or another older person that they re close to. 7.) Once students have reviewed the interview questions, project Overhead Transparency #1 Guidelines for Writing a Vietnam War Oral History, and review the guidelines with students. Answer any questions they have. You may want to provide a copy of Overhead Transparency #1 for each student.

3 8.) Allow students adequate time to identify an interviewee, conduct the interview, write a rough draft, and revise the oral history.

4 Questions for Vietnam War Oral History Directions: Ask your interviewee the following questions, and record answers in the space provided or on a separate sheet of paper. You will also need to ask other appropriate and follow-up questions to responses given. Background: What is your name, age, and occupation? Where do you currently live? Where were you during the Vietnam War? Personal experience with the war: Why do you think the United States fought a war in Vietnam? How did you feel about the war at the time? In what ways were you affected by the Vietnam War? Larger impact of the war: In what ways did the Vietnam War affect the United States? In what ways did the Vietnam War affect the world? Do you think the United States should be praised or condemned for its involvement in the Vietnam War? Why?

5 Guidelines for Writing a Vietnam War Oral History 1.) Conduct an interview with a person in your community who was involved in, or affected by, the Vietnam War. Use the questions on Questions for Vietnam War Oral History, and other questions you create, as a guide for your interview. Tape-record or record written notes from the interview. 2.) Use your notes from the interview to write an oral history of the interviewee. Your oral history should include these elements: a.) An appropriate title. b.) A 3- or 4-sentence introduction that provides a brief biographical sketch of the interviewee. The introduction should include the interviewee s name, age, occupation, and city of residence, and reveal where the interviewee was during the Vietnam War. c.) A section that explains how the Vietnam War impacted the interviewee personally. This section should include direct quotes from the interviewee. d.) A section that explains the interviewee s perception of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. This section should also include direct quotes from the interviewee. e.) A conclusion that summarizes what you learned from the interview. f.) Pictures of your interviewee, now and during the Vietnam War era, pasted in at appropriate parts of the oral history. These should include captions explaining the pictures. You should also attempt to find pictures of any memorabilia (helmets, medals, etc.), and/or other primary-sources (i.e., photographs) relevant to your interviewee s experiences during the Vietnam War. Your oral history should be over three typewritten pages in length (doublespaced). I will be pleased to look over any rough draft that you wish to submit.

6 Assessment -After students have completed the final drafts of their oral histories, have them bring them to class to share with other students. Place students in mixed-ability groups of three, and tell each group that they will now read and discuss their oral histories. 1.) Have each student give his or her oral history to another student in the group. Instruct students to carefully read the oral history and note the ways in which the Vietnam War affected the individual featured in the oral history. Have students repeat this process with the other oral histories in the group. 2.) Once students have read the oral histories written by their group members, have them design a three-way Venn diagram in order to show how the three individuals featured in their oral histories were similarly affected by the Vietnam War, and how all three interview subjects were affected differently? 3.) Ask students to answer the following question: How did completing your Vietnam War oral history and reading the oral histories written by two other students alter your view of the Vietnam War? 4.) Finally, hold a class discussion centering on these questions: a.) What did you like about completing the Vietnam War oral history? b.) What was difficult about completing the oral history? c.) In what ways were the three individuals your group interviewed similarly affected by the Vietnam War? In what ways were they affected differently? d.) How did completing your Vietnam War oral history and reading the oral histories written by two other students alter your view of the Vietnam War? e.) What are the most important things you learned from completing the Vietnam War oral histories? f.) As compared to the secondary sources you usually use in history classes, how accurate do you think oral histories are in relating an actual historical event? 5.) After students have had time to think about question #5 above, introduce them to the chapter detailing slave narratives taken by the WPA in the 1930s in After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection by James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle. Davidson & Lytle found evidence that former slaves, in giving oral histories to government interviewers, would temper their remarks based on the individual interviewer. A former master may be recalled in more glowing terms to a white interviewer, but that same master would be remembered with much more hostile language several days later if the next interviewer was black. Ask students if they feel that the collection of oral histories is an important process for keeping accurate historical records. Follow with asking students if there are inherent problems with accuracy in asking people about events that happened many decades ago.

7 Resources - Oral History Society - How to Do an Oral History about the Impact of the Vietnam Era - The Vietnam War: Oral Histories After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection by James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle (McGraw-Hill College)
BEIJING - A fund launched by China's state-owned enterprises (SOE) aims to invest 5 billion yuan ($722 million) this year in impoverished areas, according to a board meeting on Friday.

The poverty-relief fund, launched in October 2016, enlisted 51 SOEs to raise initial funding of about 12 billion yuan, which will increase to 100 billion by 2020.

The fund is run by the State Development and Investment Corporation (SDIC) as part of the country's plan to deploy market forces in the fight against poverty.

Since its debut, the fund has earmarked over 1.4 billion yuan for six projects, covering farm product sales, husbandry and forestry, Zhang Hua, chief accountant of SDIC said.

The second round of fundraising will be completed by April of this year, Zhang said, adding that all the money will be put into use to fund projects by 2018.

Developing local industry is a major priority in the battle against poverty, and China has supported the efforts of poor regions to develop local specialty industries based on their resources, such as the photovoltaic industry, tourism and e-commerce.

China plans to lift all of its poor out of poverty by 2020.
BEIJING -- A TV documentary jointly produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and the Communist Party of China's (CPC) top anti-corruption watchdog made headlines during the first week of the new year.

The three-episode TV series, which features interviews with guilty officials from discipline inspection authorities, aired at 8:00 pm on the state broadcaster's Channel One from Tuesday to Thursday, just ahead of the seventh plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), which opened on Friday.

Screenshots and video footages of the documentary have flooded social media. WeChat user "xiaotaiyang" posted: "I was shocked that corruption existed within the CCDI."

The title of the documentary, "To forge an iron, one must be strong oneself," is a quote from a speech by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, in late 2012.

It was not the CCDI's first TV documentary. A previous one featuring 77 cases of fallen senior officials was aired before the opening of the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in October 2016.

Experts said the documentaries are going viral because they reveal the details and stories behind China's latest anti-corruption drive.

"It was very rare for the CCDI to make a documentary for publicity," said Xie Chuntao, director of the Dean's Office of the CPC Central Committee Party School.

He was impressed by the remorse the corrupt officials showed on camera, with some even breaking into tears.

In the past, CCDI publicity campaigns usually discouraged corruption by lecturing officials, and documentaries were limited to training Party members, said Xie.

These real stories not only teach Party members important lessons, but also satisfy the curiosity of ordinary people.

The once mysterious CCDI has taken other creative measures over the past four years to engage the public, such as revealing cases on its official website, WeChat account and mobile app.

On the last day of 2016, cell phone users received notifications from the CCDI website saying that the former vice minister of state security had been expelled from the CPC due to "serious disciplinary violations."

The CCDI has regularly revealed corruption cases on weekends or holidays, said Xie.

The top discipline agency has also allowed people to file reports via these platforms about undesirable work styles or officials suspected of wrongdoing.

On Wednesday, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published a blue book on anti-corruption in China in 2016, which indicated that more than 90 percent of officials and 70 percent of the general public had confidence in the country's anti-corruption work, 9.9 and 10.2 percentage points higher than those in 2012, respectively.

Cheng Manli, a professor with the School of Journalism and Communication at Peking University, applauded the CCDI's new approach to engaging the public.

She said that in dealing with cases involving high-level officials, the CCDI used to "do a lot, but talk little," which could lead to rumors or other harmful effects.

"The new approach shows the anti-corruption campaign is becoming more transparent and gaining trust and support from ordinary people who want to participate in the fight," said Cheng.
The country's 500,000-plus corruption investigators are being placed under stricter supervision as a regulation to standardize graft probes was adopted on Sunday.

Experts said the regulation, passed at the annual plenary meeting of the top anti-corruption watchdog  the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China  can help ensure an unsullied disciplinary team, after some corrupt investigators were exposed.

The regulation, details of which were not released, sets clear standards on how to handle corruption tips, how to check and review cases and how to manage ill-gotten money and assets, according to a report published on the commission's website on Sunday.

It also encourages audio and video recordings throughout the entire process of the interrogation and the establishment of a registration system for those who make inquires about, or try to interfere in, the cases, the report said.

Trust (in disciplinary officials) cannot replace supervision," a meeting communique released on Sunday said. We must make sure the power granted by the Party and the people is not abused."

Many commission members who attended the three-day meeting said they have felt rising pressure on disciplinary officials. In recent years, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly required officials to clean house" to ensure a trustworthy disciplinary team.

As those who enforce anti-graft rules, we must first place ourselves under scrutiny," said Liu Qifan, head of the anti-corruption watchdog in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

China launched a massive anti-corruption and austerity campaign as the top Party leadership was elected in late 2012.

Xi said on Friday that years of effort have stopped corruption from spreading, and a crushing momentum" against graft has taken shape.

However, some disciplinary officials have become conceited with the anti-corruption achievements, and a small number of them have loosened their self-restraint and become corrupt themselves, said Wang Yanfei, head of the provincial discipline watchdog in Sichuan province.

Since late 2012, more than 7,900 disciplinary officials from across the country have been punished for various types of wrongdoing, with 17 from the top anti-corruption watchdog being placed under investigation in graft probes, according to figures from the commission.

Last week, a three-episode TV documentary produced by the commission, named To Forge an Iron, One Must Be Strong Oneself, offered the public a rare glimpse into guilty officials from discipline inspection authorities.

It features the cases of 10 former anti-graft officials, including Zhu Mingguo, who was once in charge of fighting corruption in Guangdong province.

In the documentary, Zhu, convicted in November of taking bribes of 141 million yuan ($20.4 million), admitted that he made use of his position. He said he received over a thousand bottles of expensive alcohol as gifts, and had taken bribes as far back as the 1990s.

It is very rare for the commission to make such a documentary for publicity," said Xie Chuntao, director of the Dean's Office of the CPC Central Committee Party School, adding that the move also reflects the commission's determination to strengthen self-supervision.

Wu Hui, associate professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said that the work rule for disciplinary inspectors is timely and necessary, as it tells the public who supervises the disciplinary officials".

The new rule can help control the power of supervision and make disciplinary authorities' work more transparent and standardized, he added.

Contact the writers at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn.
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Two young contestants win the first prize in the first Literature Creation contest held by iReader. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China's leading e-book brand, iReader has awarded its first Literature Creation contest prize to film student Jia Liyi for his martial arts fiction Dust in the wind (ChenFengzhi).

"Before I arrived tonight, I even thought about winning the competition, because everyone else is so competitive, with their creative thoughts and excellent writing skills." Jia Liyi said after the awards ceremony..

Jia studies at the Beijing Film Academy, majoring in film & television literature research.

He is a faithful reader of Jin Rong's novels for more than 20 years.

"I started to read his novels since junior high. His books possess a certain type of power that could be transformed into an addiction. For some novels, they might be high-end but fail to leave you any impression. As for others, they could be with you your entire life," he said.

Dust in the wind is not the first novel for Jia Dingli. His first work Big Man Sunday has been adapted into a 22-episode online drama on Sohu online TV attracting more than 83 million views.

"Literary classics merely mean those books that are remembered over time," iReader founder Zhang Lingyun said,

"We aim to provide a platform for more unknown would-be writers to create more popular and profound literary works. I hope in the future, there would be a book that changes people's lives, which is published by iReader."

About 37,000 novels have been submitted to iReader from more than 25 thousand readers, most of whom are studying.

Wang Liang, co-founder of iReader, told China Daily website that he saw great potential and talent among the contestants, while suggesting that the novelists-to-be need to spend more time reading classics and broaden their experience of society.
A view of Alibaba Group's headquarters in Hangzhou, East Chia's Zhejiang province, March 21, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Alibaba Group's recently published "list of social responsibility" for 2016 has sparked discussions because of the huge amount of tax it paid. On a China Central Television program not long before Alibaba made its tax disclosure, some entrepreneurs criticized the virtual economy, saying the booming sectoralong with the high entrepreneurial taxes and the realty bubbleis responsible for the current predicament of the Chinese economy. They said the development of internet enterprises like Alibaba has had a negative impact on the national economy.

Although some people try to pit the virtual economy against the real economy, there are virtually not many bases to categorize internet enterprises as part of the virtual economy. Internet is only a result of technological development and its emergence has catalyzed a series of new industries while offering people great convenience.

The internet has had a huge impact on the real economy and even helped eliminate the old economic pattern. But instead of rebuking the internet, entrepreneurs should have had foresight to follow the tide of the times.

There is no confrontation between the real and virtual economy, and the latter will not curb the manufacturing sector. Instead, it can help promote the latter's development.

Actually, the two can play an interactive and mutually promoting role. For example, Alibaba has invested more than 100 billion yuan ($14.45 billion) in traditional sectors and many of its investments have changed the operation models of these sectors from investment-driven to innovation-driven, a direction China's leadership has chosen for economic transformation.

The United States began reflecting on the problems caused by the virtual economy after the global financial crisis, and president-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring more US manufacturing enterprises back to the US. Success in manufacturing to a large extent hinges on competition. But there is no possibility that such kind of competition will return to the pre-internet state. In the era of internet, enterprises can thrive in the market only if they can use the internet.
A stone lion on a bridge in Tianjin is covered with a mask in the heavy smog that has hit much of the country's northern regions. Tong Yu / For China Daily

AT A MEDIA BRIEFING on Friday, Chen Jining, minister of environmental protection, said he "felt guilty" for the air pollution that has inconvenienced people's lives. Cai Qi, acting mayor of Beijing, expressed similar concerns at a seminar on Saturday that was also attended by 16 citizen representatives. Beijing News commented on Sunday:

Instead of equivocating about the severe air pollution in North China, the two senior officials sought to address it in a candid manner. They not only conveyed how serious the lingering smog was but also proposed long-term, sustainable measures to keep the sky clear.

Such sincerity should make residents and officials in smog-stricken cities like Beijing reach a consensus on how to curb pollution. At the Saturday seminar, the acting mayor admitted that the forecast for heavy air pollution was not accurate enough and some local governments failed to take necessary precautions. He also said diesel-powered trucks, which account for just 5 percent of all local vehicles, could generate nearly half of the oxynitride emissions from vehicles.

The causes of smog can vary according to the weather and level or type of industrial pollution. To deal with such a situation, more open, benign interactions between citizens and environmental protection authorities are needed, especially because China is yet to put in place a functioning anti-smog mechanism.

Air pollution, to a large extent, is a result of longstanding obsolete production patterns and lifestyles, and how to efficiently curb such practices has become a touchstone of modern social governance.

But we should remember that many developed economies succeeded in their fight against air pollution not only because of governments' intervention and coordination, but also because of wider public support and participation. Open seminars can serve this purpose, because officials are less likely to avoid answering questions on such occasions. And the fact that the Beijing government has vowed to take multiple measures to manage diesel-powered vehicles and regularize environment inspections at the municipal level is something that other local governments should learn from.
Nie Chenxi, head of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, recently said the authorities have expedited the process of revising the ordinance of movie regulation and are exploring effective measures to curb sky-high remunerations for top actors.

This is not the first time the authorities have talked about strengthening legislation to curb sky-high remunerations for actors. Even during the review of the Movie Industry Promotion Law, members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, had discussed ways to regulate the payments for top actors. But since the legislators were in favor of allowing the market to decide how much an actor should be paid and didn't want to be seen as interfering in the market, they did not make the issue part of the law.

The law was approved on Nov 7, 2016. It will take effect on March 1 this year. But without reasonable pricing standards, some Chinese actors' have received astronomical amounts of money in recent years for their roles in movies even as the overall quality of Chinese films has remained far from satisfactory.

According to sources in the movie industry, actors' remunerations account for 20 to 30 percent of a movie's production cost in Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States; in China, however, they account for more than 50 percent. And according to media reports, the remuneration for two leading actors in a TV series is as high as 150 million yuan ($21.68 million).

The sky-high remunerations for actors force producers to spend less money on other aspects of a movie, which seriously affects the quality of Chinese productions. No wonder most observers believe the sky-high remunerations for actors undermine the healthy development of China's movie industry.
US President-elect Donald Trump pauses as he talks to members of the media at Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 21, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

US president-elect Donald Trump twittered in late December that the United States "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes". Later, he declared: "Let it be an arms race," and asserted that the US would win it. It seems he is committing a major mistake.

Like any other country, the US deserves its legitimate national security. The US first developed nuclear weapons through the Manhattan Project. And since the program was aimed at both keeping pace with the feared nuclear weapons development program of Nazi Germany and to counter imperialist Japan's aggression, it gained legitimacy.

But the US has often abused its nuclear policy. By flexing its nuclear muscles, the US pushed the Soviet Union to expedite its nuclear weapons program in the late 1940s. By threatening China with a nuclear attack during the Korean War (1950-53), it forced Beijing to launch its own nuclear weapons program in the mid-1950s. And by waging an unjustified war in Iraq, the US taught the Democratic People's Republic of Korea the importance of possessing nuclear weapons.

Despite the several rounds of nuclear disarmament, the US still deploys thousands of nuclear weapons and has more in its vaults. Russia has built a nuclear arsenal as powerful as the US', and China seems to have developed a cost-effective minimum deterrence to drive sense into potential rivals.

When Trump promised to strengthen the US' nuclear arsenal, in order to make other countries sensible, one wondered which countries Trump had in mind, and how much credit or damage his message would bring to the US and the world. Did he mean to have a nuclear arms race with Russia, especially because Moscow is the only other power to have an equally massive, if not bigger, nuclear arsenal than the US?

But US President Barack Obama realistically "reset" Washington's relations with Moscow in 2009 despite the Russia-Georgia conflict in 2008. And after Crimea's inclusion into Russia in 2014, president-elect Trump seems interested in again "resetting" relations with Russia. This contradicts Trump's own promise of "expanding nuclear weapons credibility", and could lead to another Georgia- or Ukraine-like crisis.

Or, does Trump have an eye on China? Over 60 years ago China decided, despite its poverty, to go nuclear given the US nuclear blackmail, and succeeded. Before China tested its nuclear weapons, the US made a dozen nuclear threats against China, but after Beijing detonated its first nuclear device in 1964, the US has not issued any open nuclear threats, vindicating the power of China's own nuclear deterrence.

China has maintained a practical nuclear strategy of minimum deterrence, which has both boosted China's national security and made it avoid an unnecessary nuclear arms race. At a time of resource scarcity, China's approach was certainly a smart one.

But times have changed. The World Bank has said that, in terms of purchasing power parity, China became the largest economy two years ago. As long as China doesn't perceive an increase in external threat, Beijing could live with its tradition. But if Trump forces other countries in a nuclear arms race, he could wake up to find that the US' relative nuclear credibility declining.

Rather than winning a nuclear weapons race, the US national security could weaken vis-a-vis even the DPRK. Before the DPRK conducted its first nuclear test, the US didn't face any physical nuclear threat from Pyongyang. Now, given its rising capability to build long-range ballistic and sea-launched ballistic missiles, even the DPRK could deter the US to certain extent, rather than merely the other way around. If Trump forces the DPRK into an arms race, the US could find itself facing more risks.

The US is already secure, and doesn't need to further expand its nuclear arsenal. Expanding the US nuclear arsenal could rather excite a nuclear race which America might not win. Therefore, the Trump administration should see the nuclear danger for what it is, and work with other countries for nuclear disarmament.

The author is a professor at, and associate dean of the Institute of International Studies, Fudan University.
HAVANA - Carlos Fernandez Gondin, Cuban interior minister and revolution pioneer, died Saturday afternoon at age of 78 due to "complications of a chronic disease," a statement issued by the Council of Ministers said.

The Cuban military official was born in the eastern city of Santiago in July, 1938, and started to participate in Fidel Castro's 26 July Movement at an early age.

He then joined the "Rebel Army" in its Second Front, which was led by current President Raul Castro.

After the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, he assumed different responsibilities with the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and in the Interior Ministry.

In 1961, he participated in the battle of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, a failed U.S.-backed military invasion of Cuba.

Gondin made contribution to Angola's war of independence from the apartheid regime, where thousands of Cuban troops backed different African countries to realize its liberation.

Gondin had reached the rank of Division General and had been a deputy of the unicameral parliament since 1993.

The military official had also been awarded the title of "Hero of the Republic of Cuba" due to his achievements and loyalty to the Revolution and its leaders.

In accordance with his will, the statement said, his body will be cremated and will be interred at the Mausoleum of the Second Eastern Front "Frank Pais," where he'll receive corresponding military honors.

Gondin's death comes less than two months after former Cuban President and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro passed away at the age of 90.
SEOUL - Business as usual, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans took to the streets in central Seoul at a cold night to participate in the 11th weekend candlelit vigil.

Since a scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante, which led to Park's impeachment, emerged in late October, protest rallies have been held every Saturday night.

This year's first demonstration was dedicated to over 300 victims, mostly teenagers, of the Sewol ferry sinking on April 16, 2014.

Survivors and demonstrators expressed grief and sorriness for the deceased, pledging themselves to get down to bedrock after permanently removing the impeached leader from office.

On the other hand, supporters of President Park gathered in the capital city's southern district, marching towards the office of an independent counsel team tasked with investigating solely into the presidential scandal.

Park has been branded by prosecutors as a criminal accomplice, the first for a sitting South Korean president, and the team is seeking to find a smoking gun. The supporters have condemned the investigation as lop-sided.

In the pro-Park march, the participants, largely elderly voters, protested against the impeachment motion that was passed by an overwhelming majority in the parliament on Dec 9. Rallies for Park's reinstatement have been held since the passage.

According to local media reports, Park's loyalists identified themselves as "patriots" who love their homeland and held a national flag in one hand when marching on the streets.

They held a US flag in the other hand. In the past two Saturdays, the supersized Stars and Stripes was carried by the "patriotic" protestors.

Honoring the US flag and the "blood alliance" between South Korea and the United States had often been found in the past demonstrations.
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves Downing Street in London to attend her final Prime Minister's Question Time of 2016, Britain December 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would set out her strategy, including how she will try to get the right Brexit deal, over the coming weeks, denying suggestions her plans were "muddled".

Speaking to Sky News television, May sidestepped questions on whether she would prioritise curbing immigration from the European Union over Britain's preferential access to the bloc's single market but said it was not a "binary choice".

"Over the coming weeks, I'll be setting out more details of my plan for Britain, yes that's about getting the right deal for Brexit, but it is also about economic reform ... It's about getting the right deal internationally but it's also about a fair deal at home," she said.
JERUSALEM - At least three people were killed and ten others injured on Sunday as a Palestinian rammed his truck at a group of soldiers in Jerusalem, said officials.

Police spokesmen said the incident took place at Armon Hanatziv near East Jerusalem, as a truck driver rammed his vehicle at the soldiers.

An ongoing wave of violence in the West Bank and Israel has claimed the lives of at least 235 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since September 2015.

Israeli leaders accused the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest, while the Palestinians say it is the result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to more than five million Palestinians, where they wish to establish their state.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth arrives to attend a service at St Mary Magdalene church in Sandringham, Britain January 8, 2017. [Photo/IC]

SANDRINGHAM - Britain's Queen Elizabeth made her first public appearance since before Christmas on Sunday as she recovered from a heavy cold that caused the 90-year-old monarch to miss Christmas and New Year church services.

The queen, wearing a vibrant blue coat and hat, arrived with her husband Prince Philip, 95, at St Mary Magdalene church in Sandringham in eastern England, where she traditionally spends the festive period on her country estate.

The trip to Sandringham was delayed by a day because both the queen and Philip were laid low by heavy colds, Buckingham Palace had said.

Her illness caused her to miss the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades, disappointing a crowd of well-wishers who had turned out to see the royal family.

The queen, who is the symbolic head of the Church of England, also missed the New Year service a week later. The palace said she was still recuperating.

She resumed official duties on Wednesday when she gave an honour to a member of her staff in a private ceremony.

After more than six decades on the throne, the queen has cut back on international tours but still regularly performs official duties around Britain.

The palace said last month she would step down as patron of several charities and other organisations to reduce her workload.
A lot has been made about how Hillary and other Democrats have failed to address the needs of rural America and have failed electorally in rural areas. Democratic policy for rural America is actually far better than Republican policy but that isnt where Democrats have failed. Theyve failed culturally in areas where social conservatism and religionist superstition is still powerful, something that would be hard to avoid while sweeping fear more progressive areas, the big cities. This past cycle, Hillary kicked ass in urban America, while losing in under-populated rural districts from Maines second district to the Dakotas. Wyoming, whose 3 electoral votes were awarded by 174,248 Trump voters had far fewer voters than the city of Detroit, where Hillary beat Trump 95.0-3.1%, but whose votes were meaningless in the electoral college.

Detroit was Trumps worst-performing city but not the only one where he was uncompetitive. Trumps percentage in some of the biggest cities in America, where he failed to score even 20% of the vote:

You might be able to guess what urban studies expert Richard Florida would say about this and how he would tie it in to his theories about density and the creative class and why progressive politics thrives in areas with high concentrations of technology workers, artists, musicians, gays and lesbians and "high bohemians, (collectively the creative class), groups with a higher level of economic development and an open, dynamic, personal and professional environment which attracts more creative people, as well as businesses and capital. A couple of weeks ago Florida wrote a piece about how Jane Jacobs, writing decades ago, predicted the rise of Trump  or at least Trumpism. He reminds his readers that Jacobs was one of the most prescient writers of the 20th century. In the 1960s, when suburbanization and heavy-handed urban renewal programs threatened urban neighborhoods, she published her classic. During the 1970s and 1980s, when policy-makers and economists focused on industrial competitiveness and national economic strategy, she drew attention to the role of cities and clustering in powering innovation and economic growth in her booksand.

But she may well have saved her best for last.





At a time when pundits and political scientists were celebrating the end of history, pointing to an emerging Democratic majority and extolling the virtues of a flat world of globalization, she ominously predicted a coming age of urban crisis, mass amnesia, and populist backlash in her final work, Dark Age Ahead. Eerily prescient as always, rereading the 2005 book today serves as a survivors guide to the Age of Trump.





Jacobs outlines an increasing distrust of politicians and politics, a burgeoning new urban crisis in cities, worsening environmental degradation, entrenched segregation, and an enlarging gulf between rich and poor along with attrition of the middle class as signals and symptoms of a coming Dark Age.





Nationalism and xenophobia form the core of Jacobs Dark Age. Cultural xenophobia is a frequent sequel to a societys decline from cultural vigor, as self-imposed isolation leads to a fortress mentality, she writes.





That mentality transforms logic into myth, Jacobs writes, with a conservatism that looks backward to fundamentalist beliefs for guidance and a worldview. (Jacobs borrows that phrase from Karen Armstrongs Short History of Islam, who points to Ferdinand and Isabella driving Muslims out of Spain in 1492, signaling a turning point for Mesopotamia in the Middle Ages).





Historically speaking, dark ages have come upon us relatively quickly, as radical jolts lead to the collapse of once-vital economic political and cultural institutions. Europes original Dark Age came about as local governments and city-states were expunged by imperial decree and were replaced by a centralized military despotism. Jacobs points to the cities of the Roman Empire, which lost the advantages of subsidiaritycloseness to the peopleand fiscal accountability to the imperial treasury before its collapse. In the book, she asks a very big question that stands at the heart of dark ages: how and why can a people so totally discard a formerly vital culture that it becomes literally lost?





Jacobs finds the answer in the rise of mass amnesia. The notion of a widespread, permanent and profound society-wide loss of memory, which seemed so strange and out of place when she wrote the book, seems suddenly all too real in a world of Trump and Brexita world where every new outrage quickly leads to another, where facts have no meaning.





The Five Pillars of Dark Age Descent





According to Jacobs, our own dark age is taking shape around the erosion of five key pillars of society.





The first is the decline of family and community. The same politicians who call families the foundation of society undertake policies that weaken and undermine them. The replacement of extended families with nuclear ones make it impossible for many to cover the cost of housing. Falling birth rates mean a smaller workforce to take care of an aging population.





At the same time, the broader community falls victim to market pressures, materialism, and the hegemony of brands. Jacobs points especially to the automobile as a destroyer of worlds that not only wastes energy and promotes sprawl, but skews priorities from public interest to self-interest.





The second is the decline of education, which has been transformed into vocational training. Education becomes an individualistic investment instead of a public good that produces well-rounded citizens. When that happens, jobs and profit become the sole measure of progress and ultimate justification for political choices, at the expense of everything else.





The third is an attack on science, or what she calls false analogies that mask reality. If a body of inquiry becomes disconnected from the scientific state of mind, that unfortunate segment of knowledge is no longer scientific, she writes. It stagnates. Objectivity and scientific progress are replaced with dogma.





The fourth pillar is the dumbing down of taxes. In place of public investments that build cities and societies, taxes and government investment come to be seen as waste. The result is that all sorts of public goodseducation, transit, infrastructure and the social safety which contribute to a functioning and cohesive societystart to break down. Jacobs perceptively identifies the looming new urban crisis of unaffordable housing, gaping inequality, escalating sprawl, and congestion facing cities as the result of this sort of attack on taxes and public investment.





The fifth and final pillar is the subversion of the learned professions such as medicine, law, architecture, engineering and journalism. We cannot possibly learn every facet of the world, so professions are needed to instill trust and maintain common welfare. Doctors, for example, adhere to a Hippocratic Oath. Lawyers have ethical requirements to adhere to. When such professions come under attack and their norms and functions are undermined, Jacobs notes, society falls victim to the whims of frauds, brutes, and psychopaths.





What Would Jane Do?





How to break the cycle and combat our own impending Trumpist dark age? On this, Jacobs provides two important insights.





On the one hand, her lifes work shows us that the vitality of the city and its neighborhoods is the ultimate antidote to darkness. Jacobs had her pessimistic side. In Scranton, she saw first-hand the devastating toll of the Great Depression on industries and workers. As a young woman, she saw the rise of fascism and totalitarianism in Europe. During the 1950s, she witnessed the chilling effect of McCarthyism. Robert Moses-style urban renewal reflected the same unbridled top-down power.





For Jacobs, cities and neighborhoods are much more than walkable, mixed-use places, and much more than engines of innovation and economic growth. They are also bulwarks against the forces of darknessthe fonts of social progress, of human civilization, and of democracy itself.





On the other hand, Jacobs implores us to do everything in our power to protect ourselves from the forces of top-down power and mass amnesia that would destroy our communities and the key pillars of human civilization.





One of the last times we spoke, I asked Jacobs where she and her colleagues found the strength to combat Robert Moses and the incredible centralized power he represented. At the time, she had just finished Dark Age Ahead and was absorbed with her tellingly titled but unfinished last book, A Brief Biography of the Human Race. Still, her optimism came through.





For the longest time, she told me, people would avoid their protests. But one day, a few people started picking up their leaflets; soon many more were joining in and ultimately this cast of neighborhood characters won the battle and saved their neighborhood.





If a dark age starts with a radical jolt, it ends with one too.
I used to be a Senate staffer, and one of the most interesting parts of my job was helping Senators prepare for hearings. If I were a Senate staffer now, heres hearing questions Id recommend for President-Elect Trumps national security nominees, Rex Tillerson (Secretary of State), General James Mattis (Secretary of Defense), and General John Kelly (Secretary of Homeland Security). These questions would serve as starting points for dialogue during the hearings and Im sure would lead to other questions.

On Whether War Works :

Over the past 15 years, we have used military force (or, as we used to call it, gone to war) in at least six nations in the Middle East and South AsiaLibya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. As to the uses of force in each of those nations:

In what ways was it a success?

In what ways was it a failure?

What conclusions do you draw from your assessments of successes and failures?

What recommendations will you make to the President and Congress about U.S. strategy, including but not limited to use of force, in each of these nations?

What should our goals be in each nation?

One primary goal in most of those uses of force (or wars) has been to defeat, eliminate, or disable terrorist/paramilitary non-state forces that are enemies of the U.S., specifically al Qaeda and its affiliates and the Islamic State. As to each of our wars against al Qaeda and the Islamic State:

In what ways was it a success?

In what ways was it a failure?

What conclusions do you draw from your assessments of successes and failures?

What recommendations will you make to the President and Congress about U.S. strategy, including but not limited to use of force, as to each of these terrorist groups?

Over the last fifteen years, the U.S. has used historically unprecedented U.S. deployment of military force in the greater Middle East and South Asia by means of a wide array of strategies, from large scale invasion and long-term occupation (Iraq and Afghanistan) to strong but short air assault (Libya) to indefinite use of drones and special forces (Yemen, Syria, Pakistan). Do you agree that though some successes have resulted from these interventions, our long term strategic goalsdefeat of terrorist organizations that are our enemies, establishing stable and peaceful states, reducing political violence, empowering regional nations to secure and protect people who live there, controlling the power of state adversaries, promoting democracy and human rightshave not been achieved and in some instances have been set back?

If you disagree, explain why the uses of force have been strategically successful.

If you agree that force has not achieved strategic goals, what are the implications of strategic failure of a wide range of types of military intervention in that region?

What would the costs be of continued military intervention at current levels in that regionhow much money would it cost, can our servicemen and women continue to sustain the burdens of multiple deployments, is it a disincentive to regional powers to act more responsibly? What are the benefits? What are the opportunity costs of continuing or increasing our levels of military engagement in the Middle East and South Asia? Does this take money away from other priorities? Does it compromise the capacity of our military to defend against other national security threats?

On Authorizations to Use Military Force and Congressional Action

Members of Congress from both parties believe that new legislation is legally required to support U.S. use of force against the Islamic State and have proposed such legislation. Do you agree?

If not, what is/are the legal basis/bases for using force against the Islamic State?

If so, what provisions should a new AUMF have as to:

definition of the organization against which force may be used;

goals to be achieved by the use of force;

geographic area within which force may be used;

duration of the authorization;

how U.S. forces may engage in Syria as opposed to other places;

type of force used (for example, would ground forces be prohibited or limited);

application of domestic and international law of war principles;

assembling a coalition of allied nations against the Islamic State;

long term responsibility of regional nations;

continuation or supersession of other AUMFs;

congressional oversight authority and presidential reporting obligations.

On Domestic Terrorist Attacks

Since the 9/11 attacks, all successful terrorist attacks on U.S. soil have been conducted not by more formal members of terror groups but rather by lone wolf attackers who radicalized and planned their attacks independently from the terrorist organizations. What would you recommend as a strategy for stopping these types of attacks? Semi-automatic, military grade firearms are increasingly the weapon of choice for domestic terrorists, whether motivated by Islamist extremism or not. Given the number of people who are killed by these weapons each year and the demonstrable risk posed by their availability to terrorists who will not be screened out from buying them by existing firearms regulations, do you think that restriction of semi-automatic weapons should be a high priority homeland security goal? If not, why not? If so, what do you recommend be done?

Questions for Secretary of Defense Nominee General James Mattis on Compliance with U.S. Law Prohibiting Torture, Targeting Civilians, and Appropriation of Natural Resources

When you served in Iraq you acted promptly to stop torture and illegal abuse of detainees and hold those responsible accountable. Unconditional prohibition of torture was also part of the counterinsurgency manual you contributed to with General David Petraeus. President-elect Trump, and others associated with him, have supported returning to waterboarding U.S. national security detainees as well as subjecting them to other forms of harm that would constitute torture or illegally abusive treatment under U.S. and international law.

Does it remain your position that U.S. personnel are prohibited from torture and illegal abuse?

If so, what will you do to insure that U.S. personnel comply with these prohibitions as Secretary of Defense?

Does the prohibition of torture and abuse apply to U.S. personnel outside the military, such as the CIA, other intelligence agencies, or private contractors under the direction of U.S. military and intelligence?

If President Trump orders the torture and detention of detainees by U.S. military personnel, will you instruct the military to refuse to carry out that order?

If so and President-elect Trump overrules your instruction, will you resign?

What will you do if you learn that U.S. intelligence personnel, or other U.S. personnel not under your authority as Secretary of Defense, are violating prohibitions against torture and abuse of detainees?

President-elect Trump also stated during the campaign that he would target civilian relatives of terror suspects and confiscate oil in other countries as part of his national security policy.

Do you believe these actions are legal/moral/in the best interests of the United States?

If not, what will you do as Secretary of Defense to prevent them?

If President Trump were to order you to instruct the military to carry out these actions over your objection, would you 1) instruct the military not to follow the Presidents instruction and 2) resign if the President insisted?

Question for CIA Director Nominee Mike Pompeo

Your four predecessors, including General David Petraeus, implemented orders prohibiting torture and abusive treatment of CIA detainees on the grounds that that it was illegal. Will you commit to continuing to enforce the existing prohibitions of torture and illegal abuse of detainees? If not, why not.

Human Rights and Humanitarian Protection Generally

Many refugees and displaced persons fleeing from violence in Syria and other places are fleeing from violence at the hands of nations or terrorist organizations which are U.S. adversaries.

Doesnt it promote our values and our interests to provide as much protection and sanctuary to these refugees and displaced people as we can? If so, what should we do to provide them aid and support in the U.S. and internationally?

Are you concerned that failing to adequate provide for these refugees and displaced people may lead them to the sort of desperation that leaves them vulnerable to extremism?

In many of the nations in which the U.S. has intervened militarily, some human rights and humanitarian conditions have improvedfor example, womens rights and childrens access to education in Afghanistan have improved since 2001. How can the U.S. continue and preserve these advances in nations in which the U.S. is militarily present? What should the U.S. do to insure that these advances will be maintained after the U.S. military presence ends. Do you believe that human rights violations and humanitarian insufficiencies contribute to the generation of national security threats to the United States? If so, what is your strategic recommendation on how best cure these problems, either globally or in specific countries.

Climate Change

Do you agree with science experts who have concluded that human activity, including use of fossil fuels, is contributing to the pattern of rising temperatures and rising water levels? If not, why not? If so, do you believe that reducing the threats created by climate change constitutes a national security priority for the U.S. If not, why not? If so, what do you recommend the U.S. do to protect against climate change threats? The Pentagon has concluded that climate change sufficient to threaten U.S. security is occurring, and has taken action that includes planning for climate-induced conflict and reducing the use of fossil fuels. (For General Mattis)Will these military climate change policies continue under your leadership as Secretary of Defense? Why or why not? (For other national security nominees)Do you agree with the militarys assessment that climate change is a security threat and with the actions the military is planning in response to its assessment? If not, what is the factual basis for your disagreement with the militarys climate risk assessment and actions?

On Israel/Palestinian Territories

What should U.S. policy be on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Territories? Secretary of State John Kerry recently spoke at length on the conflict, advocating the oft-proposed two-state solution and criticizing the actions of Israel (particularly on the expansion of settlements in the West Bank) and Palestine (particularly on failure to control violence and extremism).

What is your reaction to Secretary Kerrys recommendationswhich do you agree with and which do you oppose?

If the two state solution is not the solution than what is the solution?

Peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Territories have stalled. Would you do anything to restart the negotiations and if so what. Do you agree or disagree with the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as proposed by President-elect Trump and his nominee for the Ambassadorship to Israel, David Friedman? Are you concerned that the relocation would add to conflict between the U.S. and those sympathetic to Palestinians on the status of Jerusalem?

On Iran and the Iranian Nuclear Agreement

Should the Trump administration rescind or continue the agreement reached by the Obama administration and the P5+1 stats with Iran, in which the Iranian regime agreed to suspend its nuclear program? Whether you support rescission or continuation of the agreement, explain what you see as the overall strategy for containing Irans development of nuclear capacity. If you support rescission, how would a new sanctions regime and use of force figure into a postrescission strategy? If you support continuation, how should the U.S. respond to Iranian violations of the agreement or other Iranian provocations unrelated to the nuclear capacity issues? Iran presents a series of threats to U.S. interests, including but not limited to the development of nuclear weapons.

What would strategy would you recommend for protecting against these risks?

Is use of force a realistic or sensible option given the degree to which U.S. forces are already engaged and the costs and risks of war against a nation the size of Iran?

Treatment of Muslims in the U.S.

There has been talk of a ban on immigration to the U.S. for Muslims and of requiring Muslims who are citizens and residents of the U.S. to register.

Do you think these actions would be legal, particularly in view of the constitutional First Amendment protection of religious freedom and the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law?

Do you think these actions conform to American traditions of respecting religious freedom and protecting individual rights?

Are you concerned that these actions would discourage Muslims from joining the U.S. military or from continuing to serve?

Are you concerned that these actions would lead to international backlash and hostility that would pose a threat to U.S. citizens and interests (beyond the harm done to those required to register)?

Are you for or against 1) a ban on Muslim immigration to the U.S. and 2) requiring Muslims who are citizens or residents of the U.S. to register?

Presidential Judgment

Many Americans are worried that the President-elects lack of national security and foreign policy experience, as well as his well-known tendencies to be combative and provocative, will result in catastrophic security and international affairs decisions and policies. What can you tell the American people about the President-elect, and your relationship with him, that will reassure them that he will manage national security policies and decisions responsibly? The President-elect is famously a frequent user of Twitter, the social media tool that limits posts to 140 characters. What will you tell the President-elect about using Twitter to make statements about volatile, very conflictual security and international matters where life or death and war or peace are on the line?

Preparation for the Job
(Photo : Getty Images) Shanghai Disney Resort teamed up with various Chinese institutions to expand local talents in 2017.

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The Shanghai Disney Resort announced on Friday that it will be exploring Chinese local talents through the launch of its "Shanghai Disney Resort Talent Class" later this year.



The initiative will team up with 10 academic institutions and aims to employ fresh graduates who have developed their talents and have shown passion in their work.



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During a news conference in Shanghai, Philippe Gas, Shanghai Disney Resort's general manager, said that the program would incorporate world class practices to fully exploit the various Chinese talent and culture.



"We are committed to partnering with local authorities and educational institutions to support the further development of Shanghai and Yangtze River Delta's service industry," Gas said.



He further added that the resort's ultimate goal is to employ 98 percent of its staff locally, according to China Daily.



Lara Tiam, the deputy president of the human resource department in the resort, explained that both part-time and full-time opportunities would be available.



"This year, the resort has plans to recruit 2,000 employees on a part-time or full-time basis," Tiam said. "The vacancies will be tailored to the disabled population."



Once completed, a normal class should be able to host between 30 and 50 students. Anyone who wishes to join has been advised to apply as an intern and join other personnel who are training at the Disney Resort in Florida.



Currently, there are various internship roles available for students including makeup artists, animation designers, and mechanical technicians, to name a few.



Shanghai Daily noted that Shanghai Polytechnic University was one of the first institutions to start the initiative on Friday.



Yu Tao, the president at the university, welcomed the initiative, saying that it would not only help the country's tourism sector but also enhance the education system.



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(Photo : YouTube Screenshot) No official price was revealed yet, but the Lenovo P2 smartphone is expected to around Rs. 24,500 ($359) in India.

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Chinese smartphone maker Lenovo is set to launch the Lenovo P2 smartphone in India soon, the company hinted as posted on a teaser on its official Twitter account last Monday.



"How often do you your way because of low phone battery? Travel fearlessly with the longest lasting battery #LenovoP2 #Powerhouse coming soon," Lenovo tweeted.



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The Lenovo P2 smartphone features a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display screen with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution. Under the hood, the handheld device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 MSM8953 processor that clocked at a speed of 2GHz. The phone is available in two variant models - the 3GB and 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM onboard. It comes equipped with a 32GB built-in storage with expandability of up to 128GB via a dedicated microSD card slot.



The Lenovo P2 flaunts a 13-megapixel rear camera with a Sony IMX258 sensor and a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter. It runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) operating system out of the box, which is coupled with Lenovo's latest user interface laid on top. The highlight of the smartphone is its massive 5,100mAh capacity battery with fast charging technology support.



Other features the Lenovo P2 offers include dual-SIM (Nano-SIM), 4G LTE network support, Bluetooth v4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, and FM radio. The device measures a body dimension of 153 x 76 x 8.2 mm. The smartphone is available in Champagne Gold and Graphite Grey color variants.



No official price was revealed yet, but the Lenovo P2 smartphone is expected to be around Rs. 24,500 (about $359) in India.



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TagsLenovo, Lenovo News, Lenovo smartphone, lenovo p2, India
(Photo : Getty Images) China at the end of 2016 passed a law declaring the trade of ivory and its processing an illegal activity.

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The law banning the trade and processing of ivory products in China last December has been well-received globally. The move follows after several reports revealed that elephants in Africa were nearing the brink of extinction had the poaching continued.



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Wildlife experts in Kenya expressed their joy following the new regulations, according to the Atlanta Black Star.







Jabes Okumu, a wildlife expert from the East African Wild Life Society, told Xinhua that the new regulations would be fully approved by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).



"This move is likely to attract support from other ivory consuming countries," Okumu said. "It will help build synergies towards pushing for full protection of elephants."



Prior to the ban, a shocking 100,000 elephants had reportedly been killed in poaching activities over the past five years. This was greatly attributed to the growing demand for ivory in the Asian community.



The Huffington Post reported that with the new ban, ivory will lose its much-hyped value, and it will also go a mile further to ensure that ivory is even harder to acquire.



The Environmental Investigation Agency, however, pointed that even though the ban has been issued, there is still a loophole, particularly on clause that states that "Cultural relics made of ivory that is of legal origin and has been verified by a specialist appraisal body may be auctioned under strict supervision to demonstrate cultural value." Such statement does not necessarily imply that ivory trade is illegal in China.



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(Photo : Getty Images) Residents in Sri Lanka on Saturday protested against the country's move to lease an agricultural land to China for factory development.

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Protest erupted in Sri Lanka on Saturday after a group of Buddhist monks and village rallyist joined hands to protest against the leasing of 15,000 acres worth of agricultural zone near the Hambantota port to a Chinese firm.



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The protest, which initially kicked off at Amabalanto, saw the protesters throw rocks at the police in retaliation after government supporters protected with clubs attacked them. The demonstration took place during the project's inauguration ceremony.



Police also reportedly used water cannons in an attempt to disperse the crowd who started to show unruly behaviors.



Meanwhile, the number of people injured during the Saturday incident is still unverified. However, a great number were seen being rushed to the nearest medical facility by an ambulance.



The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) were protesting against the government's move for a 99-year lease of the Hambantota port to a Chinese firm that will hold 80 percent ownership.



Colombo Page explained that the Hambantota Magistrate Court had issued a restraining order and declared the protest illegal.



Salon news also reported that the governing body plans to convert the area into an industrial zone for the Chinese to set up their various production firms. The protesters were firmly against the move, saying that it was better off as an industrial land.



China, thus far, has already invested 1.2 billion in the region, a move that investors believe has a hidden agenda.



Among the protesters was lawmaker D.V Chanaka, who claimed that such initiative was wrong and was basically handing out the land to China.



"We are against leasing the land where people live and do their farming. When you give away such a vast area of land, you can't stop the area from becoming a Chinese colony," Chanaka said.



The Ceylon Ports General Employees Union (part of JVP) will hold another protest on Monday.



"We will continue with our protest until the government abandons its plans to sign the agreement giving control of the Hambantota Port to China," CPGEU officials said.



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(Photo : PLAAF) J-20s show-off.

(Photo : Getty Images) CNS Liaoning, China's only aircraft carrier.

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The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has made a short list of its weapons the United States and its allies should fear in any upcoming war over the South China Sea.



A yearend review in the People's Daily, China's largest newspaper owned by the Communist Party of China, said 2016 "saw great strides for the Chinese military, with numerous achievements related to weaponry and equipment."



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The weapons list is led by the Chengdu J-20 low observable fighter, which China claims is a true stealth fighter that has turned the calculus of air superiority in its favor.



The story said the J-20 "filled a hole" in the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The J-20 is expected "to boost the fighting capacity of the Chinese air force, and help fulfill the mission of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity."



Some western military analysts insist the J-20 incorporates many features supposed to have been unique to the Northrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Chinese spies over the past decade successfully infiltrated Northrop Grumman to steal top secret plans for the F-35 and funnel them to China.



China's lone aircraft carrier, the CNS Liaoning (CV-16), recently concluded a heavily-hyped sortie that saw it and its escorts conduct live fire exercises in the Western Pacific. On its way home, the Liaoning battle group sailed close to Taiwan to show China's displeasure over Taiwan's warming relations with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.



In an unusual move, China identified the Liaoning's escorting warships as the CNS Changsha (DDG-173), a Type-052D guided missile destroyer from the South Sea Fleet; the CNS Zhengzhou (DDG-151), a Type-052C guided missile destroyer from the East Sea Fleet; CNS Haikou (DDG-171), a Type-052C guided missile destroyer from the South Sea Fleet; the CNS Yantai (FFG-538) and CNS Linyi (FFG-547), both Type-054A frigates; the CNS Zhuzhou (549) , a Type-056 light frigate and the integrated supply ship, Gaoyou Lake.



The Liaoning and her escorts conducted reconnaissance, early warning, air interception, sea assault, air defense and anti-missile exercises. Carrying live ammunition, several Shenyang J-15 carrier-based multirole fighters performed strike exercises.



The Type-96B main battle tank is described as the pillar of the tank force of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force. Several of these tanks took part in the Masters of Automobile and Tank Hardware competition of the International Army Games held at he Alabino training range in Moscow in 2016. The Russians won this competition.



The "handsome, sturdy and durable tanks made a lasting impression during the competition," said the story.



The Type-96B features improved computer and digital communication systems that enable tank commanders to use common integrated battlefield intelligence from higher levels of command.



There might also be improvements to the Type-96B's engine, exhaust system, suspension and wheels but these haven't been confirmed. The engine of the Type-96B is said to be more powerful than the Type-96A, China's current MBT.



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TagsPeople's Liberation Army, weapons, Chengdu J-20, CNS Liaoning, Type-96B Main Battle Tank, People's Liberation Army Ground Force
(Photo : Getty Images) Samsung is reportedly working on a foldable phone that opens into a 7-inch tablet when unfolded.

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Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro is all set to venture outside China as the smartphone would be soon launched in several lucrative Asian markets. The phone is currently only available in China and South Korea.



The Galaxy C9 Pro was launched in China in October last year in gold and rose gold color variants. Later, Samsung launched a black variant of the product in its home country South Korea.



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According to reports, the high-end smartphone would be launched in Asian countries including India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. However, Samsung has not specified any tentative date or fix timeframe for the product launch yet.



Certain Indian media reports claimed that the phone would be launched in India by January end. However, these reports are not conclusive.



The C9 Pro boosts pretty solid specifications, with an impressive 6GB RAM and octa-core Snapdragon 653. It is powered by a 4000mAh nonremovable battery and runs on Android 6.0.



To counter the space crunch problem, the phone offers a spacious 64GB internal storage memory that can be further expanded to 256GB via a MicroSD card. Its camera specifications are equally very impressive with both 16-megapixel shooters on rear and on front.



Samsung launched the Galaxy C9 Pro in a latest bid to revive its fortune in the Chinese market, where it is facing increasing competition from local players such as Xiaomi, Oppo, ZTE, and Huawei. The Chinese brands with their unique combination of high specifications and low cost has been a major game changer for global mobile industry.



Industry experts said that today, the scenario has reached to a point where cost-effective Chinese brands are posing serious threats to the global domination of Samsung and Apple Inc.



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TagsSamsung Galaxy C9 Pro, Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro China, china, China and India, Samsung Galaxy C9 India
(Photo : US Navy) An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye stealth fighter hunter.

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The United States has decided to err on the side of caution by deploying its Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft to Japan to counter the nascent threat posed by China's low observable fighter jets scheduled to enter widespread service by the next decade.



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The new A/N-APY-9 radar on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is capable of detecting fighter-sized stealth jets typically optimized against high frequencies like Ka, Ku, X, C, and parts of the S-bands..



This means the E-2D can detect all enemy fifth-generation fighters such the Russian Sukhoi PAK FA; the Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang FC-31.



The U.S. Navy said its E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes will deploy to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in February. The Advanced Hawkeyes to be based in Japan previously operated from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in support strikes on the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.



Deployment of the Advanced Hawkeyes is part of "a plan to put the most advanced and capable units forward in order to support the United States' commitment to the defense of Japan and the security and stability of the region," said the navy.



The E-2D's A/N-APY radar system has the power to "see smaller targets -- and more of them -- at a greater range, particularly in coastal regions and over land," said its maker, Lockheed Martin.



A 2014 report in the US Naval Institute News says the A/N-APY-equipped Hawkeyes might be the U.S. Navy's "secret weapon" against Chinese and Russian stealth jets and cruise missiles.



China was to have commissioned its first J-20s into active service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in late December 2016.



Although billed by China as the equivalent of the Northrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the J-20 is nowhere near the F-35 in all-aspect stealth and capabilities. Some western experts argue the J-20 is only a "low observable" aircraft lacking in all-aspect stealth, the hallmark of a true stealth fighter.



Nevertheless, the J-20 in PLAAF frontline service will present a tremendous challenge for the Indian Air Force (IAF) whose indigenous stealth fighter program has yet to get off the ground.



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TagsUnited States, Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, china, A/N-APY-9 radar, Chengdu J-20, Shenyang FC-31, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
(Photo : Getty Images) China will construct the world's highest altitude gravitational wave telescopes in the picturesque region of Tibet.

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China's unrelenting odyssey with space continues further as it now aims to set up the world's highest altitude gravitational wave telescopes in the mountainous region of Tibet. These telescopes will be located very near to China-India border, which is likely to raise security alarms in New Delhi.



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These telescopes operating in Tibetan region will try to detect the faintest echoes resonating through our universe in a bid to unravel some deep secrets about the big bang theory. The Chinese government is spending an estimated $18.8 million on this ambitious project.



Construction work of the first telescope - codenamed as Ngari No 1 - has already commenced in Shiquanhe Town in Ngari Prefecture, Yao Yongqiang, chief researcher with the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said.



This telescope will seek to detect and collect accurate data on primordial gravitational waves in the Northern Hemisphere.



Chinese state media reported that it is likely to become operational by year 2021.



Yao informed that the project's second phase will include series of telescopes and will be placed 6,000 meters above sea level. He, however, refused to shed light on time frame for the second phase that has been codenamed as Ngari No 2.



The Nagri prefecture boosts high altitude and clear sky that officially makes it one of the world's best spots to detect even tiny twists in cosmic light.



Last year in September, China also launched the world's largest radio telescope in China's Guizhou Province to boost global hunt for extraterrestrial life. The telescope also aims to give scientists better understanding about the working of our universe.



The Chinese government over the years has poured billions of dollars in space projects, which helped in propelling several satellites into space and build several ambitious space-related projects at the ground level.



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(Photo : Getty Images) US President-elect Donald Trump said he was not aware of Tsai Lng-wen's stopover in the US.

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US President-elect Donald Trump and members of his transition team have reassured Beijing that Washington will not meet with Taiwan leader Tsai Lng-wen during her stopover to the US enroute to Central America to visit her allies.



Tsai departed from Taipei on Saturday and will transit through Houston in her first official state visits to Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador after assuming office last year.



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In an interview with reporters before her departure, Tsai said the trip was aimed at bolstering its diplomatic ties with Central American allies as well as making its presence felt at the international stage, at a time when Beijing has taken several measures to diplomatically isolate the island.



No Meeting



Jessica Ditto, the Trump transition team spokesperson, said on Saturday that the president-elect and members of the transition team would not in any way meet with Tsai during her US stopover.



Trump, who seemed to be unaware of Tsai's stopover, said nobody has mentioned the trip to him.



"Nobody's ever mentioned that to me," he told reporters. "I'm not meeting with anybody until after Jan. 20, because it's a little bit inappropriate from a protocol standpoint. But we'll see."



Reassurance



Despite the reassurance of the transition team that neither Trump nor transition officials would meet with Tsai, reports said Beijing would, nevertheless, be on the lookout for any signs that Trump and his team will risk infuriating China by further engaging with Taipei, which it considers as part of its territory.



Tsai told reporters that her visits to the Central Americas is significant and would "show the international society that Taiwan is a capable and responsible partner for cooperation."



China had earlier urged Washington to prevent Tsai's stop in the US as this may further encourage the Taiwanese independence forces to push their agenda and destabilize the status quo.



Beijing considers Taiwan as a breakaway province and Trump's phone call with Taiwan leader Tsai last year angered China, prompting it to file a diplomatic protest before the US Embassy for breaking decades-old US protocol of the 'One China' policy.



Under the 'One China' policy, the US recognizes only China's government and considers Taiwan as a province of Beijing.



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TagsTaiwan president Tsai-Lng-wen, US President-elect Donald Trump, One China policy, breakaway province, Trump transition team, Washington, status quo, china
(Photo : Getty Images) US aircraft carrier USS George Washington sits at anchor in Busan port on July 11, 2014 in Busan, South Korea.

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China is slated to build its third aircraft carrier in the near future, China's People's Daily newspaper reported citing military expert Liang Fang.



"The Chinese military's combat capability has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade," Liang said, noting that China is currently building its second aircraft carrier.



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"In the near future, the Chinese Navy is expected to own a third aircraft carrier strike group, capable of safeguarding territorial sovereignty and maritime rights," he added.



He also stressed that the country is boosting its aircraft carrier technology to protect national interests instead of seeking hegemony.



Meanwhile, Liang admitted that in terms of tonnage or number of aircraft, the Chinese aircraft carrier battle cannot equal its US counterparts. He, however, noted that US military "clearly lacks stamina and the country's insufficient military spending is proof of that."



According to Sputnik News, the frequent problems US faces with its US Navy Super Hornet, F-35C, and other carrier-borne fighters blocked the capability of the aircraft carriers. China, on the other hand, managed to boost and improve its combat capability through the past decade.



China has so far deployed its sole aircraft carrier named Liaoning. According to The Hindu, Brian Kalman, a military expert from the website South Front, noted that although Lianong is not too close from being a game changer, it has been used to train foundation core of officers that will help establish the future of China's aircraft career force.



Construction of China's second aircraft carrier named CV-17 is currently on its advanced stage.



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(Photo : YouTube Screenshot) Beijing has introduced an environmental police force to assist in the fight against air pollution in the Chinese capital.

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A new environmental police force has been introduced in Beijing on Saturday to help in the fight against the hazardous smog engulfing in the Chinese capital.



Xinhua reported that Beijing's acting mayor Cai Qi said that the initiative aims to improve supervision and accountability in the 16 affected districts.



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In his remarks, he said that the environmental police force will be given the mandate of monitoring activities that contribute to the massive smog in the region such as open-air barbecues and garbage incineration. "These acts of non-compliance with regulations are actually the result of lax supervision and weak law enforcement," Cai noted.



He added that plans to impose tougher measures to curb air pollution are also underway this year.



Beijing plans to phase out an estimated 300,000 old vehicles that are strong contributors to pollution. Furthermore, beginning Feb. 15, cleaner gas and diesel will be put to use.



Another major plan is the closure of the city's only coal-fired power plant and the reduction of coal consumption by less than 7 million tons for this year.



Cai said that Beijing is looking to cooperate with Hebei Province and Tianjin Municipality, which also face similar air pollution dilemma.



Beijing also plans to install air purifier on schools to ensure that learning continues.



CNN reported that a great deal of companies and car owners had been punished for going against the regulations, which had been put in place earlier.



Also, at least 2,682 officials had been fined with nearly $35 million by a Beijing court after they failed to implement plans to curb air pollution in the region.



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(Photo : Getty Images) A stethoscope is pictured in a General Practitioners surgery on December 4, 2014 in London, England.

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China wants to increase family doctors services to 30 percent on urban population and 60 percent on priority groups in 2017, state-media Xinhua News reported citing a top health official.



The program aims to establish a tiered disease treatment system to determine which medical institution would best cater patients based on the severity of their illnesses, Li Bin, the head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said.



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Li called for efforts to make sure that priority groups and residents who have contracts with family doctors are provided with more convenient health services. Such service includes the transfer of critical patients to major hospitals and increasing reimbursement ratios on medical expenses, the Global Times reported.



The Chinese government is planning to adjust the physicians' service fees, raise income, and offer promotional and advancement opportunities to put more family doctors in the community and offer more services.



Li noted that in 2006, more than 22 percent of citizens and nearly 39 percent of priority groups experienced the contractual services offered by family doctors in cities where the program was piloted.



Of note, priority groups cover senior citizens, pregnant women, children, people with disability or chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and tuberculosis, and people suffering with severe mental disorders.



Family doctors, on the other hand, include general practitioners registered with grassroot health facilities and registered doctors on township clinics and villages. They are tasked to give basic medical care and other health services to patients.



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Dad Credits Prayer and Divine Intervention As His 5-Month-Old Baby Gets Life-Saving Transplant From Adult Donor

Divine intervention just in time for Christmas saved the life of a five-month-old infant who desperately needed a liver transplant.

Joseph McCabe, from Waukesha, Wisconsin and the father of baby Daniel, said they were blessed with a Christmas miracle when his son was able to receive a liver transplant just 40 minutes after they entered the baby's name on the hospital list, ABC 7 Chicago reported.

The liver came from an adult male in the Midwest who died just moments after the McCabes registered their son for transplant at the Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.

Right after receiving the donated liver, doctors quickly performed a delicate six-hour surgery on Daniel, saving his life.

With tears in his eyes, Joseph said he believes that would not have happened without "some kind of Divine Intervention."

Joseph's wife Melody said for the first time they could see their son Daniel without yellow skin following the successful transplant.

Daniel became one of the tiniest patients ever to receive a liver transplant at the hospital. His doctors said they were incredibly fortunate that the organ became available so quickly.

Justin Boese, an organ procurement coordinator at the hospital, said what happened was simply amazing. "This is one of the more incredible things that have happened in the five years that I've been here. Patients even in the most critical statuses can go from waiting from a few days, to months, to years," he said.

Paediatric liver specialist Dr. Riccardo Superina agreed that Daniel's case was extraordinary. "While this happened very quickly and very fortunately, there are people who die every day because there's not an organ available," he said.

The McCabe couple and their three other children celebrated Christmas and New Year inside the hospital as they watched over Daniel.

"This is a Christmas obviously we'll never forget," Joseph said.

Doctors said the unidentified male who donated his liver saved not only Daniel's life but that of another patient as well. This was because they only used about 20 percent of the donated liver in Daniel's case. The doctors transplanted the remaining liver into an adult patient.
How God Puts Heart Into Us: 10 Bible Verses About Encouragement

When we "encourage" someone we literally "put heart into" them  the French word for 'heart' is 'coeur'. The heart stands for courage (it is from the same root). But it's more than just physical bravery. Courage is about facing affliction or hardship of whatever kind, whether it's physical or not. It's about keeping on going when we want to stop, and not being deterred by difficulty or opposition. Exhausted parents who still make time for their children are courageous. Sick people who try to make life easier for their carers are courageous. People who fail at a task and resolve to do better next time are courageous.

Courage is a good thing. The Bible has a lot to say about encouragement. It talks about how God puts heart into us, and how we can put heart into other people. Here are 10 Bible verses about encouragement.

1. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry (Psalm 10:17).

2. Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers (Acts 9:31).

3. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts (Acts 11:23).

4. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us... if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully (Romans 12:6,8).

5. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope (Romans 15:4).

6. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had (Romans 15:5).

7. Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind (Philippians 2: 1-2).

8. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope (2 Thessalonians 2:16).

9. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people (Philemon 1:7).

10. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you' (Hebrews 12:5).
Oak Hill College Announces Sudden Death Of Principal Mike Ovey

Oak Hill College has announced the sudden death of its principal Rev Dr Michael Ovey.

Ovey, 58, was a civil service lawyer drafting government legislation before training for Anglican ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He taught for three years at Moore Theological College, Sydney, before joining Oak Hill in 1998. He became the college's principal in 2007.

A statement from the college said: "It is with profound shock and sadness that we announce the sudden and unexpected death of our Principal, the Revd Dr Mike Ovey, at the age of 58.

"As the Oak Hill community comes to terms with the loss of our dear brother and leader, we cling on to the promise that 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life'. It reminds us that for Mike, death is not an end but a glorious beginning.

"Please hold in your thoughts and prayers Mike's wife Heather and their three children Charlie, Harry, and Ana."

The Archbishop of Canterbury tweeted: "So sad to hear of the death of Mike Ovey of Oak Hill College. Please pray for family & friends and for the College. Great loss to church."

So sad to hear of the death of Mike Ovey of Oak Hill College. Please pray for family & friends and for the College. Great loss to church.  Justin Welby  (@JustinWelby) January 8, 2017

Oak Hill is one of the largest theological seminaries in the UK. An Anglican foundation, it has increasing attracted students from independent churches and other denominations attracted to its conservative theology.
Martin Scorsese's Personal Faith At The Fore In His Passion Project, 'Silence'

Twenty-eight years in the making, Martin Scorsese's "Silence" premiered on Thursday, raising questions of faith over both the subject matter and in Scorsese's dedication to the project.

"Overwhelming that you would be asked to journey with him on this kind of adventure of the soul that he's been willing to take for the last 28 years, and to be given this role...was confusing and humbling," said actor Andrew Garfield.

In "Silence", Garfield plays Sebastiao Rodrigues, a 17th century Portuguese Jesuit priest who travels to Japan with a fellow missionary in search of their mentor, Father Cristovao Ferreira, portrayed by Liam Neeson, who has renounced his faith under torture.

The priests arrive in Japan at a time when Catholicism is outlawed, and face violence and persecution in their evangelizing mission, which causes a crisis of faith.

The epic historical drama is based on the acclaimed 1966 novel of the same name by late Japanese writer Shusaku Endo and was shot in Taiwan.

Scorsese has said he was struck by the questions the book raises over faith, doubt, weakness and God's role in the face of human suffering. However, getting the screenplay right alone took the Oscar-winning director 15 years, and finding funding proved difficult.

The film, which runs for an unusually long 2 hours and 45 minutes, has not been included in the nominations for either the Golden Globes or the Screen Actors Guild this year.

(Reporting by Reuters Television, Writing by Karishma Singh; Editing by Nick Macfie)
A man in north Florida (yes, Florida!) chose a most unusual way to warm up at Starbucks.

And, it landed him in jail.
An acceptance letter from one of the nation's top colleges doesn't immediately impart a sense of belonging or eliminate some of the substantial road blocks that low-income students often face in college, Houston students said Saturday.

These students, who attend elite universities across the nation, discussed their insecurities and exchanged advice at a Saturday morning summit by the nonprofit fellowship Emerge.

Founded in 2010, Emerge offers intensive college preparation to top underserved students from the Houston and Spring Branch ISDs. Many of the students, selected as fellows, are the first of their family to go to college.

More than 330 participants now attend 85 top colleges nationwide, and they continue to receive support from the Houston-based program over the summer and on holiday breaks, like in Saturday's session at Rice University.

Some described a deep sense of obligation of representing their race or gender in classroom interactions.

One woman said she is one of four black women majoring in economics at Wellesley College.

There, she feels pressure to "not only just pass, but excel" in the popular major to show her peers she belongs.

Facilitator Eldridge Gilbert, the managing director of schools at KIPP Public Charter Schools in San Francisco, urged students to remember that they earned their spots, even when they feel out of place.

He recalled suffering from "imposter syndrome" as an undergraduate at Brown University, feeling like he somehow got lucky and didn't belong at the elite school.

"It can be really unhealthy to not own who you are and your own success in those spaces," Gilbert said.
Katy Bar Association

Area attorneys are invited to the Tuesday, Jan. 24, luncheon of the Katy Bar Association at 11:30 a.m. at Hasta la Pasta, 1450 W. Grand Parkway S.

Teresa Lechner-Fish, IP associate with Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP, will present "Copyright Basics: What Are Copyrights? How Are Copyrights Created? Who Owns the Copyrights? And How Can They Be Protected."
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The bodies of three young adults from Chambers County, just east of Baytown, were recovered Saturday alongside the trio's capsized boat after a duck hunting outing in the Matagorda Bay.

Starett Burk from Wallisville, Spencer Hall from Mont Belvieu, and Chris Ruckman from Dayton  all between the ages of 18 and 25  launched a 17-foot, green, flat-bottomed boat around 4 a.m. off County Road 312, on the east side of the bay that sits between Port Lavaca and Palacios.

When the young men didn't return home several hours after they were expected, a girlfriend called the U.S. Coast Guard to report them missing. A search launched Friday that included an airplane, multiple helicopters and several boats provided by the Coast Guard, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office.

After more than 12 hours, crews located two bodies around noon Saturday. A short time later, they found the boat, which had capsized, and the body of one of two dogs the men had with them. The second dog had not been located Saturday night.

Around 4 p.m., the third body was located under the capsized boat. Authorities do not suspect foul play, but are unsure what caused the accident.

There were unusually strong winds up to 30 Knots and high sea levels, 2-3 feet high, Friday and into Saturday, according to Coast Guard Lt. Karl Alejandre, who participated in the search from the plane.

Burk, who studied criminal justice at Sam Houston State University, appears to have lived and breathed hunting. His Facebook page proudly displays photos of the yields of his many hunting trips: rows of duck carcasses draped over the tailgate of a pickup truck, Burk posing with giant fish, boars and deer. Cowboy hats and hunting camo were wardrobe staples. He even had a tattoo on his chest depicting the state of Texas with a deer head, a fish and a duck in the middle.

Hall, a recent graduate of Barbers Hill High School, shared that passion for hunting. His Facebook cover photo depicts him in a camouflage T-shirt with more than a dozen dead birds draped around his neck.

Emily Frankum, a former classmate of Hall's, remembered him as silly and goofy.

"He was just a good, caring person," Frankum said. "A fun person to be around."

Ruckman, who also showed his love of hunting on social media, had announced on Twitter in November that he planned to join the U.S. Navy. He also tweeted about the recent holidays.

"Honestly best New Years I've ever had," he tweeted. "I have no New Year's resolution. I'm satisfied with myself."

His mother, Teresa Ruckman, expressed her grief, shock and faith on Facebook Saturday.

"Today is by far the (worst) day of my life," Teresa Ruckman wrote. "I am now confronted with a crossroads of belief. I can choose to give in to sorrow, anger and bitterness or I can trust that God sees and will heal and will bring joy back to my life ... He's got a perfect plan. I don't understand it and I would like to erase this terrible accident. Nevertheless thine will be done."
A Pasadena councilwoman who became a key witness in a recent federal lawsuit contesting the city's redrawn voting districts said she will run for mayor in the upcoming election.

Pat Van Houte, who holds an at-large seat, made her announcement Friday, Jan. 6, the same day a federal judge's decision overturning the city's 2013 redistricting measure was released.

In the ruling, Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ordered Pasadena to revert to its previous use of eight single-member districts for the upcoming May elections and ruled the city would need pre-clearance from the Department of Justice for any future changes.

"In Pasadena, Texas, Latino voters ... do not have the same right to vote as their Anglo neighbors," Rosenthal concluded in the 113-page decision.

Van Houte was in the middle of the political fray nearly four years ago when the council, led by Mayor Johnny Isbell, pushed for the redistricting and a switch to two at-large positions and six-single member districts. However, Van Houte found herself in the council's minority opposing the changes and ultimately went on to win election to an at-large position in 2015.

"The position of mayor is not something I had considered before; but since serving as an at-large council member, I've been traveling and seeing many different parts of the city. Over the last year, as I've been out meeting with residents, many people have offered their support and asked me to run for mayor," Van Houte said. "I'm not running because of this ruling. However, serving as an at-large council member has put me in contact with a lot more people and has made me think more about stepping to the next level as far as leadership and the direction of the city."

All eight single-member districts, based on the May 2013 election map and plan, will be on the ballot in the upcoming election. Filing for candidates runs from Jan. 18 through Feb. 17.

Van Houte, who was first elected to serve as the District D council member in 2009, said she anticipated the ruling.

"I was hoping for this outcome. From some of the questions that the judge asked during my testimony and a few things I heard after that point, I wasn't surprised. I could not assume this would be the decision but I was certainly hopeful and I'm pleased with the decision," said Van Houte, who testified during the trial.

It was during an April Fool's Day council meeting in 2014 that Van Houte was cut short while presenting her argument against the redistricting plan.

Isbell had presented new rules that limited council members' comments to two minutes, and he soon announced Van Houte's time was up and ordered her removed from the council chambers by a uniformed police officer.

"Mayor, I serve the best interest of the city, I don't serve you; and this is something that could get the city in trouble with the Department of Justice," she said while the mayor pounded his gavel and called for her to be quiet.

Van Houte then gathered up her agenda documents and was escorted out.

"This is an embarrassment to the political process and to the City of Pasadena. This is a sham and is not what it is meant to be. It is meant to trick and deceive people," Councilman Ornaldo Ybarra said at that meeting. "Redistricting is about power. Any elected official who tells you differently is lying to you."

Soon after, Ybarra and Councilmen Cody Ray Wheeler and Don Harrison also walked out in protest.

That left four council members and the mayor left in attendance to pass the redistricting measure and open the door for the federal lawsuit that has cost the city almost $2 million, plus ultimately may include the legal fees of the complainants in the case.

In the two-week trial, MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) argued that the City Council's decision to create a new representative system which removed two neighborhood districts and replaced them with two at-large council seats discriminated against Latino voters.

" I knew going into the redistricting process, they were clearly trying to discriminate against Hispanics," Ybarra said of the council members in favor of the redistricting. "I hope we move this dark chapter in Pasadena's history behind us and finally begin to move forward."

In the judge's decision, Rosenthal ruled that Pasadena city officials deliberately diluted the voting power of Hispanic voters through illegal redistricting and changes to the system for electing council members in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.

"The court finds that Pasadena has shared in Texas's long history of voter discrimination; has a more recent, and more probative, history of official discrimination in city administration and policing; and has had recent council election campaigns marked by racial discrimination," Rosenthal wrote.

While no decision has been made on whether the city will appeal, Ybarra, who is term-limited, said the ongoing lawsuit has taken away valuable time from advancing the city, but the city will be better for it moving forward.

"There are a lot of issues that needed to be addressed that got pushed back because this lawsuit has been the city's focus for more than two years. We lost a lot of precious time," Ybarra said. "People want good representation. But, they also want to be able to communicate with someone with similarities in culture and language and backgrounds. This ruling will probably bring more diversity to City Council; and going forward, we're going to put our time and energy toward the right things and make the city better."
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A motorcycle rider is dead after crashing into the back of a dump truck Sunday morning, according to authorities.

Just after 1 a.m., the motorcycle was speeding along U.S. 290, weaving in and out of traffic over 43rd Street when the rider slammed into a dump truck in the middle lane, Houston police told reporters at the scene.
Sen. Ted Cruz was "honored" to meet up with the Taiwanese president in Houston, he said Sunday in a statement after the controversial get-together that also included Gov. Greg Abbott.

"We discussed our mutual opportunity to upgrade the stature of our bilateral relations in a wide-ranging discussion that addressed arms sales, diplomatic exchanges, and economic relations," the Texas senator said in a statement.

"Furthering economic cooperation between our two nations must be a priority; increased access to Taiwanese markets will benefit Texas farmers, ranchers and small business owners alike."

In a separate statement, Abbott said the leaders discussed trade relations and ended the meeting by swapping gifts, including a clock emblazoned with the Texas State Seal and a Taiwanese vase.

Abbott said he looked forward to "strengthening Texas' bond with Taiwan" and continuing a dialogue with the island's president.

CONGRESSIONAL ACTION: Ted Cruz pushes anti-LGBTQ bill

Although Taiwan considers itself a sovereign nation, China still claims the island as part of its country - which has complicated American relations with Taiwan and its leader, President Tsai Ing-Wen.

Even before the Texas delegation and Tsai met face-to-face, China voiced its opposition.

"Shortly before our meeting, the Houston congressional delegation received a curious letter from the Chinese consulate asking members of Congress not to meet with President Tsai, and to uphold the 'One-China policy,'" Cruz said Sunday.

"The People's Republic of China needs to understand that in America we make decisions about meeting with visitors for ourselves. This is not about the PRC. This is about the U.S. relationship with Taiwan, an ally we are legally bound to defend. The Chinese do not give us veto power over those with whom they meet. We will continue to meet with anyone, including the Taiwanese, as we see fit."

FOREIGN EXCHANGE: Greg Abbott cuts hat deal in Australia

Because the U.S. has long honored a "one China" policy with Beijing, American presidents have not openly communicated with Taiwanese leaders since the late 1970s - although President-elect Donald Trump has given signs of a different path.

Other American lawmakers have periodically met with Taiwanese presidents passing through the U.S. and in June, Sen. Marco Rubio met with Tsai when she passed through Miami.

But in a sharp break with decades of protocol, Trump fielded a congratulatory post-election phone call from Tsai.

Although Democrats in Washington cautioned the move could amp up tensions with China, Cruz immediately jumped to Trump's defense.

"I would much rather have Donald Trump talking to President Tsai than to Cuba's Raul Castro or Iran's Hasan Rouhani," he tweeted in December.
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Give Renae Thornton credit for the effort. Thornton, who lives in the town of West, Texas, reached out to police after finding an unpaid traffic ticket her "Paw Paw," Delbert Kyle, had been issued.

The catch: The citation was 57 years old. It had been issued April 27, 1960.

Thornton reached out to West Police Chief Darryl Barton through Facebook and said she wasn't sure if the ticket had been paid.

FRIENDLY STOP: Texas police pull over car in the name of love

Barton replied to Thornton: Well now, let me see late fees, court cost, failure to appear chargesthis could get expensive. Sure, come on over. Lets talk about thisJUST KIDDING."

Barton, who wrote about the ticket on Facebook, told Thornton, No worries, but I would be very interested in seeing this piece of history.

Thornton retrieved the ticket, snapped a photo and sent it to Barton. The citation was for having one headlight and the back noted Kyle had no driver's license. It also noted that the $10 fine had been paid.

WORKING IT OUT: Texas officer has teen do pushups instead of arrest in marijuana bust

Barton said he called the court clerk and found out there's records dating that far back in the court office. A bit more exploring turned up no record of the citation.

But, based on the receipt on the back of the original ticket, signed by Mayor George Kacir, the ticket was paid and put to rest, Barton said.

So, now Kyle can safely visit West, Texas again. So long as his headlights work and he has a driver's license.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
Yorgos Karahalis | Reuters

The Turkish President Erdogan is more inclined to take a hard line on Cyprus to bolster his standing in Turkey as he faces many internal problems. Euthymius Petrou former advisor to the Greek Ministry of Defense and expert on Turkish affairs

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the north. The island was effectively partitioned with the northern third inhabited by Turkish Cypriots and the southern two-thirds by Greek Cypriots. The UN has overseen a ceasefire line between the south and Turkish-held north of the island in the four decades since.

The country's latest push to attract interest in its energy sector comes as Turkey and Israel discuss a pipeline to import Israeli natural gas that would pass through Cypriot waters. Turkey's goal is to reduce its reliance on Russian energy supplies. Officials in Nicosia, the capital city in the Republic of Cyprus, have said they will block the pipeline if the island stays divided. According to experts, Turkey's desire for Israeli gas may be the impetus needed to finally broker a resolution. A Cyprus deal has drawn the personal interest of top U.S. and European diplomats including Vice President Joe Biden. It would be a high-profile win in Europe for the outgoing administration.

A reason for optimism

Although the Republic of Cyprus, which is a member of the EU, is recognized as the sole legitimate state, 36 percent of the island in the north is the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It is occupied by Turkish armed forces and recognized as a state only by Turkey. The reason for optimism is that the two leaders, the President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, are committed to a settlement and have been discussing a reunification plan since May 2015. More from Global Investing Hot Spots:

At a tipping point: a currency crisis roils Turkey's economy

Turkey's economic struggles set to continue The current plan involves the establishment of two constituent states within an overarching federal framework on the island. The two states would run most of the island's affairs. Any deal would have to go to a referendum.

The drillship Pacific Khamsin in Limassol, Cyprus. Total explored for gas in their offshore Block 11 concession in early 2017. Athanasios Gioumpasis | Getty Images

According to experts the growing energy importance of Cyprus has offered a great incentive for reconciliation. The East Mediterranean island is located in the Levant basin, where both Israel and Egypt have made some of the world's biggest natural gas discoveries in the past decade. It's in this area that Cyprus found an estimated 4.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in one prospect in late 2011. Last year, the most pronounced interest was for an offshore sea block in close proximity to the Zohr field offshore Egypt, where Eni reported the discovery of an estimated 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2015. Over the last five years, the gas reserves in the waters around Cyprus have grabbed the attention of the international community, mainly from Europe and the United States. European Union countries that import natural gas, mostly from Russia, have been looking for alternative sources due to Russia's use of Gazprom, the natural gas company of Russia, as a weapon in the Ukrainian crisis. Not surprisingly, U.S. President Barack Obama recently argued that a just and comprehensive solution for Cyprus would have historic and far-reaching impact as it would improve economic opportunities for all the people of Cyprus and enhance energy security in the Mediterranean region and beyond.

Stumbling blocks remain
Mindy Grossman has worked for some the biggest companies out there: Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Nike.

In 2006, she took the helm at the then-floundering Home Shopping Network, relaunching the brand two years later. Fast-forward to the present day, and HSNi now boasts almost 7,000 employees and has become a $4 billion multichannel-retailer that reaches nearly 100 million households.

When she began at HSN, Grossman was its eighth CEO in 10 years. She credits her ability to turn the company around to boosting employee morale, thoroughly understanding the business and what was broken, and dramatically shifting the company culture.

One of the first things Grossman did was clean house, and she drew that inspiration from an unlikely source, she recently told CNBC.

"I'd just moved to St. Petersburg from New York City and remembered that when [former New York City mayor] Rudy Giuliani became mayor, one of the first things he did was get rid of all the graffiti." That led her to make an unusual decision: replacing every chair on HSN's campus with a new Aeron office chair.

That, Grossman explained, "was my way of getting rid of graffiti. It was a symbolic gesture of a new beginning and a catalyst for the work we did to reposition the brand."

Under Grossman, HSN expanded to become a multiplatform business that broadened beyond its television origins, and is now an online and mobile retail powerhouse. In a 2014 interview with Stanford Business School, the CEO explained she made a series of dramatic business decisions motivated by the idea that "if you don't disrupt yourself, you will be disrupted by someone else."
You probably don't know Karl Ebert, but he may have helped you with some of the biggest financial decisions of your life. Whether it's buying a home, figuring out how much you need to save for your kid's education or when to claim Social Security benefits, Ebert has an online financial calculator for you. "Each tool needs to answer a specific question or solve a particular problem. To do that well, the calculator should ask for just the right amount of information to create a useful answer without requiring hours of inputs," he said. His one-man company has created more than 450 online tools that are licensed to more than 10,000 websites and financial institutions, including the AARP, American Funds, Bankrate, Navy Federal Credit Union and Thrivent Financial.

Karl Ebert Source: Karl Ebert

It all started with a Roth IRA in 1998, which had only become available to investors a year before. Ebert, a business consultant back then, wanted to figure out if it was worth converting his traditional IRA to a Roth. So he made a simple calculator to find the answer. After he had created the calculator, he put it on his website, Dinkytown.net. Ebert, who lives in the Dinkytown neighborhood of Minneapolis, had originally envisioned his site as a local online portal, a sort of early predecessor of Yelp. That idea didn't pan out, but people started to notice the financial calculators he added to the site. One fan sent Ebert a $250 check to license his calculator for another website. Ebert's side hustle was transformed into a full-time business when Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank ordered a suite of tools from him in 1999. "I was in the right place at the right time," he said. (Now U.S. Bank uses online tools made by S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications.)

Singularly focused

Ebert, 48, mainly works alone in his home office, though he sometimes hires developers to help with big projects. He is married, but preferred not to discuss his personal life. "I enjoy solving problems and I've always been financially inclined since I was a kid," said Ebert, who declined to disclose how much he makes from Dinkytown.net. "I like to keep the focus on one thing and do that one thing really well." Over the past few years, he has reworked his calculators so they function smoothly on mobile devices. He estimates he builds a new financial tool about every other month for clients. All of his calculators are available for free at Dinkytown.net and he personally answers user feedback by email. His most popular calculator is one that automatically generates an estimated amortization schedule for a mortgage. "What our members like about the calculator is that it helps them quickly figure out how much house they can afford, which is essential when you take out a mortgage," said Michael Toner, who manages digital channels for Navy Federal. "Online calculators are valuable to our efforts to improve financial literacy among our members and one of the most popular parts of our website and mobile app." Ebert's favorite tool is the retirement planner because it gives one a solid estimate and only requires users to enter in eight numbers. Not all of Ebert's creations are hits. His least-used tool determines the gain or loss if you have repossessed personal property from a deferred payment sale. "It is a great calculator, but it isn't popular due to its extremely specialized audience," he said.

What is important is not the number itself, but how it is presented and whether it helps people take action. Stephen Wendel head of behavioral science at investment research firm Morningstar

Researchers from the Social Security Administration praised Ebert's work when they reviewed online tools that help people decide when to claim retirement benefits. "Users can view the information in a variety of ways without leaving the calculator's single page. It is easy to use and navigate and offers a custom printable document with all the outputs," researchers found. Striking the right balance between simplicity and accuracy is what separates good financial tools from the bad, said Stephen Wendel, head of behavioral science at investment research firm Morningstar. "What is important is not the number itself, but how it is presented and whether it helps people take action," Wendel said. "The presentation is far more important than an extra decimal point of accuracy."

Ebert's personal finance philosophy
Amazon has announced that Alexa, the brain that powers Amazon Echo, is coming to the UK, along with two Alexa-enabled devices: Echo and the all-new Echo Dot. Amazon

Alexa, the voice assistant built into the Amazon Echo, is one of many artificially intelligent (AI) personal assistants being deployed by technology companies to help consumers manage their homes and schedules. Amazon's gadget, which is quickly emerging as a strong rival to Apple's Siri and Google's Assistant, was a big hit at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Yet as a recent murder case illustrates, AI assistants are creating thorny legal and privacy questions that legal and cybersecurity experts are scrambling to understand. Because virtual assistants rely on microphones that, in some cases, may be continuously recording and sending information, that trove of information creates a delicate balance between law enforcement requests, corporate strategy and individual privacy rights. In 2015, an Arkansas man was found dead in a hot tub, and investigators issued a warrant to Amazon, requesting the company turn over audio recordings and information captured by an Echo smart speaker owned by the suspect. Although the internet retailer declined to give authorities the requested information, at least a few experts say the case may be a foreshadowing of things to come. That is because the convenience of voice-activated devices, which passively listen for a "hot word" or a "wake word" in order to activate, may come at a cost of individual privacy. In order to function, the device must constantly record and process all sound all the time, hoping to pick up on the wake word. A big part of the onus lies on the companies manufacturing the technology, explained Andrew Crocker, a staff attorney with the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, in an interview. "We can still insist that these companies protect our privacy when the government comes for that data," he said.



There will be a real privacy scare when the real 'always-on' devices, such as the remote video cams and Wi-Fi connected baby monitors and the like, become more prevalent. Jules Polonetsky CEO, Future of Privacy Forum

The trade-off between privacy and convenience, including the range of information captured, is generally acceptable to users  as long as they clearly understand what those gadgets record and what they do with the information. "All those things are important to know if you're going to make an informed decision to use a piece of technology like this." Central to privacy fears is that many voice-recognition devices are "always listening," as a recent research paper jointly authored by Ernst & Young and the Future of Privacy Forum, an advocacy group, pointed out. Among the various types of microphone-enabled devices, each has different privacy implications that consumers should understand, the paper argued, "influenced in part by whether data is stored locallyor whether it is transmitted from the device to a third party of external cloud storage." It's a scenario that created a stir for Samsung in 2015, when a little-noticed provision in its Smart TV's privacy policy suggested spoken words could be recorded and transmitted to a third party.

The LG Hub Robot (L) and Mini are displayed at an LG press event for CES 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on January 4, 2017, in Las Vegas. Getty Images

Jules Polonetsky, CEO of the Future of Privacy Forum, says in an interview with CNBC that the distinctions between devices create misunderstandings among users. He said that companies should make it obvious when a device is recording (typically via a flashing light or other visual indicator), and when and how smart assistants handle voice recordings. It creates a bond of trust between the user and the device  with significant potential for backlash if the trust is broken. "These devices are designed to not be useful to law enforcement," Polonetsky told CNBC. The lawyer and advocate said it was "incredibly and highly unlikely" that an automated assistant could capture a crime in progress. Nevertheless, the Arkansas investigation "is an important wake-up call, because it shows that people are really ready to get very upset if they think they are being spied on," he added. Polonetsky says the real danger lies in devices that constantly record. "It's a good reminder here to companies that they need to be mindful of only collecting what most of us want collected, which is our actual commands and directions," Polonetsky said, adding that "there will be a real privacy scare when the real 'always-on' devices, such as the remote video cams and Wi-Fi connected baby monitors and the like, become more prevalent."


President-elect Donald Trump's surprising rise to power has been attributed in large part to his ability to twist both positive and negative attention for his own gain.

Apparently, even the Obama White House was not immune to his media sway.

In 2015 and 2016, as the two candidates were gearing up for a tight presidential contest, White House staffers tweeted about Donald Trump more than 250 times, according to a CNBC analysis of tweets from a new archive of official social media accounts released by the administration late last week. At the same time, the White House tweeted about Democratic contender Hillary Clinton less than 100 times.

The White House started tweeting and retweeting Trump criticism at the end of 2015, upping its Trump tweet count in the spring of 2016 as the candidate gained steam in the primaries.

After Trump was the official nominee, the White House seemed to rethink its social media strategy, directing more attention towards the former Secretary of State.

In response to an inquiry from CNBC, a spokesperson said that "White House tweeters have communications and legal guidelines to follow for official accounts. This has been consistent from the beginning, and there were no changes in this policy through the presidential election"
Bridgewater Associates Chairman and CEO Ray Dalio sought to clarify the culture at his hedge fund  which he has called "unusual" and "kooky"  following media reports that suggested the firm fostered "fear and intimidation."

In a lengthy interview with Business Insider, Dalio aimed to clarify his firm's effort to create an "idea meritocracy." That endeavor has led Bridgewater to create a system in which employees rate one another's credibility on a number of dimensions, and everyone can see the ratings.

The data from these assessments are crunched to create a "believability" rating. Votes by employees with higher believabilty ratings are given greater weight in decision-making. That, Dalio told Business Insider, is how a company can achieve an idea meritocracy underpinned by "radical truth" and "radical transparency."

Dalio told the publication this is preferable to "one man, one vote," in which all votes are considered equal, and voting by those in power.

"I'm scared of one man, one vote because it suggests that everybody has an equal ability at making decisions, and I think that's dangerous. I'm also scared of people with power making the decision," he told Business Insider.

In July, The New York Times reported on a employee complaint with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities that the firm was like a "cauldron of fear and intimidation." The employee alleged that Bridgewater's culture initially prevented him from reporting sexual harassment by a superior.

The National Labor Relations Board said Bridgewater had interfered with employees' rights through its use of confidentiality agreements, the Times reported.

Dalio cited the Times' reporting and a more recent Wall Street Journal article in his call last week for an independent body to monitor media outlets.

Read the full interview here.
MoDOT prefers flyover ramps at 70 and 63

Following public and stakeholder meetings, MoDOT is moving ahead with its preferred idea of a flyover at the 70/63 connector.
I think it is safe to say that Peruvian food is currently having a bit of a moment in London. Ten years ago, I very much doubt you would have found ceviche (a classic Peruvian dish of fish that has been cooked in a citrus dressing where the acid has the same coagulating effect on the protein as heat) on a London restaurant menu  but these days you dont have to look far to encounter it. My first introduction to the Peruvian trend came in the form of martin Moraless Ceviche Peruvian kitchen and pisco bar (pisco being the national drink of Peru). Not long after my first pisco sour at Ceviche, Another London Peruvian restaurant Lima won a Michelin star. And recently, I discovered yet more Peruvian deliciousness in London at Coya when Alhambra beer hosted a dinner there to match Spanish beer with Peruvian food.

Walking into Coya is like stepping into a little corner of Latin America. The room features low lighting and a neutral palette of browns and greys (including the gorgeous oversize carved wooden doors and traditional masks), broken only by the vibrant golden chairs. The bar is low-lit slice of Lima cocktail action where the barmen shake endless pisco sours to Latin beats. We were seated in the private dining room which is the polar opposite in terms of decor  a riot of funky urban wall art painted by Brazilian graffiti artist Loro Verz, making for a vibrant yet cosy space. Founded in Granada, Alhambra Reserva 1925 is a hand-crafted lager with an impressive 90 year heritage. They have maintained the same traditional brewing process since 1925, combining Saaz hops with Sierra Nevada spring water before a slow natural 35-day fermentation. The end result is a smooth tasting lager with a distinctive caramel aroma, amber colour and a full-flavoured palate with a refreshing citrussy finish. Its also sold in a rather appealing label-free embossed glass bottle. I was intrigued to see whether it would provide a good match for the Peruvian feast to come.

We started with a selection from the ceviche and tiradito menu including asparagus Peruanos with aji amarillo chiles and garlic (9.00); sea bream criollo with aji amarillo chiles, crispy corn and coriander (8.00); salmon Nikkei with celery juice, ginger, daikon and wasabi tobiko (9.00); and tuna Nikkei tiradito with ginger and chilli salsa (12.00). All of these were outstanding with distinctive and fresh flavours  but my favourite was the silky tuna tiradito. Although all these dishes were fairly light, they all packed a flavour punch and worked well with the citrussy zing of the beer.

Next up were a selection of small warm plates including the gambas fritas (crispy tiger prawns) with aji rocoto (11.00) which had been fried in a batter made with Alhambra Reserva 1925; pulpo al olivo  josper octopus with peruvian olives (14.00); pollo anticucho  charcoal grilled chicken skewers marinated with aji amarillo and garlic (7.00); and ensalada de mais  a salad of josper corn, crispy corn, sweet onions and red chiles. The prawns were feather-light and I loved the combination of the octopus and the olives. The corn salad, though, was the dish that had me coming back for seconds, something about the satisfying carb-heavy sweetness of the corn and the bite of the red chiles  a simple but perfect dish.

This was followed by a selection of larger dishes and vegetable sides  my personal favourite was the astonishingly good blackened Lubina Chilena or Chilean seabass with aji amarillo (28.00). This succulent hunk of fish with its buttery flesh and richly flavoured charred crust would give any black cod miso in town a run for its money. We also enjoyed langostino tigre grilled in the shell with chilli salsa (29.00), the spicy salsa providing the perfect foil for the sweet, charred flesh of the prawn; and for the meat eaters, costillas de res  beef short rib slow-cooked in Alhambra beer and topepd with fresh aji chile. The beef was wonderful, with the rich and deep flavour that only slow-cooking can bring out  and incredibly tender. On the side we had patatas bravas a la Peruana  crispy potatoes in a spicy tomato and huancaina sauce (5.00); sprouting broccoli with chilli, garlic butter and sesame seeds (5.00); and papa fresca  Peruvian purple potato with summer vegetables, tomato and aji limo chile. I would never have chosen beer to serve with delicate seafood dishes like the seabass or the prawns but the light citrussy notes of the Alhambra reserva worked rather well with them  and of course I loved the wonderful beer-braised beef short rib.

No meal would be complete without something sweet and so we ended with three dishes off the dessert menu. The selection of exotic fresh fruit (9.50) possibly wins the prize for the most gorgeous fruit platter I have ever seen. I also loved the lightness of the coconut mousse with pineapple sorbet, lime and coconut granita (17.50). But it was the decadent caramela con chocolate & sorbet de pisco y frambuesa  salted caramel ganache with pisco and raspberry sorbet (13.00)  that turned out to be my favourite.

The Alhambra Reserva 1925 made a surprisingly good match for the savoury dishes, with enough lightness and brightness to not overwhelm the fish, and enough body to stand up to the meat and chiles. Although Id never thought of matching beer to an entire meal, I certainly had my perceptions shifted by this dinner. I was also very impressed with the food at Coya. Although not cheap, the ingredients were excellent  fresh and authentic  and each dish shone with unique flavours. I would go back for the blackened sea bass and the beef short rib alone and of course that chocolate caramel dessert!

For another perspective on our evening, have a look at Rosanas post

Nearest station: Hyde park Corner

Approx. cost per head: Approx. 75 per head for 2 small plates, main, dessert and a shared bottle of wine

COYA

118 Piccadilly

Mayfair

London

W1J 7NW

Tel. +44 (0) 20 7042 7118

Email. [email protected]

DISCLOSURE: I enjoyed this meal as a guest of Alhambra Reserva 1925 but received no further remuneration to write this post. I was not expected to write a positive review  all views are my own and I retain full editorial control.

Lets keep in touch!

You can also find me tweeting at @cooksisterblog, Instagramming as Cooksister, Snapchatting as Cooksisterblog or pinning like a pro on Pinterest. To keep up with my latest posts, you can subscribe to my free e-mail alerts, like Cooksister on Facebook, or follow me on Bloglovin.
CORNWALL, Ontario  NASA has announced that Astronaut Andrew Feustel will launch into space in March 2018 when he goes to join the crew of the International Space Station (ISS). Feustel is the husband of Indira Bhatnagar, a graduate of Cornwall Collegiate Vocational School here in Cornwall.

Feustels in-laws Dr.Vijay Bhatnagar and Alena Bhatnagar are excited for their son-in-law and the new adventure that awaits him and his family.

"Thank you for all of your support dear family and friends," Dr. Bhatnagar said in an emailed statement. "Your mission: to spread the word, the news and the excitement of space exploration for the betterment of humankind! Hope you will come along with us on this exciting journey."

Andrew Feustel was first selected for the NASA Astronaut Program in 2000. In 2009 he was a part of the final mission to the Hubble Space Telescope by the space shuttle Atlantis. He also traveled to the International Space Station in 2011 on the space shuttle Endeavour, the last mission of that shuttle.

Feustel will be serving as a flight engineer on Expedition 55, and later as commander of Expedition 56.

He will be joined by Astronaut Jeanette Epps who will be the first African American member of the ISS crew.
It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the
American Cruise Lines said that it has raised $14,000 for the Connecticut Food Bank with its Holiday Give-Back Program.

The line continues to support the Connecticut Food Bank through its Give-Back program by donating $50 for each ticket sold on select holiday cruises. Last year the line donated $10,500.

Susan Shultz, director of sales, presented the Connecticut Food Bank with the donation on behalf of the company at the Food Banks distribution center in Wallingford, CT.

There is nothing as rewarding as giving back to the local community and helping those in need, said Shultz. Its our goal to continue to share our successes with the Connecticut Food Bank in the coming years.

Connecticut Food Bank CEO Bernie Beaudreau said the donation from American Cruise Lines would support critically needed food for hungry families in Connecticut.

This generous donation will provide enough food for 28,000 meals. We are grateful for the generosity of American Cruise Lines, given in recognition of their travelers, who shared the bounty of their holiday with Connecticut families in need.
I can see the online comments now.

What kind of an idiot asks if Connecticuts business climate is that bad? Of course its that bad! Whats with this guy?

A moron, amirite?

(Ive been called worse.)

But seriously. Is it? A lot of smart people think so. From business leaders to politicians in the Capitol to editorial page writers  most appear to believe our business climate needs reviving.

There are many ways to substantiate the claim, but it seems the most popular evidence is the states poor economic growth. Indeed, we have seen anemic growth for two decades. But growth may not be the best way to assess business climate.

Skewing a states profile

Consider Texas.

Under the stewardship of former Gov. Rick Perry, the Longhorn State witnessed phenomenal economic growth in 2015, more than 5 percent. That success was the foundation for Perrys second run for president and for his nomination by President-elect Donald Trump to head the U.S. Department of Energy.

Turns out the Perry administration was doling out more than $19 billion a year in corporate subsidies. A $30 million loan in 2004 went to a phantom energy company, according to a recent Pro Publica report. A $222 million package in 2014 went to a company that never even asked for the money.

The idea is that corporate subsidies fuel job growth. But in Texas, most promises were broken. A watchdog group found that companies receiving all those millions in taxpayer dollars created less than a third of the jobs they promised. You didnt even have to make promises to break. Citgo got $5 million after moving out of state. Chevron got $12 million to build an office complex in Houston that it never built.

None of this is to say economic growth is a bad indicator of a states business climate. And none of this is to say that corporate subsidies are an inherently bad way to manage a states economy. It is to say that they can be misused and abused. And it is to say they can skew a states profile.

A healthy skepticism

To individual business owners, taxes are onerous. But do taxes amount to a bad business climate? Again, Im skeptical.

If we take the value of all the goods and services produced in Connecticut (the gross state product), and compare that to the amount in taxes that businesses pay, guess what? Connecticut has one of the lowest tax-to-GSP ratios. The national average is 4.6 percent. Ours is 3.5 percent.

This information comes from a new study by the Council on State Taxation, a group representing businesses around the country. It so happens this information stands in stark contrast to positions taken by another group that represents business, the Connecticut Business & Industry Association.

The CBIA has been fighting taxes and regulations for years, but last year, for the first time, it placed a bet of $400,000 on Republican candidates to take over the state Senate. It nearly succeeded  the chamber is split evenly  and it did so by hyping concern over Connecticuts bad business climate.

They said: Taxes are high. Business is bad. Vote Republican.

But if business taxes are a small slice of what the state produces, how bad can the states business climate be? When asked to respond to the COST study, CBIA head Joe Brennan seemed unwilling to go there. Instead of saying business taxes are too high, he said they should not go any higher. We really have to try this year not to make (taxes) any worse he said.

You could take that comment at face value. Or you could take that comment to mean the CBIA is going to promote the image of Connecticut as a bad place to do business whether its true or not, because that image serves its members interests.

Maybe it can squeeze a few subsidies out of the state.

Fortunately, Rick Perry doesnt live here.

A problem of success

None of this is to say the conventional wisdom is wrong. Its to express skepticism of the conventional wisdom. We remain a rich state. If Congressional Republicans cut federal taxes in Washington, were going to get richer. Thats on top of wages that are higher than the national average, and climbing.

How do we spur growth after having achieved so much? I dont know. But maybe we should start with a different premise.

Our problem may be one of success, not failure.

John Stoehr is a lecturer in political science at Yale. He can be reached at johnastoehr@gmail.com.
Anthony LoFrisco loves to cook and tell stories. So when he invites you to his house in Wilton for dinner, you are in for a deliciously long evening.

It was my good fortune recently to spend such a night with LoFrisco, a retired 83-year-old attorney who has written and published The LoFrisco Family Cookbook. It is equal parts memoir and family-style Italian cookbook, spiced with a dash of Sicilian humor.

LoFrisco greeted me with a glass of wine, a fine Brunello de Montalcino, that he says, will get better as the night goes on. He goes back to rolling dough that would eventually become our dessert, cream puffs, and tells me about his very first cooking lesson.

Its a very specific memory. I was 6 years old and spending the night at my aunts house. She was like a grandmother to me. Very warm and giving. The next morning, she asked me what I wanted. And I said, Spaghetti. So she gets out the frying pan, the spaghetti leftovers and she teaches me how to fry spaghetti. Its a dish I love to this day.

His culinary education continued in his familys kitchen in Dyker Heights, a Brooklyn, N.Y., neighborhood in the shadows of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, where he watched his mother cook great family meals every day.

My mother (Josie) came to this country from Sicily when she was just 6 years old. By the time she was 9, she was the live-in cook for a very successful Italian family in Albany (N.Y.). They were connoisseurs, so she learned to cook very well, he says.

More Information Sunday Sauce (Meat Sauce) Serves 8-10 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic 3/4 pound ground sirloin beef 6 (28-ounce) cans San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes 3/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano cheese (plus more for serving) 2 (6-ounce) cans plain tomato paste ( or 2 (2.8-ounce) tubes Amore Italian Sun-Dried Tomato Paste) 1/2 teaspoon black olive paste, optional 2 cups water, if needed In a food processor, chop canned tomatoes until smooth. I prefer my sauce chunk-free. Heat the olive oil in a 10-quart stainless steel sauce pot over medium heat. While the oil comes up to temperature, smash the garlic with the flat side of a knife and remove the skin. Add the garlic to the pot and cook until light brown. Remove large pieces of garlic and discard. Add the chopped beef to the sauce pot to brown, breaking up any chunks larger than a pea. A potato masher will make this job easy. Add the blended tomatoes, parmigiano cheese and tomato paste to the sauce pot. Cook uncovered over moderate heat for two hours, stirring frequently. Do not allow sauce to scorch. Check for burning by scraping the bottom of the saucepan, lower heat and scrape from the bottom of the pot while cooking, if possible. If sauce becomes too scorched, transfer it to a clean saucepan to continue cooking and be sure to stir the sauce. Add water, a 1/2 cup at a time, if sauce gets too thick. If it approaches the consistency of chili, it is definitely too thick. Add optional black olive paste a few minutes before serving. Sauce can be made the day before, but must be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container. Do not cook or store in aluminum pots or containers. Meatballs Makes 25 1 batch Sunday Sauce (see recipe above) 2 pounds ground beef 1 1/4 cups plain breadcrumbs 3 large eggs 4 cups freshly grated parmigiano cheese 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves, optional 1-1 1/2 cups water 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, if frying meatballs In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, if using, and parmigiano cheese. Mix thoroughly by hand. Add water by 1/4 cup until meat mixture has a very soft consistency, but will hold a spherical shape. A cup will usually do, but sometimes a little more is needed. Using your hands, form meatballs about twice the size of a golf ball. You may want to rub a little olive oil on the palms of your hands before working with the meat to prevent meatballs from sticking. Once the meatballs have been shaped, you can either put the raw meatballs directly in the boiling Sunday Sauce or pan fry them as noted below. I prefer to cook them completely in the Sunday Sauce. If you choose to fry the meatballs before adding them to the sauce, cover the bottom of a large skillet with 1/4 inch of olive oil and place over moderate heat. Cook meatballs in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Fry meatballs until the bottom is browned, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully turn the meatballs and fry another 2-3 minutes. The meatballs will be raw in the center. Place the fried or raw meatballs in the Sunday Sauce. Cook at least 30 minutes in the sauce at the low boil stage. Stir the sauce just before adding the meatballs, then do not stir again for about 5 minutes while the meatballs begin to cook. Stir carefully after that point to avoid breaking up the meatballs. Serve as a main course or over pasta, topped with more parmigiano cheese. - Recipes from "The LoFrisco Family Cookbook: How Josie Brought Sicily to Brooklyn," by Anthony F. LoFrisco See More Collapse

LoFrisco starts another story when his sous chef Christine politely suggests he had better start cooking if we were going to get through the feast he had planned. And thats when I saw the printed list that was our sampling menu: Ricotta Cones, Caponatina, Pizza Rustica, Seafood Salad with bread, Meatballs and Sunday Sauce with Ricotta, Chicken Cacciatore, Cacio e Pepe, Cream Puffs and Cuchidada. LoFrisco returned to his labors, talking as he cooked. I continued with the wine and anticipated the meal to come.

I wrote this book for my kids and family. They were after me for years to write down grandmas recipes. But I was too busy with my law firm. But now I have more time, so I decided to do it, the new author says. All the recipes are simple. That was really the whole point. Good cooking is really all about the ingredients. The rest is easy.

I then heard about St. Eleanor, LoFriscos affectionate name for his late wife, who devised a clever way to suss out the secrets of her mother-in-laws recipes. My mother never measured anything. So my wife would invite her over to cook. Eleanor would measure out all the ingredients and place them in separate bowls. My mother would grab what she needed. Then, after my mother was finished, Eleanor would measure the amount left in each bowl. Thats how she figured out the exact amount of everything my mother used, LoFrisco says.

Eleanor achieved sainthood, according to LoFrisco, for putting up with all my wild ideas. LoFrisco had discovered an obscure French cookbook while browsing through the New York Public Librarys rare book collection, a frequent haunt during his high school days. The fancy ingredients and different foods fascinated me, he says. He eventually decided French cooking was too fussy, but not before he and Eleanor threw a Henry VIII feast. It seems the British royal who ruled the Empire for the first half of the 16th century, and his French counterpart, Francis I, competed to see which court could produce the most lavish meals.

I cooked all this wonderful food. And we set up a big table. All of our friends dressed in period costume. And I insisted that there be no utensils, just like in Henry VIIIs day. Eleanor thought I was nuts, but she put up with it. Thats why shes St. Eleanor, LoFrisco says with a hearty laugh. And, as if on cue, Christine laid down several dishes in front of us, and we had a LoFrisco version of the Tudor feasts.

As we sampled the Pizza Rustica, Chicken Cacciatore, and other tasty Italian cuisine, LoFrisco kept repeating his mantra about keeping things simple. He cited the cream puffs as a perfect example.

Traditional creme puffs are filled with creme patissiere, which is a wonderful filling that requires precisely mixing sugar, flour, egg yolks, eggs, vanilla and milk. It was a lot of work. One night I ran out of time, so I just made some whipped cream and My-T-Fine vanilla pudding. It was delicious. I never used creme patissiere again.

LoFriscos book runs close to 300 pages, is beautifully designed and illustrated, and is printed on heavy paper stock. It is the kind of cookbook to be used while cooking; the pages look like spilled red sauce or a misplaced dollop of caponatina would wipe right off with no damage done. Like the recipes, the book is designed to last.

I would love to describe all the wonderful flavors I ate at chez Anthony, but LoFrisco does it so beautifully in his book that I will just refer you to his website, lofriscocookbook.com. The books subtitle is How Josie Brought Sicily to Brooklyn, and its how her son is sharing it with the rest of us.

Bob Horton is a columnist for the Greenwich Time and a regular contributor to Sunday Arts & Style.
State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, is urging the Department of Motor Vehicles to quickly find a new vendor to perform drivers license renewal services previously provided by AAA Northeast.

Connecticuts contract with AAA Northeast ended on January 1st.

The DMV negotiated in good faith with AAA Northeast, even after the vendor attempted to renege on its existing contract in 2016 and resumed providing services only under the threat of a lawsuit, Duff wrote in a letter to DMV Commissioner Michael Bzdyra.

I find it difficult to understand why AAA Northeast was unable to reach an agreement with the state when the other AAA franchise in Connecticut, AAA Club Alliance, recently renewed its contract for another five years, Duff said.

Following the termination of the contract, the DMV reallocated staff to assist its Fairfield and New Haven County offices and redeployed equipment to handle additional customers in those offices.

I am sure that you can imagine that the loss of these services performed by AAA Northeast is an important issue for the Connecticut residents that I represent, Duff wrote. I would urge you and the Department of Motor Vehicles to quickly find a new private vendor to take over the providing of these services in order to disrupt licensing in the affected areas as little as possible.
With a New Year comes new rules on the books. Residents of some states must abide by hundreds of new laws beginning this week. In Illinois, nearly 200 new laws went into effect, while California added around 900.

Minimum wage

The minimum wage has increased in 22 states. In some states, such as Arizona, Colorado and Maine, the public voted on ballot measures to determine the rate, while in others (i.e. Hawaii, Maryland and Vermont), state legislative bodies passed laws to enact new labor standards.

Minimum wage amounts vary by state as well. For example, while New Jerseys is now $8.44, up 6 cents, Massachusetts and Washington now have the highest minimum wage in the country at $11.

Some states arent done raising their hourly rates, either. New York and California are among several states and many cities that are working toward a $15 minimum wage in the future.

Related: 4 Potential Lawsuits to Watch Out for in Small Business

Public safety

In Illinois, a new law impacts those in the beauty industry. In order to renew their licenses, cosmetologists are now required to get training to identify signs of domestic and sexual abuse and be better equipped to help clients who might be victims.

Transportation

In California, it is now illegal to hold your phone or any other electronic device while you are behind the wheel. It must be mounted on the dashboard. In Iowa, there are now statewide regulations for ride-hailing companies such as Lyft and Uber requiring background checks, insurance and termination if drivers engage in substance abuse on the job.

Speaking of cars, if you have your eye on a Tesla, know that if you buy after Jan. 15, it wont be free to recharge the battery at the companys Supercharger stations.

Related: 7 Things Business Owners Need to Know Post-Election

Weapons

A series of gun laws were also passed. In California, gun owners who have magazines capable of holding ten rounds of ammunition must relinquish them, and anyone purchasing ammunition must undergo a background check. In Missouri, gun owners are no longer required to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Drugs and alcohol

In November, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada voted to allow recreational marijuana use, and those laws went into effect at the start of the year. Medical marijuana is now legal in Arkansas, Florida and Montana based on the results of the November election.

If youre a craft beer connoisseur in New York City, when you go to the bar to buy a drink, there will be a tax of about one cent that will go back to the brewery that made the beer. And in Tennessee, there is a new regulation that allows breweries to make beer with an alcohol by volume of up to 10.1 percent.

Related:

What You Need to Know About New Local and State Laws for 2017

Things Could Be Much Worse. Like When Human Waste Falls From the Sky.

Stuttering Startups: Legal Hazards You May Want To Avoid



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County-specific poll may foretell whether Pa. is going blue or red
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Journalism can be a dangerous job. In many places on our planet, rich and powerful people dislike anyone investigating their nefarious affairs and are swift to threaten, imprison, torture and even kill those who do so.

The brave men and women who resist such pressure and report truth in the face of tyranny are not just helping to expose corruption and injustice. They are fighting for something we in Britain take for granted: the right to free expression that is a foundation stone of our democracy.

Small wonder, then, that many journalists in foreign countries look with envy on a place where politicians cannot dictate the public agenda, where censors do not hold sway and where reporters are free to investigate wrongdoing without fear.

So they would be shocked to discover that Britain, the mother of parliamentary democracy, faces the threat of politicians muzzling the press.

We stand on the brink of permitting a self-protecting political class to impose a state- sanctioned regulator  and incredibly, devolving official approval to a body funded by the embittered son of a wartime fascist who ended up on the front pages in a sex scandal.

As human rights groups such as Index on Censorship point out, if such measures were introduced in other countries, British politicians would be the first to scream about dreadful state censorship.

Brutal: A protest in Zimbabwe. Journalists in the country risk their lives and liberty to defy authorities in pursuit of stories

They are right. This draconian measure threatens to protect crooks and dodgy characters while shackling investigative journalism, silencing small publishers and shrinking public accountability of those in power.

I have reported from more than 50 nations, covering coups, conflicts and chaos, and have witnessed first-hand what it is like to operate in regimes where such restrictions are in place.

From Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe, I have been privileged to work with journalists who risk their lives and liberty daily to defy authorities in pursuit of stories. They challenge powerful forces with fierce courage and a determination to fight for democratic values. Several have ended up in jail. Azerbaijans superb investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova was convicted on phoney embezzlement charges after exposing a series of dodgy dealings by her presidents family.

In Swaziland I met an editor named Bheki Makhubu, outspoken over the appalling regime of Africas last absolute monarch. He spent 15 months in prison after later criticising the conduct of his countrys chief justice.

Others have been forced to flee for safety in the dead of night, such as one reporter I know from Ethiopia. Only last week two more journalists in that repressive state were jailed for trumped-up terrorist offences, joining 16 others behind bars.

They would rightly look on in amazement as Britain sleepwalks towards a future in which the press freedoms they so desire are shackled by state intervention and the threat of crippling legal costs for those who dare to report the truth.

Consider the facts. Four years ago Westminster was still smarting from the fallout over its shameful expenses scandal, which was revealed by a national newspaper and led to criminal convictions for several MPs. Then along came a phone-hacking scandal, sparking anger over the antics of some red-top journalists, and the subsequent Leveson Inquiry that gave politicians the opportunity for revenge.

A cosy deal was cooked up between the three main party leaders  all since ousted from office  and members of Hacked Off, an anti-press lobby group whose best-known figure is film star Hugh Grant.

So now comes Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Acts, snuck through Parliament in just 13 hours despite some MPs complaining of voting on an unseen draft, which empowers a regulator called Impress to oversee publishers, who will otherwise be denied justice in the courts.

This new body is funded by the family of Max Mosley, whose sexual activities were once splashed in the now-closed News of the World newspaper.

This is back-door imposition of state control on the press.

And if that was not bad enough, an official regulator sanctioned by Parliament is getting cash from a rich man crusading to rein in papers after he was caused embarrassment. Indeed, there is tragic irony in the Government giving recognition to a state body funded by the son of Sir Oswald Mosley  not least when it is egged on by people who call some of Britains most popular daily newspapers fascist and want them banned.

The new body is funded by the family of Max Mosley, whose sexual activities were once splashed in the now-closed News of the World newspaper

But it gets worse. Much worse. The most alarming aspect of this move is that it threatens to end the freedom of journalists to expose wrongdoing, investigate errant behaviour and hold the powerful to account. Publishers can choose whether to accept Impresss authority. But if they refuse, they would be forced to pay all legal costs if a story is challenged in the courts for libel or on grounds of privacy  regardless of the outcome.

Welcome to a world in which journalists and newspapers are punished  and possibly forced out of business  for telling the truth about crooks, thieves and scoundrels. What other law, what other civilised country, acts in such a manner?

This would have a very real and damaging impact on serious journalism. For example, last month I revealed how Britains biggest specialist aid contractor obtained secret and sensitive state papers for commercial advantage. Adam Smith International also tried to hoodwink a parliamentary inquiry into fat-cat firms creaming off cash intended for the global poor.

This was a tricky story given the high stakes involved, and it has since led to two official inquiries and a Ministerial intervention. There was a whistleblower needing protection, discussion over legalities of leaked documents, threats of a court challenge, internal debate on public interest concerns. After 30 years reporting and editing newspapers, this is familiar terrain.

Yet in this chilling new world of state control, that wealthy firm could have sued us despite evidence stacked against it, secure in the knowledge that all legal costs would be recoverable. This malign measure threatens to crush investigative journalism, starting with smaller publications and local newspapers struggling for survival in the digital age.

It is particularly perilous for Sunday papers, which have run some of the most important investigations over recent decades, because last-minute injunctions are especially damaging for a publication coming out just once a week.

And it is simply astonishing this is suggested at a time when malevolent states are waging cyber-attacks designed to disrupt Western democracies, provoking justified fears over the destabilising impact of false news flying around social media.

Senior sources at Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news network, are deeply alarmed by what is happening here. If British investigative journalism, which they regard as the best in the world, can be stifled in this way, what will be the consequences in the Gulf states, still ruled by feudal-style monarchies?

If Theresa May is on the side of decent people, as she proclaims, this destructive legacy of her predecessors era must be swept aside when public consultation concludes on Tuesday.

Journalists are troublemakers by nature, yet for all the undoubted sins of my profession, we need people prepared to rake through muck to stem any stench of corruption.
Last week we learned that ambulance-chasing no win, no fee lawyers are sucking 440 million out of the NHS every year.

Thats just their share of the loot. Lawsuits in total cost the Health Service more than 1.5 billion a year.

Any visitor to NHS hospitals knows that these cynical firms are allowed to advertise their services in the public areas of hospitals themselves. In effect, the NHS has to help people to ruin it.

There is no need for any of this. It all stems from a crazy mistake made back in the 1990s by Margaret Thatcher and John Major.

Legal vulture: Paul Newman playing an ambulance-chasing lawyer in the 1982 film The Verdict

Almost everyone who understood the subject was against introducing no win, no fee lawsuits at the time, including senior judges and distinguished lawyers.

They warned that it would Americanise our legal system. And they were dead right. I can remember, as long ago as 1982, watching Paul Newman playing a deadbeat US lawyer in The Verdict.

The opening scene showed Newman hanging round funeral parlours, wretchedly handing his business card to the mourners of accident victims, in the hope of getting a case, any case.

At the time, I had no idea this went on. Later, during many visits to the US and while living there in the early 1990s, I discovered the hideous truth. Nobody, anywhere, was safe from a mad lawsuit which might well succeed.

I was warned, for instance, that if a guest in my house merely spilled hot water on himself, I could well face a gigantic lawsuit and lose it.

From this came the cringing, hyper-cautious health and safety culture which dogs the supposed land of the free (and now dogs us too). Not to mention much higher costs for almost everything, as insurers raise their premiums to finance the incessant, huge payments.

Who, knowing this, would introduce this Bloodsuckers Charter in a country that didnt have it? We did. A Royal commission had opposed it. The Law Commission didnt like it.

It was excoriated by experts and laymen alike in the House of Lords, where it was attacked by the late Lord Rawlinson for introducing ambulance-chasing in which lawyers acted like vultures.

HOW YOU CAN HELP SAVE A VITAL FREEDOM... Journalists and newspapers arent always very nice. I have been on the receiving end of my trades less lovable features, during a (long-ago) family tragedy, and so I know this better than most reporters. Thats why Im not inclined to be pious about press freedom. We scribblers are never going to end up commemorated in stained-glass windows. Like many important parts of a free society, our liberty is a two-edged sword. But youll miss it once it is gone. There is, literally, nobody else with the power to take on big government and big corporations. They talk to us (and try ceaselessly to bamboozle and cajole us) because they are afraid of us. And if they werent, they would be greedier, more incompetent, lazier, and more crooked than they are. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of the USA, a man who understood the cynicism and untrustworthiness of politicians very well, because he was a politician, put it best. Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. Now, lesser men and women are quietly building a coffin for press freedom in this country. Some of them have had their own nasty actions exposed by newspapers. Others just dont like seeing opinions they dont share given a powerful platform. There is still time to stop them, but it is very short. Thanks to a foolish law passed by David Cameron, the Culture Secretary, Karen Bradley, can by a stroke of her pen bring back that ancient wrong, state regulation of newspapers, under the threat of bankruptcy for those who dont comply. Please write to her, as soon as you can, urging her not to do so. Advertisement

But Mrs Thatcher went gaily ahead with this Bloodsuckers Charter, more politely known as the 1990 Courts And Legal Services Act (Section 58).

This cleared the way for the change, but was fitted with a time-delay device  perhaps because the Government was ashamed of it and didnt want to be linked with it when it eventually took effect.

It was finally activated in 1995 by the passage of the Conditional Fee Agreements Regulations. In a last-ditch attempt to stop it, which failed by only six votes, the late Lord Ackner warned there will be occasions when this country will exceed the worst excesses of the United States.

He noted that the original Bill had been enacted in the teeth of opposition from seven Law Lords, the Master of the Rolls, a former Lord Chancellor, my noble and learned friend Lord Hailsham, a former Attorney-General, the noble and learned lord, Lord Rawlinson of Ewell and the Law Commission.

The clear reason for the measure was to save money on legal aid, which is of course a very costly way of trying to see that justice is open to those who are not rich. But, as we now see, it was a false economy. The NHSs annual legal bill of 1.5 billion is only slightly less than the 1.7 billion which legal aid cost the whole country in 2014-15.

And that is just the NHS. Who can count the extra costs loaded on to every other public body, from schools to the Army, and on to every private company, by the need to guard against opportunist lawyers scouring the country for plaintiffs seeking a payout?

In the catalogue of mistakes made by governments, this is a pretty big one. But it is also quite easy to put right. Who would weep, apart from the legal vultures, if we abolished no win, no fee and went back to legal aid for reasonable cases? It would obviously cost less in the long run.

My guess is that nothing happens because most people still blame the loopy Health and Safety culture, wrongly, on human rights laws or political correctness.

It has nothing to do with them. It cant even be blamed on Anthony Blair, who was indeed a disaster but didnt wreck the country all by himself. It was just a stupid mistake. Theresa May has the sense to reverse it, and should do so.

They've taken a bite out of Mars

There's a technique for raising prices without drawing attention to it, known in the food trade as shrinking the chocolate bar.

The bar gets smaller. The price stays the same. The poor consumer quite possibly doesnt notice.

Mars: The bar gets smaller. The price stays the same. The poor consumer quite possibly doesnt notice

This has all got much easier since the state-sponsored attack on customary British weights and measures, our old landmarks and signposts.

Who knows what a gram is, or feels like? But I know the feel of four ounces of toffees in the palm of my hand, just as I know what it means when someone measures five feet nine inches tall, but have to look it up when he says he is 1.7526 metres.

Now that fine body the British Weights and Measures Association (BWMA) has spotted a very odd change in the Mars Bar, once two ounces (or 58 grams).

In 2014 that went down to 51 grams. Only the keen-eyed would have noticed that this was even a change.

The BWMA cheekily wrote to Mars asking why they couldnt put the weight of their bars in ounces as well as grams on the wrapper.

The company said (incorrectly) that the figure in grams was more accurate. Now it turns out that Mars Bars made in metric Holland do give the weight in ounces and grams, clearly showing that the weight has been reduced to 1.80oz.

I wonder why they cant do that on the bars they make in Britain, where so many of us still think in English measures?
Jeremy Corbyn's chances of holding on to Labours narrow majority in the upcoming by-election in Copeland  home to thousands of workers based at the Sellafield nuclear installation  wont be helped by these words from the Labour leader in 2011 which Dog has unearthed: If the Romans had nuclear power, there would now be barbed wire round every Roman remains because it would still be dangerous from nuclear waste.

No wonder local party officials say they would rather he stayed away from the campaign

Party officials say they would rather Jeremy Corbyn stayed away from the Copeland by-election campaign

...........................................................................................................................................

Tony Blairs cocky No 10 crony Jonathan Powell publicly scoffs at Iain Duncan Smiths blind faith in Brexit. Pity Powell didnt do the same during a three-way phone call with Blair and George Bush before the Iraq War, in which Bush vowed to kick ass.

Powells wife, author Sarah Helm, revealed last year that she listened in from home as craven Blair mumbled his support, while her hubby kept schtum, phone in hand, presiding over their childrens bath  on his knees. The correct position.

...........................................................................................................................................

Now Anna creates hell with leather...

Former Minister Anna Soubry

Former Minister Anna Soubry, who defended her Tory pal Nicky Morgan in Morgans notorious trousergate row with Theresa May over the PMs brown leather slacks, caused a stir at a Christmas bash by turning up in her own tight black leather pantaloons.

Soubry, pictured, told friends she had thought of wearing a racy leather pinafore outfit to PMQs in the Commons, but thought better of it.

...........................................................................................................................................

Theresa Mays dutiful husband, Philip, wasnt always happy to play the role of the trailing spouse.

When the couple first joined the Wimbledon Conservative Association in the 1990s, they formed a hotshot pub quiz team with now Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and his wife Sue  and Philip assertively took the chair as captain.

Dog suggests they re-form the team and give us a proper answer to the question: what does Brexit actually mean?

...........................................................................................................................................

Ukips dirty laundry

George Cottrell, right, was sufficiently close to his leader Nigel Farage, left, to be invited to join him for a long lunch on EU referendum day

Attempts by Nigel Farage to distance himself from Ukips George Cottrell, who is facing 20 years in a US jail over money-laundering charges  Nigel says he was just a volunteer  are not very gentlemanly.

Dog learns that young Cottrell, 22, was sufficiently close to his leader to be invited to join him for a long claret-soaked lunch on EU referendum day.

But Posh George is a cool customer if nothing else: when US officials swooped on him over the multi-million-pound laundering claims, during one of Farages junkets to the States, he told Nigel it was because he was travelling with too many duty-free cigarettes.

...........................................................................................................................................

Culture Minister Matt Hancock admits there is one part of his new job that he cant stand  having to watch musicals.

But there has been one exception: the new London production of Groundhog Day, starring Andy Karl.
Jeremy Corbyn and his team are said to be mobilising behind Rachel Holliday for the Copeland by-election

Tomorrow the deadline closes on nominations for Labours candidate in the upcoming Copeland by-election in Cumbria. Thats the by-election caused by sitting Labour MP Jamie Reeds pre-Christmas announcement that the atmosphere within his party had become so toxic he could no longer stand it, and was moving to a job at the nearby Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant instead.

As a result  and as I reported last week  Labours warring tribes are drawing up their battle-lines.

Jeremy Corbyn and his team are mobilising behind their favoured candidate, Rachel Holliday, a local health campaigner.

Meanwhile, Labour moderates are putting their own efforts behind former Dunfermline MP Thomas Docherty, the man who memorably described Labours Scottish 2010 election campaign as self-immolation for dummies.

So unwittingly  or given his well known antipathy towards his leader, entirely wittingly  Jamie Reed has triggered a nuclear chain reaction.

His departure has opened up a contest in one of Labours most marginal seats, (majority 2,564), at a time when Corbyns personal approval ratings and Labours national poll ratings are experiencing their own psephological China Syndrome.

With the Tories inserted by the bookies as favourites to claim the seat for the first time since 1931, defeat would throw Labour into fresh turmoil, and in turn pile even more pressure on to Corbyns embattled leadership.

Normally, this would leave the party with only one viable option. Find out which candidate Corbyn wants to select, work out what campaign strategy he wants to pursue, then do precisely the opposite.

But these are not normal times for the Labour Party, or for British politics in general. And the moment has come for desperate measures.

In Copeland, Labour needs to stand squarely behind Jeremy Corbyn. It needs to select his candidate. It needs to run a campaign based unashamedly on Corbyns own principles. In short, it needs to let Corbyn be Corbyn. Or, as one Labour MP said to me: We need to let Copeland be Corbynite.

Since Corbyns victory in the second of what are fast becoming Labours annual leadership elections, Labour moderates have settled on a new strategy.

They have decided they will kill him with apathy. There will be no more co-ordinated agitation. There will be no more high-profile rebellions. There will not even be much public criticism.

Dan Hodges says In Copeland, Labour needs to stand squarely behind Jeremy Corbyn

You dont know what its like, one former Shadow Cabinet member told me just before Christmas, every time I go on TV I have to make a conscious effort not to say anything bad about him. Its destroying me.

Maybe. But its also working. Deprived of a Blairite Fifth Column to mobilise against, Corbyn is operating in a political vacuum. Unable to turn on his enemies within, and incapable of landing any significant blows on his opponents without, he is slowly suffocating  with the result that it is now former loyalists such as Len McCluskey who are raising questions about his future.

So in Copeland Jeremy Corbyn should go for broke. And he should be allowed  indeed encouraged  to go for broke. Rachel Holliday appears to be a good, local choice  her inexplicable affection for Corbyn not withstanding  and was recently awarded the accolade Cumbrian Woman of the Year for her work with the homeless. She has earned the right to carry her heros banner.

Then Corbyn should demonstrate the political courage and principle that his supporters consistently tell us are the mark of the man.

He should make a series of high-profile visits to the constituency  not the solitary trip currently scheduled. He should remind local people of his long-standing commitment to nuclear disarmament, and opposition to the modernisation of the Trident fleet.

Most importantly of all, he should proudly repeat the statement contained in his first leadership manifesto, in which he proclaimed: New nuclear power will mean the continued production of dangerous nuclear waste and an increased risk from radioactive accident and nuclear proliferation.

Admittedly, this would represent a high-risk strategy. And not all Labour MPs are willing to embrace it.

Seasoned by-election fixers Andrew Gwynne and John Ashworth have already been despatched to the seat to effectively act as human shields, insulating Labours campaign from excessive contamination by their leader  a move that has not exactly endeared them to some of their colleagues.

Corbyns team are using puddings like Gwynne and Ashworth to be the shop window in Copeland, says one grizzled veteran of the 1980s struggle against Militant.

And then, of course, they will have co-ownership of the defeat.

Maybe they will. Or perhaps Corbyn could upset the odds, and lead his party to a game-changing political triumph.

But either way, it would at least represent a defining moment.

And thats what Labour desperately needs. A moment of decision.

Up until now, the Corbynites and moderates have been engaged in a phoney war. Actually, a private war. MP v MP, activist v activist, member v member.

The voters  the people who in whose name this conflict is supposedly being waged  have been completely excluded from the debate. So in Copeland, Corbyn should have the courage to finally let them in.

It is a marginal seat, but still a Labour seat. Yes, Labour are doing badly in the polls, but incumbent governments rarely seize opposition seats mid-term.

If the Corbynites still have faith in their man  and if he still has faith in himself  then here is the opportunity to put it to the test.

Corbyn should demonstrate the political courage and principle that his supporters consistently tell us are the mark of the man, says Dan Hodges

Can Corbynism at least hold the line? Is there any evidence, any at all, that its leader has any chance of pulling his party out of its death spiral?

I think the answer to that question is no.

I think if Labour run in Copeland on a Corbynite manifesto they will lose, and lose heavily.

Just as I think that if Labour runs on a Corbynite manifesto nationally they will lose, and lose heavily.

But this is Corbyns chance to prove me wrong. To prove all his critics wrong.

So go for it, Jeremy. Go to Copeland, and go nuclear.

The admission by the Bank of Englands chief economic forecaster Andrew Haldane that he and his colleagues experienced a Michael Fish moment over their gloomy Brexit forecasts has been met with an angry response from many Brexiteers.

But one senior Out campaigner will have viewed it with quiet satisfaction. Michael Gove was vilified for his contention people have had enough of experts, but Haldanes comments have provided him with a degree of vindication that has not been overlooked in Westminster.

The more we get economists lining up to eat humble pie, the more I think perceptions about Michael might start to shift, one Minister tells me. And if that happens, I dont think a Cabinet return is totally out of the question. Michael Gove and Boris Johnson together again around the Cabinet table? There might be a hurricane on the way.

People have been asking why Jeremy Corbyn has been maintaining a mysterious radio silence over the past few days. But I now have the answer.

Hes been preparing for next weeks high-profile relaunch as the Lefts Donald Trump with a trip to Mexico. Apparently Labours leader spent the New Year with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, fiery Left-wing candidate for the Mexican presidency in 2018.

According to Obrador: We talked extensively about the beautiful dream of realising a world government based on justice and fraternity.

Corbyns relaunch is in Essex. He should try that line down there.

Jeremy Corbyns revolving-door policy towards his front bench appointments has caused consternation among Labour MPs. But I understand this concern has now spread to the opposite side of the House. At a recent meeting of the Home Affairs team, Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill vented his frustration to Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
Our attention always turns towards looking and feeling our best at the start of a new year - and celebrities are no exception.

But while mere mortals might half-heartedly sign up to a new gym in January, the stars have been going to more extreme lengths to ensure they spend 2017 in peak condition.

From boosting their behinds with non-surgical bum lifts, to ensuring their smile is camera-ready with a set of clip-on veneers, these are just a few of the fads the rich and famous are trialling in 2017...

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KATIE PRICE

Katie Price has been documenting her new year beauty regime in detail on Instagram

The 38-year-old celeb also posted footage of her non-surgical bum lift on social media

Never one to shy away from an unorthodox beauty treatment, former glamour model Katie Price, 38, is now a fan of a non-surgical bottom lift - so much so that she shared video footage of the procedure on her Instagram page.

It shows mobile technician Shane Cooper rubbing a LipoFirm Pro Treatment machine over the mother-of-five's bottom, which is said to combine radio frequency and dynamic muscle activation to activate non-invasive fat removal and lymphatic drainage.

The some-time Loose Women panellist captioned the post: 'Loving my new bum shape'.

On the same day she posted a snap of the therapist tending to her face with two metal prongs as part of a CACI non-surgical face-lift.

The treatment combines micro currents and radio frequency to stimulate facial muscles and tighten the skin.

Mobile technician Shane Cooper's bespoke treatments start from 300.

BIANCA GASCOIGNE

TV personality Bianca Gascoigne has invested in a tumbling mane of platinum hair extensions

Bianca Gascoigne also shared the results of her own non-surgical bum lift before heading into the Celebrity Big Brother house

Newly installed in the Celebrity Big Brother house, reality star Bianca Gascoigne embarked on an intensive - and expensive - beauty regime to kick off the year on screen.

As well as a new, tumbling mane of platinum blonde hair extensions courtesy of specialist Kensington salon Tatiana Karelina, where the service starts from 295 for the shortest lengths, the 30-year-old books herself in for spray tans, teeth whitening, eyelash extensions and regular botox sessions to keep lines at bay.

Bianca was also training hard at Beef & Babes gym in Greenwich ahead of her CBB appearance.

She boosted the effect of all those workout by treating herself to the same non-surgical bum lift as Katie Price - and shared a revealing snap of the results with her social media followers.

GEMMA COLLINS

TOWIE star Gemma Collins shared a snap of her clip on veneers on her Instagram account

The TV star also posed for a snap in a black all-in-one as she declared she was starting the new year on a 'massive health kick'

The hallmark of a celebrity is a gleaming white grin, and it seems TOWIE star Gemma Collins has been using a bizarre quick-fix to make sure her own smile is selfie ready.

The 35-year-old reality star and boutique owner is a fan of clip-on veneers.

The porcelain veneers that are a familiar sight in Essex bars and restaurants can only be fitted after a person's original teeth have been filed down - and according to Collins a 450 clip-in set is a compromise solution.

She posted: 'I'm so excited to have the perfect smile without my teeth being drilled down.'

LOUISE THOMPSON

The 26-year-old executed a series of squats using her boyfriend's weight to add resistance

Louise Thompson regularly shares photos and videos of her unorthodox workout routines with boyfriend and personal trainer Ryan Libbey

The fit Made in Chelsea star performed handstand push-ups while her boyfriend held her feet

Well known for her love of working out, Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson has stepped things up for the new year by using her boyfriend's body weight to intensify her resistance training.

Louise has posted workout videos on Instagram that show her doing squats as Ryan Libbey balances his upper body on a sofa and rests his feet on her girlfriend's shoulders.

The added weight of her 6ft2in beefcake boyfriend will have upped the resistance Louise needed to use to perform her series of squats - though the fit 5ft star completed the set with apparent ease.

The 26-year-old TV personality also shared footage of herself executing perfect hand-stand push ups while her personal trainer partner holds her feet up in the air.

Gym bunnies who aspire to follow in Louise's footsteps can take heart from one thing - unlike most of the activities favoured by the MIC cast - this particular workout is free.

MADONNA

Madonna is preparing to launch her own range of skincare products in the US

Madonna's new year beauty regime focuses on some of the quirkier treatments from her own skincare line.

MDNA Skin - previously only available in Asia - is about to land in the US and widely expected to arrive in the UK soon after.

The 58-year-old mega-star has been sharing pictures and videos of herself using the Chrome Clay Mask, made from clay taken from the Montecatini mountains in Italy.

Once applied, the product is removed using a magnetic device that pulls the clay - and apparently any dirt - straight off the skin.

Madonna's Instagram posts show close ups of her face slathered in the charcoal grey clay, and a video clip sees her using the metal gadget to suck it from her skin.

VICKY PATTISON

The former Geordie Shore cast member posted a throwback picture of herself in a swimsuit as she vowed to get 'this body back'

Now the TV personality won't find temptation lying in wait when she opens the chocolate tin

The 29-year-old has been stocking up on fresh produce, healthy soups and green juices

Vicky Pattison recently posted a throwback swimsuit snap on her Instagram and vowed to get 'this body back'.

The ex-Geordie Shore cast member told her followers she was determined to cut back on sugar and alcohol as part of her January plan to drop 10lbs and boost her fitness levels.

As part of her plan, Vicky has been removing sweet temptation from her path - by replacing the chocolate in Quality Street tins with piles of supplements as a reminder of her January goals.

The TV personality also shared a snap of a virtuous supermarket shop made up of lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, healthy soups, protein rich eggs and green juices.
Ms Heir posted about some of her worst date

Married at First Sight bride Nicole Heir has spilled the beans about some of her worst dating experiences.

In a post on social media on Friday, the former reality show contestant revealed that she once went on a date with Gable Tostee.

Mr Tostee became a household name after he was accused - and then acquitted - of killing New Zealand woman Warriena Wright, who died the night the pair had a Tinder date.

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Scandal: Married at First Sight bride Nicole Heir (pictured) has revealed she once went on a date with Gable Tostee

Acquitted: Mr Tostee (pictured) was accused - and acquitted - of killing his Tinder date Warriena Wright

The 30-year-old carpet layer pleaded not guilty to murder and manslaughter and was acquitted by a jury in October 2016 after a two-week trial.

Ms Heir says that her date with Mr Tostee came long before he became known to the public.

The Married at First Sight bride revealed the detail in a post on Instagram as she mused on getting ready for a date.

'I love getting dressed up and putting myself in awkward situations with complete strangers and having the same boring conversations,' Ms Heir wrote.

'Only to find out he doesn't really want anything from me but sex, he vaguely resembles his profile pics and surprise he has three kids or his name is Gable Tostee!'

She confirmed to Sydney Confidential that she had a 'brief encounter' with Mr Tostee some years ago, and that she had been shocked when she saw him on television.

'Single': Ms Heir revealed in an Instagram post (pictured) that she went on a date with Mr Tostee but didn't give details

Well known: Mr Tostee was found not guilty of killing Ms Wright but became a household name during the trial

Following his acquittal, Mr Tostee appeared on 60 Minutes and talked about the night his date died.

He had recorded about three hours of audio on his smart mobile phone, and it was played back to him through the 60 minutes interview.

His lips quivered as Warriena could be heard screaming 'no' 33 times and begging to go home.

'You're lucky I haven't chucked you off my balcony, you God damn psycho little b****,' Tostee could be heard saying in the audio.

He said that was merely a 'horribly unfortunate choice of words'.

'I didn't intend it as a threat. I intended it as a figure of speech that she was lucky I was tolerant,' Mr Tostee said.

The Jury at his trial accepted his version of events in acquitting him.

Shocked: She confirmed to Sydney Confidential that she had a 'brief encounter' with Mr Tostee and was shocked to see him on TV

Split: Ms Heir and her television husband Craig Keller (pictured) split shortly after the show stopped filming

On her Instagram post Ms Heir asked her followers for their worst first date stories, and had more than 70 responses on her post.

'Ok peeps, let's hear it.... what's your worst first date experiences?? #myworstdate #dating #funny #singleismorefunanyway #shallowhal #chunkybutfunky #single,' she said.
(Xinhua) 09:25, January 08, 2017

MONTEVIDEO, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- In 2016, China was once again the main purchaser of Uruguayan beef, having purchased 188,411 tons of the meat, a 15.8 percent rise over 2015, according to data from the National Institute of Meats.

In 2016, Uruguay gained 624 million U.S. dollars from its exports of beef to China, which has long been a reliable source of revenue for the country, as published by local daily El Pais on Saturday.

The NAFTA bloc which groups the United States, Canada and Mexico was the collective second market for beef, having bought 99,902 tons, a 9.2 percent rise, with the U.S. alone claiming 69,837 tons.

In third place, the European Union bought 54,616 tons, a large 16 percent rise, the data showed.

The South American country made a total of 1.474 billion U.S. dollars from beef exports around the world in 2016, the data revealed.
Australians are the eighth biggest watchers of porn in the world, but neighbours New Zealand consume even more - sitting in the fifth spot, according to research.

Statistics released by Pornhub's annual year in review summed up the watching habits of the world during 2016.

According to the site, on a per capita basis the US consumed the most porn, with Iceland coming in second and the UK third.

Pornhub has released statistics showing the world's viewing habits in 2016

Australia is eighth in the world when it comes to watching porn, with New Zealand in the fifth spot

Pornhub also revealed what Australians searched for the most in 2016, with the term 'lesbian' topping the rankings.

'Australian' was also a popular search term, as was 'massage' and 'cartoon'.

The statistics also showed that 'virtual reality' has become a popular term, gaining 523 per cent in the year.

According to the statistics, 'lesbian' was the most searched term by Aussies

There were also large increases in searches relating to characters from popular films in 2016

Australians also appear to be fans of comic and video game related porn, with Overwatch coming in at number seven on on the list.

There was also a 129 per cent increase in the search term 'Harley Quinn', a DC Comics character that featured in the 2016 film Suicide Squad.

Pornhub's statistics show that an announcement or release of a film usually results in a spike in searches for the characters in it.

For example, searches for Deadpool rose 455 per cent at the same time the film was released, and searches for porn relating to Ghostbusters increased 929 per cent.

Australian women are watching porn slightly more than average, with 29 per cent turning to Pornhub

The statistics also showed that Australian women are looking up porn slightly more than the worldwide average.

The worldwide average is that women make up 26 per cent of the people visiting Pornhub, but in Australia that figure is 29 per cent.
Victoria's Secret stunner Bridget Malcolm has celebrated her second wedding to musician husband Nathaniel Hoho, with the pair posing for an adorable snap with a quokka.

The South Fremantle-raised supermodel tied the knot for the second time on Wednesday at Rottnest Island - which is famous for being home to the cute critters.

Bridget shared the snap - taken by photographer friend Caleb 'Salty' Davenport - to Instagram where she captioned it: 'Thank you@saltydavenport for the wedding photo to end all photos!!! #quokkaselfie'

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Bridget Malcolm and husband Nathaniel Hoho posed for a snap with an adorable quokka on their second wedding day

The quokka happily hopped into the marquee where wedding guests were gathered, before heading to the bar

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Mr Davenport, a freelance photographer based in Perth, revealed the quokka just wandered into the reception marquee uninvited.

'He actually just started hopping through the marquee that Bridget had - through her friends and family - and completely unfazed by the the music and everyone walking around,' he said.

'He pulled up at the bar and I quickly grabbed the camera and had them crouch down. It was pretty cool.

It wasn't the first time that Bridget had come face to face with one of the cute critters on Rottnest Island. She captioned this photo: 'Let the quokka selfies begin!'

Bridget and Nathaniel first said 'I do' in July 2016 in an intimate ceremony on a mountain

Last year, the supermodel told Vogue Australia magazine that her nuptials in WA were a 'little extra celebration'

WHAT IS A QUOKKA? The quokka is one of the smallest wallabies and has the ability to climb trees. The creature was described by early Dutch explorer, Willem de Vlamingh, 'as a kind of rat as big as a common cat'. His first sighting of the quokka was on an island off the mouth of the Swan River. He named the island Rottenest ('rat nest') in honour of this sighting. Source: Australian Museum Advertisement

'He hung around for the next half hour doing his own thing.'

Bridget and Nathaniel first said 'I do' in July 2016 in an intimate ceremony on a mountain overlooking the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, US.

According to the West Australian, this time around, Bridget, 25, couldnt stop laughing as she walked down the beach aisle, wearing a loose-fitting baby-pink dress from Australian label Zimmerman.

She also wore tan sandals and carried a stunning bouquet of sunflowers.

Her run-in with a quokka wasn't the first she had experienced on Rottnest Island. Two weeks earlier Bridget posted a selfie with one of the cute creatures on to her Instagram page, captioning it: 'Let the quokka selfies begin!'

Last year, the supermodel told Vogue Australia magazine that her nuptials in WA were a 'little extra celebration'.
Yet another BBC drama has been hit with complaints over poor sound and picture quality.

Taboo, starring Hollywood film star Tom Hardy, aired last night with many viewers taking to Twitter to say they needed subtitles because of the 'mumbling'.

The dark and grim storyline was met with praise by most fans, but the problems were too hard to ignore for some: 'Another poorly lit BBC drama full of mumbling, who'd have thought?', wrote one viewer on Twitter.

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Tom Hardy stars in BBC's Taboo, a period drama set in 1814, but 'mumbling' didn't impress viewers who took to social media to complain about poor sound quality

Viewers were unhappy about the show's sound quality claiming that they would need subtitles to decipher the action

Discussing the period drama, which is set in 1814, another wrote: 'I was really looking forward to Taboo....... but it's ruined by incoherent mumbling. Could have been brilliant...'

The 39-year-old returned to television as James Delaney in the gritty programme, after his much-loved turn in BBC Two's Peaky Blinders.

The BBC declined to comment on the latest viewer complaints.

It comes just a week after the BBC aired To Walk Invisible, a one-off drama telling the story of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne and their brother Branwell.

Complaints flooded Twitter about the drama, with one Twitter user saying: 'So disappointed by #ToWalkInvisible spoiled by bad sound quality. Visually beautiful and well-acted but much was muffled drowned by soundtrack.'

Last year director general Tony Hall told executives to look into 'audibility' issues following complaints from fans of shows like Happy Valley, but it seems other shows have still been affected.

The gritty programme - which is based on a story written by Tom and his father - was praised by most but the quality issues were a problem for some

Tom's character James Delaney returns back from the dead 10 years after his family and friends thought he had disappeared

It's a problem they have been plagued with over the years with shows like Jamaica in 2014, War and Peace this January and November's Rillington Place all appearing to have the same issue.

Fans have continued to share their difficulties trying to understand what was going on in their favourite shows, even resorting to subtitles to follow the plots.

Originally the BBC said the sound quality in Happy Valley was due to the Yorkshire accents, but that comment angered those from West Yorkshire where the show was set, saying even they couldn't understand the show.

To Walk Invisible followed the story of the Bronte sister, Charlotte, Emily and Anne who fought for recognition in their work but viewers struggled to hear because of sound issues

Happy Valley, which starred Sarah Lancashire, was also hit with complaints from fans who couldn't hear the dialogue properly

Patronising rubbish, said another. [The BBC] cant even admit when they get it wrong. How on earth can we not understand the Yorkshire dialect?

Earlier this year Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC TV Channels and iPlayer, told the Voice of the Listener and Viewer conference that they were going to do everything they could to prevent the problem again, including creating a new set of guidelines.

Back in 2013, Lord Hall said the corporation could look at how to stop actors muttering in its TV dramas.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to fork out nearly 900 on Prince George's school uniform when he starts school in September.

The royal, who turns four in July, is believed to be on the list for the 19,620-a-year Wetherby Pre-Prep School, where 'essential' items include a 115 Harris tweed overcoat and a 97 Wetherby blazer bearing the school's crest.

George, who turns four in July, currently attends Montessori nursery in Norfolk three days a week, but the Cambridges are believed to have put his name down for the private school in Kensington, West London, less than a mile from the Palace.

Prince George is believed to be on the list for the 19,620-a-year Wetherby Pre-Prep School, attended by his father the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry

Other items on the list include a 34 grey jumper, a 55 tracksuit top and 16 Bermuda shorts from clothing retailer Perry.

Altogether there are 29 items on the list, totalling 676.70, but many parents double up on some of the pieces, such as jumpers and shirts, according to the Daily Star Sunday - bringing the cost closer to 900.

According to a report from the Department of Education, the average UK parent spends around 210 on primary school uniform - less than 25 per cent of the cost of George's school wardrobe.

MailOnline has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.

'Essential' items on Perry's list for Wetherby Pre-Prep School include a 115 Harris tweed overcoat, left, and a 97 Wetherby blazer bearing the school's crest, right

A sleeveless jumper from Wetherby Pre-Prep School's list on Perry's website costs 28, while supermarket giants such as Aldi have rolled out 'budget' uniform packages costing just 4

A 34 grey v-neck blazer, left, and a 25 shirt, right, from Wetherby's list. According to a recent report, the average UK parent spends around 210 on primary school uniform

Meanwhile, supermarket giants such as Aldi have rolled out 'budget' uniform packages for cash-strapped parents for just 4.

It was recently revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were looking to move from Norfolk to London.

Prince William and Kate, both 34, have reportedly decided their son will be schooled in London meaning that the royal residence will be their permanent base.

The pre-prep school was also attended by Prince William and Prince Harry and is said to be a firm favourite of the royal pair.

Reception, here I come! Prince George, 3, began attending Westacre Montessori nursery school near Sandringham, Norfolk last year and is due to start school in September

The Duke and Duchess are reportedly moving their family to Kensington Palace permanently as they take on more royal duties, with Prince George set to start school in September

IS THIS THE CHEAPEST SCHOOL UNIFORM IN THE UK? Supermarket giant Aldi recently unveiled its budget uniform range - billed as the cheapest of its kind in the UK. Polo shirts come in a two-pack for both boys and girls and cost 1.25 The 4 package includes two polo shirts, one round neck jumper and either a pair of trousers or a skirt. As well as trousers, skirts, and sweaters, the uniform range also includes scuff-resistant shoes, socks and tights as well as PE kits and backpacks. In Aldis uniform range, part of the retailers Specialbuys, a round neck sweater costs just 1.25, a two-pack of plain polo shirts is 1.25 and a school skirt or pair of trousers is 1.50. Tony Baines, Managing Director for Corporate Buying, said: 'Our 4 uniform offers not only great value but also incredible quality. The price and quality reassurance means were giving parents the chance to put aside worries about expensive new uniforms.' Advertisement

Both William and Kate are set to take on even more royal duties in 2017, after stepping up their responsibilities this year, and will be in need of a permanent London residence along with Princess Charlotte, one.

This also means Prince William will have to make a decision about his future as a helicopter pilot so that he is able to join Kate on a full-time basis.

His piloting contract ends in March and, according to the Daily Telegraph, it is thought the Duke may continue to work for the East Anglian Air Ambulance Service until the summer.

The Duke and Duchess are also reportedly hoping to expand their own Royal Foundation charity and want to focus more on causes like mental health.

Prince William and Kate, pictured with Princess Charlotte and Prince George attending a Christmas Day service in Berkshire in a coat similar to the one he will wear for school

The royal family are expected to leave their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall behind to bring their children up in Kensington Palace, London after putting George's name on Wetherby's list

Prince William and Kate, along with Prince Harry have openly lent their support to the helping people battle mental health issues.

The Duchess pledged back in October that they will do 'what they can to shine a spotlight on emotional wellbeing' on World Mental Health Day and earlier in the year launched the Heads Together campaign.

While Kate is thought to be unhappy about a move back to London the royal pair will be helping The Queen, 90, to lighten her workload.
For some, it can be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to turn back the clock and restore their former good looks.

For others, it seems, cosmetic surgery - particularly Botox - can turn into a lifetime obsession.

Indeed, according to a new study, women in America are suffering from a 'crack-like' addiction to the cosmetic treatment.

Botulinum toxin temporarily relaxes facial muscles that cause lines and wrinkles and new research shows a 41 per cent increase in use

The research by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found that there's been a 41 per cent increase in ladies between the ages of 19 and 34 having Botox since 2011.

But it isn't just women who are boosting numbers; men have increasingly been turning to the treatment.

Men account for 10 per cent of all Botox users - and the term 'Brotox' has even been coined. Simon Cowell and TV presenter Rylan Clark have been open about their use of Botox.

Botulinum toxin is a natural, purified protein that is used to temporarily relax facial muscles that cause lines and wrinkles.

It is injected into muscles and used to improve the look of frown lines and crow's feet as well as to soften lines caused by facial expressions.

Originally used to treat debilitating neurological diseases such as post-stroke spasticity, blepharospasm and foot spasticity associated with cerebral palsy, Botox is classed as a prescription drug.

WHAT IS BOTOX? Botulinum toxin is a natural, purified protein that is used to temporarily relax facial muscles that cause lines and wrinkles. It is injected into muscles and used to improve the look of frown lines and crow's feet as well as to soften lines caused by facial expressions. Advertisement

When used for cosmetic purposes, it's in far smaller quantities and millions of men and women have been prepared to pay upwards of 150 a time for injections every three to six months since it was approved in 2002.

However, one gender studies professor believes that the claim that Botox will stop wrinkles forming is based on a flawed idea.

Botox user Dana Berkowitz, from the Louisiana State University, has penned a new book called Botox Nation: Changing the Face of America, in which she explores whether or not Botox can be used as a preventative for wrinkles.

She spoke to several women who had undergone the treatment and explored their motives behind it.

Speaking to The Observer, she said: 'It is and it isnt preventative: its complicated. Youre injecting this neurotoxin into your facial muscles to prevent them from being able to move. If you cant express an emotion for long periods of time, you dont get certain lines.

'However, the problem is that Botox only lasts for between four and six months, so once you start seeing those lines form again you go back. Women I interviewed talked about it in terms of it being addictive. One said she was crack-like about it.'

Dana adds that by luring younger women for treatments, doctors are creating a lifetime customer.

Botulinum toxin is a natural, purified protein that is used to temporarily relax facial muscles that cause lines and wrinkles but one author says women are developing an addiction

In the run-up to Christmas, research showed that women were even getting Botox injected into their feet to ease the pain caused by stilettos.

Australian Society of Plastic Surgery spokesman Dr Jeremy Hunt told Daily Mail Australia while Botox in the feet is not a new procedure, it is popular at this time of year.

'The use of Botox in the feet to ease swelling and pain caused by high heels is not a new technique, and gained a lot of attention a few years back when "skyscraper heels" were in fashion,' he said.

'The procedure involves a number of small injections in and around the sole area of the feet that aids with pain relief and reduces the swelling that can sometimes occur with wearing high heels for long periods of time.

Discussing the boom in treatments, Dr. Tatiana Lapa, medical director of The Studio Clinic Harley Street, told MailOnline: 'Botox is one of the safest cosmetic procedures that we do, it has few and time-limited complications. However, its important to recognise the impact of the so-called Botox addiction.

'Botox is effective at reducing dynamic lines that form as a result of muscle movement. Botox does not stop people ageing. This is an important distinction and it is unscrupulous for clinics to claim otherwise. Ageing is a complex process involving the skin, muscles and bones. Botox alone cannot address all of the changes associated with ageing and this should be made clear to clients when they are considering using Botox for the first time.

'I am concerned by the pressures that men and women face to look "perfect". The easy access to plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures can make people feel that it is almost inexcusable to have wrinkles and age naturally. I have had clients call the clinic saying that they needed Botox "urgently" and others that have described Botox as a necessity that they cant live without.

'I encourage my clients to understand that a little crease near the eye or a furrow of the brow is not a "disaster" - it can actually be quite attractive. Its important to realise that an overly frozen face can actually look older than a face with softened lines and natural movement.

'I dont believe that the work of an aesthetic specialist is to sell treatments to clients. I am a clinician first and foremost and believe that I have the privileged position of being able to offer solutions to cosmetic problems but also to advise when treatment is not necessary or not advisable. I do sometimes treat clients in their 20s with Botox and usually this is for problems like masseter hypertrophy (bulky jaw muscles that result from teeth grinding), excessive sweating or for facial enhancements such as brow-lift, rather than as a "pre-emptive strike" on ageing.'

Allergan, the company that owns the Botox brand name, told MailOnline: 'The implication that treatment with Botox could lead to "crack-like addiction" is preposterous and misleading, and trivialises addiction which can have very serious consequences for the people involved.

'Botox is not an addictive substance and has been extensively studied in more than 2,000+ clinical trials. When used according to the label and administered by trained and qualified healthcare professionals, treatment with Botox can lead to subtle improvements to appearance that may make patients feel better about themselves.

'This, however, does not mean that treatment with Botox is habit-forming. For more than 25 years, many millions of patients around the world have benefited from treatment with Botox to either reduce the appearance of wrinkles or lines (frown lines and/or crows feet lines) or for therapeutic reasons (such as the management of post-stroke spasticity, various facial spasms and chronic migraine).
The Middletons finally joined the Royal family in Sandringham today after enjoying a quiet Christmas away from the spotlight.

Carole, 61, and her husband Michael looked delighted to be leading the Middleton clan at a church service with the Queen on the Norfolk estate on Sunday morning, a day before Kate's birthday.

It comes after the family, along with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who turns 35 tomorrow, snubbed the traditional gathering in Sandringham in favour of a private Christmas at the Middleton home near Bucklebury in Berkshire.

Carole Middleton, far right, is joined by her husband Michael as well as James, Pippa, Kate and William as the family attend a church service at St. Mary Magdalene with the Queen

But today the couple, along with Carole, Michael, James and Pippa, were happy to don their Sunday best as they joined the royals for the service St Mary Magdalene Church.

Pippa's fiance James Matthews, the older brother of Made In Chelsea bad boy, Spencer, was even invited along. The couple are set to wed later this year.

William and Kate enjoyed a break from public duties over the holidays, only stepping out for a local church service on Christmas Day, and have barely been seen out in public in weeks.

The 4.7 million Middleton mansion has long been a haven for William and Kate, who spent a number of weeks there within days of George, now three, being born.

It was the second time the couple have joined the Middletons for Christmas Day since they married in 2011 and the first since their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, were born.

Pippa's fiance James Matthews, the older brother of Made In Chelsea bad boy, Spencer, was even invited along. The couple are set to wed later this year

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in Sandringham on Sunday, following a quiet Christmas with the Middletons at the family home near Bucklebury in Berkshire

Back to business: The couple enjoyed a break from public duties over the holidays, only stepping out for a church service on Christmas, and have barely been seen in public in weeks

The Middleton matriarch wrapped up in a black wool coat with a fur collar, adding a pair of leather gloves and a small clutch bag, for the church service on Sunday morning

Carole and Michael share a joke following the service at St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham. They are believed to have travelled from their family home near Bucklebury

Carole Middleton enjoyed the company of her daughter, Kate, along with William, George and Charlotte on Christmas Day in Berkshire, for the second time since the pair married in 2011

The last time the couple stayed away from the traditional royal gathering was in December 2012, shortly after Kate was discharged from hospital having been treated for severe morning sickness when she was pregnant with George.

But it was back to business last week as William defied critics by returning to his job as a helicopter pilot.

Last year he took an extended three-week festive holiday, but this year he has returned to his duties on January 3 straight after the New Year bank holiday like most workers.

Pippa Middleton, far left, who is due to marry latr this year, joins her father Michael and brother James. She is believed to have spent Christmas at home in Berkshire with Kate and William

Pippa looked chic in a military-style trench coat and broad-rimmed hat as she joined her family and the royals for the Sandringham church service on Sunday morning

Statistics compiled by Timothy ODonovan, from Berkshire, from the daily court circular, show William attended 188 engagements last year, while Kate attended 140.

The pair say they are committed to raising their children, but comparisons will be drawn with Charles and Diana who managed more engagement a year when Harry and William were children.

The pair will have their hands full this year as Kate's younger sister, Pippa, prepared to tie the knot to her hedgefund manager boyfriend, James Matthews, in the society wedding of the year - at the same church where the Middletons went on Christmas Day.

Kate is expected to mark her 35th birthday on Monday privately with the Duke of Cambridge and her children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, ahead of her first public engagements of the new year.

The Middletons joined the Queen, who is recovering from a bout of ill health, and Prince Philip. The Queen broke protocol for the first time ever when she decided not to attend the traditional Christmas and New Year's church services over the festive period

The Queen is not believed to have been seen in public since early December before her appearance today, when she was joined by Kate, William and the Middletons

On Wednesday, the Duchess is dropping in on an Early Years Parenting Unit at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families in north London to learn more about their work with families with children under five years old.

Kate will also carry out a joint engagement with William the same day when they visit a Child Bereavement UK Centre in Stratford, east London, to mark its first anniversary.
A 50 jab given to thousands of British holidaymakers every year to protect against yellow fever could halve the risk of them developing breast cancer, experts have discovered.

Scientists found middle-aged women given the jab were 54 per cent less likely to get the disease in the following two years.

The results were so positive that researchers have called for major international trials to verify their findings.

Scientists found middle-aged women given the yellow fever jab were 54 per cent less likely to get the disease in the following two years

It raises the possibility that the vaccine, given to tourists heading to tropical destinations such as Kenya, could be a cheap and effective means of preventing thousands of cancer cases.

Breast cancer affects about 55,000 women a year in the UK and kills more than 11,000, striking one in eight women at some point in their lives.

Scientists searching for ways to prevent tumours turned to the yellow-fever vaccine because studies suggested it could reduce the risk of malignant melanoma  the most dangerous type of skin cancer  by up to 70 per cent.

The vaccine, which has been in use since the 1930s, is one of the cheapest and most effective travel jabs available.

It has been injected into more than 600 million people worldwide, protecting them against a potentially lethal illness spread by bites from infected mosquitoes.

Experts at the University of Padova in Italy tracked more than 12,000 women who had been immunised against yellow fever, following them for over a decade to see how many developed breast cancer.

They found the vaccine appeared to more than halve normal breast-cancer rates in women aged 40 to 54 two years after they were given the jab.

But among women given the jab before the age of 40 and after the age of 54, there appeared to be no protective effect.

Scientists said they think this could be because women in these age groups tend to develop tumours that are more aggressive and less likely to be thwarted by the jab.

It raises the possibility that the vaccine, given to tourists heading to tropical destinations to protect against the disease spread by mosquitoes, could be a cheap and effective means of preventing thousands of cancer cases

The data, published in the European Journal Of Cancer Prevention, suggests the jab could prevent milder cancers by destroying mutant cells in the very early stage of development.

Precisely how is a mystery. But researchers said it could be suppressing inflammation that promotes tumour growth, boosting the bodys own immunity to cancerous cells or even blocking the formation of blood vessels needed to feed a tumour.

Scientists said in a report on the findings: The cost of preventing a single breast-cancer case with the vaccine is a very small fraction of the cost of treating it.

Dr Richard Berks, from charity Breast Cancer Now, said: Further studies are now needed to understand whether it is the yellow-fever vaccine itself that is having this effect.
Queen of decluttering MARIE KONDO has built an empire transforming homes into neat, serene spaces. But, she tells Julia Llewellyn Smith, her standards may be slipping

Marie Kondo moved to the US after her debut book, 2010's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, became an international bestseller. Later, she become a Netflix star with her show.
Zelda reads all your letters but regrets that she cannot answer them all personally

My sons girlfriend is coming between us

I am at the end of my tether with my teenage son and feel I am destroying our once fantastic relationship. He has been with his girlfriend for seven months. We have known her and her family for years and she has always been obsessed with him.

Their relationship is intense  my son has now moved in with her family and its as if she has taken over his life. They only live around the corner, but we hardly see him and he rarely sees his friends.

If he comes here she constantly texts him asking him to go back. When they came here for a meal she was texting him across the table asking when they could go home.

When my husband (my sons stepfather), younger children and I went out for a meal with them, she sat outside crying  he was endlessly texting trying to placate her.

He now has a new job. When I mentioned in front of them both that one of his oldest schoolfriends (a girl) worked there, I didnt see him for days as I had apparently upset his girlfriend. All we do is argue. He has told me that if I carry on like this he will cut off all contact with me.

This must be extremely painful for you, especially as you used to be so close to your son. His girlfriend sounds obsessive and quite disturbed.

I think in the long run your son will start to see that her obsession with him is claustrophobic and the relationship will not survive. In the meantime, however, its important that you maintain your relationship with him, so you need be careful about what you say.

Try to bite your tongue and dont criticise your sons girlfriend, however difficult and annoying she is being.

If his relationship with you is more relaxed, he will probably return home sometimes.

You could ask him to join you for a family meal and include his girlfriend if she wants to come.

Hopefully in time his relationship with this girl will end. It sounds as if she needs help so, as you know her mother, if she would respect your confidence you could say you are a little worried about her daughter and suggest that she tries counselling. But, again, tread very carefully as this, too, could backfire.

How do I know if the child is mine?

Eight years ago, when travelling in Thailand, I had sex with a Thai girl. We didnt use protection and when we met up again over a month later she told me she was pregnant.

I returned to the UK and we kept in touch by email. Over the next few years I sent her some money. Once I got so stressed I accused her of lying about it being my child.

She sent me a picture and I think it looked like me. Since then I have lost touch as her email no longer works. My relationships since then have all broken down. I think the guilt I feel over this child is partly to blame. I am 31 and preoccupied with this issue.

I know this is an uncomfortable question for you, but can you be sure that this is your child? If you had sex with this girl after just a brief meeting, she could well have been doing the same with other men.

Just one month on was soon to know she was pregnant. I suspect she has changed her email address because you have not seen her for eight years or made regular payments to support the child, or she might know it is not yours.

If you want to try to keep in touch with this woman, then you could contact the Thai Embassy (thaiembassyuk.org.uk) to help find her.

However, I would also suggest that you ask to take a paternity test. Counselling with Relate (relate.org.uk) might help to stop the guilt you feel spoiling other relationships. It is important to tell yourself that you are entitled to a new relationship with a woman you love.

I met Mr Right at the wrong time

I have been with my boyfriend since I was 16. I am now 20 and at university. Much as I love him and cant bear the thought of him being with someone else, I dont think its quite the love I used to have.

When I am out with my friends I seem to have a wandering eye.

We are currently on a break and I cant decide what to do. There is so much I want to do after university and I am worried that this relationship might hold me back.

He is good looking, a great person and has never stopped me doing anything, but I still feel uneasy. I have told him that he is the right guy but at the wrong time.

I wish we had met when we were about 24 because then we could enter the next stage of the relationship. I feel bored, but I do love him.

Its rare to meet someone at 16, fall in love and be with them for the rest of your life, but it does happen.

He sounds like a lovely man and you may still love him, but perhaps you need to accept that you are not in love with him any more.

The reality is that if you are bored now, its not going to last. It sounds as though you would like the opportunity to have other boyfriends.

It is also important that you do all the exciting things you are planning on doing after leaving university, such as travelling or working abroad. I think you are afraid of hurting him, but it would be kinder to end it now than to let it drag on only to finish eventually.
Monica Vinader, left, and, right, her brand's new store in New York

Monica Vinaders eponymous jewellery brand is slowly taking over the world. Stores in Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore were joined last month by a new outpost in New York, which enjoys a prime spot just round the corner from Chanel in SoHo. And even before that, it was very hard not to know someone who owned one of Monicas signature bracelets or rings. Not bad for a brand she started nine years ago in her Norfolk kitchen with a baby tucked under her arm

Bracelets, earrings or rings  which would you choose? Id go with rings. Either an incredible cocktail ring or several stacked together  I have long fingers which makes that easy.

Your current bestseller? In New York our new Linear Bead bracelets (below) sold out almost instantly.

Daily uniform? Shirt, blazer and jeans. I own so many pairs of jeans its silly. Mostly they are J Brand.

How do you recharge your batteries? Walking on the beach with my dogs. Were lucky in Norfolk to have lots of fabulous beaches for fresh air.

Beauty secret? Ive started seeing an amazing facialist in New York called Mzia Shiman. She introduced me to Decleor skincare products and I am hooked. I am very regimented with my routine.

Most overused emoji? The galloping horse  my daughter is mad keen on ponies  and the thumbs up.

Favourite Instagram? Style-wise, I love Tank magazines fashion director Caroline Issa (@carolineissa), but I recommend Gianluca Vacchi (@gianlucavacchi), a crazy, dancing Italian who always puts a smile on my face.

Where would you rather be right now? Without a doubt at Hotel Esencia on the east coast of Mexico. In terms of getaways, its the one place that I continually go back to and it always does the job.

Stacking rings, left, from 75, and Linear Bead and Plain bracelets, right, from 95, monicavinader.com

Book up the coming months

January Bad Dreams by Tessa Hadley (Jonathan Cape, 16.99*). The ordinary becomes extraordinary in these masterly short stories by one of the most brilliant and under-read writers of our time. February A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Hutchinson, 12.99*). An inventive and charming novel set in 1920s Russia, where Count Rostov is imprisoned within the grandeur of the Metropol hotel.

March Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore (Hutchinson, 12.99*). The tale of a young woman caught up in the turmoil of the French Revolution. Few novelists tackle historical horrors as well as Dunmore. April Hidden Nature by Alys Fowler (Hodder & Stoughton, 20). Birminghams canals are explored with poetic poignancy, as is Fowlers emotional journey, in this moving memoir.

May Meet me in the In-between by Bella Pollen (Mantle, 18.99). Caught between divorcing parents, the US and the UK, fashion and fiction, Pollen tries to make sense of her life.



WEAR WHERE

Our January fantasy series continues with the shiny new Soneva Jani resort in the Maldives, where villas come with water slides and views ofthe Milky Way. From 1,489 per night, per villa. soneva.com.

Swimsuit, around 96, Triangl, triangl.com

Bag, 253, Paula Cademartori for Kartell, kartell.com

Shoes, 183, Paula Cademartori for Kartell, kartell.com

WE LOVE

Top, from the new Pineapple Studios collaboration with Oasis, 26, oasis-stores.com



Things we always wish we owned during the winter months  fashionable snow boots (they do exist). Heres our pick of the best.

389, Penelope Chilvers, penelopechilvers.com

Left: 100, Sorel, sorelfootwear.co.uk. Right: 235, Inuikii, from avenue32.com




The US intelligence released a report on Friday, making public its assessment of alleged Russia's interference in the US presidential election last year.

"We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election," the report said, adding that Moscow's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process.

"We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump," it said. "We have high confidence in these judgments."

The report said Moscow's action was part of its "longstanding desire to undermine the US-led liberal democratic order" , and demonstrated a "significant escalation in directness, level of activity, and scope of effort."

The report is the declassified version of a comprehensive intelligence report that US President Barack Obama directed the intelligence community to conduct on Dec. 9, 2016.

Trump has repeatedly refused to accept the findings that Russia has intervened in the 2016 presidential election. He quoted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange this week to voice new doubt about the hacking claim made by US intelligence agencies. The Russian government has also denied the accusations.

On Friday, Trump met with chiefs of intelligence agencies in New York to be briefed on alleged Russia cyber attacks against the United States.

Following the meeting, Trump said the alleged hacking activities had no impact on the election results and he didn't directly acknowledge Moscow's responsibility.

However, Trump added that he had a "constructive meeting" with the top intelligence officials, and he had "tremendous respect" for the work of the intelligence community.

The President-elect also said he will appoint a team within 90 days to figure out ways to stop foreign hacking.

"Whether it is our government, organizations, associations or businesses we need to aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks," he said.
See more news from India at www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome

The editor was flooded with queries from men describing the size and colour of their problem

The fake article claimed that the 'path-breaking discovery' would help men attract women and get jobs

Teekhi Mirchi ran a story about penile whitening cream that people fell for because it appealed to the insecurities of modern Indian men

Despite carrying a disclaimer stating that their articles are a work of fiction readers still get fooled and post them online

Indian satirical news websites such as Faking News and Teekhi Mirchi are rapidly gaining popularity

Satire spreads faster than the truth in the world of online news.

Last year, after India launched its surgical strikes against terrorists in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, Sandeep Kadian wrote an article saying the attacks had hurt Pakistan's tourism industry.

The story quoted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif criticising India for scaring away terrorists who come to enjoy Pakistan's hospitality from all over the world.

Websites such as Faking News and Teekhi Mirchi carry a disclaimer stating that their articles are a work of fiction and advises readers not to confuse news published in the site as real ... but readers still get fooled

Of course, the story wasn't true in the slightest. Kadian is the editor of Faking News, one of India's leading satire websites.

But that didn't stop the article from going viral or being shared on Facebook, widely.

In fact, many of its readers actually believed the story and posted comments ridiculing Sharif for finally admitting the 'truth.'

'Personally, I feel good when people believe our stories,' says Kadian. It (shows) we are closer to reality. As long as the stories are humorous it's fine,' he says.

But the trouble is, not everyone gets the joke.

Amersh Kumar Singh, founder of Teekhi Mirchi, a satire website started in 2014, was bombarded with queries from distressed readers, after he posted an article on a new penile whitening cream for men.

The fake article claimed that the 'path-breaking discovery' would help men attract women and get jobs.

Security personnel patrolling a deserted street after curfew was re-imposed following fresh clashes

'I was flooded with queries from men describing the size and colour of their organ and how desperately they needed the cream,' says Singh. 'We all had a good laugh.'

Not all fake news articles, though, are laughing matter. Some can escalate things into major diplomatic row between countries.

Only a few weeks ago, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif threatened Israel with nuclear attack after he read a piece on awdnews.com, a fake news website, that warned Pakistan with nuclear destruction if it sends ground troops into Syria.

The article had quoted former Israel defence minister Min Yaalon. Israel has since rubbished it as 'entirely false.'

Even the savviest consumers of news can be fooled by fake stories.

In 2013, The Washington Post fell for a report that appeared in The Daily Currant, a satirical newspaper, and wrote that Sarah Palin, former American vice-presidential candidate, was joining Al Jazeera America.

Even the savviest consumers of news can be fooled by fake stories once they have been shared on social media

Druge Report, another serious news website, known for breaking the Monica Lewinsky scandal, also fell for a Currant cone in 2013 when it claimed that a New York Pizzeria owner, angry over a proposed ban on large sodas, refused to serve the then mayor Michael Bloomberg a second slice.

Complicating things are the social media platforms on which most of these fake articles are shared.

Within the walled territory of Facebook, all stories look mostly the same. So what can we do about it?

Fake News: Despite this website being openly satirical it doesn't stop people from sharing and believing its stories

'Make sure that you look for the links. Sometimes people share fake news articles without links on Whatsapp and twitter, this can create a bit of confusion,' says Kadian of Faking News.

'The probability of people believing Faking News stories as true is slightly less because the name itself is a giveaway,' he says.

Websites like Teekhi Mirchi carries a disclaimer stating that their articles are a work of fiction and advises readers not to confuse news published in the site as real.

For those who are still susceptible, signs of trickery can be spotted with a careful reading of the article.

Fair & lovely: Teekhi Mirchi ran a story about penile whitening cream that people fell for because it appealed to the insecurities of modern men

The Teekhi Mirchi story on penile whitening cream, for instance, skillfully exploits a male reader's initial credulity with its headline but grows increasingly ludicrous until the reader realises the joke.

The copy quotes one Gorachand Kamdev, the chief executive of Hindustan Moonilever, saying: 'Common wisdom says, no matter how much fair a man is, his private part will always be darker than the rest of the body. We aim to change that.'

'It is the reader's gullibility that is the problem here,' says Tanay Sukumar, founder of the now defunct satire website News That Matters Not.

'All you need to do is a bit of Googling to find out from where the news originated. Satire websites anyway are looking to maximise the clicks and shares of its articles,' he says.

According to Singh, Teekhi Mirchi articles get up to two million views a month on various mobile apps.

The penile whitening cream article alone got more than one lakh views in a few days.

Kadian's Faking News claims to get 60,000 unique visitors a month.

The website has also expanded its reach into regional language, last year, by opening a Hindi edition of the website.

'Readers often don't bother to open the links because all they need is bits of information that suit what they want to hear or their political ideology,' says Sukumar.
The demand for helicopters in the campaign season of the assembly elections in five poll-bound states has been hit hard, thanks to demonetisation.

The helicopter service providers are claiming that demand has plummeted by 10 to 15 per cent already and might plunge further compared to the last election cycle.

With the crucial Uttar Pradesh and Punjab assembly elections just round the corner, political parties are not showing any enthusiasm in booking choppers for their star campaigners.

Private aviation companies are facing losses as political parties are avoiding the use of helicopters. (picture for representation)

Companies are blaming demonetisation for the sagging business.

While the companies, claimed their representatives, take a final call on the quantum of demand only in the last weeks of the campaigning season as there is a desparate demand for choppers then.

This time, the companies are noticing a lack of enthusiasm among political parties.

Three helicopter service companies based in Delhi told Mail Today, they were ready to accept payments through cheques, or other cashless methods, but the political parties and leaders backed out, fearing coming under the scanner of the Election Commission.

A senior official of a prominent aviation company, on the condition of anonymity, said: 'During the same corresponding period of last election cycle, majority of chopper service providers completed the booking.'

Because of demonetisation and pressure on most of the political parties, the workers are interested in door-to-door campaign instead of taking aerial routes this time

'The situation this year is different as we are expecting a certain dip in demand.' and

'Prices per hour for single and double engine helicopters may not be the same compared as compared to 2014 parliamentary and assembly elections.'

According to the official, per hour fare of single-engine three-seater helicopters was Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh, while double engines with sitting capacities of 6 people had one hour fare of Rs 2 lakh to 2.25 lakh in the 2014 elections.

Since the demand was very high then, the aviation companies had collected arbitrary amount from political parties, and independent leaders during the end of election campaign.

As a result at the time, per hour cost of helicopters had doubled for booking with one week to go for the polling day.

Apart from the base price, service provider companies also charge 15 per cent service tax of base fare.

Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 for the maintenance and food of pilot and other staffs, construction of temporary helipad and transportation cost of aviation fuel.

'Suppose, a client hires our helicopter with base price of Rs 1 lakh, he has to pay Rs 15000 as service tax and Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 foods and maintenance cost.'

'Since, aviation fuel is not available in remote areas, we have to carry it from major cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Chandigarh or nearby airport for refueling in choppers.'

'The transportation cost of aviation fuel also includes in it and hence total cost reached to Rs 1.75 lakh or may be more sometimes,' he explains.

'The base price of my company is almost similar compared to 2014 elections and we are not assuming big change in it due to demonetisation.

'Some of the political parties have given advance payments, but they are not enthusiastic to finalising it. The booking is still open on the first come first service apply on it,' he added.

Because of demonetisation and pressure on most of the political parties, the workers are interested in door-to-door campaign instead of taking aerial routes this time.

Political parties which were eagerly hopping onto choppers last time have ready-made explanations this year.

They claim that assembly elections always contest on local issues such as power, sewerage, water supply, sanitation, employment and law and order situations of particular constituency and wooing voters on those counts not much required helicopters.

The Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab had already made it clear that its election campaign would be based on door-to-door canvassing.
While the Narendra Modi-led Union government claims to have considerably speeded up road construction compared to the previous Congress regime led by Manmohan Singh, in BJP-ruled Haryana, the Manohar Lal Khattar dispensation is lagging behind the Congress government of his predecessor, Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Last year, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had claimed to have accelerated the pace of road construction to an all-time high of 20km a day.

He had also promised to increase it to 25km. Moreover, the BJP government in Haryana has come under severe pressure owing to increasing corruption charges in the recent times.

According to data furnished by Haryanas PWD, the state has got only around 70 km of new road length between 2014 and October 2016

According to information furnished to an RTI reply by Haryana's Public Works Department (PWD), the state has constructed only 70 km of new road, between 2014 and October 2016.

As Khattar took over the CM's office in October 2014, the length of roads built by the BJP dispensation was even shorter.

On the contrary, the RTI reply said, in the last two years of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government, the PWD department was able to construct nearly 270 km of road length.

Between 2012 and 2014, Haryana got 269 km of new roads.

11 districts of Haryana never received an inch of new roads in the BJP dispensation between January 2015 and October 2016

Between 2014 and October 2016, the reference period of the RTI, the BJP government was able to add a mere 71.65 km.

Moreover, 11 districts of Haryana never received an inch of new roads in the BJP dispensation between January 2015 and October 2016.

The PWD ministry, told Mail Today that in the past two and a half years, the new government has spent money on patching up and repairing old roads, which the 'Congress had left in a dilapidated condition'.

A close aide of PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh said: 'The minister himself accepts that no new roads have been built. But he had also declared in the very beginning that new roads were not the focus, but repairing the old ones, which the last government had left in a pretty bad shape.'

'On the contrary, we have drawn up a blueprint of new roads which will be built now and the list would be made public in March this year.'

Looking at the statistics, between 2012 and 2013, 74 km of new roads were constructed, while in the next year another 195 km of roads were built.

These were the last two years of the Congress rule in the state before the 2014 assembly elections.

Now look at the BJP period. In 2014-15 only 38 km of road was constructed, while in the next year, 2015-16, a mere 20 km was added to Haryana roads.

In 2016, till October last year, the BJP government made 13.65 km of new roads.

Meanwhile, the length of roads built in individual districts is even more appalling.

For example, between January 2015 and October 2016, 0.24 km was constructed in Bhiwani, 2.35 in Gurugram when most of the state's revenue comes from the Millennium City, 1.2 km in Jhajjar and 1.2 km in Sonepat.

RTI activist Harinder Dhingra told Mail Today that while the government had 'promised the sky of development' it was 'no better than the previous Hooda regime'.
In order to enhance their combat capabilities, a key defence ministry panel has made several recommendations including increasing the retirement age of jawans by two years, doing away with manpower in non-combat arms and shutting down military farms.

The recommendations of the Lt Gen Shekatkar Committee were submitted to defence minister Manohar Parrikar almost three weeks ago.

The report also touches upon the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff - who would be the single point contact for the military with the government.

Army jawans retire after serving a minimum of 17 years and depending upon their promotion while in service, but they may get two more years of service

The main aim of the committee was to suggest means to cut down on useless expenditure and use the savings to acquire and enhance fighting capabilities of the army.

One of the most important recommendations of the committee was to increase the retirement age of jawans by two years, which will help the army save a significant amount on pensions and training of personnel.

Army jawans retire after serving a minimum of 17 years and depending upon their promotion while in service.

'If the recommendations are accepted, jawans and junior commissioned officers till the rank of subedar major will get two more years of service,' ministry sources told Mail Today.

'This will reduce the cost of training new jawans along with the problem of providing them reemployment. Of the one million jawans in the army, almost 60,000 retire every year.

'For two years, the forces can also save on recruiting new manpower,' they said.

The Shekatkar committee has also suggested 'optimising' non-combat support arms in the army such as supply corps, ordnance and electrical and mechanical engineers who service cars and heavy vehicles.

'Even in remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, one can get private agencies close to the border to service and repair army vehicles,' the sources said.

Same applies for certain functions of the supply and ordnance corps like supplying rations and clothes to the forces.

Their roles can be limited to during war and other critical assignments.

The committee has also recommended abolishing military and dairy farms, where several thousand army personnel and a considerable number of officers are involved in mundane tasks like cattle rearing and growing vegetables.

The committee has also called for downsizing the remount veterinary corps, which looks after horses and mules for ceremonial as well as operations in the higher Himalayan regions of J&K and Arunachal Pradesh.

'With helicopters and road networks allowing vehicles to reach the last points of border areas and mountains, there is no need to maintain such a large force of mules,' the sources said.

The NCC is also on the radar of the Shekatkar committee as a large number of officers from the Army are sent there.
BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj was booked for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments, after he indirectly blamed Muslims for population explosion in the country that sparked a controversy, days after Supreme Court outlawed seeking votes in the name of religion or caste.

As the outburst by the MP from Unnao in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh drew strong condemnation from opposition parties, the BJP distanced itself from the comments made at a 'sant sammelan' on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission sought a report from Meerut district administration.

Congress said it will file a complaint against Sakshi Maharaj (pictured) before the Election Commission.

The FIR was registered under IPC sections 298 (Uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) and 153b (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national- integration) among others, police said.

SP Meerut J Ravinder Goud said the FIR was registered at Sadar Bazar police station.

Congress said it will file a complaint against Sakshi Maharaj before the Election Commission.

'Those with four wives and 40 children are responsible for the population increase in the country. Hindus are not responsible for the increase in population,' Sakshi Maharaj had said.

'Strict laws are required in this country if we really want to curb population. Parties need to rise above politics and take decision for the sake of the country,' he added.

Congress leader KC Mittal said Sakshi Maharaj's speech is offensive as it is based on caste and religion and goes against the recent Supreme Court judgement.

It is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and Congress is officially filing a complaint against him in the Election Commission, he said.

Condemning the comments, JD-U leader K C Tyagi termed them as the first major violation of the Supreme Court guidelines outlined on Monday on use of religion in politics.

Recently the Supreme Court and the Chief Election Commission laid down some guidelines for model code of conduct, including not to use religion, caste and language.

'This is the first major violation by a major political party that is BJP, by its MP. Now action must be taken by the party as well as the Election Commission against Sakshi Maharaj.

'They are making derogatory comments against one section of the society. This is violation of Model Code of Conduct to incite one section against another. And this is a criminal act,' he said.

Asked about the comments, BJP leader and Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: 'I haven't seen his statement, but we believe in taking everyone along...Country runs on law, on Constitution, it does not run with stick. Such statements or views...are not of either BJP or government. We have nothing to do with such statements.'

Caught in the controversy at a time when elections in Uttar Pradesh and four other states are around the corner, an unfazed Maharaj made it clear that he was not speaking at a BJP event.

'I had said that the population of India is approx 132 crore. India's landmass is not increasing but our population keeps on increasing. We need to control this menace.'

'We should respect women and I had said that she is not a machine, that is why 4 wives, 40 kids and triple talaq are no longer tolerable.'

'We need to take a decision whether we should have one, two, three or four kids. But we need to take a decision on this,' he said.

The Election Commission sought a report from the Meerut administration in connection with Sakshi Mahraj's statement, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Lucknow said.
'The population of UP has a 20 per cent share of Muslims and only nine per cent Yadavs and yet Muslims are pushed aside, while Yadavs rule the state, but the 2017 UP assembly elections will change this scenario and Muslims will get their due share in governance.'

These were the sentiments expressed by the BSP candidate from Agra South - Zulfikar Ahmed Bhutto - who has previously represented Agra Cantonment in the assembly on BSP ticket.

Talking to India Today, Bhutto said the Samajwadi Party did nothing but exploit the Muslims as a votebank, while the representation of Muslim community in the government was negligible compared to the vote share.

Muslims are still divided on whether to support Akhilesh Yadav or Mayawati

He said that the Samajwadi Party could not have formed the government even in 2012, if the Muslims had not given it such strong support.

Now, he said, the BSP supremo Mayawati has given the maximum number of tickets to Muslim candidates and if the BSP forms government with Mayawati at the helm, Muslims will most certainly get the representation they deserve.

Bhutto said that in the past five years of Samajwadi Party rule, the Yadav community dominated every aspect of life in the state.

Bhutto claims that under Mayawati has been biggest supporter of the Muslims

Under the Akhilesh government, the Muslims have faced terrible losses like Muzaffarnagar and Kosi riots and the Dadri lynching in which innocent Muslims were butchered and hundreds were displaced, whereas, under the Mayawati rule, Muslims never faced any hardships.

This time, he said, the BSP is making it a priority to bring Muslims back towards the party and even the Muslims have decided to go with Mayawati, as the Samajwadi Party has imploded and will soon be weakened to such an extent that it will not be able to face any competition.

Commenting on Bhutto's statement, senior Samajwadi Party leader Mohd Akbar Qureshi said that under Mayawati's rule, constable would think of themselves as supreme authority.

Akhilesh Yadav's rule has been an exemplary tenure when it comes to Muslim uplift.

He said the level of progress this state has seen under Akhilesh Yadav is unprecedented.

Akbar, who is a contender for the Samajwadi Party ticket on the Agra (South) seat, said that if Akhilesh Yadav forms the government again in UP, the Muslims will definitely get much more representation than they are getting currently.

Bhartiya Muslim Vikas Parishad chairman Sami Aghai said that all political parties think of Muslims as a votebank and once the votes are cast, none comes to their aid.
I am a big believer in investment funds, of all shapes and sizes. For a majority of investors, they represent the most sensible way to accumulate long-term wealth, whether it is through the tax efficient wrapper of a pension or Individual Savings Account, or as part of a broader investment portfolio.

Even more so in todays investment world where fund portfolios can be self-managed so easily online. Funds, unlike direct shares, provide investors with diversified exposure to companies, markets and assets. In many (not all) instances, they also offer access to quality investment management.

Unlike some commentators or newspapers, I am not an advocate for any particular segment of the diverse funds industry that this country houses.

Change is coming: Some investment companies are becoming more consumer focused and more should follow, says Jeff Prestridge

Low-cost exchange traded funds which track specific markets, stock market-listed investment trusts and actively managed investment funds all have their particular merits (and drawbacks).

Yet it does not mean that all is perfect in the investment funds world. Investors should not have to witness their returns denuded every year by excessive charges, especially when the company managing their money has failed to perform up to expectation.

They deserve a fairer deal. Of course, investment companies need to make profits but not at investors expense.

This current imbalance between company and investor interests needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency which explains why City regulator the Financial Conduct Authority is currently looking into how the asset management industry can provide investors with better value for money. Greater transparency in charges is one of the issues at the top of its agenda.

Slowly but surely, some investment companies are (thankfully) becoming more consumer focused. As we report here, Scottish Investment Trust, a longstanding global fund, has striven to reduce its charges in recent years.

The result is that its ongoing charge  an amalgam of the regular fees it levies against the trust  has reduced from 0.68 per cent two years ago to 0.49 per cent. In other words, if Scottish turns your 10,000 into 11,000 (pre-charges) over the course of a year, it will shave off just short of 54 in charges. Two years ago, it would have reduced your return by nearly 75.

Slowly but surely some funds are becoming more consumer focused. Others must follow

There are numerous rival investment trusts that manage to keep their ongoing charges down below 0.5 per cent. You can find out which ones by visiting websites such as Trustnet or Morningstar.

Interestingly, lower charges do not result in inferior investment performance. In Scottishs case, shareholders have enjoyed a belter of a year. There are loads of investment trusts out there delivering similar stellar returns without charging investors the earth. They are worth searching out.

Yet there are still many investment funds and some investment trusts which have ongoing charges in excess of one per cent. They will surely come under pressure over the next year to cut these fees to give investors a bigger slice of the cake.

In the funds space, some companies are responding as Scottish has done in the investment trust arena. Baillie Gifford, an excellent investment manager based in Edinburgh, has just cut the annual management fee on its Baillie Gifford American Fund from 0.65 per cent to 0.5 per cent. This follows recent management fee reductions on two of its trusts, Baillie Gifford Japan and Edinburgh Worldwide.

Baillie Gifford, owned by its partners, is determined to drive down fees for the end investor. Not just on grounds of fairness but because it believes it gives the company a competitive edge against rivals.

Lower fees, it hopes, will attract more investors, thereby increasing the assets under its wing. A virtuous circle. Other investment managers should follow this lead.

Pensions: Jeff Prestridge hopes Chancellor Philip Hammond will make pensions easier (and safe) to invest in

It was pop band Hot Chocolate who in 1975 encouraged me to believe in miracles. So I hope 2017 is the year when miraculously a government decides to sort out the mess that is pensions.

It is a gargantuan task. Most defined benefit company pension schemes are in deficit with a regulator doing little to get employers to plug the black holes. We have a state pension that continues to discriminate against many women and a rulebook for private pensions which a brain the size of Stephen Hawkings would struggle to get to grips with.
One of Britains biggest carbon credit investment cheats has been banned from acting as a company director for 12 years.

Gavin Manerowski, 36, of Redhill, Surrey, was a director of MH Carbon Limited, which under his management raked in at least 14.3million from investors who were told their certificates  allowing industries to emit carbon into the atmosphere  would increase in value and could be sold at a profit.

Insolvency Service investigators found no secondary market existed and that Manerowski knew, or ought to have known, that investors would be unable to turn their carbon credits back into cash at any price.

Carbon credits: Industries are allowed to emit carbon into the atmosphere if they hold certificates, but Insolvency Service investigators found no market to sell them second-hand existed

Accurate records were not kept by the company, which went into liquidation with no assets, but the investigation found that while Manerowski was in charge, MH Carbon could have notched up profits of up to 6.5million.

I warned twice in 2013 that the company was a rip-off and that Manerowski previously worked for disreputable stockbroker Wills & Co.

It collapsed in the face of fines and censures after City watchdogs found it guilty of massive misselling of high-risk shares to investors who believed their money was going into low-risk stocks.

Though the Insolvency Service found Manerowski responsible for misrepresenting the value of carbon credits, no further proceedings have been brought against him and it appears he will be allowed to keep the profits he made through MH Carbon.

Now Israel starts to crack down on binary options firms operating under its control

Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has taken the first steps towards a ban on binary options firms operating from the country.

It is already illegal to market binary options to anyone within Israels borders, but regulations still allow these high-risk so-called investments to be sold to clients in other countries, including Britain.

Firms typically open an office in Cyprus, where the investment regulator is regarded as weak. Armed with a Cypriot licence, they can then invoke European Union rules to demand admission to every other member country.

Action: The Knesset in Israel has taken the first steps towards a ban on binary options firms

Knesset member Karin Elharar, who is leading demands for a clampdown, said: It is not acceptable that people are able to operate from Israel and cheat people around the world. Binary options have emerged as a major scandal in Israel since it was found that many firms that claimed to be based in financial centres such as London are actually controlled from Israel.

A statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: When someone enters a casino, he knows hes a gambler. But too often innocent people are losing their savings when they are tempted by offers to trade binary options marketed to them over the phone, without having the full extent of the risks to which they are exposed explained to them.

Many countries, including the US, Germany, France and Belgium, have taken action to restrict or ban binary options, which are a high-risk bet on stock market or commodity price movements over a particularly short time, often just seconds. In Britain the Financial Conduct Authority refuses to regulate the sector, which it regards as gambling.

But the Gambling Commission says it has no powers as bets are regarded legally as being placed offshore. The Treasury has been mulling this over for almost two years without taking any action.

Meanwhile, thousands of British investors have been tricked into losing millions of pounds.




The pound lost nearly a third of its value against Brazil's currency during the course of 2016 as it was priced down around the world.

The sterling exchange rate with the real showed the biggest sell-off but the pound weakened by a fifth or more against nine other global currencies, including the Russian rouble, the Colombian peso and the Zambian kwacha.

Research by Lloyds Private Banking into 60 currencies found the biggest declines in sterling were against the Brazilian real, with a 28.4 per cent fall, the Russian rouble, with a 28 per cent slide, and the Icelandic krona, with a 27.9 per cent fall (see table below).

Sterling beater: The pound's exchange rate with Brazil's real showed the biggest sell-off last year at 28.4% - but the pound lost more than a fifth of its value against nine other global currencies

Holidaymakers booking trips to any of these destinations in 2017 will get significantly less for their pounds than they would have a year ago - but that's not to say they have suddenly become expensive places to go.

While Russia will be, it's likely UK travellers will still find Indonesia good value - albeit less so than this time last year.

Sterling had a strong year in 2015 and appreciated against more than three-quarters of the currencies surveyed by Lloyds. But even before the Brexit vote of June this year it was losing ground to many world currencies.

After the vote to leave the European union, the losses continued and though sterling stabilised in the last quarter of 2016, it fell against 56 of the 60 currencies over the 12 months.

The pound did make significant gains against two currencies last year, Lloyds said. These were the Egyptian pound, against which sterling rose by 105.8 per cent, and the Mozambique metical, against which the pound increased by 23 per cent.

Rising cost: British travellers to Moscow will find the Russian capital even more expensive than usual after last year's 28% decline for the pound versus the rouble.

Sterling also increased by 0.3 per cent against the Turkish lira and remained unchanged against the Danish krone.

Lloyds said the performance of sterling in the six months before and the six months after June's Brexit vote followed a similar pattern.

Sterling declined in value against 54 out of the 60 currencies analysed in the six months leading up to the EU referendum, and fell in the six months after the referendum against 51 countries.

Peter Reid, expatriate banking director at Lloyds Private Banking, said: 'The pound's decline is bad news for British holidaymakers, with most destinations becoming more expensive in 2016.

'Many British expats will also be feeling the pinch; those with incomes in sterling such as pensioners are getting fewer pounds when converting their money.

'However, on the other end of the bargain, British expats living and working abroad and earning in foreign currencies are now getting more pounds for their money and they are seeing their spending power surge when they head back to the UK.'
Most investment trusts are managed by huge global brands, such as Henderson and JP Morgan. But there are exceptions.

Step forward The Scottish Investment Trust, a 947million fund that has been self-managed in Edinburgh for nigh on 130 years. All its staff are dedicated to making the trust an investment success.

Its roots are reflected in its name, but there is nothing parochial about its investment ambitions. It is a global fund, searching worldwide for firms that will generate a mix of capital return and a growing dividend.

Strategy: Boss Alasdair McKinnon looks for stocks no one wants, but which possess potential for turnaround

Run by Alasdair McKinnon, the trust has in recent days reported its annual results for the year to the end of October. They make for impressive reading, especially confirmation that the trust has increased its dividend for the 33rd consecutive year.

Under the new chairmanship of James Will, it has been given a new lease of life. The board has been freshened up, most support functions have been outsourced to save costs and the investment approach has been made racier.

The result is a trust that has comfortably outperformed its global peers over the past year, generating returns of 35 per cent against a 23 per cent sector average. We needed to reinvent ourselves, admits Will. We had to make the investment approach more focused and more dynamic.

Part of the revolution was the installation of McKinnon in the hot seat in early 2015, taking over from John Kennedy, who was quietly put out to pasture. McKinnon, part of the investment team for 13 years, describes the new investment approach as contrarian and high conviction.

It is primarily about identifying firms that most rivals have given up on but Scottish believes offer an investment opportunity. It will then back its judgment by taking big stakes in the companies. We call them ugly ducklings, says McKinnon. If you asked 100 investors if they would buy the stock, 99 would say no. We are the lone wolf. If we can see evidence of a possible turnaround in fortune, maybe because of new management, we will invest.

Australian wine maker Treasury Wine Estates is a case in point. It had a chequered history, but we decided to buy into the stock in August 2015 because of new management. In our last financial year, it was the biggest contributor to performance.

McKinnon also likes companies either on the cusp of major change or which he believes have more to offer than maybe everybody else thinks.

'Ugly ducklings': Scottish invests in firms that most rivals have given up on

Despite the fact that he runs a tight-knit investment team  four, including himself  and Scottish does not have the same financial muscle as most rivals, he says they are not disadvantaged.

Edinburgh is a great place to be as an investment manager, he argues. Lots of companies and investment brokers come by and we get to see them. We are never short of investment ideas.

With enough income in reserve to pay four years of dividends, future dividend rises are almost guaranteed. Shareholders should also welcome the trusts drive to cut costs. Ongoing charges are running at 0.49 per cent against 0.68 per cent two years ago.
El Nino brought rising temperatures and reduced rainfall in 2016, resulting in falling water levels in the upper reaches of China's second-longest river.

According to Qinghai Provincial Climate Center, El Nino left the upper reaches of the Yellow River "dry to very dry" throughout 2016.

The 5,464-km-long Yellow River, which runs through China and is known as the "Mother River" of Chinese civilization, originates in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The Tangnaihai water station, located near the Yellow River's source, reported that 2016 was the driest since 2003, with water levels dropping by more than 30 percent between June and September.

Rainfall last summer and autumn was 10 percent less compared to the previous year, while the average temperature near the upper reaches of the Yellow River rose 1.5 degrees Celsius, the highest since 1961, according to the Qinghai climate center.

Dai Sheng, a senior meteorologist with the center, warned that a prolonged drought in the upper Yellow River region will hurt farming, herding, and hydro-electric power stations along the watercourse.
According to Greek mythology, the phoenix was a mystical bird that came back to life every time it died, effectively living forever.

So it is perhaps an apt name for Phoenix Group, which manages closed-life insurance and pension funds; can trace its heritage back to 1782; and was reborn in recent years following a complex series of mergers and acquisitions.

Today, the company is valued on the stock market at almost 3billion and it looks after the life and pension policies of more than 6 million people. The shares are 748p and should gain ground as chief executive Clive Bannister delivers his ambitious growth plans. There is also a generous dividend policy stretching out for at least the next five years and almost certainly well beyond that.

Longevity: The mythical phoenix - and Phoenix Group can trace its heritage back to 1782

The crucial difference between Phoenix and almost every other life insurance or pension group is that it manages only funds that are closed to new members. That means it does not have to spend money trying to attract new policyholders and it is able to predict with a fair degree of accuracy the amount of cash it will generate for the next 20 to 30 years.

Phoenix is the largest closed-life company in the UK and last year, cemented its position with two substantial transactions  the purchase of Abbey Life for 935million from Deutsche Bank and the acquisition of Embassy and Sun Life from French insurer Axa for 375million. The deals were financed using a mixture of shares and debt and they were enthusiastically received by the stock market.

In the closed-life sector, size matters. First, it confers cost efficiencies. Second, the more customers Phoenix has, the better able it is to make group-wide predictions about longevity.

And third, a substantial business is better able to invest very broadly, so reducing financial risk. Phoenix now has 74billion under management and prides itself on prudent investment of that money. Being large also helps the company to pay generous dividends.

Phoenix receives cash from customers paying into their policies, it invests that cash in assets such as bonds, gilts, shares and property and pays out those policies when they come due.

As such, the group  in common with other life insurers  has a big responsibility to get its sums right so that it has sufficient cash to pay policyholders what they are owed.

To minimise the chance of policyholders being left out of pocket, regulators make sure that life companies are exceptionally strong financially, so they are obliged to set aside significantly more capital than they are likely to need.

As policies lapse or policyholders pass away, Phoenix is allowed to bring some of the surplus capital back into its business and each year a proportion of that money goes towards shareholder dividends.

For City brokers, this is one of the most important ways to measure Phoenix, as it highlights the companys financial stability and its likely future dividend payments. After the Abbey transaction, which was completed on December 30, Phoenix said it expected to generate at least 2.7billion of cash between now and 2020, which should translate into rising dividends over the coming years.

Full-year results for 2016 will be released in March and analysts forecast a dividend of 54.7p, rising to 56p for the current year and equating to a dividend yield of more than 7 per cent.

Bannister is actively looking for new deals and there is every chance that they will come his way. Many insurers and banks with life and pension divisions are keen to sell off their closed-life subsidiaries and focus on their core business instead. The overall UK closed-life market is valued at about 250billion and, as the leading player in the sector, Phoenix is well placed to buy any unwanted businesses.

The company is disciplined in its approach to acquisitions, however, only buying firms that strengthen its financial position and enhance its ability to pay dividends.
Profits have plunged at folding bike manufacturers Brompton Bicycle  as the company counts the cost of moving to new premises.

During the year the company relocated from Kew Bridge, London, to a new factory in Greenford, Middlesex, doubling capacity but adding exceptional costs of 1.1million.

While sales were up 3 per cent to 28.4million for the year to March 31, 2016, pre-tax profit fell from 2.1million to 192,000.

Move: During the year Brompton relocated from London to a new factory in Middlesex

But directors said profit margins were up and the company now exports to 42 territories, selling 43,859 bicycles last year.

The first Brompton bike was designed in 1975 and full-time production began in 1988. Each bike is handmade and folds up.
Soaring demand at some of Britains fastest-growing online businesses is piling further pressure on the high street, a slew of figures from major retailers will show this week.

The performance of fashion giants Asos and Boohoo is casting a shadow over the popularity of former shopping staples including Marks & Spencer and Debenhams which are struggling to increase sales in an increasingly competitive market.

City analysts expect growth at Boohoo to exceed 40 per cent in the four months to the end of December and at Asos to rise 30 per cent as demand rockets at home and abroad.

High street woe: Retailers are struggling to increase sales as shoppers increasingly buy online

At its current rate of growth, Asos could end its financial year in August with close to 2billion in sales and Boohoo is expected to exceed sales of 250million this year.

Boohoo joint chief executive Mahmud Kamani told The Mail on Sunday three years ago that he aims to build a company with worldwide sales of 1billion.

The latest rise in the success of online stores has been stimulated by a number of pre-Christmas events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday which have helped draw yet more custom to the internet.

David Reynolds, an analyst at investment bank Jefferies, said: The online players continue to benefit from the ongoing online channel shift. We do not think Asos and Boohoo are taking market share from each other but the legacy retailers are ceding share.

Next chief executive Lord Wolfson last week missed City forecasts after sales of full-priced products declined 0.4 per cent in the two months to Christmas Eve.

Other store bosses are being forced to review their property portfolios as more custom shifts online and some branches become increasingly unprofitable.

Booming: At its current rate of growth, Asos could end its financial year in August with close to 2billion in sales

Marks & Spencer is this week expected to reveal it performed better than the previous Christmas when clothing sales sank almost 6 per cent. Some forecasters believe new boss Steve Rowe has managed to stem the decline but predictions vary widely.
The BBCs new chairman is likely to be appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May within days amid concerns that the selection panel is leaning towards candidates who lack relevant business experience.

The new board is due to be up and running by April and will replace the BBCs executive board and the corporations present regulator, the BBC Trust, whose chairman Rona Fairhead said she would not be taking up the 100,000 role after May said she would have to apply for it.

BBC regulation in future will be handled by commercial media and telecoms regulator Ofcom.

BBC's future: The new board is due to be up and running by April

The new so-called unitary board has a broad brief of ensuring the BBCs strategy, activity and output are in the public interest, and is the creation of former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale.

Those close to the process said Dame Colette Bowe, chairman of the Banking Standards Board, is the dominant figure on the panel.

A person close to the selection process said: Colette Bowe is a 70-year-old professional regulator, a former chairman of media and telecoms regulator Ofcom, and she is determined that the successful candidate will have a regulatory background first rather than a media background  and that it will be a woman not a man.

That is different to the original brief for the post from the Department for Culture Media & Sport [DCMS], which was looking for someone with a business background who could help develop the BBC as the countrys biggest media business and one of the worlds biggest media brands  and lead it into a post-licence fee world.

The BBC licence fee is guaranteed until 2028 but long before that the corporation will have to explore new ways of financing itself.

One of the two candidates understood to be leading the field is Dame Deirdre Hutton, chairwoman of the Civil Aviation Authority.

She is former chairwoman of the Food Standards Agency, as well as former deputy chairwoman of the Financial Services Authority. The other favoured candidate is Sir David Clementi, former deputy governor of the Bank of England and former chairman of Prudential.

Candidates: They include John Makinson, chairman of publisher Penguin Random House

There are thought to be a number of other candidates still in the running. They include John Makinson, chairman of publisher Penguin Random House; the author and former journalist William Shawcross, who is chairman of the Charities Commission; Roger Parry, the former broadcast journalist who has run numerous media businesses; Sir David Arculus, the former Emap publishing boss who chairs industry trade association Energy UK; and Dame Liz Forgan, head of the Arts Council.

The chairmanship is a part-time role, but it is understood that the successful candidate will be expected to work full-time in the post for an initial period.
A 760mph rail link from London to Edinburgh has taken one step closer to reality by being shortlisted for Elon Musk's Hyperloop project.

The US startup has disclosed a list of locations around the world vying to put near-supersonic rail transit system to the test - and the England to Scotland captial city link is among the contenders.

If selected, it would mean travelling between the two cities would just 45 minutes and London to Manchester would take just 18 minutes at much quicker speeds than a Boeing 737.

760mph train that'll take you from London to Manchester in 18 minutes - an artist's impression

The startup company keen to revolutionize the way people and cargo travel said that 35 contenders remained from a field of 2,600 teams in a Hyperloop One Grand Challenge launched in May 2015.

Viable submissions had to be condoned by government agencies that would likely be involved in regulating and, ideally, funding the futuristic rail.

London to Edinburgh's bid will battle it out with Sydney to Melbourne, Shanghai to Hangzhou and Mumbai to Delhi.

There are also 11 US teams in contention.

Hyperloop One, which has so far raised more than $160 million, was set on an idea laid out by billionaire Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind electric car company Tesla and private space exploration endeavor SpaceX.

He wrote a white paper about Hyperloop in 2013, but no longer has any involvement.

Hyperloop One, which was formed by three co-founders, say their system offers better safety than passenger jets, lower build and maintenance costs than high-speed trains, and energy usage, per person, that is similar to a bicycle.

Pods would rocket along rails through reduced-pressure tubes at speeds of 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) per hour.

Port colossus DP World Group of Dubai last year invested in the concept, joining backers including French national rail company SNCF, US industrial conglomerate General Electric and Russian state fund RDIF.

The company is backed by three co-founders - Shervin Pishevar, Robert Lloyd and Josh Giegel.

Pishevar is an Iranian-American entrepreneur and managing director of Sherpa Capital - a venture capital fund which has invested in companies including Airbnb, Uber, and Munchery.

Lloyd joined Hyperloop One as Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board in September 2015 after 21 years at Cisco Systems.

Prior to joining Hyperloop Tech, he was President of development, sales and the internet of everything responsible for 40,000 employees operating around the world.

Josh Giegel had previously worked for Virgin Galactic and joined Hyperloop in 2014.

Passengers will be carried in capsules or 'pods', embarking through a Hyperloop 'portal'. The developers claim once a Dubai pod has reached a destination portal it will be able to leave the Hyperloop system and travel under its own steam on conventional roads (artist's impression, pictured)

'There has been a lot of talk about reviving the infrastructure in the United States,' Hyperloop One co-founder and engineering president Josh Giegel said at Consumer Electronics Show.

'If that is the plan, there is a good chance we would start working with them,' he said, referring to the incoming administration of Donald Trump.

Hyperloop One wants to get three systems underway, according to chief executive Rob Lloyd.

'The end goal is to increase our pipeline of real projects,' said Hyperloop One senior vice president of global field operations Nick Earle.

Dubai late last year agreed to a deal to evaluate construction of a hyperloop link that could slash travel times to Emirati capital Abu Dhabi to minutes.

The cash-flush city state, which has hosted other hi-tech transport pilots, said it would conduct a 'feasibility study' with Hyperloop One to sound out the scheme.

Hyperloop One global field operations senior vice president Nick Earle (left) and co-founders Rob Lloyd (centre) and Josh Giegel at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas

The company executives said that a hyperloop test system is being constructed in the desert outside of Las Vegas.

Hyperloop One had originally promised a full-scale demonstration by the end of 2016, after a successful test of the propulsion system.

'We are not only proving it will work, which we will do in the next few months, but we want to focus on cutting down cost and manufacturing time,' Lloyd said.

The startup's reasons for being at the Consumer Electronics show included collaborating with the self-driving car industry to make sure autonomous vehicles will inter-operate with the hyperloop system, loading themselves into pods to be whisked off to far-away destinations, according to Earle.

'A self-driving Uber would be able to go inside the hyperloop and come out the other side,' Earle said.

'It's like broadband internet for transportation' with self-driving vehicles carrying cargo or people in a real-world spin on data packets being taken quickly from one point to another over the internet, he maintained.
They're the world's most violent gang, with a love of drugs and murder - and they've reportedly now arrived in Australia.

Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, is one of Latin America's notorious gangs with a penchant for ruthlessly savage murders, rape and worldwide drug trafficking.

Originating in Los Angeles, the gang has long existed throughout the United States, Mexico, El Salvador and South America, but is now believed to have made its mark in Australia, the Adelaide Advertiser reports.

Since 2015 the gang's symbol has been seen across Sydney, sparking fears they're set to announce their expansion into new territory in typically brutal fashion.

Scroll down for video

Mara Salvatrucha, the world's most violent gang, have reportedly begun arriving in Australia

Identifiable by their symbolic facial tattoos (pictured) the gang has a penchant for murder, rape, fighting and drug trafficking

In 2015 the Mara Salvatrucha symbol was painted on garages across Sydney sparking fears the gang was preparing to make its mark in Australia

With heavily symbolic facial tattoos and use of hand symbols referencing the devil to communicate, the gangs members are easily recognisable.

The crime syndicate has a reputation for brutal acts, both on enemies and also gang members who can be killed or have limbs amputated if they break rank.

Proving that brutality is all a part of the gang's processes, it's initiation sees potential members beaten and bashed by already initiated criminals.

Worldwide there are believed to be close to 100,000 members of Mara Salvatrucha including boys younger than 10.

The gang - whose name loosely translates to 'heads up, this is the gang of El Salvador' - has quite a reputation in its home country.

There, gang members are segregated into separate prisons, with guards refusing to enter their areas out of fear for what may happen.

The same MS-13 logo was painted on brick wall in a laneway in the famous suburb of Bondi

Two members of the terrifying crime syndicate pose in front of a sign with the MS-13 logo

The gang's hand symbols (pictured), which they use to communicate, are a reference to the horns of the devil

A heavily tattooed member of Mara Salvatrucha's rival gang Barrio 18 shows off a hand gesture after the death of man in Guatemala City

There are believed to be close to 100,000 members of Mara Salvatrucha worldwide including boys younger than 10

A car riddled with bullet holes is a clear sign of the gang violence between Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs

With a heavy presence across the majority of America, the MS-13 quickly made a number of enemies.

A smaller crew of gangsters called 'Barrio 18', or '18th Street gang', which also had links to El Salvador, became a rival of MS-13 for committing similarly brutal crimes.

Growing rapidly across the United States, the gang soon became such a threat authorities began deporting members back to their homelands.

While in Australia the gang is yet to have been directly link to any crime, the spree of tags found across Bondi and other suburbs in Sydney's east left locals frightened.

Members of MS-13 are often placed in separate prisons, with guards refusing to enter their areas out of fear for what may happen

A number of high powered weapons were seized by police following the murder of an MS-13 member

Mara Salvatrucha's initiation sees potential members beaten and bashed by already initiated criminals

'I can't believe it, we have only just moved into the area,' one woman told Daily Mail Australia.

'It sends shivers, this area is pretty mixed and a messy sort of street, and you get all sorts of people.'

In 2004 the El Salvador government separated MS-13 and Barrio 18 into different parts of the country in an effort to deescalate tensions after a prison massacre that saw 32 gang members killed.

However the move seemingly only strengthened Mara Salvatrucha, reaffirming their position as the biggest force in the gang world.
Injuries included puncture wounds and two makeshift weapons made from parts of inhalers were recovered

Five inmates are in serious to critical

Five inmates are in serious to critical condition following a brawl at a super-maximum security jail in Chicago.

The fight - which was caught on tape - saw a rumble erupt among men who fought with makeshift weapons made from inhalers, on Friday afternoon.

Four of the five inmates injured in the brawl were at Cook County Jail awaiting trail on murder charges.

The fight, which lasted nearly a minute and a half, was brought under control quickly, a spokeswoman for the jail said to the Chicago Tribune.

The hurt men were brought to two different hospitals but none of the injuries sustained were life-threatening, she continued.

Some of the injuries were from puncture wounds, possibly made from two makeshift weapons recovered that were made from parts of inhalers.

Officials are investigating how the weapons were obtained.

Video footage of the altercation begins with a man running up the stairs of a general population room away from another inmate.

It seems that before the filming begins, the two were in a heated exchange.

The brawl at Cook County Jail in Chicago hospitalized five inmates who are in serious to critical condition. Weapons recovered included two makeshift items that were made with parts of inhalers

The chaos seemed to erupt after two inmates had an argument and one runs up the stairs. Other men in the room take the scuffle as an opportunity to fight each other

The chaos begins to erupt when a man standing near the center of the room takes the moment as a chance to punch another inmate in the back of the head.

Another one of the inmates is punched in the head and knocks against a cement pillar. He remains on the floor until someone pulls him away from his attackers.

In the hectic scuffle, nearly 30 men in the general population room are on guard, preparing for a fight.

Some seem to try and avoid being involved and line up against the wall near the door.

One of the men had trouble moving after his head was knocked into a cement pillar. A fellow inmate pulled him away so he could protect him from attackers

A spokeswoman for the jail said the brawl was brought quickly under control by officials, who seemed to be armed with Tasers

The majority of the clip shows inmates running around the room trying to avoid being hit or stabbed with a makeshift weapon.

Eventually, officals rush into the room and inmates drop to the floor.

The guards seem to have Tasers which they use on one of the main inmates involved in the altercation.
Police believe a woman who disappeared three-and-a-half years ago is still alive, even though her belongings were found at an accused murderer's home.

Tanya Buckland disappeared from her Warwick, Queensland, home just before her 37th birthday in August 2013.

She had told her teenage daughter she was going away for one year and headed into New South Wales, police said, but friends and family haven't heard from her since.

Tanya Buckland (pictured) went missing just before her 37th birthday in August 2013

Her belongings were found in the home of Vincent O'Dempsey (pictured in 1989), who is accused over a separate murder case

Her belongings had been found in the home of Vincent O'Dempsey, who is accused over the 1974 murders of Barbara McCulkin and her daughters.

But the head of Queensland Police Missing Person's Unit, Detective Senior Sergeant Damien Powell, believes Ms Buckland is still alive, he said according to Courier Mail.

Photographs, purportedly of the mother-of-three after her disappearance, were later mailed to police and family by someone claiming to be Ms Buckland to assure she was okay.

The investigation then turned to the Hunter Valley in NSW, where the letters appeared to be sent from, with no success.

What appeared to be recent photographs of the mother-of-three were later mailed to police by a someone claiming to be Ms Buckland (one of the mysterious photos is pictured)

Ms Buckland is believed to be pictured after her disappearance, in photos posted to police from the NSW Hunter Valley

'We believe she is alive,' Sen-Sgt Powell told Courier Mail.

'It's hard to say [why she left], but obviously all our inquiries have drawn a blank. There is no evidence of her [being alive] but she may well have the capabilities to use a different name or work for cash in hand.'

Sen-Sgt Powell said police did not know how her belongings ended up at O'Dempsey's house, or how they might be involved with each other.

O'Dempsey is accused over the murders of Barbara McCulkin and her daughters Leanne and Vicky after they went missing from their Highgate Hill, Brisbane, home in January 1974.

Facebook page 'Help Find Tanya Buckland' is still updated by family members.

Facebook page 'Help Find Tanya Buckland' is still updated by family members

'We believe she is alive,' Sen-Sgt Powell said of Ms Buckland (pictured)

Sen-Sgt Powell said police did not know how Ms Buckland's belongings ended up at O'Dempsey's house, or how they might be involved with each other

Barbara McCulkin, who went missing from her Highgate Hill, Brisbane, home in 1974

13-year-old Vicky (left) and 11-year-old Leanne McCulkin (right) are pictured
He was the first person off the plane when Britain lifted visa restrictions on Romanians and Bulgarians three years ago.

And ever since, Victor Spirescu has been the unrivalled poster boy for EU migration, claiming to earn 60,000 a year through hard work.

But one woman who helped Mr Spirescu after he arrived in the UK says her kindness has been repaid with subterfuge, debts and excuses. On one occasion, Mr Spirescu even told her that women were not his equal.

Single mother Anne Brown took Mr Spirescu into her home after her daughter Zoe, 22, met him last summer. He said he had nowhere to live, having been kicked out by his girlfriend  Romanian-Cypriot Suzana Mates, also 22.

Victor Spirescu was welcomed by Labour MP Keith Vaz (pictured) when he arrived from Romania, and declared he wanted to work, earn money and go home

Zoe then fell for Mr Spirescu and the pair became a couple. But while Zoe would shortly find herself broken-hearted when Mr Spirescu returned to his ex, her mother was left counting the cost of her encounter with this citizen of the new, expanded Europe: 879, to be exact.

For, unbeknown to her, during his six-week stay at her house in Hendon, North London, Mr Spirescu used the address to register his car.

After he left in September, there followed a stream of parking fines and official letters, culminating last month in a visit from bailiffs demanding money following an accident  one that Zoe believes happened while Mr Spirescu was on the phone to her, having a blazing row.

Having, perhaps unwisely, invited the bailiffs in for a cup of tea, baker Mrs Brown said they refused to leave without fulfilling the court order awarding the money to the other party involved.

I phoned Victor, said Mrs Brown, 55. He spoke to one of the bailiffs and said he didnt live here any more, but that wasnt good enough. So I settled the debt after Victor had promised to pay me back.

He came around that evening with Suzana and promised hed pay me back, but was waiting for some money to come in.

In the following weeks, Zoe was surprised to see his Facebook posts about days out he was enjoying with Suzana and reminded him of his obligation to me  telling him not to forget the people who helped him when he had nothing.

Single mother Anne Brown (left) took Mr Spirescu into her home after her daughter Zoe (right), 22, met him last summer. Zoe then fell for Mr Spirescu and the pair became a couple. But while Zoe would shortly find herself broken-hearted

But now he wont answer his phone. In one text, just before Christmas, he told me that he was Romanian and that women were not equal with him and we should remember that.

Theres no doubt that Mr Spirescus Facebook page is designed to impress. There are endless photographs of him and London-based business student Suzana on trips to Amsterdam, Paris and Cyprus. The pair have also visited Oxford, Bournemouth and Windsor.

Mr Spirescu was welcomed by Labour MP Keith Vaz when he arrived from Romania, and declared he wanted to work, earn money and go home.

In one text, just before Christmas, Mr Spirescu told Mrs Brown that he was Romanian and that women were 'not equal' with him and they should remember that

He started by cleaning cars but, according to his subsequent media updates, he has exceeded those expectations thanks to a thriving air-conditioning business and a glamorous girlfriend.

He claims to have earned 62,000 in 2015, and 58,000 last year, and has bought a fleet of cars and enjoyed plenty of exotic travel.

When The Mail on Sunday caught up with Mr Spirescu last week, he was again on holiday with Suzana  this time in Berlin.

When asked about Mrs Brown and her debts, he told our reporter that her claim was b******t.

I never crashed a car, he claimed. I gave her that car, a Renault Espace. I never received paperwork from her telling her she was liable for this so-called accident. Why would she not show me?

Documents seen by The Mail on Sunday state that Mr Spirescu is the registered keeper of the car  but at Mrs Browns address.

He did admit to moving into Mrs Browns home with Zoe for two months.

I slept in a single bed in a single room with her and paid her mother 100 a week  although Mrs Brown claims it was 80 a week.
A man's body has been found in a backyard in Melbourne's south east.

Victorian homicide squad detectives are investigating after emergency services were called to Taurus Avenue in Dandenong North about 8pm on Saturday.

A man's body was been found in a backyard in Dandenong North in Melbourne about 8pm on Saturday night. His death is being treated as suspicious

The man's body was located at an address on the street.

Investigators are treating the man's death as suspicious.
Research team members have lunch at a dock of the Great Wall Station in Antarctica, Jan. 4, 2017. Chinese research vessel and icebreaker Xuelong (Snow Dragon) on Jan. 4 arrived in the Maxwell Bay, some 2 kilometerss away from the Great Wall Antarctic research station, and began its unloading task. Xuelong was on its 33rd Antarctic expedition. (Xinhua/Rong Qihan)
Meghan's trip to India has been delayed amid organisation concerns

Prince Harry is already planning his second holiday with new girlfriend Meghan Markle as the pair enjoy their first romantic break.

The loved-up prince is set to take Meghan away skiing, which may soften the blow of her delayed humanitarian trip to India.

She has been forced to delay the trip to India for charity work amid security concerns now that she is dating a prince.

The actress was due to fly there later this month with children's charity World Vision, for whom she is an ambassador.

She is currently with Prince Harry on a romantic break in Norway.

A source told the Daily Star: 'This will be Harry and Meghans first ski holiday together, which to ski bunny Harry is a big deal. Its not just the skiing, the whole apres ski social aspect is right up his street.

'Obviously his uncle Andrews chalet in Verbier is preferred by his protection team because they know every inch of the land, but Harrys love affair with Norway is only deepening after his time with Meg there at New Year.'

Harry is said to be deciding the exact location for the trip, thought to be happening in February, but is taking advice from close friend Inge Solheim, a polar explorer who has given him advice on previous trips.

Prince Harry is known to love skiing and the trip with his new girlfriend Meghan could cement her place in his life

It could also be a chance for her to meet his friends as they are said to have been invited to come along on the trip.

The holiday will likely come after Meghan's postponed trip to India.

A source told the People: 'The trip has had to be put back due to organisational concerns.

'Since Meghan's relationship with Prince Harry became public knowledge, her profile has risen dramatically and that brings a lot of things with it.

'It has not been rescheduled for any definite date yet but it is not expected to happen now until at least March.

'Meghan is disappointed her India trip has been put back, but she understands why.

'Dating Harry has changed her life dramatically, but she couldnt be happier.'

Meghan had spoken about the planned trip in October, before her relationship became public, and said she was looking forward to setting up a 'girls' programme' that she'd been working on for six months.

A source said dating Harry has completely changed Meghan's life but she could not be happier

The couple celebrated the new year together before flying out to Tromso, on the Norwegian fjords, where they also whale watched and enjoyed romantic lake trips.

And the piece de resistance of their first trip away together was looking up into the night's sky at the Aurora Borealis.

They are thought to have bonded over their shared love of humanitarian work, which Meghan has written about on her blog The Tig.

She wrote: 'Ive never wanted to be a lady who lunches  Ive always wanted to be a woman who works. And this type of work is what feeds my soul, and fuels my purpose.'

When she was last on a trip with World Vision, to Rwanda, in February Meghan visited clean water projects, helped build a well and met many Rwandans who have had a lasting impact on her life.

The actress does admit that balancing a life of luxury to one where she witnesses people denied of the most basic needs can be challenging.
Lamiya hopes to go to university and is raising

Lamiya Haji Bashar was condemned to sex slavery by Islamic State, but she managed to escape

She stood defiant in the dock. Blood poured from her mouth and nose, while her body was covered with bruises  the result of another savage beating by her Islamic State captors, who used cables and weapons in addition to their fists and feet.

Once again Lamiya Haji Bashar had tried to escape her tormentors. And once again, the Yazidi teenager had been caught.

A judge in Mosuls sharia court stared at her. After being told Lamiya kept trying to escape  this time she had been caught leading a breakout of several other girls seized by the terror group  he made his ruling.

He said that either they must kill me or cut off my foot to stop me escaping, Lamiya recalls.

So how did she respond to such a terrifying sentence?

I told him that if you cut off one foot then I will escape with the other. I told the judge I would never give up. So they replied they would keep on torturing me if I tried to escape.

She showed immense bravery, yet it was typical of this remarkable teenager. Eventually her life  and her feet  were saved by a senior IS official, who argued that she should be sold to a new owner.

Lamiya was one of the several thousand Yazidi women and girls condemned to sex slavery, traded like animals and abused by barbarous fanatics. Another year of fear, agony and assaults lay ahead of her, held captive by a cruel surgeon, who traded kidnapped women and children when not stitching up wounded jihadis.

But now Lamiya is free, though even her escape was etched in pain and tragedy. She was injured in an explosion that left extensive physical scars on her face to go with the deep psychological scars on her mind.

I met Lamiya in a quiet hotel in Germany, where this extraordinary, softly spoken young woman told me her story  a tale of savagery far beyond anyones worst nightmare.

She heard her father and brothers being shot, was enslaved by their cruel killers, and then beaten and raped for almost two years by a succession of older men.

During her time trapped in the IS heartland of Syria and northern Iraq, Lamiya saw children sold to old men as sex slaves, and she was forced to help make suicide bombs. At one point Lamiya was thrown into a room to be gang-raped by 40 fanatics. Yet she never buckled. These men were more than monsters, she says. Thats why I stayed strong, because I wanted to challenge the life they gave me.

The brave teenager endured a horrific tale of savagery far beyond anyones worst nightmare. Above she tells her story to Ian Birrell in Germany

Now, showing remarkable courage, she has taken the unusual step for her gender, her religion and her region, in speaking openly about the horrors.

It is hard to believe that she is still only 18. Lamiyas stance was recognised last month with the EUs top human rights award  the Sakharov Prize. Nadia Murad, another Yazidi sex slave survivor, was also honoured.

Their stories remind the world that so many more Yazidi women and girls remain caught in similarly appalling circumstances by bigots who view them as infidels due to their ancient beliefs.

The 400,000-strong Yazidi community is persecuted by extreme Muslims for devil-worship since their religion, blending aspects of ancient Middle East traditions, reveres an angel which takes the form of a blue peacock. I first broke news about their plight in 2014.

Lamiya comes from the Yazidi village of Kocho in northern Iraq, where the 1,800 residents were told by IS to convert to Islam or die. Until then she had had a happy childhood, growing up on a prosperous farm owned by a wealthy family. She went to school, worked hard and hoped to become a teacher.

When I first heard of Daesh [another term for IS] on television I thought it was some kind of new animal, she says, underlining her youth. I didnt know they were a terror gang.

Yazidi women were split up - married women and younger children were taken to Tal Afar and unmarried women and teenagers were sent to Mosul

When IS swept into Mosul, Iraqs second city, 80 miles west of Kocho, elders realised their village might become caught up in the spiralling conflict, but they never thought peaceful civilians like them would be targeted.

However, in early August 2014, after capturing the nearby city of Sinjar, two cars filled with IS fighters arrived.

They asked us to convert, but said they would do no harm, Lamiya says. The village was surrounded, yet a few families managed to flee.

Then, on August 15, a large force of black-clad men stormed the village  locals recognised some as those from nearby towns.

Everyone was ordered into the school, stripped of all their possessions, and females were taken to the first floor.

I was so scared. I was thinking of my father, my family, my life, says Lamiya. Then they took all our men  fathers, sons, brothers.

It was the last time she saw her father and two brothers. IS told the terrified women that the men were being sent to Mount Sinjar, where many Yazidi had sought refuge. Ten minutes later we heard the shooting start, recalls Lamiya.

The men were slaughtered in their own streets. Then the women were split up: married women and younger children were taken to nearby Tal Afar, while unmarried women and teenagers were sent to Mosul. Older women were shot dead the next day.

Lamiya and three of her sisters soon got a taste of the fate that lay ahead. The men began attacking us, touching us and kissing us.

In Mosul, the captives were forced into a big building filled with hundreds of similar-aged Yazidi. It turned out to be a market for militants to buy sex slaves. Men came all the time to choose girls. If someone refused to go, they were beaten with cables, says Lamiya. It was so painful to see these old men, these monsters, attack the girls. Even girls of nine and ten were crying and begging not to be attacked. I cant describe how horrible it was.

A Saudi man in his 40s bought Lamiya and one of her sisters, taking them to the IS stronghold of Raqqa and keeping them handcuffed much of the time. He was a very bad man, she says.

He beat us for the three days we were with him.

Once he tried to kill me with his hands around my neck because I rejected his advances.

To soften up the sisters, the man took the pair to an IS base and threw them into a room. There were about 40 fighters who abused us. You cant imagine this  two small girls at the hands of so many monsters. Terrible things happened to us.

Afterwards the girls were sold to different fighters, fetching about 100 each. Lamiya ended up with an even more brutal man from Mosul.

Although kept in a locked room, she made the first of five escape attempts when alone in an apartment by jumping from a window. Spotting a local man, she begged him for help and he took her to hide in his home for three days.

ISIS members in Central Asia pose with guns. One IS leader forced Lamiya to work beside men making suicide vests, where they churned out 50 devices each day

The family asked if a relative could come and pick me up, but they were all in captivity. The family was afraid of Daesh, so after three days the man called two fighters, saying he had found a girl.

Her owner was quickly tracked down thanks to a computerised registration system used by IS to record sales of women. Before being handed back, Lamiya was tortured by six men before her furious master beat her viciously.

After her second escape attempt, the man sold her. When I tell Lamiya she was obviously trouble, she smiles shyly for the first time.

Every time I tried to escape they tortured me, but it made me stronger. I never gave up.

I saw so many atrocities, so many crimes. This gave me the power to keep fighting against them.

She was taken by a white-haired man from Mosul, who lived with his wife and son. I told him you cannot take me into your family as a slave, says Lamiya. Please dont do things with me there. Then he raped me.

I once asked his wife and mother to help protect me from the sexual abuse but they said that was his right since I was an infidel.

This man held her for two months. Later Lamiya discovered he had another wife: a blonde, blue-eyed younger woman who spoke German. She was very nice but I could not believe she accepted this man.

After another escape attempt, Lamiya was passed on to an IS emir. Each man was worse than the one before, she admits. Everyone said I was difficult, so they beat me from the start. They were always beating me, always abusing me.

The IS leader was an expert bomb-maker, with a big basement in Mosul filled with cars, liquid explosives and electrical equipment. Lamiya was made to work beside men making suicide vests  she was taught to connect the wiring as they churned out 50 devices each day.

As she worked, she heard air raids and missiles exploding nearby.

I hoped they would attack us and we would die, Lamiya says. I wanted to end my suffering. I also wanted them to destroy this terrible place because it was making bombs.

She said: Every time I tried to escape they tortured me, but it made me stronger. I never gave up'

At one point, when some other Yazidi girls were bought down to the basement, Lamiya persuaded them all to make a dash for freedom. This led to another brutal beating and her being hauled before the sharia court.

She was later kept by a surgeon, who made her run errands in his hospital. Eventually he gave her a mobile phone so that he could summon her  but Lamiya used it to contact an uncle in Kurdistan.

At that point, she was being held close to the Kurdish front line, and her uncle paid a smuggler $7,500 (about 6,100) to get her out.

She walked through the night with Katherine, another teenager from Kocho, and a nine-year-old girl called Almas. But at 4am, Katherine inadvertently stepped on a mine, killing her and the nine-year-old, and leaving Lamiya with her terrible injuries.

Lamiya remembers little after the explosion, which happened nine months ago. Kurdish soldiers carried her to hospital, where doctors were forced to remove one of her eyes. They also treated her wounds before her uncle came for her.

Later she was taken to Germany by Luftbrucke Irak (Air Bridge Iraq), a charity that helps children and terror victims. The charity funded two more operations, restoring some sight to her left eye, and laser treatment to soften her facial scars.

Unsurprisingly, Lamiya remains traumatised and is plagued by nightmares. I think about the suffering of all those other girls, she says.

They include her nine-year-old sister, Mayada, glimpsed only in a snatched photograph standing before a black IS flag. Five other sisters have managed to escaped the clutches of jihadis.

One day Lamiya wants to restart her studies and go to university. But for now, this courageous teenager speaks out to remind the world that 3,600 Yazidi women and girls are still enslaved by IS.
NHS hospitals serving millions of people are completely full, with no beds for new patients, shocking official figures reveal.

In the weeks running up to Christmas, more than a dozen hospitals across England faced turning away critically ill patients because they were running at 100 per cent capacity.

Experts say anything over 85 per cent occupancy is dangerous.

The Princess Alexandra in Harlow, Essex, did not have a single bed free in any general or acute care ward for 27 days in December

Stressed: A doctor at St Mary's Hospital in west London, at the centre of the new TV series

One hospital, the Princess Alexandra in Harlow, Essex, did not have a single bed free in any general or acute care ward for 27 days in December.

Another, the North Middlesex in Edmonton, North London, was full for 23 days.

The damning statistics, seen by this newspaper, are contained in an official NHS report, and are the starkest indication yet how the Health Service is struggling in the face of its worst nationwide crisis in 15 years.

The news comes after it emerged that:

Two patients waiting for admission had died on A&E trolleys;

The Red Cross was called in to take people home from hospital to free up beds;

Overflowing A&E departments shut their doors to patients more than 140 times in December.

The Red Cross has warned that NHS hospitals across the country face a humanitarian crisis, while doctors warned last night that hospitals were close to meltdown.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also weighed in to the crisis, demanding that the Prime Minister come to the Commons tomorrow to explain the scandal.

Disturbingly, the disclosures about packed wards comes as The Mail on Sunday also reveals stark new evidence that hospital overcrowding is linked to high numbers of unexpected deaths.

Our painstaking analysis shows that the 16 hospital trusts in England which had higher than expected death rates last year were on average more likely to be seriously overcrowded than the 16 trusts with lower than expected death rates.

Experts say the beds crisis has been triggered by drastic shortfalls in social care funded by local councils, leaving fewer carers for frail and elderly people recovering from illness, and fewer care home beds.

These patients consequently languish on hospital wards for longer, meaning there are no beds available for people coming through A&E.

MP Sarah Wollaston, who chairs the Health Select Committee, said bed occupancy rates were far too high while Jeremy Corbyn demanded the Prime Minister explain the scandal

Last night Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston, who chairs the Health Select Committee, said bed occupancy rates were far too high, putting hospitals under immense pressure.

And Dr Taj Hassan, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, warned: Meltdown is an emotive term but what is undoubtedly true is that emergency departments and hospital staff are absolutely working at their very limit  and thats not sustainable.

NHS staff are incredibly dedicated, but they are human beings and they cant carry on working at 110 per cent with hospitals full, emergency departments overcrowded, and ambulances queuing up for prolonged periods outside.

'What we are seeing is the safety net of the NHS being stretched to the absolute limit, and in some places its breaking.

He said bed occupancy rates should ideally be no higher than 85 per cent, explaining: When you get to 100 per cent thats when you get patients stuck in emergency departments for 10, 15, 24 hours or more.

The two deaths on A&E trolleys occurred at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital. One was a 93-year-old woman who had been waiting on a trolley for up to 35 hours and then suffered a heart attack. She could not be placed on a ward due to a lack of beds.

St Helier hospital in Surrey, (pictured) was completely full

Last night a hospital spokesman said the A&E corridor where she had been placed was an integral part of the department staffed by doctors and nurses.

He added that the elderly patient did not die in a corridor but in a hospital cubicle.

Dr Hassan said: I am absolutely sure there are many other cases of patients waiting for prolonged periods of time on trolleys.

Long waits in emergency departments are associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

Hospitals across England started to become exceptionally busy within days of the formal start of winter on December 1. On December 5, 11 NHS trusts running 15 major hospitals and serving more than 4.5 million people declared they had no beds free at all.

In the South, these included Epsom and St Helier hospitals in South London, East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, Surrey, and the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford. In Essex, Basildon, Thurrock and Princess Alexandra hospitals were full.

St Marys on the Isle of Wight was completely full, as was Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

Across East Anglia and the Midlands, the Norfolk and Norwich was at 100 per cent, as was George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, Kidderminster Hospital and the Worcestershire Royal. In the North, Barnsley Hospital had no free beds.

DON'T FALL GRAVELY ILL IN HARLOW... Hospitals should have no more than 85 per cent of beds occupied at any time. But in December, the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, did not have a single spare bed for 27 out of 31 nights, making it the fullest hospital in England. The 383-bed facility was full for nine days at the start of the month, then there was a two day lull when five beds briefly became available, followed by another 12-day stretch at full capacity until Christmas. With patients discharged on Christmas Eve, and no pre-planned operations carried out over the break, occupancy dropped briefly. But the hospital was full again from Boxing Day to New Years Eve. Advertisement

December 5 was just the start of an incredibly busy period which only eased at Christmas because routine operations do not take place over the festive break.

On December 6, eight trusts running ten hospitals were at 100 per cent capacity.

The following night nine trusts running 12 hospitals were totally full. The situation peaked again on December 14, with 12 trusts responsible for 15 hospitals declaring themselves full.

Overall across the month of December, hospitals in England were 91.9 per cent full. A tenth of hospital trusts had an average bed occupancy rate for the month of 98 per cent or higher.

Dr Hassan said: These figures are unsurprising. We have not invested in social care, we have not invested in acute hospital beds and in the meantime demand has risen significantly. We need to get patients back into the community and create more hospital beds and more hospital staff.

The latest figures come after our analysis indicating a link between overcrowding and unexpected deaths.

NHS experts have reported that over the financial year ending March 2016, 16 trusts had death rates that were significantly higher than expected, and 16 had rates that were significantly lower than expected.

The Mail on Sunday discovered that the 16 with significantly higher rates had average bed occupancy of 91.2 per cent over the year.

By contrast, the 16 trusts with lower than expected death rates had 86.3 per cent occupancy. Intriguingly, no trust with an average occupancy below 85 per cent had higher than expected mortality.

The North Middlesex Hospital (pictured) in Edmonton, North London, was full for 23 days

Some extremely busy hospitals did manage to achieve lower than expected death rates  most notably those in London, which are popular with medics.

Experts believe these hospitals managed to compensate for their exceptional workloads by employing more doctors. But the trend, especially outside London, is that fuller hospitals tend to be less safe.

Dr Hassan said: These findings by The Mail on Sunday raise a red flag that if a hospital is under intense pressure  as signified by high occupancy rates  patient care can end up being compromised.

MP Dr Wollaston, a trained GP, urged the Prime Minister to find the money for a rapid injection of cash to pay for more social care beds to free up hospitals.

Last night, NHS England played down the link between overcrowding and higher mortality rates.

A spokeswoman said: There are multiple inter-related factors which influence these figures for any one hospital, as against a single cause such as bed occupancy rate. It would be medically and scientifically invalid to claim otherwise.

Casualty code red: Persistent state of emergency at a hospital starring in a new TV series where lack of beds is driving staff to breaking point

It is a TV shocker that dramatically captures the crisis that is gripping Britains Health Service.

A leading London hospital is on red alert  so short of beds that it might have to put sick patients in the gym.

If we have a significant flu epidemic we are going to be completely stuffed, warns Tim Orchard, medical director at St Marys Hospital in West London.

Weve never started winter with so little spare capacity, he bluntly tells fellow executives. We need to think about what we do when we actually run out of beds.

It may sound like a scene from Casualty but this is real life  dramatic footage from a worrying fly-on-the-wall documentary about the crisis in NHS hospitals.

From nurse to surgeon to medical director, all at the hospital lament the lack of available beds (file photo)

It shows, in disturbing detail, stressed senior staff struggling on the brink of Code Red, the dreaded moment for a hospital when there is barely a bed to be found, no matter how great the emergency.

Shot in late autumn, the six-part series called Hospital details the difficult decisions doctors, nurses and managers across the country are now having to make on a daily basis to squeeze as many patients as they can into the finite number of beds they have available.

In the BBC2 series, which starts on Wednesday, doctors are seen arguing among themselves to try to secure a slot for their patient, in a process one surgeon compares to a moving jigsaw.

In the first episode, a patient called Simon is seen waiting for an operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his oesophagus.

His surgery has been cancelled before and he is getting close to the end of the eight-week window after chemo and radiotherapy when the complex operation is best undertaken.

But then doctors receive a call telling them that an elderly woman is being brought in from Norfolk  her aorta, the bodys largest artery, has started to rupture.

Retired primary school teacher Janice Medcalfe will need the intensive care bed if she survives the journey and the operation.

Theres a patient coming in who might require the intensive care bed, Simon tells the camera, trying to remain calm and matter-of-fact.

If they die, then the bed is available for me, he thinks aloud, obviously conflicted.

Asked how that makes him feel, he replies: Guilty, actually.

His surgeon, Professor George Hannah, argues with intensive care director Simon Ashworth that he should be allowed to operate, with Simon taking the last space in the 16-bed unit  a bed usually kept free in case of sudden emergencies.

Cancelling a cancer patient three times is a serious incident, he says.

Theres a surgeon, theres a theatre, theres three or four nurses [available], he argues. It is a waste!

But Dr Ashworth insists there is not enough slack in our capacity to let Prof Hannah go ahead, adding: Thats the practical reality.

Later, Dr Ashworth tells the film-makers: We do need more capacity because we are always under pressure.

And it does feel to me like the elastic is a bit nearer to breaking now than it ever was.

Simon did get his eight-hour operation the following day, but only after a patient was moved to another hospital altogether to make room for him. He was later told it had cleared his cancer, but he tragically died five weeks later.

In another case, a patient with a huge aneurysm  which means he might die at any moment  is placed in a similar position.

Doctors have worked for two months to arrange his complex operation, which requires five surgeons, three anaesthetists and other specialists to co-ordinate their diaries.

Software engineer Peter Lai is preparing to be put under by an anaesthetist when he is abruptly told by his surgeon: Im really sorry. Theres no bed.

A shocked Mr Lai responds: Its unreal isnt it? At the last minute  Yes and then No.

Mr Lai, described by staff as an exceptional human being for his calmness and politeness, had his surgery delayed by a month.

When it did take place, it went well, but he died of complications related to surgery six weeks later.

The hospital makes no claims that delays to these patients contributed in any way to their deaths, as there is nothing from their medical cases to suggest that was the case.

But the documentary makes it plain to see how the struggle of dealing with exceptional demand exerts a human price on the psyche of patients, loved ones and staff.

Consultant surgeon George Reese, who manages to get his bowel cancer patient into surgery, says afterwards: Why should I feel victorious because I was actually allowed to do what I started doing at eight oclock this morning?

Its because the beds are so bad at the moment that it seems rare to be allowed to actually go ahead and do an operation.

From nurse to surgeon to medical director, all at the hospital lament the lack of available beds.

Site manager Lesley Powls, who has the power to stop pre-planned operations if there are no beds available, admits: A lot of the time at St Marys we are running at 98, 99 per cent capacity, which is extraordinary.

What that means is that we are always running with one or two empty beds, which isnt nearly enough.

It wouldnt be a problem if we never admitted more than one patient a day. But we do.

Its all about beds, beds and more beds, says nurse Alice Mackay, who has to find patients to discharge. The walls are not elastic.

A meeting is called to sort out the problem, with hospital bosses knowing the situation will not let up until March or April  and could get worse.

There, gastroenterologist Professor Orchard makes his bald assessment of the situation, admitting that Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs five hospitals including St Marys, could run out of beds altogether for the first time in its history.

Lesley Powls admits: If we get noro[virus], and we lose a ward, organisationally we are not going to be able to manage at the moment. Weve got nowhere to go.
Single parents will be given the right to bring up surrogate babies in a Government move condemned last night as an assault on traditional family values.

Ministers are changing the law so that it is no longer only couples who can become the legal parents of children born to surrogate mothers.

In addition, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the Department of Health is preparing the first detailed guidance on the controversial topic.

Legal change: The restriction on single people bringing up surrogate babies was ruled in breach of their humas rights

The Law Commission, an independent body that recommends changes to legislation, is also considering new recommendations on sweeping reform to Britains strict law on surrogacy.

It says the current rules need to be reviewed because they have struggled to adapt to changes in attitudes, a growing demand for surrogacy arrangements, and an increasing number of overseas surrogacy arrangements.

Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen told peers last month that the radical changes were needed because legislation dating back to the 1980s was struggling to keep pace with 21st Century attitudes and lifestyles and that family structures are now much more diverse.

We are struggling to keep pace with 21st Century attitudes... family structures are now much more diverse Cabinet office minister Baroness Chisholm

But last night family campaigners said that research shows children do much better growing up with two parents  and that any liberalisation of surrogacy laws risks treating babies as commodities.

Robert Flello MP, vice-chairman of the All Parliamentary Pro-Life Group, said: This is about the human rights of the child.

The right for the child to have two parents is being deliberately overlooked. A child has the right to be brought up in a loving family by its mother and father and that should be the starting point for Government and society.

Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen told peers last month that the radical changes were needed

Former High Court judge Sir Paul Coleridge, founder of think-tank The Marriage Foundation, said the planned change was yet another erosion of the traditional model of the two-parent family.

He said: I have no doubt at all that this change further undermines the well established principle that children do best when they are brought up in a stable home by both their biological parents.

The right of the child is being overlooked

Until now only couples have been able to become the legal parents of a child born to a surrogate mother. But last year, as revealed by this newspaper, a High Court judge ruled that the couples restriction breaches the human rights of single people. The landmark case was brought by a British man who wanted to obtain a Parental Order after paying 30,000 to an American woman to give birth to his child.

Now the Government has revealed that it is to amend the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 to remove this restriction because it is incompatible with the Human Rights Act.

In future any single person will be able to apply for a Parental Order and so become the parent of a surrogate child. The change is being made through a remedial order, which the Government can use to amend laws at odds with the European Convention on Human Rights without requiring a vote. Dr Trevor Stammers, of the Family Education Trust which campaigns for family values, condemned the move as an assault on the child and traditional family life.

HOW THE LAW WORKS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE NOW: Only couples are allowed to obtain the legal ruling needed to bring up a baby born to a surrogate. After the baby is born, the surrogate mother will be named on its birth certificate. So the intended parents must go to the High Court to obtain a Parental Order that gives them the legal right to parenthood. But the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 states that only two people in a marriage, civil partnership or long-term relationship can do so, even though single people can adopt. FUTURE: A High Court judge ruled last year that the couples rule breaches human rights law, after a challenge brought by a single British man who had a baby through a surrogate and wanted to obtain a Parental Order. The Government agreed that the restriction went against Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which bans discrimination on grounds of sex, race, religion or any other status  including being single  as well as Article 8, guaranteeing the right to a family life.As a result, Ministers are drafting a remedial order to the 2008, removing the references to couples. Advertisement

He said: Bringing up a child is an extremely difficult task and two parents are better than one.

Surrogacy laws were introduced in the UK in 1985 after Kim Cotton became Britains first surrogate mother by being paid to carry a baby for an infertile Swedish couple.In response to her case Parliament banned women from advertising themselves as surrogates or receiving payment other than reasonable expenses.

Life act: fertilising an egg prior to a surrogacy

There are now three not-for-profit agencies that match childless couples with willing surrogates.

As a result of the restrictions on payment there is a shortage of surrogate mothers in the UK, leading many people wanting a surrogate baby to travel to countries where commercial arrangements are legal.

The Law Commission will look at claims that the conditions on Parental Orders, needed to transfer legal parenthood from the birth mother to the intended parents, are unnecessarily restrictive.
A man has been charged after approaching a teenage girl as she sat at a bus stop before trying to whisk her away in a taxi for sex.

The 13-year-old girl was sitting on Hunter Street, in Newcastle, New South Wales, at around 7pm on Friday evening when the man, 47, allegedly walked up to her.

Police allege he began a conversation and made a number of comments to the girl, before a taxi arrived and the pair got in.

A man has been charged with grooming a teenage girl after approaching her as she sat at a bus stop on Hunter Street, Newcastle (pictured) before allegedly trying to take her away for sex

The teenager then asked the taxi driver to take her to a location where she jumped out of the cab and fled.

She is believed to have sought assistance from a nearby person before police were called.

Later that night police were notified of the incident and on Saturday arrested the man at his home.

He was charged with procuring a child under 14 for unlawful sexual activity, which carries a maximum 15-year jail sentence if convicted.

Granted conditional bail, he will appear at Newcastle Local Court on 23 February 2017.
Three young men who went missing during a duck hunting trip have been found dead in a Texas bay.

The bodies of Spencer Hall, 19, Starett Burk, 25, and Christian Ruckman, 18, were pulled from waters near Carancahua Bay on Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The trio from the Houston area died from hypothermia after they went missing early Friday morning.

Christian Ruckman, 18, (left); Spencer Hall, 19, (center); and Starett Burk, 25, (right) have been found dead after they went missing on a duck hunting trip

Two of the bodies were found in the bay waters around 1pm and the third body was found three hours later underneath their 17-foot boat, according to the Caller Times.

The remains of a dog were also found.

Tempertures were around 45 degrees Farenheit that morning with light rain. The wind speed was around 22 mph.

Officials learned they were missing after Ruckman's girlfriend alerted authorities they did not return home on Friday.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office teamed up with the Coast Guard for a land and water search that included an airplane and helicopter, reported KHOU.

The three friends were avid duck hunters and posted several photos on Facebook of their excursions.

Ruckman, from Dayton, Texas, was the youngest of the three men pulled from waters near Carancahua Bay on Saturday

A spokesman from one of the victim's family said the men died from hypothermia. A dog was also found with their bodies. Pictured: Hall, of Mont Belvieu, Texas (left) and Burk, of Wallisville, Texas (right)

Ruckman's mother, Teresa Trygstad Ruckman, asked people to send their prayers as officials searched for her son in a Facebook post on Saturday morning.

Upon learning of the devastating news later in the day, the mother posted a new status that said: 'Today is by far the worse [sic] day of my life.'

The youngest of the three, Ruckman from Dayton, Texas, was a cafe worker at a movie theater and studied electrical technology at Lee College, according to his Facebook.

Ruckman's mother, Teresa Trygstad Ruckman, was devastated after her son died

The three friends were avid duck hunters and posted several photos on Facebook of their excursions
Convicted drug smuggler David McMillan has revealed his life in jail for 20 of past 40 years, after his extradition to Thailand was recently overturned

Convicted drug smuggler David McMillan has revealed what life in jail was like for 20 of the past 40 years, after his extradition to Thailand and potential death sentence was overturned.

McMillan, 60, had his extradition mysteriously withdrawn in September after the Thai government sought to convict him for 20-year-old drug charges, after he escaped from Klong Prem Central Prison in 1996, reported the Daily Telegraph.

McMillan is the only westerner ever to have escaped the jail, nicknamed the 'Bangkok Hilton', and wrote a book about it called The Escape.

He was also the subject of the 2011 Australian telemovie Underbelly Files: The Man Who Got Away.

Of his drug trafficking days and his extradition, he told the Daily Telegraph: 'It's finally over. No one wants me anymore. None that I'm aware of. No pending cases anywhere.'

McMillan has led a colourful life. He was first imprisoned in Pentfield in Melbourne in 1982 for 11 years after being found guilty of drug trafficking.

He survived a fire in the Jika Jika, the high security unit at the time, where six fellow prisoners died.

McMillan, 60, had his extradition mysteriously withdrawn in September after the Thai government sought to convict him for 20-year-old drug charges, after he escaped from Klong Prem Central Prison in 1996

McMillan was first imprisoned in Pentfield in Melbourne (pictured) in 1982 for 11 years after being found guilty of drug trafficking

He left Australia while on parole in 1993 and was later arrested in Thailand on drug charges and imprisoned in Klong Prem Central Prison, where he remained for two years.

His life inside the 'Bangkok Hilton' was better than others - he reportedly had his own chef and servants, ate food bought from the supermarket, and also had his own office, television and radio.

After the threat of being transferred and facing the the death penalty, McMillan escaped by cutting the bars to his cell with a hacksaw, scaling seven inner walls and climbing down a bamboo ladder.

He then changed into civilian clothes and walked away holding an umbrella.

He left Australia while on parole in 1993 and was later arrested in Thailand on drug charges. He was jailed in Klong Prem Central Prison (pictured) for two years before he famously escaped

McMillan (pictured in his younger days) is the only westerner ever to have escaped the Thai jail, nicknamed the 'Bangkok Hilton', and wrote a book about it called The Escape

He was later arrested in Lahore, Pakistan after he was dobbed in by a drug courier.

McMillan remained in the country for three years, in and out of prison, and met his longtime partner Jeanette in a Karachi jail in the '90s when she was visiting her now-deceased ex-husband.

He was later arrested in 2012 in Orpington, south London for 35g of heroin, allegedly sewn into the lining of a shirt and posted to his house.

McMillan (left) then spent three years in and out of jail in Pakistan where he met longtime partner Jeanette Dufaur (right) who was visiting another convicted man at the time

The couple (pictured) still remain close to this day, even though they live in separate houses in London

McMillian denied any involvement but a jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to six years in jail, finishing his sentence for the charge in 2014.

He was then transferred from medium-security Rochester jail to England's most dangerous prison - Wandsworth in London.

McMillan described Wandsworth as a 'revolting, open, crowded prison'.

McMillan was arrested in 2012 in Orpington, south London for 35g of heroin, allegedly sewn into the lining of a shirt and posted to his house

'It holds something like 1700 people and its built for 900. I eventually battled my way into a fairly comfortable cell by myself, its very hard to do but I managed to,' he said.

On September 16 at 6.30pm McMillan said he was sitting in his cell in Wandsworth when he was told he was being released, and the extradition had been withdrawn.

He is now a free man, even though he is appealing his most recent London drug conviction, and agrees he owes Australia a few months of parole from 1993.

McMillan said: 'I'm not going to commit any crimes, I'm over the smuggling business, the drug business.'

He spent time in Rochester prison before being transferred to Wandsworth (pictured) for the impending extradition, which was mysteriously overturned by the Thai government in September




Four teenagers were arrested in Sydney after an 18-year-old crashed an allegedly stolen car while high on ice, according to police and media reports.

The crash happened after police gave chase to an allegedly stolen Ford Fairmont in the south-eastern suburb of La Perouse at around 2.30am on Sunday.

The teenagers were in police custody but had not yet been charged on Sunday afternoon.

Two of them were only 13 years old, and the others were aged 15 and 18, police said.

Four teenagers were arrested in Sydney after an 18-year-old crashed an allegedly stolen car while high on ice, according to police and media reports

Two of the teenagers were in police custody in hospital, police said.

The 18-year-old was listed in a stable condition at Prince of Wales hospital, a hospital spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the 18-year-old was the driver and was high on methamphetamine at the time of the crash. He had reportedly been awake for several days.

Police dispatched up to 25 cars during the pursuit, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Police allege the Ford was stolen shortly after midnight during an aggravated break at an address in Tregear.

It crashed into a locked gate and a stationary police car in the Botany Bay National Park, and was then driven at low speed to Coward Street in Mascot, where the teenagers were arrested.

The two teens who didn't need medical treatment were held at the Maroubra Police Station, police said.

The teenagers were not expected to be charged for a 'significant amount of time,' an NSW police spokesperson said.

'It's complicated. We can't make a determination before speaking to everyone,' the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
A jihadi from Britain who claims to be a former Guantanamo Bay detainee has fled to Syria where he is now fighting for Al Qaeda.

The terrorist  who has dubbed himself Abu Mugheera Al-Britani, meaning from Britain  has written in detail about his experience in the notorious US prison camp.

Although Al-Britanis real identity has not been established, at least 16 UK nationals and residents were held at the military camp in Cuba.

A jihadi from Britain who claims to be a former Guantanamo Bay detainee has fled to Syria where he is now fighting for Al Qaeda

His account will fuel concerns that some freed terror suspects have not abandoned their fanatical ideology and could remain a threat to the public. It will also raise fears that compensation paid to former inmates is helping to fund terror campaigns.

All the UK-related Guantanamo inmates have now been released and, between them, have received a total of 20 million in High Court compensation paid for by the British taxpayer.

The money was handed over after detainees sued MI5 and MI6 for complicity in their alleged torture at the hands of the Americans.

Al-Britani claims he spent years at Guantanamo Bay, where more than 700 of the worlds most dangerous Islamic terrorists were imprisoned in the aftermath of 9/11.

In an online magazine for fanatics, he writes: Sitting in the blessed land of al-Shaam [Greater Syria], reflecting on those weeks and days spent behind bars, I thank Allah for releasing me and providing me with the opportunity of carrying out jihad in his path again.

Al-Britani is the second British ex-Guantanamo detainee known to have fled to Syria to join jihadi groups. In October, it was reported that Muslim convert Jamal al-Harith, from Manchester, had fled to Syria to join Islamic State (IS).

At the time, he was reportedly fighting near Aleppo.

Muslim convert Jamal al-Harith, from Manchester, had fled to Syria to join Islamic State (IS)

Al-Harith was released from Guantanamo in 2004 after being detained for two years. He was arrested in Kandahar by US troops in February 2002.

Al-Harith received around 1 million in compensation from the Government, which he is feared to have spent to flee to Syria  as well as fund jihad.

Al-Britani, who claims to be in his 30s, says he was in Afghanistan when the US-led coalition invaded the country in 2001.

He claims that he was based in the Tora Bora mountains when US troops arrived hunting for then Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. Al-Britani and ten others were ordered to cross into Pakistan, where locals would help them travel to Lahore.

When the militants arrived, they were met by Pakistani soldiers, who told them they would escort them. But the next day, the troops drove the jihadis to a military camp and imprisoned them, later handing them to the Americans.
Sir Ivan Rogers secretly dined with David Cameron late last year and attacked Theresa May for botching Brexit, it has been revealed.

The former UK ambassador to the EU shocked Westminster with his resignation this week, later emailing staff to criticise 'muddled thinking' over leaving Europe.

A friend of Cameron told how the former Prime Minister and Sir Ivan - both of which believe Brexit will hurt the UK economy long-term - held talks before Christmas.

It is understood the pair were critical of May for not preparing for the likelihood of a 'disorderly' break away from the European Union.

A source told The Sunday Times: '[Rogers] biggest fear was that the biggest issue is not hard or soft Brexit, but whether we have an orderly or a disorderly Brexit.

Sir Ivan Rogers secretly dined with David Cameron late last year and attacked Theresa May for botching Brexit, it has been revealed

'He thinks we are heading for a car crash, where we don't get a deal and we crash out with nothing.

'Rogers thinks we need to plan for a disorderly Brexit on our terms rather than theirs.'

It comes after Sir Ivan Rogers quit the civil service with immediate effect on Saturday, days after resigning from his role as UK ambassador to the European Union.

The Foreign Office confirmed that Sir Ivan had not sought any further civil service job.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: 'Sir Ivan Rogers resigned as UK Permanent Representative to Brussels on 3 January.

'He did not seek any further civil service appointment and has therefore resigned from the civil service with immediate effect.

It is understood the pair were critical of May (pictured) for not preparing for the likelihood of a 'disorderly' break away from the European Union

'We are grateful for Sir Ivan's work in Brussels and across a number of other senior positions in the civil service.'

It is understood that Sir Ivan will receive three months pay in lieu of notice, in line with standard Foreign Office terms, but no special 'pay off' was offered or sought.

He is being succeeded by career diplomat Sir Tim Barrow, a former ambassador to Russia described by No 10 as a 'seasoned and tough negotiator' who will help the Government make a success of Brexit.

SIR TIM BARROW: A 30-YEAR VETERAN OF THE FOREIGN OFFICE Sir Tim Barrow joined the Foreign Office in 1986 and has enjoyed a fast track career. Sir Tim, who is married to Alison and has two sons and two daughters, spent four years as ambassador to Russia and another two in Kiev, representing Britain in Ukraine. Crucially to his new post, he also had a spell as First Secretary to Britain's ambassador to the EU and was an assistant director in the Foreign Office's EU division. Sir Tim's knowledge about foreign affairs is so deep he is known as 'Deepstate' in diplomatic circles and he was described by No 10 tonight as a 'seasoned and tough negotiator'. The new ambassador is said to be close to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. The first part of his career was spent on the front lines of the end of the Cold War. In 1988, he learned Russian, before being moved to Kieve in 1989. He worked in Moscow from 1990 to 1993 before becoming head of the Russia section in 1993. Sir Tim returned to Moscow as ambassador in 2011. Advertisement

In a fiery message to staff announcing his resignation from the Brussels post, Sir Ivan had hit out at the 'ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking' of politicians and said civil servants still did not know the Government's plans for Brexit.

The news of Sir Ivan's departure from the civil service came as a leading businessman and Tory donor warned about the dangers of leaving the single market.

Sir Andrew Cook, who has given a reported 1.2 million to the Conservatives, said he would find it impossible to continue to fund the party if Theresa May's Brexit plans involved quitting the single market.

He warned that jobs and exports depended on membership.

Sir Andrew, the chairman of William Cook, a firm producing components for applications including rail, energy and defence, highlighted how much his company relied on exports to mainland Europe and the supply of skilled labour from the continent.

'I'm trying to explain how critical the single market is to the real economy,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Speaking from Sheffield, he said: 'Two miles away is one of my factories, with 200 people employed making engineering parts that go to France, Germany and Italy for pumps and so forth.

'Thirty five miles up the road in Leeds I've another factory with 200 people making other stuff for the train manufacturers of Germany, Austria and so forth. The single market is essential to keep these people in employment.'

He added: 'There are barriers to entry without the single market, there are tariffs. There is a desire by my competitors in mainland Europe to exclude me from the market. Were it not for the single market I would not be trading with these people.

'There is no domestic manufacturing industry of any major size in this country with which to trade. It is vital to these jobs and people that are trying to reduce the chronic and dangerous balance of payments deficit that this country suffers from.'

Sir Ivan Rogers is being succeeded by career diplomat Sir Tim Barrow (pictured), a former ambassador to Russia described by No 10 as a 'seasoned and tough negotiator'

Sir Andrew, who was treasurer of the Conservative In campaign which sought to keep the UK in the European Union at the 2016 referendum, said the ideas of free movement and paying money to Brussels had not been properly considered by voters.

'I don't think they were chucked out on the basis of sensible information. The fact of the matter is that the amount of money that we contribute to the European Union was always portrayed by the leavers as a gross sum without anything in return,' he said.

Sir Andrew said he had a number of Polish machinists at his plant in Leeds, adding: 'We are talking about EU citizens, with skills, coming here to fill jobs that British people are either unable to do or don't want to do.'

The Prime Minister has insisted she wants firms to have the 'maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market', her desire to secure curbs on immigration suggests that the UK will have to give up its full membership.

EU leaders have repeatedly stressed that free movement of its citizens is a condition of single market membership that will not be negotiated away.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: 'Reckless plans to leave the single market would make us all poorer, not just the Conservative Party.
Photo taken on Jan. 7, 2017 shows animal lanterns during the Chinese Lantern Festival at Roer's Zoofari, near Washington D.C., the United States. The Chinese Lantern Festival, featuring some 40 lantern sets and more than 800 bright displays, attracted many residents and visitors to the traditional Chinese art. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
It is a TV shocker that dramatically captures the crisis that is gripping Britains Health Service.

A leading London hospital is on red alert  so short of beds that it might have to put sick patients in the gym.

If we have a significant flu epidemic we are going to be completely stuffed, warns Tim Orchard, medical director at St Marys Hospital in West London.

Weve never started winter with so little spare capacity, he bluntly tells fellow executives. We need to think about what we do when we actually run out of beds.

Stressed: A doctor at St Mary's Hospital in west London, at the centre of the new TV series

It may sound like a scene from Casualty but this is real life  dramatic footage from a worrying fly-on-the-wall documentary about the crisis in NHS hospitals.

It shows, in disturbing detail, stressed senior staff struggling on the brink of Code Red, the dreaded moment for a hospital when there is barely a bed to be found, no matter how great the emergency.

Shot in late autumn, the six-part series called Hospital details the difficult decisions doctors, nurses and managers across the country are now having to make on a daily basis to squeeze as many patients as they can into the finite number of beds they have available.

In the BBC2 series, which starts on Wednesday, doctors are seen arguing among themselves to try to secure a slot for their patient, in a process one surgeon compares to a moving jigsaw.

In the first episode, a patient called Simon is seen waiting for an operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his oesophagus.

His surgery has been cancelled before and he is getting close to the end of the eight-week window after chemo and radiotherapy when the complex operation is best undertaken.

The Princess Alexandra in Harlow, Essex, did not have a single bed free in any general or acute care ward for 27 days in December

But then doctors receive a call telling them that an elderly woman is being brought in from Norfolk  her aorta, the bodys largest artery, has started to rupture.

Retired primary school teacher Janice Medcalfe will need the intensive care bed if she survives the journey and the operation.

Theres a patient coming in who might require the intensive care bed, Simon tells the camera, trying to remain calm and matter-of-fact.

If they die, then the bed is available for me, he thinks aloud, obviously conflicted.

Asked how that makes him feel, he replies: Guilty, actually.

His surgeon, Professor George Hannah, argues with intensive care director Simon Ashworth that he should be allowed to operate, with Simon taking the last space in the 16-bed unit  a bed usually kept free in case of sudden emergencies.

DON'T FALL GRAVELY ILL IN HARLOW... Hospitals should have no more than 85 per cent of beds occupied at any time. But in December, the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, did not have a single spare bed for 27 out of 31 nights, making it the fullest hospital in England. The 383-bed facility was full for nine days at the start of the month, then there was a two day lull when five beds briefly became available, followed by another 12-day stretch at full capacity until Christmas. With patients discharged on Christmas Eve, and no pre-planned operations carried out over the break, occupancy dropped briefly. But the hospital was full again from Boxing Day to New Years Eve. Advertisement

Cancelling a cancer patient three times is a serious incident, he says.

Theres a surgeon, theres a theatre, theres three or four nurses [available], he argues. It is a waste!

But Dr Ashworth insists there is not enough slack in our capacity to let Prof Hannah go ahead, adding: Thats the practical reality.

Later, Dr Ashworth tells the film-makers: We do need more capacity because we are always under pressure.

And it does feel to me like the elastic is a bit nearer to breaking now than it ever was.

Simon did get his eight-hour operation the following day, but only after a patient was moved to another hospital altogether to make room for him. He was later told it had cleared his cancer, but he tragically died five weeks later.

In another case, a patient with a huge aneurysm  which means he might die at any moment  is placed in a similar position.

Doctors have worked for two months to arrange his complex operation, which requires five surgeons, three anaesthetists and other specialists to co-ordinate their diaries.

Software engineer Peter Lai is preparing to be put under by an anaesthetist when he is abruptly told by his surgeon: Im really sorry. Theres no bed.

A shocked Mr Lai responds: Its unreal isnt it? At the last minute  Yes and then No.

Mr Lai, described by staff as an exceptional human being for his calmness and politeness, had his surgery delayed by a month.

When it did take place, it went well, but he died of complications related to surgery six weeks later.

The hospital makes no claims that delays to these patients contributed in any way to their deaths, as there is nothing from their medical cases to suggest that was the case.

But the documentary makes it plain to see how the struggle of dealing with exceptional demand exerts a human price on the psyche of patients, loved ones and staff.

Consultant surgeon George Reese, who manages to get his bowel cancer patient into surgery, says afterwards: Why should I feel victorious because I was actually allowed to do what I started doing at eight oclock this morning?

Its because the beds are so bad at the moment that it seems rare to be allowed to actually go ahead and do an operation.

From nurse to surgeon to medical director, all at the hospital lament the lack of available beds (file photo)

From nurse to surgeon to medical director, all at the hospital lament the lack of available beds.

Site manager Lesley Powls, who has the power to stop pre-planned operations if there are no beds available, admits: A lot of the time at St Marys we are running at 98, 99 per cent capacity, which is extraordinary.

What that means is that we are always running with one or two empty beds, which isnt nearly enough.

It wouldnt be a problem if we never admitted more than one patient a day. But we do.

Its all about beds, beds and more beds, says nurse Alice Mackay, who has to find patients to discharge. The walls are not elastic.

A meeting is called to sort out the problem, with hospital bosses knowing the situation will not let up until March or April  and could get worse.

There, gastroenterologist Professor Orchard makes his bald assessment of the situation, admitting that Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs five hospitals including St Marys, could run out of beds altogether for the first time in its history.

Lesley Powls admits: If we get noro[virus], and we lose a ward, organisationally we are not going to be able to manage at the moment. Weve got nowhere to go.
Sir Ivan Rogers has been sacked from the Civil Service after a row between Prime Minister May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson

A top diplomat who quit as Britains ambassador to the EU has been dramatically sacked from the Civil Service after a row between Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Sir Ivan Rogers was forced out yesterday as the Prime Minister felt his position was untenable after he attacked her muddled thinking over Brexit.

The Mail on Sunday understands Mr Johnson did not support her decision but gave way because Downing Street was adamant Sir Ivan could not remain in the Civil Service following his outburst last week.

It came amid reports Sir Ivan had hoped to salvage his career by becoming an ambassador elsewhere or taking over a Whitehall department.

A source said last night: The impetus for the move came from No 10. Boris would have been happy for Rogers to stay but No 10 was determined he must go and Boris deferred to the PM.

The row is bound to spark new claims that Mrs Mays joint chiefs of staff, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, were involved in forcing out Sir Ivan. The pair have provoked fury from some Ministers who claim they have too much power over Mrs May.

However, a Whitehall ally of the terrible twins, as one MP called them, said: Unlike some civil servants, Fiona and Nick dont duck tough decisions.

Sir Ivan had stunned No 10 when he resigned his high- profile post in Brussels with a stinging rebuke of the Governments handling of Brexit. In an email to his staff, he urged them to challenge politicians ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and deliver messages that are disagreeable to those who need to hear them.

The row is bound to spark new claims that Mrs Mays joint chiefs of staff, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, were involved in forcing out Sir Ivan

He warned the UK would be outmanoeuvred by the EU in Brexit talks because multilateral negotiating experience is in short supply in Whitehall, and that is not the case in the commission or in the council.

Sir Ivan admitted his departure would add to officials uncertainty and that no one knew what the Government will set as negotiating objectives for the UKs relationship with the EU after exit.

Appointed by David Cameron in 2013, he had been due to step down in October this year but said he was leaving early so a new top team could be in place to handle the triggering of Article 50 this year and the negotiations over Britains departure from the EU that will follow.

But Sir Ivan had already angered Brexiteers by claiming last month that it could take up to a decade to agree a new trade deal with the EU.

A Foreign Office spokesman said last night: Sir Ivan Rogers resigned as UK Permanent Representative to Brussels on January 3. He did not seek any further Civil Service appointment and has therefore resigned from the Civil Service with immediate effect.

We are grateful for Sir Ivans work in Brussels and across a number of other senior positions in the Civil Service. He will receive three months pay in lieu of notice but no pay-off.

The Mail on Sunday understands Mr Johnson did not support her decision but gave way because Downing Street was adamant Sir Ivan could not remain in the Civil Service

Leading Remainer Tory MP Anna Soubry said a Government Minister should have defended the impartiality and professionalism of civil servants during the row over Sir Ivans departure. And she warned that the Prime Minister must not shoot the messenger by falling out with officials who have to give her bad news.

She said: There is a paucity of advice to Theresa May. Prime Ministers who rely on a tiny clique of people will fail.

The warning came as pro-Brexit Tory MP John Redwood accused pro-Brussels Whitehall mandarins of betraying Ministers in talks with EU leaders.

He said that as a Trade Minister involved in EU negotiations in the 1990s, he found the rug pulled from under his feet when civil servants gave away his negotiating position.
A Brigadier is to appear before a court martial  making him the most senior officer to be put on trial by the British Army since 1952, it is believed.

Brigadier Charles Beardmore, 51, faces charges of negligently performing his duty, but sources have told The Mail on Sunday that the case involves an allegation of fraud.

He was until recently the highest-ranking member of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) in Germany, controlling a budget of millions of pounds.

Brigadier Charles Beardmore, 51, faces charges of negligently performing his duty but sources have said the case involves a fraud allegation

Last night, the Ministry of Defence refused to give details about the case, including the scale of the alleged fraud, where and when it took place, and if any taxpayers money remains unaccounted for.

Brig Beardmore held the German post, responsible for the health services of thousands of British troops and their families, for two years and recently moved to London as a general staff officer. The MoD refused to say which position the charges relate to.

Brig Beardmore is expected to attend the initial hearing in Colchester, Essex, on January 19.

The Mail on Sunday understands he is the only person charged in relation to the alleged fraud.

There are just 150 brigadiers in the British Army, senior to colonels and outranked only by generals. Their starting salary is 101,147.

The last British Army brigadier to appear before a court martial is thought to have been Mad Mike Calvert, above

Brig Beardmore was promoted to his present rank in 2014. He is hugely respected within the RAMC as an expert on treating battlefield casualties and planning large-scale medical operations supporting troops in war zones. He is also a leading fundraiser and president of the Penguins Against Cancer charity, set up in 2013 by rugby-playing doctors at Guys Hospital.

The charity has raised tens of thousands of pounds for specialist hospital wards and cancer research centres. Brig Beardmores wife Charlotte, 53, is also a trustee of the charity, according to its website.

The last British Army brigadier to appear before a court martial is thought to have been Mad Mike Calvert, one of the most highly decorated commanders of the Second World War.

Brigadier Calvert, who was twice awarded the Distinguished Service Order after fighting the Japanese behind enemy lines in Burma, was found guilty of gross indecency with male persons in 1952  15 years before homosexuality was decriminalised.

The former Royal Engineers and SAS officer vigorously denied the indecency charge until his death in 1999, insisting that top brass had wanted to get rid of him because he was unconventional and a heavy drinker.

In 2007, Colonel Jorge Mendonca of the Queens Lancashire Regiment became the most senior officer in recent times to be court-martialled. He was cleared of negligently performing a duty after his soldiers were found responsible for the death of Iraqi civilian Baha Mousa in Basra in 2003.
Ozzy Osbourne overdosed when he learned his wife Sharon suffered a seizure during her treatment for colon cancer, his daughter Kelly has revealed.

In her new tell-all book, There Is No F**king Secret, she describes how her rock star father dug his hands into a bottle of medication when he learned her mother needed to go to hospital.

The 32-year-old fashion designer says the Black Sabbath frontman then took a handful of pills, swallowed them, and washed them down with vodka.

In an excerpt of the new book, published by Page Six, she claims she had to beg paramedics not to call the police.

In return, she had to zip-tie her father's hands to a bar so he would stop fighting them off. The EMTs then had to pull a delirious Ozzy off Sharon, who resisted 'out of habit'.

Ozzy Osbourne reacted to the news of his wife Sharon's seizure by swallowing a handful of pills with vodka, their daughter Kelly writes in her upcoming book There Is No F**king Secret

'Dad was there in his boxers, and I watched him scoop his hands into a bowl of pills, swallow a handful of something, and then wash it down with vodka', she wrote.

While they were in the ambulance, Ozzy, now 78, 'leaned over to put his hand out to see if mum was breathing. Then he passed out with his hand over [Sharon's] mouth'.

When the Osbournes arrived at the hospital, Sharon was treated in one room and Ozzy was rushed to another for treatment of a drug overdose and alcohol poisoning.

Kelly wrote: 'Dad could not handle the thought of losing mum', she explains, adding that he had a doctor come to the house and shoot him up with whatever he wanted while the [doctors] son sat in our dining room and played video games'.

Kelly wrote that during the ambulance ride to the hospital the EMTs required her to zip-tie her dad's hands to a bar so that he could be restrained

As his wife and manager, Sharon has supported Ozzy through his well-publicized, decades-long battle with drugs and alcohol addiction.

In the book, Kelly credits the late comedian Robin Williams with saving her mom's life.

Robin visited Sharon in her Los Angeles home when she was 'losing her cancer fight'.

'Throughout the house, you could hear her cackling with laughter', Kelly wrote.

As his wife and manager, Sharon has supported Ozzy through his decades-long battle with drugs and alcohol addiction. They have been married since 1982

Ozzy called Robin Williams agent to ask if he could come to the house to cheer up Sharon

Sharon, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002, credited Robin for giving her the strength to resume chemotherapy treatment for colon cancer in a 2013 episode of her show The Talk.

She said Ozzy called Robin's agent and asked for the comedian to come visit her in an effort to cheer her up.

'He called Robins agent and said "My wife really loves you, you make her laugh. Could you come over and see her? Shes not well",' Sharon said.

In the book, Kelly credits Williams with saving her mom's life

'And Robin came over I had no idea any of this was going on. There was a knock on my bedroom door. I was in bed.

'This one comes in and says "Move up, Im getting in the bed". And he made me laugh for like an hour and - I know you were only meant to stay five minutes'.
Essendon captain Jobe Watson has been spotted in Melbourne with his model girlfriend Virginia Slaghekke, who is expected to spend at least three months in Australia as part of an exchange program.

Ms Slaghekke, who is a neuroscience and pre-med student in New York City, flew into Melbourne to meet up with the AFL player on Tuesday morning from Europe, according to The Herald Sun.

The couple were spotted running errands this week in the bayside area where Watson lives.

Essendon captain Jobe Watson has been spotted in Melbourne with his model girlfriend Virginia Slaghekke, who flew in from New York City on Tuesday to see the AFL star (pictured together)

Ms Slaghekke, a 25-year-old neuroscience and pre-med student, (pictured) has visited Watson in Australia on previous occasions

It has been reported Ms Slaghekke (pictured) will spend at least three months in Australia during the AFL season after she was accepted into the exchange program

The 25-year-old model who is originally from Amsterdam was seen with Watson picking up a coffee on Saturday morning before going to the South Melbourne Market.

Pictures obtained by the Herald Sun show the couple smiling as they ran errands and sipped on their drinks.

It has been reported Ms Slaghekke will spend at least three months in Australia during the AFL season after she was accepted into the exchange program.

Ms Slaghekke and Watson are said to have begun dating last year when Watson was in New York City while serving a 12-month drug ban from the AFL.

Ms Slaghekke (pictured) reportedly met Watson (pictured) last year while he was spending time in NYC during a 12 month drug ban from the AFL

The 25-year-old (pictured) has graced the international cover of Marie Claire magazine and is signed to Trump Model Management

Ms Slaghekkes posted an image of her enjoying first class as she made the trek to Australia this week (pictured)

Watson is featured several times on Ms Slaghekkes social media accounts, including an image of the pair at his sister Billies wedding in Bali in October.

The Brownlow medallist and Ms Slaghekke are pictured laughing as they wrap their arms around each other.

The model, who has graced the international cover of Marie Claire magazine and is signed to Trump Model Management, also posted an image of her enjoying first class as she made the trek to Australia this week.

Ms Slaghekke is originally from Amsterdam but is studying in the US (pictured)
Theresa May has vowed to tackle the 'huge stigma' surrounding mental health as she set out to build a 'shared society'.

The Prime Minister will tomorrow unveil the heart of her domestic policy agenda which she said was about helping everyone in the country overcome 'burning injustices' they face.

The Government will intervene to set right issues where it can take action, Mrs May said and move beyond helping only the poorest or the most able to rise up the social ladder.

Theresa May, pictured on today's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, has vowed to tackle the 'huge stigma' surrounding mental health as she set out to build a 'shared society'

The Prime Minister will tomorrow unveil the heart of her domestic policy agenda which she said was about helping everyone in the country overcome 'burning injustices' they face

The Prime Minister has left herself open to the charge her plans are the same as those of predecessor David Cameron, who spent years promoting his vision of a 'big society' without winning over the public.

Mrs May will make a major speech on her agenda tomorrow and previewed her plans today on Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

Extra help for people suffering from mental health problems will be the first detailed policy pledge revealed by Mrs May.

She told Ridge: 'I was talking to somebody earlier today and they were making the point that in the workplace, if you break your arm and you go in with your arm in plaster or in a sling, people will come up and talk to you about it.

'If you have a mental health problem people are more likely to try to avoid you.

'We must get over the stigma, we must ensure that we are providing the services for people with mental health.'

It bears a striking similarity to David Cameron's Big Society campaign unveiled in 2009, however Downing Street has insisted the Shared Society is a significant development of social policies pursued by Mr Cameron

An extra 1 billion has been provided to the NHS for mental health services, but Mrs May said she wanted to tackle the problem in a wider sense.

'It's not a five-minute job, we can't deal with these issues just overnight, it's not about one speech, it is about driving reform forward over a period of time and being honest with the public that this does take time to deal with,' she said.

Mrs May added: 'Money is going into mental health. But it is always wrong for people to assume that the only answer to these issues is about funding.

'Yes there are some issues there and we have been looking at those and addressing those.

Downing Street insists Mrs May's Shared Society is a significant development of social policies pursued by Mr Cameron and Margaret Thatcher

'But actually if you look at the issue of mental health in this country, I think it is more about the stigma that still attaches to mental health, it is about how we recognise one-in-four of us will suffer from some mental health issue through their lives.'

Addressing her wider 'shared society' agenda, Mrs May said: 'What is important is that we recognise that this is about dealing with everyday injustices, but it is also about us recognising our obligations as citizens within the communities and society that we have here in the UK.

'It's about recognising that there is a role for government but government needs to ensure that it is acting as effectively as possible in those areas where it should be taking action.'

One issue where the state could act was to address the 'huge stigma' still attached to mental health.

Downing Street insists Mrs May's Shared Society is a significant development of social policies pursued by Mr Cameron and Margaret Thatcher, who sparked controversy by declaring there was 'no such thing as society'.

A senior Whitehall source said: 'Thatcher didn't believe in society; Cameron wanted the Big Society to replace the state; we believe there is a role for government, but it must be shared with the public.

'People must help themselves but the Government must provide better schools, homes and hospitals for people above the welfare line  and this Government will.'

Labour campaign chief Jon Trickett (file image) said the Prime Minster was offering no more than an 'empty slogan'

Mrs May will say in her speech tomorrow: 'The Shared Society doesn't just value individual rights but focuses on responsibilities we have to one another.

'It respects the bonds we share as people, the bonds of family, community, citizenship.

'A society that recognises the obligations we have as citizens that make our society work.'

Mr Cameron said of his Big Society in 2009: 'Kindness, generosity and imagination have been squeezed out by the state, which has promoted selfishness and individualism. People must take responsibility for their own communities.'

Labour's national campaign coordinator Jon Trickett said: 'Six failed years of the Tories have given us a crisis in the NHS, economic failure and working people worse off, and Theresa May clearly has no idea what to do about it. The only thing she offers is an empty slogan.

'With the NHS in crisis, we need a plan to fix it and give it the funding it needs - but this morning a complacent Theresa May wouldn't even recognise there's an issue.

'She offered warm words about a 'fair deal' but hasn't a clue what that means, running a government which has seen working people worse off.
Thousands of tons of rubbish are being dumped in the Mediterranean despite warnings of an environmental disaster at popular tourist beaches in Italy, France, Greece and Turkey.

A huge sea-dump has been built off the Lebanon coast and is being filled with mountains of garbage to cope with a waste crisis in the state.

British experts warn that poison from the waste  described by one as 100 times more toxic than raw sewage  will seep through its earth walls and destroy marine life, as well as ruin beaches miles away.

A woman holds her breath as she walks near a temporary garbage dump in the neighbourhood of Jdeideh, northeast of the Lebanese capital Beirut

The Lebanese government approved plans for a landfill site near the Costa Brava coast in March, but locals have been shocked that the 300,000 sq m lagoon dump has been built carved out of the sea.

Lebanon has struggled to cope with a growing refuse crisis as two million tons of waste have piled up in the streets after a landfill was closed following protests about its health side effects.

British experts warn that poison from the waste  described by one as 100 times more toxic than raw sewage  will seep through its earth walls and destroy marine life

Professor Eugene Rogan, of The Middle East Centre at Oxford University, said: It is outrageous that the Lebanese government should create a rubbish dump in the sea.

On a recent visit, I watched as two swimmers rescued a giant sea turtle from fishermens lines in waters full of plastic.
A strident Brexiteer can today be revealed as the leading candidate to become Donald Trump's new ambassador to the EU.

Professor Ted Malloch, who was interviewed by the President-elect's transition team at Trump Tower on Thursday, said he had been told he was the leading candidate for the role.

Asked whether he had a message for any so-called 'Bremoaners', the 64-year-old declared: 'Stop moaning, get on the Brexit train.'

A strident Brexiteer can today be revealed as the leading candidate to become Donald Trump's new ambassador to the EU

The academic, who was recommended for the job by Nigel Farage, said he was confident that Britain would move to the front of the queue for a trade deal with the US.

Last night, Prof Malloch told The Mail on Sunday: 'I've been told that there's nobody else they're really talking to but I have not been offered the role.

'That is something they announce, not something I announce.'

Professor Malloch lives in the UK and works at the Henley Business School.

He told the Sunday Express Mr Trump thinks Brexit was a 'wise decision' and added: 'I am a US citizen and could therefore not vote but I did support the Leave campaign intellectually and spiritually.

'I love the UK. My middle son lives and works there. My wife works in the City of London.'

Prof Malloch, pictured on BBC Newsnight last year, said Mr Trump believed the Brexit vote was a 'wise' decision by the British people

He suggested US influence could help secure a better deal between Britain and the EU.

An ally of Nigel Farage - who had been touted as a candidate for the job of US ambassador to the EU - backed Professor Malloch.

Andy Wigmore told the Express: 'It's a strategically brilliant appointment.

'It's symbolic and shows how highly Trump regards the UK.'

Mr Wigmore added: 'Trump will help Britain make a success of Brexit. The parallels between Brexit and Trump are very important.'

Professor Ted Malloch was interviewed by the President-elect's transition team at Trump Tower on Thursday

But Mr Wigmore added there remained questions from Mr Trump about why Mrs May refuses to use Mr Farage.

'Trump doesn't understand why they are not using Nigel,' he said.

'I don't think they will have any choice in the end. He will basically say, if you want to play with me you play with my toys and my people.'

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Mr Trump is set to return a bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office when he takes charge.
In one day $67k was raised and 3,600

The campaign has already surpassed its

An online fundraising campaign for the family of a disabled teen who was tortured on Facebook Live has surpassed more than $100,000 in donations.

In just two days a GoFundMe page has gone viral to help out the 18-year-old special needs victim who was 'kidnapped' and tortured in Chicago.

The fundraiser's creator said the bid was to aid the family in financial support and to 'prove that there is far more good in this world than evil'.

An online fundraiser was started for the family of the Chicago victim tortured on Facebook Live. In just two days the GoFundMe page has raised more than $100k

Four men and women allegedly tortured this 18-year-old special needs man with schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder. Thirty minutes of the horrific ordeal was live-streamed on Facebook on Tuesday

The campaign was started after the man from San Francisco saw the 'horrific torture and trauma inflected' on the young man who suffers from schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder.

On Tuesday, the unidentified victim was filmed being bound, slapped, cut and verbally abused by a group of four men and women.

Jordan Hill, 18; Tesfaye Cooper, 18; and sisters Brittany, 18, and Tanisha Covington, 24, were arrested and charged the following day with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated unlawful restraint, aggravated battery and a hate crime Thursday.

Prosecutors say they forced the disabled man to drink toilet water, kiss the floor. They also say the suspects stuffed a sock into his mouth, taped his mouth shut and bound his hands with a belt.

Once seeing the video the GoFundMe creator wanted to help out, despite not knowing the family.

In its first day more than $67,000 was raised and so far more than 3,675 people contributed to the $100,000 total.

Members of the alleged torture gang (l-r) Jordan Hill, 18; Tesfaye Cooper, 18; Brittany Covington, 18; and her sister Tanisha Covington, 24, have all been charged with two hate crimes in addition to other charges

The campaign reads: 'For those of you that have seen the horrific torture and trauma recently inflicted on a young man in Chicago, it is not something you will soon forget.

'The perpetrators have been apprehended and hopefully swift justice will be served.

'But let's take an opportunity now to show this young man and his family some financial support during this difficult time of recovery and let him know there are many out there that are here for him.

'I've coordinated and verified a number of fundraisers through reddit.com/r/upliftingnews and promise that 100% of funds raised will go directly to this young man and/or his family/guardians.
One of the most wanted terrorists in the world was radicalised in the UK and married his British wife in a town hall in the north of England - who is now hiding out in a small town in Texas.

American John Georgelas married Joya Choudhury in 2004 in Rochdale, Lancashire, after meeting online, despite protestations from her family.

The white Muslim convert, considered the most senior Westerner in ISIS, even persuaded her to take their three young boys to Syria while she was pregnant with a fourth child.

A key recruiter for ISIS, Georgelas, 33, is the son of a former US air force doctor, Timothy Georgelas, while his grandfather served with the US Army during the Second World War.

Joya Choudhury, pictured with her children, grew up in Rochdale but married American John Georgelas aged 19 in 2004, who went on to become the 'leading Westener in ISIS'

He came to live in the UK while his father was posted in the Cambridge area during the 1980s - converting to Islam shortly after 9/11 when back in the States after meeting foreign students near his Texas home.

He moved to the UK sometime after, eventually meeting a 19-year-old Choudhury and marrying her in 2004, when she was pregnant with their first child.

According to the Sunday Times, Joya's association with Georgelas intensified her extremism to the point that she dreamed of giving birth to seven holy warriors.

But after just a month in the warzone of Syria, she and the children became ill and she soon realised that she had to get out.

She would end up fleeing Syria and move to America to be close to Georgelas's family and give birth to her fourth child.

But the marriage would not last, and in late 2014, a year after escaping from Syria, she divorced Georgelas through the US courts.

Aged 33, she is now seen dressing in conventional Western clothing and describes herself on social media as a 'left-wing libertarian'.

Joya, whose family is originally from Bangladesh, was rejected by her family following the wedding, for which she was heavily pregnant.

She is said to have been 'westernised' before turning to radical Islam, previously showing 'little interest in religion' and smoking cannabis.

But it is believed she was influenced by a group of students of Algerian origin when she began studying for her A Levels at a college in east London, driving a wedge between her and her family.

A source told The Times: 'All of her college friends were going online to get married to Muslim men. They were virtually all married by the time they were 20.'

Joya is said to have started wearing a full body robe before meeting Georgelas on a Muslim dating website in 2003.

They married a year later, with neighbours in Rochdale claiming they were 'struggling financially' and that her family 'was not happy' about the wedding but held a party afterwards 'to preserve their reputation'.

The couple then moved around the UK and are believed to have been on benefits, using the cash to support their 'fundamentalist lifestyle' in London, where they were influenced by radical preachings including Jordanian preacher Sheikh Abu Isa al-Rifai, who had previously declared a caliphate in the 1990s.

They eventually moved to the US where they were supported by Georgelas' parents in Texas.

Joya, left, had four children with her husband (right), whom she travelled to Syria with, but left in 2014 and fled to the US where she now lives near Georgelas' parents in Texas. She filed for divorce in 2014

But he was jailed for 34 months in 2006 after gaining unauthorised access to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee website while working as a technician at a website firm in Dallas, which he used as a cover to support al-Qaeda online.

She stayed with her husband and, according to the Times, even allowed him to take a second wife, who was a friend from her London college, although it was a short-lived marriage as the other woman was in London and Georgelas was unable to leave the US due to the terms of his parole.

Despite being under surveillance by the FBI, the couple fled the US in 2011 because Georgelas wanted to 'raise his family in a Muslim country', eventually opting for Egypt.

And in an interview this year, the 33-year-old's father said he is entirely aware of what his son has become since leaving Texas.

'Every step of his life hes made the wrong decisions, from high school onward,' Tim Georgelas told the Atlantic.

'It is beyond me to understand why he threw what he had away. I have bailed him out so many timesfinancially, in circumstances with his wife and kids, you name it. I always pick up the wreckage.'

The heartbroken father went on to describe his son as a weak person and a follower who is easily manipulated.

Georgelas' growing reputation led to jihadists visiting him for advice, and by 2013 he decided to take his family to Syria to 'help refugees', by which point Joya was pregnant with their fourth child.

But after only a month, Joya reached out to her family, whom she had not spoken to in four years, via Georgelas' parents, claiming she was in Turkey with her children, whom she claimed were 'very sick'.

A source told the Times: 'She has behaved selfishly for virtually all of her life. Now finally she decided to put her children before herself.'

She spent a short time back in the UK, where she gave birth to her fourth child, but divisions between her and her relatives led her to return to Texas to live close to Georgelas' parents.

Georgelas is the son of former US air force doctor, Timothy Georgelas, pictured

The children are understood to now live with her in-laws while she has access to them at weekends, although there are 'concerns' over what the youngsters have 'been exposed to'.

She filed for divorce in 2014 in the US and has returned to wearing 'Western' clothes and now goes by the name Tania, according to her Twitter profile.

Meanwhile Georgelas, who arranged for his family to be secretly taken to Turkey after Joya decided she wanted to leave, stayed behind in Syria and pledged himself to ISIS.

He is said to be one of the highest ranking westerners in the organisation who is tasked with luring new recruits from English-speaking countries.

Georgelas also writes articles for ISIS propaganda websites and last year declared that Communities Minister Sajid Javid and former Tory party chairperson Baroness Warsi were on a 'kill-list'.

More than 800 British Muslims are thought to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join terror groups, with at least 100 believed to be women or girls.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.8

Trend:

Heavy snowfall and frost in Turkey did not affect the implementation of flights between Baku and Istanbul, Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport told Trend Jan.8.

The airport said that all flights on the Baku-Istanbul route have been implemented today.

"Cancellation of flights from Baku to Istanbul and back is not expected today" said the airport.

Turkish Airlines (THY) has cancelled 471 international flights at the airports in Istanbul due to bad weather, the Milliyet newspaper reported Jan. 8.


A married couple who were heading to meet their family for a dream cruise have been identified as victims of the Ft. Lauderdale airport shooting.

Shirley Timmons was killed and her husband Steve was injured when the gunman opened fire in the terminal building on Friday - leaving five people dead and six wounded.

The couple, both 70, lived in Senecaville, Ohio, according to the Daily Jeffersonian.

Like three of the slain travelers, they were in the airport about to begin a vacation when the attack unfolded.

Mr Timmons was rushed to emergency surgery after being shot in the face and on Saturday night was said to be in critical condition in a coma.

Shirley Timmons (left) was reportedly killed during the mass shooting in Ft. Lauderdale, her husband Steve (right) was reportedly shot in the face and is in a coma - middle, their granddaughter Kelli Nicole Reineccius

Shirley Timmons, above, from Senecaville is reportedly one of the victims of the mass shooting by Iraq vet Esteban Santiago

Shirley Timmons (third from left) and her husband, Steve (far right) were in Florida to go on a cruise in anticipation of their 51st wedding anniversary, said a relative

Shirley Timmons, left, with some of her grandchildren, according to Facebook

They were reportedly in Florida to join members of their family for a dream cruise; their 51st wedding anniversary would have been January 28.

They were married in 1966.

Reports suggest they were owners of The Mayfair stores, a pair of women's clothing boutiques, which were open in Cambridge and Barnesville before closing in 2004.

Shirley died at the airport, relative Jim Reineccius told the Miami Herald. The pair had three daughters, and grandchildren, though it's unclear how many.

Michael Oehme, left, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was identified on Friday night as one of the five victims killed in the Ft Lauderdale airport shooting. Oehme's wife Kari, right, was shot in the shoulder, but survived

Steve Timmons was the Vice President of Northwest Aluminum in The Dalles, Oregon, before retiring.

A family spokesman told YourRadioPlace: 'Steve and Shirley raised an amazing family, three amazing girls. Their family was everything to them.'

Also identified as victims were an Iowa man, a 62-year-old grandfather, and a great grandmother.

Michael Oehme, 57, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was identified on Friday as one of the victims, according to local reports.

Terry Andres, 62, of Virginia, and Olga Woltering, of Georgia, were the first to be identified as those shot dead by 26-year-old gunman Esteban Santiago as passengers collected their baggage in the terminal on Friday.

Oehme was about to go on a cruise to the Caribbean with his wife, Kari Oehme, who was shot in shoulder, but is expected to recover.

Michael Oehme, pictured with his dog, died at the scene in Terminal 2. He was heading for a cruise with is wife Kari when he was gunned down

Cellphone video showed victims on the floor next to a carousel, with people on their knees attempting to provide aid. At least two victims had pools of blood from apparent head wounds

The couple were due to head out on the cruise a day after they arrived at Fort Lauderdale.

Mr Oehme's sister, Elizabeth Oehme-Miller, 52, told The Associated Press on Saturday the situation 'hasn't hit' her yet and she is still in disbelief.

She said the couple were frequent travelers and were 'happy to be going on another trip.'

Mrs Oehme is currently in hospital being treated for her gunshot wounds.

Witness Mark Lea, told WOWT 6 he had raced back inside the airport to help victims and found Mrs Oehme down and lying in 'a pool of blood'.

Lea is also from Council Bluffs, but said he did not know Mr and Mrs Oehme.

Kari Oehme, left, was about to go on a cruise with her husband when they were both shot on Friday

Olga Woltering, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, was scheduled to leave on a cruise from Florida on Saturday with her husband Ralph to celebrate his 90th birthday, she was believed to be in her 80s

Olga Woltering, was a British native from Marietta, Georgia who was also scheduled to leave on a cruise from Florida on Saturday with her husband Ralph to celebrate his 90th birthday.

The Catholic Church of Transfiguration released a statement on their website saying Woltering was 'active in many ministries' and whose family had been members of the church since 1978.

Fellow church members said the devout Catholic woman was believed to be in her 80s.

'Olga was so charming, calling everybody "Lovey" or "Love" in her unmistakable British accent,' the statement said.

A parishioner told AP Olga and Ralph were 'the life of the party.'

Woltering pictured center, with her family. Fellow parishioners said she and her family had been a members of the church since 1978

Olga Woltering, was a British native from Marietta, Georgia who was also scheduled

Terry Andres, 62, was one of five shot dead by 26-year-old gunman Esteban Santiago at Ft. Lauderdale airport in Florida on Friday

Esteban Santiago, is shown in this booking photo provided by the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, January 7

Members of the Transfiguration Catholic Church where the couple attended posted their condolences on Facebook on Friday night.

Mrs Woltering was described as a 'wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend'.

Terry Andres was on vacation with his wife of 40 years when he was killed. His wife was able to escape from the terrifying ordeal unharmed.

Mr Andres daughter confirmed that the 62-year-old was among those to have died at the airport, WAVY-TV reports.

Mr Andres had worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and had volunteered with the local fire department in Virginia Beach.

His family said he was well known and loved by the community. He was due to celebrate his 63rd birthday soon, his daughter said.

Olga Woltering, pictured with her husband Ralph, was described as a 'wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend'

Mr Andres, who lives at Virginia Beach, Virginia, was on vacation with his wife when he was killed at the Florida airport

Andres, who was a grandfather, had worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and had volunteered with the local fire department in Virginia Beach

Michael Oehme (pictured with his dog) and his wife were frequent travelers

Law enforcement officers examined the crime scene inside the baggage hall on Friday night

This picture shows what may be the weapon that was used by the gunman in the shooting on Friday

Two others were shot dead and eight were wounded when the gunman opened fire in the baggage claim area.

Authorities have not released the name's of any of the victims.

The shooter, Santiago, was taken into custody immediately after the incident.

Police are investigating whether he was mentally disturbed or had links to any extremist groups including the Islamic State.

Authorities said Santiago walked into an FBI office in Anchorage in November last year claiming the government was trying to control his mind and he was being forced to watch videos for ISIS, CBS reports. After that incident, Santiago started getting treatment for his mental health issues.

Terrified people were seen running across the tarmac about 2.30pm - more than an hour after the shooting was reported
A former elementary principal has filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against a Southern California school district, claiming she was demoted and reassigned because she was pregnant and unmarried.

Christine Castillo alleges she was discriminated against by La Canada Unified School District Superintendent Wendy Sinnette, among other employees with the district in La Canada Flintridge, California, when she told them she was expecting a child in 2012, NBC4 reported.

In a suit filed Dec 28 through the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Castillo claims the district denied her a doctor's recommendation for reduced hours during pregnancy and later conducted negative employee evaluations.

Christine Castillo has filed a sex discrimination suit against La Canada Unified School District

This led to her being reassigned to a teaching position for the 2015-16 school year.

Sinnette allegedly made statements to Castillo, such as 'This is really going to upset your staff and parents', 'I made it clear what this job required' and 'I need a drink'.

The lawsuit also states that Sinnette told Castillo she should have told the district about her pregnancy sooner.

'This is something you would have expected to hear in the 19th or 18th century.

'For the school district to state that being pregnant is a scarlet letter on a woman - that's a problem if the community really feels that way', said Ben Meiselas, Castillo's attorney.

The former La Canada Elementary School principal claimed the Southern California district demoted and reassigned her to a classroom position because she was pregnant and unmarried

Castillo - who gave birth to daughter Alissa on Dec. 19, 2012 - was hired by the district in July of that year and told them she was pregnant the following month.

'When the words came out of my mouth, I could just see her body just freeze. Her face just looked so disappointed', Castillo said of Sinnette's reaction to the news.

Previously, Castillo filed an internal complaint against the school district in April 2015, which led to an investigation.

Documents from the internal investigation obtained by NBC4 show that Sinnette and the former superintendent of human resources Patricia Hager were concerned that Castillo's pregnancy would spark a negative reaction in the community because she was unmarried at the time.

Castillo moved from Seattle to Los Angeles in 2012 after she was hired as principal

When the district notified Castillo in mid-June 2015, with results of the internal investigation still pending, that she would be reassigned to a teaching position she resigned.

That same evening the district announced that Emily Blaney, a technology integration teacher on special assignment, had been selected as the school's principal for the following school year.

' It is unfortunate that representatives for Ms Castillo are pursuing a legal strategy that has nothing to do with the facts.

'Her placement into the classroom last year had absolutely nothing to do with her maternity leave of four years ago', said school board member Ellen Multari in a statement.

District Superintendent Wendy Sinnette allegedly told Castillo that the news of her pregnancy was going to 'upset staff and parents'

Castillo moved from Seattle to Los Angeles in 2012 after she was hired for her 'dream job' as the principal of La Canada Elementary School.

She relocated with the child's father, La Canada High School Principal Ian McFeat, who was hired by the district at about the same time as her.

That evening the district announced the school's new principal, Emily Blaney, a technology integration teacher.

Castillo is calling to be reinstated as principal - or Sinnette's resignation.

'The experience that I had there was so awful, and it was so debilitating, that it's important for me to say something about it', Castillo said.
troll' and the idea of attending the ceremony 'repulsed' her

A Teen Vogue writer rejected an invitation to Trump's inauguration from pharmaceutical boss Martin Shkerli over Twitter.

The 33-year-old CEO was looking for a date to the president elect's ceremony on January 20 and asked journalist Lauren Duca if she would join him over a social media direct message.

In a scathing refusal, the married 25-year-old writer tweeted out her response to her 129k followers which said: 'I would rather eat my own organs'.

Martin Shkerli, 33, (left) was rejected by Teen Vogue writer Lauren Duca (right) after he invited her to Trump's inauguration. The married woman responded by saying she would 'rather eat [her] own organs'

Duca, 25, responded to the CEO by sending a tweet, which was then seen by her 129k Twitter followers. She later said that Shkreli is 'an insufferable troll'

He responded to the Teen Vogue weekend editor by saying that she should first eat her heart when she started snacking on her organs

Shkerli, who received serious backlash in 2015 for raising the price of a crucial HIV treatment drug 5,000 per cent, later said his offer was only a 'joke'.

Duca said: 'Martin Shkreli is an insufferable troll, who has been harassing me for weeks.

'He doesn't even deserve the attention he got from my tweet.

'I'm similarly repulsed by the idea of attending Donald Trump's inauguration. I will be in D.C. on January 20th as part of the Women's March. Anyone reading this is welcome to be my "+1" to that.'

Duca works as weekend editor at Teen Vogue and graduated from Fordham University with a degree in English in 2013. She later obtained a master's in journalism and critical theory at NYU in 2015.

He responded to Duca by saying that she should first start by eating her heart when she snacked on her organs.

The blistering rejection from the writer didn't stop Shkerli from then asking social media fitness star Jen Selter and Observer journalist Dana Schwartz to accompany him.

Shkerli, who came under fire for increasing the price of a crucial HIV treatment drug, then asked Instagram fitness star Jen Selter to accompany him

The Instagram star with 10.4million followers declined to respond to him

The 33-year-old (left) then turned to Observer writer Dana Schwartz (right) to attend the inauguration with him. Shkreli is known for increasing the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill

He causally tweets to Schwartz, implying that he was going to extend the invitation to her next

Schwartz followed Daca's lead and said that she could not attend due to previously made plans to 'gnaw off' her limbs

Selter, who has 10.4million followers on Instagram, declined to respond and Schwartz said she couldn't go because she 'already made really fun plans to gnaw off all of [her] limbs'.

After being turned down by the women Shkerli said he only asked 'the most liberal' journalists out as 'a joke'.

After he was turned down by the women, Shkreli said the whole thing was a 'joke' and he was purposely asking the 'most liberal journalists out'

This isn't the first time the businessman's dating life has been scrutinized in the public eye, over the past two years his online profiles for Tinder and OKCupid have been found.

New York writer Eve Peyser, 23, says she matched with pharmaceutical CEO on Tinder in October of 2015.

She then posted her conversation with Shkerli online in which she questions him for the jacking up the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill.

Budding reporter Eve Peyser, 23 (left), matched with maligned pharmaceutical boss Martin Shkreli (right) on Tinder in 2015

He explained his reasoning to Peyser for the controversial hike because the 'disease was forsaken by drug companies for not being profitable enough'.

He continued: 'Only a few thousand people get it. So no new drugs for 70 years.

'Now we'll fix that. Also no one goes without drug even if they can't afford it.'

Peyser's final question to Shkreli is whether he believes he is the Edward Snowden of AIDS drugs, but he never responded.

Peyser says that he either blocked or unmatched her on Tinder after that message.

She decided to use their exchanges to interview him about his company's controversial price hike of the HIV drug Daraprim

Peyser quizzes Shkreli on why he increased the price of the drug from $13.50 to $750 per pill

He explained his reasoning was because the 'disease was forsaken by drug companies for not being profitable enough'
May was asked about Trump's jibes, which emerged during the US election, on live TV today and said they were 'unacceptable'

Theresa May today risked re-opening a war of words with Donald Trump after declaring his 'grab 'em by the p****' jibe at women was 'unacceptable'.

The Prime Minister pointed out Mr Trump had apologised for the remarks but the intervention comes just hours after the President-elect said he was looking forward to the pair's first meeting in the spring.

Mrs May was asked about the remarks, which emerged in the final weeks of the US presidential election, in her first TV interview of the year.

The Government has scrambled to build ties with Mr Trump after his shock White House victory and Mrs May secretly sent her top aides to see his team before Christmas.

Theresa May, pictured on today's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, has risked re-opening a war of words with President-elect Donald Trump after saying his 'grab 'em by the p****' jib was 'unacceptable'

Sky News's Sophy Ridge asked the Premier to put aside her responsibilities as the nation's leader and reveal what she thought of Trump's remarks 'as a woman'.

A poker-faced Mrs May responded: 'I think that's unacceptable but I think Donald Trump himself has said that and has apologised for it.

'But the relationship the UK has with the United States is about something much bigger than the relationship between the two individuals as president and prime minister.

'We have a long standing special relationship with the United States, it is based on shared values, and it's a relationship where we feel in the UK we can say to the US if we disagree with something.'

Asked if patriotism would have to sometimes trump principle, Mrs May added: 'What Im talking about is a relationship that exists between the United Kingdom and the United States.

'Yes, if we think something is unacceptable, we say that but actually this is about more than one issue.

'It is about a long standing relationship between us that has been an important bedrock for the security and stability globally that we want to build on, we want to build on in economic terms and I think there is greater prosperity for both of us if we build on that relationship and strengthen it.'

On Saturday, Trump tweeted: 'I look very much forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime U.S. ally, is very special!'

May's office confirmed on Thursday evening that an exact date hasn't been arranged, but the two elected officials will meet soon.

Donald Trump says he is looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May (left) in the spring. May will make the trip to Washington to hold talks with the president-elect within his first few months in office, according to a source

May's office confirmed on Thursday evening that an exact date hasn't been arranged, but the two elected officials will meet soon. On Saturday, Trump tweeted that 'Britain, a longtime U.S. ally, is very special!'

In November of last year, Trump told May that he wanted to revive the close transatlantic bond enjoyed by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

The controversial billionaire launched a charm offensive during a ten-minute phone call with the PM, telling her Britain is 'a very, very special place for me and our country'.

Downing Street sources said the tycoon also talked of his hope of reviving the close UK-US relationship that dominated the West throughout the 1980s.

May 'highlighted her wish to strengthen bilateral trade and investment with the US as we leave the EU'.

She also urged Trump to follow through on his pledge to work to heal the divisions that poisoned a brutal presidential elections campaign.

The groundwork for the spring meeting was laid last month when May sent her joint chiefs of staff on a secret mission to New York and Washington.

Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy are said to have met senior aides to the Republican leader during the fence-mending mission.

The visit might may have proved awkward as both publicly criticized Trump - while he was still seen as a rank outsider for the Presidency - on Twitter before they entered Number 10.

Hill said 'Donald Trump is a chump' while Timothy said he didn't 'want any "reaching out" to Trump'.

Last month's mission was part of May's efforts to build a relationship with the controversial tycoon ahead of his inauguration on January 20.

Joint chiefs of staff Nick Timothy, left, and Nick Hill, right, are said to have met senior aides to the Republican leader during the fence-mending mission last month. The visit might may have proved awkward as both publicly criticized Trump on Twitter before entering Number 10

A source said: 'This was part of a process leading towards the PM's first visit with Trump.

'During the second phone call with president-elect Trump, the Prime Minister suggested it would be a good idea for key staff from both teams to meet. President-elect Trump agreed this would be useful.

'We are pleased to have been able to make that happen and the Prime Minister looks forward to visiting the new president in the spring.'

May is keen to build relations with Trump after describing his plan to ban all Muslims from entering the US as 'plain wrong' when she was Home Secretary.

The relationship is also seen to be important as May tries to renegotiate Britain's place in global affairs following its exit of the European Union.

However it suffered a setback in November last year after it emerged Timothy and Hill had criticized Trump on Twitter.

In December 2015, Hill described Trump as 'a chump' in the wake of his controversial comments about Muslims.

In March last year, Timothy wrote: 'American politics was depressing enough before Trump took off.'

In May, he added: 'Urgh... as a Tory I don't want any ''reaching out'' to Trump.'

It is typical for the prime minister to visit the new president in the months following the inauguration.
The third and final FOMO festival of 2017 has got

The seemingly never ending festival season has continued this weekend in a typically wild fashion.

FOMO festival in Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney comes just a week after thousands let loose at Field Day, Beyond the Valley, Falls and other New Year's parties.

With sun warmly shining down, much of the crowd seemingly decided that less is more, taking off their shirts or opting for crop tops and bralettes in an effort to keep cool.

After multiple dramas at New Year's festivals across the country, organisers hoped things would go smoothly this weekend.

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Thousands of revellers have flocked to the FOMO music festival at Parramatta Park in Sydney on Sunday

Short shorts and bikini tops were the choice of many as they tried valiantly to stay cool

This group of girls seemingly enjoyed their day out in the sunshine at the Brisbane FOMO event on Saturday. Local DJ Kaitlyn (pictured left and right) took to Instagram to share a photo of her wrapped in yellow 'caution' tape at the event

Partygoers turned out in their thousands in Sydney on Sunday to enjoy a host of top acts

Four women wearing high waisted denim shorts pose for a photo at Sydney's FOMO

A woman wearing a flowing skirt and lace-up Converse shoes strikes a pose before FOMO

But video has emerged from the Brisbane FOMO event on Saturday of a security guard aggressively choking a reveller until he turned purple in the face.

The footage has caused widespread outrage with many saying the forced used by the guard was excessive.

Meanwhile undeterred partygoers turned out in their thousands in Sydney's Paramatta Park on Sunday to enjoy a host of international acts.

The mercury sweltered to tops of 30C in the city's west as revellers ditched long sleeve shirts and jeans for denim short shorts, bralets and singlets.

Teamwork: A group of men appease their female friends and hold them up on their shoulders

Short shorts and loosely fitting shirts were the order of the day as temperatures soared

Ants? A woman wearing a sheer dress shows off her pert derriere while lining up for FOMO

After an alleged incident involving a security guard at Brisbane's FOMO, police were seen in large numbers at the Sydney leg of the festival

Fancy a beverage? Enormous queues spilled out of stalls offering revellers food and drink

Four women take a break from dancing to pose for a photograph

A shirtless man loosely holds a beer can as he enjoys a casual boogie on the grass with friends

Police upped their presence at the Sydney leg of the music festival, with officers seen walking around Parramatta Park throughout Sunday.

Photographs taken on Sunday afternoon show police assisting a woman outside of an official van, which had been parked inside the venue.

Artists such as George Maple, Peking Duk and Empire of the Sun were among the headline names.

Plenty of flesh: With the mercury hitting a high of 30 on Sunday, some women opted to wear bralets and flowing outfits to stay cool

Police officers were stationed inside Parramatta Park on Sunday to maintain the peace

Must be love! Two women embrace for a romantic snap

Two women wearing aviator sunglasses pose for a photo at Sydney's FOMO on Sunday

American hip hop artist Desiigner quickly became a favourite among revellers when he leapt from the stage to crowd surf

Diving head first into the sweaty mosh pit left the 19-year-old New York artist in need of a quick refreshment

After being swamped by fans Desiigner struggles to make his way back on to the stage, but never stopped his performance

Women at the front barricade for a musical act suck on lollipops as revellers mosh around them

Popular Australian singer George Maple was among the earliest acts to take to the stage

Not just for women: A man wearing a low-cut singlet proudly displays a deck of Uno cards as he sits on his mate's shoulders

Outfit coordination: Five men pose for a photograph before Sydney's FOMO

Local DJ Kaitlyn smiles for a photo alongside two muscular men with sleeve tattoos
Childcare costs are set to increase to up to $223 a day, with more than a five per cent increase each year for the next four years.

The figures from Department of Education warn the rates will skyrocket if the government does not increase the current rebate, the Herald Sun reported.

The federal government has been trying to pass a new $3 billion childcare reform package which will completely redesign the system.

Childcare costs are set to increase to up to $200 a day, with more than a five per cent increase each year for the next four years (stock image)

The figures, from Department of Education documents, warn the rates will skyrocket if the government doesn't increase the current rebate

In Sydney, rates are predicted to hit $223 a day, Melbourne $175, Brisbane $157, Canberra $152 and Adelaide $138 by 2020.

The figures come as a political fight over childcare continues to rage, with government plans to increase rebates stalled, as Labor warns that more childcare centres need to opened to ease pressure on fees.

According to the Herald Sun, parents can currently claim up to $7,500 of childcare costs, but under the new system there would be no cap on payments for families with incomes of less than $185,710.

Families above earning $185,710 would be given rebates up to a $10,000 limit.

Education minister Simon Birmingham has said 'if the Labor Party is seriously and genuinely concerned about the plight of Australian families, then they would stop blocking the savings necessary to pass our childcare reforms'

Education minister Simon Birmingham said opposition leader Bill Shorten needs to stop 'obstructing and start supporting' the government's reforms to fix the broken childcare model.

'If Bill Shorten and the Labor Party are seriously and genuinely concerned about the plight of Australian families, then they would stop blocking the savings necessary to pass our childcare reforms,' he said.

Acting leader of the opposition Penny Wong said projections show childcare fees will rise by up to 22 per cent over the next four years

Acting leader of the opposition Penny Wong said projections show childcare fees will rise by up to 22 per cent over the next four years, pushing the weekly cost of child care on par with the full wage of some working mothers.

'Australian families already struggling with child care and getting access to child care will not be impressed by the plan to increase child care fees,' Ms Wong said.
Pauline Hanson is pleading for suppliers of medical marijuana to be given amnesty amid fears children who rely on the drug could die.

The One Nation senator made a personal appeal to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull via text message on Saturday after police raided a cannabis oil distributor.

Jenny Hallam sent the drug to more than 200 customers who use it to treat a variety of medical conditions, including eight-year-old girl Suli Peek who suffers 100 seizures a day and may die without it.

Pauline Hanson is pleading for suppliers of medical marijuana to be given amnesty amid fears children who rely on the drug could die

Suli Peek, eight, who suffers 100 seizures a day may die without the cannabis oil supplied by a woman whose house was raided by police on Wednesday

'I appealed directly to the Prime Minister to intervene and give amnesty to users and suppliers of this vital life saving drug so many people and families are no longer forced to use this in secret,' Senator Hanson said.

'I thank all politicians who have got behind this cause and ask those who haven't, raise your white flag on party politics for a moment and lets work together to give these people some help in a time of need.'

Ms Hanson is a longstanding supporter of legalising medical cannabis and said it was an effective relief for many ailments conventional drugs couldn't treat.

Joyce (left) and Steve Peek (middle) fear their terminally ill daughter (front, middle) will be left in pain after stockpiles of the cannabis oil they use to treat her rare condition were taken

She urged her followers to lobby Mr Turnbull by calling his office, but cautioned that they 'be nice' to help gain his support.

'I can just imagine how this would feel if it was my own child,' she said.

When asked what effect an amnesty could have on Australia's drug laws, Ms Hanson told the Sunshine Coast Daily there were already exceptions.

'You tell me what is the difference when we allow shooting-up galleries where we allow people to take hard drugs?' she said.

'We say here is a clean needle, you can get yourself out of your brain, or we say here take your illegal drugs when in some cases women are destroying the foetus but at the same time we're saying this isn't okay.'

Suli (pictured) suffers from a regressive neurological disorder that caused her to have up to 100 seizures a day before her parents began using the medical cannabis oil

Senator Hanson's appeal follows dozens of parents worrying their cannabis oil supplies will run out after SA police confiscated Ms Hallam's stockpile.

Steve and Joyce Peek began using cannabis oil on their terminally ill daughter Suli in 2015 in a last ditch effort to reduce the more than 100 seizures she suffered daily.

The family from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland fear she could die as they only have a few days worth of the oil she takes four times a day.

'They've taken all Jenny's supplies and that means we'll run out of oil some time next week - from there, well I don't know what we'll do,' Mr Peek told Daily Mail Australia.

'With Suli, they don't know what's wrong with her - she's got a neurological disorder that has somehow caused her to have epilepsy,' .

'We started her on Jenny's cannabis oil 18 months ago and the first dose saw her seizures go from every one to two minutes, to 10 to 15 minutes, to one hour and then they just stopped.

'She had a legion on her brain and that disappeared when she started on the oil.

'The reality is she's slowly dying and what the cannabis oil can do is help control her seizures and give her a quality of life,' Mr Peek said

A bubbly and happy young girl who's 'always smiling', Mr Peek has been in an endless fight to help his daughter.

Having tried unsuccessfully to receive an amnesty allowing Suli to be treated with the oil in hospital, this latest news is a further setback for Mr Peek.

The father-of-three said after finding out about the raid he instantly began rationing the oil, but just one missed treatment left Suli once again suffering seizures.

'We don't know what we're going to do now, because she basically doesn't have any medication left,' Mr Peek said.

'If she goes to hospital the medication they use to stop seizures causes her to have respiratory failure and she'll have to be resuscitated.

'So we're at a real loss, particularly because the federal and state government praise themselves for being modern, but they've legalised nothing that can help Suli.'

Medical cannabis oil like that pictured has not been legalised in Australia, despite Mr Peek's best efforts to be granted an amnesty from the Queensland state government

While Mr and Mrs Peek know using the medicinal cannabis isn't a long term cure, it's currently their only hope.

Without it they're worried their daughter's battle, as tough as it already is, will only get worse.

'We know cannabis oil is not a cure for our daughter, there is no cure,' Mr Peek said.

'But the reality is she's slowly dying and what the cannabis oil can do is help control her seizures and give her a quality of life.

'I just hope they come around or we can get some more, but I don't know if anyone will be game enough (to sell it) now.'
A man died after he was pulled unconscious from the ocean while snorkelling with his family - the 19th drowning death in a month.

Police said the 30-year-old became unresponsive in the water off Gravelly Beach on the NSW Central Coast at about 1pm on Sunday.

He was hauled from the water but could not be revived when paramedics worked frantically to save his life.

A man drowned while snorkelling with his family off Gravelly Beach on the NSW Central Coast (pictured)

Officers from Tuggerah Lakes Local Area Command attended and will prepare a report for the Coroner.

The snorkeller's death comes after 18 people drowned over the Christmas period across Australia.
President-elect Donald Trump finally settled scores with Ohio Governor John Kasich after his favorite candidate was elected new Republican Party chair.

Stark County attorney Timken was narrowly elected to hair on Friday against incumbent chair Matt Borges.

Timken was elected by the state GOP's central committee after two deadlocked votes, according to Cleveland.com.

President-elect Donald Trump finally settled scores with Ohio Governor John Kasich after his favorite candidate Jane Timken (right) was elected new Republican Party chair

Trump's 'congratulation' was missing an 's', as he spoke highly of his favored candidate

Timken told reporters she was 'excited' and noted she is the first woman to head the Ohio Republican Party.

Her victory has made Trump the clear winner in a battle with Kasich of who has the most clout over Republicans in Ohio.

Trump took to Twitter to congratulate Timken on Saturday: 'Congratulation to Jane Timken on her major upset victory in becoming the Ohio Republican Party Chair. Jane is a loyal Trump supporter & star.'

And although he was missing an 's' on 'congratulation', he spoke highly of his favored candidate.

This isn't the first time Trump's been criticized for his misspelled tweets. Most recently, in December, Trump came under fire for his tweet about China.

He said America should let China keep a stolen US Navy drone that was seized in the South China Sea. He called the country's actions 'unpresidented' in a misspelled tweet.

In December Trump said America should let China keep a stolen US Navy drone that was seized in the South China Sea. He called the country's actions 'unpresidented' in a misspelled tweet

His tweet came after the US military announced it had reached an understanding with China for the return of the underwater glider after Beijing complained that Washington had been 'hyping up' the incident.

Trump took to Twitter to blast China for, as he described it, ripping the research drone, known as an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), out of the water.

'China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented (sic) act,' Trump wrote in the misspelled tweet.




Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley has apologised to taxpayers for travelling to the Gold Coast to buy a $795,000 ocean-view apartment during an official trip.

She has also offered to repay the travel costs three days after news emerged that she spent more than an average weekly Australian wage on a trip to Queensland on the same day she bought a two-bedroom investment property in May 2015.

'I apologise for the error of judgement,' Ms Ley said in a statement on Sunday.

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Health Minister Sussan Ley has apologised for her 'error of judgement' in travelling to the Gold Coast at taxpayer expense on the same day she bought an investment property

Mrs Ley said she had agreed to repay the costs after speaking with Prime Minister Macolm Turnbull, and following reports the embarrassment could hurt her political career.

'Tomorrow I will ask the Department of Finance to invoice me for the costs for the car and travel allowance claimed on Saturday 9 May 2015, including the relevant penalty applied to erroneous claims,' she said.

Mrs Ley had claimed allowances for a flight, a chauffeur driver and an overnight stay on May 9, 2015 when she bought a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment at Main Beach on the Gold Coast.

The costs added up to $1248, which is more than an average weekly Australian salary of $1160, but the minister claimed last week the apartment purchase was not planned.

Health Minister Sussan Ley bought an investment unit on the Gold Coast for $795,000 in May 2015

The minister took a chaffeur-driven car from Brisbane to Main Beach, near Surfers Paradise, on the Gold Coast

'While attending an auction was not the reason for my visit to Queensland or the Gold Coast, I completely understand this changed the context of the travel undertaken,' Mrs Ley said on Sunday.

'I have always sought to apply higher standards for myself in using valuable taxpayers' funds.'

The minister, based at Albury on the New South Wales-Victorian border, bought the unit for $795,000 on May 9, 2015 and claimed an overnight stay in the same suburb as 'official business'.

Mrs Ley also waited 17 months to declare her Queensland investment property, which is a breach of the rules outlined for members of parliament.

Health Minister Sussan Ley bought a two-bedroom at Main Beach for $795,000 on May 9, 2015

All smiles: Sussan Ley just happened to have ministerial engagements on the Gold Coast

On May 9, 2015, she flew from Sydney to Brisbane costing taxpayers $610.

The Liberal Party minister was in the Queensland capital making a $1.3 billion announcement about the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme at Wesley Hospital.

The minister then took a chauffeur-driven car from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, costing taxpayers another $268.

She also claimed an overnight stay in Main Beach with her husband John for another $370, listing this travel allowance as 'official business' for a minister.

Property records show Health Minister Sussan Ley bought the Gold Coast investment unit on the same day she was in town for 'official business'

Department of Finance records seen by Daily Mail Australia show Ms Ley billed taxpayers $1248, on May 9, 2015.

However, the minister's spokeswoman said last week she met with portfolio stakeholders on the Gold Coast later without revealing who she met with.

'The property purchase was not planned nor anticipated,' she said.

TAXPAYER EXPENSES Sydney to Brisbane flight: $609.59 Brisbane to Gold Coast comcar: $268.30 Travel allowance at Main Beach, on the Gold Coast: $370 (including for husband John) Total: $1247.89 Source: Department of Finance records for May 9, 2015

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This was the same day she bought the beachside unit on Main Beach Parade.

The minister's spokeswoman Jessica Howe said last week the expenses were within the rules.

'All travel undertaken was in accordance with the rules,' she said.

The revelations came just two days after the Herald-Sun revealed the minister had taken a return charter flight from Canberra to the Gold Coast in March 2016, costing taxpayers $12,000, or 30 times the cost of a $400 commercial flight.

Mrs Ley didn't declare the unit on her pecuniary interest register until October 2016, waiting 17 months to tell the public.

Members of parliament are required to make the declaration within 28 days.

Mrs Ley also stayed in Main Beach again for two nights on July 23 and 24, 2015, billing taxpayers $720.

The minister and her husband John also billed taxpayers for four nights' accommodation on the Gold Coast in July 2014, costing taxpayers $1448, while on 'official business'.

Health Minister Sussan Ley charged taxpayers more than $600 for a flight from Sydney to Brisbane to make a $1.3 billion Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme announcement

Health Minister Sussan Ley was in Brisbane making a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme announcement

The minister was chauffeur-driven in a Holden Caprice from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, costing taxpayers $268. (Stock image of car)

Taxpayers forked out $268.30 so Sussan Ley could be driven from Brisbane to the Gold Coast
I don't know how many young women come to this blog or how many are parents of teenage or young adult women, but here are some safety tips from Kelsey's Army:

T

I

P

S

1. Trust your instincts - If something feels wrong then something probably is wrong.2. Know your surroundings - know who and what is around you.3. Always have a plan for where you would go and what you would do if a situation arises.4. Be willing to make a scene in order to be noticed.5. Let someone know where you are going and when you will be back.Remember the acronym TIPS:ake Chargenform others of your whereaboutsrepare for any situationurvival Mentality (role play situations so you will respond should they happen)For more information, go to Kelsey's Army
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran is expected to resume electricity export to Iraq within one month, Arash Kordi, the managing director of Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company (Tavanir), said.

Kordi said that Iran has stopped electricity export to Iraq because the related contract expired, Mehr news agency reported Jan. 8.

An Iranian delegation has traveled to Iraq to discuss extending the electricity export deal, he added.

He further underlined that the contract expiration is the only reason behind cutting electricity export to the neighboring country, rejecting speculations that Tehran has suspended power export due to Baghdad's unpaid debts for its import of Iranian electricity.

He further said that Iraqs power transmission infrastructure cannot undertake increasing electricity export to the country.

Kordi said that Iran was exporting 700-1,000 MW of electricity to Iraq under the previous contract.

Iraq owes Iran some $1 billion for electricity import, according to Houshang Falahatian, the Islamic Republics deputy energy minister.

The two sides earlier agreed that the debts will be cleared in 10 installments, but no installment has been paid so far, Falahatian said last November.

Falahatian said that oil price fall which has led to sharp fall in Iraqi administrations revenues is main reason behind the delay.

Iran exported 9.88 billion kWh of electricity last fiscal year (ended March 2016), of which 69.1 percent went to Iraq.
A Facebook search for 'Sam Mitchell' has led to two strangers with the same name from opposite sides of the world meeting on New Year's Eve.

It was December 31 when the Tasmanian Sam James Mitchell, 19, plugged his name into social media and upon finding Sam James Mitchell, 22, from London, decided to send him a message.

'You may be wondering why I have sent you a friend request. I had to because we share the same name. Middle name as well. Good day sir,' the 19-year-old Sam wrote.

London Sam swiftly responded: 'Yeah, and what is stranger is that I've just moved from the UK to Australia.'

Sam James Mitchell, 22, from London (left) with Sam James Mitchell, 19, from St Marys, Tasmania (right)

Tasmanian Sam's first message to London Sam - and his United Kingdom counterpart's response

The pair shared some name-related banter on Facebook and even later changed their profile pictures so they were the same

After the pair shared a bit of name-related banter on Facebook, Tasmanian Sam's brother Bradley suggested flying London Sam to their hometown for New Year's Eve celebrations.

Four hours after the first message, London Sam was on a plane to Launceston but they were not sure if it was real until he checked in.

'We weren't sure what to think of each other. It wasn't until 20-odd minutes after we picked Sam up we realised we were going to get along just fine... made the next few days a bit more fun,' Tasmanian Sam told Daily Mail Australia.

When asked what they had in common, the immediate response was 'beer'.

Four hours after their first contact, London Sam was on a plane from Melbourne to Tasmania

Tasmanian Sam and his friends weren't certain it was really happening - until London Sam (pictured) checked in for his flight

The two Sams pictured together in Tasmania, where they spent a few days getting to know each other

Once London Sam was in Tasmania, they got stuck into the 'Sam Mitchell Olympics'. Here, they compete in the 'bucket race' - a version of the sack race, with mid-event beer skol

Trying out jelly beans of every flavour during their Olympics

London Sam was unfortunate enough to get a vomit-flavoured bean

They finished off the Sam Mitchell Olympics with a game of beer pong

'We went to a mates house and held the Sam Mitchell Olympics,' Tasmanian Sam said.

The pair competed against each other in the 'bucket race' - an adaption of a sack race - with a compulsory mid-race pint skol.

Next they tasted tested jelly beans of every flavour, London Sam got vomit flavour.

Finally, they went head-to-head in a game of beer pong.

And the winner was Sam Mitchell, of course.

The two Sams shared a quick kiss to celebrate the new year under the fireworks

The two Sams ready for New Year's celebrations in Tasmania

'[We] drank a few beers and got ready for New Year's Eve out on the town. And at midnight under the fireworks shared a kiss,' Tasmanian Sam said.

'We'd joked about it. And when the fireworks hit. We both felt deep down in our hearts, it was the right thing to do..

'It was lengthy enough for our mate to take a photo. Let's leave it at that... Can't give too much away. We'll have nothing left to write in our romantic novel.'

London Sam, who is on his working holiday visa, is already back in Melbourne - and looking for a job.

Despite being apart for now, there are talks of further Sam Mitchell Olympics - with other countries represented - although they said they may have to meet for a beer to plan beforehand.
A pair of Asian tourists were forced to surrender their passports after a brawl at a McDonald's where an innocent woman was punched in the face.

Pawan Threstha, 19, and Norbu Sherpa, 20, were both charged with assault for their alleged roles in the horrific fight at the fast food store on George Street in central Sydney.

Horrific footage obtained by 7 News shows the moment a bloodied Threstha stumbles towards the camera and then allegedly punches a woman in the face.

What follows is an all-in melee which escalates rapidly as bodies are thrown to the floor and bystanders join in - throwing fists and kicks wildly.

Pawan Threstha (pictured) allegedly hit an innocent woman in the face during an all-in brawl at a Sydney McDonald's store early on Saturday morning

One man, believed to be the innocent woman's partner, can be seen kicking Threstha in the face as other men trade blows on the floor of the restaurant.

At one point a manager steps in and attempts to break up the fight, but the victim's partner pushes him away and screams: 'Get the f*** out of my face mate.'

'Suddenly he just punches a girl in the face, I was so shocked,' witness Jay Seong told 7 News.

'Just crazy, just really crazy. He just punched the girl.'

In a statement given to Daily Mail Australia, NSW Police said they were called to the Sydney McDonald's at about 3.30am on Saturday following reports of an assault.

'Police have been told that the victim was allegedly scratched and punched several times by two men with a woman also assaulted,' the statement read.

'Officers from Sydney City Local Area Command attended and arrested the two men who were taken to Day Street Police Station.'

After the woman was allegedly struck in the face, a violent melee broke out between two groups

Threstha was thrown to the floor and hit repeatedly in the face. He was later charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, while fellow Asian tourist Norbu Sherpa was also charged with assault

Threstha was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, a sentence that carries a maximum punishment of five years, and common assault.

Sherpa, who tried to run away from police before being chased down and taken into custody, was charged with assault.

It is believed both men are from Nepal and are in Australia on holiday without permanent residency.

Police sources told 7 News the attack was unprovoked and both parties were not known to each other.

The pair were given conditional bail and will appear before Downing Centre Local Court on February 15.

Daily Mail Australia has approached McDonald's for comment.
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Keeping a low profile with a black beanie hat pulled down over his head, this is Transport Secretary Chris Grayling among thousands of disgruntled commuters in the crush at Clapham Junction yesterday.

The under fire minister was caught up in frightening scenes at the countrys busiest train station as London's transport network was plunged into chaos.

Mr Grayling, also the MP for Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, looked grim-faced so blended in well with the crowds of miserable commuters.

He was swept along in the slow-moving crush of commuters as they were herded through the stations packed corridors.

One fellow passenger, Callum Munro, tweeted: Stuck in the Tube strike chaos at Clapham Junction with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling! Might have to complain about Southern Rail.

Mr Grayling, 54, who lives in South-West London, regularly commutes by rail. His constituency is among those affected by the Southern Rail strikes.

Whitehall sources said that even though he is entitled to a ministerial car, he generally only uses that for official trips around London. They denied his appearance at Clapham was a publicity stunt designed to show him as a man of the people standing shoulder to shoulder with those suffering the strike.

Pictured: Keeping a low profile with a black beanie hat pulled down low, this is Transport Secretary Chris Grayling among thousands of disgruntled commuters in the crush at Clapham Junction yesterday

Fitting: Mr Grayling, also the MP for Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, looked grim-faced so blended in well with the crowds of miserable commuters

Commuters battle to make their way along a platform at Waterloo train station today as the Underground strike took hold

Many of the capital's buses were rammed full of people, with commuters choosing to take to the road due to Tube closures

Commuters wait outside an entrance to Oxford Circus Tube station, forced to queue as they wait for the strike action to finish

People are forced to queue outside Waterloo Station in the rain, making the wait even worse for world-weary commuters

Bus stops were much busier than usual as workers battled to get home in face of widespread strike action in London

Rush hour hits London Liverpool Street, as hard-pressed commuters begin the trek home after a long day of travel choas

Soaked commuters look for alternative routes in the rain as London Underground services are severely disrupted

Queues form at a bus stop near Liverpool Street station, London, as commuters attempt to make their journey home

People rushed to stations throughout the capital to miss the evening rush hour, where huge queues were expected at all the main transport hubs

Police officers look on as commuters queue for buses at Victoria Station amid severe travel disruption following strike action

Dangerous overcrowding on railway platforms yesterday made a mockery of union claims that their crippling strike was about improving passenger safety.

Union barons claimed their members staged the Tube walkout over safety concerns to do with the closure of London Underground ticket offices.

But the strike led to overcrowded Clapham Junction station being evacuated amid a rush-hour stampede, with thousands of commuters forced to find an alternative route to work.

Data by traffic analysts Waze showed that 25 per cent of London's roads were at a complete standstill or bumper to bumper at 5.30pm. Most commuters suffered a miserable - and wet - journey home last night.

Hugo Sugg, 26, a teaching assistant, said staff herded commuters like cattle from the station. He added: They just evacuated the station and cancelled all the trains. There were probably about 700 people there. Then it was like a stampede  they had no organisation and the staff showed little, if any, compassion. Its horrendous and disgusting to think theyre allowed to get away with this.

Trainee vicar Jane Bartlett, 53, said: It was a bit scary, to be honest. There were huge crowds. You know that if something had gone wrong it could have been nasty.

Tory MP Chris Philp said the incident showed the unions actions were putting people in danger and discomfort.

This makes a mockery of union claims to be concerned about safety, he said. Their own actions have caused a safety concern. They have endangered the lives of Londoners doing nothing more than trying to get to work.

Some 4 million commuters endured hellish journeys yesterday on the busiest working day of the year.

London Underground said the chaos caused by station closures was completely unnecessary because it had already agreed to create hundreds more jobs at salaries of up to 45,000.

But militants from the RMT and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) unions walked out anyway, crippling the capitals transport network. Today there will be even more mayhem as Southern Rail drivers and British Airways cabin crew go on separate walkouts designed to cause maximum disruption.

Commuters wait outside a closed entrance to Oxford Circus Tube station at the conclusion of a 24-hour strike by London Underground workers

A member of RMT union is at a picket line outside the King's Cross tube station as London Underground services were severely disrupted due to members of RMT and TSSA staging a 24-hour strike

Londoners battled through a miserable rush-hour commute today amid ongoing strike action in a row over job losses and ticket office closures

Waiting: People queue for buses at Bishopsgate in the City of London as Tube workers in the capital hold a strike today

Bishopsgate: Major London stations were shut with people forced on buses or choosing to cycle, drive or walk to work

Chaotic: Panicked people ran towards bus stops already swollen by those trying to complete their rush hour journeys

Commuters queue for trains at Clapham Junction during a Tube strike that saw Britain's busiest interchange station closed

People queue for buses outside Waterloo train station as Tube workers continue their strike which began at 6pm last night

Commuters queue for trains at Clapham Junction during the Tube strike before the station was shut due to overcrowding

No trains were stopping at Clapham Junction today, which is normally served by trains to and from Victoria and Waterloo

Major London stations were shut yesterday with people forced on packed buses or choosing to cycle, drive or walk to and from work.

Long queues built up at bus stops and roads throughout the capital were gridlocked. It was even slow going for many who walked to work because the pavements were so crowded.

Panicked people ran towards bus stops already swollen by those trying to complete their rush-hour journeys, while greedy Uber cab drivers quadrupled their prices to take advantage of the chaos.

ITVs This Morning host Phillip Schofield said half of their guests were stuck in traffic.

The chaos was more severe than predicted, as up to 4,000 station and ticket staff joined the walkout.

Rochelle Mayers, 27, from Enfield, was fuming after she was late for an appointment at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. She said: The buses are horrendous. Its ridiculous.

They should have planned properly for this stupid strike, put on rail replacement buses, or at least not charged people on the buses.

Doctor Simon Quantrill, 50, who cycles from Clapham, South West London, said: It is really scary out there  cyclists are taking huge chances. The traffic is mad.

Waiting game: South West Trains said London's Clapham Junction station was evacuated due to 'severe overcrowding'

Passengers attempt to board a South West Trains service at Clapham Junction during the Tube strike in London today

An evacuation was called at Clapham Junction station at around 8.50am due to the number of people there today

Commuters queue at Clapham Junction during the Tube strike which saw the station shut due to 'severe overcrowding'

Commuters wait to board a bus near London Victoria station as industrial action halted the vast majority of Tube services

Commuters cross Waterloo Bridge after London Underground workers launched a 24-hour strike which will cripple services

Many London landmarks including St Paul's Cathedral and City skyscrapers can be seen as commuters cross Waterloo Bridge

Some commuters read books while others look at their mobile phones while waiting at a bus stop near Victoria station today

Commuters are seen through the windows of extra buses put on to help with capacity during the 24-hour Tube strike today

Buses at Victoria: Journeys were bumpier than usual, with one passenger directing a bus driver who took a wrong turn

Mayor's interview is delayed... by the strike! Sadiq Khan's interview on a BBC radio programme was delayed because of the Tube strike, it was claimed. The Mayor of London was elected in May following a pledge that there would be 'zero strikes' on public transport if he was given the position. But his interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme which was due to take place at 8.30am was delayed until 8.50am because of the 24-hour strike which crippled transport in the capital. Presenter Justin Webb said the show 'had all sorts of trouble getting to him this morning because of the strikes' but he eventually spoke via phone. Mr Khan said he 'condemned' the action and called on the unions to return to the negotiating table. He said he had inherited the dispute but was taking action to address the unions' concerns. 'I accept we need more staff and we have been having good discussions with the unions which should have carried on.' Mr Khan said the strike was 'completely unnecessary'. Advertisement

Last night the average speed on Central London roads was under 5mph  slower than a horse and cart.

Business groups estimated the capital had lost 300million, and business minister Greg Hands said it was an awful strike.

Unions are striking because Underground chiefs and the mayor have not reversed ticket office closures instigated by former mayor Boris Johnson.

The unions claim 800 jobs have been axed, and that staff are being abused by passengers facing queues at ticket machines.

The RMT said: These cuts have hammered down on safety as the front-line, visible staff have been removed and all the statistics show that this has sparked an increase in crime.

Transport bosses have promised 600 new jobs, but the unions say only 200 were new because most will just replace natural turnover of staff.

Last night Steve Griffiths, chief operating officer of London Underground, said there was no need to strike, because new staff were being recruited.

He added: We agree that we need more staff in our stations and have already started to recruit 200.

Last week the Mail revealed how RMT bosses had secretly awarded themselves 6,000 annual travel perks to fund cars and rail tickets. Yesterday the union claimed its three most senior officers, including general secretary Mick Cash, had taken buses and trains to work.

Even London Mayor Sadiq Khan could not avoid the chaos as the strike delayed his interview on BBC Radio 4.

Transport for London workers handed out walking maps as they advised people how to reach their destinations.

Meanwhile Uber passengers also had no joy as drivers quadrupled their prices to take advantage of the chaos.

Commuters cross Waterloo Bridge in London after Underground workers launched a strike which will cripple Tube services

Passengers squeeze onto a Docklands Light Railway train at Shadwell in East London after the Tube strike began today

There is chaos at London Paddington Station this morning for passengers having to queue for buses following the strike

Have a nice day! Commuters queue to board a bus at Victoria bus station in London during the 24-hour Tube strike today

A large queue of people spill off the pavement as they wait for buses at Bishopsgate in the City of London this morning

Commuters queue for buses at about 7am outside London Victoria Station as the Tube strike misery continues this morning

A winter of discontent? The latest strike dates London Underground: Today to 6pm Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association are striking over jobs and ticket office closures. Southern Rail: Tomorrow, Wednesday and Friday No Southern services will run on Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday because of walkouts by Aslef members in a long-running dispute concerning driver-only trains. There is also due to be a strike on January 24, 25 and 27. British Airways: Tomorrow to Wednesday Cabin crew are walking out for 48 hours from tomorrow to Wednesday in a dispute over pay. Arriva Rail North: Date TBC Arriva Rail North workers will be balloted tomorrow on whether to take strike action that would hit commuters in Leeds, Hull and Manchester. Advertisement

Tube stations across the capital were closed by the 24-hour walkout over jobs and ticket office closures.

TfL had advised passengers there would be a severely reduced service across the Tube network all day today.

National Rail services were not affected but there were no Underground services from key interchange stations.

These hubs included Victoria, King's Cross, Waterloo, Paddington, Euston, Bank and London Bridge.

Piccadilly line services ran between Hammersmith and Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3 - but not to Terminals 4 or 5.

There was no service at all on the Victoria or Waterloo & City lines and all other lines were severely affected.

Theresa May's official spokesman said the PM thought disruption is being caused in 'an unfair and unjustified way'.

TfL put on two temporary 'Boris Bike' cycle hire hubs in Soho Square and Newgate Street to help cyclists.

But people using Uber taxis accused the firm of 'greed' after some were charged four times more than usual.

However, an Uber spokesman said: 'Uber uses dynamic pricing to ensure that people can always book a car when they need it.

'The fare increases automatically, and only in response to real-time demand when there are not enough available cars.

'As all of the licensed driver who use the Uber app work independently, higher fares incentivise more drivers to go online so we can help more people get where they need to go. Without this pricing model there would simply be no cars available.'

Traffic builds up on the Embankment as the strike takes hold (left) and gates blocked the entrance to Paddington (right)

A large queue of people around a bus at Bishopsgate in the City of London as Underground workers in the capital strike today

Anger: People who tried to book an Uber taxi accused the company of 'greed' after some were charged at up to 4.3 times more than the usual rate=

Most of central London's stations are closed this morning with people forced on to packed buses or needing to cycle or walk to work

Locked out: Some employers have asked staff to stay away and work from home today because the Tube network is crippled
The video was filmed in Djuma Game Reserve in the Kruger Park, South Africa.

a human 'clip on the ear' used by some when a child misbehaves

The cub appeared to encroach on its mother's side of the body and

at her cub while feasting on a buffalo

This is the moment a 'hangry' lioness snarled and clocked her tiny cub around the ear when he came between her and her supper.

The footage by freelance wildlife photographer Corlette Wessels captured the hungry family sinking their teeth into a huge buffalo carcass at Djuma Game Reserve in the Kruger Park, South Africa.

But the little cub seemed to encroach on his mother's side of the feast which sent her into a fit of rage.

Smack: Lioness claws at cub after it got too close to her dinner

Furious: The lioness is clearly angry at her son and didn't hold back her rage

The beast responded by baring her teeth and growling at the pint-sized cub before hilariously cuffing him on the ear and chomping down on the carcass-reminiscent of a parental scolding.

Corlette, from Lanseria, South Africa, said she travelled to the northern part of the reserve to witness the Nkuhuma Pride in action.

Mum-of-two Corlette, 42, said: 'All mums get irritated at times when you're busy making food and dealing with work.

'I think she just wanted to eat some meat in peace.'

The cub's siblings continue to devour the bloody buffalo corpse while another looks at its relative getting a scolding
Greening said the phrase was 'not

Theresa May has admitted the NHS faces 'huge pressures' but rejected a Red Cross claim there is a 'humanitarian crisis'.

The Prime Minister is being urged to authorise a 700million bailout for the health service as pressure on medics grows.

Education Secretary Justine Greening earlier slammed the charity, warning she had seen real humanitarian crises in her old job running the Department for International Development.

The Red Cross claimed a winter surge in demand for the NHS had caused a 'humanitarian crisis' in hospitals across the country.

Its chief executive said the charity had been 'called in' to help transport people home from hospital to free up beds.

Theresa May has been urged to grant a 700million bailout after reports of two patients dying on trolleys in Worcestershire.

Theresa May, in her first TV interview of the year, today rejected a Red Cross claim the NHS is facing a 'humanitarian crisis'

Mrs May admitted the health service was under 'huge pressure' said it was equipped to look after patients

Overflowing accident and emergency departments were forced to close their doors 140 times in December because of the number of patients arriving.

Ms Greening told the BBC's Andrew Marr: 'I don't think it's appropriate to describe the challenges that the NHS faces this winter as a humanitarian crisis.'

She said the NHS was better prepared this winter than in previous years.

'We have put in 400 million of extra funding to particularly help these winter pressures and, indeed, the NHS is better prepared this year than it has been in the past,' she said.

Red Cross chief executive Mike Adamson escalated the political row yesterday

Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth has demanded Mrs May and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt commit to bringing forward 700 million of social care money to help hospitals cope this winter.

Mr Ashworth also urged the Prime Minister and Chancellor Philip Hammond to pledge a new funding settlement for health and care in the Budget 'so this year's crisis never happens again'.

Together with the Liberal Democrats, Labour is claiming the health service faces its deepest crisis since the 1990s.

Former Lib Dem health minister Norman Lamb said this was unacceptable. 'The situation is deteriorating. It is not sustainable.

'The government has a responsibility to be held to account.'

Red Cross chief executive Mike Adamson escalated the political row yesterday when he claimed extra cash was needed for health and social care to make the system sustainable.

'The British Red Cross is on the front line, responding to the humanitarian crisis in our hospital and ambulance services across the country,' he said.

'We have been called in to support the NHS and help get people home from hospital and free up much-needed beds.'

Labour's Jon Ashworth (right) and Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb (left) have joined forces to demand the Government agree a 700million NHS bailout

Demands for extra NHS spending have grown since after reports of two patients dying on trolleys at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital

But Keith Willett, director of acute care for NHS England, said that 'on the international scale of a humanitarian crisis, I do not think the NHS is at that point'.

An NHS England spokesman said: 'For the past few years winter plans have included contracts with the Red Cross to provide services for councils and the local NHS across England.'

Commons Health Select Committee chairwoman Dr Sarah Wollaston, a Tory MP and former GP, said: 'There is a crisis in social care provision but the term 'humanitarian crisis' is too strong. This is not equivalent to Syria or Yemen.'

Tory former health minister Anna Soubry hit out at the use of 'irresponsible language', saying that although she was aware of 'shocking delays and intolerable pressures' in local A&E and ambulance services in her Nottinghamshire seat, 'it doesn't amount to a humanitarian crisis'.

Mr Willett said: 'Clearly, demand is at the highest level ever. But also our planning is probably more comprehensive than it has ever been.'

Ms Greening, the former aid secretary, said she had seen real humanitarian crises and insisted the NHS was better prepared for winter than in previous years
An accused drunk driver caught on camera swerving across the road has been charged with refusing an alcohol breath test.

A 30-year-old man was filmed driving erratically in a Nissan Patrol late on Saturday night on the New South Wales South Coast, south of Sydney.

Witnesses called police shortly after 11.30pm to tell them his four-wheel drive was driving on the wrong side of the road and had almost collided with other vehicles.

Scroll down for video

This is the moment the Nissan Patrol is filmed swerving to the wrong side of the white line

Police then searched for his car and found him outside a house in the small coastal town of Sussex Inlet.

The man was arrested and taken to Nowra Police Station, where he allegedly refused to undergo a breath test, police allege.

He was charged with failing to undergo a breath analysis and dangerous driving.

The man's licence was also suspended and he will appear before court at a later date.

The four-wheel drive then swerves to the breakdown lane side of the white line

Witnesses called police to say a driver had swerved across the road, police allege
Jared Kushner, President-elect Donald Trump's son-in-law and one of his closest advisers, is taking steps to distance himself from his sprawling New York real estate business in what is the clearest sign yet he is planning to take a position in the new administration.

Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, must clear a series of hurdles before he takes any post in Washington.

He will need to argue that a federal anti-nepotism law that bar officials from appointing relatives to government positions does not apply to him as well as eliminate potential conflicts of interest between his family's multi-billion dollar real estate empire and his government duties.

Just as week after Trump was elected, Kushner met with Wu Xiaohui, the chairman of Anbang Insurance Group, one of China's most aggressive acquirers of overseas properties, to discuss a deal in the works to redevelop one of the Kushner family's flagship Manhattan addresses, according to the New York Times.

The paper used the meeting, which took place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, a property Anbang owns, as an example of the 'ethical thicket' Kushner will have to navigate through to get to the White House, in part because his business is still a major real estate investor, while the Trump Organization has turned more to branding.

Scroll down for video

Jared Kushner is taking steps to distance himself from his sprawling New York real estate business, in what is the clearest sign yet he is planning to take a position in his father-in-law's administration

Kushner, who often has the last word with the president-elect before a major decision is made, has explored stepping away from his role as CEO of the real estate business and has consulted with federal officials about resolving potential conflicts, according to his lawyer.

'Mr. Kushner is committed to complying with federal ethics laws and we have been consulting with the Office of Government Ethics regarding the steps he would take,' said Jamie Gorelick, a partner at the law firm of WilmerHale, in a statement.

'Although plans are not finalized, Mr. Kushner would resign from his position at Kushner Companies and divest substantial assets in accordance with federal guidelines.'

Gorelick said that Kushner 'would recuse from particular matters that would have a direct and predictable effect on his remaining financial interests. He would also abide by federal rules requiring impartiality in particular matters involving specific parties.'

Kushner's challenges highlight a notable pattern of the incoming administration.

While some government officials will be forced to divest and rearrange their financial portfolios to comply with federal ethics laws, their boss will not be required to do the same.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence, left, and Jared Kushner, second from right, depart from Trump Tower, in New York. Kushner must clear a series of hurdles before he takes any post in Washington

As president, Trump is exempt from laws aimed at ensuring federal employees' personal financial interests do not influence their decisions.

The president-elect has said he intends to distance himself from his own international real estate business, but he has suggested he intends to break from precedent by retaining a stake in the company.

Trump is expected to announce some plans for his business during a Wednesday news conference.

The Kushner Companies is a major real estate investor in New York and elsewhere and participated in roughly $7 billion in acquisitions in the last decade.

If Kushner joined the administration, he would divest some of business interests, including his stake in a major Fifth Avenue skyscraper, according to his spokeswoman Risa Heller.

The property, 666 Fifth Avenue, was the subject of the meeting with the Chinese firm on November 16.

Kushner has spent months negotiating a redevelopment of that building with Anbang Insurance Group, a real estate giant with close ties to the Chinese government.

The mysterious Anbang has drawn scrutiny from Wall Street firms and federal agencies in the past.

In addition to working through that nest of potential conflicts, Kushner has also been consulting lawyers about a federal anti-nepotism law that bars officials from appointing relatives to government positions.

The 1967 law, which was seen as a response to President John Kennedy selecting his brother Robert Kennedy as attorney general, would also be a potential obstacle for Ivanka Trump, who is also expected to have a role in her father's White House.

Some Trump advisers have argued that the law does not apply to the White House, only Cabinet agencies.

'The anti-nepotism law apparently has an exception if you want to work in the West Wing, because the president is able to appoint his own staff,' Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said in December.

'The president does have discretion to choose a staff of his liking.'

As precedent, some Trump backers have pointed to the woman the president-elect defeated in last year's bitter White House race: Hillary Clinton. President Bill Clinton's decision to put his wife in charge of his health care reform efforts was challenged in court, but two federal appeals judges said the anti-nepotism law did not appear to cover White House staff appointments.

But if Trump finds White House roles for his daughter and son-in-law, he's walking an ethical tightrope that could set a precedent for future presidents, said Norm Eisen, who served as President Barack Obama's chief ethics counselor.

For example, if the first lady's office essentially becomes the first family's office, 'it will be like institutionalizing nepotism,' he said. 'And I think it could be politically perilous.'

At the least, Eisen said, Trump should ensure the couple is categorized as regular government employees who must routinely publicly file disclosures about their business ties and investments.

In the campaign's stretch, Kushner was a constant presence at his father-in-law's side. He has acted as a gatekeeper to Trump in the transition and has sat in on scores of high-level meetings, including Cabinet interviews.

If he takes a government post, his presence in the West Wing would add another power center in a White House that is shaping up to be top heavy.

Incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Steve Bannon were announced as 'equals.'

Conway, who will serve as counselor to the president, is also likely to have autonomy and direct access to Trump.

Ivanka Trump has taken steps to leave her role at the Trump Organization, which the president-elect said would be run by company executives and his two adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric.

In a brief interview Friday with The Associated Press, Trump said he has a 'very simple solution' for addressing his business ties, but would not detail the plans. He also suggested the matter was not important to Americans.
This is the eye-watering moment a punter at Brisbane's FOMO Music Festival asks a group of strangers to help him pop his dislocated shoulder back into place.

Footage uploaded to social media shows a young man with a horribly disfigured shoulder surrounded by people dancing at Riverstage on Saturday night.

He motions to his shoulder with a grimace on his face, and then screams in agony as a man in the crowd grabs his arm and attempts to pop the joint back in place.

Moments later his agony turns to relief as he laughs off the incredible act and falls back into the crowd.

Stevie Jard, 24, dislocated his shoulder while in the mosh pit for Flosstradamus at Brisbane's FOMO Music Festival

Thumbs up: A man offers a thumbs up after witnessing Mr Jard's shoulder pop back into place

Brisbane man Stevie Jard, 24, confirmed that he was the person who had dislocated his shoulder while on the dance floor during Flosstradamus' set.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, he said he had 'no idea' how his shoulder popped out, but felt an 'adrenaline rush' once he realised the gravity of the situation.

Mr Jard also dismissed suggestions online that he was under the influence of illegal drugs, saying he was instead spurred on by 'heaps of captain Morgan (rum) and beer'.

FOMO was sold out in Brisbane, with performances from Empire Of The Sun, Peking Duk, Flosstradamus and Lastlings.

The festival was at Adelaide on Friday and in Sydney on Sunday at Parramatta Park.

This group of girls seemingly enjoyed their day out in the sunshine at the Brisbane FOMO event on Saturday. Local DJ Kaitlyn (pictured left and right) took to Instagram to share a photo of her wrapped in yellow 'caution' tape at the event

Thousands of revellers (one Sydney woman, pictured) flocked to the FOMO music festival - which was held at Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane

Four women wearing high waisted denim shorts pose for a photo at Sydney's FOMO

Perfect summer weather lingered throughout the weekend, leaving swathes of people to ditch long-sleeve shirts and jeans for short shorts, bralettes or singlets.

Much of the crowd seemed to adopt the mantra 'less is more', taking off their shirts or wearing minimal clothing in an effort to keep cool.

After a number of dramas at New Year's festivals across the country, organisers hoped things would go smoothly this weekend.

But video emerged from the Brisbane FOMO event on Saturday of a security guard aggressively choking a reveller until he turned purple in the face.

The footage has caused widespread outrage with many saying the forced used by the guard was excessive.

After an alleged incident involving a security guard at Brisbane's FOMO, police were seen in large numbers at the Sydney leg of the festival
Lylah Fairless, pictured as a baby, was born with a giant congenital nevus on the back of her head - a huge mole birthmark that doctors feared could turn cancerous

A little girl nicknamed 'Rapunzel' after a potentially-deadly birthmark that caused her to grow lengthy locks is having breast implants on her head to save her life.

Lylah Fairless, aged four, was born with a giant congenital nevus - otherwise known as a large mole or birthmark - that covers the entire back half of her skull and could kill her.

Doctors feared the mass could develop into a melanoma and she could develop fatal tumours in her brain without any symptoms.

The only treatment for Lylah was to have skin expanders placed under her hairline to be filled with fluid - similar to the surgery for breast implants.

Once the skin has expanded, surgeons can then remove a part of the nevus and use the healthy excess skin to stitch her scalp back together.

Lylah, from Saint Charles in Missouri, the US, has had more than 15 surgeries now and it is hoped her last operations to remove the final 10 per cent will take place next year.

Parents Ian and Ashley Fairless, 32 and 27, nicknamed her 'Rapunzel' due to her abnormally long hair, which was caused by the condition.

Mr Fairless said: 'My daughter was born with a very rare condition called a giant congenital nevus, which is a large birthmark on the back half of her scalp.

'She was born with long, beautiful dark hair.

'There were two large bumps on the back of her skull, the haematomas, and then this mass of dark thick straight hair.

'I immediately named her our little 'Rapunzel' because of it.

The four-year-old has since had breast implant-type surgery on her head to expand her skin to allow surgeons to remove the birthmark. She is pictured left, with mother Ashley, and right after the implants were placed in her head, causing large skin growth

Lylah's (left) family, father Ian (back centre), mother Ashley (right) and brother Lincoln (front centre), are raising money for her surgeries to be completed

The operations on the nevus, left, work by using fluid-filled skin expanders to allow surgeons to cut away the growth and then graft over it with the excess skin

'Her hair was so long and growing in every direction, we were amazed how far it stretched down.'

But surgeons were forced to shave the little girl's lengthy locks so that they could reach the massive nevus.

Her father said: 'Doctors told us that with it comes the heightened risk of melanomas.

'If she were to get a melanoma, tumours would develop in her brain first before showing signs on the surface which would kill her.

'The thought that cancer could develop in her brain without any symptoms showing immediately terrified us and we knew we had to go through surgery.

'Now she's been through over 15 surgeries, which is a lot for someone so young.

'The surgery puts a deflated implant in her skull, which we then inject saline into, to stretch the healthy skin on the scalp.

'We would inject as much as we could in a day for eight to 12 weeks without causing her discomfort.

The youngster, pictured, has been through more than 15 surgeries in her four years

More than 90 per cent of the mole has now been removed, with a final batch of surgeries set to take place this year

'Then the surgeon removes some of the nevus mass and uses the extra skin to repair her scalp.

'Over 90 per cent of the nevus has been resolved now but the remaining areas are a lot thicker.'

Her parents were unaware their daughter would be born with the condition that affects one in 20,000 people.

Lylah's father Ian, pictured with his daughter, said he would do 'anything' to ensure his daughter had a 'happier and healthier life'

Since her first surgery at six-months-old, her parents say the expanders used to save her life have attracted a lot of attention.

With some members the public staring, points and make cruel comments including that their daughter looked like she had been 'burned'.

Mr Fairless said: 'I use most interactions as an educational opportunity but there have been some looks of disgust and one person assumed she was a burns survivor.

'It was a very bold assumption from someone who we had just met, we prefer people to just ask rather than making comments or finger pointing.'

It's hoped that Laylah will have her last batch of surgeries next year and she will then able to lead a normal life without being at risk of cancerous tumours.

Mr Fairless added: 'We decided after she was born that if there was anything we could do to ensure our daughter had a happier and healthier life we would do it.

Lylah's surgeries proved so expensive that the Fairless family was forced to sell their home to fund them

It is hoped Lylah (left and right) will be able to lead a normal life following the final operations

'Now we're hoping next year will be the final treatments she needs, all we ever wanted was to make sure our daughter had the best quality of life and now she's getting there.'

The Fairless family are currently fundraising after being forced to sell their home due to mounting medical bills during her treatment.

They're hoping to raise money to help cover the costs of surgeries and daily supplies such as bandages, syringes, antibiotics and more.

Mr Fairless said: 'We've had some medical debt forgiven, but with so many payment plans and collection payments we were unable to afford our house and went through the long process of short sale.

'Over the years, we've had to buy our own bandages, syringes and saline for her skin expansions, antibiotics, and more.

'As well as what medical bills or bills with collections we have left, I'm asking for help in any way possible.'

To donate click here.

Lylah, pictured left with her father and brother, and right, was nicknamed 'Rapunzel' because of the amount of hair she grew due to the nevus
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The Queen has made her first public appearance for a month after being struck down with a heavy cold over Christmas.

The 90-year-old monarch attended church at Sandringham today, after missing the traditional Christmas and New Year's services for the first time due to ill health.

The Queen, who wore a royal blue coat and matching hat, arrived by car at St Mary Magdalene Church with Prince Philip just before 11am this morning.

The monarch, who also wore black gloves, was seen covering herself with a blue blanket as she left the church in her Bentley after spending the best part of a month indoors.

The 90-year-old was seen with a blue blanket over her lap as she left church in her Bentley following the service

The Queen arrived at church at Sandringham today, after missing the traditional Christmas and New Year's church services for the first time

The monarch, wearing royal blue, was seen arriving at St Mary Magdalene Church with Prince Philip, who has also been recovering from a heavy cold

The Duke of Edinburgh, 95, who looked dark around the eyes as he also recovers from a heavy cold, accompanied the Queen to church on the Norfolk estate today.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with the Middleton family, walked to the church service this morning from Sandringham House.

Kate, who turns 35 on Monday, wore a designer green coat by Sportmax for the service, which she paired with a grey fur hat and black court shoes.

Her parents Carole, 61, and Michael, 67, along with sister Pippa, 33, and brother James, 29, also attended the service.

Pippa, who wore a structured brown coat with a matching hat for the service, was also accompanied by her fiance James Matthews, 41, this morning. The pair are set to get married in Bucklebury, Berkshire, this May.

Prince William, 34, and Kate, who turns 35 tomorrow, appeared to be in good spirits as they attended the service

The Duchess of Cambridge beamed as they greeted well-wishers waiting outside church this morning

William looked animated as he and Kate, who wore a green coat and grey fur hat, walked past well-wishers

Kate and William looked happy and relaxed while greeting well-wishers as they left St Mary Magdalene Church earlier today

The Duchess of Cambridge's parents Carole (far right) and Michael (centre front), sister Pippa (far left) and brother James (centre back) walked to the church service this morning from Sandringham House

Carole Middleton, 61, who wore a dark coat with a grey fur trim, and her husband Michael, 67, looked relaxed outside church

Pippa, 33, (far left) wore a structured brown coat with a matching hat for the service, along with black court shoes

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, spent Christmas with the Middleton family, rather than at Sandringham

Pippa was also accompanied by fiance James Matthews (left), at today's church service

Buckingham Palace refused to comment on how long the Middletons would be staying at Sandringham.

Kate is expected to celebrate her 35th birthday privately with the Duke of Cambridge and her children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, ahead of her first public engagements of the new year.

The Queen broke protocol for the first time ever when she decided not to attend the traditional Christmas and New Year's church services over the festive period.

Buckingham Palace had earlier declined to comment on the Queen's health and whether she would be attending the church service today.

The monarch delayed her annual trip to Sandringham before Christmas due to her cold.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge beamed as they left the Sunday service and walked back to Sandringham House

Kate is expected to celebrate her 35th birthday with William and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte

Prince William waved to members of the public as he and Kate walked through the Sandringham Estate after church

William spoke to well-wishers who had gathered outside the church on the Norfolk estate this morning

Kate wore a 1,541 coat by Sportmax for the service, which she previously wore at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 2015

The couple, who spent Christmas with the Middleton family in Bucklebury, Berkshire, did not attend the Christmas Day or New Year's services at Sandringham

A crowd of well-wishers gathered to greet William and Kate as they attended the church service this morning

She travelled one day later than planned and used a helicopter rather than a train to shorten the travel time.

Prince Philip, 95, also suffered from the heavy cold but managed to recover enough to attend the service at Christmas and New Year's Day.

Princess Anne had told well-wishers that her mother was feeling 'better' as she attended the New Year's service with her father last Sunday.

Royal sources suggested that the Queen had a persistent 'hacking cough' and was staying away from church as she did not want to disturb other worshippers.

The 90-year-old was seen covering herself with a blue blanket as she got into her Bentley earlier today

She left church with the Duke of Edinburgh, who has also been recovering from a heavy cold over the Christmas period

The Queen's prolonged illness had raised some concerns because colds and flus can be dangerous for elderly people

The Queen wore a royal blue coat with a matching hat and black gloves at church at Sandringham this morning

The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh left by car after attending the 11am service at St Mary Magdalene Church

The Queen, wearing a royal blue coat with a matching hat and black gloves, left the service with the Duke of Edinburgh

The Queen, who was carrying her favourite Launer black handbag, making her way to the church this morning

The Queen broke protocol for the first time ever when she decided not to attend the traditional Christmas and New Year's church services over the festive period

The Palace's last official statement was last Sunday morning when it was confirmed that the Queen would not be attending last week's service.

The statement only said: 'The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold.'

Her prolonged illness had raised some concerns because colds and flus can be dangerous for elderly people.

The Queen has generally been in good health in recent years, although she has cut down somewhat on her traveling and public appearances.

Buckingham Palace had earlier refused to comment on the Queen's health and whether she would be attending the church service today

The monarch had delayed her annual trip to Sandringham before Christmas due to the heavy cold

The monarch was pictured covering herself with a blue blanket as she left church by car earlier today

Members of the public were waiting outside as the 90-year-old arrived at church by car this morning

Carole and Michael Middleton, along with their son James, outside church following the service this morning

Michael Middleton and son James walking to the St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham this morning

However, signs of the monarch being on the mend were revealed earlier this week when she presented a trusted member of staff with an honour.

The Queen invested Ray Wheaton, the Queen's Page of the Chambers, with the insignia of a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, according to the court circular.

The LVO, which is the Queen's personal gift and is bestowed independently of 10 Downing Street, recognises service to the Royal Family and household.

THE QUEEN: UNDER THE WEATHER BUT KEEPING UP APPEARANCES Before today's church service, it is believed that the Queen was last seen in public on December 1 when she was photographed visiting the Goodenough College for British and international postgraduate students in London. She also had a string of public engagements in the first two weeks December meeting politicians and diplomats behind closed doors at Buckingham Palace. The last time she is believed to have been officially photographed was at a ceremony to meet the High Commissioner of Bangladesh and the Ambassador to Liberia on December 9. The Queen and Philip also attended the private funeral of her cousin and lifelong friend Margaret Rhodes, 91, at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park on December 12. She and Philip are also thought to have hosted their traditional party for Buckingham palace staff on December 20. Advertisement

She was also said to be up and about and dealing with her red boxes of official papers.

On Tuesday she sent a message of condolence to the President of Turkey, following the attack in an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day that killed 39 people.

The Queen said she and Philip were saddened and that their thoughts were with the families of the victims and with the Turkish people.

The Queen (pictured, during her Christmas speech) presented a trusted member of staff with an honour this week

Reports claimed the Queen was almost shot by one of her own guards while she took a late-night stroll through Buckingham Palace's grounds earlier this week

It has certainly been an eventful week for the elderly monarch, with reports claiming that she was almost shot by one of her own guards while she took a late-night stroll through Buckingham Palace's grounds.

The guard is said to have shouted into the darkness when he spotted a figure walking around Buckingham Palace at 3am, believing it might be an intruder.

But the shadowy suspect was in fact Her Majesty, who had stepped out for some fresh air because she couldn't sleep.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Ukraines Ukrtatnafta PJSC is preparing for refining the first batch of Azerbaijani Azeri Light oil in the volume of 80,000 tons at the countrys Kremenchug refinery, the company said.

Ukraine has already received the batch in late December 2016.

In general, Ukrtatnafta, which is the operator of the Kremenchug refinery, expects that the total volume of such supply will reach 1.3 million tons in 2017.

"The project implementation has become possible due to the agreements between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Ukraine to restore the supply of Azerbaijani oil to Ukrainian refineries," the message says.

Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR is an oil supplier.

"SOCAR has been already supplying Iranian gas condensate to Ukrtatnafta since October 2016, the message said. Ukrtatnafta increased oil refining by 11 percent in 2016 due to the implementation of the project for the diversification of energy supplies. According to the preliminary plans of the company, oil refining is expected to be increased by more than 41 percent."

The volumes of oil transportation via Ukrtransnaftas oil pipelines will also increase due to the project implementation, the company said.

Ukrtransnafta PJSC and Ukrtatnafta signed a protocol of intent to pump 4 million tons of Azerbaijani oil to the plant over the next three years. According to the document, Ukrtransnafta expresses its willingness to supply about 1.3 million tons of Azerbaijani oil a year over the next three years.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
A picture of a lorry advertising anti-congestion medication while blocking traffic was last night posted online by police.

Officers in the London borough of Sutton enjoyed the irony and shared the image on Twitter.

They captioned the snap: 'Unfortunately this lorry is doing anything but... Please avoid St Nicholas Way. Traffic very solid.'

Officers in the London borough of Sutton enjoyed the irony and shared the image on Twitter

The image, showing the lorry advertising a boots flu remedy while straddled across a road, was retweeted and liked hundreds of times.

It comes as police forces across Britain aim to increase their presence on social media.

Some hastily posted tweets of have caused controversy and attracted criticism.

Traffic officers from Greater Manchester Police used the force's Twitter account to post pictures of two men wearing SS uniforms on the M62, next to the caption: 'These two likely lads trying to invade.'

Manchester police were slammed by Jewish groups for posting photos of men in SS uniforms

Hampshire Police were branded 'moronic' for asking followers to guess which car this is

After the force was criticised by Jewish groups, they apologised and the officers involved were spoken to.

Hampshire Road Police were also slammed for tweeting a picture of a badly-damaged crashed car and asking followers to guess its model and make.

And the Metropolitan Police's helicopter team came under fire for posting an aerial picture of comedian Michael McIntyre and asking people to guess who it was.
However, this footage reportedly shows migrants are still living inside the camp

The Greek migration minister said 'there are no refugees living in the cold'

filmed by a migrant living at a camp in Lesbos

Shocking footage has emerged showing how migrants are living in snow-covered tents with no heating on the Greek island of Lesbos.

The video, reportedly filmed by a migrant living in the UN camp Moira, shows tents bowing under the weight of the heavy snow which has also crept inside their freezing temporary homes.

'His tent was destroyed and he has never been this cold in his life,' a caption on the video said.

There is reportedly a ban on filming and photography in the camp but this footage is said to be filmed on Saturday, just two days after Greek Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas said: 'There are no refugees or migrants living in the cold anymore.'

A video reportedly filmed by a migrant living in the Moira refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos shows tents covered in snow on Saturday

Some of the tents have collapsed from the weight of the snow in the Moira refugee camp

'We successfully completed the procedures for overwintering,' Mr Mouzalas said, according to local news reports.

However, sources said the Moira camp still holds around 5,800 migrants and refugees.

'Men and women are forced to live together. Dome tents, that would be advertised as 2 man tents in a camping store, are housing 4 or 5 people,' sources told the Greek Reporter.

On Friday, the United Nation's refugee agency (UNHCR) said thousands of migrants stranded on Greek islands should be quickly transferred to the mainland or other European countries due to cold temperatures and poor living conditions.

The United Nation's refugee agency (UNHCR), who provided the tents, has urged Greece to transfer the migrants to the mainland or other EU countries

One man picks up snow from the ground and makes a snowball as they walk around the freezing camp

The video shows the bleak and freezing weather migrants are enduring at the camp

About 15,000 people living in the overcrowded island camps do not have enough heating or supplies to keep warm during the winter months, the UNHCR said.

'Even with recent efforts to improve matters, conditions at many sites on the islands remain very poor,' UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said at a press briefing in Geneva.

'The need for better protection will become all the more acute this weekend when temperatures on the islands are expected to drop. We are worried.'

Snow covers tents at the Moria refugees camp on the island of Lesbos, after heavy snowfalls, on 07 January

A cold wave across Greece caused temperatures to drop drastically and brought snow fall to many cities and islands

More than 1 million people fleeing war and conflict in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, arrived in Greece by sea between 2015 and 2016, the UN said

Edwards said aid workers have been installing electric heaters and insulation, and distributing additional thermal blankets and sleeping bags.

Last Wednesday, Greek authorities vowed to improve its island camps, after violent protests from migrants angry over the slow processing of asylum requests and living conditions.

More than 1 million people fleeing war and conflict in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, arrived in Greece by sea between 2015 and 2016, the U.N.'s migration agency, IOM, says.

The number making the sea crossing from Turkey to Greece fell sharply last year under a European Union (EU) deal with Turkey. The agreement stipulates that people arriving after March 20 are to be held on five Aegean islands and sent back if their asylum applications are not accepted.

Under a 2015 scheme, EU member states agreed to take in 66,400 migrants from Greece within two years, but so far, only 7,760 asylum seekers have been moved, the UNHCR said on Friday.

In Belgrade, Serbia, migrants are pictured trying to warm themselves by the fire inside a derelict customs warehouse

A migrants shaves inside of a derelict customs warehouse occupied by migrants on January 5 in Serbia

A migrant helps wash his friends hair inside a derelict customs warehouse on January 7 in Serbia
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A glamorous 21-year-old woman has been crowned Miss Summernats 2017 - as tens of thousands of petrolheads started to wind down after four days of festivities filled with burning tyres.

Jazmyne Wardell, from the NSW Central Coast, was among the crowds of more than 100,000 car enthusiasts who revved up for the Summernats in Canberra as the annual event wrapped up on Sunday.

The blonde beauty found herself in the spotlight this week after photographs emerged showing her appearing almost identical to her mother Natalie, 45, and sister Tamika, 19.

Jazmyne was all smiles when she was awarded the title that includes a photoshoot with a car magazine and representing the festival for the coming year.

Jazmyne Wardell (pictured), from the NSW Central Coast, has been crowned Miss Summernats 2017

The blonde beauty (pictured watching the race on Sunday with her sash) found herself in the spotlight this week after photographs emerged showing her appearing almost identical to her mother Natalie, 45, and sister Tamika, 19

Her mother Natalie Wardell (pictured), 45, was among the tens of thousands of car enthusiasts at the four-day car event

Mother Natalie, 45 (left), Tamika, 19 (centre), and Jazmyne Wardell, 21 (right), are often mistaken for sisters

'I'm very proud to be crowned Miss Summernats as are my parents who are massive car enthusiasts themselves,' she said a year after she was runner-up.

'I was brought up around cars and share their passion. I'm looking forward to representing Summernats throughout the year.'

On Sunday, clouds of smoke and burning rubber continued to fill the air as car lovers from around the nation gathered to celebrate their love for vehicles.

Many were covered in soot from burnout residue while others pulled out their couches for a day in the sun.

Partying in style: A group of men wore Summernats merchandise as one of their friends opted for a body suit with a G-string

A young woman smiles at the camera in front of a car race as she's covered in loot from the burnout residue from head to toe

A man opted for a dress-up costume, wearing a beige-coloured body suit with sequin G-string over his grey shorts

With temperatures sizzling on Sunday, many decided to wear bikini tops while other men went topless with sombrero hats

But the event kicked off with a tragic start Queenslander Luke Newsome, 30, died from his fatal injuries when he fell from a car along the cruise route at Exhibition Park on Thursday afternoon.

'We were very distressed about it but certainly nothing in comparison to the distress and unhappiness that would've been experienced by the family and friends of the young man,' Summernats co-owner Andy Lopez told reporters on Saturday.

Summernats is a streetmachine festival started by renowned local rev-head Chic Henry in 1988.

More than 1,800 cars take part in the annual festival supported by hundreds of thousands of car enthusiasts.

'Summernats is a celebration of the street machine lifestyle and the people who live it,' according to the event's website.

Summernats biggest and youngest fans: A young boy sitting in his pram celebrate alongside his family on Sunday

Pink smoke filled the air as tens of thousands of car enthusiasts cheered on while the car race took place on Sunday

Many festivalgoers were covered from the loot from the burnout residue - but that didn't stop them from enjoying the race

A man smiled as he couldn't keep his hands off a young woman - as the pair pose for the camera at the race car event

A man covering in loot from burnout residue poses with a can of beer as he stands among the yellow clouds of the car race

Tens of thousands of revheads descended to the annual four-day event in Canberra as they celebrated their love for cars

A man covered in toot poses for the camera as crowds of more than 100,000 car lovers enjoyed the race car event on Sunday

A young couple had two reasons to celebrate - bonding over their love for cars and expecting their baby to arrive this year

From the comfort of our couch: A group of men pulled a living room furniture onto their ute tray as they enjoyed the event

A woman (left) covered in loot as a young car enthusiast (right) smiles at the camera during the four-day race event

A group of men covered in toot pose for the camera as crowds of more than 100,000 enjoyed the race car event on Sunday

One more for the road: Thousands of fans try to watch through the thick smoke as it filled the air from the burnouts

More than 1,800 cars take part in the annual festival supported by hundreds of thousands of car enthusiasts

As temperatures sizzled on Sunday, thousands of watched intensely at the burnouts in Canberra

Tens of thousands of car lovers cheered on as they celebrated all things motor and their love for engines

As the sizzling temperature warms up Canberra, many opted to go topless while a man (right) was covered in loot

Disney character Queen Elsa of Arendelle, Olaf the snowman and Sven the Reindeer appeared on the side of a vintage car

Long day? A man taking a rest on a young girl's lap at the back of a ute after an eventful day filled with burnouts

Two young women laugh as they are covered in loot from burnout residue during the four-day race car event on Sunday

Thick clouds of smoke filled the air as hundreds of cars geared up for the annual four-day event in Canberra

Many festivalgoers were covered from the loot from the burnout residue - but that didn't stop them from enjoying the race

A woman smiles as she enjoys the sizzling warm weather in Canberra on Sunday as thousands flocked to the car event

Tens of thousands of car lovers stand among the yellow smoke as they watch the world's biggest burnout event of the year

Thick clouds of smoke filled the air as hundreds of cars geared up for the annual four-day event in Canberra
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A Palestinian has rammed a truck into a group of Israeli soldiers visiting a popular tourist spot in Jerusalem, killing four and wounding at least 15 people, in a shocking copycat of the Berlin and Nice terror massacres.

Shocking video from the scene shows t he driver reversing back over the soldiers, trapping ten under his wheels, during the sickening attack on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged the attacker 'supported' the Islamic State group, though he provided no details on what led to the finding.

Speaking at the scene of the attack, Mr Netanyahu said the attacker has been identified and 'according to all the signs he was a supporter of the Islamic State.'

He says there 'definitely could be a connection' between Sunday's attack, which killed four Israeli soldiers, and recent attacks in France and Germany.

The killer reversed this white truck, which is pictured riddled with bullets, over the soldiers to ensure he killed as many as possible

This is the moment the truck, circled, approached the group of Israeli soldiers at speed at the tourist hotspot in Jerusalem

Shocking video shows the driver speeding through the soldiers giving them no chance of escaping from his truck

A forensic investigator of the Israeli police examines the cab of the truck after it was covered with bullet holes in Jerusalem

The terrorist was shot dead by Israeli forces at the location overlooking holy sites in the Old City such as the Dome of the Rock and providing one of the most spectacular views of Jerusalem.

Chaos broke out at the scene when the truck ploughed through the crowd, with hundreds of soldiers having arrived there as part of a tour for troops about the history of Jerusalem.

'A lone terrorist drove his truck into a group of soldiers standing on the side of the road,' police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told reporters at the scene.

'They got off the bus, and as they were getting off the bus and getting organised, he took advantage.'

Israel's military said one of its soldiers fired on the attacker and distributed video of him saying he shot after realising it was not an accident.

Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the windshield of the truck.

Police only confirmed four people were dead, but a medic at the scene said they were soldiers.

Medics also reported that three of the victims were women, while all four were in their 20s.

Netanyahu says Israel has blockaded Jabel Mukaber, the east Jerusalem neighborhood where the truck driver lived, and is planning other measures to prevent similar attacks.

Israeli police confirmed the killer trucker had been 'neutralised' following the attack. A tour guide has described how he shot at the driver until he came to a stop

An Israeli Border Policeman runs to take a position as he passes the truck and a bus at the scene of the ramming attack

Members of an Israeli funeral service carry away what is believed to be a body, past the truck and tourist bus

Israeli soldiers inspect the scene where a Palestinian rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers on a popular promenade

Four people have been killed and at least 15 were wounded after a truck attack in Jerusalem. Pictured is the white truck that drove into the soldiers

Israeli police confirmed that the incident on Sunday morning was a deliberate terrorist attack

Eytan Rund, a tour guide who said he shot the attacker Sunday, said the many soldiers in the area were slow to respond. He said he believed the 'hesitation' was connected to last week's verdict which saw an Israeli soldier who fatally shot a Palestinian attacker convicted of manslaughter

The group of soliders were standing beside the bus on some grass when the truck bounced into the air onto the promenade and drove through the victims without warning.

The killer then stood on his brakes and reversed, trapping some ten of his victims under the truck.

Some of the surviving soldiers managed to jump clear and opened fire, riddling the cab of the truck killing the man.

The soldiers were on a cultural sightseeing tour of the city when they were attacked.

The atmosphere in Israel has also been charged following the manslaughter conviction last week of an Israeli soldier who fatally shot a Palestinian attacker who had already been badly wounded and was lying on the ground.

Eytan Rund, a tour guide who said he shot the attacker Sunday, said soldiers in the area were slow to respond. He said he believed the 'hesitation' was connected to last week's verdict.

Rund said: 'The truck sent me flying, I was lucky, just a couple of bruises. The right corner of the truck hit me and sent me flying, a couple of flips on the grass, I am quite amazed that I am standing here right now.

'The second biggest miracle is that my gun wasn't lost from this.'

He said he realised that attack was intentional after the truck 'suddenly turned around to probably run over again'.

Israeli soldiers stand in a circle of support at the scene after the truck ramming attack in Jerusalem

The Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat said 'those who incite terror must pay a heavy price'

All of the victims of today's attack were believed to have been in their 20s

Israeli authorities have launched an investigation but have already termed it a terror attack

Members of the ZAKA voluntary community emergency response teams and Israeli police work to help the wounded in front of the truck

'I pulled out the gun I fired one shot at the wheels and I realised this will not do and while he [the attacker] was driving I ran to overtake him from his left side, I stood in front of him and started shooting my entire magazine until it was over.

'He kept on driving after... I don't know if my bullets were the one that wounded him and made him stop, but without a doubt he kept on going a few metres after I shot him.'

It is understood soldiers fired at least 18 rounds at the terrorist, who is believed to be from an Arab area of east Jerusalem.

Tour guide Lea Schreiber said: 'I heard my soldiers screaming and shouting.

'I saw a truck that went on the side of the road. Soldiers starting shooting. There were orders and screaming everywhere. They told them to hide behind the wall because there was fear of another attack.

'There was no sense in that reverse. He drove backward to crush more people. That was really clear.'

JERUSALEM ATTACK 'INSPIRED' BY NICE AND BERLIN ISIS terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove his 19-tonne truck at revelers celebrating Bastille Day in Nice on July 14 last year killing 86 people and injury 400. The killer mounted the pavement and steered directly towards the pedestrians walking along the promenade. Bouhlel drove at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour as he crushed innocent civilians walking back from the sea front following the city's fireworks display. Eventually, French police were able to bring the rampaging truck to a halt and shot the Tunisian-born Bouhlel dead. Tunisian-born Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel killed 86 people in Nice on July 14 by driving a hired truck directly at innocent pedestrians He drove his truck, pictured, directly at pedestrians, having gone past a police checkpoint claiming he was looking to deliver ice cream along the promenade. French police did not notice that the truck he was using was not refrigerated and not ideal for carrying icecream Berlin terror attacker Anis Amri killed 12 people on December 19, 2016, when he drove his truck at terrified shoppers at a popular Christmas market. As well as killing 12 people, he injured 56 people before managing to escape. Amri, who had 14 different identities in Germany was able to travel out of the country, despite being the most wanted man in Europe. He was shot dead in by Italian police in Milan, in the north of the country. The Scania lorry he used to commit the massacre may end up as a ghoulish exhibit at the House of History museum in Bonn. Anis Amri, pictured, murdered a Polish lorry driver and stole his truck before killing 12 people in Berlin's Christmas market and escaping Amri escaped from Germany after abandoning his hijacked truck. He travelled through Belgium before being shot dead in Milan Advertisement

The Palestinian Hamas movement praised the attack, but did not take responsibility.

Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif Qanou called it a 'heroic' act and encouraged other Palestinians to do the same and 'escalate the resistance.'

Qanou said Sunday's attack proves the wave of Palestinian violence has not ended, despite a recent lull. He says 'it may be quiet, it may linger, but it will never end.'

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is pledged to Israel's destruction.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat called on residents to be wary but carry on with their everyday life.

'Unfortunately, there is no limit to the cruelty of terrorists who spare no means in killing Jews and disrupting their way of life. Those who incite and support terror must pay a heavy price.'

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri says the truck veered off course Sunday and struck a group of soldiers who had just disembarked from a bus.

P alestinian security officials in the West Bank city of Ramallah said he was a Palestinian from the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Jabal Mukaber, close to the scene.

ISIS MAGAZINE TELLS ITS FOLLOWERS TO USE TRUCKS WHEN 'HARVESTING LARGE NUMBERS OF KUFFAR' An ISIS terror magazine advised its followers to use large trucks when carrying out their planned atrocities, targeting 'pedestrian congregated streets' and 'outdoor markets'. The magazine, Rumiyah, said trucks, unlike knives, 'arouse absolutely no doubts', citing the example of Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel who murdered 86 people in Nice on July 14 and injured 400. The twisted publication claimed a vehicle 'presents the opportunity for terror for anyone possessing the ability to drive a vehicle'. An ISIS magazine gave details instructions to its followers to enable them to carry out similar truck atrocities to that in Nice The magazine gave examples of the best types of vehicles to be used in terror attacks and the most appropriate targets The magazine also detailed why a large truck was better than a smaller car for 'harvesting large numbers of the kuffar' It said: 'Likewise, it is one of the safest and easiest weapons one could employ against the kuffar, while being from amongst the most lethal methods of attack and the most successful in harvesting large numbers of the kuffar.' The terror training manual said the ideal vehicle needed to be reasonably quick, heavy and 'double-wheeled, giving victims less of a chance to escape being crushed by the vehicle's tyres'. Importantly, the truck needs 'a slightly raised chassis and bumper, which allow for the mounting of sidewalks and breaching of barriers, if needed'. The magazine said any event with a large crowd presents a good possible target. 'The target should be on a road that offers the ability to accelerate to a high speed, which allows for inflicting maximum damage on those in the vehicle's path.' The potential terrorist is told he must ensure that he has pledged his allegiance to ISIS, even by writing a note and leaving it in the vehicle. Chillingly, the magazine said: 'It is imperative that one does not exit his vehicle during the attack. Rather he should remain inside, driving over the already harvested kuffar, and continue crushing their remains until it becomes physically impossible to continue by vehicle.' Advertisement

Police in Jerusalem have described the incident as a 'possible terrorist attack'

Shocked witnesses comforted each other just yards from the scene where four people died

The soldiers were on a sightseeing visit to Jerusalem when the truck driver attacked

Hamas praised today's murderous attack describing the dead terrorist as 'heroic'

The truck driver waited for the soldiers to disembark the bus before mounting the pavement

The killer drove his truck at the victims and then reversed over them when he was shot dead

The victims are all believed to have been soldiers according to Israeli police

The truck, pictured, sped up and jumped up a small wall before landing on the soldiers

Some of the victims were believed to have been trapped under the truck after it came to a halt

The driver of the truck is understood to be Palestinian although he has not yet been named

The name of the suspected terrorist has not yet been released according to Israeli media

The terrorist is believed to be a Palestinian who lived in an Arab area of east Jerusalem

An Israeli bus driver who witnessed the incident said on the radio the truck ploughed into a group of soldiers, and that they fired on the driver, who reversed direction and ran over them again.

'They shot him, until they neutralised him,' said the bus driver, who gave his name only as Moshe.

The attack matched the deadliest in a more than year-long wave of Palestinian shooting, stabbing and vehicle attacks against Israelis. The two gunmen in last June's attack in Tel Aviv also killed four people, who were eating dinner at a popular tourist spot.

Since September 2015, Palestinian attackers have killed 40 Israelis and two visiting Americans. During that time, 230 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire.

The violence has slowed of late but tensions have been rising since President-elect Donald Trump promised to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Palestinians claim Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital, and have warned that moving the embassy would cross a 'red line' and undermine negotiations over one of the most sensitive issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It is understood Israeli security forces have identified the killer and have raiding his house in west Jerusalem

Hamas has praised today's killer describing him as a hero, although they have not claimed responsibility for the attack

At least ten people were trapped underneath the truck in the aftermath of the attack

The attack happened on the Armon Hanatiziv promenade overlooking the walled Old City

Israeli officials confirmed that 15 soldiers have been wounded with two in a critical condition
A 15-year-old girl hid under her bed during a frightening home invasion in Melbourne.

CCTV footage from December 20 has emerged showing three men forcing their way into the Lynbrook property, south-east of Melbourne, by kicking down the front door.

The terrified teenager upon hearing the men breaking into her house, dived under her bed, pulled the duvet cover on top of herself and called the police.

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A teenage girl hid under her bed during a terrifying home invasion in December in which three men (pictured) broke into her Melbourne home and stole a tablet computer and money

The girl's brother, who was in the next room, armed himself with a large pole in anticipation of a fight.

But the thieves fled the property before the man could confront them.

The thieves escaped with a tablet computer and more than $500 in cash.

Speaking to Seven News the girl's father spoke about how the scary ordeal had affected his family.

'We still can't sleep peacefully, even now if we hear a sound we search the house,' the man said.

The family have since spent hundreds of dollars on home security including a new security door and CCTV cameras.

CCTV footage from December 20 has emerged that shows three men forcing entry into the Lynbrook property by kicking down the front door (pictured)
Police in Paris are threatening the lives of homeless migrants by stealing their blankets as temperatures drop to freezing, a leading international aid agency claimed today.

It is all part of a campaign of harassment aimed at getting unwanted foreigners off the streets of the French capital.

Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) said in a tweet: 'The police should stop confiscating the covers of migrants sleeping on the streets of Paris.

'These unacceptable practices put the life of migrants in danger: teams from Doctors Without Borders had to look after eight people close to hypothermia.'

Migrants are pictured on November 4 as police and security address the makeshift camp near the Stalingrad metro station in Paris

Migrants walk to the bus wrapped in blankets during the evacuation of the Stalingrad station makeshift camp on November 4

It comes as hundreds of new migrants flood into the city from war-torn countries including Afghanistan and Syria. Many are trying to get to Britain, where they want to claim asylum.

The vast 'Jungle' refugee camp in Calais - where up to 10,000 lived at one point - was torn to the ground in October, as the port town was turned into an immigrant free zone.

Many headed towards Paris, where camps regularly appear in public parks and squares, many of them close to the Eurostar train hub.

There is a single official refugee centre, but it can only deal with 400 men at a time, and they can only stay for two weeks maximum.

Doctors Without Borders said the police should stop confiscating the covers of migrants sleeping on the streets of Paris (file photo)

The crisis means that CRS riot police are continually ordered to destroy camps, and they use baton charges and tear gas to clear areas.

'A lot of the raids take place just before sunrise, when temperatures are at their lowest,' said a local charity worker.

'The makeshift huts and tents being used are torn down, and the refugees are left to fend for themselves.

'Some have never experienced a European winter before, and find are left absolutely freezing. Their lives are in serious danger, but the police do not care.'
He was jailed for life after strangling two schoolgirls in 1983 and 1986

Colin Pitchfork, 55, (pictured) was jailed for life after raping and strangling two schoolgirls in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986

The relatives of a child murdered by the first Brit to be caught after DNA testing have criticised the decision to transfer him to an open prison.

Colin Pitchfork, 55, was jailed for life after raping and strangling two 15-year-old schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in the 1980s.

His minimum term of 30 years was cut by two years in 2009. He was moved to an open prison before Christmas and could be eligible for release next year.

Lynda's younger sister Rebecca Eastwood, 34, and her mother Kath, 68, wrote a furious letter to Pitchfork's parole board to object to the move, reports the Daily Express.

Rebecca said: 'Given what he did, it is too big a risk. We were told there could be day trips with an officer and then if he behaves he will be let out on his own with a tag, then there could be longer trips out. It's an insult. There is no way it is safe to let him out in public.

'He has been locked up until now so he hasn't been able to offend. Why give him the opportunity? Me and my mum talked about it and there is the worry he will harm someone else.'

Prison minister Sam Gyimah wrote in a letter to South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa: 'I must stress that the transfer to open prison does not guarantee eventual release.

She said convicts must meet a stringent set of tests before being let out.

In April, when the Ministry of Justice decided upon Pitchfork's transfer to open prison, Mrs Eastwood said at her home in Leicester: 'I wasn't told anything until Victim Support called me yesterday to inform me of the Parole Board's decision.

'Anger was my first reaction. Every time something is brought up to do with the case, I am forced to relive the whole thing.

'He has supposedly served his 28 years now and the Parole Board said he's basically being good.

'But he's a predatory killer so how can he be good?

'He has had no temptations and hasn't had the opportunity to behave otherwise.'

Schoolgirl Lynda Mann, 15, (left) was murdered by Colin Pitchfork, 55, in 1983. Three years later, Pitchfork killed Dawn Ashworth, also 15, (right) in 1986

She added: 'I think he should be securely locked up - I am very scared of him.

'It is me who is serving the life sentence now. I never get any peace from it and it makes it impossible to try and come to terms with what happened.'

Pitchfork was jailed 28 years ago after admitting two offences of murder, two of rape, two of indecent assault and one of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

He strangled his first victim, Lynda, to death after raping her on a deserted footpath in the Leicestershire village of Narborough in 1983.

Three years later he raped and killed Dawn less than a mile from where he murdered Lynda.

In April the case was referred to the Parole Board to review his suitability for release.

After the world's first mass screening for DNA - where 5,000 men in three villages were asked to volunteer blood or saliva samples - Pitchfork was eventually caught.

The lord chief justice at the time said after he was jailed that 'from the point of view of the safety of the public I doubt if he should ever be released'.

COLIN PITCHFORK: THE FIRST PERSON CAUGHT USING DNA EVIDENCE On November 22, 1983, the body of 15-year-old Lynda Mann was found raped and strangled on a deserted footpath running between a cemetery and a psychiatric hospital in the Leicestershire village of Narborough. Almost three years later, in July 1986, the body of another 15-year-old, Dawn Ashworth, from nearby Enderby, was found in almost identical circumstances in a wooded area, less than a mile from the scene of Lynda's murder. The dead girl had been taking a shortcut home from school instead of her usual route, but there can be little doubt that her assailant, believing he had 'got away with it' once, was on the look-out for other teenagers to assault, terrorise and murder in the same way. Initially, a local man confessed to the second murder and his blood was found to be the same group as blood found at the scene. There can be no doubt that had it not been for advances in science, he would have been convicted while Colin Pitchfork (pictured) remained free. However, two years later, semen samples found at the crime scenes were used to match the DNA of Pitchfork, a baker and convicted flasher. He became the first criminal in the world to be convicted based on DNA fingerprinting, following the first mass screening of 5,000 men in three neighbouring villages. Advertisement

Speaking at the time Pitchfork's minimum term was reduced from 30 years to 28, Lord Judge said Pitchfork's progress since he was first incarcerated 'goes far beyond general good behaviour and positive response to his custodial sentence, but reflects very creditable assistance to disabled individuals outside the prison system'.

He said: 'On the evidence before us he has sought to address the reasons behind the commission of these offences. He has achieved a high standard of education, to degree level.

'In 20 years in custody he has never been placed on report and he is trusted to help with the well-being of fellow inmates.'

Lord Judge added: 'Beyond all that he has made himself a specialist in the transcription of printed music into Braille, thus using the opportunities he has taken to educate himself in prison to the benefit of others.

'This is an intensely specialised skill and his work is used throughout this country and internationally with the support of the RNIB.'

Lord Judge said the court could not 'identify any sufficient reason' why the exceptional progress made 'should not be recognised and given practical effect in the assessment now to be made of the minimum term to be served by the appellant', and reduced it by two years.

A petition saying Pitchfork should never be released was backed by nearly 20,000 people.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said in April: 'The Parole Board has decided not to release this offender.
Health Minister Sussan Ley charged taxpayers for plane tickets and cabs so she could party on the Gold Coast for New Year's Eve two years in a row.

The new revelations have emerged after she apologised for buying a $795,000 ocean-view apartment on impulse in May 2015 during an official ministerial trip to the beach city.

The federal Liberal Party MP's latest woes threaten to end her ministerial career, which would make her the fourth Turnbull Government frontbencher to be sacked.

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Health Minister Sussan Ley has apologised for her 'error of judgement' in travelling to the Gold Coast at taxpayer expense on the same day she bought an investment property

Mrs Ley charged taxpayers for airfares and taxi transport so she could see New Year's Eve fireworks to herald the start of 2014 and 2015. (New Year's fireworks in Surfers Paradise, 2016 pictured)

NEW YEAR'S EVE TAB Flight from Albury to Coolangatta, December 30, 2013: $575.08 Taxi from Gold Coast airport, December 30, 2013: $79.62 Cabcharges, December 31, 2013: $43.79 Cabcharge, January 1, 2014: $211.91 Flight from Coolangatta to Sydney, $269.56 Total: $1179.96 Sources: Department of Finance, Herald Sun Advertisement

Taxpayers were charged $1,180 so Mrs Ley could spend New Year's Eve on the Gold Coast two years running, with the majority of those expenses not publicly listed by the Department of Finance.

Four months before she bought the investment unit at Main Beach in May 2015, Ms Ley charged taxpayers $269.56 for a New Year's Day flight from Coolangatta, on the Gold Coast, to Sydney, Department of Finance records show.

A year before that on December 30, 2013, the Minister took a flight from her home city of Albury, in New South Wales, to Coolangatta, costing the public purse $575.08 plus a $79.62 cab fare, the Herald Sun revealed.

She also billed for Cabcharges of $20.38 and $23.41 on the last day of 2013, and took another taxi trip worth $211.91 on January 1, 2014, the report said.

A spokesman for Ms Ley said told the Herald Sun the minister had 'extensive meetings with doctors, patients and other organisations' even if there was no media release about the trip.

On Sunday, Ms Ley offered to repay the cost of travelling to the Gold Coast on May 9, 2015 for 'official business', which was also the day she bought a two-bedroom investment property for $795,000.

'I apologise for the error of judgement,' Ms Ley said in a statement.

Ms Ley said she had agreed to repay $1247.89 after speaking with Prime Minister Macolm Turnbull.

'I will ask the Department of Finance to invoice me for the costs for the car and travel allowance claimed on Saturday, 9 May 2015, including the relevant penalty applied to erroneous claims,' she said.

Health Minister Sussan Ley bought an investment unit on the Gold Coast for $795,000 in May 2015

Sussan Ley charged taxpayers for a New Year's Day flight in 2015 from the Gold Coast to Sydney. (Department of Finance log pictured)

Her latest woes could potentially end her ministerial career.

Three ministers - Mal Brough, Stuart Roberts and Jamie Briggs - have been sacked since Malcolm Turnbull deposed Tony Abbott as prime minister in September 2015.

Ms Ley had claimed allowances for a flight, a chauffeur driver and an overnight stay on May 9, 2015 when she bought a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment at Main Beach on the Gold Coast.

The costs of $1247.89 were more than an average weekly Australian wage of $1160, but the minister claimed last week the apartment purchase was not planned.

The Minister bought a two-bedroom at Main Beach for $795,000 on May 9, 2015

'While attending an auction was not the reason for my visit to Queensland or the Gold Coast, I completely understand this changed the context of the travel undertaken,' Mrs Ley said on Sunday.

'I have always sought to apply higher standards for myself in using valuable taxpayers' funds.'

The minister bought the unit for $795,000 on May 9, 2015 and claimed an overnight stay in the same suburb as 'official business'.

Ms Ley also waited 17 months to declare her Queensland investment property, which is a breach of the rules outlined for members of parliament.

Property records show Health Minister Sussan Ley bought the Gold Coast investment unit on the same day she was in town for 'official business'

TAXPAYER EXPENSES Sydney to Brisbane flight: $609.59 Brisbane to Gold Coast comcar: $268.30 Travel allowance at Main Beach, on the Gold Coast: $370 (including for husband John) Total: $1247.89 Source: Department of Finance records for May 9, 2015

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On May 9, 2015, she flew from Sydney to Brisbane costing taxpayers $610.

The minister was in the Queensland capital making a $1.3 billion announcement about the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme at Wesley Hospital.

The minister then took a chauffeur-driven car from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, costing taxpayers another $268.

She also claimed an overnight stay in Main Beach with her husband John for another $370, listing this travel allowance as 'official business' for a minister.

However, the minister's spokeswoman said last week she met with portfolio stakeholders on the Gold Coast later without revealing who she met with.

'The property purchase was not planned nor anticipated,' she said.

She charged taxpayers more than $600 for a flight from Sydney to Brisbane to make a $1.3 billion Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme announcement

This was the same day she bought the beachside unit on Main Beach Parade.

The minister's spokeswoman Jessica Howe said last week the expenses were within the rules.

'All travel undertaken was in accordance with the rules,' she said.

Last week, the Herald-Sun revealed the minister had taken a return charter flight from Canberra to the Gold Coast in March 2016, costing taxpayers $12,000, or 30 times the cost of a $400 commercial flight.

The minister was chauffeur-driven in a Holden Caprice from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, costing taxpayers $268. (Stock image of car)

Mrs Ley didn't declare the unit on her pecuniary interest register until October 2016, waiting 17 months to tell the public.

Members of parliament are required to make the declaration within 28 days.

Mrs Ley also stayed in Main Beach again for two nights on July 23 and 24, 2015, billing taxpayers $720.
As the debate goes on about who will dress Melania during the next four years in the White House, it looks like her options are growing.

Although designers like Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs have said they don't want her wearing their designs, other designers are chomping at the bit for the opportunity to dress the First Lady-to-be.

It is customary of the First Lady to wear an American designer during her time in Washington, and especially during the inaugural weekend, and designers like Zac Posen, B Michael America, and Tommy Hilfiger are all interested.

As the debate goes on about who will dress Melania during the next four years in the White House, it looks like her options are growing

Jean Shafiroff, a New York socialite and philanthropist who is friendly with the Trump family, saw them at the New Year's Eve Mar-a-lago fest, and told theNew York Post that interest is growing with American and foreign designers.

She polled the couture council of the museum at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology to see who wants to dress Melania for her first weekend in the White House, and for the next four years.

Shafiroff told the post that Zac Posen, B Michael America, Victor de Souza and Zang Toi are all very interested.

B Michael America (left) and a model in one of his designs (right): The Harlem-based designer B Michael told Shafiroff 'he'd be honored' to work with the soon-to-be first ladyZ

Designer Zang Toi (left) and a model in one of his designs (right): He is another who has said that he would be interested in dressing the First Lady during her time in Washington

Zac Posen walking on the runway with one of his models (left) and a model in one of his designs (right): American designer Zac Posen is very interested in dressing Melania

Diane Von Fursten Burg (left) and a model in one of her designs (right): Other designers, including Diane Von Furstenburg, pictured left, have said Mrs Trump should receive the the same treatment as any other First Lady

The Harlem-based designer B Michael told Shafiroff 'he'd be honored' to work with the soon-to-be first lady.

He said: 'Any designer who dresses her will get enormous press.'

Other designers, including Diane Von Furstenburg, have said Mrs Trump should receive the the same treatment as any other First Lady.

Tommy Hilfiger said 'any designer should be proud' to dress Melania Trump after another designer ruled out ever working with the incoming First Lady on political grounds.

It is customary of the First Lady to wear an American designer during her time in Washington, and especially during the inaugural weekend, and designers like Zac Posen, B Michael America, and Tommy Hilfiger are all interested

Tommy Hilfiger (left) and a model in one of his designs (right): He said 'any designer should be proud' to dress Melania Trump after another designer ruled out ever working with the incoming First Lady on political grounds

Calvin Klein (left), and a model in one of his designs (right): Klein said to Women's Wear Daily 'Of course I would' when asked if he would be interested in dressing Melania Trump

Melania is known to be a fan of Dolce and Gabbana and Gucci, and was spotted wearing those designers while her husband was on the campaign trail.

One of the heads of Dolce and Gabbana, Stefano Gabbana has very publicly thrown his support behind Melania Trump, reported DailyMail.com.

The world renowned designer, who has a huge influence in the world of fashion, posted a photo four days ago of Melania wearing a $3,000 wool sheath with jewel-encrusted bows from the fashion house.

One of the heads of Dolce and Gabbana, Stefano Gabbana has very publicly thrown his support behind Melania Trump

Gabanna, who has a huge influence in the world of fashion, posted a photo four days ago of Melania wearing a $3,000 wool sheath with jewel-encrusted bows from the fashion house

Victor de Souza (left) and models wearing two of his designs (right): He is another who the New York Post reported is interested in dressing Melania for the inauguration and for the next four years in Washington

The photo was captioned: 'I love Melania. She's beautiful.'

However, all of this is coming after some of the other big names in fashion have publicly denounced dressing the soon-to-be First Lady.

Sophie Theallet, who frequently dresses Michelle Obama, has vowed not to dress Melania when she becomes First Lady and urged other designers to follow her example, DailyMail.com reported.

Speaking on behalf of her brand, the designer tweeted a damning open letter in which she said they 'will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next First Lady'.

However, all of this is coming after some of the other big names in fashion have publicly denounced dressing the soon-to-be First Lady

Sophie Theallet, who frequently dresses Michelle Obama, has vowed not to dress Melania Trump when she becomes First Lady and urged other designers to follow her example.

This was a big stance for Theallet, which has previously dressed Mrs Trump, before her husband became so heavily involved in politics.

Tom Ford has also announced that he has no plans to work with the incoming First Lady when he was interviewed on The View.

He said: 'Well, she's not necessarily my image.'

Ford, 55, then told Behar and the other hosts that he would also not be dressing Melania while she was in the White House, saying his clothes are 'too expensive' for a first lady to wear because they have to 'relate to everybody.'

His designer wears were not 'too expensive' for the current first lady though, who Ford outfitted in a custom-made ivory evening gown back in 2011 for a dinner with the royal family at Buckingham Palace. Ford even threw in a pair of gloves to round out the look.

The New York Times also reported that the relationship between Washington and the fashion industry is already changing. They cited the example of Election Night, saying that Melania wore a white jumpsuit that was found on the rack, instead of being designed for her specifically

Some fashion magazines have also said they will be scaling back coverage of the first lady as a way to protest the president-elect's policies

The New York Times also reported that the relationship between Washington and the fashion industry is already changing.

They cited the example of Election Night, saying that Melania wore a white jumpsuit that was found on the rack, instead of being designed for her specifically.
A young Indonesian widow is fighting for a bigger slice of her late 70-year-old husband's estate from his autistic granddaughter.

Ni Luh Ayu Evi Frastika was just 24 years old when she met Queensland man Russell Walter O'Halloran who employed her as a full-time carer for his granddaughter.

After dropping the job in less than a year and changing her visa status from tourist to student, she continued to live in his home in Dicky Beach on the Sunshine Coast.

Indonesian widow Ni Frastika, 27, is fighting for a bigger slice of her late 70-year-old husband's estate after he passed away of cancer late in 2014

Queensland man Russell Walter O'Halloran left most of his $1million-estate to his autistic granddaughter - not Ms Frastika (pictured)

In 2014 the pair - who had an age gap of 45 years - married, just months after he was diagnosed with cancer and eight months before he died from the terminal illness.

Despite being left two cars and $150,000 from his superannuation, Ms Frastika, now aged 27, is after a larger piece of Mr O'Halloran's estate - valued at almost $1 million.

In documents filed to the Supreme Court of Queensland and seen by Daily Mail Australia, Judge Boddice dismissed Ms Frastika's application for more money.

The court heard Ms Frastika chose to send the $150,000 she was given to her parents overseas in Indonesia, despite being instructed to use it on education.

Ms Frastika claimed she was entitled to more from the will, claiming she cared for Mr O'Halloran in the lead-up to his death, along with his daughter

She said the money was used to repay a debt owed by her parents.

Before his death, Mr O'Halloran said he wanted his mentally disabled granddaughter, aged 14, to be the main beneficiary of his estate.

The young girl, who along with autism has ADHD and intellectual impairment, is expected to need a full-time carer for the rest of her life.

Despite being present at the meeting where Mr O'Halloran's will requests were discussed, Ms Frastika made a late application for 'further provision' out of his estate.

Ms Frastika claimed she received 'little benefit' out of the will, despite caring for Mr O'Halloran in the lead-up to his death, as well as the care of his granddaughter.
Member of the Board of Instructors of German Dusseldorf University Fereydoun Bodaghi says steel and coal are suitable grounds for cooperation among Iran, Germany and Austria, IRNA reported.

Bodaghi told a press conference on Saturday, 'Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran enjoys ample grounds for cooperation with other countries in mineral and industrial related activities: Steel and coal are suitable grounds for joint activity by Iran, Germany and Austria.'

Talking to IRNA on the sidelines of a press conference, Bodaghi said studies show Germany and Austria are active in coal and the mineral sector can serve as a model for cooperation.

'Statistics show that Germany and Austria are well experienced in Europe in extraction of minerals and now after the JCPOA accord, a suitable ground has been provided for foreign investment in many mineral fields and mineral industries.'

Bodaghi said Iran, enjoying 68 minerals for extraction of which necessary investment can be made, is among world's distinguished mineral states and now the private sector should be encouraged to be present in the field and cooperate with foreign partners.

He said besides coal, Iran and foreign parties like Germany and Austria can cooperate in lead and zinc.
Santiago is due back in court for the domestic abuse

The Florida airport gunman was being prosecuted for breaking through a locked bathroom door to strangle and hit his girlfriend, 40, but was still allowed to own a gun.

Esteban Santiago, 26, of Anchorage, Alaska, allegedly opened fire at the Fort Lauderdale baggage claim on Friday, killing five people and wounding eight others.

Almost a year before the mass shooting Santiago was accused of attacking his then-girlfriend, a 40-year old, mom-of-one.

Santiago's girlfriend had been in the bathroom when she says he began yelling at her.

Esteban Santiago, 26, (left, holding a child, and right)of Anchorage, Alaska, allegedly opened fire at the Florida airport's baggage claim on Friday, killing five people and wounding eight others

He had then forced his way into the locked bathroom, breaking the door frame in the process, shouting at her to 'Get the f**k out b***h,' she claims.

Santiago began 'strangling' his girlfriend and 'smacking her in the side of the head', according to court documents obtained by Heavy.

By the time police arrived, Santiago had fled the scene.

The Iraq war veteran was arrested a few days later and released on deferred prosecution status - where prosecutors agreed to dismiss the charges in exchange for Esteban's completion of certain conditions which included that he did not contact his girlfriend.

Almost a year before the mass shooting Santiago was accused of attacking his then-girlfriend, a 40-year old mom-of-one according to court documents (pictured)

Yet the following month, Anchorage police found him at his girlfriend's home and he was charged for violating the conditions of his release.

That case is still pending and is due back in court this coming March.

His Anchorage attorney, Max Holmquist, declined to discuss his client.

Law enforcement sources also told CBS News that Santiago was investigated for child porn at some point between 2011 or 2012. Three weapons and a computer were seized, but no charges were filed, sources said.

Santiago served in the U.S. military for several years, according to the Department of Defense records.

He first joined the Puerto Rico Army National Guard in 2007 and was deployed to Iraq in April 2010 as a combat engineer.

He returned from service in early 2011 and in November 2014, after moving to Alaska, he joined the Alaska National Guard.

The Anchorage Alaska Apartment Complex where the girlfriend and child of alleged Fort Lauderdale shooting suspect Esteban Santiago live

Santiago lived at a small home in Fairview, in Medfra Street, Anchorage. Investigators have searched the home for clues to the mass shooting

But last August, he was kicked out of the military for 'unsatisfactory performance,' according to the Alaska National Guard.

Santiago reportedly went AWOL several times before he was forced to leave.

Bryan Santiago said that his troubled brother believed he was being chased and controlled by the CIA.

'I told him to go to church or to seek professional help,' he said.

FBI agents took Santiago's gun off him when he went into an Alaska field office in November to say the government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

But it was returned to him just a month later, and law enforcement will not reveal why. Sources told CNN he used the same weapon in the airport attack.

The alleged shooter was also left off all the no-fly lists and was allowed to check in his gun before Friday's attack.

Santiago (pictured) was apprehended in the airport's Terminal 2 near the baggage claim area and taken away by police on Friday

Law enforcement personnel told people to take cover at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday as a gunman opened fire

A criminal complaint filed Saturday by the Miami U.S. attorney's office accuses the 26-year-old of an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death. Prosecutors also charged Santiago with two firearms offenses.

Santiago could face the death penalty if convicted for the mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale.

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiago's motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said.

This booking photo provided by the Broward Sheriff's Office shows suspect Esteban Ruiz Santiago, 26, Saturday, January 7, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale

Family members have said Santiago changed after serving a yearlong tour in Iraq. He was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was 2, his brother said. He grew up in Penuelas before joining the Guard in 2007.

He deployed in 2010 as part of the Puerto Rico National Guard, spending a year with an engineering battalion, according to Guard spokesman Major Paul Dahlen.

Esteban Santiago's mother wiped tears from her eyes as she stood inside a screen door Saturday. She said her son had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode near two friends while serving in Iraq.

While it is unclear if Esteban Santiago had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, as many as one in five veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan develop the affliction each year, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

A 2014 Veterans Affairs study found that almost 30 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who sought treatment at VA hospitals were diagnosed with PTSD symptoms.

His uncle and aunt in New Jersey were trying to make sense of what they were hearing about Santiago. FBI agents arrived at their house to question them on Friday.

Maria Ruiz told The Record newspaper that her nephew had recently become a father to a son and was struggling.

A hazmat crew cleans up baggage claim Terminal Two on Saturday, the day after the mass shooting

This picture shows what may be the weapon that was used by the gunman in the shooting on Friday

'It was like he lost his mind,' she said in Spanish of his return from Iraq. 'He said he saw things.'

Santiago was flying from Anchorage on a Delta flight and had checked only one piece of luggage, which contained the gun.

Senator-elect Nelson Cruz, who knew the family and represents the town where they live in Puerto Rico, said he had been talking regularly with Bryan Santiago since the shooting.
A distraught father whose teenage son plunged 12 metres to his death at a construction site has spoken of his grief.

Wesley Ballantine, 17, was installing a glass ceiling at the Old Post Office redevelopment site in Forrest Place in Perth's CBD when he fell on Thursday morning.

The teenager was working a night shift at 4.30am around the building, which is being converted into a H&M clothing store.

His father, Tyrone Buchanan, said he only learned about his son's fatal fall after reading a 'tribute' on Facebook - as he demanded answers over the tragic incident.

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Wesley Ballantine, 17, (pictured) plunged 12 metres to his death at a Perth construction site

His father Tyrone Buchanan said he only learned about his son's death after reading a 'tribute' on social media - as he speaks of his grief, demanding answers over the teenager's death

'I read some tribute on there and I start breaking down,' Mr Buchanan told media.

'I feel robbed. I felt like someone stole my son from me... Killed him because of these shortcuts.

'Wesley was a proud young man. He was a hard working guy, very intelligent.'

Mr Buchanan has questioned the safety procedures at the site after being told his son was reportedly not wearing a safety harness.

The young boy was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital but he was unable to be revived.

'I just can't comprehend how a kid could go up there at his young age - and not to be wearing a harness,' Mr Buchanan said.

'This kid, my son, he was not trained and if he was, he didn't have enough experience to go up there.

'Was he supervised? If he was, who send him up there without harness on? I want this person who's responsible brought to justice.'

The 17-year-old was installing a glass ceiling (pictured) at the Old Post Office redevelopment site in Perth's CBD when he fell 12 metres to his death on Thursday morning

Mr Buchanan has questioned the safety procedures at the site after being told his son was reportedly not wearing a safety harness

The grieving father said his son's death has taken a toll on him as he struggles to bring himself to the site where Wesley died on Thursday morning

The grieving father said his son's death has taken a toll on him as he struggles to bring himself to the site where Wesley died.

'I'm too devastated to even go there,' he revealed as he broke down in tears.

'Because if I go there, it's just going to confirm to me that he's gone. I just don't want to confirm it. I don't want to confirm that he's dead.'

Family and friends have set up a makeshift shrine outside the construction site where he died.

Photographs taken by construction union just hours after Wesley died revealed unprotected openings covered with loose plywood, 9 News reported.

The 17-year-old boy was working a night shift at 4.30am around the building, which is being converted into a H&M clothing store

Photographs taken by construction union just hours after Wesley died revealed unprotected openings covered with loose plywood

The grieving father said his son's death has taken a toll on him after he fell to his death

His father took to social media to pay a heartbreaking tribute to his son.

'In memory of Wesley Ballantine (1999 - 2017); my beautiful handsome son taken too soon by God at only 17,' he wrote.

'I love you son; I am so proud of you especially your knowledge of astronomy, world politics, economics, and guitar playing - I'm so proud of you.

'Go ahead son and travel to that star we've talked about - may you have a wonderful journey home.
A man who grew up with Osama bin Laden's son has revealed the 'prince of terror' had a taste for one of the most iconic American brands - despite being taught to hate the U.S.

Abdurahman Khadr, a 34-year-old who spent three years with Hamza bin Laden at a Jalalabad compound in eastern Afghanistan, said bin Laden's boy would go to extreme lengths to smuggle Coca-Cola into the strict religious base.

'Hamza was... always trying to sneak stuff in that we werent allowed to have,' Khadr said, according to the New York Post.

Abdurahman Khadr (pictured in 2006), who grew up with Osama bin Laden's son has revealed the 'prince of terror' had a taste for one of the most iconic American brands - despite being taught to hate the U.S.

'He was about nine at the time, and he brought us Coca-Cola and sometimes even tobacco.'

The 34-year-old, whose brother, Omar, spent more than a decade locked up at Guantanamo Bay, said the terrorist-in-training was able to smuggle forbidden items in because no guards dared search bin Laden's son.

'Hamza could get anything, no one would ever search him when he came back into the compound because he was bin Ladens kid,' Khadr told the Post, before adding one of the most sought after items the younger bin Laden got was ice.

'(It) was a luxury because we were supposed to live very simply,' he said.

Abdurahman Khadr (pictured in 2005), a 34-year-old who spent three years with Hamza bin Laden at a Jalalabad compound in eastern Afghanistan, said bin Laden's boy would go to extreme lengths to sneak Coca-Cola into the strict religious base

'Hamza (pictured in 2008) was... always trying to sneak stuff in that we werent allowed to have... He was about nine at the time, and he brought us Coca-Cola and sometimes even tobacco,' Abdurahman Khadr said

The inside look at the terrorist's son comes just days after he was officially given the same designation as his infamous father.

On Thursday, the U.S. State Department added Hamza to its list of global terrorists after confirming he had followed in his father's footsteps and joined Al-Qaeda.

The terror group's senior leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, released a tape in August 2015, claiming that Hamza had joined the group. In the audio message, Hamza himself spoke and called for lone wolf attacks in Washington, DC, Paris and Tel Aviv.

He issued another audio message this past July, calling for 'revenge against the United States'.

'Hamza (pictured) could get anything, n one would ever search him when he came back into the compound because he was bin Ladens kid,' Khadr said

It was revealed this week that bin Laden's son was officially given the same designation as his infamous father by the State Department, which now considers him a terrorist

The message specifically called on 'Saudi Arabian-based tribes to unite with Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen to wage war against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia' - an ally of the U.S.

Being added to the U.S.'s counter-terrorism blacklist involves economic sanctions that prevents people on the list from doing business with American citizens and holding funds in U.S.-based bank accounts.

The Al-Qaeda leadership believes there is huge propaganda value in invoking the Bin Laden name because it allows them to stake their claim to be the legitimate representative of jihad in the Middle East.

In recent years Al-Qaeda and its Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al Nusra, have lost territory and fighters to ISIS during a long-running mutually destructive conflict. Al-Qaeda has also lost key leaders as a result of ISIS assassinations and Coalition bombings.

Abdurahman Khadr enters the subway after leaving Ontario Superior Court following his brother's bail hearing in Toronto. His brother was locked up at Guantanamo Bay for a decade

Abdurahman Khadr, right, mother Maha Elsamnah Khadr, centre, and grandmother Fatmah Elsamnah Khadr away from Ontario Superior Court in Toronto Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005

As the natural heir to Osama Bin Laden, Hamza's name and more youthful profile will boost Al-Qaeda's recruitment of jihadi fighters from all over the world.

Hamza's emergence as an influential voice among Al-Qaeda's leadership is particularly embarrassing for the Americans.

Following the 2011 U.S. raid on the compound in Abottabad, Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was living, it was reported that Hamza had been killed alongside his father.

White House officials announced his death, before further analysis showed that it was another son, Khaled, who had been killed.
A test route between Melbourne and Sydney for a near-supersonic speed transport system is a finalist in a competition to pick where it could be trialled.

The route is one of 35 in the finals of the Hyperloop One Global Challenge for the system visualised by billionaire Elon Musk, Yahoo reported.

A field of 2,600 were narrowed down to the finalists and each submission had to be backed by any potential regulating and funding agencies or governments.

The Hyperloop is a proposed method of travel that would transport people at 1200km/h between distant locations - meaning it would take less than a hour between Australia's two largest cities.

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The VicHyper team from RMIT University in Melbourne with their design

The pod VicHyper designed for the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition

Meanwhile a team of Australians who designed a prototype for the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition are preparing to head to California for the finals.

VicHyper, from RMIT University in Melbourne, are one of 30 teams which have produced a design and the only submission from the Southern Hemisphere in the prototype finals which will be held on January 27-29.

SpaceX, which runs the pod competition, is not involved in developing a commercial Hyperloop itself, like Hyperloop One, instead focusing on accelerating the development of the technology required to build a prototype.

VicHyper's design focused on braking and acceleration that could one day be used in a levitating system.

VicHyper is the only submission from the Southern Hemisphere in the prototype finals which will be held on January 27-29

For the upcoming tests set to take place in late January, VicHyper will be simplifying their futuristic design at the request of SpaceX

WHAT IS HYPERLOOP? The Hyperloop is a proposed method of travel that would transport people at 745mph (1,200km/h) between distant locations. It was unveiled by Elon Musk in 2013, who said it could take passengers the 380 miles (610km) from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes - half the time it takes a plane. It is essentially a long tube that has had the air removed to create a vacuum. The tube is suspended off the ground to protect against weather and earthquakes. Passengers would sit in either individual or group pods, which would then be accelerated with magnets. Capsules carrying six to eight people would depart every 30 seconds, with tickets costing around $20 (13) each way. Advertisement

They won the Braking Subsystem Technical Excellence Award earlier this year, New Atlas reports.

For the upcoming tests set to take place in late January, though, they will be simplifying their futuristic design at the request of SpaceX, as the competition will have both levitating and non-levitating classes.

The prototype will be put on wheels, with the air bearing removed, Project Leader Zac McClelland told New Atlas, allowing them to perfect the system for high speeds and in a vacuum.

The VicHyper pod uses a linear induction motor, which has never been used in a vacuum before, for acceleration and deceleration.

It also has a second braking system for emergency stops, which relies on eddy current brakes.

These are often used in high-speed trains and even roller coasters.

While other teams are using permanent magnets for such systems, VicHyper is using an onboard battery to power electromagnets, according to New Atlas.

Among the chosen few is Australian team VicHyper , which has unveiled a design focusing on braking and acceleration that could one day be used in a levitating system

The VicHyper pod uses a linear induction motor, which has never been used in a vacuum before, for acceleration and deceleration. It also has a second braking system for emergency stops, which relies on eddy current brakes

Using a spinning metallic disk rigged with electromagnetic coils sitting roughly .4 inches off of it, the team revealed it makes for quick, reliable stopping.

We can spin that up to about 500 rmp, and then turn those coils on  it stops in about half a revolution (two seconds), McClelland told New Atlas.

Its not going to break down easily, its very reliable.

Its old technology, but were implementing it a little differently in this high-speed system.

The team from RMIT University in Melbourne won the Braking Subsystem Technical Excellence Award earlier this year. For the upcoming tests set to take place from January 27 to 29, though, they will be simplifying their futuristic design

Each prototype will undergo a series of safety checks before hitting the 1-mile test tube at SpaceX HQ in California.

Not far away, LA-based start-up Hyperloop One has already begun construction on what could become the worlds first Hyperloop transport system.

The first tube of 'DevLoop', which looks set to become the first full Hyperloop system, has been successfully installed in a desert in North Las Vegas.

If the companies complete this DevLoop, it will be the first full-scale Hyperloop system and the world will see a whole new mode of transportation.
Police are on the hunt for a pervert with tanned skin and black hair after a 17-year old boy was indecently filmed in a shower cubicle.

The teenage was filmed about 1am on Sunday in the shower block of a holiday park on Tweed Street in Brunswick Heads on the NSW north coast.

The young man noticed he was being filmed when a mobile phone appeared underneath the wall of the cubicle he was in.

Police are on the hunt for a pervert with dark skin and black hair after a 17-year old boy was indecently filmed in a shower cubicle in a holiday park on the NSW north coast

The person holding the phone fled the scene when the boy noticed.

The incident comes just a day after a German trainee heart surgeon was fined $800 for filming men showering in a public bathroom.

German national Duy Tran Le pleading guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday to seven counts of recording in breach of privacy.

The 26-year-old filmed seven men in the space of three hours by holding his iPhone over the wall of the neighbouring cubicle at Brisbane's popular South Bank parklands.

The incident comes just a day after a German trainee heart surgeon Duy Tran Le (pictured) was fined $800 for filming men showering in a public bathroom

None of the men realised they were being filmed but his behaviour drew the attention of South Bank security who contacted police.

He was arrested and police found video of the men on his phone.
SNL might be taking a break, but Alec Baldwin's taunting of Donald Trump knows no rest.

The actor took to Instagram Saturday wearing a red 'Make America Great Again' cap similar to the ones worn by Trump's supporters on the President-elect's campaign trail.

But this time there was a pretty big difference: In a reference to the intelligence reports that say Russia hacked the US to sway the elections, the words on the cap were written in Russian - badly.

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Hat's entertainment: Actor Alec Baldwin wore a hat reading 'Make America Great Again' in Russian on Instagram - a reference to Russian hacking of Democrats during the election

Capping it off: The hat parodied the ones worn and sold by Donald Trump during his election campaign. Intelligence agencies say Russia attempted to get Trump elected with the hacks

The words '   ' on the hat do indeed read 'Make America fantastic/great again' in that order, according to former CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty.

But the grammar is wrong and nothing like a real Russian would use, she said.

In fact, that is the exact translation given by Google translate.

Trump has yet to respond to Baldwin's latest pop at his political career, although he did launch a three-tweet rant on Saturday night in which he said that those who didn't want closer US/Russian ties were 'stupid'.

'Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only "stupid" people, or fools, would think that it is bad!' he tweeted.

'We have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!'

On Thursday President Obama was given a report from the CIA and other intelligence agencies that allegedly identified the Russian officers who passed hacked Democrat emails to Julian Assange via third parties.

Joker: Baldwin has appeared regularly as Trump on Saturday Night Live. Here he's seen with John Goodman as Trump's State Secretary, Rex Tillerson, and Beck Bennet as Vladimir Putin

The report concluded that Russia had hacked the US initially to call the election process into question, but later switched tack to try to get Trump elected.

Baldwin's tweet just the latest in an ongoing spat between the left-wing celebrity and the President-elect, and which shows no signs of stopping.

In December last year, Trump complained about Baldwin's impersonation of him on Saturday Night Live - which the actor has continued to perform throughout the latest season.

'Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad, ' Trump wrote.
The director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) has warned that Trump's cabinet choices still face additional scrutiny in the days leading up to their confirmation hearings, newly released emails reveal.

Several of the President-elect's Cabinet choices have not yet completed a comprehensive ethics review, even as Republican senators move quickly to hold at least nine confirmation hearings next week.

The OGE still needs financial disclosures from many of Trump's potential appointments identifying any conflicts of interest, which is required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, passed after the Watergate scandal.

The director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics has warned that Trumps cabinet choices still face additional reviews by his department

In a letter to Senate leaders, the Chief of the Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub described the current status of several nominees, some of whom are billionaires and millionaires, and expressed concern about the lack of ethics reviews just days from committee hearings.

Trump aides may be risking 'embarrassment for the President-elect', by 'announcing cabinet picks' without letting the ethics office review their financial information in advance, according to NBC.

Shaub stated in an email to two Senators: 'During this presidential transition, not all of the nominees presently scheduled for hearings have completed the ethics review process.

'In fact, OGE has not received even initial draft financial disclosure reports for some of the nominees scheduled for hearings.

'As OGE's Director, the announced hearing schedule for several nominees who have not completed the ethics review process is of great concern to me.'

He continued: 'This schedule has created undue pressure on OGE's staff and agency ethics officials to rush through these important reviews,' he added.

'More significantly, it has left some of the nominees with potentially unknown or unresolved ethics issues shortly before their scheduled hearings.'

A copy of this letter also was provided to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

A copy of Shaub's letter was provided to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConell, pictured left with Trump's choice for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

One of the committees that hasn't yet received the forms is the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which has scheduled a hearing next week for Betsy DeVos, Trump's pick to lead the Education Department.

Tillerson has no history in the political sector and known ties to Vladimir Putin - as well as a net worth of $245million

Committee aides said they had received ethics forms for Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump's pick for attorney general; Rex Tillerson, Trump's choice for secretary of state; James Mattis, his pick for defense secretary; and Chao, his pick for transportation secretary.

Shaub did not list which of Trump's Cabinet choices hadn't turned in their disclosures.

However, other confirmation hearings next week include Rep. Mike Pompeo for director of the Central Intelligence Agency; retired Marine Gen. John Kelly for homeland security secretary; and Ben Carson for housing secretary.

Secretary of State pick Rex Tillerson has faced criticism about potential conflicts of interest due to his position as chairman of ExxonMobil - and net worth of $245million.

He also has no history in the political sector and close ties to Vladimir Putin.

Trump's choice for Attorney General, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, has previously gone through a confirmation hearing for a federal judgeship in 1986.

Attorney General nominee Senator Jeff Sessions was one of the first to back Trump - he's been previously criticized for making racist statements

It was eventually derailed after his former colleagues testified that he made a number of racist statements, including using the N-word, calling a black US attorney 'boy', and stating that he thought the Ku Klux Klan were 'OK until I found out they smoked pot', according to The Guardian.

Republicans are intent on getting as many of Trump's choices through the arduous confirmation process as quickly as possible so his team will be in place soon after Trump takes the oath of office on January 20.

Democrats have argued that the GOP is moving too fast and that they lack information about some of the wealthiest Americans to serve a president.

Representative Mike Pompeo will attend a confirmation hearing this week for his appointment as director of the Central Intelligence Agency

Shaub expressed his disbelief at the haste of appointments without proper vetting, and stated that to his knowledge, no cabinet choices have ever been instated without a complete ethics review in the forty years since the Office of Government Ethics was created.

Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly will attend a confirmation hearing this week for his nomination as homeland security secretary

The forms in question are financial disclosures certified by the ethics office and also written ethics agreements between the nominee and the office that identify potential conflicts of interest and the ways in which the nominee will resolve those conflicts.

They are required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, passed after the Watergate scandal.

Trump himself faces arduous criticism about his own potential conflicts of interest regarding his business investments and Trump Organization.

The Office of Ethics made headlines by releasing a flurry of snarky tweets to the President-elect congratulating him on his 'total divestiture'.

But Trump had not then confirmed  and still hasn't  that he will turn over any assets as part of a divestiture.
Queen was involved in prison riot at HMP Birmingham in December

He was also handed restraining order at Birmingham Crown Court case

Ross Queen, 30, right, was jailed for 18 weeks for attacking ex-girlfriend Melissa Parsons, left

A thug who was at the centre of a riot in HMP Birmingham has been jailed for attacking his ex-girlfriend.

Melissa Parsons, 32, was horrified to see the face of her attacker and ex-partner Ross Queen, 30, in the viral snaps last month - because he was being held on remand for assaulting her at the time.

Mother-of-one Ms Parsons, a wedding venue manager, was subjected to months of harassment by Queen after she split up with him in September 2015.

But on February 4, Queen broke into her home, pushed her against a wall and grabbed her face, leaving her 'terrified'.

When the mother saw her violent ex had made headlines in the riot while awaiting trial for his assault on her, she was 'furious and shaken'.

Speaking from her home in Birmingham, she said: 'Ross was a nasty man and his attack left me feeling afraid to be in my own home.

'Then when I saw his face in all the papers, it felt like he was taunting me from inside his cell.'

Queen was convicted of common assault last Wednesday at Birmingham Crown Court and sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment.

He was also handed a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting Ms Parsons.

Ms Parsons added: 'It's a relief to know that he's been jailed and I don't have to see his face again.'

She said the pair met nearly five years ago at a Birmingham nightclub and dated for about three months.

Ms Parsons ended the relationship when he became 'possessive and paranoid', but they got together for a second time three years later.

During those two years, Queen was jailed in April 2014 for two months for criminal damage after he smashed Ms Parsons' mother's door down following an argument.

She added: 'He smashed my mum's door down after we had an argument. It was like a scene out of The Shining.

'He had to be tasered into submission in the end.'

But despite the conviction, she stood by Queen, and the pair got back together when he was released in June 2014.

Mother-of-one Miss Parsons said Queen's attack left her 'afraid to be in her own home'

But Ms Parsons said his behaviour only got worse, saying that prison 'changed him'.

She said: 'After prison he was much worse. He didn't know what had gone on in the outside world and became even more paranoid.'

In September 2015, Ms Parsons split with Queen, but said in the months that followed, he continued to harass her constantly, and would even 'hang around' her home.

On February 4, he began banging at her door after a boozy night out.

Melissa says: 'He was drunk and I opened the door because he was causing a scene. He was literally shouting at me through the letterbox.

'So I opened the door and let him in, but immediately later he grabbed me around the face and pushed me against the wall.

'I remember he took a picture of my face on his phone. I started screaming and slapped him around the face. Then I threatened him with the police so he left.

'Thankfully I wasn't injured but I was left really scared and shaken up at the time.

'Luckily my daughter was asleep upstairs during the whole ordeal but it was then that I decided to get the injunction, to keep my little girl safe.'

Ms Parsons reported the attack and applied for a restraining order against him in March 2016.

Ms Parsons said she was subjected to 'months of harassment' by Queen after they broke up in late 2015

He was charged with assault by beating, sexual assault on a female and intimidating a witness, but released on bail on the condition he did not contact Ms Parsons or go within a mile of her home.

But Queen ignored the injunction, and Ms Parsons said he 'carried on messaging her on social media, and staking outside her house for hours on end'.

She said: 'It felt like he was always there, I was scared of what he'd do if he ever got close enough.'

When she returned to the police, Queen was then remanded in custody at HMP Birmingham before his trial on January 4.

Recalling the moment she saw her ex was involved in the riot, Ms Parsons said: 'I felt sick to my stomach and it was a shock, but I wasn't completely surprised.

'It was upsetting that after making my life hell, he was in prison living it up and having a laugh when he should have been remorseful.
This is the British woman left broken-hearted by the first migrant off the plane when Britain lifted visa restrictions on Romanians and Bulgarians three years ago.

Zoe Russell, 22, met Victor Spirescu after he was welcomed into Britain by Keith Vaz, then chairman of the home affairs select committee, on January 1, 2014.

Zoe and Mr Spirescu met on a night out in September last year.

He told her that he had nowhere to live, having been kicked out by his girlfriend  Romanian-Cypriot Suzana Mates, also 22.

Zoe then begged her mother, Anne Brown, to take him into their three-bedroom home.



Zoe Russell (right) is pictured here with Victor Spirescu, the first Romanian to arrive in Britain for work in January 2014. She fell for him but he left her broken-hearted after returning to his ex

Mr Spirescu has been the unrivalled poster boy for EU migration ever since, claiming to earn 60,000 a year through hard work.

But Zoe shortly found herself broken-hearted when Mr Spirescu returned to his ex.

Meanwhile, Zoe's mother Mrs Brown says her kindness has been repaid with subterfuge, debts and excuses. On one occasion, Mr Spirescu even told her that women were not his equal.

Mrs Brown was left counting the cost of her encounter with this citizen of the new, expanded Europe: 879, to be exact.

For, unbeknown to her, during his six-week stay at her house in Hendon, North London, Mr Spirescu used the address to register his car.

After he left in September, there followed a stream of parking fines and official letters, culminating last month in a visit from bailiffs demanding money following an accident  one that Zoe believes happened while Mr Spirescu was on the phone to her, having a blazing row.

Having, perhaps unwisely, invited the bailiffs in for a cup of tea, baker Mrs Brown said they refused to leave without fulfilling the court order awarding the money to the other party involved.

I phoned Victor, said Mrs Brown, 55. He spoke to one of the bailiffs and said he didnt live here any more, but that wasnt good enough. So I settled the debt after Victor had promised to pay me back.

Victor Spirescu was welcomed by Labour MP Keith Vaz (pictured) when he arrived from Romania, and declared he wanted to work, earn money and go home

Single mother Anne Brown claims she was conned out of 900 from the first Romanian who was to arrive in Britain for work in January 2014

Single mother Anne Brown (left) took Mr Spirescu into her home after her daughter Zoe (right), 22, met him last summer. Zoe then fell for Mr Spirescu and the pair became a couple. But while Zoe would shortly find herself broken-hearted

He came around that evening with Suzana and promised hed pay me back, but was waiting for some money to come in.

In the following weeks, Zoe was surprised to see his Facebook posts about days out he was enjoying with Suzana and reminded him of his obligation to me  telling him not to forget the people who helped him when he had nothing.

But now he wont answer his phone. In one text, just before Christmas, he told me that he was Romanian and that women were not equal with him and we should remember that.

Theres no doubt that Mr Spirescus Facebook page is designed to impress. There are endless photographs of him and London-based business student Suzana on trips to Amsterdam, Paris and Cyprus. The pair have also visited Oxford, Bournemouth and Windsor.

Mr Spirescu was welcomed by Labour MP Keith Vaz when he arrived from Romania, and declared he wanted to work, earn money and go home.

In one text, just before Christmas, Mr Spirescu told Mrs Brown that he was Romanian and that women were 'not equal' with him and they should remember that

He started by cleaning cars but, according to his subsequent media updates, he has exceeded those expectations thanks to a thriving air-conditioning business and a glamorous girlfriend.

He claims to have earned 62,000 in 2015, and 58,000 last year, and has bought a fleet of cars and enjoyed plenty of exotic travel.

When The Mail on Sunday caught up with Mr Spirescu last week, he was again on holiday with Suzana  this time in Berlin.

When asked about Mrs Brown and her debts, he told our reporter that her claim was b******t.

I never crashed a car, he claimed. I gave her that car, a Renault Espace. I never received paperwork from her telling her she was liable for this so-called accident. Why would she not show me?

Documents seen by The Mail on Sunday state that Mr Spirescu is the registered keeper of the car  but at Mrs Browns address.

He did admit to moving into Mrs Browns home with Zoe for two months.

I slept in a single bed in a single room with her and paid her mother 100 a week  although Mrs Brown claims it was 80 a week.
A young mother has spoken of her grief after her two-year-old son was run over and killed in the driveway of their family home on New Year's Eve.

Kingston Fugawai had celebrated his second birthday just days after Christmas but on the evening of December 31, his family was left reeling over his tragic death.

The toddler died at the scene after being struck by a Mazda 3 on the driveway about 7pm at the Colyton property on Wootten Street in Sydney's west.

Toddler Kingston Fugawai (pictured) was run over and killed in the driveway of his home

Emergency services were called the Colyton property in Sydney's west on New Year's Eve

'I love him so much ... I'm going to miss everything about him,' his distraught mother Loami Fugawai, 23, told The Daily Telegraph.

'He was a strong boy, he was very independent. He was always very, very happy. He was a loving person and always had a smile.'

The mother-of-three has paid an emotional tribute to her son as she struggled to come to terms with the loss of her son.

She described him as a 'friendly' little boy who loved talking to strangers.

The toddler died at the scene after being struck by a Mazda 3 on the driveway on December 31

Loved ones sought solace as police set up a crime scene after the fatal car accident

Police attended the scenes following reports a two-year-old boy was struck by a car

'Anybody who would walk past he'd say "hi". He would just chatter even if they were on the phone - he would stand in front of them until they noticed him,' Ms Fugawai said.

Just days before his death, the mother shared a loving photo on Facebook of her son wearing a Santa Claus hat as he sat in front of a Christmas tree filled with presents.

Following the accident, a 23-year-old male driver was taken to Nepean Hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests as charges are yet to be laid.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran has been exporting 230,000 barrels of crude oil to Italy on a daily basis in November 2016, which is a new record, the National Iranian Oil Company's OPEC Affairs and International Energy Forums Office said.

Irans crude oil export to the Italian companies stood at 160,000 barrels per day in October 2016.

Iran has recently signed a one-year contract with Italys Eni to sell 60,000-100,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the Italian company, starting from 2017.

Safar Ali Keramati, deputy director of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for crude marketing and operations said last month that that 14.5 percent from total value of the exported crude will be used to clear the debts to Eni due to its investments in phases 1 and 2 of Darkhovein oil field development project, meanwhile the remaining 85.5 percent will be paid to Iran in cash.

Besides Eni, Iran has signed an oil export deal with Italian energy provider Saras.

The volume of crude which is sold to Italys Saras varies from 30,000 to 60,000 barrels per day.
Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has admitted to downing shots of whisky before school with friends although he claims he avoided punishment for owning up to his wrongdoing.

Farage, who is well known for his love for ale, said on his LBC radio show that he and some classmates smuggled two half bottles into class and each took swigs of the drink when they were just 14.

One his friends became so inebriated that he fell off his chair during registration and was taken to hospital to have his stomach pumped.

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UKIP leader Nigel Farage has admitted to downing shots of whisky before school with friends

He attended the expensive Dulwich College in South London. After leaving school he became a metal trader

Farage, who attended the private Dulwich College in South London, said he avoided a canning from the headmaster as he confessed to the misdemeanour.

'I suppose that's why I've been up front in politics. I learned very early it's always better to tell it as it is.'

'I took a couple of swigs  I didn't really like it that much  but some lads had a bit more than they should. There was a lot of noise and giggling but it all turned a bit serious when the teachers called an ambulance.'

Pupils were quizzed one by one and next morning by the headmaster with his friends receiving a canning.

Farage savours a sip. The Brexit instigator is famed for his love of ale

He said on his LBC radio show: 'I was last in line. When it finally got to my turn, the head said 'Well, Farage. You are a great problem to me.'

'I said 'I know, sir', because I was always a troublesome pupil.

'But he replied, 'No, you don't understand. When asked if you drank any of the whisky, you were the only person to give an honest answer'.

'And with that, he said he was going to let me off.'
Things are beginning to go back to normal at the Fort Lauderdale airport less than 48 hours after a gunman opened fire inside a crowded baggage claim area.

Iraq war veteran Esteban Santiago flew in from Alaska, retrieved a handgun from his checked luggage, went to a bathroom to load it and then returned to go on his murderous rampage on Friday afternoon.

His victims were collecting their luggage inside Terminal 2 at the airport - which is a hub for cruisers headed to Port Everglades.

In the wake of the deadly shooting, which left six people wounded, a dramatically increased police presence had surrounded the airport.

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Things are beginning to go back to normal at the Fort Lauderdale airport less than 48 hours after a gunman opened fire inside a crowded baggage claim area. Pictured are two police officers at the airport on Saturday morning

There have been disruptions at the airport in the wake of the shooting, causing delays. Pictured is a young boy sleeping in a security tray on Saturday morning

Crowds of people were seen at the airport as they waited for things to get back to normal, including one young boy who took a nap in an airport security tray.

But most of the hundreds of police cars and SWAT vans were gone when it reopened at 5am on Saturday.

Security is also beginning to go back to normal at airports where it was also heightened at other airports across the country in the wake of the shooting, including at LAX and New York's La Guardia, JFK and Newark.

Los Angeles Airport Police Chief David Maggard told reporters there had been a 'significant' increase at LAX on Friday.

People stand in line as they wait for their flights at Terminal 2 after it reopened on Saturday morning

A heavy police presence was at the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after it re-opened Saturday, January 7, 2017

Baggage claim area of Terminal 1 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Saturday morning

'We've increased our staff significantly. We have more police officers in our central terminal area,' Maggard said, according to KABC.

'We've increased our K-9 teams. We've increased our motorcycle officer teams. We've actually held over our day-shift patrol resources who would otherwise be preparing to go home.'

The increases in New York and New Jersey saw the Port Authority equip officers with tactical weapons while anti-terrorism patrols were also conducted.

After Fort Lauderdale airport reopened, officials revealed more than 25,000 items were lost by travelers during the chaos.

There was an increased security presence at other airports across the country, including New York's La Guardia (pictured)

Dan Kovacs waits at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Saturday, January 7

This booking photo provided by the Broward Sheriff's Office shows suspect Esteban Ruiz Santiago, 26, Saturday, January 7, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale

The objects included people's luggage, cellphones, and other electronics.

Experts have also began to discuss potential changes to laws regarding whether guns can be checked in a traveler's luggage - as Esteban Santiago did.

'There's no question we need to review not only the question of whether people should be able to travel with their firearms even if they're in checked baggage, but I think we need to take a hard look at the security around baggage claim areas, and not just leave it at that,' Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, whose district includes the airport, said.

Officials and security experts also said the shooting reinforces the idea that the baggage claim area is one of the most vulnerable in every airport.

This picture shows what may be the weapon that was used by the gunman in the shooting on Friday

Passengers wait in line at the Delta Airlines counter in Terminal 2 at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Saturday

Workers clean the the baggage claim area at Terminal 2 at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport before it reopened on Saturday morning

'What went wrong yesterday... is that baggage claim is the softest of soft targets. I mean an elementary school is harder to get into than a baggage claim at an airport,' Chris Grollnek, a former law enforcement officer who specializes in security issues, especially involving active shooter situations, said on Friday.

The only way to prevent similar incidents in future or terrorist attacks, Grollnek and other experts said, is to ensure the wrong people don't get guns and to encourage the general public to alert authorities if they believe a friend or family member is acting erratically.
A hacking cough that is plaguing thousands of people across the country could be caused by the adenovirus which can lead to pneumonia.

GP surgeries across Britain have reported seeing a large number of patients with a nasty cough, which cannot be treated with antibiotics.

John Oxford, an emeritus professor of virology at Queen Mary University of London, has blamed the adenovirus for the outbreak.

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A hacking cough that can last weeks has hit thousands of people across the country - but doctors say there is nothing they can do to stop it (file photo)

Adenovirus often infects the airways and the intestinal tract and common complications include pneumonia and meningitis, according to clinical pharmacology expert Dr Ananya Mandal.

She writes: ' Some persons with a poor immunity are prone to develop complications due to adenovirus infection.

'Common but serious complications include lung infection or pneumonia, middle ear infection or otitis media and brain infections or meningitis.'

Surgeries across England and Wales have reported an increasing number of people coming to them with nasty coughs.

Dr Clare Gerada, former head of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said doctors are seeing 'a lot of people with a virus more severe than a normal cold, almost a type of bronchitis'.

One of the main symptoms of the virus is a hacking cough, which can take up to three weeks to clear.

THE SYMPTOMS OF ADENOVIRUS An infection usually manifests with symptoms similar to a common cold. There is a sore throat, runny nose and eyes, sneezing, headaches, cough and fever. Infection with adenovirus may also cause croup or bronchitis. Some infections may also lead to conjunctivitis (pink-eye), skin rash, diarrhea and bladder infections. Source: Dr Ananya Mandal Advertisement

Dr Anna Kuczynska, a GP in Cardiff, told Wales Online: 'In most cases, unless the patient has another underlying chronic condition for example, heart or lung disease or diabetes, there is often nothing the GP can do to help other than recommend resting and drinking plenty of fluids.'

She added: 'Antibiotics will be of no help for most normally healthy people.

'If you see blood or are breathless with your symptoms, have lost weight or symptoms are on-going more than three weeks, patients should get advice.'

The virus has been blamed in part for bay closures at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where doctors have reported a rise in patients coming to A&E with flu-related symptoms.

Deputy Medical Director Richard Miller told Cambridge News: 'The emergency department is already at capacity with high volumes of people attending and now we are seeing an increase in patients being admitted with flu-related illnesses.

'More vulnerable people, such as children, older people or people with long term conditions may need to be admitted, but they should check with their GP, local pharmacist or NHS 111.

GP surgeries have reported seeing a large number of patients with the nasty cough, which cannot be treated with antibiotics (file photo)

'However, on the whole people with coughs, colds and flu-like illnesses will be better off staying at home, resting and drinking plenty of fluids.'

It comes as the Queen was struck down by a 'heavy cold' over Christmas, missing the traditional church service at Sandringham for the first time.

New research claims that cough medicines bought over the counter at pharmacies work little better than a placebo.
He was jailed for 22 years and will serve half before becoming

Bramwell is allegedly tied to scores of other

left at the scene contained traces of his DNA

Eric Bramwell, of Melrose Park, Chicago, was found guilty in November of burglary

A serial thief who 'repeatedly thumbed his nose at the law' has been jailed for 22 years for stealing a TV remote.

Eric Bramwell, of Melrose Park, Chicago, was found guilty in November of burglary.

The 35-year-old had entered the common area of an apartment building in the 100 block of Cross Street, in Wheaton, on August 2015, and the stole the universal remote, authorities told the Chicago Tribune.

Police were able to link Bramwell to the crime after they found a glove, dropped at the scene, which had traces of his DNA.

Prosecutors found that, because of his long criminal history, he was eligible for up to 30 years in jail.

Bramwell allegedly committed a series similar thefts in nearby apartment complexes nearby, including several buildings in Lisle, Aurora, Bloomingdale, Downers Grove and Oakbrook Terrace, prosecutors said.

'Mr. Bramwell's illegal activity and his history have finally caught up with him,' state attorney Robert Berlin told the Tribune.

The 35-year-old had entered the common area of an apartment building in the 100 block of Cross Street, (pictured) in Wheaton, on August 2015, authorities said

Bramwell was sentenced to 22 years in jail for stealing the universal remote (stock image)

'Regardless of what was stolen, Mr. Bramwell repeatedly thumbed his nose at the law. He took what he wanted, time and time again, and expected to avoid the consequences.

'That's not how it works, as Mr. Bramwell has now found out.'
A Florida school teacher has told of how she was protected during the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting by a stranger who covered her body with his own, even as killer stood right next to them.

Annika Dean, 42, a mother of two from Broward County, was waiting for her luggage around 1pm on Friday when she saw gunman Esteban Santiago, 26, walking towards her with a pistol.

She dropped to the floor as the gunman advanced, firing into the fleeing crowds - but was protected by a stranger, Tony Bartosiewicz, who shielded her body with his own, the Miami Herald reported.

Saved: Florida school teacher Annika Dean (center, with her sons, aged 11 and 13) was just feet away from Fort Lauderdale gunman Esteban Santiago when he began his rampage on Friday

Hero: Tony Bartosiewicz (pictured in the airport with wife Jennifer Cleeton) covered Dean's body with his own as the gunman stood over them, firing into the terrified crowds

Dean said Santiago had her trapped as he advanced on her position.

'There was no way I could have escaped,' she said. 'I would have been right in his path if I had tried to evacuate through the doors.'

Instead she got down and lay prone on the ground, keeping her eyes down from the carnage that left five dead and eight others injured.

As Santiago - an Iraq war veteran whose family said he had been suffering from mental issues - fired silently into the screaming masses for 30 seconds, Dean confronted the fact that her two sons, aged 11 and 13, might be left without a mother.

But then she felt a movement over her as Bartosiewicz, an electrician from Rochester, New York, moved his body over hers.

'He basically climbed on top of me and whispered, "I will protect you,"' Dean told the Sun-Sentinel. 'I knew he might be a victim, but I also knew I would survive.'

The gunfire continued for what felt like another minute and a half, she said, and at one point Santiago actually stood over them, firing, Bartosiewicz later told Dean.

'Other than the gunshots, which were very loud,' Dean didnt hear anything else, she told the Herald. 'Sometimes he sounded close, sometimes he sounded farther away.'

Eventually the police arrived and took him in alive, after he threw down his now-empty pistol.

Shooter: Santiago (left) is an Iraq war veteran who was said to be mentally ill by his family. He gave himself up after his pistol (right) ran out of ammunition. He now faces the death penalty

Both Dean and Bartosiewicz, who was in the airport with his wife Jennifer Cleeton, escaped unscathed - but the electrician's bravery didn't go unnoticed.

'The first thing I said to him was I thanked him and told him that it was terrifying and what he did brought me comfort, that it was just so comforting,' Dean said. 'I thanked him throughout the day and told him he was a hero.'

Bartosiewicz is currently on a well-deserved cruise and cannot be contacted, but his daughter - Jenny Miller, of Denver - told the Sun-Sentinel that her father's actions didn't surprise her.

'Thats the kind of person he is. He would do something like this without thinking,' she said.

Dean said that the experience left her shaken, but that she wouldn't let it affect her life.

'Loud noises might set me off and I think I'll probably put my phone down more often and pay attention to my surroundings,' she explained.

'I'm still going to go to the movies, I'm still going to go to church, I have to be in public places.'

Santiago was taken into custody without resisting. The motive for his shooting is unclear, but he had previously told the FBI he was being 'controlled by ISIS'.

He now faces the death penalty.
Former James Bond star Sir Roger Moore has blasted circuses for using live animals and called for them to be banned.

He has even offered to share a bottle of 800 Dom Perignon champagne with Prime Minister Theresa May if she brings in the ban.

Sir Roger famously told a tiger to 'sit' during his 1983 film Ocotopussy.

Octopussy star Roger Moore, pictured, has offered to share a chilled 800 bottle of Dom Perignon champagne with Prime Minister Theresa May if she bans animals from circuses

This is the moment Sir Roger famously told the tiger in the movie Octopussy to 'sit'

Tigers and lions are still being kept in 'cramped' cages on trailers, pictured, near the M6

In an open letter to Mrs May, Sir Roger wrote: 'Wild Animals in real life must feel as if they've been captured by the fictional Dr No. When they're not being forced to perform confusing tricks under threat of the whip they're chained up or tied down.

'Until a ban is imposed, Britain continues to say "Roll up, roll up" to abuse.

'Madame Prime Minister, it is time - past time - to do the right thing and finally bring in a ban on this outdated form of so-called entertainment.

'I will put a bottle of Dom Perignon '52 or Bollinger '69 on ice for the occasion and gladly pop the cork with you.'

Sir Roger's letter is in response to photographs of a tiger, caged in the back of a truck near a busy motorway, emerged on social media.

Two lions and three tigers, all believed to be circus performing animals, were pictured in the cramped conditions near the M6 in Cannock, Staffordshire.

It comes as animal rights campaigners have called on the Government to ban the use of performing animals after an initial pledge by David Cameron five years ago.

Animal rights groups have criticised the conditions the big cats, pictured, are being kept in

Lions Tsavo, three, and Assegai, four, and tigers Nadia, 14, Syas, three and Altai, three, are being kept at the site by owner Thomas Chipperfield, who plans to tour them as part of show An Evening with Lions and Tigers.

As reported by MailOnline in November, Animal Defenders International (ADI) say the cats are 'traumatised' and ill-treated.

The organisation said the animals were caged in cramped conditions, kept in the dark for more than 14 hours and on occasion not let out to exercise at all.

According to the Sunday People, the beasts are now allowed out for exercise but only to 'stretch their legs in a large, wired cage'.

Neighbours living near the site were said to be 'shocked and distraught' about the big cats' presence in the area.

Animal Defenders International revealed the lions, pictured, and tigers were being kept in the area last November

The organisation claims a nearby abattoir, pictured, provides food for the creatures

Meanwhile ADI vice president Tim Phillips said: 'Travelling shows are no fun for animals. Confinement and deprivation are endemic to this industry whether the act is touring or not.

'The governments failure to fulfil its promise to ban wild animal acts has let down both the public and the animals it vowed to protect.

'The latest ADI evidence shows regulations have failed and that these animals are desperately lacking legal protection.'

Thomas Chipperfield, said to be Britain's last tamer, is a relation of Chipperfield Circus founder James, who first performed with animals on the frozen Thames in 1684.

Travelling abroad with an Italian circus for four months this winter, Mr Chipperfield reportedly planned to return to the UK this year for a new show - but in the meantime his five animals faced a miserable existence, confined mostly to their cages on the back of a truck.

Their exercise yard appeared to be a small muddy and waterlogged patch of grass.

Undercover-footage taken by ADI showed the big cats kept in darkness for more than 12 hours overnight, and subjected to constant noise from two main roads, the M6 and A5 in the Black Country.

Government rules say animals should get a minimum of six hours outside.

The big cats are owned by show An Evening with Lions and Tigers, which denies any cruelty and said they are subject to strict welfare regulations

Mr Chipperfield previously withdrew a licence application under the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012 after a DEFRA inspection report found the indoor accommodation was not of sufficient size and had been based on the water-logged land for nearly a year, after his Welsh tour ended.

But it is understood Mr Chipperfield and An Evening with Lions and Tigers co-owner Anthony Beckwith have improved their habitats.

In a statement on An Evening with Lions and Tigers' Facebook page, organisers added: 'All accusations that the circus is cruel comes from the animal rights groups not animal welfare groups.

'Animal welfare is based on the scientific understanding of animals, it promotes good animal husbandry and opposes the mistreatment of animals.

'Animal rights however is based on emotion, opinion and radical ideology that seeks to end all human animal interaction including but not limited to pet ownership and the eating of meat.

'Banning circus would be just another notch on the bed post for this dark and dangerous movement.

But the ADI has hit out at the Government for not banning animal use in circus shows and leaving the cats 'without legal protection'

'A ban should only ever be considered on welfare grounds; you cant ban something just because some people don't like it. If we did that nobody would be able to anything.'

The statement added: 'We are fully licenced under the dangerous wild animals act which involves inspections arranged by the local authority which include visits from head licencing officer, qualified zoo vet, animal health, health and safety, fire and police.'

It also called on Sir Roger Moore to 'donate his wages from Bond films to the animal rights groups he supports'.

The statement added: 'In regards to Rogers letter to the government, just by simply reading the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses of 2012, you can see that not a single accusation is correct, as each point he makes there are strict and specific regulations in place to protect the animals welfare.

'Maybe if he researched the issue further, he wouldn't be writing such ludicrous letters, making outrageous and unfounded claims, when the facts are so easily obtainable.'

Mr Chipperfield told the People his uncle John was Roger Moore's stunt double on the film Octopussy in a scene where Bond is confronted by tigers, adding the big cats were owned by his uncle Dickie.

The circus show says it is fully licenced to keep the animals and has never been denied a licence for a show

He added: 'The film also featured circus elephants. He [Sir Roger] had no issue with circus animals then.'

A recent survey said 94.5 per cent of the public supported a ban - but it is still legal, although some 200 local authorities will not allow such performances on public land.

The UK Director of PETA, Elisa Allen, said: 'For years, the British public has been promised a ban on wild-animals circuses  but with no timetable set by the government to enact it, animals continue to suffer for this archaic form of "entertainment".

'Our understanding of animals such as elephants, zebras, and lions is always expanding, and we now know that a circus environment can never come close to meeting their complex needs.

'That's why 94 per cent of respondents to a government consultation support a complete ban on wild-animal circuses and countries including Austria, Belgium, Mexico, and the Netherlands have legislation against these cruel acts.
An Italian actress who promised to perform a sex act on everyone who voted no in her country's referendum has completed the first date of her tour.

Paola Saulino, 27, told fans that she was a 'woman of [her] word' after announcing tour dates in 10 Italian cities in December.

She posted a photograph of herself on Instagram on Saturday, along with the caption: 'First step of #pompatour is gone! A little bit tired [but] everthing is okay.'

Paola Saulino, 27, has completed the first date of her tour after promised to perform a sex act on everyone who voted no in Italy's referendum

She posted a photograph of herself on Instagram on Saturday (left), along with the caption: 'First step of #pompatour is gone! A little bit tired [but] everthing is okay.'

The actress and glamour model added: 'This year is started in a best way as possible.'

Ms Saulino, whose Instagram page features a number of suggestive shots, has flown from her home in Los Angeles to begin the first leg of her Pompa Tour. 'Pompa' is an Italian slang word for oral sex.

She initially made the promise to perform a sex act on everyone who voted no in Italy's referendum on November 23, before announcing tour dates in December.

Ms Saulino said she would be visiting Rome, Florence, Bologna, Verona, Milan, Turin, Naples, Bari, Lecce and Palermo this month for the first leg of her tour, urging people to fill in a booking form if they had voted No.

Ms Saulino, whose Instagram page features a number of suggestive shots, said she would be visiting Rome, Florence, Bologna, Verona, Milan, Turin, Naples, Bari, Lecce and Palermo this month for the first leg of her tour

Some have dismissed the tour as a publicity stunt, with several Instagram users asking for 'evidence' that she had kept her promise.

However, others defended the actress and told critics to 'stay quiet' if they didn't know - adding that photographs were not permitted to be shared online.

Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had called a referendum on constitutional reforms, which became a vote on confidence in his government.

But the move backfired and he resigned shortly after exit polls in at the start of a December indicated a 'no vote'.
an appeal on Facebook for her safe return

Kelsey Price, 13, has now been found safe and well

Kelsey Price was who last seen on Twelvetrees Crescent in Bow, east London, has now been found after a three-day police hunt.

The 13-year-old had last been seen at approximately 3.30pm on Thursday, January 5.

Tower Hamlets Police took to Twitter this evening to share the news that Kelsey had been found.

The force tweeted: 'Please to report that Kelsey Price who was missing from Bow has been found.

'Thanks for the RTs'.

Her family and officers had grown concerned for Kelsey's welfare after her Oyster card was used on a London bus on Thursday night.

Her mother Delcine had written on Facebook: 'My daughter KELSEY-EVE PRICE has been missing from school since Thursday and we have no information at all please please we just want her home safe.

'She left from school 3.15pm wearing her uniform and a green Ralph Lauren bomber jacket.

'She attends Bow school and lives (sic) Tower Hamlets but could be anywhere.'
Police are facing a 'horror show' investigation after a deceased seven-month-old baby with bruises was taken to hospital by his mother on Saturday.

Dameen Mohammed was taken to NYU Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn shortly before 7am on Saturday morning by his 25-year-old mother, Anwar Jawad.

A cause of death for the seven-month-old, who reportedly had bruises all over his back, has not been determined.

Police are facing a 'horror show' investigation after a deceased seven-month-old baby with bruises was taken to hospital by his mother on Saturday. Pictured are police outside his mother, Anwar Jawad's, home in Staten Island

An investigator is seen carrying away a bag of evidence from the Staten Island home where the mother lived

No arrests have been made in relation to the youngster's death, however police are beginning their investigation.

One of the investigators involved with the case told the New York Post the case is a 'horror show'.

'Were in a holding pattern right now,' the cop said. 'Hes a young child... The mothers pretty upset, like any mother would be.

'At this point, it just looks like a horror show.'

Police believe Jawad drove from her home in Staten Island to where her mother, who was the primary carer for the seven-month-old boy, lives.

According to the Post, she crossed the Verrazano Bridge into the borough about 5am.

A cause of death for the seven-month-old, who reportedly had bruises all over his back, has not been determined. Pictured is an officer at Jawad's home

Dameen Mohammed was taken to NYU Lutheran Medical Center (pictured) in Brooklyn shortly before 7am on Saturday morning by his 25-year-old mother, Anwar Jawad

Jawad and her mother then took young Dameen's body to the hospital, where staff called police and reported a potential child-neglect fatality.

The newspaper also spoke to neighbors who claimed the home where Jawad lives is visited by people who 'smoke and sell drugs'.

Meanwhile, Dameen's uncle said he was heartbroken to lose his nephew.
Police are searching for a 21-year-old woman's husband in relation to her 'suspicious' death.

Caitlyn Neiswanger's body was found in a home at the 1100 block of Rye Court in Batavia, Illinois at 7.52am Friday.

She was pronounced dead at Delnor Community Hospital in Geneva, showing no sign of external injury.

Michael Marlovitz (right) is a person of interest in relation to his wife's (left) 'suspicious' death

The toxicology report for Caitlyn Neiswanger is not finished so her cause of death is unknown

Caitlyn Neiswanger's body was found in Batavia which is about 43 miles west of Chicago

Police told the Chicago Tribune 'some type of dispute may have taken place.'

Her husband Michael Marlovitz, 23, fled the home before the emergency services arrived and took his wife's white 2006 Honda Pilot and a few undisclosed items with him. He is being treated as a person of interest by the police.

He is described as being 6ft tall, weighing 195lbs with brown hair and brown eyes.

Mrs Neiswanger's cause of death is still pending for toxicology results.

Marlovitz (pictured in a mugshot on the right for a charge of possessing a controlled or counterfeit substance in 2014) fled the scene where Caitlyn Neiswanger (left) was found

Michael Marlovitz (left) is considered a person of interest by police and is 6ft tall, weighing 195lbs with brown hair and brown eyes

Mrs Neiswanger's body was found in a home at the 1100 block of Rye Court Batavia

Marlovitz has had previous run-ins with the law. Cook County records show he was charged with knowingly possessing a controlled or counterfeit substance in 2014.

Batavia is a small city of 26,000 about 43 miles west of Chicago.
Tehran, Iran, January 8

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said the UK is devising intrigues to set discord among states and disintegrate countries.

England, the old, disabled colonizer has once more returned to the Persian Gulf, planning to use the regional countries for its interests, the Leader said, his official website reported January 8.

It accuses Iran of being a threat at the same time as it is itself a real threat, the leader stressed, adding, English circles are devising a plot for the region and Iran. One of their goals is to disintegrate Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Libya.

Ayatollah Khameneis remarks seem to refer to UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who on December 7 accused Iran of destabilizing the region, telling the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain that Britain will help Persian Gulf states "push back" against what she called aggressive regional actions by Iran.
Christopher Farrell (pictured), who was thrilled when he heard his girlfriend was pregnant, has been told in court that he has no legal rights to his son

A father who was thrilled when he heard his girlfriend was pregnant has been told in court that he has no legal rights to his son.

Though Christopher Farrell, 31, is the biological father, he was told by a Florida court that he has no rights to see, talk to, support, or help raise his son, because the mother is married to another man and the couple wants to raise the child together.

When Farrell learned his girlfriend was pregnant, he was elated.

He decorated a room for the child in his house in Loxahatchee, Florida and even held the mother a baby shower, though she never showed up.

At the time, he did not realize that this was because the mother decided to raise the child with her husband.

Florida law says that 'if the child is born in an intact marriage and if the husband and mother want to remain married the (biological) father has zero rights' said law attorney Susan Savard to the Palm Beach Post.

Farrell is pictured decorating a room for the child in his house in Loxahatchee, Florida

Though Farrell, 31, is the biological father, he was told by a Florida court that he has no rights to see, talk to, support, or help raise his son, because the mother is married to another man and the couple wants to raise the child together

The law comes from a notion that no child should suffer the stigma of illegitimacy, lawyer Elisha Roy told the Post.

She said: 'The big issue, the underlying theme in Florida, is about a child's right to legitimacy so no one should be able to come in and disrupt the sanctity of the marriage.

'It's not the dad's right to be a dad. It's the child's right to have legitimacy.'

Christopher Farrell posted photos of the ultrasounds to his Facebook page, clearly elated that he would soon be a father. Though he did not realize at the time that the mother would be able to use Florida law to keep him from legally being a father

Farrell and his girlfriend had a close relationship, and his lawyer used that to argue his rights to parenthood, the Post reports.

The pair worked together and lived together for about six months when the mother was considering leaving her husband.

After she returned to him, they remained friends and he went with her to obstetrician appointments.

He said he paid for doctors, help equip the nursery, and reached out to the husband.

After the child's birth, his mother (center) allowed Farrell to meet him for about 30 minutes. The Post reports that he stood on a sidewalk and cradled his son, crying

Farrell and his girlfriend had a close relationship, and his lawyer used that to argue his rights to parenthood, the Post reports. Pictured: the nursery

According to him he isn't trying to break up a marriage, he just wants to see the child.

His lawyer, Rebekah Brown-Wiseman, told the post that she expected the judge's decision, but hoped that an appellate court will accept her argument and overturn the antiquated law.

Farrell, though, had some hope.

After the child's birth, his mother allowed Farrell to meet him for about 30 minutes.

The Post reports that he stood on a sidewalk and cradled his son, crying.

After paternity was rejected and the case was thrown out, the lawyer representing the mother and husband claimed that the case was frivolous.

Attorney Christopher Jette plans to ask the judge to make Brown-Wiseman and Farrell pay thousands of dollars back to him for fighting a case he believes should have never gone to court to begin with.

Farrell expressed his heartbreak to the Post.
He was arguably the greatest playwright in English history and the man who helped transform modern language and yet, some four centuries after his death, the life and times of William Shakespeare remain shrouded in mystery.

His works - and very existence - has, throughout the years, been challenged by many scholars who contested his authenticity and existence.

And yet one academic in a Washington DC library claims to know who Shakespeare truly was.

Dr Heather Wolfe is one of the world's leading experts on early modern English manuscripts, and Curator of Manuscripts and Archivist at the Folger Shakespeare Library

Left, A title page from a First Folio edition of 1623 and right, William Shakespeare

Described as the 'Sherlock Holmes of the archives', Dr Heather Wolfe is one of the world's leading experts on early modern English manuscripts, and Curator of Manuscripts and Archivist at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

And she said she has unravelled the mystery behind the Bard.

Dr Wolfe told MailOnline: 'In my scholarship, I build arguments based on documentary evidence.

'Through my work on the website Shakespeare Documented, I was fortunate to examine hundreds of manuscripts and printed works relating to Shakespeare, his family, and his works.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE It is known William Shakespeare was baptised on April 26, 1564 and that he died on his birthday 52 years later. The poet and writer was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, the third child of eight to his middle-class parents, John and Mary Shakespeare. Over the next 30 years he would produce 37 plays, and countless poems and other works, making him one of the world's most celebrated playwright five centuries later. Advertisement

'This over-abundance of evidence, some of it linking the gentleman from Stratford with the London playwright, leaves absolutely no reason to doubt his authorship.'

Having scoured Elizabethan archives, Dr Wolfe has unearthed evidence including previously unknown depictions of Shakespeare's coat of arms from the seventeenth century which cast new light on William's status as a gentleman-writer.

'This new evidence really helps us get a little bit closer to the man himself,' Wolfe said.

'It shows Shakespeare shaping himself and building his reputation in a very intentional way.'

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC - where exciting discoveries are being made

Speaking about the significance of the discoveries to The New York Times, Shakespeare scholar and Columbia University professor James Shapiro said: 'It's always been clear that Shakespeare of Stratford and 'Shakespeare the player' were one and the same.

'But if you hold the documents Heather has discovered together, that is the smoking gun.'

Dr Wolfe is curator of the online exhibition Shakespeare Documented, a repository of images, descriptions, and transcriptions of documents and printed texts that refer or allude to Shakespeare, his works, and family in their lifetimes.

In January 2015, while preparing for Shakespeare Documented and an exhibition at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Shakespeare, Life of an Icon, Wolfe encountered a sketch of Shakespeares arms that had been forgotten by biographers.

The rediscovered sketch was part of an original volume of manuscripts that held the 1599 grant of arms, a grant which was removed from the volume in 1933.

And during quick visits to the College of Arms, the Bodleian Library, and the British Library in April 2016, Wolfe discovered an additional twelve previously unrecorded descriptions of the Shakespeare coat of arms.

Dr Wolfe said: 'This new evidence really helps us get a little bit closer to the man himself'

She added: 'The discoveries and connections over the past year surrounded a series of early 17th century manuscripts in which William Shakespeare (rather than his father) was described as the grantee of the coat of arms, alongside further discoveries of manuscripts linking the arms to Shakespeare the player, a derogatory reference used by York Herald Ralph Brooke in his attack on 23 grants of arms by Garter King of Arms.

'Weighing this evidence alongside a chronicle updated in 1615 by Edmund Howes, in which Shakespeare is described as one of the great living poets AND a gentleman, according to Howes owne knowledge, seems to be one of the strongest documentary links (people who identified as gentlemen almost invariably had coats of arms).

'So it was the result of an accumulation of different kinds of inter-connected evidence, most of which appears in Shakespeare Documented, and some of which will appear in an upcoming essay, that adds to what we already know about Shakespeare.'
Incoming White House counselor Kellyanne Conway made the Sunday show rounds today, making the point that Russia 'did not succeed' in tilting the presidential election in favor of her boss, President-elect Donald Trump.

'They did not succeed [in] embarrassing this country on the world stage. They did not succeed in throwing the election to Donald Trump,' Conway told Meet the Press host Chuck Todd. 'That is very clear in this report and and I don't want your viewers to be left with any other impression.'

The impression the interview left with Trump, who signaled he was watching by commenting about it on Twitter, was that Conway's appearance was too short, as he whacked NBC for cutting her comments down.

'Kellyanne Conway went on Meet the Press this morning for an interview with Chuck Todd,' Trump tweeted. 'Dishonest media cut out 9 of her 10 minutes. Terrible!'

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Incoming White House counselor Kellyanne Conway argued this morning on Meet the Press that the Russians attempts to sway the election toward Donald Trump didn't succeed

President-elect Donald Trump took issue with the interview because it was cut down to only two questions. NBC later released a transcript of the whole thing

In the portion that aired Chuck Todd (left) asked Kellyanne Conway (right) if Donald Trump believed the intelligence community's takeaways and to explain how Trump plans to have a better relationship with Russia and potentially punish the country for the hacks

Conway also talked to CNN's Jake Tapper this morning.

Meet the Press aired answers from Conway to two of Todd's questions, while later releasing a full transcript of the back-and-forth.

Conway, smacking back at a CNN report that said Trump's team knew the interview would be edited for time, suggested she was angry about it because the incoming administration's point of view had been cut.

'We're not in the business of furnishing 10-minute Sunday show interviews so media can choose which "soundbite" to run,' Conway tweeted.

It's standard practice in both broadcast and print media to use only a source's best, or most newsworthy, quotes.

A spokesperson for NBC News has not responded to a request for comment.

Todd was trying to find out if Trump accepted the conclusions drawn by the U.S. intelligence community, which were that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an 'influence campaign' to sway the presidential election in favor of the Republican nominee.

Conway, in the clip broadcast on TV, pointed out that the report said the Russians 'aspired to' or 'attempted.'

The takeaway, she said, was that they didn't succeed.

'There is no evidence that Russia succeeded in any alleged attempt to disrupt our democracy or to influence the election results,' Conway said.

Todd pointed out to his panelists that this seemed to signal a 'tacit acceptance' of the intelligence community's conclusions. 'I feel as if they have moved a little bit,' Todd said.

NBC News' Andrea Mitchell replied and said Conway's statements may mean she's moved on the issue, but pointed out that the president-elect, in his tweets, suggest he hasn't accepted the report's findings.

'It was not an investigation into if they succeeded, the very attempt is the issue,' Mitchell also added.

In the original interview, Conway pivoted and went after the media.

'And respectfully, many in the mainstream media also tried to attempt to influence our election reports for Hillary Clinton. They too failed,' Conway told Todd.

Conway and Todd then engaged in a back and forth over how NBC News received details on the intelligence presented to President Obama on Russia before it was told to the president-elect.

Trump said Friday that he was going to tell the chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence committees to launch an investigation.

'With all due respect, what's chilling there is this idea that if reporters doing their job, finding out information is somehow going to come under a congressional investigation?' Todd inserted.

Conway said 'it's not the reporters we're upset with, it's the leaking,' as she pointed out that White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest dodged the question on whether the administration was responsible for the leak.

'And I hope you support an investigation, because we cant, we just can't have leaks of national security and intelligence information,' she told Todd.

'The other thing I just want to say about Senator McCain is I also saw in that hearing, he very specifically stated that there is not evidence that Russia succeeded in any alleged attempt to swing the election results,' she said pivoting. 'He said very clearly Donald Trump was elected president of the United States.'

Todd pushed back by asking if the Russians were successful because 'there is all this argument left and right about Russia's role.'

'They did not succeed because the election results were fair and square,' she said.

'Donald Trump is the president. It wasn't a squeaker. He got 36 more electoral votes than he needed originally. He won 31 of 50 states, 2,600 counties, he flipped 200 Obama counties, they're now Trump counties. The list goes on and on. He won states that Republicans hadn't won for years,' she said.

Moving in on the media again, Conway again pointed out that 'nobody' says Russia succeeded in flipping the election toward Trump.

'Even outlets that are more in favor of Hillary Clinton and really were pushing for her election, particularly print outlets, are admitting today and this weekend Chuck, after this international briefing on Friday, that they aspired and they attempted,' she said.

From there on, Todd tried to pinpoint if the new administration believed Russia should be punished.

In the follow-up question that aired, Todd asked Conway to explain how Trump might pursue better relations with Russia, as he's expressed, but also make the country pay for the hacks.

Conway wouldn't commit to a punishment.

'I told you earlier and I'll repeat it now, he's not president yet,' Conway answered. 'All of you insist one president at a time, so, OK, one president at a time.'
Prosecutors in Mexico say they have caught a gunman who opened fire on an official of the U.S. consulate in the western city of Guadalajara.

The Attorney General's Office of the western state of Jalisco said Sunday via Twitter that the suspect had been turned over to federal prosecutors.

The government official targeted, named as Christopher Ashcraft, was shot in his car Friday after the gunman followed him as he left a parking garage.

Mexican officials stated they have a man in custody in the assassination attempt of a US consulate in Guadalajara

He was in stable condition Saturday after the attack.

The FBI had offered a $20,000 reward for information on the attacker, and surveillance cameras photos of him were widely circulated.

Attacks on diplomats are federal crimes in Mexico.

The attacker doesn't appear to try to approach the official while he is walking, but instead waits for him to exit the parking garage in his vehicle and fires a round into the car's windshield.

US consular employees and other US agents have been attacked in Mexico in the past; the attackers have usually argued the attacks were cases of mistaken identity.

In 2014, a Mexican gang leader was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 2010 slayings in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, of a US consulate employee, her husband and the husband of another employee.

Prosecutors said Arturo Gallegos Castrellon was in charge of a team of assassins with the Barrio Azteca, a gang allied with the Juarez drug cartel, and had ordered the three slayings.

The gunman waited outside of a parking garage for the vehicle with the US official to exit

The murders of US consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband, Arthur Redfels, and Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of another consulate employee, as they left a children's birthday party were a mistake, former gang members testified during the trial.

Redfels was driving a white SUV that was very similar to a vehicle that Gallegos Castrellon had marked as a target for his team of assassins because they thought it belonged to members of the rival Sinaloa cartel.

In 2012, uniformed police pumped 152 bullets into a US Embassy vehicle carrying two CIA officers and a Mexican Navy captain.

The police officers, who wounded the Americans and face attempted murder charges, initially said the people they attacked were in uniform and marked cars, and that they had responded to fire from the SUV.

Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton (right) was a US consulate employee who was murdered with her husband Arthur Redfels (left) in 2014

But details of the attorney general's investigation said those attacked were in street clothes, riding in unmarked vehicles (including two of their personal cars) and under order at all times from their commanding officers.

A Mexican drug cartel lieutenant pleaded guilty in 2013 to murder and attempted murder of an officer or employee of the United States in the Feb. 15, 2011, shootings of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The attackers acknowledged they were members of a Los Zetas Cartel hit squad and directly participated in the attack, which resulted in the death of ICE agent Jaime Zapata and the wounding of his colleague Victor Avila, both based in Texas.

Mexican Arturo Gallegos Castrellon was sentenced to life in prison for the 2010 murders in the border city of Ciudad Juarez

According to court documents, a commander in Los Zetas Cartel tried to hijack the agents' armored government vehicle as it was driving on Highway 57 in San Luis Potosi.

After hit squads forced the vehicle off the road and surrounded it, the Zetas commander ordered the US agents to get out.
The videographer who transformed the Hollywood sign to read 'Hollyweed' in a New Year's Eve prank has spoken about his motivations for the elaborate edit.

LA videographer and editor Zach Fernandez, who was outed as the prankster by stoner comedian Tommy Chong on Twitter, said the work came from 'love and a certain peace from within'.

The artist, who goes by the name 'Jesus Hands', said he hoped the 'spiritual' alteration had helped people after a 'rough' 2016.

'You got hurt [in 2016] and then you grew,' he told The Hollywood Reporter, '2017 is perfect to conjure up the growth.'

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Zach Fernandez (left) says he transformed the Hollywood sign to read 'Hollyweed' (right) as an attempt to 'conjure growth' after a 'hurtful' 2016. He edited the sign on New Year's Day at 3am

Fernandez used white and black tarp to edit the last two O's on the sign. He said it was a 'spiritual experience' and that it wasn't vandalism. The tarps were taken down at midday

Fernandez said that his prank - which he made at 3am on New Year's Day - was a tribute to artist Daniel Finegood, who first made the sign read 'Hollyweed' exactly 41 years before, for art college.

'I felt his message speak to me and it felt like that message needed to be shared,' Fernandez said.

'It was honestly just a work of art, but it becomes so much more because of people's interpretations of it. Pot art. That's what it is.'

Fernandez made the alteration by hauling large pieces of black and white tarp up the mountain to the iconic sign, draping them across the center and bottom-right of the last too 'O's to turn them into lowercase 'e's.

The demanding task was 'a spiritual experience', he said, adding that he brought down a lot of litter that he found scattered on the mountain.

'It's all freedom of expression, right?' he said. 'Freedom of speech. In all reality, there was no vandalism.'

Fernandez was seen on surveillance cameras descending the mountain, but he was clad all in black and police had trouble identifying him. He could face a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

Fernandez wrote 'Jesus Hands' - his Twitter handle - on one of the black tarps. He said he made the edit to promote 'peace and love' and to 'connect people'

When asked about the legal fallout from his hike, Fernandez seemed unconcerned.

'Where's it going to go from here? I was just a vehicle used,' he said.

'It's about connecting people. There's a message to be had. The message is peace and love, and look how contagious that is.'

Fernandez was originally outed on Twitter by Chong, TMZ reported.

Just before the sign was changed, Fernandez recorded a video on his Instagram page telling his followers to 'keep an eye out'.

And the day of the stunt, he said in another video that his 'mission' had been completed.

A black tarp that covered part of the last 'O' in Hollywood also had 'Jesus Hands' spray-painted on it.

Investigators determined the sign had not been damaged, police spokesman Sal Ramirez said.

Police had also given up on finding their suspect. Information on whether or not the case will be pursued anew now that Fernandez has been 'outed' online is not being made public, a Hollywood PD spokesperson told DailyMail.com

Fernandez scaled a protective fence surrounding the sign above Griffith Park and then clambered up the giant letters to drape the coverings, officials said.

Fernandez shared this photo of the edit on his Instagram page. It was a reference to a 1976 edit by art student Daniel Finegood, who did the same thing for the first time

In 2014, the city replaced an old T-bar gate with a wrought-iron fence to keep trespassers out of the park and away from the Hollywood sign at night.

In recent years, residents in adjacent Beachwood Canyon have pushed to close access to the sign. They complain that tourists, hikers and motorists clog the narrow, winding road leading to the sign.

About 35 cameras are positioned to monitor the sign and surrounding areas, and a police officer sits in a guard house around the clock, Baumgart told the newspaper.

Forty-one years earlier to the day - January 1, 1976 - Daniel Finegood, a college student, similarly altered the sign, using curtains to make it read 'HOLLYWEED.'
Boris Johnson flew to New York for meetings with senior members of Donald Trump's team

Britain will be 'front of the line' for a trade deal after Brexit, Donald Trump's aides told Boris Johnson in a crunch meeting today.

The Foreign Secretary held 'frank' talks with Team Trump in New York as ministers scramble to mend fences with the incoming President.

But Mr Johnson - who branded Mr Trump 'unfit' to hold office 12 months ago -didn't meet with the President-elect during the trip, which was designed to lay the groundwork for Theresa May to visit Washington in the coming weeks.

He spent around three hours with Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and strategist Steve Bannon.

They are said to have focused on how to approach Russia and the crisis in Syria - potentially a key point of tension between the Western allies.

Although they didn't discuss specific details, it is understood Mr Johnson was assured that Britain will be 'front of the line' for a trade deal and the US wants to strike one as soon as the UK can.

Britain cannot sign individual trade deals with non-EU countries until it quits Europe's customs union.

It means it is unlikely Britain will be able to strike a trade deal with Mr Trump's America until 2019.

Mr Johnson is the first minister to meet the president-elect's team, ahead of a keenly anticipated visit by Theresa May next month.

However, he failed to emulate Nigel Farage's coup of being granted a personal audience with the billionaire tycoon.

News of the charm offensive leaked just hours after Mrs May branded Mr Trump's past comments about groping women 'unacceptable'.

Mr Johnson has performed a remarkable about-turn over the president-elect, recently hailing his victory as a 'great opportunity for the UK'.

The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister were among a string of senior Tories to attack Mr Trump during his controversial election campaign.

Theresa May, pictured giving an interview on Sky News yesterday, risked re-opening a war of words with Donald Trump after saying his 'grab 'em by the p****' jib was 'unacceptable'

In December 2015, Mr Johnson said the maverick billionaire was 'clearly out of his mind' after he announced he would ban all Muslims from visiting the US. The then-London mayor went further when Mr Trump suggested parts of the UK capital had become 'no-go areas' because of the threat from Islamic terrorists.

Speaking at the time, Mr Johnson accused Mr Trump of 'stupefying ignorance', adding: 'The only reason I wouldn't visit some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.' But last night he was heading for Trump Tower in a bid to ensure Britain's relationship with the US is not derailed by past controversies.

Today he will hold talks with senior Republicans at the US Congress in Washington, including Speaker Paul Ryan.

UK ministers have been alarmed by Mr Trump's apparent closeness to Nigel Farage, and were stunned in November when he suggested the former Ukip leader should be made British ambassador to the US.

Last week it emerged that Mrs May had responded by dispatching her closest aides to build bridges with the Trump team. The Prime Minister's joint chiefs of staff, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, were sent on the secret mission to New York and Washington last month because of fears the Government could be sidelined by Mr Trump's friendship with Mr Farage.

Mr Johnson's diplomatic trip was also meant to be kept under wraps, but news leaked after he was recognised by a fellow passenger. Government sources last night said that Mr Johnson's mission had been 'authorised' by Mrs May, and stressed that it was not designed to upstage her.

A Foreign Office spokesman said the talks would be 'focused on UK-US relations and other foreign policy matters'.

Mr Johnson has pointed out that Mr Trump, who also backed Brexit, is keen to strike a trade deal with the UK.

Ahead of the EU referendum last year, outgoing US President Barack Obama warned Britain would be at the 'back of the queue' for a deal if it voted to cut ties with Brussels.

n Donald Trump accepts that Russia carried out cyber-attacks to disrupt the US presidential election, his chief of staff indicated yesterday. Reince Priebus told Fox News the tycoon plans to consult with his intelligence chiefs on how to respond.

Mrs May was asked about the remarks, which emerged in the final weeks of the US presidential election, in her first TV interview of the year.

Mr Trump tweeted last week that he is looking forward to meeting Mrs May when the PM visits the US

The Government has scrambled to build ties with Mr Trump after his shock White House victory and Mrs May secretly sent her top aides to see his team before Christmas.

Sky News's Sophy Ridge asked the Premier to put aside her responsibilities as the nation's leader and reveal what she thought of Trump's remarks 'as a woman'.

A poker-faced Mrs May responded: 'I think that's unacceptable but I think Donald Trump himself has said that and has apologised for it.

'But the relationship the UK has with the United States is about something much bigger than the relationship between the two individuals as president and prime minister.

'We have a long standing special relationship with the United States, it is based on shared values, and it's a relationship where we feel in the UK we can say to the US if we disagree with something.'

On Saturday, Trump tweeted: 'I look very much forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime U.S. ally, is very special!'

Mrs May's office confirmed on Thursday evening that an exact date hasn't been arranged, but the two elected officials will meet soon.

In November of last year, Trump told May that he wanted to revive the close transatlantic bond enjoyed by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

The controversial billionaire launched a charm offensive during a ten-minute phone call with the PM, telling her Britain is 'a very, very special place for me and our country'.

The Prime Minister and Mr Trump are due to meet in Washington in the spring following the preparatory meetings by her aides over the Christmas period

The Prime Minister and Mr Trump are due to meet in Washington in the spring following the preparatory meetings by her aides over the Christmas period.

A date for the meeting is yet to be revealed, but it is expected to come within weeks of Mr Trump's inauguration on January 20.

The status of the special relationship between the two long-time allies has faced fierce speculation ever since Mr Trump won the US presidential election.

That speculation has been partly fuelled by the president-elect's apparent close relationship with the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage.

But Mrs May insisted she envisages a bright future for the countries.

'From the conversations I have already had - I have had two very good, positive conversations with Donald Trump already - I think we are going to look to build on that relationship for the benefit of both the US and the UK,' she said.

'I think that is something that is optimistic and positive for the UK for the future.'

Mr Trump's election and his praise for Russian president Vladimir Putin has also cast doubt on the future of Nato, in particular whether the US will continue to uphold a commitment to come to the aid of allies if they are invaded.

But Mrs May suggested the US remains committed to the military alliance.

She said: 'The Article Five of Nato says that we do go to the support of any Nato country that has military action against it.'

She added: 'Sometimes people think that there is going to be a change in the American approach to Nato. From the conversations I have had, I think America remains fully committed to Nato as we do.

'We are already taking some steps to show the seriousness with which Nato considers its responsibilities. There will be UK troops on exercise in Estonia this year.'
George Cottrell, 23, was arrested and led away in handcuffs in Chicago in 2016

The mother of a Ukip activist facing jail for his role in a money-laundering scam has said her son turned his life around after he met former leader Nigel Farage.

George Cottrell, 23, was arrested and led away in handcuffs as he and Mr Farage got off a flight in Chicago in July last year.

The young man used to run Mr Farage's private office and later admitted his role in the scam which took place in 2014.

He was initially charged with 21 felonies including attempted extortion, money laundering and fraud and is now locked up in an Arizona jail.

His mother, former glamour model Fiona Cottrell - who once dated Prince Charles - has spoken on his behalf claiming he had 'turned his life around' before he was arrested.

Speaking to Robin Henry and Toby Harnden at the Sunday Times she said her son, a former public school boy, had a 'serious' gambling problem.

He went to Malvern College, a boarding school in Worcestershire, but was later expelled and did not go on to attend university.

His mother said: 'But this all happened before he was 21, a long time ago. He was working very hard, getting up at dawn and arranging (Ukip) press conferences.'

His mother, Fiona Cottrell, was the Penthouse 'pet of the month' in October 1973 (pictured)

She added that he was coping 'surprisingly well' with life in prison and put that down to his experience at boarding school.

Cottrell, grandson of late Yorkshire landowner Lord Manton, was arrested as he and Mr Farage were returning from a series of engagements at the Republican Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.

He was chosen to join Mr Farage in America after he made a positive impression on the politician during the lead up to the Brexit vote.

But he was accused of offering to launder money for drug traffickers after advertising his services on the 'dark web'.

The websites offer privacy because they cannot be traced and need special software to access, some of which are frequented by paedophiles, criminals, hackers and terrorists.

But the 'drug traffickers' he dealt with were undercover FBI agents and he was subsequently arrested.

According to azcentral.com, Cottrell said in his plea agreement: 'I falsely claimed that I would launder the criminal proceeds through my bank accounts for a fee.

'Rather than launder any of the money, though ... I intended to retain the money.'

Court documents filed in the US alleged that Cottrell was offering money laundering services on the dark web using the alias 'Bill'.

Cottrell used to run Nigel Farage's private office and later admitted his role in a money-laundering scam

When contacted in 2014 by FBI agents pretending to be drug traffickers, he promised to launder their cash for a fee in 'complete anonymity and security' through his offshore accounts, the documents claim.

His mother was the Penthouse 'pet of the month' in October 1973, under the pseudonym Frances Cannon, describing herself as 'daughter of a landowner'.

The images were reprinted in the magazine in 1977 after she was linked romantically to Prince Charles.

Cottrell faces a maximum 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced in March in U.S. District Court in Arizona.

In exchange for his guilty plea, federal prosecutors have agreed to drop all but one count of wire fraud.

But he is likely to only serve less than one year and will eventually be deported.
An Australian man has been found dead in a Balinese resort swimming pool.

Vasco Rodrigues, 27, from Sydney, was on holiday in Ubud with his girlfriend when the pair decided to go for a swim after having breakfast.

Miroslava Kubeckova, 35, told Indonesian police she retired to their room and found Mr Rodrigues 90 minutes later at the bottom of the pool.

Vasco Rodrigues, 27, from Sydney, was on holiday in Ubud with his girlfriend when the pair decided to go for a swim after having breakfast

Miroslava Kubeckova, 35, told Indonesian police she retired to their room and found Mr Rodrigues 90 minutes later at the bottom of the pool

The 27-year-old was pronounced dead at a local health care clinic and police do not suspect any foul play.

Mr Rodrigues studied a Master of physiotherapy at the University of Sydney and graduated in 2011.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said they were providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian man who died in Bali.

'Owing to privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment,' the spokesperson said.

Mr Rodrigues studied a Master of physiotherapy at the University of Sydney and graduated in 2011
Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the government should be doing more to help veterans with mental health issues days after a former soldier randomly killed five people in an airport in Fort Lauderdale.

Former National Guard soldier Esteban Santiago killed five people and wounded six in a random shooting. He toured in Iraq and disclosed how he didn't feel well mentally to his family.

Carter was asked on Meet the Press on Sunday whether or not enough is being done to aid veterans with PTSD.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said more needs to be done to aid veterans' mental health

Esteban Santiago opened fire in Fort Lauderdale on Friday

Mr Carter answered: 'No  we keep learning more about how to deal with this kind of illness, we're gonna learn more and we have to do more absolutely.'

He called PTSD one of the invisible woulds of war and not something to take lightly.

He said: 'We have to take it seriously. We owe to our wounded warriors, 15 years now, including today and one of the most serious things I do is sign deployment orders and execute orders that send people into harms way.'

Santiago's brother, Bryan Santiago, said he tried to get help.

Bryan told CNN: 'And they did nothing. They had him hospitalized for four days, and then they let him go.

'How are you going to let someone leave a psychological center after four days when he is saying that he is hearing voices?'

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said more needs to be done to help veterans with mental health issues in the wake of the airport tragedy in Fort Lauderdale

Santiago only checked one item on his flight from Alaska to Florida: a handgun case. The suspect then opened fire at random in the terminal.

Officials have not found any contact with terrorist organizations after searching Santiago's phone and internet history.

A hazmat crew cleans up the scene in Fort Lauderdale (left) where a veteran with reported mental health issues opened fire with a handgun (right)

Santiago's behavior also concerned FBI agents in Anchorage in November. He acted erratically by bringing a loaded pistol magazine into the office. He also said ISIS was telling another agency to make him watch videos.

At the FBI's request, Santiago checked himself in for a mental health evaluation.

Also on Sunday, Carter told Meet the Press that the Russians have given 'virtually zero' support to the US in fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

Carter said Russia had promised to help fight extremists and help end the Syrian civil war. He says Moscow could have done that by urging Syrian President Bashar Assad to step aside and build a new government involving opposition leaders.

Carter says that the Russian instead 'doubled down on the Syrian civil war'.
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A massive 250ft-long wind turbine blade has been unveiled in the centre of Hull as it celebrates its year in the spotlight as UK City of Culture.

The big turbine - or the 'Blade' as it is officially known - was created by artist Nayan Kulkarni and workers at the 310m Siemens factory 2.5 miles down the road.

The awe-inspiring piece of engineering is the first in a series of temporary commissions in Hull this year that will reflect its fishing port past and its future as a manufacturing hub.

'Blade' arrived this morning in Queen Victoria Square and large crowds gathered to watch it slowly lifted into its final position by late afternoon.

Art work Blade, a 250ft-long (75m) wind turbine, commissioned from multimedia artist Nayan Kulkarni and created by workers at the Siemens factory in Hull, has been installed at Queen Victoria Square in Hull

'The Blade' is the first in a series of temporary commissions marking Hull's year as UK City of Culture

The work drives home the links between cultural events planned for Hull 2017 and the economic transformation of the city

Nayan Kulkarni, the artist behind the project, said: 'This will be a huge intervention in a public space, probably the biggest ever.

'It is partly about what this new industry means for Hull, but the challenge of just showing it can be done is a big part of it, too.'

Project director Richard Bickers said it had been a demanding effort.

'Blade is not only a dramatic artistic installation, but in terms of its transportation and exhibition, a significant engineering feat.

'A major challenge we encountered was manoeuvring the structure through Hull's narrow city centre streets.'

Hull is the second city to be given UK City of Culture status, following Derry-Londonderry in 2013

Weighing 28 tonnes, measuring 3.5m in diameter and made from fibreglass and balsa wood, it is the largest single-cast product in the world, longer than the height of Nelson's Column

B75 rotor blades - which would normally form the top of a wind turbine - are the world's largest handmade fibreglass components to be cast as a single object, organisers said.

Transporting the wind turbine blade, significantly longer than the height of Nelson's Column, 2.5 miles from factory to the centre of Hull took a year of planning and organisation.

The journey involved 70 support staff and began at 2am. More than 50 items of street furniture, including traffic lights and lamp posts, had to be removed in advance to make it possible.

The Blade was carried by two transport vehicles  one at each end  which were remotely controlled. Each vehicle had a pivot holding up the Blade, enabling what police called an 'abnormal load' to manoeuvre around roundabouts and take corners.

By 6am the Blade had reached its destination. Two giant cranes lifted it on to two separate mounts and the structure was in place by 2.30pm.

It had to be tilted upwards at one end  5.5m or 18ft above the road  to enable double decker buses to pass beneath.

The journey involved 70 support staff and began at 2am. More than 50 items of street furniture, including traffic lights and lamp posts, had to be removed in advance to make it possible

The work drives home the links between cultural events planned for Hull 2017 and the economic transformation of the city.

Organisers and civic leaders have consistently used the 300 million investment by Siemens in its state-of-the-art offshore wind manufacturing plant as a symbol for the city's economic resurgence.

Siemens UK Chief Executive Juergen Maier said: 'This collaboration reflects our desire to make a positive impact as a Hull UK City of Culture 2017 Major Partner.

'Blade brings to life the engineering and manufacturing excellence of which we are so proud and makes it tangible for the people of Hull and visitors to the city.

Mr Maier added: 'When people see our blades close up they often comment on how beautifully crafted they are. This installation will enable many thousands of people to appreciate that beauty and scale, in the very heart of the city.'

The Blade was carried by two transport vehicles  one at each end  which were remotely controlled. Each vehicle had a pivot holding up the Blade, enabling what police called an 'abnormal load' to manoeuvre around roundabouts and take corners

Thousands of people turned out on New Year's Day to celebrate the start of Hull's year-long tenure as UK City of Culture 2017.

More than 25,000 people packed on to the city's marina and lined the bank of the Humber for a spectacular fireworks display and crowds flocked to the city centre to visit Made In Hull - a city-wide, week-long, free installation by artists, telling the story of Hull and its people over the last 70 years.

Made In Hull, which was curated by the award-winning documentary maker Sean McAllister, has now been seen by thousands of people and been widely praised as successful start to the year-long programme.

Hull is the second city to be given UK City of Culture status, following Derry-Londonderry in 2013.

Blade is the first work to be installed in Hull as part of Look Up, a year-long programme of artists' works made specifically for the city's public places and spaces.

Martin Green, chief executive and director of Hull 2017, said: 'It's a structure we would normally expect out at sea and in a way it might remind you of a giant sea creature, which seems appropriate with Hull's maritime history.

'It's a magnificent start to our Look Up programme, which will see artists creating site specific work throughout 2017 for locations around the city.'
Tehran, Iran, January 8

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

Secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani has warned of attempts to sabotage a nationwide truce across Syria.

In a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Shamkhani said Iran is committed to helping the implementation of political solutions to the ongoing crisis in Syria, IRNA news agency reported January 8.

Political negotiations must be held among Syrians and directed by themselves and the United Nations. Influential countries must exclusively play a facilitating role, he said.

Shamkhani stressed the importance of making collective efforts to hold the talks in Damascus as the capital of the united and undivided Syria.

The top Iranian official said the anti-terrorism front in Syria has found the upper hand thanks to cooperation among Tehran, Damascus, and Moscow.

A truce, brokered by Russia and Turkey, is largely holding across Syria since late December. Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, and Daesh terrorist groups are excluded from the ongoing truce.

On December 31, the United Nations Security Council approved a resolution endorsing the truce agreement.

The resolution also aims to pave the way for new talks in the Kazakh capital city of Astana next month, ahead of the resumption of UN-brokered peace talks in the Swiss city of Geneva in February.
For many of those landing in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, their flight was supposed to be the start of an idyllic week cruising the Caribbean.

But in the wake of Esteban Santiago's deadly attack on the airport Friday - which left five dead and six wounded - the mood aboard their luxurious liners has been grim, and phone therapists have been deployed to help troubled guests.

'We're all kind of feeling like, "Oh my gosh, here we are on this beautiful cruise ship and these families were affected,"' said Sandy Robertson, 61.

'I look at this beautiful ship right now and am having dinner thinking about folks who are supposed to be here.'

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Cruise ships departing Fort Lauderdale (like the Nieuw Amsterdam, pictured) were muted Fri and Sat, as many passengers had lived through the brutal massacre at the city's airport

People were left scrambling for cover as Esteban Santiago, 26, opened fire Friday afternoon. His family said the Iraq war veteran, who killed five and injured six, was mentally ill

Sandy Robertson (pictured with her husband Tom) said the mood on her ship was subdued. The liner company had made phone counseling lines available to passengers

Robertson, a retired school principal from the Chicago area, was speaking of her time aboard the Holland American Eurodam, but she is far from the only one affected.

Holland America Line, which operates many of the massive ships that typically set out a from the Port Everglades terminal close to the airport, said it is trying to help its affected customers.

The company is offering free counseling via a hotline run by emergency management company Empathia on at least two of its ships.

One of those departed Friday night and another left Saturday, company spokeswoman Sally Andrews said.

'The staff are being very attentive to how folks are feeling on board,' she explained.

Mark Lea, 53, of Elk River, Minnesota, was in the airport's baggage collection pointin Terminal 2 when Santiago retrieved the gun he had legally checked in on his flight and began opening fire at random on the crowds.

Lea photographed the shooter's empty weapon after Santiago threw it to the ground and gave himself up to police and helped an injured woman.

He then spent much of Friday night in the airport, waiting to be released from the crime scene by authorities.

It was Lea's first wedding anniversary.

Mark Lea (pictured with his wife) was on his cruise as a first anniversary celebration. He'd helped the wounded after the attack and said he needed to 'decompress' on the ship

He and his wife decided to continue on with their cruise, but once aboard his ship, he wasn't sure how many of the other passengers had witnessed the carnage in the airport - and wasn't keen on finding out.

'Been keeping pretty low key and trying to decompress,' he said from the Holland American Eurodam.

Robertson said the mood was 'subdued' on board that shop. She and her husband had arrived before the shooting happened, but she knows that many of the passengers lived through the ordeal.

And, she discovered, at least one of the intended passengers didn't.

As a veteran of more than ten cruises, she said she noticed the ship's captain was making more announcements than was usual, and had thanked passengers for being patient.

Holland America delayed the departure of its Nieuw Amsterdam ship on Friday by several hours largely because passengers were kept at the airport while authorities investigated the shooting.

There was also a matter of luggage; the airport's director says 25,000 pieces of luggage, cellphones and other belongings were separated from their owners during the rampage.

The Eurodam was delayed until 9pm, Andrews said. Two passengers were unable to catch the Costa Deliziosa from Port Everglades on Saturday, so the company flew them to Nassau in the Bahamas to catch the ship.
George Piro, who was the sole interrogator of Saddam Hussein, will now lead the investigation of Fort Lauderdale shooter Estaban Santiago

The FBI agent who interrogated Saddam Hussein alone for months after the former Iraqi leader's capture is now leading the investigation into the Florida airport shooting rampage blamed on an Iraq war veteran.

George Piro, special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami field office, was Saddam's sole interrogator beginning in January 2004. He will now head the investigation into Esteban Santiago, who opened fire at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport on Friday.

Federal prosecutors have charged Santiago, 26, with airport violence and firearms offenses that could bring the death penalty if he is convicted.

Piro, who is fluent in Arabic and Assyrian, will lead the FBI investigation into the shooting at the airport baggage claim that left five people dead and six wounded.

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Among the first of the victims to be named was Terry Andres (pictured) - a 62-year-old grandfather who was at the airport with his wife to go on a vacation

Olga Woltering, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and was scheduled to leave on a cruise from Florida on Saturday with her husband Ralph to celebrate his 90th birthday, was among victims

In announcing the charges filed Saturday, Piro said his thoughts are with the victims and their families.

'I want to ensure these families that law enforcement is working tirelessly in order to ensure justice is served,' he said.

Piro, an FBI agent since 1999, moved with his family from Lebanon to California's San Joaquin Valley as a teenager. After high school he enlisted in the Air Force, then became a police officer for a decade in Ceres, California, followed by a job as an investigator in the local prosecutor's office.

Esteban Santiago, 26, has been identified as the gunman in the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood airport shooting, and is pictured in his booking photo after being captured (left) and in his army uniform (right)

Once he joined the FBI in Phoenix, Piro was one of only a handful of Arabic-speaking agents - a group that suddenly was in great demand after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks and the subsequent U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

In 2003, Piro was promoted to the FBI's Counterterrorism Division at headquarters in Washington, leading to his work as Saddam's interrogator.

In later interviews, including a 2008 appearance on CBS's '60 Minutes' program, Piro said he met daily with Saddam in a windowless room and worked to gain his trust by becoming his only provider of necessities and such things as paper for Saddam to write poetry.

Piro addressed crowds at the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport at a press conference on Saturday

Piro has said Saddam did not know his true identity - the Iraqi leader called him 'Mr. George' - and that he posed as a high-level envoy who answered directly to then-President George W. Bush.

Eventually, Piro said Saddam confirmed that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction prior to the U.S. invasion but might seek them in future to deter Iran and other threats. Saddam also denied any links to al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, Piro has said.

Saddam also liked to brag about how he escaped U.S. airstrikes and capture.

Piro interrogated Saddam Hussein alone in a windowless room for years - he eventually confirmed that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction before the U.S. invasion

'What he wanted to really illustrate is... how he was able to outsmart us,' Piro told 60 Minutes.

'He got rid of his normal vehicles. He got rid of the protective detail that he traveled with, really just to change his signature.'

Saddam was later tried and executed by hanging in December 2006.

Saddam was later tried and executed by hanging in December 2006

US soldiers discovered Saddam in hiding beneath this hole near his home town of Tikrit, 110 miles north of Baghdad in December 2003

Santiago, the airport shooting suspect, also served in Iraq in 2010 with the Puerto Rico National Guard as part of an engineering battalion, guard officials said. He later served in the Army Reserves and Alaska National Guard.

After Iraq, Piro moved on to top FBI counterterrorism jobs in Washington, including a White House position involving high-value detainee interrogation that works with various intelligence agencies.

Since taking the top Miami FBI job, Piro has overseen work in more domestic areas such as health care fraud, identity theft and tax fraud, Ponzi schemes and mortgage fraud - all areas where South Florida is among the nation's leaders.

Santiago served in Iraq in 2010 as a private first class and combat engineer. He received half a dozen medals before receiving a general discharge for unsatisfactory performance in August last year

Bank robberies, violent street gangs, public corruption and smuggling of humans and drugs round out much of the work for the Miami office's roughly 1,000 agents and employees.

Since Friday's shooting, Piro has been careful to say no evidence linking Santiago to terrorism has been found but such connections have also not been ruled out.

'It's way too early in the investigation. We're looking over all of his social media, things like that. It's giving us a picture of the individual, but it's way too early for us to rule out anything,' Piro said Saturday.
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Car enthusiasts were out in force as they dusted off theirvintage motors for a picturesque 80-mile journey through the Yorkshire Dales.

The annual road trip led keen Citroen 2CV drivers from the starting block in Leeds, through the Yorkshire Dales National Park and along the Wharfedale Valley where the motorists took in the spectacular views.

Onlookers admired the unusual sight of dozens of the iconic vehicles passing through the frost-covered hills.

As they made their way to the finish line at the Tan Hill Inn, at Reeth, North Yorkshire, the drivers had to battle a punishing 1,732ft steep slope to reach the pub famed for being the highest in Britain.

The classic cars, which were produced between 1948 and 1989, lined up in a row as the drivers left their vehicles to enjoy a well deserved lunch.

Car enthusiasts were out in force as they dusted off their vintage motors for the 80-mile journey through the Yorkshire Dales

Citroen 2CV drivers set off from Leeds, travelling through the Yorkshire Dales National Park and along the Wharfedale Valley

As they made their way to the finish line at the Tan Hill Inn, at Reeth, North Yorkshire, the drivers had to battle a punishing 1,732ft steep slope to reach the pub famed for being the highest in Britain

The classic cars, which were produced between 1948 and 1989, lined up in a row as the drivers left their vehicles to enjoy a well deserved lunch

Local residents admired the unusual sight of dozens of the iconic vehicles passing through the frost-covered hills

The fantastic vintage vehicles made for quite the spectacle as they snaked their way along the country roads

The annual event is an enjoyable get together for car enthusiasts from across the country, who marvel at one another's vehicles

One family bundled into their green Citroen and enjoyed the trip up to the pub which sits atop the Yorkshire Dales
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Scores of Greek Orthodox Christians flocked to Margate for an annual celebration marking the baptism of Jesus.

The 'blessing of the sea' ceremony has taken place every year in the Kent town since the 1960s.

Crowds gathered in the Church of St Michael the Archangel for a service, before following a piper through the town to the seafront in a huge procession.

Once there, doves were released into the air and a decorated cross was hurled into the waters, to be retrieved by a young member of the community.

In the Greek Orthodox faith, the event marks the start of the Festival of the Epiphany and is celebrated all over the world.

The ceremony was lead by Bishop Athanasios Theocharous, who is the head of the Diocese of Thyateira and Great Britain,

Bishop Athanasios Theocharous addresses the congregation at the Church of St Michael the Archangel, which is where the ceremony began

A boy yawns as Parishioners and clergy of the Greek Orthodox Church of St Michael the Archangel attend a service for Feast of the Epiphany

A young man takes a teaspoon of wine, which symbolises the blood of Christ, as part of the festivities, as an older gentleman holds a cloth under his chin

The congregation - who are all wearing special badges on their coats - stand as they watch the bishop lead the afternoon's service

The bread, which has been baked into the shape of a cross, is cut, representing the body of Christ as part of the ceremony

The crowd then walked through the town and down towards the seaside, dressed in full regalia, both religious and civic, as others watch on from their homes with curiosity

The group makes its way down to the Margate seafront for the blessing of the water. It is a tradition that has been going on since the 1960s

Trevor Willmot (second from the right), Bishop of Dover, and Bishop Athanasios and parishioners and clergy of the Greek Orthodox Church of St Michael the Archangel process to Margate beac

As per tradition, doves are released into the air. The bird symbolises the figure of the holy spirit and is a very prominent figure in Christianity

A series of prayers and other readings are given at the Margate seafront, just as they were at other locations across the globe today

A young man braves the chilly waters to retrieve a crucifix that has been thrown into the sea, which is the culmination of the event
A gang of shirtless youths have been arrested after they allegedly went on a joyride in a stolen Audi with a number of young children on board.

A police helicopter tracked the group hiding at a home in Para Hills West, Adelaide's northeast, overnight on Sunday after allegedly speeding through the streets.

The group allegedly scrawled 'gang of 22' on the front seat of the stolen car and officers arrested five near-naked youths, aged 11 to 17, just after 12.30am on Monday.

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A gang of shirtless youths have been arrested after they allegedly went on a joyride in a stolen Audi

The group allegedly scrawled 'gang of 22' on the front seat of the stolen car and officers arrested five near-naked youths, aged 11 to 17, just after 12.30am on Monday

Most of the alleged offenders were in just their underwear when police raided the home.

A police dog named Buster and PolAir were both used to locate the group.

The 17-year-old driver of the stolen Audi was charged with illegal use, driving dangerously to evade police and breach of bail.

Another 17-year-old, two 16-year-olds and an 11-year-old were all charged with illegal use.

The group were refused bail and will front court on Monday.

A police dog named Buster and PolAir were both used to locate the group
A supposed member of the wealthy Guggenheim family - which included the founder of the Guggenheim museum in New York - has been arrested after allegedly punching his girlfriend.

Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim, 46, was arrested at 398 West St in the West Village at 3:30am on Sunday for hitting Camilla Olsson, 51, sources said.

Hoerle-Guggenheim, who runs an art gallery, told police that he was a member of the socialite family as he was hauled in, The New York Post reported.

Arrested: Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim (right), 46, has allegedly been arrested for punching girlfriend Camilla Olsson (left), 51. He claims to be one of the wealthy Guggenheim family

Olsson refused medical attention, and had bruises on her arm and side, sources told The Post.

The couple have been seen together regularly at art events.

Hoerle-Guggenheim owns HG Contemporary Gallery in the expensive and fashionable Chelsea neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan.

The Guggenheim museum was opened in 1939 by philanthropist Solomon R Guggenheim as the Museum of Non-Objective Painting and was named after him on his death in 1952.
NSW is set to sweat through a stubborn heatwave over the next week, with temperatures in some parts expected to be above 40 degrees every day.

Sydney could smash through into the 40s, despite being spared the worst of the heatwave with coastal sea breezes.

Rob Sharpe, a meteorologist at Weatherzone, told Daily Mail Australia temperatures would likely peak in Sydney on Wednesday.

A heatwave is expected to smash NSW this week. Temperatures on Friday at 5pm pictured

Surf lifesavers watch the ocean at Bondi Beach on Sunday

'The city is likely to see a top in the high-30s. The forecast is currently at 37 degrees. Western Sydney will get into the low-40s,' Sharpe said.

But the sea breeze keeping temperatures low in the city could be weaker than expected.

'Therefore, the city could reach into the low-40s,' Sharpe said, of Wednesday temperatures.

A cool change will sweep across the city on Thursday and take temperatures back into the mid-20s, or low-30s in western Sydney.

Hordes of people ducked into the ocean to cool down on Sunday at Bondi Beach

Bundeena, at the Royal National Park south of Sydney, is pictured on Sunday

But the heat will come straight back on Friday before a cool change finally puts an end to the heatwave in Sydney at the weekend.

Inland NSW will bear the full brunt of the heatwave, which is expected to intensify to severe or extreme levels as the week wears on.

Parts of the central-west is expected to peak at 46 or 47 degrees on Friday, Sharpe told Daily Mail Australia.

He said Bourke was likely to exceed 40 degrees every day this week, and should be in the mid-40s from Tuesday to Friday.

'What's probably the most significant out of this event is that it's going to be very prolonged, particularly in northern NSW,' Sharpe said.

A woman enjoys the sun at Bondi Beach on Sunday

A woman does a handstand on a boat at North Bondi on Sunday

Minimum temperatures in the area will range between 25 and 30 degrees.

'So, it's going to be very hot.'

The heatwave will also hit southern QLD and into the north of South Australia.

And don't be fooled by possible sprinklings of rain in pockets of NSW on Sunday and Monday - the showers aren't sticking around.

The heatwave will persist over much of NSW for the week, first punishing the state's southeast before spreading further north.

Young people sit on the grass on a sunny Sunday at Bondi Beach

The crowds at Bondi Beach are pictured on Sunday

A southeasterly pushing up the coast on Thursday is expected to bring some relief, with temperatures tipped to fall back briefly, before creeping up again on Friday ahead of the weekend.

Sydney temperatures will hover in the high-20s and 30s throughout the week, with mostly sunny skies and some showers. Monday is expected to be mostly sunny, but the remainder of the week is expected to be hit with possible showers.

Melbourne will experience maximum temperatures across the 20s throughout the week, peaking at 32 degrees on Friday.

The Victorian capital will have some showers throughout the week.

The heatwave will be extreme on Wednesaday in the northwest of NSW and southwest QLD

A tourist is pictured walking into Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday

Maximum temperatures in Brisbane are expected to sit in the low to mid-30s throughout the week. Bribane will be mostly sunny until Thursday, when possible showers are forecast for the rest of the week.

Adelaide is expected to be in the high-20s to early-30s with mostly sunny skies. Monday was expected to have clearing showers, and showers will again hit the city on Friday.

In Western Australia, an out of control bushfire near Upper Swan has threatening lives and homes.

The emergency particularly pertains to those in the areas of Copley Road and St. Albans Road.
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Ships began unloading U.S. tanks, self-propelled howitzers and hundreds of other fighting vehicles Friday in the northern German port of Bremerhaven, to be moved into Eastern Europe to bolster NATO's deterrence against possible Russian aggression.

Some 3,500 troops from the 4th Infantry Division in Fort Carson, Colorado, will join up with the equipment, which includes 87 tanks and 144 Bradley fighting vehicles, over the next two weeks.

The deployment marks the start of a new phase of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which foresees the continuous presence of an American armored brigade combat team in Europe on a nine-month rotational basis.

The mission is meant to help allay concerns from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and other NATO allies over an increasingly unpredictable and bellicose Russia.

The new forces will gather first in Poland, then fan out across seven countries from Estonia to Bulgaria. A headquarters unit will be stationed in Germany.

When he announced the move last year, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the forces would take part in regular military exercises across the region with NATO allies. At that time, U.S. Army Europe Commander Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges called the deployment the 'embodiment of the United States' commitment to deterring aggression and defending our European Allies and partners.'

The U.S. also plans to move in a combat aviation brigade with about 10 Chinook and 50 Black Hawk helicopters and 1,800 personnel from Fort Drum, New York, and a battalion with 24 Apache attack helicopters and 400 personnel from Fort Bliss, Texas. They'll be headquartered in Germany with some aircraft positioned in Latvia, Romania and Poland.

NATO has already started positioning equipment and ammunition in Eastern Europe to reduce the time it would take additional units to deploy if needed.

U.S. tanks, trucks and other military equipment, which arrived by ship, are unloaded in the harbour of Bremerhaven, Germany on January 8

Ships began unloading U.S. tanks, self-propelled howitzers and hundreds of other fighting vehicles Friday in the northern German port of Bremerhaven. Pictured is an American officer with the stockpile

A U.S. soldier guards the unloading of tanks, trucks and other military equipment in Germany on Saturday morning

The deployment marks the start of a new phase of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which foresees the continuous presence of an American armored brigade combat team in Europe on a nine-month rotational basis

U.S. tanks, trucks and other military equipment, which arrived by ship, are unloaded in the harbour of Bremerhaven, Germany January 8

A female peace activist faces a German police officer outside the area, where US military equipment is prepared for railway transport in Bremerhaven

The new forces will gather first in Poland, then fan out across seven countries from Estonia to Bulgaria. A headquarters unit will be stationed in Germany. Pictured are tanks in the harbor

Workers prepare US tanks for railway transport in Bremerhaven, northern Germany, on January 7

US Army soldiers walk across the front of an armored howitzer as the cargo vessel 'Endurance' moors in the background in Bremerhaven, northern Germany

A picture taken through a fence shows workers preparing US tanks and armored howitzer for railway transport on Saturday in Germany

When he announced the move last year, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the forces would take part in regular military exercises across the region with NATO allies

U.S. Army Europe Commander Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges called the deployment the 'embodiment of the United States' commitment to deterring aggression and defending our European Allies and partners'

The U.S. also plans to move in a combat aviation brigade with about 10 Chinook and 50 Black Hawk helicopters and 1,800 personnel from Fort Drum, New York, and a battalion with 24 Apache attack helicopters and 400 personnel from Fort Bliss, Texas
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Soaring through the air with her front legs spread like wings, these incredible pictures show the moment a pregnant leopard pounced on a warthog in Kenya.

In the dramatic sequence of photos, the female predator almost seemed to be flying as she rounded on her helpless prey.

The leopard had been stalking the warthog in the Kenyan reserve and followed him out of sight into the bushes.

The dramatic pictures showed the leopard leaping into the air as it pounced on the helpless warthog in Kenya

The creatures then faced each other in a tense two minute stand-off, before the big cat pounced in dramatic style

After stalking the unsuspecting warthog, the leopard finally confronted the prey before finishing him off

At that point, the two animals darted from the bush, with the leopard in hot pursuit of the wild pig.

Realising he could not outrun the leopard, he turned to confront her.

The creatures then came face-to-face in a tense two minute stand-off before the big cat pounced.

She flew metres into the air and soared above the warthog, before tackling him to the ground and finishing him off.

Photographer Peter Thompson captured the breathtaking action shots in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

The 27-year-old, who runs a safari camp in the reserve, said: 'The leopard began stalking the warthog and then she followed it into a nearby bush.

'They were out of sight for a while and then they came shooting out towards out vehicle and the stand-off began.

'Then the acrobatics began and the leopard killed the warthog, taking just a few seconds to strangle it.

'The only movements from the leopard were the chase and then she circled the warthog right before she went in for the kill, jumping from a stand-still position.'

Mr Thompson, who is originally from Australia, and his wife watched the fight from just 20 yards away

The leopard is well known in the park, and has been named Bahati by locals - which means lucky

He added: 'As soon as the warthog put some space between itself and the leopard, it turned to face the predator.

'That's what makes this whole story so amazing - if it was a lion instead of a leopard then nine times out of ten the warthog would have chased the lion away, but because of the leopard's abilities it was almost as if it was toying with the warthog.'

The leopard is well known in the park, and has been named Bahati by locals - which means lucky.

Mr Thompson, who is originally from Australia, and his wife watched the fight from just 20 yards away.

He said: 'My wife and I manage a camp in the Masai Mara, and this happened less than a kilometre from our entrance.

'We were driving through to another camp when my wife spotted the leopard beneath a tree so we drove over and watched it.

The leopard pounced on the warthog in the Kenyan reserve as it soared through the air

After toying with the warthog, the leopard tackled the prey to the ground after the dramatic stand-off

'At first we never thought something like this would happen - especially during the heat at this time of day at about 2pm.

'My wife and I were the only ones driving around and we watched the whole scene with our jaws dropped.

'We wanted the warthog to get away, but we also wanted the leopard to eat. There was so much adrenaline pumping through us to see something like that.

'We went back to the camp and showed our resident guides and all of them said they had never seen anything like it before in all their years guiding in Masai Mara.'

He added: 'The whole thing happened in absolute silence.
A video showing a police officer performing a U-turn at a red light to pull over the driver of a black utility has come under fire online.

The dash cam footage shows the black ute performing a U-turn at a yellow light on Moggill Road in Indooroopilly in Brisbane's south west.

The utility appears to cross the white line and begin the turn before the light changes to red - but when it does the police car behind follows with its lights flashing.

A fierce debate has been started over this video which sees a police car go through a red light in pursuit of a black utility

The video has proved to be controversial - dividing social media users in a fierce debate about who was in the wrong.

Lee Yuenger was not sympathetic to the driver of the black ute.

'No amber light means, ''throw a u-turn at a traffic light in front of cop like a f***ing idiot''. I hope this f***wit lost his license,' Mr Yuenger said.

But others believed the police officer going against the red light was more dangerous than the actions of the person driving the ute.

'So cop goes through a red to get old mate who would've been out of the way before other traffic... could've given him a blast on the siren and stern finger point. To get the message across,' Michael Brown said.

Others claim no law was broken by the driver of the black ute.

The black utility appears to perform the U-turn on a yellow light - which can earn an infringement notice in Queensland

The police officer followed the utility with lights on - going through a red light

'There is literally a sign on the light saying "U TURN PERMITTED",' Igor Rebenko said.

'By the look of the sign the u turn is allowed. And he went through at orange not red so i see no problem. Just a cop being a p***k,' Danaan Kerr said.

Others disagreed - and said the U-turn wasn't the problem.

'Nothing wrong with the u-turn. There's a u-turn permitted sign. Only offence was not stopping on amber,' Ethan Denning said.

'Fairly sure it's illegal to enter an intersection on amber if you had plenty of time to stop... considering they were only 1/4 the way through the u-turn when the lights went red,' Victor hardy said.

One man claimed the police officer only pulled the driver over to meet a 'quota'.

'It's a grey law, not heavily enforced, mostly they only get you for it to fill their daily quota. If they've exceeded that quota they generally don't care and 98% of the time you can beat it in court, all in all no one will take this law seriously as serious as it is unless the police take it as serious as speeding or negligent driving and not as a quota filler,' Tom Bullivant said.

Others agreed it could be a 'revenue raiser'.

'I always thought amber was a warning that lights about to change to red so there is no excuse for going through a red. Otherwise whats the point of amber ? May as well go straight to red. Revenue raiser perhaps,' said Jerzy Balowski.

Hundreds of comments were added to the video - and appeared to be evenly split in support of either the police officer or the driver of the ute.

The conversation about the video became heated - and some of the comments became personal.

'People keep re-iterating the rule like some dorky ten year old with his head up his teachers ass. Have a think and consider the point made about the cop doing something more dangerous in order to lay down the rule that was broken,' Abhay Gupta said.

According to Queensland State Government's traffic rules 'if you go through a yellow or red traffic light, you may receive an infringement notice'.

'You must stop on a yellow light, unless it is unsafe to do so. The yellow light is not the end of the green light phaseit is the beginning of the red light phase,' Queensland traffic laws state.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday expressed his condolences to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the deadly truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem, Kremlins press service said, Sputnik reported.

Earlier in the day, a truck rammed into a group of soldiers getting off a bus in Jerusalem. As a result of the ramming attack, at least four soldiers were killed and 14 others injured. The truck driver was shot dead. The police classified the incident as a terror attack.

President Putin conveyed his condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the terror attack and wished a speedy recovery to all injured, the press service said.
China is suspicious of Tsai Ing-wen and urged U.S. not to let her in the country

Tensions have been high with China ever since Trump spoke to

Tsai Ing-wen stopped in Houston on Sunday on her way to Central America

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Texas Governor Greg Abbott met with the president of Taiwan during a stopover in Houston in a move that is sure to anger Chinese leaders already upset by her conversation with President-elect Donald Trump.

It is not unusual for U.S. lawmakers to meet with Taiwanese leaders when they pass through the country, but tensions are high after Trump spoke to Tsai Ing-wen last month.

The telephone conversation broke with decades of precedent and cast doubt on his incoming administration's commitment to Beijing's 'one China' policy.

U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz (pictured) and Texas Governor Greg Abbott met with the president of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen during a stopover in Houston on Sunday

Cruz, who represents Texas, said some members of Congress had received a letter from the Chinese consulate asking them not to meet with Tsai during her stopovers.

'The People's Republic of China needs to understand that in America we make decisions about meeting with visitors for ourselves,' Cruz said in a statement.

'This is not about the PRC. This is about the U.S. relationship with Taiwan, an ally we are legally bound to defend.'

China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, who it thinks wants to push for the formal independence of Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing regards as a renegade province, ineligible for state-to-state relations.

The United States, which switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, has acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only 'one China' and that Taiwan is part of it.'

Tawiwan president Tsai Ing-wen scheduled stopovers in San Francisco and Houston on her way to visit allies in Central America. She is pictured speaking to the media on Saturday before leaving for the United States

It is not unusual for U.S. lawmakers to meet with Taiwanese leaders when they pass through the country, but tensions with China are high after Trump spoke to Tsai Ing-wen last month

Tsai scheduled stopovers in San Francisco and Houston on her way to visit allies in Central America, including Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.

She met with Cruz and Abbott in Houston on Sunday.

Beijing had urged the United States not to let her into the country.

Cruz said he and the Taiwanese leader discussed upgrading bilateral relations and furthering economic cooperation between their countries, including increased access to Taiwanese markets that will benefit Texas ranchers, farmers and small businesses.

Abbott said in a Twitter post that he also met with Tsai on Sunday and that they discussed 'expanding trade and economic opportunities.'
A Gold Coast fisherman made friends with a bull shark after reeling it in during an hour-long struggle.

The 1.5m shark was caught on Burleigh Lake on Saturday afternoon.

'It was a nice fish  about as heavy as a few bags of cement  I dunno 60kg or so,' the fisherman, Heath 'Simmo' Simmons, told the Courier-Mail.

Simmons went from relaxing in the sun with his friends to battling the shark, which towed him around in his kayak for a while.

A Gold Coast fisherman made friends with a bull shark after reeling it in during an hour-long struggle

'I was just sitting round having a few ales with the boys when it went off. It's absolutely like game fishing from your backyard,' Simmons, 34, said.

After releasing the shark back into the water, Simmons waded after it and gave it a hug, he said.

More than 200 sharks were caught in Queensland since July - 38 of which were larger than 2m, according to Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries figures obtained by the Courier-Mail.

Twenty-four sharks were caught on the Gold Coast in the same period, according to the figures.
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Iraqi forces that are battling ISIS in northern Iraq have managed to make huge progress after launching an offensive in October last year.

Elite Counter-Terrorism Forces (CTS) took control of the eastern end of the southernmost bridge in Mosul earlier today after a 12 week operation.

Despite successfully reconquering some parts, others have proved more difficult when die-hard jihadist fighters fought back with sniper fire, booby-traps and a seemingly endless supply of suicide car bombs.

An Iraqi special forces Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) member loads his machine gun during a battle against Islamic State group jihadists (IS) in Mosul's al-Rifaq neighbourhood

Another CTS member shoots at a drone flown by Islamic State during the battle, which took place today. The CTS took control of the eastern end of the southernmost bridge in Mosul earlier today after a 12 week operation

The force group launched an attack on jihadists after ISIS seized around a third of Iraq in 2014. Sabah al-Noman confirmed forces eached the Tigris River from the eastern (side) of the fourth bridge

Speaking to news organisation AFP, Sabah al-Noman, a spokesman, said: '[The CTS forces] reached the Tigris River from the eastern (side) of the fourth bridge.

'This operation was precisely planned; in fact we have been working on it for almost a week,' he said, adding that it 'surprised the enemy.'

The news was also confirmed by Iraqi army Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir Yarallah.

Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces launched the offensive to try and reclaim its second largest city after ISIS seized around a third of the country in 2014.

The continued presence in the city of hundreds of thousands of civilians - either forced to stay by IS or reluctant to leave their homes for crowded and cold displacement camps - has impeded the federal advance.

Having eyes on the river should further complicate IS's already reduced ability to resupply the eastern front with fighters and weapons from the west bank, which it still firmly controls. Members of the rapid response forces are seen standing on top of a vehicle after the battle

Iraqi Army soldiers inspect a suicide car bomb in a Mosul neighborhood. The jihadists were fighting against the Iraqi forces with sniper fire, booby-traps and a seemingly endless supply of suicide car bombs

Members of the Iraqi rapid response forces stand with an Islamic State flag which they pulled down during a battle between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in the Wahda district

However Iraqi forces, who are backed by increased support from the US-led coalition that has carried out the bulk of air strikes against IS and deployed military advisers on the ground, made rapid progress in the first week of 2017.

Their push to the banks of the Tigris River marks a symbolic and tactical victory for the Iraqi forces - but they have much work left to do to take full control of Mosul's eastern side.

Having eyes on the river should further complicate IS's already reduced ability to resupply the eastern front with fighters and weapons from the west bank, which it still firmly controls.

An Iraqi force member walks past the ruins of a hospital in Mosul. They still have much work left to do to take full control of Mosul's eastern side

On soldier was seen inspecting the inside of the hospital, which was ruined during the clashes

Through a hospital window, an area of Mosul is seen having been completely destroyed. More than 135,000 people have been displaced from the city since the start of the operation

According to the United Nations, more than 135,000 people have been displaced since the start of the operation to retake Mosul, a significant proportion of them from outlying areas.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had promised that his forces would rid Iraq of ISIS by the end of 2016 but later said that eliminating the jihadists would take several more months.

The western bank of the city is slightly smaller than the east but more densely-populated and includes neighbourhoods that are seen as bastions of support for the Islamic State group.

The jihadists, vastly outnumbered and outgunned in Mosul by federal forces and their allies, have launched a number of diversionary attacks over the past three months.

The jihadists, vastly outnumbered and outgunned in Mosul by federal forces (above) and their allies, have launched a number of diversionary attacks over the past three months

Despite the progression from Iraqi forces today, ISIS jihadists set off two suicide bombs in Baghdad today, where 18 people died. Above is an Iraqi sniper

Iraqi federal policemen stand next to a traffic sign placed by Islamic State militants that reads in Arabic: 'Driving on the wrong side of the road is forbidden. God is watching you'

They also appear to have ramped up suicide bomb attacks in Iraq's capital city, Baghdad, where at least 18 people were killed in two separate blasts near markets on Sunday.

The first attack struck the main wholesale vegetable market, which lies in the frequently-targeted, overwhelmingly Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City.

'A soldier at the gate of Jamila market opened fire on a suicide car bomb after noticing a suspect vehicle but the terrorist blew up his car,' interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said.

At least 12 people died in the explosion while another six Iraqis were killed in a second attack at a market in the Baladiyat area, security and hospital officials said.
A 43-year-old woman had been charged over the death of her baby boy two decades after he was drowned, cut in half and dumped - his body dragged by dogs into the street.

The Queensland woman - who would have been 23 at the time her baby's body was found - was charged with manslaughter and concealing the birth of a child, police said.

Her 20-year-old secret came to light in December after she allegedly confided in a close friend, The Courier Mail reports.

A 43-year-old woman has been charged over the death of a child who was found cut-in-two on a Cairns driveway in 1996 (stock image)

The baby's body was found in Hayward Street, Mooroobool, Cairns

Police believe the baby boy drowned and was then cut into pieces and dumped by the woman (stock image)

DNA test results confirmed the woman was the boy's mother.

The boy was drowned at just 48-hours-old, according to police, who found the top half of his body in the driveway of a Cairns home on May 4, 1996.

His body, which still had the umbilical cord attached, was then cut in half and dumped in a creek - but was later dragged to a driveway by dogs.

Police launched an investigation into the shocking death and mutilation of the baby but the case went cold and no one was charged.

Twenty years after the investigation went cold it was reopened with a public appeal calling for anyone with information to come forward.

The appeal led to the 43-year-old woman being charged. She was also charged with misconduct with regards to a corpse and will appear in court on Monday.

The bottom half of the baby's body was never found. There is still a $250,000 reward on offer for information on the baby's death.
A 76-year-old man allegedly murdered his partner, 74, in a domestic violence incident.

Paramedics were called to a home on on Nowack Avenue, Umina Beach, on the NSW Central Coast and found the woman dead at about 3pm on Sunday.

The elderly man was arrested and charged with her murder at Gosford police station

He was refused bail and will appear in Gosford Local Court on Monday.

The woman has not yet been formally identified.

A 76-year-old man allegedly murdered his partner, 74, in a domestic violence incident. He will face Gosford Local Court (pictured) on Monday
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Flights are generally the top concern when budgeting for a holiday.

But it's worth thinking about how far your cash will stretch once you actually reach your destination.

For example, 100 in London will buy you 38 cups of coffee, but head to Havana and you'll get 93 cups - not that anyone needs that much caffeine in one trip.

If you're a beer fan, though, you might warm to the idea of Mexico, where 100 will buy you a colossal round of 102 pints. Back in London, you'd get a comparatively measly 22 - or in New York, only 18.

As for petrol, costs vary hugely across the world. In Dubai, 100 will buy you a whopping 270 litres, whereas in Iceland's Reykjavik, you'd only get 73.

This handy infographic, compiled by VoucherCodesPro, looks at products also including cheese, cinema tickets and cigarettes; across popular destinations such as Sydney, Barcelona, Paris and Bangkok.

Flights are generally the top concern when budgeting for a holiday - but it's worth thinking about how far your cash will stretch once you actually reach your destination
She's chronicled shaving her head and shed light on what cancer treatment really looks like, and now she's headed to the salon to celebrate the end of another phase of a very scary process.

Shannen Doherty finished her first round of radiation treatment on Friday, which became necessary after she found out in late summer that the breast cancer she'd been battling since 2015 had spread beyond her lymph nodes, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The 45-year-old actor relished in the silver lining of the milestone with a photo of her hair stylist and colorist that she posted to social media on Saturday.

'Love these two,' Doherty wrote with the post. '#Cancerslayer with good hair now!!!'

'Cancer slayer!': Shannen Doherty relished in the silver lining of her final radiation treatment with a photo of her hair stylist Anh Co Tran (L) and colorist Johnny Ramirez (R) that she posted to social media on Saturday

Poised at the Ramirez Tran Salon in Beverly Hills between her hair stylist, Anh Co Tran, and colorist, Johnny Ramirez, the 90210 star looked content and at ease.

'What do you do to celebrate end of radiation?' she started the caption for the photo.

'You run to @ramireztransalon and see @johnnyramirez1 to transform your hair color (let him do whatever he wants cause he's that good and that lovely) and then sit with @anhcotran for the best haircut and just to revel in his pure radiance.'

This was the second celebration post shared by Doherty since wrapping up the radiation. The first was a snapshot of her with her medical team, right after its completion.

Cause for celebration! Doherty posed with medical professionals at Vantage Oncology after finishing her last radiation treatment, in a photo posted to Instagram on Friday

'Thank you Vantage Oncology and Dr Leslie Botnick. Thank you to all that work there, especially Anna, Vince, Mike (pictured here) and Jackie,' the star wrote on Friday.

She saved the last thank you for 'Maggie,' the machine that carried out the harsh treatments responsible for ridding her body of the unwelcome invasion that is cancer.

'And a big thank you to Maggie. Everyday you rotated around me, I knew you were zapping the last of those pesky micro cells lingering behind. Here's hoping I never see you again sweet Maggie!!! #lovethiscrew #cancerslayer.'

Doherty first introduced her loyal followers to 'Maggie' by name on Wednesday, letting everyone know just how well-acquainted she had become with the medical device.

Kisses for 'Maggie': Doherty first introduced her followers to 'Maggie' by name on Wednesday, letting everyone know just how well-acquainted she had become with the medical device

'This is Maggie. I've seen Maggie five days a week for what seems like forever. We have a love hate relationship. I love her because she's part of the life saving treatment I'm receiving,' the Charmed star revealed, with an optimistic look to the future of cancer treatment.

'It's astounding how far we have come with technology. One day, Maggie will be retired and the cure will be found. Things like immunotherapy are the future but for now... it's me and Maggie. I'm seeing her twice tomorrow so that I can wrap this phase up faster. Goodnight sweet Maggie. See ya tomorrow. #cancerslayer.'

Throughout this ordeal, Doherty has pointed out her appreciation for having her husband Kurt Iswarienko by her side.

The actor who will play the title character in the upcoming television movie Heathers shared an intimate photo resting in bed with her man on November 27, writing simply, 'I love my husband.'

Thankful: Doherty shared an intimate photo resting in bed with her husband Kurt Iswarienko on November 27, writing simply, 'I love my husband'

From the time that she originally posted about shaving her head back in July to bringing her fans with her for every step of the radiation treatment process, 'cancer slayer' has developed into the star's open and honest battle cry.

Doherty's managed to keep her spirits up, and she's shared even the lowest points of it all with the world, including when her fear of a computed tomography (CT) scan on November 18 led her to break down.

'Was supposed to get it with contrast but the minute they started looking at which vein to use I started crying,' the actor admitted of the procedure. 'Full panic attack. Sometimes, you just get sick of being poked. And that's ok.'

'I cried. I felt sorry for myself for a minute. Then stopped and reminded myself of how lucky I am. Thank God my new radiation oncologist decided to try without contrast so I would calm down. So.... one panic attack down and mapping done!! Now to actually start radiation... #cancerslayer #warrior #fightlikeagirl #blessed.'

She's come a long way since the lengthy and grueling process began with that CT scan, and today she was a 'cancer slayer' who had a great hair day.
Her on-going divorce battle with Johnny Depp has no doubt taken its toll.

But Amber Heard put a brave face on her woes as she appeared at W Magazine's PreGolden Globe Luncheon on Saturday in Los Angeles.

The 30-year-old actress had noticeably lost weight as she revealed her midriff in a cutaway outfit.

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Weight loss: Amber Heard looked elegant as she appeared at W Magazine's Pre Golden Globe Luncheon on Saturday in Los Angeles

The star opted for a colourful patterned two-piece halterneck dress which showcased her very slender waist.

She teetered in purple T-bar heels and carried a black clutch.

Her dress featured an applique kangaroo and joey, which was - perhaps - a nod to her famous run-in with Australian authorities over her pet dogs.

Under pressure? The 30-year-old actress had noticeably lost weight as she revealed her midriff in a cutaway outfit on Saturday

The star apologised in a bizarre video, alongside her now estranged husband, after taking her two terriers into the country without the correct documentation in 2015, when he was filming Pirates of the Caribbean there.

Since then their relationship broke down and they've been embroiled in a bitter divorce row.

Earlier this month, she accused 'mean-spirited' Johnny Depp of punishing her by deliberately delaying their divorce proceedings.

Cut away: The star opted for a colourful patterned two-piece halterneck dress which showcased her very slender waist

Awkward moment: Her dress featured an applique kangaroo and joey, which was - perhaps - a nod to her famous run-in with Australian authorities over her pet dogs

Glam: She teetered on purple T-bar heels and carried a black clutch

Happier times: The actress claimed in court documents that the Pirates of the Caribbean star is dragging out their court case to get back at her (pictured 2011)

The actress claimed in court documents that the Pirates of the Caribbean star is dragging out their court case to get back at her.

The Rum Diaries star, who previously accused her much older husband of domestic violence, also begged for a speedy resolution to the matter so she move on.

In court documents filed by her attorney Pierce O'Donnell she said: 'Johnny seems to wish to prolong this proceeding as a means of punishing me.

'I want my life back. I want to be divorced from Johnny now.'

Star turn: Mandy Moore also attended the Lynn Hirschberg Celebrates W Magazine's It Girls with Stuart Weitzman at A.O.C event

Her lawyer called for 'the prompt dissolution of marriage' whilst alleging 53-year-old Johnny 'frustrated the final settlement of this matter at every turn through his relentless, mean-spirited campaign against Heard.'

Mr O'Donnell added: 'Indeed, if (Depp) were truly interested in settlement (rather than in perpetuating his feud with (Heard) and forcing her to pay attorneys' fees), he would have devoted his efforts to completing the required two forms of settlement, which still lack complete signatures from his attorneys, and would have cooperated in other actions required by the DPM (Deal Point Memorandum), rather than wasting the resources of the Court with this bad faith request.'

However, it flies in the face of the Edward Scissorhand's own claims that his bisexual wife is seeking more money in their settlement in order to 'extend her fifteen minutes of fame.'

Stylish: The 32-year-old actress dazzled in an elegant black and blue paneled crochet dress alongside Amber

Stunning: Christina Ricci, 36, showcased her blonde tresses (R) while Katherine Schwarzenegger, 27, chose wide-legged salmon trousers

In his own legal documents he said: 'Amber is now courting renewed media attention with this unnecessary Request for Order.

'Her application is not only a blatant attempt to extend her fifteen minutes of fame but also a waste of the Court's limited time and resources and an embarrassing grab for addition and unwarranted attorney's fees.'

However his ex said: 'I have been committed to a quick resolution of this matter so that I can be divorced from (Depp).'

The divorce had been settled in August, when Johnny agreed to a $7 million settlement, which Amber requested be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union and Children's Hospital Of Los Angeles.

It girls: Models Chanel Iman (L) and Jourdan Dunn dazzled in a leggy display

Great pins! Jourdan, who wore a Kaufman Franco ensemble, also added white Louboutin heels

But at the end of 2016, Amber's legal team filed a Request For Order with the Los Angeles Superior Court in hopes of imposing the settlement and expediting Johnny's payment.

They claimed that Johnny had not complied with the court-allocated timeline of various mandates, including the division of personal property, shipping her belongings from his private island in the Bahamas, transferring a Range Rover into Amber's name and more.

The couple, who met on the set of movie The Rum Diary in 2011, married on February 2015 and she filed for divorce 15 months later, on May 23, amid claims that the Hollywood star had physically abused her.

It was also reported Johnny had been jealous and believed his much younger wife had been having affairs behind his back with both men and women.

Pretty in lace: Lily Collins (L) revealed her foot tattoo in a pair of Schutz heels, while posing alongside Zoey Deutch

Beautiful: Thandie Newton added a splash of colour in wine-coloured strappy heels, as she joined Lily who was wearing Dior

Amber was joined at the Lynn Hirschberg Celebrates W Magazine's It Girls with Stuart Weitzman at A.O.C event by Mandy Moore.

The 32-year-old actress dazzled in an elegant black and blue paneled crochet dress.

Meanwhile, Christina Ricci, 36, showcased her blonde tresses at the event.

Katherine Schwarzenegger, 27, chose wide-legged salmon trousers with a black cropped top for the lunchtime celebration.

Models Chanel Iman, 26, and Jourdan Dunn - also 26 - dazzled in a leggy display.

Jourdan added white Louboutin heels, while Chanel accessorized her ensemble with some diamond rings by Ileana Makri.

27-year-old Lily Collins revealed her foot tattoo - alongside Zoey Deutch, 22 - in black lace Dior and a pair of strappy heels from Schutz.

Thandie Newton, 44, added a splash of colour in wine-coloured strappy heels.




Strictly Come Dancing star Daisy Lowe has a new man in her life  the nephew of BBC arts presenter Alan Yentob. Josh Yentob, 28, spent last week getting touchy-feely with model Daisy during a beach holiday in Miami. Daisy, 27, spent New Year's Eve with her new beau, and the couple kept the party going the following day by enjoying an intimate date at a beach bar. The pair  pictured left during their break  were introduced by one of Daisy's exes, composer Joseph Reuben.

Strictly Come Dancing star Daisy Lowe has a new man in her life  the nephew of BBC arts presenter Alan Yentob

Actress Emma Watson could be in for a springtime surprise when she finishes promoting her Disney film Beauty And The Beast, which is due out in March. A source who knows Emma's tech entrepreneur beau William Knight tells me that he's ready to propose after they spent their first Christmas together, with Emma's family, at their Oxford home. Emma and William  known as Mack  have been dating for 18 months.

Actress Emma Watson could be in for a springtime surprise when she finishes promoting her Disney film Beauty And The Beast, which is due out in March

Like many celebrities, Olympic hero Tom Daley has chosen a private island for his wedding, but guests needn't pack the sunscreen  it's in England! I hear the 22-year-old diver had hoped to marry American Dustin Lance Black in May at the trendy Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire but negotiations have broken down, so the latest whisper is the pair have chosen a venue on Osea Island, Essex. Hardly exotic, Tom!

Like many celebrities, Olympic hero Tom Daley has chosen a private island for his wedding

I'm sorry to report that Jane Fonda has split from the love of her twilight years, Richard Perry. Thrice-married Jane, 79, fell for the record producer seven years ago but friends say the pair have found it hard to cope with Richard's Parkinson's disease  not least because of his refusal to 'take it seriously'. Richard, 74, is now moving out of Jane's Sunset Boulevard home.

Jane Fonda has split from the love of her twilight years, Richard Perry (pictured together)

She's famous for her bizarre health and shopping tips  she once urged followers of her Goop website to buy a 5,000 T-shirt  but actress Gwyneth Paltrow has outdone herself with her latest idea: she wants everyone to have a home sauna. In her new book Goop Clean Beauty, Gwyneth, who lives in a 4 million LA mansion, says only a full-size sauna will do. If that's too pricey, why not follow her other top tip: walk barefoot to 'transfer Earth's electrons from the ground to your body'. Only on Planet Paltrow
She is hotly tipped to be among the winners at tomorrow's Golden Globes awards in Hollywood for her portrayal of the Queen in The Crown.

But best actress nominee Claire Foy, who is currently filming a second series of the acclaimed Netflix drama, has revealed that she will soon be bidding farewell to the role.

After two seasons, thats it, Im gone, said Foy, 32.

Claire Foy, who plays the Queen in the Netflix drama, The Crown, has said she won't be starring in the series after the second one wraps

She said: After two seasons, thats it, Im gone.' Producers plan to cast new actors for the third series of the Royal saga. A total of six series are planned

Ms Foy is hotly tipped for the Best Actress in a Drama TV Series award at the Golden Globes, which takes place tomorrow

Producers plan to cast new actors for the third series of the Royal saga. A total of six series are planned.

Competition is already heating up for stars to play the Queen for the years 1965 to 1985, with Emily Watson, Rachel Weisz and Kate Beckinsale among those tipped for the role.

Foy leads an army of British stars vying for honours at the 74th annual Golden Globes in Los Angeles.

Among those hoping for success are Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie for The Night Manager  but they do not anticipate a sequel to the spy drama.

The series is adapted from John le Carres novel.
The suspect in Florida airport shooting has been charged with performing an act of violence at an airport, causing deaths and serious injures, and could face a maximum penalty, US Attorney's Office said in a statement on Sunday, Sputnik reported.

According to the federal complaint, Esteban Santiago Ruiz (Santiago), 26, was charged with an act of violence performed with the use of a firearm that caused the death of a person.

"The statutory charges authorize a maximum penalty, upon conviction, of death or imprisonment for life or any term of years," the statement said.

The shooting occurred at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in the US state of Florida on Friday afternoon, resulting in deaths of five people and leaving a total of 45 people injured. The shooter has been identified as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago from the state of New Jersey.

The suspect has reportedly served in the US military and had previously been sent to a mental health facility. According to the authorities, the suspect flew from Alaska to Minneapolis to Fort Lauderdale on a Delta Airlines flight.

Police are not ruling out terrorism in their investigation of the Florida Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shooting.
Nicholas Coleridge (pictured with his wife Georgia) narrowly escaped death after his Land Rover careered down a cliff during a Christmas holiday

Nicholas Coleridge, the much-loved boss of Conde Nast International  which publishes fashion magazine Vogue and high society bible Tatler  has narrowly escaped death after his Land Rover careered down a cliff during a Christmas holiday.

Nicholas was on a dream trip to Ethiopia with his wife Georgia and their four children when the accident happened.

They had spent Christmas Eve visiting the stunning rock churches in the holy city of Lalibela, and afterwards decided to take a trip to the town's famous Torpedo bar.

But during the journey, their driver misjudged the kerb, causing their car to crash over the side of a cliff. The vehicle rolled over but, miraculously, it came to a halt after crashing into a shepherd's hut about 20ft below.

Nicholas tells me: 'We weren't hurt but it was quite a thing.

'Fortunately, we managed to escape out of one of the windows, clambering out of the wreckage on all fours. It was like the scene in James Bond when Jaws climbs out of the window of a crashed train.'

Nicholas, who will be celebrating his 60th birthday in March with a star-studded party at the V&A in London, added: 'It was a steep cliff and the car only stopped rolling because happily we came to rest against a shepherd's hut.

'There was about a minute when we feared the worst.

'But we emerged, dusted ourselves off and headed to the brilliant Torpedo for a stiff gin and tonic. And I must point out that it was a complete one-off and Ethiopia is the most amazing  and very safe  place to visit. 'More people should go on holiday there because it is spectacular and we had the most wonderful time.'

Coming from the boss of Conde Nast Traveller magazine, that is quite some accolade.

Meanwhile , Nicholas's Tatler magazine had the country fooled last week, for I can reveal that its list of top posh baby names, said to be popular with high society right now, was largely made up. It included such bizarre offerings as Koala, Power, Yellow, Euripides, Mao, Npeter (the 'N' is silent), Quail, Yak and Zebedee.

But while expectant parents weighed up the merits of following the magazine's advice, Tatler's features director confessed  sarcastically  that it was 'definitely not something we simply made up during those slack days in the office just before Christmas'. The name of the journalist? Sophia Money-Coutts. Yes, really. That's the most far-fetched of them all.

Pippa Middleton left some of her friends down in the dumps over the festive period when they discovered that her Christmas card did not contain a prized 'save the date' invitation too.

As I predicted last year, Pippa, 33, used the opportunity to tip off pals about her wedding to financier James Matthews on May 20. But one recipient tells me: 'Her Christmas cards were eagerly anticipated, but only half of her friends ended up with a save the date card inside while the other half were left empty-handed.'
She's been nominated for a slew of awards for her role in bi-racial relationship drama, Loving.

And Ruth Negga looked effortlessly chic in a simple. skin-tight taupe top and flowing white trousers at the Film Independent Filmmaker Grant and Spirit Award Nominees Brunch at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood on Saturday.

The 35-year-old, who owes her stunning good looks to her Irish and Ethiopian roots, has been nominated for an Indie Spirit honour for Best Female Lead for biopic Loving.

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Great look: Loving star Ruth Negga wore a chic ensemble at the Film Independent Filmmaker Grant and Spirit Award Nominees Brunch at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood on Saturday

She co-stars with Joel Edgerton as bi-racial couple Richard and Mildred Loving, whose fight to get their marriage recognised in Virginia in the 1960s went all the way to the Supreme Court.

Ruth, who is also nominated for a Golden Globe for the role, will wear something a little more elaborate for that ceremony at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on Sunday.

In an interview with Women's Wear Daily, the rising star dished: 'I've done the fitting, but I haven't seen the finished product.Meanwhile, Ruth was joined at BOA by a host of stars including, among others Viggo Mortensen and Annette Bening.

The 58-year-old actor, who is nominated for best male lead for his role in Captain Fantastic, chatted with Mahershala Ali, 42, who appears in the ensemble cast of Moonlight.

Keeing it simple: The 35-year-old, who has been nominated for her role in Loving, wore a skin-tight taupe top and flowing white trousers plus a heart-shaped Yves Saint Laurent handbag

Hanging out: Nominees Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen mixed and mingled at BOA

Already seated: Annette Bening, 58, nominated for 20th Century Woman, she sat next to filmmaker and R.E.M. co-founder Mike Mills, also 58

Annette, 58, the Female Lead nominee for 20th Century Woman dressed in black as she sat next to filmmaker and R.E.M. co-founder Mike Mills, also 58.

Others included event hosts Issa Rae and Sterling K. Brown, who is also one of the nominees, with chairperson of the Film Independent board of directors Mary Sweeney and its president Josh Welsh.

Nominated actresses Molly Shannon and Isabelle Huppert plus director/producer Kirsten Johnson, director Ava DuVernay,Actor actor Adam Scott and his producer wife Naomi Scott also joined the fun.

Lining up: From left, chairperson of the Film Independent board of directors Mary Sweeney, event hosts Issa Rae and Sterling K. Brown (who is also one of the nominees) and FI board president Josh Welsh

Very different looks: Actress Molly Shannon went for a brightly colored frock while director- producer Kirsten Johnson wore a plush burnt orange jacket with white stars a black T-shirt, black trousers and shiny black shoes plus an eye-catching pendant

Coupled up: Husband and wife team actor Adam Scott and producer Naomi Scott

Film Independent also revealed the three winners of its Spirit Awards filmmaker grants at the luncheon.

They are Jordana Mollick, The Fits director Anna Rose Holmer and Holligan Sparrow helmer Nanfu Wang. Each received a $25,000 grant.

The Indie Spirit Awards will be held in a tent on the beach next to the Santa Monica Pier on February 25, the day before the Oscars, and air live on IFC.

Time for a selfie: Director Ava DuVernay snuggled up with actor Craig Ferguson
With three Olympic gold medals and five world records under her belt, swimmer Stephanie Rice has a lot to be proud of.

But that doesn't mean she hasn't faced her share of online trolls and naysayers.

On Saturday, the athlete took to Instagram to share inspirational thoughts about her journey to the top and to hit back at her haters.

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Take that! On Saturday, Stephanie Rice took to Instagram to share inspirational thoughts about her journey to the top and to hit back at her haters

'I use to be incredibly shy when I was young. I never had many friends. So at lunch times I would sit alone or with a group (but on the outside of the circle) never really fitting in,' the now popular swimmer revealed.

Stephanie goes on to explain that once she became a swimmer, she was repeatedly discouraged from her dream of achieving Olympic gold by her school teachers.

'I'm forever grateful for all of the hard lessons and experiences I've had in life so far because they have shaped me into the woman I am today,' she continued.

In another post on the same day, the 28-year-old shared an image of herself holding a gold medal and clapped back at her haters.

Outcast: 'I use to be incredibly shy when I was young. I never had many friends. So at lunch times I would sit alone or with a group (but on the outside of the circle) never really fitting in,' the now popular swimmer revealed

'This ones for all those people who didn't believe in me, who criticized,' she wrote, adding, 'That was never going to stop me from going for my goals. And for me, this picture reminds me of why I never felt like I fitted in ... because I was never meant to.'

'Standing on the Olympic Podium (3 times) singing the Australian Anthem...and seeing my parents in the stands crying with pride made EVERY challenge f******g WORTH IT,' she concluded.

Loved: The Olympian received overwhelming support for her emotional posts, with a flood of hundreds of positive comments coming in from her followers

The Olympian received overwhelming support for her emotional posts, with a flood of hundreds of positive comments coming in from her followers.

She returned to Instagram a few hours later to post an image from the Barossa Valley, where appears to be holidaying, to thank her fans for their kind words.

She wrote: 'Thank you so much for all the love on my last posts. It truly fills my heart with joy reading your supportive comments and personal stories'.
Oliver Curtis avoids taking showers behind bars and is struggling without his high-end skin care products, sources have claimed.

The husband of PR queen Roxy Jacenko was jailed for a minimum of one-year last June for insider trading.

Curtis has found it a 'struggle' to adjust from Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs to life at Cooma prison, jail sources told Daily Telegraph.

Oliver Curtis was jailed last June for insider trading and has found the adjustment a struggle, a source has reportedly claimed (Curtis is pictured with his wife Roxy Jacenko arriving at court)

PR queen Roxy Jacenko and their two children, five-year-old Pixie and two-year-old Hunter, have been holidaying in Hawaii while Curtis reportedly struggles in prison

Curtis is pictured being led away in handcuffs at the Supreme Court of NSW last June

'He doesn't like to shower, for obvious reasons. And his skin is really bad.

'Apparently he had all the best skin products on the outside and you can't get them in jail, so his skin has broken out badly,' the jail source reportedly told Daily Telegraph.

He is expected to be released on good behaviour in June.

Curtis has reportedly been avoiding taking showers in prison, an insider has claimed

Oliver Curtis and Roxy Jacenko are pictured with their children Pixie and Hunter

They have been married for four years

But sources close to Jacenko, 36, have claimed she plans on leaving her husband of four-years when he is released.

The friend said her husband's imprisonment had made dealing with her breast cancer treatment more difficult.

She was diagnosed just eight days after Curtis was sentenced to prison.

Jacenko had documented the luxury clothing she wore to court in daily selfies and she was routinely photographed hand-in-hand with Curtis throughout the trial as they arrived at court.

Jacenko is rumoured to be preparing to split from Curtis when he is released from jail in June

Curtis is pictured with his two children before he was jailed last June for insider trading

A friend has claimed Jacenko has been openly discussing ending her marriage with Curtis

She has been getting support from her friend and ex-boyfriend, millionaire property developer Nabil Gazal, friends have claimed.

Daily Mail Australia has approached Jacenko for comment.

While Curtis reportedly struggles behind bars, his entrepreneur wife of Sweaty Betty PR and their children, five-year-old Pixie and two-year-old Hunter, spent the Christmas break in Hawaii, according to photographs posted to social media.

Jacenko kisses a dolphin during a holiday in Hawaii with their two children, Pixie and Hunter
It was a tea party fit for the stars.

And leading the fashion pack at BAFTA's Awards Season Tea Party was Golden Globe Awards nominee Emma Stone.

The 28-year-old actress stood out in her burnt orange and white polka dot patterned gown at the Saturday event, which took place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills sponsored by Heineken and Ruffino Wines.

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Stunner: Leading the fashion pack at BAFTA's Awards Season Tea Party was Golden Globe Awards nominee Emma Stone

Emma, who is nominated for Best Performance By An Actress in a musical or comedy for her work in La La Land, wowed in the bold look.

The red-haired actress chose a shimmering gown that featured a cinched waist with a flared skirt and halter neckline.

The Easy A star complemented the ensemble with Mary Jane heels while opting for pulled back tresses.

She sported bold orange eye shadow with pink lips and defined brows to round out her elegant look.

So beautiful: The 28-year-old stood out in her burnt orange and white polka dot patterned gown at the Saturday event, which took place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills

Fancy: Emma, who is nominated for Best Performance By An Actress in a musical or comedy for her work in La La Land, wowed in the bold look

Flawless: The red-haired actress chose a shimmering gown that featured a cinched waist with a flared skirt and halter neckline

Fun: The Easy A star complemented the ensemble with Mary Jane heels; pictured with her La La Land director Damien Chazelle (l) and co-star Ryan Gosling (r)

Hollywood gold: Emma and Ryan are two of the industry's leading stars

Lily Collins, who is also nominated in the same category as Emma, looked incredible in a colorful patterned frock.

The British-born beauty, 27, chose a green, black and brown number that had a layered skirt and low-cut neckline, pairing it with a pair of black Schutz heels.

She is nominated for her first Golden Globe Award for her role in Rules Don't Apply.

Pretty in pattern: Lily Collins, who is also nominated in the same category as Emma, looked incredible in a colorful patterned frock

Colorful: The British-born beauty, 27, chose a green, black and brown number that had a layered skirt and low-cut neckline, pairing it with some strappy Schutz heels

Glamorous: Lily and Bryce Dallas Howard lit up the camera as they posed for a photo

Also making an entrance at the tea party was the lovely Michelle Williams, who cut a stylish figure in a blush hued mini dress.

The 36-year-old star showed off her trim legs in the thigh-grazing look, adding gold heels.

The mother of one, who sported platinum tresses, is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film Manchester By The Sea.

Hailee Steinfeld made a statement in her sixties inspired baby blue frock - complete with gold detailing and sheer elements.

The 20-year-old starlet finished off her dreamy ensemble with glittering heels and a high ponytail.

What a lady: Also making an entrance at the tea party was the lovely Michelle Williams, who cut a stylish figure in a blush hued mini dress

Strike a pose: Hailee Steinfeld made a statement in her sixties inspired baby blue frock - complete with gold detailing

Legs for days: The 20-year-old starlet finished off her dreamy ensemble with glittering heels and a high ponytail

Hailee is nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for her movie The Edge Of Seventeen.

Amy Adams, 42, showed off her fit form in a skintight black dress, complete with lace paneling.

The red haired actress, nominated for Best Performance in a Drama for her movie Arrival, styled her tresses center parted and pulled back.

Classic LBD: Amy Adams, 42, showed off her fit form in a skintight black dress, complete with lace paneling

Star power: The red haired actress, nominated for Best Performance in a Drama for her movie Arrival, styled her tresses center parted and pulled back

Actor and singer Justin Timberlake looked handsome in a patterned button up with dark wash denim bottoms.

The 35-year-old bearded star wore a brown blazer and suede shoes to finish off his sharp look

His hit tune Can't Stop The Feeling' is nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

Good looking: Actor and singer Justin Timberlake looked handsome in a patterned button up with dark wash denim bottoms

Naomie Harris, who was born in London, wore an eye catching yellow, white, red and blue dress.

The pretty star, 40, toted a structured clutch while hitting the carpet in bright heels.

She's nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the drama Moonlight.

Elegant: Naomie Harris, who was born in London, wore an eye catching yellow, white, red and blue dress

Staying close: The pretty star, 40, toted a structured clutch while hitting the carpet in bright heels; pictured with her Moonlight co-star Mahershala Ali

Game Of Thrones star Sophie Tuner decided to go for an edgy ensemble, choosing gold and black leggings with a silver blouse.

The 20-year-old actress, who showed off her pert derriere, wore a chunky gold necklace with pointed black boots.

Her Game Of Thrones co-star Maisie Williams stepped out in a red and white plaid dress, adding a embroidered clutch.

Glowing: Game Of Thrones star Sophie Tuner decided to go for an edgy ensemble, choosing gold and black leggings with a silver blouse

Chic: Her Game Of Thrones co-star Maisie Williams stepped out in a red and white plaid dress, adding a embroidered clutch

Bryce Dallas Howard put her curves on full display in a green and navy checkered frock.

The 35-year-old actress chose a strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline; the red-haired stunner also slipped on elegant pointed heels.

Westworld co-stars Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton both had the same idea in mind, choosing off-the-shoulder ensembles.

She's so lovely: Bryce Dallas Howard put her curves on full display in a green and navy checkered frock

Eye-catching: Westworld co-stars Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton both had the same idea in mind, choosing off-the-shoulder ensembles

Glamour girl: Hailee Steinfeld stunned in thigh-skimming minidress and was joined by her dad Peter

English beauty: Sophie Turner wowed in a futuristic metallic top with a spiky gold collar

Actress Millie Bobby Brown posed up a storm while on the carpet, dressed in a simple but chic black and white kate spade new york dress.

Tom Hiddleston, 35, looked quite dapper in a deep red hued blazer and trousers, pairing it with white button up and a black tie.

The bearded actor is nominated for his first Golden Globe Award for The Night Manager, in the category of Best Performance By An Actor in a limited series or a motion picture made for television.

Amazing: Actress Millie Bobby Brown posed up a storm while on the carpet, dressed in a simple but chic black and white kate spade new york dress

Glamorous: The star, 12, wore coral lipstick and rocked wavy locks for the tea party

Getting along famously: Noah Schnapp, Millie and Lily Collins looked to be having a blast

Handsome: Tom Hiddleston, 35, looked quite dapper in a deep red blazer and trousers, pairing it with white button up and a black tie

Grinning from ear to ear: The bearded actor is nominated for his first Golden Globe Award for The Night Manager

In demand: Tom posed for snaps with DJ Manny Patel and British General Consul Chris O'Connor

All smiles: Joel Edgerton wrapped an arm around film producer Julia Verdin

Proving popular: Justin Timberlake did plenty of mingling on the night, taking pictures with producerBonnie Arnold and Maisie Williams

Deep in conversation: Justin chatted away to Viggo Mortensen

Ruth Negga looked elegant in a pink and black dress that showed off her tiny waistline.

The actress, who painted her paint a deep red, is up for Best Actress in a drama for her role in Loving.

French actress Isabelle Huppert stood out in a red blazer with matching trousers, adding a black blouse and heels.

Flower power: Ruth Negga looked elegant in a pink and black dress

Bold: French actress Isabelle Huppert stood out in a red blazer with matching trousers, adding a black blouse and heels

Smart: Christian Slater and Chantal Rickards made a sophisticated team

Catching up: Michael Shannon, Amy Adams and Aaron Taylor-Johnson all dressed to impress at the bash

Mixing it up: The trio then rearranged in height order for another shot

The 63-year-old is up for Best Actress in a Drama at this year's Golden Globes for her role in Elle.

Best Supporting Actress nominee Octavia Spencer arrived in a maroon and black flared dress, adding an edgy leather jacket.

Andrew Garfield, who is nominated for his performance in the drama Hacksaw Ridge, cut a stylish figure in charcoal.

The actor, who previously dated Emma Stone, decided to sport a scruffy face for the daytime event.

Classic: Riz Ahmed opted for a traditional black suit and matching tie

Stylish: Lola Kirke looked sensational in a vintage mint green ensemble, while Charlie Heaton looked dapper in a tartan suit

Smiles: Best Supporting Actress nominee Octavia Spencer arrived in a maroon and black flared dress, adding an edgy leather jacket

Genetically blessed: Andrew Garfield, who is nominated for his performance in the drama Hacksaw Ridge, cut a stylish figure in charcoal

Man in the middle: Andrew was flanked by Octavia Spencer and Niecy Nash

Gentleman: Andrew shook hands with editor Anne V Coates

Father and daughter: Ron Howard was joined by his daughter Bryce Dallas Howard

Vibrant: Ava DuVernay and Niecy Nash brightened up the room with their colourful ensembles

Happy days: There were smiles galore as Ava took a group selfie

Strike a pose: Leila Birch and Nadia Jordan flaunted their ensembles

Laughing out loud: The atmosphere on the night was jubilant

Pucker up: Ava DuVernay was snap happy on the night

Australian actor Joel Edgerton beamed on the carpet while rocking a deep blue blazer with a grey cardigan and white T-shirt.

Once inside, the 42-year-old Golden Globe nominee posed for a photo with Michelle Williams.

Actress Christina Ricci, 36, put her svelte frame in a striped blue dress, adding bold lipstick.

Staying cool: Australian actor Joel beamed on the carpet while rocking a deep blue blazer with a grey cardigan and white T-shirt

Good times: Once inside, the 42-year-old Golden Globe nominee posed for a photo with Michelle Williams

Gal pals: Michelle was joined by Lily Gladstone in blue and white halterneck dress with a netted skirt

Low-key: The Big Bang Thery's Simon Helberg (right) dressed down in a white knit

Let them breathe: Actress Amy Landecker slipped off her cream heels

Raise a glass: Julia Liu and director Habib Zargarpour wore big smiles

Cream of the crop: The room was packed full of Hollywood talent

Having fun: Young actors Noah Scnapp, Sunny Pawar and Finn Wolfhard gave the thumbs up

Sitting comfortably: Sunny was hoisted into the air

Made for each other: Nicholas Guest and wife Pamela put on a close display on the night

Relaxed: Screenwriter Max Landis leaned back on Ron Howard much to his delight

The Crown actress Claire Foy looked incredible in a floral ankle length dress; the pretty actress hit the carpet in chunky black heels.

Jane Seymour also decided to go for a patterned look; the British star slipped on a colorful sleeveless dress for the soiree.

Tracee Ellis Ross stood out in a floral belted dress; the look even had a pleated skirt and a turtleneck detail

So beautiful: The Crown actress Claire Foy looked incredible in a floral ankle length dress; the pretty actress hit the carpet in chunky black heels

Giddy: Jane Seymour also decided to go for a patterned look; the British star slipped on a colorful sleeveless dress for the soiree

Flower love: Tracee Ellis Ross stood out in a floral belted dress; the look even had a pleated skirt and a turtleneck detail

So dapper: Diego Luna arrived with a beard; he rocked a suit for the event

Perfect pair: Sam Taylor-Johnson and her husband actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson stayed close as they arrived to the tea party

Keeping cool: Viggo Mortensen (l) and John Lithgow (r) both decided to wear blazers with a button up for the event

So much fun: Claire Foy and John Lithgow posed for a snap before heading inside

That's quite a skirt: Niecy Nasy chose a yellow and black look for the tea party

Suited up: Mahershala Ali and Michael Shannon both chose to wear blazers with trousers

Suave: Mahershala was typically super smooth

Staying close: Jeffrey Tambor and his wife posed together on the carpet as well

So good looking: Joe Jonas posed with BAFTA LA CEO Chantal Rickards inside the Four Seasons Hotel

Triple threat: Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton and Angela Sarafyan all looked elegant
He has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in The Night Manager.

And Tom Hiddleston beamed with delight as he arrived at the BAFTA Tea Party in LA on Saturday, a day after he was spotted jetting out of London Heathrow.

The British actor, 35, looked sharp in a burgundy suit as he posed for pictures.

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High spirits: Tom Hiddleston beamed with delight as he arrived at the BAFTA Tea Party in LA on Saturday, a day after he was spotted jetting out of London Heathrow

The double-breasted piece was cut well to fit his wide frame, and he teamed it with a crisp white shirt.

Adding a bit of colour with a polka-dot tie and patterned handkerchief, he cut a handsome figure.

Sporting a light beard, the actor beamed as he posed for pictures.

Dapper: The British actor, 35, looked sharp in a burgundy suit as he posed for pictures

Tom has been nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for The Night Manager.

Speculation continues to swirl around Tom's potential role in the James Bond franchise and a possible second season of The Night Manager.

Tom will also star in Kong: Skull Island, set for release this year and re-telling the infamous story of King Kong.

Standing out: Adding a bit of colour with a polka-dot tie and patterned handkerchief, he cut a handsome figure

Meanwhile, the BBCs lavish thriller The Night Manager has been named by the Radio Times magazine as the best television programme of 2016.

Broadcast on BBC One in the Spring, the six-part series based on the spy novel by John Le Carre saw Hollywood heartthrob Tom Hiddleston pitted against cantankerous baddie Hugh Laurie.

The 74th Golden Globe Awards will air live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on Sunday, January 8 and will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

Success: Tom has been nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for The Night Manager
His toned physique sent pulses racing in last nights epic new historical drama Taboo.

But Tom Hardy ridicules the notion that he is a pin-up, claiming in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday: I have pencil arms, nurse a healthy layer of dad flab, crooked teeth and bow legs.

'Ill just take the compliment and say thank you.

Tom Hardy's toned physique sent pulses racing in last nights epic new historical drama Taboo. But Hardy ridicules the notion that he is a pin-up, claiming: I have pencil arms, nurse a healthy layer of dad flab, crooked teeth and bow legs'

Hardy plays a rogue 19th Century adventurer in Taboo. The eight-part BBC1 drama, which was produced by legendary film director Ridley Scott, is the brainchild of Hardy and his novelist father Chips.

The script was written by Peaky Blinders creator Stephen Knight.

Also starring Jonathan Pryce and Oona Chaplin, its set in 1814, when Hardys adventurer hero James Keziah Delaney returns from Africa to London to inherit whats left of his dead fathers shipping empire.

He is then caught up in a tale of conspiracy, murder and betrayal reaching right across the globe.

Hardy, 39, who is married to 35-year-old actress Charlotte Riley, is one of the leading contenders to replace Daniel Craig as Bond

Hardy insists that Taboo aims to stand out from traditional costume dramas, saying: We wanted to see if we could write it in the style of an undiscovered novel about the escapades of an unheard-of hero.

That is what we set out to do  and subvert the expectations of bonnets and ceremony for a grittier and more realistic fairy tale.

Hardy said he was delighted to be playing what he called a complete bastard, saying his character is mercurial, intuitive, shamanistic, traumatised, noble, immoral, ethical, opportunistic, brazen, primal, mercenary, calculating and brilliant.

He added: We wanted to create a period drama that felt like an event. We hoped to do this not only with the writing, but visually as well.

Make it look beautiful by drawing on all the amazing talent from the movie world that is out there, which the Americans do so well.

Acclaimed for his starring roles in films including Mad Max: Fury Road and the 2015 British crime thriller, Legend about the Krays, in which he played both twins, Hardy is one of the leading contenders to replace current 007 Daniel Craig as James Bond.

But asked about the possibility, Hardy, 39, who is married to 35-year-old actress Charlotte Riley, replied deftly: I think if an actor answers that question, then immediately theyre out of the running, arent they?

Taboo continues next Saturday at 9.15pm on BBC1.




Georgia Love was mocked by fans when she kept wearing off-the-shoulder tops on The Bachelorette.

And on Sunday, the brunette journalist poked fun at herself when striking a pose in an off-the-shoulder bikini at the beach.

The 27-year-old shared an Instagram Story where she showed off her flat stomach while making fun of her now signature style.

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It strikes again! Georgia Love poked fun at herself when striking a pose in an off-the-shoulder bikini top at the beach on Sunday, after being mocked for her signature style on The Bachelorette

'My off-the-shoulder obsession knows no bounds,' Georgia captioned the shot.

In the happy snap, she poses with her mouth agape and makes the peace sign with one hand, while taking the selfie with the other.

Wearing a yellow floral bikini top, the reality TV personality paired the vibrant with simple black hipster brief bottoms.

Her hair was tied back off her face and she also sported gold-tinted sunglasses.

Her favourite? On the show, Georgia was mocked by fans for her repetitive outfits and love of the strapless style

Getting slammed: 'And here's Georgia with her 43rd off the shoulder for #BacheloretteAU,' one viewer wrote on Twitter at the time

There it is! Another person wrote: 'Georgia's wardrobe on #BacheloretteAU has contained literally every colour / pattern combo of off the should (sic) top known to man'

On the show, Georgia was mocked by fans for her repetitive outfits and love of the strapless style.

'And here's Georgia with her 43rd off the shoulder for #BacheloretteAU,' one viewer wrote on Twitter at the time.

Another person wrote: 'Georgia's wardrobe on #BacheloretteAU has contained literally every colour / pattern combo of off the should (sic) top known to man.'

'Does Georgia have a shoulder issue? Is there a reason she can't wear a top with straps?' another tweeted.

Ouch: 'Does Georgia have a shoulder issue? Is there a reason she can't wear a top with straps?' another tweeted

Pretty in blue: She's seen here on the show with contestant Jake

Going swimmingly! Despite being mocked by fans, Georgia found love on the show with Lee Elliott, 35

The commentary didn't stop there, with another viewer teasing: 'Take a drink every time Georgia is wearing an off the [shoulder] top.'

Despite being mocked by fans, Georgia found love on the show with Lee Elliott, 35.

Last week, the pair enjoyed a date night to an outdoor cinema in Melbourne, where Georgia oddly enough, sported a white off-the-shoulder top.
Joel Edgerton was pictured alongside Heath Ledger's ex-girlfriend Michelle Williams at the BAFTA Awards Tea Party on Saturday.

The actor, who was close friends with Heath before his death in 2008, joined the American actress for a photo at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles.

Joel placed his arm around Michelle, who shares daughter Matilda with the late actor, as they attended the event ahead of next month's BAFTA Awards in London.

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Friends reunited: Joel Edgerton was pictured alongside Heath Ledger's ex-girlfriend Michelle Williams at the BAFTA Awards Tea Party on Saturday

The duo joined a host of other actors, directors and producers at the fancy bash - just two days before they learn whether they are among this year's nominees.

Joel and Michelle first became friends after they were introduced by Heath after he started dating the American actress in 2004.

And it seems the pair are still close, almost nine years on from The Dark Knight star's fatal drug overdose.

In an interview with George Stroumboulopoulos in 2014, Joel recalled first meeting a 17-year-old Heath on Bondi Beach, when he was 25.

Dapper: The actor, who was close friends with Heath before his death in 2008, joined the American actress for a photo at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles

Famous faces: The duo joined a host of other actors, directors and producers at the fancy bash - just two days before they learn whether they are among this year's nominees

Great friends: It seems the pair are still close, almost nine years on from The Dark Knight star's fatal drug overdose. Joel (L) and Heath (R) pictured at an anti-war rally in Melbourne in 2003

The pair went on to star alongside each other in 2003 hit Ned Kelly, a year before Heath started dating Michelle, after they met on the set of Brokeback Mountain.

In October 2005, the couple welcomed their daughter into the world - but were together for only two more years before amicably ending their relationship.

After Heath's death both Michelle and Joel, who were due to co-star in a remake of Italian film The Double Hour - which has yet to come to fruition - expressed their sadness at his passing.

'Heath was an exceptional human being with a massive heart - always generous, adventurous and impressive,' Joel said in a statement at the time.

Co-stars: The pair went on to star alongside each other in 2003 hit Ned Kelly, a year before Heath started dating Michelle, after they met on the set of Brokeback Mountain

Tributes: After Heath's death both Michelle and Joel, who were due to co-star in a remake of Italian film The Double Hour - which has yet to come to fruition - expressed their sadness at his passing

Joel said in a statement at the time: 'Heath was an exceptional human being with a massive heart - always generous, adventurous and impressive'

Family: In October 2005, the couple welcomed their daughter into the world - but were together for only two more years before amicably ending their relationship

'I always believed, as a young man, he was wise well beyond his years. And as far as his work goes, I know I'm not alone in thinking he was just getting started to realise an incredible potential.'

Michelle - rocking a gold NIRAV MODI bangle - also released a statement in the aftermath of the tragic news, declaring that she was heartbroken.

She said: 'I am the mother of the most tender-hearted, high-spirited, beautiful little girl who is the spitting image of her father. All that I can cling to is his presence inside her that reveals itself every day.

'His family and I watch Matilda as she whispers to trees, hugs animals, and takes steps two at a time, and we know that he is with us still. She will be brought up in the best memories of him.'
With her one shouldered black and white spotted dress, split to the thigh, Thandie Newton cut a striking figure as she stepped out at the BAFTA LA Tea Party on Saturday Sponsored by Heineken.

The 44-year-old London born actress arrived at the annual pre-Golden Globes bash at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills looking flawless.

Thandie's frock featured long sleeves and a ruffle along one shoulder, while she coordinated with a matching black bag.

Dotty for Thandie: Newton cut a striking sight in a one-shouldered black and white dress as she arrived at the BAFTA LA Tea Party on Saturday

Thandie's dress also featured a split to the thigh, which showed off her slim legs.

The British star's hair was pinned up in a casual half ponytail while eclectic red strappy heels added to the look.

The star joined fellow British actors Tom Hiddleson, Claire Foy and Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown at the event.

The actress later headed on to the W Magazine's It Girls bash where she mingled with A-listers including Amber Heard who sported a patterned halterneck dress and electric blue sandals.

The red shoes: The actress sported a pair of strappy scarlet sandals on the red carpet

Tousled: The British star's hair was pinned up in a casual half ponytail while eclectic red strappy heels added to the look

Nominated: Thandie will also be hoping to scoop the prize for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes

Meanwhile Thandie currently stars in the HBO series Westworld as Maeve Milly, a prostitute in a wild west theme park.

Speaking about her naked scenes in the show, she told The Guardian: 'Its so ironic that here I was, utterly, utterly naked  and I felt completely liberated.

'Not because I was naked but because it was my choice. Totally my choice.'

Westworld, which co-stars Anthony Hopkins and Ben Barnes, is up for several Golden Globes at Sunday's ceremony including Best Drama TV Series and Best Actress in A Drama TV Series.

Thandie will also be hoping to scoop the prize for Best Supporting Actress.
Hillary Clintons confidante said Sunday that she does not expect the former US Secretary of State to run for the New York City mayor or seek any other office ever again, Sputnik reported.

Earlier in the week, media reports emerged saying that Clinton could challenge current New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose term will wrap up at the end of 2017.

"I dont expect her to ever run for any elected office again What shes thinking about right now is how to help serve kids and families," Neera Tanden, the president of the Center for American Progress (CAP) advocacy organization, said on CNN.
It may be a serious event, but Courtney Love still knows how to make an impact on the red carpet.

The 52-year-old had a licence to frill in a ruffle-trimmed red Gucci outfit at the 6th Annual Sean Penn & Friends Haiti Rising Gala Benefit in Los Angeles.

And clearly frills were the fashion orders of the night as Elizabeth Olsen showcased her stunning figure in a feminine frill and lace gown.

Ruffled: Courtney Love still knows how to make an impact on the red carpet and Elizabeth Olsen showcased her stunning figure in a feminine frill and lace gown

Elizabeth arrived at the Montage Hotel in the peach and black outfit which layered over silk palazzo pants.

It featured a black belt cinched at her slim waist, and a striking lace train.

The beauty wore her honey tresses in loose waves and a side-parting.

Luxurious: Elizabeth arrived at the Montage Hotel in the peach and black outfit which layered over silk palazzo pants

Striking: It featured a black belt cinched at her slim waist, and a lace train

She added a cappuccino lip-colour as she flaunted her flawless complexion.

Lily Collins joined them at the event - walking her third red-carpet in the day.

The 27-year-old actress wore all black - teaming a strapless Zuhair Murah jumpsuit featuring velvet tuxedo trousers, with a satin stripe, with vertiginous Louboutin heels.

Fund-raiser: Courtney joined the 27-year-old actress, who wore an all black strapless Zuhair Murah jumpsuit

Elegant: Her outfit featured velvet tuxedo trousers with a satin side stripe

Updo: She flashed her tattoo as she wore her hair in a severe sleek bun

Raising money: Event host Sean Penn had cobbled together mismatched black clothing, without a tie alongside Lily

The daughter of Phil Collins posed alongside event host Sean Penn, who had cobbled together mismatched black clothing, without a tie.

The 56-year-old actor's charity has pumped millions of dollars into relief efforts in Haiti as it helps to rebuild the country after the disaster that claimed an estimated 160,000 lives in 2010.

The stars turned out in force to support his 6th fundraiser which was hosted by Bill Maher.

Fashionista: Rachel Zoe, 45, brought her trademark boho style to the event in a shoulderless maxi dress and David Webb jewelry alongside Rodger Berman

Night out: Newly single Diane Kruger, 40, chose a black Elie Saab jumpsuit which she accessorized with rings from Randall Scott and Yossi Harari

Stepping out: Lily and Diane both chose black jumpsuits

Handsome: Jeremy Renner jazzed up a well-tailored three-piece suit with an embroidered rose while Jason Segel, 36, wore a blue suit and battered footwear

Need a lift up? Patricia Arquette was dwarfed by her male companion

Beautiful: Connie Britton and Sophia Bush posed on the red carpet

Couple: Edward Norton and Shauna Robertson also attended

Mum night out: Pamela Anderson (L) attended with her son Brandon Thomas Lee, 20

Family: Dylan Penn, 25, was on hand to support her father

Rachel Zoe, 45, brought her trademark boho style to the event in a shoulderless maxi dress with embroidered flower detail and David Webb jewelry.

Newly single Diane Kruger, 40, looked stylish in a black Elie Saab jumpsuit.

She split from long-term partner Joshua Jackson last July.

Jeremy Renner jazzed up a well-tailored three-piece suit with an embroidered rose.

Jason Segel, 36, wore a blue suit and battered footwear.

They were joined by stars Patricia Arquette, Connie Britton, Edward Norton and Jeffrey Tambor.

Dylan Penn, 25, was on hand to support her father.

Meanwhile, Pamela Anderson attended with her son Brandon Thomas Lee, 20.

Close? Elizabeth and Jeremy were snapped together, after earlier rumours of a romance

Supporters: Jeffrey Tambor and Kasia Ostlun were also on hand to boost the fundraiser

On stage: Bill Maher emceed the event
They have been busy promoting the latest installment of the Resident Evil film series, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.

And on Saturday, Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter attended the movie's photo call at The London Hotel in Los Angeles.

As both actresses are also former models, it came as no surprise the leading ladies made quite a splash as they strutted across the white carpet together.

Leading ladies: Milla Jovovich (left) and Ali Larter (right) attended the Resident Evil: The Final Chapter photo call at The London Hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday

The film, supposedly the final installment in the big screen adaption of Capcom's famed survival horror game series, sees Milla reprise her role as Alice, while Ali revives her part as Claire Redfield.

Picking up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, the former Umbrella agent is the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity's final stand against the undead.

Now to save the world from zombies and Umbrella's diabolical plans Alice must return to where the nightmare began - The Hive in Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse.

Milla, who's husband Paul W.S. Anderson wrote and directed the films, opted to make a bold statement as she experimented with a little pattern play at the press event.

Mixing prints: Milla, who's husband Paul W.S. Anderson wrote and directed the films, opted to make a bold statement as she experimented with a little pattern play at the press event

Bold look: The 41-year-old tucked a yellow printed blouse into a plaid midi-skirt which hugged her lean figure. She added a belt and pointy toed pumps featuring red decorative bows

The 41-year-old trendsetter tucked a yellow printed blouse into a coordinating plaid midi-skirt which hugged her lean figure.

The mother-of-two added a white belt to her trim waistline and topped the ladylike look off with a pair of black pointy toed pumps featuring red decorative bows.

The Ukrainian-born beauty's make-up looked light and fresh and she styled her short brunette tresses in a sleek bob.

Lovely in lace: Ali donned a long-sleeved semi-sheer lacy dress which fell above her knee and featured a drop waistline with a black and white ribbon sash

Simply stunning: The 40-year-old's slender pins looked age-defying as she further accentuated them with a pair of nude strappy stilettos

Meanwhile, Ali looked lovely in a long-sleeved semi-sheer lacy dress which fell above her knee and featured a drop waistline with a black and white ribbon sash.

The 40-year-old's slender pins looked age-defying as she further accentuated them with a pair of nude strappy stilettos.

The Heroes hottie and mom-of-two styled her long blonde locks straight and down and wore a smokey eye and a nude pout.

Ali and Milla were later joined by their male co-stars William Levy and Eoin Macken.

The foursome were all smiles and looked happy to reunite at the press event.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter hits theaters on January 27.
It seems Mel Gibson is not ready to forgive or forget just yet when it comes to Ricky Gervais.

When the controversial British comedian hosted the Golden Globes in 2010, he took aim at the Australian actor's DUI arrest in 2006, during which the Braveheart director made anti-Semitic slurs.

Then in 2016, the pair shared the stage and traded barbs, with Mel visibly annoyed, which Mel telling the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday: 'I remember after the last experience with Ricky, I wanted to strangle him'.

Oh no! Mel Gibson has admitted admits he was livid about the jokes Ricky Gervais made at his expense at the Golden Globes in previous years, saying he wanted to 'strangle' the comedian

As Mel took to the podium to present an award, Ricky interrupted and said: 'What the f*** does sugart**s even mean?'

It was a reference to Mel's 2006 arrest, where, after being pulled over by a female police officer a decade ago, the Braveheart actor reportedly said: 'What do you think you're looking at, sugart**ts?'

The British comedian could be seen giggling as he wandered back to the side of the stage, leaving Mel visibly annoyed.

When Ricky, 55, signed off at the end of the show - in reference to Mel's offensive comments about Jews in the past - he said: 'From myself and Mel Gibson, Shalom.'

Back up! When the controversial British comedian hosted the Golden Globes in 2010, he took aim at the Australian actor's DUI arrest in 2006, during which the Braveheart director made anti-Semitic slurs and again brought up the incident in 2016 (pictured)

Mel got his revenge at the time seemingly, joking: 'I like seeing Ricky once every three years. It reminds me to get a colonoscopy.'

The two men were civil in public, with Mel claiming there were no hard feelings and 'Everything is fantastic' afterwards.

But the Aussie actor now admits he was livid.

Not a fan: 'I saw (Ricky) later and he said, 'We were great' and I said, 'Yeah right, now move on!''' the 61-year-old says

'I saw him later and he said: 'We were great' and I said, 'Yeah right, now move on!''' the 61-year-old added to the SMH.

The Office star's gags were considered quite shocking and not just to Mel, who had to grin and bear them.

However, he's in safe hands this time around.

The Passion Of the Christ director says he's glad that this year's host is actor Jimmy Fallon, 42, because he is: 'pretty harmless'.
Christian Dior, Hugo Boss, Louis Vitton and Jean Paul Gaultier - Catherine McNeil's modeling CV is as impressive as it gets.

And it's easy to see why the Brisbane-born beauty has been one of Australia's hottest exports over the past decade - showing her stuff once again on Saturday.

Flaunting her svelte physique in a bikini, the 27-year-old was pictured kicking back on Bondi Beach.

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Beach babe: Cat McNeil, who has worked for Christian Dior, Hugo Boss, Louis Vitton and Jean Paul Gaultier among others, hit the beach on Saturday

Cat wore a grey bikini top with white stars emblazoned on it, which she paired with black hipster bikini bottoms.

A thick chain with a number of keys attached to it can be seen around Cat's neck, held together with a bolt snap key clip.

Cat was also joined by close friend and fellow model Lexi Boling for her trip to the Sydney beach.

Poser: It's easy to see why the Brisbane-born beauty has been one of Australia's hottest exports over the past decade - as she strutted her stuff on her latest outing

Bikini body: Showing off her svelte physique in a bikini, the 27-year-old was pictured kicking back on Bondi Beach

Fashionista: Cat wore a grey bikini top with white stars emblazoned on it, which she paired with black hipster bikini bottoms

Chain gang: A thick chain with a number of keys attached to it can be seen around Cat's neck, held together with a bolt snap key clip

Inked: The Queenslander had a number of her tattoos on display - with the model having over 100 on her body

Tatts: Some of her ink includes a butterfly, a Crucifix, and the quote 'Never look back in anger'

The pair have been spending a lot of time together over the past few weeks and looked to be having fun as they soaked up the sun.

The duo were later pictured taking a swim in the sea as they cooled off.

Cat's famous tattoos, of which she has over 100, were also on display as the friends relaxed on the beach.

Sun seekers: Cat was also joined by close friend and fellow model Lexi Boling (R) for her trip to the Sydney beach

Mates: The pair have been spending a lot of time together over the past few weeks and looked to be having fun as they soaked up the sun

Making a splash: The duo were later pictured taking a swim in the sea as they cooled off

Carefree: Cat seemed to be without a care in the world as she took to the water for a swim

Addict: The model has several flowers scattered around various body parts and a number of symbols tattooed onto her fingers

The inking on her back includes a butterfly, a Crucifix, and the quote 'Never look back in anger.'

The model also has several flowers scattered around various body parts and a number of symbols tattooed onto her fingers.

One of her most recent additions was that of the word 'Gemini' scrawled across her foot.
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The Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, suffered a fall as she competed in the Magic Millions Polo on the Gold Coast on Sunday.

The equestrian came off her horse mid-way through the competition, before promptly getting back onto her horse and getting on with the game.

Announcing over the loudspeaker at the exclusive event, her husband Mike Tindall, told the crowd of his wife's fall: 'That's her will to win. She's tough, she bounces'.

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Putting on a united front: The duo - who have been married since July 2011 - sweetly held hands as they made their way around the event

Ouch! The Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, suffered a fall as she competed in the Magic Millions Polo on the Gold Coast on Sunday

Zara and Mike's appearance at the event marked their first public appearance together since they announced they had suffered a miscarriage.

The duo - who have been married since July 2011 - sweetly held hands as they attended the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo in Queensland.

Earlier that day, Zara stunned in a stylish white lace shirt dress, featuring elbow-length sleeves.

Picking herself up again: The equestrian came off her horse mid-way through the competition, before promptly getting back onto her horse and getting on with the game

Bouncing back: Announcing over the loudspeaker at the exclusive event, her husband Mike Tindall, told the crowd of his wife's fall: 'That's her will to win. She's tough, she bounces'

Enjoying a day out: Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall made their first public appearance since revealing last month that they had suffered a miscarriage, attending the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo in Queensland

The frock finished just above her knees in a scalloped hem and the blonde beauty completed her look with nude strappy flats and a maroon clutch.

The mother-of-one wore light makeup and her hair neatly straightened and out over her shoulders.

She also wore dark tinted sunglasses, while Mike - who has captained the England rugby team - looked smart in a blue and white shirt with dark trousers.

White on the mark! Zara - who is the daughter of Anne, Princess Royal - stunned in a stylish white lace shirt dress, featuring elbow-length sleeves

Turning heads: The frock finished just above her knees and the blonde beauty completed her look with nude strappy flats and a maroon clutch

Low-key: The mother-of-one wore light makeup and her hair neatly straightened and out over her shoulders

The duo appeared in high spirits at the event despite their recent heartbreak and laughed and smiled in one another's company.

Star equestrian Zara is a patron of Magic Millions Racing Women, while Mike is a Magic Millions ambassador.

According to The Advertiser, Zara wanted to play polo that afternoon, with a spokesperson saying she was 'keen and ready to play.'

Ready for a good day! Mike - who has captained the England rugby team - looked smart in a blue and white shirt with dark trousers and loafers

Stepping out: Star equestrian Zara is a patron of Magic Millions Racing Women

A spokesperson for Zara and Mike announced last month that the pair had lost their unborn second child.

It is believed Zara was four months into her pregnancy.

'Very sadly, Zara and Mike Tindall have lost their baby. At this difficult time, we ask that everyone respects their privacy,' the spokesperson said, remaining tight-lipped on any other details.

The couple are parents to Mia, two.

Zara is 16th in line to the throne and first met Mike in Australia 2003.

Sad news: A spokesperson for Zara and Mike announced last month, that the pair had lost their unborn second child
They can usually be seen in their medieval garb in Game Of Thrones.

But Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams certainly know how to rock a more modern wardrobe.

The two talented actresses looked ever so chic as they arrived at the BAFTA's Awards Season Tea Party in Los Angeles on Saturday Sponsored by Heineken.

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Stunners: Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams looked ever so chic as they arrived at the BAFTA's Awards Season Tea Party in Los Angeles on Saturday

Both were dressed to the nines as they hit the red carpet at the star-studded gala, which took place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Sophie, 20, showcased her slender frame in a metallic silver long sleeve top tucked into cropped black trousers.

The bottoms were lined with a gold sequined detailing around the pockets and seams as she teamed the look with a pair of black leather booties.

Chic: Sophie, 20, showcased her slender frame in a metallic silver long sleeve top tucked into cropped black trousers

Looking good: The bottoms were lined with a gold sequined detailing around the pockets and seams as she teamed the look with a pair of black leather booties

Winter is coming: She is best known for her work playing Sansa Stark on the highly-popular HBO series

Sophie - who plays Sansa Stark on the highly-popular HBO series - accessorised with an intricate gold necklace for the occasion.

Her signature blonde locks were pulled back in a ponytail as she let her natural look show with complimentary make-up including a swipe of pink lip.

Not to be outdone 19-year-old Maisie was pretty in a red and white gingham plaid mini dress.

Pretty in plaid: Not to be outdone 19-year-old Maisie was pretty in a red and white gingham plaid mini dress

Signature role: The English actress who plays Arya Stark in Game Of Thrones

The stylish frock featured a shimmering silver detailing at the straps which matched with her black clutch bag.

The English actress who plays Arya Stark in Game Of Thrones completed the look with a pair of black leather open-toed heels.

Game Of Thrones season 7 is expected to air in mid-2017.

Hugged up: The two starlets were pictured hanging out at the gala
Michelle Payne, Francesca Cumani, and Zara Phillips enjoyed a day at the races on Saturday.

The trio attended the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo in Queensland, where they posed for a photo together in front of a horse.

Zara and Michelle both looked fresh in white, while Francesca switched things up a bit with a black top.

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All smiles: Zara Phillips, Francesca Cumani, and Michelle Payne enjoyed a day at the races on Saturday

They were also seen chatting together, indicating that they had become friends.

Michelle is a jockey who won the 2015 Melbourne Cup, riding Prince of Penzance, making the Magic Millions Polo the perfect fit for her.

British Zara is best known for being the Queen's fourth great-grandchild.

Stepping out: The trio attended the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo in Queensland, where they posed for a photo together in front of a horse

Chatting: The trio were spotted chatting away, indicating that they had become friends

All right in white! Zara and Michelle wore similar white dresses, while Francesca sported white pants

Royal: British Zara is best known for being the Queen's fourth great-grandchild

She's also a professional equestrian who once had her own line of equestrian clothing.

According to a press release, Zara played in the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo's marquee event.

Francesca is an English television presenter best known as the co-host of Channel Seven's Melbourne Cup coverage.

Other celebrities at the event included some My Kitchen Rules cast members and Australian actress Emma Leonard.

Claim to fame: Michelle is a jockey who won the 2015 Melbourne Cup, riding Prince of Penzance, making the Magic Millions Polo the perfect fit for her
With a new baby at home - their first son - Ellen Pompeo and Chis Ivery seem determined to keep themselves healthy.

The two of them were spotted in workout clothes on Saturday, enjoying a trek in a Los Angeles park with a couple of friends.

Pompeo had pulled on a pair of seemingly airtight stockings that featured blocks of white on a black field and that accentuated her toned legs.

Health, health, health: Ellen Pompeo and her husband Chris Ivery were spotted in workout clothes on Saturday, enjoying a trek in a Los Angeles park with a couple of friends

The 47-year-old had put a bit of effort into insulating herself from the chill, popping a black bomber jacket over her light grey hoodie.

Her dirty blonde hair fanned out from beneath the black beanie she'd popped on, and she completed her look with black, grey, white and orange trainers.

Meanwhile, her husband had also worn a jacket over his grey hoodie, though his was various shades of brown, and he'd left it open.

When you got it: Pompeo had pulled on a pair of seemingly airtight stockings that featured blocks of white on a black field and that accentuated her toned legs

Ivery had perched a black beanie of his own onto his head, complementing the black and grey sweats and his black and white Nike trainers.

After a four-year relationship, the Grey's Anatomy star and the record producer married in 2007 at City Hall in Lower Manhattan, per People.

A witness at the ceremony that day was Michael Bloomberg, who at the time still occupied the mayoralty of New York City.

A decade on: After a four-year relationship, the Grey's Anatomy star and the record producer married in 2007 at City Hall in Lower Manhattan

In the intervening time, she's given birth to a now seven-year-old daughter called Stella and had a now two-year-old daughter called Sienna via surrogacy.

On December 29th, her Instagram page played host to a photo of her husband cradling their new son Eli Christopher.

The caption, which served as their birth announcement, cooed: 'Eli Christopher Chris Ivery just fell a notch.. I've got a new guy.'
She's been spending plenty of time away from her busy modeling schedule.

And it seems like Australian model Bambi Northwood-Blyth is not heading back to work just yet, still enjoying the sun and surf that home has to offer.

The 24-year-old took to Instagram to share a picture of herself at the beach.

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Think pink: Australian model Bambi Northwood-Blyth shared a picture of herself at the beach

She is pictured laying back on a baby pink surfboard with her brunette locks flowing across the board.

Wearing a pink bandeau bikini top and tiny black bottoms, she positioned one leg crossed over the other and showed off her slender physique.

The Melbourne-born model positioned one hand across her upper body and the other touching her forehead to show off her minimal jewellery pieces.

Surfer girl: She has spent plenty of time away from her busy modeling schedule back home in Australia

Selfie: The 24-year-old and her fashion designer husband Dan Single appear to have been in Australia over the Christmas and New Year holiday

She captioned her post: 'SUNDAZEEEEEE SURF DAYZZZZZ. SHREDDDDDIN,' accompanied with a sun and girl surfer emoji.

Bambi was recently pictured with her husband of two years and co-founder of denim label Ksubi Dan Single, at Sydney's Watsons Boutique Hotel where Single performed a DJ set.

The couple appears to have been in Australia over the Christmas and New Year holiday, even celebrating with supermodel It-boy Jordan Barrett.

Beach ready: The model has shared a few Instagram posts of herself and her husband enjoying the sun, surf and warm weather

The New York based model and her fashion designer husband have also branched out into other entrepreneurial fields.

Two years ago they launched their own line of Australian rose wine called Pour Les Amour, which has proven to be a success.

The loved up pair were married in 2014 in a private ceremony in Byron Bay and set to celebrate their third anniversary later this month.
She's one of the most desirable women on British television.

But Susanna Reid, 46, still isn't in a rush to find a man three years on from her split from ex Dominic Cotton.

The Good Morning Britain host told The Sun's Fabulous magazine that the pair have maintained a firm friendship since going their separate ways in a bid to keep their three sons happy.

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When the time is right: Susanna Reid, 46, still isn't in a rush to find a man three years on from her split from ex Dominic Cotton

While Dominic began a relationship with Adela Straughan in 2014, Susanna has admitted she's not looking for love just yet, telling the magazine: 'Im not dating, and right now it feels like absolutely the right thing to be single and independent. Its a positive choice.

'I am now in a position where I can be with my children as much as I possibly can, because work is in a really good place, and both of those things take up my energy, time and love. I cant imagine who has the time to then start a new relationship. My goodness

'I genuinely feel the happiest Ive ever been. There will be plenty of time for... anything else later, later, later.'

Still good friends: News of their split emerged in February 2014, when Dominic (pictured) posted a profile on a dating website

News of the couple's split emerged in February 2014, when Dominic posted a profile on a dating website.

However, Susanna explained at the time that he was entitled to do so as they had already ended their relationship despite still living together.

The journalist began 2017 in confident fashion, sharing a make-up free comparison selfie with her Instagram followers.

Her own woman: Susanna graced the cover of the latest edition of Fabulous

Susanna explained: '[Right] Me on Instagram = extra eyelashes, make-up & filters. [Left] Me in Real life = blemishes, lines & flaws.'

She continued: 'There's a time & value for both but don't compare your behind-the-scenes to others' highlights reels. Happy Being You Year!'

It was immediately obvious which picture her fans liked best as they littered the comments section with compliments about her natural beauty.

Just days later Susanna said she would consider having another baby at the same age, during a heated debate about the issue with her GMB co-host Piers Morgan.

The duo sparked a lively debate as they discussed the news that music icon Janet Jackson has welcomed her son Eissa.

Piers, 51, questioned: 'Is this a good thing?' as he pointed out Janet will be 70 when her son is 20.

Susanna had a different opinion though, telling Piers: 'I think why not, actually. I wouldn't rule it out.'
At least 37 Daesh terrorists, including three high-ranking group members, were killed in northern Syria in the last 24 hours as part of the ongoing Operation Euphrates Shield, according to a Turkish General Staff statement released on Saturday, Anadolu reported.

Turkish Air force also hit 35 Daesh targets in Syrias Al-Bab region, including 18 weapons pits, five control points, seven shelters, two headquarters and three vehicles used by the terrorists.

The Turkish army is supporting Free Syrian Army fighters in liberating Al-Bab, a strategic city for Daesh, from the terrorist group.

The Turkey-led Operation Euphrates Shield began in late August to improve security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the terror threat along the Turkish border using FSA fighters backed by Turkish artillery and jets.
Her role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown bagged her a Best Actress nomination at this year's Golden Globes.

But leading lady Claire Foy admitted she is 'completely terrified' about the prospect of winning the award at the BAFTA Tea Party in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Dazzling on the carpet in a chic kimono-style floral frock, the 32-year-old actress confessed her fears to the Press Association - but added that she hopes to let her hair down once the award has been given out.

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Nervous: Claire Foy, 32, admitted she is 'completely terrified' about the prospect of winning a Golden Globe for her role in The Crown at the BAFTA Tea Party in LA on Saturday

The actress showed no signs of her nerves on the red carpet as she posed in a stylish kimono-style black gown, patterned with bold yellow flowers.

Cinching in at her slim waist with a retro black and white belt, the dress then wrapped around her figure in lines of chunky buttons to emanate the traditional Japanese style.

The mother-of-one tied her look together effortlessly with a set of classic black heeled sandals and opted for minimal, glowing make-up to accentuate her naturally striking features.

Anticipation: The blonde, who has received high praise for her role in the Netflix drama (above), said she was 'terrified' about the awards - but that she hopes it will be a 'great party'

While she posed comfortably and confidently on the carpet, Claire admitted at the event that she was incredibly nervous for the Golden Globes on Sunday night - where she is nominated for the prestigious Best Actress in a TV Drama award.

The blonde, who has received nothing but high praise for her role in the critically-acclaimed Netflix drama, said of the first big awards ceremony of 2017: 'I'm really looking forward to it.

'Obviously I'm completely terrified. But I think once it's all out of the way it will just be a great party!'

Like a professional: However the actress showed no signs of her nerves on the red carpet in a stylish kimono-style black gown, patterned with yellow flowers

Claire has been portraying Queen Elizabeth II in hit Netflix series The Crown - with the first series depicting the power struggle between her and new husband Prince Phillip (played by Matt Smith) when she is thrust into leading the country.

The Stockport-born star explained that she has 'learnt so much' about herself as a screen star as well as the long-reigning monarch, thanks to the challenging role.

She added at the bash: 'I've learnt a lot about being an actor but I've also learnt a lot about her and her role, her duty, and what she's been through in life.'

The show, which is the most expensive drama ever with a budget of 100million, made its debut in November when the entire first series was released on Netflix.

Young monarch: Claire plays Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown - with the first series depicting the struggles of her and husband Prince Phillip (played by Matt Smith) as she takes the throne

Portraying the Queen's reign from her wedding in 1947 to the present day, it is expected to span 60 episodes over six seasons.

However it was recently reported that British beauty Claire will be bidding farewell to the drama after its second season - as producers are preparing to cast a new actress to play an older Queen.

Having been a huge success since its premiere, competition is already said to be hotting up for stars to play the monarch between 1965-1985 - with Emily Watson, Rachel Weisz and Kate Beckinsale tipped for the role.

Claire meanwhile joins a whole host of British stars up for gongs at the star-studded Golden Globes ceremony on Sunday night.

Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman have been nominated for their roles in BBC mini-series The Night Manager, while the likes of Hugh Grant, Naomie Harris, Dev Patel and Andrew Garfield have received recognition for their recent film roles.

Brit power: Claire joins a whole host of British stars up for gongs at the star-studded Golden Globes ceremony on Sunday night, including Tom Hiddleston (above) for the Night Manager
She prides herself on her incredibly daring ensembles.

And Lady Victoria Hervey surpassed herself once more as she slipped into a skin-tight white jumpsuit at The BAFTA Tea Party at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills on Saturday.

The 40-year-old socialite showed off her incredibly svelte physique in the one-piece, which boasted a second-skin style silk material paired with a plunging neckline.

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Little to the imagination! Lady Victoria Hervey surpassed herself once more as she slipped into a skin-tight white jumpsuit at The BAFTA Tea Party at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills on Saturday

Sometime-model Victoria is a stalwart on both the LA and London social scenes and often attempts to wear as little clothes as possible at various sparkling events.

The stunner yet again flashed her sensational physique on Saturday evening in her perilously plunging and skin-tight jumpsuit.

Flashing her perky assets, Victoria opted to go braless from beneath the V-neckline which nearly cut to her navel in depth.

Aside from the exposure of her cleavage, the bottoms of the white number left very little to the imagination as she appeared to forego underwear in a successful bid to avoid visible lines of lingerie.

No support needed! Flashing her perky assets, Victoria opted to go braless from beneath the V-neckline which nearly cut to her navel in depth

Never fully dressed! Sometime-model Victoria is a stalwart on both the LA and London social scenes and often attempts to wear as little clothes as possible at various sparkling events

The white silk of the stunning getup helped to add to the sexy feel yet she injected a touch of high-fashion with the black branch-like adornment extending up the leg and lining the cleavage.

Boosting her already statuesque model height was a pair of thin strap gold shoes, complete with a staggering heel and a cross-over strap across the foot.

Victoria's bleach blonde tresses were styled into Farrah Fawcett-inspired flicks which perfectly framed her flawless bone structure.

A dashing couple: Happy couple Sam Taylor-Johnson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson graced the red carpet

All the stars! Also living it up at the bash was Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling

Her make-up was expertly applied with lashings of highlighter emphasising her high cheekbones and a smudged khol framing her almond shaped eyes.

Never one to shy away from a touch of bling, Victoria added in some dazzling diamond earrings which tumbled in a waterfall style.

A bevy of other stars were attending the bash, including Sam Taylor-Johnson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams and Thandie Newton.

Girls' night out! Michelle Williams, Thandie Newton and Naomie Harris (left-right) all dazzled in stunning ensembles for the big bash

The famous 'it' girl - who is the daughter of the late 6th Marquess of Bristol - recently told the Daily Mail's Sebastian Shakespeare that English women struggle to be sexy.

'Women in London are too conservative and dont have the courage to wear sexy outfits. Its an English thing,' she said.

'I grew up in the South of France so I have a much more international approach.'
She recently shared the stunning results of her 28-day fitness challenge.

And on Sunday as the temperatures soared in Sydney, Noni Janur shared a snap of her bikini beautiful body as she posed on Bondi Beach.

Wearing a plunging black bikini top and a small triangle string pants, the 26-year-old's toned assets were on full display.

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Looking good! On Sunday as the temperatures soared in Sydney, Noni Janur shared a snap of her bikini beautiful body as she posed on Bondi Beach

The brunette beauty paired the look with a pair of pink reflective shades and a couple of string bracelets.

Of late, the star has reveled in her newfound confidence, posting another very revealing bikini body snap a few days prior.

Noni's ample cleavage and pert posterior spilled out of a tiny black G-string bikini while her luscious locks spilled over her glowing face, which she covered with large round-rimmed sunglasses.

Confidence! Noni Janur posted a very revealing bikini body snap on Instagram Thursday, as her ample cleavage and pert posterior spilled out of a tiny black G-string bikini

Last Wednesday, Noni took to to post a photo from before and after she undertook a 28-day fitness challenge.

Displaying a toned torso, trim waist and pert derriere in the most recent photo, she declared her transformation 'amazing'.

She said: 'Wow what a difference! Just finished the @fitazfk 28 day challenge. I feel amazing, full of energy and the program was so easy to follow (sic) just in time for summer.'

A portion of her 47,000 followers failed to see a marked difference between the pictures, while others congratulated her on her new physique.

Noni's arms appear to have gained muscle while her torso and legs look to be more toned in the latest pic.

Challenge complete: On Wednesday, The Bachelor star took to Instagram to post a photo from before and after she undertook a 28-day fitness challenge.

Transformation: The Bachelor star took to Instagram to post a photo from before and after she undertook a 28-day fitness challenge

Noni's new bikini body is ready just in time for her upcoming holiday, which she recently announced on social media.

The reality star took to Instagram last Tuesday wearing a floral off-the-shoulder top to reveal she is heading back to her 'island home'.

The bronze beauty was glowing as she updated her followers on her plans to visit Bali in the near future.

'Count down to Bali': Noni poses in a floral top flashback on Instagram on Tuesday as she updated her followers on a visit to her 'island home' in the coming weeks

She captioned the image, in part: 'Cannot wait to get back to my island home... count down to Bali.'

She radiated a healthy glow, as she displayed her freckled complexion with the use of minimal makeup.

Noni smiled as she looked down at her pink smoothie, in which she appeared to be stirring with a celery stick from within a cafe.
It has been less than a week since he and Sam Frost revealed they had called time on their 18-month romance.

And it seems Sasha Mielczarek has been trying to fix his broken heart with the help of his male pals, having spent Saturday night partying with three friends.

On Sunday, he took to Instagram to document the outing, sharing a photo of himself posing arm-in-arm with his chums as they socialised over drinks.

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'Great night out with these guys': Sasha Mielczarek took to Instagram on Sunday with this happy snap of himself partying with three friends on Saturday night, less than a week after announcing his split from Sam Frost

'Have a go at the heads on these blokes, would deadset make an onion cry! Great night out with these guys last night especially the two waiters to the right who joined us after their shift,' he wrote in the caption.

He also added the humerous hashtags: #wheredyougetthecanadiantuxedodenimdan #dontforgettodrinkresponsibly and #twothefirsthourandeighteveryhourafterthat.

It comes after the construction manager took to Instagram last Tuesday to share his devastation over his and Sam's failed romance.

Splitsville: It comes after the construction manager took to Instagram last Tuesday to share his devastation over his and Sam's failed romance

In an emotional Instagram post, he revealed that the geographical distance between the couple had taken its toll on their relationship.

'After 18 months together, I can confirm that Sam and myself have come to a mutual decision to part ways. I respect Sam wholeheartedly and cherish our new found friendship.

'It is important to stress that there is no bitterness or scandal however the distance has been challenging at times.

'This is a very difficult time': In an emotional Instagram post, he revealed that the geographical distance between the couple had taken its toll on their relationship

'This is a very difficult time for the two of us and to be honest I'm absolutely heartbroken!' Sasha wrote.

The rugged reality star went on to praise his ex and wish her well professionally.

'Sammy, I think you are absolutely amazing, beautiful in every way and I wish you all the best in the future. I will be listening to your fantastic radio show and look forward to you killing the ratings in 2017,' he gushed.

'I want to thank everyone for their love and support over the past 18 months, you have all been amazing! Now get back to your holidays and enjoy time with family and friends!'
They're both known for their immense acting talent and their signature red hair.

So it was no surprise that Nicole Kidman and Emma Stone appeared to get along like a house on fire at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts International Awards (AACTAs) in Los Angeles on Friday night.

The lookalike pair were both big winners on the night, with Nicole taking home Best Supporting Actress for her role in Lion, while Emma scored Best Actress for La La Land.

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They could be sisters! Nicole Kidman and Emma Stone appeared to get along like a house on fire at the AACTAs in Los Angeles on Friday night

Nicole's ceremony dress was particularly daring one, as she stunned in a plunging black gown with a lace chest and a pink band around the waist.

Going braless in the lingerie-style number, Nicole risked a wardrobe malfunction with her exposed neckline.

She tied her strawberry blonde hair up loosely and wore a dark pink lipstick.

Winning! The lookalike pair were both big winners on the night, with Nicole taking home Best Supporting Actress for her role in Lion, while Emma scored Best Actress for La La Land

Emma sported a short black dress with mesh material over the shoulders and her decolletage.

Like Nicole, she also decided to tie back her dark red hair in a casually elegant style.

Both La La Land and Lion are tipped to be big hits at the upcoming Academy Awards.

All smiles: The glamorous actresses posed with security consultant Oded Krashinsky

La La Land also won Best Film, beating both Lion and Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge.

Emma took to the stage to receive the Best Actress award.

'Unfortunately it has been about three years since I was in Australia and I tried fairy bread when I was there which I hear was just for children,' Emma said in her speech.

'But I loved it and am really looking forward to having it again,' she added.
Taboo lived up its name and proved nothing is sacred  not even the most comforting conventions of that great British tradition: Saturday night television.

The legions of caterwauling karaoke contestants had been silenced and there was not a Doctor or Dalek in sight. Politicians desperately doing ballroom dancing and sad celebrities belly-flopping off the top board were noticeable only by their absence.

The magical, innocent, days of sword-fights with Robin Hood or The Musketeers were, like Merlin, ancient history.

Dark and brooding: Tom Hardy plays the black-hearted hero in new Saturday night TV must-see Taboo

Instead, Taboo appeared, spreading like a dark, disturbing, stain across the screen, causing the same contemptuous chaos with the schedule as its black-hearted hero (played by Tom Hardy).

As alternatives to the norm go, Taboo was certainly comprehensive.

The first episode alone included references to rape, incest, and slavery, pedophilia and prostitution, evil, witchcraft, ghosts, madness, and The Beast With A Million Eyes and Ears; men whose lives had been devoted to murder, military genocide, grave-robbing, gold-trading, and bear-fighting in Chancery Lane. Not to mention talk of bags of testicles being devoured by whores and drunken experiments setting ships ablaze with mashed potato.

Creepy: The first episode alone included references to rape, incest, and slavery, pedophilia and prostitution, evil, witchcraft, ghosts, madness

You didnt get that in Casualty  even back in its bleakest early years.

All this meant that the BBCs decision to screen Taboo on a Saturday night - after Let It Shine and a repeat of Dads Army, before Match Of The Day, and opposite Through The Keyhole - was either an act of mercy or utter madness  no matter how strong its credentials.

Taboo was created by Steven Knight (the writer of Peaky Blinders) and Tom Hardy (its star) and was produced by Ridley Scott, the Hollywood heavyweight who directed Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator.

Again, not something you could say about Casualty

Gruesome: The BBCs decision to screen Taboo on a Saturday night - after Let It Shine and a repeat of Dads Army, before Match Of The Day, and opposite Through The Keyhole - was either an act of mercy or utter madness  no matter how strong its credentials.

Taboo was a supremely grim vision  London 1814, a grey, foreboding, world somewhere between the darkest Dickensian melodrama and the modern Gothic horror of Penny Dreadful; Conrads Heart Of Darkness spliced with the slick, stylized, fantasies of a Marilyn Manson video.

Hardy had a whale of a time as the most tormented, miserable, man to ever walk the streets of London (apart from EastEnders), storming through the mud and blood in his dusty black hat and coat, with a designer scar under one eye, muttering and grunting away in an unusual accent (or possibly several).

This was James Keziah Delaney, the ultimate family outcast returning home from Africa for his fathers funeral in a black twist on the classic inheritance storyline  the voodoo version of Nick Cotton; a Troubled chap (with a capital T) brooding so ostentatiously he made Heathcliff and Brandos Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now look like cheerleaders and choirboys.

Too much? Taboo was a supremely grim vision  London 1814, a grey, foreboding, world

They said you were dead ! his half-sister gasped when he appeared at their fathers funeral.

I am, he growled.

He wasnt necessarily joking either.

I know things about the dead, he would mutter (often). I have sworn to do very foolish things. Im not a fit man to be around children.

Well he said it.

Tormented by his past, he was plagued by waking nightmares  voodoo visions of dead slaves, feverishly pleading I have no fear to feed you with and claiming: I did as others did and as others had me do.

Drama: The magical, innocent, days of sword-fights with Robin Hood or The Musketeers were, like Merlin, ancient history

His default response to practically every situation was the promise of violence.

People who do not know me soon come to understand that I do not have any sense, he hissed convincingly to the woman who had set up a bordello in his fathers abandoned office. You send me twelve men and I will return you twelve sets of testicles in a bag and we can watch your little whores devour them together.

Gulp.

It was little wonder that every conversation with (or about) him tended to include people speculating I heard you done a lot of evil over there or perhaps the rumours are true.

Generally it seemed they were.

In temperament he takes after his mad mother - a resident of Bedlam, an investigation into his background had found. His father too. He had become half human, the familys devoted butler told James. He would squat here by the fire and make deals with ghosts in the flames. And he would speak in a language that was like ravens fighting. He would talk to you though. Stand out on the river and call out to the other side.

Yes I know. I heard him calling, Delaney nodded.

Dark and brooding: The drama certainly had a dark feel about it

He had been just 11 when he became a cadet with the East India Companys military seminary, traveling the world, progressing to the rank of Corporal before his true savage nature and his mothers madness emerged.

A colourful list of offences followed: a fight with a bear in Chancery Lane, setting ablaze a navy boat in an experiment with oil and mashed potatoes while drunk.

Well, weve all done it

Amoral adventures trading gold and slaves followed before his ship to Antigua sank and he was assumed to be dead.

Then the rumours started. Awful and unnatural.

The mind boggled

Sir Stuart Strange, the chairman of the East India Company (played by the estimable Jonathan Pryce), had determined to buy the one asset James had inherited.

This was Nootka Sound, a small strip of coastline in the States bought for beads and gunpowder thirty years earlier.

If America were a pig facing England, it is right at the pigs arse, his fathers lawyer told him. A wasteland - just rocks and Indians. It is not only useless, it is dangerous to any man who owns it.

Theyre my rocks now, Delaney glowered.

The East India Company were prepared to pay him handsomely for the land, as the Americans were, for good reason: with it came ownership of the entire island of Vancouver which, as the gateway to China, had a strategic and trading value that was astronomical.

Threatening: Hardy had a whale of a time as the most tormented, miserable, man to ever walk the streets of London

We realized that incredibly, compared to the venal, ruthless, businessman, Delaney was not the villain of the piece but the hero.

Just open the f**king envelope ! Sir Stuart blazed desperately insisting Delaney accept their last offer.

We waited for him to explode in the face of such insulting provocation. Hardy turned the anger raging inside James up to boiling like a cross between Guy the Gorilla and Brandos Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, only to keep it unexpectedly contained.

Mmmmh, he muttered eventually, still making the force of the fury at his disposal clear.

Sir Stuart had been Delaneys commanding officer when he was young but did not recognize him or remember he had been in his regiment. But Delaney did, mumbling troubled memories of the terrible shadow, the beast with a million eyes, the rape and plunder

I studied your methods in your school, he pointed out to Sir Stuart. And I do know the evil that you do because I was once part of it.

I had hoped to settle this matter in a modern way but thats not going to be possible. Hes all yours, Strange snarled after Delaney had left without deigning to even look at their valuation of the land  or consider selling it to them.

The two men may have been guilty of the same immoral acts and both beyond redemption.

They may have fought together once, now though they were indubitably at war.
She is known for being fixated on her own appearance, having previously received lip fillers, a breast augmentation, and most recently, a new nose.

And on Sunday, the plastic fantastic beauty 23-year-old made light of a hilarious picture of herself snapped at FOMO Music Festival on Saturday which she uploaded to her Instagram account.

The reality TV star captioned the image: 'Can't Facetune this one boys! Honestly is this not the best thing you have ever seen?'

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What's going on?! On Sunday, the plastic fantastic beauty 23-year-old made light of a hilarious picture of herself snapped at FOMO Music Festival on Saturday

In the picture she is seen grimacing in an awkward pose as she chatted among friends.

At the festival the Instagram model was joined by a group of pals, as well as her on-again/off-again boyfriend, tattooed tradie Cameron McCristal.

To combat Brisbane's warm weather, Skye decided to dress in minimal clothing.

She flaunted her infamous Bangkok boob job in a busty white lace bra that she was boldly wearing as a top.

Thirsty? The Instagram model enjoyed a beverage in a Red Bull cup as she danced up a storm

Rocking out! The 26-year-old danced to the festival's musical acts, which included EDM duo Peking Duk and rapper Desiigner

The blonde bombshell slipped into a white denim mini-skirt, and wore sneakers instead of heels to ensure that she could comfortably dance.

Not one for subtlety when it comes to style, Skye also sported fake pink nails which had been embellished and bedazzled with rhinestones and glitter.

The pouty social media darling quenched her thirst by sipping out of a cup marked with a Red Bull logo.

Busting out! She flaunted her infamous Bangkok boob job in a busty white lace bra that she was boldly wearing as a top

All right in white! The blonde bombshell slipped into a white denim mini-skirt, and wore sneakers instead of heels to ensure that she could comfortably dance to musical

Claws: Not one for subtlety when it comes to style, Skye also sported a fake pink nails which had been embellished and bedazzled with rhinestones and glitter

Skye regularly flies between her home on the Gold Coast and Sydney in order to see celebrity plastic surgeon Dr Michael Zacharia in Double Bay.

The doctor performed the former Big Brother contestant's nose job, which generated a mixed response from fans who worried she had gone too far with her plastic surgeries.

Skye also met him for a consultation as she endeavored to fix the botched boob job she received in Thailand in 2015, but it is not known if she went through with the procedure.

Perfect: Skye showed off her new nose as well as her artificially plump pout

Having fun? The duck-lipped social media darling quenched her thirst by sipping out of a cup marked with a Red Bull logo

She recently told Yahoo!7 that her surgery ordeal in Bangkok made her lose sleep the night before her rhinoplasty.

'I was just stressing out because I was like, 'I need this to be perfect',' she said.

'I've had a botched surgery before so I was really nervous and I knew there were complications involved so that was always in the back of my mind.'

Plump pout: Skye has been open about receiving lip fillers, and even advises fans on which injectables are the best

Skye's extensive surgery, use of extensions, makeup, fake tan and weight loss products has left her looking almost unrecognisable from the wholesome girl who Australia first met during Big Brother in 2014.

The bubbly blonde rocked a makeup-free face, beachy waves and a more casual style of dressing during her time on screen.

She's now focused on launching her very own swimwear line, tentatively titled Skyla Swim.
Her EastEnders' character Roxy Mitchell was killed off in a dramatic drowning storyline on New Year's Day after 10 years on the soap.

Despite her character going six feet under, actress Rita Simons, 39, has revealed her hopes to swap Walford for the dizzying heights of Hollywood as she has two movie roles lined up.

The soap star - who's shocking end alongside her newly married sister Ronnie , played by Samantha Womack, had fans in tears - admitted to The Sunday People she's looking forward to moving on with her career and is already eyeing up a 'gangster role'.

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Moving on up! Despite her character going six feet under, actress Rita Simons has revealed hopes to swap Walford for the dizzying heights of Hollywood

She said: 'EastEnders was a great job but its time to move on. I now want to do gangster roles, edgy dramas and comedy. I'm capable of doing so much.

'I can do any accent and I'm way sillier than people realise. As Roxy, I didn't get to show all these different sides of my personality.'

Speaking about her upcoming plans, the blonde beauty - who is the niece of Sir Alan Sugar - revealed she already has two film roles lined up in Los Angeles and Britain.

She revealed: 'I'm hoping to do a couple of movies over coming months. They should keep me busy. One of them is UK-based and one is in LA.'

New projects: The soap star - who's shocking end alongside her newly married sister Ronnie , played by Samantha Womack (pictured right), had fans in tears - admitted to The Sunday People she's looking forward to moving on with her career

Homebody: While the actress is elated with her new projects, she insisted she not quite ready to pack up her Essex home and move to the bright lights of Los Angeles

While the actress is elated with her new projects, she insisted she not quite ready to pack up her Essex home and move to the bright lights of Los Angeles.

However, Rita - who has twin girls Maiya and Jaimee - admitted her hairdresser husband Theo Silveston, 39, wants to 'go there badly' and would be there 'in a flash'.

But self-confessed 'homebody' Rita said she doesn't want to unnecessarily uproot her family, although it's a decision she hasn't completely 'ruled' out either.

That's a wrap: Rita left her final Snow White panto performance in St Albans in a pink hoodie and jeans

Glam:Rita still sported heavy makeup from her on-stage role

Crowd pleaser: The star happily posed for selfies with fans

Heading home: One fan looked in awe of Rita as she made her exit

Rita isn't the first former EastEnders star to discuss the thought of packing up and moving to Hollywood.

In 2014, Patsy Palmer - who played iconic Bianca Jackson from 1993 to 2014 - made the bold moved Stateside with her husband Richard Merkell their three children Fenton, 16, Emilia, 15, and Bertie, six.

It was previously reported that she bagged a part in a TV spoof about hopeful Brits trying to make it big in America.

She would have allegedly played a version of herself in the forthcoming documentary satire, which also features her former EastEnders co-star Michael Greco.

However, Charlie Brooks, also from EastEnders, appears to have replaced Patsy in the role.
They've just returned from an idyllic holiday in Dubai.

But Jamie Laing and girlfriend Frankie Gaff didn't seem to have had too much of a good thing on Saturday night, as they reunited for a night out in London.

Having thoroughly relaxed, the Made In Chelsea stars seemed to be straight back to partying at their best, when they left Cirque nightclub looking a little worse for wear.

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Worse for wear: Frankie Gaff (right) and her beau Jaime Laing (left) were seen leaving Cirque in London on Saturday night

Through gritted teeth, Frankie seemed to chat to her boyfriend on exiting the venue in the early hours.

He was hunched over and a little red in the face, not managing to disguise himself beneath a low cap.

Frankie, with her golden hair messily styled into a half-up/half-down do, was quite the glamour-puss, meanwhile, in a shaggy fur coat.

Under it, her long and lean legs were visibly golden from a week spent in the United Arab Emirates.

Party people: The Made In Chelsea stars certainly seemed to have partied hard

Feeling the chill? Frankie's teeth were gritted as if she didn't like the cold

She made sure they stood out yet more in black boots that stretched over her knees to create only a small gap with her cut playsuit.

Frankie's top layer was no doubt helping her to acclimatise, after the pleasant winter sun in Dubai.

Late last week, the pretty blonde proved she had plenty of reasons to jump for joy, as she posted pictures of herself cartwheeling across the golden sands.

Bikini babe: Frankie was showing off her top tan and perfect beach body on Thursday, as the duo enjoyed their holiday

Looking trim in a pretty patterned bikini, the Made In Chelsea star spent the day sipping from coconuts and inducing serious envy among those with January blues.

She shared one sun-soaked snap where she knelt on a sunbed, showing off her incredible physique.

Later, she appeared to hint at where it came from as she put on energetic display on the beach.

Throwing her hands in the air, one picture showed Frankie pre-cartwheel, and a second cheeky snap caught her in full rotation with her bum turned to the camera.

Jump for joy: Frankie rotated into a cartwheel to show off her athleticism on the beach

Might as well jump! Frankie was caught pre-cartwheel, looking lean and excitable

It was perhaps thanks to obedient other half Jamie that Frankie had photo evidence of the fun moment.

The duo have certainly been enjoying a blissful break, catching some winter sun in-between seasons of their E4 reality show.

Their break comes just days after Jamie admitted that dating Frankie on Made In Chelsea is the 'hardest thing' he has ever done.

The 28-year-old told Digital Spy: 'Being on a show and having your relationship on it is the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

'I've never really had a proper relationship on the show so yeah, it was pretty testing at times. But I'm hoping we can be okay for the future, for sure.'
She delightedly announced she is set to tread the boards in a production of Peter James' Not Dead Enough for her first ever acting role.

So it is little wonder Laura Whitmore looked so happy as she vacated her Dublin hotel on her way to The Ray DArcy Show in her native country on Saturday night.

The 31-year-old Strictly Come Dancing contestant looked stunning in her flirty chiffon dress which she layered beneath a longline tuxedo jacket while she toted a no-doubt designer handbag.

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Fun in floral: Laura Whitmore looked so delighted as she vacated her Dublin hotel on her way to The Ray DArcy Show in her native country on Saturday night

Laura is set to star as Cleo Morely in the interpretation of the 2007 crime fiction novel at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre - and she could not be more excited.

Ahead of her talk with chat show favourite Ray DArcy, the stunning star once again flaunted her fashionista credentials in the chic gown.

Her yellow and white chiffon number boasted an abstract floral pattern adorned with bright colours and detail - perfect to brighten up the dreary January weather.

She boosted her height and lengthened her already endless legs with a pair of bold red stilettos with a pointed toe and staggering heel.

Keeping out the cold: The 31-year-old Strictly Coem Dancing contestant looked stunning in her flirty chiffon dress which she layered beneath a longline tuxedo jacket while she toted a no-doubt designer handbag

Striking: Laura is set to star as Cleo Morely in the interpretation of the 2007 crime fiction novel at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre - and she could not be more delighted

Ravishing in red: She added a dash of colour to her beauty regimen with a subtle slick of red lipstick - perfectly coordinating with her heels

While her tote bag was all-black, she once again made sure she injected colour into the getup by attaching a sunshine yellow pom pom to the strap.

As ever, Laura allowed her dazzling natural beauty to shine from beneath minimal make-up as she enhanced her complexion with highlighter.

She added a dash of colour to her beauty regimen with a subtle slick of red lipstick - perfectly coordinating with her heels.

Her blonde tresses were styled into loose waves falling from a centre parting and piled into a neat chignon at the nape of her neck.

What a beauty! As ever, Laura allowed her dazzling natural beauty to shine from beneath minimal make-up as she enhanced her complexion with highlighter

Lady in red heels! She boosted her height and lengthened her already endless legs with a pair of bold red stilettos with a pointed toe and staggering heel

Excited Laura spoke to the Irish Independent about her role in the play and her feelings about playing mortuary assistant Cleo.

She said: ' Peter has created a strong character in Cleo Morely and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the role. Before I trained in journalism, I studied drama and played some great roles.

'I have been waiting a long time to return to acting and for a great role like this to come along, so I can't wait to get on stage.'
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has supported early voting in the past, but he's never made it a high priority in his annual State of the State agenda.

Until now.

As part of his "The Democracy Project" election reform plan, Cuomo proposed allowing early voting in New York. Under his plan, counties would be required to have one early voting site for every 50,000 residents that would be open for 12 days leading up to Election Day.

The county board of elections would be tasked with determining the early voting site, which would be open at least eight hours a day during the week and five hours each weekend day.

Most states have some form of early voting system in place. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 37 states and the District of Columbia allow early voting.

There were 47,015,596 early votes cast in 2016, according to the U.S. Election Project. That's up from 32,311,399 during the 2012 election.

Along with early voting, Cuomo wants voter registration changes. He's proposing automatic voter registration and same-day registration, which would represent a significant shift from the state's current method for signing up new voters.

New voters would be automatically registered after filling out a Department of Motor Vehicles application. The information used in the application would be sent to the local board of elections. Anyone who doesn't want to be registered to vote may opt out.

Unlike early voting, automatic voter registration is less widespread. The National Conference of State Legislatures reported in December that six states and D.C. have automatic voter registration in place.

Under Cuomo's same-day voter registration plan, New Yorkers would be allowed to register to vote on Election Day. Same-day registration is allowed by 12 states and D.C., according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

New York's method of registering voters and the various deadlines were criticized by supporters of Bernie Sanders leading up to the state's Democratic presidential primary in April 2016. Because of the state's closed primary system, only members of the Democratic Party could vote for Sanders or his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

If voters didn't change their registration prior to the deadlines, they couldn't vote in the primary.

Democrats in the New York state Legislature will likely support early voting and Cuomo's proposals to modernize the voter registration system. Republicans have been resistant to such changes in the past.

But Cuomo is hopeful that the election reforms will be achieved this year.

"Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy," Cuomo said. "This past election shined a bright light on the deficiencies of New York's antiquated election laws and the artificial barriers they create that prevent and discourage voters from exercising this sacred right.

"These proposals will modernize and open up our election system, making it easier for more voters to participate in the process and helping to make a more fair, more just and more representative New York for all."

Cuomo isn't the only New York official pushing for these reforms. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman released a report in December that included several proposals, including early voting, automatic voter registration and same-day registration.

In a statement released Sunday, Schneiderman praised Cuomo for the "common sense reforms" he proposed. He also suggested other changes, such as consolidating the state's current three primary schedule in presidential election years.

"Our guiding principle on voting rights should be simple: any law that makes voting easier is a good law  any law that makes voting harder, is a bad one," he said. "I look forward to making that principle a reality this legislative session."
Sleepy Hollow Season 4 spoilers: 5 Big changes that will surprise fans in Season 4

Actor Tom Mison attends day 3 of the WIRED Cafe @ Comic Con at Omni Hotel on July 26, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo : Getty Images/ Jesse Grant)

"Sleepy Hollow" Season 4 surprised fans with big changes that took place on the Fox supernatural drama series when it returned on Jan. 6, Friday, despite several spoilers. The changes were made following Abbie Mills' (Nicole Beharie) death.



[WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS OF "SLEEPY HOLLOW" SEASON 4.]



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1. "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4 begins with a new setting.



"Sleepy Hollow" left its old place, the small town of Sleepy Hollow. With new mission as the head of the secret Washington D. C. -based organization., Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) will continue his evil hunting in the nation's metro. He is set to unearth something about the Lincoln Memorial, TV Line reported.



Ichabod will be seen moving to his new home in Washington, which unfortunately is a haunted house. After Abbie's passing, Ichabod and Jenny Mills (Lyndie Greenwood) will continue to search for the next Witness in the capital.



2. The new season welcomes a new villain.



The first three seasons of "Sleepy Hollow" saw Ichabod fighting against villains Moloch or "the God-Demon of Child Sacrifice" (D.J. Mifflin, Derek Mears) and Pandora (Shannyn Sossamon). The fourth run of the Fox supernatural series welcomes a new antagonist, who, unlike the two previous villains is a human.



Malcolm Dreyfuss (Jeremy Davies) is a rich businessman who likes unleashing evils in the capital. He is the one, who freed the evil that killed Agent Diana Thomas' (Janina Gavankar) partner. He has a vast knowledge about the supernatural that makes him one of the main enemies of the second Witness in "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4.



3. Viewers will meet the new Team Witness.



As soon as Ichabod moved to Washington D.C., he encountered an evil crime, where he met Agent Diana, who is chasing the evil that killed her partner. The two met Jake Wells (Jerry MacKinnon) and Alex Norwood (Rachel Melvin) in The Volt, a secret agency that fights against the supernatural.



Season 4 introduces the new team Winess composing of Wells, Norwood and Agent Diana under Ichabod. The Volt office will serve as the team's headquarter that has similar creepy designs like Sleepy Hollow.



4. The new Witness may not be Agent Diana.



Previous "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4 spoilers have revealed that Agent Diana may be the second Witness after Abbie died. However, a shocking twist contradicts the speculations.



New spoilers suggest that Agent Diana's 10-year-old daughter Molly (Oona Yaffe) may be the next Witness, according to Cinema Blend. At the exact time of Abbie's demise, Molly fainted and was not able to talk right after the incident.



Molly also has the ability to draw Ichabod's face, despite the fact that they have not met. All these clues may suggest that Ichabod and Jenny are on their way of finding the next Witness in "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4.



5. Ichabod's son will reappear in the new season.



Ichabod's long lost son Henry Parrish (John Noble) will be seen in several episodes of "Sleepy Hollow." Henry, a sin-eater and a witch, appears in an 18th century British court, where his father is put on trial for murder. He uttered the lines "Hello father" in the teaser video.



Watch the trailer of "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4 episode 1 below:






She was branded a 'stage five clinger' by fans after exhibiting decidedly pushy behaviour on The Bachelor last year.

So it may come as a surprise that Alex Nation actually penned a letter of encouragement to former love rival Megan Marx ahead of her first date with Richie Strahan.

Megan, who is now in a relationship with fellow Bachelor alum Tiffany Scanlon, uploaded a photo of the handwritten note on Sunday, writing to her Instagram followers: 'Moving house and found this treasure @alexandranation.'

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Who would have thought? It may come as a surprise that Alex Nation actually penned a letter of encouragement to former love rival Megan Marx ahead of her first date with Richie Strahan

'Good God that life seems like a dream now. #thebachelor,' she added.

The letter, dated 17th March 2016, read: 'Meags (ya weirdo)! Wishing you all the best of luck on your very first date with Richie. Just be true to who you are and he will soon come to find that you are amazing!! How could he not!!'

Fortunately for Alex, who is now dating Richie, Megan would soon walk out of The Bachelor by eliminating herself in a shock rose ceremony.

Words of encouragement: Megan, who is now in a relationship with fellow Bachelor alum Tiffany Scanlon, uploaded a photo of the handwritten note on Sunday, writing to her Instagram followers: 'Moving house and found this treasure @alexandranation'

How sweet! The letter, dated 17th March 2016, read: 'Meags (ya weirdo)! Wishing you all the best of luck on your very first date with Richie. Just be true to who you are and he will soon come to find that you are amazing!! How could he not!!'

Following her eviction, Megan revealed fellow contestant Alex Nation influenced her decision to leave, telling OK! that: 'I would say she [Alex] was a little bit behind it.'

She explained: 'I spent a lot of time with Alex and I could see she was falling for Richie and I wanted her to be happy.'

The blonde beauty added that she had 'thinking about it for a week' because she 'wasn't feeling it anymore'.

Shock: Following her eviction, Megan revealed fellow contestant Alex Nation influenced her decision to leave, telling OK! that: 'I would say she [Alex] was a little bit behind it'

During an interview with Popsugar following her walk out, Megan explained she had kept her decision a secret from her house mates and the show's producers.

'I didn't tell the producers, I didn't tell any of the girls, the only person I told was Alex,' she said.

'I just wanted to keep it to myself because I didn't want there to be any pressure.'

She added Alex was 'very supportive' of her decision and 'didn't try and convince me to stay'.

Hush hush! During an interview with Popsugar following her walk out, Megan explained she had kept her decision a secret from her house mates and the show's producers

'Good move, Alex, good move,' she laughed, adding: 'But I think Alex also knew that I was pretty sure that it was what I wanted to do.'

She later gushed to KIIS FM's Kyle & Jackie O breakfast show about the single mum labelling her as 'a beautiful soul' and 'one of the nicest girls in the house.'

Megan continued that she 'didn't see the point' in pulling Richie aside before the rose ceremony to tell him about her feelings.

'Well no, that's not what Richie did with us, do I didn't see the point in doing that for him,' she told OK!
She's the raunchy law graduate that ditched a legal career for a luxurious life as an Instragram model.

And on Saturday, Pia Muehlenbeck took some time out of her busy schedule of snapping sexy holiday selfies to enjoy a pool party with a friend.

'Pool days with @brookenashhh,' wrote the 22-year-old, who could barely contain her ample assets in a triangle bikini bra.

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Bikini babes! Instagram superstar Pia Muehlenbeck could barely fit into her bikini at a pool party on Saturday

Many of Pia's 1.6 million followers were quick to lavish the busty social media star with praise, with one gushing: 'You seem to shine from deep within.'

'Such Beautiful smiles,' wrote another.

One follower even pleaded to Pia, writing: 'plz answer I'm going to Mexico and I loved your red one piece swimsuit that zips up. Where do I buy it?'

'Such beautiful smiles': Fans were quick to lavish Pia with praise, pointing out some of her finest physical attributes - like her beaming smile

Back in October, Pia revealed to Daily Mail Australia how she quit her job as a corporate lawyer in Sydney, in order to start her own activewear brand and blogging venture.

'I'm living my dream,' Pia gushed.

'I used to work super long hours when I was a lawyer, and it was so tiring. These days, while I'm working super hard - and it's not all lounging about on a beach - I am doing something which I love. I wouldn't swap it for anything,' she continued.

'I'm living my dream!' Pia has turned her Instagram page into a business, which includes a blog and clothing lines

Pia founded her own sportswear brand with her boyfriend and creative director Kane Vato, and it features a selection of sportswear, including yoga pants and crops tops, and yoga mats.

On the label's website, it says a portion of the profits are donated to conservation charities.

She's since branched out into swimwear and towels.
She married her husband on what was only their second ever meeting.

But Nadiya Hussain says she's excited to be marrying Abdal again, 11 years later, because there will be some feeling behind her wedding vows this time.

Conceding that the first thing she noticed about her future husband was his 'fat a*se', Bake Off winner Nadiya is glad 'she actually quite likes him' this time.

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Married, for a second time: Nadiya Hussain says she's excited to marry husband Abdal again because this time the vows will mean something to her because she is not marrying a stranger

Nadiya told The Mirror: 'Weve had the Islamic marriage, but we want to have the proper ceremony now.

'Last time I didnt get to pick my dress, flowers, or even the groom. Plus I actually quite like my husband now, so I will mean the vows. He still has a fat a*se, though. It was the first thing I noticed.'

Nadiya, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, married when she was just 19 years old as part of an arranged marriage where out of 2,000 guests, she only recognised her parents, she previously said.

Ready to wed again: The Bake Off winner says the first thing she noticed about her husband was his 'fat a*se'

Happy family: The pair have now been happily married for 11 years and have three children together, Musa, nine; Dawud, eight; and Maryam, five

The pair have now been happily married for 11 years and have three children together, Musa, nine; Dawud, eight; and Maryam, five.

Nadiya previously told Loose Women panelists that she thought her future husband was good looking when she first met him, though she was distracted by his large behind.

She recalled: 'I didn't see him very well but my sisters did so they ran downstairs and said, "Oh my god he's so good looking but he's got an enormous butt".

'So now when I met him for the first time the first thing I wanted to look at was his butt.'

Arrange marriage: But Nadiya says she would not necessarily want her children to marry in the same way that they did

Nadiya, who lived in Luton with her family before her wedding, said it was daunting leaving them behind to live with her new husband in Leeds.

She said: 'I realised "this is a lot harder than I thought" when we got married. You actually have to live with someone to really know what they're like.'

However, Nadiya said while her marriage has been a success, she doesn't expect her children to marry a partner selected for them by their parents.

She announced in August that she was due to renew her wedding vows with Abdal simultaneously confirming that she would like to make her own cake.
This year there will be three ladies running the show at the 74th Golden Globe Awards.

All three of Sylvester Stallone's daughters, Scarlet, Sistine and Sophia Stallone, will share duties as Miss Golden Globes 2017, presenting the awards and escorting honorees on Sunday.

As to be expected, the Rocky star, 70, approached prepping his trio for the task with the same vigor as he would his most famous Hollywood role.

'He actually makes me train in heels for an hour every day,' Scarlet, 14, told Us Weekly on Wednesday. 'He doesnt want me to fall!'

Misses Golden Globes! Sylvester Stallone's daughters, (L-R) Sistine, Scarlet and Sophia Stallone, will presenting the awards and escorting honorees on Sunday, seen here at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills on January 10, 2016

Sly's middle daughter was quick to defend her dad's motives.

'Dont feel bad for her, she needs it,' Sistine, 18, said. 'She is so clumsy.

The Expendables actor and wife Jennifer Flavin's oldest daughter, Sophia, 20, will also join her sisters in the rite of passage for children of celebrities.

What a day! The Stallone family at an event in Los Angeles on November 10 in celebration of the 74th Golden Globe Awards, the same day their roles at Miss Golden Globes was announced

The official announcement was made by Lorenzo Soria on November 10, but it was the ladies' famous father who got to break the news to them.

'We were all sitting in the family room and my dad called us in as if we were going to get some tragic news, Sistine recalled of the day he shared the announcement.

Not knowing what to expect from this impromptu family meeting, the sisters were braced for bad news.

'But he said, I got the call, youre going to be Miss Golden Globes and we freaked out!' Sistine shred. 'My mom blasted the music, dogs were barking and we were dancing!'

Sister, sister: Sistine (L) and Sophia (R) with their dad out in Hollywood in February 2016

The ladies, who also all share the same middle name of Rose, are thrilled to experience this milestone together.

'Both my mom and dad said to live in this moment, cherish every second while its happening  its never going to happen again and youre doing it with your best friends by your side,' Sistine said.

'Its something well never forget and its so special that we got this opportunity.'

The honor, while not always bestowed upon a lady, has often been reserved for performers who are up and coming, in their own rite.

The Stallone sisters will join the likes of Anne Archer (1971), Melanie Griffith (1975), Rosanne Katon (1981), Laura Dern (1982), AJ Lamas (2003), Dakota Johnson (2006), Mavis Spencer (2010) and Corinne Foxx (2016) when they take the stage on Sunday.
It's one of the Kardashian-Jenner clan's favourite places to eat.

And on Saturday night Caitlyn Jenner and her daughter Kendall were spotted as they left Japanese restaurant Nobu in Malibu, near their homes.

The 67-year-old former Olympian looked chic in a knee-length dress with broad black and yellow stripes interspersed with narrow red and white ones.

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Mom and daughter dinner: Caitlyn Jenner and her oldest girl Kendall were spotted as they left Japanese restaurant Nobu in Malibu, near their homes on Saturday night

She paired it with a black, zip-up jacket and completed the look with black high heels.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, who also had her own reality show I am Cait, left her long blonde hair to cascade over her shoulders and was beautifully made up, as always.

Meanwhile Kendall, who walked for the second time in the Victoria's Secret Christmas show in November, showed off her model creds dressed in black from head to toe.

The 21-year-old slipped her slender body into a pair of skin-tight leather skinny jeans that highlighted her impossibly long legs.

Still catching up: The 67-year-old former Olympian chatted to the 21-year-old model as they waited for the valet to bring their cars

Dressed to thrill: The young model slipped her slender body into a pair of black, skin-tight leather jeans that highlighted her impossibly long legs and a cosy black sweater

Star in stripes: Caitlyn looked elegant in a knee-length dress with broad black and yellow stripes interspersed with narrow red and white ones plus a black jacket and black high heels

On the chilly evening, she also wore a high-neck knitted sweater, leather boots and she covered her brunette tresses with a jaunty cap.

The two bid each other a fond farewell as they walked across the car park to their pricey rides.

Matching her outfit, Kendall headed off in a black $250,000 Rolls-Royce.

Parting of the ways: The pair headed to separate cars for their drives home

Classy wheels: Kendall headed off in the black $250,000 Rolls-Royce that millionaire businessman Saygin Yalcin gave her on her 21st birthday in November

The luxury car was given to her by millionaire businessman Saygin Yalcin on her 21st birthday in November.

Meanwhile, Cait left in her sporty purple Porsche 911 GT3 RS that set her back some $176,000 last May.

Meanwhile, Keeping Up With The Kardashians will be back on E! for the 13th season in March after some doubt over its return following the harrowing attack on Kim Kardashian in her Paris hotel room.
She may be in a relationship with Megan Marx, but that hasn't stopped Tiffany Scanlon to engage in a bit of flirtation with somebody else on social media.

The former Bachelor star has been leaving suggestive comments under Lisa Curry's son Jett's Instagram pictures, and he's been reciprocating.

According to Woman's Day, the pair met at a swimwear show in Perth in November, and have since been conversing via social media.

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What would Megan Marx think? The Bachelor's Tiffany Scanlon has been flirting with Lisa Curry's hunky son Jett on Instagram after the pair met at a Perth swimwear show

Did she like something she saw? According to Woman's Day, the pair met at a swimwear show in Perth in November, where Jett, pictured her second from left, showed off his buff body in budgie smugglers

At the event, Jett hit the catwalk, showing off his incredibly buff body in a pair of budgie smugglers.

Following the show he posted a snap of himself on the runway under which Tiffany wrote: 'there was not a dry seat in the house'.

And Jett swiftly responded: writing 'Ahahahhahaha you menace!@tiffany_janes.'

Revealing: Jett took to the catwalk in some revealing swimwear

What's going on here: After Jett hit the runway, Tiffany made a suggestive comment under a photo he posted on Instagram

Cheeky: Tiffany and Jett have been leaving cheeky comment on each other's photos on social media

According to the magazine, the pair have been regularly 'liking' each other's photos since first meeting last year.

After their very first interaction, Jett wrote under a photo Tiffany posted of her and Megan: 'Was great to meet you on Sunday. Sorry I wasn't more fun and didn't come and hang out with you a little more.'

'Yes you should have,' Tiffany responded with a wink face emoji.

Megan and Tiffany confirmed their relationship to Daily Mail Australia in November at Maxim's Hot 100 party.

Tiffany said that the pair confessed their love in June during a trip together to Bali, Indonesia.

'While we were in the show, it was just a friendship. It probably wasn't until we were in Bali together that it was like ''Oh, this is more'',' said Tiffany.
He plays the bad boy that can't keep a relationship tied down on Home And Away.

But it seems George Mason, 25, doesn't have the same struggles as his ex-convict character.

The blonde hunk appears to have become engaged to his longtime girlfriend Manon Buchalet while on holidays in Europe.

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Engaged! George Mason (L) appears to have proposed to his longtime girlfriend Manon Buchalet (R) while on holidays in Paris. In a recent Instagram image the brunette beauty looked ecstatic as she flaunted her impressive ring

In an image shared to the French model's Instagram last week, the brunette beauty looked ecstatic as she flaunted her impressive ring.

Manon stood next to her TV star partner as the pair rugged up while on holidays in Paris.

The model wore her luscious curly brown locks in a loose, messy bun, pulling her hand through a thick woolen coat to expose the gold-banded rock on her ring finger.

George - who plays embattled hunk Martin 'Ash' Ashford on Home and Away - wore a beanie and warm winter coat as he smiled at camera.

Long time coming! The long haired Home and Away star has been linked with the beauty since mid 2015

Bad Boy! George plays embattled ex-convict Martin 'Ash' Ashford on the popular TV soap

Meanwhile, a close friend of the pair has opened up to Woman's Day, claiming the personality has been thinking about the proposal for quite some time.

'Ive never seen George as happy as he is when hes around Manon, and he cant imagine spending the rest of his life with anyone else.' The source said.

'He's quite the romantic.'

The long haired surfer boy has been linked with the beauty since mid 2015.

Bliss! A close friend told Woman's Day: 'Ive never seen George as happy as he is when hes around Manon, and he cant imagine spending the rest of his life with anyone else

Stunner! Manon, who works as a model, spent Christmas with George and her family in her home country of France

The couple have been travelling Europe, and even spent Christmas with Manon's family in her native France.

The New Zealand born actor joined the cast of the popular soap in 2015, where he played a recently released prisoner.

The ripped bad boy persona has earned the attention of countless fans, who swarm to his brooding looks and buff torso.

Kiwi! The New Zealand born actor has earned the attention of countless fans since joining the show in 2014,

George recently spoke to Woman's Day about the moment he landed his career-highlight Home and Away role.

'It was pretty overwhelming to think I'm going to be a main character on such a big television show.' He said.

The smitten couple were in Cork City, Ireland on Saturday as they continued their romantic winter escape.

Overwhelmed! The 25-year-old recently said: It was pretty overwhelming to think I'm going to be a main character on such a big television show

Eurotrip! The smitten couple were in Cork City, Ireland on Saturday as they continued their romantic winter escape
S. Korean monk sets himself on fire at anti-president rally

A South Korean Buddhist monk is in critical condition after setting himself on fire during a mass protest against the impeached President Park Geun-Hye, officials said Sunday.

The monk, in his 60s and whose name was not released, set himself alight late Saturday night in central Seoul where hundreds of thousands returned to the streets for the eleventh week to demand Park's ouster.

He left a note urging authorities to arrest the scandal-hit president for committing "treason", the Yonhap news agency reported.

Protesters carry portraits of South Korea's President Park Geun-Hye during a protest demanding the impeached President resign immediately in Seoul on January 7, 2017 Jung Yeon-Je (AFP)

Park was impeached by parliament last month over an influence-peddling scandal that sparked a storm of public fury and nationwide protests, and the Constitutional Court now has to decide whether to confirm the impeachment.

The monk also slammed Park as a "traitor" for forging a deal with Japan to settle compensation for women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during the World War II, according to Yonhap.

Critics say the 2015 deal did not go far enough in holding Japan responsible for wartime abuses. Tensions between the two countries spiked on Friday when Tokyo recalled its ambassador over a statue of a "comfort woman".

The monk suffered third-degree burns across his body and remains unconscious, according to police and staff at Seoul National University Hospital where he is being treated.

Self-immolation is not unheard of as a means of protest in the South, and was particularly common during the pro-democracy movement of the 1980s and early 90s when a number of activists set themselves on fire during public demonstrations.

Park is accused of colluding with her secret confidante, Choi Soon-Sil, to coerce top local firms to "donate" tens of millions of dollars to non-profit foundations which Choi then used as her personal ATMs.

The president is also accused of letting Choi, the daughter of a shady religious figure who was also close to Park for decades, meddle in state affairs including nomination of top officials.
Iraq forces in Mosul punch to Tigris for first time

Iraqi forces battling jihadists in Mosul reached the Tigris River that divides the city Sunday, a key step and a first since the launch of a huge operation in mid-October.

The Islamic State group was on the back foot in Mosul after a week of significant gains for Iraqi forces but pressed a deadly campaign of bombings in Baghdad, where two more attacks killed 18 people.

Elite Counter-Terrorism Forces (CTS) took control of the eastern end of the southernmost bridge in Mosul, a morale-booster in a 12-week-old operation that has encountered many difficulties.

Iraqi special forces pictured in battle against Islamic State group jihadists in Mosul's al-Rifaq neighbourhood on January 8, 2017 Dimitar Dilkoff (AFP)

CTS forces "reached the Tigris River from the eastern (side) of the fourth bridge," Sabah al-Noman told AFP. The news was also confirmed by Iraqi army Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir Yarallah.

Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces launched an offensive on October 17 to retake Mosul, the last major urban centre in Iraq still controlled by the group that seized around a third of the country in 2014.

Several areas around the city, Iraq's second largest, were swiftly reconquered, but the elite forces that pushed into the streets of Mosul itself have faced stiffer than expected resistance.

In late December, the federal advance inside the city had slowed to a crawl but a fresh coordination effort between CTS and other forces gave fresh impetus to the operation.

Iraqi forces, backed by increased support from the US-led coalition that has carried out the bulk of air strikes against IS and deployed military advisers on the ground, made rapid progress in the first week of 2017.

Their push to the banks of the Tigris River on Sunday marks a symbolic and tactical victory for the Iraqi forces but they have much work left to do to take full control of Mosul's eastern side.

Having eyes on the river should further complicate IS's already reduced ability to resupply the eastern front with fighters and weapons from the west bank, which it still firmly controls.

Commanders had predicted when the operation, Iraq's largest in years, was launched nearly three months ago that the eastern side of the city would be easier to retake.

- Baghdad bombings -

But die-hard jihadist fighters, estimated at around 5,000 to 7,000 before the start of the offensive, fought back with sniper fire, booby-traps and a seemingly endless supply of suicide car bombs.

The continued presence in the city of hundreds of thousands of civilians -- either forced to stay by IS or reluctant to leave their homes for crowded and cold displacement camps -- has impeded the federal advance.

Baghdad and partnering aid organisations had predicted an exodus of civilians in the first weeks of the operation but the flux of fleeing Mosul residents was more limited than expected.

According to the United Nations, more than 135,000 people have been displaced since the start of the operation to retake Mosul, a significant proportion of them from outlying areas.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had promised that his forces would rid Iraq of IS by the end of 2016 but later said that eliminating the jihadists would take several more months.

The western bank of the city is slightly smaller than the east but more densely-populated and includes neighbourhoods that are seen as bastions of support for the Islamic State group.

The jihadists, vastly outnumbered and outgunned in Mosul by federal forces and their allies, have launched a number of diversionary attacks over the past three months.

They also appear to have ramped up suicide bomb attacks in the capital, where at least 18 people were killed in two separate blasts near markets on Sunday.

The first attack struck the main wholesale vegetable market in Baghdad, which lies in the frequently-targeted, overwhelmingly Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City.

"A soldier at the gate of Jamila market opened fire on a suicide car bomb after noticing a suspect vehicle but the terrorist blew up his car," interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said.

At least 12 people died in the explosion while another six Iraqis were killed in a second attack at a market in the Baladiyat area, security and hospital officials said.

The explosions were the latest in a string of attacks that have left close to 100 people dead since New Year's Eve.
Iran ex-president Rafsanjani dies

Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a pugnacious moderate who survived for decades despite challenging his own turbaned elite, died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack.

Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a pivotal figure in the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997.

"Despite the efforts of the doctors he died" at Shohadaa Hospital in northern Tehran, said Reza Soleimani, a speaker of the Expediency Council, Iran's main political arbitration body which Rafsanjani chaired.

Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was a key figure in the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979 Atta Kenare (AFP/File)

The government announced three days' of mourning, making Tuesday a public holiday for his burial, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Heartfelt tributes poured in from Iran's leadership, including the all-powerful Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, despite the differences between the two.

"The loss of my companion of struggle, whose cooperation with me dated back 59 years, is difficult and overwhelming," the supreme leader said in a statement.

"The different opinions and interpretations at times in this long period could never entirely break up the friendship" between us, Khamenei added.

President Hassan Rouhani, who was reportedly at Rafsanjani's bedside in the hospital, also expressed his grief in a tweet.

"The soul of the great man of the revolution and politics, the symbol of resistance and perseverence, ascended to heaven," he wrote.

Rafsanjani's death is a huge loss for both reformists and moderates, as he stood as a pillar for the two camps.

- Outpouring of emotion -

All state television channels reported on the death with black ribbons across their screens, as top officials and the public joined in an outpouring of emotion.

A crowd of people had formed outside Shohadaa Hospital, despite police warnings, blocking Tehran's Valiasr Avenue, media reported.

Rafsanjani's body was later transferred to Jamaran, a religious hall in northern Tehran run by the now reform-minded family of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic.

A sobbing Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and reformist former president Mohammad Khatami were among those seen at Jamaran in pictures posted on social media.

Rafsanjani was born on August 25, 1934 in the village of Nough in southern Iran into a wealthy family.

He studied theology in the holy city of Qom before entering politics in 1963 after the shah's police arrested Ayatollah Khomeini.

A confidant of Khomeini, Rafsanjani was the speaker of parliament for two consecutive terms until Khomeini's death in 1989.

Rafsanjani's presidency, a breathing space after the end of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, was marked by reconstruction, cautious reform and repairs to Iran's relations with its Arab neighbours.

But it was also marred by human rights violations, rampant inflation and difficult relations with Europe, not least with Britain after the "death sentence", or fatwa, handed down to writer Salman Rushdie by Khomeini.

- Moderate counter-figure -

After serving a maximum two consecutive terms, Rafsanjani played an important role in the election of the reformist Khatami, who served as president from 1997 to 2005.

Rafsanjani sought a return to the presidency in 2005 but lost to hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a conservative backlash.

It was a bitter defeat, but rather than retreating from public view, he remained in the limelight.

Rafsanjani emerged as a moderate counter-figure to the ultra-hardliners clustered around Ahmadinejad -- under whom Iran's relations with the West plummeted -- and criticised the crackdown that followed Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009.

In recent years though, his influence within state institutions had waned.

In 2013, his candidacy for the presidential election was rejected because of his advanced age.

The next year he delivered crucial support for the eventual winner, Hassan Rouhani, a moderate with whom he has a warm rapport.

He was an important backer of the deal Rouhani struck with world powers for sanctions to be lifted in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear programme.

Rafsanjani was always a member of Iran's top clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, charged with appointing -- and if required dismissing -- the country's supreme leader.

Rafsanjani chaired the influential committee for several years.

He also held the chairmanship of the Expediency Council, since 1990, when he was appointed by Khomeini's successor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

The supreme leader will have to appoint a new chairman for the body.

Fatemeh Hashemi Rafsanjani (L), the daughter of late former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, gathers with relatives and mourners around around Rafsanjani's coffin during a mourning ceremony at Jamaran mosque in Tehran, on January 8, 2017 ATTA KENARE (AFP)

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Jonathan JACOBSEN (AFP)
Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, introduces the new iOS software at an Apple event at the Worldwide Developer's Conference on June 13, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Andrew Burton)

Lucas Todesco finally came out with a crack with the Yalu iOS 10.1.1 jailbreak but the tool was far from perfect. It was a semi-tethered jailbreak though Stefan Esser hints of a better iOS 10.2 jailbreak coming soon.



The Yalu iOS 10.1.1 jailbreak had one shortcoming and this was the need to re-enable it each time the Apple device would be restarted. Aside from that, the Lucas Todesco crack was allegedly unstable. The most stable of the beta versions was version 4-1 which offered support for Cydia.



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Lastly, it was an iOS jailbreak applicable only to selected devices. The list included the iPhone 7/ 7 Plus, iPhone 6s/ 6s Plus and the iPad Pro. Despite the limitations, it is still the best news for the Apple Jailbreaking community until Stefan Esser came into the picture.



Esser claims that a group was working on an iOS 10.2 jailbreak and is something about to hit soon according to a post on Twitter. If Essers claim holds up, it would mark the first time that an iOS crack would be released back-to-back by separate teams, Forbes reported.



In the end the iOS 10.1.1 signing window closing is not such a big deal, considering that the iOS 10.2 jailbreak is about to hit soon.

 Stefan Esser (@i0n1c) December 21, 2016



Hence, the Apple jailbreaking community is left once again waiting for an iOS jailbreak hopefully better than what Todesco has to offer. Apple owners who would take the risk are also reminded of the fact that the Cupertino company has stopped signing iOS 10.1 and iOS 10.1.1.



Apple updated its iOS signing when iOS 10.2 was released. This means that users can no longer downgrade or revert to those older operating systems, meaning the only recourse is iOS 10.2, Apple Insider reported.



Apple normally does this to safeguard device owners from potential bugs or security vulnerabilities, not to mention invalidating obsolete codes to ensure smooth functioning devices.



Hence, the Apple jailbreakers will have to wait-and-see if another iOS 10 jailbreak rises from the ranks. Todescos iOS 10.1.1 breakthrough is the best crack yet with the last one being iOS 9.3.3 courtesy of Pangu last year. Since then, no iOS crack has come out from the Chinese hacking group.



Check out the video below covering the latest iOS 10.1.1 jailbreak as well as the latest on the potential release of an iOS 10.2 crack.






Netanyahu tape probed in graft investigation: report

Israeli police investigating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are looking into a recording of a conversation he had with a long-time enemy over his newspaper providing more favourable coverage to the premier, a report said Sunday.

Police have so far questioned Netanyahu twice in a corruption probe that has looked into whether he unlawfully received gifts from wealthy supporters.

Sunday's report by Channel 2 television said police had a recording of a conversation between the premier and Arnon Moses, owner of the top-selling Yedioth Aharonot daily and its sister news website Ynet.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, January 8, 2017 ABIR SULTAN (POOL/AFP)

The newspaper has provided tough coverage of Netanyahu.

The report alleged that the two discussed "a deal that would help Yedioth in return for favourable coverage (of the premier)."

Channel 2 said the essence of the talk between the premier and the publisher was the possibility of downsizing or closing the weekend supplement of competing paper Israel Hayom, which is pro-Netanyahu.

In return, it added, Yedioth would tone down its coverage of Netanyahu.

The report did not say when the conversation took place or if an agreement was reached.

Since the Israel Hayom freesheet was launched in 2007, its circulation has overtaken that of Yedioth.

It is owned by Jewish-American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, a long-time Netanyahu backer.

A Netanyahu spokesman told AFP he had no immediate comment and the police have stated that they will divulge no details of the investigation until it is complete.

Channel 2 has previously reported that police suspect that over the course of seven or eight years Israeli businessman, Hollywood producer and Netanyahu friend Arnon Milchan sent him boxes of expensive cigars with a value of tens of thousands of dollars.

It said police also suspect that Milchan gave Netanyahu's wife Sara pink champagne priced at about $100 a bottle.
Obama's toughest decision? 30,000-troop Afghanistan 'surge'

What was President Barack Obama's hardest decision during his two terms in office? A massive troop surge in Afghanistan, he said in an interview aired Sunday.

"Toughest decision was early in my presidency when I ordered 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan," Obama, who leaves office in less than two weeks, told ABC's "This Week."

After a protracted debate inside the administration that pitted US military commanders against White House advisers, Obama announced the 30,000-troop "surge" in December 2009.

US President Barack Obama speaks to US Army soldiers at Fort Drum, New York in 2011 SAUL LOEB (AFP/File)

The decision would bring the US contingent in Afghanistan to nearly 100,000 troops along with almost 50,000 allied troops.

"I think it was the right decision because the Taliban at that point had gotten a lot of momentum before I'd gotten into office, partly because we hadn't been paying attention as much as we needed to Afghanistan," Obama said in the interview taped Friday.

The president had hoped to withdraw most US military forces from Afghanistan by now, leaving behind just a small force.

But the United States still has some 8,400 military personnel in the country, and announced Friday it is sending some 300 Marines to Helmand province in the coming months.

Meanwhile in Iraq, more than 5,000 US soldiers are still on the ground providing critical support to the country's army, which is unable to man a war alone against the Islamic State group's extremist fighters.

Asked whether he found it disappointing that so many troops remain in both countries, Obama said the United States is "not going to get the kind of decisive, permanent victories in this fight against terrorism that we would get from fighting another country."

"But we don't have this huge footprint, we are less likely to be targeted as, you know, occupiers," he added about the reduced number of troops.
Israel army defends soldiers' response to deadly attack

Israel's army defended its troops' response to a truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem Sunday that killed four after claims they hesitated due to a recent manslaughter conviction against a fellow soldier.

A Palestinian man drove a truck into a group of soldiers on a tour in Jerusalem, killing four of them and wounding 17.

Hundreds of soldiers were at the site taking part in the tour on the history of the city.

Israeli soldiers huddle near the site where a Palestinian rammed a truck into a group of Israeli soldiers visiting a popular attraction in Jerusalem on January 8, 2017 MENAHEM KAHANA (AFP)

Video said to be of the incident showed the truck plough into one group then reverse back toward them before coming to a stop. Four soldiers were killed, as was the driver.

While some soldiers fled, others at the scene opened fire and the military distributed a video of one of a soldier saying he shot after realising it was not an accident.

But some on social media and elsewhere claimed they must have hesitated after last week's manslaughter conviction against a soldier who shot dead a wounded Palestinian assailant as he lay on the ground without posing a threat.

"An investigation is underway but this attack lasted several seconds and once the soldiers understood that it was an attack, they fired in the direction of the vehicle," army spokesman Moti Almoz said in a statement.

Last week's conviction led to anger among Israel's far-right, while right-wing politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have called for a pardon for the soldier, Sgt. Elor Azaria, 20.

Top army brass condemned Azaria's actions in an extraordinary public rift between politicians and the country's military.

Far-right activists have made threats against army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot as well as the judges who ruled in the case, leading to several arrests.

Sunday's attack and Azaria's shooting in March were starkly different situations.

Video of the March 24 shooting in Hebron in the occupied West Bank showed Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, 21, lying on the ground, shot along with another man after stabbing and moderately wounding a soldier minutes earlier, according to the army.

Azaria then shoots him again in the head without any apparent provocation.

Judge Colonel Maya Heller said that there was no reason for Azaria to open fire since the Palestinian was posing no threat.
Emerging tech aims to improve life for handicapped

Emerging technology is giving new hope for the handicapped, and harnessing brainwaves for the physically disabled and helping the visually impaired with "artificial vision" are just the start.

Many systems showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas are aimed at improving quality of life for people with disabilities.

BrainRobotics, a Massachusetts-based startup, showed its prosthesis that can be controlled by residual muscle strength of an amputee with better efficiency than similar devices, according to developers.

An attendee walks past a message board celebrating 50 years of the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 8, 2017 Frederic J. Brown (AFP)

Bicheng Han, a doctoral candidate at Harvard University who founded the group, said the goal is to "provide low cost functional prosthetics" at a cost of around $3,000, or far less than the tens of thousands of dollars for similar devices.

Robotics engineer Kacper Puczydlowski said the hand, which could hit the market next year, is "the most natural to use" and gets its ability by analyzing muscle function and using a classification algorithm for specific hand functions, such as grasping objects or pointing fingers.

"An average user, with at least 50 percent of their residual muscle, should be able to be trained in under a month, within their home," he said.

Over time the group wants to use technology from its sister company BrainCo to harness brain waves for improved function.

BrainCo already markets a headband which helps identify patterns of brain waves to help improve focus and treat children with learning disabilities.

- Artificial vision -

Several technologies are also being developed for the visually-impaired.

Israeli startup Orcam showed its device called MyEye, which can be attached to arms of eyeglasses and is being marketed by French eyewear giant Essilor.

The device aims to give greater independence to those with trouble seeing: it has a tiny camera and whispers into a user's ear, and has the ability to read texts and identify people and objects on supermarket shelves.

The company was founded by Amnon Shashua and Ziv Aviram, who are also the co-founders of auto tech firm Mobileye, which is developing systems for accident avoidance and self-driving vehicles.

Danish-based manufacturer Oticon showed its new hearing aid, which works with objects in a connected home. Using wireless Bluetooth connectivity, it can alert users to a doorbell or smoke detector -- or let the wearer known when coffee is ready.

South Korean group Hyundai meanwhile showed its exoskeleton, known as H-MEX, that can offer mobility to the handicapped.

It can allow a paraplegic to stand and even walk up stairs, according to engineer Jung Kyungmo.

The exoskeleton covers the entire spine and back of the legs, attaching at the waist, thighs and knees. The company has no plans for a consumer version but is working with hospitals and researchers.

French-based startup Japet introduced its Atlas exoskeleton, or brace, which takes pressure off the vertebral column for people with chronic back pain, according to co-founder Damien Bratic.

The brace uses small motors and analytics that can help in rehabilitation.

Bratic said the device could be available in 2017 or 2018 and that the company hopes to develop similar devices for cervical support and for muscle disabilities.
US Senator Ted Cruz meets with president of Taiwan

US Senator Ted Cruz met on Sunday with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen, despite objections from Chinese diplomats.

The Republican from Texas, who lost in the US primary elections to President-elect Donald Trump, said in a statement that the two discussed arms sales, diplomatic exchanges and economic relations during the meeting in Houston.

"Furthering economic cooperation between our two nations must be a priority; increased access to Taiwanese markets will benefit Texas farmers, ranchers and small business owners alike," Cruz said in a statement.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (L) speaks before departing from Taoyuan airport on January 7, 2017 Sam Yeh (AFP/File)

Cruz went through with the meeting despite Chinese opposition: "Shortly before our meeting, the Houston congressional delegation received a curious letter from the Chinese consulate asking members of Congress not to meet with President Tsai, and to uphold the 'One China policy," the senator said.

"The People's Republic of China needs to understand that in America we make decisions about meeting with visitors for ourselves," the Republican continued.

"The Chinese do not give us veto power over those with whom they meet. We will continue to meet with anyone, including the Taiwanese, as we see fit."

The Taiwanese president was transiting in Houston this weekend en route to Central America, and is slated to return to Taipei after a stopover in San Francisco next weekend.

Beijing has asked Washington to bar Tsai from flying through US airspace.

A phone call between Trump and Tsai in December, after the Republican businessman won the presidency, upended decades of diplomatic precedent in which Washington has effectively ignored Taipei in favor of Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold.

Trump himself appeared to have ruled out meeting Tsai this trip, saying it is "a little bit inappropriate" to meet anybody until he takes office January 20.
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At least 23 people have been killed in ISIS suicide attacks during a day of carnage in Baghdad.

A suicide car bomb ripped through a wholesale market in the sprawling Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, killing at least seven people and wounding 15.

Police say a member of the security forces spotted the bomber and opened fire but was unable to prevent the attack yesterday.

Later, a bomb went off inside a morgue after a fanatic was killed by shrapnel from the earlier explosion in Iraq's capital city.

Scroll down for video

Smoke billows from damaged vehicles and market stands at the Alwa fruit and vegetable market in Sadr City after it was targeted during a day of attacks in Baghdad

Blood could be seen on the ground next to a vegetable cart in the wake of a bomb attack on a market area in the capital city

A suicide car bomb ripped through a wholesale market in the sprawling Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, killing at least seven people and wounding 15

Police say a member of the security forces spotted the bomber and opened fire but was unable to prevent the attack

ISIS claimed the earlier market attack, saying it was targeting Shiites. The Sunni extremist group views Iraq's Shiite majority as apostates deserving of death.

Elsewhere in the city, a suicide bomber killed nine shoppers and wounded 16 others at a fruit and vegetable market in a mainly Shiite neighbourhood.

Three additional bombings in and around the capital killed seven people and wounded 24 others.

Aftermath: Rescuers inspect the scene after a massive bomb blast at a vegetable market in Baghdad yestrerday

Citizens inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in the Iraqi capital's eastern district of Sadr City

Carnage: ISIS has carried out a string of bombings in Baghdad over the past week, killing dozens of people

Passers-by look at the blood-soaked ground in the hours after a bomb had ripped through a vegetable market in Baghdad

Pictures from the scene show burnt out cars and blood on the ground next to buildings torn apart by the force of the blast

Police and medical officials confirmed the casualty figures.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

ISIS has carried out a string of bombings in Baghdad over the past week, killing dozens of people.

A suicide bomber struck Sadr City last week, killing more than 40 people.

There were a number of explosions during a day of carnage in the capital with the attacks carried out by ISIS extremists

One explosion took place in a morgue which contained the body of an extremist killed by shrapnel during an earlier explosion

The latest attacks come as Iraqi forces are trying to drive ISIS militants from the northern city of Mosul in a massive operation launched in mid-October

In recent days, troops have pushed closer to the Tigris River, which splits the city of Mosul in half. Pictures show the aftermath of one of the Baghdad attacks yesterday

ISIS fanatics have claimed responsibility for the wave of attacks on the Iraqi capital. Pictures show the scene of one attack at a crowded outdoor market

The latest attacks come as Iraqi forces are trying to drive ISIS militants from the northern city of Mosul in a massive operation launched in mid-October.

In recent days, troops have pushed closer to the Tigris River, which splits the city in half.
Questions about hacking swirl as Trump enters critical week

NEW YORK (AP)  President-elect Donald Trump and his aides are entering a crucial week in his presidential transition as he and his Cabinet nominees undergo public questioning about their approach to Russia and potential conflicts of interests.

Most pressing during the upcoming days of confirmation hearings and Trump's first press conference in six months likely will be whether he accepts the conclusion of U.S. intelligence officials that Russia meddled in the U.S. election to help him win the White House.

Trump's incoming chief of staff, Reince Priebus, said Sunday that Trump indeed has accepted that Russia was responsible for the hacking, which targeted the Democratic National Committee and a top aide to former rival Hillary Clinton.

A part of the declassified version Intelligence Community Assessment on Russia's efforts to interfere with the U.S. political process is photographed in Washington, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign to influence the American presidential election in favor of electing Donald Trump, according to the report issued by U.S. intelligence agencies. The unclassified version was the most detailed public account to date of Russian efforts to interfere with the U.S. political process, with actions that included hacking into the email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and individual Democrats like Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

"He's not denying that entities in Russia were behind this particular campaign," Priebus said in a Sunday television interview.

That's more than Trump himself has said. As for potential retaliation, aides said those are decisions that Trump will make after he becomes president on Jan. 20.

Intelligence officials allege that Moscow directed a series of hacks in order to help Trump win the White House in the race against Clinton. Trump has expressed skepticism about Russia's role and declined to say whether he agrees that the meddling was done on his behalf.

In an interview with The Associated Press after a briefing on the findings, Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion about Russia's motives. Trump has said that improving relations with Russia would be a good thing and that only "stupid" people would disagree.

"My suspicion is these hopes will be dashed pretty quickly," said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "The Russians are clearly a big adversary. And they demonstrated it by trying to mess around in our election.

An unclassified version of the report directly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a "clear preference" for Trump over Clinton. Trump and his allies have bristled at any implication that the meddling helped him win the election. He won the Electoral College vote with 306 votes, well over the 270 votes required to become president.

Accepting those findings would be a positive step, but not enough, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is calling for more penalties against Russia.

"He's going to be the defender of the free world here pretty soon," said Graham, a frequent Trump critic. "All I'm asking him is to acknowledge that Russia interfered, and push back. It could be Iran next time. It could be China."

The developments come during a consequential week for Trump, who will become the nation's 45th president on Jan. 20.

Beginning Tuesday, the Senate is to hold the first of at least nine hearings this week on Trump's Cabinet picks. But Democrats have voiced objections to the pace set by the Republican majority. The government ethics office says it hasn't received even draft financial disclosure reports for some of the nominees set to appear before Congress this week.

And on Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to hold a long-delayed news conference to describe his plans for his global business empire to avoid conflicts of interest while he's president. While Trump has taken sporadic questions from reporters, it will be his first full-fledged news conference since July 27.

___

Kellman reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.

The first page of the Joint Analysis Report narrative by the Department of Homeland Security and federal Bureau of Investigation and released on Dec. 29, 2016, is photographed in Washington, Jan. 6, 2017. Computer security specialists say the technical details in the narrative that the U.S. said would show whether computers had been infiltrated by Russian intelligence services were poorly done and potentially dangerous. Cybersecurity firms ended up counseling their customers to proceed with extreme caution after a slew of false positives led back to sites such as Amazon and Yahoo Inc. Companies and organizations were following the governments advice Dec. 29 and comparing digital logs recording incoming network traffic to their computers and finding matches to a list of hundreds of internet addresses the Homeland Security Department had identified as indicators of malicious Russian intelligence services cyber activity. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
Russians scoff at US report on election meddling

MOSCOW (AP)  A report by U.S. security services blaming Russia for meddling in the U.S. presidential race has brought stinging rejoinders from Russian politicians and news media.

Alexei Pushkov, a member of the upper house of parliament's defense and security committee, said on Twitter that "all the accusations against Russia are based on 'confidence' and suppositions. The USA in the same way was confident about (Iraqi leader Saddam) Hussein having weapons of mass destruction."

In another tweet on Saturday, Pushkov suggested that President "Obama is alarmed: Republicans trust Putin more than Democrats."
Israeli media report new details of Netanyahu probes

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli media on Sunday reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to negotiate a deal for more positive coverage by a major Israeli newspaper two years ago.

Netanyahu has been questioned by police twice about allegations that he improperly accepted lavish gifts from high-profile figures in international business and Hollywood. Local media have reported that a second affair involves Netanyahu being taped negotiating mutual benefits with a high-powered media mogul.

Channel 2 TV reported that police have a copy of a recording made by Ari Harrow, Netanyahu's former chief of staff, of a 2014 conversation the prime minister held with Arnon Mozes, publisher of the Yediot Ahronot newspaper. It said they discussed trading positive coverage of Netanyahu in exchange for diminishing the impact of a free competing paper, the pro-Netanyahu daily Israel Hayom. The proposal never materialized, media reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. (Abir Sultan, Pool via AP)

Additionally, Channel 10 TV reported that Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan supplied the prime minister with a steady flow of expensive cigars, champagne and gourmet meals.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, portraying the accusations as a witch hunt against him and his family by a hostile media. Netanyahu reiterated his position to ministers from his Likud Party on Sunday, "there will be nothing, because there is nothing."

While the probe is still in its infancy, a mounting investigation could imperil Netanyahu's lengthy rule. Should Israel's attorney general decide to indict him, Netanyahu could be forced to step down.

Netanyahu, who took office in 2009, has long had an image as a cigar-smoking, cognac-drinking socialite, while his wife, Sara, has been accused of abusive behavior toward staff. Opponents have portrayed both as being out of touch with the struggles of average Israelis.

Over the years, reports have been released about the high cost of the Netanyahus' housekeeping expenses. But he has never been charged.

On Friday, Netanyahu's lawyer, Yaakov Weinroth, said he is "calm" after hearing details of the case and that there is "no scrap of crime" in someone giving cigars to a friend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. (Abir Sultan, Pool via AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, arrives to the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. (Abir Sultan, Pool via AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, arrives to the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. (Abir Sultan, Pool via AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. (Abir Sultan, Pool via AP)
Car bomb near Syrian capital kills 5

BEIRUT (AP)  A car bomb exploded Sunday in a government-held area outside the Syrian capital, killing at least five people and wounding 15, state media said.

The car bomb was detonated outside Sasa, southwest of Damascus. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-run monitoring group, said the explosion near a government checkpoint killed four, including three members of military intelligence. The state news agency didn't identify those killed, but said the wounded included women and children.

The al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front claimed the attack, saying a gunman opened fire on the checkpoint before a suicide bomber struck.

Fighting has raged in opposition-held areas near Damascus despite a Dec. 30 nationwide cease-fire, including in the Barada Valley region, the primary source of water for the capital. A local truce there collapsed Sunday as the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, an ally of the government, announced a resumption of military operations after a 24-hour pause.

The fighting has severely restricted the flow of water to the 4 million residents of Damascus, which has been without a reliable supply of tap water for more than two weeks.

Opposition activists say the truce failed because the government is asking the opposition to give up control of the entire valley.
Police Crack Down On Prostitution Through Operations In Chengdu (Photo : Getty Images)

More Chinese women overseas are taking the easy life by indulging in sex service. Those involved are temporary visa holders in New Zealand and young women in Indonesia.



The New Zealand Herald reported that the Chinese women were recruited into prostitution groups using a bilingual sex information leaflet titled Working in New Zealand, produced by the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective. Older New Zealand sex trade workers often give younger Chinese women the leaflet.



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Difficulty Finding Jobs



Written in English and Chinese, the leaflet provides new prostitutes advice on what to wear, how to begin, picking a working name and sex tricks to perform. A number of Chinese women in New Zealand, because of the difficulty of finding jobs if they are temporary visa holders, are convinced by the leaflet  found at the reception counter of the collectives office in Karangahape Road in Auckland  to try joining the worlds oldest profession.



New Zealand has decriminalize prostitution in 2003, but it is illegal for holders of temporary visas to be a part of the countrys sex trade. Police are aware that international students could be considered a vulnerable community for a whole range of reasons, hence the special attention given to ensuring their safety while they enjoy the high-quality education offered in this country, Inspector Andrew Coster, area commander of Auckland City, said.



Sex Trade Workers in Batam



Meanwhile, in Indonesia, 10 women from Vietnam and China were arrested for operating as sex trade workers in Batam, Riau Islands. The eight Indonesians and two Chinese women were apprehended during raids on a boarding house and club in Nagoya, Batam on Wednesday, The Jakarta Post reported.



Teguh Praytino, chief of the Batam Immigration Office, said the women entered Batam through Jakarta and claimed they are tourists but failed to provide evidence they stay in tourist accommodations but instead stay in a boarding house.






Queen Elizabeth II attends church after missing 2 weeks

LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II has attended church near her rural Sandringham estate, after missing the previous two Sundays due to ill health.

The 90-year-old British monarch was applauded by well-wishers as she arrived by car at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of London. It was her first public appearance in several weeks.

Dressed in royal blue, the queen attended the service with her husband Prince Philip, 95, and other members of the royal family including grandson Prince William and his wife Kate.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in a car with Prince Philip, arrives to attend the morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, England, Sunday Jan. 8, 2017. The 90-year-old British monarch was applauded by well-wishers as she arrived by car at St. Mary Magdalene Church in eastern England. It was her first public appearance in several weeks. (Chris Radburn/PA via AP)

The queen is a regular churchgoer, but missed the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades due to what Buckingham Palace said was a heavy cold.

She also did not attend on New Year's Day as she continued to recover.
The Latest: Israel PM says attacker was IS supporter

JERUSALEM (AP)  The Latest on a truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem that killed at least four Israelis (all times local):

5:15 p.m.

Israel's prime minister says the Palestinian attacker in a deadly Jerusalem truck ramming was a supporter of the Islamic State extremist group.

This frame grab from video, shows an Israeli emergency services personnel at scene of a truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem that killed at least four people and wounded several others in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. Israeli police and rescue services said a Palestinian rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks of a more than yearlong campaign of violence. Security camera footage shows the truck barreling at a high speed off the road and into the crowd of people in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood. (AP Photo)

Speaking at the scene of the attack, Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker has been identified and "according to all the signs he was a supporter of the Islamic State."

He says there "definitely could be a connection" between Sunday's attack, which killed four Israeli soldiers, and recent attacks in France and Germany.

Netanyahu says Israel has blockaded Jabel Mukaber, the east Jerusalem neighborhood where the truck driver lived, and is planning other measures to prevent similar attacks.

___

5 p.m.

Israel's prime minister and his defense minister have visited the scene of a truck ramming attack in Jerusalem that killed four Israelis and wounded more than a dozen others.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman were seen talking to rescue workers and security officials at the site before quickly leaving.

The attack was among the deadliest in a more than yearlong spate of violence.

Since September 2015, Palestinian attackers have killed 40 Israelis and two visiting Americans. During that time, 230 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire.

Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were attackers while the rest died in clashes. The Palestinians and rights groups have accused Israel of using excessive force in some confrontations. Sunday's incident marks the first Israeli deaths in three months.

___

3:45 p.m.

Security camera footage of a truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem that killed four Israelis and wounded several others shows the vehicle barreling into a crowd of soldiers gathered next to a bus.

The soldiers are located well off the road. After smashing through the crowd at a high speed, the vehicle quickly backs up, apparently to run over more people. An instructor who was escorting the soldiers told Israeli media that he shot and killed the driver before anyone else was hurt. Other soldiers also opened fire, he said.

The source of the footage was not immediately clear.

3 p.m.

The Palestinian Hamas movement is praising a truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem that killed four Israelis, but does not claim responsibility.

Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif Qanou called it a "heroic" act and encouraged other Palestinians to do the same and "escalate the resistance." Qanou says Sunday's attack proves the wave of Palestinian violence has not ended, despite a recent lull. He says "it may be quiet, it may linger, but it will never end."

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is pledged to Israel's destruction.

A truck rammed into a group of Israeli soldiers who were disembarking from a bus in Jerusalem, killing four people and wounding 15 others.

It ranks as one of the deadliest in a more than yearlong wave of Palestinian shooting, stabbing and vehicular attacks against Israelis that had slowed of late. Sunday's incident marks the first Israeli deaths in three months.

___

2 p.m.

Israeli police say a truck has rammed into a group of soldiers in Jerusalem.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri says the truck veered off course Sunday and struck a group of soldiers who had just disembarked from a bus. She says the attacker has been neutralized.

Israel's rescue service MDA says at least 15 soldiers have been wounded, including two critically.

Since last year, Palestinian attackers have killed 36 Israelis and two visiting Americans in a series of mostly stabbing attacks. During that time, 229 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were attackers while the rest died in clashes.

Israel says the violence is driven by Palestinian incitement. Palestinians say it's the result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation

Israel female soldier is escorted from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. A Palestinian rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem on Sunday, killing four people and wounding 15 others, Israeli police and rescue services said, in one of the deadliest attacks of a more than yearlong campaign of violence. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Pope doesn't like traveling, does it to sow 'seeds of hope'

VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis has confessed that he really doesn't like to travel.

But Francis added in the interview published Sunday in La Stampa daily that because he's pontiff he feels he must go on trips to "encourage the seeds of hope."

The interview is part of a series of reflections in a book being published this week in Italian titled "In Viaggio" (On a Trip), about Francis' pilgrimages since becoming pontiff in 2013 to Asia, North and South America and Africa. In Europe, he has made quick trips to Lesbos, Greece, and Lampedusa, Sicily, places hosting migrants rescued at sea.

Pope Francis kisses a statue of the Divine Infant as he celebrates an Epiphany Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Bautista Agut beat Medvedev to capture Chennai Open title

CHENNAI, India (AP)  Roberto Bautista Agut beat Russia's Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 to win the Chennai Open on Sunday.

The second-seeded Spaniard never looked in trouble as he fired winners from the baseline to dash Medvedev's hopes in his maiden final.

Agut, a finalist here in 2013, had looked untroubled throughout much of the tournament and proved too good for Medvedev.

The lanky Russian served powerfully and came up with some blistering forehands but Agut's efficiency carried the day.

The first set saw Agut step up the pressure when it mattered to break the Medvedev serve. He held serve comfortably in the ninth game to take the set.

The second set went with serve until the ninth game when Agut secured the vital break with some big shots from the baseline. The Spaniard then served out the match for his fifth career ATP title.
'We have made mistakes,' South Africa president tells party

SOWETO, South Africa (AP)  South Africa's scandal-ridden president said Sunday the ruling party has made "mistakes" and is determined to root out the corruption that is destroying the country's democracy, as a shaken African National Congress begins looking for a new leader before the next election in 2019.

President Jacob Zuma tried to rally the ANC at its 105th anniversary celebration after a year in which the party saw its worst election showing since taking power a generation ago at the end of white minority rule.

Many blame the 74-year-old Zuma, who in November escaped a move by senior party members to oust him as president. Zuma faces the reinstatement of corruption charges linked to an arms deal and has been accused of allowing a wealthy family to influence state decisions, among other scandals.

South African president Jacob Zuma attends the ruling African National Congress (ANC) 105th anniversary celebrations in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday Jan. 8, 2017. Zuma tried to rally the party after a year in which the ANC saw its worst election showing since taking power a generation ago. (AP Photo/Yeshiel Panchia)

"When leaders and members of the ANC are corrupt and steal they are betraying the values of the ANC, the people and our country. We will not allow this," Zuma said to a stadium of thousands of party faithful.

South Africa's move last year to leave the International Criminal Court, after former President Nelson Mandela was a passionate advocate for the court's creation, led critics to again say the ANC had drifted from its earlier ideals. Meanwhile, anger grows over high unemployment, a weak education system and poor delivery of basic services in a country that jostles with Nigeria to be Africa's leading economy.

"Our people have told us that we come across as too busy fighting one another and do not pay sufficient attention to their needs," Zuma said. "We must give our people hope. We must unite against our common enemies, which are unemployment, poverty and inequality."

The country's next presidential elections are in 2019. An ANC conference in December will determine who will succeed Zuma as party leader  and likely as president, as the party has never lost the general election since it took power in 1994.

But the party is under growing pressure from the opposition. In August's municipal elections, the rival Democratic Alliance reached beyond its political stronghold in the Cape region to win control of the capital region and Johannesburg for the first time.

Neither of the two people seen as the likely candidates to succeed Zuma as ANC leader, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and African Union Chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has declared their intention to run.

The ANC's Women's League has announced its support for Dlamini-Zuma, who is also President Jacob Zuma's ex-wife. In his speech Sunday, Zuma made a point of saying that the focus this year is on empowering women.

___

Associated Press videographer Renee Graham contributed.

Supporters of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party arrive by bus for 105th anniversary celebrations in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday Jan. 8, 2017. President Jacob Zuma tried to rally the party after a year in which the ANC saw its worst election showing since taking power a generation ago. (AP Photo/Yeshiel Panchia)
What happens next in Florida airport shooting legal case?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Florida airport shooting suspect Esteban Santiago, facing federal charges that could potentially result in a death sentence, has his first court hearing Monday.

Santiago, a 26-year-old Iraq war veteran from Anchorage, Alaska, is charged with committing violence against people at an international airport resulting in death and with two firearms offenses. The hearing Monday is only the beginning of what will likely be a lengthy journey through the federal court system following the shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport that killed five people and wounded six others.

Here is where things stand and what to expect:

___

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE FIRST HEARING?

U.S. Magistrate Judge Alicia Valle will ask if Santiago understands the charges against him and determine whether he has an attorney or needs one appointed for him at taxpayer expense. In the federal system, defendants must be charged via a grand jury indictment unless they waive that right. So beyond legal representation not much else will happen until that indictment is issued. Most likely Santiago will continue to be held without bail.

_____

HOW LIKELY IS THE DEATH PENALTY?

Although the charges carry a potential death sentence, the Justice Department will decide later whether to pursue that penalty assuming Santiago is convicted. Many other issues can come into play, such as whether he decides to plead guilty or go to trial. Guilty pleas usually do not result in death sentences. The airport violence charge allows a sentencing judge wide latitude in deciding how many years behind bars he might serve, all the way up to life in prison, if the death penalty is off the table.

_____

DOES SANTIAGO HAVE A DEFENSE?

Uphill at best. There are dozens of witnesses to the shooting and the FBI said in an affidavit that he told agents in a post-arrest interview how he planned the attack, what weapon he brought with him to Florida, how he loaded the gun from his checked luggage in an airport bathroom and came out firing. There is also video surveillance of the shooting that shows the shooting and its aftermath. Santiago was arrested after running out of ammunition and lying spread-eagle on the floor until a deputy took him in to custody, his 9mm handgun nearby.

_____

WHAT ABOUT MENTAL ISSUES?

Santiago's attorney can ask for a mental competency evaluation to determine if he is fit to stand trial. It's a fairly high standard for any defendant to escape criminal charges because of mental problems because many defendants understand the difference between right and wrong. The main issue for the court is whether a defendant is too impaired to assist in his own defense. Most defendants who go this route are ultimately judged fit for trial and the mental health issue becomes a major factor at sentencing.

_____

WILL STATE PROSECUTORS FILE CHARGES?

They could. So far the case against Santiago is proceeding in the federal system. Theoretically the state could charge Santiago with five counts of first-degree murder  again punishable by death  as well as multiple counts of attempted murder and many other charges. Broward County's chief prosecutor, Michael Satz, so far has not indicated one way or another if he will pursue a separate case. Because of several Supreme Court rulings, Florida's death penalty system is currently in limbo.

_____

IF TERRORISM LINKS ARE FOUND, THEN WHAT?
City honors Giffords, other shooting victims on anniversary

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)  Bell ringing and a human embrace event Sunday marked the solemn six-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Tucson that left six people dead and 13 others wounded, including former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Giffords was the target at the meet-and-greet event with constituents outside a supermarket and was gravely wounded after being shot in the head.

Among those killed were 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, U.S. District Court Judge John Roll and Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman.

Gunman Jared Loughner was sentenced in 2012 to seven life terms in prison plus 140 years after pleading guilty to 19 counts related to the shooting.

On Sunday, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild rang a bell 19 times  once for each shooting victim  at the city's central fire station.

The January 8th Memorial Foundation later hosted a "human embrace event" at Hi Corbett Field to honor the victims and survivors of the shootings.

People attending were asked to wear a white shirt and make the Human Embrace symbol. Posters will be created after the event to benefit the planned large-scale memorial in downtown Tucson that foundation leaders hope will be part of the National Park Service.

The memorial, which will include carved symbols along a dark red steel wall and areas to reflect, is expected to be completed in 2018. The construction is estimated to cost $4.5 million.

Giffords, who was partially paralyzed by the shooting and suffers from a speech disorder, runs a group that aims to tighten gun laws.
Greek police find weapons at captured extremist's hideout

ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Investigators found a cache of weapons at the hideout of captured left-wing extremist Pola Roupa, officials said Sunday.

Police said they uncovered two assault rifles, two pistols and four grenades as well as bullets. They also found a significant amount of cash and impounded a car Roupa bought in December 2016.

Roupa, 48, who had been on the run since 2012, was arrested Thursday in Athens along with Constantina Athanassopoulou 25, who was charged with helping shelter Roupa.

FILE - In this file photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, suspected terrorist Pola Roupa and alleged member of the Revolutionary Struggle group, wears handcuffs as she arrives for a trial at the maximum security Korydallos prison, western Athens. Greek police on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017 recaptured the convicted far-left militant wanted for more than four years after she absconded during her trial on domestic terrorism charges. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)

The two women, along with Roupa's partner Nikos Maziotis, started a hunger and thirst strike Friday alleging authorities were holding Maziotis' and Roupa's 6-year-old son "hostage."

The two arrested women were hospitalized Sunday. Custody of the boy was given to Roupa's mother later Sunday.

Roupa and Maziotis previously were convicted in absentia of participating in the armed anarchist group Revolutionary Struggle, which has carried out bombings and shootings, including firing a rocket at the U.S. Embassy in Athens in 2007.

Because of court delays, their pre-trial detention in 2011 exceeded the 18-month limit and they were freed on bail. The two vanished in 2012, along with their son.

Maziotis was recaptured in 2014 after a shootout with police in central Athens. Both admit involvement with Revolutionary Struggle and describe themselves as unrepentant revolutionaries.
The Latest: 'Moonlight' wins best film drama Globe

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP)  The latest from Sunday's 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California (all times local):

___

8:10 p.m.

Mahershala Ali, left, and Casey Affleck arrive at the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

"Moonlight" is the winner of the Golden Globe Award for best film drama.

The Globes, which split the top film winners into two categories, previously awarded "La La Land" the best film comedy or musical trophy.

"Moonlight" follows a boy's path to adulthood through a dangerous Miami neighborhood.

___

8:05 p.m.

Isabelle Huppert is the winner of the Golden Globe Award for best actress in a film drama.

Huppert won for her role as in the French film "Elle," which also won the best foreign language film award Sunday.

She beat out Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, Ruth Negga and Natalie Portman.

____

7:55 p.m.

Casey Affleck has won the Golden Globe Award for best actor in a drama film for his portrayal of grieving father in "Manchester by the Sea."

Affleck's performance is considered one of the best of his career and he is considered a favorite to receive a best actor Oscar nomination later this month.

___

7:50 p.m.

"La La Land" has won the Golden Globe Award for best film comedy or musical.

The musical about a jazz musician and an actress who fall in love as they struggle to establish their careers in Los Angeles won in all seven categories for which it was nominated. That included awards for stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone and director Damien Chazelle

The Globes splits its top honors for films into two categories, with the winner for best film drama to be announced later Sunday.

___

7:40 p.m.

Meryl Streep teed off on Donald Trump while accepting a top honor during Sunday's Golden Globe Awards.

Streep repeatedly criticized Trump and his remarks targeting various groups, including foreigners and journalists, while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award. The actress' speech silenced the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and her remarks immediately became a trending topic on Twitter.

Streep said she was mortified during the presidential campaign by Trump's criticism of a disabled New York Times reporter, and called for people to support press rights as a check on Trump's power.

The actress anticipated blowback from Trump supporters, saying at one point during her speech, "''Hollywood is crawling with foreigners, so if you kick them all out you'll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts."

Actor Chris Pine thanked Streep for her speech after the Globes returned from a commercial break.

___

7:35 p.m.

The Golden Globe Awards don't have a formal segment honoring actors who have died in the past year, but this year's program did included homages to the recently departed Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher.

The ceremony included a brief video montage of the mother-daughter duo during its ceremony, and Meryl Streep shared some of Fisher's words while accepting one of the evening's top honors, the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.

Streep, who starred in the film adaptation of Fisher's book "Postcards from the Edge," mentioned Fisher at the close of her speech, recalling how she once told her, "Take your broken heart, make it into art."

Streep, overcome by emotion, covered her mouth as she walked away from the microphone.

___

7:25 p.m.

While you watch the commercials at home the stars at the Golden Globes are busy schmoozing.

Octavia Spencer passed the time during one recent break chatting with Casey Affleck.

Meanwhile, Kurt Russell and Colin Farrell dug into a box of chocolates together while Sofia Vergara posed for a photo with designer Georgina Chapman.

Reese Witherspoon bonded with Jeff Bridges while Nicole Kidman turned to hubby Keith Urban to whisper, "Look, Laura." With that the couple made a beeline across the room to greet Laura Dern.

 Sandy Cohen @apsandy.

___

7:05 p.m.

"The Crown" has won the Golden Globe Award for best drama TV series.

The Netflix series had its name called back-to-back on Sunday night, with star Claire Foy winning the best actress in a television drama award.

___

6:55 p.m.

The winner of the Golden Globe Award for best foreign language film is France's "Elle."

The film stars Isabelle Huppert as the head of a successful video game company whose life takes strange turns.

The Globes are bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is comprised of journalists for media outlets around the globe.

______

6:45 p.m.

Zootopia" is the winner of the Golden Globe Award for best animated film.

The Disney film about a spunky rabbit who overcomes substantial odds to become a crime-solving police officer, stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman and Idris Elba.

___

6:20 p.m.

Jimmy Fallon had his own technical meltdown at Sunday's Golden Globes, quickly turning it into a joke about Mariah Carey's New Year's Eve microphone fiasco.

Fallon had his TelePrompter quit just as he began his opening monologue.

The Globes are presented by Dick Clark Productions, the same company that puts on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," where Carey had her bizarre, bungled performance that she blamed on the show's producers.

When the Globes returned from its first commercial break, Fallon quipped that he'd just gotten off the phone with Carey. He said she him "she thinks that Dick Clark Productions sabotaged my monologue."

Globes representatives say the glitch was real, not a setup for a joke.

___

6:25 p.m.

Ryan Gosling has won the Golden Globe Award for best actor in a film comedy or musical.

Gosling won for his role in "La La Land," which is the most nominated film at Sunday's ceremony.

The actor gave heartfelt thanks to his partner, Eva Mendes, thanking her for supporting him during the film while she was pregnant with their second child and caring for her sick brother.

___

6:20 p.m.

It's a good thing John Legend is famous and doesn't really need an introduction.

The Grammy and Oscar winner received a misspelled name badge at Sunday's Golden Globes.

Legend's wife, Chrissy Teigen, mocked her husband on Twitter, posting a photo of him with the badge and the caption, "Bahahaha loser."

Interestingly, Legend was a presenter during the ceremony, introducing clips from "La La Land," which he also appeared in.

His name badge didn't make a cameo appearance on the Globe onstage.

___

6:15 p.m.

Viola Davis is the winner of the Golden Globe Award for best supporting film actress.

Davis won for her role in "Fences." She stars opposite Denzel Washington in the first big-screen adaptation of an August Wilson play.

Both won Tony Awards for their 2010 performances in a revival of the show

The Globes have honored diversity throughout Sunday's ceremony, bestowing awards on actress Tracee Ellis Ross and actor-writer Donald Glover.

Davis noted in her acceptance speech this was her fifth Globe nomination and her first win, adding, "it's right on time."

___

5:35 p.m.

"Atlanta" has won the best television comedy or musical Golden Globe Award.

The FX show stars Donald Glover, who is also the show's creator and director.

In his acceptance speech, Glover said he was surprised by the honor. He thanked the city of Atlanta and its residents, adding he wasn't sure the show would catch on when it first aired.

The Globes also awarded Tracee Ellis Ross the best actress in a television comedy during Sunday's ceremony.

She stars in the ABC series "Black-ish."

___

5:25 p.m.

Billy Bob Thornton is the winner of the Golden Globe Award for best TV drama actor.

Thornton won for his role in the Amazon series "Goliath."

He plays a disgraced lawyer seeking revenge against his former firm.

___

5:20 p.m.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the winner of the Golden Globe Award for best supporting actor.

Taylor-Johnson won for his role in "Nocturnal Animals."

It was the first award presented during Sunday's ceremony, which is being broadcast on NBC.

___

4:10 p.m.

Jimmy Fallon borrowed the traffic jam song-and-dance routine from "La La Land" to kick off the Golden Globe Awards, with a song-and-dance intro featuring cameos from Globes nominees Raimi Malek and John Travolta, among others.

The pre-recorded intro then morphed into footage of Fallon sitting at a piano serenading stars in the Beverly Hilton Hotel ballroom, including "La La Land" star Ryan Reynolds.

It's Fallon's first year hosting the Globes and he has combined his love of music with music from one of the year's top movies. "La La Land" is vying for a win in the best film comedy or musical category.

Perhaps the pre-recorded routine was a good call: Fallon's opening monologue was delayed when he said his teleprompter failed.

___

4:25 p.m.

Most stars don't make it inside the Beverly Hilton ballroom in time to eat and drink the 3:30 champagne dinner before the Golden Globes awards kicks off, but there were a few hungry and thirsty early birds this year.

Among them was actress Gwendolyn Christie, who chatted with a pal at her table while Tracee Ellis Ross breezed into the bar area.

"Transparent" creator Jill Soloway was seated on the patio with model Emily Ratajkowski , who showed off a new short haircut.

 Sandy Cohen @apsandy.

___

3:50 p.m.

At the Golden Globes, the best seat in the house is sometimes the seat outside the house.

Limos, SUVs and Uber cars stop right in front of the fan bleachers to let the stars out, much to the delight of those gathered there.

The crowd let loose with one of its biggest cheers when a very pregnant Natalie Portman stepped out.

Portman, a best actress nominee for motion picture drama for the film "Jackie," was instantly recognizable in a mustard yellow gown.

One bleacher fan could relate to far more than her role in the film, however.

"Natalie! I'm pregnant too!" a woman shouted. "Do you get heartburn too?"

 Andrew Dalton.

___

3:40 p.m.

The red carpet is starting to fill up but with about 90 minutes to go to show time, the Beverly Hilton Hotel's International Ballroom is free of famous faces.

The biggest attention-getter right now is Bingo the bomb-sniffing dog, who's standing at the doorway with his handler, Devon Waite.

 Sandy Cohen @apsandy.

___

3:30 p.m.

"The Big Bang Theory's" Simon Helberg says he hopes Meryl Streep "wins an award and finally gets some recognition" at this year's Golden Globes.

Helberg, perhaps channeling his "Big Bang" character Howard Wolowitz, was joking of course.

Streep has been nominated for 30 Globes over the years, and this year she'll be taking home the Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement.

She's also nominated for best performance by an actress in a motion picture musical or comedy for "Florence Foster Jenkins."

Helberg, who is up for a supporting actor nomination in that film, says he's looking forward to a boisterous and booze-filled evening at the Globes where "people drink and say more than they need to say."

 Lindsey Bahr @ldbahr on Twitter

___

2:30 p.m.

Stars arriving at Sunday's Golden Globes are being met with brilliant sunshine  the clearest and warmest afternoon in LA in many days.

A clear plastic rain cover over the red carpet has proved entirely unnecessary, and is only heightening heat that's in the upper 70s. Rains that have soaked much of California and might have dampened Sunday's festivities are now not expected to arrive until hours after the show is over.

Despite the blue skies, a somber mood may dominate the evening in the first major Hollywood awards show since Donald Trump's election.

And after recent terrorist truck attacks in Europe and Friday's airport shooting in Florida, the security provided by the Beverly Hills Police Department is warier and heavier than ever. Long lines of police SUVs and officers on foot created a tight seal around the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the longtime Globes home.
1 dead, 1 seriously injured in Big Y supermarket stabbing

OLD LYME, Conn. (AP)  Someone has been stabbed to death at a Connecticut supermarket.

State police say the stabbing occurred Sunday afternoon at a Big Y supermarket in a shopping plaza in Old Lyme and a second person suffered serious injuries.

Police say they responded to the supermarket on a report of an assault. They say the two people were known to each other and the stabbing was not a random act.

The injured person has been taken by helicopter to a hospital.

The identities of the two people haven't been released.

The Springfield, Massachusetts-based Big Y supermarket chain has several locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Its divisions include Fresh Acres Market and Table & Vine fine wines and spirits.
Nokia P flagship (Photo : Twitter / AndroidHeadlines)

Rumored Nokia phones specs, pricing and release date details continue to emerge, and at least three Android smartphones of the resurrected brand are reportedly confirmed for unveiling in February via the MWC 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Fans can expect the entry-level Nokia E1 and the mid-range Nokia D1 or D1C to unbox in the next few months, and followed as early as July by the flagship Nokia P.



Advertisement

NokiaPowerUser.com reported of the leaked specs for the Nokia E1, which based on the details is shaping up as a budget-friendly Android handset with the tag price starting at $150. The device is said to boast of an HD or 720 display with the screen stretched no more than 5.3-inch. The same report indicated that the E1 main engine is a quad-core Snapdragon 425 chip with up to 2GB of RAM.



When unboxed, the Nokia E1 will rock a camera combo of 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front, and the internal memory amounts to 16GB with the likelihood of memory expansion support through a microSD slot. It is believed that the latest Android Nougat build will run the 2017 comeback show of the iconic Finnish mobile brand.



And so is the same case with the Nokia D1 or D1C, which speculations said will come out in two models - one with a 5.5-inch screen and the other with a 5.7-inch display, and both will sport of 1080p or Full HD screen resolution. The specs known so far on the D1 or D1C are in line with the recent report by DigiTimes that these Nokia phone models will sell between $200 and $300, depending on the configuration.



The same report mentioned that there will be four Nokia Android phone releases this 2017, stretching from February through July. The fourth instalment is likely the flagship and supersized Nokia P that will have a phablet display that screams at 6-inch.



The Nokia P, according to Indian Express, will be powered by the Snapdragon 835 or the same SoC that will be found on upcoming 2017 hero phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6 and HTC 11. SD 835 on the flagship Nokia 2017 phone will work in tandem with up to 6GB of RAM support.



On the camera side, the Nokia P is set to impress with a 23-megapixel main shooter that also will benefit from Nokia's signature Carl Zeiss optics, the same report added.



And to complete much-anticipated Nokia 2017 comeback story, the former King of Mobile will include a retro treatment on its soon to unfold release date plans this year. That would be the Nokia 3310-inspired Nokia 150 and the Nokia 150 dual-SIM variant, which likely will sell below the $50 mark.






Nicola Sturgeon has insisted she is not bluffing about the prospect of a second Scottish independence referendum as she accused Theresa May of having an unacceptable approach to Brexit.

The Scottish First Minister hinted that a hard Brexit could see a vote on independence within five years, but insisted that she was offering a compromise solution to the Prime Minister.

Ms Sturgeon has indicated that soft Brexit could take the issue of a second referendum on Scottish independence off the table in the short term.

Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon

But she told BBC Ones Andrew Marr Show that she was prepared to call a fresh vote if the terms of Brexit were not right.

She said they will be making a big mistake if they think that Im in any way bluffing because leaving the European Union created a fundamental question for Scotland. If were going to be ignored, if our voice has been completely cast aside, our interests cast aside, then that can happen on anything, she said.

For those asking what I mean by 'soft Brexit' read @scotgov paper on single market membership and expanded powers - https://t.co/mEGFx12RPV  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) January 6, 2017

And we have to ask ourselves in Scotland are we happy to have the direction of our country, the kind of country we want to be determined by a right-wing Conservative government perhaps for the next 20 years, or do we want to take control of our own future. And thats the case that in those circumstances I think it would be right for Scotland to have the opportunity to decide.

Asked if she was looking at a referendum much quicker than in five or 10 years time if there was a hard Brexit she said: I would think, yes. But let me not get away from this point, Im putting to Theresa May a compromise solution.

But the First Minister was critical of Mrs Mays approach to the issue and co-operation with leaders of the devolved administrations. She said that instead of prioritising  the sensible solution of keeping the UK in the single market, Mrs May was trying to appease Eurosceptics in her deeply-divided party.

Voicing concerns about the Prime Ministers approach to the process, she added: If the UKs coming out of the European Union that has enormous implications for Scotland as it does for other parts of the UK.

Thats why the Scottish Government has published proposals that we hope are taken seriously, but thus far almost two-thirds of the way to the triggering of Article 50 we know no more about the UKs position than we did the day after the referendum and that is increasingly unacceptable.

Commenting on the interview, Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: This is yet another attempt by the SNP to sow division and uncertainty, at a time when the country needs to pull together more than ever. Nicola Sturgeon could provide much needed clarity on Scotlands future by ruling out another independence referendum altogether.
A civil servant has resigned after being caught on camera discussing with an Israeli embassy official how to take down a senior Government minister.

Maria Strizzolo has quit her post at the Skills Funding Agency after being filmed talking about Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan over dinner with the Israeli official.

Israels ambassador to the UK Mark Regev has apologised for the unacceptable comments made by senior political officer Shai Masot, who suggested that Sir Alan was causing a lot of problems.

Mr Masot also appeared to dismiss Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as an idiot during the conversation in a London restaurant which was secretly recorded by Al Jazeera.

Sir Alan Duncan (Nick Ansell/PA)

Ms Strizzolo, a former aide to Tory Skills Minister Robert Halfon, is now understood to have resigned her civil service post.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry called for the Government to launch an inquiry into the extent of improper interference by the Israeli government.

During the conversation at the Aubaine restaurant near the Israeli embassy in Kensington, west London, Mr Masot asked Ms Strizzolo: Can I give you some names of MPs that I would suggest you take down?

Robert Halfon (Daniel Leal-Olivas PA)

Ms Strizzolo replied that all MPs have something theyre trying to hide and Mr Masot responded by saying I have some MPs, adding she knows which MPs I want to take down before specifying the deputy foreign minister.

Sir Alan, who has been critical of Israeli government policies, was seen as more of a problem than Mr Johnson who was basically good, according to Mr Masot in a transcript of the conversation.

He just doesnt care. He is an idiot but has become minister of foreign affairs without any responsibilities. If something real happened it wont be his fault it will be Alan Duncan. Duncan is impossible to rebuff  he has a lot of friends.

Boris Johnson was reportedly described as an "idiot" (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Tory chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Crispin Blunt, who was also referred to by Mr Masot, told the Mail on Sunday the comments about Sir Alan were outrageous.

Ms Strizzolo told the newspaper that her conversation with Mr Masot was tongue-in-cheek and gossipy, adding: Any suggestion that I  could exert the type of influence you are suggesting is risible.

She said she knew Mr Masot purely socially and as a friend. He is not someone with whom I have ever worked or had any political dealings beyond chatting about politics, as millions of people do, in a social context

The Mail on Sunday also reported that the Al Jazeera investigation showed Mr Masot telling Labour MP Joan Ryan that he has obtained more than 1 million to pay for sympathetic MPs from her party to visit Israel.
The Duchess of Cambridge celebrates her 35th birthday on Monday.

Kate is expected to mark the occasion privately with the Duke of Cambridge and her children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, ahead of her first public engagements of the new year.

On Wednesday, the Duchess is dropping in on an Early Years Parenting Unit at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families in north London to learn more about their work with families with children under five years old.

The Duchess of Cambridge, @AFNCCF Patron, will visit the Centre's Early Years Parenting Unit on 11 January pic.twitter.com/oH8cpqWDjn  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 5, 2017

The unit offers an assessment and treatment programme for groups of parents with personality disorders, and their children, who are at risk of being taken into care.

Kate will also carry out a joint engagement with William the same day when they visit a Child Bereavement UK Centre in Stratford, east London, to mark its first anniversary.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit a @cbukhelp Centre on 11 January, as the London Centre marks its one year anniversary pic.twitter.com/96zqKT4VG3  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 6, 2017

Royal watchers are waiting to see whether 2017 will be the year the Cambridges expand their brood. Kate, who is one of three herself, is thought to be keen to have another child  a sibling for George and Charlotte.

George, who turns four in July, is due to start school in September. Although no official announcement has been made, he is expected to attend the same one as his father William  the 6,865-a-term Wetherby Pre-Preparatory School in west London.

It would mean a move back to Kensington Palace for the Cambridges from their country retreat, Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

The Duchess has her sister Pippas wedding to look forward to in May. Pippa is marrying financier boyfriend James Matthews near the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, and George and Charlotte are expected to act as page boy and flower girl.

Pippa, left, with her sister Kate, will marry later this year (Empics/PA)

Kate will also be supporting her husband as he prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales in August.

The Duchess, who has now been a member of the Royal Family for nearly six years, was born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, on January 9 1982.
A Ukip MEP has backed calls for the return of traditional Crown stamps on Britains pint glasses  a decade after they began to disappear in favour of an EU-wide "European Conformity" mark.

Bill Etheridge, who represents the West Midlands in the European Parliament, believes a move back to the UK Government stamp, guaranteeing full and half-pint glasses are the correct size, could help revive Britains glass-making sector.

An EU Measuring Instruments Directive which came into force in late 2006 meant manufacturers had to mark the letters "CE" on newly-made pint pots, although existing Crown-stamped glasses could still be used in pubs.

Beer glasses

Demands for the return of the Crown stamp follow similar calls for post-Brexit Britain to allow traders to ditch metric measures.

Mr Etheridge, Ukips defence spokesman and a member of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), said: "All drinkers remember the Crown mark, knowing that it guaranteed them a full pint, indeed there are still some around.

Reintroduced gradually, as replacements, they are not a throwback to a nostalgic era, but a move to put us back in control of the production and specifications of our own pint."

Mr Etheridge added: Across the whole range of manufacturing we have to look at returning to our own systems of British Standards as we unravel ourselves from EU red tape.

(Ben Birchall/PA)

The move to the "CE" mark was opposed by many major brewing industry firms in 2007 after it was ruled that the EU directive did not permit the use of other measure-related markings on new glasses.

In May 2007 a group of Conservative MEPs said they were reassured by a letter from a vice-president of the European Commission that "a Crown stamp look-alike could naturally be affixed to the glass, as long as it is done in such a way that it is not confused with the CE marking".
American Justin Thomas is well placed to claim his third PGA Tour win as he holds a two-shot lead going into final day of the SBS Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

The 23-year-old, who was a joint leader with Ryan Moore at the halfway mark, is on 18 under after six-under-par 67 in his third round.

He rattled off three successive birdies on the front nine, which was tempered by a solitary bogey on the seventh, before coming home in four under, thanks in part to an eagle two at the 14th.

Justin Thomas

404 yards.



Huge drive by Justin Thomas.



Could it be this week's #MustSeeMoment?https://t.co/5S2gjNBa85 pic.twitter.com/W3066vfBwF  PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 8, 2017

After reaching the green with his tee shot, Thomas then sank a 22-foot putt.

He is two shots clear of world number six Hideki Matsuyama who moved up the leaderboard with a 66, which included eight birdies.

There are three players, including Moore, on 14 under, with Dustin Johnson on 11 under and world number one Jason Day one shot further back.
Boris Johnson has held talks with senior members of Donald Trumps team as the Government seeks to strengthen its links to the US president-elect before he takes office.

The Foreign Secretary met Mr Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and the president-elects chief strategist Steve Bannon after flying to New York on a hastily-arranged trip.

Mr Johnson will also meet key Republicans in Washington.

Boris Johnson

The meeting came after Theresa May condemned Mr Trumps comments about groping women as unacceptable but indicated the special relationship between the UK and US would flourish when he was in the White House.

Mrs May, who is expected to meet Mr Trump in the spring, said she has had two very good, positive conversations with Mr Trump.

But challenged about the 2005 tape recording of Mr Trump bragging to TV host Billy Bush about women and how he could grab them by the pussy because of his celebrity status, Mrs May was blunt in her response.

Asked as a woman how she felt about the comments, Mrs May told Sky News: I think thats unacceptable, but in fact Donald Trump himself has said that and has apologised for it.

But the relationship that the UK has with the United States is about something much bigger than just the relationship between the two individuals as president and prime minister.

Thats important, but actually we have a long-standing special relationship with the United States.

Its based on shared values and it is a relationship where, actually in the UK, we feel we can say to the US if we disagree with something that they are doing.

The status of the transatlantic relationship has been the subject of intense scrutiny since Mr Trump won the US presidential election in November.

That interest has been partly fuelled by the president-elects apparent close relationship with the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage and the fact both Mrs May and Mr Johnson have been critical of the tycoons comments in the past.

One controversy followed the president-elects comments about parts of London being no-go areas for the police.

Mr Johnson said then: The only reason I wouldnt go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.

Mr Johnsons visit followed talks between the Trump camp and Mrs Mays closest advisers Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill.

Donald Trump owns golf courses in Scotland (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Mr Trump has tweeted that he was looking forward to meeting the Prime Minister in Washington in the spring, describing long-time US ally Britain as very special.

A date for the meeting is yet to be revealed, but it is expected to come within weeks of Mr Trumps inauguration on January 20.

Mrs May said: I have had two very good, positive conversations with Donald Trump already  I think we are going to look to build on that relationship for the benefit of both the US and the UK.
The Queen has attended church for the first time since a heavy cold kept her away from services over the festive period.

The monarch was joined by senior royals including the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham on Sunday.

The Queen had prompted some speculation when she missed her regular appearances at the church on Christmas Day and New Years Day because of the lingering respiratory illness.

She and Philip had been forced to delay their journey from Buckingham Palace to their Norfolk estate in the days before Christmas after she fell ill.

The Queen was greeted by a small crowd of people as she was driven the short distance to the church in a burgundy Bentley on Sunday, accompanied by Philip, who also suffered illness over Christmas.

A small crowd greeted the Queen (Chris Radburn/PA)

The Duke of Edinburgh accompanied his wife (Chris Radburn/PA)

She was dressed in royal blue, with a lighter blue blanket visible on her lap as they drove through the gates into the churchyard, past the waiting wellwishers.

Kate, wearing a grey furry hat and a forest green coat and black heels, walked the short distance to the church with smartly-dressed William. But there was no sign of Prince George or Princess Charlotte. The duchess celebrates her 35th birthday on Monday.

The royal couple were greeted by wellwishers (Chris Radburn/PA)

Kate's father Michael, brother James and mother Carol also attended (Chris Radburn/PA)

James Matthews, far left, with his fiancee Pippa, second right (Chris Radburn/PA)

The rest of the Middleton family, Kates sister Pippa, mother Carole, father Michael and brother James, also attended the service. Pippa was wearing a khaki double-breasted coat and a matching trilby hat and was accompanied by her fiance, financier James Matthews.

Although she has missed the church services and has not been in seen in public for several weeks the monarch has carried out other duties. She presented Ray Wheaton, her Page of the Chambers, with the insignia of a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, the court circular recorded.

They drove the short distance to the church (Chris Radburn/PA)

There was applause from the crowd as the Queen left the church after the service. She could be seen smiling as she departed in a Bentley with the Duke of Edinburgh, with the rest of the party returning to Sandringham House by foot.

Colin Bunn, 70, of Snettisham, Norfolk, said: We live locally so we come to Sandringham quite frequently and were here on Christmas Day. She looked beautiful and came down the steps unaided.
Irans former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has died after a decades-long career in the ruling elite.

The political moderates life spanned the trials of Irans modern history, from serving as a close aide to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during the 1979 Islamic Revolution to acting as a go-between in the Iran-Contra deal.

He helped found Irans contested nuclear programme but later backed the accord with world powers to limit it in exchange for sanctions relief.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

BREAKING: Iranian state media says Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, an influential former president, has died at age 82.  The Associated Press (@AP) January 8, 2017

Mr Rafsanjani died aged 82 after suffering a heart attack, state media reported.

Iranian media said he was taken to hospital north of Tehran, where doctors performed CPR in vain for nearly an hour and a half before declaring him dead.

A female state newscasters voice quivered as she read the news.

Mr Rafsanjani, after a life full of restless efforts in the path of Islam and revolution, had departed for lofty heaven, she said.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Mr Rafsanjani an old friend and comrade, and said his loss is difficult and life-decreasing. The government announced three days of mourning, and a funeral was expected to be held on Tuesday.
President-elect Donald Trump accepts the US intelligence communitys conclusion that Russia tried to interfere in the presidential election, his incoming White House Chief of staff said.

I think he accepts the findings, Reince Priebus said Hes not denying that entities in Russia were behind this particular campaign.

Intelligence officials allege that Moscow directed a series of hacks in order to help Mr Trump win the White House. Mr Trump has repeatedly expressed scepticism about Russias role and has declined to say whether he accepts the meddling was done on his behalf.

Donald Trump (Paco Anselmi/PA)

On Friday, US intelligence briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election to help Mr Trump win the White House. Mr Priebus attended along with Mr Trump.

In an interview with The Associated Press after the briefing, Mr Trump said he learned a lot from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion about Russias motives.

An unclassified version of the report directly tied Russian president Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a clear preference for Mr Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton.

Mr Trump and his allies have bristled at any implication that the meddling helped him win the election. He won the Electoral College vote with 306 votes, topping the 270 votes required to become president.

Accepting those findings would be a positive step  but not enough, said one leading Senate Republican who is calling for more sanctions against Russia.

Hes going to be the defender of the free world here pretty soon, Lindsey Graham, a frequent Trump critic, said. All Im asking him is to acknowledge that Russia interfered, and push back. It could be Iran next time. It could be China.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump is expected to hold a long-delayed press conference on how he is organising his global business empire to avoid conflicts of interest while he is president. He has taken sporadic questions and done interviews, but it will be his first fully-fledged news conference since July 27.

That same day on Capitol Hill, the Senate is holding at least nine hearings on Mr Trumps Cabinet and other nominees, a pace set by the Republican majority that Democrats have complained is too fast. The government ethics office says several of Mr Trumps Cabinet choices have not completed a full review to avoid conflicts of interest.
Torinos claim that Arsenal made a bid of 55million for striker Andrea Belotti has been disputed in north London.

The Serie A clubs director of sport Gianluca Petrachi said on Sunday that a bid had been received, but Press Association Sport understands Arsenal deny making such an offer.

Petrachi told Sky Sport Italia that Torino had rejected a 65million euro (55.7million) bid from the Gunners for the Italy international.

Italy's Andrea Belotti (John Walton/EMPICS)

Such a fee, if the offer had been accepted, would have seen him become Arsenals record signing. The 23-year-old has impressed this season with 13 goals in 16 Serie A appearances.

Petrachi was asked about a bid from Arsenal, and told Sky Sport Italia: Yes, we received that offer but it does not match Belottis value.

And for the time being hes not going anywhere: we want to enjoy having him around, then well see.

The former Palermo player signed a contract extension last month that included a 100million euro release clause, applying only to foreign bidders.

Following Torinos goalless draw at Sassuolo on Sunday, Torino president Urbano Cairo stressed the importance of respecting the clause he worked hard to insert into Belottis contract in December.

We put a very high price on that clause to deter other clubs, and I want to keep Belotti close by, he told Sky Sport Italia.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman attend a screening of the Sherlock 2016 Christmas Special at Ham Yard Hotel on December 19, 2016 in London, England. (Photo : Getty Images/ Jeff Spicer)

"Thor: Ragnarok" is getting bigger and bigger with every new announcement. The third and final film in the "Thor" trilogy has enlisted a lot of big-name stars in its cast and has included even more super-powered characters to the list. Benedict Cumberbatch is confirmed to reprise his role as Doctor Strange in "Thor: Ragnarok." So how big will his participation be?



Advertisement

Fans who have seen "Doctor Strange" (spoiler alert) would know that Chris Hemsworth appeared as a very casual-looking Thor in the mid-credits of the movie. During their encounter, Thor asked Doctor Strange's help to locate his father Odin as well as deal with his brother Loki.



According to official Disney fan club D23, Cumberbatch will join Hemsworth in "Thor: Ragnarok. "If you need even more intergalactic, world-saving action, Thor: Ragnarok in November brings together Thor, the Hulk, and Doctor Strange to face off against intergalactic baddies both familiar and new," the article read.



This does not exactly reveal much, but it is enough to confirm the Sorcerer Supreme's role in the film. Fans of the "Sherlock" star are very excited for his participation in the third "Thor" film, especially so if he shares a scene with Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki. The British actors are very good friends in real life and their bromance has secured a legion of followers. Since both actors, and their respective characters, are insanely witty it will be an absolute thrill to see their exchanges on screen.



Meanwhile, the official synopsis to "Thor: Ragnarok" has been released and it confirms one popular theory about the story. The synopsis details that Thor and Hulk will battle it out in a gladiator match.



"Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok - the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization - at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela," the synopsis reads, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. "But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger - the Incredible Hulk!"



"Thor: Ragnarok" will premiere in theaters on Nov. 3.






Wilfried Zaha set up the winner on his first international appearance for Ivory Coast since turning his back on England.

The Crystal Palace winger has two senior England caps to his name, having played against Sweden in November 2012 and Scotland the following year.

But as both matches were friendlies Zaha could switch allegiance to his country of birth, with Three Lions boss Gareth Southgates bid to persuade him to backtrack on his decision falling on deaf ears.

Wilfried Zaha (John Walton/EMPICS)

Je suis tres content d'avoir joue mon premier match avec la Cote d'Ivoire| very happy to play my first match with Ivory Coast  #afcon pic.twitter.com/Qe1neNkNwJ  Wilfried Zaha (@wilfriedzaha) January 8, 2017

The 24-year-old is instead heading to the African Nations Cup and made his Ivory Coast debut in a pre-tournament friendly against Sweden on Sunday.

Wilfried Kanons own goal was cancelled out just before half-time by Serge NGuessan, before Zahas excellent cross was headed in by Giovanni Sio to secure the Elephants a 2-1 win in Abu Dhabi.
An armed man who took hostages at a bookmakers has been arrested.

Northumbria Police said they were called to the Coral bookmakers in Grange Road, Jarrow, following a report of a man in possession of a firearm.

The force said the incident was brought to a close by officers using a less lethal weapon, which locals said was a Taser.

Armed police (Charlotte Ball/PA)

Police bring incident at #Jarrow bookmakers to safe conclusion. Man arrested and nobody injured. Enquiries ongoing https://t.co/GCwqN1G4oE  SouthTyneside Police (@npsouthtyneside) January 8, 2017

Four hostages are thought to have been taken by the man inside the shop. Local people said they watched as three were released but police continued to negotiate for the release of the fourth until the stand-off ended.

Social media users said the noise of shots was heard just before the end of the stand-off.

A force spokesman said: At 8.44pm police negotiated the safe release of the fourth person from inside the premises then, at 8.53pm, the man in possession of the weapon was arrested by officers.

A firearm has been seized by officers and the 39-year-old man will be taken into police custody.

A difficult and dangerous incident in Jarrow brought safely to an end. #proudtoprotect  NorPol Chief (@NPolChief) January 8, 2017

A police issue less lethal weapon was discharged during the incident in order to bring this matter to safe conclusion  this was the shots that people may have heard.

Nobody has been injured during the incident.

Enquiries are ongoing and we will try and get the area back to normal as possible.

We would like to thank the public for their cooperation.

Hats off to the courageous @northumbriapol officers who helped resolve the Jarrow bookmakers stand-off without any hostages being hurt  Daniel Milligan (@danielrmilligan) January 8, 2017

Earlier, a police spokesman said officers were called at 5.46pm.

One local resident, who did not want to be named, said he and scores of neighbours watched as police surrounded the shop and hostages were released.

Hes come to the door every now and then, talking to the police, the man said before the siege finished.

All hostages free as Jarrow siege ends. Told: he had loaded sawn-off,

but arrested without police use of firearms. Well done & glad all safe  Kim McGuinness - Northumbria PCC (@NorthumbriaPCC) January 8, 2017

Its difficult to see him because hes put newspaper over the windows.

Theres been three hostages released so far.

A large number of police vehicles were outside the shop in Grange Road and social media postings showed large crowds gathering, including children, to watch the stand-off.

The man said: Its like a grandstand over here now.

The first I knew about it was when there was a lot of shouting outside. Thats not unusual but it just went on a bit longer than normal.
Namibians sue Germany in U.S. over early-1900s genocide

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Descendants of the Herero and Nama people from what is now Namibia are suing Germany in the United States over a genocide carried out by German colonial troops in the early 1900s, in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

According to a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Germany has excluded the plaintiffs from talks with Namibia on the matter, and has publicly said any settlement will not include reparations to victims' families, even if compensation is awarded to Namibia itself.

"There is no assurance that any of the proposed foreign aid by Germany will actually reach or assist the minority indigenous communities that were directly harmed," the plaintiffs' lawyer Ken McCallion said in an email.

"There can be no negotiations or settlement about them that is made without them."

The proposed class-action lawsuit seeks unspecified sums for thousands of the victims' descendants for the "incalculable damages" that were caused.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said on Friday that Berlin had acknowledged the genocide and that the two governments had been in talks for just under two years about how to describe and deal with Germany's past criminal actions.

German development aid to Namibia was already at nearly "world record" levels on a per capita basis but the inter-governmental discussions could lead to potential additional payments, he said.

Germany had "good reasons" for not negotiating directly with the Namibian groups involved, Schaefer told a regular government news conference, without elaborating. He said Berlin learned of the lawsuit only through news reports.

The genocide took place from roughly 1904 to 1908, when Namibia was a German colony known as German South-West Africa, after the Herero and Nama groups rebelled against German rule.

According to many published reports, victims were also subjected to harsh conditions in concentration camps, and some had their skulls sent to Germany for scientific experiments.

Some historians view what occurred as the 20th century's first genocide, and a 1985 United Nations report said the "massacre" of Hereros qualified as a genocide.

Germany has already paid victims of the Holocaust during which the Nazis killed, among others, about six million Jews.

The plaintiffs, including some from New York, on Thursday sued under the Alien Tort Statute, a 1789 U.S. law often invoked in human rights cases.
Egypt appoints new head of agricultural quarantine

CAIRO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Egypt has appointed a new head for agricultural quarantine, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Najla Mousa Balabel was appointed to head the central administration for agricultural quarantine, the statement said.
Streets of Ivory Coast cities calm after soldier mutiny

By Ange Aboa

ABIDJAN, Jan 8 (Reuters) - The streets of Ivory Coast's second-largest city Bouake were calm and the military presence was gone, residents said on Sunday, after a two-day soldiers' mutiny took over the city before spreading across the country.

The mutiny began early on Friday when rogue soldiers demanding bonus pay seized Bouake. Soldiers at military camps in cities and towns across Ivory Coast, including the commercial capital Abidjan, joined the rebellion.

A deal was reached between the government and the soldiers late on Saturday. A mutineer close to the negotiations said soldiers had returned to barracks.

"We have cleared the corridors everywhere as promised and we have been in barracks since last night," Sergeant Mamadou Kone told Reuters. "All over the country all our men have returned to barracks and wait for their money. The mutiny is over for us."

He said the soldiers expect to be paid on Monday under the deal brokered by Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi, raising pressure on a government that faces further unrest if demands are not met. In a sign of tensions, renegade troops on Saturday opened fire outside the house in Bouake where the negotiations took place, temporarily trapping Donwahi, witnesses said.

The terms of the final deal were not made public, but sources said that the soldiers demanded 5 million CFA francs ($8,000) each, which for more than 8,000 soldiers could cost tens of billions of CFA francs.

Ivory Coast - which has French-speaking West Africa's largest economy - has emerged from a 2002-2011 political crisis as one of the continent's rising economic stars.

But years of conflict and a failure to reform its army, made up of former rebel fighters and government soldiers, have left it hobbled by division.

The revolt comes two years after a near identical uprising which ended when the government offered mutineers amnesty from punishment and a financial settlement. A repeat of the solution raises the risk soldiers will be encouraged to do it again.

Traffic in Bouake, snarled since Friday by roadblocks and barricades, was clear on Sunday, residents said. The gunfire of recent days had stopped.

Other cities were also calm, residents said, including Abidjan, where a day earlier loyalist troops were deployed at strategic locations and residents rushed to buy bottled water and other provisions.
U.S. to send 300 Marines to Afghanistan's Helmand province

KABUL, Jan 8 (Reuters) - About 300 U.S. Marines will be sent to Afghanistan's Helmand province to assist Afghan security forces battling Taliban insurgents in intelligence and logistics matters, the unit's commander said over the weekend.

The deployment to Helmand will be the Marines' first to the southern province since they left in 2014 as the U.S. declared an end to its combat mission. Since then, Afghan security forces, still backed by Washington in the form of air strikes and hundreds of advisors, have struggled to contain the Taliban advance in Helmand.

Brigadier General Roger Turner told reporters on a conference call that the deployment would be part of a regular rotation to replace a U.S. Army unit already training and advising Afghan troops in the province. And although the 300 Marines would mostly be experienced and senior officers who will work on intelligence, logistics, and administration, Turner said they were braced for a dangerous mission.

"We're viewing this as a high-risk mission...We're not in any way viewing this as a noncombat mission, or something to take lightly."

Tens of thousands of Marines fought fierce battles against the Taliban in Helmand over five years. Nearly 1,000 coalition troops have been killed there since the U.S.-led military intervention in 2001, more than in any other province.

In the last two years the Taliban have captured areas that were the site of some of the deadliest battles for the Marines, including Sangin, Marjah and Nowzad, and for much of 2016 they have threatened to take the provincial capital Lashkar Gah.

In a statement posted online, Taliban officials ridiculed the Marines' deployment as one of the "final failed efforts" by outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama to stem the violence in Afghanistan.

In recent months the U.S. military has also announced rotations of roughly 3,000 Army soldiers to Afghanistan, where about 8,400 American troops conduct both advising missions, as well as "counter terrorism" operations against groups like Islamic State and al Qaeda.
Spain sees joint sovereignty over Gibraltar difficult if UK opposes

MADRID, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Spain sees just a slim chance of joint sovereignty over Gibraltar if Britain opposes it, its foreign minister said in an interview with the leading Spanish newspaper El Pais.

"I think you have to be realistic, if the United Kingdom does not want to negotiate it will be difficult to carry it forward," Alfonso Dasits, said in his first interview with a Spanish newspaper since he was appointed minister in November.

Spain, which reappointed Mariano Rajoy as its new conservative prime minister at the end of October, is seeking to jointly govern Gibraltar with the UK following the British vote to leave the European Union.

Dastis said, however, that if Gibraltar wanted to have a relationship with the EU, "it would have to be consulted with us. That will require a bilateral agreement between Spain and the United Kingdom."

The peninsula on Spain's south coast, a British territory since 1713 known to its 30,000 residents as "the Rock", is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations. Spain has long claimed sovereignty over the enclave.
At least four killed in Palestinian truck attack in Jerusalem

By Jeffrey Heller and Ori Lewis

JERUSALEM, Jan 8 (Reuters) - A Palestinian rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers on a popular promenade in Jerusalem on Sunday, killing four of them in an attack that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said was likely inspired by Islamic State.

It was the deadliest Palestinian attack in Jerusalem in months and targeted officer cadets as they disembarked from a bus that brought them to the Armon Hanatziv promenade, which has a panoramic view of the walled Old City.

The military said a female officer and three officer cadets were killed and that 17 others were injured. Police said three of the dead were women.

Police identified the truck driver as a Palestinian from Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem and said he was shot dead. His uncle, Abu Ali, named him as Fadi Ahmad Hamdan Qunbor, 28, a father of four from the Jabel Mukabar neighbourhood.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that nine Jabel Mukabar residents, including five members of the attacker's family, were arrested on suspicion of aiding the attacker.

The Israeli military regularly takes soldiers on educational tours of Jerusalem, including the Armon Hanatziv vantage point.

Netanyahu visited the scene and convened his security Cabinet, a forum of senior ministers, to discuss Israel's response. He said that security forces were controlling access in and out of the neighbourhood.

"We know the identity of the attacker. According to all the signs he is a supporter of Islamic State," the prime minister said.

A government source said ministers had called for the demolition of the attacker's home and for his body not to be returned to the family for burial. It also decided to detain without trial persons expressing sympathy for Islamic State.

The United States condemned the attack "in the strongest terms" and offered to help Israel work to determine who was behind the attack, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that also expressed condolences for the victims.

Roni Alsheich, the national police chief, told reporters he could not rule out that the driver had been motivated by a truck-ramming attack in a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people last month.

"It is difficult to get into the head of every individual to determine what prompted him, but there is no doubt that these things do have an effect," Alsheich told reporters.

In another attack claimed by Islamic State and involving a truck driven into a crowd, nearly 90 people were killed in the French city of Nice in July.

STREET ATTACKS SLOWED

Actions inspired by Islamic State in Israel, the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem have been rare and only a few dozen Arab Israelis and Palestinians are known to have declared their sympathy with the militant group.

A wave of Palestinian street attacks, including vehicle rammings, has largely slowed but not stopped completely since it began in October 2015, with 37 Israelis and two visiting Americans killed in those assaults.

At least 231 Palestinians have been killed in violence in Israel, the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the same period. Israel says that at least 157 of them were assailants while others died during clashes and protests, blaming the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, denies that allegation, and says assailants have acted out of frustration over Israeli occupation of land sought by Palestinians in peace talks that have stalled since 2014.

Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, routinely praises those who carry out street attacks, and did so on Sunday.

"We bless this heroic operation resisting the Israeli occupation to force it to stop its crimes and violations against our people," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told Reuters.

Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, sent his condolences to the families while condemning the attack and those praising it.

"It is reprehensible that some choose to glorify such acts which undermine the possibility of a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis," Mladenov said in a statement.

Security camera footage showed the truck racing towards the soldiers and then reversing into them.

A security guard identified only as "A" told Channel 10 how he shot at the truck and its driver.

"I shot at a tyre but realised there was no point as he has many wheels, so I ran in front of the cabin and at an angle, I shot at him and emptied my magazine," he said.

"When I finished shooting, some of the officer cadets also took aim and also started firing."

The footage showed many of the soldiers fleeing the scene as the attack took place, their rifles slung on their shoulders.
New Brazil prison clash leaves at least 4 dead in Amazon region

By Brad Brooks

SAO PAULO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - A prison uprising early on Sunday left at least four dead, adding to chaos in Brazil's penitentiary system that has seen almost 100 inmates killed in the past week in a gang war.

The latest violence took place at the Desembargador Raimundo Vidal Pessoa jail in the center of the Amazonian city of Manaus, according to a report in the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, citing the state's top security official, Sergio Fontes.

Calls and e-mails to the Amazonas state government, where Manaus is located, were not answered.

In the last week, at least 64 inmates have been killed in prisons in or near Manaus. A prison uprising in the neighboring state of Roraima left at least 33 dead.

Behind the bloodletting is an escalating feud between Brazil's biggest drug gangs, who ended two decades of an uneasy working relationship about six months ago.

Brazil's most powerful gang, the Sao Paulo-based First Capital Command (PCC) split with the Rio de Janeiro-based Red Command gang when the PCC took over lucrative drug trading routes in Brazil's southeast.

Previously, the two groups worked together to ensure a heavy flow of drugs and arms over Brazil's borders.

Members of the PCC were targeted last Sunday in the first massive slaughter, which left 56 dead, many decapitated and butchered. It was Brazil's deadliest uprising in more than two decades.

It was the North Family gang - allied with the Red Command - who carried out the killings in that riot, authorities said.

Five days later, PCC members killed at least 33 people at a prison in Roraima state, brutal scenes captured on a cellphone video spread widely on social media, in which the inmates are seen hacking away at bodies as they say it was an act of revenge.

Authorities originally said 31 prisoners died in the Roraima uprising - but revised that figure to 33 after finding two buried bodies on the prison grounds on Saturday.

It was not immediately clear what drug faction - if any - was behind the most recent killing in jail in Manaus.

Experts say the PCC is moving to infiltrate areas in the Red Command's home base of Rio and is infiltrating Brazil's Amazon region in efforts to control cocaine-smuggling river routes.
Former Pakistan army chief to head Saudi-led military alliance -Pakistani media

By Mehreen Zahra-Malik

ISLAMABAD, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Pakistan's recently retired army chief Raheel Sharif has been appointed to lead a new Saudi-military alliance to fight terrorism, Pakistani media have reported.

Government officials in Saudi Arabia could not be reached on Sunday to confirm the appointment to head the coalition, the founding of which Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced at a sudden midnight press conference in December 2015.

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in an appearance on Pakistan's Geo News channel on Friday that Sharif's appointment had been finalised a few days earlier.

A statement carried by Saudi state news agency SPA in December 2015 said the new coalition would have 34 members, though more have joined since then. It also said the coalition would be based in Riyadh to "coordinate and support military operations" against terrorism. Little has been heard of it since then.

The states it listed as joining the new coalition included Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and several African nations.

It did not include Shi'ite Muslim Iran and its allies Syria and Iraq, leading to speculation that it could become a potential Sunni bloc against Iran, a rival of Sunni Saudi Arabia for influence across the Arab world. Tehran and Riyadh are ranged on opposite sides in proxy conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
Chinas Navy Imprisoned in South China Sea for at Least Two More Decades

Liaoning launches a J-15. (Photo : US Navy)

It might take at least two more decades for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to "break-out" of its "prison" in the South China Sea and conduct naval patrols with impunity anywhere in the world.



By this time, however, PLAN will not only have to contend with a far larger United States Navy, the world's most powerful, but also a resurgent Royal Navy that will have two new supercarriers and their formidable air groups on the high seas, and the Indian Navy, which will see its first nuclear powered supercarrier (the INS Vishal) take to the seas.



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The British have announced the Royal Navy led by its newest supercarrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth II, will begin patrolling the South China Sea in 2021.



The heavily hyped sorties of the CNS Liaoning (CV-16), PLAN's only aircraft carrier, into the South China Sea and Western Pacific were mostly show the flag empty gestures because Liaoning is classified only as a training ship by the PLAN and not a front line combatant.



The Liaoning can only carry 24 Shenyang J-15 multirole fighters; 6 Changhe Z-18F anti-submarine warfare helicopters; 4 Changhe Z-18J airborne early warning helicopters and 2 Harbin Z-9C rescue helicopters.



Today, China is only able to project power within the South China Sea and nearby waters. This, because of its strategy of not fighting future battles outside the range of its land-based anti-ship missiles deployed on the mainland as part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy.



China recently said it has no intention of having a showdown with U.S. aircraft carriers in deep sea waters but "will deal a heavy blow to those who act wantonly in its near sea areas."



Military analysts believe China will dare a deep water showdown with the United States only in the 2040s when it might have at least 10 100,000 ton nuclear carriers with catapult launchers.



Apart from CNS Liaoning, China has two other carriers: the CNS Shandong (CV-17), which is expected to join the PLAN in 2020 and a third and as yet unnamed carrier that will launch aircraft the same way the U.S. Navy does using steam catapults.


Ghana's new president to name investment banker as finance minister

By Kwasi Kpodo

ACCRA, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo is likely to name investment banker Ken Ofori-Atta as finance minister, three sources close to the presidency told Reuters on Sunday.

Akufo-Addo defeated incumbent president John Dramani Mahama in elections last month and assumed office on Saturday, pledging to cut taxes to boost the ailing economy while protecting the public purse.

Ofori-Atta, 57 and co-founder of the Africa-wide investment banking group Databank Group, was Akufo-Addo's nominee to assess the health of the economy during the transition period after the election.

Ghana which exports cocoa, gold and oil is halfway through a three-year $918 million aid deal with the International Monetary Fund to restore fiscal balance to an economy dogged by slumping growth, high deficit and public debt.

"Ken has the credentials of a successful economist and the president is set to name him as finance minister ... he's the guy to steer the economy out of the current challenges," said one aide with direct knowledge of the decision.

The announcement could come early this week, another aide said.

"The new president is in a hurry to hit the ground running with the economy because there are expectations to meet," he said.

A graduate of Yale and Columbia universities, Ofori-Atta previously worked with Wall Street investment bank Salomon Brothers and Morgan Stanley on debt and equity management.

He co-founded Databank in 1990 and was its executive chairman until February 2012.
Germany's left parties set conditions for tie-up to threaten Merkel

By Paul Carrel

BERLIN, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Germany's left-leaning parties have set terms for forming a potential coalition after September's election in a tie-up that could replace conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Together, lawmakers from the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the smaller leftist Linke party, along with the environmentalist Greens, have more seats in parliament than Merkel's conservative bloc. Latest polls show this would continue to be the case.

However, the centre-left SPD, which rules with Merkel in a right-left federal "grand coalition", has long refused to cooperate with the Linke at the national level, largely because of the party's foreign policy views.

Both parties said they would want to see significant policy moves in order to consider working together.

Signalling a readiness for change, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel (SPD), told Der Spiegel magazine: "We don't want a new edition of the grand coalition."

"If it happens too often, then those who are dissatisfied only have the choice between extreme left or right," he added.

The parties have already met to explore the possibility of forming a coalition to replace Merkel after the election.

"Of course, I can imagine a Red-Red-Green coalition, if it allows the formation of a stable government. But that depends completely on the Linke," Gabriel said. "They must decide whether they want to govern or remain a radical opposition."

Merkel's conservative bloc ruled in a grand coalition with the SPD from 2005 to 2009, then with the smaller liberal Free Democrats (FDP) from 2009 to 2013, after which she teamed up with the SPD again in another grand coalition.

The SPD would not go along with policies like leaving the euro, said Gabriel. Sahra Wagenknecht, who leads the Linke in the Bundestag lower house of parliament, sees problems in the existing set-up of the single European currency bloc.

Wagenknecht said she hoped the SPD, after ruling with Merkel's conservatives, could strengthen its social policies.

Arguing that the SPD had been involved in cuts to social services that hurt its electorate, Wagenknecht added: "The stronger we perform, the greater the chance the SPD will correct its course there and, of course, that we can form a joint government."

A fractured electoral landscape risks complicating the coalition arithmetic, with a repeat version of the incumbent 'grand coalition' of Merkel's conservative bloc and Gabriel's Social Democrats the only outcome that looks a sure possibility.

Much will depend on the performance of two parties now not even represented in the Bundestag: the FDP, which faces a battle to clear the 5 percent hurdle to win seats in the lower house, and the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

An Emnid poll of 834 voters for weekly newspaper Bild am Sonntag put support for Merkel's conservative bloc at 38 percent, up 2 percentage points from a week ago, the SPD on 22 percent, up 1 point, the AfD on 12 percent, the Greens on 10, the Linke on 9 percent and the FDP on 5 percent.

Security policy has become a greater focus of the political debate in Germany since the Christmas market attack in Berlin that killed 12 people. Pollsters say this benefits Merkel's conservatives and the AfD, not the left-leaning parties.
Mexico agents arrest suspect in shooting of U.S. consular official

MEXICO CITY, Jan 8 (Reuters) - A suspect in the shooting of a U.S. consular official in the Mexican city of Guadalajara was arrested on Sunday, the state prosecutor's office said.

The Jalisco state prosecutor said on Twitter that specialized agents made the arrest, but did not provide further details including the name of the suspect or any motive.

The consular official, later identified by a Mexican security official speaking on condition of anonymity as Christopher Ashcraft, was shot by a gunman on Friday as he was leaving a city parking lot.

A video posted online by the consulate in Guadalajara shows the shooter appearing to wait for the official's car to pull up to a parking lot barrier before shooting directly at the driver and then fleeing.

Ashcraft was in stable condition receiving care at a local hospital. A source told Reuters he had been shot in the chest.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation had offered a reward of $20,000 for information that helps to identify the shooter.
Syrian air strikes resume on rebel-held Damascus water-source valley

By Lisa Barrington

BEIRUT, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Air strikes escalated on Sunday in a rebel-held valley near Damascus containing the Syrian capital's main water supply, a day after insurgents and the government failed to agree a plan to repair the springs knocked out of service two weeks ago.

Several rebel groups warned that the escalation effectively meant the collapse of shaky ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey to pave the way for peace talks they hope to convene in Kazakhstan.

The government and allied fighters from the Lebanese group Hezbollah launched an offensive two weeks ago to take back Wadi Barada, a valley overlooked by pro-government military positions where springs provided water to 4 million people in the capital.

The government says it wants to enter the valley to secure the water supply to the capital. Rebels and local activists say pro-government forces are using the water issue to score a political victory weeks after the fall of Aleppo city, using siege and bombardment to force fighters into agreeing to leave.

Through a series of so-called settlement agreements, sieges and army offensives, the Syrian government, backed by Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, has been steadily suppressing armed opposition around the capital.

"There is no longer any point in a ceasefire that is adhered to by one side. I think in the next few hours there will be an important development and a (decision) to freeze (enforcing) the ceasefire," said Mamoun Haj Musa, spokesman for the Free Syrian Army-affiliated Suqur al Sham rebel group, which is signatory to the ceasefire deal.

Syrian rebel groups said last week they had decided to freeze any talks about their possible participation in the negotiations unless the Syrian government and its Iran-backed allies ended what they said were violations of the ceasefire.

They say Moscow was not putting pressure on the militias or the Syrian army to abide by the ceasefire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 24 air strikes had hit the valley since Sunday morning, after a lull since Saturday morning during which a new round of negotiations over repairs took place.

DETERIORATING CONDITIONS

A military media unit run by the Hezbollah said on Sunday it was suspending a ceasefire in the Wadi Barada area because rebels were disrupting negotiations and had opened fire on repair teams.

Later they said army tanks had hit Islamist militants near the town of Kafr Zayt in the valley.

The Wadi Barada media office, run by local activists connected to the negotiating team, said it was untrue that any repair team had entered the valley, saying engineers had waited at the area's border while negotiations went on.

The Hezbollah-affiliated media unit also said it was the Syrian Islamist militia formerly called the Nusra Front that fired on the teams. The Syrian government has said Nusra Front, now called Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and Islamic State were excluded from a nationwide ceasefire which came into force 10 days ago.

The Wadi Barada media office denied the Nusra fighters were present in the valley.

Rebels in Wadi Barada have allowed government engineers to maintain and operate the valley's pumping station, which supplies 70 percent of Damascus and its surroundings, since they took control of the area in 2012.

Fighters have, however, cut water supplies several times in the past to put pressure on the army not to overrun the area.

The United Nations said the spring was damaged two weeks ago because "infrastructure was deliberately targeted", without saying who was responsible, and warned shortages in the capital could lead to waterborne disease outbreaks.

Rebels and activists say the spring was damaged by pro-government force bombardment. The government said rebels polluted the spring with diesel, forcing the state to cut supplies.

Ali Haidar, who as national reconciliation minister has been responsible for negotiating local truce deals which see rebels given safe passage out of areas which the government then moves into, told Sham radio station on Saturday the spring would remain under state control after repairs, "to prevent water again being cut to the capital".

A U.N. spokesman said this week sabotaging civilian water supplies constituted a war crime.

Activists in the valley warned on Saturday of deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the mountainous valley, which they say has a population of 50,000 of local people and 30,000 internally displaced Syrians.

The United Nations estimates 45,000 people live in the Wadi Barada area, and thinks at least 7,000 people have been displaced form the area in recent fighting.
At least 23 people, who were arrested on charges of violating court orders and damaging public property, during a protest in Hambantota, were remanded after they were produced in the Hambantota Magistrate Court yesterday.

Police said 21 suspects were remanded till January 09 while another two were remanded till January 11.

A tense situation prevailed last morning when protestors pelted stones at the people gathered for the opening ceremony of the Southern Industrial Zone yesterday. Police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse the protestors. More than ten people including several police personnel were Hospitalised during the incident.

A total of 52 persons were arrested yesterday in connection with the incident.
n the developed Western countries, political differences between party political leaders were largely limited to the political field and hardly ever taken to personal levels. In times of crisis we often saw national leaders cast aside their ideological stances especially when national interests were at stake.

One of the best examples of this was witnessed when Osama Bin Laden unleashed attacks on the US. The political leadership of the US cast aside their differences and united as one to combat the attacker.

We did not see the leaders of the Democratic Party blaming the Republican President for the catastrophe which occurred on 9/11, rather party politics was cast aside and the country united behind then President George Bush to take on a common enemy.

This unity for better or worse helped the West to maintain its dominance over the oil-rich Middle East and large swathes of Asia. Asia and the Middle East, despite being the crucible of the written word and cradle of learning, have been unable to recognize the crafty interventions of the West to divide its nations and exploit its resources.



Today perhaps, we are witness to the unravelling of this unity among the Western nations and the opening of a new era. In the West, nationalism and nationalist interests are beginning to break up this large, impersonal political, corporate and social structure long regarded as indivisible.

The leadership of the US seems to be taking a leaf out of the political books of South Asia and appears bent on tearing apart the fabric of society which enabled their world domination. During the run-up to the last US Presidential Election, we saw the two principle candidates trade charges of corruption, fraud, lack of integrity at each other and one candidate even threaten to imprison his opponent.

We are now watching a very public spat between the President-elect and the outgoing President of the US on a variety of issues. The outgoing President who has had a bad relationship with Russia appears to be creating as many stumbling blocks to prevent the incoming President from having any chance of improving this situation. The two were also exchanging very publicly, nasty barbs at each other.



The President-elect has spoken of dumping US partnerships with NATO and partners in Asia who he claims drained US resources for too long. His strategy is to concentrate US resources in Making America Great Again and to hell with old US partnerships.

In a similar manner nationalist fervour in Europe is also breaking down what seemed to be the monolithic European Union. Britains exit from the EU signalled the cracks on the wall. The victory of the isolationist policies of President-elect Donald Trump in the US, the rise of the nationalist Martine le Penns party in France, the PEGIDA in Germany, all point to rising nationalism and isolationist policies which could lead to a breakup of the EU.



At the same time, we are witnessing the rise to superpower status of China and its open challenge to US dominance in East Asia. Also we see a growing assertive role of Russia in international affairs under President Putin.

Russias game-changing role in the Syrian conflict and the Middle East has led the Afghan government calling for Russian involvement to end its long-running conflict. Afghanistan is also wooing Chinese investment.

The growing nationalist/isolationist tendencies in the West will force the countries of Asia and the Middle East to review their relationships with the Western bloc. This process has already begun taking place in Asia, as witnessed in changed relations between China and the Philippines, and China and Malaysia.



The recent warning of China to India regarding its missile programme and the threat to help Pakistan increase its defence capabilities will not be lost on our giant neighbour who recently aligned itself with the US.

After cutting itself off from the Non-Aligned Movement, abandoning the cause of the Palestinians, dropping its special relationship with Russia, antagonizing China, taking a big-brother attitude to its nearest neighbours in South Asia and putting all its eggs into the American basket, India has to now review its global relationships.

There is every chance of President Trump dropping the basket with the Indian eggs in his effort to Make America Great Again.
Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke had said The world will not wait for us. Yet, our institutions are weak, imperfect and badly managed. The staff is poorly motivated. They are continually under-paid, less trained and therefore incompetent. As a result, the good governance had taken a back seat.

In Canada, integrity is considered important for parliamentarians. They are required by law to maintain public confidence and trust in the integrity of parliamentarians and to place the public interest ahead of private interest. UN insists that democratic institutions need to be strengthened to achieve sustainable development.

Our politicos during the last few decades, having captured power, deceived the masses. Abused powers to advance their narrow interests. They had ensured that the laws, institutions established for the prevention of corruption are muzzled. They have engaged themselves in egregious levels of corruption. They have diverted state funds for personal benefit and outwitted the donors. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan once said Good governance is perhaps the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development. It is only in a democracy that people can be empowered to demand and shape better policies, express grievances, seek justice from abuse and hold leaders to account.

However, they do not promote building partnerships with civil society. They disregard the welfare of citizens. They failed to implement policies to achieve economic growth and development. It is most opportune to make a sincere effort to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in all projects, programmes, institutions etc., while striving to strengthen the culture of democracy between the rulers and the ruled. The failure to establish good governance, would not enable us to strengthen democratic institutions, ensure efficient service delivery to the citizens, establishing rule of law and strengthening of anti-corruption network in the country.

In the Millennium Declaration at the UN, world leaders, including those of Sri Lanka, affirmed their commitment to promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law and to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms including the right to development. Furthermore, it had resolved that Good governance is essential to the realization of all human rights, including the elimination of poverty and ensuring of satisfactory livelihood for all.

"Unlike Sri Lanka; India, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, China and Thailand have recorded unprecedented growth during the last several decades. China particularly had been successful in achieving double digit growth"



President had emphasised the need to put the country and the people first. Shouldnt all the politicians resolve firmly to fulfil the noble goal. The President while addressing the Nation said that they were not masters and that they were the servants. How many of our politicians think similarly? They have even forgotten that the people are their paymasters. President in an interview also said that the prefix His Excellency should not be used. He added that he be referred to as Mr. Sirisena. He announced that he would also not use the Presidential Mansion, including the one in Colombo and that he had also revoked the order placed by the previous regime to purchase an aircraft for Presidential visits overseas. As the saying goes Humility is royalty without a crown. Could we expect that from parliamentarians too? Dont they like flamboyance at

State expense?



Why are the greedy parliamentarians asking more and more hungrily that they need additional perks and benefits to serve the country? Shouldnt we now start searching for more capable, witty, genuine law-makers, who could think the country and the people come first? Couldnt we find better people to do more for less? A Sri Lankan who had been resident in Australia for nearly three decades told me that the first task of the PM, who had been the Leader of the Opposition for many years, should be to make sure citizens lives are improved daily, because if citizens did not see improvements, their enthusiasm for supporting the government vaned. He added The citizens are involved to strengthen democracies. In Australia, the government prefers involving people to help make it work better. In short, he said Australian system ensures giving voice to the voiceless.

The lack of accountability has led to gross abuse of public resources. There must also be new laws to strengthen the right of the citizens to hold their representatives accountable if in case they do not deliver the promises made and if they do not govern the country well. The country should be free of domination by a few, particular political families. Room should be provided for discussions based on what is good for the people and the country. These are challenges that need to be addressed if the government need peoples support and approval.

All these are needed because transparent decision making could serve as a safeguard against corruption, waste and abuse of power. They should bear in mind the President too acknowledged that the victory saved him from going six feet under. Did most Sri Lankans ask for a change of pillow to cure a headache? If the former President had attended to the other priorities, having ended the 30-year war, he could not have been defeated! We need realistic outcome. It is important that the present rulers too should remember that unless their mind set is changed and if they too generate negative outcomes (only reward themselves), their days too will be numbered.

Universal adult suffrage had been introduced in 1931, in Sri Lanka, which is unequalled in Asia. Voting age was reduced to 18 in 1959 and this too had been done at least a decade later in several western countries. Lee Kuan Yew considered Ceylon as a model owing to these achievements in social, political and economic sectors. Prior to 1978, Sri Lanka experienced a change of government at almost every election. This had been turned upside down with the Constitutional changes, (the so-called home-grown Constitutions) introduced having repealed the Soulbury Constitution.

"The lack of accountability has led to gross abuse of public resources. There must also be new laws to strengthen the right of the citizens to hold their representatives accountable if in case they do not deliver the promises made and if they do not govern the country well"

Owing to these, increasing ethnic unrest created a sharp decline in ethnic relations and harmony. New Zealand, Denmark, Finland and Sweden have been consistently ranked at the top as the least corrupt countries. Strong commitment towards anti-corruption of political leaders, freedom of the press, openness and effectiveness have been crucial factors towards their success. These issues therefore need to be addressed with an open mind in the interest of all communities. How did the government fell far below expectations? According to the World Bank, Strong, efficient and transparent government institutions are fundamental to economic growth and social development. What is the missing ingredient from all the analyses? GOOD LEADERSHIP.

Unlike Sri Lanka; India, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, China and Thailand have recorded unprecedented growth during the last several decades. China particularly had been successful in achieving double digit growth. Hong Kong and Singapore have achieved per capita incomes well above even European countries.

An economic miracle has transformed their lives thanks to the leaderships they have had in those countries. Economists have opined that their success had been due to the emphasis on education, training, investments, heavy reliance for exports to meet global standards etc. Why are we called a developing country from time immemorial? Since independence, the governments had failed to achieve its multiple goals and did not do what is supposed to be doing?

Priorities should now be changed and all necessary steps should be taken to improve good governance with people-oriented programmes. Former PM Dudley Senanayake, another UNP stalwart himself, had once said creating an Executive President by consolidating extensive powers in one individual is disastrous. Furthermore, the 1978 Constitution created a weak Parliament. Parliamentarians lost the independence they had enjoyed previously under the Donoughmore, Soulbury and 1972 Constitutions. They cannot independently decide even the vote now. They could be thrown out if they disobey the party leadership. Is it happening?



The confusion that JR had created and how it had been further worsened by the successive Presidents is a depressing story. Biased systems favourable to politicians have caused distorted relations between the State and citizens. It has been reported that the government incurs heavy expenditure around 22% of our GDP to maintain excessive number of Ministers, Deputies and State, including all their numerous perks, their fleet of super-luxury vehicles, other benefits etc., unlike in other countries for ostentation. This is a crime. Internationally, this should not exceed 7%. Millions of people thereby, have been deprived of schools, roads, hospitals, medicines etc.

Culture of impunity too has destroyed this country. Corrupt politicians scratch each others back to hold on to power. This is the reason why even the present President howls stating Nobody can topple this government. This government will go through its full term.

A UN report says; The people are the owners of the government. It also says Parliament should be the true voice of the people. Accountability to people they serve is the basic plank of a democratic system. It had added People have the right to be involved in decision-making at all levels and in all dimensions. We should now promote governance that is effective, legitimate and responsive to deliver unique benefits to the citizens.

A top civil servant in Australia had said that We recognize direct participation of citizens to govern Australia well. We ensure greater stability, facilitate peoples well-being and manage education, health, environment, energy issues etc., better with citizen involvement. It is essential to harness the ideas, knowledge, wisdom and skills of the other sectors too, including professionals, leading businessmen, academia, and even voluntary organizations. He had added Failure to engage them would lead to waste of public resources, inefficiency and disorder.
Imagine you wake up one morning and find yourself in the body of the other sex and you will have to live the rest of your life as that gender. How would you feel? Some transgenders who are wealthy, take hormones to alter their sex or undergo sex reassignment surgery. Their purpose is to get rid of the miserable feelings they have to deal in their lives. It is a relief for them to get their sex changed through surgery or by taking hormone pills. But, what about those not financially able to buy hormone pills or undergo surgery?

Sexual orientation is largely by genetics and not choice, a groundbreaking 2014 study in the Journal Psychological Medicine published by Cambridge University Press stated.

This undermines the major argument against lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and intersex (LBGTI) community claims its members are choosing to live unnaturally. Regardless of genetic preference, genes are only a factor in the larger picture, taking into account social and cultural pressures that can affect an individuals sexual lifestyle.

The attributes, opportunities and relationships associated with being male and female are socially constructed. As such, responsibilities assigned and activities undertaken are different and unequal for men and women. Most transgenders rejected by their biological parents, lack formal education and therefore, they fail to find a job. As a result, many have to beg and some do sex work for their livelihoods.

Effort to lift the marginalised from despair

One year ago, a group of Indian transgenders headed by transgender activist Vijayaraja Mallika started work on a project aiming to build a school for school- dropout transgenders to lift their community from despair. Their dream became a reality. The learning center for school-dropout transgenders received immense support from state politicians after being inspired by a landmark judgment in 2015 given by the Supreme Court of India, recognising the transsexual community as a third gender in 2015. The judgment legally recognised the transgender community that had been abandoned by society for a long time. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill was also brought in 2016 by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, for the inclusion of the transgender community in society.

Indian transgender activist Kalki Subramanium and other distinguished guests are pictured at the Sahaj International Schools inauguration in Kochi.



Opening of Indias first transgender school

Encouraged by the developments, Sahaj International School -Indias first residential school for transgenders opened on December 30, 2016 in Kochi, Kerala. The inauguration ceremony was held at Jyothis Bhavan in Kakkanad, Kochi under the patronage of the District Collector of Ernakulam K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla and present was prominent Indian transgender activist and artist Kalki Subramanium. Delivering her speech, Ms. Kalki Subramanium said the most important tool for any marginalised community to stand tall in society is education, because it gives light, knowledge and confidence leading to a beautiful life. Ms. Subramanium said the opening of the school would be an example to other Indian states to support the transgender community by creating a social status for them through education.

Meanwhile, Vijayaraja Mallika clarified the school would initially accommodate 10 transgenders between 25 and 50 years old who had dropped out of school. Their studies will be done under the National Open School system. In addition, they will be given training in life skills and personality development. Their teachers also belong to the transgender community, she said.

Vijayaraja Mallika who mooted the idea for the school pictured with transwomen Maya Menon and Faisal CK

India, not the first country adopted policy for transgenders

According to a survey carried out by Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, which comes under the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry, India there are more than 25, 000 transgenders in Kerala state. The survey has found that of the 25,000 transgender people in Kerala, 58% could not complete school education because of sexuality identity difficulties.

Kerala became the first Indian state to adopt a policy for transgenders. The initiative for the school for education of transgenders will encourage the country and the world to consider giving equal rights to not only transgenders but also the entire LGBTI people. However, India was not the first country to legally recognise a third gender. Nepal recognised a third gender in 2007 and Bangladesh in 2013.

Trans-sexual peoples rights not protected by existing Sri Lankan laws: HRW

When it comes to Sri Lanka, a country with a patriarchal social system, gender equality, though controversial, is a goal for which Sri Lankan LGBTI people are fighting. Sri Lankan law provides no clear path to changing ones gender legally, but gender recognition procedure is currently under consideration. A report issued by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) last year on violence and discrimination experienced by Sri Lankan transgender people also reaffirmed it.

The report based on interviews that HRW conducted between October 2015 and January 2016 in four Sri Lankan cities with 61 LGBTI people states transsexual peoples rights are not protected by existing Sri Lankan laws. The report calls for the Sri Lankan Parliament to repeal Sections 365 and 365A of the Sri Lankan Penal Code, which criminalises same-sex relations between consenting adults, and the Vagrants Ordinance, which could be used to criminalise transgender people and sex workers. It also recommends to pass comprehensive, anti-discrimination legislation prohibiting discrimination, including on grounds of gender identity and sexual orientation, and enacting effective measures to identify, respond and prevent such discrimination.



Giving equal rights to them is a victory for good governance: Dr. Mahim Mendis

Even though HRW and other international human rights organisations recommend new regulations to be implemented for the welfare of Sri Lankan LGBTI people, especially transgenders, will this be possible? The question arises as a considerable number of Sri Lankans believe that women and men should look and act according to normal sexual identities.

Discussing this controversial topic, former the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Open University of Sri Lanka and Senior Lecturer Dr. Mahim Mendis said that it was time that Sri Lanka had legislation safeguarding LGBTI peoples rights in Sri Lanka.

It is time this country moves swiftly towards progressive legislation eliminating all forms of discrimination.

It is the obligation of the State to ensure that all categories of people are treated equally and this obviously includes transgenders. Human ignorance should not be allowed to play havoc in the lives of people. Furthermore, the young and the old should be educated on these issues as they havent got the capacity to empathise with people who are not like them. These include those in high positions, due to our bankrupt education system. It will be a victory for good governance to see more and more LGBTI people given their rightful places, he said.

Faisal: female trapped in male body

Faisal who is from Thrissur, Kerala was born a male, but when he became a teenager, he realised he has feminine characterists. He started wearing jewelry, letting his hair grown, using makeup and wearing colorful feminine clothes. He wanted him to be treated as a woman trapped in a male body.

Though he tried to hide his masculine features, he was identified as a male by society. He was subjected to discrimination by his own family members and at school. He was told by his family members as he had been born a man, he should live as one.



After I started living as a woman, my family rejected me. My siblings said I was no longer their brother, Faisal said. Because of unbearable discrimination at school, he stopped his education at class 5.

He was finally thrown by family at age 14 and lived on the street. He had no option, but earn a living as a sex worker.

"After I started living as a woman, my family rejected me. My siblings said I was no longer their brother, Faisal said. Because of unbearable discrimination at school, he stopped her education at class 5. He was finally thrown by family at age 14 and lived on the street. He had no option, but earn a living as a sex worker. "

He said he felt he would commit suicide as his life was miserable. However, he met many other transgender women. Until then, he was not even aware of a community called transgenders. Meeting them made a great impact on my life. I too joined them to work for the rights of people like me. The goal of my life is to work not only for transgenders but also every part of the community deprived of their rights, he said. Faisal is an inspirational personality engaged in social activism against human rights violations. I want to give my contribution to make a better India, he said.

He said as he became a known personality in the country as a gender activist, his family had contacted him and expressed their willingness to renew their relations. Describing the status of transgenders status in society in most South Asian countries, he said the topic is a social taboo. But, he added their expectations have been raised that the steps taken by the Indian government and the judiciary to uphold the rights of the transgender community.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera will leave for the United Kingdom tomorrow on a five-day official visit (9-14), the Foreign Ministry said.

It said this is the first high-level visit from Sri Lanka to the UK, since the appointment of the new Government of Prime Minister Theresa May following the Brexit vote in July 2016.

The visit reflects the continuing dialogue between Sri Lanka and the UK since resetting bilateral ties in January 2015. Minister Samaraweera is scheduled to meet with the Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson, UKs Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and other key interlocutors. The discussions are expected to review developments in the bilateral relationship, including the way forward to further advance trade and investment between the two countries, a statement by the Ministry said.

The Minister will apprise his counterpart on the milestones being achieved by the Sri Lankan Government in institutional building to strengthen democracy, reconciliation and inclusive development.

During the visit, the Minister will also meet with the Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary General to discuss Sri Lankas shared interests and cooperation as an active member of the organization.

The bilateral segment of the programme includes a speaking engagement by Minister Samaraweera at the Chatham House on the efforts of the Unity Government to move forward peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.
'Make America Sick Again:' Republicans need a better option for Obamacare before repealing it

Constituents speak-out and rally supporting the Affordable Care Act, organized by MoveOn.org outside Senator Pat Toomey's office on December 20, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo : Getty Images for Moveon.org/Lisa Lake)

Democrats on Capitol Hill this week are touting a new slogan "Make America Sick Again" as Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and his colleagues try to save Obamacare lest there will be a national health care catastrophe. Republicans do not like the program and are finding ways to repeal it.



Advertisement

The Republicans took the initial steps to repeal the law on the first day of the 115th Congress on Jan. 2, Tuesday, but found it an uphill endeavor, especially without a better replacement. They made it clear, however, that a full replacement may take years though their promise to voters to end Obamacare puts them under tremendous pressure, Fox News reported.



Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act is an insurance exchange by the federal government where Americans who lack insurance could shop for government health care plans that would cover essential and standard health benefits. Uninsured citizens can check if they are eligible for government subsidy.



Congress passed the Affordable Care Act and President Obama signed it in 2010 to expand the health insurance coverage to more people, including the broadened Medicaid eligibility. Those who are happy with their Obamacare-compliant private healthcare could stick with those, renew them or change them.



Obamacare was created to provide universal healthcare to Americans and reduce overall costs by curtailing emergency room visits for routine care and other uninsured medical expenses. However, the dropout of young and healthy participants along with doctors and insurance firms resulted to increased premiums.



Republicans oppose Obamacare because of costs. They do not like the tax increase to expand Medicaid and subsidizing insurance coverage for lower-income Americans from higher-income taxpayers. They are against the kind of uniformity in the regulation that suppresses medical innovation and blame it for killing job growth with its imposed costs on larger businesses.



Some young adults who complained they felt they are forced to buy healthcare even if they could not afford it. Others find Obamacare confusing with the bill that totals to 2,700 pages.



The October 2013 rollout of Healthcare.gov website had glitches. In October 2016, Obamacare was hit with another obstruction with the announcement that premiums will increase an average of 25 percent across 39 states served by the government-run online market.



Incoming President Donald Trump nominated Georgia Congressman Tom price to head the Health and Human Services. Price proposed an Empowering Patients First Act that would have the federal government offer uninsured citizens tax credit toward private insurance cost, Maharlika News reported.



The credits would be based on age and not income, which Democrats fear would harm lower-income citizens. The program will also remove Medicaid expansion which helped about 14 million poor Americans have coverage.



Replacing Obamacare would take time as sudden change could leave millions of people in America suddenly uninsured. If they get sick, they are left on their own, and that is politically dangerous.



Check out an explanation of the Obamacare below:






The industrial zone in Hambantota was originally planned by the previous regime led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Southern Industrial Zone, the Prime Minister said the present government was also following the former regime in setting up the zone.

" The previous regime actually got into an agreement to set up the zone in 2014," he said

Further he said that a committee headed by Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayake and Former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa had been appointed to find suitable land for the zone.

I thank Mr. Rajapaksa for his cooperation with the government in finding lands for the zone," he said.

He said if the government had decided against going for an agreement with China or a joint venture to swap against the loans given by Exim Bank it would be been necessary to increase VAT further.

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake suggested us that VAT would have to be increased or the Port has to be sold out but we finally decided to go for a Joint Venture," he said.

" We would have loved to keep a 40 percent or 51 percent stake of the port but that could not be done as we would have had to increase the VAT to generate funds to pay the loan this year," he added while revealing that more than Rs. 1 billion was to be paid this year.

Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang said Chinese investors would always give priority to Sri Lanka.

He said a China-Sri Lanka bilateral relation was a role model for all bilateral relations in the world.

"We have investments in India, the US and number of other countries but we give priority to Sri Lanka," he said.

He then requested the Chinese investors to take care of the environment when running their industries.(By Yohan Perera)
The 2nd anniversary ceremony of President Maithripala Sirisena in office was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) today. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was the Guest of Honour at the event. Pix by Kushan Pathiraja
Lesley Hazleton is arguably the best living combination of a historian, theologist and novelist. Bringing to life characters and settings which have through the centuries been lost due to edited out narratives and misplaced piety, Hazleton has through her books, re- created lives and times for what they actually were.

Trained as a psychologist, Hazleton lived and worked in the Middle East, during which time she wrote for the New York Times, Harpers, New York review of books among many others.

Her seminal work includes the biographies of the Mother Mary and Muhammad. Her book After the Prophet which details the tragic story of the Sunni- Shia split, is considered the most lively and historically accurate portrayal of the Islamic world commencing from the death bed of Prophet Muhammad. Hailed by academic and literary circles alike, Hazletons work is best known for its historical accuracy and for its compelling grasp of the environment in which the characters emerge- resulting in compelling and riveting narrative story telling.

Her books include Agnostic: a Spirited Manifesto, Mary: A Flesh and Blood biography,  The First Muslim: The story of Muhammad and  Jerusalem; A memoir of War and Peace, Passion and Politics.

She spoke to the s Hafeel Farisz from her houseboat in Seattle recently.



Q Since I fear that many of our readers may not be familiar with you, despite your ground-breaking work- It would be great if you could give us a basic introduction about yourself?

(laughs) Its one of those lives that doesnt fit into any narrative. I was born in England and got out as soon as I could. I then Lived in Jerusalem for 13 years, after which I moved to New York City and lived for 13 years. Then came to Seattle for what I thought would be 13 years but Ive actually doubled that. Here I am after all that living on a shack on a raft, also known as a Houseboat- bordering on the edge of the continent, half way around the world- where I write about a lot which is the Middle East.

And you know what? It is kind of perfect. It gives me perspective, because when you are in the middle of things it is very hard to get perspective. But when you are half the world away and yet know the place intimately- when I say intimately- it is not only the politics and not only the people- but the feel of the place, the sense of the place.

I guess you can say that Ive been living a kind of double life- by which I dont mean that one life is secret and the other not. I mean two lives at once. Thats how it felt when I was writing that whole series of biographies about figures from Mary to Muhammad. Figures from half the world and half the history away. But when I write, I come down and sit at my desk here at my house here on the lake, looking out at water and the mistiness that is Seattle and I sort of instantly transport into the deserts of the Middle East. It is being in two places at once.



Q But what prompted this need to understand religions? What prompted your fascination with Abrahamic religions?

The easy answer and I stress- the easy answer- is my own childhood. I was the only Jew in a convent school in England. On the one hand there was the Catholicism at school and on the other, there was the fairly orthodox Judaism at home. The interesting thing is that it didnt do what you would have thought it would do. Which wouldve been for me to walk away and say a pox on all your houses- I have nothing to do with religion in the future.

But that is not what happened. What happened was, it set up, this sort of fascination with the hold that religion has. This goes very deep and is very emotional. I know people tend to think that religion is a matter of belief- that you have to believe something. But the whole point of the idea of believing something, is that belief holds within itself the possibility of disbelief. Because you only have to believe something if you dont know it for sure. If you know it- you know it. We know that the earth is round- you dont believe the earth is round, unless you are stuck in the 10th century or something. We know its round so you dont need to believe it.

Belief is really trying to convince yourself that what you hope for- or what you think, or what you place your trust in, is actually so. And that is called faith. Its not belief, it is called faith. And faith I think is wonderful. It is this leap beyond reason, . It is an act of courage. You know this is not rational but you place your faith. If I lend you a 100 bucks I do it in the good faith that you will pay me back. I have no guarantee that you will pay me back. It is an act of trust in you right? And I think this is wonderful and that this is what makes us human. But if I absolutely believe, if I try and convince myself 100% that you will pay me back- that is kind of nutty isnt it?. Does that make sense?.



Q Yes it does. I was reading your last book  Agnostic  A spirited Manifesto, and my biggest take away from it was this thing you spoke of  about belief and faith- and this convoluted sense of certainty that many seem to possess. The certainty with which religion, any religion, is adhered. Be it in the East or the Middle East or the West. How do you think this comes about?

Lets get one thing clear. The institution of Religion is man-made. And I emphasize Man made, because women had a very little hand in it. . But, if you are religious it is a reflection of who you are. You can read the Bible or the Quran or any other sacred text and you can find in them reflections of who you are. If you are filled with hatred or violence then you will focus on those passages which you interpret as advocating hate and violence. If what you want is a life of love and peace, then you will focus on those passages.

And you know both are available in all these texts. I mean these texts are not a matter of logic, they are not a matter of reason- that is why they have such a deep hold on us. Because they are mysterious and contradictory, and full of paradox. Today we tend to think of religion in the same way fundamentalist tend to think of religion. As this very set system of rules and laws that you have to obey and abide by, and if not you will be going to hell or whatever the equivalent of hell might be. But you know there are whole other ways of thinking about religion, where all these rules and laws are just institutional infrastructure.

"Today we tend to think of religion in the same way fundamentalist tend to think of religion. As this very set system of rules and laws that you have to obey and abide by, and if not you will be going to hell or whatever the equivalent of hell might be"



They are just the beams but what is actually inside (religion) is what you bring to it. And that is a much wider concept, a much more open concept. It has to do with values and identity. You know people think religion is a matter of belief, but I disagree with that. I think it is a matter of identity. Of how you see yourself in the world. We all have many facets to our identity. I am Jewish, and I am agnostic, Im feminist, and Im a writer, Im a psychologist- I can go on and on like this. These are all different facets of my personality and all of these come together in this one person. If you take any one of these facets away, I would be somebody else. But if any one of these facets comes under attack, then that facet which is under attack comes to the fore. When you identify yourself by only one (facet), then you are really limiting yourself to something very small.

The magic to me is in the variety of ways in which we identify ourselves. Imagine being Iraqi or Syrian, what does it mean now to be Iraqi or Syrian when those states hardly exist? So you fall back on older, wider forms of identity like religion. So if you look at the divisiveness between Shia and Sunni Muslims, you will see that when it comes to the fore, when it gets expressed most violently, is when the larger framework has broken down. When people can no longer identify themselves as Syrian or Iraqi- then they fall back to these much more older identities, these much more emotional ones. And this of course is manipulated. It is manipulated immensely by various interested parties, both political and religious. And one of the reasons religion is so easy to manipulate is because it is not a matter of rationality or reason. It is a very deep emotional matter of identity, of tradition and of loyalty to that tradition.



Q To get to the interesting aspects of your work, especially in these biographies, the fact that you are viewing these narratives which are so ingrained in the human psyche, from the outside, trying to weave through the facts. How difficult was this process? How difficult was it to establish the sources in which you drew your facts from, sifting through the mud and dust that has settled in over the centuries?

I am a psychologist and am also a writer, so I have a sense of story. A sense of narrative. So, lets take Mary, thats 1st Century Middle East. My questions are deceptively simple. Who was she really? Not the sort of statue in blue silk robes or the other similar images we have of her. But who was she really? This 13 year old peasant girl in 1st century Galilee under Roman occupation. When you frame the question that way- who must she have been? Obviously I cant know for sure, but I can recreate who she was not only on the basis of what we have in the Gospels, which is very little, but also on the basis of Middle Eastern history, of Anthropology, of knowing the terrains, psychology and the use of empathy in placing yourself in the shoes of somebody else and of mythology also. I try to bring all these things together instead of taking only one source.

I would use the term multi disciplinarily but that sounds terribly academic. What I really wanted to do was to bring her back to life. To give her flesh and blood,. To make her real. And I did the same thing basically with Muhammad, who is such a revered figure that sometimes it made me feel like he was being dehumanized. The Muslims idea of Muhammad is of such reverence, that he is called the perfect man. I dont believe in perfection. Perfection is very boring. Muhammad had the most amazing life, a really dramatic life with amazing achievements. He is one of the most influential figures in all of history and I believe changed his world and is changing our world today.

Yet, each time I read a 19th or 20th or 21st century biography of him it was like taking a sleeping pill. I couldnt fathom how one could make such a fascinating life so boring to read. Whether they were written as devotional biographies which are intensely boring or as academic biographies which tend to sort of tip-toe around, in the name of reverence, they didnt bring across the real human being.



Q But to ask you again, how difficult was it to understand Mary the woman, as opposed to Mary  the Mother of God, or Muhammad as a human being who lived in the Hejaazi desert, as opposed to everything else that comes with him?

It is far easier to relate to a human being, surely. (laughs). Perfection just doesnt do it for me. You see a perfect face and there is nothing there, there is nothing to relate to. But you read or think about a man born into enormous problems and disadvantages and battling his way into greatness How did he do this? What was he thinking along the way?

What actually happened on the night of the first revelation? Of course there is no way to know exactly, but you could try. We do have his own words from that time. Again I tried to recreate the man, recreate his reality, to recreate the world he lived in, and the world he thought in. To make him real. I wrote the book the First Muslim for Non -Muslims, because I was very aware of this enormous  Chutzpah (audacity/ impudence) of an agnostic Jew writing a biography of the Prophet of Islam. But my curiosity to understand the man was stronger than any kind of daunting aspect of it. So far as I knew, Muslims would not pay any attention to this. But it was enormously surprising, flattering and in a sense wonderful that so many Muslims have contacted me from all over the world and told me thank you for making him real.



Q But why was that apprehension- that you may come into some sort of backlash from the Muslims?

Because I approached him as A Man and not as The Prophet of God. As a man who became a Prophet. I have been asked many a time, - how could you write so well about Mary or Muhammad and not be a believer in either of the religions?

The Agnostics stance is one of inquiry. You are not looking for The answer. Because if you are agnostic there is no such thing- there are many forms of truth and many answers, all which give rise to perfect questions. There are no ultimate truths or ultimate answers. Many any of us try, especially fundamentalists, to pin everything down- This is the answer, this is the truth, this is the meaning of life etc., and secular people do it too. We talk of The Universe as if its some sort of thing, with limits and so on. Now we know there are billions of Universes, and there are many more we dont know of, and many more we will never know of. We talk about The Soul as if its a definable thing- as some part of us which we could define and say that is the soul. But its a quality of being, a quality within us that we express.



Q In the two biographies you tackle some crucial issues, like the Virginity of Mary, something we find in all Abrahamic religions- where we have some sort of divinity used to support a claim. This is true with even Muhammad- where the attempt of suicide by him on the night of revelation is left out of the narrative just like the real story of the Satanic Verses, despite his early biographers like Ibn Thabari and Ibn Ishq detailing them. Even progressive Muslims wouldnt entertain these thoughts. Where do you think this sense of divinity comes from and take us through the process of unravelling them?

Well leave divinity aside for a moment. We are talking of human experience. The Virgin birth story, is not specific to Christianity itself. It extends to many other mythologies including Greek and Roman ones.

Part of it really is due to the modern concept of how we view virginity today. We have reduced virginity to the idea of one tiny little human membrane- the hymen. We forget what Virginity was and meant at the time. It was the symbol of fertility, as in virgin forest. There is no forest more full of life than the virgin forest.

And this was the original meaning of virginity, it was fertility. And this we forget and this is what is so wonderful about the concept of Mary- the Virgin Mother, it is a fertility concept. You are going to ask me- alright was she really physically a virgin? To which all I can say is- get a sense of wonder people, get a sense of mystery because that is what religion is about. It is not about rules, or laws- it is about everything we cant understand. So anyone who says that she was physiologically not virgin, has no sense of mystery, no sense of poetry. They are just reducing everything to the smallest possible denominator. Anybody who says that she absolutely was a virgin- has no sense of reason, its not rational. This is what I find most dismaying about fundamentalism, because it reduces these huge, wonderful issues of mystery and awe and everything we cannot understand- to something very small. Its the way I talk about conviction. Fundamentalists speak with absolute conviction that they are right, but what we forget about conviction is that its not only being convinced that you are right about something- to be convicted is also to be imprisoned. Conviction belongs to a very small mind. Religion is filled with paradoxes and that is what is so wonderful about them. Sitting with the paradox, exploring the paradox, understanding the paradox is to me the wonder of it. That is the poetry of it. And Religion without poetry is fundamentalism.



Q On that same note, even in your latest book- you use Muhammads experience at Mount Hira as an example of the humaneness of it all, just like you use the Satanic Verses as an example which makes the experience of Muhammad human- as opposed to this fantasized divinity. Both of which have been expunged from discourse even among the more liberal and secular Muslim circles. If you could run us through why you think these two examples do the exact opposite of what the more fundamentalist elements believed when expunging them?

What brought Muhammad alive to me was going back to the earliest sources. Going back to the earliest Islamic historians and meeting them. And they were writing 100 or 200 years after he died. That is the closest we can get, besides the Quran itself. And there are accounts there of the night of the revelation of the Quran on Mount Hira.

So, I mean, what you would expect from the standards we have now (from Muhammad) is  Hallelujah; Him coming down from Mount Hira- bearing the truth and him floating on clouds and the sort. But that was not what happened. What happened was more human. He was terrified. What he saw, he experienced, was a revelation from God through Gabriel. Now you are going to ask me, Did God actually speak to Muhammad or  Did Muhammad imagine that God was speaking to him? And I say it doesnt matter.

You respect his experience. This was what he experienced and it terrified him. It terrified him to the extent that his first reaction to think oh no I must be mad, I must be out of my mind. This cannot be happening- not to me, an ordinary person like me. I cannot go back and be raving like a lunatic and so Im going to throw myself off this mountain and put an end to it all. Then the Angel came back and stopped him. Now this to me is a human reaction. I could see Muhammad as a human being. Yes this is the way it had to have been. It has a ring of truth to it. And this is what I mean about being a writer and being a psychologist. You go through all these accounts and some of them are written over in later dates, and written in piety and reverence and so on- it doesnt work on a human level. But in some of them, you get an early sense, a very immediate sense of what happened and you think  oh yes this I recognize, this is human, this is what mustve happened. And it is very exciting, after all this time, to be able to read through 14 centuries and find this humanness. I think that is terribly exciting.

I wanted to recreate Muhammad and Mary for the human beings they were

There are no ultimate Truths or answers

Belief is the ultimate paradox



Q In two other books Jezebel- the untold story of the Bibles harlot Queen and the book  After the Prophet you deconstruct the politics that came with religion. As some sort of a pointer to the creation of the institution of religion and narratives that today are believed to be carved in stone. If you could talk us through this?

Well, Jezebel for an instance is a fascinating historical morality tale. Its not about human morality, but a morality tale of who gets to write history. If there was a morale to the story of Jezebel, it is never let your enemies write your story (laughs). Her story was written in the Bible in the two books of Kings two centuries after she died. And she became sort of the bad girl of the Bible. By the way it was fascinating writing about her, after writing about Mary- because in both instances, these were two women who had been dehumanized. On the one hand Mary- by being revered and sanctified and on the other hand Jezebel- by being reviled and demonized. And in the process both of them, the real person had disappeared completely. And it was the real person I wanted to get back to. Again I kept asking the very deceptively simple question  who was she, who must she have been?.

It was amazing to go back and realize that Jezebel was a Princess of the most advanced civilization of the time, it was 9th century BC- in this city state of the East Coast of the Mediterranean, what is now Lebanon. They were the most advanced in civilization- the first to create the alphabet and the Phoenician alphabet, which later became the basis for the Hebrew alphabet with which the Bible was written. She was married off she comes to Israel, and there was this sort of cultural imperialism. It was like when a dominant power takes over economically and politically.

The story is very dramatic itself and she is completely demonized. But this demonization has to do is with the politics of the time in which her story was written- 200 years later. It is a magnificent story, about Prophet Elijah. The major Prophet of all the Hebrew Prophets and she faces him down. And what does he do? He runs from her, in terror. He runs all the way down to Sinai and complains to God and says help me this woman is awful, what can I do? and so on, and God says  thats it to Elijah and sacks him. And then Prophet hood is given to Elisha. Elisha is completely ruthless. Its a great standoff between this very proud Phoenician Princess and this very Old Style Biblical Prophet and she wins.

This is what a lot forget- that she wins. She loses in the long run of course, because of retribution and all that. But after her and her husband the Kingdom and Israel go to pieces. Resulting in the Exile. It was in Babylon that the story was written by those who blamed her (for the exile). Because of course you always blame the woman (laughs) something which goes back to Adam and Eve.



Q In After the Prophet you do the same with Aisha. There has been a lot of dust which has settled in, and you probe through all of this and bring to life a buoyant, vivacious and intelligent woman

That is what is so amazing when you go back to the earliest sources. Because you go back prior to the takeover of the religions by the bearded old men, [when] the women are still there where the women play very vital roles. So you have Aisha , after Muhammad dies, his youngest widow- leading an army of ten thousand men against his Son In Law and cousin Ali. Whether you agree with Aisha or not, it is really not relevant. I mean look at her. She is right there in the middle of the battle, sitting on top of a Camel- after which the Battle is named, hurling these blood curdling war cries. And you think wow this is not the image of Muslim women that I had. She was very forthright, very outspoken and central to the whole story of the Shia- Sunni split. Central to what happens in the 50 years after Muhammads death. And it is fascinating to rediscover history this way, to delve underneath all these accretions and accumulations of the centuries. To get beyond all these editing outs and deletions over the centuries and get back to what it really was. That is when you get these wonderful stories.

That whole story of the Shia- Sunni split is amazing. Islam- as Muhammad founded it, was the religion of unity.  One God, one people was the Principle. And the one thing he and everybody around him was most eager to avoid was  fitnah. And yet you follow that whole story of what happened in those 50 years- where everybody is terrified of fitnah, yet despite It being the one thing you most want to avoid -with every step they take it is the one thing they bring closer. Now if this not a human story, if this no Greek tragedy, then what is?.



Q To move on to some general questions, you pay a lot of attention to Ibn Ishq and Ibn Thabari in deciphering the stories- from the earliest of those the sources. I am using the two of them as examples because of my background. One thing is that many Muslims, have not even heard of them, let alone read them.

Ill let you in on a secret. Neither have many Western Scholars( laughs). They dont go back to the sources. Because if you do go back and read them- it is amazing. The detail in theirs- all the juice of real life is there. Everything that is missing from these modern biographies, are all there. We tend think  old history is boring. It is totally the other way with Islamic history. The further back you go, the earlier you go- the more exciting it becomes. They are more redolent of real life. These are oral histories. Ibn Ishq and Al Thabari were just travelling around getting peoples memories. They would have twenty different versions of the same event- twenty different people telling them about this one scene from a battle, and each one (of the people telling them) had got their own style of storytelling. And if you have a sense of the history, language, culture and terrain you could tell which ones are true, and which ones are edited. They are so lively. There is one where this young boy was coming out of the tent to fight and somebody recalls  The buckle of his sandal was undone, the left one I think. And you can just hear it right?. Another one says  I saw the sun glinting off the loop earring of his ear. These kinds of details are so real. You feel like you are there. I have a lot of respect for these two men, they are the most extraordinary historians I know of.



Q Earlier you spoke of the story of Adam and Eve relating it to how the woman was blamed or left out. It is a phenomenon that you see in all Abrahamic religions and even in Eastern religions. How does this happen?

There is Adam and there is Eve and there is the Apple of the tree of knowledge- knowledge!!! Eve reaches to the Apple of the tree of Knowledge. I mean say that to anybody now  they will say wow thats great, what the hell is wrong with Adam? Doesnt he want knowledge?.But that doesnt happen, they turn the story completely around. She becomes the bad one for reaching for knowledge and he becomes the good one for not reaching it ( laughs).



Q But why do you think that happened? Even in Eastern religions the protagonist is always a man. If you take Buddhism for example, a woman is told that she cant attain Nirvana and that she has to aspire to be reincarnated a man if she is to attain Nirvana. The Prophets of all Abrahamic religions are also men. Why did this happen?

Oh thats a long story. We could see it in early Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The way the power structures developed, after- after, the central figures were dead. And the women got pushed aside. In early Christianity by the way, there were women Bishops. It was politics and women obviously lost out. But on the other hand if you go to Greek and Roman religions or even Samarrian religions or Egyptian mythology, women played a hugely important role which changed over time. Now why is an excellent question and there are a few more books to be written about that.



Q In your understanding, what role did religion play in the socio economics and politics of those times, and is that role which was played in the socio economic and political sense, valid today? Do we need to continue with it?

Well, it depends on what time. During the time of Mary or the time of Muhammad, religion was not separate from politics, from identity from tribe and so on. It was integrated. In fact there was no concept of religion as something separate. It was all part of you who were. It didnt require belief, just simply acceptance. There was far less tied around with laws and rituals. It was tradition. It was never a matter of belief. So when Muhammad ,for instance, was travelling around the Arabian peninsula and tribe after tribe was pledging allegiance to him, there was no insistence that they became religious Muslims. He didnt insist on it at all. All they had to do was pledge allegiance to him and his conception of God. And this they did. Because his conception of God  Allah, which is exactly the same word and meaning of  El in Phoenician or  Elohim in Hebrew- Al- Lah ,the high one, already existed. It wasnt a new concept. One of the brilliant things about Muhammad is that he adopted frameworks which already existed in Arabia brought them together in a new way. Allah was already the high God in the Arabian Peninsula and there were many subordinate gods, tribal totems. And the question was about the relationship between the tribal totems with the high God, and his insistence was that there was only one God. What has happened now though, is that we have made religion an institution of itself. And people imagine all religions are and should be the same thing. There are different ways of being a Buddhist, a Christian and a Jew. When fundamentalist say  there is only one way to practise, they are lying. They are trying to insist by being so loud and violent, they are trying to impose their extremist version. And it is the duty of all of us- those who are religious and those who arent to resist them with all our might.



Q Finally as a person who has studied theology and then gone beyond to understand the gamut of the environment which gave birth to these religions- do you think that religion is relevant today? Is it not time to go beyond them?

That is like asking if poetry is relevant? Is it relevant in the same way as food and shelter? No. But is that ( food and shelter) all there is to life? No. It is relevant when it comes to answering the unanswerable, great big existential questions.  What am I doing in this world?,  what is the meaning of all this? and so on. Of course they arent rational questions, but if we limit ourselves to purism, we are going to become very small indeed. I know Atheists like Hitchens ( Christopher) and all that describe religion as the source of all the evil in the world. His concept of religion was fundamentalism. Thats a straw God, it is very easy to attack fundamentalism. Religion is the way in which the wonder, the mystery and the sense awe of being in this world is expressed. I think its wonderful. This is not in the sense of religious institutions, but in the sense of what you would call spirituality- that makes us larger as human beings.
Ngari, Tibet. (Photo : Xinhua)

China added another element to its program aimed at detecting gravitational waves by announcing a project to build the world's highest altitude gravitational wave telescopes in the Tibet Autonomous Region close to China's border with India.



This first telescope named Ngari No.1 will also be China's first gravitational telescope. It's part of a program that includes launching satellites to detect gravitational waves and building FAST (the Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope) in southwest China's Guizhou Province.



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Ngari No.1 will search for the faintest echoes resonating from the Universe, which may reveal more about the Big Bang. The Ngari Gravitational Wave Observatory will be located 30 kilometers south of Shiquanhe Town in Ngari Prefecture.



The telescope, located 5,250 meters above sea level, will detect and gather precise data on primordial gravitational waves in the Northern Hemisphere. It is expected to be operational by 2021, said Yao Yongqiang, chief researcher with the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.



Yao said the second phase of the project involves building a second telescope (named Ngari No. 2) located 6,000 meters above sea level. He did not give a time frame for construction of Ngari No. 2.



The budget for the two-phase Ngari gravitational wave observatory is an estimated $18.8 million. The project was initiated by the Institute of High Energy Physics, National Astronomical Observatories and Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, among others.



Yao said the Ngari observatory will be among the world's top primordial gravitational wave observation bases, alongside the South Pole Telescope and the facility in Chile's Atacama Desert. With its high altitude, clear sky, and minimal human activity, Ngari is one of the world's best spots to detect tiny twists in cosmic light.



Gravitational waves were first proposed by Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity 100 years ago. It wasn't until 2016, however, that scientists using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) announced proof of the waves' existence, spurring fresh research interest among world's scientists.


FM Sameh Shoukry called for a meeting with the foreign ministers of Sudan and Ethiopia before the African summit in Addis Ababa later this month

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed on Tuesday with his Ethiopian counterpart minister Workineh Gebeyehu Egyptian-Ethiopian bilateral relations and congratulated him on becoming the countrys top diplomat.

According to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shoukry told Gebeyehu in a telephone call that they should arrange a meeting before the African summit in Addis Ababa by the end of the month.

Shoukry also suggested that that the Sudanese foreign minister should join the meeting to discuss the latest developments of the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam and the progress of the ongoing technical studies.

The two ministers also discussed bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries.

Workineh Gebeyehu was appointed as the foreign affairs minister of Ethiopia in November.

The news of the telephone call between Shoukry and Gebeyehu comes to ease the tension between the two countries as the Ethiopian government accused the Egyptian government of supporting Ethiopian opposition groups in the last three months.

Egypt dismissed the accusations of Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome claiming that Egyptian elements are supporting armed opposition groups in his country with the aim of preventing Ethiopia from building the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam, which Cairo fears could reduce its share of Nile water.

In March 2015, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan signed a trilateral declaration of principles that guarantees that all parties will take steps to ensure the dam will not harm the interests of all parties concerned.

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The spokesman responded to statements from Tunisia's president on the potential for a three-way summit between Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia to discuss political transition in Libya

Egypt is committed to establishing peace in Libya, whether through trilateral talks with Tunisia and Algeria, or in direct dialogue with Libya, its neighbouring countries, the United Nations, the African Union or the Arab League, Egypts foreign affairs ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid told Ahram Online on Wednesday.

Abu Zeid's comments come in response to statements by Tunisian President Beji Essebsi to Tunisian Leaders Magazine this week, saying that Algeria proposed an initiative to solve the Libyan crisis and that Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria will meet in a trilateral summit to discuss the country's situation.

Abu Zeid said he had no details on the date of the proposed summit but that the three countries would meet soon in a general meeting with other neighbouring North African countries.

Abu Zeid added that these countries, which also include Sudan, Chad and Niger, share long borders with Libya and thus have vested interests in the stability and security of Libya, as well as eradicating terrorism in Libya.

The spokesman highlighted Egyptian efforts last year to create a Libyan national dialogue, in order to reach a consensus on how to end the current crisis.

According to Abu Zeid, these efforts included hosting over 48 influential Libyan figures, under the supervision of Egypts army Chief of Staff Mahmoud Hegazy and the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Egypt also hosted in 2016 Libyas House of Representative speaker Aguila Saleh, who met with Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi last week and conveyed his intention to call the parliament to consider the proposed changes in the Sikhrat agreement.

The Sikhrat agreement, which was reached in Morocco in 2015, mandated the reaching of a peaceful transition of power in Libya and the establishment of a national unity government.

There are currently five proposed amendments in the agreement, including a change in the makeup of the Libyan national dialogue committee to better balance the country's factions, a change in the duties of the army commander, and measures to maintain the independence of the armed forces and separate them from political conflicts.

Abu Zeid added that in 2017, Egypt would continue its efforts to reach a consensus between all Libyan factions.

Libya currently has two parliaments and two rival governments, which have effectively divided the country into east and west.

The parliament and interim government in the eastern part of the country are refusing to endorse the UN-backed administration in Tripoli in the west, a prerequisite for the Tripoli camp to take sovereign control of the country.

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It's a new year, a new term and there are many new faces in Washington. But many of U.S. Rep. John Katko's priorities remain the same as he begins his second term in Congress.

Katko, R-Camillus, was sworn in last week for another term representing the 24th Congressional District, which includes all of Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, plus parts of Oswego County.

The House of Representatives re-elected Paul Ryan as speaker  Katko voted for him  and approved the rules, which received some attention when it was revealed that some members were attempting to gut the independent Office of Congressional Ethics.

Katko, who was among a handful selected as a prosecutor should ethics case arise in the House of Representatives, said he opposed the effort.

"I understand their concerns about the committee," he said during a phone interview this week. "The committee needs to be tweaked and what have you. I just didn't think it was the time or the place to do it. I just don't think that it's an issue that should've been brought up at this time."

With the House rules issue settled (for now), Katko is focused on his priorities in the new term. Many, if not all of the issues on his agenda are subjects he worked on during his first term. He highlighted some achievements, but acknowledged there's more work to be done in these areas.

For example, he'll remain a member of the House Homeland Security and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. He retains his role as chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security  a post that gave him a leading role on national security issues as a freshman.

On national security, Katko sees cybersecurity as a major issue Congress will need to address over the next two years. The subject has received renewed attention due to the Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee.

Katko said the House passed a cybersecurity bill last year that would allow businesses and individuals who were victims of cyberattacks to better coordinate with the government.

"There's many other cybersecurity actions we're taking that we've had hearings on in Congress," he said. "We're going to continue to do that. We recognize it's one of the biggest threats we have in this country today is cybersecurity threats and it's not just from Russia. North Korea, China, Eastern Europe, to name a few. There's a lot of bad actors and cybersecurity is going to be one of the preeminent issues for the next couple years."

At the local level, Katko said he's working to determine how to move forward after the approval of Plan 2014, a new water management standard for Lake Ontario. Some businesses and residents along the lake's southern shore opposed the plan.

Katko, whose district includes three counties along the lake, opposed Plan 2014.

While it may be difficult to reverse the decision that was made, Katko does see an opening.

"When you have these international agreements like this, there's supposed to be a provision for economic damages and they have not accounted for that and that's why we might be able to unring the bell here," he said. "We're going to try very hard and that's the avenue we're going to take to do it."

Katko said he's working with U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, a western New York Republican whose district also includes counties along Lake Ontario.

There's a possibility that Katko's district could be home to two national parks in the near future. The federal government is in the process of formally establishing the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn.

On the same day Katko spoke to The Citizen, it was announced that the land transfer agreement needed for the Tubman park had been finalized.

"It's a great sign of things to come," Katko said.

Along with the Tubman park, Katko is pushing for Fort Ontario in Oswego County to be designated as a national park. He's reintroduced legislation that would study whether the historic site should be added to the national park system.

He first introduced the bill during the last Congress and the House approved the measure, but it didn't receive a vote in the Senate.

"We did everything we were supposed to do on this side," he said. "It was just the Senate wasn't able to get it done. I'm hoping with (U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer's) help we can finally get it done."

There are other issues on Katko's radar. He said central New York's economy and poverty issues are priorities. Infrastructure issues, such as Interstate 81 and Owasco Lake, are important.

He also remains concerned about how heroin and synthetic drugs are impacting the region. And a mental health task force he launched will be issuing a report soon.

"We have a very full agenda to say the least," he said.

(Correction: A photo that wasn't relevant to this story was published with the online version. The photo has been corrected. We regret the error.)
Related UN warns of war crime as Damascus water crisis grows

At least nine people, among them seven government soldiers, were killed in fighting near the Syrian capital Damascus overnight, despite a fragile nationwide truce, a monitor said on Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighting was continuing on Saturday in Wadi Barada, a rebel-held district northwest of Damascus that is home to the capital's main water source.

The Britain-based monitor said the overnight fighting had killed at least seven Syrian soldiers and wounded around 20 others, some of whom were in serious condition.

Two civilians were also killed in the violence, the group said.

Water supplies from Wadi Barada have been cut since December 22.

The regime and the rebels have traded accusations of responsibility, with the government saying the rebels deliberately targeted water infrastructure and the opposition saying army strikes hit pumping facilities. Fighting has continued in the area despite the start on December 30 of a nationwide truce brokered by regime ally Russia and opposition backer Turkey.

The ceasefire, accepted by both the government and key rebel groups, has brought quiet to large parts of Syria, but the violence has continued in Wadi Barada.

There have been discussions about the possibility of an agreement to end the fighting, with experts able to enter the area to fix the damaged water infrastructure.

But so far no deal has been reached, and the UN warned earlier this week that 5.5 million people were now affected by water shortages in the capital and its suburbs.

More than 310,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011. Over half the country's population has been displaced.

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A higher Egyptian court is set to rule on the border demarcation agreement that puts Tiran and Sanafir under Saudi sovereignty this month

An ongoing legal dispute over whether two Red Sea islands belong to Egypt or to Saudi Arabia should not have been taken to court before being reviewed by parliament and put to national referendum, said MP Hamdy Bekheit in a televised interview on Saturday.

Egypts government signed a border demarcation agreement with Saudi Arabia last April that puts the two islands, Tiran and Sanafir, under Saudi sovereignty.

Bekheit, a member of parliaments committee for national defence and security, argued in an interview on Al-Hayat channel that there is no legal document that proves that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir are Egyptian.

The case was taken to court by several Egyptian plaintiffs, including rights lawyer Khaled Ali.

In June, an administrative court ruled that the 8 April border demarcation agreement was void and that the islands should remain under Egyptian sovereignty.

However, Egypt's State Lawsuits Authority  the body representing the government in legal cases  later filed and won a lawsuit in front of a court for urgent matters to stop the administrative courts verdict from being implemented.

Last month, Egypts cabinet approved the agreement and referred it to parliament for voting.

Egypt's High Administrative Court has set 16 January to rule on the cabinets appeal against the June ruling.

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Tidewater Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides offshore marine support and transportation services to the offshore energy industry through the operation of a fleet of marine service vessels worldwide. It provides services in support of offshore oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production, as well as windfarm development and maintenance, including towing of and anchor handling for mobile offshore drilling units; transporting supplies and personnel necessary to sustain drilling, workover, and production activities; offshore construction, and seismic and subsea support; geotechnical survey support for windfarm construction; and various specialized services, such as pipe and cable laying. The company operates and charters deepwater vessels, including platform supply and horsepower anchor handling tug supply vessels for use in transporting supplies and equipment from shore bases to deepwater and intermediate water depth offshore drilling rigs and production platforms; towing-supply vessels for use in intermediate and shallow waters; and crew boats, utility vessels, and offshore tugs to transport personnel and supplies from shore bases to offshore drilling rigs, platforms, and other installations. It also operates offshore tugs for use in tow floating drilling rigs and barges; and assisting in the docking of tankers, as well as in pipe and cable laying, and construction barges. The company serves oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production companies; mid-sized and smaller independent exploration and production companies; foreign government-owned or government-controlled organizations, and other related companies; drilling contractors; and other companies, such as offshore construction, windfarm development, diving, and well stimulation companies. As of December 31, 2021, it owned 135 vessels. Tidewater Inc. was incorporated in 1956 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
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The politician said he believes his advice is needed at a time in which the Arab region is heading towards 'self-destruction'

Egyptian and international political figure Mohamed ElBaradei appeared on an Arabic TV channel for the first time in three years on Saturday, saying he decided to speak out about political and economic issues in order to help at a time of crisis.

In the first of a five-part series of interviews, ElBaradei, who resigned as vice president of the republic in August 2013 and subsequently left the country, said that even though he had never stopped being part of the public sphere in Egypt, he thinks that the time has come for him to speak out now as he believes that everyone today should speak according to his experience and vision, because he might be able to provide at least one percent of help."

The former politician said he believes this help is much needed in a time when the whole Arab world is heading towards "self-destruction."

He did not however announce clearly if he is planning to play a direct role in the Egyptian political scene in the coming days.

In the interview with Another Face of the Story, a programme broadcast on the pan-Arab channel El-Arabi, ElBaradei, a former career diplomat, talked about his role as a member of Egypt's UN delegation during the1967 Arab-Israeli war, as well as being part of Egypt's diplomatic corps during the Camp David agreement.

ElBaradei will appear on the coming four episodes of the programme, and is expected to talk about the future of Egypt, his solutions to the countrys economic and political crises, and his vision for the region's problems.

He said during the show that he had taken a step back from politics after 16 years, including 12 years heading the International Atomic Energy Agency in Geneva between 1997 and 2009, to give space for different visions, "wishing that he was wrong and the others were right," but "unfortunately time proved that this is not the case."

ElBaradei, a former diplomat who became prominent figure in Egypt in 2010 when he returned to Egypt from Geneva and spoke out publicly against then-president Hosni Mubarak, was appointed vice president in July 2013 after the ouster of Mohamed Morsi. He resigned a month later, after the dispersal of the pro-Morsi Rabaa protest camp. He subsequently left the country.

The series of interviews come days before the sixth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution on 25 January.

Also on Saturday evening, television presenter Ahmed Moussa on Sada El-Balad channel, who is known for leaking personal recordings of revolutionary activists and politicians, leaked purported recordings of two of ElBaradeis phone calls.

One purported to be a call from March 2011 with Sami Anan, who was then army chief of staff. In the call ElBaradei apparently negotiates for the demands of protesters who were calling for the resignation of the cabinet of prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, Mubaraks last appointed prime minister.

Moussa also broadcast a recording that was a purported personal phone call between ElBaradei and his brother, Ali, in which the two discussed how the veteran politician was dealing with the Revolutionary Youth Coalition.

Moussa, a stalwart anti-revolutionary voice, did not disclose how he obtained the recordings, but presented the calls as evidence that ElBaradei, who was once looked at by many young revolutionaries as one of the leaders of the 2011 revolution, looked down on many political and revolutionary figures at that time.

He called on his audience to tweet a hashtag in Arabic: "expose rude ElBaradei." The hashtag was trending in Egypt in a few hours.

Responding to the campaign, ElBaradei wrote on Twitter: "Private phone conversations of political opponents wiretapped, doctored and aired on TV. Fascism rearing its ugly head yet again."

This is not the first time since his resignation that the Nobel Peace Prize winner has been subjected to fierce attacks.

In November ElBaradei released a long statement defending himself against what he described as a years-long "smear campaign" against him by the Egyptian media.

In a statement issued on his Facebook page, he defended himself against what he called "lies" in the Egyptian media regarding his role in the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, his resignation as vice president, and his role as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency prior to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.

He also revealed how he and other key political players who opposed Morsi only learned of the detention of the former president during their meeting with the Supreme Council of Armed Forces on the morning of 3 July 2013.

ElBaradei has been increasingly vocal in his criticisms of the current administration on Twitter in the past couple of months.

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The Libyan army announced on Sunday that it has killed an Egyptian militant affiliated with the IS group in the east of Libyan town Ajdabiya, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported, citing a Libyan army source.

According to the source, the Egyptian national, whose militant code name is Abu Rabie El-Muhajer, was killed while in hiding.

Libyan forces found jewellery and sums of foreign currency in the militants possession, whose real name was reported to be Mahmoud Kamel Sediek Robaie, Al-Ahram reported.

He was a member of the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, an Islamist militant coalition in the eastern Libyan city, and in December 2013 received training at the camps of militant group Ansar Al-Sharia in Al-Qawarsha district on the outskirts of Benghazi.

In April 2015, Robaie joined the Islamic State group in Libya.

The militant was previously a member of Egyptian militant group Ansar Beit El-Maqdis and recruited some Egyptians to join the group, according to the Libyan military source.

The Sinai-based group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant organisation in November 2014 and changed its name to Wilayet Sinai (Sinai Province).

The group has claimed responsibility for most attacks against security personnel and facilities in North Sinai in the last four years, where Egyptian security forces have been battling an entrenched militant insurgency.

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Protest organisers say they have all the documents required by law to allow Wednesday's scheduled protest to go ahead

Uncertainty looms over calls for demonstration Wednesday against the Egyptian-Saudi Red Sea islands deal after the interior ministry refused an official notification of the protest by the organising parties.

On Saturday, organisers said police refused to receive the official notification of the protest, scheduled for Wednesday from 1pm to 2pm in front of the cabinet offices, to protest the deal.

The parties calling for the protest include the Egyptian Popular Current, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the Dostour Party, and the Karama Party.



Speaking to Ahram Online, spokesman for Egypts Democratic Coalition Khaled Dawoud said following a Sunday press conference by the organisers that they will remain in permanent session until Tuesday to discuss appropriate steps ahead of the scheduled protests.

"We're facing an unprecedented violation of the protests law. We're trying to respect the law, despite our objection to it, and they don't," Dawoud said.

Earlier, senior Karama Party member Maasoum Marzouk and others went to South Cairo court to file a complaint against Sayeda Zeinab Police Station following its refusal to receive the official notification for the call Saturday.

According to the organisers, the head of the court didn't express to them any readiness to send an official notice to the station following hours of waiting; therefore an official letter by mail has been sent to the interior ministry and court as a notice.

This is the first official protest to be called for since a Higher Constitutional Court ruled in December that Article 10 of the controversial 2013 protest law, which permits the countrys interior minister to bar scheduled protests, is unconstitutional.

Since its issuance in late 2013, the widely controversial protest law has led to the detention of thousands of youth activists, as well as secular and Islamist protesters.



The court said that those looking to organise street protests are merely obliged to notify authorities beforehand and present all needed documents as required by law, and are not required to obtain prior approval.

"This is an act of suppression. We have presented all legal documents needed as obliged by law. We're currently thinking of other legal methods until Tuesday," Dawoud added.

According to Dawoud, the organisers will not "miss any legal opportunity" to protect participants in the protest, especially after the latest round of arrests by authorities following a 2 January protest against the deal.

Last week, shortly after the cabinet's decision to approve the deal and refer it to parliament, 12 people were arrested for illegally protesting against the decision near the Journalists' Syndicate in Downtown Cairo.

Dawoud said that among other alternatives under consideration is the formation of a delegation to head to the cabinet office or Egyptian parliament and speak to MPs about their rejection of the deal.

The April 2016 maritime border demarcation agreement between Cairo and Riyadh would place the Egyptian-controlled Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir under Saudi Arabian sovereignty.

The deal sparked widespread public outcry and a number of protests. Dozens of protesters stood trial for demonstrating without permits. Most have been released from jail after paying hefty fines.

Egypts High Administrative Court has set 16 January 2017 to rule on the governments appeal against an earlier June ruling by an administrative court halting implementation of the deal.



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Airbus said on Sunday Iran's state airline IranAir had accepted its first new jet, marking a key step in opening up trade under a nuclear sanctions deal between Iran and major powers.

The Airbus A321 jetliner has been painted in IranAir livery and is expected to be delivered later this week.

"The technical acceptance has been done with formal delivery still to be done," a spokesman for the European planemaker said.

Iranian regulators said the aircraft had been placed on the country's aircraft register, indicating IranAir had taken ownership of the aircraft: the first of around 200 Western aircraft ordered since sanctions were lifted.

"The registration has been done, and the delivery should be by the end of the week," Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, told Reuters by telephone.

The 189-seat jet was assembled in Hamburg, Germany. From there, it is expected to be transferred to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, for a formal handover on Wednesday.

IranAir Chairman Farhad Parvaresh told state news agency IRNA there would be an official ceremony to mark the arrival of the Airbus jetliner in Tehran later this week.

IranAir has ordered 100 passenger jets from Airbus and 80 from its U.S. rival Boeing under the nuclear deal, which called for the lifting of most international sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear activities.

Boeing also agreed last year to arrange the leasing of a further 29 aircraft.

IranAir is also negotiating a final agreement with European turbo-prop maker ATR. The company, joint-owned by Airbus and Italy's Leonardo, has provisionally agreed to supply 20 of its 70-seat regional planes with options for a further 20.

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Former Charlottesville City Councilor Holly Edwards, a woman known for her selflessness and community activism, died Saturday at 56 years old.

A nurse by profession, Edwards served the Charlottesville community in a variety of ways and on City Council from 2008 to 2011. In 2010, she was nominated to serve as mayor but declined. Instead, she was elected as vice mayor.

Edwards also served as the program coordinator for the citys Public Housing Association of Residents, where she helped connect low-income residents to the resources they need to be successful.

She was a real conscience of the community, Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer said. She passionately cared about helping the least well-off before the most well-off. She put herself out there all the time, even after she was on the council.

She was a real activist, in the best sense of the word, in holding the powerful to account, he said. She was concerned about making Charlottesville an inclusive community for all.

Before her death, Edwards was working as parish nurse for the Jefferson Area Board for Aging, a role she carried out in several programs since 1999. Recognized as a Daily Progress Distinguished Dozen honoree in 2003, Edwards said there was a connection between spiritual and physical wellbeing. She helped people deal with their physical ailments, while also helping them on a deeper level.

I try to understand what gives people meaning, Edwards said in 2003. That can help them make meaningful decisions.

Victoria Dunham, who knew Edwards through her activism and time on City Council, said she was the type of person who put her family and the citizens of Charlottesville before just about anything else.

She was just an absolutely exceptional human being in every way, Dunham said. She was tiny in stature but had an enormous heart and soul. She was as kind and compassionate as a person can be but had this incredible strength and backbone.

Sometimes, Dunham said, Edwards was the lone no vote on several City Council projects, including a development area next to the Daughters of Zion Cemetery. Edwards was worried that a housing development would overshadow the neglected cemetery and thought it could be a place to bury those who could not afford to buy burial plots, Dunham said.

While most people knew of Edwards intense love of her community, only those close to her also knew of her wicked sense of humor, Dunham said.

She came across as a quiet nurse, but she was actually hilarious, and she was the master of madcap schemes, Dunham said, laughing. We once had a Lucy and Ethel moment together to get her a cat. Her husband was grumpy about animals in the house, but Holly wanted a cat.

Edwards asked Dunham to help her find a cat and asked a rescue about which cats werent getting adopted. When the shelter told her black cats are the hardest to find homes for, Edwards said she wanted one, Dunham said. Edwards next plan was to ask Dunham to leave the cat and all the supplies on her doorstep on Christmas Eve, bang on the front door and then run away.

When Edwards daughters opened the door to find the little black cat with holly on his collar, Biko was made a member of the family. Dunham said Edwards named the cat after Steve Biko, a South African anti-apartheid activist.

We just laughed and laughed coming up with that scheme, said Dunham.

Last year, with the help of former Mayor Satyendra Huja, Edwards put together a group of former mayors and vice mayors to offer advice to the current City Council on how to steer Charlottesvilles future. Not wanting to focus on controversial issues, Edwards wanted to use the unique perspectives of former city leaders to help the community at large.

She was a peacemaker and a bridge builder, Signer said. She was very honest and very spiritual. She was very frank and candid in bringing her faith into public policy, but in a way that was refreshing  she built bridges, rather than divides.
The sun came out Saturday afternoon, clearing up clouds and melting the snow, but cold temperatures created dangerous ice, leading to a fatal crash in Greene County.

Virginia State Police said a vehicle traveling downhill on Preddy Creek Road came through a sharp curve, ran off the road and overturned in the creek at about noon Saturday.

Moments later, police said a passing vehicle came upon the scene of the crash and helped the driver and passenger get out of the crashed vehicle. Both were transported to the University of Virginia Medical Center with minor injuries.

Following the first crash, authorities said an SUV traveling downhill on Preddy Creek Road came through the same curve, lost control and struck the second drivers parked vehicle. The SUV then ran off the road and overturned into the creek, which is about 4 to 5 feet deep.

The male driver was taken to the UVa hospital, where he later died. Authorities would not identify the driver until family had been notified.

The incident is still under investigation, though police said slick road conditions contributed to the crash. It was the only fatality of the day reported by Virginia State Police.

From midnight to 6 p.m. Saturday, state police received a total of 2,082 calls for service statewide and responded to 527 traffic crashes and 686 disabled vehicles. The most calls for service came from the Chesapeake region (120 crashes and 292 disabled vehicles). In the Charlottesville, Waynesboro and Staunton area, police responded to 60 crashes and 54 disabled vehicles.

In total, the Charlottesville area saw about 2 to 3 inches of snowfall. As the temperature drops into the low 20s and high teens overnight, however, there is more potential for black ice, and state police and the Virginia Department of Transportation have asked that people stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

According to the National Weather Service, skies are expected to remain clear Sunday, with the temperature reaching a high of 26 degrees.

Due to the inclement weather, the Charlottesville/Albemarle Health Department postponed Sexual Health Testing Clinic from Saturday to Jan. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
About 1,000 people protested in central Tunis on Sunday against allowing Tunisians who had fought with jihadists abroad back into the country.

Some 3,000 Tunisians have joined the ranks of jihadist groups fighting in neighbouring Libya, as well as in Syria and Iraq, according to officials. The United Nations puts the figure at 5,000.

With the Islamic State group losing its main Libyan stronghold of Sirte and the jihadists under pressure in Syria and Iraq, concern has been growing in Tunisia that many will return to the country.

Protesters at Sunday's rally -- many wrapped in Tunisians flags -- shouted "No to returning terrorists!" and "All Tunisians against terrorism!"

"Tunisians need to be reassured by a real political will that makes it clear these criminals won't be allowed to return," said one of the protesters, 33-year-old civil servant Shahnez Mili.

Tunisian authorities have arrested several dozen alleged jihadists in a growing crackdown on extremists in recent weeks.

Authorities stepped up their efforts after Tunisian Anis Amri was identified as the primary suspect in last month's attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people.

Amri was shot dead by police in the Italian city of Milan four days after the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group.

Since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has been battling a jihadist movement that has killed dozens of soldiers and police officers as well as civilians including 59 foreign tourists.

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LYNCHBURG  The last time he ran to represent the 22nd Senate District, Mark Peake placed third in a tight five-way Republican primary.

The district was newly redrawn in 2011, splitting off eastern Lynchburg to stretch from Goochland County to that section of the Hill City. Peake said he hadnt intended on running when he was represented by Sen. Steve Newman, R-Bedford County, but the district came to him.

My wife and I, family, were just going door to door, which you really cant do in a district thats 200,000 people and covers the square mileage that this one does. We really didnt know what we were doing and just kind of flailing away, and it showed, said Peake, 53.

Rep. Tom Garrett, R-5th, who was sworn into Congress last week, won the district with 58 percent over Lynchburg Democrat Bert Dodson that year. Peake took 22 percent to Garretts 26 percent in the primary.

This time, Peake  who chaired the Lynchburg Republican Committee from 2006 to 2012  took a head start and recruited support throughout the district before the seat even opened. He announced his candidacy in February, not long after Garrett began running to replace retiring Republican congressman Robert Hurt.

We got good, solid citizens in every locality to support us and to  introduce us to people to spread the word, to volunteer to put up signs, to sign up delegates going back to the convention. That is the key, the fact that we had solid, credible people working for us in every locality, Peake said.

Peake was running for six months before Goochland County Supervisor Ken Peterson, who Peake defeated by a wide margin in the Dec. 3 Republican caucus, announced his candidacy.

By the time his current opponents  former Fluvanna County sheriff Ryant Washington and engineering consultant Joe Hines, an independent announced in December, the Republican Peake had been running for 10 months.

This is the Virginia state Senate. This isnt dog catcher. You cannot put together a credible campaign in the 22nd District, which covers nine localities and three separate media markets, in a month, Peake said.

The three candidates are running to win Tuesdays special election to replace Garrett.

Peake and his wife, Lila, have five children, including a set of 19-year-old quadruplets born premature under the care of a specialist, Peake said. Hes grateful to the community, in particular Centenary United Methodist Church members who helped care for the family.

Peake, a Roanoke city native, moved to Lynchburg about 20 years ago, he said. He works as an attorney at Caskie & Frost, representing defendants who are being sued, often in relation to insurance claims.

Peake was appointed to the Commonwealths Transportation Board in 2010 by then-Gov. Bob McDonnell. He represented the Virginia Department of Transportations Lynchburg District on the board until 2014.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe removed Peake, who had been a vocal advocate for the U.S. 29 Bypass around Charlottesville, along with five other appointees ahead of a vote on $13.1 billion of transportation projects, The Daily Progress reported in 2014.

As one of two candidates calling themselves conservatives, Peake said hes guided by the Republican creed. In a campaign forum speech, he highlighted social issues important to him.

I am the conservative Republican candidate in this race, Peake said. ... My issues, Im pro-life. I am pro-family. I am pro-Second Amendment, and I believe in traditional marriage, and I believe that God gave us our private parts, one reason was so we would know where to go to the bathroom.

Regarding fiscal conservatism, Peake said in an interview he believes in lower taxes, less regulation and freer markets.

According to campaign finance reports filed last week for the period ending Dec. 29, Peake has raised $123,356 since July. His report shows he has a balance of $1,687, but campaign manager Josh Puccio said he would be filing an amended report.

Along with $27,000 through two of Newmans political action committees, Peake received a $59,951 in-kind contribution from the Republican Party of Virginia. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus donated $17,150 to Peakes campaign on Thursday, after the reporting period.

Through six years as Lynchburg Republican Committee chairman working with presidential, congressional, state legislature and statewide races, Peake learned about a wide range of political operations. During part of that time, he also served as a representative on the partys state central committee as well as its 6th Congressional District Committee.

You learn it from the inside out, Peake said, the part that most of the public doesnt see, thank goodness.
Efforts continue to try to balance competing Libyan parties and draw a close to the protracted national crisis

Arab League envoy to Libya Salaheddine Jamali will head to Cairo on Monday to meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to discuss the Libyan crisis, Jamali told Al-Ahram newspaper.

He also will attend the permanent delegates consulting meeting of the Arab League.

"Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria agreed on Tunisia's president initiative to hold a triple summit to discuss the escalated situation in the Libya conflict," Jabali told Al-Ahram.

Jamali also said that a roadmap has been formed lately, adding some elements to the Libyan political agreement that was signed in Shkirat, Morocco, in December 2015.

"All Libyan parties accepted to add the new elements to the agreement, which will take into account latest developments in the Libyan conflict and support a balance between all Libyan parties," he added.

Meanwhile, Jamali said that he has not met yet Libyan General Khalifa Haftar, but will sit down with him as soon as possible as he is considered a "part of the solution to the Libyan crisis".

Jamali denied reports published Saturday in one Tunisian newspaper that he will head to the UN Security Council to issue a ceasefire resolution in Libya.

"No ceasefire is needed in Libya at the moment as there are no continuing battles, what they really need is to convince the Libyan parties that the military option is pointless, and what matters is focusing on the dialogue," Jamali said.

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Related Former Iran president Rafsanjani dies of heart attack

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei paid tribute to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president who died on Sunday, as a "companion of struggle" despite differences between them.

"The loss of my companion of struggle, whose cooperation with me dated back 59 years, is difficult and overwhelming," Khamenei said in a statement quoted by the state broadcaster's website.

"The different opinions and interpretations at time in this long period could never entirely break up the friendship" between us, he added.

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The multi-lane highway that funnels traffic through the Pantops Mountain corridor is flanked by restaurants, fast-food franchises, vehicle dealerships, shopping centers and sundry businesses.

A few centuries ago, it was a pastoral rise affording unobstructed views of much of Albemarle County. Thomas Jefferson once owned a sizable parcel of the land, and he gave the mountaintop its name.

The third president probably wouldnt recognize the derivation of the name as it has come to be spoken. He fashioned it from the Greek words pant-ops, which means all seeing.

This, as locals well know, has been altered to a pronunciation more descriptive of kitchen utensils than a scenic overlook. Before settlers moved into the region, it long had been the domain of the Monacan Indians.

As settlements moved relentlessly westward, the Monacans were pushed out of the area. By the 1800s, many of them were living near Bear Mountain, in what is now Amherst County.

The history of the development of Pantops starts in 1734, when John Rogers Clark becomes one of the original grantees of the land. He was the father of Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark.

No improvements were made to the property under Clarks stewardship. This slowly began to change after 1746, when Jeffersons father, Peter Jefferson, acquired the land.

When Peter Jefferson died in 1756, he left the property to the future president. In 1777, Jefferson purchased additional land next to his inherited parcel, and it was then that he gave the area its name.

Jefferson wanted the land for agricultural pursuits. He also saw it as an ideal nesting place for his youngest daughter, Mary, and her new husband, Francis Eppes.

In a letter Jefferson penned in 1797 to Mary, who also went by the names Maria and Polly, he wrote, Opening and resettling the plantation of Pantops. In 1804, he wrote her that he was leveling and establishing your hen-house at Pantops.

Not long after Jefferson wrote the upbeat letter, he had more painful words to draft. The daughter, who had rarely enjoyed robust health, died on April 17, 1804, several weeks after giving birth.

That sorrowful day, Jefferson wrote, This morning between 8 & 9. aclock my dear daughter Maria Eppes died. The death of his young daughter ended his hope that she and her husband would raise their family on the farm near his Monticello home.

In 1815, James Leitch purchased the property from Jefferson. That same year, the new owner built what is widely believed to have been the first house at Pantops.

The dwelling has been described as a single-story wood-frame hall-passage-parlor house, with a portico the length of the house. The structure and property remained in the family until 1877, when it was sold to the Rev. Edgar Woods.

Woods was the pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Charlottesville. His interests in writing and local history enriched the existing record of the areas past.

Woods also played a role in transforming Pantops from farmland to a hub for business. In 1879, he opened a Presbyterian school for boys he called Pantops Academy.

The schools primary mission was to prepare teenage boys for college and university work. The school attracted students from across the country, as well as from several foreign lands, including Japan, China, Brazil and Germany.

A few years after the school opened, Woods made his son-in-law, John R. Sampson, the principal and he became associate principal. At its height, the academy housed about 70 students and had seven instructors.

As enrollment grew, so did the need for additional buildings. According to records, this resulted in the construction of several large Second-Empire-style buildings on the site.

Second-Empire is an architectural term denoting a style popular during the late 1800s. A photograph of the academy taken around 1906 shows two stately mansions flanking several smaller buildings.

The second half of the 19th century had been a golden age for private education in the area. In addition to Pantops Academy, some of the most prominent private schools were Edgehill School, Piedmont Female Institute, Albemarle Female Institute and Major Jones Charlottesville Institute.

Woods was widely respected, and a comment made by an individual who knew him provides a glimpse into his personality. The admirer said he drew young hearts to love him by firm discipline, and gave to youths an impress of character which is still felt by those who were fortunate to fall under his instructions.

Pantops Academy was proving to be a gateway to success for ambitious young men. And Pantops Mountain, with the critically important Free Bridge at its western terminus, was becoming an important entry point to the island that is Charlottesville.
Saturdays snowfall may have been picturesque, but it kept the Virginia State Police extremely busy responding to crashes and disabled vehicles across the state.

Between midnight Saturday and noon on Sunday, VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller said the VSP responded to 686 crashes and aided 1,037 disabled vehicles across the state.

Stuck and disabled vehicles continue to be the most common emergency call for state troopers.

The state also received 3,257 calls for service, she said.

As of 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, troopers were still on the scene of 26 traffic crashes and 18 disabled vehicles statewide.

In Culpepers Division II locality, troopers responded to 49 crashes and 55 disabled vehicles. The Culpeper Division includes Culpeper, Fredericksburg, Warrenton, Harrisonburg and Winchester.

Yes, the sun is an encouraging sign when it comes to Virginias roads thawingbut many secondary and rural roads are still snow-covered, slick and impassable, Geller said. Virginians are reminded to still be patient rather than risk getting stuck or involved in a crash.

For people who have to travel, Geller suggests following these safety tips: Drive for conditions, slow your speed and dont tailgate, always buckle up, give yourself extra travel time, dont drive distracted, and check road conditions before leaving home at 511virginia.org.

Also during this span, VSP troopers also responded to one traffic fatality in Greene County, according to Geller.

In Richmonds Division I district, troopers responded to the most incidences with 226 crashes and 207 disabled vehicles.

Culpeper received a dusting of snow compared to Richmonds estimated eight inches.

Geller added that the Caroline County deputy sheriff, whose vehicle was struck head-on by a reported DUI driver early Saturday morning, continues to recover from his injuries. And the VSP sergeant, whose patrol car was hit Saturday evening on I-95 in Chesterfield, was treated and released from Chippenham Medical Center.
Foreign minister Boris Johnson has arrived in the United States to meet close advisers to President-elect Donald Trump and senior Congressional leaders, Britain's foreign ministry said on Sunday.



"Following the successful meeting last month between the prime minister's chiefs of staff and President-elect Donald Trump's team, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is undertaking a short visit to the U.S. for meetings with close advisers to the president-elect and senior Congressional leaders," a spokesman for the ministry said in a statement.



"The discussions will be focused on UK-U.S. relations and other foreign policy matters."

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Are you a grandparent, relative or family friend raising a child other than your own? If so, are you worried about how to care for that child? Do you need financial assistance to cover unanticipated expenses such as sports/music/art equipment or lessons, tutors, medical copays, furniture, clothing or school supplies? Do you know your rights? Are you looking for respite care? Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agencys new Kinship Care Program may be able to help.

The New York State Kinship Navigator Program (nysnavigator.org) defines a kinship caregiver as a non-parent caregiver including grandparents, relatives or even non-relatives who provide full-time care for children in their home. There are an estimated 179,000 kinship caregivers in New York state, of whom 131,000 (nearly 75 percent) are grandparents. It is difficult to fully gauge the extent of kinship households in Cayuga County because many arrangements are informal.

Kinship households are becoming increasingly more common among families served by the Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency. A myriad of issues can result in kinship arrangements, including drug and alcohol addictions, domestic violence, incarceration and mental health issues. Due to the abruptness of some of these scenarios, caregivers can find themselves suddenly tasked with caring for a child they are not emotionally or financially prepared to take on.

Recognizing the unique needs of kinship households, CSCAA secured state and local funding, including assistance through the Allyn Foundation and Kiwanis Club of Auburn to launch a Kinship Care Program in Cayuga County. The program works from a trauma-informed framework to best serve all members of the family unit, regardless of household income. Program staff meet families where they are at and offer support to families during a time that is difficult both for the kinship caregiver and the children in their care.

CSCAAs Kinship Care Program provides a wide range of services to kinship families, all of which are free, voluntary and confidential. Services include case management designed by the caregiver and case manager together, support groups, ongoing assessment of needs, referrals to counseling and linkages to other community resources, including financial resources that may be available to assist kinship families.

Since launching in October 2016, 10 families have begun receiving ongoing case management services through CSCAAs Kinship Care Program. Participant Michelle Bailey shared her experience:

"This program has been wonderful for me! The support part is huge! Its so nice to have someone to talk with who can help you find different avenues to take in different situations. Im looking forward to the support groups to be with other people who are going through this same thing. Grandparents do not always fit into other programs and many experiences we are handling now are so different from when our children grew up, so I really appreciate all the help."

CSCAA will begin offering weekly support groups through the Kinship Care Program beginning Jan. 10. These will be offered every Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. and again at 5:30 p.m. at CSCAAs headquarters located at 89 York St., Suite 1, in Auburn. Support groups will be facilitated by Kinship Care Program staff but will be participant-driven. Refreshments will be served.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about CSCAAs Kinship Care Program or would like to attend a support group, please contact Deborah Riester, LMSW, mental health specialist at (315) 255-1703 ext. 161 or driester@cscaa.com. Please visit us online for more information at cscaa.com/kinship.html.
If you are into waterfalls, green mountains and rich wildlife -- all on the outskirts of an organised, modern city -- then Rwanda's Kigali is your perfect holiday destination

As I stepped out of the capitals international airport, my unconscious mind tried to tell me that I was in a cosmopolitan, eye-catching European city, as I found myself surrounded by green mountains integrated with well-designed modern infrastructure.

Someone smiles at me and says, murakaza neza!

Wait a minute  this is not a European language. This phrase, meaning welcome, is in Kinyarwanda, the primary language spoken in Rwandas capital and largest city Kigali.

The East African city has been rapidly growing and modernising since the early 1990s, when the country saw one of the continents most horrific genocides, which saw around one million people killed.

This gory history had put safety at the top of my concerns before flying to Rwanda.

As it turned out, however, it was just history, as Kigali is currently ranked among the safest cities in Africa and its streets are patrolled by heavily armed security forces all day long to protect people and maintain peace.

Kigali, which covers 730 square kilometres, is inhabited by more than one million people, 60 percent of whom are youths.

The exchange rate for the Rwandan currency stands at an average 820 Francs per US dollar.

Kigali Genocide Memorial

The Kigali Genocide Memorial is located in Gisozi, a 10-minute drive from the centre of town, and the entrance is free.

The memorial is one of the most important sites to visit in Kigali. However, I do not recommend visiting it at the start of your trip, as you will really feel the pain and grief Rwandans suffered during the genocide, which will likely leave an emotional imprint.

The memorial is considered the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group, which was committed by members of the Hutu majority in 1994.

The Hutu and Tutsi are the major ethnic groups in the country, with the Hutu making up 84 percent of the population, according to the memorial data.

The memorial is attached to a 1,200-seat amphitheatre, which marks the 20th commemoration of the genocide and hosts cultural and historical events.

Dont forget to take a motorcycle ride!

It is an exciting experience to take a seat behind a Rwandan biker as an affordable means of transportation, costing half the price of taxi fares, though taxi drivers are more familiar with the city and the destinations you will likely want to visit.

Kigali Convention Centre

Inaugurated in July 2016 after a four-year halt in construction and located in the Gasabo district, the convention centre is operated by international hotel chain Radisson Blu.

According to leading Rwandan English-language newspaper the New Times, the countrys president attributed the final completion of the facility to the Rwandan spirit of never giving up, explaining that the stakeholders had previously tried to have it completed a number of times, but with no success.

The centre, valued at more than $300 million, comprises a ribbon-striped five-star hotel with 292 rooms and a domed conference hall that can host up to 2,500 people.

Life in Kigali

The best time to book your flight to Kigali is between June and mid-September; the period called the long dry season.

Rwanda's long rainy season lasts from March to May, when rains are heavy and persistent.

During working days, you may not find a single person in any of Kigalis nightclubs, except for some local pubs that start to get jammed by midnight.

However, on weekends, clubs, bars and restaurants become very crowded and active until the early hours of the morning.

Mutzig, Skol and Primus are among Rwanda s most popular local brews, with prices ranging between RWF 750 and RWF 1,500 per bottle.

Rwandans are very obedient to the law and custom, where you will rarely see people smoking in public, as it is considered shameful. They are also very friendly, and do not want to repeat the countrys bloody history, which is why ethnic discussions are widely avoided across the nation.

Shopping

If you are searching for traditional gifts, your destination will be Capalaki, where you can find Kigalis largest souvenir market, with items spread across dozens of individual stalls.

Prices in Caplaki are high, though you can bargain down to a more reasonable price. Alternatively, you can head to the Market 2000 in the city centre, where you can find many street vendors and shops that offer more reasonable prices.

For the popular Rwandan tea, coffee and Macadamia nuts, as well as regular groceries, there are Nakumatt and Simba, two of the biggest supermarkets in Kigalis Nyarugenge district.

Pineapple, banana and passion fruit are the most popular fruits in the capital, and you can easily buy them at cheap prices.

Rusumo Falls

If you are a fan of jungle adventures, you can travel about 100 kilometres from Kigali to reach Rusumo Falls, located in the Kiehere area in Rwandas Eastern Province.

Rusumo Falls is a waterfall surrounded by green parks and wild animals.

It is situated on the Kagera River on the border between Rwanda and Tanzania, and is part of the most distant headwaters of the River Nile. The falls are approximately 15 metres high and 40 metres wide.

However, around 85 percent of the falls are expected to be lost during the construction of the planned Rusumo Dam, which aims to generate roughly 80 megawatts of electricity to help Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

Construction on the dam is expected to start in mid 2017, so you only have a few months to take a selfie by the spectacular waterfall.

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The company had sought exemption on the ground that it makes state-of-the-art and cutting-edge technology products for which local sourcing is not possible.

New Delhi: A team of the US-based iPhone maker Apple will meet a group of senior officials from ministries, including IT and finance, on January 25 to discuss its demands for setting up a manufacturing unit in the country.

Officials from departments of commerce, industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), revenue, environment and forest, electronics and information technology (DeITY) will take part in the deliberations.

In a communication to the government, the Cupertino-based technology major has asked for several tax and other incentives, including long-term duty exemptions, to enter the manufacturing sector in India.

However, the sources said the technology major should set up the manufacturing unit in India without seeking additional support. As many as 42 companies are making mobile phones in India, including Chinese firm Huawei and Xiaomi, and no firm has approached the government for any additional incentives.

Currently, the government provides support by way of benefits under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS) to boost electronic manufacturing. The scheme offers financial incentives to offset disability and attract investments in the electronics hardware segment.

It also gives subsidy for investments in special economic zones, among other benefits. Apple's products are manufactured in six countries, including Korea, Japan and the US.

Earlier, the finance ministry in May had rejected relaxing the 30 per cent domestic sourcing norms as sought by the iPhone and iPad maker as a pre-condition of bringing in FDI to set up single-brand retail stores in the country.

The company had sought exemption on the ground that it makes state-of-the-art and cutting-edge technology products for which local sourcing is not possible. The government had also turned down the firm's proposal to import refurbished phones and sell them in India.

The company sells its products through Apple-owned retail stores in countries like China, Germany, the US, the UK and France, among others. It has no wholly-owned store in

India and sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro. The government has announced incentives to promote electronic manufacturing in India and reduce the import bill.
Following the demonetisation move effective November 9, the tax department had earlier asked banks and post offices to report to it all deposits above Rs 2.5 lakh in savings accounts and more than Rs 12.50 lakh in current accounts made between November 10-December 30, 2016.

New Delhi: Seeking to analyse the banking transactions in months before the demonetisation, the Income Tax Department has asked banks to report cash deposits in savings accounts between April 1 to November 9, 2016.

Besides, banks have also been directed to ask the account holders, who did not furnished PAN (Permanent Account Number) or Form 60 (for those without PAN) at the time of opening bank account, to do so by February 28 this year.

As per a notification, the banks, cooperative banks and post offices will have to report to the tax department all cash deposits between April 1 to November 9, 2016 -- the day when the demonetisation was effected by junking old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.

Further bank officials will have to document PAN or declaration of Form 60 received from account holders and maintain all records for transactions under Rule 114B of I-T Act. Rule 114B lists various transactions for which quoting PAN is mandatory.

It said that persons who have not quoted PAN, or did not furnish Form 60 at the time of opening account, will have to provide the same by February 28. Form 60 is a declaration form filed by an individual without PAN.

Following the demonetisation move effective November 9, the tax department had earlier asked banks and post offices to report to it all deposits above Rs 2.5 lakh in savings accounts and more than Rs 12.50 lakh in current accounts made between November 10-December 30, 2016.

Also, cash deposits exceeding Rs 50,000 in a single day had to be reported. With an estimated about Rs 15 lakh crore in junked currency notes coming back into the banking system post demonetisation, the tax department has started analysing the bank deposit trends.
The rupee is forecast to weaken to 68.50 a dollar in one month versus 67.73 at Thursday's close

Bengaluru: The rupee is expected to fall further against the US dollar this year to a record low, hit by rising global bond yields and an economic blow from New Delhi's dramatic currency crackdown launched two months ago, a Reuters poll found.

The rupee performed a bit better than most of its regional peers in 2016, weakening just over 2 per cent as India's economy, the fastest-growing in Asia, roared ahead for most of the year.

But capital outflows intensified toward the end of 2016 after Donald Trump won the US presidential election and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the end of high-value bank notes.

The rupee is forecast to weaken to 68.50 a dollar in one month versus 67.73 at Thursday's close, the poll of nearly 30 foreign exchange strategists carried out this week showed.

It is expected to fall further to 69.50 by year-end. That 12-month consensus is the weakest for several years and would mark a record low. Just three months back the view in a Reuters poll was for the rupee to trade at 67.73 in a year.

"We see a less rosy scenario in the capital account and current account front in the coming two years, with global bond yields and money flowing back to the US," said Bhupesh Bameta, head of FX research at Edelweiss Financial Services in Mumbai.

Since Mr Trump's US election victory, markets have realigned over expectations his administration will bring in sweeping tax cuts, infrastructure projects and deregulation.

The 10-year US Treasury yield has rallied more than 25 per cent since the election, hitting a two-year high of 2.641 per cent on December 15.

The Federal Reserve also raised the federal funds rate last month for the first time in a year. The US central bank signaled a faster pace of rate increases this year based on expectations for fiscal stimulus.

In India, PM Modi's demonetisation drive has hampered both industrial and services output, with a private survey this week showing factory activity and services took a hit last month, lending credence to worries that it would dent growth.

"Given the demonetisation exercise, the attraction for gold may come back again," Mr Bameta said. "(Given) the fact that there was no meaningful depreciation of the rupee over the last two years when everything else was depreciating, a correction...is due."
Mumbai: Shahid Kapoor is relieved after getting overwhelming response to the trailer of his upcoming film "Rangoon" as the actor said he was bit "nervous" for it. The 35-year-old star, who shared the first look and trailer of the Vishal Bhardwaj directorial on Januray 5, thanked fans for giving it a thumbs up.

"Thank you thank you thank you guys. Was rather nervous about this one. The response has been tremendous. Big big love to you all," Shahid wrote on Twitter. Shahid has teamed up with Bhardwaj for the third time as they have previously worked in 'Kaminey' and 'Haider'.

The film, which is set to release on February 24 this year, also stars Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles.
New Delhi: After creating a hullabaloo, self-claimed Godman Om Swami has been finally thrown out of the Bigg Boss house this Friday! But, the story does not end here! Now Swami threatens the makers of the show that he will not allow the finale to happen, if he is not called back.

On Saturday, during the 'Weekend Ka Vaar,' host Salman Khan showed footage of senior journalist Dibang, who is associated with the media panel of Colors and Bigg Boss 10, interviewing Swami Om, after being ousted from the house.

While speaking to the senior journalist, he threatened the makers by saying, "I will wait only for two weeks, if they do not call me back, I won't let grand finale happen."

For the unversed, during the captaincy task this week, Swami threw his urine on co-contestant Bani J and Rohan Mehra and as a result he was immediately put behind the bars by the other contestants. Later, on Friday, he was thrown out of the Bigg Boss house by the show's security guard. Earlier, another 'Indiawale' Priyanka Jagga Muse was evicted out of the show due to her behavior towards the housemates.
When children went without their phones for a whole month, their symptoms were reduced (Photo: AFP)

London: Even after knowing its harmful effects, one finds it extremely difficult to keep that cell phone aside. But a new study has found that our smartphones may be doing more damage than we'd previously suspected, specifically to our eyes.

The report published in BMC Opthalmology revealed that children who spend more time on their phones have more symptoms of dry-eye disease. And when those children went without their phones for a whole month, their symptoms were reduced.

Dry-eye disease is a condition that occurs when the eyes don't produce enough tears, which results in eyes becoming red, swollen and irritated. Usually associated with older people, specialists believe it is underdiagnosed in children.

When we stare at screens, we blink less which means our tear film evaporates faster and our risk of dry-eye disease increases.

The BMC Opthalmology study assessed 916 Korean children between the ages of seven and 12. The children were given eye exams and 6.6 per cent met the criteria for dry-eye disease.

97 per cent of those children revealed they used smartphones for 3.2 hours a day on average, compared to the 37 minutes a day by 55 per cent of children without any symptoms.

It's not just with an increased risk of dry-eye disease that smartphones are damaging our eyes though. Tanya Goodin, founder of digital detox specialists Time to Log Off, told The Independent: "We've known for a while that overuse of screens is affecting eyesight through a range of symptoms categorised as 'digital eye strain'."

Studies have shown that digital eye strain - the physical discomfort felt after two or more hours in front of a digital screen - amongst adults and children is on the up.

However more than 30 per cent of parents who say they are very concerned about the impact of digital devices on children's eyes allow their kids to spend over three hours a day looking at screens.

Goodin, whose company runs digital detox camps for teenagers as well as retreats for adults, believes parents are right to be particularly worried about the implications for children.

Her top tips are: "Keeping daytime screen usage within healthy limits, no screens an hour before bedtime and no single screen session over two hours."
They come out from the jungle in the evening so I spent the morning familiarising myself with the surroundings. Before I could reach the open grassland, I spotted this beautiful Grey-headed Fish Eagle. This park is a haven for birding too.

For some unknown reasons, I am attached to elephants. I find them charismatic, friendly, calm and they are quite social beings. And yes, if troubled, we will get to experience their wrath too. I can spend hours, days or even months watching them, observing their behaviour.

One of the best places to spend time with them is Minneriya National Park, situated in the north central province of Sri Lanka. When water and grass dries out at the nearby park, they move into Minneriya as it has a man-made reservoir and enough fresh grass to feast on. This movement happens in the month of September and October. On any given day, one can easily spot 100-odd elephants of all sizes. I have heard stories of people who have seen over 500 elephants at a glance in the park.

These elephants move from Wasgamuwa National Park, Angammadilla National Park, Somawathi Chathiya Sanctuary (Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee districts) and forest areas in Matale. They travel approximately 20-50 km to reach this park.

They are believed to come out from the jungle in the evening. However, I decided to explore the park in the morning to familiarise myself with the surroundings and to see if I could get lucky enough to spot herds. Before I could reach the open grassland, I happened to see a beautiful grey-headed fish eagle. This park is a haven for birding too.

The grassland was simply breathtaking. I was speechless and found myself at a loss of words to describe my experience. Male elephants almost lose their senses when they are in the musth.

Musth is a periodic condition in bull (male) elephants, characterised by highly aggressive behaviour and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones. Testosterone levels in an elephant in musth can be as much as 60 times greater than in the same elephant at other times. I was very fortunate to see these two elephants chasing and fighting with each other, felling trees and trying to cool themselves by splashing water. They were all over the habitat.

By the time, I reached the park in the second half, I could see herds of elephants and vehicles in the park. Minneriya has become a hot tourist destination in recent times. Tourists explored the scary option of getting closer to the elephants by nudging the drivers/guides who obliged, greedy for tips that they were offered. They were willing to indulge in this dangerous stunt for merely a few bucks. In my opinion, keeping some distance is always advisable.

I had a great time watching the young ones. Some of them were lesser than a few weeks-old. This is an amazing place to understand elephant behaviour. While I watched them spend time with each other, I happened to notice that they were quite friendly. Elephants are very protective when it comes to their young ones and their herd. The herds are mostly headed by the females and she is the one who decides and guides the herd.

Minneriya is one of the best places in the world to watch elephant congregation or may be this is the only place where an elephant gathering like this happens. This is a must-watch sighting if youre a nature and wildlife lover like me.

 The writer is founder R SQUARE and www.natureinfocus.in
They also examined the time frame over which individuals in the population encounter one another (Photo: YouTube)

London: A real-life zombie outbreak would leave the world's population in shambles, with less than 300 survivors remaining a mere one hundred days into the apocalypse, researchers have claimed.

Assuming that a zombie can find one person each day, with a 90 per cent chance of infecting victims with the zombie infection, researchers from the University of Leicester in the UK suggest that by day one hundred there be just 273 remaining human survivors, outnumbered a million to one by zombies.

The team investigated the spread of a hypothetical zombie virus using the SIR model - an epidemiological model that describes the spread of a disease throughout a population.

The model splits the population into three categories - those susceptible to the infection, those that are infected and those that have either died or recovered.

The SIR model then considers the rates at which infections spread and die off as individuals in the population come into contact with each other.

As part of the formula, the students looked at S (the susceptible population), Z (the zombie population) and D (the dead population), suggesting that the average life-cycle of a zombie would be S to Z to D.

They also examined the time frame over which individuals in the population encounter one another.

The initial study did not factor in natural birth and death rates, since the hypothetical epidemic took place over 100 days, resulting in natural births and deaths being negligible compared to the impact of the zombie virus over a short time frame.

Without the ability for humankind to fight back against the undead hordes, the calculations suggest that if global populations were equally distributed in less than a year the human race might be wiped out.

However, in a follow-up study, the researchers studied the SIR model applied to a zombie epidemic and introduced new parameters, such as the rate in which zombies might be killed and people having children within the nightmare scenario. This made human survival more feasible.

The team factored in how over time survivors may also be less likely to become infected after having experience of avoiding or fending off zombies.

They found that it would be possible for the world's human population to survive the zombie epidemic under these conditions - and that eventually the zombie population would be wiped out and the human population would recover.
Haldwani: Frustrated with his wife's infertility, a man from Nepal allegedly pushed a 40 cm long rolling pin inside her intestines.

The incident occured in Haldwani city of Uttarakhand, said a report in the Daily Mail.

According to the report, the 38-year-old initially was admitted to Dr Sushila Tiwari Government Medical College Hospital, in Haldwani with severe abdominal pain and swelling.

While doctors tried to x-ray her, nothing confirmed her injuries. Subsequently, a team of five doctors operated the suspected abuse victim and discovered the rolling pin inside her intestines.

Terming her injuries very grave, Dr Kedar Singh Shahi, a general surgeon at the hospital, was reported to have said that the woman could have lost her life.

"We could only see a shadow in the x-ray as wooden materials would be identified. The size of the rolling pin was around 40 cm long which is a big size to be inserted into a human body, he was quoted saying.

The couple from Nepal were reported to have come to the hospital together.

The hospital authorities informed the police and the National Commission for Women (NCW) as the woman was hesitant to explain her situation.

According to the report, Amita Lokhani, vice-chairperson of NCW, visited the woman a day after her operation. Despite questioning her multiple times, the woman continued to cry and remain tight-lipped. After three days, she finally opened up to Lokhani.

I continued visiting her for three days and eventually she opened up on the third day while her husband was away. She told me she was infertile and her husband often tortured her,' Lokhani was quoted as saying.

The man, who is on the run now, has been charged with rape and grievous body harm by police.

The woman is being treated free of cost at the hospital and is to be discharged next week tentatively, after which the NCW will continue to counsel her.
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday appealed to non-resident Kannadigas and Non-resident Indians to invest in the state.

After launching the new NRI policy of the state here, he said, The three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will provide ample opportunity for the state to showcase its progress in attracting investments. We will try to hard sell our plus points to attract investments.

Major and Medium Industries Minister R.V. Deshpande said that the state government intends to offer several subsidies to NRIs who are willing to invest more than Rs 250 crore.

The NRI Policy of Karnataka also proposes to engage NRIs/NRKs in the economic, social and technological development, apart from working out country-specific plans for forging a mutually beneficial relationship with the NRIs/NRKs, he said.

Mr Deshpande said that the non-resident Indian forum that was established in 2008 has been playing a vital role in strengthening the links between the Karnataka diaspora and several cultural organisations spread across the world, apart from motivating them to bring in investments to the state.

The NRI Policy comprehensively looks into aspirations, requirements and expectations of the Kannadiga diaspora and promotion of culture and festivities, art and culture among NRIs/NRKs, Mr Deshpande said.

Karnataka right destination for investments: Deshpande

Highlighting the measures taken by the state government to make it easy for setting up and doing business in the state, Minister for Large and Medium-Scale Industries R.V. Deshpande invited the overseas Indian community to invest in the state.

He was inaugurating the conclave  India's Growing Economy and Rising Soft Power: Business Opportunity for Diaspora, organised by the People of Indian Origin Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PIOCCI) in conjunction with three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017 on Friday. He said, We are ready to hear investment proposals from the Indian diaspora. According to statistics, Karnataka tops in clearing investment proposals. Our government is ready to offer all support to investors. For the interested entrepreneurs, we have made specials arrangements to tour the state and choose preferred locations for their investment.

He assured the Indian diaspora that investment proposals will be cleared at once across the table and projects will be allotted land and other facilities at the earliest. Mr B.V. Naidu, former director, Software Technology Parks of India, spoke.
The NHRC has observed it is of the view that prima-facie, human rights of the victims have been "grossly violated" by the security personnel for which Chattisgarh government is "vicariously liable". (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has sent a notice to Chhattisgarh government over alleged rape, sexual and physical assault of 16 women by the state police personnel, and observed the government is "vicariously liable" for it.

The Commission, in a statement on Saturday also said that it awaits the recorded statement of about "20 other victims".

"The NHRC has found 16 women, prima facie, victims of rape, sexual and physical assault by the state police personnel in Chhattisgarh," it said.

The Commission has issued the notice to the "government through its Chief Secretary, to show cause why it should not recommend interim monetary relief of Rs 37 lakh to them.

"This includes, Rs 3 lakh each to eight victims of rape, Rs 2 lakh each to six victims of sexual assault and Rs 50,000 each to two victims of physical assault."

The NHRC has observed it is of the view that prima-facie, human rights of the victims have been "grossly violated" by the security personnel for which Chattisgarh government is "vicariously liable".

It also found that the grave allegations of "physical as well as rape/sexual assault committed by security personnel of government of Chhattisgarh, made in the FIRs, were reiterated before the NHRC Team, which conducted spot investigation before the magistrate."

The Commission said that after careful consideration of the material on record, it found that there are in "total 34 victims mentioned in police complaints."

"The material includes copies of statement of victims recorded by the NHRC Team as well as those recorded u/s 164 CrPC in case FIR No. 22/15, FIR No. 2/16 and FIR No. 3/16 in respect of 15 victims, sent by the IGP, Police Headquarters, Raipur vide letter dated November 12, 2016," the NHRC said in the statement.

The Commission has also noted that the NHRC Team "could record the statements of only 14 victims out of the 34 victims mentioned in the FIRs. Thus, statements of 20 victims are yet to be recorded by it."

"The statements u/s 164 CrPC have been recorded by the magistrate only in respect of 15 victims. Thus, statements of 19 more victims are yet to be recorded.

"Almost all the victims in these incidents, covered under the three FIRs, are tribals. However, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has not been invoked in any of the cases. As a result of this, the due monetary relief under the SC/ST (PoA) Act has not been paid to the victims," it added.
Lucknow: Taking its fight against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to newer pastures, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal will "actively campaign" against the saffron party in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, though it will not enter the electoral arena.

After completion of the election process in Punjab and Goa, where AAP will be contesting, all leaders including star campaigners, will concentrate on Uttar Pradesh to expose BJP, "which has betrayed the country and which is the biggest devil in national politics", AAP spokesman Vaibhav Maheshwari said.

Details of senior AAP leaders' tour programme will be worked out soon but almost all of them will campaign against the ruling party at the Centre so as to apprise the people of the real face of the BJP and tell them what all can happen if they are elected in the state, he said.

A detailed itinerary will be released later in which AAP will apprise people of the "wrongs" committed by BJP although they will not seek votes for any party in the Uttar Pradesh polls, he said.

BJP is contesting the elections with demonetisation as the central issue and AAP has dubbed it as the biggest scam, Maheshwari said, adding this campaign (against BJP) can also be termed as a new kind of politics in which his party will be putting its energy and money into the elections in which its stands to gain nothing in terms of seats.

"This move is to ensure that Uttar Pradesh is not made to pay heavily in case of a wrong decision by the people as the state politics make a big impact on national politics, with the next Lok Sabha polls scheduled two years hence.

"We have to caution people as to how can a party which has proved to be a failure at the national level be a good option in the politically crucial state," he said.

Although AAP is not in poll fray in Uttar Pradesh, it is contesting in Punjab and Goa where polling is slated for February 4. The seven-phase UP polls start on February 11 and ends on March 8 and AAP leaders will get enough opportunity to criss-cross the state, Maheshwari added.
Hyderabad: No concrete safety measures have been taken in six years at the Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar dams, despite the suggestions of expert teams after the unprecedented floods in the Krishna river between October 2 and 4, 2009.

A total of 25 lakh cusecs of water swamped the dams against their maximum flood discharge capacity of 12 lakh. The two dams, which function jointly to discharge flood water, suffered damage during the historic floods of October 2009, and require repairs. Study teams of engineers had suggested measures to prevent a catastrophe if a similar situation arose later.

There is complacency on the part of both the governments in taking steps to prevent a recurrence of the catastrophe-like situation of 2009, former Central Water Commission chairman M.S. Reddy told this newspaper.

Solutions were offered by engineers, but I don't think any of these were implemented, said Mr Reddy, former Union secretary for water resources, who headed several teams on dam safety.

Mr Reddy said there was no official study on the pattern of the unprecedented floods of 2009 and how it was handled at Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar so as to suggest measures to strengthen the two dams, especially in the event of a dam burst.

He said Srisailam was a concrete dam without an earthen structure. There should be a solution like diverting floods from the foreshores so as to regulate the extent of water reaching the Srisailam crest gates, as and when it was more than its designed limits.

Nagarjunasagar, a masonry structure, has an earthen dam but there are no flood breaking points. These need to be created so that in the event of an unmanageable flood, the earthen dam could be demolished to save the spillway structure of the main dam.

According to officials at the Srisailam dam, now under control of the Andhra Pradesh government, a dam safety panel constituted by the Central Water Commission had made some suggestions after the 2009 floods but nothing concrete had been done.

A senior officer said they had sent proposals to the government to repair the dam and create a diversion point from Pamulapadu to Kundu river but there has been no action.

Mr Reddy said that as chairman of the dam safety panel for Nagarjunasagar, he had made certain suggestions after inspecting the structure last year. So far, nothing has happened, he said.

Assuming a similar flood will occur in future and last for more than two days, how to manage it? Do they have an answer? I am surprised they are not being serious, Mr Reddy said.

He said the governments should have studied the handling of the 2009 floods in depth and identified as to who was responsible for the non-functioning of the flood gates at Srisailam and what action was taken. Suppose both the dams break, what would happen to people downstream? Is there any estimate, he asked.
The Gundert Park is a memorial for Dr Hermann Gunderts contribution to the Malayalam language.

Kozhikode: Germany is interested in renovating the dilapidated Gundert Park in Thalassery.

German honorary consul Dr Syed Ibrahim had recently visited the park near Thalassery Municipal Stadium and expressed willingness to aid its renovation.

Talks are also on with the Church of South India (CSI) officials for renovating and converting Gunderts Bungalow at Illikkunnu into a museum and research centre.

The Gundert Park and the bronze statue of Dr Hermann Gundert- the German missionary, scholar, and linguist known for his immense contribution to the Malayalam language, is one of the iconic spots in Thalassery.

Though the voluntary organisations occasionally remove bushes, the Park still lacks a permanent maintenance system and is a haven for stray dogs and weeds. The Gundert Park and the statue is one of the major tourist spots in Thalassery frequently visited by tourists, especially those from Germany.

Germany is keen on preserving the existing links between both countries and Thalassery is a major place where Dr Gundert spent over two decades. We hope soon we can do the needful with the cooperation of municipal and revenue authorities, said Dr Ibrahim, who had already talked to local legislator A.N. Shamseer and municipality chairperson C.K. Ramesan.

The park houses many trees planted by eminent persons including the mayor of Gunderts hometown Calw. It was during his death centenary in 1993, the then culture minister T.M. Jacob announced a memorial for him.

In August 2000 the then chief minister E.K. Nayanar unveiled the statue.

The bungalow of Gundert is also needed proper care. I have already met the CSI officials who own the place. They are happy to co-operate and will soon explore the possibilities of how to go about it, the Consul added.
The committee constituted by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to investigate the reasons for the collapse of an under-construction building at Nanakramguda has blamed the incident on the negligence of the builder and the owner.

Hyderabad: The committee constituted by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to investigate the reasons for the collapse of an under-construction building at Nanakramguda has blamed the incident on the negligence of the builder and the owner. Eleven persons died when the building collapsed on December 8, last year.

The committee, chaired by Dr N.V. Ramana Rao of JNTU, said weak construction, improper design and huge burden on pillars led to the collapse. It said building owner Satyanarayana Singh had planned a G+3 structure on 250 square yards. Based on this, the builder constructed the basement and pillars.

Later, he modified the design to G+5 and a penthouse. He did not follow the standards and specifications given by the civil engineer in the structural drawing. The structural drawing also incorporated a main pillar but Satyanarayana Singh did not follow it. The pillars could bear only 60 per cent of load of the total building, the report submitted to the civic body said. The report said that the quality of construction of the building was poor, and the plinth beams were built as like a skeleton.
New Delhi: Earlier last month, the government had announced .75 per cent discount on purchase of fuel through card.

In a move that is bound to add some hurdles in commuting activities, the All India Petroleum Dealers Association has announced that petrol bunks across the country will stop accepting debit and credit cards effective from Sunday midnight. The announcement, which has come in the wake of banks levying a 1% transaction fee on card payments across all petrol pumps, will cause inconvenience to customers already experiencing cash shortages following the government's demonetization move.

All India Petroleum Dealers Association (AIPDA) president Ajay Bansal told TOI from Bengaluru that all pump owners are firm in their decision to withdraw card swipe machines from intervening midnight of Sunday and Monday.

We are operating on a very thin margin. We cannot afford this deduction. Hence we have no other go than stop accepting debit and credit cards, Bansal said. When pointed that the dealers are going against government directions, Bansal said they have no other option. Bansal said the decision to stop accepting debit and credit cards had been conveyed to Petroleum Ministry and Finance Ministry officials, he said.

Following this, on Sunday, the Tamil Nadu Petroleum Dealers Association said it has received an intimation from banks about the 1% charge and has announced that it will not accept plastic money in protest of this move.

"We have suddenly received intimation from the bankers, reneging on their existing agreements with us, and for having decided to levy a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 1% plus taxes on all transactions done at our outlets," KP Murali, President of the Association, said. This move was a 'unilateral' one by bankers who had installed card swipe machines at the fuel outlets, he added.

Protesting the move, Murali said their margins were fixed on a per kilolitre (KL) basis and that they did not have scope to absorb these charges. "We have specific mechanisms to compute the margin and these do not have any scope for Credit/Debit card MDR. This will lead to financial losses for the dealers," he said. Further, bankers were also "delaying payments" and not settling the entire dues, he alleged.

"The reconciliation of swipes to amount being credited to our accounts is causing a lot of hardships and losses to a large percentage of the dealer community," he said in a statement. "We will not be able to withstand the financial losses generated by these transactions and have decided to stop accepting Credit/Debit Cards from January 9, 2017," he added. Hyder Ali, the association General Secretary, asked, "How can we do our business with losses?" Murali said the dealers have requested Oil Marketing Companies and various authorities to intervene and address the situation.

Meanwhile, the announcement prompted the city motorists to rush to fuel outlets to fill their vehicle tanks by making payments through Debit and credit cards. Many motorists felt this will add to their difficulties with few ATMs dispensing cash due to demonetization.
New Delhi: Hitting out at Congress for opposing demonetisation, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said Rahul Gandhi was looking for ways to disrupt Parliament and his party was siding with "black money friendly status quo", when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being "futuristic" to create a technology-driven cleaner economy.

Jaitley said that Congress, despite being a national party, has decided to adopt a political position, opposing both technology, change and reforms, but their "exaggerated claims on the disruption of the economy have proved wrong".

In a Facebook post, titled 'Demonetisation -- A look back at the last two months', the Finance Minister said there was a marked difference in the approach of the Prime Minister and his opponents.

"The Prime Minister was being futuristic, and thinking of a more modern, technology driven cleaner economy. He is now speaking of cleaning the political funding systems. His opponents want a cash dominated, cash generating and cash exchange system to continue.

"The difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi was clear -- the Prime Minister was thinking of the next generation while Rahul Gandhi was only looking at how to disrupt the next Session of Parliament," Jaitley wrote.

After the shock demonetisation of Rs 500/1000 notes announced by Modi on November 8, the opposition Congress and Trinamool-led protests disrupted about a month-long winter session of Parliament which ended on December 16.

Last month, Gandhi had attacked Modi over demonetisation dubbing it as the "biggest scam in the history of India".

There are fears that Opposition might also disturb the Budget session, which is scheduled to begin on January 31 with President's address to both the Houses of Parliament.

In his post, Jaitley said there was no social unrest while implementing a major decision like demonetisation and cited opinion polls conducted by media organisations which said that an overwhelmingly large percentage of people have supported the government's decision.

"The opposition disrupted a full session of Parliament. Their protests have been ineffective. Their exaggerated claims on the disruption of the economy have proved wrong. It is a tragedy that a national party like the Congress decided to adopt a political position, opposing both technology, change and reforms. It sided with black money friendly status quo," Jaitley said.

Belying fears of slowdown in industrial activity post demonetisation, the indirect tax collection in November, 2016 alone grew 23.1 per cent to Rs 67,358 crore. The total

April-November, 2016 realisation grew 26.2 per cent to Rs 7.53 lakh crore, he said.

Jaitley had earlier said revenue trends show that the impact of note ban has not been as much as estimated by critics.

"Of course there would be areas which would be adversely impacted, but what was predicted by the critics has to have a rationale with revenue collection... Assessment can be unreal but revenue is real,? he said.

Between April-December 19, 2016, the increase in income tax was 14.4 per cent and, after adjusting for large refunds, the net increase is 13.6 per cent.
BENGALURU: Compared to previous Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, this years PBD will be outcome-oriented and the outcome is aimed at empowering the Indian diaspora, said Mr Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, here on Saturday.

Briefing the media on the first day of PBD, he said, The whole approach of this years PBD is to listen to the queries of the Indian diaspora and address them.

Pointing out that they wont follow the wait-and-watch approach in addressing the issues of the diaspora, he said, Once we listen to their grievances, the ministry of external affairs will take the necessary measures to address them.

This is the biggest turnout for the PBD since its inception in 2003. More than the social engagement, economic engagement of the diaspora is needed, he said.

He sought the support of state governments in battling issues related to Indians abroad, who works as drivers, domestic workers, hotel workers etc.

State governments should take steps to bust rackets that are involved in human trafficking. Those involved in these rackets send workers abroad blindly and make them targets of ill-treatment and humiliation. To prevent problems for such lower rung workers, the ministry has taken measures like pre-departure orientation and sending them as e-emigrants, so that employers abroad fulfill all their duties towards the labourers, he said.

On extension of time sought for overseas Indians to exchange demonetised `500 and Rs 1,000 notes, he said, It has to be formally taken up by the RBI and finance ministry.

India has it all to be superpower: PIO

India has all potential to become a super power. With its spiritual and cultural inheritance, it should be on the top, said Mr Michael Ashwin Adhin, vice-president of the South American country of Suriname here on Saturday.

Delivering his keynote address at the inauguration of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017, Mr Adhin observed that India was seen as a 'Vishwa guru' and enjoyed a unique status due to its abundance of knowledge and spiritual and cultural heritage.

Maintaining that the Indian diaspora should be proud of its cultural roots, he urged the youth to work towards minimising monopolies at all levels.

The 36-year-old Suriname leader, whose ancestors hail from India, also said the country should leverage its traditional strengths and come up with nature-friendly technologies to establish its authority not by force but by means of knowledge and play a more influential role in geopolitics." A stronger India, in his view, was good for the world as it would bring in balance of power and growth.
Siwan (Bihar): Jailed RJD leader Mohammad Shahabuddin has created yet another controversy with his purported selfie showing his changed look inside Siwan prison going viral on the social media.

In the wake of the controversy, the Siwan district administration has conducted raids inside the jail.

Officer in-charge of Muffasil police station Vinay Pratap Singhon Saturday confirmed the raids inside Siwan jail and said three mobile phones, four SIM cards and two mobile batteries were seized.

He, however, did not divulge if anything was seized from the cell of the controversial RJD leader.

Siwan jail officials denied that a selfie was clicked by Shahabuddin and said some "well-wisher" who might have come to meet him could have taken the photo and posted it on the social media.

Shahabuddin, a four-time RJD MP from Siwan, is currently lodged in Siwan jail after the Supreme Court cancelled his bail granted by the Patna High Court in connection with the killing of the prime witness in the murder of two brothers.

Shahabuddin is facing over 36 cases, including of murder and kidnapping. Meanwhile, RJD spokesman Ashok Sinha told PTI that he could not confirm the veracity of the information.

"The Grand Alliance government in Bihar, in which the RJD is a major constituent, does not compromise on any law-and-order issue," he claimed.
Bengaluru: As incidents of sexual harassment of women being reported regularly in the city, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has formed women committees in every depot and division in the state. The committee will handle issues of sexual harassment of women conductors, mechanics and drivers of KSRTC.

Till now, we had committees at the centre and divisional levels. For a woman from Davanagere depot to complain, she had to go to Sagar division. Moreover, they were also hesitant to speak out against their seniors," said Mr Rajendar Kumar Kataria, Managing Director, KSRTC.

To counter this, all-woman committees will be formed at all 79 depots, of which five are in Bengaluru. This will benefit 3,000 women employees of KSRTC. This Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) will have special powers that any senior officer or even MD cannot overpower," said Ms T.S Latha, PRO of KSRTC.

Once a woman employee files a complaint, immediate action is mandatory and the maximum time limit is 30 days. If the accused is proven guilty, he will be suspended. An inquiry will be conducted by retired district judges, who will mete out the punishment.

Soon after the suspension, the accused is also transferred from that place to avoid the victim from encountering the aggressor. The woman will also be given the option of transfer.

The process of inquiry and punishment should be completed within 60 days and it should also rule whether the man should be dismissed or not. The committee should meet once in three months, whether there is a complaint or not.

The committee, set up on December 16, was started with 4-5 women in each committee. So far, two accused male employees have been transferred, three have been suspended and one dismissed.
Lucknow: Reconciliation efforts in the Yadav clan seemed to be gaining pace on Saturday, with Shivpal meeting Akhilesh for the first one-on-one between the warring uncle and nephew since the split in Samajwadi Party (SP) last Sunday, even as the Chief Minister's camp claimed to have "signed" support of 212 of the 229 party MLAs.

Meanwhile, SP MP Amar Singh, whose return to the party recently after six years was one of the reasons for discord between Mulayam and son Akhilesh, said he was in favour of a patch-up between the father and the son and that he was not a "hurdle" in the path of the Chief Minister.

Shivpal went to the residence of Akhilesh on Saturday morning, after which he met his brother Mulayam, reflecting hectic efforts at reconciliation.

Party insiders were tight-lipped on what transpired during the brief meeting between the uncle and the nephew who have been at loggerheads for months now.

However, sources privy to the fast-paced developments did not rule out the possibility of resignation of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, the "outsider" whose return to SP triggered a storm in the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh, under a "compromise formula".

Another possibility could be resignation of Shivpal from the post of state SP chief, a charge held by the chief minister before the current family feud broke out.

It was the first one-on-one meeting between Akhilesh and Shivpal since the Chief Minister donned the mantle of SP 'president' replacing his father Mulayam.

Shivpal had last met Akhilesh at Mulayam's residence on Tuesday when the Chief Minister had gone to meet his father.

Saturday's meetings came even as the Akhilesh camp prepared to hand over documents to the EC to claim that it was the "real" SP.

Akhilesh's supporter uncle Ramgopal Yadav claimed they have collected signatures of 212 of the 229 MLAs, 56 of the 68 MLCs, 15 of the 24 MPs and a majority of the 5,000 delegates, "making it crystal clear as to which was the real SP".

An inkling of a patch-up effort came late last night when Akhilesh planned to go to the airport here to receive his father who was returning from Delhi. He, however, dropped the idea when he came to know that Amar Singh was accompanying him in the chartered flight.

Soon after Mulayam's return from Delhi, his apolitical brothers Abhayram Yadav and Rajpal Yadav met him apparently to end the strife in the family.

During a meeting with SP MLAs, MLCs, MPs and senior leaders to collect their signed affidavits for submission before the EC, Akhilesh had yesterday asked his father to give him Samajwadi Party's control for three months.

Shivpal's sudden meeting with Akhilesh came at a time when the chief minister was busy rebuilding his party by appointing district heads replacing those installed by his uncle Shivpal after dumping his loyalists.

Amar Singh, meanwhile, indirectly blamed Ramgopal for the vertical split in the party, saying "Whatever is happening in the party is not because of me but because of a supporter of Akhilesh."

He said he favours a patch-up between the two factions. "One gets hurt by one's own and not by outsiders. It's difficult to fight own people."
Hyderabad: With cheques given by patients bouncing, many private hospitals in the city are refusing to accept cheques. A super speciality hospital in Banjara Hills put up fascimile images of the bounced cheques with the name of the patient and mobile number. A senior administration officer said, We cant accept cheques from the patients as they are bouncing. After demonetisation, we were accepting cheques to help patients. With the cheques being dishonoured. we are left in the lurch. Many of them are not even taking our phone calls.

Other hospitals have put up A4 prints of the bounced cheques on the counters and stating that they would accept payment only by cards or cash. The cheques issued by registered NGOs which gap-fund patients who are not able to pay in full for treatment are also not being accepted. Mr Mujtaba Askari, who is part of a charitable organisation said, We are a registered organisation and cant afford to let our cheques bounce, but the hospitals are not willing to listen.

Mr Satyanarayan, who underwent gastrointestinal surgery, said he had paid Rs 50,000 by cash during admission. He gave a cheque for Rs 2.5 lakh, and the hospital held back the medical file till the cheque was cleared. After it was cleared, the hospital is making us run around for the file for last 10 days. Mr Shiva Kumar, an administrative officer, said, Hospitals do not have extra staff to visit patients home to collect money. Proceeding legally against the patients is not possible as it would involve more cost.
Chennai: MDMK founder Vaiko on Sunday appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam to release seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case on the occasion of the birth centenary of former Chief Minister, late MG Ramachandran, citing precedents in the past.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Vaiko also sought release of convicts who had completed ten years of jail term.

Besides recalling past precedents where prisoners had been released on occasions including India's independence, birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi in 1969 and efforts by Ramachandran himself as Chief Minister, Vaiko also referred to a Tamil film where the former matinee idol strives to reform some prison inmates.

"In this background, I request that on the occasion of the birth centenary of MGR (as he is addressed), who was an epitome of humanity, the seven persons in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case who have spent 25 years in jail should be released," he said.

Such a decision should be taken on "humanitarian" grounds, he said in the letter which was released by MDMK headquarters.

Tamil Nadu government should use the "authority" provided to the state government under Article 161 of the Constitution of India for this purpose, he added.

Article 161 deals with the "Power of Governor to grant pardons etc and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases."

Vaiko, who noted that death penalty has been abolished in 137 countries, added that many of them have accepted that prisons are not meant to punish but reform.

Therefore to rehabilitate those who have undergone ten years of prison term, such persons should also be freed on the occasion, he said.

Vaiko recalled that Ramachandran had played the lead role in the Tamil film "Pallandu Vazhga" where he sets out to reform some tough prisoners.
A long queue forms at a bunk in KPHB Colony as people rush to fill petrol on Sunday. Petroleum dealers deferred a decision to stop accepting card payments by a few days. (Photo: R. Pavan)

New Delhi/ Hyderabad: Intervention from top government officials including the Prime Ministers Office, saw banks postponing the decision to impose transaction fee at fuel bunks for a few days till the issue is resolved in consultation with the petroleum ministry.

After the announcement by the banks, petrol pump owners deferred their decision late at night said that they would accept card payments till January 13.

Earlier in the day, many state associations of petrol pumps owners threatened that they would not accept any card payment from Monday. This resulted in long queues of motorists forming at fuel bunks.

All India Petroleum Dealers Association, president Ajay Bansal said that HDFC and Axis banks had demanded up to 1 per cent Merchant Discount Rate.

Our margins are not so much that we can accept this one per cent charge on each transaction. We have specific mechanism to compute the margin and these do not have any scope for MDR charges. This will lead to financial loses for the dealers, said Mr Bansal.

Mr Rajiv Amaram, joint secretary of the Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers, said, The amount that is being deducted, banks say, will be debited to our account and the net transaction value will be credited to our account. They are quoting RBI circulars to justify this. The circulars have no reference to credit/debit card charges. We feel the banks are using this as an excuse to (make money) from the transactions at fuel stations,

Our margins are fixed on a per KL (kilolitre) basis and we do not have any scope to absorb these charges. This will lead to financial losses to the dealers. In view of the debit of merchant discount rate (MDR) of 1 per cent, it has been decided to stop accepting payment through credit/debit cards from January 9, Mr Amaram stated.

The threat of petrol pump owners to reject card payments would have been an embarrassment for the Modi government which has been tom tomming increase in cashless transactions as a major achievement of demonetisation.

A senior official from HDFC Bank said the imposition of one per cent transaction charge in the form of MDR was an industry decision which had been taken by all the banks.

Cap on number of ATM transactions is back

Banks have started charging customers for card transactions and are also levying service tax. Banks have also reimposed the limit on the number of ATM transactions per month.

Prior to demonetisation, only five transactions per month were allowed free of cost. After that limit, card users were made to pay `20 per transaction. This rule also is back in force now.

Andhra Banks Labbipet branch manager M. Vijay Pratap told this newspaper that card transaction fee has been restored from January 1 as no guidelines were forthcoming from the RBI for an extension of the exemption.

However, he said, This is a charge the merchants should pay and they need not pass on the charge to their customers. This charge is levied for the service a bank is providing to merchants. Unfortu-nately, some merchants are passing the transaction charges onto the customers, he said.
Thiruvananthapuram: IAS officers in Kerala will go on mass casual leave on Monday to protest against the vigilance directors abuse of power and registration of cases against senior civil servants.

Representatives of the IAS association will meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at 9 am in his office at the Secretariat. Ahead of the meeting with the CM, the association members will call on the chief secretary.

The main demand will be to end the victimisation of IAS officers by vigilance. Since the note prepared by the Association had questioned the continuation of Jacob Thomas in the present post, the members are likely to raise the matter before the Chief Minister. The president of Kerala IAS Association has drafted a memorandum which will be submitted to the Chief Minister. It will point out whether it was right to allow an officer whose integrity was prima facie doubtful and not beyond suspicion, to sit in judgement as vigilance director on the conduct of other civil servants.

The association will also place before the Chief Minister the alleged illegal actions of the vigilance director. It is likely to demand the removal of the officer from the post to end the victimisation of civil servants. While many officers believe that removal of the said officer was not a long-term solution, but in the current circumstances it would be a short-term relief.

The IAS association also called for an end to the misuse of draconian provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act for targeting honest officials. Bureaucrats were unwilling to take decisions fearing victimisation.

The officers say vigilance in Kerala was targeting officials under Section 13 D of PC Act. The association hoped that the draconian section will be scrapped during the Budget Session of Parliament. Union finance minister Arun Jaitely is on record saying that in the era of liberalisation, having such a draconian law would seriously affect decision making.

Though the Bill was to be presented during the Winter Session of Parliament, it could not happen because of the protests over demonetisation.
Hyderabad: Demonetisation has affected the Telangana state governments plans to hold its first-ever global investors meet in the city to attract investments from across the world. The government had earlier decided to hold the meet between January and March.

Following demonetisation, and the uncertainty over its impact on the states revenues, the industries department recommended that the time was not ripe to hold the meet. The government is keenly watching the outcome of the global investors meet to be held in Gujarat from January 10 before taking a call.

Industries minister K.T. Rama Rao said, There is no going back on holding global investors meet in Hyderabad. The question is on the timing. We had planned it for the first quarter in 2017 between January and March. However, the sudden developments following demonetisation has changed the situation. Trade and industry bodies are assessing the implications and there is clarity on when normalcy would return.

Industry officials said the Gujarat investors meet, the first after demonetisation, would serve as a research platform for all states to check how companies, global and Indian, were viewing demonetisation in terms of impact on the economy.

The state government is planning to send a team of officials to Gujarat to take part in the event.

Telangana state leads in the IT and services sector, thanks to Hyderabad. This time, we want to tap into investments in the manufacturing sector, in which the state is lagging behind. This is not due to government policies but due to geographical disadvantages like the state not having a port, said an official of the industries department.

He said with the Centre agreeing to set up dry ports in the state, mostly surrounding Hyderabad, this issue had been resolved. We are confident of securing big investments in the manufacturing sector when the global investors meet is held, he said.

Last meet held during Telangana agitation

The last global investors meet was held in Hyderabad in January 2012 when the Telangana statehood agitation was at its peak. The then state government signed MoUs for investments worth over Rs 6 lakh crore at the summit, but less than half was realised due to political instability.

After bifurcation, political stability has assuaged the concerns of investors. This was reflected in the state topping the Ease of Doing Business rankings released by Centre. The TS government now wants to tap this ranking and opportunties to attract global investments by showcasing its self-certification industrial approval policy TS-iPASS.

Though the Telangana government was successful in attracting big investments within 15 months of the launch of TS-iPASS, the investments from global companies are not on expected lines. The government feels that this deficiency could be overcome once the global investors meet is held and TS-iPASS is showcased effectively to global companies.
BENGALURU: The chief guest of the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Dr Antonio Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal, flashed his PIO card and said that that he is proud to be a person of Indian origin. Saying that he traces his Indian roots to Goa, he said, Our relatives still stay in Goa. I will visit the home in Goa, where my father spent his childhood. We never lost our ties with India. I can proudly say that I am the first person of Indian origin to lead a European country."

He lauded the government for honouring overseas Indians. India and Portugal have a century-old relationship. I wish to renew and keep this relationship for the present and the future and contribute for the development of both countries, he said and invited people to invest in Portugal.

PM: Convert PIO to OCI cards by June 30

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card holders should convert their cards to Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards.

Our government is closely working with the governments of Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Suriname and other Caribbean countries to put in place new procedures so that Indian communities abroad will be eligible to get OCI cards. The deadline for converting the cards has been extended from December 31, 2016 to June 30, 2017, without penalty, the Prime Minister said.

Mourned

Mr Modi mourned the death of former President of Portugal Mario Soares. All delegates and visitors stood in silence for a minute.

Modi chant

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a roaring welcome as the delegates stood up and chanted Modi, Modi as soon as he entered the venue on the second day of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here on Sunday. Hundreds of National Service Scheme volunteers welcomed Modi.

When the event host requested Mr Modi to address the gathering, the crowd again took to the Modi chant. From college students to the delegates, everyone was seen chanting the Prime Ministers name. Mr Modi acknowledged the chant with a wide smile and started his speech.
Nizamabad: In a swift response, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj directed the Indian Embassy in Baghdad on Sunday to help the 500 Telangana youths stranded in Iraq. She advised the embassy to extend all necessary assistance to them for their safe return home.

Alerted by a news report in these columns on Sunday on the plight of these youths, the minister thanked the daily, on her twitter account, for bringing to her notice the plight of these youths. She warned of strong action against travel agents who cheated the youths by sending them to troubled Iraq without valid papers.

The Consulate General of India at Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, advised the stranded youths to get in touch with the consulate on 0096475 1740 2100 for assistance.

The Indian Embassy in Iraq meanwhile began an inquiry into the situation in which these youths were stranded in Iraq. The families of the victims are hopeful that the collective efforts of the Union government and the Telangana state government would help the youths return to their homes soon.

Indian organisations working for the welfare of Gulf migrants are also on the alert now and are in consultation with officials and the kin of the migrants.
Over 70 per cent of robberies and dacoities took place in the districts in 2016. There were several property-related crimes too. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: While resources have been poured into Hyderabad city to make it safer, the outskirts of the city and other districts in Telangana state have been ignored by the government, making them more vulnerable to robberies.

More than 70 per cent of armed robberies and dacoities took place in the districts in 2016, a year that saw a huge spurt in property-related offences.

After the formation of Telangana, the state government provided funds to revive the police department, but the lions share went to the Hyderabad police. They got new SUVs, special vehicles for armed quick response teams, and resources to improve technology. Police departments in other districts got very little of this.

Criminals feel police vigilance is poor in other districts as compared to the capital city, so they go for the vulnerable places. The resources for crime prevention such as CCTVs, cordon and search operations etc. are not as well implemented in other districts as they are in the capital city, said a senior district official.

The crime detection rate is also low in districts because of lack of facilities such as functioning clues team and forensic labs. Its important to have multiple clues teams in one district so that they can reach the crime spot as soon as possible, before the evidence is tampered with, said a senior police official.

Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma, however, says there are enough facilities in the districts. We will be installing CCTV cameras along the highways in order to prevent these crimes. We are also getting three more forensic science laboratories in the districts, he said.
After banks made the announcement, petrol pump owners too deferred their decision and said that they will accept card payments for now. (Representational image)

New Delhi: The Modi government late on Sunday said that surcharge of 1 per cent will not be imposed either customers and petrol pump owners for card transactions.

Let me make it clear that customers will not be levied with any surcharge. Petrol Pumps were worried that the surcharge will be upon their heads, but let me assure them that it will not befall on them as well. Oil Marketing companies and banks are in talks and the former has given an incentive to increase digital transactions, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

There was high drama on Sunday after petrol pump owners threatened to stop accepting credit and debit card payments in protest against imposition of up to one per cent transaction fee by certain banks.

However, in the evening, banks postponed the decision to impose transaction fee for a few more days till the issue is resolved in consultation with the petroleum ministry. After banks made the announcement, petrol pump owners too deferred their decision and said that they will accept card payments for now.

The All-India Petroleum Dealers Association has received an official communication from oil marketing companies (OMCs) that with the intervention of petroleum minister the transaction fee charges have been deferred till January 13, 2017. AIPDA also has decided to defer the agitation till January 13, 2017," said the association in a late night statement.

Earlier in the day, many state associations of petrol pumps owners including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi among others threatened that they will not accept any card payments from Monday. All India Petroleum Dealers Association president Ajay Bansal said that HDFC and Axis banks have demanded up to 1 percent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on each transaction. "Our margins are not so much that we can accept this one per cent charge on each transaction. We have specific mechanism to compute the margin and these do not have any scope for MDR charges. This will lead to financial losses for the dealers," said Mr Bansal.

The threat of petrol pump owners to reject card payments would have been an embarrassment for the Modi government which has been tom tomming increase in cashless transactions as a major achievement of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes on November 8.

A senior official from HDFC bank told this newspaper that the imposition of one per cent transaction charge in the form of MDR was an industry decision which has been taken by all the banks. "We may have been one of the first to notify the petrol pump owners but this is a decision taken together by all the banks. It is not a decision only taken by us," said the official.
After the incident, the woman has filed a complaint with the district women police station. (Photo: AP/ Representational Image)

Palwal (Haryana): A man allegedly divorced his wife by uttering 'talaq' three times after she refused to give him a packet of beedis in Dhakalpur district, police said on Sunday.

The woman in her complaint alleged that Shahid divorced her on December 23 when she did not give him the packet of beedis and beat her up.

When Shahid asked his children about the packet they told him that their mother had kept it and when she denied keeping it, he uttered 'talaq' and kicked her out of the house.

After the incident, the woman has filed a complaint with the district women police station.
Mumbai: A parliamentary committee, probing the government's decision to scrap high-value bank notes, has sent the country's central bank governor a list of questions on the demonetisation process and asked him to appear before it on January 20.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has asked the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Urjit Patel, to explain how the decision for demonetisation was taken and for details on its impact on the country's economy, PAC Chairman KV Thomas, also a senior member of the opposition Congress party, told Reuters.

Patel, under fire from some politicians over shortages of replacement currency and restrictions on depositing old notes that have caused long queues at banks and ATMs, is already set to testify before another parliamentary committee.

Last month, the RBI unexpectedly kept its key policy rate unchanged at 6.25 percent, despite calls for action in the face of an intense cash shortage that threatens to slam the brakes on the world's fastest-growing large economy. The bank was widely expected to cut the rate by at least 25 bps.

Pressure on the central bank and Patel has grown since Prime Minister Narendra Modi stunned the country on November 8 by abolishing 500- and 1,000-rupee notes, removing 86 percent of the currency in circulation in a bid to crack down on the "shadow economy".

The PAC has asked Patel to provide details on the value of currency that has been returned to the bank, the quantity of "black money" it has received and the amount of new currency released so far, Thomas said.

Thomas added that the governor has also been asked about the country's preparedness to handle cashless transactions.

"We had decided to call the RBI governor sometime in December but because the prime minister had asked for 50 days, we decided to postpone it to sometime January," Thomas told Reuters. "We did not want to give it a political colour."

Apart from Patel, the PAC has also called other finance ministry officials, including the revenue secretary and finance secretary, Thomas said.
On being chased, the shocked fishermen began to return to shore, but the Lankan Navy personnel allegedly smashed one of the boats belonging to one Praveen and damaged it badly, they said.

Rameswaram & Vedaranyam: A day after the Sri Lankan authorities released all the 51 fishermen from Tamil Nadu arrested by their Navy in the past two months, the island Navy patrols got into the action again on Saturday and chased away a large number of fishermen from Rameswaram near Neduntheevu in the Palk bay.

The fishermen had left in 626 mechanised boats and were calmly fishing in that area when they were suddenly pounced upon by a Sri Lankan Navy patrol boat, said some of the fishermen later who managed to reach the shore by this evening.

On being chased, the shocked fishermen began to return to shore, but the Lankan Navy personnel allegedly smashed one of the boats belonging to one Praveen and damaged it badly, they said.

As many as six fishermen in that boat were subjected to physical attacks and rude questioning by the Navy personnel, they said, adding, one of the fishermen Dicky Raj swooned in the mechanised craft itself on being allegedly ass-

aulted.

However, all the six fishermen were allowed to later let to by the Sri Lankan Navy men and the entire lot of fishermen managed to reach Rameswaram by this evening. The injured fisherman, Dicky Raj has been admitted to the intensive care unit of the Rameswaram government hospital. Nagai fishermen also attacked:

Meanwhile, a report from Vedaranyam said that the Sri Lankan Navy personnel attacked ten fishermen of Nagapattinam district when they were fishing in Kodiyakkarai offshore area and were relieved of their valuable catches, mobile phones, and two GPS instruments etc., late on Friday night. The affected fishermen hailing from Pudupettai, Perumalpettai fishermen hamlet, however, managed to reach Kodiyakarai shore on Saturday morning, with their fiberglass boats, official sources said. Of them, three fishermen suffered injuries. Based on their complaint, coastal security group and local policemen are investigating.
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh has been accorded 'Z' category security cover of central paramilitary commandos by the Union government due to increased risks following "recent activities", a development that comes in the backdrop of infighting in SP ahead of UP Assembly polls.

Officials said the Union Home Ministry issued an order on Saturday night and asked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to take up the task with immediate effect.

"In view of recent activities, there is perceptible threat (to Singh)," said an official, citing inputs provided by central security agencies. However, he did not elaborate.

Singh, a close aide of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh, will have a contingent of least two dozen armed commandos of the CISF as part of the 'Z' cover who will secure him every time he is on the move in Uttar Pradesh.

When he is in Delhi, a small team of Delhi Police is expected to take up the same responsibility.

Singh, who became MP in May last year after a patch-up with SP leadership, has come into limelight again as Mulayam and his son Akhilesh Yadav are locked in a battle over the control of Samajwadi Party.

Officials said Amar Singh was a protectee of the central CISF cover from 2008 to mid-2016 and this task was transferred to UP Police by the Union Home Ministry later.

"The cover was withdrawn in mid-2016 by the Centre and UP Police was asked to take over.

"It has now again been revised to the earlier 'Z' category under the same force -- CISF," an official added.

The cover has been accorded based on threat inputs provided by central security agencies that stated that Singh faces possible danger and hence should be brought under "proximate" VIP security cover of central security forces commandos.

Polls for the 403-seat UP Assembly will commence from next month.
Thiruvananthapuram: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday said a nationwide agitation would be launched soon demanding roll back of all restrictions imposed on people for withdrawing money from banks following the demonetisation decision.

Inaugurating the public meeting here, Mr Yechury said if one were to accept Governments claim on all money coming back then why people are not being allowed to withdraw their hard earned money. Centre claims that there's just a slight drop in growth rate from 7.5 per cent to 7.1 percent in spite of demonetisation. But they have calculated GDP only for one half of last year. Moreover these figures are that of pre-demonetisation period. The real fall in GDP would be known only if they calculate October, November and December also, he said adding that normally the budget was presented in February end but now the BJP Government wanted it in the beginning. The CPM general secretary accused the Modi government of resorting to sophisticated type of cheating.

He said the Modi Government was only making false claims on black money. The prime minister himself told during 2014 that more than 90 percent of the black money was parked in tax havens abroad. The Swiss authorities provided list of these persons to the government not a single person holding the account had been proceeded against till now.

When Modi took over 1 per cent of Indian population controlled 43 per cent of our GDP. Today after two years, 1 per cent controls 59 per cent of GDP and this is because of his governments policies.

Rs 11 lakh crore has been looted by corporate. Top ten corporate who took loans worth `7 lakh crore are not returning the money. Instead of prosecuting them, confiscating their property and returning the money to the common man, the Modi government was prohibiting people from withdrawing their hard earned money," he said.

Mr Yechury said the defeat in Delhi elections was the first talaq that people gave to Modi government. Bihar was the second and Uttar Pradesh would be the third and final.

CPM politburo Prakash Karat, state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and a host of leaders addressed the meeting. Contrary to reports that the veteran leader V.S. Achuthanandan would not attend the public meeting, he came to the venue and sat through Yechurys speech before leaving.
Lucknow: An embattled Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday asserted he continued to be the party's president and questioned the legality of the convention called by son Akhilesh Yadav camp which declared the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister the new party chief.

Mulayam's remarks came a day before he visits Election Commission where he is set to question the authenticity of documents submitted by Akhilesh Yadav faction yesterday claiming support of a majority of MPs, MLAs, MLCs and party delegates.

"I am the national president of Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav is (only) the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Shivpal Yadav is still the president of Samajwadi Party's Uttar Pradesh unit," Mulayam, who is locked in a bitter feud with Akhilesh-Ramgopal camp for control over the party, told reporters here.

"Ramgopal Yadav was expelled from the party for six years on 30 December, 2016. Therefore the party's national convention called by him on 1 January, 2017 was illegal," he asserted reading out a prepared text.

Mulayam's confidante Amar Singh, who has been blamed by Akhilesh and his supporters for the family feud in the party, said the Mulayam camp will approach the Election Commission tomorrow where it will question the genuineness of the affidavits filed by Ramgopal, the SP patriarch's cousin and general secretary of the rival faction, on behalf of the Akhilesh camp.

Singh claimed the signatures of the MLAs supporting Akhilesh have "no value" as after the model code of conduct came into force on January 4, they practically ceased to be legislators. He said most of the delegates who have signed the affidavit were appointed after January 1.

Meanwhile, Ramgopal ruled out any rapprochement between the two factions of UP's ruling party, saying "4-6 people have misled Netaji (Mulayam) into believing he enjoys the support of 200 MLAs. They stand exposed now."

He, however, maintained that Mulayam was made the party patron at the national convention which appointed Akhilesh as the new SP chief. "Netaji's nameplate is still there at the Delhi party office," Ramgopal, who has stood by Akhilesh in the internecine family feud, said.

Earlier in the day, when Mulayam reached Delhi from Lucknow, some of his supporters were heard raising slogans against his son Akhilesh. Some of the supporters claimed that Mulayam later told them at his residence that though he may not have the numbers, Akhilesh is still his son and the supporters should desist from raising slogans against him.

Mulayam's reported remarks, however, could not be confirmed by any senior leader of his camp.
Bengaluru: The Congress has to scout for a new Lingayat leader in Chamarajnanagar district to fill in for Co-Operation and Sugar Minister H.S. Mahadev Prasad who died last week.

The district had the distinction of producing bigwigs like former Speaker, Ms K.S. Nagaratnamma, former Union minister, Mr M.S. Gurupadaswamy, former Rajya Sabha member and minister, M Rajashekar Murthy and another former minister, M Mahadev (Benki Mahadev). Though, they belonged to different political parties, they were considered faces of the lingayat community which holds the key in all elections.

Mahadev Prasad had identified himself as a prominent lingayat leader of the district by winning for a record five times from Gundlupet and working as minister on three occasions. After Ms Nagaratnamma's death, Mr Prasad had been representing the constituency for over twenty years. He commanded respect because 0f his clean image.

A close aide of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Mr Prasad too resigned from the Janata Dal and joined the Congress. Despite changing parties, he managed to win the elections by a large margin. With his untimely death, the responsibility is now on the CM to find another Lingayat leader to match his charisma.

As of now, there is no prominent leader of the community on whom the party can rely to woo voters in the Assembly polls. Those who are in the party are not popular enough to sway voters. This had become a matter of worry for Mr Siddaramaiah since he had a big responsibility of sending maximum number of legislators from Mysuru and Chamarajanagar to the Assembly.

Sources close to the CM told Deccan Chronicle that it would not be surprising if BJP President B S Yeddyurappa makes inroads in the district to woo community voters.
SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav with party leaders Amar Singh and Shivpal Yadav during a press conference at his residence in New Delhi on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, on Sunday, added to the prevailing confusion in the Samajwadi Party when he told party workers that there was no dispute in the party.

He asserted that he was still the party chief. Mr Yadav, along with Shivpal Yadav, visited the party office and got his and Shivpals rooms locked. The name plate of the two leaders was also restored after it had been pulled down by Akhilesh supporters.

Mulayam Singh Yadav took the keys of the rooms before leaving. The two leaders later left for Delhi where they are scheduled to meet the Election commission on Monday. State president (Akhilesh faction) Naresh Uttam clarified that the name plates had never been ripped off.

Expelled MLA Udaiveer Singh (Akhilesh faction) told media that the real party was behind Akhilesh Yadav and they would contest the election-with or without the cycle symbol.

Meanwhile, cycle, the symbol of Samajwadi Party, faces the threat of being frozen before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls if the Election Commission is not able to decide which of the two factions of the party commands majority in the organisation.
In October 2016, just two weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his controversial policy statement on demonetisation, some 3.2 million debit card accounts were hacked in leading banks such as State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Yes Bank. A few weeks earlier the banks had started asking customers to change passwords, indicating that they knew of the vulnerability of the systems to hacking.

Barely a month earlier the American giant Yahoo! had its 500 million accounts hacked, of which credentials for 200 million were listed in the black market for hacked material on the Web. Meanwhile authorities in Jharkhand discovered a racket which was phishing for bank details from unsuspecting customers.

This is only the tip of what is making the digital economy a risky place. Apart from the risk to bank and email accounts, the digital world is fraught with risks to privacy, where the companies that run the Web have information on a persons habits and preferences, as revealed in her browsing history. Moreover there is a real danger of access to emails being given to intelligence agencies. All this springs from the highly concentrated nature of ownership and control of the digital economy.

With the Indian government now promoting a digital India with so much gusto, what is often overlooked is the overall control it has on our lives. The Aadhaar card, the PAN number, bank accounts, passport, driving licence, railway and airline reservations, payments made by credit or debit cards and the purchase of property are now all linked in a digital system that provides ample opportunity for snooping. If a government is sufficiently determined, it could lead to totalitarian control.

What is certainly happening is a loss of privacy, of concern to the individual but seen as an opportunity by a government eager to roll out a digital India. Not only can the government snoop into our private lives, but the Internet becomes an opportunity for fraudsters and cyber criminals who can penetrate out accounts. This is all the more so with payment banks and rural banks, where the possible thefts are not understood or the account holders are gullible.

Another danger is market control and manipulation if private interests are involved. At the moment in India the only companies that have an interest in digital transactions are either companies like Amazon and Flipkart that only sell through Internet channels, or telecom companies like Reliance Jio and Bharati Airtel, who provide the telecom channel for people to approach the Internet. There are at the moment no Internet search engines like Yahoo! or Google, or those who service social contact like Facebook, or large equipment or software providers like Microsoft or Apple.

Of the 10 largest corporations in the world, six  Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, AT&T and Facebook  are linked to the Internet, software or to telecom. This oligopoly with market capitalisation of $2.6 trillion (compared to Indias GDP of $2.1 trillion) is controlled by a few individuals or corporations but can decide the destiny of countries. No anti-trust legislation to regulate them can be passed even in the US. They are a law onto themselves. Their influence is so great that the Harvard Business Review comments: Digital is not just part of the economy  it is the economy.

These and other Internet giants consider the information or data on various individuals to be a marketing gain. The commercial risk of the Internet goes beyond personal privacy to crucial sectors such as banking, defence, transport and energy. That none of these is fully secure is evident from the ease with which WikiLeaks was able to penetrate government firewalls in the US.

This is because digital transactions and use are all-pervasive, and without computers, the software they use and the Internet that allows them to transfer data between corporations and within them the present economy could not work. One result of this is that collaboration between many companies makes sure they work together in a number of highly complex areas, including healthcare, home automation and city administration. But because of this wealth is getting more concentrated, there is an intrusion of basic privacy, and because of innovations like Facebook people are unable to relate to each other directly but do so through such an intermediary.

The surrender of private information such as ones search history on the Internet, and even private emails to search engines like Google and list of all friends with their peculiar tastes and preferences to social sites such as Facebook are mined by these companies to market advertising at that person. This is because with the digital traces left behind, the Internet is thus constituted as a vast virtual shopping mall, with its users bombarded with a constant stream of advertising.

In her book, The Cybertariat Comes of Age, Ursula Huws argues that: The internationalisation of capital and globalisation of markets has brought about a dramatic reduction in the ability of any given national government to exercise the kinds of control over capital that were in place things like the antitrust laws that enabled states to break up monopolies, and the ability of governments to tax corporations.

Of all the dangers, the ones to the banking system, which has relied so much on digitisation, are the most pernicious. The fears of cyberwar aimed at financial institutions is at the top of national security concerns. US President George W. Bush was informed after 9/11 that: If the 9/11 perpetrators had focused on a single US bank through cyberattack, and it had been successful, it would have had an order of magnitude greater impact on the US economy than the physical attack. This led in a few years to more cybersecurity, which meant a greater surveillance of citizens, and a loss of personal freedom and privacy. The present regime in India may have already crossed that bridge over stormy waters.
The two-day BJP national executive meeting that ended in New Delhi Saturday may be seen in the current political context as a move to rally the party organisation on the eve of Assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, which the BJP wants to make the scaffolding for success in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The much-hyped economic policy measure of demonetisation, propounded and steamrolled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally, had not so far been officially endorsed by the party. That ritual was formalised at the national executive.

The prominence given to demonetisation at the conclave makes it apparent the BJP has now owned the programme  which is now no longer an item of government policy, to be handled by the official machinery alone  and is ready to gamble its poll fortunes on it. The BJP, or for that matter the Modi government, is evidently not bothered with the economic consequences of demonetisation, should these turn out to be negative as some anticipate. These will become clear after the election battle has been won or lost. The focus, clearly for now, is on hardselling demonetisation to the voting public.

Its virtues are being extolled sky-high. Fundamentally, it is being packaged for electoral purposes as a visionary pro-poor move that strikes at the black money hoarder and the corrupt. This is an indirect means to reassure the majority of voters, who work hard to make ends meet, that the government is trying to strike at fat cats because the Modi regime is on their side. The irony cant be missed, for this governments policies have generally been pro-rich.

But its hard to best the BJP in effective propaganda. Mr Modi continues to be pushed as a poor man who made his way in the world, though the facts are contrary. If in the last Lok Sabha election it was the shining Gujarat model that was hyped up, it became evident afterwards that this was nothing but the victory of false propaganda.

The PMs communication skills are enviable, as he showed once again at Saturdays BJP meeting. The BJP also promoted the fact that ordinary people stood in never-ending queues, and didnt rise in revolt, as a sacred movement to cleanse the system to advance the poors welfare. But as a party, the BJP hardly ever lets an election campaign go without someone raising the communal pitch.

The partys Unnao MP, Sakshi Maharaj, filled that slot this time as he went at Muslims at a conference in Meerut for producing too many children, although the latest data shows their birth rates have actually declined. His party has dissociated itself from these comments, but in poll-bound UP, the signalling has served its purpose.
It now seems that Rs 14.97 lakh crores, or almost 97 per cent of the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes demonetised by the Narendra Modi government, are now in the banks. On November 8, when he made the announcement,

Mr Modi listed the three objectives for removing Rs 15.40 lakh crores from the system were to filter out the black, counterfeit and terrorist cash from the economy. This was undeniably a laudable objective, but what did it fetch in return must be a question that needs to be answered.

Sources in the government seemed to believe that about Rs 4-5 lakh crores would not be deposited back as they would be money with dubious antecedents. This would then be the RBIs bonus, which could be used to refinance the non-performing assets (NPAs) burdened PSU banks. But this is not to be, and most of the cash outside, in flow or stock, has been deposited. So what was said to be the unsaid expectation is now best left unsaid.

But this doesnt mean that the three main objectives stated by Mr Modi remain unrealised. Quite clearly there was a good deal of tax-evaded income, counterfeit notes and terrorist funds in the system. Only counterfeit cash would have been filtered out in this first filtration. The tax-evaded incomes will now be searched out and large deposits from the usual suspects and unexpected sources will be scanned with diligence, both for the nations as well as the tax collectors benefit. How much will fetch the exchequer is not clear, but we can safely assume it will be a tidy sum.

Last year, the RBI recorded filtering out about Rs 29 crores of counterfeit notes. But not all counterfeit go back to the banks, though in theory at some stage or the other they will have to. How much could this be? We have often heard of a figure of about Rs 20,000 crores of locally manufactured and Pakistani counterfeits in circulation. If it is in the flow these notes will sooner or later be intercepted at the final stage of their life when they come to the RBI for their obsequies. But a good part will also be in stock and we will never know how much will end up in the Ganga, like it was shown on TV on November 9.

To be sure there is huge tax evasion in our system. Even if the National Institute for Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), the ministry of finances in-house think tank, estimation of a parallel economy equal to about 68 per cent of the GDP is not accepted and the figure of 20-25 per cent often cited by the multilateral agencies like the IMF and other authorities is accepted, we are looking at a parallel economy of about Rs 30 lakh crores. This implies about Rs 10 lakh crores of lost taxes.

The demonetisation exercise would not fetch even a small fraction of it, largely because most of the undeclared income undergoes metamorphosis into property, gold and foreign holdings leaving only about four to five per cent within the cash system. So at the IMF end we are looking for about Rs 1-1.5 lakh crores at least and at the NIPFP end we are looking for about Rs 3-4.5 lakh crores at least. The tax gains thus could at best be between Rs 50,000 crores and Rs 1.5 lakh crores.

Now we hear murmurs of expectations of about Rs 4 lakh crores, which if so suggests that the NIPFP estimates are closer to the reality? After imposing penalties (30 per cent + 30 per cent) this should fetch the government about Rs 2.4 lakh crores as taxation.

But remember this is for the most part of it a one-time exercise. All our past experiences show we revert to past practices and habits. But there are only so many demonetisations one can have in a lifetime. Frequent demonetisations will only diminish the credibility of the rupee and the RBI. With currency no longer linked to gold, its value is only in its credibility and no government should keep risking this.

Against this one-time gain of at best about Rs 2.4 lakh crores, what did we lose? The loss due to the unprecedented drop in production and income to the economy this year is now widely accepted by economists to be around two per cent of GDP. This is almost Rs 3 lakh crores. The cost of printing replacement notes is expected to be Rs 40-50,000 crores.

There are huge human costs implicit too. India has a workforce of close to 450 million. Of these only seven per cent are in the organised sector. Out of these 31 million about 24 million are employed by the state or state-owned enterprises. Of the vast reservoir of over 415 million employed in the unorganised sector about half are engaged in the farm sector, another 10 per cent each in construction, small-scale manufacture and retail.

These are mostly daily wage workers and mostly earning less than the officially decreed minimum wages. The average daily wage in India is Rs 272, which means that it is essential to have a good part of that for a typical family to have to escape starvation every day. Just visualise the cold hearths in these homes and children going to bed cold and hungry. At least 22 crores of daily workers have suffered loss of work. We will have to await this bill.

Millions of farmers, too, have lost crops and produce due to the sudden drought of cash, which has impeded both sowing and harvesting. Farmers and the retail trade, which sells perishables like fruits and vegetables, have suffered huge losses due to the abrupt compression of demand induced by the demonetisation. The motorbike industry has for long been the bellwether of rural prosperity. Year-on-year sales at Hero MotoCorp, the market leader and the worlds largest two-wheeler producer, slid by more than a third in December. According to the research group Nielsen, fast-moving consumer goods, usually a reliable growth sector, retrenched by 1-1.5 per cent in November have been hit harder.

Data released by the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE) shows investment proposals amounting to only Rs 1.25 lakh crores in the October-December quarter, as compared with an average of Rs 2.36 lakh crores worth of new investments seen per quarter in the preceding nine quarters that the Narendra Modi government has been in power.

While 227 new investment proposals worth Rs 8,800 crores were announced during the quarter till November 8, only 177 investment proposals worth Rs 43,700 crores came in between November 9 and December 31.

The huge post-demonetisation fall in investment is clearly apparent. The big question is whether the slowdown of investment is temporary or long-term? It can be plausibly argued that local investment will be back but one cannot say the same about foreign direct investment. Often foreign investors look at several location options simultaneously and once a choice is made that investment has very simply gone forever.

Quite clearly the losses outweigh the gains. And did it achieve anything? Huge volumes of new currency notes have again been accumulating with individuals and corporations. Bureaucratic and political corruption is back as before. The only palpable gain seems to be a stop of high-quality high-value counterfeits from Pakistani security presses. But that too will pick up in due course.

The topmost priority for the government now should be is to remonetise the economy fully. Unless remonetisation is complete, growth cannot be restored and employment cannot be generated.
On New Years Day, Shivpal Yadav kept up the tradition of hosting an informal dinner for mediapersons and attended the same despite the political tensions of the day.

There may be little in common between music and politics but in Uttar Pradesh, songs have started reflecting the mood of politics, specially during the ongoing battle in the Samajwadi Party.

On the day when Akhilesh Yadav was expelled from the party for releasing a parallel list of candidates for the Assembly polls, a particular TV channel used the song from Dangal  Sehat ke liye Bapu hanikarak hai as its signature tune for the SP story throughout the day. The song conveyed the message of the clash between the father and son.

On New Years Day, Shivpal Yadav kept up the tradition of hosting an informal dinner for mediapersons and attended the same despite the political tensions of the day.

Shivpal, however, made it clear that he would not give any comment on the prevailing situation in his party. When someone suggested that he then sing a song of his choice, the SP leader obliged and the song was Kasme vade pyar wafa sab bateein hain baaton ka kya/ Koi kisi ka nahin, yeh jhoote nate hain naaton ka kya. The song conveyed the feelings aptly and stunned everyone into an emotional silence that wound up the party.

RUNNING FOR REWARDS

When criminals escape from police custody, no one in particular is held accountable. However, when it comes to nabbing a criminal, policemen come in hordes to take the credit.

The same was the case in Yamunagar, Haryana, where a gangster was taken to court for a case hearing. In the court premises, two other criminals fired on the gangster who was being taken to the court. While one of the gangsters who fired managed to escape the other was nabbed by policemen.

The problem arose when the police department announced that the policeman who caught hold of the gangster would be rewarded and given a promotion. Over half a dozen policemen came forward with their version of the story. Witnessing the growing confusion, Haryana DGP K.P. Singh had to ask an SP-level officer to investigate and find out the cop who should be rewarded.

GAMANG THE CHANGU CHARMER

Former Odisha chief minister and BJP leader Giridhar Gamang has a piece of advice for old and veteran politicians who have lost the last Lok Sabha polls or for that matter any other elections and wondering how to pass their time till the next elections.

If you dont have any work in your hand after your illustrious career in politics and you are wondering how to utilise the plenty of time you get now, you need not worry! All you have to do is get reimmersed in the passion that you followed in your childhood. If you love agriculture, spend your time in the field; if you are a music lover, listen to good songs or if you have penchant for writing, do it passionately. That will repel your boredom and allow fresh air of confidence into your heart and mind, Mr Gamang said here while participating in a conclave for tribals.

A tribal leader hailing from Rayagada district, Mr Gamang is an acclaimed Changu (a tribal music instrument) player. Ever since he lost the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Mr Gamang is seen touring various parts of the state with his Changu and entertaining audiences.

COURTING CONTROVERSY

Babulal Gaur, the rebel BJP leader and minister who was recently dropped from the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, never runs out of ideas to spark a controversy which, needless to mention, embarrasses his own party.

The octogenarian leader, who continues to sulk over losing his place in MP ministry for crossing the cut-off age of 75 years fixed by party to hold any office, has once again put the ruling BJP in an awkward situation by making a tongue-in-cheek comment while addressing a condolence meeting convened to pay tribute to late MP CM Sunderlal Patwa in Bhopal on January 4.

In those days (during Patwa regime in 1990s), suitcases used to be offered (by vested interests) to people in power. But now, people in power are seen demanding suitcases (to do work), Mr Gaur observed.

To drive his point home, Mr Gaur recounted how he was offered a suitcase by a person when he was urban development minister in Sunderlal Patwa government in MP in 1990-92.

I had then taken the suitcase to the chief minister who had left it to me to decide whether I should keep it or return, he recalled.

Of course, I returned the suitcase, he hastened to add, not to leave any confusion over the two-and-a-half-decade-old incident.

Mr Gaurs confession that people in power were now demanding a suitcase, an analogy for payoffs, has provided an opportunity to the Opposition Congress in MP to dub the state BJP government as corrupt.

There is a suit-boot government at the Centre and a suitcase-demanding government in MP, Congress spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi remarked, taking a cue from the anecdote.

Since Mr Gaur chose to resurrect the ghost of the mystery suitcase two and a half decades later, he also should make it clear whether he had opened the suitcase offered to him then and if he had returned the locked or an open suitcase, Mr Chaturvedi queried.

Mr Gaur is yet to respond!
Canada's competition watchdog announced Friday it is closing its two-year investigation into whether Apple's contracts with local wireless carriers illegally stifled competition when it introduced the iPhone.

The probe, opened in December 2014 by the Competition Bureau, failed to find sufficient evidence that the tech giant had engaged in anti-competitive behavior.

"The Bureau did not find sufficient evidence to conclude that Apple has engaged in an abuse of dominance under the Competition Act," the federal agency said.

The watchdog was investigating whether the contracts were affecting wireless carriers' incentives to push iPhones over other smartphone brands.

At the time of its 2008 Canada launch, Apple's smartphone was provided exclusively by telecommunications firm Rogers, before it was eventually made available by other carriers.

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The rate may vary across circles, it added.

Telecom operator Vodafone on Friday announced a SuperHour scheme under which it will offer unlimited 3G or 4G data for one hour at a starting price of Rs. 16 for prepaid customers.

It will also offer unlimited local voice calls (within network) with one hour validity for Rs. 7.

"With SuperHour, you can use and download as much data as you like for one hour at a fixed, nominal price. Moreover, with unrestricted repeat purchase, you can make every hour SuperHour," Sandeep Kataria, Chief Commercial Officer, Vodafone India said in a statement.

"Customers can also buy the SuperHour pack for making unlimited local Vodafone to Vodafone voice calls for only Rs. 7," the statement added.

Under the scheme, prepaid customers will get unlimited 4G/ 3G data usage for one hour, starting at just Rs. 16 which will be launched from January 7 and available to customers across all circles by January 9.

The rate may vary across circles, it added.

The offer is not available in Bihar-Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Andhra Pradesh-Telangana.

Under the scheme, 2G customers will get unlimited data for Rs. 5. Customers can make unlimited repeat purchase of the voice and data packs, it added.

The unlimited data offer can also be used to view a variety of videos and movies on Vodafone Play, whose subscription is free till March 31, 2017.

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15,000 unique users have used the app in the past three months.

Casablanca, Morocco: As their smartphone screens lit up with ride requests last month, Uber drivers in the Moroccan city of Casablanca must have thought that business was booming.

Instead, they found themselves surrounded by irate local taxi drivers, who forced them from their vehicles and handed them over to the police, the latest in a string of protests in the kingdom against the controversial travel app.

After the tramway, illegal drivers and now Uber, they are trying to kill us off, said Abdelouahed, who works for a small local taxi firm. Uber launched in Moroccos economic hub in 2015 but was banned by local authorities after just one month.

It has recently found itself the target of increasingly brash protests organised by owners of Casablancas famous tomato red cabs. When you open Uber on your phone, you see drivers swarming around you like a virus, said Nordine, a fifty-something driver sat on the hood of his taxi.

And like a virus, you need radical solutions. Trap them. In one protest last month, dozens of taxi drivers posed as would-be passengers, flooding the app with requests before forcing the Uber drivers from their vehicles, much to the bemusement of onlookers.

The management of taxis in Morocco normally falls to local government. The transport ministry has so far kept quiet as to why Uber continues to operate in the streets of Casablanca.

Local media said recently that as many as 30 separate protests against app drivers had been held, ranging from threats, car chases and even ambushes.
Washington: President Barack Obama admitted Sunday that he "underestimated" the impact misinformation and hacking could have on democracies, a remark that follows an intelligence report on Russian meddling in the US presidential vote.

In a pre-taped interview on ABC's This Week, Obama denied underestimating Russian President Vladimir Putin, who US intelligence agencies say ordered a campaign of hacking, leaking and media manipulation aimed at undermining the presidential campaign of the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and boosting Republican Donald Trump.

"But I think that I underestimated the degree to which, in this new information age, it is possible for misinformation for cyber hacking and so forth to have an impact on our open societies, our open systems, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways that I think are accelerating," Obama said.

Obama ordered the intelligence report, released to the public on Friday, partly "to make sure that we understand this is something that Putin has been doing for quite some time in Europe, initially in the former satellite states where there are a lot of Russian speakers, but increasingly in Western democracies."

He pointed to upcoming elections in European countries allies to which "we have to pay attention" and be wary of possible interference.

Russia initially aimed its unprecedented cyber campaign at damaging a potential Clinton presidency, and then turned to supporting Trump after a victory by the real estate billionaire appeared possible, the report from the Director of National Intelligence said.
Obama appeared to be betting on the possibility that Republicans won't be able to unify behind an Obamacare replacement. (Photo: AP)

Washington: Putting pressure on Republicans, President Barack Obama pledged Friday to publicly support repealing "Obamacare" if Republicans come up with something better, but cast doubt on the GOP's ability to develop a viable alternative.

As Republicans prepare to gut his biggest legislative achievement, Obama implored his opponents not to pursue a two-step approach where the Affordable Care Act is repealed first and replaced after - perhaps years later. He sought to lay the groundwork for Democrats to pile on Republicans for taking health care away from millions of people if the replacement never materializes.

"I am saying to every Republican right now: If you, in fact, can put a plan together that is demonstrably better than what Obamacare is doing, I will publicly support repealing Obamacare and replacing it with your plan," Obama said in a live-streamed interview with online news site Vox. "But I want to see it first."

Obama appeared to be betting on the possibility that Republicans won't be able to unify behind an Obamacare replacement - or that if they do, it won't be one that will pass muster for Democrats. Though Republicans are in agreement that the law should be repealed and replaced, they're at odds over what the replacement should look like, and particularly over how to pay for popular elements they hope to preserve, including coverage for pre-existing conditions and the ability for parents to keep children on their plans until age 26.

Most alarming to Obama and Democrats is the possibility of no replacement at all, given the fact that Republicans have been unable to settle on their own health care vision in the nearly seven years since the Affordable Care Act became law. Hoping to give themselves more time while also fulfilling campaign pledges to quickly abolish the law, Republicans are discussing a repeal that wouldn't take effect for 18 months or longer, during which they'd ostensibly agree on a replacement.

"What you don't want is a situation where they make a promise they can't keep," Obama said. "I've worked on this a long time. If we had had a better way to do this, we would have done it. It would have been in my interest to do it, because I knew I was going to be judged on whether or not it worked."

The president argued he had no "pride of authorship" over the law that colloquially bears his name, adding that it wasn't he who had dubbed it "Obamacare." He tried to dispel the notion he was trying to prevent a repeal in hopes of preserving his own legacy.

"They can call it whatever they want," Obama said. "They can call it Trumpcare or McConnellcare or Ryancare," Obama said, referring to President-elect Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan. "If it actually works, I will be the first one to say, 'Great.'"

Signed into law in 2010, Obama's overhaul has extended insurance coverage to 20 million more people and brought the uninsured rate to a historic low of about 9 percent, reshaping the $3 trillion-per-year health system in the process. Still, the law has failed to win broad public approval, amid persistent concerns about rising premium rates through the insurance marketplaces the law created.

Republicans have set a goal to offer "universal access," but their replacement may cover fewer people than Obama's overhaul. A key GOP focus is to do away with the individual mandate requirement that all Americans have insurance or pay a fine. Absent that requirement, insurers have warned it's not financially viable to force them to accept people regardless of pre-existing health issues.

In his final days in office, Obama has been ramping up a public push to pressure Republicans over their repeal plans and unite Democrats behind a strategy to try to protect the law. He traveled Wednesday to Capitol Hill to strategize with Democratic lawmakers, and penned an opinion piece published Friday in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

In the article, Obama said the uncertainty of a repeal with no replacement could lead insurance companies to bail on the health care marketplaces during the phase-out years, leaving millions without insurance. He said it would set up a "cliff" with harmful consequences if lawmakers fail to approve a replacement in time.

Yet Trump's team has said repeal is the first order of business, and leaders in Congress hope to deliver a bill voiding much of the law by late February. Although Ryan said this week that lawmakers will vote on a replacement this year as well, it's unclear how Republicans could move that quickly to replace a law that took more than a year to craft.
The incident took place at the accuseds home in Kyle, located close to Austin in Texas. (Photo: Facebook)

Austin, Texas: A woman from Texas has been arrested for stabbing her five-year-old daughter to death.

The 24-year-old accused identified as Krystle Villanueva, has been charged with capital murder of her daughter Giovanna Larae Hernandez. Krystle has also been charged with stabbing her father-in-law who tried to intervene and stop her from attacking his granddaughter, said a report in the Daily Mail.

The incident took place at the accuseds home in Kyle, located close to Austin in Texas.

The report stated that the victims grandfather saw his daughter-in-law taking a knife from the kitchen and going back to her bedroom. Few minutes later, he heard his granddaughter crying out in pain.

He immediately rushed to help her and tried to grab the knife from the accused, who in turn overpowered him and stabbed him in the forehead.

Soon after the incident, police were informed about the crime. When the officials reached the spot, they discovered the minor girls dead body in the bedroom.

The victims grandfather, in a statement to the police, said that the accused was a drug-addict and was addicted to alcohol and marijuana.

The accused was also said to have joined a de-addiction centre in 2015. She tried to get help. I don't know if she just relapsed, or I really can't say what happened, the accuseds sister was quoted as saying in the report.

If convicted, Krystle could face life in prison or even death penalty. She is being held at Hays County jail on USD 1.1 million bond.
The booking photo of Ruiz Santiago, the gunman who killed five people at a mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida on Friday. (Photo: AP)

Miami: US authorities are not ruling out "the terrorism angle" as a potential motive of the Iraq war veteran accused of killing five people at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport, officials said Saturday.

Esteban Santiago, 26, was charged in the shooting rampage Friday that also wounded six and sent thousands scrambling for safety before authorities shut down the airport in Florida, a major gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America.

We continue to look at all avenues and all motives for this horrific attack," said George Piro, the special agent in charge of Miami's FBI field office. "We are continuing to look at the terrorism angle in regards to the potential motivation behind this attack."

Santiago was charged Saturday with firearms offenses and carrying out an act of violence at an airport, federal prosecutor Wifredo Ferrer said in a statement. If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison.

The suspect was scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Monday.

Separate murder charges could be forthcoming from state prosecutors, but no decision has been made yet, a spokesman for Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz told the local Sun Sentinel newspaper.

Piro said the suspect appeared to be acting alone and that "every indication is that he did follow (Transportation Security Administration) procedures in flying with the weapon," a nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun he had declared and stowed inside his checked luggage.

The incident occurred in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2. Authorities said the gunman loaded his gun in a bathroom, then opened fire on passengers collecting their luggage.

"Santiago started shooting, aiming at his victims' heads until he was out of ammunition," Ferrer said.

Santiago had traveled from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale, with a stopover in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In November, Santiago had walked into the FBI's Anchorage office exhibiting "erratic behavior" that led agents to contact local police, who took him to a medical facility for a mental health evaluation, Piro said.

However, he was not placed on a no-fly list, Piro added.

'He said he saw things'

A former member of the Puerto Rico and Alaska National Guard, Santiago served in Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011. He ended his service in August.

The suspect had complained to the FBI that his mind was being controlled by national intelligence agencies, which were forcing him to watch Islamic State jihadist videos.

Santiago allegedly opened fire shortly before 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) Friday.

A deputy officer came into contact with the gunman after approximately 70 to 80 seconds, and authorities were able to detain him without firing any shots, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters.

An aunt, Maria Luisa Ruiz, told the NorthJersey.com news site that Santiago became a father to a baby boy in September -- and that he was having mental problems.

"Like a month ago, it was like he lost his mind," Ruiz said. "He said he saw things."

"My family and I are in shock right now," she added. "It's sad, but we have to confront the situation."

Authorities have not identified any victims, but three named in media reports were all getting ready to set off on cruises.

They included 84-year-old grandmother Olga Woltering of Marietta, Georgia, the Sun Sentinel reported. The British native and her 90-year-old husband were going on a cruise with family to celebrate his birthday.

"Olga was so charming, calling everybody 'Lovey' or 'Love' in her unmistakable British accent," the Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, where Woltering was an active member, said on its website.

Terry Andres, 62, was going on vacation with his wife of nearly four decades, Ann, the Palm Beach Post reported. He lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia and worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

Michael and Kari Oehme, in their 50s from Council Bluffs, Iowa, were both shot, the Miami Herald said. Michael Oehme was killed, while his wife was wounded in the shoulder.

In addition to those killed and wounded by the gunman, as many as 40 people went to the hospital for various other injuries such as sprains, Israel said. Three of the wounded were still in the intensive care unit.

Checking weapons

The shooting renewed anxieties about airport security -- a concern that has loomed large in the post-9/11 era -- and shed new light on ongoing US gun-control debates.

The Transportation Security Administration -- the agency responsible for security at United States airports -- allows passengers to travel with unloaded firearms and ammunition as checked baggage.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents the Florida district that includes the airport, said the rules need to be reexamined.

Speaking to CNN, she said the incident should prompt close review of "whether or not you should be allowed to check a firearm at all" -- as well as how passengers should be able to retrieve checked weapons after landing.

"If there is still exposure to the traveling public of someone who wishes to do them harm and, like this individual, was reunited with their firearm and was able to wreak havoc... it absolutely needs to be addressed."

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, rebuked the government for not taking legislative action to tighten gun laws.

"Political cowardice is the accomplice of every mass shooter," he wrote on Twitter.

"The utter silence of Congress in the face of this carnage has become consent."

The Fort Lauderdale airport was open Saturday. Staff there were trying to return nearly 20,000 pieces of luggage and other personal items abandoned by passengers fleeing the shooting.
Esteban Santiago, 26, was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death which carries a maximum punishment of execution and weapons charges.

Fort Lauderdale: While investigators try to figure out the motive of an Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida, the suspected gunman was charged and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death which carries a maximum punishment of execution and weapons charges.

Santiago told investigators that he planned the attack buying a one-way ticket to Fort Lauderdale. On November 7, Santiago walked into the FBIs Anchorage office and complained that his mind was being controlled by national intelligence agencies, which was forcing him to watch ISIS videos.

Santiagos weapon was taken by police for safekeeping at the time, and he was able to reclaim it on December 8. However, it was not known whether it was the same gun used in the rampage in Fort Lauderdale.
Manila: Philippine police raided an Islamic centre in Manila and briefly detained scores of people as part of heightened security before a major Catholic festival, a spokeswoman said Sunday.

Two men were arrested for illegal drugs during the raid on the Islamic Center in the heart of Manila on Saturday, as authorities warned of possible attacks by Islamic militants when the Feast of the Black Nazarene reaches its peak on Monday.

"This is part of security preparations for the Feast of the Black Nazarene," Chief Inspector Marissa Bruno, spokeswoman for the Manila police, said.

She said 82 other people at the centre had been taken to a police station but were released soon afterwards when it was found they had no warrants outstanding.

Bruno denied that police had targeted the Islamic Center, which includes a mosque, saying that other parts of the city had also been subjected to police operations.

Authorities have been on alert for possible attacks by Islamic militants to disrupt the Black Nazarene event, which is expected to attract millions of Filipinos.

The annual festival sees huge numbers of barefoot devotees crowding to touch a life-size and dark-skinned statue of Jesus that is reputed to have healing powers.

Two people were killed and hundreds injured during the crush of humanity at last year's event.

Security forces have said there is no report of a "direct threat" to the festival in 2017 but they are wary that Muslim extremists may seek revenge for the killing of a pro-Islamic State militant leader last week.

Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, alias "Tokboy", founder and leader of the Ansarul Khilafa Philippines (AKP), was killed by security forces on Thursday.

His group is known to be a supporter of the IS group and has been blamed for various bombings and attacks.

Investigators are still looking into whether the AKP was involved in a bombing in the southern city of Davao in September which killed 15 people gathered in a popular park.

Local Muslim extremists have previously launched attacks on Christian targets, playing on long-standing tensions between the country's Christian majority and the Muslim minority.
Beijing: An official with President-elect Donald Trump's transition team said Saturday that neither Trump nor transition officials would be meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen when she makes transit stops in the US during her trip to the Americas.

Still, Tsai's trip will be scrutinised by Beijing for any signs that Trump's team will risk its ire by further engaging with the self-ruled island that China considers its territory.

Tsai, who departed Taipei on Saturday, pledged to bolster Taiwan's international profile as she set off on a trip to reinforce relations with diplomatic allies in Central America, a task that has taken on new urgency as Beijing ramps up efforts to diplomatically isolate Taipei.

Speaking to reporters before her departure, Tsai said the visits to Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador would "show the international society that Taiwan is a capable and responsible partner for cooperation."

She will transit through Houston and San Francisco, stops that will irk Beijing, which has urged Washington to prevent Tsai from landing in the US to "refrain from sending any wrong signal to the Taiwanese independence forces."

Beijing regards the self-governing island as part of China and officials complained after Trump last month breached diplomatic protocol by speaking by phone with the Taiwanese leader. Trump raised further concerns in Beijing when he questioned a US policy that since 1979 has recognized Beijing as China's government and maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan.

US lawmakers often meet with Taiwanese presidents when they transit through the US - most recently in June, when Tsai met in Miami with Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.

Trump transition spokeswoman Jessica Ditto said in an email Saturday that the president-elect would not be meeting with the Taiwanese leader while she is in the US, nor will members of his transition team.

Trump sounded unaware of the potential trip when he was asked about it on New Year's Eve.

"Nobody's ever mentioned that to me," he told reporters. "I'm not meeting with anybody until after January 20, because it's a little bit inappropriate from a protocol standpoint. But we'll see."

Tsai is likely to keep the US stops low-key to avoid further inflaming tensions with China, which has been angered by her refusal to endorse Beijing's concept that Taiwan and the mainland are part of a single Chinese nation.

Beijing says failing to endorse the One-China principle would destabilize relations and hurt peace in the region. In late December, in what Beijing called routine exercises, China's first and only aircraft carrier and a fleet of warships sailed past Taiwan's south, prompting Taipei to deploy fighter jets to monitor the fleet.

"I'm confident that both Taiwan and the US want this transit to be low profile," said Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "There is nothing to be gained by irritating Beijing."

In Central America, Tsai will focus on strengthening ties with allies to fend off Beijing's efforts to draw governments away from Taipei and further diminish its global presence. Beijing and Taipei have competed for allies for much of the nearly seven decades since the end of China's civil war in 1949, when the defeated Nationalist government fled across the Taiwan Strait.

Tsai, who is leading a delegation of 120 people, will meet with most of the four countries' leaders and attend the inauguration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. She said she would also interact with the heads of state of other countries at the inauguration.

Beijing has intervened to prevent the island's participation in international forums and established diplomatic relations with former Taipei allies Gambia and Sao Tome and Principe. The moves have been seen as effectively abandoning the unspoken diplomatic truce that lasted eight years under Tsai's China-friendly predecessor. Just 21 countries and governments, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, now have official ties with Taipei.

Observers were watching to see if any of the four Central American nations might defect despite Tsai's efforts, but say stronger US support under Trump's administration would help balance future diplomatic losses.

"We should expect that in the Trump administration the US would be more vociferous and emphatic about Taiwan's participation in international organizations," said Ross Feingold, a Taipei-based senior adviser at DC International Advisory, a consulting firm whose chief executive has been consulted by the Trump transition team.

Although the US does not challenge China's claim to sovereignty over Taiwan, Washington remains Taiwan's main source of weapons, with $14 billion in approved arms sales since 2009, and is bound by law to consider threats to the island's security a matter of "grave concern."

If Beijing aggressively pursues existing Taipei allies, leveraging its growing economic, military and political clout, the competition could prove too expensive for Taipei and prompt Tsai to seek even deeper ties with the US.

"She may think now that it's America or bust," said Sean King, a Taipei-based senior vice president at consulting firm Park Strategies. "She's probably going to lose these peripheral countries eventually anyway, so why not go for the gusto and get as close to the US while she can?"
Atlanta Hammond said that she was subjected to daily physical abuse and was also banned from socialising. (Photo: AP/ Representational)

Braintree, Essex: A rape victim has recalled the horrific abuse she had to face when her ex-boyfriend raped her, filmed the entire act and threatened to post it online if she ever left him.

According to a report in The Sun, the victim, Atlanta Hammond said that she was subjected to daily physical abuse and was also banned from socialising. She also said that her ex-boyfriend also forced her to quit her job.

In her statement, Hammond said that her ex had filmed himself raping her once when she was asleep and threatened to post it online if she ever left him.

The accused was arrested after Hammond discovered that her ex was wanted by police and was even using an alias name for himself. When she confronted him about it, he turned violent, grabbed her by her throat and threatened her with the video.

"Hed make me sit on the phone to him all night if I was at a friends house.I wasnt allowed to see any male friends. In fact, eventually, he banned me seeing anyone but my mum  and for those times hed buy me concealer," she was quoted as saying in the report.

The accused was sentenced to 19 years and eight months in prison in April.

The victim has a year-old son with her ex.
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a Palestinian who rammed a truck into a group of soldiers on Sunday and killed four of them was a supporter of the Islamic State group.

"We know the identity of the assailant, who according to all indications supported IS," Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office that provided no details on what led to the finding.

A Palestinian rammed a truck into a group of Israeli soldiers visiting a popular tourist spot in Jerusalem on Sunday, killing four and wounding at least 15 people, authorities said.

The driver was also killed in what Israeli police were calling an attack at the location overlooking holy sites in the Old City such as the Dome of the Rock and providing one of the most spectacular views of Jerusalem.

Chaos broke out at the scene when the truck ploughed through the crowd, with hundreds of soldiers having arrived there as part of a tour for troops about the history of Jerusalem.

"A lone terrorist drove his truck into a group of soldiers standing on the side of the road," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told reporters at the scene.

"They got off the bus, and as they were getting off the bus and getting organised, he took advantage." Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the driver was killed by Israeli forces, without specifying whether it was soldiers or police.

Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the windshield of the truck. Police only confirmed four people were dead, but a medic at the scene said they were soldiers.

Video said to be of the incident being shared online showed a flatbed truck with a crane in the rear drive through a group of soldiers standing next to a bus.

The driver then pulls off to the side and tries to reverse back towards where the soldiers were hit before the truck eventually comes to a stop.

Ambulances rushed to the location and video showed visitors, including soldiers, running for cover as the incident began. Bodies were later covered in sheets.

"I heard my soldiers screaming and shouting," said one of the tour guides, Lea Schreiber.

"I saw a truck that went on the side of the road. Soldiers starting shooting... There were orders and screaming everywhere. They told them to hide behind the wall because there was fear of another attack."

Besides treating the wounded, rescue workers also began providing immediate psychological care to traumatised soldiers, said Miriam Ballan of the United Hatzalah rescue service.

Palestinian security officials in the West Bank city of Ramallah said the driver was a Palestinian in his late 20s from the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Jabal Mukaber, located close to the scene.

Rosenfeld said it was not yet clear if the attack had been planned earlier or was spontaneous.

A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks broke out in October 2015, but the violence had greatly subsided in recent months.

Since October 2015, 247 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed in a wave of violence, according to an AFP count.
AUBURN  The year 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Alaska purchase. And as the former home of Secretary of State William H. Seward, the architect of that purchase, the Seward House Museum wants to be at its best for the occasion.

The Auburn museum recently secured help doing so in the form of four grants. Each will support a project that's either in progress or will be in the near future  and all will strengthen the museum's capacity for historic education centered around one of Auburn's most significant families:

The woodshed

The 2016 Regional Economic Development Council awards allocated $99,773 through the state Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation to the museum in order to repair and restore its rear woodshed structure. The award was announced in December.

Installed through additions in the 1840s, 1860s and 1880s, the woodshed is perhaps best known as the structure that houses the carriage Seward shared with President Abraham Lincoln. It's the same carriage from which Seward was thrown in April 1865  a week before the conspiratorial attempt on his and Lincoln's lives. A jaw brace Seward was wearing to heal an injury from the carriage accident is believed to have protected him from a fatal blow by his would-be assassin, Lewis Powell.

The almost $100,000 award will fund the first phase of the 5,000-square-foot space's transition into a multipurpose room. Facilities Manager Mitchell Maniccia said the work will include removing the second floor, shoring and bracing the woodshed's walls, and installing a new floor and an electrical system. The project's start date depends on instruction from the state, he said.

Museum Director of Development Allison Hinman said the space, once finished, will allow the museum to realize more of its educational potential. Visiting school classes will have a place to gather and talk, whereas now, they can only crowd into the gift shop area before filing through the museum in a procession.

"One of the things about a historic house museum is there are limits to the space," she said. "And we want as much of that space to be used for the public and for them to see as much of the house as they can."

The library

For years, the wallpaper in the museum's library area  the area where tour guides talk Seward's political career  was a century off.

That'll change this year, when a $4,130 grant from the Central New York Community Foundation will support the installation of new wallpaper in the room. The grant was directed through the Osborne Memorial Association.

The current wallpaper is an earthy 18th-century pattern that's been discolored by water damage in the years since its 1951 installation. Its intricate green and brown pattern will be replaced by a golden pattern called wheatland volute, a design that dates to the Seward House's prime of the 1850s, Collections and Exhibits Manager Matthew MacVittie said. The new wallpaper was printed by Adelphi Custom and Historic Wallpaper and Paper Hangings, of Sharon Springs, using carved woodblocks.

The wallpaper complements another recent move toward historical accuracy in the room: The replacement of its carpet with an ingrain 1850s-period one last summer. Manufactured on a 1920s electrified loom by Family Heirloom Weavers, of Pennsylvania, the carpet was supported with a $2,625 grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

The gallery

A third project at the museum goes upstairs, to the Diplomatic Gallery, where 132 portraits of Seward's have hung  and visitors have pored over them  for decades.

Project support of $8,000 from the New York State Council of the Arts will support the removal of each of those photographs and lithographs and scan them for entry into a new online gallery. In that 360-degree virtual space, visitors will be able to see each image and click on it for more information about its subject and their connection to Seward.

The time constraints of tours often prevent Seward House visitors from seeing all those images or learning that information. MacVittie recalled, for instance, a visitor from Thailand last summer who wanted to know why the prince of Siam's image was in Seward's gallery.

"It's a space that's really hard to pull visitors from," Hinman said. "They all want to know who these people are, how they're connected to Seward. So I think this is going to enhance visits for people."

The gallery project will also give the Seward House a chance to correctly hang the portraits in the Diplomatic Gallery. William H. Seward Jr. hung many of the frames from the frames above them, MacVittie said, resulting in some chains of five or six, with the weight of the lower ones tugging at the topmost one.

All the portraits will be rehung individually with steel cable. Furthermore, West Lake Conservators, of Skaneateles, will perform a collections assessment during the process to determine any conservation work the portraits need before they go back on the wall.

The portraits will be rehung by the time the museum opens in March, MacVittie said, and the gallery will go live shortly thereafter. The funding has also prepared the museum to take the virtual space to its visitors: It pays for the purchase of 20 tablet computers for Education Director Jeff Ludwig to bring into classrooms.
According to a report in The Bloomberg, the ultra-conservative society is boosting its tourism and attracting people towards it by allowing music and dance. (Photo: Twitter/ Representational Image)

Riyadh: In a move to rebuild its deteriorating economy, Saudi Arabia has relaxed its stringent rules and regulations on having fun -- so that its government could earn money from it.

According to a report in The Bloomberg, the ultra-conservative society is boosting its tourism and attracting people towards it by allowing music and dance. Earlier whenever people had to watch a movie or a show, they had to travel all the way to Dubai or Bahrain as the religious police in Saudi had ordered a ban on music.

"Its a new experience. Wed love to have more such shows in the kingdom," said Mohammed al-Mawla, a university student from Riyadh who attended an event in King Abdullah Economic City.

The event comprised of a music as well as magic show. Justin Biebers Let me love you! was played on giant speakers to welcome the crowd at the event. The musical event then turned towards a magical world when two American magicians took over the stage. After the magic show, people enjoyed some opera, mime and dance.

"I felt like I was part of a real society. We sat together and laughed together. When the show was over, we all stood in lines in the cold to buy burgers or crepes from food trucks. We ran into friends. It felt right," said 22-year-old college student Marwa Yassin who had attended the event with her girlfriends.

Small businessmen too said that they were enthusiastic about the move as it was a golden chance for them to 'make more money'.

However, this fun was only limited to men. The cast of the show was all male, including children. Women, on the other hand, had to stand away from the stage. At the end of the show when the photograph session commenced, women were allowed on the stage, but on one condition -- they had to wear burqas from head to toe.

This event was a part of the vision 2030 programme, a part of the plan prepared by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The plan is expected to tackle a lot of things -- right from the government's spending on subsidies as well as the role of women in workforce.
Baghdad: A suicide bomber blew up a car at the entrance of Baghdad's main vegetable market on Sunday, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens, security officials and medics said.

"A soldier at the gate of Jamila market opened fire on a suicide car bomb after noticing a suspect vehicle but the terrorist blew up his car," Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan said.

A police colonel and a hospital official said at least 11 people were killed and 35 wounded. Maan said the soldier who opened fire on the attacker was among the wounded.

Jamila is the main wholesale vegetable market in Baghdad and lies in Sadr City, a vast, mostly Shiite, neighbourhood in the northeast of the capital which has been repeatedly targeted.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but all such recent bombings have been claimed by the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State group.

The most recent major attack claimed by IS was on January 2 - also in Sadr City - when a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives among a crowd of day labourers waiting for work, killing 35 people.
The decision comes as the province has been witnessing fierce clashes during the recent months as the Taliban group attempted take control of the strategic parts Helmand as part of their deadly spring offensive. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Kabul: The United States will deploy around 300 soldiers in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan.

The troops will reportedly deployed by the U.S. Marine to train, advise and assist the leaders of the Afghan National Army, reports the Khaama Press.

The decision comes as the province has been witnessing fierce clashes during the recent months as the Taliban group attempted take control of the strategic parts Helmand as part of their deadly spring offensive.

Task Force Southwest, led by Brig Gen Roger Turner, "will train and advise key leaders within the Afghan National Army 215th Corps and the 505th Zone National Police," a statement published by the corps on Friday read.

According to media reports, the Taliban has said that Helmand is under "strong" control and that the group is "happy to fight against them and maintain their stronghold in Helmand".
Ten Tamil Nadu fishermen were today arrested and their boats impounded by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters.





While four of the fishermen belonged to this island town, the others hailed from Jegadapattinam in Pudukottai district, Fisheries department officials said.



The fishermen from Rameswaram, who had ventured into the sea yesterday were arrested near Katchatheevu this morning and were taken to Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka by the navy personnel, they said.



Those from Pudukottai district were arrested while they were fishing in Neduntheevu and were taken to Kangesanthurai port, they added.



Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Fishermen's Association General Secretary, NJ Bose said, "Nationwide protests will be held to condemn the continuing arrests of the state's fishermen, if the Centre fails to take steps to find an amicable solution to the problem."



Yesterday, a 34-year-old Tamil Nadu fisherman from here was injured when he was allegedly attacked by the Lankan naval personnel for fishing off Neduntheevu.



Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had on January 5 written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take up the issue of apprehension of the state's fishermen by Lankan Navy at the "highest diplomatic level," besides ensuring their safety and security.


An embattled Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav today asserted he continued to be the party's president and questioned the legality of the convention called by son Akhilesh Yadav camp which declared the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister the new party chief.





Mulayam's remarks came a day before he visits Election Commission where he is set to question the authenticity of documents submitted by Akhilesh Yadav faction yesterday claiming support of a majority of MPs, MLAs, MLCs and party delegates.





"I am the national president of Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav is (only) the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Shivpal Yadav is still the president of Samajwadi Party's Uttar Pradesh unit," Mulayam, who is locked in a bitter feud with Akhilesh-Ramgopal camp for control over the party, told reporters here.





"Ramgopal Yadav was expelled from the party for six years on 30 December, 2016. Therefore the party's national convention called by him on 1 January, 2017 was illegal," he asserted reading out a prepared text.





Mulayam's confidante Amar Singh, who has been blamed by Akhilesh and his supporters for the family feud in the party, said the Mulayam camp will approach the Election Commission tomorrow where it will question the genuineness of the affidavits filed by Ramgopal, the SP patriarch's cousin and general secretary of the rival faction, on behalf of the Akhilesh camp.





Singh claimed the signatures of the MLAs supporting Akhilesh have "no value" as after the model code of conduct came into force on January 4, they practically ceased to be legislators. He said most of the delegates who have signed the affidavit were appointed after January 1.





Meanwhile, Ramgopal ruled out any rapprochement between the two factions of UP's ruling party, saying "4-6 people have misled Netaji (Mulayam) into believing he enjoys the support of 200 MLAs. They stand exposed now."





He, however, maintained that Mulayam was made the party patron at the national convention which appointed Akhilesh as the new SP chief. "Netaji's nameplate is still there at the Delhi party office," Ramgopal, who has stood by Akhilesh in the internecine family feud, said.





Earlier in the day, when Mulayam reached Delhi from Lucknow, some of his supporters were heard raising slogans against his son Akhilesh. Some of the supporters claimed that Mulayam later told them at his residence that though he may not have the numbers, Akhilesh is still his son and the supporters should desist from raising slogans against him.





Mulayam's reported remarks, however, could not be confirmed by any senior leader of his camp.
Petrol pumps across the country will not accept credit and debit card payments for fuel sales from tomorrow after banks decided to put transaction (MDR) charge on them instead of consumers.





To promote cash-less transactions, the government had waived the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on fuel purchase post demonetisation for consumers. But after the expiry of the 50-day window, the banks have decided to levy MDR on petrol pump owners.





Petrol pump owners association said they have been "informed by HDFC Bank that we will be charged 1 per cent on all credit card transactions and between 0.25 per cent and 1 per cent on all debit card transactions from January 9, 2017. The same will be debited to our account and net transaction value will be credited to our account".





Ajay Bansal, President, All India Petroleum Dealers Association, said the bank has quoted RBI circular of December 16, 2016, for its action. "Unfortunately, the circular has no reference to credit card charges or for not passing the same to the customers. We feel that HDFC Bank is using this as an excuse to improve their bottom line through transactions at fuel stations," he said.





He said petrol pump margins are fixed on a per kilolitre basis and do not have any scope to absorb these charges. "We have specific mechanism to compute the margin and these do not have any scope for credit card MDR. This will lead to financial loses for the dealers," he said, adding that credit card machine issuers are also delaying settlements of dues.





Also, there are disputes about purchases being returned or not delivered. "In a retail outlet, there is no scope for returns or not being delivered a product once you have paid for the same. The reconciliation of swipes to amount being credit to our accounts is causing a lot of hardships and loses to a large percentage of the dealer community."





He said the petrol pumps have "decided to stop accepting payment through credit/debit cards from January 9, 2017". "All POS (point of sale) machine issuing banks who are not charging the same and are willing to adhere to existing commercial arrangements should correspond with us to let us inform our members to continue with accepting cards on their machines," Bansal said.

"Petrol pump dealers across the country, including those in Gujarat, will stop accepting money through debit and credit cards from tomorrow to protest an RBI circular asking banks to debit 1 per cent from petrol pump dealers account on payments through cards from January 9," said Gujarat State Petroleum Dealers Association president Arvind Thakkar.



Thakkar is also a senior vice president of the All India Petroleum Dealers Association.

"By accepting money through debit and credit cards, we are providing service to our customers, and imposing 1 per cent charge for the service is not reasonable. Therefore, we will not accept money through cards until this is rolled back," he said.


Two health officials were suspended in Odisha's Angul district in connection with an incident in which a man had to carry the body of his 5-year-old daughter on shoulder from a government hospital after she died at the medical facility.



The sub-divisional medical officer (SDMO) and senior medical officer have been placed under suspension by the state health department in connection with the incident that took place at Pallahara hospital in Angul, district collector Anil Samal said today.



A staff nurse of the hospital was also suspended yesterday for alleged dereliction of duty, while a junior hospital manager had been placed under suspension and a security guard deployed at the hospital had been disengaged earlier, the SDMO said.



The incident, akin to the episode involving a tribal man Dana Majhi who had to carry his wife's body on shoulder for 10 km from a government hospital at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district last year after failing to get a hearse, took place on Tuesday. The action by the health department came after the incident, which went viral on social media and local news channels, triggered widespread criticism.



The man, identified as Gati Dhibar of Pechamundi village said he had requested the hospital authorities for help to take his daughter's body from the hospital to the native place, about 15 km away but failed to get any help. The minor girl died allegedly while undergoing treatment at the healthcare facility on Tuesday.



The incident took place despite the state government last year launching 'Mahaprayan' scheme for providing facilities at district headquarters hospital and medical colleges to carry bodies of patients after death from the hospital to their home.


Seeking to give a greater momentum to their strategic relationship, India and France today discussed a wide spectrum of issues, including defence and terrorism, with the French side saying the bilateral ties should move forward with the speed of a Rafale fighter jet.



During the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault here, both leaders had "considerable" discussions on international terrorism of which the two countries are victims.



"I spoke about different aspects of our partnership," Ayrault told reporters here on the sidelines of a function after his meeting with Modi, who was here to attend the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the Centre's outreach programme for overseas Indians.



The French minister, who began his three-day visit to India from here, said: "We spoke about defence because India needs to protect itself. Therefore, defence is an important area. I also shared with him concerns about terrorism and how we are together in fighting it."



Noting that India has various defence needs, for example Rafale, he said, "It needs submarines, it needs helicopters. So we did discuss all of these."



In September last year, India had inked a Euro 7.87 billion (about Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and equipped with latest missiles that will give the IAF greater "potency" over arch rival Pakistan.



In his media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swaroop said Ayrault and Modi reaffirmed close strategic partnerships between the two countries and deliberated upon several issues including bilateral relations in defence and international terrorism.



"The PM of India today welcomed the French Foreign Affairs Minister on his first visit to India. Both sides reaffirmed close strategic partnerships between India and France, which will be seen as a further fillip for the closure of Rafale deal," he said on the sidelines of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, now on here.

The French Minister said "the bilateral ties should now move forward with a speed of Rafale," according to Swarup.

Swaroop also said both the leaders had a comprehensive drill on bilateral relations in defence and Modi reiterated upon "Make In India" slogan in defence.

The two leaders discussed about the cooperation in civil energy with specific reference to Jaitapur nuclear plant, he said.



On economic aspects, Swaroop said the French Foreign Minister spoke about the 20 billion Euros investment in India by French companies and he was looking forward to his participation in a Gujarat event (Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit) which would provide further opportunity for French companies to invest in India.

The two leaders also discussed French participation in sustainable development of Indian cities, where more than 60 French firms are working in sectors including transport and water.



Swaroop also said the French Minister reiterated the French support for India's Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and permanent membership of UNSC.



"There was considerable discussion between two sides on international terrorism as we know both India and France are victims of terrorism...," he said.



Ayrault said he and Modi also spoke about civil nuclear energy because it can contribute to India's energy mix as the Indian Prime Minister has made a commitment to the Paris climate agreement.

Besides, space, another area of cooperation between the two countries as also the economic aspects of the Indo-French partnership and "multiple aspects of our investment" were covered during the talks, he said.

The issue of French companies investing in India in various domains like smart city, transport, energy, waste management and automobile was discussed, he said.

"We spoke about multiple aspects of our investment. Many French companies are present in India. We would also like Indian companies to invest in France. We must have the principle of reciprocity," he said.

Ayrault said he would meet Modi again on Tuesday, when he would attend the "Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit" in Ahmedabad.



France is a partner country of the Summit.

The French minister, who began his visit to the country's IT hub by going to a temple and Russel Market, an old landmark in the city, also highlighted the cultural aspects of the relationship between India and France.



At Alliance Francaise, Ayrault launched the Bengaluru chapter of France Alumni network, a digital platform to connect foreign students who have studied French in higher education institutes.

The network would help alumni acquire key industry knowledge and explore career opportunities.



Ayrault said 4,000 Indian students had come to France in 2016 "which is a low number" and he had set an "ambitious goal" to take it to 10,000 by 2020.



Swaroop said Modi also met Surinam Vice President Ashwin Adhin and discussed issues relating to various sectors such as agriculture, animal husbandry, palm oil and wood processing for improving bilateral cooperation.



Adhin said he saw considerable potential in Ayurveda in Surinam and sought India's help to create an eco-system for propagation of Ayurveda and turn the country into Ayurveda capital, Swaroop said.



He said that Adhin also sought investments in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals and mining.



He said Adhin sought an early meeting of India-Surinam joint commission to take forward bilateral cooperation.



The two leaders also discussed global issues such as UNSC and Adhin reaffirmed Surinam's support to India for its permanent membership.



The Prime Minister also met Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam and discussed about some bilateral issues.



They also discussed about Modi's visit to Malaysia in 2015, Swaroop said. He said the Prime Minister is looking forward to the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's visit to India.
The Ambassador of Finland to India, Nina Vaskunlahti, was in Bengaluru on her first visit, to attend the Nokia Innovation Day. Nina, who is just three months in India, has visited Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow. In an interaction with DHs Umesh M Avvannavar, Nina shares the varied opportunities for Finland and India to increase bilateral trade and economic cooperation.



How is the trade relationship between Finland and India?



The amount of trade between Finland and India stands at over 1 billion. I think there are good prospects as the Indian economy is growing fast and offering opportunities for niche businesses. There are over 100 Finnish companies operating in India. There are some companies which have been here for quite a while and are doing well. For example, companies like Nokia, Kone, Kone Cranes, Cargotec, Wartsila, and Valmet. They are all well known names in the world, and hopefully, also in India.



What are the challenges in India?



I believe that the governments role is to create an enabling framework for business to flourish. For instance, if India wants more business and investments from Finland, what we need is transparency and predictability in procedures, whether we talk about customs or taxation, among others.



Moreover, what is important is that India and the European Union should sort out FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations, and what we find is very disturbing that this year, India has announced about terminating the bilateral investment agreements with all European countries.



With Finland, the agreement ends in 2018. Finland is a member of the EU, and so thats why, we cant start negotiating bilateral relations with India. We have to negotiate as a bloc, and these negotiations dont seem to be happening, so thats a step backwards.



What was the trade for last year, and how much you are expecting this year?



Let me say that the trade is hovering around 1.1 billion for the last three years. We would like to increase it further. I must say that the trade balance is positive for us, and negative for India. Nokia, for instance, has its biggest R&D centre in Bengaluru and employs over 5,500 people. That shows the Finnish company Nokias commitment towards India.



How many Indian companies are present in Finland?



To my knowledge, there are 20 Indian companies based in Finland. Recently, Mahindra Group has invested in IT and Holiday Village House companies.



In what sectors are Finnish companies willing to invest in India?



The interest is in IT (Information Technology), ITeS (IT-enabled Services), Clean Technologies, Efficient Energy Solutions, Solar Energy, Bioscience, and Pharma, just to mention a few. The companies know better!



Do you have any investment figures of Finnish companies investments in India?



This is always a tricky question. But I was discussing with Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), and learnt that our joint investments would be over 1 billion.



What kind of initiatives have been taken by Finland to improve bilateral trade with India?

Union Minister for Coal, Minister of State for Power, New and Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal recently visited Finland with a business delegation, and his visit was followed only a week later by a Finnish business delegation led by our Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade coming to India. So, we are boosting interest at the ministerial level. In both countries, they are holding investment seminars and business get-together meetings. Goyal also met financial institutions/banks in Finland



Please share some details about India Awareness Day.



We are planning to organise an India Awareness Day in Finland, sometime next spring. The idea is to get together Finnish companies who are already active in India, and hear their experiences. We would like to get some Indian speakers, who could objectively speak about what India is all about.



In short, what we are doing is to boost relations on a political level, have ministers visit with business delegations, and give opportunities for business meets face-to-face, and see the possibilities in increasing awareness in Finland about India, and also sharpen the Finnish profile in India. So that when Indian companies think of finding partners or solutions, they would think of Finland and Finnish solutions.



What has been Finlands role in boosting startups?



Every year, a big startup event called SLUSH is organised in November, in Helsinki. It brings startups and investors together. We would like to see more and more Indian startups and investors attending the event. It is a commercial event and were happy to advertise it. At Nokia Technology Day, I met few startups which have connection with Finland and talked about the possibility of the minister to create more cooperations with Karnataka, and Finland to create an innovation corridor between Karnataka and Finland.



What is the kind of work going on in the area of tourism?



This is an area where we have to do a lot of work. It will be one of our focus areas in the years to come. Because, what I have felt in my short time that is growing interest among Indians to travel to Finland, because our country is exotic and different. We have clearly four seasons, with peace and quite, lakes and fresh air.



It is easy to reach Finland from Delhi, as there is a direct flight to Helsinki which takes 6.5 hours. I think nature is the biggest attraction for Indians there.




The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is cracking down on property owners who have violated its zoning regulations.





The agency is issuing them individual notices seeking explanation for using residential properties for non-residential purpose or running commercial activities in residential areas.



The Palike will soon issue final orders to property owners, asking them to close down their unauthorised businesses and ventures in a week, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said. If they fail to do so, well ourselves shut them down. We will also take legal action against them, he added.



In the first week of December 2016, the BBMP put out public notices, asking property owners to shut down their unauthorised businesses or face action. The notices stated that obtaining sanctioned plans for residential buildings, but running commercial activities was a violation of the Revised Master Plan 2015 as well as the zoning regulations. But not many property owners came forward to shut down their illegal businesses, said an official source in the BBMP.



Now, the BBMP has created a GIS map of all properties and is using it to collect information on properties that violate the master plan and zoning regulations. It also directed zonal officials to take action against the violators in the coming days, the source added.



RWAs tip off Palike



At a recent meeting, representatives of 20 residents welfare associations (RWAs) gave the BBMP commissioner a list of commercial establishments being illegally run in residential areas. As many as 322 commercial establishments were identified in HRBR Layout, 2nd Block, alone, said Jude Rajesh Ferrao, from HRBR Layout RWA.



Zahid H Javali, a resident of HSR Layout, said, A big commercial complex is coming up at the intersection of 15th B Main 19th Cross and 18th Cross in Sector 3, HSR Layout, which is a complete residential area. Nothing has been done about it though we complained to BBMP officials.



The commissioner said the objective of the public notice was to create an awareness among citizens about zoning regulations and the related laws. We have just started the crackdown on the violators. Palike officials have met twice to brainstorm (the action), he added.
Submitting a false affidavit to obtain a site at Judicial Layout in Bengaluru north was one of the reasons for the governor rejecting the state governments recommendation to appoint State Law Commission chairman Justice S R Nayak as the Lokayukta, some months ago.



Now, the state government is considering former Karnataka High Court judge Justice P Vishwanath Shetty for the post of Lokayukta. However, Justice Shetty too has submitted a false affidavit like Justice Nayak to avail of a site at the controversial Judicial Layout.



Documents accessed by the DH show that Justice Shetty, who retried as the high court judge in 2004, possessed a Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) allotted site in RT Nagar before he was allotted a site at the Judicial Layout by Karnataka State Judicial Department Employees House Building Co-operative Society, in violation of rules.



The extract of tax-paid receipt at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) shows that Justice Shetty owns a property - number 71 situated in RT Nagar 1st Block. It was allotted to him in 1975-76. Justice Shetty, who served as the judge of the Karnataka High Court between 1999 and 2004, applied for the site with Karnataka State Judicial Department Employees House Building Co-operative Society in 2001.



The site number 1395 (measuring 80x120 sq ft) was allotted to Justice Shetty for a consideration of Rs 2.57 lakh. As per the society bye-law, a member should file an affidavit stating that he/she does not own a site, plot, house or a flat in his name or in the name of his family members within the city corporation limits or the BDA limits. This means, Justice Shettys affidavit with the society in 2001 was a false one.



During a physical verification by DH, the site at Judicial Layout was found to be still vacant, though one of the conditions in the sale deed stipulates that the allottee shall construct the building in accordance with the plan approved by the BDA or City Corporation within two years from the date of possession. Besides, Justice Shetty had bought the site in 2001, after a division bench of the Karnataka High Court made an observation that judges of the High Court and the Supreme Court becoming members of an employees house building society is beyond imagination.



Earlier, a petition was filed before the high court seeking probe into the irregularities in allotment of sites by submitting false affidavits in Shantinagar House Building Co-operative Society. The writ petition was dismissed with an observation that the illegalities in allotment of sites in this society is being enquired into by the Lokayukta and that the Lokayukta will only decide on the complaint.



Repeated calls to Justice Shetty went unanswered.



The saga so far

The Lokayukta post has been vacant since December 2015, after Justice Y Bhaskar Rao resigned in the wake of the Legislative Assembly admitting a motion to remove him. After controversy over the selection process, the government recommended the name of Justice S R Nayak in February 2016. Governor Vajubhai Vala returned the recommendation twice, raising certain queries on the allegations against Justice Nayak in the purchase of properties in violation of rules.


For first-time listeners, Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was inspiring.



Inaugurating the sessions on the second day, Modi spoke about several issues concerning the Indian diaspora.



He said we were the hosts and the guests for the programme. This made us feel at home, Seema Chauhan, an emigration agent from Australia told DH.



Modis mention of the skill development programme for the Indian diaspora was also well received. Chauhan said such programmes would help Indians get better jobs abroad. He connects well with people. His talks are engaging. There is no doubt he is a great orator, said this first-time listener.



However, some delegates were so unhappy with the speech that they were planning to skip the second half of the third day of the event, when President Pranab Mukherjee will participate.



We are all delegates and have been invited here to participate in the event. It is absurd to place barricades everywhere when the Prime Minister is in a conference room with other ministers. Is this how things are in India, questioned a delegate from Oman, who did not want to be named.



Even as Modis mention about corruption and black money received a vociferous response from the audience, several expressed displeasure and complained about the lack of clarity.



An NRI from Saudi Arabia, who did not wish to be named, said, We are worried if there is a gross error in estimating the amount of black money. Yet, we are happy the measure is taken, he said.



Know India programme by the Ministry of External Affairs also received great applause. Mitisha Ramoutar, a student who took part in the programme said, We want more such opportunities. Also, student exchange programmes must be enhanced.



K K Usman, a member of a socio-cultural organisation associated with the Indian Embassy, found several holes in the prime ministers address. We were expecting some announcement on concessions for us post-demonetisation. Also, we want him to have centres where people of Indian origin can avail Aadhaar cards in the Gulf region. Also, there was no mention of reduction of fees paid by NRI students.



Raj Kapoor, a delegate from Kuwait termed it just rhetoric. There was no new policy statement for Indians of foreign origin, he said.



However, there were others who even had tears while listening to Modi talk. Roshini Mahtani from Singapore said Modi's statement  We do not see the colour of the passport, but the blood, was very touching. It is a very nice line. It brought tears to my eyes and I have already Tweeted it to all my people back in Singapore.



Annamalai Hemalatha, another delegate from Singapore said Modi executes whatever he speaks. He has already started the process of ease of doing business in India, Hemalatha said.



Rousing reception



The atmosphere was charged as Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared on stage inside the jam-packed hall of the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre to deliver his keynote address at the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Sunday.



People occupied their seats at least an hour before the programme started.



Organisers arranged interpreter headsets for instant translations of the speech into Hindi, English, French and Portuguese.



The crowd burst into jubilation as soon as Modi appeared on stage and waved. People stood on their feet and the Modi-Modi chant rent the air for almost five minutes. Soon, cameras and mobile phones were out, clicking his pictures.



The prime minister chose to address the crowd in English, which a majority of people from the Indian diaspora understand.
Not everyone was happy with the way the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) has been organised. Many delegates had a reason to feel unhappy as they could not even move when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the stalls after his speech.



The complaints then started pouring in. The citys infrastructure is not up to the mark. We are staying in the Lalit Ashok hotel and while commuting we could see the IT citys badly planned facilities. With garbage strewn all over, we couldnt help but draw comparisons of places that we visited like China, Vietnam and Turkey, said Kazi Ek ball Hossain and Linus Gomes from Kuwait.



Another delegate from Kuwait, Jatinder Suri, who has been attending every edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, said the event had gone out of focus. The very purpose of PBD is to interact and thats missing. Though I booked my meetings online, I couldnt meet anyone, as either the server crashed or is not working, said Suri and other delegates who waited close to an hour near Hall No 1, as it was cordoned off due to security reasons.



A delegate from Singapore who didnt want to be named said, Its supposed to be for us (NRIs), but look whats happening. What are students and politicians doing here? Why we have to wait for an hour here, we cant even have lunch, and a washroom here is the worst one that I have ever seen. I have attended quite a few PBDs, and the last one in Gujarat was not this bad. I am planning not to attend PBD at all, he said.



The delegate, who has been living in Singapore for over two decades now, added, Our team has developed a technology that could be used for Swachh Bharat. When I met the Urban Development department, they took a card from me and said they would contact me. The very purpose of Divas is to interact and talk about investments, and whats the point if they contact me later?



However, Yagou Louis from France and his team had no grievance. We are waiting here for PMs security reasons, and I completely understand it. This is the first time I am attending the PBD, and I am happy with the way it has been organised. Its good to connect with your roots. I am looking forward to such events, he said.
Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Sunday recalled his Indian roots at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru and said that he was proud to be a person of Indian origin.





Costa, who traces his roots to Goa, was the chief guest at PBD-2017. "Yes, I am actually a person of Indian origin," Costa said and even took out a card from his coat pocket and waved it at the audience. The delegates applauded Costa's gesture.



The 54-year leader recalled that his father - Orlando da Costa - had spent most of his youth in Goa, which was then under the Portuguese rule. My father spent his childhood in Goa. We have never lost ties with India. I still have many relatives in Margao and will be visiting them shortly, he said.



Costa said it is the duty of diaspora to connect the country of their origin with that in which they presently live.


How do the third, fourth and even seventh generation members of the Indian diaspora maintain that connect with the country of their forefathers? Do they yearn to search for their roots to rekindle those old fading memories?





Confronted with these questions at PBD, young Israelis, South Africans and Mauritians of Indian origin had a tricky time juxtaposing a distant past with the contemporary.



For Sapir Shay, now a fashion designer in Israel, the India connect was still strong. But, she was not as keen as the others to trace the roots of her grandfather. His life in India was spent in poverty in north India. The shift to Israel changed that, helping us be part of the big melting pot, she recalled to DH.



The collective Jewish identity once threatened to engulf individual national identities. But Sapirs mother had held on to her Indian roots. Mom would always remind us of our Indian culture and traditions. We do watch Indian movies and try out Indian costumes.



But Ziv Mahluf, an Israeli robotics engineer who traces his ancestry to Kochi is not so sure about that linkage. Unlike South Africans or those from Fiji, Israelis of Indian origin are less connected. Perhaps, it is because of the religion. We are not as well-versed about the politics and culture. Back in Israel, marriages outside national boundaries had cemented the Jewish identity further. Mahlufs father was Libyan. But his mother and maternal grandfather had tried to hold onto Indian customs. My mother still can speak Malayalam.



For Nevali Mohan, a seventh generation South African, the Indian roots were too distant. Her second visit to India as part of the Know India Programme had reinforced the stereotypes in her mind. I had only heard about the poverty here. Some of the sights confirmed those beliefs. I havent liked it so far.



For her compatriot Avesh Ramdin, his affair with India was spiritual. My cousins had come here searching for my grandfathers roots in Kanpur. I want to visit the holy sites. and learn more about Hinduism.



But the young engineering student was apparently pained by the India connect fading in some cities.



Indentured labourers to rulers



The community of Indians, who first landed in Mauritius during 1836-37, bore the mark of indentured labourers. Slavery had just been abolished, but they had to endure another century of hardships. Tuvarika Gunesh, a 7th-generation person of Indian origin, knew that story too well.



But young Tuvarika had another story of ascendance, about a community that focused on educating their children, building careers and businesses, eventually leading the nation. We have prospered after gaining independence in 1968. Most of our presidents and prime ministers have been of Indian origin, she said. Linkages with India, said Tuvarika, have remained strong. We connect mostly to India than Europe although the lifestyles are a

mix of Western and the Oriental.




Union Minister for Human Resource Department Prakash Javadekar said Indian languages should be promoted at all levels of education.





Speaking at the fifth All India Convention organised by Sanskrita Bharathi at Rajangana, the minister said that the three-language formula for learning should offer Indian languages, instead of foreign languages like Mandarin, French, German as is widely practised in Indian schools today. The teaching materials should be prepared in Indian languages. Asserting that Sanskrit is an important means of communication, the minister added that Sanskrit is also the language which enables the welfare of the country. Sanskrit is the base for many Indian languages and there is need to conserve and popularise Sanskrit. The minister said that conserving and supporting Indian languages is governments top priority. He urged Sanskrita Bharathi to come up with the dictionary of Sanskrit with all other Indian languages.



He added that universities imparting Sanskrit education have to submit action plans formulated to teach Sanskrit language, following which the government will take action for capacity build up of Sanskrit Universities.



The minister told reporters that development is the only agenda that BJP will fight for in the Assembly elections in five states. Lauding the prime minister for demonetisation, Javadekar said every decision taken by Modi aims for justice to the poor and employment is the priority. Besides, demonetisation has supported the idea of development and proved an important step to curb corruption and black money. Tough action is taken to implement the recommendations of the Supreme Court-constituted special investigation team (SIT), he said.



On formulating a new education policy, the minister said that suggestions from various stakeholders are invited. A committee led by eminent educationist would review the suggestions before embarking upon the final draft notification. He said that a request by Karnataka government to provide 25% seat reservation at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dharwad for Kannadigas residing in Karnataka is rejected as no state has reservation or role in reservation.
Former Ullal MLA and freedom fighter A Krishna Shetty was one of the pioneers of farmers movement in the district. He fought for the rights of the labourers from the unorganised sector, said CITU district secretary Vasant Achari.





He was speaking during the release of A Krishna Shetty - Janamana Gedda Nayaka, authored by K R Shriyan, released at the Janashakti Utsava in Mangaluru on Sunday.



Shetty had actively taken part in the struggle for freedom. Also, he was part of major movements concerning welfare of farmers and peasants. He worked along with veteran communist leader B V Kakkillaya and united workers of unorganised sectors and made them realise the importance of associations towards fighting for their rights. He was also part of the Goa liberation movement.



Releasing the book on A Krishna Shetty, Kannada University (Hampi) professor Chandra Poojary lamented that despite fighting for peoples rights, Shetty did not come to limelight. His contributions should not be forgotten.



He said that the political parties have been dividing people for power. It is unfortunate that some religions are being looked down upon only to claim that a particular religion is greater. This kind of pessimistic communism adversely affects the society.



The special edition of Janashakti magazine Sowharda Karnataka-60 was released on the occasion.



About A Krishna Shetty



A Krishna Shetty was the first MLA in the district who was chosen from the Communist Party of India (CPI). Born in Kotekar in 1910, he had his initial education in Kotekar and in St Aloysius College, Mangaluru. Later, he plunged into freedom struggle. He was brutally beaten up by the police and was even jailed for hoisting the tri-colour flag near Bunts Hostel in Mangaluru. From 1936, he started working towards uniting the unorganised sector labourers such as weavers and tile factory workers and lead several movements initiated by the CPI.



He continued his social activities in post independence era and in 1950s, he strongly opposed the exploitation of farmers by landlords. He was chosen the president of the first farmers conference in district in 1954. Shetty played a pivotal role in farmers' agitation in Mulki in the same year.



Shetty was a part of Congress and then joined Congress Socialist and Communist parties. He went on to become the president of Kotekar panchayat and taluk board member.



After contesting in the assembly and parliamentary elections in 1951 and 1957, he was elected the MLA of Ullal during 1962 assembly elections, to be the first elected MLA from the CPI. He passed away on July 23, 1972, a week after he lost the assembly elections in 1972.


French minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Sunday and discussed with him different aspects of the bilateral relations between New Delhi and Paris.





The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development spoke to reporters after inaugurating a web platform for the French alumni from India at Alliance Francaise here.



I reaffirmed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi the importance of our strategic partnership. We spoke about defence and I shared with him our concerns about terrorism and how we are together in fighting it, he said.



Noting that India has various needs in the military sector, including fighter aircraft Rafale, submarines and helicopters, Ayrault said he discussed these issues with Modi along with the key issue of civil nuclear energy during his meeting that lasted for 45 minutes. He said civil nuclear energy will contribute to Indias energy needs as Modi has made commitments at the Paris climate summit to reduce greenhouse emissions.



On the economic front, the French minister stressed the need to bring the relationship to the reciprocatory domain. He said there were more than 400 French companies in India employing about 3.5 lakh people.



We are encouraging Indians to invest in France. We must have the principle of reciprocity. On Tuesday, I am going to Ahmedabad for the Vibrant Gujarat Summit where I will meet Modi again, he said, indicating that he will press for Indian investment in his country. The minister, who will be in India till January 11, said he will hold several political meetings in New Delhi in the next three days that are not only bilateral but also about common questions about future.



After the election of Donald Trump in the United States and discussions about future of Europe post Brexit, we need to discuss several questions about security and peace, he said.


CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modis call for transparent political funding as mere rhetoric.





He was briefing reporters here on the CPMs three-day Central Committee meeting that concluded on Sunday.



What is the cost of his (Modis) recent rally in Lucknow? He wants transparency, let him begin with himself. Who funded BJPs 2014 campaign? Will the PM accept the CPMs suggestion to ban all corporate donations to political parties? Yechury asked.



V S reprimanded



The CPM Central Committee approved the Politburo Commissions report that discussed past incidents of indiscipline by party veteran and former chief minister V S Achuthanandan.



Being one of the partys founders and inspiration for many generations, the CPM expected Achuthanandan to adhere to party norms, Yechury said.
Five homeless daily wagers were killed and eight others injured, when a Samajwadi Party (SP) legislators son drove his car drunk into a night shelter at the Hazratganj area in Lucknow.





The incident occurred around midnight on Saturday. The victims were sleeping inside a shelter erected on the pavement, the police said.



The injured were admitted to hospital. Three of them were stated to be in a critical condition.

Lucknow police chief Manzil Saini told reporters on Sunday that out of the four youths who were in the vehicle, two had been arrested. A hunt was on to nab the others.


Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa on Sunday claimed that the home ministry has ordered to take action against the suspicious death of late Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa.





The expelled leader from the ruling AIADMK in the state had recently met Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi and submitted a memorandum seeking a CBI enquiry into the case. The home minister has directed the Department of Personal and Training  an administrative authority of the CBI  to take appropriate action in the suspicious death of then chief minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa on the midnight of December 5, 2016, Pushpa said in a statement after attaching the copy of the letter from the office.




Reading, 5 January 2017 (Copernicus Climate Change Service)  The first global analysis of the whole of 2016 has confirmed last year as the warmest on record and saw the planet near a 1.5C warming, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The latest figures from C3S, part of the EUs Copernicus earth observation programme, show that 2016s global temperature exceeded 14.8C, and was around 1.3C higher than typical for the middle years of the 18th century. 2016 was close to 0.2C warmer than 2015, which was previously the warmest year on record. Countries agreed in Paris in 2015 to holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.

A more dangerous climate

Global warming increases the likelihood of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and floods. Future warming could cause billions of euro of damage each year and affect the availability of fresh water and crop yields in the most vulnerable countries. Director of ECMWFs Copernicus Services Juan Garces de Marcilla said:

We are already seeing around the globe the impacts of a changing climate. Land and sea temperatures are rising along with sea-levels, while the worlds sea-ice extent, glacier volume and snow cover are decreasing; rainfall patterns are changing and climate-related extremes such as heatwaves, floods and droughts are increasing in frequency and intensity for many regions. The future impact of climate change will depend on the effort we make now, in part achieved by better sharing of climate knowledge and information. To help decision-makers develop effective adaptation and mitigation solutions we make the data from Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) freely and openly available. By mainstreaming the information that the Copernicus Services hold into climate policy and strategy, governments, the private sector and society can identify and unite around opportunities to tackle further climate change and reduce vulnerability where its effects are unavoidable.

C3S found that global temperatures in February 2016 already touched the 1.5C limit, though under the influence of a strong El Nino, an intermittent event involving a period of warming. Global temperatures still remained well above average in the second half of 2016, associated partly with exceptionally low sea-ice cover in both the Arctic and Antarctic. C3S found that most regions around the world experienced above-average temperatures during 2016. The largest differences in regional average temperatures were found in the Arctic but conditions were also extreme over southern Africa early in the year, over southern and south-eastern Asia prior to the summer monsoon, over the Middle East later in summer, and over parts of North America in summer and autumn. In addition to record temperatures, ECMWFs Copernicus Services monitored other extremes occurring in 2016, including significant global wildfires and the growth of CO2 in the atmosphere. Destructive fires were observed around Fort McMurray, Canada in May and then extensive wildfires across Siberia, associated with the years high surface temperatures, during June and July. For the first year CO2 levels did not return below 400 ppm as summer turned to autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. In previous years, take-up of CO2 by vegetation during the summer growing season has typically seen September mark the lowest point for CO2 levels.

Contact

Silke Zollinger

Press and Events Manager

Copernicus Communication

European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts

Shinfield Park, Reading, RG2 9AX, UK

Email: silke.zollinger@ecmwf.int

Phone: +44 (0)118 9499 778

Mobile: +44 (0) 755 477 3973

Web: ecmwf.int | atmosphere.copernicus.eu | climate.copernicus.eu
The Nokia 6 is priced at CNY 1699, and will be available in China in early 2017

After acquiring rights to the Nokia brand name last year, HDM Global has finally launched the first Android-powered smartphone bearing Nokias name. Called the Nokia 6( 13999 at flipkart), the phone is launched in China and is priced at CNY 1699, which is approximately Rs. 16,700. The company notes that it plans to launch more phones in the first half of 2017.

The Nokia 6 features a 5.5-inch Full HD display with 2.5D Gorilla Glass and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC with 4GB of RAM. The device will offer 64GB of storage, Dolby Atmos audio and will run Android Nougat. At the back of the device is a 16MP camera, while at the front is an 8MP camera.

Nokia phones are known for their build quality and it seems like HMD has done its bit to ensure this holds true with the Nokia 6. The device features an aluminium build and the company says that it takes 55 minutes to machine the device from a block of aluminium. It then receives two separate anodising processes, which take over 10 hours to complete and each phone is polished at least five times.

Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global stated, We have set ourselves a mission to deliver the best possible smartphone experience, with a beautiful premium design touch, to everyone, at every price point. By building on true Nokia phone hallmarks of leading design and materials, an obsessive focus on the latest technology and solving real-life issues, we believe we have a unique proposition for consumers. The Nokia 6 marks the first step on our journey, with more to come in 2017.

The device will be available in China via JD.com in early 2017, and it is not yet known if and when the phone will be launched in India.
ANM: De vineri temperaturile incep sa scada / Care vor fi maximele la sfarsitul lunii noiembrie si cat de mari sunt sansele sa avem zapada la iarna
France is to beef up cyber-security amid growing fears that Russian hackers could try to influence its upcoming presidential election following claims that Moscow orchestrated US computer attacks to help Donald Trump. Jean-Yves Le Drian, the defence minister, said French intelligence agencies were trying to learn lessons for the future from the allegations by their US counterparts. - The Sunday Telegraph

Sir Ivan Rogers held secret talks with David Cameron before Christmas to warn him that Theresa May was botching Brexit. Britains ambassador to the European Union  who resigned last week after accusing the government of muddled thinking  told the former prime minister that May was not doing enough to prepare for the risk of the UK making a disorderly departure from the EU. - The Sunday Times

Donald Trump vowed yesterday to work with Russia to solve the worlds problems, condemning those who oppose good relations with Moscow as stupid people or fools. His comments, in a series of tweets, came despite intelligence reports  some provided by Britains GCHQ  that Kremlin-backed hackers interfered in the US election. Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing, wrote Trump. Only stupid people, or fools, would think that it is bad!" - The Sunday Times

Investment bankers at some of Europes biggest firms are braced for bosses to halve their bonus pools, with an expected jump in payouts for Wall Streets top-performing financiers and traders set to exacerbate a gulf between banks on either side of the Atlantic. Wall Street giants JP Morgan and Bank of America are the first to report earnings this week. With US banks again outperforming their rivals on this side of the Atlantic many are expecting the rewards paid to staff at Wall Street firms to dwarf those given to employees at Continental counterparts, particularly troubled Italian lender UniCredit and Deutsche Bank. - The Sunday Telegraph

The major US investment firm Blackrock is on track to become the biggest shareholder in Lloyds Banking Group, usurping the government which is selling down its stake in the bailed-out bank. Blackrock, which describes itself as the worlds biggest fund manager with $5.1tn (4.1tn) of investments, owns at least a 5% stake in Lloyds while the Treasurys stake is on course to fall to below 6%. - The Guardian

The Green Investment Bank (GIB) is set to be stripped of its prized assets once Australias Macquarie seizes control of the state-owned lender later this month. The Australian bank has already lined up suitors for some of the Green Investment Banks most valuable assets  even though it has yet to seal the 3.8bn takeover. The Edinburgh-based lenders wind farm and biomass projects are understood to be on the block. Macquarie bankers have in recent weeks held talks with a number of potential buyers. - The Sunday Times

Boris Johnson has flown to New York for a meeting with some of Donald Trump's closest advisers amid suggestions that he could be introduced to the President elect himself. The Foreign Secretary was due to become the most senior British politician to meet the the president-elect's team ahead of a visit by Theresa May next month. - The Sunday Telegraph

More than 2.9 m couples across the UK are missing out on a free tax break worth up to 220 a year, according to HM Revenue and Customs which has launched a campaign to get more people to apply for its transferrable marriage allowance. Since April 2015, couples in which one person pays no tax because their income is less than the personal allowance  currently 11,000  have been able to transfer 1,100 of that allowance to their tax-paying partner. - The Guardian
Doctor who performed abortion on Ohio girl sues to stop Indiana AG from accessing records

An Indianapolis doctor thrust into national news on abortion is suing to stop Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita from obtaining medical records.
Visiting Africa conjures up images of jungles and deserts, of big game safaris, of rich history and adventure. South Africa offers an immense range of experiences for travellers, from those romantic rugged exploits to modern cities and urbane wine tours.

South Africas diversity of wildlife, natural scenery, sights, sounds, and cultures is like no other place on earth. The population is a unique blend of Africa, Europe, and Asia. The constitution recognises 11 official languages, one of the highest numbers of any country in the world. The landscape includes renowned national parks and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Big Five game animals roam freely.

Such a multi-faceted country is impossible to generalise, but should you find yourself exploring its enchanting shores, here are a few basic rules and customs youll want to know.

Dress

Dress in South Africa is largely casual, but dont mistake casual for unstylish. Many locals  especially those running in younger, hipper circles  are snappy dressers who wouldnt look out of place in the snaps of Scott Schuman or Tommy Ton. Feel free to stretch your sartorial wings while in the country, though you may want to keep your flashiest and most expensive items at home. Anything too extravagant could make you a target for criminal activity.

Civilities

South Africans are generally polite, friendly, and accommodating to tourists, and travellers from Europe and North America will find many familiar social customs.

Men greet with a firm handshake, while women may opt for a kiss on the cheek instead. Public displays of affection between heterosexual partners are not frowned upon, provided they dont go overboard. Homosexual displays of affection are accepted in the more cosmopolitan and gay-friendly areas of Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, though they can sometimes generate unwelcome attention.

Use a moderate volume when speaking. Raising your voice is considered aggressive and challenging. Lowering your voice too much will have you accused of spreading gossip. Keep your hands out of your pockets while speaking, as this is considered rude. Address people by a title and surname in formal situations.

South Africans are proud of their country and what they have achieved. Be wary of airing grievances about the country with residents, who will harshly defend their home against outsiders they believe have no business commenting on their affairs. Its best to steer well clear of racial and political remarks as a visitor, as South Africas complex history and diverse cultural disposition make it easy for tourists to put their foot in it.

Safety

Tourism has grown exponentially in South Africa in recent decades, and the country has become safer for visitors as a result. Unfortunately, crime is still a reality of life, and though most holidays end without incident, it doesnt hurt to take precautions.

As always, its best to avoid looking like a tourist. Put away your maps and your cameras unless youre using them. Dont wear expensive items or leave valuables visible in your car. Beware of pickpockets in highly populated areas. Be careful where you walk at night, particularly if youre travelling alone. A taxi is a safer bet after dark.

If driving, keep the doors locked and the windows up in city traffic. Disregard any stranger who tries to confront you at a traffic light or stop sign. Dont stop for hitchhikers.

Tipping

Tipping is practised in South Africa. Ten to fifteen percent of the tab is common at restaurants and for taxis. Its also customary to tip hotel staff (porters, cleaners, etc), parking attendants, and anyone who services your vehicle at garages and filling stations.

Invitations

South Africans are very social, and you may find yourself invited to someones home for a barbecue called a braai. Bring a gift  flowers, chocolates, or wine will do  and contact the host ahead of time to find out if youre expected to provide a dish. Make discreet inquiries about the expected dress code as well.

Food

Once youve arrived, offer to help with preparation or clean up after the meal is served. Use both hands or your right hand to present a gift; it is considered impolite to hand a gift over with your left hand.

Modern urban South Africa has largely adopted Western modes of dining. Many eat with a fork and knife, held in both hands, and in the same hands throughout the meal. On some occassions, like the braai, its appropriate to eat with your hands. More traditional, rural areas will also eat with their hands. Use your right hand only, unless youre eating something that clearly requires two hands. Wash your hands before the meal and again after.
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Doux Reviews

has been on the web since 2004 and features thousands of episode reviews of the best classic and current television shows as well as many book and movie reviews
Challenge yourself in the Lake District

What better time than the advent of the New Year to get outside and challenge yourself, your friends and even your family to do something different and enjoy the Lake District. The Team at Coppermines have put together a list of top challenging events  there are things to test and things to enjoy after all it isn't just about the pain it's about the taking part too.

Montane Trail 26 & Trail 13, Grizedale Forest

The first of the 2016 Trail26 trail running events will take place in Grizedale Forest. Situated close to Hawkeshead and nestled in between Coniston Water and Windermere it provides the perfect venue to kick off your trail running New Year.

trail26.com

Coniston 14 Road Race

A 14 mile road race around Coniston Water and as such is one of the most picturesque courses in Britain. This hilly route follows the road that circles Coniston Water, with stunning views of the surrounding mountains from the lake shore route. Each year runners raise 20,000 each for local clubs, charities and good causes.

coniston14.co.uk

Grizedale Duathlon, 6k Trail run / 24k MTB / 6k Trail run

The Grizedale Duathlon is a unique multisport event based in the stunning setting of Grizedale Forest, in the southern Lake District. With stunning views over the Coniston fells and an extensive network of forest tracks and purpose built bike trails, this is a spectacular location for trail running and mountain biking. The event is suitable for all abilities, whether you have never competed in this type of event before or looking for a tough challenge.

highterrainevents.co.uk

Lakeland Trails, Hawkshead

Starting and finishing at Hawkshead, the 17km Hawkshead Trail Race, 17km Hawkshead Trail Challenge and 10km Hawkshead Trail Run follow circuits along well marked and marshalled footpaths and bridleways, taking in panoramic views of Lake Windermere and the surrounding peaks of the Coniston Hills, the Langdales and most of the Lakeland fells. All of the routes take in the infamous, mile long, near vertical, killer climb of the "Coffin Trail"!

lakelandtrails.org

Lo Scorpione Sportive

If you love to ride in wild, unspoilt mountain country. If you love a fantastic, rewarding, shared challenge If the food, the people and the experience are as important as the clock then Lo Scorpione is for you!

With a total of 101km with + 2030mtrs of height gain this classic figure of eight circuit around the wild western fells with ten significant climbs and not much flat in between this should prove to be a bit of a challenge for 2017! There's loads of climbing in the 10%+ band and more than enough at 20%+. You'll be on some of the wildest roads in England with some staggering views and wonderful wild settings.

sportivelakes.co.uk

The Mighty Corinthian, the world's longest classic bike ride

At 300km The Mighty Corinthian is just like a one day classic from back in the day and the longest one day classic bike ride in the world! Big distances, lots of climbing, spectacular locations  all ridden on vintage steel bicycles in period kit! The Mighty Corinthian showcases the finest of the Lake District landscapes  coastal plains, wild moors, gently rolling fields, wonderful villages, the odd mountain pass and more than a few lakes! This isn't about going fast; it's about having a huge experience with like-minded people, it's about having one of the great days of your life!

sportivelakes.co.uk

The Lakeland 100 Ultra

The Lakeland 100 'Ultra Tour of the Lake District' is the most spectacular long distance trail race which has ever taken place within the UK. The circular route encompasses the whole of the Lakeland fells, with 6300m of ascent on almost entirely of public bridleways and footpaths. The route starts in Coniston and heads south before completing a clockwise loop which takes in the Dunnerdale fells, Eskdale, Wasdale and Buttermere before arriving in Keswick for the finish.

If that sounds too much then there's The Lakeland 50, which runs over the second half of the Lakeland 100 Ultra, completing the final 50 miles of the 100 course.

lakeland100.com

Coniston End To End

Long distance open water swimming isn't just about swimming around buoys in a loop it's about the journey. Travelling the length of a lake from one end to the other, swimming across a channel, or completing a swim from one set point to another gives the swim meaning. You haven't swum a lake until you have completed the full length of it. Chillswim Coniston is a mass participation, fully supported swim the full 5.25 miles length of Coniston Water, in the Lake District.

chillswim.com

Ladies of the Lake Sportive

This women only sportive now in its third year is a real hoot and is described as the finest of its kind in the north! There are two routes, both of which follow the shores of Coniston Water: one of England's finest lakes. They are both lovely routes, with the shorter route designed to present an achievable challenge to first timers. So join us and experience this landscape for yourself - ride any bike you like, wear any outfit you like, the only rule is that you have a great day!

sportivelakes.co.uk

Lakeland Trails in Coniston

Starting and finishing at Landing Point, Coniston Hall near Coniston village, the 10km Coniston Trail Run, 15km Coniston Trail Race and 15km Coniston Trail Challenge take in panoramic views of Coniston Water and the surrounding peaks of the Old Man, Swirl How, Wetherlam and Dow Crags. There is one one short 200m section killer section, which only agile mountain goats will be able to run so be warned!

lakelandtrails.org

Coppermines and the Lakes Cottage have a huge range of accommodation to suit all tastes and wallets  perfect for places for adventure weekends. Whether you want a cosy fireside to slump in front of or a hot tub to relax in and ease away those aches and pains after a day in the great outdoors we have the perfect option for you. For more information about our properties please visit: coppermines.co.uk
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By Clara Chaisson

The image of a solitary polar bear stranded on a melting ice floe is the unofficial poster child of the climate movement. But the worlds climbing temperatures are threatening more than charismatic megafauna; peoples lives and cultural heritage are at risk, too. With his portraits, artist Sean Yoro is helping to put a human face on the climate change issue.

Yoro, aka Hula, grew up in Oahu, Hawaii. Now based in New York City, he honors his childhood love of the ocean with a unique approach to street art, painting semi-submerged murals on walls, shipwrecks and abandoned docks while perched atop a stand-up paddleboard. His latest canvas of choice? Sea ice.

Ao Ana (The Warning) Hula

Some of Yoros recent projects have taken him to the front lines of global warming, where his portraits that disappear in response to environmental changes are a powerful metaphor for climate change. The murals, rendered in nontoxic paints made from natural pigments and linseed or safflower oil, are transient by design.

Sean Yoro stands on an iceberg freshly broken off from a nearby glacier in northern Iceland. Hula

Yoro paints his murals from a stand-up paddleboardin the Arctic. Hula

Yoro traveled to northern Iceland in November 2015 to paint a womans likeness on icebergs from a melting glacier. Last summer, he teamed up with apparel company The North Face to complete a portrait in the Arctic waters of Baffin Island, Nunavut.

His timing couldnt have been better. Temperatures in the Arctic are increasing at double the rate of the rest of the globein November, for instance, the mercury rose more than 36 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations recently released Arctic Report Card for 2016 paints a grim picture of persistent warming, loss of sea ice and extensive Arctic changes. The report calls for more effective and timely communication of these scientific observations to diverse user audiences.

NOAA: 'Arctic Is Warming at Least Twice as Fast as the Rest of the Planet' https://t.co/3ptkgeHlHv via @EcoWatch pic.twitter.com/WIvP3e3CsX  DeSmog (@DeSmog) December 15, 2016

Enter Yoro. To better understand how climate change is affecting the residents of Baffin Island and share their message with the world, the artist first cultivated a relationship with the areas Inuit community. He spent time with local Jesse Mike, who ended up becoming the model for Yoros ice mural.

Mike told him: For most people its about the polar bears, not about the people. Inuit want to make it about the people.

Watch What If You Fly, a short video about Yoros trip to the Arctic, below:

Reposted with permission from our media associate onEarth.
Latest News

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi to set up offshore campus in Abu Dhabi Many other IITs are receiving offers from Middle East and South Asian countries for setting up their offshore

UGC NET 2022 result to be declared tomorrow, says NTA chairman M Jagadesh Kumar The result will be live and can be downloaded from NTA's portal

IIT Madras partners with Purdue University to develop dual-degree programme in semiconductors A key outcome envisaged from this unique partnership includes a workforce prepared to tackle global
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.
He said that he meets people from different parts of the country regularly, and he is not bothered about their political lenience nor checks their party allegiance.
MARCELLUS  Marcellus Senior High School student Zach Haggett is the man to know at the Finally Ours diner.

Haggett, 16, is at the front door as the greeter from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. He was recently named the diner's Employee of the Month and recognized at a Marcellus Board of Education meeting for the honor.

He is wonderful, Lisa Laffin said. He is like a ray of sunshine. We just all adore him.

Laffin owns Finally Ours with her husband, Dave  both longtime workers in the hospitality industry who aptly named their own restaurant Finally Ours.

Their luncheon greeter, Zach, has a rare disease called mucolipidosis that has prevented him from developing physically to full stature  as a matter of fact, he is quite diminutive.

He is one in a million, literally one in a million, his mother, Brenda Haggett said, noting Zach is one of three boys with the rarest form of this disease in the United States. "There are about 30 children and young adults in the U.S. with ML."

Brenda said they really had no idea anything was wrong with Zach until he was born, and then it took three long years to diagnose a condition that was deemed terminal.

The 16-year-old has already passed his life expectancy, and he has surpassed everything his family thought they wouldn't get a chance to see, as he wasn't expected to make it to middle school.

Zach's body doesn't process waste, and instead it is sent to attack his organs and bones. His bones are extremely fragile, and he takes medicine once a month to help with the severe, chronic pain.

He has had numerous surgeries because of his fragile bones, spending a lot of time in Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse.

It took him until he was three before he could walk," Brenda said. "He's always been little and tiny and had to survive in a world bigger than him. But he did.

But, he started to break bones, so finally at the age of 12, he had to stop walking and instead uses a wheelchair. Yet, with all the physical challenges of his every day life, his spirit has always been incredibly positive.

I get knocked down, and I get back up, Zach said.

He is super funny, and his heart is so big, Brenda said. He is so wise beyond his years, a firecracker with a great wit but also compassionate and empathetic.

Being in and out of the hospital his whole life, Zach became a Children's Miracle Network ambassador and was sent to Costco to represent.

He loved the experience of being out with the public and set his sights on being a Costco greeter. The manager was on board, too, Brenda said, but the corporate company said it doesn't allow school-age, part-time workers  even volunteers.

Brenda and John Haggett, who met while working in a restaurant, were regulars at Finally Ours. It occurred to Brenda to ask the Laffins, who were immediately on board with the idea.

The Marcellus Central School District has a School to Work Program in which students with disabilities go out into the community to work. Zach has long been assisted in school by his teacher's aide, Penny Poorman.

It's been going on 10 years now, Poorman said. When you are with someone that long, a trust develops. We have a lot of fun. ... He's very, very charming and very witty."

She accompanies him on his work study and has found the experience to be enriching and the staff at Finally Ours to be great, from the dishwashers to the owners. She added that the high school principal, John Durkee, is also phenomenal with Zach.

Finally Ours has just gone above and beyond for him because all the workers there are like family. Dave and Lisa are just genuine, honest, good people  it's a pleasure for me to be there with Zach, Poorman said. He loves being around people, and they are wonderful to him.

Brenda said it's also great as a bridge to the community for when Zach is out of school.

The Haggetts are authorities on dealing with a rare disease at present, but it took them 13 years working alongside 30 other families with children who have mucolipidosis.

They are one of many small international communities that hound the National Institutes of Health and pharmaceutical companies. The companies will never make millions on drugs or procedures for these diseases, but there are 8,000 rare diseases known to date, so it adds up Brenda said.

She is hopeful with the recent passing of the Cure Act. This is the bill Vice President Joe Biden helped to push through on his quest to find a cure for cancer. The act includes fast-tracking drugs that can be used in combination with other drugs. The bill also encourages researchers to share their information.

Several diseases, children were dying within three years," Brenda said. "They don't have the time to wait for the FDA's wait time. They had to fix it and had to change the rules.

When Zach was five years old, a group of parents, including the Haggetts, brought their sick children to the NIH and sat the kids in front of the actual researchers  who normally never saw the sick. This changed their way of thinking. Now, researchers and families are working together to find ways to further research the disease.

But, they needed a natural history of mucolipidosis. For six years, they noted all the changes that were occurring in the children. After this, researchers started studies with zebra fish, which are most like humans, although they didn't have great results. Researchers have just now moved to larger animals, with hope for human trials soon.

As time has gone on, Zach has gotten sick more often. But, he did get better faster this last time as he was on a trial preventive drug.

We are not trying to be know-it-alls, but it is the one thing we know about, as he is our world, Brenda said.

To this end, she was also involved in a book, "Diagnosis: Rare Diseases," by Denise Crompton.

Haggett credits her husband, John, who has had to be the sole provider for their family, for his strength and support, while she has devoted herself to Zach's care.

They both feel pretty much the same about Zach.

He is small but so mighty and a huge blessing," Brenda said.
The upcoming wedding of Kate Middleton's younger sister, Pippa Middleton, is causing quite a stir in the UK as there seems to be a guest list issue that is being brought out of proportion. Local publications have been revealing that Pippa is apparently refusing to invite Prince Harry's Hollywood girlfriend, Meghan Markle.

According to a report from the local gossip publication, the National Enquirer (via Gossip Cop), Pippa reportedly does not want Markle to be present at her wedding as she might essentially upstage her with her presence. Prince Harry is also reportedly fighting back and is adamant to bring Markle to the event despite Pippa's wishes.

Prince Harry reportedly will not attend if he is not going to be allowed to bring Markle with him. The publication further points out that Prince William is siding with his brother on this particular issue, while Kate is sympathetic to the concerns of her sister. The publication further speculates that Prince Harry and Markle's absence may cause a bigger issue that could be a "PR Nightmare."

The report however is citing a source that is close to the royal family, but some of the claims do have some holes in them. Firstly, no one in the royal family has yet to confirm their attendance to the wedding. Secondly, Prince Harry has not yet brought Markle to any family event, which means that it will be highly unlikely that she would bring her to the wedding at all. Thirdly, seeing as that no one in the royal family has yet confirmed their attendance, it would be absurd to claim that Prince Harry and Markle's absence would cause an issue.

It seems likely that the local tabloids are creating an issue out of nothing and majority of their claims could very well be filed under creative fiction as opposed to real news. The National Enquirer has been known to dish out some outlandish claims about the royal family, including its previous report of Kate and Pippa excursion to Las Vegas for her "wild" bachelorette party.
Nat Hentoff, the last honest liberal

By Clay Waters

web posted April 1999

The columnist has championed a woman rejected from law school for being white. He has defended a police chaplain fired for saying "fag," and been shouted down by pro-choice feminists at a pro-life rally. He's quoted approvingly a charter school founder saying that only when racial categorization is stopped can there be "true equal protection of the laws." And he quit the ACLU in protest of their position against revealing the results of HIV tests on newborns. By the way, he's a life-long leftist who has written for the Village Voice since the 1960s.

He's Nat Hentoff. And with virtually every bit of the counter-culture weekly paper now infected with drab politics, the paper is worth reading chiefly for its comprehensive club listings and for Hentoff's column, which consistently flouts his readership's conventions.

Greenwich Villager Hentoff, now 73, was friend of the late Malcolm X, has authored several books on jazz and wrote the liner notes for Bob Dylan's second album. He's a freewheelin' man who has angered about every political faction around, including his own Voice editors. He is no elitist. In the past he's called into a talk show hosted by Oliver North (Rush Limbaugh was the guest) to agree with them on liberal intolerance for free speech. Recently he appeared on Matt Drudge's Fox television show to discuss Clinton's depravity. He's made common cause with the libertarian Cato Institute against the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). "I just want to go where my fans are," he said in a brief phone interview. "I prefer not preaching to the choir."

Hentoff has been set against Clinton ever since the '92 campaign, when the then-Arkansas governor left the campaign trail in New Hampshire to supervise the execution of convicted murderer Ricky Ray Rector, a retarded man who arguably was not responsible for his actions. He condemns Clinton not so much for his sex life (although for an alleged liberal, Hentoff writes rather sympathetically for Paula Jones), but that "Clinton has done more harm to the constitution than any president in American history."

He fumes at liberals for sticking up for a president he considers "a serial violator of our liberties," pointing to the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996, "which so greatly cut down [habeas corpus] that innocent people on death row will be executed for years to come."

In the wake of the Matthew Shepard murder, he refused to join the law-and- order about-face made by liberal activists and instead attacked the resulting proposals of hate-crime legislation as unconstitutional. He's stuck to his civil libertarian principles, even when more and more often he makes points that bring joy to conservatives.

Hentoff's two weekly columns, one in the Voice and one in the Saturday Washington Post, are among the few outlets to take the Kathleen Willey story seriously. Hentoff has also informed his no-doubt seething readership about Clinton's more obscure alleged dalliances, like the former Miss Arkansas Elizabeth Ward Gracen. He devoted an entire column to Juanita Broaddrick weeks before the Wall Street Journal vaulted her 20 year-old allegations of sexual assault by Clinton into the mainstream press. He wrote acidly of a pro-Clinton New York Times piece where the author "ignores the series of women who have been threatened by Clinton and his agents to keep their silence about his exercising his droit du seigneur on their bodies." He has even accused Clinton of committing war crimes, an area of attack from which elected Republicans flinch. "And where were these former anti-Vietnam War protesters when Clinton killed innocent civilians in Iraq as he tried to delay impeachment?"

In other articles, a spiritual side comes through. Hentoff is pro-life, and in 1992 he wrote his most famous apostasy with the left, "Pro-Choice Bigots," for the New Republic. In it he lamented Jesse Jackson's lapsed pro-life stand and ripped into the hypocrisy of a Democratic party that speaks of tolerance but brooks no dissent on the abortion issue. He noted that some Voice colleagues stopped speaking to him after he first came out against "the annual killing of 1.6 million developing human beings." When I referred to him half-jokingly as an atheist Catholic, he replied dryly, "atheist will do."

His most emotionally wrenching column had to do with a related life and death matter. A father who murdered his 12-year-old daughter Tracy had his sentence commuted at the urging of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (a Canadian equivalent of the ACLU). After all, the girl had a severe case of cerebral palsy and suffered acute pain-thus making it a mercy killing.

Hentoff bashes the ACLU for its support of legalizing assisted suicide-"ignoring its effects on the severely disabled for whom that fatal decision would be made." Columns like this show a generosity of spirit often lacking in the "party of compassion." Hentoff told me he considers himself a "lowercase libertarian."

With most self-proclaimed liberals having thrown in with Clinton, he can't call himself a liberal any more. He sounds suspiciously Reaganite when he says, "the Democratic Party has left me." On drug legalization he's to the right of many conservatives of libertarian persuasion, saying, "The drug war in this country is a terrible offense. But legalizing is not as simple as people think."

He is still capable of lapsing into lazy liberal snottiness, as when he sneeringly dismissed House Whip Tom Delay as "a professional exterminator of rodents before he entered public life," a meaningless tidbit that holds a peculiar fascination for liberals. But Hentoff generally strikes a more dour, long-suffering Jimmy Carter-like pose of integrity. If he's not the most easy- going companion, his opinions are innocent of the cardinal sin of the day, hypocrisy.

In response to a column by Anthony Lewis of the New York Times attacking Congressman Bob Barr, Hentoff answered with one praising the oft-maligned Barr's civil liberties record. He pointed out Barr was the sole voice on the House floor to speak out against the Clinton administration plan of "roving wiretaps." Though Barr is accused by Lewis and others of knowingly addressing a racist group (the Council of Conservative Citizens), Hentoff took Barr at his word that he had no knowledge of the group's stand, and suggested he was being attacked by the media for his politics.

When I innocently brought up the "bouquet he had tossed Barr," Hentoff mistakenly though I was being dismissive of his column and scorched me.

"That's a really stupid question, if you don't mind me saying. I've got every liberal complaining about that story .Bob Barr has a very good record on privacy. The ACLU volunteered that information. I later found out, after I wrote the column, that when he was a U.S. attorney in Georgia he prosecuted successfully charges of police brutality and white racist groups."

In the midst of Hentoff's verbal onslaught, I couldn't help smile at the irony of a veteran Village Voice columnist berating me for what he thought was my lack of belief in the honor of...conservative Congressman Bob Barr. When it comes to civil liberties -- everyone's civil liberties -- Nat Hentoff is no atheist.

Clay Waters is associate opinion editor for Bridge News, a financial information company in New York City. He can be reached at cwaters@bridge.com
Stopping life support so natural death can come is a normal part of health care. We all have the right to refuse medical interventions even if it is likely to lead to death. As the great bioethicist Paul Ramsey put it when he led the movement to obtain that right, not forcing tubes and drugs into an unwilling person is to treat the patient as a person.

Moreover, in the 1976 Karen Ann Quinlan case, New Jerseys Supreme Court ruled that removing a respirator at the request of an unconscious patients parents is not killing. It is notable that after her respirator was removed, Quinlan lived another ten years.

As they always do, the euthanasia movement attempted to harness the right to refuse treatment and morph it into a right to be made dead. That gambit was refused unanimously by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1997 (Vacco v Quill). There are factual and moral distinctions between dying after refusing life support  such patients dont always die and the death is natural  and giving a patient poison to make her dead.

Now, Dave Adox, a New Jersey man dying of ALS wants to remove his ventilator so that he can die. Thats his right.

But he wants to do it in a hospital so he can donate his organs. Hospital lawyers are saying no, worried that it might be construed as an assisted suicide. From the MedCity News story:

University Hospital has declined several requests for comment, but Bach said the hospitals attorneys were concerned about liability. The legal issue is: What is euthanasia? Bach explained. Are you killing a patient by taking him off a respirator thats keeping him alive?

But thats a long settled question under the law. It isnt.

The lawyers are clearly squeamish because of the organ donation request. That is the real concern, not that the death would be euthanasia.

They have a point. Adoxs case represents an expansion of what is known as donation after cardiac death (DCD) protocol, during which life support is removed, and then three minutes after death cardiac arrest, death is declared and the organs are procured.

Such protocols are controversial for several reasons too involved to get into here. But if performed properly, they are definitely legal.

When that protocol was first developed, bioethicists promised it would be strictly limited to people with catastrophic brain damage. Of course, such public policy promises are made to be broken, the assurances given merely to convince a wary public to go along. That is why bioethicists promising strict guidelines should never be believed.

The principle should be judged, not the promised strict limitations that soon evaporate. This case represents just such an expansion. But the principle is sound.

I see no reason to preclude Adox from being an organ donor. His disease is at a very advanced stage when refusing life-extending treatment is common and uncontroversial. He has a right to refuse treatment. He is not being killed for organs.

But if he doesnt die after the ventilator is removed, no action should be taken to make his heart stop. That would cross the crucial line into killing for organs, as happens in Belgium and the Netherlands, which would violate the law and crucial moral principles that vital organ donors be dead before their gift of life is received.

Image:  rocketclips  stock.adobe.com.

Cross-posted at The Corner.
The GBP NZD exchange rate continued to see free fall on Monday afternoon despite mixed upside factors to NZD trade.

GBP/NZD trended near its worst-levels since early-November on Monday afternoon despite attempts from the UK government to calm traders Brexit concerns.

However, analysts believe Prime Minister Theresa Mays weekend comments on the Brexit confused investors and left the Pound unappealing.

Over the course of last week the British pound to New Zealand dollar exchange rate fluctuated as sterling's attempts to advance were undermined by market fears over the UK governments handling of Brexit.

The Pound NZ Dollar (GBPNZD) has been met by increased volatility as fresh 'Brexit' warnings collided with upbeat PMI reports throughout UK business sectors

Sterling initially began to rally on Tuesday after an impressive Manufacturing PMI helped the Pound recover from a drop due to thin trading volumes over the New Year period.

However GBP was quickly setback by the sudden resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers, the UKs ambassador to the EU. Rogers shocked investors as he left his post just a few weeks away from when Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to trigger Article 50 and begin formal 'Brexit' negotiations.

Similar attempts to rise following a better than expected Construction PMI were thwarted on Wednesday as the BBC obtained a letter left by Sir Ivan to his colleagues in which he accuses the British government of ignoring his advice and being naive in its expectations for a post 'Brexit' trade deal with the EU.

This was again repeated at the end of the week as despite the UK services PMI reaching a 17-month high and the overall composite PMI reading for the UK jumping from 55.3 to 56.7 the Pound was unable to stabilise at a higher level as a former UK official from Brussels rejected claims that the Britain would be able to pay for access to the single market.

Former UK Official Jonathan Faull said Can you buy access to the single market? It's not something that's on sale in that way. I find that rather extraordinary.

New Zealand Dollar Pressured by fall in Dairy Prices

However, it wasnt smooth sailing for the New Zealand Dollar either this week as the Kiwi was pressured by a fall in whole milk prices in the first Global Dairy Auction of 2017.

Prices for New Zealands largest export fell 3.9% in the latest auction, disappointing investors who forecast that prices would rise again after a 0.5% drop in the previous auction.

Demand for the New Zealand Dollar picked up in the second half of the week however, as a weakened US Dollar (USD) and sudden surge in the Chinese Yuan (RMB) caused an uptick in NZD as market risk appetite improved.

GBP NZD Exchange Rate Forecast: Lift in UK Manufacturing May Bolster Pound

The GBP NZD exchange rate may rally next week following the release of the latest UK Manufacturing report which is expected to show that production returned to growth in November after it slumped -0.4% in October.

However, ongoing concerns over the impact of 'Brexit' in the run up March when negotiations are expected to begin are likely to weigh on the Pound.

Meanwhile a lull in domestic data could hinder the New Zealand Dollar next week as there will be little to drive the Kiwi higher, forcing it to rely upon market sentiment and changes in risk appetite.

In relation to the G10 currencies, the New Zealand dollar is set to remain strong thanks to iron ore and oil prices:

"In G10, only the commodity-based currencies like CAD, AUD, NZD and NOK have a compelling case to resist USD strength based on favourable terms-off-trade shifts, led by higher oil prices but also visible in other areas such as iron ore prices." Credit Suisse
For decades, a corner spot at the mall was a sure path to success for big U.S. department stores such as Macys. Not anymore.

Those stores have been outmaneuvered by online retailers such as Amazon and discount retailers including T.J. Maxx. And now the pace of change is accelerating, transforming the retail industry faster than expected.

The results? A rude awakening for some of the countrys biggest retailers. And for malls, a reshaping that, in many ways, mirrors a growing economic divide.

Macys said recently that it would cut more than 10,000 jobs as part of a previously announced plan to close 100 stores and cut other costs. And the long-struggling Sears Holdings said Thursday that it would close 150 more stores and that it had sold its nearly century-old Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker. They are the latest in a slow bleed of similar announcements in the past two years from rivals including JCPenney.

These changes are happening at a tremendous speed, said Bernard Sosnick, a retail analyst at Madison Global Partners.

Its putting pressure on all stores, best and worst, but the worst just dont have a place in retailing anymore as sales decrease, Sosnick said. Its necessary to sacrifice them, shutter them, to help the others survive and stabilize sales.

The exits highlight the growing dichotomy between Americas highest-end shopping centers, the type with Tesla dealerships and Apple stores, and those on the lower end of the spectrum, which are struggling to fill space and attract national brands. The stores being closed by Sears are not profitable. And Macys CEO Terry Lundgren said many of the stores it was shuttering were no longer robust shopping destinations.

Green Street Advisors, which tracks the mall industry, said in a report last year that more department store closures should ultimately result in a larger number of malls becoming irrelevant retail destinations.

Even among more successful malls, it is clear that department stores are far less important than they once were as they attract fewer people.

While mall owners once relied on four or five department stores to serve as anchor tenants, offering them cheap rent in exchange for reliable foot traffic, they may now simply need one or two department stores and otherwise seek anchors in off-price chains such as T.J. Maxx, restaurants and movie theaters, Green Street Advisors said.

Ten or 15 years ago, if a department store left a mall, it was really a problem for the developer, Les Wexner, longtime CEO of L Brands, which owns Victorias Secret, told analysts and investors in November. Now, many of the developers are trying to buy back the space from the department stores because theyre an economic detriment and they can recycle that space.

The business of department stores has been attacked from all sides in recent years. Online, consumers can purchase directly from brands or on Amazon, which has invested heavily in fashion.

Offline, the chains have had to contend with discount retailers such as TJX, the owner of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods, which compete hard on price and brand names, as well as fast-fashion sellers such as H&M and outlet centers. Department stores also face competition from beauty chains such as Sephora and Ulta.

The new rivalries are particularly painful for those physical stores that fall in between selling heavily discounted goods and luxury products. The competition has really struck at the heart of some of the biggest department stores: Macys made 61 percent of its sales from womens apparel, shoes, cosmetics and accessories in 2015.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Everyone is carving away at different parts of the business, said Liz Dunn, CEO of Talmage Advisors, a retail consulting firm. Its sad that these retailers that have this rent advantage cant seem to make it worth it.

Nowhere is this shift more evident than in apparel. Two years ago, annual sales at TJX eclipsed those of Macys for the first time, as the company drew consumers to its relatively smaller stores with a treasure-hunt-like experience and brand-name discounts. TJX posted $29 billion in sales for the year that ended Jan. 31, 2015, while Macys revenue was $28 billion, a gap that has widened since then.

Some of the money Macys will save with its closures and job cuts will be diverted to its own version of T.J. Maxx, called Macys Backstage, an effort akin to off-price chains such as Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off 5th. Macys, which operated 22 of the Backstage stores at the end of October, said it will open 50 more in the next two years. Many will be within current Macys locations.

Other funds will go toward Macys e-commerce efforts, which have been growing but struggle to make up for the pace at which physical stores have been tailing off  a common story among its rivals. The big chains are also working to make their better-performing locations more appealing. JCPenney recently teamed with InStyle magazine for salons, and Macys has added spa treatments to stores and merchandise from mall chains such as Finish Line, the shoe seller.

Still, the stores remain exposed to changing conditions. The real estate industry ranks malls with letter grades like report cards, assigning A++ to the highest-end locations that make nearly $1,000 in sales per square feet and a C to those that generate one-third or less of that and are at risk of closing.
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Community activists, spiritual leaders and crime experts gathered in Windcrest on Saturday for a town hall forum about gun violence in San Antonio.

Participants broached a variety of topics, including the importance of good parenting, prevalence of poverty, lack of youth activities and job training programs, inadequate gun control laws, poor police-community relations and the role church communities play in combating violence.

We want to address this epidemic thats going on in our community, said Eric Moore, president of the local Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which co-hosted the event with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a grass-roots organization formed in response to the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.

Titled How to Reduce Gun Violence in Our Community, the panel was part of DreamWeek San Antonio, which includes symposiums, film screenings, concerts and art galleries that will be held until Jan. 21. DreamWeek is aimed at promoting an exchange of ideas on criminal justice, education, business and health issues.

The event included remarks from Jerry Pittman, former assistant chief at the San Antonio Police Department; Doshie Piper, assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of the Incarnate Word; Kim Anderson, a local Moms Demand Action leader and executive director of Gifts of Love from Above; Michael Brown, pastor of New Creations Church; and Martin Henderson, executive director of Fatherhood Matters.

The event comes after San Antonio homicides in 2016 spiked to a 21-year high and a 20-year per capita high, making it the deadliest year since 1995 and 1996 respectively.

Moore said the fraternity decided to host the panel after it hosted a similar event last year about police-community relations in San Antonio. There, Moore and his colleagues met organizers from Moms Demand Action. The two organizations decided to combine efforts and co-host a town hall forum about gun violence.

The event began with remarks from Mayor Ivy Taylor, who said gun violence needs to be addressed through broad, community-based initiatives.

There is no one contributor to gun violence, and there is no one solution, she said, adding that she is a big believer in the power of prayer.

Taylor pointed to her Council on Police-Community Relations, which she said is important in preventing gun violence. The council, which is made up of roughly 50 civic, community and spiritual leaders, has resulted in several good, tough, emotional, but productive conversations, she said.

Taylor also said its important to approach gun violence from an innovative approach, such as the ShotSpotter pilot program, which the city launched this year and uses acoustic surveillance to detect and locate gunfire.

Moore, who moderated the event, started the discussion by asking panelists why the black community is disproportionately affected by gun violence. (For example, a San Antonio Express-News overview of Police Department data found that a majority of homicide victims in 2016 were Hispanic and African-American men between 18 and 29. Meanwhile, the city is 7 percent black, according to 2015 estimates from the Census Bureau.)

More Information Mayor Ivy Taylor's Council on Police-Community Relations WHAT: Mayor Ivy Taylor's Council on Police-Community Relations will meet to review the committee structure and discuss criminal justice policies. WHEN: Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. WHERE: Municipal Plaza "B" Room, 114 W. Commerce St. MORE: The general public is invited to share stories, voice concerns and recommend potential solutions. Those interested should sign in between 5:45 and 6:15 p.m. The meeting will also be streamed live at www.sanantonio.gov/TVSA/liveontheweb. See More Collapse

It goes back to slavery, said Piper, the UIW professor.

Piper said its well-documented that violent behavior is learned. The black community has historically had to fight slavery and oppression, and that behavior has been imitated in communities today, creating social norms, she said.

Its almost like survival of the fittest, added Pittman, the former assistant chief.

Throughout the evening, community members whose relatives have been shot and killed took turns sharing their stories.

Marilyn Perez, whose son Ryan was shot and killed in his home on Thanksgiving Day four years ago, said she believes in the Second Amendment but also thinks that there needs to be common-sense regulations on gun purchases.

She said there are times when the agony of losing her son makes it hard to function. Its a heartbreak she hopes no other mom has to face.

On days that are difficult, she says the only thing that keeps her going is caring for and advocating for her grandson, who was 16 months old when his father was killed.

I hope my grandson, when he is older, does not have to worry about someone shooting him in his own home, she said.
Five veterans celebrated their graduation from veterans treatment court Wednesday at the 406th Judicial District Court in Laredo.

They had completed a 13-month program designed to help veterans overcome struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.

Youre changing lives, thats a fact, said Paul Torres, 45, a retired Army first sergeant and the Veterans Treatment Program director in Webb County.

Those admitted to veterans court are required to make regular court appearances, attend treatment sessions and be subjected to substance-abuse testing, according to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Those who complete the program may have their case dismissed, and those who fail may wind up back in criminal court.

The program in Laredo accepts veterans charged with misdemeanors, as well as felonies on a case-by-case basis.

In Bexar County, as in many veterans courts, the program targets veterans with misdemeanors who havent been diagnosed but suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury or other war-related mental health problems.

Counties often turn to veterans courts to save money, as holding people in prison is very expensive. In one study, Cook County in Chicago reported one-year savings of $595,206 through its veterans court.

The veterans court in Laredo was made possible by federal grant money. Around 100 veterans have passed through the program and 45 have graduated since the first group started in January 2015, Torres said.

Veterans courts often boast incredible success rates. The first veterans court in the nation, founded in 2008 by Buffalo City Court Judge Robert Russell, touted a zero percent recidivism rate in its first year.

Critics of veterans courts allege that their high success rates and low recidivism rates are inflated. They say that by cherry picking the cases most receptive to help, and by excluding the most challenging cases, a veterans court could effectively manipulate its success rate.

Veterans in the program often struggle initially, Torres said. Of the five veterans who graduated, one had an emotional relapse and wanted to quit the program. He was able to overcome that. He was able to get back on track and graduate on time, Torres said.

Many of the veterans want another chance to be accountable, he said.

When someone says thank you, not with words but by looking in your eyes, and you know youve made a difference  thats enough to keep me going, Torres said.

Veterans from the first group to graduate from the court donated material from their old uniforms to make a camouflage judges robe, which was worn by 406th District Judge Oscar J. Hale Jr. on Wednesday.

Mark Nagele, one of the veterans who graduated, said he was more emotional than he expected as he gave a speech. Nagele, 60, said he was busted in Laredo and living in a halfway house prior to the program.

Nagele said that in the future he wants to volunteer with the program to help other vets.

If I hadnt been in this program, I would probably still be homeless, if I was still alive or I wasnt locked up, he said.

jlawrence@express-news.net
Manuel Medina, the effusive chairman of the Bexar County Democratic Party, officially entered the race for San Antonio mayor on Saturday touting himself as an advocate for everyday people.

Speaking before a crowd of around 200 who braved a bitterly cold morning at Main Plaza, Medina lambasted Mayor Ivy Taylor as beholden to powerful lobbyists and presiding over one of the most dangerous cities in America, where 151 homicides recorded last year were the highest since 1995, and emergency response times, utility fees and taxes are all on the rise.

We need a vision for today at City Hall. We need transparency and to restore the public trust at City Hall, and you told me that you want a mayor that will focus and prioritize the situation on taxes, public safety and transportation, Medina said.

As we move forward, independent leadership in San Antonio is so important, and I want everyone to know, and I want everyone to hear that I will lead a City Council accountable to taxpayers, he added.

Medina last month took the uncommon step of announcing that hed launched an exploratory committee to determine whether he should, in fact, run for the citys highest office. It was all but certain at that point that hed challenge Taylor and challenger Ron Nirenberg, the District 8 councilman in his second term. He told the San Antonio Express-News at that December press conference that he was loaning his campaign $250,000  more than both Taylor and Nirenberg reported on hand in their July semi-annual campaign finance reports  because he refused to be beholden to any special-interest groups.

On Saturday, Medina reiterated that theme, telling the crowd his campaign would be financially and politically independent. He predicted Taylor would raise $1 million to seek re-election and would owe that amount plus interest in special favors. She epitomizes a play-to-pay culture at City Hall that can best be summarized as candidates get their contributions, special interests get their special favors, and taxpayers get stuck with the bill.

Medina, who has supported liberal Democrats who include former U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, took a conservative tone on taxes, saying he would hold the line. He criticized the mayor and council for failing to lower tax rates in the wake of the Bexar County Appraisal District raising property valuations, and promised to question every single CPS and SAWS rate increase as mayor.

Medina is the second high-profile candidate to challenge Taylor, who is seeking her second full term. The 2017 election will be the first time since the 1990s that an incumbent mayor seeking re-election is challenged by one or more credible candidates.

Nirenberg, who announced in early December that he would challenge Taylor, has been framed by Medina as a centrist, a description that the councilman embraces. Medina has attempted to align Taylor with President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican Party but denies that hes bringing partisanship into the nonpartisan mayoral election. Nirenberg said he believes Medinas decision to run underscores discontent with Taylor, but that voters here arent interested in a hyper-partisan election.

It shows that there is a broad and growing consensus that the current mayor is not getting the job done, Nirenberg said. I think people have had enough hard partisanship. In San Antonio, we have a long history of non-partisan elections for a reason. We elect city leaders as San Antonians, not as Republicans or Democrats. I dont believe voters want or expect a high level of partisanship in city elections and Im confident that when all is said and done people will agree with my vision for the future.

Taylor campaign manager Christian Anderson also accused Medina of infusing partisan politics into the mayoral race.

The mayor knows basic services such as streets, public safety, libraries, and parks are crucial to all San Antonians, not just Democrats or Republicans. Shes kept partisanship out of City Hall. Partisan brawls at City Council would kill the progress weve made in San Antonio over the last several years, Anderson said in a statement. Medina is a political insider looking to divide San Antonians by their party affiliations. He wants to slice up our city into sections, one pitted against another. Hes already labeled the East Side a seat of generational violence.

Hes trying to inject into the mayors race the toxic, bombastic politics thats hurt us at the national level. Hes willing to say anything, regardless of the facts, to try to win support.

Medina and others speaking for him in a rally that ran nearly an hour made no secret of their politics.

Born in Mexico and educated in Los Angeles and Texas, where he earned a masters degree in electrical engineering, Medina vowed to stand for San Antonio values in refusing to cooperate with Republicans in Austin demanding that police in cities around the state question people about their citizenship status. In striking a populist tone with the crowd, Medina also made clear how his campaign would differ from his opponents.

While both Taylor and Nirenberg have longtime political consultants running their campaigns  Anderson and Kelton Morgan, respectively  Medina and his surrogates have said that he will manage his own campaign, a job hes had some familiarity with over his career. Medina spent at least $100,000 of his own money to win an upset election for the unpaid county Democratic Party chairmanship. He previously told the Express-News that hed successfully managed political campaigns for parties and politicians in Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

Beyond bread-and-butter issues like taxes, Medina told the crowd he would address problems that have plagued our community for too long, and theyre going to continue to plague us if we dont address them today  issues like generational poverty on the West Side, institutional violence on the East Side, transportation nightmares on the North Side, and the lack of basic infrastructure on the South Side. Those problems would defy quick, easy fixes, he said, but added that people here do want a mayor that will care enough to identify the indicators, track the progress and make a difference today.

jbaugh@express-news.net

sig@express-news.net

Twitter: @jbaugh

Twitter: @saddamscribe
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Over the years, San Antonio has seen almost every kind of family combination make it to the City Council dais.

We had a father/son combo, in the form of Nelson and Kevin Wolff. We had a husband/wife team, with Henry and Mary Alice Cisneros (who represented District 1 three decades apart). And we had a South Side father/daughter alliance, with Bob Billa and Lynda Billa Burke.

But in this citys modern political era (going back to the 1951 passage of the City Charter), weve never seen two siblings make it to the council.

Joseph Cortez is angling to change that.

Cortez, 33, is the younger brother of state Rep. (and former Councilman) Phil Cortez, and, among other things, is the walking answer to your question about what Phil would look like with a few extra pounds and a pair of wire-rim glasses.

While big brother represented the Southwest Side-based District 4, where he served as Julian Castros most loyal lieutenant, Joseph lives a few miles up the road, in the sprawling District 6.

Cortez spent the past three years serving as a policy and communications adviser for that districts councilman, Ray Lopez, who is term-limited out of office this year after four terms.

Public service is something that I really enjoy doing, Cortez said. I certainly understand the effort it takes, the commitment it takes. Im certainly not in it for personal benefit or to get rich or anything.

Cortezs campaign  which officially launches with a January 14 rally at his districts one-stop senior center  marks the first time that he has stepped out of the political chorus line and assumed a starring role.

He learned the shoe-leather basics while attending UTSA (where he earned degrees in Political Science and History), as a volunteer on Phils 2003 council campaign.

I learned the work it takes, Cortez said. With council, its all about the ground game. Youve got to get out there. Youve got to shake hands, knock on doors, and make yourself known. If you dont have any connection with the community, youre not going to do very well.

Cortezs toughest opponent likely will be Greg Brockhouse, a former adviser to the San Antonio police and fire unions, who gave Lopez a competitive re-election battle (57-38 percent) in 2013.

Brockhouse spearheaded the anti-streetcar petition crusade in 2014 and later fought a SAWS rate hike and a council-pay charter amendment. Hell be running on a basic-services platform, emphasizing public safety, streets and sidewalks.

Cortezs message is less emphatic and more general. He talks about being a consensus builder, nurturing the climate of growth that has brought GM Financial to the far West Side and induced Microsoft to expand its operations in the district.

We have so much growth and development coming, and I want to make sure that we get it done right, Cortez said. We have to foster that environment, that businesses are welcome here and families are certainly welcome here. Making sure we work closely with the schools and that city services are delivered and are exceptional.

Prior to his stint with Lopez, Cortez served as a staffer for District 7 Councilman Cris Medina. Less than a year into his first term, Medina fired Cortez and another staffer, but hired them back a couple of months later.

In 2013, Medina struggled to explain the reason for the firing/rehiring, but said, The people that I have in my office now are direct extensions of me out in the community, and theyre the people I want on my staff.

Cortez said of the firing: I respected his decision. I wasnt going to argue with it or be vindictive or angry. I just knew he wanted to go in a different direction.

Cortez will benefit from the support of another former boss, Lopez, whose wife is serving as Cortezs campaign treasurer.

He is incredibly approachable and open-minded, Lopez said of his former staffer. He is generally to the liberal side of center, but he also has that willingness to listen to all sides and make a decision based on what he thinks is the best way forward. Hes a very easy-going individual.

If theres been a knock on Cortez over the years, its that his easy-going nature extends to his work ethic.

I could see where some might think that, because he is laid-back, Lopez said. But the flip side is that hes very approachable, and if you have a contrary opinion, you dont have to worry that hes going to bite your head off.

ggarcia@express-news.net

Twitter: @gilgamesh470
AUSTIN  Details of how Texas spent a big chunk of $2.5 million of taxpayer money for a voter ID education campaign during last November's election will remain secret.

Attorney General Ken Paxton's Office has ruled that the Texas secretary of state's office can withhold records from the public showing where the state bought television and radio ads to promote court-ordered changes to a controversial voter ID law. The ruling also allows for the names of an estimated 1,800 community groups that partnered with the state on the education campaign to remain hidden from public view.

A voter ID lawsuit has been winding through the courts since 2013, and the U.S. Supreme Court could decide as soon as this week whether it will hear an appeal from Texas. The law was weakened for the November election by a federal judge, who also ordered the state to conduct a robust education effort, after it was found to discriminate against minorities.

For months, however, the Texas secretary of state's office has declined to provide details of ad buys and market placement for the outreach campaign and which organizations the state distributed education materials to spread the word at a local level.

In August, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos sealed records detailing proposed media markets and community groups for the voter ID education campaign. At the time, Texas argued in a court filing the materials contained "proprietary" and "confidential" information provided by public relations giant Burson-Marsteller, which designed the state's voter education campaign.

Since then, the secretary of state's office has used the court's seal to deflect questions about where and how public money was used on ad buys and community engagement.

The San Antonio Express-News has pursued details through the Texas Public Information Act, but Paxton's office recently ruled that a "pending litigation" exemption in the open records law applied to the documents.

Texas has released publicly only select information on voter education spending. In a court document, the state said it intended to spend around $1.3 million on an advertising campaign. Another $179,000 was projected for community engagement, which entailed distributing "digital tool kits" to an estimated 1,800 unnamed organizations around the state.

The decision from the attorney general's office, however, leaves taxpayers in the dark on how important components of the voter education campaign were executed, including the biggest expenditure in the plan: paid media.

State Rep. Armando Walle, a Houston Democrat and vice chairman of the House Government Transparency and Operation Committee, said the secrecy surrounding the spending of public money to educate voters is troubling.

"When you're talking about educating voters it behooves those in power to be transparent," said Walle.

One lawmaker, state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, has been given access to details about the voter education campaign, but he was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement preventing him from discussing the records.

'Pending litigation'

Open records experts have said the exemption allowing state agencies to withhold information related to pending litigation is an effective tool to avoid releasing documents because it is so broad. A Hearst Newspaper lawyer argued in a brief to the attorney general's office that the state failed to meet its burden to withhold the records under the exemption.

The attorney general's office noted in its ruling that the exemption no longer applies "once the information has been obtained by all parties to the pending litigation through discovery or otherwise."

Chad Dunn, a lead lawyer for the plaintiffs suing the state in the voter ID case, said attorneys "received some limited information about the content of political advertising and communication with citizen groups." But he declined to comment further, citing the court's seal. Several other lawyers in the case did not return requests for comment.

In a brief, the secretary of state's office told the attorney general's office that the documents had not been shared during discovery.

Charles Daughtry, a First Amendment lawyer and former board member of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, said the attorney general's office gives deference to state agencies in these situations.

"It's really hard to overcome. Unless you can prove in a case that the documents have already been disclosed that exemption wins almost every time," he said. "In most litigation, lawyers typically don't want to talk to you about that stuff on the record."

'Astronomical'

In a separate open records ruling, the attorney general's office ruled that the secretary of state had to release records detailing television and radio ad spending, along with market placement, for a voter ID outreach effort in 2014, the first statewide election cycle in which the law used. That outreach campaign was also led by Burson Marsteller.

In 2014, Texas spent $2 million on voter education. Of that, according to a document released by the secretary of state, Texas spent about $644,000 total on radio and television for the primaries and general election -- a fraction of what is needed to promulgate a message statewide. Major political campaigns can spend more than $1 million a week to saturate Texas television airwaves with ads.

State Rep. Justin Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, asked the secretary of state for a breakdown of how voter education money was spent during the 2014 cycle after an academic study determined the photo ID law depressed turnout in that election.

Rodriguez received an assortment of documents and a letter from then-Secretary of State Carlos Cascos saying the voter education campaign was "seen or heard and estimated 832 million times."

The response, Rodriguez said, was a "little bit light on details" and the number used to quantify the outreach effort's success seemed "astronomical."

"That sounds like a figure picked out of the air," Rodriguez said of the estimate that the voter education campaign was seen or heard 832 million times. "I know there's some science behind it. But it's all marketing and communications nerd speak."

Alicia Pierce, spokeswoman for the secretary of state's office, said the figure her agency provided relied on an industry standard methodology.

"We didn't receive any other questions From Representative Rodriguez's office," she said. "We're always happy to answer questions from legislators."
Three passionate, aspiring dairy enthusiasts have made it into the final selection for the Holstein Young Breeders (HYB) Presidents Medal.

Holstein UK has announced the finalists as Andrew Patton of Northern Ireland, Mark Robinson from Cheshire and Andrew Patterson of Shropshire.

Judging took place prior to AgriScot on the 14th November and now these top three candidates are invited to attend the Semex Conference from Sunday 15th to Tuesday 17th January 2017 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow, where the overall winner will be crowned.

The President's Medal is awarded to a HYB member who has made an outstanding contribution to the breed, Holstein Young Breeders and their own club.

The ultimate winner of this most coveted and prestigious title will receive an engraved President's Medal from the Holstein UK President, alongside a visit to the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto in November 2017, courtesy of Semex.

Each of the three finalists will also receive a memento to commemorate their achievement.

The entry process began with each HYB Club being asked to nominate one young breeder aged between 18 and 26 years of age. Six young breeders were shortlisted for interview with the panel of judges, Sue Cope (Managing Director of CIS), David Tomlinson (Holstein UK President) and Peter Arthur (Semex Marketing Manager) at AgriScot in Edinburgh before the final three were selected.

Miriam Howarth, National HYB Coordinator for Holstein UK, commented: The wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for the dairy industry that was received in the Presidents Medal entries has been formidable  and quite clearly showing that the future is bright for our industry.

The three finalists have shown outstanding commitment to HYB  actively shaping and driving the success of the clubs that they are involved in. Andrew, Mark and Andrew are leading stars for British farming and were delighted to be crowning one of them as overall winner at the Semex Conference this January.

Meet the finalists

Andrew Patton, County Down, Northern Ireland

25 year old Andrew Patton of County Down, Northern Ireland, has been farming at his family farm full time for the last 4 years  before this he completed an Agricultural Technology Degree at Queens University Belfast.

Farming has been a passion of Andrews since he was a young boy; more recently Andrew has developed an interest towards breeding and genomics, as well as competing both locally and nationally in cattle showing competitions.

Currently Andrew is the Club Secretary and has organised 2 embryo sales and took a major role in the 2015 and 2016 calf shows. As one of the more senior members of the club Andrew is a very committed and driven member. Most recently Andrew won the HYB Australian Exchange programme and heads to Australia this January.

Mark Robinson, Cheshire

Mark farms at his family farm in Nantwich, Cheshire. In 2004 the family were milking 350 commercial cows when they decided to take on the neighbouring farm and their cows which were the pedigree registered Brindley Herd.

For Mark this sparked his interest towards pedigree Holsteins. After completing a National Diploma in Agriculture at Reaseheath College, Mark returned to run one of the herds, with the support of this father. In 2012 the two farms amalgamated to drive efficiency and output, with large investment made in a new milking parlour.

Milking changed to three times a day with yields increasing from under 10,000L/ year to 11,500L/ year in just a four-year period. This year Mark has achieved Reserve Junior Champion at UK Dairy Day, gained Champion Cow at Cheshire Show and elected as member of the Western Holstein Club Committee.

Andrew Patterson, Shropshire

Andrew grew up on a dairy farm in Northern Ireland but for the last two years has been a valuable member of the Shropshire HYB Club. After graduating from Harper Adams University in 2015, Andrew started his full-time job as Assistant Herd Manager at Wyndford Holsteins, Shropshire.

While his attention is in Shropshire, Andrew does still have an active contrition in breeding and management decisions at the home farm in Northern Ireland. Andrew has been an active member of HYB since the age of 10. During this time he has received countless awards for his showmanship, clipping and stock-judging skills.

At national level Andrew is a front-running HYB member and he has huge scope to be an influential opinion leader in the wider dairy industry. Andrew has a well-rounded and realistic view of commercial dairying and appreciates that pedigree must be profitable.
Northern Irelands agri-food industry will embrace the 'unprecedented and exciting' opportunities offered by the United Kingdom, the Government has said.

That was the key message from Northern Ireland's Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen when she addressed the Oxford Farming Conference this week.

Northern Ireland's long term aim is to promote a sustainable, competitive, high performing, knowledge-based agri-food sector that is' prosperous and compliant.'

Miss McIlveen said: That means it will be more resilient to shocks and challenges, have high standards of animal health and welfare, deliver for the environment and have increased market access.

Brexit represents an unprecedented and exciting opportunity for Northern Ireland. We are, undoubtedly, in unchartered waters but this provide us with significant opportunities such: as the ability to develop a future agricultural policy framework better suited to local needs, one that will provide for and secure long term sustainability; the opportunity to remove the unnecessary bureaucracy associated with current arrangements and the option to look at a different type of agricultural policy which will provide the necessary incentives for our farmers.

It is quite clear that we are not going to have a system like the one we currently have. But why copy a system heavy on regulations and penalties that is not working for many farmers. Leaving the EU creates the opportunity to develop something different.

'Promote and protect'

Miss McIlveen made it clear that she will work diligently to promote and protect the needs of agriculture in Northern Ireland.

She continued: As a region, Northern Ireland will look for some type of flexibility because as a region, we are unique. Our agri-food sector is much more important to the local economy than is the case in the other parts of the United Kingdom. Future trade and support arrangements will be vital to the future prospects of our industry.

The Minister, who joined a panel discussion with political representatives from the Scottish and Welsh Governments as well as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told delegates that any change in support mechanisms would need to involve a period of transition but added that both she and the Executive remain committed to getting the best deal for Northern Ireland.

I have met with virtually every stakeholder from the agri-food, rural development, fisheries and environment sectors in Northern Ireland and set up the joint Brexit Consultative Committee with the Economy Minister Simon Hamilton to maintain constant communication.

The Northern Ireland Executive will play its part to ensure we get the best possible deal for local agri-food sector, farmers, producers, processors and fishermen. I want to see a farming industry that is innovative, competitive, profitable and resilient, she concluded.
Pitts: Before voting, take a look at your sample ballot in Cumberland County and NC
The biggest win for Udta Punjab, 2016's most controversy-mired film (arguably), was that you're never told Alia Bhatt's character name. She's called Mary Jane through the film, and it made me wonder if she was the human personification of marijuana. Think about it.

At the end of the film, she's finally free; after being a Bihari migrant labourer, a sex slave, and an unwitting drug addict, she's finally herself. In a film about drugs, I can't think of another comparison.

You're probably thinking that's way too much over-thinking for one character. Well, that's the beauty of Udta Punjab. You can decipher pretty much any take-away from the film to suit your reading of it. You can walk away thinking this is Tommy Singh's journey where he happens to meet Mary Jane. Or this could be Preet Sahni (Kareena)'s story; of how drugs can only lead to a psychological downfall. This could also be read as a moral tale on what intoxicants can do to your family, from Sartaj Singh (Diljit)'s perspective.

It's all different piece to one cinematic puzzle; putting it together is on you. These kind of films are the best, because it give the audience the space to create their own stories, where the champions are the characters, and not stars.

2016, for me then, was the year of characters. It was a year which we will remember for the kind of people it introduced us to on celluloid, and even web series (a growing market for great stories).

A stark contrast to Alia Bhatt's character in Udta Punjab is Alizeh from Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. She is the typical muse; the person around whom a whole narrative is based. If "Mary Jane" from Udta Punjab is the abstract representation or a small piece of a whole person, Alizeh is the mainstream character, the totem around which the plot revolves.

While Ae Dil Hai Mushkil clearly belonged to Ayan (Ranbir) and his journey of love, there would be no journey with Alizeh and Saba (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, playing the token older woman but without any judgment). There's even a song dedicated to Alizeh in the soundtrack. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is one of those few films which  though dramatically and in a somewhat cliched manner  gives every character their own path and voice. Even if it's Lisa D'Souza (played by Haydon), or Alizeh's boring doctor "boyfriend".

---

At the helm of the celebration of characters in 2016 is Mallika Dua. She started as an internet sensation with her 'Make-up didi' instagram videos, and followed with many skits in All India Bakchod videos, the famous sarojini satire by A Little Anarky Films, and more recently in Bindaas' web series The Trip. Suffice it to say that she is many different people at once.

"I feel odd being myself, but I take refuge in acting. I've always had a knack for impersonations," she tells me over the phone, as we talk about how 2016 was an impressive year to be a "character actor".

"I don't like that tag very much," she's quick to say, adding, "but the West has a very huge part of play in our acceptance of different types of roles." I nod my head and remember how we now have a culture of binge watching shows like Saturday Night Live, Key and Peele, how Comedy Central is changing how we consume comedy, and how the lines between stars, actors and other such labels in blurring. Infact, Amy Schumer even had her own movie, Trainwreck.

Things are looking good, we both agree.

"This has been a year of good writers, and therefore a year of good characters. While shooting for The Trip, we hardly got any time to rehearse. In fact, I met all my costars only twice before shooting," informs Dua. I tell her that it looks like the four girls (Shweta Tripathi, Lisa Haydon, Sapna Pabbi and her) are thick friends. She laughs and agrees.

The unconventional has triumphed in Bollywood this year, too. Shoumie Mukherjee, who works at Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company, sheds some light on this.

"This is a great time for the casting department. 2016, cinema wise; was different from 2015. I think this year really surprised me when films with big stars didn't do very well business wise, while on paper the films looked like sure shot success (like Mohenjo Daro, Rocky Handsome, Rock On 2, Force 2, Fitoor etc). Meanwhile, films that were content driven worked - like Neerja, Udta Punjab, Pink etc. What I understood of this is that, gradually the audience is getting to a point where they want to watch a film that engages them. They cannot be driven to the theaters by marketing or trends," she tells me as we discuss Bollywood in 2016.

I'm curious to know what the process of a casting department is. They've clearly done a stellar job this year, with so many characters to love. Mukherjee sheds light on the films she has worked on.

"The process is generally to understand the character and then find an actor to fill the shoes. For example, while casting for Nil Battey Sannata, the day we met Ria (Shukla), we knew she will be able to do justice to the character of Apeksha. But with Dangal, there were many factors to look into for the part of Geeta and Babita. There were physical tests and what not. We just didn't need good actors, it was much more than that. I guess that intuition of understanding what would seamlessly fit into the universe of the film is what is the Casting Department's job," she says.

Mukherjee's favourite character from this year is Sunita Kapoor (Ratna Pathak's character in Kapoor & Sons).

--

For those of you whose attention span is fickle, this year had some stellar web series too. Permanent Roomates season two, Ladies Room, Better Life Foundation and my personal favourite, Baked season two. I'll tell you why.

Here's a show that can be described in one compact sentence: three Delhi University stoners boys try to sustain a midnight food delivery service while going through the challenges of college.

And that's exactly what season one is. A funny, charming show about Delhi University. However, season two brings in much nuance, and definitely loses its centre of gravity in a good way. You won't be able to tell which character's arc is the central plot of the show: Is it Tara (Kriti Vij) and Harris (Pranay Manchanda)' love story? Is it Oni (Shantanu Anam)'s exploration of his sexual orientation? Is it Body (Manik Papneja)'s story of growing up? Or is it all of those things?

Shantanu Anam tells me more about his show Baked. "In the first season, we would pull each other's legs  I would say 'hero main hoon' whereas, Manik would say, 'I'm the good looks'. But the truth is, and I believe this, you can find 80 % of a character in your personality. If your character is gay, you don't necessarily have to do the hand-gesture. It's all about finding it within yourself. It's the primary thing I learnt while studying to be an actor (Anam went to the Lee Strasberg Institute)."

Infact, he goes on to break a lot of moulds I formed in my head while watching the show.

"I'm really the only "pothead" in the film. It's something that was clearly established in the first season. There isn't really a purpose to everything I say. Also I'm supposed to be this know-it-all guy. But season two was a tad more fluid," he says.

Baked doesn't reveal that Oni is gay until midway through the second season even thought they've always known.

Infact, when the show was being conceptualised, someone told him, "Shantanu, tujhe Jonah Hill banake chhodenge (we'll make you into the next Jonah Hill)."

The very fact that the comparative actor was Jonah Hill (and not Tom Cruise or Leo) is a definite victory. The Jonah Hills of the world are far more fun, don't you think?
Om Puri had mentioned that he gave all the credit of his entry into film life to me. He had said that it was because of my success that people like him and Naseeruddin Shah could even dream of entering into films, doing good roles and being established. I dont know how much of it was true but if at all it is to be considered, I would say that if I represented the aam aadmi, it was the urban aam aadmi. Om brought in the rural aam aadmi into mainstream cinema and Bollywood. He further took it to international cinema. His long journey reflects his acting powers and brilliant career.

I want to correct the impression that he started his career from FTII. Before that, he graduated from the National School of Drama. In fact, my first meeting which I remember with Om was when we were both participating in a theatre festival in Kolkata. I had seen his performance in Udhavas dharamashala. This was a Marathi play which was being performed in Hindi and I knew that play very well. So, when I saw his interpretation and his performance in that play, I was completely bowled over and our friendship and association began from that day. So, his career had started from theatre. And his roots were always in theatre. He eventually went into films, then grew on an international level. But I think more than Ghashiram Kothwal, I would point out Udhavas dharmashala. In his acting career, Aakrosh was brilliant and in Mrinal Sen films, he was absolutely outstanding.

But I admire Om for his completely different portrayal in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and his role in Chachi 420 is very unlike his personality. He came up with such beautiful performances in comedy that one could see what tremendous range this actor had. Irrespective of the kind of role or the frame of the role he was given, he would still come across with flying colours. I think of the hard work which he had shown in the National School of Drama, in FTII and in his entire career. He could hardly speak English when he started his career but went on to act in Hollywood films, speaking in perfectly good English without getting brought down by this kind of handicap. This just shows his strength, his capacity, his hard work and his growth.

We did a film four or five years back and I made a film called Dhamkatha. It was a movie for children in which Om had played the lead role of a lovable grandfather. Again, we had some memorable moments during that period. We worked very hard during the day. And then, after a hard day's work was over, we would sit down, chat, have a drink and discuss a lot of things over that drink. During that discussion, Om did not just talk about films. He was capable of talking about his point of view, his opinion on politics and his comment on social issues. This side of his personality was very fascinating. Therefore, we could connect a lot more and it was a very beautiful association, although we did not meet regularly.

I don't remember meeting Om on a regular basis. But whenever we bumped into each other, we would mostly be shooting in a studio for different films. He would be shooting his film, I'd be shooting mine. We would be there, then we'd sit down and have lunch together, or we would bump into each other at a film function or a party. Even though there was a long gap between each time we met, there was never a feeling that it was after any gap. It was always with a kind of warmth and the feeling that we just met yesterday. And he always had respect, so our friendship was a very beautiful relationship.

Today is not the day to talk about controversy. But I don't think people have an appropriate view about actors. I just saw yesterday that Akshay Kumar came out and commented on the Bengaluru incident. Why do people think that actors can't do it? Anchors have always done it, actors have done it in the past when they felt that there was something wrong happening in our country. I think it is just the media's perception that actors are only entertainers and they need not talk about any other issue, neither political nor social. But Nana Patekar has been doing such a brilliant work for farmers.

I have said that some actors don't hesitate to come out and make a statement. Om was one of them. And therefore, we belong to the same gharana.
Canadian-Pakistani punk rock artiste Urvah Khan, as press coverage on her will tell you, is "pushing the new frontier of punk from Toronto to Pakistan". But that isn't the only frontier she's pushing. A fiercely individualistic performer, Urvah is also shaking up gender and culture-based expectations in the country of her origin, where she returned last year to put together a band called 'The Scrap Army' (named after Urvah's brand of music, 'scrap', built from the 'scraps of rock'). While her music has been featured on BBC Radio and the Winter X Games, January 2017 will mark her first-ever live performance in Pakistan. In an interview with Firstpost, Urvah talked about her life, and music. Edited excerpts:

Your first performance in Pakistan is coming up on 14 January. It mustve been quite a rollercoaster ride since November 2016, when you got The Scrap Army together. What has the process been like?

Yes, a rollercoaster of a ride is the best way to phrase it I returned to Pakistan for three weeks in April of 2016 after many years to visit family; at which point I noticed a female punk act like me didn't exist in this industry. So I returned to Canada and put a plan together to audition Pakistani talents for a local live line-up named 'The Scrap Army'. I traveled between Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, networking and connecting with likeminded people.

It was scary at times, being in a country all alone but I am proud that I didn't give up, although it got difficult at many times. I have been in Pakistan since September of 2016 and we finally have this debut show lined up on 14 January at The Base Rock Cafe in Karachi. My band members are awesome, dedicated and professional to the bone. We look forward to throwing an entertaining energetic set and showing Karachi how far a Pakistani woman can go when she is truly free.

You were born in Karachi, but raised in the UAE until you turned 12, and then moved to Toronto. What about your life in these places influenced you to become the individual that you are today?

I always felt different was never a popular kid or someone who fit in. Growing up in Abu Dhabi, I never questioned what I was told or never attempted to break out of the box  but then again, I was really young and busy just trying to lead a 'normal' life. My upbringing even in the UAE was in a Pakistani Muslim household. Once I got to Canada, it was a huge culture shock for me  why? Because freedom was in the air! I tried to fit in, tried to make friends, but I was at an age where it was difficult because I came from an eastern background. I was an outsider, a foreigner who spoke with an accent  and weird!

Anyway, I spent years after that defying what I was born into; I spent years finding myself and making a life that worked for me. About seven years ago, rock music found me It found me at a stage where I was depressed, lost and didn't know what my purpose in life was. And today I found my purpose, I found my place in this world. I am Urvah Khan, a scrappy lil brown girl with lots to say.

Did you ever take music lessons growing up? Were you taught to play any instruments?

Nope, I was never into making music or learning (it) growing up. The options put on the plate for me career wise were doctor, engineer or lawyer. But the past seven years of being a performing and recording artist have been my learning playground. I am blessed to have some of the best musicians in the world mentoring me, who have been a part of my project since day one in Toronto. They have taught me so much and in the past couple of years I have started taking vocal lessons so I can keep learning and growing as a musician. I play keyboards and stuff here and there, would love to play the guitar live one day, but for now my main instrument is my vocals.

What was the music you heard in your early years? What would your parents play at home, and when you began to develop your musical tastes, what kind of music did you start by seeking out?

My parents played a lot of Indian and Pakistani music at home. My mom would always be playing songs while she was cooking So a lot of black and white classic film music comes to mind when I look back on those days. My dad was into Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, I would say he was kind of like the 'Top 40' listener. As a music listener, being a young girl the first act I really liked were  the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys! [laughs] I have since a young age also been a huge fan of AR Rahman, I remember watching movies he would compose music for just because of him and watch the dubs in other languages to hear his music. A band called Junoon from Pakistan is my favorite rock act from the subcontinent. Once I got to Canada, I got busy with life... withdrew from music, but was into rap and hip hop  Eminem is my rap god  (before) and eventually finding myself in Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Rage Against The Machine, to name a few, as a rocker.

What drew you to rock as a genre?

I started off as a rapper in 2009. I did a few gigs alone and then with a DJ. I had a lot of energy live and sometimes the electronic music couldn't keep up with it. I was meanwhile also working with various producers, trying to compose an original sound, during which time I met my Canadian guitarist/ producer Ruben Huizenga. He was impressed by my aggressive energy and believed it was a perfect match for rock music. So our journey began together in early 2010. Since then I have been a student and lover of rock-n-roll. (I) spent uncountable hours making our hybrid version of rock  scrap  studying bands, researching their sounds and learning to grow not just as a musician but also as a person.

From 2013 onwards, you've spent a lot more time discovering the musical traditions of Pakistan, and you took Urdu lessons as well as classical music lessons... What was the 'trigger' to revisit and rediscover the music of Pakistan?

In 2013, my band members and I took a small break as things were moving too fast and were hard to control. I was emotionally in a real bad state constantly arguing, being depressed, and just unable to focus and continue in a positive manner. During that break, I felt alone and didn't know who I was. While I had found myself in rock music, I had also lost my self in it. It became an addiction where I constantly needed that high... and if I didn't get that high, no one was at peace [laughs]. I decided to go back to where it all started, and as a musician I thought the best place to find myself culturally would be via classical Urdu/Hindi vocal training. And after taking these lessons for almost about three years, I was ready to return to Pakistan and see how I could contribute. And being the 'ONLY' woman doing what I do, I'm in a league of my own. So its my rules, my way!

You ran away from home just before you turned 16, and then it was the next seven years that were crucial in helping you find your identity as a musician... Please tell us about this time in your life.

As I mentioned earlier, I always felt different inside. I had trouble fitting in. When I moved to Canada with my family, things became even more complicated. I saw the freedom Canada had to offer and didn't want to live within the boundaries of culture and traditions, which I was born into. So, a naive little girl ran away from home, thinking she would figure everything out. And she dealt with tough times, teenage depression, being homeless, giving in to the street life and abusing substances to fill in the pain. And eventually, in a spur-of-the-moment decision, I got into music. The life I lived armed (me) with content to write, rap and sing about. The difficulties I faced being an outsider everywhere and being so crazy gave me what I needed to take command on stage. It's almost like the years I spent on the streets were building and gearing me to become the 'Urvah Khan' I am today.

An aspect of your appearance that gets commented on a lot is your tattoos  apart from the Mohawk and the piercings! Which of your tattoos is the most meaningful to you?

I love tats man! I feel that as an artist, my body is also my canvas where I ink memories and symbols of things that matter. My favourites keep changing depending on my mood. But I recently got a crescent and star tattooed on my left hand as a tribute to Pakistan. So every time you see that horn sign going up in the air you see a piece of Pakistan as well. My second favourite would be a henna or mehendi design I have on my right hand. It constantly keeps me in check and reminds of how brown I am!

Would you say you're a nonconformist?

No, I would say I'm more like a pack dog. Give me a reasonable person with a valid vision and I will support (them).

You said in a previous interview that you think of rock as being the voice of oppressed people...and that rock was (dying) because no one had anything left to say anymore. Do you think that's really true of us as a generation?

Nope, that statement was in regards to rock and roll as a movement and a liberation front. We can never blame the listeners because it is our duty as artists and musicians to be relevant and to speak out. Rock and roll was invented by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a lesbian African American slave. Rock n Roll legends like Chuck Berry and Little Richard have credited her as the inspiration that created this sound and that we today so are in love with. Since then rock has evolved plenty of times, with generations of youngsters rebelling with something to say, a call for change, a call for freedom and equality. So here I am, using the same epic, historically proven rock sound to create an army of likeminded individuals in Pakistan, who would join me and in the name of rock, get scrappy.

How do you see your role as a musician in society? Do you think about what your legacy will be, as an artiste?

I'm far from perfect. I screw up, lose my cool, say things I feel bad about. But I try my best to be honest to my faults, apologise and move on, learning from the experience. As a punk musician, I have one role in society: to cause a ruckus! [laughs] I will speak of issues that I find need to be spoken of. I will dress, walk, dance the way I want to... I will be free and hopefully that will be inspiration for a few if not more. As far as legacy (is concerned), it's already written... I'm just playing my role.

What have your impressions of Pakistan been over the past year, and how have people responded to you?

I returned for the first time in April of 2016 for three weeks, and then again in September till now. I have used Facebook as a platform to pitch my music to a Pakistani audience and due to the diversity of this project it has generated a larger than expected buzz. People are awesome everywhere and not so awesome everywhere as well. So I am grateful for the love and support this country has offered me. And obviously, if you are a woman who hails from India or Pakistan, you know it's going to be difficult. You know that our culture has envisioned women to live a certain way and when you cross those lines, there's going to be anger. But youve just got to remain focused, enjoy the ride and do it for your supporters.

Are you conscious of any pressure to kind of live up to some exemplary standards as one of the rare female punk rock artistes in South Asia?

More than pressures, there are assumptions. One I constantly deal with is being told that 'I'll go to hell' or I am an 'Illuminati' worker. There is no excuse for hard work, consistency and dedication. And if I am a rare female punk artiste in South Asia, let's get together and change that. Viola Davis, one of my favourite actresses, once said; "The only thing holding back a woman of colour from achieving greatness is opportunity". So the only pressure I am willing to deal with is creating that opportunity for more brown girls to get involved in rock music.

What are the projects you're currently working on, and are there any artistic collaborations on your wishlist?

After the 14 January show, I am returning to Canada. I need to re-charge, re-group, save money, make a new record which showcases the inspiration I have drawn from Pakistan. I will return again in the fall of 2017 with a new string of shows in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi. A new album to promote, I'm excited to see what I come up with because the past 10 months of my life and pitching my music to a Pak audience has changed me in many ways. Apart from that, I pray that the political situation between India and Pakistan can find a way to heal our relationship. I am a huge fan of the Indian music scene and would love to showcase my music to an Indian crowd. Artistic collaborations? Most of my idols from the western world are retired or dead! So nothing on the radar  unless AR Rahman decides to give me a call!
HELSINKI HMD Global, the Finnish company that owns the rights to use Nokia's brand on mobile phones, announced on Sunday its first smartphone, targeted for Chinese users with a price of 1,699 yuan ($246).The launch marks the first new smartphone carrying the iconic handset name since 2014 when Nokia Oyj chose to sell its entire handset unit to Microsoft.The new device, Nokia 6, runs on Google's Android platform and is manufactured by Foxconn. It will be sold exclusively in China through online retailer JD.com, HMD said."The decision by HMD to launch its first Android smartphone into China is a reflection of the desire to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world... it is a strategically important market," HMD said in a statement.Nokia was once the world's dominant cellphone maker but missed the shift to smartphones, and then chose Microsoft's Windows operating system for its "Lumia" range.

After the 2014 deal, Microsoft continued selling cheaper basic phones under Nokia's name and Lumia smartphones under its own name, but last year, it largely abandoned both businesses.HMD in December took over the Nokia feature phones business and struck a licensing deal that gave it sole use of the Nokia brand on all phones and tablets for the next decade.

It will pay Nokia royalties for the brand and patents, but Nokia has no direct investment in HMD. Nokia Oyj is currently focused on telecom network equipment business and technology patents.HMD CEO Arto Nummela, who was once responsible for Nokia's sales and product development, told Reuters last month that HMD aims to be one of the key competitive players in the smartphone business where it faces tough competition from Apple, Samsung and dozens of other players.

HMD launched some new Nokia basic phones last month. It said on Sunday it was looking to launch more new products in the first half of the year.($1 = 6.9176 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl and Eric Auchard)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
MUMBAI A parliamentary committee, probing the government's decision to scrap high-value bank notes, has sent the country's central bank governor a list of questions on the demonetisation process and asked him to appear before it on Jan. 20.The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has asked the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Urjit Patel, to explain how the decision for demonetisation was taken and for details on its impact on the country's economy, PAC Chairman K.V. Thomas, also a senior member of the opposition Congress party, told Reuters.Patel, under fire from some politicians over shortages of replacement currency and restrictions on depositing old notes that have caused long queues at banks and ATMs, is already set to testify before another parliamentary committee. Last month, the RBI unexpectedly kept its key policy rate unchanged at 6.25 percent, despite calls for action in the face of an intense cash shortage that threatens to slam the brakes on the world's fastest-growing large economy. The bank was widely expected to cut the rate by at least 25 bps. Pressure on the central bank and Patel has grown since Prime Minister Narendra Modi stunned the country on Nov. 8 by abolishing 500- and 1,000-rupee ($7.34-$14.69) notes, removing 86 percent of the currency in circulation in a bid to crack down on the "shadow economy".

The PAC has asked Patel to provide details on the value of currency that has been returned to the bank, the quantity of "black money" it has received and the amount of new currency released so far, Thomas said.Thomas added that the governor has also been asked about the country's preparedness to handle cashless transactions.

"We had decided to call the RBI governor sometime in December but because the prime minister had asked for 50 days, we decided to postpone it to sometime January," Thomas told Reuters. "We did not want to give it a political colour."Apart from Patel, the PAC has also called other finance ministry officials, including the revenue secretary and finance secretary, Thomas said.

($1 = 68.0900 rupees)(Reporting by Nigam Prusty in New Delhi and Abhirup Roy in Mumbai; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has sent a notice to Chhattisgarh government over alleged rape, sexual and physical assault of 16 women by the state police personnel, and observed the government is "vicariously liable" for it.

The Commission, in a statement also said that it awaits the recorded statement of about "20 other victims". "The NHRC has found 16 women, prima facie, victims of rape, sexual and physical assault by the state police personnel in Chhattisgarh," it said. The Commission has issued the notice to the "government through its Chief Secretary, to show cause why it should not recommend interim monetary relief of Rs 37 lakh to them.

"This includes, Rs 3 lakh each to eight victims of rape, Rs 2 lakh each to six victims of sexual assault and Rs 50,000 each to two victims of physical assault." The NHRC has observed it is of the view that prima-facie, human rights of the victims have been "grossly violated" by the security personnel for which Chattisgarh government is "vicariously liable". It also found that the grave allegations of "physical as well as rape/sexual assault committed by security personnel of government of Chhattisgarh, made in the FIRs, were reiterated before the NHRC Team, which conducted spot investigation before the magistrate."

The Commission said that after careful consideration of the material on record, it found that there are in "total 34 victims mentioned in police complaints." "The material includes copies of statement of victims recorded by the NHRC Team as well as those recorded u/s 164 CrPC in case FIR No. 22/15, FIR No. 2/16 and FIR No. 3/16 in respect of 15 victims, sent by the IGP, Police Headquarters, Raipur vide letter dated November 12, 2016," the NHRC said in the statement. The Commission has also noted that the NHRC Team "could record the statements of only 14 victims out of the 34 victims mentioned in the FIRs. Thus, statements of 20 victims are yet to be recorded by it."

"The statements u/s 164 CrPC have been recorded by the magistrate only in respect of 15 victims. Thus, statements of 19 more victims are yet to be recorded. "Almost all the victims in these incidents, covered under the three FIRs, are tribals. However, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has not been invoked in any of the cases. As a result of this, the due monetary relief under the SC/ST (PoA) Act has not been paid to the victims," it added. P

The Commission said it has directed the DIG (Investigation) to depute a team of officials from the Investigation Division and Law Division to record the statements of 15 victims whose statements were not recorded either by the NHRC Team or by the Magistrate u/s 164 CrPC and submit the same to the Commission within one month.

"The Additional Director General of Police (CID), government of Chhattisgarh has been directed to get the statements of 19 more victims u/s 164 CrPC recorded before the Magistrate and forward the same to the Commission within one month," it added.

The Additional Director General of Police (CID) has also been directed to ensure that SC/ST (PoA) Act is invoked in all the cases the victims belonged to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, the Commission said. The Chief Secretary has been directed to ensure that monetary relief, if any, under the SC/ST (PoA) Act is paid to the victims at the earliest, the NHRC added. The Commission has also made it clear that the above directions are of "interim nature and a final view will be taken in respect of other victims and also with regard to other issues involved in this matter in due course of time".

"It was reported that women from five villages Pegdapalli, Chinnagelur, Peddagelur, Gundam and Burgicheru had alleged that state police personnel had sexually harassed and assaulted more than 40 of them and gangraped at least two in Bijapur district," it added. The news report depicted other "brutalities" of the security forces also. Considering the gravity of the allegations and brutality of sexual violence upon hapless women, the matter was considered by the full bench of the Commission on February 22 last year. The Investigation Team of the Commission recorded statements of several persons including the security personnel and some of the victims.

"The Team could not however, record the statements of all the victims that were mentioned in the three FIRs in question because of the time constraint, prevailing security situation, non-availability of victims and physical barriers," the NHRC added.
I'm writing this from Hertfordshire in England, with a fractured foot. I was bowling when my left foot turned inwards and I fell on it, cracking my ankle. I knew instantly something serious had happened. However I dismissed it as a sprain and ignored it, assuming it would heal itself. A couple of days later the foot still looked like a balloon and I decided to see a doctor to find out what was wrong.

The physician at Harley Street in London I telephoned said he could see me that afternoon but the X Ray results would only be available to him the following day. I couldn't wait and so went to the accident and emergency ward of a nearby hospital.

There I said I was from Bangalore and was flying out the in the next few days. The attendant registered me and asked me to wait with about a dozen other people, some of them in worse state than I was. After about half an hour I was asked to see a nurse. She saw the swelling and sent me for an X Ray. Here the radiologist took a couple of shots and told me it was a fracture. She asked if I had been walking around with it and I said yes. She called a wheelchair that then took me to another building to see the doctor. After another half an hour's wait the man (many or most of the doctors here are Indian) showed me the scan. It was a spiral fracture with the line curving across my ankle bone.

He then said I would have to be given a cast and would have to wait half an hour before it could be ready. After a few minutes a woman called my name out and asked for my shoe size. I said it was 11 and she went off to fetch the cast. It turned out to be a large plastic boot with a hard shell outside and a soft inflatable section inside that one could pump to make the foot fit snugly.

The device came with two large socks and the attendant or nurse gave me a demonstration of how to put it on with patience and concern. She then asked if I had been given a CD of my X Ray. I said I had not and she walked with me back to the first building and had the CD burnt. She then told me how to exit the building after the CD came, which took another five minutes.

I did not have to pay anything and the whole thing, the registration, the consultancy, the X Ray and the cast were free. I was out of the hospital some two hours after I had hobbled in.

I am writing this because British newspapers are always full of stories about how terrible the National Health Service is. And how people are made to wait for days before they are given an appointment for things like srugery. The NHS is free for all citizens and, apparently, it is free for emergency and accident services also for all, including tourists. I think that is very civilised.

I recognise that my experience may not be the same as that other Britishers have had, and that the emergency section is probably not the best place to judge a government run health service. But the care and efficiency I encountered could not have been but the product of a system that functions well.

I felt guilty of not having to pay but I also recognise that my tax had funded the subsidised education of thousands of Indian doctors who had then migrated to the UK.

The UK spends Rs 9.3 lakh crore per year on the NHS, which is about Rs 1.5 lakh per citizen. India's Union health budget is Rs 33,000 crore per year, which means we spend Rs 260 per citizen. Of course we are a poor nation, but we are a poor nation that last year spent Rs 59,000 crore buying 36 fighter planes and this year is spending Rs 99,000 crore on a bullet train.

It is unthinkable to me that in the UK citizens would allow their government to spend so foolishly on such toys, at the expense of the health of its citizens. It is the middle class Indians who dominate the media and its debates who are forcing these choices upon the crores of poor. We think becoming a superpower means being able to fight wars and showing off Japanese technology and building great statues. In the UK, being a civilised nation means being able to put together a state machinery that is efficient and caring and nurtures the human being - even one who is not their citizen.
New Delhi: French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault began a four-day visit to India with a meeting Sunday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bolster the "strategic partnership" between the two countries.

Ayrault held talks for 45 minutes with the Hindu nationalist leader in the southern hi-tech hub of Bangalore, where he will stay until Monday evening.

"The number one objective (of this trip) is to stress the strategic partnership and move it into a higher gear," the minister told AFP afterwards.

The visit is part of a series of meetings between Indian and French leaders. President Francois Hollande has visited India twice during his five-year term, in 2013 and 2016. Modi, who took office in 2014, has twice visited France.

Ayrault and Modi discussed in particular collaboration in the defence sector, a few months after the sale of 36 French Rafale fighters to India for about eight billion euros ($8.4 billion).

Asked about the possibility of future arms deals with India, which has become the world's largest weapons importer as it tries to modernise its arsenal, the minister said Modi was "ready to examine everything".

India "is a huge country, which has a very important need to ensure its security against all the challenges it faces", said Ayrault.

The minister will on Tuesday visit the western state of Gujarat, where Modi was chief minister for over a decade, accompanied by a delegation of about 100 representatives of French companies.

Annual trade between France and India is worth some eight billion euros, a figure that has grown markedly since 2000.
Washington: India-US relationship is one of the "great success stories" under President Barack Obama during whose term it witnessed an unprecedented level of cooperation and bipartisan support for mutual benefit, a top presidential advisor said, days ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump administration.

Peter Lavoy, Senior Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, White House, also said that deepening and expansion of partnership with India on a whole host of issues are of critical importance to the US.

"This (India-US relationship) is really one of the great success stories of the Obama Administration," Lavoy told PTI.

Lavoy, who has been working on South Asian issues, in particular on India-Pakistan issues for past several decades in various capacities in the US government, exuded confidence that the relationship would continue to strengthen further given the bipartisan support it has in both the countries.

"When you talk about expectations for the future, I think, all the signals point to this continued trajectory  deepening and expanding partnership," Lavoy said.

Outgoing President Obama inherited what essentially was a bipartisan issue towards India.

"I think, this is how we are handing off the relationship from President Obama to his successor. It is very much a bipartisan issue. So I think, on both sides of the aisle in the US there is a very strong appreciation of not only the benefits but also the imperatives of partnerships with India for the continuation in our interest," he asserted in response to a question.

"My expectation is that it will continue, because it is in India's interest and it is in US' interest. Republicans and Democrats alike recognise the importance of continuing (this relationship) and in fact deepening partnership with India. That's why I am very optimistic of the future," Lavoy said, as he refrained from giving a direct answer to a question on India-US relationship under a Trump Administration which will be inaugurated on 20 January.

Referring to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, Lavoy recalled his speech to the Congress in June wherein he said India and the US have overcome hesitations of history and turned barriers into bridges and partnerships.

"I think, thats much more than rhetoric. I think that is very very genuine. During the past years and actually over the last eight years, we really expanded our co-operation in wide range of areas," he asserted.

"The partnership now covers every single area of significance to the US and I believe India," he said, adding Obama actually inherited a very strong relationship with India that is something that his predecessor George Bush prioritized.

"President Obama has taken it into an unprecedented level of co-operation for mutual benefit," Lavoy said.

When Obama came to office in 2009, he noted that there was still a very strong trust deficit between the leadership in Washington and the leadership in Delhi.

"What I have been very very pleased to see that the trust deficit has significantly diminished. Now the leaders of both countries, senior officials of both countries interact as familiar and trusted partners on a whole wide range of issues, whether it is cyber defense, terrorism, or any other issue," Lavoy said.

"It is something, I think here your leadership should be aware of because what happens in the internal meetings the level of trust and mutual appreciation that takes place in these meetings has been a very palpable change over the last eight years," the official said.

"A lot of the credit goes to the personalities, President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before and more recently Modi. They had the vision, they had the recognition that the pursuit of both countries interests cannot be accommodated fully without the full contribution of the other country. And they managed to overcome the barriers of partnership, the suspicions, the skepticism and giving now giving the benefit of the doubt to the other one," Lavoy said.

"And today there is no issue of significance to the US, where we do not consider how we can cooperate with India. I suspect the same would be said by our counterparts in Delhi as well. This is a very significant change. As I said earlier, we fully suspect this kind of behavior, kind of orientation will continue for many many years to come to the benefit of both of our population," the White House official said.
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday urged the Union Government to announce suitable concessions for the NRI and PIO community in the general budget, in the backdrop of recent global developments.

"The event is being held in the backdrop of many a far-reaching change across the world. Particularly, the recent changes in the United States of America and the United Kingdom raise questions on effective movement of skilled workers across borders," Siddaramaiah said.

"It would not be out of place to urge the Union Government, the Finance Ministry in particular, to be conscious of these changes and announce suitable concessions for the NRI and PIO Community in the General Budget to be presented shortly," he said.

Siddaramaiah was speaking at the inauguration of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Bengaluru that was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa and Suriname Vice President Michael Ashwin Adhin,among others.

He also drew the Prime Minister's attention to the resolutions passed in the Global Convention of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), held in Bengaluru recently, seeking extension of time till 30 December, 2017, for NRIs and PIO to exchange and deposit high denomination specified bank notes in Reserve Bank of India or State Bank of India.

Pitching Karnataka as the investment destination by listing various measures taken by his government, the Chief Minister referred to the NRI policy brought out by the state.

"I am glad to share with you that we have announced the NRI Policy of Karnataka, just two days ago, with a vision to play a catalytic role in achieving sustainable linkages in the globe, so that, a progressive, prosperous, robust and vibrant Karnataka is built," he said.

For full coverage of Union Budget 2017 click here.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti may have ruled out setting up of an inquiry commission to probe into the civilian deaths that were reported in the last six months of unrest in Kashmir, but the state government has admitted that the security forces had resorted to excesses while dealing with protests, with the police alleging that the army was involved in the custodial killing of a south Kashmir youth during the protests.

In response to Independent MLA Er Rashid's question about any excesses committed by the security forces, Home Department, which is headed by the chief minister, admitted that at least three incidents of human rights violation have come to its notice.

Khuram Parvez, coordinator of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a human rights organisation, said that the number of incidents of human rights violations are much higher. "Custodial torture and the resultant deaths are still going on due to the government policy of rewarding for the killings. The Government of India has a policy to reward for killing militants due to which innocent civilians get dubbed as militants and are killed by the security forces, he alleged.

As per official documents, at least three cases of excesses committed by the security forces are being investigated by the police. Cops have registered murder cases, there is also an allegation of custodial death against the army. According to the police report, armed forces personnel beat up people in the Shar Shali village at Khrew and later abducted Shabir Ahmad Monga and allegedly killed him in custody. A personnel of the RR 50 unit has been charged with murder and a case has been registered at Pampore police station. A case of murder is also under investigation at Karan Nagar police station after the pellet-ridden body of Reyaz Ahmad Shah, a resident of Chattabal, was recovered from the streets on 3 August. Police have alleged that unidentified security personnel were involved in the killing.

As per the Home Department report, Awantipora police is also investigating a complaint over the use of excessive force on the protesters in Kashmir's Lethpora area. As per the government report, during the protests, the Personal Security Officer (PSO) of Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Ramban had fired shots at the protesters, in which two people identified as Farooq Ahmad, a resident of Lethpora, and Suhail Ahmad Wani were killed. The case has been under investigation since 2 August when the matter was reported to the local police station.

Mohammad Zaid, superintendent of police, Awantipora, said that the two cases which have been reported in his jurisdiction were under investigation. "The case involving the army is being monitored by the high court and we have filed a status report before the court. In the other case, in which the PSO has been charged of murder, is under investigation and we have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) as the complaint was filed by the ADC that his PSO was fired upon before he responded, he said.

According to a report prepared by the JKCCS in 2016, in the first few days after the encounter of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani, 57 civilians were killed in action by government forces mostly "through use of brute force". The JKCCS has documented at least eight such incidents of custodial torture during the agitation from different parts of Kashmir. The report also states that in Srinagar city, government forces have allegedly "used excessive measures to control protests.

The JKCCS noted that Hilal Ahmad Parrey of Tengpora succumbed to his injuries on 16 July after he got beaten up by a paramilitary force personnel. On 11 July, Irfan Ahmad Dar, of Kaimoh, Kulgam was severely beaten up by security force personnel when he was trying to save his younger brother who was hit by a bullet. The report also mentions Aqib Ramzan of Lone Mohalla, Khanmoh, who has torture marks on his body, while another youth from Tarzoo, Sopore, was tortured to death by the forces.

Though the government has admitted that 76 people have died in the ongoing agitation in Kashmir, it has not revealed the circumstances under which these deaths took place. As per the JKCCS report, "The scale of human rights violence perpetrated against the people of Jammu and Kashmir alone suggests that the government in Kashmir continue to repress the political aspirations of people with absolute and total violence.

Opposition parties, National Conference and Congress, have lashed out at the government over the handling of the situation in Kashmir. While Omar Abdullah described Mufti as politically inexperienced, Congress termed the agitation in Kashmir as mass uprising. Mubarak Gul, former advisor to Omar Abdullah and senior NC leader, said that a general impunity has been granted to the forces in "resorting to repressive measures to deal with Kashmir protests."

"We are seeking a judicial probe so that people know the circumstances under which the deaths took place. We had set up a commission to probe into the killings that took place in 2010 and the present government shouldnt shy away from appointed a judicial commission, he said.
Author and political commentator Tarek Fatah, known for his strong views on Islam, faced a snub by the West Bengal government on Wednesday when the latter allegedly forced the organisers of a programme to cancel their event, scheduled to be held at the Calcutta Club, where he was to speak on Balochistan and its freedom from Pakistan.

According to a report published in Financial Express, Calcutta Clubs mail to Tarek Fatah said that they have to cancel the event due to unavoidable circumstances.

Fatah after expressing his displeasure on social networking site Twitter and talked about the entire incident in a Facebook Live on Firstpost.

Expressing his displeasure, Fatah said that he was to speak at the Calcutta Club which he called as the home of revolutionaries and intellectuals but was cancelled because of a phone call from certain higher people in the West Bengal government that went to the Calcutta police who then went to the organisers. Further attacking the Club for being snobbish, Fateh said that it is the place where you cant discuss Marxism or Bolshevism or communism or Netaji without proper display of elitism.

It was conveyed to me not by the president or secretary of the club. They didnt want to hear the word Balochistan in Calcutta, Fatah said. Raising serious doubts on the intent and knowledge of the club and organisers, he added that he doubted whether they even have any idea about Balochistan and the revolutionary wars fought there or the genocides that took place there. After all we should not forget that during the Bangladesh war, during the genocide in East Pakistan by the Pakistan military, the refugees that came from East Pakistan were given a pretty hostile treatment by some elements of Calcutta Muslims.

Making serious allegations against the West Bengal government, Fatah, as reported by Financial Express earlier, said that the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government had asked the club to remove Kashmir from the first poster of the programme.

Fatah, who is known for his extremely critical views on Islam, while speaking about the cancellation of the event, reiterated his views that it is the lack of sense of history that does not allow people to deliberate on such grave issues like Balochistan.
Troubled by the Congress and Left parties' narrative of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, a 36-minute documentary, backed by the Sangh Parivar, will now offer a new perspective, the film ready for telecast in hundreds of colleges  including Left-leaning ones across India.

Directed by Vivek Sinha, who has had a long association with the Sangh Parivar, the film, titled Muzaffarnagar, Akhir Kyon that translates into Why Muzzafarnagar?, has already been screened at the annual Woodpecker film festival that showcases documentaries from across India. The move to telecast the film about the riots that left 64 dead and thousands injured, is being pushed by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Sinha, a former journalist who worked with Tehelka and Hindustan Times, says he spent more than seven months at the site of the riots and gained what he claims is an insider narrative that very few know in India.

My film shows how a recurring issue of law and order was allowed to slip into a vicious riot that killed many and polarised two communities. Sadly, law and order still remain nightmarish in Muzaffarnagar and the state administration has done nothing about it, says Sinha.

The film  shot and edited last year  comes almost eight months after the Justice (retd) Vishnu Sahai Inquiry Commission, set up to probe the riots, tabled its report in the Uttar Pradesh state assembly in March, 2016. The report exonerated the states ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) government despite the failure of the top leadership of the government to prevent and control the riots, one of the worst episodes of communal violence in recent memory.

Interestingly, this is the second film on the riots, the first, Muzaffarnagar Abhi Baki Hain, was directed by filmmaker Nakul Sawhney. The film was criticised as biased by the Sangh Parivar and other right-wing elements who claimed the filmmaker had Marxist leanings and disrupted its screenings in various cities, including Delhi.

Sinha says his film is distinctly not biased, he has interviewed people from both communities living in Muzaffarnagar and found the violence that killed many and destructed thousands of homes and families was a result of total apathy of the local administration.

I accessed local intelligence reports which blamed the district administration for deliberately not reacting despite repeated calls for help from both sides. The stoic silence of the local police added fuel to the fire, both communities suffered, says Sinha.

It was not an intelligence failure, it was the state governments attitude of not taking any action that caused the riots, there was no timely intervention.

The Justice (retd) Vishnu Sahai Inquiry Commissions 700-page report  prepared over a period of two years  squarely blamed intelligence failure and laxity on the part of administrative officials for the riots which resulted in the displacement of over 60,000 people in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts of Uttar Pradesh. The commission scrutinised the actions of 40 officials and names four of them  then Principal Secretary (Home) RM Srivastava, then Circle Officer Jansath Jagat Ram Joshi, then Muzaffarnagar District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma and then Muzaffarnagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Subhash Chandra Dubey.

It said the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) Inspector Prabal Pratap Singh failed to give correct intelligence inputs on the maha panchayat held in Nagla Mandaur on 7 September, 2013 which triggered the violence. The maha panchayat was attended by 40,000-50,000 people, while intelligence inputs claimed that 15,000-20,000 people would be in attendance, the single-member commission said.

But Sinha said his film does not give the Akhilesh Yadav government a clean chit, it lists reasons for the riots which directly indicate its abdication of responsibility. We must remember Yadav also holds the Home portfolio, says Sinha. Like the report, his film also lists reasons which led to communal polarisation and riots after the deaths of three young men, Shahnawaz, Gaurav and Sachin, in Kawal village of Muzaffarnagar on 27 August, 2013.

The report said the release of 14 Muslim youth, not named in the FIR relating to the murders of Gaurav and Sachin, was seen as an attempt by the state government to favour the Muslim community.

Another reason for the riots, claims Sinha, was the transfer of the then District Magistrate of Muzaffarnagar Surendra Singh and then SSP Manzil Saini just before the riots. The sudden transfers antagonised the Hindus (especially Jats) against the government and this antagonism eventually spilled into the riots, says Sinha.

Like the other film, this one is also a ground report. I have asked why such riots continue to happen and the role of politicians behind the riots, and severely questioned the role of appeasement, says Sinha.

Sinha said he found acquittals happening in the riot-related cases amid allegations of pressure on witnesses to turn hostile. Worse, the victims were not expecting any radical justice, they were shocked to see the denial of justice and the political ambition behind the incitement of violence.

He says he is not worried of possible incidents of disruption in Left-leaning colleagues and universities. It is a film, it is there choice to watch it or leave it, says Sinha.

The stage, it appears, is set for another round of slugfest over reasons and causes leading to the bloody riots in 2013.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded the Indian diaspora across the world as he addressed people at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas 2017 in Bengaluru.

"There was once a discussion about brain drain. And I told people at that time: Are only foolish people left here?" Modi said. "Today, I can say with a lot of confidence: The present government's initiative changed brain drain to brain gain," he added.

"In foreign lands and communities across the globe, the Indian diaspora represents the best of Indian culture, ethos and values," said the prime minister, adding that the hard work, discipline and peace-loving nature of Indians abroad made them role models for other communities.

"You have various objectives and paths. But within all of us, there is only one dream: Bharatiyata," he said. "Indians have brought about development wherever they have been. They have established a connection with whichever place they have gone to," he added.

"For my government and for me personally, engagement with overseas Indians has been a key area of priority. I have met many Indians in US, UK, Australia, South Africa, UAE, Qatar, China, Japan, South Korea," said Modi.

"As a result of sustained and systematic outreach, there is a strong drive among the Indian diaspora to connect more extensively and deeply with India's social and economic transformation. They are co-travellers in the development of the nation," he said.

"NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) and PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) have made outstanding contributions to their chosen fields. Among them, there are politicians of stature, scientists of repute, outstanding doctors, brilliant educationists, economists, musicians, bankers, engineers and lawyers. Did I mention our well-known IT professionals?" said the prime minister.

Modi also said that the central government was committed to the safety of Indians abroad.

"The welfare and safety of all Indians abroad is our top priority. For this, we are strengthening the entire ecosystem of our administrative arrangements," he said.

"Whether it is loss of passports, need for legal advice, medical advice, shelter or even transportation of mortal remains to India, I have directed all Indian embassies to be proactive to address problems of Indians abroad," he said. "Our response to overseas Indians' needs is based on accessibility, sensibility, speed and promptness. 24x7 helplines with Indians embassies, open house meetings with Indian nationals and use of social media platforms for immediate access are some of the measures we have put in place," he added.

"We do not see the colour of the passport. We only see the blood relations," he said.

Praising External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for her commitment to her duties, Modi said, "Our External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj ji has been prompt in reaching out to distressed Indians abroad."

"Through the Sankat Mochan programme in July 2016, we repatriated over 150 Indian nationals from South Sudan. In the last two years, we facilitated the repatration of over 90,000 Indian nationals from nearly 54 countries. Through the Indian community welfare fund, we assisted over 80,000 Indian nationals abroad," said the prime minister.

"For every Indian abroad, home should never be far away," he said.

"We have taken several steps to safeguard immigration of Indian workers abroad. Online registration for foreign employers on e-migrants portal has been made mandatory...Grievances of migrant workers continue to be addressed online...We are taking strict action against illegal recruitment agents in India," he added.

He also said that starting with Mauritius, his government was working to put in place procedures so that descendants of various Indian communities could become eligible for OCI cards, by addressing the difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean states.

"For the migrant Indian workers, a skill development programme called Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana will be launched, targeted at Indians who seek overseas employment," he said.

The prime minister also urged PIOs to convert their PIO cards to Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards.

"I would again encourage PIO card holders to convert their PIO cards to OCI cards. I am happy to announce that we have extended the deadline for this from 31 December to 30 June without any penalty," he said.

"It is my firm belief that connect between India and overseas Indians ahould be sustained and enriching for both. In October last year, I had the honour of inaugurating the Pravasi Bharti Kendra in new delhi. This Kendra is dedicated to the overseas community. I am sure it will become a symbol of the global progress, struggles and achievements of the Indian diaspora," Modi said.

"We want close ties with the young overseas Indians. To provide the young overseas Indians to visit their motherland and reconnenct, we have launched Know India Programme, through which six groups of young overseas Indians are visiting India," he added.

"India is moving fast towards development. One definition of FDI is FDI and second is First Develop India," Modi said, encouraging Indians abroad to invest in India.

The prime minister also took a dig at Opposition leaders criticising the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

"We took a massive step against corruption and black money. Black money and corruption were slowly making the politics of our country hollow. It is unfortunate that there are those in politics who worship black money. They try to portray our efforts are anti-people," he said. "But I thank you (overseas Indians) for the dedication which you have shown to the fight against black money," he added.
Petrol pump associations have deferred their decision of not accepting debit and credit cards for fuel purchase till 13 January.

#Petrol pumps defer decision not to accept credit and debit cards for fuel purchase till January 13.  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 8, 2017

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan told ANI that the government is negotiating with banks and oil marketing companies. "Surcharge will not be imposed on customers as well as on petrol pump owners," he said.

Negotiating b/w banks&oil marketing cos. Surcharge will not be imposed on customers as well as on petrol pump owners: Dharmendra Pradhan pic.twitter.com/lr3wgPFl8P  ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2017

Earlier, the petrol pump associations had said they would stop accepting debit or credit card payments from Monday in protest against the one percent transaction fee imposed by banks.

Petrol Pumps won't accept card payments from tomorrow to protest transaction fee https://t.co/Uy22EOxxZL pic.twitter.com/QOHHeuewwY  News18 (@CNNnews18) January 8, 2017

In what could be seen as an apparent attempt to capitalise on the surge of digital transactions at petrol pumps, post-demonetisation, several banks had earlier decided to levy a one percent transaction charge on the dealers on every purchase made.

To promote cash-less transactions, the government had waived the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on fuel purchase post-demonetisation for consumers. But after the expiry of the 50-day window, the banks have decided to levy MDR on petrol pump owners.

According to News 18, Ajay Bansal, president of All India Petroleum Dealers Association, had earlier released a statement saying that they have been "informed by HDFC Bank that we will be charged one percent on all credit card transactions and between 0.25 percent and one percent on all debit card transactions from 9 January."

"Unfortunately, the circular has no reference to credit card charges or for not passing the same to the customers. We feel that HDFC Bank is using this as an excuse to improve their bottomline through transactions at fuel stations," he had said.

HDFC,Axis aur ICICI Bank ne notification diya hai jahan par petrol pumps par 1% charge(Cont):Ajay Bansal,Pres of All India Petroleum Dealers pic.twitter.com/D2Q0LwWt13  ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2017

(cont) total transaction pe grahakon ko jo bhi transaction karenge wo pump se recovery hogi:Pres of All India Petroleum Dealers association pic.twitter.com/i5Rl8nsbmz  ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2017

(cont) uss recovery ke andar 1% charge lagaya gaya hai, humare margin mein itna scope nahi ki hum use bear kar sakein: Ajay Bansal  ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2017

Banks ne circular bheja hai ki hum aaj raat se 1% jo bhi transaction hoga uska charge dealer se karenge: Ajay Bansal pic.twitter.com/JDbqq0ZfG3  ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2017

Humara margin itna kam hai, nahi bear kar sakte. Jo bhi banks 1% ki scheme laaye hai, un sabki machines nahi operate kar paenge: Ajay Bansal  ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2017

"We have specific mechanism to compute the margin and these do not have any scope for credit card MDR. This will lead to financial losses for the dealers," he had said, adding that credit card machine issuers are also delaying settlement of dues.

Also, there are disputes about purchases being returned or not delivered. "In a retail outlet, there is no scope for returns or not being delivered a product once you have paid for the same. The reconciliation of swipes to amount being credited to our accounts is causing a lot of hardship and losses to a large percentage of the dealer community."

The banks' move was also being seen as an opportunistic way of driving profits out of the increased rate of digital transactions, however, given the petrol pump dealers' protest, it will inadvertently hit the consumers who are still scrambling for cash, with the withdrawal restrictions still in place, and the government's push to a cashless economy.

However, even as the dealers reported that they have received correspondence from ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank, in this regard, ICICI bank has denied levying any surcharge according to The Times of India. "We will not charge any transaction fee on card payments from Monday," the newspaper quoted an ICICI Bank spokesperson as saying.

The Times of India report further stated that ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank "account for some 60 percent of POS machines deployed at over 52,000 petrol pumps out of the 53,842 public sector fuel retail outlets across the country. There are 56,190 petrol pumps in the country, including those run by private oil companies."

Earlier, reports of the protest had surfaced from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with the petroleum dealers associations of the two states pledging to protest the extra charges. However, now as reported in The Economic Times, more than two thirds of the petrol pumps across the country have joined in the protest and have declared that they will not accept digital payments until the banks withdraw the extra charges levied on their already 'paltry margins.'

The report further stated that the charges levied can abrade more than a quarter of petrol pump dealers' revenue as a one percent excess charge could essentially mean 30 to 40 percent of gross dealer margins on petrol and diesel respectively.

With inputs from agencies
Bengaluru: Seeking to give a greater momentum to their strategic relationship, India and France on Sunday discussed a wide spectrum of issues, including defence and terrorism, with the French side saying the bilateral ties should move forward with the speed of a Rafale fighter jet.

During the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault in Bengaluru, both leaders had "considerable" discussions on international terrorism of which the two countries are victims.

"I spoke about different aspects of our partnership," Ayrault told reporters here on the sidelines of a function after his meeting with Modi, who was here to attend the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the Centre's outreach programme for overseas Indians.

The French minister, who began his three-day visit to India from here, said: "We spoke about defence because India needs to protect itself. Therefore, defence is an important area. I also shared with him concerns about terrorism and how we are together in fighting it."

Noting that India has various defence needs, for example Rafale, he said, "It needs submarines, it needs helicopters. So we did discuss all of these."

In September last year, India had inked a Euro 7.87 billion (about Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and equipped with latest missiles that will give the IAF greater "potency" over arch rival Pakistan.

In his media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swaroop said Ayrault and Modi reaffirmed close strategic partnerships between the two countries and deliberated upon several issues including bilateral relations in defence and international terrorism.

"The PM of India today welcomed the French Foreign Affairs Minister on his first visit to India. Both sides reaffirmed close strategic partnerships between India and France, which will be seen as a further fillip for the closure of Rafale deal," he said on the sidelines of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, in Bengaluru.

The French Minister said "the bilateral ties should now move forward with a speed of Rafale," according to Swarup.

Swaroop also said both the leaders had a comprehensive drill on bilateral relations in defence and Modi reiterated upon "Make In India" slogan in defence.

The two leaders discussed about the cooperation in civil energy with specific reference to Jaitapur nuclear plant, he said.

On economic aspects, Swaroop said the French Foreign Minister spoke about the 20 billion Euros investment in India by French companies and he was looking forward to his participation in a Gujarat event (Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit) which would provide further opportunity for French companies to invest in India.

The two leaders also discussed French participation in sustainable development of Indian cities, where more than 60 French firms are working in sectors including transport and water.

Swaroop also said the French Minister reiterated the French support for India's Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and permanent membership of UNSC.

"There was considerable discussion between two sides on international terrorism as we know both India and France are victims of terrorism...," he said.

Ayrault said he and Modi also spoke about civil nuclear energy because it can contribute to India's energy mix as the Indian Prime Minister has made a commitment to the Paris climate agreement.

Besides, space, another area of cooperation between the two countries as also the economic aspects of the Indo-French partnership and "multiple aspects of our investment" were covered during the talks, he said.

The issue of French companies investing in India in various domains like smart city, transport, energy, waste management and automobile was discussed, he said.

"We spoke about multiple aspects of our investment. Many French companies are present in India. We would also like Indian companies to invest in France. We must have the principle of reciprocity," he said.

Ayrault said he would meet Modi again on Tuesday, when he would attend the "Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit" in Ahmedabad.

France is a partner country of the Summit.

The French minister, who began his visit to the country's IT hub by going to a temple and Russel Market, an old landmark in the city, also highlighted the cultural aspects of the relationship between India and France.

At Alliance Francaise, Ayrault launched the Bengaluru chapter of France Alumni network, a digital platform to connect foreign students who have studied French in higher education institutes.

The network would help alumni acquire key industry knowledge and explore career opportunities.

Ayrault said 4,000 Indian students had come to France in 2016 "which is a low number" and he had set an "ambitious goal" to take it to 10,000 by 2020.

Swaroop said Modi also met Surinam Vice President Ashwin Adhin and discussed issues relating to various sectors such as agriculture, animal husbandry, palm oil and wood processing for improving bilateral cooperation.

Adhin said he saw considerable potential in Ayurveda in Surinam and sought India's help to create an eco-system for propagation of Ayurveda and turn the country into Ayurveda capital, Swaroop said.

He said that Adhin also sought investments in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals and mining.

He said Adhin sought an early meeting of India-Surinam joint commission to take forward bilateral cooperation.

The two leaders also discussed global issues such as UNSC and Adhin reaffirmed Surinam's support to India for its permanent membership.

The Prime Minister also met Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam and discussed about some bilateral issues.

They also discussed about Modi's visit to Malaysia in 2015, Swaroop said.

He said the Prime Minister is looking forward to the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's visit to India.
Chennai: MDMK founder Vaiko on Sunday appealed to Chief Minister O Panneerselvam to release seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case on the occasion of the birth centenary of former Chief Minister, late MG Ramachandran, citing precedents in the past.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Vaiko also sought release of convicts who had completed ten years of jail term.

Besides recalling past precedents where prisoners had been released on occasions including India's independence, birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi in 1969 and efforts by Ramachandran himself as Chief Minister, Vaiko also referred to a Tamil film where the former matinee idol strives to reform some prison inmates.

"In this background, I request that on the occasion of the birth centenary of MGR (as he is addressed), who was an epitome of humanity, the seven persons in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case who have spent 25 years in jail should be released," he said.

Such a decision should be taken on "humanitarian" grounds, he said in the letter which was released by MDMK headquarters.

Tamil Nadu government should use the "authority" provided to the state government under Article 161 of the Constitution of India for this purpose, he added.

Article 161 deals with the "Power of Governor to grant pardons etc and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases."

Vaiko, who noted that death penalty has been abolished in 137 countries, added that many of them have accepted that prisons are not meant to punish but reform.

Therefore to rehabilitate those who have undergone ten years of prison term, such persons should also be freed on the occasion, he said.

Vaiko recalled that Ramachandran had played the lead role in the Tamil film "Pallandu Vazhga" where he sets out to reform some tough prisoners.
There was a good chance that Mo Naga would never have been associated with the world of tattooing. During his first year in college, he stumbled upon the art and decided to give it a go, more as a hobby than a profession. All that changed towards the end of his education when he discovered the rich tattooing tradition of the Nagas, which was gradually disappearing with time.

It was then Mo decided to do something to keep a little piece of his peoples history alive.

It had been eight years since Moranngam Khaling or Mo, one of Indias top tattoo artists, started studying Naga tattoos. Despite being a Naga himself, he had little idea of the relevance of tattoos in the community. But once he realised what it meant, he set up Headhunters Ink in a bid to revive the art.

I was trying to learn about traditional textiles in the north-east of India for a college project when I stumbled upon the tattoo tradition of the Nagas, says Mo, who studied apparel design at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad.

It changed everything for me. When I started researching in 2008, I realised that there was not too much information out there, he says.

Tattoos had both a symbolic and spiritual meaning for the Nagas back in the day. Before the Christian missionaries set up base in Nagaland, headhunting was practised by tribes such as the Konyaks, Noctes and the Kukus to name a few. After a raid on the neighbouring village, the warriors who returned with heads from the battle would be rewarded with tattoos on the face and the body. Consequently, men with more tattoos had taken more heads and were considered to be the bravest of the lot.

Each tribe had their own designs and patterns, which also made for easy identity, while women too had specific tattoos that symbolised events such as marriage and childbirth. Delivering a tattoo was a privilege, usually reserved for the wife of the Ang or the king, known as the Angya.

The decline of tattooing started as the Nagas took to Christianity, which discouraged the practice of headhunting and tattooing alike. As a result, the next generation was mostly oblivious to the art, and the last of the tattooed warriors and artists, who could talk about their experience, were now in their 80s and 90s.

All the knowledge was going away with the passing of this generation, he says.

The only way then, to learn more was for Mo to make the trip himself. So in 2012, Mo set up base in Guwahati and started travelling through Nagaland to districts such as Mon, Tuengsang, Kiphre and Phek, which are known to have a rich tattooing heritage. He then visited Naga tribes in his home state of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and a few villages in Assam, while also making his way across the border to Myanmar.

During the course of my research, I have come across tribes who do not have any evidence left of their tattooing culture  all that remains now is in their memory and songs. A handful of old men and women knew about it, the rest had no idea that they were once a tattooing tribe themselves, Mo says.

After four years of tattooing using modern techniques, Mo was now in the midst of thorns, bamboo shoots and natural pigments that came from trees and fruits. And from the comfort of his tattoo parlour, he was now sitting in a faraway land amid men who had taken heads in the past.

This was a generation that considered headhunting a way of life, and a few of them now felt uneasy living in a society which was a far cry from what they had experienced. Some had even taken to Christianity and believed that getting a tattoo was against the Bible.

There is a lot of conflict for this generation, yet they were quite excited to talk about their tattoos and why they had got them. Culture is constantly evolving. But if we can wear shawls that talk about wars and headhunting to church, why cant we do the same with tattoos, he says.

One particular incident stands out for Mo during his travels. On a visit to the village of Sheangah Chingyu, he met an old lady who was the Angya and used to tattoo her tribe members, but had stopped some 60 years ago.

Her eyes lit up when she heard that we were there to learn about the tradition. It was an honour for me when she agreed to deliver a tattoo on me. In fact, her eyesight was so poor that she didnt connect the needle at times. It was a very spiritual experience, the moment will remain with me forever, Mo says.

There are hurdles along the way that Mo takes in his stride. All the money that he earns commercially goes back into the research that hes conducting, which is an expensive affair most times.

Just getting to a village can be taxing at times. Then, the language that they speak there is so distinct that I need to get two to three translators to make sense of it, and then need to verify if the real message has come through, he says.

After seven years of trying to gain an understanding of the technique and the philosophy behind these tattoos, Mo decided that he was ready to finally deliver one on his own at the Hornbill festival last month.

It was a big, big moment; historical, not only because it was my first, but also because for the first time as per my knowledge, a non-Naga was receiving one. It was a mixed feeling. I ensured that the designs were not the same as those present on the tribesmen who are alive, since those are sacred tattoos and I would not like to offend them, Mo says.

It was only possible because more people joined the movement. Its not one persons initiative but something that we are trying to do for the community and the culture. We want to find a balance between protecting and promoting this Naga art, he adds.

While Mo is in the process of setting up his new studio back home in his village in Chandel, his ongoing project, Godna Gram in New Delhi, hopes to promote tattoo traditions from around India.

Through my journey, Ive realised how hard it is for traditional tattoo artists to carry on this practice and survive today. I met some folks in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan who have quit their family tradition to become daily wage labourers. So there was an urgent need to study this art and give them a platform to promote themselves, he says.
Have you ever wondered whether US president-elect Donald Trump's words are more than a little familiar? Not only because he reiterates them enough times but also because closer to home, enough politicians have followed similar moves. Have you maybe compared his outright 'truthfulness' to the brashness of some Indian politician who probably had the same ideas regarding immigration?

Well, your intuition is correct. Donald Trump is the 'videsi' version of Mumbai's famous 'Tiger' Bal Thackeray  whose party Shiv Sena excelled in populism and xenophobia over four decades  or atleast that's what writer Suketu Mehta in his recent post in The New York Times, would have us believe.

Mehta, renowned writer and a professor of journalism at New York University, has spent a considerable part of his childhood in Mumbai and had interviewed the controversial leader, Thackeray, in the earlier years of his career. He once famously wrote on Thackeray, "The Tiger (Bal Thackeray) roars only from behind the safety of his guards." (There were 179 policemen guarding his heavily fortified mansion when he visited his house to interview him.)

In a study between the two characters  Thackeray and Trump  both hail from major metropolitan cities, Mumbai and New York, Mehta points out the similarities between them and their style of governance. He argues that both leaders have remained anomalies who managed to woo the electorate with their story-telling and their ability to sway the majority group of a particular demographic.

It is a well-known fact that Trump ran a campaign which was anti-immigration, especially anti-Muslim. He talked about building a wall at the US-Mexico border to keep the 'rapist' Mexicans from entering the US. Mehta points out that this is the same rhetoric that Thackeray preached in his speeches when he courted power in Maharashtra. Thackeray too talked about keeping non-Maharashtrians/outsiders away from the state and sought for a law where a visa would be required to enter the city-limits of Mumbai.

"Mr. Thackeray promised to restore their jobs, by threatening mob violence against industrialists who hired non-natives. He promised to make Maharashtra great again by reversing the clock: His idol was the 17th-century warrior-king Shivaji, who held the Mughal emperors at bay. He demanded the requirement of a visa to enter Bombay."

Thackeray was popular for his style and his ardent disregard of his enemies and other politicians. He openly mocked them and as Mehta points out, "He was a master of the art of the outrage, of politics as performance." This he argues holds true for Trump who often takes the opportunity to bash his opponents in an outrageous fashion. One incident comes to mind where he called his opponent Hillary Clinton 'crooked Hillary', making it a popular phrase used by Clinton opponents.

Mehta argues that if political history (in this case Shiv Sena's/ Bal Thackeray's leagacy) is closely studied, then it will become obvious that Hillary was never going to defeat Trump. The future of America in the hands of Trump is unknown to us, but a few passages from Mumbai's bloody history could teach a valuable lesson.

Read the full article here.
With doubts being raised about demonetisation eliminating black money, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Sunday that colour of funds has not changed by merely depositing them in banks as the money has now lost its 'anonymity' and can be identified with the owner.

In a Facebook post titled 'Demonetisation  A look back at the last two months', he also said the period of pain and inconveniences is getting over and the economic activity is being restored.

Large amount of cash with banks will lead to lower interest rates, he further said.

"When 86 per cent of a country's currency, constituting 12.2 per cent of its GDP, is squeezed out of the market and sought to be replaced by a new currency, there would obviously be significant consequences of that decision," he said, adding that the queues outside the banks have disappeared and remonetisation has moved ahead.

"The period of pain and inconveniences is getting over. Economic activity is being restored," he said.

Jaitley said demonetisation required both courage and stamina. "The implementation of the decision carried pain. It can lead to short-term criticism and inconveniences. Drop in economic activity on account of the currency squeeze during the remonetisation period would have a transient impact on the economy."

"The fact that large quantum of high denominational currency has been deposited with the banks does not render this money to be legitimate cash. Black money does not change its colour merely because it is deposited in bank. On the contrary, it loses its anonymity and can now be identified with its owner," he said.

The comments follow reports about an estimated 97 per cent of junked notes getting deposited in bank accounts, thus casting doubts on the effectiveness of demonetisation move in checking the black money menace.

The Revenue Department, he said, would be entitled to tax this money. "In any case, the amendment to the Income Tax Act itself provides that the said money, if voluntarily declared or if involuntarily detected, would be liable for differential and high rates of taxation and penalty," he said.

Jaitley further said India suffers as "a hugely tax non-compliant society".

"In the year 2015-16, 3.7 crore assesses of the total population of over 125 crore, filed income tax returns.

"Out of these, 99 lakh declared income below Rs 2.5 lakh and paid no taxes; 1.95 crore declared income less than Rs 5 lakh; 52 lakh declared income between Rs 5 to 10 lakh, and only 24 lakh declared income above Rs 10 lakh.

"No better evidence is required to substantiate that both in the matter of direct and indirect taxes, India continues to suffer being a hugely tax non-compliant society," he said.

Jaitley said the expenditure required for poverty eradication, national security and economic development have to be compromised with on account of tax non-compliances.

He further said, "Tax evasion has been considered as neither unethical nor immoral. It was just a way of life. Several Governments have allowed this 'normal' to continue even though this compromised with larger public interest.

"The Prime Minister's decision (of demonetisation) is intended to create a new 'normal'," he said.

The Finance Minister further said the move seeks to change the expenditure pattern of India and Indians.

"It is obviously disruptive. All reforms are disruptive. They change the retrograde status quo. The demonetisation puts a premium on honesty and penalises dishonest conduct.

"Excessive cash as a medium of exchange is favoured by the underground economy, resulting in non-compliance in tax payments. Mountains of cash money reach tax havens through the hawala route from the original paper currency," he added.

Jaitley further said that cash is the medium which funds bribery, corruption, counterfeit currency and terrorism.

Stating that ethical and developed societies aided by technology have consistently moved towards banking and digital transactions as against the excessive use of cash, he said that reducing cash may not eliminate crime and terrorism but it can inflict serious blow on them.
New Delhi: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on Delhi University's Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) for rejecting an RTI application seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's graduation degree.

The Chief Information Commission, M Sridhar Acharyulu, in a recent order, pulled up CPIO Meenakshi Sahay of Delhi University and said the rejections reminded him of the saying "penny wise, pound foolish".

The commission was hearing a plea filed by Delhi-based lawyer Mohammad Irsad, whose RTI query seeking inspection of Modi's degree was rejected on the ground that the Indian Postal Order (IPO) was not marked in favour of the Registrar of the university.

The commission, directing the "public authority" to recover an amount of Rs 25,000 from the salary payable to Sahay, said that after hearing the story that thousands of rupees had been spent in a legal battle for a postal order of Rs 10, "the proverb 'penny wise, pound foolish' has to be rewritten as 'rupee wise and thousand foolish' ".

Sahay in her defence argued that there was no malice in rejecting the RTI application and that she had to follow the policies laid down by the university.

The commission did not find any merit or justification in her argument, stating that the fee was not a material factor to throw out an RTI request.

It said it was "vexed with non response" from the CPIO to a number of its notices and thus found it a fit case to impose penalty.

Calling the CPIO's action "pathetic", the commissioner said in the order that "such a simple request for information has been dragged to the level of second appeal, building heaps of documents with multiple files".

The commission also slammed Delhi University for "spending huge amounts of money and consuming precious time of public servants", including the commission.

It also asked the "public authority", without defining it, to facilitate sufficient training to the entire staff, including the CPIO, in the matter of RTI law so that they do not reject applications in a routine manner without application of mind.

The commission recommended that officials be provided with the latest books on the RTI Act as well as classic text books on administrative law. It suggested they should also be given the books Right to Know by late professor SP Sathe and Five-point Someone: What Not To Do At IIT by Chetan Bhagat.
New Delhi: Using caste as a vote bank is not good for a democratic system, RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal today said stressing that people should vote on basis of a candidate's abilities.

Lamenting that differences due to caste are deep in our country, the RSS pointsman for BJP said discrimination on basis of caste is a social evil which has to be urgently eliminated.

"Some people have personal and political vested interests and they use caste as their vote bank which I believe is not good in a democratic set up. A person should be elected on basis of his qualification and talent and not mere caste," Krishna Gopal said at a book lauch organised at world book fair in New Delhi.

Speaking on Hindutva, the RSS leader said it is about continuity, new ideas and innovations. "Hindutva respects new views and ideas. Hinduism word in itself create boundaries as Marxism or any other theory does but Hindutva is not about stagnation. It gives one permission for debate as well as discussion," he said.

Citing the scripture of Rig Veda, he said in ancient India women saints have given vedic mantras and also men who belonged to so called lower castes.

"Everything depended on capability of a person in those days. But this system has somewhere been lost," Gopal said. He said that there should be understanding among people from different classes as in a civilised society cooperation among people is a must.

"There should not be any discrimination on basis of what work one does," Gopal added.

The RSS office bearer said there is a divide between rich and poor but a struggle as propounded in Marxism is not the way out.

"Indian society and ideology is not about struggle it's about peace and harmony. Even few foreign countries in past 50-60 years have distanced themselves from Marxism," he added.

He was speaking at the launch of the book 'Samajik Samrasta or Hindutva' by Balasaheb Devras.
Two conclusions leap at us from the BJP's two-day national executive meeting which came to a close at the NDMC Convention Centre in New Delhi on Saturday. One, Narendra Modi continues to stay a step ahead of his political rivals. Two, his authority over the party's power structure remains absolute. Interestingly, this command isn't borne out of fear as is the case in some of India's one-man or one-woman political outfits. Peers and party colleagues are genuinely in awe of the prime minister, a curious happenstance for a party like the BJP which is no stranger to internal power struggles.

To take the first point, however, rivals are more often than not being forced to react to the agenda set by Modi because when it comes to political messaging, he is peerless among his generation of leaders. Modi's moves are rarely driven by impulse or emotion, but a hard cost-benefit analysis with an eye on eventual electoral fallout. Like a chess grandmaster, he preempts the steps of his rivals and accordingly calibrates strategy. Above everything else lies his ability to connect with the masses and understand their impulse. Collectively, these strengths allow him precious time that is denied to his rivals. Let's see how.

Critics of demonetisation have alleged that the prime minister's risky manoeuvre has endangered a lot of lives for barely conceivable gains. Citing industrial output, bank credit growth and other such data, economists and media have slammed Modi for bringing to the heels world's sixth-largest and fastest-growing economy. The fact that nearly all of the outlawed currency has made its way into the system has been cited as a "proof" that demonetisation has failed to root out black money (though this claim is questionable). Modi's rivals have latched on to large-scale public inconveniences, job losses and tried to generate mass movements around it though these haven't been too successful.

The reason isn't too difficult to fathom. Even his most hard core critics agree that demonetisation has tapped into the narrative of "suffering for a good cause" in such a way that the more people suffer, the more they are convinced of the nobility of the cause. The poor, the marginalised and the downtrodden  the sectors hit hardest by the currency swap  still retain their trust in Modi which has enabled him to sell demonetisation as some sort of a Robin Hood story, using the resentment that the poor has towards the rich to great effect. This is a devastating political message, one that only Modi could have pulled off at a great initial risk to his political capital.

The Opposition knows this, which is why mass leaders like Mamata Banerjee have moved the heaven and earth to develop a counter message but has remained unsuccessful so far.

There was, however, one chink in this narrative. Modi was acutely aware that politicians are perceived in public opinion as intrinsically corrupt and as such, the fact that political funding remains an opaque exercise undercuts his message of transparency.

If the prime minister was really serious about cleansing the system, why doesn't he do something about the rule that allows political parties exemption from disclosure for all donations below the Rs 20,000 mark? Critics were quick to highlight this fallacy.

Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and one of the many commentators to have highlighted this anomaly, recently wrote in his article for The Indian Express that "the reluctance of the government to put forth a concrete plan of action (to tackle dirty money in politics) perpetuates the impression that there is one set of rules for the public and another set of rules for those who make the rules." Among many other suggestions, he advised the government to do away with the any donation threshold in the interest of "total transparency for every paisa of political giving."

Modi would have been aware of this lacunae. On Saturday, during his speech at the BJP national executive, the prime minister sent his strongest message yet for transparency in political funding. The speech, as most of his speeches, carried multiple messages but the one on finance reforms of parties' was direct and unambiguous.

"People have a right to know where our funds are coming from," said Modi while addressing party colleagues during the meeting. Exhorting the Opposition to come to a consensus over the reformative step, he said "a culture of transparency is emerging in the country and politicians should use their wisdom to bring in transparency in running their respective parties," according to The Times of India.

According to the report, Modi was apparently keen on an all-party meeting on political funding reforms and the government may bring a bill during the Budget session.

There were messages also on the need to accept criticism in the right spirit and a self-identification with poverty, when he said that the BJP doesn't look at the poor from a lens of vote-bank politics. But Modi knew where the gap lay in his message and he moved quickly to stem it. It is significant that none of the political leaders who have been criticising Modi and demonetisation has so far taken this up as an agenda for agitation.

The difference this creates in public opinion among Modi and the rest is deep. The prime minister emerges as a trend-setter and one truly intent on cleansing the system while the others as opportunists bent on exploiting a public inconvenience.

The other thing that's clear from the two-day meeting is that Modi towers over his party colleagues and peers. This also puts to rest clever manoeuvres from some political leaders who were keen on highlighting the fault lines within the BJP which they believe have been generated due to Modi's deeply disruptive drive. Some like Mamata had called for Modi's resignation and installation of senior patriarch LK Advani, hoping that this may fuel some sort of internal unrest among different camps in BJP.

But even if these differences do exist, there has been nothing but total endorsement of Modi's line during the national executive. Arun Jaitley, one of Mamata's "proposed candidates" who according to her should replace Modi at the helm, put forward the resolution which was unanimously adopted. "

"Party believes that this fight is important step in the re-making of an equitable and strong India. The step of the central government has reaffirmed the belief that patriotism isn't just a political talk but it is a political will to take strong and decisive steps to favor the last man," it read, according to another The Times of India report.

It remains to be seen what the Assembly elections throw up but right at this moment, national executive proceedings show Modi at the top of his game, drawing unmitigated allegiance from his party. Opposition must come up with a better strategy.
As attempts to call a truce between warring factions of the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh failed, on Sunday, party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Shivpal Yadav left for Delhi to meet the poll panel. They prepare to put up their case before the panel on Monday, the deadline set for taking views of both the factions before the Election Commission (EC) takes a call on the claim to the party symbol.

There is also a likelihood of a freeze on the poll symbol by the Election Commission.

Before he left for Delhi, he was asked about the ongoing tussle within the family and party, he said, "hamari party me koi vivad nahi hai" (There is no dispute in our party).

He then asserted that there was "no dispute" in the party when he along with Shivpal Yadav met party workers at the SP headquarters on Sunday morning.

According to CNN-News 18, he told his cadres that he will resolve the matter soon. He said, "He has turned rebel but he is my son. What can I do if he is stubborn."

On Saturday, the faction led by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav met Election Commissioner Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi and according to sources who reported to IANS, the leaders of the Akhilesh camp  led by his uncle Ram Gopal Yadav and including Surendra Nagar and Sunil Sajan  submitted an affidavit regarding the SP leaders supporting the faction.

The signatures of support are forged and hence their authenticity is doubtful: Amar Singh on Ramgopal Yadav's meet with EC #SPfeud pic.twitter.com/L8mmFwbGr3  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 8, 2017

Numbers of MLAs supporting you matters when a Govt has to be formed, not for party symbol: Amar Singh #SPfeud pic.twitter.com/kI171Rybcv  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 8, 2017

However, the number of signatories to the affidavit submitted to the poll panel was not known.

Sources told IANS that both factions  led by Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav  will now contest the state assembly polls on different party symbols, irrespective of who gets the official party symbol  cycle.

The assembly elections in the most populous and politically significant state in India will be held in seven phases between 11 February and 8 March.

On Saturday, senior SP leaders including Shivpal Singh Yadav, Azam Khan, Om Prakash Singh and Narad Rai met Mulayam Singh and held discussions on the possible way out of the infighting.

The sources privy to the confabulations told IANS that while both Shivpal and Mulayam Singh's aide Amar Singh told the party chief that they were "ready to be the sacrificial lambs" if it brought the warring father-son together, the truce offer was turned down by Mulayam himself.

Mulayam Singh apparently stressed on his stand that Akhilesh Yadav first step down as the SP National President, after which his demand for a larger say in ticket distribution will be considered.

The Akhilesh camp declined the offer. The Chief Minister wanted a "three-month free hand to win the polls" and then back off in favour of his father.

Meanwhile, Mulayam has once again writaten to the Election Commission to claim the 'cycle' poll symbol and sent some documents along with relevant parts of the party constitution to buttress his case.

In a related development, Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav, who is mentoring the Akhilesh Yadav camp, has sent sworn affidavits of some 5,761 Samajwadi Party leaders, including MLAs and MPs, to the Election Commission.

A copy of the same was sent to Mulayam Singh's residence in Delhi but the staff there refused to accept it, the sources said.

With inputs from IANS
Chennai: Expressing concern over deaths of farmers in the backdrop of monsoon failure in Tamil Nadu, DMK working president MK Stalin on Sunday urged the state government to implement relief measures on 'war-footing' and take steps to prevent further fatalities of ryots.

Without naming anybody, he took exception to some ministers' remarks that not all of the farmers' deaths can be attributed to drought, pointing out at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issuing notice to the state on the death of 106 farmers.

Stalin, also the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, urged Chief Minister O Panneerselvam to ensure that his ministers did not make such comments, as these "belittle" the deceased farmers.

"I insist that the chief minister should take steps to prevent further deaths and implement relief works on war-footing," Stalin said in a statement. He also demanded that the government release details pertaining to the farmers' deaths, which occurred due to "suicide and of shock."

Panneerselvam had last week assured that his government will provide appropriate relief to farmers on account of drought and has deputed his ministers and senior officials besides district collectors to take stock of the situation and file reports on the status of crops and drought.

Panneerselvam's cabinet colleagues, besides officials, are currently visiting affected areas and have been meeting farmers and other stakeholders. The chief minister had last week said that based on the field reports, an announcement will be made on the drought situation and that all necessary relief will be given.

Stalin himself had on 4 January met Panneerselvam along with a DMK delegation at the state secretariat and discussed various issues, including farmers' deaths.
New York: US intelligence officials are convinced that Russia meddled in the presidential race. But that hasn't changed President-elect Donald Trump's call for warmer relations with Moscow.

Trump declared in a series of tweets on Saturday that "only 'stupid' people or fools" would come to a different conclusion. "Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," he stated from Trump Tower, adding: "We have enough problems without yet another one."

American intelligence officials on Friday briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election in order to help him win the White House. An unclassified version of the report explicitly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a "clear preference" for Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton.

Trump has repeatedly sought to downplay the allegations, alarming some who see a pattern of scepticism directed at US intelligence agencies and a willingness to embrace Putin. During the election, Trump praised the Russian strongman as a decisive leader, and argued that the two countries would benefit from a better working relationship, though attempts by the Obama administration at a "Russian reset" have proved unsuccessful.

At the same time, intelligence officials believe that Russia isn't done intruding in US politics and policy making. Immediately after the November 8 election, Russia began a "spear-phishing" campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting US government employees and think tanks that specialise in national security, defence and foreign policy, the unclassified version of the report said.

The report said Russian government provided hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. The website's founder, Julian Assange, has denied that it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted that the emails could have been passed through middlemen.

Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid "trolls" to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. Moreover, intelligence officials believe that Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumbprint on future elections in the United States and allied nations.

The public report was minus classified details that intelligence officials shared with President Barack Obama on Thursday.

In an interview with The Associated Press after the briefing, Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion that Russia had intruded in the election on his behalf.
Miami, United States: US authorities on Saturday charged the Iraq war veteran accused in a deadly shooting rampage at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport with offenses that could carry the death penalty, while continuing to probe whether terrorism was a potential motive.

Esteban Santiago, 26, was accused of killing five, wounding six and sending thousands scrambling for safety on Friday before authorities shut down the airport in Florida, a major gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America.

Federal prosecutors charged Santiago with firearms offenses and carrying out an act of violence at an airport, US Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said in a statement. If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison.

The suspect was scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Monday.

Murder charges could be forthcoming from state prosecutors, but no decision has been made yet, a spokesman for Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz told the local Sun Sentinel newspaper.

Santiago had traveled from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale on Friday. After retrieving a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and ammunition that he had declared and stowed inside his checked luggage, he allegedly loaded the weapon in a bathroom and opened fire in the crowded baggage claim area of Terminal 2.

"Santiago started shooting, aiming at his victims' heads until he was out of ammunition," Ferrer said.

FBI special agent George Piro said law enforcement was continuing to investigate motives for the attack, including "continuing to look at the terrorism angle."

Piro said the suspect appeared to be acting alone and that "every indication is that he did follow (Transportation Security Administration) procedures in flying with the weapon."

The gunman was detained without law enforcement having to fire any shots, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said.

'Erratic'

A former member of the Puerto Rico and Alaska National Guard, Santiago served in Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011. He ended his service in August.

An aunt, Maria Luisa Ruiz, told the NorthJersey.com news site that Santiago became a father to a baby boy in September  and that he was having mental problems.

"Like a month ago, it was like he lost his mind," Ruiz said. "He said he saw things."

On November 7, Santiago walked into the FBI's Anchorage office and complained that his mind was being controlled by national intelligence agencies, which were forcing him to watch Islamic State jihadist videos, authorities said.

The "erratic behavior" led agents to contact local police, who took him to a medical facility for a mental health evaluation, Piro said.

He was not placed on a no-fly list.

Anchorage police chief Christopher Tolley said Santiago came to the FBI office with a loaded magazine, but left his gun and newborn child in his car.

Santiago's weapon was taken by police for safekeeping at the time, and he was able to reclaim it on December 8.

Tolley said it was not known whether it was the same gun used in the rampage in Fort Lauderdale.

Santiago's brother, Bryan, criticized the way authorities handled his case.

"They had him hospitalised for four days and they let him go. How are you going to let someone leave a psychological center after four days when he said he hears voices that the CIA is telling him to join certain groups?" Bryan Santiago told CNN, in a Spanish-language interview the network translated into English.

"Not everyone has the same reaction when they return from war. Some are better, and some, not so much."

Authorities have not identified any victims, but three named in media reports were all getting ready to set off on cruises.

They included 84-year-old grandmother Olga Woltering of Marietta, Georgia, the Sun Sentinel reported. The British native and her 90-year-old husband were going on a cruise with family to celebrate his birthday.

"Olga was so charming, calling everybody 'Lovey' or 'Love' in her unmistakable British accent," the Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, where Woltering was an active member, said on its website.

Terry Andres, 62, was going on vacation with his wife of nearly four decades, Ann, the Palm Beach Post reported. He lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia and worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

Michael and Kari Oehme, in their 50s from Council Bluffs, Iowa, were both shot, the Miami Herald said. Michael Oehme was killed, while his wife was wounded in the shoulder.

Checking weapons

The shooting renewed anxieties about airport security  a concern that has loomed large in the post-9/11 era  and shed new light on ongoing US gun-control debates.

The Transportation Security Administration  the agency responsible for security at United States airports  allows passengers to travel with unloaded firearms and ammunition as checked baggage.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents the Florida district that includes the airport, said the rules need to be reexamined.

Speaking to CNN, she said the incident should prompt close review of "whether or not you should be allowed to check a firearm at all"  as well as how passengers should be able to retrieve checked weapons after landing.

"If there is still exposure to the traveling public of someone who wishes to do them harm and, like this individual, was reunited with their firearm and was able to wreak havoc... it absolutely needs to be addressed."

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, rebuked the government for not taking legislative action to tighten gun laws.

"Political cowardice is the accomplice of every mass shooter," he wrote on Twitter.

The Fort Lauderdale airport was open Saturday and staff were trying to return nearly 20,000 pieces of luggage and other personal items abandoned by passengers fleeing the shooting.
By Crispian Balmer

| ROME

ROME Italy's maverick 5-Star Movement should cut ties with the anti-European Union UK Independence Party (UKIP) and consider hooking up with the Liberals in the European Parliament, 5-Star founder Beppe Grillo said on Sunday.If the surprise switch goes ahead, it would see 5-Star enter mainstream European politics and move away from the anti-system fringes, a shift that might reassure other EU capitals that have grown uneasy about its rising popularity.Writing on his blog, Grillo said his party was in talks with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and asked 5-Star members to back the initiative in an online ballot.ALDE is headed by former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt. He is a keen European federalist and his strong, pro-EU views would seem at odds with the eurosceptic 5-Star, which has previously ridiculed the liberal leader.Grillo said he had also approached the Greens about a possible tie-up, but was rebuffed, adding ALDE was the only group willing to discuss an accord with his movement.The anti-establishment 5-Star won 17 seats in the last European election in 2014 and linked up with Nigel Farage's UKIP, which had 22 seats, to form the so-called Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) party.

But Grillo said the two parties had only voted together around 20 percent of the time over the past 2-1/2 years.He added that UKIP had achieved its political goal when Britain voted last year to leave the European Union."To stay in EFDD would mean we would face the next 2-1/2 years without a common policy objective," Grillo wrote.

A UKIP spokesman said not all 5-Star parliamentarians were happy. "While it's interesting that some 5-Star MEPs adamantly wish to stay in the EFDD group as adults, we wish them all the best whatever they do," the spokesman said.5-Star MEP Marco Zanni urged party members to reject the switch, while Grillo's opponents in Italy lambasted his strategic shift, with the anti-euro Northern League party calling ALDE the most pro-European party in parliament."What a pity. (5-Star) is moving from the barricades to the comfy seats," Northern League leader Matteo Salvini said.

5-Star was founded in 2009 and has risen rapidly to become Italy's main opposition party. It does not fit into any clearly defined political ideology, focusing its energies primarily on denouncing corruption and political wrongdoing.It has repeatedly called for a referendum on Italy leaving the euro single currency, and has criticised EU policy making, but says it does not want Italy to abandon the European Union.Grillo said it was important for 5-Star to be part of an EU parliamentary group because that would give it greater visibility and influence. "Refusing to belong to a political group would mean ... not being able to work," he wrote.He added that by forging an alliance with Verhofstadt, ALDE would become the third largest group in the EU parliament. "This means that in many cases we would hold the balance of power." (Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald and Francesco Guarascio in Brussels; Editing by Mark Potter and Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Berlin: German media and politicians warned on Friday against an election-year spike in fake news after ultra-conservative website Breitbart claimed a "mob" chanting 'Allahu Akhbar' had set fire to a church on New Year's Eve.

After the report by the US website was widely shared on social media, police in the city of Dortmund clarified that no "extraordinary or spectacular" incidents had marred the festivities.

The local newspaper, Ruhr Nachrichten, meanwhile charged that elements of its online reporting on New Year's Eve had been distorted to produce "fake news, hate and propaganda".

The justice minister of Hesse state, Eva Kuehne-Hoermann, said that "the danger is that these stories spread with incredible speed and take on lives of their own".

The controversy highlights a deepening divide between backers of Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal stance toward refugees and a right-wing movement that opposes immigration, fears Islam and distrusts the government and media.

Tens of thousands clicked and shared the Breitbart.com story with the headline "Revealed: 1,000-Man Mob Attack Police, Set Germany's Oldest Church Alight on New Year's Eve".

It said the men had "chanted 'Allahu Akhbar' (God is Greatest), launched fireworks at police, and set fire to a historic church", while also massing "around the flag of al-Qaeda and Islamic State collaborators the 'Free Syrian Army'."

The local newspaper charged that Breitbart had combined and exaggerated unconnected incidents to create a picture of chaos and of foreigners celebrating terrorism.

Stray fireworks did indeed start a small blaze, but only on netting covering scaffolding on the church, and it was put out after about 12 minutes, it said. The roof was not on fire and the church is not Germany's oldest.

Dortmund police Thursday said its officers had handled 185 missions that night, sharply down from 421 the previous year.

Overall the squad leader had judged the night as "rather average to quiet", in part thanks to a large police presence.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily charged that Breitbart had used exaggerations and factual errors to create "an image of chaotic civil war-like conditions in Germany, caused by Islamist aggressors".

It said the article "may be a foretaste" of what's to come ahead of parliamentary elections expected in September as some websites spread "misinformation and distortion in order to diminish trust in established institutions".

Justice Minister Heiko Maas in mid-December warned that Germany would use its laws against deliberate disinformation, and that freedom of expression does not protect "slander and defamation".

Germany's top-selling Bild daily also saw more trouble ahead, pointing to the fact Breitbart's former editor Steve Bannon had been appointed as US president-elect Donald Trump's chief strategist.

It warned that Breitbart -- a platform for the so-called "alt-right" movement, with plans to launch German and French language sites -- could seek to "aggravate the tense political climate in Germany".
Baghdad: A suicide bomber blew up a car at the entrance of Baghdad's main vegetable market, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens, security officials and medics said.

"A soldier at the gate of Jamila market opened fire on a suicide car bomb after noticing a suspect vehicle but the terrorist blew up his car," interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said.

A police colonel and a hospital official said at least 11 people were killed and 35 wounded. Maan said the soldier who opened fire on the attacker was among the wounded.

Jamila is the main wholesale vegetable market in Baghdad and lies in Sadr City, a vast, mostly Shiite, neighbourhood in the northeast of the capital which has been repeatedly targeted. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but all such recent bombings have been claimed by the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State group.

The most recent major attack claimed by Islamic State was on 2 January  also in Sadr City  when a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives among a crowd of day labourers waiting for work, killing 35 people.
Guadalajara, Mexico: Mexican authorities are on the hunt for a gunman who was disguised as a female nurse when he shot and wounded a US consular official in the city of Guadalajara.

The US consulate in Guadalajara posted a video on Facebook Saturday showing the shooter, dressed in blue and wearing a wig, waiting outside a shopping center's garage at 6:20 pm on Friday (00:20 GMT Saturday). He then raises his gun and fires at the car before fleeing.

The shooting left a bullet impact on the car window while the US consular official is seen opening his door.

Moments before the shooting video from different cameras showed the official, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, paying his parking ticket at an automated machine. The gunman is seen following him.

"According to the four videos, it was a direct attack," Jalisco state attorney general Eduard Almaguer Ramirez said.

The gunman was wearing a wig and a blue nurse uniform, Almaguer said.

The US official, who is in stable condition, interviews visa applicants at the consulate, Almaguer said.

A US government official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the official is a vice consul, adding that no motive for the shooting has been established.

The western city of Guadalajara has been hit by violence perpetrated by the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel in recent years.

$20,000 reward

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation offered a $20,000 reward for information about the shooter. The FBI is helping with the investigation, Almaguer said.

The Mexican attorney general's office said it was in contact with the US embassy and consulate in efforts to locate the shooter.

"The safety and security of our employees overseas is among our highest priorities," the US embassy said in a statement.

"We are working closely with Mexican law enforcement in this matter," the statement added, saying it would provide more details "due to privacy considerations."

The embassy issued a security message later Saturday urging US citizens in Guadalajara to "restrict their movements outside their homes and places of work to those truly essential."

"They should also take care not to fall into predictable patterns for those movements that are essential. They should vary the times and routes of their movements."

Not the first attack

US officials have faced attacks in Mexico in the past.

In 2010, a consular official, her husband and the spouse of another consular official were killed in two simultaneous attacks in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez, which at the time was considered the world's murder capital amid an ultra-violent drug war.

An alleged leader of the Barrio Azteca gang was extradited to the United States, where he was sentenced to life in prison for ordering the murder.

A year later, gunmen from the Zetas drug cartel opened fire on a vehicle of two US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the northern state of San Luis Potosi, killing one of the officers.

In 2012, two US government officials  widely reported to be CIA agents  and a Mexican marine where wounded in 2012 when they were shot at by federal police officers as they were driving in the central state of Morelos.

Fourteen officers were initially accused of attempted murder, but were later put on trial on charges of using excessive force, with officials citing a case of mistaken identity.

And in a case that caused friction between the US and Mexican governments in 1985, undercover US agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was tortured and killed by the Guadalajara drug cartel.
By Maayan Lubell

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under police investigation for suspected corruption, was caught on tape negotiating mutual benefits with an arch-foe, the owner of one of Israel's largest- selling newspapers, Israeli media reported on Sunday.The report, which Israeli media outlets described as "an earthquake" that could have implications for Netanyahu's political future, drew no immediate comment from the prime minister or Yedioth Ahronoth daily owner Noni Mozes.Channel Two television said the right-wing leader had offered to limit the circulation of Israel Hayom, a free, pro-Netanyahu daily owned and published by U.S. billionaire and Republican party donor Sheldon Adelson, if Mozes' Yedioth Ahronoth gave the prime minister more favourable coverage.Steps to cut Israel Hayom's market-leading circulation could have financial benefits for Mozes, whose newspaper's advertising revenues have been hit by its free competitor.It was unclear exactly when the reported conversation took place. The Haaretz daily said it occurred several months ago.Netanyahu last week was twice questioned by police in two different cases. The first involved receiving gifts, including expensive cigars and champagne from businessmen, police and the Justice Ministry said. Netanyahu's lawyer said such presents from friends were not illegal.Authorities have not released any details publicly about the second case, reported by Channel 2.

That Netanyahu and Mozes would have a dialogue was greeted with close to astonishment by the Israeli media. Netanyahu has openly accused Mozes and Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper of trying to overthrow his leadership through skewed coverage, an allegation they deny.On Sunday, Netanyahu again pointed the finger at the media and said he was being personally hounded."This is wrong, incessant pressure from the media on law enforcement. They release balloons and the hot air comes out of them time after time. That will be the case here too," Netanyahu told Likud ministers before Channel 2 broadcast its report.

Mozes could not be reached for comment by Reuters. Yedioth Ahronoth did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the report. Netanyahu's spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.In the past few weeks Netanyahu has lashed out at journalists who have published critical reports about his administration and his alleged ties with wealthy businessmen.Israeli media have reported that in the first case, police questioned Netanyahu about receiving gifts from Israeli Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan over the past few years.A spokeswoman for Milchan's lawyer in Israel did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Netanyahu, 67, will become Israel's longest-serving leader if he stays in office until the end of next year.He and his wife Sara have weathered several scandals over the years, including investigations into the misuse of state funds. They have denied any wrongdoing.Israeli commentators have pointed out that previous Israeli leaders have also been investigated over suspected corruption, with indictments not always forthcoming.Ehud Olmert, who held office from 2006 to 2009, is currently serving 18 months in prison after being convicted of breach of trust and bribery in 2014. (Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Stephen Powell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) is not really any kind of citizenship.

Now it turns out the Lifelong visa (clearly marked as that on the passport) it comes with is not lifelong either.

New rules require the OCI registration certificate and visa to be re-issued every time a new passport is acquired, up to the completion of 20 years of age and once after 50.

When it was introduced in 2005, the OCI card was supposed to be proof of how serious the government was about wooing the diaspora. It pushed people to give up the PIO (Person of Indian Origin) card, promising that the OCI was a sort of PIO-plus. It encouraged community camps to help people apply. It was a lifelong card.

There was no need to register with the police when you came to India. You did not have to deal with the hassle of changes in tourist visa rules. Other than owning agricultural property and the vote, it put OCIs on par with other Indian citizens, at least certainly with NRIs. Sounds great, except this lifelong visa just lulls the cardholder into a false sense of complacency.

Soon there will be some hapless desi family going frantic at the airport in Mumbai, where an immigration official is obdurately denying their ten-year-old daughter entry into the country.

But she has an OCI card. Look. It says Lifelong visa.

Sorry, madam. You need to apply for a new OCI card for her new passport. That is the rule.

Well how can we do that now? Its 2 am. All the documents are sitting in some folder in a desk in New Jersey.

Shrug.

Its clear the Indian government wants the diasporas money, investment and help during nuclear deals. It's equally clear it has no interest in them as people. It pats the diaspora on the head and fobs its off with meaningless symbols  like an OCI card that looks like a faux passport but cannot be used as ID to even get a cell phone connection in India.

The ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs should just be called the Ministry of Song and Dance since that seems to be its forte  producing the annual jamboree known as the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

When it comes to actually streamlining regulations for people of Indian origin, the ministry is missing in action. It will say that these regulations come from the home ministry. The home ministry will point fingers at the external affairs. Someone there will say go talk to overseas affairs. The consular officials will promise to simplify the rules at India Day celebrations and then the government will tie them up in more knots.

The government, as usual, has announced a rule without planning for its consequences or thinking through its ramifications. "Announced" is a charitable word. No one has bothered to inform OCI card holders about the change. This is a rule that affects children, for goodness sake. And seniors. Yes, its up on the website of Travisa, the outsourcing firm that deals with Indian visas. But why should anyone with a lifelong OCI card even bother going to the website before traveling to India? The whole point of an OCI card was to eliminate that headache.

What is India gaining by such rules? asked Thomas T. Oommen of the Indian Pravasi Action Council in New York in the weekly India Abroad.

No one knows.

If the reason is terror-related then it is the 21-49 years group that would likely require re-issuance, not those under the age of 20 or above the age of 50 since the later two groups are less known to produce terrorists, writes a memorandum submitted by the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC).

This is INOC, the overseas wing of the ruling party. So the left hand really does not know what the right hand is up to.

The rub is that (OCI) applications have to be sent to India, and the processing time would be ninety days for Washington and sixty days for all other centers. Add about 15 days for other handling. V. S. Raghavan, a former World Bank director told India America Today. In other words, a OCI cardholder is without an Indian Visa for three to four months.

There are obvious ways to deal with this. Alex Vilanilam of the World Malayalee Council told India Abroad, Why cant (the OCI card) be a standalone document without any need for another visa stamp in the passport?

The OCI card should always have been what it claimed to be in the first place  a standalone, lifelong, multiple entry visa card. But because the government had been pretending it was creating dual citizenship when it was really dressing up a glorified visa, its caught in its own hall of illusions, churning out documents that mean nothing except create confusion and the need for more documents.

In 2010, the government suddenly woke up to the need to require all Indian nationals who had acquired another citizenship to surrender passports, even if that naturalization had happened decades ago. It caused utter panic and chaos since many immigrants had long lost or misplaced the old passports. When John Abraham, the first desi mayor in the US, applied for a visa to come to India, he was rejected because he didnt have a passport surrender certificate or a police report that said he had lost it.

I became a US citizen decades ago, he told India Abroad. The Indian passport was kept somewhere and I could not locate it now. How can I ask the police to give a certificate to that effect, or tell a lie that I had lost it?

The Indian diaspora, especially from places like the US often come with a huge sense of entitlement. Yes, the stereotypical desi immigrant can be a royal pain, complaining incessantly about heat, service, hygiene and demanding special privileges. But that does not mean they deserve to be stranded at airports, or even worse, have their children and grandparents stranded at airports.

The government unabashedly used that misleading word citizen in the OCI cards name to encourage people into applying for one. This latest mess just proves it was classic bait-and-switch.
In a recent interview on Bloomberg TV, Bank of America (BAC -0.55%) CEO Brian Moynihan brought up an interesting point that current and prospective investors in its stock should know.

In response to David Weston's question about whether Bank of America will once again be a buyer of other banks, Moynihan noted that:

It is actually illegal for us to buy another depositary institution in the United States. Not a lot of people know that.

If you don't follow bank stocks you may find this perplexing. Why in the world would it be "illegal" for Bank of America to buy another bank?

The Riegle-Neal Act

The answer lies in the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994. The purpose of this legislation was to deregulate the bank industry by allowing federally chartered banks to branch across interstate lines.

Prior to the 1980s, banks could operate only within a single state. The rationale for this dates back to the earliest days of the republic, when citizens and policymakers were concerned that the moneyed interests in New York would monopolize the bank industry, and therefore control who has access to credit.

This began to change in the 1970s and 1980s, as state-chartered banks lobbied their legislatures for the right to open branches in neighboring states. The Riegle-Neal Act was the culmination of this trend.

But even though the Riegle-Neal Act opened up the ability for federally charted banks to operate across interstate lines, it nevertheless imposed a ceiling on how large banks could get. It did so by restricting banks with more than 10% of the nation's deposits from acquiring other depositary institutions.

To Moynihan's point, this is why it's illegal for Bank of America to acquire other banks, as it already controls just under 11% of domestic deposits in the United States.

The good and bad

On one hand, this isn't a good thing. After all, one of the most effective ways for a bank to grow is through prudently priced acquisitions. It's one of the main reasons that M&T Bank has produced Warren Buffett-like returns over the past three decades.

On the other hand, Bank of America has demonstrated in the past that it lacks the institutional discipline that's required to make prudent acquisitions. Instead of waiting for a down cycle, when banks can be bought for large discounts to their book values, Bank of America has tended to pay substantial premiums for its acquisitions, as it did with its purchases of FleetBoston Financial and Chicago's LaSalle Bank.

Either way, though, it's probably safe to say that Bank of America wouldn't be in the market for an acquisition anytime soon anyhow, as it's been more focused on retreating and retrenching over the past six years as opposed to growing.
Congratulations to the Obama administration in abstaining from its vote in the United Nations Security Council vote on Resolution #2334 in condemning Israeli illegal settlements on Palestine lands. Many people wish Obama had made this statement eight years ago rather than waiting for the final days of his presidency. This U.N. Resolution #2334 had support of all 14 countries; it was 14 to zero with the one abstention of the United States. At least the United States did not veto this resolution as it has done in the past with such moral resolutions concerning Israel.
If you were buying oil and gas stocks in 2016, then congratulations. You picked the sector with four of the five best-performing commodities and the best-performing stock index for the year.

After such a great year, though, some investors might be wondering if there are any great buys left in the oil industry. So we asked three of our energy contributors, and their response was an all-caps "YES!" Three stocks they highlighted were National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV), Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD), and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP). Here's a quick look at each, and why it is a worthy investment today.

A solid long-term buy today

Jason Hall(National Oilwell): Oil-field equipment supplier National Oilwell Varco has felt the sting of declining oil and natural gas prices as sharply as any non-producer. Demand for many of its products, particularly its big-dollar offshore drilling components, has fallen off a cliff over the past 18 months:

NOV Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts.

In fairness, part of the decline was due to the spinoff of its distribution business as a separate company. But even accounting for the approximately $4 billion in sales that's now part of a separate company, National Oilwell Varco has seen its revenues fall sharply. Rig systems sales declined 67% -- more than $4 billion -- from 2015, while rig aftermarket sales fell by nearly half. Wellbore technologies and completion/production solutions revenue declined around 40% in 2016.

So, with all that bad news, what makes National Oilwell Varco a buy? Four very important things:

Image source: National Oilwell Varco. Rock-solid balance sheet with over $1 billion in cash and low-cost debt.

Excellent management, which has strengthened the business during the downturn through cost containment, acquisitions, and smart capital allocation.

Despite GAAP losses, the company has remained profitable on a cash flow basis throughout the downturn.

Its stock trades at a solid value today, with great long-term upside as the energy cycle turns.

Bottom line: Global rig utilization rates have been at record-low levels for over a year. Combined with the decline curve of producing oil fields, this points to an upcoming inflection point, where a significant amount of investment in new equipment and parts will be necessary simply to support the world's demand for oil and gas. And when that happens, National Oilwell Varco shareholders could do incredibly well.

As strong as it has ever been

Tyler Crowe(Enterprise Products Partners): 2016 set the stage for what we can expect to be a decent recovery for oil and gas investments in the coming years. From an investor standpoint, this is good news: Oil prices are starting to rise slowly, and the curtailing of billions of dollars in projects over the past couple of years lends itself well to much higher prices much further down the road. However, investors have been quick to jump back into oil and gas stocks, and in some companies' cases, valuations aren't as attractive as they once were.

Image source: Enterprise Products Partners.

I'm not saying that the window for buying oil stocks at bargain-basement prices is completely shut, but it is closing a bit. One stock for which that window still looks to be open, though, is Enterprise Products Partners. Enterprise is probably one of the better-positioned oil and gas transportation and logistics companies out there. Its natural gas liquids pipeline network is unparalleled in the U.S.; it has one of the better-looking balance sheets in the business; and its management team has a long history of prudently balancing the needs for growth of the business, growth of its payout to shareholders, and growth of its debt load. That is how the company has been able to raise its payout every year since its IPO in 1998.

If you are after a strong income investment, or one you can hold on to for a long time and let reinvested dividends go to work, Enterprise is definitely worth a look today. Growth with this company may never blow your socks off, but management has made a habit of increasing payout at a rate of 5% or more. Combine that with the stock's current yield of 6% and you have a pretty good investment to kick off 2017.

Catalysts to create value

Matt DiLallo (ConocoPhillips): Leading independent oil and gas producer ConocoPhillipshas undergone a dramatic transformation over the past year. The company went from a producer that needed oil over $75 per barrel to sustain its operations to one that can run just fine at sub-$50 oil.

Image source: Getty Images.

With its transition to a low-cost producer now finished, the company's new focus will be on increasing shareholder value. To achieve that aim, the company no longer intends to spend beyond its means on growing production. Instead, it plans to use its reduced costs basis to generate free cash flow, which it will allocate toward reducing debt, increasing shareholder distributions, and modestly expanding production. These new priorities should deliver solid total returns for investors over the long term.

Furthermore, ConocoPhillips plans to accelerate its value-creation efforts by selling $5 billion to $8 billion of non-core natural gas assets over the next two years. These sales will not only unlock value but will provide the company with enough cash to buy back up to $3 billion of stock and strengthen its A-rated balance sheet.

Finally, the company should also benefit from an improving oil market in 2017. Not only are market fundamentals on pace to rebalance on their own, but OPEC has stepped to accelerate that trend. Needless to say, there are plenty of catalysts on the horizon that could drive ConocoPhillips' share price higher, making January a great month to consider buying this oil stock.

10 stocks we like better than National Oilwell Varco When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and National Oilwell Varco wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of January 4, 2017

Jason Hall owns shares of National Oilwell Varco. Matt DiLallo owns shares of ConocoPhillips, Enterprise Products Partners, and National Oilwell Varco. Tyler Crowe owns shares of Enterprise Products Partners and National Oilwell Varco. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends National Oilwell Varco. The Motley Fool recommends Enterprise Products Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Getty Images.

Considering that the U.S. personal savings rate, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve, was just 5.5% in November, or about half of what it was 50 years ago, it's no surprise that today's retirees and soon-to-be retiring baby boomers are heavily reliant on Social Security income to make ends meet during retirement.

Data from the Social Security Administration shows that about 6 in 10 retirees rely on Social Security to provide at least half of their monthly income, while a recent Gallup poll implies that more than 8 in 10 baby boomers will rely, at least to some extent, on Social Security income when they retire to meet their monthly expenses.

However, Social Security is something of a mystery to many Americans. Many couldn't pass a Social Security quiz if you asked them to -- and not understanding the ins and outs of Social Security could cost you tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, over the course of your lifetime. In fact, a 2015 quiz from MassMutual Financial Group found that only 28% of 1,513 quiz participants received a passing grade, which was defined as answering seven out of 10 questions correctly. Just one out of the 1,513 participants got all 10 relatively basic Social Security questions correct.

An eight-point Social Security checklist for future retirees

What all pre-retirees and working Americans should have is a checklist of the things they need to know before they enroll in Social Security in order to maximize their lifetime benefits. Though everyone's financial situation is different, the following eight-point checklist would be a pretty good place to start.

Image source: Getty Images.

Did you work for at least 35 years?

This first thing you'll want to ask yourself is whether or not you've worked for a minimum of 35 years. Although you only need to work part-time for 10 years to qualify for Social Security benefits during retirement, the goal is to get as big a payment as possible, not the minimum benefit.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) determines your monthly benefit by averaging your income over your 35 highest-earning years and dividing by 12 to get an average monthly figure. If you have less than 35 years of work history, the SSA will average in a $0 for every year below 35, dragging down your annual average income. Sometimes it can be worthwhile to work a few extra years in order to boost your eventual payout, especially if you plan to lean on Social Security income during retirement.

Do you know your full retirement age?

Next, you'll want to locate you full retirement age, or FRA. Your FRA is the age at which you become eligible to receive 100% of the monthly benefit you're due, and it's determined by your birth year.

You'll note in the SSA's full retirement age table that the FRA for those born in 1955 will rise in 2017 to 66 years and 2 months after sitting pat at 66 years for the past 12 years. The basic gist is that if you file for benefits before reaching your FRA, you'll receive a monthly amount that's lower than your FRA benefit. Conversely, if you enroll after your FRA, your benefit will be even higher.

Do you understand the trade-off between filing early and waiting?

The next thing you'll want to understand (which builds off the prior point) is the trade-off between filing for benefits early or waiting.

Social Security benefits can be taken as soon as age 62 and anytime thereafter. Your benefit grows by approximately 8% per year for each year that you hold off on enrolling, with each month offering a slight increment. This means even waiting a few extra months can increase your monthly payout. However, your benefit stops accruing at 8% annually once you reach age 70. Based on your birth year, claiming as soon as possible at age 62 could cut your full retirement age benefit by 25% to 30%. Likewise, waiting until age 70 can boost your payment 24% to 32% above your FRA payout.

The Social Security retirement benefit schedule for people born between 1943 and 1954. Chart by author. Data source: Social Security Administration.

So, should you wait or claim early? This is a unique decision you'll have to make, but as a general guideline, if you're in poor health, can't get a job, aren't reliant at all on Social Security income, or are a considerably lower-earning spouse compared to your partner, claiming early probably makes sense. If you're healthy, have little or nothing saved for retirement, or are a significantly higher-earning spouse, waiting often makes sense.

Are you married?

Another big question mark that'll need answering is whether your Social Security claiming decision bears on you alone or if you're married. If you happen to be married, coordinating a claiming strategy with your spouse is the smart way to go.

For example, a spouse with a substantially higher income who holds off on claiming Social Security can have a big impact on boosting the couple's combined income from age 66-70 onwards. Additionally, the age you claim Social Security can affect your spouse's survivor benefit if you pass away first. If you claim early, your spouse's survivor benefit will be lower, too.

Do you have alternative Social Security options?

Speaking of which, the next factor on your checklist is determining whether or not you have alternative Social Security options beyond just your own work history. If you didn't work or earn much during your lifetime, you may qualify for a larger monthly benefit based on the earnings history of your spouse or your ex-spouse, assuming you were married for at least 10 years. It's important to note that you'll only receive a spousal benefit payment, or a survivor benefit payment, if either is larger than what you'd receive based on your own earnings history.

Does a mulligan make sense?

Did you wind up claiming Social Security early and now regret it? This checklist component is specifically for new enrollees who may not realize there's a "do-over" clause within Social Security.

Form SSA-521 allows beneficiaries to undo their claim within the first 12 months of enrolling as long as they repay every cent the SSA has paid them over that time (as well as anyone who may be receiving payments based on your enrollment). The SSA is very strict on its 12-month limit, but if you land a good job after a long period of unemployment soon after enrolling for Social Security, a mulligan in the form of SSA-521 could be a great solution to allow your benefits to grow once more.

Image source: Getty Images.

Have you checked your earnings history?

It's often a forgotten step for even those Americans who understand Social Security's intricacies, but ensure that you double- and triple-check your earnings history with what the SSA has on file. It's not too difficult to fix errors on your earnings history before you retire, but it becomes far more difficult and time-consuming after you've filed for, and begun receiving, benefits. Checking your earnings history can be done from the comfort of your home by setting up a My Social Security Account.

Have you considered taxes?

Last but not least, have you considered the tax implications of your Social Security income? A percentage of your Social Security benefits are taxable if you as an individual earned more than $25,000 in a year, or you've earned $32,000 or more as a joint-filer with your spouse. According to The Senior Citizens League, as of 2015 some 56% of Social Security recipients owed some level of tax on their benefits. This means you'll want to be prepared should Uncle Sam come calling and want some of your benefits back.

If you can confidently answer these questions, you're probably ready to maximize your lifetime Social Security benefits.

The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

Sean Williamshas no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen nameTMFUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle@TMFUltraLong.

The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
Sri Lankan police used water cannons to try to break up violent clashes Saturday between government supporters and villagers marching against what they say is a plan to take over private land for an industrial zone in which China will have a major stake.

The clashes took place as Prime Minister Ranil Wickeremesinghe was attending an opening ceremony for the industrial zone near the port city of Hambantota, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of capital Colombo.

Government supporters armed with clubs first attacked protesters organized by the opposition and led by Buddhist monks in Amabalantota, some 22 kilometers (13 miles) from Hambantota. The protesters responded by throwing rocks.

It was not clear how many people were injured, but several people were seen being taken away by ambulances.

The government has signed a framework agreement for a 99-year lease of the Hambantota port with a company in which China will have 80-percent ownership. Officials also plan to set up the nearby industrial zone where Chinese companies will be invited to set up factories. The villagers and monks are opposed to it and demand their residential and farmlands be spared.

A court had issued a restraining order on the protest, saying it could lead to unrest.

China invested over $1.2 billion in the port in what some analysts call its "string of pearls" strategy in countries surrounding its rival India. Although the project made losses since 2010, Sri Lanka's government, at first critical of the enterprise, approached China seeking help to make it viable.

Lawmaker D.V. Chanaka, one of the protest organizers, said he fears the port area will become a "Chinese colony."

"We are against leasing the lands where people live and do their farming, while there are identified lands for an industrial zone," said Chanaka, the district lawmaker. "When you give away such a vast area of land you can't stop the area becoming a Chinese colony."

After the lease expires, it can be negotiated for another 99 years, according to the framework agreement, whose terms are still being negotiated. The government also has proposed to lease 15,000 acres (6,070 hectares) in Hambantota district and adjoining Moneragala district for the industrial zone.

The Rev. Magama Mahanama, from an organization calling itself the Monks' Organization to Protect National Assets, said that the clergy following an ancient tradition would issue a decree to the government to stop the leasing. Historically, kings in predominantly Buddhist Sri Lanka are said to have abided by decrees issued by Buddhist monks.

"It's a way of conveying the message that the monks are not for it," Mahanama said. "Ninety-nine years means at least two generations. When they (the Chinese) take root here, what's the guarantee that we will have it back? There is a major threat of cultural erosion and demographic change."

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, speaking to reporters earlier this week, said the partnership arrangement was necessary to free the country from the debt incurred to build the port. He blamed the debt on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose government was friendly to Beijing.

He said the industrial zone was necessary to make the port and the nearby Chinese-financed airport, also running at a heavy loss, viable.

"The port can't be taken away," he said, adding that the former British colonial rulers did not take away the Trincomalee harbor, Sri Lanka's airport or the Colombo port.

___

Associated Press writer Krishan Francis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, contributed to this report.
A onetime North Dakota oilfield executive is accused of breaking federal law by falsely inflating company revenues by tens of millions of dollars.

Joseph Kostelecky, of Dickinson, pleaded not guilty in Bismarck on Friday to five counts of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors say Kostelecky served as an executive officer in the U.S. for Poseidon Concepts Corp., a fluid storage tank supplier based in Calgary, Alberta. He was promoted to executive vice president in May 2012, a position he held until resigning in January 2013.

The indictment alleges that Kostelecky made false and misleading claims about finances in order to inflate the value of the company and stock price.

"As part of and in furtherance of the scheme, Kostelecky repeatedly undertook efforts to conceal the fact that millions of dollars of purported contract revenue did not exist or was not collectible," the indictment says.

Defense attorney Markus Powell didn't immediately respond to an email sent Saturday seeking comment.

Investigators say in late 2012 and early 2013 the company informed investors that much of its previously reported revenue wasn't collectible. Poseidon's common stock plummeted from more than $13 per share to 18 cents per share, a loss of nearly 99 percent. The stock was delisted from trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange in May 2013.

Kostelecky was released on conditions that he appear at all court proceedings, surrender his passport and limit his travel. The trial is scheduled to start March 7.
Image source: Cannabis Culture, Flickr.

Last year was, unquestionably, marijuana's breakout year if there ever was one.

You could certainly argue that 1996, the first year that California approved medical cannabis, or 2012, the first year that Colorado and Washington approved recreational weed, were marijuana's breakout years. But 2016 saw five states approve medical cannabis (two of which did so by entirely legislative means), while four additional states legalized recreational pot, doubling the number of adult-use states to eight. Furthermore, Gallup's poll showed that nationwide approval for pot is now at an all-time high of 60%, and sales of legal weed continue to grow by a double-digit annual percentage.

Marijuana also enters 2017 with a lot of momentum. President-elect Donald Trump placed his support behind the legalization of medical cannabis during his campaign, and he's maintained that the federal "hands-off" approach to regulating pot is probably the best method for now. In other words, marijuana would appear to be on track to grow sales and add more legal states to the medical cannabis and recreational pot columns in the years to come.

Nationwide legalization remains elusive

However, a rescheduling of marijuana at the federal level remains elusive. Republicans in charge of Congress have demonstrated little desire to change its current illicit status, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency passed on its opportunity to reschedule the substance this past August. The DEA suggested in its ruling that marijuana has a high potential for abuse, currently has no accepted medical use, and that it lacks accepted safety measures of use, even under medical supervision.

Image source: FutureAtlas.com, Flickr.

Pro-legalization advocates, especially those who support the legalization of medical cannabis, have been particularly critical of the stance the DEA has taken with regard to labeling marijuana as having no medical benefits and not being safe. Various clinical studies run by universities and researchers have demonstrated clinical benefits for marijuana and/or its cannabinoids in treating diseases such as glaucoma, epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, chronic pain, and even cancer. What's more, pro-legalization advocates will point to the fact that no one has died from an overdose of marijuana as proof of its safety compared to prescription opioids, which claimed about 15,000 lives in 2015 from overdoses.

Is long-term marijuana use actually dangerous?

But marijuana's safety profile isn't perfect. In fact, according to recent data in the post-legalization environment in select states, marijuana could prove dangerous to some users.

As reported by CBS News last week, the number of incidences of a somewhat rare and mysterious illness characterized by nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain in long-term marijuana users has been on the rise. The disease, known as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS, tends to go largely undiagnosed by physicians, especially emergency room physicians, because a patient often has to present with similar symptoms on numerous occasions, and have standard imaging tests done, to rule out other possible causes of their symptoms. It's known to cause dehydration and kidney failure in patients, but resolve with IV fluids and the termination of marijuana use within a few days. Users also note that taking hot showers or baths tended to resolve the symptoms.

Image source: Getty Images.

According to a study co-authored by Dr. Kennon Heard, an emergency room physician at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Co., emergency room visits with a CHS diagnosis nearly doubled in two Colorado hospitals since 2009, when medical cannabis became widely available within the state. "It is certainly something that, before legalization, we almost never saw. Now we are seeing it quite frequently," said Dr. Heard in his interview with CBS News.

However, Forbes contributor Robert Glatter, MD, also brings up an excellent point. Dr. Heard's study suggests that the propensity of long-term marijuana users to admit their use to a physician in a post-legalization environment may have led to an increase in diagnoses compared to the pre-legalization setting where admitting marijuana use to a physician was viewed as taboo. In other words, the near-doubling in CHS incidences since medical cannabis became widely available may be overstated.

What's also not well understood is what's caused a complete bifurcation from the norm when it comes to marijuana use. Normally, cannabis acts as an antiemetic that keeps people from being nauseous. In this instance, cannabis became the source of nausea in select long-term users. One theory, as pointed out by Glatter, is that a buildup of cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive component of pot, could be the cause. In animal models, low doses of CBD led to an antiemetic effect, whereas large CBD doses had the opposite effect.

Image source: Getty Images.

Only time will tell

This recently released data suggests that there are still quite a lot of unknowns with regard to long-term marijuana use. It doesn't necessarily suggest that marijuana is dangerous; but it's not exactly a glowing endorsement for safety, either.

The only way the pot industry is going to sway Congress or the DEA is if there's clear-cut evidence from a Food and Drug Administration-approved clinical trial that the benefits of cannabis outweigh the apparent risks. Of course, getting the FDA's approval to run well-designed and controlled trials has been essentially nonexistent. This is one of the many Catch-22 loops pot is stuck in. Researchers can't offer acceptable evidence to the FDA that marijuana may have medically beneficial properties because of its schedule 1 status, but the DEA won't reschedule marijuana until it has this evidence in hand.

The other Catch-22 for pot is that even if Trump and Congress do wind up legalizing medical marijuana at the federal level, things aren't necessarily going to get easier for the industry. Rescheduling cannabis to schedule 2, the most logical step if it were legalized, would admit that the substance has medically beneficial properties, but it would also place medical cannabis under the strict regulation of the FDA. The FDA could dictate how pot businesses market and package their product, it would likely oversee the manufacturing and processing of pot, and it could require medical marijuana companies to run FDA-approved clinical studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of pot in treating certain ailments. In other words, we're talking about a wave of new regulations that could wind up bankrupting a number of smaller industry players.

2016 was unmistakably a great year for marijuana, but the future for pot isn't nearly as clear.

10 stocks we like better thanWal-MartWhen investing geniuses David and TomGardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter theyhave run for over a decade, the Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tomjust revealed what they believe are theten best stocksfor investors to buy right now... and Wal-Mart wasn't one of them! That's right -- theythink these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click hereto learn about these picks!

*StockAdvisor returns as of December 12, 2016The author(s) may have a position in any stocks mentioned.

Sean Williamshas no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen nameTMFUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle@TMFUltraLong.

The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
The fast-food industry has changed dramatically over the decades, but Dow component McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) continues to find ways to improve and grow. Recently, its initiatives to offer all-day breakfast items have reinvigorated the franchise's growth prospects, and investors have enjoyed sizable share-price increases as a result. Yet since 1999, one thing McDonald's shareholders haven't seen is a stock split. Some believe that shares now trade high enough that splitting the shares would be a good move.

Let's look more closely at McDonald's to see whether 2017 might finally bring the long-awaited split decision from the fast-food giant.

Image source: McDonald's.

McDonald's stock splits in the past

Here are the dates and split ratios for the stock splits that McDonald's has done in the past:

Date of Split Split Ratio March 29, 1966 3 for 2 May 7, 1968 2 for 1 May 23, 1969 2 for 1 May 21, 1971 3 for 2 May 22, 1972 2 for 1 Sept. 14, 1982 3 for 2 Sept. 5, 1984 3 for 2 June 3, 1986 3 for 2 June 8, 1987 3 for 2 June 2, 1989 2 for 1 June 7, 1994 2 for 1 Feb. 12, 1999 2 for 1

Data source: McDonald's investor relations.

As you can see, McDonald's has a long history of doing stock splits. Yet those moves abruptly came to a halt in 1999.

One thing to notice about McDonald's is that it has gone through phases during which it preferred different split ratios. Two-for-one splits result in bigger share-price drops, making the need for splits less frequent. By contrast, three-for-two splits don't push the stock down as much, allowing shares to regain ground and require splits more often.

Also, McDonald's typically used fairly simple rules to define when a stock split was appropriate. On numerous occasions in the 1980s, McDonald's stock climbed into the $80s or higher, and that seemed to prompt stock splits. In the 1990s, the threshold was broader, with one split happening in the $60s while the other happened at around $95 per share. At no time in the past 35 years, however, did McDonald's wait until its stock was at its recent level of $120 to $130 per share to make a split.

Why did McDonald's stop doing splits?

For much of the 18 years since its last split, McDonald's stock struggled. The company took a big hit in the bear market in 2000 to 2002, and changing conditions in the restaurant industry held the stock back as well.

Moreover, McDonald's made corporate decisions that resulted in some of its biggest growth opportunities being separated from its own stock. In particular, the 2006 decision to spin off its ownership of Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) led to McDonald's missing out on the subsequent appreciation of the burrito giant, given that Chipotle tapped into the fast-growing fast-casual concept early in its evolution and delivered huge gains to its own shareholders -- gains that McDonald's shareholders only enjoyed if they held onto the Chipotle stock they received.

Still, McDonald's came back to prominence during the 2008 financial crisis, posting gains even as the rest of the market plunged. By late 2011, McDonald's stock traded in triple digits, but the fast-food giant resolutely remained silent with plans on splitting.

How McDonald's feels about splits

McDonald's management has addressed the split issue, and they've recently left the door open to further consideration. When asked in early 2016 whether a stock split for McDonald's might be in the cards, CFO Kevin Ozan said, "Stock splits are interesting, because conceptually, there's not economic value that's created. But there's some messaging or confidence from management potentially perceived positively by retail investors [from a split]. ... We do look at it periodically."

Yet the company hasn't been responsive to previous calls for a split. At the 2014 shareholders meeting, one investor asked McDonald's management to consider a split, citing the fact that the stock was above $100 per share. Former Chief Administrative Officer Pete Bensen noted that greater numbers of shares actually increase costs for the company, suggesting that McDonald's would be reluctant to make a move in the future.

Will McDonald's split its shares in 2017?

McDonald's hasn't announced an imminent split, and its attitude toward splits suggests that it won't be in hurry to do so. Only if the stock climbs precipitously from current levels should investors expect greater pressure on McDonald's to do a stock split, and even then, it's far from a certain thing. That said, those long-term shareholders who've enjoyed the 14% average annual returns that McDonald's has produced over the past decade won't be complaining much about whatever decision the fast-food giant makes about splitting its shares.

10 stocks we like better than McDonald's When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and McDonald's wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

*Stock Advisor returns as of January 4, 2017

Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Getty Images.

2017 looks like it could be a great year to invest in oil stocks. Between OPEC's recent plans to decrease output by up to 1.2 million barrels per day, another nearly half-million barrels that some non-OPEC oil countries are set to cut, and a million-barrel drop in North American daily production since the peak in 2015, oil prices look poised to surge at some point in the next year or so. After all, global oil and refined product stocks won't last forever, and while oil output has steadily fallen, consumption has increased.

The catch? Oil prices are much higher than the bottom in early 2016, but still down by half from the peak in 2014. For that reason, these six stocks --Suncor Energy Inc.(NYSE: SU),ONEOK, Inc.(NYSE: OKE),Enterprise Products Partners L.P.(NYSE: EPD),Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.(NYSE: MMP),National Oilwell Varco, Inc.(NYSE: NOV),andCore Laboratories N.V.(NYSE: CLB)-- are worth buying now and holding even if oil prices are slow to recover from here. The seventh company,Resolute Energy Corp.(NYSE: REN), has already been a big winner, but if oil prices fall or even stagnate, investors could get punished.

Keep reading to learn what makes these companies worth investing in this year.

Little big oil

One thing that makes the largest oil companies safer investments than many smaller peers is their integration -- exposure to multiple segments of the oil and gas value chain. And while low oil prices can destroy the profits and cash flows of independent producers faster than you can say "Brent Crude futures," refineries and pipelines tend to generate steady, reliable cash flows in every part of the oil cycle.

Image source: Suncor.

Suncor Energy is a smaller integrated oil company, with refining operations that generate steady cash flows and significant Canadian oil sands assets from which it should reap major rewards. In 2016, Suncor acquired a majority stake in Syncrude, a joint venture oil sands producer, immediately putting its majority leverage to work to improve the venture's operations and profitsand significantly drive down cash production costs.

Based on all that, Suncor is positioned to rebound from a rough 2015 and deliver strong returns for investors.

The middle of the American energy renaissance

Midstream operatorONEOK, Inc.also saw its stock price surge in 2016, up more than 150% from its lows. At the same time, the company continues to be a wonderful income investment, yielding more than 4% at recent prices.And while that makes ONEOK an ideal investment if it's steady dividends you're looking for, there's a good argument that its shares have gotten a bit pricey, especially compared to other high-quality midstream operators:

OKE P/E ratio (TTM) data by YCharts.

Based on valuation, both Enterprise Products Partners L.P.and Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. are better values, while also being two of the best-managed midstream operators out there. But here's the catch: If you're investing in a retirement account such as an IRA or 401(k), your dividends could be subject to taxes on these two MLPs, while any income you get from ONEOK, which is a C corp, would not be.

To sum it up: If you're investing in a taxable account, Enterprise Products Partners, with its more reasonable valuation and nearly 6% yield, would be my first choice followed closely by Magellan Midstream and ONEOK third. But if you're buying shares in a retirement account, ONEOK would make for a more tax-efficient investment, even with the risk of more share price volatility in the short term.

The two most important oil companies you've never heard of

National Oilwell Varco, Inc.and Core Laboratories N.V.don't drill for oil, operate pipelines, or refine it into gasoline or jet fuel, but they are certainly two of the most well-known and relied-upon companies within the oil and gas industry. NOV, as the company is commonly called, stands as a major supplier of machinery and components across the entire oil and gas value chain, and is so important to its customers that it has been said that NOV could just as well stand for "No Other Vendor." At the same time, Core Lab sits in a critical place in that it helps producers more quickly and more cheaply extract oil and gas from reservoirs -- a business that's in demand no matter how much crude sells for.

Nonetheless, both companies have felt the squeeze of the ongoing downside of the oil cycle, with their share prices down more than half from their five-year highs. At the same time, it's likely that both could see business continue to be less-than-stellar in 2017, with capital expenditures across the industry expected to be down from 2016.

So why are these two worthy investments? They are very well run, incredibly good at what they do, and have strong balance sheets that will enable them to emerge from the downturn in solid shape.

History has been clear: The best time to buy these two companies is when oil prices were low.

NOV data by YCharts.

Put it all together and these two companies will surely benefit from the eventual rise of oil prices. But they're built to last, even if that takes longer to happen than you expect.

More upside for this small producer (just don't ignore the risk)

Resolute Energy Corp. investors have already seen a mind-boggling 1,400% gainsince oil prices bottomed out early in 2016. But that doesn't mean there's no opportunity left in this small, independent oil and gas producer, which still has a market capitalization of around $700 million at recent prices.

REN data by YCharts.

Back at the start of 2016, Resolute Energy was on the ropes. A heavy debt burden and relatively high expenses had the company at real risk of defaulting on its loans and going under, but it managed to end the year in solid shape, less debt, and a focus on developing its Permian Basin assets in Texas. The Permian Basin -- specifically the Delaware Basin, where Resolute operates -- is potentially the biggest oil field in the world now, and because of its geological structure, has proven to be cheaper to drill and more cost effective to produce than many other shale formations.

For this reason, Resolute has made the Permian its primary focus, and is expected to generate as much as 80% of its production there by 2018. After running a single rig in its Permian holdings for most of 2016, the company intends to run a two-rig program in 2017, a move that will significantly increase its output, but will also mean negative cash flows at current oil prices.

This brings us to the big risk with Resolute. As a producer, the company must see oil prices hold steady or (ideally) rise or things could get ugly. At current prices, Resolute is likely to spend between $50 million and $75 million more than it generates in 2017 as it builds up its Permian production. But the reality is this: If oil prices stay near their current levels through 2017, it's almost a sure thing that oil investors will turn away from this small, still-leveraged producer, leading to painful losses.

Bottom line: Resolute has great assets, but an investment in this small producer is a decidedly bullish bet on oil prices going up.

10 stocks we like better than Core Laboratories When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Core Laboratories wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

*Stock Advisor returns as of Nov. 7, 2016

Jason Hall owns shares of Core Laboratories, National Oilwell Varco, and ONEOK. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Core Laboratories, National Oilwell Varco, and ONEOK. The Motley Fool recommends Enterprise Products Partners and Magellan Midstream Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Buzz Cut:

 Obama speech a time machine for liberal dreams

 Baier Tracks: The state of the State of the Union

 Jeb courts K Street

 Koch group to host GOP Sixteeners

 Wait until Mayor McCheese hears about this

OBAMAS SPEECH A TIME MACHINE FOR LIBERAL DREAMS

Not only will this package not pass a Republican Congress, it wouldnt have passed a Democratic Congress. Some of the items actually already got rejected by Democrats and others he would never even have proposed for fear of forcing a difficult vote for Democrats. A tax on college savings funds? An increase in the death tax? Yikes! The headlines are delicious, but the proposals are all empty calories. Even after the president gives Republicans a black eye for blocking his Robin Hood act, theres still not political nutrition here. As we have seen in other States of the Union, the enthusiasm of January produces a bitter autumn harvest when promised results do not materialize. But because Republicans will blockade the measures, the president feels at liberty to offer pie in the sky since no vulnerable Democrat will ever be forced to vote on the issue. Remember, these are not policies that have been broadly popular in his party.

[Watch Fox: Live coverage and analysis tonight of the presidents address and the GOP response starting at 8:55PM ET. Then Bret Baier will welcome House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan for his reaction to the presidents tax proposals. ]

Quickies - What on earth is the president going to say about national security? He can stretch out Cuba, but unless the ghost of Che Guevara is a special unannounced guest, thats pretty small beer. As surveys show, Americans are increasingly worried about the threat from Islamist militants and terrorism. The president doesnt have much good to say on that front. And the magnum opus of his foreign policy  a deal setting parameters for Irans nuclear program  is looking very shaky today with word of a new Russo-Iranian military pact. The president may look to make good for his no-show in Paris with a little francais from the podium, but foreign policy references will be hard to come by.

[Watch Fox: 2016 GOP hopefuls Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., will react to President Obamas State of the Union address tonight in a special 11 p.m. ET edition of The Kelly File.]

What liberals dream may come - While even the presidents staunchest defenders acknowledge that the presidents proposals are irrelevant from the perspective of governance, the hope on the left is that the economic policy will become a new litmus test for candidates of both parties and leave a lasting legacy for the president. John Cassidy captures the vibe, writing Simply advocating tax cuts for the masses will reshape the politics of the next couple of years, and, particularly, the 2016 Presidential election. How it would come to pass that this medium-bore version of the presidents ever-present economic policy would become the gold standard for both parties next year is a mystery not even Nero Wolfe could solve. But in order for the speech to be more than self-congratulation for the president, theres got to be more than just hot air. The legacy bit will be ringing in the ears of every viewer of every establishment outlet.

[Every year - WashEx examines the proposed tax hikes President Obama has made to Congress every year since 2009.]

Baier Tracks: The state of the State of the Union - President Obama is clearly not acting like a man whose party suffered historic losses in a midterm election, and he hasnt from the first day after the November blowout. Now, with an improving economy that he will attempt to take credit for, low gas prices that are helping fuel optimism and spending and at least one new poll putting him back up to 50 percent job approval he will, in his words, go on offense against Republicans in Congress. That may cheer up his supporters after a painful 2014, but what we havent heard much about is where the president is willing to negotiate to advance key issues this year. Maybe this address will lay out his areas for potential compromise, but so far weve been left to wonder.

The president will likely spend a lot more time on domestic issues than on foreign policy -- barring, we expect, a significant chunk on his executive actions on Cuba. He is known for his preference for domestic issues over international ones, but there is another reason the president may stay focused on the domestic front. His foreign policy portfolio currently has a lot of holes in it, especially given growing public concerns about the rise of Islamist militancy around the globe and new concerns about terrorism. Recent polls show public approval for the presidents foreign policy lagging his overall performance by nearly 10 points.

State of the Union speeches are usually shopping lists for what a president is trying to pick up in the aisles of Congress policy superstore. But this president doesnt have a lot of buying power. So what we may be seeing is his wish for what he hopes will be the political future for his party after he has left office. Well see.  Bret Baier.

[Watch Fox: Special Report with Bret Baier will preview the presidents big speech, including an exclusive interview with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, tonight at 6 pm ET.]

Ernsts big night - With Iowa Senator Joni Ernst set to deliver the GOP rebuttal to President Obamas State of the Union address, the Des Moines Register analyzes the makings of a good rebuttal and the three ways to assess her response including: what she says, how she says it and how it plays nationally as this will be the first glimpse of the freshman senator for most of America.

[Watch Fox: Fox News Correspondent William LaJeunesse examines promises President Obama has made during State of the Union speeches and whether those items on his political wish-lists have been met.]

House GOP beefs up real-time response - Check out the House Republicans live feed here with fact checks, responses and some behind-the-scenes moments. The accounts @SpeakerBoehner and @HouseGOP will also be in full effect. The House Republican Conference will follow that up with a radio blitz on Wednesday to discuss the address.

[What John told Joe - What was happening last year when House Speaker John Boehner was straightening out Vice President Joe Bidensjacket and tie before the big speech? The speaker tells all.]

Upton calls for Obama to back medical technology - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton can boast one of the few areas to have seen bipartisan breakthroughs in a gridlocked Washington. The 21st Century Cures initiative for spurring medical advances has been a hit on both sides of the aisle. Ahead of the speech, Upton and his Democratic counterpart Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., are calling on the president to make it part of his 2015 agenda.

WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE...

Shubham Banerjee is not the average 13-year-old boy. The California teenage has joined the ranks of tech entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley with his invention, a low cost Braille printing device. Banerjee was researching online to figure out how blind people learn to read and discovered that most printers cost several thousand dollars, far too expensive for most users, especially in the developing world. I just thought that price should not be there. I know that there is a simpler way to do this, Banerjee said. He set to work to develop another device for a science fair project using a Lego Mindstorms EV3 kit. His device began winning awards and garnering significant attention including a venture capital investment from tech giant Intel Corp. to launch his startup Braigo Labs. Lisa Maria Martinez, community director for the blind in San Francisco said, I love the fact that a young person is thinking about a community that is often not thought about. His second prototype has evolved from Legos with a similar look to the average desk top printer. This newer model can translate electronic text into Braille before printing.

Got a TIP from the RIGHT or LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM

POLL CHECK

Real Clear Politics Averages

Obama Job Approval: Approve  44.7 percent//Disapprove  50.2 percent

Direction of Country: Right Direction  32.3 percent//Wrong Track  58.2 percent

BUMPER CROP OF HILLARY FILES READY FOR HARVEST

Her campaign ratcheting up for a much anticipated March-April launch, Team Hillary has potential past problems to ponder, Politico reports: A massive collection of documents related to Hillary Clintons policy work as first lady is set to go public this spring more than 150,000 pages of records come largely from the files of Clintons policy advisers in her husbands White House and cover topics such as welfare, equal pay, family leave, civil rights, race, poverty and health care reform. While many Clinton Library records have been released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests, the massive new batch was reviewed on the initiative of the library's professional archivists as part of what the National Archives calls systematic processing.

[Flashback: It was on this day in 2007 that Hillary Clinton announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee that led to her 2008 bid for the White House: Im not just beginning a campaignIm beginning a conversation.]

JEB COURTS K STREET CASH

Today former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is attending private meetings with K Street lobbyists, hosted by veteran GOP fundraiser and president of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors Dirk Van Dongen, a big time Romney bundler in 2012. Van Dongen, who also raised money for the presidential campaigns of Bushs father and brother, praised Bush for emphasizing rebuilding the middle class as part of his early messaging, [USAToday reports] I will do everything I can to help the former Florida governor, he said.

Jebs ties to troubled Florida firm questioned - WaPo plumbs Jeb Bushs corporate relationship with pre-fab housing company InnoVida to illustrate how the former governors business ties could affect his presidential aspirations.

MITTS PLAN: SHOW HE CARES MUCH MORE BROADLY

Fox News: Mitt Romney provided some new insight Monday night into how a potential campaign would differ from his two previous attempts. The 2012 Republican nominee said one of the lessons he learned from that failed effort was the need to communicate to voters who I am  not just through the policies I talk about but the places that I go and the audiences I speak to. Romney specifically identified a desire to personally address minority communities and younger audiences. If you show up at businesses it looks like youre a business person. If you show up at churches and at minority communities it shows you care much more broadly. And thats something that I want to do.A Romney aide told Fox News that there are no imminent public events of the kind that would be expected from a person running for high office.

Look, Mitt Romneys going to have to do something different in order to compel people and show that compassion that I see that inside him. He was prophetic on really foreign policy. And he was mocked by Barack Obama. I think the public has buyers remorse.  Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, on The Kelly File Watch here.



Poll: Dip not bump for Mitt and Jeb - NBC News: [A]ccording to the newest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.just over half of Republicans - 52 percent - give Romney a thumbs up, while 15 percent disagree.In September of last year, when Romney was widely expected NOT to seek the presidency again, his ratings stood at  60 percent positive/ 13 percent negative. While former Florida governor Jeb Bush is not quite as well-known as Romney, with 13 percent of respondents saying they dont know the name, hes also seen a drop in approval since announcing that he's "actively exploring" a 2016 run. Just 19 percent of Americans now give Bush a positive rating, while 32 percent assess him negatively. His fans include just 37 percent of Republicans, while 15 percent offer a poor assessment of him.

KOCH GROUP TO HOST GOP SIXTEENERS

Politico: Four leading Republican presidential prospects are expected to appear this weekend in the California desert before an exclusive gathering of rich conservatives convened by the Koch brothers political operation, several sources tell POLITICO. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida, and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, received coveted invitations to speak to the vaunted network assembled by the billionaire industrialist mega-donors Charles and David Koch, the sources said. The meeting, set to be held at a Palm Springs hotel, is the annual winter gathering of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the nonprofit group that oversees the network of fiscally conservative groups formed with help from the Kochs and their operatives. None of the White House prospects invited to the meeting this weekend responded to questions about whether they planned to attend and, if so, what they planned to discuss.

[Cruz crowd takes shape - WashExs David Drucker has a comprehensive look at Sen. Ted Cruzs latest staff moves as he gears up for a potential 2016 bid.]

Walker wants to stretch his legs overseas - In a move that would boost his foreign policy creds for a 2016 bid, Milwaukee Wisc. Journal Sentinel reports that Gov. Scott Walker [R-Wisc.] is likely to lead a trade delegation to Israel this year. I havent got a date yet, but Ive had multiple requests to go so well probably try to find a way, he said.

Christie courts hi-tech execs - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is in Northern Virginia today to meet with high tech executives at a luncheon hosted by GOP donor Bobbie Kilberg.

Hucks on the bookshelves - Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabees book, God, Guns, Grits and Gravy is officially out today.

Fiorina headlines pro-life forum - Former Hewlett-Packard CEO and potential 2016 contender Carly Fiorina will be giving the keynote address at the Heritage Foundations Welcoming Every Life forum, one of several events leading up to this Thursdays March for Life.

DEMS DRAW TOP CONTENDER TO TAKE ON KIRK

Chicago Tribune: Rep. Tammy Duckworth, [D-Ill.] an Iraq War veteran beginning her second term in the House of Representatives, said Monday that shes ready to explore the possibility of a challenge to Sen. Mark Kirk [R-Ill.] in 2016I'm humbled by the encouragement that Im receiving to run for the Senate, Duckworth said, and I think its pretty clear that people are looking for a change, and Im going to explore the possibility. Im ready to really explore the possibility of a run. Duckworth said she has begun speaking to her husband and close advisers and aides about a possible Senate run. She said she still needed to have a discussion with officials at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, among other people.

WAIT UNTIL MAYOR MCCHEESE HEARS ABOUT THIS

One Alabama man learned the hard way that you cant always have it your way. Madison Turner left the McDonalds drive thru enjoying his Double Quarter Pounder when the officer pulled him over under Cobb County, Georgias distracted driving law. WSB reports the officer observed Turner for 2 miles and the official charge on the ticket reads eating while driving. He was willing to accept the possibility that he was, ahem, lovin it too much: Maybe I was enjoying the burger too much I needed to tone it down. I was certainly willing to do so but I didnt expect to be fined or punished. Local attorney William Head, who is not representing Turner, said There was no accident here so the fact that this man was charged with eating and driving is a first for me. Maybe if you had a giant pizza in both hands and you werent holding the wheel or maybe if you had a watermelon, half watermelon and you were just diving into it holding it with both hands, maybe that would be something. Turner heads to court on February 3.

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES

If you look at [President Obamas] proposal it is tax and spend, which of course today is revenue enhancements and investing, no one uses that. But its not at all tax reform, its in fact the exact opposite. It complicates the code with all kinds of little curlicues and handouts under certain conditions.  Charles Krauthammer on Special Report with Bret Baier Watch here.



Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz scolded China for trying to quash his meeting with the Taiwanese president on Sunday, the second time in just over a month a prominent Republican has publicly poked the Peoples Republic over a communication with the contested island nation.

Cruz and Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott were among the officials who met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen as she stopped in Houston during a trip to the Americas.

The Peoples Republic of China needs to understand that in America we make decisions about meeting with visitors for ourselves, Cruz said in a statement obtained by the Texas Tribune. This is not about the PRC. This is about the U.S. relationship with Taiwan, an ally we are legally bound to defend. The Chinese do not give us veto power over those with whom they meet. We will continue to meet with anyone, including the Taiwanese, as we see fit.

Cruz said in the statement that shortly before our meeting, the Houston congressional delegation received a curious message from the Chinese Consulate, which asked Congress members not to meet with Tsai, and to uphold the One-China policy.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, which asserts its independence. The U.S. maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan, but does not officially recognize its government.

Abbott on Sunday tweeted a photo of his meeting, and said he and Tsai discussed expanding trade and economic opportunities.

Today I met with the President of Taiwan to discuss expanding trade and economic opportunities. #txlege pic.twitter.com/5KF04VlFRA  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 8, 2017

The Houston meetings come about a month after President-elect Donald Trump controversially accepted a phone call from Tsai in which she congratulated him on his election win.

China later said it had serious concern about the call. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said any change in the so-called One-China policy would render cooperation between the U.S. and China out of the question. Trump has been a fierce critic of China, and the phone call was an intentionally provocative action on the part of the president-elect, The Washington Post reported.

Trump was heavily criticized from some on the left for taking the call; however, Cruz  a frequent sparring partner of Trumps during the Republican primary who eventually endorsed the GOP nominee in late September  came to Trumps defense.

I would much rather have Donald Trump talking to President Tsai than to Cubas Raul Castro or Irans Hasan Rouhani, Cruz tweeted at the time, referencing two reviled world leaders President Obama has spoken with.

Tsai was set to transit through Houston and San Francisco during her trip to reinforce relations with diplomatic allies in Central America. China had urged Washington to prevent Tsai from landing in the U.S. to refrain from sending any wrong signal to the Taiwanese independence forces.

Trump was not set to meet with Tsai during the trip.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Obama said Sunday that hes OK with Republicans making changes to his Affordable Care Act and even changing its name from ObamaCare to TrumpCare.

Im fine with that, the president told ABCs This Week.

Obama suggested that ObamaCare will survive Republicans efforts to repeal and replace his signature health care law. And he said that he would be the first one to laud Republicans if they can come up with a system that insures more people cheaper, better.

The president, who turns over the White House in 12 days to President-elect Donald Trump, also suggested that he has wanted to make the kind of changes to ObamaCare that Trump and fellow Republicans in control of Congress are seeking.

But they wouldn't cooperate because they didn't want to make the system work, Obama said.

With Trump as the next president and Republicans also controlling Congress, the GOP indeed finally has its best opportunity in roughly six years to repeal the law.

Obamas remarks Sunday provided a glimpse into what he might have told fellow Democrats last week on Capitol Hill in a closed-door meeting about how to defend GOP efforts to repeal and replace the 2010 law.

Obama also cited letters from Americans thanking him for providing affordable, accessible health insurance, similar to what House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other congressional Democrats have done in recent days, in an apparent attempt to win public support to save ObamaCare.

Obama also pointed out that 20 million more Americans have health insurance as a result of the law and argued the countrys un-insured rate is at a record low.

So we've got a baseline of facts, he said.

However, under-enrollment in ObamaCare, particularly with young and healthy participants, along with doctors and insurance companies dropping out, has resulted in rising premium costs.

Senate Republicans on Tuesday, the first day of the 115th Congress, took the first legislative steps to repeal the law.

However, they made clear in the time between Trumps November win and their return that a full replacement might take years, considering they had no alternative plan.

The situation puts them under heavy pressure from their voters, who expect lawmakers Day One promises to end ObamaCare be fulfilled.

Revamping the nation's $3 trillion-a-year health care system will be further complicated by congressional Democrats vowing to stop Republicans at essentially every step.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said if Republicans void Obama's bill, Democrats won't help them pass alternative legislation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Confirmation hearings begin this week on Capitol Hill for Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as U.S. attorney general and other Cabinet picks from President-elect Donald Trump -- amid increasing partisan threats about derailing nominees and calls to keep politics out of the process.

The most recent exchange began Saturday when Democrats called for a delay in the hearings -- including at least seven this week -- because several of Trumps nominees have purportedly failed to complete ethics reviews to avoid conflicts of interest.

Democrats called for the delay based on a letter this weekend from the Office of Government Ethics to Senate leaders stating that some of the nominees scheduled for hearings have yet to complete their ethics review process.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday the complaints are merely procedural and are being raised by Democrats frustrated about him and fellow Republicans now controlling the House, Senate and White House.

"I understand that. But we need to sort of grow up here and get past that, the Kentucky senator told CBS Face the Nation. We confirmed seven Cabinet appointments the day President Obama was sworn in. We didn't like most of them either. But he won the election.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the ethics review is to ensuring wealthy Cabinet members work for the American people instead of "their own bottom line and that they plan to fully comply with the law."

Republicans are intent on getting as many Trump nominees through the arduous confirmation process before the incoming Republican president takes the oath of office on Jan. 20.

Several of Trumps picks are wealth Americans with far-reaching business connections -- Republican mega-donor Betsy DeVos, for education secretary; ExxonMobile CEO Rex Tillerson, for secretary of state; Billionaire private-equity investor Wilbur Ross, for commerce secretary and former Goldman Sachs executive Steve Mnuchin for treasury secretary.

Despite all of the wrangling ahead of the Senate confirmation hearings, Trumps nominees will almost certainly get enough votes in the chamber's GOP-led committees. However, they could run into delays when both parties cast final votes on the Senate floor, despite needing only 51 yeahs.

Democrats could use procedural moves to extend the debate on each of the nominees. But they dont have the power to use the filibuster to block the nominations, because in the last Congress they changed the threshold on such filibusters from 60 to 51 votes.

The hearings begin Tuesday with Sessions in the Senate Judiciary Committee, the same panel that in 1986 denied him a federal judgeship, following allegations that he had made racist remarks and called the NAACP "un-American."

Still, Session, an immigration hawk and the first U.S. Senator to endorse Trump, a fellow Republican, is expected to be confirmed without much delay or fight.

Still, civil rights groups are urging a thorough vetting of Sessions. Last week, NAACP President Cornell William Brooks and other group members were arrested after a sit-in protest in Sessions' Mobile, Alabama, office, and could do something similar on Capitol Hill.

The two-day hearing includes a day for Sessions to address the committee, and a day for rebuttal witnesses from those opposing his nomination.

Session will be followed Tuesday by retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, the nominee for the post of Homeland Security secretary.

Tillersons hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to run the State Department, arguable the most important and high-profile Cabinet post, could be the most contentious.

His job leading oil giant ExxonMobile, which included deals with Russia and connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is raising concerns, especially after a recent U.S. intelligence report stated both meddled in this years presidential election.

However, the expected showdown with Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain -- who last week suggested hed vote for Tillerson when pigs fly -- appears less likely.

McCain said Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press that still has questions but that a meeting last week with Tillerson eased concerns.

Every president should have the benefit of the doubt as to their nominees, he said. So there has to be a compelling reason not to vote for him.

Democrats and others argue that Ross, who founded the private equity firm WL Ross & Co., is the type of Wall Street tycoon that Trump has vowed to keep out of Washington.

But Ross' record has so far shown no potentially damaging conflicts of interest.

Schumer and other Democrats have purportedly targeted DeVos, Sessions and Tillerson as well as Mnuchin and South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney, for the Office of Management -- whose hearings have yet to be scheduled.

If Republicans think they can quickly jam through a whole slate of nominees without a fair hearing process, theyre sorely mistaken, Schumer said last week.

One of the committees that hasn't yet received the ethics review forms is the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which will hold the DeVos hearings.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee said it had also not received the forms for Ross, though a spokeswoman said they expect them soon.

Committee aides said they have received ethics forms for Sessions, Tillerson, Treasury Secretary nominee and retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis and Elaine Chao, for transportation secretary.

The Government Ethics office did not list which of Trump's Cabinet choices hadn't turned in their disclosures.

Other confirmation hearings next week include Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kansas, for director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Ben Carson for housing secretary.

The Associated Press contributed to his report.
American warships battled pirates Tuesday who had seized a tanker off the coast of Somalia as well as another vessel northeast of Mogadishu, combined reports said.

In the waters off Somalia, the warships reportedly sunk two pirate vessels and pursued a hijacked skiff carrying some of the fleeing hijackers.

The crew of the tanker Golden Mori, which was hijacked Sunday night, reportedly fought back and overpowered their attackers, regaining control of the vessel, maritime officials said.

On Sunday, the destroyer USS Porter responded to a distress call from the Golden Mori that it was under attack from two pirate skiffs in international waters off the coast of Somalia near the Socotra islands in the Indian Ocean. The destroyer, on loan to an international task force aimed at stopping piracy and terror in the region, responded with deadly force, sinking both vessels, officials said.

The Porter's sister ship, the USS Arleigh Burke, reportedly was pursuing the escaping hijackers and providing an escort for the Japanese-owned tanker.

Off Mogadishu, the crew of the Dai Hong Dan had control of the steering and engineering spaces of the ship, and the pirates had seized the bridge, the Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs Office reported.

Corpsmen from the USS James E. Williams, an Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer operating as part of the maritime coalition, and a boarding team, provided medical aid and other support as to the Korean vessel's crew.

The crew reported five pirates were captured and two were dead.

The Combined Maritime Forces Headquarters, based in Bahrain, received a call from the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday morning.

Williams crew contacted the pirates via bridge-to-bridge radio when it arrived near the ship and ordered them to give up their weapons.

It was at this time the Korean crew launched an overthrow to take back control.

There were conflicting reports regarding the Golden Mori's registry, with reports saying it was flying a Panamanian flag, while other reports saying it either was a North or South Korean registered ship.

Nearly two dozen of the Golden Mori's crew members reportedly were able to fight off the eight gunmen who had seized the vessel late Monday, and the crew was piloting the ship back to the war-battered city's port in Mogadishu, said Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator of the Seafarers Assistance Program, which independently monitors piracy in the region.

An international watchdog reported this month that pirate attacks worldwide jumped 14 percent in the first nine months of 2007, with the biggest increases off the poorly policed waters of Somalia and Nigeria.

Reported attacks in Somalia rose rapidly to 26, up from eight a year earlier, the London-based International Maritime Bureau said through its piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And some of those hijackings have turned deadly.

Somalia has had 16 years of violence and anarchy, and is now led by a government battling to establish authority even in the capital. Its coasts are virtually unpoliced.

Piracy off Somalia increased this year after Ethiopian forces backing Somali government troops ousted an Islamic militia in December, said Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator of the Seafarers Assistance Program which independently monitors piracy in the region.

During the six months that the Council of Islamic Courts ruled most of southern Somalia, where Somali pirates are based, piracy abated, Mwangura said.

At one point, the Islamic group said it was sending scores of fighters to crack down on pirates there. Islamic fighters even stormed a hijacked, UAE-registered ship and recaptured it after a gunbattle in which pirates -- but no crew members -- were reportedly wounded.

In May, pirates complaining their demands had not been met killed a crew member a month after seizing a Taiwan-flagged fishing vessel off Somalia's northeastern coast.

Pirates even targeted vessels on humanitarian missions, such as the MV Rozen which was hijacked in February soon after it had delivered food aid to northeastern Somalia. The ship and its crew were released in April. France has offered naval vessels to escort ships carrying World Food Program food to Mogadishu beginning in November.

Indonesia remained the world's worst piracy hotspot, with 37 attacks in the first nine months of 2007. But that was an improvement from 40 in the same period a year earlier, IMB said.

The IMB said Southeast Asia's Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest waterways, has been relatively quiet with 198 attacks on ships reported between January and September, up from 174 in the same period in 2006.

It said 15 vessels were hijacked, 63 crew members kidnapped and three killed.

Oil-rich Nigeria suffered 26 pirate attacks so far this year, up from nine in the same period last year.
The suspect in a deadly shooting at a Florida airport used a gun that he had stored in his checked luggage, raising questions about airport security and whether safety officials need to change the current rules.

Authorities say 26-year-old Esteban Santiago retrieved his gun from his bag on the carousel, loaded it in a bathroom of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, then emerged shooting in the baggage-claim area on Friday, killing five people and wounding eight.

Transportation Security Administration rules prohibit guns in carry-on bags, but they allow passengers to ship guns if they are unloaded, put in a hard-sided, locked container that only the owner has the ability to unlock, and placed in a checked bag.

A TSA spokesman declined to comment on whether Friday's shooting would lead to a review of those rules.
The suspected killer in the Ft. Lauderdale rampage, 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, was charged on Saturday with performing an act of violence at an airport, which could earn him the death penalty if he is convicted.

Santiago was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death and weapons charges.

Earlier, the FBI announced that Santiago apparently traveled to the airport for the purpose of carrying out the bloody rampage.

Santiago told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. Authorities don't know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Terrorism may have been a "potential motivation" for the attack on Friday that killed five people, Special Agent in Charge George Piro said during a news conference.



Later in the afternoon, police in Alaska said they had returned a handgun to the Florida airport shooting suspect which was temporarily taken from him when he underwent a mental evaluation late last year, according to a Reuters report.

Anchorage Police Chief Christopher Tolley said it was not immediately clear if it was the same gun used in Friday's deadly rampage. Officials told a news conference the gun was returned to the suspect because the Iraq war veteran had not committed a crime.

Why the gunman may have chosen South Florida was unclear. He had no clear connection to the state aside from relatives in the Naples area, a two-hour drive away, the Sun Sentinel reported.

VIDEO: SEN. RUBIO REACTS TO AIRPORT SHOOTING

The suspected shooter had a history of mental health problems -- some of which followed his military service in Iraq -- and was receiving psychological treatment at his home in Alaska, his relatives said.

FBI investigators questioned Santiago for hours. Piro said investigators were scouring the 26-year-old suspect's social media footprint and looking into where he'd traveled before.

Santiago was not on any no-fly list, according to the FBI. He allegedly carried out the attack with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, Piro added.

FT. LAUDERDALE SHOOTING SUSPECT SAID HE WAS FORCED TO WATCH ISIS VIDEOS

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said six people were wounded in the attack -- not eight, as officials had said Friday. Three were in the intensive care unit and three were in good condition, Israel told reporters.

"Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn't feeling too good," Santiago's uncle, Hernan Rivera, told The Record newspaper.

Santiago deployed in 2010 as part of the Puerto Rico National Guard, spending a year with an engineering battalion, according to Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.

In recent years, Santiago -- a new dad, family said -- had been living in Anchorage, Alaska, his brother, Bryan Santiago, told The Associated Press from Puerto Rico. Bryan Santiago said his brother's girlfriend had recently called the family to alert them to his treatment.

In November, Esteban told FBI agents in Alaska that the government was controlling his mind and was forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, a law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke Friday on condition of anonymity.

The FBI agents notified the police after the interview with Esteban Santiago, who took him in for a mental health evaluation.

Bryan Santiago said his brother never spoke to him directly about his medical issues.

"We have not talked for the past three weeks," Bryan Santiago said. "That's a bit unusual ... I'm in shock. He was a serious person ... He was a normal person."

Esteban Santiago was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was 2, his brother said. He grew up in the southern coastal town of Penuelas before joining the Guard in 2007.

Former neighbor Ursula Candelario recalled seeing Esteban Santiago grow up and said people used to salute him after he joined the Guard. "He was very peaceful, very educated, very serious," she said. "We're in shock. I couldn't believe it," said Candelario.

While in Iraq, Santiago cleared roads of improvised explosive devices and at least two members of his company were killed, spokesman Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead told The New York Times. He was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation.

Since returning from Iraq, Santiago served in the Army Reserves and the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage, Olmstead told the AP. He was serving as a combat engineer in the Guard before his discharge for "unsatisfactory performance," said Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead, a spokeswoman. His military rank upon discharge was E3, private 1st class, and he worked one weekend a month with an additional 15 days of training yearly, Olmstead said.

She would not elaborate on his discharge, but the Pentagon said he went AWOL several times and was demoted and discharged.

Still, he'd had some successes during his military career, being awarded a number of medals and commendations including the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

His uncle and aunt in New Jersey were trying to make sense of what they were hearing about Santiago after his arrest at the Fort Lauderdale airport. FBI agents arrived at their house to question them, and reporters swarmed around.

Maria Ruiz told The Record that her nephew had recently become a father to a son and was struggling.

"It was like he lost his mind," she said in Spanish of his return from Iraq. "He said he saw things."

Santiago was flying from Anchorage on a Delta flight and had checked only one piece of luggage, which contained the gun.

Santiago was charged in a domestic violence case in January 2016, damaging a door when he forced his way into a bathroom at his girlfriend's Anchorage home. The woman told officers he yelled at her to leave, choked her and smacked her on the side of the head, according to charging documents.

A month later municipal prosecutors said he violated the conditions of his release when officers found him at her home during a routine check. He told police he had lived there since he was released from custody the previous month. His Anchorage attorney, Max Holmquist, declined to discuss his client.

Law enforcement officers were at the girlfriend's home Friday afternoon, and officers guarding the property outside told a reporter who approached the home to step away.

Senator-elect Nelson Cruz, who knew the family and represents the town where they live in Puerto Rico, said he had been talking regularly with Bryan Santiago since the shooting.

"They're very humble and very Christian people," Cruz said of Esteban Santiago's brother and mother. "They want to tell the families of the victims that they're extremely saddened and extremely upset by what happened."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lobster lovers are used to adjusting to high prices, but this winter, they're shelling out even more for the cherished crustaceans because of a lack of catch off of New England and Canada and heavy exports to China.

Winter is typically a slow season for U.S. lobster fishermen and an active one off Atlantic Canada. But catch is slow in both countries this year, in part because of bad weather, industry sources said.

And the winter months are also an important time for exports to lobster-crazy China, which celebrates its New Year holiday Jan. 28. It's increasingly popular to celebrate the Chinese New Year with American lobster. That's causing demand at a time when supply is low.

American consumers who were paying $9 to $11 per pound for a live lobster in September  already higher than the previous year  are now sometimes paying upward of $13 per pound. There are enough lobsters to go around, but China's demand is likely to only grow, said Bill Bruns, operations manager at The Lobster Company of Arundel, Maine.

"They are building infrastructure to meet more demand," Bruns said, who added that China's middle class "hasn't stopped growing, and they keep eating."

American lobster exports to China have topped 12 million pounds and $85 million in value for three years in a row. The country imported a fraction of that amount as recently as 2010, when it imported less than a million pounds of the crustaceans.

Meanwhile, prices charged by wholesalers in the U.S. are rising, too. The wholesale price of a 1 -pound live hard shell lobster rose about a dollar in the New England market from December to January, when it was $7.75 per pound, according to Urner Barry commodities publishing service.

The loss of fishing days due to bad weather off Canada has caused a supply issue at a busy time of the year, said market analyst John Sackton, who publishes a website called SeafoodNews.com.

"It's become very difficult to get supply and you still have people scrambling to ship lobsters to China for Chinese New Year," he said.

The winter pinch is happening at a time when the U.S. lobster catch, based mostly in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, is booming. U.S. fishermen have caught more than 100 million pounds of lobster for seven years in a row after having never accomplished that feat previously, federal records say. Lobsters were worth a record of more than $600 million at the docks in 2015, records show.

The slow winter fishing season isn't cause for concern in the grand scheme of things, said David Cousens, a South Thomaston lobstermen who is president of the Maine Lobstermen's Association.

"Guys offshore are reporting not very much. But I imagine they've probably got enough between Canada and here to fill that market," he said.
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The horrific beating of a mentally disabled white man in Chicago by four black assailants broadcast on social media is highlighting anti-white hate crimes at a time of increased racial strife in the United States.

But federal statistics and experts say anti-white incidents remain a smaller percentage of overall hate crimes. Anti-black hate crimes are still the largest number of cases.

According to the 2015 FBI hate crime statistics, the latest available, there were 613 anti-white-related crimes out of 5,850 total cases. That's around 10.5 percent of all reported hate crimes, and within the yearly average, federal numbers show.

By comparison, the FBI reports there were 1,745 anti-black hate crimes or about 30 percent of all reported incidents. Jews were the most targeted religious group that year and were victims of 11 percent of all hate crimes. It's not clear how many anti-Jewish hate crime victims also may have been attacked because of their race.

That data also suggested that blacks and Jews remain disproportionally targets of hate crimes compared to their population as opposed to whites. African-Americans are only 13 percent of the U.S. population, while non-Hispanic whites are 61 percent.

The FBI defines a hate crime as a "criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity." Filing reports for the federal count is voluntary, but guidelines call for reports to be submitted even if they list zero hate crimes.

Even then, experts say the FBI data on hate crimes isn't a full picture since anti-black cases are skewed lower by the lack of reporting participation by some southern law enforcement agencies.

Some large Florida cities, like Miami, reported no hate crimes to the FBI in 2015, said Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, California State University. "I doubt that cities as diverse as those had no hate crimes," he said.

In Chicago, two men and two women  all black  are facing hate crime charges in connection with the brutal beating of a mentally disabled white man that was streamed on Facebook Live. The video shows the victim is tied up and the suspects are making racial slurs and references to his mental capacity, Chicago Police Commander Kevin Duffin said.

The suspects are accused of forcing the victim to drink toilet water and kiss the floor, stuffing a sock into his mouth, taping his mouth shut and binding his hands with a belt.

The 18-year-old victim, who is from a Chicago suburb, suffers from schizophrenia and attention-deficit disorder, authorities said.

The victim also was taunted with profanities against white people and President-elect Donald Trump.

Eighteen-year-olds Brittany Covington, Tesfaye Cooper and Jordan Hill, and 24-year-old Tanishia Covington also face kidnapping and battery charges in connection with the attack.

The case heightened political tensions on social media and opened yet-to-be healed wounds from a nasty presidential election campaign. Some conservatives suggested the attack highlighted growing anti-white violence and was linked to the Black Lives Matter movement, although police said there was no indication of any connection.

The FBI does classify attacks based on disability as a hate crime. Federal numbers show 88 incidents related to attacks on disability in 2015.

In addition to underreporting, Levin said strong federal data of the race and ethnicity of assailants is incomplete because of the lack of consistent reporting.

The 2015 FBI data showed that of the 734 total reported offenses committed against whites  a single incident could have multiple offenses like assault or theft  46 percent of those were committed by blacks.

In contrast, of the 2,125 reported offenses committed against blacks, 58 percent of those who committed by whites.

Still, despite the data, Levin said the Chicago beating is resonating because it was shown via social media and racial relations are tense following the November election. Live streams and 140 Twitter characters inflame the fires.

Levin described the situation as "a logjam of motivations" for conflict, saying it's like nothing he's ever seen.

"We are seeing the coarseness that exists in society generally, those embers, have crossed the fire lines to all parts of the racial, ethnic and ideological spectrum," Levin said.

___

Associated Press writer Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta contributed to this report.

___

Follow Russell Contreras on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/russell-contreras .
A Pennsylvania mother and her boyfriend acted out a "rape-murder fantasy" when they killed the woman's 14-year-old daughter in July, prosecutors said Sunday.

Sara Packer, 41, and Jacob Sullivan, 44, planned Grace Packers murder for more than a year, killed her in July, and then stored the body in the attic of their rented home in Quakertown for nearly four months and later cut it up, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, citing a court affidavit charging Sullivan with the gruesome crime.

The court papers say that before the killing Sullivan raped Grace while her mother watched, according to the paper.

The affidavit also states that the body was preserved in the attic in kitty litter.

This was a sexual fantasy that was shared between Jacob Sullivan and Sara Packer, and Grace Packer was the object of that rape-murder fantasy, the paper quoted Bucks County Prosecutor Matthew Weintraub as saying.

Sullivan appeared before a judge early Sunday on charges of homicide, rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful restraint, kidnapping, possessing instruments of crime, endangering the welfare of a child, abuse of corpse, simple assault, tampering with physical evidence, and corresponding conspiracy charges. He was jailed without bail.

Sara Packer was arrested hours later in Horsham Township on charges of homicide, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, possessing instruments of crime, endangering the welfare of a child, abuse of corpse, simple assault, tampering with physical evidence, and conspiracy to commit rape. Her arraignment was pending.

They each could face the death penalty.

Investigators said Sara Packer reported her daughter missing July 11. Hunters found the girls dismembered remains in the woods on Halloween.

Fox 29 Philadelphia reported in December that Packer had been accused of hindering the search for her daughter by withholding information and secretly moving to another town.

The station also reported that Packer had pocketed $3,600 in disability benefits for her daughter after the disappearance.

The affidavit says staff at a hospital called investigators Saturday to report that Sullivan had confessed to the girls killing, WFMZ-TV reported.

Sullivan and Packer had been hospitalized Dec. 30 after trying to kill themselves with pills.

Weintraub said that under subsequent questioning by Bucks County detectives, Sullivan revealed in detail how the girl was assaulted and killed over the course of about 18 hours, beginning July 8.

The affidavit states that after the rape, Grace was bound, gagged and left to die in a closet in the attic that Sullivan told investigators was extremely hot, the station reported.

When she didnt die as expected, Sullivan then wrapped his arm around her neck and face, squeezing the life out of her, according to the affidavit.

Sullivan told detectives that Graces body was cut up in a bathtub after cops paid them a visit in October and then discarded in the woods.

Two weeks before Graces body was found her mother was captured on video buying a bow saw and two extra blades at a tractor supply store, the affidavit states.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Sunday after someone pointed a green laser at a military transport plane as it flew over New Jersey.

No one was injured in the incident that happened Friday night.

The C-17 military transport plane reported that the laser illuminated the cockpit when the plane was about 20 miles southeast of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The plane was flying at 4,000 feet, but it wasn't clear how many people were aboard the aircraft at the time.

Authorities say lasers pose a considerable risk because they can temporarily blind pilots, especially during landings and take-offs.
Four out of the five victims gunned down in the Fort Lauderdale airport attack were going on vacation that promised sun, sand and fun.

They were collecting their luggage when Estefan Santiago opened fire in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2 at the airport on Friday.

While the official list of victims has not been released, family and friends of the victims are speaking out and sharing their stories.

Olga Woltering, 84, was a great-grandmother ready to set sail on her cruise with her husband Ralph Woltering, who was not hurt.

They were going on the cruise to celebrate Ralph Wolterings 90th birthday, friend Dan Blankowski told FoxNews.com Saturday.

FEDERAL PROSECUTORS FILE CHARGES AGAINST SANTIAGO, HE COULD FACE THE DEATH PENALTY

He said Olga Woltering was a devout member of the Catholic Church of the Transfiguration in Marietta, active in many ministries.

To call Olga and Ralph Pillars of the Transfiguration family, its not an exaggeration, Blankowski said.

Friends described Olga Woltering as a "wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend," Fox 5 Atlanta reported Saturday.

Parishioners at the Catholic Church of the Transfiguration in Cobb County, Georgia, remember Olga Woltering as "the life of the party."

"She was always a bright spirit," Ron Schaefer said. "We'd see her at church, and it was always a pleasure to see her smiling face and say hello to her."

At Saturday evening's Mass, Father Fernando Molina-Restrepo spoke of evil, saying there are some people walking in darkness, "bringing pain and clouds of sadness into our world."

"We saw an example of this yesterday at the Fort Lauderdale airport," he sai

Witnesses say Santiago picked off his victims as he walked through a baggage claim area without saying a word. Authorities say he was armed with a semi-automatic handgun from a checked bag after landing in Ft. Lauderdale on the second leg of a flight from Alaska. Six people were wounded.

FBI AGENT WHO INTERROGATED SADDAM HUSSEIN LEADS AIRPORT CASE

The dead also included another person going on a cruise.

Michael Oehme was a frequent traveler who loved to cruise with his wife, and the couple was about to head out to sea again, his sister told The Associated Press on Saturday.

"They were supposed to leave today," Elizabeth Oehme-Miller, 52, said by phone from Council Bluffs, Iowa, also the couple's hometown. "They were happy to be going on another trip."

Oehme, 57, was a land surveyor and owned his own business, Boundaryline Surveys, his sister said.

His wife, Kari Oehme, is hospitalized with injuries from a gunshot wound to the shoulder and is expected to recover, her sister-in-law said. Kari Oehme is a clerical worker at a local office, Oehme-Miller said.

She said she learned that the couple was at the airport during the shooting through a text message from her daughter.

"I still can't believe it's true," Oehme-Miller said. "It hasn't hit yet. I'm kind of in shock right now."

WAVY-TV reported that a third victim was 62-year-old Terry Andres, of Virginia Beach.

Andres and his wife, Ann, flew to Fort Lauderdale for a Caribbean cruise, one of many they'd taken together over the years. Because they loved to travel, they'd booked a second trip immediately following the cruise, a week in Cancun, Mexico.

The night before they left their Virginia Beach home, the couple offered their generator to neighbors as a snowstorm bore down on the region. After hearing about the shooting, friend Jessica Winbauer texted the couple.

"She texted me back about an hour and a half later saying 'Please call me," Winbauer told The Associated Press, holding back tears.

That's when Ann Andres broke the news: her husband was one of the five victims.

"She was alone sitting in a car where they had shuffled her, I guess," Winbauer said. "It was horrible."

Terry Andres' death shocked the close-knit community just blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. Neighbors visited with one another to share the news or made the rare phone call to fill-in people who had moved away.

"It's like a commune back here," said Winbauer, whose son is the Andres' godchild. "Everyone has keys to everybody's house. Everyone is connected."

Tragedy struck an Ohio family when Shirley Timmons was slain and her husband critically injured during the airport attack.

The couple had flown to Fort Lauderdale on Friday to join the rest of their family for a cruise, WILE-FM reported.

Timmons' grandson Steve Reineccius confirmed over Facebook that his grandmother was one of the victims and that his grandfather Steve Timmons was wounded. They were both 70 years old.

Timmons was shot in the head and underwent emergency surgery at a Fort Lauderdale hospital, where he's in critical condition, the station reported.

The couple's 51st wedding anniversary was in three weeks. They're from Senecaville, about 90 miles east of Columbus.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A New Hampshire woman is believed to be the first person to complete an ambitious hiking challenge in the White Mountains in a single year.

Sue Johnston, 51, says she has hiked every one of New Hampshire's 4,000-foot mountains in every single month of the year in 2016, The Concord Monitor reported.

The challenge is known as the "Grid" and it takes most hikers years to complete. Completing the Grid requires hiking each mountain in every month, but doing it all in one year isn't required. There are 48 mountains that top 4,000 feet in the White Mountains.

Johnston said December was her most difficult month. She spent a total of 21 days hiking last month. In July, she spent 119 hours hiking over a period of 10 days. She completed the Grid on Dec. 26, atop Mount Isolation in Pinkham Notch.

The state's hiking community tracks the challenge, not the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation.

Now a Littleton resident, Johnston previously lived in Danville, Vermont. She's been hiking in the White Mountains for 30 years, giving her a familiarity with the mountains necessary for attempting such a feat.

Johnston was inspired to give the challenge a try three years ago after some people on an online hiking forum said it wasn't possible.

"I said I think you could, if you didn't work, if you didn't have kids at home, and I started thinking, 'That's me. I have that lifestyle and I love to hike,'" Johnston told the Monitor.

Taking on extreme outdoor challenges isn't new for Johnston. She hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1994, has run in 26 100-mile races and hiked to the highest point in almost all 50 states.
Its capital is blighted with earthquake rubble. Its countryside is shorn of trees, chopped down for fuel. And yet, Haiti's land may hold the key to relieving centuries of poverty, disaster and disease: There is gold hidden in its hills  and silver and copper, too.

A flurry of exploratory drilling in the past year has found precious metals worth potentially $20 billion deep below the tropical ridges in the country's northeastern mountains. Now, a mining company is drilling around the clock to determine how to get those metals out.

In neighboring Dominican Republic, workers are poised to start mining the other side of this seam later this year in one of the world's largest gold deposits: 23 million ounces worth about $40 billion.

The Haitian government's annual budget is $1 billion, more than half provided by foreign assistance. The largest single source of foreign investment, $2 billion, came from Haitians working abroad last year. A windfall of locally produced wealth could pay for roads, schools, clean water and sewage systems for the nation's 10 million people, most of whom live on as little as $1.25 a day.

"If the mining companies are honest and if Haiti has a good government, then here is a way for this country to move forward," said Bureau of Mines Director Dieuseul Anglade.

In a parking lot outside Anglade's marble-floored office, more than 100 families have been living in tents since the earthquake. "The gold in the mountains belongs to the people of Haiti," he said, gesturing out his window. "And they need it."

Haiti's geological vulnerability is also its promise. Massive tectonic plates squeeze the island with horrifying consequences, but deep cracks between them form convenient veins for gold, silver and copper pushed up from the hot innards of the planet. Prospectors from California to Chile know earthquake faults often have, quite literally, a golden lining.

Until now, few Haitians have known about this buried treasure. Mining camps are unmarked, and the work is being done miles up dirt roads near remote villages, on the opposite side of the country from the capital. But U.S. and Canadian investors have spent more than $30 million in recent years on everything from exploratory drilling to camps for workers, new roads, offices and laboratory studies of samples. Actual mining could be under way in five years.

"When I first heard whispers of this I said, 'Gold mines? There could be gold mines in Haiti?'" said Michel Lamarre, a Haitian engineer whose firm, SOMINE, is leading the exploration. "I truly believe this is our answer to taking care of ourselves instead of constantly living on donations."

On a rugged, steep Haitian ridge far above the Atlantic, brilliant boulders coated with blue-green oxidized copper jut from the hills, while colorful pebbles litter the soil, strong indicators that precious metals lie below.

"Just look down," said geologist John Watkins. "Where there's smoke, there's fire."

Nearby, 8-year-old Whiskey Pierre and his barefoot buddies stared at a team of sweat-drenched men driving a narrow, shrieking diamond bit 900 feet into the ground.

"That is a drill!" shouted Whiskey, bouncing on his toes. "The man drill to get gold!"

The workers periodically pulled up samples and knocked them into boxes. The first 40 feet yielded loose rocks and gravel. About 160 feet down, cylinders of rock came back peppered with gold. At 1,000 feet down, rocks were heavily streaked with copper.

Geologists extrapolating from depth and strike reports estimate at least 1 million ounces of gold at two sites. In April, prospectors found the first significant silver ever reported in Haiti: between 20 million and 30 million ounces. And in the end, it may be copper that is the most lucrative: geologists suspect that more than 1 million tons lay in just one of many areas under exploration.

The prices of precious metals have been volatile in recent years, with copper selling for about $8,000 per ton, silver at $30 an ounce, and gold at $1,600 per ounce.

"Ultimately, I think mining is going to dwarf anything else in Haiti," says Michael Fulp, an Albuquerque, N.M.-based geologist who visited the drill sites. "Usually you've got about a one-in-1,000 chance of making a mine from the exploratory stage, but those odds are much better in Haiti because of the lack of any previous modern-day exploration and very, very promising samples."

Gold was last gathered in Haiti in the 1500s, after Christopher Columbus ran the Santa Maria onto a Haitian reef. Spaniards enslaved the Arawak Indians to dig for gold, killing them off with harsh conditions and infectious diseases. When the Spaniards learned of even more lucrative deposits in Mexico, they moved on.

In the 1970s, United Nations geologists documented significant pockets of gold and copper, but foreigners weren't willing to risk their cash in a country where corruption and instability has long discouraged outside investment.

Ironically, it was only after the catastrophic 2010 earthquake that investors saw real opportunity. Fifteen days after a seismic jolt brought down much of Port-au- Prince, a Canadian exploration firm acquired all of the shares of the only Haitian firm holding full permits for a promising chunk of land in the northeast.

"Investors want to get in at the bottom," said Dan Hachey, president of Majescor Resources, the Canadian company, "and I figured after that earthquake, Haiti was as low as it could get."

Hachey was also betting that the $10 billion in foreign assistance promised for earthquake recovery would force change and accountability.

"The eyes of the world will not allow the government to fool around," he said.

Three firms are considering mining in Haiti, but so far only SOMINE has full concessions to take the metals out of the mountains. Those permits, for 50 square kilometers (31 square miles), were negotiated in 1996 under President Rene Preval and require the firm to hire Haitians whenever possible.

In exchange for minimal permit fees, SOMINE committed to spend $2.25 million in the first two years. In addition, it will pay $1.8 million after a feasibility study, according to the contract.

Bottom line: Haitians should get $1 out of every $2 of profits, compared with about $1 out of $3 that most countries get from mining firms.

Discoveries of rich resources, whether diamonds, oil or gold, often prompt great economic booms but come with great risk of environmental, health and social problems. Chile, one of the wealthiest nations in Latin America, is the world's largest copper exporter, deriving a third of its income from the metal. Peru, with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, has privatized most of its mines in recent years, and now gets about 20 percent of its total revenues from the industry.

Though the contractual terms are generous for Haiti, there is plenty to be cautious about. Haiti's government is repeatedly rated as one of the most corrupt in the world. The mines would ostensibly be regulated by government officials responsible for enforcing environmental, mining and corporate laws, but at this point those officials don't exist and there are neither plans nor budgets to hire them.

Further, open pit mines, common around the world, are crater-like holes made up of a series of massive terraced steps that drop thousands of feet into the ground. When the resources are exhausted, usually after about 25 years, the pits can be refilled or converted into reservoirs. In many cases, the mines leave serious problems  environmental contamination, displaced communities and mountaintops torn asunder.

From Papua New Guinea to the Philippines to Brazil, mining accidents have allowed tons of waste to be spilled into rivers and lakes, creating environmental disasters.

"In low-income countries, the dangers are substantial," said UCLA political science professor Michael Ross. "The great irony of mineral wealth is that those countries that most desperately need infusions of mineral revenue  low-income countries with weak governments  are also least likely to manage these resources wisely, for the benefit of the country.

Already, the hundreds of jobs, the new roads and the community investment in a country where two out of three people have no formal employment is much appreciated.

Stone cutter Joseph Bernard, 47, says that before he got a job slicing rock samples, his family was going hungry. They had one cow. Their peanut and bean fields had gone to dust after months without rain.

Today, his wife has launched a business selling seeds, and his son and two daughters have started school.

"I found a job, but many didn't," he said, wiping a trickle of sweat from his deeply lined cheeks after a recent shift. "If more companies come, more people will work."

In a sleepy exploration camp at sunset, Hachey and his competitor, Daven Mashburn of Newmont Mining Corp., met to talk business over bottles of Haiti's Prestige beer, bumping fists in the low-germ "cholera handshake" that has replaced the traditional palm grip after last year's deadly epidemic.

The men talked labor  Newmont got 10,000 applications for 100 jobs when one project started up last month. They talked logistics  core samples are sliced in half, bagged, and flown to Santiago, Chile, where it takes 21 days to find out how much gold, silver or copper they contain. They talked hurricanes, cholera, political unrest and, yes, the earthquake  Mashburn spent four hours buried under piles of rock in Port-au- Prince, eventually pulled out with fractures from head to toe.

But mostly they talked about gold.

"Of all the places we work in the world," said Mashburn, whose company has operations in eight countries on five continents, "it would be really most satisfying to have success here. Haiti has great mineral wealth, and they surely could use it."
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The tiny Macedonian town of Vevcani boasts its own constitution, its own currency and a passport emblazoned with a golden coat of arms.

They are a tongue-in-cheek expression of the village's historical defiance of authority -- and were born of a symbolic declaration of independence. But beneath the mockery lies a real rebellious streak that has coursed through Vevcani for decades and spawned violent protests, diplomatic incidents and run-ins with the law.

That spirit of rebellion reaches a climax every year during the village's annual carnival in January, where villagers don costumes that poke fun at the world around them. The sharp satire leaves nothing untouched, targeting the national leadership, politics, religion and social issues. Most recently it has taken aim at Macedonia's crisis-stricken southern neighbor, Greece.

With its colorful floats and masked revelers, the festival -- said to be 14 centuries old and date from pagan times -- has grown in popularity over the last decade. It attracts thousands of visitors to St. Vasilij Day celebrations on Jan. 13, welcoming in the New Year according to the Julian calendar.

"We have had (masks of) Muslims, priests, world leaders, terrorists," said Mayor Pero Ilieski, adding that people shouldn't be offended by the outre themes: "It is only a carnival, so it is something that is not real."

Vevcani, nestled on the forested slopes of the Jablanica mountain about 190 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of the capital Skopje, held its own referendum on independence in 1993, in a move tinged with nationalism after members of the country's ethnic Albanian minority living nearby did the same. Ninety-six percent voted in favor of independence, and the 'Republic of Vevcani' was born, according to Mirte Aluloski, who drafted the new republic's constitution.

Vevcani set up its own parliament and named its currency the licnik -- although the money is essentially sold as a souvenir and is not in circulation. To selected guests, the mayor hands out red passports of the "Republic of Vevcani," with its coat of arms depicting two harlequins dancing over a magic cauldron.

Although the independence fervor is now largely part of the tourist draw, Aluloski insisted the referendum was serious at the time. Ethnic tension is never far from the surface in Macedonia, where the mostly Muslim ethnic Albanian minority fought a brief armed uprising against the government in 2001, seeking greater rights.

"We have all the things necessary to be independent and they will be activated if the need arises," he said.

For all of the stunts, there's a serious defiance of authority. Last month, Vevcani threatened to stop paying the state-run electricity company over delays by engineers in repairing a fault that had knocked out power to hundreds of homes. The threat worked, with repair crews quickly restoring power in a matter of days.

The village's reputation for rebelliousness dates back to when Macedonia was part of the Yugoslav federation. A government plan in the late 1980s to have the village share water from its wells with a neighboring village sparked outrage, with locals heading en masse to Skopje for rowdy protests  an action almost unheard of during communist times.

The villagers first attracted international attention when the government sent special police units to suppress the 1987 protests and dismantle barricades set up over the water dispute. Despite severe beatings and violence, the water rebellion dragged on for weeks, until authorities eventually backed down.

"The authorities, in different times, could not put up with the originality, the assertiveness and independence of Vevcani, not only this authority but in the former Yugoslavia, and the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Ottoman times and the rule of Bulgaria," said Nenad Batkoski, the self-proclaimed consul of Republic of Vevcani. "This place has always had resistance."

It is this rebellious spirit that has become the hallmark of the Vevcani carnival.

The country's politicians are a preferred and regular target. One of this year's costumes depicted a magician's box, with Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski sticking out of one end, and the opposition leader Branko Crvenkovski poking out the other, while a magician sawed the box in two. It was a dig at the deep divisions between the governing Conservatives and opposition Social Democrats.

Last year, the festival sparked violent protests among the country's Muslim minority over costumes mocking the all-encompassing burqa for Muslim women. The festival has in the past also mocked the Christian Orthodox church.

The festivities sparked outrage in Greece after some revelers of the parade staged a mock funeral for Greece, with participants carrying a coffin representing the nation's crippled economy. Macedonia has been at odds with Greece for two decades over the former Yugoslav state's name, with Athens contending that the name implies territorial intentions against its own northern province of Macedonia.

Greece was the butt of jokes again this year: A group of carnival revelers commemorated "one year of death" for its southern neighbor due to its financial woes. Dressed in a costume made up of the blue-and-white stripes of Greece's national flag, Gojko Luoski begged for money while carrying a cradle and baby.

"I am not making fun of Greece," he insisted as he marched down the street in the parade. "Greece is in debt so I'm begging for whatever you have ... however many billions you have so it can pay its debts."

The masks are a tightly kept secret until the day when hundreds of villagers parade on the streets of the hamlet. The day after the festival, all masks are taken to the village square and burned -- a symbolic act of purification to chase out the evil spirits.

Magdalena Marevska, who is from the northern town of Kumanovo and was visiting the village for the carnival, said the annual mockery was also a way of airing some uncomfortable truths.

"It's not about our neighboring countries, it's about the tradition that the carnival has on its own," she said. "They are showing how the society actually looks like during the year," she said.

"After all, this is only a carnival. This is make-believe," said Ilieski, the mayor, underlining that there was no need for anyone to be insulted by the costumes. "It is something that is not real. It's a mask. Anyone who has any common sense understands that it is a mask. You take it off and burn it."
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The death toll from the terrorist siege at a natural gas plant in the Sahara climbed to at least 81 on Sunday as Algerian forces searching the refinery for explosives found dozens more bodies, many so badly disfigured it was unclear whether they were hostages or militants, a security official said.

Algerian special forces stormed the plant on Saturday to end the four-day siege, moving in to thwart what government officials said was a plot by the Islamist militants to blow up the complex and kill all their hostages with mines sown throughout the site.

The government said after the assault that at least 32 extremists and 23 hostages were killed. Then, on Sunday, Algerian bomb squads sent in to blow up or defuse the explosives found 25 bodies, said the security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

"These bodies are difficult to identify. They could be the bodies of foreign hostages or Algerians or terrorists," the official said.

In addition, a wounded Romanian who had been evacuated died, raising the overall death toll to at least 81.

"Now, of course, people will ask questions about the Algerian response to these events, but I would just say that the responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched a vicious and cowardly attack," British Prime Minister David Cameron said. Three Britons were killed and another three were feared dead.

The dead were also known to include American, Filipino and French workers. Algerian authorities said 685 of their citizens, the backbone of the workforce, escaped without saying how many may have died. More than two dozen foreigners were unaccounted for.

It was unclear whether anyone was rescued in the final assault on the complex, which is run by the Algerian state oil company along with BP and Norway's Statoil.

Authorities said the bloody takeover was carried out Wednesday by 32 men from six countries, under the command from afar of the one-eyed Algerian bandit Moktar Belmoktar, founder of the Masked Brigade, based in neighboring Mali. The attacking force called itself "Those Who Sign in Blood."

The militants initially said the operation was payback for French military intervention in neighboring Mali, where al-Qaida-linked rebels are on the march, but later they said it was two months in the planning, long before France sent in troops.

Armed with heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, missiles and grenades, the militants singled out foreign workers at the plant, killing some of them on the spot and attaching explosive belts to others.

Algeria's tough and uncompromising response to the crisis was typical of its take-no-prisoners approach in confronting terrorists, favoring military action over negotiation. Algerian military forces, backed by attack helicopters, launched two assaults on the plant, the first one on Thursday.

The militants had "decided to succeed in the operation as planned, to blow up the gas complex and kill all the hostages," Algerian Communications Minister Mohamed Said said in a state radio interview.

The Masked Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack in the name of al-Qaida, according to a video obtained by a Mauritania-based website that sometimes carries messages of jihadists.

An audio recording of Algerian security forces speaking with the head of the kidnappers, Abdel Rahman al-Nigiri, on the second day of the drama indicated the hostage-takers were trying to organize a prisoner swap.

"You see our demands are so easy, so easy if you want to negotiate with us," al-Nigiri said in the recording broadcast by Algerian television. "We want the prisoners you have, the comrades who were arrested and imprisoned 15 years ago. We want 100 of them."

In another phone call, al-Nigiri said that half the militants had been killed by the Algerian army on Thursday and that he was ready to blow up the remaining hostages if security forces attacked again.

SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors videos from radicals, posted one showing al-Nigiri with what appeared to be an explosive belt around his waist.

The Algerians' use of forced raised an international outcry from some countries worried about their citizens.

But French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Sunday on French television: "The terrorists ... they're the ones to blame."

David Plouffe, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said that al-Qaida and al-Qaida-affiliated groups remain a threat in North Africa and other parts of the world, and that the U.S. is determined to help other countries destroy those networks.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Plouffe said the tragedy in Algeria shows once again "that all across the globe countries are threatened by terrorists who will use civilians to try and advance their twisted and sick agenda."

___

Elaine Ganley and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.
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Chilean police say they have arrested a man responsible for the worst forest fire in decades in the hills above the port of Valparaiso.

The 27-year-old mason confessed early Saturday to accidentally igniting the blaze with a welder's torch. Police did not release the suspect's name.

The fire destroyed more than 100 homes and forced the evacuation of more than 1,200 people on Thursday. At least 27 people were injured, including five children.

Strong, changing winds and hot, dry weather at the height of the Southern Hemisphere's summer holiday season stoked the fire.

President Sebastian Pinera cut his vacation short to visit the victims Friday at shelters. He vowed to rebuild the area and give everyone new homes.
As many as 80 people were publicly executed in North Korea earlier this month, some for offenses as minor as watching South Korean movies or possessing a Bible.

South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported that the so-called criminals were put to death in seven cities across North Korea on Nov. 3, in the first known large-scale public executions by the Kim Jong-un regime.

A source, who is familiar with internal affairs in the North and who recently visited the country, told the paper that about 10 people were killed in each city.

Eight people -- their heads covered with white bags -- were tied to stakes at a local stadium in the city of Wonsan, before authorities shot them with a machine gun, according to the source.

Wonsan authorities gathered a crowd of 10,000 people, including children, at Shinpoong Stadium and forced them to watch the killings.



I heard from the residents that they watched in terror as the corpses were (so) riddled by machine-gun fire that they were hard to identify afterward, the JoongAng Ilbo source said.



Most of the Wonsan victims were charged with watching or illegally trafficking South Korean videos, involvement in prostitution, or possessing a Bible.



Relatives or accomplices of the execution victims implicated in their alleged crimes were sent to prison camps.



There is no clear reason for the executions. One government official noted they occurred in cities that are centers of economic development. Wonsan is a port city that Kim is reportedly planning to make a tourist destination by building an airport, hotels and a ski resort on Mount Masik.



Simultaneous executions in seven cities could suggest an extreme measure by the North Korean government to quell public unrest or any capitalistic inclinations that may accompany its development projects.



The common theme of the persecution was crimes related to South Korea -- like watching South Korean films -- or corruption of public morals, especially sexual misconduct. North Korean law permits executions for conspiring to overthrow the government, treason and terrorism. But the country has also been known to order public executions for minor infractions such as religious activism, cellphone use and stealing food, in an effort to intimidate the public.

Some experts questioned whether the executions were related to earlier executions of members of the Unhasu Orchestra, a state-run orchestra that First Lady Ri Sol-ju used to participate in, according to the report.

As the news that people were brutally killed in public executions spread in the countryside, the people have been spreading rumors that say that Kim Jong-un has started a terror campaign in response to the Ri Sol-jus pornography scandal, the source told JoongAng Ilbo.



There were no executions in the capital of Pyongyang, where Kim depends on the support of the countrys elite. The young leader continues to build luxury and recreational facilities in the capital, including a new water park.



Click for more from JoongAng Ilbo.
With its cobblestone streets and colonial-era churches and plazas, picturesque Antigua has long been Guatemala's top tourist destination as an oasis away from the crime and chaos consuming the rest of the Central American country.

In recent months, however, the UNESCO World Heritage Site has seen the troubles of the outside world threaten its backpacker charm. Vehicle and home burglaries are up, and once-reliable public services such as water and trash collection have been left unattended across whole blocks.

Many blame political turmoil for the troubles in this city of about 53,000 people. Antigua hasn't had an elected mayor since September 2012 when Adolfo Vivar and several relatives and members of his administration were charged with establishing a criminal network that stole nearly $3 million from the city's treasury. Although an interim mayor was named, electoral authorities haven't yet said how Vivar and the council members will be permanently replaced.

That's left Antigua unable to attend to basic business and spooked some longtime townspeople, who say they're afraid their charming niche amid the volcanoes could see vital tourism revenue plummet.

Jose Reyes, a restaurant cashier, said robbers stole the phone and iPad of his English teacher, an American, who responded by leaving town.

"She lived here, but after that she left because she was really frightened," Reyes said.

Another resident, Magali Mendez, said that both her son and daughter have been robbed, and that her son almost died after his attacker stabbed him.

"You hear your family, your neighbors and tourists alike complain of robberies happening in touristy, popular places during the day," Mendez said. "The police and city governments are failing to provide security and enforce the law."

Government figures show the number of crimes have spiked this fall in Sacatepequez department, where Antigua sits, jumping from 148 in the Sept. 1-Nov. 16 period of last year to 181 in the same span this year. Antigua reported the most crimes in both totals.

Because of the jailing of the mayor and other officials, city budgets are awaiting approval and the government has come to a standstill, said Maria Eugenia Contreras, legal adviser to interim Mayor Edgar Ruiz.

"Antigua's administration continues working  the collection of taxes, police, water services  but everything still depends on budgets," Contreras said. "At the end of the year, it's always necessary to allocate budget funds, and who authorizes that is the city council. So it's likely that there are going to be more problems providing services, especially at the end of the year."

That comes on top of a wave of extortions and other crimes that have hit the region.

According to the latest data from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, Guatemala's homicide rate came in at 38.5 per 100,000 residents, with 5,685 people slain in 2011, making it the seventh deadliest country in the world.

Deputy Interior Minister Arkel Benitez acknowledged the rise in crime in still largely safe Antigua but said the government is pushing back in Sacatepequez department. Hoteliers and other business owners in the city have donated security cameras, and more police commanders have been assigned to the area, Benitez said.

"From January to July, we reduced crimes in Antigua's historic district by 41 percent," he said. "We had a security plan in place but the police commander in charge of the program died and crime increased again."

Antigua, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Guatemala City, attracts tourists from all over the world with its crumbling colonial charm and an elaborate procession that winds through the city's streets around Lent. Hundreds of thousands of Americans visit Antigua every year, among the more than 1 million tourists who come.

So far, the town's ills don't appear to have seriously touched hotels and other tourist areas, and its special tourist police force has been operating normally.

Yet Antigua residents are feeling the problems. Early in November, hundreds marched to demand the appointment of a new city administration, saying they were tired of water being cut off, trash not being picked up and stoppages on public transportation.

Bus drivers went on strike after one colleague was killed and another wounded in separate attacks because they refused to pay extortion money. The drivers didn't fully re-establish service until the government pledged to crack down on the extortions.

Despite such promises, some Antigua residents said they have already adjusted their daily lives to the new reality.

Paul Phillips, a 70-year-old retiree from Chicago who runs a bed and breakfast in the city, said he has heard about robberies, but has so far managed to avoid them.

"We haven't been affected, because we don't go out at night," he said.

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Officials in Somalia say African Union and Somali troops seized the last major stronghold held by the Islamic militant group al-Shabab.

The African Union said Sunday the capture of Barawe, a coastal town 220 kilometers (135 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, was a significant victory because al-Shabab had used its port to bring in arms and fighters and export charcoal, a multi-million-dollar business.

Somali government forces have not controlled Barawe since the early 1990s.

The Islamic extremists of Al-Shabab have steadily lost territory to African Union and Somali forces since 2011, when they were ousted from Mogadishu, the capital city they once largely controlled.

Somali military Col. Abdi Hussein said by phone from Barawe that al-Shabab fighters fled Barawe by sea and land before pro-government forces entered town.
Haiti's electoral council has released a final list of presidential candidates allowed to participate in the upcoming general elections.

Officials released the list of 58 names on Friday after rejecting 13 candidates.

Excluded from the list is former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. A judicial panel previously ruled that he failed to receive a government document certifying that he handled public funds appropriately while prime minister from 2012 until late 2014.

Haiti is expected to hold local elections in August followed by the first round of presidential elections in October and a final round in December.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes there is "a historic opportunity" for a breakthrough in upcoming negotiations that would reunite the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus after more than four decades, the United Nations said Friday.

The new U.N. chief will be opening and chairing a conference that starts Jan. 12 with the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders and Cyprus' three guarantors  Britain, Greece and Turkey  that will be seeking agreement on post-settlement security arrangements, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The Geneva conference will follow three days of talks between the island's Greek Cypriot president, Nicos Anastasiades, and breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci starting Jan. 9 to try to reach a settlement.

"We're at a very decisive phase in the Cyprus peace talks," Dujarric said. "At this point it's really about being supportive of the process and seeing how the parties can finally bridge the final gaps."

The island was split into a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by Cypriot supporters of union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared an independent state in 1983, but only Turkey recognizes it and keeps 35,000 troops there. While the island joined the European Union in 2004, only the internationally recognized Greek-speaking south enjoys full membership benefits.

Guterres met Thursday with Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and late Friday afternoon with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.

Kotzias called it a "very nice" meeting but refused to comment on the Cyprus talks.

Dujarric said Guterres "expressed his appreciation for Greece's continued support to the Cyprus talks and commitment to a comprehensive settlement of the issue."

"He recognized the historic moment for Cyprus" presented by the conference starting Jan. 12 and "lauded the unprecedented progress made by the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities," Dujarric said.

The secretary-general "appealed to all parties to use this opportunity to find creative and mutually acceptable solutions that address the concerns of both communities," Dujarric said.

Earlier, Dujarric said that Gutteres emphasized "the historic opportunity" in his meeting with and "underlined the need for mutually acceptable solutions that address the concerns of both communities."

He said the secretary-general also "expressed hope that all parties would demonstrate the necessary creativity in seeking innovative solutions."

The two sides have been trying to strike an accord for decades, with U.N. support.

Cavusoglu told reporters Thursday he is "more optimistic than ever" that an agreement can be reached, but stressed that there are still "serious issues" regarding territory, the map, security and guarantees.

The summit is seen as the apex of 19 months of talks between the two leaders that have produced significant progress on how an envisioned federation will function after an accord is approved in separate votes on both sides of the island.

___

Associated Press Writer Menelaos Hadjicostic contributed to this report from Nicosia, Cyprus.
The Libyan military reports that a captured militant has confirmed the killing of Wissam Ben Hamid, the leader of militia groups in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Army spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmary reported on Friday that the captured spokesman of the Revolutionary Shura Council of Benghazi, a coalition of armed groups controlling two remaining militia strongholds in Libya's second largest city, confirmed during videotaped interrogations Ben Hamid's killing in an air strike nearly a month ago.

Libya fell into chaos following the overthrow and killing of longtime strongman Moammer Gadhafi in 2011 and remains torn between rival governments in east and west. The Libyan military, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, answers to the east-based parliament, which has refused to acknowledge the U.N.-backed National Unity Government based in Tripoli.
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The division of Cyprus is now in its 43rd year. Next week may mark the decisive moment when the small eastern Mediterranean island nation starts to be stitched back together again.

After 19 months of talks aimed at reunifying the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south with the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north, the final details of a peace deal are set to be thrashed out, potentially bringing some good news to a region wracked by conflict and distrust.

But many hurdles remain  hurdles that have not been cleared in previous reunification attempts.

The Conference on Cyprus is scheduled to start on Jan. 12 in Geneva, and is intended to hammer out some of the toughest aspects of a peace deal  including how to ensure security for both Greek and Turkish Cypriots once an aimed-for federation is established. The leaders of Greece, Turkey and the former colonial power Britain  the so-called guarantors  are widely anticipated to make an appearance at the summit.

Making sure there's no repeat of the events of 1974 is key. In the summer of that year, Cyprus was split into two after Turkey invaded in the wake of a Greek-backed coup that aimed to unite the island with the rest of Greece. Following the invasion, the country was cleaved along ethnic lines with the Turkish Cypriots controlling 36.5 percent of Cyprus' land mass backed by more than 35,000 Turkish troops deployed in the north. A Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence is recognized only by Turkey.

Before the official opening of the summit, Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have earmarked three days from Jan. 9 to clear up a string of outstanding issues  including the pivotal matter of how much territory each side will control in a federation.

Here's a look at where things stand:

___

MY LAND, YOUR LAND

Talks almost broke down in November because Anastasiades and Akinci couldn't agree on how much territory the Greek and Turkish federal zones would control.

The difference was marginal  just a percentage point. Its impact was immense.

Greek Cypriots say enough territory must be returned under their control in order to allow at least 90,000 Greek Cypriots displaced by the 1974 invasion to reclaim lost homes and property in a relatively short time. The argument is that an agreement on those lines would reduce the financial burden of a peace deal by limiting the compensation amounts that will have to be paid to those not able to reclaim their homes and land. It would also potentially boost Greek Cypriot support for a deal when it's put to a vote  a previous peace deal in 2004 was rejected by Greek Cypriots in a referendum.

Turkish Cypriots, on the other hand, want to limit the numbers that relocate. Telling Turkish Cypriots to leave what they have considered home for decades is unlikely to go down well with many in any subsequent referendum.

Both Anastasiades and Akinci are expected to produce maps showcasing their intentions. Anastasiades said without maps to sort out a final deal, talks won't move to the top issue  security.

___

GUARANTORS

There's another layer when it comes to Cyprus, an island that's seen its share of big power intrigue through the centuries, from Alexander the Great's invasion in the fourth century B.C., through Roman times, the Crusaders and most recently the British.

Legally, negotiations that touch on Cyprus' security must include Greece, Turkey and Britain because Cyprus' 1960 constitution accorded them "guarantor" status. The idea was to have the three protect the fledgling democracy at its independence from British rule which had followed four years of a guerrilla campaign by Greek Cypriots aimed at unifying the island with Greece  something the minority Turkish Cypriots deeply opposed.

Turkey invoked its intervention rights from its status as a guarantor in 1974.

___

SECURITY

Trust is therefore essential.

Turkish Cypriots fear that the majority Greek Cypriots could overwhelm them in the future. That's why they are insisting that Turkish troops should remain as a bulwark.

Greek Cypriots, meanwhile, have worries over the might of Turkey and insist that a country outside the European Union  of which Cyprus is a member  should neither keep troops on the island nor the right to militarily intervene. EU officials have backed that notion.

Turkey's increasingly authoritarian ways and recent security problems, evidenced further in the New Year's Day attack in Istanbul that killed 39 people, have done little to either assuage Greek Cypriot fears or foster trust. United Nations officials are reportedly trying to work out a formula that would answer the security fears of both sides.

___

SUMMIT

Word is that Greece, Britain and Turkey will be represented at the Cyprus Conference at the highest levels. Top EU officials including Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini are said to be going, too. Anastasiades said that U.N. Security Council members may also attend on the sidelines if they so wish.

U.N. envoy Espen Barth Eide has said the talks may expand to include issues that affect EU-Turkey relations, such as what to do with all the refugees who have fled Syria for Europe. Akinci has said that if a deal is struck in Geneva, it may take a few more months to thrash out the legal details before accord is put to a vote in the summer.

___

STAKES ARE HIGH

A peace deal would bolster regional security and ease cooperation in tapping potentially huge oil and gas reserves beneath the Med seabed.

For the wider region, a deal could be a beacon of hope.

Greeks and Turks, Muslims and Christians working things out could send a powerful message of peace.
Estonia's largest political party, which last year lost the prime minister's post it held for 11 years, has chosen a new leader.

Party delegates for the center-right Reform Party voted 1,048-635 on Saturday to elect Hanno Pevkur to replace former Prime Minister Taavi Roivas. Roivas announced in December he would step down as a chairman.

Pevkur, a 39-year-old lawyer, has served as interior, justice and social affairs minister in previous Cabinets.

Roivas was forced to resign as prime minister following a no-confidence vote in November. Reform Party was left out of the current three-party coalition government led by the left-leaning Center Party.

Reform Party was the top vote-getter in 2015 elections and part of every Estonian government between 1999 and 2016.
Three ethnic Albanian political parties in Macedonia have adopted a joint platform demanding a larger say in the country's affairs in return for their support in forming a coalition government.

Elections held last month gave the ruling conservative VMRO-DPMNE party 51 seats in the 120-member Parliament and 49 to the opposition Social Democrats.

Albanian minority parties won the remaining seats; the largest, the Democratic Union for Integration, a coalition partner of the conservatives over the past decade, won 10.

The three parties are demanding that the Constitution define Macedonia as a bilingual country where both Albanian and Macedonian are recognized as official languages.

They also are calling for a parliamentary resolution condemning past persecution of the Albanian minority.

Ethnic Albanians comprise a quarter of Macedonia's population of 2.1 million.
Sri Lanka government supporters have attacked protesting Buddhist monks and villagers with clubs as they marched against what they say is a plan to take over private land for an industrial zone in which China will have a major stake.

Police intervened and separated the attackers Saturday but a scheduled opening of the industrial zone by Prime Minister Ranil Wickeremesinghe was held up due to the unrest.

The government has signed a framework agreement for a 99-year lease of the Hambantota port with a company in which China will have 80-percent ownership. Officials also plan to set up the nearby industrial zone where Chinese companies will be invited to set up factories.
Turkey has dismissed more than 8,000 civil servants for alleged ties to terror organizations, the latest purge under a state of emergency imposed following the failed July 15 coup attempt.

The latest dismissals were announced on the Turkish government's Official Gazette late Friday. They include 2,687 police officers, 1,699 Justice Ministry employees and 631 academics. They join more than 100,000 people already suspended or dismissed.

Turkey's crackdown through dismissals and the arrest of some 41,000 people was begun to root out followers of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by the government of orchestrating the coup attempt. The purge has been expanded to include ties to other "terror organizations," including alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party. Journalists critical of the government have been imprisoned for alleged "propaganda."
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The once bustling Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is astonishingly quiet. The shops and restaurants in the city's trendy Istiklal Street are all but empty of foreign customers and the hotels in the upscale Nisantasi district are nearly deserted.

Turkey's economy is suffering in the face of a string of extremist attacks  including the nightclub massacre of New Year's revelers, most of them foreigners  and uncertainty following the failed coup in July against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that saw more than 270 people killed.

Tourism, a key component of the economy as well as a substantial foreign currency earner, has taken a hit  not least because Russian visitors have stayed away in the wake of a diplomatic spat over Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane in November 2015.

"2016 was a lost year for Turkish tourism," said Cetin Gurcun, secretary general of Turkey's travel agency association, TURSAB.

"It is impossible for Turkey to give up on tourism, but the most important priority of the sector is security," Gurcun added. "The first thing a tourist looks for when choosing a destination is peace and safety. Only then do they research service quality and price."

There was a time when tourism in Turkey was red hot, climbing from 10.5 million visitors in 2000 to 36.2 million people in 2015, making it the sixth-most visited destination in the world. The sector earned $31.5 billion in 2015. But that all came to a halt last year, with a 30 percent drop in visitors, from 34.8 million in the January-November period in 2015 to a little over 24 million for the same period in 2016.

Yasemin Pirinccioglu, general manager of the VIP Event travel agency, said that foreigners who had visited before were still returning. "But the people who are planning to come for the first time to Turkey, they're postponing their trips," she said.

Natalia Dubaltsava from war-ravaged eastern Ukraine is among those who come to Istanbul regularly.

"We make trips here anyway," she said. "There is unrest in the world. It's a fact. People say the same about our city, Dnepropetrovsk. We are close to the front line, but it is calm there. Life is life. We decided to go anyway."

Because of the economic downturn, the Turkish Lira hit a record low in the first week of 2017, trading around 3.60 per U.S. dollar. Analysts expect it to weaken further in coming months.

While the weaker currency could have some beneficial economic effects  making it cheaper to visit or invest in Turkey and helping the country's exports  the drop makes the country poorer overall and less able to pay its debts.

The security concerns are obvious in the economic data. In the third quarter of last year, the drop in tourism was the main cause for a 7 percent year-on-year decrease in the sale of goods and services. Consumer spending and investment have also plummeted since the summer.

Istanbul, the country's most popular tourist destination for foreigners, has been the biggest target for extremists.

Ten German tourists were killed in a suicide attack in the heart of Istanbul's historic district on January 12, 2016. Other attacks in Istanbul include one in the central Beyoglu neighborhood in March, as well as at the city's main airport in June, where dozens died.

Hundreds of people eager to wave goodbye to a tumultuous 2016 gathered at the popular Reina nightclub in Istanbul for New Year's celebrations only to become the first victims of 2017 when an Islamic State gunman stormed the premises and killed 39 people, mostly foreigners.

One statistic stood out in the wake of the tragedy  most of the victims were from the Middle East.

"Before, there were a lot of customers from America and Europe," said the club co-owner, Mehmet Kocarslan said. "Once the Westerners decreased, Middle Easterners became a majority."

"2016 was a very unfortunate year for Turkey," added Kocarslan, who said he was contemplating closing the club after the massacre. "There hasn't been a hardship our country didn't encounter."

In the sprawling Grand Bazaar  officially the first ever roofed shopping mall when it was built in the 15th century  vendors stood in front of their jewelry, clothing and souvenir shops, desperately looking for foreign customers.

"Business is quite different than before," shop owner Muslim Besenk said. "There are bombs going off everywhere, why should tourists come? Only Arabs come. The rest cannot come and it's not certain that they will."

Basel Trablesei, a tourist from Lebanon, did not seem worried by the security in Istanbul despite the nightclub attack.

"What happened here happens anywhere in the world, so this is something we can't avoid," he said. "I tell everyone to come to Istanbul."

Pinar Kartal Timer, general manager of Istanbul's historic Pera Palas hotel in the lively Beyoglu neighborhood, said the rise in tourists from the Middle East was because of Turkey's greater ties to the region.

"It's because already the strategy of the Turkish government has been to make a rapprochement with Middle Eastern countries," she said, referring to the conservative leadership that has shifted from its pro-Western policies.

Barcin Yinanc, a columnist at the English-language Daily News, said that all the strategic advantages Turkey offered in the mid-2000s have now turned against it.

"Ironically, all the triggers that helped Turkey fly high in the global market in the mid-2000s  safety, security, stability and predictability  have now become big barriers," she wrote.
The often nasty battle to succeed Zimbabwe's aging president has turned into a tempest in a tea cup  literally.

On the face of it, nothing was wrong with Facebook photos of one of the country's vice presidents holding a mug with friends during the recent holidays.

Problem is, the mug featured the words "I Am the Boss."

Emmerson Mnangagwa's opponents within the fractured ruling ZANU-PF party pounced on the opportunity to accuse him of harboring ambitions to take over from 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe.

Mnangagwa, who is acting president while Mugabe holidays abroad, has issued a statement denying any such ambitions.

Mugabe does not take kindly to suggestions of anyone taking over from him. He fired his deputy of 10 years, Joice Mujuru, in 2014 on accusations she was using witchcraft to oust him. In April, four members of the once-loyal war veterans' leadership were axed from the party for calling on Mugabe to step down.

Mugabe has declared he wants to live until 100 and rule for life.

Meanwhile, two factions, one associated with Mnangagwa and another with first lady Grace Mugabe, are fighting to position themselves for eventual takeover once Mugabe leaves the scene.

The mug photos only heightened the jostling.

"When pictures not only tell more than a thousand words, but also deepen the power grab narrative!" posted higher and tertiary education minister Jonathan Moyo on Twitter.

Moyo, an outspoken minister once critical of Mugabe, is associated with a youth faction linked to the first lady. He often takes to Twitter to attack Mnangagwa.

Mugabe in December warned his officials against using Twitter to fight succession wars.

"Everybody knows that the Boss is Gushungo. One Boss at a time, please," Moyo tweeted, calling the drama "Mug-saga." Gushungo is one of Mugabe's family names.

In defense of the mug, Energy Mutodi, a businessman who appeared with Mnangagwa in one of the photos, responded: "Everybody is a boss in his or her own house. Every woman who is happily married calls her husband boss, and it doesn't follow that by so doing, women are telling their husbands to overthrow Mugabe."

The state-run Herald newspaper on Thursday said the mug was "part of the numerous gifts the Acting President received for Christmas and took to his rural home unopened." According to the newspaper, a guest arrived uninvited just as Mnangagwa was opening the presents and took a photo.

For his part, Mnangagwa did not mention the mug in a statement released Wednesday but criticized "some elements" for trying to turn Mugabe against him.

"Those who are bent on drawing a wedge between me and my leader ... are sure to fail," he said.
Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, an influential power broker in the Islamic Republic who advised the country's supreme leader, died Sunday after he was hospitalized for a heart condition, according to Iranian state media. He was 82.

The official IRNA news agency reported earlier in the day that Rafsanjani had been taken to a public hospital north of the capital, Tehran. The semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Mohammad Hashemi, his brother, as saying that Rafsanjani was in good condition.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reportedly visited Rafsanjani in the hospital and a short time later the former president was dead.

"With the death of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the two pillars and key to the equilibrium of the religious fascism ruling Iran has collapsed and the regime in its entirety is approaching overthrow," said Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, in a statement. "Over the past 38 years, whether under Khomeini or afterwards, Rafsanjani played a critical role in suppression at home and export of terrorism abroad as well as in the quest to acquire nuclear weapons."



Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was a leading politician who has often played kingmaker in the country's turbulent politics. He supported Rouhani.

Rafsanjani was also a heavyweight behind Iran's nuclear program, including the push for its weaponization.

A central player in the Islamic Revolution, the former Iranian president was alleged to be behind numerous terror attacks. He openly called for the killing of Americans and other Westerners.

Nicknamed "The Shark," Rafsanjani was also nefarious for purging political opponents and intellectuals.

Rafsanjani was the current head of the Expediency Council, a body that advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and in March he won a seat on a clerical body that will one day decide Khamenei's successor.

Fox News' Jonathan Wachtel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Israel's embassy in Britain has apologized after an employee was recorded saying he wanted to "take down" a U.K. government minister who has criticized Israeli settlement-building in the West Bank.

The Mail on Sunday newspaper published footage of senior political officer Shai Masot saying Foreign Office Minister Alan Duncan was causing "a lot of problems." The meeting between Masot and an aide to a British Conservative lawmaker was covertly filmed by a journalist for Qatari-owned broadcaster Al-Jazeera.

Masot is also heard calling Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson "an idiot," but adding he is "basically good."

Israel's embassy said in a statement that the comments were "completely unacceptable," and that ambassador Mark Regev had apologized to Duncan. It said Masot would be ending his term of employment with the embassy "shortly."
Mexican prosecutors said Sunday that they have detained a U.S. citizen as the main suspect in the shooting of an official at the U.S. consulate in the western city of Guadalajara.



The federal Attorney General's Office said that "a U.S. citizen was identified and detained for his presumed involvement in the case. This person will be deported to the United States, to determine his legal situation."



The office expressed its "deep dismay at this cowardly attack" and said the victim remained hospitalized in stable condition.



The identity of the suspect was not released, and authorities did not comment on a possible motive for the attack.



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement thanking Mexico for the quick arrest.



"On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I want to thank the Government of Mexico for their swift and decisive arrest of a suspect in the heinous attack against our Foreign Service Officer colleague," Kerry said. "My thoughts and prayers remain with this officer and his family during this difficult time. I wish him a speedy recovery."



The U.S. Embassy has not identified the official who was shot in his car Friday in Guadalajara. Local media identified him as Christopher Ashcraft, whose profile on social networking sites listed him as a consular officer in Guadalajara since 2016.



The FBI had offered a $20,000 reward for information on the attacker, and surveillance cameras photos of him had been widely circulated.



Jalisco state is dominated by the hyper-violent Jalisco New Generation cartel. There was no immediate evidence of any cartel link to the attack.



The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City urged citizens to limit their movements in the Guadalajara area. "They should also take care not to fall into predictable patterns for those movements that are essential," the statement continued. "They should vary the times and routes of their movements."



It was unclear if that was a reference to the apparent stalking of the U.S. consular employee by the gunman, and what appeared to be a direct attempt to kill him.



Surveillance video of the attack shows the gunman following the official in a parking garage. The official was dressed in shorts. The attacker doesn't appear to try to approach the official while he is walking, but instead waits for him to exit the parking garage in his vehicle and fires a round into the car's windshield.



U.S. consular employees and other U.S. agents have been attacked in Mexico in the past. The attackers have usually argued the attacks were cases of mistaken identity.
Queen Elizabeth II has attended church near her rural Sandringham estate, after missing the previous two Sundays due to ill health.

The 90-year-old British monarch was applauded by well-wishers as she arrived by car at St. Mary Magdalene Church in eastern England. It was her first public appearance in several weeks.

The queen is a regular churchgoer, but missed the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades due to what Buckingham Palace said was a heavy cold.

She also did not attend on New Year's Day as she continued to recover.

The queen  Britain's longest-reigning monarch  has generally been in good health in recent years, although she has cut down on travel and public appearances as she enters her 10th decade.
Russian politicians and news media are scoffing that the recently released report by U.S. security services blaming the countrys government of meddling in the U.S. presidential race.

Alexei Pushkov, a member of the upper house of parliament's defense and security committee, said on Twitter that "all the accusations against Russia are based on 'confidence' and suppositions. The USA in the same way was confident about (Iraqi leader Saddam) Hussein having weapons of mass destruction."

In another tweet on Saturday, Pushkov suggested that President "Obama is alarmed: Republicans trust Putin more than Democrats."

Margarita Simonyan, the editor of government-funded satellite TV channel RT that is frequently mentioned in the U.S. report, said in a blog post: "Dear CIA: what you have written here is a complete fail."

On Friday, a declassified U.S. intelligence report accused Putin of ordering a campaign to influence the U.S. election and hurt 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons candidacy -- findings made public after officials briefed President-elect Donald Trump.

The report adds fresh fuel to the debate over Russias involvement in email hacking that affected Democratic groups during the 2016 race. Trump has publicly questioned the evidence linking Russia.

And hours before the briefing, Trump called it a political witch hunt.

However, Trump and the intelligence community seemed to find some common ground after the briefing. Both Trump and the report said the Russians did not target vote tallying.

Trump, in a statement, went a step further and said there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines.

A day after, Trump renewed his call for better Washington-Moscow relations and suggested naysayers are fools or stupid people.

Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only "stupid" people, or fools, would think that it is bad! We  have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am president, Russia will respect us far 

more than they do now and both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!, Trump tweeted.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Prime Minister Theresa May says she will announce more details of Britain's European Union exit plans in the next few weeks, and denies a former diplomat's claim that the government is "muddled" about Brexit.

May signaled the U.K. is likely to leave the bloc's single market, telling Sky News on Sunday that Britain won't try to keep "bits of membership" once it leaves.

May says she will trigger formal EU exit talks by March 31. But she has refused to reveal details of Britain's goals, fueling allegations that government plans are in disarray.

Ivan Rogers, who resigned as Britain's EU envoy last week, criticized politicians' "muddled thinking."

May insisted the government is "not at all" muddled, and said "I will be setting out some more details in the coming weeks."
The family of Caitlyn Brown, the Spotsylvania County girl who maintains a positive attitude throughout her medical ordeals, will hold its third annual blood drive and bone marrow registry on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Battlefield Elementary School on Leavells Road.

Caitlyn, who turns 14 on Jan. 23, has a rare bone-marrow failure disorder called Diamond Blackfan Anemia. The condition limits the production of both red and white blood cells. For more than nine years, steroids stimulated her bone marrow to produce the necessary cells, but the drugs stopped working, said her parents, Charlie and Debbie Brown.

Since 2012, Caitlyn has needed regular transfusions of blood and antibodies to keep her cells working. Shes had 92 transfusions in her lifetime and currently receives about two units of blood every two to three weeks.

Because blood from others literally keeps her alive, her parents want to give back to the system, for the sake of Caitlyn and others with a chronic need.

We want to highlight the importance of blood donation and getting on the bone marrow registry, her father said.

Caitlyn gets all her blood products from the American Red Cross at Childrens Hospital of Richmond. Theres been such a response to blood drives held in Caitlyns honor the last two years that Red Cross workers were not able to accommodate everyone. Even though some people were turned away in 2015 and 2016, donors still contributed 300 units of blood in Caitlyns honor.

The Red Cross will take walk-ins on Saturday, but potential donors are encouraged to make an appointment online at redcrossblood.org and to use the sponsor code of Caitlyn. Donors also can complete questions and print a Rapid Pass to limit wait times.

Representatives from the Grace Oughton Cancer Foundation will be on hand to help people do a cheek swab and become part of the Bone Marrow Registry. Only those age 18 to 44 can register.

The Browns schedule the drive in January because its National Blood Donor Month and Caitlyns birthday month. Shes a seventh-grader at Battlefield Middle School, and enjoys studying dance at The Academy of Ballet. She had two roles in the academys recent production of The Nutcracker.

Caitlyn continues to be a beacon of sunshine to those around her.

She is handling all she goes through with the same positive attitude and smiles, like she always has her whole life, her father wrote in an email.

In May, doctors recommended that Caitlyn have a bone marrow transplant. Her blood and marrow levels have declined, and her immune system is compromised, her parents said.

Shes had numerous tests since then to determine her transplant risk level. Doctors also ran a detailed donor search and may have found a perfect match in Germany, the Browns added. The family is still waiting on the results of more tests before making a final decision.

Fortunately, we are in a situation where its not something we have to rush into right now, Caitlyns father wrote. But we truly feel blessed that they have found a match, if we decide to go down that route.

Those interested in donating blood at Saturdays event are reminded to drink plenty of water, eat a good meal and bring a photo identification with them.
Its done for fun and as a nod to the world of pop culture, so please dont read too much into any of these things on their way out, or whats suggested to take their place.
This post will be updated throughout the day.

For the latest closings, visit our closings page.

6:00 p.m.: Slick road conditions were a factor for a fatal crash in Greene County, Va Saturday afternoon. The single-vehicle crash occurred shortly after 12 p.m., when an SUV ran off Preddy Creek Road, struck another vehicle, ran off the road and overturned in a creek. The male driver of the SUV died at UVA Hospital in Charlottesville. State police are still in the process of notifying next of kin.

During an 18-hour period ending at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Virginia State Police responded to 527 traffic crashes and 686 disabled vehicles statewide. During the same time period, Virginia State Police have received a total of 2,082 calls for service.

4:45 p.m.: The snow is slowing down and crews are making progress clearing roads of snow, but VDOT is still asking drivers to stay off the roads until conditions improve.

Interstate 95 and primary roads in the region have received the most attention, and many sections are either clear or in minor condition, but many roads still have snow accumulation, especially in residential or rural areas.

Interstate 64 has been cleared in Albemarle and Louisa counties.

VDOT is reminding drivers that temperatures will remain below freezing tonight, and any moisture on roads will re-freeze, potentially making roads even more dangerous.

3:00 p.m.: VDOT is still urging Virginia residents to stay off roads.

The latest release from the Virginia Department of Transportation describes driving conditions as treacherous and that it is "best to stay off the roads through the weekend."

Conditions in the northern part of Virginia are not as bad as they are in the southern regions, according to VDOT, but they expect more freezing on roads in the Fredericksburg area.

VDOT emphasizes that secondary roads and residential streets in subdivisions are the most dangerous right now, but highways and other primary roads are still to be avoided.

12:05 p.m.: Virginia State Police is reporting they have responded to 325 traffic crashes and 322 disabled vehicles since midnight.

The busiest regions, according to a statement, are in central Virginia, Hampton Roads, and southside Virginia. The majority of the State Police's 1,124 calls have come from these three areas.

The statement reports that there have been no traffic fatalities in Virginia yet, and the majority of crashes have not resulted in any injuries.

11:30 a.m.: VDOT continues to warn drivers about dangerous road conditions on local roads as a result of the snow.

Many lanes are completely covered in snow, particularly in the Northern Neck area, where snow is still falling and wind gusts are high.

VDOT is alerting potential motorists that Interstate 95 in Caroline, Stafford, and Spotsylvania has lanes partially covered in snow.

Caroline and King George roads, which received heavy snowfall, are considered especially hazardous.

10:30 a.m.: Snow continued to fall throughout the state on Saturday morning. The Fredericksburg area is on track to get about 2 to 3 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

King George County is expected to get about 6 inches of snow, and areas further southeast will get even more.

Snowfall is especially heavy in the Hampton Roads area, which will likely get about 8 to 12 inches of snow. Over 200 personnel from the Virginia National Guard stand ready to respond at emergency services facilities throughout the area.

We ask that if anyone needs assistance because of the severe weather that they call 911 or their local dispatcher and do not contact the Virginia National Guard directly, said Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, in a news release. If you let them know you need help, they will determine what emergency services are best suited to assist you. They will contact us if it appropriate for us to take action.

The snow will likely begin to dissipate in the early afternoon around 2 p.m.

7 a.m.: Weather forecasters were right this time, and snow has fallen in the Fredericksburg-area.

From Virginia State Police: Troopers have spent the overnight hours responding to multiple calls across the Commonwealth for disabled and crashed vehicles. Road conditions are treacherous and Virginians are advised to stay off the roads.

As of 7 a.m. Saturday (Jan. 7), Virginia State Police are on the scene of 21 disabled vehicles and 55 traffic crashes statewide. There have been no reported fatal crashes.

From midnight Saturday through 5 a.m. Saturday, Virginia State Police have responded to 106 traffic crashes and 58 disabled vehicles statewide.

From the Virginia Department of Transportation: Snow is falling across most of Virginia this morning as roads are in mostly moderate, snow-covered condition in the southern half of the state with minor conditions in the northern region. Hardest hit will be the Hampton Roads region where the heaviest accumulations are expected through the day.

What you need to know now:

 Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and contract crews are out in force to keep the roads as clear as possible. Even with the treatment and plowing, ROADS ARE SLICK. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO STAY OFF THE ROADS DURING THE STORM.

 About 70 percent of deaths related to ice and snow occur in automobiles. By staying off the roads during a winter storm, transportation workers and public-safety officials can clear roads and respond more quickly to emergency needs.

 Crews work to clear interstates and primary roads first, then major secondary roads with vital emergency and public facilities, and then other secondary roads and subdivision streets. Crews focus their efforts on those roads that carry the most traffic.

 Monitor road conditions by going to www.511virginia.org.

 If you need more information or report a specific road-related problem, go to https://my.vdot.virginia.gov/ or call 1-800-FOR-ROADS.

VDOT has approximately 2,500 crewmembers for snow-removal operations statewide. In addition, VDOT uses contractors to clear snow.

VDOT has nearly 13,000 pieces of equipment, including trucks, plows and spreaders, and more than 650,000 tons of salt, sand and treated abrasives to treat roads.
PRESIDENT Barack Obama has sealed his legacy.

In late December, with just weeks left in the White House, his administration abstained from a crucial vote at the U.N. Security Council, allowing yet another resolution condemning Israel to pass.

The decision, both spiteful and dangerous, reflected a personal position toward Israel and will further destabilize an already frenzied Middle East.

For nearly 50 years, the United States was a dependable ally of Israel. It supported Israel in international forums such as the U.N. It was consistent in rejecting terrorist organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood.

But early in his first term, Obama overturned the decades-long policy of not engaging with Islamists. Instead, he embraced them. This change of direction led to the overthrow of leaders in Egypt and Libya and has facilitated the expansion of radical jihadism.

Collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood has directly contributed to the increased instability in the Middle East.

Today, both Egypt and Libya continue to struggle to abolish elements of radical Islamism. Libya has become a failed state exporting jihadists, weapons, refugees and ideology throughout Africa and even Europe.

The Obama administrations abstention from the recent Security Council vote will only exacerbate these problems.

Forces around the globe now see an opportunity to demonize Israel and even challenge its right to exist. They will test the limits, seeing how the far the United States will go in disconnecting from Israel.

The move also breathes new life into the boycott, divestment and sanctions, or BDS, movement. The movement will renew its push to penalize Israel economically, further testing the U.S. commitment to Israel. The international community will also attempt to utilize this U.N. resolution to initiate a legal assault against the Jewish state.

John Kerrys post-vote speech attempted to justify the U.N. action. He claimed Israel can either continue as a Jewish state or a democratic state but cannot be both Jewish and democratic. This furthers anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiments. His attempt at justification failed dramatically.

The bottom line is that the Middle East is in deep trouble. Genocide and armed violent conflicts have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of refugees in places like Syria, Iraq and Libya.

President Obama has distanced the United States from the only democracy in the region. In the final days of his administration, Obama tossed another hand grenade into the turmoil that is the Middle East.

It was the absolute wrong thing to do.

Ask these simple questions: Are the Middle East and Northern Africa more stable today than eight years ago? Is Israel more secure today than when Obama came into office?

The answer to both questions is a resounding no.

Embracing the Muslim Brotherhood unleashed carnage and instability. Pulling support from Israel will further that chaos.

President-elect Donald Trump recognizes the danger of the Obama administrations foreign-policy catastrophes and tried to persuade the Obama administration to veto the U.N. resolution.

His effort came up short, but his powerful and enduring support of Israel will mitigate the damage from the actions of the outgoing administration.

Come Jan. 20, Israel will once again know what its like to have the United States as a loyal friend and ally.

Pete Hoekstra is a former Republican congressman from Michigan and served as chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee. He is now a senior fellow at the Investigative Project on Terrorism.
ITS EASY to take heroes for granted. For longtime residents of a place, the things left to commemorate the best of our past can become more or less invisible. A monument weve driven by hundreds of times is just a slab of stone. A building preserved in a great mans honor is just real estate between where you are and where you want to go.

Even in the Fredericksburg area, though, awash in history as we are, we should never gloss over Hugh Mercer.

Mercer, who left his work as a physician and businessman in Fredericksburg to become a general in the American army, led troops that encountered a British force on Jan. 3, 1777, in what became the Battle of Princeton. Mercers horse was shot from under him. The British mistook him for George Washington, who ironically was a friend. Mercer resisted their demands that he surrender. When he drew his saber, the British bayonetted him seven times. He died on Jan. 12 from his wounds. He was 51.

Mercers efforts helped Washington defeat the British at Princeton and turn the tide of war at a time when the American army was in grave danger of dissolving.

Hugh Mercer would have had an interesting life even if he had elected to stay at home in Fredericksburg during the Revolutionary War. He could have done so. He was already a well-traveled 50 years old when the revolution began.

He was barely more than a boy when he served as an assistant surgeon in the army of Bonnie Prince Charlie when the Scots were defeated by the English at the Battle of Culloden in 1745. In the aftermath, he and a host of other Scots had to flee the country. He arrived in Pennsylvania, where he would practice medicine, in 1747.

Eight years later, he fought with his former enemy, the British, in the French and Indian War. He was promoted to colonel and became friends with another colonel by the name of Washington, who persuaded him to move to Fredericksburg.

Here, he became a physicianopening the apothecary on Caroline Street that is now a museumand a local businessman. The land he bought over the years included what is now known as Ferry Farm, which George Washington sold to him in 1774.

In 1776, Mercer, who had fought against the British in Scotland and for them in the New World, became their enemy again. He was named a brigadier general in the Continental Army. Some think he was the architect of Washingtons famous crossing of the Delaware at Trenton on Dec. 26.

A little more than two weeks after that, though, Mercers luck ran out as he died trying to keep alive the nascent countrys fight for freedom. That was 240 years ago this month.

In Fredericksburg, we have the apothecary museum downtown and the statue on Washington Avenue to remind us of Hugh Mercer. He is not forgotten elsewhere, either. Six U.S. counties were named for him.

His leadership genes and fighting spirit lived on after him, too. One of his three-times great-grandchildren was the American general and World War II hero, George S. Patton.

When you drive down Caroline Street or Washington Avenue, pause for a moment and consider Hugh Mercer, who packed a few lifetimes of living into half a century and died making us an independent country.
We are being bombarded with reports that the repulsive, vile GOP is planning to destroy Social Security, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act.

We need all the help we can get to fight to save our country from the arrogant, entitled, greedy lunatics in the Republican Party today.
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The farming industry has fought long and hard to get a higher profile on TV.

Now, with agriculture making it on to our screens more, we find out from three people what the experience of being in front of the camera is really like.

Do the benefits of conveying agricultural messages compensate for the commitment in time in takes? Whats it like to become a public figure  possibly even a star? And would the people with first-hand experience of the process recommend it to their fellow farmers?

See also: Award-winning Addicted to Sheep to air on TV

The Irvines, This Farming Life

Taking part in a documentary series designed to show people what its really like to farm while promoting the industry was a once-a-lifetime opportunity for the Irvine family.

Stephen and Denise, along with sons Darren, Martin and his wife Melissa look after 80 breeding Limousins and 280 mule ewes on a 97ha rented estate at Drummuir, near Keith, Moray, Scotland, where they also look after 600 ewes for the laird.

Cameras followed them for a year as part of the BBC series This Farming Life , which documented the struggles and triumphs of five farming families across Scotland over 12 episodes.

Melissa persuaded her family to get involved after receiving an email appealing for people to take part in the show and they were selected after being filmed by the BBC.

I thought if that comes on television Id be thinking we could have done that, so I managed to convince everyone it would be a good thing to let the general public into our lives and show them what farming is really about, explains Melissa, mum to eight-month-old Erin.

We didnt want to sugarcoat it. The series was a great way of advertising what we do and telling people our story  and not just of our family  but farmers as a whole.

The series was a great way of advertising what we do and telling people our story  and not just of our family  but farmers as a whole

Mellissa Irvine

Since its been on, a lot of people have come up to us and said they didnt realise how much and hard farmers work.

Prior to filming, the Irvines had to detail their daily routines and work schedules for the year ahead and the crew picked out which bits they wanted to record.

If anything out of the ordinary cropped up, the family would also alert them to it. Even more personal moments such as Melissa and Martins wedding were featured in the program.

The crew were with us two to three times a week, recalls Melissa, although it varied depending on what was going on.

At the start it was a bit strange with them being there, having to think about what you were saying, but we soon got used to it and they became part of the family and part of the farm  in fact were still really good friends with them.

We knew what we were getting ourselves into and right from the start agreed we would show everything  the good, the bad and the ugly. There was no saying: Do you have to film that? We just let them see everything and were honest about it.

We were filmed on Christmas Day and at our wedding; we never held back from doing our job though and we decided what time things were going to be done.

Farmings not nine to five, but the crew were very dedicated and very interested in what we were doing.

When it comes to the highs and lows of appearing on screen, Melissa says there really werent any of the latter. We were absolutely delighted with how it all turned out. We were quite nervous as we never got to see anything until the first episode aired, she adds.

So we didnt quite know what to expect, but the BBC did an absolutely brilliant job  all credit to them.

The shows gone on to win a Scottish Bafta for best factual series and were very privileged to have been involved.

The family received a small inconvenience payment for taking part in the series, but Melissa says their involvement was never about money  they just wanted to give people an insight into the realities of the farming industry.

Since taking part, the Irvines have sold a bull as a direct result of the show and they have been inundated with messages, letters, gifts, invitations to judge livestock shows and make after-dinner speeches, all of which took them by surprise.

Social media went bonkers and after the show aired I couldnt walk around Tesco without being spotted, laughs Melissa.

At the Highland Show we had people queueing up to talk to us. Some call us celebrities, but we are just normal people  thats how we feel; its lovely to hear all the feedback and how much of a difference the show has made and for that were very privileged.

For us the program was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wouldnt hesitate if I had to do it all again, but to be honest, weve been there now and done that, I want to see other peoples stories and different families having a go.

Martin Thatcher, Harvest

Fourth-generation farmer and cider marker Martin Thatcher says taking part in a television program can be a time-consuming process, but a very worthwhile one. Harvest series hosted by Gregg Wallace and Philippa Forrester in 2015, which celebrated British farming and followed the fortunes of several growers across the country as they battled to bring in their crops.

The Thatcher family has been making cider since 1904 and cameras spent about a year at Myrtle Farm in Somerset  where they grow more than 25 varieties of apples  capturing the story of their Katy variety.

Martin, who works with his father John, agreed to take part after being approached by the BBC and allowed the crew behind the scenes to record all the landmark events in their calendar  including the annual ritual of blessing the apple trees, tree planting and the pressing processes.

The shoot culminated with three intensive days of filming to tie all the footage together.

We made sure we knew what the program was going to be about, and understood what they were trying to do right from the start, explains managing director Martin.

As well as promoting ourselves, we wanted to make sure the programme showed agriculture in a positive way and the result could not have been any better.

When it came on the television, it was a very proud moment for us; the whole thing was very positive for the companies featured and the industry in general  and there needs to be more of this.

The show is one of those things which has gone down in Thatchers folklore.

When it came on the television, it was a very proud moment for us; the whole thing was very positive for the companies featured and the industry in general  and there needs to be more of this

Martin Thatcher

When it comes to highs and lows, Martin says there really werent any downsides to the familys involvement in the program.

He adds that many of the crew have become firm friends, while he and his colleagues enjoyed learning about the process involved in making a television program.

He would, however, advise anyone else thinking about going in front of the camera to make sure they fully understand what they are taking on and that they have the time to dedicate to the project.

As far as we were concerned there really were no downsides  it was great PR and publicity of our brand, but Harvest did involve days and days of filming, he adds.

The BBC was very careful and thats why the quality is so high. They pay attention to every little detail, which of course does not happen in a quick 30-second shot.

They will film something five times from different angles to get the perfect shot  a significant amount of time is spent getting it right.

They talked that all through with us at the start and made it all very clear that quite a lot of time was going to be required.

We spent three days filming the final bit and they were three long, hard days, but the presenters were fantastic and very patient with us if we got a bit muddled. It was hard work, but it was also great fun.

Martin, who has been filmed before, didnt find going in front of the cameras daunting, and if anything felt the way the BBC approached the project made him and his team up their game.

It was a real eye-opener finding out how much time and effort goes into these things  but it was also very enjoyable too.

If any other farmer is approached to do it, they should go for it, he adds.

It was a very good experience and we learned a lot in that time they were with us.

There were so many upsides  what you learn, meeting some great people and we helped produce a really good program that millions of people watched and which we were very proud of. It was all very positive.

The Dykes, Lambing Live

The decision to appear on live television was not one taken lightly by livestock farmer Hamish Dykes and his family  although they would wholeheartedly recommend the experience to others.

Hamish and his wife, Susie, farm in partnership with his parents John and Kate at South Slipperfield farm in the Scottish Borders, where they played host to the third series of Lambing Live in 2014.

The family breeds pedigree livestock including Simmental Cattle, Bluefaced Leicester sheep and Highland Ponies on 364ha and were followed by cameras for several months prior to four live episodes direct from the farm during Marchs busy lambing season.

I would absolutely recommend the experience to other people, says Hamish.

I am sure others might have done something similar and regretted it; we very much trusted the people we were working with, we had a fairly good idea of the story they were trying to portray, and I suppose having seen Lambing Live before, having known the tone of the program, we were comfortable with it all.

Hamish received an email seeking suggestions for possible hosts, but dismissed the idea until he was approached by the BBC shortly afterwards, when unbeknown to him his family had been nominated by several others.

Initially, we didnt think it was for us and I didnt think my parents would be keen on the idea, he recalls, but then someone came up to meet us and then came back to meet Mum and Dad, and by that time we were slightly more interested.

My parents concluded it wasnt about them, it was more about our family and children  it was a nice opportunity so we decided to throw our hat into the ring.

Three families were shortlisted and the Dykes were eventually chosen to take part. A small crew of two kept in constant touch with them, filming routine work such as scanning and dipping the sheep for pre-recorded segments to build into the live shows.

It was a very small crew  just two people who stayed in a holiday cottage on the farm, explains Hamish, and that was one of the most important elements to the whole project and why the pre-recorded films come across as well as they do; it was just like having friends come and stay.

It wasnt daunting talking to the camera, although the live element is completely different as there was a huge amount of people  about 70  plus lorries, trucks and equipment; it was amazing how seamless and easy it all was.

There was the satisfaction that it was great; we didnt want to hide anything and were happy to show the warts-and-all, and paint a genuine picture of farming life

Hamish Dykes

And despite all these people milling around, there wasnt a single moment I wished they would all go away  they just knew how to get the job done without interfering, so we could get ours done.

Although the family wasnt able to watch the series first-hand, they were delighted with how it turned out and all the positive feedback it received.

Hamish says the whole experience was a positive one and is particularly pleased with how one segment  showing lambs going to the abattoir  was portrayed and received.

What goes up must come down though he adds. We were on an absolute high emotionally, with all those people around us and then, once the program kicks off, there are all the well-wishers and congratulatory messages.

There was the satisfaction that it was great; we didnt want to hide anything and were happy to show the warts-and-all, and paint a genuine picture of farming life.

And then we went back to work and there was just this big empty space  that was hard; both Dad and I took a dip after the show.

The family wasnt paid for taking part in the show, but was compensated for expenses incurred as a result of it.

Since appearing, they have had to get used to being recognised more and have also been able to install a camera in the lambing shed.

Its not really had much of an effect on the business, says Hamish, although there have been some other opportunities like the lambing camera.

Lambing Live was a great experience  it gave us the opportunity to help promote the industry and what we do and thats why we wanted to do it.
In March of this past year, The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the United States wrote to the American Bahai community to remind us of our obligation to avoid openly displaying partisanship in elections at all levels.

Over a century ago the prophet founder of the Bahai Faith, Bahaullah (whose name means The Glory of God) emphatically stated The well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. 

I discovered the Bahai faith after moving to Albany from New York City in 1992. I began studying the faith in 1995 and in 1997 declared my belief in Bahaullah as the latest in a succession of Manifestations or Messengers sent from God to guide humanity on a spiritual path.

Having lived a good deal of my adult life in New York City, I was accustomed to marching in protests for various causes (i.e. anti-war, anti-apartheid, etc.) I voted in my first national presidential election as a college student in 1952: Stevenson vs. Eisenhower.

I was attracted to the Bahai faith because it welcomed all races, nationalities and religions and has as its main goal a world of unity and peace. This goal of unifying the peoples of the world would be achieved through service and leading a spiritual life. But I dont think I understood how divisive openly displaying support for one or another candidate for political office could be until I had been a Bahai for several years.

Then the understanding came to me when I drove by a neighbors home and saw a sign for someone whom I thought should not be a candidate for high office. These neighbors were dear friends who had helped me in every way since I moved next to them years before. I was shocked at how seeing that sign affected me. I seemed to feel it as a pain in my heart. If I could feel upset and even anger at dear friends because of a sign displayed on their lawn, what could we feel about others we didnt know?

It is important that I explain that this prohibition from openly supporting or criticizing candidates does not mean that Bahais are restricted from voting. Indeed we are encouraged to cast our vote, after careful study, deliberation and prayer, for the person we deem to be most qualified for the office to which he or she is aspiring.

The governing body of the Bahai faith, the Universal House of Justice, has said, As a matter of principle, the Faith regards choices in electing individuals to office and voting on issues as being a private matter. Bahais are therefore left free to perform these functions according to the dictates of their own consciences.

In Albany and every other community where at least nine Bahais reside, members meet annually to elect a local assembly to oversee the affairs of the community.

National Elections in the Bahai faith, whose over 7 million members reside in nearly 200 countries worldwide, are conducted by eligible adult members attending a unit convention where a delegate is elected to attend a national convention to elect the nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of that country. Finally, every five years the members of all the National Assemblies of the world meet in Haifa, Israel to elect the nine members of the Universal House of Justice. These elections are held in a spiritual atmosphere, by secret ballot without nominations or campaigns. Each person votes according to the dictates of his or her heart. Thus unity is attained and preserved.
Oregon State Universitys Corvallis campus will be closed on Monday, Jan. 9, due to continuing unsafe travel conditions throughout much of Oregon. Monday was the scheduled first day of classes for Winter Term at Oregon State.

University officials will assess weather and related travel conditions mid-morning on Monday to determine whether any changes to campus operations will occur on Tuesday, Jan. 10.

A decision regarding Mondays operation of Oregon States OSU-Cascades campus in Bend will be made later today.

Please use caution while driving for any purpose while icy and snow conditions persist.

University officials will provide updates on campus operations on the universitys home page.
The National Weather Service has issued alerts that freezing rain could continue until 4 p.m. Sunday, making the already snowy roads more treacherous.

According to the service an additional one tenth of an inch to one quarter of an inch of ice could accumulate on roads in Linn and Benton Counties.

Oregon Department of Transportation issued an alert Sunday morning encouraging people not to drive because of the bad conditions.

"Road are extremely icy everywhere and people are advised not to drive this morning. Chains or traction tires are required on Interstate 5 from Eugene to Wilsonville... Conditions are similar in many other areas of the state, and more freezing rain has been coming down. If you must drive, expect to need chains, expect delays and go very slowly," the alert said.

The National Weather Service also said with the weight of additional accumulations of ice said the combination of ice and snow will likely bring down some trees and power lines, leading to power outages in some areas.

"Travel is strongly discouraged. Commerce will likely be severely impacted. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. Ice accumulations and winds will likely lead to snapped power lines and falling tree branches that add to the danger," the service said in its alert.

Oregon State Universitys Corvallis campus will be closed on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017, due to continuing unsafe travel conditions throughout much of Oregon. Monday was the scheduled first day of classes for Winter Term at Oregon State.

University officials will assess weather and related travel conditions mid-morning on Monday to determine whether any changes to campus operations will occur on Tuesday, Jan. 10.

A decision regarding Mondays operation of Oregon States OSU-Cascades campus in Bend will be made later today.

University officials will provide updates on campus operations on the universitys home page.
Winter weather conditions : Black ice causes road accidents and travel chaos

Bonn Since Saturday night police and fire brigade services have attended over 100 accidents caused by black ice in Bonn and the surrounding area. More black ice is forecast by the weather services.

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Black ice in Bonn and the surrounding area is responsible for travel chaos and has caused numerous accidents. Since Saturday night local police and rescue services have been constantly called out. On Sunday morning police confirmed that there have been 63 accidents due to black ice since Saturday afternoon. Fire Officer-in-Charge Sebastian Sedluzek said this morning that the number of call-outs went down as the night went on.

He spoke of an increased emergency deployment and said that all the vehicles of the fire brigade, rescue and ambulance services were out on call. The police's initial assessment of the damage caused by the black ice amounts to over 150,000 Euros.

Five car accidents in the Bonn region caused injury: one woman driver crashed into a wall after her car slipped on the ice in Berkum on Saturday night. On the L261 in Rottgen a man crashed into a tree after his car veered off the road. In Lengsdorf a woman driver hit a concrete pillar after black ice caused her to lose control of her car. And finally two people were injured in an accident on Joseph-Beuys-Allee. Two pedestrians fell over on the ice: in Bonn city centre a lady suffered minor injuries and in Oberkassel a man was taken to hospital with severe injuries.

The German weather services had extended their weather warning on Saturday evening. Up to 12 o'clock there were warnings of black ice for Bonn and the region. Black ice was expected due to freezing rain and drizzle. The weather services has warned people to avoid driving and to stay at home. For those who did decide to venture out, the German Orthopedic and Accident Surgery Association had the following advice: walk like a penguin to avoid falling over.
Asus Zenfone AR

Asus, at the CES 2017 unveiled their Zenfone AR and it boasts of several firsts in the smartphone industry. It is the industry's first smartphone to come with support for Google Daydream and Tango support. Incidentally, it is also the first smartphone to come packed with 8GB of RAM. Along with these specs, there is a 23MP camera on the rear and at heart is Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC. The phone comes with a 5.7-inch WQHD display. We have already written a detailed article on how the smartphone will fare.

Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom

Alongside Zenfone AR, the Taiwanese company also announced the Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom smartphone, which will be the company's first smartphone to feature a dual rear camera. It uses the same mechanism as the one employed in Apple iPhone 7 Plus with one standard camera and the other one with 2.3x optical zoom. Another highlight in the phone is the presence of the 5000mAh battery.

Huawei Honor 6X

Huawei doesn't have much presence in the US. Only the Honor 5X and Honor 8 were released in the US market, and the company certainly wants to improve that. The Honor 6X is priced under $250 (approx. Rs. 15,000) and boasts of a dual camera with 12MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor for shallow depth of field. The company also confirmed that the phone would be reaching Indian shores on January 24.

Honor 6X First Impressions

LG Stylo 3 and Four Other Phones Under LG K series

LG started the year on a positive note by releasing four mid-range smartphones- the LG Stylo 3 and four other K' series smartphones- LG K10, K8, K5, and K3. The LG Stylo 3 is a mid-range phone that comes with support for Stylus and has a large 5.7-inch screen aided with 3GB of RAM and an octa-core processor. All the K series models are mid-rangers with screen sizes ranging from 5-inch to 5.5-inches. You can know the detailed specifications of the phone by clicking here.

White Colored Variant of the Xiaomi Mi Mix

Xiaomi's first ever CES 2017 was all about introducing products to Chinese market. But, one product that steeled the show was the white colored variant of the Xiaomi Mi Mix. The variant was rumored for a long time. To the unknown, the Xiaomi Mi Mix is the concept phone from the company with an almost bezel-less screen of 91.3 screen-to-body ratio.

ZTE has Two New Offerings

ZTE felt their presence at the CES 2017 by announcing the ZTE Blade V8 Pro and ZTE Hawkeye smartphones. Also, the Blade V8 Pro turns out to be the first Blade series smartphone to be released in the US. The V8 Pro comes with a dual camera on the rear and has the battery friendly Snapdragon 625 SoC, coupled with 3GB of RAM. The ZTE Hawkeye is the company's ambitious Kickstarter project, and it features an eye-tracking sensor.

Blackberry Mercury

Blackberry comes out, yet again with their much-rumored Mercury' phone. Although, the company revealed just the phone and how it looks, but there are no details regarding the specifications of the phone. But, the Mercury runs Android Nougat, interestingly. It also features a fingerprint sensor, hardware keyboard, and a USB Type-C port. That's all we have for now.
Gionee to Still Stick to Make in India Project Despite Demonetization News oi -Prajith Make in India is still on.

As cited on BGR, Gionee, the Chinese smartphone maker has said that it is still looking forward to manufacturing smartphones in India under the Make in India initiative despite the aftereffects of 'Demonetization.

Arvind Vohra, CEO and Country Head, Gionee had said that Yes, of course, we are committed to Make in India and planning to set up a manufacturing unit spread across 50 acres in Faridabad at a cost of Rs. 500 crore.

Also Read: Upcoming LG Phones Rumored to Launch in 2017

The capacity of the unit will be 30 million units and it should be operational in around two years. With demonetization, the market had undoubtedly slowed down but is getting back on track with the cash crunch situation easing. Sales declined 20% in the first two to three days, but with partial recovery, now the decline is 8-10%, he added.

Also Read: Smartphones Launched by Apple This Year

Also, shedding some light on its long-term goals, Gionee has said that in addition to catering the growing demand in India, it also plans to act as a hub for exporting products to markets such as Africa and South East Asia.

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals

Best Mobiles in India
U.S. intelligence releases report on alleged Russia's interference in presidential election

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 09:10, January 07, 2017

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 -- The U.S. intelligence released a report on Friday, making public its assessment of alleged Russia's interference in the U.S. presidential election last year.

"We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election," the report said, adding that Moscow's goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process.

"We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump," it said. "We have high confidence in these judgments."

The report said Moscow's action was part of its "longstanding desire to undermine the U.S.-led liberal democratic order" , and demonstrated a "significant escalation in directness, level of activity, and scope of effort."

The report is the declassified version of a comprehensive intelligence report that U.S. President Barack Obama directed the intelligence community to conduct on Dec. 9, 2016.

Trump has repeatedly refused to accept the findings that Russia has intervened in the 2016 presidential election. He quoted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange this week to voice new doubt about the hacking claim made by U.S. intelligence agencies. The Russian government has also denied the accusations.

On Friday, Trump met with chiefs of intelligence agencies in New York to be briefed on alleged Russia cyber attacks against the United States.

Following the meeting, Trump said the alleged hacking activities had no impact on the election results and he didn't directly acknowledge Moscow's responsibility.

However, Trump added that he had a "constructive meeting" with the top intelligence officials, and he had "tremendous respect" for the work of the intelligence community.

The President-elect also said he will appoint a team within 90 days to figure out ways to stop foreign hacking.

"Whether it is our government, organizations, associations or businesses we need to aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks," he said.

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Trump 'undermining credibility' of intel community: Ex-CIA chief

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 6:44AM

Former CIA director Leon Panetta has voiced concerns about President-elect Donald Trump's distrust of the US intelligence community regarding Russia's alleged role in election-related hacking, calling it "just unheard of and unprecedented."

"I've been in public service for over 50 years  I have never seen anything like this in my lifetime," Panetta, who led the CIA from 2009 to 2011 and then the Pentagon from 2011 to 2013, told NBC in an interview aired on Friday.

Panetta said Trump was "undermining the credibility" of the very intelligence agencies that will be providing information to him as president.

He also criticized the Republican president-elect for using social media to openly question the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election through cyber hacking.

"He's going to find that it's easy to tweet about reactions to all kinds of issues. But to seriously deal with our national security and deal with the threats to our country is a business that ought to be done in the confines of the Oval Office," Panetta said.

Trump downplayed Russia's role in the election after he was briefed on the most recent intelligence report on the hacking on Friday afternoon. The intelligence community has concluded that the Russian government directed hackers to target various Democratic Party organizations and operatives to influence the outcome of the election.

"While Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organizations, including the Democratic National Committee, there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election, including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines," Trump said in a statement after the meeting.

Trump has previously floated the idea that the hacks could have been carried out by a "14-year-old" or "a guy sitting on their bed who weighs 400 pounds." The president-elect has also cited past faulty intelligence involving the Iraq War to raise doubts about the intelligence community's assessment now.

"These are the same people who said Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction," Trump said in a statement last month.

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Putin ordered meddling in US vote, helped Trump win: US intel

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 12:27AM

US intelligence agencies claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered his government to help Republican Donald Trump win the presidential election.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Agency (NSA) released a report on Friday which shows Russia "sought to help" Trump by running a smear campaign against Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival.

"We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments," the report read.

"When it appeared to Moscow that Secretary Clinton was likely to win the election, the Russian influence campaign began to focus more on undermining her future presidency," it added.

Heavily favored to win the election, Clinton led Trump in most polls throughout the campaign but lost the ultimate face-off to him on November 8.

The run-up to the November vote saw the two candidates attacking each other over a series of confidential emails that belonged to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clinton's top aide John Podesta.

Trump said that the emails showed Clinton's corruption, proving that she was unfit to lead the country. Clinton, however, blamed the leaks on Moscow and accused Trump of getting help from the Kremlin.

President Barack Obama's administration has been blaming the hacks on Russia, but the Kremlin has categorically denied the claim.

The Friday report by the American intelligence agencies claimed that Russia's behavior since early November had increased the credibility of their assessment.

Trump and Moscow have been on seemingly good terms since the vote. Putin has even written a letter to the incoming US president, calling for better ties with the US.

The report said Russia chose WikiLeaks as an outlet for the hacked documents because of the anti-secrecy website's "self-proclaimed reputation for authenticity."

"Russia collected on some Republican-affiliated targets but did not conduct a comparable disclosure campaign," the report continued.

The three agencies concluded that Russia would use the learnings of the "Putin-ordered" campaign to carry out future operations worldwide.

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Trump Says US Intel Has 'Absolutely No Evidence' Hacking Affected Election

Sputnik News

16:35 07.01.2017(updated 18:30 07.01.2017)

US President-elect Donald Trump stated on Saturday that the US intelligence services "stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence" that alleged Russia's hacking affected the results of the presidential election as voting machines had not been hacked.

"Intelligence stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results. Voting machines not touched!" Donald Trump said via Twitter.

On Friday, the US Intelligence Community released a public version of the comprehensive intelligence report assessing alleged Russia's activities and intentions related to the 2016 US presidential election.

After receiving an intelligence briefing on the report, Trump said the election outcome had not been affected. US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan also suggested that the assessment should not be used by partisans to delegitimize Trump's presidency.

Russian authorities have repeatedly denied the US allegations calling them absurd and characterizing them as an attempt to divert public opinion from revelations of corruption as well as other pressing domestic issues.

The US president-elect also stated on Saturday that he believes that the issue of the alleged hack of the US Democratic National Committee (DNC) is being discussed only because the Democratic Party is "totally embarrassed" because of US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's loss in the election.

"Only reason the hacking of the poorly defended DNC is discussed is that the loss by the Dems was so big that they are totally embarrassed!"

In December, media reported that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) suspects that Russia had interfered in the course of US presidential election, hacking mail servers of US citizens and organizations, including the DNC. The agency claimed that Moscow had targeted the presidential campaign of the Democratic Party's Hillary Clinton, because it wanted Trump to win. At the same time, the FBI has reportedly reached opposite conclusions from the same raw intelligence.

On December 29, US outgoing President Barack Obama announced the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, the closing of two Russian diplomatic compounds in Maryland and New York and new sanctions against six Russian individuals and five entities over Moscow's alleged interference in the November US presidential election.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia "will not expel anyone" in response to US sanctions and will determine further steps in restoring ties with the United States depending on the policy of President-elect Donald Trump.

 Sputnik

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US Intelligence Charges Russia, Putin Aspired to Help Trump Win

By Jeff Seldin January 07, 2017

Russian President Vladimir Putin set out to undermine the 2016 U.S. election and discredit former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an unprecedented "influence campaign," eventually deciding to help the chances of President-elect Donald Trump, according to a declassified report by the U.S. intelligence community.

"Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability," according to the report, released late Friday.

"We further assess Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump," the report continued, adding, "Putin and the Russian government aspired to help President-elect Trump's election chances when possible."

The release of the report by the top three U.S. intelligence agencies came just hours after intelligence chiefs gave a classified briefing to Trump in New York. Outgoing President Barack Obama, who ordered the report, was briefed on the material Thursday.

In the report, both the CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation state they have "high confidence" in their conclusions. A third intelligence branch, the National Security Agency, while in agreement, said it has only "moderate" confidence in the findings.Late Friday, Trump posted a tweet that blames the Democrats for being hacked. "Gross negligence by the Democratic National Committee allowed hacking to take place," Trump tweeted. "The Republican National Committee had strong defense."

Trump furthered his criticism in a pair of tweets Saturday morning, pointing out that the hacking didn't change any votes and calling democrats "totally embarrassed" by their election loss.

"Intelligence stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results. Voting machines not touched," Trump tweeted. "Only reason the hacking of the poorly defended DNC is discussed is that the loss by the Dems was so big that they are totally embarrassed!"

Team to combat cyberattacks

Trump called his briefing Friday "constructive," but maintained in a statement that any efforts by Russia or other countries to interfere with the U.S. election had "absolutely no effect on the outcome."

Trump also promised to appoint a team to come up a plan to combat cyberattacks on the U.S. by Russia and China, as well as from other countries and entities, within 90 days of his inauguration.

"America's safety and security will be my No. 1 priority," Trump said in the statement. "The methods, tools and tactics we use to keep America safe should not be a public discussion that will benefit those who seek to do us harm."

Earlier Friday, however, Trump characterized the intelligence community's insistence that Russia interfered in the elections as a "political witch hunt" during an interview with The New York Times, saying it was being carried out by opponents who were still upset about losing to him.

His failure to fully endorse the U.S. intelligence community's findings even after the briefing is likely to stir further controversy.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest went so far as to question Trump's motives, citing a series of tweets by the president-elect.

"His concerns are about something other than protecting classified information," Earnest said Friday. "What those concerns are is something that I'll let him articulate."

Lawmakers' conclusions

Some U.S. lawmakers who have also been briefed on the classified version of the report have come away with far different determinations.

"Suffice to say, it's stunning in its conclusions," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Another Democrat, Representative Bennie Thompson, said the classified report "presents compelling evidence" of Russian interference.

The ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee also said it was "stunning and quite shameful that the president-elect has instead put his energy towards impugning the intelligence community he will soon be overseeing."

"This is a troubling chapter in an ongoing story," Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement Friday.

"The Intelligence Community's report on Russian activities and intentions in recent U.S. elections highlights for the American people the direct and aggressive covert influence campaign conducted against our nation," said Burr, a Republican. "I expect that out our nation's leaders will counter these activities appropriately."

Still, some former intelligence officers and Trump supporters maintain there is ample reason to remain skeptical of the intelligence report's findings.

Most notably, they argue U.S. intelligence officials have yet to release any information that shows a clear link between the hacks of the Democratic National Committee and other political figures, and Russian operatives.

"There's no smoking gun," said Tony Shaffer, a retired intelligence officer who worked with Trump's national security adviser, retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.

"Every other president who had to make a strong stand regarding an adversary has been willing to provide detailed information regarding how and why it happened," Shaffer said, citing as one example former President John F. Kennedy's disclosure of spy photos of Russian missile sites during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis as an example.

Level of detail

Intelligence officials admit that level of detail, which would risk exposing sources and methods, was not included in the declassified report on Russian interference in the U.S. election. And, critically, the report concludes that at no time was Russia able to compromise systems used to tally election results.

Instead, the report lays out how the Russian campaign evolved from one seeking simply to undermine faith in U.S. democratic processes  conducting cyber operations against both major U.S. political parties and lobbyists  to one intent on seeing Trump in the White House.

"Putin most likely wanted to discredit Secretary Clinton because he has publicly blamed her since 2011 for inciting mass protests against his regime in late 2011 and early 2012, and because he holds a grudge for comments he almost certainly saw as disparaging him," the report said. "When it appeared to Moscow that Secretary Clinton was likely to win the election, the Russian influence campaign began to focus more on undermining her future presidency."

The declassified report also maintains that while unprecedented, Moscow's willingness to share, or disclose, hacked intelligence reflects a pattern of activity seen in Russian information operations against Olympic athletes and other governments.

Specifically, U.S. intelligence contends Russia's GRU intelligence agency used several conduits to disseminate hacked emails and other documents. These included DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks, as well as Guccifer 2.0, who claims to be an independent Romanian hacker. but who intelligence officials suspect is really a persona created by Russian intelligence.

In one case, content stolen from email accounts targeted by GRU hackers in March 2016 appeared on DCLeaks.com starting in June 2016.

Propaganda outlet

U.S. intelligence officials also pointed to Russia's use of its propaganda outlet, RT, which according to the report "has actively collaborated with WikiLeaks" dating to a 2013 meeting between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and RT's editor in chief.

Russia then amplified these efforts by using professional internet trolls to give more attention to the scandals set off by the WikiLeaks disclosures about the Clinton campaign, according the report, with some trolls beginning to actively advocate for now Trump as early as December 2015.

The report said Russian support for the Trump candidacy became bolder as time went on, with Putin supporters and proxies increasingly voicing their support for Trump. The effort culminated with Russian media hailing Trump's victory as "a vindication of Putin's advocacy of global populist movements."

Alexandra Vacraux, executive director at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, told VOA she was in Moscow in December, where she said she met with "quite a few Russians" who were happy Trump won the election and optimistic about his coming presidency.

"They were convinced Hillary Clinton had regime change in Russia as one of her main objectives," Vacraux said.

Now, U.S. intelligence officials fear Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 election will be the "new normal," with Russian intelligence agencies gearing up to use similar techniques to target future elections in the U.S. and other Western countries.

"The Russians have a long history of interfering in elections, theirs and other people's," National Intelligence Director James Clapper told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "But we have never encountered such a direct campaign to interfere with the election process as we have seen in this case."

Trump announced a replacement for Clapper Saturday morning, tapping former Senator Dan Coats to head up the intelligence community.

Coats is a former ambassador to Germany who served two years in the army before he represented the state of Indiana in the U.S. Senate from 1989 until 1999 and again since 2011. Coats declined to run for another term in last November's election.

"If confirmed as Director of National Intelligence, he will provide unwavering leadership that the entire intelligence community can respect, and will spearhead my administration's ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm," Trump said in a statement.

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Abbas warns US over embassy relocation to Jerusalem al-Quds

Iran Press TV

Fri Jan 6, 2017 9:18PM

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has firmly warned US President-elect Donald Trump of the potential consequences of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, describing the likely move as an "aggression" against the independent state of Palestine.

Abbas made the remarks during a speech he made in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem on Friday, adding that "any statement or position that disrupts or changes the status of Jerusalem al-Quds is a red line which we will never accept."

Trump repeatedly said during his campaign that if elected, he would not hesitate to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, which is regarded by Palestinians as their future capital. The controversial decision has evoked Palestinians' bitter opposition.

"Jerusalem al-Quds is the capital of our state. It is the open capital for all monotheistic religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It is the right of all religions to perform their religious rituals with total comfort in Jerusalem al-Quds, our eternal capital," Abbas further said.

He also warned that if the transfer of the US diplomatic mission is implemented, "the peace process in the Middle East, and even peace in the world, will be in severe trouble." Abbas also urged the US administration to stop adopting "double standards" vis-a-vis Palestinians.

The Palestinian president made the remarks a day after Jordanian Information Minister Mohammed Momani warned Trump of "catastrophic" repercussions if the incoming US administration pushed the embassy relocation plan forward, saying such a move would be a "red line" for Jordan and would "inflame the Islamic and Arab streets."

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has already warned the US against moving its embassy to Jerusalem al-Quds, saying all American embassies in the Arab world would have to close in the face of popular Arab outrage that would follow such an action.

Back in December, PLO Secretary General Sa'eb Erekat said the potential move would deliver a death blow to any prospect of the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and would have his organization rescind all agreements with Tel Aviv. Erekat also said the move would lead to the "destruction" of the so-called Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

In September, Trump, who was the Republican presidential front-runner at the time, promised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's undivided capital if he emerged triumphant in the US presidential election.

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United States Marine Corps

Press Release

II MEF Marines Deploying to Afghanistan Spring 2017

January / 6 / 2017

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina -- At the request of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, approximately 300 Marines will deploy to Helmand Province Afghanistan in Spring 2017 in support of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.

Task Force South West, made up of Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force and led by Brig. Gen. Roger Turner, Jr., will train and advise key leaders within the Afghan National Army 215th Corps and the 505th Zone National Police.

The Marine Corps has an operational history in Afghanistan, particularly in Helmand Province. Advising and assisting Afghan defense and security forces will assist in preserving gains made together with the Afghans. This new deployment of Marines to Helmand reflects our enduring commitment to the people of Afghanistan. The last II MEF Marines to deploy to Helmand Province, Afghanistan returned in 2014.



II Marine Expeditionary Force Maj. Kendra Motz

PSC Box 20080 Camp Lejeune, NC 28542-0080

Phone: (910) 451-0602

kendra.motz@usmc.mil

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Philippine security forces shoot dead 2 suspected terrorists

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 5:26PM

Philippine security forces say they have gunned down a foreign national and his female companion suspected of being linked to a militant group loyal to the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

Chief Superintendent Cedrick Train, a regional police director, said the incident occurred in the southern province of Sarangani on Saturday, when the pair refused to surrender and the foreigner, believed to be a Pakistani identified as Abu Naila, attempted to throw a grenade at police, prompting fire from the forces.

"Officers were forced to fire at the suspects when the grenade was lobbed at them," Train said, adding that the two suspects were killed as a police and military team was carrying out a provincial manhunt for members of Ansar Al-Khilafah Philippines (AKP), a small militant group that pledged alliance to Daesh some three years ago.

The AKP along with a handful other small militant groups, supporting Daesh, are blamed for years of unrest in the southern Philippines.

The incident occurred two days after Philippine police announced that the country's security forces had managed to break the backbone of the AKP with gunning down its leader, identified as Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, and the arrest of three members of the group.

Manila says Maguid's group is responsible for a number of crimes ranging from arson and murder to bomb attacks.

The Philippines also suffers greatly from terrorist activities of larger groups, particularly Daesh-linked ultra-violent Abu Sayyaf organization, which has been engaged in criminal activities, including rape, kidnapping and drug trafficking, in what they describe as their battle for an independent province in the Philippines.

Since last August, thousands of troops have been deployed to southern territories after Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a massive military operation against Abu Sayyaf. However, fierce resistance by the militants has made it difficult for the military to make any tangible breakthrough.

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Bomb attack leaves six Saudi mercenaries dead in southern Yemen

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 2:10PM

At least six militiamen loyal to Yemen's former Saudi-backed president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, have been killed when a bomb explosion targeted a checkpoint in the country's southern province of Abyan.

A local source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a bomber detonated his explosive vest in the al-Wadea district of the province, located more than 270 kilometers south of the capital, Sana'a, on Saturday.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the blast yet, but al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group have carried out acts of terror in the region in the past.

The explosion came on the same day as Saudi warplanes targeted several areas across the impoverished conflict-ridden country.

At least one civilian was killed and ten others, including women and children, sustained injuries, when Saudi military aircraft struck a residential building at the Khiwan area of Huth district in Yemen's northwestern province of Amran.

Saudi fighter jets also bombarded Sarwah district in the central province of Ma'rib, leaving one civilian dead and two others injured.

Saudi jets also pounded al-Manzala district in the al-Dhaher district of the northwestern Yemeni province of Sa'ada, with no immediate reports of casualties.

An unnamed military source also said Yemeni forces and fighters from allied Popular Committees managed to purge Tawal al-Sadah area in Usaylan district of the central province of Shabwah of pro-Saudi gunmen following fierce exchanges of gunfire between the two sides.

Additionally, scores of Saudi mercenaries were killed and wounded as Yemeni forces and their allies thwarted their assaults against Dhubab and Kahboub districts in Yemen's southwestern province of Ta'izz.

The Saudi war on Yemen, which has killed at least 11,400 Yemenis, was launched in March 2015 in an unsuccessful attempt to bring back Hadi's government to power and undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The Saudi war has taken a heavy toll on the country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

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26k displaced families in Nigeria's Borno state received food: MSF

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 1:58PM

Doctors Without Borders says it has given food to some 26,000 families who have been displaced by the Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group in northeast Nigeria, stepping outside its usual medical role in an attempt to prevent more children's deaths.

Refugees in Maiduguri, the capital city of volatile Borno state, were "in desperate need" of food and other aid agencies were not stepping up, said the Paris-based relief agency in a statement on Saturday.

The group, which is known by its French acronym as the MSF, said that during the past three months it had distributed 810 tons of food in the city, the birthplace of the terror group, which is enough to feed the refugee families for two weeks.

"As a medical organization, it's not usually the MSF's role to provide people with food. But there are people in desperate need. Other organizations were not stepping in up until now, so the MSF was obliged to fill this gap," said Philippe Le Vaillant, the MSF head of mission.

Around one million people, who fled Boko Haram's violence in the restive state, are now living in Maiduguri and have almost doubled the population of the state's largest city to 2.5 million, it added.

"Many people came to Maiduguri with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They have almost no way to make money, the cost of food has more than doubled in 12 months, and years of violence and insecurity have pushed to the limit their ability to cope," Le Vaillant added.

The statement went on to say that the MSF has already established two large health facilities in the city, along with running two inpatient therapeutic feeding center (ITFC) for severely malnourished minors. It added that the relief agency is trucking 80,000 to 100,000 liters of water to the city on a daily basis.

Last month, the UN children's fund reported that that around 400,000 children in Nigeria are at risk of famine, adding that 80,000 of the kids could die from hunger within months.

Government aid agencies operating in the region are currently under investigation for corruption in food distribution.

Large areas of the states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe are completely inaccessible and cannot be reached by aid agencies due to an insurgency by militants. People in the three states are reportedly in need of emergency food aid.

During the past several months, Boko Haram, which was mainly pushed deep inside the lush Sambisa Forest, a former colonial game reserve, resorted to carrying out sporadic raids against villages and bomb attacks against civilians in urban areas, killing hundreds of people.

On December 24, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power in 2015 with a pledge to eradicate Boko Haram, announced that the army had "crushed" the terror group a day earlier by retaking its last key bastion, deep inside the thick forest in the northeastern province of Borno.

Boko Haram terrorists started their reign of terror in 2009 with the aim of toppling the Nigerian government. Boko Haram terrorists have so far killed more than 20,000 people and forced over 2.7 million others from their homes.

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Heavy gunfire heard in Ivory Coast's key city as soldiers' revolt persists

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 8:39AM

Heavy gunfire has been heard near the main military base in Ivory Coast's second largest city of Bouake as disgruntled soldiers remain in control of the city after waging a mutiny over wages.

"The shooting is very heavy right now at the 3rd Battalion. I'm nearby and I hear it like it was right next to us," said a Bouake resident Konan Benoit in a phone contact on Saturday as quoted in a report by Reuters, which added that gunfire could be heard on the line.

Heavy fighting and gunfire exchanges broke out early on Saturday near the key military camp in the city of nearly half a million inhabitants, where angry soldiers and military officers started a revolt against the central government over pay and bonuses a day earlier.

Most of those involved in the armed revolt are reportedly former rebels who were later integrated into the nation's army.

The United Nations has dispatched soldiers to Bouake in a bid to defuse the situation, but they were forced to wait in a line along with hundreds of stranded vehicles and trucks whose passage to the city was blocked by the mutinous soldiers.

Reports indicate that the uprising has spread to a number of other cities with the nation's Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi declaring on national television that a group of soldiers had used their weapons to force their way into Bouake's military headquarters shortly after midnight to make known their demands.

Latest reports further indicate that gunfire has also erupted at a military base in Ivory Coast's capital of Abijan with news outlets also citing residents as saying that shootings broke out in western city of Man on Saturday as well, but it was not immediately clear whether the gunfire was related to the revolt waged by soldiers.

"Mainly they revolved around the issue of payment, timely bonuses, around grades, the time it takes to get to the superior grade. There were also demands relating to the living conditions for soldiers," Donwahi stated.

He further described the move by the rebelling soldiers as "deplorable," reasoning that the nation was recovering from a deep crisis. However, he also noted that their grievances were "understandable" and that he would travel to Bouake on Saturday to speak to the revolting soldiers.

"We shall talk with our men, collect their concerns and then find solutions to this situation which is deplorable, it's understandable but still deplorable because of the image of our country, because of the work done by the president of the republic since coming out of the crisis, to demonstrate in this way can be prejudicial to our country but we understand what happened," Donwahi added.

The defense minister, who confirmed that five cities has so far been affected by the uprising, made the remarks following an emergency meeting with other members of the African country's National Security Council, including President Alassane Ouattara and senior military officers.

According to press reports, exchange of gunfire also erupted at a military base in Daloa city, the main trading hub in the western cocoa belt, where civilians said soldiers, some wearing masks, were patrolling the streets in sport utility vehicles.

The city of Bouake was the seat of another uprising that began in Ivory Coast in 2002 and controlled the northern half of the country until it was reunited following a civil war in 2011.

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Pentagon deploys 300 Marines to Afghanistan's Helmand

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 8:14AM

The Pentagon will deploy a new task force of approximately 300 US Marines to Afghanistan's restive Helmand Province, marking the return to a region where hundreds of troops were killed in fierce combat.

The forces with a unit called Task Force Southwest will deploy this spring to advise the Afghan army and police, senior Marine officers said Friday.

The deployment will last nine months and is expected to evolve into a series of similar rotations for the Marines, officials said.

The Marines will largely operate from a sprawling Afghan installation known during earlier Marine operations as Camp Leatherneck, but will be based in other locations and could engage in combat.

"We're viewing this as a high-risk mission that really requires training that is going to ensure that our Marines are capable of countering a full-spectrum threat," said Brig. Gen. Roger B. Turner, who will be in charge of the mission.

"We're not in any way viewing this as a non-combat mission or anything to take lightly," he added.

Some of the Marines who will be sent to Helmand have deployed multiple times to Afghanistan before, fighting along their Afghan counterparts.

US Marines were pulled out of Helmand, a long-time Taliban stronghold, in October 2014 as part of President Barack Obama's planned drawdown of US military presence in Afghanistan.

Security in Helmand has deteriorated ever since and Afghan forces have been struggling against a resilient Taliban. Militants have advanced around the provincial capital in recent months and fighting regularly erupts along the city's outskirts.

There are approximately 8,500 US troops in Afghanistan, with most being located at major installations in the capital, Kabul, and at the US airfield in Bagram.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. Militant and terrorist attacks across Afghanistan are still frequent despite the presence of foreign forces.

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Huge US military force in Germany to boost NATO presence in E Europe

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 7:5AM

The US military has begun the deployment of hundreds of combat vehicles such as tanks as well as artillery guns along with 3,500 troops to Germany in an alleged bid to boost NATO's deterrence force against Russia in Eastern Europe.

US warships started unloading the military hardware, which includes 87 tanks and 144 Bradley fighting vehicles, in the northern German port of Bremerhaven on Friday for eventual transfer to member countries of the military alliance in Eastern Europe to enhance what was described as "deterrence against possible Russian aggression."

Nearly 3,500 American troops from the 4th Infantry Division in Fort Carson, Colorado, will join the military equipment over the next two weeks, marking the outset of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which provides for continuous presence of a US armored brigade combat team in Europe on a nine-month rotational basis.

The deployment is aimed at relieving supposed concerns in newest NATO member nations such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland over what the US-led military alliance has termed as increasingly erratic and belligerent Russia.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced the move last year, declaring that the force would take part in regular military drills across the region with NATO allies.

At the time, US Army Europe Commander Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges described the deployment as the "embodiment of the United States' commitment to deterring aggression and defending our European Allies and partners."

This is while other NATO countries are also boosting their military role near the Russian border, with the UK sending warplanes to the Black Sea area, while a battalion of troops, tanks and light armor will deploy in Estonia in the spring, backed by French and Danish troops. Additionally, Germany plans to deploy troops and tanks to Lithuania.

Albania, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia will also contribute to the military presence in what NATO has described as its Enhanced Forward Presence.

The US military further intends to relocate a Stryker unit from Germany to Poland as part of that force.

The American military also plans to deploy a combat aviation brigade with about 10 Chinook and 50 Black Hawk helicopters and 1,800 servicemen from Fort Drum, New York, and a battalion with 24 Apache attack helicopters and 400 troops from Fort Bliss, Texas.

The force will be headquartered in Germany with a number of the fighting aircraft stationed in Latvia, Romania and Poland near the Russian border.

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Iran's offer to aid Lebanese military stands: Iranian MP

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 6:24AM

A senior Iranian lawmaker says Iran's offer to provide aid to the Lebanese military stands.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who is the chairman of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis)'s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, made the remark on Friday during his visit at the head of a parliamentary delegation to Lebanon.

Boroujerdi said Iran was serious in its offer to supply arms to the Lebanese military and whether or not that prospect would materialize depended on the Lebanese government.

Iran offered military aid to Lebanon shortly after Saudi Arabia suspended four billion dollars in military aid to Beirut in February 2016. Lebanon has been examining Iran's offer since then.

The Saudi decision to cut aid came after Lebanon refrained from endorsing Saudi-crafted statements against Iran at separate meetings of Arab countries in Cairo and Jeddah. The Saudi decision also came in the wake of the continued victories by the Syrian army, which is backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement in its battle against Takfiri militants fighting to topple the government in Damascus.

Hezbollah has been successfully helping the Syrian army fight Saudi-backed Takfiri militants in order to prevent the Syrian conflict from spilling over to Lebanon.

Boroujerdi expressed optimism that under the existing circumstances, Tehran and Beirut could promote their ties in different spheres.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he praised the existing stability in Lebanon, which he said is located in a region suffering from terrorist campaigns.

The Iranian lawmaker also congratulated Beirut on the formation of a new government in the country and reaffirmed Iran's determination to support the Lebanese nation and government.

On Wednesday, a national unity government headed by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri won a vote of confidence in the parliament.

The new cabinet was announced on December 18, less than two months after the country's parliament elected Michel Aoun, a Christian leader and strong ally of Hezbollah, as president. Aoun's election ended a 29-month-long political stalemate in the country.

Before visiting Lebanon, the Iranian parliamentary delegation headed by Boroujerdi had paid a visit to Syria, where they held talks with senior Syrian officials, including President Bashar al-Assad, Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and Parliament Speaker Hadiya Khalaf Abbas.

During its Lebanon visit, the Iranian delegation is expected to hold meetings with different officials from the Lebanese government and the Hezbollah resistance movement.

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Trump Orders U.S. Ambassadors Appointed By Obama To Leave Posts

RFE/RL January 07, 2017

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is requiring politically appointed ambassadors to leave their overseas posts by Inauguration Day on January 20, though in the past many envoys have been given more time to close out their personal affairs.

According to U.S. media reports on January 6, the mandate was issued "without exceptions" in a terse State Department cable sent on December 23.

Besides forcing many diplomats and their families to scramble to make living arrangements on short notice, the move threatens to leave the United States without Senate-confirmed envoys for months in critical nations like Germany, Canada, and Britain.

In the past, administrations of both parties have often granted extensions on a case-by-case basis to allow a handful of ambassadors, particularly those with school-age children, to remain in place for weeks or months.

Trump, by contrast, has taken a hard line against leaving any of President Barack Obama's political appointees in place as he prepares to carry out his pledges to dismantle, change, or abandon signature Obama achievements ranging from the Paris climate change agreement to the Iran nuclear deal and the Obamacare health-insurance law.

Politically appointed ambassadors often are major campaign donors who were nominated because of their close ties and support for the president. They almost always depart when the president leaves office, while ambassadors who are career diplomats often remain in their posts.

A senior Trump transition official told The New York Times that there was no ill will in ordering them out, describing it as a simple matter of ensuring that Obama's overseas appointees leave the government on schedule, just as thousands of political aides at the White House and in federal agencies must do. The official said the ambassadors should not be surprised about being held to a hard end date.

Nevertheless, diplomats said the directive has upended the personal lives of many ambassadors, who are scrambling to secure living arrangements and acquire visas allowing them to remain in their countries so their children can remain in school.

In the Czech Republic, Ambassador Andrew H. Schapiro is said to be seeking housing in Prague as well as lobbying his children's Chicago-based school to break with policy and accept them back midyear.

In Brussels and Geneva, Denise Bauer, the United States ambassador to Belgium, and Pamela Hamamoto, the permanent representative to the United Nations, are both trying to find a way to keep daughters from having to move just months before their high school graduations.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said it was "common" procedure for all politically appointed ambassadors to step down as a new U.S. administration comes in.

"All political appointees for the Obama administration were directed to submit their resignation and the due date was December 7, and the resignations are to take effect on January 20," Kirby told reporters in Washington.

"That is common, typical practice...That's the way it works," Kirby said.

Kirby said no career diplomats serving as ambassadors had been asked to resign by the Trump transition team.

He acknowledged, however, that in the past there had been exceptions made for a small number of political appointees to stay on for a short time for personal reasons. "But that is totally in the prerogative of the incoming administration," he said.

With reporting by Reuters and The New York Times

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/trump- orders-us-ambassadors-political- appointed-obama-leave-posts-january -20--inauguration-day/28218345.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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What's in a Name? China Tries to Give Sea Features Around Japan Chinese Monikers

Sputnik News

23:17 07.01.2017(updated 03:06 08.01.2017)

China has ramped up its seafloor-naming activities this year and applied to give Chinese names to a number of features near Japan's exclusive economic zone, including features that already have Japanese names.

The Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN), part of the Monaco-based International Hydrographic Organization, received 50 applications from the State Administration of China to name underwater topographic features in 2016. This is more than double last year's figure, The Japan News reports.

Among the applications were proposals to name eight features near the Southern Kyushu-Palau Ridge region, which runs south from Japan's southernmost island toward Palau, and two in an area that Japan has already applied to a UN commission to exercise sovereignty over, The Straits Times reports. Another 21 sites were around the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, to which China and five other nations in the region lay claim.

The examination of Japan's application with the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to extend its continental shelf in the Southern Kyushu-Palau Ridge Region has been postponed because of opposition from China and South Korea, according to The Japan Times.

China's Foreign Ministry says Japan's claim to the area is illegal and that it doesn't recognize Japan's exclusive economic zone or continental shelf claims.

Sixteen of China's applications were accepted, with 34 rejected because "naming them in Chinese may develop into disputes with coastal countries," the subcommittee said.

An official from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the South China Morning Post that the applications do not currently "directly affect the interests of nearby maritime nations." However, some other officials say Beijing's naming moves are "aggressive" and that China is "seeking to assume control over territory."

Naming a feature does not necessarily bestow any rights to the namer, since all are free to apply to name unnamed features in international waters. But SCUFN regulations ask other countries to recognize a name applied by a sovereign state within its territorial sea, the South China Post points out.

"Naming the undersea features reflects the potential rights China has to these features," maritime expert Yang Suihua said in a Xinhua report on the topic.

 Sputnik

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MoD of Unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Rep Records 50 Truce Violations Overnight

Sputnik News

12:52 07.01.2017(updated 12:53 07.01.2017)

A total of 50 ceasefire violations were documented in Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh overnight, the Defense Ministry of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic said Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  It added that the Karabakh army fired back only when necessary.

"During the night of January 6-7, the ceasefire along the Karabakh-Azerbaijani line of contact was violated by Azerbaijani military forces 50 times. During this period more than 450 shots from small arms of various caliber were fired at Armenian positions," the statement of the ministry said.

Azerbaijan does not recognize the ethnically Armenian self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) and considers the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army to be a part of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

Violence in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated on April 2, 2016. A ceasefire was agreed on April 5, yet hostilities continued.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988, when the autonomous region declared exit from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, before proclaiming independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

 Sputnik

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US: Commitment to Afghanistan Will Only Deepen After January 20

By Ayaz Gul January 07, 2017

A senior American diplomat has assured Afghan leaders that Washington's commitment to the war-torn country's peace, prosperity and security will only deepen under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon traveled to Kabul Saturday, where he met with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, and other senior government officials.

Shannon later told reporters the purpose of his visit was to underscore the strong partnership the two countries have been able to build during eight years of outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama.

"(But) our commitment to Afghanistan does not end on January 20 (when Trump will take the oath of office), quite the contrary it will only deepen and that the strategic importance of this relationship is evident to all," emphasized Shannon.

"I can assure you that our purpose and intention here is enduring, is sustainable and its long term," added Shannon.

It is unclear how President-elect Trump plans to deal with operations in Afghanistan, which have become America's longest war.

Around 8,500 American troops are in Afghanistan, training, advising and assisting local forces in their battle against the resurgent Taliban.

The U.S. military mission is also tasked with conducting anti-terrorism operations against al-Qaida and Islamic State terrorists in the country.

Under Secretary Shannon visited Kabul a day after the U.S. Marine Corps announced that it will send a new task force of around 300 military advisors to the southern Afghan province of Helmand later this year.

The Taliban has overrun most of the districts of the poppy-producing region after NATO withdrew forces from Afghanistan two years ago. The insurgents have also made battlefield gains elsewhere in the country and there are fears of more violence during 2017.

According to the U.S. military, the Afghan government currently is in control of some 64 percent of the population while around 10 percent is controlled by the Taliban and the rest is contested.

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Brief Soldiers' Revolt in Ivory Coast Ends After President Intervenes

By VOA News January 07, 2017

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said Saturday that he had reached an agreement with rebellious soldiers to end a mutiny and had asked soldiers to return to their barracks.

The uprising began Friday night in the northern city of Bouake and spread quickly to several other northern and central towns. The protesters, many of whom were former rebels absorbed into the army following political turmoil in Ivory Coast five years ago, said they were owed wage increases and bonuses.

In Bouake, the country's second-largest city, mutinous soldiers broke into a military depot and stole rocket launchers and other weapons. They later raided police posts throughout the city and set up street barricades.

Gunfire also was reported in Abidjan, the country's largest city and commercial center. However, authorities said no one was seriously injured during the two-day revolt.

After Ouattara said he agreed to consider the soldiers' demands, calm appeared to have been restored.

"It's over," Sergeant Mamadou Kone, one of the rebels, told Reuters. "Some of our soldiers will remain in place to manage the security of shops and banks, but the majority of soldiers will return to barracks beginning tonight."

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Israel Cuts $6 Million to UN Over Settlement Vote

By VOA News January 07, 2017

Israel says it is withholding about $6 million from its annual United Nations dues, following a U.N. Security Council resolution last month calling for an end to Israel's "settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory."

The United States abstained from voting on the measure, opening the way for the other 14 members of the Council to unanimously pass the resolution.

Israel's U.N. mission said Friday the $6 million cut from its annual $40 million contribution to the world body represents funds that would be allocated to U.N. committees focused on Palestinian issues.

"It is unreasonable for Israel to fund bodies that operate against us at the U.N.," Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement.

The Israeli U.N. mission said it will take other steps aimed at "ending anti-Israel activities" after Donald Trump is sworn in as U.S. president.

House condemns vote

On Thursday, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution condemning the U.N. stance and criticizing President Barack Obama's administration for abstaining in the Security Council vote.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the U.S. abstention on the U.N. resolution a "shameful" swipe against Washington's traditional ally.

Palestinians support it

Palestinians, however, have hailed the vote, with former Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat calling it "a clear and unanimous message" to Netanyahu that his policies will not lead to peace or security for Israel or Palestinians.

More than 500,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank in settlements that most world governments view as illegal. The Obama administration has called them "illegitimate."

Citing biblical connections to the land and modern-day security concerns, Israel claims all of Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories seized during the Six-Day War of 1967.

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Peace Declared in Ivory Coast After Soldiers' 2-Day Revolt

By VOA News January 07, 2017

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara says he has reached an agreement with rebellious soldiers to end a brief mutiny Saturday, but the deal appeared to be on the verge of crumbling less than two hours later.

In Bouake, the northern city where the uprising began late Friday, soldiers denounced as insufficient the president's assurances that their financial demands would be met. Firing volleys into the air from Kalashnikov rifles and heavy weapons outside a government facility, a mob of angry soldiers trapped the nation's defense minister and other officials inside the building nuntil late Saturday evening.

In addition to Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi, the mayor of Bouake city, other government representatives and local journalists were among those held hostage, reports from the scene said. Soldiers could be heard shouting that they wanted promised cash bonuses paid immediately, not next week.

After several hours, however, the defense minister and the others were released. Donwahi, who had earlier been quoted as saying the protesters' demands were "understandable but regrettable," headed to the airport immediately and left town.

Earlier Saturday, shooting broke out at a military base in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's commercial capital, and soldiers barricaded key roads there, evoking memories of a nearly identical mutiny by soldiers two years ago. However, amid the tensions in the country's two largest cities, there were no reports of shots being directed at people, or any casualties.

Less than two hours before the outburst by soldiers in Bouake, President Ouattara announced he would meet the rebellious soldiers' demands. He gave no details but asked all members of the military to return to their barracks. National television reported the settlement took into account the mutineers' "demands relating to bonuses and improving the living conditions of soldiers."

Most of the protesters in Bouake are former rebel fighters integrated into the national army since a violent political crisis that divided apart from 2002 until 2011, amid clashes that killed about 3,000 people.

Ivory Coast emerged from that period of conflict as one of Africa's rising economic stars and regained its position as the world's top cocoa producer, but the national army is still a patchwork force of ex-rebels and government soldiers, fraught with internal divisions.

The disorders that began in the northern city late Friday spread quickly to many other parts of Ivory Coast by Saturday, and in most cases they were led by former rebels. Before he traveled to Bouake Saturday, Defense Minister Donwahi discussed the situation in a televised address. "We are emerging from a crisis and our army is being rebuilt," he said.

Ouattara asked for calm and appealed for all troops to end protest actions when he first announced the settlement, but he also criticized the rebellious soldiers' tactics: "I would like to say that this manner of making demands is not appropriate. It tarnishes the image of our country after all our efforts to revive the economy."

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U.S., Coalition Continue Strikes Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Jan. 8, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 28 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Raqqa, 15 strikes engaged six ISIL tactical units and destroyed four armored vehicles, two vehicle bombs, two bunkers, a fighting position, and three tactical vehicles.

-- Near Ayn Isa, five strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units, damaged a supply route, and destroyed two fighting positions and a vehicle.

-- Near Dayr Az Zayr, eight strikes damaged three supply routes and destroyed 24 oil tanker trucks and four oil pump jacks.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft as well as rocket artillery conducted six strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units, suppressed three mortar teams, damaged 14 supply routes, disabled a bridge, and destroyed five mortars, two supply caches, four fighting positions, a command and control node, a weapons cache, and a vehicle bomb factory.

-- Near Rawah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

-- Near Sinjar, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position, a mortar, and a UAV.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed a semi-truck.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is a strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

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Carter: U.S. Needs Strong, Balanced Approach to Russia

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2017  The United States needs a strong but balanced approach to Russia, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today on NBC's Meet the Press.

Carter also discussed the recent U.S. intelligence community assessment of alleged Russian activities and intentions in the November presidential election. The intelligence community did a "painstaking" and "careful" job in coming to its assessment, Carter said.

The intelligence community on Friday released a declassified assessment that alleged Russia carried out an "influence campaign" aimed at the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Those alleged actions included cyber activities against targets, according to the assessment.

The intelligence community, according to Carter, was "very clear -- they were very unequivocal about the judgement." The situation raises questions about U.S. overall strategy with respect to Russia, he said.

"It's an aggressive act against our very democracy," he said, adding, "That's why I think all Americans need to regard it very seriously."

A U.S. response does not have to be limited to cyber, or to a military response, he explained, emphasizing the importance of trying to work with Russia "where we can."

Carter, who leaves his post later this month, said he thinks "the steps that have been taken so far probably represent a beginning and not the end -- a floor, not the ceiling -- obviously being up to the next administration and the next congress to take those steps."

Regarding Russia in Syria, Carter said Moscow has done "virtually zero" in fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and has instead made "the ending of the Syrian civil war there harder."

On other topics, Carter described the North Korean nuclear weapons and ballistic missile defense programs as a "serious threat" to the United States.

The U.S. has taken a number of steps to stay ahead of that threat, he said, including upgrading the number and type of its missiles; deploying missile defenses in South Korea, Japan and Guam; and having 28,500 troops in South Korea who are ready to "fight tonight."

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Ivory Coast Mutiny Continues Despite Agreement; Defense Minister Briefly Held

Sputnik News

01:26 08.01.2017(updated 03:06 08.01.2017)

Despite apparently having arrived at a deal with the president, Ivory Coast's mutiny has not ended, with soldiers launching protests in more cities and briefly trapping the defense minister and other officials in a house in Bouake.

Within the past hour, the mutineers allowed the officials to leave, Reuters reports.

The mutiny, which started early January 6 in Bouake, spread to the commercial capital, Abidjan, and the cities of Daloa, Daoukro and Odienne, where troops took to the streets. In Abidjan, soldiers took over the city's military headquarters, and shots could be heard around the defense ministry.

Soldiers are demanding better pay and improved living and working conditions.

Only a few hours ago, President Alassane Ouattara said he had reached an agreement with the soldiers over better pay and treatment, and Sergeant Mamadou Kone had told Reuters the uprising was over. "Some of our soldiers will remain in place to manage the security of shops and banks, but the majority of soldiers will return to barracks beginning tonight."

However, Ouattara criticized the mutineers. "I would like to say that this manner of making demands is not appropriate. It tarnishes the image of our country after all our efforts to revive the economy," Ouattara said.

The deal was apparently not specific enough for some, which may have led to the standoff in Bouake. Reuters reports that a crowd of angry soldiers gathered around the sub-prefect's house in Bouake where Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi, the deputy commander of the elite Republican Guard, the mayor of the city and other local officials and journalists were meeting. Donwahi had traveled to the city to meet with the disgruntled troops.

Some soldiers outside the home were heard yelling that they wanted their bonuses to be paid right away, not at some future date.

"The president must tell us the date we will be paid and the amount we will be given," a soldier said, Al Jazeera reported. The soldiers are reportedly seeking bonuses of $8,000 and a house each, the Independent reports, citing an Ivory Coast member of parliament.

The Independent reports that gunshots were heard January 6 at a military base in Akouedo, on Abidjan's eastern edge, where troops thought to be loyal the president are housed, and troop protests were seen in the cities of Man, Daloa, Daoukro, Odienne and Korhogo.

Ivory Coast's 10-year civil war ended in 2011  aided by rebel soldiers who helped bring Ouattara to power when his predecessor refused to accept his election loss. Many of those former rebels are thought to be among the mutineers.

 Sputnik

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Taliban Shrugs at US Plans to Send More Troops to Afghanistan

By Ayaz Gul January 08, 2017

The Taliban has dismissed American plans to send 300 troops to Afghanistan's southern Helmand province as nothing but "solely to lend morale" to embattled Afghan forces "in hopes they hold out until spring."

The insurgents have captured most of the districts in Helmand since NATO ended its combat mission, and most U.S. forces withdrew from the largest poppy-growing Afghan province in 2014.

With the help of U.S. air power and military advisers on the ground, the Afghan government has been able in recent months to maintain control over the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, which remains under attack from the Taliban.

Taliban advances

The Islamist insurgency has made advances despite the large presence of U.S.-led foreign forces and "the arrival of a few hundred troops will not prevent their march," said a Taliban statement Sunday.

It went on to assert that "such actions are the final failed efforts of (outgoing President Barack) Obama."

The U.S. Marine Corps announced last week it will deploy a task force of 300 personnel to the restive province later this year as part of NATO's advisory mission in the country.

"The Marine Corps has an operational history in Afghanistan, particularly in Helmand Province" and "will assist in preserving gains made together with the Afghans," it said.

The announcement came amid fears that battlefield advances in 2016 have enabled the Taliban to stage major operations in the coming summer fighting season.

The U.S. maintains roughly 8,500 forces in Afghanistan under NATO's train-and-advisory mission. The troops are also tasked with conducting independent counterterrorism operations against militants linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State.

US committed to Afghanistan

But the future of the U.S. military mission is unclear because President-elect Donald Trump has said almost nothing about operations in Afghanistan, which has become America's longest war.

A senior American diplomat, however, assured Afghan leaders during a visit to Kabul on Saturday that Washington is committed to their country's peace, prosperity and security.

"Our commitment to Afghanistan does not end on January 20 (when Trump will take oath of office), quite the contrary it will only deepen and that the strategic importance of this relationship is evident to all," said Thomas Shannon, under secretary of state for political affairs.

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U.S. Democrats Dispute Trump's Conclusion That Russia Didn't Affect Election Result

January 07, 2017

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and most fellow Republicans in Congress have concluded that while Russia may have hacked the November election, it had no influence on the outcome.

But Democrats who have seen all the evidence collected by U.S. intelligence agencies on Russia's extensive efforts to influence the election last year on orders from President Vladimir Putin beg to differ.

"The president-elect's statement that the Russian hacking had 'absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election' is not supported by the briefing, report, or common sense," said Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

"It is one thing to say that there was no tampering with vote tallying, which is true. It is another thing to say that the daily dumping of documents disparaging to [Democratic presidential candidate Hillary] Clinton that was made possible by Russian cyberoperations had no effect on the campaigns," he said.

"The consequence of these disclosures was hugely beneficial to the president-elect and damaging to the Clinton campaign, just as the Russians intended," Schiff said.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Russia's "political thuggery" hurt Clinton's campaign and amounted to an "assault on American democracy."

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us-democrats- question-conclusion-russia-didnt-affect- election-outcome/28218414.htmll

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Obama Says He 'Underestimated' Impact of Russian Meddling on Election

By Ken Bredemeier January 08, 2017

U.S. President Barack Obama, in the wake of a U.S. intelligence conclusion that Russia meddled in the presidential election, says he "underestimated" the impact of the misinformation campaign and computer hacking on a democracy.

Obama, as he leaves office in 12 days, told ABC News (This Week) that he doesn't think that he underestimated Russian President Vladimir Putin, alleged by the U.S. intelligence community to have ordered the effort to undermine the American system of democratic elections and the candidacy of President-elect Donald Trump's unsuccessful opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

But Obama said, "I think that I underestimated the degree to which, in this new information age, it is possible for misinformation for cyber hacking and so forth to have an impact on our open societies, our open systems, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways that I think are accelerating."

He said he released an abbreviated version of the U.S. intelligence report on the Russian hacking "to make sure that we understand this is something that Putin has been doing for quite some time in Europe, initially in the former satellite states where there are a lot of Russian speakers, but increasingly in Western democracies."

The U.S. intelligence community concluded that Russia hacked thousands of emails of Clinton campaign chief John Podesta and released them through transparency advocate WikiLeaks in the month leading up to the November 8 election. Many of the emails revealed embarrassing details of Democratic operatives seeking to help Clinton defeat her challenger for the party's presidential nomination, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

The report made no assessment that the leaks changed the outcome of the election, a point Trump has noted in a string of Twitter comments since receiving the intelligence briefing Friday.

"Intelligence stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results," Trump said. "Voting machines not touched!"

He said, "Gross negligence by the Democratic National Committee allowed hacking to take place. The Republican National Committee had strong defense! Only reason the hacking of the poorly defended DNC is discussed is that the loss by the Dems was so big that they are totally embarrassed!"

Obama warned against too close relations with Moscow.

"One of the things that I am concerned about is the degree to which we've seen a lot of commentary lately where there were, there are Republicans or pundits or cable commentators who seemed to have more confidence in Vladimir Putin than fellow Americans because those fellow Americans were Democrats," he said. "That cannot be."

President Obama added, "We have to remind ourselves we're on the same team. Vladimir Putin's not on our team. If we get to a point where people in this country feel more affinity with a leader who is an adversary and view the United States and our way of life as a threat to him, then we're gonna have bigger problems than just cyber hacking."

Obama had one face-to-face meeting with Trump shortly after the election and has talked with him several times.

"The main thing that I've tried to transmit is that there's a difference between governing and campaigning," Obama said, "so that what he has to appreciate is as soon as you walk into this office after you've been sworn in, you're now in charge of the largest organization on Earth."

Obama said he has talked to the president-elect about trust in the U.S. intelligence agencies.

"When I talked to him about  our intelligence agencies, what I've said to him is that there are going to be times where you've got raw intelligence that comes in and in my experience, over eight years, the intelligence community is pretty good about saying, 'Look, we can't say for certain what this means.'"

But Obama added, "There are going to be times where the only way you can make a good decision is if you have confidence that the process is working. And the people that you put in charge are giving you their very best assessments."

Obama said he also has talked to Trump about his penchant for tweeting an array of taunts and messages on Twitter.

"I've said to him, and I think others have said to him that the day that he is the president of the United States, there are world capitals and financial markets and people all around the world who take really seriously what he says, and in a way that's just not true before you're actually sworn in as president," Obama said.

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Ex-Pakistan Army Chief to Lead Saudi-led Anti-terrorism Coalition

By Ayaz Gul January 08, 2017

Pakistan's former army chief Raheel Sharif is said to have been appointed first commander-in-chief of a new counterterrorism coalition of 39 Islamic countries led by Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities announced the proposed Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, the IMAFT, in December 2015 to fight Islamic State and other terrorist groups. It will have its headquarters in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday confirmed Sharif's appointment to lead IMAFT. But Sharif and Saudi officials both have since neither confirmed nor denied it.

"I do not know the details. This was finalized only two or three days ago, so I will not comment much on this," Asif told the private GEO TV.

"Definitely our government's consent must have been part of this," he replied when asked if the decision was made in Riyadh or Islamabad.

Countries such as Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and several African nations are part of the proposed military coalition.

But Shi'ite Muslim Iran and its allies Syria and Iraq, are not included nor have they supported the alliance.

Islamabad maintains close ties with both Riyadh and Tehran and has long struggled to strike a balance in relations with the two countries.

Iran shares a long border with Pakistan, while Saudi Arabia hosts hundreds of thousands of Pakistani expatriate workers and has often provided oil to Islamabad at deferred payments and extended financial assistance to help the country overcome economic challenges.

Sharif retired in November when his three-year term as the chief of Pakistan's powerful military ended. Under his leadership, the army launched counterterrorism operations against the Pakistani Taliban and their foreign allies two years ago, leading to a significant reduction in militant violence in the country.

Sharif became highly popular for launching the offenses, prompting public demands for the government to extend his tenure.But his reported decision to join a foreign military coalition has led to severe criticism in Pakistan.

While hardline Shi'ite groups have opposed Sharif's decision, Sunni hardliners have welcomed it as an honor for Pakistan.

Many former army officers, journalists, analysts and politicians on social media have also heavily criticized the general for the decision, with some calling it "unfortunate" while other termed it against national security of Pakistan.

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#PM-trapped miners PM urges utmost efforts to rescue 2 trapped miners Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday called for utmost efforts to rescue two miners trapped underground for 10 days. They have been isolated in a vertical shaft about 190 mete...
Xi: Strict discipline required

People's Daily Online

(China Daily) 09:13, January 07, 2017

Election fraud must not occur, president tells watchdog meeting

President Xi Jinping required on Friday strict discipline in personnel reshuffles to prevent election fraud ahead of a key meeting of the Communist Party of China later this year.

Party organizations at all levels are required to strengthen management and follow strict disciplines to ensure the right direction of the election, he said while addressing the opening of the annual plenary session of the Party's discipline watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

"Those who are excellent in both morality and capability should be chosen and promoted," he said.

The 19th CPC National Congress is scheduled for the second half of this year, during which the next top leadership will be elected. Before and after the congress, a large number of personnel reshuffles are expected at various levels across the country.

An editorial published on Friday by People's Daily, the CPC's official newspaper, also called for "zero tolerance" in handling election fraud, warning Party members to learn from past political scandals.

Any malpractice, such as vote soliciting or vote buying, should be severely probed and punished, it said.

The three-day meeting, during which members of the commission will discuss and determine this year's anti-graft priorities, is expected to conclude on Sunday.

China witnessed a number of severe election scandals in the past few years. In all, 523 deputies to the Liaoning Provincial People's Congress, among the total 616 deputies who participated in the provincial election in January 2013, were found to have taken bribes.

They either resigned or had their qualification as deputies terminated after the scandal exposed their wrongdoings.

More than 950 officials who participated in, or bore responsibility for, the case have received punishment, according to the CCDI.

China has undertaken a massive campaign against corruption since the current top leadership was elected in late 2012 at the 18th CPC National Congress. More than 100 officials above ministerial level have been probed for corruption since then.

In the past four years, corruption has stopped spreading and a "crushing momentum" against graft has taken shape, Xi said on Friday.

But the task is still arduous, and China will "never reduce the high pressure against corruption, and the zero tolerance attitude will be maintained", he said.

Jiang Laiyong, a senior researcher with the China Anti-Corruption Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said election fraud is a universal problem in the world due to its complexity, and it's very timely that the top discipline watchdog is addressing the issue at its plenary session.

"It's more than necessary to update relevant Party rules to meet the needs of reality, and further improve the supervision system within the Party and standardize the nomination for the election candidates," he said.

In addition, Party officials who don't perform their duties to monitor their subordinates should face more severe Party or administrative penalties, including warnings or even being expelled from the Party, he suggested.

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India Decides to Privatize Leading Defense Company

Sputnik News

13:53 07.01.2017

The invitation to the private sector to invest in an Indian state owned defense firm may be the beginning of privatization of a substantial chunk of the local military-industrial complex.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  Has India finally taken the plunge to privatize its sub-optimal defense manufacturing sector?

The meltdown of the Soviet Union had encouraged Russia, the UK and France to privatize state owned defense manufacturing companies. But India did not change their ownership pattern all these years. It has now decided to take the plunge in order to target $2 billion in annual defense exports and absorb work orders for $14 billion in offsets for foreign defense imports.

The Indian government has decided to sell 26 per cent stake in a fully owned defense equipment manufacturer. The Government currently holds 54.03 per cent stake in Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) which will come down to 28.03 per cent after the sale of 25 per cent stake.

BEML manufactures military variants of Tatra vehicles, field artillery tractors, medium & heavy recovery vehicles, tank transportation trailers and even ground support vehicles for missiles.

This is just the third strategic approval in last 12 years by any Indian government. Government expects to collect more than $150 million from the stake sell.

This week, Manohar Parrikar, India's Defense Minister, had said that Indian defense companies, including from the private sector, will achieve $2 billion in exports by 2019 from last fiscal's $ 309 million. The Indian government will back the drive by setting up a dedicated national agency to promote defense sales.

"An independent export promotion body will help the Indian industry to achieve the target of $ 2 billion by 2019.The government will initially hold the export panel's hand and later it will be a self-sustaining body," Parrikar said.

India is keen to export its defense equipment to Vietnam, Mauritius, Bangladesh, Philippines, Afghanistan and Oman.

 Sputnik

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Commander: New tactics to be exercised in Navy drill 'Velayat 95'

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Jan 7, IRNA -- Navy Commander Rear-Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Saturday new tactics will be exercised in Navy drill 'Velayat 95' due to be held in February.

He said that the maneuver will be held next month (February 2017) in wide area of Iran's territorial waters and the high seas in north of Indian Ocean.

Sayyari explained that in the Navy drill, Iranian Navy intends to employ new modern tactics in different fields.

He said that the Navy intends to unveil new weapons and equipments which have major impacts on capability of the Navy.

The commander said that different types of missiles will be tested for the mock-up sea battle.

He said that the helicopters and hovercraft undergone overhaul repair by domestic experts will be used in the drill.

1391**1416

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What Trump needs to know about Iran

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Jan 7, IRNA -- Hossein Mousavian former head of the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran's Supreme National Security Council in an article reminded the newly-elected US president what he should know about Iran.

Mousavian who is also a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist at Princeton University published his article titled 'What Trump needs to know about Iran' in the US-based Huffington Post newspaper on Friday.

The following is the full text of the article:

The US president-elect has the option of engaging Tehran and bringing stability to a region that has not known it for decades.

Trump could escalate things between the two nations, but he could also improve them.

For as unnerved as many world leaders were with Donald Trump's election, they will have no choice but to work with the president of the world's most powerful country. One exception, however, will be Iran, which has come to develop one of the most hostile relationships in all international politics with the United States.

Fascinatingly, Trump's triumph over Hillary Clinton was anticipated by Iran's supreme leader, who just prior to the election declared that Trump had more support among Americans due to his frankness about the realities of the country. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for his part, believes that America has a corrupt political system, has fostered the rise of terrorist groups like the self-proclaimed Islamic State and Al Qaeda, and has spurred instability through military intervention in the Middle East. Thus, he regularly argues that for Iran to engage in negotiations with such a country would have little value, and a formal diplomatic relationship would be actively harmful  a position some incoming senior US officials feel about Iran.

Both Ayatollah Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani have, however, urged calm over Trump's election. "If a president is changed here and there, it has no impact on the will of Iran," Rouhani said in a speech shortly after the election, adding that Iran would remain committed to the nuclear deal. Ayatollah Khamenei has also stated that Iran does not have "any judgment on the election," but is "ready for any possible incident."

The proclamations of Trump and other presidential candidates during the campaign validated important aspects of Ayatollah Khamenei's view of the United States. However, it remains to be seen whether this shared thinking on America's political system will result in Trump reforming past policies and ending the 38-year deadlock in US-Iran relations, thereby attaining the diplomatic achievement of the century.

On the other hand, Trump can easily end President Barack Obama's engagement policy towards Iran and put Washington and Tehran on the path to full-spectrum confrontation. Deal opponents in Washington are already fervently pursuing a path of reintroducing non-nuclear sanctions to incentivize Iranian leaders to discard the accord.

Since the 115th US Congress was sworn in recent days, several anti-Iran bills have already been introduced, including one that would impose sanctions over Iran's ballistic missile program. Whichever approach he decides, there are a number of things Trump should know about Iran. Here are a few:

1. America played a role in sabotaging Iranian democracy.

The United States ended Iranian democracy in its cradle. Together with British intelligence, the CIA orchestrated a coup d'etat in 1953 against Mohammad Mossadegh, Iran's popularly-elected prime minister guilty of nationalizing the Iranian oil industry. The result was the end of Iran's democratic movement and 25 years of dictatorship under the shah. Iran's 1979 revolution was the Iranian people's reaction to decades of tyranny and American dominance over Iran.

2. A regime change policy already proved counterproductive.

After the Iranian revolution, America adopted an approach of regime change towards Iran, predicated on applying every conceivable pressure on the post-revolutionary government. This included supporting Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during his war of aggression against Iran, which saw Saddam killing or injuring upwards of 100,000 Iranian with chemical weapons.

The years since then have also seen America deploy the world's first cyber weapon against Iran and impose draconian and collectively-punishing sanctions. In parallel, Iran has used all its capabilities to confront the United States. Despite all this, Iran today stands as one of the region's most powerful and stable countries, while US allies, who have benefited from immense American support over the years, have either collapsed or are wavering due to their own shortcomings.

3.The nuclear deal is the greatest non-proliferation victory.

Importantly, Trump has stated that past US policies of regime change in the region have been mistakes and should not be repeated. However, he has been hostile towards the Iran nuclear deal, which he recently tweeted was "horrible." Quite to the contrary, the landmark deal serves as the most comprehensive deal on nuclear non-proliferation in history; containing the highest international standards on nuclear transparency and sealing off all pathways to a bomb.

Trump can either destroy it or build on it by working to win regional implementation of the deals' principles; making the 50-year dream for a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East a reality.

4. US wars in the Middle East are a source of instability.

Wars in the past four decades, including Saddam's invasion of Iran (1980) and Kuwait (1990), America's invasion of Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003), NATO's overthrow of the Libyan government (2012), the Saudi invasion of Yemen (2015) and the inflow of foreign fighters from around the world into region, have brought the Middle East to the verge of total collapse. Trump and Obama in fact share a belief that past US mistakes and US regional allies have played key roles in fostering the rise of these groups.

Trump has declared that his main goal in the region is to destroy ISIS, not topple the Syrian government. This position increases the chances for US-Russia cooperation in the region. Iran and the US can also form a very effective front against ISIS, given Iran is the leading regional power fighting the group and the United States, the leading global power.

5. Cooperation, not confrontation will lead to success.

While it might sound counterintuitive, Republican control of Congress and the presidency presents an opportunity for successful US-Iran diplomacy. The US government is now able to act in unison, enabling for novel approaches towards the region that may have previously been politically impossible.

Trump has the option of engaging Iran and bringing stability to a region that has not known it for decades. While distrust between the two countries remains thick in the aftermath of the nuclear deal, the key to broaden cooperation is to abandon self-defeating aspirations for regime change and engage in diplomacy based on mutual respect, shared interests and non-interference in each other's political affairs.

9191**1771

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Former Iranian President Rafsanjani Dies at Age of 82

By VOA News January 08, 2017

Iranian state television has announced the death of former president and leading reformer Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Rafsanjani, 82 and suffering from heart ailments, died Sunday at a hospital north of Tehran. State television interrupted programming to announce the death, saying it came "after a life full of restless efforts in the path of Islam and revolution."

Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was earlier seen as a top adviser to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Analysts say he also played a key role in choosing Khomeini's successor, after the founder's death in 1989.

Rafsanjani's presidency saw the country seeking to rebuild its economy from the ruinous 1980-1988 war with neighboring Iraq. It was also marked by a series of cautious reforms which saw wider freedoms emerge, particularly in the country's tightly controlled media.

By 2002, however, Rafsanjani's political fortunes had plummeted, as conservatives mounted and sustained criticism of his reformist outreach efforts toward the West. He lost a post-presidential bid that year for a seat in parliament, and in 2005 was soundly defeated in a bid for a second presidential term by conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Four years later, at the height of a massive government crackdown on demonstrators protesting presidential election results, he delivered a speech calling for greater personal freedoms. Analysts and pundits say that 2009 address further alienated him from conservatives and military commanders.

Rafsanjani was denied a third attempt at the presidency in 2013 when Iran's all-powerful Guardian Council barred him from the ballot, a disqualification widely seen as an official rebuke of his reformist efforts.

However, his political protege, Hassan Rouhani, won the presidency and assigned Rafsanjani to oversee planning for direct nuclear talks with the United States.

He also headed Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, an administrative body that advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The semiofficial FARS news agency says Rafsanjani will be buried on Tuesday in a state funeral. Schools, offices and other government operations will be closed in the run-up to the ceremony.

Last year his daughter Faezeh Hashemi, a former member of parliament and seasoned political activist, drew fierce criticism in public circles for meeting with leaders of Iran's Baha'i religious community. It sparked a debate on religious persecution in Iran.

The controversy began when Faezeh appeared in a picture with Fariba Kamalabadi, her former cellmate at Tehran's Evin prison and a Baha'i activist.

Faezeh had spent six months in Evin for protesting the 2009 presidential election results. She later defiantly described her imprisonment as the "best time of my life" because it had "opened another world" to her.

A year earlier, Rafsanjani's son, Mehdi Hashemi, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was convicted of bribery and embezzlement.

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Iraqi Special Forces liberate 4 more districts in eastern Mosul

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 5:31PM

Iraqi forces retake four neighborhoods east of Mosul, as part of the major operation to liberate the flashpoint northern city form Daesh terrorists.

The commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, said government forces managed to liberate the neighborhoods of Atebba al-Oula and Atebba al-Thaniyah in the eastern quarter of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, on Saturday noon and hoisted the national Iraqi flag over a number of buildings there, Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network reported.

Earlier in the day, Iraqi counter terrorism forces won back al-Rafaq neighborhood in the northeastern section of the city.

Iraqi troops also gained a foothold in Mosul's eastern neighborhood of al-Ghufran, and raised the national flag over several buildings in the area.

The development came on the same day that the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) soldiers recaptured al-Salam and al-Shafaa hospitals besides the Faculty of Medicine in the eastern side of Mosul.

Headquarters of Chechen Daesh terrorists uncovered in Mosul

Meanwhile, Iraqi Federal Police have taken over a Daesh command center in the southeastern part of Mosul, which the terror group used to direct the actions of ethnic Chechen terrorists.

"Maps of Daesh attacks which were earlier carried out in various Mosul districts were found at the headquarters. Federal Police also discovered explosive belts and weapons at the site," Federal Police commander Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat said on Saturday.

Nearly dozen civilians killed as Daesh hits east Mosul

Additionally, at least eleven people were killed on Saturday, when Daesh Takfiris fired a barrage of mortar shells at the densely populated neighborhood of Zohour. An unnamed police official said another 13 people were injured, Arabic-language al-Baghdadia television network reported.

Iraqi Special Operations Forces recaptured the neighborhood on December 2, 2016, more than a week after they first marched into the area.

Daesh self-proclaimed governor slain northeast of Baqubah

The Daesh self-proclaimed governor for Imam Ways region, located 63 kilometers northeast of the eastern city of Baqubah, died of his injuries following a failed attack on a position of pro-government fighters from Popular Mobilization Units -- commonly known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha'abi.

A security source, requesting anonymity, said the senior Daesh figure succumbed to the grave injuries he sustained during the heavy clashes with Hash al-Sha'abi fighters.

A volunteer fighter also lost his life and three others were wounded during the fighting.

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Iranian official welcomes Turkey's decision to withdraw troops from northern Iraq

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 4:17PM

A senior Iranian official has welcomed Turkey's decision to pull out its forces from Iraq and respect the Arab country's territorial integrity as a positive move.

"This [issue] that the Turkish government has decided to observe good neighborliness with Iraq and respect Iraq's territorial integrity is a positive step," Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on international affairs, said on Saturday.

"We welcome any kind of friendship among regional countries  we do not welcome any tension between Turkey and Iraq," he added.

After a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Baghdad on Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said his administration has reached an agreement with Turkey over Baghdad's demand for the withdrawal of Turkish military forces from a camp in the north of the Arab country.

"The prime minister and the delegation accompanying him confirmed that this issue will be solved in a satisfactory manner soon," Abadi said.

Iraq's state TV, which aired Abadi's announcement, did not provide further details about the agreement over Turkey's military presence in the Iraqi town of Bashiqa.

Turkey deployed about 500 troops to the facility last year, saying it was wary of potential attacks by the Daesh Takfiri terrorists that are currently based in the Iraqi city of Mosul, near Bashiqa.

Iraq has repeatedly called on Turkey to withdraw its forces or risk a potential confrontation with the Iraqi military, which is currently battling Daesh in Mosul. Baghdad has also refused Ankara's call for involvement in the operation to liberate Mosul.

The Iranian official further stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation among countries in the Middle East region.

"The regional nations' prosperity hinges on regional cooperation and prevention of any tension among neighbors," Velayati pointed out.

He said regional countries should not interfere in the domestic affairs of each others, voicing Iran's opposition to any meddling in the internal affairs of states.

The Leader's aide said neither Turkey nor Syria would benefit from the existing tension between the two countries.

He emphasized that stability in Turkey-Syria relations depends on the recognition of equal rights, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

Turkey's controversial deployment of troops to northern Iraq comes as Ankara continues with its military activities in neighboring Syria.

The Turkish operation, which began in August 2016, has faced similar criticism from the Syrian government. Turkey says it will continue the push which it says is meant to uproot Daesh and Kurdish militants.

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Turkey agrees to withdraw forces from northern Iraq: PM Abadi

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 1:56PM

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says his administration has reached an agreement with Turkey over Baghdad's demand for the withdrawal of Turkish military forces from a camp in the north of Iraq.

Abadi made the announcement on Saturday after he met with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in the capital.

The Iraqi state TV, which aired Abadi's announcement, did not provide further details about the agreement over Turkey's military presence in the Iraqi town of Bashiqa. Turkey deployed about 500 troops to the facility last year, saying it was wary of potential attacks by the Takfiri Daesh terrorists that are currently based in the city of Mosul, near Bashiqa.

Iraq has repeatedly called on Turkey to withdraw its forces or risk a potential confrontation with the Iraqi military, which is currently battling Daesh in Mosul. Baghdad has also refused Ankara's call for a contribution to the Mosul liberation operation.

Yildirim arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for a two-day visit, the first since relations between the two neighboring countries began to sour over the Bashiqa dispute.

Turkish Ambassador to Baghdad Faruk Kaymakci expressed hope earlier that the visit could "open a new chapter in Turkey-Iraq relations."

Sources in Ankara had also speculated that Yildirim's discussions in Baghdad would include the Bashiqa dispute, the fight against Daesh, and the issue of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant Kurdish group which has been waging a decades-long insurgency against Ankara. Turkey has been carrying out air strikes on alleged PKK positions in northern Iraq.

Turkey's controversial deployment to northern Iraq comes as Ankara continues with its military endeavors in neighboring Syria. The Turkish operation, which began in August, has faced similar criticism from the Syrian government. Turkey says it will continue the push which it says is meant to uproot Daesh and Kurdish militants.

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Iraqi PM Says Turkey Agrees to Withdraw Troops From Northern Iraq

Sputnik News

16:53 07.01.2017(updated 16:54 07.01.2017)

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi said Saturday that Ankara had agreed to withdraw its troops from northern Iraq, after talks with his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Ankara agreed to meet the Iraqi demand, namely, to withdraw troops from the Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq, Abadi said in the follow up to the closed-door meeting in Baghdad, as cited by the Al Sumaria broadcaster.

Yildirim arrived on an official two-day visit in the Iraqi capital earlier in the day and is also expected to meet Iraqi President Fuad Masum, Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri as well as Iraqi Kurdistan's government, Turkish media reported.

Relations between Turkey and Iraq deteriorated after Turkey dispatched its troops in Iraq in late 2015 on the pretext of helping the Iraqi militia fight Daesh without the Iraqi government's request.

In October, the Turkish parliament extended a mandate allowing Turkish troops to be deployed in Iraq and Syria to combat terrorists for another year.

Following this step, the Iraqi parliament adopted a resolution voicing protest against Turkish military presence in the Bashiqa camp, located about 19 miles northeast of Mosul. The lawmakers call on the government to take necessary legal and diplomatic measures, including a review of the economic relations between the two countries. Ankara has condemned the resolution.

 Sputnik

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Trump Vows Better Ties With Moscow, Despite Hacking Report Conclusions

RFE/RL January 07, 2017

President-elect Donald Trump again vowed to improve relations with Moscow, one day after the release of a U.S. intelligence report that found that Russia's president personally ordered a cybercampaign to benefit Trump's election bid.

The promise, made in a post to Twitter on January 7, echoed Trump's past, conciliatory statements about the need for better ties with Moscow.

But the tone of the post also contrasted with statements he issued in the wake of the intelligence report's release on January 6, in which Trump promised to take aggressive action to stop cyberattacks. He did not single out Russia for special blame.

The report's findings reinforced earlier U.S. assessments that Russia's government backed hackers to intrude on computer servers of U.S. political parties.

But it also went further in assigning blame, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered the hacking campaign to help Trump and influence the U.S. election.

Those findings have cast a pall over Trump's November 8 electoral win over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump is set to be inaugurated in less than two weeks.

The intelligence report's release followed a briefing that Trump received from top U.S. intelligence officials on January 6. After the briefing, Trump issued a statement saying he had asked his staff to develop a plan in his first 90 days in office to "aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks."

He appeared to defend the decision by intelligence agencies not to release more detailed evidence that led them to pin the hacking orders on Putin.

Security "methods, tools, and tactics" should "not be a public discussion that will benefit those who seek to do us harm," Trump said.

Other levels of "government, organizations, associations, or businesses" also need to strengthen efforts to protect themselves against hacking, he said.

Even before seeing the intelligence report, however, Trump dismissed the assessments on Russia's activity, telling The New York Times on January 6 that focusing on Russia's involvement is a "political witch hunt" by adversaries who are embarrassed they lost the election.

"They got beaten very badly in the election," Trump said.

On January 7, Trump took to Twitter again, but instead of endorsing the intelligence agencies' findings about Russian meddling, he repeated past statements about wanting to work with Moscow.

"Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only 'stupid' people, or fools, would think that it is bad!" Trump wrote in the post.

"We have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!" he said.

The intelligence findings have been endorsed by many top lawmakers, Republican and Democrat, and three separate Senate committees are conducting investigations into the hacking.

There has been no official reaction to the new report from the Kremlin. January 7 is Orthodox Christmas, an official holiday in Russia.

The Russian Embassy in London, meanwhile, sent out a post on Twitter on January 7 mocking the report, calling it a "a pathetic attempt at tainting Americans' vote by innuendo couched in Intel new-speak."

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and dpa

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/trump-promises- good-ties-with-putin-russia- hacking-report/28219017.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Scores of Daesh terrorists killed as Syrian army advances in Homs

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 3:40PM

Scores of Daesh Takfiri terrorists have been killed when Syrian army soldiers launched a string of operations against the extremists' positions in the country's beleaguered Homs Province.

Syria's official news agency, SANA, reported that an army unit engaged Daesh terrorists in al-Tiyas Hills, situated about 90 kilometers east of the provincial capital city of Homs, early on Saturday, killing and injuring a large number of the Takfiris.

A battle tank and several sport utility vehicles belonging to the terrorists were destroyed as well.

Two civilians killed in US-led airstrike near Raqqah

Two civilians were killed on Friday evening in a fresh airstrike carried out by the US-led coalition purportedly fighting Daesh in Syria.

Local sources said the aerial attack targeted Ghazban village near the country's Daesh-held northern city of al-Raqqah, located on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River and about 455 kilometers northeast of the capital, Damascus.

The air raid came on the same day that nine people were killed in a US-led strike on the village of Suwaydiyah al-Kabirah, which lies approximately 55 kilometers west of Raqqah.

SANA reported that there were five children among those dead.

Raqqah was overrun by the Takfiri terrorists in March 2013, and was proclaimed the center for most of the terrorists' administrative and control tasks the next year.

The US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against what are said to be the Daesh terrorists' positions inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.

The coalition has repeatedly been accused of targeting and killing civilians. It has also been largely incapable of fulfilling its declared aim of dislodging terrorists.

Nearly twenty civilians were killed on December 8, 2016, when a US-led strike targeted al-Msheirfeh region north of Raqqah. Several people also sustained injuries in the blitz.

On October 4 last year, at least 20 civilians were killed and 40 others sustained injuries after US-led coalition warplanes bombed the Kurdish-majority village of Thulthana in the northern province of Aleppo.

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Internaional airport resumes work in Syria's Aleppo

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 11:22AM

A first airplane has taken off from the international airport in the Syrian city of Aleppo in four years, during which the airport was closed due to the militancy in the Arab country.

The flight by a government airplane on Friday was a trial attempt in preparation for the total reopening of Syria's second largest airport in the near future.

Government sources said the Aleppo International Airport was likely to reopen to the public by February but cautioned that things will be contingent on the military situation in the province of the same name.

If the airport in Aleppo resumes work, Syria will have at least four functioning airports open to the public. Authorities started rehabilitating Aleppo's airport a few days after the city was fully liberated from Takfiri terrorists in late December 2016.

Aleppo's liberation is seen as a crushing blow to the militants and their foreign supporters, who have been actively working to topple the Damascus government since March 2011.

Turkish airstrikes

Separately, six Syrian civilians were killed in Turkish airstrikes on Syria's northwestern city of al-Bab. Turkey has been conducting unauthorized sorties over Syria to target Kurdish militants, whom it considers enemies of the Turkish state.

Clashes to restore water supplies to Damascus

Meanwhile, Syrian military forces have launched an operation to recapture 11 villages from Takfiri terrorists in the Wadi Barada Valley, where springs and water facilities providing water for millions in the capital city are located.

Water supplies from the militant-held area of Wadi Barada near Damascus have been cut since December 22, when Syrian army soldiers and fighters from popular defense groups launched a major offensive to recapture the mountainous area near the Lebanese border.

The Takfiri militants had also earlier contaminated Damascus' drinking water supply with diesel. The city's water authority had to cut supplies to Damascus and resort to using water reserves over the act of sabotage, which saw extremists polluting the Ain al-Fijah spring in Wadi Barada.

On Friday, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern about the risk of waterborne diseases among children in Damascus.

The head of the UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria, Jan Egeland, told reporters in the Swiss city of Geneva on Thursday that just in December 2016 "5.5 million people have had their water supplies cut or minimized."

He stressed that "to sabotage and deny water is of course a war crime," warning that civilians "will be affected by waterborne diseases" if clean water is not supplied to them.

Syria 'ready to purge Idlib of terrorists'

On Friday, the Syrian national reconciliation minister, Ali Haidar, said the country is prepared for an "open war" against the foreign-backed militants in the northern city of Idlib.

Idlib, which is currently considered the biggest remaining militant stronghold in Syria, has become home to thousands of Takfiri terrorists evacuated from key areas under reconciliation agreements with the government.

Haidar said Syria would not allow Idlib to remain under militant control indefinitely unless there was an international deal to resolve the situation.

Over the past almost six years, Syria has been fighting foreign-sponsored militancy. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimated in August that more than 400,000 people had been killed in the Syrian crisis until then. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.

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Syrian Democratic Front Worried About Russia's Withdrawal From Syria

Sputnik News

23:56 07.01.2017

The Syrian Democratic Front, which unites internal opposition forces, treats the reduction of the Russian armed deployment in Syria with caution, as it fears military groups may use it as an opportunity to gain strength and take up arms again, its spokeswoman, Mais Krydee, told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Friday, chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov announced that Russia had begun the planned reduction of its military presence in Syria with a Northern Fleet carrier group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.

"I am looking at this step by Russia with carefulness, as there are many military groups fighting in Syria. May be this is the step to boost negotiation process and push sides to the negotiation table. But are the military groups ready to lay down weapons? Are they ready for the political solution? What if military groups use this time to gain more force? We have to be careful about it," Krydee said.

Meanwhile, she added that the Syrian Democratic Front, which was established in late December, placed great trust in Russia and it efforts to settle the crisis.

"We trust Russia and what it does. We trust Russia's approach to the negotiation process. The big mission in Syria is to stop terrorism and to be against terrorism," Krydee said.

The decision to scale back Russia's military presence in the Arab republic was made by President Vladimir Putin at the recommendation of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on December 29, after a new ceasefire was announced.

A nationwide ceasefire between the Syrian government and opposition factions took effect at midnight local time on December 30. Russia and Turkey serve as guarantors of the deal.

 Sputnik

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Dozens Killed in Syrian Bombing Near Turkish Border

By VOA News January 07, 2017

A huge explosion ripped through the center of a rebel-held border town in northern Syria on Saturday, killing more than 40 people, many of them civilians displaced by months of conflict that devastated large parts of the nearby city of Aleppo.

Monitors said the blast, most likely from a tanker truck bomb, was detonated in the town of Azaz, outside a courthouse and security offices staffed by opposition fighters seeking to topple the Damascus government. A nearby marketplace lay in ruins.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Video from the scene showed flattened, burning buildings and wounded locals struggling to escape the blast area.

Local activists placed the death toll as high as 60, as search-and-rescue teams scrambled to locate survivors hours after the blast.

Rebel-controlled Azaz has been targeted repeatedly by bombers in recent months, with anti-government militia accusing Islamic State extremists in two bombings in late 2016 that killed more than 40 people, most of them rebels.

Government forces

The blast coincided with a fragile, nationwide cease-fire brokered in late December by Syrian government ally Russia and Turkey. That truce excluded jihadists from Islamic State and the al-Qaida affiliate Fateh al-Sham, known previously as al-Nusra Front.

In separate developments Saturday, government forces near Damascus pressed forward with an offensive in the Barada Valley aimed at pushing rebels and jihadists from territory that supplies the capital's 5.5 million residents with drinking water.

The activist Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors fighting in the nearly six-year conflict, said Saturday that at least nine people, including seven government soldiers, had been killed in fighting on the outskirts of Damascus. At least 20 others were reported wounded.

Government forces pounded the area for nearly two weeks, after claims on December 22 that rebels had contaminated the city's water supply. Severe rationing has since crippled daily life in the city and sparked widespread demands from locals for government action to end the crisis.

The government of President Bashar al-Assad has accused rebels of contaminating water from the Barada River with diesel fuel.

But rebel groups dug in at Barada since 2012 linked the contamination to government airstrikes in December that they say heavily damaged a key water-processing facility that supplies the city.

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President Tsai embarks on her Central American visit, U.S. stopovers

ROC Central News Agency

2017/01/07 13:04:04

Taipei, Jan. 7 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () began her second overseas visit since taking office in May 2016, a trip that will take her to four of Taiwan's Central American allies, as well as two U.S. cities, where she will have stopovers.

The goal of the trip, according to Tsai, is to consolidate diplomatic relations with the allies Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador and deepen trade exchanges with those countries.

But what will be closely watched by the international community is her transit stops in the U.S. cities of Houston and San Francisco. Tsai's administration has refused to divulge whether she will meet with any U.S. officials, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump or any members of his incoming administration.

Speaking at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before departing for Honduras, Tsai reaffirmed her administration's efforts to improve Taiwan's foreign relations based on "steadfast diplomacy," which aims to create mutually beneficial relations with Taiwan's diplomatic allies.

Through the visit, the president said she hopes to consolidate Taiwan's relations with the four allies, which she said all have long-standing friendships with the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name).

She said she will not only meet with the presidents of the four countries but will also seize the opportunity to interact with leaders from other countries.

The second goal of her visit is to deepen bilateral cooperation, she said, noting that there may be many opportunities in Central America.

It is important to strengthen trade relations with the four countries, according to Tsai.

Meanwhile, she will meet with Taiwanese diplomats stationed there to boost their morale and see Taiwanese expatriates there.

During the nine-day visit, Tsai will also be able to meet with heads of state from other countries who will attend the inauguration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

Tsai and her entourage are traveling on an EVA Air-chartered flight. Prior to arriving in Honduras on Jan. 8 on the first leg of trip, she will make a stopover in Houston on Jan. 7, according to the itinerary.

Her office has not released details about who she will meet with in Houston, besides Taiwanese expatriates. She will also visit the technology industry there.

On Jan. 8 after arriving in Honduras, she will inspect a bilateral cooperative project between Taiwan and that country. On Jan. 9, she will meet with President Juan Orlando Hernandez before departing for Nicaragua.

Tsai will attend Nicaraguan President Ortega's inauguration ceremony on Jan. 10, after meeting with Taiwanese businesspeople based in Nicaragua earlier that day.

On Jan. 11, Tsai will arrive in Guatemala, where she will hold discussions with President Jimmy Morales. She will head to El Salvador the next day, and will meet with El Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, according to the itinerary.

On her way back from Central America, she will make a transit stop in San Francisco on Jan. 13 -- during which she will meet with Taiwanese expatriates and visit the innovation industry there.

She is scheduled to return to Taiwan on Jan. 15.

The visit comes after Taiwan lost one diplomatic ally in December, amid strained cross-Taiwan Strait ties. Taiwan severed official ties with Sao Tome and Principe, after the African country decided to break its ties with Taiwan, mainly due to Taipei's refusal to meet its demand for financial aid.

Sao Tome and Principe resumed diplomatic ties with China later that month.

There are growing concerns that Taiwan may lose more diplomatic allies if relations with China continue to deteriorate and that Beijing may be trying to woo away Taiwan's allies to put pressure on Tsai for not accepting the "1992 consensus" that Taiwan and mainland China are part of one China as the sole political foundation for the development of cross-strait exchanges.

(By Elaine Hou, Sophia Yeh and Chiu Chun-chin)

ENDITEM/cs

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Tsai's U.S. stopovers just for 'comfort:' U.S. state department

ROC Central News Agency

2017/01/07 14:13:04

Washington, Jan. 6 (CNA) Allowing Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen () to make stopovers in the United States is part of a "longstanding practice" to provide comfort to the traveler, and there is nothing unusual about her upcoming transits in the U.S. during her visit to Central America, a U.S. Department of State spokesman said Friday.

In response to questions on Tsai's stopovers in Houston and San Francisco in the coming week, State Department Spokesman John Kirby said at a daily press briefing that it is a longstanding practice for the U.S. to "provide a transit opportunity for the comfort of the traveler."

There is nothing unusual and it is "really for comfort," he said of Tsai's upcoming transits in the U.S.

Asked whether any current U.S. official will make contact with Tsai during her stopovers, Kirby said he was not able to speak about the details of discussions that might occur.

Whatever discussions "that leader intends to have is really for them and their staff to speak to, not me," he said.

In response to questions on whether Tsai will receive a different treatment this time compared to her previous travels, he declined to speak about the customs and border service, but added that it is a longstanding practice that the U.S. have provided in the past for her travels.

On Saturday, Tsai embarked on a visit to Central America, during which she will transit in Houston before arriving in Honduras, the first leg of the nine-day trip, and will make a stopover in San Francisco on Jan. 13, after leaving El Salvador on her way back to Taiwan.

This visit comes after Tsai spoke with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in early December on a congratulatory phone call. The call, which was described as the first interaction of its kind since the U.S. switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in January 1979, has angered Beijing.

At Friday's press briefing, Kirby declined to talk about the U.S. State Department's communications with Trump's transition team, when asked if the State Department has proactively given any advice or caution to Trump's staff on Taiwan issues.

Tsai's office also refused to divulge who she will meet during the stopovers in the U.S., saying only she will meet with Taiwanese expatriates there as well as visit the technology industry in Houston and the innovation industry in San Francisco.

Besides Honduras and El Salvador, Tsai will also visit Nicaragua and Guatemala on her second overseas trip since taking office in May 2016.

They are four of Taiwan's 21 diplomatic allies.

In June 2016, Tsai made stopovers in Miami and Los Angeles during a visit to Central and South America, her first overseas trip as president.

At the time, she met with several U.S. congressmen during the stopovers and spoke with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the phone while in Miami.

Similar arrangements will also be made for Tsai this time, a source said.

Tsai is set to return to Taiwan on Jan. 15.

(By Rita Cheng and Elaine Hou)

ENDITEM/cs

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Taiwan's leader embarks on controversial Central America tour

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 7, 2017 5:30AM

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has begun her nine-day trip to four Central American countries with planned stopovers in the US, a development closely watched by Beijing amid warming Taipei-Washington ties.

Before boarding the plane on Saturday, Tsai said her visit to Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador, was aimed at reinforcing diplomatic and trade relations.

"We will discuss with the allied nations how to promote cooperation programs . Our focus will be to strengthen economic and trade relations , cooperate hand in hand and benefit from each other, so that the results of diplomatic relations can become a tangible gain of the countries," she said.

Tsai's transit stops in Houston and San Francisco has prompted Beijing to ask the US to bar the Taiwanese leader from flying through its airspace.

Asked whether she would be meeting officials from US President-elect Donald Trump's team, Tsai had earlier said, "A transit is a transit."

Trump also appeared to have ruled out meeting Tsai, saying it is "a little bit inappropriate" to meet anybody until he takes the oath of office.

"What China cares most about is whether Tsai and Trump will meet," said political analyst Liao Da-chi.

Tsai is expected to attend Nicaragua's presidential inauguration ceremony on Tuesday and sit down with the heads of states of the other three Central American states.

China was angered last December by a telephone conversation between Trump and Tsai.

The 10-minute phone call cast doubt on the new US government's commitment to the "One China" policy that regards Taiwan as part of China.

The US switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, and has since maintained unofficial ties with the self-ruled island.

China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the mainland. China has warned Tsai against seeking independence while Beijing 2005 Anti-Secession Law authorizes the use of force against Taiwan if it formally secedes.

China and Taiwan are physically separated by the Taiwan Strait in the Western Pacific Ocean. They split politically following the 1927-1950 Chinese Civil War and there have been no formal cross-strait diplomatic relations ever since.

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What is Behind Taiwanese President's Visit to Latin America Amid Speculations

Sputnik News

20:39 07.01.2017(updated 20:43 07.01.2017)

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen left for the United States Saturday on her way to Central America, a trip that will be scrutinized by China. Sputnik spoke with Chinese political experts in an interview about this trip and how it may be related to US-Chinese bilateral relations.

While the focus of the nine-day trip is to bolster relations with Taiwan's Central American allies, Tsai's US stopovers are being closely watched by experts amid speculation that she may make contact with president-elect Donald Trump and his team.

This is President Tsai Ing-wen's second foreign trip. In June last year she visited Panama and Paraguay.

The political and legal status of Taiwan has been a matter of dispute between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan for many years. Due to this tension, Taiwan president's visit to Latin America is being highly scrutinized.

In Central America, Taiwan is friends with 11 countries, in the Caribbean with 5 countries and in South America with Paraguay. It is noteworthy that on the eve of Tsai Ing-wen's trip, the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, Luis Miguel Hincapie assured that his country has excellent relations with Taiwan despite the fact that the president has not planned to visit the country.

This statement immediately prompted observers to forecast that Panama, along with the Vatican and two small countries in Africa, could be one of the first to break off relations with Taiwan.

Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at the Beijing Languages Institute, Jia Lieying spoke to Sputnik in an interview, sharing his views regarding the president's visit to Central America.

"China recently, officially restored diplomatic relations with Sao Tome and Principe. In regard to Taiwan, this was a severe blow to the country. At present, only about 20 countries have so-called 'diplomatic relations' with Taiwan and among them a large part is located in Central America," Lieying said.

"Therefore, Tsai Ing-wen's visit to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala can be said has 'seen the script,' The current authorities in Taiwan are trying to calm the situation, to bribe the interest of these countries in order to avoid being hit by the restoration of China's relations with Sao Tome and Principe," the expert further said.

Moreover, it is possible that the visit aims to continue to develop the "diplomacy of the money-bags." However, in the long-term perspective, an unfavorable situation around Taiwan looms.

According to Lieying, today, all over the world including the United Nations, the principle of "one China" is recognized unanimously. It has not only a real unshakable foundation but also a solid basis in international law.

The Head of the Scientific Information Centre of the Institute of Latin America, Alexander Kharlamenko, told Sputnik that this is largely a deceit because Taiwan is a regional member of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration. "It puts investment into the region without even concealing their political orientation in order to maintain friendly relations with these countries," Kharlamenko said.

The expert further said that the periodic trips by the Taiwanese administration to Central and South America and the Caribbean are done to obtain confirmation from the local officials for their support and loyalty to Taiwan.

This becomes especially important when a country has a change in presidency. This time, Tsai Ing-wen will take part in the inauguration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, which is due on January 10. The president was re-elected in November 2016.

"Taiwan should once again demonstrate its presence in Central America, although it has long since marked itself there. Such visits have been performed by each head of Taiwan for many years now. There is nothing new there. Right now we are talking about how to emphasize these ties in the new situation," Kharlamenko said.

The political and legal statuses of Taiwan pivots on whether the island of Taiwan and Penghu are unified with the territories of Mainland China under the rule of the People's Republic of China (PRC) or accepted as the independent Republic of Taiwan.

There are only few countries that support Taiwan in its claim for independence. The United States is one of its main allies and since the Taiwan Relations Act passed in 1979, it has sold arms and provided military training to the Republic of China Armed Forces.

However, this situation continues to be a point of dispute for China, which considers US involvement disruptive to the stability of the region.

Taiwan maintains formal diplomatic relations with 20 UN member states, mostly in Central America and Africa.

 Sputnik

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Turkey Dismisses More Than 6,000 Workers In Post-Coup Purge

January 07, 2017

Turkey has dismissed more than 6,000 more police, civil servants, and academics under emergency rule, continuing a purge in the wake of a failed coup last July.

A new government decree published late on January 6 ordered the dismissals of 2,687 police officers, 1,699 officials from the Justice Ministry, 838 from the Health Ministry, more than 630 academics, and 135 officials from the religious affairs directorate.

Around 120,000 people have been suspended or sacked since the failed July 15 coup attempt.

The crackdown has led to international concern with rights groups accusing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of using the coup as a pretext to muzzle dissent.

On January 3, Turkish lawmakers voted to extend by a further three months a state of emergency that was declared following the July 15 coup attempt.

The state of emergency was declared to crack down on a network linked to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of orchestrating the failed coup. Gulen denies any involvement.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-post- coup-purge-erdogan-police-civil- servants-academics/28218581.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Turkish Forces Destroy 12 Daesh Targets in Northern Syria - General Staff

Sputnik News

14:27 07.01.2017(updated 14:28 07.01.2017)

The Turkish Armed Forces have eliminated 21 Daesh terrorists and destroyed 12 targets over the past 24 hours as part of the Euphrates Shield operation in northern Syria, the Turkish General Staff said Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On August 24, the Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield against Daesh. Turkish forces, with assistance from Syrian opposition fighters, took over the city of Jarabulus in northern Syria and are currently conducting its offensive on al-Bab.

"Air Forces destroyed 12 Daesh targets discovered in the towns of al-Bab, Bza'a, Suflaniyah and Kabralmakri A total of 21 Daesh militants have been eliminated," the General Staff said as quoted by the Ulusal broadcaster.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the aim of the operation was to clear the region of terrorists and make it a safety zone for refugees. The operation has been widely criticized both by the Syrian Kurds and Damascus, who have accused Ankara of violating Syria's territorial integrity.

 Sputnik

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Turkey Says it Can Sell Companies, Strip Expats of Citizenship in Gulen Purge

Sputnik News

00:03 08.01.2017(updated 03:06 08.01.2017)

Turkey has announced a new wave of firings, threatened to strip the citizenship of its nationals abroad and declared it has the right to sell seized companies, as the purge of supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the preacher and political figure Turkey blames for last year's failed coup attempt, rolls on.

On January 6, the government ordered more than 80 associations to be closed for "activities affecting the security of the state," Deutsche Welle reports.

The government also announced that it had the right to sell companies seized from Gulen supporters and threatened to revoke the citizenship of Turks travelling abroad if they don't return to the country within three months.

Last week, the Turkish Parliament voted to extend the state of emergency in the country by another three months. The state of emergency was initially put into place after the July 15 coup attempt and was extended into January in October.

More than 6,000 lost their jobs in the new round of sackings, among them 2,687 police officers, 1,699 Justice Ministry officials, hundreds of Health Ministry workers and hundreds of academics, Turkey's Official Gazette reported. Since the coup attempt in July, more than 120,000 officials have been purged and 41,000 have been jailed, according to DW.

The outbreak of violence in Turkey has carried over into 2017, with dozens killed ringing in the new year at a popular club in Istanbul and another two killed days later in a car bomb explosion.

 Sputnik

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January 2017 by Marc Jacob

OMA Emirates, a provider of cutting edge technology solutions for the payment industry announced its investment into India based MobiSwipe, a company that specializes in Mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) solutions. The new acquisition will help in broadening the services and solutions that OMA Emirates will now offer in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the APAC regions. The solution enables merchants to accept both credit and debit card payments via a simple mobile application and provides an innovative, convenient and economical payment option to a wide range of business sectors.

The mPOS solutions which is PCI-DSS and PA-DSS compliant is highly secure with payments accepted anywhere and anytime by using an Android smartphone or tablet that is loaded with the MobiSwipe application that is connected to an EMV certified pocket-size card reader. The solution runs on robust Ingenico payment terminals which are clearly supported by mPOS applications. While being extremely secure devices, the certified terminals offers the convenience of portable payment acceptance that makes it easier to use, and also has the added advantage of being equipped with high power battery back-up.

The MobiSwipe mPOS and mPAY gets seamlessly integrated with the merchants existing POS backup database to retrieve and validate invoice details and enables instant activation of the service for each transaction while simultaneously connecting with the bank SWITCH to authenticate and authorize each transaction. It provides a range of benefits including an easy on-boarding process with simple pricing and inventory management. Besides, it does not call for new bank accounts and provides mobile and web analytics that is made available on a tablet POS. Moreover, it helps in boosting merchants revenues and enables customers to use the application for bill payments.

OMA Emirates has been associated with merchant business for over 15 years in Middle East in Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain and has deployed more than 80,000 Ingenico POS terminals with their partner banks and acquirers. OMA Emirates is also the technology distributor for Ingenico products in the Middle East. With investments in Serbia, Morocco, and India, the company has now expanded its business reach into Africa, Eastern Europe and APAC regions.
Veon is looking for a Russian buyer of its VimpelCom business, and is making sure that it is one that is not subject to Western sanctions, says the CEO.
This winters short legislative session and budget constraints likely will quell some of the hot-topic campus issues that have absorbed the General Assembly in recent years, keeping the focus clearly on the bottom line for students and universities.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe last week proposed a legislative package aimed at helping students avoid predatory lenders by establishing a Student Loan Ombudsman and a new requirement for state licensing of student loan servicers.

Universities, meanwhile, are keeping an eye out for possible ramifications from the disclosure last summer that the University of Virginia had created a Strategic Investment Fund from surplus funds that is worth more than $2.2 billion.

Public colleges and universities are bracing for budget cuts  the glow from last sessions appropriations windfall quickly faded when the state came up short on the revenue it had anticipated.

The schools had been told to expect a 7.5 percent reduction in state funding, but the governors budget proposal in December scaled back the cut to 5 percent for a total savings of $76 million. Virginia State and Norfolk State universities were exempted.

Schools are prepared for the belt tightening, said Peter Blake, director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. But SCHEV will continue its push for a 3 percent increase in faculty salaries and more gains in need-based student financial aid as its main priorities.

The assemblys reinvestment in higher-education funding last session was amazing, and wed like to build on that momentum, although we understand the condition of the budget.

Matt Conrad, executive director for government and board relations for Virginia Commonwealth University, said much the same to a committee meeting of the board of visitors last month.

With almost no dollars to play with, he said, no major policy initiatives are expected this session. The goal will be to mitigate the funding reductions for the next fiscal year.

In many ways were already looking forward to the 2018 session, Conrad said.

In the run-up to the opening of the session, higher-ed administrators and their liaisons at the assembly got a preview of whats on the minds of lawmakers.

In August, U.Va. was called before a joint committee session to account for how it had created the Strategic Investment Fund. Then in November, the House Appropriations Committee received an analysis showing that rising tuition could not be blamed solely on reductions in state appropriations.

As a result, lawmakers are seeking more transparency in how universities manage their resources, particularly by institutions that have been granted the most autonomy by the state: U.Va., VCU, Virginia Tech and the College of William & Mary.

Legislation speaking to those concerns has been introduced.

Del. R. Steven Landes, R-Augusta, is proposing that leadership roles on the boards must be filled by members who are residents of Virginia.

Similar legislation has been filed by Sen. Scott A. Surovell, D-Fairfax.

The boards have a responsibility to institutions but also to the state, Landes said. Requiring officers of the board to be residents would increase accountability, he said.

If youre paying taxes in Virginia, your allegiance is going to be to the commonwealth of Virginia in addition to the institution youre serving, he said.

Del. David B. Albo, R-Fairfax, has introduced a bill that prohibits public institutions from using any tuition revenue from Virginia students to provide financial assistance to other students and from using more than 5 percent of tuition revenue from non-Virginia students to aid other out-of-state students.

The bill also would change the historic nomenclature of governing boards: Board members would be known as trustees rather than visitors.

With the exception of VSU, NSU and Virginia Military Institute, public schools would be required to maintain in-state enrollment of at least 75 percent under Albos bill.

Absent so far are new proposals addressing sexual violence on campus  an issue that brought emotional hearings to the assembly during the past two sessions.

But some issues reflecting campus culture wars have surfaced.

Landes has introduced a bill to guarantee free speech on campuses of public schools to ensure that First Amendment rights of students, employees and invited guests are not abridged.

Del. Christopher T. Head, R-Botetourt, filed similar legislation covering students at private colleges that receive the state-funded Tuition Assistance Grants.

Also on the legislative agenda is a proposal to require schools to provide separate housing for students recovering from substance abuse.

The bill was introduced by Del. Jason S. Miyares, R-Virginia Beach, who also has proposed legislation mandating that students take a course in Western civilization or U.S. history to graduate.
The pay raises that disappeared for state employees this year will loom large over Virginia lawmakers when they convene Wednesday in Richmond for a 46-day session that will be dominated by the state budget and a $1.26 billion shortfall in revenues to pay for it.

Nowhere is the challenge more apparent than at Virginias public mental hospitals, which face the highest staff turnover rate in state government at the same time as a surge in admissions to provide the bed of last resort for people who pose a threat to themselves or others.

We have some significant issues in behavioral health, and it goes back to compensation, said Sen. Emmett W. Hanger Jr., R-Augusta, co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

The loss of a scheduled 3 percent raise due to the revenue shortfall has intensified the exodus of direct-care employees from state hospitals  as well as turnover of state troopers and correctional officers  whose pay lags far below wages in the private sector for some of the toughest jobs in Virginia government.

Jack W. Barber, interim commissioner of behavioral health and developmental services, said state employees have been disappointed previously by what he called serial problems with raises.

I think this last one may have hurt a little bit more than the others, Barber, the longtime director of Western State Hospital, said in an interview last month.

Alarmed by accelerated turnover in an aging work force, a legislative commission chaired by House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, has made restoring pay raises its top priority, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie has embraced restoration of the cancelled pay raise as a commitment the assembly should keep.

But finding a way to pay for the raise will be a major challenge as the state attempts to close the projected revenue shortfall, especially in the fiscal year that will begin July 1 and end June 30, 2018.

Im just not confident that the two money committees are going to be able to do a meaningful salary increase for every state employee, said Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, who is co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

House Appropriations Chairman S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, acknowledged that its not the best economic environment to restore the lost raise to all state employees, as well as college faculty, teachers and state-supported local employees, such as sheriffs deputies, who also were scheduled to receive pay increases of varying sizes under the two-year budget adopted last year.

But were going to do our best, if nothing else, to make targeted investments to reduce the turnover in some of the highest-turnover agencies, Jones said last week.

Jones and other legislative leaders dont support a 1.5 percent, one-time bonus proposed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe for state employees as part of a $130.6 million compensation package that also would provide bonuses to teachers and state-supported local employees; restore money to address salary compression at state police, sheriffs departments and regional jails; and pay for career development of constitutional officers.

I dont think that would do anything to stem the tide, said Sen. Ryan T. McDougle, R-Hanover, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and chairman of its public safety subcommittee.

Jones called the bonus proposal a non-starter in my mind and said, We need to find the resources for an adjustment in salary.

Legislative budget leaders already have made clear that the highest of their priorities is increasing compensation for state police to stop an exodus of employees, especially sworn officers, who are opting for retirement or jumping to jobs in other law enforcement departments.

The department had 286 total vacancies  not including 54 sworn positions that will be filled by its next training academy class  at the end of December.

On Jan. 1, 21 more employees left the department, 18 of them sworn officers. While 16 of those departures were retirements, former state police Superintendent Wayne Huggins said that doesnt mean they wont be working.

Theyre almost all going to other jobs, said Huggins, executive director of the Virginia State Police Association, which is lobbying hard for pay raises.

In addition to retirements, state police are worried about attracting new talent at a starting salary of $36,207, which is well below the national average for highway patrol officers and among the lowest for law enforcement agencies in Virginia, according to Huggins. Were almost at dead bottom.

But the challenges facing state police are only part of the problem for state government, which is losing employees at an accelerated pace  almost 60 percent a year for those with less than five years of experience. More than 1,200 receive some form of federal financial assistance, such as food stamps, and about 9,500 are eligible for the earned income tax credit.

Employees are leaving in the greatest numbers from the toughest jobs, including correctional officers, direct-care aides and nurses.

The Department of Corrections led the state in turnover last year with 2,371 positions, but the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services had the highest turnover rate at 26 percent, or 1,743 positions.

The direct-care staff in the mental health facilities are far worse than any other state employee in terms of turnover and market (pay) differential, said R. Ronald Jordan, executive director of the Virginia Governmental Employees Association, who cited turnover rates over 36 percent for direct-care aides and licensed practical nurses, and more than 25 percent for registered nurses.

I think theres enough wiggle in this budget to find the resources to do this  if its a priority, Jordan said. Its all about priorities.

Margaret Nimmo Holland, executive director of Voices for Virginias Children, is especially concerned about staffing at the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents in Staunton, the only state hospital for children and teenagers with behavioral health issues.

The state abruptly reassigned the centers director before Christmas and acknowledged staffing and operational concerns in advance of the annual surge in admissions expected this winter. The department needs to focus on hiring, training and retaining high-quality staff, Holland said.

The problems are acute at Commonwealth Center and other state mental hospitals that must accept people deemed a danger to themselves or others under a law adopted in 2014 in response to the suicide of Austin Gus Deeds after he attacked his father, state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, 13 hours after he was released from emergency custody for lack of a private hospital bed.

McAuliffe included $7.4 million in his budget proposal last month to help state hospitals handle the increased admissions because of the last resort law. The funding was part of $31.7 million in new spending he proposed for behavioral health treatment and to curb an epidemic of opioid addiction and overdoses.

However, the governor also proposed significant spending cuts to close the projected shortfall, and some of them have riled lawmakers. Republican lawmakers are especially upset over proposed cuts in new economic development initiatives adopted by the assembly last year amid growing discomfort over the performance of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, an executive branch agency.

GO Virginia, a new initiative championed by influential business leaders, would lose almost $15 million in funding, and a new research investment fund would lose $10 million. The governor also proposed a cut of $4 million for the Inova Global Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Institute in Northern Virginia.

Norment, who sponsored legislation to create GO Virginia, said cutting its funding would be an ill-advised decision that could stall the initiative.

House Republicans said last week they would fight to restore funding for the initiatives. They also want to withhold $1.5 million that had been budgeted for the partnership, which faces competing proposals by McAuliffe and legislators to reform the quasi-independent authority to address serious problems identified in a study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.

However, some legislative leaders say some of the new economic development initiatives might not be ready for all the funds that had been budgeted for them. Its possible that some of them arent completely ripe for moving forward, said Sen. Frank M. Ruff Jr., R-Mecklenburg, a member of the finance committee and chairman of its economic development subcommittee.

Legislators will hold all decisions until they see updated revenue numbers for December and January. They expect those numbers by mid-February to determine whether revenue growth will close the projected shortfall, as it did two years ago.

Regardless, legislative leaders say the state needs to make what Norment called a compact with state employees and stick with it to address compensation and turnover in the future.

State employees are exhausted with verbiage and lack of action, he said.
For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.
A powerful documentary about North Carolinas eugenics program will be screened Thursday at Wake Forest University, several weeks ahead of its broadcast on UNC-TV.

State of Eugenics looks at the forced sterilization program of the mid-20th century, the efforts of researchers to uncover the truth behind the program and the work to compensate surviving victims.

John Railey and Kevin Begos, two of the Winston-Salem Journal reporters who worked on a series of articles about the program in 2002, are among those interviewed in the program. Railey, who is now the editorial page editor of the Journal, helped lead the compensation fight.

Politicians who helped in the fight to get compensation for victims, including Larry Womble and Thom Tillis, are also featured, as are several of the victims.

The hour-long documentary will be shown at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Porter Byrum Welcome Center on the Wake Forest campus. Afterward, Melissa Harris-Perry will moderate a panel including the films director, Railey, Womble and others. The event is free and open to the public.

State of Eugenics will be broadcast on UNC-TV at 10 p.m. Jan. 26 and at 9 p.m. Jan. 30, as part of the Reel South film series.

***

On the new season of Girlfriends Guide to Divorce, a comedy-drama that returns at 10 p.m. Wednesday on Bravo, Abby (star Lisa Edelstein) finds her life in flux.

Her professional career is on the ropes, her friends are experiencing a variety of crises in their own lives and her ex-husband Jake (Paul Adelstein) has been abandoned by his girlfriend Becca (Julianna Guill, an actress from Winston-Salem). When she ran off, Becca left her baby behind, which Abby steps in to take care of, since Jake is unprepared for the rigors of caring for an infant.

***

When the animated comedy Archer returns for its eighth season this spring, it will be on a new network. The series is moving from FX to its sister channel FXX, which is more focused on comedy programs such as Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Man Seeking Woman, and reruns of The Simpsons.

Archer was created by Adam Reed, an Asheville native, and the voice cast includes Chris Parnell, an alumnus of UNC School of the Arts.

The new season will find the characters in 1947 Los Angeles, where Sterling Archer becomes a hardboiled private eye.

***

This weeks new DVD releases on Tuesday include the PBS miniseries Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise, with Henry Louis Gates Jr. talking with a variety of scholars, celebrities and others about the aftermath of the civil-rights movement; the third season of Broad City, Comedy Centrals endearing, offbeat comedy about two female friends, based on a web series of the same name; the second season of the cable conspiracy thriller Mr. Robot; the fifth season of the political thriller Homeland starring Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin; and a third volume of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, a lively animated series about teen superheroes in Paris.

And Still I Rise, Homeland and Mr. Robot are also available on Blu-ray.
WASHINGTON  The insults and violent threats had been appearing on her screen for weeks when Amanda Kleinman decided to fight back.

She scrolled through hundreds of aggressive messages, searching for the one that troubled her the most. Her online accounts had been inundated since Pizzagate, the viral fake-news conspiracy theory that linked Hillary Clinton to a nonexistent child sex-trafficking ring. Because Kleinmans band had performed at the Washington restaurant at the center of the bogus claims, she, too, was being called a pedophile. Conspiracy theorists had publicized her address, sent messages to her employer and threatened her with words so vile that there is no printable euphemism to describe them.

She had called the police. She had talked to the press. She had ranted on social media. Now it was time to tattle to their mothers.

Click. She landed on the Facebook profile for the most vile of her harassers. Click. She was viewing his friends. It took only a few minutes to find the woman she was looking for.

Dear Lamia, she wrote. I wanted to know if you have a son named John?

For people targeted by Internet trolls, the absence of a clear solution is often the most frustrating part. If you retaliate by speaking publicly about your plight, you are likely to make yourself a bigger target. If you stay quiet in hopes that the stalkers will move on, you may feel like youve let the trolls silence you. Kleinman was tired of this lose-lose situation.

I have never met John and it makes me terribly sad, she wrote to his mother. I only tell you in case this is your son and maybe you should speak to him.

Kleinmans alternatives were, she felt, limited. Social media platforms are typically reluctant to punish trolls for fear of violating free speech. On Twitter, for example, users can block a troll, but that only means the trolls comments will be removed from their timeline, not from Twitter completely. Victims can file complaints that might get a troll banned from the platform. Yet even as one disappears, dozens of others may pop up, like a nightmarish game of Whac-a-Mole.

People being harassed can alert the police, but law enforcement has struggled to identify and prosecute anonymous online harassers. Of the millions of people who were stalked and harassed online between 2010 and 2013, only 10 cyberstalking cases were filed in federal courts during that time, according to a review by Hate Crimes in Cyberspace author Danielle Citron. These situations nearly always involve not one harasser, but dozens or even thousands threatening or spreading a false rumor about their victim.

There is no one size fits all approach for dealing with trolls, said Mary Anne Franks of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, which advocates for laws to protect online victims, but she doesnt recommend trying to reason with them.

There is nothing you can say to them that wont give them more to work with, Franks said.

Satirist Vic Berger learned that lesson shortly after Pizzagate. Berger rose to Internet fame by creating bizarre videos about the presidential campaign for the online video network Super Deluxe. He started a Twitter feud with Mike Cernovich, a social-media personality known for spreading false rumors about Clinton and her supporters during the election, along with the false theories about Comet Ping Pong, the pizza parlor in Northwest Washington. As Berger mocked him on Twitter, his followers also engaged, and Cernovich claims they tweeted offensive images at him. So in return, Cernovich repeatedly accused Berger of being involved with a pedophile ring.

Berger tried reporting him, but Twitter wouldnt shut down his account. He tried calling out Cernovich for inciting death threats against him. But the attacks just became more heated.

These guys do sort of know how to work the system and bend-not-break the rules, so its really difficult, Berger explained in an email. After awhile you just get sick of looking at that kind of sick/hateful/negative content and you just kind of have to move on for your own mental health.

After a man armed with an assault rifle stormed Comet Ping Pong to investigate the Pizzagate claims in December, Berger realized that it was entirely possible for the threats against him to become real. So after calling lawyers and the police, he quit Twitter, at least temporarily, until there is some sort of resolution to Cernovichs attacks.

It sucks to have to sort of back down from a guy like that, Berger said.

Backing down might be an effective solution, but its a wholly unsatisfying one. And so comes the urge to reach through the Internet abyss and  metaphorically  smack the trolls back.

After a troll impersonated her dead father on Twitter, writer and activist Lindy West penned a powerful essay arguing that the Internet treats women like subhuman garbage. The next day, a man claiming to be the person who created the fake account wrote her a heartfelt apology and donated $50 to the cancer hospital that treated Wests father.

Brianna Wu, a video game developer who spoke out about sexism in the industry during 2014s Gamergate controversy, tried Skyping with one of the thousands of people who had threatened to kill her. The troll, a woman, wanted to apologize; Wu wanted to understand why she had acted the way she did. They talked at length, but Wu ultimately felt like her harasser got more out of it than she did. Now, she doesnt respond to any of her trolls.

Part of you becomes so damaged, you dont feel anything when someone says theyre going to rape your corpse, Wu said.

Kleinman still hopes theres something she can do to fight back. The trolls know her as the flamboyant musician who dresses up in a red ski mask and blond wig to perform in her electronic rock band, Heavy Breathing. But by day, shes a college counselor, who cant help the urge to reach out and educate: Maybe 70 percent of these individuals, if I had them one-on-one with me for a week, or once a day for a month, then maybe, she could get them to stop acting how they do.

Instead, she makes screen shots of each of their threats and saves them to a folder for documentation as the police recommended. She makes sure the alumnimum bats she recently purchased from Target are within reach in her home. She goes to band practice  Heavy Breathing has scheduled a show at Comet Ping Pong for January. They have considered canceling, but they dont want the trolls to think theyve won.

And she waits for her worst trolls mother to respond. For all she knows, the woman hasnt even read her message. But it made her feel better to try something.

Sometimes, Kleinman said, its just symbolic.
Much ink has been spilled on the controversy between the Israeli government and the Obama administration over U.N. Resolution 2334 declaring Israeli settlements illegal. Why the fuss?

For one, settlements are illegal according to the international consensus around Article 4 of the Geneva Conventions. An occupying power cannot move civilians into occupied territory. Israel says the article does not apply, as the Palestinian West Bank is not occupied but disputed. Israel stands alone in this interpretation.

Settlements are strategically located throughout the West Bank to provide what can be described as a matrix of control over the Palestinian population. Because Israel cant simply transfer 4.5 million Palestinians out of its country or annex the territory because it would quickly make Jews a minority in their own state, the settlements provide an alternate reality on top of the Palestinian one. They are located on hilltops near important natural resources and around Palestinian population centers. Settlements are connected to each other by a road system restricted in most cases for only Israelis, forming a grid as effective in limiting Palestinian movement as any walls. Located in Israeli-controlled Area C (areas established by the Oslo Accords in 1993 as a five-year transitional period to a final peace plan), settlements help solidify total Israeli control of more than 60 percent of the West Bank.

Furthermore, major settlement blocs divide the West Bank in such a way as to prevent a contiguous Palestinian state. Maale Adumim is a city of 50,000 residents stretching from East Jerusalem into the Dead Sea Valley, cutting the West Bank in half. Major settlements in the north and south further subdivide the Palestinian territory. As the cousin of a Greensboro friend told me when he moved to a settlement in the early 2000s, he did so precisely to prevent the possibility of there being a Palestinian state.

For Christian Zionists, a major source of support for Israel in the United States, settlements provide assurance that the time-line for the soon return of Jesus Christ is on schedule. In this theology, the Jewish return to biblical Judea and Samaria and rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple will usher in the longed-for End Times. A resident of the Karnei Shomron settlement who directs an organization soliciting support from evangelical Christians told me it receives more funding from Christians in the U.S. than from Jews.

For settlers themselves, there are many reasons to reside in the occupied West Bank. For a minority, its because God gave this land to us. For the majority, its because of economic or aesthetic reasons. It is much cheaper to live in the settlements than in Israel  and the country living of most of the settlements is preferred to crowded cities. The ideological settlers are adamant that they will not be moved. Others, including some of my settler acquaintances, have said they would move if it were part of a comprehensive peace plan. Palestinians say that if settlers would want to remain in a future Palestinian state, they would be welcome.

A few personal experiences with settlements and settlers:

1. In the village of At-Tuwani in the Hebron hills, I have seen the community cistern rendered unusable by settlers from adjoining Givat Maon. They tossed dead chickens in the village water supply. Israeli soldiers have to protect the villages schoolchildren from being beaten up on the way to school by settlers. On one occasion, the settlers spread seeds soaked in rat poison in the village pastures. Our daughter joined Israeli peace activists and others on an Easter Saturday to painstakingly pick up the seeds.

2. In the village of Susya, a community of former Bedouin, I witnessed yet another cistern polluted by settlers. They threw a wrecked car into it. The villages lands are being claimed by settlers planting trees on grazing land, using a law that dates back through Ottoman times to the Romans.

3. When I first visited the settlement of Efrat in 1999, it occupied one hilltop outside of Bethlehem. Now it stretches for miles, hopping from hilltop to hilltop.

4. The Nassar farm outside of Bethlehem is surrounded by three settlements, each with all the infrastructure of modern cities. The Palestinian farm is not allowed running water or electricity, and the road to this farm has been cut off from the major highway. There are demolition orders on the farms above-ground structures, including fences and cisterns. The family has dug caves to live in.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be livid about the U.S. abstention on the U.N. resolution, but I know a few others who have even more legitimate reason to be upset. And its not because a country that pumps $3.8 billion in military aid annually into the coffers of an occupier failed to veto a toothless resolution about an illegal activity.
RAbbi Fred Guttman

In 1944, the American government refused to bomb the tracks leading to Auschwitz. As many as 20,000 Hungarian Jews a day were being transported there and murdered. The U.S. denied its ability to undertake such a bombing. Declassified information from 1965 would present aerial reconnaissance pictures from that time. These pictures showed Hungarian Jews getting off of transports, as well as damage done to factories within a few miles of Auschwitz that were actually bombed.

In other words, the U.S. purposely concealed its ability to bomb the tracks to Auschwitz.

It is now generally accepted that had those tracks been bombed, tens of thousands of lives could have been saved.

For this and other reasons, the phrase Never Again! became a watchword in terms of understanding the significance of the Holocaust. Sadly, that phrase has been overused and has been shown to have very little power. Close to 500,000 lives have been lost in the Syrian civil war. The war also has produced more than 10 million homeless Syrians in Syria and 8 million refugees who have fled abroad.

Sadly, the world has been relatively impotent in addressing this problem.

So I find myself asking what lessons can be learned for both Israel and the U.S.

First the good. The people of Israel, despite being technically at war with the country of Syria, have mobilized in a significant way on behalf of the Syrians. In the days before the fall of Aleppo, more than 1 million shekels were raised for Syrian children. There were demonstrations in Tel Aviv, including a human chain between the Russian and American embassies in protest. More than 3,000 Syrian wounded have been brought to Israel to date. Israeli doctors have volunteered for reserve duty to help in any way that might be needed.

But theres also the bad. What has happened in Aleppo shows that Israel lives in a volatile and savage part of the world. Many Israelis find themselves asking if Arabs could do this to each other, what would they do to Israelis if they could?

Now more than ever, there is a feeling that Israel needs to be particularly careful not to enable the creation of an unstable or hostile government on its borders. In other words, the events in Aleppo not only do not advance the peace process, they may have made the achievement of peace and a two-state solution much more difficult.

Syria has been completely taken over by Iran. The Iranians shipped a massive amount of people and equipment to Aleppo and officers from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were seen visiting the city. Syrian President Assad is essentially a puppet ruler.

Israelis are worried that this victory by Iran will mean that Iran and Hezbollah will now attempt to control the Syrian Golan Heights, which borders on Israel.

Many intelligence analysts feel that this did not need to happen. A few years ago, before the Russians became so involved with air and material support for the Syrians, the Syrian Air Force could have easily been destroyed by the United States. A safe no-fly zone could have been set up, and had the rebels been supplied, many lives could have been saved and the refugee problem would have been significantly lessened. All that is too late now. The air force that is there is now the Russian Air Force and there is little opportunity to intervene.

Professor Eyal Zisser of Tel Aviv University wrote recently: Aleppos fate is clear proof that the international community does not exist, and apparently never did, certainly not as far as the civilian population is concerned when it is targeted by a dictatorial regime and its powerful allies. Aside from several limp condemnations or expressions of grief from leaders in Europe and the U.S., the world is silent. For Israel, the lessons to be learned from the fighting in Syria are clear: It must never pin its hopes and stake its future on help from the international community. The world supports the strong and the victorious. Therefore, it would behoove Israel to strengthen itself in earnest, as a necessary guarantee of its ongoing existence and growth in our region.

This discussion as of today has become even timelier. The United Nations has twiddled its thumbs while a half-million people have been killed in Syria in the last half-decade. While the U.N. has not breathed a word about Syria, it has had no problem in achieving unanimity in condemning Israel for building settlements in its capital city and on the West Bank  construction that, whatever we may think about it, has not involved any loss of life.

Israelis responded with so much humanitarian aid precisely because they understood that, in the midst of the slaughter, the rest of the world would be silent. Having been victims of a genocidal tragedy, the Israeli people, despite the hostilities of those who would be helped, understood that, at the very least, something needed to be done. The horror of Aleppo has once again shown the world that the words Never Again! might simply be a platitude.

For the U.S., I am afraid that history will show that when there was an opportunity to help and to do so at a relatively low cost and without putting boots on the ground, the U.S. government chose not to do so. Hopefully, we will now learn that it is impossible to withdraw from the Middle East or for that matter from the world stage. The lesson is that if the U.S. is not engaged as a force for good in addressing the problems of the world, tragic and savage loss of life will occur and these problems will come to the U.S.

Hopefully, the lessons will be learned by all concerned.
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CES or no CES, the stream of Samsung Galaxy S8 rumors is flowing steady. This week has brought us a release date, a hint at a Continuum-like feature, and a live photo, which may very well be a fake. Or it might be real, given that the phone is supposedly already in testing in China.

In the 'tangible' folder we have the announcement of the Asus Zenfone AR this week in Las Vegas. A Google Tango-capable 5.7-incher with 8GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 821 inside, it also supports Google Daydream. You can't be Tango-Daydreaming, though - only one at a time. Asus also pulled the wraps off an iPhone 7 Plus-like dual-camera Zenfone 3 Zoom - unlike the Zenfone Zoom with its periscope 3x mechanism, the Zenfone 3 Zoom has a 2.3x range, courtesy of two separate cameras.

Also at CES, Xiaomi unveiled an even hotter looking white version of the already scorching Mi Mix bringing the number of borderless flagships available outside of China to zero - the Mi Mix will still be exclusive to its home market, officially at least. Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 835 top-end chipset, once again. Samsung made the A (2017) official too, not at CES, strictly speaking.

A leaked slide brought the initially expected 3-4 Nokia smartphones to 6-7 - how about we start seeing them one by one already? We'll be seeing a BlackBerry device at MWC this spring, that's for sure - a proper hardware QWERTY one, too.

As usual, we've provided some quick links for you to read the full scoop on these stories and more. Check them out below.



Asus unveils Zenfone 3 Zoom, Zenfone AR with 8GB of RAM, Tango and Daydream The Zenfone 3 Zoom packs a 5,000 mAh battery, while the Zenfone AR is the first phone to have that amount of memory and support both AR and VR.





Samsung Galaxy S8 release date allegedly revealed Korean sources say that the device will launch on April 18 due to late design changes.





First alleged photo of the Samsung Galaxy S8 surfaces There's no guarantees it's real, but it does give you a look into the button-less future.





Samsung reveals EU pricing for the Galaxy A3 (2017) and A5 (2017) It looks like the rumors were right and the company will not be selling the A7 (2017) in Europe.





New BlackBerry DTEK70 (Mercury) renders leak The leak - which came in the form of a Weibo post - shows the black colored variant of the device, from both front as well back.





Qualcomm announces the Snapdragon 835 Qualcomm has announced a successor to the high-end Snapdragon 820 series. Many improvements have been announced, including Quick Charge 4.0.





Purported image of Sony Xperia X (2017) leaks Claimed to be a press image, the leak shows from an angle the front of the black-colored model of the new Xperia X.





5.5-inch HTC One X10 leaks, images and specs outed The device will be the successor to the One X9 when it launches later this month.





Samsung Galaxy Note 8 to have 4K display and Bixby AI assistant The phone will have the newest Samsung voice assistant and better resolution for enhanced VR experience.


Published on 2017/01/07

China keeps warming up to the K-Wave, My Korean Husband documents a rare celebrity encounter of the K-pop kind, Arirang Radio teaches us about some new Korean buzzwords, and K-content continues to stream across the DMZ.

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"Future of hallyu beyond China?"

South Korean has been pushing to expand its "hallyu" content into China's massive markets for several years now, and over the past year, according to recent stats reported here by the Korea Herald, those efforts appear to be paying off. K-pop and K-dramas, for example, have "surged in popularity" in China, and over 8 million of the 17 million visitors (a new record) to the country last year were Chinese. In this piece by Julie Jackson, you'll discover the details of how South Korea's cultural wave continues to spread, not only in China but around the world...

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"South Korean Hallyu culture seeping into North Korea"

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"SEEING A KPOP STAR"

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"Korean Buzzwords: (Sick For Someone? Story's Conclusion?) [TalkToMeInKorean]"

Learn some of the new Korean buzzwords with Arirang Radio's "Catch The Wave" segment. If you're currently learning Korean and want to stay up-to-date with the latest language trends, this video from Talk To Me in Korean will help you impress your Korean friends with these topical words and phrases. The Korean gentlemen who host this show are also really fun and present these new buzzwords with memorable examples so you never forget...

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Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby.

17:38, 3 NOV 2022
What's Next for Marijuana Tax?

By Tom Yamachika, President, Tax Foundation Hawaii

Here in Hawaii, we have an initial group of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries getting ready to open shop, although none have opened to date. This has raised some tax issues before, and some are likely to come up again.

On Election Day 2016, voters in several states legalized marijuana and approved hefty tax rates to go with it. California, Massachusetts, and Nevada all approved marijuana with a special tax rate of 15%. In Maine, the ballot measure squeaked by with a special tax rate of 10%. A marijuana measure also was on the ballot in Arizona, together with a 15% tax rate, but was rejected by voters there. In all these states, the high tax applies to recreational use of marijuana, not medicinal use which was legal in each of these states before the election.

Earlier in 2016, lawmakers decided that the federal income tax rule prohibiting any deductions for dealers in controlled substances would not apply to licensed medical marijuana dispensaries.

The same law also said that our General Excise Tax exemption for medicine would not apply either. This may mean that our legislators are considering a special, higher GET rate for marijuana, but havent decided upon that rate yet. Indeed, one of the versions of the bill that legalized marijuana dispensaries, in fact, carried a 25% special GET rate.

If thats what lawmakers want to do, they should keep in mind that the tax is imposed on the business, and if the business chooses to pass it on to the consumer that part is also taxed, requiring a higher passed-on rate if the business just wants to come out even. Thats why Neighbor Island consumers see a line item for 4.166% tax on their bills although their GET rate is 4%, and Honolulu consumers get 4.712% passed on to them when their tax rate is 4.5%.

When the tax rate gets higher, the difference between the legal rate and the pass-on rate goes up as well, and dramatically so. To see the reason why, suppose the GET rate is 25%, as lawmakers proposed earlier, and we have a dispensary that needs to clear $300 after taxes. The dispensary can't simply charge its customer 25% of $300 = $75 as tax, because the dispensary will be required to pay 25% of the total charge of $375, which is $93.75. That would leave the dispensary almost $20 short. Instead, the dispensary must charge $100 in tax. Then the total sales price is $300 + $100 = $400, and the tax is 25% of $400 = $100, leaving the dispensary with the $300 needed.

Thus, if we have a special GET rate for marijuana at 25% of sales, the passed-on rate would be 33.333%! If lawmakers decide to enact a 15% rate, which was passed by most of the ballot measure states this time, the passed-on rate would be 17.647%, adding more than 2% to an already astronomical rate. With a 10% rate, the passed-on rate would be 11.111%, adding more than one whole percentage point.

Again, this tax would be on medical marijuana, not marijuana for recreational use. If the former is taxed while medicine is not, then how much tax will apply to recreational use if it is legalized?

This, of course, just goes to show how different our GET is from the sales taxes that are prevalent on the mainland. We aren't in Kansas, Dorothy! Lawmakers who are considering such changes would be well advised to keep these differences in mind.
Post an ad on one of your usual channels, and share the link on all your social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) encouraging your connections to share as well

Use Facebook as an advertising platform. Its surprisingly affordable and allows you to target a very specific profile of potential candidates while promoting your employer brand

Build a Careers Page that all your ads will point to, which showcases why youre such a great place to work for.

>Sharon Davies outlines what might lie ahead for recruiters in Australia and New ZealandCan you believe how fast 2016 went by? Were already well into January and Christmas has come and gone.With the end of the year approaching, now is a good time to look at what has and hasnt worked in the past 12 months. And very importantly, what should you start doing in the new year to bring your recruitment strategy up-to-date?Lets take a look at three trends that will change the recruiting game in 2017.Posting an ad on job boards is no longer always enough to find a range of quality candidates. Social media is quickly becoming a prime channel for placing adverts and attracting candidates.For example, weve found traffic from Facebook ads to a companys website is much higher, at an average of 17%, than those from traditional job boards, at only 2%.Heres three ways you can use it:This practice takes social recruiting one step further. Its a form of highly targeted digital advertising that displays ads to candidates based on their demographics, interests and consumer preferences.Using this will allow you to target the 80% of the talent pool that are passive job seekers by getting the message to them while they're in a relaxed state. With our first run of programmatic recruitment campaigns, weve seen click-through rates reach 1.5%, compared to the 0.02% market average.For recruitment, this is huge, because so often when youre listing on a job board, youre only getting in front of those active job seekers and the ad is being seen by people it wouldnt apply to. Through programmatic advertising, youll also get in front of people who havent even thought of looking yet, thus widening your talent pool.With such amazing online tools now available to you, its becoming so easy and affordable to handle your own recruitment needs. Recruitment agencies could become a thing of the past, as technology connects candidates to employers directly.And actually, candidates themselves are becoming wary of recruiters. The feedback I hear constantly is that they rarely get any feedback from the recruiters they apply through. Theyre kept in the dark with where they stand; even after an interview they may get very limited context as to why the job has gone to someone else.This means candidates are less inclined of going through recruiters, or applying to jobs posted by them. In turn, this means you may be missing out on top talent by going through a recruitment agency compared to if you were to do it yourself.Sharon Davies is the founding director of Talent Propeller , an innovative, online recruitment solutions provider operating across Australia and New Zealand. Talent Propeller has a focus on harnessing technology, developed in-house, to help identify and hook top talent.
Although 2016 may have been a terrible year all round, the output of major film studios with regards to comedies was pretty much close to garbage across the board.

Let's look at the figures real quick. Keeping Up With The Joneses, an action-comedy vehicle with Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher and Zach Galifinakis. Production budget of around $40 million. Total US domestic take? $29.1 million. Average rating according to Metacritic? 34%. Ride Along 2, another action-comedy and a sequel starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. This fared better commercially, making $124 million against another $40 million production budget. Average rating according to Metacritic? 32%.

This isn't just a blip or two in the readings, either. The vast majority of comedies released this year by major film studios were duds - either critically or commercially, and in some cases both. Dirty Grandpa featured Oscar-winning actor Robert DeNiro defiling himself with dribbling dialogue and jokes as funny as elderly incontinence. Office Christmas Party, meanwhile, was as funny as your actual Office Christmas Party. Going further, the sequels churned out in 2016 for comedy classics, such as Zoolander, Bad Santa and (gulp) Ghostbusters all failed both with audiences and critics.

The rot has set in when it comes to broad comedies made by the big players, but it wasn't always like this. Somewhere along the way, mediocrity became the defining factor for studio comedies. Improvisation became the defining factor in a lot of comedies because, after all, spontaneity is the key. Right? You don't need a story to actually make sense or to have some kind of focus to it, you just need to put relatively funny people in a room with cameras and let them at it. Ad-libbing isn't anything new in comedy and neither is improvisation, but there seems to be a rule now that directors just let actors roam free in a scene and the best ones are chosen in the edit.

Judd Apatow and Paul Feig embraced this kind of editing-room comedy. It worked in the early days with the likes of The 40-Year Old Virgin because, at its core, there was still a story there that mattered populated with characters you cared about and understood. The same could be said for Bridesmaids, which had an incredibly sharp script by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. In both instances, improvisation and ad-libbing was used sparingly and only when it worked. You only need to look at the end credits for most comedies nowadays to understand just how much more improv and ad-libbing is being used in lieu of a story with funny characters and situations.

When you consider the heritage of studio comedies as well, the recent drought of quality is even more concerning. Stripes, Ghostbusters, Ruthless People, even Caddyshack all came with identifiable characters and even a rudimentary understanding that ad-libbing couldn't form 90% of the script. Ghostbusters, sure, was mostly done this way - but you had Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Rick Moranis working on the set who could churn out some of the best one-liners in film history. Even when you consider more wider appealing comedies like Three Men And A Baby or Honey, I Shrunk The Kids!, there was still a lot more comedy on the page than there was on the screen. It was almost as if comedy scripts were written for actors, not a general outline of a scene to be filled in on the day of shooting.

Where did it all start to go wrong, then? Well, Jim Carrey has a lot to answer for. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was the starting point. Carrey was a fountain of ideas on any set he was a part of. In his first role as a rock musician in the Dirty Harry sequel The Dead Pool, Carrey flattened Eastwood with a barrage of ideas on how to make his character more weirder and funnier. Eastwood nodded sagely and then put Carrey in one, small scene and let him away. Cut to a few years later and Carrey's given free range over Ace Ventura and it becomes a commercial and critical smash - all thanks to Carrey's unfettered, unhindered approach. All director Tom Shadyac really had to do was aim the camera, set the scene and let Carrey away and it worked.

The question now is where do we look for good comedies? Television and on-demand services like Netflix? Yes, and also more independent comedies. Taika Waititi's The Hunt For The Wilderpeople - which is now on Netflix UK & Ireland - was one of the funniest comedies released in years and has received near-universal acclaim. Other People, with Breaking Bad's Jesse Plemons, veteran comedic talent Molly Shannon and The West Wing's Bradley Whitford, flew completely under the radar and was just a fantastic piece of comedy acting. On TV, the likes of The Last Man On Earth with Will Forte or Crazy Ex-Girlfriend are leading the way with smart and most importantly funny comedies.

If studio comedies want to revive the genre and make them great again, it needs to hire writers instead of on-set improvisers.
Description

The 18th annual Ham Radio University (HRU) educational conference will be held on Sunday, January 8, 2017 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Briarcliffe College, 1055 Stewart Avenue, Bethpage, NY 11714



HRU is a day of activities at which some 300 Amateur (ham) Radio enthusiasts will share ideas, experiences, knowledge and fellowship. Ham Radio University also will be the New York City/Long Island Section Convention of ARRL: The National Association for Amateur Radio.



The event will include more than two dozen informational forums and hands-on workshops moderated by local experts in a broad range of Amateur Radio activities including: Building an Amateur Radio Station; Communicating Through Amateur Radio Earth Satellites; Remote Station Operating Over The Internet; and workshops on Ethernet connectors and computer-based electronic test equipment.



The keynote speaker will be Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, Chief Executive Officer of ARRL.



A ham radio station will be operating throughout the event, providing visitors with the opportunity to experience Amateur Radio communications firsthand. There also will be a session in the afternoon for individuals who would like to take a Federal Communications Commission license examination to become a ham radio operator.



Ham Radio University is a cooperative effort supported by radio clubs and related organizations in the New York City - Long Island area. They will have displays in a Club Room and provide information about ham radio licensing classes, public service events and other amateur radio activities.



Further information and the forum schedule is on line at: http://www.HamRadioUniversity.org

There will be free parking and a cafeteria will be open for breakfast and lunch.

A suggested donation for attendees is $5.00.


You might need an extra blanket tonight.

Or three, because the temperature doesnt seem to match your comfort level. Brrrrrrrrr. Yes, its winter and yes, the mercury plunges, but that doesnt mean you like being cold  although, as youll see in What Doesnt Kill Us by Scott Carney, cold might be keeping you alive.

With very little between him and a snowy wind, had Scott Carney questioned his own sanity on his way to the top of Africa s highest mountain some months ago, few would have blamed him. Temps dived but there he was, on a purposeful quest.

A journalist by trade, Carney was looking for modern-day snake-oil salesmen for a book he was writing when he came across Dutchman Wim Hof , who claimed he could teach people to do simple, but extraordinary, things to increase endurance and productivity. His methods, as a skeptical Carney learned first-hand by signing up for Hof s course, tapped into that which our ancestors naturally did.

Todays humans live in what Carney says is an ocean of perpetual comfort. We dont have to catch our food or spend much time in extreme climates; conversely, early humans didnt have the comforts of deli lunches or down coats. That difference  the hardships they endured, as opposed to the physical comforts we almost demand  has negatively shaped humanity through obesity, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, lost ability to intuit direction, lessened navigational aptitude, and other once-innate skills that might be lying dormant but that we dont use very much anymore.

Skills lost - but Carney was determined to find them again. He followed, then tweaked, Hof s methods before and after endurance testing in a Colorado laboratory. He tackled an OCR (obstacle course race) to see if it was as challenging as hed heard. He studied how were able to control physical reflexes, even when we dont think we can. He trained with 25-pound weights in a swimming pool, learned breathing techniques, checked in with the U.S. military, and returned to Hof s compound.

Which is how he ended up on Mt. Kilimanjaro , nearly naked, and knee-deep in snow

So could you do it?

The answer may be yes  author Scott Carney tells you how  but there are many aptly-placed dont try this at home warnings on the pages of What Doesnt Kill Us.

Theres a reason for that, actually: what Carney discovered can be very dangerous if tried improperly or inappropriately. Readers may note, for instance, that nearly all practitioners of the Hof method are men; Carney hints at a reason which, when added to the intriguing first-person accounts and tantalizing possibilities, made me want more gender-balanced investigation. Even so, and that aside, theres no limit to the sense of swashbuckling adventure, limit-pushing, and derring-do youll find here.

Certainly, this book is for super-athletes, but its also a great read for sofa slugs who want better health, thrills, and a few pounds gone. If youre looking for something that will make you look forward this year by looking backward, What Doesnt Kill Us wont leave you cold.

Terri Schlichenmyers lives in Wisconsin, with two dogs and 11,000 books.
In the beginning were the words. Daniel Gordis unfolds the mysteries of Israels persistence in the newly released Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn. We hope the Obama administration read it, at least in page proofs, before abstaining on a United Nations resolution that condemned Israeli settlement policy. The vote, which occurred in the twilight of Barack Obamas presidency, isolated Israel on the global stage. It delegitimized the Jewish state and gave comfort to Israels enemies.

Israel and the United States share much. They began as pioneer societies and were motivated by ideals. The Pilgrims foresaw the city on a hill. The Zionists longed for a return to a homeland from which Jews had been dispersed since ancient days. The seed of Abraham united two peoples. Students of the American experience delve into political and philosophical tracts. They study economics and the Enlightenment and debate religions role in the Founding. Gordis opens by recounting Zionist literature  its poetry and its prose. The movement rose from ghetto and shtetl. The Colonies differed. Zionism reflected Western and Eastern Europe  and insights as fresh as Scripture.

The United States was born in revolution; Israel was reborn under siege. Minutemen gathered at Lexington and Concord; they fought at Bunker Hill. Yorktown turned the world upside down. Israel was greeted by hostility. Its enemies attacked at once. A so-called two state solution could have come into existence in 1948. Israel would have accepted coexistence; its foes did not. In a move of transcendent cynicism and hate, various Arab countries expelled their Jewish residents and simultaneously waged war against their refuge. Israel beat the odds. It has survived other assaults against its integrity. Israelis have suffered formal wars as well as terrorism. Terrorists have targeted Olympic teams and children at play.

In 1967, Israel won a desperate war and reunited Jerusalem. It gained sovereignty it had not sought and has erred while occupying disputed territory. Its record remains superior to the record of its antagonists, nevertheless. Regarding rightness, there is no dispute. We prefer Labor to Likud, Tzipi Livni to Benjamin Netanyahu. The Times-Dispatch stands by Israel. The equation is simple yet strong: O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain. O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid.

Obama is wrong.
Abu Mugheera Al-Britain, meaning 'from Britain', wrote about his stint in the jail

His real identity has not been established but there were 16 Brits in Guantanamo

It will fuel concern that freed terror suspects have not changed their ways

He follows Jamal al-Harith - another UK ex-inmate - who joined ISIS in Octobe r

A jihadi from Britain who claims to be a former Guantanamo Bay detainee has fled to Syria where he is now fighting for Al Qaeda. The terrorist  who has dubbed himself Abu Mugheera Al-Britani, meaning from Britain  has written in detail about his experience in the notorious US prison camp. Although Al-Britanis real identity has not been established, at least 16 UK nationals and residents were held at the military camp in Cuba. A jihadi from Britain who claims to be a former Guantanamo Bay detainee has fled to Syria where he is now fighting for Al Qaeda His account will fuel concerns that some freed terror suspects have not abandoned their fanatical ideology and could remain a threat to the public. It will also raise fears that compensation paid to former inmates is helping to fund terror campaigns. All the UK-related Guantanamo inmates have now been released and, between them, have received a total of 20 million in High Court compensation paid for by the British taxpayer. The money was handed over after detainees sued MI5 and MI6 for complicity in their alleged torture at the hands of the Americans.

Al-Britani claims he spent years at Guantanamo Bay, where more than 700 of the worlds most dangerous Islamic terrorists were imprisoned in the aftermath of 9/11.





In an online magazine for fanatics, he writes: Sitting in the blessed land of al-Shaam [Greater Syria], reflecting on those weeks and days spent behind bars, I thank Allah for releasing me and providing me with the opportunity of carrying out jihad in his path again.





Al-Britani is the second British ex-Guantanamo detainee known to have fled to Syria to join jihadi groups. In October, it was reported that Muslim convert Jamal al-Harith, from Manchester, had fled to Syria to join Islamic State (IS).





At the time, he was reportedly fighting near Aleppo.

Muslim convert Jamal al-Harith, from Manchester, had fled to Syria to join Islamic State (IS)

Al-Harith was released from Guantanamo in 2004 after being detained for two years. He was arrested in Kandahar by US troops in February 2002.





Al-Harith received around 1 million in compensation from the Government, which he is feared to have spent to flee to Syria  as well as fund jihad.





Al-Britani, who claims to be in his 30s, says he was in Afghanistan when the US-led

coalition invaded the country in 2001.





He claims that he was based in the Tora Bora mountains when US troops arrived hunting for then Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. Al-Britani and ten others were ordered to cross into Pakistan, where locals would help them travel to Lahore.





When the militants arrived, they were met by Pakistani soldiers, who told them they would escort them. But the next day, the troops drove the jihadis to a military camp and imprisoned them, later handing them to the Americans.





The Foreign Office said last night it could not ascertain who Abu Mugheera was.




It's been 125 years since Dracula was published. And it's still scary.
A whistle-stop tour of a dozen constituencies across Punjabs Malwa region is at best a dip-test of the popular mood. More so when polling is three weeks away and candidatures for a few seats still a mystery.

The temptation to speculate is premature yet irresistible. The lines get blurred between quick-fire psephology and quick-take reportage where contests are heady. Or at stake are fortunes of key opposition figures and the father-son duo  Parkash Singh and Sukhbir Badal  whove ruled for a decade.

On the 200-km stretch from Amritsar to Fazilka, one hits Hari-ke-Pattan headworks on the river Sutlej. The largest wetland of northern India marks the borders of Punjabs Majha region with that of Malwa that covers half of the states 22 districts.

Not just that! Malwas political expanse matches its geographical spread. It returns 68 legislators in the House of 117. From Patiala across Ludhiana, Sangrur, Malerkotla, Barnala, Moga, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Muktsar, Fazilka and Bathinda, the region will decide the fate of Punjab whos who: Capt Amarinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Sunil Jhakhar (all Congress), Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Badal (Akali Dal) and Bhagwant Mann (AAP).

Across Harike, the straws in the wind could be seen but not easily read at Jagtar Singhs Rumi tea stall. Unaware that his kiosk was inadvertently named after the Persian poet, the middle-aged tea seller ruminated a lot before opening up. As two of his friends joined, voicing preference for the Congress, he said, Id want AAP to win though Amarinder is better than the Badals....

Why? The threesome agreed the Akalis did development work. But the principal beneficiaries were their henchmen even when it came to distributing atta and daal under a scheme for the poor. They incessantly terrorised their political rivals and the poor. The sections on the margins only remember them for their gunda raj, nasha Raj and parch (police cases) raj...

The minuscule Harike vote could be deciphered to mean: AAPs down but not out; Congress up but not about; Akalis in self-doubt. Voices interestingly werent dissimilar at pit stops in Ferozepur, Guru Har Sahai and Fazilka. The mood was a trifle converse in Jalalabad, the seat re-contested by Sukhbir Badal.

The Jalalabadis are appreciative mostly of the work the deputy CM has done in the area while being accessible to his constituents. He gave his voters a political clout at the state level, said a local journalist.

But by all accounts, Bhagwant Manns entry in the fray has turned Badals expected cakewalk a bit gingerly. Even committed Akali backers agree the stand-up comedian could push the fight down to the wire.

The sitting AAP MP from Sangrur is a riveting speaker. He reads well the peoples pulse. Mixes the comic with the serious to allure classes across castes and age-groups.

His daring to fight the powerful Badal is a natural attraction for the rural poor. In him, they see a saviour with the gauntlet in their defence against the Akali excesses.

Another imponderable for Badal in Jalalabad is the estranged Akali MP Sher Singh Ghubaya whose son recently joined the Congress.

The Rai Sikh scheduled caste vote he influences has a big presence in Jalalabad, Guru Har Sahai, Ferozepur and Fazilka.

Ghubaya might be Sher Singh. But Jalalabad is Sukhbirs den, noted a local locksmith, Kuldip Kumar. The Congress hasnt given a candidate yet and AAP clogs airwaves without much hold on the ground.

What might work eventually for Sukhbir could be his superior logistics and election management. Hed leave nothing to chance in Jalalabad and the nearby Muktsar where Parkash Singh Badal is in the contest from Lambi and the Congresss Jhakhar from Abohar.

Sukhbir is a generous investor in the business of politics, said a police officer, tongue firmly in cheek. His poll-time egalitarianism benefits as much the rebels on the rival side. It remains to be seen whether the deputy CMs financial muscle would deliver in Moga and Faridkot districts perceived as AAP strongholds.

There the late mobilisation of the panthic vote hasnt healed the scars left by last years incidents of sacrilege. Elsewhere the Akali strategy will be to divide and win. But will it? A lot depends on the Congresss ability to contain dissidence. And the AAPs revival of its once-upon-a-time charge that many believe had taken it close to a landslide.

Vinod Sharma is the political editor, Hindustan Times

Read| Punjab elections: All you need to know about the electoral landscape here
On September 27, 1989, the then Union home minister Buta Singh flew into Lucknow when the sun had not yet risen. He immediately drove to the official bungalow of chief minister ND Tiwari.

Soon, a delegation of saffron clad saints associated with Rama Janmabhoomi Nyas led by Ashok Singhal was ushered in. The press waited outside, not knowing what was transpiring inside. After over two hours, a visibly angry chief minister walked out of the bungalow, followed by a beaming Ashok Singhal. None spoke to the media. But soon the suspense was over.

Buta Singh announced the Centres conditional permission to the Nyas to lay shilanayas at the contentious Ram Janmabhoomi/Babri Mosque complex.

On November 10, 1989, the VHP-BJP laid the foundation stone of the temple amid pomp and show at a plot, away from the disputed site, while the Congress leadership preferred silence instead of propagating the accord that Singhal and others had signed with the government. The agreement had bound the saints to a high court order that had directed the parties to maintain status quo, not change the nature of the property and ensure communal harmony.

It was poll time. The then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi decided to launch his partys campaign from Faizabad and spoke about Ram Rajya. From there started the long chapter of Congress decline in North India, from which it has not yet recovered. While the VHP movement to liberate the Rama Janmabhoomi picked up momentum, the Congress started losing support of Muslims in the northern belt as they held the party leadership squarely responsible for unlocking the shrine gates in 1984 and shilanyas in 1989.

The final nail in the coffin was when the mosque was demolished under the Congress government led by Narasimha Rao. The Muslim vote was lost. Congress social coalition, and with it, political power was lost.

Read | 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections: All you need to know about Indias political heartland

The continued decline

Why has the Congress been unable to regain power in UP?

The first reason is the rise of regional parties  the BSP and the SP  that pursued caste and communal politics. While the SP pandered to Muslim whims, the BSP wooed Dalits and marginalised castes. The Congress leadership, in its bid to maintain caste and communal balance, could not speak their aggressive language.

Second, after the death of Rajiv Gandhi, the party literally became rudderless. Sonia Gandhi remained elusive and indecisive on joining politics, while PV Narasimha Rao and Sita Ram Kesari ran the show. The people of the state could not connect to them and there was no state leadership that could fill in the vacuum.

Read | As Akhilesh becomes SP boss, Congress keeps doors open for alliance in UP polls

By the time Sonia entered the scene in 1997, politics had become competitive, the Congress cadres had moved to greener pastures and the elections had turned four-cornered.

Formulas were evolved to reconstruct the traditional vote bank of Muslims, Dalits and Brahmins. Muslims voted for the winning horse against the BJP (Congress was a sinking ship), Dalits for Mayawati and Kanshi Ram while Brahmins preferred to remain on the right side of the power.

Read | Farmers in focus: Congress eyes 2019, campaigns for 2017 polls in UP

In the process, a generation born in early 1990s did not see a Congress rule in the state. It also failed to find poll partners, barring 1995 when it had tied up with the BSP. Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi also preferred an independent poll trek as he did not find either the SP or the BSP trustworthy.

Search for an ally

After 26 years, the Congress is open to alliance with either of the regional forces in UP.

Once again, while Mayawati is against pre-poll tie-ups, the Yadav family is divided over seat sharing with the Congress. Mulayam has grown in anti-Congress boots, but his son Akhilesh is more pragmatic.

It is generally believed that the SP and the Congress together will be a formidable force that Muslims will immediately adopt. Agra-based KS Rama says, The base vote of Congress is scattered. They need to rebuild the party brick by brick. Coalition with SP will be useful. That may well be the Congress only route back to power.

Read | Opinion polls divided on 2017 election outcome in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab
The Congress has postponed its first list of candidates for the Uttar Pradesh elections because of some tangible forward movement in its talks for an alliance with chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party (SP).

At the same time, the Congress has kept its plan B ready in case the negotiations break down over sharing of seats.

Akhileshs father and SP patriarch, Mulayam Singh Yadav, had walked out of the JD(U)-RJD-Congress grand alliance before the 2015 Bihar elections following differences over the number of seats given to his party to contest. The anti-BJP coalition won the polls.

The Congresss central leadership hopes that an alliance with Akhilesh could be formalised soon and a tie-up would help both parties.

The national party has been relegated to the states political margins after being voted out of power in 1989, while the SP is battling a bitter family feud with Akhilesh on one side and his father and uncle on the other.

The Congress is identifying and short-listing its contestants for all the 403 seats in the assembly. The seven-phase staggered elections in Uttar Pradesh will begin on February 11.

Party sources indicated that backchannel talks are moving in the right direction and a meeting between Akhilesh and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi might happen to seal the deal.

Besides, the Congresss central election committee (CEC) headed by party president Sonia Gandhi will meet extensively on January 10 to finalise candidates for Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand  three of the five states that will vote for a new government this February and March.

The Congress poll panel is keeping UP out of the meetings agenda, hoping that an alliance with Akhilesh might work out.

The CEC is expected to clear candidates for the remaining 40 of the 117 seats in Punjab, and all 40 seats in Goa, besides a bulk of the 70 seats in Uttarakhand on Tuesday.

In Goa, the Congress is split on having an alliance with the Goa Forward Party. While state unit president Luizinho Falerio is against a tie-up, former chief minister Digambar Kamat and his supporters are pressing for an alliance not only with the Goa Forward Party but also with the Nationalist Congress Party and smaller groups.

Read| With Gandhis at rock bottom, opposition comeback a daunting task

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Amid widespread outrage over the molestation incident in Bengaluru on New Year eve, superstar Shah Rukh Khan has also condemned it, saying parents must treat their sons in a way that they learn to respect women.

The New Year revelry turned into a nightmare for several women who were allegedly molested despite huge police presence at a large gathering on December 31 in Bengalurus downtown region, sparking nationwide outrage.

When asked about it, Shah Rukh told reporters, The feeling is exactly the same as other celebrities have said. I think its completely wrong. We all, mothers and fathers, have to treat our sons in a way that they learn to respect women from an early age.

The 51-year-old actor was speaking at a special fashion show of designer Archana Kochhar here last night.

About women empowerment issues, Shah Rukh said women should be treated with utmost respect, whether they are working professionals or housewives.

Indian Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan (L) takes part in a charity fashion show by designer Archana Kochhar (R) in Mumbai on January 8, 2017. (AFP)

I think women are close to my heart, my daughter is close to my heart, mother is close to my heart, all girls are close to my heart. I think it is high time we realise that and make sure they are the most respected people on the planet, he asserted.

If they were not there, we wouldnt be here. Working women, housewives, every women who is there in the world should be respected, the actor stressed.

On New Years eve, several women were allegedly molested and groped on MG Road and Brigade Road where the revellers had gathered, despite the presence of more than 1,500 police personnel, an incident that led to a national outrage.

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The poll bugle has been sounded in five states. The political equestrians have rolled up their sleeves and jumped into the electoral fray. I am calling these the elections of the Indian political credo and soul. The biggest reason for this is that these elections will reflect the aspirations of almost one-fourth of the total number of voters in the country.

Let me begin with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In May 2014, the country got a PM who had won the trust of a majority of voters. With his charisma, oratory skills and by embracing a hitherto unheard of political strategy, the man broke away from convention. Modi knew that the burden of peoples expectations is both heavy and fluid. You lose your balance for a moment and it will start flowing in a direction you dont desire. This is what happened with Rajiv Gandhi, who swept to power with 404 seats in the eighth Lok Sabha and Indira Gandhi who annexed the Dilli Durbar with 352 seats in 1971.

These elections will prove to be a trial by fire for Narendra Modi who has completed half his term. The biggest reason behind saying this is that he has initiated an extremely centralised form of politics. Surgical strike and demonetisation are two moves that influenced both the commoner and the connoisseur. Leave aside opponents, Modi didnt let even give his senior colleagues a whiff of these. If someone raised a hue and cry about keeping things under wraps, Modi had a solid retort in the fear of loss of confidentiality. In these elections, the BJP hasnt named a chief-ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand or Manipur. Clearly the saffron party believes it can win these elections riding on Brand Modi.

Read: Inside the BJP machine: The UP design

If the BJP loses these elections, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, the biggest loser will be Brand Modi.

Now let us discuss the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. Grappling with the misdeeds of elders, this young leader has had to face the brunt of the partys losses a number of times, not just owing to his own mistakes. He was even blamed for the party shrinking to just 44 seats in the last Lok Sabha elections but Rahul didnt lose heart. He harnessed his inner energy through Vipassana meditation and kept saying what he wanted forcefully despite not having the numbers. If some questions were raised over the surgical strike and demonetisation, some of the credit should go to the efforts put in by Rahul and his associates. Thats why, in the last session of the Lok Sabha, all major Opposition parties agreed to join hands with him. The question is, will the Congress be able to hold on to Uttarakhand and Manipur? Will it snatch power from the NDA in Punjab and Goa and make a significant impact in Uttar Pradesh, the traditional fiefdom of the party?

If this doesnt happen, then the road to 2019 will become even more difficult for Rahul.

Read: Opinion polls divided on 2017 election outcome in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab

These elections are also special because through them, Arvind Kejriwal is seeking to expand beyond the confines of Delhi. His party is fighting polls in Punjab and Goa with a lot of vigour. If the AAP wins in these two states, then going forward, Kejriwal would like to emerge as the central figure in the league of Modis adversaries. Even if Kejriwal doesnt manage to form a government in these two states, it will give him the larger canvas that he has been looking for every since his massive win in Delhi.

This discussion will be incomplete if we leave Akhilesh Yadav out. Having fought with his father and uncle, this young man is going to seek votes in the largest Indian state on the basis of his performance. Fighting on many fronts, Akhilesh is facing a lot of questions. In case he fails to come to a compromise with his father, on almost every seat, hell have to face not just the Opposition, but also take on those who were his own till recently. Another question being asked is whether hell join forces with the Congress, JD(U) and RLD? Even if they arrive at an understanding, how much would these partners be able to help Akhilesh, already besieged by conflicts within his party? Still, the voter, cooped up inside his comfort zone, can always spring a surprise. Did anyone imagine that Indira Gandhi would win the 1971 elections after sidelining senior party leaders a few months before the polls?

Read: Modi, Gandhi, Yadavs, Kejriwal: Its make or break for them in 2017 elections

They say the road to Delhi has to pass through Uttar Pradesh. Which is why we need to discuss Mayawatis prospects. Promising a no-nonsense administration and development, Mayawati is the undisputed leader of her party. She was the first to distribute tickets keeping in mind the religious and caste-based dynamics of the contestants. If she wins, shell leave a huge impact not just on Uttar Pradesh but on national politics too.

This election will be a harbinger for the emergence of younger leaders in the country. Think about it, how active can Mulayam Singh, Parkash Singh Badal, Harish Rawat and other such elder leaders be till the next assembly elections? Amarinder Singh has declared these elections are his last. His successor cant continue to follow the old line: Hell have to choose change and development over the politics of region, caste and communalism.

Thats why I am calling these assembly polls a vote for the Indian soul and political credo.

Shashi Shekhar is editor in chief, Hindustan

letters@hindustantimes.com
A 35-year-old man went on a stabbing spree on Sunday , killing his 64-year-old father and injuring three locals in east Delhi.

When police and residents tried stopping him, the man allegedly opened a cylinder knob and lit a matchstick, leading to an explosion that injured eight police officers.

The accused, identified as Rahul Matta, worked in merchant navy in Canada and has been detained.

Four police officers, along with Rahul Matta, have been admitted to a city hospital with burns. DCP (east) Omvir Singh said that Matta has been detained at the hospital.

The incident

Police said around 2.35pm, Matta reached the main gate of Ajanta Apartment in IP Extension, with two meat cleavers. The security guard, Nandan, refused to let him enter because the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) had banned his entry a few months ago after receiving complaints of harassment against him from some women living in the apartment. RWA officials said Mattas parents had severed ties with him after he married against their wishes and he lived separately.

Eyewitnesses told police that Matta stabbed Nandan and gained entry into the building where he went to the first floor, where his parents lived, and knocked. He stabbed his father Ravinder as soon as he opened the door. Hearing Ravinders screams a neighbour, Renu Bansal, rushed to their flat where she was also stabbed.

Later, Matta ran to the top floor and entered one VK Sharmas flat.

He screamed that he had killed his father and he will kill me too. I ran for my life, locked myself in a room and called police, said Sharma.

A police team later arrived at the spot and tried to stop Matta. A panicked Matta opened a cylinder knob and lit a matchstick.

We evacuated people residing in the area. The Delhi Fire Service was contacted and the PNG gas line connection stopped, said a senior police official.

Mattas father, Ravinder, was rushed to a hospital where was declared brought dead.

Obsessed with navy uniform, had served jail term

Rahul Matta went to Canada a decade ago and got a job in merchant navy. But locals claimed that after serving a jail term in Canada, allegedly over assaulting a woman, he came back to Delhi two years ago.

After his return, Matta couldnt get over his obsession with the navy. He would wear his uniform and move around the society complex on a bicycle.

He would speak to his neighbours in English. He seemed very proud of his tenure spent in the navy and boasted about it, said JL Gupta, RWA secretary.

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The Delhi government has approved advance disbursal of Rs 119 crore to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation and urged the BJP-ruled civic agency to disburse the salary of its striking staff at the earliest.

About 17,000 EDMC employees, including sanitations workers, are on strike since Friday over non-payment of salaries for three months.

Addressing reporters at his residence, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the funds disbursal was approved on Saturday and it will be transferred to the corporations account on Monday morning. Sisodia advised the corporation to strictly use it for payment of salaries to striking employees.

Sisodia said he has reviewed the state of affairs in the BJP-ruled east civic bodies and has found them to be centres of financial mismanagement and functional indiscipline, which are financially and functionally unviable.

The amount of Rs 119 crore, Sisodia said, was actually meant to be released only after the finalisation of the revised estimates in February, but the government decided to transfer it in advance given the non-payment of salaries to the sanitation workers by the East MCD.

The striking employees, however, said they would not end the strike unless the EDMC and state government find a concrete solution to the perennial problem and accept their demands.

The Delhi government provided almost double the amount under the non-planned head to the East MCD for the financial year 2015-16 in comparison to previous years and did not even deduct a penny out of the outstanding loan or its interest. For the current fiscal, we have approved disbursal of Rs 609 crore already, Sisodia told reporters.

How is it that despite having been provided with almost double the money under non-planned head, which should be primarily used for payment of salaries, the East MCD is not paying salaries to sanitation workers? he added.

Sisodia said the MCD has committed a contempt of court by having disobeyed Delhi high court order on payment of salaries to all its employees by the seventh of every month.

Meanwhile, the strike continued for the fourth day on Sunday. Though workers abstained from protesting outside MLAs offices, they gathered outside EDMC headquarters to decide future steps.

We have heard that the Delhi government is going to credit some money on Monday. But the amount is too less to serve our purpose. It will help in paying a months salary only after which we will need to get on roads again. We will continue the strike and gherao the office of Anil Bajpai (MLA- Gandhi Nagar) office in Azad Nagar on Monday, Sanjay Gehlot, president, Swatantra Majdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha.

Staff members said they wont budge till their demands are met. Workers are demanding three month pending salaries, arrears for regularised staff and health insurance.

The state government and EDMC are fooling us since the last three years. We are not beggars and are not demanding something unnecessary. The state government is trying to get rid of the issue by releasing only one month salary, something which is unacceptable to us. We will continue the strike, said DP Chandel, president, Rashtriya Safai Mazdoor Congress.
The BJP won 30 out of 40 seats in the civic elections held on Sunday with party leaders reiterating that the results were peoples approval on Prime Minister Modis demonetisation initiative. Faridabad registered 56% polling in the polls.

As the results started pouring in, the winning candidates carried out victory marches in different parts of the city. The counting of votes was going on when the reports last came in. Unofficially, the BJP has won 30 seats out of 40 and rest ten seats have gone to independents, a senior state government official said.

Though the polling percentage was lower in early hours due to fog and cold but as the day progressed, the polling percentage went up.

Among the prominent losers were Ronika Chaudhary, daughter in law of former Congress minister AC Chaudhary.

Faridabad MP and Union minister Krishenpal Gurjar, Haryana minister for industries and commerce Vipul Goel and other party legislators polled their votes in their respective wards.

The entire BJP leadership of Haryana, including former Uttrakhand chief minister Romesh Pokheriyal Nishank, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari had campaigned in the civic polls.

These elections were crucial for the BJP as these were the first elections in NCR after the Central governments demonetisation initiative.

Out of 10,29,447 eligible voters, 5,76,572 voters polled their votes. 334 candidates were in the fray from 40 wards. BJP and BSP were the only two parties whose candidates fought on party symbols.

Speaking to reporters, Union minister and Faridabad MP Krishenpal said that the people of Faridabad have voted for Prime Minister Modis and Haryana CM Manohar Lals pro-people and pro-poor policies.

Krishenpals son Devender Chaudhary also won from ward 27.

There were 891 polling stations out of which 263 were sensitive and 114 hypersensitive. The polling went peacefully and there was no report of any untoward incident from any part of the township.

In 2010 civic polls, BJP had won 4 seats where as BSP got 3, rest were won by independents. After delimitation, seats were increased to 40.
A break in was reported from inside the office of former BJP MLA OP Sharma. Police said the burglary was spotted by Shamas employees when they went to his office in Vishwas Nagar near Shahdara on Sunday morning. A computer, LCD television and a digital video recorder (DVR) of CCTV camera were burgled from the MLAs office.

Police said a PCR call was made about the incident around 9am. The exact time of the burglary is not known yet. The office was closed on Sunday morning. When the staff came the next morning on Sunday, they found the lock on the main office door broken. One of Sharmas employees confirmed to having locked the place up at 1.30am on Sunday.

Sources said that after the PCR call was made, a police team reached the spot, along with the dog squad and a forensics team.

A case under section 380 (theft) of the IPC has been registered at the Anand Vihar police station. Investigations have been launched to identify the accused persons, said deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad.

BJP officials said that the computer that has been stolen contained important information, including data about the constituency. Sharma is learnt to have told police that though he did not suspect anyone, he wants the case to be cracked and the data recovered at the earliest.

He also told police that his office employees were alerted about the incident by a tea shop owner who saw the locks tampered from outside.

Sundays break-in at Sharmas office was reported within weeks of a similar burglary at deputy CM Manish Sisodias office in Patparganj. Police have not been able to solve that case too. Police sources say they suspect the role of the same gang because the DVR of the CCTV was also stolen from Sharmas office like Sisodias.

Investigating officers said they have collected finger print records and are collecting forensics evidence. We are looking at CCTVs from other shops. We are interrogating some suspects, an officer said.
In the early 1940s, Delhi had such a small number of cars that we could tell who owned which just by looking at the number plate, an octogenarian trader from Connaught Place told me in an interview for an article on New Delhis 100 years. That idyllic Delhi is, of course, a sepia-tinted picture on the wall now.

This New Years Day, it took drivers an hour to get past Connaught Place, now Delhis busiest retail hub. This was not a one-off traffic snarl. The national capital is in the midst of a mobility crisis. With nearly 10 million vehicles fighting for road space in Delhi, travelling time has doubled in the last six years and the traffic speed during peak hours has been cut by half.

According to a recent study, traffic in Delhi may well be crawling at 5 kmph  the average human walking speed  in the next 10 years. So, restricting movement of vehicles is not an option the administration could have procrastinated on for long. Last week, it finally decided to ban vehicles from the inner and middle circles of Connaught Place for a three-month trial.

The retailers have opposed the move fearing a fall in business. Who would walk to Connaught Place in Delhis long and blazing summer? Why would people not flock to malls where cars are allowed? Wouldnt a ban on vehicles in the middle circle increase traffic in the outer circle and the adjoining arterials? Will the government ensure enough parking outside CP where people can leave their cars safely and walk to the pedestrian zone? Will there be enough park-and-ride available?

These apprehensions are not unwarranted. But as successful examples of pedestrianisation across the world have shown, there is no gain without pain, and proper planning can minimise pain.

In 2009, when the New York City administration  inspired by the redevelopment of downtown Copenhagen  decided to ban vehicles from Times Square as a pilot programme, there was widespread scepticism. Like the traders in Connaught Place unsure about footfalls during Delhis searing heat, the Times Square retailers worried about New Yorks harsh winter when trudging through the snow becomes a challenge.

But once enforced, the Times Square mobility plan threw up encouraging results. In the first year, pedestrian injuries were down by 35%. Travel times for cars actually went down in some parts of Midtown, while remaining steady elsewhere. Retail asking rents have tripled and new stores have moved in, Janette Sadik-Khan, who implemented the project as the then transportation commissioner of New York City, told amNY.com.

Cut to 2016. Times Square still faced challenges, but of a different kind. Street performers were getting too aggressive in their demand for tips. Today, activity zones are demarcated to make costumed characters and ticket sellers stay in the 8-by-50-foot boxes while soliciting money. Passers-by are directed to walk in pedestrian flow zones and signs remind tourists that tips are optional. If performers break the rules, they can be issued a criminal summons or even be arrested, reported The New York Times in June last year.

Like New York City has shown, pedestrianisation needs planning. In CPs case, it also needs proper housekeeping. The garbage-littered, pan-stained, urine stench-filled corridors of CP are one of the filthiest places to walk. The frequent digging of pavements and unchecked encroachments make it worse. Even basic pedestrian facilities are missing in many places.

For the CP plan to become successful, the authorities will have to ensure pedestrian safety with proper crossover facilities. Subways that connect the outer circle to the inner roads have to be kept well lit, secure and open even during late hours. Escalators have to be operational at all times. The underground parking spaces have to be spruced up so they dont look like dark, dank dungeons.

Experts also worry about traffic in the outer circle getting worse. But with at least 500,000 vehicles passing through, out of which 150,000 making a stop daily, CPs present arrangement is anyway a nightmare. Resuscitating the mess of choking roads and honking cars that Delhis 84-year-old business district has been reduced to will not be painless. As the sepia picture on the wall reminds us, the national capital has long run out of space, and options.

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Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal conducted an on-ground check of cleanliness efforts put in by different agencies in south Delhis Saket on Sunday.

He appointed the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) commissioner as the nodal officer for coordination among various agencies for sanitation in the city. He also vowed to conduct regular inspections in the city.

Soon after his visit, the L-G office tweeted, Keeping the city and its public spaces clean and ensuring organised parking will be amongst his high priorities.

Baijals visit to Saket was the first such inspection by him after taking over as the Delhi L-G on December 31.

The L-G stressed on having an implementable parking policy at the earliest, with active participation of all stakeholders like the municipal corporations, DDA, transport department, PWD and Delhi Police etc. The PWD has also been asked to beautify the open spaces under flyovers, an official said.

The inspection included a visit to the BRT corridor, Press Enclave Road, Aurobindo Marg to Ring Road, (Safdarjung Hospital to RK Puram) and Outer Ring Road (at Munirka).

The L-G was accompanied by senior officials including SDMC commissioner Puneet Goyal, DDA vice-chairman Uday Pratap Singh, secretary to L-G Vijay Kumar, and K Kamaraj, special CP Delhi Police, amongst others.

Following the inspection, he also chaired a meeting at the office of deputy commissioner, south MCD, at Green Park with officers of various departments, where he emphasised taking action on several issues including solid waste management, removal of malba from pavements, public spaces, providing children with proper spaces to play by freeing up parks from garbage and parked vehicles, besides beautification of area under the flyovers and unclogging the U-turns.
Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari is likely to announce his new team on January 14 on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. Sources in the party said the list of probables is ready and has been submitted to partys national president Amit Shah at the recently concluded national executive meet in New Delhi.

A party insider said the new team will be a mixture of old names and new faces keeping caste equations in mind.

Message is clear that a balance needs to be maintained. There is a feeling of resentment among Punjabis and Vaish community after Tiwari was given charge and also because of demonetisation and they believe their interest was neglected, he said.

Sources, privy to the development, added factions backed by two former state presidents are pushing names for the new team. Appropriate representation will be given to Jats and Gujjars too, he said.

He said there was no difference of opinion on names but the newly-appointed party president wanted to wait till January 14 hence announcement has not been made yet.

Tiwari was wanting this month of Poush to be over before taking any decision in this regard as it is considered to be inauspicious. Earlier, the list was supposed to be announced on January 1, however, the decision was postponed till national executive meet, he said.

According to the sources, frontrunners for three general secretary (GS) posts are Pawan Sharma, Ashish Sood, Ashok Goel, Shikha Rai, Rajiv Babbar, Subhash Sachdev, and Ravinder Gupta.

Sood, Babbar, and Sachdev will represent the Punjabis, while Gupta and Goel will represent the trader community.Incumbent head of Women Cell of Delhi BJP Kamaljeet Sehrawat is also one of the possible names for the coveted post of GS.

Whoever is dropped in the final list of general secretaries may be nominated as vice-president (VP). Other names for VP posts are Kuljeet Chahal, Jai Prakash, Rekha Gupta, Ramesh Balmiki, Satyender Singh, Sanjeev Sharma, and Neeldaman Khatri. Balmiki comes from dalit quota, said a party insider.

Around 30 names are to be picked as state officer bearers. The list includes three GS, eights V-Ps, and eight secretaries. Apart from this, names for head of various cells like minority morcha and women morcha are to be announced. Atif Rashid, existing head of minority morcha may be elevated as secretary. In case, the party does not find a suitable candidate for the post, he may be asked to continue, said a source.

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The Aam Aadmi Party raised Rs 1.13 crore at a dinner with city traders on Saturday, seeing almost a six-fold jump in donations from 2014 when the trade wing first held such an event.

The increase in donations  the 2014 dinner contributions amounted to Rs 20 lakh  and that, too, in times of demonetisation was an indication of AAPs growing popularity among traders, the traditional support base of the BJP, party leaders said.

Looking to expand its reach, the Delhis ruling party has stepped up fund collection as it makes assembly poll debut in Punjab and Goa. Both the states vote on February 4.

We managed to raise Rs 1.13 crore from the traders. The donations varied from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2 lakh, AAPs trade wing convener Brijesh Goyal said.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was the chief guest at the fundraiser attended by industry minister Satyendra Jain, AAP legislators and around 450 traders, party sources said.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is out of Delhi, busy campaigning in Punjab and Goa.

On offer was a simple vegetarian fare and there were no tickets unlike the 2014 event, held in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, where a diner paid at least Rs 20,000.

Though only those who pledged support and donated some amount were allowed in the dinner, there was no lower cap on the amount, Goyal said, adding none of the participants came from big corporate houses.

Around 85% of the donations were in cheques, while the rest was in cash which would be deposited in the partys bank account, Goyal said.

He said Saturdays dinner, the fourth such fundraiser hosted by the trade wing, was the most successful. Two such dinners organised ahead of the 2015 assembly polls fetched Rs 50 lakh and Rs 60 lakh.

AAP recently courted controversy over alleged discrepancies in the donations declared to the election commission. It admitted to inadvertent errors in its declaration to the income-tax department.

The party maintains that 92% of its funds are channelled though banks, leaving little scope for hiding any information.

AAP has challenged rivals the BJP and the Congress to make public their sources of funds. It has also accused the BJP of receiving hefty donations from corporates and doing their bidding.

Opposing demonetisation, AAP alleged that the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were inconveniencing the general public to help businesses houses. It also claimed that a handful of industrialists knew of the currency recall plan before it was announced on November 8.

Born out of an anti-corruption campaign, AAP used to publish lists of donors and donations on its website. It discontinued the practice a few months ago, saying the Modi government was victimising the donors through investigative agencies.

Party funding is a contentious issue, as most outfits do not share details of donors or donations. Speaking at a BJP event on Saturday, the Prime Minister called for transparency in political funding to fight corruption.

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This blog is written solely by John Ray, who has a Ph.D. degree in psychology and 200+ papers published in the academic journals of the social sciences. It does occasionally comment on issues in psychology but is mainly aimed at giving a conservative psychologist's view on a broad range of topics. There are very few conservative psychologists.The blog originated in Australia and many (but not most) posts discuss Australian matters. Australians have an unusually good awareness of events outside their own country. Australian newspapers feature news from Britain and the USA not as an afterthought but as a major part of their coverage. So Australians do tend to have a truly Western heart, which is the reason behind the old name for this blog. So events in Australia, Britain and the USA all feature frequently here, plus occasional coverage of other places, particularly Israel.SCOTUS is the Supreme Court of the United States, the highest court in the landThe "GOP" stands for "Grand Old Party" and refers to the Republican party. The GOP is at present center/Right, while the Democrats have been undergoing a steady drift Leftwards and now have policies similar to mainstream European Leftist parties.The ideological identity of both parties has however been very fluid -- almost reversing itself over time. In the mid 19th century, the GOP was the party of big government and concern for minorities while the Democrats advertised themselves as "The party of the white man" -- an orientation that lasted into the mid 20th century in the South. The Democrats are still obsessed with race but have now flipped into support for discrimination AGAINST whites.Was Pope Urban VIII the first Warmist? Below we see him refusing to look through Galileo's telescope. People tend to refuse to consider evidence if what they might discover contradicts what they believe.Climate scientist Lennart Bengtsson said. The warming we have had the last 100 years is so small that if we didnt have meteorologists and climatologists to measure it we wouldnt have noticed it at all.The term "Fascism" is mostly used by the Left as a brainless term of abuse. But when they do make a serious attempt to define it, they produce very complex and elaborate definitions -- e.g. here and here . In fact, Fascism is simply extreme socialism plus nationalism. But great gyrations are needed to avoid mentioning the first part of that recipe, of course.Beatrice Webb, a founder of the London School of Economics and the Fabian Society, and married to a Labour MP, mused in 1922 on whether when English children were "dying from lack of milk", one should extend "the charitable impulse" to Russian and Chinese children who, if saved this year, might anyway die next. Besides, she continued, there was "the larger question of whether those races are desirable inhabitants" and "obviously" one wouldn't "spend one's available income" on "a Central African negro".Hugh Dalton, offered the Colonial Office during Attlee's 1945-51 Labour government, turned it down because "I had a horrid vision of pullulating, poverty stricken, diseased nigger communities, for whom one can do nothing in the short run and who, the more one tries to help them, are querulous and ungrateful."The book,, authored by T.W. Adorno et al. in 1950, has been massively popular among psychologists. It claims that a set of ideas that were popular in the "Progressive"-dominated America of the prewar era were "authoritarian". Leftist regimes always are authoritarian so that claim was not a big problem. What was quite amazing however is that Adorno et al. identified such ideas as "conservative". They were in fact simply popular ideas of the day but ones that had been most heavily promoted by the Left right up until the then-recent WWII. See here for details of prewar "Progressive" thinking.R.I.P. Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet deposed a law-defying Marxist President at the express and desperate invitation of the Chilean parliament. He pioneered the free-market reforms which Reagan and Thatcher later unleashed to world-changing effect. That he used far-Leftist methods to suppress far-Leftist violence is reasonable if not ideal. The Leftist view that they should have a monopoly of violence and that others should follow the law is a total absurdity which shows only that their hate overcomes their reasonFranklin Delano Roosevelt was a war criminal. Both British and American codebreakers had cracked the Japanese naval code so FDR knew what was coming at Pearl Harbor. But for his own political reasons he warned no-one there. So responsibility for the civilian and military deaths at Pearl Harbor lies with FDR as well as with the Japanese. The huge firepower available at Pearl Harbor, both aboard ship and on land, could have largely neutered the attack. Can you imagine 8 battleships and various lesser craft firing all their AA batteries as the Japanese came in? The Japanese naval airforce would have been annihilated and the war would have been over before it began. FDR prolonged the Depression . He certainly didn't cure it. WWII did NOT end the Great Depression . It just concealed it. It in fact made living standards worse Joe McCarthy was eventually proved right after the fall of the Soviet Union. To accuse anyone of McCarthyism is to accuse them of accuracy! The KKK was intimately associated with the Democratic party . They ATTACKED Republicans!People who mention differences in black vs. white IQ are these days almost universally howled down and subjected to the most extreme abuse. I am a psychometrician, however, so I feel obliged to defend the scientific truth of the matter:The average African adult has about the same IQ as an average white 11-year-old and African Americans (who are partly white in ancestry) average out at a mental age of 14. The American Psychological Association is generally Left-leaning but it is the world's most prestigious body of academic psychologists. And even they have had to concede that sort of gap (one SD) in black vs. white average IQ. 11-year olds can do a lot of things but they also have their limits and there are times when such limits need to be allowed for. America's uncivil war was caused by trade protectionism . The slavery issue was just camouflage, as Abraham Lincoln himself admitted . See also here Leftist psychologists have an amusingly simplistic conception of military organizations and military men. They seem to base it on occasions they have seen troops marching together on parade rather than any real knowledge of military men and the military life. They think that military men are "rigid" -- automatons who are unable to adjust to new challenges or think for themselves. What is incomprehensible to them is that being(to use the extreme Prussian term for following orders) actually requires great flexibility -- enough flexibility to put your own ideas and wishes aside and do something very difficult. Ask any soldier if all commands are easy to obey.
A retired Chinese diplomat, Mao Siwei, in a blog a fortnight ago, critiqued his governments decision to block attempts to impose a United Nations ban on the Jaish-e-Mohammed leader, Masood Azhar. While Mao served in India, his views on Pakistans terrorist networks were influenced by his term as Chinas deputy ambassador in Islamabad at a time when militant groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban were threatening the capital city itself  and, among others, killed several Chinese workers. Is Azhar a terrorist? asks Mao, and writes the answer should be yes.

The social media views of a retired official are no indication of government policy. In China, where the foreign ministry infamously lacks influence, they probably count for even less. However, the blog has helped underline the increasingly strident and public support by Beijing for any actions, rogue or otherwise, of Islamabad. It also underlines the increasing contradictions this back Pakistan, wrong or right policy means for Chinas other foreign policy positions.

Read | China justifies its stand on Azhar, denies double standards

One contradiction, and the most obvious, is that Beijing has sought global support for its own support against homegrown Islamicist terror groups. Therefore, its provision of diplomatic cover for the most egregious of Pakistans terrorism-related activities severely undermines its own policy on that front. India would be well within its rights to say it will review, for example, its stance on the Uighur separatist movement in China.

The other is Chinas entire stance on how best to help Pakistan. Beijing accepts that its all weather friend is a troubled nation. It argues much of what it does, from building economic corridors to becoming Pakistans primary supplier of weapons, is designed to help stabilise that country and ensure it does not collapse. India has heard similar arguments  from the United States during its periodic bursts of bonhomie with Pakistan. The Chinese arguments are as short-sighted as the American ones. There is a consensus across the world that the source of that countrys instability is its militarys outsized political role, its demonisation of India to legitimise that role, and the sponsorship of terrorist groups to maintain a state of conflict between the two countries. These militant groups have developed an additional utility for the generals of being used to keep Pakistans own democratic parties in line.

Read | After China snub, India examining all options to get Masood Azhar banned

Nothing China is doing addresses this core problem in Pakistan. If anything, it only further metastasises the cancer that afflicts that country. Maos blog implicitly highlights this issue. The more blatantly Beijing bends over backwards on behalf of Islamabad, the worse that countrys behaviour will become in the long-term. And, in the short-term, whatever little progress is possible on the India-China front is being sacrificed.
He became a star with his debut film Slumdog Millionaire but British-Indian actor Dev Patel went through a period of struggle where he felt pigeon-holed as a performer until Lion came his way.

Directed by Garth Davis, the movie, based on a true story, is tipped to get nominated at the Oscars in January, and is up for contention at Mondays Golden Globes.

Patel says he knew he had a great role the moment he read the script and jumped at the chance to play Saroo Brierley.

The film has opened people to my potential. After Slumdog Millionaire, it was really hard for me to get quality work. You think it would be easy but it is actually quite a struggle. I felt pigeon-holed. But I kept working hard and have been patient for many years now. So, when a role like this came, I gave everything that I had to do justice to it. It feels really good when it is recognised, Patel told PTI in an interview over phone from Los Angeles.

The actor is in LA to attend the Golden Globe Awards where he is nominated in the best supporting actor category. Nicole Kidman, who plays his Australian adoptive mother, is also nominated.

Patel, who prepared for eight months for the part, says playing Saroo was quite a transformative journey for him and helped him reconnect with his roots in India.

I isolated myself from my normal reality. I travelled in trains across India, visited orphanages and met many wonderful people. It really changed me as a human being. This is why I love what we do. You can walk into someone elses shoes and understand different perspectives on love, family and life. It made me a more conscious individual.

He is also full of praise for Sunny Pawar, who plays his younger shelf in the movie.

Patel says Sunny, who had never faced camera before the movie, is electrical and carries the first half.

Before Lion, which releases in India on February 24, Patels most recognisable role was in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel. Patel, 26, says he is grateful for Marigold and actually fought to play the bumbling but well-meaning Sunny as the part was initially written for a middle-aged man.

I am actually quite grateful to Marigold, that film changed my career. It was a small film that went on to make 150 million dollars. That story meant a lot to me as I fought to get it. It was initially written for a middle-aged man.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
In 2014, Human Rights Watch released a report on the abuse faced by women and girls with psychological or intellectual disabilities in institutions in India. Titled Treated Worse Than Animals , the report spoke of issues such as forced institutionalisation, the poor condition at the institutions, forced treatment and denial of proper and adequate healthcare, violence and exploitation and lack of access to justice. The picture of the life of these women, as it emerged from the report, was needless to say grim.

Parliament recently passed the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Bill, 2014. While the new Act covers many more disabilities and issues, is it equipped to address the challenges that a differently abled woman faces in her daily life?

Abuse is not restricted to those suffering from psychological or intellectual disabilities or at institutions. It can come from neighbours. As in the case of a 23-year-old girl with multiple disabilities in Bengals Hooghly district who was gangraped and then thrown from a the roof of a neighbouring house, remembers Kolkata-based disability rights activist Shampa Sengupta. Though one of the accused was arrested, he was later released on bail. The neighbours often side with the abusers because they will they shouldnt have to suffer for a woman who is not fully productive in society. The family is living under tremendous pressure, she says. There have been cases where hearing-and-speech-impaired women have had their hands cut off by their abusers, after being raped, so that they cant point out who abused them.

Often abuse starts right at home. There are two kinds of abuse that women face at home  either neglect or too much attention. In either case she is denied control over her life, says Kolkata-based academician and activist Nandini Ghosh. There are also instances of physical and mental abuse. Researchers have mentioned how during festivals or celebrations in the family, the disabled woman is left out. I have seen many mothers coming with their disabled daughters to get a hysterectomy done. The excuse is that her disability will make her vulnerable to abuse. So are we trying to legitimise abuse then? The message we are sending out is that abuse is okay, but pregnancy is not, says Delhi-based academician and activist Anita Ghai. At times abuse comes in the form of subtle discrimination. Mumbai-based disability rights and gender justice activist, Nidhi Goyal in one of her blogs quotes a woman as saying that whenever there is a marriage in the village she is invited, but encouraged to not come. I am told there are many steps to the venue and it will be difficult for me, she says.

We have very little segregated data relating to women with disabilities. So it is difficult to make out a case for them

The fear of abuse is manifold as one steps out in the public space. Our public places are not built for the disabled. A visually impaired girl will have to seek assistance to cross the road. She often gets groped, says Goyal.

Schools too become sites for abuse. Disabled girls need to be escorted. After school often they have to wait for someone to come and pick her up. She becomes a soft target for people from outside coming to the school or even the support staff, says Ghosh.

Then there is the mental trauma that is more difficult to explain, the fear at offices and educational institutes of being made to feel that you are not as good as others

Access to law is restricted. Often she is physically unable to go to the police or court and there is also the fact that often she cant explain that she has been abused. Where the abusers are known, she is discouraged from complaining, says Ghai. One big problem is the lack of numbers. We have very little segregated data relating to women with disabilities. So it is difficult to make out a case for them, says Goyal.

Resignation to fate is thus often the only option left for many.

Disclaimer: The features often use the word disabled instead of differently abled since many feel the latter is just a euphemism that makes no qualitative difference to their lives

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The Co-operative Bank of Rajkot Ltd has come under the scrutiny of the Ahmedabad unit of the Income Tax department. The bank received a total cash deposit of Rs 871 crore between November 9 and December 30 while withdrawals stood at Rs 108 crore.

A senior official of the IT department told HT that as many as 4,551 accounts were opened during demonetisation compared to an average of about 5,000 opened annually in the previous years.

The department has also set its sight on a former directors son, who received Rs 1 crore through cash deposits in 30 bank accounts. All the pay-in slips were filled by the same person, so we will look into it, the official said.

Moreover, the banks vice chairmans mother received Rs 64 lakh in cash deposits which were then transferred to a jeweller.

Various dormant accounts have been identified.. in which large cash deposits were made totalling Rs 10 crore... the official added.

Transactions in co-operative banks are being monitored. While the government said deposits of Rs 2.5 lakh and above would be scrutinised, officials said that even smaller amounts in Jan Dhan accounts or newly opened accounts would be investigated.
The duty of a judge is to sustain judicial balance and not to cause trauma to adjudication process, the Supreme Court has ruled while setting aside an order of the Hyderabad high court directing the police not to arrest three accused in a riots case.

A bench headed by justice Dipak Misra also said courts should oust unscrupulous litigants from invoking the inherent jurisdiction of the court at the drop of a hat to file an application for quashing of an FIR or investigation.

The court allowed an appeal filed by the Telangana government in which it had said that whether the high court, while refusing to exercise its inherent powers under Section 482 of CrPC, can restrain the probe agency from arresting the accused persons during the course of investigation.

The bench also comprising justice Amitava Roy said that while entertaining petitions under Article 226 of the Constitution or Section 482 of CrPC, a high court should exercise judicial restraint.

It is the duty of a judge to sustain the judicial balance and not to think of an order which can cause trauma to the process of adjudication. It should be borne in mind that the culture of adjudication is stabilised when intellectual discipline is maintained and further when such discipline constantly keeps guard on the mind, the bench said.

The courts should oust and obstruct unscrupulous litigants from invoking the inherent jurisdiction of the court at the drop of a hat to file an application for quashing of launching an FIR or investigation and then seek relief by an interim order. It is the obligation of the court to keep such unprincipled and unethical litigants at bay, the court said.

What needs to be stated here is that the states where Section 438 CrPC has not been deleted and kept on the statute book, the high court should be well advised that while entertaining petitions under Article 226 of the Constitution or Section 482 CrPC, exercise judicial restraint, it said.
In September last year, Antara Telang, a young girl from Mumbai wrote a blog post based on her experience of trying to find a potential companion on the dating-app Tinder. Telang is an amputee, having lost one foot after an accident, at the age of 18. Her post was upbeat and humourous, and while she admits that there were those whose comments were insensitive, it ended with her saying how being on the app helped her regain her self-esteem and made her realize that she was not undateable, just because she wears a prosthetic leg. Not all women with disabilities, however, fall under one umbrella. My general mobility has not been affected by the accident says Telang, adding, There are those who suffer from more severe mobility restrictions. For them to go out and find a match is more difficult, she says.

To begin with, the women themselves suffer from low self-esteem. Its because of the charitable way that society looks at you. Women with disabilities dont fit the conventional norms of beauty or expectations that society has from a woman, says inclusive design consultant Shivani Gupta. She is wheelchair bound. Agrees Nidhi Goyal, a disability rights and gender justice activist based in Mumbai. In our society a woman is supposed to be sarva gun sampanna. The same is not expected of a man. You find more men with disabilities in a relationship than women with disabilities, she says.

Often the girls families subscribe to the collective feeling. In one of her blogs, Goyal talks of how in a country where arranged marriages are still the norm for many, while parents are keen to have their other children settled, they will not take the initiative to get their disabled daughters married.

In our society a woman is supposed to be sarva gun sampanna. The same is not expected of a man. You find more men with disabilities in a relationship than women with disabilities

However, Kolkata-based disability rights activist Shampa Sengupta feels that the stigma against a disabled woman is ironically more pronounced in cities. Some states have a system under which a monetary grant is paid to a disabled spouse, and among the economically weaker section, the money can be a lure. As Delhi-based disability rights activist Anjlee Agarwal says, Many marry for the money and then leave the women. Physical abuse and infidelity are also common, she adds. Agarwal gives two examples. In one of the cases, when the wife who was disabled got pregnant, she asked her sister to come and help her manage the house. The husband got into a relationship with the sister and told his wife that she would either have to accept the relation or move out. Because of the baby she decided to stay back. There was another case I know of, where a disabled woman was routinely beaten by her husband. When she couldnt take it anymore, she approached the police, but the police told her to adjust because who would look after her otherwise, adds Agarwal.

Technology hasnt changed much and online dating or matrimonial sites havent made finding a partner necessarily easy. I suffer from low visibility. How will I check out the profiles of the people there or interact with them? Most of the sites are not voice coded. Like most public spaces, these sites too are not disabled friendly, says Goyal. There are a some sites, specifically for the disabled, but most women feel that such segregation is unfair. There is also a gap between dating and marrying, for that is a commitment which involves the family and society at large. Gupta dated for ten years before she got married. Somehow the confidence to marry was not there. And when I did get married, it was a shock. You become so used to not being accepted, that you begin to expect that. It is a shock when you get accepted, she says. Bengaluru-based Meenu Bhambhani is married with a child. I got married when I was 39, after dating for about six-and-a-half years. But till I was 33, no one had befriended me or looked at me as a potential partner, she says.

Read: When the odds are against her: Are differently abled women represented in law?

There is a distance between the disabled and the so-called normal world. There is little awareness about the disabled. Most people lack the social etiquette required to engaged with the disabled. They are seen either as pitiable or superhumans, the normal things of everyday life are not associated with them. They are out of social things like dating, says Goyal. She adds. Even in popular culture such as films their depiction is aimed to evoke either pity or terror. I liked Margarita With A Straw simply because it started a discourse around women with disabilities and their sexuality. There is another coming up, the Hrithik Roshan-starrer Kabil. But I wonder why they dont cast disabled actors for such roles. It is easier for them to imitate and engage. Unless we get used to engaging with the disabled, how will be accept them in our personal space, in relationships, that is the final acceptance.

Disclaimer: The features often use the word disabled instead of differently abled since many feel the latter is just a euphemism that makes no qualitative difference to their lives

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IITs are considering introducing an executive M.Tech course especially for working professionals to ensure more IIT students opt for research work, sources said.

IITs currently offer a two-year MTech programme and the institutions pay Rs 12,400 per month as fellowship for MTech students and charge approximately Rs 20,000 per annum as fee. For the executive MTech progarmme , IITs have proposed charging fee sas per the market rates which will also help them increase their revenue. Fees for MTech at IITs are currently lower than those of private institutions.

It was felt that a number of changes should be made and a new executive programme can be introduced. The executive M.Tech programme can cater to those who are already working, and can be compressed into a one-year programme, and charged as per market rates, said a source.

The income from this programme can also help cross-subsidise the regular M Tech programme, so that IITs do not run into losses, explained an official. There are 23 IITs in the country with a total count of 72,000 students. Around 14,000 MTech students are enrolled in the institutes.

A number of IITs had also reported facing difficulty in retaining their MTech students as a number of them were quitting the course after landing jobs in public sector undertakings (PSUs).

The M Tech programme is an essential step towards good research work. We want more students to complete their Masters. Generally students get placed after completing their graduation and this progarmme can cater to such students, added the source.

At the 155th meeting of IIT directors hosted by IIT-Kanpur in December 2016, the directors discussed issues related to introducing executive MTech.

Directors also discussed encouraging sponsored MTechs by industry and the course could be charged for the actual cost. A number of IIMs and other management schools already offer an executive MBA programme for working professionals.

A committee has been formed comprising three IIT directors: Bombay, Hyderabad and Roorkee to work out the details of the project. The proposal will then be sent to the IIT council, the highest decision making body of the IITs, which is chaired by the HRD minister.

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Seeking to give a greater momentum to their strategic relationship, India and France on Sunday discussed a wide spectrum of issues, including defence and terrorism, with the French side saying the bilateral ties should move forward with the speed of a Rafale fighter jet.

During the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault in Bengaluru, both leaders had considerable discussions on international terrorism of which the two countries are victims.

I spoke about different aspects of our partnership, Ayrault told reporters here on the sidelines of a function after his meeting with Modi, who was here to attend the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the Centres outreach programme for overseas Indians.

The French minister, who began his three-day visit to India from here, said: We spoke about defence because India needs to protect itself. Therefore, defence is an important area. I also shared with him concerns about terrorism and how we are together in fighting it.

Noting that India has various defence needs, for example Rafale, he said, It needs submarines, it needs helicopters. So we did discuss all of these.

In September last year, India had inked a Euro 7.87 billion (about Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and equipped with latest missiles that will give the IAF greater potency over arch rival Pakistan.

In his media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swaroop said Ayrault and Modi reaffirmed close strategic partnerships between the two countries and deliberated upon several issues including bilateral relations in defence and international terrorism.

The PM of India today welcomed the French Foreign Affairs Minister on his first visit to India. Both sides reaffirmed close strategic partnerships between India and France, which will be seen as a further fillip for the closure of Rafale deal, he said on the sidelines of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, now on here.

The French Minister said the bilateral ties should now move forward with a speed of Rafale, according to Swarup.

Swaroop also said both the leaders had a comprehensive drill on bilateral relations in defence and Modi reiterated upon Make In India slogan in defence.

The two leaders discussed about the cooperation in civil energy with specific reference to Jaitapur nuclear plant, he said.
IAS officers in Kerala are planning to go on mass leave on Monday, placing themselves on a collision course with the states Left Front government.

In probably the first incident of its kind in the country, all such officers  with the exception of district collectors  submitted their leave applications to express displeasure over being victimised by an official appointed by the government. The immediate reason behind this move was state vigilance director Jacob Thomass decision to charge additional chief secretary (industry) Paul Antony in a nepotism case involving former minister EP Jayarajan.

The decision to skip work for the day was taken at a meeting attended by many senior bureaucrats on Saturday night. We are requesting all our colleagues of the Kerala IAS to avail one-day casual leave on January 9 to express our sadness, frustration and professional dissatisfaction, and show our solidarity with those aggrieved by the government allowing the vigilance director to abuse his powers, stated a note released by the IAS Officers Association after the event. They plan to meet chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday.

After coming to power last May, the Pinarayi government appointed Thomas  an IPS officer reportedly at loggerheads with many senior bureaucrats  as chief of the state vigilance department. The officers, who are aggrieved about Thomas being authorised to judge the conduct of other civil servants, had complained to the government on earlier occasions too.

The note circulated after the IAS officers meeting gave a detailed account of the circumstances leading to the decision. We are deeply aggrieved that such an officer (the vigilance director), whose integrity is prima facie doubtful and not beyond suspicion, is allowed to sit in judgment as the vigilance director on the conduct of other civil servants, it said.

The officers also pointed out that Thomas was allegedly involved in corruption while he was the director of ports, and faced a land encroachment case in neighbouring Karnataka.

A senior official told Hindustan Times that Thomass antics had affected the morale of IAS officers, posing a major challenge to the functioning of the government machinery. Unless the political leadership intervenes immediately, matters will rapidly get out of hand, he cautioned.

The agitators also alleged that the IPS officers actions were motivated, vindictive and vengeful in nature, and expressed displeasure over the Kerala government giving him a free hand to target them.

Earlier, the vigilance director had ordered a raid on the house of additional chief secretary KM Abraham  an officer known for his integrity  and questioned Tom Jose, another senior officer, in connection with a disproportionate assets case. An upset Abraham threatened to resign, but was later dissuaded by Vijayan.

Neither the chief minister nor the vigilance director was available for comment.
I dont eat a full meal for dinner. We dont have a toilet at home and I cant see at night to go out in the open to relieve myself if needed. I control myself till around 8 or 9 am when it becomes light enough for me to see at least a foot or two around me. But with my low vision, I am never sure if someone is watching me, Mumbai-based disability rights and gender justice activist, Nidhi Goyal quotes a young girl from Gujarat as saying, in her 2015 blog post for Azaadi Ki Udaan.

Parliament recently passed the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Bill, 2014. While the new Act covers many more disabilities and issues, is it equipped to address the challenges that a differently abled woman faces in her daily life? If toilets didnt seem like a top-of-the-list challenge for differently abled women to most people, an Internet post by a wheelchair bound woman in India changed that last month. The woman wrote about being forced to wear adult diapers to work because offices didnt have accessible toilets.

Absence of accessible toilet is not a microcosmic problem. It is a major worry. It is one of the things that restrict access to public places for women with disabilities, says Delhi-based academician and gender rights activist Anita Ghai. Ghai admits to not drinking water when she is outside home, so that she doesnt have the urge to relieve herself. It is common for women with disabilities to suffer from kidney stones because either they dont drink enough water or dont relieve themselves for long hours, she says.

I dont drink water when I am outside the house, so that I dont need to visit the toilet. It is common for women with disabilities to suffer from kidney stones because either they dont drink enough water or they dont relieve themselves for long hours

In the film Q2P, filmmaker Paramita Vohra had addressed the issue of lack of enough public toilets for women. It is disturbing that the simplest of human needs, to relieve oneself, is often so difficult for women to satisfy, Vohra had told Hindustan Times in an interview in 2014. The problem is more acute for a differently abled woman. The lack of toilets, and accessible ones at that, is the grassroots example of the disabling environment that the social model of disability describes, Goyal writes in her blog post.

Bengaluru-based Meenu Bhambhani gives her own example. On a recent road trip from Jaipur to Ajmer, when we stopped for a loo break, I couldnt use the toilet because there was not even a basic western-style toilet. This is a problem especially in the smaller towns and in rural India  most toilets are Indian-style. Where there are accessible toilets, they are often locked. Ghai remembers a recent visit to a multiplex in Delhi. The mall where the multiplex was located had an accessible toilet, but it was locked. Clearly they were not expecting anyone to use it, she says.

If it can be accessed, it is often so dirty that one wouldnt want to use it. When I use the accessible toilet at the airport, I usually peep in once to see whether it is clean. At the accessible toilets, the floors are often left wet, there is no toilet paper or soap. There is never a full-length mirror, though there is always one in the general womens toilet, says Bhambhani.

It is the same in the few offices that do have accessible toilets. The janitor doesnt bother to clean perhaps because they are not expecting too many people to use it, says Shivani Gupta, inclusive design consultant. Designs are also often not according to specifications. The height of the toilet, the basin etc are often not according to globally-agreed upon standards, she says.

The bigger issue being the absence of accessible toilets, few waste time cribbing about the fact that in India all accessible toilets are unisex. In the US, both mens and womens toilets had one kiosk each for the differently abled. We do need unisex toilets because sometimes the differently abled person might need to be assisted and the caregiver may not be of the same gender. But thats no reason why they cant also have a stall inside the mens and womens toilets also, says Gupta.

The fear of being not able to relieve themselves, restricts access to public place for many, feel activists. The government talks of creating inclusive spaces, but there are no ramps on public transport, crossing roads is difficult. And there are no toilets. Just the physical access is so difficult, says Ghai.

Disclaimer: The features often use the word disabled instead of differently abled since many feel the latter is just a euphemism that makes no qualitative difference to their lives

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru on Sunday. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, the chief guest, too spoke on the occasion. Union ministers Ananth Kumar and Gen VK Singh, and Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah were in attendance.

The three-day event concludes on Monday, with President Pranab Mukherjee delivering the valedictory address. The convention is an important platform for engagement with the overseas Indian community.

Catch the highlights here:

* The 21st century belongs to India, says Modi, concluding his speech.

* Your dreams are our determination, Modi tells the gathering.

* Black money ke kuch rajneetik pujari dub the initiative anti-people, says Modi.

Durbhagya ki baat hai, black money ke kuch rajneetik pujari hain jo hamare prayason ko janta virodhi darshate hain: PM Modi #DeMonetisation pic.twitter.com/QHeCviFMsY  ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2017

* We have launched a big campaign against black money, corruption, says the PM, apparently referring to his governments demonetisation exercise.

Our diaspora has supported the Government's moves against corruption and black money: PM @narendramodi  PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 8, 2017

* We welcome all your efforts seeking to strengthen Indias partnership with NRIs, says Modi.

* FDI has two definitions --- foreign direct investment and first develop India, says Modi.

* Are you ready to work with me, Modi asks the crowd, which replies yes.

* Modi talks of Know India Programme that helps young Indians living abroad to connect to their motherland.

* For us, all Indians living abroad, including the youth, are precious, says Modi.

* The Prime Minister announces a scheme for scientific communities abroad to conduct research in India.

I would again encourage all PIO Card holders to convert their PIO Cards to OCI Cards: PM @narendramodi @PBDConvention #PBD2017  PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 8, 2017

* We will shortly launch a skill development programme (Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana) targeted at unskilled youth who seek jobs abroad, says Modi.

* PM Modi talks about steps to safeguard migrant workers, vows strong actions against illegal recruitment agents.

* For those workers who seek economic opportunities abroad, our effort is to provide maximum facilitation and ensure least inconvenience, says Modi.

* Modi highlights his governments efforts to rescue Indians in conflict-hit countries. The security of Indian nationals abroad is of utmost importance to us.

EAM @SushmaSwaraj has particularly been proactive and prompt in reaching out to distressed Indians abroad using social media: PM at #PBD2017  PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 8, 2017

* We are there for you when you need us, Modi tells the Indian diaspora.

* The welfare and safety of all Indians abroad is our top priority, Modi says, listing out the governments step in this regard.

* Once there was this buzz of brain drain, but our government wants to change it to brain gain, says Modi.

NRIs and PIOs have made outstanding contributions to their chosen fields: PM @narendramodi  PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 8, 2017

* Remittance of close to 69 billion dollars annually by overseas Indians makes an invaluable contribution to the Indian economy, says Modi.

* There is a new energy among the diaspora to connect to Indias social and economic landscapes, Modi says.

* Engagement with the overseas Indian community has been a key area of priority, Modi says.

* Indians abroad are not valued just for their numbers, but for the contribution to India and other societies where they live, says PM Modi.

The Indian diaspora represents the best of Indian culture, ethos and values: PM @narendramodi #PBD2017 @PBDConvention  PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 8, 2017

* Modi welcomes the diaspora, thanks Siddaramaiahs Congress government for assistance in organising the event.

* This day is a celebration to mark the return to India one of the greatest pravasis, Mahatma Gandhi, says PM Modi.

* Modi pays tributes to Mario Soares, the former Portugal president who is widely seen as the father of the countrys modern-day democracy. Soares died on Saturday aged 92.

* Modi starts his address amid a huge round of applause.

PM Narendra Modi and Portugal PM Antonio Costa at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru on Sunday. (External affairs ministry/Twitter)

* Costa stresses the role of the Indian communitys contribution in Portugal.

* Portugal and India have centuries-old relationship, says Costa.

* Costa focuses on strategic partnership and development of India and Portugal.

* The Portugal government is focusing on better framework for investment, says Costa.

* We want to attract foreign direct investment, says the Portuguese Prime Minister, stressing his countrys geographic advantage.

* I want to rely on this dynamic diaspora for the development of these two nations (India and Portugal), says Costa.

Demonetisation watch

A day ago, Modi asked BJP leaders to welcome criticism and remain unfazed by allegations, in remarks seen both as defending his governments demonetisation move as well as rebutting Opposition charges of personal corruption against him.

The government has faced a barrage of criticism over the scrapping of 500- and 1000-rupee banknotes -- a surprise move announced exactly a month ago. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi last month accused Modi of accepting bribe from two corporate houses when he was the Gujarat chief minister.
Muslim clerics on Saturday condemned BJP MP, Sakshi Maharaj for blaming their community for population boom in the country and asked the election commission to act tough on him.

Maintaining that Sakshis statement was aimed at polarising voters ahead of elections, the clerics alleged that the controversial comments were made with the consent of the BJP leadership. However, the party has distanced itself from the remarks, clarifying that it did not share his opinion.

Haji Mohammad Salees, general secretary of Sunni Ulema Council, said the BJP MP speaks of Muslims having four wives and 40 children but does not discuss the wrong practices followed by members of his community.

He believes in spreading hatred but doesnt study facts, Salees said, quoting a survey that highlighted the social malaise among the other community.

Read | FIR against Sakshi Maharaj for blaming population rise on those supporting 4 wives, 40 children

Shahr Qazi Alam Raza Noori said Sakshi had violated the Supreme Court decision which bars use of religion and caste to seek votes. Noori said the Supreme Court and election commission should take cognisance of his statement and initiate action against him.

Maharaj is no stranger to such controversies. He triggered outrage in 2015 after urging all Hindu women to give birth to at least four children to increase the Hindu population and counter rising Muslim numbers. The BJP MP is among those leaders whom the party had advised to exercise restraint and caution while speaking in public.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday described Prime Minister Narendra Modis performance in the last two-and-a-half years as unparalleled.

Narendra Modi is the most popular Prime Minister and his achievements in the last two-and-a-half year are unparallel, Singh told reporters in reply to a query on a statement of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

To another question on the reported attacks on BJP party offices in West Bengal, Singh said in a healthy democracy there should not be any violence I am not talking about one government, I am talking about all governments.

On the dispute in the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Singh said BJP did not feel happy in any quarrel in any family or any party or weigh any political benefit.

Yes, it is definitely a cause of concern if the family is in the ruling dispensation, Singh said, adding quarrels in such times affect the state and that the lapses would be fulfilled by the next government.

Reacting on demonetisation, the Union Minister said irrespective of any party in power, some decisions were taken in the interest of the state and the nation and that one should not see it through gain or loss.

The decision is taken in the interest of the people and in the interest of the nation, he said, adding it should not be made an election issue.

The Union Home Minister praised Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das saying he was doing extremely well.
A day after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) found 16 women prima facie victims of rape and assault by police personnel in south Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district, little news emerged from the five villages where the alleged atrocities occurred.

Chinnagelur, Peddagelur, Gundam, Burgicheru and Pegdapalli, the five villages about 70 km from Bijapur district headquarters, where security forces allegedly went on the rampage between October 19 and 24 in 2015, largely remain out of bounds for even journalists.

This area of Bastar is virtually a no-go zone for us. One has to cross 10 CRPF camps and three police stations to reach the villages, said a local TV channel reporter who did not want to be named. Police, usually, do not stop local journalists, but CRPF personnel treat everyone as Maoists. I will not to go there because anything can happen.

Another Bijapur journalist claimed, It is not advisable to go there now. There are still victims who are scared to record their statements. If we cover human rights lawyers and defenders for stories, they target us in subtle ways. It is very difficult to work here.

In its press release on Saturday, NHRC said it was waiting for the recorded statements of 20 other victims.

On Sunday, the reactions came from rights activists and the opposition in state capital Raipur, even as the state government did not comment on the NHRC asking it why it should not recommend interim relief of Rs 37 lakh to the victims  Rs 3 lakh each to eight victims of rape, Rs 2 lakh each to six victims of sexual assault, and Rs 50,000 each to two victims of physical assault.

Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS), the group that flagged the alleged atrocities in the villages, demanded that the government should ensure security of the victims and the villagers following the NHRCs observations.

The WSS alleged in a statement that many women (victims) had not yet been able to file complaints and were under pressure to remain silent. There has been a firm denial and also obstruction by the police and security forces to efforts by of womens groups and human rights defenders. Also, many of the women and villagers coming out to testify in the case are harassed by the police for attending meeting and proceedings, said Rinchin, a member of WSS.

Rinchin alleged that fake cases were lodged against drivers took them to the affected villages. Lawyers too are not able to visit Bastar now because they are facing false accusations.

The police, meanwhile, stood their ground. The complete order of the NHRC is yet to come and things will be clear only after we read the copy. As far as rights activists alleging that they are harassed by the police why are they not complaining to higher authorities in Raipur. If they complain, then proper action can be taken, special director general of police (Naxal) DM Awasthi told HT.

The state Congress unit demanded the resignation of chief minister Raman Singh over the issue. The BJP government wants adivasi-mukt Bastar because the government is selling rich minerals in Bastar region to the corporates, said Chhattisgarh Congress spokesperson Bhujit Doshi who hails from Bastar.

Chhattisgarh chief secretary Vivek Dhand, through whom the NHRC issued the show cause, was in Bengaluru for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.

How case came to light

Scattered reports surfaced when local journalists travelled to the area in October 2015 and found out about the allegations of the villagers. After whispers of troubles faced by journalists in getting out video footage, WSS members visited these villages.

WSS fact-finding team found women in the villages were raped, molested and assaulted by security forces who had come in three to four batches for patrolling between Oct 19 and Oct 24, 2015.

An FIR was lodged in Bijapur on November 1, 2015.

Taking note of media reports based on WSS fact-finding, the NHRC conducted its own investigation.

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Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday said that there was no dispute in the party, less than a week after his son, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, deposed him as national president.

Mulayam made the statement while meeting with workers at the party headquarters in Lucknow along with brother Shivpal Yadav.

Hamari party me koi vivad nahi hai (There is no dispute in our party), he said in response to a question about the family tussle that has been raging since August last year.

He later left for New Delhi with Shivpal, where he is likely to approach the Election Commission to stake claim on the Samajwadis cycle symbol given the upcoming crucial assembly elections next month.

Read | Akhilesh Yadav needs SP cycle to change the poll narrative in UP

On January 2, supporters of Akhilesh appointed him national president of the party, usurping Mulayam, during an emergency national convention organised in Lucknow.

Read | Akhilesh Yadav rejigs party, looks all set with UP polls preparation

With no signs of a truce, both factions are now locked in another tussle over the party symbol.

The Mulayam camp is likely to submit its set of affidavits on Monday, the deadline set by the EC for both the sides to submit documents before it decides on allotting the symbol to either the Mulayam faction or his son.

On Saturday, the Akhilesh faction submitted their affidavits which it claimed had signatures of 90 per cent of legislators and delegates of the party, including over 200 of the 229 MLAs.

On reports that Mulayam got his room locked at the party office and put up his and Shivpals name plates, party state chief Naresh Uttam -- who was appointed by Akhilesh last week -- said, their name plates were never removed.

Read | Party belongs to me, people by my side: SP chief Mulayam

However, he added, Akhileshji is our national president and we will contest polls under him. He was made president at national convention.

Also read | How family feud ended anti-incumbency for UP CM Akhilesh Yadav
Digital wallets, followed by online cabs, were the top performing categories for cashless transactions post demonetisation, a study said.

Food ordering platforms and grocery were also popular for cashless transactions following governments demonetisation of high-value currency notes, which caused a cash shortage in November and December, according to the study by cashback platform CouponDunia.

Paytm, Freecharge, Mobikwik, Dominos Pizza and Yatra were the top performing brands, it added.

Interestingly, traffic on e-commerce sites dropped in the past two months.

According to data provided by CouponDunia, Amazons traffic fell by 22 per cent, while Flipkarts and Snapdeals traffic fell by over 50 per cent.

Tier II towns were significantly more affected by the cash crunch compared to the top metro cities, it said.

Among the tier I cities, Mumbai was the most affected with 37 per cent less traffic online post-demonetisation, followed by Kolkata at 26 per cent lower traffic. Delhi saw a 7 per cent decline, while Chennai saw 16 per cent drop in online traffic.

The search term McDonalds online order increased by 90 per cent during this time, and online ordering platform FoodPanda saw over 11,000 new user orders within 10 days of demonetisation.

Other interesting findings include 400 domestic flight bookings on Yatra since demonetisation, and over 3,500 Uber rides taken within a week of November 8, when the move was announced, CouponDunia said.

The study also noted that over 8,000 pizzas were ordered within three weeks of the announcement.

Read| Cards, ATMs, POS machines will be redundant in India by 2020: Niti Aayog CEO
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the Indian diaspora to develop India by investing both money and expertise in their land of origin.

To me, FDI means First Develop India through Foreign Direct Investment, the norms of which have been fully liberalised for non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin, Modi said at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Non-Resident Indian Day) held in Bengaluru.

Inaugurating the mega event, Modi exhorted the diaspora to participate in flagship government programmes such as Digital India, Make In India, Start-up India, Swacch Bharat (Clean India) and Namami Gange (Clean Ganga) for the countrys all-round development. The diaspora can contribute to India by sparing some time and energy to implementing our flagship programmes and staying connected, the Prime Minister said in his 40-minute address delivered in both Hindi and English.

Read: Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: PM Narendra Modi slams political worshippers of black money

Modi went on to announce a skill development programme that would be launched soon to aid unskilled youth seeking employment opportunities abroad. The scheme  called the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana  would ensure that workers planning to go abroad were provided maximum facilitation, he said.

Hailing the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of their motherland as well as the countries they are settled in, he said the government was proactively trying to turn brain drain into brain gain. There was new energy among the diaspora to connect to Indias social and economic landscapes, Modi said, noting that their annual remittance of nearly $69 billion contributes immensely to the Indian economy.

The event, which has Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as the chief guest, was also attended by Union ministers Ananth Kumar and Gen VK Singh, and Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah.

Modi began his address by stating that Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was meant to mark the return of Indias greatest pravasi  Mahatma Gandhito his homeland. He then paid glowing tributes to former Portugal president Mario Soares, who died at the age of 92 on Saturday. Soares was widely regarded as the father of democracy in the European country.

The Prime Minister then went on to highlight the BJP governments efforts to rescue Indians stranded in conflict-hit countries. The security of Indian nationals abroad is of utmost importance to us. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has been particularly proactive in reaching out to distressed Indians abroad through the social media, he said.

Read: Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: PM Modi woos young NRIs, talks of brain gain and fight against graft

Modi also announced a scheme for scientific communities abroad to conduct research in India.

The Portugal Prime Minister, in his address, said his governments focus was on achieving a strategic partnership that would contribute to the progress of both the countries involved. Referring to his efforts to form a better framework for investment opportunities, Costa said: We want to take advantage of our geographical position to attract foreign direct investment. As far as our relationship with India is concerned, I want to rely on its dynamic diaspora for the development of both the nations.

The three-day event  held to mark the contribution of overseas Indians to the development of the nation  concludes on Monday, with President Pranab Mukherjee delivering the valedictory address.

(With agency inputs)
A few political worshippers of black money are opposing the governments fight against corruption, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, in an apparent attack on parties that have criticised the Centres move to recall high-value banknotes.

Delivering the keynote address at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru exactly two months after demonetisation, Modi said his government had launched a big campaign against black money and corruption, only to be opposed by some rajnithik pujaris (political worshippers) of black money who dubbed the initiative as anti-people.

The Prime Minister, who was ushered in with a hearty applause, asked the overseas Indian community to support his governments move against black money. Friends, you know we have undertaken a big responsibility in fighting black money and corruption... Black money and corruption have gradually made our polity, economy, society and the country hollow, he said, adding that the demonetisation exercise was necessary to set things right again.

A day ago, the Prime Minister had asked BJP leaders to remain unfazed in the face of allegations that demonetisation was affecting the people, and rebut the oppositions charges of personal corruption against him.

On November 8, Modi had scrapped Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes in a surprise move  causing a cash crunch that resulted in long queues in front of banks and ATMs across the country. Though most political parties cautiously supported the move in the beginning, they reconsidered their position after the move weakened the economy and hit people in the countrys rural sector. The eventual upsurge in opposition also resulted in a near-washout of Parliaments winter session.

The upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur are expected to gauge the publics reaction to demonetisation. While the BJP says the countrys poor supports the move, the opposition believes the hardships they faced after the scrapping of old currency will spur them to vote against the ruling party.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas  held to mark the contribution of overseas Indians to the development of the nation  concludes on Monday, with President Pranab Mukherjee delivering the valedictory address.

The three-day event, which has Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as the chief guest, was also attended by Union ministers Ananth Kumar and Gen VK Singh, and Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah.
Some political worshippers of black money are opposing the governments fight against corruption, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, in an apparent attack on parties that have criticised the Centres move to recall high-value banknotes.

Delivering the keynote address at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru exactly two months after demonetisation, Modi said his government had launched a big campaign against black money and corruption, only to be opposed by some rajniteek pujari (political worshippers) of black money who dubbed the initiative as anti-people.

Read: PM Modi asks diaspora to invest in India, work towards its development

The Prime Minister, who was ushered in with a hearty applause, asked the overseas Indian community to support his governments move against black money.

Friends, you know we have undertaken a big responsibility in fighting black money and corruption... Black money and corruption have gradually made our polity, economy, society and the country hollow, he said, adding that the demonetisation exercise was necessary to set things right again.

Read | Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: PM Modi woos young NRIs, talks of brain gain and fight against graft

PM Modis surprise announcement to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8 sparked chaos and confusion across the country, with millions of consumers queued outside banks and ATMs to change a limited number of old notes for new ones or withdraw cash.

The government said the move was aimed at rooting out black money and corruption, but met with resistance from rival parties. The Opposition criticised the implementation of the programme, stalled proceedings in the recently concluded winter session and blamed the Centre for close to 100 deaths reported after the shock announcement.

Read: Convert PIO cards into OCI cards by June 30, says PM Narendra Modi

The upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur are expected to gauge the publics reaction to demonetisation. While the BJP says the countrys poor supports the move, the opposition believes the hardships they faced after the scrapping of old currency will spur them to vote against the ruling party.

A day ago, the Prime Minister asked BJP leaders to remain unfazed in the face of allegations that demonetisation was affecting the people, and rebut the oppositions charges of personal corruption against him.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas  held to mark the contribution of overseas Indians to the development of the nation  concludes on Monday, with President Pranab Mukherjee delivering the valedictory address.

The three-day event, which has Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as the chief guest, was also attended by Union ministers Ananth Kumar and Gen VK Singh, and Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah.

(With agency inputs)

Read | Cards, ATMs, POS machines will be redundant in India by 2020: Niti Aayog CEO

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As many as 35,000 more personnel will be recruited to the CISF which is a multi-dimensional force, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.

A total 35,000 more personnel will be added in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which would take the strength to 1.8 lakh, he said here.

Inaugurating the Eastern Sector Headquarters of CISF and Residential Complex here, he said the CISF has a multi- dimensional role.

Earlier, CISF used to guard industrial units, but now its responsibility has grown-- working in naxal-hit areas, being deployed at ports, airports, power installations, nuclear centres -- and they are discharging their duty commendably, Singh said.

Stating that CISF was special among the para-military forces, he said whenever personnel are needed for UN peace keeping forces, the attention goes to CISF.

Quoting experts, he said India is the fastest growing country and the $ 2-trillion economy places the country among the top 10 economies in the world.

India, he added, could reach to $ 5 trillion in the next seven-eight years and probably in the next 15 years, the country could be among the top three economies.

When the economy is growing, there would be evil eyes as they dont desire such progress of India, Singh said and stressed upon fighting terrorism.

He said the forces have the competence but improvement and up-gradation are necessary.

Another area which required attention is technological competence in the cyber sector, he said.
The rural development ministry has to double its efforts to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modis promise to build more houses for rural poor.

In his address to the nation on the eve of the New Year, the PM announced that his government will build 33% more houses under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Awas Yojna.

For the ministry, grappling to meet the annual targets of houses, it means that a total 4.4 million new rural houses for poor have to be built in this year.

The housing programme, a popular scheme in rural India was earlier named after Indira Gandhi but last November, the Modi government renamed it as Pradhan Mantri Grameen Awas Yojna.

Earlier we had the target of building 3.3 million houses. Now the target is revised to 4.4 million. But we are confident we will manage, said rural development secretary Amarjeet Sinha. The ministry also has to complete its target of finishing 1.2 million incomplete houses across the country.

The entire exercise looks like an uphill task as the rural development ministry has been able to build just 1.1 million to 1.8 million houses annually in the last five years.

As the Modi government has been pushing pro-poor measures, rural housing is a key area for it. Gaps in reaching targets can be a politically risky affair, especially after the PM himself has set a specific goal.

I admit there cant be any excuse of not fulfilling the objective. The PM has given us enough funds and also a free hand in implementing a strategy, Sinha told HT.

To push faster construction of houses, the union government has also announced prizes for district magistrates. Districts in which at least 50% of the target if fulfilled, DMs will be given special awards from the Centre. We are also getting good response for this programme from all states, said Sinha.

The rural housing scheme has also emerged as a key area for employment for the locals. Sensing its potential, the ministry is also providing training programmes in masonry, carpentry and plumbing. The centre, in a bid to reap demographic dividend, has an ambitious plan to get 30,000 trained masons by July 2017.

While the UPA government had allotted Rs 82,000 for construction of a house and a toilet, the Modi government had hiked the allotment to Rs 1.32 crore.

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Describing the counter-terrorism cooperation between India and the US under the eight years of Obama administration as incredibly successful, a top US official has said this has not only diminished the threat of terrorism in the two countries, but also foiled several terror plots.

I can tell you quite definitively that due to our partnerships, several terrorism plots were foiled. Indian lives and American lives were saved because of this partnership, said Peter Lavoy, Senior Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, White House.

So its a very significant development and I think, it can continue, Lavoy told PTI.

Read: Optics and friendship: What Modi-Obama meetings reveal

On India not becoming a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) under the watch of US President Barack Obama, Lavoy expressed hope that it would be granted membership of the elite group not before too long as work is in progress.

So, are we disappointed that India has not become a member (of NSG) so far? Yes, probably. But we also recognise that the NSG has to work through the procedures and its own other standings on how to consider non-NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) membership into the NSG.

So, thats not a trivial issue. But we would hope that there India would be granted membership not before too long, he said, answering a question on India being unable to become a member of NSG mainly due to the opposition from China.

He said that under the Obama administration, which took over the reins of the country a few months after 26/11, counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries have reached a new height in the last eight years.

I think, the partnership with India, in combating terrorism has really been incredibly successful, he said, adding that the two countries now have dialogues on counter- terrorism at multiple levels.

Read: US Prez Obama praises PM Modi for bold policy move on GST reform

Lavoy said the US remains concerned about al-Qaeda, though the outfits activities in the Af-Pak region have been significantly disrupted because of continuous efforts.

We (also) remain concerned about ISIL. This is something that President Obama has talked about in his State of the Union and other addresses on the threat that both of these groups pose to the United States.

And we would continue to take steps to counter them. We expect that those policies would continue. This is bipartisan in the vital interest to the United States, he said, adding that cooperation on counter-terrorism issues diminished the threat to the two countries and is of incredible importance.

I would highlight that US-India consultations about terrorist threats not only that are against India or the United States but throughout the region is an important hallmark and feature of our new and expanded counter-terrorism cooperation, Lavoy said.

He also said the US does think that any regional dialogue between India, Pakistan for including Afghanistan and others to counter terrorism would be desirable.

Terrorism is a threat to all of us and no country will be safe, unless terrorism is irradiated in every other country, especially in the neighbourhood, Lavoy said.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said Indians abroad facing problems can tweet to the respective embassy and tag her in the tweet, adding that she will personally monitor the missions responses.

The minister, who has been known for reaching out to citizens through Twitter, said a new pattern is being adopted.

We are adopting a new pattern here. Pl (please) tweet your problem to the concerned Indian Embassy/authority and endorse the same to @sushmaswaraj.

Please tweet your problem to the concerned Indian Embassy/authority and endorse the same to @sushmaswaraj. pic.twitter.com/cFHOamwqPh /1 Pl RT  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 8, 2017

I monitor their response to your tweets personally. In case of emergency pl mention #SOS. /2 Pl RT  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 8, 2017

The External Affairs Ministry had recently launched a Twitter Seva to enable timely, transparent and large-scale response to citizens tweets in real time.

The Twitter Seva service will be supported by 198 Twitter accounts of Indian missions abroad and 29 regional passport offices.
Ten more fishermen from the state were on Sunday arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in the island nations waters, taking the total number of those held in the past one week to 20, as the state government sought the Centres intervention to secure their release.

The fishermen from Rameswaram and Pudukottai district were apprehended and their boats impounded in two separate incidents, for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters.

As the latest arrest came barely days after Sri Lanka agreed to release the 51 fishermen already in its custody, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to secure the release of the 20 fishermen.

Panneerselvam thanked Modi for ensuring the release of 51 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, but rued over the arrest of 20 fishermen, including 10 today.

Unfortunately, even before the sense of relief following the release of the 51 fishermen could fully set in and the released fishermen reached our shores, the Sri Lankan navy has yet again resorted to its harsh and unjust tactic of apprehending Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu while peacefully pursuing their avocation in the traditional fishing waters of the Palk Bay, he said in the letter.

The state government is extremely concerned about the continuing frequent apprehension and detention of our fishermen, Panneerselvam said.

As you are aware, in 2016 itself 290 Tamil Nadu fishermen along with their 53 fishing boats were apprehended in 39 incidents. Subsequently, all 290 fishermen were released due to the unstinted efforts of our revered leader the late Chief Minister Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Jayalalithaa), he noted.

He recalled that even though Sri Lanka released the fishermen, it however, did not return their boats and fishing gear, their only livelihood means.

Jayalalithaa had often pointed out that this was part of a sinister strategy to immiserate our fisherman community, by Sri Lanka, he said, adding such a move was fuelling despondency and great unrest amongst the fishermen.
BSP on Sunday announced candidates for 101 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, completing the exercise for all but two of the 403 constituencies, fielding 12 more Muslim candidates this time to ensure Dalit-Muslim consolidation in a bid to wrest power from Samajwadi Party.

Candidates for the two remaining seats in Sonebhadra district will be finalised after a decision is taken as to whether they are general or reserved for ST, BSP said in a release here on Sunday.

Out of the 403 seats up for grabs, BSP had prepared a final list comprising 97 Muslim candidates (12 more than 2012), 87 Dalits and 106 OBCs, besides earmarking 113 seats for upper castes -- Brahmins 66, Kshatriyas 36 and others 11.

Since Muslims account for nearly 20 per cent of the voters in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati decided to field more candidates belonging to that community, playing her Dalit-Muslim consolidation card to come back to power.

Muslims, who had by and large supported SP in the 2012 elections, are in a quandary in view of the squabblings in the Yadav family and factional fight between Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

With a weak Samajwadi Party, Muslims will look for alternatives and Mayawati wants to be at the right place at the right time, say analysts. If she manages to direct the entire Muslim vote her way, she could pose a tough challenge to BJP and SP, they believe.

Before releasing the fourth list of candidates, Mayawati presided over a meeting of party office-bearers, leaders, legislators, MPs and party candidates where she told them to fan out in their respective constituencies and work for BSPs victory.

She also asked her party leaders to expose Samajwadi Party government on lawlessness and the Centre on demonetisation.

She took potshots at the Yadav family spat saying voters should not spoil their ballots by backing Samajwadi Party as doing this would indirectly benefit BJP in the polls.

An analysis of the complete list released by BSP brings out an interesting fact that it is not Dalits but the upper caste which has got the second biggest share after Muslims.

Uttar Pradesh goes to polls in seven phases between February 11 and March 8.
The CPI(M) central committee on Sunday decided to censure veteran Marxist leader VS Achuthanandan for flouting party discipline but concluded that strict action would not be taken against the 94-year-old leader owing to his seniority.

The left-wing partys general secretary Sitaram Yechury said since VS was one of the founding fathers of the party, he was asked to abide by party discipline and was directed to air his opinions only in party forums.

He is one of the founding fathers of the party. Considering his seniority, the party has decided not to go against him. He will work as a guide and inspiration to young cadres, he said.

The Marxist leader had rubbed off some of the party men the wrong way when he walked out of their state conference last year to protest against delegates criticism of him.

Central committee members had sought action against VS but CPI(M) brass felt that such a decision would prove to be detrimental for the party.

Although VS was keen to become a member of the state secretariat, he was not included on account of his age. He, however, will be a part of the state panel as an invitee.

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Om Puris throaty voice will never be heard at Satkhanda  the nawabi-era red brick tower near Chhota Imambara. The celebrated actors demise has put an end to UP governments plan to use his voice for its audio guides project, narrating the rich history of the state capital.

Expected to be rolled out in a matter of months, the project will have pre-recorded audio stories of Old City monuments available for being played by tourists.

Officials from the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), the constructing agency for the ongoing beautification project, said that they were in the final stage of getting Puris consent for recording the voice-overs when the news of his demise came in.

Our people were in touch with Om Puri sahab for the project, a one-of-its-kind initiative aimed at facilitating tourists visiting the erstwhile capital of Oudh, said a senior LDA official. But now, our dream of having his much-loved voice in our audio tours will never become a reality.

Satkhanda, which historians say came into existence during the regime of nawab Mohammad Ali Shah (1837 to 1842 AD), has been shortlisted as the main operating centre of the audio tours project.

It was in November 2016, that the LDA first conceptualised the idea. The aim behind audio guides is to help tourists know about the citys heritage without them having to search for monuments / places online and then go through lengthy texts, said the official.

The LDA is still to decide on another personality for the project. The installation (of audio devices) at Satkhanda is already in progress.However, we are in a fix about whose voice to use for these narratives now, said the officer.

HOW WILL AUDIO TOURS WORK?

Tourists can access stories on Old City structures by operating the audio devices being installed at Satkahnda. They can plug in headphones too, to hear the stories, said the LDA official.

The clock tower, Chhota Imambara, Bara Immabara, Jama Masjid and Rumi Darwaza are some of the monuments visible from Satkhanda, and their stories will be made available through audio guides.

The audio tours will highlight Lucknows rich culture in such a way that the listener will be able to feel the citys transformation from an old-world place to an advanced metro city, said the officer.

Story telling

An LDA official said that the body was still to decide on whom to approach next for recording the voice-overs.

The audio tours are aimed at helping tourists know about the citys heritage without them having to search for monuments and places online.

The audio tours will highlight Lucknows rich culture in such a way that the listener will be able to feel the citys transformation from an old-world place to an advanced metro city, said the officer.

Read more: Om Puri wanted sons theatre debut in Lucknow
A 20-year-old undertrial assaulted four constables, including three women, inside a police van stationed at the Andheri magistrate court on Saturday. The reason: He was not allowed to receive a parcel from his friend who came to meet him. The accused also broke a tubelight and harmed self with the glass shards.

According to the Andheri police, the arrested accused, Sohail Sharif Khan, was arrested by the Meghwadi police in a robbery case. He was subsequently remanded in judicial custody and was lodged at the Arthur Road jail.

He was brought to the magistrate court for a hearing. Around 6.35 pm, one of Khans friends tried to give him something while he was in the police van. When a woman constable asked the friend to leave, Khan lost his cool and went ran riot.

Khan caught the constable by her collar and punched her. He also punched and kicked two other women constables and a male constable who tried to overpower him, a police officer said.

Khan then broke a tubelight inside the van. He tried to chew the glass and cut his chest, leaving him bleeding from his mouth and chest. He was sent for a medical test and then taken to the Arthur Road jail, the officer said.

He has been booked under charges of assault on public servants and breach of peace.

READ MORE

4 killed as car hits trailer on Mumbai-Pune expressway
Elections to 11 municipal councils across the Nagpur and Gondia districts saw an overall voter turnout of 67.36%, according to estimates from the State Election Commission.

Voting in the 11 councils started at 7.30 am on Sunday and went on till 5.30 pm. The votes will be counted on Monday. This is likely to be a Congress vs Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contest as five of the 11 councils that went to polls have Congress majority, while the Nagpur and Gondia districts are overall strongholds of the latter.

A total of 1,190 candidates are in fray for 244 seats across the 11 councils. Like in the first three phases, elections were also held for the council presidents post with 92 candidates vying for the 11 posts.

The councils in the Nagpur district that went to polls include Kampti, Umred, Katol Kalameshwar, Mohpa, Ramtek, Narkhed, Khapa, and Savner. From the Gondia district the municipal councils of Gondia and Tirora went to polls.

Of these, the Congress has a majority in the councils of Kampti, Umred, Narkhed, Khapa and Savner in the Nagpur district and holds 73 of the current 235 seats across the 11 councils. The BJP has a majority number of member seats in the councils of Kalameshwar and Mohpa in the Nagpur district, and in the Gondia municipal council, overall holding 58 of the current 235 seats.

Sunday saw the last phase of the four-phase poll to 212 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state.

The BJP emerged as the clear leader in the first three phases and made deep inroads into bastions of the Congress and NCP and have a firm grip on semi-urban Maharashtra.

The four-phased polls were said to give an insight into whether the ruling BJP still holds sway among the public, amid Oppositions barbs over demonetisation and corruption.

The elections were also said to indicate if the Congress and NCP, decimated during the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections of 2014, are still popular in Maharashtras semi-urban centres.

Also read

Third phase of Maharashtra local polls sees 72.76% turnout

Action-packed 2017: Local polls to cover 80% voters across Maharashtra

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The Oshiwara police said they do not suspect any foul play in the death of actor Om Puri who died of a heart attack in his residence at Oshiwara on Friday morning. The police are, however, awaiting the final post-mortem report to ascertain the cause of death. An accidental death case has been registered.

The 66-year-old veteran actor was found unconscious in his residence where he lived alone. He was pronounced dead at Cooper Hospital after which a post-mortem was conducted there. The hospital authorities had informed the Oshiwara police that the actor, prima facie, died of a heart attack but the statement was not recorded.



The viscera samples of Puri have been sent to the forensic science laboratory at Kalina.

On Friday around 7am, Puris driver kept knocking on the door but the actor did not answer which led him to believe that something was amiss.

The driver with help of others broke the door open and found Puri motionless near the kitchen with a minor injury at the back of his head, perhaps, due to a fall.

The doctor who conducted the post-mortem said Puri died between 5.30am and 6am.

The actors body was handed over to his estranged wife, Nandita Puri.

The Oshiwara police said about 2,500 people attended his funeral, including many celebrities from the film industry.

Puri was known for his roles in films such as Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Malamaal Weekly and Hera Pheri on one hand and left everyone in awe with his acting prowess in Ardh Satya and Arohan. He also worked in Hollywood movies such as The Hundred-Foot Journey with Helen Mirren in 2014 and East is East in 1999.

READ

Om Puri wanted photo chart of mentors made

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Airlines are known to get into price wars. But domestic carriers in India seem to have got into a squabble over punctuality records. At least two domestic airlines, including budget carrier SpiceJet, are set to meet the aviation safety regulator over the latters decision to review the computation of flight punctuality in India.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently set up a panel to review the calculation of on-time performance of airlines days after IndiGo Airlines accused the Mumbai airport of inaccuracy.

The SpiceJet spokesperson did not confirm or deny the move.

SpiceJet has ensured that it maintains its impeccable operational standards even in harsh weather conditions to continuously emerge as the best on-time performing airline, read a statement from the budget carrier. The IndiGo spokesperson did not comment but an official from the airline said, Our stand is simple. If the data is correct what is competition worried about?

After discounts, on-time performance has become one of the primary yardsticks to woo passengers in India. Some airlines have also used the number game for branding.

Airlines sources said that IndiGos grouse had come to light some time after the airline was toppled from the top slot. As long as IndiGo had the best OTP, the mechanism to calculate on-time performance by the DGCA and airports were perfect. In fact, OTP was their USP and they ran advertisement campaigns like on time is a wonderful thing and IST stood for Indigo Standard Time citing the data, said an SpiceJet official who did not wish to be named.

The official added, Now, for many months when their OTP has been the poorest, they are questioning the DGCA mechanism to calculate OTP itself. As long as you were No. 1 the mechanism was fine, now it is flawed. These are clear double standards.

Sources added that the DGCAs move to order a probe could set a wrong precedent.

The data collection system at airports like Mumbai has been in place for many years now.

Tomorrow, if an airline questions the passenger traffic data, will the DGCA constitute a committee to investigate that too? questioned another airline official.

This is not the first time that domestic airlines have got into a public squabble. In September, Indigo and Air India got into a fight through hoardings put up at Mumbai airport. An AI hoarding put up near an Indigo check-in counter read, Wish you a comfortable flight. Next time fly with Air India and feel the difference.

A day later, IndiGo put up a small standee that read: Yes, Air India, there is a difference, says the government, pointing at AIs poor OTP records.

Last month, a report by a banks investment banking arm said that IndiGos OTP was likely to remain under pressure in the current fiscal, as it adds more aircraft in the remaining period.

READ MORE

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Even as India grapples with the effects of demonetisation, colleges in Mumbai are using the issue as study material in commerce and management courses. From analysing the effects of demonetisation on the countrys overall economy, to the woes faced by common people, city campuses are buzzing with activities to decode the concept.

The idea was to get students to come up with innovative solutions to the issue and the fact that it was happening so close to them. It made more sense in pushing them to understand the situation better, said Lata Dhir, professor, Organisation Behaviour and Leadership at SP Jain Institute of Management Research (SPJIMR). She added that students of the design thinking course were first asked to survey the stakeholders of this problemcommoners (bankers, service class, shop/business owners, grocery store owners, street vendors, etc).

Following the survey, students were asked to find solutions. Students portrayed the role of the government and gave appropriate solutions to the various problems they gathered through their survey. Some of the solutions have been used by various companies now, which makes our teaching module a success, added Dhir.

Students of Narsee Monjee College in Vile Parle, were not only made to understand demonetisation through regular lectures in class, but had to sit through a workshop conducted by the institute along with the Bombay Chartered Accountants Society (BCAS) in December. While the faculty was taking time to include demonetisation as an economic reform in their regular lectures, this workshop helped students understand the problem at hand, said Amee Vora, principal of the institute. She added that students had also shared various queries with experts about their understanding of the issue and were happy to get clarity on the same.

Taking into consideration the fact the economic reforms are not implemented regularly, many colleges chose to include demonetisation as part of their teaching module in order to get students abreast with the latest changes in the countrys economy. It is one thing to use textbooks and notes to explain an issue and another thing to throw students into situations and help them understand economics better. We opted for the later, said Sobhana Vasudevan, principal of R A Podar College in Matunga. Evolving with the current situation made more sense than discussing if demonetisation was the right choice. The fact is that implementation has already happened and students had to dissect the issue to understand its implications in the real world, she added.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has appointed a consultant to provide a solution to the polluted waters of Mithi, Mumbais dirtiest river. Recently, the civic body passed a proposal to appoint Frischmann Prabhu (India) Pvt Ltd to conduct field studies and provide short-term and long-term solutions to treat the polluted river.

The consultant has been appointed at a cost of Rs3 crore to provide detailed solutions in the next six months. According to the proposal, the consultant will also study the sewerage lines nearby and suggest ways to treat the water before it is discharged into the river.

A senior civic official said, Phase-wise reports will be submitted over the six months. For instance, in the first three months, we will look at the geographic survey and put in our suggestions on it.

This is not the first time that the BMC is looking at finding solutions for the polluted river.

In December 2014, the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) had said that the BMC should construct 37 sewage treatment plants along the course of the river to rid it of dirty water. However, the proposal states that the solution is not feasible because of lack of space in the city.

In 2006, the Chitale committee that was appointed to study and suggest remedies post the July 2005 deluge, had suggested desilting, removing encroachments at some places, building a retaining wall, widening and deepening the stream among others.

One of the oldest rivers in the state, the Mithi river has turned into nothing but a drain over the years. The 17.84km-long river originating from Powai runs along cramped slums and industries before meeting the Arabian Sea at Mahim Creek.

In July 2015, Maharashtra environment minister Ramdas Kadam had said that the stream consists of 93% domestic waste and 7% industrial waste. The polluted river and the destruction of mangroves have often been quoted as the primary reasons for the July 2005 deluge in Mumbai.

READ MORE

All the ways to unclog Mumbai

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Learning lessons from last years goof-ups, the states education department on Saturday revamped the admission process for first-year junior college (FYJC) to make it more student-friendly and flexible.

This year, aspirants will be able to apply to fewer colleges  a maximum of 10 - and have the option to change their preference after every round. Admissions to reserved seats, which were filled at college-level earlier, will now be done online.

According to the government resolution issued by the department on Saturday evening, the changes are based on the feedback received over the past few years. After receiving several complaints last year, we decided to improve the process. A principals meeting was held on December 29. The recommendations made in the audit report for last years admission, too, have been taken into account, said Suvarna Kharat, under-secretary of the department.

Although most reforms will make the process easy for students, one change might upset students. They will be allowed to apply to only one stream, instead of the earlier two. But they will be able to change their choice of stream during admissions.

The choice of junior colleges will not be restricted to zone or wards. Students can pick a minimum of one and a maximum of 10 colleges in their region.

The admission process will begin earlier than usual, in the first week of June. After the SSC results are announced, the education department will conduct four rounds of admissions, once every week between June 15 and July 15, after which the FYJC classes will begin. If seats remain vacant, three additional rounds of admission will be held once every two weeks, up to September 1.

To students relief, they will not need to take provisional admission after each round. Students who get their first preference will have to pay the complete fees and secure the admission. They will not be allotted seats in further rounds, reads the GR. Those who are happy with the seat allotted to them can also pay fees. Only those who do not take admission can wait for further rounds.

A zero round will be conducted for online admissions to the Higher Secondary Vocational Course (HSVC) and quota seats  religious or linguistic minority, in-house and management. If seats remain vacant, they will be filled on a first-come-first serve basis. This hopefully will end malpractices by colleges in these admissions, said officials.

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The arrest of a 45-year-old woman in Fridays gold smuggling case revealed that she was mere a carrier working for a syndicate headed by a Dubai-based man of Indian origin, showed investigation led by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

A mother of two boys, the woman, who worked in a Dubai school from 2001 to 2007, is from Vasai and was arrested at the Mumbai airport for trying to smuggle 6kg of gold worth Rs1.16 crore to Dubai. The yellow metal was concealed in bubble wrappers.

According to officials, the syndicate has a multi-layered modus operandi involving the mastermind, carriers, receivers and end-buyers, who are usually jewellers. It employs women for its smuggling capers to dodge security officers at airports, a top DRI official said.

We are trying to unravel the role of various players and are investigating about the mastermind, said a the officials, adding, We suspect that the syndicate is operating for a long time. The accused has been remanded in judicial custody till January 21.

The group is headed by an Indian-origin mastermind who has now settled in Dubai. The former teachers was introduced to him by her aunt who is staying at Mazgaon. We have conducted searches at Vasai and Mazgaon, said a high-ranking DRI officer.

To check if the aunt has been involved in the previous smuggling cases, the DRI has summoned her and is likely quiz her on Monday . We will check her travel details for the same, said the officer.

DRI sources said the arrested woman was to be paid commission. She told us that she was going to get the money in cash by the receiver and the mastermind would have deposited the money in her account, said the officer.

The agency officials stated that carriers are lured into smuggling by quick money. A carrier is usually paid some Rs20,000 to Rs 25,000. The syndicate scout for women so that agencies will not suspect them upon their arrival at the Mumbai airport, said the officer. She was a teacher in a Montessori school, Dubai, from 2001 to 2007.

She returned to India in 2007 and since then she has been a housewife.

READ

Flier carrying 42 gold bars worth Rs1.29 cr held at Mumbai airport

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Yesterday, Parsi-Zoroastrians in Navsari, a city in south Gujarat, met to discuss a demand from some members of the community that they should create an Aramgah, or burial ground, for those who do not want to opt for the traditional funeral practice  sky burials.

The meeting was significant because Navsari has been a centre of Zoroastrian religion and culture for nearly a thousand years. The city has one of the Atash Behrams  fire temples of the highest grade  in India and some of the most illustrious Parsi families, like the Tatas, have their origins here.

Though the Parsi population in the town has declined to around 2,000  from a peak of over 8,000  the community still maintains two Dakhmas, or Tower of Silence, where dead bodies are laid out to be disposed of by the sun and carrion birds. This practice  called Dokhmenishini - draws from the belief that people should, in death, give back to nature what they took during their life. The decimation of Indias vulture population  largely due to the use of a veterinary drug that killed off birds that eat dead cattle, that were injected with the medicine  has jeopardised the tradition.

The Towers of Silence were built to replicate ancient funeral rites in Persia, their ancestral homeland. Corpses are laid out to be disposed of by the sun and carrion birds, but with the near-extinction of vultures the bodies rot for months. In Mumbai, when the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), which manages their cemetery at Malabar Hill, prohibited families of people who opted to be cremated from conducting funeral prayers at there, reformists built a prayer hall at the Worli municipal crematorium as an alternative for people who do not want to be consigned to the Towers of Silence at Malabar Hill. The hall, built with donations, hosts an average of eight funerals every month. Cremations may be increasing but are still a small proportion of funerals in Mumbai.

Recently, over 150 members of the local Anjuman, or association, of Navsaris Parsis signed a letter saying that they wanted a change in the funeral tradition. The group has suggested that a portion of the Dakhma land be kept aside for burials. The issue (of declining vulture populations) is not unique to Navsari. The system was working well as long as the vultures were there; now there is a problem, said Yazdi Kasad, a member of the Navsari community.

The request for non-traditional funerals is, like in Mumbai, facing opposition from traditionalists who think that opting for burial and cremations is a dilution of their religion. One of the high priests, Firoze Kotwal, from Mumbai wrote to the association asking them to desist from opting for burial. Kotwal, whose roots are in Navsari, asked the community to read out his letter at the meeting.

Kotwal said that the system of Dokhmenishini has not failed, but the authorities have failed the system. I hereby suggest that every effort should be made to strengthen the system and efforts should be made to bring back the vultures in the vast area of the Dakhma, he said in his letter.

According to Kotwal, Gujarat still has a large number of vultures. It is noted that there are good number of vultures in the village Daamkaa near Surat. Our ancestors had unflinching faith in the system of Dokhmenishini and it is not a wise stand to switch over to an irreligious and anti-Zoroastrian system in a place where Dokhmas are in service.

Kotwal said that the practice of Dokhmenishini should be preserved at all cost, with no concession or relaxation i our practices. He said that any attempt to change the system was irreligious and that the vultures should be brought back.

But Navsaris Parsis want an alternative. His (Kotwals) letter is not important as these are his views. This is our own decision, said Kasad.

READ MORE

Citizen groups oppose heritage tour of Parsi Tower of Silence

Parsi-Zoroastrians go to vote to find whether Tata head should be a non-Parsi

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Even 60 days after the demonetisation of higher value notes, the cashless economy is yet to take off in Noida. Vendors and traders said that the improved cash supply in the new year has brought back old habits, as consumers have started paying for services with cash instead of using plastic money.

Nineteen-year-old Afroz, a meat vendor in Nithari meat market of Noida, has put up hoardings, outside his meat shop, stating that he accepts payments through online wallet system. He said that he is the first meat trader in the market to accept plastic money. However, his earnings through plastic money and online transfer have been negligible in the last few days.My sales had dipped due to the cash crunch and I thought that accepting plastic money would help compensate for it. However, in the last two weeks, hardly three to four customers paid through the cashless modes. The bulk of my regular customers are villagers of Nithari who like to pay in cash, Afroz said.

Similarly, many vendors in Noida have not yet bought card swipe machines as they believe that the improved supply in ATMs has normalised the situation to an extent.

HT had also reported that long queues outside ATMs and banks in Noida have reduced as they have been receiving sufficient cash supply. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had also increased the daily withdrawal limit through ATMs from Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,500 from January 1.

Now, everyone has cash in their wallets and prefer to pay in cash instead of going through the hassle of using other modes. I dont see any point in installing an expensive card swiping machine worth Rs 15,000 at present. We think that the pre-demonetisation cash situation is not far away despite widespread reports of a persisting crunch, Manohar Yadav, a grocery shop owner in Sector 27 market said.

SK Jain, president of the traders association of Sector 18, believes that despite demonetisation, even high-end shops have not turned totally cashless.

Before demonetisation, the shops in Sector 18 said around half their transactions were done through digital modes. After the demonetisation, this has increased to roughly 75% of all transactions but it is still not 100%. That is because customers hesitate to deal solely through cards as they do not want to attract the governments attention, Jain said.

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Greater Noida

A contingent of homebuyers from Greater Noida staged a protest on Sunday morning against builders and the state government over delay in delivery of flats.

Around 11.30am, members of the Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association (Nefowa) gathered at Kisan Chowk with placards and posters against builders and UP government. The protesters also blocked the road, causing a traffic snarl. A police team also arrived at the spot to manage the situation.

We have, time and again, requested the authorities and builders to complete housing projects on time as thousands of homebuyers are suffering due to delayed delivery and other discrepancies, but there seems to be no action in this regard. As nobody is heeding to the voice of common people, we decided to stage a protest, Abhishek Kumar, president of Nefowa said.

The homebuyers association has warned the UP government of intensifying its campaign against it during the upcoming assembly elections if their demands are not met. Also, homebuyers demanded a quick implementation of the Real Estate Regulatory Bill, which was passed by the Parliament last year.

As the elections are approaching, we want the government to ensure action against defaulting builders, Shweta Bharati, general secretary, Nefowa, said.

Last month, the Noida and Greater Noida authorities adopted the project settlement policy, which was passed by the state government on December 13. The policy gives realtors an exit route from projects they are unable to execute, as well as benefit homebuyers who are waiting past the deadline for delivery of their flats.

Under the policy, a builder can exit a housing or commercial project in which construction on the allotted plot is yet to be started. The homebuyers, however, called the move an eyewash.

No policy will work if the authorities are not willing to work in favour of homebuyers. We are also planning to stage a protest against banks who are still giving loans to defaulting builders, Kumar said.

The police officials intervened and pacified the protestors. The personnel requested the agitators to clear the road as the traffic flow was being disrupted. The association said it will rope in villagers, farmer leaders and homebuyers from across the city to intensify the protest.

There are over 50,000 homebuyers who have been affected due to delay in delivery of flats. More than 15,000 of these buyers live in Noida. We are going to intensify the campaign with the help of all stakeholders. We are also in talks with farmer leaders, who have extended their support. We will organise a 24-hour sit-in very soon against builders who are yet to deliver projects, Kumar said.

The protests ended after an hour and the traffic flow was eased.

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When it finally rained this winter, it drowned a 22-year-old record and left an imprint in the form of traffic snarls, power outages in certain areas and snow in the citys favourite weekend retreat of Kasuali. Even Solan, just 67km from the city, received snow. Another noticeable effect of the rain was a colder day with a fall of 7C below normal, for this time of the year, at 12.6C.

The city received 65mm rain in the 24-hour period from 8:30am Friday (January 6) to 8.30am Saturday (January 7), according to the India Meteorological Department. From Saturday morning to evening, another 9.1mm rain was recorded, taking the total over the two days to 74.1mm.

The rain at the Chandigarh airport was 59.2 mm in the corresponding period. For comparison, the data the reference point is the airport data.

CLEAR TILL LOHRI NOW: MET

The rain on January 6 has been the heaviest over the 22 years and the Western Disturbances has caused such downpour. This weather system will now move eastwards and we will have clear sky by Saturday night, said Surender Paul, director, IMD.

The western disturbances as an upper air cyclonic circulation over north Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir and causes rain in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, almost every year.

NIGHT TEMPERATURE TO DIP TO 6C

The next week will be cooler, but temperature, particularly at night, will be lower at 6-7C from 10C now. The day temperatures will be 18-20C, Paul added.

CLOUDY AROUND LOHRI

Paul added that on January 13, around Lohri, the next cycle of Western Disturbances, is touching the city and cloudy weather will result.

January 15 onwards, another spell of rain will hit the city, again due to Western Disturbances, he added.

ALLURE OF SNOW: ALL ROADS LEAD TO KASAULI

With Kasauli and Solan also receiving snow, there was excitement in tricity residents to visit these two places and play with snow.

With Saturday evening and Sunday morning of the weekend, Kasauli also emerged as the destination of choice as roads to Shimla are blocked due to heavy traffic.

Sushma Aggarwal, who works as a teacher in a government school, confirmed, There has been a lot of snowing since morning. Every year, it snows for a day in Kasauli.

Sanjeev Kumar, a hotelier in Kasauli, said, A lot of tourists reached Kasauli on Saturday as the news of snow flashed. Shimla has seen disruptions in power and water supply, so people are coming here.

Abhishek Kumar, of Sector 16 in Panchkula, said he had chosen Kasauli for a weekend-out as hotels were full in Shimla.

There has been little snow in Solan and Kasauli on Saturday as compared to Shimla and higher reaches. Sunday is likely to see clear weather. There will be snowfall only in Kufri and higher reaches around forenoon on Sunday, said Surender Paul, director, IMD, Chandigarh.

Surinder Singh, who an advocate from Panchkula, said, We reached Kasauli around afternoon after our relatives informed us of the snow. It is all-white sheet here. We will stay for another day.
Punjab deputy chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, and his wife, Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, were engaged in a freewheeling chat with HT senior resident editor at a special interaction held in Chandigarh on Saturday. Here the are excerpts:

HT: Historically, Punjab polls have been a two-party affair. This time, do you think its going to be a three-horse race in Punjab this time?

Sukhbir: Actually its still a two-party game with the second party divided into two, three, or four, or five. Akali Dal is still there as one united party and we have our own space which we are retaining.

You are confident of a hat-trick though sporting stars such as Pargat Singh, Navjot Singh Sidhu are in the opposite camp. Where does this confidence come from?

S: Pattern of voting has changed. Now people do not vote as per history, Panth, or on the lines of pure political affiliations. Today, the new generation, which is a major part of the electorate, votes keeping in view performance. If you look at our performance and compare it with others, it stands out completely. Keeping this in view, we are sure people will vote for performance.

Why should people give another mandate to the Shiromani Akali Dal?

Harsimrat: Because of the work done. Three key things  development, peace, and communal harmony Its a matter of pride that you have Prime Minister and finance minister of the country turn around and tell us that development in Punjab surpasses any other state And development undertaken during this term surpasses even our own previous five-year tenure. Its a government how its supposed to be  of the people, by the people, for the people. There are people who say 70% of Punjabis are nashedi (drug addicts). Its actually like throwing muck at yourself. How can you do that for the sake of politics? Its very sad. There is a new party, which says something in Punjab and after crossing the border says something else.

What is the single most important achievement of your government?

S: Fulfilling all promises that I made. Unprecedented development that even Congress cannot deny. Who could think 10 years back that we will make Punjab power surplus, Mohali international airport, connecting every town with express highways!

Will development really get you votes?

S: My style of politics is different. Winning and losing is in the hands of God. My passion is to create something and set examples, that if government wants it can deliver. It is a passion.

Whom do you consider a formidable challenger in this election? Congress or AAP?

S: Congress! AAP is nowhere.

Why not AAP?

S: AAP was, about a year-and-half back because it was something new. Punjabis love new things; they buy new things and discard the old ones. AAP was a new party and people discarded the old parties.

H: Its made in China!

S: I agree, AAP is made in China! Reality of Kejriwal has come out in the open.

What is that reality?

S: They want to fight in Punjab. But they do not know the culture of Punjab, the ethos of Punjab, what Punjabis stand for. They do not know what Panth is. They think the formula they used in Delhi will work here. There is a difference of day and night between Delhi and Punjab. By chance, God forbid, if AAP comes to power, they will create chaos here. It believes in agitation, not in governance. Kejriwal wants to become Punjab CM A state like Punjab need help and support of government of India every minute. We are a border state. We want peace here. You will be surprised that Kejriwal comes to Punjab and starts liaisoning with radicals. The day before yesterday (Thursday) he was having breakfast with Akhand Kirtni Jatha, which is a political front of Babbar Khalsa International, the biggest terrorist organisation He has dinner with the three jathedars appointed by the Sarbat Khalsa that declared Khalistan.

H: What is dangerous about this party (AAP) is that it is a party of opportunists. They will dump Punjab at the first opportunity and run away.

Why are youngsters enamoured with AAP?

H: I dont think they are enamoured with AAP.

Is this due to disenchantment with your government?

S: No, not anymore. Kejriwal has dumped everybody who has helped him. First he dumped Anna Hazare, then Yogendra Yadav, and then he dumped (Sucha Singh) Chhotepur

H: He will dump Punjab also

S: If your check records, 38 candidates of AAP have criminal records such as murder and cheating.

AAP has put up Sikh faces against CM Badal, and against you.

S & H (together): What have they put up?

S: Is Bhagwant Mann a Sikh? He goes to Darbar Sahib after getting drunk. He goes to Talwandi Sabo Takht sahib after having alcohol.

H: He is the first MP asked by the (Lok Sabha) speaker being asked to stay out because his colleagues could not put up with the stench of alcohol coming from him!

There have been two prominent poll surveys so far  one favours you and the other says Congress will win. Do you believe in these surveys?

S: No, I dont believe in these surveys because I know the reality behind such surveys. These are all manipulated.

A widespread perception is that you are facing double anti-incumbency. What is going against your government?

S: You will talk about triple incumbency when we will fight for a fourth consecutive term. I go to the field every day. We can judge the public mood from the face expressions of the common man Elections are won by cadre. If your army is strong, you will win a battle. If the army is demoralised, you can never win. And our army this time is more charged than it was in the 2012 elections.

What prompted you to put General JJ Singh (retd) against Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder from Patiala?

S: He was the first Sikh to be chief of army staff; and is very competent.

H: Three generations in the army!

S: Should I tell you something? He himself came to me.

H: He wants to trump the Captain.

And you didnt have any candidate from Patiala?

S: Candidate was not an issue. Look at his passion. A chief of army staff wanted to join Akali Dal and wanted to fight. He is the best bet.

H: Captain is from a royal family; and heres a soldier (JJ Singh) who fought and defended the nation and stands for sacrifice. So the real Captain and the real soldier  its going to be a fight between raja (king) and runk (commoner).

The drug issue has been resonating in Punjab. How serious is it?

H: Certain political parties can stoop to any extent, whether it is an attack on Darbar Sahib or the katle-aam (massacre) in 1984, or even coming to Punjab and declaring all Punjabis as drug addicts. They make political statements only to demolish opponents.

So, is there no drug problem in Punjab?

H: There is as much drug (abuse) in Punjab as there is anywhere else in the country.

S: How many people, children do you know who are into drugs? I am shocked at the opposition. You should not insult your homeland.

Why would your rival parties do that?

S: Look, say all that you want against the Badal family, but please dont say Punjab youth is addicted to drugs. Thats why we were forced to do drug test!

What was the result (of tests conducted on 4 lakh male aspirants in police recruitment last year)?

S: 1.26 % (found hooked to drugs)!

Harsimrat, when your brothers name cropped up in drug scam, how did you feel, as a sister?

H: Obviously, it hurts. Congress is very good at planning and plotting such things despite the fact that it was our party that went after these so-called druglords and caught them from other states. It was Amarinder Singh who had let him (Jagdish Bhola) off, and we went after him and caught him. Five central agencies came to Punjab, when Congress was in power at the Centre, and interrogated this druglord. Congress gave this bright idea to him: Name ruling families and then you will be safe, nothing will touch you and the case will carry on for good. And thats how the whole thing came about! If my brother was involved, why would we go after the druglord? We would have been the first one to let him flee further away. My brother doesnt even take alcohol and meat.

S: Ehna (Majithias, Harsimrats paternal family) de kutte vee veg ne! (Even their pet dogs are vegetarian) Frankly speaking, there are thousands of other ways to make money. They have their own sugar mill, they have their own airlines; they have got everything! Do you think they will get into drugs to make money? It is ridiculous.

Both AAP and Congress are promising to banish drugs in four weeks.

S: Captain sahib nu bolo daru chad den (Tell Captain to quit drinking).

In Patna, PM Narendra Modi complimented Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for the prohibition, the liquor ban there. Will you support a liquor ban in Punjab?

H: I am a teetotaller, born teetotaller, born vegetarian, despite coming from a family that produces alcohol. There is no one in my family who has ever tasted alcohol. Yes, I will definitely support prohibition.

Whats your view, Sukhbir?

H (laughs): He would lose his voice!

S: No, no! I dont drink. The issue is that anything you stop will create an underground mafia. Today, you go to Gujarat. I think there is more alcohol consumed in Gujarat than anywhere else in the world. When they started prohibition in Haryana, it created a parallel mafia In Bihar also, its available... We have to educate people to quit liquor.

H: In a democracy, you cannot stop peoples food and drink habits, and of course it is very good if the government cdoes something to make availability of liquor difficult. It has become a fashion with youth also. They get pushed into drinks just because of pressure. Its extremely unfortunate.

One of the central allegations of AAP is that you and Capt Amarinder are mixed up.

S: First of all, Akali Dal can never, ever, ever, align with the Congress. We are ready to leave politics than align with Congress. It is the party that attacked the Golden Temple we can dismantle Akali Dal but cannot align with Congress. This is clear.

Your criticism by opponents underlines your business interests. They say, Give Sukhbir five years in power and he builds a five-star hotel for himself!

S: The issue is whether or not you want politicians who declare all their assets. There is no newspaper that has not scrutinised my every business. And they could not find a single thing wrong. Amarinder set the state vigilance bureau against me, and they even counted my kids dresses.

H: Even the kitchen items!

S: They could not find anything wrong. There is also no conflict of interest. It shows that we are like an open book.

H: Unlike Amarinder, who opened Swiss bank accounts during his government but does not declare them.

Your critics say you have reduced politics to management of polls.

S: You cannot win an election by management alone. Today, you call me a very good manager. If I lose an election, you will question my managerial skills. It is all Gods will.

Badal Senior has been fighting Gandhi dynasty his entire life. Now he is promoting one at home.

H: Sukhbir has delivered, to be where he is today.

S: I will tell you something. The person who has come maximum in the way of my political career is my father. When I got into politics, he told me, Eh toh baad mein nai kuch karna (I will not do anything beyond this). Can you imagine that when I used to be on the stage, I used to put my name on the list of those who wanted to speak; and he used to cut my name! I used to call the person (handling the list) and tell him, I will not let you enter my house if you dont write my name. I had to prove to the party that I can do better than others. I was looking after Youth Akali Dal first. I made the YAD crowds bigger than the main Akali Dal crowds at rallies. I had to prove myself again and again and again.

Now we have many sons and sons-in-laws of Akali leaders in the fray.

S: Look, if you go to buy a horse, you look at its pedigree! A family which is looking after a particular constituency  people trust them. They want the next generation to also come and take care of them. It is trust in a family. Not all politicians sons are successful... I can give you so many examples.

H: Rahul Gandhi!

You have three kids. Would you like for them to be in politics?

H: I was not inclined myself, what about my kids! It was all destiny.

S: It all depends on circumstances.

H: We got married on the condition that you (Sukhbir) will not enter politics. How could you forget that?

S: You know who got her into politics? Capt Amarinder Singh! Because he sent his son to our home constituency Bathinda and challenged us to field someone against his son. We were left with no choice When we asked her to contest, she was doing sewa (voluntary service) at some gurdwara She didnt know where Bathinda was also!

H: My daughter called up her grandfather (CM Badal) saying, We dont see our father, now we wont see our mother also. It was a huge turmoil.

S: Politics is the most difficult profession, a thankless job. People forget the 10 favours you did to them but will remember the one you didnt. Let me give you an example. We changed the look of Bathinda city. We changed the lives of the people. What looked like a gutter we made it look like a palace. But she lost by 30,000 votes from there (in 2014 Lok Sabha tally as part of larger Bathinda seat).

Does that mean development does not get votes?

S: People have no concept... asi dhakka karan wale log nahi haan (We are not ones who will force people to vote). We are very soft.

Nearly 1.4 crore people are covered under the atta-dal scheme, which is 80% of the states population. Is Punjab that poor?

S: Its as per directions of the Government of India, that urban areas have to be covered 45% and rural areas 55%. The Food Security (Act) was passed by them. If people are getting some benefit, it is fine.

Amarinder has been promising 50 lakh mobile phones, one job per family. Kejriwal is also promising sops. Where can the money come from? Punjab is under heavy debt.

S: Look at the AAP manifesto in Punjab  a photocopy of its Delhi manifesto! Captain sahib is desperate. He has already said that it is his last election. He has no passion to perform. I have to perform to come back a third time. Captain sahib wants to lead an easy, cushioned life. Among the three parties, just see whose commitment level is high. AAP has no commitment level.

What role do you, Harsimrat, play in Sukhbirs politics and the way he runs the government?

H: My father told me, You follow him, and everything else will follow. It was a fantastic quote.

What was the toughest time you had in the government?

S: It was the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. It was such a sad affair. That one month was very tough.

Harsimrat, do you see yourself playing a more active role in state politics, say, as the Akali Dals first woman CM?

H: Are you kidding? Not a chance! I am not even fit to be at the position I am in. I have no such aspirations whatsoever. I had a different life and I got pushed into somewhere else. Badal sahib asked me to give my best shot, and I did.

How would you rate Sukhbirs performance on a scale of 1 to 10?

H: If I had a choice, I will give him 15 out of 10! There is no doubt that our home and his health have been sacrificed, but the man has talent. If you look at the way he has done his business; the way he has transformed Punjab. If his father came with experience and his connect with the people, Sukhbir came with a vision. It was larger than life and way beyond what anybody could even imagine. He has brought Punjab to this level!

Its election time; do you feel like a student facing exams every time?

H: That is what he was telling our daughter, that my exams are before yours.

S: I love a fight. I am a fighter. It is like a war room where all your strategies are taking shape. It is very exciting. But it is not an easy game. The best thing for Punjab is my father. He is like an umbrella. If, God willing, we get another five years, you will see a level of development you could not even imagine. We will bring a radical change.

H: We have put the building blocks in place and built on it. If a lazy Captain or an opportunist (like) Kejriwal comes to power, they will take Punjab back, which will be sad.

In UP, we have recently seen a father-son (Mulayam-Akhilesh Yadav) split while the Badals in Punjab are still going strong. Whats the secret?

S: Politics is my fathers life. For the last 10 years, the media has been writing, Sukhbir to be sworn in this Monday, on Diwali, and so on! I have always said that as long as my father is fit, he will continue to be CM. And I am saying this today also. If we win and he is fit, he will be CM.

H: He (Sukhbir) has changed so much in the last 10 years. He was impulsive. I used to tell him, Why dont you become like your father? There is so much to be imbibed from dad.

S: Working under him is the best experience one can get. Its like joining Harvard Business School. He has the passion, dedication and commitment for the people that no one else can have. Even I dont have it.

(Transcribed by Pawan Sharma and Sukhdeep Kaur)
Former army chief Gen JJ Singh (retd), who will be contesting elections against Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh from Patiala Urban assembly segment, joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday.

This will be not be a battle between a captain and a general, but between a scion of royalty and a soldiers grandson, said Gen JJ Singh, vowing to make Amarinder bite the dust. The ex-army chief was reacting to Amarinders Friday remark that for the first time in the history of army, a captain will be defeating a general.

SAD president and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who welcomed the general into the party fold, said the Congress was facing a bankruptcy of ideas and was raking up non-issues. Congress is a divided house, fighting against itself. The Congress must decide on its war horses before launching a broadside on its rivals, he added.

Gen Singh said he will fight the political battle with all humility and approach all sections of society. The fight will be clean, though I will give a befitting reply if the rival tries to use foul means, he said.

On his late entry, when less than a month is left for the polls, Gen Singh said he will be working 18 hours a day while Captain works for only six hours. Thus, I have 66 days with me that are more than sufficient, while Captain has only 22 days, he said.
If there was a prize for a perfectly coordinated couple, Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife, Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, would have won it hands down. The HT Power Couple had the audience all ears and smiles as they deftly fielded questions with one seamlessly finishing the answer of the other.

They were colour coordinated too: he in a crisp midnight blue turban and black jacket, and she in a flowing peacock blue tunic and palazzos, a hip makeover of the Akali blue. Harsimrat, who lends oomph to the demure dupatta-on-the-head look, sat smiling quietly until Sukhbir came to the subject of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Even as the deputy CM was speaking about Kejriwals dalliances with radical leaders, Harsimrat demolished the AAP leader in three short bursts. He is opportunistic, dangerous has dumped every leader who supported him.

Watch | Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal says shes chosen to be keep herself in the background as politics has never been her forte.

She was equally spirited in defence of her younger brother and Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia on the issue of drugs. Citing the family tree, she said: We come from a family that protected Maharaja Ranjit Singh. My great grandfather was the first pradhan of the SGPC. My grandfather was the first revenue minister of Punjab. Sukhbir stepped into the pause to quip, Ehna de te kutte vi vegetarian ne, as the audience burst into laughter.

Countering the criticism of dynastic politics, Sukhbir recounted how he clawed his way into politics despite the initial roadblocks put by his father. You know he would cut my name from the list of speakers, he laughed. Continuing on pedigree politics, he said: Ghora lain lage vi pedigree dekhde ho, to which Harsimrat added, straight-faced, You trust a brand. Rahul Gandhi, sending the audience into splits.

Harsimrat reminded the deputy CM how they were married on the understanding that he would not join politics. Harsimrat, says Sukhbir, was shocked when asked to contest from Bathinda after Capt Amarinder Singh fielded his son Raninder Singh from there, and issued an open challenge to the Badals. She did not even know Bathinda, he chuckled.

Harsimrat said now she has to face jibes from everyone in the family. My children ask why did you produce us? He (pointing to Sukhbir) tells me he always wanted a wife who would have time for him. Harsimrat said she wouldnt like their children to follow in their footsteps. She also dismissed any ambitions to be the first woman chief minister of the state with a vehement: No, are you kidding?

When asked to rate her husband, she gave him a generous 15 out of 10. Later, Dr Pramod Kumar, director of the Institute of Development Communication, joked that he knew she would take all the marks back as soon as she reached home.

On who makes the first move in case of a tiff between the couple, Sukhbir declared it was always him. Manaunda ta main hi haan. Its a one-way traffic, he chuckled, as Harsimrat smiled. And the men in the audience suddenly felt a newfound kinship with Kaka ji.
With the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) fielding former army chief Gen JJ Singh (retd) against Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh from Patiala in the state polls to be held on February 4, the ex-servicemen stand divided in the constituency.

While some are accusing Gen Singh of lowering the prestige of the post of an army general, there are many who are set to join his campaign.

The All India Ex-Servicemen Joint Action Front (Sanjha Morcha) on Sunday lambasted Gen Singh, also for his comments against Amarinder.

The general has not only downgraded the status of a former chief of army staff (COAS) but also disgraced the high office of governor (a post he held in Arunachal Pradesh), said retired Lt Generals JS Dhaliwal, SS Brar and KS Dogra; and Maj Gen SPS Grewal (retd).

If at all he wanted to contest polls, he should have done that for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, instead of downgrading himself to the level of assembly elections, said Dhaliwal.

Brig Devinder Singh Grewal (retd) went further: When he was made army chief, the media underlined that he was the first Sikh to hold the post. But Gen JJ Singh said, I am Maratha, as his regiment was Maratha Light Infantry. Why has he come to Punjab to contest polls? He should go to Maharashtra. He has no connection with Patiala. Amarinder is here and often meets ex-servicemen.

Gen Singh, who has cited family connections and childhood days in Patiala for a local connect, hit back, saying, Some ex-servicemen with vested interests, and motivated by Capt Amarinder, are hitting below the belt. They are afraid of my popularity.

Does having held the rank of COAS stop you from serving the nation through politics?, he asked, and added, Amarinder never faced a bullet in his three years in the army, while I led from the front in all important operations.

Many of his ex-colleagues have started coming to Patiala to campaign. Lt Gen Jagdish Singh Dhillon (retd), under whom JJ Singh once served, said, I will certainly campaign in Patiala as JJ remained my junior in the army. I am here to support him.

There cant be double standards. Another former army chief, Gen VK Singh (retd), also contested elections. Why the objection against Gen Singh? Its his personal choice, he said.

Brig Ramesh Bhatia (retd), a batchmate, is among those who has come to native Punjab from Dehradun to support Gen Singh. Many of my colleagues are coming to give a befitting reply to Amarinder in the polls, said Gen Singh.

Ex-servicemen matter not only in terms of population but also perception in Patiala, which has a cantonment with nearly 5,000 votes. Add to that, around 6,500 votes of serving soldiers and ex-servicemen, who have been known to vote for Amarinder and his clan in the past. Patiala in all has 1.5 lakh votes.

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Chief election commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi along with his poll panel colleagues AK Jyoti and OP Rawat will arrive on a two-day tour to Chandigarh on January 11. The election commissioners will be assessing arrangements put in place for the Punjab assembly polls scheduled on February 4.

The CEC will be meeting representatives of all political parties in the fray besides the Punjab chief secretary and director general of police. Zaidi has also asked Punjab chief electoral officer (CEO) VK Singh, all deputy commissioners (DCs) and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) to come prepared with the list of steps taken to ensure free and fair polls.

We have sent a pro forma to all DCs and SSPs to explain their preparedness for the polls, which is to be discussed in the meeting with the Election Commission of India (ECI) team, an officer working with the CEO told HT.

38,000-LITRE LIQUOR SEIZED

Ahead of the polls, the Punjab excise department has seized over 38,000 litres of liquor in raids conducted at 263 places within two weeks. Polls nodal officer from the excise department Gurtej Singh said 55,800 litres of lahan (liquor made at home) was also seized. A total of 104 cases have been registered.
Promising the moon to the business community in the city, Aam Aadmi Party Punjab affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh during an interaction with traders in Ludhiana on Friday night said he will put an end to the VIP culture in the state if voted to power.

He also promised a special package to revive the industry.

We are against the VIP culture but it is unfortunate that it is prevalent everywhere in the state. We havent asked for any security and will bring an end to this culture if voted to power, he said. Lamenting that 20,000 units have shut down over the years as the ruling Akali government imposed hefty taxes and made electricity costlier for the industrialists, Singh promised the traders he will reduce the cost of electricity meant for commercial use in order to increase the production.

Singh also lambasted the BJP for demonetisation and said it will kill the economy. In a country where 87% of the economy thrives on cash, the Prime Minister wants to make it cashless. Will you buy vegetables with Paytm and credit card? ? A large number of labourers have been laid off and all this is adversely affecting the business, he said in his address to the traders.

Responding to a question as to what the party will do to benefit the labourers, Singh said the wages will be increased and they have a plan to provide free medical to the labourers if voted to power.

At present business is going out of Punjab. There is a serious law and order problem. When government works honestly , there is no dearth of funds, he said.

Responding to a query on whether the party plans to act against private education institutes in Punjab who overcharge in the name of education, Singh said that he will put an end to such practices.

WILL WIN MORE THAN 100 SEATS IN THE STATE

Claiming that the party will win a sweeping majority in the forthcoming assembly elections, Singh said that they are sure of getting a sweeping majority in the state as the people are fed up of Congress and Akalis. He said they will announce the name of the partys CM candidate when the right time comes.
After much fight and chaos, Om Swami was finally thrown out of the Bigg Boss house this Friday. However, he is now threatening the makers of the show that he will not allow the finale to happen, if he is not called back.

On Saturday, during the Weekend Ka Vaar, host Salman Khan showed footage of senior journalist Dibang, who is associated with the media panel of Colors and Bigg Boss 10, interviewing Swami Om, after being ousted from the house.

Swami Om has been evicted from the house several times but was called back every time. (Colors)

While speaking to the senior journalist, he threatened the makers by saying, I will wait only for two weeks, if they do not call me back, I wont let grand finale happen.

During the captaincy task this week, Swami threw his urine on co-contestant Bani J and Rohan Mehra and as a result, he was immediately put behind the bars by the other contestants.

Later, on Friday, he was thrown out of the Bigg Boss house by the shows security guard.

Earlier, another Indiawale Priyanka Jagga was evicted from the show due to her behaviour towards the housemates.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
A suicide car bomb blast claimed by Islamic State killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 50 others at a vegetable market in eastern Baghdad on Sunday, police and medical sources said.

The attacker drove the car through a gate to the market in the mainly Shiite district of Jamila, and detonated the bomb after security forces opened fire on the vehicle, a police source said.

Islamic State claimed the attack in an online statement, saying the bomber had targeted a gathering of Shiites in the area.

Firemen gather at the site of a car bomb attack at a vegetable market in eastern Baghdad, Iraq , on January 8, 2017. (Reuters)

A series of attacks in the Iraqi capital and other cities in the country have killed dozens of people in just over a week.

Several have been claimed by Islamic State, which is coming under increasing pressure from a US-backed offensive in Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq.

Iraqi forces advanced to within several hundred metres of the Tigris river than runs through Mosul on Saturday, as their operation against the ultra-hardline group gathers pace.

Islamic State is likely to resort to bomb attacks and similar tactics elsewhere in Iraq as it is driven out of its Mosul stronghold.

Also read | Brutal day in Baghdad as several attacks kill at least 27 in Iraqi capital
Sarabjit Singh (23) of Paharpur village, who had gone to Cyprus for studies two months ago, has allegedly been murdered. Balvinder Singh, father of Sarabjit, said that the Cyprus police informed them on Saturday that around seven Indian boys killed his son and injured three others. The police said three accused had been arrested and search for others was on. One of the three injured is also stated to be in a critical condition .

The police told the family that Sarabjit and his 12 friends had gone to a beach for a birthday party on Wednesday, where they quarrelled over something.

Later, during night at round 2am, seven boys went to the flat of Sarabjit, where he was present with three of his friends. The accused called them outside and attacked him and others with a sharp-edged weapon. Sarbjit was seriously injured and died of injuries. The accused, who have been arrested, hail from Haryana, said Sarbjits father.
The site of an ancient settlement in Shenyang, capital of Chinas northeastern Liaoning Province, has been confirmed as dating back more than 2,000 years, the city cultural relics and archaeology institute said on Sunday.

The institute started work on Qingzhuangzi City in the Hunnan District of Shenyang in July 2016. So far, about 500 square meters have been excavated.

Archaeologists have found the remains of houses, cellars, ash pits, and tombs.

Pottery, bronzeware, ironware and stoneware have been unearthed at the site, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Archaeologists said Qingzhuangzi had a long history of human habitation from the Bronze Age to the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD).
Around 200 NATO troops, mainly Italians, have been deployed to the volatile western province of Farah, officials said Sunday, after Taliban insurgents in recent months attempted to overrun its capital city.

The announcement came after the Pentagon on Friday said it would deploy some 300 US Marines to southern Helmand province, where American forces engaged in heated combat until their mission ended in 2014.

The troops will mainly train and advise local forces, coalition officials say, but the deployments underscore how foreign forces are increasingly being drawn back into Afghanistans worsening conflict.

At the request of the Farah provincial governor, Gen. John Nicholson (top US commander in Afghanistan) has authorized approximately 200 coalition members to support Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, NATO said in a statement.

They will conduct their train, advise, assist mission for approximately one week on location.

A local government spokesman confirmed some 200 NATO troops, mainly Italians, had arrived in Farah city on Friday.

Last year, Taliban militants attempted to overrun several provincial capitals, from Kunduz and Baghlan in the north to Helmand in south and Farah in the west.

Afghan forces backed by coalition airstrikes pushed them back on many fronts, though the rebels managed to briefly seize Kunduz city in the north and breached parts of Lashkar Gah city in the south.

NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but US forces were granted greater powers in June to strike at the insurgents as President Barack Obama vowed a more aggressive campaign. The US still has some 8,400 troops in the country.

In early December General Nicholson said Kabul directly controls about 64 percent of the countrys population of 30 million, down slightly from 68 percent earlier in 2016.
A truck driven by a Palestinian rammed into pedestrians on a popular promenade in Jerusalem on Sunday killing four people, according to Israeli police who called it a deliberate attack.

It is a terrorist attack, a ramming attack, a police spokesperson said on Israel Radio, which reported that bodies were strewn on the street. The radio said the driver of the vehicle was shot.

Police said the dead, three women and one man, were all in their twenties.

An Israeli bus driver who witnessed the incident said on the radio the truck ploughed into a group of soldiers, and that they fired on the driver, who reversed direction and ran over them again.

They shot him, until they neutralised him, said the bus driver, who gave his name only as Moshe. Israeli TV stations said the driver was killed, and footage showed bullet holes in the trucks windscreen.

Israeli television stations said at least four people were killed and that some 15 wounded were strewn on the street at the Armon Hanatziv promenade overlooking the walled Old City of Jerusalem.

Israel Radio reported the driver was a Palestinian but did not immediately give his name.

A wave of Palestinian street attacks, including vehicle rammings, has largely slowed but not stopped completely since it began in October 2015.
Officials in Beijing have announced a new environmental police squad to root out illegal burning, the latest government response to the widespread public anger over Chinas persistent problems with smog.

Beijings acting mayor, Cai Qi, said at a meeting Saturday that the force would target open-air barbecues, garbage incineration and the burning of wood and other biomass, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Cai announced several other measures on Saturday, including a target of cutting the use of coal by 30% in 2017 to shutting down 500 higher-polluting factories and upgrading 2,500 more. About 300,000 high-pollution vehicles will also be restricted from entering the city starting next month, he said.

Beijing and dozens of cities in China spend many winter days under a thick, gray haze, with air pollution levels that routinely exceed World Health Organization guidelines. Beijing spent part of last week under an orange alert, the second-highest level in Chinas four-tiered air alert system. More than 20 cities were on the highest red alert.

Read | Beijing begins installing air purifiers to combat pollution

Smog is an acutely felt issue in Chinas cities, where a red alert can lead to the closure of schools and businesses, flight cancellations, and shutdowns of highways to keep cars off the roads. During a red alert in Beijing last month, authorities banned construction crews from spray-painting and even seized the charcoal grills from some restaurants.

But enforcement remains an issue. Chinas environmental ministry said during last weeks red alert that its inspection teams found companies resuming production despite a government ban. Many factories remain under severe pressure to meet production targets regardless of air pollution.

Read | Smog returns but Beijing says overall air quality improving

Cai on Saturday blamed polluting activities like burning garbage or wood on the result of lax supervision and weak law enforcement.

But Chinas pollution is caused chiefly by its thousands of coal-burning factories and a surplus of older, inefficient vehicles. While it tries to answer the loud public calls to tamp down on pollution, Chinas Communist government is also grappling with an economic slowdown and the challenge of maintaining growth.

China is also the worlds largest producer and consumer of coal, and measures like capping production days or shutting down older coal mines run the risk of driving up energy prices and further slowing the economy.

Read | Delhi air pollution: Unlike Beijing, India unable to remove old cars from roads
A British man has put his gender transition on hold to have a baby after finding a sperm donor on social media and is expected to become the first UK male to give birth.

Hayden Cross has been living legally as a man for three years and is already part-way through hormone treatment to transform from a woman to a man.

But the 20-year-olds full transition was paused after the UKs state-funded National Health Service (NHS) refused to carry out a 4,000-pounds process to freeze his eggs - which he hoped would enable him to have children in the future.

The former supermarket worker instead found a sperm donor via Facebook and, now successfully pregnant, is set to give birth in a few months, according to The Sun.

Cross is expected to become the first UK male to give birth.

Sixteen weeks into his pregnancy, Cross told the newspaper: I want the baby to have the best. Ill be the greatest dad.

He took to social media to find a sperm donor and an anonymous donor came forward and, having self-administered the sperm, Cross became pregnant at the first attempt.

Speaking of the discovery, Cross said: It was mixed emotions.

I was happy but I also knew it would be backtracking on my transition.

He said he felt pressured into getting pregnant before completing his gender transition, as hormone treatment would have set irreversible changes into motion.

Gender transition treatment costs the NHS on average 29,000 pounds per patient.
The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five people and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida was charged on Saturday and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. Authorities dont know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Santiago was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death  which carries a maximum punishment of execution  and weapons charges.

Workers clean the escalators that lead to the baggage claim area at terminal 2 at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, on January 7, 2017, after a gunman opened fire and killed five people. (AP Photo)

Todays charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors, US attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

Authorities said during a news conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with the cooperative suspect, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska. Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.

Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska. He had two magazines with him and emptied both of them, firing about 15 rounds, before he was arrested, the complaint said.

Read | Florida shooting: US veteran lost mind after Iraq tour, had run-ins with law

We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. Were pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack, FBI agent George Piro said.

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiagos motive, and its too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the US government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day, FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.

Baggage claim area of Terminal 1 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood international airport in Florida on January 7, 2017, the day after multiple people were shot at the airport. (AP Photo)

On that day, Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.

On December 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldnt say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.

Santiago had not been placed on the US no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.

The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.

Read | US Army veteran kills five in Florida airport shooting, taken into custody

Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota with his wife for a cruise when he heard three quick cracks, like a firecracker. Then came more cracks, and I knew it was more than just a firecracker, he said.

Making sure his wife was outside, Lea helped evacuate some older women who had fallen, he said. Then he saw the shooter.

He was just kind of randomly shooting people, he said. If you were in his path, you were going to get shot. He was walking and shooting.

Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, he said. When he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.

This image taken January 6, 2017 and made available by Mark Lea, shows the gun of Esteban Santiago reportedly used at the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. Santiago opened fire in the baggage claim area killing five travellers. (AP Photo)

By that time, a deputy had arrived and grabbed the shooter. Lea put his foot on the gun to secure it.

Read | Florida: Investigators search for motive in Fort Lauderdale airport shooting

Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being demoted for unsatisfactory performance. Bryan Santiago said Saturday that his brother had requested psychological help but received little assistance. Esteban Santiago said in August that he was hearing voices.

How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for only four days, and then give him his weapon back? Bryan Santiago said.

Bryan Santiago speaks about his brother Esteban, a man charged with killing five people at a Florida airport , in Penuelas, Puerto Rico on January 7, 2017. (AP Photo)

His mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the family home in Puerto Rico, wiping tears from her eyes. The only thing she said was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode next to two of his friends when he was around 18 years old while serving in Iraq.

Santiago will make his first court appearance Monday.

It is legal for airline passengers to travel with guns and ammunition as long as the firearms are put in a checked bag  not a carry-on  and are unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container. Guns must be declared to the airline at check-in.

Despite his mental evaluation, US attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a high standard.

Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Anchorage aboard a Delta flight Thursday night, checking only one piece of luggage  his gun.

Also read | Florida shooting: No terror link yet, lax gun laws again in focus
A senior official of the Israeli embassy in London has been filmed during a sting operation purportedly plotting to take down British MPs who are outspoken supporters of Palestinian cause, including foreign office minister Alan Duncan.

Shai Masot, who described himself as an officer in the Israel Defence Forces and was a senior political officer at the mission, was caught on camera by an undercover reporter of Al Jazeera while talking to Maria Strizzolo, who works for the department for education's Skills Funding Agency.

The Israeli ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev, has apologised to Duncan. An Israeli spokesman said Regev believed the embassy considered the remarks completely unacceptable.

The Israeli embassy also said Masot would be ending his term of employment with the embassy shortly.

PRESS RELEASE @IsraelinUK and @foreignoffice comments regarding remarks made by embassy employee pic.twitter.com/ma6skHB9os  Yiftah Curiel (@yiftahc) January 7, 2017

During a meeting at a restaurant, Masot spoke to Strizzolo about purportedly acting against MPs who cause problems for Israel. Can I give you some MPs that I would suggest you would take down, he said.

A framegrab from Al Jazeera footage shows Israeli official Shai Masot and Maria Strizzolo. (Screengrab)

Strizzolo asked him which MPs he was referring to and Masot replied, The deputy foreign minister.

Masot agreed with Strizzolos contention that foreign secretary Boris Johnson was solid on Israel but added: You know he (Johnson) is an idiot but so far he became the minister of foreign affairs without any kind of responsibilities.

The Israeli officials secretly filmed conversations and his profile on social media platforms such as LinkedIn described him as a major in the Israeli Defence Forces between 2004 and 2011 and showed that he is still employed by the IDF as deputy head of the international organisations sector.

He also said he had applied for the post of head of the foreign affairs department of the intelligence department.

Strizzolo, who earlier served as chief of staff to MP Robert Halfon when he was deputy chair of the Conservative Party, deleted her Twitter account after Al Jazeera aired footage from the sting operation on Saturday.

The footage from the six-month undercover operation will feature in a four-part series to be broadcast from January 15.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a Palestinian who rammed a truck into a group of soldiers on Sunday and killed four of them was a supporter of the Islamic State group.

We know the identity of the assailant, who according to all indications supported IS, Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office that provided no details on what led to the finding.

Fifteen people were also injured in the attack. The driver was also killed at the location overlooking holy sites in the Old City such as the Dome of the Rock and providing one of the most spectacular views of Jerusalem.

Chaos broke out at the scene when the truck ploughed through the crowd, with hundreds of soldiers having arrived there as part of a tour for troops about the history of Jerusalem.

A lone terrorist drove his truck into a group of soldiers standing on the side of the road, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told reporters at the scene.

They got off the bus, and as they were getting off the bus and getting organised, he took advantage.

Israels military said one of its soldiers fired on the attacker and distributed video of him saying he shot after realising it was not an accident.

Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the windshield of the truck.

Police only confirmed four people were dead, but a medic at the scene said they were soldiers.

Medics also reported that three of the victims were women, while all four were in their 20s.

Video said to be of the incident being shared online shows a flatbed truck with a crane in the rear drive through a group of soldiers standing next to a bus.

The driver then pulls off to the side and tries to reverse back towards where the soldiers were hit before the truck eventually comes to a stop.

Orders and screaming

Ambulances rushed to the location and video showed visitors, including soldiers, running for cover as the incident began. Bodies were later covered in sheets.

I heard my soldiers screaming and shouting, said one of the tour guides, Lea Schreiber.

I saw a truck that went on the side of the road. Soldiers starting shooting... There were orders and screaming everywhere. They told them to hide behind the wall because there was fear of another attack.

Netanyahu later visited the scene along with Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

We know the identity of the assailant, who according to all indications supported IS, Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.

Fawzi Barhum, a spokesman for Islamist movement Hamas which runs the Gaza Strip, saluted the attack, calling it heroic and brave.

Palestinian security officials in the West Bank city of Ramallah said the driver was a Palestinian in his late 20s from the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Jabal Mukaber, located close to the scene.

Rosenfeld said it was not yet clear if the attack had been planned earlier or was spontaneous.

It occurred in what was formerly designated a no-mans land between mainly Palestinian east and Israeli-dominated west Jerusalem, near UN headquarters at a spot that leads to a promenade with picturesque views.

Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and Palestinian neighbourhoods are located nearby.

Reprehensible

The UN envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, condemned the attack in a statement.

It is reprehensible that some choose to glorify such acts which undermine the possibility of a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis, he said.

There is nothing heroic in such actions.

A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks broke out in October 2015, but the violence had greatly subsided in recent months.

Since October 2015, 247 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed, according to an AFP count.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out attacks, according to Israeli authorities.

Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some died in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with the Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, comatose peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have helped feed the unrest.

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most difficult issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Palestinians see east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and later annexed, as the capital of their future state.

Israel views the whole city as its capital.

US President-elect Donald Trump recently stirred fresh controversy over Jerusalems status by vowing to break with years of precedent and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.

Last week, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas warned that doing so would cross a red line and could jeopardise peace prospects.
The suspect in the shooting of a US consular official in Mexicos western city of Guadalajara is an American who will be deported back to his country, officials said Sunday.

Hours after authorities announced the suspects arrest, the attorney generals office and the foreign ministry issued a joint statement saying he would face justice in the United States for the sordid and cowardly shooting.

The official was shot on Friday in a brazen attack by a man wearing a black wig and a blue nurse uniform outside a shopping centers garage in Mexicos second biggest city.

Officials have not indicated the possible motive nor revealed the identities of the victim or the suspect.

The suspect was arrested by Mexican authorities in close collaboration with the FBI and the US embassy, the joint statement said, without providing more details about the day or circumstances of the capture.

The victim, who was hospitalized, was in stable condition, it said.

A US government official told AFP the victim was a vice-consul at the consulate in Guadalajara. Mexican authorities said he handled interviews of visa applicants.

An official at the Jalisco state prosecutors office told AFP on condition of anonymity that the suspect is 31 years old and of Indian origin.

The FBI had offered $20,000 for information about the shooters identity.

US embassy urges caution

The US consulate in Guadalajara posted surveillance camera footage showing the official, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, paying a parking ticket at an automated machine. The gunman is then seen following him.

Another security camera shows the gunman later standing outside the garage. When the officials black car stops at the exit, the shooter raises his gun and opens fire.

A bullet hole is seen on the windshield and the official opens his door before the footage ends.

Jaliscos state attorney general, Eduardo Almaguer, described the shooting as a direct attack on Saturday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry thanked the Mexican government for the swift and decisive arrest of a suspect in the heinous attack against our Foreign Service Officer colleague.

The safety and security of US citizens and our diplomatic staff overseas are among our highest priorities, Kerry said in a statement, wishing the official a speedy recovery.

Fridays shooting prompted the US embassy to issue a security message on Saturday urging US citizens in Guadalajara to restrict their movements outside their homes and places of work to those truly essential.

They should also take care not to fall into predictable patterns for those movements that are essential, the message continued. They should vary the times and routes of their movements.

Guadalajara and the rest of the state have been hit by violence perpetrated by the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel in recent years.

Previous attacks

US officials have faced attacks in Mexico in the past.

In 2010, a consular official, her husband and the spouse of another consular official were killed in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez, which was mired in an ultra-violent drug war at the time.

An alleged leader of the Barrio Azteca gang was extradited to the United States, where he was sentenced to life in prison for ordering the murder.

A year later, gunmen from the Zetas drug cartel opened fire on a vehicle of two US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the northern state of San Luis Potosi, killing one of the officers.

In 2012, two US officials -- widely reported to be CIA agents -- and a Mexican marine where wounded when they were shot at by federal police officers as they drove south of Mexico City.

Fourteen officers were charged with using excessive force, with officials citing a case of mistaken identity.
Nepal government on Sunday tabled the constitution amendment bill in parliament despite resistance from the opposition parties including the main opposition CPN-UML.

The bill was presented amid much drama and chaos. The opposition parties had agreed to resume the House briefly to allow the government to table bills related to elections. Speaker Onsari Gharti announced that in the absence of Deputy Prime Minister Bimalendra Nidhi, who also holds the home portfolio, law minister Ajaya Shankar Nayak will table election bills. As soon as Nayak finished presenting those bills, Gharti allowed more time for the law minister to table the constitution amendment bill.

Opposition lawmakers chanted slogans near the well of the House but could not move upward to the rostrum due to tight security.

Both Speaker Gharti and Nayak belong to the ruling CPN(Maoist Center) party.

House speaker Onsari Gharti set an unprecedented parliamentary practice by allowing the ruling parties to table the bill. We will continue our protests, said UML leader Bam Dev Gautam.

The bill is one step forward to address the demands of agitating Madhes based political parties, who have been calling for changes in constitutional provisions like citizenship, language, making constitution more inclusive and provincial demarcation.

Since the bill was registered in Parliament on November 29, the main opposition parties have been calling it anti- national and obstructing the House.

The opposition parties were under pressure to allow resumption of proceeding after Nepals Supreme Court last week issued an order that constitution amendment process was the prerogative of Parliament and any changes in the constitution through the parliamentary process was valid.

But the government is struggling to secure required two-third majority to approve the bill, as ruling Nepali Congress and CPN(Maoist Center) and Madhes-based parties clearly do not have the required numbers.

I tried my best for over a month to seek a way out for consensus with our established norms and practices, I resumed the House processing today, Gharti said after the resumption of the House.
Pope Francis encouraged women attending a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday to feel free to breastfeed their children in the church.

The ceremony is a little long, someones crying because hes hungry. Thats the way it is, the pontiff said.

You mothers, go ahead and breastfeed, without fear. Just like the Virgin Mary nursed Jesus, he told worshippers attending an annual ceremony commemorating the baptism of Jesus.

The Argentine pope on Sunday baptised 28 children -- 15 boys and 13 girls.

He has previously voiced his support for breastfeeding, including in public.

The benefits of breastfeeding include providing optimal nutrition and an immune system boost for babies, while helping mothers bond with infants and speeding maternal weight loss after birth.

In many countries around the world, however, women are still widely discouraged from breastfeeding, especially when they are in public.
Mario Soares, former president and prime minister who signed the 1974 India-Portugal treaty recognising Indias sovereignty over Goa, Daman, Diu, Nadra and Nagar Haveli as part of the country's decolonisation process, passed away here on Saturday aged 92.

One of the most influential politicians in Portuguese history, Soares was the external affairs minister when the treaty was signed with former minister for external affairs Yashwantrao Chavan in New Delhi, soon after the 'Carnation Revolution of April 1974 that returned democracy to Portugal.

Soares faced some criticism at the time for allegedly 'handing over' Goa to India without seeking the views of Goans about their political future. Until the treaty was signed, Portugal continued its claim to Goa at the UN, refusing to recognise its liberation by India in 1961.

The Chavan-Soares treaty marked the resumption of diplomatic relations between India and Portugal, frozen after India liberated the former Portuguese colonies in December 1961. Soares was a fierce critic of dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, who tried to hold on to Goa, and was overthrown in the 1974 revolution.

Soares was hospitalised in December, but never recovered, slipping into a coma. Doctors confirmed his death on Saturday. Portugal has declared a three-day mourning period from Monday.

Soares founded Portugals Socialist party (Partido Socialista) in 1973 in Germany, conducting subversive activities while opposing Salazars regime. He was arrested 12 times and forced out of Portugal.

One of two main parties in the country (the other is the Social Democratic Party, or Partido Social Democrata), the Socialist party held power several times since 1974.

As the external affairs minister in the government after overthrowing Salazar, Soares oversaw the decolonisation process of several Portuguese colonies. A colourful and charismatic leader, Soares became prime minister of Portugal three times and president for a decade.

The Socialist partys leader, Goa-origin Antonio Costa, is the prime minister and currently on a visit to India.

Today, Portugal lost its father of liberty and democracy, the person and face the Portuguese identify most with the regime that was born on 25 April, 1974, the Socialist party said in a statement.

As prime minister, Soares attended attend the funeral of Indira Gandhi in 1984, and as Portugals President, was the chief guest of Indias Republic Day in 1992.

Portugal was the first Western country to colonise parts of India (Goa, from 1510) and the last to leave (in 1961).

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A South Korean Buddhist monk is in critical condition after setting himself on fire during a mass protest against the impeached President Park Geun-Hye, officials said Sunday.

The monk, in his 60s and whose name was not released, set himself alight late Saturday night in central Seoul where hundreds of thousands returned to the streets for the eleventh week to demand Parks ouster.

He left a note urging authorities to arrest the scandal-hit president for committing treason, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Park was impeached by parliament last month over an influence-peddling scandal that sparked a storm of public fury and nationwide protests, and the Constitutional Court now has to decide whether to confirm the impeachment.

The monk also slammed Park as a traitor for forging a deal with Japan to settle compensation for women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during the World War II, according to Yonhap.

Critics say the 2015 deal did not go far enough in holding Japan responsible for wartime abuses. Tensions between the two countries spiked on Friday when Tokyo recalled its ambassador over a statue of a comfort woman.

The monk suffered third-degree burns across his body and remains unconscious, according to police and staff at Seoul National University Hospital where he is being treated.

Self-immolation is not unheard of as a means of protest in the South, and was particularly common during the pro-democracy movement of the 1980s and early 90s when a number of activists set themselves on fire during public demonstrations.

Park is accused of colluding with her secret confidante, Choi Soon-Sil, to coerce top local firms to donate tens of millions of dollars to non-profit foundations which Choi then used as her personal ATMs.

The president is also accused of letting Choi, the daughter of a shady religious figure who was also close to Park for decades, meddle in state affairs including nomination of top officials.

Both Park and Choi -- who is currently on trial -- have denied any wrongdoing.
President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that only stupid people or fools would dismiss closer ties with Russia, and he seemed unswayed after his classified briefing on an intelligence report that accused Moscow of meddling on his behalf in the election that catapulted him to power.

Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing, Trump said in a series of tweets.

He added, We have enough problems without yet another one, and said Russians would respect us far more under his administration than they do with Barack Obama in the White House.

Trump repeatedly has questioned the assessment by American intelligence agencies that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election, and a classified report presented to him Friday seemed to have little changed his thinking.

The report explicitly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a clear preference for Republican Trump in his race against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

But Trump tweeted that with the many global issues confronting the United States, it doesnt need testy ties with Russia on the list.

Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only "stupid" people, or fools, would think that it is bad! We.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2017

have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2017

both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2017

Even as intelligences officials looked back in their reports on the election, they also made a troublesome prediction: Russia isnt done intruding in US politics and policymaking.

Immediately after the November 8 election, Russia began a spear-phishing campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting US government employees and think tanks that specialize in national security, defense and foreign policy, the report said.

The report was the most detailed public account to date of Russian efforts to hack the email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and individual Democrats, among them Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta.

Read | US obtained evidence after election that Russia leaked emails, say officials

The unclassified version said Russian government provided emails to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks even though the websites founder, Julian Assange, has denied that it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted that the emails could have been passed through middlemen.

Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid trolls to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. Moreover, intelligence officials believe that Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumbprint on future elections in the United States and allied nations.

In a brief interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Trump said he learned a lot from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion that Russia had intruded in the election on his behalf.

After finally seeing the intelligence behind the claims of the outgoing Obama administration, Trump released a one-page statement that did not address whether Russia sought to meddle. Instead, he said, there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election and that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines.

Read | Report cites Putins influence campaign, Trump says no effect on poll result

Intelligence officials have never made that claim. And the report stated that the Department of Homeland Security did not think that the systems that were targeted or compromised by Russian actors were involved in vote tallying.

Putin most likely wanted to discredit Clinton because he blames her for inciting mass protests against his regime in late 2011 and early 2012, and because he resents her for disparaging comments she has made about him, the report said.

Before the intelligence agencies completed their assessment, Obama announced sanctions against Russia. Trump has not said whether he will undo them once he takes office, but lawmakers are calling for more punitive measures against Russia and have little to no appetite to roll back any current sanctions.

Read | How US intel report on elections will affect Trump, Putin and the world
Amita Swadhin, an Indian American genderqueer activist and survivor of sexual abuse, will be among witnesses testifying at a US Senate hearing starting on Tuesday to confirm Jeff Sessions as president-elect Donald Trumps attorney general.

Swadhin is being fielded by Democrats, who are expected to subject some of Trumps nominees to close scrutiny. Five of the nominees are up for confirmation this week, including those for state, Rex Tillerson, and CIA, Mike Pompeo.

Swadhin was sexually abused by her father for eight years till she was 12. She reported him to authorities the next year and later came out as genderqueer and founded Mirror Memoirs, which helps child abuse survivors among LGBTQs of colour.

The LGBTQ community has opposed Sessions nomination as deeply disturbing and his record of voting as a senator against same-sex marriage and related issues will be prosecuted aggressively by Democrats over two days of hearing.

But Sessions and all other Trump nominees are expected to be cleared by a Republican-controlled Senate, though Democrats have seemed determined to not roll over, and have called for slowing down the process.

They have sought time to adequately vet the nominees, their tax records and conflicts of interest for those leaving behind but not severing ties to their businesses that will continue to deal with the government and will be impacted by its policies.

The Office of Government Ethics, which monitors and implements the governments ethics programme on the executive branch, has said that its review process for several of the nominees has not been completed and more time was needed.

Democrats are saying Republicans are trying to jam through the confirmation process. Republicans, on the other hand, have argued, they are only trying to ensure Trump has as many of his nominees as possible confirmed by the time he assumes office.

First to go are Sessions and homeland security secretary nominee General John Kelly on Tuesday. Sessions will continue for one more day, going into Wednesday when five more nominees will go before their respective committees.

These will be Exxon CEO Tillerson, whose hearing will be followed very closely around the world as the man who will represent and execute Trumps foreign policy vision and initiatives.

The rest will include Congressman Mike Pompeo, who has been nominated to head the CIA; billionaire Betsy DeVos for education; billionaire investor Wilbur Ross for commerce and fast-food chain owner Andrew Puzder for labour.

The other nominees, including Nikki Haley, the Indian American governor of South Carolina nominated ambassador to the United Nations, and General James Mattis are expected to come up for the confirmation hearings next week.
President-elect Donald Trumps transition team on Sunday doubled down on its claim that Democrats allowed their email accounts to be hacked, dismissing an intelligence report on Russian meddling in the US presidential election.

The comments come two days after the Republican president-elect met the countrys leading intelligence agency chiefs, who told him that Russian President Vladimir Putin directed a vast cyberattack and leaking campaign aimed at helping install him in the White House.

Although Trump accepted the possibility that Moscow was involved in hacking US targets including the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the president-elect has held fast to his rejection of the intelligence communitys conclusion that Russia interfered in the election, and has called the accusations part of a political witch-hunt against him.

Trumps senior aide Kellyanne Conway repeated that line on Sunday, telling CNN that any attempt, any aspiration to influence our elections failed.

They were not successful in doing that, and its a very important point, she said of the Russians, blaming Democrats instead for allowing their accounts to be hacked.

Were talking about this because we had embarrassing leaks from the DNC e-mails, she said. There were no fireworks in that report because there was no firewall at the DNC.

Trumps Democratic rival Hillary Clinton lost the election all on her own, Conway added.

We didnt need WikiLeaks to convince the American people they didnt like her, didnt trust her or find her to be honest, she said of the website that posted the documents.

Conway also repeated Trumps accusation that the White House leaked information about the intelligence before it was shared with Trump on Friday.

You cant have people in positions of keeping us all safe and knowing classified information or intelligence information, we cant have them leaking to the media, she said.

That should really infuriate Americans today, that people who possess this information are sending it to the media ahead of the president-elect receiving the information.

Trump has made repeated calls to improve relations with Moscow. Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, he tweeted on Saturday. Only stupid people, or fools, would think that it is bad!

Asked whether that meant Trump would not take action against Russia for hacking, White House chief of staff-designate Reince Priebus told Fox News on Sunday that the president-elect would order the intelligence community to make recommendations.

The recommendations will be discussed and actions may be taken, he said. But I dont think theres anything wrong with trying to have a good relationship with Russia and other countries around the world.

Read| Report cites Putins influence campaign, Trump says no effect on poll result
A task force of about 300 US Marines will be sent to southwestern Afghanistan this spring to help local troops fight the resurgent Taliban in Helmand province, where the militants have made significant gains in recent months.

The Marines will return to Helmand after a gap of three years, replacing other foreign troops and offering training and advice to the Afghan police and army.

Advising and assisting Afghan defense and security forces will assist in preserving gains made together with the Afghans. This new deployment of Marines to Helmand reflects our enduring commitment to the people of Afghanistan, said an official statement from the US Marine Corps.

Read: US Marine Corps dog gets medal for bravery in Afghanistan

Since US forces withdrew from Helmand in 2014, the province has witnessed significant advances by the Taliban. The militants have moved closer to the provincial capital Lashkargah after capturing several districts.

The Afghan Army has been asking countries contributing troops to the NATO-led Resolute Support mission to bolster the strength of forces in Helmand.

The deployment of the US Marine task force will reportedly last nine months. The US declared its combat mission in Afghanistan over in 2014 and most troops sent to the country are deployed for advising and assisting Afghan troops. However, the Marines being sent to Helmand are preparing to face risks, a senior official said.

Lt Gen William Beydler, commander of US Marine Corps Forces Central Command, told the Marine Corps Times: "Afghanistan remains a dangerous and dynamic environment. And our aim, training and advising the Afghan forces, is to preserve and build upon the gains they've made. Marines will face risk in this new assignment."

The US has some 8,500 troops in Afghanistan, with most of them at key installations in Kabul and the main airfield in Bagram. Some of the troops are part of counter-terrorism operations, including those against Islamic State fighters in Nangarhar province.
Chance The Rapper might be Mayor of Chi-City someday, and this is only confirmation of that possibility. Reported by The Chicago Sun-Times, Chance will be joining the board of trustees of Chicagos DuSable Museum of African American History, alongside his father Ken Bennett. Mr. Bennett previously served as Mayor Rahm Emanuels first deputy chief of staff and director of the office of public engagement

Chance and Kens inclusion in the museums new board of trustees is part of an effort to revamp public interest in the museum, and promote an inter-generational dialogue. The DuSable Museum of African American History is renowned for giving a no-holds-barred narrative of Black History. We imagine theres going to be a whole exhibit added on the history of Chicago hip-hop added to this museum with Chance hanging around. Stay tuned.

Chance The Rapper
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Usually when an author comes to town, you merely need to walk in and grab a seat. But this spring, you'll have to plan in advance and buy tickets to see some of the biggest names. Here's a look at who, when and where:

Jan. 13: Zadie Smith, whose most recent novel is 2016's "Swing Time," will be in conversation with Houston writer (and University of Houston professor) Mat Johnson.

Details: 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 5501 Main

Tickets: $27; includes a hardback copy of "Swing Time." Available through Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet; 713-523-0701 or brazosbookstore.com

March 6: George Saunders, already a master of the short story, will read and discuss his first novel, the upcoming "Lincoln in the Bardo," as part of Inprint's Margarett Root Brown Reading Series.

Details: 7:30 p.m. at Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Ave.

Tickets: $5; on sale at noon Jan. 24 at inprinthouston.org

April 3: Poets Ada Limon and Gregory Pardlo will read and discuss their work as part of Inprint's Margarett Root Brown Reading Series.

Details: 7:30 p.m. at Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Ave.

Tickets: $5; on sale at noon March 7 at inprinthouston.org

April 6: Cheech Marin, the legendary entertainer, will read and discuss his upcoming book, "Cheech Is Not My Real Name  But Don't Call me Chong."

Details: 7 p.m. at River Oaks Theatre, 2009 W. Gray

Tickets: $27; includes a hardback copy of "Cheech Is Not My Real Name." Available through Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet; 713-523-0701 or brazosbookstore.com

May 3: Siddhartha Mukherjee, cancer researcher and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Emperor of All Maladies," will discuss and sign his book "The Gene: An Intimate History."

Details: 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 5501 Main

Tickets: $20-$25; includes a paperback copy of "The Gene" and admission for one or two. Available through Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet; 713-523-0701 or brazosbookstore.com

May 8: Colm Toibin will read and discuss his upcoming novel, "House of Names," as part of Inprint's Margarett Root Brown Reading Series.

Details: 7:30 p.m. at Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Ave.

Tickets: $5; on sale at noon April 4 at inprinthouston.org

Info: inprinthouston.org
Ogun Art & Wine is now open at the space that formerly housed Absolve Wine Lounge, 920 Studemont.

The establishment is in the strip center at the intersection of Washington Ave. and Studemont, a few doors down from Beer Market Co.

On Dec. 19, a Facebook post for Absolve announced that the bar, which had operated there for nearly seven years, would be shutting down after another "wine enthusiast" took over the lease at that space. The owners shared that Absolve was the "last foothold in Houston," and that they would be leaving Houston with an "emotional farewell to the service industry."

CLOSED: Houston bars & restaurants we bid farewell in 2016

The new establishment, Ogun Art & Wine, debuted there on Dec. 30 as a wine bar that doubles as an art gallery. Ogun's website describes the place as "setting where art and wine enthusiasts can intermix, and mutually indulge their senses in unique offerings from both categories." The site states that the owners will build on the 19th-century "layout of furniture, art and wine" tradition that Absolve's owners established.

That may be why some of the art and decor look familiar.

Although the owner of the new establishment have also brought in a number of new canvases and a fresh selection of wine that includes "a specialty selection of wine varietals from Southern Africa." The art that's been added to the existing collection includes a number of exotic pieces with an emphasis on African art. Paintings, masks and sculptures influenced by that continent now fill the cozy space.

Have you visited Ogun Art & Wine? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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It's hardly surprising that there's a fireman's pole inside Station 3. Why wouldn't there be? The trendy wedding and event venue built in 1903 on Houston Avenue used to be one of the city's original fire stations.

What's unusual is that Jeff Johnson - a mechanical engineer, not a firefighter - slid down the 15-foot metal rod during his December wedding reception. No one was more shocked than his bride.

"There was talk that Jeff was going to do it," said Hilary Johnson, 30. "It's allowed, if you sign a waiver."

The groom nearly got cold feet - about his grand entrance, not his nuptials. He was on the fence about it, but his uncles egged him on.

"It came time to do the garter toss, I'm sitting on a chair, music playing as planned, and here Jeff Johnson came sliding down the pole," Hilary recalled. "I've never laughed so hard."

Her husband, a proud 29-year old Texas A&M University graduate, didn't stop there; he proceeded to point at the audience and bust out dance moves she'd never seen before.

"He was such a ham and totally worked the crowd," she said. "I didn't know he had it in him."

Close friend Lauren Turner likes to joke that wedding history was made that night.

The couple's shared love of music has always been a constant. Both attended Brookside Intermediate School (and later Clear Brook High School) and were even Brookside Bulldog bandmates together, but they ran in different social circles.

It wasn't until January 2013 that a spark ignited. They had each brought different dates to a mutual friend's wedding.

"We kept missing each other; the timing was never right," Hilary said. "I would like him, but he wouldn't like me." And vice versa.

The Katy ISD speech pathologist credits "good ol' Facebook" and her younger sister, Kaitlyn Gahring, for initiating the courtship.

"People just pop into your newsfeed," she said of the story that later anchored Kaitlyn's maid-of-honor speech.

" 'Oh my god, Jeff is so cute now!' " Kaitlyn remembered her sister saying. "And she told me to message him."

A dinner date followed, and eventually, several vacations. Travel can teach you a lot about a person, Hilary said.

It can also set the stage for a marriage proposal.

Jeff popped the question during a trip to Alaska in July 2015. She already knew that he had purchased a ring - she was at home when it was delivered - but she was still blindsided.

"I'm not exactly an outdoorsy kind of girl, and Alaska is very  outdoorsy. It was really tough on me and emotionally taxing," she said. "I don't really like camping, and we camped for seven days. I thought, there's no way he's going to propose; I'm acting like a fool."

On the second-to-last day, the Johnsons, two friends and Jeff's brother took a floatplane out to look at the glaciers. In spite of a terrible toothache and motion sickness, Hilary couldn't help being mesmerized by the perfect blue sky. Everyone was busy taking photos of the breathtaking scenery, so when Jeff called her over for one last snapshot, she thought nothing of it.

He got right to the point and asked, "Will you marry me?"

The pain subsided as she accepted, she said.

Given the academic calendar, they couldn't marry in October as originally planned, or over the summer as Jeff worried that Houston's sweltering heat would overwhelm his Northern relatives. A winter wedding felt practical.

"I didn't have a planner, but my mom is amazing. She helps all of her friends' daughters with their weddings," Hilary said of Barb Gahring, who has an interior design degree and lives in Denver. "It was stressful at times because we couldn't just say, 'Hey, let's go check out this venue.' She traveled back and forth a lot."

On a scouting trip, mother and daughter fell in love with Station 3's exposed brick and historical feel; the bride couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else.

She also imagined saying "I do" in her mother's wedding gown - after a few alterations by Hilary's grandmother to make it her own - but craved the experience of going into a store and trying on dresses, like in the movies. So Kaitlyn joined them at Anthropologie's bridal boutique, BHLDN, in Highland Village one weekend, where they fell in love with an embellished sheath gown with an illusion neckline.

"I didn't want to hurt my mom's feelings, but she agreed that it was the perfect dress for me to marry Jeff in," Hilary said. When she tried to place the order online, however, the website's system wouldn't complete the transaction. "I called and was told that there was only one left in stock. It was in my size; it was meant to be."

Family members' unique little touches made the big day special. The mother of the bride created placemats for each reception-table setting and covered an oversize letter "J" in green foliage and fairy lights for the newlyweds' head table. A friend of Hilary's sister-in-law, who does calligraphy, wrote guests' names on place cards. Both her grandparents' and great-grandparents' cake toppers were showcased prominently in the cake display. When Hilary's father, a retired Air Force colonel, arrived in uniform to walk his daughter down the aisle, a few tears were shed.

Father and daughter danced to Steve Tyrell's rendition of "The Way You Look Tonight," inspired by a scene from Hilary's favorite movie, "Father of the Bride."

"Our first dance (as husband and wife) was to Trampled by Turtles' 'Wild Animals.' They're this little band from Minnesota, where Jeff's family is from," she said. "I'm all for the classics, but we wanted something that was special to us."

Each of Barb's six siblings' families surprised the newly minted Johnsons with choreographed dance moves to "Cotton-Eyed Joe," a tradition that began at Hilary's brother's wedding.

In addition to his monumental slide down the pole, Jeff joined his groomsmen and fellow alumni onstage for the gesticulation-laden Aggie War Hymn.

"Even my dad was dancing," Hilary said. "He's very straight-laced and serious, but he was out there, too. There was never a dull moment."
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This story ran in the Houston Chronicle on April 5, 1969. The headline and words are reprinted as they appeared then.

A mechanical heart for the first time is totally replacing a human one in an effort to keep a man alive until a suitable heart transplant donor can be found.

The highly experimental artificial heart was implanted in the chest of Haskell Karp, 47, of Skokie, Ill., Friday afternoon in a three hour operation at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital.

The decision to use the artificial device, tested thus far only on animals, was made after an attempted operation to repair Karp's extensive heart damage failed and he "did not recover enough to permit him to leave the operating room alive," said Dr. Denton A. Cooley, who headed the surgical team.

Soon after the artificial heart was attached to a remnant of Karp's own heart, he was able to respond to commands, raise his hands and wiggle his toes, hospital officials reported.

Awake and Alert

More Information Wife's Urgent Appeal Plea for a Heart - 'God-Given Heart' Mrs. Shirley Karp, wife of the patient kept alive with an artificial heart, today appealed for a heart donor: "Someone -somewhere- please hear my plea. A plea for a heart for my husband. I see him lying there breathing and knowing that within his chest there is a man-made implement where there should be a God-given heart. How long he can survive, only can only guess. "I cry without tears. I wait hopefully. Our children wait hopefully and we pray. "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh. But, the Lord also gave us gifted men - such as Dr. Denton Cooley and Dr. Domingo Liotta, who are instrumental in prolonging life. "Maybe somewhere there is a gift of a heart for my husband. Please -." See More Collapse

Karp this morning was awake and alert and in satisfactory condition, a hospital spokesman said. His wife, Shirley, visited him briefly and his son. Michael, 22, observed the visit from the operating room gallery.

"Our main concern at the moment is locating a suitable donor," the hospital spokesman said. "The three primary characteristics of each donor are irreversible brain damage, good cardiac function and O positive blood," he said.

Basic design for the heart pump was developed by Dr. Domingo Liotta of Baylor College of Medicine, who also is a developer of the partial heart assist, the left ventricular bypass, used on several patients by Dr. Michael E. DeBakey.

The 8-ounce plastic pump, lined with dracon to reduce damage to the blood, contains all four blood chambers. The two upper chambers are completed by sewing them into the back wall of the natural heart.

Only the plastic tubes which connect with the outside power supply, which pulses the heart, are outside the body. They are the size of a pencil. Slightly larger than a man's fist, the two sides are inserted separately and attached to the lung artery and the aorta, the main artery which feeds the body.

Previous Attack

Dr. Cooley said that Karp, who suffered his first heart attack 10 years ago, was so critically ill that the attempt to repair the damage had to be made.

The surgical team intended to remove part of the left lower heart chamber and rebuild it. They discovered this was impossible because the heart was so badly damaged and the wall of the lower chamber so weakened.

Fortunately, the artificial pump was available and sterile, said Dr. Cooley.

He said if this operation is successful, he intends to keep the pump available at all times.

The power supply comes from an elaborate console containing carbon dioxide. The gas is pulsed into the heart device through the connecting tube, pushes against a membrane inside the heart and bleeds off through another tube, never coming in contact with the blood.

Explained to Patient

Dr. Cooley said that Karp was told before the operation that the device might have to be used.

"We explained to him about the planned work repair, and told him there was a 70 percent chance of success, but there was a 30 percent chance that it would fail." Dr. Cooley said.

"We told him we would make every effort to keep him alive by using the device until we could get a donor," he said.

Dr. Liotta said the artificial heart has worked well in animals for "several" days.

Long Operation

Dr. Cooley said he thinks the device could function well for a month, but "realistically a week or 10 days."

Friday's operation took much longer than the usual hour to an hour and a half for a heart transplant.

Karp was taken to the operating room at 2 p.m.

"It took us over 45 minutes to find that we could not repair his own heart." Dr. Colley said.

Dr. Cooley said that he prefers to perform a transplant as soon as possible, even though it will put Karp through additional strain.

Surgeons assisting with the operation were Dr. Grady L. Hallman, Dr. Robert D. Bloodwell and Dr. Liotta.

UPDATE

The device kept Karp alive for three days after surgery, enough time for a donor heart to be found and implanted. He died 32 hours later of acute pneumonia he wasn't able to fight because of immunosuppressant drugs.

Karp's family later sued Cooley and St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital claiming wrongful death and that proper consent was not for an experimental procedure. After a trial, the court sided with the surgeon.

The historic surgery was hailed as a milestone, the first implantation of an artificial heart, but it's also remembered for setting in motion one of Houston's signature stories: a rift between Cooley and Dr. Michael DeBakey, which was immortalized in a Life cover story as The Feud. The two would not speak again for nearly 40 years after the procedure.

DeBakey claimed the device was identical to one developed in his lab and complained that Cooley had not received - nor sought - approval to use it. He would go on to call the first-ever use of the device a theft, a betrayal and "a childish act" to claim a medical first.

Cooley countered that the device's inventor, an Argentinian surgeon who'd come to Houston to work in DeBakey's lab, brought him the mechanical heart after DeBakey rebuffed the project. Cooley said they then redesigned it for use as an emergency bridge to transplantation and used it in a desperate attempt to save a life.

The two reconciled in 2007, two years before DeBakey's death at 99. Cooley died at 96 last year. Both are hailed as medical pioneers.

In 2000, the artificial heart was one of numerous 20th century inventions - others included Louis Armstrong's trumpet, a chunk of the Berlin Wall and a film clip of Neil Armstrong's moon landing - chosen to be represented in a National Archives time capsule to be unsealed in 2100. The device was represented by just a statement because the real thing resides at the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian often sends news organizations photos of the device for Valentine's Day and American Heart Month.

The first artificial heart intended for permanent use was implanted in 1982 at the University of Utah, and the recipient survived for 112 days.

- Erin Mulvaney
As the 85th Texas State Legislative Session kicks off Wednesday, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican who represents Northwest Houston, including Spring, Tomball and Cypress, has set his sights on reforming the property tax system, increasing local control of municipal pensions and retirement systems, and cracking down on improper student-educator relationships.

Bettencourt, who is the CEO of Bettencourt Tax Advisors LLC, a Houston-based consultant company, has proved to be an outspoken proponent of tax reform since he was first elected to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's former Senate seat in 2014. Last session, Bettencourt sponsored 25 bills that the Legislature approved, including one that made increasing property taxes more difficult for jurisdictions.

During the Interim Session, Bettencourt served as chair of the Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform & Relief. With the committee, he toured Texas to hear testimony and discuss ideas for reforming the appraisal system in the state.

In advance of this session, Bettencourt garnered attention for his SB 2, called the Texas Property Tax Reform and Relief Act of 2017.

"(This) is a response to the overwhelming cry for relief of property tax burdens that are ever escalating," Bettencourt said during a press conference. "Property tax bills go up much faster than Texans' paychecks  (they) feel like they're being taxed out of their home or business."

The bill would reform the rollback process that local entities use to approve tax increases. The new system would require a tax ratification election for a tax rate above the rollback rate and would lower that rate from 8 percent to 4 percent. The bill also would enact a more uniform standards for appraisal districts and boards across the state.

"The Senate Committee on Property Tax Reform and Relief has heard Texans' cry for property tax relief," Bettencourt said. "They've heard the cry of both homeowners and business owners to have better transparency and better standards of what happens at their appraisal districts. I believe SB 2 will give that relief and reform."

Critics of the bill, however, have said that it would effectively place a state-mandated cap on revenue and would restrict municipalities' abilities to provide sufficient public safety, economic development and transportation for citizens.

The Texas Municipal League publicly condemned the proposed reform.

"The largest budget item for every city in Texas is public safety  police, fire fighting and emergency medical services," Bennett Sandlin, TML's executive director, stated in a release. "Politicians can't proclaim their support for first responders and then turn around and vote to restrict the funding that pays for the salaries, equipment, vehicles, health insurance and pensions of the men and women who protect our communities."

In addition to SB 2, Bettencourt has authored five bills so far for the upcoming session. One would bind electors to cast their vote for the state's winning candidate, an issue that gained attention when a Texas elector refused to vote for President-Elect Donald Trump.

Another bill would crack down on educators who have improper relationships with students, creating a criminal offense and enacting additional penalties. This issue, too, has received attention recently following several cases in the Houston area.

"It's clearly happening everywhere," Bettencourt said.

He said he believes the increase in social media activity has opened more doors than ever for educators to make inappropriate contact with their students. The bill he proposed would enact penalties, not only for the teachers but for administrators who knowingly hire anyone with previous issues, and would encourage school districts to define strict social media policies.

"Once it happens one time, it's going to happen multiple times," he said. "It's just time to draw a very bright line that says, 'You step across this and you're going to lose your license.'"

Two of Bettencourt's bills address public retirement or pension systems. One would require that voters within a municipality approve pension fund obligations. The other would slash the requirement for the state to review local public retirement systems, giving the final say to the local entity.

Bettencourt said that he believes pension reform is particularly relevant on the local level as Houston has faced its pension crisis. He added that a better approach toward pensions for public employees would be to transfer the systems to be more like retirement plans in the private sector.

"It is just terrible public policy to allow anyone to vote on a billion dollars of pension bonds without the public voting," he said.

The fifth bill would exempt senior citizens over the age of 70 from a voter ID law that requires a voter to present an unexpired form of identification.

As the session moves forward, Bettencourt anticipates submitting more bills on tax relief and education reform. He also expects the Senate's quest to balance the budget will prove challenging.

"We're going to be billions of dollars short on revenue," Bettencourt said. "That basically focuses everyone's mind on what I hope will be a conservative solution (in the classical sense, not meaning political)."

Bettencourt serves on the Senate Finance, Education and Higher Education committees, is chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, was appointed to the Joint Select Committee to Determine a Sufficient Balance of the Economic Stabilization Fund and is the chair of the Texas Senate Republican Caucus.

Houston Chronicle reporter Bobby Cervantes contributed to this report.
AUSTIN  Texas tops the country with 229 wrongful convictions that led to exonerations in the last 25 years, an issue lawmakers are expected to take up when they meet next month.

The Timothy Cole Exoneration Review Commission released a report in December that focused on four areas it determined are ripe for reform: electronic recording of interrogations, faulty eyewitness identification, forensic science practices and false accusations and jailhouse information rules.

State Rep. John Smithee, the Amarillo Republican who presided over the commission, said the lawmakers who chair key committees had to be convinced about the cost and logistics of any recommendations before they could support them.

"What I've tried to emphasize to the public members of the commission was that we would have to get buy-in from (the senators)," he said.

As the panel's members - which included Republican and Democratic lawmakers, defense attorneys and prosecutors - met during the year, the focus quickly turned to how and when police should record interrogations.

Proposal not implemented

A similar panel, assembled in 2009, recommended a statewide policy to record interrogations, but it was the only proposal that lawmakers didn't implement. Currently, Texas law allows written statements from an interrogation to be admitted as evidence in criminal trials, as well as requiring oral and sign language statements in some cases, but there is no legal requirement to record such interviews.

However, the absence of a state law on recording police interviews has created a patchwork system , leaving authorities with wide discretion about which parts of an interview to record or whether certain criminal investigations should prompt a recording at all.

"In cases where false confessions have resulted in wrongful convictions, electronic recording of the interrogation process can assist all interested parties in determining whether or not the interrogation was carried out in an appropriate manner and if it resulted in an accurate statement," according to the report.

It recommends that the Legislature require police to record interrogations in all felony cases as soon as the suspect enters the interrogation room. To enforce such a measure, the panel suggests that unrecorded statements not be allowed in court unless a judge sees a good cause for the police's failure to record one.

Twenty states and the District of Columbia have statues or rules relating to electronic recording of in-custody interrogations with various guidelines on which offenses require such recordings, according to research by the state's Office of Court Administration.

Mike Ware, executive director of the Innocence Project of Texas, was an adviser to the commission and largely applauded its yearlong work.

"I believe the recommendations on electronic recording of police interrogations are extremely important, and I hope the legislature passes appropriate laws this session based on these recommendations," he said. "Very few people believed police shot unarmed people in the back until witnesses started recording those events electronically."

Panel was dissolved Dec. 1

However, Ware said he was disappointed the panel did not include provisions to enforce best practices among police departments.

"As it is, the police are free to completely ignore, with impunity, best practices in eyewitness identification procedures, which inevitably lead to more innocent citizens being falsely convicted," he said. "The lack of an enforcement provision on the recommended faulty eye-witness ID reform may be something we will have to take up directly with the Legislature."

The commission is the product of House Bill 48, which won overwhelming bipartisan support in the 2015 session and Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law. It allowed the commission only to look at cases as far back as January 2010 and required that the commission be dissolved on Dec. 1, 2016, after a report with recommendations was submitted to legislators.

The panel's namesake, Timothy Cole, died in 1999 from an asthma attack in prison while serving a 25-year sentence for a wrongful conviction in Lubbock County. He was exonerated in 2009 through DNA testing and was officially pardoned by then Gov. Rick Perry one year later.
At least a half dozen families were displaced in a rash of house fires from late Friday and early Saturday as the Houston area was draped by below-freezing temperatures.

Four units caught fire just after 8 p.m. Friday, displacing four southeast Houston families at the Cabo San Lucas apartments in the 10800 block of Nathaniel.

"Everybody's OK," said Neal Hardin with the American Red Cross. "There's no injuries to any of those four families and we are working with those four families to make sure that they have a safe, warm place to stay."

Houston firefighters responded around 1 a.m. Saturday to flames leaping from the roof and hallway of a southside home in the 4900 block of Enyart at Weston. A father and his adult daughter escaped the home safely. A heating unit in the attic is the suspected cause of the fire.

The Harris County Fire Marshal's office is investigating fires that damaged vacant units at an apartment complex near MacArthur High School. Eastex and Aldine fire department firefighters quickly doused a blaze in the 4500 block of Aldine Mail Route around 3 a.m. Saturday.

Authorities responded to a similar situation on Friday at the same apartments.

Around 5 a.m. Saturday, Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department firefighters fought smoke and flames that burned through the roof of a home on Kite Hill near Flagstone.

After daybreak, a pool pump caught fire and set a stand-alone garage ablaze at a home on Cedar Creek Court in west Houston's Briar Forest neighborhood. Both vehicles in the garage also burned. Houston firefighters stopped the blaze from traveling on an awning that stretches from the garage to the home.

The fire is believed to be related to the cold weather, which remained below freezing in an otherwise sunny Houston.
For 96 hours each year, Robert Malone dons a Potter County Sheriff's Office uniform and volunteers as a reserve deputy, a position that keeps his 25-year peace officer license current.

The license empowers Malone - and all who wear a badge - to perform certain duties. But when he used deadly force to defend his property from burglars, his case was treated just like any other Texan's.

Malone is one of at least seven officers who shot someone while protecting themselves or their property while off-duty from September 2015 to September 2016, according to a report generated because of a new law that requires Texas law enforcement to track fatal and non-fatal shootings. Malone and four others shot someone believed to be burgling their property, while two others were protecting themselves.

At 5 a.m. on Nov. 21, 2015, Patrick Ramos parked a pickup near Malone's Amarillo home. He and his passenger, Joe Garcia, were high on methamphetamines and still blamed each other for planning the crime in recent interviews in two North Texas lockups, where they are serving time for burglary.

Burglars had struck there before, and Malone had installed a surveillance system that provided a live feed. Awakened by a noise, Malone looked at a monitor and saw two men in the shed, which held a Harley Davidson motorcycle, a generator, a four-wheeler and ammunition. He saw the generator on the driveway, records released by the Amarillo Police Department state. His wife dialed 9-1-1 while he dressed, grabbed his gun and headed outside. Behind the house, Malone told the men to freeze, and Garcia spilled a container of bullets across the driveway.

Garcia, then 45, lunged at Malone "with his hands raised as if he were going to grab or tackle" him, the 59-year-old officer said in an affidavit. Malone fired, injuring Garcia.

Experts say legally the shooting was justified - and it didn't matter whether Malone was a licensed peace officer. Under state law known as the Castle Doctrine, Texans may use deadly force to protect themselves and their property, including when the shooter reasonably believes deadly force is necessary to prevent burglaries and other crimes in the nighttime. Local prosecutors did not present his case to a grand jury.

But others think that all shootings by law enforcement officials in Texas should always be reviewed by a grand jury - even when the incidents occur off-duty on private property.

An officer's fear

Malone's shooting closely resembles another incident that took place at another officer's home in Victoria. In April, Refugio County Deputy Tammy Gregory was off-duty when she fatally shot an intruder, Wade Austin Kloesel, 27. After the case was investigated, Victoria County Criminal District Attorney Stephen Tyler presented it to a grand jury, which declined to indict Gregory in August. Tyler said he believes the law requires a grand jury to hear all such cases - not only shootings but matters involving any public officials accused of "any neglect or any failure in duty."

The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation track incidents like these that result in fatalities, which are often labeled as justifiable homicides. Reports on those homicides in Texas have risen from 57 in 2006 to 122 in 2015. Citizens and law enforcement are about equally responsible for those justifiable homicides, although the data includes fatal shootings by officers who were on-duty and off-duty.

Two people were killed in the seven recent incidents involving police, while six others were injured.

The main question jurists and prosecutors who review all shootings involving officers is whether the officer had a "objectively reasonable" fear that the person shot was endangering the life of the shooter or someone else, based on a U.S. Supreme Court case.

The Castle Doctrine, in contrast, allows anyone in Texas to protect their own home or property - though it doesn't allow shooting someone for trespassing or for running away- regardless of whether the shooter is an ordinary citizen or an officer.

A rare indictment

Some cases are controversial, like the March 13 shooting by former Farmers Branch officer Ken Johnson, who killed one Dallas teenager and injured another. Johnson was off-duty when he reportedly saw Jose Cruz and Edgar Rodriguez, both 16, breaking into his vehicle at an apartment complex. Johnson identified himself as an officer and then chased the teens when they drove off, striking their vehicle from behind with his private car. Johnson said the crash was accidental but shot both teens when one made a threatening movement as he subsequently tried to arrest them, according to an account in a custodial death report.

A federal civil lawsuit filed by Eva Arevalo, mother of the injured teen, challenges the officer's account. "Photos show that Johnson was standing in the road while shooting into Plaintiff's vehicle with both occupants totally contained in the vehicle," the lawsuit says. It also states he fired 17 rounds, killing Cruz and injuring Rodriguez in the hand and head.

In a rarity for officer-involved shootings, Johnson was arrested three days after the shooting and then indicted on murder and aggravated assault charges. He resigned from the force and faces an August criminal trial. The civil lawsuit has not yet been set for trial in federal court.

Killed while off-duty

Experts say it can be dangerous for officers to perform law enforcement-like duties while out-of-uniform and off-duty, since they are often disconnected from emergency communications and can go unrecognized as police. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 57 officers were shot and killed performing police duties while off-duty from 2006 to 2015, representing 10 percent of officers killed by gunfire during that time.

Three recent shootings involving off-duty officers protecting themselves or their property took place in Harris County including the December 2015 non-fatal shooting of a man who tried to rob an off-duty policeman at gunpoint during a firearms sale in a southeast Houston parking lot. The man tried to fire at the officer after demanding his valuables, but his gun malfunctioned and the officer shot him, according to a police department news release. Two other incidents occurred in October of 2015: In one, an off-duty Harris County Sheriff's deputy said he fired at a man who kicked open his apartment door; in another, an off-duty Houston police officer still in uniform shot and injured a 15-year-old who was following the officer and allegedly attempted to rob him.

'Caught red-handed'

Bill Helfand, a Houston attorney who represents law enforcement officers, said that even when off-duty, officers are allowed to perform certain duties that citizens cannot, like directing traffic. Malone never shifted into a policing role, he argued.

"He didn't need the color of authority to pull a gun out, point it at somebody, and, if he felt threatened, to use the gun in self-defense," Helfand said.

In prison interviews, Garcia and Ramos both say they understand why Malone fired at them.

"We got caught red-handed, on-camera, which you can't get any more guilty than that," said Ramos. "He had a right to shoot."

Garcia, who was shot in the chest, managed to escape by scrambling over fences and through yards, ignoring Malone's shouts for him to return. He'd already spent 10 years locked up and wanted to avoid another arrest, Garcia said, adding, "I was just trying to get home."

Three hours later, a neighbor saw Garcia lean on a car, leaving a bloody smudge, and called police. Garcia was hospitalized for a week, and then jailed.

Garcia said he forgives Malone for shooting at him, and apologized for the break-in, though still claims he was just going along with Ramos.

"I would have shot me, too," Garcia said.
No one running for president makes a big deal out of the American space program. Or anyone else's space program. Or pretty much anything having to do with space.

Donald Trump opined via Tweet last summer that NASA should focus on exploration, on going somewhere. Not exactly news. Considering that the space shuttle flew for the last time in 2011, there has been little disagreement since about the need to move beyond Earth orbit.

As president-elect, Trump hasn't said much about the space agency since the election. If anything is likely to change at the space agency following his inauguration, it's a mystery as to what or when it could be. There is not even certainty about who might lead the agency, though Congressman Jim Bridenstine, an Oklahoma Republican, has emerged as the apparent favorite.

"I don't expect anything grand and dramatic about space for the next two or three years," said Keith Cowing, a longtime NASA observer - and sometimes critic - who oversees a pair of websites related to NASA and other space matters. "They have to figure out how to run the government first. I don't think there is a grand picture for NASA yet. It is the last thing they are thinking about."

One thing very much on Trump's mind, apparently, is the promised gargantuan tax cut. Though it is hard to imagine even a Republican Congress agreeing to a $7 trillion-plus loss in revenue over the following decade, even a more modest plan could gut discretionary spending and the government agencies that rely on it - like NASA.

"If the promised tax cuts and spending cuts come to pass, the next four years will be tough terrain for merely maintaining NASA's current slate of programs, much less expanding them beyond Earth," Casey Dreier of the Planetary Society said in a recent blog post.

'Into the stars'

Trump has suggested only a passing, and perhaps politically connected, interest in space. In fact, at a campaign stop in Orlando in October, he showed limited knowledge of the American program by criticizing the Obama administration, then promising to do exactly what NASA has been doing for the last eight years and what it intends to do in the near future.

"A cornerstone of my policy is we will substantially expand public/private partnerships to maximize the amount of investment and funding that is available for space exploration and development," Trump said. "I will free NASA from the restriction of serving primarily as a logistics agency for low Earth orbit activity. Big deal. Instead we will refocus its mission on space exploration. Under a Trump administration, Florida and America will lead the way into the stars."

Most of NASA's work already is done in conjunction with private contractors. Its only "logistics" activity is supporting the International Space Station, which private companies handle under contract, using their own rockets. So it was unclear what Trump was talking about.

'Major investments

As for heading "into the stars," the only realistic near-term options for spacecraft with people on board are the moon and Mars. Congress has been cool to the idea of a lunar return, leaving Mars as the focus of attention. NASA has touted the "Journey to Mars" on its website for several years, and it is currently overseeing construction of a big rocket and a companion crew capsule that will fit on top of it - two pieces that the agency views as essential to any hypothetical mission.

Of course, that is not tantamount to an actual Mars mission. Such a trip would take a huge amount of money and planning, a commitment that Congressional leaders have yet to endorse. They did recently increase NASA's annual budget above the Obama administration's request, but not by enough to fund an interplanetary mission. Trump promised that he would make it happen. Sort of.

"My plan also includes major investments in space exploration," he said. "After taking office, we will have a comprehensive review of our plans for space, and will work with Congress to set both priorities and mission."

Manned operations

To be precise, Trump did not say new or more investments, just major ones. Curiously, he also derided American space leadership, saying it is worthy of a Third World nation.

The latter was an odd statement given the success of NASA's robotics missions, including the ongoing Juno mission to Jupiter that will provide the most definitive information yet about the giant planet and the beginnings of our solar system. NASA's space science missions throughout the solar system arguably have been the agency's crown jewels, even if the Apollo moon landings and shuttle program had greater popular appeal.

Then again, Trump might have been referring only to the agency's manned operations, which have remained in limbo since the end of the shuttle program. Critics have chided NASA for years - decades, actually - for not involving astronauts in an ambitious exploration program. The roadblock, however has always been money. Apollo was ended before it was supposed to because it was losing political support. A Mars program has been on the drawing board forever, without any interest in paying for it.

Focus on deep space

Trump apparently wants to change that.

"NASA should be focused primarily on deep-space activities rather than Earth-centric work that is better handled by other agencies," wrote his two space policy advisers, Robert Walker and Peter Navarro, in an op-ed published two weeks before the presidential election. "Human exploration of our entire solar system by the end of this century should be NASA's focus and goal. Developing the technologies to meet that goal would severely challenge our present knowledge base, but that should be a reason for exploration and science."

Space enthusiasts would welcome such a goal. But as Congressional hearings last year showed, there also is significant support for the space station and the related commercial crew program that is expected to begin operations in 2018 after several years of delay. The program will allow the private companies that now ferry cargo to the station to take astronauts there as well, meaning NASA won't have to pay Russia for seats on a Soyuz rocket.

NASA as a catalyst

The space station is not very far from Earth, yet it takes a significant chunk, $3 billion, of the $18 billion NASA budget. It is likely that Trump, or his successors, will have to live with it for a while: Its mission has been formally extended to 2024. But if Navarro and Walker, a former congressman who headed the committee overseeing NASA, have significant influence, the Trump administration will have a more limited view of NASA's purpose, one that does not involve flying around in circles.

They would like to see NASA more as a catalyst to drive exploration, not as a multi-faceted agency with many missions, including Earth-science, weather observation, and climate change, which they say should be handled by other agencies. And they see private enterprise as the backbone of those exploration efforts.

Entrepreneur Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, could be a man after their own hearts. He has plans for his own mission to the Red Planet, which he claims can be done faster and cheaper than NASA's effort. It's not hard to imagine Trump becoming intrigued by entreaties from strong-willed billionaires to open up a competition for long-range exploration.

'The day is coming'

NASA's large new rocket system capable of lifting substantial payloads to Earth orbit and beyond, the Space Launch System, currently is progressing toward a late 2018 test launch. The accompanying crew capsule, dubbed Orion, also is nearing completion. It will undergo one test flight before the first big shakedown cruise aboard SLS.

SLS/Orion is a holdover of the Constellation program announced by President George W. Bush in 2005. Obama killed Constellation, citing a lack of committed funding and a shortage of innovation. But the heavy lifter and the crew capsule stayed. They are billed as the backbone for space exploration, especially the agency's oft-touted Mission to Mars, which has no deadlines, formal missions, or commitments for the additional funding. Any effort to scuttle the program could run into opposition in Congress, whose space-related committees would not think much of thousands of employees suddenly out of work.

But that does not mean Trump might not welcome new ideas or approaches. Advisers Walker and Navarro said the agency should embrace a different way of doing things, and many NASA watchers of varying political stripe would agree.

"I really do think the day is coming when people are going to be challenged about what they are doing and why it's important," Cowing said.

Institutional resistance

Trump's advisers pretty much said as much in their op-ed, pointing out that a raft of companies both new and old are moving forward, often on their own, to create new spaceships and new markets.

"All of this activity spurs innovation, creates high-paying jobs, and propels growth," they said. "Too often our regulatory bureaucracies and 20th century government space monopoly orientation stand in the way."

Perhaps, but each new administration learns a very old lesson: Congress writes the checks. It's one thing to move Earth science duties to a different agency, say, or in the case of climate work kill them all together. But trying to scrap big projects being built at big NASA facilities surely will meet strong institutional resistance.

The genius of NASA's creation - and its Achilles heel - is that so many places in so many states get a little piece of the action. All of the agency's various offices and missions and programs ultimately translate into one thing that is much more important to lawmakers than planting a flag on another planet. Jobs.
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida was charged Saturday and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, told investigators he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said.

Authorities don't know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Santiago was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death - which carries a maximum punishment of execution - and weapons charges.

"Today's charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors," U.S Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

Suspect cooperates

Authorities said during a news conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation of the cooperative suspect, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska.

Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting occurred remained closed.

Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska.

He had two magazines with him and emptied both of them, firing about 15 rounds, before he was arrested, the complaint said.

"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack," FBI agent George Piro said. "We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack."

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiago's motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said.

In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

"He was a walk-in complaint," FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said. "This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day."

On that day in November, Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said.

Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation.

His girlfriend picked up the child.

On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago.

Authorities wouldn't say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack Friday.

U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a higher standard than having an evaluation.

Santiago had not been placed on the U.S. no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.

Panic in terminal

The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.

Eyewitness account

Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota with his wife for a cruise when he heard three quick cracks, like firecrackers.

Then came more cracks, and "I knew it was more than just a firecracker," he said.

Making sure his wife was outside, Lea helped evacuate some older women who had fallen, he said. Then he saw the gunman.

"He was just kind of randomly shooting people," Lea said. "If you were in his path, you were going to get shot. He was walking and shooting."

Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, Lea said.

When he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.

By that time, a deputy had arrived and grabbed the shooter. Lea put his foot on the gun to secure it.

Lea went to help the injured, and then a woman from Iowa asked about her husband, who she described.

Lea saw a man who fit his description behind a row of chairs, motionless, shot in the head and lying in a pool of blood, he said.

The man, Michael Oehme, was identified as one of the dead victims Saturday.
SEATTLE - Retired Gen. James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defense, has condemned expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, repeatedly said the U.S. must find a way for a two-state solution in the region and praised Secretary of State John Kerry's efforts to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal as "valiant."

That's a position sharply at odds with the incoming administration's and with Trump's choice for ambassador to Israel, who has called a two-state solution "an illusion" that "needs to end."

Situation unsustainable

During a 2011 speech in his hometown of Richland, Wash., Mattis also spoke favorably of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's work in the region.

"Israel and Palestine, the current situation between those two peoples is unsustainable," Mattis said. "We're going to have to find a way for a two-state solution. If we do not, then we will continue to see warfare as it keeps the kettle boiling out there."

"That is why you see so much of Secretary Clinton's efforts go into trying to keep this peace effort at least alive," Mattis said.

At the time, Mattis was leading U.S. Central Command, in charge of military operations throughout the Middle East.

He repeated his position on Israel in July 2013, after leaving the military.

Kerry last month gave a speech rebuking Israel after the U.S. abstained from a United Nations resolution condemning the settlements.

But Mattis, in his 2013 speech, used harsher language than Kerry, saying continued settlements could lead to apartheid.

"The settlements, and where they're at, are going to make it impossible to maintain the two-state option," he said, because they make any potential border impractical.

"Either it ceases to be a Jewish state, or you say the Arabs don't get to vote-apartheid," Mattis said.

"I paid a military price every day as commander of CENTCOM, because the Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel."

'Never been a solution'

Mattis' stated views could hardly be more at odds with the position of David Friedman, Trump's choice to be ambassador to Israel.

In an August op-ed article, Friedman wrote that a two-state solution has "never been a solution, only a narrative. But even the narrative itself now needs to end."

Trump had called on the Obama administration to veto the U.N. resolution and had harsh criticism after it passed. "We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect," Trump wrote on Twitter.

"Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"
BEIJING - An official with President-elect Donald Trump's transition team said Saturday that neither Trump nor transition officials would be meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen when she makes transit stops in the U.S. during her trip to the Americas.

Still, Tsai's trip will be scrutinized by Beijing for any signs that Trump's team will risk its ire by further engaging with the self-ruled island that China considers its territory.

Tsai, who departed Taipei on Saturday, pledged to bolster Taiwan's international profile as she set off on a trip to reinforce relations with diplomatic allies in Central America, a task that has taken on new urgency as Beijing ramps up efforts to diplomatically isolate Taipei.

A stop in Houston

Speaking to reporters before her departure, Tsai said the visits to Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador would "show the international society that Taiwan is a capable and responsible partner for cooperation."

She will transit through Houston and San Francisco, stops that will irk Beijing, which has urged Washington to prevent Tsai from landing in the U.S. to "refrain from sending any wrong signal to the Taiwanese independence forces."

Beijing regards the self-governing island as part of China and officials complained after Trump last month breached diplomatic protocol by speaking by phone with the Taiwanese leader.

Trump raised further concerns in Beijing when he questioned a U.S. policy that since 1979 has recognized Beijing as China's government and maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan.

Keeping it low-key

U.S. lawmakers often meet with Taiwanese presidents when they transit through the U.S. - most recently in June, when Tsai met in Miami with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.

Trump transition spokeswoman Jessica Ditto said in an email Saturday that the president-elect would not be meeting with the Taiwanese leader while she is in the U.S., nor will members of his transition team.

Trump sounded unaware of the potential trip when he was asked about it on New Year's Eve.

"Nobody's ever mentioned that to me," he told reporters.

"I'm not meeting with anybody until after Jan. 20, because it's a little bit inappropriate from a protocol standpoint. But we'll see," he said.

Tsai is likely to keep the U.S. stops low-key to avoid further inflaming tensions with China.
A U.S. diplomat based in Guadalajara is in stable condition after being shot Friday night.

In videos posted on the U.S. General Consulate in Guadalajara's Facebook page, the shooter - a man dressed in blue and wearing sunglasses - can be seen standing near a parking gate, waiting until a black sedan arrives, pulling out a handgun, firing a shot or shots, and fleeing. In another video, the man can be seen waiting while the official - who has not been identified but was wearing a tank top and red shorts - pays for a parking ticket at an automatic machine.

Officials from the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara posted a message accompanying the video saying the FBI was offering $20,000 for information about the incident.

In a news release, the Mexican Office of the Attorney General said they were investigating the incident and that the victim was in stable condition.

"The safety and security of our employees overseas is among our highest priorities," a State Department official said in an emailed response to questions. "We are working closely with Mexican law enforcement in this matter."

Citing privacy concerns, the official declined to identify the victim, but several Mexican media outlets identified the consular officer as Christopher Nolan Ashcraft, a 31-year-old foreign service officer. According to his LinkedIn page, he joined the State Department in the summer of 2015.

Mexican news reports said the diplomat was shot in the right side of the chest and was taken to San Javier Hospital.

The shooting took place shortly before 7 p.m. Friday near Avenida Vallarta y Juan Palomar y Arias, in the northwestern part of the city, according to the reports. The site of the shooting was next to a multistory parking structure that houses a gym and several other businesses.

The attack on Ashcraft is not the first time U.S. consular employees and other U.S. agents have been attacked in Mexico.

According to the Associated Press, in 2010, a U.S. Consulate employee, her husband, and another employee's husband were killed in Ciudad Juarez. A Mexican gang leader was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for his role in the deaths of Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband, Arthur Redfels, and Alberto Salcido Ceniceros.

Prosecutors said Arturo Gallegos Castrellon had ordered subordinates with the Barrio Azteca to carry out the killings. The gang members later said the killings were a mistake.

In 2012, two CIA officers and a Mexican Navy Captain were almost killed when uniformed Mexican police fired 152 bullets into a U.S. Embassy vehicle they were traveling in. The officers face attempted murder charges.

And in 2011, a Mexican gang member killed Immigration Customs and Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata and wounded another, Victor Avila, after trying to hijack the two men as they were driving in the city of San Luis Potosi.

A Mexican drug cartel lieutenant pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder in that case in 2013.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.
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Majestic cats

Regarding "Landry's roars back in tiger case" (Page A3, Dec. 29), whether or not keeping white tigers captive is a complex issue.

There are fewer than 200 white tigers remaining with fewer than 100 thought to be in the wild. The last white tiger seen in the wild was in 1958. So, one can conclude keeping white tigers in captivity is keeping this genetic strain alive. I hope these majestic cats are part of the species survival plan program managed by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.

David Headrick, Nacogdoches

An enduring legacy?

Regarding "Views collide on Obama economic legacy" (Page B1, Jan. 2), when President Obama was inaugurated in January 2009, he inherited a budget deficit of $1.4 trillion for that fiscal year. Since then, the economy has recovered, millions of jobs have been created, tax revenues have increased and the deficit has been reduced by nearly 60 percent.

During that same period, the stock market has more than doubled and the Affordable Care Act was signed into law providing health insurance for tens of millions of Americans.

In addition, the unemployment rate has declined from 10 percent to 4.6 percent causing most economists to view the labor market as being at or near full employment.

President-elect Trump has promised to "make America great again," but he will have a hard time duplicating what Obama has done for the U.S. economy, the deficit and the labor market.

Bill Meyer, Kingwood

Review and revise

Regarding "Trump renews blitz on health care" (Page A9, Friday), Obamacare as it now exists is a disaster. I think it should be modified instead of replaced. The real test will come in either the repeal and replacement or a modification. Will Congress be required to be covered by the same program they force on the rest of us?

Jack Gaarder, Spring
As state legislators gather in Austin, there are too many hard-working Texans who are struggling. Crowded classrooms in underfunded public schools and a lack of affordable, high-quality health insurance are two challenges that legislators could address as they tackle the job of writing the 2018-19 state budget.

The state faces a potentially tight budget scenario, one that cannot entirely be blamed on an economic cool down. Short-sighted tax cuts and diversions in recent legislative sessions mean that lawmakers may have reduced the General Revenue available to write the next budget by at least $10.5 billion - independent of the drop in oil or gas prices.

Fortunately, Texas is lucky to have a large savings account in its so-called Rainy Day Fund, created to prevent or reduce sudden massive cuts to schools, health care and other services Texans need. That is exactly why its actual name is the Economic Stabilization Fund.

This week, the state comptroller will estimate how much General Revenue will be available for schools, higher education, health and other services in the 2018-19 state budget. So this is a good time to get clear on the Rainy Day Fund itself and the proper uses of its $10 billion balance.

Since 1989, the Texas Constitution has required that a portion of oil and gas production taxes go into the Rainy Day Fund. Many states have a cash reserve, but Texas has the largest in the country. Our constitution authorizes the comptroller to make temporary transfers out of the Fund to make up for a General Revenue deficit. With a supermajority vote, the Legislature can also use the Rainy Day Fund as General Revenue in the current or next budget cycle.

State law requires the Legislature to set a minimum balance for the Fund every two years. This "sufficient balance" is $7.5 billion for 2018-19. The balance requirement was created in response to fears that too small a reserve would hurt the state's credit ratings. But in 2005, before the sufficient balance requirement existed, the Fund balance dropped to almost zero, with no harm done to the state's credit ratings.

As Comptroller Glenn Hegar noted in June 2016, "An ESF balance provides a flexible alternative, in addition to budgetary and revenue tools, to manage through challenging economic cycles. An ESF balance demonstrates fiscal strength and flexibility, but balances are not the only factor rating agencies consider."

So, when does it make sense to use the Fund? The Legislature has used the Fund frequently, for both one-time and ongoing budget items. Legislative approval by a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate is required to spend money from the Fund in most circumstances.

In the past, the Legislature has tapped the Fund for everything from public schools to criminal justice to closing shortfalls in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. The Fund has been used for new budget items such as the State Water Plan or the Enterprise Fund.

It would be common sense for legislators to use the Fund when the only other choice would be state budget cuts that further destabilize the economy by, for example, triggering teacher layoffs or nursing home closures. Strategic, one-time uses of the Rainy Day Fund could also prevent larger costs in the future, such as those caused by underfunded state pensions.

Just as many households would do, dipping into savings can be part of a plan to get the state through a temporary shortfall. That's why the Rainy Day Fund was created. It is not designed to correct chronic underfunding of state services, and we don't advocate for such uses. If something needs additional funding in general, the Legislature should devise a way to provide permanent additional funding.

If you're fortunate enough to have a savings account, then you know it's a blessing during hard times. As the rhetoric heats up, let's remember that the Rainy Day Fund should be used as originally intended: to prevent sudden, massive cuts to schools, health care, higher education and other services on which Texans rely.

DeLuna Castro is the Invest in Texas program director for the Center for Public Policy Priorities, an Austin-based, nonprofit think tank. A version of this commentary first appeared on TribTalk.org.
First, a history refresher: For the past nine years, a smattering of Americans, most recently led by our now president-elect, have insisted that Barack Obama is a Muslim born in Kenya.

For years, Donald Trump was unrelenting in his insistence that Obama prove beyond existing proof that he was born in Hawaii and not in the African country of his biological father. That Obama said he is a Christian wasn't enough to persuade Trump's followers, who apparently know a Christian when they see one.

Further, there is no logical basis for assuming that a young boy briefly raised in a given country - say, Indonesia - necessarily would adopt the dominant religion of that country. He might, however, observe that though people worship in different ways, we're all essentially the same. Never mind the cruel and absurd assumption that being a Muslim means that one is, ipso facto, a "bad person."

Respecting others despite differences is, generally speaking, the hallmark of an enlightened soul, as well as a desirable disposition in a leader. Yet those who sided with Trump interpreted Obama's gentle touch toward the world's 1.6 billion Muslims as evidence of a hidden agenda to advance Islam in America - notwithstanding Obama's rather robust drone operations, which eliminated quite a few bad actors who happened to be, or said they were, Muslims.

Noteworthy is that these same Obama doubters weren't bestirred to suspicion when then-President George W. Bush visited a mosque immediately after 9/11. Nor, thus far, have they expressed any concern about Trump's cavalier denial of Russia's cyberattack on the U.S.

Given this history and recent evidence, isn't it about time Trump be declared a Russian spy?

No, I don't really think he's a spy because, unlike the man himself, I'm not given to crazy ideas. But what's with this double standard? Under similar circumstances, how long do you think it would have taken for Obama to be called a traitor for defending a country that tried to thwart our democratic electoral process?

Seconds.

How surreal to realize that the man who soon will become president was long committed to a rumor soaked in paranoia and propagated by conspiracy theorists whose pursuit of truth stops at the point where facts and willful ignorance collide.

How perfectly terrifying.

And now? What is so obviously a conspiracy of Russian leadership, hackers and spies, Trump dismisses as lousy intelligence. And he "knows" this how? Why would he do such a thing? Is it that he's so thin-skinned he can't tolerate anyone thinking that he might have benefited from the cyberattack? Or is it that he knew about it in advance and doesn't want to be found out? This is how conspiracy theories get started. Then again, sometimes a conspiracy is just a conspiracy - and a fool is just a fool.

Consider what we know: Our best intelligence indicates that Russia was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee. Trump, who has long expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin (once a KGB agent, always a KGB agent), has his doubts.

Obviously, he wants to preserve the narrative that he won fair and square. And, clearly, claims of Russian interference would muss his ego. But is that it? Ego and narrative?

Consider further: Trump would rather make common cause with our fiercest geopolitical adversary (hat tip Mitt Romney) than take the word of our best people. Moreover, he has said he won't receive daily security briefings and plans to drastically reduce our security agencies.

Pray tell, whose side is this man on? When was the last time you had to ask that question about a president-elect?

On Friday, Trump met with real American spies and others who attempted to explain things to him, leaving open the question: Can Trump learn? From his statement following the meeting, it doesn't seem so.

On Thursday, James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the agency is "now even more resolute," and that Trump is damaging American intelligence (not to be confused with the absence thereof, to wit, Trump). To top things off, former CIA Director James Woolsey quit Trump's transition team Thursday in protest against being bypassed.

In sum, when the president-elect persists in a state of denial, siding with the enemy against his own country's best interests, one is forced to consider that Trump himself poses a threat to national security.

In Russia, they'd just call it treason.

Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com.
An organization that supports the work of the Texas County Library system said it is looking for space in Houston to establish a bookstore.

Friends of the Library is seeking a building to house a bookstore. Profits go to support the work of the Houston branch of the library.

Persons who could assist are asked to call 805-729-0317.

The organization is not associated with a bookstore on West Highway 17, it said.
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Word Of The Year:

dumpster fire: an exceedingly disastrous or chaotic situation.

Political Word Of The Year:

post-truth: belonging to a time in which facts matter less than beliefs and emotions.

Digital Word Of The Year:

@: (verb) reply on Twitter using the @ symbol.

Slang Word Of The Year:

woke: socially aware or enlightened.

Most Useful/Most Likely To Succeed:

gaslight: psychologically manipulate a person into questioning their own sanity.

Most Creative:

laissez-fairydust: magical effect brought upon by laissez-faire economics.

Euphemism Of The Year:

locker-room banter: lewd, vulgar talk (used by Donald Trump to downplay a leaked Access Hollywood tape), euphemizing discourse about harassment of and aggression toward women.

WTF Word Of The Year:

bigly: in a significant manner (from widespread mishearing of Trumps use of big-league).

Hashtag Of The Year:

#NoDAPL: protest against construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Emoji Of The Year:

 fire (lit, exciting); also used in  : dumpster fire
Blood, pain, earth shaking explosions: William Golliher knows about these. Golliher experienced hell in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now the Flagstaff man, like millions of war veterans across the ages, carries that hell within him. His journey continues as he struggles to find a new normal. Critical to that process, he said, is the company of other veterans.

Marine veteran Ralph Boyer knows Golliher through the Marine League Charities Flagstaff group.

What you have is a hero here, Boyer said. Thats what.

Golliher immediately protests.

I dont consider myself a hero. I did a tour in Iraq and in Afghanistan, he said.

Golliher proudly traces his family's military history back to a soldier in the Revolutionary War and continuing unbroken through subsequent conflicts involving the United States. His grandfather fought in World War II. His father is a United States Coast Guard veteran.

In Iraq in 2005-06, as an army combat medic assigned to sappers (sappers go first, clear the obstacles, clear the land mines so the infantry can follow), he attended to wounded soldiers, hunted IEDs, survived the focus of an infamous sniper, and helped save more than 2,500 lives. One day, when an interpreter failed to show up for work, his platoon went to the mans house. The entire family had been executed, shot in the back of the head. They had been working with the man to help him and his family immigrate to the United States.

Youve seen the worst of the worst of humanity and you dont ever want to see that kind of horror any more, he said of his time in Iraq. We went over there to help. We needed to be there, he said of American troops in Iraq.

In 2008, he was sent to Afghanistan. Again with the sappers, he was among the first American forces to go into the Kharwar Valley, a Taliban hotbed. Twenty-five soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division were assigned to patrol the valley. They endured multiple ambushes and firefights. Then came June 8, when Golliher experienced a new circle of hell when his platoon of 18 men was ambushed by 300 Taliban fighters. Under heavy fire, their vehicles on fire, his leg broken and throat cut by shrapnel, Gollihers only thought was to do his job as a medic and help his wounded brothers.

Then I get to Mick, he said. His friend, Kevin "Mick" McClusky was severely wounded and trapped in a burning vehicle. Theyre pulling Mick out. Both his legs were gone. His right arm was mangled. The right part of his face was blown off, one eye hanging out. Were under fire, expecting rocket fire.

Golliher, himself injured, dragged his friend away from the vehicle and desperately tried to get an IV into him. After having to to shoot a needle into Micks heart through his chest, Golliher heard a pop and threw himself on top of McClusky to protect him. He woke up 20 minutes later.

I was blown apart, he said. But still he went back to work, laboring for more than an hour while his friend begged him to kill him. The fight was still raging when helicopters finally arrived to evacuate the wounded. Putting his patients, including McClusky who survived, on the chopper, Golliher refused to board the aircraft. He continued fighting. Charging a hill (they were at 10,000 feet elevation) with 80-plus pound backpacks, the 13 remaining American soldiers eliminated three machine gun nests and took the top of the hill.

We held it for 48 hours before any kind of relief, he said. (It) almost came down to hand to hand. I was out of ammo, everyone was low. I know myself I killed over 80 men that day. It was me or them.

A full three days after the initial attack, helicopters were finally sent in to evacuate the men.

Despite being able to function through the battle, Gollihers wounds were eventually revealed to be far graver then he had imagined. The trauma to his brain from having a 500-pound bomb explode just 10 meters away slowly began to reveal itself.

Originally sent to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to have a crushed hand repaired, tests soon revealed severe brain lesions. He was diagnosed with severe PTSD. Golliher lost the ability to function. He had to be bathed, clothed and fed. He couldnt see or speak. He has no memory of an entire year. His stay at the hospital lasted 18 months as he slowly worked toward rehabilitation.

Golliher said he had wonderful care at Walter Reed but follow-up care through the VA has been frustrating at best. He carries a suitcase of medical records with him to every appointment. He pays more than $500 out of pocket a month for his treatment because he cant count on help from the VA.

Despite this, he has found healing through family and community. Although he cant work, he keeps busy volunteering. Last September he got married. His wife, Philan Tree, just found out shes pregnant. Golliher has trouble concentrating but has found it helps him to keep to a routine. His wife and a service dog are constant companions.

But his biggest source of support, he said, is other veterans who speak the same language. He has a support network of veterans who understand what he has had to live through and the nightmares he now has to live with.

Were all brothers. In all services, he said.

The week before Christmas he was headed to Seligman to help the Marine League Charities Toys for Tots helicopter toys into Supai village. Every week he meets with other vets.

He encourages other vets to come to the American Legion or VFW to get help or to offer an understanding ear. Sometimes the help that you need is to help others, he said. The Marine Corps League invites veterans from all services to meet every Thursday morning at 9:30 at Miz Zip's.

If he could do it all over, would he do it again?

In a heartbeat, he said without a pause. Its about the country. Its not about us. We go through a lot of stuff but its for the people. For freedom.
As the LGBT+ community prepares to spend the summer celebrating and commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, I can hear our detractors already: isn't it time 'they' stopped going on about it? Why do they have to ram it down our throats? Why isn't there a straight pride?

After all, 'we' can adopt children, get married, have sex at 16 the same as heterosexuals, and join the armed forces. We can't be fired for our sexuality. Many of our children's schools have moved so far from Section 28 - a Thatcherite relic that prevented the 'promotion' of homosexuality to schoolchildren - that they now have LGBT+ groups. Hell, television adverts for high street banks now include same sex couples. So, job done. Let's put the sequins away, stop ramming things down people's throats, and get on with life. Yes?

No. Because anti-LGBT+ hate crime is on the increase in the UK, including in supposedly accepting major cities. Trans people are still subject to the spousal veto. If you're bisexual, you'll face daily derision and abuse for being 'greedy' or 'confused'. Same-sex marriage is illegal in Northern Ireland. Various surveys report a huge majority of LGBT+ young people experiencing bullying at school. LGBT+ people are far more likely to have mental health conditions. Two-thirds of LGBT+ people say there's a problem with homophobia in sport.

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Things are no better internationally. Almost half of the world's population - 45%, or 3.7 billion people - live in the 76 countries where homosexual acts are illegal. That's more than four times the population of Europe. And 649 million people live in countries where homosexual acts can and do lead to the death penalty.

That ten times the population of the UK live in countries where being LGBT+ can attract the death penalty and more than five times that number live in countries where it's illegal is the reason why Pride still exists. Many of the ninety Prides in the UK will be celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of decriminalisation, but all will take place in a show of solidarity for the billions of people who cannot live their lives freely, sticking two fingers up to the 70-odd countries who oppress them.

Today the UK Pride Organisers Network, which represents Pride organisations across the UK, launches a new film to promote Pride events the length and breadth of the country. Eighty-two Prides are included in the film, including Prides taking place for the first time in Bury, Harrogate, Kirkcaldy, Mold, the Isle of Wight, Eastbourne, Hereford, Worcester and Bridgwater.

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And it's broader than just the UK: as many as three million people are expected to descend on Madrid in June for World Pride, only the third time this major international event has taken place in Europe. Worldwide, according to Pride Radar, there are more than 950 Pride events, with many more being added each year. Of course, most of these are in countries where LGBT+ equality is much advanced, but that doesn't stop activists in cities like Kampala, Uganda, from courageously pressing ahead with Pride events.

For me, that's what Pride's about. In 2015, I attended Pride in Riga, Latvia, where the streets were lined with homophobes but their numbers were exceeded by deeply threatening and unwelcoming riot police. Last year, at Pride in Vilnius, Lithuania, my photograph was taken by a well known homophobic activist who was going to add me to his online database of 'sexual predators'. Later this month, with my colleagues from the board of the European Pride Organisers Association, we'll meet LGBT+ activists in the Balkans to discuss how we can support their Pride events.

For many people, Pride is an excuse for a massive party. And there's nothing wrong with that; Pride doesn't belong to any one of us and we can all make it what we want it to be. But as the ascendant far right makes the world a less accepting and tolerant place, the importance of Pride can't be understated. To people in Uganda, nervously reading LGBT+ news online, the significance of seeing 30,000 people march past the Ugandan embassy in Trafalgar Square cannot be understated. And that's the same as for a teenager in their bedroom somewhere in the UK, reading about Pride on their smartphone and finding it gives them the confidence, the sense of freedom and liberty, to be able to tell their friends that they're L, G, B, T or something else.

So whether you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or one of the many sexualities and gender identities unhelpfully lumped under the '+' symbol, you should come to Pride in 2017. Come to celebrate, and to party. Come to show support for the millions of young people unsure of their sexuality. Come to support the hundreds of campaigning organisations and charities in the parades and running stalls. Come to show solidarity with the billions of people worldwide who don't enjoy the freedoms you do.

And if you're straight, you should come too. Come to support your colleagues, friends, your children and wider family. Come to show you're not homophobic; in today's society that's once again something to celebrate, after all. But above all, come because you can. Come to show that there's no need for straight pride because Pride is your Pride.

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All should come to say that, 50 years on, we recognise there has been huge progress but we can't exist in isolation and we all have a responsibility to everyone, everywhere.
By David L. Phillips and Tsuneo Nishida

HIROSHIMA - President-elect Donald J. Trump tweeted, "The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability" in response to unstable rogue regimes. North Korea's nuclear proliferation will be one of Trump's first and most vexing challenges. Japan, as the only country to ever suffer a nuclear attack, knows the urgent need to eliminate North Korea's arsenal and normalize relations with Pyongyang. Successful negotiations will require robust engagement by the United States and a more pro-active role by Japan.

Strategic clarity is critical. Countries comprising the Six Party Talks - the United States, Japan, China, Russia, South Korea (and North Korea) - must assess current conditions. They should have consensus about their goals, and develop a plan with carrots and sticks.

The situation has grown increasingly dire since North Korea's Kim Jong-un came to power after his father's death in 2011. During his father's rule, the West tolerated steps by India and Pakistan to weaponize their nuclear programs. Kim believed that if he developed a nuclear arsenal, the US would accept it. Nuclear weapons would give him more legitimacy and leverage to normalize state-to-state relations.

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The international community wrongly thought it could coerce Kim. However, he proved combative and unpredictable. Kim was impervious to sanctions, steadily increasing North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities. He conducted at least two nuclear tests in 2016. By 2020, North Korea may be able to launch a miniaturized nuclear warhead capable of reaching the west coast of the United States.

Diplomacy languished during the Obama administration. Obama's knowledge about the Korean peninsula and Asia was limited. Washington's efforts were guided by the doctrine of "strategic patience." The US pointed to China, heralding its critical role and cooperation at the UN Security Council. However, patience meant inaction. While mediators dithered, Kim was intensifying his nuclear and missile programs, making big strides.

The Six Party Talks relied too much on China, which acted as the chair and was nominally responsible for setting an agenda and roadmap for the talks. But China was more interested in preventing massive refugee flows across its border than preventing North Korea's nuclear weapons program. When pressed to deliver, Beijing pleaded weakness. Despite its proximity and economic ties with North Korea, Beijing claimed it could not control events.

China voted in the UN Security Council to authorize sanctions However, China's cooperation was short and shallow. Sanctions created the appearance of determination and pressure. But sanctions only existed on paper. China enforced sanctions intermittently and half-heartedly. Beijing benefitted from a two-faced approach. Friendly to all; sincere to none.

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Japan was a deeply concerned participant in the Six Party Talks. However, there was poor coordination between Japan and the United States. Japan wanted negotiations to abolish North Korea's nuclear program and eliminate its missiles. It thought Washington wanted the same, but the US sought containment and offered material incentives towards a deal. Washington never understood Kim's craving for legitimacy.

As an Asian country, Japan understands Kim's motivation. But Japanese politicians his behind the curtain, hoping that the nuclear issue would be resolved by other countries in the lead. Moreover, Japan's response was muddled by domestic politics. There is a strong constituency of North Koreans living in Japan. They are not very visible in society, but have grown wealthy controlling the "Pachinko" gambling industry. They gained clout through their donations to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Some LDP politicians thought they could influence Kim using North Koreans living and working in Japan. Professional diplomats at Japan's Foreign Ministry quietly disagreed with this strategy.

The abduction of Japanese citizens in North Korea remains a very emotional issue. Japanese ministers and politicians took to wearing a blue pin in their lapel. The pin was a way to express solidarity with Japanese who had disappeared. It expresses resolve for realizing their return. Focusing on abductees temporarily allowed the political class to defer action on North Korea's nuclear program. When North Korea fired a missile on Taepodong ballistic that flew over Japan and landed off the east coast of Japan on August 31, 1998, it was a wake-up call.

The Obama administration never grasped Kim's motivation. The nuclear arsenal was a signal to domestic challengers. Kim also wanted the prestige of engaging in direct negotiations with the United States. The Korean War ended with a cease-fire, but no permanent peace agreement. By directly engaging US officials, Kim would gain stature and validation.

Washington's refusal to engage in direct negotiations was the right decision. Agreeing would have been a major victory for Kim, bolstering his status at home and internationally. Washington communicated through a variety of back-channels, which confused North Korean officials who were unfamiliar with track two diplomacy. While back channels were better than no channels, Washington could have managed them better.

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Under President-elect Trump, US mediation must be more reality-based. The stakes are too high for delay or delusion.

The US should take initiative to gather participants in the Six Party Talks. Their meeting would assess the situation, consider past mistakes, and seek consensus on a strategy going forward. The parties should issue a strong joint statement about peace and security in the region, and the importance of bringing North Korea in from the cold. The statement would make clear that sanctions will be maintained until there is a deal.

Russia has been a passive participant. Mr. Trump can use his good relations with President Vladimir Putin to revitalize Russia's participation. He should also put more pressure on China to deliver.

Mr. Trump's inaugural address is an opportunity to publicly reaffirm America's commitment to negotiations with North Korea. At the same time, he should reaffirm US security commitments to South Korea and Japan.

Japan should also adopt a pro-active demeanor, working more closely with the US within the multilateral framework. Japan cannot abandon the abductees, but tempering jingoistic rhetoric would be more effective at bringing the abductees home.

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The end-game will drive negotiations. Mr. Trump can talk about abolishing North Korea's nuclear program as a negotiating tactic. However, a freeze is more realistic. Deal terms would include a:

Comprehensive freeze on the development of new nuclear weapons.

Moratorium on missile tests.

Storage of weapons grade material in a third country.

Cessation of enrichment for a specific period of time.

Transparency assured by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Snap-back sanctions if North Korea fails to fulfill its commitments.

To North Korea's benefit, deal terms would provide symbolic, partial and phased lifting of sanctions. Food aid, financial assistance, and energy supplies would be calibrated to performance.

Of countries in the Six Party Talks, North Korea only has diplomatic relations with China and Russia. The deal should include normalization of state-to-state relations. Japan can be in the forefront of future normalization.

The United States is critical when it comes to normalization. This what Kim really wants. After a specific period, say three years, US and North Korean officials would convene under UN auspices to discuss the transition from a cease-fire to a peace agreement. After five years, the US and North Korea could normalize relations if specific criteria were met.

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Asians appreciate the importance of confidence building measures. Asians also value a step by step approach. Consensus is critical. There can be no deal with North Korea unless the US is involved. Japan, as a friend and ally, can play a critical role guiding US involvement.
Satirical news can be found every day in The Political Garbage Chute.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- With just a matter of weeks before his inauguration, and perhaps in response to very outspoken criticism of his decision to only get one intelligence briefing a week, President-Elect Donald Trump has enlisted the Army Corps of Engineers to install a new, "all seeing, all powerful eye" on top of Trump Tower. The eye will be constructed of "the most advanced materials Earth or Middle Earth has to offer," Trump said, and will cost "roughly a billion dollars," which the reality-TV star says the taxpayers will "gladly pay to keep their dear president safe."

At an early morning press conference, Trump explained the reasoning behind the eye in a bit more detail.

"So, a lot of people, many people we'll just say, have told me that they can't believe how up in arms the media is over this intelligence briefing thing," Trump told reporters, "because they all tell me how they know I'm like the smartest person with the best brain they know. I mean, I pay them to tell me this, so clearly I'm smart enough to know how to pay people to tell me I'm smart. Anyway, as much as people are just whining like babies about this whole intelligence briefing thing, it got me to thinking. I won't need no friggin' daily intelligence briefings once this giant, flaming, all-seeing eye is installed on top of my big, beautiful building."

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The eye will be designed and constructed by Sow-Ron Tech, a defense contractor that has worked with the army on several other key projects. Once designed, the army corps of engineers will be tasked with assembling and installing the eye on top of Trump Tower. The president-elect told reporters he hopes the eye will "put to rest any security concerns" Americans might have about his tenure as president.

"Let's just say that there's something I'm looking for, okay," Trump said, "like some super powerful weapon that can give anyone who possesses it the power to rule the world. And let's just say that weapon has been taken by little, short, fat, hairy people to where little, fat, short, hair people live...like Kentucky. Or a shire somewhere, whatever. Point is, thanks to this eye I'm having installed, I'll be able to find that weapon as soon as someone tries to use it. Pretty smart of me to have it installed, I know. You don't have to say it too, but go ahead, because I like to hear it."

Though he said the plan for the eye had "near unanimical support" among his team, Trump said one of his advisers was skeptical and had to be fired.

"I really liked John Smegel," Trump said, "but he just kept going on and on about how precious this was or precious that was. I don't know. He was kinda creeping me out, and I have Steve Bannon and Roger Ailes on my team."

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Reached for comment, incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned the need for an all-powerful eye, but said that he'd take a "wait and see" approach about it.

"As an American," Schumer said, "I'm really nervous and upset by the idea of our president having some omnipotent eye installed at his house to spy on us. But as a Democrat, I'm not sure I'll have the spine or gumption to do literally even the smallest thing possible about it. So..."
The unclassified DNI report about Russia's role in the 2016 election that was released last week is a puzzling document. Much of it concerns the role of Kremlin backed television station RT America and includes assertions like:

"RT aired a documentary about the Occupy Wall Street movement on 1, 2, and 4 November (2012). RT framed the movement as a fight against "the ruling class" and described the current US political system as corrupt and dominated by corporations. RT advertising for the documentary featured Occupy movement calls to "take back" the government."



While positions like that may cause rancor at conservative intelligence agencies, many Americans would see that as an important perspective on the U.S.A. and a reason why international opinions of our country can be important.

The more significant information in the report gets less attention, but still offers enough in depth analysis to make it clear that it is the view of the DNI that Moscow "aspired to help President-elect Trump's chances of victory." The report provides several examples of this, but among the most blatant is the claim that Russia's "General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) probably began cyber operations aimed at the U.S. election by March 2016. We assess that the GRU operations resulted in the compromise of the personal e-mail accounts of Democratic Party officials and political figures. By May, the GRU had exfiltrated large volumes of data from the DNC."

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There are two, and really only two, possible ways to interpret this report. The first is to question the veracity of the report. President-elect Trump has pursued this approach not least through reminding Americans of previous recent intelligence failures. The report, however, is reasonably thorough and is consistent with a great deal of publicly averrable information about Russian tactics and the recent election. It is possible, of course, that the report is fabricated or just plain wrong, but the evidence, and the careful language in the report itself strongly suggests that is not the case.

The other interpretation is that Russia's activities directly contributed to, and yes made the difference, in Donald Trump's victory. It is tempting to argue that the hacking occurred, but was not enough of a factor to change the outcome. This analysis allows Americans to avoid questioning the legitimacy of Trump's presidency, continue to focus on what we now know was a poorly thought through Democratic campaign and to move forward. It also may be impossible to prove that Russia's intervention was quite so critical, but it is impossible to prove almost anything involving the effects of campaigns on political outcomes. For example, there is no way to prove that any campaign commercials, speeches, field campaigns or media coverage were the difference between victory and defeat in any campaign.

It is not, however, plausible to suggest that Russia's intervention did not make the key difference. We know that the election as very close and that Trump beat Clinton by less than two percent in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. If she had won any three of those states or even Florida and just one other, Clinton would have won the election. In a race that close there are innumerable variables that contributed to the outcome. This included things that had nothing to do with Russia, such as Clinton's poor use of strategic resources, her historically high negatives at the beginning of the race, Trump's deft handling of the media and ability to deflect attention away from his negatives and numerous other local and state specific issues.

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If any of those things had gone differently, Russia's intervention would not have been enough to make the difference, but that is not what happened. Instead what we know is that Russia's efforts to leak damaging information from the DNC, distracted the Democrats, drew media attention to a story that was bad for Clinton and reignited tension between Clinton and erstwhile supporters of Bernie Sanders that had largely gone away in the preceding months. That was enough to push Trump to victory. Putin did not create Trump; nor did he create a situation in the U.S. where a candidate like Trump could get so much traction. Rather, in an election that was won on the margins, Russia was deeply and undeniably active in those margins; and that was enough to influence the outcome. That much should be clear to anybody who has spent time around campaigns, appreciates how close this race was or simply can do long division, or frankly, addition and subtraction.
There's been no shortage of unsettling security news in the past few months. The most recent Yahoo! hack and widespread Internet of Things outage are just the latest in a series of pervasive and increasingly alarming attacks. Oh, and there's that little matter of the presidential election. As the Chinese say, though, in crisis there is opportunity.

Against this backdrop, I recently sat down with Paul Lanzi, co-founder and COO at security startup Remediant. The following are excerpts from our conversation.

PS: What is two-factor authentication? Why is it so important?

PL: Two-factor authentication (aka multi-factor authentication or [MFA]) is a fancy way of saying that that you have two passwords for your account, and both are required in order to log in. Generally, one of the passwords would be something that you know (such as a secret password), and the second would be something you have--like access to a cell phone with an app that can confirm that it's really you logging into your account, and not a hacker. While this sounds like an inconvenience, you would normally only need to enter the passwords when you're logging in from a new computer or a new phone.

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For individuals, two-factor authentication protects against hackers who might steal your regular password in a few different ways. Examples include if bad actors breach a website or if you use the same password on multiple websites and one of them gets hacked. If you have two-factor authentication turned on, the hackers won't be able to use those stolen credentials to access your account. Since 65% of people use the same password for all of their accounts, this is a very common way for your personal account to get hacked.

For businesses, two-factor authentication brings a greater level of assurance to their information security protection efforts. Astonishingly 90 percent of employee passwords can be hacked in 6 hours or less. What's more, attacks like "pass the hash" can result in hackers getting access to your work account even if they never actually have your password.

Two-factor authentication represents one way to immediately improve nearly all aspects of a company's information security. Some companies choose to only turn on two-factor authentication for their "privileged accounts", which is another way of saying "administrator accounts". These accounts are the #1 way that hackers move around a company's network, so protecting those accounts is a top priority for information security teams.

PS: Is the federal government embracing two-factor authentication?

PL: Yes, the federal government has been advocating two-factor authentication as a smart way that both individuals and companies can improve their security. Most recently, the National Institute of Standards and Technology released NIST 800-171, which specifies how companies that work with unclassified information must protect it--including the use of two-factor authentication. President Obama issued Executive Order 13636 ("Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity"), which led to the establishment of the Cybersecurity Framework. In the Defense contracting community, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFARs) were updated in 2015 to require compliance with the new NIST standards.

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PS: What are the downsides of not using it?

PL: Two-factor authentication is the simplest and fastest thing individuals can do to protect their online accounts. Here is a great list of websites that support two-factor authentication at. At AN absolute minimum, everyone should enable two-factor authentication for their email account -- Google Mail, Yahoo Mail, etc. Not enabling it means that only your password stands between your private data and hackers getting access to it.

PS: Is it simply a matter of hitting a switch?

PL: No. Companies attempt to enable two-factor authentication for several reasons. Some must meet new regulations. Others pursue new information-security best practices. In any event, they often run into challenges. Consider the following

It took Amazon 5 years longer than Google to enable two-factor authentication for their systems, for instance. In one survey, 63% of respondents said that cost holds them back from their two-factor authentication aspirations. Old systems may not support two-factor authentication, and other information security protections may mean that adding two-factor authentication doesn't make sense to do for all users.

PS: How does Remediant address this problem?
Even the new physics tells us that matter is merely the manifestation of spirit, but spirit, consciousness, relationship itself is the real thing. We used to think all the energy was in the particles of the atom; now it seems that energy is, in fact, in the space between the particles. Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs



For most of us the space between the particles - between you, me, others - our relationships, will be defining regarding how the year 2017 unfolds. The same is true for Donald Trump, Time Magazine's Person of the Year and President-elect of the so-called "Divided States of America." His success will greatly depend on how he navigates the relationships of ardent supporters and determined opposition. But it is also true for each of us. While New Year's resolutions often focus on weight-loss or exercise - our hopes, dreams and goals for 2017 will be greatly impacted by the support, indifference or resistance from our relationships.



I have written extensively about our collective relational decline including my book, This Land of Strangers - The Relationship Crisis That Imperils Home, Work, Politics and Faith based on six years of researching the cumulative social, emotional and economic impact across our lives. Since completing the book I created a Flight From Relationship index comprised of 16 key metrics ranging from the rise in single-parent households, loss of "go to" friends, turnover of skilled employees including CEOs, and defections from political parties and religious affiliation (Ron Fournier, NationalJournal wrote about it here). The net: over several decades a 214 percent increase in our flight from relationships.



If productive relationships are among our most valuable and value-creating resources - my research says they are - then a central question for the good of our health, wealth and well-being is: What is the current state of my relationships and what are my intentions for 2017? Let me propose three questions to help us examine our relationships.

1.Are your relationships big enough to get the job done?

The short answer is that often there is a mismatch between what we aspire to accomplish and the strength of our relationships to get them done. We might call it our "relationship deficit." Last year I spoke at an international conference at Cambridge University in the midst of lively discussions prior to Great Britain's "Brexit" vote. Another speaker prophetically posed leadership guru Steve Radcliffe's question - "Are your relationships big enough to get the job done?" In retrospect, the surprising vote to exit the EU similar to President-elect Trump's victory, seemed to unearth a "relationship deficit" in a group of voters feeling relationally neglected.



It raises the issue of how relationships become depleted when they are taken-for-granted or ignored. In working extensively with inner city homeless families, I have found that most often the trip-wire for becoming homeless is not when someone loses their last dollar but when they "use up" their last relationship and a relative or friend kicks them out.



Personally and organizationally, we have hopes, dreams and goals for this next year that are at-risk because of "used-up" relationships - too small, damaged or passive for the aspiration we intend. I have coined the term "disengagement economy" to describe the costly drag on an entire economy hobbled by weak, broken or "used-up" relationships.



Relationships that are "big enough" depend on your strategic goals. Do you have enough relationships? Are they the right relationships? Are they diverse enough? Are they strong enough? It may mean attentively strengthening your marriage, initiating relationship-building in other departments at work, developing more friend-relationships outside work or volunteering with those in need.

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Where have we become relational "users" or even abusers, growing a relational deficit in pivotal parts of our lives? In 2017, where must we increase or re-allocate relationship investment?

2.Where have difficult or offensive relationships dis-empowered you into a victim role?

The only thing worse than difficult or even oppressive relationships is self-inflicted, victim-behavior that damages us more than others could. We have all suffered relational offense. "Offense" comes from the Greek word skandalon for trap - like an animal trap - referring specifically to the mechanism that holds the bait. When we allow ourselves to become victimized and powerless due to others' offense - trapped in anger, fear, self-pity - we are literally holding on to the bait that imprisons us.



As victims, a part of us becomes paralyzed or even dead - as if the blood stops carrying oxygen there. When we redirect our energy by letting-go - we escape the trap and become alive again.



In 2017, it is time to let go of the bait and move on - which may mean leaving the relationship, asserting oneself or letting go of old feelings. The key is deciding to become proactive, alive and empowered to move forward.



3.Where is the ease and "convenience" of avoiding relationships costing you?

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Indonesian military Chief Gatot Nurmantyo talks to reporters in the Indonesian capitals Jakarta on January 5. Beawiharta/Reuters

The Indonesian government has confirmed that it will not suspend military cooperation with Australia after a top general said earlier in the week that ties between the two nations would be cut. The incident is just the latest episode in a rocky relationship between the neighbours.

On January 4, Indonesian Military Chief Gatot Nurmantyo declared the suspension of Indonesia-Australia military cooperation, apparently because an Indonesian special forces commander trainer found materials at an Australian teaching facility that were insulting to both the Indonesian military and the state's ideology of Pancasila.

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Pancasila, from the Sanskrit word for for "five", panca, and the Javanese for "principles", sila, is the name given to the official founding principles of the Indonesian state. The principles are: "The one God system (monotheism), just and civilised humanity, the unity of Indonesia, democracy and social justice for all."

The incident is part of the ups and downs of the Indonesia-Australia diplomatic and military relationship that dates back to 1945 when Indonesia first declared independence from both Japan, which had occupied the country in 1942 and the Dutch, who had colonised it in the 18th century.

Neighbourhood blues

In September 1945, Australian waterside workers imposed "a black ban" on all Dutch ships destined for Indonesia in Australian ports. Later, Australian government showed sympathy for its northern neighbour in the Dutch-Indonesia conflict, even while officially maintaining impartiality.

Since then, however, the relationship between Australia and Indonesia has been rocky at times, depending on what Australia has perceived to be in its national interest. Australian public opinion opposed Indonesia's desire to incorporate West Papua into the nation in the 1950s, for instance, and a low-level separatist conflict continues in the province.

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Australia initially supported Indonesia's invasion of East Timor, but after the fall of president Suharto in 1998, then-Australian prime minister John Howard proposed a referendum on the issue of independence for East Timor.

This led to the secession of East Timor from Indonesia. And the violence that ensued led Australia to send troops to East Timor under the auspices of the United Nations' INTERFET (International Force East Timor).

Defence cooperation between Australia and Indonesia has improved drastically since then: both countries need each other. For Australia, Indonesia is an important nation for its security and economic objectives as the country is its gateway to Asia.









Darren Whiteside/Reuters





Indonesia, on the other hand, needs Australia as a strategic partner to modernise and further professionalise its military forces. Every year, Indonesia sends more than a hundred officers to Australia for training and education.

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Yet the distrust engendered by Australia's intervention in East Timor lingers, and remains the root of current problems in the nations' relationship. It still hovers in the background despite improvements in economic, military, and diplomatic relationship.

Hidden agendas?

General Gatot Nurmantyo is the perfect embodiment of this lack of trust. In March 2015, for instance, he suggested that Australia's meddling in East Timor's secession from Indonesia was part of a proxy war to secure oil.

In December 2016, he ominously warned of Australia's desire to take over the Masela Oil Block, which is close to Timor-Leste (as East Timor has been called since gaining independence) and Darwin. He also noted that Indonesia is currently surrounded by Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia, which all of which used to have problems with Indonesia.

Many Indonesians share similar discomfort, though it might not as extreme as General Nurmantyo's. Despite assurances from both US President Obama and Australia's then-prime minister Julia Gillard that the goal of stationing 2,500 US troops in Darwin from 2017 was to counter China - and not to threaten Indonesia or the Southeast Asian region generally - many Indonesians still believe there's a hidden agenda concerning both US and Australian interest in Indonesia's abundant natural resources and Papua.

Given this background, it should be no surprise that a homework assignment for an Indonesian Special Forces language student to write an essay supporting the argument "Papua should have independence because it was part of Melanesia" would touch a raw nerve.

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It confirmed General Nurmantyo's worst expectations about Australia's intentions, including that Indonesian officers training in Australia would be indoctrinated and recruited as spies.

Contradictory messages

At the same time, General Nurmantyo's reaction caught other Indonesians completely off guard. Indonesian military's spokesman, Major General Wuryanto, for instance, stated that the reason for the temporary freeze was technical matters (masalah teknis) and not due to insulting Pancasila.

Even the normally nationalistic Indonesian Defence Minister, Ryamizard Ryacudu, played down the incident, saying that it was an isolated personal act that the Australian government had regretted. And he noted that Australia had apologised for the incident, which actually happened in mid-December 2016.

To add to the confusion, a tweet from the presidential staff office suggested that the temporary halting of the military cooperation between Australia and Indonesia was only on joint training, education, officer exchange, and official visits.

7. Penghentian sementara #KerjasamaMiliter meliputi latihan bersama, pendidikan, tukar menukar perwira, hingga kunjungan antar-pejabat  Kantor Staf Presiden #AsianGamesKita (@KSPgoid) January 5, 2017

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Later, however, in a letter that was followed by a press conference by Wiranto, the Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Law, and Security, stressed that the relationship freeze was limited only to language courses.















Work to do

It seems from the different responses of several government ministers that General Nurmantyo's decision to halt the military cooperation was abrupt, and that it came without any warning or coordination with other ministers - or even the military's own spokesman.

The relationship between Australia and Indonesia is clearly very important for the Indonesian government, given the response to General Nurmantyo's announcement. It would have been simple for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and the rest of the cabinet to simply reaffirm what General Nuryantyo had proclaimed. But they value Indonesian-Australian military ties, and so Jokowi and the rest of the cabinet went into damage control mode to limit the fallout.

Finally, the incident shows that trust between Australia and Indonesia remains fragile, since a language class writing assignment could cause such an outrage. Indonesia's wounds from East Timor's secession are clearly still very raw.

Coupled with the uproar over revelations in 2013 that Australia wiretapped then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2009, which led to suspension of cooperation between the two countries, it shouldn't be surprising that Indonesia remains wary of Australia's intentions.

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Clearly, both the Australian and Indonesian governments still have a lot of homework to do to build trust between their nations.

Yohanes Sulaiman, Visting Lecturer in International Relations and Political Science at Indonesian Defense University & Lecturer, Universitas Jendral Achmad Yani
Immigrant communities and their advocates are gearing up to challenge President-elect Donald Trump's proposals for immigration policy.

The U.S. federal system structure of government may be their best defense.

Trump has said he will deport two to three million immigrants with criminal records. To find, apprehend, legally process, incarcerate and return that many people to their home countries would require the cooperation of local law enforcement. Only 5,700 immigration enforcement agents work the entire geographical U.S. By contrast, there are more than 20,000 border patrol agents policing a jurisdiction that is limited to 100 miles of the border.

Although states and localities cannot evade enforcement of federal laws, they can refuse to cooperate with federal authorities in carrying out mass deportation. The underlying premise is that the U.S. Constitution mandates power be divided between the national government and state and local governments. States would have constitutional grounds for resisting - the same grounds that allowed southern states to argue in favor of preserving slavery.

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My research on the historical overlap between slavery and immigration policies shows how the federal system is a double-edged sword that can produce both liberal and conservative policy outcomes.

The possibilities of a federal system

Pro-immigrant forces are turning to the federal structure to resist Trump's restrictive immigration proposals. Immediately after the election, mayors and other local officials across major U.S. cities vowed that their cities would remain "sanctuaries" for immigrants.

As several law professors recently wrote, states and localities can argue that local law enforcement's work would be compromised if they were dragooned into helping carry out federal immigration laws. Forcing state police to enforce federal immigration laws could make communities less safe, the argument goes, if residents feel compelled to hide from or refuse to cooperate with police because of their immigration status.

As for Trump's threats to withhold funding from cities failing to enforce immigration laws, the legal doctrine on his side is speculative at best. The law he thinks he has on his side is not clear about how and how much federal funding can be withheld to states and localities that don't toe the line on federal policy.

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The framers' hopes

The framers of the U.S. Constitution believed that to safeguard individual liberty against government tyranny, government power and authority should be divided to create checks and balances. In addition to three branches of government sharing power, the Constitution also splits authority between the national government, state and local governments.

The 10th Amendment of the Constitution is the source of the states' powers. It states: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Traditionally, this division has meant that states control policies under its "police powers," which include health, safety and morals. Examples include regulating gambling, liquor, prostitution and cigarettes. In turn, the federal government confined itself to what James Madison described in Federalist Papers Number 45 as "principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce."

In the antebellum period, slave states used the autonomy allowed by the federal system to preserve slavery by arguing it was part of "states' rights." Later, during the civil rights era, southern states relied on the same arguments to justify racial segregation as part of the "southern way of life," even though that belief contradicted federal law. Of the federal system, political scientist William Riker once noted, "Here it seems that federalism may have more to do with destroying freedom than with encouraging it." Given its ignoble legacy on racial equality, the federal system earned a bad rap with those for racial equality.

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However, the federal system can also produce liberal results because of the flexibility it permits across the 50 states. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote in 1932: "It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country."

That belief has led to progressive policies. In the Progressive Era, 1890 to 1920, it was the states that first passed laws to protect their workers' well-being, including child labor laws. By 1919 every state had a law banning children under 14 from working, even as a similar federal law was struck down by the Supreme Court.

More recently, many states have legalized the use of medical marijuana. By contrast, the federal government continues to criminalized all uses of the drug, resulting in tough federal convictions.



Sometimes, states can succeed where the federal government cannot. Protecting immigrants may be the next example.
It took a few weeks -- possibly to recover from the shock -- but top officials in the Pentagon are finally publicly pushing back against President-elect Donald Trumps proposal in December to do away with the troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and replace the fifth-generation fighter plane with a souped-up version of the F-18 Super Hornet.

The suggestion to completely overhaul the militarys vision for the future of jet fighters was made in a tweet, as with many of Trumps policy statements. Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F/A-18 Super Hornet! Trump wrote.

Related: Air Force General Challenges Trump Over the F-35

The suggestion was met with immediate derision within the defense community, but Pentagon officials generally kept their criticism low-key, pointing out that the technology and design differences between the F-18 and F-35 are vast, and that an F-18 that is comparable to an F-35 would require such a massive overhaul that it really wouldnt be an F-18 anymore.

This week, though, some of the criticism got a bit louder. In an interview reported on Thursday by DefenseNews, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said, The Air Force does not view the F/A-18 and the F-35 to be substitutable at all. They fulfill different requirements. Theyre both fine aircraft, dont get me wrong. But its fourth generation, and F-35 is fifth generation.

On Friday morning, speaking in northern Virginia at a meeting of the Air Force Association, James repeated her criticism. Referring to the F-18, she said, It's a fine aircraft, it's a different aircraft, it does not fulfill the same requirements ... It's a little bit apples and oranges and I have to believe before any final decision would be made with respect to a final shift, the chief requirements officer would be consulted.

Others were not as diplomatic. Speaking to Business Insider about the idea that the F-18 could be transformed into something comparable to the F-35, US Marine Corps Lt. Col David "Chip" Berke, a pilot who has flown both planes, called the idea preposterous and laughable.

Story continues

Related: The Pentagon Is Planning a New Super Rival to the Troubled F-35

Among the most significant differences is that the F-35 was designed from the ground up to be a stealth fighter, meaning that it is extremely difficult to spot using radar. The F-18 is not a stealth aircraft.

The radar cross-section of an F-18 is the radar cross-section of an F-18  you cant change that, said Air Force Brigadier General Scott Pleus this week, according to Military.com. Pleus directs the F-35 programs integration office. Low observable technology, the ability to evade radar if you will, is something that has to be designed into the airplane from the very beginning.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Hutchinson contracts with a collection agency for unpaid utility bills

Contract with Topeka-based collector could double collections on unpaid city bills, but it will significantly increase cost for debtors
Two events, which made headlines in the digital world in 2016, will probably frame the Internet Governance Agenda for 2017. October 1, 2016, the US government confirmed the IANA Stewardship transition to the global multistakeholder community. November 2, 2016, the Chinese government announced the adoption of a new cybersecurity law which will enter into force on July 1, 2017.

IANA Transition and the Chinese Cybersecurity Law

The IANA transition stands for a multistakeholder bottom up policy development process. The Chinese law stands for a top-down governmental approach. The new ICANN Bylaws are probably the most advanced version of a multistakeholder mechanism for a free, open and unfragmented Internet. The Chinese cybersecurity law is probably the most outspoken version of how a country can control the Internet within its territorial borders. Here we have a global multistakeholder network. There we have a national government. And it is not only the Chinese government which introduces strong national Internet legislation. It is Russia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi-Arabia, Hungary, Poland, and even the United Kingdom. Will we see a new type of conflict between multistakeholder networks and national Internet policies? Will the wave of the new nationalism swap into the borderless cyberspace? Will, with a new president in Washington's Oval Office, pure power politics trample collective wisdom? Will fictions beat facts?

The short answer to this rhetorical question is, unfortunately "Yes". Yes, we will see a continuation of a chilly "Cold Cyberwar". Yes, we will see that more governments, in the name of security, will restrict fundamental individual human rights as privacy and freedom of expression. And yes, we will see that more governments want to re-nationalize the global cyberspace and erect borders around their "national Internet segment" where they can control individuals, private corporations, personal data as well as the flow and the content of communication.

However, the short answer tells only half of the truth. The reality is more complex. To describe the basic cyberconflict of our time as "Democracies vs. Dictatorships" would be an oversimplification. Yes, there are conflicts between political structures, value systems, and ideologies. And yes, there are conflicts between borderless spaces (managed by multistakeholder networks) and bordered places (managed by hierarchically organized states). But the truth is, that there are hierarchies in networks and networks in hierarchies. And there is no 100 percent democracy on one side and 100 percent Dictatorship on the other side.

There are western governments, which prefer strong Internet regulation, argue that cybersecurity is more important than data protection and reduce their commitment to the multistakeholder model to the technical management of Internet resources as domain names, IP addresses or Internet protocols. On the other hand, the Chinese government has recognized that the concept of sovereignty in cyberspace, as it is pushed forward by president Xi, has to take into consideration also the role of non-state actors. Critical observers recognized that during the 3rd high-level Wuzhen Conference in November 2016 Chinese officials introduced the terminology of "multi-party governance", which is the Chinese version of the multistakeholder model. "Multi-party Internet governance" invites the Chinese private sector, technical community, and even civil society to participate in Internet policy making. How far this will go in practice remains to be seen, but it is an interesting move in an ideologically overloaded Internet Governance language.

With other words, what we saw in 2016 and what we will see in 2017 is a growing mix of approaches with a broad spectrum from a full functioning multistakeholder model as the new ICANN after the IANA transition to a rather rigid national legislation as it is symbolized in the new Chinese cybersecurity law.

The Internet Governance Ecosystem as a "Virtual Rainforest"

In my Internet Governance Outlook 2014, I compared the Internet Governance Eco-System with the rainforest. "In the rainforest, an uncountable number of diverse plants and animals live together in a very complex system. In the "virtual rainforest," we have also an endless and growing diversity of networks, services, applications, regimes and other properties which co-exist in a mutual interdependent mechanism of communication, coordination, and collaboration. One thing which can be learned is that the rainforest as a whole is not manageable. It can be neither governed nor controlled, but it can be damaged and destroyed. In the Internet Governance Eco-System, many players with very different legal status operate on many different layers  on local, national, regional and international levels  driven by technical innovation, user needs, market opportunities and political interests.

As a result, we see a very dynamic process where  from a political-legal perspective  a broad variety of different regulatory, co-regulatory or self-regulatory regimes emerge, co-exist and complement or conflict each other. The system as a whole is decentralized, diversified and has no central authority. However, within the various subsystems there is an incredible broad variety of different sub-mechanisms which range from hierarchical structures under single or inter-governmental control to non-hierarchical networks based on self-regulatory mechanisms by non-governmental groups with a wide range of co-regulatory arrangements in between where affected and concerned stakeholders from governments, private sector, civil society and technical community are working hand in hand.

There is no "one size fits all" solution. The specific form of each sub-system has to be designed according to the very specific needs and nature of the individual issue. In such a mechanism, traditional national legislation and intergovernmental agreements continue to play a role but have to be embedded into the broader multistakeholder environment while new emerging mechanisms have to take note and recognize existing frameworks and regulations on various levels. The "do-not-harm" principle becomes more important than ever. It means that whatever a governmental or non-governmental player will do on the Internet has to take into consideration its direct or indirect consequences for not involved third parties as well as the unintended side-effects for the system as a whole.

Such a competitive coexistence of rather different regimes and mechanisms creates opportunities but has also risks. There are incredible opportunities for new mechanisms, platforms, and services to bring more dynamic into political strategies, social actions and market developments. This competitive coexistence can stimulate innovation, promote job creation, enlarge all kinds of cultural activities and broaden the use of individual freedoms by the public at large both in developed and developing nations. But there is also a risk that differences between regimes and systems create controversies and produce heavy conflicts which include the threat to turn down innovation, hamper sustainable development, to reduce individual freedoms and to pollute the Internet Governance Eco-System in a way that parts of it will be damaged or destroyed."

US vs. China: Chances for a Digital Detente

This was true in 2014. And it will be true in 2017 and beyond. The only thing which today has to be added is, that among the risks we face now is also the risk of a "hot cyberwar" with real cyberweapons, an invisible war with incalculable consequences and unintended side effects.

The US government has made crystal clear that any serious cyberattack against its sovereignty or its critical infrastructure will get a strong answer. On December 2, 2016, the US Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, chaired by Tom Donilon, presented its report to President Obama and he recommended his successor to take the commission's recommendations very seriously.

Three weeks later, on December 29, 2016, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) presented its new "National Cyberspace Security Strategy". The document says that the use of the internet "for treason, secession, revolt, subversion or stealing or leaking of state secrets would be punished". It also warned of penalties for working with "overseas forces" for "sabotage, subversion or secession."

Is this a preparation for a coming fight? Yes and no. A comparison of the two documents allow some interesting conclusions. There is indeed a high probability for a hard- and software arms race and for serious Chinese-American cyber-conflicts in 2017. But there are also windows open for dialogue and mutual understanding. Both papers underline the need to work together in the fight against cyberterrorists and cybercriminals. And they want to promote the digital economy.

With other words, confrontation and cooperation will go hand in hand. There is a lot of mutual mistrust and there are conflicting interests and values. But there is also a readiness to discuss and agree upon confidence building in cyberspace and upon the respect of international law in the digital age. For 2017 this means that the various bilateral and multilateral cybersecurity negotiations and dialogues, as, inter alia, the ongoing work of the 5th UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE), are more important than ever. As long as communication channels are open there are always options to manage controversies and to reach agreements. And the new "Global Commission on Stability in Cyberspace" (GCSC), which will be launched in February 2017 at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) could become a very helpful platform to build bridges, to counter new cyber-tensions and to pave the way towards a "digital detente".

And endless chain of governmental and non-governmental negotiations

The big cyberpower scenario is a reality. But it would be another oversimplification to reduce the Internet Governance Agenda 2017 to the US-Chinese cyber-rivalry. Cybersecurity, the digital economy, and human rights are meanwhile high priority issues for nearly all countries in the world. And the subject will be on the agenda of the various political summit meetings in 2017.

Summit Meetings

In 2016 the G7 summit, the network of the leading western powers, adopted in Isa-Shima a special document to strengthen cybersecurity. In 2017, Italy has the G7 presidency. The summit is planned for the end of May 2017 in Taormina. In September 2017, there will be a special meeting of G7 Internet-Ministers in Torino, similar to the meeting Japan organized in Takamatsu in April 2016. G7 in 2017 will see new leaders on the negotiation table. Insofar it remains to be seen how much time and energy is left among the G7 countries to go beyond the Takamatsu und Isa-Shima agreements if it comes to Internet Governance. In 2018 the G7 presidency goes to Canada, a country which since years is one of the strongest supporters of the multistakeholder model.

The BRICS summit, which brings together the leaders of China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa, is scheduled for September 2017 in the Chinese coast town of Xiamen. The 2016 BRICS summit in Goa/India gave strong support to the UN-GGE and underlined that "the states have the leading role to ensure stability and security in the use of ICTs." But they also advocated "for an open, non-fragmented and secure Internet, and reaffirm(ed) that the Internet is a global resource and that States should participate on an equal footing in its evolution and functioning, taking into account the need to involve relevant stakeholders in their respective roles and responsibilities." Whether the Xiamen summit will go beyond this language is questionable. BRICS is in a complicated phase. Brazil and South Africa are occupied with domestic problems, India is now more supportive of the multistakeholder model and Russia and China have different ideas how to transfer "cybersovereignty" into the channels of international diplomacy.

It is also unclear how the Shanghai Cooperation Organisations (SCO) will reach out to the cyber-issues. SCO founding members are China, Russia, and some former Soviet republics. Now, countries like Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey are in the waiting line. The SCO summit is planned for June 2017 in Astana, Kasachstan.

Remaining Peace between ICANN and ITU?

It will be again a busy year for the Internet Governance folks. But after the IANA transition and the renewal of the IGF mandate, there is no "big thing" in the pipeline. 2017 will become probably a "transition year" where new political leaders will define their positions, new mechanisms will be stress tested and a new political agenda, with a view towards 2020 and beyond, will be drafted.

ICANN will have three meetings in Copenhagen (March), Johannesburg (June) and Abu Dhabi (October). After the IANA transition, ICANN has now the chance to return to its core business, the management of the Domain Name System (DNS). More than 1000 new gTLDs in the Internet root and more than 25 million new registered domain names under the new gTLD program is not bad. Competition works. But it is not only the market, which counts. With each new gTLD the list with related and very often unexpected political problems gets longer: .amazon, .africa, .gmbh, .vin are only some examples which tell us that behind nearly every word, which appears now behind a dot, there is also a political conflict. But this problem is also a good chance to demonstrate that the multistakeholder model works, that what is now on paper in the new ICANN bylaws meets the stress test of the daily life. And ICANN has to finish its business under the so-called "Workstream 2": Accountability of the supporting organizations and advisory committees, human rights, jurisdiction and others.

Also, the IETF will have three meetings in Chicago (March), Prague (July) and Singapore (October). Step by step the IETF has realized in previous years, that the technical issues, they are dealing with, have a lot of political implications, in particular with regard to privacy. It will be interesting to see how in 2017 the global codemakers of the IETF and other standard-setting organizations as IEEE or W3C will enhance their cooperation with the national lawmakers. This remains also an issue for the five regional Internet registries (RIRs) which manage the pool of the billions of IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, a resource which becomes more and more the target of national policies in many countries.

So far, those resources are in good hands in the private sector and in the technical community. 2016 has demonstrated that ITU and ICANN can work together if they respect their domains. But it can not be excluded, that in the years ahead, some governments in the ITU will try again to twist competencies out of the hands of the I*-organisations and put them back under an intergovernmental ITU-regime. Some efforts during ITU's World Telecommunication Standardisation Conference (WTSA) in October 2016 in Tunis did send disturbing signals which have the potential to undermine what some people have called the "Peace of Busan". In Busan, during the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, there was a silent agreement, that the ITU will no longer try to interfere with ICANN, IETF and RIR businesses. But this peace is fragile and old failed proposals can reappear in a recycled form.

There are a number of ITU working groups dealing with public policy related Internet issues. Those working groups have opened itself a little bit more to the public, but they are still far away from becoming multistakeholder mechanisms. There is the ITU-T Study Group 20, dealing with the Internet of Things. This new body has a rather vague mandate which can be also misused for a mission creep. Mission creep is also an issue for the WSIS Forum, which is organized by the ITU. The original mandate for the WSIS Forum was to document progress in the 16 WSIS Actions Lines, adopted by the Geneva Plan of Action from 2003. But over the years, the WSIS Forum has gone beyond this well-defined territory and has entered the more sexy field of Internet Governance. According to the Tunis Agenda, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is the main place to discuss Internet-related issues. Competition is always good, but with limited resources, one should think twice whether there is a need to replicate the IGF by an annual WSIS Forum, as it is planned again for July 2017 in Geneva.

The ITU Council will have its annual meeting in May 2017. This meeting will kick-start the preparations for the 2018 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Dubai. Dubai hosted the failed World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in 2012. Hopefully, this is not a bad writing on the wall.

What is needed is not old wine in new bottles, what is needed is an enhanced cooperation among all involved stakeholders. One important role could play here the 2nd UNCSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation (WGEC II), which has to deliver a report with recommendations to the 73rd UN General Assembly in Fall 2018, that is just before the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Dubai. The next WGEC II meeting is scheduled for the end of January 2017 in Geneva. An interim report will be discussed during the regular UNCSTD meeting in May 2017. With the IANA transition one key controversy, which blocked any progress under WGEC I, is now gone. The way is now free to look forward and come with some innovative ideas, how collaboration among all governmental and non-governmental stakeholders from developed and developing nations can be further enhanced.

There are many other bodies, dealing with Internet Governance issues as WIPO, WTO or UNESCO, which will have its 39th General Conference in November 2017 in Paris where it will discuss how UNESCO's ROAM principles (rights, openness, access, multistakeholder) for Internet Governance have progressed since its 38th conference in 2015.

The list of important Internet Governance meetings for 2017 is again long. It starts in January with the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos where issues like cybercrime, national digital policies, and data localization are discussed. The Munich Security Conference (MSC) will look deeper into cybersecurity and the new Global Commission on Stability in Cyberspace will be launched. There will be meetings of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), which had its 8th meeting 2016 in Costa Rica, of the Internet & Jurisdiction Project, which had a great high-level kick-start meeting on November 2016 in Paris, and another Chinese "World Internet Conference" in fall 2017 in Wuzhen. There will be an endless chain of academic symposia, business meetings and technical seminars on the global, regional and national level which will produce thousands of pages of research papers, policy findings, and recommendations for further actions. And in 2017 we will have again nearly 100 national and regional IGFs. Finally, in December 2016, the 12th IGF will take place in Geneva's Palais des Nations.

The Key Role oft he IGF

Looking backward, one can say that the IGF has matured. More and more it becomes what nobody really expected in 2005 when the IGF was launched: a clearinghouse for Internet Governance policy making. After eleven years and with a renewed mandate until 2025 the IGF is indeed now the best place to kick start a discussion or to organize pressure towards decision-making bodies to find solutions for emerging issues.

During the recent IGF in Guadalajara (December 2016), this was demonstrated, inter alia, by the sessions on Internet Governance and trade negotiations. Nobody disagrees that trade, and in particular, eTrade is a key element of the future of the digital economy. Arrangements among nations are needed. But so far, Internet negotiations and trade negotiations are based on two very distinctive political cultures. Internet Governance discussions are based on open and transparent bottom-up processes where all stakeholders are involved in their respective roles and on equal footing. Trade negotiations take place among governments only behind closed doors with big private sector players in a strong lobby position.

For many speakers in Guadalajara, the failure of ACTA, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) or the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Pact (TTIP) is the result of this clash of cultures. The good thing in Guadalajara was, that all stakeholders  governmental trade negotiators and their opponents from consumer protection organizations, business people, and technical experts  had a chance to present their views, their perspective and their expectations and everybody was listening to everybody.

Such openness and transparency is one key element to identify the areas of common interests and to find solutions which balances legitimate but conflicting interests in a way that at the end of the day all parties can live with it. The discussion helped to broaden the understanding of such a new complexity.

Certainly multistakeholder processes are more difficult and take probably more time. But among the participants in Guadalajara, one could observe a growing recognition of the fact that such an inclusive process will enhance the opportunities to find sustainable solutions. And, in the WTO trade negotiations governments did not demonstrate that they can achieve faster results if they negotiate among themselves in an isolated silo. The Doha Trade Negotiation Round is without any concrete outcome since nearly twenty years.

This example is a good hint, why the IGF is needed and why the IGF does not need a mandate to do negotiations itself. It is obvious that there is a need for a new round of global trade negotiations. And at the end of the day, it will be governments who will have to make the final decision, to sign and ratify treaties. But the open multistakeholder discussions  as those in the IGF  enable the governmental experts at the negotiation table to understand better the various perspectives of the conflicting parties which will help them to find the right compromises to get a sustainable outcome. And it allows the non-governmental stakeholders to raise their voice, to articulate special interests and to become part of the process.

Another example was the discussion around the Internet of Things. Since 2008 a so-called multistakeholder IGF Dynamic Coalition on Internet of Things (DC-IOT) is discussing IOT related issues, including IOT governance, privacy, and security. In 2008, when the Dynamic Coalition was established during the 3rd IGF in Hyderabad/India, IOT was still an "emerging issue". Now, in 2016, it is in the center of the global Internet debate. In Guadalajara, the DC-IOT meeting presented perspectives from governments (EU Commission, NTIA of the US Department of Commerce, ITU-T Study Group 20), from the technical community (IETF, ISOC), the private sector (ICC Basis, Oracle, Google) and civil society groups which raised, inter alia, the need to enhance also the understanding of the ethical implications in the development of new IOT services and devices.

The meeting did not produce any concrete outcome. But the questions raised in the discussion were wake up calls for everybody in the overpacked room with people from all stakeholder groups and from many different sectors, not to remain in his/her stakeholder or sectoral silo, where IOT issues are discussed in inner circles of experts, but to outreach to other stakeholders and other sectors to exchange best practices and to learn from each other how to benefit from the new IOT opportunities by keeping the risks for security and privacy under control.

A new "Grand Design" for an Internet Governance Agenda

With other words, over the years, the IGF has matured into a discussion platform which helps to formulate agendas and setting the scene. In an Internet world, where the list of new and open issues is growing on a weekly basis, such a "structuring of the debate" is a value in itself. One structure which allows a more holistic approach is to put the dozens of Internet Governance issues into four baskets. This helps to identify areas where informal or formal agreements among stakeholders (including intergovernmental treaties) are needed and who should discuss what with whom, where and how.

Basket 1: Cybersecurity

All the new threats to national security, the risk of cyberwars, the emergence of cyberweapons, cyberespionage, the fight against cyberterrorism and cybercrime will dominate the Internet discussion in the years ahead. The IGF will not be the place where solutions will be negotiated. But to understand all the new challenges for cybersecurity, it will be not enough if governmental experts are sitting together and try to agree on new intergovernmental treaties. They will need the cooperation of the technical community and the private sector, as the case FBI vs. Apple has demonstrated recently. And also civil society has to be part of the discussion. If governments ignore the interests of billions of Internet users, any intergovernmental cybersecurity agreement risks failing as we have seen with the trade agreements.

The body which has emerged over the last years with the highest authority for global cybersecurity issues is undoubtedly the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) which operates under the 1st Committee of the UN General Assembly. It is a purely intergovernmental mechanism. But it would be wise for the GGE to listen carefully to the IGF and other multistakeholder discussions and to take reasonable ideas and arguments, which represents legitimate interests and perspectives from non-governmental stakeholders, on board.

Basket 2: Digital Economy

One should not forget, that behind political strategies and cultural values there are economic interests. The digital economy is the driver of economic growth and job creation in the US, in China and in the rest of the world. Until 2020 another two billion people will move from the offline to the online world. Who will serve those cyber-newbies? Will it be the American GAFAs (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon), will it be the Chinese WeiBATs (Weibo, Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), or will it be new big players from Europe, Asia, Latin America or Africa?

Economically, there is no way back into the pre-Internet age. A key aspect, as mentioned above, is trade. But the future of the digital economy goes beyond eTrade. It includes, as the recent OECD Ministerial Meeting in Cancun (June 2016) has stated, eSkills, eJobs, Industry 4.0 and many other aspects. At the G20 Hangzhou summit meeting in September 2016, the leaders of the twenty largest nations on earth have adopted a "Global Digital Economy Development and Cooperation Initiative". This initiative is still ill defined and in its infant stage. But as it is inked to the recommendations of the OECD Cancun conference, it has a great potential which will help countries to define a national digital economy strategy and to identify new areas for global digital cooperation.

December 1, 2016, Germany has overtaken the G20 presidency for 2017. The G20 summit is planned for July 2017 in Hamburg. In April 2017 there will be a special meeting of ministers responsible for the digital economy with a special multistakeholder conference on the eve of the ministerial meeting.

Like in the field of cybersecurity, the IGF will certainly not become the negotiation body for the global digital economy. WTO, G20, OECD and other intergovernmental bodies have legitimacy and authority to translate discussions into decisions. But this does not exclude non-governmental stakeholders in digital economy policy and decision making. A good example here is again the OECD. In the OECD, non-governmental stakeholders are organized in four advisory committees for business (BIAC), trade unions (TUAC), technical community (TAC) and civil society (CISAC). All committees participated in the drafting of the final Cancun documents and their contributions were extremely useful in the design of strategies like eSkills or eJobs.

Basket 3: Human Rights

The protection of human rights in the digital age is more important than ever. Never before in the history of mankind, the risk was higher that people will lose privacy and the right to freedom of expression. There has been some important achievements in the last years. The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution which confirmed that individuals have the same rights offline and online. A big step forward was the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Internet Governance Principles at the NetMundial Conference in Sao Paulo in April 2014 which did put Human Rights on top of its eight principles. But we see also a growing number of violations of human rights in cyberspace. Just recently IPS reported that in 2016 more than 50 countries introduced restrictive censorship measures. And mass surveillance continues to be a daily practice.

There is no need to introduce new human rights. But there is a need to enhance our understanding how the existing human rights have to be implemented in the digital age. The IGF Dynamic Coalition on Rights and Principles has produced a good document which can be used as a guideline for such an enhanced understanding. There are projects like the Brazilian Marco Civil or the Italian Bill of Internet Rights. Just recently, a German initiative for a European Charter of Digital Rights was presented to the European Parliament.

But more efforts are needed. The UN Human Rights Council with its special rapporteurs on freedom of expression and privacy in the digital age is a strong mechanism which can do a lot by naming and shaming governments and corporations if they violate human rights in cyberspace. There are a number of watchdogs in this field as Reporter Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and others. In 2019 there is the 5th anniversary of the famous multistakeholder NetMundial conference. It would be probably a good idea if the multistakeholder community could produce a comprehensive report how the Sao Paulo principles are implemented. A NetMundial +5 could be done in cooperation with the 14th IGF in 2019.

Basket 4: Technology

The Internet itself is a technical innovation. But meanwhile, there are so many new innovative products, devices and services on top of the Internet and its DNS that the technological development as such has become an issue in itself. Today the Internet of Things, Cloud Computing and Artificial Intelligence are at the center of the discussion. Nobody knows what will be tomorrow's inventions and how the next generation of issues will look like. To have a place where such emerging issues can be discussed in a multistakeholder environment is important. The IGF can function here as an early warning system where both the opportunities of new technologies and its risks and threats can be discussed.

Looking Ahead: Everything is linked to Everything

The 11th IGF in Guadalajara has helped to structure the Internet Governance agenda for 2017 and beyond. But it also has helped to open our eyes to understand better, that in the Internet world everything is connected to everything. That means that neither cybersecurity issues nor issue related to the digital economy or human rights can be discussed anymore in isolation.

Just to take one example: Internet of Things, a technical issue, is key for the digital economy. But if we move from driverless cars to driverless tanks, the same technology becomes a cybersecurity issue. And it has a massive impact on our individual privacy.

With other words, if we look ahead we have to design global discussions and negotiations on Internet Governance in a mechanism which reflects those universal interlinkages. This needs indeed innovation in policy making. The Internet is a network of networks, connected via universal technical protocols. What we need in the policy field is a similar network of political networks wherein various bodies, platforms and regimes are interlinked by a similar universal "political protocol".

The cyberspace is still an unchartered territory, open for creativity and innovation. But it is a commons which belongs to the whole mankind. There is no alternative to global cooperation among all stakeholders from developed and developing nations. National solo efforts or traditional power politics will not bring solutions but have the potential to bring the world into serious turbulences. Did we learn something from history?

When I was a student, I was listening to a lecture by an old professor who spoke about "Seven Jumps in the History of Mankind". When he moved from the past into the future, he illustrated his argument by telling us that mankind is now sitting in a canoe moving towards a big waterfall. He waited a moment before he gave us his recommendation: "Don't fight the waterfall, stabilize the canoe"!

By Wolfgang Kleinwachter, Professor Emeritus at the University of Aarhus. Wolfgang Kleinwachter is a Professor Emeritus from the University of Aarhus. He was a member of the ICANN Board (20132015) and served as Special Ambassador for the Net Mundial Initiative.

Source: http://www.circleid.com/posts/20160106_internet_outlook_2017_nationalistic_hierarchies_multistakeholder/
Smartphone users in Russia can no longer download the LinkedIn app on iPhone or Android devices, following a similar move in China to block The New York Times app on iPhones.

The demand by Russian authorities to remove LinkedIn in Apple and Google app stores comes weeks after a court blocked the professional networking service for flouting local laws that require internet firms to store data on Russian citizens within the nations borders.

The action is the equivalent of a nation banning Catcher in The Rye and then forcing booksellers to remove the title from their shelves. It puts Apple and Google in a difficult position. The companies are strong proponents of open internet policies and free speech but are now being asked to be agents for governments that censor its citizens.

When LinkedIns website was blocked, the apps stopped functioning properly. Removing them from the Google Play store and Apples App Store may not have cut off access to content, but it sent a signal that countries can push the tech giants to remove the apps.

Direct blocking of websites has been done by China, Russia, Turkey and several other nations for years, usually through their state-run internet service providers. But civil rights groups say the pressure authoritarian governments are now placing on Apple and Google is a new wrinkle.

Apps are the new choke point of free expression, said Rebecca MacKinnon, who leads a project on open internet tracking at New America.

Increasingly, United States tech companies are complying with those demands. In the early 2000s, American internet firms strongly pushed back on demands by China to comply with censorship rules within the countrys internet controls, known as the Great Firewall. Recently, Facebook has been working on a censorship tool to be able to access China, where it is currently blocked along with Twitter and Google.

LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, said it was disappointed with the decision by Russian regulators to block the service, which the company confirmed was extended to apps in Russian Apple and Google Play stores.

It denies access to our members in Russia and the companies that use LinkedIn to grow their businesses, said Nicole Leverich, a spokeswoman for LinkedIn.

Apple confirmed it was asked to remove its LinkedIn app in Russia about a month ago. It has also confirmed it was asked by China to block The New York Times app, but declined to comment further on both events. Google would not confirm it has removed LinkedIn in Russia but said it adheres to local laws in the countries in which it operates.

More nations have enforced their own internet laws in recent years. Turkey intermittently blocks social media, such as during the attempted government coup last summer. It has also forced YouTube to remove content it considers disparaging of its modern-day founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. European nations have also drawn up their own privacy laws and in 2014 a court declared its citizens could demand internet companies like Google unlink information about users upon request.

Tech companies and civil rights advocates warn that the increasing push by nations to create their own internet rules will Balkanize the internet and potentially lead to privacy violations and the stifling of political dissent. Other countries, however, criticize Silicon Valley and the United States government for setting the norms and rules for the internet.

Internet free speech and internet freedom are increasingly under attack all over the globe, and not just from authoritarian regimes, said Robert M. McDowell, a former member of the Federal Communications Commission and partner at Cooley law firm. It appears to be a one-way ratchet with speech control getting tighter.

LinkedIn has several million users in Russia, it said. In November, a Russian court ruled that the professional networking site broke local laws that require foreign internet firms to keep their servers holding information on Russian accounts within the nation.

Most American internet companies in Russia operate in violation of the law, but without explanation, Russian regulators at a body known as Roskomnadzor took the rare step of enforcing its rules. The Russian regulators could not be immediately reached for comment.

The action came at a tense moment in Russian-United States relations related to cyber affairs. Russia has been accused of hacking into American accounts, including the Democratic National Committee, to try to influence the presidential election. American intelligence officials concluded in a declassified report released on Friday that the president of Russia, Vladimir V. Putin, ordered the campaign.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/06/technology/linkedin-blocked-in-russia.html?_r=0
WS109  Analyzing the Causes and Impacts of Internet Shutdowns (December 9; 12:00 PM  1:30 PM): This session, styled as a panel discussion, sought to explore the causes and ground-level impacts of Internet shutdowns with a view to uncovering the motivations behind such measures, laws and policies that allow them to happen and ways to prevent them. The panelists for the session were Brett Solomon (Executive Director, Access Now), Nicolas Seidler (Senior Policy Advisor, ISOC), Amos Toh (Legal Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur, David Kaye), Hibah Kamal-Grayson (Senior Policy Analyst, Google), Rajan Mathews (Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India), Nanjira Sambuli (Digital Equality Advocacy Manager, World Wide Web Foundation), Gisela Perez de Acha (Public Policy Manager, Derechos Digitales), and Jan Ryzdak (Global Network Initiative). The session was moderated by Arjun Jayakumar.

It was said over the course of the discussion that there needed to be better common understanding on the scope of the term Internet shutdowns, and that it should be understood to cover both blanket and surgical shutdowns of the Internet. It was felt that there is a lot left to be done in terms of linking the rights-impact of Internet shutdowns to its economic impact i.e. it needs to be demonstrated that enabling free expression can lead to sustainable economic growth. It was also acknowledged by the panel that national security is at times a real concern and that thinking in bubbles will do little to arrive at workable solutions that are acceptable to all involved and mindful of all relevant concerns.

A post-session report of this session is available here, and an official transcript here.
jake tapper kellyanne conway

CNN anchor Jake Tapper pressed President-elect Donald Trump's top counselor over why his team hesitated to admit that they benefited from internal emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign exposed by Russian hacking and leaking.

In an interview on CNN on Sunday, Tapper asked Kellyanne Conway why she dismissed the hacking's impact on the 2016 election.

"What I'm confused about is, how can you say that the hacking had no impact on the election when Mr. Trump kept invoking WikiLeaks, which was printing, publishing things that the Russians had hacked?" Tapper asked.

Conway did not directly admit that the Russians were the hackers, as a report from top US intelligence agencies concluded, but instead blamed the Clinton campaign for its own shortcomings.

Conway pointed out that Clinton was not seen as trustworthy by many voters far before what the Trump counselor described as the "alleged attacks, alleged aspirations to interfere with out democracy."

"It had an effect on his debate answer, it had an effect on the Clinton campaign, because it was quite embarrassing to watch her closest advisers question her judgment, question whether she would ever find her voice, wondering aloud why she was testing 84 slogans to find out who she was and what she would run on," Conway said.

Tapper acknowledged that while there were "dozens of reasons why Hillary Clinton is not the president-elect," he was confused why Conway continued to hedge over the hack's impact on the election.

"But what I guess I don't understand is why there is this reluctance by President-elect Trump and people around him to acknowledge Russia did this," Tapper said. "You said it was an alleged attack. I don't know why you're saying alleged."

"No, no: Alleged to interfere with our democracy. In other words, they didn't succeed," Conway replied. "Even if you read The New York Times and Washington Post, people are admitting, cyber-experts certainly are saying, Jake, that they did not succeed."

Story continues

When Tapper said that Conway was "trying to make an argument against Hillary Clinton using the work of Russian hackers," she interjected, invoking Clinton's use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.

NOW WATCH: 11 facts that show how different Russia is from the rest of the world

"You know what, Jake? With all due respect to Hillary Clinton, we didn't need WikiLeaks to convince the American people that they didn't like her, didn't trust her, didn't find her to be honest. She did that all on her own. She got this party started by setting up an illegal server and opening it to hacks, for intelligence and security information that's much more serious than what a political party would have on its server," Conway said. "So, she started it."

After months of vehemently denying Russia's involvement in the hacking, Trump's team slightly conceded following a classified intelligence briefing on Friday that Russia likely hacked the DNC.

In an interview on Fox on Sunday, Reince Priebus acknowledged that Trump "accepts the fact that this particular case was entities in Russia," but argued that the DNC should have invested more in cyber security measures.

Watch part of the Tapper-Conway exchange below via CNN:

Top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway deflects on Russia hacking questions https://t.co/Pgn4eUWzHd #CNNSOTU https://t.co/QFH6YcYCjF  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 8, 2017

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This week, in the fifth part of the series, we focus on the fast-growing information and communications technology (ICT) sector, which has generated numerous jobs and seen many mid-career entrants  both young and old  successfully making the switch, and proving that age and a lack of familiarity with ICT are no significant barriers.

Amid the slowing economy and uncertain job market, many Singaporeans have said they are unsure of where to start looking for opportunities in several growth industries. To that end, TODAY has launched an eight-part weekly series that looks at the openings available, the prospects and how workers can equip themselves with the skills for these positions. In the previous instalments, we looked at the logistics, food manufacturing, hotel and early childhood industries.

SINGAPORE  In stark contrast to some industries which are going through tough times, the booming information and communications technology (ICT) sector is where the jobs are, with mid-career workers making a beeline for courses in skills such as website development to prepare themselves for new opportunities.

However, for some older workers like Mr Chong Hoi Ping, 56, who lost his job as a business manager in 2015 after failing to meet the sales target, there may be self-doubt over whether they are able to learn the necessary skills quickly enough to ride the wave.

But as Mr Chong has realised, his worry was unfounded. Having completed a five-day Certified Information Systems Auditor course run by NTUC LearningHub, he is preparing for an exam via self-study by global certification body Isaca in June.

Mr Chong, an electrical engineer by training, said deep technical expertise was not a pre-requisite for auditing. The course, which covered topics from evaluating project management to quality control, met his needs with a broad but not very in-depth IT element, said Mr Chong, who hopes that an Isaca certification would raise his chances of finding a job.

Mr Khoong Chan Meng, director and chief executive of the Institute of Systems Science (ISS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), reiterated that age is not a huge barrier in learning ICT skills. The oldest trainee on its Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) class for data analytics, for instance, is 50.

It depends ultimately on the attitude and work ethics of the individuals, he said.

Singapores ICT sector is expanding at a rapid clip, fuelled by the Republics push to become a Smart Nation. Technological advancements have created a multitude of opportunities in the sector not only for those already in the field, but also mid-career entrants.

Another unlikely mid-career entrant is former business consulting associate manager Christopher Khoo, 32. The Cambridge University chemical engineering graduate joined online grocery retailer honestbee in November last year as a software engineer.

Driven by the desire to build more tech empathy, he attended a three-month web development immersive course last year at educational institution General Assembly, with subsidies from the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

The course imparted basic technical skills but much hinged on an individuals levels of perseverance and motivation to find out more. You dont even have time to stop and feel sorry for yourself you just have to go on, he said.

Plunging into a new sector came with an 80-per-cent pay cut, but Mr Khoo has bigger plans: He hopes to develop his coding skills and move on to managing projects or teams in the next few years. His company also provides room to those who want to start their own business, he said.

Indeed, having the right attitude is just as important, if not more, than possessing the aptitude for ICT, those in the industry said.

Ms Carolyn Foo, 26, never saw herself as an IT geek. She is currently a software engineer at gaming and e-commerce firm Garena. In a fast-changing industry such as ICT, the key is to never stop learning. If you dont learn, you cant keep up with what the latest technologies are, she said.

FAST-EXPANDING SECTOR

The wave of digitisation rippling through the economy has bolstered demand for ICT professionals over the years. In June 2015, 172,000 ICT professionals were employed in Singapore, with one in two working in the ICT sector and the remainder in sectors from finance to healthcare. The number had spiked about 20 per cent within four years, and it is set to increase at a faster rate: Another 53,200  or about 31 per cent more  ICT jobs were expected to be added over three years, between last year and 2018, based on government projections.

Technical specialists are most sought after in four areas: IT development (including software developers and systems analysts), network and infrastructure (including IT infrastructure managers and network engineers), data analytics, and cyber-security.

honestbee is looking to enlarge its existing pool of about 40 software engineers in Singapore by at least 10 this year, particularly senior developers who specialise in back-end and mobile development, a company spokesperson said.

Software engineers in a technical role develop systems, while those who choose the management path have increased responsibility for mentoring or could even manage the product roadmap.

With the advancement of online services, such as ours, the utilisation of mobile applications, mobile web or web usage increases, said the honestbee spokesperson. Therefore, theres a consistent need for such roles.

Likewise, at Garena, demand for software engineers is also rising. Mr Lucas Jiang, vice-president and head of its people team, said the firm  which has around 150 software engineers  is always on the lookout for exceptional workers, especially software engineers.

The 5,000-strong company has a presence across South-east Asia and Taiwan. Mr Jiang said Singapores strategic location afforded it an incredible advantage, where talent here can be tapped to serve the needs of users beyond the Republics borders. With increasing median income, and Internet and smartphone penetration in the region, were witnessing a growing demand for localised products, he said.

Mr Luo Siao Ping, Singtel subsidiary NCS human resources director, said the firm will hire about 200 to 300 more software engineers, as well as data analytics and cybersecurity professionals in the next five years.

Data scientists, for instance, help make sense of large amounts of data and build systems to analyse information, while software engineers build links between different equipment, such as allowing mobile phones to control washing machines.

NCS is developing a career roadmap - set to be rolled out this year - to give employees an idea of progression paths, said Mr Luo. Software engineers can become senior and lead software engineers, or even cross over to management as project or service delivery directors.

DEMAND FOR CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONALS

As cyberattacks become increasingly sophisticated and deal severe blows to businesses, cybersecurity has also emerged as a significant growth area in the ICT sector.

Mr Goh Eng Choon, cybersecurity firm ST Electronics (Info-Security)s senior vice-president and general manager, pointed to Singapores Smart Nation effort, coupled with the increasing impact of cyberthreats.

In 2014, the company launched the ST Electronics Cyber Security Centre to address a quite significant gap in the skills of cybersecurity professionals, said Mr Goh.

The 200-strong firm hopes to double its staff in the next two years. Since the middle of last year, it has committed to training 120 individuals over two years under the Cyber Security Associates and Technologists (CSAT) programme, a joint initiative of the IMDA and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.

Mr Alvin Koh, 54, is one of those who have completed on-the-job training under the CSAT programme. He joined ST Electronics (Info-Security) as a security consultant in July after being laid off about three months earlier.

The ICT veteran has worked in various capacities before, from systems administration to technical support, but cybersecurity was a new field to him.

His work now includes assessing applications or servers, both for clients and internally, for vulnerabilities such as information leaks and the transmission of log-in credentials.

He tries to take advantage of the loopholes to gain access to the systems. Alongside automated tools, professionals such as Mr Koh help clients plug the gaps to reduce the risk of cyberattacks.

When youre doing the testing... you get an aha moment... aha, Ive found this (vulnerability), said Mr Koh, on the sense of excitement he derives from his work.

TRAINING COURSES GALORE

As new technological trends emerge, the range of training courses open to those keen to join the sector is set to widen.

The ISS at NUS, for instance, will roll out 30 new courses over the next three years, spanning topics from artificial intelligence to deep machine learning and robotics, on top of its current stable of courses on cybersecurity, data analytics and user experience.

Last year alone, its programmes in disciplines such as design thinking and cybersecurity trained 2,205 professionals, managers and executives, with 2,420 others undergoing courses leading to international and national certification. Its cyber-security courses, for example, saw enrolment jump by more than a third last year, compared with 2015.

At NTUC LearningHub, chief executive Kwek Kok Kwong said it works with industry players, such as Microsoft and Apple, to offer the most up-to-date curriculum.

While schools churn out more IT professionals to address future needs, Mr Kwek said there is still a need to convert some workers from other sectors to meet present demand.

This conversion requires a mindset change and substantive learning efforts from the individuals, said Mr Kwek. The other part of the challenge is for companies to accept these mid-career switchers with limited IT working experience.

As many including Mr Chong and Mr Khoo have shown, age, a lack of experience or unfamiliarity with the sector are no insurmountable barriers  as long as one possesses the hunger and desire to keep learning, qualities that are required to thrive in the ICT sector in the first place.
ATLANTA (AP)  In a post-9/11 world, American airports have taken all sorts of steps to keep travelers safe. But significant vulnerabilities remain.

The attack that killed five people Friday at the Fort Lauderdale airport raised concerns about how to further protect travelers and what place firearms have in U.S. airports.

Authorities say Iraq war veteran Esteban Santiago flew in from Alaska, retrieved a handgun from his checked luggage, went to a bathroom to load it and then returned to the baggage claim area to open fire.

"There's no question we need to review not only the question of whether people should be able to travel with their firearms even if they're in checked baggage, but I think we need to take a hard look at the security around baggage claim areas, and not just leave it at that," said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, whose district includes the airport.

Transportation security and law enforcement experts say the baggage claim area remains one of the most vulnerable parts of the airport. Security is lighter and large numbers of people move in and out quickly.

"What went wrong yesterday ... is that baggage claim is the softest of soft targets. I mean an elementary school is harder to get into than a baggage claim at an airport," said Chris Grollnek, a former law enforcement officer who specializes in security issues, especially involving active shooter situations.

Indeed, he notes, it's more difficult to get out of the baggage claim area where at least a minimal security presence screens people leaving to make sure they haven't taken someone else's luggage than it is to enter the area.

After virtually every terror attack or attempted attack, authorities have issued new restrictions: requiring passengers to remove their shoes to expose any explosive material and limiting the amount of liquid in carry-on bags. But experts say the public areas of an airport remain vulnerable, because the focus of security is devoted to screening passengers to keep their flights safe.

Story continues

Just in the past year suicide bombers targeted ticket and terminal areas in Brussels and Istanbul, Turkey.

The only way to prevent such attacks, Grollnek and other experts said, is to ensure the wrong people don't get guns and to encourage the general public to alert authorities if they believe a friend or family member is acting erratically. He likened it to farmers who were enlisted in the Civil Air Patrol to spot potential illegal activity while they were in the air in crop dusters.

Florida is one of six states that restrict firearms at the airport, declaring it a "gun-free" zone, along with schools and government meetings. Before the shooting, state legislators sought to relax those restrictions, arguing they prevent people from protecting themselves from attack. Opponents of those efforts, said having guns there would make them more dangerous. Gun-free zones at airports still allow for travelers to bring their firearms to the airport to be checked, and then retrieve it once they land.

"Yesterday should serve as a reminder that guns have no place in such areas in our communities," said Michelle Gajda, with Florida Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

But Kevin Michalowski, executive editor of Concealed Carry magazine, said gun-free zones give a false sense of security. "What they do is provide a safe space for someone who decides to commit mass murder to go ahead and do it without anyone getting in his or her way," he said.

Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota and was in the baggage claim area when the shooting began. He helped evacuate people and saw the shooter. Lea said he has a concealed carry permit but did not have his weapon with him because he was going on a cruise. He said he would have shot the man had he had his own weapon.

"Yes, by all means," said Lea. "I would've shot him and not even thought twice about it."

Transportation security experts say the safe transport of firearms and gun-free zones present a balancing act between ensuring the public's safety without trampling on constitutional rights.

An easy solution might be to require travelers to ship their firearms ahead of time, said Mary Schiavo, former Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation. But then you would run afoul of constitutional issues involving the right to interstate travel and the firearm owners protection act. Another option might be to restrict ammunition from being transported on planes, but that is not without its own constitutional concerns, she said.

"It's a knotty problem," Schiavo said.

___

Associated Press reporters Tamara Lush and Curt Anderson contributed to this report.

___

Lisa Marie Pane can be followed on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/lisamariepane .
waymo

Google parent company Alphabet just made a big move to bring its self-driving car tech to market cheaper and faster.

Alphabet-owned company Waymo has slashed the price of lidar, a key component of self-driving cars that helps them see the world, by 90%, Waymo CEO John Krafcik said during a keynote address to kick off the Detroit Auto Show on Sunday.

Lidar is the most expensive component of self-driving cars. As Krafcik noted in his address, a single unit cost $75,000 just a few years ago. A lidar sensor is attached to the top of a car where it spins and shoots out lasers to create high-resolution maps of the car's surroundings.

"Just a few years ago, a single top-of-the-range lidar cost upwards of $75,000. Today, weve brought down that cost by more than 90%," Krafcik said. "As we look to scale, we will do even better, with the goal of making this technology accessible to millions of people."

Waymo is also building all of its self-driving car hardware in-house to ensure that it can scale, Krafcik said.

If Waymo has indeed managed to reduce that top-range lidar cost by more than 90%, the company is looking at a price of roughly $7,500 per sensor. Waymo originally used lidar manufactured by Velodyne in its early prototype cars.

Since its collaboration with Waymo, Velodyne has reduced the price of its lidar to range from $8,000 to $30,000, depending on how many lasers it shoots out. Ford and China-based internet company Baidu have both invested $150 million in Velodyne for their self-driving car efforts.

Google began hiring mechanical engineers to develop "novel lidar systems" in December 2015, marking a departure with Velodyne.

Building self-driving technology to scale

waymo google self-driving car

Waymo is making serious moves to bring its self-driving cars to market. Waymo is an independent company operating under Alphabet, Google's parent company, as of December.

The tech giant has also partnered with Fiat Chrysler, which has supplied 100 Pacifica minivans integrated with Waymo's self-driving tech for testing on public roads in Arizona and California later this month.

Story continues

Waymo has recently changed some of its self-driving car plans in what appears to be an effort to bring the tech to market faster. Waymo originally was pursuing fully driverless cars without a steering wheel, brake, or gas pedals. In December, Waymo said that driver controls will not be removed due to the regulatory environment.

The decision came as Waymo faced setbacks pursuing a steering-wheel-less car and felt mounting pressure from Uber, which has launched public trials for its self-driving cars in recent months.

Waymo has also said it is not in the business of physically building cars, and that it intends to instead supply self-driving tech to other companies. Bringing its hardware efforts in-house instead of outsourcing from Velodyne, as well as reducing the price of components, is in-line with that strategy.

Waymo has said it can see its self-driving tech being used for ride-hailing, personal transportation, public transit systems, and even trucking.

NOW WATCH: We got a ride in a self-driving Uber  here's what it was like





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Imperial Valley News Center

President Obamas Farewell Address to the Nation

Washington, DC - In this weeks address, President Obama discussed his upcoming farewell address to the nation. In 1796, as George Washington set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power, he also set a precedent by penning a farewell address to the American people. And over the 220 years since, many American presidents have followed his lead. Next week, the President will return to his hometown of Chicago to say a grateful farewell to the nation. This will mark the first time that a President has returned to his hometown to deliver such a speech.

The President has said that the running thread through his career has been the notion that when ordinary people get involved, get engaged and come together, things change for the better. This belief is at the heart of the American experiment in self-government  and it gives purpose to new generations. Through his address, the President will thank his supporters, celebrate the ways we have changed this country for the better these past eight years, and offer his vision on where we all go from here. The President will deliver his farewell address at 9:00 PM EST on Tuesday, January 10, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. To tune in on Tuesday, visit http://WhiteHouse.gov/live.

Remarks of President Barack Obama as Delivered

Weekly Address

The White House

January 7, 2017

Since the days of George Washington, presidents have delivered some form of final message while in office  a farewell address to the American people.

On Tuesday night, in Chicago, Ill deliver mine. I chose Chicago not only because its my hometown  where I met my wife and we started a family  but also because its really where my career in public service began.

The running thread through my career has been the notion that when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together in collective effort, things change for the better.

Thats the belief at the heart of this precious American experiment in self-government. Its what gives work and purpose to each new generation.

Its easy to lose sight of that truth in the day-to-day back-and-forth of Washington and our minute-to-minute news cycles. But remember that America is a story told over a longer time horizon, in fits and starts, punctuated at times by hardship, but ultimately written by generations of citizens whove somehow worked together, without fanfare, to form a more perfect union.

Over the past eight years, weve added our own new chapter to that story.

Together, weve turned an economy that was shrinking and losing jobs into one thats growing and creating jobs, with poverty falling, incomes rising, and wages that have jumped faster over the past few years than at any time in the past four decades.

Together, weve achieved what eluded politicians of both parties for a century  weve moved 20 million more Americans from uninsured to insured, ended the days of discrimination against the up to half of Americans who have a preexisting condition, and secured new rights and protections for everybody with health insurance.
Vice President Joe Bidens Call with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan

Washington, DC - Vice President Joe Biden called Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to express gratitude for his leadership and friendship over the last several years. Both leaders praised the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance, which serves to increase stability, prosperity, and security in the region and around the globe.

The Vice President thanked Prime Minister Abe for Japan's collaboration under the Cancer Moonshot and commended U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea trilateral initiatives to address regional and global issues, including coordinated efforts to address the growing threat of North Korea. The two leaders agreed on the importance of continuing to deepen and enhance the U.S.-Japan alliance.
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon Travels to Afghanistan and Austria

Washington, DC - Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, where he met with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, and other senior government officials. Ambassador Shannon underscored the strong partnership between the United States and Afghanistan and reiterated our continued commitment to Afghanistans peace, prosperity, and security.

Ambassador Shannon will travel to Vienna, Austria, on January 9-10 to lead the U.S. delegation to a Joint Commission meeting under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding Irans nuclear program. He will be accompanied by Lead Coordinator for Iran Nuclear Implementation Ambassador Steve Mull and experts from relevant U.S. government agencies.
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The widespread circulation of fake health news on social networks is misleading and potentially dangerous, health officials have warned.

Misinformation published by conspiracy sites about serious health conditions is often shared more widely than evidence-based reports from reputable news organisations, according to analysis by The Independent. Of the 20 most-shared articles on Facebook in 2016 with the word cancer in the headline, more than half report claims discredited by doctors and health authorities or  in the case of the years top story  directly by the source cited in the article.

Facebook has introduced measures allowing users to flag disputed news shared on the site following concerns the circulation of deliberately fictitious articles could have influenced the US election.

Public Health England and the head of the Royal College of GPs have expressed concern over the amount of made-up health news shared online, with Cancer Research UK calling for vital action from the social network. As Facebook is increasingly used as a news source, its vital that incorrect articles are contested to prevent damaging health messages from spreading, the charitys health information officer Dr Rachel Orritt told The Independent.

Its particularly worrying to see some of these stories are related to the HPV vaccine, when we know that the HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer.

Of the top five news articles with HPV, short for human papilloma virus, in the headline, the three with the most shares, likes and engagements last year have been declared "false" by fact-checking website snopes.com.

Snopes is one of the third-party fact-checkers Facebook announced it would be working with to help identify fake news stories.

The top five articles with 'HPV' in the headline with the most Facebook shares, likes and comments in 2016, according to web analytics tool Buzzsumo (Buzzsumo)

In September, a website called healtheternally.com, registered in Phoenix, Arizona, published an article with the headline Dandelion weed can boost your immune system and cure cancer. It was the most popular article on Facebook with the word cancer in the headline last year, receiving more than 1.4 million shares, likes and comments, according to two separate web analysis tools.

This was around four times as many as the first relevant story from a traditional news website, the New York Times, to appear on the list.

This potent root builds up blood and immune system  cures prostate, lung, and other cancers better than chemotherapy [sic], claimed the site, citing research from Dr Carolyn Hamm at the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre in Ontario, Canada.

One instance of the article from healtheternally.com being shared on Facebook. The headline on the site appears to have later been changed and the site seemed to be offline after 'The Independent' enquired about the article (Screenshot taken from Facebook 27/12/16)

The first page of a Google search for dandelion weed cancer brings up little evidence-based discussion of the study, and is instead dominated by headlines such as Dandelion root kills cancer cells in lab tests and This plant extract forces cancer cells to commit suicide in 24 hours!.

However, while the centre has launched a study into the plants potentially beneficial effects on cancer patients, Dr Hamm told The Independent no results had yet been confirmed.

At this point, we have just begun to accrue patients to this trial, and so it is too early to discuss results, she said.

Recommended Mark Zuckerberg rejects claims fake news influenced Trump victory

Healtheternally.com did not appear to be online shortly after The Independent contacted the site for comment, but this may be temporary and unrelated. Its Facebook page still appeared to be live.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said fake health news could be misleading, superfluous or incorrect and following it risks doing more harm than good.

The internet can be a great source of information and advice for many health related issues, but many websites contain information that is not evidence-based and hasnt been verified by healthcare professionals, she said, urging the public to use reliable sites such as NHS choices or seek help from a doctor instead.

And a spokesperson for Public Health England said fake news about health shared on social media could be damaging and unhelpful.

They called one recent example published by anonews.co claiming a man had healed 5000 people from cancer with cannabis oil outrageous  it had been shared 58,000 times.

More than half of last year's 20 most-shared, liked and commented-on news stories with "cancer" in the headline, seen by a combined total of millions, contain claims Cancer Research UK calls myths and warns against on its website.

These include a report published by realfarmacy.com claiming body acidity is the truth behind cancer, which had 584,000 Facebook engagements, and one headlined A Secret Has Been Uncovered: Cancer Is Not A Disease But Business! on newsrescue.com, which had 713,000 Facebook engagements.

A spokesperson for newsrescue.com told The Independent: Do we trust the 'authorities and charities' who lied to us for decades about sugar and cholesterol while our loved ones died as they made big sugar wealthy, or do we seek natural alternatives to complement orthodox therapy?

We believe the people should have a choice and the media should protect such a choice.

The Independent has contacted healtheternally.com, realfarmacy.com and anonews.co for comment.

Debunked myths and fake news stories Show all 25 1 /25 Debunked myths and fake news stories Debunked myths and fake news stories Nasa releases statement over rumours that asteroid will destroy Earth Nasa has just debunked a recent rumour of a giant asteroid due to crash into the Earth in September. Internet conspiracy theorists have been saying that an asteroid will hit our planet sometime between September 15 and 28, destroying the American continents. Acting in its role as space-news fact-checker, Nasa has issued a statement refuting the lot of it. "Thats the rumor that has gone viral  now here are the facts," it said in a press release entitled 'NASA: There is No Asteroid Threatening Earth' Alamy Debunked myths and fake news stories Video of scorned lover who cut ex's belongings in half was actually an advert for a law firm Revenge is a dish best served cold, or viral on YouTube as seemed to be the case for one German ex-husband who uploaded a video of himself using power tools to saw his possessions in half so he could literally give his former wife half of everything owned. The video, titled For Laura, quickly went viral reaching nearly 5.8 million views with the description Thank you for 12 'beautiful' years, Laura! You've really earned half. Although the course of true love never did run smooth, it did seem that the jilted lover was taking revenge to a whole new level with the angst-ridden video. Now, however, all has been explained. The video was not created by a jealous ex, but filmed by a media-savvy legal company looking to expand its customer base Youtube Debunked myths and fake news stories McDonald's claims the 'secret menu' is fake The rebuttal comes following an amusing spoof article, published by the Lucky Peach, seemingly offering a smorgasbord of hidden options for the discerning customer. Among the delights apparently on offer are the Mommie Dearest (five burgers speared through with coat hangers) and the Burmese Python (complete with sock). Other options include the the Derrida  a postmodern confection consisting of a raw potato and the remains of a few chips and a partially eaten bun PA Debunked myths and fake news stories Dead shark pictures might be fake Photographs of an enormous Tiger shark fished off the eastern Australian coast have emerged on social media. NSW newspaper The Northern Star claims the four metre catch was made by a local fisherman known only as Matthew. The images first emerged after Byron Bay resident Geoff Brooks posted them to his Facebook timeline. However, Mr Brooks has subsequently admitted he did not take the images  but continued to claim that the photographs are real. Social media users have criticised the images, with some claiming they are fake Geoff Brooks, via Facebook Debunked myths and fake news stories A fried rat had been served in KFC Facebook went into full "wtfffffffffffff" mode after a man posted a picture of what he claims was a fried rat he had been served in KFC. As news of the supposed Kentucky Fried rat was reported and spread, the incident took a dramatic turn with Dixon sealing it in a bag and freezing it as evidence. KFC has denied it is in the business of plunging rats into boiling hot oil however, and claims the whole thing is a 'hoax'. A DNA test followed, and shows that the nugget, although distinctly rodent-shaped, was just chicken all along. Devorise Dixon/Facebook Debunked myths and fake news stories British scientists clone dinosaur An extraordinary story of the worlds first cloned dinosaur got a lot of traction on Twitter and inspired alarmist comparisons to Jurassic Park in March this year. It was also, not unexpectedly, a complete fake, including completely fabricated quotations from 'experts' and a picture that is actually of a very young kangaroo. Debunked myths and fake news stories Mohammed Islam - A boy who 'made $72m' in his lunch break A New York schoolboy who reportedly made $72 million (46 million) by trading stocks during his lunch breaks has admitted making the whole story up. Mohammed Islam, from Queens, originally told the New York Magazine he started dabbling in penny stocks aged just nine and developed a life-long passion for trading that was paying off. But in a later interview with the New York Observer, he said the whole story was fake and he had not made any money at all. Debunked myths and fake news stories Worlds oldest tree has been accidentally chopped down by loggers in Peru Several websites carried the news, seemingly without realising the entire story appears to be a hoax. It first appeared on the World News Daily Report  a fake news website carrying articles including Isis launches satellite and Pterodactyl sighting in New Guinea terrorises villagers. Debunked myths and fake news stories Alex from Target has teenage girls swooning Alex from Target went from being a cute, Bieber-esque cashier to an Internet sensation in less than 24 hours with a little help from social media. The internet memes featuring the Texas teenager in his Target uniform flooded Twitter and the hashtag #AlexFromTarget, a reference to his employee tag, began trending as teen girls swooned over the 16-year old. The "cute checkout guy" photograph earned him 500,000 new Twitter followers and landed him an interview with the popular talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. Alex from Target, his full name is actually Alex Laboeuf, said he was overwhelmed and was surprised by his new found fame. But a Los Angeles start-up known as Breakr has claimed responsibility for the Alex from Target phenomenon that has taken the internet by storm - insisting it was part of an intricate marketing experiment. Debunked myths and fake news stories Ryan Gosling adopted a baby A Father's Day Facebook post from "Ryan Gosling" detailing how he adopted an orphaned baby for a year attracted Likes from almost one million users. This was despite it having all the hallmarks of a hoax, including a link for users to "save thousands of children and meet me while doing it" actually redirecting to the purchase page for a Gosling t-shirt. Facebook Debunked myths and fake news stories Macaulay Culkin dead hoax How to reassure the world youre still alive after the internet reports that youre dead? Fake your own murder on Instagram, like Macaulay Culkin. The actor posted the above image via his band Pizza Undergrounds account yesterday, following several false rumours that hed passed away. One particularly misleading story, originally posted on MSNBC.website (not to be confused with the real MSNBC), read: Sources are reporting that Macaulay Culkin, best known for his role as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, has been found dead at the age of 34. Debunked myths and fake news stories 'Crabzilla' - A fifty-foot crab dwelling somewhere off the English coast A satellite picture of the so-called crab, aptly dubbed Crabzilla, has gone viral after first surfacing on Weird Whitstable, a website for the supernatural curated by illustrator Quinton Winter, which deals in phantoms, mysteries, tall tales, and artefacts. The shadowy figure of a colossal crustacean, apparently spotted in the murky waters of Whistable, in Kent, dwarfs boats and cars on the pier it lurks besides. The invertebrate expert Paul Clark at the Natural History Museum in London has branded the photo a hoax. Photo courtesy of Weird Whitstable http://www.weirdwhitstable.co.uk Debunked myths and fake news stories Ebola 'risen from the dead' zombie story The story of dead Ebola victims rising from the dead, with the first "picture" of one of the zombies that has gone viral, (if it weren't glaringly obvious) is a hoax. The image on the article, while impressive, is in fact doctored picture of a zombie from the film World War Z. It appears to have taken an image of one of the films lab-zombies, and merged it with this picture of a realistic movie sculpture from Schell Studios, which the messageboard 8chan pointed out. Debunked myths and fake news stories 'Nasa Confirms Six Days of Darkness in December 2014' Satirical news site Huzlers.com has been spreading fake story about upcoming six days of darkness, far and wide on the web, taking in numerous Facebook and Twitter users and encouraging them to post about what theyre going to be up to during the six days of darkness. The story on the vaguely official looking website titled Nasa Confirms Earth Will Experience 6 Days of Total Darkness in December 2014! claims that an incoming solar storm is to blame, causing "dust and space debris to become plentiful and thus block 90% sunlight. This is false. Although solar storms certainly are real phenomena (they occur due to fluctuations in the Suns magnetic field) theyre not like terrestrial storms that can blow up dust and dirt. Reuters Debunked myths and fake news stories Meet Thea, Norway's 12-year-old child bride A Norwegian campaign highlighting the issue of child marriage has gained global attention after a blog seemingly written by a child bride-to-be went viral. The blog, apparently written by 12-year-old girl 'Thea', charts her thoughts and feelings towards her impending marriage to 37-year-old Geir. However, the blog was carefully created by Plan, an international aid organisation working on strengthening the girls rights, to bring home the issue of child brides. Courtesy of Plan Debunked myths and fake news stories Obsessive selfie-taking classified as a mental disorder An article claimed that the American Psychiatric Association (a real body) had classified new mental disorder selfitis as the obsessive compulsive desire to take photos of ones self and post them on social media. The origin of the article should have tipped off readers, however - it first appeared on a site whose owners admit that when writing [...] we spice it up with figments of our imagination. Debunked myths and fake news stories Shipwrecked British woman saved by Google Earth The extraordinary story of Gemma Sheridan, a woman from Liverpool saved by Google Earth after seven years stranded on a desert island, whipped up a storm among social media users. Aside from the fairly incredible details involved in the story, a wide range of issues showed it is quite clearly a hoax - including pictures and whole swathes of text borrowed from other (real) reports. Digital Globe via Waffles at Noon Debunked myths and fake news stories Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is dead The Rock became the latest victim of a death hoax this month after rumours circulated that the action star had died while filming a dangerous stunt for the upcoming Fast and Furious 7 on Thursday. The bogus report was created by Global Associated News, a website responsible for some of the most outlandish recent fake celebrity deaths, and went viral on Twitter and Facebook. Getty Images Debunked myths and fake news stories Vaccines can cause autism A serious myth, this, and one which has repeatedly been rejected by scientific studies. The latest of these came earlier this year when a study that examined brain tissue samples donated by children who had died showed autism may actually develop in the womb during pregnancy. One scientist said the findings 'call sharply into questions other popular notions about autism'. Rex Features Debunked myths and fake news stories Homeopathic remedies have medicinal properties Proponents of homeopathy claim that it stimulates the body to heal itself, and is based on the principle of like cures like. But an Australian scientific body became the latest earlier this year to carry out a study showing that it actually works no better than a placebo. That story came after a homeopathic 'remedy' was actually recalled in the US because it contained traces of real medicine. Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Debunked myths and fake news stories Chinese child ruined father's passport This picture of a Chinese passport apparently defaced by a four-year-old boy went viral around the world, despite the fact that it seems to clearly be a hoax. The picture was originally posted on Chinese social networking site Weibo by a person claiming to be the father, known as Chen, with a plea for help. But from the uniform thickness of the lines (which actually go off the page to the right) to the covering-up of identifying details, the 'drawing' looks a lot like an adults handiwork on Photoshop or MS Paint Weibo Debunked myths and fake news stories MH370 was caused by aliens/Snowden/the Bermuda Triangle Since the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished on 8 March with 239 people on board, the story has sparked a host of myths and conspiracy theories. While some of these theories as to how the flight could have just disappeared have not been discounted by authorities, others have tended towards the unusual, bizarre and downright ridiculous. One Malaysian politician claimed the Bermuda Triangle must have moved to Vietnam. A 'citizen reporter' said radar picked up a UFO. Another said there was a complicated link to former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. None are likely to be true. Reuters Debunked myths and fake news stories Chayson Basinio, 2, snatched from French supermarket Police in France investigated a report in April that a two-year-old boy had been kidnapped in the French town of Moulins. But they later called off their search operation after they discovered he only existed on social media. The 'aunt' who reported the disappearance of 'Chayson Basinio' was arrested for 'reporting an imaginary crime or offence'. AFP/Getty Images Debunked myths and fake news stories Morrissey joined Twitter Morrissey fans rejoiced earlier this week when the verified Twitter account @itsmorrissey posted its first tweet since joining in 2009, saying: 'Hello. Testing, 1, 2, 3. Planet Earth, are you there? One can only hope...' It seems that the Twitter blue tick seal of approval doesnt mean as much as it used to, after Morrissey confirmed in a statement that he does not have an account on the social media site. Getty Images Debunked myths and fake news stories Chinese people ate doves at wedding, sued ugly wives and only sing numbers from takeaway menus In November last year, the western media was bombarded by a host of stories involving Chinese misrepresentations. One involved a Chinese man suing his wife 'because he was ugly' and winning - but was later debunked by an expat magazine in Shanghai. Here, Nyima Pratten writes about how our media depict Chinese people in an unreasonably negative way Getty Images

Three of the most-shared cancer-related news articles were human interest pieces such as Dad of the year gets tattoo to support his cancer surviving son, according to web analytics tool Buzzsumo. Two were not related to the disease at all but used cancer in a rhetorical sense.

The first article on the list from a traditional news site, the New York Times, headlined Black female physicist pioneers technology that kills cancer cells with lasers, was at just number 13 with 340,000 Facebook shares, likes and comments.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced he would tackle the issue of fake news and hoaxes shared on the site amid calls to redefine the social network as a media company instead of a technology platform.

Recommended One in three Donald Trump supporters believe vaccines cause autism

Users can now report stories they believe to be fake, while those who click on stories disputed by third-party organisations belonging to the Poynters International Fact-Checking network will see a warning before they can access the site.

The Independent understands that Facebook plans to treat fake health news pieces in the same way as other fake news.

David Colquhoun, Professor of Pharmacology at University College London, has been reporting cases of fake health news and other quackery on his blog since 2003, including examples of instances where misinformation has led to patient fatalities.

Quackery is rampant in areas where conventional medicine cant do as much as people would wish. Its partly the fault of regular doctors. Its led people to think theres a cure for anything, which theyre not, he told The Independent.

The ones that really get my goat are the cancer quackery. Its really cruel and kills people. It is particularly bad because of the commonness of the condition and the imperfection of conventional treatments.

A group of scientists and science supporters have launched a campaign against one of the most prolific publishers of what they believe are unverified or disputed health news stories  naturalnews.com, whose Facebook page has nearly two million likes.

Natural News is run by Mike Adams, a man who calls himself the health ranger and says he lives on a ranch in Texas. Its stories are often aggressively anti-vaccine and sceptical of established health authorities.

Recent headlines from the site include Doctors kill 2,450 per cent more Americans than all gun-related deaths combined, Microwave ovens fluke your heart while they nuke your food, and Hexavelent chromium was found in 75 per cent of drinking water the mass chemical suicide of America is underway.

Natural News has routinely peddled incorrect information and misled its readers in attempts to sell its nutritional supplements and organic goods that Adams claims protects consumers from a wide range of maladies, ranging from Zika to cancer, molecular geneticist Layla Katiraee told Forbes magazine.

Science blogger Mark Alsip, who is also part of the #NaturalNonsense campaign, which is encouraging people to stop sharing articles from the site on social media from 1 January 2017, told the magazine he had been personally affected by the fake health news phenomenon.

I recently lost a sister to cancer and saw firsthand how much pain, confusion, and false hope can be caused by the pseudoscience peddled by sites like Natural News, he said.

Given that they and their writers sell products that contain the same ingredients they link to cancer, I feel obligated to speak out about what appears to be an example of dangerous consumer fraud.

In response, Mike Adams published a blogpost on naturalnews.com attacking Forbes journalists.

The front page of naturalnews.com earlier this month (Natural News)

Earlier this month a banner warning was displayed on the Natural News site saying Urgent action alert: Natural News is being targeted for extreme censorship. Facebook, Google and other internet gatekeepers have announced plans to censor all independent journalism by labelling it 'fake news'.

The charity Sense About Science, which has created a patients guide to navigating the misrepresentation of science and health evidence online called Ive got nothing to lose by trying it, said mainstream news sources could also be to blame for spreading exaggerated claims related to health.

Recommended 10 persistent myths about cancer that are false

Every week there are dozens of news reports about medical breakthroughs and wonder drugs. Often these stories offer hope of finding something that will do more than conventional medicines can. But the evidence behind many of these stories is unreliable, said a spokesperson.

While there is no easy way to know what to believe, there are questions you can ask, including whats the evidence for this claim, what does the research show, what do other scientists say? By knowing what kind of questions to ask, we can all make steps towards a culture change on false health stories.
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A British man who fell pregnant after he used Facebook to find a sperm donor has said he will be the greatest dad.

Hayden Cross, 20, joined a sperm donation group on the social network when he was told he would not be able to freeze his eggs during his hormonal gender transitioning.

He is now four months pregnant and may be the first British man ever to give birth, according to The Sun on Sunday.

Mr Cross said his first attempt using donor sperm had been successful and he would continue his transition process to remove his breasts and ovaries as soon as he has given birth.

Having a biological child has always meant a lot to me, he told the newspaper. Ive always wanted kids.

Mr Cross, who is from Gloucester and has been living legally as a man for three years, applied to have his eggs frozen on the NHS in the hope the procedure would allow him to have children in the future.

Hayden Cross says having a biological child 'has always meant a lot to me' (Hayden Cross/Facebook) (Hayden Cross / Facebook)

But when the 4,000 process was refused, he decided to find an anonymous donor on Facebook instead.

I looked on Facebook for a group and found one  its been shut down now. I didnt have to pay, he told The Sun.

I want the baby to have the best. Ill be the greatest dad.

Mr Cross said he wanted to become a parent now so he could complete his transition as soon as possible and enjoy being the way I was meant to be.

In September, a transgender couple became the first in South America to have a child together.

Istanbul's LGBT community Show all 6 1 /6 Istanbul's LGBT community Istanbul's LGBT community Istanbul's LGBT community A giant rainbow flag held during a Trans Pride march in Istanbul, June 2014 Bradley Secker Istanbul's LGBT community Istanbul's LGBT community While Isis hurls gay men to their deaths from the tops of towers, Secker has photographed them on rooftops overlooking their new homes, including the Iraqi Bissam in Damascus before his flight to Turkey to represent their newfound strength Bradley Secker Istanbul's LGBT community Istanbul's LGBT community Like many other Syrian LGBTs, Sami is waiting for his resettlement case to be processed Bradley Secker Istanbul's LGBT community Istanbul's LGBT community Nader, a 25-year-old gay Syrian from Homs, is one of LGBT Arabie's co-founders Bradley Secker Istanbul's LGBT community Istanbul's LGBT community Salah, from Damascus, now lives in Istanbul alongside thousands of displaced Syrians Bradley Secker Istanbul's LGBT community Istanbul's LGBT community Syrian participants at Istanbul Pride, June 2013 AFP/Getty

Fernando Machado, who was assigned female at birth and his partner Diane Rodriguez, who was assigned male at birth, welcomed their first child and expressed their desire to have more children.

The couple, who live in Ecuador, had not undergone full gender reassignment and were therefore able to conceive naturally.

We are the same as other families. Even though we might not have the same rights, we are the same, Mr Machado told the BBC.
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Layla Richards was a bouncy 7-pound, 10-ounce baby with downy dark hair and plump cheeks when she was born in a London hospital in June 2014. But 12 weeks later, Layla, who had been settling in at home in North London, suddenly stopped drinking milk and began to fuss and cry constantly. Because she had been a sunny, happy infant until then, her parents took her to see the doctor. He suspected a stomach bug, but just to be sure he took a blood test. The results that came a few days later were a shock: Layla had an acute, deadly form of leukemia that she couldnt survive without immediate treatment. She was just 14-weeks-old.

When the diagnosis came in, an ambulance rushed the family from their home to intensive care at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, the world-famous paediatric centre in Bloomsbury. Her doctors described her cancer as one of the most aggressive forms of the disease they had ever seen. For the next few weeks, she endured several rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a full bone marrow transplant to replace her damaged blood cells. This sort of aggressive therapy can often be successful in babies, but none of Laylas treatments, even the experimental ones, worked. Medically, she was out of options. Only one choice remained  admitting her to an end-of-life care facility to make her final weeks more comfortable.

Just a few doors down from the leukemia ward at Great Ormond Street Hospital is the office of Dr Waseem Qasim, a bearded, genial immunologist who specialises in immune system disorders in children, including cancers. For several months, Qasim had been working on a new type of leukemia treatment in which an anonymous donors white blood cells are engineered to recognise cancer cells, by tweaking their genes. White blood cells are the bodys soldiers; they fight infectious disease and foreign invaders. The engineered cells form an arsenal of targeted cancer-killer cells that can be injected into anyone. There was one problem: The procedure had only been tested in mice.

Doctors at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital managed to reverse a previously incurable form of leukemia in Layla Richards (Great Ormond Street)

Qasims lab is based in the University College London GOS Institute of Child Health, which is connected by a single corridor to Great Ormond Street. We move effortlessly between the two. There are no other physical or intellectual barriers, so it leads to serendipitous events, Qasim says, as we stroll through a set of double doors from his lab into the hospital. Qasim heard about Laylas case from her transplant surgeon. He asked as a sort of joke, I might be out of my mind but could [your cells] be useful here? Qasim recalls.

Because the therapy had never before been tested in humans, there was the obvious danger of things going badly wrong, but Laylas parents and doctors knew she would die without a miracle. After the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency granted an emergency licence, Layla became the first person in the world to receive a single vial of gene-edited cells from a stranger to attack her cancer.

What followed after Qasims experimental gene treatment, a new technique using custom-designed molecular scissors to cut, edit and delete DNA, was described by Laylas doctors as miraculous and staggering. She went into remission within four weeks and successfully survived a second bone marrow transplant. Now, nearly two years on, she remains healthy and cancer-free.

Who Wants to Play God?

Little Layla was a pioneer, the first person saved by gene editing; and without the favourable environment created by British scientists and regulators over the past decade, Qasims experimental treatment, which gives special properties to cells, would never have been allowed.

With recent advances in gene editing and Governmental approvals, the UK is set to become the unlikely pioneer in one of the most controversial, yet astonishing spheres of human knowledge: the manipulation of our genetic code. While research labs around the world are working on genetic cures to childhood and adult diseases, most have been wary of interfering with the DNA of a human embryo, fearful of unintended consequences for future generations.

Yet the UK achieved a double first in 2016: It became the first country to legally permit replacing part of an embryo with a third persons genes, and the first to allow genetic modification in humans from the embryo stage.

Opponents of the techniques, including the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) as well as bioethicists and religious leaders, believe they herald a dystopian future of designer babies  a world where parents will play God by opting to edit their unborn childs genes to make it stronger, taller and healthier. Molecular biologist and ethicist David King, the founder of British watchdog group Human Genetics Alert, believes that embryo manipulation opens up for the first time in human history, the possibility of consciously designing human beings, in a myriad of different ways. A recent report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in London found that gene editing  particularly in embryosdemanded further scrutiny. Ethical opposition has arisen especially where, it said, the scope for unforeseen consequences is considered to be great or editing is regarded as irreversible.

All humans have a unique genome sequence, the more than 3 billion molecule pairs known as DNA that define who we are, from our physical appearance to biological characteristics and even our personality. Our hair colour, our preference for certain kinds of food even our ability to make deadlines  its all rooted in our DNA. Mutations or mistakes in this genetic code can result in disease, such as diabetes or leukemia. Gene editing means we can now find and correct genetic errors in a lab. Once honed, the tools could be used to fix maladies like sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis and even fight cancer.

Louise Brown, born in July 1978, was the first test tube babyv via in vitro fertilisation (Getty)

The promise of gene editing goes beyond curing adult disease  it could even be used to modify human embryos and delete egregious genetic defects before birth. That would prevent the transmission of debilitating illnesses from parent to child, and could signal the end of devastating inherited disabilities.

The British Governments recent endorsement of gene editing research thrust the country to the forefront of the next revolution in health and science, whether the rest of the world is ready for it or not.

Gene Genies

Nearly four decades before Layla Richards was born, another baby girl made history in Britain. In July 1978, Louise Brown was born by Caesarean section to very eager parents. There was nothing particularly unusual about the birth of this healthy, 5-pound-12-ounce baby  and yet her arrival into the world helped two British scientists win a Nobel Prize. The reason: Louise was conceived in a petri dish, the worlds first baby created through the process of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Back then, Louise was called the first test-tube baby, an indication of how bizarre the now-standard procedure was considered at the time. In 1981, the New York Times wrote that the procedure was considered equivalent to abortion in the eyes of some opponents.

Louises immaculate-lab conception is part of the UKs long history of developing groundbreaking biotech. That legacy began at the University of Cambridge in 1953, when doctoral students Francis Crick and James Watson cracked DNAs double-helix structure, forever reshaping our understanding of human biology. The simple two-strand configuration  drawn by hand by Cricks wife Odile in their original Nature paper  gave rise to the entire field of modern molecular biology, and it spawned cutting-edge techniques from cloning to gene editing. British researchers have pioneered clinical techniques in reproductive biology, including IVF, the discovery of embryonic stem cells in mice (1981) and the first cloning of a mammal, Dolly the sheep (1996).

With each of these milestones, scientists around the world faced a moral dilemma concerning the definition of human life. When does a ball of cells become a fetus? Does an artificially created life form have rights? Should physical impairments like deafness be culled from our population? After the birth of Louise Brown, the British Government convened an ethical committee headed by philosopher Mary Warnock to investigate the implications of creating and modifying human life in a lab. The resulting report, published in 1987, led to a nationwide consensus on the obvious social benefits of IVF.

The report also led to the establishment of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the first independent legislative body in the world to regulate human embryo research and IVF treatment. It is overseen by an independent board rather than Government ministers, but is sponsored by the British Department of Health, whose head appoints the board. Members include geneticists, philosophers, former civil servants and finance and business professionals. The chair, Sally Cheshire, reports directly to the UKs minister for health. The HFEA is a symbol of Britains commitment to innovation in medical science  unique in its progressive nature, compared to other advanced nations like the US and Germany, where religion and politics often hold back research.

HFEA recently granted two controversial licences: In February 2015, the British Government approved a pioneering gene technology to prevent potentially fatal mitochondrial disease from passing from mother to child. By placing a donors healthy genes in an IVF embryo, the researchers say the resulting baby could avoid severe symptoms such as deafness, muscle withering, liver or kidney failure and brain damage. But critics worry that when these babies pass on the new genetic code to their children, grandchildren and every subsequent generation, there will be as-yet-unknown consequences.

Despite vocal opposition from a smattering of members of Parliament, as well as challenges from the Church of England and the Catholic clergy, the British House of Commons voted by an overwhelming majority to allow this mitochondrial donation.

And although the process has the UK Governments stamp of approval, it is not approved as safe and effective by the US or Chinese authorities. In a review of the technology earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration warned that the evidence does not yet support the safe use of mitochondrial transfer in humans.

In February 2016, geneticist Kathy Niakan of the UKs Francis Crick Institute became the first scientist in the world to receive a licence to edit healthy human embryos for research. (The embryos cannot be implanted into a human.) Her goal is to better understand the process of early human development, not redesign babies. Even so, some lawmakers were determined to prevent this sort of research in Britain. In a parliamentary debate about the licence, Conservative Party parliamentarian Jacob Rees-Mogg said: In a country nervous about genetically modified crops, we are making the foolhardy move to genetically modified babies.

Those opposed to gene editing in humans have drawn comparisons to the genetic modification of crops (Getty)

Key figures at the US National Institutes of Health have similar concerns. At a gathering of scientific experts who convened in July to discuss the implications of gene editing, NIH Director Francis Collins underlined his agencys reluctance to fund research into modification of human embryos because of ethical concerns.

Collins has acknowledged that his religious beliefs prevent him from backing gene modification in human embryos. I do believe that humans are in a special way individuals and a species with a special relationship to God, and that requires of a great deal of humility about whether we are possessed of enough love and intelligence and wisdom to start manipulating our own species, he said in a recent interview with Buzzfeed News.

The US bans the use of federal funding for any human embryo research. The law, which was passed by Congress in 1995, says federal funding would not be available for any research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero.

Its very difficult to have a real debate about any issues to do with artificial conception technology or gene manipulation there because everyone is scared the argument will become about abortion, which they dont want to raise up against, says professor Robin Lovell-Badge, a scientific adviser to HFEA and the US National Academy of Sciences on issues of gene editing. The debate is dominated by political and religious groups. It creates a nervousness [in the US] which in the UK we dont have, because we know exactly where the barriers are; they are set out by law and detailed regulations.

Despite its qualms about embryo research, the US federal government does permit IVF treatments. Ironically, [the NIH] supports IVF, which relies on human embryo research to keep it current, so they are relying on research done in other countries but wont support it themselves, Niakan tells Newsweek. It doesnt make any sense whatsoever.

Niakan, along with Lovell-Badge, became the first cohort of scientists at the newly opened Francis Crick Institute in London  named in honour of the renowned Briton, and the very first research hub to be granted an HFEA licence to edit seven-day-old living human embryos. Their work will focus on helping improve the success rates of IVF, the technique successfully demonstrated just some 200 miles north, when Louise Brown was born in 1978.

Headed by Nobel Prizewinning biologist Sir Paul Nurse, Francis Cricks eponymous research institution opened in September. Its an imposing edifice with glass atria and a distinctive vaulted roof, mirroring the nearby St Pancras International train station. With an investment of about $805m (648m) and known to insiders as Sir Pauls Cathedral, the building will house 1,250 scientists in four interconnected blocks, making it the largest biomedical research institute in Europe. Within its corridors, British scientists will be the first people ever to glimpse the molecular mysteries that result in the conception of human life.

The woman at the vanguard of this effort is 38-year-old Niakan, petite and dark-haired, with a birdlike face. When she greets me in May in her temporary lab in the Mill Hill neighbourhood of north London she could easily be mistaken for an undergraduate in her leggings and knitted jumper.

Louise Brown at the age of 3 in January, 1981, at the Brown family home in Oldham (Getty)

As she describes what an early human embryo  or blastocyst  looks like on Day Five of its existence, she grabs a scrap of paper and begins to sketch. Every so often, she punctuates the illustration with circled numbers to show the low survival rate of IVF embryos: Only 40 per cent of fertilised embryos become blastocysts, of which only 50 per cent will implant in a womans uterus. Another 50 per cent, she says, fail to make it past three months of development. Right now, we have little idea why embryos fail so often. When I point out that, statistically, it seems miraculous that humans have been reproducing successfully for centuries, she exclaims, I know, right?

The daughter of Iranian immigrants, Niakan grew up in the small town of Silverdale, Washington, where her father was a practising neurologist. She became interested in genetics as a first-year student at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she begged to be allowed to wash dishes in a lab that studied congenital diseases in large families; the lab allowed her to assist researchers studying human genetics, and she eventually discovered the gene responsible for a type of thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder. I remember being in a genetics class and there was the textbook view of all the different DNA bands, and then I was in the lab, physically, I was literally reading out, Thats an A. Thats a T. Thats a G, C, I just loved it, Niakan says, recalling her earliest experiences of DNA sequencing. I was hooked, and since then I havent stopped.

Niakan has studied developmental biology at the University of California, Harvard University and the University of Cambridge in the UK, where she moved in 2009 as a postdoctoral fellow. I really love trying to understand how you go from a single-celled organism to this really complicated set of three distinct cell types that are very set in their ways. Thats in fact the same question Im still asking many years later, she says. The UK has very proactive ways of approaching reproductive health and medicine  its brilliant and its the reason why Ive stayed for so long.

Niakans goal is to understand the earliest stages of a human life, when we are nothing but a ball of 200 cells. She knows her work could ultimately help women to conceive and genetic diseases to be defeated, but that is not what drives her. Her real motivation is cracking the scientific mystery of human reproduction. It has the potential to really revolutionise our understanding of human biology in a petri dish, she says. Thats fascinating to me. Using a gene-editing tool called CRISPR-Cas 9 (pronounced crisper) that can cut and edit DNA very precisely, she wants to isolate genes thought to be important for fetal development; only then can we figure out exactly what role each plays. This basic biological question  which genes are critically required? is important because it can help us understand which blastocysts will go on to develop, implant and thrive.

Today, when a woman comes in to a clinic for IVF treatment, experts score her embryo quality based on physical shape, size and other visible features, rather than genetic features. Although embryos can be screened for chromosomal abnormalities, little is known about human developmental genetics at this early stage. There are very few molecular tools used to identify those embryos. We know theres a 50 per cent drop-off rate, so I think theres room to determine the key signatures that embryos need to successfully implant, Niakan says. It could increase the chances [of pregnancy], or it could help to choose those embryos that will likely go on to develop successfully into a healthy baby. Eventually, the knowledge could help us fathom causes of reproductive defects or even infertility.

Kathy Niakan has studied has studied developmental biology at the University of California, Harvard University and the University of Cambridge (Getty)

The HFEA spent three years investigating Niakans request to use the CRISPR-Cas9 scissors, conducting a series of detailed inspections of her lab work, including whether embryos were handled respectfully and carefully in the lab, and if donors were counseled and updated appropriately. Niakan was notified of their decision in late January. The overwhelming feeling wasnt excitement or even elation, she says; she had just been afraid that irrationality and fear of the unknown would win out over science.

The decision was celebrated by scientists, patient groups with genetic diseases and mothers who had struggled to conceive. Emma Benjamin, a 34-year-old woman who miscarried four times spoke widely to the press of her support. I found it frustrating I never had answers as to why I kept miscarrying, she said. If this research had come earlier and could have helped me provide answers then I guess, you know, it could have maybe saved a lot of heartache.

Despite Niakans momentous victory, it remains illegal in the UK to implant genetically modified embryos into a womb for the purpose of giving birth. That ensures that modified genes are not passed onto future generations; Niakans lab must destroy every embryo after the seven-day mark.

Although Niakan insists this research has no bearing on actual babies (for now), many in the scientific community are considering the possibility that a modified embryo could result in a living child. In December 2015, several hundred scientists from around the world gathered in Washington, DC, for the first ever international summit on gene editing. At its close, the event chair and Nobel Prizewinning biologist David Baltimore, of the California Institute of Technology, issued its conclusions, saying, As scientific knowledge advances and societal views evolve, the clinical use of germline [embryo] editing should be revisited on a regular basis.

The scientists have reason to be anxious: Some of their brethren have raced ahead already. In April 2015, researchers in Guangzhou, China, announced they had conducted a CRISPR gene-modification experiment on defective human embryos, to edit the gene responsible for beta-thalassaemia, a potentially fatal blood disorder. It was a resounding failure, because the CRISPR method accidentally edited the wrong genes, which ended up irreversibly scrambling the embryos DNA.

That research sparked a hot global debate in the academic fraternity about whether to declare a moratorium on embryo modification until ethical laws and regulations could catch up with science. In response, scientists from the United States, Britain and China at the Washington summit called for a temporary freeze on altering human embryos destined for birth, calling it irresponsible and potentially dangerous. The quick decision to cooperate internationally speaks to the transnational nature of this research; this is a strand of science that could change what it means to be human.

Even gene editings strongest proponents acknowledge that there could be catastrophic mistakes. For instance, CRISPR could edit genes inaccurately, causing unintended mutations and disfigurations. Theres also the very real risk of rogue editing by malicious parties  wealthy people paying for genetic enhancements, which could become a form of social discrimination and could introduce novel genetic sequences into the species  a sort of genetic cosmetic surgery. Until these safety and ethical issues have been resolved, the scientific community proposed holding back, and re-assessing current research on a constant basis.

Research at the Francis Crick Institute aims to discover how disease develops and find new ways to prevent conditions (Getty)

Rumours of several other Chinese experiments on human embryos in academic circles sparked worries of an unregulated black market of clinical research. In a parallel case, the US has no laws governing private research on embryos despite federal funding sanctions, meaning embryos end up being traded like contraband. Theres a billion-dollar IVF enterprise in private clinics, many of whom are using techniques that are dubious to say the least, Lovell-Badge says. There are strict rules against implanting more than two embryos in a woman. Yet there are famous cases in the US like the Octomom who had eight babies, where they clearly couldnt have followed any regulations at all.

While most scientists acknowledge that editing embryos will probably be a clinical option one day, some remain staunchly opposed. King, of Human Genetics Alert, refers to gene editing as the new techno-eugenics.

Lovell-Badge believes frank discussion and public trust in the HFEA is the key to a safe clinical transition. It is illegal in the UK to transfer any gene-edited embryo into a woman, he says. Given the experience with the way the HFEA regulates [this research], and if the law were to be changed, I expect the public could also be reassured that any applications would be restricted to important clinical uses.

Niakan agrees, pointing to UK regulators ability to separate church and state in the matter of controversial scientific research such as hers. The UKs pioneering role in advancing reproductive medicine and health, especially IVF, has a lot has to do with the regulatory framework, where people are willing to engage in frank discussions about these complex issues, Niakan says. In other countries the message gets muddled up with politics and religion.

Editing for the Perfect Baby

Although embryo editing remains firmly confined to laboratories, scientists at Newcastle University in the north of England are taking the next step into the future by genetically modifying IVF embryos to create healthy babies.

In September, the worlds first baby with three peoples genes was born in Mexico, to Jordanian parents who had lost two children and had four miscarriages due to mitochondrial disease. The genetic illness is caused by dysfunctional mitochondria, the cellular units that are responsible for generating energy. In the case of this baby, the malfunction was caused by mutations, or errors, in the mitochondrial DNA. The procedure was performed by a team of doctors from New York City, although details on how it was done are scant. The only country with any legal or regulatory framework for the technology is the UK, where  as of December 2016  an embryo can legally be modified, and implanted into a womans uterus.

Until Rachel Steel turned 20, she knew almost nothing about IVF regulations and cared even less. She competed as a gymnast as a child, studied pediatric nursing at Northumbria University in Newcastle and taught gym to kids in her neighbourhood. She wanted to have children before she was 30, but was in no hurry. The only health problems shed ever encountered were ear infections  which caused a slight difficulty in hearing  she often had them growing up and tended to compensate by lipreading. Doctors could never quite pinpoint the cause of her ear problems. But five years ago, Steel learned she had a genetic mutation in her mitochondrial DNA.

Doctors at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where Steel, 26, works as a nurse, first suspected something odd when her mother was brought in for a pancreatic transplant, following a kidney transplant some years before. They realised that all of her five siblings had diabetes and some mild deafness and found it strange, she says. When they did a genetic test, they found Steels mother had mitochondrial disease. Since mitochondria are passed on exclusively from mother to child, her daughters had inherited her mutation.

Scientists have already begun working in the new Crick Institute building (Getty)

The vast majority of your 20,000 genes are found in the nucleus of each of your cells, which contains DNA from both your parents, but mitochondria have their own genome, which carries only about 37 genes and is inherited from your mother alone. The severity of mitochondrial disease depends on the fraction of mutations in the 37 genes inherited; in Steels case, the news was not good. She had inherited 80 per cent of her mothers mutations. Steel remains mostly healthy so far, but her disease could progress to anything from diabetes to full-blown hearing loss, or extreme muscle deterioration.

If Steel has children, they could be even more severely afflicted. When I was younger, I thought, Oh, it affects babies, thats bad. But I didnt think it actually applied to me, Steel says. About one in 200 babies in the UK are born with mitochondrial disease. In the US, the percentage is lower at roughly one in 1,000 afflicted babies born every year; many only live a few hours, while others begin to rapidly sicken after a few years, suffering from brain, heart or kidney disease. There is no cure for mitochondrial disease. For women who have the condition and want to have children, the only options are to get pregnant and then screen out affected embryos  a heartbreaking process for would-be parents  or have an IVF baby using a donor egg.

The man fighting hardest for Steels future is her 64-year-old doctor, Sir Douglass Turnbull, who has been specialising in mitochondrial disease for 35 years. Several of my patients Ive known for 20 or 30 years, along with their entire families, he tells Newsweek in his lab at Newcastle University. There can be three generations in a family that are affected, many of whom lose three or four children due to the disease. For me, thats the biggest motivation.

Since 2001, Turnbull, along with Newcastle embryologist Mary Herbert, has been working on a new IVF technique, known as mitochondrial donation, that offers women like Steel2,500 of whom have been identified in the UK alone  a way to have biological children who do not have the mothers mutations. The technique is a bit like swapping the yolk of an egg: It involves removing a healthy nucleus, or yolk, of the mothers fertilised egg which contains about 99.8 per cent of genetic material that the child will inherit. This is transferred into the egg of a donor that has had its nucleus removed. The donor, who does not have mitochondrial disease, will pass on her healthy mitochondria. This way the baby will inherit the vast majority of its biological characteristics from its parents via its nuclear DNA, but will have the healthy mitochondrial genes of the donor.

In a paper published in Nature this past summer, Turnbull and Herbert found that their technique could reduce the risk of passing on defective mitochondrial DNA to under 5 per cent, far better than the 60 to 90 per cent risk otherwise. For people who just watch their child fall apart before their eyes, this is a hugely positive outcome, says Herbert.

The new institute will be the biggest biomedical research institute under one roof in Europe (Getty)

The Newcastle-based scientists started lobbying the HFEA to approve their technique in 2012, and came up against intense opposition. Because the mitochondrial transfer method passes on genetic change from one generation to another, British MPs and even some scientists worried that it could give rise to unexpected problems. Catholic Church ethicists were also opposed to the introduction into an embryo of a third persons genes, arguing that this dilutes parenthood. The Newcastle team argues that since the donor remains anonymous and has no rights over the child, she shouldnt be considered a third parent.

Other critics are uncomfortable with the idea of deleting disability out of the population completely, believing it would impact on the rights of the handicapped. Bioethicist Tom Shakespeare, who has dwarfism and uses a wheelchair, doesnt believe fixing genetic mutations is necessarily what the disabled community wants, although he doesnt oppose mitochondrial donation, in principle. Contrary to the prevailing assumption, most people with disabilities report a quality of life that is equivalent to that of non-disabled people. Their priority is to combat discrimination and prejudice, he writes in a paper in Nature . Fellow bioethicist and deaf researcher Jackie Leach Scully feels particularly uncomfortable about genetic cures as a solution for all disabilities, although she concedes it would be hard to find anyone opposed to correcting mitochondrial mutations, which are generally very nasty diseases.

The Newcastle-based scientists strongly object to this reasoning  they believe every mother with genetic disease should have a choice between hoping for the best, or using science to screen for a healthy baby. We are often criticised because we dont value disability. I dont think that at all. I spend my whole life looking after disabled people but people should have the right to decide whether or not they want to have disabled children, says Turnbull.

In the US, fertility doctors in New Jersey performed a crude version of this technique in the 1990s that led to the births of at least 50 babies in the US, Israel, Taiwan and Italy. Many are healthy today, but the federal Food and Drug Administration banned the technique in 2001 because of concerns about unexpected genetic defects and reduced fertility in the women born this way. Since then, several American labs have applied for clinical licences, just like Turnbull and Herbert, but US regulators have shot them down. Human-subject research utilising genetic modification of embryos for the prevention of transmission of mitochondrial disease cannot be performed in the United States in FY 2016, an FDA spokesperson said in a statement.

During the five-year debate in British Parliament over this technique, patients including Steel  even those beyond their reproductive years  went to the House of Commons to add their perspective to the discussion, explaining what they wanted. I one hundred per cent want a family, Steel tells me. Its not to say I cant go naturally ahead, having children, but theres a huge risk and thats a risk I wouldnt take.

Curing the Incurable

While scientists are still fighting to get approval to test their cutting-edge biomedical techniques before using them on humans, Qasim, the immunologist at UCL, is saving more lives  and saving parents from the ultimate tragedy.

US President Barack Obama greets 11-year-old Haley Klepper during a ceremony honouring the 2012 NCAA Womens College Basketball Champion Baylor Bears in 2012. Klepper, who suffers from a rare mitochondrial disease, calls herself the teams biggest fan (Getty)

Around Christmas 2015, months after Layla Richards was sent home in remission, Qasims team obtained a second emergency licence to treat another baby girl with the identical type of leukemia, which had been diagnosed when the girl was just 4 weeks old. When she was 16 months old, the child (whose parents did not want to make her name public) was given the same dose of gene-edited killer cells Layla received. Weeks later, she was declared cancer-free; now at 2 years 4 months old, she is doing well.

Qasims emergency treatment, which has now saved two children, is part of a larger trial that opened to the public in June. It will treat up to 10 children with the same type of leukemia as the two toddlers who are in remission. If the treatment works for the 10 new patients, the introduction of modified genes could become the primary treatment for cancers like this  supplanting even chemotherapy.

With a slight tweak, Qasim says, this gene therapy could be applied to other cancers, and even genetic diseases like thalassemia. Gene therapies are already being tested for those conditions, so the timeline for fixing a wide range of genetic defects could be as short as five years, he says. The therapy could even be used for diseases considered incurable, like HIV. American pharmaceutical firm Sangamo is running a trial that uses gene editing to engineer the immunity of HIV patients to the disease.

Meanwhile, nearly two years on, Layla remains cancer-free and healthy. At a charity fundraiser for the Great Ormond Street Hospital in December 2015, Laylas mother encouraged other parents with sick children to be unafraid of guinea pig treatments, and to try new things.

If Qasims therapy is approved for general use, it could be the first of thousands of similar treatments. Layla has a purpose  to help other people. She was nearly at deaths door. You dont normally hear a happy story with cancer, her father said during the appeal. One day there will be a cure for cancer. Who knows? Maybe in 40 years time Layla may have helped to make the first step towards that.

 Newsweek
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Relationship break-ups often result in mementos, be they funny, sad or just plain bizarre.

A museum in Croatia, however, has been championing those relics and the stories behind them for the past six years - The Museum of Broken Relationships is the most popular museum in Zagreb and has this year spawned a sister museum in Los Angeles.

Inside the museum, visitors find the mementos of previous relationships donated by people all over the world.

Recommended The four signs you need to break up with your partner immediately

It started out as a therapeutic project for two artists, Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic, after the break-up of their four-year relationship, and the museum is now globally crowd-sourced.

The museum of incredibly varied items draws people from all over the world. Most of the stories that accompany the mementos are thought-provoking, some are heartbreaking and others are just hilarious.

It's nice to get some idea of what other people have to struggle with and that you're not the only one feeling down when things seem dark, wrote one visitor in an online review. You get a better perspective on your own past, current and even future romantic experiences.

10 best break-up films Show all 10 1 /10 10 best break-up films 10 best break-up films Celeste and Jesse Forever This is an example of how the standard 'rom com' formula can be successfully shaken up in order to create a refreshing story which still retains the most-loved characteristics of a chick flick. By introducing a touch more reality than most 'fairy-tale' romances and including a likeable cast, this film manages to be relatable while at the same time providing much-needed escapism. 10 best break-up films Two Night Stand Pride and Prejudice this is not, but the premise of a girl turning to internet dating in order to 'let off some steam' is definitely an accurate reflection of our times. The fact that she is then stuck at her dates' place and a romance ensues, while slightly less accurate, is sure to take your mind off your ex, or at least get you laughing in the meantime. 10 best break-up films The First Time The perfect teen choice, Jon Kasdan's comedy is full of innocence, charm and good humour. The dialogue between the characters is easy and realistic, and the plot not too much of a distortion of reality. While this one is perhaps more likely to remind you of your ex than act as a distraction, the quality of the script and acting will leave you feeling good nonetheless. The chemistry between the protagonists was so good in fact that it translated into a real life relationship between Dylan O'Brien and Britt Robertson. 10 best break-up films The Fault in Our Stars What do you need when you feel like crying? A good tearjerker. Sometimes having a cathartic tug on the emotions when you're already feeling down can leave you feeling reinvigorated. This film, based on John Green's book of the same name, will warm your broken heart and provide you with 125 minutes of pure distraction. The actors have to be commended again for bringing the characters to life, delivering a healthy dose of pathos at every turn and making the struggle real. 10 best break-up films Divergent Perhaps an unusual 'post break-up' choice, but I can't think of film more capable of distracting you from your woes than Neil Burger's sci-fi epic based on Veronica Roth's novel of the same name. Set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian Chicago, this should not be pigeonholed in any one genre and you should leave your assumptions at the door. Star of the moment, Shailene Woodley, portrays the protagonists' struggle perfectly and will take you along with her for the ride. 20th Century Fox/Jaap Buitendijk/AP 10 best break-up films Stuck in Love Josh Boone's indy rom com drama is criminally underrated. This 3-pronged flick follows the segregated lives of a successful novelist and his two children, tenuously bringing them together though their strained relationships. It offers something for everyone chronicling an endearing new romance played out by Nat Wolff, the slightly more cynical experiences of the older sister and the fathers struggles with being a single parent learning to live again. 10 best break-up films The Spectacular Now This might be a slightly Shailene Woodley heavy list but what can I say, the girl picks good rom coms! This films originality doesnt lie with the storyline  which follows a fairly familiar 'charismatic party boy meets shy good girl' formula - but with the approach. Having won Sundance's special jury prize for acting, it is easy to see why. The truth behind the characters, conveyed so well by Miles Teller and Woodley, of how it feels to be young saves this film from being another yawn-inducing rendition of the tired concept of love. 10 best break-up films Love and Other Drugs This flick, based on Jamie Reidy's non-fiction book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman, is slightly more complex than a run-of-the-mill comedy. Dealing with issues more akin to a drama, the plot has depth and the characters realism. If you want to lose touch with reality for a couple of hours - and put your own problems in context - you could do a lot worse than turning to this film. 10 best break-up films Friends With Benefits The best feature of Friends with Benefits is its self-awareness. Its a rom com, just like all the rest, and it knows it. The typical romantic fare is relayed in a jovial way, poking fun at themselves as they go. That is almost the premise of the whole film, after all: subverting the idea of romance. 10 best break-up films Crazy, Stupid, Love Written by Dan Fogelman, more readily associated with Disney films, and directed by Bad Santas Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the crew behind Crazy, Stupid, Love. would not immediately inspire much excitement, let alone be expected to produce one of the best rom coms this side of the decade. However, that is exactly what they achieved. A recurring theme with this list, here is another a-typical example of the genre, and thankfully so. AP

The collection on display changes, but over the years the museum has featured :

An unopened sweetie G-string sent to a woman by her boyfriend of four years just before he cheated on her with her colleague and broke up with her over email.

Plaster breasts given to a woman by her boyfriend who wanted her to wear them during sex. She, quite rightly, broke up with him.

A can of love incense, for which the description simply reads: Doesnt work.

The plaster breasts

Anyone in the world can send in an item - all you have to do is fill in a form and send it off. The museum is now so inundated with submissions though that they can only display about 15% of what theyre sent.

Theres also a virtual collection for those too attached to their relic to part with it.

The director of the LA Museum of Broken Relationships says he thought the city was an ideal location because its inhabitants are generally very open: People come here with these amazing dreams and goals and it's also a land of crushing defeat.

Not all of these things work out and everyone's like, 'Los Angeles is perfect', he explained to NPR.

No relationship is perfect, and whether you think immortalising a memento is therapeutic or unhealthy, its clearly a popular thing to do.
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Pope Francis has told worshippers at a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel to breastfeed if they need to.

During a ceremony in which he baptised 15 boys and 13 girls, the pontiff made the encouraging remarks to new mothers.

The ceremony is a little long, someones crying because hes hungry. That's the way it is, the pontiff said, according to AFP.

You mothers, go ahead and breastfeed, without fear. Just like the Virgin Mary nursed Jesus, he said at the annual ceremony commemorating the baptism of Jesus.

Breastfeeding has been shown to help reduce child obesity, rates of diabetes and infections.

Experts have said that around 800,000 children die every year due to a lack of breast milk.

It's not the first time the Pope has given his public support on breastfeeding in public.

In January last year, he made similarly encouraging remarks at the equivalent ceremony in the Sistine chapel.

He may have been prompted into making his comments by the actions of one mother who was seen breastfeeding before the homily.

Francis even said a prayer for those mothers who had problems breastfeeding. We thank the Lord for the women with milk and we pray for those who are not able to breastfeed their babies. We pray for them and try to help them, he said.

Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Live and let live.' GETTY IMAGES Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Proceed calmly" in life' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Be giving of yourself to others' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Sunday is for family' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Respect and take care of nature' OSSERVATORE ROMANO/AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Stop being negative' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: Respect others' beliefs' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive' FP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness AFP/Getty Images

The previous month he called on parishioners to be more tolerant of infants during a visit to the St Joseph church in Rome.

Babies cry; they make a noise, he said
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Theresa May is to say she wants to move away from the social justice agenda of prioritising helping the poorest people in Britain, and to instead focus on those who live just above the welfare threshold.

The Prime Minister will aim to appeal to ordinary working class families in a speech on Monday in which she will introduce a successor ideology to David Camerons big society plan  the shared society.

Ms May will insist the state has a significant role to play in alleviating the "everyday injustices" faced by people who do not qualify for benefits, but will shift the focus away from the rising number of people, including children, who currently live in poverty in the UK.

The Prime Minister will vow to help those struggling to get their children into good schools or to climb the property ladder, rather than focusing on the obvious injustices of homelessness and food poverty in a bid to show her term in office will not be defined solely by Brexit.

She is expected to criticise previous administrations for focusing too narrowly on the very poorest through the welfare system. She will say that people just above the welfare threshold felt the system was stacked against them.

Ms May has made helping those who are just about managing a key goal in her administration and the speech in London on Monday is expected to be the first of a series of interventions on domestic policy over the coming weeks.

Setting out her plans, Ms May will say: This means a Government rooted not in the laissez-faire liberalism that leaves people to get by on their own, but rather in a new philosophy that means Government stepping up - not just in the traditional way of providing a welfare state to support the most vulnerable, as vital as that will always be.

 Theresa May's New Year Message

"But actually in going further to help those who have been ignored by Government for too long because they don't fall into the income bracket that makes them qualify for welfare support.

"It means making a significant shift in the way that Government works in Britain. Because Government and politicians have for years talked the language of social justice - where we help the very poorest - and social mobility - where we help the brightest among the poor.

Recommended Corbyn says Theresa May must come to Parliament to explain NHS crisis

"But to deliver the change we need and build that shared society, we must move beyond this agenda and deliver real social reform across every layer of society so that those who feel that the system is stacked against them - those just above the threshold that attracts the Government's focus today, yet those who are by no means rich or well off - are also given the help they need.

Because people who are just managing, just getting by don't need a Government that will get out of the way, they need a Government that will make the system work for them. An active Government that will work for them and allow them to share in the growing prosperity of post-Brexit Britain.

The Prime Minister will seek to undermine the "language of social justice and social mobility" in her speech, suggesting these terms focus on a minority and detract from the challenges faced by "ordinary working class" families.

She will say: While the obvious injustices receive a lot of attention - with the language of social justice and social mobility a staple of most politicians today - the everyday injustices are too often overlooked.

"If you're from an ordinary working class family, life is much harder than many people in Westminster realise.

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address Show all 6 1 /6 The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address Brexit The big one. Theresa May has spoken publicly three times since declaring her intent to stand in the Tory Leadership race, and each time she has said, Brexit means Brexit. It sounds resolute, but it is helpful to her that Brexit is a made up word with no real meaning. She has said there will be no second referendum and no re-entry in to the EU via the back door. But she, like the Leave campaign of which she was not a member, has pointedly not said with any precision what she thinks Brexit means Reuters The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address General election This is very much one to keep off the to do list. She said last week there would be no general election at this time of great instability. But there have already been calls for one from opposition parties. The Fixed Term Parliaments Act of 2010 makes it far more difficult to call a snap general election, a difficulty she will be in no rush to overcome. In the event of a victory for Leadsom, who was not popular with her own parliamentary colleagues, an election might have been required, but May has the overwhelming backing of the parliamentary party Getty The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address HS2 Macbeth has been quoted far too much in recent weeks, but it will be up to May to decide whether, with regard to the new high speed train link between London, Birmingham, the East Midlands and the north, returning were as tedious as go oer. Billions have already been spent. But the 55bn it will cost, at a bare minimum, must now be considered against the grim reality of significantly diminished public finances in the short to medium term at least. It is not scheduled to be completed until 2033, by which point it is not completely unreasonable to imagine a massive, driverless car-led transport revolution having rendered it redundant EPA The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address Heathrow expansion Or indeed Gatwick expansion. Or Boris Island, though that option is seems as finished as the man himself. The decision on where to expand aviation capacity in the south east has been delayed to the point of becoming a national embarrassment. A final decision was due in autumn. Whatever is decided, there will be vast opprobrium PA The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address Trident renewal David Cameron indicated two days ago that there will be a Commons vote on renewing Britains nuclear deterrent on July 18th, by which point we now know, Ms May will be Prime Minister. The Labour Party is, to put it mildly, divided on the issue. This will be an early opportunity to maximise their embarrassment, and return to Tory business as usual EPA The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address Scottish Independence Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP are in no doubt that the Brexit vote provides the opportunity for a second independence referendum, in which they can emerge victorious. The Scottish Parliament at Holyrood has the authority to call a second referendum, but Ms May and the British Parliament are by no means automatically compelled to accept the result. She could argue it was settled in 2014 AFP/Getty

And at the same time, all too often in the past people have felt locked out of the political and social discourse in Britain.

Ms May said her vision of a shared society was aimed at tackling both the obvious and everyday injustices in an effort to overcome division and bring our country together.

The shared society vision differs from the ideology of Ms May's Tory predecessor David Cameron in that it alludes to a larger role for the state than in the "big society", which saw the burden shifted on to charities. But aside from that the rhetoric is familiar.

The shared society is one that doesn't just value our individual rights but focuses rather more on the responsibilities we have to one another. It's a society that respects the bonds that we share as a union of people and nations," Ms May will say.

The bonds of family, community, citizenship, strong institutions. And it's a society that recognises the obligations we have as citizens - obligations that make our society work.

Mrs May will appear on the new "Sophy Ridge On Sunday" show on Sky News to set out further details of her plan, which is also expected to include a package of measures to help people with mental health problems.

Additional reporting by PA
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Rescue teams have found a body in their search for missing jogger David Skeen, police said on Saturday.

The 51-year-old was last seen leaving his home in the Welsh town of Talgarth to go for a run at 9am on Tuesday.

A team of about 50 people, including mountain rescue specialists, firefighters, and police spent four days searching for Mr Skeen on foot and using a drone.

Mr Skeen had recently moved to the Powys area from Bristol. Dyfed-Powys Police said the body has not yet been formally identified.

But family [of Mr Skeen] have been made aware of the development, a spokesman said on social media.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day 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in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty

Former colleagues of Mr Skeen, who had worked for South Western Ambulance Service, had volunteered to help Longtown Mountain Rescue Team and Brecon Mountain Rescue Team search the Talgarth area on Saturday.
Republicans in Washington began their era of total control over the levers of power by stepping on a rake. In a secret vote last week, the Republican conference in the House of Representatives decided to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics, igniting a firestorm of public opposition that forced them into an embarrassing retreat on the very first day of the 115th Congress.

As political miscalculations go, it was a doozy. That day, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham called it the dumbest fricking thing Ive ever heard.

Related: Seven Tests That Can Keep Republicans from Screwing Up

The question for Republicans now is whether theyve learned something from the experience or not. The party has a history, in recent years, of treating control of some or all of the nations policymaking apparatus as an opportunity to enact massive changes that dont always have the level of public support that they seem to believe.

Government shutdowns are an obvious example. As Newt Gingrich in 1995 and Ted Cruz in 2013 both learned, holding the entire federal government hostage to a narrow political goal is frowned upon by the majority of Americans.

In 2005, fresh off his reelection victory and looking at Republican majorities in the House and Senate, George W. Bush rolled out privatization of Social Security as his top domestic priority. It was beaten back amid howls of public protest and helped Democrats take over both houses of Congress just two years later.

Whether The 115th Congress and President Trump will overreach politically in the coming years is, obviously, not yet known. But there will be plenty of opportunities. Here are a few areas where Republicans should scan the ground for more rakes before rushing forward.

Related: Most Americans Dont Want to Repeal Obamacare: Heres What They Want Instead

Obamacare Repeal

The Republicans call for repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act during the 2016 campaign clearly was a smart political tactic that paid off big dividends in the November election. But in their haste to make that one of their first orders of business, congressional leaders and President-elect Donald Trump are moving into politically treacherous and largely uncharted waters.

Story continues

With the possible exception of some of the changes in the 1996 welfare reform law, Congress has never before dismantled a major social service or health care program in modern times. For sure, Obamacare was plagued from the beginning by operational and financial problems, overpromising by President Obama, and faulty business models that ended up driving major insurers out of the market and driving up premiums and copayments for consumers.

But the four-year-old subsidized healthcare insurance system that Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) denounce as a disaster and failed partisan experiment has extended first-time coverage to 20 million Americans through subsidized private insurance policies and expanded Medicaid in 31 states and the District of Columbia. It has also raised the standards of coverage in most policies, helped bend the national health care cost curve, provided added relief to rural hospitals and created a bonanza of new business for many insurers, hospitals and medical facilities, pharmaceutical companies and others.

Even without a suitable replacement in hand after years of attacking the Affordable Care Act, Republicans are on track to use special budget reconciliation rules to ram through a resolution in the coming months that would pull much of the Obamacare program up by the roots.

Related: Obamacare Repeal Could Push Rural Hospitals to the Brink

Yet surveys show that Americans are more interested in Congress fixing Obamacare than replacing it with an entirely new program. And for all their complaints about President Obamas signature health insurance plan, most of the major players in the healthcare world are warning that the GOP strategy will lead to major financial losses for insurers and hospitals and the loss of coverage for millions of Americans.

Whats more, GOP political allies including the American Medical Association (AMA) and Republican governors whose states expanded Medicaid under Obamacare are pressuring Congress to postpone the repeal legislation until a feasible substitute is in hand.

GOP leaders have shrugged off the warnings and insist that rapid action is essential in order for Trump and the congressional Republicans to make good on their political promises to voters. Yet already there are tiny fissures developing within the GOP over strategy. Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Bob Corker of Tennessee are all raising concerns about repealing Obamacare without a replacement and other issues related to the fiscal 2017 budget resolution being used as the main vehicle.

Related: Could Rand Paul End Up Saving Obamacare?

Spending and the Debt

Trump once boasted that he could retire the nearly $20 trillion national debt in eight years through his tax cuts, budget savings and renegotiated trade deals with China, Mexico and Canada.

Yet throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, he sought to overshadow Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton with promises of massive tax cuts, $1 trillion of new infrastructure investment, a military buildup, affordable child care and family leave benefits.

Republicans have long prided themselves as the party of fiscal conservatism and balanced budgets. But in the early going of the new Congress, Trump and the GOP seem to be prepared to break the bank in pursuit of Trumps ambitious agenda. Even before taking office as president, Trump has expanded on his government spending ambitions, boasting that he was prepared to renew a costly nuclear arms race with Russia, China and other nuclear powers.

Late last week, Politico reported that Trumps team and Republican lawmakers are considering adding funds to a must-pass spending bill this spring to help finance his plans to build a wall along the southern border after concluding that Trump cant make good on a major campaign pledge to force Mexico to pay for it. That idea alone would add billions of dollars to the government appropriations bills in the coming years.

Related: Obamacare Repeal Is a Fiscal Minefield for the GOP

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget calculates that when taken together, Trumps tax and spending promises  including his pledge to boost military spending and make cuts in non-defense discretionary programs-- would drive up the debt to 105 percent of GDP within a decade, or one of the highest levels since World War II.

But that analysis didnt include the cost of a major increase in highway, bridge and other infrastructure spending because Trumps advisers have yet to figure out how to finance it. And the long term economic and budgetary impact of the Republicans drive to repeal and replace Obamacare are still open to conjecture.

Republicans are hijacking the fiscal 2017 budget resolution to use as the vehicle for dismantling much of Obamacare. While all eyes are focused on the political fight over repealing Obamacare, there has been little discussion about the spending and deficit numbers that Republicans have plugged in as place holders until Congress can fully turn its attention to spending levels later this year, when a second resolution will be offered to members.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is one of the few Republicans who has made an issue of this tactic, urging fiscal conservatives in the House and Senate to balk at approving a budget resolution repealing Obamacare that on the surface, at least, allows the debt to rise by $9.7 trillion in the coming decade because of major tax cuts and spending increases. It should be a conservative document that should not add $9.7 trillion to the debt over ten years, Paul told reporters late last week after meeting with two dozen conservative House Republicans who belong to the Freedom Caucus.

Related: Trump Wants a Much Bigger Navy: Heres How Much Itll Cost

Bixby, the Concord Coalition official and deficit hawk, calls all of this very concerning for fiscal conservatives.

There are a lot of chickens coming home to roost here, he said in an interview Friday. A lot of campaign promises were made and they didnt add up. And now that were heading into budget season, lawmakers and the new administration are trying to perform some fiscal alchemy here to make it all work.

The tough things for Republicans is that a lot of them are beginning to realize that they are faced with either scaling back substantially some of their campaign promises or scaling back their concern about the debt, he added. The tension we are seeing now is whether they can accommodate big spending plans and a big tax cut and still go to their constituents with a straight face and say theyre worried about the debt.

Social Issues

There are many, many Americans who are extremely socially conservative, and they are already cheering an effort by Republican lawmakers to shoehorn language that strips all federal funding from Planned Parenthood into the budget bill repealing Obamacare. But a Congress that dedicates itself to the agenda of social conservatives will likely find itself at odds with a broader American electorate that is increasingly less concerned about such issues.

Related: Heres What Americans Want Most to Hear from President Trump

Planned Parenthood is just one example, but its a good one. Poll after poll after poll has shown that the organization, which provides health care services to women around the country, many of whom might not be able to access reproductive care otherwise, is extremely popular.

With Republicans in charge of both the White House and the Senate, the possibility of manufacturing a Supreme Court majority to overturn Roe v. Wade, clearing the way to make abortion illegal, is another near-term goal for social conservatives. And while doing so would make a portion of the Republican electorate rapturously happy, it would be extraordinarily unpopular among the majority of Americans.

So would laws rolling back protections for LGBTQ Americans. While gay marriage and anti-discrimination laws remain a flashpoint for the religious right, the rest of the United States has, for the most part, moved on. A Congress seen as focused on giving federal blessing to things like North Carolinas disastrously controversial bathroom bill would eventually find itself in a position similar to that states now-former Governor.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
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Two people have been arrested following a protest at department store Harrods, over claims management kept 75 per cent of tips left for waiters working in the store's cafes and restaurants.

A smoke bomb was reportedly let off and roads in the Knightsbridge area of central London were blocked during the action on Saturday afternoon.

Dozens of hospitality staff joined the demonstration, which was organised by the United Voices of the World (UVW) union.

The Metropolitan Police said an 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of setting off a flare.

A 51-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and assaulting a police officer.

Harrods had pledged to improve tips for its catering workers after the union threatened strike action  but workers are demanding they receive the full 100 per cent.

Harrods butlers serve mince pies, tea and coffee to queuing crowds ahead of the opening of the Harrods winter sale in Knightsbridge, London (PA)

UVW's general secretary, Petros Elia, said Harrods was keeping up to 2.5m a year in tips from its hospitality staff.

If correct, the figure is equivalent to the store depriving each of its catering staff of up to 5,000 a year.

A former Harrods waitress, who did not wish to be named, told The Independent the practice dated back to at least 2011.

"It was an awful place to work," she said. "Putting a 'discretionary' service charge on stopped customers giving us cash tips, and we knew we weren't getting anywhere near the full 12.5 per cent.

"The restaurant was always full of stressed, angry shoppers, and we were often treated terribly by both customers and managers. Knowing we wouldn't even get the full tips was insult to injury really."

There is currently no law requiring restaurants to hand over all tips to their staff. Industry guidelines suggest restaurants can keep a proportion of tips, to cover their costs.

In pictures: Harrods' Shoe Heaven Show all 6 1 /6 In pictures: Harrods' Shoe Heaven In pictures: Harrods' Shoe Heaven Rupert Sanderson Heaven-sent: 1. 600, Rupert Sanderson, Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1 In pictures: Harrods' Shoe Heaven Roger Vivier 575, Roger Vivier; Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1 In pictures: Harrods' Shoe Heaven Sophia Webster 595, Sophia Webster, Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1 In pictures: Harrods' Shoe Heaven Kurt Geiger 295, Kurt Geiger; Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1 In pictures: Harrods' Shoe Heaven Jimmy Choo 575, Jimmy Choo, all Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1 In pictures: Harrods' Shoe Heaven Christian Louboutin 625, Christian Louboutin; Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1

However the Business Secretary Sajid Javid has said gratuities should go to the people they were intended for.

Harrods currently operates a tronc system, which means that the 12.5 per cent service charge is distributed equally among all catering staff, and paid monthly.

But the department store has declined to disclose exactly how much of the service charge is retained by management.

Petros Elias, general secretary of the UVW union, said: The lack of transparency in the system gives Harrods huge power over its staff. Catering wages are barely enough to survive on in London, and waiters in particular depend heavily on tips just to get by.

Another luxury retailer, Fortnum & Mason, recently came under fire for asking staff to take a cut in basic pay in order to receive a portion of the service charge under a tronc system.

A Harrods spokeswoman told the BBC the store employed more than 450 workers in its 16 restaurants, all of whom were paid fairly and above national living wage.

She reiterated that the store is currently reviewing the tipping system and employees would be given details of the new system, as soon as a review is complete.

Harrods reported record profits in 2016 for the seventh year in a row, up from 141.5m to 168m.
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Household debt rose sharply last year, with more families having to borrow to supplement their pay, a study reveals.

Research by the TUC showed that unsecured debt, excluding mortgages, has reached a record high of 349bn. Unsecured debt as a share of household income is now 27.4 per cent, with consumer credit revealing fundamental problems with the economy, said the trade union body.

The TUC highlighted weak pay growth and low public investment, saying the Government should be worried. General secretary Frances OGrady said: These increases in household debt are a warning that families are struggling to get by on their pay alone. Unless the Government does more for working people, they could end the new year poorer than they start it.

Employment may have risen, but wages are still worth less today than nine years ago. The Government is relying on debt-fuelled consumer spending to support the economy, with investment and trade in the doldrums since the financial crisis.

There's a lot the Government could do to help. Public sector workers who have suffered severe cuts to their real pay since 2010 are long overdue a decent pay rise. The minimum wage needs to keep rising so the lowest paid workers can keep up with rising prices, and a major programme of public investment in rail, roads, new homes and clean energy could be targeted at communities where decent jobs are in short supply.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

Joanna Elson, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust charity, said: This surge in unsecured debt is something that we should all be concerned about, particularly as we are entering uncertain times for the UK economy.

The majority of borrowers will currently be able to cope with this extra debt. However, if the economy does indeed suffer in 2017, this borrowing could become more difficult to repay, and some households risk finding themselves exposed to sudden changes in financial circumstances."

Press Association
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A Tube strike across much of the London underground network will go ahead on Sunday night and Monday after the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) union rejected a last-ditch offer from London Underground.

Unions say staff cuts have left many stations dangerously under-staffed and are unhappy that workers are having to do overtime to fill the gaps.

London Underground made a last-minute offer in an attempt to avert the strike but TSSA confirmed it has rejected the offer and will go ahead with the walkout.

Recommended Everything you need to know about the Tube strike

It said on Twitter: TSSA reps vote to reject London Underground offer on station staffing. 24 hour #TubeStrike starts at 18.00 today. #SafetyFirst

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, which also represents station staff, had already confirmed its members will strike. In total, up to 4,000 London Underground staff are expected to take part.

The walkout is likely to lead to travel chaos for London commuters. There will be no service on the Victoria or Waterloo and City lines and a heavily reduced service on other lines. A number of central London stations will be closed. Transport for London said it may not know until Monday morning which stations are open and which services are operating.

The disruption comes in the same week as Southern train drivers are to continue their strike, with walkouts planned for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday - bringing many train routes to a standstill.

Unions are unhappy about the loss of 800 station staff jobs and the closure of station ticket offices by Boris Johnson, the previous Mayor of London. They say the cuts have left stations without sufficient staff to operate safely and effectively.

The RMT claims: Reason, safety considerations, providing a service for passengers and staff welfare have all been ignored by senior management, who have driven through massive staffing cuts across the network.

London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square Show all 9 1 /9 London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square Sir Arthur Bomber Harris 1892-1984



Ordered the RAF terror raids in WW2, killing untold thousands, including 25,000 in Dresden iStock London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square Gen Sir Charles Napier 1782-1853



Conquered Sindh. Our object wasmoney. Every shilling of this has been picked out of blood Rex Features London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square Maj-Gen Sir Henry Havelock 1795-1857



Took bloody vengeance on Indian mutineers when putting down the First War of Independence Rex Features London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square Lord Curzon, V of India 1859-1925



Presided over a famine in which millions died, often because his qualifications for relief were so harsh Rex Features London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square Field Marshal Wolseley 1833-1913



Crushed India. That a native should [manhandle] an Englishman was too much' iStock London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square Field Marshal Kitchener 1850-1916



Invented concentration camps, killing 28,000 Boer civilians (mainly women and children) and untold natives Getty Images London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square Field Marshal Haig 1861-1928



Nicknamed 'Butcher' in WW1 and responsible for 2m casualties among men under his command London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square Lord Palmerston 1784-1865



Launched First Opium War, forcing China to import a drug that blighted millions of its people's lives Alamy London's statues: Strand to Parliament Square Sir Winston Churchill 1874-1965

'I hate Indians. They are protected by their mere pullulation from the doom that is their due Rex Features

London Underground says the changes are part of its modernisation process. As more and more passengers use the automated Oyster Card system, it says fewer staff are needed in ticket offices.

But the company admits some stations are under-staffed and it is looking to recruit more workers.

Steve Griffiths, London Underground's chief operating officer, said: It is clear that some more staff for stations are needed. We have started to recruit them and will continue to work with the unions to implement the recommendations made in the review. We believe that this will help us to provide a better service for our customers and ensure that they continue to feel safe, secure and able to access the right help while using our network.

We encourage the trade unions to continue working with us in order to resolve this dispute and deliver the customer service our customers expect.
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Sir Ivan Rogers engaged in secret talks with former prime minister David Cameron to warn him that Theresa May was botching Brexit, it has been claimed.

The British ambassador to the European Union, who resigned from his post last week, reportedly told Mr Cameron that the current Prime Minister was not doing enough to prepare the UK in the event of a disorderly departure from the bloc.

Sir Ivan allegedly told friends of his fears a hard Brexit could lead to mutually assured destruction.

Rogers spoke to Cameron. His biggest fear was that the biggest issue is not hard or soft Brexit, but whether we have an orderly or a disorderly Brexit, a source told the Sunday Times.

He thinks we are heading for a car crash, where we dont get a deal and we crash out with nothing. Downing Streets view was that he should stop being such a pessimist. Rogers thinks we need to plan for a disorderly Brexit on our terms rather than theirs. No 10 has not given that the priority it deserves.

According to a friend of Mr Camerons, the pair dined together towards the end of 2016, the Sunday Times reports.

It came amid claims that Ms May was excluding key ministers from Brexit decisions.

The Prime Minister has reportedly commissioned multiple briefing papers from senior officials, which she has not shared with her three Brexit ministers.

Ms May will begin her final push towards Brexit on Thursday when she addresses the first cabinet committee meeting of the year on the EU.

Ministers will make plans for a potential crisis strategy should the Supreme Court rule that Ms May does not have the power to trigger Article 50 using a royal prerogative, rather than by an Act of Parliament.

It came as Sir Ivan resigned from the civil service, just days after stepping down in Brussels after accusing the government of muddled thinking.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) confirmed he would not continue with any role within the civil service.

Sir Tim Barrow, a former UK ambassador to Moscow, has replaced Sir Ivan as Britain's EU ambassador. He was described by No 10 as a "seasoned and tough negotiator".
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Students at University of Londons School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) are calling for white philosophers to be largely removed from the curriculum to better represent the university's focus on Asia and Africa.

As part of the student unions educational priorities for 2017, students outlined ways to address the structural and epistemological legacy of colonialism within our university as part of an initiative that aims to decolonise SOAS.

One suggestion was to ensure the majority of philosophers taught on university courses come from the Global South or its diaspora.

The students also said if white philosophers were required, their work should be taught from a critical standpoint, to acknowledge the colonial context in which many of their works were written.

Dr Deborah Gabriel, founder of Black British Academics, said the students were clearly seeking to engage in a more culturally diverse discussion that was reflective of the universitys focus, and interrogate the links to colonisation held by the institution.

A culturally democratic curriculum is something that all scholars, regardless of their ethnic background, should be teaching, given global and national priorities in the 21st century, she told The Independent.

Teaching is often based on very narrow criteria and often tends to be eurocentric. These students are calling on scholars to meet the criteria of their role to teach from different cultural contexts, its something we all should be doing more of.

 University of Liverpool Law professor explains why Leave campaign lied 'on an industrial scale'

However, she also said decolonising doesnt necessarily equate to removing the problematic.

I dont believe that necessitates removing white scholars because not all white scholars espouse ideas that are narrow in context, a lot of them do engage in anti-racist teaching. Academia often draws on theories that are decades old, which is what people often find problematic, she said.

If you remove that kind of content from the curriculum, how are you going to critique it? That is what changes attitudes and thinking by looking at past theories and how they have evolved, and looking at what is considered progressive and acceptable now.

The SOAS educational priorities came amid growing calls from students across the UK to rid British universities of associations with colonialism.

Last year, Oxford University refused to remove a statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oriel College over his links with Britains colonial past, despite a high-profile student-led campaign.

Cambridge Universitys Jesus College took down a bronze cockerel statue, which had been looted during a British colonial expedition to Nigeria in the 19th century, after students asked for it to be repatriated.

SOAS is the largest European centre for the study of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East.

SOAS spokesperson Dr Deborah Johnston, pro-director learning and teaching told The Independent: "One of the great strengths of SOAS is that we have always looked at world issues from the perspective of the regions we study - Asia, Africa & Middle East. Informed and critical debate and discussion about the curriculum we teach is a healthy and proper part of the academic enterprise."

The Independent has approached SOAS's student union for comment.
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More details about the Governments plan for leaving the European Union will be set out within weeks, Theresa May has said.

The Prime Minister was pressed on the detail of Brexit during a wide-ranging New Year interview with Sky News, and repeatedly failed to give direct answers. She instead pledged to provide more information soon.

Often people talk in terms as if somehow were leaving the EU but we want to keep bits of membership of the EU. Were leaving, were coming out, Ms May said.

I will be setting out some more details in the coming weeks as we look ahead to triggering Article 50.

The PM also elaborated on an approach to social justice she has referred to as the shared society  though she decline to explain any policy detail that might feature in it.

Reiterating political themes from her speech to the Conservative party conference last year she told the broadcaster: Its about dealing with everyday injustices but its also about us all recognising our obligations as citizens within the community and society that we have here in the UK.

Its about recognising that there is a role for government but government needs to ensure that it is acting as effectively as possible in those areas where it should be taking action and one of the areas that.

She defended the Governments thinking over Brexit, arguing that it isnt muddled at all in response to comments made by the UKs former ambassador to the EU in his shock resignation message last week. Sir Ivan Rogers had urged his colleagues to challenge muddled thinking and speak truth to power as he quit just weeks before Ms May is expected to trigger the process of leaving the bloc.

The Prime Minister insisted she would be able to secure control over immigration to the UK as well as favourable trading terms with the European Union during Brexit negotiations.

She also had stern words for US President-elect Donald Trump, describing his historical comments about groping women as unacceptable. She however said this would not affect the special relationship and suggested she was optimistic about working with his coming administration.

In her first broadcast of 2017, she reiterated her belief that the issue of trade versus immigration control is not binary.

She said: Often people talk in terms as if somehow we are leaving the EU but we still want to kind of keep bits of membership of the EU.

We are leaving. We are coming out. We are not going to be a member of the EU any longer.

So the question is what is the right relationship for the UK to have with the European Union when we are outside.

Mrs May was asked during her interview on the Sophy Ridge On Sunday show if Sir Ivans assessment over Brexit was accurate.

Not at all, she said, adding: Anybody who looks at this question of free movement and trade as a sort of zero sum game is approaching it in the wrong way.

Im ambitious for what we can get for the UK in terms of our relationship with the European Union because I also think thats going to be good for the European Union. Our thinking on this isnt muddled at all.

Yes, we have been taking time, I said we wouldnt trigger Article 50 immediately, some said we should, Jeremy Corbyn said we should, but actually there hadnt been any plans made for Brexit so it was important for us to take some time to actually look at the issues, look at the complexity of the issues, and thats why as I say we didnt trigger immediately but we will trigger by the end of March this year.

The potential shape of the UKs Brexit deal has dominated the domestic political landscape since the UK voted to the leave the European Union last June.

Critics believe it will be difficult, if not impossible, for the Government to secure access to the single market while also demanding full control of the UKs borders.
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One of Isiss most senior recruiters lived in Britain and married his British wife in a Yorkshire town hall.

John Georgelas, an American, wed Joya Choudhury, a young Briton of Bengali descent, in Rochdale in 2004 when they were both 19. They had met online after Georgelas converted to Islam.

The American, who uses the Arabic name Yahya Abu Hassan, is now believed to be the most senior westerner in Isis.

Recommended The secret civilian network rescuing Yazidi women from Isis

He is the son of a former US Air Force doctor and the grandson of an American Second World War veteran but was revealed last month to have become a senior Isis figure who has urged followers to carry out terrorist attacks in the west and lured scores of young Britons to join the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

Georgelas spent some of his childhood in Britain, living near Cambridge while his father was serving in the UK. He converted to Islam in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks, having befriended a group of Muslim students at his college in Texas.

His wife, Choudhury, is believed to have been radicalised during her A-level studies at a college in East London. She became friends with a group of Algerian Muslims who dressed conservatively and followed a strict interpretation of Islam.

As her new friends began to get married, Choudhury met Georgelas on a Muslim dating website in 2003, according to the Sunday Times.

He travelled to the UK and the pair lived in a number of British towns. It was in London that they became involved with radical Islamic preachers. Some reports suggest they were connected to Anjem Choudary, the jihadi cleric who is now behind bars after being convicted of terrorism offences for supporting Isis.

The couple moved to the US after the birth of their first son. Georgelas began working at an internet hosting company in Dallas, Texas, but was found to be using the organisation as cover for helping online al-Qaeda sympathisers. In 2006 he was sentenced to almost three years in prison for hacking into the website of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac).

In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Isis' weapons factories In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A mortar round fin manufactured by Isis in Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis rocket components discovered in Gogjali, Mosul, Iraq in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis mortars discovered near Karamlais, Iraq, in November 2016 CAR In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis rocket launch frame in Qaraqosh, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A memo from Isis' COSQC on quality control at a manufacturing facility in Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Electrically-operated initiators manufactured by Isis in forces Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis mortar tubes at a manufacturing facility in Karamlais, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis mortar production facility discovered in Gogjali, Mosul, in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis weapons manufacturing facilities near Mosul in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Stocks of French-manufactured Sorbitol, Latvian potassium nitrate and Lebanese sugar at an Isis weapons factory in Iraq Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A destroyed Isis weapons facility in Qaraqosh, Iraq, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research

On his release, Georgelas took a second wife  a Jamaican friend of Choudhurys who had converted to Islam  but the marriage did not last.

Fearing they were being tracked by the FBI, Georgelas and Choudhury moved to Egypt in 2011. Two years later they were in Syria, with the American having established a growing reputation in jihadi circles.

By this time the couple had three children and Choudhury was pregnant with their fourth. Nevertheless, they entered the country as it was being engulfed by civil war.

Choudhury and her children soon became malnourished and seriously ill. She reportedly decided she needed to get out.

A source told the Times: She has behaved selfishly for virtually all of her life. Now, finally, she decided to put her children before herself.

 Turkey releases video of air strikes on more than 100 Isis targets in Syria after Istanbul nightclub attack

She travelled to Turkey and then back to London, while Georgelas stayed in Syria and soon committed himself to the newly-formed Isis. Unhappy in Britain, the mother-of-four returned to America and settled close to Georgelas parents, who now help look after the couples four children.

Choudhury filed for divorce from her husband in 2014  the year Isis was formed. Georgelas, meanwhile, has rapidly risen up the organisations ranks to become a senior recruiter and propagandist.

Last year he wrote an article calling for Sajid Javid, the UK Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and Baroness Warsi, the former Conservative Party chairwoman, to be killed because they are apostates. He is believed to be responsible for recruiting scores of young westerns to the jihadi group.

Georgelas is said to be high on an American kill list of Isis leaders. Choudhury, meanwhile, now reportedly describes herself as a left-wing libertarian and spiritual seeker.
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Sinn Fein could pull out of Stormont in order to trigger an election in Northern Ireland, Gerry Adams has signalled.

The politician, who is now a member of parliament in the Republic of Ireland, has suggested Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness could resign if First Minister Arlene Foster does not stand aside. The DUP politician is facing growing pressure to stand down amid an ongoing scandal about a government scheme which appears to have been badly mishandled.

Known locally as the cash for ash scandal, the claims relate to the Renewable Heat Initiative (RHI) which saw hundreds of millions of pounds reportedly misspent due flawed implementation. The scheme was designed to promote renewable energy use by Northern Irish businesses, but a loophole in it meant businesses were given a financial incentive to pointlessly burn fuel. It is estimated to have cost 490m since it began in 2012.

Ms Foster was the minister in charge of the scheme at the time and is facing mounting pressure to resign.

The allegations emerged after a whistle blower alerted local media. Ms Fosters DUP colleague, MLA Jonathan Bell, also told media that she asked civil servants to alter documents related to the scheme so that her involvement in it would be obscured.

Ms Foster strong denies the allegations and says she has been misrepresented in the media and by her colleague.

Speaking at a meeting of party activists in Belfast on Saturday, Mr Adams said: She is a co-equal partner in the Office of First and Deputy First Minister. She can continue in that office but only for as long as Sinn Fein allows it.

The DUP leader has thus far refused to stand aside, without prejudice, pending a preliminary report by an independent investigation into the RHI scandal. If the First Minister does not take the actions that society desires and deserves which a sustainable process of change requires, then Sinn Fein will bring this ongoing and totally unacceptable state of affairs to an end.

It is the greatest conflict of interest Ive seen in my political life that the architect of the RHI scheme would remain in office while the investigation gets underway.

Under power-sharing mechanisms at Stormont, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister have equal power and weight, and must govern as heads of a mandatory coalition formed of both Unionist and Nationalist politicians. If Mr McGuinness were to resign as Deputy First Minister, an election could be called.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in 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2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. 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A poll for the Belfast Telegraph suggests public confidence in Ms Foster has been badly damaged by the allegations, with support for her dropping from 49 per cent to just 29 per cent since the scandal emerged.
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An Israeli diplomat has called Boris Johnson an idiot in undercover footage taken during a conversation with a civil servant.

Shai Masots remarks to Maria Strizzolo, Conservative MP Robert Halfons former chief of staff, were caught on camera by Al Jazeeras investigations unit.

The Israeli embassy official said Mr Johnson had become Foreign Secretary without any kind of responsibilities at a meeting at an upmarket restaurant in Kensington in October.

He was also filmed discussing how to take down pro-Palestinian MPs including Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan.

Boris is busy, you know. You know he is an idiot, but so far he has become the minister of foreign affairs without any kind of responsibilities, Mr Masot says in the video.

Ms Strizzolo says Boris is good, to which Mr Masot agrees: Boris, hes basically good.

Hes solid on Israel, says Ms Strizzolo.

Yeah, he just doesnt care. Hes busy with everything else, replies Mr Masot, adding: So technically if something real happened, it wouldnt be his fault.

Mr Masot also asked Ms Strizzolo if he could give [her] some MPs that I would suggest you would take down, and went on to specify Sir Alan, the Conservative MP who serves under Mr Johnson.

Sir Alan sparked criticism from prominent pro-Israel groups in 2014, when he described settlement building in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as an ever-deepening stain on the face of the globe.

The former International Development Secretary also equated the situation in the divided West Bank city of Hebron to apartheid.

Mr Johnson has been less critical of Israel than Sir Alan, dismissing supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement as snaggle-toothed lefty academics in 2015, causing Palestinian charities to cancel a string of planned meetings as the then London Mayor toured Israel and the West Bank.

Can I give you some MPs that I would suggest you would take down? Mr Masot asks, grinning.

Ms Strizzolo laughs before replying: Well you know, if you look hard enough Im sure that there is something that theyre trying to hide.

Mr Masot says he has some MPs in mind, going on to specify the deputy foreign minister, referring to Sir Alan, the Conservative MP who serves under Boris Johnson.

Hes doing a lot of problems, the Israeli embassy official says, before Ms Strizzolo asks: I thought we had, you know, neutralised him a little bit, no?

Israeli embassy official Shai Masot discussing taking down pro-Palestinian MPs at a restaurant in London in October (Al Jazeera)

The third person at the table in October was a man known as Robin, who posed as a representative of the Labour Friends of Israel group while working as an undercover reporter.

The Israeli ambassador, Mark Regev, has spoken with Sir Alan to apologise for the completely unacceptable comments.

The embassy sought to play down the incident as the footage was broadcast on Saturday night, describing Mr Masot as a junior embassy employee, who is not a diplomat.

His business card describes him as a senior political officer, while his LinkedIn page lists him as having worked for the embassy since November 2014.

Mr Masot says he was Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) major between 2004 and 2011 and describes himself as the chief point of contact between the embassy and MPs, liaising with ministers and officials at the Foreign Office.

The Embassy of Israel rejects the remarks concerning Minister Duncan, which are completely unacceptable; the comments were made by a junior embassy employee who is not an Israeli diplomat, and who will be ending his term of employment with the embassy shortly, said a statement from the embassys spokesman.

Ambassador Regev on Friday spoke with Minister Duncan, apologised for the comments and made clear that the embassy considered the remarks to be completely unacceptable.

Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Show all 7 1 /7 Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson plays rugby with Japanese elementary school children in Tokyo Getty Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson bumps into a schoolchild during a Street Rugby event at Tokyo Square Gardens building EPA Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson collides with 10-year-old Toki Sekiguchi during a game of Street Rugby with a group of Tokyo children Reuters Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson falls down after colliding with 10-year-old Toki Sekiguchi during a game of Street Rugby with a group of Tokyo children Reuters Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson falls down after colliding with 10-year-old Toki Sekiguchi during a game of Street Rugby with a group of Tokyo children Reuters Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match

Mr Masot has not commented on the footage. Ms Strizzolo, currently a senior manager at the Skills Funding Agency, told The Guardian their conversation was light, tongue-in-cheek and gossipy, adding: Any suggestion that I, as a civil servant working in education, could ever exert the type of influence you are suggesting is risible.

Shai Masot is someone I know purely socially and as a friend. He is not someone with whom I have ever worked or had any political dealings beyond chatting about politics, as millions of people do, in a social context.

She continues to work part time as an aide to education minister Mr Halfon, the former political director of Conservative Friends of Israel.

The footage is part of a six-month investigation by Al Jazeera that the Qatar-based broadcaster claims reveals a brazen, covert influence campaign in Britain orchestrated by the Israeli government.

It comes little over a week after Theresa May put herself at odds with Barack Obamas administration by expressing strong support for Israel in the ongoing dispute over the construction of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The Foreign Office said it was satisfied with Mr Regevs apology over the matter.

The Israeli Ambassador has apologised and is clear these comments do not reflect the views of the Embassy or Government of Israel, a spokesperson told The Independent.

The UK has a strong relationship with Israel and we consider the matter closed.
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Britains political discourse has been poisoned by paranoid eurosceptic zealots who abuse anyone they suspsect of wanting to stay in the EU, a former Cabinet minister has said.

Ken Clarke criticised the hardline core of eurosceptics in the House of Commons and in the press, who he said believed an establishment conspiracy was out to get them.

His comments come after Britains ambassador to the EU quit, warning of muddled thinking in the Governments approach to Brexit.

Sir Ivan Rogers, who previously worked with Mr Clarke early in his career, left due to the approach eurosceptics were taking, the Conservative politician said.

Theres a hardline core of eurosceptics, not the generality of eurosceptics, who are perfectly pleasant, intelligent people, but the real zealots in the House of Commons and in the press, who just turn to abuse of anybody who seems to faintly disagree with their very hardline, hard Brexit view and who believe there are great establishment conspiracies against them. This is all nonsense, he told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show.

To turn everything into personal abuse when anyone seems faintly to disagree with our new zealot crusade to leave the continent of Europe is rather an unfortunate feature of our post-Brexit politics that I hope we soon lose.

This week the senior civil servants union the FDA warned that some politicians had been subjecting the civil service to a stream of ill-informed criticism.

It emerged on Saturday that Sir Ivan had totally quit the civil service after stepping down from his role working for the Government in Brussels.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned  forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA  because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

Mr Clarke, who backed Remain, also warned Theresa May that she would have to address the serious issues raised by Sir Ivan. He said that behind closed doors senior eurosceptics appeared to be offering nothing but slogans in lieu of policy.

Ms May has said she will trigger Article 50 to leave the EU by the end of March, giving the Government a few short months to address the criticisms of officials like Sir Ivan, were it to choose to do so.
ZURICH (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson and Actelion have asked Switzerland's takeover board about the viability of a complicated takeover deal the U.S. healthcare company is discussing with the Swiss biotech firm, newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reported on Friday, without saying how it got the information. The two companies asked about the proposal under which Johnson & Johnson would acquire Actelion while separating its commercialized portfolio from its research and development assets, a deal structure first reported by Reuters last week. The panel's preliminary review was still going on, the paper said. The Tages-Anzeiger quotes a spokesman for the takeover board as saying it does not comment on specific transactions. The Swiss takeover board, which determines whether a deal meets legal requirements, did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment. An Actelion spokesman also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The proposed deal structure would allow J&J to acquire Actelion with a cash offer in the region of $260 per share, a little more than what it had offered when it walked away from negotiations earlier in December. It also would allow Actelion shareholders to benefit financially from Actelion's R&D pipeline, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. In return for a minority stake in the remaining business to develop new drugs, Johnson & Johnson could invest $1 billion to $2 billion over several years into Actelion's research activities as part of the deal, the Tages-Anzeiger reported, again without saying where the information came from. (Reporting by Joshua Franklin; Editing by Michael Shields)
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Britain is likely to suffer a catastrophic Brexit because the Government is ignoring the advice of its own trade experts, a senior Canadian diplomat has said.

Jason Langrish, who was closely involved in the 10 years of negotiations that eventually led to a EU-Canada trade deal, said a British agreement with Europe was likely to take a decade to negotiate and, in the meantime, Britain could see its economy shrink by 4 per cent.

It comes days after the UK's ambassador to the EU, Sir Ivan Rogers, resigned from his position and criticised "muddled-thinking and ill-founded arguments on Brexit - comments that were widely interpreted as an attack on government ministers.

Sir Ivan attracted criticism for suggesting a British deal with the EU could take up to a decade to negotiate, but Mr Langrish said this was a realistic timeframe

Writing in the Observer, he said: [Sir Ivans] letter makes clear that the UK representation to the EU in Brussels is being ignored by Downing Street.

With just three months to go until perhaps the most important talks in Britains history, the negotiating team and the parameters for the discussions are still not in place.

Mr Langrish said UK officials he had spoken with were still in campaign made and claimed the British government continues to plod along without a Brexit strategy.

He added: Were they willing to realistically discuss options for Brexit, as opposed to telling you what they intend to do in a very general sense while dismissing the obvious concerns, they may have a chance to minimise the damage from the potentially catastrophic decision to leave.

This seems increasingly unlikely. Lets hope that the courts, parliament and, ultimately, the electorate do it for them.

What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you  that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the  judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up  and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty

The most likely scenario if a trade deal cannot be reached is reversion to World Trade Organisation rules, the Canadian said, and suggested this would mean a 4 per cent fall in UK GDP compared to a 1 per cent loss for the EU.

Mr Langrish spent years helping negotiation the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) between the EU and Canada that many Brexit supporters have highlighted as an example of a potential British deal.

Speaking during the referendum campaign, Boris Johnson, now the Foreign Secretary, said: I think we can strike a deal as the Canadians have done based on trade and getting rid of tariffs. Its a very, very bright future I see.

David Davis, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, has also praised the Ceta deal and called it a perfectly good starting point for our discussions with the [European] Commission".

The Independent has contacted Downing Street for comment.
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Boris Johnson has arrived in New York for talks with senior members of Donald Trump's transition team, the Foreign Office said.

News of the Foreign Secretary's surprise trip emerged just hours after Theresa May labelled the US President-elect's controversial comments about groping women "unacceptable".

Mr Johnson was expected to meet Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and the president-elect's strategist Steve Bannon in New York.

A spokesman said: "Following the successful meeting last month between the Prime Minister's chiefs of staff and President-elect Donald Trump's team, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is undertaking a short visit to the US for meetings with close advisers to the president-elect and senior Congressional leaders.

"The discussions will be focused on UK-US relations and other foreign policy matters."

The Government has been seeking to forge links with the incoming Trump administration, and Mr Johnson's visit follows meetings between the president-elect's team and Ms May's closest advisers Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill.

Mr Trump has said he is "very much" looking forward to meeting Ms May in the coming months and described Britain as a "very special" ally in a message on Twitter.

But Ms May was challenged about the controversial tycoon's previous comments during her first television interview of the year.

Mr Trump's presidential campaign was plunged into crisis after a 2005 tape recording came to light of him bragging to TV host Billy Bush about groping women and that he can "grab them by the pussy" because of his celebrity status.

Ms May was asked how the comments made her feel as a woman on the Sophy Ridge On Sunday show on Sky News.

"I think that's unacceptable, but in fact Donald Trump himself has said that and has apologised for it," Ms May said.

"But the relationship that the UK has with the United States is about something much bigger than just the relationship between the two individuals as president and prime minister.

"That's important, but actually we have a long-standing special relationship with the United States.

"It's based on shared values and it is a relationship where, actually in the UK, we feel we can say to the US if we disagree with something that they are doing."

The Prime Minister and Mr Trump are due to meet in Washington in the spring following the preparatory meetings by her aides over the Christmas period.

A date for the meeting is yet to be revealed, but it is expected to come within weeks of Mr Trump's inauguration on January 20.

The status of the special relationship between the two long-time allies has faced fierce speculation ever since Mr Trump won the US presidential election.

 Theresa May calls Donald Trump's comments 'unacceptable'

That speculation has been partly fuelled by the president-elect's apparent close relationship with the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage.

But Ms May insisted she envisages a bright future for the countries.

"From the conversations I have already had - I have had two very good, positive conversations with Donald Trump already - I think we are going to look to build on that relationship for the benefit of both the US and the UK," she said.

"I think that is something that is optimistic and positive for the UK for the future."

Mr Trump's election and his praise for Russian president Vladimir Putin has also cast doubt on the future of Nato, in particular whether the US will continue to uphold a commitment to come to the aid of allies if they are invaded.

But Mrs May suggested the US remains committed to the military alliance.

She said: "The Article Five of Nato says that we do go to the support of any Nato country that has military action against it."

She added: "Sometimes people think that there is going to be a change in the American approach to Nato. From the conversations I have had, I think America remains fully committed to Nato as we do.

"We are already taking some steps to show the seriousness with which Nato considers its responsibilities. There will be UK troops on exercise in Estonia this year."

Mr Johnson's US visit will also see him meet key figures including Speaker Paul Ryan and senators Bob Corker and Mitch McConnell.
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Donald Trump has said he is very much looking forward to meeting Theresa May in the coming months and described Britain as a very special ally.

The President-elect of the United States and the Prime Minister will meet in Washington in the spring, following preparatory meetings by her closest advisers over the Christmas period.

He wrote on Twitter: I look very much forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime U.S. ally, is very special!

Mr Trumps warm words will be welcomed by Downing Street after so much of the spotlight falling on his relationship with former Ukip leader Nigel Farage.

After a turbulent week Whitehall may also find comfort in the President-elects signal that the special relationship between the US and the UK will be maintained under his administration.

A date for the meeting is yet to be revealed, but it is expected to come within weeks of Mr Trumps inauguration on 20 January.

The relative proximity of the occasions may be perceived as another boon for the Prime Minister, after she was pipped to speaking with the tycoon following his election by the leaders of nearly a dozen countries.

The pair are understood to have spoken twice since his victory in November, with the PM suggesting key staff meet to lay the groundwork for a visit.

Ms Mays joint chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill then travelled to the US in December to build links with the President-elects team.

President Donald Trump life in pictures Show all 16 1 /16 President Donald Trump life in pictures President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump poses in a rocking chair once used by President John F. Kennedy at his New York City residence Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump with his new bride Marla Maples after their wedding at the Plaza hotel in New York Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Celina Midelfart watch the match between Conchita Martinez and Amanda Coetzer during U.S. Open. She was the date whom Donald Trump was with when he met his current wife Melania at a party in 1996 Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas serving as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, speaks to Donald Trump and Melania Knauss on the starting grid at the Daytona International Speedwa Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump talks with his former wife Ivana Trump during the men's final at the U.S. Open Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and his friend Melania Knauss pose for photographers as they arrive at the New York premiere of Star Wars Episode : 'The Phantom Menace,' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump talks with host Larry King. Trump told King that he was moving toward a possible bid for the United States presidency with the formation of a presidential exploratory committee Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump answers questions as Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura looks on in Brooklyn Park. Trump said on Friday he 'very well might' make a run for president under the Reform Party banner but had not made a final decision Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump makes a face at a friend as he sits next to Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso before the start of the 2003 Miss Universe pageant in Panama City Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Entrepreneur Donald Trump is greeted by a Marilyn Monroe character look-a-alike, as he arrives at Universal Studios Hollywood to attend the an open casting call for his NBC television network reality series 'The Apprentice.' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Simon Cowell present an Emmy during the 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Megan Mullally perform at the 57th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump, poses with his children, son Donald Trump, Jr., and daughters Tiffany and Ivanka Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump told Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner on Tuesday she would be given a second chance after reported misbehavior Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump holds a replica of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as his wife Melania holds their son Barron in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. property mogul Donald Trump stands next to a bagpiper during a media event on the sand dunes of the Menie estate, the site for Trump's proposed golf resort, near Aberdeen, north east Scotland Reuters

A No 10 source said: This was part of a process leading towards the PMs first visit with President-elect Trump.

During the second phone call with President-elect Trump, the Prime Minister suggested it would be a good idea for key staff from both teams to meet. President-elect Trump agreed this would be useful.

We are pleased to have been able to make that happen and the Prime Minister looks forward to visiting the new president in the spring.

The Prime Ministers relationship with the White House is seen as key as Britain prepares to leave the EU and redefines its position in the world.

However, a different figure has stolen much of the limelight in the months following Mr Trumps election.

Mr Farage became the first UK politician to meet the President-elect when he travelled to New York just days after his surprise win.

The pair discussed plans to return a bust of Sir Winston Churchill to the Oval Office and were photographed laughing together in a gold-lined lift at Trump Tower.

Later in November there was further embarrassment for No 10 when Mr Trump suggested Mr Farage should take over as the British ambassador to the US.

He said the former Ukip leader would do a great job! as the senior diplomat in Washington, a post currently held by Sir Kim Darroch. Downing Street said there was no vacancy.
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Donald Trump has said he is looking forward to meeting Theresa May for the first time next month, calling the relationship between the US and UK as very special.

The President-elects warm words will be welcomed by Downing Street after he repeatedly snubbed the Prime Minister, including by calling nine world leaders ahead of her after the US election.

Nigel Farage became the first British politician to meet Mr Trump following his victory in November and the pairs relationship is thought to have unnerved the Government.

Recommended This is what Theresa May should say to Donald Trump

But the first meeting between the Prime Minister and President-elect was confirmed by Ms Mays office this week, without confirming a date.

Late on Saturday night, Mr Trump tweeted: I look very much forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime U.S. ally, is very special!

A Downing Street spokesperson told The Independent the visit would take place in February, within weeks of the new US Presidents inauguration on 20 January.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

The Prime Minister's joint chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill travelled to the US last month to build links with Mr Trump's team.

A source said: This was part of a process leading towards the PM's first visit with President-elect Trump.

"During the second phone call with President-elect Trump, the Prime Minister suggested it would be a good idea for key staff from both teams to meet. President-elect Trump agreed this would be useful.

"We are pleased to have been able to make that happen and the Prime Minister looks forward to visiting the new president in the spring.

Early last month Mrs May praised Mr Trump as very easy to talk to, despite having criticised him during the US elections.

After the Republican candidate called for a ban on Muslims entering the US and claimed parts of London were no-go areas for the police, the then Home Secretary said: I just think it shows he does not understand the UK.


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An Israeli diplomat has said there are MPs he would like to take down in undercover footage filmed covertly during a conversation with a civil servant.

Shai Masots remarks to Maria Strizzolo, who is Conservative MP Robert Halfons former chief of staff, were caught on camera by Al Jazeeras investigations unit.

Mr Masot discusses how to take down pro-Palestinian MPs including Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan.

Sir Alan sparked criticism from prominent pro-Israel groups in 2014, when he described settlement building in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as an ever-deepening stain on the face of the globe.

The former International Development Secretary also equated the situation in the divided West Bank city of Hebron to apartheid.

Mr Johnson has been less critical of Israel than Sir Alan, dismissing supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement as snaggle-toothed lefty academics in 2015, causing Palestinian charities to cancel a string of planned meetings as the then London Mayor toured Israel and the West Bank.

Partial transcript of the meeting which took place in Kensington, London in October 2016

Shai Masot : Can I give you some MPs that I would suggest you would take down?

Maria Strizzolo : Well, you know that if you look hard enough Im sure that there is something that theyre trying to hide

Shai Masot : Well, you know. I have some MPs.

Maria Strizzolo : Well, lets talk about it.

Undercover reporter: Yeah

Shai Masot : (To the reporter) No, she know which MPs I want to take down

Maria Strizzolo : Yeah its good to remind me

Shai Masot : The deputy foreign minister

Maria Strizzolo : You still want to?

Shai Masot : It doesnt matter.

Maria Strizzolo : You still want to go for it?

Shai Masot : No, hes doing  a lot of problems. It sounds like a conspiracy!

Maria Strizzolo : I thought we had, you know neutralised him, just a little bit, no?

Shai Masot : No

Maria Strizzolo : Ah, Boris is good

Shai Mosot : Boris? He is basically good.

Maria Strizzolo : He is solid on Israel.

Shai Masot : Yeah, he just dont care. He is busy with everything else. Boris is busy. You Know he is an idiot, Yeah he just dont care. So far, You know he is an idiot but so far he has become the minister of foreign affairs without any responsibility so technically if something real happened it wont be his fault.

Maria Strizzolo : Rob was writing articles. He was doing everything, asking questions in Parliament about the terrorist salaries  And when he (Dunca) was a minister in DFID (Department for International Development)  Yeah, and after a while though Rob was doing it and Alan Duncan took him like I think but I dont remember exactly where  but he took him to one side and threatened him, If you dont stop this I;m going to ruin you Im going to destroy you and all of that shit. But he took him to one side and threatened him. And Rob told the whips and the whips just told him to calm down.

Shai Masot : Never say never

Maria Strizzolo : Yeah, you know, never say never. Anyway please dont tell anyone about our meeting

Shai Masot : To who would we tell?

The third person at the table in October was a man known as Robin, who posed as a representative of the Labour Friends of Israel group while working as an undercover reporter.

The Israeli ambassador, Mark Regev, has spoken with Sir Alan to apologise for the completely unacceptable comments.

The embassy sought to play down the incident as the footage was broadcast on Saturday night, describing Mr Masot as a junior embassy employee, who is not a diplomat.

His business card describes him as a senior political officer, while his LinkedIn page lists him as having worked for the embassy since November 2014.

Mr Masot says he was Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) major between 2004 and 2011 and describes himself as the chief point of contact between the embassy and MPs, liaising with ministers and officials at the Foreign Office.

The Embassy of Israel rejects the remarks concerning Minister Duncan, which are completely unacceptable; the comments were made by a junior embassy employee who is not an Israeli diplomat, and who will be ending his term of employment with the embassy shortly, said a statement from the embassys spokesman.

Ambassador Regev on Friday spoke with Minister Duncan, apologised for the comments and made clear that the embassy considered the remarks to be completely unacceptable.
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Labour has called for an inquiry after an Israeli embassy official was filmed discussing apparent plans to take down a Foreign Office minister critical of Israel.

Israel's ambassador to the UK Mark Regev apologised after Shai Masot was recorded talking to Conservative MP Robert Halfons former chief of staff, Maria Strizzolo, at an upmarket restaurant in Kensington in October.

During the conversation between the pair Mr Masot says: Can I give you some MPs that I would suggest you would take down? In response Ms Strizzolo appears to laugh, before responding: Well you know, if you look hard enough, I'm sure there is something that they're trying to hide.

Alan Duncan, Boris Johnsons deputy at the Foreign Office, was named in the conversation as one of the pro-Arab MPs. Ms Strizzolo yesterday resigned over the affair.

The Foreign Office says it now considers the matter closed but Labour says the revelation that MPs, including ministers, were apparently being targeted is extremely disturbing and should be investigated as a matter of national security.

The exposure of an Israeli embassy official discussing how to bring down or discredit a government minister and other MPs because of their views on the Middle East is extremely disturbing, shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry said.

Improper interference in our democratic politics by other states is unacceptable whichever country is involved.

It is simply not good enough for the Foreign Office to say the matter is closed. This is a national security issue.

The embassy official involved should be withdrawn, and the Government should launch an immediate inquiry into the extent of this improper interference and demand from the Israeli government that it be brought to an end.

The incident comes just over a week after Theresa May put herself at odds with the US government after Secretary of State John Kerry criticised the Israeli government.

Mr Masot and Mr Duncan have not commented on the footage. Ms Strizzolo told the Mail on Sunday her conversation was light, tongue-in-cheek and gossipy, adding: Any suggestion that I, as a civil servant working in education, could ever exert the type of influence you are suggesting is risible.

Shai Masot is someone I know purely socially and as a friend. He is not someone with whom I have ever worked or had any political dealings beyond chatting about politics, as millions of people do, in a social context.

Ms Strizzolo has reportedly resigned from her role at the Skills Funding Agency.

Mr Regev said: The Embassy of Israel rejects the remarks concerning Minister Duncan, which are completely unacceptable; the comments were made by a junior embassy employee who is not an Israeli diplomat, and who will be ending his term of employment with the embassy shortly, said a statement from the embassys spokesman.

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Ambassador Regev on Friday spoke with Minister Duncan, apologised for the comments and made clear that the embassy considered the remarks to be completely unacceptable."

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: The Israeli Ambassador has apologised and is clear these comments do not reflect the views of the Embassy or Government of Israel.

The UK has a strong relationship with Israel and we consider the matter closed.
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Labour will lose the next general election if it backs the status quo on immigration and free movement of labour, the partys deputy leader has said.

Tom Watson accepted that the party was not united on the issue and said it was still formulating its policy because we dont know what is going to come out of the Brexit settlement.

Mr Watson said the partys starting point was that Theresa May would take the UK out of the EUs free movement treaty

Recommended Unite general secretary Len McCluskey calls for EU hiring restrictions

I think for the Labour party what we cant say is the status quo, he told Sky Newss Sophie Ridge on Sunday programme.

He added: I want [Theresa May] to be able to say this country will have control over its own borders, that well be able to count the number of people in and count the number of people out, and make sure that a convincing, fair solution to peoples genuine concerns about immigration is addressed.

That is one of the challenges that Labour will have in its manifesto, whenever that election comes. If we dont address that issue then Labour wont win that election, Im very clear about that.

Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, a longstanding ally of Jeremy Corbyn, is understood to be supportive of the continuation of free movement, while other MPs have called for controls to be implemented.

Clive Lewis, the shadow Business Secretary who is seen as another ally of Mr Corbyn, has called for immigration to be tied to trade union membership.

Today Labour MPs including Stephen Kinnock, Jon Cruddas, and Emma Reynolds called for a new two-tier system of immigration controls that would separate skilled workers from unskilled workers.

Brexit racism and the fightback Show all 9 1 /9 Brexit racism and the fightback Brexit racism and the fightback Demonstrators protest against an increase in post-ref racism at London's March for Europe in July 2016 PA Brexit racism and the fightback These cards were found near a school in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, the day after the EU referendum Twitter/@howgilb Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback Romford, Essex, June 25 @diamondgeezer Brexit racism and the fightback A worker at this Romanian food shop was asleep upstairs at the time of this arson attack in Norwich on July 8, but escaped unharmed. Hundreds later participated in a love bombing rally outside the shop to express their opposition to racism and their support of the shop owners. JustGiving/Helen Linehan Brexit racism and the fightback This neo-Nazi sticker was spotted in Glasgow on June 26 Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback But after news emerged of neo-Nazi stickers appearing in Glasgow, some in the city struck back with slogans of their own. Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback More signs began to appear in some parts of the UK, created by people who wanted to show their opposition to post-referendum racism Courtesy of Bernadette Russell

Writing in the Observer the MPs warned that mixed messages on immigration from Labour were proving deeply corrosive to voters trust of the party.

Theresa May has said she will prioritise ending free movement of labour with the EU in Brexit negotiations, and that she will only secure the best access to the single market after doing so.

She has not yet spelled out a specific immigration policy, though Downing Street has previously ruled out using a points-based immigration system.
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A former Westminster official has resigned after footage emerged appearing to show her discuss "taking down" pro-Palestinian MPs.

Maria Strizzolo, who is former chief of staff to Conservative MP Robert Halfon, was recorded talking to to Israeli embassy official Shai Masot.

The footage, obtained by Al Jazeera, shows Mr Masot say: "Can I give you some MPs that I would suggest you would take down?" In response Ms Strizzolo appears to laugh, before responding: "Well you know, if you look hard enough, I'm sure there is something that they're trying to hide."

Ms Strizzolo has reportedly now resigned from her post at the Skills Funding Agency.

Israel's ambassador to the UK Mark Regev has apologised for Mr Masot's comments, describing them as "unacceptable".

Labour has demanded an investigation to probe alleged Israeli "interference" in British politics.

During the conversation between the pair, which took place at the Aubaine restaurant near the Israeli embassy in Kensington, Mr Masot also described Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as "an idiot".

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Ms Strizzolo told the Mail on Sunday that her conversation with Mr Masot was tongue-in-cheek and gossipy, adding: Any suggestion that I ... could exert the type of influence you are suggesting is risible.

She said she knew Mr Masot purely socially and as a friend. He is not someone with whom I have ever worked or had any political dealings beyond chatting about politics, as millions of people do, in a social context."

More follows
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Theresa May has been accused of formulating "reckless" plans that will push the UK towards a disastrous Brexit.

Opposition MPs were less than impressed with what they saw as the lack of anything new from Ms May's highly anticipated New Year TV interview.

Labours shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer criticised the apparent lack of detail and reliance on sound bites from Ms May on the Government's plans for the UK's exit from the European Union.

He told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend: "I don't think the Prime Minister really gave us anything new and this is deeply concerning.

"We are now 10 to 11 weeks away from the triggering of Article 50 and we need clear negotiating objectives and we need a top negotiating team.

"What we got today were bits of half sentences that the Prime Minister has been using for the last six months."

In her first TV interview of the new year, Ms May denied there was any muddled thinking from the Government on Brexit and confirmed she intends to trigger Article 50 by the end of March.

Mr Starmer, who campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU, said the aim of negotiations with Brussels should be to secure the "fullest possible access" for the UK to the single market.

He said: "Of course there has to be change to the rules of freedom of movement. That was one of the main issues in the referendum.

"But the question for the Prime Minister is: are you putting such a priority on immigration that you are prepared to do real damage to your economy?

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron called Ms Mays plans reckless following this mornings interview on Sky TV with Sophy Ridge.

He said: Theresa May has confirmed she is taking us towards a disastrous hard Brexit that will leave our country poorer and more divided.

Reckless plans to leave the single market would deal a huge blow to jobs, investment and the public finances, meaning less funding for services like the overstretched NHS.

Tory MPs who campaigned to remain have also called for more detail to be given as a matter of urgency as the suggested date for triggering article 50 looms ever closer.

Anna Soubry, a pro-remain Conservative MP and supporter of the Open Britain campaign group, agrees with Mr Starmer and Mr Farron that the UK should remain in the single market.

She said: "The single market is the world's largest free trade area with one rule book, no tariffs and maximum freedom for our vital service sectors. There is no comparable alternative.

"No-one voted to be poorer, which would be the inevitable consequence if we were to leave the single market.

"The Government needs to set out more detail on how we will leave the EU and what our long-term relationship will be. For the sake of jobs, growth and UK prosperity, that must mean being within the single market."

 Theresa May denies 'muddled thinking' over Brexit

But pro-Brexit MPs seemed happier with the Prime Ministers performance, seeing it as confirmation that the UK will be opting for a clean break from the EU.

Brexiteer Tory MP Steve Baker said: "This is welcome clarification of a sensible position by the PM. We won't be clinging on to bits of EU membership. The best outcome for the UK is an ambitious trade deal plus control over our laws, trade policy and borders. The PM's interview is great news for the UK.''

The Prime Minister used her first broadcast of the New Year to reiterate her belief that the trade versus immigration control issue is not a "binary" choice.

Ms May said: "Often people talk in terms as if somehow we are leaving the EU but we still want to kind of keep bits of membership of the EU.

"We are leaving. We are coming out. We are not going to be a member of the EU any longer.

"So the question is, what is the right relationship for the UK to have with the European Union when we are outside?

And she insisted: "We will be able to have control of our borders, control of our laws.

Ms May said she was concentrating on "not the means to the end but what the outcome is" as she looks ahead to negotiating the UK's divorce from Brussels.

She said: Actually there will be a variety of ways in which we get there but people who simply talk about issues around membership of the single market, access to the single market, are looking at the means.

"I'm looking at the outcome."

Pressed for detail, the Prime Minister would only say she was aiming to deliver a "really good, ambitious trade deal" that allows UK companies to "trade in and operate in the European single market".

Ms May's latest comments on the Brexit negotiations come after reports that Sir Ivan Rogers criticised the Prime Minister's approach to Brexit with her predecessor weeks before he quit.

The diplomat, who unexpectedly resigned as the UKs permanent representative in the EU in the new year, held talks with David Cameron before Christmas where he expressed concerns that the Prime Minister risked heading for a "disorderly" exit from the EU.

In a fiery message to staff announcing his resignation from the Brussels post, Sir Ivan hit out at the "ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking" of politicians and said civil servants still did not know the Government's plans for Brexit.
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Donald Trumps comments about using his fame to sexually assault women with impunity were unacceptable, the Prime Minister has said.

Theresa May criticised the US president-elect but said she had had two very good, positive conversations with Mr Trump since his election.

She said she was optimistic and positive for the future of the UKs relationship with the US under the billionaire right-wing tycoon.

Ms Mays comments contrasted with those of Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, who in October refused to criticise Mr Trump. He said he did not want to intervene in the US election by giving his view.

During the US presidential election campaign a historical tape emerged in which Mr Trump was heard saying And when youre a star they let you do it. You can do anything  Grab them by the p****. You can do anything.

Mr Trump went on to lose the popular vote in the election by 2.9 million votes, but was elected president anyway due to the USs unique electoral system.

Asked on Sky Newss Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme about Mr Trumps comments, Ms May said: I think thats unacceptable. But in fact Donald Trump has said that and has apologised for it.

She however added: The relationship that the UK has with the United States is about something much bigger than the relationship between the two individuals as President and Prime Minister.

World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Show all 29 1 /29 World reaction to President Trump: In pictures World reaction to President Trump: In pictures London, England AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures London, England Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines Getty Images World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mosul , Iraq Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures New Delhi, India Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Karachi, Pakistan EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Lagos, Nigeria AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Kabul, Afghanistan AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jerusalem. Israel Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Moscow, Russia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Seoul, South Korea AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Lagos, Nigeria AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Peshawar, Pakistan EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Hyderabad, India AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Kolkata, India AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Sydney, Australia Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Sydney, Australia AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Aleppo, Syria Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mexico City, Mexico AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jerusalem, Israel EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Baghdad, Iraq Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Tokyo, Japan Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mexico City, Mexico Getty

Ive had two very good, positive conversations with Donald Trump already, from the conversations Ive had I think were going to look to build on that relationship for the benefit of both the US and the UK. I think thats something thats optimistic and positive for the future.

Its a relationship where actually in the UK we feel we can say to the US if we disagree with something theyre doing.
donald trump american flag

Paul Krugman is at a loss about the future of the Trump presidency, but he's not hopeful.

The Nobel-winning economist and New York Times columnist is concerned about possible connections between the president-elect and Russia.

"We are, I'd argue, in much deeper and more treacherous waters than even the pessimists are saying," Krugman tweeted Friday.

The election of Trump is tainted, Krugman said, because of the FBI's announcement weeks before Election Day regarding its reopened investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server, and because of the Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chair John Podesta.

"A clever, self-controlled Trump would be careful now to preserve appearances and wait for revenge; but instead he's confirming his status as Putin's poodle/stooge with every tweet," Krugman tweeted. "Pretty soon everyone will think of him as a Manchurian candidate, even those pretending not to."

In Krugman's assessment, once the idea takes hold that Trump's election was tainted, there are few options for how it could play out in a positive way.

From Krugman:

"Yet there is no normal political mechanism to deal with this reality. So what happens? The GOP decides to impeach to install Pence? Mass people-power demonstrations? He orders the military to do something illegal and we have disobedience by the national security state? Or, alternatively, overt intimidation of critics by Trump gangs? Don't call this silly  tell me how this ends."

Top intelligence officials have said that Russian government officials were behind the hacks, even as Trump has cast doubt on the legitimacy of those conclusions. Trump received a briefing on Friday from intelligence agencies regarding the Russian hacks.

Krugman has repeatedly tweeted concerns since the election about issues such as the Russian influence on the US election, Trump's conflicts of interest with his businesses, and the effect of a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Story continues

Here are Krugman's tweets:

Some musings on the next few years: We are, I'd argue, in much deeper and more treacherous waters than even the pessimists are saying 1/  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 6, 2017

It would be one thing if voters had freely chosen a corrupt authoritarian; then we'd be following a terrible but familiar path 2/  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 6, 2017

But as it is we had a deeply tainted election, and everyone knows it; in truth the FBI was the biggest villain, but Russian involvement 3/  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 6, 2017

is just so startling, and so contrary to the usual GOP flag-waving, that 2001-type whitewashing of illegitimacy isn't taking hold 4/  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 6, 2017

A clever, self-controlled Trump would be careful now to preserve appearances and wait for revenge; but instead he's confirming his status 5/  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 6, 2017

as Putin's poodle/stooge with every tweet. Pretty soon everyone will think of him as a Manchurian candidate, even those pretending not to 6/  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 6, 2017

Yet there is no normal political mechanism to deal with this reality. So what happens? The GOP decides to impeach to install Pence? 7/  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 6, 2017

Mass people-power demonstrations? He orders the military to do something illegal and we have disobedience by the national security state? 8/  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 6, 2017

Or, alternatively, overt intimidation of critics by Trump gangs? Don't call this silly -- tell me how this ends. 9/  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 6, 2017

NOW WATCH: Here's how much the presidency ages you





More From Business Insider


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Theresa May has said Britains hospitals are not facing a humanitarian crisis, as the British Red Cross has claimed.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the health service was under pressure but rejected the charitys description of the situation in overstretched NHS hospitals.

Figures show A&E departments shut their doors to patients more than 140 times in December, while a third of NHS trusts in England have issued alerts as they are struggling to cope with demand, according to the Nuffield Trust.

The British Red Cross, which has stepped in to support the health service with patient transportation, said the government should take immediate action to stabilise the health service amid overcrowding and lack of resources.

I don't accept the description the Red Cross has made of this, Ms May told Sky News.

There are pressures in the NHS, we see those pressures. We have an ageing population, this brings pressures, particularly in the interface between the health service and social care.

We have taken some immediate steps in relation to that issue but we are also looking to ensure best practice in the NHS and looking for a long-term solution to what has been a problem that has been ducked by government over the years.

Ambulance staff have urged people to consider if they really need to ring 999, or if they should ring 101 instead (Getty Images) (Getty)

Her comments come as Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was accused of hiding from the public eye in what the Society for Acute Medicine has warned could be the worst January the NHS has ever faced.

Mr Hunt has not yet issued a comment on the unfolding health service crisis, in which the Red Cross has been called in to help hospitals free up beds.

The British Red Cross is on the front line, responding to the humanitarian crisis in our hospital and ambulance services across the country, said Red Cross chief executive Mike Adamson in a statement.

We call on the UK government to allocate immediate funding to stabilise the current system and set out plans towards creating a sustainable funding settlement for the future.

But Ms May told the broadcaster funding was at record levels for the NHS and praised the efforts of NHS staff over the difficult winter period.

Yes there are huge pressures on the NHS, but first of all we should thank all the dedicated professionals in the NHS who have been working so hard over what is always a difficult period in terms of the number of people using the NHS  the Christmas and New Year period, she said.

We asked the NHS a while back to set out what it needed over the next five years in terms of its plan for the future and the funding that it would need. They did that, we gave them that funding, in fact we gave them more funding than they required.

So funding is now at record levels for the NHS, more money has been going in.

Education Secretary Justine Greening said it was not appropriate to compare pressures facing the NHS to crises she had witnessed in countries such as Syria, Nepal and the Philippines.

In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Doctor in acute medicine, Melissa Haskins, holds up a 'I ain't afraid of no Hunt' sign whilst striking with other junior doctors outside her hospital, St Thomas' Hospital in London Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Accident and emergency junior doctor, Jennifer Hulse, holds a homemade placard outside St Thomas' Hospital as she strikes with colleagues in London Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Demonstrators and Junior doctors hold placards as they protest outside the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, in Basingstoke during a strike by junior doctors Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Demonstrators and Junior doctors hold placards as they protest outside the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, in Basingstoke during a strike by junior doctors Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike A supporter displays a slogan on her bag during a junior doctors' strike outside St Thomas' Hospital in London Reuters In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike The picket line outside King's College Hospital in London PA In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike The picket line outside King's College Hospital in London, as thousands of junior doctors begun the first all-out strike in the history of the NHS after the Health Secretary said the Government would not be "blackmailed" into dropping its manifesto pledge for a seven-day health service PA In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Junior doctors and supporters take part in a strike outside the Royal United Hospital in Bath Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Doctor in acute medicine, Melissa Haskins, holds up a 'I ain't afraid of no Hunt' sign whilst striking with other junior doctors outside her hospital, St Thomas' Hospital in London Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Dave Prentis, UNISON general secretary visits a British Medical Association picket line at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, to show support for striking junior doctors on the second day of the union's annual health conference PA

She maintained the NHS was better prepared this winter than in previous years and said it was not unusual for organisations such as the Red Cross and St Johns Ambulance to provide support to hospitals.

I don't think it's appropriate to describe the challenges that the NHS faces this winter as a humanitarian crisis, told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show.

We have put in 400 million of extra funding to particularly help these winter pressures and, indeed, the NHS is better prepared this year than it has been in the past.

We are now seeing a meltdown in our NHS that [Jeremy Hunt] is refusing to acknowledge. Patients, the staff and the public deserve better, shadow health minister Justin Madders told The Independent.

Jeremy Hunt should urgently come up with a plan and resources to match to end the crisis.

NHS England disputed the Red Crosss claims but said demand was at unprecedented levels.

Professor Keith Willet, NHS Englands national director for acute episodes of care, told the BBC that NHS staff were under a level of pressure we havent seen before.

Ms May did not confirm whether she would discuss the NHS in Parliament but said she would focus on tackling the "huge stigma" around mental health problems in the UK.

She also said a plan for leaving the EU would be set out "in the coming weeks" and said the Government's thinking over Brexit "isn't muddled at all".
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A South Korean Buddhist monk is in critical condition after setting himself on fire to protest the countrys settlement with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves.

The 64-year-old monk suffered third-degree burns across his body and serious damage to vital organs. He is unconscious and unable to breathe on his own, said an official from the Seoul National University Hospital, who did not want to be named, citing office rules.

The man set himself ablaze late on Saturday during a large rally in Seoul calling for the ousting of impeached President Park Geun-hye, police said. In his notebook, the man called Park a traitor over her governments 2015 agreement with Japan that sought to settle a long-standing row over South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japans World War II military, police said.

Under the agreement, Japan pledged to fund a Seoul-based foundation that was set up to help support the victims. South Korea, in exchange, vowed to refrain from criticising Japan over the issue and try to resolve the Japanese grievance over a bronze statue representing wartime sex slaves in front of its embassy in Seoul.

The agreement has so far come short of bringing a closure to the emotional issue. The deal continues to be criticised in South Korea because it was reached without approval from victims, and students have been holding sit-in protests next to the Seoul statue for more than a year over fears that the government might try to remove it.

On Friday, the Japanese government reacted angrily to the placing of a similar statue in front of its consulate in the city of Busan, announcing a recall of its ambassador to South Korea and suspension of economic talks.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged South Korea to remove the statues and implement the 2015 agreement.

It has been mutually confirmed that this is a final and irreversible agreement. Japan has sincerely fulfilled its obligation, Abe said on a NHK news talk show aired Sunday. He said that Japan had already paid 1 billion yen ($8.5 million) in compensation.

Next, I think South Korea must firmly show its sincerity, he said, adding that the agreement should be implemented regardless of leadership change as a matter of credibility.

At the time of the deal, Seoul said there were 46 surviving South Korean victims.
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A teenage girls ears have allegedly been severed while she was gang raped, it has been reported.

The brutal attack is alleged to have occurred on 4 January when four men attacked a girl in the Baghpat district of India.

She says the men entered her home and kidnapped her, before forcibly taking her to a nearby house where they attempted to rape her.

The alleged victims mother told The Hindu newspaper: When she resisted, they cut her ears off with a sharp-edged knife and she screamed out of pain. When I reached the nearby house after hearing my daughter scream, the attackers beat me badly and ran away.

She claims the men returned the following day to threatened further harm to her and her daughter.

Local police say they are now investigating the incident. The girl and her mother have been sent for medical examinations in relation to their injuries.

Police spokesperson Ajay Kumar Sharma told the newspaper: We have registered a case on the basis of the victims complaint. No arrest has been made as yet but we are investigating the matter and will soon arrest the culprits.
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Police in Paris have been accused of putting migrants lives in danger by stealing their blankets in the heart of winter.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) also warned of systematic police violence targeted at the hundreds of migrants forced to sleep rough on the streets of Paris due to overcrowding in the capital's only reception centre.

MSF accused police of harassing migrants, waking them up in the middle of the night, using tear gas to disperse them, and not allowing them to sit down as they queue for a place in the shelter in the northern Parisian neighbourhood of La Chapelle.

The organisation says the practices have led to them assisting eight people close to hypothermia in the last week, as temperatures dropped to below freezing.

In the heart of winter, public powers should be able to provide shelter for all migrants, as a matter of urgency. Instead, the forces of order confiscate their covers or force them to stay standing in a waiting line for hours, in a ridiculous bid to remove this population in distress from public view. This denial of reality through the use of violence must stop, MSF programme coordinator Corinne Torre told The Independent.

However, French Minister of the Interior, Bruno Le Roux, defended the police on Sunday, calling for an end to the national sport of questioning police work.

I absolutely do not share this vision. What the police force is doing today is providing shelter for vulnerable people, he said.

Recommended The single mother who opened her home to refugees

Police work must continue this way, with the humanity that goes hand in hand with their responsibility. Its true that sometimes there can be difficulties associated with finding shelter for migrants.

Paris opened its first humanitarian centre in November after the closure of a large makeshift camp in Stalingrad displaced thousands of migrants.

Following the closure, the government announced a zero tolerance policy to roadside shelters, enforced by the fencing off of many areas and a heightened police patrol presence.

The centre has been consistently full for the past few weeks, with between 100 and 150 migrants queuing for admission each day, often sleeping outside for several days before a place becomes available, MSF reported.

Paris' Prefecture de Police did not immediately respond to The Independents request for comment.
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Germany's insistence on austerity in the euro zone has left Europe more divided than ever and a break-up of the European Union is no longer inconceivable, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told Der Spiegel magazine.

Gabriel, whose Social Democrats (SPD) are junior partner to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in her ruling grand coalition, said strenuous efforts by countries like France and Italy to reduce their fiscal deficits came with political risks.

"I once asked the chancellor, what would be more costly for Germany: for France to be allowed to have half a percentage point more deficit, or for Marine Le Pen to become president?" he said, referring to the leader of the far-right National Front.

"Until today, she still owes me an answer," added Gabriel, whose SPD favours a greater focus on investment while Merkel's conservatives put more emphasis on fiscal discipline as a foundation for economic prosperity.

The SPD is expected to choose Gabriel, their long-standing chairman who is also economy minister, to run against Merkel for chancellor in September's federal election, senior party sources said on Thursday.

Asked if he really believed he could win more votes by transferring more German money to other EU countries, Gabriel replied: "I know that this discussion is extremely unpopular."

"But I also know about the state of the EU. It is no longer unthinkable that it breaks apart," he said in the interview, published on Saturday.

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

"Should that happen, our children and grandchildren would curse us," he added. "Because Germany is the biggest beneficiary of the European community  economically and politically."

Reuters
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The villages last remaining civilians shuffle into an abandoned nursery, now commandeered by aid workers as a weekly, frontline clinic. Colourful cars and cartoon animals beam from cheerful wallpaper; rows of tiny, empty beds  once used for nap time before war broke out  line the adjacent room of this immaculate, lovingly-decorated nursery.

Once a house of children, now a waiting room for the ailing and the aged.

Chief psychologist, Elena Pylaeva, is on a mission. These patients came for check-ups for a range of complaints  diabetes, heart disease, hypertension  but she knows there lurks at least one more condition: invisible, immobilising, ingrained and ignored.

Almost three years of armed conflict have wrought a profound psychological toll upon the civilian population of eastern Ukraine yet stigma surrounding mental health issues, coupled with the collapse of medical infrastructure are thwarting treatment and recovery.

 Ukraine blast: Journalist killed in Kiev car bomb

Elena petitions the group of 20 locals  mostly older women dressed in floral headscarves, woollen cardigans and shin-length skirts  to talk with her so she can assess their psychological health. This is a war in which the oldest have proved particularly vulnerable, refusing to leave home when others have fled.

Protracted fighting between government forces and Russian-backed separatists has claimed around 10,000 lives and repeatedly exposed civilians to the horrors of combat while state support has crumbled. Many are deeply traumatised and endure extreme stress, heightening a sense of utter helplessness and overwhelming their capacity to cope. And yet they resist relief.

Recommended Locals sceptical of peace as world leaders gather in Ukraine for talks

Im frightened all the time, says 80-year-old Nadiya Davidenko. I barely sleep anymore, whether theres fighting or not. She remembers when Pavlopil was a sleepy, peaceful community  not this ghost village wrecked by bombing, pinned between minefields and emptied of its inhabitants.

But Ive never seen a psychologist before and Im not going to start now, she adds indignantly, tightening her headscarf. Better to go to church instead and speak with the priest.

Her friend whispers to me: The priest fled months ago.

There is great resistance to psychotherapy in Ukraine, where a macho, patriarchal culture dominates and mechanisms for licencing effective counsellors are weak. The problem is compounded by a shame fostered by the Soviet era when repressive authorities rendered psychiatry a tool for punishment by imprisoning political dissidents in asylums, thus demonising mental health issues further.

A Ukrainian soldier walks through a shell-damaged factory during a battle with pro-Russian separatists in Avdeyevka last month (AFP/Getty)

At the start, the patients say, No, we dont want help. Theres no trust, they dont understand the benefits of therapy, says Elena, a psychologist with the international medical aid charity, Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF), which runs this weekly clinic. These civilians suffer from depression, isolation, nervous stress and fear. The young ones have left, the elderly remain with no relatives to support them. Many lived their lives through their children and expected to care for their grandchildren on retirement. Now that is completely overturned.

Tanya Sabutskaya, 65, is living proof. She grew up in Pavlopil and fondly remembers the excitement around public holidays when children played in the streets and Second W veterans, adorned with Red Army medals, gathered at the villages monument to the fallen.

My grandchildren cant visit me for long because of the shelling, says Tanya, as she waits for the doctor to check her diabetes. This war is a thief and has robbed me of a family.

Tatiana Ticona, an MSF field coordinator, explains how the unpredictable rhythm of the easts cycles of violence exacerbates stress and anxiety. The conflict is not yet frozen but can sometimes give a false image of normality. It can seem peaceful and quiet but then change very quickly.

Lulls provide much needed respite but also prompt fearful civilians to brace themselves for further fighting. Were afraid of silence, thats when something can happen, says Avdotya Buragina, 75, who waits for a blood pressure test while chatting with other patients about the next aid delivery and the soaring cost of food, medicine and utilities. Here, we are not living. We are merely surviving.

The previous day, fifty miles further north along the line, nine teachers gathered at a primary school in Krasnohorivka, where violence is now entrenched in everyday life. This small, government-held town, close to separatist-controlled Donetsk, continues to endure mortar attacks, exchanges of heavy gunfire and haphazard shelling that strike apartment blocks.

Beneath the stark glare of strip lights in a rudimentary classroom, psychologist Sergey Scherbak pulled out a set of projection slides and began training the teachers on how to support traumatised pupils and to manage personal burnout and fear.

In pictures: Ukraine crisis Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: Ukraine crisis In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis People shout slogans during a pro Russian rally at a central square in Donetsk. Pro Russian activists continued to gather on Saturday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, as Russia was reported to be reinforcing its military presence in Crimea. In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis In the same pro Russian rally, demonstrators show their support. Ukraine's ambassador to Russia and a deputy Russian foreign minister held a "cordial" meeting on Saturday, Moscow said, without giving details of any discussion of Russian-occupied Crimea. In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis Crimean ethnic tatars stand on the roadside as Russian troops move towards to Simferopol in the settlement of Kok-Asan, some 70 kilometres from Simferopol in Crimea. In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis Russian troops stand on a roadside in the settlement of Opytnoye, some 70 kilometres from Simferopol. In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis Armed members of the first unit of a pro-Russian armed force, dubbed the "military forces of the autonomous republic of Crimea" march before the swearing-in ceremony in Simferopol, Ukraine. Some 30 men armed with automatic weapons and another 20 or so unarmed, were sworn in at a park in front of an eternal flame to those killed in World War II. In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis A group of Cossacks march past a statue of Soviet revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin in Simferopol as tensions in the area continue to rise. In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis An armed member of the first unit of a pro-Russian armed force, dubbed the "military forces of the autonomous republic of Crimea" signs the oath during the swearing-in ceremony in Simferopol, In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis Ukrainian soldiers load their armed personnel carriers (APCs) into boxcars in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. Pro-Kremlin militia fired warning shots as unarmed foreign observers tried to enter Crimea on the 8th. In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis An abandoned naval ship sunk by the Russian navy to block the entrance is seen in the Crimean port of Yevpatorya on March 8th. In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis Ukrainian sailors stand guard on top of the Ukrainian navy ship at the Crimean port of Yevpatorya. In pictures: Ukraine crisis Ukraine crisis Crimea's pro-Moscow leader Sergei Aksyonov speaks to the media in Simferopol on the 8th March. He has defended a decision to hold a referendum on whether the region should join Russia, saying on Saturday that "no one" could cancel the voting.

The schools deputy headmistress, Olga Mashutina, says approximately half of the schools 70 students, aged between 6 and 14, show signs of war-related stress and need support to overcome psychological and behavioural disorders.

By day, there are panic attacks and moments of rage; some are withdrawn, distrustful, even mute. By night, there is insomnia, bed-wetting and nightmares. The pattern is repeated throughout the war-wracked Donetsk region, where around 8,000 students attend dozens of schools near the front line.

The war has exerted a devastating impact on children, inflicting repeated layers of shock and emotional injury that can develop into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), months or even years later. This conflict is the first time they have experienced the terror of artillery barrages, the grief of losing relatives, the anguish of screaming parents, the turmoil of displacement and the lurking threat of landmines.

Around 80 per cent may be able to heal themselves, Sergey, a psychologist of ten years, now a member of MSFs regional taskforce of doctors, told The Independent. But around 20 per cent of them will be severely affected and the trauma will get worse. They will never forget what they have seen and, for many, the fighting is far from over.

During the session, the teachers were taught breathing exercises to alleviate stress and advised on the importance of sleep for recovery. This triggered some dispute.

How can we sleep when the shooting keeps us awake? interjected one teacher. But the shooting has stopped now, hasnt it? Sergey calmly replied (referring to a recent truce that has since collapsed). Yeah but even when its silent, were just waiting for the shooting to start over again.

According to Sergey: Many adults and children are still forced to shelter in basements from the bombing, which has a big impact on their mental health.

This is a key reason for training teachers: if they can be calm, the children will be calm. Next, we will train parents. This is all about improving and stabilising the circle around the towns children.

At a village school in Vinogradne, near the Azov Sea frontline, child psychologist Maria Yakovleva says even the sound of a bursting balloon can cause acute reactions of shock and fear.

One classroom poster is titled: How to behave when the school is shelled; another illustration shows a boy and girl backing away from an unexploded mortar, captioned: Call 101 if you see a dangerous or suspicious object.

More than 235,000 Ukrainian children have been internally displaced from their homes by fighting since 2014, according to government figures. Unicef and its partners offer psychosocial support to around 224,000 affected youngsters and carers.

But aid workers warn that the true psychological devastation of this forgotten war on Europe's fringes remains hidden.

It is impossible to know the extent of the problem, said Anneli Droste, MSFs mental health manager in Mariupol. The same event can traumatise some while leaving others relatively unscathed. It is very hard to get concrete data.

A hotline providing psychological and legal assistance to Ukrainian children and parents has seen a huge spike in calls since 2014's outbreak of war. Before the conflict, the service  supported by Unicef and run by La Strada  was contacted by distressed children around 18,600 times in 2013 and has more than doubled to over 43,000 calls this year.

MSF operates throughout government-controlled territory in the war-wracked Donbass region but is banned from Ukraines breakaway territories after separatists blacklisted the aid group last year, denying thousands urgent medical care.

Mark Walsh, who heads MSFs mission in Ukraine, said the organisation continues to lobby the de-facto authorities in rebel-held Donetsk and Luhansk  and whoever they will listen to  to regain access.

All the patients that we were helping in those regions are still without care. As far as we know, nobody has stepped in, Mr Walsh told The Independent. The needs are still the same as when we left  perhaps even greater.
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Benjamin Netanyahu has been caught on tape offering commercial favours to an Israeli newspaper owner in return for more positive coverage, reports suggest, in a development commentators are describing as an earthquake in the police investigation.

The Israeli Prime Minister, who is being investigated for alleged corruption offences, is said to have been recorded proposing a commercially beneficial deal to Arnon Mozes, the owner of one of Israels biggest newspapers, Yedioth Ahronoth.

He has denied any wrongdoing.

Israels Channel Two television station claimed Mr Netanyahu had offered to reduce the circulation of Israel Hayom, a pro-Netanyahu newspaper that is owned by U.S. billionaire and Republican Party donor Sheldon Adelson, if Mozes instructed Yedioth Ahronoth to be more favourable towards the Prime Minister.

Recommended Benjamin Netanyahu questioned by Israeli police for second time

Cutting the circulation of Israel Hayom, which is distributed free of charge, would be of clear benefit to Mr Mozes because it is the main competitor of his newspaper in the battle for advertising revenues.

The conversation is reported to have taken place several months ago, although the precise date is unknown. Reports suggest the recording was made by Mr Mozes.

Mr Netanyahu is already under investigation for alleged corruption relating to receiving illegal gifts and donations. He has disputed the allegations and his lawyer said receiving gifts from friends is not illegal.

The Prime Minister is accused of accepting thousands of pounds worth of gifts, including cigars and champagne, from Israeli billionaire Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan. Reports suggest Mr Netanyahu lobbied US Secretary of State John Kerry on Mr Milchans behalf while the producer was attempting to acquire a new US visa.

Mr Netanyahu has denied the allegations. Sources said he told his ministers: This is wrong, incessant pressure from the media on law enforcement. They release balloons and the hot air comes out of them time after time. That will be the case here too.

Israel: From independence to intifada Show all 7 1 /7 Israel: From independence to intifada Israel: From independence to intifada 26973.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26974.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26975.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26976.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26977.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26985.bin Robert Capa/Magnum Israel: From independence to intifada 26986.bin Robert Capa/Magnum

Israeli news outlets quoted Mr Netanyahus lawyer, Yaakov Weinroth, as saying: Any reasonable person knows that there is nothing remotely criminal involved when a close friend gives his friend a gift of cigars.

The Israeli Prime Minister has been interviewed twice by police in the last week and is reported to have been surprised by the evidence against him.

He didnt expect it, a source who knows the Prime Minister well told website Haaretz.

The evidence of the conversation between Mr Netanyahu and Mr Mozes is said to have been passed to the Israeli Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, by investigators early last year. It is unclear what caused the delay in interviewing Mr Netanyahu, although there are suggestions state prosecutors were not clear whether a deal of the nature allegedly proposed by the Prime Minister was actually illegal.

The conversation between the pair was reported by Israeli media to have been initiated by Mr Netanyahu in an attempt to convince the newspaper publisher not to print a story about his son, Yair. The nature of the story is unclear.

 Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Calls UN 'Joke' and 'Moral Farce'

Mr Netanyahu is also accused of having accepted a accepted 1 million (850,000) from Arnaud Mimran, a French businessman currently serving eight years in prison for committing a huge carbon-tax fraud. Mimran claimed during his trial that he had given the money to Mr Netanyahu during the 2009 Israeli election campaign - something the politician has consistently denied.

Last year a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister said: Mr. Netanyahu received no prohibited contribution from Mimran. Any other claim is a lie.

The Prime Minister did, however, admit accepting $40,000 (33,000) from Mimran in 2001.

Following reports last month that investigators had been given permission by Mr Mandelblit to open a formal investigation into Mr Netanyahu, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister told Haaretz the allegations were all nonsense.

He said: Since Netanyahus victory in the last elections and even before, hostile elements have used heroic efforts to attempt to bring about his downfall, with false accusations against him and his family.

[The allegation] is absolutely false. There was nothing and there will be nothing.

Mr Netanyahu is not the first Israeli prime minister to be accused of corruption and his allies have pointed out that such accusations have often come to nothing. Other charges have been proven, however: Ehud Olmert, for example, is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence after being convicted of breach of trust and bribery. Mr Olmert held office from 2006 to 2009 before giving way to Mr Netanyahu.
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Four people have been killed and at least 16 injured after a suspected terrorist rammed a truck into a crowd of soldiers in Jerusalem.

The driver accelerated into the group exiting a city bus at the popular Armon HaNatziv promenade in south Jerusalem.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack was probably linked to the Isis terror group.

He said that all signs point to the attacker being an Islamic State supporter.

We know that we have here a series of attacks, and there could be a link between them, from France to Berlin, and now Jerusalem, he added.

The four dead  three women and one man  were in their 20s. It is one of the deadliest attacks in terms of Israeli loss of life in more than a year of bitter fighting with Palestinians.

Unconfirmed reports suggest some victims were trapped under the bus after the incident while police have confirmed the perpetrator was neutralised at the scene.

It is a terrorist attack, a ramming attack, a police spokeswoman told local media, which also reported that bodies were strewn on the street.

Israeli security forces work at the scene of the incident (Reuters)

Nir Barkat, the mayor of the city issued a statement calling on residents to not let terror win.

To our dismay, there is no limit to the cruelty of the terrorists who are willing to use any means possible to murder Jews and to damage the daily life of Israels capital.

He added: Those who incite and fan the flames and those who support terror must pay a heavy price. I call on the residents of Jerusalem and the country at large to be alert and, despite this difficult terror attack, to carry on with your daily routines and do not let terror win.

Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the attacker. A spokesman called the attack a heroic act and encouraged other Palestinians to escalate the resistance.

Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif said the attack proves the wave of Palestinian violence has not ended, despite a recent lull. It may be quiet, it may linger, but it will never end, he said.

The soldiers were reportedly on a trip to the capital as part of the army's cultural Sundays initiative.

A group of soldiers was standing with their bags near the bus. I had just let them off. The truck drove into the group of soldiers, ran over them and kept going. The soldiers shot at the driver. He reversed and ran over them again, Moshe Aharon, the driver of the bus told Army Radio.

The driver of the truck has been identified as a resident of the capitals Jabel Mukaber neighbourhood.

Israels police chief Roni Alsheich told reporters the attacker was from an Arab neighbourhood in east Jerusalem and forces had no advance warning. He refused to elaborate, and a gag order was placed on further details pending an investigation.

Security camera footage shows the vehicle barreling into a crowd of soldiers gathered next to a bus.

After smashing through the crowd at a high speed, the vehicle quickly backs up, apparently to run over more people.

An instructor who was escorting the soldiers told Israeli media that he shot and killed the driver before anyone else was hurt. Other soldiers also opened fire, he said.

It ranks as one of the deadliest in a more than year-long wave of Palestinian shooting, stabbing and vehicular attacks against Israelis that had slowed of late.

The latest incident marks the first Israeli deaths in three months.

Mayor Barkat called on residents to be wary but carry on with their everyday life.

Unfortunately, there is no limit to the cruelty of terrorists who spare no means in killing Jews and disrupting their way of life, he said. Those who incite and support terror must pay a heavy price.
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Despite some recent tragedies, air travel is still one of the safest forms of transportation around. In fact, according to Australian consumer-aviation website AirlineRatings.com, 2016 was the second safest year in the history of commercial aviation, after 2013.

AirlineRatings.com recently released a list of the 20 safest airlines selected from a pool of 425 carriers around the world. To compile its list, the website evaluated each airline based on its standing with international regulators, its fatality record over the past 10 years, its result from an International Air Transport Association (IATA) safety audit, and whether its country of origin conforms with the International Civil Aviation Organisation's eight-point safety parameter. All of the airlines on this list passed those tests with flying colors.

The carriers on the list hail from Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe, with no carriers from Africa and South America making the cut. This top-20 includes only mainline carriers. Low-cost or boutique carriers such as JetBlue, Virgin America, Norwegian, and EasyJet were considered for a separate ranking.

AirlineRatings.com didn't list the final finishing order for places two to 20, but did crown a winner.

Air New Zealand has made a fine recovery after a period of financial turmoil in the early 2000s. This renaissance culminated with AirlineRatings.com recently naming it the best airline in the world for the third year in a row. Air New Zealand has not suffered any significant incidents in the past couple of decades.

It's called Alaska Airlines, but it's actually based in Seattle. The carrier is a mainstay on the West Coast of the US. Alaska recently made a major splash with the $2.6 billion acquisition of Virgin America. The airline has not suffered a fatal crash since 2000.

Founded in 1954, All Nippon Airways is well regarded for its consistent and high-quality service. Last year, Skytrax ranked All Nippon sixth on its best airlines in the world list. ANA has not had a fatal crash in more than 45 years.

British Airways formed in 1974 following the merger of British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways. The airline has not experienced a fatal accident in three decades.

British Airways aircraft at Heathrow Airport, as the airline said that cabin crew will strike on Christmas Day and Boxing Day in a row over pay (Steve Parsons/PA)

AirlineRatings.com recently named Cathay Pacific the best long-haul airline in the Asia-Pacific region. And as outstanding as its service may be, the airline is just as competent in terms of safety. Outside of terrorist attacks, Cathay Pacific has not suffered a fatal accident since the 1960s.

With more than 800 mainline aircraft in its fleet, Delta Air Lines is the second largest carrier in the world. The Atlanta-based airline has not had a fatal accident in more than two decades.*

*However, it should be noted that a regional jet operated by Comair, a Delta-owned subsidiary at the time, crashed in August 2006, killing 49 passengers and crew.

Like its neighbor, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has maintained an unblemished safety record. It's truly remarkable how quickly the decade-old airline has grown in scale and reputation.

Taiwan's Eva Air was recently named the best long-haul airline in Asia by AirlineRatings.com. The airline has not suffered any major accidents since its founding in 1988.

Finnair, Finland's national airline, doesn't get as much attention in the media as some of its Scandinavian counterparts. But don't discount the Helsinki-based carrier. It has one of the best safety records in the business and hasn't suffered any major accidents since the 1960s.

Founded in 1929, Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines has been consistently regarded as one of the best in the US. Hawaiian currently boasts a fleet of more than 50 wide- and narrow-body airliners. Hawaiian has never experienced a fatal accident.

Established in 1951, Japan Airlines has been Japan's national air carrier for more than 60 years. It has not had a fatal crash in more than 30 years.

Founded in 1920, KLM is one of the oldest and most trusted names in the airline industry. Although KLM and Air France merged in 2004, the two airlines operate under separate brands. KLM has not had a fatality in almost 40 years.

Germany's Lufthansa is a European aviation juggernaut. In operation since 1955, the Frankfurt-based carrier was recently named Europe's best long-haul airline by the website. It has not suffered any fatal accidents since 1993.

(Getty)

Formed in 1946, Scandinavian Airlines or SAS, currently serves as the national airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The airline's last fatal crash occurred in 2001.

Singapore Airlines is universally lauded for its high-quality service and efficient operations. Skytrax named Singapore the second-best airline in the world. The Changi Airport-based carrier has been accident-free since 2000.

Swiss International Air Lines was formed in 2002 from the remnants of the bankrupt Swissair. In 2007, the airline became part of Germany's Lufthansa Group. Swiss has suffered no fatalities in its history.

Chicago-based United Airlines took its current shape in 2012 with the merger of United and Continental airlines. United has not suffered a non-terrorism-related fatal crash in more than 20 years.

Crawley, England-based Virgin Atlantic is billionaire Richard Branson's original aviation venture. Since 2012, 49% of the carrier has been under the control of Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. Virgin Atlantic has not suffered any fatal crashes in its history.

(ITV)

Virgin Australia, the Australian off-shoot of Richard Branson's aviation empire, was founded in 1999 as a low-cost carrier called Virgin Blue. In 2011, the company switched to a traditional, full-service business model and was rebranded as Virgin Australia. The airline has no fatal crashes in its history.

Once again, the winner is Australia's Qantas. Qantas is the Volvo of the airline industry  a company whose reputation and mystique is built upon its clean safety record. This is for good reason. The 96-year-old airline has not had a fatal crash since 1951.

 Here are the 3 most common reasons why your flight is delayed

 These are the 22 best countries in the world for women to work in

 The 10 most visited cities around the world in 2016

Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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While others debate whether the term humanitarian crisis rightly applies to trolley-filled hospital corridors, I am asked to make this missing persons appeal.

Have you seen Jeremy Hunt? Caucasian, lean, late 40s but looks younger, also answers to Health Secretary, and generally to be found (when he can be found at all) wearing a complacent grin?

If you do come across someone who answers that description, he may be approached. The threat Hunt poses is limited to his professional status. Personally, he is said to be soft-spoken and polite to the verge of ingratiating.

Obviously ignore this appeal if the minister has now been located. But at the time of writing, he remains missing in action while the NHS winter crisis continues to dominate the headlines.

Speculation is in poor taste while the dragnet searches go on, but why buck the form book by fretting about that? Hunt might have amnesia after banging his head on a red box, and be stumbling through a Surrey forest with no clue who he is. He may have suffered an Alan Partridge-style breakdown, and driven to Dundee, barefoot, while gorging on Toblerone. He could be hiding from the Prime Minister under his Whitehall desk, while she faces demands to do his job by appearing in the Commons to explain the chaos afflicting our hospitals.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

Its all very peculiar, and possibly the strangest disappearance by a public figure since 1974 when John Stonehouse faked suicide by leaving his clothes on a Miami beach. If not, Agatha Christies 11-day vanishing act in Harrogate back in 1926.

Those two eventually turned up, and so no doubt will his generations second leading political survivalist (after only the great Keith Vaz). Hunt should have been sacked as Media Secretary for supporting Rupert Murdochs acquisition of BSkyB. Instead, after taken a Uzi-full of bullets for David Cameron, he was promoted to Health.

When Theresa May took over in July, Hunts wilful mishandling of the junior doctors dispute appeared to have done for him when he ambled forlornly into No 10 bereft of his NHS badge. What he said to persuade her to spare him is another three-pipe mystery. But if it was You can trust me, Theresa, Im a safe pair of hands, she bought a right pup there.

Hunt should go now, not because he is directly responsible for the horrendous conditions in hospitals such as the Worcestershire, where two people have died from apparent want of treatment, and an elderly stroke victim (among others) spent well over a day in a corridor.

The only thing ever directly responsible for failure on this scale is catastrophic underfunding. No doubt a minister  perhaps Hunt, if hes been recovered and passed fit to resume his duties  will soon tell us that more money is not the answer. But, in the short term at least, it is. Of course it is.

Perhaps the cash will come from abroad. If a widely accepted definition of humanitarian crisis begins a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, Aleppos answer to Bill Nighy could front a TV campaign asking remaining inhabitants to donate three Syrian pounds by texting Worcestershire.

 Theresa May avoids directly answering four questions in a row on Brexit

This crisis, humanitarian or otherwise, will pass. No Conservative PM  even one who couldnt lose an election if the Kremlin released hacked email footage of her pleasuring Abu Hamza  would pay the political price of octogenarians routinely dying on trolleys. However little cash will staunch the blood, that exact amount will be spent. Thats how things work here in the developed worlds capital of sticking-plaster politics.

The reason Hunt should be removed goes beyond his absenteeism, though that ought to suffice. He should go because the salvation of the NHS is a long-term challenge, and he shows no serious commitment to finding long-term solutions.

This is no job from someone whose talents, when not Awol, start with sounding ameliorative on the Today programme, and end with projecting affability on the Today programme. Its a job for someone who understands that the survival of the NHS as a trusted institution depends on such essentials as teaching kids, from primary school on, about the supreme importance to health of nutrition; recruiting untold thousands of social care volunteers to enable the infirm elderly to go home and stop blocking the beds; using prohibitive taxation to limit abuse of alcohol and refined sugar products; educating us that a pharmacist is qualified to diagnose and prescribe for minor ailments; and other measures that would liberate GPs and hospital doctors to do the demanding work for which they were trained.

The NHS is sick, but it isnt in immediate danger. Like the battalions of type 2 diabetics it has to treat, it has a chronic condition which needs careful management if bits of it arent (via privatisation) to be amputated. At its helm, it doesnt want a glorified public relations executive like Hunt. It needs someone who appreciates that the government must be the medical professions respectful partner, and not its bullying overlord. It needs Sarah Woolaston, GP, MP, and such an authoritative chair of the Commons select committee on health.

Only a bold, imaginative PM would promote someone without a shred of ministerial experience to such a difficult post. Sadly, the form book suggests this one is too brittle to tolerate as independent a voice as Dr Woolastons. But at a time when the NHS palpably needs an expert and champion at the Cabinet table, how long can May risk leaving it in the hands of a lily-livered deserter?
- By Sydnee Gatewood





Monsanto Co. (MON) posted strong first-quarter results for fiscal 2017 on Thursday, returning to profitability after battling a multiyear decline in the prices of corn, soybeans and other major crops.

The price decline also affected farmers as the lower prices led to dwindling incomes and sparked a series of mergers between global seed and crop chemical businesses, one of which was Monsanto.





Monsanto agreed to merge with rival Bayer AG (BAYRY) in September. The deal was approved by shareholders in December and is expected to close by the end of the year. Monsanto Chairman and CEO Hugh Grant expressed his gratitude to shareholders and others for their support of the merger.

"We expect the combination with Bayer to amplify the rate of innovation faster than either company could achieve alone, which will be critical in helping to increase grower productivity to meet projected demand in the decades ahead," Grant said.

The Missouri-based seed and pesticide provider attributed the higher-than-expected profits to the development of corn planting in South America and currency shifts.

For the quarter, seed revenue climbed by nearly one-third due to a 25% increase in the number of acres planted with corn in Argentina and a 10% increase in Brazil. The strengthening Brazilian real gave Monsanto an additional boost. The company witnessed a 50% increase in soybean gross profit during the quarter as well.

Monsanto reported higher earnings per share for the quarter as compared to last year. The EPS on an as-reported basis was 7 cents, which included 19 cents of pending Bayer transaction-related costs. EPS on an ongoing basis was 21 cents, a significant increase from the previous year's ongoing loss of 11 cents. According to the company, these improvements were driven by the growth in the South American business and currency effects.

Story continues

Net sales for the quarter were $2.7 billion, an increase from $2.2 billion in the same quarter a year ago. Gross profit increased to $1.3 billion compared to $900 million a year ago. Monsanto reported net income of $29 million, an increase from last year's net loss of $253 million.

The company guided full-year as-reported EPS of $3.97 to $4.95 and reiterated its ongoing business EPS forecast of $4.50 to $4.90 for full-year 2017.

Among the gurus invested in Monsanto, PRIMECAP Management (Trades, Portfolio) is the largest shareholder with 2.5% of outstanding shares. This represents 1.14% of its total assets managed. Frank Sands (Trades, Portfolio) holds the second-largest position. In all, 20 gurus hold a position in Monsanto.

Monsanto has a market cap of $46.4 billion; its shares traded around $105.89 Friday with a price-earnings (P/E) ratio of 34.4, a price-book (P/B) ratio of 10.23 and a price-sales (P/S) ratio of 3.5.

Disclosure: I do not own stock in any companies mentioned in the article.

Start a free 7-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






British Prime Minister Theresa May (left) is interviewed by Sophy Ridge on Sky News in London during their Ridge on Sunday programme. Photo: John Stillwell/PA Wire

THERESA MAY has denied her Government is suffering from "muddled thinking" over Brexit.

The British Prime Minister insisted she will be able to secure control over immigration to the UK as well as favourable trading terms with the European Union during Brexit negotiations.

Mrs May used her first broadcast issue of the New Year to reiterate her belief that the trade versus immigration control issue is not "binary".

Mr May said: "Often people talk in terms as if somehow we are leaving the EU but we still want to kind of keep bits of membership of the EU.

"We are leaving. We are coming out. We are not going to be a member of the EU any longer.

"So the question is what is the right relationship for the UK to have with the European Union when we are outside.

"We will be able to have control of our borders, control of our laws.

"This is what people were voting for on June 23. But of course we still want the best possible deal for us, companies to be able to trade, UK companies to be able to trade in and operate within the European Union and also European companies to be able to trade with the UK and operate within the UK."

The potential shape of the UK's Brexit deal has dominated the domestic political landscape since the UK voted to the leave the European Union on June 23 last year.

Critics believe it will be difficult, if not impossible, for the Government to secure access to the single market while also demanding full control of the UK's borders.

But Mrs May said: "It's wrong to look at this as just a binary issue as to either you have control of immigration or you have a good trade deal.

"I don't see it as a binary issue. We will outside the European Union be able to have control of immigration and be able to set our rules for people coming to the UK from member states of the European Union but we also as part of that Brexit deal will be working to get the best possible deal in the trading relationship with the European Union."

Sir Ivan Rogers, the UK's former top EU diplomat, shocked Westminster and Brussels with his resignation from the role on Tuesday.

Mrs May was asked during her interview on the Sophy Ridge On Sunday show on Sky News if Sir Ivan's assessment, set out in an email to staff, that there was "muddled thinking" over Brexit was accurate.

She said: "Not at all and if I can just come back to the last point just to reiterate this last point because I think it's very important.

"Anybody who looks at this question of free movement and trade as a sort of zero sum game is approaching it in the wrong way.

"I'm ambitious for what we can get for the UK in terms of our relationship with the European Union because I also think that's going to be good for the European Union.

"Our thinking on this isn't muddled at all.

"Yes, we have been taking time, I said we wouldn't trigger Article 50 immediately, some said we should, Jeremy Corbyn said we should, but actually there hadn't been any plans made for Brexit so it was important for us to take some time to actually look at the issues, look at the complexity of the issues, and that's why as I say we didn't trigger immediately but we will trigger by the end of March this year."

Mrs May said she was concentrating on "not the means to the end but what the outcome is" as she looks ahead to negotiating the UK's divorce from Brussels.

She said: "What people want is for us to focus on the right outcome for the UK.

"Actually there will be a variety of ways in which we get there but people who simply talk about issues around membership of the single market, access to the single market, are looking at the means.

"I'm looking at the outcome."

The Prime Minister said she was aiming to deliver a "really good, ambitious trade deal" that allows UK companies to "trade in and operate in the European single market".

Mrs May's comments on Brexit negotiations come after reports that Sir Ivan criticised the Prime Minister's approach to Brexit with her predecessor weeks before he quit.

The diplomat, who has resigned from the civil service with immediate effect after leaving the post in Brussels, held talks with David Cameron before Christmas during which he voiced concerns that the Prime Minister risked heading for a "disorderly" exit from the EU.

Sir Ivan has told friends he fears a so-called hard Brexit would lead to "mutually assured destruction" for the UK and EU, The Sunday Times reported.

Sir Ivan is being succeeded by career diplomat Sir Tim Barrow, a former ambassador to Russia who has been described by No 10 as a "seasoned and tough negotiator" who will help the Government make a success of Brexit.

In a fiery message to staff announcing his resignation from the Brussels post, Sir Ivan had hit out at the "ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking" of politicians and said civil servants still did not know the Government's plans for Brexit.
This time of year normally sees the release of Bord Bia's annual report reviewing the performance of Ireland's food and drink exports in the previous year.

In recent times this report has justifiably been greeted with fanfare. 2015 marked the sixth consecutive year of growth with the value of Irish food and drink exports more than 50pc ahead of 2009 levels, albeit much of the growth in 2015 was driven by the weak euro rather than significant increases in the volumes exported.

This year's report is likely to conclude that 2016 was more challenging. First, dairy product prices remained depressed for most of 2016 and second, and more significantly, the Brexit referendum has resulted in a considerable weakening of the sterling against the euro.

In the months following the referendum, the euro/ sterling exchange rate averaged at 0.86, meaning that Irish exports destined for the UK were 20pc more expensive than the previous year.

Significant for Ireland given that 41pc of Irish food and drink exports went to the UK market in 2015. IBEC reported that by Q4 2016, the value of Irish food exports to the UK was down 5.6pc year-on-year.

Developments further afield also contribute to future uncertainty for Irish food and drink exports, in particular the election of Donald Trump to the White House.

Although less than 10pc of Ireland's agri-food exports currently enter the US market, the indirect effect of Trump's policies on international trade may be substantial given that the US is the world's largest exporter of agricultural products.

During his election rhetoric, Trump pledged to dismantle NAFTA - the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement which exists between the US, Canada and Mexico.

The agricultural economies of the three countries are highly integrated with over one-third of the food and agricultural exports from the US going to Canada and Mexico.

A recent Rabobank report concluded that any change to NAFTA would have far-reaching ramifications for global trade dynamics and prices.

Brexit and the other issues around international trade policy in general calls into question the feasibility of the Food Wise target to increase the value of Irish food exports by 85pc to 19bn by 2025.

Indeed some politicians in the opposition benches have called for a review of the Food Wise targets in light of the Brexit referendum. Aidan Cotter, CEO of Bord Bia, remains confident and says the strategy is to grow exports to non-EU countries in the longer term.

This may be challenging. Even if the value of exports to the UK was to grow by 10pc between now and 2025, which is contrary to most of the recently published economic analyses, and if exports to the rest of the EU, an already mature market, were to grow by 20pc, then the non-EU market would need to almost triple in value or achieve an annual average growth rate of 11pc for Ireland to meet the Food Wise 2025 targets.

It is certainly ambitious but the non-EU market, which is dominated by trade of dairy products, has grown by 37pc since 2011, so perhaps it is not an outrageous target.

Chinese imports of dairy products will increase by between 30pc and 40pc in the next 10 years, while dairy imports to other parts of Asia are projected to grow by about 25pc, according to the European Commission's Agricultural Outlook.

Clearly Ireland needs to secure some of this growth and to focus on value added products.

The US will also be keeping a close eye on growth prospects in the Chinese market.

US exports of food and agricultural products to China more than tripled in the 10 years to 2015 and the US is China's most important trading partner.

However, in the lead up to the election, Trump "promised" to slap a 45pc tariff on Chinese imports to the US, a move that would be in breach of WTO agreements.

If Trump's views are not tempered between now and inauguration day, China may well choose to retaliate by imposing similar trade taxes, thus making US ag and food imports less competitive, which in turn may present opportunities for Ireland's food exporters.

Thia Hennessy is Professor and Head of Food Business and Development at University College Cork
Human consumption should always be the prime market for "visually impaired" vegetables, a leading potato grower has said.

Meade Potato Company, located in Lobinstown, Co Meath, are one of the first primary producers at farm level to avail of FoodCloud Hubs distribution service.

Based on their family farm the company have been growing, packing and distributing premium quality potatoes, fruit, vegetables, salads and organics over the past five decades.

Each week, FoodCloud collects boxes of their misshapen carrots or slightly blemished potatoes which are then redistributed to charities catering for large groups of people - including homeless charities and residential centres.

Jeni Meade, spokesperson for the company, said they are very excited about the new link-up.

"We've worked with FoodCloud for a long time on food waste awareness and making people aware of how safe and tasty and nutritious some ugly fruit and veg can be," she said.

"And now since availing of the distribution service we feel we are making a real difference," she said.

Although the company also have a long established relationship with Cross Care Food Bank, who also collect surplus food to donate to charities, Ms Meade says the more they can contribute the better.

"Human consumption would always be the prime market for our surplus vegetables because they have higher value and it's also better for the environment".

"We have to acknowledge and plan for the looming problems that the world is going to face with trying to feed all the people on the planet. As producers we need to think about using our resources as wisely as possible and to us trying to get out food to better markets to feed people is really important," she said.

Despite appearances, Ms Meade insists that some skewed vegetables and fruits can be even more delicious.

"We send off potatoes that might have a growth crack which happens naturally, it never affects their safety or eating value or nutrition or it could be some mechanic damage that happened when we were harvesting,"

"On a particularly dry year we might find a few potatoes have a little bit of scab which occurs naturally, it just means it's a bit dryer but can actually be a better tasting, fluffy potato," she said.

Ms Meade says consumers have set the bar very high for retailers and supermarkets.

"Consumers want perfect looking produce all the time and luckily because farming is so good you can deliver that but you do have some that will ultimately come up short," she said.

Helen Finnegan, Regional Development Co-ordinator at FoodCloud Hubs, said the human food chain should always be the first solution for surplus food.

"We're not trying to get farmers to produce food for free, our objective is that there is always going to be a certain amount of surplus, you're never going to have a situation where there isn't, but when it occurs it should firstly go for human consumption rather than animal waste or landfills," she said.

"We would absolutely encourage other farms and primary producers to consider the option and to get in touch. We have a fleet of vans so we have the capacity to go and collect, we're always trying to look at the most environmentally friendly option, we're very flexible about how we do that but basically if the food is there we get it," she said.
Groundhog Day is one of my favourite movies. In it, a cynical weather forecaster played by Bill Murray lives the same day over.

He first despairs at his situation and pursues various destructive behaviours. Then he begins to use his knowledge of how the day will unfold to help others. So he catches a falling boy and saves a choking man. When he changes his behaviour, people respond differently. The realisation dawns that he could be liked for who he really is. In nurturing this person, he finds peace, this being a romance, ends up with him getting the girl.

New Year is a bit like Groundhog Day. It's a fresh start, brimming with hope and potential. Unfortunately, unless we make a concerted effort to do otherwise, we quickly revert to semi-automatic living. Two elderly women I met over the festive period said (separately) they are glad to be nearing the end of the life rather than setting out.

They are scared for where the world seems to be going, that it's galloping towards a cliff. Syria is among a number of horrific humanitarian crises. Across the world, trust in traditional institutions is collapsing and various forms of radicalism rising. The European project is struggling politically which is very worrying for us economically. Once the EU's golden child, we've had to shoulder the banks bailout on our own.

However, the biggest concern, because it's the one that will ultimately affect all life on the planet, is climate change.

Last year, an Australian farmer Charles Massey wrote an inspirational paper about the potential for agriculture to become the key force in restoring Earth's ecological order.

Agriculture is the world's biggest land-user and the main source of income for most of the world's poor. But it is now pushing the planet on a number of fronts. Massey has made changes to his own thinking and embraced what is sometimes called "regenerative agriculture".

On his 4,500-acre farm on the Monaro tablelands in New South Wales, his shift from conventional agriculture has had "startling" effects, both ecologically and economically. Through trapping more rain, they grow more diverse vegetation. Sheep and cattle are healthier. Grasshopper plagues are no more, yet other biodiversity has exploded. He points out that similar results have been achieved elsewhere, in Africa and the Americas. Healthy landscape function has been restored.

Why are we not hearing more about this? Given the choice, any farmer would obviously prefer to farm economically... and harmoniously. It might not be something that vested business would be putting resources into but what about our government, especially given the challenge in meeting our climate change commitments?

Massey quotes environmental historian Tim Flannery who, in his 2010 book Here on Earth pointed out that most of the great civilizations of the past - including Mesopotamia, China, and around the Mediterranean - fell because they overwhelmed their natural resources. All evidence today points to an even more spectacular collapse.

There is a tendency to view anyone who strays off the conventional line as some kind of a crank. The world needs more vision and courage... And maybe more cranks. Happy New Year.
Another reader received his Gold Circle card in the post  a month before it was effectively worthless, and noted widespread confusion among loyal passengers

With business travellers back on the flying trail, the big pre-Christmas issue - the switchover from Aer Lingus's Gold Circle loyalty scheme to the new AerClub - hasn't gone away.

This column, which featured the story last month, has since been contacted by a number of frequent flyers, and the social media storm on twitter is still in full flow.

Many frequent flyers who've been transferred to the new scheme run in association with Avios are angry that they've been placed on its lowest rung - Green Tier - which doesn't have essentials like fast-track security and airport lounge access. One academic wrote to me to vent his frustration, claiming: "In November 2015 when they announced that they were transitioning to a new club I contacted them to ask what would happen to my [Gold Circle] points (I am an 'applicant member').

"After some initial confusion they told me that all points earned previously would count towards the new club. They told me this on the phone, in a personal email, and again in a generic email sent to all Gold Circle members in the summer of 2016. In other words, they promised that your place in the queue to reach Gold Circle status would remain the same as it was once the new club was introduced."

He said that he "was put back to the start of the queue" with the new scheme, adding: "I saw in your report that many people said that they would prefer to support an Irish airline. I guess that is part of being Irish, but it is also part of our identity to stand up to the big guy when they treat us like worthless ****. For me, if there were direct flights on any of the routes I want to fly with any airline other than Aer Lingus and Ryanair (who despite improvements are still terrible - ie, not enough recline space to use a laptop on a Ryanair flight) I would."

Another reader received his Gold Circle card in the post - a month before it was effectively worthless, and noted widespread confusion among loyal passengers.

"Everybody seems to be misinformed, conversion hasn't gone well and nobody got level they were expecting," he said.

"Those who were on applicant level and not Gold Circle haven't been awarded tier credits or if they have, the conversion again is very poor."

Flyers were even more vocal on twitter. Here's a snapshot: "Years of loyalty with @AerLingus all in vain. This new @AerClub really doesn't reward loyalty at all. I'm disgusted."

Another said: "Flights booked with Ryanair to London have given up with @AerLingus not co-operating with passengers using the #aerclub programme." Another: "Judging by the other people commenting to @aerclub - I'm not the only person finding @AerLingus is making a hames of this launch."

Or: "@AerLingus still haven't sorted my @AerClub membership, & @Ryanair flights are half the price + better times. Guess that's my decision made." Or: "Amazed at the shambles that @AerLingus have made in their attempts to roll out aer club."

Another tweeted that it "takes over a month to have AerClub act updated with flights taken, any other airline takes 24 hours." Aer Lingus, in fairness, quickly responded. "This is just during the migration process," it said.

Aer Lingus responded to this column's queries - one of which was whether Silver Tier members (second lowest) could access lounges.

"Silver Tier status members can access Aer Lingus lounges in airports where we operate a direct service in Ireland or the USA and in London Heathrow," it said.

On points conversion, it said: "Previous Gold Circle members who had tiered status, eg Gold, Prestige or Elite, received two Avios Points for every Gold Circle point. In addition, they received an Avios welcome bonus of 250 Avios points. For Gold Circle members who were Applicant members (eg, not tiered members) and were moving across to Green membership in AerClub, they received an Avios welcome bonus of 250 Avios points." It said those who had flights in the 12 months before migration were awarded Tier Credits based on the level of their flight activity (eg Gold Circle points accrued).

It argued its "loyalty programme has hundreds and thousands of members. For a vast majority the transition from Gold Circle to AerClub has been relatively smooth", but did "appreciate some members have experienced some difficulties migrating to the new AerClub programme. The Aer Lingus call centre teams have been trained to handle customer queries, some of which can be resolved quickly, while others require further investigation."

It said "the purpose of the new AerClub programme is to build a world class rewards system for our loyal customers", and said customers could collect points through retailers and online, and not just through flying mileage.

"We greatly appreciate the loyalty of our customers... the programme is still in transition phase and we believe once it is up and running, our loyal customers will reap great benefits."

n But there is some good news for the national airline - in the shape of this week's airline punctuality league by aviation analysts OAG. It ranked eighth among European airlines for the timeliness of its departures and arrivals (KLM came first).

In the airports category, Birmingham topped the medium-sized category, while Munich came in ninth in the largest-sized category. One word of warning: not all carriers take part, but it's still a handy guide.

n Business class is one thing: flying in a private jet is quite another. Today sees a new leap in luxury, with the first take-off from London to New York of a new, dedicated transatlantic service by private jet.

If you haven't got the cash to buy or lease your own Gulfstream, you can now rideshare between the two cities using a new US start-up, Bliss Jet. It's promising luxury travel without the stress of a large airport by flying between London Stansted and La Guardia.

You'll be sharing your latest-generation Gulfstreams with around nine others, but it comes with a hefty price tag - $11,995 (around 11,300) each way.

But if your time is worth that, check-in is only 30 minutes before departure, and Bliss Jet says even the security staff are a cut above the rest, "comprised of retired FBI and United States Secret Service agents; federal air marshals; current and retired members of local law enforcement and the US armed services".

Dedicated business-only routes are a gamble though: I travelled to New York with Silverjet back in 2008 (a decent-priced 900 each way) - but weeks later it was out of business.

Its London airport, far-off Luton, was seen as off-putting to Heathrow veterans, so it'll be interesting to see how Bliss Jet fares with Stansted, despite its direct rail link to London. Still, there seems to be a market for the high life: the first six flights are booked out, so it'll be January 29 before you can part with your cash.

mevans@independent.ie
The number of people working in foreign-owned, export-focused companies now stands just shy of 200,000, according to IDA Ireland figures published last week. This extraordinary figure - equivalent to around one in eight private sector jobs - shows how globalised the Irish economy is. That the number employed in such companies has grown by well over one third since 2009, multiples of the overall rate of employment growth in the economy, shows that Ireland is becoming ever more globalised.

No set of figures better reflects the changes in the Irish economy over recent decades than the IDA's data on employment in the firms it assists. The accompanying chart shows the annual percentage change in employment levels in those firms all the way back to 1980.

As it happens, multinationals in Ireland in the first half of the 1980s were actually shedding jobs, reflecting the poor economic management of the period which, among other things, severely eroded Irish competitiveness. By the low-point in 1985, just 65,000 people were employed in IDA-backed companies.

As the 1980s progressed, the post World War I era of globalisation intensified. Happily, Irish policy-making improved towards the end of the decade, allowing the economy to take advantage of the surge in flows of FDI globally. The deepening of European market integration in the early 1990s was a particularly important factor in boosting US investment into Ireland and Europe more widely.

From 1994 until 2000, the net number of jobs in IDA-assisted companies grew at an annual pace of almost 10pc. As capacity in the multinational sector increased, export growth exploded. This was the true Celtic Tiger period.

The collapse of the dot com bubble early in the new century led to a sharp reduction in corporate investment of all kinds across the developed world. That was reflected in three consecutive years of employment contraction in Ireland's foreign-owned sector. Even when investment did recover, the loss of competitiveness at the time led to a weak FDI recovery in the years up to 2008.

Then came the Great Recession. Business investment in developed economies collapsed. Again, this was very quickly reflected in the multinational sector in Ireland. IDA-backed firms shed almost 20,000 jobs in just three years, the largest decline on record.

But recovery in the sector began as early as 2010. Despite worldwide negative headlines linked to the EU-IMF bailout at the end of that year, whatever negative reputational effect resulted it clearly had little effect on foreign companies investing in their Irish subsidiaries. A greater (positive) effect was the fall in a wide range of prices which made Ireland a more competitive location from which to service the European market.

Over the past 24 months, the sector has gone from strength to strength.

Last year and 2015 recorded the second strongest and strongest, respectively, rates of employment growth in the foreign sector since the year 2000. If there was anything negative in last week's headline employment figures from the IDA it was the slight deceleration in growth in 2016 compared to 2015.

But not only were the headline employment growth figures impressive, a deeper look by sector and region showed almost nothing but positive trends. Of the eight regions of the country every one recorded an increase in jobs in companies backed by the IDA.

Across the main sectors in which foreign companies have operations in Ireland the picture was almost as rosy. The biggest single employer, the medical devices sector, grew its collective payroll by more than 7pc, bringing the numbers at work to almost 29,000.

The pharmaceutical sector is only a little smaller in terms of employment, and it grew jobs at an almost identical rate.

The third largest FDI sector by employment is financial services. Foreign companies in that sector increased their combined employment by more than 5pc last year, bringing the total to almost 25,000.

The one negative aspect was the continued decline in the computers, electronics and optical equipment sector. It has been shrinking since the turn of the century as manufacturing functions have shifted to low-wage economies.

That said, it's still employs more than 20,000 people and the decline in the numbers on the sector's payroll last year was small, at just over 1pc.

If the IDA's report showed a multinational sector in rude health, the World Bank's just-published 'Ease of Doing Business 2017' report* went part of the way to explaining why. The study does what it says on the cover - measures how easy it is to do business - in 190 economies around the world. Ireland is in 18th place.

But that is where the good news ends. Ireland's ranking has fallen from 15th place last year. Moreover, there has been little progress in dealing with the more problematic aspects of the Irish business environment.

The World Bank looks at 10 different factors ranging from the barriers to starting a business to the costs of winding one up. Ireland scores well in some sub-indices, but falls down in too many. Its lowest ranking is in contract enforcement, where the country is ranked 90th in the world owing to the high costs and length of time it takes to go to court. Not only is this dire, particularly for a country that depends so much on foreign investment, but the report shows that there has been no progress in improving contract enforcement over the past four years.

With changes to the US tax code coming down the line and a new American president who is hostile to the globalising companies which create so many jobs in Ireland, inward FDI to Ireland from the most important source country is threatened like never before. The Trump factor is one which no Irish government can have much influence over.

All the more reason, then, to get on with fixing the problems in the domestic business environment which can be influenced.
There was a 46pc surge in investments made through the Employment Investment Incentive Scheme (EIIS) last year, with a record 108m put into Irish firms, compared with 74.1m in 2015.

New figures from the Revenue Commissioners indicate that companies are succeeding in raising larger sums through the scheme, which replaced the Business Expansion Scheme (BES).

Last year, 261 companies benefited from EIIS, compared with 279 in 2015 and there were 1,768 individual investors as well as three EIIS funds which invest across a range of businesses on behalf of investors.

For example, Goodbody Stockbrokers raised 10m from private clients for a new SME-focused fund to invest in businesses under EIIS.

Among the individual companies which secured funds last year was the Great Northern Distillery in Dundalk, Co Louth, backed by John Teeling, which secured an additional 5m.

The scheme provides relief from income tax to individuals who invest long-term risk capital in unquoted Irish companies.

Participation in the fund has improved significantly on the back of a number of changes to the schemes to make it more attractive to investors.

In 2013, the first full year of operation of the scheme, 42.4m was invested in 190 companies. One of the reasons why investment was lower was because high net worth individuals were believed to be more risk averse after the crash. Shares must be invested for a minimum of four years and a limit of 150,000 applies per person.
A deal by businessman Fergal Naughton to invest in Kenmare's five star Park Hotel is a mixture of debt and equity, and worth "substantially more" than 1m, according to the hotel's managing director John Brennan.

Brennan - one of the other owners of the hotel alongside his brother, well-known TV personality Francis Brennan - would not reveal the precise amount Naughton is investing, but documents filed in the Companies Registration Office (CRO) show the Glen Dimplex boss has invested 1m in exchange for shares.

Separate documents at the CRO show Naughton has also taken a charge over the assets of Beechside Company Ltd - an entity behind the hotel.

Naughton - the chief executive of Glen Dimplex - said he had been a customer, guest and admirer of the hotel "for many years".

John Brennan said the hotel in Kenmare, Co Kerry was free of bank debt after the deal. Accounts filed recently show that at the end of 2015 Beechside Company owed some 7.4m - 2.3m due within one year and 5.1m due in more than one year.

It made a profit of 211,155 in the year, and Brennan said that 2016 had been a better year of trade for the hotel.

He told the Sunday Independent that the deal was "a substantial investment that has given us the ability to look to the future with confidence and to ensure that the property will trade at the upper end of the five star market for the future...it does mean that we have an ability to reinvest in the Park Hotel to a level that we wouldn't be able to do without this.

"The international hotel industry has seen savage investment in the upper end of products, and Ireland has seen that as well. It is very, very difficult to put a property into that bracket without outside investment. Coming from five years of abysmal business in the country, in every property on the West Coast, it is nigh-on impossible from existing resources to fund the investment that is required to compete.

"As an owner, you have two choices, you can sell, or you can bring an investor. And thankfully, Fergal was there."

Francis Brennan said in a statement that he was "very pleased" to bring the Glen Dimplex boss on board, adding that he had "spent [his] whole professional life in the Park Hotel Kenmare and nothing is closer to [his] heart.

"It is very personal to me and it is not everyone I would share it with," he said.

Following the deal, which emerged yesterday, the shareholders in the company are the Brennan brothers and Naughton, with the Brennans retaining control.

John Brennan said some of the money would be used to refurbish parts of the interior.

"We're not talking about building 100 bedrooms, we're talking about reinvesting in the existing product and bringing it to a level that can compete on the international stage," he said.

"We're talking about providing the south west of Ireland with a property that is equal in facilities and quality to the investment that has been made in other properties in the country in recent years."
A record 76 Irish thoroughbreds were airlifted from Shannon Airport to China last week. All were purchased for Chinese businessman Zhang Yuesheng by Kildare-based bloodstock agency BBA Ireland at sales in Goffs last autumn from Irish breeders.

The airlift, with a cargo worth over 2m, was twice as big as the previous largest consignment of horses flying from Ireland to China.

Expand Close The horses were airlifted from Shannon Airport, and will be trained to race in Asia Photo: Arthur Ellis / Facebook

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It is hoped that transaction will lead to further purchases by Chinese horse racing and breeding interests.

Historically, over 90pc of thoroughbred horses in China are imported from Australia and New Zealand, but this airlift confirms the growing Chinese interest in more expensive, higher-quality Irish horses.

Zhang Yuesheng was introduced to the Irish market by the efforts of BBA Ireland and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM), the semi-state which promotes Ireland as the leading source for the production and sale of quality thoroughbreds internationally.

"This is really good business for the Irish equine industry, not least for small breeders from whom most of these horses were purchased," Declan Murray, managing director at BBA Ireland, said.

"Many of these horses might not have met the high standards of the Irish and European market but they are still of a higher standard than the average horse currently racing in China.

"So Irish breeders get a good price for horses they might not otherwise have got, the industry here further develops the emerging Chinese market, and China gets a higher quality race horse. Everyone wins with this."

The airlift travelled with a team of professional flying grooms and a vet, with a team of 30 handlers on the ground involved in the three-hour process of loading the animals at Shannon. The horses will go into training in China before becoming top local racers.

They were purchased at two separate autumn sales in Goffs. Most of the horses were sourced at its Sportsman Sale, a notch down from its premier level sale.

The majority are yearlings and only a small number of them have already raced.
Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik, surrounded by prison guards, attends his fourth and last day in court in Skien prison, March 18, 2016 (AFP Photo/Lise Aserud)

Oslo (AFP) - A Norwegian court will on Tuesday examine the state's appeal against a ruling that right-wing extremist and mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik has been treated inhumanely since being jailed for killing 77 people nearly six years ago.

A lower court made waves in April when it found that Breivik's human rights were violated as he was subjected to "inhumane" and "degrading" treatment in prison -- a decision that disturbed many families of the victims, mostly teenagers at a summer island camp.

"We hope that the state wins this new round, that justice digs deeper into the case," said the head of a family support group, Lisbeth Kristine Royneland, whose 18-year-old daughter was shot dead by Breivik in the killing spree on Utoya island.

Breivik is imprisoned in a 30 square-metre (320 square-foot) three-cell complex where he's allowed to play video games and watch television on two sets. The 37-year-old also has a computer without internet access, gym machines, books and newspapers.

But beyond these comfortable material conditions, a district court judge had ruled that security measures took excessive precedence over human rights.

She pointed to the fact that Breivik had been kept isolated from other inmates "in a prison inside a prison", without enough social activities.

The ruling also questioned the many potentially "humiliating" strip searches, the systematic use of handcuffs and other frequent awakenings at night, especially in the early days of his imprisonment.

On July 22, 2011, Breivik carried out two attacks, first killing eight people by detonating a bomb at the foot of a government building in Oslo.

Then, disguised as a policeman, he killed 69 others by opening fire at a Labour Party youth camp on the Utoya island with the teenagers trapped by the freezing waters of the surrounding lake.

The attacks were the worst committed on Norwegian soil since World War II.

Story continues

Breivik, a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi who said he killed his victims because they valued multiculturalism, was sentenced in August 2012 to 21 years in prison, a term that can be extended if he is still considered a threat.

- 'Mental vulnerability' -

Some survivors hailed humanity's victory over an inhumane killer in the April ruling against the Norwegian state, but it pained many relatives of the victims and was criticised in the media.

During the lower court's hearing, Breivik repeatedly provoked onlookers by making a Nazi salute and complaining about cold coffee and frozen meals.

The Norwegian press described the ruling as "wrong" and "difficult to digest".

Unsurprisingly, the state appealed.

Attorney General Fredrik Sejersted has insisted that "there is no evidence that Breivik is physically or mentally affected by his prison conditions."

The state maintains that Breivik is not isolated, arguing that he has regular contact with guards and other professionals.

They say his separation from other prisoners is for his own security and that of others.

Breivik's lawyer Oystein Storrvik counters that "the state has not put in place concrete measures to remedy Breivik's mental vulnerability and damage due to prolonged isolation."

Some changes however have been made to his prison conditions in recent months, including replacing a glass wall with a grid during his lawyer's visits and increased contact with guards.

But Storrvik considers these measures to be insufficient and has called for his client to be able to interact with other detainees.

The Oslo Court of Appeals will hear the civil case at Skien prison where Breivik is being held for security reasons. The court will also have to rule on an appeal by Breivik, regarding his inability to freely communicate with the outside world.

On that point, the judge in April ruled in favour of the state, which closely monitors and filters the prisoner's correspondence to prevent him from forming a network capable of carrying out new attacks.

Breivik claims this violates his right to privacy.

The trial is expected to last six days and the date of the appeals court's decision is not yet known.
A vulture fund that is suing dozens of Irish borrowers was among a group of financiers and hedge funds that met the Department of Finance ahead of plans to close a tax loophole.

Finance officials met three executives from CarVal, the American vulture fund that bought 2bn in Irish loans, before the Finance Bill was published to discuss closing the loophole that allowed foreign investors in Irish property to pay little or no tax.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan announced in his Budget speech last year that he was clamping down on foreign investment funds that used special-purpose vehicles, or Section 110 companies, that generate little or no taxable income, to buy cheap property loans in Ireland.

Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed he allowed international and Irish investors to have their say on the planned tax changes before his Finance Bill was published.

The minister came under pressure to close the loophole after it emerged several vulture funds were paying little or no tax on the profits they made from buying loans.

However, his announcement caused disquiet among investors, who feared it would impact on bona fide investors and hurt Ireland's reputation.

The Irish Debt Securities Association offered to meet officials the day before the Finance Bill was published to give feedback on the legislation and to make any "simple and uncontroversial tweaks" that might help avoid practical problems. The offer was declined by the department.

The Irish Funds Industry Association, the representative body for the funds industry here, offered to "assist the department in drafting legislation" to deal with its concern that "some funds may be being used to avoid tax".

The association also raised concerns in an email to Noonan about making the legislation retrospective. Its chief executive Pat Lardner said "as the decision had already been taken to tax investments by funds in Irish real estate", he wanted to "ensure" the final rules were brought in "without causing further problems for the Irish funds industry" and for "Ireland's appeal as a place to do business".

The primary concern was to protect investment in Irish-regulated cross-border funds from being taxed.

Other investors who offered input included the boss of Australian investment firm AMP Capital, an investment fund that bid to buy the Mater Private last year, PwC, Bank of Ireland and AIB.

The Department of Finance said stakeholder engagement ensured the "complex" legislation targeted the issues raised in relation to the use of Section 110 regime while not damaging the use of the regime for the wider industry. As a result, a number of technical changes were suggested.
Uncertainty surrounding Brexit and a Trump presidency have done little to dampen expectations of wage growth in Ireland for 2017.

According to detailed research across companies and staff in areas such as technology, accounting, law and sales and marketing, more than three quarters (77pc) of employees have entered into the New Year with hopes of a pay rise.

Expand Close Youll need to earn over 100,000 a year to live in South Dublin, survey finds (Bloomberg) / Facebook

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Surprisingly, an even higher proportion of companies are planning to grant those pay hikes, despite a myriad of concerns identified among employers.

According to the Abrivia annual salary survey, in association with Trinity College Dublin, 75pc of firms increased salaries by up to 5pc in 2016 and 80pc expect to increase salaries again in 2017 by a similar amount. They are optimistic about hiring too, with 84pc of firms expecting to take on more staff.

However, this optimism is peppered with notes of caution.

For example, the sales and marketing sector is noted to be one of those most fearful of the implications of Brexit.

The sales sector will continue to expand numbers and increase salaries, the research across 2,250 employees and 502 employers found. Most pay increases for sales staff are expected to come in at under 5pc.

"Sales is one of the sectors most fearful of the impact of Brexit. Clearly sales see damage to their profitability from the UK leaving the EU," the report said.

Similarly, the marketing sector will continue to expand numbers and increase salaries. Salary increases are expected to be more aggressive, with 42pc expecting to increase pay by 3 to 5pc and an 42pc by more than 5pc. This is despite the fact that, along with the sales sector, marketing companies fear the most from Brexit in terms of profitability and pay. This may be largely due to the fact that the sector is domestically focused.

One of the stronger sectors for 2017 is anticipated to be accountancy, which is being driven by demand from multinationals and plcs.

Areas such as consumer goods, pharmaceutical, technology, healthcare and shared service centres have seen increased demand for accounting professionals.

"This has largely been due to continued investment in Ireland by many of these companies as a European hub for their expansion," the study by recruiter Abrivia said.

"We also saw that hiring activity increased within the SME and mid-sized indigenous business sector," it said.

"Candidates are benefiting from competitive remuneration packages and have a range of desirable opportunities to choose from."

Last year, there was a 29pc increase for qualified accounting positions from the previous year. There was also growth in senior roles in the industry and commerce markets.

"These include CFO, head of finance, finance director and financial controller opportunities with salaries ranging from 80,000 to 160,000," it said.

While Brexit is a significant concern for employers generally, there are many local issues at play, with 30pc seeing housing or the rental market as an impediment to hiring.

For example, the report estimates that employees wishing to live "responsibly" in South County Dublin would require a post-tax salary of 62,500, that would require a gross salary of over 100,000.

While housing is a concern, the primary consideration for employers is taxation. Just over half of firms surveyed find the marginal tax rate an impediment to the recruitment of international staff, although this varies from sector to sector.

Accountancy, sales and "other" sectors such as construction and manufacturing see the tax rate as a problem at 88pc, 59pc and 53pc respectively.

"It is not surprising that accountancy sees it as the largest impediment given their specialist knowledge and ability to understand the intricacies of regulatory arbitrage," the report said.

It said staff retention may become more important in uncertain times and looked at the reasons human resources (HR) managers believed staff left a company compared to employee reasons.

Both HR managers and employees rank the lacking of career advancement opportunities as the most important reason to leave the organisation.

The second main reason for employees to leave is unhappiness with organisational culture, which is followed by dissatisfaction with management and low pay. However, HR managers ranked pay as the second reason people left.

The report also flagged concerns about the level of private pension provisioning by workers. While 56pc of respondents have a private pension across all sectors, many sectors have very low levels.

People in marketing and the legal profession have particularly low levels of private pension uptake.

In response to the follow-up question to those without a private pension, 60pc across all sectors said that they were not contemplating purchasing a private pension within the next 12 months.

This study also looked at the place of younger workers or millennials in the workforce.

Almost two-thirds of employers said they find millennials difficult to manage, with companies in law, marketing and ICT experiencing the greatest difficulty in managing this group.

The report said that may reflect that this highly educated group is facing into a generally more hostile labour and housing market than their predecessors.

"Real wages fell for this grouping because of the recession and youth unemployment rates were very high," it said. In Ireland, the youth unemployment rate is still around 20pc.

Millennials (born between 1979 and 1994) also perceive their workload to be higher. For example, when asked if they feel if there is too much work to do everything well, 14pc of millennials strongly agree with this compared to 6pc among Generation X (born between 1965 and 1978) and 2pc in Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964).
Irish Christmas television viewing slumped to its lowest level in five years over the recent festive period, as the medium continues to battle against digital alternatives such as Netflix and YouTube.

Ad agencies said that over Christmas, viewers watched 4pc less television. On Christmas Day, people watched an average of 302 minutes of TV, compared with 327 in 2011.

However, according to one of the country's largest media buying agencies, Core Media, the top programme - the new Mrs. Brown's Boys Christmas special - was more watched than last year's top show, also a special edition of the hit comedy. This year, it was watched by 644,000 adults in Ireland, up from 635,000.

The soaps, which are among the most popular and lucrative shows, were down year-on-year. Fair City had 433,000 viewers for Christmas 2015 and 418,000 in 2016.

Although falling viewership is a commercial concern for broadcasters, Nick Fletcher, Core Media broadcast director, said: "The average viewer watches over five hours of TV on the day itself," he said. "This is why it is important for the likes of RTE and TV3 to invest in quality homemade programming to satisfy the demand of the Irish viewer."
'Property insiders have also issued a new warning, that home ownership is likely to become the preserve of those lucky enough to have parents who can afford to offer some form of financial help to the younger generation' (stock photo)

The 'Bank of Mum and Dad' is now the vital lifeline for many first-time buyers - with some well-heeled parents gifting up to 150,000 to help their offspring get a foot on the property ladder.

However, the typical "dig-out figure" is between 20,000 and 30,000, according to experts.

Property insiders have also issued a new warning, that home ownership is likely to become the preserve of those lucky enough to have parents who can afford to offer some form of financial help to the younger generation.

One of the main problems is that in many urban areas - particularly Dublin and the main cities - most salaries are out of kilter with average housing costs which are on the rise again. Under the new Central Bank rules, first-time buyers now only need a deposit worth 10pc of a property, regardless of its price. The 20pc deposit rule continues to apply to second-time and subsequent buyers - and the 3.5 times ceiling on loan to income ratio also remains.

However, Eoin McGee, principal of Prosperous Financial Planning, says despite this easing of the guidelines, parental support remains a key factor for many when it comes to landing a mortgage.

"It wouldn't be unusual to see people getting gifts of up to 50,000. But what people don't realise is the tax implications involved," he warned. He said the revenue authorities have been very clear. Gifts of this nature between parents and offspring must be taken into account when estimating the total tax-free sum children are allowed to receive in their lifetime.

"But for a lot of people -unless their parents can give them some financial help - it's going to be very difficult to buy a property above a certain price. It takes nine years now for a typical couple to save a deposit for an average house in Dublin. If you're not saving for a home by the time you're about 21, you are unlikely to be able to buy in your 20s," McGee told the Sunday Independent.

He highlighted a recent report published by the Institute of Fiscal Studies in the UK, which concluded the "rich are getting richer", due to generational trends in the property market.

He believes a similar situation is developing in Ireland, with the ability to purchase a home overly dependent on parental wealth. A potential borrower must be either "extremely disciplined" with their savings from an early age or in receipt of parental financial assistance - otherwise they face being locked out of the mortgage market.

Meanwhile, Michael Dowling, a financial adviser and chair of the mortgage committee at the Irish Brokers' Association, said at least one third of all prospective first- time buyers are in receipt of a financial "gift".

"A number of bodies carried out a recent survey last August, that showed that over 40pc of buyers expect some support from a family member. I have seen gifts of 5,000, and at the higher end I've seen cases of between 100,000 to 150,000. The average is probably between 20,000 and 30,000," he said.

Separately, new rules cracking down on parents gifting property to their children without paying inheritance tax recently came into force.

Under the prior exemption, a child could be gifted ownership of a property without having to pay inheritance tax as long as they lived in the property for three years before the gift or inheritance was made and for a further six years afterwards. That expanded so that a non relation could also avail of the exemption.

Now, however, strict new rules mean that the exemption will only apply to relatives inheriting homes - and only if they are permanently unable to provide for themselves by virtue of a physical or mental infirmity - or over the age of 65.
One of my fondest memories as a child was spending my summer holidays visiting my uncles' farm near Ballybofey, in Co Donegal. Our Saturday evening treat was fish and chips in the local Navenny Grill washed down by a bottle of Mulrines orange. So it was with great delight I returned to Ballybofey recently to meet the Chairman of Mulrines, Peter Mulrine. The third generation of Mulrines to run the family business.

Soon to celebrate 100 years in business, the company now supplies over 50pc of all fruit juice sold in Ireland, employs 170 staff and has an annual turnover of more than 65m. Theirs is an incredible story of resilience and of continuous and never-ending improvement. I have come to learn from Peter the secrets to what has enabled the company to remain at the forefront of Ireland's food and drinks industry over such a sustained period.

"I think it is not only the quality of what we produce but especially the quality of the relationships we have built up with our customers over many years," Mulrine said. "Because we have to compete against some much larger international producers, we have had to develop greater efficiencies and operational excellence in everything we do."

While much of what Mulrines produces is sold under other companies' or retailers' brands, its own brands such as Jaffa Gold, Kulana, Bramble Hill, Juice Press, and Soya Press are also big sellers. It's not just apple and orange juices they produce, but pineapple, grapefruit, cranberry, tropical, tomato, mango, prune and multivitamin juices, as well as smoothies. It even makes tomato and brown sauces which are sold under its own Kandee brand.

"We're principally a business-to-business company in that we sell to retail multiples, the discounters and food service sectors such as hotels and restaurants," Mulrine said. "Some 40pc of our sales are in the Republic of Ireland, while 55pc are in Northern Ireland and the UK, with the remaining 5pc coming from continental Europe," he said.

As he takes me on a tour of the company's 170,000sq ft state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, a truck arrives to unload fresh apples from the company's own orchard in Kildare. The firm began growing its own fruit in 2013 and now has almost 300 acres of orchards.

"We are the only scale producer in either Ireland or the UK that is fully vertically integrated, in that we grow our own fruit, process it ourselves and then sell the finished juice. It's part of our strategy to become increasingly self-sufficient as well as controlling the quality and supply of our products from orchard to glass," he said.

Having been unloaded, washed and sorted, the apples are then moved to a large press where they are crushed into a mash-like substance. A large five-tonne hydraulic ram is then used to squeeze the juice from this mash. Next it goes through the process of pasteurisation before being moved for storage in large aseptic or sterilised stainless steel tanks. As we make our way through the storage area, we are dwarfed by 70 tanks, each 10 metres high, that tower over us like giant redwood trees in a forest. Capable of storing as much as 80,000 litres of juice each or 6million litres in total, this gives me an understanding of the sheer size and scale of this operation. I am also impressed to learn that the pomace or solid matter consisting of the skins, pulp, seeds and stems is removed and sold off to farmers as a nutritional feed for cattle and pigs, ensuring that nothing is wasted.

On to the filling lines next where investment in latest filling and packing technology means that up to 8,500 cartons, bottles or foil pouches can be filled per hour. There's even a pair of robots positioned like guards at the end of the packaging line whose sole job is to lift the wrapped cartons and place them on to pallets ready for retail display, something they do with absolute precision. Looking around it's easy to tell that this business has come a long way from when it was first set up by Peter Mulrine's grandfather in 1919.

"My grandfather was originally a publican who started out bottling beer with just four staff. He later moved on to bottling soft drinks before my father took over in 1955. Then he too continued to develop and expand the business," Mulrine said.

He joined the company in 1981, having completed a degree in Law in UCD. By the late 1980s he had taken over running the company.

"We got interested in the fruit juice business in 1982 when we discovered just how far behind Ireland was in the per capita consumption of fruit juice," he said. "Germany was at 17 litres per year, the UK at 11, while we were down as low as two litres per person, per year. It seemed to make sense that it was only going to go one way. So we made the decision to invest in a new Tetra Pak line and slowly began to build this side of the business."

It's been an interesting journey for him over the last 30 years, and given the company's location in the north-west of the country, one that has not been without challenges.

"We certainly had to work hard to move the company from a local player up to national and international level," he said. "This involved going out and finding new customers, acquiring their confidence and then working really hard to ensure we had the operational capability and capacity to deliver on our commitments. One clear advantage though of being based in a rural area is employee turnover is low. This helped us build expertise and maintain product quality and standards - something especially important in the food sector.

"Having to deal with the confusion among consumers about the difference between carbonated soft drinks and fruit juice has also posed a challenge for the industry, with some consumers rejecting both on the basis that they are bad for your health. The difference is that juice is essentially a squeezed fruit and when freshly pressed is actually good for you. If we can get the message through to consumers that a 150ml glass of juice can form one of your five a day, then we can encourage people to consume more fruit juice, which is good for them and will help the industry generally," he said, handing me a glass of the finished product to taste for myself.

I can certainly see why it has become such a huge seller. Before I leave, he introduces me to the company's new MD, Malachy Magee. He joined in 2004 and replaced Mulrine in that role when he moved to the role of Chairman two years ago.

"Malachy is the first non-family member to become Managing Director and his appointment is part of our progression from a traditional entrepreneurial-type business to a more structured corporate one," Mulrine said.

For further information: www.mulrines.ie
Financial software start-up Corlytics has raised almost 3m from investors, including Fintrax founder Gerry Barry and ex-Trintech boss Cyril McGuire.

The company's software is designed to help financial institutions manage regulatory requirements.

McGuire's Infinity Capital has ploughed in 750,000 as part of the fundraising.

Kernel Capital has invested 1.65m of funds it manages, and Barry is among other investors who have contributed the balance which comes close to 340,000.

Corlytics is aiming to benefit from a growing cost of regulation faced by financial institutions on foot of the financial crisis.

It uses data analytics to help companies evaluate and manage the risk of breaching regulatory rules.

Chief executive John Byrne was unavailable for comment for this story.

The company has also received backing from Blue Insurance co-founder Rowan Devereux, and Enterprise Ireland.

According to its website, Corlytics' clients include financial institutions, regional and global regulators, and legal and financial advisor to financial institutions.

It has tools that aim to evaluate the risk associated with "any current local or global regulatory incident (or potential incident) for any regulated firm and its senior management".

It also aims to "assess and estimate future regulatory risk and consequences".

"My main interest is software and I'm a big fan of disruptive companies with recurring revenues. I'm looking for businesses with big opportunities. I'm not crazy about hardware investments," Cyril McGuire inset, said in 2015.

McGuire received a reported 21m from the sale of payments business Trintech to a US private equity firm for 93m in 2010. He has also put money into Homestay.com, an Airbnb rival set up by Hostelworld co-founder Tom Kennedy.

Galway businessman Barry was behind currency conversion business Fintrax sold to private equity firm Exponent for 170m in 2012 in what was thought to be the biggest ever deal for a Gaeltacht-based company. Barry left the company thereafter.

Last November, French investment firm Eurazeo announced it was buying 90pc of Fintrax for up to 585m on an enterprise value basis (including the purchased company's debt as well as the cost of its shares).

It had also made an approach for Kerry-based currency converter Monex, run by entrepreneur Frank Murphy, which was rebuffed.
The watchdog also wants the power to administer fines without having to go through courts. (stock photo)

Ireland's telecoms watchdog wants to increase operator fines from 500,000 to 5m to punish big operators who "deliberately" break the rules.

In a policy document published online, ComReg said the current system of fines isn't working.

"Serious breaches are sometimes deliberate and often affect large numbers of customers and end-users," it said in its Electronics Communications Services Strategy Statement 2017-2019.

It added: "Service providers often profit significantly, and unjustly, from breaking the law." To fix this, ComReg wants maximum fines to be increased tenfold.

"Potential fines must be sufficiently high to act as a strong deterrent," said the ComReg document. "We will continue to advocate for an increase in the maximum fine that may be imposed for criminal offences, following conviction on indictment. This was reduced in 2011 to a maximum fine of only 500,000, which is too low to have a significant deterrent effect in the context of the scale of many of the operators in the telecommunications sector. We consider that the previous provision for fines of up to 10pc of turnover or 5m, whichever is the higher, would be more appropriate."

The watchdog also wants the power to administer fines without having to go through courts. "In contrast to court- imposed financial sanctions, administrative fines can be applied immediately and thus act as a greater deterrent against breaking the law," said the watchdog. Last year, ComReg issued 14 enforcement notices to a variety of telecoms companies.
Boeing fell 80 planes short of its goal for new orders in 2016, but probably clinched the title of world's biggest planemaker for another year.

Boeing on Friday said it delivered 748 jetliners last year and booked net orders for 668 aircraft worth about $94bn at list prices. Boeing had predicted orders would roughly match deliveries, which it forecast at between 745 and 750 planes.

Boeing's delivery total means the Chicago-based aerospace and defence company is likely to have beaten European rival Airbus on output. Airbus had forecast at least 670 deliveries in 2016, and is due to reports totals on Wednesday. Investors watch orders closely to gauge future aircraft production levels and revenue, since airlines make most of the payment when aircraft are delivered.

The final days of 2016 marked a busy time for Boeing's new sales chief Ihssane Mounir. The sales force booked 198 net new orders since December 20, including 189 orders from unidentified customers. The tally did not include any of its pending orders for Iran, the company said.

The total included 194 orders worth about $21bn at list prices for Boeing's new narrowbody 737 MAX, which is scheduled to enter service next year. It also included an order for four 787 Dreamliners from Uzbekistan Airways

Boeing had already disclosed a large part of the tally earlier in the week, when it said it booked 80 orders for its 737 MAX.

The new tally lifts Boeing's total backlog to 5,715 commercial jets, equivalent to about seven years of production. The majority are single-aisle 737 planes. Sales of its more expensive widebodies such as the 777 and 787 remain sluggish.

Reuters
Morgan Stanley, Wall Street's biggest stock-trading firm by revenue, is cutting its global bonus pool for the equities division by as much as 4pc and dismissing some employees after the industry's results flagged last year, according to people with knowledge of the plans.

The firm, which is set to pay annual bonuses next month, has been fine-tuning calculations for pay packages since November, according to the people, who asked not to be identified describing the deliberations.

Traders and salespeople across the investment bank were terminated this week as part of an annual performance review, the people said.

Wall Street firms that have been cost-cutting to improve profits in the wake of the financial crisis are set to focus on equities personnel after new issuance decreased in 2016. Stock traders and salespeople around the world may see compensation for the year fall 9pc, the first drop since 2012, according to a November report from recruiting firm Options Group.

Meanwhile, fixed-income personnel should see the first increase since 2012 after political events set off a frenzy of transactions, according to the report.

Morgan Stanley's equities revenue dropped 3.5pc to $6.08bn (5.77bn) in the first nine months of 2016. Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America all suffered declines of 12pc to 14pc in that business, while the biggest European investment banks all reported decreases of more than 20pc on a dollar basis. JPMorgan Chase posted the smallest drop, about 1pc.

Bank of America set aside about 5pc less for equities traders' bonuses, as fees have dwindled along with a decline in stock issuances, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The decline also reflects the impact of fewer employees in the business, they said.

"Morgan Stanley and other US banks can afford to cut bonuses, since they face reduced competition thanks to European banks being lame ducks due to European regulations on bonuses," Jason Kennedy, ceo of recruitment firm Kennedy Group in London, said.

Morgan Stanley cut compensation costs at its investment banking and trading unit by 11pc in the first nine months of 2016, as revenue dropped 12pc. The firm is set to announce its full-year pay expenses later this month.

Bloomberg
Addressing Arizonas teacher shortage, reforming a sales tax dedicated to education and working on student loans and grants for continuing education are the top priorities for Legislative District 6s Sylvia Allen. The Republican state senator from Snowflake said Senate President Steve Yarbrough has asked her to work on reforming the education sales tax that voters approved in 2000 and expires in 2020.

I am excited to be able to be a part of this, Allen wrote in an email to the Daily Sun.

Allen also left the door open on supporting a ballot measure asking voters to approve an increase in the gas tax to support roads infrastructure.

I would have to see the bill and just what it says and how much etc., Allen wrote in the email. However I do support asking voters when tax increases are being contemplated.

She wasnt supportive, however, of another ballot measure that voters approved in November. Proposition 206, which increases the minimum wage in Arizona, was an economically destructive proposition, Allen wrote.

Government control of wages is an anti-property rights socialist concept and the consequences are rippling out, she continued, noting that the extra $25 million in the states budget will now be obligated to increasing the pay for state contractors, such as healthcare providers for the developmentally disabled, who were making less than the new minimum of $10 an hour.

Allen couldnt think of any specific changes to state gun laws that she would like to see come forward this legislative session and doesnt have any specific bills in the works to support community colleges financially after she was named the 2016 Legislator of the Year by the Arizona Community College Coordinating Council last spring.

In last years legislative session, Allen supported several successful bills that preempt local rulemaking authority in areas like plastic bag bans, drone flying and vacation rentals. At this point, she said she doesnt see any other local regulatory areas that she would like to see governed by the state instead.
In the wake of the shooting that left five people dead and at least six others injured in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday, more information is coming out about the shooters alleged criminal history.

The shooter, identified as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, was being prosecuted for allegedly strangling and hitting his girlfriend last year, according to court documents filed in Anchorage, Alaska, where he lived. In January 2016, Santiago allegedly had an argument with his girlfriend and was yelling at her while she was in the bathroom on the toilet, according to a police report filed with the court documents.

According to the police report filed with the court documents, Santiago allegedly forced his way into the bathroom and yelled, Get the fk out bitch while strangling and smacking her in the side of the head.

Santiago was arrested and released soon after, under the condition that he could not have any contact with his girlfriend. His charges included two misdemeanors: one assault charge and another for criminal mischief for damaging property, according to case records.

But a February 2016 document revealed that Santiago had broken the terms of his release and he admitted that he had visited the victims home, according to court documents.

However, the assault portion of the case was resolved in March 2016 when Santiago entered into a deferred prosecution agreement. According to The Daily Beast, this means prosecutors agreed to dismiss the charges in exchange for Santiagos completion of requirements, the details of which are unknown. The other criminal mischief charge for damaging the victims door is still pending. Santiago was scheduled to appear in court for that charge in March of this year.

PEOPLE reached out to Santiagos lawyers but they were not immediately available for comment.

In a press conference on Saturday, authorities in Anchorage confirmed Santiagos previous contact with the police, including his current investigation for criminal mischief.

Story continues

Telemundo and NorthJersey.com spoke with Santiagos aunt, Maria Luisa Ruiz, who said that the shooter had changed after he served a tour in Iraq with the National Guard. (According to various reports, Santiago had claimed that he had been hearing voices.)

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

He had a baby, Ruiz told Telemundo, noting that Santiago lived in Alaska. He had a baby over there who is about 3 months old. Baby was born in September.

And in both interviews, Ruiz said her nephew had been hospitalized, but could not confirm any details about the reasons for his treatment. She also told Telemundo that after he left Iraq, he wasnt right.

Like a month ago, it was like he lost his mind, Ruiz told NewJersey.com. He said he saw things.

In a press conference on Saturday, FBI Special Agent in Charge George Piro told reporters that Santiago had visited a local FBI office to speak with agents. However, after the agents noticed his erratic behavior, they notified authorities and he was allegedly taken to a hospital for observation, according to Piro.




Such a machine would be the first of its kind to deliver the convenience of one-cup dispensers, such as Keurig and Nespresso's coffee machines, but for alcoholic beverages.

Brewer Anheuser Busch InBev (AB InBev) and coffee maker Keurig Green Mountain have teamed up to develop a counter-top appliance that could dispense alcoholic drinks in the home.

The companies have announced a research and development joint venture that will focus on the North American market with the aim of developing a system that could work with beer, spirits, cocktails and mixers.

Such a machine would be the first of its kind to deliver the convenience of one-cup dispensers, such as Keurig and Nespresso's coffee machines, but for alcoholic beverages. It also marks the first formal collaboration by the two groups. The venture will build on the technology used in the Keurig KOLD machine, which was discontinued after disappointing sales. It will also make use of AB InBev's brewing and packaging technology.

The companies did not disclose financial terms for the venture or any other details about the machine, the drink brands to be used or any potential regulatory requirements.

Keurig is part of privately held JAB Holding, the investment vehicle of Austria's billionaire Reimann family. JAB has built a sizeable presence in the coffee sector through an aggressive acquisition spree over the past few years.

JAB chief executive Olivier Goudet is also the chairman of AB InBev, the world's largest beer maker with brands including Budweiser and Stella Artois. Last year it completed a $100bn-plus merger with SabMiller, with the combined group selling more than a quarter of all beers sold worldwide.

AB InBev agreed to sell brands including Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic, and Poland's Tyskie and Lech to secure competition clearance for the deal.

Japanese brewer Asahi agreed to buy those brands and others for 7.3bn last month - building on its purchase of Peroni and Grolsch. The deal is expected to complete in the first half of this year.

Reuters
Versatile: Karl Geary - known for his acting work - says it took him more than four years to write his first book

It's not every day that you meet a Dubliner with links to Madonna, Peter Fonda, Breaking Bad, Sex and the City and Jeff Buckley. Suffice to say that Karl Geary has lived what can only be described as a life less ordinary. And it's precisely his life - taking in co-ordinates as diverse as Talbot Street, the East Village and Glasgow - that has made the 44-year-old one of the most intriguing debut novelists for some time.

After a five-publisher scrum, Geary signed a major deal with Harvill Secker, and now finds himself in the same rarefied stable as Karl Ove Knausgaard, Haruki Murakami and JM Coetzee. And after the self-imposed exile of writing a novel, such validation is well, a welcome, if unexpected, result.

"It's kind of bizarre," says Geary, reflecting on the brouhaha. "When I set out to write this, I figured, 'if it doesn't get published, fine', but it was a story that I wanted to tell.

"You're spending so many years isolated [writing], and what threw me more than anything was how decent and kind each publisher was when I met them. I just fell head over heels with my editor, and there was a real sense of unity there in terms of what the book was."

Geary had tried his hand at writing a novel in his twenties, and is glad that the book never surfaced.

"I find writing excruciating," he confides. "I took me four-and-a-half years to write this book. The difficulty lies in where you need to go [psychologically] in order to do it. It goes beyond solitude. Some have described writing as an entirely masochistic experience."

Whatever agonies or self-consciousness Geary felt during writing are nowhere to be found on the page. In fact, Montpelier Parade - the tale of an unlikely relationship between a teenage butcher's apprentice and an older, complicated woman - is the work of a deft, fearless writer.

Evoking the subtly dark comedy of Patrick McCabe, and the delicious lyricism of Peter Murphy, Geary has a keen recollection of the folly and hunger of youth. Add in a gut-spinning plot twist, and it's safe to describe Montpelier Parade as one of the first significant releases of 2017.

The book is strikingly original, not least in its deployment of the second-person narrative: "I didn't want to do that, but I tried writing in the first person and the third, and it didn't seem to work in terms of getting as close as I could to [the character of]Sonny," reflects Geary. "Writing it this way, the story almost becomes like an accusation."

And while Geary's topography of 1980s South Dublin is vivid, his homespun dialogue authentic, Geary wrote the book in New York, the city that has (until recently) been his hometown for decades.

"There's a terrific history of Irish people writing in exile," he laughs. "Patrick Kavanagh puts it more eloquently than I could when he talks about how intimately we know the place we grew up in. There's a thing that happens in childhood where time feels very slow. I wanted the book to feel like a rural novel; something to do with the pace and timing and tempo."

Growing up the youngest of eight children ("a gaggle of Gearys") in a working-class neighbourhood in Blackrock, Dublin, Geary struggled with dyslexia in school; a condition that was only diagnosed later. He left school without doing the Inter Cert and found himself, aged 15, working in a wallpaper shop in Talbot Street. Armed with only the address of a character called 'Johnny One Eye', he decided to try his luck in New York.

Video of the Day

A careworn path, certainly, but it's safe to say that young Geary had anything but the typical emigre experience. Within a fortnight, he was 'battered' by a Chinese gang and was nearly shot on Tenth Street.

Another Irish emigrant, Shane Doyle, asked him to help out with the running of a run-down bar called Sin-e. The rest is famously rock'n'roll lore. At the time, all roads led to the joint: Marianne Faithfull, Sinead O'Connor and Lou Reed were patrons, while Jeff Buckley recorded a live album there that would send him into the stratosphere.

"It was definitely a fascinating time in New York and being caught in that era was exciting and energising I don't know that we knew it at the time," he says, referring to Sin-e's singular mythology. "We certainly didn't go to sleep at night thinking, 'we're doing something really special here'.

"Back then, you paid 200 dollars to live there and I feel bad that young people now live in the same apartment for up to $5,000. But because of those rents, I didn't have to work around the clock. I'm lucky to have experienced that."

Geary downplays the experience: "If you put in the perspective of its time, I don't think it was that unusual," he shrugs. "The Irish usually went to the traditional spots like the Bronx or Queens, so maybe because I ended up in the East Village, I wasn't your traditional economic migrant."

That's putting it mildly. Soon, Geary was running Sin-e, and started to meet some interesting characters at work. Among them was Jodi Peckman, photo editor of Rolling Stone.

The encounter led to Geary being photographed kissing a topless Madonna in Madonna's Sex book (understandably, he's sick of the subject). Later, he met film director Michael Almereyda in what became a rather fortuitous encounter.

"Michael approached me about doing a film with Peter Fonda he was looking for an Irishman as he wanted to tip his hat to Bram Stoker," he recalls. "He asked me to audition and screen test.

"As a kid, I had an Easy Rider poster on my wall; the only one I ever had. And talk about a fella who doesn't disappoint," he adds of Fonda.

After appearing in Nadja and then training as an actor, the parts kept coming: Gold In The Streets (opposite Jim Belushi), Painted Lady (opposite Helen Mirren) and Hamlet (opposite Ethan Hawke). There was also a memorable appearance in Sex and the City, in which Geary plays a lovelorn Irish bellhop to Kim Cattrall's sexual libertine Samantha Jones. More recently, he has appeared in Ken Loach's Jimmy's Hall, and I Am Not A Serial Killer alongside his wife, Laura Fraser (of Breaking Bad fame).

For now, he and Fraser live in Glasgow with their daughter, Lila. "I love the idea of being closer to Ireland," he says. "I love getting to Dublin; Sligo, too [where his son Billy lives].

"New York, in a sense, had run its course for me," he adds. "I remember seeing Patti Smith talk in Brooklyn and a young woman artist put up her hand and asked, 'what would you say to an artist living in New York now?' And Patti Smith replied, 'leave'.

"It's very flat in New York - it's shifted more to the psyche of mainstream America and has become a home for upwardly mobile, middle-class people. I still have a bar there, The Scratcher, but it's the last place in the city you can walk into and have people know you by name."

While a lucrative multi-book deal was of no interest to Geary ("selling fiction before you've written it is dangerous"), another novel is percolating.

His remarkable life is surely a rich literary seam to mine, but the juicy memoir looks set to remain at large.

"I've no interest in biography," he says. "There's a truth to the fictional landscape that feels current and connected. The truth is the one thing I do find endlessly fascinating."

Montpelier Parade is out now via Harvill Secker
Ben Affleck might be best known these days for playing Batman, but he's also an accomplished director. His latest film, which is out here next week, has a distinctly retro feel and is inspired by his love of classic Warner Brothers gangster movies. Live by Night is set in the 1920s and 1930s, and stars Affleck as Joe Coughlin, the tear-away son of a Boston police captain.

After learning how to handle guns in the Great War, Joe returns home determined not to end up a wage-slave sap like his dad. He moves to Florida, becomes a bootlegger and falls out with the Ku Klux Klan. Brendan Gleeson delivers an excellent turn as Coughlin's tough father, and Chris Cooper and Sienna Miller co-star in a film that cuts quite a swagger without quite equalling the electrifying urgency of the films that inspired it.

But what were those films, and what was it that made them so special? It's fitting that Live by Night should be released by Warner Brothers, because that studio will always be indelibly linked to the gangster picture, thanks to a series of extraordinarily gritty and newsy pulp crime thrillers that were pumped out at breakneck speed in the 1930s. They were often inspired by real events, and brilliantly caught the lawless explosion in American society caused by prohibition.

The earliest gangster films were inspired by Al Capone. He was the prototypical American mobster, a Brooklyn hoodlum who hit the big time when he moved west to Chicago and cut a deal with the city's corrupt mayor. A prolific and incredibly violent bootlegger, Capone was dubbed public enemy number one by the tabloid press, and relished all the media attention. He wore pinstripe suits and fedora hats, and even coined the phrase "I'm a businessman!", so in a sense all gangster films owe him a certain debt.

A profile like that was bound to attract the attention of Hollywood, but contemporary film-makers fought shy of naming names for obvious reasons, and took care to disguise characters who were based on him. In MGM's Secret Six (1931), former silent star Wallace Beery played Louis 'Slaughterhouse' Scorpio, a ruthless street thug and minor enforcer who becomes a mob kingpin after realising the moneymaking potential of bootlegging and lords it over an unfortunate city.

It was Capone, no question, but this was Hollywood and all ended happily when 'Slaughterhouse' was dispatched to the electric chair. There were shades of Capone in the bloodthirsty racketeers played by Paul Lukas and Jean Hersholt in City Streets (1931) and Beast of the City (1932), and the latter film was heavily criticised for its violence. But it was the ground-breaking 1932 United Artists film Scarface that got closest to the bone.

The real Capone had three distinctive scar marks on the left side of his face, the result of a brawl in a Brooklyn nightclub. In Howard Hawks' Scarface, Tony Comante (charismatically played by Paul Muni) had scars too, and a psychotic personality to boot.

Scarface was set in Chicago: like Capone, Comante takes over the South Side before picking a fight with the Irish mob. The film's inspiration was unmistakable, and screenwriter Ben Hecht later claimed Capone's men had visited the set to find out how closely the film would mirror their boss's life.

They apparently went away satisfied that Scarface was sufficiently fictional, and it's said that Capone himself liked the movie so much that he acquired a print of it to show to friends.

Sometimes it's hard to offend a maniac.

Studios like United Artists, MGM and Paramount might have made the early running, but in the early 1930s Warner Brothers began to dominate the gangster genre, beginning with Little Caesar. Mervyn LeRoy's 1931 film may also have been inspired by Capone, and told the story of a small-time Italian American crook called Rico Bandello (Edward G Robinson) who moves to Chicago and seizes control of the city's north side.

The real Edward G Robinson was a cultured and fastidious Romanian Jew who collected impressionist art, but in Little Caesar he proved a chillingly convincing sociopath. He'd play unhinged gangsters many times, but a compelling mobster rival soon emerged at Warners.

Video of the Day

Released in the same year as Little Caesar, Public Enemy starred a little-known song-and-dance man called James Cagney as Tom Powers, an Irish hoodlum whose rapid rise through the criminal ranks makes his downfall inevitable. Cagney bought an electrifying street swagger to the role, especially in the famous breakfast table scene where he smashed a half grapefruit into Mae Clarke's face.

That moment made Jimmy Cagney a star, but also helped inspire the Hays Code, a rigid set of industry standards that fundamentally changed the way movies were made. It was driven by one Joseph Ignatius Breen, a devoutly Catholic film censor with the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America who saw Hollywood as a modern-day Mammon.

Breen and his ilk were horrified by the fact that the gangsters portrayed by Cagney and Robinson were swaggering anti-heroes the public clearly admired and might therefore wish to emulate. The Hays Code stated that all criminal action in the movies had to be seen to be punished, and that neither crime nor criminal should elicit sympathy from the audience.

Introduced in 1930, the Hays Code was strictly enforced from 1934 on, and watered down the crude vigour of early gangster pictures. That didn't stop Warners from churning out mob pictures: through the 1930s they made literally hundreds of them, and while most were pretty ordinary, a couple stand out as timeless classics.

Though James Cagney had been encouraged to clean up his image by starring as a pioneering FBI agent in the 1935 crime drama G Men, a few years later he was back doing what he did best, playing a ruthless mobster determined to claw his way to the top. Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) begins in the early 1920s and tells the story of Rocky Sullivan, a tough street kid who's caught carrying out a petty crime and sent to reform school.

While his best friend Jerry (Pat O'Brien) grows up to become the neighbourhood parish priest, Rocky drifts further into a life of crime, and 16 years later has become a notorious gangster. When he's betrayed by his cunning associate (Humphrey Bogart, who always played sneering villains in the Warners gangster films), Rocky shoots him and is sentenced to the chair.

He's become a hero to the street boys in his old neighbourhood, so Father Jerry comes to visit him and begs Rocky to act scared on his way to the electric chair, so the kids won't follow in his footsteps. He does indeed beg and scream as he's dragged to his doom, but we never knew whether Rocky faked it or was really afraid.

Cagney and Bogart were reunited a year later in The Roaring Twenties. Cagney was Eddie Bartlett, a Great War veteran who drifts into bootlegging and becomes a big shot before his supposed friend George Hally (Bogart, of course) betrays him. Eddie winds up in the gutter but gets his own back on George, killing him before he himself dies melodramatically on the steps of a church.

All the mobsters in films of this era met grisly ends in the final reel, due to the censor's demand for appropriate moral retribution. And that convention was still in force in 1949 when Cagney returned to the gangster genre one last time to play Hollywood's first overt psychopath Cody Jarrett in the Warners classic White Heat. A snarling maniac with a worrying mother fixation, Jarrett shot his way out of jail and famously ended the film on top of an enormous burning gas tank shouting "Top of the World Ma!" before disappearing in a ball of flame.

By the late 1940s, however, the steam had entirely gone out of the mobster craze, and the genre fell from fashion until the early 1970s, when Francis Ford Coppola revived the gangster picture in spectacular fashion.
It's customary, at this time of year, to look ahead to the next 12 months, perhaps making some predictions about what's going to happen, across politics, art, sport and so on. Being a cantankerous sort, though - not to mention a highly paid and much-in-demand professional contrarian - I decided to more-or-less ignore all that and look instead to the past.

Specifically, the State papers for 1986, just released (another customary event around the turning of a New Year). John Bruton, who popped up on News at One (Radio 1, Mon-Fri 1pm) for analysis, was of course a minister in the government of that time.

The meat of the matter was the North and the Border. It turned out that Margaret Thatcher was "depressed" about the situation, and accused the Irish government of being unable to control the Border. This is flabbergasting; even more so is the fact that Garret FitzGerald basically admitted this was the case.

I found it hard to get my head around Mrs T being depressed by anything. While hardly the malevolent ogre of popular imagination, she was undoubtedly one tough bit of stuff.

On a tangential point, almost equally difficult to fathom is the concept of secret government papers being locked away for 30 years (I'm presuming in a lead-lined vault deep under the midlands bogs), and finally being released for public scrutiny.

Is there not something vaguely condescending here? This is basically the Government telling their employers - ie citizens and taxpayers - that they're incapable of handling the truth right now; these are complicated matters best left in the hands of professionals. Give it a few decades, and you'll be ready to know what's going on now.

Speaking of the 1980s, 1982 was when the Ana Liffey Drug Project was established in Dublin. The Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, Mon-Fri 9am) brought in current director Tony Duffin for a wide-ranging discussion: everything from the foundation of Ana Liffey to the current situation in the city, illegal drugs to quasi-legal but apparently dangerous synthetics, and the imminent supervised injection pilot scheme for intravenous users to the pros and cons of legalisation.

Tony made an important distinction between decriminalising and legalising drugs, and is in favour of the former, not the latter. If it was up to me - and I say this as a boring old fart who's always stuck to nicotine, alcohol and caffeine - I'd legalise the whole shooting match. For one thing, it'd cut out the actual shooting matches taking place across the world, as ruthless gangs fight for control of an incredibly lucrative industry.

But I'm not the expert here, people like Tony Duffin are. Seriously, listen to them, not us media know-it-alls.

I did tune in for one "predicting 2017" bit, on High Noon (Newstalk, Mon-Fri noon). Likeable stand-in host Tara Duggan and food writer Dee Laffan were parsing current and incoming trends in well, eating. You can probably tell where I'm going with this.

I mean, how can food be trendy? How can something so fundamental and necessary to all biological life have trends? Tara even admitted in the intro, "It's funny to think of food as fashion" - yep, you got that right.

In fairness, it's not just them: this nonsense is all over the media (and society, to a lesser extent). And in case you were wonderingwe've seen "a move from more formal dining to casual dining", pulled pork is not trendy now but street food is, doughnuts were big in 2016 ("pimped-up doughnuts", actually), cauliflower will be big in 2017 - apparently "every year there's a vegetable that's going to be trendy" - and fermenting is "definitely here to stay". Good to know.
Dublin legal eagles: (from left) Rory Keenan as Eric, Fiona O'Shaughnessy as Meg, Amy Huberman as Tara, Neil Morrissey as Vincent and Emmet Byrne as Ray in new RTE drama Striking Out

As the lead character in Striking Out (RTE1), solicitor Tara Rafferty is a vivacious young woman, but she's clearly not too quick on the uptake. Arriving at fiance Eric's flat just before their nuptials, she finds a naked woman astride him in bed. "What is this?" she asks incredulously as the woman hurriedly dismounts. "Are you having an affair?"

Eric weakly insists that "this means absolutely nothing" while the interloping woman, scrabbling for her clothes, snarls "Oh, leave me out of this", but Tara (Amy Huberman), who by now has sussed that something carnal has indeed been taking place, exits both the apartment and her office in the prestigious legal firm run by Eric's daddy. Instead she immediately sets up office in a back room provided by an obliging restaurateur (shades of Better Call Saul and his Korean nail parlour pals) and arrives the next morning in court, where she manages to secure continued bail for a likeable young petty fraudster called Ray.

She does this after assuring a credulous judge that Ray has now found gainful employment, which is a fib, but then Tara, who has a heart of gold, immediately hires Ray as her assistant, both in her makeshift office and in court. I'm not too sure what the Law Society would think of that, and indeed I wasn't too sure about the plausibility of most things in this opening instalment of a four-part drama created by James Phelan and co-written by himself and Rob Heyland.

What, for instance, were we to make of private-eye hacker Meg, soul sister of zany computer geek Abby in US series NCIS and magically able to determine the culprits behind a blackmailing sex tape? And would Tara's main legal adversary the morning after the night before really be the young woman who'd just been shagging Eric? Come to that, who is grey-bearded English barrister Vincent (Neil Morrissey from Men Behaving Badly), who starts handing Tara urgent assignments?

Perhaps things will start to cohere over the remaining three episodes, but this week's opening hour was all over the place, though it looked good - even if most of the sleekly cool locations seemed left over from that dated Celtic Tiger saga The Big Bow Wow.

Huberman, who has demonstrated her comic chops throughout various series, was a commanding lead here, though Rory Keenan's charmless Eric seemed quite unworthy of her more anguished moments, and I fervently hope she doesn't get back with him. That must mean I'll continue to watch it.

I'll do the same with Sherlock (BBC1), which is altogether more assured than Striking Out, if not always more plausible - there's a sleight of hand in Mark Gatiss's furious plotting and pell-mell editing that distracts you from the plain fact that the storylines sometimes don't make an awful lot of sense.

However, this week's 'The Six Thatchers', based on a Conan Doyle story called 'The Six Napoleons', was bracingly coherent and also found emotional depths you don't normally expect from this Benedict Cumberbatch-Martin Freeman confection.

The violent death of a major character was the cause, though to reveal more would spoil the impact for anyone who hasn't yet got round to watching it. Suffice to say that real feeling, rather than the usual smart-aleckry, lent the episode a quite distinct and affecting aura. "Stay close to me and I will keep you safe," Sherlock had promised, but it was not to be.

Written and directed by Sally Wainwright, To Walk Invisible (BBC2) told the story of how the three Bronte sisters struggled to cope both with the additively self-destructive behaviour of brother Branwell and with the publishers of the masterpieces they wrote while purporting to be male authors.

As portrayed by Adam Nagaitis, Branwell was so whingingly self-obsessed that you wondered why anyone put up with him even for an instant, but when the drama focused on the sisters, it became utterly absorbing - not surprising to anyone who has marvelled at Wainwright's depiction of the women characters in both Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax.

Chloe Pirrie was a gauntly spirited Emily, Finn Atkins a determinedly steely Charlotte, and Charlie Murphy had a lovely presence as the gentler Anne, with fine support from Jonathan Pryce as the father of these three geniuses and of the intolerable Branwell.

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In Titanic: The New Evidence (Channel 4), Irish journalist Senan Molony posited a theory based on pictures of the doomed liner that he acquired at a 2012 auction. These photos, taken before it set out on its fateful transatlantic crossing, showed a dark mark along the ship hull.

The argument was that a fire in a huge coal bunker near where the iceberg hit had already been blazing, weakening the ship's structure from the outset, and that this had been hushed up by those in charge. It made for an intriguing film that would have been even more arresting at half its length.

Revolting (BBC2) is a spin-off from the satirical series The Revolution Will be Televised and features the same writer-performers. A tabloid journalist called Dale Mailey exposed a hippie festival as a terrorist cell, while in another sketch, ISIS wives dithered about what to wear at a beheading.

There were echoes here of Chris Morris's scabrous Brass Eye series from the 1990s, though I was especially struck by an NHS hospital trolley sketch, which came just after an RTE news bulletin had informed viewers of the 612 patients on that night's Irish trolleys.
Free spirit: Stephen Rea's acting career has been defined by his refusal to be restricted by labels Photo: Steffan Hill

'I've never heard such audible responses from the audience. Verbalised, as well, you know, because what happens really does take you by surprise. It has a visceral effect." Encamped on a chaise longue in a smart hotel in Dublin - his shaggy hair, crumpled features and casual style wonderfully at odds with his surroundings - the actor Stephen Rea is talking to me about his latest role in the controversial new play Cyprus Avenue.

Rea's voice is gentle, a laconic northern lullaby lilt. The subject matter of the production in question - which has just finished at the Abbey Theatre and is about to open at the Royal Court in London - is quite the opposite.

Rea plays Eric, a sixty-something loyalist, unreconstructed in almost every way, who is terrified about the survival of his tribe in Northern Ireland.

When he meets his new grand-daughter, instead of seeing a cute baby, he thinks he sees the face of Gerry Adams. It's a moment of absurdist comedy, but what follows is enough to make Martin McDonagh's murderous Hangmen seem like a walk through the daisies. It's right up there with the savagery of Sarah Kane's Cleansed.

I haven't even seen it yet, but when I read the script I found myself averting my eyes from the page in horror. This could be either one of the most powerful or reviled plays to hit the London stage in many years. Sick bags may be de rigueur.

I ask Rea, 69, how difficult it has been to play the role night after night.

"It's distressing but I'm not cracking up or anything, you know what I mean?" he says with a dark laugh. "It is a bit like King Lear, you know, in that Eric has misunderstood his world and now he can't cope with what's happening in it and he starts to destroy it."

Rea has never shied away from playing edgy, unappealing roles. Think of Fergus, the IRA terrorist in The Crying Game, the alcoholic father Da Brady in The Butcher Boy and most recently the Machiavellian figure of Kuragin in the television adaptation of War and Peace.

His genius is to make the unsympathetic ooze with sympathy. He is the master of ambivalence and conflicted morality. So it is no surprise that the play's author, David Ireland, who grew up among unionists in Belfast, wrote the part of Eric specifically with Rea in mind. If anyone can tease out the play's nuance, surely Rea is the man.

Provocative though the play is, it is not ill thought through. Opening just a few weeks before this weekend's centenary of the Easter Rising, it is a violent play about the pointlessness of violence, a painful parable about the cost of sectarianism and the refusal to break down barriers.

Rea certainly hopes that his performance will help to nudge the debate on, rather than further entrench attitudes.

Born to Protestant parents in Belfast, Rea seems to have spent his life trying to kick down barriers and defy categorisation. Professionally, he's as happy to play IRA terrorists as paranoid Loyalists. Personally, too, he has made decisions that demonstrate a determination to live life according to his own lights.

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For two decades between the early 1980s and 2003, he was married to Dolours Price, who was given a life sentence for her involvement in the IRA bombing of London's Old Bailey in 1973, which injured 200 people and left one man dead from a heart attack. She was released after seven years on humanitarian grounds and shortly after married Rea, and they had two sons.

In 2010, she hit the headlines again when she claimed that Gerry Adams had been her IRA commander and that he was responsible for the death in 1972 of Jean McConville, the widowed mother of 10 who was accused by the IRA of being an informer.

Price had driven McConville to the place where she was killed. Price died in 2013 and Adams continues categorically to deny her claims.

This is all heavy stuff, which Rea usually declines to talk about, but today when I ask him whether he was made to suffer both personally and professionally for his decision to marry Price, he replies after a pause, haltingly, his voiced tinged with emotion: "No. I'll tell you. The people in my profession were enormously generous about it. I never, ever stopped working.

"But it meant certain things that I might say would be interpreted in a narrower way than I intended. And that's difficult if you're doing theatre or anything."

You're referring to reporters, I ask? "Always restricting, in a sense and I've always attempted to not be restricted by any label - a sectarian label or otherwise, you know."

And what about Price, did her tribe reject her for marrying a Protestant?

"No, not at all," he says. "No, I mean, when you say Protestant, I'm not a very self-conscious Protestant. In fact, I'm not baptised in any religion, okay."

This is as close to irritation as I sense in his voice, before he softens to a joke.

"So that makes it, 'Are you a Catholic atheist or a Protestant atheist?' I'm not baptised in any religion and I had no connection to loyalist politics."

Rea's father was a bus driver, his mother a housewife. He describes the world he grew up in during the 1950s as a time of brief liberation before the sectarian walls came down again in the late 1960s.

"I grew up in a mixed area, with mixed neighbours and mixed friends and my father drank - rather a lot - with both sides because it was that kind of place."

He studied English literature at Queen's University, Belfast, and drama at the Abbey Theatre School before progressing to the Royal Court in London, then the Old Vic and the National Theatre.

In 1980, he and Brian Friel set up Field Day Theatre Company, which toured Ireland and encouraged a new generation of playwrights. Rea says that his own favourite playwrights are Sam Shepard, Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter, and, charmingly humble from an actor who could make claim to be one of the greatest of his generation, regards himself as "immensely fortunate" to have worked with them all.

He reminisces about a night in 1976 after he opened at the Royal Court in Beckett's Endgame. "Harold [Pinter] was at the opening night and we'd all sat in [the designer] Jocelyn Herbert's house in Holland Park, with Beckett playing the piano," then hearing the note of wan nostalgia in his voice brings himself back down to Earth, "Oh, please."

Rea has, of course, worked in Hollywood many times, but has never been tempted to move there. He says: "Hollywood made me laugh, you know, because they believe in it all with such intensity and careers are built on awards ceremonies and I just found it hilarious. It's all razzmatazz. I don't understand it."

The rise and rise of the TV series and box sets has served him well. Indeed, if you look at the most intriguing dramas of the past couple of years, the thing that links them all is Rea: Dickensian, Hugo Blick's The Honourable Woman, War and Peace.

And it is for his role in Dickensian that Rea has been nominated for this year's Iftas, in the 'best lead actor in a drama' category. He is up against powerful opposition, however, in Colin Farrell (for True Detective), Aidan Turner (Poldark), Dara Deveney (An Klondike) and Barry Ward (Rebellion).

He lets drop that there is another Blick drama in the pipeline and a possible spin-off for his character Inspector Bucket. He rarely takes a holiday, so leapt at the opportunity to travel abroad on location to St Petersburg for War and Peace.

Is he a loner on location or does he socialise with the cast? "There was a very convivial cast in War and Peace."

He talks with great gusto about the talent of the young actors with whom he found himself working: "Tuppence Middleton, Jessie Buckley, Lily James, remarkable, and they seem to me to be better than the actors we were when we were that age. More confident, more intellectual assurance."

But wasn't there also something more vital about the time Rea was coming to acting in the 1960s? It wasn't just about building a film career and making money, something more was at stake.

He stops to consider whether things were better back then. "It was people who had experience of rock 'n' roll and wanted to dress that way and didn't want to be polite actors. We wanted to be artists, you know. That was the release of the Sixties. You were supposed to live."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Gay rights activist Rory O'Neill has urged Repeal the 8th campaigners to be tolerant, warning that the upcoming abortion referendum "will not be gay marriage part two".

O'Neill, whose stage name is Panti Bliss, said those who want the legislation changed must include everyone in a cool-headed "national conversation" about abortion.

The star, who was polled in TIME magazine as one of the most influential people in the world, said campaigners should steer clear of "metropolitan elitism" that can isolate large sections of society.

"It's very easy for passion to become anger, but that puts people off," he said. "There is a time and a place for righteous anger - and I am not saying everyone should be meek - but you need to think strategically when it comes to referendums.

"Sometimes you might want to stand up and scream your head off, but not when you are trying to speak to the middle ground.

"When it comes to abortion, it's sometimes forgotten that you can give someone all the facts as you see them but you won't change a mind that believes abortion is murder. They are not misogynists or monsters for [believing] that."

Equally, he cautioned, it is pointless for campaigners to just agree with each other in the safety of a bubble. He said the referendum would hinge on the middle ground whose minds were open to change.

"Those two sides (pro and anti) will never reach a consensus," he said. "What I would like to see in the public sphere is a grey-area view. That view should be given a platform to work out the issues.

"The vast majority are somewhere in between and we need to make a concerted effort to hear those middle-ground voices."

And he warned those who voted Yes to gay marriage not to assume the favour will be returned by the LGBT community - because "even a gay communist" can be against terminations.

O'Neill (48), who is from Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, said: "You can be a gay communist and still believe life begins at conception."

There was a further meeting of the Citizens' Assembly yesterday to discuss the Eighth Amendment.

Ireland's Catholic bishops and the Pro Life Campaign criticised the use of the phrase "fatal foetal abnormality" in the assembly's agenda, with the bishops' spokesman stating the terminology depersonalised the foetus and sought to "normalise abortion".

The pro-life lobby stated the term "life-limiting conditions" should be used instead.

Chair Ms Justice Mary Laffoy opened the assembly, telling the 99 volunteers: "The correct use of terminology in this debate is an issue which has been causing both myself and the secretariat some difficulty in settling our minds to.

"It is a contentious aspect to the arguments around the topic we are discussing. It is argued, for example, that the term 'fatal foetal abnormalities' desensitises what is a very difficult and traumatic diagnosis for a woman and her baby.

"Many medical practitioners tell us that this is a term that they do not use when speaking to a woman about a diagnosis," she added.

"Nonetheless, the term is widely used and is very much in common parlance - to exclude its usage at the Assembly would therefore, in my view, be inappropriate. It will therefore be used and will continue to be used."

Later, the assembly heard that Irish hospitals were "struggling" with a shortage of counsellors to deal with women who have had abortions and suffered psychological issues afterwards.

Dr Peter McParland, of the National Maternity Hospital, in Dublin, said maternity hospitals did not have enough counsellors and needed more.
GARDAI are investigating if a criminal shot himself in the head by mistake while sitting in a stolen car en route to a potential gangland hit.

Glen Clarke, a father-of-two, was discovered unconscious with a single gunshot wound to his head in the vehicle - which had been fitted with false plates - in the Riverdale Estate in Leixlip, Co Kildare on December 2.

The 26-year-old was found at 1.30am and brought by ambulance to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown where he subsequently died from his injury.

Gardai in Co Kildare initially believed that he had died by suicide after discovering a handgun in the footwell of the silver Vauxhall Zafira.

However, a senior source has told Independent.ie that detectives now believe he shot himself by mistake.

The 'Sunday Times' today reports that Clarke had purchased a can of petrol shortly before his death and one theory being investigated is that he was on his way to carry out an assassination on behalf of the Kinahan crime cartel.

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The gun has undergone ballistics test to establish if it was used in any previous crimes. The car had been stolen in Blanchardstown in October.

Clarke, from Cabra in Dublin, was known to gardai but was not considered a major criminal.

A senior source said: "This case was always regarded as an unusual one. He was discovered in a stolen car in a private estate.

"It is highly likely that he was going somewhere. If he was there before carrying out a hit then gardai are very anxious to establish who was at risk.

"At the moment gardai have not identified who the target was and this is something they are very keen to do."

The source added that the death was "most likely" an accident.

Detectives have been unable to identify any potential targets in that specific estate and believe it is far more likely that a potential victim was in Lucan or another nearby area.

On December 22, Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan was shot dead outside his home in St Ronan's Drive Clondalkin.

It is believed that Kirwan was shot dead because of his close friendship with Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch.

He was the 11th victim of the Hutch/Kinahan feud.

A Garda spokesman confirmed that they are investigating all aspects of the sudden death.

Gardai have appealed for anyone with information about Clarke's death to contact them in Leixlip on 01-6667800.
Burundi police were quick to term the killing of the country's environment minister on New Year's Eve an "assassination" although the motive for the attack was not immediately clear (AFP Photo/LANDRY NSHIMIYE) (AFP/File)

Nairobi (AFP) - Burundi authorities have arrested six people in connection with the murder of the country's environment minister, the prosecutor general said Saturday.

Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, the country's water, environment and planning minister, was shot dead shortly after midnight on New Year's Eve in the most high-profile killing since Burundi's political crisis began nearly two years ago.

Police were quick to term the killing an "assassination" although the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Prosecutor general Sylvestre Nyandwi told journalists that the minister had been shot in the head as he returned home in the capital Bujumbura.

"After this foul act, investigations began quickly and six suspected perpetrators were apprehended, including four men and two women," he said.

Nyandwi said investigations were still ongoing and did not reveal the identities of those arrested nor their alleged motives.

Niyonkuru is the first cabinet minister to be killed but other senior regime figures have been targeted since the crisis erupted over President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid to run for a third term in April 2015.

General Adolphe Nshimirimana, considered Nkurunziza's right-hand man, was killed in August 2015. Almost a year later former government minister and spokeswoman Hafsa Mossi was killed by gunmen in her car.

Other attacks have failed, with senior presidential advisor Willy Nyamitwe, a spokesman widely regarded as the public face of the government, escaping an ambush by a group of gunmen as he returned to his Bujumbura home in November.

Burundi has commonly blamed neighbouring Rwanda for the attacks.

At least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled the country since the unrest began as protesters -- and then military coup-plotters -- fought against Nkurunziza's third mandate.

UN and NGO human rights reports have raised fears that Burundi's political crisis might take on an ethnic dimension, warning of the potential for genocide.
The Nama-controlled building was taken over before Christmas by housing activists frustrated by the homeless crisis in Ireland. Photo: Tony Gavin

The deadline for leaving Apollo House is looming and "fear is creeping in" for residents, a spokesperson for the campaign group Home Sweet Home has said.

The Nama-controlled building was taken over before Christmas by housing activists frustrated by the homeless crisis in Ireland.

Freda Hughes, from the Home Sweet Home group behind the occupation, told the Irish Independent: "We're getting close to the wire now and residents are sort of being left in the dark."

Talks between the activists and Housing Minister Simon Coveney failed to bring a resolution on Friday.

Ms Hughes added the group has had "informal confirmation" it will have a second meeting with Mr Coveney before the January 11 eviction date.

"Fear is creeping in but despite the deadline looming there is still an empowering sense of community amongst the residents," Ms Hughes added.

"Volunteers also feel they have a duty of care to the residents until suitable accommodation is found for them."

They could not comment further while negotiations are ongoing.

While discussions proceed between the Government and the Home Sweet Home group, residents have added more skills to the volunteer team.

One resident has offered to give computer classes and another is working with the media team for Apollo House on graphic design.

Another person who is sheltering in Apollo House is working with the maintenance team and has been offered an apprenticeship with one of the volunteers' firms.
Minister for Health Simon Harris is willing to replace hospital managers by bringing in outside experts as part of his new plan to resolve the trolley crisis in Irish hospitals.

This weekend the Minister said that he is prepared to use a commitment in the Programme for Government to draft in outside contractors to manage the nation's hospitals.

"You can't decide that all managers are all the same, and they are all equally good," said Minister Harris.

"You have to decide what's good practice and what's bad practice - measure it and demand more of it. And if more of it means bringing experts, bringing in outsiders, let's absolutely do that, so let's have legislation underpinning it."

Record numbers of patients were crowded into hospital emergency departments last week. Overcrowding - measured by the number of hospital in-patients being cared for on trolleys - eased from a high of 612 on Tuesday to 395 on Friday morning. The figures fell to 190 on Saturday, according to HSE figures.

But a spike in flu numbers could trigger a new overcrowding crisis. Flu numbers are currently rising. The number of flu-related calls to GP out-of-hours services is now at the highest rate since winter 2010-2011.

The Emergency Department Task Force has been asked to monitor the deaths of patients who have been through emergency departments, following fears that hospital overcrowding endangers lives.

Stephen McMahon, the patients' advocate who sits on the Task Force, said he raised the issue after warnings from the Irish Emergency Medicine Association that 350 to 500 patients die in Irish hospitals as a result of overcrowding.

"This is a shocking a number. We need to monitor deaths in our hospitals and review them in the context of patients' experience through the emergency department and to compare against the forecast," he said. "This was not a suggestion for further consideration but an action point for the Task Force."

Last Friday, Mr Harris said the health service was not prepared for the flu outbreak. The HSE has announced the opening of 60 beds in 10 hospitals and committed to opening 63 others. Private hospitals will also be asked to help ease overcrowding.
Syrian refugees bound for the Co Roscommon town of Ballaghaderreen may be unable to access medical treatment because local services are already under massive strain.

Local GP Dr Martin Garvey, one of just two GPs in the town, told The Sunday Independent that while he welcomed the refugees to the town, he could not begin to address their needs, and he had not received any instruction from the Health Service Executive (HSE) on how to manage their healthcare.

"At the moment I'm working a 50-60 hour week, depending on when I'm on-call. I'm struggling to provide care to my patients. With an aging population, the Under Six contract and the flu epidemic, I'm especially busy right now."

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Dr Garvey said that the town as a whole would welcome the refugees and that Ballaghaderreen had a history of migration to the town, due to the meat factory which had brought in people of Pakistani origin and more recently, the settlement of eastern Europeans. But he said that local medical services will be swamped.

"We are expecting 80 women and children initially and up to 120 more people after that. Coming from a war zone, these people will need extra medical care, including psychological care, and yet no-one from the HSE has been in contact with me to explain how local services can possibly cope with this extra workload," he said.

Additional problems for local medics is that most of these refugees will have little or no English and may also have complex medical needs due to the fact that they will not have been able to access full medical services for months or even years.

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Dr Garvey said that he was under an obligation to provide services to the whole community, but that his practice was already at breaking point.

"I have a part-time doctor helping me, but it is impossible to attract other doctors to rural general practices, given the current terms and conditions of the contract. It's simply not viable. And the result is that some patients will miss out on treatment.

"I'm in an intolerable position. I'm morally obliged to treat any patient who shows up at my door. I have no idea how I'm going to deal with this. My practice nurse and admin staff are already working flat out. I can't ask any more of them. I'm not sure how any one doctor can deal with this tsunami of work."

Dr Garvey said he had received no communication of any kind regarding the extra 200 patients being added to the town from either the HSE or the Department of Justice, and he worried about his ability to provide a proper GP service.
Aisle be damned: Daredevil 'Sunday Independent' reporter Elle Gordon goes shopping in her pyjamas to the supermarket Photo: Tony Gavin

We've all seen them. Moseying into the local supermarket to grab a few bits, just like the rest of us.

And then we give them the side eye - the double take. Some of us might even be horrified. They are wearing their pyjamas, nightwear that these days is having more than a dalliance with daytime.

'Pyjama syndrome' is divisive. Last week, retail giant Tesco in the UK issued a statement in response to a woman's complaint about these jimjam-clad people which went viral on social media. She declared their choice of attire as ''bloody disgusting''.

Tesco replied to say that although it did not have a formal dress code, it relies on its management teams to use their discretion and common sense, a response echoed by Tesco Ireland last night to the Sunday Independent.

In short, the slippers and dressing gowns could get the boot.

I have never worn my pyjamas in public. The idea, quite frankly, never entered my head. Hey, we all have days where there's not a minute to spare, but somehow I've always managed to get dressed - even if it's just a pair of sweats and an old jumper

I have seen the pyjama crew many times. I admire the bravery, adorned as they are with bright prints of giggling sheep, oblivious to the disdain of other shoppers.

Never did I think it would be me - until now.

I decided to give it a go. I wanted to see for myself, what all the fuss was about.

Then I had doubts. Visions of myself pinned to the ground in the dairy section, my slippered feet flailing as an angry shopper grappled me to the ground okay, deep breaths.

Could it be that bad?

Well it turned out it wasn't that bad at all. I put my best slipper shoe foot forward.

The first thing I thought was just how comfy I was. There is a lot to be said for oversized pyjamas and feet clad in clouds as you wander the supermarket aisles. I wait for the looks; maybe even a tap on the shoulder, and, yet, although people glanced my way, they didn't seem to mind.

Maybe I wasn't... ehh 'pyjamay' enough?

I made a point of strolling up a busy aisle and, yes, I definitely got a head shake or two, but no one said a word.

I paid for my items and strode out not failing to notice the aghast looks as I got here. Ah yes, the pyjama haters were all near the door.

I'm unsure what my stance is on pyjama gate, on one hand I can concede that the comfort is glorious but, on the other, the emotional stings as horrified faces look my way is just too much for me. That pyjamas crew are a brave lot.
Government Chief Whip Regina Doherty is at the centre of another political storm this weekend after she broke ranks with the Fine Gael leadership to become the first-ever elected party member to publicly state she is open to forming a coalition with Sinn Fein.

Ms Doherty's intervention is set to cause a major headache for Taoiseach Enda Kenny and incense party colleagues who are vehemently opposed to governing with Sinn Fein - an enduring legacy of the party's links to Provisional IRA terrorist atrocities.

Former Fine Gael director of elections Frank Flannery was the last senior Fine Gael party figure to say he was open to forming a coalition with Sinn Fein and he was immediately demoted by Mr Kenny for his comments.

However, in a wide-ranging interview with the Sunday Independent, Ms Doherty said there were "fabulous" people in Sinn Fein and insisted she would "of course" serve in government with the party.

"There are some incredible people in Sinn Fein; incredibly smart, articulate, thoughtful and could I work with them? Of course I could, yeah," Ms Doherty said.

The Meath East TD's proposal will surprise party colleagues as she has been a vocal critic of Gerry Adams and his party over their handling of Mairia Cahill's sexual abuse case scandal and the murder of prison guard Brian Stack by Provisional IRA terrorists.

However, the controversial intervention is one of a series of embarrassing gaffes by the Fine Gael TD since she took office. Two months after being appointed by the Taoiseach, she called on Mr Kenny to set out a timeline for his departure as Fine Gael leader and was later forced to apologise for the comment.

In the week before Christmas, she shocked Cabinet colleagues by saying she would support anti-pylon campaigners in her constituency who engaged in acts of civil disobedience.

And last week, she publicly criticised her constituency colleague and Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Helen McEntee for not saying hello to her in Leinster House.

The Sunday Independent can reveal Ms Doherty was reprimanded for her thinly veiled attack on Ms McEntee.

"Regina speaks her mind and has always done that and will probably continue to do that; however, discretion is the better part of valour and that has been communicated to her," a senior source in the Taoiseach's office said.

A senior Fine Gael Cabinet minister described the Chief Whip's comment as an "unprovoked attack" on another minister who is "very well liked and regarded" by party members.

"How many of these ridiculous things is she planning to say," the minister added.

Ms Doherty's comments on Sinn Fein were made during an interview conducted before she sparked a row with Ms McEntee by claiming the Junior Minister "would not blink her eyes" at her when they passed each other in Leinster House.

The Chief Whip's spokeswoman said Ms Doherty had no further comments to make on her relationship with her constituency colleague.

In the interview with the Sunday Independent, the Fine Gael Cabinet member said she could "work with anybody" if she could "find similar ground to work on a particular policy issue".

Asked specifically if she would be open to entering into coalition with Sinn Fein, Ms Doherty said she couldn't speak for Fine Gael, but added: "Could I work with them? Of course I could, yeah."

Put to her that she wasn't ruling it out, Ms Doherty said: "I don't know... I can't answer that question because I don't make those decisions."

She conceded there were Fine Gael members with "far more fundamental views" than she held who would be opposed to such a coalition.

In 2009, Mr Kenny demoted his chief election strategist, Frank Flannery, after he said the party would be open to working with Sinn Fein in the weeks leading up the local elections.

Mr Flannery was asked to apologise to the parliamentary party for his comments and moved aside over fears his views would impact on Fine Gael's success in the general election two years later.

In 2009, former Green Party leader Trevor Sargent claimed he was asked by the current EU Commissioner and senior Fine Gael politician Phil Hogan to approach Sinn Fein about entering into government to stop Fianna Fail winning a third term in office.

Mr Hogan denied he asked Mr Sargent to make this approach.

Ms Doherty said she believes Sinn Fein's growth is being hampered because Gerry Adams remains the party's leader. "It's not my place to tell them at all but if you had a different leader I could see far more centre-Ireland moving towards some of their policies," she said.

Ms Doherty questioned if such voters would stay with the party if they later came to view Sinn Fein's policies as "populist".

She added: "I think that if there was a younger, far less maybe inhibited leader that they would increase in power.

"But again that's their baby. No more than it's up to them to tell me who to have as my leader."
A SAMPLE of the Citizens' Assembly indicated they wanted to see abortion more readily available for Irish women - with references to protecting victims of rape, incest and mothers pregnant with embryos at risk of serious illness or death.

Facilitators feeding back responses from 13 tables at the Grand Hotel, Malahide, Co Dublin, told how a number of the 99 members of the Assembly were concerned about the abortion law as it stands.

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And Assembly chair Ms Justice Laffoy announced the group would sit for an extra weekend due to the complexity of the issue. The Assembly's work is now expected to be completed by mid April then fed back to the Oireachtas for direction.

The viewpoints from the citizens were shared with guaranteed anonymity.

Statements showed a great deal of members had concerns for pregnant women in Ireland, a country with one of the most stringent abortion laws in the world.

One female facilitator said her table felt Ireland's abortion legislation "was not fit for purpose"

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While another facilitator from one of the tables, said her group were concerned about mental health issues, feeling the Eight Amendment was "too restrictive, degrading, prohibitive and inhumane, perhaps the 2013 act conflicts with equality.

"It should be available, it's happening anyway but is being exported."

Another facilitator simply said members from his table felt the amendment "should be repealed."

Other members felt that the Eighth Amendment should "be changed" and they needed to know "the circumstances where it (abortion) would be permissible for fatal foetal abnormalities and the rape of the mother..."

While another group stated: "Rape was to be a category," that would have to be assessed.

Safety for the mother and unborn was also an issue raised, referring to the ordering of abortion pills online.

But other citizens stated that "there would have to be a burden of proof," over whether a woman was raped and regarding "father's rights."

Members were also concerned that women should "not be forced" to carry to full term foetus' with congenital diseases.

While others said victims of incest needed to be protected and that "abortion was happening anyway, so there was no point not having abortion clinics in Ireland."

Those opposing abortion being available in Ireland stated they were concerned about the prevalence in Iceland of the termination of foetus' with down syndrome.

Yesterday the Assembly heard that no baby had been born with the condition in Iceland for the past four years since DNA tests had been widely introduced for pregnant women which see blood samples taken from the foetus.

And others said that the constitution "should continue to represent the rights of the unborn," while others stated "clarity was needed" to direct GPs and other medical practitioners so their own personal beliefs did not take precedence.

Others wanted to know more about the "consequences" if the Eighth Amendment was repealed.

And some members said they didn't want to see the amendment repealed in any way.

Closing for the weekend, Ms Justice Laffoy said though the Assembly meetings would be extended to five, "It was important to note this does not affect my previous commitment to complete the work in respect of the Eighth Amendment within the first half of 2017.

"I am determined to deal swiftly and comprehensively with this matter and report and make recommendations to Government as soon as possible.

"In the coming weekends we will look at a wide range of issues including the complex and difficult area of rape, both from a medical and legal perspective."

Ms Laffoy also said the Assembly would look at the availability of legal terminations in other jurisdictions and the potential regulation of the medical system.

"We will also hear the personal stories of women in crisis pregnancy," she added.

"We will hear of their experiences, to allow the members to hear first-hand about how the matters we are discussing at these weekends effect women and their families.

"We will also consider how crisis pregnancy affects vulnerable groups in Irish society."

The final weekend will centre on making recommendations to the Oirechtas on Ireland's abortion law.

The Assembly has so far received in excess of 13,500 submissions and around 8,000 were made online and almost 5,000 by post.

These will be published online within four to six weeks. The next meeting will take place on the weekend of 4 and 5 February.
Regina Doherty said she has read coverage of her time as Government Chief Whip and wondered to herself: "Is there anybody that likes me?"

The thought occurred to her after a recent story outlining the challenges she faces in making sure ministers and Fine Gael TDs are in Leinster House to attend Dail votes.

She said the story had a number of different sources, and added: "I learnt that week about myself that I'm trying to change more people than I can change when in actual fact I should be changing me.

"It's up to me to make sure that I can facilitate their ability to do their job and that's an awful lot easier and an awful lot less stressful."

The Meath East TD has one of the toughest jobs in politics, but she also doesn't make it easy on herself and it's been a difficult couple of weeks.

First came the An Bord Pleanala decision to allow the north-south inter-connector electricity pylons to be routed through her constituency. She's against the plans and said publicly that the issue is more important than keeping her job in the Cabinet.

Then came her criticism of her Fine Gael constituency colleague Helen McEntee.

They don't have a working relationship, Doherty said, in an interview with the Irish Times that appeared last week. Doherty added: "She would walk past me in the corridor and wouldn't even blink her eyes."

McEntee called the comments "utterly inappropriate" and said she'd address the matter internally in Fine Gael.

It was hot water that Doherty prepared for herself.

Perhaps understandably she didn't want to return to either issue when contacted ahead of the publication of her interview with the Sunday Independent.

Doherty was engaging, enthusiastic, and open to offering views on a wide range of issues, some of which would send other TDs running for the hills. Her remarks that she could work with Sinn Fein in a future coalition, while accepting that others in her party may not share that view, is one example. It's an openness that - while admirable - can land her in difficulty.

As Government Chief Whip, Doherty is arguably one of the key figures in the "new politics" brought about by the minority Government arrangement.

She was not impressed with how it's sometimes discussed, and said: "What we talk about new politics now is bullshit. I don't actually know where that phrase came from or who coined it but it's thrown around like confetti around here and most of it in a kind of jocular way: 'Oh, all right, that's new politics', or, 'I want to go back to old politics'."

She later clarified that the "flippant" way new politics is referred to, particularly by commentators, doesn't reflect the "genuine and positive changes" that have occurred in the Oireachtas.

She said there had been a shift in power from Government to parliament and insisted "it is working" - but that's not to say she did not see room for improvement.

She admitted she can get "annoyed" by Labour leader Brendan Howlin's branding of the current set-up as "the do-nothing Dail", and said it was "very unfair". She added: "Nobody really knew what we were going into on May 6.

"Particularly given that I only have five hours a week to pass legislation - as opposed to as much as I would have liked in the old Dail."

She said a priority once the new term starts will be to increase the length of time to pass Government legislation.

However, despite this limitation, the Government has exceeded its target in terms of the number of Bills it has passed - though she admitted it had been a "much slimmed-down programme of legislation".

Despite the difficulties, Doherty said being Chief Whip was "probably the most interesting job I've ever had".

To allow ministers to travel to engagements at home and abroad, she has to arrange pairings with opposition TDs during Dail votes.

She said she had built up relationships with politicians that she had little contact with in her previous five years in Leinster House.

One surprising example is AAA-PBP TD Paul Murphy, who Doherty said she had encountered only when "fighting with him on the radio" about water charges.

"I would have had a view in my head that he was X, Y and Z type of a politician - and he's not. He's intelligent and articulate," she said.

She mentioned Fianna Fail's Eamon O Cuiv, who told her "you'll find your closest friends in the most unusual places".

Sinn Fein's whip Aengus O Snodaigh has never said No when she has asked for a favour, Doherty added.

"The same is true of the Labour Party, of the Green Party, and of Stephen Donnelly," she said. "People are very understanding that Government needs to run its business.

"In the beginning everybody had the impression that we were going to be losing votes week in, week out. It'd become such a common occurrence. It hasn't happened. I think we've lost two votes."

She said the Government hadn't failed to pass one of its own Bills and she did not anticipate that happening.

Doherty added "you'd obviously seriously have to reflect on the position of that Government" if it did begin losing votes on its own legislation.

She branded occasions when opposition groups had tabled motions on divisive issues such as abortion or water charges as "populism" and "wedge politics".

The water charges issue "needs to be addressed", she said, and she will go along with the will of the Dail when a vote is finally held on the issue in March.

Doherty said that if water charges are kept in some form, those who didn't pay should be pursued.

She suggested: "The only way that would conceivably work is that if you didn't pay your bill and you want to go and sell your house in 10 years' time, well then we will get the money off you in 10 years' time because it was the law of the land. I think everybody should be treated fairly."

But asked if she was in favour of refunds for those who paid if the charges are scrapped outright, she replied: "Give the money back."

But she didn't think tricky issues such as water charges, pay-by-weight bins, or even Brexit will trip up the Government, as they're all issues that can be dealt with.

In relation to Brexit, she said: "You fear the worst. There are obviously huge opportunities with regard to Brexit too."

Doherty was even optimistic about Donald Trump's imminent arrival in the White House. She said: "There are opportunities for us from Trump that people maybe don't see and recognise yet, with regard to the reductions of corporation tax in America." However, she did not outline how this could benefit Ireland.

On the domestic front, she said: "The Eighth Amendment, pay-by-weight... all of those things are stuff that can be dealt with.

"I'm a democrat and I'm a republican. I will accept the will of the parliament."

Doherty didn't sound like some in Fine Gael who fear Fianna Fail will pull the plug on the Government at the moment that's most advantageous to it.

"I think we'll get plenty of notice," she said of the prospect of an election.

"The opinion polls will tell you that, if there was an election in the morning, the likelihood is that the goalposts wouldn't change that drastically. I mean, we might lose one or two seats. Fianna Fail might gain one or two seats. It doesn't change the dynamic of what you would end up back here with."

She said she didn't think there was an appetite from anyone in Leinster House for an election but added that Fianna Fail was in a "difficult position" when it came to opposition groups such as Sinn Fein and AAA-PBP.

She explained: "They're trying to facilitate a Government - and that means supporting us, but also trying to find spaces where they disagree with us."

Doherty thinks Fine Gael must talk about issues that are important to people - which she identified as healthcare and housing - to have a chance of remaining the largest party after the next election. Perhaps in reference to Fine Gael's disastrous "Keep the recovery going" slogan from the last election, she said there should be an assumption that the public wants a good economy.

Fine Gael needs to learn from "the stupid things that we did" to secure the return of the councillors and TDs it lost in the local elections of 2014 and in last year's general election, she claimed.

Her party's poor election led to backbench rumblings last summer about Taoiseach Enda Kenny's leadership.

Doherty poured fuel on the fire when she said on local radio that Kenny should set out a timeline for his departure. Within hours, she had realised her error and was publicly expressing her full support for him.

He has since said that he hopes to be in office to welcome Pope Francis to Ireland next year, and Doherty thinks that will happen.

"The dynamic has changed," she said. "First of all - and I'm so pleased for him personally - his opinion ratings are improving and I think that's lovely for him, for us as a team."

She said that she could not see a better person to chair Cabinet meetings.

"I genuinely have huge respect when I watch him," Doherty said. "I never got to watch him in action so closely as I have in the last six months, so probably my admiration is even bigger now.

"That's not to say that there still aren't certain people in Fine Gael that have difficulties with him. That's their issue."

Has she got a preference for either Leo Varadkar or Simon Coveney - most frequently named as Kenny's successors?

"Not at the moment," she replied, adding that both would make "fabulous leaders" and pointed out that it isn't a closed race. She regards Frances Fitzgerald and Paschal Donohoe equally highly.

Meanwhile, Doherty was not shy about her own ambitions. Someday she would like to lead her party and serve as Taoiseach. "I can say this because there's not a snot's chance in hell that I'm in the running for anything," she joked.

"I have so much more to learn and I love the learning bit," adding that she would need to serve as a senior minister before any tilt at the top.

"So roll on 10 years," she said. "If you asked me would I like to be the Taoiseach. I'd bite your left leg off, of course, just to be able to do it."
Thirsty work: Michelle and Barack Obama enjoy a drink of Guinness at Ollie Hayes Bar in Moneygall, Co Offaly - the president's ancestral home - on their previous trip to Ireland in 2011 Photo: MAXWELLS DUBLIN

Outgoing US President Barack Obama came to Ireland five years ago in search of the apostrophe missing from his surname - and now it looks as though he is planning a return.

Obama, who has family roots in Moneygall, Co Offaly, is leaving the White House in just under two weeks' time and is expected to make the trip here in the next 12 months.

The plans were confirmed by the outgoing US ambassador to Ireland Kevin O'Malley yesterday.

The pair spoke last Wednesday as O'Malley is due to vacate his post on January 20 when Donald Trump is inaugurated.

"The last sentence that the president said to me on Wednesday when we were saying goodbye was, 'Please tell 'em I'm coming'," O'Malley told Marian Finucane on RTE Radio.

"So I think that's the president's way of saying informally that you'll probably see him again.

"My guess is in the coming year or so."

Obama's eighth cousin Henry Healy, who is operations manager at Barack Obama Plaza, said there was a buzz around Moneygall yesterday after news of the impending visit broke.

"It is great that the president confirmed this news as late as Wednesday because it shows a visit here is obviously very high on his agenda," he told the Sunday Independent.

"I am not surprised because he said on numerous occasions last St Patrick's Day when we were over at the White House that he was keen to come back here and show his daughters around Moneygall."

Mr Healy added there would be a ribbon waiting for Obama to cut in the service station named in his honour.

"It'll be hard for him to pass by the place and not have his curiosity sparked," he said.

"It has always been his intention to return and it is great to think we are likely to see him here again in near future."

Obama last visited Ireland with his wife Michelle in 2011, when the pair looked around his ancestral home and met his relatives over a pint of Guinness in Ollie Hayes Bar.

The couple then addressed a crowd of thousands at College Green, Dublin, where they spoke of the history and the strong relationship that exists between Ireland and the US.

"My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall O'bamas, and I've come home to find the apostrophe we lost somewhere along the way," he said at the time.

"We're peoples, the Irish and Americans, who never stop imagining a better future, even in bitter times.

"There has always been a bit of green behind the red white and blue."
This ship's log was meant to be different. It should have been written on the South Pacific, powering towards Cape Horn in the Vendee Globe.

But destiny, and a bizarre turn of events, dictated otherwise.

On New Year's Day, a violent 35mph squall and an out-of-control gybe smashed Kilcullen Voyager's mast. That was all it took for the dream -to complete the singlehanded around-the-world voyage, and be the first Irishman to do so - to be shattered to pieces.

Now, I must step back, stranded here in remote New Zealand South Island and work out what it all means - and then decide what next.

It's a major setback, having been totally alone on the ocean for two months - a personal, emotional time-bomb and physical turmoil.

It was in the black of early night. A moonless sky. There was a big sea running in 20 knots of wind when the self-steering became faulty from a software malfunction.

The boat gybed out of control. The boom crashed over - and it was while trying to get the boat under control that she gybed back again. I had been distracted in solving the auto-pilot problem and the mast backstay was not hardened, leaving us vulnerable.

Then, and with no warning, the wind was upon us. It felt like an explosion, with a 35 knot-plus (gale-force) squall behind a big wave. We lunged down the trough and hit a wall of water. The 60ft boat stopped dead - but the 100ft-high mast kept going forward.

There was an almighty crash. And that was it.

Fast action was necessary. Broken rigging was everywhere. I had to move around on all-fours up and down the deck. The mast was thrashing out of control and we ran the risk of it making a hole below the waterline.

Within 10 minutes, assisted by two razor-like knives and cutters, all the lines were slashed - and then the mast, sails, and complete rig sank without trace into the Southern Ocean. It was painful work, and expensive.

I was left with just the hull and a big hole in the foredeck. I would like to say I was not afraid, but I was terrified. The sea was pushing violently and all I could do was seal the hole as best I could and crawl into the small cabin, huddle up, and wait for daybreak.

Now, seven daybreaks later, there is an unusual turn of events. It's almost destiny. Things are not as bleak as they seem. It is a time to reflect, to analyse, to mourn and to confront reality.

The Vendee Globe race itself rolls forward, scattering retired teams from Tahiti, to Australia, South Africa and so on as the pace intensifies. And, more important, our MSL Mercedes primary schools programme with the Atlantic Youth Trust - connecting kids with the maritime and adventure - continues regardless. And though part of me mourns the dismasting, I am told a lot has been achieved firing imaginations and sharing the adventure. This helps to make it all worthwhile.

Otago Bay, Dunedin, on New Zealand's South Island is the last place in the world where I expected to be writing this final ship's log.

But the challenge - of pushing the boundaries that has taken our boat through the Atlantic, Indian and now the Pacific Ocean - is definitely not over.

We arrived here early Friday morning last, after five days adrift in the Southern Ocean, and now consider ourselves to be extremely lucky.

We sailed mastless, with a jury rig, and spent five days covering 240 miles - when previously we had been covering up to 400 miles in one day. And we did it without calling in emergency rescue services.

Ironically on New Year's Day, only hours before tragedy struck, I had made a New Year resolution to take fewer risks and not to push the boundaries in life so hard. It was all bound up in realising that I was very lucky to have so much to live for.

Now that resolution has been forced upon me. All thoughts of living on the edge are suddenly stopped - that space has gone.

On that fateful New Year's Day, things had been looking up. I'd completed all my repairs after three weeks of battering by the gales of the Indian Ocean.

I'd reached the Pacific Ocean and the next big milestone was going to be Cape Horn, and then home.

And, most importantly, the adventure is shared - it takes a team, working together to make the adventure possible - though I can't hide that I am heartbroken for all who have supported the challenge.

And what a challenge it was. A celebration of the ocean, the planet we live on - and the courage and ingenuity of mankind to take on the elements.

But what does all this mean now? Clearly I'm out of the race, and I'm very appreciative of the ongoing support of Marcus Hutchinson and Neil O'Hagan - and also John Malone, who put in an all-nighter to help fix us off Stewart Island. And now in Dunedin, Paddy O'Connor from Cork is a fantastic help.

But we need to keep making decisions. We need a solution - and basically there are three possible scenarios: (1) find another mast and sail back to Les Sables and complete the singlehanded circumnavigation; (2) leave the boat in New Zealand and find another challenge; or (3) ship it back to Europe.

It's all too soon to decide but I instinctively feel that the most important step is to get back to family and friends - back to work and a 'normal' life (whatever that is).

I'm a bundle of emotion, readjusting and trying to figure out what it all means - heartbroken and devastated.

But I know it's a first-world problem. I'm lucky to have had the opportunities I have had, and am overawed by the level of interest in the adventure. Already several Irish people have expressed interest in the next event - and the schools programme has fired the imaginations of thousands of kids.

Also here in Dunedin, by bizarre coincidence, we have enjoyed deep co-operation with the University of Otago in evaluating the benefit of ocean youth development in our plans to build a new North/South training ship. This will replace Asgard ard and Northern Ireland's Lord Rank.

These plans, after worldwide evaluation, are based on the incredibly successful New Zealand model. Our Kilcullen Voyager adventure has been a great boost to the youth charity, inspiring and informing our mission to help promote Ireland's maritime potential by working with the next generation.

Once again thanks again to friends, family and supporters. Happy New Year.

Enda O'Coineen had attempted to be the first Irishman to sail solo, non-stop around the world in the Vendee Globe race - in the process promoting the Atlantic Youth Trust Charity and a schools programme
Teenage law student Kym Owens, who last November was found seriously injured on a roadside in Maynooth, Co Kildare, remains in an induced coma in hospital - seven weeks later

Investigating gardai have not yet determined how she sustained her head injuries despite intensive inquiries.

Gardai officially described the incident as a serious assault when they launched their investigation.

But senior officers have not ruled out any possibilities.

Medical evidence indicated that she could have suffered the injuries to her eye sockets, jaw and teeth in a fall. But gardai say this does not explain why her shoes were found a short distance from where she lay.

One theory being investigated is that Kym might have been struck by a passing vehicle or trailer and then dragged along the ground as she walked to her student accommodation in the Moyglare Abbey estate.

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She had earlier from her home town, near Castleblayney, on a private bus on November 20.

The area was shrouded in heavy fog at the time, and a driver might not have been aware of such an incident.
Union chief Brendan Ogle has rejected claims that a violent convicted burglar associated with the Home Sweet Home campaign was a founding member of the group which has occupied Apollo House in Dublin city centre.

It emerged yesterday that Quentin Sheridan - a homeless man with at least 39 convictions - left Apollo House after an incident with residents and other homeless campaigners.

Sheridan, who was imprisoned for terrorising a woman with a seven-inch breadknife, described himself as one of the founding members of the Home Sweet Home campaign.

Last night, he confirmed he left Apollo House after falling out with organisers and claimed he would set up a new campaign.

Irish Housing Network spokeswoman Rosi Leonard said Sheridan was "part of the original group of people involved" in taking over Apollo House.

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However, Mr Ogle, a spokesman for the campaign, said Sheridan was not one of the group's founding members. The union activist said he did "not accept" the convicted burglar was a central figure in the establishment of the campaign and even insisted there were "no founding members".

"Lots of people describe themselves as lots of things. When I get drunk I describe myself as Elvis Presley. It doesn't mean I am," he told the Sunday Independent.

Mr Ogle confirmed Sheridan left Apollo House a "week and a half ago" after an "incident".

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"There has been one incident in Apollo House in three weeks which for a homeless hostel is bordering on miraculous," he said.

The Apollo House campaigners are due before the High Court next week where a judge will decide if they are illegally occupying the Nama- controlled property.

Campaigners met Housing Minister Simon Coveney last Friday to discus alternative accommodation arrangements for the people living in the abandoned building.
Garda forensics at the scene of the shooting in the Ronanstown area of west Dublin. Inset: Noel Kirwan, left, with Gerry The Monk Hutch

The daughter of gangland victim Noel Duck Egg Kirwan has spoken out against her fathers killer, stating that his murder was an act of pure evil.

Mr Kirwan (62) was shot dead in front of his partner at St Ronans Drive in Ronanstown by a lone gunman on December 22. Despite being involved in crime as a young a man, he is not believed to have had any links to crime in recent years.

Noels daughter, Donna, told todays Irish Sun on Sunday that she will never find forgiveness for the killer.

She said: None of it feels real at all and its like I wake up every day to the same nightmare. I will never forgive the people who robbed us of a wonderful father but I dont hate them.

The world of gangland is alien to us  we never expected such horror to visit our door. To murder an innocent man a few days before Christmas is an act of pure evil.

Thirty-year-old Donna believes her father was killed because he was spotted at the funeral of Eddie Hutch.

She added: We have no doubt the reason he was murdered was because he was at the funeral of Eddie Hutch.

I still cant believe I woke up beside my father in a coffin on New Years Eve.

The family have vowed to fight for justice, with Donna adding: Were not out for revenge and this has nothing to do with hatred, we just want justice for a loving father.

Anyone involved in this terrible crime should be brought before the courts because they have destroyed so many lives.

Donna also added that the murder was not captured on CCTV, as the camera Noel had wasn't working.

He was the 11th victim of the Hutch/Kinahan feud.
Knock-on-effect: Grainne Clear (28) says no one should be surprised by young Irish women delaying parenting. Photo: Damien Eagers

Forget what they told you in school about safe sex: today, society wants us to start having children younger. Rather than waiting till later, Irish women are being urged to conceive in their mid-twenties, that famously stable period during which we all find well-paid jobs for ourselves, get a home and a mortgage, and settle into long-term relationships with our equally stable, financially secure partners...

If you think this sounds a bit unrealistic, you're not the only one. For many Irish twenty-somethings, the prospect of children is about as likely as, well, finding a stable career, a home and a mortgage.

Still, in an article in an Irish newspaper this week, Dr Simon Fishel, who was part of the team responsible for the birth of the world's first IVF baby, warned Irish women that their fertility declines dramatically after age 30, whereupon the risk of chromosomal abnormalities during pregnancy also increases.

A Eurostat survey cited by Fishel found that over 50pc of Irish women wait until their thirties to have children. Indeed, Ireland is third in Europe for babies born to mothers aged over 35 and is above the EU average for first-time mothers in their forties.

The implication is that Ireland's already greying population is on the brink of a new crisis, placing further pressure on our beleaguered health service and risking the health of older mothers and their babies.

The study also showed that in Italy, Spain and Switzerland, couples are waiting longer than in Ireland, while those in the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Sweden and Denmark are on average slightly younger. But this is by months, rather than by years - so should doctors really be issuing public warnings?

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Whatsapp When all your homes are rentals, all your jobs are on temporary contract, where do you put down the foundations of adulthood? [Pic: scene from Broad City]

On the one hand, this is a fair concern: infertility affects roughly one in five Irish couples, and the number of those pursuing expensive, emotionally taxing IVF treatments is increasing. Former health minister Leo Varadkar promised state-sponsored IVF last year, but the option has yet to materialise, and Irish people are now travelling to places like the Czech Republic for more affordable treatment (between 4,000-5,000 in Ireland, and around 2,500 abroad).

On the other hand, we have the second-highest fertility rate in Europe, just behind that of France. As a nation, we are living longer, healthier lives, one by-product of which is having children later.

"When you speak to people working in the field of fertility, we are inherently biased by our jobs," says Dr John Kennedy of the Sims Clinic, Dublin.

"All we see all day is couples struggling to conceive, but that isn't the experience of the majority of the population.

"It's true that the older you are, the more likely you are to struggle. Not necessarily to the degree of needing fertility treatment, but you might take longer to conceive."

Rather than telling young women to abandon their careers in favour of starting families, Kennedy stresses the need to improve education around the subject of fertility.

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Whatsapp Girls' star Jemima Kirke gave birth to her two children while she was in her 20s (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)

"Historically, the way our education system has worked in Ireland is that you're taught to be terrified of getting pregnant in your teens and twenties.

"You're told that you're rampantly fertile and will remain that way indefinitely, which isn't the case for most."

It's also worth remembering that public dialogue around fertility, much like that around pregnancy in general, tends toward the extreme.

The AMH (anti-Mullerian hormone) test, for instance, is often portrayed in TV dramas as a diagnostic test which can seal your fate and declare you infertile forever. But it is only a form of screening.

"Loads of things can affect AMH. It can go up and go down again, and is affected by other medications," says Kennedy.

It's worth checking for any underlying issues as early as possible, not to resign yourself to infertility, but so that you know your options and can make informed choices later on.

Millennials, and particularly Irish millennials, seem to me to be marked by a sense of impermanence. We are 'contract workers', nomadic and flighty by necessity, not choice. We are romanticised one minute as 'Generation Emigration', pilloried the next as 'Generation Snowflake'. We are caricatured as self-involved and immature, but what's less frequently addressed is the economic and social climate which keeps us this way.

When all your homes are rentals, all your jobs are on temporary contract, where do you put down the foundations of adulthood? How can you be 'adult' enough to raise a child, without a stable home in which to raise them? How can you call yourself an adult at all?

I wrote a Facebook post asking friends what their thoughts are on having children. I'm in the second half of my twenties, but a few exceptions aside, I have yet to notice any baby pictures appearing in my timeline.

One friend in her late twenties, Teresa Coyne, who has prolactinoma (a condition affecting the pituitary gland which can lead to infertility), is well used to being advised by medics to start her family sooner rather than later.

"My doctor gives me grief, saying I need to make a plan now as I'm nearing 30. But I'm in college, renting a tiny room in Dublin and living month to month. There's not a hope I could deal with a baby," she says. For others, the issue relates more to how they see the world and where it is headed.

Alan Maguire, host of the Juvenalia Podcast and an editor at Headstuff.org, is known for his cheerful Twitter presence, but he gives me an unexpectedly nihilistic vision of the future.

"I'm very, very lucky and stable, but the Arctic is melting," says the 32-year-old. "Things are going to get really bad for everyone really quickly, so even I can't justify having a child to myself, except to fulfil some kind of The Road-style fantasy."

Meanwhile 31-year-old Shawna Scott, a young entrepreneur known for her online business Sex Siopa, thinks finances play a big part.

"I have a lot of personal reasons for not wanting to have children, but the financial barrier is probably the biggest. I think the way we frame the issue can often place the onus on women to make lots of babies, when actually it's a far more complex, systemic issue."

Grainne Clear (28), who works in publishing in Dublin, says no one should be surprised by young Irish women delaying parenting.

"Life and culture has changed so dramatically and quickly, even compared to the generation before us. If society invests in the education and careers of its women, as it should do, it's inevitably going to have a knock-on effect."

Progress in one area might lead to a few steps back in another, but this won't necessarily take away from what's gained, she says.

"If Irish people can't afford to get married and own their own homes in their twenties, then they're not going to have babies until they can."

Another friend of mine, Adam Hurley, links fertility trends to broader economic ones.

"For a lot of people, there's a sense that Ireland has abandoned us, that the needs of our generation have been consistently ignored. We're not having children because we're busy trying to get our lives together," says the 29-year-old.

It's worth acknowledging that fertility, as a force of nature, is inherently sexist - while fertility issues can - and do - affect men, the window of time for women to conceive is far shorter. Nature can't be helped, but does it justify the tiresome 'clock's ticking' rhetoric we grew up with, the hackneyed questions about 'having it all'?

For a generation deeply aware of the need to advance gender equality - in the workplace, the home and even in the Constitution - fertility poses an awkward prospect.

Recently married at 34 and living in Waterford, Sarah, who preferred not to give her second name, feels targeted by all the public concern for her reproductive health. Family members are asking questions; friends often corner her on nights out.

"I keep thinking I should have that 'ovaries burning' moment," she tells me, "but I don't. Maybe I'll feel differently when I get a mortgage and live in my own house - secretly I'm hoping I do change my mind - but for now I don't want to have children."

For Sarah, the reward for years spent working towards stability and happiness is not to have children, but to enjoy life as it stands.

"I'm not sure I want to give up that lifestyle at all, though I get the feeling my friends would be disgusted at me for saying that."

Meanwhile her friends continue to get pregnant. "I'm not naive, I know their whole lives change. So many people tell me it's worth it, but I don't believe them."

"Women are a lot more educated now," says Helen Browne, chairperson of the National Infertility Support and Information Group (NISIG) which supports and advocates for people experiencing reproductive challenges.

"My grandmother got married at 16, had her first child at 17 and, in the end, had 11 pregnancies and nine children. Most women wouldn't put themselves through all those pregnancies today."

Browne's own experiences undergoing IVF, though ultimately unsuccessful, have led her to empathise with the couples and individuals she speaks to every day on NISIG's 24-hour support line.

She often hears from women diagnosed with conditions linked to infertility such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and irregular periods, conditions which doctors can fail to take seriously until it's too late.

"GPs will often tell women in their twenties not to worry, that they can address them later when they want to get pregnant. But if these conditions aren't treated early, they'll have a greater chance of doing damage to the reproductive system," says Browne.

As a woman in the second half of my twenties, researching this article raised worrying questions. Not so much about my biological clock - am I ever truly allowed to forget that - as to the layers upon layers of conjecture and well-intended 'advice', clouding a choice which remains intensely personal.

Women have been told so many contradictory truths around what is 'natural' or 'normal' or 'sensible' or 'safe', when really it's down the individual, their biology and their circumstances.

Browne also noted a frequent bias against women in this public dialogue: "I often speak to people in strong and loving relationships, but whose partners are not ready to be fathers yet. That's rarely mentioned in the media; often it's men who are not ready to be fathers yet. But there's always this blame placed on women."

Worth keeping in mind next time another 'warning to young women' is published.
On the up: Economist David McNamara says Dublin accounts for 40pc of the countrys GDP. Photo: Damien Eagers

Jim Power remembers the occasion like it was yesterday. The well-known economist was addressing a public meeting in Co Cavan two years ago and was talking about the recovery he felt was well and truly under way in Ireland. But he was soon shot down by an audience member, angered by what he was hearing.

"He was not a happy man," Power recalls.

"He said it was all very well for me in my Dublin 4 ivory tower to talk about economic recovery, but it wasn't being felt by him."

It's an argument Power has heard time and again in the past five years - this latest boom is Dublin-centric - and while he insists that every part of Ireland has experienced recovery, especially when it comes to jobs, Dublin has clearly prospered most.

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But a new government initiative due to be unveiled later this month will for many be a welcome first step in redressing the balance.

The National Planning Framework will target Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Galway, as well as a potential new city in the midlands, in a bid to bring about greater population growth, more jobs and increased infrastructure investment for regions outside of the capital.

Power insists, however, that a strong Dublin, is essential for Ireland Inc.

"It's so blindingly obvious, it hardly needs saying: for Ireland to fully recover, it needs Dublin to fully recover - and Dublin has certainly been heading in the right direction for the past few years."

David McNamara, research economist at Davy stockbrokers, is just as unequivocal.

"When investors ask us about the importance of Dublin," he says, "we tell then that Dublin is more important to Ireland than London is to the UK. And that's down to GDP."

Dublin, he says, accounts for 40pc of Ireland's gross domestic product "and when the commuter belt is factored in, that's closer to 50pc".

"It's essential for Ireland," he adds, "that Dublin is doing well and there's certainly a strong feeling internationally that the city is on the up."

Five years ago, few cranes pockmarked the Dublin sky - now they're everywhere. A sign of the frenzy for commercial construction can be seen just outside the Davy HQ on Dawson Street - across the road, vast swathes of Molesworth Street are being rebuilt. These gleaming office complexes will open later this year.

Real-estate firm Savills estimates that 136 office buildings are currently under construction in Dublin, cumulatively capable of housing 100,000 staff.

Some of the new builds are likely to become iconic, including the mixed-use Capital Dock, at the mouth of Liffey which, at 79m, will be the tallest building in the Republic when it is completed by year-end. And, by 2019, it will be joined, on the other side of the river, by the Exo Building, which, at 73m will be the tallest office building in the country.

Such blue-chip development is just what Dublin needs in order to prosper into the future, especially in a post-Brexit world.

"Dublin is Ireland's only hope in a Brexit storm," says urban planner Paul Kearns. "It's a serious challenge for Donegal, but it's a real opportunity for Dublin.

"It's time Dublin decision-makers started talking up all the opportunities it's a capital, English-speaking city with considerable attraction for London banks and financial services."

Kearns, co-author with architect Motti Ruimy of the visionary book Redrawing Dublin, adds: "The city, not just the IDA, needs to get out and sell itself. The city council should demand a 10-year seat at the Cabinet. Currently, there is woeful ambition and civic leadership as to what the city could be."

Dublin's status as a tech-hub has been well established over the past decade and big employers like Google and Facebook have likely helped pull in the large numbers of foreign workers that help swell the population.

More than 500,000 ex-pat employees call Ireland home, according to a HSBC survey, and the majority of those are Dublin-based.

"Dublin is seen as an attractive place to visit and to live," says David McNamara, who says it's little surprise that so many overseas employees are attracted to its bright lights.

"While it can't be compared to the Londons or Parises of this world, it can be compared very favourably with a Manchester, Glasgow or Copenhagen."

For young fashion designer Emma Manley, Dublin is the only place in Ireland in which to run her business because it's a true international city renowned abroad for its creativity.

"I came back to Dublin five years after working in New York and then London [where she had an 18-month stint at fashion powerhouse Alexander McQueen], and the recession could really be felt in the city, but it's very different now. There's such a buzz here and an incredible entrepreneurial spirit.

"Fashion isn't one of those industries that can be decentralised in Ireland, so it has to be Dublin if it's going to be anywhere."

Manley is based at the Guinness Enterprise Centre - right next to the brewery - and says she loves working in such a fabled part of the city. "The old and new mingle here and while the past is all around you, there are lots of people doing new, creative work."

She lives a short walk away in Kilmainham, but knows only too well that others aren't as lucky. "For all that's great about Dublin, the housing crisis is a real problem. The rents have become so astronomical that many young professionals are struggling to afford to live here. One of the people that works with me has to commute in from Cavan every day. Do we want a city where only those who make high incomes can afford to live here? Dublin badly needs a far greater supply of accommodation at all levels, including executive-type property."

It's a sentiment echoed by Laura Erskine, the 'Mum-in-Residence' at Mummy Pages, the country's most popular parenting website. "The cost of living in Dublin has become exceptionally high," she says, "and it's a situation that's especially tough for parents.

"It's not uncommon for people with two children to be spending in the region of 2,000 per month on childcare alone.

"For those in negative equity and in a home that no longer serves their family's needs, that's particularly difficult."

Paul Kearns says there's huge room for improvement. "Dublin continues to sprawl as a low density city and despite welcome investment in Luas and Dublin Bus, it still lags behind other European cities in terms of a high quality public transport network. It's still the only capital city in EU without a rail link to the airport."

Kearns says the potential of the city's heart hasn't yet been realised. "We haven't cracked inner-city urban-living yet. Despite astronomical rents, the quality of life for a family living inside Canal Ring is relatively poor compared to other west European continental cities."

He says there are large tracks of unused land in the city that, with careful planning, could help alleviate Dublin's severe housing problem.

Read more: 'Healthy regions depend on a sizeable city, without that they cannot thrive'

For Jim Power, it is imperative that such land is utilised properly if Dublin is to alleviate the severe housing shortage and cater for the ever-increasing population.

"Former Lord Mayor Oisin Quinn did a lot of work in highlighting the unused land and there really is a lot of it," he says.

"For any capital to be vibrant, you really need to insure there's more than adequate housing, but also really good infrastructure and a strong public transport system. Dublin is really lacking on all those fronts at present, but they need to be tackled urgently because we need to continue to grow Dublin and to make it an attractive place to live and work. That's the mark of a successful city."

Dublin has a long way to go to be considered one of the world's most liveable cities. According to the latest Mercer Quality of Living survey, it languishes in 33rd place. It was 26th in 2010.

The survey tracks the quality of life of cities for multinational companies, informing them where to locate and how much to pay staff. The data examines social and economic conditions, health, education, housing and environmental factors. It also includes a personal safety ranking based on internal stability, crime levels, performance of local law enforcement, and the home country's relationship with other countries.

Aidan Sweeney, senior executive at the business and employer organisation Ibec, says he is not surprised that its comparatively poor placing.

"The city lags way behind places like Copenhagen and Amsterdam when it comes to quality of life. Dublin comes 15th in a poll [commissioned by TomTom] for the world's most congested cities. That's not a statistic to be proud of.

Read more: Moving in the wrong direction: the decentralisation debacle

"The infrastructure needs to be a lot better too. A lot of the visionary schemes from the boom years were shelved in recession, but with a rapidly growing population, they need to be addressed."

Sweeney believes successive governments have been blindsided by the rapid population growth. Of the country's 4.75 million population, an estimated 2 million live in Dublin or within its commuter belt. "We estimate that the population of Ireland will increase by 30pc by 2040, with the rate even higher for Dublin."

Sweeney questions how wise it is for Dublin to be under the jurisdiction of four councils and believes a directly elected mayor - as they have in London - would help with the joined-up thinking he feels is so important.

"But we shouldn't lose sight of all that's really great about Dublin," he insists.

"It's location is really great and there's such recreational scope, when you factor in the parks and so on. All that helps make a city a more desirable place to live. The broadband is excellent too - so much better than somewhere like London."

Dublin's population far outweighs that of all other Irish cities put together and many contend that it's to be expected that the lion's share of the development and business opportunities that happen in Ireland will occur in its capital.

"Opportunities should be greater for any great city," says Paul Kearns. "Dublin should stop apologising because cities matter and there is no other 'international competitive city' on the island.

"For the economic success of Ireland, we need a higher proportion of investment in Dublin to make it a world-class city."
Long exposure of the Baltimore Skyline and Inner Harbor Promenade, Baltimore, Maryland

Washington, DC at the Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial during spring

Somethings cooking in DC, says Pol O Conghaile.

Think of Americas great food cities, and New York, Chicago and LA spring to mind. Heck, maybe even Charleston or Las Vegas. But Washington DC?

Absolutely. This winter, the Zagat guide named the US capital as its No.1 food city, citing a string of new restaurant openings  including Bad Saint, The Shaw Bijou and RPM Italian by US reality TV stars Giuliana and Bill Rancic  among the reasons it topped the poll.

Most longtime residents would agree that DC was stuck in a dining rut for decades, Zagat raved. Its almost as if someone has hit the fast-forward button.

Sturgeon w/matsutake and white beet. Another great dish by @scottmuns. And another great shot by @snacketysnack. A photo posted by Pineapple and Pearls (@sevenfifteeneighth) on Nov 1, 2016 at 9:10pm PDT

Last October, DC became only the fourth US city to get its own edition of the Michelin Guide. Stars were dished out to 12 restaurants, with 19 more awarded bib gourmands for exceptional food at moderate prices.

Minibar, Pineapple & Pearls and The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia got two stars, joining just 20 other US restaurants with the accolade.

But its not just the fancy stuff. President Obama is famously a fan of Bens Chili Bowl on U Street North West (try the iconic Chili Half-smokes  hot-dogs slathered in thick chilli sauce with fries), and foodie website Eater (dc.eater.com) has a mouthwatering list of 50 iconic foods to devour in the city, including Nepolitan pizza at 2 Amys and creme brulee doughnuts at Astro. Yum.

Fancy a taste?

Washington.org has a lip-smacking list of food tours, and Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) and United (united.com) fly direct from Dublin. 2017, anyone?

D.C.'s Hottest Ticket

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DCs National Museum of African American History & Culture (nmaahc.si.edu; free) opened in September, but its already the hottest ticket in town.

Going to press, timed passes were booked out until April of 2017 (book in advance, or arrive early for one of a limited number of same-day passes issued from 9.15am only).

Food is integral here, too. The museums Sweet Home Cafe showcases the food traditions of African American people, with dishes ranging from pan-fried Louisiana catfish poboys to Smoking Hot Caribbean-style Pepper Pot.

Beyond D.C...

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Most Irish visits to Washington DC dont go beyond the city limits, but there are oodles of reasons to rent a car and explore Maryland (above) and Virginia.

Did you know Virginia is home to over 260 wineries and an oyster trail (virginiaoystertrail.com) or that it is the official birthplace of country music, thanks to the 1927 Bristol Sessions?

In Maryland, a new state park honouring abolitionist Harriet Tubman is set to open this spring. Spring and autumn are ideal times to visit both, with natural displays rivalling New Englands. See capitalregion.com for more.

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Gene Kerrigan Opinion This time, we did the right thing

The people act in solidarity. Children donate their pocket money and adults offer the use of a spare room. Refugee fundraising goes on in all the usual places, with the Late Late Show leading the way. When the Ukrainians needed help, we did the right thing.
Here we go again. As regular as clockwork, the chaos in hospital emergency departments has returned. Cue the various vested interests within the health service to adopt predictable positions. Eventually the crisis is distilled into a convenient form: "More beds!" becomes the catch cry and, at a political level, a pantomime villain steps forward, head bowed, with an apology at the ready. The villain is the latest Minister for Health who has been judged to have tried and failed to foresee and manage the current crisis. Simon Harris joins a long list of his predecessors who have contended with the apparent shambles that is the country's health service.

Yes, it is true that in the period since 2008 there has been a significant reduction in hospital budgets and staffing, which since then has been only tentatively reversed. That is a consequence of the financial crisis which has wreaked havoc on the country's social services. At the same time there has been a significant increase in the volume and complexity of activity in the country's hospitals. It is notable, however, that throughout the financial crisis there has also been a 10pc reduction in the average length of stay in our hospitals, contributing, in terms of bed days freed up, the equivalent of approximately 1,000 acute beds. This tends to point to a solution to a problem which is more complex than simply a demand for more beds. The truth is that the problems being experienced in emergency departments are the result of many factors, which in several respects can be traced back to an outdated model of care struggling to cope with new types and levels of demand.

While acute hospital care will always be essential, it must be provided within an integrated model to avoid unnecessary hospital stays. Where patients need acute services the transition between primary, acute and community care must be better managed so that it is effective, efficient and safe. Attempting to address these rising needs based on outdated models and assumptions will not achieve an acceptable health service for the Irish people. Today, some three-quarters of health service activity relates to dealing with chronic disease. There is scope to reduce admissions for chronic illnesses to potentially free up significant bed numbers. To build a better health service there is a need to change some of the operating assumptions on which health policy and health services were traditionally based. This change needs to be accelerated and implemented systematically and system-wide.

All the experts admit that there is significant further scope to improve the appropriateness of bed occupancy, reduce the average length of stay, shift care from in-patient to ambulatory and day case treatment and promote more efficient patient flow, including better integration with community services.

Furthermore, some hospitals consistently experience difficulties in balancing emergency and elective workloads. This is leading to emergency department delays on the one hand and cancellations and inefficient deployment of personnel and facilities on the other. Improved operational management and clinical practices can contribute significantly. However, it seems likely that in some cases a more thorough redesign of staffing and capacity is needed in order to achieve a greater separation between urgent and non-urgent care. There are solutions to this crisis. What is needed is a redoubling of effort and the willingness of all of the vested interests in the health service to play their part.
'According to gardai, emergency services and local people, stabbing is the routine punishment for young men caught up in the drugs trade and who fall into debt to their suppliers' Photo: Depositphotos

Only by chance was Reece Cullen the first and not the second, third or fourth victim of a fatal stabbing this early in the year.

The first victim of 2017 was a 17-year-old who was stabbed in 'posh' Dalkey in the early hours of New Year's Day. He was "very lucky" to survive, emergency services said.

It is understood a short- bladed Swiss Army-type blade was used in the attack, causing wounds in the jugular area, and the victim survived only because of prompt medical attention, followed by trauma treatment and surgery.

Gardai are expected to question a youth from a non-fee-paying school about the Dalkey assault, while others who attend fee-paying schools are also to be quizzed as either witnesses or as parties to the attack and an assault that occurred beforehand.

Witnesses said the village was packed with young revellers, many of them drunk and quite a few on uncertain drugs sold as cocaine or MDMA or the tranquilliser ketamine.

It was, one young man who was present said, exactly like previous New Year's nights in Dalkey - except for the stabbing.

Violence is not unusual when so many intoxicated young people are together, but this was the first stabbing in the knowledge of many of the young party crowd in Dalkey.

The same is not the case in working-class areas of Dublin where stabbings, infrequently fatal, are more normal. According to gardai, emergency services and local people, stabbing is the routine punishment for young men caught up in the drugs trade and who fall into debt to their suppliers.

"Nearly every young fellow we arrest has some kind of scar from stabbing. Slashing the face is common - 'cut' they call it," one garda said. "It for all sorts of reasons but owing drug money is the big one. Every time there is a row, someone gets slashed. It's amazing the number who have stab marks and slash marks on their faces."

The guard said it was equally common for victims to be approached by gardai to make a statement - but refusing or making up a story about being the victim of a random attack.

One garda spoke of a youth "from a good family" who was stabbed over a drug debt.

"We know he was told to turn up at a place and he knew he was going to be stabbed. He told the guards he was mugged."

He said that if the youth had named his attackers he feared he would be killed.

Across the south of the city, in areas where youths are engaged in pushing drugs, failure to meet payments is generally punished with a stabbing or severe beating by the underlings of the Kinahan gang and remaining Hutch mob. Large numbers of young men turn up at A&E wards across the city saying they didn't see their assailants or had never seen them before.

The fatal stabbing of Reece Cullen (16) in Jobstown, Tallaght, is believed to be the result of a local dispute and it is not clear if it was linked to drugs.

Local people said the killing had caused widespread distress, as the victim's mother - Anne Marie - who was very well known and liked locally, died last September.

It is believed the dispute which result in Reece Cullen's death resulted from trouble he had become involved in before his mother's death

Reece was a member of the local boxing club in Jobstown and had been living with relatives after his mother's death. He left school during the late stages of his mother's illness but had recently enrolled in a youth employment scheme in Tallaght.

There have been four stabbings reported to gardai since New Year. Last Tuesday, a 36-year-old woman was stabbed in the neck and robbed as she walked home from work through Drumcondra just after 5pm. A 33-year-old woman has been charged and appeared in court.

On New Year's Day, Bridie Smith (72) narrowly escaped death after being stabbed at the front door of her home at Oranmore Road in Ballyfermot in what is believed to have been an attempted aggravated burglary. Local people said they saw a number of men running from the front of the house and believed it was an attempted robbery by 'junkies'.

A view expressed by one senior garda, privately, was that much of the gang violence, not only in Dublin, is a result of garda successes in seizing drugs.

This often leaves teenagers with unpayable debt and in severe danger.

The Garda were set a target of increasing seizures by 25pc in 2016 compared with 2008 and are believed to have met this target.

But sources said this has had had little impact, although the prices of some drugs like cannabis went up significantly owing to garda action.

This has happened before and normally the market returns quickly to previous levels as there is little or no impact on the major importers like the Kinahan and Hutch mobs.
Right, so we can all agree that the week just gone was a crushing bore, now that we're back in work, riddled with bugs that won't go away and at least half a stone heavier.

Fear not though, because tonight we get a chance to cast off the cloak of collective gloom, pull on our comfy sweatpants and get our national appetite for celebrity blood-letting stoked up again.

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We had a bit of practice slagging off the Late Late on Friday, obviously, but the time has come to truly sharpen your tongues, people.

To kickstart the razzle dazzle of Tinseltown's annual awards ceremonies, the 74th Golden Globes Awards ceremony is back in town tonight, and the pickings for sneering will be rich.

While the rest of us get a few more months to hide the Christmas Quality Street pounds under layers of winter clothing, you have to feel sorry for the poor old celebs.

They'll have spent the holiday spiralising courgetti and recovering from lipo in order to fit into some over-priced dress. They'll also be tortured by vertiginous heels that will make their feet bleed.

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It'll all be for nothing though, as rather than being dazzled by their efforts, we'll have great fun tearing their outfit choices and hairstyles to shreds. Hell, E!'s red carpet coverage even includes a 'mani-cam,' where A-listers have to humiliatingly 'walk' their fingers up a little tunnel with a camera.

We at home can chew on our own raggedy nails in peace as we cast aspersions on their choice of varnish. Despite being rich and having access to the biggest designers and best stylists in the world, it's amazing how many of our stars rock up looking like a proverbial dog's dinner.

Who can forget Lara Flynn Boyle wafting on to the red carpet in a David Cardona tutu dress in 2003? With her concave chest and knobbly knees, the Twin Peaks actress was widely deemed to be sporting a 'heroin chic' ballerina look.

Then there was Diane Keaton in 2004, who looked like Miss Havisham-gone-wrong in her trussed-up white outfit. Truly surreal and hideous.

Expand Close Lara Flynn Boyle in a David Cardona tutu in 2003 Photo: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith / Facebook

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If you delve further back to 1990, Julia Roberts caused our collective jaws to drop when she wore an ill-fitting man's suit to the awards.

It was less Roz Purcell at the VIP Style Awards 2014, and more Cagney and Lacey's dumpy boss, Al Waxman, on an average day. She'd have actually looked better in her Pretty Woman hooker outfit.

We may get great fun out of slagging them off, but sadly celeb style-bashing hasn't been half as satisfying since we lost dear old Joan Rivers.

Her acid tongue on E!'s Fashion Police and scathing critiques of the stars and what they were wearing were a much-needed antidote to the unbearable gushing of red carpet hosts Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic.

"Madonna is so hairy, when she lifted her arm, I thought it was Tina Turner in her armpit" was one of Joan's kinder barbs. "All babies look like Renee Zellweger pushed against a glass window" was another gem.

Speaking of Renee, the Bridget Jones's Baby star almost missed her big moment in 2001. She was nowhere to be seen when Hugh Grant announced her as the winner of Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Nurse Betty, so a bemused Grant started to accept the coveted gong on her behalf. The hapless Renee finally rushed on stage and breathlessly admitted that she had been in the bathroom. All she was short of was having her dress tucked into her knickers.

Mind you, Renee's frantic dash to the stage wasn't half as startling as her appearance at the Elle's Women in Hollywood event in October 2014. She showed up looking unrecognisable and suspiciously line-free and was accused of having had too much cosmetic surgery.

Luckily for her, Rivers had passed away a month before, so we were robbed of what the octogenarian would have had to say about this bizarre transformation.

It would have been good, as Joan had already opined that Zellweger was "just two eye jobs away from becoming an honorary Asian".

We also love it when the stars make a show of themselves. We all suspected Liz Taylor of over-indulging on something fizzy when she slurred her lines on stage in 2001. In her 'delicate' state, she almost announced the award winner too early .

In 2015, actor Jeremy Renner couldn't take his eyes off Jennifer Lopez's ample cleavage. "You've got the globes, too," he joked to J.Lo, as we all hid behind our hands in mortification.

Back home, we get fiercely proud of nominees who have any sort of Irish connection, no matter how tenuous. Take Ruth Negga. We didn't so much as give her a part in Fair City while she lived here and she's been based in London for the past 10 years.

Now that she's hit the big time with her best actress nomination for Mildred in Loving, we're all suddenly in love with Ruth and tripping over ourselves to stick her photo on our magazine covers.

It will be a huge boost to our national pride if she sees off those pesky other nominees, Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, Natalie Portman and Isabelle Huppert, seeing as Saoirse Ronan was robbed for Brooklyn last year by that wagon Brie Larson.

You never know - if she doesn't let us down by wearing a frocky horror show, RTE might even consider giving Ruth a job in McCoy's Bar.
A bride-to-be took to Reddit to seek advice after her mother-in-law 'accidentally' booked a holiday to the same resort where she is planning to honeymoon with her new husband.

The woman, known only as WinterIsHereJon, took to Mumsnet to ask whether it would be acceptable to change her honeymoon plans so that she wouldn't run into her "difficult" mother-in-law.

The bride-to-be is getting married later this year and had planned to spend her honeymoon in the Caribbean island of St Lucia, followed by a few days in the US.

However, her plans have been interrupted by her mother-in-law, who has booked herself into the same resort at the same time as the newlyweds.

Her partners mother stayed with them during Christmas and was involved in their honeymoon discussion.

"She was here over Christmas and was involved in the discussion," the bride explained on Reddit.

"Up until now, she has always expressed a dislike of long haul holidays and 'would never go on one'. We were planning a trip to the Caribbean, with a few days in the US on the way back; she thought we could have a nicer holiday in Cyprus."

The bride explained that the couple are limited on dates that they can take off, so they told the mother-in-law which dates suited them best, as she offered to take care of the children while they were away.

She added: "Fast forward to last night and she's posted on Facebook that she's booked a holiday to the same chuffing resort she knew we were looking at. Worse than that, the dates overlap so she'd be there for the first few days of our honeymoon.

"She's making out like it was a pure accident but I really don't feel that it is."

Video of the Day

Her mother-in-law has also suggested that the trio head out for a family dinner on their first night on the island.

Mumsnet users responded with empathy and encouraged the bride-to-be to find alternative accommodation.

One user said: "Your future MIL does not understand that her umbilical cord has been cut a long time ago..."

While another added: "I wouldn't be changing my plans at all. I'd be telling your fiance to tell his bats*** mother to cancel her holiday or they'll be no wedding. Put your foot down now or this craziness will continue forever."
Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Coleman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Coleman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Coleman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Colman, from Castleknock in Dublin, and Aoife, from Dalkey, met while working together as trainee solicitors and have been a couple for just over six years.

When Colman decided to pop the big question, he sent Aoife out for the day on a false errand and when she returned to their apartment later, he was ready and waiting to propose.

The pair decided to have their Catholic ceremony in Bangor Erris, Co Mayo, as Aoife has family ties to the area. Their priest for the mass was a relative of Aoife's who flew in from New York especially for the nuptials.

Having visited Mount Falcon Estate previously, Aoife and Colman both loved it as a venue and knew it would be ideal for their winter wedding.

Expand Close Aoife and Coleman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com / Facebook

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Whatsapp Aoife and Coleman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Aoife found her dream dress in Myrtle Ivory in Dublin, and the bridesmaids wore silver dresses from Brown Thomas, while Colman's suit was by Louis Copeland.

The couple wanted to make their day personal and involve family wherever possible, so they used family addresses as table names, and had framed pictures of their parents' and grandparents' weddings near their guestbook at the reception.

After their elegant winter wedding, Aoife and Coleman took off to the sun for a honeymoon spent between Argentina and Brazil, where they had both previously spent time travelling, and where they were excited to return together as newlyweds.

* Words by Dee Finnerty. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com

Expand Close Aoife and Colman on their wedding day. Photography by Will O'Reilly, visit willoreilly.com / Facebook

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If you would like your wedding featured here, email weddings@independent.ie
Those of you who were dreaming of a white Christmas may be disappointed to hear that the snow will be arriving a few weeks too late.

According to Met Eireann, temperatures are set to drop this week, with a likelihood of snow on Wednesday.

Monday will get off to a cold start, with scattered showers coming across the country from the west and north as the evening progress. Temperatures will drop as low as 3c overnight.

There will be a slight improvement on Tuesday as sunny weather will lead to slightly higher temperatures of 9 to 11c.

Wednesday daytime will be similar, however there will be a noticeable change as the evening progresses. Temperatures will drop below freezing in some areas as frost settles.

Met Eireann believe that during the night snow is "likely, particularly in parts of Ulster and Connacht."

They have also added that "Thursday will be a bitterly cold day with temperatures only rising to between 3 and 6 degrees."

Friday will be also be cold, with temperatures struggling to get above 6c, so it might not be a good idea to put away those winter coats just yet.

UK

Most of the UK could see snow as Arctic air moves south and winds pick up towards the end of the week.

The weather system will move southwards and by Thursday showers will become increasingly wintry.

A change in the wind by the start of Friday is set to bring snow showers to the north of Scotland, Northern Ireland, the North York Moors, and maybe even Norfolk.

As the week progresses parts of the South East will also start to see wintry showers.

Steven Keates, from the Met Office, said: "On Thursday the showers spread further south and east, putting most places at risk of showers.

"It is going to turn much chillier, particularly through Thursday and Friday. Some areas could see snow, and some pretty significant snow."

He added: "Most places are at risk. By Thursday and/or Friday, I think most places will stand risk of seeing something a bit wintry - sleet or snow."

Temperatures are not set to dip too low this week, but the wind - and some risk of gales across Scotland - will make it feel colder than it is.

Mr Keates said: "Next weekend we could be into minus double figures overnight. But this week it will be more about the feel, rather than the temperatures."

Additional reporting by PA
With senior Republicans all but begging President-elect Donald Trump to accept and act on intelligence agencies unanimous finding that Russia interfered in the recent presidential election, over the weekend, Trump and his closest advisers continued to blatantly misrepresent the contents of the intelligence services public statements.

A joint report from the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Security Agency left no doubt that US officials believe that Russian agents, acting on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, stole information from prominent Democrats and the Democratic National Committee and delivered it to WikiLeaks, which made the information public. Further, they are also unanimous in their belief that Russia did so with the express intention of harming Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and helping Donald Trump.

Related: Is Trump Headed for a Showdown With Americas Spy Agencies?

The report is also very specific about what the three agencies did not try to do.

On the very first page of the report is this unambiguous statement: We did not make an assessment of the impact that Russian activities had on the outcome of the 2016 election. The US Intelligence Community is charged with monitoring and assessing the intentions, capabilities, and actions of foreign actors; it does not analyze US political processes or US public opinion.

That has not stopped Trump and his inner circle from brazenly and repeatedly claiming the exact opposite.

Intelligence stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results. Voting machines not touched! Trump tweeted on Saturday.

Related: Trump Sides with WikiLeaks Assange Against US Intel Community

On Sunday, Trumps former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway appeared on several talk shows and discussed testimony that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper had delivered to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

Story continues

Clapper, after making it plain that the Intelligence Community believes with absolute certainty that Russia interfered in the election to hurt Clinton and help Trump, was asked if the agencies had determined whether or not the effort was successful.

Heres what Clapper said: The intelligence community cant gauge the impact [Russia's efforts] had on the choices the electorate made.

Heres how Conway characterized his testimony: Mr. Clapper, in his testimony, made very clear on Thursday, under oath, that any attempt, any aspiration to influence our elections failed.

Related: Trump and the GOP Are On a Collision Course over Russian Sanctions

Also on Sunday, Conway addressed the written report in which the intelligence agencies specifically said they were making no determination whatsoever about whether the hacks impacted the outcome of the election.

They did not succeed in throwing this election to Donald Trump, Conway said. That is very clear in this report.

The thin reed that Conway and Trump appear to be grasping onto is the finding that there was no actual Russian hacking of the machines used to tally votes nationwide. But there is nobody claiming there was, and it beggars credibility to claim that that is the only way to influence the outcome of an election.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who will serve as Trumps White House Chief of Staff, also made the rounds on Sunday. And while he didnt claim that the intelligence agencies found there was no impact, he did repeatedly contradict another of their specific findings.

Related: Trump Steps Up Effort to Discredit Sanctions Against Russia

Speaking with Chris Wallace on Fox News, he said that Trump accepts the general finding that Russia was hacking computers in the U.S. during the election, but characterized it as a run-of-the-mill piece of espionage.

This is something that's been going on in our elections for many, many years, both the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians. It happens every election period, he said. Priebus made similarly dismissive comments about the attacks in an interview on CBS later Sunday morning.

But thats exactly the opposite of how the intelligence agencies characterized Russias interference in the November 8, 2016, election.

The attacks and leaks to the media, they said, represented a significant escalation in directness, level of activity, and scope of effort compared to previous operations. Further, they added, Moscows use of disclosures during the U.S. election was unprecedented.

Related: Making Friends with Russia May Be Harder than Trump Seems to Think

In an appearance on Meet the Press, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a staunchly conservative Republican and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, offered his theory of why Trump and his advisors seem determined to undercut the findings of the Intelligence Community.

Trump, he said, appears worried that any further investigation into Russias influence over the election might undermine his credibility and legitimacy as president. However, Graham said, I havent heard any Democrat of prominence say We doubt Donald Trump won.

The point of an investigation, he said, is to send a message to Russia that further interference in U.S. elections is unacceptable and will be met with harsh punishment.

If after having been briefed by our intelligence leaders, Donald Trump is still unsure as to what the Russians did, that would be incredibly unnerving to me because the evidence is overwhelming, Graham said. All Im asking him is to acknowledge that Russia interfered and to push back...It was Democrats today. It could be Republicans in the next election.

If Trump fails to do that, Graham said, that will shake me to my core about his judgment.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Police have used a novel approach to fighting crime - writing a letter to a suspect via Twitter.

Kingston Police wrote to Tracey Dyke, suspected of multiple burglaries, accusing her of "blanking" them.

In an appeal to contact the suspect, the force wrote: "We have come round to see you a number of times recently but it looks like you'd rather not speak to us, which is very disappointing.

"We have a slight suspicion that you might be blanking us #Awkward. You don't text, you don't call back and haven't accepted our friend request."

They added: "Please stop ignoring us Tracey."

The letter said Dyke was a suspect for burglaries in Kingston, south west London, where vulnerable victims had been targeted, leaving them "traumatised and very upset".

It continued: "We won't stand for this and want to have a discussion with you at our custody suite."

As well as attaching a photograph of the suspect, p olice asked Dyke to hand herself in or call 101, and asked members of the public to call 999 if they see her.

However, Kingston Police's attempts to reach their suspect were criticised by some members of the public who said the stunt was "ethically questionable".

One Twitter user, posting under the name BBBuster1, wrote: "I support you in most things but this is #wrong what happened to innocent till proven guilty?"

James Maxwell posted: "What ever happened to professionalism? Appalling conduct from the social media team."

Aron Lynch called the post "disgusting" on Facebook.

He added: " We know nothing of her background, what sort of life she's had nothing. I'm outraged by the writing in this post, it's macabre to say the least."

Ian Kane said: "If that was my face there, I'd be mortified. This is tacky at best, and ethically questionable."

However, many users compared the tweet to other forms of public appeal. Siobhan Tarleton wrote: "All you do gooders bore off. Crimewatch do this all the time. What if it was your elderly relative!!"
President-elect Donald Trump accepts the US intelligence community's conclusion that Russia tried to interfere in the presidential election, his incoming White House Chief of staff said.

"I think he accepts the findings," Reince Priebus said ''He's not denying that entities in Russia were behind this particular campaign."

Intelligence officials allege that Moscow directed a series of hacks in order to help Mr Trump win the White House. Mr Trump has repeatedly expressed scepticism about Russia's role and has declined to say whether he accepts the meddling was done on his behalf.

On Friday, US intelligence briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election to help Mr Trump win the White House. Mr Priebus attended along with Mr Trump.

In an interview with The Associated Press after the briefing, Mr Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion about Russia's motives.

An unclassified version of the report directly tied Russian president Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a "clear preference" for Mr Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton.

Mr Trump and his allies have bristled at any implication that the meddling helped him win the election. He won the Electoral College vote with 306 votes, topping the 270 votes required to become president.

Accepting those findings would be a positive step - but not enough, said one leading Senate Republican who is calling for more sanctions against Russia.

"He's going to be the defender of the free world here pretty soon," Lindsey Graham, a frequent Trump critic, said. ''All I'm asking him is to acknowledge that Russia interfered, and push back. It could be Iran next time. It could be China."

On Wednesday, Mr Trump is expected to hold a long-delayed press conference on how he is organising his global business empire to avoid conflicts of interest while he is president. He has taken sporadic questions and done interviews, but it will be his first fully-fledged news conference since July 27.

That same day on Capitol Hill, the Senate is holding at least nine hearings on Mr Trump's Cabinet and other nominees, a pace set by the Republican majority that Democrats have complained is too fast. The government ethics office says several of Mr Trump's Cabinet choices have not completed a full review to avoid conflicts of interest.

Mr Trump has repeatedly sought to downplay the allegations against Russia, alarming some who see a pattern of scepticism directed at US intelligence agencies and a willingness to embrace the Russian leader.

On Friday after receiving a classified briefing on the matter, Mr Trump tried to change the subject to allegations that had not been raised by US intelligence. "Intelligence stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results. Voting machines not touched!"

He then declared in a series of tweets on Saturday that having a good relationship with Russia is "a good thing, not a bad thing". He added, "only 'stupid' people or fools" would come to a different conclusion.

AP
Northumbria Police said they were called to the Coral bookmakers in Grange Road, Jarrow, following a report of a man in possession of a firearm. (Stock photo)

An armed man who took hostages at a bookmakers in the UK has been arrested.

Northumbria Police said they were called to the Coral bookmakers in Grange Road, Jarrow, following a report of a man in possession of a firearm.

The force said the incident was brought to a close by officers using a "less lethal weapon", which locals said was a Taser.

Four hostages are thought to have been taken by the man inside the shop. Local people said they watched as three were released but police continued to negotiate for the release of the fourth until the stand-off ended.

Social media users said the noise of shots was heard just before the end of the stand-off.

A force spokesman said: "At 8.44pm police negotiated the safe release of the fourth person from inside the premises then, at 8.53pm, the man in possession of the weapon was arrested by officers.

"A firearm has been seized by officers and the 39-year-old man will be taken into police custody.

"A police issue 'less lethal weapon' was discharged during the incident in order to bring this matter to safe conclusion - this was the 'shots' that people may have heard.

"Nobody has been injured during the incident.

"Enquiries are ongoing and we will try and get the area back to normal as possible.

"We would like to thank the public for their cooperation."

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Dame Vera Baird said on Twitter: "All hostages free as Jarrow siege ends.

"Told: he had loaded sawn-off, but arrested without police use of firearms. Well done & glad all safe."

Earlier, a police spokesman said officers were called at 5.46pm.

He said: "Specialist firearms officers are currently at the scene and police negotiators are speaking with the man to try and get him to exit the store safely."

He said: "There is no threat to the wider public however we would ask that people avoid the area while we work to bring this situation to a safe conclusion."

One local resident, who did not want to be named, said he and scores of neighbours watched as police surrounded the shop and hostages were released.

"He's come to the door every now and then, talking to the police," the man said before the siege finished.

"It's difficult to see him because he's put newspaper over the windows.

"There's been three hostages released so far."

A large number of police vehicles were outside the shop in Grange Road and social media postings showed large crowds gathering, including children, to watch the stand-off.

The man said: "It's like a grandstand over here now.

"The first I knew about it was when there was a lot of shouting outside. That's not unusual but it just went on a bit longer than normal."

The man said he then looked out to see the street swarming with police.
The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travellers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida has been charged and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. The authorities do not know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Santiago was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death - which carries a maximum punishment of execution - and weapons charges.

"Today's charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors," US Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

The authorities said they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with the co-operative suspect, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska.

Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.

Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska. He had two magazines with him and emptied both of them, firing about 15 rounds, before he was arrested, the complaint said.

"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack," FBI Agent George Piro said.

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiago's motive, and it is too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Mr Piro said.

In November, Santiago walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the US government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos.

"He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day," FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.

On that day, Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.

On December 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. The authorities would not say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.

US Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a higher standard than having an evaluation.

Santiago had not been placed on the US no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, the authorities said.
Iran's former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has died after a decades-long career in the ruling elite.

The political moderate's life spanned the trials of Iran's modern history, from serving as a close aide to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during the 1979 Islamic Revolution to acting as a go-between in the Iran-Contra deal.

He helped found Iran's contested nuclear programme but later backed the accord with world powers to limit it in exchange for sanctions relief.

Mr Rafsanjani died aged 82 after suffering a heart attack, state media reported.

Iranian media said he was taken to hospital north of Tehran, where doctors performed CPR in vain for nearly an hour and a half before declaring him dead.

A female state newscaster's voice quivered as she read the news.

Mr Rafsanjani, "after a life full of restless efforts in the path of Islam and revolution, had departed for lofty heaven," she said.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Mr Rafsanjani an "old friend and comrade," and said his loss is "difficult and life-decreasing". The government announced three days of mourning, and a funeral was expected to be held on Tuesday.

Mr Rafsanjani served as president from 1989 to 1997, during a period of significant changes in Iran. At the time, the country was struggling to rebuild its economy after the devastating 1980s war with Iraq, while also cautiously allowing some wider freedoms, as seen in Iran's highly regarded film and media industry.

He also oversaw key developments in Iran's nuclear programme by negotiating deals with Russia to build an energy-producing reactor in Bushehr, which finally went into service in 2011 after long delays. Behind the scenes, he directed the secret purchase of technology and equipment from Pakistan and elsewhere.

In an interview published in October, Mr Rafsanjani acknowledged the 1980-1988 war with Iraq, which killed some 1 million people, led Iran to consider seeking nuclear weapons.

"Our basic doctrine was always for a peaceful nuclear application, but it never left our mind that if one day we should be threatened and it was imperative, we should be able to go down the other path," he said. "But we never went."

The cleric managed to remain within Iran's ruling theocracy after leaving office, but an attempt to return to the presidency in 2005 was dashed by the electoral victory of the more hard-line Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mr Rafsanjani was later branded a dissenter by many conservatives for his harsh criticism of the crackdown that followed Mr Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009.

But after years of waning influence, Mr Rafsanjani was handed an unexpected political resurgence with the 2013 victory of a fellow moderate, Hassan Rouhani, giving him an insider role in efforts that would culminate in the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Some analysts believe that Mr Rafsanjani was kept within the ruling fold as a potential mediator with America and its allies in the stand-off over Iran's nuclear programme.

His past stature as a trusted Khomeini ally also offered him political protection. Mr Rafsanjani was a top commander in the war with Iraq and played a key role in convincing Mr Khomeini to accept a ceasefire after years of crippling stalemate.

His image, however, also had darker undertones. He was named by prosecutors in Argentina among Iranian officials suspected of links to a 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Some Iranian reformers accused him of involvement in the killing of liberals and dissidents during his presidency - charges he denied and that were never pursued by Iranian authorities.

"The title of Islamic Republic is not just a formality," he said in 2009 in the chaos after Mr Ahmadinejad's re-election.

"Rest assured, if one of those two aspects is damaged we will lose our revolution. If it loses its Islamic aspect, we will go astray. If it loses its republican aspect, (the Islamic Republic) will not be realised. Based on the reasons that I have offered, without people and their vote there would be no Islamic system."

Mr Rafsanjani is survived by his wife, Effat Marashi, and five children.

On Sunday night, Mr Rouhani and others visited the hospital to see Mr Rafsanjani one final time before his body was taken to a mosque ahead of burial.

"He was a revolutionary and freedom-seeking cleric who stuck up for the people's votes," said Saeed Karimi, a supporter outside the hospital. "It is such a pity that the nation has lost a political leader and guide."

AP
Protesters demonstrate with an effigy of President Enrique Pena Nieto, against fuel price rises, outside the national palace in Mexico City (AP/Marco Ugarte)

A demonstration against Mexico's 20% petrol price rise turned violent after a lone protester drove his truck into a line of police guarding a fuel distribution terminal in Baja California.

P olice said four officers were injured in the incident on Saturday in Rosarito, near the border city of Tijuana.

Video showed the small pick-up driving straight into the line of riot police, then backing up and speeding off.

Largely peaceful protests against the fuel price increases continued elsewhere in Mexico on Saturday, and looting seen earlier in the week largely subsided. But nervousness remained.

Officials in Veracruz, one of the states hardest-hit by the looting on Wednesday and Thursday, said some neighbourhood groups had begun to form patrols of residents armed with staves or machetes to ward off looters.

Veracruz Governor Miguel Angel Yunes Linares said 532 people had been detained in his state alone and that rumours of further looting - apparently unfounded - had caused "an artificial psychosis".

He said that in the northern part of the state "the neighbours decided to arm themselves with staves, machetes, creating the impression that there were armed groups of criminals".

Mr Yunes Linares said the government was trying to convince residents to stop such patrolling.

The interior department reported a total of more than 1,500 people have been detained for looting or disturbances nationwide since protests began early in the week.

It is unclear how many have been charged. Hundreds of stores were looted, mainly on Wednesday and Thursday. Police protection of shops has been stepped up since.

The police reported continued protests, and some highway blockages, on Saturday.

Thousands of people marched down main avenues in the western city of Guadalajara to protest against the increases, which are part of a government effort to deregulate fuel prices.

Despite persistent rumours that political interests might have egged on the looters to smear the petrol-hike protesters, Mr Yunes Linares said there was "no evidence that political parties were involved".

He said the authorities were investigating whether criminal gangs had taken part.

AP
A truck driven by a Palestinian rammed into pedestrians on a popular promenade in Jerusalem on Sunday killing four people, according to Israeli police who called it a deliberate attack.

"It is a terrorist attack, a ramming attack," a police spokeswoman said on Israel Radio.

Police said the dead, three women and one man, were all in their twenties.

An Israeli bus driver who witnessed the incident said on the radio the truck ploughed into a group of soldiers, and that they fired on the driver, who reversed direction and ran over them again.

"They shot him, until they neutralised him," said the bus driver, who gave his name only as Moshe. Israeli TV stations said the driver was killed, and footage showed bullet holes in the truck's windscreen.

Israeli television stations said at least four people were killed and that some 15 wounded were strewn on the street at the Armon Hanatziv promenade overlooking the walled Old City of Jerusalem.

Israel Radio reported the driver was a Palestinian but did not immediately give his name.

A wave of Palestinian street attacks, including vehicle rammings, has largely slowed but not stopped completely since it began in October 2015.
Esteban Santiago has been charged over the Ford Lauderdale airport massacre (Broward Sheriffs Office/PA)

A BRITISH great-grandmother was one of five people gunned down by a former US soldier at a Florida airport.

Olga Woltering, who was in her eighties, has been revealed as one of those killed in the mass shooting at the transport hub in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night.

Expand Close Police officers help people seeking cover at Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida yesterday after a gunman opened fire in the baggage area. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Police officers help people seeking cover at Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida yesterday after a gunman opened fire in the baggage area. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Mrs Woltering, reportedly originally from Ipswich, Suffolk, lived in Atlanta with her husband Ralph, a former US Air Force serviceman.

The couple are believed to have travelled from their home in Georgia to go on a cruise.

The Catholic Church of the Transfiguration in Cobb County, Georgia, which Mr Woltering had been a member of since 1978, said she was "so charming, calling everybody 'Lovey' or 'Love' in her unmistakable British accent".

Father Fernando Molina-Restrepo said: "Olga was one of the most joyful, loving, caring and committed people I have ever met. This is a horrible tragedy for everyone here at Transfiguration, especially because Olga was so loved.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close Esteban Santiago, suspect in the Fort Lauderdale shooting Sole suspect Esteban Santiago is taken into police custodysurvived Photo: Jim Rassol/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP / Facebook

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"Olga and Ralph have been members of our Transfiguration Family since October 1978.

"May God give consolation to all of the victims of this tragedy and may God give eternal rest to those who died. Especially to our beloved Olga. Peace."

Esteban Santiago, 26, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska and an Iraq War veteran, is accused of carrying out the bloody killing, which also left six people injured.

Friends who attended church with Mrs Woltering spoke of their shock and horror at her killing on social media.

Jerry De Varennes wrote: "Tragedy hit too close to home today. Transfiguration Church lost a very loving and caring woman in the Ft Lauderdale airport attack. Prayers lifted up for the soul of Olga Woltering and her family. Prayers also lifted up for a crazy and cruel world."

Virginia Moran added: "So very sad, Olga's ever present smile was infectious and brightened any day, she will be deeply missed and my prayers are with Ralph, her family, all those she touched, and all who were impacted by yesterday's senseless action."

Diane Friesen said: "Dear Ralph, wish there was something we could do to take away your pain. Olga was loved so much. Our hearts are broken.

"I'll always remember how she would say in her English accent, 'hello love'."

It came as authorities in the US revealed more about the alleged shooter.

The FBI said on Saturday that Santiago had a gun confiscated after walking into the law enforcement agency's office in Anchorage, Alaska, in a distressed state.

However, it was returned to him in December after he underwent mental health checks.

They did not say if it was the same gun as used in the attack at the airport.

The Fort Lauderdale sheriff's office said the attack happened in the baggage reclaim area just before 1pm local time.

Meanwhile, Santiago's brother questioned why he was allowed to keep his gun after US authorities knew he had become increasingly paranoid.

Esteban Santiago, 26, had trouble controlling his anger after serving in Iraq and told his brother that he felt he was being chased and controlled by the CIA through secret online messages, it has emerged.

When he told agents at an FBI field office about his paranoid thoughts in November, he was evaluated for four days, then released without any follow-up medication or therapy.

"The FBI failed there," Bryan Santiago told The Associated Press. "We're not talking about someone who emerged from anonymity to do something like this."

Speaking in Spanish outside his family's house in Penuelas, the brother said: "The federal government already knew about this for months, they had been evaluating him for a while, but they didn't do anything."

Bryan Santiago said he noted that his brother was behaving differently when he returned from Iraq.

"He sometimes couldn't control his anger," he said. "You could tell something had changed."

Bryan Santiago said when he went to visit his brother in Alaska last August, Santiago told him he was hearing voices and felt he was being chased.

The authorities in Alaska have defended their actions. FBI Special Agent in Charge Marlin Ritzman said Santiago broke no laws when he walked into the Anchorage FBI office "making disjointed comments about mind control".

Anchorage police were called to the office by the agency, and were told Santiago was having "terroristic thoughts" and believed he was being influenced by the so-called Islamic State group. He was taken to a mental health facility, city Police Chief Chris Tolley said.

Santiago had left a gun and his newborn child in his vehicle when he went to the FBI office. Police held the gun until Santiago was released and contacted him about picking up the weapon, which he did on December 8.

The authorities would not confirm whether he used the same gun on Friday.

Mr Tolley said: "There is speculation that it is the same gun. I have not received confirmation that it, in fact, is that gun."

In recent years, Esteban Santiago - a new father - had been living in Anchorage. But there were signs of trouble.

He was charged in a domestic violence case in January 2016, damaging a door when he forced his way into a bathroom at his girlfriend's Anchorage home.

The woman told officers he yelled at her to leave, choked her and smacked her on the side of the head, according to charging documents.

A month later, municipal prosecutors said he violated the conditions of his release when officers found him at her home during a routine check. He told police he had lived there since he was released from custody the previous month.

Mr Tolley detailed other complaints of physical disturbances last year involving Santiago but said officers either found no probable cause for arrest or were told by the city prosecutor not to arrest him.

Bryan Santiago said his brother had requested psychological help but barely received any.

"I told him to go to church or to seek professional help," he said.

Family members have said Esteban Santiago changed after serving a year-long tour in Iraq.

Esteban Santiago's mother said her son had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode near two friends while serving in Iraq.

His uncle and aunt in New Jersey were trying to make sense of what they were hearing about Santiago. FBI agents arrived at their house to question them on Friday.

Maria Ruiz told The Record newspaper that her nephew had recently become a father to a son and was struggling.

"It was like he lost his mind," she said of his return from Iraq. "He said he saw things."
tesla gigafactory

Tesla has started production of lithium-ion batteries in partnership with Panasonic at its massive Gigafactory in Nevada.

Meanwhile, the carmaker is gearing up to build 500,000 vehicles by 2018 at its plant in Fremont, California.

Which of these two manufacturing challenges do you think is bigger?

That's easy: the cars.

In fact, production at the Gigafactory  a massive $6 billion facility that isn't even finished yet  is going to accelerate so rapidly and likely be automated so swiftly that it could cause some problems for Tesla's auto business.

As long as there's no lithium shortage, it should be simple for Tesla to crank out the millions of li-ion cells it will require to expand vehicle production and build batteries for its energy-storage operations. I fully expect the Gigafactory to be a marvel of technological efficiency and a laboratory for futuristic experiments in manufacturing processes.

The Fremont plant is another story.

Building cars is hard

Tesla has just started to get its head around how to assemble cars at scale. Last year, it built over 83,000 vehicles  a record for Elon Musk's company, which built over 50,000 in 2015.

Over the roughly five years since Tesla's first all-original design, the Model S sedan, hit the streets, the company has struggled to be a world-class manufacturer. Some of this has just been because it's difficult to build cars if you've never built them before. The process has to be right, and major global automakers invest billions doing just that so that they can construct in a month the number of vehicles Tesla can in a year.

Some of it has been because Tesla's cars have been overly complicated. The Model X SUV was delayed by three years, and when it did arrive in late 2015 we learned that its exotic falcon-wing doors and high-tech rear seats had created serious headaches. Later, the usual early-run production problems cropped up, leading Musk to admit that he had spent the first part of 2016 in production hell.

Story continues

tesla model 3

The 2016 final tally for cars that Tesla rolled off the assembly line is encouraging, however.

But as the Gigafactory starts to crank, Tesla is going to want to have vehicles ready for battery packs to be installed. Of particular importance is the Model 3 mass-market vehicle, expected to launch late this year. There are almost 400,000 preorders for the car, and if Tesla wants to realize the revenue from all those $1,000 deposits, it needs to have battery packs and vehicles intersecting in Fremont at exactly the right time.

The batteries pile up

If the cars aren't ready, Tesla can use the batteries for Tesla Energy modules. But Tesla Energy is still a modest business. It isn't holding up Tesla's $30 billion-plus market cap the way the electric vehicles are.

Tesla could also sell any excess Gigafactory inventory, capturing revenue  or it could idle battery production in the event of car-making bottlenecks. But that would leave the company with wasted manufacturing capacity at a factory that's expected to be a significant employer in Nevada.

Tesla could also pile up the extra inventory.

elon musk

Obviously, there are a lot of factors to manage. In the modern auto industry  and in manufacturing more generally  dealing with these problems has become a science. For decades, manufacturers have sought to manage their far-flung supply chains so that they aren't holding inventory, which is costly.

Instead, they've developed "lean" or "just in time" processes that alleviate the inventory problem by having parts show up only when they're needed on the assembly line.

Tesla wants to deviate at least somewhat from this practice by making its manufacturing more "vertically integrated"  Tesla will control as much of the supply chain as it can, rather than manage it.

A lot of balls in the air

In Tesla's case, this is a lot for a semi-startup-y company to absorb. Already, Tesla builds its vehicles and maintains an extensive Supercharger network globally  in effect, running its own gas stations. Tesla is also going to make its own battery cells, which is sort of like how being an oil company is for the fossil-fuel transportation business.

Tesla Model D Getty

General Motors, Ford, Toyota, or Volkswagen would never do this. Even for the giant carmakers, there's little to be gained and much to be lost by owning and operating everything.

Tesla, of course, is a new company doing a new thing: electrified luxury mobility. It had to create its own support infrastructure to make it all work.

As its vehicle production and sales near numbers that are about a third of what a Mercedes or BMW does in the US, it could conceivably pull back. But it isn't. In fact, it's pushing harder to have more control over its value chain, and Musk has been offering some tantalizing ideas about how he wants to reinvent manufacturing for the 21st century.

The Gigafactory could provide plenty of clues about how that's going to work.

But the Tesla plant in Fremont could continue to show us how it won't.

That mismatch, if Tesla can't sort it out, could undermine Tesla's dreams of a mass-market car  and make trouble for Musk's vision of a world freed from fossil fuels.

NOW WATCH: Watch Tesla rival Faraday Future debut its first car by having it back itself into an empty parking spot





More From Business Insider


Runaway chaos: People stand on the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport last Friday after a gunman opened fire inside the terminal Photo: AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

US authorities were under pressure yesterday to explain how a mentally ill man, whom his family said "changed" after serving in Iraq, was able to arm himself and shoot five people dead in Fort Lauderdale airport.

New Jersey-born Esteban Santiago, 26, was last night due to be charged by the FBI over Friday's rampage, in which he shot 13 people seemingly at random - five of whom died.

Expand Close Sole suspect Esteban Santiago is taken into police custodysurvived Photo: Jim Rassol/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sole suspect Esteban Santiago is taken into police custodysurvived Photo: Jim Rassol/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

The FBI said it had not ruled out the possibility of terrorist links, and believed he had planned the attack. The New York Times reported that he had viewed extremist material online.

"Indications are that he came here to carry out this horrific attack," said George Piro, special agent in charge of Miami FBI.

He also said that, contrary to initial reports, he had not found any evidence of an "altercation" on the plane that may have caused the violence.

"We have not identified any triggers that would have prompted him. But it's still early in the investigation.

"We've interviewed all of his family that we've identified," he said. "We're looking at his social media, it's giving us a picture of the individual - but it's too early to rule out anything, including terrorism."

Santiago is known to have arrived in Florida from Alaska, legally transporting a 9mm semi-automatic hand gun. The unloaded gun must be placed inside a locked, hard-sided case inside the suitcase. Small arms ammunition, including ammunition not exceeding .75 calibre and shotgun shells of any gauge, may be carried in the same hard-sided case as the firearm.

Americans will be deeply reluctant to increase restrictions on transporting guns in checked baggage, given the number of guns that are transported for hunting and target shooting.

Santiago, a former member of the National Guard, who was presented with a medal for his service in Iraq from 2010-11, had a concealed-carry permit. As a military veteran he would easily have passed a background check - especially in Alaska, where he lived, which is a famed shooting state.

Yet questions are now being raised as to how he was allowed to retain his weapon, despite reporting himself to the FBI and "exhibiting signs of mental illness".

In November, two months after he had become a father for the first time, Santiago went to the FBI in Anchorage and said he was hearing voices, which told him to join the Islamic State terror group. He reportedly said that he believed the CIA were involved.

"It is very normal for citizens to walk into field offices," said Mr Piro. "It was during that contact that the agents themselves noted the erratic behaviour, and pushed them to call the authorities and take him for mental evaluation."

His aunt, who lives in New Jersey, and brother, who lives in Puerto Rico, said that they believed he was hallucinating, and that he had spent a fortnight in a mental health facility.

"Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn't feeling too good," his uncle said.

Asked whether the FBI should have intervened and rescinded Santiago's gun licence, Mr Piro said: "I'm not in a position to answer that. It's too early."

It was reported that Santiago's gun - believed to be the one used in the shooting - was taken away from him during his mental health evaluation, but was returned to him afterwards.

Last night two of the five victims who died in the attack were named. Olga Woltering, 84, from Georgia, was preparing to go on a cruise with her husband Ralph, who survived. The couple were to celebrate his 90th birthday.

Terry Andres, 62, who worked at the Norfolk naval shipyard in Virginia, was going on holiday with his wife, who was unharmed.

Six people remained in hospital last night; three of them recovering well, and three in intensive care.

Rick Scott, the Republican governor of Florida, who last year dealt with the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history when 49 people were murdered at an Orlando nightclub, was reluctant to discuss gun control.

"I have a brother who suffers with mental illness," he said yesterday. "It's very hard to deal with these issues. Every family struggles with this."

Last year broke all records for gun sales in the US, with 27m firearms purchased - partly in response to fears that Hillary Clinton, if elected, would clamp down on sales. America has, in a conservative estimation, between 270m and 310m guns in circulation.

The shooting happened as Florida was preparing to consider legislation that relaxed its gun laws, and eliminate "gun-free zones" in airport terminals, schools and government buildings.

Some people argue that having more armed people in the vicinity of the airport would have saved lives - even though the sheriff said yesterday that between Santiago firing the first shot and being arrested, a total of just 80 seconds elapsed.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Incoming: The next president of the United States Donald Trump, with his wife Melania Photo: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Donald Trump said yesterday that it would be "stupid" for the US not to develop a close relationship with Russia, despite claims it tried to influence his election victory.

His comments followed the disclosure that UK spy services had warned their US counterparts as far back as 2015 that the Russians were engaged in hacking Democratic Party computers in an attempt to shape the outcome of the presidential election.

US intelligence agencies have accused Russia's President Vladimir Putin of launching an "influence campaign" to damage Hillary Clinton. The report, issued last Friday, said Russia showed a "clear preference" for Donald Trump and carried out cyber attacks and issued propaganda to both boost his chances and undermine confidence in American democracy.

The report, ordered by Barack Obama, concluded that Putin had "aspired to help President-elect Trump's election chances when possible by discrediting Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavourably to him".

Significantly, it found that UK spy chiefs were among the first to raise the alarm and warn the US that Russia was responsible for the breach of the Democratic National Committee computer servers.

Mr Trump insisted on Friday that foreign meddling had "absolutely no effect" on the outcome of the election, and declined to say whether he believed Russia was behind the hacks. Yesterday he said that only "stupid" people would criticise the US for having a good relationship with Russia.

In the latest of a series of tweets the president-elect wrote: "Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only 'stupid' people, or fools, would think that it is bad!"

Another said: "We have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!"

The US intelligence report, reflecting the joint assessment of the CIA and the FBI and the National Security Agency, suggested that some of these early tip-offs about Russia's activities came from voice intercepts, computer traffic or human sources outside the US, as British intelligence became aware that emails and other data from the DNC was flowing out of the country.

The US president-elect was briefed by senior intelligence officials for nearly two hours on Friday, describing the briefing in a statement as "a constructive meeting and conversation with the leaders of the intelligence community".

It is unclear whether officials specifically brought the British role to Trump's attention.

Among those identified by US intelligence as taking part in the hacking is a young Russian computer expert identified as Alisa Shevchenko, whose companies Esage Lab and ZOR are among those now included on an American sanctions list.

Alisa Shevchenko, who is currently based outside the Thai capital Bangkok, has denied having knowingly worked for the Russian government.

The report did not draw any conclusion as to what effect the Russian hacking had on the election, saying it was beyond its responsibility to analyse American "political processes" or public opinion.

The issue of Russia's relations with Western Europe became even more fraught yesterday when Sweden's most respected foreign policy institute accused it of using underhand methods in an "information war", including fake news, counterfeit documents, and other disinformation, to influence Swedish decision-making.

The report by Martin Kragh, from the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, said Russia was using 'active measures' in its information war against Sweden, in a bid to steer it away from joining Nato.

Russia has long opposed either Sweden or Finland joining Nato and has threatened to mass troops on the Finnish border if it moves to join the military alliance.

Meanwhile, the former deputy chief of the CIA has warned that MI6 and other allied intelligence agencies may shy away from sharing information with the CIA if they feel the agency does not have the confidence of the incoming US president.

Michael Morell, was the top US liaison to British intelligence between 2003 and 2006 and worked closely with British spy chiefs during the Iraq War and in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings.

In a scathing article in yesterday's New York Times, he warned that Donald Trump's public disparagement of the CIA was likely to damage its relationship with its overseas counterparts.

"Why would a foreign intelligence service take the CIA seriously (and share important information with it) when the American president doesn't?" he wrote.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Stung by years of failure to stop Syria's bloodshed, the United States is now just a bystander to the civil war as President Barack Obama's tenure ends.

Secretary of State John Kerry is still speaking sporadically with Russian, Turkish and Arab foreign ministers about ceasefire efforts, and there are occasional consultations with the opposition.

But less than two weeks before Donald Trump's presidency begins, the Obama administration is no longer even claiming to play the leading part in the peace mediation that it spearheaded unsuccessfully for years.

Leadership has been ceded to Russia and, to a lesser degree, Turkey and Iran.

After helping Syria's military oust the remaining rebels from Aleppo last month, Moscow has cast itself as the would-be peacemaker. It clinched a new truce without Washington's help and announced on Friday that it was starting to draw down its forces in the region.

Russian envoys are also organising the first talks between the Syrian government and opposition in nearly a year. The discussions are set for later this month in Astana, Kazakhstan.

"We still are at the proverbial table," State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Friday. "We may not be at the table in Astana, we may not be at the table in Moscow, I understand that. But it's not like we are walking away from Syria."

With no indication about how the Trump administration intends to proceed on Syria, US diplomats are wary of engaging in any new initiatives that would require a sustained American role. As a result, the Obama administration is ambivalent about attending, even in an observer role, the proposed peace meeting.

The diminution of the US role could have drawbacks. Obama demanded almost six years ago that Syrian President Bashar Assad leave power and allow for a democratic transition. But Obama's reticence to plunge the US into another Middle East war meant the US never had the capability to shape such an outcome. Its increasingly marginal role in recent months means it could have even less capacity to help shape Syria's future and safeguard vital American interests, such as Israel's security and fighting Isil.

On the other hand, Obama hands the baton to Trump without any large-scale military or diplomatic engagement in Syria. Obama's reticence to intervene in the war at least means Trump will have flexibility.

The US is pressing on with the campaign against Isil, and Trump and his national security advisers have said it will be a top priority for them.

The Obama administration has an undisclosed number of special operations troops, presumably about 200 to 250, in Syria.
Anders Behring Breivik gestures as he enters a courtroom in Skien, Norway (Lise Aserud, NTB Scanpix via AP)

Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage in 2011, is returning to court this week as the government appeals against a ruling that his isolation in prison breaches the European Convention on Human Rights.

The 37-year-old right-wing extremist, who admitted to the killings that prime minister Erna Solberg called "one of the darkest days in Norwegian history," was convicted of mass murder and terrorism in 2012.

He was handed a 21-year prison sentence that can be extended for as long as he is deemed dangerous to society.

Legal experts have said he is likely to be locked up for life.

Breivik has often complained about his treatment and prison conditions.

Last year, he sued the government, saying his solitary confinement, frequent strip searches and the fact that he was often handcuffed during the early part of his incarceration violated his human rights.

He is held in isolation in a three-cell complex where he can play video games, watch TV and exercise.

He has also complained about the quality of the prison food, having to eat with plastic utensils and not being able to communicate with sympathisers.

The government has rejected his complaints, saying he is treated humanely despite the severity of his crimes and that he must be separated from other inmates for safety reasons.

But, in a surprise ruling in April, the Oslo District Court said: "The prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment represents a fundamental value in a democratic society.

"This applies no matter what - also in the treatment of terrorists and killers."

It also ordered the government to pay Breivik's legal costs of 331,000 kroner (31,786).

However, it dismissed Breivik's claim that his right to respect for private and family life was violated by restrictions on contacts with other right-wing extremists.

Breivik planned the July 22 2011 attacks meticulously, setting off a car bomb outside the government headquarters in Oslo, killing eight people and wounding dozens.

He then drove to the island of Utoya, some 25 miles away, where he opened fire on the annual summer camp of the Labour party's youth wing.

Sixty-nine people were killed there, most of them teenagers, before Breivik surrendered to police.

At the time of the attacks, Breivik claimed to be the commander of a secret Christian military order plotting an anti-Muslim revolution in Europe but i nvestigators found no trace of the group.

He now describes himself as a traditional neo-Nazi who prays to the Viking god Odin, saying his earlier crusader image was just for show. He made a Nazi salute to journalists at the start of his human rights case last year.

Breivik's lawyer, Oystein Storrvik, said his client was satisfied with last year's verdict and that prison authorities would have to lift some of his restrictions.

He added that he expects Breivik to be allowed to meet other people in prison.

But the massacre shocked the oil-rich, quiet Scandinavian country and many feel Breivik has already had too much attention and should be consigned to the history books.

Mette Yvonne Larsen, a lawyer who represented Breivik's victims and their families, says her official line is "not to comment because we don't want to give him (Breivik) any visibility."

The appeals case opens on Tuesday in a makeshift courtroom in the gym of Skien prison in southern Norway, where Breivik is incarcerated.

Six days have been reserved for the hearings before the Borgarting Court of Appeals hands down a verdict in the case.

AP
Cabarrus County Schools and Kannapolis City Schools will be closed Monday, Jan. 9, due to icy road conditions.

Students will not be required to make up the day, according to both school systems.

Rowan-Salisbury Schools will be closed both Monday, Jan. 9, and Tuesday, Jan. 10.

School officials in Rowan-Salisbury said the predicted low temperatures both days would not allow enough thawing to clear the roads.

Areas north and west of Cabarrus County received more snow.

Other closings Monday include:

Iredell-Statesville Schools

Mooresville Graded Schools District

Cabarrus Charter Academy

Covenant Classical School

Kannapolis Charter Academy

North Kannapolis Christian Academy

Coltrane LIFE Center

For more closings and delays across the Charlotte region visit our news partner WSOC-TV: Channel 9's Closing List.
JMC Projects India secures new orders of Rs2,277 crore; Stock gains 2.6% JMC Projects (India) Limited (JMC), a leading Civil Engineering and EPC Company has secured new orders of Rs2,277 crores. The details are as follows: Water Projects in India of... November 04, 2022 | 2:08 pm

Lupin receives USFDA tentative approval for Drospirenone Tablets Global pharma major Lupin Limited (Lupin) has announced that it has received tentative approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug ... November 04, 2022 | 1:26 pm

Bloomberg Report: Pegatron Corp starts production of iPhone 14 in India Pegatron Corp., a Taiwanese contract manufacturer for Apple Inc., has begun producing the most recent iPhone 14 model in India. Pegatron is now the second Apple supplier to manufacture th... November 04, 2022 | 12:48 pm

JMC Projects India allots NCDs for Rs100 crore; Stock rallies over 3.5% The Management Committee of the Board of Directors of JMC Projects (India) Limited at its meeting held on November 04, 2022 has allotted 1000 Repo Rate, Unsecured, Rated, Listed, Rede... November 04, 2022 | 12:34 pm

Nykaa receives shareholders' approval for bonus issue and ESOP; Stock down 1% The Board of the lifestyle retailer FSN E-Commerce Ventures Limited (Nykaa), on October 3, 2022, approved Bonus Issue of Equity Shares in the proportion of 5 (Five) fully paid-up Equity Sh... November 04, 2022 | 12:03 pm
The current season of Bigg Boss has seen all kinds of disgusting and filthy things thatll last for a lifetime. The amount of crassness that the audience witnessed this year tops all the previous nine seasons combined. Now, that the filth is finally out of the house(read: Priyanka Jagga and Swami Om), the house has become a better place for both the housemates and the audiences.

twitter

However, the drama hasnt ended just yet. In the Weekend Ka Vaar Episode, Swami Om was grilled by Journalist Dibang and some very interesting revelations surfaced, yet again.

For starters, Swami Om is not at all guilty of his actions. Forget repentance, the self-proclaimed godman is ready to give a thousand excuses for all his wrong deeds. Whats more, now the dhongi baba is looking to make a career in the film industry. No, we are not kidding! He aims to become the biggest villain of the silver screen.

colors

In the interview, he went on to blame Bigg Boss for turning him into a villain. So, he has now taken inspiration from his experience and wishes to become the baddie. And no his aspirations arent just limited to Bollywood, Swami Om wants to conquer Hollywood as well.

Mai sabse baada villain ban ke dikhaunga, Bollywood, Hollywood dono jagah, said Swami Om.

colors

The shameless man further said that he is waiting for Bigg Boss to call him back in the show! In fact, he publically threatened the makers that if he is not brought back in the next two weeks, he will sabotage the grand finale! In a bid to change the topic, Dibang tried to ask him about who according to him deserves to win the show, the baba refused to answer the question and said, Mai bas 2 week wait karunga, agar Bigg Boss ne mujhe wapas nhi bulaya toh mai finale nhi hone dunga.

twitter

Despite being thrown out of the show, Swami Om is not ashamed or humiliated at all. He, in fact, is trying way too hard to milk the cow and gain as much publicity as he can.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) headed by senior Congress leader K V Thomas has presented Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel with a list of 10 questions that closely probe the 2016 demonetisation.

AFP

Patel has been asked to appear before the PAC on January 28, with answers, and he has been reportedly accused of "abuse of power of office" - there are no currently laws that allow the government to restrict withdrawal of cash.

file photo

The list of questions, as accessed by the Indian Express include examining the claim that it was the RBI and not the government which decided to demonetise currency, in the nation's best interests.

They also examine the many "flip-flops" in RBI regulations, making people with ink for withdrawal, and also marriage notification related to withdrawal.

The committee also demanded why the RBI has refused to disclose information under the Right to Information Act about demonetisation.

Other questions sent to the RBI:

When did the RBI decide that demonetisation was in India's best interest?

What was the "exact rationale laid out by the RBI" to demonetise overnight?

With India's cash-to-GDP ratio even lower than Japan, and Switzerland, and our high-value notes to currency ratio even lower than China and US, "what was so alarming that the RBI decided India needed to demonetise suddenly?"

When were RBI board members sent a notice for an emergency meeting on the November 8, and what were the minutes of the meeting?

In a note to the Cabinet recommending demonetisation, did the RBI mention that it would invalidate 86% of Indian currency and its attendant cost? What was the time frame they mentioned to remonetise?

"Under what law and powers of the RBI" did it impose limitations on people to withdraw their own cash?

Particulars of the demonetised cash, and deposits in old currency. How many notes were expected to be extinguished when the RBI recommended demonetisation to the government.
For a twenty-something homosexual Varun Singhal, moving to Melbourne was "escape" from Chandigarh's conservative society.

Now, he's giving India's queer community a similar escape with by setting up India's first LGBTQ-friendly retreat, Simply Yoga, in north Goa this year.

New roof says good morning! -------------------------------------- A photo posted by Simply YogaTM (@simplyyogaretreat) on Jan 2, 2017 at 9:33pm PST

The former Australian government employee gave up on the career path his law and finance degree had carved out for him, to travel the world. In Nepal, he became a certified yoga teacher.

A leap of faith for Singhal, whose parents once even took him to a psychiatrist for 'corrective therapy'. Now, he says they're supportive of his plans.

Who's ready to learn yoga the traditional way? ----------------------------------------- A photo posted by Simply YogaTM (@simplyyogaretreat) on Oct 4, 2016 at 7:21am PDT

"I want it to be a symbol of hope, and acceptance"

In an interview with DNA last year, he explained his dream for the retreat, a place where not only guests but also LGBT employees would be welcomed.

It is however not a safe space only for the gay community. "I want straight people to visit, too. I do not want to discriminate because I was discriminated against. I plan to open in phases, with the first phase set for late January to early February 2017."
Investigating kickbacks in the $208million (Rs 1,350crore) Embraer aircraft deal, a Central Bureau of Investigation team recently collected crucial documents from the United States, where its department of justice is probing Embraer's alleged violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

BCCL

Top CBI sources said that a team had recently gone to the US to collect evidence on Embraer which could be useful in proving the corruption charges in the deal signed in India. "The documents are now being scrutinised," said the officer. The agency is also in touch with Brazilian authorities to seek information about the aerospace conglomerate, alleged middleman Vipin Khanna and route of alleged 'bribe' payments.

CBI has already found out that more than $5.70 million had been paid allegedly as kickbacks in the contract and these have been linked to Khanna, said sources. Leading Brazilian newspaper 'Folha de Sao Paulo' has reported that Embraer has been under investigation by the US justice department since 2010 when a contract with the Dominican Republic raised American suspicions.

BCCL

The newspaper had reported the irregularities in September last year after which ministry of defence ordered a CBI probe. In its FIR, CBI has alleged that kickbacks worth over $5.70 million were paid to clinch the contract of three aircraft in 2008. Khanna, whose name had figured earlier too in defence deals probed by the agency, is named as accused along with two companies  Brazil-based Embraer and Singapore-based Interdev Pte Ltd  in the deal.

The deal for the three aircraft which were to be used by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for air-borne radar systems was inked with Embraer in 2008. The Brazilian newspaper had claimed that that the aviation company had taken the services of middlemen to clinch deals in Saudi Arabia and India. According to defence procurement rules of India, middlemen are strictly barred in such deals.

After the probe was initiated, Embraer had issued a statement saying, "Since 2011, Embraer has publicly reported that it has been conducting an extensive internal investigation and cooperating with the authorities on investigations regarding alleged violations of the FCPA. The company voluntarily expanded the scope of the investigation, systematically reporting the progress of the case to the market." "The company is not the party of the legal proceedings in Brazil. Therefore, it does not have access to the information contained therein," it had said.
A sudden move by banks to levy a 1% transaction fee on card payments at petrol pumps have taken the oil ministry by surprise and prompted dealers to say they will stop accepting plastic money from Monday, which could inconenience consumers in times of cash shortage and affect the government's move to expand the cashless eco system in the country.

Reuters

In Delhi, ministry officials said even they were unaware of the move by the banks and have asked them to put off the levy till a system of compensating the petrol pump dealers is disccused by all stakeholders -- state-run fuel retailers, banks and petrol pump owners. The banks' move will not target the citizens directly as no new charges will be levied on customers using cards.

Stopping card payments and accepting only cash at petrol stations comes at a time when the Centre is pushing for increased non-cash transactions and announced a 0.75% cashback offer on purchase of petrol using plastic money.

ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank sent notices to dealers on Saturday night to inform them about the surcharge. These banks together cover most of the petrol pumps that have POS (point of sale or card swipe machines) in the country.

BCCL

Following the notice, pump owners took the decision to stop accepting card payments at a meeting of all petrol pump dealers' associations in Bengaluru on Sunday. All India Petroleum Dealers Association president Ajay Bansal told TOI from Bengaluru said all pump owners are firm in their decision to withdraw card swipe machines from intervening midnight of Sunday and Monday.

"They (banks) must apologise to the public," B R Ravindranath, president, Akhila Karnataka Federation of Petroleum Traders and Bangalore Petroleum Dealers Association, told TOI in Bengaluru.

Dealers say the transaction fee by banks will will wipe out their profit, which is set by the state-run fuel retailers. Ravindranath claimed the net profit, after deducting all operational costs, stand at at 0.3% to 0.5%. "If the banks straight away levy a 1% transaction fee, where do they expect us to go. It becomes extremely difficult to survive in such circumstances," Ravindranath said

BCCL

The dealers also appear to be aware of the damage that can be caused to their public image due to their protest but claim they have no other choice. "The public will see us as the villains now. They will think we are inconveniencing them by demanding only cash, but the truth is not that. Sale of petrol/diesel is highly regulated and we cannot fix our own rates in view of this sudden levy by banks. So our best option is to not accept cards," the manager at a Bangaluru petrol pump said.

Assuring quick resolution of the issue, ministry officials in Delhi said "to be fair to dealers," the transaction fee cannot be paid by consumers or dealers. "It should be borne by the oil marketing companies. But that would need 2-3 days discussion to evolve a system that would allow dealers to raise demand daily and banks to compensate them. We are asking banks to put off the levy till detailed discussion on this is done," a ministry top official told TOI.
Two sloth bears were killed in Karnataka's Ramanagara forest by villagers, after they attempted to eat waste chicken which had crude bombs hidden inside them, the The New Indian Express reported.

The booby-trapped chicken was kept in a farm land, 10 km from the forest, and was in fact meant to trap wild boars.

The male and female bears, both around the ages of five, entered the farm land after smelling the meat. Attempting to eat the meat, they uknowingly set off the bombs, killing them. Forest officials said that such tactics have become common in the region. 4-5 such bombs were concealed, almost like hidden mines, across the field. 2 farmers have been booked under Section 2 of Wildlife Protection Act (causing the death of a protected animal).

Forest guards who arrived on the spot found mutilated remains of the bears. The government only permits hunting of wild bears, and the bombs could have easily killed a human being.
Mexico Guadalajara consulate shooting suspect

A US consular official was shot while driving out of a parking garage in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Friday a little after 6 p.m. local time.

The official, identified as Christopher Ashcraft, 31, a foreign-service officer on his first posting with the US State Department, was struck on the upper right side of his chest but is in stable condition, according to Mexican authorities.

Ashcraft works as a vice consul, a US government source told AFP.

"According to the four videos, it was a direct attack," Jalisco state attorney general Eduard Almaguer Ramirez said. Almaguer also told AFP that Ashcraft interviewed visa applicants at the embassy in the city.

The US consulate in the city, which is Mexico's second largest, released footage of the shooting as well as photos of the assailant. No motive for the attack has been established.

One clip of security-camera footage posted by the consulate on its Facebook page shows Ashcraft getting a ticket from a parking-garage machine while dressed in gym attire, then walking to his car with the suspected shooter not far behind him.

Another clip shows the suspect loitering by the street, waiting until Ashcraft's vehicle, a black Honda Fit, exits the parking garage, then taking a gun from his pocket and firing a single shot through the windshield.

Mexico Guadalajara consulate shooting

Another clip shows the suspect, clad in white shoes and purple pants and shirt possibly meant to appear like a nurse's uniform, running behind a van after the shooting. He was also wearing sunglasses and a dark-colored wig.

After the assailant fires and runs away, the car moves forward and stops, as people run over to the driver's side of the vehicle. Ashcraft was taken to a local hospital for treatment, where he is under protection.

Story continues

Footage of the shooting is below, but it may be disturbing to some viewers.

According to the consulate's Facebook page, the FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the identification of the shooter.

The shooter was apparently targeting Ashcraft. He asked for the US official by name at the gym reception desk and then followed him to his car, a friend of Ashcraft's told The Washington Post.

In the footage below, Ashcraft can be seen retrieving a parking ticket and then walking to his car, with the suspected assailant following.

The friend said Ashcraft was recovering but planned to return to the US. "He has no idea what happened," the friend, who has been in contact with Ashcraft since the shooting, told The Post. "But it wasnt random."

A source within the Guadalajara police department told The Guardian that authorities found US Drug Enforcement Administration credentials in Ashcraft's name, though the US consulate declined to comment on his position.

The source also suggested the attack was the work of a professional. "Thats not an easy shot," he told The Guardian. "He was probably aiming for the head but he missed as he leaned over to put his ticket in the machine." Though, as noted by Mike Vigil, former chief of international operations for the DEA, it's unlikely a professional would take a shot from that distance or at a moving vehicle.

Mexico Guadalajara consulate shooting suspect

While it's not yet known who the shooter was or if he acted on behalf of a Mexican criminal organization, Jalisco state, an economic center, is a hub of cartel activity.

The state is the home base of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which is widely regarded as one of the country's most powerful cartels. And in mid-December, the alleged leader of the once powerful Beltran Leyva Organization cartel was arrested in a Guadalajara suburb.

The CJNG has proven itself willing to take on Mexican authorities. In May 2015 cartel gunmen downed a Mexican military helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing six. Jalisco's southern border has also seen fighting between the CJNG and remnants of the Knights Templar cartel, based in neighboring Michoacan.

"I think that the Mexican cartels, the drug traffickers, have exceedingly become more brazen, and I think that US officials are in danger, very much like we were back in the '80s with the Guadalajara cartel when they kidnapped and assassinated Kiki Camarena," Vigil, author of "Metal Coffins: The Blood Alliance Cartel" and who was stationed in Mexico, told Business Insider, referring to the case of Enrique Camarena, a DEA agent who was kidnapped and killed by members of the Guadalajara cartel, then Mexico's strongest cartel, in 1985.

The killing strained US-Mexico relations and triggered a massive crackdown on the Guadalajara cartel, leading to the arrest of its top leaders and knocking it from atop the narco hierarchy.

The US State Department has issued a travel warning for Jalisco, barring US government personnel from "intercity travel after hours" and from using other roads in the area "because of continued instability" in the region.

drug cartel jalisco new mexico

"The Jalisco New Generation cartel, which operates in that area, is highly violent," Vigil added. "They don't respect US officials, but what they don't understand is that when these things happen, the full weight of the US government will be brought to bear on them."

Investigators from the US and Mexico will now to tap into a pool of contacts in the region in order to ascertain the identity and motive of the shooter.

"They will activate the large network of informants to make a determination as to whether or not they have any information as to who was responsible for the killings," Vigil told Business Insider. "And there'll be coordination obviously with all US agencies, to include DHS, ATF, the US Marshals, the DEA, because all of them have their own distinct informant network, and ... they'll coordinate with the Mexican federal police, because they'll have jurisdiction."

"But this investigation is not going to go away, and what's very critical in these types of situations is that the Mexican government will be given a lot of support," Vigil added. "They sometimes lack the expertise, but with the US government involved, I can assure you that this investigation will move forward in a very focused way."

Federal police officers stand guard near a vehicle with a

Attacks on US officials working in Mexico have happened in the past, though in some cases the attackers have said the incidents were the result of mistaken identity.

In 2014, Mexican gang leader Arturo Gallegos Castrellon was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 2010 killings of US consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband, Arthur Redfels, and Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of another consular employee, in a shooting in Ciudad Juarez.

The killings came during the peak of bloody fighting between the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels for control of Juarez.

Prosecutors alleged that Castrellon was part of a team of assassins working for Barrio Azteca, an ally of the Juarez cartel, which had ordered the hits. Several gang members testified that the killing was an accident, as the trio was in a car similar to that of members of the Sinaloa cartel.

In 2013, a Mexican drug-cartel lieutenant pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder in relation to the February 15, 2011, attack on ICE agents Jaime Zapata and his partner, Victor Avila, who were driving back to Mexico City after a work-related trip to northern Mexico.

Court documents in the case stated that a Los Zetas cartel commander attempted to hijack the agents' government-issued armored SUV while they were driving on Highway 57 in San Luis Potosi state. After Zetas gunmen forced the SUV off the road, the commander ordered the two agents to get out.

They refused and tried to identify themselves as American diplomats, but the gunmen opened fire, killing Zapata and wounding Avila.

NOW WATCH: Trump said he prevented a Ford factory from leaving the US  but the company says the move was never planned





More From Business Insider


T he Russians Did Not Hack the US Election  a Few Facts from a Former CIA Spy  I am deeply offended by the lies being told by the US Government  and more specifically, by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the explicit approval of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the President  with respect to the Russians hacking the US election. By Robert David Steele

Intelligence expert January 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Defence and intelligence Norway " - I am reminded of the 935 now-documented lies told by Dick Cheney to justify a $5 trillion war and multiple occupations from Afghanistan to Niger  or in more Nordic terms, the falsification by the Swedish military, in collaboration with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and CIA, of a Russian submarine that never existed, allegedly invading Swedish waters. As a CIA spy, I have faked intelligence, lied to government leaders, and managed a modest false flag operation (no one died). This is what CIA does. I accuse John Brennan, Director of the CIA, of being a liar who is in betrayal of the public trust with his lies. The most recent DHS-FBI report  and related reports from small companies seeking to curry favor with the Deep State  are absolute crap. I was the author of the first letter to the White House warning of our cyber-security shortfalls, in 1994. In the same year I was the opening speaker for Hackers on Planet Earth. The year before, in 1993, I introduced NSA to hackers  of the 900+ participants in my international conference roughly 60 were from NSA, bused down from Fort Meade to listen to a panel led by Emanuel Goldstein, founder of 2600. Here are the facts as I understand them, augmented by public statements from Julian Assange, Craig Murray, William Binney, James Bamford, Ray McGovern, Philip Giraldi, and John McAfee  and others who do not wish to be named. The only people hacking the US election have been the two political parties. The Democratic Party actively conspired against Bernie Sanders and actively stole thirteen primaries from Bernie Sanders using electronic ballot tampering. The Democratic Party also organized roughly three million dead, duplicate, and illegal alien voters. The Republican Party used various means to repress a million black voters.

The Russians  as well as the Israelis, French, Germans, Chinese, and everyone else on the planet with any curiosity  have absolutely been conducting electronic espionage against US political targets. They have not leaked anything (generally intelligence services try not to demonstrate that they have successfully hacked in anywhere).

The leaks from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to WikiLeaks were a combination of disgruntled NSA officials furious with Hillary Clintons mis-handling of classified materials (including sending emails with classified information to IP addresses in Saudi Arabia and Qatar), and a DNC insider with authorized access who shared copies  all this according to William Binney, Julian Assange, and Craig Murray.

The exposure (I use the term advisedly) of John Podesta as a very unethical political operative with very strong possibilities of also being a pedophile, resulted from a single phishing expedition by a single hacker who social engineered Podesta into changing his Google email password through an intermediate site that then was able to steal all of Podestas email. This hacker is in jail in the US and it is almost certain that he is collaborating with a US intelligence service, not the Russians.

The final leaks came from the New York Police Department (NYPD) after it confiscated a laptop from Anthony Weiner that turned out to have  it is alleged  all 650,000 emails that included Huma Abedeen as an addressed. This is a mother lode. The FBI immediately sequestered this machine, but not before the NYPD copied many of the emails and leaked the fact that they provided evidence of treason by Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedeen in taking money from Qatar and Saudi Arabia in return for regime change in Syria and Yemen as well as classified information in passing; and information reinforcing the possibilities of female as well as male pedophilia in the highest ranks of the Democratic Party.

The only intelligence services that persistently spy on US politicians across every device they own are the US intelligence services, specifically NSA, with CIA focusing on selected Senators and Representatives. NSA has explicitly spied on Barack Obama in detail since Obama was a junior Senator. The US media, very much under control, is both replaying the false narrative against the Russians, and strictly avoiding any independent commentary on the fact that it is US traitors, not the Russians, who are the threat to US peace and prosperity.

It is highly likely that the neo-Nazi element in European leadership is conspiring with the neo-Nazi, neo-conservative element in US leadership, to start a war with Russia. The assassination of the Russian Ambassador in Turkey, the assassination of the NATO chief auditor about to expose a Euro 250 billion black budget used by NATO to bribe politicians and carry out false flag operations, and the various false flag operations in France (these with Mossad assistance) and Germany and elsewhere are all part of trying to start WWIII  war is a business model for the City of London and Wall Street, for the Vatican and the Rothschilds. There is good news. It is my judgment that WWIII has been averted by a combination of restraint on the part of Vladimir Putin, confident that Donald Trump will make things right (pun intended) once he is in office, and public intelligence. For the first time in history, a sufficiency of retired intelligence professionals and alert citizens have come together to demonstrate with compelling depth that both the US secret intelligence community and their fellow travelers, the US media (both mainstream and progressive) cannot be trusted to tell the truth about anything of import. For those who wish to learn more, I offer the three links as starting points. Robert Steele: The DHS-FBI Report Against the Russians is Absolute Crap  Our Own Traitors, Not the Russians, Are the Real Enemy  UPDATE 3 Berto Jongman: James Scott, Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology on John Brennan and CIA Being Full of Crap Russians (Search Results) @ Phi Beta Iota Those wishing to understand how Donald Trump won accidentally, against all odds within a system rigged twelve different ways, are invited to review the two links below. Robert Steele: Donald Trump, The Accidental President  Under Siege! A Soft Coup Rages within a Closed Rigged System Robert Steele: RIGGED  Twelve Ways the Two-Party Tyranny Rigs the US Electoral System to Block Out Independents, Small Parties, and 70% of the Eligible Voters In my view, the truth at any cost lowers all other costs. The truth is not available from the US secret intelligence world or the US media  for truth, we must look to one another. Robert David Steele is a former American spy, one of the first to be assigned the terrorist target as a full-time assignment, and also the senior civilian responsible for creating the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (MCIA), both in the 1980s. Today he is the CEO of Earth Intelligence Network, a non-profit educational corporation that teaches holistic analytics, true cost economics, and Open Source Everything Engineering (OSEE). The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy. Russia influenced American politics? : The 25-page report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence : Background to Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections: The Analytic Process and Cyber Incident Attribution. Trump acknowledges Russia role in U.S. election hacking: aide ; President-elect Donald Trump accepts the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia engaged in cyber attacks during the U.S. presidential election and may take action in response, his incoming chief of staff said on Sunday.
Israeli Diplomat Caught on Camera Plotting to 'Take Down' UK MPs



Shai Masot is recorded discussing how to discredit MPs in comments described by Israeli embassy as unacceptable



By Ian Cobain and Ewen MacAskill An Israeli embassy official has been caught on camera in an undercover sting plotting to take down MPs regarded as hostile, including foreign office minister Sir Alan Duncan, an outspoken supporter of a Palestinian state. In an extraordinary breach of diplomatic protocol, Shai Masot, who describes himself as an officer in the Israel Defence Forces and is serving as a senior political officer at the London embassy, was recorded by an undercover reporter from al-Jazeeras investigative unit speaking about a number of British MPs. The Israeli ambassador, Mark Regev, apologised to Duncan on Friday. An Israeli spokesman said Regev made clear that the embassy considered the remarks completely unacceptable. The Israeli embassy said Masot will be ending his term of employment with the embassy shortly. Masot declined to comment or to elaborate on what he meant when he said he wanted to take down a number of MPs. Masot had been speaking to Maria Strizzolo, a civil servant who was formerly an aide to another Conservative minister. Also present was a man they knew as Robin, whom they believed to be working for Labour Friends of Israel, a pressure group. In fact, Robin was an undercover reporter. Strizzolo, discussing with Masot how to discredit MPs, said: Well, you know, if you look hard enough, Im sure that there is something that theyre trying to hide. Later she added: A little scandal, maybe. During the conversation, in October, Strizzolo boasted that she had helped to secure a promotion for her boss, the Conservative MP Robert Halfon. She had been his chief of staff when he was deputy chair of the Conservative party. Last year Halfon was appointed as an education minister and Strizzolo was appointed as a senior manager at the Skills Funding Agency. She continues to work part-time for Halfon. In the footage, Masot agreed that Strizzolo had assisted Halfon and then asked whether she could also achieve the opposite effect. Can I give you some MPs that I would suggest you would take down? he asked. He went on to say that she knew which MPs he was referring to. She asked him to remind her. The deputy foreign minister, he said. Strizzolo said: You still want to go for it? Masots reply is ambiguous but he said Duncan was still causing problems. Strizzolo asked: I thought we had, you know, neutralised him just a little bit, no? Masot answered: No. Masot did not elaborate on what he meant by take down, but it is normally used as meaning to engineer a downfall, possibly through discrediting them in some way. The conversation then turned to the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson. Strizzolo said he was solid on Israel. Masot agreed, adding that Johnson just did not care. You know he is an idiot  Masot said. Strizzolo returned to the subject of Duncan later in the conversation, suggesting he had had a run-in with Halfon in the past and that Halfon had reported Duncan to the whips. So never say never, she added. Masot replied: Never say never, yeah, but  Strizzolo said: A little scandal, maybe.

Other prominent Conservatives named during the conversation include Crispin Blunt, chair of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, who is also a vocal supporter of the Palestinians.

Blunt said: Whilst this apparent activity of a diplomat of a foreign state in the politics of the United Kingdom is formally outrageous and deserving of investigation, the real questions should be for the state of Israel itself. Israels future peace and security is not being served by ignoring the substantial peace lobby in both Israel and the world wide Jewish community and working to undermine those foreign politicians who share that perspective In another conversation, Masot agreed that Blunt was among MPs that were strongly pro-Arab rather than pro-Israel. Strizzolo referred to him being on a hitlist. UK ministers are understood to regard such plot talks as a matter of serious concern, crossing the line beyond normal diplomatic activity. Duncan declined to comment. Although the Israeli embassy insists Masot was a junior embassy official and not a diplomat, his business card describes him as a senior political officer and his LinkedIn page lists him as having worked for the embassy since November 2014. He describes his work as being the chief point of contact between the embassy and MPs and liaising with ministers and officials at the Foreign Office. He also describes himself as having been a major in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) between 2004 and 2011  serving part of that time on a patrol boat off Gaza  and still employed by the IDF as deputy head of the international organisations sector.

The disclosures comes at a sensitive moment, just over a week after Theresa May put herself at odds with the Obama administration by expressing strong support for Israel in a row over the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank. The sting operation, which began in June and ran through to November last year, recorded conversations on a number of occasions that include a wide range of pro-Israeli activists as well as British politicians and Israeli embassy staff. The recordings form the basis of four half-hour documentaries that al-Jazeera is to broadcast from 15 January.

Strizzolo sought to play down what had been discussed. Asked a series of questions by the Guardian, she issued a statement that said: The implications the Guardian is seeking to draw from a few out-of-context snippets of a conversation, obtained by subterfuge, over a social dinner are absurd. The context of the conversation was light, tongue-in-cheek and gossipy. Any suggestion that I, as a civil servant working in education, could ever exert the type of influence you are suggesting is risible. Shai Masot is someone I know purely socially and as a friend. He is not someone with whom I have ever worked or had any political dealings beyond chatting about politics, as millions of people do, in a social context.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: The Israeli ambassador has apologised and is clear these comments do not reflect the views of the embassy or government of Israel. The UK has a strong relationship with Israel and we consider the matter closed. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Why Has Israeli Spy Shai Masot Not Been Expelled? By Craig Murray There is no starker proof of the golden chains in which Israel has entangled the British political class, than the incredible fact that diplomat Shai Masot has not been expelled for secretly conspiring to influence British politics by attacking Britains Deputy Foreign Minister, suggesting that he might be brought down by a little scandal. It is incredible by any normal standards of diplomatic behaviour that immediate action was not taken against Masot for actions which when revealed any professional diplomat would normally expect to result in being PNGd  declared persona non grata. Obama has just expelled 35 Russian diplomats for precisely the same offence, with the exception that in the Russian case there is absolutely zero hard evidence, whereas in the Masot case there is irrefutable evidence on which to act.

To compare the two cases is telling. Al Jazeera should be congratulated on their investigation, which shames the British corporate and state media who would never have carried out such actual journalism. By contrast, the British media has parroted without the slightest scrutiny the truly pathetic Obama camp claims of Russian interference, evidently without reading them. When I was sent the latest intelligence report on Russian hacking a couple of evenings ago, I quite genuinely for several minutes thought it was a spoof by the Daily Mash or similar, parodying the kind of ludicrous claims that kept being advanced with zero evidence. I do implore you to read it, as when you realise it is supposed to be serious it becomes still more hilarious. The existence of a natural preference in Russia to see a US President who does not want to start World War III is quoted as itself evidence that Russia interfered, just as the fact that I could do with some more money is evidence I robbed a bank. The fact that Russia did not criticise the electoral process after the result is somehow evidence that Putin personally ordered electoral hacking. Oh, and the fact that Russia Today once hosted a programme critical of fracking is evidence of a Russian plot to destroy the US economy. Please do read it, I promise you will be laughing for weeks. In passing, allow me to destroy quickly the we have smoking gun evidence but its too secret to show you argument. Given the Snowden revelations and the whistleblowing of the former NSA Technical Director Bill Binney, for the US government to claim to be hiding the fact that it can tack all electronic traffic in the USA is risible. This is like saying we cant give you the evidence in case the Russians find out the sky is blue. If there were hacks, the NSA could identify the precise hack transmitting the precise information out of Washington. Everybody knows that. There were no hacks so there is no evidence. End of argument. They are internal leaks. The two stories  Russian interference in US politics, Israeli interference in UK politics  also link because the New York Times claims that it was the British that first suggested to the Obama administration that Russian cyber activity was targeting Clinton. Director of Cyber Security and Information Assurance in the British Cabinet Office is Matthew Gould, the UKs former openly and strongly pro-Zionist Ambassador to Israel and friend of the current Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev. While Private Secretary to David Miliband and William Hague, and then while Ambassador to Israel, Regev held eight secret meetings with Adam Werritty, on at least one occasion with Mossad present and on most occasions also with now minister Liam Fox. My Freedom of Information requests for minutes of these meetings brought the reply that they were not minuted, and my Freedom of Information request for the diary entries for these meetings brought me three pages each containing only the date, with everything else redacted. I managed to get the information about the Gould/Werritty meetings as a result of relentless questioning, where I was kindly assisted by MPs including Jeremy Corbyn, Caroline Lucas and Paul Flynn. The woman with whom Shai Masot was conniving to undermine Alan Duncan, was Maria Strizzolo, who works for Tory Minister Robert Halfon. It was Halfon who repeatedly tried to obstruct Paul Flynn MP from asking questions of Cabinet Secretary Gus ODonnell that threatened to get to the heart of the real Adam Werritty scandal. Both Robert Halfon and Adam Werrity received funding from precisely the same Israeli sources, and in particular from Mr Poju Zabludowicz. Halfon also formerly had a full time paid job as Political Director of the Conservative Friends of Israel. Halfons assistant is now caught conspiring with the Israeli Embassy to attack another Tory minister. House of Commons Publc Admininstration Committee 24/11/2011 Q Paul Flynn: Okay. Matthew Gould has been the subject of a very serious complaint from two of my constituents, Pippa Bartolotti and Joyce Giblin. When they were briefly imprisoned in Israel, they met the ambassador, and they strongly believeit is nothing to do with this case at allthat he was serving the interest of the Israeli Government, and not the interests of two British citizens. This has been the subject of correspondence. In your report, you suggest that there were two meetings between the ambassador and Werritty and Liam Fox. Questions and letters have proved that, in fact, six such meetings took place. There are a number of issues around this. I do not normally fall for conspiracy theories, but the ambassador has proclaimed himself to be a Zionist and he has previously served in Iran, in the service. Werritty is a self-proclaimed Robert Halfon : Point of order, Chairman. What is the point of this? Paul Flynn:> Let me get to it. Werritty is a self-proclaimed expert on Iran. Chair:> I have to take a point of order. Robert Halfon:> Mr Flynn is implying that the British ambassador to Israel is working for a foreign power, which is out of order. Paul Flynn:> I quote the Daily Mail: Mr Werritty is a self-proclaimed expert on Iran and has made several visits. He has also met senior Israeli officials, leading to accusationsnot from me, from the Daily Mailthat he was close to the countrys secret service, Mossad. There may be nothing in that, but that appeared in a national newspaper. Chair:> I am going to rule on a point of order. Mr Flynn has made it clear that there may be nothing in these allegations, but it is important to have put it on the record. Be careful how you phrase questions. Paul Flynn:> Indeed. The two worst decisions taken by Parliament in my 25 years were the invasion of Iraqjoining Bushs war in Iraqand the invasion of Helmand province. We know now that there were things going on in the background while that built up to these mistakes. The charge in this case is that Werritty was the servant of neo-con people in America, who take an aggressive view on Iran. They want to foment a war in Iran in the same way as in the early years, there was another Chair:> Order. I must ask you to move to a question that is relevant to the inquiry. Q Paul Flynn:> Okay. The question is, are you satisfied that you missed out on the extra four meetings that took place, and does this not mean that those meetings should have been investigated because of the nature of Mr Werrittys interests? Sir Gus ODonnell:> I think if you look at some of those meetings, some people are referring to meetings that took place before the election. Q Paul Flynn:> Indeed, which is even more worrying. Sir Gus ODonnell:> I am afraid they were not the subjectwhat members of the Opposition do is not something that the Cabinet Secretary should look into. It is not relevant. But these meetings were held Chair:> Mr Flynn, would you let him answer please? Sir Gus ODonnell:> I really do not think that was within my context, because they were not Ministers of the Government and what they were up to was not something I should get into at all. Chair:> Final question, Mr Flynn. Q Paul Flynn:> No, it is not a final question. I am not going to be silenced by you, Chairman; I have important things to raise. I have stayed silent throughout this meeting so far. You state in the reporton the meeting held between Gould, Fox and Werritty, on 6 February, in Tel Avivthat there was a general discussion of international affairs over a private dinner with senior Israelis. The UK ambassador was present. Are you following the line taken by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who says that he can eat with lobbyists or people applying to his Department because, on occasions, he eats privately, and on other occasions he eats ministerially? Are you accepting the idea? It is possibly a source of great national interestthe eating habits of their Secretary of State. It appears that he might well have a number of stomachs, it has been suggested, if he can divide his time this way. It does seem to be a way of getting round the ministerial code, if people can announce that what they are doing is private rather than ministerial. Sir Gus ODonnell:> The important point here was that, when the Secretary of State had that meeting, he had an official with himnamely, in this case, the ambassador. That is very important, and I should stress that I would expect our ambassador in Israel to have contact with Mossad. That will be part of his job. It is totally natural, and I do not think that you should infer anything from that about the individuals biases. That is what ambassadors do. Our ambassador in Pakistan will have exactly the same set of wide contacts. Q Paul Flynn:> I have good reason, as I said, from constituency matters, to be unhappy about the ambassador. Other criticisms have been made about the ambassador; he is unique in some ways in the role he is performing. There have been suggestions that he is too close to a foreign power. Robert Halfon:> On a point of order, Chair, this is not about the ambassador to Israel. This is supposed to be about the Werritty affair. Paul Flynn:> It is absolutely crucial to this report. If neo-cons such as yourself, Robert, are plotting a war in Iran, we should know about it. Chair:> Order. I think the line of questioning is very involved. I have given you quite a lot of time, Mr Flynn. If you have further inquiries to make of this, they could be pursued in correspondence. May I ask you to ask one final question before we move on? Sir Gus ODonnell:> One thing I would stress: we are talking about the ambassador and I think he has a right of reply. Mr Chairman, I know there is an interesting question of words regarding Head of the Civil Service versus Head of the Home Civil Service, but this is the Diplomatic Service, not the Civil Service. Q Chair:> So he is not in your jurisdiction at all. Sir Gus ODonnell:> No. Q Paul Flynn:> But you are happy that your report is final; it does not need to go the manager it would have gone to originally, and that is the end of the affair. Is that your view? Sir Gus ODonnell:> As I said, some issues arose where I wanted to be sure that what the Secretary of State was doing had been discussed with the Foreign Secretary. I felt reassured by what the Foreign Secretary told me. Q Chair:> I think what Mr Flynn is asking is that your report and the affair raise other issues, but you are saying that that does not fall within the remit of your report and that, indeed, the conduct of an ambassador does not fall within your remit at all. Sir Gus ODonnell:> That is absolutely correct. Paul Flynn:> The charge laid by Lord Turnbull in his evidence with regard to Dr Fox and the ministerial code was his failure to observe collective responsibility, in that case about Sri Lanka. Isnt the same charge there about our policies to Iran and Israel? Chair:> We have dealt with that, Mr Flynn. Paul Flynn:> We havent dealt with it as far as it applies Chair:> Mr Flynn, we are moving on. Paul Flynn:> You may well move on, but I remain very unhappy about the fact that you will not allow me to finish the questioning I wanted to give on a matter of great importance. It is shocking but true that Robert Halfon MP, who disrupted Flynn with repeated points of order, receives funding from precisely the same Israeli sources as Werritty, and in particular from Mr Poju Zabludowicz. He also formerly had a full time paid job as Political Director of the Conservative Friends of Israel. It is not surprising that Shai Masot evidently views Halfon as a useful tool for attacking senior pro-Palestinian members of his own party. But despite the evasiveness of ODonnell and the obstruction of paid zionist puppet Halfon, ODonnell confirmed vital parts of my investigation. In particular he agreed that the Fox-Werritty-Gould private dinner in Tel Aviv was with Mossad, and that Gould met Werritty many times more than the twice that ODonnell listed in his investigation into the Werritty affair. The truth of the Werritty scandal, hidden comprehensively by the mainstream media, was that Werritty was inside the UK Ministry of Defence working for Israel. That is why it was so serious that Defence Minister Liam Fox had to resign Of the eight meetings of Fox-Gould-Werritty together which I discovered, seven were while Fox was Secretary of State for Defence. Only one was while Fox was in opposition. But ODonnell let the cat much further out of the bag, with the astonishing admission to Paul Flynns above questioning that Gould, Fox and Werritty held meetings that took place before the election. He also referred to some of those meetings as being before the election. Both are plainly in the plural. It is evident from the information gained by Paul Flynn that not only did Fox, Gould and Werritty have at least seven meetings while Fox was in power  with no minutes and never another British official present  they had several meetings while Fox was shadow Foreign Secretary. ODonnell was right that what Fox and Werritty were up to in opposition was not his concern. But what Gould was doing with them  a senior official  most definitely was his concern. A senior British diplomat cannot just hold a series of meetings with the opposition shadow Defence Secretary and a paid Israeli lobbyist. All of this underlined the pernicious influence that Israel has in the political class, which is founded on the Israeli lobbys shameless use of cash for influence  as witnessed in the discussion between Shai Masot and Labour Firends of Israel and his flaunting of a million. Attitudes towards the plight of the Palestinians are an extreme example of the disconnect between public opinion and the views of the political class, and Al Jazeera should be congratulated heartily on giving us a peek into that. No further evidence is required. There could be no more conclusive evidence of Israels undue and pernicious influence than the astonishing fact that Shai Masot has not yet been expelled. Craig John Murray is a former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, and was the Rector of the University of Dundee . The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Glenn Greenwald: U.S. Intel Chiefs Have History of Deceiving the Public



Video and Transcript January 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Democracy Now! " - Journalist Glenn Greenwald examines the track record of intelligence chiefs, including CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. AMY GOODMAN: Well, Glenn, on Friday, President-elect Trump is meeting with CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey and the DNIs, the director of national intelligences, James Clapper, as they brief him, summarize what the 17 intelligence agencies say. Tell us who these three men are. GLENN GREENWALD: Well, interestingly, James Comey has become, after Vladimir Putin, probably the most despised villain in the Democratic narrative about what happened in the election. In fact, after the election, Hillary Clinton blamed not Putin or WikiLeaks, but Comey, for why she lost, because of the letter that he wrote shortly before the election, in which he said that hethe FBI was essentially reopening the investigation into whether she broke the law through the use of her emails. Comey was a Bush administration Justice Department official who was appointed not by George Bush, but by Barack Obama, to be the FBI director. John Brennan was also a Bush-era CIA official, who is a supporter not of all aspects of the Bush torture program, but some aspects of it, including rendition and other interrogation techniques that are widely regarded as torture. And he was made the national security adviser in the Obama White House after Obama tried to make him CIA director in the beginning, and liberals objected and blocked his nomination, but he ultimately became CIA director. So these are Obama appointees who are running these agencies, even though they were high-level Bush officials in the middle of important, controversial war on terror policies. And they have a long historynot just their agencies, but they themselvesof approving legally dubious, if not outright illegal, programs and lying to and deceiving the public. And so, there are no angels in any of these machinations that are taking place as these various factions vie for power in this new scheme in Washington. AMY GOODMAN: But who Donald Trump should find a lot of common ground with, who also wants to expand torture techniques, as he said, expand Guantanamo, his own appointees. GLENN GREENWALD: Well, I mean, I think, in fairness to people like James Comey and John Brennan and other people in the CIA and in the Pentagon, a lot of those people who became either actively involved in or in a more passively complicit way part of some of the more extreme war on terror programs actually did come to regret it, either on moral and legal grounds or just pragmatic grounds, that they realized that the U.S.that U.S. interests are undermined if theyre doing things like operating black sites and torture camps all over the world. And, in fact, Brennan and other leading members of the CIA have even said, including Michael Hayden, that some of the things Donald Trump has said he wants to do, like murder the families of terror suspects or reintroduce even more extreme forms of torture, are such forms of war criminality that the CIA and the military would refuse to follow those orders. So there is a significant part of that world that thinks that Trump has gone too far or will go too far. But there are alsoand that includes, actually, the person that he wants to make his defense secretary, which is General Mattis, who is a pretty outspoken opponent, actually, of the reintroduction of torture. But there are also some really unhinged extremists in that world, like Michael Flynn, obviously John Bolton, others who may end up with influence within the Trump administration who want to do all of that and even worse. And so, there is this jockeying for power over who it is whos going to have what levels of influence in what the U.S. government and the Trump administration does. And we still simply dont know whos going to prevail among these factions. AMY GOODMAN: And what role do movements play in this now, Glenn? GLENN GREENWALD: So, I think thatI think the most important thing is that, you know, you have things like the Constitution that are supposed to impose limits on what even a deranged leader can do. You have courts that are supposed to check that and Congress that is supposed to check that and the media that is supposed to check thatall of which have failed. And I think the only truly effective check against true abuse of power is popular revolt, popular protest. But in order for that to work, it cant just be confined to some sort of partisan movement. Remember, you had huge marches against the Iraq War in cities like San Francisco and New York and Washington and Los Angeles in 2003 that were ignored because they were viewed mostly as just liberal or Democratic supporters, and therefore viewed through a partisan prism. It has to be a kind of transpartisan movement, where the American population really stands up and says, "This is not about ideology. This is about the choice between democracy and authoritarianism. And we choose democracy." And I do think that, ultimately, only popular movements are the kinds of force that can really put a meaningful check on things Trump wants to do. AMY GOODMAN: Thats Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald, one of the founders of The Intercept. Well link to his articles at democracynow.org. Also, to see Part 1 of our conversation with Glenn that we had with him yesterday on Democracy Now!, go to democracynow.org. This is Democracy Now! Well be back in a minute. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section.
The 276 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram fighters have now been in captivity for 1,000 days, once again drawing attention to the plight of the girls.

The Buhari administration came to power on the back of promises to rescue all the girls within a year but despite their efforts, only 24 of the girls have been released so far. President Muhammadu Buhari has now reiterated the commitment of his administration to finding the girls.

The President restated his commitment to rescuing the remaining girls on his Twitter page.

1,000 days ago, 276 of our daughters were taken away from us by Boko Haram terrorists.  Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 8, 2017

April 14, 2014 instantly became a watershed moment for the nation; and a rallying point for the world, in the fight against terrorism.  Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 8, 2017

In my Inauguration speech I made it clear that bringing back our daughters was a priority, as important as the defeat of Boko Haram.  Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 8, 2017

In the last 9 months, 24 of the Chibok girls have been recovered/rescued, even as our gallant military has relentlessly subdued Boko Haram.  Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 8, 2017

Let me again say, as I have pledged in the past, that we will not spare any effort to reunite the remaining girls with their families.  Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 8, 2017

Our intelligence and security forces are unrelenting, and whatever it takes, we remain resolute in our quest to bring all our girls back.  Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 8, 2017

I salute the fortitude of the distraught parents. As a parent myself, I feel their pain. The tears never dry, the ache lingers in our hearts  Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 8, 2017

And I salute our security agencies, whose efforts have resulted in the return of some of the girls, as well as thousands of other captives  Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 8, 2017
FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have made their first public appearance together for the first time since he was hospitalised.

The rapper canceled his Saint Pablo tour last year after suffering a breakdown and he has kept a low profile since being discharged from the hospital.
The family of kano-based businessman, Alhaji Ismaila Zubairu who was kidnapped in Kogi State on the 30th of December said the abductors have made contact.

A family source said the kidnappers contacted them on Thursday night demanding N150m ransom in order to free the businessman.

The kidnappers had on Thursday linked Ismaila Zubairu with his immediate family members for a brief chat, the source added.

The unidentified caller pleaded with the head of the family to cooperate with the abductors, so as to secure freedom for the breadwinner of the family.

His wife, Hajiya Asabe, expressed delight that her husband is still alive and begged for intensified efforts for him to be saved as soon as possible.

She said, I have been informed that my husband communicated with his elder brother when his captors phoned. We should intensify our prayers for Zubairu to regain unconditional freedom.
A man in the US state of Illinois was sentenced 22 years in jail Wednesday for stealing a universal television remote control from a west suburban apartment complex in August 2015.

Following a two-day trial on Nov. 9, a jury deliberated for 25 minutes and found Eric Bramwell, 35, guilty of burglary, according to the DuPage County states attorneys office. Due to his criminal history, he was eligible for up to 30 years in prison.

On Aug. 1, 2015, Bramwell walked into the common area of the apartment complex, prosecutors said. He took the remote control unit, but dropped a glove which was found by police officers. The glove was tested for DNA and a match was made to Bramwell.

On Oct. 2, 2015, he was taken to the DuPage County jail and has remained there since, prosecutors said.

During sentencing, prosecutors provided evidence to show that beginning in 2014, Bramwell had committed similar burglaries at other apartment buildings, including taking televisions off the wall. Burglaries have occurred at apartment buildings in different areas.

By law, he must serve 50 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Mr. Bramwells illegal activity and his history have finally caught up with him, states attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. Regardless of what was stolen, Mr. Bramwell repeatedly thumbed his nose at the law. He took what he wanted time and time again, and expected to avoid the consequences.
Nigerian newspaper headlines January 8, 2017.

Punch

Kerosene scarcity has hit Calabar and its environs as the price of the commodity now ranges between N350 and N400 per litre, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Vanguard

The Nigerian Army has refuted the mass killing of Igbo youths allegation by the Campaign for Democracy (CD).

Guardian

Nigeria hopes to conclude the sale of a $1 billion Eurobond by the end of the first quarter of 2017 and will seek to make its foreign exchange market more flexible, vice president Yemi Osinbajo said on Tuesday.

Thisday

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed dismay over the dismissal of six police officers attached to the Governor of Rivers State, Chief NyesomWike by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Friday.

Leadership

Niger state government has said cattle rustlers from Zamfara and Kaduna states are the ones infiltrating their communities.

Premium Times

A thousand days after they were abducted from the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, 195 girls remain with their Boko Haram abductors.

The Sun

The Senator representing Ogun East senatorial district, Senator Buruji Kashamu, yesterday, disclosed that the leadership crisis that engulfed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) both at the national and state levels was masterminded by the Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose.

The Nation

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has arrested two Chinese nationals for importing fake and substandard mobile phones into the country.
The Ondo State Police Command have arrested a student of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Olusoji Thompson Olumekun, for allegedly hacking his father, Mr Clifford Olumekun, to death with an axe.

The 26-year-old medical student was said to have traveled home to commit the dastardly act at his fathers private residence in Idepe community in Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the incident, Mr Femi Joseph, the State Police Spokesperson, said the neighbours alerted the police, leading to the arrest of Olusoji, after he had killed his father

He said, We have started an investigation into the matter, but it has been established that the old man was axed to death right inside his house.

He stated further that investigations have begun in earnest to know the motives behind the sons killing of his father.

Meanwhile, there are suspicions in the community that the son was not acting alone.

According to sources in the community, other members of the family suspected of involvement in the plot have fled the community and have been declared wanted by the police.
Two Australian firms should be paid close attention to in 2017, according to one industry expert.



Sharanjit Paddam, principal at Deloitte Actuaries & Consultants, singled out two firms to watch over the coming year as the industry continues its march toward disruption.



The first is Huddle Money.



Theyre very interesting because theyre not just selling insurance online, Paddam told Insurance Business. Theyre much more about building up consumer education about risk, looking at ways that people can improve their understanding of what kinds of risks they carry or what kinds of insurance they might need.



They have some interesting approaches to understanding their customers and meeting their customers needs.



Paddam also singled out icare.



I think theyre going to have a huge impact on the market next year, in terms of how theyre setting up their business and how they intend to run their business going forward, he explained.



In 2016, Paddam said the release of the Northern Australia Insurance Premiums Taskforces final report in March was a highlight for the insurance industry. The report backed mitigation as the best way to address the high premium situation in the region.



I think it basically said that the market is functioning well, and that, to me, is the bigger insight from that [report]  that its not a market failure thats driving the cost up of insurance premiums in Northern Australia, but the cyclone activity itself and the risk that we have there, Paddam says.



Hes looking forward to seeing the introduction of mandatory data breach notification legislation in the near future.



It will firmly raise cyber risk in the minds of boards of directors of companies potentially, next year could be a very busy year for cyber insurers, he said.



Paddam also mentions insurers heightened focus on customers.



Weve seen restructures of IAG and Suncorp to have very large consumer-facing businesses and customer divisions, and the increasing focus on what are our customer needs and how do we improve the experience for insurance customers, he said.



He anticipates that trend to continue through 2017 and adds that insurers still have to focus on getting the right product, the right type of service and the right ways to access customers.





Related stories:

Aussie fintech start-up Huddle Money sets sights on insurance

NSW Government launches $100m injury prevention initiative
A Japanese insurance company is replacing 34 human workers with an artificial intelligence (AI) system in hopes of raising productivity by 30 per cent.Thirty-four human workers at the Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance will be made redundant as the company is set to implement, on 29 January, a system based on IBM's Watson Explorer technology to determine the company's insurance payouts,reported.The 34 employees, most on five-year contracts, will lose their jobs by the end of March.Fukoku said it hoped the move would increase company productivity by 30 per cent  although human staff will continue to handle final payments, the report said.The cognitive technology will cost Fukoku Life $2.36 million for its installation and some $177,000 in yearly maintenance fees, but will save the insurer about $1.65 million on employee salaries once the system is implemented. This means Fukoku Life will get a return on its investment in less than two years,reported.Other Japanese companies are already using similar technology  Dai-ichi Life Insurance uses a Watson system for processing payment assessments, while Nippon Life Insurance recently began using an AI system for analysing the best coverage plans for individual customers.With AI and robots starting to take over the workplace, the World Economic Forum predicted that AI will result to a net loss of 5.1 million jobs over five years in 15 of the world's leading economies.Jon Williams, an analyst with PwC , urged Australian governments to prepare for the big changes robots and AI will bring to the workforce."I think over the next couple of years, governments have to develop policies that allow them to support the development of new jobs and new industries or we'll see what we saw in the recent US election, where there's a huge disaffected group whose job in a factory disappeared and they haven't been able to replace it, he said. "The next five to 10 years will see jobs in the professions  in medicine, in the legal profession, in professional services  starting to be replaced by computers and robots and machine learning."In a statement, IBM Australia said Watson was already being used in many industries, saying: "We believe that in the future, every decision that mankind makes is going to be informed by a system like Watson,"reported.
E arrivata lufficialita, dopo una giornata di voci rincorrenti: per il triennio 2018-2021 sara lemittente Sky a godere dei diritti televisivi per trasmettere, in esclusiva assoluta, le partite non solo delle prossime edizioni dellEuropa League ma anche quelle della massima competizione continentale, la Champions. Un pacchetto da favola per il quale la tv satellitare di Rupert Murdoch avrebbe messo sul piatto unofferta giudicata piu congrua di quella presentata dalla concorrente Mediaset. A dare lannuncio dellaffare concluso e stata la stessa Sky che, in un comunicato, ha spiegato che il nuovo format sviluppato dalla UEFA ci consentira di portare ai nostri abbonati un prodotto rivoluzionario per il calcio europeo in Italia. Per la prima volta la UEFA Champions League e la UEFA Europa League saranno insieme in unesclusiva offerta integrata, che permettera agli appassionati di seguire fino a 7 squadre italiane, mai cosi tante prima dora, impegnate nelle sfide con i migliori club europei.

Sky: Rafforzata leadership

Anche il livello tecnico dellofferta sara altissimo ed e ancora lemittente a rivelare i dettagli: Continueremo a fare innovazione, trasmettendo le partite piu importanti anche in 4K HDR. Questofferta senza precedenti rafforza la posizione di Sky come leader della programmazione sportiva in Italia ed e anche un altro passo importante di sostegno al calcio italiano. Insomma, per i prossimi tre anni, sara unegemonia totale quella della satellitare sul calcio europeo, avendo mantenuto il pacchetto Europa League (gia sua esclusiva) e affiancandola a quello ancor piu appetibile della Champions League ad appannaggio Mediaset dal 2015 al 2018.

Sfida Serie A

Ora la sfida fra i due colossi delle trasmissioni sportive si spostera sui diritti televisivi della prossima Serie A, per la quale si e ancora in attesa di un nuovo bando che, come annunciato dal commissario della Lega, Carlo Tavecchio, avra le stesse caratteristiche del precedente, andato pero a vuoto: solo una delle offerte presentate per i cinque pacchetti, infatti, superava la soglia minima richiesta dalla base dasta. Niente di fatto, quindi, anche in virtu della stessa Mediaset che, in sostanza, ha disertato il bando (giudicato inaccettabile) non presentando alcuna offerta. La battaglia, anche in questo caso, sara sulle esclusive: del resto, dopo essersi vista scivolare via una componente importante come la Champions, sulla Serie A Mediaset dara sicuramente battaglia.
Diciotto pagine appiccicate, 16.000 parole scritte dun fiato in uno stile simile al flusso di coscienza di Joyce e che Neal Cassady invio nel 1950 allamico Kerouac dopo un week end estremo a base di alcol, sesso e droghe. Quella lettera ritenuta persa per moltissimi anni e che ispiro il celebre romanzo On the road e stata ritrovata e il 17 dicembre sara messa allasta in California dalla casa Profiles in History insieme ad altri piccoli tesori letterari. Era in assoluto il piu grande pezzo di letteratura che abbia mai visto. Me ne innamorai subito affermo Kerouac al Paris Review aggiungendo: mi sembro senza dubbio abbastanza buono da far rivoltare nelle loro tombe Melville e Twain.

La lettura del testo fu per Kerouac lidea per iniziare a scrivere per tre settimane di seguito il celebre rotolo che divenne una bibbia per tutta la generazione beat. Lo stream of consciousness di Neal era diventato uno stile necessario per rompere gli schemi culturali e sociali, ma soprattutto per abbattere le barriere del borghesismo intellettuale diventando cosi un genere letterario che avrebbe segnato le successive opere come I sotterranei, I vagabondi del Dharma e Viaggiatore solitario e molte altre opere della Beat Generation. La famosa lettera fu a lungo conservata da Kerouac, passo nelle mani di Allen Ginsberg e questo la giro al proprietario di una piccola casa editrice. Lidea era quella di pubblicarla in un antologia letteraria. Il volume pero non vide mai la luce e delle 18 pagine di Neal si perse ogni traccia fino a poche settimane fa quando gli eredi di Joe Spinosa, che lavorava nella casa editrice, la ritrovarono in una vecchia valigia abbandonata nella soffitta.

Kerouac non manco mai di rimproverare lamico Ginsberg per aver perso la lettera, in diverse occasione manifesto la sua delusione anche ai giornali come nel 1969 quando dichiaro: Ancora oggi non riesco a perdonarlo. Era di mia proprieta. Allen non avrebbe dovuto essere tanto sciatto. Penso non si possa comprendere la genesi di Sulla strada senza aver letto quello che mi confido Neal. Il libro che lo rese famoso in quasi tutto il mondo fu scritto senza pause, aiutato dai caffe e dalla benzedrina Kerouac picchietto sulla macchina da scrivere dal 2 al 23 aprile del 1951. Sono andato veloce perche la strada e veloce spiego lautore allamico Neal. Centomila parole e circa 40 metri di rotolo conservati oggi al museo dellUniversita di Iowa.
The new Arizona Legislative session starts on Monday and Flagstaff City Council is ready with its list of priorities.

At the top of the list is the perennial problem of road repair funding. Mayor Coral Evans told the citys statehouse lobbyist, Richard Travis, that she would like to see the state resolve its transportation funding issues. One possibility would be to raise the state gas tax, which has not been increased in 20 years, she said.

Travis said the Legislature was looking at a number of options including increasing the gas tax, the license/registration tax, creating a new sales tax, creating a new gas tax or private partnership agreements.

Councilmember Jim McCarthy agreed and said he would prefer an increase in the gas tax or the license tax rather than a new sales tax.

The sales tax rate is getting ridiculous, he said.

Councilmember Celia Barotz said she would like to see the state accept more input from local governments on local liquor licenses, especially on the location of businesses that have those licenses. She said she has spoken with tribal representative who have raised concerns about where businesses with liquor licenses are located.

Evans and Councilmembers Charlie Odegaard said they would also like to see more support and funding for community colleges.

They provide a service that some of the universities dont fill, Odegaard said.

Councilmember Eva Putzova said she wouldnt mind working with other cities in the state to push for the repeal of Senate Bill 1070.

The anti-illegal immigration bill passed in 2010. It made it a state misdemeanor for an immigrant to be in the state without carrying the required immigration documents to prove that they were in the state legally. It also required law enforcement officers to request those documents any time the officer was doing a traffic stop or investigating a crime, if the officer thought the person might be in the state illegally.

Putzova pointed out that federal courts have gutted most of SB1070 and enforcing the remaining parts of the law was putting a burden on the Flagstaff Police Department. Residents are afraid to come forward to report crimes for fear of being deported, she said.

Evans also wanted Travis to look into ways of preventing the state from sweeping funds from the State Aviation Fund. The money from the fund provides airports with the money for capital improvement projects.

The mayor also wanted to push the Legislature to increase the reimbursement rate for social service providers. She pointed out that the state reimburses provides 75 cents for every dollar spent on services.

Barotz also wanted to look at bringing back an energy financing program the city proposed several years ago. The Property Assessed Clean Energy program would allow property owners to get loans for projects that would increase the energy efficiency of their buildings or add renewable energy sources or water conservation projects to their buildings. The loans would be paid back through a tax assessment on the property.

Travis said several cities, counties and state have similar programs in place across the U.S. Flagstaff tried to get a PACE program for residential and commercial buildings passed at the Legislature several years ago. But that was about the time that the bottom fell out of the housing market and governments with these programs were faced with unpaid loans after several homes went into foreclosure.

This time, Arizona cities are focusing on creating a commercial property-only PACE program, in the hope that the stability of commercial properties might get the item passed, he said.

Forest health, guns in public buildings and a Dark Skies specialty license plate rounded out Councils Legislative wish list.

The city is always concerned about continued funding for projects like the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project, which thins out the forests surrounding the city to reduce the risk of wildfire.

Guns in public buildings has been a reoccurring topic at the Legislature for the past several years. The Legislature has tried multiple times to pass laws that would allow the public to carry a gun into a public building, such as Flagstaff City Hall. A current proposal would require public buildings that prohibit guns inside to not only post signs outside the building and lockers to store weapons inside, but to install metal detectors and have guards to make sure that someone doesnt bring in a weapon.

Local Arizona governments have argued successfully in the past that the cost to install metal detectors and hire guards is prohibitive.

The Dark Skies specialty license plate is a new topic brought up by Evans, who said she has heard requests from several residents that would like buy such a plate.
Donald Trump vowed to improve relations with Russia despite claims of Kremlin intervention in the presidential election.

Mr Trump declared in a series of tweets "only 'stupid' people or fools" would come to a different conclusion.

"Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," he stated from Trump Tower, adding: "We have enough problems without yet another one."

American intelligence officials on Friday briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election in order to help him win the White House.

An unclassified version of the report explicitly tied Russian president Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said Moscow had a "clear preference" for Mr Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton.

The president-elect has repeatedly sought to downplay the allegations, alarming some who see a pattern of scepticism directed at US intelligence agencies and a willingness to embrace Mr Putin.

There has been no official comment from Moscow on the report, which was released as Russia observed Orthodox Christmas.

But Alexei Pushkov, an influential member of the upper house of parliament, said on Twitter that "all the accusations against Russia are based on 'confidence' and suppositions. The USA in the same way was confident about (Iraqi leader Saddam) Hussein having weapons of mass destruction".

Margarita Simonyan, the editor of government-funded satellite TV channel RT who is frequently mentioned in the US report, said in a blog post: "Dear CIA: what you have written here is a complete fail."

During the election, Mr Trump praised the Russian strongman as a decisive leader, and argued that the two countries would benefit from a better working relationship - though attempts by the Obama administration at a "Russian reset" have proved unsuccessful.

At the same time, intelligence officials believe Russia will continue intruding in US politics and policy-making.

Immediately after the November 8 election, Russia began a "spear-phishing" campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting US government employees and think tanks that specialise in national security, defence and foreign policy, the unclassified version of the report said.

The report said Russian government provided hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. The website's founder, Julian Assange, has denied it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted the emails could have been passed through middlemen.

Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid "trolls" to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. Moreover, intelligence officials believe that Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumbprint on future elections in the United States and allied nations.

The public report was minus classified details that intelligence officials shared with President Barack Obama on Thursday.

In an interview with The Associated Press after the briefing, Mr Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion that Russia had intruded in the election on his behalf.

Mr Trump released a one-page statement that did not address whether Russia sought to meddle. Instead, he said, "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election" and that there "was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines".

Intelligence officials have never made that claim. And the report stated that the Department of Homeland Security did not think the systems that were targeted or compromised by Russian actors were "involved in vote tallying".

Mr Trump has said he will appoint a team within three months of taking office to develop a plan to "aggressively combat and stop cyber-attacks."

On Saturday, he said he wanted retired senator Dan Coats to be national intelligence director, describing the former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee as the right person to lead the new administration's "ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm".

Mr Coats, in a statement released by Mr Trump's transition team, said: "There is no higher priority than keeping America safe, and I will utilise every tool at my disposal to make that happen."
Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage in 2011, is returning to court this week as the government appeals against a ruling that his isolation in prison breaches the European Convention on Human Rights.

The 37-year-old right-wing extremist, who admitted to the killings that prime minister Erna Solberg called "one of the darkest days in Norwegian history," was convicted of mass murder and terrorism in 2012.

He was handed a 21-year prison sentence that can be extended for as long as he is deemed dangerous to society.

Legal experts have said he is likely to be locked up for life.

Breivik has often complained about his treatment and prison conditions.

Last year, he sued the government, saying his solitary confinement, frequent strip searches and the fact that he was often handcuffed during the early part of his incarceration violated his human rights.

He is held in isolation in a three-cell complex where he can play video games, watch TV and exercise.

He has also complained about the quality of the prison food, having to eat with plastic utensils and not being able to communicate with sympathisers.

The government has rejected his complaints, saying he is treated humanely despite the severity of his crimes and that he must be separated from other inmates for safety reasons.

But, in a surprise ruling in April, the Oslo District Court said: "The prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment represents a fundamental value in a democratic society.

"This applies no matter what - also in the treatment of terrorists and killers."

It also ordered the government to pay Breivik's legal costs of 331,000 kroner (31,786).

However, it dismissed Breivik's claim that his right to respect for private and family life was violated by restrictions on contacts with other right-wing extremists.

Breivik planned the July 22 2011 attacks meticulously, setting off a car bomb outside the government headquarters in Oslo, killing eight people and wounding dozens.

He then drove to the island of Utoya, some 25 miles away, where he opened fire on the annual summer camp of the Labour party's youth wing.

Sixty-nine people were killed there, most of them teenagers, before Breivik surrendered to police.

At the time of the attacks, Breivik claimed to be the commander of a secret Christian military order plotting an anti-Muslim revolution in Europe but investigators found no trace of the group.

He now describes himself as a traditional neo-Nazi who prays to the Viking god Odin, saying his earlier crusader image was just for show. He made a Nazi salute to journalists at the start of his human rights case last year.

Breivik's lawyer, Oystein Storrvik, said his client was satisfied with last year's verdict and that prison authorities would have to lift some of his restrictions.

He added that he expects Breivik to be allowed to meet other people in prison.

But the massacre shocked the oil-rich, quiet Scandinavian country and many feel Breivik has already had too much attention and should be consigned to the history books.

Mette Yvonne Larsen, a lawyer who represented Breivik's victims and their families, says her official line is "not to comment because we don't want to give him (Breivik) any visibility."

The appeals case opens on Tuesday in a makeshift courtroom in the gym of Skien prison in southern Norway, where Breivik is incarcerated.

Six days have been reserved for the hearings before the Borgarting Court of Appeals hands down a verdict in the case.
Burma Paw Lan Gyi Elephants Camp

One of three elephant camps in Bagos Pyay District is Paw Lan Gyi, where tamed elephants are kept in the wild. / Kaung Myat Min / The Irrawaddy

PYAY  One of three elephant camps in Bagos Pyay District is Paw Lan Gyi, where tamed elephants are kept in the wild.

Located in Taung Nawin Forest in Pauk Kaung Township, the camp used to be an active logging site until 2012 when the government decided to reduce timber production in order to conserve the Bago mountain range.

In Burma, state-owned Myanmar Timber Enterprisewhich is overseen by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservationhas a monopoly on the formal timber sector, but subcontracts are given to numerous companies. Illegal logging thrives as well in northeastern Burma.

In April 2014, Burma banned the export of raw timber logs in order to slow deforestation and boost its own domestic production. In April 2016, the new National League for Democracy (NLD) government decided to ban all logging operations and in July it declared a 10-year hiatus on timber extraction in the Bago mountain range.

These decisions have made workers and elephants engaged in timber extraction redundant.

The Myanmar Timber Enterprise has since turned several logging camps into elephant camps or ecotourism sites in order to help sustain the livelihoods of logging workers and retired elephants.

One such site is Paw Lan Gyi, located in the mountains about 50 miles away from Pyay.

The camp is a small village with 37 households, most of them Myanmar Timber Enterprise staff including mahouts, their assistants and their families.

The camp currently keeps 12 elephants in the wild, one male and 11 females, aged between 34 and 75.

It was opened to visitors in 2013 but it is not a permanent camp and visitors have to seek approval before going to the area. The camp draws only foreign visitors, and only once a year. On Dec. 28 last year, more than 20 foreign visitors visited the camp, arranged by Belmond Orcaella Myanmar, a river cruise service provider.

At Paw Lan Gyi, elephants are kept in the wild. Staff members search for them in the morning, bathe them, check their health and release them back into the forest. This is the day-to-day ritual for humans and elephants at the camp.

In December, Nat Hmaw logging site was opened as an elephant camp on the bank of the Irrawaddy River, just five miles from Pyay. It has become popular among local visitors in a short time. The third elephant camp in the area is still undergoing construction.

Earlier this week, Sri Ksetra, one of three Pyu cities on the UNESCO World Heritage List, started providing elephant trekking using retired elephants from the Myanmar Timber Enterprise.
The Great Barrier Reef located off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia, is the largest living structure in the world. It is home to a wide range of life, including fish, sea turtles, giant clam, seahorse, sea snakes, nudibranch, sea turtles, stingray, sharks and many more. Good thing it didn't die 125,000 years ago.

Researchers from the University of Sydney found that Australia's natural wonder almost drowned and died during the Last Interglacial period. This period, Yahoo News said, was marked with higher temperatures, which led to melting of glaciers and polar ice sheets, raising sea levels.

If Global Warming Continues, The Earth Is Head To The Same Direction As The Last Interglacial Period

Scientists say that both the temperatures and sea levels then were higher than they are now, and they fear that the Earth is headed in the same direction if global warming continues, Morning Ticker reported.

The study, which was published in the journal Global and Planetary Change, looked at a reef layer older and, at the same time, deeper than the current shallow and exposed one we see to arrive at their conclusions. To study this specific layer, researchers used some specimens collected in the 1970s, as well as some cored samples taken directly from the reef in 2015.

Current Trends On Climate Change Threaten The Great Barrier Reef's Existence

Investigators found that the reef began growing once again after sea levels stabilized. The modern-day shallow reef is the last layer of a much thicker reef system, and it grew on top of the previous layer. But current trends on climate change threaten its existence.

Just last year, the Great Barrier Reef experienced a massive bleaching which wiped out 22% of the corals. "It is critically important now to bolster the resilience of the reef, and to maximize its natural capacity to recover," said Professor John Pandolfi from the ARC Centre at the University of Queensland.
Get unlimited access to all content and features at ivpressonline.com with our Full Online Access Subscription. Read our E-Edition, the digital replica of the print newspaper online, access content in exclusive sections including Family, Teen, Business, Databases, Farm and more. This option does not include daily home delivery of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper. For home delivery service, please select Premium or Premium Plus.
Kristin R. Kelly, a partner with Halvorsen Bradshaw PLLC, has been certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a specialist in family law. Kelly has been with Halvorsen Bradshaw since 2016 and concentrates her legal practice in the areas of child custody and support, domestic violence, and divorce-related issues. Kelly received a bachelors degree in political science and her Juris Doctor from N.C. Central University School of Law. She is also a member of the family law section of the N.C. Bar Association and is a member of the Dress for Success Winston-Salem board of directors.

Halvorsen Bradshaw PLLC is now located at 250 Executive Park Blvd., Suite 150.

Dean Powell has been named a partner at Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton. He is a member of the firms chemistry and life sciences team. Powell concentrates his practice on intellectual-property matters, including patent litigation and patent prosecution.

Andrew Sachs has been elected a partner at Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton. He is a member of the firms mergers, acquisitions and securities team. Sachs focuses his practice on advising registered investment companies and investment advisers with respect to organizational matters, corporate governance matters, compliance matters, mergers and acquisitions, and other operational and management issues.

James Eisenach, M.D., a professor of anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has received the 2016 Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award. The award recognize Eisenachs contributions to the understanding and treatment of pain, his leadership to the academic discipline of anesthesiology, and his training and mentoring of physicians and scientists. Eisenach completed a residency in anesthesia at the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education in 1985 and is currently the vice chairman for research in the Department of Anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist.

Glenn J. Lesser, M.D., a professor of hematology and oncology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has been awarded the 2016 James Edwin Byrum Jr., M.D., Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award from the Wake Forest School of Medicine. The award recognizes Lessers professional-development impact on aspiring physicians, clinical researchers and trainees at the School of Medicine and beyond. The Byrum Award is in memory of James Edwin Ed Byrum Jr., M.D., who assisted in training more than 200 emergency medicine physicians during his 37-year career at Wake Forest Baptist.

Scott D. Rhodes, Ph.D., a professor of social sciences and health policy at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and his research team were recently presented the 2016 Excellence in Abstract Submission among All Presenters Award. The award is presented on behalf of the HIV/AIDS section of the American Public Health Association. Rhodes was honored for his abstract on the development, implementation and evaluation of reducing HIV-related health disparities among Latino/Hispanic gay men and Latina transgender women. The research was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michael Gerold Curtis has been named an account executive for Streetlevel Media, a North Carolina-based advertising company that manages bus advertising in major cities across the state, including Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point, and the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation system. His territory will include the three metropolitan areas in the Piedmont Triad, along with adjoining counties, from Yadkin County to Alamance County. Curtis is a graduate of N.C. A&T State University and has been a sales professional in outdoor advertising. He worked for more than 10 years with Fairway Outdoor Advertising in Greensboro and Durham.

Courtney Moser has been promoted to senior revenue and operations specialist at Allegacy Business Solutions, part of Allegacy Federal Credit Union. Moser has been with Allegacy since 2012 and is responsible for day-to-day financial operations and system of record staff training for business-solutions departments, including investment, insurance, payroll and consulting. She most recently served as the financial administrator for Allegacy Business Solutions. Moser received a bachelors of science degree from Appalachian State University and is working toward a masters degree in business administration at East Carolina University.

Bell Partners Inc., an apartment investment and management company, completed the sale of two properties for a cumulative sale price of more than $100 million in December. The two communities are Bell Biltmore Park in Asheville and Bell Cheshire Bridge in Atlanta. Bell Partners will retain property management responsibilities for Bell Biltmore Park. During 2016, Bell sold 12 properties for $475 million and acquired 12 apartment communities comprised of 3,575 units for $791 million, totaling nearly $1.3 billion in total transactions.
A career in retail spanning five decades has presented Charles Gwinn, the manager of Hanes Mall, with the gifts of long-term perspective and moment-in-time awareness.

We could fill up two Hanes Malls with all the retailers that have gone out of business in my 38 years in retail, Gwinn said.

He made the comment to put into context the recent decision by The Limited apparel company to close stores at Hanes Mall, Greensboros Friendly Center and nationwide.

With occupancy still at 97 percent, Gwinn is confident the Winston-Salem regional mall will absorb the tenant blow similarly to how it replaced Hush Puppies, Ritz Camera, Ruby Tuesday and Wet Seal in recent years.

Theres been chaos in retailing as long as there has been retailing, he said. Its an incredibly competitive environment, and it is not uncommon to stumble.

Some can do that and find a way to reinvent themselves, get back their footing and momentum with consumers. Others stumble and theyre done, Gwinn said.

Put it this way, none of the retail closings have stunned me yet.

Gwinn also referred to the downsizing of major department stores in recent years, as consumer shopping patterns increasingly shift to online, particularly as free shipping and returns help shoppers overcome concerns about not being to touch or try out items, such as apparel and furniture.

Those department stores include: Macys announcing the closing of another 68 stores nationwide last week (one each in Charlotte and Durham); the financial struggles of Sears and J.C. Penney; Dillards converting more mall stores into clearance centers, such as at Oak Hollow Mall in High Point; and the August 2015 sale of Belk to a private-equity group for $3 billion.

All of those mall anchors own their stores at Hanes Mall, which could prove to be a major logistical and infrastructure challenge to fill if one decides to leave.

For example, the owner of Hanes Mall, CBL & Associates Properties Inc., disclosed Wednesday its plans to redevelop former Macys sites in Beaumont, Texas; Bloomington, Ill.; Layton, Utah; and Louisville, Ky. CBL plans to find a new anchor in Layton and spend a combined $5 million to buy the other three Macys stores.

Yet, Gwinn views the lack of impact  so far  on Hanes Mall from those department store shakeouts as testament of its relevancy to those anchors, as well as its position as the mall of choice for not only Forsyth County but also much of the Triad and Northwest North Carolina west of the Guilford County line.

We draw shoppers from the north, west and south who find Hanes Mall to be a convenient traffic choice as well as shopping choice, Gwinn said. Were in a demographic that continues to grow, continues to diversify, continues to prosper.

Retail disruption

That doesnt mean, however, that Gwinn believes Hanes Mall and his staff can rest on their laurels.

Instead, Gwinn said the mall has chosen to embrace  as best it can  the disruptive nature of advancing technology so shoppers and tenants can meet wherever they prefer to interact.

We have no inherent fear of online shopping, he said. Our merchants are viewing it more and more as a powerful shopping tool.

For example, Gwinn said technology is helping to make regional malls more relevant to millennial shoppers  those ages 18 to 34  because they can check out an item online, see if it is available at a mall store and make the purchase that day rather than wait even one or two days on shipping.

Our tenants are seeing more customers taking that option, whether so they can do more shopping while picking up, or to keep their purchase a surprise if it is a gift, Gwinn said.

As evidence of Gwinns observations, the International Council of Shopping Centers , or ICSC, said that during the 2016 holiday shopping season, 61 percent of shoppers who bought online and chose to pick the item up in-store also purchased more items. That included 75 percent of millennials.

The trade group said that nearly 70 percent of $4.2 trillion in total expenditures occurred in stores with both a physical and an online presence.

The physical store proved paramount to the shopping experience again this year, with 91 percent of holiday shoppers spending at physical stores  the exact same percentage as 2015, the trade group said.

By comparison, just 25 percent of holiday expenditures were made through retailers with an online presence only.

Seventy-seven percent of millennials said it is important to buy online from stores that have a physical presence, ICSC said.

The convergence of physical and digital, said Tom McGee, the trade groups president and chief executive, continues to be important as consumers have come to expect an integrated experience allowing them to buy products through a variety of channels.

Macys changes

Macys acknowledged as much in last weeks store closing announcement.

Over the past year, we have been focused and disciplined about making strategic decisions to position us to gain market share and return to growth over time, said Terry Lundgren, Macys chairman and chief executive.

While we are pleased with the strong performance of our highly developed online business, as well as the progress we have made on selling and visual presentation programs and expense reduction initiatives in 2016, we continue to experience declining traffic in our stores where the majority of our business is still transacted, Lundgren said.

Our omnichannel strategies continue to evolve based on the changes in our customers shopping behaviors, including a focus on buy online, pick up in store and mobile-enabled shopping, he said.

The ICSC survey determined that 52 percent of millennials used their smartphones to compare prices, while 40 percent checked inventory availability, 37 percent received a moment-in-time discount or coupon, and 33 percent read a product or store review rating.

A postmortem of the 2016 holiday shopping season by RetailNext.net, a shopper analytics company, determined that 94 percent of total retail sales were generated at brick-and-mortar stores, although 75 percent of U.S. adults are shopping online as well.

Both shopping options are affected by what RetailNext.net referred to as showrooming, in which customers view in person and buy online, or webrooming, where the reverse is true.

The group found that about 55 percent of shoppers prefer buying online from a store with a brick-and-mortar presence rather than online only.

Flexibility on space

According to Gwinn, advanced technology gives the mall and tenants more flexibility to increase or shrink their space, depending on availability.

For example, Victorias Secret will debut by the end of January a nearly 10,000-square-foot space thats actually only about 200 more square feet than its current space.

However, the retailers window-shopping storefront will be more prominent, reflecting a new prototype more commonly introduced at larger malls.

Gwinn said the new space reflects about 2 years of negotiations between Victorias Secret, Hanes Mall and CBL.

Its a vote of confidence in Hanes Mall and how well the local community is supporting them that Victorias Secret is introducing the new merchandising concept here, he said.

Gwinn said the mall has worked  or is working with other tenants on new space, such as Bath & Body Works, Birkenstock, Foot Locker, Jimmy Jazz, Kay Jewelers and Zales.

Aeropostale reopened its Hanes Mall store Friday with new merchandise after gaining new ownership recently.

Gwinn said the mall is close to landing two tenants with retail concepts not in the local market, as well as another restaurant in an outparcel space.

Some tenants, such as Eddie Bauer, have taken advantage of technology to reduce their square footage needs while maintaining their sales levels.

Not only do these retailers know what they have sold at the end of the day, Gwinn said,their warehouses do as well, so they can ship and replenish quickly, lessening the need in some instances for clearance areas.

Those tenants, he said, also are doing a better job with communicating with their core shopper through social media, allowing them to be more precise with their product choices, although retailing will always carry the risk of customer fickleness.

Ultimately, Gwinn said, a mall, at its core, remains a reflection of its community more than a reflection of its tenant base.

The shopping market dictates the retailers they want, whether lifestyle, apparel or core household items, he said.

Shopping evolves as our society evolves. The one thing we should expect is change. Its always a question of Whats next?

We have to be flexible in terms of not only meeting our clients needs but the needs of our clients clients, Gwinn said.
Eileen M. Young and David Holston attended the Salem Bands Christmas concert at Home Moravian Church.

Its a week of rough riders.

At press time, a lot of the secondary roads were still covered by at least a 6-inch blanket of snow. Events scheduled for this weekend were canceled, and the biggest social scene involves hot chocolate, sleds and numerous pots of chili (as evident by the fact that several local grocery stores sold completely out of ground beef, along with the requisite bread and milk). Its a snowed-in, family-time weekend, perhaps the perfect calm after the busy holiday season.

In Pursuit of Justice

Before the first snowflake fell on Thursday, and when the ultimate outcome of the snowstorm was still unknown, a large crowd gathered in the auditorium at the Milton Rhodes Center. The occasion was the rough-cut premiere of In Pursuit of Justice, a documentary by Gregg Jamback and Jamie Huss.

The story of Greg Taylor, a man who spent 17 years in prison for a crime he didnt commit, In Pursuit of Justice is also a tale of triumph. As Huss told the crowd before the film started, in a year where a lot has gone wrong in the Tarheel state, the documentary highlights something right  the N.C. Innocence Inquiry Commission process, an initiative that has resulted in the exoneration of 13 innocent men, including Taylor.

As we are approaching the seventh anniversary of Gregs release from prison, the time is right to look at criminal-justice reform, Huss said. Tonight, you are going to see a rough cut of the film, one where we havent completed things like the score or color correction, but one that tells Gregs story. We hope you will give us your feedback and also consider supporting the project.

Taylor and his family members attended the premiere, along with Taylors attorney, Chris Mumma. Huss and Jamback describe Mumma and Taylor as heroes and said the decision to do the film was an easy one.

In 2009, Chris won the Nancy S. Reynolds Award for Advocacy, and I had been doing videos for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Jamback said. The night before the announcement was made, she told us to watch the news because something big was happening in North Carolina.  We knew she was someone we wanted to work with.

In just over a week, Jamback and Huss will announce a new tiered structure for people who want to support the documentary. The filmmakers and producers said that they have received donations ranging from $20 up to $1,000 and that the donations will allow them to complete the film and tell Taylors story to a larger audience.

We really want your feedback, Huss told the audience attending the premiere. We want to know your ideas on what will make this a better film.

Volunteers including Melody Thomson, Jack and Susan Campbell, Patty and Tom Ricono and Janet Loew joined the Hanesbrands Theatre crew in helping Huss and Jamback put on the premiere. Audience members included many current donors as well as individuals interested in learning more about Taylors case.

North Carolina is currently the only state to have this independent, state-supported legal process, Jamback stated. We want to change that with this documentary. The film is 85 percent completed, and we need support for the remaining 15 percent for a 2017 premiere.

Throwback Scene

With nearly all events canceled for the weekend, photo and interview opportunities were slim, but December was at the opposite end of the social spectrum.

On Dec. 20, the Salem Band held its holiday concert at Home Moravian Church. Under the direction of Salem Band Music Director Eileen M. Young, the musicians performed for an appreciate audience of more than 400 and raised more than $3,750 for Sunnyside Ministry.

Salem Band is the oldest, continuous mixed wind ensemble in the country, established in 1771, according to officials. And when this weekends weather is a fond memory, music lovers have another opportunity to enjoy a concert on Feb. 7 in the Hanes Auditorium at the Salem College Fine Arts Center.

But until the snowplows make it to your neighborhood, enjoy Winston-Salems winter wonderland!
One charge lodged against one defendant among 107 others listed on a court docket stood out as if highlighted in neon.

Simple assault, assault on a female, assault inflicting serious injury, assault with a deadly weapon, charges of that sort are filed every day. Nobody pays much attention.

But the one case scheduled to be heard Thursday caused the judge, clerks and the prosecutor to take notice. The state of North Carolina vs. Jakela Janae Goins of Winston-Salem would be anything but ordinary.

Its not every day that someone is charged with battery of an unborn child.

Combing the law books

A warrant, sworn to be true by the Winston-Salem Police Department, spells out some of the details of a fight Sept. 4 that broke out between Goins, 27, and 28-year-old Finesse Kaylin Fields.

Police said that they believe Goins tried to run over Fields with a car, and that Fields jumped onto the hood to avoid getting struck.

The defendant then ran the vehicle in circles in (an) attempt to knock Mrs. Fields from the hood of the vehicle, the warrant reads. After Mrs. Fields got off the hood, the defendant moved the vehicle back and forth towards Mrs. Fields as to indicate she would run her over.

Then the kicker: There is probable cause to believe that Goins did commit a battery on a pregnant woman  by striking her with a deadly weapon, a car.

Thats digging way down into the details of a statute  known as Ethans Law  passed by the General Assembly in 2011 in response to the death of a pregnant woman in Raleigh who was killed in 2007 while delivering newspapers in Raleigh. The law was named for the unborn baby boy who died with his mother.

The purpose of the law was to give district attorneys the option of charging someone with two murders, especially in cases where the woman was murdered because she was pregnant, said former state Rep. Dale Folwell, R-Forsyth, who sponsored the bill.

Obvious exceptions that prohibit prosecuting medical personnel for acts which cause the death of an unborn child if those acts were lawful  abortion, say  and for miscarriages were included.

Way down deep in the text of that law, Section 14-23.6, are the particulars for the misdemeanor of battery on an unborn child. Punching, kicking or otherwise assaulting a pregnant woman can result in that charge.

The law is rarely used, and when it is, the cases almost always involve murder. But that was of little concern to Goins, who dutifully showed up in court Thursday morning to answer for the charge.

I dont know about answering any questions, she said when reached by telephone Thursday afternoon. Im not sure I should answer.

A few minutes later, she had a change of heart. Dont you have to have somebodys permission to write a story? she asked.

Um, no. Not in the United States in a criminal case called in an open courtroom.

Wow. OK, Goins said. Make sure you put in they were false charges. She (Fields) didnt show up for court today. She didnt show the first time or the second time and Im pretty sure she wont show next time, either.

Its a lie.

Protecting the unborn

On the point about the alleged victim not being in court, Goins was correct.

Fields indeed was a no-show Thursday morning.

Instead, she was upstairs in another courtroom for a hearing on an unrelated case. She had been charged Dec. 21 with felony larceny in connection with the theft of $1,100 worth of goods from Kmart.

Not that it mattered.

Prosecutor Amara Hunter asked the judge if the case could be continued until a later date because she needed to speak with a couple of doctors, presumably to find out how far along Fields was in her pregnancy.

(Given the police arrested Goins for misdemeanor battery on an unborn child, odds are high that they would have asked for a more serious charge if Fields baby had been harmed. She didnt return messages left at either of two phone numbers she listed on court documents.)

A judge will decide in March whether Goins tried to run over Fields or hurt her child. The law, as written, does not require prosecutors to prove whether she knew that Fields was pregnant.

Nevertheless, Ethans Law is in place and it was applied.

This stuff breaks my heart, said Folwell, reeling off names of relatives of victims and their unborn children.

When you see a picture where someone has lost a daughter and a grandchild  it makes you realize that unborn victims deserve protection, too.
While giving his first address Thursday to the states highest ranking education officials, North Carolinas new public schools chief announced a listening tour that will take him around the state.

Mark Johnson, the former Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools board of education member, won the State Superintendent race in November. This months State Board of Education meeting was the first since Johnson was sworn in to his new post. Instead of the usual superintendents report, where the head of the Department of Public Instruction gives an update on happenings within the agency, Johnson took the time to introduce himself and outline the principles that will guide him over the next four years.

Johnson said a sense of urgency, ownership of the problems facing the department and innovation in solving them should drive its work.

I believe that if we work together with urgency, ownership and innovation, we can start at the dawn of a new era in public education, Johnson said.

First step

He then announced his first step as the new state superintendent would be to hold a listening tour across the state.

I will spend the rest of this school year doing just that  listening, he said.

Johnson said hed like to meet with key stakeholders in each community  teachers, students, parents, business leaders, lawmakers and more.

What is it we need to do to better support you in your mission to provide opportunity to students? Johnson said.

The listening tour will be a welcome opportunity, said Rodney Shotwell, superintendent of Rockingham County Schools and president of the North Carolina School Superintendents Association.

I think going out to our school districts across the state for a listen and learn tour is a great way to understand the needs which vary throughout the state, Shotwell said. Mr. Johnson will come away with a better understanding of some of the challenges that our rural, suburban and urban school districts face.

I know it will take some time to cover the different regions of the state, but it will be worth the time and effort.

Johnson did not give specifics for when the tour will start or where he will make stops and did not return requests for more information. He said he would report back to the board with results after the current school year wraps up.

Bill Cobey, chairman of the state board, said he will support Johnsons vision and shares his sense of urgency.

I have felt a sense of urgency since I started sitting in this chair Cobey said.

There was no talk of the pending lawsuit filed by Cobey and the state board seeking to limit some powers newly granted to Johnson by legislation passed by the General Assembly in last months final special session. House Bill 17 stripped some powers from the State Board of Education, transferring them to the state superintendent. After the bill passed, Johnson released a statement praising the action.

Those changes have yet to take effect, though. The Wake County Superior Court granted the state boards request for a temporary injunction while it waits for three-judge panel to hear their case to block the General Assemblys move.
WASHINGTON  Heres a look at how area members of Congress voted last week:

The House passed the following measures by voice vote: the Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act (H.R. 71); the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act (H.R. 73); the GAO Access and Oversight Act (H.R. 72); and the Thoroughly Investigating Retaliation Against Whistleblowers Act (H.R. 69).

U.S. House

Rules for 115th Congress: The House has passed a bill (H. Res. 5), sponsored by Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to adopt rules for the 115th Congress, including fines for representatives who make recordings or broadcasts on the House floor. The vote, on Jan. 3, was 234 yeas to 193 nays.

Nays: Adams D-12th

Yeas: Foxx R-5th, Walker R-6th

Reviewing executive regulations: The House has passed the Midnight Rules Relief Act (H.R. 21), sponsored by Rep. Darrell E. Issa, R-Calif. The bill would amend the Congressional Review Act to allow Congress to review legislation that dismisses multiple executive agency regulations proposed in the last months of a given presidents term. The vote, on Jan. 4, was 238 yeas to 184 nays.

Nays: Adams

Yeas: Foxx, Walker

Israeli settlements: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 11), sponsored by Rep. Edward R. Royce, R-Calif., objecting to the recent U.N. Security Council resolution rebuking Israel. The vote, on Jan. 5, was 342 yeas to 80 nays.

Yeas: Adams, Foxx, Walker

Offsetting new regulations: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., to the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (H.R. 26). The amendment would require federal agencies proposing new regulations to offset the cost of those regulations with the repeal or amend of existing regulations. The vote, on Jan. 5, was 235 yeas to 185 nays.

Nays: Adams

Yeas: Foxx, Walker

Reviewing past regulations: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, to the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (H.R. 26). The amendment would require Congressional approval within 10 years of major rules adopted by federal agencies in order for those rules to remain in effect after the 10 years have passed. The vote, on Jan. 5, was 230 yeas to 193 nays.

Nays: Adams

Yeas: Foxx, Walker

Congress and regulatory reviews: The House has passed the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (H.R. 26), sponsored by Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga. The bill would require federal agencies to make public information about proposed regulations, and require Congressional approval of major rules, defined as any rule with an annual cost of at least $100 million. The vote, on Jan. 5, was 237 yeas to 187 nays.

Nays: Adams

Yeas: Foxx, Walker

U.S. Senate

2017 budget: The Senate has agreed to a motion to begin considering a resolution (S. Con. Res. 3), to set forth a government budget for fiscal 2017. The vote, on Jan. 4, was 51 yeas to 48 nays.

Yeas: Burr, R; Tillis, R

Affordable Care Act and the budget: The Senate has rejected a motion to waive a budgetary point of order against an amendment sponsored by Sen. Timothy Kaine, D-Va., to a resolution (S. Con. Res. 3), to set forth a government budget for fiscal 2017. The vote to waive the point of order, on Jan. 5, was 48 yeas to 52 nays.

Nays: Burr, Tillis
RALEIGH  It was 30 years ago that I founded my first conservative organization. It was a student magazine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My compatriots and I decided to name it The Carolina Critic  not only because we intended to be critical of the prevailing left-wing culture on campus but also because we intended to champion critical thinking.

The Critic staff included highly opinioned conservatives and libertarians who argued with each other, as well as with the progressive columnist we recruited to keep things interesting. Some Critic writers still work together today on various projects  and debate their differences, robustly but respectfully  including my twin brother David Hood, who became an attorney and the chairman of the Catawba County Board of Elections; Tony Woodlief, who worked at the Koch Foundation and now serves as executive vice president of the State Policy Network; and Rick Henderson, whose journalism career took him to Los Angeles, Washington, Las Vegas, Denver, and then back to North Carolina as editor-in-chief of Carolina Journal, the newspaper I founded in 1991 while at the John Locke Foundation.

As I plugged away at the Critic, I received encouragement from a wide variety of people. They included conservatives such as National Review founder William F. Buckley and UNC-Chapel Hill sociologist John Shelton Reed, who served as faculty advisor for the magazine, as well as folks from the other side of the political spectrum. One of them was Phil Meyer, a national pioneer in computer-assisted reporting and the journalism professor for which I worked as a research assistant. Another was the always gracious Bill Friday, who had just retired after 30 years as president of the UNC system.

I relate this little bit of history to make two points. The first is that personal relationships matter. Maintain them. You never know how a friendship or acquaintance might shape your future or enrich your life. And dont be reticent to form those relationships across differences  be they personal, professional or political. If you just surround yourself with like-minded people who reinforce your preexisting views, your intellectual muscles will atrophy and your errors will proliferate.

My second point is that Ive been at the task of helping to build a modern conservative movement in North Carolina for virtually my entire adult life. Thousands of colleagues, employees, donors and advisors have joined me in this task. Some have limited their activities to policy analysis, journalism or grassroots activism. Others have gone into electoral politics, including some of my former colleagues and employees.

While much work remains to be done, North Carolina conservatives have already accomplished a great deal over the past three decades. What was once a one-party state is now a competitive one. The states tax code, budget process and regulatory system have all been reformed in ways that maximize freedom and economic growth. More families have real choice among schools and stronger property rights.

What ought to happen next? The John Locke Foundation has just published its ideas for 2017 and beyond, in a booklet entitled The Road to Freedom. The recommendations include more tax reforms to encourage investment and job creation in our state, more regulatory reforms to liberate entrepreneurs and workers from costly rules and less government meddling in such areas as medical care and alcohol sales.

JLF analysts think North Carolina should make its funding system for public schools more rational and fair. They think North Carolina should reform its criminal-justice system by raising the default age of juvenile jurisdiction from 16 to 18, curbing the ability of government to seize assets of people not yet convicted of crimes and requiring proof of criminal intent before turning a mistake or infraction into a criminal offense.

You may think these ideas sound promising. You may think they sound bonkers. By all means, engage and debate them. But avoid the temptation to turn political disagreements into personal attacks. In my experience, resisting that temptation is in your own self-interest in the long run.
The State of Eugenics climaxes just over three years ago, in 2013, but it seems like a long time ago in North Carolina, and in America, for that matter. The film chronicles what may have been the last great stand of bipartisanship in this state, or at least the last for what could be years to come, a fight that wasnt even stopped when state Rep. Larry Womble of Winston-Salem was almost killed in a car crash.

The documentary from Dawn Sinclair Shapiro, an accomplished filmmaker from Chicago, chronicles the fight for compensation for victims of our states forced sterilization program, a program that ran from 1929 through 1974. This Thursday afternoon at 5, Wake Forest University will host the films Winston-Salem premier, an event thats free and open to the public. A panel moderated by Wake professor Melissa Harris-Perry will follow.

The documentary will be shown on PBS nationwide later this month.

Its the latest step on a long road that began in December 2002 when the Journal published the investigative series Against Their Will, which for the first time revealed the brutal inner workings of the sterilization program. The team members on the project were Scott Sexton, Kevin Begos (who initiated the series), Danielle Deaver, Ted Richardson and me.

Soon after the series ran, Larry, a Democrat, began pushing in the legislature for compensation. His party had created and run the program. As an editorial writer and then, as the editorial page editor, I urged on his fight. Many other North Carolina newspapers backed us.

But Democratic leaders gave only lip service to Larrys cause. Then, as the GOP gained control of the state in 2010, new House Speaker Thom Tillis embraced the fight.

About then, Dawn began working on her film, making numerous trips to Raleigh, Winston and other points in this state and beyond, talking to folks including Womble, Tillis, Begos, Charlotte Observer reporters, me and, most important, the victims. She got an inside seat for the compensation fight in Raleigh. She was there for key points, including being in Winston the day after a drunk driver crashed into Larrys car. Hours before the wreck, on a Friday afternoon, Larry and I had made final plans to attend a service for the victims that Sunday at Emmanuel Baptist Church, led by our mutual friend the Rev. John Mendez.

John rightly decided the service should go on. Dawn caught such moments on film, as well as interviews with Larry during his long recovery. And she got to know several sterilization victims, including my friends Nial Ramirez and Willis Lynch. Nial, sterilized at the age of 18 in Washington County, had in 1973, through the ACLU, filed the first lawsuit against a state sterilization program. Dawn unearthed footage from that time of Nial standing with Gloria Steinem at a press conference, and of Nial appearing on 60 Minutes, holding her own with a condescending Mike Wallace.

And Shapiro caught on film the productive and growing friendship between Tillis and Larry, a white Republican and a black Democrat. They agreed on few other things besides winning compensation for the victims, but they had mighty accordance on that. Larry retired from the legislature to concentrate on his recovery, but Tillis sought his counsel and kept him in the loop and in Raleigh for key moments until the battle was won. Then-Gov. Pat McCrory supported the effort.

In the summer of 2013, North Carolina became the first state in the nation to approve reparations for victims of a state sterilization program. The victims have received two payments, and a third payment, held up by appeals to the state Supreme Court from victims who did not qualify for compensation, should bring total reparations for each qualified victim to more than $45,000.

Nial, one of the main subjects of my book about the compensation fight, Rage to Redemption in the Sterilization Age, tells me the final payment is overdue.

Tillis is now one of our states two U.S. senators. Hes brought compensation to the national forefront through a bipartisan bill signed by President Obama that protects sterilization victims receiving reparations from having federal benefits reduced. Larry, while continuing his recovery, keeps speaking out for social justice.

And gridlock reigns in Raleigh and Washington. This film is timely.

The State of Eugenics will be shown at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Porter Byrum Welcome Center on the Wake Forest campus. Afterward, Melissa Harris-Perry will moderate a panel that includes Dawn Sinclair Shapiro, former state Rep. Larry Womble, Dr. Laura Gerald (the former chairwoman of the state task force on compensation), former Charlotte Observer columnist Tommy Tomlinson and John Railey. UNC-TV will broadcast the film at 10 p.m. Jan. 26 and at 9 p.m. Jan. 30.
Its not unusual to see a patient with a walker, trailed by an IV pole, pause before a painting in a hallway in Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Thanks to the medical centers Arts for Health program, art is an integral part of the environment, with 10 galleries throughout WFBMC that exhibit visual art to enhance the experience of patients, their families, visitors and employees at the hospital.

We find that as the artwork is up throughout the hospital, patients, employees and visitors walk by and are able to take a minute and just look at it and kind of escape into the art, said Gretchen Bayne, manager of the wellness programs, which includes Arts for Health, ActionHealth and the fitness centers.

It allows them a moment of reprieve from either work stress or pain or the stress of being here visiting a loved one or family member. The artwork is on loan from the artists.

Kelly Cason, a three-time cancer survivor who has received all her treatment at Baptist, said that the art has helped her.

The environment  with the artwork  it makes for a very soothing environment, Cason said. Shes had both inpatient and outpatient treatments and is chair of the Patient and Family Advisory Council for Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center. To me, being able to look at the various artwork, it kind of can put your mind at a different place from the stress and fear and uncertainty of what youre going through battling cancer.

Her favorite piece of art is in a courtyard outside the inpatient area of the cancer center.

There is a steel piece of art, very abstract. The way they have the landscape and the piece of art in the middle, I just find it very tranquil, she said, adding that the windows of the inpatient area reflect different colors, and there are places to sit in the courtyard.

Ive gone out there several times, Cason said. As a patient to be able to  in between the long day  go out and get away from all the pokes and prods. Its nice to be able to take your mind someplace else.

There is a rotating art gallery in front of the Arts for Life program at Brenner Childrens Hospital that exhibits the childrens artwork.

Thats super cool for a child to be able to create a piece of art and come back and see their art up, Bayne said.

Arts for Health also offers hands-on art opportunities for employees and patients thanks to community partners, such as Sawtooth School for Visual Art.

It gives them that moment to enjoy it and escape, and it also gives them that memory and that exposure to something they might not otherwise do, Bayne said. They get to walk away with an actual finished product.

A real difference

Arts for Health staff at WFBMC conducted a feasibility study on a neurosurgery floor where they placed 18 large pieces of local art on the walls and added art to some patients rooms: One third of the rooms had no art; one third had art; and one third had art along with an art activity.

We measured the patients and families stress levels, pain levels, satisfaction levels, Bayne said, and they found a significant difference between having art and no art and that the art alone was enough make an impact.

The art was where the biggest impact was, Bayne said. Patients commented it made them feel more at home; it made them feel more comfortable; some even commented it made them feel that we cared more.

Bayne observed arts impact on a patient first-hand.

Kathryn McConnell Greven, an oncologist, donated photographs.

Arts for Health had the images printed and matted.

Bayne saw a husband with his wife admiring the artwork, and he told her it was the first time he had been able to get his wife out of bed.

Her goal the next day was to make it to the next piece of artwork, Bayne said, and the woman eventually made it all the way around that hallway exhibit.

The woman was from Wilkesboro and saw the photos of the mountains and said, Theres my home, Bayne recalled.

To hear that her goal was to see the artwork, to watch her joy looking at the picture, you could see her mind daydreaming and imagining herself back there.

She spent several minutes in front of each picture. What a neat connection it is for our patients to be able to see their doctors artwork.

A new, permanent gallery exhibiting Grevens photography will be in the Sticht Center auditorium.

In the exhibit statement, Greven wrote, As a cancer physician at Wake Forest Baptist Health, I am able to witness miracles in healing and coping with physical and emotional illness. I believe God provides us with daily occurrences of beauty in the natural world, and that nature can have a powerful healing influence on all of us.

Giving back

Curator Barbara Cullen enjoys meeting the local, state and national artists, and providing space for them to exhibit their art. A range of visual media is exhibited, including sculpture, photography, painting, mixed-media, collage, printmaking, paper art books, glass, drawing  even cake decorations created with icing and framed poetry once a year for Poetry in Plain Sight. She changes the art in the galleries four times a year.

Artists who have experienced problems  a health issue or a loved ones issue  this is a way to heal and provides a way to give back, Cullen said.

Patrice Rucker, a secretary at WFBMC, exhibited her Shug and Friends series of scenic paintings with an emphasis on flowers and skies in the Sticht Center hallway leading to the Spine Center.

The paintings hold a seek-and-find opportunity with the images of five animals in the clouds: Shug, a cocker spaniel, and her animal friends.

Patients stopped in the hall to discuss the animals in the clouds.

Its that quiet time you first see the picture, Rucker said. It takes you to where that person was when they painted it. You get wrapped up in finding what the artist is trying to portray.

Viktoria Majestic hopes that her traditional oil paintings of flowers, still lifes and landscapes on exhibit in Watlington Gallery bring joy, peace of mind, and beauty into their lives.

Charles Hildebrandts acrylic paintings have been in the Sticht Center. He transitioned from photography to painting as he dealt with the death of his father, who was a watercolor painter.

After he died, I started experimenting more with the paint in terms of landscapes, Hildebrandt said. It really grew more out of his death and dealing with that.

Photographer Owens Daniels has seen patients engage with his images of UNC School of the Arts dancers, which are on exhibit at Piedmont Plaza I.

When his father was in the last stages of cancer in Richmond, the chapel held copies of work from Picasso, Daniels said.

I would just go and sit there and look at it, and it really gave me hope that things were not as dark as cancer makes them to be, Daniels said. When I came out of that, I noticed all up and down that hospital there was work from local artists. When things were rough, I would go in the hallway and wander and find solace in the work that was there.

For more information about the galleries, go to www.wakehealth.edu/Arts/Programs/Visual-Art-Galleries.htm or e-mail Barbara Cullen at bcullen @wakehealth.edu.
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TeleSur |  

The news story portrayed a deliberate attack on a Dortmund church by a mob of Muslims.

Far-right white nationalist website Breitbart has been criticized by German authorities and media for falsifying a story of a new years eve where a church was supposedly set on fire by a group of Muslims in Dortmund.

On Jan. 3., Breitbart published a story titled Revealed: 1,000-man mob attack police, set Germanys oldest church alight on New Years Eve. The group reportedly chanted Allahu Akbar while setting the church alight, as the website cited live information from local media outlet Ruhr Nachrichten.

However, Ruhr Nachrichten then hit back at the story, saying that Breitbarts reporting of the event has been using our online reports for fake news, hate and propaganda. The German outlet explained that the far-right website falsely connected a number of separate incidents to fabricate the story.

Local media reported that there were some individuals who launched fireworks in the crowd with police ordering a number to leave and took some into custody, and a small fire which lasted for 12 minutes started on the Churchs roof. Yet, there were no reports from the media or authorities which indicated that the fire was intentionally lit.

Importantly, while local media reported that there were around 1,000 people gathered in Dortmunds Leeds Square for New Year celebrations and that there were groups of foreign people attending, it could not be seen as a mob, like Breitbart portrayed. It was also pointed out that the Church in questions was in fact, not the oldest in the country.

Ruhr Nachrichtens editor Peter Bandermann said that Breitbart also sensationalized how Syrians in the crowd were using the phrase Allahu Akbar, explaining that this statement is a Muslim prayer as normal as Amen in the Church.

Bandermann added, The fact is: there was no sign that terrorism was being celebrated in Dortmund.

Police told local media that overall the celebrations amounted to a quiet night and later stated in a report that the number of call-outs for New Years celebration had actually decreased significantly from last year.

Thousands of users read and shared the Breitbart story, before it was revealed as a falsification. The danger is that these stories spread with incredible speed and take on lives of their own, Eva Kuhne-Hormann, justice minister of nearby Hesse, told the Guardian.

Breitbart was known as a mouthpiece for U.S. President-elect Donald Trumps campaign for promoting racism and white nationalism. Its former director Steve Bannon is now Trumps chief strategist.

Breitbart already runs a website from London and is rumored to be opening up outlets in France and Germany ahead of elections later this year and to play on the increasing anti-immigration sentiment within the continent.

A number of German companies including BMW and Deutsche Telekom have already pulled their advertising from the website.

Via TeleSur



Related video added by Juan Cole:

The Jimmy Dore Show: Media Fawns Over Neo-Nazis (The So-Called Alt-Right)
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment)- 

Washington is obsessed by the story put out by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to interfere in the US presidential election. But for reasons of self-preservation, the blockbuster story just hitting the headlines that an Israeli operative was plotting to get up scandals to unseat British members of parliament will sink like a stone. This, even though part of the concern voiced by official Washington is that Putin may target the elections of European democracies allied to the US to push them in a right wing direction. Thats exactly what the right wing Likud government of Israel has been caught planning to do to Britain.

Ian Cobain and Ewen MacAskill of The Guardian report on undercover footage taken of Shai Masot, a senior political officer in the Israeli Embassy in London who has been an officer in the Israeli Army and still is employed there. I conclude that he is likely Israeli military intelligence with a cover at the embassy.

Masot is overheard in the video discussing plans to politically ruin members of parliament, including foreign office minister Sir Alan Duncan, who wants to see a Palestinian state established.

Israeli diplomat caught on camera plotting to take down UK MPs

One of the people in the tape, Maria Strizzolo (a civil servant and aide to a Conservative Member of Parliament or MP), boasted that she had helped her boss, MP Robert Halfon, rise in politics.

Masot asked her if she could also demote politicians. Can I give you some MPs that I would suggest you would take down?

She replied, Well, you know, if you look hard enough, Im sure that there is something that theyre trying to hide. In case Masot did not get the point, she later added A little scandal, maybe. A third person in on the conversation, one Robin, was supposed to be from Friends of Israel but was actually an investigative reporter from the Qatar-based Aljazeera, who made the recording.

Masot says, I have some MPs.

Strizzolo says, Well lets talk about it.

Masot gets coy. No, she knows which MPs I want taken down.

Strizzolo says, Yeah, its good to remind me.

Masot names the Deputy Foreign Minister [Sir Alan Duncan] (equivalent in the US to an Undersecretary of State).

Strizzolo asks, You still want to? This question shows that Strizzolo has discussed the possibility of creating a scandal around Duncan with the Israelis before.

The question arose whether Duncan had already been disciplined and tamed. Masot demurred. No, hes still doing a lot of problems.

The question turned to Duncans boss, Foreign Minister Boris Johnson. Masot agreed that he was safely pro-Israel and doesnt care (presumably about Palestinian human rights). Moreover, Masot observed, Johnson is an idiot.

The video comes in a film claiming to expose the way that the Israeli government has infiltrated both the Conservative and Labour parties via its embassy in the UK, using secret cash and covert support.

The longer Aljazeera report also catches Masot telling Joan Ryan, a senior Labor member of parliament that he he has gathered more than one million British pounds ($1,229,000) to bring cooperative British Members of Parliament to Israel.

Other footage shows pro-Israel Labour Party members admitting that Tel Aviv backs their activities.

Masot in some of the footage calls Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn crazy and dismisses his supporters as weirdoes.

Ive always wondered why American politicians are mostly so timid and intimidated by the Israel lobbies. The US Congress is so out of line with regard to the opinions of the rest of the world about the illegal Israeli colonization of the Palestinian West Bank that it is like something out of a science fiction movie. (Of course, our Congress did also vote resolutions in support of Afrikaner colonial racism in South Africa, which was also bizarre).

It isnt a matter of the American Jewish community, which is more liberal than Americans as a whole and mostly quite powerless. The Israel lobbies often operate in opposition to the polled opinions of Jewish Americans, and often has no more relationship to ordinary Jews than the ExxonMobil lobby has to Americans who drive gasoline-fueled cars. Lobbies are about power for a minority within a minority.

The usual answer is that the Israel lobbies are well-heeled and give a lot of money to political campaigns (as much as 30% nationally), and few politicians want to risk the possibility that they might throw their funding to the other candidate. The Israel lobbies sometimes lose (they lost the fight on the Iran deal, at least the first round) and dont by any means control things.

But Israeli intelligence operations against politicians are also a threat, and evidence for how exactly such efforts are pursued has just emerged. It is highly unlikely that the Israeli embassy in Britain was behaving in an unusual way, and I think we may conclude that such conversations are common in the capitals of important democratic countries, including the United States.

But this interference, unlike that of Russia, will provoke no national outrage or even be covered in any serious way by US television news. This silence will not be because the subject is unimportant.
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By Hsain Ilahiane | (Informed Comment) |  

The Founding Fathers wrote the electoral college in the United States Constitution.

In late summer 2004, I became a naturalized United States citizen in Des Moines, Iowa. The following November election day, with my voting card in hand, sure-footed and full of excitement, I walked over to my precinct polling station, sited in one of the neighborhoods churches, and performed my newly minted constitutional right to vote in the presidential elections. Upon the completion of my civic duty, the polling station monitors rewarded me with cookies and an I-Voted-sticker which I proudly placed over the left pocket of my fleece-lined flannel shirt for all to see. I still keep the I-Voted-sticker, now decorating my cassette and CD player and in prominent display in my living room. As a first-time voter, the I-Voted-sticker still reminds me not only of my initiation into the rituals of American politics but also of my encounter with participatory democracy. The sticker, and the relic that it has become and in a tangible way, still represents my transition from being a subject in a Third World and tribal context I left behind, a context saturated with technicalities of elections and little or no democracy, to being a citizen in a First World participatory democracy where I have gained agency and my vote counts, and for that matter, everyones vote counts and makes a difference in the outcome of who wins and who loses in the presidential elections.

Later on that night of November 2004 while watching the election results come in, television reporters, pundits, and commentators kept stressing the necessity of the magic number of 270 electors for George W. Bush to win the election. The magic number of 270 electors was also cloaked in a fast-paced discussion of the legal context behind the electoral college and the popular vote modalities, and keyed into this discussion, was the fact that the winner of the presidential election is not picked by the direct popular vote (one man, one woman, one vote) but appointed by the indirect electoral college a political body made of 538 party leaders and members or electors. Today, of course, citizens vote directly for electors or representatives but the electors are not legally bound to vote for any particular candidate and could act as faithless electors if they choose to do so. It is worth remembering that the 2004 presidential elections came on the heels of a spirited election results contest between Al Gore and George W. Bush in 2000. Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the presidency. In 2016, Donald Trump lost the popular vote and won the presidency. Unlike 2000, where the election race results were tight, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by more than 2.8 million votes, or 2.1 percent of the popular vote and yet she lost the key to the White House. What does this tell us? It tells us many things and one of these things is that representation is a refereed political and historical act. It tells us that there is no direct national election for president in the United States, only state elections. For a candidate to win the presidency, he or she must concentrate their campaign energies on winning states or electors, not on winning the direct popular vote. The nagging questions that have been on my mind ever since my first time to vote are: What is it about a political system that prevents the popular vote winner from becoming president? What is the matter with the one-man-one-woman-one-vote principle in a constitution whose fundamental and guiding principles are inscribed in the popular phrase:  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?

Despite the fact that I took a course on American Government in undergraduate school, the genealogy and historical context of the electoral college concept remained nebulous and its analytical prominence gained importance only in the presidential election season. As I was refreshing my encounter with the political and historical setup of the American election system and learning about the legal bricolage it took to stitch it together, I found myself going back and forth between the American legal scene that gave birth to the electoral college and my familiar Berber upbringing and ethnographic research I carried out in the multi-ethnic communities of southern Morocco. The more I learned about the founding era of the electoral college, the more I found myself engaged in a comparative exploration of the differences and similarities between Berber and American political institutions. I kept thinking that both systems, despite that one is federal and the other tribal, have actually more in common in terms of their political formation and complexity. While American institutions were constructed in historical settings shaped by slavery, the Berber structures were defined by social and ethnic stratification in southern Morocco. Both societies developed political structures in which they applied the notions and tools of racism and discrimination to deny direct political representation to non-white men and women. Is it then possible that the electoral college is essentially a tribal institution too? Could it be that the electoral college is the American version of the Berber jama`a?

With respect to the electoral college, constitutional legal scholars argue that there are three major reasons behind the setup of the electoral college. In 1787, the framers of the constitution were at best bricoleurs and crafted a government as they went along that brought together the best practices of existing political formations in the United States and Europe. However, the founding fathers agreed to disagree on two major issues. The first deals with how much power people should have and the second on how much power large and small states should have. Some readings of this legal bricolage suggest that direct democracy, as we understand it today, constituted somewhat a subversive concept that raised fears and concerns in the minds of some framers of the constitution. In short and as a result of this, the United States government chose the political format of a republic, in which people governed and managed themselves only through elected representatives. The third reason deals with how the office of the president was thought to be too important to the young republic to be left to the people or the masses to decide. Instead, people were made to elect electors, who would establish a college of electors to pick the president and the vice-president of the land. Regarding the compromise between big and small states, the framers maintained that each state electors should be equal to the total number of its senators and members of the House of Representatives; and while big population states had the most influence, small states will not be allowed to be swallowed up by the most populous states in the presidential elections (Perea 2012; Finkelman 2002).

The compromise of the electoral college framework, which is written in the Constitution, has remained unchanged since the Civil War and despite the abolition of slavery that conferred citizenship and voting rights to black people. It also caused five candidates to lose the race to the White House after they won the popular vote  most recently in 2016, when Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump. While there are many criticisms of the value and utility of the electoral college in 21st century politics, one criticism that is seldom brought out into the light is its embeddedness in and connection with slavery and ways in which southern slave states used it to protect slavery and its oppressive racist infrastructure, remnants of which still inform and maintain the political architecture of large disenfranchised populations. To the point, the electoral college included a three-fifths clause, where black men and women were counted as three-fifths of a white person. This clause, some legal scholars argue, not only was used to give slave states more electoral votes but it also provided them with political power to establish a dominant white class. Additionally, it allowed states to enact discriminatory voting laws and regulations despite the 1965 Voting Rights Act that was passed to fight the compression and suppression of civil rights and other measures (Perea 2012; Finkelman 2002).

Today the electoral college, an institution which dates back to the late 18th and early 19th century, gives smaller and/or swing states with white majority voters a disproportionate power in deciding the outcome of presidential elections, pushing millions of voters to the sidelines. A recent statistical analysis of the electoral college results by Gelman and Kremp (2016) found that The probability of one persons vote being decisive ranged from roughly one in a million for a resident of New Hampshire  a swing state with a relatively small population  to less than one in one billion in states that are reliably red or blue, such as New York, California, Kansas, and Oklahoma and particularly within swing states, the Electoral College amplifies the power of white voters by a substantial amount.

This is remarkable for three critical reasons. The first reason deals with the obvious principle of fair and direct representation (one man, one woman, one vote) which is connected with the urgent need to answer the questions that are on almost everyones mind: why vote at all if ones constitutional right to vote is put aside by overrepresented white voters in battleground states? How is it that 2.8 million more people voted democratic in 2016 yet political power stayed in Republican control? Could it be that the wider issues of gerrymandering and injections of big money into politics are exacerbating the undemocratic leftovers of the electoral college? The second reason is the incoherence and contradiction that are part and parcel of claims made of and for democracy in Western democratic societies. The social drama of elections and their constitutive elements (political parties, campaigns, super political action committees, conventions, and nominations) are put together to authenticate and intensify the democratic narrative, feeling, and practice at the same time they are made to throw in barriers against full and meaningful political participation of their subjects and/or citizens. Simply, the contradictions in the claims of the electoral college allowed the dominant political class not only to define who is a subject, who is a citizen, but also the modalities that subjects have to go through on their path to be counted and transformed into citizens. The third reason this is remarkable is that the electoral college, a relic of slavery and racism of the founding era, bears family resemblance to the Berber tribal institution of jama`a.

Berber notables and electors, southern Morocco, circa 1933.

The Arabic term jama`a refers to the assembly of notables of a tribe, or a tribal section, which in Berber society, acts as a legislative, executive, and judicial entity. In some places it goes by the name of taqbilt, the term being the Tamazight (Berber) form of the Arabic word, qabila: tribe and/or confederation referring to a political unit based usually on a segmentary lineage framework. It applies the abrid or qanun which are embodied in the corpus of customary law, called azerf. This legal coded is oral as well as written. A select group of elders who retain the legal code in memory are known as ait al-haqq (men of truth), and serve as final arbiters in determining the rules of the code. The practice of community consensus through jama`a indicates that Berber society is relatively democratic, though only elder men generally participated. Women, young men, slave-descendants, and Haratine (black people) were excluded until the recent past.

Customary laws, called azerf and ta`qqit in Berber, are documented in local legal treatises. Some of these legal documentsdate back to the late 18th and early 19th century, and deal with the ethno-political life of communities, management of the palm grove and irrigation, law and order, and sharecropping arrangements. These documents still inform much of the power relationships among ethnic groups in most present day communities and illustrate how discrimination and religious ideology were put to work in a stratified society with white Berbers and holy Arabs on top and Haratine and slave-descendants at the bottom and denied access to land ownership and political participation in the tribal council.

The internal and political affairs of Berber communities were (some are still) administered by the local agnatic lineage based council called taqbilt or jama`a. The jama`a was composed of id-bab n-imuran or lineage representatives headed by amghar n-tamazirt, the country or land chief. The amghar was elected every year from a different lineage. The id-bab n-imuren, meaning the people who own land and shares of protection of the non-Berber groups, were nominated to the council by the amghar but not appointed by the members of their own lineages. For instance, in old town village, one Berber sub-tribe was divided into six lineages and these six lineages make the taqbilt or jama`a of the community. Each year, after the wheat harvest, they gathered to elect the annual amghar or chief of the community. The office of the chief rotated among the lineages. Once all the lineage representatives, as well as a the fqih (imam)of the local mosque to bless the gathering with benediction, were assembled in the jama`a meeting room, the elections started. The candidates from the incoming lineage sat on a red carpet and waited while the electors from the other lineages went outside to discuss their choice of the individual to be elected. Once the electors made their decisions, they came back, walked in a circle around the candidates, reported their decision to the fqih, and finally the fqih put his finger on the head of the person who was about to assume leadership.

The annual elections of the amghar n-usgguas (annual leader) by the lineage constituency is what Gellner (1969) calls rotation and complementarity. This process safeguarded the political system, Gellner argues, in two critical ways: the electors could never elect themselves and its annual rotation acted as a check against any abuse of power and corruption. Neither candidates for the office of the chief nor the members of their lineages had the right to vote. Thus, through this process of complementarity, delegation of authority and representation, and exclusion of women and non-white populations such as slave-descendants and Haratine, the political system paradoxically remained immune to any temptations of hegemony of one group over another. However, post-colonial reforms coupled with the social mobility of the Haratine and former-slave descendants have to a large extent undermined the traditional workings of the jama`a. The social mobility of these former low-status groups was made possible by migration financial flows which allowed them to purchase land, which in turn, gave them the opportunity to have a voice and a place in the tribal council. While a few communities have grudgingly adjusted to these social and ethnic changes, most communities still resist the incorporation of Haratine and other former-slave descendants into decision making institutions.

In light of this brief comparative account, the institutions of the electoral college and the Berber jama`a appear to be cut from the same cloth and constitute remnants of a disquieting ethno-political era shaped by slavery, racism, and ethnic stratification. Both the electoral college and the jama`a privilege the idea and act of voting via the agency of delegation, and in the process, they both negate, or at best, short change direct participatory democracy. They devalue modern and progressive principles of fairness, equality, and dignity, and rob people of their capacity to make their history as they please. Both institutions are outdated and are out of step with peoples aspirations, and dare I say tribal. The question now facing us, anthropologists, is what is it that we must do to banish these tribal institutions from the vocabulary and practices of 21st century politics?

[1] I would like to thank Thomas Park (University of Arizona) and George Baca (Dong-A University, South Korea) for their valuable comments.

Hsain Ilahiane teaches at the University of Kentucky
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Maryland ruled [order, PDF] Friday to dismiss in part and allow in part a lawsuit from officers who were charged in the death of Freddie Gray against Maryland State Attorney Marilyn Mosby. The false arrest, false imprisonment, abuse of process, conspiracy, Fourteenth Amendment violations, Fourth Amendment violations based on presentations to the grand jury, and all claims against the state of Maryland were dismissed. The claims of malicious prosecution, defamation, invasion of privacy, and Fourth Amendment violations are allowed to proceed. The Fourth Amendment violation allegations for the presentation to the grand jury were dismissed because prosecutors are given absolute immunity for actions taken before a grand jury, but the plaintiffs are still able to make other claims that Mosby caused their arrest without probable cause, violating their Fourth Amendment rights. David Ellin, the attorney for Officer Rice, stated [Baltimore Sun report] that he wouldnt be surprised if the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court because of the questions it poses for prosecutors who take a more active role in investigations.

Gray died after sustaining a spinal cord injury while in police custody in 2015. Six officers were charged in the death of Gray. The charges against three of these officers were dropped [JURIST report] in July. The other three officers were acquitted of all charges in May, June and July [JURIST reports]. In September 2015, Baltimore reached a tentative agreement with Grays family to pay $6.4 million in settlement [JURIST report]. In April 2015, Amnesty International urged Baltimore police to exercise restraint [JURIST report] during protests, prioritize non-violent means and limit the use of force.
Former president of Chad Hissene Habre [BBC profile] will begin his appeal [press release, in French] on Monday against the life sentence and fines imposed on him this past summer by the Extraordinary African Chambers [official website], a body created by Senegal and the African Union. He was found guilty of sex slavery, rape and the killings of an estimated 40,000 people during his rule from 1982 to 1990 and was ordered to repay $33,000 to each victim who suffered during his presidency.

Habre, who fled to Senegal after being deposed in 1990, was indicted [JURIST report] by the Extraordinary African Chambers in July 2013 and placed in pretrial detention. In September 2015 the former leader was carried into court [JURIST report] by masked security agents following his refusal to participate in his own trial. In July 2015 the Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal suspended [JURIST report] his trial on charges of crimes against humanity, torture and war crimes, reportedly due to the need for court appointed lawyers to prepare the former leaders defense. In March 2015 a criminal court in Chad sentenced [JURIST report] Habre-era police officers to prison tor torture. In 2013 more than 1,000 victims filed for civil party status, asking the Extraordinary African Chambers to officially recognize them as parties with an interest in the matter. The African Union began talks with Senegal to come up with a plan for Habres trial after the International Court of Justice ruled [JURIST report] in July 2012 that Senegal must either try Habre promptly or extradite him to Belgium for trial.
A Sri Lankan panel of the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms [official website] has recommended [press release] the appointment of a hybrid court composed of local and international judges to oversee the adjudication of allegations of war crimes committed during the nations civil war. The international presence on the court will be phased out once trust between the court and the public is re-established. In 2015 the UN Human Right Commissioner urged Sri Lanka [JURIST report] to create this type of hybrid court, including the utilization of international prosecutors and investigators.

The global community has been calling on the Sri Lankan government to create more accountability, most recently since the end of the Sri Lankan civil war. Late last year, the UN Independent Expert on minority issues, Rita Izsak-Ndiaye urged the Sri Lankan government to better protect minorities [JURIST report]. The UN released a report in 2015 finding that war crimes may have been committed [JURIST report] during the war. Later in 2015 the President of Sri Lanka rejected [JURIST report] a UN recommendation for international involvement in its domestic investigation of the war crimes. The UN report came amid mounting pressure on the Sri Lankan government from human rights groups and the international community to investigate and prosecute abuses during the conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In 2014 then-US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Stephen Rapp called on Sri Lanka to investigate rights abuses [JURIST report] by security forces during the civil war. In 2013 then UK Prime Minister David Cameron demanded [JURIST report] that the Sri Lankan government conduct its own investigation into war crime allegations. Earlier that year, then-UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called on [JURIST report] Sri Lanka to improve its human rights record.
OMAHA - A Kearney drug dealer faces federal charges of selling large quantities of methamphetamine in Buffalo County.

David Robison, 38, of Kearney is charged in U.S. Federal District Court in Omaha with conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute more than 5 grams of meth between April 7 and May 5 and with possession with the intent to distribute more than 5 grams of meth on May 5. He faces five to 40 years in prison on both counts.

Robison has been at the Buffalo County Detention Center since his arrest May 5.

Earlier this month in Buffalo County District Court, Robison pleaded not guilty to charges of felony terroristic threats, using a firearm to commit a felony, being a felon in possession of a firearm, felony first-degree false imprisonment, felony possession of meth with the intent to distribute and felony possession of hydrocodone. Robison has asked that those cases be put on the district court's November jury term schedule.

In those cases, Robison is accused of putting a handgun to a woman's head and ribs several times in April and threatening to kill her after she used an ounce of his meth. He is accused of transporting meth and several hydrocodone pills into Buffalo County from Grand Island in May.

Hydrocodone is a highly addictive narcotic used to treat pain and is available only by prescription. However, drug addicts use it to get high or to take the edge off of a meth high.
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FILE- In this Jan. 9, 2017, file photo, Esteban Santiago is taken from the Broward County main jail as he is transported to the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Just weeks before a gunman opened fire at Fort Lauderdale's airport, he walked into an FBI office in Alaska telling authorities the government was controlling his mind and that he was having terroristic thoughts. Authorities say such walk-ins are a daily occurrence around the country. Assessing whether the people are reporting a credible threat or whether they need medical help is extremely difficult and drains already-stretched law enforcement resources. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, File)
PHOENIX  Veterinarians must register with the Drug Enforcement Administration before they can prescribe narcotics. They must go through extensive training on how to treat animals in pain. And they must keep tight controls on the narcotics they keep in the office.

But the more than 4,000 licensed veterinarians in Arizona dont have to participate in the states Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program, an online database designed to track narcotics prescribed to patients and help prevent doctor shopping and over-prescribing.

In 2007, the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy created the database as part of an effort to curb prescription drug abuse. And in May, Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill that will require physicians to access and update the database before prescribing a controlled substance.

Arizonas original law had included veterinarians.

Susie Stevens, a lobbyist for the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association, said it didnt make sense to include vets. First, its difficult to doctor shop with a vet. The user would have to bring an animal to the clinic, go through an exam and pay for that.

If you have a cat, it will be dosed for a 15-pound cat, she said. Its a very difficult way for somebody to go about getting medications.

Elizabeth Kane, executive director of the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association, said health insurance coverage for veterinary services also isnt as common as health insurance for humans.

The person bringing an animal to a veterinarian would shoulder the cost of the exam, diagnostic tests and the medication, which could be significant, she wrote in an email.

When using the database, veterinarians would have to submit pet medications under a humans records, and they shouldnt have access those medical records, Stevens said.

The regulation was rather onerous, she said.

Ducey signed SB 1370 in 2015, excluding veterinarians from requirements to register and report.

One study published in 2014 included a 50-state survey of drug monitoring programs. Researchers found that every year, there were fewer than 10 veterinary shoppers nationwide that the databases could identify, and veterinarians were a minor source of controlled substances.

It is not uncommon for veterinarians to prescribe painkillers to animals that suffer from chronic pain or that have undergone surgery. In some cases, these painkillers can be opioid based. Tramadol is one such narcotic.

In veterinary school, experts said students must complete pharmacology courses and study the risks that go hand in hand with prescribing narcotics.

In fact, Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told lawmakers on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in January 2016 that veterinarians receive substantially more training on treating pain than medical doctors, according to an article in Modern Healthcare.

Fully trained vets are conscious of the dangers that addictive painkillers pose to those that have access to them, said Jason Eberhardt, an assistant professor at Midwestern University  College of Veterinary Medicine in Glendale. They know warning signs for people who might be shopping around for drugs, he said.

Veterinarians are acutely aware of the problems on the human side, and we are very diligent to watch for abnormal or inappropriate requests from owners with regards to their pets for medications, such as opioids or other potentially addictive pain medications, said veterinarian Brian Serbin, the medical director and owner of Ingleside Animal Hospital in Phoenix.

One telltale sign is when owners request to refill a pain medication early, or before the vet expects the animal to have taken it all.

In these cases, vets will check to make sure it is not a repeat situation. I cant say it happens frequently, but we do keep an eye on that sort of thing, Serbin said.

Unlike human physicians, vets typically dispense drugs directly from their offices. To do so, they have to be aware of the requirements set by the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy and the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board. This means keeping careful inventory of all drugs coming into and leaving the office, Serbin said.

As an additional line of defense against drug shoppers, Serbin said vets cooperate with each other, informing one another when a suspicious owner comes in with an old dog and requests Tramadol.

Pet owners can look up their vets disciplinary records by visiting the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board.
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The blood thinner heparin is not a 21st-century cure. It was discovered 100 years ago by a scientist looking for something else entirely, and is one of the oldest drugs still in regular use.

After my daughter was diagnosed with a potentially fatal blood disorder, heparin played a key daily role in her treatment. Wed wash our hands meticulously, lay out gloves and antiseptic wipes, saline flushes for the access lines to her fragile immune system, and finally the sealed heparin syringe.

For many months, we went through boxes of heparin and never questioned its safety. Never had reason to.

But in 2008, after my daughter was officially declared cured and wed used heparin for the last time, contamination in the supply from China killed 19 Americans and harmed many others. Writing that sentence still gives me the chills. My daughter survived thanks to medicine, but it also could have killed her.

So you can understand why, as the 21st Century Cures Act sailed to passage.

That heparin contamination was in part due to lax oversight of the drug supply chain. It reminds me why I do not want to see the work of the Food and Drug Administration compromised by overeager drug companies taking advantage of the hopes of desperate patients, and taking shortcuts on safety.

The giant pinata of a bill, as science blogger Derek Lowe aptly described the 21st Century Cures Act, is destined to explode in unexpected ways.

I cant predict whether it will prove to be mainly a bounty of new treatments, a bouquet of hope for patients, or a lollipop for Martin Shkreli, the hated face of pharma profiteering.

As a medical ethicist, Im most concerned about this potential fallout: that the FDA will be seen as a barrier rather than a protector, and become too quick with the rubber stamp; and that the DNA of the National Institutes of Health will be edited into a form that diminishes basic science.

And as a father, a husband, and a patient myself, Im most concerned that one day, Ill ask my doctor, Is this new drug safe? Is it going to work? And hell shrug.

The act undoubtedly will help with the addiction crisis, improve treatment of the mentally ill, and perhaps move research toward a cure for Alzheimers and other brain diseases. That is why it has been championed by the American Psychological Association, the American Society for Human Genetics and the American Society for Clinical Oncology among many others, not to mention President Obama.

But in highlighting the acts benefits, many of the bills backers downplayed its potential harms. Particularly when it comes to the FDA, and the bills acceleration of the approval process for new drugs and medical devices.

Is the FDA, in fact, a barrier or a protector? I hadnt thought to frame the question quite that way until reading about another recent news event. At Standing Rock, in the days before the Dakota Access oil pipelines setback, some of people gathered there expressed consternation over the medias frequent description of Native Americans and their supporters as protesters. You see, they perceive themselves as water protectors.

The 21st Century Cures Act sees the FDA as a barrier to drug makers, blocking the companies pipeline to patients. What I see is that the agency has long served as a protector  and one thing it has protected is trust in the doctor-patient relationship.

Drugs dont get approved until proven safe and effective  so doctors know theyre unlikely to harm a patient and likely to do some good. Doctors need that confidence in the FDA, but it could be put at serious risk by the acts acceleration of the drug-approval process.

Fueling the bills attack on the FDA was an unfounded suspicion that the agency keeps readily available treatments and cures from desperate patients. On the contrary, the FDA has responded meaningfully to the urgency of patients and advocacy groups by creating more avenues for expanded access to experimental treatments.

Still, the 21st Century Cures Act portrays the FDA as too tight, too restrictive. Some backers of the bill portrayed safe and effective treatments as the enemies of compassion. But I worry that choosing that type of compassion over caution can cause harm, both immediate and long-term  to patients and to science alike.

My own bias in assessing the bill can be traced to a cure whose credit belongs largely to the previous century. My daughter had severe aplastic anemia, a failure of the bone marrow that leaves a person defenseless against disease.

There was really nothing doctors could do about it until the second half of the 20th century, when scientists  painfully, methodically  gained understanding of the need for compatible tissues, how to keep certain T cells at bay with aggressive treatment, how to get chemo and radiation doses right, and how to make the donor blood supply safe.

Cyclosporine, which suppresses the immune system, changed everything. In 1983, more than a decade after its discovery in Norwegian soil fungus, it was determined to be safe and effective  by the FDA.

Now, aplastic anemia is often curable, as it was for my daughter. Cyclosporine helped her body make peace with her donors stem cells. She benefited not only from emergent knowledge of her rare disease but from myriad clinical trials into other diseases that increased knowledge relevant to her illness.

So when I hear about the billions that the 21st Century Cures Act invests in the Cancer Moonshot, I know cancer patients wont be the only beneficiaries. A broader common good will be served, even as individual patients are given new hope and sometimes cured.

But my daughters cure was grounded in real scientific knowledge, which randomized clinical trials are uniquely able to provide. And though the 21st Century Cares Act includes $4.8 billion for new research at the NIH, thats press-release money. The real funding will be determined by Congress over the next decade.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who opposed the bill, warned of its potential systemic harms: Medical breakthroughs come from increasing investments in basic research, she said. Right now, Congress is choking off investments in the NIH.

My annual physical is in a week or so. In the past, discussing prescription drugs with my doctor, Ive never felt the need to ask, Is this drug safe? I may need to start. I hope he never answers with a shrug.

Paul C. McLean is an ethics associate, Boston Childrens Hospital, Boston, MA. This article originally appeared in WBURs CommonHealth.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
A Kilkenny based nun who made a lasting impression on almost everyone she met has gone to her eternal reward.

Sister Noirin de Buitleir died peacefully at Strathmore Lodge Nursing home, Callan, on Christmas Eve. She was 95 years old and her death marked the end of a long and eventful life during which she brought the gift of education to boys and girls in three Kilkenny towns.

After officially becoming a Sister of Mercy 77 years ago Noirin trained as a primary school teacher. For the next four decades she taught pupils at convents in Callan, Thomastown, and Ballyragget, and for a brief stint in British Columbia.

Originally from Cahir in County Tipperary, Noirin entered the Convent in Callan at the age of 18, following years of reflection on the true meaning of life and a strong belief that God was calling her to serve humanity as a nun.

While other teenage girls in her class were day-dreaming about boyfriends, movies theyd seen, or thinking about which secular occupation they would pursue upon leaving school, Noirin was avidly reading the Lives of the Saints, attending daily masses, and delving into the Gospels for inspiration and guidance.

Her parents consented to her desire to sacrifice the prospect of a lucrative academic position (her intelligence was above average) by following in the footsteps of the saintly and selfless nuns she had read bout.

There were tearful farewells from family and friends when she left Cahir in September 1939 to begin her life of service. In June 1940 she professed as a novice and took her final vows in 1942. Her two year of training as a novice at the Callan convent made boot camp in the French Foreign Legion look easy by comparison.

Aside from the rigorous regime of praying, fasting, exercising, and studying, there was no heating in the convent. To rectify this, the novices all rose at 3 am, danced for an hour to keep warm, and then returned to bed. On winter mornings they had to break ice in the wash basins or take freezing cold showers. It was Austerity with a capital A.

On rare visits to her family home she was escorted by other nuns and carefully supervised to ensure she didnt look at her reflection in shop windows (the sin of vanity) or become distracted in any way from her vocation.

From the day she stepped into a classroom to teach, Noirin was committed to moulding young, impressionable minds into bright and attentive repositories of knowledge. Not a second was to be lost, she believed, in achieving that primary objective.

While some lay teachers might be willing to merely punch in the time and hope the pupils would learn a bit here and there, Noirin was adamant that children were in school to learn, so they wouldnt be denied a career or a decent chance of advancement in the ever changing world that awaited them.

Every pupil was equal in her eyes, and if she noticed anyone getting left behind, she accorded that pupil special attention.

She taught me in 1st Class in the Callan Convent School in the mid 1960s. Back then, she was known as Sister Camillus. Remarkably, though I have forgotten so much of what occurred in my life before and after that experience I can recall this nun with uncommon clarity.

She taught us how to hold, and write with, a fountain pen, weaning us off the chalk and slates we had used in Sixes and the class preceding that. She introduced us to addition and subtraction sums, the Irish language, the joys of reading, and, her own favourite subject, music.

It wasnt all sunshine and giggles of course. For the first three quarters of the twentieth century, corporal punishment was legal and widely used in Irish schools, by both lay teachers and ones attached to religious orders. 1st Class in Callan Convent School was no exception and Sister Camillus wielded a sturdy wooden implement known as the Bata.

Referring to it as a stick was among the offences for which you might be chastised. Others were: misbehaving in class, not doing homework, or failing badly at lessons. I remember her policy of asking how many sums we had got wrong. Each of us stood up and confessed. Then she would give us the option: Do you want ten small slaps with the Bata or two very hard ones?

It wasnt the nicest of choices for a seven year old to make, but such was education back then. Boys who broke the rules were made sit beside girls, and vice versa. I remember one boy who pulled a girls ponytail after he got tired of sitting beside her.

As punishment, Sister Camillus taught him how to knit. She tackled bullying in peculiar ways. After giving the culprits a hearty dressing down she had them locked in a small room with a stuffed pheasant.

We all felt the sting of the Bata. There was no escape because there were so many reasons for getting slapped. But she only punished when she believed we would benefit from the experience, difficult though it is now, in 2017, to fathom how teachers could think that way. They were different times. It was a whole different world

There was a humorous side to it too. There was the day someone hid the Bata. A grim stand-off followed. We all knew who hid it and where. She left the classroom after introducing us to another nun who stayed with us in her absence. A few minutes later she returned, relieved the second nun, and dangled a large bag of bulls eyes in front of us.

Striding back and forth at the top of the classroom she held up the mouth watering sweets she had bought in Madge Kellys confectionery shop in Bridge Street.

These are for the boy...or girl...who tells me where the Bata has been hidden! she exclaimed. After a brief silence a hand went up tentatively. The boy looked about him nervously and said: Sister, the stick is under the desk...over there, pointing to the location. She handed him the sweets and then ordered him to put out both hands. He got six slaps on each for calling the Bata a stick!

Another day she said she had a grave warning for the class. If we got as many sums wrong the next day as we had that day shed be asking the Russians to drop an Atom Bomb on Callan. The news at the time was full of speculation about nuclear war and the possible end of the world.

One boy at the back of the class was sniggering, a huge grin on his face. What are you so smug about? she asked, Ive just told you a huge bomb will fall on Callan if you dont get your sums right!

The little boy answered I know, sister, but Im from Mullinahone! She laughed at that one herself, along with the whole class.

She was an ardent nationalist. In 1966, the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rising; she taught us the Merry Ploughboy and in the playground girls skipped to the rhythmic chant of Ive always hated slavery, since the day that I was born, so Im off to join the IRA, and Im off tomorrow morn...

Though a strict disciplinarian, she was kind too, and many past pupils remember the drama sessions in the Friary Hall in Kilkenny, the choir practice and singing lessons. And especially the cans of sticky sweets she passed around to them aboard Jackie Nolans bus on the return journey to Callan.

Though she alternated between Callan, Ballyragget, and Thomastown, most of her time was spent in Callan, and she was teaching there on a certain day in 1982 when a circular arrived from the Department of Education informing all teachers that corporal punishment was to cease in schools.

Far from resenting this development, Sister Camillus welcomed it. She told me herself in the 1990s that it was a liberating feeling...knowing that physical punishment would no longer be part of the school experience for children. There was a little ceremony in the convent later that week. The Batas were gathered and tossed onto a blazing turf fire...to sizzle and burn. Times were changing.

Years later, she regretted that the Bata hadnt been decommissioned earlier, as it had, she believed then, done more harm than good.

When she retired from teaching, Sister Camillus reverted to using her own name, Noirin. That was in 1986, and for the next thirty years, she devoted herself to visiting senior citizens and people in hospitals, including people who rarely heard from relatives or had none to call to them. She offered spiritual solace to the dying and comforted people suffering from depression. She gave parenting and aerobic exercise courses, and used her musical talents to enhance the choir in Newtown church.

I talked to Sister Noirin on many occasions following her retirement... during bus trips to Kilkenny, at the grotto near the school where she taught, and along the Callan by-pass that she walked daily for years. She said she was haunted by some of the teaching practises of the past but hoped past pupils would forgive her and other nuns.

Though I felt the painful, numbing twang of the Bata myself I can certainly do that, especially when I consider her life of service and sacrifice, motivated by a spiritual calling.

Given her fondness for music, it was apt that Sister Noirin de Buitleir joined in the singing of Yuletide Carols at Strathmore Lodge nursing home just hours before she left this world.

And the date of her death-December 24th- was poignant, because she loved Christmas.

May she rest in peace.

Predeceased by her brothers James, John, Thomas, and her sister Brigid. Survived by her sister Eileen (Brennan), her sister-in-law Peg, nephews, nieces, cousins, friends, Mercy nuns.
Walk in the Woods: Late autumn is a great time for hiking

Although many people think of hiking as a summer activity, it can be argued that the fall season is actually the best time to be in Nova Scotia's outdoors. Temperatures, while cooler, are actually far more comfortable if you are walking briskly. The ...
DUBAI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Iran has found significant shale oil reserves in the country's western Lorestan province, a research and exploration official at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) was quoted as saying on Sunday.

"The results of a research project into shale oil in Lorestan clearly indicate the occurrence of two important reserves ... with acceptable breadth and volume," NIOC's Mahmoud Hajian told the oil ministry's news website SHANA.

"The quality of the oil that can be obtained is estimated to be very good," Hajian said, without giving the size of the reserves found in an area called Ghali Koh.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Mark Potter)
DUBAI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Gulf stock markets may consolidate with a firm tone on Sunday although Dubai faces technical resistance that could hold in the near term at least.

The international market environment is modestly positive, with Wall Street firm and oil prices having edged up at the end of last week. Dubai's index rose 2.7 percent to 3,628 points last week but faces resistance at the mid-December peak of 3,659 points, and pulled back from near that level on Thursday.

In Qatar, Gulf Warehousing may attract modest interest after recommending an annual cash dividend of 1.60 riyals per share, up slightly from 1.50 riyals in the previous year. It said net profit climbed 11 percent last year.

In Saudi Arabia, builder Abdullah Abdul Mohsin al-Khodari and Sons could rise after saying it secured a 69 million riyal ($18.4 million) contract with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

The amount is small but Khodari, like other Saudi construction companies, suffered from a severe cut-back in state contract awards last year and the new contract may indicate money is flowing again. (Reporting by Andrew Torchia)
Stuff reports:

The man who planned a July attack on one of Islams holiest sites was as a former scholarship student in New Zealand who abandoned his studies to join the Islamic State group in Syria.

Taie bin Salem bin Yaslam al-Sayaari died alongside another extremist in a shootout on Saturday with officers in Riyadh, wearing a suicide bomb vest and clutching a machine gun, Saudi Arabias Interior Ministry said on Sunday (NZT).

It said he manufactured the suicide bomb used in the July 4 attack outside of the Medina mosque where the Prophet Muhammad is buried, an assault which killed four Saudi security force members and wounded five. 

Al-Sayaari previously was a scholarship student in New Zealand who quit school to travel to Syria and fight in the countrys civil war, the ministry said.

It said he later travelled to Turkey, Sudan and Yemen before returning to the kingdom.
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Showers and thundershowers this morning, then cloudy with rain likely during the afternoon. High 44F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Evening rain followed by a mix of rain and snow overnight. Low 31F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precip 100%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
By Chris Khang

Chris Khang

At a symposium celebrating Korea's 20th anniversary as a member of the OECD held in November 2016, Randall S. Jones, a senior economist and head of the Japan/Korea Desk at the OECD, pointed at Korea's low female employment rate.

According to the OECD's latest statistics, Korea's female employment rate ranked the tenth lowest among member states, falling behind the male employment rate by 21 percentage points.

While many understand the importance of gender diversity in today's vibrant business environment, we as business leaders still have more room for improvement.

The value of gender diversity should be widely acknowledged given in that it brings different perspectives and approaches to businesses.

The business world will always be a meritocracy, but we know that the diverse leaders will perform well if they are given the chance.

Research conducted by the United Nations in 2016 also showed that companies that promote women empowerment and gender equality are more profitable, as their commitment to women's active participation is seen as being socially responsible, resulting in recording greater efficiency and better personnel performances.

Regardless of business sectors and industries, companies should make consistent efforts to empower women and make sure female workers are given the opportunity to realize their distinctive leadership potential.

The true meaning of women empowerment in the workforce can be achieved when the strengths that women bring to the company are fully developed and utilized.

It should not be just about increasing the percentage of female employees, but more importantly, increasing the accessibility to leadership and functional education opportunities to allow female leaders to reach the executive level.

At GE, women account for a quarter of roughly 4,900 executives. That is up from 16 percent in 2001, the year Jeff Immelt assumed the chairman's role. Such changes are emerging as GE is on a journey of transforming itself to become a faster and more innovative company.

Immelt also emphasized the importance of women assuming powerful roles as a crucial aspect of the company's reinvention effort.

GE believes that a diversity and inclusiveness culture is key to sustainable growth, and is operating many leadership programs.

The Women's Network is a great example of its attempts to enhance women's leadership. The program has been running for almost 20 years now and has grown into a worldwide network, which spreads across 150 hubs in 43 countries. It offers various workshops, speaking engagements, and networking activities to enable participants to share their experiences, best practices, and knowledge of successful female role models.

GE in Korea is also trying to embrace the value of gender diversity, as we, in fact, do have a long way ahead of us. Leveraging the Women's Network as a platform, GE Korea has been giving opportunities to nurture female employees by consistently networking with GE mentors including male business leaders as well as female leaders outside the company.

The GE-WISET (The Center for Women in Science Engineering and Technology) Global Mentoring program is another GE initiative to cultivate high-potential women leaders in the science and engineering field that has been a traditionally male dominated realm.

Since 2012, in collaboration with WISET, GE has supported over 150 female students in the field of engineering with their career development.

The program made a great achievement last year, where a female leader at GE Korea who participated in the program as a mentor and five female mentee students collaborated to pursue a project using the industrial internet platform, Predix.

They developed a prototype application that measures the density of dust in real-time by visualizing the data on PC and mobile devices. The GE female mentor who led the project was recognized by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, and won the title of Mentor of the Year in 2016.

Diversity is a necessity, not a business' socially responsible duties. It brings important implications to a company's management practices.

Diversity is about competitiveness and the culture of a company. Promoting diverse talent inside the company to important leadership positions should be a requirement for the businesses.

John F. Kennedy once said that "The wave of the future is not the conquest of the world by a single dogmatic creed but the liberation of the diverse energies." The power of diversity works the same way in the world of business.



Chris Khang is president and CEO of GE Korea
By Park Hyong-ki



Lee Kun-hee and Lee Jae-yong of Samsung, Chung Mong-koo of Hyundai Motor, Suh Kyung-bae of AmorePacific and Chey Tae-won of SK are some of Korea's wealthiest with high stock value.



The difference between them and overseas billionaires such as Bill Gates of Microsoft, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Jack Ma of Alibaba, Ma Huateng of Tencent and Yanai Tadashi of Fast Retailing is that the Korean businessmen became rich quickly by inheriting wealth from their parents. The rich in the U.S., China and Japan mostly created wealth through entrepreneurship.



Korea had the highest number of businesspeople who inherited wealth from their parents, compared to the U.S., China and Japan, according to CEO Score, an online information provider of top 500 domestic companies.



Those who became rich via inheritance accounted for 62.5 percent of 40 stock-rich Koreans, far higher than that of the U.S., China and Japan.



Only 10 out of 40 billionaires in the U.S., or 25 percent, got rich through wealth inheritance, while 30 of them built their wealth by starting a company. In Japan, 28 were self-made billionaires like Yanai, who started Fast Retailing, the operator of casual fashion retailer Uniqlo. In China, only 2.5 percent became rich with inherited wealth.



CEO Score's statistics were based on Forbes' list of billionaires worldwide. Gates, who started Microsoft with the Windows operating system, has topped the list as the world's wealthiest man for the 17th time. In Asia, Li Ka-shing, chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings and the second richest, was highlighted in Forbes as an entrepreneur who grew up poor, quit school and worked at a plastics factory, then built his wealth by venturing into ports, real estate and telecommunications in Hong Kong and abroad. Li is also one of Asia's biggest tech investors and philanthropists.

Wang Jianlin, founder and chairman of Dalian Wanda, a real estate developer in China, is the richest in Asia.













Unlike Korean conglomerate owners who generally hand over their chairmanship to their children, overseas entrepreneurs such as Gates are known for their strict work ethics that their children should earn and gain experience through hard work including a low-paying job.



Korean chaebol's tight market control and their inherited wealth have contributed to growing inequality not only between the rich and poor, but also conglomerates and small and medium-sized enterprises, according to Prof. Jang Ha-sung of Korea University Business School.



Separate data by Jang showed that 84 out of 100 rich became billionaires by inheriting wealth from their parents, while 78 were self-made entrepreneurs in the U.S.



"It is extremely difficult in Korea to see entrepreneurs like those in the U.S. under the current market system where top 100 companies take over 60 percent of total profit and create only 4 percent of jobs," said Jang, when promoting his book, "Capitalism in Korea."
Korea needs to pursue internal restructuring and changes in areas such as labor and regulations to revive the economy as a means to offset external risks such as a trade war with the U.S.



In a roundtable discussion with economists in Chicago, Illinois, Saturday, U.S. economists forecast that a U.S. trade war with China would negatively spill over to other East Asian economies such as Korea and Taiwan.



Korea, which heavily depends on exports for growth, would not be immune to the new Donald Trump administration's hard-line policy against China. The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) hosted the discussion.



Martin Eichenbaum, an economist at Northwestern University, said that should the Trump administration begin setting up high barriers to imports as part of his protectionism, the global economy would be locked into a "great trade war."



He added that this would negatively affect the Korean economy give the country's high dependence on trade.



President-elect Trump has upped the ante against China, calling the world's second largest economy a "currency manipulator" that trades with the U.S. unfairly. Facing threats of high U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, China has also indicated that it would retaliate by raising its trade barriers to American imports such as airplanes and software.



Barry Eichengreen, economist at the University of California at Berkeley, said that Trump's fiscal policy, with the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary tightening, would further spur the value of the U.S. dollar.



A 5 percent appreciation in the value of the U.S. dollar would decrease U.S. exports by up to 3 percent in the next three years. This, in turn, would "worsen U.S. trade balance," Eichengreen added.




Elderly women hang out on an apartment stoop on Munsu Street in Pyongyang in 2011. It is a familiar sight in South Korea, except one of these women appointed to monitor visitors according to the publisher. / Photo by Martin Tutsch



By Jon Dunbar





The cover of "The North Koreans" shows two North Korean women transporting goods by bike along the Pyongyang-Nampo expressway in 2008. One woman makes a face as she notices the photographer.

/ Photo by Martin Tutsch Three women wearing joseonbok (North Korean traditional dress) walk through Pyongyang in 2009.

/ Photo by Martin Tutsch

The internet is flooded with galleries of "rare," "secret" and "forbidden" pictures "smuggled out of North Korea" that "Kim Jong-un doesn't want you to see," but most are from tourists taking the same five-day group tour of the secretive country. But "The North Koreans: Glimpses of Daily Life in the DPRK" easily lives up to its promise.

The 252-page book, published by Dutch publisher Primavera Pers in November, gives an extensive, almost exhaustive overview of the side of North Korea the tourists don't get to see, or at least are rushed past on tour buses.

This collection of 333 images is culled from 22 photographers, mostly rounded up on Flickr. Many supplied only one image, with the vast majority coming from three central figures. The top contributor provided 147, nearly half. Each photographer brings unique strengths to the book, with some offering incredible insight into the country, while others take great portraits and others focus on landscapes, infrastructure or buildings.

The collective image they form is vivid yet distant and alienated from the people while yearning for closer contact. Buildings appear cold and uninviting and transportation infrastructure is dilapidated. Some pictures focus on wood-burning trucks that run on firewood, a technology long since forgotten in the South if it ever existed here. The countryside is an eroded wasteland, further emphasized as a high number of pictures were taken in winter, when the land is barren, rather than during tourist season.

But still North Koreans are seen living a recognizably mundane daily life: carrying umbrellas in the rain, cramming into buses just like rush hour in Seoul, or having a family picnic in a city park. One picture shows a group of older women hanging out in front of their apartment where they can watch people come and go, a familiar scene in South Korea as well  although the book mentions one is specially appointed to do this work. The mundane side of North Korea shows that it hasn't drifted that far culturally from the South, which is all the more heartbreaking.

Some pictures depict the miserable conditions North Koreans face, such as one showing people carrying backpacks loaded with what is identified as feces for fertilizer. Another shows boys playing on a playground surrounded by drying charcoal briquettes. Other photographs focus on the ubiquitous propaganda and homeless orphans.





Workers are transported by truck to a rural area in 2007. / Photo by Raymond Cunningham Jr.

The book is divided into nine chapters, ranging from daily life and the informal market economy to infrastructure and industry. This covers a lot of ground, while ignoring topics of popular fixation such as official propaganda events and lavish monuments. Each chapter begins with a thorough introduction written by publisher Evelyn de Regt, who has visited North Korea herself.

According to de Regt, some of the main photographers only wanted to supply photos but didn't want to get further involved, with some even hiding behind pseudonyms.

Some are known or have reasons to hide their identities. French citizen Eric Lafforgue, one of the main contributors, is no longer welcome in the country. Willem van der Bijl, a Dutch consultant on the book, spent time in a North Korean jail cell after repeated business trips to Pyongyang. Mystery shrouds Martin Tutsch, rumored to be a diplomat who posts on Flickr under the username Moravius. Many others continue to visit North Korea and don't wish to risk that.

So rather than highlight the minor contributors at the expense of the top photographers, de Regt decided the book would treat everyone equally by not talking about them.

But de Regt isn't worried about unfavorable attention from the regime, pointing out only 1,000 books are being printed and many pictures have had more views online. She also takes to heart advice from van der Bijl, "not to overestimate one's importance with respect to North Korea."

"North Koreans are far more interested in their own enormous problems, than in some photobook published in the West," she said.

The book is distributed in South Korea by Idea Books.
Tourists take photos on a breakwater in Jumunjin Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Jan. 2, a filming site for tvN's popular drama "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God." The place and the drama's other filming locations have become hot destinations for drama fans. / Yonhap



By Park Jin-hai

Filming sites for the popular tvN drama series "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" are swarming with tourists as the show renewed its record viewer ratings at 15 percent Sunday. The soaring popularity of the drama written by Kim Eun-sook has led to an increase in visitors who want to follow in the footsteps of its leading man Gong Yoo, who plays an immortal goblin Kim Shin, and his human bride Ji Eun-tak, played by actress Kim Go-eun.

The breakwaters in Jumunjin, Gangneung, where the couple meet and speak to each other for the first time in the fantasy-romance drama has emerged as a hot tourist destination for fans.

In the famous scene, Kim is accidentally summoned by Ji who blows out her birthday candles and makes a wishe, with a bouquet of buckwheat flowers, a symbol for lovers.

Merchants rent a bouquet of flowers, a red scarf, and an umbrella, for 1,000 won each, so that visitors can recreate their own romantic scene from the drama.

"After I saw the beautiful seaside featured in the drama, I went there over the weekend. With many tourists wanting to take photos there, I had to wait in line for more than ten minutes," said tourist Kim Ye-min, 31, to a local daily.

Social network services have seen many edited photos of the place where people stand like the actor or actress, replicating the scene using mobile applications.

Hanmi Bookstore, a small used bookstore painted in vivid yellow in Incheon, is also frequently featured in the drama and has emerged as another hot place for fans.

The bookstore owner Jang Won-hyek said he feels the drama's popularity first hand. "The number of visitors has jumped dramatically to more than ten times over the weekends and tripled on weekdays," he said to a local daily. "After the drama, I began to see more foreign tourists as well."

Seated in the old alley where many used bookstores once prospered, the shop is one of a few remaining in Incheon.





Gon Yoo, left, and Kim Go-eun in a scene from "Guardian." / Courtesy of tvN



"The streets used to bustle with people. But it has been reduced to a place that just a few people visit nowadays. We expect the area will regain vitality thanks to the drama," Jang added.

The classic western-style Unhyeon Palace within Deoksung Women's University in Seoul, featured as the white mansion where Kim Shin lives, is also attracting tourists. The place was also featured in the 2006 hit MBC drama "Princess Hours."

Shooting spots in Gangwon Province, including Yongpyong ski resort's Dragon Peak at the top of the Mt. Balwang, where the couple goes on a date is attracting skiers this winter. Woljeongsa Temple's fir tree forest and Cheongna Lake in Incheon, where Kim tells the secret of the sword and reveals that Ji is his first and last bride, have all emerged as must-visit places for "Guardian" fans.

Incheon City plans to develop tours for "Guardian" fans, putting up sword shaped sign posts to help them.


Two statues of a Korean and Chinese girl were unveiled in China on Saturday, the first monument in China to honor the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, officials said Saturday.

The statues were erected inside Shanghai Normal University in the Chinese city with the help of donations from citizens of Hwaseong, a city located south of Seoul, according to the Hwaseong municipal authorities.

It is the fifth monument to be built outside of South Korea in honor of the hundreds of thousands of women who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II. Most of the women were from Korea as the country was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910-45, but some of them were also brought from China, Taiwan and other nations.

The other statues have been erected in the United States, Canada and Australia.

The monument in Shanghai was unveiled during a ceremony attended by representatives from both countries, including Hwaseong Mayor Chae In-seok and the president of Shanghai Normal University.












South Korea's top diplomat in Denmark has urged the Danish prosecution to speed up its decision on whether to extradite Chung Yoo-ra, a high-profile criminal suspect long wanted by Seoul's special counsel investigators, officials at the South Korean Embassy here said Saturday.



The request was made when Ambassador Choi Jai-chul met with Mohammad Ahsan, deputy director at Denmark's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, at the latter's office in Copenhagen on Saturday, the officials said.



At the meeting, Choi asked Danish prosecutors to make a decision on the extradition of Chung as soon as possible, while expressing gratitude to the Danish government for accepting the South Korean government's request for an emergency arrest of Chung last week and extend her detention to the end of this month, they added.



Chung, the 21-year-old only daughter of Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the center of South Korea's political scandal, was arrested in the northern Danish city of Aalborg on Jan. 2 on charges of illegal stay and has since been held at a detention center in the country. Chung has been wanted by South Korean investigators since her mother was indicted on charges of having abused her ties to President Park Geun-hye to gain various business and personal favors, including her daughter's admission to a prestigious university in Seoul.



Ambassador Choi also told Ahsan that the South Korean government has nullified Chung's passport, and it will take effect Jan. 10.



In response, Ahsan said he was well aware of South Koreans' attention to the extradition of Chung and promised to make efforts for an effective solution to the matter, according to the embassy officials. (Yonhap)




Lee Tae-gon / Korea Times file



By Lee Han-soo



Korean actor Lee Tae-gon is under police investigation after a bloody fight with two men at a chicken restaurant in Yongin city, Gyeonggi Province, on Saturday.

The fight left the actor with a broken nose that will take about four weeks to heal, according to his agency.

Police said the fight broke out at 1 a.m. on Saturday when the two men "impolitely" tried to shake hands with Lee. The actor refused, triggering a scuffle that turned violent with an exchange of offensive words, according to police.

Police will investigate further, including video footage recorded by CCTVs at the restaurant.
Bereaved family members of Sewol ferry disaster victims march with a placard on which photos of the victims are printed, during an anti-President Park Geun-hye protest in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, Saturday, two days before the 1,000th day since the disaster occurred. They called for a thorough investigation into Park's alleged absence from duty on the day of the sinking. / Yonhap



Year's 1st candlelit rally focuses on ferry disaster



By Chung Hyun-chae



Former students of Danwon High School, who survived the Sewol ferry sinking, called for a thorough investigation into the government's poor response to the disaster, as well as the immediate resignation of President Park Geun-hye, Saturday.



The year's first  and 11th consecutive  Saturday candlelit protest against the President focused on commemorating the ferry disaster, ahead of the 1,000th day since it occurred on April 16, 2014, which falls on Monday.



At the rally in Seoul, nine survivors appeared in public to tell their stories.



Along with the influence-peddling scandal surrounding Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil, the controversy over the President's alleged absence from duty during the first seven hours of the ferry sinking has come to the fore again.



"We escaped from the sinking ferry, not rescued by the Coast Guards," Jang Ye-jin, 20, who represented the survivors, said, criticizing the government's inept handling of the disaster. "our other friends stayed there because they were told to remain where they were."













Regarding the President's seven missing hours, Jang said, "We don't want to know about the President's private life. However, we think that if the President was well briefed on the accident and gave proper orders during those hours, the disaster would not have led to so many victims."



It is reasonable to investigate whether she did what she was supposed to do, but the government is too busy obfuscating, Jang said.



The survivors said that they feel like they had committed a sin because they came out of the ferry alive, leaving their friends behind.



"On their Facebook pages, we still post messages about missing them. I often stay up late at night, watching their photos and video clips. I sometimes pray that they appear in my dreams," Jang said. "We will never forget our friends and remember them forever."



In the protest which was titled "Down Park Geun-hye, up Sewol ferry," participants also paid a silent tribute to the victims of the disaster which killed 304 passengers, mostly high school students.



They held a lights-out performance and flew yellow balloons to demand a thorough investigation into the disaster and the salvaging of the ferry that has yet to be completed.



The rally organizers said about 600,000 gathered in Seoul while the police estimated the number at 24,000 as of 7:45 p.m.



Meanwhile, a Buddhist monk in his 50s set himself on fire near Gwanghwamun Square at around 10:30 p.m. after the protest finished, leaving a hand-written memo calling for stern punishment against President Park for the ongoing scandal.



Ven. Jungwon was taken to Seoul National University Hospital but is now in critical condition and remains unconscious, according to the police. "The hospital said his organs including heart, lung, kidneys and liver are not functioning normally, and he has severe third-degree burns to nearly 70 percent of his body," said Kwon Young-gook, a lawyer representing the rally organizers.



Police are investigating the exact cause of the incident. In the memo, the monk said Park should be punished for causing a "rebellion" and called for the Seoul-Tokyo agreement over the sexual slavery issue to be nullified.
Moon Jae-in, center, the odds-on favorite to become the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, inspects facilities damaged by a recent earthquake during a visit to Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. / Yonhap



By Rachel Lee

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has begun preparations for a primary to elect its candidate for the presidential race,Chairwoman Rep. Choo Mi-ae announced Sunday.

If the process goes smoothly, candidate registrations will be completed by Lunar New Year's Day on Jan. 28, she said.

"We've started laying the groundwork for retaking power with a resolution to resolve confusion caused by the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye," Choo told a press conference at the National Assembly.

Choo said the party would make rules for a primary based on the principles of fairness and neutrality after gathering opinions from party members as well as each prospective candidate. Choo said she planned to discuss primary rules with every candidate.

The chairwoman said the party was "determined to propose election promises for the people of the country and to be responsible for the pledges" whoever the candidate might be.

Criticizing President Park for a corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving long-time friend Choi Soon-sil, Choo said the party would carry out "stabilized" reform, placing priority on revising the Sewol Special Law and addressing victims of toxic humidifier disinfectants.

The DPK, in line with the stance of its former leader and potential presidential candidate Moon Jae-in, has remained reluctant to back a constitutional revision before the ballot while the ruling Saenuri Party and minor parties are pushing for it strongly.

The power structure revision is "only a small part of the entire proper constitutional amendment that the DPK is pushing for, which is based on national sovereignty," Choo said.

"The constitutional revision should focus on reinforcing and expanding national sovereignty and basic human rights."

The rival parties agreed to set up a special panel to discuss a revision two days after the scandal-ridden President was impeached with support of more than two-thirds of the 300 Assemblymen, Dec. 9.

The 36 lawmakers on the panel held their first meeting, but tensions have already been detected. The panel will operate for six months.

Potential candidates who belong to the DPK include Moon, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, South Chungcheong Governor Ahn Hee-jung and four-term lawmaker Kim Boo-kyum.

President Park was impeached for the scandal in which she is alleged to have allowed Choi, with no government position and security clearance, unlawful access to advance drafts of presidential documents, some of which were classified as confidential.

Park is also suspected of playing a role in pressuring local conglomerates into donating large sums to two dubious foundations that Choi controlled, according to the prosecution.
By Yi Whan-woo

Japan is stepping up its demand to remove a girl statute symbolizing its wartime sexual slavery after approving a plan to offer 1 billion yen ($9.9 million) to assist Korean victims, sources said Friday.

The provision of the money is in line with an agreement reached between the two countries, Dec. 28, to settle disputes over Tokyo's wartime sexual slavery. Japanese officials say it is now Seoul's turn to show commitment to the deal by removing the statue across the street from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, the sources said.

For Japan, the removal of the statue has been considered a key issue in implementing the deal because it has irked many conservatives there.

They also claimed Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se promised to consult with related parties to settle conflicts about the statue "in a relevant manner" during the Dec. 28 agreement made with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.

Seoul has maintained that it cannot meddle in the issue over the statue because it was erected by civic activists and belongs to them.

"The ball is now in Korea's court and it will solely depend on Seoul's effort whether the agreement can be kept," a senior Japanese official was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.
Japan's top diplomats in South Korea will return home this week in protest of a new statue recently set up in Busan to remember Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery, diplomatic sources said Sunday.

Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nagamine plans to leave for Tokyo via Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on Monday morning, while the Japanese consul general in Busan, Yasuhiro Morimoto, will also return to Japan the same day.

Last week, Japan decided to temporarily call in its top diplomats in South Korea, in protest against the statue installed at the end of last year by a civic group in front of its Consulate General building in the southern port city of Busan.

Tokyo also announced a halt to the ongoing negotiation on a currency swap agreement between the two countries and the postponement of a high-level cooperation meeting.



Japan's wartime enslavement of women in front-line brothels has been a major source of a long-standing diplomatic rift between Seoul and Tokyo. Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II.












Flowers are laid by a statue of a girl symbolizing victims of Japan's sex slavery before and during World War II outside the Japanese Consulate in Busan, Sunday. The statue was set up there by activists, Dec. 30. Japan has vowed to take retaliatory measures against the installment, claiming it was a violation of a deal reached between the two governments in December 2015. / Yonhap



China, Japan raise tensions over missile defense, sex slavery



By Yi Whan-woo

Korea faces a deepening diplomatic crisis amid the latest retaliatory measures taken by both Japan and China against Seoul during a vacuum in the country's leadership.

The measures come in response to Seoul's "failure" to prevent civic groups from establishing a new "comfort woman" statue outside the Japanese Consulate in Busan, and a planned deployment of an advanced U.S. missile shield here despite Beijing's protests.

Analysts said Sunday that Seoul's diplomatic crisis is expected to become more complicated when Donald Trump is inaugurated as the new U.S. president, Jan. 20. Trump has repeatedly asked Seoul to pay more to maintain the American troops in Korea, otherwise he will pull them out.

Claiming that the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye led to a diplomatic vacuum, the experts said that the next government will face a tough job in straightening out relations with the U.S., China and Japan.

They cited uncertainty in the timetable for this year's presidential election, which will depend on the Constitutional Court's ruling on the impeachment.

The experts also referred to speculation that Korea and Japan reached a "final and irrevocable" agreement over the comfort women as part of efforts to mend ties and bolster a trilateral alliance with the U.S.

However, uncertainties still remain over such an alliance under the government of Trump, who has vowed to upend security and the global order embraced by his predecessors since World War II.
Lithuanian Ambassador to Korea Ina Marciulionyte, left, poses with President Park Geun-hye, center, and Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se after presdenting her letter of credence to Park at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Nov. 1. / Yonhap



By Rachel Lee



Korea has played a major role in helping Lithuania secure "energy independence" from Russia, a top Lithuanian envoy says.

When Lithuania, one of three Baltic states  with Latvia and Estonia  declared independence from the former Soviet Union in 1990, it was still dependent on gas from Russia's giant Gazprom, which enjoyed a monopoly until the end of 2014. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite had a long-cherished wish for energy independence and Seoul helped Vilnius "very significantly" in making the plan happen, Ambassador Ina Marciulionyte told The Korea Times.

With Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2014, Lithuania was able to start diversifying gas supply routes with the LNG-Floating, Storage and Regasification Unit (LNG-FSRU) vessel named "Independence."

"In 2014, Lithuania built the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal that ensures Lithuanias energy independence and competitive prices for consumers," she said.

President Grybauskaite visited Korea for the vessel's inauguration ceremony held in February two years ago, which the envoy described as a historic moment for her country.

Marciulionyte, based in China, has been accredited to Korea, Myanmar, Mongolia, Thailand and Vietnam since last year. Her previous positions at the foreign ministry included director of the Department of Latin America, Asia, Africa and Pacific and ambassador at large, and chief coordinator of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Community of Democracies.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties with Korea in 1991, the envoy believes political and economic cooperation between the two countries and friendship among their people have grown considerably stronger.

"We still see great potential for the further enhancement of our partnership and cooperation in many areas such as economic cooperation, biotechnology, agriculture, culture, tourism, education, people-to-people exchanges and so on," the diplomat said.

Despite the distance between the two countries  about 7,350 kilometers  and a low understanding of each other, Marciulionyte has found several similarities that could strengthen the bond.

"Due to similar geopolitical situations, both countries went through very similar historic experiences," she said. "For this reason, people of both countries are reserved, very hard working and persistent. Both countries have four distinct seasons and beautiful landscapes. And last, but not least, Lithuania and South Korea share their passion for technology."

Among plentiful potential sectors to collaborate, the ambassador said tourism was a key focus during her term.

"Tourists hungry for an authentic experience and unique culture come to Lithuania to discover this unspoilt' natural paradise with its more than 3,000 lakes, forests covering one-third of the country, and dozens of well-preserved national and regional parks," she said.

"For foreign tourists, UNESCO World Heritage objects in Lithuania are always a discovery. For instance, Vilnius' historic center was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as having outstanding universal value. In its prospering times, Vilnius had a great influence on the cultural and architectural development of the whole region of Central and Eastern Europe."

The envoy also said her country is a good place for mineral water treatments and wedding parties.

"We have exclusive services and moderate prices," she said. "The conferences and business meetings could be hosted in a nice environment  in one of our manor houses or castles, with an outstanding cultural program.

"Korean visitors could also be excited about traditional Lithuanian handicrafts, linen cloths, amber jewelry or national cuisine."

According to the Lithuanian Department of Statistics, the number of tourists from Korea during the first three quarters of last year reached almost 6,000, which was up 86 percent compared with the same period a year before.

And Lithuanians' interest in Korea has been similar, the envoy said.

In 2014, the King Sejong Institute promoting Korean language and culture opened in Lithuania while the first Korean restaurant recently opened in Vilnius.

"I am also very glad to see a growing number of young people studying Korean language and culture in Lithuania and Korea," the envoy said. There are three universities in Lithuania where students can study Korean.

This year, the embassy is planning to establish an honorary consulate in Seoul to arrange Lithuanian business missions and tourism promotion events, including a photo exhibition, "Unseen Lithuania." Accordionist Martynas Levickis will also perform in Seoul with other artists.

"Our shared passion for constant progress and innovation presents a very solid basis to strengthen our cooperation and people-to-people contacts," the ambassador said.

"My wish is to witness more and more of our students and researchers, as well as entrepreneurs, working hand in hand for the prosperity of our countries. With our research and development opportunities, we wish to enter the Korean market, while with our tourism and culture we hope to conquer the hearts of Korean people."
Korea's food experts are sharing their experience in branding with Laotian food companies.

The "Product Development Workshop for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)," organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre and Lao PDR's Ministry of Industry and Commerce, provides an opportunity for the companies to "enhance competitiveness and develop market strategies targeting domestic and overseas markets through lectures and consultations on branding, marketing, and packaging of food products." The event runs Jan. 9-11.

"With an aim to graduate from the least-developed country by 2020, the Laotian government recently established its eighth National Social Economic Development Plan for 2016-2020, of which one of the key sectors is the food industry," ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Young-sun said.

"Despite great potential, with rich natural resources, a strategic location bordering five major markets, and a competitive labor force, the food industry of the nation remains underdeveloped, mainly due to a lack of infrastructure and packaging and processing technologies."

During the workshop, the Korean delegation lectured on food branding, marketing, and packaging.

Participants learned about basic packaging technologies and took part in simulation exercises on the first day of the meeting.

According to the ASEAN-Korea Centre, the following session will focus on marketing strategies targeting overseas markets. The Korean experts will visit local companies for on-site consultations and market research.

The organization said the MSMEs have been a backbone of the ASEAN economy, accounting for around 95 percent of businesses. It has conducted such product development workshops in 10 ASEAN members.

In July, a team of Korean businesspeople visited Brunei to help the ASEAN nation boost investment and promote bilateral trade in several high value-added industries such as biotechnology, cosmetics and e-commerce through the Investment and Market Research Mission and the Product Development Workshop. The ASEAN-Korea Centre, with the Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, hosted the event.

The ASEAN-Korea Centre is an intergovernmental organization established in 2009 to promote exchanges among Korea and the 10 countries.
U.S. special operation forces are expected to participate in a South Korean-led operation to kill North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in the event of war, according to military sources Sunday.

"The South Korean military will form a special brigade based on that of the U.S. sometime later this year," said a high-ranking government official on the condition of anonymity, adding that U.S. special agents are expected to be under Korean command during the operation.

"Although the brigade is modeled after that in the U.S., it will be tailored to the special environments of the peninsula," he said.

The 1,000-2,000-strong unit is tasked with eliminating Pyongyang's wartime command, including Kim Jong-un, and paralyzing its functions.

Strategic Digest 2016, a publication by the USFK J5 Strategic Communication Division, said: "SOCKOR (Special Operations Command Korea) secured new authorities and agreements, enhanced U.S. SOF force posture and mission command on the peninsula, and redefined its ROK partner engagements. The presence of rotational Special Operations Forces underpins the Alliance's ability to maintain the combined crisis response capability and ensures sustained engagements with ROK ground, maritime and aviation partners."

It continued: "The ability to leverage a crisis response capability with operational Special Operations Forces or employ unique combined special operations capabilities provides U.S. military and national leaders with strategic options to deter or defeat North Korean asymmetric threats."

The South Korean military will increase joint exercises with U.S. special operations forces.

"They engage in a regular exercise in Korea depending on their missions," another military source said. "There will be more joint exercises this year." (Yonhap)
By Yi Whan-woo



Soldiers from U.S. special operations forces may join in a mission to kill the North Korean leadership including Kim Jong-un in the event of a war, military sources said Sunday.



South Korea plans to set up a brigade within this year tasked with removing the North's wartime leadership. For this goal, the military will increase exercises this year with the U.S. special forces, such as Delta Force, the Green Berets, Navy Seals and Rangers.



"In the event of contingency, elite commandoes from the U.S. military will be assigned to the envisioned brigade that the Ministry of Defense plans to set up this year," a source said.



The brigade will include the personnel from the South Korean Army, Navy and the Air Force.



A top-ranked South Korean special warfare officer will lead the unit that will run under the joint special operations command between Seoul and Washington if a war breaks out.



The U.S. special operation forces will take orders from the brigade commander, the sources said.



The total number of personnel at the brigade is expected to be around 1,000 to 2,000.



"The brigade will be tailored to cope with the combat environment on the Korean Peninsula, although it'll be modeled after the organizational structure of the U.S. special operations forces," a source said. "It is believed that it will be launched in the second half of the year."



The defense ministry said it advanced its initial plan to create the special infiltration brigade by two years to 2017 as part of efforts to better counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and ballistic missile threats.



The unit will be responsible for penetrating Pyongyang, getting rid of North Korea's wartime leadership that has the authority to order the use of nuclear missiles and other weapons of mass destruction, and destroying the country's command posts.



In its publication, titled, "Strategic Digest 2016," the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said the U.S. Special Operations Command Korea "secured new authorities and agreements, enhanced U.S. SOF force posture and mission command on the peninsula, and redefined its Republic of Korea (ROK) partner engagements."



The USFK also said, "The presence of rotational Special Operations Forces underpins the Alliance's ability to maintain the combined crisis response capability and ensures sustained engagements with ROK ground, maritime and aviation partners."




By Cui Gang





There are more foreigners in Korea. There are more foreign restaurants in Korea. There are more mixed marriages in Korea. There are also more crimes by foreigners.

As of July 31, 2015, about 1.8 million foreigners were living in Korea  about 3.6 percent of the population. Korea's economy has been steadily growing over the past decades, but with the low birth rate and the reluctance of Koreans to take 3D jobs (dirty, difficult, dangerous) foreign workers have filled an essential gap.

But it is the increased crime that makes Koreans anxious. However, recent statistics show that these beliefs are biased. As a Chinese citizen concerned about the perception of my fellow countrymen, I investigated crimes committed by foreigners in Korea.

According to statistics, the number of crimes committed by foreigners in 2015 totaled 35,443, an increase of about 24.55 percent over the previous year's 28,456. By nationality, the largest number of crimes were committed by Chinese (21,279), followed by Vietnamese (2,038) and Thais (1,738). It thus appears that Chinese are more likely to be criminals, but this seems problematic to me.

The relative rate of crimes committed by foreigners on a country by country basis reveals a different picture. The proportion of crimes by countries with a large number of foreigners in Korea is high  that is, the more foreigners from one country there are, the more crimes committed by people from that country.

However, comparing the number of crimes according to the number of residents by nationality, the country with the highest crime rate is not China.

As of 2011, Mongolia has the most foreign criminals arrested per 100,000 registered foreigners at 7,064. The U.S. is ranked second at 6,756 (including U.S. military and civilian offenses), and Canada is the third with 4,124. Russia follows with 3,786, Thailand with 3,634, Pakistan with 2,995, and Uzbekistan with 2,986.

Watching the evening news one could easily believe that Chinese residents have a higher tendency toward crime. The statistics prove otherwise. In fact, China ranks eighth with 2,921 per 100,000.

The prejudice of Koreans against foreigners is reflected in the media. For example, South Korean broadcasters sensationalize criminal cases committed by people from China, Southeast Asia, and Central Asian countries, while Americans and Europeans are only covered by the media for the most serious crimes, such as, murder or violence.

Very interestingly experts say that these prejudices actually lead to more foreign crimes.

Kim Jung-kyu, a professor at the Department of International Area Studies at Keimyung University, analyzed the factors influencing crime by 800 foreign residents last year. While not justifying the crime, "crime victimization experiences" such as delayed wages was the main factor. Neglect and discrimination followed as influencing factors. Residential circumstances also played a role.

Professor Kim explained, "Even if the same victims feel the pain of the socially weak, foreigners who are discriminated against are also more likely to engage in anger-type crime."

Mistreating foreigners because of ignorance, prejudice, and the thinking they can simply "get away with it" positions foreigners in such a way that they are more likely to commit crimes.

If a foreigner commits a crime, he or she should be punished according to the law of course, but at least the moral crime of misunderstanding and prejudice can be reduced with the help of citizens.

At this point, the number of foreign residents is approaching 2 million, and we cannot prevent the internalization of Korean society. To accommodate the growing number of foreigners, Koreans need to resolve their misunderstandings, abandon their prejudices and accept foreigners. Only then will Korean society be more harmonious.



Cui Gang is a student at the Department of China area studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea. Write to cuigang13@gmail.com.
Ebola, the disease that caused an international scare two years ago, may be on the ropes. A recent study led by the World Health Organization showed a new vaccine to be "highly effective" against the fatal disease, proving that even the most stubborn public health problems can be solved when the world's best minds work together.



First identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ebola is spread through animal-to-human or human-to-human contact or through exposure to contaminated items such as linens or syringes. Sporadic outbreaks over the years culminated with an epidemic that began in 2014, killing more than 11,000 in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Another 15 people, including one in the United States, were killed as the disease radiated from the three hot spots.



As the scare intensified, hospitals across America rushed to prepare for it by checking their supplies of masks and other personal protection equipment and by quizzing patients with flu-like symptoms about recent travel outside the U.S. A nurse, Kaci Hickox, made headlines when she was quarantined against her will by New Jersey officials after returning from a humanitarian trip to Sierra Leone. She has sued the state, alleging violations of her constitutional rights.



World health experts, including those from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pooled resources in the search for a vaccine. The breakthrough was reported Dec. 23 by the WHO and various partners, who in 2015 began testing a vaccine in a part of Guinea still experiencing Ebola cases. The vaccine, administered to 5,837 people who were exposed in some manner to the disease, showed 100 percent effectiveness.



Some questions about the vaccine's effectiveness, such as whether it works long-term, remain. However, the vaccine represents an amazing step forward against a disease that has had its way with humanity for 40 years.





This editorial appeared on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




Abe's case for removing comfort women' statue is unacceptable

A Korea-Japan diplomatic row is worsening over the recent establishment of another statue in honor of former Korean wartime sex slaves for the Japanese army.

Last week, Tokyo temporarily recalled Japanese Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine and Yasuhiro Morimoto, Japanese consul general in Busan, to protest the statue that a civic group set up in front of the Consulate General building in the southeastern port city.

Japan has committed a grave offense by recalling two of its top diplomats in Korea before making any effort through diplomatic channels to resolve the countries' differences over the statue, which is a copy of the one in front of the Japanese Embassy in central Seoul.

During a TV interview Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pressured Korea to remove the statue, underlining that the issue of the so-called comfort women had been finally resolved with a 2015 bilateral deal.

He also called on Korea's next administration to honor the deal, saying it was a question of "credibility" to follow up on a diplomatic agreement despite a change of power.












Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte sitting in an economic seat on a commercial plane. / Screen captured from inquirer.net



By Lee Han-soo



He has done it again.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has caught media attention for taking an economy seat on a flight to Manila from Davao City on Thursday night.

Photos of him leaning his head against the window seals have gone viral.

This is not the first time Duterte has traveled economy class.

In July, the President, 71, took a premium economy seat on his way to Davao City. Back then, he underwent security checks like a regular passenger, according to reports.

During his first meeting with his Cabinet officials, he told them to shun special treatment.

"We should treat ourselves just like any other Filipino traveler," he said.
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Taipei, Jan. 8 (CNA) The Ministry of Labor (MOL) has defined companies' year-end banquets as an extra-curricular activity that employees are not required to attend, but said the workers assigned to organize the "weiya," as it is called, are entitled to overtime pay if their duties extend beyond work hours.
Earlier this week, I argued the initial refusal of the Prime Ministers Office to divulge the location of Justin Trudeaus vacation, in even the most general terms, was cause for concern  even more so once it turned out the answer was so apparently anodyne: Trudeau and family had flown to the Bahamas, the PMO explained, and were holidaying somewhere in the area. In my view, that was all that needed to be said at the time. That the PMO would be so hesitant to release such harmless information augured poorly, I argued, for how it would deal with things it really didnt want Canadians to know.A steady torrent of objections began filling my inbox. Are politicians not entitled to private lives? Get a life! I was admonished at least twice. If we continue to belittle government and treat them with suspicion they will likely return the compliment, one very polite correspondent suggested. Even some people clearly unenamoured of the PM  including one who referred to him as Turdo  suggested I was being quite ridiculous. Your write-up is useless! he complained.A year earlier, the PMO had refused to divulge that the Trudeaus were in St. Kitts, until TMZ tracked them down. I suspected the same thing was happening again: they were enjoying a fairly conventional vacation, by the standards of people with significant means, and for some reason the PMO just didnt want anyone to know about it. But then a little birdie alighted on my shoulder with some solid intel: the Trudeaus had been guests of the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismailis, on his lavish private island, Bells Cay.The PMO initially refused to confirm this to my colleague David Akin, but eventually came clean. As you are aware, his Highness and the prime minister have been close family friends for many years, Kate Purchase wrote in a statement Friday. As is the usual course, the prime minister will be reimbursing the costs of his (and his familys) flights to and from Nassau.Why, I was repeatedly asked, would journalists bother demanding to know where the PM is on vacation? This. This is why. If journalists hadnt asked, we might never have known something that is  at the very least  unambiguously in the public interest. Since 2004, as Akin reported, federal taxpayers have handed the Aga Khan Foundation $310 million in foreign aid, including the current governments recent commitment of $55 million over five years for aid work in Afghanistan.
Brazilian Rafael Everton Lira has returned to FC IfeanyiUbah as manager of the Nigerian Premier League club.

The 27-year-old left the club  who are also known as Anambra Warriors  in November, having rejected a lesser role after he had led them to the 2016 Nigerian FA Cup.

He has made a dramatic return following the exit of his successor, former Accra Hearts of Oak manager Kenichi Yatsuhashi, who left the club last month with the board citing unprofessional conduct.



Former Ghana international forward Yaw Preko has been in temporary charge of the side following the exit of Yatsuhashi.

Everton, the youngest manager to win the Nigerian FA Cup at 27, returns with Brazilian player Alberico Barbosa da Silva who also helped the team to fourth place in the Premier League last season.

FC IfeanyiUbah, who have a partnership deal with English side West Ham and play in the same colours as the Premier League club, will face Egyptian club Al Masry in the Caf Confederation Cup first round next month.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
A writer, journalist and blogger, Islammiyah Saudique-Kadejo, has

released a book titled Wedding Anniversary: Love Doesnt Have to Hurt,

to educate people and lead the fight against domestic violence.

Domestic violence is a prevalent issue across the world, irrespective of race and colour. It stems out of desire or decision to control ones spouse, through used of derogatory words, insensitive actions or physical strength. It is time to break the silence, it is time for women to support one another to put an end to domestic violence, and give victims a voice to talk about the abuse, their abusers and survive.



The Author stated this in a Press Release.

Wedding Anniversary is a play most women and girls worldwide can relate to. It is an interesting story of love and hate. It tells cross-cultural stories of many women with facts and humour; coupled with the struggles, challenges, triumphs and intrigues women go through in their daily lives. This compelling story reveals in a well-nuanced manner that love doesnt have to hurt.

Islammiyah, whose advocacy efforts date back to 2004 when she founded a Womens Rights Foundation, Complete Care International (CCI), also ran an advocacy programme on Paramount FM Abeokuta Ogun State, Nigeria, for some years.

The Author has also launched a live advocacy talk show on Facebook called Domestic Violence Talk (#DVTalk), to support, enlighten and lead women out of domestic violence.

Reputable distributors/bookstores from Nigeria and across the world can contact the author through email, ispearlonline@yahoo.com.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
People, we are not dicussing a boring free trade issue, our people ARE HURTING NOW. It calls for action immediately, and not handled in a casual timeframe. We need emergency measures, and the federal government needs to step in.I'd use the standard methods used when our citizens are threatened by an enemy.Expropriation and Cancellation1/All "freebee contracts" that involve Ontario electric energy sales to foreign countries go on hold until we solve our problems. f&^*% Trump. The power is immediately shifted to the Ontario grid.2/Ontario energy saleries drop to competative rates. You Ontario energy workers have to admit to having a pretty good run so far, right?. The Party is over. Time to show loyalty has a Canadian citizen. We have the largest volume of lakes and standing fresh water in the world, right? Then prove it and use it. If Trump wants to muscle flex, we divert our water sources from heading south.3/Only now we now discuss the problem. If you think that's mean, we recall the US dumped us immediately when it came to agricultural concerns.4/ Hydro and G7 pushed for alternate energy and Ontario responded enthusiastically. Trouble is the government wasn't ready for that response and now doesn't know how to handle the laod it's getting.You will note we act first THEN discuss. Same has in expropriation in times of emergency and this is one. Remember when farm vehicles and natural resources in time of "war" gets diverted to the war cause.My personal opinion? Hydro is a federal issue, not provincial. This way we can invoke more rules that deal with the real constitutional issues involving citzen's rights in British common laws, so we can force changes on a national level.Will it cause a great fiasco, you bet. In the first year many will be in an uproar until it settles and we go back to using energy that is OURS FIRST. Remember when Brazil declared bankruptcy? The time frame was very short and every nation had an interest in getting it back on it's feet. We hardly noticed when Brazil didn't bat an eye. It was right back on it's feet pronto due to a few free-bees from national banks. How much more are we deserving has citizens if we can be "johnny on the spot" when foreign nations receive quick aid from generous Canadians?Time for us to declare a loss cause and start over. We can't apply a cure to the problem until we admit there's an illness.
The gig: Joe Duran, 49, is the founder and chief executive of United Capital, a Newport Beach wealth management firm thats trying to become as much a tech company as an investment shop.

The company manages money but describes itself as a financial life management firm  one that invests clients cash and also uses online tools to analyze their goals and habits to develop financial plans. The firm recently started selling those programs to other wealth managers, and Duran expects that to be a big part of his future business.

He founded United Capital a few years after the financial arm of General Electric Co. acquired his previous investment firm. The deal put millions of dollars in his pocket  a huge sum for Duran, who grew up poor in Zimbabwe and started working odd jobs when he was a preteen. But it didnt make him happy. I was miserable. I had a complete loss of identity.

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United Capital now has about 175 advisors managing more than $16 billion in assets, with Duran still at the helm. I could not be happier, he said.

Unlikely moves: Duran was born in Barcelona to a Spanish mother and American father. The family moved to London, then Johannesburg, then to a suburb of whats now Harare, Zimbabwe but at the time  the mid 1970s  was Salisbury, Rhodesia. The country, a former British colony, was in the middle of a civil war. A Woolworths department store in Salisbury was bombed in August 1977, just a few months before Durans 10th birthday. Things were really heating up. I remember we had to take convoys to school, he said.

Early entrepreneur: When Duran was 10 or 11, he started his first business. His parents had bought an auction house that sold off furniture and other items  mostly on behalf of expats who were leaving Rhodesia because of the conflict. Auctions were held every Friday night. There were no restaurants around, so Duran set up a hot dog stand. Id charge a ridiculous amount, but I made sure they smelled so good that everyone would want one.

Broken home: At about that time, his parents divorced. He describes his mother, who died years ago from cancer, as harsh and critical. His father, who he hasnt seen or heard from in more than 30 years, he describes as a man of no integrity. He claimed to have a psychology degree from Harvard  which Duran doubts, and Harvard would neither confirm nor deny  and called himself a business consultant. I never actually saw him work, Duran said. He heard his father later remarried and ended up in Spain. Ive not sought him out.

Mugged in London: When he turned 18, Duran left home, using his savings from gigs as a DJ and as the night manager of a clothing factory to travel from Harare to London, where he promptly got mugged, losing his cash and his passport. After spending a night in a train station restroom, he found a job at a youth hostel. He started traveling, first around Europe and then to the United States, tending bar and doing other odd jobs along the way.

St. Louis to Spain: He eventually enrolled in St. Louis University  mostly because it had a campus in Spain  and started studying marketing. He later added a second major, finance. I wanted something tangible, and I hated accounting, so I settled on finance. It seemed like something that was actually valuable. While studying at St. Louis Universitys campus in Madrid, he met his future wife, Jen, who was also studying abroad. We ran into each other four nights in a row. When she asked for my number, I gave her my friends  hed seen her first. She tells this story to our daughters and says, Ive never met a guy who was so disinterested.

West Coast: Jen grew up in Beverly Hills, and her late father had connections in the local finance industry. That helped Joe land his first finance gig, a minimum-wage job filling out spreadsheets for a small investment advisory firm in Sherman Oaks. Duran found he had a knack for selling the firms services. It was easier than selling ashtrays and old guitars as an 11-year-old. Id call brokers and say, You need to meet with me. That was it. He eventually became president of the company, Centurion Capital Management, which was acquired by a unit of GE Financial in 2001.

Sellers remorse: Duran owned about 15% of Centurion at the time of the sale, and the deal netted him millions of dollars. But it didnt make him happy. I always thought that it wasnt about the money, but underneath you kind of think it is. I had a complete loss of identity. You go from being this muckety-muck with lots of employees, and then all of a sudden youre a guy with lots of money whos at Starbucks at 10 in the morning. He spent the next few years writing a book about entrepreneurship  Start It, Sell It and Make a Mint  and earning a joint MBA from UC Berkeley and Columbia. In 2005, he started United Capital.

Money mind: Duran said he wanted United Capital to be different  to be a firm that would not only manage money but also help clients figure out how they should use their money in ways that are in line with their goals. The firm uses a series of exercises and online tools to help clients develop investment and spending plans and helps them figure out whether their financial choices are motivated chiefly by fear, happiness or commitment  their money mind. Those tools used to be available only for United Capital clients, but now the firm is selling them to other advisors. In a few years, Duran thinks that will be the bulk of his business. In the next five years, three-quarters of our business will be white-label.

Still fearful: Despite his success, Duran said his money mind is fear. My entire life is about overcoming how petrified I am about something bad happening. Theres not a night where I dont wake up with sweaty palms, worried about the next thing Im going to mess up. And thats not a bad thing, he says. We all live with insecurities. As long as we understand them, we can use them. If were not aware of them, they can ruin us.

Personal: Duran lives with his wife, Jen, and their three daughters  ages 18, 15 and 8  in Laguna Beach, just a few miles from United Capitals Newport Beach office. When hes not working, he practices yoga and paddle surfs. The rest of the time Im driving my daughters to volleyball.

james.koren@latimes.com

Follow me: @jrkoren
Queen makes first appearance after heavy cold over Christmas





At the scene in Sandringham





By Daniela Relph, BBC correspondent





Police carry out security checks before the royals arrive to attend the Sunday morning church service



It is a chilly, damp Sandringham day. Perhaps just the sort of day you wouldn't venture out if you had a cold.



But today the Queen felt well enough to make her first public appearance since arriving on her Sandringham estate in December.



She was cheered by members of the public as she emerged from the car.



Her absence from the Christmas Day church service here was significant in that she rarely fails to appear at these regular public events, where people expect to see her.



She will know that her absence causes concern and rumour.



But officials had always maintained she just had a heavy cold and at 90 years old was being cautious.



She will stay on her Norfolk estate until next month. It is a chilly, damp Sandringham day. Perhaps just the sort of day you wouldn't venture out if you had a cold.But today the Queen felt well enough to make her first public appearance since arriving on her Sandringham estate in December.She was cheered by members of the public as she emerged from the car.Her absence from the Christmas Day church service here was significant in that she rarely fails to appear at these regular public events, where people expect to see her.She will know that her absence causes concern and rumour.But officials had always maintained she just had a heavy cold and at 90 years old was being cautious.She will stay on her Norfolk estate until next month.

BBC News8 January 2017The Queen has made her first public appearance of 2017 after ill-health affected her festive season.She arrived for the morning church service at St Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, Norfolk, on Sunday.There were concerns about the monarch's health after she missed services on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, which she normally attends with other members of the royal family.Buckingham Palace said she was "recuperating" from a heavy cold.The Queen, dressed in blue, arrived with Prince Philip at about 11:00 GMT in a maroon Bentley.Shortly after, she was joined by other members of the royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.Members of the public came out to greet the Queen.One woman said she had seen her get out the car and speak to the vicar, before going up the steps to church.A man added: "We saw her very close up. We have been waiting the past three weeks to know she has attended. It is very nice to see her and, of course, Prince Philip too."Both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh cancelled their plans to travel to Sandringham for Christmas on 21 December because of heavy colds. The next day, they travelled by helicopter to the estate, rather than taking the train.Prince Philip made a full recovery by Christmas Day and attended church with Prince Charles, Prince Harry and others, but the Palace said the Queen was staying indoors to help with her recovery. The monarch also failed to attend the New Year's Day church service , although her daughter Princess Anne told well-wishers she was feeling "better".
SpaceX postponed a scheduled launch of its Falcon 9 rocket Sunday because of high winds and rain at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The launch would have been the companys first since a launch-pad explosion destroyed another rocket last September at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX said on its official Twitter account that the next available launch date at the base north of Lompoc, Calif., was Saturday.

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Rain is expected at the Air Force base on the Central Coast through Thursday.

The plan Sunday was to carry 10 satellites into space for Iridium Communications Inc., which wants to establish a constellation of satellites to deliver mobile communications capabilities on land and on ships and airplanes.

The Hawthorne-based SpaceX and its chief executive, Elon Musk, had originally hoped to return to flight as soon as last November. But the investigation of its September explosion lasted longer than anticipated.

In its statement, SpaceX said the investigation team found several credible causes for the vessels failure, all of which involved the accumulation of oxygen in the rockets inner liners.

The explosion destroyed a satellite that was going to be managed by Israeli satellite operator Spacecom and was also to help Facebook bring high-speed Internet access to remote parts of Africa.

david.pierson@latimes.com

Twitter: @dhpierson
California voters in November legalized marijuana, approved a plan to reduce the prison population and enacted gun controls.

But on one key issue  the death penalty  the liberal tide shifted. Voters rejected a measure to ban capital punishment and instead approved an initiative intended to hasten executions.

That measure is now before the California Supreme Court. If the court allows it to go forward, executions are likely to resume this year, lawyers on both sides of the debate agreed.

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The court voted 5 to 0 in closed session last month to put a hold on Proposition 66, sponsored by prosecutors and passed by 51% of voters.

The measure established strict legal deadlines for death penalty appeals and shifted some capital punishment reviews from the state high court to county trial courts.

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Justice Ming W. Chin removed themselves from the case because they both serve on the Judicial Council, the policy-making body of the courts and a defendant in the lawsuit.

Depending on which appellate justices are appointed to take their places, the recusal could be good news for opponents of the death penalty. Both Chin and Cantil-Sakauye are among the more conservative members of the court.

Death penalty opponents argue the measure violates separation of powers requirements because the voters, acting as lawmakers, stripped authority from the judicial branch.

Government is divided into three equal branches  executive, legislative and judicial  and the Constitution says no branch may usurp the responsibilities of another.

The Legislature doesnt get to tell the courts how to do their job, said Christina Von der Ahe Rayburn, who is representing former Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp and former El Dorado County Supervisor Ron Briggs in the lawsuit.

The measure requires appeals to be decided within five years of sentencing. It can now take a decade or longer for a condemned inmate to have his or her automatic appeal decided by the California Supreme Court.

In automatic appeals, condemned inmates challenge their convictions and sentences based on evidence in the trial record. Rulings by the judge and how the jury was picked may be closely examined in these appeals to the California Supreme Court.

Condemned inmates also are entitled to a habeas corpus challenge, which is based on evidence outside the trial record. Did the prosecutor withhold exonerating evidence? Was the defense lawyer incompetent? Did jurors engage in misconduct?

Getting lawyers to take death penalty appeals, particularly habeas cases, has been a huge hurdle in California.

Relatively low pay and the emotional toll the cases take on lawyers are only part of the problem.

They say the $50,000 the state provides for a habeas investigation is much too low to hire the experts needed to investigate the crimes and the inmates lives.

In 2014, 352 inmates on death row had no habeas lawyer, said UC Berkeley law professor Elisabeth Semel.

To resolve the lawyer shortage, Proposition 66 would require attorneys appointed to defend low-income criminal defendants also to represent condemned inmates in the automatic appeals.

The California Supreme Court now decides both the automatic appeal and the habeas petitions and appoints the lawyers.

Under Proposition 66, the sentencing judge would decide the habeas challenge and appoint a lawyer to represent the condemned.

Kent Scheidegger, legal counsel for the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation and an author of Proposition 66, said trial judges will have better luck than the state high court in getting lawyers to take the cases.

There are individual provisions of this measure that raise serious constitutional issues.  Gerald Uelmen, Santa Clara University law professor emeritus

Lawyers who do criminal work need to stay in good with Superior Court judges, he said.

The death penalty advocate predicted the challengers separation of powers argument would fail.

There are a large number of statues that direct how the courts process cases and what priority they give them, and they have never been struck down, he said.

Scheidegger said the new deadlines for deciding appeals are needed because the cases are lingering in the courts too long.

He blamed defense lawyers for asking for too many extensions of time to file their written arguments and the California Supreme Court for granting the requests.

Basically, the court needs to get tough on these people, he added. You read a docket of capital cases today and see 23 extensions of time. They need to start saying no.

The law allows for extensions, and the court can decide whether to grant them. Under Proposition 66, the court generally could grant extensions under only extraordinary circumstances.

Semel, on the other hand, said the California Supreme Court would be spending virtually all its time on death penalty cases if Proposition 66 were allowed to take effect.

The court can only handle a certain number of these cases a year, Semel said.

At the pace envisioned by Proposition 66, the court would have little time to decide civil disputes, she said, adding, It is not feasible. There are just too many cases.

The backlog of fully briefed cases already is large. As of November, 77 death penalty appeals and 89 habeas petitions were completed and ready for the California Supreme Court to decide, Semel said.

Chapman Law School professor John Eastman said the California Supreme Court can move faster on the cases.

Judges sit on them because they dont like the death penalty, the constitutional law professor said. They dont sit on them because they are overwhelmed with work.

Gov. Jerry Brown appointed three of the state high court justices. Republican governors appointed the other four, who include three former prosecutors.

For decades prior to January 2015, the court, with only one Democratic appointee, was considered moderately conservative.

Santa Clara University law professor emeritus Gerald Uelmen, who served as the chief executive of a state commission that examined Californias death penalty system, said the courts decision to put the measure on hold shows the justices believe it needs a thorough examination.

There are individual provisions of this measure that raise serious constitutional issues, Uelmen said. I would expect the court is going to strike down at least some provisions.

California has more than 750 inmates on death row  the largest in the country  and legal challenges over lethal injection have prevented executions since 2006.

After completing state appeals, inmates can challenge their sentences in federal court, which also can take several years.

In addition to the separation of powers argument, the challengers say the measure violates a rule that limits ballot measures to a single subject.

Besides setting deadlines, the measure changes the law to make it easier for the state to adopt a method of execution.

In their lawsuit, the challengers said the change would result in the near immediate execution of 20 inmates.

The court has asked for more written arguments on the case by the end of the month and may decide to hold a hearing.

Rayburn estimated the case probably would be decided by early June. Scheidegger said he hoped it would be sooner.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

maura.dolan@latimes.com

Twitter: @mauradolan

MORE ON THE DEATH PENALTY

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I thoroughly enjoyed Christopher Reynolds article about Samoa and the people there (The Samoan Way, Dec. 25).

About 40 years ago, I was on a game show and won a trip to Australia and New Zealand. The flight to Australia stopped in Samoa for perhaps 30 minutes.

I got off the plane with a few others and was greeted by a group of Samoans singing beautifully.

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They left a lasting impression of the Samoan way.

Cheryl Crawford

Fallbrook

Finding history

In regards to She Set Off to Visit All 59 National Parks, From Maine to Pago Pago [online (www.lat.ms/visitingparks), Dec. 26, by Christopher Reynolds], great story.

My family and I are doing the same, including all California Historical Landmarks (www.lat.ms/cahistorical). A group of us are trying to see all such sites. Some have already completed all of the more than 1,100 sites.

Our website (www.findinghistory.net) is under construction, but you can see the fun and progress weve made. Through this crazy trip weve discovered California and one another, which has resulted in some wonderful friendships.

We are from all walks of life: corporate professionals, university professors, etc., and we all go our ways searching for adventure and later get together to compare notes, reminisce and laugh.

E. Zeke Barragan

North Hollywood

A data trick

Regarding How to Make the Right Call (On the Spot, by Catharine Hamm, Dec. 11): We went to Europe for a month last year and decided not to hassle with buying a new phone or a different SIM card. I took my iPhone 6s and paid the $50 or $60 for a month of international use and data.

As the article mentioned, you will need to restrict uploading or downloading content, such as pictures or even email, waiting until Wi-Fi is available.

A big find was the app OffMaps 2. For just a few dollars, I was able to download the city maps (including attractions, restaurants, etc.) for all the major cities we planned to visit, and we were able to use it offline to find where we were, or where we wanted to go in the city.

It uses the phones GPS signal to locate you without loading maps every time its activated. We came in well under our data limit for the trip.

Mike Howell

Redondo Beach
Its not as if Emiel Meisel, 92, didnt already have ample material for his blog about geriatric living in Los Angeles.

But an eviction notice last fall, for him and about a hundred other seniors living in the Vintage Westwood Horizons retirement home, upped his game. In his latest blog post, he described the high drama at a meeting last week in which management reiterated to stressed-out tenants that theyll have to move out during building renovations that could take more than a year.

We, the assembled mass, literally and figuratively, DO NOT GIVE A RATS ASS about construction issues!! Meisel wrote, hammering the outrage with his signature double exclamation points.

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Tenants argue that if building upgrades are really necessary for safety reasons, and not merely a ruse to raise the rent, the job should be done in phases, with them shuffling to different parts of the building rather than getting pushed out the door. In last weeks blog post, Meisel mentioned his Navy service and referred to fellow octogenarian and nonagenarian troopers as The Fightin 947th, for the street address of what he calls their current and final nestin place.

We are gonna fight  in the only way we know how!! Well ask our lawyers...to help us and find a way so that we will not have to leave this place.

1 / 7 Flossy Liebman, 95, has lived in her apartment at the Vintage Westwood Horizons retirement home for six years and does not want to move. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 7 Ruth Frank, 94, and other tenants who do not want to be forced to move out argue that if building upgrades are really necessary for safety reasons the job should be done in phases. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 7 Emiel Meisel, 92, at his computer, writes a blog about geriatric living in Los Angeles. An eviction notice last fall, for him and about a hundred other seniors living in the Vintage Westwood Horizons retirement home, upped his game. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 7 Ruth Frank, 94, has lived at the retirement home for seven years. Tenants have found an ally in Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, who called the planned displacement outrageous and said it might be the largest senior citizen mass eviction in the country. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 7 A note taped on the TV belonging to Flossy Liebman, a resident of Vintage Westwood Horizons. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 7 Joel Polachek, 63, is in the process of helping his mother Lucille Polachek, 89, move out. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 7 A defiant note in Flossy Liebmans apartment. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Many of the tenants are far from destitute, or they wouldnt be living in a Westwood high-rise, but this fight is partly about principle. Others insist they cant afford the higher prices at other retirement homes, some of which have big entrance fees and arent rent-controlled, like their beloved building in Westwood, with its cruise ship mural in the dining room. They fear burning through nest eggs and dread asking family members for financial help.

For many, their down-the-hall neighbors are like family, and they cant bear to part ways with their buddies.

I saw a lot of spirit and spunk during my visit with the 947th last week in Westwood. Roseblanche Schwartz, 92, wore a shirt that said, I make old age look good.

Flossy Liebman, 95; Ruth Frank, 95; Holocaust survivor Joe Goldfarb, 98; Ruth Stamler, 87; Vita Adams, 88; Lillian Koslow, 98; Bernice Weston, 84; and Jane Mombach, 90, all told me theyre not going anywhere.

Tenants have found an ally in Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, who called the planned displacement outrageous and said it might be the largest senior citizen mass eviction in the country. His office started a Facebook page, No To Watermark, encouraging supporters to pressure these faceless, heartless wheeler dealers...and demand they STOP the evictions.

The saga began last fall, when the high-rise building was sold to a partnership fronted by Watermark Retirement Communities, which wants to convert the site from a residential facility to a licensed operation with more assisted living.

Two Watermark executives, David Freshwater and David Barnes, told me they had intended to avoid displacing residents, many of whom are in their 90s, with a few in triple digits. But they concluded the work would be too extensive to allow for seniors to live there safely without major disruptions. Plumbing and electrical systems need to be replaced, elevators updated and a power transformer upgraded. They also decided to do extensive seismic safety engineering.

Their motive is not profit, the executives told me, but a better facility for people who deserve nothing less. But Freshwater and Barnes admit communications with residents were somewhat botched.

Late last year, after residents got the bad news, they were under the impression theyd have a year to relocate. But they got conflicting information. In the first week of December, many of them panicked when blunt warnings filled with bloodless legal jargon were posted to their doors, ordering them out by March 28.

NOTICE OF TERMINATION OF TENANCY, said the memo, which cited government code and threatened legal proceedings against those who failed to comply.

We did not manage it well and we apologized profusely, said Freshwater, who clarified that tenants can stay through November, and are being put in touch with other senior living providers.

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Under state law, residents must be offered roughly $19,000 in relocation costs. Watermark says those who return after the rehab can do so at their current monthly rates, which range from $4,000 to $7,000 for room, meals and activities. And food service and activities will be free to current tenants who relocate but wish to drop by during the rehab.

Its not a bad deal for some, and more than 30 tenants have decided to clear out. But others are ready to barricade their doors.

Watermark, of course, is a business thats out to provide a service and make money doing it. And theres a fortune to be made on the growing needs of an aging population. A Horizons tenant whispered in my ear that I should follow the money and find out who really owns Vintage Westwood Horizons. But when I asked Freshwater and Barnes that question, they hesitated.

Actually, I dont have the answer to that, said Freshwater, explaining it was a joint venture, but he couldnt recall the specific LLC.

I asked if Kayne Anderson, a Florida-based investment firm, put up a chunk of money and Watermark manages the property. Freshwater said thats it, essentially.

The Kayne website says it has invested in 34 senior facilities representing more than $1.2 billion in transaction value. The Kayne strategy is to buy, upgrade, and increase the value of its portfolios.

The Watermark business model is to shut down old senior buildings and reopen them as luxury board-and-care assisted living for which they charge a lot more money, said Jim Bickhart, Councilman Koretzs point person on Horizons.

Koretz, he said, is determined to find a way to allow residents to stay in their building during renovations, as residents of other buildings have been able to do during major rehabs. The Thomas Safran and Associates development company is completing a $37-million, 18-month renovation of a 283-unit Koreatown building for low-income seniors. Jordan Pynes, president of Safran, told me no resident was displaced for more than two or three weeks.

Meanwhile, attorney Jessie Kornberg of Bet Tzedek is looking into whether Watermark can legally evict tenants, and she argues that the company has created a false urgency to rush residents out.

That kind of stress is potentially really detrimental to the frail and aging person who depends on community and familiarity of surroundings, she said.

But maybe the resistance movement is beginning to pay off. Not long after Watermark executives explained to me why tenants have to leave, their attorney  former City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo  told me the situation is fluid, and some might be allowed to stay.

Meisel, the blogger, opined that if they move, and the renovation isnt done for a couple of years, Well be dead by then.

Holocaust survivor Martha Kiss, who gave me her age as above 90, handed me the sign she tapes to her walker:

Im Not Leaving.

But my favorite sign was this one:

Old Lives Matter!

We want to live here

Not leave here!

Get more of Steve Lopezs work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopez

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Continuing unrest over gasoline price hikes in Mexico flared up at the Tijuana border crossing Saturday night as a large protest prompted U.S. authorities to block access into Mexico from San Ysidro for nearly four hours.

Southbound Interstates 5 and 805 began to reopen to motorists wanting to cross the border about 9:15 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

The demonstration at Tijuanas El Chaparral port of entry was among several held throughout Mexico Saturday  including a protest that turned violent outside a Rosarito Beach gasoline distribution center.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials and the California Highway Patrol began diverting southbound I-5 and I-805 traffic about 5:30 p.m. to support the government of Mexicos inbound (vehicle inspection) operation, said Customs spokesman Ralph DeSio.

San Diego police noted 45 minutes later that southbound traffic on I-805 had backed up to Main Street in Chula Vista.

Pedestrians were still allowed to cross south.

Traffic going north from Mexico into the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry remained open and was being processed as usual, an official said.

Protesters had taken over inspection lanes of El Chaparral earlier in the afternoon.

Tijuana resident Mario Osuna said videos of the demonstration on Facebook showed several hundred protesters had swarmed Mexican customs officials at El Chaparral and were waving southbound travelers through without having to stop for vehicle inspections or to pay taxes on purchases made in the U.S.

Osuna said the protesters were not blocking cars.

The situation down here is kind of getting out of control, said Osuna, who works in online marketing and sales.

The protest was organized on Facebook by a Baja California student group, said demonstrator Israel Castellon, 30, a law student. He objected to President Enrique Pena Nietos move to deregulate the countrys energy sector, which led to the gasoline price increase.

Pena Nieto is not my president. He has carried out stupid reforms that have been harmful to citizens and benefited politicians or those from the privileged classes, Castellon said. Those who have been hurt are those who have the least.

At 8:30 p.m., about three-dozen protesters who remained left the ghostly quiet port of entry. They sang the Mexican national anthem and chanted in Spanish: The people united shall never be defeated. They promised to return Sunday.

On Wednesday in Arizona, similar protests led Mexican authorities to close the border crossing at Nogales, Sonora, to southbound traffic.

The US has shut down the main crossing into Mexico, San Ysidro, due to protests pic.twitter.com/ob6dBQy8t4  Brooke Binkowski (@brooklynmarie) January 8, 2017

View of traffic from Tijuana side of San Ysidro POE right now as protesters shut down border access (via https://t.co/d3h2uBpADY) #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/1TZunjoGbI  Pablo Kay (@pablo_kay) January 8, 2017

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A leader of a North County methamphetamine trafficking ring has been sentenced in San Diego federal court to 14 years in prison.

Gilbert Joseph Ramirez, 39, admitted to coordinating the delivery or distribution of more than 8 pounds of meth in 2014 and 2015. He was sentenced Friday.

Ramirez would obtain meth from a co-defendant who got it from Mexican trafficking networks, then disperse the drug to subdistributors and oversee the collection of drug proceeds, according to his plea agreement.

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He pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Ramirez, who grew up in Los Angeles with drug-addicted parents, moved to Vista in 2014 and was unemployed when he was arrested in May 2015, said Frank Balistrieri, his defense lawyer.

Ramirez is a documented gang member with prior convictions of assault with a firearm, battery and domestic violence, Asst. U.S. Atty. Luella Caldito said.

The investigation began in 2014 when authorities received tips from confidential informants about two co-defendants accused of dealing large amounts of meth, according to the complaint. Investigators installed wiretaps on their phones, revealing a larger drug network.

The wiretaps would eventually expand to 20 different phones during the investigation. Ramirez was accused of overseeing the distribution of multiple pounds of meth, according to the complaint.

In one deal recorded by authorities, Ramirez sold an ounce of meth to a subdistributor for $430, who then sold the drug to a confidential informant for $550, according to the complaint.

The investigation culminated in raids at apartments and homes in Vista, Oceanside, Valley Center and San Marcos.

At the hearing, Ramirez apologized to his family. A lot of stuff thats on paper isnt really who I am, he said.

Of the 18 people indicted, 16 have pleaded guilty while the charges against two have been dismissed.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Davis writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
A woman was shot to death early Saturday on a residential street in Sylmar, and police are searching for the gunman, authorities said.

Police received a radio call of a possible shooting about 9 a.m. at Harding Street and Tripoli Avenue, said Lt. Darryl Grayson of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Arriving on the scene, officers found an unconscious woman lying on the ground near a black BMW parked at the intersection, Grayson said.

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The woman, 34, had been shot once in her upper torso and was not breathing, Grayson said. Fire officials pronounced her dead at the scene.

A registered nurse who lived in the neighborhood had found the woman and tried to give her CPR, police said. She was unsuccessful and called 911.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call LAPD detectives of the Valley Bureau at (818) 374-1925. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

rosanna.xia@latimes.com

Follow @RosannaXia for more education news

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Nat Hentoff, the venerable political and cultural columnist who distinguished himself as a preeminent jazz critic for DownBeat magazine in the 1950s and, in later decades, as a passionate defender of 1st Amendment freedoms in columns for the Village Voice, the New Yorker, the Washington Post and the Washington Times, has died. He was 91.

His son, Tom Hentoff, told the Associated Press that his father died from natural causes at his Manhattan apartment.

For his 60-plus-year career as a journalist, Hentoff was preoccupied with authenticity and truth  no matter how uncomfortable or unvarnished. And while he would point to jazz and being Jewish as deep influences in his writing and thinking, it was his unbending protection of the 1st Amendment and civil liberties that he considered of all of my obsessions ... the strongest.

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The author of more than three dozen books, and the subject of the 2014 documentary The Pleasures of Being Out of Step: Notes on the Life of Nat Hentoff, Hentoff moved seamlessly from discourses on jazz and politics, adult and young-adult fiction, mysteries and memoir.

Considered a fiercely independent thinker, Hentoff consistently concerned himself with Americas conscience and how it was publicly expressed  both through its home-grown musical traditions (jazz in particular, but later, a swath of American vernacular music  folk, blues, bluegrass) and in his strict, to-the-letter and often controversial interpretation of the Constitution.

I think were in a perilous state, Hentoff told the New York Times in 2009, in that, to paraphrase [President] Madison, the way to keep this republic is to have an informed electorate. Instead, we have constitutional illiteracy, which is rampant.

Hentoffs long career was built around agitating, challenging what he often saw as faulty rhetoric and party-line thinking  a convenient tailoring (or silencing) of language to meet the needs of the crisis of the moment  including book banning and abortion.

An often self-described member of The Proud and Ancient Order of Stiff-Necked Jewish Atheists, Hentoff dodged nothing. He believed not in fewer words, but better ones: a clear, concise argument, supported with research and reporting.

In a San Francisco Chronicle review of his 1993 book, Free Speech For Me  But Not For Thee, Patricia Holt wrote: Hes self-righteous, preachy and pompous  but as is true with his book ... Hentoff is also one of the most accessible enlightening authors in the country.

Over the years, in his books, newspaper and magazine columns, or behind the lectern (he held adjunct positions at New York University and the New School for Social Research), Hentoff had often described himself as a man of the left, yet persistently confounded those who identified similarly. This was due primarily to his unwavering stance on hot-button issues such as abortion (he opposed the practice), capital punishment (he supported the death penalty) and freedom of speech (he opposed hate-crime laws because he said they dangerously punish thought).

Nat had a way of pissing off the writers and editors of two generations of lefties ... by which, I mean just about everyone who came of age from the Vietnam era on, Village Voice contributor Allen Barra wrote in 2008, when Hentoff was laid off after a 60-year association with the paper. [It] was unmatched by anyone I know of.

For many, it was difficult to square the hard-line columnist with his earlier incarnation: the bearded Greenwich Village denizen who spent many after-the-last-set hours talking with African American jazz legends  among them John Coltrane and Max Roach, who struggled with and articulated oppression within their music.

When discussing his opposition to abortion in a 1985 piece for the New Republic, he declared that he was not just a a pro-lifer, but a Jewish, atheist, civil libertarian, left-wing pro-lifer, causing a furor. The New Republic got 30 or 40 letters on that one, mostly negative, he recalled in a 1995 interview with the Washington Post. My wife agrees with them, too. She tells me Im enslaving women.

Hentoff didnt see these hyphenated positions as mutually exclusive: As part of being a multifaceted citizen of the United States, it was his right.

Eschewing easy categorization, Hentoffs positions werent provocative for controversys sake, but were a rigorous exercise in exploring the very fiber of what defined and connected the country. His deep explorations often led him to be ostracized by critics and colleagues, but for him, it was simply a consequence that he saw as part of the territory of truth-telling.

I used to consider myself a liberal, he told the Jewish Week in 1997, but in an area that means a lot to me, liberals were just as much censors as conservatives. They wanted to kill free speech.

It was too risky, he believed, to toe what he saw as the party line, if these freedoms implicit in the very definition of what it is to be American were qualified: If children do not get the sense that the Constitution, very much including the Bill of Rights, actually belongs to them, they will grow up indifferent to their own  and others  liberties and rights. And if enough of the citizenry are careless in these matters, those liberties and rights will be suicidally lost.

The son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, Nathan Irving Hentoff was born in Boston on June 10, 1925. His parents, Simon and Lena, settled in Roxbury, a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, to raise their son in their Old World traditions. In later years, Hentoff would characterize the surrounding environments anti-Semitism as exuberant, so virulent that he often fought for safe passage home or to school.

His time in Roxbury was a bitter, violent taste of American intolerance that would shape him. Those years became a crucible: I was an outsider, Hentoff once wrote, and therefore I learned to be continually skeptical of what insiders with power said and believed.

Being an outcast created a bridge-building empathy of understanding. From an early age, Hentoff made a connection between the forthright playing of jazz musicians and the outside-the-lines possibilities of an improvised life. Hentoff frequently related the story that he first heard jazz tumbling out a window of a downtown record store while on his way to classes at the prestigious Boston Latin Academy. A fierce wailing of brass and reeds, a surging, pulsing cry that made me cry out too. He was hooked. He would hide copies of DownBeat in his geography textbook, would frequent Bostons jazz joints and befriended the musicians.

Hentoffs journalism career was christened by a free speech battle. At Northeastern University, he became editor of the student newspaper. His staff had uncovered a corruption story that involved city government. The administration intervened, asking Hentoff to pull the story. Instead, the entire staff quit. From then on, Hentoff became passionately interested in the freedom of the press  and the attendant 1st Amendment freedoms.

After graduation, he began hosting a jazz radio show on WMEX radio, which paired him with his jazz heroes in on-air interviews. And by the early 1950s, hed picked up a regular gig for DownBeat writing reviews. In 1953, he was invited to New York City to be the editor. By this time, he was focused on the musicians realities: their deep engagement with their craft and their struggles with fair pay and gig security in pursuit of their art. Only four years later, Hentoff was fired for agitating to hire a black employee, frustrated that the magazine was profiting from a black art form but sidestepping integrating their staff.

He struck out for a while as a freelancer, attempting to broaden himself beyond jazz writing. The jazz players were the ones Hentoff would later credit with cautioning him about pigeonholing himself. Duke Ellington, whom he counted as a mentor, would toss out aphorisms time and again that had applications beyond the bandstand: Never get caught up in categories. That will imprison you.

Hentoff longed to write social criticism. In 1958, the Village Voice, then a fledgling, cash-strapped alternative weekly, approached him. He agreed, on the condition that hed never be asked to write about jazz. Instead, Hentoff wrote his widely read and cited column for years.

His layoff, at 83, was an event that caused an outpouring of emotion and support that surprised the seen-it-all columnist. Its like reading ones obituary while youre still alive, he told National Public Radio in 2009, but to lift the moment he added, Ive been fired from some of the more prestigious publications over the years. ... When Tina Brown came in [at the New Yorker], it was about 10 days before Christmas, I got a note from her managing editor thanking me for my service now that I had retired. It was very kind of her because I wasnt aware that I had retired.

Few have assiduously and consistently defended the right of people to express their views no matter how objectionable, journalist Andrew Sullivan wrote in a review of Hentoffs 1997 memoir Speaking Freely in the Los Angeles Times. Hentoff stood firm on this for his entire career. He often quoted his muse, journalist I.F. Stone: If youre in this business to change the world, you need to find another day job.

But to many, it was clear that Hentoff only half believed it. He worked tirelessly trying to test the perfectibility of man and therefore society, an axiom he carried with him from his old Jewish neighborhood in Boston.

In many ways the advice the journalist-cum-agitator most adhered to was from saxophonist Ben Webster, who told him: Listen, kid, when the rhythm section aint makin it, go for it yourself.

MORE OBITUARIES:

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Longtime community newspaper man and activist Jonathan Sanchez dies at 64

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Investigators say Florida airport shooting suspect Esteban Santiago told them he planned the carnage and purchased a one-way ticket to Fort Lauderdale to carry it out.

But it is still unclear why South Florida was targeted.

Federal prosecutors filed court documents Saturday detailing airport violence, gun and murder allegations against Santiago. If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in federal prison, they said.

Santiago fired approximately 10 to 15 rounds of ammunition from his firearm, aiming at his victims heads. He was described as walking while shooting in a methodical manner, FBI Agent Michael Ferlazzo wrote in court records.

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Five people died and six more suffered gunshot injuries.

At one point, he exited the Terminal 2 baggage area [and went] onto the sidewalk and then re-entered, still carrying the handgun, agents wrote.

Moments later, a Broward County sheriffs deputy approached Santiago, who dropped the handgun on the ground, in lock-back [mode], meaning that all the ammunition had been fired, and [he] dropped to the floor, investigators wrote.

They say Santiago told them he checked baggage that contained a Walther 9mm semiautomatic handgun and two magazines of ammunition. After claiming his baggage, he said he took it into a stall in the mens restroom, removed the gun, loaded it and put it in his waistband, authorities said.

He then left the mens restroom and shot the first people he encountered, agents wrote. Santiago emptied his first magazine, then reloaded and shot until the second magazine, too, was out of bullets. He believes he shot approximately 15 rounds before his arrest.

The shootings were apparently recorded by security video, which agents said corroborated Santiagos confession and witnesses statements.

Santiago, 26, of Anchorage, is due to make his first appearance at 11 a.m. Monday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale.

He traveled nearly 5,000 miles from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale. But after interviewing Santiago for hours, investigators said they had no clear answer to the question: Why did he come to Fort Lauderdale?

The early indication is that there was no specific reason why he chose Fort Lauderdale International Airport, said George L. Piro, the special agent in charge of the FBI in South Florida.

Indications are he came here to carry out this horrific attack. We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack, but again its very early in the investigation, Piro said.

1 / 15 People seek cover on the tarmac of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a shooting took place near the baggage claim. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 2 / 15 This booking photo provided by the Broward Sheriffs Office shows suspect Esteban Ruiz Santiago, 26. (Broward Sheriffs Office / AP) 3 / 15 People take cover outside Terminal 2 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport after a shooting killed five people and injured over a dozen others. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 4 / 15 A law enforcement officer evacuates a civilian from an area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. A gunman opened fire in the baggage claim area at the airport Friday, killing several people and wounding others before being taken into custody in an attack that sent panicked passengers running out of the terminal and onto the tarmac, authorities said. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) 5 / 15 People leave a garage area with their hands up in the air outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a shooter opened fire inside a terminal of the airport, killing several people and wounding others before being taken into custody. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) 6 / 15 Police assist people seeking cover outside of Terminal 2 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a shooting took place near the baggage claim. Officials are reporting that several people were killed and wounded in an attack by a single gunman. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 7 / 15 People run on the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a shooter opened fire inside a terminal of the airport, killing several people and wounding others before being taken into custody. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) 8 / 15 Law enforcement personnel arrive in an armored car outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. A gunman opened fire in the baggage claim area, killing several people before being taken into custody. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) 9 / 15 First responders secure the area outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport after a shooting took place near the baggage claim. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 10 / 15 People take cover outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a shooter opened fire inside a terminal. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) 11 / 15 Passengers are shown on the tarmac outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, after a shooter opened fire inside a terminal of the airport, killing several people and wounding others before being taken into custody. (Wilfredo Lee / AP) 12 / 15 People stand on the tarmac at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a shooter opened fire inside the terminal. (Lynne Sladky / Associated Press) 13 / 15 Passengers gather on the tarmac of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport in Florida after a gunman opened fire on Friday. (Taylor Elenburg / AFP/Getty Images) 14 / 15 Police officers stand on the perimeter road along the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a lone shooter opened fire inside a terminal of the airport, killing several people and wounding others before being taken into custody. (Lynne Sladky / AP) 15 / 15 An aerial view taken on April 20, 2016 shows the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport in Florida. A gunman opened fire on Friday, killing several people before being taken into custody. (Daniel Slim / AFP/Getty Images)

It could be several days, or weeks, before formal charges are filed. Prosecutors will most likely seek an indictment by presenting their evidence to a federal grand jury in Fort Lauderdale.

At the initial hearing Monday in federal court, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alicia Valle will explain the allegations to Santiago. She will probably also appoint the Federal Public Defenders Office to represent Santiago, if he does not hire a private attorney.

If Santiago says he wants to try to persuade the judge to release him on bond  a request that would certainly be rejected because of his flight risk and the danger he could pose to the public  the prosecution and defense will have several days to prepare for it.

Though state prosecutors in Florida frequently seek the death penalty, it is uncommon for federal prosecutors to pursue it.

Federal judges and jurors in Florida have only sentenced two men to federal death row since Congress reinstated the death penalty in 1988.

State prosecutors in Broward County could seek to file murder charges against Santiago separately because the shooting deaths occurred there.

The Broward State Attorneys Office is cooperating with federal prosecutors, and no decision on that has yet been made, a spokesman said Saturday.

We are here to help any way that we can. A decision will be made in the next few days about how we can help, said Ron Ishoy, a spokesman for Broward State Atty. Mike Satz.

Federal authorities say they are still investigating the motive for the attack and have not yet ruled out terrorism. They say Santiago was acting alone.

Santiago has no obvious connection to southeast Florida but has some relatives who live in the Naples area, on the southwest coast of Florida, nearly a two-hour drive away. He took a Delta flight with a connection in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Santiago cooperated during an interview, which lasted for several hours on Friday and into early Saturday morning, authorities said. He spoke with FBI agents and Broward sheriffs detectives.

An Iraqi war veteran, Santiago sought out the FBI in Anchorage in November and was hospitalized for mental health treatment after what agents said was erratic behavior, authorities said.

Anchorage police and the FBI confirmed Saturday that Santiago went to the FBI office in Anchorage seeking help Nov. 7. He was hospitalized for a mental health evaluation and a firearm he had left in his vehicle outside the office was temporarily taken from him.

The gun, which investigators said may or may not be the one used in the mass shooting at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, was returned to him by law enforcement on Dec. 8.

Despite reportedly being disturbed and delusional and having had incidents of reported domestic violence, Santiago was not on the government list of people prohibited from flying that was set up after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

During our initial investigation we found no ties to terrorism, said Marlin Ritzman, the agent in charge of the FBIs office in Anchorage. He broke no laws when he came into our office making comments about mind control.

The FBI contacted the Anchorage Police Department, which transported Santiago to a mental health facility. The department took his weapon and logged it into evidence for safekeeping, Police Chief Christopher Tolley said.

Mr. Santiago had arrived at the FBI building asking for help, Tolley said. Santiago was having terroristic thoughts and believed he was being influenced by ISIS, an acronym for the Islamic State extremist group in the Middle East.

The FBI closed its assessment of Santiago after conducting database reviews and interagency checks.

He was a walk-in complaint, Ritzman said. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day."

McMahon, OMatz and Ramirez write for the Sun Sentinel.
must-watch report

Theyll be coming for all of us Because this is an orchestrated attack against truth I cannot imagine living in a time in the United States of America where this is allowed to stand





The term itself became a rallying cry for everyone from major search engines to massive social media websites who said they would create fact checking teams within their organizations to ensure only legitimate news and information would be listed on their respective platforms. Soon, the leftist media began spreading lists , none of which were backed with any actual evidence, of supposed fake news purveyors and Russian propaganda websites. The lists included some of the most highly trafficked non-mainstream websites and aggregators around the world. As these Silicon Valley behemoths and popular news organizations mobilized, so too did mainstream advertising agencies, one of which quickly pulled advertising from the purported king of fake news, conservative leaning news organization Breitbart.com.And to this day, it continues in earnest. Legitimate news is being buried in feeds and search engine pages, while the effort to directly attack the revenue of alternative media websites continues to expand.Adams, being a long-time proponent of free speech and liberty, took to the internet to expose them instead. Naturally, the skeptics laughed it all off as another conspiracy theory.Except just days after Natural News posted the warning, Infowars was suddenly dropped by one of the worlds largest online advertising agencies , reportedly costing the network some $3 million in revenue. And within a week of that attack, the largest search engine in the world delisted some 140,000 NaturalNews.com pages from their search results.While this may seem like no big deal for the average reader today,First they come for the purveyors of truth and information that has remained hidden from the masses for decades. Next they will come for those who publicly discuss their views and and ideas on social media and other forums. And while you may not fall into any of these two categories, make no mistake, as SGT Report warns in the followingmore
Donald Trump never tires of reminding us that he is a businessman, and in Betsy DeVos, he has nominated a secretary of Education who endorses a business model for improving elementary and secondary schooling. The problem is, its the wrong model.

DeVos prescriptions include for-profit school management, taxpayer-funded vouchers to cover private school tuition and parental choice as the primary vehicle for regulation. Yet where such free-market remedies have been tried, they have yielded disappointing results.

The free-market model dates to an essay written by University of Chicago economist Milton Friedman in 1955. Friedman contended that the role of government in education should be limited to providing parents with vouchers to cover a fixed amount of tuition at schools meeting minimum requirements. If cost exceeded voucher value, payment by parents  or scholarship funding  would have to make up the difference.

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To Friedman, vouchers would free students from inadequate neighborhood public schools and competition for students would improve school quality and variety. Likening education to groceries, Friedman wrote that much as consumers benefit from competition among supermarkets, parents and students would benefit from competition among schools. Friedman also maintained that vouchers would grant minority students an exit from segregated schools and that competition among schools would generate better pay for good teachers by increasing demand for their services.

The fundamental problem with the free-market model for education is that schools are not groceries.

These ideas first took hold in Chile in 1981. The year before implementation, 78% of that nations schoolchildren attended public schools, 15% attended private schools with government aid, and 7% attended elite private schools with no such assistance. By 2008, the figures were 46%, 47%, and 7%, respectively. Socioeconomic segregation had intensified, the academic achievement gap among disadvantaged children and their middle- and upper-class peers persisted, for-profit school management provoked protest and reform, and teacher pay remained low.

A similar story unfolded in Sweden, which adopted a full-fledged voucher system a decade later. When investors financed the opening of hundreds of for-profit private schools there, many native-born Swedes opted for the new schools, leaving immigrant children behind. Swedens performance on international educational assessments declined, for-profit school management provoked protest and reform, and teacher pay fell.

Only a few cities in the U.S. implemented voucher systems, but results in these cities  notably, Milwaukee, leading the way in 1990, followed by Cleveland and Washington  have also not vindicated Friedmans forecast. A different way to offer school choice  publicly financed but independently managed charter schools  has proved much more popular. Introduced by Minnesota in 1992, charter schools now number nearly 7,000 across the country, yet they too have posted uneven results, led to greater student segregation and in large part depressed teacher pay.

In no state has this been more true than DeVos home state, Michigan, which thanks to her efforts is home to far more commercially managed charter schools than any state in the country. After controlling for demographics, Michigan, according to a recent Urban Institute study, ranks 47th out of all states in reading and math.

The fundamental problem with the free-market model for education is that schools are not groceries. Education is complex and the immediate consumer, after all, is a child or adolescent who can know only so much about how a subject should be taught. The parent, legislator and taxpayer are necessarily at a distance.

Groceries, by contrast, are discrete goods purchased by adults who can easily judge each item according to taste, nutritional value and cost. Supermarkets can likewise be easily judged according to service, atmosphere and convenience.

Although the free-market model isnt a good fit for schools, there are five business concepts that should be embraced by education reformers and policymakers.

Much as early stage investment in promising companies can deliver outsized rewards for investors, early stage investment in schooling can deliver significant rewards for society. Another Chicago economist, James Heckman, analyzed data from Michigan and North Carolina going back several decades and found that no other infusion of public dollars comes close to matching the rate of return of high-quality early childhood education.

Since the days of Henry Ford, business has understood efficiency wage theory. In 1914, Ford doubled the pay of assembly-line workers from $2.50 a day to $5. Economists later validated the results: It costs less to pay more, as employers attract and retain better workers and thus improve production and even reduce costs of both supervision and turnover. Studies show a similar tight relationship between teacher pay and educational outcomes.

An analysis of teacher salaries and student performance in science (at age 15) provides an example. The data come from the five Nordic and six English-speaking countries involved in the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment. The U.S. and Norway paid teachers 68% and 71% as much as fellow citizens with university degrees, respectively, and posted scores just below the PISA average. Finland and Canada, on the other hand, paid teachers 97% and 105% as much as fellow citizens with university degrees and posted scores far above the average.

Retaining good teachers and grooming administrators from within the ranks instead of handing over the reins to outsiders constitutes another significant lesson from the corporate playbook. As the business historian Alfred Chandler documented, great organizations develop talent internally. Education researchers have repeatedly shown, in particular, that teacher turnover impairs student achievement. In addition, as Los Angeles may remember from its experience with David Brewer, superintendents without classroom experience tend to be out of step with pedagogical needs.

Pay for performance  another cardinal objective of business-minded reformers like DeVos  sounds logical but backfires. Instead, reformers should follow the lead of W. Edwards Deming, the father of the modern Japanese auto industry, who contended merit ratings and pay generate fear and undermine teamwork. The organization is the loser, he wrote.

Separate longitudinal studies of merit-based pay for teachers in Nashville and Chicago, completed in 2010 by researchers at Vanderbilt University and Mathematica, bear him out. They found no effect on student achievement.

Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality, Deming wrote. Routine inspection becomes unreliable through boredom and fatigue. That recommendation should be applied to the annual testing of students in reading and math mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 and reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015.

Instead of routine inspection, Deming urged detailed analysis of small samples. Bucking widespread practice, the Finns do exactly that, with high-quality exams administered to small groups of students. Teachers consequently feel no pressure to teach to the test, students get a well-rounded education and administrators gain superior understanding of student progress. Finnish teens score at or near the top of international educational assessments.

Samuel E. Abrams is the director of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and the author of Education and the Commercial Mindset.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
To outward appearances, Donald Trumps transition has been humming steadily toward his inauguration on Jan. 20. The president-elect has named all but a few members of his prospective Cabinet, and some will begin confirmation hearings this week. Meanwhile, Trump Tower has issued a torrent of White House staff announcements, from a new chief of staff, Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus, to a reality TV star, Omarosa Manigault.

Yet there are signs of trouble, and veterans of past administrations from both parties have warned that chaos almost surely lies ahead.

Trump is farther behind on taking control of the bureaucracy than any president in recent history, Paul C. Light of New York University, one of the nations preeminent scholars of public management, told me last week. Hell be ready to move in on inauguration day, but he wont have much thats ready to go, except for cancelling a lot of Obamas regulations.

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While Trumps appointees have business experience, political campaign experience, and military experience, few have any experience in the executive branch.

The problem begins with the man at the top. The president-elect comes to the job with the habits of an entrepreneur and a showman, not a manager of large organizations. Hes known for making decisions based on the last advice he heard. He makes policy pronouncements on Twitter, often without his aides knowing in advance. And hes impatient with hierarchy.

Youll call my people, youll call me. It doesnt make any difference, he told tech executives last month. We have no formal chain of command around here.

In the White House, dozens of issues jostle for attention and crises constantly threaten to derail long-term strategy. Usually, its the chief of staffs job to act as a gatekeeper; he controls the presidents meetings and flow of information to make sure the chief executive can focus on his priorities.

In Trumps case, that will be Priebus, a seasoned political operative who rose from the Wisconsin Republican Party to become chairman of the Republican National Committee and won Trumps confidence in the process.

But Priebus may not be fully in charge. Instead, aides have described a structure with three top aides: Priebus, political strategist Stephen K. Bannon, and communication strategist Kellyanne Conway. Thats a recipe for confusion.

Defenders of Trumps troika plan point out that in President Reagans successful first term, he had three top aides, too: James A. Baker III, Michael Deaver and Edwin M. Meese. But in that White House, Baker was clearly designated as first among equals; that hasnt happened in the case of Priebus.

The picture is complicated by the fact that Priebus and Bannon come from intermittently hostile factions in Trumps coalition.

Priebus, whos close to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), represents the institutional Republican Party of orthodox conservatism. Bannon, former chief executive of the Breitbart media organization, has said he wants to hammer the GOP establishment and oust Ryan as speaker.

Nor is it clear which version of Trumpism the president-elect wants. Trumps campaign never produced a policy blueprint to settle the question.

Earlier administrations did. We werent confused about what the policy priorities were, Joshua Bolten, a former chief of staff for George W. Bush, said last month. We had a 450-page policy book that spelled it out. My concern for the current transition is that theyre not in that sort of position.

Despite its recent personnel announcements, the Trump team has also been slower than most administrations in filling out its staff.

They didnt name a director of personnel until this [last] week, Light noted. Most campaigns have one by July or August. Hes got something like 3,300 appointments to make. Thats going to take a lot of time.

And while Trumps appointees have business experience, political campaign experience, and military experience, few have any experience in the executive branch.

Trump has never dealt with a bureaucracy like this, Light said. His businesses are flat, and thats fine. But the federal government is arguably the least flat organization there is; it has 63 layers of executives and managers.

Hes got nobody around him with a deep understanding of how to manage the bureaucracy to support his policies.

Trump could surprise us; hes done it before. His presidential campaign was underrated all along.

But a measure of chaos is the norm for any inexperienced president, and can quickly engulf his administration. President Clinton, for example, had a terrible first year  and he had been a governor for more than a decade.

White House aides like to quote Dwight D. Eisenhower, who ran a large organization  the U.S. Army in Europe  before he became president:

Organization cannot make a genius out of an incompetent, Eisenhower wrote. On the other hand, disorganization  can easily lead to disaster.

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @DoyleMcManus

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

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Although a blockbuster new U.S. intelligence report concludes that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help Donald Trump win the presidency, it didnt weigh in on whether Moscows covert cyberhacks and other activities made a difference in Trumps upset victory over Hillary Clinton.

In tweet after tweet, Trump has been emphatic that it did not. Democrats just as forcefully insist the effect was clear even if they dont blame the Russians for her loss.

The truth is no one knows for sure because the election was so close in so many states that no one factor can be credited or blamed, especially in last years highly combustible campaign.

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But political experts parsed over the report, a portion of which was declassified and released Friday, for lessons they may have missed during the campaign.

Just because we cant quantify it specifically doesnt mean that it had no impact, said John Weaver, who served as chief strategist for Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) in his losing bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

We know that it put [Clintons] campaign on the defensive, Weaver said. We know that it distracted that campaign and we know, anecdotally, that it impacted voters. Does that mean conclusively that it was by itself the difference maker? Cant be proven.

Clintons aides are careful not to claim the aggressive Russian campaign of cyberhacking, fake news, social media posts and crude propaganda cost them votes.

In their view, the biggest problem was that voters conflated the flood of damaging emails from Russian hacks with mounting concerns about Clintons use of a private email account when she headed the State Department, adding to distrust and unease about her.

Moreover, extensive news coverage of the how the leaked emails showed political machinations by Democratic Party operatives often drowned out Clintons agenda, including her proposals on the economy. It was one of many hurdles she faced in reaching white working-class voters, who ultimately swung the election to Trump.

Still, even Russian officials didnt think Trump would win in November. Anticipating Clintons victory, Russian diplomats prepared to publicly question the integrity of the vote and pro-Kremlin bloggers planned a Twitter campaign for election night using the hashtag #DemocracyRIP.

Moscow also used its state-run propaganda outlets, including the English-language news channel Russia Today, to try to hurt Clintons chances, according to the report.

RT, as the network is known, posted a video on YouTube in early November, for example. Called Trump Will Not Be Permitted to Win, it featured Julian Assange, the fugitive founder of WikiLeaks, and was watched 2.2 million times.

Despite Assanges denials, the U.S. intelligence report says Russian intelligence operatives relayed through third parties thousands of pilfered emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clintons campaign chairman to WikiLeaks last summer and fall.

RT repeatedly praised Assange in its stories, and its editor in chief visited him in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London in August 2013 to discuss renewing a broadcast contract, the report states. Assange has lived in the embassy since 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden on allegations of sexual assault.

U.S. intelligence officials say anti-Clinton stories and posts flooded social media from the Internet Research Agency near St. Petersburg, which the report described as a network of professional trolls led by a Putin ally.

Putins most tangible victory may have come last summer.

On the eve of the Democratic National Convention in July, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) was forced to quit her post as Democratic National Committee chairwoman after emails posted on Wikileaks showed that supposedly neutral DNC officials had backed Clinton over her rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, in the primaries.

Pro-Trump Californians hope his victory can fuel a GOP revival in the Golden State 

That incident, like other headline-grabbing stories generated by the leaked emails, gave Trump ammunition to make the case that the electoral system was rigged in Clintons favor. It also sapped enthusiasm for Clinton among Sanders fervent supporters.

In October, Trump similarly seized on leaked emails from Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta. They showed that Donna Brazile, a former CNN commentator who replaced Wasserman Schultz at the DNC, had shared a pair of questions with Clintons team before a televised candidates forum and debate.

Like the DNC story, the leak showed nothing illegal. But it bolstered the idea that Clinton was a Washington insider who benefited from fellow elites. Other stories from leaked emails on Democratic fundraising and strategy clashes in Clintons inner circle also fed negative perceptions of her.

They all tended not to serve as one big new piece of information, said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist who worked for President George W. Bush and for 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

They reinforced many of the concerns that voters already had about Clinton, which is that she was untrustworthy and that there was one set of rules for Hillary Clinton and another set of rules for everybody else, he said.

The most damaging leaks for Clinton may have been transcripts of excerpts of her highly paid speeches to Wall Street bankers, released in October.

Clinton had earned hundreds of thousands of dollars from the closed-door speeches, and when she refused to release copies she faced heavy criticism from both Sanders and Trump for her Wall Street ties.

There were no smoking guns in the leaks. But they included her admission that her growing wealth since she and Bill Clinton left the White House in 2001 had made her kind of far removed from the anger and frustration many Americans felt after the 2008 recession.

She also called for a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future, with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it.

Though Clinton argued that she was talking about clean energy, Trump used the line to attack her relentlessly in waging his central attack that she was out of touch on trade and immigration.

The speech excerpts were released on what turned out to be an unusually eventful day in the campaign, Oct. 7.

That same Friday, the U.S. director of national intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security announced for the first time that senior Russian officials had directed cyberattacks against the 2016 election.

The brief statement did not say Putin was trying to help Trump, as the new report claims. But it rang alarm bells in national security circles.

In any case, it and the Clinton speeches were overshadowed by even more explosive news that day: an Access Hollywood hot-mic recording of Trump bragging about forcing himself on women.

The crowded news cycle of Oct. 7 is a reminder of how hard it was for individual stories to dominate the headlines, and how difficult it remains to judge the impact of the Russian hacks.

Certainly the intelligence community cant gauge the impact it had on the choices the electorate made, James R. Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee at a hearing Thursday.

The Oct. 7 statement is also a reminder that Russias role in the leaked emails was known long before voters cast ballots, yet did not seem to help the Clinton campaign make the case that Trump was too friendly toward Putin.

Trump even seemed to encourage Russias cyberoperation, taunting Clinton over emails she had deleted from her private account.

If they hacked, they probably have her 33,000 emails. I hope they do, he said in July.

Many voters believed the hacking and her use of a private server at the State Department were all part of the same story, reinforcing the perception that Clintons own carelessness had made her a target.

President-elect Trump was briefed on the full classified intelligence report Friday, not just the portion released to the public. He called the briefing constructive, but did not acknowledge its key finding: that Putin sought to help him, and to harm Clinton, in the race.

Instead, on Saturday, Trump took to Twitter not to blame the Russians for illegal hacking, but to blame the DNC for poor cyberdefense.

Only reason the hacking of the poorly defended DNC is discussed is that the loss by the Dems was so big that they are totally embarrassed!, he wrote.

Times staff writer David Lauter contributed to this report.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman

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President Obama insisted in an interview that aired Sunday he did not underestimate Russian President Vladimir Putin when he dismissed Mitt Romneys 2012 campaign assessment that the country was the top U.S. geopolitical foe. But Obama acknowledged he may have misjudged Russias ability to tamper in the American electoral process.

I underestimated the degree to which, in this new information age, it is possible for misinformation, for cyberhacking and so forth, to have an impact on our open societies, our open systems, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways that I think are accelerating, he said on ABCs This Week.

The comments in the taped interview came as debate over a joint intelligence report on Russias effort to help President-elect Donald Trump in the 2016 election continued to rage. Trump and his aides have tried to downplay the reports findings and would not commit on Sunday to punishing Russia further for the activities than Obama has.

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That is something that the president-elect, when he is sworn in in less than two weeks, Chuck, will have to decide along with his security and intelligence team, Kellyanne Conway, who served as Trumps campaign manager, told Chuck Todd on NBCs Meet the Press.

I do think some people are scratching their heads as to why President Obama took action and punished Russia and Russian operatives before the report was completed, before others had the information.

Obama announced a raft of punishments in late December, including sanctions and orders for a few dozen Russian intelligence operatives to leave the U.S., well after after U.S. investigators had concluded that Russia intended to meddle in the election.

Thousands of emails pilfered from the Democratic National Committee servers and from Hillary Clintons campaign chairman were posted on WikiLeaks and other websites through the summer and fall, undermining Clintons campaign.

Obama was given a report Thursday from the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency saying that Putin ordered agents to interfere in the election and ultimately sought to aid Trumps rise. The president-elect was shown the same report Friday, before a declassified version was made public.

In another interview on CNN, Conway referred to alleged attacks from Russia, contradicting the conclusions from the U.S. intelligence community that the evidence of such attacks was clear. The report did not weigh in on whether those attacks succeeded, something that is difficult to gauge given the multitude of issues and controversies that arose during the election, the closeness of the election results and Clintons failure to connect with white working-class voters who swung the outcome.

Trump and his aides have pounced on the lack of definitive findings on whether the attacks affected the election outcome, even though Trump spoke frequently during the campaign about email leaks to WikiLeaks that have been linked to the Russians.

We didnt need WikiLeaks to convince the American people that they didnt like her, didnt trust her, didnt find her to be honest, Conway said.

As Obama leaves office, the dispute is not likely to go away. Many in Trumps own party have called for continued investigation and retaliation against Russia.

Obamas defense secretary, Ashton Carter, said on Sunday that he agreed more was needed.

The steps that have been taken so far probably represent a beginning and not the end  a floor, not the ceiling, Carter said on Meet the Press. Obviously, being up to the next administration and the next Congress to take those steps. But I suppose, I believe, there will be more, there probably should be more.

Still, Carter did not call for a complete chill in relations with Russia. He noted that even in the Cold War, the two countries found common ground on some issues.

We do have to have what Ill call a strong but also a balanced approach to Russia, he said.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

@noahbierman

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Hundreds of Donald Trumps California supporters gathered Saturday to celebrate his impending inauguration  and to try to funnel the energy that propelled him to the White House into turning their cobalt-blue home state red.

If we can get Donald J. Trump to be president of the United States, certainly we can get Californians registered to be Republicans, longtime conservative activist Johnnie Morgan said to applause. With the energy we have now, with the momentum we have now, with the inspiration we have now, with the committed people we have now, we can do this. It will spread like wildfire.

Its a tall order. Voter registration in the GOP is at a historic low in the state, no Republican has been elected statewide in more than a decade, and Democrats dominate the states congressional delegation and Legislature. Trump supporters hope this could be dislodged by the coalition the Republicans stitched together to win the presidency, although most acknowledge the hurdles they face.

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Were not being heard right now because the numbers are against us and thats OK. We know the realities, said Rachel Gunther, the leader of the newly formed Make California Great Again nonprofit that had its inaugural meeting in a Cambodian community center in Long Beach on Saturday. Were not going to change the landscape in one year or two years or even four years. We just want our voices heard. We want to show the political elite that we exist and that we are not happy with some of their legislation and they cant just ramrod things like that without considering us.

We need change in Sacramento to bring down the liberal pathetic establishment that has destroyed this state.  Nestor Moto, 22, a gay Latino GOP activist

Gunther was a volunteer leader for Trumps campaign and said she decided to form the group after talking to fellow volunteers who didnt want to stop their efforts after election day. The group also plans to launch a political spinoff soon.

Despite Californias overwhelmingly Democratic tilt, the president-elect does have significant support in the state. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won California nearly 2-to-1, but because of the states enormous population, Trump still received nearly 4.5 million votes. Thats more than he received in every other state except Texas and Florida. Hundreds of thousands of those supporters volunteered to help Trump win critical battlegrounds, making phone calls and traveling to knock on doors.

Gunther and other organizers hope to transform this grass-roots energy into something that can support Trump, similar to Citizens for America, which supported the late President Reagans administration, or Organizing for America, which backed President Obamas efforts.

Their effort is not sanctioned by Trump, but his national backers are reportedly looking to set up an outside effort to support the president-elects agenda.

The California groups goals would be twofold: supporting Trumps policy efforts and trying to change the political leadership in California or in liberal enclaves such as Long Beach or Los Angeles.

We need change. We have that in Washington, but we need change in Sacramento to bring down the liberal pathetic establishment that has destroyed this state, said Nestor Moto, 22, a gay Latino GOP activist from Long Beach. This country belongs to people like you and me  and it is time we take it back.

The energy at the gathering was palpable  and at times controversial. A band called Tracy Barnes and The Deplorables sang Make America Great Again as a man dressed in drag as Clinton shook a tambourine. Supporters posed with a Trump cut-out beneath a red, white and blue balloon arch. Another speaker told a crude joke about former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

There were few details on actual efforts to support the president-elects agenda or any California-specific plans. An afternoon break-out session focused on the latter was canceled. But many in attendance  who have grown accustomed to long periods of losses  were simply happy to celebrate a victory.

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The Republican Party in California, they just feel its a lost cause, said actress Reatha Grey Simon, 67. The Los Angeles resident was a Democrat in her youth, helping Tom Bradleys campaigns, but became a Republican during Reagans presidency.

Were motivated now. We have Donald Trump leading the crusade, she said. Weve got all these wins right now. This is a perfect time for the Republicans to really turn California red for a change.

Mike Simpfenderfer, a delegate to the Republican National Convention, instructed the audience to chant President Trump three times, which they did with increasing gusto.

We did it! We did it! Simpfenderfer said. Today is when we start helping our president govern!

To read the article in Spanish, click here

seema.mehta@latimes.com

For the latest on national and California politics, follow @LATSeema on Twitter.

ALSO

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By the way, they like you to dress fancy (and leave children home, unless youre headed to a weekend brunch). Coat and tie are required for men.

In theory, to attend you must be invited or accompanied by a member of the Academy of Magical Arts. In practice, there are at least two pretty easy ways in. Its not so hard (though the admission charge and dinner and drinks usually add up to a pricey night). If you spend a night at the adjacent Magic Castle Hotel & Suites , youre entitled to go to the club. Or you can email one of the magicians soon to appear and ask for an invite. (More ideas here .)

What: The castle, clubhouse of the Academy of Magical Arts, was built as a private home in 1908. But by the time it opened as a magic haven in 1963, it had undergone a thorough transformation to make it fit for tricks and performances. Since then, it has survived waxing and waning popularity, not to mention a fire in 2011. (The flames flare on the night of Halloween.) Roam room to room and you encounter all manner of deceptions and marvels. Card tricks. Seances. Sleight of hand. Secret passages. And a fancy dinner.

Why: The Magic Castle is the worst kept secret in Hollywood -- a private club in a tricked-out house thats devoted to magic. And if you really want to get in, its not that hard.

See the light at James Turrells Skyspace in Claremont By Elisa Parhad Why: This awe-inspiring public art installation brings new beauty to the light of dawn and dusk. What: Dividing the Light (2007), one of several dozen Skyspaces worldwide by artist James Turrell, is an elevated metal frame perched above an outdoor courtyard. A mesmerizing light show begins at dawn and dusk when the frame is illuminated with colored light, enhancing the skys own changing hues. The Skyspace is a part of the Pomona College Museum of Art. For Turrell, an L.A. native and alumnus of Pomona College (65) and Claremont Graduate University (73), this campus installation is a homecoming of sorts, and the only public Skyspace in Southern California. Turrell is an avid pilot and considers the sky his studio, material and canvas, and his Pomona College training in perceptual psychology informs his play of light, space, and human perception. Skyspace programs begin one hour before sunrise and 10 minutes before sunset. The evening program lasts about 40 minutes. Check a listing of current exhibitions and Art After Hours days that may make a Skyspace and museum twofer possible. Where: The Draper Courtyard (between the Lincoln and Edmunds buildings) at 600 N. College Way on the Pomona College campus in Claremont, 34 miles northeast of downtown L.A. How much: Free Info: James Turrell Skyspace Facebook

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Pedal L.A.'s Echo Park Lake, munch a fancy snack and daydream of Sister Aimee and the spiritualists By Christopher Reynolds The swan boats of Echo Park Lake. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Why: The hotter it gets, the more sense these pedal vessels make. What: The artificial lake in Echo Park goes back to at least 1870. The boathouse and pedal boat operation go back decades. And the place has been dramatically upgraded in the last few years, beginning with a draining and cleaning in 2011-2013. The paddle boats operated by Wheel Fun Rentals are now shaped like swans and the larger ones hold up to five people or 1,400 pounds. (These boats look a lot like the historic swan boats in Boston Common, which also go back to the 1870s.) Head out for an hour of pedaling and drifting, not necessarily in that order, and imagine the early 20th century days when Aimee Semple McPherson was preaching in the Angelus Temple next door and these hills were crawling with communists, socialists and spiritualists. The boat rentals are open daily all year from 9 a.m. until sunset. On the hottest days, try edging right up to the edge of the fountain in the middle of the lake  youll be coated with mist or (if theres a breeze) pelted by diagonal rain. The last rentals go out an hour before sunset. (One night in July, a young man broke in and took a paddle boat for a forbidden ride. It did not end well.) The eatery, Beacon, opened in January 2017 with a menu thats longer, more intriguing and a little pricier than the average public park snack shack. The communists dont live here anymore. Bonus option: Fishing is allowed, with a license. Where: 751 Echo Park Ave., 2 miles northwest of downtown L.A. How much: The swan boats rent for hourly rates of $11 per adult, $6 per minor. Everybody gets a life jacket. A sampling from the Beacon menu: kale and avocado burritos ($7), a crab and gouda sandwich ($13), salmon toast ($10), Beacon Burger ($15), lemonade ($3). Beacon is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Info: Wheel Fun Rentals, Beacon A pedalers view of Echo Park Lake. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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See the Giants, glimpse the bay and duck the gulls at San Franciscos AT&T Park By Christopher Reynolds The Giants have played in AT&T Park since 2000. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Why: Whether youre for the Giants or against them, you can root for a home run into the bay here  something you wont see at any other major league baseball stadium. In fact, you can see bits of San Francisco Bay  distant wharves, cargo ships, maybe a few kayaks in McCovey Cove  from many of the 41,915 seats in AT&T Park. And in a city thats not always easy for families, this park is full of kid-friendly features. What: The Giants have been based in San Francisco since 1958, but they only started winning championships here after this ballpark opened in 2000. (Beyond center field youll see banners celebrating the teams World Series victories in 2010, 2012 and 2014, and a few more from the earlier New York years.) Builders worked hard to reduce the winds that made the old Candlestick Park a nightmare for anyone fielding a fly ball  and largely succeeded. In fact, experts often rank this park first or second among the most pleasant in the major leagues. But theres no banishing the gulls. At the end of every game, thousands of the scavenging creatures come swooping in to feast on leavings in the bleachers. Ushers try to fend them off, but the situation is basically Field of Dreams meets Alfred Hitchcock. Hang around for a few minutes to catch the spectacle. Gulls after a day game, AT&T Park, San Francisco. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Where: 24 Willie Mays Plaza, San Francisco, 382 miles northwest of downtown L.A. How much: Most tickets $9-$282. Single-game tickets here. Info: San Francisco Giants, San Francisco Travel Facebook

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Fly, roll, float and romp in a Disneys ever-evolving California Adventure By Christopher Reynolds Hollywood Land, Disney California Adventure (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Why: If somebody asked you to compress the best of California into 72 acres, make it abundantly kid-friendly and persuade thousands of people to spend long hours and big money there, you might crack under the pressure. (Admit it, youre already uncomfortable.) That was Disneys mission with this park. And Disney failed  at first. But since that awkward debut in 2001, when attendance fell far short of expectations, the park people have been steadily changing and fixing this place. Even if youre skeptical about all things Disney (as some people are), youll probably get a kick out of this cartoon version of our state. What: Most of the parks rides, restaurants and photo ops are all about idealizing California, including Hollywood Land (whos ever seen such clean streets and tidy storefronts in the real Hollywood?); Pacific Wharf (a mix of Cannery Row in Monterey and Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco); and Grizzly Peak (a nod to Yosemite and the tall trees of Northern California). But other features these days reach far beyond state lines. When I dropped in a few days ago, the parks marching bands and mariachis were joined by drummers, dancers and musicians from around Asia, gathered to celebrate Lunar New Year. Rides in A Bugs Land and Car Land were full of grinning guests, as was the Soarin Around the World ride  which replaced Soaring (over California) in 2016  and the Guardians of the Galaxy-Mission: Breakout! ride  which replaced the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in 2017. This summer, Paradise Pier is scheduled to become Pixar Pier. Meanwhile, California Screamin, Mickeys Fun Wheel and Grizzly River Run were closed for refurbishment. Check before visiting to see whats open and whats not. Where: Right next to Disneyland and Downtown Disney, California Adventure, 1313 Disneyland Drive in Anaheim, is 26 miles southeast of downtown L.A. How much: Passes start at $97 (ages 10 and above; before taxes) for a one-day Value Ticket. Standard parking $20. Info: Disney California Adventure Disney California Adventure (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Drive the narrow, winding, spectacular back-door route to Big Sur: Nacimiento-Fergusson Road By Christopher Reynolds On the western slopes (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Why: Itll quicken your pulse, drop your jaw and demand your full attention. Theres no more dramatic passage from Central Californias blond hills to the Big Sur coast than this 24-mile route. What: Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, a winding, two-lane highway, begins in the Salinas Valley countryside north of Paso Robles, next to the often-overlooked Mission San Antonio de Padua and the Armys Ft. Hunter-Liggett. From there it creeps through forest and chaparral to the crest of the Santa Lucia Mountains, about 2,800 feet above sea level. Then for 7 miles, via dozens of switchback turns, it wends its way down the western slopes to Big Sur. It meets Highway 1 at Kirk Creek, about 4 miles south of Lucia. Mission San Antonio de Padua (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Motorcyclists have loved Nacimiento-Fergusson Road for years. When a mudslide and reconstruction closed Highway 1 at Mud Creek for more than a year in 2017-2018, many more cars found their way to this alternative, as well. In normal times, with Highway 1 open, you can usually count on thin traffic on Nacimiento-Fergusson. The roads westernmost 7 miles, descending via multiple sharp turns to the coast road, are as spectacular as can be  and might start a three-alarm panic attack if youre afraid of heights. (When a route is featured on www.dangerousroads.org, you know its special.) Given the absence of lights or guard rails or cellphone reception, Id never try it after dark. On my midday drive in December, I took care to ignore the views until Id safely pulled into one of the many turnouts along the way. (For a tamer ride with similar scenery, take Highway 46 west from Paso Robles to Cambria.) Where: To reach the eastern end of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, exit Highway 101 at Jolon Road, about 23 miles north of Paso Robles. Follow Jolon Road west, then turn left onto Mission Road, continue 4 miles, then turn left onto Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. Because the road passes through the Army base, drivers may need to show license, registration and proof of insurance. Give the drive at least two hours from the 101 to the 1. You dont want to be in a hurry here. How much: Free. Info: www.dangerousroads.org Facebook

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Recline, rebel or revel in Grand Park, where downtown L.A. celebrates By Christopher Reynolds Grand Park, Dec. 31, 2015. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Why: Every real downtown has a park to serve as urban backyard, and Grand Park is more proof that L.A.'s downtown is getting realer by the day. What: The 12-acre park connects the Music Center at the top of Bunker Hill with City Hall at the bottom. (Yes, you can go to City Halls 27th floor observation deck and its free). The park isnt really new -- theres been open space for decades on these blocks between government buildings. But a dramatic redesign in 2012 put a far better spin on the area, and it doesnt hurt that neighboring Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels arrived in 2002, Disney Hall in 2003 and the Broad Museum in 2015. Besides its welcome green expanses and flanking playground and dog-run areas, Grand Park includes a fountain (with splash pad for kids), an adjacent Starbucks, plenty of places to sit and a busy schedule of holiday events and live shows. Picnicking is encouraged. Protesting is permitted. Food trucks come for lunch most Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Theres midday yoga on many Wednesdays and Fridays. In October and November, the park hosts Dia de los Muertos altars and art; in November and December, holiday lights. And on New Years Eve -- well, the 2016-17 party (free and alcohol-free) included three stages, DJs, live music, dancing, inflatable art, and light projections. Expect more of the same this time. Where: between 200 N. Grand Ave. and 227 N. Spring St., at the core of downtown L.A. How much: Free. Its easiest to arrive via Metro. But theres parking nearby in Lot 10 (entrances on Broadway and Hill Street between 1st and Temple streets), priced at $3.50 per 15 minutes up to a $20 maximum per weekday, $10 per day on weekends, evenings and special events. Info: Grand Park Womens March, Grand Park, January 2017. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Gawk as the waters of McWay Falls plunge from Big Sur to the sea By Christopher Reynolds ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Why: McWay Falls, the splashiest attraction in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, roars down 80 feet from granite and redwoods to a creamy Big Sur beach and implausibly turquoise cove. Its the cascade that other waterfalls want to be. Its also a perfectly impossible California destination, because you cant stand under these falls. Theres no safe way to the beach. What: The hike is more of a stroll, really. Its about half a mile, mostly flat. (And the rest of the park remains mostly closed because of mudslides and other damage done by the Soberanes Fire of 2016.) Once youve passed through a short tunnel under Highway 1 and made a right turn, youll soon be standing on a rocky perch where a house once stood, looking south to the beach and falls. This is an invitation to chill. For one thing, the trail has ended. Also, like Yosemite Falls  which led off our California Bucket List project on Jan. 1  McWay Falls is a sort of perpetuity made plain. The water keeps coming, even if its in short supply elsewhere. And the cell reception is so rotten that youll probably never get an Instagram photo posted from here. So have a seat. Notice that theres a great view to the north also. Think about all the writers and composers (beginning with James Joyce, Richard Wagner, Al Green and Teeny Hodges) who have chosen to start and end their works with running water. Or think about nothing. Where: Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, mile marker 35.8 in Big Sur, 37 miles south of Carmel, 286 miles northwest of downtown L.A. Highway 1 is expected to remained closed at Mud Creek (27 miles south of McWay Falls) through September 2018. That means travelers from the south have two options. One is to detour from Highway 101 north of Paso Robles via Jolon Road and the 24-mile, narrow, winding Nacimiento-Fergusson Road (a star on dangerousroads.org). The other choice is driving up to Salinas on the 101, cutting over to Carmel, then coming back south on Highway 1. How much: $10. Info: Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Looking north from the McWay Falls Trail. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Marvel over this San Francisco church inspired by the ideals of the Scandinavian Da Vinci By Catharine Hamm (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Why: Simplicity and complexity meet in the Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco, and the marriage is a harmonious celebration of architecture and intellect. What: The 1895 Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco, a national historic landmark in Pacific Heights, is an Arts and Crafts building designed by several architects, including Bernard Maybeck, who created the Palace of Fine Arts at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915 in San Francisco. Inside the walls are rustic redwood, found often in Arts and Crafts buildings and consistent with the Swedenborgian appreciation of natural objects, according to the 1969 book Here Today: San Franciscos Architectural Heritage. The chairs are maple, made by hand, without the use of nails, and their seats were woven of tule rushes from the Sacramento River Delta, the book says. In the fireplace in the back, the andirons become small crosses, and the crackling fire (and recently installed radiant heat) make the church a warm and welcoming spot for quiet contemplation, especially on chilly San Francisco days (which is most of them). (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times) Its also a reminder of the man whose desire to understand Scripture caught fire when he was in his 50s. Emanuel Swedenborg was born Jesper Svedborg in 1688 in Stockholm. In Swedenborg: An Introduction to His Life and Ideas, author Gary Lachman describes Swedenborg as the Scandinavian Da Vinci. He was a scientist, poet, writer, mystic, statesman, inventor and biblical scholar. After Swedenborgs death in 1772 in London, societies took root that were devoted to contemplating his thoughts and works; the Bible is the center of these. These organizations made their way across the pond by the late 1780s, and the New Church (sometimes called New Jerusalem) began to spread in the United States. (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times) Notable Swedenborgian churches include the Wayfarers Chapel in Palos Verdes, designed by Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright. The younger Wright was said to have taken his architectural inspiration for the chapel, dedicated in 1951, from Northern Californias redwoods. Where: The Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco, 2107 Lyon St , is about 385 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Cost: Free. Services are at 11 a.m. Sundays. Office hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; knock to gain entry to the church. Info: Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco Facebook

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Soak away your stress and join Club Mud at a Corona hot springs that embraces everyone By Catharine Hamm Why: If youre intimidated by the word spa, Glen Ivy is the place for you. It feels accessible, not exclusive, meaning you can sit back and relax. What: Which is what you want to do. There are 19 pools to try, including the mineral pools, the star attraction in the early days of the late 1800s when you could soak in them for 25 cents. Today, you start by getting a locker for your street clothes and putting on your swim suit in a well-appointed area that includes changing rooms, showers and big, lighted mirrors where youll find hairdryers youll want later in the day. Glen Ivys 12 acres include a float pool and a large pool if you want to exercise. But my new favorite features are the hot and cold plunge pools. (Try switching three times between them and stay in each pool for a minimum of 30 seconds. It doesnt sound like long until youre in the cold pool.) The former Cafe Sole has been replaced by the new Ivy Kitchen, offering light but satisfying meals. (No starvation tactics here.) And, of course, you can find the usual spa treatments (extra charge but no pressure; appointments advisable) including the underground Grotto, where skin hydration is the goal ($25 upcharge). Save Club Mud for last. You paint yourself (and your hair) with mud, which is California red clay, then go bake in the sun. Before you turn into tandoori chicken, you brush it off and rinse or wash it off in the outdoor showers if youve used a tad too much. One note: Beware of bees, which are attracted to the mud. Make sure you youre wearing your sandals. The landscaping makes it all very pretty and it feels all very real, which is refreshing if youre weary of L.A. artifice. Where: 25000 Glen Ivy Road, Corona; (888) 453-6489, about 60 miles southeast of downtown L.A. (Set aside at least 90 minutes to get there.) How much: Go on a weekday when its less expensive ($49 for the day Mondays-Fridays, averaging 300 guests). Saturdays, Sundays and holidays its $68 and about 700 people will be there. Through Feb. 28, hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Its open an hour later from March through May. Check on summer hours. Info: Glen Ivy Hot Springs Facebook

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See the small world within this Carlsbad museum of miniature engineering By Irene Lechowitzky Why: The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad is novel and quirky  and proof that good things come in small packages. What: The collection includes painstakingly crafted, remarkable miniatures, many with moving parts. There are cars, planes, engines of all sorts, ships, thumb-sized guns and knives, and much more. These are not the plastic model car kits from your childhood; for example, theres an eye-popping version of a 1932 Duesenberg SJ that has more than 6,000 custom-made parts and is said to have taken more than 10 years to finish. The folks who built these tiny wonders spent decades perfecting their craft. There are hundreds of works from around the world on display, and docents to describe the intricacies and makers of each. Try to time your visit to coincide with a tour of the machine shop/engine room for a little extra oomph. Although its not geared for the toddler crowd, the museum, a few miles east of Legoland, can be an inspiring second stop for families with kids who like to build things. And while youre in the neighborhood, you could make it a triple play with a bonus stop at the nearby Museum of Making Music, where visitors have the chance to play musical instruments. Where: Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum, 3190 Lionshead Ave., Carlsbad; 95 miles south of downtown L.A. How much: Free. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Machine shop/engine room demos are at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Info: Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum Facebook

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Start the New Year right with a visit to Pasadenas Rose Parade By Chris Erskine Why: Like the Grand Canyon or the northern lights, the majestic Rose Parade needs to be seen in person to be really appreciated. On a bright SoCal morning, the colors, detail and craftsmanship come alive. And throughout December, there are some intriguing pre-parade opportunities for volunteers. What: One of L.A.s finest freebies, the Rose Parade steps off at 8 a.m. every New Years morning (unless the holiday falls on a Sunday, in which case it is bumped to Monday). We wont even bother describing it, since like the Wizard of Oz or a Super Bowl, everyone has probably seen it on TV. In person, though, the parades splendor, precision and pageantry make an early wake-up call worth it. Its almost a rite of passage for Southern Californians, some of whom spend the night along the parade route. The parade has more rules than the Vatican. Do not pass the blue Honor Line painted on the street.

No tents, sofas or boxes.

Unoccupied chairs are not allowed.

No roping off public areas. And thats pretty much just the main stuff. Heres a full list. But dont let them ruin your fun. The parade, after all, is one the best family-friendly events in the area, and theyre just protecting that. To be a part of it all, join in on the float building in the days and weeks before the parade, when the flowers are being supplied and volunteer help is needed. On parade day, get there before sunup to be sure of a place along the route. Tickets in the grandstands are another option. Be sure to dress in layers, because the temperatures will range from frosty to blistering as the day progresses. Heres a little insiders trick that you wont believe until you see it. If you wait till the 8 a.m. start time, the crowd will be in place on the route and there is virtually no traffic. Pay the $20 parking fee at a random gas station along Walnut and join the fun. You wont be in the first row, or maybe even the first 10. But the floats are so high, youll be able to see them well. About an hour into the two-hour parade, the crowds will begin to relax and spots open up for even better viewing. Its a wonderful experience, hassle-free, and a great way to kick off a New Year. Where: Pasadena, about 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles. How much: Free Info: Rose Parade Facebook

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Meander among 5 million lights at Riversides Mission Inn By Christopher Reynolds ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Why: The Mission Inn, which dates to the 1870s, stands in the middle of Riverside the way Bruce Springsteen stands in the middle of the E Street band. It fills a city block. And since the early 1990s, the hotel has been putting together an ever-more-lavish Festival of Lights. At last count, about 5 million lights. What: For six weeks at Christmastime, the landmark hotel switches on all those lights and invites visitors to stroll through the property, including a tunnel where faux snow falls. (This years festival runs Nov. 24 through Jan. 6.) The line to walk the property can get very long  and the traffic and parking situation in the blocks around the hotel can seem downright devilish. But most folks are in a good mood, and the festival includes live music, horse-drawn carriages, funnel cakes, Santa Claus photo ops and more. To see more lights and skip the line, book a dinner reservation at the Mission Inn Restaurant (one of several on the property) and you may land at a courtyard table, surrounded by Spanish Revival architecture thats more ornate (and with more Tuscan influence) than youll see at any of Californias 21 actual missions. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) And yes, theres a reason the decorations seem to be in motion: Besides lights, the halls and walls have also been festooned with about 200 angels, gnomes, polar bears, many of which move, in the same halting, semi-spooky way that Honest Abe moves in Disneylands Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Its a scene. And speaking of presidents, be sure to peek at the hotels Presidential Lounge and its portrait of Richard Nixon, who was a 27-year-old attorney when he married Pat Ryan at the hotel in 1940. (Theres also a tower, a rotunda, spa, all sorts of artworks and artifacts and a museum next door that traces the inns history through expansion, bankruptcy, renovations and resurgence.) Where: 3649 Mission Ave., Riverside, 55 miles east of downtown L.A. How much: Its free to walk the hotel property during the Festival of Lights. Dinner main dishes at the Mission Inn Restaurant run $15-$42. (I can recommend the Italian sausage pasta and the pan-seared salmon.) Rooms for two start as low as $199 in slow months (like January), $329 or more in December. Info: Mission Inn The inns Presidential Lounge. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Theres a gingerbread hotel in the inns lobby. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Facebook

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Peer into a writers head and a valleys soul in Salinas By Catharine Hamm Why: John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, Calif., a farming community that lacks the cachet of neighboring Carmel and Monterey. But, then, neither of those towns produced a man who went on to win a Pulitzer, a Nobel and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. To be in in Steinbecks hometown is to be reminded that, as fellow author F. Scott Fitzgerald said, genius is the ability to put into effect what is in your mind. What: Steinbecks birthplace home and the National Steinbeck Center tell the tale of the man whose Grapes of Wrath is often thought to be the Great American Novel. The community of his youth  he was born here in 1902  was this rich, rural farming area in the Salinas Valley, and his labors alongside migrant workers in the sugar beet fields of nearby Spreckels informed many of his works, including Of Mice and Men. He attended Stanford but never graduated, and he struggled to establish himself, but in 1935, his book Tortilla Flat finally put him in the public eye. His subsequent books included Cannery Row, Sea of Cortez and East of Eden and, of course, Grapes of Wrath, about which he wrote, It isnt the great book I hoped it would be. The story of the Joads, fleeing the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma and arriving in not-quite-as-billed California, won the Pulitzer in 1940. You can have lunch at the Steinbeck House, the Queen Anne style home where he grew up, then stroll the two blocks to the National Steinbeck Center, which somehow captures and conveys the challenges of his writing life. One of the central pieces of the center is Rocinante, the 1960 GMC camper pickup he drove on a 10,000-mile road trip as he scoured the country seeking its essence. The resulting book, Travels With Charley (Charley was his poodle), chronicles what Steinbeck saw as a country in sometimes uncomfortable motion. The center, which turns 20 in 2018, also does not shy away from the controversy that arose from the authors portrayal of farm workers lot in life in Grapes of Wrath. His books infuriated growers  some places banned them  and he turned his back on his hometown. But as if to prove you can go home again, Steinbeck, who died in 1968 in New York City at age 66, is buried in Salinas. Where: The Steinbeck House is at 132 Central Ave.; lunch is served 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; reservations at (831) 757-5806. The National Steinbeck Center is at 1 Main St., about 305 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. How much: $12.95 for adults; $9.95 for seniors, students, military, teachers and Monterey County residents; $6.95 for children 6-17; children 5 and younger admitted free. Info: National Steinbeck Center Facebook

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Treat yourself to Spago in Beverly Hills, and a possible tableside visit from the boss By Chris Erskine Why: Because Wolfgang Puck, who likes to work the dining room, might stop by and personally sprinkle lemon juice on your perfectly grilled fish. There, better? he asks. Of course it is. What: A meal at Spago is as L.A. as the Hollywood sign  and a tad tastier. The landmark restaurant is where Puck made great food fun again. Originally on Sunset and now in Beverly Hills, Spago is synonymous with creative, attentive and amazing dining. (Mariah Tauger / For The Times) (Mariah Tauger / For The Times) At the original Spago on the Sunset Strip, [Puck] created what later became known as casual fine dining, a movement that 35 years later still dominates the restaurant world, wrote Times restaurant reviewer Jonathan Gold. And thus, a nationwide food craze was born. For food lovers, the menu itself is an adventure. Portions are generous, and the service is perfectly timed. And though the dining room is packed and buzzy, you can have a conversation here, unlike so many restaurants these days. At lunch, the go-to standard is the house-cured smoked salmon pizza topped with dollops of caviar. Also pay attention to the veal wienerschnitzel, so tender you could cut it with your thumb. Grilled fish comes off the grill in that 10-second window when it is neither too swimmy nor too dry. Just dont forget the lemon. Where: 176 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, about 13 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. How much: How much you got? For most of us, this is a special occasion restaurant. Lunches for two start at around $100 and quickly reach $200. Dinners for two will run $150 and up, before wine or cocktails. Info: Spago (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times) (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Frolic amid mai tais, Spam and tiki culture at the Bali Hai on San Diego Bay By Irene Lechowitzky Why: Because two Bali Hais are better than one. Brush up on your Rodgers and Hammerstein (Bali Hai may call you / Any night, any day), then come away to this San Diego tiki icon, the Bali Hai restaurant. What: Tiki bars have been a Southern California phenomenon for generations, and San Diego  with its sunny days, palm trees, ocean views and strong Navy heritage  is a perfect fit for the kitschy fad, tiny umbrellas and all. Starting in the 1930s, faux-Polynesian themed bars and restaurants sprang up in the cross-border region from Tijuana to San Diego. The tiki scene started to dwindle in the 1960s, and despite a resurgence of sorts, most of the old cheeky palaces have faded away. But not Bali Hai. At age 63, its still proudly shaking its hula skirt, aided by a waterfront location, fun ambiance and, yes, seriously powerful mai tais. Ambiance first: As you approach the restaurant/bar, the first thing youll notice is The Goof on the roof, a playful tiki that stands guard over the domain below. At the front door, Mr. Bali Hai, a large wood sculpture, greets guests. Inside, there are about a hundred Polynesian artifacts on display, including masks, weapons and tools. The large bar and dining room have dark wood columns, a wood-beam ceiling and large windows with great bay and city views. The Pacific Rim-inspired menu features such items as Hawaiian tuna poke, chicken adobo steam buns, Spam carbonara, pork belly katsu and Chinese garlic noodles, and holdovers such as Huli Huli chicken and coconut shrimp. But for my money, the experience isnt complete without a rum-based cocktail. There are plenty to choose from, but my favorite is the World Famous Bali Hai Mai Tai, a potent drink that proudly has No Juice Added and mixes aged light and dark rums, Trader Vics orgeat syrup, a dash of Triple Sec and a splash of sweet and sour. Where: 2230 Shelter Island Dr., on Shelter Island, about 5 miles west of downtown San Diego, 120 miles southeast of downtown L.A. How much: Dinner main dishes from $19 to $30; Sunday brunch, $40. Classic cocktails are under $10. Info: Bali Hai restaurant San Diego Bay, from Shelter Island (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Facebook

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Celebrate at Lawrys in Beverly Hills, where thick slabs of prime rib are sliced right at your table By Jenn Harris (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times) Why: Since 1938, Lawrys the Prime Rib has been the place for indulgence and celebration. Its where people spend their birthdays, anniversaries, congrats-on-your-promotion dinners and holiday parties. And where football players competing in the Rose Bowl go for the Beef Bowl. What: Walking through the heavy gold doors is like walking into a time machine. Through the other side is a magical place where people still dress up, spotless glasses sparkle on crisp white tablecloths and the plush booths make you feel like the most important person in the world. The idea was to create a version of the English restaurant Simpsons in the Strand, where cuts of meat fit for a giant are served from trolleys. But Lawrys founders Lawrence Frank and brother-in-law Walter Van de Kamp (of the Van de Kamp bakery empire and Tam OShanter Inn) had grander plans for their restaurant, starting with the meat carts. (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times) Lawrence designed the stainless steel carving carts the restaurant is known for  the ones that glide through the dining room carrying Flintstones-sized cuts of meat  to be, well, impressive. And they are. As are the meat carvers, who don medals showing they are part of the Royal Order of Carvers (a title that requires six months of training). Each prime rib dinner comes with its own show of sorts: Servers wear the same style of brown gown uniforms they wore when the restaurant opened, and they pour dressing from up high into spinning metal bowls of salad tableside. When you order your prime rib, you do it directly from one of the shiny carts, and its sliced to order. There are smaller cuts of meat, but treat yourself to the Diamond Jim Brady (16 ounces), named for millionaire Jim Brady, who was known for eating massive amounts of food. All of the prime rib dinners come with the spinning salad, a scoop of mashed potatoes, a ladleful of gravy and a wedge of Yorkshire pudding. If you dont finish it all  you probably wont finish it all  ask for a doggie bag. The restaurant claims to have initiated the idea, along with valet parking. There are Lawrys the Prime Rib locations in Las Vegas, Chicago and Asia. The original in Beverly Hills is home to a comfortable lounge and excellent bar snacks. This is where you can order a martini kissed with prime rib-stuffed olives and find complimentary snacks that could easily replace your dinner appetizers. Arrive a little early for your reservation, grab a seat in one of the cushy lounge chairs, order a martini, then take turns filling your plate with cocktail meatballs and salty potato chips the size of drink coasters. Go for it. Indulging to your hearts content is encouraged. Where: 100 La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, located on Restaurant Row, about half a mile south of the Beverly Center, about 10 miles west of downtown L.A. How much: Prime rib dinners start at $41, and you can add a lobster tail for $15. Dessert and starters are extra. Drinks in the bar/lounge area are $13 to $17. The restaurant is busier on the weekends, and reservations are recommended. Info: Lawrys Facebook

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Read forbidden words and savor daring artists in Big Surs Henry Miller Library By Thomas Curwen (Thomas Curwen / Los Angeles Times) Why: If Big Sur is a temple to the beauty of the California coast, then the Henry Miller Memorial Library is one of its most endearing altars, a respite from the rigors of navigating the twists and turns of Highway 1 and rubber-necking the vertiginous coastline. Beneath stately redwoods is a quiet repository of wisdom, irreverence and charm. Its proprietors say that it is the place where nothing happens, and yet it is where everything seems to converge. What: Henry Valentine Miller came to Big Sur in the 1940s after nearly a decade in Paris. He was, by then, author of Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, which were banned as obscene in America until 1961. Naturally they sold well, and Miller soon became a hero of renegade literature, a model for William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. After Millers death in Pacific Palisades in 1980, a friend, Emil White, opened a memorial library that bore Millers name. With the help of the Big Sur Land Trust, the library has become a nonprofit cultural space, art gallery, performance space, bookshop and destination for artists, writers, musicians and students. Bust of Henry Miller. (Thomas Curwen/Los Angeles Times) The Henry Miller Memorial Library is a reminder of the pleasures afforded by a curated bookstore. It is a place to celebrate the macho and feminist, the consensual and the iconoclastic through the pages of its eclectic collection of books. Psychedelic cumbias from Peru or the twanging guitar of the Del Tones might be your accompaniment as you browse the tables set with Edward Abbey, Joseph Heller, William Faulkner, John Fante, David Foster Wallace, Jon Stewart, Robert Pirsig and William Least Heat Moon. Strings of paper money from around the world  offerings from international visitors  dangle from the ceiling. Posters celebrate the notable musical performances that have taken place outdoors, including Philip Glass and Patti Smith, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Arcade Fire. Outside, an upright piano falls to ruin off the path from the highway. A typewriter gathers rust on a tree stump, and an effigy made of extension cords is crucified on a cross of computer monitors. In other words, where nothing is sacred, everything is sacred. (Thomas Curwen / Los Angeles Times) Where: 48603 Highway 1 in Big Sur, which is 10 minutes south of Nepenthe, 10 minutes north of Deetjens Big Sur Inn. Also 290 miles northwest of downtown L.A., 152 miles south of downtown San Francisco. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays, closed Tuesdays. How much: Its free to browse. Donations eagerly accepted. Books for sale. Tickets prices vary for performances and programs. Info: Henry Miller Memorial Library Facebook

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Roam the San Luis Obispo canyon full of architectural daydreams and wandering horses By Christopher Reynolds Poly Canyon, San Luis Obispo. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Why: Architects usually keep their daydreams to themselves. But among these hills on the back side of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, some students have allowed their boldest notions to romp free. And horses romp with them. What: Cal Poly is routinely ranked among the nations top schools of architecture, and its students and professors started testing ideas in this canyon as early as the 1960s. Lately, theres a spring Design Village event (April 20-22 in 2018) that brings students out to test temporary structures and sometimes sleep in them. Luckily for the rest of us, those nine acres and the rest of the canyon are generally open to the public, including dogs and mountain bikes (on the dirt road). Its a hike of about 2.5 miles from campus to the farthest structure, but your mileage (and elevation gain) will depend on how tempted your are to probe the structures and stalk the horses. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) I wandered around on a December day when the hills were the color of straw, and at first I wasnt so happy about all the horse turds. But once the horses themselves showed up, that changed everything. They sidled up to a water tower, then struck heroic poses on the ridge line while I prowled around assorted unconventional houses and bridges, including a geodesic dome. Yes, there was some graffiti and vandalism, but many structures have been reconditioned in more recent years. (The university calls it an experimental construction laboratory.) Id call it a great spot for photo experimentation as well. There are about 20 projects, and plenty of tree shade in the lowlands along Brizzolara Creek. After a rain, Ill bet those grassy slopes light up neon green. Where: The Cal Poly campus is 195 miles northwest of downtown L.A. Enter the campus via Grand Avenue (and beware of dorm construction near the entrance). Follow the campus map to the corner of Village Drive and Poly Canyon Road, then walk northeast on Poly Canyon Road, which is a gate dirt rout that follows Brizzolara Creek. After about 3/4 of a mile, youll see a stone arch. Step through and the canyon will open before you. How much: On weekends, parking is free at lot H4 at Village Drive and Perimeter Road. On weekdays, its $5 for a parking pass at the checkpoint at the campus entrance. (I showed up on a weekday and parked at lot K-1.) Info: Cal Poly College of Architecture & Design, Hikespeaks trail description. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Step into the vast, strange spectacle of Kenny Irwins Robolights in Palm Springs By Christopher Reynolds ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Why: Youll never see another holiday display quite like it. And it sits on 4 acres in the middle of an upscale Palm Springs neighborhood. What: The Coachella Valley, with its 80-degree December days, is a quirky place to celebrate winter holidays to begin with. And the quirks multiply once you enter Palm Springs Movie Colony neighborhood and approach the Irwin house, about two blocks from the old Frank Sinatra Estate. Since at least 32 years ago, when he was 12, Kenny Irwin has been driven to create epic displays from cast-off items  dreamscapes that suggest robots, space aliens and more obscure spectacles that defy description. With his fathers support (and a corps of seasonal workers to handle logistics and crowd control), Irwins compulsion has grown into Robolights, a seasonal landmark that combines Santa Clauses, reindeer, sleighs and gingerbread houses with little green men, skulls, dolls, hybrid creatures, reclaimed consumer electronics, half-melted toys and at least one coffin. At Robolights there are no clear lines between Halloween, Christmas and science fiction. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) From Nov. 22 through Jan. 8, the scene is lighted by thousands of bulbs and visitors are ushered along a path that leads from the front yard through a forest of fantasy in the back, then out again. A thousand visitors in a night is not uncommon. On my visit in early December, Irwin was out and about, a soft-spoken man with a skullcap, caftan, long beard and gentle smile. (Did I mention that the artist converted to Islam many years ago?) Ill bet the hardware store totally loves him, I heard one visitor say. This is insane, said another. Many families pose for pictures amid the luminous chaos. Where: 1077 E. Granvia Valmonte, Palm Springs, 107 miles east of downtown L.A. But while the Robolights are lighted, the city bans nonresident parking on many streets nearby, so youll need to park a few blocks away. Try Ruth Hardy Park. And be careful as you walk  there isnt a lot of streetlight illumination in the neighborhood. How much: Free. But theres a receptacle for donations at the entrance. From 4 to 9:30 p.m. daily. Info: Robolights The Robolights yard includes a pond. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Worker Alex Sanchez checks bulbs at Robolights. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Get down, dawg, with a $15 beach yoga class in Santa Monica By Chris Erskine Why: Beach yoga is good for the bod, and the spirit, in ways that no cramped, sweaty studio can match. What: All sorts of beach yoga classes are held up and down the California coast, but few are as affordable and easy as Beach Yoga With Brad and Friends in Santa Monica. No reservations required. Just drop in with $15 and a beach towel (or a yoga mat if you prefer). Instructor/owner Brad Keimach is a Juilliard-trained classical music conductor who moonlights  or sunlights  with these yoga classes every Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 till noon. He also holds Wednesday sunset classes starting at 3:45 p.m. and lasting an hour. When the days are longer and the clocks change, he adds more weekday sunset classes. (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times) For almost 10 years, his beach-based classes have appealed to first-timers as well as advanced yoga buffs. They are held on the water side of Guard Tower 29, roughly on the border between Venice and Santa Monica. Paid parking is plentiful at the public lots at the end of Ocean Park or on Main Street. Like many yoga instructors, Keimach emphasizes breathing as well as the moves and poses. He also incorporates the setting, sending students to get their toes wet at one point for a bit of spiritual spritzing. The classes pass quickly, without pain, and without Keimach putting his hands all over the students (a too-common yoga studio experience). Looking out over the sparkly Pacific, his classes combine ocean breezes, a relaxing pace and Keimachs soothing instructions, at a venue where space is never an issue. Where: Lifeguard Tower 29, Santa Monica, 16 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. How much: $15 Info: Beach Yoga With Brad and Friends Facebook

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Shop with Victorians on San Franciscos Union Street By Christopher Reynolds Boulangerie de San Francisco, 1909 Union St. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Why: Sometimes you just want to shop in a strange city. Not in the middle of a grand scene like Union Square or the Ferry Building, but along a street that feels like a neighborhood just a bit beyond your means. With Victorian mansions here and there. Hello, Union Street. What: Union Street has had its great-shopping reputation since the 1950s. The eight-block stretch between Van Ness Avenue and Steiner Street, surrounded by the Marina and Cow Hollow residential neighborhoods, is the prime retail portion. Many of the shops (which tilt toward apparel and beauty products) and restaurants are housed in Victorian mansions that survived the quake of 1906. One even older mansion, the pale blue Octagon House at Gough and Union, went up in 1861 and has been preserved in its residential state by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (so it would be wrong to knock on the door and ask if this is the weed dispensary youve heard so much about). The society opens the house a few days a month for tours. Among the restaurants, I can vouch for the Belgian food and beer at Belga (on Union near Buchanon Street). But there are more than two dozen. And theres plenty to peruse at Chronicle Books (on Union between Octavia and Laguna streets). Where: The corner of Van Ness and Union is a good place to start. Its 1.5 miles northwest of Union Square, 383 miles northwest of downtown L.A. How much: Free to browse, of course. Oysters at Belga, $3 each. Median home price in Cow Hollow and the Marina: about $1.8 million. Info: Union Street Facebook

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Find yourself in a yogis seaside Encinitas gardens By Irene Lechowitzky Why: Where else can you spend an hour and feel like youve been on a soul-replenishing spiritual retreat? At the Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens in Encinitas, you can be fully present in the moment and get in touch with your inner yogi  and do it surrounded by gorgeous gardens on a bluff overlooking the ocean. What: The goal of the Meditation Gardens, part of a large complex at the southern end of downtown Encinitas dedicated to the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, is to inspire you to a greater realization of the Divine Presence that lies within. Walking up the stone steps into the lush, eclectic gardens imparts an instant feeling of serenity. There are koi ponds and many quiet nooks with benches where you can sit. At the top of the ocean bluff is a plaque that marks the location of the Golden Lotus Temple. The temple, built in 1937 to take advantage of the incredible views, only stood for five years before the ground gave way and it had to be dismantled. Wander past the old, empty swimming pool up the tree-shrouded path to the dry area featuring native plants and succulents overlooking the famed surf spot Swamis. (The beachs name was a nod to Yogananda.) Some visitors pray, others meditate. I like to watch the surfers below and imagine them praying for good waves. And dont miss the Hermitage at the opposite end of the gardens, where Yogananda spent many years writing and teaching. The Hermitage, preserved as a shrine, draws followers from around the world; it is open on the first and third Sundays of the month. It was moving to see the study where he wrote his most famous work, Autobiography of a Yogi, which has been translated into dozens of languages. Where: 215 W. K St., Encinitas, 100 miles southeast of downtown L.A. (Look for the three large golden lotus towers as you come down South Coast Highway 101.) How much: Free. Info: Self-Realization Fellowship Facebook

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Hoot and holler in UCLAs Pauley Pavilion, the hoop heaven that honors John Wooden By Chris Erskine (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times) Why: John Wooden was the Elvis of college basketball, a mythic, once-in-three-lifetimes figure. Pauley Pavilion was his Graceland. Along with Lambeau Field and Fenway Park, it belongs on any sports fans must-see list. What: Updated and comfortable, Pauley sits on the sweeping and shady UCLA campus in Westwood. It is one of the easiest L.A. sports venues to park near ($12) and navigate. Reopened in 2012 after a two-year renovation, the stadium now offers modern concessions, more room to roam and 1,000 more seats. Most significantly, it added a concourse, improving comfort and flow. Be ready for a lot of blue. After Dodger Stadium, this is L.A.s second blue heaven. (Photos by Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times) But youre here for the lore, in a place that has produced 38 All-Americans. Wooden started it all, taking over as head basketball coach at UCLA in 1948 and leading the Bruins to a record 10 national championships. Renowned for his disciplined, values-driven approach, he created a basketball dynasty that won seven straight championships in the late 60s and early 70s, including 98 successive victories at Pauley. Wooden, who died in 2010, is the first person to be inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a player and a coach. Though he resembled a gentleman banker more than a rock star, Woodens legacy lives on in the stadium he made famous. The corridors are lined with photos, timelines and a version of Woodens Pyramid of Success, a set of principles formed to help students and teams reach their potential. Where: Pauley Pavilion, on the UCLA campus, 15 miles west of downtown L.A. How much: Prices vary. Seats generally start at $8 for less-attractive games and $25 for popular ones. Info: UCLA Facebook

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Drive through In-N-Out Burgers flagship restaurant in Baldwin Park for a double-double, animal-style By Christopher Reynolds (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Why: For certain carnivorous Californians, a visit to this burger chain is like church, but with more calories. At the flagship In-N-Out location just south of the 10 Freeway in the eastern L.A. County suburb of Baldwin Park, of course you can drive through, as most customers do. But you could eat inside, then browse a company store, then (on the north side of the freeway) admire a non-functioning replica of chains first burger shack. What: Harry and Esther Snyder founded the first In-N-Out burger shack in 1948, which puts them among the first to try a drive-through restaurant. Now their granddaughter runs the company. To taste what the fuss is all about, order a double-double, animal-style  two beef patties cooked with mustard, two slices of cheese and a choice of hand-leafed lettuce and tomato, plus pickles, extra spread and grilled onions. Its the appeal of these burgers and fries (no heat lamps, freezers or microwaves) that has fueled the companys growth to more than 300 outlets. (But unlike its Southern California cousins McDonalds, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell and Wienerschnitzel, In-N-Out has never expanded beyond the American West.) (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Though the companys first home at San Francisquito and Garvey avenues has been leveled, the current restaurant is joined by not only a store (open 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays) but a regional distribution center, the two-story campus of In-N-Out University and the replica shack, which went up in 2014. (The online store does have wider inventory than the brick-and-mortar one, including socks and surfboards.) Where: 13850 Francisquito Ave., Baldwin Park. The company store is at 13800 Francisquito. The replica shack (free and open for selfies Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) is at 13752 Francisquito. The restaurant is 16 miles east of downtown L.A. How much: Double-double, animal-style, $4.27. Info: In-N-Out (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Facebook

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Light up your life at the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale By Catharine Hamm The Museum of Neon Art in Glendale showcases the once wildly popular light form. (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times) Why: Decorative and delightful, the works that light up our lives at Glendales Museum of Neon Art are part art and part science and all fascinating. What: In 2015, the museum moved from downtown Los Angeles, where it had lived since 1981, to Glendale and has been lighting up lives ever since. Pep Boys grace the entry. (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times) For this you can credit the founder of the feast, Georges Claude, a Parisian who invented the neon light in about 1910. L.A. became a hotbed of neon-ness, thanks to its desire to be the capital of the next big thing and its desire to look the part, beginning in the Roaring 20s. The neon at this museum, where exhibits change often enough to encourage repeat visits, is more amusing than unsavory. And as a reminder that nothing lasts forever, Manny, Moe & Jack (the Pep Boys) are not on permanent display, although the museum doesnt have any plans to move the fellows. Eve de Haans pink neon Love Dont Pay the Bills is part of the She Bends exhibit, featuring works by women neon artists. (Catharine Hamm/Los Angeles Times) Through Feb. 11, an exhibit called She Bends: Women in Neon, takes you inside a creative funhouse of the art form, some works based on words (Eve de Haans pink neon Love Dont Pay the Bills), some on objects (Michie Hongos faces on skateboard remnants). Where: 216 S. Brand Ave, Glendale, about eight miles north of downtown L.A. How much: Museum entrance is $10 for adults ($5 if you live in Glendale), $8 for those 65 and older, and free for those 12 and younger if accompanied by an adult. Info: Museum of Neon Art Facebook

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Forage with top chefs at the Santa Monica Farmers Market By Christopher Reynolds Wednesday morning, pluots and persimmons. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Why: Some of the states most accomplished farmers rise before dawn on Wednesday mornings and drive as much as 200 miles, just so they can set up and sell at this market. One reason: The Santa Monica Farmers Market draws some of Southern Californias most decorated (and discriminating) chefs. And the market venue happens to be a tomato toss away from the beach, a cucumber roll from the scores of shops and restaurants along the Third Street Promenade. What: About 75 farmers set up stalls along a few blocks of Arizona Avenue, which is closed to vehicles on market mornings. If youre coming by car, youll have to cope with nasty traffic and parking, even at 8:30 a.m., but once youre afoot, life is good. In late fall, youll likely find dates from Mecca, apples from Cuyama, persimmons from Fallbrook, pluots from Kingsbug, oranges from Ojai, mushrooms from La Habra Heights. Consider this a reminder that for all its glitz, California remains an agricultural powerhouse. And even if youre not going to bite into that persimmon, youll feel the sea breeze and hear the banjo player at Arizona and 2nd, or maybe the guitarist a block to the east. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) The market was born in 1981, and the stampede of kitchen professionals began soon after. Noting that close relationship between growers and chefs, Saveur magazine in 2016 labeled this L.A.s best farmers market. Still, its good to remember that other markets operate on Santa Monicas Main Street (Sundays) and in the citys Virginia Avenue Park (Saturdays). If youre farther east, or youd like more street musicians and more nonproduce merchants, theres the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ivar and Selma avenues. Where: The market happens on Wednesdays along Arizona Avenue, Santa Monica, between Ocean Avenue and 4th Street from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm. On Saturdays, a smaller version occupies Arizona Avenue between between 2nd and 4th streets from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The corner of Arizona Avenue and 4th Street is 17 miles west of downtown L.A. -- which could take an hour to drive, depending on the hour and day. How much: In late November, organic pitted Medjool dates from Mecca were $9.50 per pound. Granny Smith apples from Cuyama were $3 a pound. Fuyu persimmons from Fallbrook were $3.50 per pound. Valencia oranges from Ojai were $1 per pound. Info: Santa Monica Farmers Markets ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Facebook

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Drift in a balloon over northern San Diego County By Christopher Reynolds Aloft near Fairbanks Ranch. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Why: Heres your chance to climb into a wicker basket and rise 3,000 feet above Fairbanks Ranch, to stand just below a fire-belching burner (which makes your balloon rise), to see sunset from high up, and maybe even to throw shade onto one of Bill Gatess houses. What: A balloon ride is a 19th century sort of thrill, and as Californias open spaces get filled in, ballooning options are decreasing. The Napa and Temecula vineyard areas still feature plenty of balloons (which usually launch in early morning, when winds are calmer and temperatures are lower). The Palm Springs and Santa Barbara wine country areas have some too. But balloons are a rare sight along the California coast, so I grabbed a chance to soar above northern San Diego County. Though balloon pilots strive to keep their aircraft above land, the views from on high include miles of ocean and the red tile roofs of countless Mediterranean-style mansions. Rides typically last 45 to 60 minutes (depending on which way the wind blows), pilots are permitted by the Federal Aviation Administration, and its traditional to celebrate afterward with a glass of Champagne. In northern San Diego, its often a sunset operation flown by a team that started their day with a flight in Temecula. My ride in late November, operated by Compass Balloons, featured seven passengers and a pilot. (Minimum age: 5.) We launched near the Vegetable Shop at Chino Farm, (which sells produce to some of the regions most admired restaurants). We inflated, climbed aboard, drifted over the Morgan Run golf course, and gazed down on Fairbanks Ranch, Rancho Santa Fe, Black Mountain and Carmel Valley. As our round shadow crept across fields, hills and exclusive neighborhoods, pilot Matt Downing pointed out one of Bill Gates houses and another that once belonged to philanthropist Joan Kroc. We touched down smoothly about 3 1/2 miles east of where we took off. Im glad I did it when I did. Compass Balloons owner Evan Munnelly warns that flights in this area may cease within a year because take-off and landing spaces in the area are vanishing so rapidly. Where: Though several companies, including Compass, Skys the Limit and California Dreamin, mention Del Mar in promoting their balloon flights, the vessels usually take off and land farther inland. For my Compass Balloons flight, we met in an Encinitas park-and-ride lot (1969 Villa Cardiff Drive, Encinitas), then the crew drove us to the launch spot. Our meeting spot was 97 miles southeast of downtown L.A., 24 miles north of downtown San Diego. How much: A shared ride (with other passengers in a basket that typically holds eight to 10 people) typically costs $150 to $300 per person. Info: Besides the San Diego companies above, many balloon companies operate in Napa Valley, Temecula and around Palm Springs. . Facebook

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Drink dessert over an ocean view at La Jollas La Valencia Hotel By Christopher Reynolds Terrace, the Med, La Valencia. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Why: Life can be seriously sweet at this hotel, which was built in 1926 with a big La Jolla Cove view and anchors a neighborhood of ultra-spendy shops and glitzy galleries. Since the days when Gregory Peck hosted other La Jolla Playhouse luminaries in the hotels Whaling Bar, La V (as many locals know the place) has offered a frothy concoction known as a Whaler. Picture a milkshake, enlivened by Kahlua, brandy, coffee, whipped cream and various mystery ingredients. What: The 114-room hotel has long been known for its pink paint job and Spanish Mediterranean style. In the course of ownership changes, expansions and renovations, the Whaling Bar has slipped away. But its frothy legacy remains. Grab one of the 15 or so tables on the terrace of the hotels signature restaurant, The Med, order a Whaler for dessert, and dont plan on operating any heavy machinery for some hours. (If you think you see a Kardashian, it may not be a hallucination; members of the family have been dropping by for years.) Where: 1132 Prospect St., La Jolla, 112 miles southeast of downtown L.A., 14 miles northwest of downtown San Diego. How much: A Whaler costs $14. Main dishes in The Med are priced at $15 to $24. (I can vouch for the snapper ceviche.) Rooms for two typically rent for $289 and up. Info: La Valencia Hotel The Whaler (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Facebook

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Find deep-fried pleasure at a roadside farm stand near Palmdale By Jenn Harris (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times) Why: Maybe youve finished a hike through the Devils Punchbowl and youre hungry. Or youre looking for unexpected holiday gifts. Or youve been hit by a craving for deep-fried fair food and its not fair season. For all these reasons and more, seekers like you end up at Charlie Brown Farms near Palmdale, where all your snack/drunk food fantasies, and your dreams of owning life-size replicas of the Blues Brothers, collide and come true. What: What started as a fruit stand in 1929 is now a six-acre hodgepodge of stores, a restaurant and a snack shop. The main building is a hokey cabin with advertisements for the various tchotchkes and snacks inside. From the road, its impossible to miss with signs that scream collectibles, funnel cake, smoothies, jerky, Dole whip. And just off the side of the building, an enclosed area with dinosaur statues. You may get whiplash trying to take it all in. (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times) Once through the front door you experience sensory overload. Directly in front of you is a rack of jerky (the store boasts more than 60 kinds, including elk and ostrich). To the right is a counter where you can order milkshakes, fried candy bars, Texas-style barbecue, funnel cakes, ice cream and a host of other foods any decent doctor would advise you stay away from. To the left, packaged nuts, candy, a room where you can fill your own honey jar, a room devoted to pickles, a room devoted to soda, a fudge counter, and all that food is mixed in with things like raccoon figurines and coffee mugs. This is also where you can find raw frog legs for that stew recipe youve been dying to try. And alligator meat too. But past the fudge counter is where things really start to get weird. There are rooms completely lined with dolls from all over the world. A little creepy, but if youre in need of a doll (seriously, any doll), this is the place to find it. The life-size Blues Brothers statues I mentioned earlier? Theyre on the way to the doll rooms. Out back is a patio with tables and chairs, where you can break open that package of elk jerky or come down from that sugar rush of deep-fried Oreos. You could wander around this place for hours and not see everything. But its sure fun to try. Where: 8317 Pearblossom Highway, Littlerock, a 17-minute drive from downtown Palmdale and about 65 miles northeast of downtown L.A. How much: Depends on what youre in the mood for. Barbecue plates start around $11.50, the deep fried Oreos and Snickers are around $4 for each order, the jerky is around $8 a bag depending on the size, and the knick-knacks will range in price. If youre not a fan of lots of people in tight spaces, plan accordingly. Info: Charlie Brown Farms Facebook

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Soak in the view of Californias Grand Canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park By Elisa Parhad Why: Perched at the end of the rising desert floor, Fonts Point gives

onlookers a majestic view of Californias badlands, several hundred

feet below. Though far flung, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is an expansive feast of nature well worth the time it takes to get there. What: Fonts Point is part of a remote and sculptural landscape that was millions of years in the making. The vistas ridge yields to a maze of sinuous channels, razorback ridges and sandy, sun-baked hills. Bring a chair, a picnic and perhaps some friends. The scene is best at sunrise and sunset when the rock formations glow with honey-dipped hues. Even better is a visit during a full moon. The accumulation of photographers at these times is a testament to the spectacle. The brackish waters of the Colorado River and the Gulf of California

converged here long ago, making the area a dumping ground for

sediment. Today, the windswept and eroded rock is flush with the

fossils of animals and marine life that inhabited this once verdant

terrain. Four miles of soft dirt road leads up to Fonts Point, so check the

road conditions before your departure. Depending on the roads status,

a high clearance or 4WD vehicle may be necessary. Closer to the park visitor center, the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail is a popular 3-mile round trip that begins with a trailhead at the end of the main campground road. Where: In the heart of the Borrego Badlands, outside of Borrego

Springs, 168 miles southeast of downtown L.A. How much: Free until recently. On Nov. 3, the state parks system started collecting a day-use fee of $10 per vehicle on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays at the Anza-Borrego visitor center. Info: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Facebook

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Rent a Duffy for a glittery tour of Newport Harbor By Chris Erskine (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times) Why: Newport Bay seems made of glitter. Rental boats are plentiful and the harbor is easy to navigate and full of nautical eye candy. Board an electric boat and take a breezy tour. What: Newport Beach is the Beverly Hills of Orange County. The setting for multiple TV shows, it represents much of the California dream  giant homes and sensational yachts. The harbor, home to 9,000 vessels, is a recreational wonderland. The Duffy, a popular brand of rental boats, is an excellent way to see it all. Available at a half dozen rental places around the harbor, the slow-moving vessels are as easy to operate as a golf cart. (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times) (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times) A popular route is around Lido Island, the thumb-shaped isle on the western side of the harbor, where the bridge leaves plenty of space. Note that many of the bridges surrounding neighboring Balboa Island are too low to accommodate the surrey-topped electric boats. A lap around Lido takes about an hour, a typical rental period. Or, head east past the Fun Zone on Balboa Peninsula, past Balboa Island and toward the mouth of the harbor. Youll be warned not to go near the outlet, since the electric boats arent built to handle bigger waves. Pontoons, kayaks, paddle boards and powerboats are also available at rental locations around the harbor. Boat Rentals of America, on the peninsula near the Fun Zone, offers walk-up rentals, but recommends reservations for weekends, no matter the time of year. Where: Newport Beach is in Orange County, 46 miles, or 90 minutes, from downtown L.A. How much: Duffy electric boats that accommodate up to eight passengers rent for about $85 an hour. Info: Boat Rentals of America or Newport Beach Boat Rentals Facebook

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Connect with artisans (and beer) at Crafted, a makers market in a San Pedro port warehouse By Christopher Reynolds (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Why: Its a vintage warehouse down by the port, full of artists, designers and makers, neighbored by a craft brewery. And youre not done with your holiday shopping yet. What: Crafted was born five years ago, as the maker movement began to bloom nationwide. Its open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and the first Thursday night of every month in the L.A. Ports Warehouse 10, built in the 1940s. When I stopped by in mid-September, there were about 50 vendors in place, hawking iPhone photo prints, snacks, sculptures, succulents, textiles, vintage reconditioned furniture, soap, you name it. Outside, the San Pedro Festival of the Artists was in full swing-- one of many special events that use picnic tables and patio space between the old warehouses. Pop Kustom Shoppe, Crafted. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Since 2016, the artisans have been joined by Brouwerij West, a craft beer operation and tasting room that fills about half of Warehouse 9. On weekends, theres usually a food truck (or two or three) on hand, and often live music. Coming eventually: a food hall in the other half of Warehouse 9. Where: Warehouse No.10, 112 E. 22nd St., San Pedro, 26 miles south of downtown L.A. How much: Parking and admission are free. Info: Crafted Brouwerij West. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Salute General Grant (the tree) in Kings Canyon National Park By Mary Forgione Why: Any way you look at it, General Grant stands tall. First of all, its a massive sequoia, one of the largest living things in California. Moreover, the White House has named this the nations Christmas tree. What: General Grant is 268 feet high, the base of its trunk is 107 feet around. In 1925, Central Valley resident Charles E. Lee (an officer of the Sanger Chamber of Commerce) asked President Coolidge to have this giant sequoia in the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon designated the national Christmas tree. In 1926 the president complied. Ever since, the Sanger Chamber has staged an annual Trek to the Tree, drawing hundreds of people each year for a winter program that typically includes songs and prayers. No tinsel, no lights. Just the tree as it has stood for about 2,000 years, and a wreath contributed by park rangers. This years event will be Sunday, Dec. 10, at the base of the tree. and its a free admission day in the park. For reservations or information on shuttle buses to the site, contact the Sanger Chamber of Commerce by phone at (559) 875-4575 or by e-mail at sangerchamber@gmail.com. Whether you reach General Grant in holiday season or not, you can impress the other tree-lovers by pointing out that in 1956, Congress gave General Grant another distinction, naming it the nations only living national shrine in honor of the men and women of the Armed Forces. And if you really love the idea of big trees with high ranks, make a bonus stop at the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park. Its bigger, about 275 feet high. In fact, it might be the worlds largest living thing, depending on how you quantify coral reefs, fungus networks and redwoods. Where: General Grant stands along a 0.8-mile paved loop trail from the General Grant Grove parking lot in Kings Canyon National Park. The grove is 245 miles north of downtown L.A. And its more than 6,000 feet above sea level, so snow is common in winter. Be sure to check weather and road conditions before driving into the area. How much: Admission to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks (which operator jointly, as if they were single unit) is $30 per car for up to seven days. Info: Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks Facebook

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Ski in the morning in the San Bernardino Mountains, surf in the evening, using these slopes as your launch point By Chris Erskine Snow Summit (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Why: SoCal offers the chance to ski and surf on the same day. This would be the snowy part of such a mountains-to-the-beaches day. What: Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are two slices of the same cake. Two miles apart, the sister resorts are the crown jewels of the town of Big Bear, a couple of hours from the bustle of the big city. Big Bear is three hours away from downtown Los Angeles, and a world apart from the strip malls and gas stations that muck up much of Southern California. Spring, summer or fall, this alpine lake resort town offers plenty of activities, including boating, hiking and zip-lining. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) But in winter, its twin ski resorts really come alive. If you think of Southern California as all palm trees and bikinis, visit Big Bear after a winter storm, when the place is buried in several feet of snow and looks like a Christmas card. In what they offer, the two resorts are very similar, though Summit has the better terrain park. Lift tickets are good for both resorts, and buses run between the two resorts all day. Combined, the resorts offer 27 lifts and four high-speed chairs serving almost 60 runs. The resorts are just a few minutes from the village, where restaurants, shops and a movie theater await visitors. The resorts have begun making snow and opened Dec. 8. As with all mountain visits, note that conditions can change quickly, and chains are usually required on the twisty roads during any significant snow fall. Where: Big Bear Lake is in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County. It is 97 miles east of Los Angeles. How much: Advance purchase lift tickets start around $75. Info: Big Bear Mountain Resorts Facebook

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See the Klamath River flow into the Pacific from this dramatic overlook in Redwood National Park By Christopher Reynolds (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Why: Rugged coast. Big sand spit. Half-forgotten road. Blufftop perch. Despite all these assets, this dramatic corner of Northern California doesnt get that many visitors. So youll probably have it to yourself. What: Your gateway to the Klamath River Overlook is Requa, a hamlet -- the memory of a town, really -- along the Highway 101 south of Crescent City in Del Norte County. Its main landmark is the Historic Requa Inn, a rustic riverside lodging and restaurant that dates to 1914. If you can work out a way to eat dinner and spend a night there, do it. But dont stop there. Continue west 1.5 miles (no RVs!) on ramshackle Requa Road (which becomes Patrick J. Murphy Memorial Road on some maps) until theres no more road, and no more land. That will put you at the Klamath River Overlook. Drink it in. And if its May or June, scan the ocean for gray whales. Rangers say they often linger to feed in the waters spilling from river to sea This bluff is part of Redwood National and State Parks and it includes a modest picnic area. Theres a steep Lower Overlook Trail that will take you about a quarter-mile down the slope, exposing further views. Theres also a Coastal Trail to the north -- follow it for 2.7 miles and youll reach Hidden Beach. But the wide view from the picnic tables may well be plenty for you. Theres something mesmerizing about it -- maybe its the moving water. Theres also a good chance of a stiff, cold breeze or fog, just about any time. Bring layers. Where: Klamath River Overlook, 61 miles north of Arcata, 339 miles north of San Francisco, 713 miles northwest of downtown L.A. How much: No entry fee. Info: Redwood National and State Parks (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Pile the kids in the car, head to Riverside and catch a drive-in movie while you still can By Chris Erskine The entrance at the Van Buren Drive-In. (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times) Why: What could be more of a California experience than a Hollywood double-feature viewed from the comfort of your car? What: In the 1950s, drive-in movies were a staple of American pop culture. These days, they are a novelty. One of the last remaining hot spots lives on at the Van Buren Drive-In in Riverside. Put the kids in their PJs and pack up the lawn chairs for a fine family getaway at the Van Buren. Opened in 1964 on the site of former orange groves, the three-screen drive-in remains a vibrant local hangout at half the price of your local multiplex. You can even bring your own food. On weekends, arrive 45 minutes before show time to ensure a decent spot, especially if youre going to sit outside in your lawn chairs. By showtime, the three lots serving the three screens resemble tailgate parties, with families wrapped in blankets and settled in for a double feature. (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times) SUVs or pickups often pull in with the tail hatch facing the screen, so kids with blankets or sleeping bags can turn the experience into a slumber party. Theres the traditional snack bar, and prices are fair, at least by movie theater standards. But waits can be 20 to 30 minutes on weekends. Check here for express pickup. Keep in mind that youre experiencing a rare phenomenon these days. Once numbering 4,000 across the country, drive-ins are now down to 400 or so. Catch one while you can  not just for the sense of nostalgia, but for a memorable evening at a very fair price. Where: 3035 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside, 55 miles southeast of downtown L.A. Plan on a drive of 90 minutes to two hours in evening traffic. How much: Admission is $9 per person; children ages 5 to 9, $1. Major credit cards and debit cards accepted. Open seven days a week. No pets. Info: Van Buren Drive-In Theatre Facebook

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Taste-test the Thomas Keller restaurant empire in Yountville, Napa Valley By Christopher Reynolds Chocolate tart, Ad Hoc, Yountville (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Why: Yountville is a sleepy, genteel little town in the heart of Napa Valley, population about 3,000. And Thomas Keller, one of this nations most admired chefs, has three restaurants in Yountville, on the same street. Or four. Or five, depending on how you count. What: Keller, raised and trained in Florida and New York and renowned for his high standards, has also cooked in acclaimed kitchens in France and Los Angeles, and he has operations in New York and Las Vegas as well. (His Bouchon in Beverly Hills is scheduled to close Dec. 31.) But since he opened the French Laundry in 1994, Yountville has been the seat of his California empire. With three Michelin stars and a nine-course chefs menu, The French Laundry may be the most celebrated restaurant in the state, and its surely one of the priciest. Ad Hoc, Yountville (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) But the chef has give us options. Bouchon opened in 1998, offering French bistro fare. The Bouchon Bakery followed in 2003. In 2006 came Ad Hoc, devoted to American comfort food in a casual setting. (Its humble-brag slogan: for temporary relief from hunger.) Ad Hocs menu changes daily to take advantage of fresh ingredients, but its all built around the chefs choice for a four-course family-style meal, which includes favorites like pot roast and barbecue. I came before 6 p.m. on buttermilk fried chicken night (a Monday), and found myself in a happily clamorous dining room, surrounded by families, confronting more food than I could eat. (I enjoyed the casual feeling, and I liked the chicken well enough. But I actually enjoyed the salad and cheese courses more  livelier flavors.) Bouchon Bakery, Yountville ( Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Either before or after eating in Yountville, stroll Washington Street. At 6640 youll find the French Laundry, fronted by an unassuming, two-story, stone-walled building with minimalist kitchen addition and its gardens across the street. You can even peek through the kitchen window, a long slit that reveals the team laboring fiercely over that evenings dishes. Next, at 6534 Washington, you pause by Bouchon (French bistro fare) and the yellow awning of Bouchon Bakery (6528 Washington), whose snacks are the most affordable way to sample Kellers empire. A few blocks farther south at 6476 Washington, you reach Ad Hoc, which has nine seats at the bar in addition to its many tables (open Thursday through Monday). And behind Ad Hoc, neighbored by picnic tables, is Addendum, an auxiliary space that serves box lunches to go on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Where: Ad Hoc, 6476 Washington St., Yountville, Ca., 55 miles north of San Franciscos Ferry Building, 411 miles northwest of downtown L.A. How much: The nine-course dinner at the French Laundry: $310-$325 each. The four-course dinner at Ad Hoc: $55.A box lunch from Ad Hoc Addendum: $16.50. Info: Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, Yountville Chamber of Commerce The French Laundrys kitchen window ( Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Facebook

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Storm a Tuscan castle in Napa Valley By Christopher Reynolds ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Why: Napa Valley has close to 500 wineries. Castello di Amorosa is the only one housed in a 107-room castle that was built in accordance with 13th century Tuscan aspirations. What: Owner/designer Dario Sattui completed this spectacle, a 15-year project, in 2007. Besides its five towers and the barrel-vaulted retail and tasting area (which never seems to end), its got a great hall and chapel, each with evocative murals. Theres said to be a torture chamber below. Depending on your mood, you might expect a Da Vinci Code villain to round a corner at any moment, or Orson Welles in mid-soliloquy. Or one of the Monty Python guys, clopping coconuts together. Not surprisingly -- given the Tuscan blueprint of the place -- the Castello di Amorosa wines are made in the Italian style. The winery suffered no damage in the wine country fires of October. Where: 4045 St. Helena Hwy., Calistoga, Calif., 70 miles north of San Franciscos Ferry Buidling, 425 miles northwest of L.A. City Hall. How much: Adult admission (which includes wine-tasting) begins at $25. For children the rate is $15-$20 (and theres grape juice to taste). Tours (which include rooms you cant reach just wandering around) cost $40-$95. Info: Castello di Amorosa ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Facebook

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Soak in Calistoga spring water By Christopher Reynolds Fountain, Indian Springs, Calistoga (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Why: Calistoga is the answer to the question of what to do in the Napa Valley when youve had enough wine. Its a little, old resort town full of hot springs, so between wine-tasting excursions (and maybe the occasional bike ride) you can float listlessly in a steaming pool, untroubled by the faint scent of sulfur because you can feel the stress evaporating from your body. What: Samuel Brannan, a brash, controversial figure who became one of Californias first millionaires in the Gold Rush, founded Calistoga in the 1860s, counting on the areas springs to draw tourists from San Fancisco. (In fact, he built a rail route from Vallejo to Calistoga, and the current Napa Valley Wine Train rolls on the Napa-St. Helena portion of that old route.) It was a clever impulse. The town (population: about 5,300) lives on as a resort escape, with hideaways like Calistoga Ranch, Dr. Wilkinsons and Indian Springs (perhaps the oldest continuously operating pool and spa facility in the state) all relying heavily on their hot springs. Though the Napa/Sonoma wildfires of October drew near, they never reached the town of Calistoga, and it remains handsome as ever. In early November, I spent a night and stepped from the chilly morning air into the Olympic-sized, 102-degree, steam-cloaked pool at the 17-acre Indian Springs resort. It was pleasant. In 2015, the resort added a restaurant (Sams Social Club, which has fascinating, colorful mural over the counter) and grew from about 40 rooms to 115. Many of the interiors still have that just-upgraded, ready-for-the-magazine-photographer look. Where: Indian Springs, 1712 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga, 73 miles north of San Franciscos Ferry Building, 427 miles northwest of downtown L.A. How much: In winter, Indian Springs rooms for two usually start at about $239 per night. Info: Visit Calistoga, Indian Springs The main pool, Indian Springs, Calistoga (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Board the Napa Valley Wine Train, recall discord and disaster, then roll in splendor past miles of vineyards By Christopher Reynolds (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Why: If youre going to fully appreciate this valley and its globally admired vineyards, its better that youre not driving. And on the Napa Valley Wine Train, you have the chance to dine in style while the miles and wineries roll past. What: The train covers about 18 miles, running north alongside Highway 29 from the city of Napa through Yountville and Oakville to St. Helena. Along the way, depending on what you sign up for, you may stop to taste at one to three wineries, eat a three-course meal on board, and be back where you started in three to six hours. Its expensive but so very comfortable. And its got complicated history. The rail route, first laid in the 1860s, had fallen idle by the 1980s. To get the new wine train rolling in 1989, its owners had to outmaneuver many Napa locals who feared a tourist invasion would ruin the affluent communitys character. Skip forward now to 2015, when the trains management drew a storm of criticism for ejecting a group of guests, mostly African American, who were accused of being too loud. The view from the train, near Yountville, in early November. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) In late 2015, new owners took over the train. Then wildfires flared in October. They missed the train track, Highway 29 and the wineries along the route, but killed at least 41 people and destroyed thousands of homes and scores of businesses in Napa and Sonoma counties. By the time I showed up in early November, almost none of the damage was visible from the train. Napa was still in the early stages of recovery and the train was about half-full  unusual for the time of year. As for my journey, it was a sunny day, the countryside was gorgeous, the meal pleasant. The distant, fire-blackened hills to the east were barely discernible beyond the green and red vineyard rows, the shade trees and the nearby slopes. Where: McKinstry Street Station, 1275 McKinstry St., Napa, 46 miles north of San Francisco, 402 miles northwest of downtown L.A. How much: Most day trips run $206-$329 per person, which includes lunch and wine-tasting. Info: Napa Valley Wine Train (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Taste China (Live) in San Francisco By Christopher Reynolds Dim sum counter, Market Restaurant, China Live. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Why: Nobody likes to say so, but a lot of San Franciscos Chinatown looks tired these days. And many of the areas best Chinese restaurants are scattered among the outer suburbs where so many affluent Chinese American families live. So its a happy surprise to see China Live bring new energy and higher style to the neighborhood with a combination of design-intensive eating and shopping options. Its mission: to demystify Chinese ingredients and recipes while educating guests on the rich history and influence. What: China Live opened in March 2017, near the frontier between Chinatown and North Beach. The main downstairs space, the Market Restaurant and Bar, is full of long wood tables under a semi-raw concrete ceiling. Picture an Apple Store with steaming, edible merchandise, neighbored by open cooking areas, beckoning counters, a bar and adjacent retail rooms stocked with artisan teas, kitchen tools, condiments, shapely candles, jewelry and such. The restaurants menu is mostly based on sharing small dishes, so you might wind up with a medley dinner of fire-roasted sweet white corn, Dungenes crab spring rolls and Sheng Jian Bao (SJB) pan-fried pork dumplings. Market Restaurant, China Live. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Near the entrance is the casual Oolong Cafe. Upstairs waits a more exclusive restaurant offering private, pricey dining in elegant rooms befitting a royal in hiding. Its called Eight Tables by George Chen (dinner only; tasting menu: $225). There are also a pair of bars upstairs, including the Gold Mountain Lounge and one called Cold Drinks -- one of those hip hideaways that seeks to be popular by maintaining quasi-secrecy. Where: 644 Broadway, San Francisco, 380 miles northwest of downtown L.A.. How much: Together, the three dishes above cost about $40. Most cocktails $13-$15. Info: China Live ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Facebook

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See, sniff and taste Napa Valleys bounty at the Oxbow Public Market By Christopher Reynolds A 1,033-pound pumpkin on display at Oxbow Public Market in Napa. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Why: This market and food hall, set above a fetching bend in the Napa River, is a short stroll from downtown Napa, a block from the headquarters of the popular Napa Valley Wine Train, a block from the COPIA center for wine and food education. Much smaller than San Franciscos food-centric Ferry Building but placed near the starting point of many popular Napa adventures, this foodie acre (about two-thirds the size of a football field) is a point of convergence for locals and tourists and a one-stop reminder that this wine country does more than make wine. What: The Oxbow Public Market opened in 2007, just in time to suffer from a national recession, the closure of COPIA (since rethought and reopened by the Culinary Institute of America) and construction-related disruptions of local traffic. Now those troubles are in the rear-view mirror, and a stroll around the marketplace introduces you to plenty of wine products but also duck tacos (at C Casa); American comfort food (Gotts Roadside); local seafood (Hog Island Oyster Co.); and assorted local fruits and vegetables (Hudson Greens & Goods). On my early November visit, Hudson was showing off a 1,033-pound pumpkin. There were also plenty of signs thanking the first-responders for their work fighting that regions wildfires in October. (Though many homes and about two dozen wineries were lost or damaged in those fires, the vast majority of the areas 500 wineries had reopened by Nov. 8.) Besides browsing at the market, you can also rent a bike at the automatic Spinway stand just outside and pedal seven miles along the Napa River to Kennedy Park and back; or just toodle down 1st Street in downtown Napa, where the new, 183-room Archer Hotel is expected to open in December. Where: 610-644 1st St., Napa, 46 miles north of the San Francisco Ferry building, 401 miles northwest of downtown L.A. How much: C Casa tacos run $4.75-$9. Spinway bike rentals start at $9 per hour. Info: Oxbow Public Market Oxbow Public Market, Napa. ( Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times ) Facebook

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Read the walls on Angel Island, the West Coast Ellis Island where Asian immigrants waited and waited from 1910 to 1940 By Christopher Reynolds State parks interpreter Casey Dexter-Lee in the Immigration Station museum on Angel Island. ( Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times ) Why: Its a handsome, green island in San Francisco Bay, popular with sailors, cyclists and hikers, just south of high-toned Tiburon. And from 1910 through 1940, it was something like a western Ellis Island, processing about half a million immigrants, including most of the 175,000 Chinese immigrants who arrived during those years. But those were not happy years. 
To enter Mohammed Umars mosquito-infested house, you step over a gutter brimming with sewage.

At dusk two wives and 13 children are crammed in a small dark corridor with no ceiling. Charcoal smoke permeates the air and stings the eyes. The latest baby, Adam, 2 weeks old, moans restlessly; another child coughs incessantly and the call to prayer rings out from a nearby mosque.

Umar is a humble bricklayer in a city with few jobs  but he has four wives, two homes he rents to accommodate them and 17 threadbare children. They spend their long days hungry, waiting for him to bring home a small pocket of money for food.

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Umar leaves his small cinder-block house in northwestern Nigerias Kano city at dawn and returns late at night, often with just a couple of dollars to feed his family. Then he starts over. He has borrowed for survival, is sinking in debt and, with no money for rent, faces likely eviction.

Even when I get a job, the moneys not enough to support the family, he says. Every time I go to sleep, the thought of the debt comes into my mind, and I cant get back to sleep. When the children get sick, there is no money for medicine.

A 2-month-old daughter, Hauwau, died in 2015 because he couldnt pay a few coins to transport her to a hospital. Struggling to breathe, she slipped away one night.

I have her picture in my cellphone. Ive been trying to overcome the grief, says Umar.

His life is an illustration of what can go wrong in regions where a lack of education intersects with gender inequality and high fertility rates. He is at the sharp end of northwestern Nigerias dire health and population statistics: extremely high illiteracy, especially for women and girls; huge families; high rates of infant mortality and heartbreaking rates of chronic or acute malnutrition in children.

Umars inability to feed his wives and children adequately could taint them for the rest of their lives.

Nigerian bricklayer Mohammed Umar can barely afford to provide for his four wives and 17 children. He rises each dawn to search for work and toils until late at night, but there is never enough food. (Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times )

Nearly 80% of children in Kano are stunted, the result of persistent, ongoing malnutrition, which will affect their brain development, learning capacity and, ultimately, the jobs they will have, and leave them more likely to suffer poverty for decades to come. Its the product of a hidden crisis of chronic malnutrition in northwestern Nigeria that receives less attention than the famine and acute malnutrition afflicting the northeastern part of the country.

How well-fed a child is in the first three years of life is particularly crucial to his or her future, according to a study by Save the Children that found 38% of children in the least developed countries were stunted. They will earn on average 20% less as adults than those who were not similarly afflicted in childhood, it found. With 159 million children stunted worldwide, the cost to the global economy could be $125 billion by 2030.

Umar has no formal education, and only one of his wives went to school. He kept taking wives, and the children kept coming. Like many northern Nigerians, he is fatalistic about his decision to keep on marrying and having children.

I never thought it would be such a burden for me, he sighs, looking ahead numbly. You cant escape fate. What will happen, will happen. Its divine destiny.

People are pushed by passion, just this natural urge, this instinct, he says.

Mohammed Umars third wife, Jamila Idris, wanted to tell him not to take another wife, knowing he would not be able to feed all the children. But there was no way for me to advise him because that would be misconstrued as jealousy. (Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times )

As a boy, his father, a farmer, sent him to an informal Koranic boarding school. The boys there were forced to spend their days begging, whipped by the school cleric if they failed to collect enough. He talked a neighboring bricklayer into letting him learn the trade and by 22 he took his first wife, a cousin, Mainuna Shuaibu, who was 14 at the time and never went to school. Just over a year later, she gave birth to their first son, now 17.

She was illiterate, terrified and homesick, but marrying at that age was normal for girls, she said. If Id have married later, I would have been considered a spinster.

Seven years later, Umar upset her by taking a local neighborhood girl, Maryam Adam, then 15, as his second wife. Two years later he angered the first two by marrying a local widow, Jamila Idris. All three despaired when two years later he met another woman, Aisha Samaila, and married her too. Even now, he laughs off their concerns as typical female jealousy.

In male-dominated northern Nigeria, poor families are more likely to marry daughters off than to keep them in school, making poverty a looping cycle that endlessly repeats. The inequitable marital roles customary in the region, where most families are traditional, conservative Muslims and women cannot question their husbands, also entrench poverty.

Women are much more likely than men to be impoverished, deprived of education and opportunities, according to the United Nations sustainable development goals, adopted in September 2015.

Maryam Adam, 25, once dreamed of becoming a nurse. Married off at 15 to an impoverished bricklayer, she lost a 2-month-old baby daughter in 2015 for lack of a few coins to get the girl to a hospital. (Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times )

As a child, Maryam Adam, now 25, dreamed of becoming a nurse in a crisp white uniform, but was not allowed to go to school because it would have delayed her marriage. We werent happy that our brothers went to school and we did not, but we couldnt go against my fathers word. If Id been able go to school and be educated our lives would be much better.

Adam warned her husband against marrying a third time.

It was rash. I told him. But he mistook it as jealousy, she said.

Thats what men usually think when a woman cautions them against taking more wives, she said. They wouldnt see the merit of it.

Mohammed Umar cannot afford to keep his children in school. Each day they wait for him to get home, hoping he has brought enough food to feed the family. (Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times )

The third wife, Jamila Idris, wanted to caution Umar against taking a fourth wife, but there was no way for me to advise him because that would be misconstrued as jealousy. I didnt think anything I said would make a difference.

For men in northern Nigeria, taking many wives and having large families signify status and success. But the U.N. links its key sustainable development goals of eliminating poverty and hunger to womens access to family planning and use of contraceptives.

A national health survey by the National Population Commission in 2013 found that just 0.6% of married girls and women ages 15 to 49 in Kano state used contraception, the lowest rate in the country.

If women are able to choose when they have children and how many, this empowers them to study, work and raise their families out of poverty, the U.N. said. It also called for an end to child marriage, which limits girls education.

The Nigerian fertility rate has eased slightly from more than 6 births per woman three decades ago, to 5.7, according to the population commission. The rates in Western countries range from around 1.4 to 2. In northern Nigeria, however the rate is close to the highest rate on Earth, 7.3%.

Umar has 17 of his own children and supports an 18th, from his third wifes previous marriage. She sent four children from that marriage to an uncle, but kept the youngest. She has two boys ages 3 and 5 with Umar.

His wives gave birth to all but two of their children at home. The two cases where wives went to the hospital involved life-threatening complications.

Only about 12% of women in northwestern Nigeria have given birth in health facilities or had trained birth attendants present, according to the 2013 population commission survey. The region has the nations highest mortality rate for children younger than 5.

Umar fears his children will end up as he did, begging for food on the streets. They already beg from neighbors.

The older ones can endure, but the younger ones go to neighbors and beg for food because they cannot endure it. Theres a limit to what they can bear, he says.

Samaila, Umars fourth wife, recently walked out with her two children. Umar still takes money to her parents village and pleads with her to come home.

Aisha didnt have the same patience and endurance as I and the other wives. Shed complain all the time, said Idris, who lived in the next room from her. She kept saying, Theres no food. I just cant live with hunger. Wed always try to appeal to her common sense, that nothing lasts and the situation might change.

If the family is evicted, Umar will try to send his wives back to their parents with the children, although none has the space nor the food to go around.

Thats what we worry about, day in, day out. What will we do? says his first wife, Shuaibu. We are just hoping something will happen. Maybe a big job will come.

Its tough as a mother. The younger ones cry when they have no food. My children are starving with nothing to eat.

This story was reported with a grant from the United Nations Foundation. For more coverage of Sustainable Development Goals issues, go to our Global Development Watch page.

robyn.dixon@latimes.com

Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT

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A mud-brick house in northern Cyprus that symbolizes the island nations decades of ethnic division is the foundation for Cumar Kamir and Michalis Georgiades friendship.

Its the home Georgiades fled as a teenager more than four decades ago following the Turkish invasion that carved Cyprus along Greek and Turkish lines. Kamir, also displaced by the population shifts, has lived there almost as long.

If the two men get their way, Georgiades may soon be residing again in the modest structure his grandfather built for a dowry in 1924. The Greek and Turkish leaders of Cyprus are holding reunification talks this week in Geneva, where they hope to resolve how many Cypriots would be eligible to reclaim lost property under an envisioned federation.

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We want to come back, if theres a solution thats fair, Georgiades, 60, a Greek Cypriot, says at his childhood home over sips of unfiltered coffee served by Kamirs wife. I have very good memories here. Theres a lot of joy whenever I visit. But at the same time, I feel sadness, as if Im a stranger.

Turkish Cypriot Kamir, 63, was raised in southern Cyprus, but moved in the wake of the invasion triggered by a coup aimed at uniting Cyprus with Greece. When the island split into a breakaway Turkish north and a Greek south, Turkish Cypriot authorities gave abandoned Greek Cypriot homes to families like his.

Kamir says he bought Georgiades home from another man, but would gladly hand it back and return to his hometown, if authorities rebuild the crumbling home he has on several acres there.

Could I tell Michalis that this is my home? Kamir says, sitting on a couch under a wall of family portraits.

Property has been at the core of 18 months of negotiations between Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. The verdant town where Georgiades grandfather once served as mayor, known by Greek Cypriots as Morphou and called Guzelyurt by Turkish Cypriots, will figure prominently at the summit.

Anastasiades has said there can be no peace accord without Morphous return to Greek Cypriot control in the federations redrawn boundaries. He insists that giving back the densely populated town would go a long way toward meeting the goal of allowing as many as 90,000 Greek Cypriots to repossess homes and property.

However, Turkish Cypriots want to minimize the number of their own who would have to relocate, many of whom  like Kamir  for the second time in their lives. Without major trade-offs, there is also reluctance to hand over Morphous prime agricultural real estate, located relatively close to the capital, Nicosia.

The connection between Kamir and Georgiades is curiously representative of the contradictions inherent in what for decades has been known as the Cyprus problem. The two men of the same generation are acutely aware of the legacy of hardship that informs the present and genuine in their desire for peace, but at pains to articulate a solution that wont come at the others expense.

Between Kamir and Georgiades, though, there are no hints of animosity.

Theyve built a rapport over the numerous visits Georgiades has made to his childhood home since crossing points opened in 2003 along the United Nations-controlled buffer zone that separates northern and southern Cyprus. Nonetheless, the awkwardness of a calcified situation that has forced people to plant roots in the homes and property belonging to others lingers in their conversations.

Georgiades, who relocated to Nicosia after the invasion, says that he wants the family home in Morphou back for himself and his three children, but that any reunification deal shouldnt recycle the injustices of the past that uprooted people by force.

If my friend Cumar is not fairly treated in a solution, and if Im unfairly treated, well have problems again, the film producer says.

Kamir, a carpenter by trade, says theres no alternative to reunification for Cyprus, and hes ready to do his part to support it  even if it means leaving his home of 41 years and experiencing some inconvenience while the home he expects to reoccupy in southern Cyprus is rebuilt.

I would wait a week in a tent until the home is finished and until they give it to me, he says.

But despite a wish for peace, some Turkish Cypriots are wary of giving up what theyve built in the north over so many years.

Djelal Yousuf, who runs a coffee shop in Morphou, is among those who do not want to go back. He pulls out a bunch of yellowed deeds for property he owns in his village of Kyvides in the south.

Why should I go back? My house is ruined, Yousuf, 70, says in near-perfect Greek. What am I going to do, rebuild? Theres nothing left for me there.

Any peace accord that emerges from the Geneva summit would have to be approved by voters in both the Greek and Turkish communities. The two leaders already have agreed that a property commission would examine individual claims, but the details of how the commission would decide cases have yet to be worked out.

Property owners face multiple options and outcomes. They could get some or all of their land back, depending on whether there has been any development on it. They also could exchange their titles for other parcels or be compensated for its estimated value.

Back at the house Georgiades grandfather built, only a rack of hooks remains of the contents Georgiades left as a boy.

At the end of the visit, Kamir invites Georgiades to pick as many lemons as he likes from a tree in the backyard. After all, the tree was planted by Georgiades father more than six decades ago.

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A Palestinian truck driver plowed into a group of Israeli soldiers at a Jerusalem tourist promenade Sunday afternoon, killing four and injuring 13, in an attack that Israel attributed to the influence of Islamic State.

The driver was identified as Fadi Qunbar, 28, a resident of a nearby East Jerusalem neighborhood. He was killed when soldiers and a bystander opened fire. Images from a security camera showed a speeding truck running into a crowd of several dozen people who were standing next to a parked tourist bus, and then circling back in reverse toward the same group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a tragic and brutal terrorist attack and suggested that the driver had been motivated by the militant group Islamic State, which has not generally been active in Israel. He compared it to truck rampages in France and Germany for which Islamic State has taken responsibility.

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This is part of the same pattern, inspired by Islamic State, by ISIS, that we saw first in France, then in Germany, and now in Jerusalem,' he said at the scene of the attack. This is part of the same ongoing battle against this global scourge of the new terrorism.'

Netanyahu did not say what evidence suggested Qunbar was inspired by Islamic State.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the attack but did not claim responsibility.

A statement on the organizations Arabic Twitter account described the ramming as a heroic act that was a natural response to Israels military occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Netanyahu said that security forces had sealed off the suspects neighborhood, Jabal Mukaber, as they investigated the attack. Later, Israels security Cabinet ordered the demolition of the suspects house. Police said they made nine arrests, including five of Qunbars family members.

The attack came as violence had waned in recent months after nearly a year of frequent bloodshed, much of it centered in Jerusalem, that claimed the lives of 40 Israelis and 229 Palestinians.

The location of the attack was on the edge of the Israeli neighborhood of Armon HaNatziv, a frequent hot spot adjacent to Jabal Mukaber and other Palestinian areas.

The country was on edge after an Israeli soldier was found guilty last week of manslaughter for the execution-style killing of a Palestinian assailant who had participated in the nonfatal stabbing of another soldier. Neither side was mollified by the verdict  Palestinians called it a farce, and many Israelis were outraged that the soldier was even tried for what they saw as a defensible act.

The latest attack prompted claims by some Israelis that the soldiers at the scene were slow to respond because they feared a court-martial.

The truck ramming occurred as hundreds of soldiers, some of them officer cadets, were arriving at the Haas Promenade, a popular park lookout point near Government House, the United Nations headquarters in the city. Witnesses said they thought at first it was a traffic accident, but when Qunbar kept driving they realized it was an attack.

Soldiers started to scream. It took a couple of seconds to realize it was an attack, said Lea Schrieber, a tour guide accompanying the soldiers. I saw a truck ride up from the road onto the sidewalk. Then soldiers began to shoot. Everyone was hysterical.

The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, and officials with the United Nations and the European Union all issued statements condemning the attack.

There is nothing heroic in such actions,' said Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.

The soldiers killed in the attack were identified by the military as 2nd Lt. Yael Yekutiel, 20; Academic Officer Shir Hajaj, 22; Sgt. Shira Tzor, 20; and Cpl. Erez Orbach, 20.

Mitnick is a special correspondent.

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UPDATES:

1:30 p.m.: Updates with injured toll at 13, victims identified, other details.

10:35 a.m.: Updates throughout with Times reporting, Netanyahu blaming Islamic State.

5:20 a.m.: Updated with comments from a Hamas spokesman.

This article was first published at 4:20 a.m.
Queen Elizabeth II has attended church near her rural Sandringham estate, after missing the previous two Sundays due to ill health.

The 90-year-old British monarch was applauded by well-wishers as she arrived by car at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 110 miles north of London. It was her first public appearance in several weeks.

Dressed in royal blue, the queen attended the service with her husband Prince Philip, 95, and other members of the royal family including grandson Prince William and his wife Kate.

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The queen is a regular churchgoer, but missed the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades due to what Buckingham Palace said was a heavy cold.

She also did not attend on New Years Day as she continued to recover.

The queen  Britains longest-reigning monarch  has generally been in good health in recent years, although she has cut down on travel and public appearances as she enters her 10th decade.

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QuickChek

A Washington-area QuickChek worker is accused of stealing money from the register over three months.

(NJ Advance Media file photo)

A Washington-area QuickChek worker is accused of pocketing more than $1,000 in cash over three months from the register.

Ryanne E. Walsh, 35, of the first block of Broad Street in Washington, improperly recorded sales and kept the difference while working at the convenience store on Belvidere Avenue in the borough, according to charges filed at state Superior Court in Belvidere.

The thefts began in October and continued into January, totaling $1,174, the charges say. Washington Township police Lt. John Kaufmann said the store conducted an internal investigation.

Walsh faces six counts of theft. A phone listing for her could not be located.

She was previously accused in 2012 of stealing $2,000 from an optometry practice in the borough where she was employed.

Walsh is the second area QuickChek worker in less than a month to be accused of stealing from their employer. On Dec. 23, 22-year old Vanilla Santiago, of Washington, allegedly stole the $500 in cash from the Route 57 location in Washington Township.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
In just a few months it will be exactly 100 years since Henry Ford established the Ford factory on the Marina in Cork City, and Ford Ireland plans to mark the centenary through a number of exciting initiatives in 2017.

Beginning on January 1, Ford will launch an extensive and impactful new marketing campaign based around the companys Irish centenary and encouraging consumers to think about the brand differently.

The campaign features the Irish-American actor Aidan Quinn in a range of online video executions and radio, supported with press ads, outdoor and other ambient displays, which will become familiar to Irish consumers during the next year.

There are many activities, promotions and events planned throughout the year, with one of the highlights being a Gala Dinner Event at Cork City Hall on April 21st to mark the actual centenary.

Commenting on the centenary, Ciaran McMahon, Chairman and Managing Director of Ford Ireland, said: Ford has a unique heritage in Ireland, not only through the companys close family links with Cork but also through the Cork Ford factory and of course many decades of much-loved Ford cars and vans on Irish roads.

 And we are still to the forefront in the automotive sector in Ireland with the widest network of dealers, providing employment, directly and indirectly, to some 1,000 people across the country.

Ford vehicles were and still are a ubiquitous sight on the streets and roads of Ireland all through the 20th century and right up to the present day, Mr. McMahon went on.

The brands constant popularity meant that almost every Irish person grew up with a Ford car in the family or had aunts, uncles and neighbours who drove a Ford.

The factory is sadly no more, but Ford remains one of the best-selling brands in both the car and van market in Ireland, he added.

Several of our models including the Fiesta, Focus and Transit are segment leaders while the all new Mustang is in a class of its own.

The company is also looking to the future as we plan for the next century of business in Ireland, said the Ford Ireland chief.

Ford is the company with the largest test fleet of autonomous driving vehicles in the world, and in 2017 we will start testing autonomous vehicles across Europe.

 The company is moving from traditional vehicle manufacture to being a smart mobility solutions provider as we tackle the global mobility challenges of the 21st century.

The Ford Motor Company was set up in Michigan by Henry Ford in 1903.

True to his roots, just 14 years later Henry opened the first purpose-built Ford factory to be located outside of North America at the Marina in Cork.

Henrys father, William Ford, emigrated from Ballinascarty in Co. Cork (50km from Cork City) with his parents and siblings in 1847 during the Famine; Henry was born in Michigan in 1863. Growing up on the family farm, Henry developed a strong interest in mechanics.

At first, he concentrated his efforts on making work easier for farmers but he soon came to realise the potential of the motor car as a force for good for the development of societies across the globe.

Although he cannot be credited with inventing the motor car, Henry Ford was the man who brought motoring to the masses thanks to the affordable yet rugged vehicles he produced through his newly-invented production-line manufacturing technique  which has since been copied by practically every vehicle and machinery manufacturer across the globe.

When it came time to expand the business to Europe, there is no doubt that Henrys Cork roots played an important part in his decision to open a plant in Cork.

In his own words, he hoped that the new Ford plant would start Ireland along the road to industry. The setting up of the Ford plant in Cork was the first example of foreign direct investment in Ireland, many decades before the term was even coined.

The company that he legally established was entitled Henry Ford & Son Ltd. and that continues to be the legal name of Ford in Ireland to this day  the only Ford entity in the world to include the full name of the companys founder in its title.

When the Cork Ford plant became fully operational, Europe was just emerging from a catastrophic World War and Communist Russia was in the midst of a huge modernisation programme so tractors were the vehicles that were most urgently needed.

The Fordson tractor was the main product produced by the Cork plant, which in 1929 became the largest tractor factory in the world.

However, the factory also produced passenger models, including the iconic Model T. Indeed, the last Model T ever produced by Ford anywhere in the world rolled off the Cork factory production line in December 1928.

In addition to the Model T, the Cork factory also produced all the other main Ford vehicles that were sold in Europe from the 30s right up to the 70s and 80s including the Model A, Model BF and Model Y; Prefect; Anglia; Escort; Cortina; and Sierra.

With Irelands accession to the EEC in 1973, Ireland had to comply with new rules that lifted the previous restrictions on imports of fully built motor vehicles into the country; this, combined with a depressed car market in the late 1970s and early 1980s meant that the plant became no longer viable and, regrettably, it closed its doors in 1984.

In the intervening years, Ford has continued to be a strong player on the automotive scene in Ireland and the company has the widest network of dealers in the country with 52 Dealerships.

The Ford Dealership in Portlaoise is Downeys on the Dublin Road .
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan and Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, Joe McHugh launched the new Irish Aid Development Education Strategy 2017-2023 in Iveagh House recently.

The Development Education Strategy is the product of extensive consultation with partners from the formal education, youth, adult and community education, civil society and development sectors.

To support the development of the new strategy, Irish Aid invited the Global Education Network Europe (GENE) to conduct a European Peer Review of development education in Ireland.

This Peer Review, which took place in 2015, engaged widely with the development education sector and made a number of recommendations which helped with the development of this new strategy.

Launching the new development education strategy, Minister Flanagan said: International Development cannot be a niche issue or a marginal interest.

We need to support those who support development.

We need a strategy that promotes public understanding of the causes of global inequality and an engaged citizenry that wants to do something about it.

I believe that educated, informed and engaged citizens are best placed to understand and therefore address complex social, economic and environmental issues linked to development.

Minister McHugh added: While we can be very satisfied with what we as a country and people have given to development, we cannot take this interest and commitment for granted.

This is why I am very pleased about the work being done in the community, in youth groups, in our teacher training colleges and in the classroom to foster the values of active global citizenship.

We will work to bring quality development education to a wide audience in a diverse range of settings, from classrooms to university campuses, from youth clubs to community groups.

 I look forward to working closely with IDEA, Dochas, other government departments and our development education partners, to create a stronger environment for development education.
If you have been reading motions by Leitrim County Councillors throughout all of 2016 it won't come as any surprise to hear that many roads throughout Leitrim are in severe structural distress.

A new national report has confirmed this and it also outlined that there are no funds allocated to fix these roads currently in a poor condition.

The National oversight and audit Commission (NOAC) which monitors the performance of local authorities found that 12% of tertiary roads, 6% of secondary roads and 2% of primary roads.

The Department of Transport has revealed a backlog of repairs across the national road network could cost 10 billion to complete.



The report notes Leitrim County Council has low rates recorded in the condition survey to the MapRoad system.

"NOAC would like to see the speedy completion of the surveys of all road types on to the MapRoad system by all of the local authorities, the report says.



The Road Safety Authority says road condition was noted in two fatal and 122 injury cases in 2012.

Although many Leitrim roads need repair, Roscommon, Longford and Sligo roads fared much worse in the report.



Independent TD Eugene Murphy for Roscommon - Galway said, Minister Ross needs to come up with a realistic and viable plan to tackle this problem nationwide as soon as possible.

Leitrim County Council must wait until February this year before it knows how much in road funding they will have to spend on roads this year.

The report also looked at housing, waste and environment, planning youth affairs and corporate.



The report stated, Leitrim County Council is doing extensive work on economic development. Some initiatives include the establishment of a High Level Advisory Group made up of Leitrim diaspora who provide strategic advice on economic development matters, linkage with Cavan, Longford and Roscommon County Councils to form the Upper Shannon Erne Group with a view to collaboration on projects and an event held in Dublin aimed at encouraging entrepreneurs to come and establish their business in Leitrim.



The majority of local authorities had 74% of planning decisions confirmed by An Bord Pleanala but Leitrim along with Longford and Westmeath had confirmation rates of only 50%

The average part-time brigade response times for non fire emergency Fire Service calls were quickest in Leitrim at 4.22 minutes and slowest in Wexford at 7.86 minutes.



Leitrim again outdid the national average for library visits, the county had 5.64 per head of population, while the national average of library visits per head was 3.68.



As reported earlier this year, Leitrim County Council had the highest level of medically certified paid sick leave at 5.14% whereas the highest level in 2014 was 4.47% in Galway City. The overall cost of ICT provision per whole-time equivalent staff (WTE) was lowest in Kildare at 1,935 and highest in Leitrim at 3,855 and the median was 3,052, an increase of 4.8% on the 2014 median value.
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So, Theresa May gave an interview to Skys Sophy Ridge today in which she gave the biggest signal yet that leaving the single market is very much on the agenda.

In time honoured tradition, theres a nice petition you can sign if you agree with Tim Farron that reckless plans to leave the Single Market would make us all poorer.

But its something else she said in her interview that grabbed my attention. She had moved from saying not much actually on Brexit to a very small amount on the NHS to talking about her speech tomorrow. Apparently mental health is a priority of hers. Who knew? The Prime Minister said:

If I can give you an example of something I have already done, when I was in the Home Office one of the issues that concerned me was people in mental health crisis being taken to a police cell as a place of last resort. It wasnt good for them, it wasnt good for the police. Actually weve changed that and weve seen the number for whom that happens coming down by 80% and that was a small sum of money that the NHS has been able to put in in order to ensure that there are more, for example more and different places of safety for people 

I have already done. Really?

Well, lets look at an unbiased source, shall we? The Government website which announced this initiative back in 2014 didnt mention Theresa May anywhere. The main names were Liberal Democrat ministers Nick Clegg and Norman Lamb. Yes, there was Home Office involvement, but it was Lamb who had done all the work bringing it together across government. He was the driving force behind all the mental health measures introduced by the Coalition Government.

At the time, Norman Lamb wrote for this site about what he had managed to achieve. Heres a reminder of what he said:

When someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, it essential that they feel able to access the help they need  and quickly. They will probably be in a state of extreme distress and confusion. Without help, people may be at risk of causing harm to themselves and those around them (cases of injury to others are actually very rare). They often end up in police cells  completely inappropriately. They may even commit suicide  and all too often, I hear tragic cases of suicide after someone has repeatedly been unable to access mental health crisis support. This isnt just an issue for the NHS. Often people in mental health crisis will initially come into contact with the police, or other public services. It is essential that, however or wherever people in need of urgent support are discovered, there is an effective and consistent response. I want to build a fairer society in which people with acute mental health problems are given te medical support they need  not locked up in police custody. Earlier this week, I announced (in conjunction with my colleague at the Home Office) a Concordat for Crisis Mental Health Care. More than twenty national organisations have signed up to the Concordat  including the Association of Chief Police Officers. As a Liberal Democrat, I want to see better care across our health and care system. The Concordat sets out the standards of care people should expect if they suffer a mental health crisis, specifying how emergency services ought to respond. Full details of the document are available here. A key part of this plan is information sharing. Only this morning, I learned about a constituency case in which someone was arrested by the police after experiencing a very serious mental health crisis  and the police did not discover that they had mental health problems, and did not make an appropriate referral until their relatives got in touch hours later. The Concordat sets out an expectation that services will share essential need to know information to help deliver better, more personalised care. The Concordat also sets out timescales for responding to mental health crisis  so, for example, police officers know how long they will have to wait for a response from health and care workers. And we are challenging local areas to make sure that there are adequate health-based places of safety in every part of the country, as well as crisis mental health beds for when they are needed. I will continue to push over the coming weeks to ensure that local health commissioners reflect their obligation to promote equality for mental health in the way they set next years budgets. At its heart, todays announcement is about ensuring parity of esteem  equality  for mental health. When someone suffers from a physical health crisis, there is a clear expectation that Accident and Emergency wards, Ambulance Services, and other organisations will be available to respond and that effective care will be provided. But with mental health conditions, all too often that simply isnt the case. I am absolutely determined that there must be effective crisis mental health support available when it is needed. The Concordat represents a shared commitment across our public services to address that imbalance, and ensure better care across the system to make a very real and positive difference to peoples lives.

If Theresa May had been so interested in mental health, she might have done more to make the immigration system more humane for people to navigate. Even relatively straightforward cases could be incredibly stressful, as Holly Matthies wrote here. That was in her power to do for six years and she didnt change things.

This is a clear case of victors re-writing history. Its important that we dont allow our positive contributions on these vital issues to be airbrushed out.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Vince Cable is fundamentally wrong to suggest that there is no great argument of liberal principle for free movement and his case for ending free movement is weak. He ought to revise his views to be in more in keeping with liberal values which, in the face of rising and fierce anti-migrant rhetoric, are sorely needed.

His assertion that British opposition to immigration is mainly colour-blind is simply not true.

Fears and prejudices were purposefully stoked during the referendum with explicit scapegoating, disingenuous scaremongering about Turkish migrants and in particular Farages appalling blatantly non-colour-blind Breaking Point poster campaign.

Hate crime has soared since the referendum. The vast majority of the targets of xenophobic incidents and abuse have been EU migrants in particular citizens from Eastern European countries.

Islamophobia and associated crimes have also risen exponentially. Note the 25 serious incidents of anti-muslim hate crimes recorded in the three days after the Brexit vote. People are explicitly abusing muslims in the streets because we voted out, shouting shouldnt you be on a plane back to Pakistan? We voted you out!

The EU referendum vote has unleashed an ugly force of racism where those who hold prejudiced views feel emboldened to shout, abuse and attack people in the street, post excrement through peoples letter boxes and rip off peoples hijabs in public.

Racially motivated anti-migrant rhetoric is alive and fierce today and must be opposed not ignored.

Secondly, Cable correctly notes that freedom of movement is not (currently) a universal right: it only applies to EU citizens. Migrants from non-EU countries face stricter controls and harsh visa regulations. It is true that there is an inconsistency here.

However it does not follow that we ought to have stricter and harsh controls on EU citizens. If Vince finds these harsh regulations on non-EU migrants unfair, and is in favour of freedom to travel and work as he suggests, then he should be in favour of reducing such restrictions, not increasing them for EU citizens. It would be consistent to argue for fewer restrictions and, in Cables words, a more rational immigration policy.

Cables case for restricting freedoms and rights of EU citizens (including our own) is controversial and unsupported. His case may depend on the claim that there is no great argument of liberal principle for free EU movement. This is his third fundamental error.

Lets start with universal human rights. Article 13 of the UDHR states that everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and return to his country. We can assume that Cable fully supports this right. If he didnt he would support repressive military states denying their citizens their freedom to leave.

It is inconsistent to not then recognise that therefore another state must receive the person. The world is fully divided into territories with borders. You physically cannot leave one without entering another. If you have a right to leave a country then it is simple fact that you therefore have the corresponding right to reside in another country. Migration then is considered a human right: a fundamental liberal principle.

Furthermore, free movement is grounded in liberal principles of individual freedom and autonomy as well as egalitarianism. Individuals ought to have maximal and equal freedoms and opportunities to live their lives as they wish according to their own values. If that includes migrating to work or for pleasure then it is impermissible for the state to decide to restrict their freedom or opportunity to do so. There are even further liberal values of freedom of association, non-discrimination, tolerance, respecting multiculturalism and diversity as enriching society that ground freedom of movement. We can take our pick of arguments from liberal principles in favour of free movement.

Lastly it is empirically overwhelming that migration is not the cause of the problems and challenges we face in our country and in fact it is vital to our public services, enriching society and supporting the economy. The housing crisis, social care and NHS funding problems, lack of investment and opportunities in lower-income communities, rising wealth and income inequality and so on are not the fault of migrants and Cable knows this. He is wrong to give in to UKIP to concede migration as the significant issue to be addressed.

His case for ending free movement is very weak indeed. In the face of the deafening onslaught of anti-migration rhetoric, liberals should be extra vigilant and strong in standing up for our pro-migration principles.

The Conservatives are seemingly opting for hard-brexit and an end to free movement and Labour are showing signs of trying to out-UKIP UKIP in scaremongering that immigration risks the safety in our streets. If we are the last party in the UK defending free movement and the rights and freedoms of our migrant brothers and sisters then so be it. This defence has never been so sorely needed and Cable should revise his views to be a part of it.

* Bradley is an active member of the Lib Dems as a council member for both the SLF and LD4SOS, standing for local elections in 2014 and 2016 and as borough organiser for Camden in 2016. He also has a leading role in the Lib Dem campaign to raise donations for refugees and lobbying the government to settle more refugees. He is currently studying for his PhD in moral and political philosophy specialising in the philosophy of migration, borders and refugees.
SINN Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan has described the rising level of homelessness in Limerick as appalling and simply not acceptable.

Recent Department of Housing figures show that there are 219 adults and 70 children without a home, with the vast bulk of homeless in the Mid-West situated in the city.

In the Mid-West region as a whole, there are 33 families, including 79 children, that are homeless.

Commenting on the homelessness figures, Deputy Quinlivan said: Whilst these figures are both shocking and appalling the figures dont include adults and children in emergency domestic violence refuges funded by Tusla, non-residents in emergency accommodation funded by the New Communities Unit of the Department of Social Protection or those people sofa surfing.

The figures also dont detail the length of time people are spending in emergency accommodation with some families in Limerick now spending months in inappropriate hotels or bed and breakfasts, he said.

He said that the figures show a failure in the Governments housing policies.

It demonstrates that they are not willing to address the crisis. Despite the spin from Government the numbers desperately seeking housing keep rising.

There is an urgent need for the Government to step up its house acquisition and building programme to get these adults and children out of emergency accommodation. AIB and PTSB have offered the State up to 1000 vacant houses for purchase yet inexplicably Government has only provided money for the purchase of 200.

Likewise there are 189,000 vacant units across the state yet the funding being made available to get these units back into active use is a drop in the ocean.

He said Government can end homelessness in 2017 if it wants to.

However the crisis will only be addressed if they match their words with action and crucially with funds. These rising figures are a stark reminder that government actions to date are still not working and the crisis will deepen.

On December 19, Novas Iniatitives and Limerick City and County Councils homeless action team opened a 15-bed overnight shelter for 15 adults, which will operate until March.
THE Parish Priest of Moyross, who stepped down from his position last week, has warned there is the potential for the legacy of extreme violence to rear its ugly head unless everyone is included in the citys renaissance.

Fr Tony ORiordan, who has led the Corpus Christi parish for the last six years, leaves the northside estate in a much more peaceful state than when he arrived, when high-profile crime was common-place.

While that has died down, the issues of drug abuse and poverty still reign.

And Fr ORiordan says its dangerous to ignore those who may be feeling excluded from the citys new found vibrancy which has seen a rise in economic activity.

On one level, the city is on the up. But closer to home I see there are so many people excluded from that vibrancy, that future. There is a disconnect between the development of that vibrant city, and the depressing reality of so many lives of people in other parts of the city: in Moyross, in Weston, in Ballinacurra. In the city centre itself like in Steamboat Quay, he explained.

Fr ORiordan says those charged with promoting the city need to deal with the social problems it faces, while at the same time presenting a very positive image.

I pick up a bit of a message that we do not want to talk about the problems in the city, as it may drive investment away. Yet the problems are there, I see them every day. Most of the problems are surmountable  but they need to be faced, the priest explains.

As he prepares to leave Limerick to embark on a period of reflection in Melbourne, as is customary in his Jesuit faith, the Cork-born priest also criticised state agencies for not effectively serving the people they should be serving.

Institutions have this danger of resorting to serving the people in the institutions rather than the people to whom they were established to serve. Schools are often set around the needs of teachers rather than the students. I see this in so many services, where the way in which they operate serve the needs of the people who work in them, rather than the people who use them. The resources which are targeted are sometimes funded to suit the youth workers rather than the youth, he said. I think its unjust.

The priest took particular aim at the child and family agency Tusla, saying it is not fit for purpose adding vulnerable children have been failed.

Although Moyross has come on in leaps and bounds in his time, Fr ORiordan believes the people in the estate remain quite fragile  and need to be trusted to be given a level of self-confidence.

The people of Moyross are amazingly resilient and amazingly wise because they have been tested. What makes an area like Moyross different is alongside personal tragedy, there is a communal nature to what a community has experienced. I think rather than ever coming in here saying I have the solution, I feel my job is to understand. I think even after five years, I am only beginning to understand the dynamics and resilience of this community. Part of the negative side of growing up in an area of deprivation is people can internalise a message they are different from other people, and that can lead to lack of confidence, he explained.

On education, the priest believes schools across Limerick are failing many youngsters.

Its not that they are not able. Its the system that is there. Schools are not adapting to what their needs are and how to educate them, given some of the difficulties they might have. Given families might be homeless, families where there is overcrowding, families where there might be a lot of anti-social behaviour, families where there is displacement.

How do you respond to education in a way which keeps people on track, he asked, There is a poverty of aspiration.

He says children in all regeneration estates should be aiming to get into the new high-tech jobs on offer in companies like Regeneron, and Johnson and Johnson which typically require third level degrees.

I think at a level of intelligence and ability, the kids in Moyross are as able as any group of young children in this country. It angers me so many kids in Moyross end up doing the Leaving Cert Applied. Where is the aspiration for those kids? he asked.

The priest dismissed the often-held view that employers discriminate based on peoples addresses, saying: An employer wants a good employee, and they know that people from Moyross or Southill are hard grafters. They will do an honest days work for an honest days pay. The addresses is not the issue. It is more the level of qualification, the level of confidence and the accumulation of personal problems which have been allowed to build up.

Fr ORiordan came to Moyross in 2010, initially on a six-month placement covering for the former priest, Fr Frank ODea.

After taking a break  where he went to Zambia  he returned to the northside in 2011.

Prior to this, the Oxford University-educated cleric worked in another area which required regeneration - Ballymun on Dublins northside.

Indeed, he was a board member of the Ballymun Regeneration Company, and worked closely with social justice campaigner Fr Peter McVerry, a man who has spoken in Corpus Christi Church on numerous occasions since.

When he was asked to become the parish priest of Moyross, he didnt hesitate.

Some people say gosh, what did you do to get the regeneration areas, he laughs, recalling the story.

I remember having a discussion on a Friday, and deciding instantly that I would come here. They asked me if I wanted to think about it to the Sunday, but I decided there and then to come. And Im so glad I did, as it has been a really good time for me to be part of this community, and a privilege.

In his years in Moyross, Fr ORiordan has been outspoken on many issues, among other things, taking to task the estates drug dealers, suggesting hell will await them.

He has also spoken out against suicide, the education system and the stalled regeneration process in particular.

Asked if he regrets any of the statements made from the altar, he pauses for a second.

Only that I wasnt forceful enough. I think everything I said, I can stand over. Im always open to dialogue and conversation if I get things wrong. But the things I have drawn attention to are the things I believe need attention.

While Fr ORiordan will travel to Melbourne this weekend for a 30-day period of reflection, he has sought an eventual transfer to Aleppo in Syria or to refugee camps in Syria or the Lebanon.

His New Year wish, however, would be to remain in Moyross, even though he acknowledges it is not a possibility.

While the Parish Priest took time to answer most of the Limerick Leaders questions, there was one where he responded immediately.

It would definitely be the people, he said when asked what he will miss the most. That nature, that raw honesty, that goodness, trying to make a good life often when the odds are really stacked against them. I would count that in all ages, from the older citizens to some of our youngest. I have transitioned before though  and you never really leave places, you leave people.

The only thing he wont miss about Limerick is the road network to Cork, saying it puts a dampner on proceedings both when he goes to visit his mother in the Rebel County, and en route back to the Treaty City.

There has been an outpouring of sadness at the news of Fr ORiordans impending departure, with tributes being paid to his work from the political, community and religious spectrums.

He said: It has been very moving to hear this. I have always felt I have got more from my time in Moyross. I love the people of Moyross. I have grown to love Limerick City.

And would he like to return to Moyross some day? The way of my life is that I have committed to other people making these decisions for me. I hope and pray though. If I had said no to Moyross five years ago, I would have missed out on a huge opportunity for me. I hope I have left some mark and helped people while I have been here, he said.

It would be a privilege to some back  but thats for others to make the call.
FORMER Mayor of Limerick Tony Bromell's time as first citizen of his native city was his 'greatest honour', his funeral has heard.

Mr Bromell, a former mayor, councillor, Senator and registrar at Mary Immaculate College, died at the age of 84 last week.

A large number of former colleagues and friends turned out for his funeral Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Church on Saturday morning, including President Michael D Higgins' representative, Captain Eoin Rochford and MIC faculty members, who formed a guard of honour.

Mr Bromell's daughter Una said he was a "proud Limerick man" who had dearly loved his 30 years as Registrar at MIC, plus his stint as Mayor in 1982-83.

"He loved being around the students in Mary I. He believed that their company kept him young.

"Dad was a Limerick man first and foremost, and his greatest honour was to be Mayor of the city in 82-83.

He followed the Limerick hurling team through everything, without fail," she added.

Mr Bromell's family were very involved in his requiem mass, with the 84-year-old's brother in law Fr. Antoin O'Tuathaigh assisting celebrant Fr Des McAuliffe, while his children Fionnula and Declan gave readings and son Eamon performed several pieces of music, with his grandchildren saying prayers of the faithful.

On Friday, Mayor of Limerick City and County, Cllr Kieran OHanlon called a special meeting of the full council at County Hall to pay tribute to Tonys service to public life.

Mr Bromell was commended for his integral involvement in the establishment of the University of Limerick and was the last surviving member of the executive committee formed to lobby for the institution. He received a Limerick Person of the Month award in 2012 for the groups endeavour.

Thankfully, because of his efforts, we have one of the greatest third level institutions in Ireland. Tony was very much a family man, and his family represented everything Irish, and the most important thing to him was family, Mayor OHanlon said.

Metropolitan mayor, Cllr Michael Hourigan said that the former senator set the standards that we, in public life, aspire to. He took great pride in his city.

Fine Gael councillor Bill ODonnell said that he was particularly known for his speeches after Mass back in his East Limerick days.

He told the council that Mr Bromell would offer his analysis on the progress of elections. "He was a great friend like that," he said.

Council deputy chief executive, Dr Pat Daly said that he was a very distinguished professional who was very active at a local level.

Sinn Fein councillor John Costelloe said: "I was lucky enough to Tony - he was a great Limerick man, but he was also a great Thomondgate man." His party colleague, Cllr Malachy McCreesh said that, though he did not know him personally, "based on the comments, he obviously had a big impact on the people of Limerick city".

Cllr Stephen Keary said that he "was always a great gentleman".
Selling stamps at post offices much more costly than retail sales

Jan 7, 2017, 7 AM

A 2003 report of the Presidents Commission on the United States Postal Service succinctly explains why so many postmasters are willing to challenge the powerful postal union that has vowed to fight efforts to divert counter sales.

By Bill McAllister, Washington Correspondent

If you have wondered why so many postmasters general have fought to sell more stamps in retail chains, you need look no further than a 2003 report of the Presidents Commission on the United States Postal Service.

In the report is a table titled The Cost to the Postal Service of Selling Stamps.

It succinctly explains why so many postmasters general are willing to challenge the powerful postal union that has vowed to fight efforts to divert counter sales.

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According to the table, stamps sold at post office counters accounted for 80 percent of stamp sales at a cost to the Postal Service of 7 per dollar sold.

Stamps sold at supermarkets, drugstores and other large retailers represented just 7 percent of sales, but the cost to the USPS was just under 2 per dollar, $0.016 to be exact.

Stamp sales via bank automatic teller machines totaled 1 percent of sales at the same cost of $0.016.

The commission, created by President George W. Bush, found the cost differential significant.

The alternatives to post office sales offer an equivalent standard of service at substantially less cost, the commission said in its report to the president.

It liked the alternatives and hailed the planned introduction of 2,500 self-service kiosks in post offices as another way to make stamp sales cheaper.

Years before the 2008 recession caused a sharp erosion of first-class mail, the Bush commission saw trouble ahead for the USPS.

It warned in 2003 that the USPS faces significant challenges to its fiscal health due to an outdated business model and a rapidly changing postal landscape.

The financial problems facing the federally run postal system have only intensified, as it has plunged deeply into debt. It has been unable to make a $5.5 billion annual payment to the Treasury required by a 2006 law that was supposed to resolve the Postal Services problem.

When one considers ways for the Postal Service to save money, that sales chart speaks volumes. It explains why postmasters general dating back to Anthony M. Frank have tried to get large retailers into the postal business.

But the big American Postal Workers Union, which represents the clerks who man those counters, will have none of that.

This is a direct assault on our jobs and on public postal services, said APWU President Mark Dimondstein when he heard rumblings that Staples was beginning a pilot project to offer postal services in 80 stores in four states in 2012.

The union launched a national boycott of Staples stores and filed unfair labor charges against the USPS.

Led by its legendary leader Moe Biller, the APWU killed Franks plan to have Sears stores sell stamps in 1989.

It duplicated that fear on Jan. 5, killing a Staples plan pushed by former Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe.

Although the numbers in the chart probably have changed since 2003, the public still likes to buy stamps at postal counters  even though it remains far more costly than sales via retailers and ATMs.

The crux of the problem may be that unionized postal workers are extremely well-paid. The USPS used to say in its annual reports what the average pay of its union members was. But it stopped those disclosures several years ago, without explanation.

And no postmaster general has dared to mount a public campaign over the size of postal paychecks. In bargaining with postal unions, they have, however, managed to get reduced pay rates for some new employees.

In his farewell address in 2015, Donahoe did criticize both mailers and unions for failing to support the Postal Services cost-cutting efforts.

We didnt get much support from our unions for the mailing industry because it threatened the status quo, he told the National Press Club. Mailers, he said, want cheaper rates, and the unions view the future of the organization mostly through the lens of preserving jobs and benefits as they currently exist.

Buy forever stamps before Jan. 22

The 49 first-class stamp returns to the nations post offices Jan. 22.

So do a number of other price changes that are well-known to the mailing industry, but perhaps unknown to the general public,

The reason: neither the United States Postal Service nor the Postal Regulatory Commission, which approved the higher prices on Nov. 15, 2016, issued a news release announcing the changes.

The USPS did issue an industry alert advising commercial mailers of the coming changes.

When asked why the Postal Service did not issue a news release on the upcoming changes, postal spokeswoman Katina Fields told Linns: I cant speak for the PRC, but it has been our practice over the past few years to only send out a release when we file with the PRC our proposed annual price changes.

That refers to an Oct. 12 USPS news release noting that the USPS was asking for permission to return first-class letter prices to 49 from the 2 reduction to 47 ordered by the PRC as part of an emergency rate increase.

Gail Z. Adams, a spokeswoman for the PRC, told Linns: Theres no particular reason a press release was not issued. I sent out a tweet about it and it was posted on our [PRC] homepage for a little while.

The Postal Service did not seek changes in the current 34 postcard rate, rates for international letters and postcards, and the additional-ounce rate for first-class letters.

Linns was alerted to details of the pending increase by a Jan. 6 newsletter from Stephen Kearney, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.

Kearney, the former head of the USPS stamp program, urged his members to buy stocks of the 47 forever stamp.

So, if you plan to use Forever stamp, buy as many as your budget allows before Jan. 22! he wrote.

They are good for the prevailing first class rate as long as the USPS is delivering, which will be for a long time.

Kearney also noted that users of customized computer-generated stamps can get an even bigger price break.

Now there will be a hugh price incentive to use these stamps, he said.

The USPS is cutting the prices of metered and computer-generated stamps to 46 from the current 46.5. That will give mailers a 3 discount from the new first-class rate, he said.

The discount, Kearney said, is a product of the USPSs determination to get the first-class stamp price back to 49 where it was before the USPS was ordered to reduce its first-class price to 47.

Kearney urged his members considering use of the computer-generated stamps to move quickly.

At meetings, postal officials have warned that the 3 cents per piece bonanza to be enjoyed by users of metered and custom postage will not last forever, he said.

Some mailers would like to use a combination of several stamps on their solicitations, but the USPS has not been offering the right combination of stamps in large rolls to add up to 47 cents, or 49 cents, Kearney said.

Even if they add up, they can cover up the response address because of the number of stamps you need to use, he said.

The Postal Service has agreed to look at the issue, he said.

The Alliance also has urged the USPS to consider creating rolls of low denomination stamps that are printed together in rows that add up the first class rate and can be applied with automation.

_________________

This story was revised Jan. 9, 2017.
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DES MOINES  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the addition of 115,000 acres that can be enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in Iowa for critical wildlife and water quality efforts in addition to the 5,423 acres of CRP Grasslands announced in December.

Over the past 30 years, CRP has helped farmers to offset the costs of restoring, enhancing and protecting certain grasses, shrubs and trees that improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and strengthen wildlife habitat, said John R. Whitaker, Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency state executive director. Given the national cap of 24 million acres, it is more important than ever to pursue multiple benefits on each acre of CRP such that many acres are providing erosion prevention, water conservation, recreation for sportsmen, habitat for pollinators and protection of grazing land.

Nationwide, farmers and ranchers now can enroll up to 1.1 million acres to restore high-priority wildlife habitat through the CRP State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program, wetlands restoration or pollinator habitat improvements.

In Iowa, additional allocations are available to enroll in the existing Gaining Ground for Wildlife SAFE (50,000 acres) and Pheasant Recovery SAFE (25,000 acres).

In addition to soil erosion prevention and water quality improvements, these allocations provide an excellent opportunity for landowners and/or producers to enroll land into CRP to establish a wildlife habitat cover.

Along with the existing Iowa SAFE projects, a new SAFE project called Iowa Early Successional Quail Habitat has been approved for 40,000 acres. The Quail Habitat SAFE project, in addition to soil erosion prevention and water quality improvements, is designed to restore early successional habitat where it will be the most beneficial for bobwhite quail. Other grassland birds and species, especially pollinators, will benefit as well.

Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $29 billion to help producers make conservation improvements, working with as many as 500,000 farmers, ranchers and landowners to protect land and water on over 400 million acres nationwide.

To learn more about FSAs conservation programs, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation or contact a local FSA county office. To find your local FSA county office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.
You might need an extra blanket tonight.

Or three, because the temperature doesnt seem to match your comfort level. Brrrrrrrrr. Yes, its winter and yes, the mercury plunges, but that doesnt mean you like being cold  although, as youll see in What Doesnt Kill Us by Scott Carney, cold might be keeping you alive.

With very little between him and a snowy wind, had Scott Carney questioned his own sanity on his way to the top of Africas highest mountain some months ago, few would have blamed him. Temps dived but there he was, on a purposeful quest.

A journalist by trade, Carney was looking for modern-day snake-oil salesmen for a book he was writing when he came across Dutchman Wim Hof , who claimed he could teach people to do simple, but extraordinary, things to increase endurance and productivity. His methods, as a skeptical Carney learned first-hand by signing up for Hof s course, tapped into that which our ancestors naturally did.

Todays humans live in what Carney says is an ocean of perpetual comfort. We dont have to catch our food or spend much time in extreme climates; conversely, early humans didnt have the comforts of deli lunches or down coats. That difference  the hardships they endured, as opposed to the physical comforts we almost demand  has negatively shaped humanity through obesity, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, lost ability to intuit direction, lessened navigational aptitude, and other once-innate skills that might be lying dormant but that we dont use  very much anymore.

Skills lost  but Carney was determined to find them again. He followed, then tweaked, Hof s methods before and after endurance testing in a Colorado laboratory. He tackled an OCR (obstacle course race) to see if it was as challenging as hed heard. He studied how were able to control physical reflexes, even when we dont think we can. He trained with 25-pound weights in a swimming pool, learned breathing techniques, checked in with the U.S. military, and returned to Hof s compound.

Which is how he ended up on Mt. Kilimanjaro , nearly naked, and knee-deep in snow

So could you do it?

The answer may be yes  author Scott Carney tells you how  but there are many aptly-placed dont try this at home warnings on the pages of What Doesnt Kill Us.

Theres a reason for that, actually: what Carney discovered can be very dangerous if tried improperly or inappropriately. Readers may note, for instance, that nearly all practitioners of the Hof method are men; Carney hints at a reason which, when added to the intriguing first-person accounts and tantalizing possibilities, made me want more gender-balanced investigation. Even so, and that aside, theres no limit to the sense of swashbuckling adventure, limit-pushing, and derring-do youll find here.

Certainly, this book is for super athletes, but its also a great read for sofa slugs who want better health, thrills, and a few pounds gone. If youre looking for something that will make you look forward this year by looking backward, What Doesnt Kill Us wont leave you cold.
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A U.S. diplomat based in Guadalajara is in stable condition after being shot Friday night.

In videos posted on the U.S. General Consulate in Guadalajara's Facebook page, the shooter - a man dressed in blue and wearing sunglasses - can be seen standing near a parking gate, waiting until a black sedan arrives, pulling out a handgun, firing a shot or shots, and fleeing. In another video, the man can be seen waiting while the official - who has not been identified but was wearing a tank top and red shorts - pays for a parking ticket at an automatic machine.

Officials from the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara posted a message accompanying the video saying the FBI was offering $20,000 for information about the incident.

FACT CHECKING: Politico's most read posts in 2016

In a press release, the Mexican Office of the Attorney General said they were investigating the incident and that the victim was in stable condition.

"The safety and security of our employees overseas is among our highest priorities," a State Department official said an emailed response to questions. "We are working closely with Mexican law enforcement in this matter."

Citing privacy concerns, the official declined to identify the victim, but several Mexican media outlets identified the consular officer as Christopher Nolan Ashcraft, a 31-year-old Foreign Service Officer. According to his LinkedIn page, he joined the State Department in the summer of 2015.

Mexican news reports said the diplomat was shot in the right side of the chest and was taken to San Javier Hospital. The shooting took place shortly before 7 p.m. Friday near Avenida Vallarta y Juan Palomar y Arias, in the northwestern part of the city, according to the reports. The site of the shooting was next to a multi-story parking-structure which houses a gym and several other businesses.

The consulate has approximately 118 Mexican employees and 48 U.S. officers from the Departments of State, Commerce, Department of Agriculture, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Social Security Administration, according to the State Department's website.

The attack on Ashcraft is not the first time U.S. consular employees and other U.S. agents have been attacked in Mexico.

According to the Associated Press, in 2010, a U.S. Consulate employee, her husband, and another employee's husband were killed in Ciudad Juarez. A Mexican gang leader was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for his role in the deaths of Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband, Arthur Redfels, and Alberto Salcido Ceniceros.

Prosecutors said Arturo Gallegos Castrellon had ordered subordinates with the Barrio Azteca, to carry out the killings.

The gang members later said the killings were a mistake. In 2011, In 2012, two CIA officers and a Mexican Navy Captain were almost killed when Mexican police shot up a U.S. Embassy vehicle they were traveling in.

The officers face murder charges. And in 2011, a Mexican gang member killed Immigration Customs and Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata and wounded another, Victor Avila, after trying to hijack the two men as they were driving in the city of San Luis Potosi.

A Mexican drug cartel lieutenant pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder in that case in 2013.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.
Flagstaff is nothing if not an education community, so it is a welcome development that Gov. Doug Ducey will be making education funding and reform the focus of the new legislative term that starts Monday.

Whether the governor and local education advocates are in sync, however, is an open question.

Ducey is adamant about not only not raising taxes but actually cutting them every year, even though Arizona schools continue to be starved for funds. He settled a lawsuit over unpaid state obligations to schools by tapping the state land trust to the tune of $350 million a year for 10 years  assuming the economy continues to be healthy. But even with that 8 percent boost in school funding, Prop. 123 still left Arizona in the bottom five in state per pupil spending, so advocates are talking about a Prop. 456 that would raise a billion dollars a year through an extra penny on the sales tax.

ANOTHER SCHOOL INITIATIVE

Ducey wont sign on to a tax hike, so backers are starting to talk about a citizens initiative. In the meantime, the Flagstaff Unified School District just wants to be able to renew its desegregation tax that helps schools like Leupp School serving disadvantaged students  without it, there will be a $2 million hole in the budget.

But conservative Republicans have floated just the opposite idea: prohibiting local districts from even asking voters for budget overrides. In Flagstaff, FUSD has a maximum 15 percent override that pays for full-day kindergarten, smaller class sizes and enrichment classes in the arts and humanities. Take that away and theres an additional $8 million gap in the budget.

Republicans also want to further slice the education funding pie by giving more to private schools through what amount to vouchers in all but name. And charters are now asking for tax and bonding authority, even though they, too, have far fewer requirements for staffing, services and buildings than the mainstream publics.

The upshot is that just a year after FUSD received a financial shot in the arm of about $1.6 million a year from Prop. 123 mainly for teacher salaries, it could be losing much more in the next few years. And if Prop. 301, a sales tax passed in 2000 that raises money for teacher salaries, is allowed to expire in 2020, FUSD will lose another $2 million.

STATUS QUO UNACCEPTABLE

So when Gov. Ducey delivers his State of the State message Monday, we would hope he recognizes the deep financial potholes that districts like FUSD still must navigate just to stay even. Simplying the state school funding formula and developing new ways to rate schools and teachers are noble goals, but they will ring hollow if classroom sizes soar and underpaid teachers continue to leave in droves.

One ASU study found that personal and corporate income tax cuts in the past decade have resulted in a cumulative $4 billion annual loss in state revenues  the state budget of $9.5 billion could easily be $13 billion. Backers of small government might see that as a plus. But nearly half the state budget is spent on public education at all levels, and it is that gap that spells the difference between Arizonas mediocre public schools and the world-class system in Massachusetts, which includes first-rate community and technical colleges.

Its also hypocritical for a legislative majority that for so-long has short-changed quality education  the main path to upward mobility and a higher quality of life  to rail against voters for voting themselves and their neighbors a higher starting wage. When elected leaders try to deflect grassroots sentiment for better schools with halfway measures, its no wonder voters seize on higher wages as a way around the roadblock. If the governor and lawmakers want to revisit Prop. 206 and the $12 minimum wage, wed suggest they combine negotiations with a new dedicated source of higher funding for schools.

COUNCIL LEADERSHIP NEEDED

Locally, the new Flagstaff City Council says it wants to help local business and create jobs, but its new set of goals doesnt specifically address the hit that city employers will take in July when the minimum wage rises to $12 on its way to $15 by 2021. We get it that the new council rode a wave of unrest over inappropriately dense development in neighborhoods and rising traffic congestion. But its most pressing leadership task should be to get involved in the shakeout over Prop. 414 that to date has not brought the two sides to the table. Instead, the Chamber and other opponents are backing an outright repeal initiative, with a reset of the wage to whatever happens to be the state minimum. Proponents are sticking with the initiative, even though its $2 escalator was drafted before the state minimum went from $8.05 to $10. The new council will be seen as irrelevant if their first order of business is to revisit the regional plan and neighborhood zoning while local businesses big and small desperately seek a workable compromise on a minimum wage hike that is too big too fast.

In 2013, the citys community survey found general satisfaction with municipal services and access to quality parks and recreation. But concern over high housing prices and the difficulty in finding jobs that covered the high cost of living rated only slightly less pressing than poor roads and traffic congestion. The city has made some progress on road repairs, although congestion is, if anything, worse today than in 2013. But housing prices are back to near historic highs and rents have never been higher. Thousands of new apartments are in the pipeline as NAU continues to grow, but the city could still do more to help its employers do better by its workforce on affordable housing. That doesnt mean the city has to get in the housing construction business. But other high-cost cities have sold bonds for a revolving housing loan fund that can help local employees with down payments or developers to offer lower-priced units beyond just density bonuses. Such programs at the least tell Flagstaff workers that there are alternatives before considering massive hikes in minimum wages as a way to pay exorbitant rents or save for a down payment.

CITIZENS WILLING TO PAY

We have to agree with those on the council who resist yet another hike in the local sales tax. But there is some wiggle room on property taxes and bonding capacity  at least until the need to get serious about funding the Red Gap Ranch pipeline arrives. Traffic congestion, if it continues to grow without some plans to fix it, is the surest way to undermine whatever mandate the council thinks it has on other issues. That will take money to address, but the 2013 survey found that Flagstaff citizens are willing to raise their taxes for road improvements, schools and future water supplies. Thats a message that politicians, from the governor on down, should not ignore for the sake of a campaign pledge. Tax hikes that are crafted by elected bodies in concert with citizens are much preferable to runaway ballot issues like Props. 206 and 414. The New Year is a time to do things differently  and, it is hoped, do them right.
Iowa hunting seasons are winding down.

Pheasant, late muzzleloader and archery deer, and archery fall turkey seasons close Jan. 10. Furbearer seasons, squirrel, quail, partridge and grouse remain open until Jan. 31.

Rabbit season is open until Feb. 28. Crow season is Jan. 14 to March 31. Beaver trapping season closes on April 15.

For waterfowl, the north zone Canada goose season closes on Jan. 4, and the light goose season closes on Jan. 13. For the south zone and Missouri River zone, the Canada goose season closes Jan. 18 and the light goose season closes Jan. 27.

The light goose conservation order season is open Jan. 28 to April 15 statewide; additional regulations apply.
Winter Storm to Impact the Region; Remember Your Pets, Don't Leave Them Outside

Pets & Animal, Nature & Weather, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: January 08 2017

Nassau County SPCA again urges pet owners to keep their families and pets safe during winter storm.

The most important thing pet owners should do is to bring their pets indoors.

Nassau County, NY - January 7, 2017 - In anticipation of the approaching winter storm the Nassau County SPCA again urges pet owners to make preparations ahead of the storm to keep their families and pets safe.

The most important thing pet owners should do is to bring their pets indoors.

Always bring pets indoors, including outdoor cats, at the first sign or warning of a storm. A snow storm is no place for a pet.

Don't let your dog off the leash after heavy snowfall. Dogs can lose their scent during winter storms and easily become lost. Make sure all pets wear collars and tags with up-to-date identification. Deep snow cover can confuse a pet and cover their familiar scent landmarks. It is easier, and more dangerous, for your pet to be lost in snowy weather so keep an eye on them at all times when outdoors.

Stock up ahead of time on all pet food and medicine your animals may need-travel may be much more difficult or impossible.

Prepare for a power outage, especially if your family includes fish, reptiles or pocket pets.

Keep a pet emergency kit and supplies handy with items such as medical records, water, pet food and medications, and pet first aid supplies.

Clean off your dog's paws with a moist washcloth after going outside. Snow-melting salt can be very painful to dogs' feet and can make them ill when ingested.

Have a coat and booties ready for any dog that needs them. Be ready to protect your pets from v strong wind and cold.
Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com

Columnists Press Releases
CEDAR RAPIDS | With Republicans in control of the Iowa House, Senate and governors office, Senate Minority Leader Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, doesnt want to even mention which social conservative agenda items worry him most.

I dont really want to tell you all of the things we are concerned about because I dont want to put an idea in (Republicans) minds. I dont want to plant the seeds, Hogg said.

Social conservatives hope 2017 is the year the seeds theyve been planting blossom into laws to strengthen and defend families, protect life, strengthen marriage, expand educational choice and defend the poor.

But only if pro-family Iowans are engaged in speaking our values to our government, according to a recent Family Leader newsletter.

House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, is calling on defenders of the status quo to speak up, too.

We will exercise every option available to us to show our opposition, Smith said. Well have to rely on the people to voice their opinions.

Some likely hot button issues of the 2017 session are:

Abortion:

We are a pro-life caucus, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said. Thats who we are. So we will continue to do bills that advance the protection of life.

That likely will include restrictions on abortion, perhaps banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy or if the fetus weighs at least 350 grams, and amending the state Constitution to specify there is no fundamental right to abortion.

Upmeyer wasnt aware of any plans for an attempt to ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as early as six weeks after conception. Ohio lawmakers approved that legislation, but it was vetoed.

Defunding Planned Parenthood:

Another Republicans goal in recent years has been to withhold funding from Planned Parenthood. Upmeyer said the caucus prefers state dollars go to womens health care providers that do not also provide abortions.

There are plenty of clinics other than Planned Parenthood that offer breast cancer screening and reproductive health exams that are covered by tax dollars for Medicaid patients, according to Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock.

Better options for more women and their health care, he said.

Voter Photo ID:

This could be one of the first bills to land on Gov. Terry Branstads desk.

Despite Democratic arguments that requiring voters to show a photo ID is a barrier to voting, Dix cites a 2013 Iowa Poll that found 71 percent of Iowans favored requiring voter photo IDs.

Voter photo ID is among the recommendations Secretary of State Paul Pate made to the Legislature. He estimated the cost to provide IDs to Iowans without state-issued IDs would be about $500,000.

The argument he and GOP lawmakers make is that voters want confidence that only eligible voters are participating in elections. Voting should be easy, cheating should be hard, they say.

Its inconsistent for Republicans to relax restrictions on gun ownership under the guise of expanding Iowans constitutional rights, but make it harder to vote  another constitutional right, Smith said.

Pate also proposed signature verification in addition to a photo ID, recommended using electronic poll books at every precinct and requiring an ID number for absentee ballot voting.

Traffic cameras:

Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, has tried, but failed, to ban traffic enforcement devices  speed cameras and red light cameras.

But Im in the majority and that changes everything, said Zaun, who will be the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman. He said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Chip Baltimore, R-Boone, has agreed to run the bill and I have assurances from Gov. Branstad he will sign it.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that in 2014 red-light running caused 171,000 traffic crashes nationwide, which led to approximately 126,000 injuries and 709 deaths.

Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, calls Zauns plan for the state to pre-empt local governments that want to use automated traffic devices for public safety a role reversal because its usually Republicans complaining about the Legislature imposing a one-size-fits-all regulation on local governments.

Zaun counters that hes trying to stop to the abuse thats taking place throughout Iowa. He believes local governments interest in the cameras is more about raising revenue for cities than safety.

The last time it came up in the House, Upmeyer said, and My recollection was that most of the caucus just wanted to do away with them.

Gun rights:

Attempts to expand Iowans gun rights are a sure thing in the GOP-controlled Senate. Sioux City Republican Sen. Rich Bertrand has been emailing Iowans to tell them that with their help there is an absolutely incredible opportunity to make both constitutional carry and stand-your-ground a reality in Iowa.

In an email distributed by Iowa Gun Owners, Bertrand described stand-you-ground as simply stating in law that Iowa gun owners can defend themselves against attackers without fear of legal backlash. Constitutional carry would restore the right of Iowa citizens to carry a firearm for protection without going through a bunch of bureaucratic rigmarole or paying expensive fees, Bertrand said.

Dix ays a state version of the federal Second Amendment is a priority for the GOP majority.

In the past, opponents of these measures could rely on liberal Democrats to block their passage in the Senate. This year, Jeremy Brigham, executive director of Iowans for Gun Safety, said they will need to talk to Republicans.

Theyre in charge, so we need to let them know what the facts are. Better laws lead to less gun violence, Brigham said. Weakening law will likely lead to more gun violence.

Although expanded gun rights is seen as a GOP issue, Brigham isnt sure all Republican share Bertrands zeal. He points out some Republicans who defeated Democratic incumbents generally won by small margins.

They need to watch their backs, he said. Some GOP lawmakers who supported expanding gun rights out of party loyalty in the past may be less willing this year if they think theres a real possibility of those bills becoming law.

Brigham emphasized that his group is pushing a gun safety agenda rather than an anti-gun agenda. Iowans for Gun Safety want to require Iowans to have hands-on training before getting a gun permit rather than taking online gun training. It also wants to require the safe storage of guns in homes, including the use of gun safes so weapons are not readily available to children or burglars.
Work is hard enough already. Why not give your workspace a fun and inspiring makeover with some of these cool office furniture ideas?

Whether you work in a home office setup or in a block of offices, the decor and office furniture neednt be boring and uninspiring. Some of the biggest companies have started a trend in creating workplaces where the staff actually want to be at work.

Say goodbye to your plain walls, soulless cubicles and drab furniture. Say hello to unique, vibrant and quirky environments that make the working day feel aesthetically pleasing and far less dull.

A visually enjoyable environment will increase staff productivity, reduce sick days and make the whole work experience a whole lot more fun.

Work environments can be fun and even more like an adventure playground in some places!

You can actually whizz down a tunnel slide to escape a boring meeting at the Lego offices in Denmark, though with a workspace like that I doubt any meeting would be boring!

Feeling a bit crazed with your workload? Let it all out it in a padded cell meeting room at Googles London offices!

Let your creative side take hold and give your staff an environment theyll thrive in. If adding a tunnel slide is perhaps one step too far, perhaps a splash of colourful furniture will do the trick for now!

Create your dream workplace with fun office furniture

Calibre Furniture source and supply some of the most exciting and contemporary office furniture Ive seen. If you have a big revamp project they offer free consultations and can offer a personalised service from start to finish. Here are my top 5 items from their website:

1. All Sorts Break Out Seating

My absolute favourite! As soon as I saw these I knew I had to share them on my blog. So fun and such a great idea to make All Sorts chairs. These would be a talking point in any office. Id even love them in my house in my childrens playroom!

2. Bubble Screen

Ive never seen office screening quite like it. We had boring blue dividers in the offices I used to work at. These remind me of giant bubble wrap. Another great conversation starter to really get those work meetings flowing.

3. Vista Plus Chairs

A stylish practical chair which will make a bold first impression in a busy reception area. Another item Id love at home too! It would make a fab chair for my home office.

4. Indi Break Out Seating

Like colourful futuristic pods, these seats will instantly brighten up your staff break out area. The seats are also cleverly designed to reduce peripheral vision and outside noise whilst letting plenty of light through their open top design. Perfect if you want a bit of privacy to work by yourself or take an important phone call, but with the comfort of being in a shared space.

5. Unity Designer Desk

Just look at this desk! It was a tough choice between sharing the purple or yellow, but happy sunshine yellow won. This is a statement desk for those who like to stand out with its rounded chunky modern finish. Now I just need my dream ginormous office to put one in
CEDAR FALLS | Area Education Agency 267's Board of Directors last week gave initial approval to a $51.66 million budget.

The 2017-18 spending plan, which goes into effect July 1, represents a 7.6 percent decrease over the $55.91 million re-estimated budget for the current year. It will be published and returned to the board in February for a public hearing and final approval.

The budget represents 0 percent allowable growth in state foundation aid and other categorical aid, which will be set later by the Legislature. State aid is set at $15.34 million while juvenile home funding and other state revenues are estimated at $4.86 million.

"Clearly, we hope that zero percent growth is not our reality," said Beth Strike, AEA 267 spokeswoman. Conservative assumptions are made in building the budget, with amounts adjusted later if state funding is higher.

Officials also hope that $2.6 million in state aid cuts to AEA 267's budget over the past decade will be restored. The Legislature hasn't taken any action to increase the funding.

A 0.06 percent drop in student enrollment and a 3.28 percent increase in special education weighted enrollment is expected across the agency, which includes school districts and private schools in 18 north central and northeast Iowa counties.

That is reflected in $12.49 million of property tax revenues, a 0.85 percent increase over the current year's budget. Both state aid and property tax funding are based on enrollment levels and flow to the agency through the school districts it serves.

Federal funding in the budget is estimated at $15.86 million. Tuition and transportation funding plus other revenues from local sources totals $6.2 million.

On the expenditure side, $8.06 million is estimated for classroom instruction. Student and staff support services are estimated at $32.08 million. Another $7.45 million is budgeted for general, building, business and central administration.

Debt service of $475,343 is related to the board signing a lease purchase agreement last month for the Park Place Events Center, which will become the agency's new headquarters.

In other business the board approved:

 The December 2017 retirement of Mary Stevens, executive director of special education, after 40 years in education. Strike said the agency will begin a search for Stevens' replacement.

 A $318,600 annual lease agreement with Cedar Falls Community Schools for River Hills School. Cedar Falls Schools heads a consortium of area districts that oversee the special needs school owned by AEA 267 but located within district boundaries. Lease payments are made with contributions from all consortium members based on the number of their students enrolled.
Kottayam: Known for his political attitude and his stern stand against corruption, Poonjar MLA PC George on last day announced his decision to float a new party. In an interview with a news channel, he revealed that the name of the party will be 'Kerala Janapaksham'.

Talking about Kerala Congress, he said that he would never use the name Kerala Congress again as he is ashamed to use it. He also pointed that he will float his party by staging a protest against center over the demonetisation issue on January 30. However, the 'Kerala Janapaksham' was floated after the dispersal of Kerala Congress secular party.
Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on last day shot off a letter to CPM General Secretary Sitharam Yechuri seeking the ouster of MM Mani from state cabinet. Chennithala's action came after the court rejected Mani's discharge petition in the Ancheri Baby murder case.

In the letter, he also urged him to notice the matter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Pointing out the reference against Mani in the letter given by VS Achuthanandan, he also added that a murder case accused should not continue in a minister post.
Odihsa: In yet another shameful incident, a grief stricken father was forced to carry his daughter's corpse for 15 km. Gati Dhinabr, hailing from Odisha had to face the shocking incident due to the irresponsibility of the hospital management.

His daughter Sumi was admitted to the Pallahara community health center after having high fever. A day later, the doctors declared her dead, but shockingly took no further responsibility. Without knowing about the state government free hearse service and not having the money to hire one, Gati decided to carry his daughter's dead body for 15 kms.

After knowing the incident, Ankur district Collector promised to take strict action against the culprits. Gati Dhibar ordeal is eerily similar to the Dana Manji episode who made head lines for carrying his wife's dead body on his shoulders for 13 kilometers.
CLEAR LAKE | Saturday afternoon the Clear Lake Fire Department was dispatched to a report of an ice house that had fallen through the ice and was possibly burning.

Upon arrival, the CLFD found no fire but a tent on the ice.

The tent, which was staked low to the ice, had smoke coming from a stack on the roof. The was no danger and the tent was occupied by a man camping on the frozen lake.

The fire department posted their service call on Facebook Saturday evening.
SHRADER

Linda Whorley

Linda Whorley Shrader, 54, of Martinsville, died January 1, 2017. She was born October 9, 1962, and was the fourth of four children born to the late Arthur Elliott Whorley and Elizabeth Hylton Whorley. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved brother Larry.

Linda was struck by a car near her home on the evening of December 31, 2016 and died early New Year's Day. True to the goodness in her heart for the lost and less fortunate, Linda died crossing the street to deliver New Year's favors and best wishes to a lonely neighbor.

She attended Laurel Park High School and obtained her GED prior to her service in the United States Coast Guard. Linda previously owned several local businesses but had been disabled for several years. Her favorite thing to do was just hang-out with friends. She enjoyed traveling and had recently visited the western part of North Carolina. She had just bought an electric guitar and amp and was looking forward to learning to jam in the new year.

Linda is survived by her partner, Mark Taylor and their precious pup Whiskey; a daughter Hannah Shrader of Richmond; two sisters, Pat Turner Bays of Martinsville, Susie Whorley of Chapel Hill, N.C. and nephews David Whorley of Roanoke and Ricky Turner of Easley, S.C. She loved her two great-nieces and three great -nephews.

The celebration of Linda's life will be at 2 p.m. Friday, January 6, 2017 at Wright Funeral Service Chapel. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Following the Celebration of Life, there will concurrent receptions at Mark's Garage, 1619 Rivermont Heights and Hugo's Uptown.

Wright Funeral Service is serving the Whorley and Shrader families.

On Line condolences may be made at www.wrightfuneralservices.net
Seven North Iowa nonprofit organizations will receive funding from the Elizabeth Muse Norris Charitable Fund and six more will receive money from the Lorraine and Ray Rorick Fund, Lee Endowment Foundation administrators announced.

Total disbursements from the Muse Norris fund were $41,712 for 2016.

This years recipients are:

Charlie Brown Pre-School, Bringing Technology into the Classroom, $4,500

Clear Lake Middle School Band, euphoniums and marching horns, $3,000

Elderbridge Aging Agency, vehicle fund, $5,000

Francis Lauer Youth Services, Carpets for Kids, $4,428

KCMR, second production studio, $3,000

Mason City Schools Instrumental Music Boosters, new instrument fund, $3,375

NIACC, Performing Arts and Leadership Series, $6,228

Administrators split $5,735 from the Rorick Fund among:

United Way of North Iowa, $286.75

Christmas Cheer Fund, $286.75

First Presbyterian Church, Mason City, $573.50

Winnebago Council Boy Scouts, $573.50

Simpson College, $573.50

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Tucson, Ariz., $573.50

Mason City Parks & Recreation Department for the Ray Rorick Park, $2,867.50

Additionally, administrators approved $6,446 from the Will F. Muse Scholarship Fund to North Iowa Area Community College.

Elizabeth Muse Norris was the daughter of former Globe Gazette publisher Will F. Muse, and Ray Rorick was another former Globe Gazette publisher. Following Elizabeth Muse Norris death in 1983, stock certificates left in her name were used to form the foundation. Its mission is to preserve the familys memory and to ensure that funding for worthwhile community programs would continue in North Iowa.

Applications for distributions must be made by March 31, 2017. The application form can be downloaded from www.musenorris.com.
SUNDAY'S WORD is impavid (im-pav-id). Example: He was impavid when it came to the challenge, stepping off the platform to bungee jump.

FRIDAY'S WORD was balter (ball-tor). It means to tumble, to dance clumsy. Example: The man baltered through the first part of the dance, clearly showing it was his first time on the floor.

Carver Ruritan

The Carver Road Ruritan Club will hold its monthly meeting on Monday at 6:30pm. The Club is located at 130 Linda Drive and anyone interested in joining is invited to attend.

Book Club meets

The Second Tuesday Book Club will meet on Tuesday at noon, in the Martinsville branch of the Blue Ridge Public Library. The book for discussion is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Anyone interesting in joining is welcome to attend.

Martinsville Rotary Clubs meet

Both of the Martinsville Rotary Clubs will meet this week. The Uptown Rotary will meet Thursday at 7:30 a.m., over at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, 21 Starling Avenue. Tommy Hudgins, Head of School at Carlisle School, will present a program about his recent trip to China. The Martinsville Rotary Club, on the other hand, will get together on Tuesday, working on a food packing project.

Car troubles

While the Stroller is a fan of cold weather, even he has to admit it's time to stay indoors once the temperature hits single digits. But if you have to head out on errands, the Stroller just asks that you take a few minutes first to check some things. First, pay attention to your tires. Colder weather brings compressed air. In fact, the pressure in your tires drops by one unit every 10 degrees. That means you lose one unit of pressure between 40 degrees and 30. By now, with the temperature hitting 9 degrees overnight, you've lost a few more if the car is parked outside. Before starting out, be sure to check the tire pressure, so you're not stranded on icy roads with a flat. Also, climbing into a freezing car isn't fun. That's why people start the cars and let them warm up a bit before leaving. Just be careful how long you let that go. A few minutes is fine, but engines aren't built to idle for long periods. If you let the car idle too long, it causes buildup on the spark plugs, making them less efficient. Just a few things to consider before you head out today.

Scholarship opportunity

We've talked about grants a few times in the paper this week. Here's another one people can apply for. The J.T. And Minnie Maude Charitable Trust opened the application period for this year's scholarships. Any students who are going after certificates, diplomas, associates, bachelor's or graduate degrees can apply. The only catch is you have to be a U.S. citizen living in Henry or Pittslyvania counties in Virginia or Caswell or Rockingham counties in North Carolina, along with the cities of Danville and Martinsville. You can get the application online over at www.jtmm.org or call 434-797-3330 for more information.

TRIVIA QUESTION: We've had a bit of a dusting this weekend, when it comes to snow. But what is the largest recorded snowfall in history? The answer will be in tomorrow's Stroller.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Friday's Patrick County history column touched on the beginnings of moonshine, but where was the first recorded batch made? For that answer, we go across the ocean to England. English lexicographer Francis Grose first identified the drink in 1785. Describing a new trend, as he saw it, Francis wrote in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue that the white brandy smuggled on the coasts of Kent and Sussex is also called moonshine. Grose said it was called by that name because it was smuggled at night.
There are so many terrible things happening so quickly in Washington that its hard to pick just one topic for a column. Instead, please join me on a magical journey as we look back over the last few days and try to determine the worst thing to happen in Washington recently, in a new feature I like to call The Worst Thing to Happen in Washington Recently.

Contestant number one is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who on Wednesday said that the American people simply will not tolerate Democrats blocking President-Elect Donald Trumps Supreme Court pick, whoever that might be. McConnell uttered this line mere hours after Merrick Garlands Supreme Court nomination expired following 42 weeks of Republican obstruction led by Mitch McConnell. Fun fact: The only two man-made objects that can be seen from space are the Great Wall of China and Mitch McConnells towering hypocrisy.

Contestant number two is House Speaker Paul Ryans revelation on Thursday that Planned Parenthood legislation will be in a GOP reconciliation bill designed to repeal Obamacare, and Planned Parenthood could potentially lose all of its federal funding.

I understand that for voters who are opposed to abortion on moral or religious grounds, this might sound like good news. However, by existing law, federal funding already cannot be used for abortions, so if Planned Parenthood is defunded, its other programs are the ones that will suffer. That includes programs such as prenatal care and cancer screening and prevention. So long prenatal vitamins, and hello preventable disease!

Contestant number three is S.11, the Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act, introduced by Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Dean Heller. The bill would slash in half the funding for construction, maintenance and security for U.S. embassies until the President moves the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Isnt there something more than a little strange about three Senators who recently said that Benghazi was an easily-preventable international catastrophe introducing a bill that could potentially slash security funding for international embassies? Has the whole world gone crazy?

Contestant number four is the wall, which President-Elect Trump recently announced will be paid for with funds appropriated by Congress and not by Mexico  although, he insists, Mexico will reimburse us later for the project, which is estimated to cost between $20 and $25 billion.

This raises several questions, including: Why would Mexico pay for it later? Wasnt the whole point of the wall that Mexico was going to pay for it? Is this actually a smart use of taxpayer dollars, considering all the actual infrastructure needs we have in this country and the fact that illegal immigration into the U.S. has actually been declining for the past nine years? And will I be able to get my name engraved on the wall, considering that Im now going to be helping pay for the thing?

Finally, contestant number five is the Holman Rule, a 140-year-old procedural rule recently exhumed by our own Rep. Morgan Griffith and reinstated by House Republicans. The rule gives any member of Congress the power to single out specific federal employees, cut specific government programs, or even cut the pay of a single federal employee down to one American dollar.

In order to exercise this power, both the House and Senate would have to approve any proposed amendments to appropriations bills targeting specific employees or programs, so its not like one Senator could just waltz into the Department of Agriculture and announce that everyone named Kevin will have their pay cut down to a buck a year.

However, when one considers that President-Elect Trump recently has been nominating Cabinet secretaries who seem to be at odds with the agencies theyve been selected to lead (for example, Gov. Rick Perry, who was chosen to lead the Department of Energy, once tried to argue that the Department of Energy should be abolished, except he couldnt remember the name of it), and when one also considers that someone on Trumps campaign recently sent a survey to the Department of Energy requesting the names of every employee working on the issue of climate change, the Holman Rule starts to become deeply troubling.

Its supporters claim the Holman Rule is about increasing accountability in government, but it could easily become a tool to punish government employees who dont fall in line with the new administration.

While all five of these contenders are troubling in their own ways, the Holman Rule is the only thing on this list that sounds like it came straight out of George Owells dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. So congratulations, The Holman Rule, youre my Worst Thing to Happen in Washington Recently.

Thats no small feat for a list that has Mitch McConnell on it.
SOUTH YARMOUTH Authorities are holding a 16-year-old juvenile after they said he stabbed his step-father to death in a South Yarmouth motel room Friday, the

Cape Cod Times

reported.

The teen is not being identified, but he is being held at a juvenile detention facility on charges of murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The accused and the victim, 43-year-old James Dean, were staying at the Beach 'N Towne Motel on Route 28, along with Dean's wife who is the mother of the accused. The three were in a room at the motel when the stabbing took place just before 9 p.m.Friday night.

Police said the teen called 911 to report the stabbing. Dean was transported to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The incident remains under investigation by Massachusetts State Police detectives attached to the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office.
This is part of a MassLive special report on the the impact of the opioid crisis on children in Massachusetts.

_____________

"Bye, good luck!" Dr. Leslie Kerzner yells in a cheery voice as a baby leaves the Special Care Nursery at at Massachusetts General Hospital. She also reminds them to see her again in a few months for a check up.

Kerzner is the associate director of the Special Care Nursery and specializes in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) -- a problem increasing due to the opioid epidemic.

Nationally, the number of babies born dependent on opioids tripled in 15 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1999, NAS cases were 1.5 per 1,000 hospital births. By 2013, that number jumped to 6 per 1,000 births.

Massachusetts is no exception. In 2012, there were 12.5 NAS cases per 1,000 births. And while 2012 is the most recent data available, experts think that number has continued to increase.

"The opioid epidemic is being looked at but we're a very small fragment of that," Kerzner said, referring to NAS cases.

Caring for both the mother and baby

Kerzner said one of the biggest myths she deals with is that a mother of a baby with NAS can't be a good parent because "once an addict, always an addict."

She fights hard to prove that's not true, but, she admits, it is not easy for the mothers.

"The services are really lacking, suboptimal, across the state for our mother-baby dyad," Kerzner said.

Mothers and babies dependent on opioids can have a constant fluctuation in moods, she said, and when "you put those two together, you get a really tough dyad to work with."

But it is possible. And as Department of Children and Family services continues to struggle with the increase of children in foster care, hospitals around the state are working to keep mother and baby together.

As of June 30 there were 9,655 children in foster care and a plurality of cases reported for suspected abuse or neglect, known as 51A's, were drug allegations, according to DCF.

Plus, Kerzner added, it can be "retraumatizing" to mothers to have their baby taken away.

"That's just a cycle that really has no good end to it either. So how can we improve care to this specific population, mother and baby?" Kerzner asked.

But mothers have to be ready to enter treatment and get clean to create the best outcomes for their babies. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not recommend weaning off drugs during pregnancy, Dr. Rachana Singh, NICU director for almost 11 years at Baystate Medical Center said.

Treatment drugs - methadone, buprenorphine - can also lead to NAS when babies are born, but it is better for the baby than mothers experiencing withdrawal and possibly relapsing, Singh said.

"Those parents are able to provide better care for their kids. They are able to do what we call non-pharmacological care, which is breastfeeding the baby, doing a lot of skin to skin care with the baby," Singh said. "Those babies will be able to taken care of without needing more pharmacological management from us."

Babies with NAS used to have to stay in NICU for two to three months but places are working to significantly cut down that time and decrease cost. Now, Singh said, the average length of stay is 17 days.

For the first four days of the baby's life, doctors at Mass General Hospital monitor the baby closely. During that time they are treated and length of stay is based on an objective number scoring system, "not how nurses feel," Kerzner said.

In December, Mass General added four new beds so the mother can sleep next to the baby to increase breastfeeding and bonding. Kerzner said they are not specific for NAS cases, but they are given priority.

Simultaneously, doctors and nurses are working with the mothers to teach how to be a parent-- sometimes even having to teach them basic needs.

"When the baby's hungry, a non-former drug addict can tell the baby isn't acting right and maybe they're hungry," Kerzner said. "But when your brain has actually changed and it's white and gray matter, you don't think that way. You may think 'Oh, I'm not hungry so my baby's not hungry.' "

Beyond the basics, the hospital works to give the mothers confidence and show that they can do this.

One method is to give mothers whiteboards to let the nurses know their babies' preferences -- how their baby likes to be swaddled, if they like white noise or if they like the lights on or off.

"Make them the experts," Kerzner said. "So much of the time these women have so much shame and guilt and self hatred, really, they have a hard time feeling that they're taking care of anybody."

The highest risk is after the baby and mother leave the hospital because unless there are major problems, Kerzner said, nobody, including DCF, are watching them extremely closely.

In the future, Kerzner hopes there will be more residential programs, peer mentors or other options for women to get help if they need it.

For now, Kerzner continues to monitor the babies, seeing them for a full hour every couple months until they are 2. Although, she admits "sometimes it's hard for me to let go, so I see them at 2 1/2 and 3."

There is also a program for the mothers to meet with early intervention staff before they leave the hospital. She used to see mothers refuse the service because they thought they were involved with DCF. Now, the mothers can ask questions and straighten out any myths before ever going home.

All of Kerzner's programs lead back to one belief: "Give [mothers] the chance to show that they can do it."

Opioid epidemic in Massachusetts

About 10 years ago, rates of NAS in Springfield were similar to rest of country, said Singh, the NICU director at Baystate Medical Center. Now that's not the case, with NAS cases making up 10 percent of NICU patients at Baystate.

"We unfortunately are one of the higher numbers in the country," she said.

There's a similar trend across the state. At Mass General Hospital, doctors saw four NAS cases from Sept. to Dec. 2015. This year during the same time period, they saw 13 cases.

Other places, such as Boston Medical Center are seeing anywhere from 100 to 120 NAS cases.

South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth said they've been working hard on this issue, however, and saw a 7 patient decrease from 2015 to 2016.

In July, the Health Policy Commission awarded $11.3 million in investments through Health Care Innovation Program, $2,997,778 of which is going specially to NAS interventions.

The money will be used for various projects that look to improve hospital models, training and two year programs, similar to the one at Mass General Hospital.

Training and having systems in place are important, Kerzner said. This way larger hospitals can work with places closer to where patients live for long-term care.

Prognosis for children is unclear



The threat of fetal drug exposure can call to mind the "crack baby" scare of the 1980s - an ultimately unfounded panic, spread by credulous media reports, that in-utero exposure to cocaine could cause a lost generation of damaged children.



In that case, the early studies that sparked the concerns turned out to be false; there is no evidence that cocaine caused an epidemic of development problems for children, according to a long-term study of children exposed to cocaine in-utero.



For infant opioid exposure, the long-term effects are still not clear and researchers are proceeding carefully, said Dr. Veeral Tolia from Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Research from when Australia had a similar outbreak of neonatal abstinence syndrome a decade ago suggests affected children could do worse in school, but it can be difficult to separate medical problems from environmental and social factors.



"These kids are at risk, but we don't really know the long term effects of these things," Tolia said. "We're trying to be cautious in making long term prognostications."

Even if researchers could separate environmental and social factors, other medical problems would still cloud the results.

Many of the women Kerzner sees also have a mental illness such as anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, or also smoke. She said these other medications then cause their own withdrawal for the baby and that it's not uncommon for a baby to be coming off of 5 things at once. So, she said, it's hard to tell what's what.

"All these extra medications are increasing the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome because the baby is having to manage coming off more things," Kerzner said.

What is clear is that the surge in infant opioid cases places a significant burden on neonatal ICUs and is costing the state $66,700 to $93,400, according to Boston Business Journal.

A focus on mental health, education and training, could change that, Kerzner said.

"I'm about: treat the baby however you need to treat the baby, get the healthiest mother baby dyad, so that her mental health is better, her relapse rate is lower and that the baby does better," Kerzner said. "Because long term that will save way more cost than 2 days extra in my special care nursery."

Dan Glaun contributed reporting.
ARLINGTON, Vermont An elderly women, whose body was found in her Arlington home Wednesday, died of multiple stab wounds an autopsy has concluded.

The Vermont State Police announced that an autopsy conducted by the Chief Medical Examiners' Office in Burlington confirmed that Helen Jones, 89, was stabbed several times perhaps during the commission of an armed home invasion. The cause of death is attributed to the multiple stab wounds.

Jones's body was found Wednesday night when a friend went to her home at the request of a family member. The friend found Jones and called 911.

Thre Burlington Free Press reported Saturday that state police investigators discovered evidence of forced entry into the house. State Police Maj. Glenn Hall, criminal division commander, said there have been several reports of burglaries in the area of Jones's Buck Hill Road home. Police are looking into any possible connection.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Crimes Unit at the Shaftsbury barrack at 802-442-5421.
big y.JPG

(Dave Roback/Republican file)

OLD LYME, Conn. - At least one person was killed and another seriously injured in a stabbing at the Big Y plaza Sunday afternoon.

Connecticut State Police and local police remain at the scene of the crime, that happened at about 2:12 p.m. on Halls Road, The Hartford Courant is reporting.

One person was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital with serious injuries. Police also called for a helicopter to transport one of the victims but it is not clear if either of the victims was flown to the hospital, NBC Connecticut is reporting.

State police said a suspect was identified at the scene and may have also been injured, The Hartford Courant said.

The names of the victims and the suspect have not been released yet.

State Police said the people involved in the attack knew each other and the stabbing was not a random act, NBC Connecticut said.

The supermarket has been closed for the rest of the day.

The Big Y is a family-owned business that started in Springfield. Today Big Y has 79 stores throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts with more than 11,000 employees. The chain was founded in 1936 by brothers Paul and Gerald D'Amour.

This is a breaking story. Masslive will update as more information becomes available.
cumberland farms.jpg

A Cumberland Farms gas station convenience store will be built on Rt. 10 in Easthampton.

(Wikimedia Commons)

EASTHAMPTON -- Cumberland Farms has won major approval to build a gas station-convenience store at 221 Northampton St.

The Planning Board Tuesday unanimously granted First Hartford Realty Corporation a special permit to develop the project along Rt. 10, capping a series of public hearings that began in November.

Plans show a 4,786-square-foot building on a nearly two-acre lot. Included are six self-serve gas pumps with an overhead canopy, 35 parking spots, a bike rack, a patio area, lighting and landscaping.

Initial plans showed oversized signage that would need a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. However, a lawyer for First Hartford suggested Tuesday that those plans had been abandoned.

"I don't anticipate a request for a variance," Thomas Murphy told the Planning Board, in response to a question from retired City Councilor Daniel Hagan, present at the meeting.

The Cumberland Farms project will still need an order of conditions from the Conservation Commission, which meets Monday. A portion of the development footprint is within a 100-foot wetland buffer zone.

As for stormwater, the company plans a proprietary system with deep catch basins that can hold up to 250 gallons of petroleum runoff and 89 cubic feet of sediment. The filtration system promises to deliver "improved water quality prior to discharge." The stormwater plan may need a federal permit, because the project is disturbing more than an acre.

The project, located within the Manhan River watershed, will create an additional .78 acres of impervious surface. While part of the site is within a Zone II aquifer recharge area, it is not located within the city's floodplain or aquifer protection overlay zoning districts.

The development will need an OK from MassHighway for two curb cuts. A flammables storage license must be issued by the Fire Department with ratification by the City Council.

Cumberland Farms, which got its got its start in 1939, now has more than 600 stores in eight states, runs a dairy plant near Albany, and owns the Gulf Oil petroleum brand.

The 6.4-acre property once contained a house, which has been demolished. The lot is within the city's Highway Business zone, which allows convenience stores with a special permit from the Planning Board. The property is owned by Easthampton businessman David Boyle.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com
NORTHAMPTON  Photojournalist Nancy Palmieri left a lasting legacy to the Pioneer Valley, not just with her images but through her generous spirit.

"She was friends with so many people it's amazing," said Kathy Borchers, a longtime photojournalist with the Providence Journal who worked there with Palmieri from 1989 to 1992. "Everyone kind of felt that they were her best friend."

Borchers, who has been entrusted with Palmieri's archives, is preparing a tribute to her work, called "Scenes from the Valley." It will be on display at Woodstar Cafe, 60 Masonic St., Northampton for eight weeks, starting Jan. 9.

Palmieri lived in Northampton for 18 years. She died of cancer on July 18 at Fisher House in Amherst.

All proceeds from the sales of the 15 photographs that Borchers has selected for the tribute will benefit Fisher House, which provides hospice services.

Palmieri worked for the Union-News and Sunday Republican, predecessors to The Republican, in the early 1980s and the early 1990s. She went on to do freelance work in the area for the New York Times, Boston Globe, Associated Press, Smith College, Jacob's Pillow and other entities.

Borchers said Palmieri's positive outlook on life was mirrored in her work.

"She was an extremely enthusiastic person and it carried over into her photography, it was always upbeat and positive," she said.

Dave Roback, a longtime photojournalist for The Republican newspaper and its predecessors, said Palmieri had a knack for putting people at ease.

"She always made her subjects very comfortable with her ever-present smile," he said.

Behind the lens, however, behind that smile, was an accomplished professional, Roback said.

"During her time with the Springfield Newspapers, she always had beautiful pictorials, especially the silhouettes in the black and white form," Roback said, "Later on while freelancing, she was versatile, excelling at any assignment coming her way."

Borchers said Palmieri especially liked photographing animals and human interest subjects.

Those two subjects melded for Palmieri in 1984 when her photograph of a West Springfield police officer chasing a chicken in the Century Plaza won first prize in the animal category in an annual competition sponsored by the Boston Press Photographers Association. She also took home two prizes in the spot news category that year.

The chicken photograph is included in the Woodstar tribute.

The framed photo prices are $100 for framed and matted 11x14s, $150 for framed and matted 14x18s and $200 for 20x30 canvas photos.

Borchers thanked Woodstar Cafe owner Rebecca Robbins for hosting the exhibit.

"Woodstar Cafe was Nancy's favorite coffee shop in Northampton, so it's appropriate that she'll still be present there with this exhibit," she said.
CHARLES CITY  Joanne Wiltse, 68, of Charles City, died Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, at the Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

A funeral Mass will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charles City. Reverend Gary Mayer will celebrate the Mass. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Charles City.

Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at Hauser Funeral Home, where a Scripture service will begin at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the funeral Mass at the church on Wednesday.

Hauser Funeral Home in Charles City is in charge of local arrangements.
A police officer responding to a shoplifting call at a Plainville, Massachusetts Target store was struck by a car driven by the suspect in the theft, according to police.

Police were called to the Target store on Taunton Street around 10 a.m. Sunday for a report of shoplifting in progress. Officer Todd Holbrook headed to the store and approached the suspect as he entered a car in the parking lot, police said.

"The suspect then put the car in drive and struck Officer Holbrook as he fled from the Plaza," Plainville Police said in a statement.

The officer was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with non-life threatening injuries to the lower part of his body.

Police are now searching for the car and the suspect. The car is a small silver Ford Focus with license plate number 6SM550. The license plate had been revoked prior to the incident.

The suspect is a white male in his late 20s to early 30s and 6 feet tall. He wore a black jacket with "MAC tools" on the upper left chest area and on the back. The lettering was red. Police said the suspect also wore a red hooded sweatshirt under the jacket, dark colored pants and a red hat with a white stripe. The man had dark hair and facial hair.
ENFIELD - Professional wrestling was the buzz in Enfield on Saturday night when Blitzkrieg! Pro kicked off their first show of the new year. The large crowd who braved the snow were treated to match after match of excitement that made for a card to remember.

The slate of bouts were diverse and dynamic, featuring one-on-one action, tag teams, a five-man scramble and a triple threat. Regional favorites such as the Masterminds & Genius Bar joined forces with Sydney Bakabella to take on an assembled crew of DeNucci Dynasty's Ryan Malice, "The Unpredictable" Jgeorge, JustNeph, and DG Haven as well as Bryce Donovan.

A featured event of the night was teased to the public during the weeks prior promising something big and it didn't disappoint. Former WWE tag team champions Mikey and Kenny of the Spirit Squad squared off in a four-corner tag match that was truly epic.

In the main event, "Dirty Daddy" Chris Dickinson defeated Donovan Dijak.

Wawel Hall in the Old Country Banquet Facility on Alden Avenue continued to prove to be a terrific venue. For more information about Blitzkrieg! Pro wrestling, visit their website or official Facebook page.
Brand Africa launched Brand Africa | Africas Best Places, the pan-African initiative to recognize and rank the best places for tourism, investment and citizen mobilisation in Africa.

The goal of the initiative is to inspire pride, raise the standards and grow the competitiveness of African places  countries, cities and destinations. The inaugural awards and rankings of the Brand Africa | Africas Best Places will be celebrated and published on 1 September 2022.

The Brand Africa | Africas Best Places initiative builds on the inaugural Brand Africa Forum in 2010 which convened African and global place branding decision makers and thought leaders to reflect on how African nations individually and the continent collectively can develop a supranational competitive advantage. Every year since then, Brand Africa has announced the Brand Africa 100 | Africas Best Brands the widely referenced pan-African survey and ranking of brands in Africa, which over the past 10 years, has established that only 20% of the most admired brands in Africa are African.

The initiative was announced by Brand Africa Chairman, Thebe Ikalafeng, on the sidelines of the Intra-Africa Trade Fair 2021 (IATF2021) which is taking place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa from 15 to 21 November 2021.

Despite being rich in valued mineral resources, enviable indigenous fauna and flaura, a youthful population and being the second most populous continent accounting for 17.5% of world population, Africa attracts roughly only five percent of the worlds inbound tourism and FDI, says Ikalafeng.

Recognizing Africas Best Places will inspire pride in African places, enhance their reputations and competitiveness, grow tourism and investment, and ultimately contribute to the greater development and image of the continent, he concludes.

Thebe Ikalafeng Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa

The Brand Africa | Africas Best Places initiative is structured into two primary categories: (1) adjudicated awards and (2) rankings.

In the adjudicated awards category, African private and public institutions, agencies and practitioners can submit entries for initiatives and campaigns for tourism, trade and investment, economic development and citizen mobilization implemented internally in Africa or externally for Africa.

In the rankings category, an independent pan-African survey among citizens, visitors and investors will be undertaken to determine the best places for tourism, investment and to live.

Reflecting on the pandemic and the context of the IAFT2021 whose theme is focused on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which aims to accelerate intra-Africa investment and trade from 18% to 50% in 2030 through a single market for goods and services across 55 countries, Ikalafeng, whos been to every country in Africa, believes that by highlighting Africas Best Places and championing made in Africa brands, will inspire and mobilize African entrepreneurs, grow tourism, trade and investment, and accelerate industrialization, which ultimately will contribute to Africas growth, competitiveness and distinctiveness in a post-pandemic world where nations are increasingly having to look internally for sustainability.

Dr. Keith Dinnie, the global authority in city, region and country brand management and author of the worlds first textbook on nation branding: Nation Branding  Concepts, Issues, Practice and editor of the book City Branding  Theory and Cases, Kwame Senou, Vice-President at Opinion & Public in Benin and Ivory Coast and Vice-Chairman for Brand Africa Francophone Africa and Central Africa, New York based Eloine Barry, the CEO of Africa Media Agency, Kwakye Donkor, the CEO of Africa Tourism Partners, and broadcaster, actor, traveller, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Masego Maponyane are the inaugural members of the advisory council.

The awards are open to global and African private and public institutions, agencies and practitioners. Entries open 1 January 2022 and close 30 April 2022. The adjudication, by a diverse and representative global African panel of eminent of place branding experts, thought leaders, academia, policy and decision makers and practitioners. The inaugural awards will be presented live 1 September 2022. Interested parties can register at www.brand.africa/places to receive further information. This portal will also be the channel to enter the awards.

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On the face of it, the Iowa Legislature appears to be headed for free-rein control by the Republicans.

For the first time in 20 years, they are in total command of Iowa government  governor, Senate and House  the result of the November elections. It would seem that their will would be done almost automatically.

Not so fast, says Speaker of the House Linda Upmeyer, a Clear Lake Republican.

In an interview with the Globe Gazette, she said past speakers have told her the toughest years are when one party is in control. Shes approaching the session that way, looking for considerable give and take. We hope that happens.

We invited Upmeyer as well as Democrats Sen. Amanda Ragan and Rep. Sharon Steckman, both of Mason City, to discuss their priorities for the coming session.

Everything revolves around balancing the budget, Upmeyer said. Revenue coming in below projections has left the state with $100 million to cut from this years budget before lawmakers even start talking about the next fiscal year. Party leaders are working with members now to find out whats in the budget that would make for permanent savings, she said.

Gov. Terry Branstad will make his recommendations on Tuesday, and all bets are on employee reductions, among other cost-saving initiatives he says must be permanent.

Beyond the budget, the three North Iowa legislators see similar major issues:

 Funding education. Branstad said 2 percent hikes in each of the next two fiscal years is his target. Democrats contend thats not enough. Upmeyer says shes not certain what the figure will be.

 Oversight of the Medicaid system after its switch to private providers. Ragan and other Democrats continue to be dismayed about the way it was done almost single-handedly by Branstad, and continue to hear complaints from patients and providers. More oversight is a goal, but there remain significant differences.

 Funding a clean-water initiative. Upmeyer said a bill passed by the House last year is a good starting point. It would shift money spent on infrastructure projects and use money Iowans pay through water bills. Democrats wonder why a voter-approved measure to raise the sales tax by a fraction of a cent doesnt become law. Branstad has said he wont hear of a tax increase for that or any other issue.

 Siting of CAFOs  confined animal feeding operation requirements. Democrats favor more local control. Upmeyer said clean air and water dont stop at county lines.

Other issues on the minds of lawmakers include collective bargaining for state employees (many of whom fear a repeat of the changes experienced in Wisconsin), public safety on our roads and in prisons, mental health care, womens health issues, voter ID laws, gun control, the minimum wage and tax credits.

Our lawmakers face long days of dissecting them and doing what they believe is best for constituents.

That is the theme every year, but every year, it seems, things go south and the session is reduced to a long, tiring, frustrating series of political standoffs.

This year the temptation will be for the majority party to ramrod its priorities through with little regard for the minority lawmakers across the aisle. We hope that isnt the case.

Even though voters gave the majority to the Republicans, lawmakers are elected to represent all their constituents, and slightly less than half of the voters sided with the Democrats.

This is a year for lawmakers to prove they can work together in the interest of the state, ahead of party.

Some say it will be difficult. We say it doesnt have to be, and point to precedent, in the U.S. Senate in the not-so-distant past, nonetheless. It involved the very liberal Ted Kennedy (now deceased) of Massachusetts and the very conservative Sen. Mike Enzi (still in Washington) of Wyoming, former senior Democratic and Republican on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Enzi was asked how they managed to get so much done regardless of who was chairman. He said, Ted and I believe in the 80-20 rule: 80 percent of the stuff we agree on, 20 percent we dont agree on. What we decided to do is focus on the 80 percent on which we agree, set aside the 20 percent we dont agree on, and we will come back and worry about that another day.

We hope that Iowa lawmakers can succeed using that kind of approach. Agreeing to major points while letting that 20 percent slide to another day, not insisting on an all-or-nothing approach, not kicking down the door to make drastic changes, as one senator put it.

Iowans joined voters across the nation in November saying they want change, that the status quo was no longer good enough, that they want their elected officials to work rather than bicker.

Next week, lawmakers in Des Moines will get the chance to prove theyre listening. Using the 80-20 rule would help them do just that.
Marion citizens will now get the chance to learn a little more about how police officers do their jobs.

The Marion Police Department is taking applications for their Citizens Police Academy, to run every Thursday between March 2 and April 20.

The Citizens Police Academy program is designed to provide citizens with firsthand information on how the police department operates. The academy does this by giving citizens the opportunity for hands on experience in law enforcement.

A lot of times, people ask, why we do the things the way we do and the academy gives us the opportunity to answer these questions, said Chief Allen Lawrence in a press release.

The program is an eight-week course with a wide variety of topics, including patrol operations, crime prevention/community watch, 911 communications, traffic enforcement, criminal investigations, Narcotics, Defensive Driving and Firearms.

Interested applicants will be subject to a background check prior to entering the program.

Classes will start each night at 6 p.m. at the Marion Police Department. Interested applicants can contact the Marion Police Department in person or by phone. Applications are available at www.marionpd.org.
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by Ian Cross , Op-Ed Contributor, January 6, 2017

Transparency and the media industry arent typically synonymous, at least not according to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). Earlier this year, the ANA released a 58-page report detailing an eight month-long investigation led by K2 Intelligence. The report suggests that unethical practices appear to take place between advertising agencies and their media partners. Following the report, Ebiquitypublished a set of media transparency guidelines for ANA members and the industry. All of this is helpful for those already in the field, but what do these findings and guidelines mean for business schools preparing the next generation of marketers?

The troubling ANA report highlights the opportunity for business schools to alter industry behavior, starting with the next generation of practitioners. Business schools can do this by elevating the importance of ethics and the value of trust. Additionally, they need to call attention to the innate human tendency to be driven by money rather than sound business practices in order to best prepare students for the world beyond the four walls of the classroom.

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Here are three key areas highlighted in the report b-schools can capitalize on:

Ethics

One key takeaway from this report is what is categorized as a glaring lack of ethics in the media industry. ANA reported the pervasive practice in the US market of agencies receiving media incentives, free inventory and cash rebates, failing to share them with clients and thus, shattering the ethical standards theyre held to. To an educator, this is unnerving. The unethical practices we see should have been addressed and warned against in business school. We have seen the effects of ethical lapses in the energy industry, financial industry, etc. and now, its becoming apparent in the media industry.

Students are impressionable; their views of the world are molded by what they are exposed to. When it comes to the advertising industry in particular, the media industry (think Mad Men) has painted a glamorous picture. In an age of global media conglomerates and media technology platforms like Facebook, its not always clear if the agency is acting in its clients best interest. As educators, its our responsibility to paint a clear picture of the landscape - regardless of industry - and equip students with the necessary skills to execute ethical business practices, and help them to recognize when there is a lapse in ethics. We are shaping the next wave of marketers and communicators. It is imperative that we properly prepare our future business leaders to know right from wrong before they join the workforce and to learn the marketing, business and technology skills to actively manage complex agency relationships and marketing decisions.

Trust

There is something to be said about the value of establishing and maintaining trust with those you work with, no matter what side of the partnership youre on or what industry you work in. In the ANA report, it was clear that clients trusted their agency partners to act in their best interest (with impartial advice) to target the right audience with the most compelling message in the most suitable media.

Before leaving business school, students need to understand the power of honest disclosure in business engagements; legal contracts that are founded on trust and in the belief that no member of the agreement will be taken advantage of or scammed as a consequence. If we send students out into the business world without an understanding of the importance of trust in a partnership, we do them a disservice that will set them up for failure. Trust follows ethical business practices.

Greed

Trust and ethics came second in the ANA findings to one very clear motivator: money. Media partners were said to be collecting rebates to bring in more cash than they were disclosing. The drive to boost cash flow trumped all other facets of ethical and honest business agreements.

For those of us in education, weve all seen it: the bright student who turns down the opportunity to work for a great small company in favor of making more money on the 100th floor of a bright and shiny tower. Thats not how we want students to think, that doesn't prepare them for success.

It is imperative we teach students to think beyond the salary, and ask themselves questions like, does this company have good business practices? Are they reputable? Does the company share my values? Will I be a valuable asset to the team? These are the questions we must impress upon students as the most important before accepting any job offer. They are questions that, in the case of this report, many advertising agencies failed to ask themselves.

The best learning opportunities come from real-life scenarios. Bringing the lessons relevant to business students from this report - the value of ethics and trust and the dangers of greed - into the classroom is something we cant pass up; for our students, and for the future business leaders.
by Chuck Martin , January 7, 2017

LAS VEGAS -- Virtual reality was on display in various forms throughout CES.

On the main floors, numerous companies showed their "better-made" versions of Google Cardboard or their iteration of hardware more HTC-Vive or Oculus Rift like.

Most of those presentations focused on where virtual reality is.

For a look at where virtual is going, Leigh Christie -- manager of Isobar NowLab Americas and a tech wizard around all things related to virtual reality -- offered to help out.

Christie took me, Isobar President Jim Butler and Marketing Director Paul Buranosky to meet with some of the companies hidden deep into back areas of Eureka Park, the infamous "Hall G," the home of very leading-edge innovation at every CES.

We saw two separate but significant VR advancements that indicate where VR is heading.

One company, TPCAST -- a Chinese company that HTC has invested in -- presented a wireless accessory for HTC Vive headsets that allows users to roam freely around a room without wires from the headset dangling everywhere.

Christie maintains that this is a very big deal, as a major step to freeing the use of virtual reality headsets without being tethered to a certain location or range.

The second company, Impression.PI, demonstrated a VR technology that allowed a sensor on the front of the headset to accurately map the wearers fingers.

Christie and I tried them and both devices worked as advertised.

One of the issues with high-end VR headsets is still that the persons hand is typically represented by devices held by the user. The devices can be excellent in usage but still require a thing to be held.

The idea of sensors that map fingers aims to negate the need to hold a device for a VR experience.

Christie showed us several other VR headset sensor devices aimed at essentially the same effect.

By CES next year, some of these VR capabilities are likely to be more mainstream and incorporated into the devices themselves, rather than being add-ons.

And next year, we can look to Christie and the Isobar team again to see whats cooking in the back rooms of CES.


On the 13th of December, the Mexican senate made a bold move of legalizing medical marijuana in a landslide vote with a resounding 98-7 vote following a national debate on the countrys narcotics policy.

This however was an outcome of numerous advocates including a family in northern Mexico with a young epileptic girl (Graciela Elizalde) who won a court battle to import a cannabis-based treatment to stop her daily seizures.

In November 2015, the Supreme Court authorized four individuals to grow and smoke marijuana for recreational purposes a move that is believed to have paved way for broader decriminalization.

The president of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto has been a vocal supporter of medical cannabis and has been greatly involved in the push of the proposal to legalize.

How legal is medical marijuana in New Mexico

The new relaxed drug law allows at the very least for patients to receive the medicine they need without fear of persecution hence benefiting patients suffering from some chronic diseases. In addition, the law permits the use and production of marijuana for scientific and medical purposes.

In this case, the measure directs the Health Department to design public policies to regulate the medicinal use of the marijuana plant and its derivatives. The bill also permits the buying, selling, importation and exportation of products containing the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with concentrations of 1% THC or less.

Cannabis is to be strictly cultivated by the government, to ensure proper chemical levels and a secure supply. In addition to supplying the medical community with this plant, Mexico will also begin scientific research, meant to further the exploration of just how cannabis can help and which conditions it most effectively treats.

Cons of the Mexican bill

Although the bill was passed and medical marijuana is now legal in Mexico, some lawmakers argued that the bill does not go far enough because it does not cover individual cultivation of marijuana. One of the reasons for passing this bill was to help eliminate the wide spread cartel violence and organized crime in this Spanish state.

Therefore, the legalization of medical marijuana is hoped to help decrease their activity. However, many lawmakers and advocates believe that the bill falls short of the most important thing which is widespread recreational legalization.

Senator Angelica de la Pena Gomez, of the PRD, conceded to the fact that prohibition has generated high levels of violence and more than 100,000 deaths not to mention the systematic violation of human rights.

Even with all these arguments taking rounds, the truth still stands that the legalization of medical marijuana in Mexico is a big step for the government and a major victory for Mexican citizens in need of alternative medicines such as cannabis. It is however important to note that recreational marijuana use it still broadly prohibited in Mexico.

Conclusion

Mexicos legalization of medical cannabis leaves the United States in a tricky spot with its federal government being the only one still clinging to the prohibiting of this therapeutic drug.

While some policymakers and politicians feel that widespread legalization is a drastic move, its hard to deny that the measure is a major step forward for Mexico. However, this does not mean that it is a done deal because the President has to submit the bill to the lower Chamber of Deputies for approval.
Its no news that China is massively developing. From war tech to space tech and everything in between, China wants to take control of everything. Speaking of space tech, China is all set to install an altitude gravitational wave telescope in Tibet, in close proximity to the actual line of control. The telescope will detect even the faintest of echoes from the outer space which will further help in entangling the big bang theory.

YouTube

Code named Ngari Number 1, the giant will be placed 30 km south of Shiquanhe Town in Ngari Prefecture. The project is being led by the Chinese Academy Of Sciences. It is located 5250 meters above the sea level and will be collecting almost absolutely perfect data. Also, it is just the first one in the series of telescopes that China will be installing in the coming year. As far as the Ngari 1 is concerned, it will be functional by 2021.

YouTube

Now we all know China and how treacherous it can be. Who knows what they will be snooping on from these giant telescopes? We hope the Indian Government and the Indian Armed Forces keep a hawks eye on this.
Now is a good time to question ourselves and pick the battles of issues that are important to us. In this time of transition let us as Americans rise up and think about solutions to real concrete problems.

What lessons can we learn from the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act? Will this be an opportunity to fix Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security?

For many years this has been a political talking point and debate has been ignored. I would encourage you to Speaker Paul Ryan's website in the issues section he outlines a very detailed plan to encourage debate on sustainability of new social programs. Ask Congressman O'Halloran and Sen. McCain and Sen. Flake to encourage debates on the Ryan entitlement reform.

My question is what are they going to replace it with?Sustainability of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security is important not only to seniors but the people with disabilities as well and I know many people who cannot work with severe disabilities who depend on these programs. Let the debate begin start by reading speaker Paul Ryan's plan.

TED GARLAND

Flagstaff
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Camp Lejeune Town Halls Aim to Help Those Exposed to Toxic Water. Heres How You Can Go.

Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune...
Shortstop/second baseman Everth Cabrera hasnt taken a major league at-bat since 2015, but that could change this year. Cabrera has signed a minor league contract with the White Sox, he announced earlier this week (via La Prensa in Nicaragua). The deal includes a non-roster invitation to big league camp.

Before agreeing to join the White Sox, Cabrera hadnt been involved in a transaction with a major league team since the Giants added him on a minors pact in July 2015. That came after both the Padres and Orioles cut Cabrera, who hit a paltry .208/.250/.229 in 105 plate appearances with Baltimore in his latest big league action.

Cabrera was a legitimately useful player at times in San Diego, where he led the National League with 44 stolen bases in 2012 despite only playing in 115 games. The switch-hitter then made the All-Star team in 2013 and posted a .283/.355/.381 line and 37 steals in 435 PAs; however, MLB hit Cabrera with a 50-game performance-enhancing drugs suspension that August stemming from his ties to the Biogenesis scandal.

Cabrera, who turned 30 in November, has been playing in his native Nicaragua. When he returns to the States, hell join a rebuilding Chicago club in need of middle infield depth, though that could change if star second base prospect Yoan Moncada becomes a full-time big leaguer in 2017. For now, the Soxs projected shorstop-second base combo consists of Tim Anderson and Brett Lawrie. Reserve Tyler Saladino is coming off a respectable year, but fellow backup Carlos Sanchez has been woeful offensively since debuting in 2014.
BAY CITY, MI -- A Bay City ex-con has received a probationary sentence for beating his girlfriend's brother with a set of brass knuckles.

Bay County Chief District Judge Dawn A. Klida on Wednesday, Jan. 4, sentenced Brandon M. Dupuis, 25, to one year of probation. She also ordered him to pay $685 in court fines and costs, $395 of which has been paid as of Friday.

Dupuis in August pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault, a one-year misdemeanor.

In exchange, prosecutors dismissed charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, possessing a weapon with unlawful intent and possessing a miscellaneous dangerous weapon. The latter two charges are five-year felonies, while the first charge is a four-year felony.

According to court records, police on the night of May 26 responded to the McLaren Bay Region emergency room for an assault complaint. The victim was a 17-year-old male, whose mother told police was undergoing a CAT scan, court records show.

The woman told officers her son and 19-year-old daughter had an argument at their home in the 400 block of South Van Buren Street. The argument turned physical as the siblings shoved one another and the daughter eventually bit her brother's arm, the mom told police.

After the fight ended, the daughter called her boyfriend, Dupuis, the mom said. Dupuis showed up, brass knuckles on his hand, and began to repeatedly punch his girlfriend's younger brother, the mom told police. Eventually, Dupuis left on foot, court records show.

The alleged victim suffered a cut on his head that needed three staples to close. He also had bruising on the majority of his face, court records show.

Dupuis' girlfriend told police her brother had her in a headlock at one point. She added she is six months pregnant with Dupuis' child, court records show.

It's illegal in Michigan to possess brass knuckles.

Klida is to sentence Dupuis at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Dupuis previously served prison time for second-degree home invasion. A Saginaw County judge in September 2011 sentenced him to 18 months to 15 years, with the Michigan Department of Corrections discharging him on May 24.
DETROIT -- Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert offered a piece of advice to President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday in a speech at the start of the North American International Auto Show.

Asked how Trump could help Detroit's resurgence, Gilbert, who's invested billions in the city in recent years, said the president-elect can start by moving away from aggressive social media activity.

"First things here: Stop the Twitter thing," he said. "If you're not running a business at the incredible cost and burden of silliness coming out of the federal governments, there's stuff that makes sense. There's reasonability, and it's not easy."

He said Trump should operate under a standard of when regulation makes sense, and when they constitutes "silliness."

Trump has potential, Gilbert said, to make the nation's business environment more friendly with his real estate background.

"Whether you love or hate him, the fact that he's a real estate developer is probably a good thing for urban cores," Gilbert said. "He understands the challenges businesses or companies and developers have in urban cores."

The two billionaires met before the election in Detroit, discussing urban cores, the auto industry, entrepreneurial activity and start-ups and ecosystems, Gilbert said.

"He would be very good for cities," Gilbert said, adding that Trump could ease regulatory fears that keep businesses from investing.

"Once you free them of that, you'll see a big demand of labor from this company, but [Trump] has a ways to go," Gilbert said.

Gilbert spoke at the Cobo Center as automakers prepared to unveil new vehicles at the Detroit auto show.

Dan Gilbert of Quicken Loans at NAIAS Dan Gilbert was interviewed by Betty Liu about the future of Detroit's economy: Posted by North American International Auto Show on Sunday, January 8, 2017

View full coverage from the Detroit auto show here.

Press previews for the 2017 North American International Auto Show are scheduled Jan. 8, 9 and 10, with more than 40 vehicle unveilings and news conferences planned. Some 5,000 journalists from 60 different countries are expected to visit the Cobo Center for the auto show.

Industry previews are set for Jan. 11-12.

The show opens to the public Jan. 14-22. More than 300 exhibitors are expected to fill Cobo Center for the annual show.
Following a Greenpoint NYPD captain's suggestion that acquaintance rape isn't "true" rape, the New York City chapter of the National Organization for Women announced that they'll be holding a rally outside the 94th Precinct building on Tuesday.

In an interview with DNAinfo, Commanding Officer Peter Rose, head of the 94th Precinct, appeared to downplay the severity of acquaintance rapes. "Every rape should be investigated. I wish we could do more," Rose said.

"It really becomes a balancing act for the investigators. Some of them were Tinder, some of them were hookup sites, some of them were actually coworkers," Rose added. "It's not a trend that we're too worried about because out of 13, only two were true stranger rapes. If there's a true stranger rape, a random guy picks up a stranger off the street, those are the troubling ones. That person has, like, no moral standards." Huh, sounds familiar.

"These comments are outrageous," NOW-NYC president Sonia Ossorio said in a statement. "Acquaintance rape is as horrific a crime as stranger rape. That's what the law says, and that's what we expect our law enforcement officials to understand."

According to the Rape Abuse & Incest National Network, seven out of ten sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim.

RAINN president Scott Berkowitz told Gothamist that the NYPD should take a stand against Rose's comments and clarify that they take all rape seriously. "Rapists are often serial criminals, so someone who's preying on people they meet on Tinder, where they find they can get away with it, that just emboldens them to commit more rapes and keep following the same pattern," Berkowitz said. "So you really want the police to make it clear that they're not going to stand for that and they'll pursue people committing rape after rape."

Berkowitz added that Rose's comments were "inconsistent" with how he's seen the NYPD treat victims of sexual violence.

NOW will be protesting outside the 94th Precinct at 100 Messerole Avenue on Tuesday, January 10th at 1 p.m.
DETROIT, MI - Authorities have a second man wanted in a Detroit gas station homicide in custody.

Kyrell Alonzo, 23, turned himself in Saturday, Jan. 7, at a Detroit detention center, Officer Jennifer Moreno said.

He is a suspect in the Thursday, Jan. 5, shooting death of a 24-year-old man, confronted while pumping gas in the 15000 block of Gratiot Avenue, on the city's east side.

There was an argument and the 24-year-old ran. He went only a short distance before he was shot and killed, according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's office.

The man who allegedly drove the two suspects, Joseph Lucas, 26, has been charged with first-degree murder.

A third man, Derrick Quintin Everson Jr., remained at large, Moreno said Sunday.

Anyone who knows of his whereabouts was asked to contact Detroit Police at 313-596-2260 or by calling 911.
West Michigan Primary Elections 2016 02

Tommy Brann reacts near his wife, Sue Brann, after winning the 77th District House primary election at his restaurant, Brann's Steakhouse & Grille, 4157 Division Ave. S., in Grand Rapids on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. (Cory Morse | MLive.com)

(Cory Morse)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Michigan House Rep. Tommy Brann, R-Wyoming, won't let his new title keep him out of his South Division Avenue steakhouse kitchen.

Leaving Brann's Steakhouse and Grill behind in Wyoming makes Brann nervous, he said in a phone call from his Lansing office as he arranged stacks of papers on the windowsill to make himself feel more at home.

"I'm right at home in this mess," Brann said.

Brann will be back at the restaurant when the House is not in session, refilling pops for eaters and running quality control.

"It'll make me a better legislator too. I stick to my roots," Brann said. "If someone gets a cold baked potato, I take it personally."

Brann is taking over the 77th District seat from Rep. Tom Hooker, R-Byron Township, who was named the "most conservative" member of the state House last year by the Michigan Independent Research Service. Term-limited Hooker is now the Byron Township supervisor.

Brann won the 77th District seat with 65.8 percent of the vote, gaining 13,420 more votes than his challenger, Democrat Dana Knight. The 77th District includes the city of Wyoming as well as Byron Township.

Brann appealed to small business owners during his campaign -- but he doesn't want to be known as a politician.

"If I die tomorrow, I want to be known as the restaurant guy," Brann said.

His priorities for his first term as a legislator run the gamut.

Homelessness

Three weeks ago, a girl with no shoes was eating out of the garbage across the street from his restaurant, Brann said. He let her come into the steakhouse, where she clutched her hands around a coffee mug to warm up.

Her name was Misty.

"I haven't seen her since," Brann said. "It's not right."

Brann said he'd like to expand the number of beds at nonprofits and shelters to be able to help more people - and that he's encouraged to see incoming House Speaker Tom Leonard naming mental health reform as a priority.

"Some of that goes hand in hand with homelessness," Brann said of mental health.

Raising the smoking age to 21

Brann said he wants to raise the smoking age to 21 - a measure that the city of Ann Arbor voted into law in August 2016. Ann Arbor was the first city in Michigan to join a national Tobacco 21 movement.

"You can't drink until you're 21," Brann said of his reasoning. "When I was a kid, I used to smoke Larks. My dad said, 'At least they weren't high in nicotine.'"

'Hands on'

Brann said he'd like to pursue a law that would require any driver to place their hands on the steering wheel or on the dashboard when they are stopped by a police officer.

"I want to make it not as much courtesy as law," Brann said.

It's a matter of safety for both parties, Brann said.

Sue and Tommy Brann 77th District Payback

Brann and his wife, Sue, plan to create a fund to give back to people in need in the district, using half of Brann's salary as a state legislator.

They're going to call it the Sue and Tommy Brann 77th District Payback.

A small oversight group of local leaders will determine how the money is donated to people, Brann said. He's envisioning help for extreme cases - like if someone has cancer and can't afford their mortgage payments.

Free enterprise in schools

Brann, who didn't go to college, is in the midst of developing an online course to help middle school children learn how to start their own businesses. He's hired in an educational consultant for the project.

"It gives the kids hope, like how to start a business from their garage," Brann said.

Brann said he wants to help students take their passion for simple things like mowing lawns and give them the tools to learn how to start their own landscaping company.

"I don't think people understand what small business people go through with so many regulations and taxes," Brann said. "(My) priorities aren't business related. I'm a blue collar restaurant so I see the good parts of life, with a grandfather celebrating, and the sad parts at a funeral and I see the misdeeds of life - the homeless and the hungry. My business isn't about just selling a Budweiser draft. It's about my employees too."
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office reported the following weekend activity:

Friday, Jan. 6, to early Saturday

Deputies responded to 55 calls for service, conducted 27 traffic stops, and made four arrests.

7:12 a.m., Deputy L. Johnson responded to Moscow Road for a breaking and entering report. A suspect was lodged for home invasion, unlawful imprisonment and assault and battery.

8:07 a.m., Sgt. Watson responded to Merriman Road for a residential alarm.

8:55 a.m., Deputy Wickham responded to S. Jackson Road for a malicious destruction of property report.

10:16 a.m., Deputy Laughlin responded to Oakbrook West for a drug overdose.

10:40 a.m., Deputy Jacobson responded to Homer Street for a property security check.

12:46 p.m., Deputy Deland responded to W. Michigan Avenue in Grass Lake for a peace officer complaint.

2:01 p.m., Sgt. Knoblauch responded to Meadow Lane for a suspicious situation report.

3:44 p.m., Deputy Wickham responded to Brentwood Road for a suspicious situation report.

4:46 p.m., Deputy Faouzi responded to W. McDevitt Avenue for a parking complaint.

6:55 p.m., Deputy Ruge responded to Bunkerhill Road for a peace officer.

6:58 p.m., Deputy Easter responded to Hanover Road for a domestic situation report.

7:12 p.m., Deputy Carter responded to Sears Road near Cross Road for a car vs. deer accident report.

7:18 p.m., Deputy Sawyers responded to Thorntree Street for an alarm.

8:53 p.m., Deputy Hudson responded to Spring Arbor Road for a larceny report.

9:30 p.m., Deputy Easter responded to Meyers Avenue for a threats report.

9:31 p.m., Deputy Hudson responded to Waite Road for an alarm.

9:47 p.m., Deputy Sawyer responded to South Jackson Road for a natural death report.

10:59 p.m., Deputy Easter responded to Brooklyn Road to assist Summit Fire with a subject having chest pains.

11:34 p.m., Deputy Hudson responded to Stark Road for a suspicious situation report.

12:09 a.m., Deputy Ruge responded to Mathews Road near Hammond Road for a meth lab dump site that started a field fire.

1:45 a.m., Deputy Sawyer responded to South Brown Street to assist the Summit Fire Department.

2:10 a.m., Deputy Sawyer responded to Walden Lane for a loud music complaint.

2:37 a.m., Deputies Ruge and Easter responded to the area of Hopcraft Road for a vehicle parked in front of the residence. The driver was arrested for operating while intoxicated.

2:57 a.m., Deputy Hudson responded to North Dearing Road near County Farm Road for an unknown traffic crash. The driver was transported to Henry Ford Allegiance Hospital for medical treatment. Deputy Hudson will be seeking charges for operating while intoxicated causing serious injury.

Saturday to early Sunday

Deputies responded to 37 calls for service, conducted 34 traffic stops and made one arrest.

6:51 a.m., Deputy Deland responded to Burtch Road for a residential alarm.

7:37 a.m., Deputy Laughlin responded to Erie Road for a disorderly report.

8:14 a.m., Deputy Deland responded to Burtch Road for a residential alarm.

11:25 a.m., Deputy Deland responded to Wolf Lake Road south of W. Michigan Avenue for a minor injury accident.

1:05 p.m., Deputy Jacobson responded to Albion Road for a threats report.

1:27 p.m., Deputy Taylor responded to Thorne Road for a residential alarm.

2:09 p.m., Deputy Faouzi stopped a vehicle on Park Avenue and McDevitt Avenue. The driver was cited for driving while license suspended.

2:41 p.m., Deputy Truchan responded to Austin Road reference a possible recovery of a stolen cell phone.

3:29 p.m., Deputy Taylor responded to Hanover Road for a welfare check on a male subject who was acting delusional. The suspect was attempting to enter into the residence without permission while the home owners were inside. When Deputy Taylor made contact with him he refused to follow orders. The male subject fought with Deputy Taylor and was eventually taken into custody after the Taser was successfully utilized. The subject was transported to Henry Ford Allegiance for mental health evaluation.

3:30 p.m., Deputy Faouzi responded to 19th Street for a verbal domestic.

3:42 p.m., Deputy Deering responded to W. Michigan Avenue for a breaking and entering report.

4:35 p.m., Deputy Faouzi responded to Lincoln Court for a civil dispute.

7:02 p.m., Deputy Hudson responded to Gates Road for an injured deer complaint.

7:21 p.m., Deputy Hudson responded to Irwin Street for a personal welfare check.

9:26 p.m., Deputy Hudson responded to Mack Island Road for a personal welfare check.

9:39 p.m., Deputy Easter responded to Wellman Road near County Farm Road for a single vehicle accident report.

11:38 p.m., Deputy Sawyer responded to M-60 Highway near Spring Arbor Road for a minor personal injury accident report.

11:57 p.m., Deputy Hudson responded to Parsons Road near Sears Road for a car vs. deer accident report.

1:21 a.m., Deputy Ruge responded to Thorne Road for a suicidal subject report.

1:59 a.m., Deputy Sawyer responded to West Washington Avenue for a loud music complaint.

2:44 a.m., Deputy Ruge responded to I-94 near North Parma Road for a car vs. sign accident report.

2:52 a.m., Deputy Easter assisted the Blackman Township Public Safety Department for a suicidal subject report.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Residents who fled an apartment fire that claimed the life of one female occupant are unsure how long they will stay in temporary accommodations.

Evacuated residents were brought by bus the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo in the early hours of Saturday, Jan. 7 while firefighters worked to put out flames at Crosstown Parkway Senior Community Apartments. Red Cross volunteers are accommodating roughly 20 guests who were unable to find alternative housing, working with local organizations and law enforcement to provide food and additional resources.

Up to 150 residents are in need of alternative housing, a majority of whom were lodged in hotels or with family as of Sunday. A temporary shelter was established in the downstairs level of the YMCA on 1001 W. Maple St, but officials were unsure Sunday how long it would be before displaced residents could return to their apartments.

"People are very concerned about when they can get back in and their future," said Shelter Supervisor Betsy Vanderburg.

Some, like a woman who preferred to be identified only by her first name Barb, are waiting for public safety officers to recover medicine and personal effects from their rooms. Barb said she was alerted to the fire by her cat Hatti, and only escaped with her feline and minor items.

Though she doesn't have a life-threatening condition, medication for allergies and cholesterol would help make her stay more comfortable. Barb has lived in the Crosstown apartments for 11 years and said there hasn't been an evacuation of this scale while she was a tenant.

A large room in the YMCA basement serves as the primary lodging area, where residents staying on cots made idle chatter and waited for good news.

Kathy, another woman who also preferred to use only her first name, said she hasn't been brought her insulin medication since the incident. Kathy is diabetic and suffered a mild stroke last May.

Both said they are in good spirits, all things considered.

A security guard at Crosstown Parkway Senior Community Apartments said building officials are not offering more details on the extent of the damage and the duration of clean-up efforts as of Sunday.

However, officials were working with residents to recover items that were left behind. Social workers from Bronson Methodist Hospital are also working with seniors who have medical issues.

Vanderburg said residents were provided with "adequate funds" on a client assistance card, and a bus will take them shopping Sunday afternoon. The Red Cross is also providing kits with personal hygiene products.

"I can't say enough of the people who are volunteers," she said. "Red Cross volunteers do amazing job. They're working late nights and were willing to give up their (weekend) plans to do this."

Vanderburg said the shelter is not set up to receive and disseminate clothing items and food, however monetary donations made to the Red Cross would go toward the relief effort. She said volunteers who arrive at the shelter can also help with chores.

YMCA CEO Steve Springsdorf said all agencies involved with the relief effort quickly coordinated to serve the residents' needs. However, Springsdorf has not been notified when residents can return and the YMCA cannot provide long-term housing.

"People can be proud and reassured that the response came together in a dire situation," he said. "Preparations were made to (keep residents) as comfy as we can."

Firefighters arriving at the scene saw the seventh-floor resident on the balcony and observed "heavy smoke and fire conditions" in the apartment connected to the balcony. Fire officials said the fire was contained to one seventh-floor unit of the nine-story complex.

Authorities have not released the name or age of the person who died.
ANN ARBOR -- The country's No. 1-ranked player landed in Alabama today and will reportedly play for the Crimson Tide.

Five-star running back Najee Harris was filmed deboarding a plane in Birmingham, Alabama on Sunday by AL.com. He was joined by another Alabama signee and, per AL.com, will begin classes at the school in Tuscaloosa this week.

Harris has been committed to Alabama for nearly two years, but he was seriously considering switching to Michigan late in his recruitment.

He kept reporters at the Army All-American Game guessing all week, refusing to discuss his decision or which way he was leaning.
Close

In an attempt to further develop its Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radio technology, Norway will be slowly shutting down its FM radio frequencies starting next week. Norway will be ditching the analog radio platform in exchange for a digital one.

Though there have been an increase in DAB users in Norway, the decision of the country's government to completely shut down the FM analog radio frequencies is still met with a lot of criticism. In fact, in a poll conducted by the daily Dagbladet, 66% of all the respondents voiced out their opposition to the move and only 17% gave their approval for the move to shut down Norway FM radio frequencies, the others being undecided.

The Government of Norway stated that the move to shut down the country's FM radio frequency will bring the country savings which could amount to $23.5million and that the switch to Digital Audio Broadcasting will actually provide cleared sounds to listeners compared to FM radio.

The principal consideration in shutting down the country's analog radio platform according to Norway government is that country's topography makes it difficult and more expensive for the country to run FM radio frequencies compared to other countries. Norway is surrounded with high mountains and deep fjords.

Despite the rather good reasons of the Norway government in shutting down its FM radio frequencies, some critique has voiced out strong oppositions to the move. FM radio companies and operators, in particular, stated that the cost of converting their FM frequencies into Digital Audio Broadcasting would be considerable as the move to shut down the FM radio frequencies will render about 8million FM stations useless.

The move to shut down the FM radio frequencies will also cause some inconvenience to radio users as they will be forced to buy adapters for the FM radios or to purchase new DAB radios. The cost of each adapter for an FM car radio is $1,500.

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NORRISTOWN  Area residents can return any unwanted firearms this month during Operation Safe Homes: a free gun turn-in event. I need people to be focused on this, and making sure if theres guns in the house, get them out,...
Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity
Palm oil is a key contributor to climate change and its all very real. We need to take steps and put the world first ahead of self-interest.

So much of what we do  traveling by plane, train, car, boat, building our cities, producing our food  releases CO 2 into the atmosphere. And this CO 2 , it causes climate change. Ice caps will  do  melt. Sea levels will  do  rise. Anticipate extreme flooding, devastating storms, wildfires, habitat destruction, droughts. It could be the trailer for a science- fiction film, except this is happening.

It is happening right now.

We are sleeping through this issue while we still have the resources to stitch up the wounds. Every second we wait for the alarm to wake us, for the sun to rise and shed further light on the issue, is a second wasted.

Are we too late?

Consider this  if we continue this way, by 2040 you will be able to say, Lets sail over the North Pole this summer (via the Before the Flood documentary).

Why is climate change happening?

Palm oil. Its in your lipstick, margarine, detergent, crisps, shampoo, soup. But know that areas of rainforest, especially those in Eastern Asia, are burned to produce land to manufacture this substance. We purge the land with flames and all manner of wildlife must flee. This shameful action destroys habitats while releasing a deplorable volume of carbon dioxide; Indonesias deforestation fires emit more than Germanys annual CO 2 emissions in a mere three weeks.

Closer to home, your weekly groceries can contribute to climate change. In the production of just 1 lb of beef, we emit 19lbs of CO 2 . Thats more carbon dioxide than burning a gallon of gasoline. 60% of the worlds agricultural land is grazing land; what you put in your mouth has an impact on our planet.

But climate change doesnt just affect our planet; it affects our people. A global temperature increase of 2  C would cause the submersion of the major Indian cities Mumbai and Chennai. This would lead to the displacement of seven million people, according to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research. The increase in natural disasters caused by global warming is also predicted to depress Indias production of major crops by 40%; this would decrease Indias GPD by 9%.

Consider the devastation to a country estimated to home one-third of our Earths poor.

Can you make a difference?

There are things you can do with your weekly shop. Why dont you read package labels to check for palm oil? Why dont you reduce your beef consumption? Switch to chicken or meat-free protein? You can make a difference by changing that light bulb to a more energy efficient one.

Your act of compassion could be as painless and effortless as switching off that light when you leave the room  and itll cut your bills too.

Be that as it may, this is not enough.

Wake up, world. Wake up, America. Put the world first, Trump.

Arrogance in the face of this issue has led to a disaster far beyond restoration via public action.

Change cannot occur when a third of American congress denies the existence of climate change, blocking any desperately needed bills.

Change will not occur when the USAs president elect denies the existence of climate change.

Give people the facts and you empower the people. Spread awarenes. Open the eyes of your friends and family. Ensure the leaders of our countries make decisions that will benefit our planet.

Check out National Geographics 14 easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint and sign the Put A Price On It petition to put a tax on carbon, as this will reduce its usage.

Wake up America

Sources:
Badaliyya is a movement based on the concept of BADAL (an Arabic word for "Substitution" or "Ransom". The inspiration comes from the "understanding" that interreligious relation, is primarily a movement of LOVE - a PASSIONATE LOVE that moves one to offer his/her life that others may have life and life to the full. It is a movement of self-expenditure... The model is Jesus Christ in the cross who paid the price by being a RANSOM for us! Bapa Eliseo "Jun" Mercado, OMI
1. Fill in your name or an alias. Do not leave blank or use the name 'guest' or 'anonymous'.

2. No Nivul Peh. Profanity will be deleted.
An unexpected surprise popped up as the November Midland-Odessa Regional Economic Index was being calculated: It turned positive, ending a 21-month streak of declines. Even so, the index came in 9.7 percent below November 2015s figures.

I was not quite prepared for that, said Karr Ingham, the Amarillo economist who prepares the index for the Midland Development Corp.

He knew a turnaround was coming, given the strengthening of the regions oil and gas industry, but I expected a little more time between that upturn and an upturn in the general economy, he said.

Ingham said the index is being supported by employment data that he expects will be far less rosy when they are revised by the Texas Workforce Commission in March. As it stands now, Midland-Odessa payroll employment estimates are at 165,400 employed, unchanged from November 2015.

Again, these estimates are off base and these numbers stand to be revised downward by thousands of jobs when revised data for 2016 is released in early March, he said.

If that is the case, even if we plug in those employment revisions, it will only push off the ultimate turning point a month or two, he said. This is a big milestone and what weve been waiting for.

Primarily helping fuel the upturn was the housing market, according to Ingham. He said the 116 permits for new housing issued by Midland and Odessa in November was not only 50.6 percent higher than the 77 permits issued in November 2015 but the highest total for the month of November on record, certainly since weve been doing the index.

Also up sharply was the number of existing homes sold, coming in at 240 in November, up 31.9 percent from 182 last November, which Ingham said was down 33 percent from November 2014.

The housing numbers never did completely tank when crude prices began falling in late 2014, Ingham said. Even housing prices have held up, with the November average of $242,483 down a mere 4.4 percent from $253,736 last November, as Ingham said price increases are beginning to cool on the heels of extraordinary growth from 2010 to 2014.

I wouldnt have minded housing prices coming down a little more, he said.

Also helping with the upturn, to a lesser extent, was consumer activity. November automotive spending came in 5.8 percent higher than November 2015 levels, its first year-over-year increase since December 2014.

Looking at retail sales,  ... that number is still down substantially, but it looks to me like, over the last three months or so, that number is on the cusp of bottoming out, Ingham said.

November numbers were 15.2 percent below November 2015 levels. As more Midland-Odessa residents go back to work, they begin spending their paychecks throughout the overall economy, as do the companies that employ them, he said.

He marveled at the difference a year has made in the Midland-Odessa economy.

A year ago we were still in the throes of a downturn and contraction; oil prices had not yet bottomed  they did in February. A year ago we were moving in the wrong direction and there was no sense of optimism.

We can enter 2017 with the confidence that the economy is turning around, he said.
WTGS to host UT professor

Members of the West Texas Geological Society will meet January 10 in the upstairs ballroom at Midland Country Club beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Dr. Julia F. W. Gale with the Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, will present Natural Fractures in Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs.

Cost is $25 in advance, $35 at the door. Reservations may be made by January 9 by calling 683-1573 or by email at wtgs@wtgs.org. Online registration is also available at www.wtgs.org and clicking on the Events tab.

Houston American nabs Permian acreage

By David Hunn

Houston Chronicle

Another Houston company is buying into the Permian Basins popular western lobe, the Delaware.

Houston American Energy Corp. is buying a 25 percent working interest in about 800 acres in Reeves County owned by Founders Oil & Gas.

Houston American is paying $1.1 million, or about $5,500 an acre.

Founders, a Midland company, will operate the acreage. They expect to drill their first well there by July 1.

After evaluating numerous opportunities over the past year, we are excited to have identified and agreed to participate in this Delaware Basin prospect, said Houston American chief executive John Boylan.

The transaction is expected to close in mid-January. Drilling will target the Wolfcamp shale and Bone Springs formations.

BJ Services emerges as standalone company again

By Jordan Blum

Houston Chronicle

A business with a 144-year history, BJ Services is again emerging as a standalone company after Houston based Baker Hughes finalized the sale of a majority stake in the hydraulic fracturing and cementing business.

The new company will operate as an independent joint venture  it wont be publicly traded  and restore the BJ Services name as its own company. BJ Services was founded in 1872 as the Byron Jackson Company. The deal was first announced in late November and closed December 30, 2016.

Baker Hughes bought BJ Services Co., of Houston, for $5.5 billion in 2009, to expand into the fracking business, and the deal has served as a financial drag for Baker Hughes ever since. Baker Hughes will still keep its international and offshore pressure pumping business.

The BJ Services pressure pumping deal brings Baker Hughes into partnerships with Houston-based CSL Capital Management private equity firm and Goldman Sachs merchant banking fund, called West Street Energy Partners. Baker Hughes will keep a 46.7 percent ownership stake in BJ Services.

Baker Hughes pressure pumping business will combine with CSLs Allied Oil & Gas Services business, which was acquired earlier this year. New Allied Chief Executive Warren Zemlak, a veteran of Schlumberger, will lead the new BJ Services, which will be headquartered in Tomball.

CSL and Goldman Sachs will together contribute $325 million in cash to the new company. Baker Hughes will receive $150 million of the total, while the remaining $175 million will position BJ Services for growth.

The deal comes shortly after it was announced that Baker Hughes is combining with a unit of General Electric in a $32 billion merger that would create an expanded Baker Hughes. GE, based in Boston, would own 62.5 percent of the combined company, which will continue to trade under Baker Hughes BHI stock ticker.

Ever since the failed acquisition of Baker Hughes by Halliburton earlier this year, Baker Hughes management said the plan was to sell a stake in the pressure pumping business as Baker Hughes focuses more on technology and product sales.

Technip, FMC plan to complete merger Jan. 16

FMC Technologies and Technip SA plan to formally combine their companies as early as Jan. 16, according to a joint statement.

Houston-based FMC, a subsea systems provider and oil and gas services company, and French engineering and construction firm Technip will join forces to form a large, global drilling services company.

The companies announced on Dec. 21 that the High Court of Justice of England and Wales approved a cross-border European merger between Technip and TechnipFMC, which will be the name of the combined company. That merger is scheduled to occur on Jan. 16.

The union will be complete once FMC Technologies merges with a subsidiary of the combined company. FMC and Technip have filed for a certificate in a Delaware court so the second step can occur immediately after the junction in Europe.

The companies anticipate TechnipFMC shares will begin trading on Jan. 17 on both the Euronext exchange in Paris and the New York Stock Exchange.

FMC Technologies and Technip SA have won approval for the proposed merger from authorities in the U.S., Brazil, the European Union, India, Mexico, Russia and Turkey, and the companies respective shareholders. An executive board has been named for the combined company, which will have thousands of employees in dozens of countries.








I suggested to my brother not to buy a guestbook. I can make one for him if he agrees to my style and personal touch. When he looked at my ...
Anticipation, apprehension, confidence, dread, hope and optimism fill the air as legislators head to state capitals and the nations capital.

The actions these elected officials take locally, statewide and nationally will touch not only every resident but the entire range of industry.

This year is even more significant, given that a new president is taking office.

Texas and New Mexico

Closer to home, the Texas Legislature will begin its biennial, 140-day session Tuesday in Austin, and the New Mexico Legislature is holding its biennial 30-day session in Santa Fe.

Both of the upcoming sessions will be tedious due to budget constraints, said Ben Shepperd, president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association.

In an email, he told the Reporter-Telegram that both Texas and New Mexico depend on oil and gas tax revenue to keep the states running and the economic downturn over the last two years has hit both states hard.

More from Oil Report Houston firm enters Permian, targeting San Andres

Approximately 40 percent of the New Mexico budget comes from oil and gas. Revenues are down dramatically. Legislators must find ways to fund the state without penalizing the industry such that it is uneconomical to operate, he said.

In Texas, Shepperd said the percentage of oil and gas revenues comprising the state budget is lower but still significant.

He said he expects social issues rather than energy issues will dominate much of the legislative session, with guns, bathrooms and school choice just a few of the issues that will be debated extensively.

These debates often lead to an environment of acrimony and mistrust amongst legislators and that sometimes spills over into our issues, he said.

Ensuring the Railroad Commission passes sunset review and is funded properly are two of the associations top priorities, as the state must support the critical work the agency performs, Shepperd said.

Eminent domain legislation will be debated heavily with some private property rights advocates dedicated to changing state statutes, he said. He explained that eminent domain changes could affect the oil and gas industrys ability to add pipeline and other infrastructure in the Permian Basin, threatening production.

He said the association would also like to see legislation passed that clarifies the legality of allocation wells and the PBPA will continue searching for common ground on the subject with various stakeholder groups.

One thing is clear: The Permian Basin is the most important oil- and gas-producing region in Texas and quite possibly the world. The PBPA will work diligently to protect our industry interests as well as the interests of the communities in which we operate, Shepperd said.

Washington, D.C.

As the new president is sworn into office, many in the energy industry wonder, as they have in the weeks since the election, about what the changes will mean for the nations energy policy.

We are optimistic that the new administration will be open to long-overdue and much-needed reforms to federal policies impacting oil and gas, Shepperd said.

He said the PBPA will be working with members of Congress not only on reforming the Endangered Species Act but on addressing the dozens of Environmental Protection Agency regulations that have been brought forth over the last eight years.

Changes will not occur overnight but at least the daily avalanche of punitive regulations will subside, Shepperd said.

Barry Russell, president and chief executive officer of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, told IPAA members in his congressional note, provided to the Reporter-Telegram, that Transitioning to a new Administration  particularly when the party control changes  is always challenging. With the magnitude of change from the outgoing Obama Administration to the incoming Trump Administration, the challenges are extensive.

The IPAA developed for the Trump transition team and congressional leadership a 31-page list of regulations and policy positions the association hopes to see addressed early this year. Like the PBPA, the IPAA hopes to see litigation related to the Endangered Species Act addressed, as well as new or pending regulations related to the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act. The IPAA also wants to see the Bureau of Land Managements hydraulic fracturing rule making and royalty revisions reviewed.

Russell told IPAA members the first target should be action taken under the Congressional Review Act to nullify regulations finalized under the final days of the Obama administration.

The second target will be developing tax reform initiatives because indications are that Congress may try to act on tax reform in the early months of the session.

Clearly, of all the potential major legislative initiatives that may be developing in early 2017, tax reform must be a key target for independent oil and natural gas producers, Russell said.

During his annual State of American Energy address, webcast on the American Petroleum Institutes web site, API President and Chief Executive Officer Jack Gerard said the hope is there will be collaboration in the first 100 days of a Trump administration.

A combination of administration and Congress coming together and capturing a vision of whats best for the people. People want change, to do things differently. I hope its a period of collaboration and leaders coming together, he said.

Gerard noted the industry is currently dealing with 145 proposed or pending regulations just impacting oil and gas. We support smart regulations, common-sense regulations. Many of these are redundant and unnecessary and pass the costs on to consumers.

He called for regulations that are not only smart but are focused on the consumer, help grow the nations economy, protect workers and improve the environment.

Regulations that do not align with those basic and common-sense goals should be re-examined, revised or removed to make way for smarter and forward-looking energy policies, he said.

Infrastructure is a pressing issue that goes beyond pipelines to highways and roads as well, he said. Such projects create thousands of jobs and stimulate economies, Gerard said.

Referring to controversies over projects such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, he called for the government to honor the rule of law. When we go through an exhaustive approval process and change the route of pipelines to accommodate local interests, which we should accommodate, we need to ensure that when the (approval) decision is made, it is honored.

Nothing is more chilling to the private sector than the unknown. We need to make sure that, in the permitting process, for any construction project, we have the public process honored and everyone has their say. Then, once the decision is made, we need to honor that decision.

Gerard said energy is fundamental to modern society, with oil and natural gas the foundation of that energy.

Few other issues enjoy energys level of bipartisan support, and energy remains one of the few that bridge the ideological divide between Democrats and Republicans, he said.

Our goal is to broaden that common consensus to spur our lawmakers to harness the American voters embrace of energy policies that drive economic growth, lower consumer costs, continue current environmental improvement, increase American competitiveness and provide our allies with a reliable partner that uses its considerable energy resources as a way to lift people up.

It is our hope that the incoming administration and incoming Congress will, like many pro-energy states, embrace our nations potential as a global energy leader and work with the industry to ensure that consumer demand is met and to help ensure that Americas 21st century energy renaissance will continue to deliver the economic opportunity and environmental benefits for many years to come.

Its our belief energy needs should transcend partisan politics, Gerard said. The reality is, I look at some of our friends up for re-election in 2018. They understand the role of energy. Our hope is there is less conversation about a partisan divide and more about how we can come together for the benefit of all Americans. They want something produced by a process that reflects reality of our lives.
Opportunities offered by the Permian Basin have attracted another oil and gas company.

Houston-based Lucas Energy has announced a lease acquisition and participation agreement with a privately held holding company to acquire a leasehold position in the Permian.

In addition to opening a new core area, the company is adopting a new name, now known as Camber Energy Inc. and trading its stock under the CEI ticker symbol.

The agreement, targeting San Andres horizontal drilling opportunities in the Central Basin Platform, initially covers 16,322 gross, 3,620 net mineral acres. Initial cash payment is $1.43 million, including access to the sellers regional technical database. More than $1.1 million of the amount is being held until Jan. 31, or before, pending title approval.

The seller, also Houston-based, will act as a partner and has agreed to join with Camber in forming an area of mutual interest on the Central Basin Platform covering 20,000 net mineral acres. Lucas will operate the properties and own a 90 percent working interest, and the partner will hold a 10 percent working interest.

More from Oil Report Energy industry closely watching as new administration takes over

Tony Schnur, Cambers chief executive officer, said in a telephone interview from his Houston office that the move was made after much deliberation.

This was a technical decision, he said.

Schnur explained that the move came after the company acquired a significant leasehold in the Mid-Continent, primarily acreage that produces from the Hunton formation in central Oklahoma. Like the Hunton, the San Andres is a highly water-saturated carbonate where production can be optimized by a de-watering process that slowly de-pressurizes the formation.

Since entering the Mid-Continent, the company sought to expand that de-watering expertise, Schnur said.

We found ourselves, about nine, 10 months ago, in the throes of a study that included seismic, geologic and other technical data, he said. At the time the companys studies began, the San Andres was in the early stages of development, he said.

The reservoirs are similar, he said. There are ways to de-water the formation, certain guidelines to de-watering the formation.

The company is now in the early stages of accumulating acreage with a goal of acquiring 20,000 to 30,000 acres, according to Schnur. The company and its partner have identified additional targets in the area of mutual interest. Drilling is expected to begin in the second half of the year, after additional acreage is acquired.

We intend to operate and drill the acreage we acquire, Schnur stated. It will be a large-scale production and development project.

Headlines have been generated by the Wolfcamp and Spraberry plays in the Midland and Delaware subbasins, but the company decided to avoid those plays.

We are not a company that is going to go out and touch down everywhere theres a hot play, Schnur said. Were focused on our technical competency. The Wolfcamp is not an area where we have expertise.

Besides, the cost to enter an area like the San Andres is much less, he said.

Were very excited about what sorts of returns we see coming from the San Andres, he said.

He sees the industry as a whole continuing to experience an enormous reset. Rather than excitement, people are acclimating to the new reality.

Schnur said hes amazed by the gains in efficiencies over the last two years.

He predicted that 2017 will be the year everyone comes into the fold, saying This is the environment and this is how well make money.






New members inducted into Institute of ...
This journal serves a community of small businesses worldwide. Here John Wiley Spiers addresses topics on business start-up and expansion and reports relevant daily headlines.John Wiley Spiers is a small business international trader, author of HOW SMALL BUSINESS TRADES WORLDWIDE , and lecturer at various colleges.



For those interested in becoming members of this community, contact John at john@johnspiers.com.
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Jeanne Jakle is covering news and interviewing the stars on the West Coast as part of the Television Critics Association January tour.

PASADENA, Calif. -- The CW network shared news today that should boost the spirits of a couple of San Antonio talents.

Veteran TV thriller "Supernatural" starring San Antonio native , Madison High graduate and Hollywood dreamboat Jared Padalecki, got officially renewed for a 13th season and is part of a full slate of early renewals by the network. Jensen Ackles of Dallas plays his brother on the show.

"As long as the two boys want to do it and I'm sitting in this chair, the show has a long life," Mark Pedowitz, president of The CW, told TV critics.

The six other prime-time series that got the go-ahead for the 2017-2018 season include "Arrow," "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," "The Flash," "Jane The Virgin" and "Supergirl," which, last fall, moved from CBS to CW.

"Over the past several seasons, The CW has built a schedule of proven performers, from our lineup of DC superheroes, to critically acclaimed comedies, to sci-fi dramas," Pedowitz said. "Early pickups of these seven series now allow our producers to plan ahead for next season, and gives us a solid base to build on for next season, with original scripted series to roll out all year long."

In other locally-linked news, Pedowitz sang the praises of former S.A. journalism teacher Rob Thomas of "iZombie" and "Veronica Mars" fame, adding that he's looking forward to his TV anthology series based on a popular 1987 movie.

Thomas, who taught at John Marshall High for a time before becoming a movie and TV writer-producer, is currently developing a vampire series for The CW that's a reimagining of "The Lost Boys," which starred a young Kiefer Sutherland.

It will tell a story spanning 70 years, with each season covering a decade, meaning the forecast is the show will go on for seven years. "We haven't seen a script yet," Pedowitz said.

However he said he has great confidence in Thomas, a University of Texas grad, who makes his home in Austin. "Rob is a great show runner. We love him and everything he does."

jjakle@express-news.net
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A string of storms expected to rival the biggest of the decade began to crash down on California Saturday, causing a tree to fall and kill a woman on a Bay Area golf course and putting cities and towns across the state on the defensive against what could be a day or more of threatening floods, mudslides and avalanches.

The system, called an atmospheric river because of the enormous amount of water it carries, was forecast to bring 10 or more inches of rain to the Santa Cruz Mountains and North Bay hills through Monday morning and smother the high Sierra in several feet of snow. San Francisco was projected to see between 2 and 4 inches of rain over the weekend.

While the wet weather was sure to hasten the states welcome recovery from drought, forecasters warned of potential damage that such a short, strong deluge, with its accompanying winds, could bring.

We advise people: If you dont have to be out, dont be out, said Brian Mejia, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. With the winds, its possible trees and power lines could be blown over.

Late Saturday morning, a woman walking on the Canyon Lakes Golf Course in San Ramon was struck and killed by a downed tree, according to the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. The tree was in water-logged soil and had borne the brunt of strong winds, authorities said.

It wasnt a very big tree in diameter, but the circumstances just kind of lined up to reach an unfortunate end, said Battalion Chief Dan McNamara.

The weather service, reporting gusts close to 40 mph at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, issued a high-wind warning through Sunday afternoon for much of the Bay Area. A flash flood watch was also put into effect for most of the region, including San Francisco, through Sunday.

While the crux of the system is expected to hit Sunday, rain could linger into Monday, with two additional storm fronts forecast for later in the week.

Along the Russian River, where Sonoma County communities have long lived with rising water, residents and business owners were buttressing their low-lying properties with sandbags Saturday. The waterway is expected to reach flood stage in Hopland Sunday afternoon and in Guerneville early Monday.

Were monitoring the river, said Rebecca Wachsberg, deputy county administrator. It doesnt take the Russian River a lot of water to fill and cause us to close roads.

Similar precautions were taking place in St. Helena, where the Napa River is forecast to spill its banks around noon Sunday. Forecasters also warned of the possibility of high water in Corte Madera Creek which flows through Marin Countys Ross and Kentfield. Farther south, the Carmel River and Pajaro River in Monterey County were being watched.

In the Sierra Nevada, the National Park Service took the unusual step Friday of closing Yosemite Valley for the weekend because of flood forecasts. The Merced River, which caused extensive damage to the park during a New Years flood in 1997, is expected to begin overflowing its channel Sunday morning.

The Sierras Truckee River is also projected to reach flood stage Sunday, and residents from communities north of Lake Tahoe all the way to Reno were being put on notice.

This is not an Ill believe it when I see it forecast, said Scott McGuire, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Reno. This is for sure. People need to pay super close attention.

The high water in many mountain rivers, McGuire said, would come not only from precipitation but also from melting snow. The atmospheric river that is blowing off the Pacific Ocean, he noted, is relatively warm and would bring rain over the current Sierra snowpack, washing it downward.

We need the water, he said. But this is kind of a worst-case scenario for us.

The snow level is expected to be about 8,500 feet, relatively high for the mountains.

In the coastal mountains, the concern is mudslides, particularly in areas that saw wildfires last summer. Authorities advised residents in and around the burn scars of the Loma Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Soberanes Fire in Big Sur to watch out for unstable ground.

Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said state fire crews had done their best to stabilize areas prone to erosion as part of the fire mop-up.

Its not something we walk away from, he said.

Back in San Francisco, residents Saturday were taking the storm warnings seriously. A steady stream of drivers was stopping by the citys public works operations yard to pick up sandbags

Naturally, were going to be worried because of how theyre dressing this all up. We just want to be prepared, said Craig Stover, 37, of the Marina district, who was grabbing sandbags to protect his garage.

By Saturday afternoon, the systems opening wave of wind and rain had already downed scores of trees in the Bay Area. Severed power lines in Oaklands Adam Points neighborhood near Lake Merritt left dozens without power Saturday morning while a fallen tree snarled traffic on Highway 13 in the afternoon.

A motorist on Highway 80 in Pinole died around 11:30 a.m. Saturday when he lost control of his car and drove off the road, but authorities have yet to chalk the incident up to inclement weather.

On Saturday night, weather contributed to two-hour flight delays at SFO and shorter delays at Oakland International Airport.

As a safety precaution, the Pacifica Pier was closed until Monday, and many sites in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area were similarly shut down, including the Point Bonita Lighthouse, Nike Missile Site and Battery Townsley. In San Francisco, the Great Highway was closed.

We recommend if you can cancel any nonessential travel, please do, said Officer Andrew Barclay, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. Its something we dont hear very often in the Bay Area, because we dont get storms like this.

Hamed Aleaziz and Kurtis Alexander are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com, kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz, @kurtisalexander
Two of seven bills to reform the Office of the State Public Defender and address a critical budget shortfall were heard in committee last week.

The rest of the reform package is scheduled to be heard over the next two weeks.

This fall, a financial audit revealed OPD is short $3.5 million and is unable to assess or collect money owed to them by defendants. Shortly afterward, Chief Administrator Scott Cruse and Richard Gillespie, chairman of the Public Defender Commission, resigned. A task force was assembled after the 2015 session to address budgetary and operational problems, resulting in seven bills being introduced for the 2017 session.

Rep. Kimberly Dudik, D-Missoula, is on the 11-member bipartisan Task Force on State Public Defender Operations, and is carrying four of the bills. Dudik said the budget was increasing at an unsustainable rate and needed to be addressed. The task force was created before the audit determined OPD was short $3.5 million this fiscal year.

The seven bills are supposed to streamline the process for OPD and refer some services to other agencies to address budget shortfalls and stabilize the office, which has simultaneously experienced high rates of staff turnover and an increasing caseload.

The task force frequently heard through surveys that people were receiving free representation from OPD when they could afford to pay for services.

We constantly hear people are getting attorneys when they dont need one, Dudik said.

House Bill 57

As its drafted now, HB57 would require the Department of Public Health and Human Services to take over the process of determining whether a person is considered indigent, or eligible for OPD services. Dudik says she expects the bill to be amended to incorporate part of the screening process used by DPHHS, not shift the responsibility to the agency. She said the OPD branch in Bozeman has an efficient screening process that could be adopted statewide.

What were looking for is consistency and fairness, she said.

In the first hearing on HB57, the Human Services Committee expressed concern about shifting responsibility to DPHHS. Amy Sissano, deputy budget director for Gov. Steve Bullock came to speak as an opponent to the bill.

Sissano and Nick Domitrovich of DPHHS legal affairs, said the agencys system is linked with federal databases that only allow information to be shared for a DPHHS program. If DPHHS were to receive responsibility for screening people requesting public defender services, they would likely be using the same paper form process that OPD uses now, which would not improve efficiency.

Dudik said she planned to work with the task force to amend the bill and asked the committee to not take executive action until after the last of the seven bills were heard on Jan. 16.

House Bill 58

Dudik is carrying HB58 to provide $150,000 to conduct an independent study of OPD and assess workload and efficiency. The study will look for other ways to responsibly manage an increasing caseload.

We want to determine what else we can do besides hire more attorneys, Dudik said.

When surveying OPD employees, attorneys said they are often also acting as a social worker, even though they dont have the education to do so.

House Bill 89

HB89 would establish a holistic defense pilot project to address the underlying problems that introduce people to the criminal justice system. The bill was written to mimic the model used by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation, and would provide people with social services and advocacy in addition to comprehensive representation. If the project is successful, people would be less likely to return to the system and taxpayers would ultimately save money. If passed, the pilot would be established in four cities in the state. The program is modeled off four pillars of holistic defense: seamless access to legal and nonlegal services that meet client legal and social support needs, dynamic interdisciplinary communication, advocates with interdisciplinary skill sets and a robust understanding of and connection to the community served.

Its really to stop the revolving door, Dudik said. We see its all interconnected.

House Bill 77

HB77 would allow a department director to be hired by the governor, make the Public Defender Commission advisory and establish and central administrative office.

House Bill 62

Another bill, HB62, would also address budget concerns by shifting the responsibility of collecting fees to the Department of Revenue. Collection of fees imposed on people who receive public defender services falls to OPD, but the office doesnt have a centralized system to track or collect fees. The court would notify the Department of Revenue of fees owed, collect them and make deposits into an OPD account.

House Bill 65

HB65 is a clean up bill and would clarify the budgetary duties of the appellate defender and the chief appellate defender. Each division of OPD would be responsible for its own budget. The Judicial Committee did not express any issues or concerns with HB65.

House Bill 59

A bill to directly save OPD money would limit counseling to an assumed or unknown father when the child has been abused or neglected. When an assumed father cannot be reached, Montana law requires the agency to appoint an attorney to represent the unavailable father. HB59 would give the court the final decision on whether to provide representation for an assumed or unknown father.

The Public Defender Commission estimated in October that an assumed father is represented in 25 percent of the agencys cases. The legislation would save OPD $1.2 million by the end of the 2017 fiscal year.

The October meeting looked for additional ways to save money while waiting for legislation to go through. They agreed on a hiring freeze to save $153,400 and stop using contract investigators to save $75,000. The commission voted to stop using contract employees in all lower court cases and in district courts in some regions and instead hire part-time attorneys to save approximately $2.2 million. The savings assumes the agencys caseload doesnt increase and doesnt account for the complexity of cases.

When public defenders were overwhelmed, their cases were contracted to private attorneys who were paid an average of $62 an hour. The new part-time attorneys are eligible to receive benefits, but will be paid a maximum of $48 an hour.

In anticipation of bills not being passed or existing funding not lasting as long as planned, OPD asked for supplemental funding, but it wasnt included in HB3 as originally planned. Bullocks budget director, Dan Villa, said there wont be supplemental money until after the reform bills pass.

We dont want to go in and ask for money we hope to save through those reform efforts, Villa said.

As of now, OPD has funding to operate through March. If the reform bills are slowed down with opposition or amendments, a supplement would have to be passed before the end of March for the office to keep functioning.

Mark Parker, chief of the Public Defender Commission, said their operational timeline depends on the caseload. While he said the March estimate seems sound, a drastic increase in casework could require the agency to need a supplemental bill sooner.

Parker said he supports the principle of all seven bills, but a more societal shift is necessary to manage cases most effectively.

In the big picture of things, we put too many people in jail, he said.

The commission meets Jan. 20 to further discuss the budget, but Parker doesnt anticipate additional cuts.

I do criminal defense work for fees, he said. Its a mystery to me how they do all the work they do now on the money they get.

HB58 and HB59 will be heard on Jan. 9, and HB89 will be heard on Jan. 10 by the Judicial Committee. HB62 and HB77 are set for Jan. 16 by the Judicial Committee.
For decades American companies, large and small, have been competing with one hand tied behind their backs thanks to our unfair, outdated tax code. American jobs are being lost to foreign countries and U.S. companies are urged to move their manufacturing plants, new technologies and headquarters overseas. Whole communities have been devastated as good-paying jobs continue to leave the U.S.

Today "Made in America' products and services are at a tax disadvantage here in America and around the globe. That's because foreign competitors like China, Europe, Mexico and Canada all adjust their taxes at their borders  adding taxes to American-made products and taking taxes off their own. Because America doesn't border adjust, we lose both here and abroad.

Shockingly, this means Chinese steel is cheaper here in the U.S. than American steel. Mexican beef and autos are cheaper than American beef and autos. Foreign oil is cheaper than American oil. This tax disadvantage on "Made in America" products and services can easily exceed 20 percent  destroying true competition. Worse, it often means the best location for a U.S. company to sell to America is overseas. Why accept such an unfair and job-killing tax code?

* * *

The House GOP tax reform blueprint that I lead finally ends the "Made in America" tax. By border adjusting our taxes like our foreign competitors do, we level the playing field. For the first time in U.S. history foreign imports and American-made products and services will be taxed at exactly the same rate. No more tax subsidies for foreign products or services. No more incentives for U.S. companies to move overseas. Everything taxed exactly the same  what can be more fair?

More importantly, border adjusting our taxes helps eliminate all tax incentives for U.S. companies to move their manufacturing, technology and headquarters jobs overseas. Coupled with the new lower GOP tax rates on local businesses and ending the double-taxation of U.S. earnings overseas, this establishes America as a 21st Century magnet for new jobs, technology breakthroughs and headquarters.

The GOP tax plan is already forcing companies to ask themselves "How soon can we bring our suppliers back to the U.S.? "

* * *

House Republicans are going bold in business tax reform. We vault America back into the world lead by moving from the current income tax based on where companies produce to a simpler cash-flow tax based on where company products are consumed. We are also proposing the lowest tax rates on local businesses in modern history, permanent repeal of the AMT and death tax and the first-ever immediate write off of all new investment in buildings, equipment, software and technology.

And while it's new to America, border-adjustability is used throughout the world to give our foreign competitors a big advantage over the U.S. We match them, not with a hidden VAT, but with a simpler, smarter cash-flow tax.

Understandably, some companies that import a lot of foreign products have concerns. Taxing equally foreign and "Made in America" products is a big change. I'm confident, though, because in more than 100 cases worldwide when border-adjusted taxes were enacted by our foreign competitors the value of currency adjusted efficiently, lowering the costs of imports and keeping prices low for consumers.

It's time to finally end the tax on "Made in America."
They've nicknamed him the "Workshop Judge," a nod to his propensity for calling additional commissioners court meetings, more than his predecessors, to discuss issues within the county. But Liberty County Judge Jay Knight can point to the 43 meetings and demonstrate the effectiveness of the court and ability to dispatch the business before them.

With two years under his belt, Knight says he's seeing change and believes the county is positioned for the growth already at the door.

"The first thing we tackled when this court came into office was solving the problem of the jail contract," he said.

The contract at the time worked off a sliding-scale basis, dependent upon the population of the jail.

"If it was below 150 inmates, it was one fee. If it was above 150 inmates, it was another. The billing was out of control," he said.

The county couldn't realize any savings with the agreement.

At the time, the county was tied to a month-by-month provision and there was the consideration of the county retaking the jail back and completely throwing out the privatization of the contract.

"To save $1 million it would have cost us about $4 million to enact," Knight said, but there was no savings to taxpayers in that either.

The commissioners hosted seven workshops to discuss the matter and come up with a solution. Eventually, they sent out a Request For Proposal (RFP) with no sliding scale and a flat rate per day - period.

"When the proposals came back in, the lowest bid was the current company at $46.85 per day, which was a significant savings," the judge said.

The commissioners hammered out the three-year agreement with a two-year option with the options years going up by $1 per day.

With the help of the judges, the contract has brought savings to the taxpayers and stability in the budget.

In the design of the Grand Parkway, Knight and the commissioners fought hard to keep promised overpasses in the plans for the new highway.

"In 2009 there was a thoroughfare plan adopted by the commissioners court. These were thoroughfares that would come out of Harris County into Liberty County," Knight said. "They're not there yet, but are coming and it was planning for the future."

When commissioners met with officials for the Grand Parkway plans, they noticed three of the overpasses were not in the plans.

Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) were not going to include them.

"We fought hard to keep them," Knight said, "to protect farmers who would own land on both sides from having to drive five or 10 miles one direction on a tractor and then having to come back on the other side just to get to their property. We weren't going to let them do that," he said.

The overpasses were included, three south of Highway 90, at a cost of $15 million.

With the announcement of 14,000 homes being built in Dayton, Knight says he's receiving calls daily from land speculators looking for large tracts of land to develop.

"The growth is coming and I think we've prepared ourselves for it with a County Development Plan," Knight said.

Once in office, he immediately saw the need for a path to lead the county into the future. With the help and assistance of Texas A&M, the county now has a living, breathing documented map to direct leaders now and in the future with solid development plans.

"We no longer compete as Liberty versus Dayton versus Cleveland anymore," he said. "We must all work together now for the good of the county because we are competing with Harris, Montgomery and Polk for dollars, businesses and developers."

In preparation for the coming growth, the county also now has a Development Review Committee that includes commissioners, the county judge, the sheriff, emergency management, tax assessor-collector, chief appraiser at the Central Appraisal District, TxDOT engineer and the superintendent of the school district where the development may reside.

"Everyone gets a chance to sit down with the developer before they bring a plat in and they give us their intentions," Knight said.

It was approved by the commissioners court about a year-and-a-half ago following the uncontrolled growth of Plum Grove.

Knight also applauds his commissioners for working more closely with their area Economic Development Committees and hearing firsthand of the coming growth and needs of their community.

Commissioners also approved the implementation of a Computer Aided Dispatch system for the Liberty County Sheriff's Office that saves time and offers greater speed and accuracy for calls to that office for service from responding deputies.

"Also, it will help in tracking deputies in 'real time' as to their location and, therefore, aid in getting the closest deputy to the call as soon as possible," Knight said.

Among other features of the program is it allows deputies the use of laptop computers while on duty and in their vehicles for communication purposes, call logging, report writing and perpetrator identification.

Knight also pointed to the addition of a county purchasing department that has already saved the county over $1 million since its inception.

Commissioners court meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Without doubt, Knight will find another reason for a workshop, but if it produces results, it's a good thing for county taxpayers.
Public schools across Texas received preliminary grades under the still-being-overhauled academic accountability system  but education groups say the incomplete results already show the new A to F scale stigmatizes classrooms in poor and heavily minority areas.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW TO THE 2015-16 A-F RATINGS FOR LAREDO ISD AND UNITED ISD

The Texas Education Agency released grades for more than 1,000 school districts and 7,000-plus K-12 campuses in the categories of student achievement, student progress, college readiness and efforts to close the achievement gaps between minority students and whites. But it didn't provide overall grades because results weren't ready for a fifth category measuring "community and student engagement."

Education Commissioner Mike Morath cautioned that the grades, which were included in a 494-page report to the state Legislature, weren't official and that binding results won't come until next year. In the meantime, Texas will continue adhering to an accountability system that rates districts and schools as "met standards" or "improvement required." On that scale, 94 percent of school districts received passing assessments last academic year.

"The ratings in this report are for informational purposes to meet a legislative requirement and represent work-in-progress models that are likely to change before A-F ratings become effective in August 2018," Morath said in a statement. "These ratings should not be considered predictors of future district or campus performance ratings."
East Montgomery County leaders will be focused on Austin for the next few months when the 85th legislative session gets started Wednesday.

According to Patton Village Mayor Leah Tarrant, with infrastructure projects planned, the city will be keeping an eye on legislation that could affect cities' property tax rate increases.

"The revenue cap comes up every legislative session," Tarrant said. "We are lucky that it hasn't passed. If our legislators in Austin decide they're going to make the revenue cap on ad valorem tax, then that is going to cripple our ability to provide necessary services. That is money we use to do roads, bridges and infrastructure."

The Property Tax Reform & Relief Act of 2017, or Senate Bill 2, proposes a 4 percent revenue cap, down from the current 8 percent rollback rate. That means an increase of more than 4 percent would require a mandatory election.

"Citizens currently have the right to request an election if you go over the rollback rate," Tarrant said. "It's an option they have now, so I don't see the need for the cap and a mandatory election in order to raise more than 4 percent."

According to Tarrant, the city of Patton Village's current tax rate is approximately $0.26 per $100, which would mean that a 4 percent cap would require an election if the city were to raise the rate by $0.02.

"It would cost us more to have an election over that 2 cents than we would receive from that extra 2 cents per hundred-dollar value," Tarrant said. "Our taxes are very low, so our property owners wouldn't see any real savings because the home values aren't $250,000. But people don't realize what that amount per household does as far as fixing roads and infrastructure. It's huge for the cities."

In a meeting with the Kingwood Tea Party, District 4 Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, said one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's top priorities is property tax reform. Creighton co-authored the property tax reform bill and said it doesn't make sense that Texas, which tries to keep its taxes low, continues to see increasing property values.

"We're going to make some critical changes there," Creighton said. "How much will it save you? I don't know. Will it be a substantial amount? Maybe not. But we need some structural change in the way that you're getting the increases on your property."

Local leaders in education will be watching the debate on funding public schools.

Splendora Independent School District interim Superintendent Michael Say said seeing an increase in funding will be an issue "because of the constraints supposedly on the state budget. Still, bills have been filed that would benefit the school district.

Say said HB 94 would increase the basic allotment the district receives per student.

"Basic allotment increase would increase the amount of money we receive on a per-student basis from the state, which would be very important for the district," Say said. "It would be important for funding in every district around here, but particularly in Splendora ISD. We are a property-poor school district. We depend a lot on our state revenue, since our tax base doesn't provide as much money as districts with higher property values per student."

Say also discussed companion bills SB 35 and HB 196, which concern providing full-day, instead of just half-day, prekindergarten for certain children.

"We provide it right now, but we don't get funding for the full day," Say said. "We are only funded for the half-day."

In addition to basic allotment increases and funding for full-day prekindergarten, another issue Say believes will be relevant to the district in the coming session will be legislation concerning the A-F accountability system.

"There needs to be a lot more work done on the new system for assigning letter grades to campuses," Say said. "Not that we're complaining about getting a letter grade, but there is a lot more that we need to know about the reliability of those measures. When using a system of assigning a letter grade to a campus, you certainly want to make sure it's as objective as possible."

New Caney ISD has released a list of priorities that outlines the district's focus in the upcoming legislative session.

First on the list is an update to school funding that would more accurately reflect the cost of serving students, stating: "aside from recognizing there are different costs of living across the state, every child should receive a similar level of funding for their education."

The district is opposed to "state voucher plans, tax credits, tuition reimbursements, or any program that diverts public tax dollars to private entities with little or no academic or financial accountability to the state, taxpayers or to local communities."

District 16 state Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, whose district includes Splendora ISD and part of New Caney ISD, said he's willing to listen.

"It's still early in the process for me to commit to a specific bill or solution that I haven't had a chance to review yet," Metcalf said. "I will happily meet with and listen to our local school officials to get their opinions on some of these proposals. They know that my door is always open."
News and notes

Employer training opportunity available

The Montana Human Rights Bureau will be present information on disability discrimination, responding to requests for reasonable accommodations, and what could be considered retaliation. The event will take place on Thursday, Jan. 19, from 1:15 to 4 p.m. at First Interstate Bank, 2728 Colonial Drive. The cost is $30 in advance and $40 at the door.

To register, mail check payable to the Helena Job Service Employers Committee (HJSEC), 715 Front St, Helena MT 59601, or contact Dave Laber at 447-3209, or email dlaber@mt.gov.

***

Property reporting forms sent

The Montana Department of Revenue is recently mailed out 2017 personal property reporting forms to business owners. Business and industrial taxpayers have until March 1, 2017, to report their business equipment or personal property to the department. Theyll need to file even if there were no changes to their business equipment or if they closed or sold their business.

Businesses can submit their reporting form electronically through the departments TransAction Portal (TAP) at https://tap.dor.mt.gov/. They can also fill out the paper form they receive and mail or deliver it back to the department instead.

Whether a taxpayer filed electronically in 2016 or by paper, all of their reported business equipment for 2016 is prepopulated to the 2017 online reporting system.

Businesses need to report heavy equipment, manufacturing and mining equipment, farm and ranch equipment, oil and gas equipment, and miscellaneous equipment. For more information, visit revenue.mt.gov or call toll free 1-866-859-2254 or, in Helena, 444-6900.

***

Nominations sought for awards luncheon

Big Sky ABWA and Soroptimist International of Helena announced that they are seeking nominations for the 2017 Salute to Women Awards Luncheon. Every year the Salute to Women luncheon recognizes and honors women who have demonstrated qualities of leadership and excellence in their professional endeavors. Nominations are being sought for Salute to Women Woman of Achievement and the YWCA Woman of the Year.

Nomination forms are available by going to www.SaluteToWomen.net and clicking on Awards, and must be received no later than Jan. 31. The luncheon is Thursday, March 16, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Great Northern Hotel. Proceeds benefit the YWCA and educational scholarships for Helena area women and girls. For more information, call 461-8342.

***

Shark Tank event highlight of conference

The Montana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network has partnered with the Governors Conference on Tourism and Recreation to increase its reach to one of Montanas leading industries. The Montana SBDC Network will host business consulting, business classes and its annual Shark Tank live pitch business plan competition at the conference.

Shark Tank creates a forum for local entrepreneurs to present their business plans and receive constructive feedback from a panel of industry professionals. First place in the contest will win $5,000, second place will win $2,500, and third place will win $1,000.

Ronald Turner, owner of Anchor Yanker, a Montana-based startup business based on a device that pulls, or yanks, rope efficiently was the winner of last years competition.

Entrepreneurs interested in competing in the fourth annual live pitch competition can register for the event now. The competition is open to Montana startup/pre-venture entrepreneurs in the "idea phase" with less than one year of activity. Participants will first pitch their business idea to an initial screening panel on March 13, and the live pitch will be held during the closing luncheon on March 14.

To register for the Governors Conference on Tourism, March 12-14 in Helena at the Radisson Colonial Hotel, visit http://bit.ly/2ib8m5O.

To register for Shark Tank, go to http://sbdc.submittable.com before Feb. 4.

For more information, contact Rebecca Ziegler at 406-841-2747.

***

Leadership Montana accepting applications

Leadership Montana, the states leadership development organization, has opened the application process for the class of 2018. The class will meet in communities across the state during the months of September 2017 to May 2018. Applications are accepted until April 15, 2017.

The Class of 2018 will visit Big Sky, Whitefish, Bozeman, Helena, Great Falls, Havre, Sidney and Billings. During visits, participants will learn about challenges and opportunities facing Montana through conversations with community leaders and tours of emerging and traditional businesses.

Leadership Montana is a collaboration of leaders from business, labor, healthcare, higher education, non-profit organizations and government coming together to form a strong partnership for the betterment of our state. Leadership Montana offers participants a program that strengthens leadership skills while fostering personal growth and reflection.

More information about the program, including the application form, can be found at www.leadershipmontana.org.

***

DOR seeks volunteer trainers

The Montana Department of Revenue is encouraging people to apply to the departments liquor education program as volunteer trainers. The volunteers work in Lets Control It, the agencys training program for responsible alcohol sales and service. They train Montana liquor license holders about the states requirements for selling and serving alcohol.

The department is accepting applications and supplemental questions until March 31. You can find the application, supplemental questions, and the trainer requirements at AlcoholServerTraining.mt.gov. You can apply online, or call 444-4307 to request application materials by mail. If you apply on paper, send your completed materials to Department of Revenue, Liquor Control Division, Education Unit, P.O. Box 1712, Helena, MT 59624. Or, fax materials to 444-0718.

For more information, contact Lisa Scates at 444-4307 or LiScates@mt.gov.

***

Guidelines

The IR welcomes reports of hiring, promotions, awards, recognition, learning opportunities and other news from local companies and nonprofits. We accept press releases and photos (digital images at 300 dpi or more are preferred, but we can also use regular photos; we dont guarantee return of these).

There is no charge for items appearing in the Business Briefcase. Items are run on a space-available basis, and we reserve the right to edit and use information as we see fit.

The deadline is Tuesday at noon to be considered for publication the following Sunday.
This year, Im making a different type of resolution, and I hope my fellow Americans will join me in it. Its less about the steps I have to take for a better life and more about the changes we all need to make for a better society.

I resolve to be more careful about what I say and write so as not to contribute to what has become a totally dysfunctional American dialogue. Weve forgotten how to talk to one another, discuss politics and argue with civility. Too often, we talk over each other, jump to conclusions, ascribe motives, take ourselves too seriously, impugn the integrity of others, practice situational ethics and apply double standards. We also steer clear of viewpoints we disagree with and surround ourselves with like minds  all to avoid confronting the possibility that we could actually be wrong about something.

I think about the gentleman who told me that he was going to stop reading my column because we had begun to disagree too often. Or the one who  in response to a recent column about how California Democrats are attacking President-elect Donald Trump for threatening to do what President Barack Obama has already done  declared me a Trump apologist. Or the reader who  apparently under the impression that columnists have a limited reservoir of barbs  wrote, in a letter to the editor, that I should save my criticism (of Hillary Clinton) because I was going to need it (for Donald Trump). Or the one who bragged about how he started to read one of my columns but stopped after the first jab at folks like him, and then questioned whether I believed what Id written or whether this was just my shtick for grabbing eyeballs.

During the election, there were readers who accused me of supporting Clinton every time I criticized Trump, and others who said I supported Trump whenever I bashed Clinton. There were the usual 100-percenters who demanded total agreement on all issues and, when they didnt get it, went on the attack. And, of course, who could forget the absolutists who had no use for nuance? They couldnt admit their candidate did anything wrong, even when it was obvious that they had.

Why cant Democrats simply acknowledge that  whether or not the Russian hack significantly influenced the election  Clinton was the worst and weakest candidate they could have possibly nominated? Why cant Republicans just admit that Trump won the election, in large part, by exploiting peoples fears of immigrants, Muslims, China and U.S.-born Mexican judges?

Even in an unusual election year full of surprises with a nearly unpredictable ending, many Americans in both political parties never wavered in their conviction that they were good and anyone who disagreed with them was bad.

Lastly, a dishonest and partisan media bear much of the blame for creating our communication crisis. After years of thinking that it was the job of journalists to be impartial observers, we learned in this election that if one partys nominee is so unconventional as to be considered unsafe, its permissible for them to jump into the arena and try to defeat that candidate. We also learned that the practice of reporters agreeing to off-the-record discussions with Democrats is perfectly fine, but doing so with Republicans suggests a coziness that is unacceptable. And thanks to WikiLeaks, we learned that the Clinton campaign and national reporters had a symbiotic relationship where journalists got access and campaign staffers used the journalists to plant stories that were friendly to the Democratic candidate.

Many of these shenanigans backfired. And in the end, ironically, some of the loudest voices in the media wound up being ignored by a public that no longer believed what they had to say. The media overplayed their hand and wound up with less influence than they had before Trump declared his candidacy.

What a terrible mess Americans have created. The ability to communicate is a gift, and weve not taken very good care of it. Weve been too self-centered, too trapped in our own bubble and too closed-off to other opinions. Were so eager to express ourselves, and were yelling so loudly, that we have no idea what anyone else is saying. Whats worse, many of us dont seem to care.

Lets make 2017 the year when we reverse course and start fixing Americas broken conversation.

ruben@rubennavarrette.com
The second Tuesday of every odd-numbered year is a special day. For the last 16 years, I had the high privilege of taking my oath of office at the Texas Capitol to serve the citizens of San Antonio as a member of the Texas House of Representatives.

Sixteen years is a long time, and while we will never forget the 9/11 terrorist attack, many of us have forgotten much of the events of 2001. Harry Potters first movie debuted in America, Apple released its first iPod, and the Texas House of Representatives had a 78-72 Democratic majority. You read that right.

Sixteen years ago, I was a 29-year-old graduate from the University of Texas School of Law and my passion to serve others was grounded in one simple belief  to give back to a community that gave me so much.

Since that day, I have worked tirelessly to live up to that belief. In the Legislature, I championed critical legislation that restored $3.93 billion in education cuts, created high-paying manufacturing jobs at the Port of San Antonio, and passed criminal justice reforms targeting those who prey on our elderly and vulnerable populations.

As this newspaper has noted, my hands touched and shaped the outcome of many significant pieces of legislation and my influence was both feared and respected. While I do not seek credit for these accomplishments, I do want to acknowledge the leaders who served before me who taught me San Antonio values.

As a son of San Antonio, I grew up inspired by the leadership of Joe Bernal, Henry B. Gonzalez and Matt Garcia, who taught me the value of finding common ground with those who dont agree with you. But, just as important, they also taught me to stand my ground, to push back on those who legislate through fear, vitriol and hyperpartisanship.

Equipped with my knowledge of parliamentary procedure, I challenged anyone seeking to harm my constituents. The fights were many, but the causes were just. For eight terms, I used every legislative tactic in the book to protect and promote equity in education, access to health care, respect for women, dignity for immigrants, tax fairness and the right to vote.

Sixteen years inside the ring has prepared me well for my most challenging job  citizen.

Public policy and public officials need a traffic cop to regulate ideas and behavior. Every one of us needs someone who is willing to speak out when the times demand it. We need someone who is willing to inspire and motivate others into action. Most important, we all need someone to hold public officials accountable for their actions.

So when some of my closest friends and colleagues convene in Austin these next 140 days, I will be convening with community leaders, thought leaders and policy experts to chart the future of our state. I will listen to those who are often not heard inside the halls of the Capitol. I will use my years of navigating state government as a tool for worthy causes. I will work to derail bad ideas. There is no shortage of bad and senseless ideas. They are already percolating.

Most important, I will hold our leaders accountable for their public policy misdeeds in this community and across the state.

So count on me to be the peoples lawmaker. Let this be a call to action for every one of us to roll up our sleeves and join me in this fight for our community, state and country. Elections only determine political outcomes; they dont define who we are as individuals or our commitment to this community. My children and those just like them need a voice in that Capitol. We can all be that voice.

Thank you for 16 wonderful and memorable years. For those of you who liked my service, you will have much to look forward to in the near future. And for those of you whom I disagreed with, I respect our differences and I look forward to seeing you again in the political ring.

Trey Martinez Fischer is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing a San Antonio district from 2000 to 2016.
The Texas Association of School Boards is taking dead aim at vouchers in Texas with a social media campaign that calls a state voucher program one of the largest entitlement programs in Texas history.

We were surprised the TASB would stoop to such levels, but we probably shouldnt have been. As state Rep. Tom Craddick told us recently, public education is the greatest entitlement in the state. We can then deduce that the TASB is trying to use its influence to keep its share of the pie.

We dont have any problems with vouchers or school choice in general. Parents -- not bureaucrats, or in this case school board members -- should have the opportunity to decide what is best for children. If in some parts of the state vouchers would allow a student to receive a better education, we have to ask: What is wrong with that?

It is no different than those who dont like charter schools. They are competition, much like private schools or other school districts. Midland doesnt have the competition present in other communities. In the Metroplex people flock to communities with the best school districts. In Midland, the choice is limited to moving to Greenwood, paying private school tuition or attending a charter school.

The TASB is critical of private schools because they are not required to report test results, graduation rates and other performance metrics to the public, leaving taxpayers in the dark on how well students are being educated.

Here is the thing. Private schools are very open with parents about their students education, and parents ultimately have the power to withdraw their child if that school isnt performing to a standard.

This brings us to something that apparently the Texas Association of School Boards doesnt get: Private schools, charter schools and other options exist because of deficiencies in public school districts around the state.

We agree with Craddick that vouchers and school choice improve academic outcomes. We agree with some in the community who have said that charters can be part of a community-wide solution to improving education in Midland.

Just as a teacher has certain expectations of a student, parents should have certain expectations of a school district. Parents need to be engaged and be allowed more control over what is happening with their children.

Our school board members should relay to their state organization that it needs to stop trying to protect ineffective institutions of learning. Look at what that has given us in Midland County for the past 10 years. Our board should be better than that. It has to be.
Marital bliss cannot be legislated.

State Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, should be well aware of that. He has been married 14 years. Krause, a lawyer starting his third term in the Texas House of Representatives, is trying to make it more difficult for married couples to split up.

He is pushing legislation that would eliminate no-fault divorce, require couples to live separately for three years before filing for divorce, and extend the waiting period of a divorce to be finalized from 60 days to six months.

During the last 46 years, states have passed laws allowing no-fault divorces, which allows married couples to break up without having to file a public legal document laying out the reasons for the dissolution of their marriage.

In Texas, a no-fault divorce means a marriage has become unsupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities that destroys the legitimate end of the marital relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.

Krause said his proposed legislation is aimed at preserving the sanctity of marriage, keeping families together to ensure a healthy society and protecting the well-being of children. While his intentions are honorable, his legislation comes with many unintended consequences.

No-fault divorces provide an inexpensive and an efficient process for couples, especially those with no children and limited assets, to navigate the justice system. Throwing new levels of bureaucracy into the mix will only increase legal costs and create court documents that children might later come across detailing their parents marital discord.

Asking couples to establish separate residences for three years before they can proceed to the next step in the process is extreme government meddling in private lives.

In 1988, the Texas Legislature passed a law requiring a 72-hour cooling off period between the time a marriage license is issued and the wedding ceremony. It just meant couples in a hurry to marry had to seek out a willing judge to sign a waiver.

In Bexar County, the marriage licenses issued by County Clerk Gerry Rickhoff fluctuate from year to year. Last year they were up. There were 14,941 marriage licenses issued, compared to 14,370 in 2015.

At the same time, divorce filings are down. In 2016, 8,770 divorces were filed, according to records provided by District Clerk Donna Kay McKinney. There were 9,082 divorces filed in 2015.

Abolishing no-fault divorce is unlikely to change any couples mindset and only creates unnecessary headaches. The Texas Legislature needs to leave this one alone.
When Jilyn Chandler looks at Helena Public Schools' 2016 ACT scores she got this past fall, shes excited to see the progress of students over the past four years.

Chandler, the districts data and assessment administrator, can show students have made dramatic strides since 2013, based on the most recent ACT assessment scores, which is a national standardized test measuring college and career readiness.

Helenas juniors scored in the top third of Montana AA high schools when tested last April, and the two Helena schools were pretty much neck-in-neck.

This has been a dramatic change for the two schools since 2013. And its not true for other big school districts in Montana, Chandler points out.

In fact, some districts consistently have one high school with top scores in numerous categories, while another high school across town has scores in the cellar.

More students are learning more, Chandler said of what she sees in the scores.

In 2016 Capital High School and Helena High School students scored above the statewide average in all six test areas (ACT composite, math, science, English composite, reading and writing), which wasnt true in 2013, when CHS scored below the state average in writing, reading and math. (In the accompanying graphics cohort refers to the year of graduation; the students actually took the ACT test the year before as juniors.)

In English we have made more of a gain on the state, said Chandler. We have continued to outperform the state on English.

In 2016 Helena High School scored 21.8 in reading, Capital High School, 21.6; and the state average was 20.8.

In writing, Capital scored 20.9 and HHS, 20.4, with both well above the state average of 17.8.

This is a compelling achievement for CHS, which grabbed the second highest writing score among the AA schools -- particularly considering that in 2013 CHS had the second lowest writing score in this group of 14 peer high schools.

CHS has also seen a drop in the number of its college freshmen needing remedial writing classes, said assistant superintendent Greg Upham. They cut remediation rates at CHS to zero.

Since 2013, when both high schools math scores were at or a hair below the state average, they have moved to the top third.

In science, Helena students have made progress since 2013, climbing from the middle of the pack to be tied in fifth place with scores of 21.

Chandlers leery about naming districts that show dramatically different results for their crosstown high schools. However, shes happy to show on a series of rainbow-colored charts what shes talking about.

School districts shouldnt be split, she said. Were the only school district to close the discrepancies.

When you look at any other of the AA districts there are gaps between the high schools. Our district has the closest scores, which was one of our main goals. We have not only been able to increase the scores but close the gap crosstown.

Our goal was to get better and stronger and have transparency across the district, she said. Because we are one community, it shouldnt matter where you live. Our kids should get a similar education.

The reason Chandler and Assistant Superintendent Greg Upham are excited about the test scores and data is that at least 95 percent of the juniors across Montana are taking the ACT test, thanks to a Gear Up grant that is making the test free to all students.

For the first time were taking in the entire population, said Upham.

Chandler knows the district is already seeing success with students in math in the younger grades because more students are seeking advanced math classes as they move to middle school and high school.

She expects the district will begin to see stronger results in coming years in the math ACT scores.

Our goal is to grow and make gains.

We were 0.3 above state average in 2013, for the composite ACT score. Now we are a whole point above the state average and both high schools scored the same, ACT composite score.

Scores will ebb and flow, she said. But whats important to her is are we staying in that top third and are we making growth on the state average?

In 2013 in science, we were just a hair above the state, she said. We fell right in the middle of pack for double AAs. Now were in the top third and weve made a greater gain on the state average.

Weve had the greatest growth in math, she said. In 2013, we were at or below the state average. Over four years, we grew and stayed together. Were now a whole point above the state average. And were definitely in the top third.

The school district started taking a closer look at academic data in 2008, to see why kids drop out, said Upham. They learned that 28 percent of the students couldnt do math at grade level. Thats now been reduced to 11 percent this past fall.

While Chandler is reluctant to focus just on test scores, she said that regular benchmark testing can be an effective tool.

Another effective tool is the Professional Learning Communities or PLCs, she said, which started in 2014. Teachers and staff meet every Monday afternoon during the school year, so that they are on the same page as far as curriculum and can share ideas for whats effective in the classroom.
Re: Feeling the humor of life with Braille, Larry Johnson, Another View, Dec. 31:

This Another View column in the Express-News is a wonderful addition to the Editorial Page page that Ive enjoyed since its first appearance.

The column is a welcome relief from the sometimes acrimonious writings of other columnists. You often give me cause to think about what youve written and the world it reflects. That you can gently poke fun at and sometimes chastise yourself and others in ways that are neither threatening nor combative is, I believe, the mark of a great writer.

Thank you for brightening my world.

Sue Ratliff

Nurturing dreams

Re: Politifact Texas; Doggett incorrect on law, schools, Metro, Jan. 1:

We are stronger when we support immigrant families who are contributing so much to our communities. Our Dreamers deserve a chance to succeed and give back to America, the only home many of them have known. A fair reading of my recent immigration comments shows it accurately reflects federal law  our universities, like our public schools, are not routinely checking student immigration status. Educational leaders should not be and are not now federally required to be immigration police.

Whether a young woman seeking a cure for Alzheimers, a student enamored with science and dreaming of becoming an engineer, a good mechanic or a bilingual teacher, our duty as a nation of immigrants is to support those who are already making America great.

I previously joined a DACA forum at UTSA and will seek other ways to reduce fear and promote a bipartisan solution for 750,000 awaiting action across our country.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-San Antonio

Small steps this time

Re: Battle over Obamacare now is being refought, front page, Jan. 5:

Perhaps the reason Obamacare is being refought is because, in an attempt to provide a comprehensive solution to health care quickly, Congress neglected to have bipartisan discussion of the needs of all Americans.

It might have been wiser to take several small steps, discussing each fully, before implementing the current system. So now we will be wasting valuable time fixing something that could have been more efficiently accomplished during the past seven years.

This should be a warning for all who cry for comprehensive solutions to everything. Lets take small steps, addressing individual points before messing up other issues. And lets do them in a bipartisan manner.

Its like trying to eat a watermelon in one bite. You cant do it. Why not let common sense rule and have Congress take individual pieces of Obamacare and fix them?

We might just end up with something that works and is less costly.

Hank Forrest

Political boomerang

How ironic that the man who tried to delegitimize the Obama presidency by saying he was not born in the U.S. is now concerned that his presidency is being undermined by two facts.

One, that he lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes; two, that the Russian government attempted to influence the election outcome in favor of its preferred candidate, Donald Trump. What tangled webs we weave ... .

It is also ironic and amusing that Trump supporters want everyone to get over the election results. In 2008, when Barack Obama was elected, GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said his priority was not helping Obama govern, but to ensure he was a one-term president.

The Republican leadership held a strategy conference before Obama was inaugurated to discuss how to deal with the immensely popular president-elect. A senator said their plan was to just say no to anything proposed by the new president. They were true to their word for the next eight years.

I hope Democrats give the new administration a taste of its own medicine. I believe that Ted Cruz was right. We do not really need nine members in the Supreme Court. And if there is another vacancy, I think we can get along just fine with seven.

Let us ensure that the only success for Trump is with his 3 a.m. tweets. After all, he seems to be good at that.

Ken Horn

Mainstream what?

Re: Trump tweets show potential positives, Nation & World, Thursday:

Whoa! Donald! Via Twitter, you have just obviated the need for the mainstream media! Dude!

John Kiser

No tips? Shame!

Re: Uncertain term for workers; Bay Area restaurateurs worry that Trumps bark might worsen their bites, Business, Dec. 31:

I am appalled when I hear people do not properly tip service industry employees. I have witnessed patrons leave a dollar or two or no tip at all after sitting and being served for over an hour at a restaurant. I have heard stories, from some of my clients, that they had recently worked Christmas parties of 30 to 50 people for several hours with other colleagues and were not given any tip at all.

Texas minimum wage for the service industry is only $2.15 per hour. No one can live on that without gratuities. We Texans need to put pressure on our state representatives to increase this grossly inadequate minimum wage for service industry laborers that has been in place for far too many years. We must be more grateful to the people serving us.

My New Years resolution is when I witness a nontipper, I am going to pay it forward and make it up to that service employee. Nontippers or inadequate tippers should be ashamed of themselves.

Gary Kennedy, Schertz
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The only thing the Republicans repeal and replace plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act has going for it so far is alliteration, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Saturday in San Francisco.

At a news conference at San Francisco General Hospital, Pelosi and Bay Area Reps. Jackie Speier and Barbara Lee continued efforts to push back against the GOP crusade to take down the Affordable Care Act, a campaign promise of President-elect Donald Trump that has been steadily gaining steam among the Republican-majority Congress.

In the latest appearance for the Democrats opposition campaign, the three lawmakers spoke about the positive impacts of the landmark health care law, which was enacted in 2010 and has provided health insurance to 28 million Americans nationwide. They accused their Republican colleagues of playing politics with something so vital to so many.

I dont want this to be partisan, but the fact is (Republicans) have talked about repeal and replace, Pelosi said. They have no replacement and even among some of their own members, theyre saying unless we have a replacement, we cant do this. Theyre not particularly concerned about the 20 million-plus who have gotten health care through the Affordable Care Act.

Before passage of the Affordable Care Act, close to 40 percent of S.F Generals patients were uninsured, said Dr. Susan Ehrlich, the hospitals CEO. The number now is about 3 percent.

Because of this, we are able to provide better care to our patients, she said. We are able to keep our city healthier.

Paul Haskins, a 66-year-old San Bruno man, said at the news conference that he had been forced to live without health insurance for 28 years before passage of the Affordable Care Act.

He was shot in the pancreas in a robbery in 1972, and his injuries left him with diabetes and other significant problems  now considered pre-existing conditions that not only prevented him from getting the insurance he needed, but also from getting jobs that provided health care.

Imagine living 28 years without your diabetes under control, he asked from his wheelchair. There were times my blood sugar was so low I would pass out for 10 minutes at the dinner table.

Haskins had just been released from the hospital, where he had been treated for ulcers in his feet  a diabetes-linked condition that can result in amputation.

But hes been in good shape since he became eligible for Medi-Cal, Californias version of Medicaid, through the Affordable Care Act.

I have a success story because of Medi-Cal and the Affordable Care Act, he said. I have two feet, no life-threatening blood clots, and my blood sugar is under control.

Lee pointed out that the Americans who will be most impacted by the repeal of the Affordable Care Act will be the low-income minorities that make up much of her East Bay district.

Health care is a basic human right, she said. There is no question about that. We must always remember that.

Pelosi said Saturdays news conference will be the first of many public actions she and other lawmakers will be making in hopes of saving the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare.

When a hospital doctor asked her what he could do to help, she advised him to make sure Republicans hear from their constituents.

This is a fight worth making, Speier said. You can be guaranteed that we will fight with all our might. This is a life and death issue. There is no hyperbole in my comment. People will die if the Affordable Care Act is dismantled.
We still have dinosaurs with us, is one provocative idea Daniel Barta likes to share with audiences.

A Ph.D. candidate at the American Museum of Natural History, Barta is researching the growth and development of the Haya griva, a dinosaur the size of a small dog that roamed Mongolia 85 million years ago.

Barta, who grew up in Helena, has not only trekked to Mongolias Gobi Desert to study these critters fossil remains. He is also studying the microscopic nature of fossilized dinosaur eggshell, nesting behavior and then what happened after the dinosaur hatched.

My current research focuses on dinosaur growth and development -- the changes that take place from juvenile dinosaurs to adult dinosaurs.

Not only does he look at the outer shape changes of dinosaur bones, but also their microscopic structure. In bones, you can actually see essentially growth rings that are laid down yearly.

Barta just advised on a recent AMNH exhibit, Dinosaurs Among Us, which showcased cutting-edge research on the evolutionary transition from non-avian dinosaurs to birds.

Bartas passion for dinosaurs awakened at age 4 on his first trip to the Museum of the Rockies with his parents, he said. Its where I fell in love with paleontology.

Intertwined with this is a fascination with their modern relatives, birds -- another interest that was sparked in Bartas childhood during trips to watch the eagles at Canyon Ferry Lake.

This whole thing of being interested in birds and dinosaurs goes back pretty far, he said, and certainly has a lot to do with growing up in Montana.

As a student in the PEAK program, he got another early career boost -- an opportunity to job shadow Jamie Jette, a fossil preparator at the Museum of the Rockies.

I got to see how a paleo lab is set up and run, Barta said. And it gave me a sense of paleontology as a career.

He went on to earn his bachelors and masters degree at Montana State University in 2012 and 2014, where he was an award-winning student and also a National Merit scholar. Hes now immersed in Ph.D. studies at the Richard Gilder Graduate School at AMNH, a very prestigious and exclusive Ph.D. program.

I think its really exciting that hes there, said his former professor at MSU, David Varricchio.Its a leader in paleontology.

Barta published a scientific article in Historical Biology on his work on eggs and clutches that was part of his research trip with Varricchio to Zhejiang Province, China

One of the things Barta likes to tell audiences at the American Museum of Natural History is dinosaurs arent extinct -- that birds are the surviving members of the dinosaur group, said Barta.

While the famous dinosaurs featured in Jurassic Park are extinct, this one lineage of dinosaurs that we call birds has been enormously successful, in terms of inhabiting just about every environment on Earth.

The idea that dinosaurs are still with us surprises people.

There is a very bright future for paleontology, Barta said.

In fact, he calls this time the golden age for paleontology. It keeps getting brighter and brighter.

Jurassic Park, which came out in 1993, did a tremendous amount to spur interest.

Bartas optimistic that research will lead to new and exciting discoveries.

Not only will new digs unearth more fossils, he said, but such new technologies as CAT scans and biochemical studies will keep revealing new mysteries and insights.

Barta enjoys sharing his love of paleontology with the next wave of young scientists when hes back in Helena.

On his visits home, he visits his moms class at Broadwater Elementary School and talks about dinosaurs.

Its really special to see kids wanting to follow in my footsteps, he said.

And when kids and parents visit AMNH and see the dinosaur displays, he can see the same excitement in the kids eyes that he felt at Museum of the Rockies.

They awaken a sense of wonder, he said. They awaken questions in children and adults about the history of the world.

I emphasize that science begins with questions. Asking questions and remaining curious will serve them well in any field of study they pursue.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

It took me a long time to discover that the key thing in acting is honesty. Once you know how to fake that, youve got it made. Actor in Peyton Place, 1970

So the news is like sincerity (and honesty)? Or not? Interestingly, the epigraph comes from the start of the neoliberal dispensation, but lets not go down a rathole of meta. Or rather, lets go down another rathole of meta by quoting defeated Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who seems to have been the (self-infected) Patient Zero for the fake news moral panic when she spoke these words (C-SPAN) at the unveiling of Harry Reids portrait, December 8, 2016:

[CLINTON:] Let me just mention briefly one threat in particular that should concern all Americans, Democrats, Republicans and independents alike, especially those who serve in our Congress: the epidemic of malicious fake news and false propaganda that flooded social media over the past year . Its now clear that so-called fake news can have real-world consequences . This isnt about politics or partisanship. Lives are at risk, lives of ordinary people just trying to go about their days, to do their jobs, contribute to their communities. IIts a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly. Bipartisan legislation is making its way through Congress to boost the governments response to foreign propaganda , and Silicon Valley is starting to grapple with the challenge and threat of fake news . Its imperative that leaders in both the private sector and the public sector step up to protect our democracy and innocent lives.

(Presumably that bipartisan  dread word  legislation was the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act, discussed at NC in detail here.) Parsing this verbiage, we find it unusually sloppy and dishonest, even for Clinton. What, for example, is the distinction between malicious fake news and so-called fake news? Is sincerely meant (not malicious) and/or genuine (not so-called) fake news not really fake? And how is it that we start with false propaganda and end with foreign propaganda? Obviously, whatever danger is to be addressed cant be from fake news as such, since conceptually theres no there there. Democrat establishment lapdog Paul Krugman makes Clintons agenda more clear:

Still, none of this would work without the complicity of the news media. And Im not talking about fake news, as big a problem as that is becoming; Im talking about respectable, mainstream news coverage.

So, fake news just doesnt happen in respectable, mainstream news outlets (showing Yves was quite right to cite to independent, alternative media, like Naked Capitalism, as being under the blame cannons). But Krugmans vulgar institutionalism gets us no forrader on fake news conceptually, does it? Heres the best taxonomy of fake news that Ive been able to find. From Matthew E. Kahns blog, Environmental and Urban Economics, The Economics of Fake News:

There are four cases to consider. Case #1: Both the supplier and demander know that the story is false. Think of the National Enquirer stories stating that Elvis is on Mars. Case #2: The supplier knows the story is false but the demander believes the story is true. Case #3: The supplier believes the story is true and the demander believes the story is true. Case #4: The supplier believes the story is true and the demander believes the story is false. Fake News has no social consequences in cases #1 or case #4. Case #3 will feature no strategic element. This is just Tiebout sorting[1] in ideological space.

Tellingly, the articles listed at the Snopes fake news tag (e.g., Did a Man Lock His Daughter in a Cage for Overusing a Snapchat Filter? [FALSE]) fall primarily into Case #1 (that is, no social consequence, since both supplier and demander know the fake news is fake). And the malicious foreign WikiLeaks, DCLeaks, and Guccifer Democrat email leaks are Case #3: The supplier believes the story is true, and the demander believes the story is true.[2]. Case #4 (the supplier believes the story is true, and the demander believes the story is false) may end up applying to us all, if current trends continue, but again, lets not go down the rathole.

So the interesting case is Case #2: The supplier knows the story is false but the demander believes the story is true. And the nice thing about Kahns taxonomy is that it abstracts away from institutions, so we dont have to accept Krugmans silly, and self-serving, notion that mainstream publications dont produce fake news. Heres the definition of fake from my Oxford English Dictionary:

fake [adjective & noun(2)] /fek/ Orig. slang. l18. [ORIGIN: Rel. to fake verb2.] A. adjective. Spurious, counterfeit, sham. l18. Glasgow Herald Fake whisky..the symptoms following consumption are similar to those of gastric poisoning.

I mean, come on. Nobody ever said that alternative, independent, small distilleries are the only institutions that every produced fake whiskey, right?

Before I dig more deeply into Case #2, Id like to introduce an additional case:

Case #5: The supplier knows the story is true, but the demander knows nothing about it at all

(This introduces a pleasing element of informational asymmetry into Kahns model, enabling it to conform more closely to the real world. The example I have in mind comes from Operative Ks employer, the New York Times. From FAIR:

By any standard, the New York Times story of December 16 was a blockbuster: Reporters James Risen and Eric Lichtblau revealed that following the September 11 attacks, the Bush administration initiated warrantless wiretaps on hundreds of people within the U.S.including U.S. citizenseven though a federal law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, expressly forbids the government from doing so. This program was legal only if one accepts the administrations contention that the executive branch has essentially unlimited powers during wartime (even though Congress has not declared war). The Times story would be an outstanding example of how the First Amendment works to protect libertywere it not for the ninth paragraph: The White House asked The New York Times not to publish this article, arguing that it could jeopardize continuing investigations and alert would-be terrorists that they might be under scrutiny. After meeting with senior administration officials to hear their concerns, the newspaper delayed publication for a year to conduct additional reporting. Some information that administration officials argued could be useful to terrorists has been omitted. The reasoning is absurd on its face. As Times executive editor Bill Keller noted in a statement released on December 16 explaining his decision to publish the story, The fact that the government eavesdrops on those suspected of terrorist connections is well-known. But this was as obvious a year ago as it is today. As for the governments spying being jeopardized, placing illegal and unconstitutional programs in jeopardy is the whole point of the First Amendment (Extra! Update, 12/05). But Kellers statement revealed that the Times does not see itself as competent to watch out for illegal government activity. In explaining the delay, Keller stated that the administration had assured senior editors of the Times that a variety of legal checks had been imposed that satisfied everyone involved that the program raised no legal questions. Keller went on to say that it is not our place to pass judgment on the legal or civil liberties questions involved in such a program, but it became clear those questions loomed larger within the government than we had previously understood. In other words, Keller believes it is the Times place to accept officials own evaluation of the legality of their behavior.

What FAIR delicately omits to mention is that the Times had and then spiked the story before election 2004, and therefore suppressing it until Bush was safely elected might well have affected the (very close) Presidential race, which everybody is so concerned that fake news does, right?

Now, is Case #5  suppressed news  really news? I would argue that is it is. The replaced pages in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia were surely part of that Encyclopedia, and in less well-regulated polities than our own, censored news is simply printed as blank columns:

Back to Case #2, which Id argue should be refined, again through the introduction of information asymmetry. On the supplier side, we need to introduce the possiblity of delusion as opposed to malevolence, and on the demander side, Cassandras (a minority) as opposed to believers (the great majority)[3]. The case study I have in mind is Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in the case of the Iraq War.

I remember the WMD case of fake news  news that is spurious, counterfeit, sham as the OED has it  well, because it happened in my very first year of blogging, in 2003. (Cue the Im so old, I remember ______ snowclone jokes.) The justifications for Saddams WMDs came thick and fast: The aluminum tubes, the white powders, the yellowcake uranium, the mobile biological laboratories, the drones, the atropine, the we dont want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud. As soon as one story was debunked  which foul-mouthed bloggers of the left using open sources could do quite easily, within hours  another story would pop up. Only later did we learn that it didnt just feel like playing whack-a-mole; it was playing whack-a-mole; The Bush White House was planting stories in the press (through a process, for those who came in late, very similar to what the Clinton campaign used, as shown in the Wikileaks Podesta email dump).

The long-forgotten Sam Gardiner, Colonel, USAF (Retired)[4], interviewed by Kevin Zeese in Counterpunch, describes the supplier side:

[GARDINER:]As the war unfolded, I became increasingly uneasy about what was being reported out of the White House, Pentagon and Central Command. I was hearing things that just did not make sense with what I knew and what my intuition was telling me. I began tracking some of the stories. It was just a matter of going over what we were told and connecting that with the truth as it emerged later. There is absolutely no question that the White House and the Pentagon participated in an effort to market the military option. The truth did not make any difference to that campaign. To call it fixing is to miss the more profound point. It was a campaign to influence. It involved creating false stories; it involved exaggerating; it involved manipulating the numbers of stories that were released; it involved a major campaign to attack those who disagreed with the military option. It included all the techniques those who ran the marketing effort had learned in political campaigns. We [know] the WMD story fairly well. We know the story of the uranium from Niger. We know about the aluminum tubes that were not for uranium enrichment. We know the biological labs Powell showed to the UN did not exist. [ZEESE:] Is the media being fooled by the Administration or is it complicit in this effort to misinform the public? [GARDINER:]The media have been fooled. They have been lazy. They have lost sight of the historic calling of journalism. Journalists have been replaced on television by cheerleaders. [ZEESE:] How much did this campaign of misinformation cost? [GARDINER:] Tough question, Kevin. I dont think it possible to get a total handle on the effort. I have read one estimate that put the marketing at $200 million. That cost is trivial, however, to the collateral damage that has been done to democracy.

And on the demand side, some may actually have believed their own bullshit. Former White House insider Richard Clarke, interviewed in 2004:

[GUARDIAN]: Do you believe the administration believed the intelligence on Iraqi WMD? [CLARKE]: We all believed Saddam had WMD.

And Bush Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice in 2007:

[RICE:] We all believed the intelligence was strong. It wasnt just a problem with intelligence in the United States, it was an intelligence problem worldwide. Services across the world thought that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

So, give Rice and Clarke the benefit of the doubt, and put them in the delusional bucket on the supplier side, as opposed to the malevolent bucket. That said, those in the malevolent bucket were the drivers supporting policy, as we knew (in 2005) from The Downing Street Memo. Quoting it:

SECRET AND STRICTLY PERSONAL  UK EYES ONLY DAVID MANNING From: Matthew Rycroft Date: 23 July 2002 S 195 /02 .C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy . The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regimes record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

Gardiners estimate of $200 million would buy rather a lot of fixed facts, eh? Even at Beltway rates.

* * *

So thats my walk on memory lane on fake news. The utter effrontery of Clinton, and her lapdog, yammering about fake news from Macedonian teenagers on social media, after fake news from the mainstream press  very much including the Times own infamous Judy Miller  helped foment the Iraq War just boggles the mind. And all those faraway brown people blown to pink mist make Clintons lives are at risk especially nauseating. Im gobsmacked by the fake news moral panic, hornswoggled, beyond flummoxed. Or I would be, if only Clinton blaming fake news for her loss werent just another example of Democrats never holding themselves responsible for anything.

Oh, and at some point I should propose some solutions. Obviously, the whole fact-checking paradigm is wrong; Im so old I remember when we had editors and reporters to do that, so returning to those days would be a start, at least. So, whatever public policy it would take to get more local newspapers going again is something we should think about. We should also think about breaking up ginormous media monopolies; after all, epidemics spread more easily in a monoculture. And then theres Facebook; maybe they shouldnt be in the algorithmic newsfeed business at all; after all, the most reliable parts of a program are the ones that arent there. And Facebook, too, is an enormous monopoly. Perhaps there should be more power centers in social media, as well. Just some thoughts.[5] Readers?

NOTE

Bud from legal insists that I say this post solely represents the views of Lambert Strether, and does not represent the views of Naked Capitalism.

NOTES

[1] Tiebout sorting refers to the sorting of households into neighborhoods and communities according to their willingness and ability to pay for local public goods, via Encyclopedia of Education Economics & Finance. Here is an NBER paper: Tiebout Sorting and Neighborhood Stratification (PDF).

[2] The demanders in the Clinton campaign would disagree, but the Rice-Davies Rule applies. None of that mail has even debunked, despite false claims by the Clinton campaign. Whether the mail had no strategic consequence, especially at the margin, is another issue entirely.

[3] Leaving aside, again, the dystopia where demanders believe all stories are false.

[4] Gardiners paper, Truth from These Podia, suffers from serious link rot. And so we lose our history.

[5] Also, some kind soul should fund deliberative debate in the schools and for adults at the rate of, oh, $10 million a year or so. It wouldt take much. I guarantee wed see improvement in discourse in as little as three years, as varsity debaters came up and started to show the critical thinking skills they gained at the podium in public policy discussion. Incidentally, historically black colleges and universities have done very well recently in debate, so do lets make sure all the debate money doesnt go to the already credentialed burbclaves, mkay?
Readers, these links are longer and chattier than usual, but needs must lambert

She didnt have a horse, so this New Zealand teen rides her cow instead CBC

Are We Safe Yet? Timothy Geithner, Foreign Affairs. We need to read all the way to the end.

Economists Who Advised Presidents From Both Parties Find Common Ground WSJ

Lovin That Italian Bank Risk Bloomberg

Brexit

China?

How Trump Can Play Nice With Russia, Without Selling Out America Foreign Policy

Trump Says Only Fools See Good Ties With Russia as Bad Bloomberg. Only The Donald can go to Moscow

New Cold War

Our Famously Free Press

Trump Transition

Gnashing of Teeth and Rending of Garments

2016 Post-Mortem

The Gathering Storm: Donald Trump and the Hollowed-Out American Heartland The Hampton Insittute. I wrote yesterday: In 2015, photographer Peter Crabtree drove coast-to-coast-to-coast, documenting an institution that lies at the heart of many  if not most  small cities: the small-town newspaper. He came home with a portfolio full of these unique places and the characters that inhabit them. This sounds a lot like Chris Arnades project. One more like this and wed have a genre. Heres that one more: Dale Maharidge and Michael Williamsons Homeland: On one trip, Maharidge writes, I drove from Chicago to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In places like this, the abandoned shells of factories, all broken windows and rust, make this country look like it was bombed in a war. In other places its as if an economic neutron bomb hit-with trees and houses intact but lives decimated, gone with good jobs. The kicker? Homeland was published in 2004; many commenters at Naked Capitalism have reported similar results over the years. So the storm warning flags have been flying for a solid decade, at least, had anyone bothered to look. That it took Trump, as opposed to the Democratic nomenklatura, to see those flags says more about Democrats than it says about Trump or the voters, IMNSHO. Oh, and anybody who takes the Acela can see the abandoned shells of factories, all broken windows and rust, for miles and miles, starting near Newark and ending below Philly (and starting again in Baltimore). If they look out the windows. Whether to the right or to the left. Then again, theory of comparative advantage, so its all good. Where Is Americas Heartland? Pick Your Map NYT. See, the nice thing about big data reporting  aside from the lovely graphics, of course  is that you dont actually have to talk to the smelly proles. Angela Nagle: What the Alt-right is really all about Irish Times The Clinton Foundation Stories Amy Sterling Casil. A summary and wrap-up, useful if Clinton does, in fact, run for Mayor of New York [head, desk]. Yahoo Finance Drops in From Mars to Explain Big Money Hasnt Bought U.S. Politics The Intercept. From September, but still useful; because the logic applies across the board.

Big Brother Is Watching You Watch

Could Free College Really Be This Cheap? Bloomberg

Limited stores closing for good Sunday Columbus Dispatch. The Macys in the Bangor Mall is slated for closure; the Sears looks like a morgue. That leaves JC Penneys and Dicks Sporting Goods. And acres of empty parking lot. So long, anchor tenants!

Class Warfare

Echoes of Jonah Goldbergs Liberal Fascism from the Center for American Progress Carl Beijer

Poet: I cant answer questions on Texas standardized tests about my own poems WaPo

The long and painful journey to world disorder Martin Wolf, FT

Antidote du jour (AT):

AT writes: Bald Eagle, Fairfield, MT.

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Lambert here: The Treasury view?

By Ian Tomb, Emerging Markets economist, Goldman Sachs, and Kamakshya Trivedi, Chief Emerging Markets Macro Strategist, Goldman Sachs. Originally published at VoxEU.

Over the past five years, global trade growth has been stagnant. With protectionist sentiment intensifying across advanced economies and China and other emerging markets (EMs) appearing to pivot away from export-oriented growth strategies that had incentivised the creation of global supply chains in the 2000s, a hypothesis informally known as peak trade has become increasingly popular (Economist 2014). According to this view, the current trade stagnation is not temporary, but instead reflects fundamental changes to the global economy. In the coming decades, these changes will prevent growth in global trade from outpacing growth in global GDP, as it has since World War II. If true, this idea has profound implications. It implies a stoppage, or even a rolling back, of many of the core benefits and costs that have come to define the globalised world, including increased gains from trade, cross-border financial flows and geopolitical interdependence.

Our analysis (Tomb and Trivedi 2016), which we outline here, counters this view. Using a variety of approaches, together with data that allows us to track the paths of nearly 400,000 trade flows over the past 20 years, we push back against three primary variants of the peak trade argument.

Peak trade view #1: A falling trade beta

First, many economists note that the measured sensitivity of trade growth to income (or GDP) growth has declined in recent years (for example, Escaith and Miroudot 2015). This trade beta has fallen from above 2 to near, and even below, 1, the value at which trade simply keeps up with income. Our work suggests, however, that the trade betanot a clearly-defined structural parameter, and difficult to estimate without biasmay not reliably represent the actual (causal) effect of income growth on trade growth. Shifts in different countries relative GDP growth rates, for example, can distort the trade beta in standard cross-country models, creating the impression that income is having a larger or smaller influence on trade.

More generally, the trade beta is not a sufficient statistic for the evolution of global trade. Shifts in the measured trade beta sometimes sit awkwardly with the broader global trade picture. For example, Figure 1 shows that the trade betaestimated using a standard gravity equationdeclined sharply in the early 2000s, a period of historically rapid trade growth. Moreover, estimating the trade beta with our detailed data set reveals year-to-year changes that are too volatileincluding in recent yearsto plausibly reflect shifts in meaningful economic relationships.

Figure 1 Shifts in the trade beta fit awkwardly with shifts in global trade growth

Notes: The figure plots 95% confidence intervals surrounding estimates of the income elasticity of imports recovered by applying a standard (simple) cross-country gravity equation to a balanced panel of nearly 400,000 different exporter-importer-good triples.

Source: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research; United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; World Bank.

While we cant rule out the possibility that the relationship between income and trade has changed over time, we think the evidence is also consistent with a simpler explanation. The causal effect of income growth on trade growth may have stayed roughly stable over time, while other forcesincluding shifts in the demand for tradeables, changes in trade costs and the availability of trade finance, and the ebbs and flows of protectionist trade policieshave played the starring role in driving global trade over the past two decades, and will continue to do so in the future.

Peak trade view #2: A structural trade slowdown

The collapse in global trade growth in 2011 is an example of the influence of other such factors. The slowdown in trade flows across the globe during the US debt ceiling crisis and the euro area sovereign crisis that summer was far more severe than predicted by observable short-run (or cyclical) drivers, such as a mild slowdown in global GDP growth. This prompted many observers to conclude that structural changesforces operating over very long time horizons, and with the potential to drive trade growth still weaker in coming decadeswere, in large part, responsible (Constantinescu et al. 2016). We think the facts sit better with an alternative interpretation: a return to trend. Setting aside the financial crisis years, global trade growth has undergone two major shifts in the past two decades:

In the early 2000s, annual growth in the value of global trade increased from tepid, but not historically slow rates (1.6% from 1995-2002) to historic double-digit levels (12.5% from 2002-2008). Then, in the summer of 2011, trade value growth quickly fell to levels close to zero, where it has remained for the past five years. While clearly low, these growth rates are considerably closer to historical benchmarks than the very high levels of trade growth observed during the 2000s (Figure 2).

Figure 2 The trade boom of the 2000s, not the trade stagnation of the 2010s, is historic

Notes: The figure plots annual % growth in global trade and global GDP, 1995-2014.

Source: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research; United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; World Bank.

In sum, the global trade slowdown does not appear to be the beginning, or the middle, of a downward deviation from a 70-year trend of globalisation, but instead marks the end of a decade-long upward deviation from this long-run trendthe trade boom of the 2000s. This is evident not just at the aggregate level, but also when we dig deeper into individual trade flows. For example, Figure 3 shows that the countries that dramatically increased their import growth in the 2000s (such as India and Russia) saw the largest import growth declines in 2011, while countries that experienced a mild acceleration in the 2000s (such as Mexico and the Philippines) saw their import growth rates only mildly affected by the global trade slowdown.

Figure 3 The trade slowdown is, in large part, the end of the 2000s trade boom

Notes: The figure plots the ISO codes of 49 countries that, together, account for roughly 95% of global imports. Imports are measured in value terms. The regression results reported in the figure are weighted by each countrys average share of global imports, 2002-2014. The four colours of the plotted countries represent four geographical regions: Africa and the Middle East (orange), the Americas (red), Asia (green) and Europe (blue). Countries plotted in lower (upper) case featured 2002 per-capita GDP of less than (greater than) current USD $20,000.

Source: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research; United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; World Bank.

As Figure 4 makes clear, a similar pattern is also visible at the level of individual goods: those goods that saw the largest increases in the rates by which they were traded in the early 2000s then saw these growth rates fall back to baseline during the global trade slowdown.

Figure 4 Trade in specific goods accelerated in the 2000s, then returned to baseline during the global trade slowdown

Notes: The figure plots 166 goods that account for 95% of global trade between 2002 and 2014. Dotted line represents regression of vertical on horizontal axis. Each bubble represents one of 255 three-digit UNCTAD good codes. Bubble size represents the goods average share of global trade, 2002-2014. The regression results in the figure are weighted by these shares. The displayed categories 333 and 334 each represent petroleum. Manufactures are plotted in dark blue; commodities are plotted in magenta.

Source: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research; United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Peak trade view #3: A change in the EM growth model

Finally, many observers suggest that, by beginning to turn away from export-led growth models, EMsand, especially, Chinahave driven the trade slowdown and may weigh on trade growth further in coming decades.1 We agree that long-run declines in Chinese trade growth likely reflect important and potentially persistent changes to the Chinese economy, and that these changes may impose an important drag on the open economies of Asia in future (for example, China alone accounted for a third of the slowdown of South Koreas exports during the global trade slowdown).

However, because China and other EMs dont (yet) account for a large enough share of global trade, their slowing import growth matters less for the global picture than import growth declines in developed markets, particularly in Europe. Europe imports roughly 43% of global traded goods, but accounts for only roughly 20% of global GDP. It represents an important source of external demand for nearly all of the worlds major exporters, and decreased its rate of import growth by slightly more than the global average in 2011. Weighing each countrys import slowdown by its share of global trade (a shift-share framework), we find that Europe accounts for roughly half of the global trade slowdown. By contrast, Chinawhich imports a far smaller fraction of global trade, but slowed its rate of import growth at a comparable pacecontributed only 10% (Figure 5).

Figure 5 Europe imports a large share of global trade, and was the key driver of the global trade slowdown

Notes: The figure decomposes the global trade slowdown of 2011 into seven comprehensive categories of importers: Europe, ex-Germany (Eurp), Asia, ex-China and Japan (Asia), the USA (USA), Germany (DEU), China (CHN), North America (NAmr), Japan (JPN), Africa and the Middle East (A&ME), and South America (SAmr).

Source: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research; United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; World Bank.

Downside risks are prominent, but peak trade is premature

With the UK voting to leave the EU, US President-elect Trump highlighting his intention to withdraw the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the potential for political populism to make inroads in continental Europe, the outlook for global trade is uncertain, and the downside risks from policy have risen. While it is easy to get pessimistic about the prospects for trade growth based on recent political news, it is however worth noting that we have seen some progress towards important trade agreements (such as the current negotiations between Japan and the EU), and that some trade flowsincluding flows sent from key global exporters in Asia (Figure 6)have quickened in 2016.

Figure 6 Some recent signs of global trade growthincluding exports from key Asian countrieshave been encouraging

Notes: The figure plots the 6 month moving average of annualised 6 month % export growth (seasonally-adjusted) for the displayed exporter.

Source: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research; Haver Analytics.

To sum up, we do not think that the stagnant trade growth of the past five years is more sinister than the typical ebbs and flows associated with shifts in income growth, technological innovations, and policy changes that have driven the growth of global trade since World War II. Though material downside risks to the trade outlook are highly visible at the moment, a conclusion that this represents peak trade is, in our view, premature.

See the the original for references.
Sunday, January 08, 2017 by: JD Heyes Tags: China , GMO crop ban , organic food This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Economic power China is not known for its quality control of products. In fact, especially when it comes to food production, its really not possible for the country to claim any of its agricultural products are organic, just because the air, soil and water over much of Chinese farmland is so polluted with heavy metals.

But it could be the country is trying to clean up its act somewhat.

As reported by the Financial Times, agriculture authorities in the largest grain-producing province in China have implemented a five-year ban on genetically modified crops, which is a blow to the central governments efforts to transform the country into a global GMO-producing powerhouse.

Even though the central government has spent billions of dollars on food biotechnology, Beijing currently does not allow the cultivation of any GMO crops with the exception of cotton and papaya, due to extreme suspicion and scrutiny from consumers over the perceived health risks.

The five-year ban, which was recently announced by officials in Chinas northeastern Heilongjiang province, begins in May and applies to staple crops like rice, corn and soybeans.

China wants to become a global GMO power

The black soil of Heilongjiang and its biodiversity needs special protection, state-run China News Service reported, citing provincial officials.

The decision comes following plans published by the central government in August in which Beijing said it would begin to develop specific GMO crops that included corn and soybeans for the very first time. That announcement followed President Xi Jinpings call for his country to dominate high points of GMO techniques that he mentioned during a speech released in 2014.

The $44 billion bid by Chemchina for Switzerlands Syngenta, a GMO giant, is also being viewed as an attempt to bolster Chinas global GMO prowess, despite the fact that in the U.S. and throughout Europe opposition to genetically-modified crops has been steadily increasing for years.

The five-year ban was prompted by a survey of the people which showed that more than 90 percent of respondents in the Heilongjiang province objected to the growing of GMO crops, the official Xinhua news agency reported. In addition, the ban follows a report by the global environmental organization Greenpeace earlier this year, which found there was rampant and widespread illegal use of GMO crops among agricultural operations in neighboring Liaoning province.

Consumers in China, having experienced a litany of food scandals, are understandably distrustful of regulation round food and agriculture, and this extends to a distrust of genetically modified foods, Sam Geall, a research fellow at the University of Sussexs Science Policy Research Unit, told FT.

Other experts told Chinese state media that the ban was in direct conflict with the central governments efforts to become a global GMO producer.

No doubt anti-GMO activists will seek to make the ban permanent, and nationwide

The local government lacks foresight as it has rejected any possibility of developing GM technologies in China, said Lu Baorong, a biology professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, in an interview with the Global Times newspaper.

However, Elrand Ek, an agricultural researcher at China Policy, a think tank based in Beijing, said that the five-year ban is important because it can be used as a tool for the central government to gain the publics trust regarding any future moves to expand GMO crop development and production. Also, the Heilongjiang decision is important because they would like to protect [the provinces] advantage as a producer of non-GMO soybean for the domestic and international market.

Currently China does allow for the importation of GMO soybeans, but only for use in animal feed. Ek said the ban is mostly about the protection of local produce and gaining a comparable advantage in response to the increase in GMO imports from the United States and other countries.

Still, there will be some agricultural and environmental experts who will no doubt be pushing to make the ban permanent and, perhaps, spread it to all of China, as it should be.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for Natural News and News Target, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

GlobalTimes.cn

ChinaDialogue.net

NaturalNews.com

FT.com
(Natural News) The political Left has collectively lost its mind since their anointed nominee, two-time presidential loser Hillary Clinton, was soundly vanquished by now President-elect Donald J. Trump.

The Leftist media has particularly gone insane, having invented a narrative to help explain Clintons loss: Fake news.

It couldnt be that Clinton was just a low-energy candidate who could not connect with enough voters in enough states to give her the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the presidency; of course not. It had to be something elsefake news supplied to hundreds of news and information sites throughout the campaign by Russian propagandists, which, of course, turned out to be completely bunk.

Still, the mainstream media is sticking to its phony narrative, and that includes Facebook, which has pledged to team up with a gaggle of fact-checking websites and news agencies that themselves have a dubious history regarding accuracy and bias. One of those partner sites is Snopes.com, whose co-owners are now involved in a bitter legal dispute and whose CEO is being accused of using company funds to hire hookers.

O0ps. Credibility alert.

Fact checkers who cannot be trusted

Further, as reported by the UKs Daily Mail, one of Snopes.coms main contributors who is charged with fact-checking is a former sex blogger who once called herself Vice Vixen.

Thats troubling for a number of reasonsnot the least of which is that Snopes.coms association with Facebook is liable to be extremely valuable, given the social media giants reach and influence.

Facebooks partner sites are going to be trusted to fact-check whether news stories trending on the News Feed and throughout the social site are in fact reputable and real. The partners will be tasked with deciding whether stories are genuine or whether they ought to be marked as disputed.

In addition to Snopes.com, other partner sites include ABC News (which has had its own credibility issues, including faking crime scene coverage), The Associated Press, and other fact-checking sites like Politifact.com, which also has a well-established political bias.

Besides these obvious problems, the Daily Mail found that Snopes.coms founders, former husband and wife David and Barbara Mikkelson, are now embroiled in a bitter legal dispute in the wake of their divorce.

While he has since remarried, the issue is his choice of bride: She was once a former escort and porn actress who is now a staff member on the Snopes.com fact-checking team.

The former married couple have exchanged accusations of financial impropriety: Barbara claims her ex-husband has embezzled company funds and suggested that he is attempting a boondoggle to change tax arrangements; David, by comparison, is alleging that Barbara took millions from their joint account and bought property in Las Vegas with some of the proceeds.

The site was founded in 1995. The couple met in the early 1990s on a folklore-themed online message board, getting married before they established their website. Profiles of the site note that for a while before it was established, the couple were known as The San Fernando Valley Folklore Society, even using the name on letterheads though it did not really exist.

Id love to respond

A Webby Awards profile that was published in October says it was an entity dreamed up to help make the inquiries seem more legit.

In 1997, David Mikkelson told the Los Angeles Times, When I sent letters out to companies, I found I got a much better response with an official-looking organizations stationarymeaning the fact-checker was posing as someone he wasnt.

The couple divorced in 2015, but a bitter legal dispute has been ongoing. Both of them remained as co-owners of Snopes.com, registered under the legal name of Bardav, Inc., with the couple as the companys only board members.

In legal filings that were reviewed by the Daily Mail, there are details showing a long financial and corporate dispute that has continued since the couple divorced, which one attorney has described as contentious in court documents. In the filings Barbara, 57, is accusing her former husband, 56, of raiding the corporate business Bardav bank account for his personal use and attorney fees, and without any consultation with her.

In addition, she accuses David of embezzling $98,000 from the company over the course of four years, which he expended upon himself and the prostitutes he hired.

When the Daily Mail contacted David, he told the paper he was not legally permitted to discuss his ex-wifes allegations. Id love to respond, but unfortunately the terms of a binding settlement agreement preclude me from publicly discussing the details of our divorce.

Barbara simply said, No comment.

This fact-checker is a loose cannon who always has to have her way

In court papers, Barbara alleges that David took thousands of dollars from their business account between April and June of 2016 to pay for trips for him and a girlfriend. She said he spent almost $10,000 on a 24-day personal vacation to India earlier this year while expensing the girlfriends plane tick to Buenos Aires. Hes been depleting the corporate account by spending monies from it on his personal expenses, Barbara said in a filing in June.

She also said that David should be suspended from using the company checkbook and debit card immediately, before there are no funds left in the corporate account.

In countering Barbaras charges, David, through his attorneys, said the India trip was legitimate corporate business, and that he only expensed a fraction22.5 percentof the total cost of it. In addition, he claims he is establishing a fact-checking website in India, and wanted to experience the culture. And he said he went to Buenos Aires to attend an international fact-checking conference there. His attorneys blasted Barbaraa site fact checker, mind youfor being a loose cannon who has to have her way.

And these are just some of the people Facebook would have you believe have enough credibility to spot fake newseven though the fake news narrative is made up to begin with.

The corporate lapdog media and its political enablers are now daily exposing themselves for the inconsolable charlatans they have always been.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for Natural News and News Target, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

DailyMail.co.uk

Money.CNN.com

USNews.com

NaturalNews.com
The 65th Montana Legislature just started. We are all aboard a ship without a captain in the middle of an ugly storm. Republicans left Gov. Steve Bullock with a balanced budget and $500 million to spare in 2013 and $300 million in 2015, so we expected to come into calmer waters. Instead, Gov. Bullock seems to have either intentionally mismanaged Montanans' hard-earned money by spending all our savings, pretended nothing was wrong or he is unaware of the problem. This begs the question; how did we get here?

If a middle-class family saw that they had more expenses than money coming in, they would cut back on spending, limit expenses and probably try to get another job. That is where we are, the state simply has more expenses than revenue coming in. Instead of taking the approach a family would, Governor Bullock is proposing going into debt further, raising taxes on small businesses, and robbing money from other essential programs.

Instead of re-building our roads, hiring police officers and proposing pro-growth policies the governor wants to renovate the governors mansion, install solar panels on government buildings and spend $27 million on a new museum. To add insult to injury, this smoke and mirrors approach will kill jobs in the private sector forcing our children to leave Montana to look for work elsewhere while leaving our farmers, ranchers, coal miners and loggers to drown.

Instead of abandoning the ship, Senate Republicans are leading with forward positive solutions and crafting innovative public policy, to put our state back on a course that works for all Montanans. For too long government has shackled small businesses and entrepreneurs by implementing job-killing regulations that are preventing them from innovation, investment and growth.

Senate Republicans have a simple two-step action plan which will be implemented to return our state to fiscal sanity. 1. Make the tough decisions the governor refuses to make and right size government through a fair and balanced budget; 2. Eliminate job killing regulations and replace them with pro-growth policies that unleash the power of the private sector so that Montana can once again grow and retain jobs.

With a Republican led Legislature back in Helena to hold the executive office accountable, we are focused on steering our state on a safe, sound course, and getting the job done that Montanans entrusted us to do. The national and state elections sent a very clear signal, it is time to make America and Montana Great Again.

Senate President Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, and Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville.
Sunday, January 08, 2017 by: JD Heyes Tags: Affordable , global markets , solar power This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) The technology has been around for decades but because it was so expensive to produce and maintain, and because it was unreliable and short-lived, the use of solar panels to generate electricity on a large scale was not economically feasible.

But it appears as though the time for affordable, widespread solar power has come.

As reported by True Activist, new data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance that was released before Christmas indicates that solar power has now become a cheaper form of energy than wind power, while also out-competing coal and natural gas for the very first time. Now, with solar energy set to become the cheapest form of electricity production on the planet, it looks as though global energy markets are about to undergo a tectonic shift as more nations around the world shift to this completely pollution-free and renewable energy form.

In its new report called Climatescope, the BNEF examined conditions for investing in clean energy on and off the grid in nearly 60 emerging markets (i.e. developing nations). In those countries, solar power that is not government- or investiment-subsidized was actually found to beat out coal and natural gas, in addition to other forms of renewable energy production. This was not just occurring on an individual basis but on a grander scale.

Global production of solar-generated electricity setting records, lowering costs

The chart below shows how there has been a major decline in the average cost of solar power production compared to wind in some 58 emerging markets, including some of the worlds biggest economies in China, India, and Brazil. Since 2010, the BNEF found, cost of solar has declined by nearly one-third.

In 2016, True Activist reported, successive records for cheap power production were set in government auctions, where private corporations gathered to compete to receive lucrative energy production contracts. The first took place in January when a contract in India was able to produce electricity for $64 per megawatt-hour. In August, Chile broke all previous records when a deal was closed for solar electricity production for just $29.10 per megawatt-hour, or just about half the price of coal-produced power.

And the thing to keep in mind is that these two price records only represent the newest projects. Others, which will be completed by years end, are also set to shatter records once all of the solar projects completed in 2016 are tallied up and analyzed in the coming months.

Bloomberg says that it is very possible that the total amount of solar photovoltaic panels added around the world will pass those of wind turbines for the first time ever, as the latest BNEF projections indicate that about 70 gigawatts of new solar panel production will be finished in 2016 in comparison to wind, at about 59 gigawatts.

However, this transformation is taking place largely in emerging markets, True Activist reported. Wealthier nations have not seen the same success, likely due to the fact that it is difficult for solar to compete with already existing billion-dollar fossil fuel infrastructure as well as the fossil fuel lobbys hold on federal and state governments.

That is especially true in the United States, where solar power generation has to go up against the massive subsidies received by the fossil fuel industry, which ostensibly drives down prices for fuels and natural gas.

Solar not picking up in the U.S.-yet

But solar power has also received subsidies from taxpayers. In fact, the Obama administration announced in August 2015 new efforts to bring renewable energy to more homes in the United States, but this came after the White House earmarked and spent more than $150 billion on what turned out to be money wasted in failed solar energy firms.

As the Gateway Pundit noted, that massive expenditure only increased total U.S. energy consumption via solar-generated electricity by about 1 percent.

President Obama subsidized solar and other renewable energy in the United States with taxpayer money to the tune of $39 billion per year on average for the past 5 years, the Institute for Energy Research reported. These massive subsidies, however, have done little to increase the contribution of solar power to the electricity generation mix as solar is expected to produce just 0.6 percent of electricity generation this year. Disregarding the cost to the American taxpayer and the failed solar projects in the United States, President Obama has pledged billions of dollars to fund solar energy development in India.

Still, as True Activist noted, subsidies to the U.S. fossil fuel industry are ongoing and much higher.

But clearly, as evidenced by solar energy production in emerging economies, there is much to be hopeful about, as solar-generated electricity appears to be on the rise globally, not in decline.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for Natural News and News Target, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

TrueActivist.com

TheGatewayPundit.com

TheGuardian.com

InstituteForEnergyResearch.org
(Natural News) Do not talk about whether vaccines work or not, or whether or not they cause autism, unless youre ready for a very heated debate. Although the link between vaccines and autism is nothing new, to even speak of it can get you labeled as an anti-vaxxer or a health fanatic of sorts by the sheeple (brainwashed masses) that believe every vaccine the CDC recommends not only works, but is 100% safe and 100% effective 100% of the time. Even if some vaccines work some of the time, are they worth the health risk? That is the ultimate question, because one statistic you may not know is that children who receive mercury-containing vaccinations (listed as thimerosal usually) are 27 times more likely to develop autism than those who dont get those jabs. That comes from a recent study based on the CDCs own data. Still want to keep it a hush-hush topic?

Pediatricians in America are not allowed to question vaccines at all, nor are they allowed to recommend less than the CDC recommends, or they face the wrath of the AMA  the infamous American Medical Association  that finds a way to shut down the contenders, sometimes even taking away their license to practice medicine. Big question: would the statistics of autism suddenly bottom out if mercury was removed from all vaccines, including flu shots? (By the way, the CDC lied when they said mercury has been removed from all vaccines).

Nary is a case of autism in the Amish communities of America

For starters, children are not born with autism. It appears during infancy or childhood, and is brought on by an overload of neurotoxins either consumed, injected or ingested from environmental factors, or all of the above. In fact, the recent autism spectrum disorder (ASD) spike over the past two decades in the USA directly coincides with the vaccine schedule increase, by quantity and frequency, enforced by the CDC. To understand why autism is next to non-existent for the Amish, consider that the Amish have been cut off from American scientific and medical progress for centuries, thus theyve had less exposure to the major factors that trigger autism, including the most likely proponentvaccines.

Take a little trip to the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country and try to tag yourself even half a dozen Amish children with autism and youll come up short. If statistics matched our national average, there would be about 200 in the Amish community, but to date, there are only three, one of which was adopted and brought over from China. Go figure. Another one actually did get vaccinated and developed autism shortly afterwards. Go figure again.

Here are some universal and national statistics to consider. Autism affects over 20 million people around the world, and occurs in boys four to five times more often than girls. In the US, one in every 68 children has some form of ASD, a 30% increase from just 2012. Why is that, youre asking yourself? United States kids get 50 inoculations before age seven, many that are combinations containing multiple disease strains, mercury, formaldehyde (yes, embalming fluid for the dead), monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aluminum, just to name a few neurotoxins. Flu shots contain the highest levels of mercury, up to 25,000 times what the EPA allows as a maximum in drinking water and edible fish. Mercury is the second most poisonous element know to mankind.

Due to religious beliefs, the Amish opt out of all vaccines

Fortunately for the Amish, theyre also opting out of three of the most controversial vaccines on the market today: hepatitis B, HPV (human papillomavirus) and of course, the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella combo) that was implicated in the CDC vaccine-autism-link and biggest medical cover-up in history, ever. Conflicting with CDC claims, the multi-dose version of hepatitis B still contains thimerosal (50% mercury). The immature central nervous systems and the liver of Amish newborns are spared this volatile toxin thanks to their parents religious beliefs. Amish children experience hardly any learning disabilities at all, in fact. Nor are the Amish experiencing typical US diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. This could all be because they dont eat GMO, take chemical pharmaceuticals, or vaccines. Surely, no government run regulatory agency will ever run this comparison of Amish health vs. non-Amish health, but the reality speaks for itself.

Still, the CDC refuses to regulate the vaccine industry and instead literally promotes toxic chemicals, dangerous heavy metal toxins, carcinogens and lethal preservatives like mercury. Its all about lifestyle and natural health these days, if you really want immunity that doesnt come with a boatload of permanent and debilitating side effects, like autism spectrum disorder, Aspergers syndrome or liver cancer.

Sources:

TraceAmounts.com

YourNewsWire.com

Healing-Arts.org

TruthWiki.org

12160.info

TruthWiki.org

TruthWiki.org

TruthKings.com
(Natural News) You read that right, a VA dentist could have just infected nearly 600 veterans with deadly diseases. What happened to the Wisconsin dentist after he was caught endangering the lives and health of hundreds of US veterans and purposefully ignoring and violating VA regulations? Was he fired? Does he lose his license? Nope. Hes been awarded an administrative job! This comes after his illegal use of his own instruments for an entire year. How does a dentist (or doctor for that matter) get away with this? Its simple. The VA administration in general is under-funded, under-managed, and neglected because it doesnt make money for Big Government. That may be about to change under our new President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has vowed repeatedly to take care of our military and our veterans, across the board.

Bureaucratic impunity declared in horrific VA scandal

The VA needs a complete overhaul. Abuse and neglect are regular occurrences at VA hospitals and doctors offices across America, and somethings got to change, fast. From death panel waiting lists, to over-prescribing opiates, to dirty cleaning and surgical tools, its just one haphazard incidence after another. Its as if the US government only cares about our military when theyre fighting our wars, and then afterwards, treats them all like trash. Its incomprehensible and should not be tolerated. This dentist needs to be made an example of, but instead hes getting a cushy job, no fine, no loss of license, no jail timenothing negative.

Dentist at Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center failed to properly sterilize equipment for an entire year

So how do you call nearly 600 people and inform them that their dentist may have given them AIDS or hepatitis? If youre the VA, you simply offer them all free screenings and free medical treatment for those who test positive for an infection. Well, yipee! Why not fire the dentist responsible, fine him, overhaul the whole system, and rewrite the sanitation rules with some daily oversights to make sure theyre enforced?

Single-payer, top-down, government-run system couldnt care less about our veterans

It seems that the past 16 years have completely sold our military short from one end of the spectrum to the other. Quality care is very hard to find for our veterans of war, from careless doctors and dentists to experimental drugs and expensive chronic-care systems that only address symptoms and never the root of the problems, American medical care is one big cesspool of malpractice and negligence.

Avoiding rogue dentists by using natural remedies for oral hygiene

Plus, much of the work dentists do for patients could be completely avoided anyway if our veterans simply knew about avoiding fluoride at all costs, brushing their teeth with baking soda, oil pulling with coconut oil, and using iodine tincture for preventing tooth decay and addressing oral infections. Realize that tooth decay occurs mostly from inside the body, not just from the outside. Its important to neutralize excess acid in the bloodstream by supplementing with quality calcium.

Also, swishing daily/nightly for 5 to 10 minutes with sea salt and coconut oil helps remove germs and bacteria from underneath the gum line. Remember not to swallow the oil when donesimply spit and rinse. Do this and you can greatly slow down and even reverse tooth decay. No more visits to the rogue, careless, dangerous VA dentist!

You can make your own natural toothpaste toosimply combine some coconut oil, baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Bam! Healthy, cheap toothpaste without artificial sweeteners or toxic fluoride.

Sources:

WashingtonExaminer.com

Insider.FoxNews.com

iHealthTube.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
A host of weather warnings were in effect Sunday as a storm featuring heavy rain and damaging winds batters the Bay Area.

A flood warning is in effect for Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Santa Clara counties while flash flood watches have been implemented in almost every Bay Area county throughout the day. High wind warnings and wind advisories are also in effect across most of the region.

A flash flood warning was issued about 4:30 p.m. for South Santa Clara County in the areas of Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy due to Uvas Creek overflowing. It would remain in effect until 7:30 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

In the North Bay, the Napa River crested just north of St. Helena early Sunday, flooding Lodi Lane and a nearby vineyard. While many longtime residents have seen such flooding in past years, it was a first for Nancy Barnes.

"We just moved here in February, so we're new to all this," said Barnes, whose home on Lodi Lane was surrounded by sandbags.

On Sunday, Sonoma County officials were anticipating the Russian River would reach flood levels at noon Monday and issued an advisory evacuation notice for the low-lying areas of Monte Rio and Guerneville. Shelter is available at the Santa Rosa Veterans Building, 1351 Maple Ave, and domestic animal companions in crates are welcome, officials said.

Sonoma County officials also reported school closures for Monday. The following districts' schools would not be in session due to the effects of the storm: Alexander Valley (Healdsburg), Cloverdale Unified, Geyserville Unified, Guerneville, Forestville Union, Harmony Union (Occidental) and Monte Rio Union.

Folks were also paying close attention to Sonoma Creek, Carmel River and Fairfax Creek among others. The Guadalupe River in the South Bay and the San Lorenzo River in Felton also were expected to get close to or even reach flood stage.

Areas in the Santa Cruz Mountains, such as Ben Lomond, were doused with more than 5 inches of rain as of noon Sunday. Downed power lines caused outages for many in the area.

Portions of the North Bay around Petaluma and Napa received 3 inches of rain. San Francisco got 1.89 inches and Morgan Hill was drenched with 3.19 inches, according to NBC Bay Area chief meteorologist Jeff Ranieri. San Jose and East Bay rainfall totals measured anywhere from less than 1 inch to 2 inches. Those numbers are expected to increase as the storm continues to pound the Bay Area.

In San Francisco, flood barriers have been set in the area of 17th and Folsom streets to move water away from properties as the big storm pounds the area.

A number of trees have smashed into homes or landed on city streets across the Bay Area.

Heavy rains have prompted authorities to close down a number of flooded roads in the North Bay, including a major shutdown of Highway 101 in Gilroy, northbound 101 in Windsor and the closure of westbound Highway 37 in Marin from Atherton Avenue to 101.

Roughly 42,000 PG&E customers throughout the Bay Area were without power as of noon Sunday, as wind-blown trees have fallen on top of power lines. Later in the day, power was restored to many, but about 12,500 remained in the dark late Sunday.

A couple in Petaluma on Sunday chose to make their way through flood waters before later requesting help from rescue crews, according to fire officials. People are being advised to stay clear of moving water.

A total of 133 flights, which includes arrivals and departures, at San Francisco International Airport were canceled as of 12:15 p.m., along with 289 delays due to the storm. Oakland International Airport reported 14 total cancellations and 40 delays. NBC Bay Area is awaiting numbers from Mineta San Jose International Airport. Those numbers are expected to fluctuate throughout the day. Travelers are encouraged to check with their airline before leaving for the airport.

The winter storm, which is blanketing the Sierra Nevada in rain as opposed to snow, is causing some ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada to partially close or close completely because of dangerous winds. Squaw Valley will only offer limited accessibility on Sunday, and Heavenly, Northstar and Alpine Meadows will all be closed completely.

The heavy rains come as California enters a sixth year of drought, starting in October with more rain falling than in three decades, mostly in Northern California. Los Angeles is experiencing the wettest winter in six years, forecasters said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest updates regarding this weekend's storm, follow NBC Bay Area reporters on Twitter:
The injuries of a suspect shot by San Francisco police on Friday morning have become life-threatening, police said Saturday.

Police have not released the suspect's name.

The events leading up to the shooting started just before 4 a.m. when two police officers responded to the 500 block of Capitol Avenue to look into a dispute between two neighbors.

A neighbor had a restraining order against the suspect, who was allegedly banging on a wall, police said.

Officers tried to "calm and subdue" the suspect, who San Francisco Police Officers Association president Martin Halloran described as angry and violent.

Halloran said about 15 minutes after officers tried to calm and subdue the suspect, he "went berserk and physically attacked officers."

The officers tried to stop him with pepper spray, but that didn't work, according to Halloran.

Officers are not allowed to use Taser stun guns or carotid holds to subdue suspects, so one officer felt the only option was to shoot the suspect, who was bigger than officers, Halloran said.

The suspect was still able to get away, barricaded himself in a house and called 911 to tell someone he had been shot.

He refused to come out of the house until a SWAT team entered the home to take him into custody.

The SFPOA does not usually comment on offenses that occur in the city.

But Halloran and officers are laying at least part of the blame for the shooting on the Police Department's use of force policy and the Police Commission president because the commission has taken less lethal options away from officers.

Police Commission president Suzy Loftus said Friday in a statement that it's too early to draw conclusions about what happened.She also said the commission is committed to collaborative efforts to keep residents safe and give officers what they need to "preserve the safety and sanctity of life for all involved."
Police are investigating a shooting Sunday morning after a man was found lying the on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound in San Francisco's Chinatown, police said.

At around 5 a.m., police responded to the 600 block of Jackson Street for a report of a shooting, according to police.

The victim was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

Police were unable to identify a suspect, according to police.
Three of the five victims of the Fort Lauderdale aiport shooting had arrived from out of state, bound for Caribbean cruise ships with their spouses, NBC News reported.

Olga Woltering, an 84-year-old great-grandmother traveled to Florida from Marietta, Georgia for a cruise with her husband who survived the shooting. Terry Andres, 62, from Norfolk, Virginia, was going on a cruise with his wife, Ann, while Michael Oehme, 57, from Council Bluff, Iowa, had flown to Florida with his wife, Kari, for another high seas adventure, his family said.

The FBI said officials would only provide names of victims after relatives were contacted, although family members and loved ones have been paying tribute to them publicly.
Three people, including a fire investigator, sustained minor injuries in an extra-alarm fire Sunday morning on Chicago's West Side.

Around 7:12 a.m., crews responded to the two-story building at Cicero and Huron in the city's West Garfield Park neighborhood, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

The alarm was upgraded to a 2-11 at 7:36 a.m., officials said. [[410013225, C]]

Three people were taken with minor injuries to South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, according to fire officials.

A fire investigator fell down the stairs, while one victim was treated for smoke inhalation and another for cold exposure, authorities said.

About 12 people were displaced by the fire, which was extinguished by 9 a.m.

Portions of Cicero Ave and Huron St were temporarily closed as firefighters battled the blaze, but both have since reopened.

About 110 members of the Chicago Fire Department were on the scene, as well as the Office of Fire Investigation.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A man is in custody after he breached a checkpoint at OHare International Airport and tried to board a plane early Sunday, according to Chicago police.

Around 4:45 a.m., the 21-year-old man from suburban Joliet breached a checkpoint in Terminal 3 and unsuccessfully attempted to board an aircraft, authorities said.

Two CPD officers and two TSA officers prevented him from entering the gate and the man attacked the officers, striking them repeatedly, according to police.

The offender, who was unarmed, was taken into custody and taken to Presence Resurrection Medical Center for a mental evaluation, police said.

A Chicago police officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries to the face and was also taken to Resurrection for treatment, authorities added.

Police explained that the investigation is ongoing.

The incident occurred as Chicago police continued to provide heightened security at both O'Hare and Midway airports after five people were killed in a shooting at Ft. Lauderdale Airport on Friday.

While there was no link or threat from the Ft. Lauderdale shooting to the Chicago area, according to police, CPD's increased security measures include more officers stationed throughout the terminals.
DECATUR -- After seeing heroin use grow in recent years throughout Central Illinois, some local churches have joined in the fight to stop it.

From reaching out through the making of a documentary to offering 12-step programs within their ministries, religious leaders in the community arent turning a blind eye to the problem.

In the last year, I have been to visit more people in jail more for this reason than at any time in my previous time here, said Joe Bowman, lead pastor at Heartland Community Church in Decatur. Its become such an inexpensive way to catch the high -- the $5 hit. Its a big problem, and were offering hope for anyone who is struggling with it.

Bowman recently showed a documentary at Heartland that was also shown at several churches in DeWitt County called Addicted to Death. The Faith-Based Heroin Coalition of DeWitt County, along with Broadleaf Video Productions, created the 27-minute documentary about the rash of overdose deaths (eight) in the Clinton area last year. It was shown first at First Christian Church in Clinton.

In the documentary, police officials said after not seeing the drug in DeWitt County in the past 15 years, there were six deaths in nine months. One of the recovering addicts featured in the film said she could get heroin in Clinton within 10 minutes from one of multiple sources.

Church minister Greg Taylor, a member of the Faith-Based Heroin Coalition who was also part of the documentary, told The (Bloomington) Pantagraph the movie helped enlighten the community and further the conversation.

After the forum, I talked with a lot of people who have a family member or close friend struggling with an addiction, Taylor said. This gives us the opportunity to talk about what resources are available and to also let everyone know that they arent alone. This is a serious problem in our community.

Bowman caught word of the documentary through the Pastor Mark Yeske at Heartlands Clinton campus; the mother in the film whose son died of an overdose attended church there.

He was telling us about DeWitt Countys efforts to make this documentary and the funds and efforts going into fighting it, Bowman said. I watched it and decided we should show it here, too.

Bowman also invited several members of the community to the showing, including staff from Heritage Behavioral Health Center. Joe Drew, an addiction specialist at Heritage who is also a pastor, was in attendance.

Bowman said hes glad to be a part of the increased awareness of the problem and wants to be part of the solution. Heartland offers a program for anyone suffering from any kind of addiction called, Stepping into Freedom.

We want to help any individuals we have at our church live their lives to the fullest, Bowman said. Its loving God and loving others while providing real ministry for real life. If we can give people a path to freedom, thats what were going to do.

Another popular faith-based addiction program in Decatur is Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step program offered by Decatur First Nazarene.

Mike Burkham, who lost his stepson Tyler Yount to a heroin overdose in 2009, was also in attendance during the screening and spoke during the discussion to follow.

The devil roams the face of the Earth seeking who he can devour; right now, hes in the streets of Decatur, Burkham said. We cant arrest our way out of this problem. The power of God and Jesus are the only things that are going to save us.
AMMAN, Jordan - He was an ambitious young doctor from a large family who had a foreign wife and two children -- details that officers of Jordan's intelligence service viewed as exploitable vulnerabilities, not biography.

Early last year, the General Intelligence Department picked up Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi after his pseudonymous postings on extremist Web sites had become increasingly strident. During three days of questioning, GID officers threatened to have Balawi jailed and end his medical career, and they hinted they could cause problems for his family, according to a former U.S. official and a Jordanian official, both of whom have knowledge of Balawi's detention.

Balawi was told that if he traveled to Pakistan and infiltrated radical groups there, his slate would be wiped clean and his family left alone, said the former U.S. official, whose more detailed account of the GID's handling of Balawi was generally corroborated by the Jordanian official, as well as by two former Jordanian intelligence officers.

Balawi agreed, and as the relationship developed, GID officers began to think that he was indeed willing to work against al-Qaeda.

This belief was the first in a series of miscalculations that culminated Dec. 30 when Balawi stepped out of a car at a CIA facility in Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan. CIA officers allowed Balawi, who was wearing a vest packed with explosives and metal, to enter the base without a search. Then he detonated his load, killing seven CIA officers and contractors, a Jordanian intelligence officer and a driver.

Jordanian and U.S. officials have since concluded that Balawi was a committed extremist whose beliefs had deep intellectual and religious roots and who had never intended to cooperate with them. In hindsight, they said, the excitement generated by his ability to produce verifiable intelligence should have been tempered by the recognition that his penetration of al-Qaeda's top echelon was too rapid to be true.

Senior CIA and GID officials were so beguiled by the prospect of a strike against al-Qaeda's inner sanctum that they discounted concerns raised by case officers in both services that Balawi might be a fraud, according to the former U.S. official and the Jordanian government official, who has an intelligence background.

The Americans took over the management of Balawi from the Jordanians sometime in the second half of 2009, dictating how and when the informant would meet his handlers, according to current and former U.S. intelligence officers. Agency field officers faced unusual pressures from top CIA and administration officials in Washington keyed up by Balawi's promise to deliver al-Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the current and former officers said.

But a U.S. intelligence official, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity, rejected assertions that the CIA had abandoned caution. "No one -- not in Washington, not in the field -- let excitement or anticipation run the show," the official said. The GID's approach was more subtle than simple blackmail, the official added. "Persuasion works better than coercion, and that's something the Jordanians understand completely," the official said. "The caricatures of clumsy, heavy-handed approaches just don't fit."

'A Salafi jihadi since birth'

Balawi, 32, trained as a physician at Istanbul University in Turkey and worked at a clinic in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan. He was married to a Turkish journalist, who has written admiringly of al-Qaeda's leader in a book titled "Osama bin Laden: Che Guevara of the East."

In the past four years, using the pseudonym Abu Dujana al-Khorasani, Balawi wrote on extremist Web sites and gained renown. He trumpeted calls for martyrdom.

"My words will drink of my blood," he wrote, one of a number of statements suggesting an ambition to move beyond rhetoric.

"If you read his articles, you understand he is a Salafi jihadi since birth," said Hasan Hanieh, an author and former Islamic radical, referring to a purist strain of Islam known as Salafism. "They go to the core of his beliefs. Over years, I could see this type of person moderate, but such a person does not become an agent. Never."

The Jordanian official with an intelligence background, who has studied Balawi's writings since the attack, reached the same conclusion.

"If you read him in Arabic, there is a texture and a spirit that says he is a true believer," the official said. "I would have tested this man 20 times to believe him once."

After his arrest and interrogation last January, family members said, Balawi appeared sullen and preoccupied. He stopped using the computer -- to which he had seemed so tied.

"He came out a changed person," his father said in an interview. "They should have left him alone. They should not have played with his mind." He said his son would never have moved beyond rhetoric had he not been forced to leave Jordan.

Belief in Balawi grows

Balawi left Jordan soon after his release, telling his family that he wanted to pursue further medical studies in Pakistan.

He began to produce credible and compelling information about extremists, and the GID turned over the operation's management and the resulting intelligence to the CIA while allowing its officer, Capt. Sharif Ali bin Zeid, to remain as a conduit to Balawi, officials said.

As the information continued to flow, the agency was able to exploit it for operations in Pakistan, officials said. Belief in Balawi grew.

"First, the guy had extremist credentials, including proven access to senior figures," the U.S. intelligence official said. "Second, you had a sound liaison service that believed they'd turned him and that had been working with him since. And third, the asset supplied intelligence that was independently verified. You don't ignore those kinds of things, but you don't trust the guy, either."

In September, six months after Balawi's arrival in Pakistan, U.S. and international intelligence officials described what they said was their growing success in penetrating al-Qaeda's senior ranks, which allowed improved targeting of insurgent locations in Pakistan.

"Human sources have begun to produce results," said Richard Barrett, head of the United Nations' al-Qaeda and Taliban monitoring group and the former chief of Britain's overseas counterterrorism operations. At the time, a senior Obama administration official with firsthand knowledge of the U.S. operations attributed the killings of more than a dozen senior al-Qaeda officials to the CIA's increasing ability "to locate and identify individuals."

Asked last week whether his reference to greater intelligence penetration included reports from Balawi, the official said he was "not referring to any one individual," but he declined to clarify whether he knew about Balawi's reports. "Maybe. Maybe not," he said.

Al Qaeda's calculated sacrifices

Balawi appears to have been what in espionage terms is called a "dangle" held out by al-Qaeda.

"This is a very well-thought-out al-Qaeda operation," said a former senior U.S. intelligence officer. "Every dangle operation is a judgment call. It has to be significant enough so that the Jordanians and, in this case, the CIA knows it's real. . . . That's always the key in running a dangle operation: How much do you give to establish bona fides without giving up the family jewels?"

Indeed, tactical successes made possible by Balawi's information appear in retrospect to have been sacrifices by al-Qaeda to get closer to its ultimate target: the CIA.

"They would give up a lot to get at the CIA," said a former Jordanian intelligence officer.

After the attack, the Pakistani Taliban released a video of Balawi accompanied by its leader, but officials suspect al-Qaeda directed the bombing.

Both American and Jordanian case officers raised questions last year about the speed with which Balawi appeared to have inserted himself into a position where he could obtain such intelligence, according to the former U.S. official familiar with Balawi's detention.

Al-Qaeda is deeply suspicious of new volunteers, and especially so of Jordanians because of repeated attempts by GID to penetrate the organization, according to former Jordanian intelligence officials. There are no Jordanians in bin Laden's inner circle, and some who have risen to prominence, such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the slain leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, were given assignments far from the leadership.

Al-Qaeda security and intelligence officers rigorously vet new arrivals and subject them to a host of tests before they reach "even the third circle around the leadership," as a former Jordanian intelligence official put it.

"Their first instinct is to suspect," this former official said. "They check and double-check his background. They watch him eat and sleep and pray, for signs. They analyze everything. That's how they have survived since 9/11. And after all that, if they believe him, he won't get near the inner circle."

Balawi, however, appeared to have done just that, offering information on Zawahiri. The Jordanian provided "irrefutable proof," including "photograph-type evidence," that he had been in the presence of al-Qaeda's leaders, according to a senior intelligence official. Some Jordanian and U.S. officials now question whether such an encounter ever occurred. But they say that if it did, it was an elaborate piece of staging by Balawi's true handler.

"It was briefed to the White House and to Centcom," a U.S. official said, referring to U.S. Central Command. "This was a high profile. The Bush and Obama White Houses had vowed to kill him [bin Laden]. What a political victory it would be."

'Desperation to get the fruit'

The U.S. intelligence official said the case was handled methodically: "This case didn't grow up overnight. None of them do. It developed step by step. And, at some point, especially if you're going to send somebody against one of the toughest targets in the world, you have to meet them face to face."

After several years of internal purges in which senior officers were pushed out, the GID had lost some of its "wisdom and caution," according to a Jordanian government official. A new leadership, installed slightly more than a year ago, relished the prospect of participating in such an extraordinary coup.

"There was desperation to get the fruit," the official said.

A former senior Jordanian intelligence official said he rues any possibility of mistrust between the two intelligence agencies in the wake of the Afghanistan bombing, asserting that the CIA-GID partnership has "saved hundreds of lives, including American lives" over the years.

"This relationship is in the interests of the United States," he said.

Warrick reported from Washington. Staff writers Karen DeYoung and Ellen Nakashima in Washington and special correspondent Ranya Kadri in Amman contributed to this report.
A man who works for a vendor for the Big Y in Old Lyme is dead and another is in the hospital after they were stabbed at the market on Sunday afternoon, according to state police and a statement from Big Y.

Police responded to the store at 90 Halls Road around 2:15 p.m. to investigate reports of an assault and began performing first aid.

Jing-Song Gao, 33, of Methuen, Massachusetts, was transported to Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook, where he was pronounced dead, accoording to police. State police said he had been working the sushi counter at Big Y.

The other victim, 39-year-old Tan Lin, of Old Lyme, was flown to Yale-New Haven Hospital to be treated for serious injuries. Police have not yet interviewed him because of his condition, but said the stabbing was not a random attack and that both knew each other.

One was working at the store during the time of the incident and the other one was a patron. Other than that, I dont know the extent of the relationship, said Lt. Michael Kostrzewa of Connecticut State Police.

Big Y said in a statement that both men were from a vendor that supplies the stores.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved in this tragic incident which occurred on January 8, 2017. We continue to work with law enforcement regarding all aspects of this case," a statement from Big Y said. "The incident involved 2 people from one of our vendors that supplies our stores. Currently, we have additional support assisting all of our employees from this location. We thank you for your patience and understanding at this time."

Police are still trying to determine the motive was for the stabbing.

Big Y reopened Monday.
Dallas police searched the Southwest Center Mall on Saturday evening after a burglary suspect's car was spotted in the parking lot.

The burglary happened in the 4100 block of Altoona Drive around 5:30 p.m., according to a Dallas police spokesperson.

Three suspects were sitting in the car when police approached. Two suspects were taken into custody, but a third suspect ran into the mall, police said.

After an extensive search inside the mall, police said the suspect was no longer in the area.

.@DallasPD still looking for burglary suspect in Red Bird Mall. More stores closing down now. Unclear what shoppers are supposed to do.. pic.twitter.com/LahGfTHAqD  Homa Bash (@HomaBashNBC5) January 8, 2017

A description of the fleeing suspect was not immediately available.

After some stores locked their doors during the search, the entire mall eventually closed early. [[409992905,C]]

Just hours before the police incident started, Mayor Mike Rawlings appeared at the mall, along with other city leaders and about a 100 residents, to announce plans to revitalize and rename the declining mall that some say has become unsafe.

Peter Brodsky, who bought a large portion of the mall last year, plans to bring back the mall's original name, Red Bird Mall, and add green space, apartments and a tech incubator.

Macy's recently announced they'd be closing their store at the mall as part of a nationwide downsizing.
Sunday service at the Ethiopian Orthodox St. Michael Church in Garland is full of gratitude.

There's appreciation and amazement upon seeing a pair of twin brothers standing tall.

In early December, 16-year-old Markos and Tamrat Bogale arrived in North Texas from Ethiopia battling a severe case of scoliosis. The condition was so severe, Tamrat could not stand up straight. He had a 120 degree curvature in his spine.

Through a partnership with the Texas Back Institute and Medical Center of Plano, both boys underwent life-changing surgery to correct the curvature of their spines.

It's a procedure that would have been impossible in their native country. It was offered free of charge by their North Texas medical team.

"When Markos and Tamrat first got here, Tamrat was about 5 inches shorter than Markos, and they're twin brothers," said Cheryl Zapata with Texas Back Institute. "Not long after the surgery we put them next to each other and Tamrat's like 'hey! I'm almost as tall as my brother'."

Zapata cared for the boys while they were in Texas.

Markos and Tamrat speak little English but their appreciation shows in their stance and their smiles.

"They're very humble and very kind and they really appreciate the generosity that's God given then but the gifts people have given them, it's just a beautiful thing to watch," said Zapata.

Tamrat must undergo one more surgery in February. Their doctors hope the brothers will be able to return to Ethiopia in the spring.
For nearly two decades, Southwest Center Mall in Oak Cliff has been in decline. On Saturday, city and community leaders celebrated the unveiling of an ambitious plan to revitalize Southern Dallas' only mall.

The plans call for a Marriott Courtyard hotel, office and green space, tech incubator, and apartments. It was also announced that the mall would return to its former name: Red Bird Mall.

Dallas investor Peter Brodsky presented his vision to more than a hundred residents and store owners gathered at the once vibrant and bustling mall.

Brodsky purchased a large portion of the facility in 2015. Since that time he's worked closely with city and community leaders to craft a redevelopment that would be supported by local residents.

Brodsky said the construction will be done in phases, with the bulk beginning in late 2017 or early 2018.

Executing the plan is far from a done deal. Funding still needs to be secured, and the city could be asked to chip in millions of dollars. Many feel the mall also needs a public relations makeover.

"It just needs a little TLC," said Councilman Erik Wilson. "It hasnt had it so while it may seem expensive, the benefits outweigh whats being asked to help it be successful."

Wilson said the mall is a gem for the city and worth the potential investment.

Wilson said the project will receive a $2.4 million grant and possibly be on the hook for $20 million in infrastructure costs. The city is also planning to increase access, building exit ramps off Highway 67 and Interstate 20. Road construction will begin later this year, Wilson said.

Cleotis Spearman has owned one of the oldest shops in the mall for 25 years -- N-Zone, an embroidery shop he runs with his wife.

Spearman heard Brodsky's plan Saturday morning and said the vision impressed him.

"He's showing you what he's trying to do," Spearman said. "He bought all of the properties, out of his own pocket. He'll make it work."

Residents admit that there is a perception problem and they're fighting to remove the stigma that the mall and surrounding area is not safe.

Just hours after the announcement, a suspect from a home burglary fled into the mall.

Several police officers scoured the area, but Dallas Police said they did not locate the suspect in the mall.

The entire mall eventually closed early.
It was a simple thing SDPD Officer James Weaver did for the Buetow family, but on a day when Brettany Buetow's kids were saying goodbye to their Navy dad leaving on his first deployment, it was a big deal.

I did not expect it at all Brettany, whose husband has been in the Navy for six years, says. It really meant a lot to our family and to the kids.

Rileigh,4 and Austin, 2 were shouting goodbye across the water from Shelter Island as the USS Carl Vinson carried their dad, Josh Buetow, away on deployment Thursday.

Officer Weaver tells NBC 7 he noticed the children and thought he could help their little voices be heard.

As I was sitting there, he remembers, I saw the family over here and the two little kids were by the rocks over here screaming to dad yelling bye and I figured that he couldnt hear them cause I could barely hear them from across the parking lot, so I just pulled my car over and asked if they wanted to use the PA.

Brettany posted two photos of the kids using the PA to say goodbye to their dad along with a post that read: Shout out to the San Diego Police Officer who pulled up next to us and asked if Rileigh and Austin wanted to tell their daddy they loved him as his ship went by, leaving for deployment. They got to speak into the microphone and say, bye daddy, we love you!! I am so grateful for ALL of the men and women in uniform who serve and protect our country!

Within two days the post had been shared hundreds of times and was liked nearly 1,000 times.

Officer Weaver, who says kids around the same age as Buetows, says hes surprised by the response to his act of kindness.

As blown up as its getting and going viral and everything I never expected that, he admits.  I just thought Id come over and try and let a couple of kids say bye to their dad. All of a sudden it made the news and were here doing interviews, so its definitely a memorable moment.

Brettany says she was surprised and deeply moved by the officers actions.

It meant a lot to us, she tells NBC 7. I was holding it together pretty well until he asked them if they wanted to do that and I just slowly broke down and started crying.

Brettany, who also has a three-month old son with her husband, says they hope to have Josh home by the summer.

Chipotle in Mission Valley will hold a fundraiser on January 18 to support the families of the USS Carl Vinson. Half of the money raised will go toward halfway and homecoming parties for the families.
After thousands of performances, SeaWorld San Diego's "One Ocean" orca show ended Sunday, closing the chapter on a decades-old practice of including killer whales as park entertainers.

Frequent SeaWorld visitor Jeff Scanlon didn't want to miss the show.

"Hey, this is Shamu's grand finale, so we said, 'Let's go down,'" he told NBC 7.

And fans were not disappointed.

"It was amazing," Enery Smith said. "They did a good job for a last show."

"It was filled with heart and soul," Teresa McGuire said.

This summer, the park will unveil a new attraction in the pool. "Orca Encounter" is being billed as an educational experience that will show how killer whales eat, communicate and navigate.

The park has 11 orcas.

"We will conduct an interim orca educational presentation in the pool that is also used for underwater viewing... while we remove the existing theatrical moving screens and show set in the stadium and replace them with a natural backdrop that will reflect the natural world of the orca," said SeaWorld San Diego spokesperson Dave Koontz.

California banned killer whale breeding in 2016, affecting the company that operates the popular marine animal theme park located just north of downtown San Diego.

SeaWorld announced in March that it was no longer breeding orcas and would stop making whales do tricks at its amusement parks.

Koontz said "Orca Encounter" show will open in summer 2017.

The new orca displays will be added to the company's other parks in Orlando and San Antonio by 2019.

SeaWorld has seen attendance fall since the documentary "Blackfish" criticized conditions of captive orcas. The film featured Tilikum, an orca that killed a trainer during an Orlando show in 2010.

Tilikum, who'd been seriously ill, died Friday in Orlando.
More than six decades after his death, a U.S. military veteran who served in the Korean War finally made his way home to San Diego.

On Saturday, the body of U.S. Army Major Jack Griffith arrived at Lindbergh Field in a coffin draped with the American Flag. A military funeral honors team helped move the coffin from the plane.

The dignified transfer and emotional, long overdue homecoming brought the airport tarmac to a brief, solemn standstill as people paid their respects to the military veteran.

Griffiths family waited at the tarmac, taking part in the touching tribute. They hugged and gazed at their loved ones coffin. After a lifetime of waiting for Griffith, he was home.

The veteran died 65 years ago while in captivity as a Prisoner of War in Korea. Surviving POWs reported Griffiths death but his death certificate showed there were no remains to prove it.

For his family, his death was a painful mystery for decades.

Thanks to modern DNA analysis and dental records, family members recently learned of his body buried inside a grave in Hawaii.

Now, his family and friends will be able to hold a proper burial for the veteran.

Sgt. 1st Class Lee Carranza, with the NCIOC Military Funeral Honors Team, was part of the team that helped in Griffiths ceremony at Lindbergh Field.

He said Griffiths homecoming was important to both the vets family and the military  no matter how much time had passed since his death.

It doesn't matter if it was 60 years or 50, or whether it was last week, what's important is our goal to take care of soldiers, Carranza told NBC 7. We don't want to leave anyone behind, but God forbid if it does occur, we certainly want to bring them back. And it doesn't matter how long it takes.
As many ask themselves what motivated this shooter to kill innocent people over 24 hours after the chaos, the victims who survived are recovering in the hospital. Some of the five who sadly did not make it also now identified from this horrific attack in our backyard.

Three of the five victims who died at the hands of 26-year-old Esteban Santiago were identified Saturday. 62-year-old Terry Andres, a volunteer firefighter from Virginia, Olga Woltering a great grandmother from Georgia and 57-year-old Michael Oehme of Iowa. Oehme was flying in to Fort Lauderdale for a Caribbean cruise but he never made it. His wife Kari was also shot but is expected to survive.

It was a terrifying 24 hours with transport after transport Friday around 30 people with injuries most of them rushed to Broward Health Medical Center. Six of them were hospitalized suffering from gunshot wounds.

"Originally yesterday we released that there were eight gunshot victims, there were actually only six," said Broward Sheriff's Office Scott Israel. "Three of them remain in good condition. Three of the victims remain in ICU."

The victims of yet another senseless mass shooting are recuperating as they try to make sense of it all.

"We do have six shooting victims. they range in terms of their prognosis but they're being supported by their loved ones and the staff members and everyone who came through our doors has their life today and we're making sure that they enjoy the gift of life." said CEO of Broward Health Mark Sprada.

Gov. Rick Scott visited patients again Saturday saying they're appreciative of the doctors stepping up in this time of crisis.

"This hospital provided outstanding surgery and they feel comfortable that they'll get back to normal but they're going through the issues they have jobs and who's going to take care of their loved one that's injured," Scott said.

Doctors treated passengers for various issues like chest pain and breathing problems. Others were pulled off planes that were stranded on the runway for hours--one man a diabetic.

"I asked the stewardess about food because no more food pretzels there's only so long and I think I may have scared them a little to where I called the EMS which they knew immediately what was happening," he said.

People visiting the hospital Friday also describe their friends scrambling to safety in a panic.

"Everybody was running in one direction and she couldn't really run with them and she can't because of her health condition," said Helena Rodriguez, friend of a victim. "So she just hid under a county she went by the rental cars in the garage and she said there was another shooting going on there and they carried her out."

One patient is expected to be released Saturday. The names of the six survivors at the hospital have not been released at this time.
Bay Area residents are hunkering down this weekend as a powerful storm is expected to wallop the region with gusty wind, heavy rain and possible flooding.

Steady rain blanketed most of the Bay Area Saturday, but the heaviest rain and flood potential is expected to come Sunday. A flash flood watch for most of the Bay Area went into effect at 4 p.m. on Saturday and will continue Sunday.

The weather already proved to be deadly on Saturday, where one woman died in a freak accident after she was hit by a falling tree in Contra Costa County.

The latest forecast calls for rain totals likely around two to four inches for lower elevations, NBC Bay Area Chief Meteorologist Jeff Ranieri said. Higher elevations of the Santa Cruz Mountains, which already accumulated two inches of rain late Saturday, could see more than six inches of rain this weekend.

Rivers, creeks and streams could rise to near flood stage, Ranieri said. Flash flood watches are in effect for every Bay Area county excluding Solano County.

The San Lorenzo River in Felton late Saturday was at eight feet. The river in Santa Cruz County on Sunday afternoon is projected to be running 21 feet -- well above flood stage.

NBC Bay Area meteorologist Rob Mayeda breaks down when most of the intense rain from a powerful storm is expected to touchdown in the Bay Area.

In Boulder Creek, homeowners living alongside the San Lorenzo River are keeping an anxious eye on the quickly rising waters. Residents in the area have also stocked up on emergency supplies.

In Sonoma County, all eyes are on the Russian River, which is already projected to flood on Sunday.

Residents and officials in the North Bay city of Fairfax are also preparing for the worst. Fairfax Creek, which runs right through town, could flood if the predicted forecast proves to be true.

"If all roads lead to what the predictions are, I think the creek is going to over exceed its banks," Fairfax police chief Christopher Morin said. "How bad that is, we don't know."

Powerful Storm Uproots Trees Across Bay Area

In San Francisco, flood barriers have been set in the area of 17th and Folsom streets to move water away from properties when the big storm moves in.

High wind warnings and wind advisories are also in effect across much of the Bay Area. Among a number of other fallen trees around the Bay Area, one such piece of lumber crashed in Oakland Saturday afternoon and blocked all southbound lanes of Highway 13.

The combination of blustery conditions and wet weather also put a damper on Bay Area air travel. A total of 226 delays and 72 cancellations were reported at San Francisco International Airport as of 2:45 p.m. Oakland International Airport reported 20 delays and one cancellation.

The heavy rains come as California enters a sixth year of drought, starting in October with more rain falling than in three decades, mostly in Northern California. Los Angeles is experiencing the wettest winter in six years, forecasters said.

Packing a Punch: Mighty Storm Douses Bay Area with Rain

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CERRO GORDO  When Cerro Gordo's Junior-Senior High School completed a new gymnasium and cafeteria in 1962, Bill Sparks didn't mind the short walk across the parking lot his senior year for PE class or to eat lunch.

It was quite an improvement over what we had, said the retired farmer, 71.

Thousands of students have made that same trek over the past 55 years, in all kinds of weather, but that could change in a couple years.

It all depends on whether the school board and ultimately district voters approve a bond issue to spend $8.2 million to connect the newer structure to the 1929 building while housing a new gym for the junior high.

The existing junior high gym, also dating to 1929, would be transformed into an auditorium for plays and other special events, and an addition built to the west in 1957 to give the junior high a more distinct space would eventually be demolished.

The school board will hold a special meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the band room to consider placing a referendum on the April 4 election ballot.

Superintendent Brett Robinson said the district needs to do $3 million of the work to comply with health and safety laws and so looked at what else could be done at the same time to improve the educational experience for students without adding too much cost.

The plan would raise property taxes for the owner of a $100,000 home about $11 per month, or $134 per year.

Input from community meetings Nov. 21 and Dec. 14 caused the district to abandon an earlier plan for the 18,500-square-foot addition to house a new auditorium in favor of one that would not only update an outdated gym but also move it away from classrooms.

If you have ever been in one of those rooms (on the lower level) when PE is going on in the junior high gym, it can get pretty noisy, Robinson said.

Tony Piraino, a member of the school board, said another takeaway from the meetings will be to seek comment from teachers at the elementary school, in addition to those at the high school and junior high.

That's because they could talk about design aspects of the elementary building, completed in 2003, that haven't worked out as well as envisioned.

All we have now are conceptual plans to give us a dollar amount, Piraino said. The actual design don't happen until the voters approve.

Voters in 2000 approved a referendum to issue $4.23 million in bonds to add on to the gymnasium/cafeteria building and also construct the new elementary school.
UPDATE: New details on Sara Packer's past as a child welfare worker

UPDATE: Mom, Boyfriend Remain Behind Bars in Montgomery County Teen Grace Packer's Killing

Warning: The details of this story are extremely graphic and could be disturbing to some readers.

A Horsham, Pennsylvania man and his girlfriend are charged in the rape, murder and dismemberment of her teenage daughter.

Jacob Sullivan, 44, was arrested Saturday and accused of raping and killing Grace Packer, 14, of Abington Township. Police also said Graces adoptive mother and Sullivan's girlfriend, Sara Packer, 41, aided Sullivan in the crime; helped him dispose of the teens body; and then formed a suicide pact with him.

Bucks County District Attorney's Office

According to police, about three hours after Sullivans arrest, Packer was arrested in Horsham on charges of homicide, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, possessing instruments of crime, endangering the welfare of a child, abuse of a corpse, simple assault, tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy to commit rape.

Packer was arraigned at noon on Sunday.

"The question is how could any mother do this to a child. To their child," said Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub. "I don't have an answer. I'm bereft."

Investigators say Sullivan was involved in a polyamorous relationship with Sara Packer and another woman. On Dec. 30, 2016, Sullivans other girlfriend called 911 and told the dispatcher she had found him barely conscious and unresponsive inside their home in Horsham. She also believed he had overdosed on pills. The dispatcher then asked her if she knew why Sullivan would do that.

I dont know if you have watched the news lately, the woman replied, according to the affidavit. Someone we were involved with was recently...Its a big mess. Its a big mess and I dont really know how to explain it. But oh my God.

Medics arrived and Sullivan was taken to Abington Hospital where he was placed in critical condition and treated for a drug overdose. Police interviewed Sullivans girlfriend and also found a handwritten suicide note at the home. The note, which police say was written by Sullivan, said the following, according to the affidavit:



"Dear babies,



"I love you all so much. You are the only people that I have always been able to count on. Im sorry that I am taking the cowards way out, but I dont have any strength left in me.



"People want to judge and lie and break me down. They have.



"I cant exist with Sara in jail and those f------ lying pigs and the whore media have made it impossible for us to live.



"They dont care how many lives or laws they break. I know you will always know that we had nothing to do with this no matter what lies they tell. Im sorry to leave you. Remember all Ive taught you. Be brave, stand tall and do your best to be stronger than I was.



"I love you.



"Daddy"

Later that night, Sullivans girlfriend called 911 a second time. She told the dispatcher that after police and medics had left, she found Sara Packer unresponsive inside the bathroom of the home. The woman told officials she then drove her to Abington Hospital.

Police determined that both Sullivan and Packer had entered a suicide pact and tried to kill themselves by overdosing on drugs.

[[308443961, C]]

On Saturday staff members at Abington Memorial Hospital contacted investigators and told them that during the overnight hours, Sullivan admitted he was responsible for the murder of Sara Packers 14-year-old adopted daughter, Grace Packer. He also claimed that Sara Packer was his accomplice, according to the affidavit. The hospital staff also told investigators they believed Sullivan admitted he had killed Grace to his family members when they visited him in the hospital.

During an interview with investigators, Sullivan then admitted he and Packer had plotted Graces murder, according to officials. Sullivan allegedly claimed they began planning the murder in the fall of 2015 after Grace returned from living with a family member in North Carolina.

Bucks County District Attorney's Office

During the early morning hours of July 8, 2016, Sullivan and Sara Packer drove Grace from her Abington Township home to their new home on Cherry Road in Quakertown, Bucks County, officials said. When they arrived, Sullivan and Packer walked Grace into the house, according to the affidavit. Sullivan then allegedly struck Grace in the face several times. The duo then took Grace into the attic of the home where Sullivan raped the teen girl while Packer watched, investigators said. During his interview with officials, Sullivan also allegedly admitted to sexually assaulting Grace on two occasions prior to that incident.

Packer then left and obtained several pills, according to the affidavit. The duo then gave Grace the pills, telling her it would help her deal with the pain, tied her up, gagged her and then left her to die in the extremely hot attic, investigators said. Sullivan and Packer then went back to their Abington home and later returned to the Quakertown home around 3 a.m. the next day, expecting to find Grace dead, officials said. The teen was still conscious and alive however, according to the affidavit.

Sullivan then allegedly wrapped his arm around Graces neck and face and strangled her to death. Sullivan and Sara Packer then packed her body in kitty litter, investigators said. The duo allegedly left the girls body concealed in the attic where she would remain for more than three months.

"Poor Grace was stored in a cedar closet while covered with moth balls and kitty litter I believe so that she would not rot and stink," said Weintraub.

On July 11, Sara Packer went to the Abington Township Police Department and reported Grace was missing. She allegedly lied to police and told them prior to her daughter's disappearance, she sent Grace to her room following an argument over the teen asking to visit one of her friends. Police noted that Sara Packer couldnt provide an address or name of the friend however, according to the affidavit.

Packer also allegedly told police Grace took $300 in cash from the home and that she had left the house in the past.

Police then made several attempts to reach Packer as they searched for Grace over the next two months. But she allegedly ignored them and was uncooperative with the investigation. Police then visited Packers Abington Township home on September 7 but discovered she had moved without notifying them, according to the affidavit.

Police then learned Packer had enrolled her 12-year-old adopted son, who is also Graces biological brother, into the Quakertown School District without notifying them, according to the affidavit. Police then received a phone message from Packer apologizing to them for not notifying them of the move, investigators said. She also allegedly told them she had notified all of Graces relatives that she went missing. But investigators later determined she had not told her relatives about Grace's disappearance at that time.

While the search for Grace carried on, police said Sara continued to collect a $712 a month Social Security check in the girl's name -- failing to notify the agency that she was missing. Since the girl's disappearance, the mother spent $3,616.03 of the funds, court documents state.

Police then investigated the Quakertown home where Grace's body was being concealed in mid-October, according to the affidavit. Sullivan then allegedly became concerned investigators would find the girls remains. Sullivan and Packer then moved Graces body from the attic to the second floor bathroom of the house and used a saw to dismember her limbs, according to the affidavit.

The duo then allegedly stored her remains in plastic totes and put them inside the trunk of Sullivans vehicle. They then drove to a wooded area near SR 2041, White Haven Road in Bear Creek Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania where they left Grace's remains. On October 31, around 5:30 p.m., hunters in the woods found the remains and called police.

During their investigation of Graces murder, officials found the receipt of the Bucks County tractor supply store where Packer had bought the saw used to dismember her daughters body, according to the affidavit. Investigators say they obtained surveillance video from the store of Packer buying the saw. Investigators also say they obtained a copy of Packers debit card purchases which revealed she had bought the pills she used to drug Grace from a Target store in Bucks County.

Following his arrest Saturday, Sullivan was charged with murder, rape, kidnapping, abuse of corpse, simple assault and other related offenses. He was arraigned at 12:30 a.m. Sunday in Newtown, Bucks County.

"I'm sorry for what I did to the girl," Sullivan said as he was led to the courthouse in handcuffs early Sunday morning.

Sara Packer said nothing as she walked into the same courthouse hours later.

Before police determined she was involved in the plot to kill her adopted daughter, Packer had already been arrested in November and charged with child endangerment and obstruction of justice for allegedly not cooperating with the investigation. Both her and Sullivan are being held without bail and are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on January 20.

"Unfortunately Grace Packer was a disposable child to these people," Weintraub said. "She actually would have been better off had she been a forgotten child. And the question becomes, who will remember Grace Packer? Who will now speak for Grace Packer? We will."

A memorial service for Grace Packer is scheduled to take place on Monday, January 16 at 3:30 p.m. at the North Penn VFW on 2519 Jenkintown Road in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

NBC10 is reaching out to Packer and Sullivan's lawyers for comment.

SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
A driver racked up more than $94,000 in unpaid E-ZPass tolls and fines, Port Authority police said Saturday.

Sean Haluska, 43, of Farmingdale, New Jersey, was charged with obstructing governmental administration, petit larceny and aggravated unlicensed operator of a motor vehicle.

He was stopped Friday at the Outerbridge Crossing toll plaza in Staten Island, police say. Police say they saw him drive through the E-ZPass lane without paying.

When he was arrested, Haluska's driver's license was suspended for the fourth time, police said. Authorities say he had more than 1,490 open violations and owes more than $94,600.

It's not clear whether Haluska had an attorney.
Republican Gov. Chris Christie has delivered on some of his promises over seven years, while some ideas have also fizzled and stalled. During his seventh state of the state speech on Tuesday, he'll have a chance to offer more details about his last year in office, a final opportunity to boost his record-low job approval ratings.

Over the years he's delivered on some promises made in the address to lawmakers, and failed to deliver on others: His promised to reform teacher tenure came through with the help of the Democrat-led Legislature, but a call for a cut to income taxes by 10 percent but the plan was never fully embraced by Democrats and failed to go forward.

A closer look at what Christie has promised and what happened:

2011's biggest promises: Replace teacher tenure; Stabilize pensions by making public workers pay more for benefits, work longer hours.

What happened: Christie and the Legislature agreed on reforming the teacher tenure system, changing the required time from three years to four years. The overhaul also required a mentorship for the first year of teaching followed by yearly evaluations in which the teacher must be rated effective or highly effective.

Christie and the Democrat-led Legislature also agreed to pension changes including cuts to cost-of-living increases in exchange for higher pension payments in Christie's budgets. But Christie reneged on the higher pension payments after the state's revenues dipped lower than expected. Labor unions sued, but the state Supreme Court sided with Christie and ruled that it could not force him and the Legislature to make appropriations in the budget.

2012's biggest promise: Christie proposed a 10 percent cut to the state's income tax.

What happened: Christie sent the Legislature a down payment on a 10 percent income tax cut by including $183 million for the cut, but Democrats balked at implementing it because of concerns that state revenues wouldn't cover the cost to the budget. The full cut was not made.

2013's biggest promises: The speech came after Superstorm Sandy ravaged the state's coast in October 2012 and with Christie promising the state would be back stronger than ever. He talked about keeping taxes low but didn't unveil any new plans to cut them.

What happened: The Christie administration says it had to deal with some 365,000 homeowners in the aftermath of Sandy and that as of late 2016 about 7,600 owners are actively participating in the state's main storm rebuilding program. In addition, the federal government has steered some $4.2 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding. Still, protesters who say they are still not in their homes criticize Christie. At a shore event around the time of the four-year anniversary of the storm this year, Christie's speech was interrupted by protesters who shouted at him that they wanted to go home. Christie huddled with residents, took their numbers and promised someone from his staff would contact them. The Associated Press has asked if Christie has reached out but hasn't heard back yet.

2014's biggest promises: The speech came just as the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closure scandal was breaking in the news. Christie said that the administration would not allow work that needs to be done for the public to be delayed.

What happened: Since the speech, two former allies of the governor's were tried and convicted of taking part in the scheme that sought to punish a Democratic mayor for not endorsing Christie for re-election. Christie wasn't charged and denied wrongdoing but the scandal played a part in a negative ad run by a super PAC during Christie's failed presidential campaign, and the scandal likely played a role in Republican President-elect Donald Trump not picking Christie for vice president, the governor has said.

2015's biggest promises: The speech came as Christie was weighing a presidential run and after his stint as chairman of the Republican Governors Association. He put part of the speech that usually focuses on New Jersey issues into a national context, saying the country was beset by anxiety and that the nation's leadership was marked by indecision. The speech was notable for its failure to mention the state's imperiled transportation trust fund and Atlantic City's economic woes.

What happened: Christie did eventually launch a presidential run, which failed after finishing poorly in New Hampshire. Christie's administration didn't act on legislation to take over the finances of struggling Atlantic City and to address the transportation trust fund until later in 2016.

2016's biggest promises: The speech was sandwiched between campaign trail appearances for Christie, who was just weeks away from dropping out at the time. He called for eliminating the estate tax and for converting a shuttered prison into a drug treatment facility for inmates.

What happened: Christie's presidential campaign fizzled and he returned to New Jersey to face a number of significant outstanding issues, including transportation funding. He signed legislation that phased out the estate tax while raising the gas tax by 23 cents a gallon and implementing a $2 billion-a-year infrastructure plan. The closed Midstate prison is set to reopen as a 696-bed drug treatment center for medium-security inmates by early April, according to corrections department spokesman Matt Schuman.
One of the most notorious killers in recent Montgomery County history, Rafael Robb, is a free man Sunday after serving 10 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter.

Robb, 66, was sentenced in 2008 to five-to-10 years in state prison after pleading guilty to the slaying of his wife, Ellen Gregory Robb, as she wrapped gifts three days before Christmas in 2006 inside their King of Prussia home.

The State Correctional Institution at Albion confirmed Robb was released from prison in the early morning hours Sunday, 10 years to the day he began his sentence.

It remains unknown if Robb, a once world-renowned economist who taught at the University of Pennsylvania, will return to the house where he beat his wife to death with a metal bar.

The house in the 600 block of Forest Road, Upper Merion, is co-owned by Rafael Robb and the estate of Ellen Gregory Robb, according to county real estate records.

There is some speculation that he may take up residence in Allegheny County near Pittsburgh.

Robb will be on parole for 10 years until Jan. 8, 2027, according to court records. He has been ordered to pay $124 million to a trust fund for his daughter, according to published reports.
Slippery road conditions from Saturdays snow caused several accidents across the region.

Saturdays snow caused several accidents in our region, including South Jersey. NBC10s Drew Smith has the details.

A mail carrier was injured after his postal truck overturned on the 300 block of Cinnaminson Street in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia. The mail carrier was taken to the hospital, treated for minor injuries and released. Officials say residents in the area could see a slight delay in deliveries due to the crash.

Officials also advise residents to clear paths to their driveways and mailboxes in order to create safer conditions for mail carriers.

Slippery roads also caused an accident involving an EMS unit and a car on 2nd Street near Lancaster Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware. Fortunately no injuries were reported and no patients were inside the ambulance at the time of the accident.

Several cars as well as a tractor trailer also slipped off the road and struck the median on I-295 South near Exit 11 in Swedesboro, New Jersey. No one was seriously injured however.

First Winter Storm Blankets the Region
Saturdays slippery conditions caused problems for drivers across the area, even the ones who werent inside their vehicle.

Video captured a parked pickup truck sliding out of a driveway in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. Neal Roberts told NBC10 his wife had just arrived home around 1:30 p.m. and parked her pickup truck in their driveway. Conditions were so slippery however that her truck began to slide even though it was in park and the emergency brake was on.

Surveillance video captured the truck hitting the familys mailbox before coming to a rest. Fortunately no one was hurt and the vehicle wasnt damaged. Roberts, who had just arrived at the airport from Las Vegas when his wife called and told him what happened, said the situation could have been far worse.

Luckily there were no cars coming up, he said. That wouldve been ugly.

Saturdays snow led to accidents throughout the region. No serious injuries were reported however.




Obviously, 2016 kicked off with some heavy losses, and we went from Bowie's birthday to the release of "Blackstar" to the news of his death. Music fans were stunned. So, what is there to do but pay tribute and celebrate the life and art of Ziggy Stardust? The Casbah has a full celebration in store, including the Schizophonics as Bowiephonics, Ariel Levine performing "Blackstar" in its entirety, and DJs spinning the hits and deep cuts all night long. It's gonna be a party. Makeup is not required, but it is highly recommended. Meanwhile, at Soda Bar, Portland's Hannah Yuen drops in with her "witchy, somber" tunes, Winston's hosts a benefit for Standing Rock and Blonde hosts a benefit for the Women's March on Washington.
A piece of luggage left on the curb near Terminal 1 at Lindbergh Field prompted a call to the bomb squad before authorities realized illegal drugs were inside, San Diego Fire confirms.

Harbor Police first made the discovery shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, and officers at first thought the luggage might contain bomb making material.

The luggage contained canisters wrapped in silver dryer sheets inside plastic bags, but police bomb-sniffing dogs did not alert on it as being a bomb.

Police called the bomb squad, but after further inspection, authorities realized the luggage contained an undisclosed amount of meth and the bomb squad was cancelled.
A man already serving a 45-year prison sentence for killing a cab driver has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of another slaying.

Charles County State's Attorney Tony Covington says 22-year-old Joshua Mebane was sentenced Friday to two consecutive life sentences plus 20 years in prison.

Mebane was convicted of shooting a woman and her husband as they walked their dog in Waldorf in October 2012. Teresa Bass was killed and her husband, Jerry Bass, was critically wounded but survived.

Officials say less than two weeks after the Waldorf shooting, Mebane killed 44-year-old cab driver Quadar Muhammad in Washington. Mebane was sentenced to 45 years in prison for Muhammad's slaying.
SPRINGFIELD  Time is running out for the 99th Illinois General Assembly to do what it has failed to do so far throughout its two-year term: pass a comprehensive state budget that will earn the signature of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Lawmakers return to Springfield on Monday for a two-day lame-duck session. Thats traditionally a time when outgoing legislators can help push through controversial measures, such as a temporary income tax increase that was approved in 2011 and has since partially rolled back.

Its widely acknowledged that it will take a combination of spending cuts and tax increases to begin stabilizing the states shaky finances. Rauner has also insisted throughout the first two years of his term that any long-term budget deal include policy changes he said would boost economic growth and restore confidence in the states political system.

Whether lawmakers in both parties and both chambers of the General Assembly can forge a compromise that meets all those requirements remains uncertain.

Rauner acknowledged during an unrelated appearance in Carbondale on Friday that he has been briefed on discussions between Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, about a possible budget deal in the works.

Im heartened by that, Rauner said of the talks. Im optimistic that Democrats and Republicans are negotiating in good faith to come up with changes to our system so its not broken anymore.

The governor said it would be premature for him to comment on specifics because a lot of the detail is still in flux.

Spokespeople for Cullerton and Radogno declined to comment on the discussions, which were first reported Thursday by the Capitol Fax blog.

The components being discussed include an income tax increase, a short-term property tax freeze, changes to the states workers compensation laws and public pension systems and term limits for legislative leaders, according to the Capitol Fax report.

Also being discussed is a new proposal to overhaul the way Illinois funds elementary and secondary education, an issue lawmakers have been working on for several years without success.

There is bipartisan agreement that Illinois relies too heavily on local property taxes to fund schools and does a poor job of directing state money to the school districts that need it most.

A commission that Rauner convened is working to produce a proposal before its Feb. 1 deadline, but other discussions are taking place on the sidelines.

State Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, a member of the commission and a leading voice for his caucus on education funding, couldnt say whether a new school funding reform plan might be introduced during the lame-duck session.

Im not certain that were there yet, but were closer today than we were yesterday, Barickman said Friday of a bipartisan agreement on school funding. I continue to sense that the majority of the people involved in this have a sincere desire to fix this.

Past reform efforts have run aground due to the political difficulty of passing a plan that shifts money from some districts to others and the cost of trying to prevent any district from losing out under a new funding formula.

Passing an education funding bill during the lame-duck is perhaps less pressing because, unlike higher education, social services and other state operations, elementary and secondary schools are funded through June. The stopgap deal that was funding other operations expired when the calendar turned to 2017.

State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, is another member of the education funding commission and a point man for Democrats on the issue. He said that regardless of whether its during the lame-duck session or after the new General Assembly is sworn in Wednesday, fixing the states flawed school funding formula has to be party to a final budget compromise.

It has to be accomplished, one way or the other, Manar said.

Neither he nor Barickman would comment on the wider discussions between Cullerton and Radogno, and both said they would reserve judgment on any deal until all the details are known.

No legislation representing components of the reported deal had been filed as of Friday.

Even if the Senate can approve an agreement Monday or Tuesday, its prospects in the House remain dim.

During their fall veto session, Democratic and Republican state representatives joined together to pass a resolution opposing any tax increases during the lame-duck session.
A family of four and their pet pig "Pebbles" are safe Saturday after a fire tore through their home in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Fire and rescue crews found a significant fire coming from the garage area of the home in the 40000 block of Snickersville Turnpike in Aldie when they responded to the fire Saturday morning.

The fire then spread into the house and firefighters from units throughout the area were called for backup.

Cold weather made their efforts difficult and fire officials said a medical ambulance bus came to the home to give rescue workers an area to rest away from the cold.

"Firefighters were fortunate to have rescued the familys pet pig 'pebbles' from the home, returning it safely to its owners," Loudoun County Fire and Rescue said in a release.

All four residents had made it out of the house safely when firefighters arrived and no one was injured.

Fire officials are working to find out what caused the fire and it is not known how much damage the home sustained.
A suspected drunken driver struck a Maryland police officer's cruiser Saturday night.

About 7:30 p.m., a Rockville City police officer was driving southbound on Rockville Pike near Talbott Center when a driver on the northbound side made a left turn and struck the cruiser, trapping the officer.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue got the officer out of the cruiser and took him to a hospital where he was treated and released.

Police arrested the man driving the vehicle that struck the cruiser for suspicion of driving under the influence, police said. He was not injured.
The snow stopped falling but it won't disappear thanks to subfreezing temperatures Sunday.

It's another Weather Alert Day due to single-digit wind chills and wind gusts up to 30 mph. The cold will prevent the snow from melting until it warms up later this week.

A winter storm moved through the area Saturday, giving the D.C. and Baltimore metro areas a dusting to about 2 inches of snow while parts of southern Maryland saw about 3 to 6 inches, according to Storm Team4.

The National Weather Service said parts of southeast Virginia saw almost a foot of snow by Saturday afternoon. The Hampton Roads region and central Virginia were the hardest hit.

Sunday's wind can cause blowing snow, which could be a problem mainly in southern Maryland where snowfall totals where the highest.

By Monday, the wind will relax, but temperatures will remain about 10 to 15 degrees below normal, according to Storm Team4.

D.C. activated its cold emergency plan Friday to continue until 7 a.m. Monday, allowing emergency shelters and overnight warming sites to open.

Highs will climb above freezing Tuesday and could reach the 50s Wednesday and the 60s Thursday.

Dangerous Road Conditions

Black ice and slick roads are a concern Sunday. Multiple crashes were reported throughout the D.C. area since the snowfall began Saturday.

From 12 a.m. midnight Saturday through 12 p.m., Virginia State Police responded to 686 traffic crashes and 1,037 disabled vehicles statewide. They also received 3,257 calls for service. One person died in a crash, state police said.

For Prince William, Loudoun, Arlington and Fairfax counties, there were 19 crashes and 90 disabled vehicles.

In Fairfax County, a trash truck overturned onto its side on eastbound I-495 neart the Van Dorn Street exit. State police said the truck had an equipment failure and the driver lost control. He was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
A fisherman was rescued by members of the United States Coast Guard on Saturday night after he fell overboard in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Coast Guard watchstanders received a mayday call from the fishing vessel Resolute at around 9:30 p.m. when one of its crew members had fell overboard near MacMillan Pier.

Crew members from Resolute threw the man a life ring, which had a strobe light attached to it, but were unable to recover him.

The Coast Guard dispatched a motor lifeboat crew which arrived on scene at around 9:45 p.m, along with the Provincetown Harbor Master.

The weather was nasty, said Chief Petty Officer James Zerinskas. The wind was around 28 knots, visibility was only a quarter mile, and air temperature was 27 degrees at the time.

Despite the poor conditions, the harbormaster was able to locate the fisherman by seeing the flashing strobe attached to the life ring. The man was pulled into the boat by two Coast Guard crew members and then taken to ashore to be treated for hypothermia.

Hes alive because of the life ring and strobe and the fast response of the Provincetown crews, said Scott Backholm, the command duty officer at Sector Southeastern New Englands command center. This demonstrates the importance of having a life ring with an operable strobe light.
Police are investigating a stabbing that hospitalized a man early Sunday morning in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Authorities responded to what they called a large verbal and physical altercation outside a club on Massachusetts Avenue at about 12:30 a.m., where the victim and his friends had just left a concert.

When the victim was located by officers, he was suffering from stab wounds to his back, shoulder and forearm. The man was treated and taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Additional officers were called to the scene to disperse the crowd and speak to witnesses.

Police said a suspect has not yet been identified and the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with any information regarding the incident is asked to call Cambridge Police at 617-349-3300.
Massachusetts police have arrested a suspected shoplifter who fled a Plainville store on Sunday morning and struck a police officer in his getaway.

Police were called to the Target on Taunton Street at about 10 a.m. for a reported shoplifting in progress.

Authorities said Officer Todd Holbrook, one of the responding officers, approached the suspect as he entered a car in the parking lot.

When the man put the car in drive, he struck Holbrook and fled the area.

Holbrook was transported to Rhode Island Hospital with non-life threatening injuries to his lower extremities.

The suspect is described as a man in his late 20s to early 30s, approximately 6 feet tall, with dark hair and facial hair. He was wearing a black jacket with MAC Tools on the upper left chest and on the back, which was in red lettering. He also had on a red hoodie under the jacket with dark pants, and a red hat with a white stripe.

Police said the man was driving a grey or silver 4-door Ford Focus with Massachusetts 6SM550, which is a revoked license plate.

Early Sunday evening Officer Holbrook was released from the hospital, and he is expected to make a full recovery.
Report says that investigation was not carried out properly

A review has strongly criticised an investigation into security lapses at Atomic Weapons Establishment Burghfield.

The restricted report, made available via a freedom of information request, was commissioned in the wake of an investigation to address allegations that MoD police officers were sleeping on the job and failing to conduct routine patrols in 2013.

Operation Pease was set up to investigate the incident at Burghfield, where Britain's nuclear weapons are assembled, with the MoD claiming at the time that the security of the site had not been compromised.

But the new report reveals that MoD police deemed the security lapses as critical.

The report reveals that officers under investigation at the site were placed on duties away from Burghfield, meaning that officers had to be drafted in from elsewhere to provide cover.

A total of 66 officers were investigated, with six dismissed for gross misconduct, and a further 25 resigned, while attended a misconduct meeting and six had no further action taken.

The report, carried out by Len Jackson, an independent member of the MoD Police Committee, was highly critical of the investigation.

It says that Operation Pease took more than two years to conclude and had left "a huge feeling of resentment" within the MoD police.

Concerns were raised that no one above the rank of sergeant had been disciplined over the misconduct.

And, while the site management team were "potentially under investigation", AWE's head of nuclear and physical security felt that the investigation had focused on the low-hanging fruit rather than addressing the root cause of the problems.

Officers investigated also claimed they had been threatened with a fast-track process known as special case procedures, which they believed would trigger mass resignations in order to avoid tribunals.

A lack of supervision over a number of years in the building at the centre of the misconduct allegations was also highlighted.

See the next edition of the Newbury Weekly News for more on this story.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Tightening the noose around tax evaders, the government has asked banks to obtain permanent account number (PAN) or Form-60 if PAN is not available, from all bank account holders by February 28, 2017.

"Income-tax Rules have been amended to provide that bank shall obtain and link PAN or Form No. 60 (where PAN is not available) in all existing bank accounts (other than BSBDA) by February 28, 2017, if not already done," a notification by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) stated today.

The persons who are having bank accounts but have not submitted PAN or Form No 60 are advised to submit the PAN or Form No 60 to the bank by February 28, 2017, the notification stated.

However, this rule will not apply to Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (BSBDA), which are zero balance savings accounts, including Jandhan accounts.

The BSBDA were introduced to take care of simple banking needs of people, which come with free ATM card, monthly statement and cheque book.

Last month, RBI had mandated that no withdrawal shall be allowed from the accounts having substantial credit balance/deposits if PAN or Form No.60 is not provided in respect of such accounts. It further said that the banks and post offices had also been mandated to submit information in respect of cash deposits from April 1, 2016 to November 8, 2016 in accounts where the cash deposits during the period November 9, 2016 to December 30, 2016 exceeds the specified limits.

It has also been provided under the new rules that person who is required to obtain PAN or Form No.60 shall record the PAN/Form.No.60 in all the documents and quote the same in all the reports submitted to the Income-tax Department.

NEW DELHI: Tightening the noose around tax evaders, the government has asked banks to obtain permanent account number (PAN) or Form-60 if PAN is not available, from all bank account holders by February 28, 2017. "Income-tax Rules have been amended to provide that bank shall obtain and link PAN or Form No. 60 (where PAN is not available) in all existing bank accounts (other than BSBDA) by February 28, 2017, if not already done," a notification by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) stated today. The persons who are having bank accounts but have not submitted PAN or Form No 60 are advised to submit the PAN or Form No 60 to the bank by February 28, 2017, the notification stated. However, this rule will not apply to Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (BSBDA), which are zero balance savings accounts, including Jandhan accounts. The BSBDA were introduced to take care of simple banking needs of people, which come with free ATM card, monthly statement and cheque book. Last month, RBI had mandated that no withdrawal shall be allowed from the accounts having substantial credit balance/deposits if PAN or Form No.60 is not provided in respect of such accounts. It further said that the banks and post offices had also been mandated to submit information in respect of cash deposits from April 1, 2016 to November 8, 2016 in accounts where the cash deposits during the period November 9, 2016 to December 30, 2016 exceeds the specified limits. It has also been provided under the new rules that person who is required to obtain PAN or Form No.60 shall record the PAN/Form.No.60 in all the documents and quote the same in all the reports submitted to the Income-tax Department.
By Reuters

MUMBAI: A parliamentary committee, probing the government's decision to scrap high-value bank notes, has sent the country's central bank governor a list of questions on the demonetisation process and asked him to appear before it on January 20.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has asked the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Urjit Patel, to explain how the decision for demonetisation was taken and for details on its impact on the country's economy, PAC Chairman K.V. Thomas, also a senior member of the opposition Congress party, told Reuters.

Patel, under fire from some politicians over shortages of replacement currency and restrictions on depositing old notes that have caused long queues at banks and ATMs, is already set to testify before another parliamentary committee.

Last month, the RBI unexpectedly kept its key policy rate unchanged at 6.25 percent, despite calls for action in the face of an intense cash shortage that threatens to slam the brakes on the world's fastest-growing large economy. The bank was widely expected to cut the rate by at least 25 bps.

Pressure on the central bank and Patel has grown since Prime Minister Narendra Modi stunned the country on Nov. 8 by abolishing 500- and 1,000-rupee ($7.34-$14.69) notes, removing 86 percent of the currency in circulation in a bid to crack down on the "shadow economy".

The PAC has asked Patel to provide details on the value of currency that has been returned to the bank, the quantity of "black money" it has received and the amount of new currency released so far, Thomas said.

Thomas added that the governor has also been asked about the country's preparedness to handle cashless transactions.

"We had decided to call the RBI governor sometime in December but because the prime minister had asked for 50 days, we decided to postpone it to sometime January," Thomas told Reuters. "We did not want to give it a political colour."

Apart from Patel, the PAC has also called other finance ministry officials, including the revenue secretary and finance secretary, Thomas said.

MUMBAI: A parliamentary committee, probing the government's decision to scrap high-value bank notes, has sent the country's central bank governor a list of questions on the demonetisation process and asked him to appear before it on January 20. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has asked the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Urjit Patel, to explain how the decision for demonetisation was taken and for details on its impact on the country's economy, PAC Chairman K.V. Thomas, also a senior member of the opposition Congress party, told Reuters. Patel, under fire from some politicians over shortages of replacement currency and restrictions on depositing old notes that have caused long queues at banks and ATMs, is already set to testify before another parliamentary committee. Last month, the RBI unexpectedly kept its key policy rate unchanged at 6.25 percent, despite calls for action in the face of an intense cash shortage that threatens to slam the brakes on the world's fastest-growing large economy. The bank was widely expected to cut the rate by at least 25 bps. Pressure on the central bank and Patel has grown since Prime Minister Narendra Modi stunned the country on Nov. 8 by abolishing 500- and 1,000-rupee ($7.34-$14.69) notes, removing 86 percent of the currency in circulation in a bid to crack down on the "shadow economy". The PAC has asked Patel to provide details on the value of currency that has been returned to the bank, the quantity of "black money" it has received and the amount of new currency released so far, Thomas said. Thomas added that the governor has also been asked about the country's preparedness to handle cashless transactions. "We had decided to call the RBI governor sometime in December but because the prime minister had asked for 50 days, we decided to postpone it to sometime January," Thomas told Reuters. "We did not want to give it a political colour." Apart from Patel, the PAC has also called other finance ministry officials, including the revenue secretary and finance secretary, Thomas said.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Seventeen illegal Bangladeshi immigrants  three of them Hindus purportedly terrorized out of Bangladesh  will be deported by the authorities in BJP-ruled Assam on Monday. The deportation comes amidst stepped up protests by Opposition parties, besides groups and organizations in the State, against the BJP-led NDA governments move to grant citizenship to the non-Muslim immigrants of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan by amending the Citizenship Act.

Official sources said the 17 were among 54 immigrants of Bangladesh and Myanmar nabbed over the past few years for illegally entering India. They had been languishing in a detention camp in southern Assams Silchar Central Jail since 2015. The decision to deport the Bangladeshi immigrants was taken after two rounds of talks with Bangladeshi officials.

They will be pushed back through Karimganj sector of the border tomorrow (Monday) morning, Cachar Superintend of Police Rakesh Roushan told Express. The three Hindus are Bhagabati Goala (50), Rahul Das (23) and Mou Das (18). They had purportedly fled the neighbouring country in the face of religious persecution there. Last year, the authorities in southern Assam had deported 10 Bangladeshis. The opposition parties in Assam are critical of the BJPs alleged contradictory stand on the issue of illegal immigrants.

The BJP emphatically says it will drive out the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Then, it contradicts its position through its move to grant citizenship to the Bangladeshi Hindu immigrants by amending the Citizenship Act. How can both go side by side? three-time former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of the Congress wondered.

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is equally livid. Assam shouldnt be made a dumping ground by being forced to accept the immigrants, Gogois predecessor and AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who recently petitioned President Pranab Mukherjee against the Centres move, said. The BJP views the Hindu immigrants as refugees.

It asserts that they are the victims of partition, who fled to India in the face of torture and religious persecution in Bangladesh. As per the Assam Accord of 1985, the immigrants, irrespective of faith, who entered Assam after March 24, 1971, will be deported. The Accord was signed by the then Rajiv Gandhi government in the aftermath of the bloody Assam Agitation.

GUWAHATI: Seventeen illegal Bangladeshi immigrants  three of them Hindus purportedly terrorized out of Bangladesh  will be deported by the authorities in BJP-ruled Assam on Monday. The deportation comes amidst stepped up protests by Opposition parties, besides groups and organizations in the State, against the BJP-led NDA governments move to grant citizenship to the non-Muslim immigrants of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan by amending the Citizenship Act. Official sources said the 17 were among 54 immigrants of Bangladesh and Myanmar nabbed over the past few years for illegally entering India. They had been languishing in a detention camp in southern Assams Silchar Central Jail since 2015. The decision to deport the Bangladeshi immigrants was taken after two rounds of talks with Bangladeshi officials. They will be pushed back through Karimganj sector of the border tomorrow (Monday) morning, Cachar Superintend of Police Rakesh Roushan told Express. The three Hindus are Bhagabati Goala (50), Rahul Das (23) and Mou Das (18). They had purportedly fled the neighbouring country in the face of religious persecution there. Last year, the authorities in southern Assam had deported 10 Bangladeshis. The opposition parties in Assam are critical of the BJPs alleged contradictory stand on the issue of illegal immigrants. The BJP emphatically says it will drive out the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Then, it contradicts its position through its move to grant citizenship to the Bangladeshi Hindu immigrants by amending the Citizenship Act. How can both go side by side? three-time former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of the Congress wondered. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is equally livid. Assam shouldnt be made a dumping ground by being forced to accept the immigrants, Gogois predecessor and AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who recently petitioned President Pranab Mukherjee against the Centres move, said. The BJP views the Hindu immigrants as refugees. It asserts that they are the victims of partition, who fled to India in the face of torture and religious persecution in Bangladesh. As per the Assam Accord of 1985, the immigrants, irrespective of faith, who entered Assam after March 24, 1971, will be deported. The Accord was signed by the then Rajiv Gandhi government in the aftermath of the bloody Assam Agitation.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Centre has accorded Z category security to the Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh following increased threat perception. Singh has been caught in the crossfire within the Samajwadi Party, with the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav having accused him of triggering feud within the party.

Singh, who was re-inducted in the SP after six years, had been again expelled by the state chief minister after assuming the leadership of the party. The Rajya Sabha MP will get the security cover to be provided by the central paramilitary commandos.

An order on Z security cover for Singh was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs late Saturday night, said a senior official, who added that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has already taken over the task of the controversial SP leader. The official claimed that there had been intelligence inputs in the recent times which suggested threats to the SP leader.

Singh has been a long time colleague of the SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and had thrown his weight behind Shivpal Singh Yadav in the war within the Yadav clan. The security cover will be available with Singh whenever he moves around in Uttar Pradesh. The Rajya Sabha MP gets security cover in the national capital from the Delhi police.

The SP leader had earlier been a protectee of the CISF from 2008 to mid-2016. Afterward, the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued an order withdrawing the security cover, which was entrusted to the state police.

NEW DELHI: The Centre has accorded Z category security to the Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh following increased threat perception. Singh has been caught in the crossfire within the Samajwadi Party, with the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav having accused him of triggering feud within the party. Singh, who was re-inducted in the SP after six years, had been again expelled by the state chief minister after assuming the leadership of the party. The Rajya Sabha MP will get the security cover to be provided by the central paramilitary commandos. An order on Z security cover for Singh was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs late Saturday night, said a senior official, who added that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has already taken over the task of the controversial SP leader. The official claimed that there had been intelligence inputs in the recent times which suggested threats to the SP leader. Singh has been a long time colleague of the SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and had thrown his weight behind Shivpal Singh Yadav in the war within the Yadav clan. The security cover will be available with Singh whenever he moves around in Uttar Pradesh. The Rajya Sabha MP gets security cover in the national capital from the Delhi police. The SP leader had earlier been a protectee of the CISF from 2008 to mid-2016. Afterward, the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued an order withdrawing the security cover, which was entrusted to the state police.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Manipur will go to polls in the first week of March under the shadow of the ongoing economic blockade.United Naga Council (UNC), Manipurs apex social organisation of the Nagas, on Saturday decided to intensify the blockade, enforced on two national highways  lifelines of the land-locked state  since November 1.

The UNC today (Saturday) met the leaders of 16 Naga tribes of Manipur. The meeting endorsed all the recommendations and decisions of an earlier meeting of the Nagas. We have decided to intensify the blockade and ban on the construction of national projects and picketing of government offices in Naga areas, UNC general secretary Milan Shimray told Express.



There was a perception that the UNC could lift the blockade in view of the Assembly polls in the state. But Milan categorically said the blockade would continue till elections and beyond.

Elections are not our priority. Our priority is to protect and safeguard our ancestral homeland. Nobody should impose any decision on the land of our forefathers, he asserted.



Our agitation is not against any people. It is against the Manipur government for not upholding and honouring past assurances about our land. In November last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs had convened a tripartite meeting, but the Manipur government didnt send its representative. It shows Ibobi (Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh) wanted the situation to go on. He never wants peace, Milan alleged.



The UNC enforced the blockade in protest against Ibobi-led Congress governments decision to create seven more districts without consulting the Nagas. Now, the State government has been providing security to goods-laden vehicles from Nagaland and Assam.



The blockade was enforced in protest against the state governments decision to create seven more districts, particularly Sadar Hills, without consulting the Nagas.



He had said, We have not yet discussed banning Congress in the Naga areas. Three anti-tribal bills were introduced in August and subsequently, four NPF (Naga Peoples Front) MLAs had resigned in protest but eight other Naga MLAs (all of Congress) did not comply with the resolution of the Nagas.



On August 31 last year, three bills  Protection of Manipur Peoples Bill 2015, Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (seventh amendment) Bill 2015, and Manipur Shops and Establishment (second amendment) Bill 2015  were introduced in the Assembly. The Nagas viewed the bills as anti-Naga.

GUWAHATI: Manipur will go to polls in the first week of March under the shadow of the ongoing economic blockade.United Naga Council (UNC), Manipurs apex social organisation of the Nagas, on Saturday decided to intensify the blockade, enforced on two national highways  lifelines of the land-locked state  since November 1. The UNC today (Saturday) met the leaders of 16 Naga tribes of Manipur. The meeting endorsed all the recommendations and decisions of an earlier meeting of the Nagas. We have decided to intensify the blockade and ban on the construction of national projects and picketing of government offices in Naga areas, UNC general secretary Milan Shimray told Express. There was a perception that the UNC could lift the blockade in view of the Assembly polls in the state. But Milan categorically said the blockade would continue till elections and beyond. Elections are not our priority. Our priority is to protect and safeguard our ancestral homeland. Nobody should impose any decision on the land of our forefathers, he asserted. Our agitation is not against any people. It is against the Manipur government for not upholding and honouring past assurances about our land. In November last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs had convened a tripartite meeting, but the Manipur government didnt send its representative. It shows Ibobi (Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh) wanted the situation to go on. He never wants peace, Milan alleged. The UNC enforced the blockade in protest against Ibobi-led Congress governments decision to create seven more districts without consulting the Nagas. Now, the State government has been providing security to goods-laden vehicles from Nagaland and Assam. The blockade was enforced in protest against the state governments decision to create seven more districts, particularly Sadar Hills, without consulting the Nagas. He had said, We have not yet discussed banning Congress in the Naga areas. Three anti-tribal bills were introduced in August and subsequently, four NPF (Naga Peoples Front) MLAs had resigned in protest but eight other Naga MLAs (all of Congress) did not comply with the resolution of the Nagas. On August 31 last year, three bills  Protection of Manipur Peoples Bill 2015, Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (seventh amendment) Bill 2015, and Manipur Shops and Establishment (second amendment) Bill 2015  were introduced in the Assembly. The Nagas viewed the bills as anti-Naga.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: The Congress in Assam has criticized the Centres move to do away with the British-era system of giving ration to tea estate workers and urged not to implement it. The Union labour ministry is planning to draw curtains on the age-old system of cash and kind wages for the plantation workers and make cash payments in their bank accounts mandatory.

Under the Plantation Labour Act, 1951, the wages of plantation workers include cash besides ration, healthcare and education services (in kind). The daily wage of a plantation worker in Assam, with effect from January this year, is Rs.137. He or she is also entitled to 35 kgs of rice and wheat every month at subsidized 54 paise per kg.

The Congress asked the Centre to clarify if the money, to be given to the workers in lieu of ration which is viewed a part of their wages, would be on a par with market prices. We oppose the Centres move to kill the system of ration. This is not just anti-poor but also illegal, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora said.

As of now, its not clear how much money a worker will get in lieu of ration. If the money is at the subsidized rate of ration, it will be a great injustice to the workers. We must not forget that the family members of workers also enjoy the fruit of the system. If the government implements the decision without examining these aspects, the miseries of workers will only increase, Bora said. Assam has some 850 tea estates with the number of workers (permanent and casual) estimated at around nine lakh. Together with their family members, some 25 lakh-30 lakh people are the beneficiaries of subsidized ration.

The influential Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) said it would oppose the Centres move tooth and nail. Our stand is that the workers should keep getting ration provided by the management. A reason is that there is never any delay in getting it. Secondly, most workers spend their weekly wages in a day or two. Now, if a certain amount is paid in lieu of ration, many workers will misuse it on liquor or elsewhere, ACMS leader Nabin Keot told Express. If the government goes ahead with the decision by amending the Plantation Labour Act, it could trigger dangerous consequences across tea estates, he warned.

GUWAHATI: The Congress in Assam has criticized the Centres move to do away with the British-era system of giving ration to tea estate workers and urged not to implement it. The Union labour ministry is planning to draw curtains on the age-old system of cash and kind wages for the plantation workers and make cash payments in their bank accounts mandatory. Under the Plantation Labour Act, 1951, the wages of plantation workers include cash besides ration, healthcare and education services (in kind). The daily wage of a plantation worker in Assam, with effect from January this year, is Rs.137. He or she is also entitled to 35 kgs of rice and wheat every month at subsidized 54 paise per kg. The Congress asked the Centre to clarify if the money, to be given to the workers in lieu of ration which is viewed a part of their wages, would be on a par with market prices. We oppose the Centres move to kill the system of ration. This is not just anti-poor but also illegal, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora said. As of now, its not clear how much money a worker will get in lieu of ration. If the money is at the subsidized rate of ration, it will be a great injustice to the workers. We must not forget that the family members of workers also enjoy the fruit of the system. If the government implements the decision without examining these aspects, the miseries of workers will only increase, Bora said. Assam has some 850 tea estates with the number of workers (permanent and casual) estimated at around nine lakh. Together with their family members, some 25 lakh-30 lakh people are the beneficiaries of subsidized ration. The influential Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) said it would oppose the Centres move tooth and nail. Our stand is that the workers should keep getting ration provided by the management. A reason is that there is never any delay in getting it. Secondly, most workers spend their weekly wages in a day or two. Now, if a certain amount is paid in lieu of ration, many workers will misuse it on liquor or elsewhere, ACMS leader Nabin Keot told Express. If the government goes ahead with the decision by amending the Plantation Labour Act, it could trigger dangerous consequences across tea estates, he warned.
Ritu Sharma By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Bengaluru, Jan 8: In what will give a permanent link to the descendants of the Indian colonial slave workers shipped by British and French colonisers to work in their colonies, the Indian Government on Sunday announced to give them Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards that will facilitated them to visit India without needing a visa. T

he labourers, known as girmityas, were taken away by the colonisers as early as 1820s and are spread across east Africa, South East Asia, the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean (called girmitya countries). The government has started the scheme from Mauritius and in the long run it will be beneficial to their eight million descendants.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017 organised in the city. We have a special bond with the Indian Diaspora which is living in the Girmitiya countries  who are deeply and emotionally attached with their place of origin. We are aware of difficulties faced by Persons of Indian Origin/ from these countries in obtaining an OCI Card if they moved abroad four or five generations ago.

I am glad to announce that starting with Mauritius, we are working to put in place new procedures and documentation requirements so that the descendants of Girmitiyas from this country could become eligible for OCI Cards, PM Modi said. He further added that the government will be addressing similar difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States. The OCI scheme was started by the UPA Government and was offered till the fourth generation descendants of the Indian emigrants.

However, the girmityas are a special case as they migrated over two centuries ago and most of them have traveled to 25 nations and four French islands in the Indian Ocean. OCI does not give citizenship benefits to its holders but do give a visa free entry into the country.

The first wave of the Indian workers being shipped by the British abroad is recorded in 1820s that was found by a team of experts formulated by the foreign ministry to study the archives in Mauritius, which are very well documented. The change of policy for the girmityas is in sync with the Narendra Modi governments foreign policy where Indian diaspora is the cornerstone. Modi has been harping on connecting the Indian diaspora with the economic and social transformation of the country. He said that $ 69 billion have been channeled into India by Non-Residents Indians (NRIs) that will be boosting Indian growth.

BENGALURU: Bengaluru, Jan 8: In what will give a permanent link to the descendants of the Indian colonial slave workers shipped by British and French colonisers to work in their colonies, the Indian Government on Sunday announced to give them Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards that will facilitated them to visit India without needing a visa. T he labourers, known as girmityas, were taken away by the colonisers as early as 1820s and are spread across east Africa, South East Asia, the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean (called girmitya countries). The government has started the scheme from Mauritius and in the long run it will be beneficial to their eight million descendants. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017 organised in the city. We have a special bond with the Indian Diaspora which is living in the Girmitiya countries  who are deeply and emotionally attached with their place of origin. We are aware of difficulties faced by Persons of Indian Origin/ from these countries in obtaining an OCI Card if they moved abroad four or five generations ago. I am glad to announce that starting with Mauritius, we are working to put in place new procedures and documentation requirements so that the descendants of Girmitiyas from this country could become eligible for OCI Cards, PM Modi said. He further added that the government will be addressing similar difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States. The OCI scheme was started by the UPA Government and was offered till the fourth generation descendants of the Indian emigrants. However, the girmityas are a special case as they migrated over two centuries ago and most of them have traveled to 25 nations and four French islands in the Indian Ocean. OCI does not give citizenship benefits to its holders but do give a visa free entry into the country. The first wave of the Indian workers being shipped by the British abroad is recorded in 1820s that was found by a team of experts formulated by the foreign ministry to study the archives in Mauritius, which are very well documented. The change of policy for the girmityas is in sync with the Narendra Modi governments foreign policy where Indian diaspora is the cornerstone. Modi has been harping on connecting the Indian diaspora with the economic and social transformation of the country. He said that $ 69 billion have been channeled into India by Non-Residents Indians (NRIs) that will be boosting Indian growth.
By PTI

CHANDIGARH: An Ex-servicemen association today accused former army chief and SAD candidate from Patiala JJ Singh for "demeaning the Army and the high gubernatorial office for petty political gains" even as Singh said he is contesting the polls to serve the people.

In a statement issued, the India Ex-Servicemen Joint Action Front Sanjha Morcha hit out at Singh, terming him as an "opportunist officer" who always "hungered for publicity and indulged in shamelessly brazen display of rank".

"With his decision to contest the Punjab Assembly elections, the General had not only downgraded the status of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) but also disgraced the high office of Governor - both positions given to him by the UPA government," said the ex-servicemen group, led by Sanjha Morcha chief patron Lt Gen J S Dhaliwal in a release here.

Former Army Chief Gen J J Singh yesterday joined the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and would take on Punjab Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh from Patiala urban seat in the February 4 state assembly elections.

Meanwhile, Singh today slammed the group for accusing him of entering politics for "petty political gains". "What political gains? I have joined a political party to serve people and people are appreciating my move," the former army chief said this evening. "Why they are bothered," Singh asked the representatives of the ex-servicemen front, accusing them of being a "motivated group".

He alleged that they are being instigated by Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh as they do not have any issue against him. "I carry no baggage and Captain Amarinder Singh is now feeling that he can lose elections. Therefore, he is instigating such groups to speak against me," alleged Singh.

CHANDIGARH: An Ex-servicemen association today accused former army chief and SAD candidate from Patiala JJ Singh for "demeaning the Army and the high gubernatorial office for petty political gains" even as Singh said he is contesting the polls to serve the people. In a statement issued, the India Ex-Servicemen Joint Action Front Sanjha Morcha hit out at Singh, terming him as an "opportunist officer" who always "hungered for publicity and indulged in shamelessly brazen display of rank". "With his decision to contest the Punjab Assembly elections, the General had not only downgraded the status of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) but also disgraced the high office of Governor - both positions given to him by the UPA government," said the ex-servicemen group, led by Sanjha Morcha chief patron Lt Gen J S Dhaliwal in a release here. Former Army Chief Gen J J Singh yesterday joined the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and would take on Punjab Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh from Patiala urban seat in the February 4 state assembly elections. Meanwhile, Singh today slammed the group for accusing him of entering politics for "petty political gains". "What political gains? I have joined a political party to serve people and people are appreciating my move," the former army chief said this evening. "Why they are bothered," Singh asked the representatives of the ex-servicemen front, accusing them of being a "motivated group". He alleged that they are being instigated by Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh as they do not have any issue against him. "I carry no baggage and Captain Amarinder Singh is now feeling that he can lose elections. Therefore, he is instigating such groups to speak against me," alleged Singh.
By PTI

CHANDIGARH: Former bureaucrats, ex-police officers and former army men have jumped into the election fray in Punjab as they try their luck in the high-stake assembly polls in the state on February 4.

They are fielded by all major political parties, including Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu, who served as Deputy Commissioner of Mohali for about three years, has been fielded by SAD from Mohali. Sidhu quit as Secretary of Punjab Mandi Board before taking the electoral plunge.

Didhu, 59, son-in-law of senior Akali leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, was a former army officer and was selected to Punjab Civil Services in 1989 and was elevated to the Indian Administrative Service in 2012.

Former army chief and former governor General J J Singh has thrown his hat into the election ring by joining hands with SAD and will take on Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh (himself an army man) from Patiala (Urban) seat.

J J Singh, 71, on Saturday joined SAD and exuded confidence he would pull off a "historic win" against Amarinder.

AAP, which is eyeing to wrest power from the SAD-BJP in Punjab, has fielded former police officers and Arjuna awardees Kartar Singh and Sajjan Singh Cheema from Tarn Taran and Sultanpur Lodhi respectively. Both served as Superintendents of Police in Punjab.

Congress has given a ticket to former IAS officer Kuldeep Singh Vaid from Gill assembly seat in Ludhiana. Vaid, 56, was serving as Deputy Commissioner of Moga before being fielded by Congress.

Former IAS officer and MLA from Jagraon S R Kaler has been nominated from Nihal Singh Wala by the Akalis.

Meanwhile, AAP has also given tickets to former army officers, Captain Bikramjit Singh Pahuwindia, 47, a Shaurya Chakra awardee from Khemkaran seat and Brigadier (Retd) Raj Kumar from Balachaur seat while Captain Gurbinder Singh Kang, a commercial pilot, has been fielded from Baghapuarna.

Former IAS officer D S Guru, who had remained Principal Secretary to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, has been given a ticket from Bassi Pathana. Considered loyal to Badal, Guru lost in 2012 assembly polls from Bhadaur seat.

CHANDIGARH: Former bureaucrats, ex-police officers and former army men have jumped into the election fray in Punjab as they try their luck in the high-stake assembly polls in the state on February 4. They are fielded by all major political parties, including Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu, who served as Deputy Commissioner of Mohali for about three years, has been fielded by SAD from Mohali. Sidhu quit as Secretary of Punjab Mandi Board before taking the electoral plunge. Didhu, 59, son-in-law of senior Akali leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, was a former army officer and was selected to Punjab Civil Services in 1989 and was elevated to the Indian Administrative Service in 2012. Former army chief and former governor General J J Singh has thrown his hat into the election ring by joining hands with SAD and will take on Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh (himself an army man) from Patiala (Urban) seat. J J Singh, 71, on Saturday joined SAD and exuded confidence he would pull off a "historic win" against Amarinder. AAP, which is eyeing to wrest power from the SAD-BJP in Punjab, has fielded former police officers and Arjuna awardees Kartar Singh and Sajjan Singh Cheema from Tarn Taran and Sultanpur Lodhi respectively. Both served as Superintendents of Police in Punjab. Congress has given a ticket to former IAS officer Kuldeep Singh Vaid from Gill assembly seat in Ludhiana. Vaid, 56, was serving as Deputy Commissioner of Moga before being fielded by Congress. Former IAS officer and MLA from Jagraon S R Kaler has been nominated from Nihal Singh Wala by the Akalis. Meanwhile, AAP has also given tickets to former army officers, Captain Bikramjit Singh Pahuwindia, 47, a Shaurya Chakra awardee from Khemkaran seat and Brigadier (Retd) Raj Kumar from Balachaur seat while Captain Gurbinder Singh Kang, a commercial pilot, has been fielded from Baghapuarna. Former IAS officer D S Guru, who had remained Principal Secretary to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, has been given a ticket from Bassi Pathana. Considered loyal to Badal, Guru lost in 2012 assembly polls from Bhadaur seat.
By PTI

BENGALURU: Seeking to bolster the Indo-French strategic partnership, French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed a wide range of issues, including defence and terrorism.

"I spoke about different aspects of our partnership," Ayrault told reporters here on the sidelines of a function after his meeting with Modi, who was here to attend the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the Centre's outreach programme for overseas Indians. The French minister, who began his three-day visit to India from here, said: "We spoke about defence because India needs to protect itself. Therefore, defence is an important area. I also shared with him concerns about terrorism and how we are together in fighting it." Noting that India has various defence needs, for example Rafale fighter aircraft, he said, "It needs subamarines, it needs helicopeters... So we did discuss all of these."

In September last year, India had inked a Euro 7.87 billion (about Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and equipped with latest missiles that will give the IAF greater "potency" over arch rival Pakistan.

BENGALURU: Seeking to bolster the Indo-French strategic partnership, French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed a wide range of issues, including defence and terrorism. "I spoke about different aspects of our partnership," Ayrault told reporters here on the sidelines of a function after his meeting with Modi, who was here to attend the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the Centre's outreach programme for overseas Indians. The French minister, who began his three-day visit to India from here, said: "We spoke about defence because India needs to protect itself. Therefore, defence is an important area. I also shared with him concerns about terrorism and how we are together in fighting it." Noting that India has various defence needs, for example Rafale fighter aircraft, he said, "It needs subamarines, it needs helicopeters... So we did discuss all of these." In September last year, India had inked a Euro 7.87 billion (about Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and equipped with latest missiles that will give the IAF greater "potency" over arch rival Pakistan.
YATISH YADAV By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: It is obvious that the government went the extra mile to comply with the NACs orders as another instance shows. On September 14, 2011, without keeping the Prime Minister in the loop, Sonia wrote to Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh (26011/1/2011-NAC-2988) on strengthening the natural resource management component under the MGNREGA. A note comprising the recommendations of the NAC are enclosed for appropriate action, read the letter.

Subsequently, Jairam replied on September 28, 2011 indicating compliance. He also invited Deep Joshi, Aruna Roy and others from the NAC to be part of the consultative process. We will now put the ideas contained in the discussion paper into practice, Jairam wrote to Sonia.

Finger in all pies

The super cabinets domain was all-inclusive. A K Mohapatra, Secretary, Shipping, made a presentation on June 20, 2007, seeking the NACs help in resolving implementation problems in the port sector. According to the Minutes (File no.2), the importance of a well-planned strategy for the western sector, keeping in view the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project, was underlined. So was the need for the timely acquisition of land for port and hinterland facilities and to block suitable areas for future development of ports. Mahapatra complained to the NAC that the government was planning to develop five new ports but was faced with problems like slow decision-making and inadequate global investments.

Was PMO reporting to NAC?

As far as the implementation was concerned, the powerful council had a direct hotline with the Prime Ministers Office. File No. 11018/1/2012-NAC reveals that the body had been writing to the principal secretary in the PMO from time to time seeking updates on action taken by the government on its recommendations. However, in some instances, the PMO had indicated that action is being pursued at the level of the cabinet secretary.

Also Read: Straight from PMO files, how Sonia ruled as proxy PM

On May 7, 2012, Rita Sharma wrote to Pulok Chatterjee, principal secretary in the PMO, seeking fresh updates on NAC recommendations. Please refer to my letter dated 29.02.2012 requesting for an update on the status of implementation of about 19 recommendations made by the national advisory council since its constitution in March 2010. Shri L K Atheeq, Joint Secretary had then sent to me by email, update of five items, Sharma wrote (DO NO. N.11018/1/2012-NAC-4700)

In UPA, Sonia had the last word

The files reveal that babus were uncomfortable with some of the NACs suggestions. On the Pre-Legislative Consultation Process, bureaucrats felt that the NACs recommendations sent to the prime minister by Sonia Gandhi on May 28, 2013 via Letter No.

N 18014/4/2011-NAC-8301 were not feasible. Subsequently the PMO wrote to the cabinet secretary with a copy to the NAC secretary, and the Department of Legal Affairs secretary, flagging the concerns. The need for transparency in the pre-legislative process cannot be over-emphasised. It is felt that it should be possible to achieve a greater level of peoples participation and transparency without endangering the process by fixing appropriate time limits and isolating the responses of pressure/interest groups from those of the general public, the PMO wrote.

The Department of Legal Affairs too railed against the NAC through a note (FTS No. 2077/LS/2013) saying the PLP is likely to increase the possibilities of substantial amount of lobbying from various pressure groups to influence the government and sometime PLP may lead to strong civil society interventions, which may effect dispassionate consideration of the proposals. However, a committee of secretaries under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth decided to toe the NAC line.

A meeting of the Committee of Secretaries was held on January 10, 2014 chaired by the cabinet secretary. The CoS agreed that the adoption of PLP would be desirable as it would make the process of law making and policy making more participative and transparent and would help in better laws being enacted through prior scrutiny by public/stakeholders. PLP being proposed by the CoS is by and large on the lines of NAC recommendations, read the file note.

Meeting bills paid by ministries

Ministries were also asked to bear the expenses of an NAC working group meeting held to review and suggest ideas with the active participation of NGO activists and experts as revealed in a letter from Rita Sharma (26011/1/2011-NAC-1877) dated 20th April 2011 to rural development secretary B K Sinha. She had earlier informed him in March, 2011, that the NAC, in a meeting dated 26.2.2011, approved the constitution of a working group on natural resources management in convergence with MGNREGS. It had sought a detailed report from the ministry on the implementation of its guidelines. It is requested that Ministry of Rural Development may host the proposed one day national consultation, including payment of TA/DA to non-official participants. Invitations to finalised list of participants will be sent by the NAC, Sharma wrote to the rural development secretary.

Coal power

On 30th August 2007, H C Gupta, former coal secretary, was summoned by the NAC to give a presentation on Indias coal sector. On October 17, NAC officer on special duty Dhiraj Srivastava asked him to provide hard copies of the background note and presentation by October 10, 2007. Gupta made a presentation at the NAC office on October 17 on the allocation of coal blocks, government attempts to boost coal production and the formulation of a new coal distribution policy.

The NAC was directing the government to carry out recommendations from experts and activists. File No. 1 relates details of a power ministry presentation made on October 29, 2005, on energy policy. Subsequently, NAC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote to then prime minister Manmohan Singh voicing her concerns. An important concern of the NAC is that there is apparently an institutional lacuna in respect of the formulation implementation and monitoring of an integrated Energy policy in all its aspects the most significant of which have been highlighted in the presentation, Sonia wrote to Manmohan on November 5 (Letter No. 1380/CP/NAC/0520 (2005)).

The real durbar

The NAC routinely called bureaucrats to its office for briefings. In December 2013, it summoned senior officials of the finance ministry to discuss the impact of the new education cess. NAC Secretary Rita Sharma on December 9, 2013, wrote to the education secretary and the department of expenditure secretary to depute senior officers to brief the body on the cess collected. On March 28, 2014, the NAC summoned the panchayati raj and labour & employment secretaries for a presentation during its 37th meeting.

NEW DELHI: It is obvious that the government went the extra mile to comply with the NACs orders as another instance shows. On September 14, 2011, without keeping the Prime Minister in the loop, Sonia wrote to Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh (26011/1/2011-NAC-2988) on strengthening the natural resource management component under the MGNREGA. A note comprising the recommendations of the NAC are enclosed for appropriate action, read the letter. Subsequently, Jairam replied on September 28, 2011 indicating compliance. He also invited Deep Joshi, Aruna Roy and others from the NAC to be part of the consultative process. We will now put the ideas contained in the discussion paper into practice, Jairam wrote to Sonia. Finger in all pies The super cabinets domain was all-inclusive. A K Mohapatra, Secretary, Shipping, made a presentation on June 20, 2007, seeking the NACs help in resolving implementation problems in the port sector. According to the Minutes (File no.2), the importance of a well-planned strategy for the western sector, keeping in view the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project, was underlined. So was the need for the timely acquisition of land for port and hinterland facilities and to block suitable areas for future development of ports. Mahapatra complained to the NAC that the government was planning to develop five new ports but was faced with problems like slow decision-making and inadequate global investments. Was PMO reporting to NAC? As far as the implementation was concerned, the powerful council had a direct hotline with the Prime Ministers Office. File No. 11018/1/2012-NAC reveals that the body had been writing to the principal secretary in the PMO from time to time seeking updates on action taken by the government on its recommendations. However, in some instances, the PMO had indicated that action is being pursued at the level of the cabinet secretary. Also Read: Straight from PMO files, how Sonia ruled as proxy PM On May 7, 2012, Rita Sharma wrote to Pulok Chatterjee, principal secretary in the PMO, seeking fresh updates on NAC recommendations. Please refer to my letter dated 29.02.2012 requesting for an update on the status of implementation of about 19 recommendations made by the national advisory council since its constitution in March 2010. Shri L K Atheeq, Joint Secretary had then sent to me by email, update of five items, Sharma wrote (DO NO. N.11018/1/2012-NAC-4700) In UPA, Sonia had the last word The files reveal that babus were uncomfortable with some of the NACs suggestions. On the Pre-Legislative Consultation Process, bureaucrats felt that the NACs recommendations sent to the prime minister by Sonia Gandhi on May 28, 2013 via Letter No. N 18014/4/2011-NAC-8301 were not feasible. Subsequently the PMO wrote to the cabinet secretary with a copy to the NAC secretary, and the Department of Legal Affairs secretary, flagging the concerns. The need for transparency in the pre-legislative process cannot be over-emphasised. It is felt that it should be possible to achieve a greater level of peoples participation and transparency without endangering the process by fixing appropriate time limits and isolating the responses of pressure/interest groups from those of the general public, the PMO wrote. The Department of Legal Affairs too railed against the NAC through a note (FTS No. 2077/LS/2013) saying the PLP is likely to increase the possibilities of substantial amount of lobbying from various pressure groups to influence the government and sometime PLP may lead to strong civil society interventions, which may effect dispassionate consideration of the proposals. However, a committee of secretaries under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth decided to toe the NAC line. A meeting of the Committee of Secretaries was held on January 10, 2014 chaired by the cabinet secretary. The CoS agreed that the adoption of PLP would be desirable as it would make the process of law making and policy making more participative and transparent and would help in better laws being enacted through prior scrutiny by public/stakeholders. PLP being proposed by the CoS is by and large on the lines of NAC recommendations, read the file note. Meeting bills paid by ministries Ministries were also asked to bear the expenses of an NAC working group meeting held to review and suggest ideas with the active participation of NGO activists and experts as revealed in a letter from Rita Sharma (26011/1/2011-NAC-1877) dated 20th April 2011 to rural development secretary B K Sinha. She had earlier informed him in March, 2011, that the NAC, in a meeting dated 26.2.2011, approved the constitution of a working group on natural resources management in convergence with MGNREGS. It had sought a detailed report from the ministry on the implementation of its guidelines. It is requested that Ministry of Rural Development may host the proposed one day national consultation, including payment of TA/DA to non-official participants. Invitations to finalised list of participants will be sent by the NAC, Sharma wrote to the rural development secretary. Coal power On 30th August 2007, H C Gupta, former coal secretary, was summoned by the NAC to give a presentation on Indias coal sector. On October 17, NAC officer on special duty Dhiraj Srivastava asked him to provide hard copies of the background note and presentation by October 10, 2007. Gupta made a presentation at the NAC office on October 17 on the allocation of coal blocks, government attempts to boost coal production and the formulation of a new coal distribution policy. The NAC was directing the government to carry out recommendations from experts and activists. File No. 1 relates details of a power ministry presentation made on October 29, 2005, on energy policy. Subsequently, NAC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote to then prime minister Manmohan Singh voicing her concerns. An important concern of the NAC is that there is apparently an institutional lacuna in respect of the formulation implementation and monitoring of an integrated Energy policy in all its aspects the most significant of which have been highlighted in the presentation, Sonia wrote to Manmohan on November 5 (Letter No. 1380/CP/NAC/0520 (2005)). The real durbar The NAC routinely called bureaucrats to its office for briefings. In December 2013, it summoned senior officials of the finance ministry to discuss the impact of the new education cess. NAC Secretary Rita Sharma on December 9, 2013, wrote to the education secretary and the department of expenditure secretary to depute senior officers to brief the body on the cess collected. On March 28, 2014, the NAC summoned the panchayati raj and labour & employment secretaries for a presentation during its 37th meeting.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: With demonetisation having completed 60 days on Sunday, JD(U) reiterated its support for the controversial financial exercise, thus causing fresh strains with its allies in the Bihar government, RJD and Congress.

Even though JD(U) is yet to carry out a formal review of demonetisation and its impact, as was announced by the partys national president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his close aide and state JD(U) chief Vashistha Narayan Singh said that hardships due to demonetisation have started easing.

The statement took both RJD and Congress by surprise amid renewed speculation that Kumar might continue with his support for demonetisation despite continuing protests by non-NDA parties and that the growing proximity between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi could lead to a political realignment in Bihar.

We would review the situation around the time of (former Bihar CM and socialist icon) Karpoori Thakurs birth anniversary on January 24. Problems faced by the common people due to demonetisation have started easing now, said Singh in Patna.

Leaders of RJD, which organized demonstrations across Bihar against demonetisation on December 28 and now plans a big rally of like-minded parties in Patna, were shocked by Singhs statement. Congress, which organized a demonstration in Patna on Saturday, asked BJP leaders to visit rural areas and homes of the poor for a realistic assessment of the situation.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, decidedly perplexed by JD(U)s stand, declined to comment on Singhs statement and instead targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sixty days have passed. Why doesnt Modi now say how much black money came back? Why is he silent? He had been speaking so much on ending corruption, but the countrys GDP is coming down and industrial activities have stalled, he said.

He (PM) is now talking of cashless transactions, but it will take years before cashless facilities start being used extensively in the country, added Yadav. Bihar Congress president and education minister Ashok Chaudhary said: BJPs claims about demonetisation having been welcomed by the poor are baseless. The parties should visit rural areas and homes of the poor to know.

JD(U) state spokesperson Sanjay Singh rubbished speculation about a growing Nitish-Modi friendship, saying: JD(U) has been supporting demonetisation since the beginning, though our partys formal stand is yet to be announced. BJP wholeheartedly welcomed JD(U)s renewed support for demonetisation.

Nitish Kumar is no less than an economist and knows the realities of the nation. JD(U) had been in NDA for 17 years, said senior BJP leader Vinod Narayan Jha.

PATNA: With demonetisation having completed 60 days on Sunday, JD(U) reiterated its support for the controversial financial exercise, thus causing fresh strains with its allies in the Bihar government, RJD and Congress. Even though JD(U) is yet to carry out a formal review of demonetisation and its impact, as was announced by the partys national president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his close aide and state JD(U) chief Vashistha Narayan Singh said that hardships due to demonetisation have started easing. The statement took both RJD and Congress by surprise amid renewed speculation that Kumar might continue with his support for demonetisation despite continuing protests by non-NDA parties and that the growing proximity between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi could lead to a political realignment in Bihar. We would review the situation around the time of (former Bihar CM and socialist icon) Karpoori Thakurs birth anniversary on January 24. Problems faced by the common people due to demonetisation have started easing now, said Singh in Patna. Leaders of RJD, which organized demonstrations across Bihar against demonetisation on December 28 and now plans a big rally of like-minded parties in Patna, were shocked by Singhs statement. Congress, which organized a demonstration in Patna on Saturday, asked BJP leaders to visit rural areas and homes of the poor for a realistic assessment of the situation. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, decidedly perplexed by JD(U)s stand, declined to comment on Singhs statement and instead targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sixty days have passed. Why doesnt Modi now say how much black money came back? Why is he silent? He had been speaking so much on ending corruption, but the countrys GDP is coming down and industrial activities have stalled, he said. He (PM) is now talking of cashless transactions, but it will take years before cashless facilities start being used extensively in the country, added Yadav. Bihar Congress president and education minister Ashok Chaudhary said: BJPs claims about demonetisation having been welcomed by the poor are baseless. The parties should visit rural areas and homes of the poor to know. JD(U) state spokesperson Sanjay Singh rubbished speculation about a growing Nitish-Modi friendship, saying: JD(U) has been supporting demonetisation since the beginning, though our partys formal stand is yet to be announced. BJP wholeheartedly welcomed JD(U)s renewed support for demonetisation. Nitish Kumar is no less than an economist and knows the realities of the nation. JD(U) had been in NDA for 17 years, said senior BJP leader Vinod Narayan Jha.
By PTI

PANAJI: AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today assured rehabilitation fund of Rs 400 crore for the "victims" of iron ore mining ban in place till 2014 in Goa.

"Those who became the victims of the mining ban, for them we would create Rs 400 crore separate funds for rehabilitation," Kejriwal told a public meeting at Sakhalim constituency located in the ore-rich mining belt. Goa is going to polls on February 4.

During his speech, he accused both the Congress and the BJP of causing miseries to people living in mining belt. "Between 2007-2012, Congress did so much corruption in the mining sector that Centre had to bring in (Justice M B) Shah Commission.

The commission said there is Rs 36,000 crore scam in the mining sector," the CM said. Kejriwal said, "during 2012 election, (Manohar) Parrikar went door to door telling people that he will punish those involved in illegal mining," he said, adding after coming to power the BJP threw the Shah Commission report in the dust bin.

"No one was sent to jail. On the contrary what he (Parrikar as then CM) did was to shut down mining, leaving lakhs of people dependent on the business jobless," Kejriwal alleged. He said AAP will work for the full-fledged resumption of mining if voted to power.

"Mining should be done with honesty," he said, adding the country cannot run without mining industry. In its order in 2014, the Supreme Court had allowed an annual cap of 20 million tons of iron ore to be extracted in Goa which was banned by it for nearly one-and-a-half years.

The transportation and export of iron ore in Goa was stopped in October 2013 following a report of irregularities by the Justice Shah Commission.

PANAJI: AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today assured rehabilitation fund of Rs 400 crore for the "victims" of iron ore mining ban in place till 2014 in Goa. "Those who became the victims of the mining ban, for them we would create Rs 400 crore separate funds for rehabilitation," Kejriwal told a public meeting at Sakhalim constituency located in the ore-rich mining belt. Goa is going to polls on February 4. During his speech, he accused both the Congress and the BJP of causing miseries to people living in mining belt. "Between 2007-2012, Congress did so much corruption in the mining sector that Centre had to bring in (Justice M B) Shah Commission. The commission said there is Rs 36,000 crore scam in the mining sector," the CM said. Kejriwal said, "during 2012 election, (Manohar) Parrikar went door to door telling people that he will punish those involved in illegal mining," he said, adding after coming to power the BJP threw the Shah Commission report in the dust bin. "No one was sent to jail. On the contrary what he (Parrikar as then CM) did was to shut down mining, leaving lakhs of people dependent on the business jobless," Kejriwal alleged. He said AAP will work for the full-fledged resumption of mining if voted to power. "Mining should be done with honesty," he said, adding the country cannot run without mining industry. In its order in 2014, the Supreme Court had allowed an annual cap of 20 million tons of iron ore to be extracted in Goa which was banned by it for nearly one-and-a-half years. The transportation and export of iron ore in Goa was stopped in October 2013 following a report of irregularities by the Justice Shah Commission.
By ANI

KHUNTI: A notorious Maoist and regional committee member Dimba Pahan surrendered before Khunti police officials and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security forces in Jharkhand yesterday.

Pahan, who was carrying a reward of Rs. 15 lakh on his head, surrendered before Superintendent of Police, Ashwaini Kumar Sinha, in the presence of Deputy Inspector General of Police, R.K. Dhan, Commandant Raj Kumar and other police officers.

A cheque of Rs 15 lakh was also handed over to Pahan under the state government's surrender policy for rehabilitation.

KHUNTI: A notorious Maoist and regional committee member Dimba Pahan surrendered before Khunti police officials and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security forces in Jharkhand yesterday. Pahan, who was carrying a reward of Rs. 15 lakh on his head, surrendered before Superintendent of Police, Ashwaini Kumar Sinha, in the presence of Deputy Inspector General of Police, R.K. Dhan, Commandant Raj Kumar and other police officers. A cheque of Rs 15 lakh was also handed over to Pahan under the state government's surrender policy for rehabilitation.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Accusing sacked SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav of trying to cobble up an alliance of Congress and Akhilesh Yadav faction of Samajwadi Party under BJP's influence, BSP chief Mayawati said that he was doing so to ensure the division of Muslim votes.

"It's a 'design' to divide the anti-BJP votes and Ram Gopal is working," Mayawati said at a press conference on Sunday while announcing the fourth and final list of her party candidates for UP East, comprising 101 names.

So far, the party has announced candidates for 401 out of total 403 seats, leaving Duddhi and Obra, which have been declared reserved for scheduled tribes. In the Sunday list released by Mayawati upper castes have got an upper hand.

Considering that upper castes and OBC's dominated the caste dynamics in eastern UP, maximum 37 tickets have been given to upper caste candidates, including 19 Brahmins and 16 Thakurs. Besides, the next significant chunk of 34 seats has gone to OBCs followed by 20 Dalits and 10 Muslim candidates.

Out of the 101, BSP could bag just 11 seats in 2012 including Padrauna which was won by partys former state chief and legislature party leader Swami Prasad Maurya. Maurya is now with BJP. Mayawati has replaced five sitting MLAs, including Maurya.

While, son of a mafia-turned-politician, Harishankar Tewari, Vinay Tewari has been given a ticket to contest from Chillupar, his cousin Ganesh Shankar Pandey has replaced BSPs Paniara MLA Deo Narayan Singh. Singh, in turn, has been shifted to Sahjanwa in Gorakhpur district.

In Padrauna, represented by Swami Prasad Maurya, who defected to BJP in June last year, Javed Iqbal has been fielded while six sitting MLAs have been repeated as well. Meanwhile, at a meeting later in the day, the BSP chief called upon the party men to intensify partys poll campaign as people were tired of Akhilesh government which was engaged in fierce family feud and failed to deliver anything positive during its five years tenure but the lawlessness in the state, BSP chief Mayawati released BSP chief Mayawati released the fourth and final list of 101 party candidates here on Sunday.

Exhorting her UP party cadre to stick strictly to the model code of conduct and work hard with the resolve to bring back the Bahujan Samaj Party's Sarvjan Sukhay, Sarvajan Hitay' (Happiness or all, goodness for all) government in Uttar Pradesh, the BSP chief took stock of partys poll preparedness at the ground level here again on Sunday.

"People want freedom from the prevailing jungle raaj as well as the communal forces which are rising head in the state," Mayawati told her party workers.

Calling BSP a disciplined organization and a movement in itself, the BSP chief came down heavily on her political rivals including BJP, SP and Congress for befooling people with fake promises which were never fulfilled. She referred to Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a government of mere slogans and condemned it for the policies like demonetisation. the economy.

LUCKNOW: Accusing sacked SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav of trying to cobble up an alliance of Congress and Akhilesh Yadav faction of Samajwadi Party under BJP's influence, BSP chief Mayawati said that he was doing so to ensure the division of Muslim votes. "It's a 'design' to divide the anti-BJP votes and Ram Gopal is working," Mayawati said at a press conference on Sunday while announcing the fourth and final list of her party candidates for UP East, comprising 101 names. So far, the party has announced candidates for 401 out of total 403 seats, leaving Duddhi and Obra, which have been declared reserved for scheduled tribes. In the Sunday list released by Mayawati upper castes have got an upper hand. Considering that upper castes and OBC's dominated the caste dynamics in eastern UP, maximum 37 tickets have been given to upper caste candidates, including 19 Brahmins and 16 Thakurs. Besides, the next significant chunk of 34 seats has gone to OBCs followed by 20 Dalits and 10 Muslim candidates. Out of the 101, BSP could bag just 11 seats in 2012 including Padrauna which was won by partys former state chief and legislature party leader Swami Prasad Maurya. Maurya is now with BJP. Mayawati has replaced five sitting MLAs, including Maurya. While, son of a mafia-turned-politician, Harishankar Tewari, Vinay Tewari has been given a ticket to contest from Chillupar, his cousin Ganesh Shankar Pandey has replaced BSPs Paniara MLA Deo Narayan Singh. Singh, in turn, has been shifted to Sahjanwa in Gorakhpur district. In Padrauna, represented by Swami Prasad Maurya, who defected to BJP in June last year, Javed Iqbal has been fielded while six sitting MLAs have been repeated as well. Meanwhile, at a meeting later in the day, the BSP chief called upon the party men to intensify partys poll campaign as people were tired of Akhilesh government which was engaged in fierce family feud and failed to deliver anything positive during its five years tenure but the lawlessness in the state, BSP chief Mayawati released BSP chief Mayawati released the fourth and final list of 101 party candidates here on Sunday. Exhorting her UP party cadre to stick strictly to the model code of conduct and work hard with the resolve to bring back the Bahujan Samaj Party's Sarvjan Sukhay, Sarvajan Hitay' (Happiness or all, goodness for all) government in Uttar Pradesh, the BSP chief took stock of partys poll preparedness at the ground level here again on Sunday. "People want freedom from the prevailing jungle raaj as well as the communal forces which are rising head in the state," Mayawati told her party workers. Calling BSP a disciplined organization and a movement in itself, the BSP chief came down heavily on her political rivals including BJP, SP and Congress for befooling people with fake promises which were never fulfilled. She referred to Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a government of mere slogans and condemned it for the policies like demonetisation. the economy.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission has directed Delhi University to allow inspection of records related to all the students who had passed BA degree in 1978, the year in which, according to the University, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also cleared the examination. The Commission rejected the contention of the Central Public Information Officer of the University that it was a third party personal information, saying it finds "neither merit nor legality" in it.

It directed the university "to facilitate inspection of relevant register where complete information about result of all students who passed in Bachelor of Arts, in year 1978 along with roll number, names of the students, father's name and marks obtained as available with the University and provide certified copy of the extract of relevant pages from the register, free of cost...." RTI applicant Neeraj had sought to know from the University the total number of students who appeared in Bachelor of Arts, Year 1978, besides result of all students who appeared in the examination along with their roll number, name of the students with father's name, marks and result pass or failed.

Denying the information, the Central Public Information Officer of the University had responded that the information requested is treated as "personal information of the students concerned, the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest". Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu, however, said, "With regard to question whether disclosure of such identification related information causes invasion of privacy, or is that unwarranted invasion of privacy, the PIO has not put forward any evidence or explained possibility to show that disclosure of degree related information infringes the privacy or causes unwarranted invasion of privacy".

During the hearing before the Commission, CPIO Meenakshi Sahay said there are 2,00,000 students in "this year's BA programme, and unless the subject of BA programme is specified, it will be difficult to give the information sought such as the number of students appeared, failed, passed, etc in the year 1978". She also said 1978 results were not in digitised form. Neeraj said it is the past practice of Delhi University to publish such results on the notice board and at times in newspapers also, which means the information sought was available with the public authority and was published or put in public domain without any limitations mentioned by the CPIO.

The issue of 1978 DU degree records cropped up after Aam Aadmi Party raised questions about the degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a controversy. "We have checked our records and it has been authenticated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree is authentic. He cleared the examination in 1978 and was awarded the degree in 1979," Delhi University Registrar Tarun Das had said last year after the row erupted.

The Commission said, "There are two frequent questions coming up before the Commission: whether degree related information of a particular student is his or her personal information or third party information, and whether such information was given to University in fiduciary capacity, as contented by public authority." Acharyulu said a University conducts various courses of education openly and registers the graduation of candidates which is a public activity.

"If the degree related information sought is about a celebrity or an ordinary man, the access to information has to be provided by the public authority. The PIO did not come up with any basis for considering the degree related information of the students as third party information, except claiming so," he said. Stating that CPIO should have applied her mind before denying information, Acharyulu ordered that the Commission finds neither merit nor legality in the contention of the University that the degree related information about students was third party information.

"The Commission finds no basis for considering the educational qualification related information as personal to the particular candidate," he said. The academic institutions awarding such degrees under a statutory authority are discharging their statutory duties such as registering the qualification details and degree related information, he said.

NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission has directed Delhi University to allow inspection of records related to all the students who had passed BA degree in 1978, the year in which, according to the University, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also cleared the examination. The Commission rejected the contention of the Central Public Information Officer of the University that it was a third party personal information, saying it finds "neither merit nor legality" in it. It directed the university "to facilitate inspection of relevant register where complete information about result of all students who passed in Bachelor of Arts, in year 1978 along with roll number, names of the students, father's name and marks obtained as available with the University and provide certified copy of the extract of relevant pages from the register, free of cost...." RTI applicant Neeraj had sought to know from the University the total number of students who appeared in Bachelor of Arts, Year 1978, besides result of all students who appeared in the examination along with their roll number, name of the students with father's name, marks and result pass or failed. Denying the information, the Central Public Information Officer of the University had responded that the information requested is treated as "personal information of the students concerned, the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest". Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu, however, said, "With regard to question whether disclosure of such identification related information causes invasion of privacy, or is that unwarranted invasion of privacy, the PIO has not put forward any evidence or explained possibility to show that disclosure of degree related information infringes the privacy or causes unwarranted invasion of privacy". During the hearing before the Commission, CPIO Meenakshi Sahay said there are 2,00,000 students in "this year's BA programme, and unless the subject of BA programme is specified, it will be difficult to give the information sought such as the number of students appeared, failed, passed, etc in the year 1978". She also said 1978 results were not in digitised form. Neeraj said it is the past practice of Delhi University to publish such results on the notice board and at times in newspapers also, which means the information sought was available with the public authority and was published or put in public domain without any limitations mentioned by the CPIO. The issue of 1978 DU degree records cropped up after Aam Aadmi Party raised questions about the degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a controversy. "We have checked our records and it has been authenticated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree is authentic. He cleared the examination in 1978 and was awarded the degree in 1979," Delhi University Registrar Tarun Das had said last year after the row erupted. The Commission said, "There are two frequent questions coming up before the Commission: whether degree related information of a particular student is his or her personal information or third party information, and whether such information was given to University in fiduciary capacity, as contented by public authority." Acharyulu said a University conducts various courses of education openly and registers the graduation of candidates which is a public activity. "If the degree related information sought is about a celebrity or an ordinary man, the access to information has to be provided by the public authority. The PIO did not come up with any basis for considering the degree related information of the students as third party information, except claiming so," he said. Stating that CPIO should have applied her mind before denying information, Acharyulu ordered that the Commission finds neither merit nor legality in the contention of the University that the degree related information about students was third party information. "The Commission finds no basis for considering the educational qualification related information as personal to the particular candidate," he said. The academic institutions awarding such degrees under a statutory authority are discharging their statutory duties such as registering the qualification details and degree related information, he said.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Punjab rural development and panchayats minister Sikander Singh Maluka was on Sunday declared guilty of religious misconduct by the high priests of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of the Sikhs, for distortion of an ardas (prayer) at a function held to inaugurate his election office in Bathinda district. To atone, he will have to clean shoes, among other chores, at the Golden Temple for three days.

After a meeting of the five high priests (jathedars) of the Akal Takht to take a final decision on the controversy, Jathedar Gurbachan Singh said, The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has found Maluka guilty of misconduct. He has not contradicted the decision of SGPC and has tendered an apology and clarification in the matter.

The minister will have to perform sewa at the langar hall and Jora Ghar for one hour each, make a donation of Rs 51,000 to the golak, arrange Akhand Path and listen to Gurbani at the Golden Temple. In addition, he has to wash utensils at the Talwandi Sabo and Damdama Sahib gurdwaras for one day each, arrange a langar (community kitchen) and donate Rs 31,000 each there.

The high priests also found SGPC member Major Singh and others who organized the function at Malukas election office guilty of the same offence. They will have to perform sewa separately.

A controversy blew up after Malukas organizers allowed a Hindu organization to perform ardas at the election office. A local resident, Phul Hardeep Singh filed a police complaint against Maluka for hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikhs.

A five-minute video clip of the ardas went viral on social media and has been attracting adverse remarks from members of the Sikh community. In his complaint, Phul Hardeep Singh said though the prayer was recited as per the tenets of Hinduism, it was similar to the way 'ardas' is performed in Sikhism. In Sikh religious practices, the slogan Bole so nihal is uttered. At Malukas function the ardas performers raised a slogan of Jai Shri Ram in the manner of Sikhs.

CHANDIGARH: Punjab rural development and panchayats minister Sikander Singh Maluka was on Sunday declared guilty of religious misconduct by the high priests of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of the Sikhs, for distortion of an ardas (prayer) at a function held to inaugurate his election office in Bathinda district. To atone, he will have to clean shoes, among other chores, at the Golden Temple for three days. After a meeting of the five high priests (jathedars) of the Akal Takht to take a final decision on the controversy, Jathedar Gurbachan Singh said, The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has found Maluka guilty of misconduct. He has not contradicted the decision of SGPC and has tendered an apology and clarification in the matter. The minister will have to perform sewa at the langar hall and Jora Ghar for one hour each, make a donation of Rs 51,000 to the golak, arrange Akhand Path and listen to Gurbani at the Golden Temple. In addition, he has to wash utensils at the Talwandi Sabo and Damdama Sahib gurdwaras for one day each, arrange a langar (community kitchen) and donate Rs 31,000 each there. The high priests also found SGPC member Major Singh and others who organized the function at Malukas election office guilty of the same offence. They will have to perform sewa separately. A controversy blew up after Malukas organizers allowed a Hindu organization to perform ardas at the election office. A local resident, Phul Hardeep Singh filed a police complaint against Maluka for hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikhs. A five-minute video clip of the ardas went viral on social media and has been attracting adverse remarks from members of the Sikh community. In his complaint, Phul Hardeep Singh said though the prayer was recited as per the tenets of Hinduism, it was similar to the way 'ardas' is performed in Sikhism. In Sikh religious practices, the slogan Bole so nihal is uttered. At Malukas function the ardas performers raised a slogan of Jai Shri Ram in the manner of Sikhs.
Namita bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: After winning over the political aces like UP Congress chief and partys sitting MLA Rita Bahuguna Joshi, former Leader of Opposition and senior BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, former Rajya Sabha members Brijesh Pathak and Jugul Kishore, the BJP added another feather to its cap in the state by bringing in Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader in UP Assembly Dalbir Singh Chaudhary here on Sunday.

Dalbir Singh, a senior RLD leader who has worked with former Prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, has been quite vocal against BJP in the past and seen coming out in Akhileshs support in the Assembly.

However, his pro-Akhilesh stand then could be attributed to the anticipation of a possible mahagathhbandhan (grand alliance) which RLD and JD(U) were quite eager for. The efforts of the two parties came the cropper when SP chief Mulayam put an end to all those possibilities by asking RLD to merge with his party.

Notably, the BJP, giving sleepless nights to its political rivals in the state by the entry of stalwarts of rival parties, even the party insiders, and loyalist are also apparently worried about their fate and prospects in the organisation.

However, having a feel of party workers mood, while RSS-affiliated outfits have taken up the issue with party top brass, BJP state unit chief Keshav Kumar Maurya, too, is seen assuring party workers of no injustice vis-a-vis ticket distribution for the ensuing state elections.

Besides Dalbir, former MLA from Karchhana in Allahabad Anand Kumar alias Collector Pandey and Congress spokesman Dhirendra Singh also joined the BJP in the presence of UP BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Along with them, Rudra Raman Singh alias Babloo Singh who contested the last election as an Independent also has joined the saffron ranks. However, BJP state unit chief Keshav Kumar Maurya took the opportunity to launch a broadside on Akhilesh government and Samajwadi Party over the ongoing intense infighting.

LUCKNOW: After winning over the political aces like UP Congress chief and partys sitting MLA Rita Bahuguna Joshi, former Leader of Opposition and senior BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, former Rajya Sabha members Brijesh Pathak and Jugul Kishore, the BJP added another feather to its cap in the state by bringing in Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader in UP Assembly Dalbir Singh Chaudhary here on Sunday. Dalbir Singh, a senior RLD leader who has worked with former Prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, has been quite vocal against BJP in the past and seen coming out in Akhileshs support in the Assembly. However, his pro-Akhilesh stand then could be attributed to the anticipation of a possible mahagathhbandhan (grand alliance) which RLD and JD(U) were quite eager for. The efforts of the two parties came the cropper when SP chief Mulayam put an end to all those possibilities by asking RLD to merge with his party. Notably, the BJP, giving sleepless nights to its political rivals in the state by the entry of stalwarts of rival parties, even the party insiders, and loyalist are also apparently worried about their fate and prospects in the organisation. However, having a feel of party workers mood, while RSS-affiliated outfits have taken up the issue with party top brass, BJP state unit chief Keshav Kumar Maurya, too, is seen assuring party workers of no injustice vis-a-vis ticket distribution for the ensuing state elections. Besides Dalbir, former MLA from Karchhana in Allahabad Anand Kumar alias Collector Pandey and Congress spokesman Dhirendra Singh also joined the BJP in the presence of UP BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya. Along with them, Rudra Raman Singh alias Babloo Singh who contested the last election as an Independent also has joined the saffron ranks. However, BJP state unit chief Keshav Kumar Maurya took the opportunity to launch a broadside on Akhilesh government and Samajwadi Party over the ongoing intense infighting.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: In wake of the growing feud between the two warring factions of the Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh on Sunday categorically stated that he was still the party president while his son Akhilesh Yadav is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Mulayam, who put forth his views before the media here lashed out at his cousin and Akhilesh loyalist Ramgopal Yadav. He said that Ramgopal having been expelled from the party for six years cannot call the convention.

He also stated that Shivpal Yadav is the president of Samajwadi Partys Uttar Pradesh unit.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister who was flanked by Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh during the conference, however, refused to divulge further information on his future strategy.

According to sources, Mulayam will on Monday urge the Election Commission to check the authenticity and legality of papers submitted by Ramgopal.

Earlier in the day, Amar Singh claimed that the signatures of support are forged and hence their authenticity is doubtful.

The numbers of MLAs supporting you matters when a government has to be formed. Its not the same for party symbol, Singh told ANI in an exclusive conversation.

The Akhilesh Yadav camp yesterday submitted affidavits signed by party legislators and office bearers to the Election Commission, in a bid to buttress its claim over the Samajwadi Party's cycle symbol ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

Ramgopal yesterday said that the relevant documents, brought in seven cartons with more than 1.5 lakh pages, were submitted to the poll panel to assert Akhileshs right over the party name and symbol.

He said that he submitted affidavits of 4,716 delegates of the total 5,731, indicating overwhelming support for Akhilesh.

The Election Commission had given both sides time till January 9 to submit proof of their legislative support.

NEW DELHI: In wake of the growing feud between the two warring factions of the Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh on Sunday categorically stated that he was still the party president while his son Akhilesh Yadav is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Mulayam, who put forth his views before the media here lashed out at his cousin and Akhilesh loyalist Ramgopal Yadav. He said that Ramgopal having been expelled from the party for six years cannot call the convention. He also stated that Shivpal Yadav is the president of Samajwadi Partys Uttar Pradesh unit. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister who was flanked by Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh during the conference, however, refused to divulge further information on his future strategy. According to sources, Mulayam will on Monday urge the Election Commission to check the authenticity and legality of papers submitted by Ramgopal. Earlier in the day, Amar Singh claimed that the signatures of support are forged and hence their authenticity is doubtful. The numbers of MLAs supporting you matters when a government has to be formed. Its not the same for party symbol, Singh told ANI in an exclusive conversation. The Akhilesh Yadav camp yesterday submitted affidavits signed by party legislators and office bearers to the Election Commission, in a bid to buttress its claim over the Samajwadi Party's cycle symbol ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. Ramgopal yesterday said that the relevant documents, brought in seven cartons with more than 1.5 lakh pages, were submitted to the poll panel to assert Akhileshs right over the party name and symbol. He said that he submitted affidavits of 4,716 delegates of the total 5,731, indicating overwhelming support for Akhilesh. The Election Commission had given both sides time till January 9 to submit proof of their legislative support.
Ram M Sundaram By

Express News Service

On the Tamil Nadu leg of the New Indian Express travelogue, Ram M Sundaram takes a turn in the south and meets up people coping with drought, demonetisation, dangers at sea and devastation.

The last time I visited the Cauvery delta districts was on December 26, 2004, the day of the tsunami. If that day I saw a region left bedraggled by the great wave, what I see now, 12 years later, are signs of the great big dry: parched fields, failed crops, empty reservoirs, and dusty roads.

Nagapattinam is 320 km from Chennai. The State Transport Corporation bus begins half empty but begins to fill up on the outskirts of Kumbakonam, the heart of the Cauvery delta. The giant ritual tank in the city center is still attracting crowds 10 months after the Mahamaham celebrations were over, so there must have been a fair number of holy dippers on the bus. But I also met a number of people made frantic by the drought.

In Thiruvarur, I introduced myself to E Balasubramaniam, a native of Kilvelur village in Nagapattinam, who was going back home after buying spare parts for his bore well. He said it was the first one to be dug in the region since the 1960s. It seemed like a dubious bit of history but it did give me a sense of the scale of this drought.

When the rains didnt come this November and Karnataka refused to release water from the Cauvery at about the same time, many farmers in this delta region abandoned their samba crop and allowed cattle a free run of their fields. But Balasubramaniam sowed anyway and braved the drought despite a failed bore well, a deeper water table, salinity and so on. There are two weeks to go to harvest and now he is on this bus carrying spare parts for his ailing bore well. His hope for the new year, therefore, was that the government would reward him with a good procurement price this season.

I had heard that Nagapattinam on the eastern edge of the delta has witnessed the most number of farmer deaths in the Cauvery basin this year and so I visited Neermulai village where a farmer, 59-year-old A Arockiasamy, reportedly had died after a crop failure. I found it to be a village of 100 people. While there were still signs of Christmas in the numerous Dalit colonies along the way, Neerumulai was grieving.

When I visited, Arockiasamys widow Philomena Mary (49) was in a meeting with a financier who was promising to sell their land for a good rate. Her husband had borrowed from multiple sources to buy seeds and had sown with great hope. To see his crop stunted due to the failed monsoon and lack of irrigation broke his spirit. Philomena was hoping to receive some relief from the government and some help to educate her two children.

I went back to Nagapattinam to catch a bus to Rameshwaram and found a town still derelict from that great wave 12 years ago. Tsunami reconstruction had not yet been completed and though the new harbor at Akkaraipettai, rebuilt with World Bank funding, has decongested the piers, it has not been a game changer for the fishermen. Nevertheless, in both town and country, I saw that people had picked up their lives and were going about living them, buffeted both by water and the lack of it.

Rameshwaram, 320 km to the south, promised the usual pilgrimage arcana but meeting two men made my visit remarkable.

The first person I met while waiting in a long queue at the bus counter in Nagapattinam. Ahead of me in the queue was a short, dark-skinned man in his mid-forties carrying a heavy suitcase. I was awarded the seat beside him for the five-hour journey along the breezy East Coast Road. S Thambisamy was a native of Thangachimadam, a small fishing hamlet 7 km from Rameshwaram town. He had lost his brother S Antony six years ago. He was shot by the Sri Lankan Navy for crossing the maritime border while fishing and died in his brothers lap. Thambisamy never went out to sea again. His small family was devastated by the tragedy and the surviving brother had to battle great odds to recover.

There was more firing for four years, but 2016 has been a nightmare for Rameshwaram fishermen with unabated firing, arrests, and seizures on the sea. "Every time I hear news of the Sri Lankan Navy attacking our fishermen, I pray for their families, Thambisamy said.

He got off at Thangachimadam, and I continued my journey into Rameshwaram town. Hotels were booked in advance for Sivaratri eve and I struggled for two hours to find accommodation. Thats how I met the second person who made my journey remarkable.

I saw A Arulanandham, a man of great poise in his late 50s, helping a group of youngsters in finding a bookstore. I asked him to help me find a hotel room close to the place where former Abdul Kalam's memorial is being built. He said he used to be a school teacher, but was now writing a book on his experiences in Sri Lanka, which he called Ceylon, after the Eelam war.

I learnt that he had played a key role in getting fishermen from India and Ceylon to get together for peace talks. He had organised one such meeting just a few days earlier. He said Indias fishermen were losing hope that the government would come to their aid but he himself was optimistic that these efforts would succeed. "We will continue our fight to regain our lost rights till the last breath," he said.

Leaving Arulanandham Sir, I travelled to Alanganallur, a small village 15 km from Madurai that has been the centre of the protests against the ban on Jallikattu, the popular bull-taming sport. The Supreme Court has been standing firm against popular calls to revoke its ban on Jallikattu, but in the village itself where the sport is held with great enthusiasm at Pongal time, the natives seemed quite indifferent to the ban. The people I talked to said they would participate avidly if it was held this year but wouldnt be agitated if it was not.

To me, this was strange ambivalence, an echo of which I found on the bus back to Madurai. It was but a 20-minute drive but the vehicle broke down and the passengers spent the time discussing demonetisation. I didnt find great animation in the discussions; it was just something to fill the time.

From Madurai, I decided to go over to textile country Tirupur to see the effects of the cash crunch. When the bus stopped at a dhaba about halfway along, I chatted up a young man on the bus. His name was A Mani, and he was from Melur, a small town north of Madurai. He had failed at studies and got himself a job in a knitting unit in Palladam, Tirupur along with 10 others from his neighborhood years ago.

Mani wasnt too pleased with the living conditions provided to him by his agent, but it was something he was doing to support his family. He seemed composed as he told me he had not been paid in the last few weeks and things have been difficult.

But Mani considered himself lucky that he still had a job. Demonetisation had hit small and medium industries hard and many daily workers and contract laborers had lost their jobs. Mani didnt want his parents to panic, so he has not told them about his difficulties. He got by the demonetisation months by borrowing Rs 4,000 from a friend.

He said many textile workers from the Northeast and the North packed their bags and went home because their remittance system to their families has been disrupted by demonetisation. These workers deposit their remittances into the accounts of the few relatives who have bank accounts. But since demonetisation rules demanded documents for such remittances, they had to go back home in person to hand money to dependent parents and spouses.

Hearing us talk, another passenger on the bus joined in. S Ravindran runs a small enterprise in Udayarpalayam, Coimbatore, making spare parts for submersible pumps. He said it has been tough getting job orders and earnings have fallen.

On the Tamil Nadu leg of the New Indian Express travelogue, Ram M Sundaram takes a turn in the south and meets up people coping with drought, demonetisation, dangers at sea and devastation. The last time I visited the Cauvery delta districts was on December 26, 2004, the day of the tsunami. If that day I saw a region left bedraggled by the great wave, what I see now, 12 years later, are signs of the great big dry: parched fields, failed crops, empty reservoirs, and dusty roads. Nagapattinam is 320 km from Chennai. The State Transport Corporation bus begins half empty but begins to fill up on the outskirts of Kumbakonam, the heart of the Cauvery delta. The giant ritual tank in the city center is still attracting crowds 10 months after the Mahamaham celebrations were over, so there must have been a fair number of holy dippers on the bus. But I also met a number of people made frantic by the drought. In Thiruvarur, I introduced myself to E Balasubramaniam, a native of Kilvelur village in Nagapattinam, who was going back home after buying spare parts for his bore well. He said it was the first one to be dug in the region since the 1960s. It seemed like a dubious bit of history but it did give me a sense of the scale of this drought. When the rains didnt come this November and Karnataka refused to release water from the Cauvery at about the same time, many farmers in this delta region abandoned their samba crop and allowed cattle a free run of their fields. But Balasubramaniam sowed anyway and braved the drought despite a failed bore well, a deeper water table, salinity and so on. There are two weeks to go to harvest and now he is on this bus carrying spare parts for his ailing bore well. His hope for the new year, therefore, was that the government would reward him with a good procurement price this season. I had heard that Nagapattinam on the eastern edge of the delta has witnessed the most number of farmer deaths in the Cauvery basin this year and so I visited Neermulai village where a farmer, 59-year-old A Arockiasamy, reportedly had died after a crop failure. I found it to be a village of 100 people. While there were still signs of Christmas in the numerous Dalit colonies along the way, Neerumulai was grieving. When I visited, Arockiasamys widow Philomena Mary (49) was in a meeting with a financier who was promising to sell their land for a good rate. Her husband had borrowed from multiple sources to buy seeds and had sown with great hope. To see his crop stunted due to the failed monsoon and lack of irrigation broke his spirit. Philomena was hoping to receive some relief from the government and some help to educate her two children. I went back to Nagapattinam to catch a bus to Rameshwaram and found a town still derelict from that great wave 12 years ago. Tsunami reconstruction had not yet been completed and though the new harbor at Akkaraipettai, rebuilt with World Bank funding, has decongested the piers, it has not been a game changer for the fishermen. Nevertheless, in both town and country, I saw that people had picked up their lives and were going about living them, buffeted both by water and the lack of it. Rameshwaram, 320 km to the south, promised the usual pilgrimage arcana but meeting two men made my visit remarkable. The first person I met while waiting in a long queue at the bus counter in Nagapattinam. Ahead of me in the queue was a short, dark-skinned man in his mid-forties carrying a heavy suitcase. I was awarded the seat beside him for the five-hour journey along the breezy East Coast Road. S Thambisamy was a native of Thangachimadam, a small fishing hamlet 7 km from Rameshwaram town. He had lost his brother S Antony six years ago. He was shot by the Sri Lankan Navy for crossing the maritime border while fishing and died in his brothers lap. Thambisamy never went out to sea again. His small family was devastated by the tragedy and the surviving brother had to battle great odds to recover. There was more firing for four years, but 2016 has been a nightmare for Rameshwaram fishermen with unabated firing, arrests, and seizures on the sea. "Every time I hear news of the Sri Lankan Navy attacking our fishermen, I pray for their families, Thambisamy said. He got off at Thangachimadam, and I continued my journey into Rameshwaram town. Hotels were booked in advance for Sivaratri eve and I struggled for two hours to find accommodation. Thats how I met the second person who made my journey remarkable. I saw A Arulanandham, a man of great poise in his late 50s, helping a group of youngsters in finding a bookstore. I asked him to help me find a hotel room close to the place where former Abdul Kalam's memorial is being built. He said he used to be a school teacher, but was now writing a book on his experiences in Sri Lanka, which he called Ceylon, after the Eelam war. I learnt that he had played a key role in getting fishermen from India and Ceylon to get together for peace talks. He had organised one such meeting just a few days earlier. He said Indias fishermen were losing hope that the government would come to their aid but he himself was optimistic that these efforts would succeed. "We will continue our fight to regain our lost rights till the last breath," he said. Leaving Arulanandham Sir, I travelled to Alanganallur, a small village 15 km from Madurai that has been the centre of the protests against the ban on Jallikattu, the popular bull-taming sport. The Supreme Court has been standing firm against popular calls to revoke its ban on Jallikattu, but in the village itself where the sport is held with great enthusiasm at Pongal time, the natives seemed quite indifferent to the ban. The people I talked to said they would participate avidly if it was held this year but wouldnt be agitated if it was not. To me, this was strange ambivalence, an echo of which I found on the bus back to Madurai. It was but a 20-minute drive but the vehicle broke down and the passengers spent the time discussing demonetisation. I didnt find great animation in the discussions; it was just something to fill the time. From Madurai, I decided to go over to textile country Tirupur to see the effects of the cash crunch. When the bus stopped at a dhaba about halfway along, I chatted up a young man on the bus. His name was A Mani, and he was from Melur, a small town north of Madurai. He had failed at studies and got himself a job in a knitting unit in Palladam, Tirupur along with 10 others from his neighborhood years ago. Mani wasnt too pleased with the living conditions provided to him by his agent, but it was something he was doing to support his family. He seemed composed as he told me he had not been paid in the last few weeks and things have been difficult. But Mani considered himself lucky that he still had a job. Demonetisation had hit small and medium industries hard and many daily workers and contract laborers had lost their jobs. Mani didnt want his parents to panic, so he has not told them about his difficulties. He got by the demonetisation months by borrowing Rs 4,000 from a friend. He said many textile workers from the Northeast and the North packed their bags and went home because their remittance system to their families has been disrupted by demonetisation. These workers deposit their remittances into the accounts of the few relatives who have bank accounts. But since demonetisation rules demanded documents for such remittances, they had to go back home in person to hand money to dependent parents and spouses. Hearing us talk, another passenger on the bus joined in. S Ravindran runs a small enterprise in Udayarpalayam, Coimbatore, making spare parts for submersible pumps. He said it has been tough getting job orders and earnings have fallen.
By ANI

RAMESHWARAM: As many as 10 Indian fishermen were apprehended, along with two boats, by the Sri Lankan Navy at Palk Strait on Sunday morning.

The arrest comes a day after eight Indian fishermen were detained by Sri Lankan Navy along with one boat near Neduntheevu in Palk Strait.



Immediate release of the fishermen presently in custody has been announced following the ministerial level talks between Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of India Radha Mohan Singh and Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development of Sri Lanka Mahinda Amaraweera in Colombo.



The talks were held on Monday following the first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries held in New Delhi on December 31.



While the fishermen from the Southern states have been demanding release of their fellow fishermen and trawlers, their counterpart in Sri Lanka asserts that bottom trawling used by Indian fishermen has caused extensive damage to the marine eco system.

RAMESHWARAM: As many as 10 Indian fishermen were apprehended, along with two boats, by the Sri Lankan Navy at Palk Strait on Sunday morning. The arrest comes a day after eight Indian fishermen were detained by Sri Lankan Navy along with one boat near Neduntheevu in Palk Strait. Immediate release of the fishermen presently in custody has been announced following the ministerial level talks between Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of India Radha Mohan Singh and Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development of Sri Lanka Mahinda Amaraweera in Colombo. The talks were held on Monday following the first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries held in New Delhi on December 31. While the fishermen from the Southern states have been demanding release of their fellow fishermen and trawlers, their counterpart in Sri Lanka asserts that bottom trawling used by Indian fishermen has caused extensive damage to the marine eco system.
A local Meetup group is organizing an "edit-a-thon" to add or improve Wikipedia's documentation of women in the computer sciences.
By PTI

RAMANATHAPURAM: A court here has ordered the release of three Sri Lankan fishermen, arrested on October 22 last for allegedly straying into Indian territorial waters off Dhanushkodi. Chief Judicial Magistrate Jayaraj passed the order accepting a letter sent by the Tamil Nadu government through the District Collector based on a recommendation by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for release of the fishermen, police said today.

The Centre's recommendation came in the backdrop of an agreement reached during the ministerial-level talks between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on January 2-3 to set free the fishermen detained by both the countries.

The three Sri Lankan fishermen had strayed into Indian waters off Arichalmunai near Dhanushkodi after their boat ran out of fuel. They were arrested and later lodged in the Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai. They would be released from the prison later today and would be repatriated to Sri Lanka, police added.

RAMANATHAPURAM: A court here has ordered the release of three Sri Lankan fishermen, arrested on October 22 last for allegedly straying into Indian territorial waters off Dhanushkodi. Chief Judicial Magistrate Jayaraj passed the order accepting a letter sent by the Tamil Nadu government through the District Collector based on a recommendation by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for release of the fishermen, police said today. The Centre's recommendation came in the backdrop of an agreement reached during the ministerial-level talks between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on January 2-3 to set free the fishermen detained by both the countries. The three Sri Lankan fishermen had strayed into Indian waters off Arichalmunai near Dhanushkodi after their boat ran out of fuel. They were arrested and later lodged in the Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai. They would be released from the prison later today and would be repatriated to Sri Lanka, police added.
By Express News Service

PUDUKKOTTAI, RAMANATHAPURAM:A day after over 10 fishermen allegedly came under the mid-sea attack of the Sri Lankan Navy, another 10 hailing from Pudukkottai and Rameswaram were arrested on the charge of poaching into the Lankan waters.

All the four incidents came within a week of the Joint Working Group (JWG) of India and Sri Lanka holding its ministerial-level meeting in Colombo and deciding on the release of 51 Tamil Nadu fishermen from its prisons.

Six fishermen from Pudukkottai district, who ventured into sea from Jegathappattinam fishing jetty, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy near Neduntheevu in the wee hours of Sunday. Their mechanised boat was seized and taken to Karainagar Port in the island nation.

They were part of around 700 fishermen of Jegathappattinam, who had set out to sea in 210 mechanised boats on Saturday. As per their schedule, they were expected to return to the shore on Sunday morning. But one of the boats did not return.

Following this, the members of Jegathappattinam Fishermens Association launched a search to trace the boat.

Later, they were told by the authorities of the Fisheries Department, Pudukkottai, that the six fishermen were arrested by a patrol team of the Sri Lankan Coast Guard with the help of the Lankan Navy when they were fishing at northwest of Delft Island near Neduntheevu.

The arrested were identified as Sakthivel (26), Baskaran (35), Selvam (26), Prakash (20), Vijai (25) and Marimuthu (28), all from Jegathappattinam. The men and their boat were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries, Jaffna, for further action, said the Lankan Navy website.

They were later taken to Karainagar, where they were produced before the local court. After being remanded in judicial custody till January 19 by the court, they were lodged in Jaffna prison.

On January 4, as many as 10 fishermen from Jegathappattinam were arrested by the Lankan Coast Guard.

In another incident, four fishermen from Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district were arrested near Talaimannar. Their boat was also seized. The Lankan navy personnel took them to Talaimannar and produced them in the district court, which remanded them in judicial custody till January 20. They were sent to Vavuniya prison.

In the wee hours of Saturday, 10 fishermen from Nagapattinam were reportedly thrashed with canes and ropes by the Lankan navymen when they were fishing off Kodaikarai.

Another group of seven fishermen from Thangachimadam was intimidated and assaulted by the Sri Lankan Navy the same day, when they were engaged in fishing in the Indian waters near the International Maritime Border Line. The Sri Lankan Navys patrol vessel rammed their boat and the navy personnel then rounded up and attacked fishermen for poaching into their waters.

Titicraj, who was standing on the boats edge when the men were assaulted, slipped into the water during the attack. He was later rescued by his fellow fishermen. Later, the damaged boat was towed by another boat and brought to the Indian shores.

PUDUKKOTTAI, RAMANATHAPURAM:A day after over 10 fishermen allegedly came under the mid-sea attack of the Sri Lankan Navy, another 10 hailing from Pudukkottai and Rameswaram were arrested on the charge of poaching into the Lankan waters. All the four incidents came within a week of the Joint Working Group (JWG) of India and Sri Lanka holding its ministerial-level meeting in Colombo and deciding on the release of 51 Tamil Nadu fishermen from its prisons. Six fishermen from Pudukkottai district, who ventured into sea from Jegathappattinam fishing jetty, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy near Neduntheevu in the wee hours of Sunday. Their mechanised boat was seized and taken to Karainagar Port in the island nation. They were part of around 700 fishermen of Jegathappattinam, who had set out to sea in 210 mechanised boats on Saturday. As per their schedule, they were expected to return to the shore on Sunday morning. But one of the boats did not return. Following this, the members of Jegathappattinam Fishermens Association launched a search to trace the boat. Later, they were told by the authorities of the Fisheries Department, Pudukkottai, that the six fishermen were arrested by a patrol team of the Sri Lankan Coast Guard with the help of the Lankan Navy when they were fishing at northwest of Delft Island near Neduntheevu. The arrested were identified as Sakthivel (26), Baskaran (35), Selvam (26), Prakash (20), Vijai (25) and Marimuthu (28), all from Jegathappattinam. The men and their boat were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries, Jaffna, for further action, said the Lankan Navy website. They were later taken to Karainagar, where they were produced before the local court. After being remanded in judicial custody till January 19 by the court, they were lodged in Jaffna prison. On January 4, as many as 10 fishermen from Jegathappattinam were arrested by the Lankan Coast Guard. In another incident, four fishermen from Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district were arrested near Talaimannar. Their boat was also seized. The Lankan navy personnel took them to Talaimannar and produced them in the district court, which remanded them in judicial custody till January 20. They were sent to Vavuniya prison. In the wee hours of Saturday, 10 fishermen from Nagapattinam were reportedly thrashed with canes and ropes by the Lankan navymen when they were fishing off Kodaikarai. Another group of seven fishermen from Thangachimadam was intimidated and assaulted by the Sri Lankan Navy the same day, when they were engaged in fishing in the Indian waters near the International Maritime Border Line. The Sri Lankan Navys patrol vessel rammed their boat and the navy personnel then rounded up and attacked fishermen for poaching into their waters. Titicraj, who was standing on the boats edge when the men were assaulted, slipped into the water during the attack. He was later rescued by his fellow fishermen. Later, the damaged boat was towed by another boat and brought to the Indian shores.
C Shivakumar By

CHENNAI: Facing a cash crunch due to demonetisation, India Post is planning to disburse pensions to senior citizens through coins, according to Chief Post Master General Tamil Nadu Circle Charles Lobo.



Lobo said the postal department is unable to pay the pensions of senior citizens due to the shortage of Rs 100 denomination notes in circulation. We have been able to disburse partial pension of Rs 500 but we are not able to disburse the full amount due to cash crunch faced by the banks, Lobo said.

As a result, we are planning to disburse pension in the form of Rs 10 coins, he said. The pension amounts of senior citizens, after being cleared by the Tahsildar, is routed through post offices in the form of a money order. While the State has moved some old-age pension accounts to banks, many continue to be with post offices.

In Park Town, we have 66 elderly pensioners who are yet to be provided with Rs 1,000 pension. The issue is we are dependent on banks like State Bank of India, Indian Bank or Indian Overseas Bank for cash and most of the times we are unable to get it. This has resulted in severe cash crunch in rural areas, he added.

Interestingly, post offices would soon get cash directly from Reserve Bank of India once India Post starts banking operations in March. Lobo also said inter-operability of ATMs of post offices with other banks have technically started from New Year but the scheme has yet to be inaugurated.

Under this, the debit card issued to post office account holders can now be swiped at any bank ATM to access cash, he said. Currently, Post Office has issued one lakh debit cards to its account holders, according to data. We are planning to issue another one lakh by January end, Lobo added.

CHENNAI: Facing a cash crunch due to demonetisation, India Post is planning to disburse pensions to senior citizens through coins, according to Chief Post Master General Tamil Nadu Circle Charles Lobo. Lobo said the postal department is unable to pay the pensions of senior citizens due to the shortage of Rs 100 denomination notes in circulation. We have been able to disburse partial pension of Rs 500 but we are not able to disburse the full amount due to cash crunch faced by the banks, Lobo said. As a result, we are planning to disburse pension in the form of Rs 10 coins, he said. The pension amounts of senior citizens, after being cleared by the Tahsildar, is routed through post offices in the form of a money order. While the State has moved some old-age pension accounts to banks, many continue to be with post offices. In Park Town, we have 66 elderly pensioners who are yet to be provided with Rs 1,000 pension. The issue is we are dependent on banks like State Bank of India, Indian Bank or Indian Overseas Bank for cash and most of the times we are unable to get it. This has resulted in severe cash crunch in rural areas, he added. Interestingly, post offices would soon get cash directly from Reserve Bank of India once India Post starts banking operations in March. Lobo also said inter-operability of ATMs of post offices with other banks have technically started from New Year but the scheme has yet to be inaugurated. Under this, the debit card issued to post office account holders can now be swiped at any bank ATM to access cash, he said. Currently, Post Office has issued one lakh debit cards to its account holders, according to data. We are planning to issue another one lakh by January end, Lobo added.
Pradip R Sagar By

NEW DELHI: After 50 days of uneasy calm at the western border with Pakistan, chatters intercepted by military intelligence have indicated a possible major terror strike in the area. According to intelligence reports, massive build up has been seen close to the border in PoK with massive arms and ammunition.

This calm cannot be interpreted as enduring peace at the border. We are getting inputs of massive terror regrouping in camps as well launch pads situated in PoK. Collaborating inputs with intercepted chatters suggest a possible major terror strike. Though forces are well prepared to thwart any such attempt, a senior official said.

Since November 23, when Pakistan Director General Military Operation dialed his Indian counterpart, no major incident of terror strike has happened and even the Line of Control and International Border are relatively calm with no serious incident of ceasefire violation. Six days later, Pakistan army got its new Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, whose expertise is to infuse terrorism in India, as he has commanded Rawalpindi based X Corps looking after Line of Control with India.

Pakistan army as well as terror groups are under tremendous pressure to strike back. Moreover, newly appointed Qamar Javed Bajwa also has to prove himself. Peace at the border for such a long period is unusual, observed a senior official. 2016 was termed as the bloodiest year, as at least 75 security personnel have lost their lives in terrorists operations in Jammu and Kashmir since 2009. While 2016 witnessed over 300 incidents of successful infiltrations by terrorists from Pakistan, the number was less than 150 in 2015. Large number of successful infiltration attempts led to nearly 100 attacks by terrorists in 2016. Terrorists initiated strikes were less than 50 in 2015. 2016 started with Pathankot ended with Nagrota base attack by Pakistan sponsored terrorists.

Despite repeated assurances by Pakistan that it is not supporting terror activities, military operations officials here in Army headquarters maintain that there has been no indication of winding up of terror infrastructure and camps in PoK.

Newly appointed Army chief General Bipin Rawat said that surgical strikes against Pakistan were meant to deliver a message, and the possibility of similar action in future could not be ruled out. The General added that Indias armed forces would not shy away from flexing their muscles, if need be.

NEW DELHI: After 50 days of uneasy calm at the western border with Pakistan, chatters intercepted by military intelligence have indicated a possible major terror strike in the area. According to intelligence reports, massive build up has been seen close to the border in PoK with massive arms and ammunition. This calm cannot be interpreted as enduring peace at the border. We are getting inputs of massive terror regrouping in camps as well launch pads situated in PoK. Collaborating inputs with intercepted chatters suggest a possible major terror strike. Though forces are well prepared to thwart any such attempt, a senior official said. Since November 23, when Pakistan Director General Military Operation dialed his Indian counterpart, no major incident of terror strike has happened and even the Line of Control and International Border are relatively calm with no serious incident of ceasefire violation. Six days later, Pakistan army got its new Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, whose expertise is to infuse terrorism in India, as he has commanded Rawalpindi based X Corps looking after Line of Control with India. Pakistan army as well as terror groups are under tremendous pressure to strike back. Moreover, newly appointed Qamar Javed Bajwa also has to prove himself. Peace at the border for such a long period is unusual, observed a senior official. 2016 was termed as the bloodiest year, as at least 75 security personnel have lost their lives in terrorists operations in Jammu and Kashmir since 2009. While 2016 witnessed over 300 incidents of successful infiltrations by terrorists from Pakistan, the number was less than 150 in 2015. Large number of successful infiltration attempts led to nearly 100 attacks by terrorists in 2016. Terrorists initiated strikes were less than 50 in 2015. 2016 started with Pathankot ended with Nagrota base attack by Pakistan sponsored terrorists. Despite repeated assurances by Pakistan that it is not supporting terror activities, military operations officials here in Army headquarters maintain that there has been no indication of winding up of terror infrastructure and camps in PoK. Newly appointed Army chief General Bipin Rawat said that surgical strikes against Pakistan were meant to deliver a message, and the possibility of similar action in future could not be ruled out. The General added that Indias armed forces would not shy away from flexing their muscles, if need be.
Anand S T Das By

PATNA: Even as the grand success of Prakashotsav, the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh, raised Bihars profile nationally and globally, earning Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wholesome praise, the week-long gala brought out the inherent cracks in Bihars alliance government.

Lalu Prasad Yadavs RJD and the Congress, partners in the JD(U) government, felt bitterly belittled by overwhelming perceptions that the glittering festivities in Patna were the result of the dedication of one manNitish Kumar. Despite running the coalition government for over a year, the three allies failed to put up a united show during the Prakashotsav.

Lalu Prasad Yadav

Lalu was unhappy with hoardings with Nitishs picture splattered across Patna because RJD is the largest constituent (80 MLAs) of the ruling grand alliance and his two sons are senior ministers in Nitishs Cabinet. If my photo is not anywhere, at least the deputy CMs (Tejaswi Yadav) photos should have accompanied those of the CM, Yadav told Bhola Yadav, his aide and member of the Bihar Legislative Council.



Bhola Yadav had aired the RJD chiefs views before officials in the chief ministers office. He (Bhola Yadav) was told that it was too late as all the hoardings were up and any change would spread wrong impressions, said an RJD leader.

The RJD chiefwho is trying to rule Bihar by proxywas embittered that the Nitish-led coalition government is keen on erasing his legacy in the state. RJD leaders are worried that despite Lalus sons being ministers, most policy decisions are taken by Nitish and a core group of JD(U) leaders. The Congress, the smallest constituent with 27 MLAs, also shares the same view.

Without RJD, the grand alliance and the government are unimaginable. It hardly matters if someone is adding more shine to his image through this festival. Since the tourism department is with RJD, the credit goes to the party, said RJD legislator Bhai Birendra.

There was a need of showing a bigger heart. Images of alliance leaders should have been given space on hoardings and publicity material, said Congress leader Shakil Ahmed Khan.



Such statements clearly aim at taking Bihar back to the dark days, said JD(U) spokesperson Sanjay Singh, referring to the RJD-Congress rule that was known as jungle raj.

PATNA: Even as the grand success of Prakashotsav, the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh, raised Bihars profile nationally and globally, earning Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wholesome praise, the week-long gala brought out the inherent cracks in Bihars alliance government. Lalu Prasad Yadavs RJD and the Congress, partners in the JD(U) government, felt bitterly belittled by overwhelming perceptions that the glittering festivities in Patna were the result of the dedication of one manNitish Kumar. Despite running the coalition government for over a year, the three allies failed to put up a united show during the Prakashotsav. Lalu Prasad YadavLalu was unhappy with hoardings with Nitishs picture splattered across Patna because RJD is the largest constituent (80 MLAs) of the ruling grand alliance and his two sons are senior ministers in Nitishs Cabinet. If my photo is not anywhere, at least the deputy CMs (Tejaswi Yadav) photos should have accompanied those of the CM, Yadav told Bhola Yadav, his aide and member of the Bihar Legislative Council. Bhola Yadav had aired the RJD chiefs views before officials in the chief ministers office. He (Bhola Yadav) was told that it was too late as all the hoardings were up and any change would spread wrong impressions, said an RJD leader. The RJD chiefwho is trying to rule Bihar by proxywas embittered that the Nitish-led coalition government is keen on erasing his legacy in the state. RJD leaders are worried that despite Lalus sons being ministers, most policy decisions are taken by Nitish and a core group of JD(U) leaders. The Congress, the smallest constituent with 27 MLAs, also shares the same view. Without RJD, the grand alliance and the government are unimaginable. It hardly matters if someone is adding more shine to his image through this festival. Since the tourism department is with RJD, the credit goes to the party, said RJD legislator Bhai Birendra. There was a need of showing a bigger heart. Images of alliance leaders should have been given space on hoardings and publicity material, said Congress leader Shakil Ahmed Khan. Such statements clearly aim at taking Bihar back to the dark days, said JD(U) spokesperson Sanjay Singh, referring to the RJD-Congress rule that was known as jungle raj.
Siddhanta Mishra By

NEW DELHI: Delhi school kids, beware! Big Brother MCD is watching you. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi soon plans to attach GPS tags on school bags of children in government schools to ensure they dont bunk class. It is an advanced version of a pilot project initiated in mid-2016 in one school of South MCD to prevent proxy attendance.

A radar sensor fitted at the school gate will read the motion sensor chips imbedded in students identity cards. Each time a child enters or exits the school building, parents get a message on their registered mobile numbers. As the project gained momentum, it turned out that some students who were given digitised identity cards would pass them on to friends sitting in class or simply leave them on the school premises before cutting class.



We are thinking of tagging school bags. But only after studying the feasibility will we launch the project in all the schools, Yashpal Arya, Chairman, South MCD Education Committee, told The Sunday Standard.

The latest addition to digitised student attendance projects will push up the annual expenditure per student from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000 after the GPS monitors are tagged. A dedicated website to monitor locations of the bags will also be set up in schools. There are around 10 lakh students in 1,800 schools run by the three municipal corporations.

NEW DELHI: Delhi school kids, beware! Big Brother MCD is watching you. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi soon plans to attach GPS tags on school bags of children in government schools to ensure they dont bunk class. It is an advanced version of a pilot project initiated in mid-2016 in one school of South MCD to prevent proxy attendance. A radar sensor fitted at the school gate will read the motion sensor chips imbedded in students identity cards. Each time a child enters or exits the school building, parents get a message on their registered mobile numbers. As the project gained momentum, it turned out that some students who were given digitised identity cards would pass them on to friends sitting in class or simply leave them on the school premises before cutting class. We are thinking of tagging school bags. But only after studying the feasibility will we launch the project in all the schools, Yashpal Arya, Chairman, South MCD Education Committee, told The Sunday Standard. The latest addition to digitised student attendance projects will push up the annual expenditure per student from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000 after the GPS monitors are tagged. A dedicated website to monitor locations of the bags will also be set up in schools. There are around 10 lakh students in 1,800 schools run by the three municipal corporations.
Rakesh K Singh By

NEW DELHI/DEOBAND (SAHARANPUR): International radical outfit Street Daawah has opened offices in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai to recruit non-Muslims, including those from the IT hubs in these cities, for enlisting them into suicide missions.

The outfit had begun its operations in the UK and Australia in 2012 following which a number of youths were radicalised with presentation of concocted forms of Islam. In the wake of the outfits activities, a few Indians, including Indian- origin British national Siddarth Dhar who is a Kashmiri Brahmin, joined the Islamic State.

Dhar is also believed to be the new Jihadi John, a masked executioner for the IS whose videos relating to mass executions have been released by the Caliphate-seeking terror outfit after the liquidation of the original Jihadi John whose real name was Mohammad Emwazi, a British origin IS executioner.

Many of the Street Daawah cadres have been known to have either joined the IS ranks or emerged as suicide bombers for them. As many as 25 suicide bombings have been committed globally by the Street Daawah cadres during the last few years.

Top intelligence sources said the outfit has not registered itself as a voluntary organisation in India so far but has started functioning from these cities. According to the Street Daawah concept, only non-Muslims are targeted and subsequently influenced to accept radical form of Islam. Upon radicalisation, the cadres continue to retain their non-Muslim names in their passport so as to evade any suspicion by the law enforcement agencies.

Apart from recruiting non-Muslims for suicide bombing missions, the outfit also targets maulanas for preaching their version of the misinterpreted Islamic concepts and further increase the recruitment base of the outfit. The concept of Street Daawah derives its origin from its movement in UK and Australia after which a number of its cadres had joined the terror group Islamic State and carried out suicide bombings in different parts of Europe. Recruits are randomly selected by Street Daawah operators who collect data like mobile/phone numbers, residential and e-mail addresses of the targeted youth. The outfits recruiters then radicalise them through their concocted Islamic literature and psychological brainwashing over a period of time.

A senior Intelligence official said the addresses of the Street Daawah offices in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai have been ascertained and their activities are being watched. Their networking with other radical organisations like the ones relating to the Salafist preacher Zakir Naik is also under the scanner.

When contacted by The Sunday Standard, a number of Maulanas and Muftis especially from Deoband said while Islam does not approve violence, a minuscule number of the youths are attracted due to the communication gap between the Government and the citizens. The Maulanas and the Muftis said foreign elements are behind radicalisation in India who just cannot accept the inter-community harmony in the country. They also said there is a global trend to create Islamophobia.

Maulana Arshad Madani, President of the Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind, said, It is true that a few youths from both the Hindu and Muslim community may get radicalised but it is equally true that many a times there is propaganda to malign the Muslims. Violence is unacceptable in Islam but the religion is often perceived to be violent.

Maulana Mufti Arshad Farooqui of the Darool Uloom Zakaria said lack of proper education is responsible for radicalisation amongst the youth. The Government as well as the Muslim community should together work to eradicate the emerging threat from radicalisation, he added.

NEW DELHI/DEOBAND (SAHARANPUR): International radical outfit Street Daawah has opened offices in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai to recruit non-Muslims, including those from the IT hubs in these cities, for enlisting them into suicide missions. The outfit had begun its operations in the UK and Australia in 2012 following which a number of youths were radicalised with presentation of concocted forms of Islam. In the wake of the outfits activities, a few Indians, including Indian- origin British national Siddarth Dhar who is a Kashmiri Brahmin, joined the Islamic State. Dhar is also believed to be the new Jihadi John, a masked executioner for the IS whose videos relating to mass executions have been released by the Caliphate-seeking terror outfit after the liquidation of the original Jihadi John whose real name was Mohammad Emwazi, a British origin IS executioner. Many of the Street Daawah cadres have been known to have either joined the IS ranks or emerged as suicide bombers for them. As many as 25 suicide bombings have been committed globally by the Street Daawah cadres during the last few years. Top intelligence sources said the outfit has not registered itself as a voluntary organisation in India so far but has started functioning from these cities. According to the Street Daawah concept, only non-Muslims are targeted and subsequently influenced to accept radical form of Islam. Upon radicalisation, the cadres continue to retain their non-Muslim names in their passport so as to evade any suspicion by the law enforcement agencies. Apart from recruiting non-Muslims for suicide bombing missions, the outfit also targets maulanas for preaching their version of the misinterpreted Islamic concepts and further increase the recruitment base of the outfit. The concept of Street Daawah derives its origin from its movement in UK and Australia after which a number of its cadres had joined the terror group Islamic State and carried out suicide bombings in different parts of Europe. Recruits are randomly selected by Street Daawah operators who collect data like mobile/phone numbers, residential and e-mail addresses of the targeted youth. The outfits recruiters then radicalise them through their concocted Islamic literature and psychological brainwashing over a period of time. A senior Intelligence official said the addresses of the Street Daawah offices in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai have been ascertained and their activities are being watched. Their networking with other radical organisations like the ones relating to the Salafist preacher Zakir Naik is also under the scanner. When contacted by The Sunday Standard, a number of Maulanas and Muftis especially from Deoband said while Islam does not approve violence, a minuscule number of the youths are attracted due to the communication gap between the Government and the citizens. The Maulanas and the Muftis said foreign elements are behind radicalisation in India who just cannot accept the inter-community harmony in the country. They also said there is a global trend to create Islamophobia. Maulana Arshad Madani, President of the Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind, said, It is true that a few youths from both the Hindu and Muslim community may get radicalised but it is equally true that many a times there is propaganda to malign the Muslims. Violence is unacceptable in Islam but the religion is often perceived to be violent. Maulana Mufti Arshad Farooqui of the Darool Uloom Zakaria said lack of proper education is responsible for radicalisation amongst the youth. The Government as well as the Muslim community should together work to eradicate the emerging threat from radicalisation, he added.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: After vowing a smooth transition, President Barack Obama and Donald Trump are presiding over one of the most tumultuous transfers of power in US history.

Assassinations notwithstanding, American presidential transitions have generally been peaceful affairs. But that doesn't mean they have been smooth.

Andrew Johnson was effectively barred from attending Ulysses Grant's swearing in. Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt did not speak to each other on inauguration day.

Bill Clinton's staff removed the "W" keys from dozens of White House keyboards before George W. Bush moved in.

But few transitions have been as tempestuous as Obama's passing of the baton to Trump.

When the pair met in the Oval Office a few days after Trump's shock November victory, the tone was cordial enough.

Hailing an "excellent conversation," Obama said "it is important for all of us, regardless of party and regardless of political preferences, to now come together, work together, to deal with the many challenges that we face."

Quite a show of unity for two men who are as different as two politicians can be: Obama, a 55-year-old former law lecturer, is as systematic as Trump, a 70-year-old reality TV mogul, is impulsive.

But Obama's early strategy of flattering his way into Trump's good graces has melted away with each incendiary tweet.

In the span of a few weeks, the president-elect has picked fights with Mexico, China, Toyota, Lockheed Martin, the media, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the cast of "Hamilton."

He has also taken aim at Obama personally.

"Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!" Trump tweeted in late December.

Trump infuriated the White House by offering a running commentary on Obama's final weeks, criticizing his decision not to veto a UN resolution on Israeli settlements and the transfer of prisoners out of Guantanamo Bay prison.

"Trump has incinerated the one president at a time rule. His behavior during the transition has been just as erratic as we've come to expect on most matters" said Larry Sabato, head of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

The president-elect has been acting as though he was co-presidentor maybe already president. It's a total break with tradition, said Sabato.

Red tide

But it is the scandal over Russian involvement in the election that has put Obama and Trump most sharply at odds.

The White House imposed sanctions on Moscow and released a steady drip of evidence that the Kremlin tried to put its hand on the electoral scale, culminating in an intelligence report that was shocking in its bluntness.

We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the joint CIA, NSA and FBI report read.

We also assess Putin and the Russian Government aspired to help President-elect Trumps election chances.

Fearing that assessment will forever put an asterisk by his historic victory, Trump has lashed out at US intelligence and appeared to sided with Russia in a way that is unthinkable for the White House.

Team Obamas comments about Trump have become increasingly pointed.

In a farewell address, Michelle Obama urged young Americans not to fear the future but fight for it.

"You cannot take your freedom for granted," she said. "You have to do your part to protect and preserve those freedoms."

Don't be afraid. Be focused, be determined, be empowered," she said. "Lead by example, with hope, never fear."

In an interview with his former aide David Axelrod, President Obama himself went as far as suggesting that he could have beaten Trump in the election were he allowed to run for a third term  a remark the president knew would smart.

The outgoing administration has made life more than usually difficult for the incoming administration, said David Clinton an expert in presidential transitions at Baylor University.

Obama may be right. His approval rating is around 55 percent according to Gallup, putting him in the league of Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan as they departed.

Trump's approval rating is 43 percent, according to the Real Clear Politics average, notably low for someone who just won an election.

But that will be of little comfort to Obama with his signature policies -- from curbing emissions to the nuclear deal with Iran -- in such grave danger.

Most of Obamas legacy is dead and gone, or will be in the coming weeks and years, said Sabato.

In a last-ditch bid, Obama has jumped back into the political fray with a series of interviews and speeches aimed at stopping Trump from rolling back landmark health care reforms.

On Tuesday in Chicago, he will deliver a farewell address that is set to focus as much on the future as on the last eight years.

The message for Trump is unlikely to be subtle.

WASHINGTON: After vowing a smooth transition, President Barack Obama and Donald Trump are presiding over one of the most tumultuous transfers of power in US history. Assassinations notwithstanding, American presidential transitions have generally been peaceful affairs. But that doesn't mean they have been smooth. Andrew Johnson was effectively barred from attending Ulysses Grant's swearing in. Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt did not speak to each other on inauguration day. Bill Clinton's staff removed the "W" keys from dozens of White House keyboards before George W. Bush moved in. But few transitions have been as tempestuous as Obama's passing of the baton to Trump. When the pair met in the Oval Office a few days after Trump's shock November victory, the tone was cordial enough. Hailing an "excellent conversation," Obama said "it is important for all of us, regardless of party and regardless of political preferences, to now come together, work together, to deal with the many challenges that we face." Quite a show of unity for two men who are as different as two politicians can be: Obama, a 55-year-old former law lecturer, is as systematic as Trump, a 70-year-old reality TV mogul, is impulsive. But Obama's early strategy of flattering his way into Trump's good graces has melted away with each incendiary tweet. In the span of a few weeks, the president-elect has picked fights with Mexico, China, Toyota, Lockheed Martin, the media, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the cast of "Hamilton." He has also taken aim at Obama personally. "Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!" Trump tweeted in late December. Trump infuriated the White House by offering a running commentary on Obama's final weeks, criticizing his decision not to veto a UN resolution on Israeli settlements and the transfer of prisoners out of Guantanamo Bay prison. "Trump has incinerated the one president at a time rule. His behavior during the transition has been just as erratic as we've come to expect on most matters" said Larry Sabato, head of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. The president-elect has been acting as though he was co-presidentor maybe already president. It's a total break with tradition, said Sabato. Red tide But it is the scandal over Russian involvement in the election that has put Obama and Trump most sharply at odds. The White House imposed sanctions on Moscow and released a steady drip of evidence that the Kremlin tried to put its hand on the electoral scale, culminating in an intelligence report that was shocking in its bluntness. We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the joint CIA, NSA and FBI report read. We also assess Putin and the Russian Government aspired to help President-elect Trumps election chances. Fearing that assessment will forever put an asterisk by his historic victory, Trump has lashed out at US intelligence and appeared to sided with Russia in a way that is unthinkable for the White House. Team Obamas comments about Trump have become increasingly pointed. In a farewell address, Michelle Obama urged young Americans not to fear the future but fight for it. "You cannot take your freedom for granted," she said. "You have to do your part to protect and preserve those freedoms." Don't be afraid. Be focused, be determined, be empowered," she said. "Lead by example, with hope, never fear." In an interview with his former aide David Axelrod, President Obama himself went as far as suggesting that he could have beaten Trump in the election were he allowed to run for a third term  a remark the president knew would smart. The outgoing administration has made life more than usually difficult for the incoming administration, said David Clinton an expert in presidential transitions at Baylor University. Obama may be right. His approval rating is around 55 percent according to Gallup, putting him in the league of Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan as they departed. Trump's approval rating is 43 percent, according to the Real Clear Politics average, notably low for someone who just won an election. But that will be of little comfort to Obama with his signature policies -- from curbing emissions to the nuclear deal with Iran -- in such grave danger. Most of Obamas legacy is dead and gone, or will be in the coming weeks and years, said Sabato. In a last-ditch bid, Obama has jumped back into the political fray with a series of interviews and speeches aimed at stopping Trump from rolling back landmark health care reforms. On Tuesday in Chicago, he will deliver a farewell address that is set to focus as much on the future as on the last eight years. The message for Trump is unlikely to be subtle.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: India-US relationship is one of the "great success stories" under President Barack Obama during whose term it witnessed an unprecedented level of co-operation and bipartisan support for mutual benefit, a top presidential advisor said, days ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump administration.

Peter Lavoy, Senior Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, White House, also said that deepening and expansion of partnership with India on a whole host of issues are of critical importance to the US. "This (India-US relationship) is really one of the great success stories of the Obama Administration," Lavoy told PTI.

Lavoy, who has been working on South Asian issues, in particular on India-Pakistan issues for past several decades in various capacities in the US government, exuded confidence that the relationship would continue to strengthen further given the bipartisan support it has in both the countries. "When you talk about expectations for the future, I think, all the signals point to this continued trajectory  deepening and expanding partnership," Lavoy said.

Outgoing President Obama inherited what essentially was a bipartisan issue towards India. "I think, this is how we are handing off the relationship from President Obama to his successor. It is very much a bipartisan issue. So I think, on both sides of the aisle in the US there is a very strong appreciation of not only the benefits but also the imperatives of partnerships with India for the continuation in our interest," he asserted in response to a question.

"My expectation is that it will continue, because it is in India's interest and it is in the interest of the US. Republicans and Democrats alike recognise the importance of continuing (this relationship) and in fact deepening partnership with India. That's why I am very optimistic of the future," Lavoy said, as he refrained from giving a direct answer to a question on India-US relationship under a Trump Administration which will be inaugurated on January 20.

Referring to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, Lavoy recalled his speech to the Congress in June wherein he said India and the US have overcome hesitations of history and turned barriers into bridges and partnerships. "I think, thats much more than rhetoric. I think that is very very genuine. During the past years and actually over the last eight years, we really expanded our co-operation in wide range of areas," he asserted.

"The partnership now covers every single area of significance to the US and I believe India," he said, adding Obama actually inherited a very strong relationship with India that is something that his predecessor George Bush prioritised.

WASHINGTON: India-US relationship is one of the "great success stories" under President Barack Obama during whose term it witnessed an unprecedented level of co-operation and bipartisan support for mutual benefit, a top presidential advisor said, days ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump administration. Peter Lavoy, Senior Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, White House, also said that deepening and expansion of partnership with India on a whole host of issues are of critical importance to the US. "This (India-US relationship) is really one of the great success stories of the Obama Administration," Lavoy told PTI. Lavoy, who has been working on South Asian issues, in particular on India-Pakistan issues for past several decades in various capacities in the US government, exuded confidence that the relationship would continue to strengthen further given the bipartisan support it has in both the countries. "When you talk about expectations for the future, I think, all the signals point to this continued trajectory  deepening and expanding partnership," Lavoy said. Outgoing President Obama inherited what essentially was a bipartisan issue towards India. "I think, this is how we are handing off the relationship from President Obama to his successor. It is very much a bipartisan issue. So I think, on both sides of the aisle in the US there is a very strong appreciation of not only the benefits but also the imperatives of partnerships with India for the continuation in our interest," he asserted in response to a question. "My expectation is that it will continue, because it is in India's interest and it is in the interest of the US. Republicans and Democrats alike recognise the importance of continuing (this relationship) and in fact deepening partnership with India. That's why I am very optimistic of the future," Lavoy said, as he refrained from giving a direct answer to a question on India-US relationship under a Trump Administration which will be inaugurated on January 20. Referring to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, Lavoy recalled his speech to the Congress in June wherein he said India and the US have overcome hesitations of history and turned barriers into bridges and partnerships. "I think, thats much more than rhetoric. I think that is very very genuine. During the past years and actually over the last eight years, we really expanded our co-operation in wide range of areas," he asserted. "The partnership now covers every single area of significance to the US and I believe India," he said, adding Obama actually inherited a very strong relationship with India that is something that his predecessor George Bush prioritised.
By Associated Press

TEHRAN: Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a wily political survivor and multimillionaire mogul who remained among the ruling elite despite moderate views, died Sunday, state TV reported. He was 82.

Iranian media reported earlier Sunday that he was taken to a hospital north of Tehran because of a heart condition. State television broke into programming to announce his death, the female newscaster's voice quivering as she read the news.

She said Rafsanjani, "after a life full of restless efforts in the path of Islam and revolution, had departed for lofty heaven."

Rafsanjani's mix of sly wit and reputation for cunning moves  both in politics and business  earned him a host of nicknames such as Akbar Shah, or Great King, during a life that touched every major event in Iranian affairs since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

His presence  whether directly or through back channels  was felt in many forms. He was a steady leader in the turbulent years following the overthrow of the U.S.-backed shah, a veteran warrior in the country's internal political battles and a covert go-between in intrigue such as the Iran-Contra arms deals in the 1980s.

He also was handed an unexpected political resurgence in his later years.

The surprise presidential election in 2013 of Rafsanjani's political soul mate, Hassan Rouhani, gave the former president an insider role in reform-minded efforts that included Rouhani's push for direct nuclear talks with Washington.

Rouhani's victory was also another example of Rafsanjani's remarkable political luck. Rafsanjani was blocked from the ballot by Iran's election overseers  presumably worried about boosting his already wide-ranging influence. But, in the end, many moderates turned to Rouhani as an indirect vote for Rafsanjani.

It came after years of dwindling influence. Another presidential comeback bid was snuffed out by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's surprise victory in 2005 elections.

Rafsanjani was a close aide of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and went on to serve as president from 1989 to 1997 during a period of significant changes in Iran. At the time, the country was struggling to rebuild its economy after a devastating 1980-88 war with Iraq, while also cautiously allowing some wider freedoms, as seen in Iran's highly regarded film and media industry.

He also oversaw key developments in Iran's nuclear program by negotiating deals with Russia to build an energy-producing reactor in Bushehr, which finally went into service in 2011 after long delays. Behind the scenes, he directed the secret purchase of technology and equipment from Pakistan and elsewhere.

Rafsanjani managed to remain within the ruling theocracy after leaving office, but any dreams of taking on a higher-profile elder statesman role collapsed with Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009 and the intense crackdown that followed. Rafsanjani's harsh criticism of Ahmadinejad branded him as a dissenter in the eyes of many conservatives.

In a sign of his waning powers, Rafsanjani's stance cost him his position as one of the Friday prayer leaders at Tehran University, a highly influential position that often is the forum for significant policy statements.

But some analysts believe that Rafsanjani was kept within the ruling fold as a potential mediator with America and its allies in the standoff over Iran's nuclear program. His past stature as a trusted Khomeini ally also offered him political protection. Rafsanjani was a top commander in the war with Iraq and played a key role in convincing Khomeini to accept a cease-fire as it became clear that extending the stalemate could pose a crippling drain on Iran's economy.

Nearly 25 years later, Rafsanjani tried to revive his credentials among a new generation of reformers by recounting proposals he made to Khomeini in the late 1980s to consider outreach to the United States, still seen by hard-liners as the "Great Satan."

His image, however, also had darker undertones. He was named by prosecutors in Argentina among Iranian officials suspected of links to a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that left 85 people dead. Some Iranian reformers accused him of involvement in the slaying of liberals and dissidents during his presidency  charges that were never pursued by Iranian authorities.

"The title of Islamic Republic is not just a formality," he said in 2009 in the chaos after Ahmadinejad's re-election.

"Rest assured, if one of those two aspects is damaged we will lose our revolution. If it loses its Islamic aspect, we will go astray. If it loses its republican aspect, (the Islamic Republic) will not be realized. Based on the reasons that I have offered, without people and their vote there would be no Islamic system."

TEHRAN: Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a wily political survivor and multimillionaire mogul who remained among the ruling elite despite moderate views, died Sunday, state TV reported. He was 82. Iranian media reported earlier Sunday that he was taken to a hospital north of Tehran because of a heart condition. State television broke into programming to announce his death, the female newscaster's voice quivering as she read the news. She said Rafsanjani, "after a life full of restless efforts in the path of Islam and revolution, had departed for lofty heaven." Rafsanjani's mix of sly wit and reputation for cunning moves  both in politics and business  earned him a host of nicknames such as Akbar Shah, or Great King, during a life that touched every major event in Iranian affairs since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. His presence  whether directly or through back channels  was felt in many forms. He was a steady leader in the turbulent years following the overthrow of the U.S.-backed shah, a veteran warrior in the country's internal political battles and a covert go-between in intrigue such as the Iran-Contra arms deals in the 1980s. He also was handed an unexpected political resurgence in his later years. The surprise presidential election in 2013 of Rafsanjani's political soul mate, Hassan Rouhani, gave the former president an insider role in reform-minded efforts that included Rouhani's push for direct nuclear talks with Washington. Rouhani's victory was also another example of Rafsanjani's remarkable political luck. Rafsanjani was blocked from the ballot by Iran's election overseers  presumably worried about boosting his already wide-ranging influence. But, in the end, many moderates turned to Rouhani as an indirect vote for Rafsanjani. It came after years of dwindling influence. Another presidential comeback bid was snuffed out by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's surprise victory in 2005 elections. Rafsanjani was a close aide of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and went on to serve as president from 1989 to 1997 during a period of significant changes in Iran. At the time, the country was struggling to rebuild its economy after a devastating 1980-88 war with Iraq, while also cautiously allowing some wider freedoms, as seen in Iran's highly regarded film and media industry. He also oversaw key developments in Iran's nuclear program by negotiating deals with Russia to build an energy-producing reactor in Bushehr, which finally went into service in 2011 after long delays. Behind the scenes, he directed the secret purchase of technology and equipment from Pakistan and elsewhere. Rafsanjani managed to remain within the ruling theocracy after leaving office, but any dreams of taking on a higher-profile elder statesman role collapsed with Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009 and the intense crackdown that followed. Rafsanjani's harsh criticism of Ahmadinejad branded him as a dissenter in the eyes of many conservatives. In a sign of his waning powers, Rafsanjani's stance cost him his position as one of the Friday prayer leaders at Tehran University, a highly influential position that often is the forum for significant policy statements. But some analysts believe that Rafsanjani was kept within the ruling fold as a potential mediator with America and its allies in the standoff over Iran's nuclear program. His past stature as a trusted Khomeini ally also offered him political protection. Rafsanjani was a top commander in the war with Iraq and played a key role in convincing Khomeini to accept a cease-fire as it became clear that extending the stalemate could pose a crippling drain on Iran's economy. Nearly 25 years later, Rafsanjani tried to revive his credentials among a new generation of reformers by recounting proposals he made to Khomeini in the late 1980s to consider outreach to the United States, still seen by hard-liners as the "Great Satan." His image, however, also had darker undertones. He was named by prosecutors in Argentina among Iranian officials suspected of links to a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that left 85 people dead. Some Iranian reformers accused him of involvement in the slaying of liberals and dissidents during his presidency  charges that were never pursued by Iranian authorities. "The title of Islamic Republic is not just a formality," he said in 2009 in the chaos after Ahmadinejad's re-election. "Rest assured, if one of those two aspects is damaged we will lose our revolution. If it loses its Islamic aspect, we will go astray. If it loses its republican aspect, (the Islamic Republic) will not be realized. Based on the reasons that I have offered, without people and their vote there would be no Islamic system."
By AFP

TEHRAN: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has clashed with the country's powerful and conservative judiciary, in a rare public row as tensions rise ahead of this year's presidential election.

The moderate Rouhani, who is expected to stand for a second four-year term in the May vote, has targeted the judiciary in a series of public statements over the case of a billionaire businessman on death row for corruption.

Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani has hit back with accusations of his own, and on Sunday supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made reference to the dispute.

In a speech to thousands of people in the religious city of Qom, Khamenei alluded to "recent arguments" among powerful figures, adding: "This will be resolved with the help of God."

Rouhani launched the first salvo in a speech late last month referring to the case of Babak Zanjani, sentenced to death for fraud and other financial crimes in March after a lengthy trial that saw him convicted of fraudulently pocketing $2.8 billion.

Zanjani was arrested in 2013, three months after Rouhani took office pledging a crackdown on corruption.

He rose to prominence after sanctions were imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme, boasting in media interviews of finding ways around banking restrictions to ensure Tehran continued to receive money for international oil sales.

- Hunt for lost millions -

In his speech, Rouhani appeared to suggest that the judiciary had not done enough against others potentially involved in the case or to recover funds embezzled by Zanjani.

"How is it possible that a single man can pocket $3 billion? Who has helped him? Who are his accomplices?" Rouhani asked.

The death sentence against Zanjani was "very well", Rouhani said, "but what becomes of the money?"

Last week Larijani hit back, defending the judiciary's handling of the case and criticising the government for not doing enough to help track down missing funds.

"It should not be implied that the judiciary has done little on this case," Larijani said, insisting it was working "to recover the misappropriated money".

"The case remains open. We have summoned former ministers and the former director of the central bank," he said.

Larijani, brother of the moderately conservative parliament speaker Ali Larijani, said the government and foreign ministry were "not doing their duty of tracing the money taken abroad by Zanjani".

Iranian authorities have so far only been able to recover about $600 million of the embezzled money from the seizure of Zanjani's assets in Iran.

Larijani called on the foreign ministry to demand information on the funds from the governments of Malaysia, Turkey, Tajikistan and China. The ministry replied that it had given its "full cooperation" to the judiciary.

Larijani also revealed claims made by Zanjani during his questioning that he had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to presidential candidates in 2013.

- Campaign funds probe -

The judiciary chief provided no names but said it would begin to investigate the alleged payments.

That claim appeared to raise the stakes in the dispute and prompted Rouhani to urge the judiciary disclose its own financial dealings.

"The government is ready to shed light on its accounts and expects the judiciary to do the same," Rouhani said Tuesday on Twitter, in an apparent reference to recent criticism of judiciary bank accounts managed directly by its chief.

"The judiciary accounts are transparent and anyone can view them," judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie said in response to the tweet, demanding Rouhani "take action" for transparency.

"They need to tell the public how much Mr. Rouhani spent on the (2013 presidential) campaign and where they money came from," Mohseni Ejeie said.

Some critics have accused Rouhani of attacking the judiciary to appeal to his moderate base and divert attention from a lack of immediate economic results from the nuclear deal.

The 2015 agreement between Tehran and six world powers, which saw sanctions lifted in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear programme, is expected to be a centrepiece of Rouhani's re-election campaign.

In his speech on Sunday, Khamenei appeared to urge the two sides to overcome their differences.

"The existence of an independent and courageous judiciary must be appreciated by everyone," he said. "What defeats the enemy in its objectives is to have a strong judiciary and a government that is both brave and can plan accurately."

TEHRAN: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has clashed with the country's powerful and conservative judiciary, in a rare public row as tensions rise ahead of this year's presidential election. The moderate Rouhani, who is expected to stand for a second four-year term in the May vote, has targeted the judiciary in a series of public statements over the case of a billionaire businessman on death row for corruption. Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani has hit back with accusations of his own, and on Sunday supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made reference to the dispute. In a speech to thousands of people in the religious city of Qom, Khamenei alluded to "recent arguments" among powerful figures, adding: "This will be resolved with the help of God." Rouhani launched the first salvo in a speech late last month referring to the case of Babak Zanjani, sentenced to death for fraud and other financial crimes in March after a lengthy trial that saw him convicted of fraudulently pocketing $2.8 billion. Zanjani was arrested in 2013, three months after Rouhani took office pledging a crackdown on corruption. He rose to prominence after sanctions were imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme, boasting in media interviews of finding ways around banking restrictions to ensure Tehran continued to receive money for international oil sales. - Hunt for lost millions - In his speech, Rouhani appeared to suggest that the judiciary had not done enough against others potentially involved in the case or to recover funds embezzled by Zanjani. "How is it possible that a single man can pocket $3 billion? Who has helped him? Who are his accomplices?" Rouhani asked. The death sentence against Zanjani was "very well", Rouhani said, "but what becomes of the money?" Last week Larijani hit back, defending the judiciary's handling of the case and criticising the government for not doing enough to help track down missing funds. "It should not be implied that the judiciary has done little on this case," Larijani said, insisting it was working "to recover the misappropriated money". "The case remains open. We have summoned former ministers and the former director of the central bank," he said. Larijani, brother of the moderately conservative parliament speaker Ali Larijani, said the government and foreign ministry were "not doing their duty of tracing the money taken abroad by Zanjani". Iranian authorities have so far only been able to recover about $600 million of the embezzled money from the seizure of Zanjani's assets in Iran. Larijani called on the foreign ministry to demand information on the funds from the governments of Malaysia, Turkey, Tajikistan and China. The ministry replied that it had given its "full cooperation" to the judiciary. Larijani also revealed claims made by Zanjani during his questioning that he had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to presidential candidates in 2013. - Campaign funds probe - The judiciary chief provided no names but said it would begin to investigate the alleged payments. That claim appeared to raise the stakes in the dispute and prompted Rouhani to urge the judiciary disclose its own financial dealings. "The government is ready to shed light on its accounts and expects the judiciary to do the same," Rouhani said Tuesday on Twitter, in an apparent reference to recent criticism of judiciary bank accounts managed directly by its chief. "The judiciary accounts are transparent and anyone can view them," judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie said in response to the tweet, demanding Rouhani "take action" for transparency. "They need to tell the public how much Mr. Rouhani spent on the (2013 presidential) campaign and where they money came from," Mohseni Ejeie said. Some critics have accused Rouhani of attacking the judiciary to appeal to his moderate base and divert attention from a lack of immediate economic results from the nuclear deal. The 2015 agreement between Tehran and six world powers, which saw sanctions lifted in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear programme, is expected to be a centrepiece of Rouhani's re-election campaign. In his speech on Sunday, Khamenei appeared to urge the two sides to overcome their differences. "The existence of an independent and courageous judiciary must be appreciated by everyone," he said. "What defeats the enemy in its objectives is to have a strong judiciary and a government that is both brave and can plan accurately."
By AFP

GUADALAJARA: Mexican authorities are on the hunt for a gunman who was disguised as a female nurse when he shot and wounded a US consular official in the city of Guadalajara.

The US consulate in Guadalajara posted a video on Facebook Saturday showing the shooter, dressed in blue and wearing a wig, waiting outside a shopping center's garage at 6:20 pm on Friday (00:20 GMT Saturday). He then raises his gun and fires at the car before fleeing.

The shooting left a bullet impact on the car window while the US consular official is seen opening his door.

Moments before the shooting video from different cameras showed the official, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, paying his parking ticket at an automated machine. The gunman is seen following him.

"According to the four videos, it was a direct attack," Jalisco state attorney general Eduard Almaguer Ramirez said.

The gunman was wearing a wig and a blue nurse uniform, Almaguer said.

The US official, who is in stable condition, interviews visa applicants at the consulate, Almaguer said.

A US government official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the official is a vice consul, adding that no motive for the shooting has been established.

The western city of Guadalajara has been hit by violence perpetrated by the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel in recent years.

$20,000 reward

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation offered a $20,000 reward for information about the shooter. The FBI is helping with the investigation, Almaguer said.

The Mexican attorney general's office said it was in contact with the US embassy and consulate in efforts to locate the shooter.

"The safety and security of our employees overseas is among our highest priorities," the US embassy said in a statement.

"We are working closely with Mexican law enforcement in this matter," the statement added, saying it would provide more details "due to privacy considerations."

The embassy issued a security message later Saturday urging US citizens in Guadalajara to "restrict their movements outside their homes and places of work to those truly essential."

"They should also take care not to fall into predictable patterns for those movements that are essential. They should vary the times and routes of their movements."

Not the first attack

US officials have faced attacks in Mexico in the past.

In 2010, a consular official, her husband and the spouse of another consular official were killed in two simultaneous attacks in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez, which at the time was considered the world's murder capital amid an ultra-violent drug war.

An alleged leader of the Barrio Azteca gang was extradited to the United States, where he was sentenced to life in prison for ordering the murder.

A year later, gunmen from the Zetas drug cartel opened fire on a vehicle of two US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the northern state of San Luis Potosi, killing one of the officers.

In 2012, two US government officials -- widely reported to be CIA agents -- and a Mexican marine where wounded in 2012 when they were shot at by federal police officers as they were driving in the central state of Morelos.

Fourteen officers were initially accused of attempted murder, but were later put on trial on charges of using excessive force, with officials citing a case of mistaken identity.

And in a case that caused friction between the US and Mexican governments in 1985, undercover US agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was tortured and killed by the Guadalajara drug cartel.

GUADALAJARA: Mexican authorities are on the hunt for a gunman who was disguised as a female nurse when he shot and wounded a US consular official in the city of Guadalajara. The US consulate in Guadalajara posted a video on Facebook Saturday showing the shooter, dressed in blue and wearing a wig, waiting outside a shopping center's garage at 6:20 pm on Friday (00:20 GMT Saturday). He then raises his gun and fires at the car before fleeing. The shooting left a bullet impact on the car window while the US consular official is seen opening his door. Moments before the shooting video from different cameras showed the official, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, paying his parking ticket at an automated machine. The gunman is seen following him. "According to the four videos, it was a direct attack," Jalisco state attorney general Eduard Almaguer Ramirez said. The gunman was wearing a wig and a blue nurse uniform, Almaguer said. The US official, who is in stable condition, interviews visa applicants at the consulate, Almaguer said. A US government official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the official is a vice consul, adding that no motive for the shooting has been established. The western city of Guadalajara has been hit by violence perpetrated by the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel in recent years. $20,000 reward The US Federal Bureau of Investigation offered a $20,000 reward for information about the shooter. The FBI is helping with the investigation, Almaguer said. The Mexican attorney general's office said it was in contact with the US embassy and consulate in efforts to locate the shooter. "The safety and security of our employees overseas is among our highest priorities," the US embassy said in a statement. "We are working closely with Mexican law enforcement in this matter," the statement added, saying it would provide more details "due to privacy considerations." The embassy issued a security message later Saturday urging US citizens in Guadalajara to "restrict their movements outside their homes and places of work to those truly essential." "They should also take care not to fall into predictable patterns for those movements that are essential. They should vary the times and routes of their movements." Not the first attack US officials have faced attacks in Mexico in the past. In 2010, a consular official, her husband and the spouse of another consular official were killed in two simultaneous attacks in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez, which at the time was considered the world's murder capital amid an ultra-violent drug war. An alleged leader of the Barrio Azteca gang was extradited to the United States, where he was sentenced to life in prison for ordering the murder. A year later, gunmen from the Zetas drug cartel opened fire on a vehicle of two US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the northern state of San Luis Potosi, killing one of the officers. In 2012, two US government officials -- widely reported to be CIA agents -- and a Mexican marine where wounded in 2012 when they were shot at by federal police officers as they were driving in the central state of Morelos. Fourteen officers were initially accused of attempted murder, but were later put on trial on charges of using excessive force, with officials citing a case of mistaken identity. And in a case that caused friction between the US and Mexican governments in 1985, undercover US agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was tortured and killed by the Guadalajara drug cartel.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump accepts the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia tried to interfere in the American presidential election, his incoming White House Chief of staff said Sunday.

"I think he accepts the findings," Reince Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday." ''He's not denying that entities in Russia were behind this particular campaign."

Intelligence officials allege that Moscow directed a series of hacks in order to help Trump win the White House. Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism about Russia's role and has declined to say whether he accepts the meddling was done on his behalf.

On Friday, U.S. intelligence briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump win the White House. Priebus attended along with Trump. In an interview with The Associated Press after the briefing, Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion about Russia's motives.

An unclassified version of the report directly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a "clear preference" for Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton. Trump and his allies have bristled at any implication that the meddling helped him win the election. He won the Electoral College vote with 306 votes, topping the 270 votes required to become president.

Accepting those findings would be a positive step  but not enough, said one leading Senate Republican who is calling for more sanctions against Russia.

"He's going to be the defender of the free world here pretty soon," Sen. Lindsey Graham, a frequent Trump critic, said in remarks broadcast Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''All I'm asking him is to acknowledge that Russia interfered, and push back. It could be Iran next time. It could be China."

The pushback from Graham comes during a consequential week for Trump, who will become the nation's 45th president on Jan. 20.

On Wednesday, Trump is expected to hold a long-delayed press conference on how he's organizing his global business empire to avoid conflicts of interest while he's president. He has taken sporadic questions and done interviews, but it'll be his first full-fledged news conference since July 27.

That same day on Capitol Hill, the Senate is holding at least nine hearings on Trump's Cabinet and other nominees, a pace set by the Republican majority that Democrats have complained is too fast. The government ethics office says several of Trump's Cabinet choices have not completed a full review to avoid conflicts of interest.

Trump has repeatedly sought to downplay the allegations against Russia, alarming some who see a pattern of skepticism directed at U.S. intelligence agencies and a willingness to embrace the Russian leader. On Friday after receiving a classified briefing on the matter, Trump tried to change the subject to allegations that hadn't been raised by U.S. intelligence. "Intelligence stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results. Voting machines not touched!"

He then declared in a series of tweets on Saturday that having a good relationship with Russia is "a good thing, not a bad thing." Trump added, "only 'stupid' people or fools" would come to a different conclusion.

Trump had earlier urged Americans to get on with their lives. Graham retorted in the broadcast Sunday:

"Our lives are built around the idea that we're free people. That we go to the ballot box. That we, you know, have political contests outside of foreign interference."

There has been no official comment from Moscow on the report, which was released as Russia observed Orthodox Christmas.

But Alexei Pushkov, an influential member of the upper house of parliament, said on Twitter that "all the accusations against Russia are based on 'confidence' and suppositions. The USA in the same way was confident about (Iraqi leader Saddam) Hussein having weapons of mass destruction."

During the election, Trump praised the Russian strongman as a decisive leader, and argued that the two countries would benefit from a better working relationship  though attempts by the Obama administration at a "Russian reset" have proved unsuccessful.

At the same time, intelligence officials believe that Russia isn't done intruding in U.S. politics and policymaking.

Immediately after the Nov. 8 election, Russia began a "spear-phishing" campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting U.S. government employees and think tanks that specialize in national security, defense and foreign policy, the unclassified version of the report said.

The report said Russian government provided hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. The website's founder, Julian Assange, has denied that it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted that the emails could have been passed through middlemen.

Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid "trolls" to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. Intelligence officials say Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumbprint on future elections in the United States and allied nations.

The public report was minus classified details that intelligence officials shared with President Barack Obama on Thursday.

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump accepts the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia tried to interfere in the American presidential election, his incoming White House Chief of staff said Sunday. "I think he accepts the findings," Reince Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday." ''He's not denying that entities in Russia were behind this particular campaign." Intelligence officials allege that Moscow directed a series of hacks in order to help Trump win the White House. Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism about Russia's role and has declined to say whether he accepts the meddling was done on his behalf. On Friday, U.S. intelligence briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump win the White House. Priebus attended along with Trump. In an interview with The Associated Press after the briefing, Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion about Russia's motives. An unclassified version of the report directly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a "clear preference" for Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton. Trump and his allies have bristled at any implication that the meddling helped him win the election. He won the Electoral College vote with 306 votes, topping the 270 votes required to become president. Accepting those findings would be a positive step  but not enough, said one leading Senate Republican who is calling for more sanctions against Russia. "He's going to be the defender of the free world here pretty soon," Sen. Lindsey Graham, a frequent Trump critic, said in remarks broadcast Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''All I'm asking him is to acknowledge that Russia interfered, and push back. It could be Iran next time. It could be China." The pushback from Graham comes during a consequential week for Trump, who will become the nation's 45th president on Jan. 20. On Wednesday, Trump is expected to hold a long-delayed press conference on how he's organizing his global business empire to avoid conflicts of interest while he's president. He has taken sporadic questions and done interviews, but it'll be his first full-fledged news conference since July 27. That same day on Capitol Hill, the Senate is holding at least nine hearings on Trump's Cabinet and other nominees, a pace set by the Republican majority that Democrats have complained is too fast. The government ethics office says several of Trump's Cabinet choices have not completed a full review to avoid conflicts of interest. Trump has repeatedly sought to downplay the allegations against Russia, alarming some who see a pattern of skepticism directed at U.S. intelligence agencies and a willingness to embrace the Russian leader. On Friday after receiving a classified briefing on the matter, Trump tried to change the subject to allegations that hadn't been raised by U.S. intelligence. "Intelligence stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results. Voting machines not touched!" He then declared in a series of tweets on Saturday that having a good relationship with Russia is "a good thing, not a bad thing." Trump added, "only 'stupid' people or fools" would come to a different conclusion. Trump had earlier urged Americans to get on with their lives. Graham retorted in the broadcast Sunday: "Our lives are built around the idea that we're free people. That we go to the ballot box. That we, you know, have political contests outside of foreign interference." There has been no official comment from Moscow on the report, which was released as Russia observed Orthodox Christmas. But Alexei Pushkov, an influential member of the upper house of parliament, said on Twitter that "all the accusations against Russia are based on 'confidence' and suppositions. The USA in the same way was confident about (Iraqi leader Saddam) Hussein having weapons of mass destruction." During the election, Trump praised the Russian strongman as a decisive leader, and argued that the two countries would benefit from a better working relationship  though attempts by the Obama administration at a "Russian reset" have proved unsuccessful. At the same time, intelligence officials believe that Russia isn't done intruding in U.S. politics and policymaking. Immediately after the Nov. 8 election, Russia began a "spear-phishing" campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting U.S. government employees and think tanks that specialize in national security, defense and foreign policy, the unclassified version of the report said. The report said Russian government provided hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. The website's founder, Julian Assange, has denied that it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted that the emails could have been passed through middlemen. Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid "trolls" to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. Intelligence officials say Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumbprint on future elections in the United States and allied nations. The public report was minus classified details that intelligence officials shared with President Barack Obama on Thursday.
By AFP

CASABLANCA: As their smartphone screens lit up with ride requests last month, Uber drivers in the Moroccan city of Casablanca must have thought that business was booming.

Instead, they found themselves surrounded by irate local taxi drivers, who forced them from their vehicles and handed them over to the police, the latest in a string of protests in the kingdom against the controversial travel app.

"After the tramway, illegal drivers and now Uber, they are trying to kill us off," said Abdelouahed, who works for a small local taxi firm.

Uber launched in Morocco's economic hub in 2015 but was banned by local authorities after just one month.

It has recently found itself the target of increasingly brash protests organised by owners of Casablanca's famous tomato red cabs.

"When you open Uber on your phone, you see drivers swarming around you like a virus," said Nordine, a fifty-something driver sat on the hood of his taxi.

"And like a virus, you need radical solutions. Trap them."

In one protest last month, dozens of taxi drivers posed as would-be passengers, flooding the app with requests before forcing the Uber drivers from their vehicles, much to the bemusement of onlookers.

The management of taxis in Morocco normally falls to local government. The transport ministry has so far kept quiet as to why Uber continues to operate in the streets of Casablanca.

- 'Illegal and unauthorised' -

"Our position hasn't changed," a senior official from Casablanca's local administration told AFP. "We see (Uber) as an unauthorised and illegal company."

Local media said recently that as many as 30 separate protests against app drivers had been held, ranging from threats, car chases and even ambushes such as the one in December

Uber Morocco director general Meryem Belqziz insisted these were "isolated" incidents.

"There were no injuries. It was more harassment," she told AFP, admitting however that Uber drivers had been "shaken" by some protests.

There are now more than 250 taxis working for Uber in Casablanca, Belqziz said, and the app has enjoyed 15,000 unique users in the last three months.

Business has boomed for Uber since it launched in San Francisco in 2011.

But the smartphone app has faced stiff resistance from traditional taxi drivers the world over, as well as bans in some places over safety concerns and questions over legal issues, including taxes.

Uber says it is not a transport company like taxi firms, and that it simply connects drivers with passengers.

While many drivers have been tempted by Uber's model, many more operators of Casablanca's estimated 18,000 taxis continue to denounce the app's "unfair competition", while passengers still heavily rely instead on local ride startups such as Careem and chauffeur.ma.

The recent opening of a new tram line in the city has also siphoned off some of the local drivers' traditional clientele.

"The tram has already eaten up an important part of our market, and things are getting worse with Uber, which operates without constraint," said Abdelouahed.

Belqziz insists that Uber and local taxis can operate side-by-side, but admits her firm's legal status "needs clarifying".

"With every important change you meet resistance, but with time people get used to new modes of consumption," she said.



CASABLANCA: As their smartphone screens lit up with ride requests last month, Uber drivers in the Moroccan city of Casablanca must have thought that business was booming. Instead, they found themselves surrounded by irate local taxi drivers, who forced them from their vehicles and handed them over to the police, the latest in a string of protests in the kingdom against the controversial travel app. "After the tramway, illegal drivers and now Uber, they are trying to kill us off," said Abdelouahed, who works for a small local taxi firm. Uber launched in Morocco's economic hub in 2015 but was banned by local authorities after just one month. It has recently found itself the target of increasingly brash protests organised by owners of Casablanca's famous tomato red cabs. "When you open Uber on your phone, you see drivers swarming around you like a virus," said Nordine, a fifty-something driver sat on the hood of his taxi. "And like a virus, you need radical solutions. Trap them." In one protest last month, dozens of taxi drivers posed as would-be passengers, flooding the app with requests before forcing the Uber drivers from their vehicles, much to the bemusement of onlookers. The management of taxis in Morocco normally falls to local government. The transport ministry has so far kept quiet as to why Uber continues to operate in the streets of Casablanca. - 'Illegal and unauthorised' - "Our position hasn't changed," a senior official from Casablanca's local administration told AFP. "We see (Uber) as an unauthorised and illegal company." Local media said recently that as many as 30 separate protests against app drivers had been held, ranging from threats, car chases and even ambushes such as the one in December Uber Morocco director general Meryem Belqziz insisted these were "isolated" incidents. "There were no injuries. It was more harassment," she told AFP, admitting however that Uber drivers had been "shaken" by some protests. There are now more than 250 taxis working for Uber in Casablanca, Belqziz said, and the app has enjoyed 15,000 unique users in the last three months. Business has boomed for Uber since it launched in San Francisco in 2011. But the smartphone app has faced stiff resistance from traditional taxi drivers the world over, as well as bans in some places over safety concerns and questions over legal issues, including taxes. Uber says it is not a transport company like taxi firms, and that it simply connects drivers with passengers. While many drivers have been tempted by Uber's model, many more operators of Casablanca's estimated 18,000 taxis continue to denounce the app's "unfair competition", while passengers still heavily rely instead on local ride startups such as Careem and chauffeur.ma. The recent opening of a new tram line in the city has also siphoned off some of the local drivers' traditional clientele. "The tram has already eaten up an important part of our market, and things are getting worse with Uber, which operates without constraint," said Abdelouahed. Belqziz insists that Uber and local taxis can operate side-by-side, but admits her firm's legal status "needs clarifying". "With every important change you meet resistance, but with time people get used to new modes of consumption," she said.
By AFP

MIAMI: US authorities are not ruling out "the terrorism angle" as a potential motive of the Iraq war veteran accused of killing five people at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport, officials said Saturday.

Esteban Santiago, 26, was charged in the shooting rampage Friday that also wounded six and sent thousands scrambling for safety before authorities shut down the airport in Florida, a major gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America.

"We continue to look at all avenues and all motives for this horrific attack," said George Piro, the special agent in charge of Miami's FBI field office. "We are continuing to look at the terrorism angle in regards to the potential motivation behind this attack."

Santiago was charged Saturday with firearms offenses and carrying out an act of violence at an airport, federal prosecutor Wifredo Ferrer said in a statement. If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison.

The suspect was scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Monday.

Separate murder charges could be forthcoming from state prosecutors, but no decision has been made yet, a spokesman for Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz told the local Sun Sentinel newspaper.

Piro said the suspect appeared to be acting alone and that "every indication is that he did follow (Transportation Security Administration) procedures in flying with the weapon," a nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun he had declared and stowed inside his checked luggage.

The incident occurred in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2. Authorities said the gunman loaded his gun in a bathroom, then opened fire on passengers collecting their luggage.

"Santiago started shooting, aiming at his victims' heads until he was out of ammunition," Ferrer said.

Santiago had traveled from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale, with a stopover in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In November, Santiago had walked into the FBI's Anchorage office exhibiting "erratic behavior" that led agents to contact local police, who took him to a medical facility for a mental health evaluation, Piro said.

However, he was not placed on a no-fly list, Piro added.

'He said he saw things'

A former member of the Puerto Rico and Alaska National Guard, Santiago served in Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011. He ended his service in August.

The suspect had complained to the FBI that his mind was being controlled by national intelligence agencies, which were forcing him to watch Islamic State jihadist videos.

Santiago allegedly opened fire shortly before 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) Friday.

A deputy officer came into contact with the gunman after approximately 70 to 80 seconds, and authorities were able to detain him without firing any shots, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters.

An aunt, Maria Luisa Ruiz, told the NorthJersey.com news site that Santiago became a father to a baby boy in September -- and that he was having mental problems.

"Like a month ago, it was like he lost his mind," Ruiz said. "He said he saw things."

"My family and I are in shock right now," she added. "It's sad, but we have to confront the situation."

Authorities have not identified any victims, but three named in media reports were all getting ready to set off on cruises.

They included 84-year-old grandmother Olga Woltering of Marietta, Georgia, the Sun Sentinel reported. The British native and her 90-year-old husband were going on a cruise with family to celebrate his birthday.

"Olga was so charming, calling everybody 'Lovey' or 'Love' in her unmistakable British accent," the Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, where Woltering was an active member, said on its website.

Terry Andres, 62, was going on vacation with his wife of nearly four decades, Ann, the Palm Beach Post reported. He lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia and worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

Michael and Kari Oehme, in their 50s from Council Bluffs, Iowa, were both shot, the Miami Herald said. Michael Oehme was killed, while his wife was wounded in the shoulder.

In addition to those killed and wounded by the gunman, as many as 40 people went to the hospital for various other injuries such as sprains, Israel said. Three of the wounded were still in the intensive care unit.

Checking weapons

The shooting renewed anxieties about airport security -- a concern that has loomed large in the post-9/11 era -- and shed new light on ongoing US gun-control debates.

The Transportation Security Administration -- the agency responsible for security at United States airports -- allows passengers to travel with unloaded firearms and ammunition as checked baggage.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents the Florida district that includes the airport, said the rules need to be reexamined.

Speaking to CNN, she said the incident should prompt close review of "whether or not you should be allowed to check a firearm at all" -- as well as how passengers should be able to retrieve checked weapons after landing.

"If there is still exposure to the traveling public of someone who wishes to do them harm and, like this individual, was reunited with their firearm and was able to wreak havoc... it absolutely needs to be addressed."

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, rebuked the government for not taking legislative action to tighten gun laws.

"Political cowardice is the accomplice of every mass shooter," he wrote on Twitter.

"The utter silence of Congress in the face of this carnage has become consent."

The Fort Lauderdale airport was open Saturday. Staff there were trying to return nearly 20,000 pieces of luggage and other personal items abandoned by passengers fleeing the shooting.



MIAMI: US authorities are not ruling out "the terrorism angle" as a potential motive of the Iraq war veteran accused of killing five people at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport, officials said Saturday. Esteban Santiago, 26, was charged in the shooting rampage Friday that also wounded six and sent thousands scrambling for safety before authorities shut down the airport in Florida, a major gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America. "We continue to look at all avenues and all motives for this horrific attack," said George Piro, the special agent in charge of Miami's FBI field office. "We are continuing to look at the terrorism angle in regards to the potential motivation behind this attack." Santiago was charged Saturday with firearms offenses and carrying out an act of violence at an airport, federal prosecutor Wifredo Ferrer said in a statement. If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison. The suspect was scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Monday. Separate murder charges could be forthcoming from state prosecutors, but no decision has been made yet, a spokesman for Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz told the local Sun Sentinel newspaper. Piro said the suspect appeared to be acting alone and that "every indication is that he did follow (Transportation Security Administration) procedures in flying with the weapon," a nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun he had declared and stowed inside his checked luggage. The incident occurred in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2. Authorities said the gunman loaded his gun in a bathroom, then opened fire on passengers collecting their luggage. "Santiago started shooting, aiming at his victims' heads until he was out of ammunition," Ferrer said. Santiago had traveled from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale, with a stopover in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In November, Santiago had walked into the FBI's Anchorage office exhibiting "erratic behavior" that led agents to contact local police, who took him to a medical facility for a mental health evaluation, Piro said. However, he was not placed on a no-fly list, Piro added. 'He said he saw things' A former member of the Puerto Rico and Alaska National Guard, Santiago served in Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011. He ended his service in August. The suspect had complained to the FBI that his mind was being controlled by national intelligence agencies, which were forcing him to watch Islamic State jihadist videos. Santiago allegedly opened fire shortly before 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) Friday. A deputy officer came into contact with the gunman after approximately 70 to 80 seconds, and authorities were able to detain him without firing any shots, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters. An aunt, Maria Luisa Ruiz, told the NorthJersey.com news site that Santiago became a father to a baby boy in September -- and that he was having mental problems. "Like a month ago, it was like he lost his mind," Ruiz said. "He said he saw things." "My family and I are in shock right now," she added. "It's sad, but we have to confront the situation." Authorities have not identified any victims, but three named in media reports were all getting ready to set off on cruises. They included 84-year-old grandmother Olga Woltering of Marietta, Georgia, the Sun Sentinel reported. The British native and her 90-year-old husband were going on a cruise with family to celebrate his birthday. "Olga was so charming, calling everybody 'Lovey' or 'Love' in her unmistakable British accent," the Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, where Woltering was an active member, said on its website. Terry Andres, 62, was going on vacation with his wife of nearly four decades, Ann, the Palm Beach Post reported. He lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia and worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Michael and Kari Oehme, in their 50s from Council Bluffs, Iowa, were both shot, the Miami Herald said. Michael Oehme was killed, while his wife was wounded in the shoulder. In addition to those killed and wounded by the gunman, as many as 40 people went to the hospital for various other injuries such as sprains, Israel said. Three of the wounded were still in the intensive care unit. Checking weapons The shooting renewed anxieties about airport security -- a concern that has loomed large in the post-9/11 era -- and shed new light on ongoing US gun-control debates. The Transportation Security Administration -- the agency responsible for security at United States airports -- allows passengers to travel with unloaded firearms and ammunition as checked baggage. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents the Florida district that includes the airport, said the rules need to be reexamined. Speaking to CNN, she said the incident should prompt close review of "whether or not you should be allowed to check a firearm at all" -- as well as how passengers should be able to retrieve checked weapons after landing. "If there is still exposure to the traveling public of someone who wishes to do them harm and, like this individual, was reunited with their firearm and was able to wreak havoc... it absolutely needs to be addressed." Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, rebuked the government for not taking legislative action to tighten gun laws. "Political cowardice is the accomplice of every mass shooter," he wrote on Twitter. "The utter silence of Congress in the face of this carnage has become consent." The Fort Lauderdale airport was open Saturday. Staff there were trying to return nearly 20,000 pieces of luggage and other personal items abandoned by passengers fleeing the shooting.
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Trump calls his meeting with intelligence officials as 'constructive'

Washington D.C. [United States], Jan. 7 : U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said that his meeting with intelligence officials on the intelligence community's report on Russian related hacking was 'constructive'.





(Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563937 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/us-news.php  (Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563937 173O212O198O32)

"I had a constructive meeting and conversation with the leaders of the Intelligence Community this afternoon. I have tremendous respect for the work and service done by the men and women of this community to our great nation, Trump said in a statement after meeting.He said there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election, including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines despite some countries trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of the country.Trump said the hackers were unsuccessful in their attempt to hack the Republican National Committee as it had a strong hacking defence system.The president-elect said that he would appoint a team to provide him a plan to aggressively combat and stop cyber attacks within 90 days of taking office.Senior intelligence officials briefed Trump on Russian hacking during the election campaign in the meeting which lasted around 90 minutes at Trump Tower.CNN quoted a Trump spokeswoman as saying that the officials, who gave the briefing, were Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan and FBI Director James Comey.A declassified version of the report released by the intelligence community said that that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sought to help Donald Trump win the presidential elections."We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump," the report said.Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the hacking.
Portuguese PM accorded ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan

New Delhi , Jan. 7 : Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who is on a seven-day visit to India, was on Saturday morning accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourts of the Rashtrapati Bhawan here in the presence of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.





(Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563938 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563938 173O212O198O32)

"The visit has a strong emotional side and a personal motivation. As a person of Indian origin I am honoured by invitation of Prime Minister Modi. I hope my visit will lay foundation for a robust and forward looking 21st century partnership between India and Portugal," said Costa.The two leaders will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations. Agreements in different fields are also expected to be inked after the talks. Later in the day, he would also be holding official talks with President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari.The visiting dignitary will attend the 'Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas' as the chief guest in Bengaluru, and will also participate in few business events. He will attend the 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit' in Gandhinagar on Tuesday.In the last leg of his visit to India, he will be in Goa on 11-12 January. In Goa, he would be meeting the Governor and the Chief Minister.Costa, who traces his roots to Goa, will also spend some time at his ancestral place.
Kolkata: Major fire breaks out at Indian Ordnance Factory Board head office

Kolkata, Jan 7 : A major fire broke out at the head office of Indian Ordnance Factory Board in Kolkata on Saturday afternoon, reports said.





(Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563939 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/west-bengal-news.php  (Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563939 173O212O198O32)

According to reports, the fire was first noticed at around 2 pm. at the ground floor of Ayudh Bhawan in central Kolkatas Shahid Khudiram Bose Road.As many as eight fire tender engines rushed to the spot and firemen fought for nearly an hour to bring the flames under control.However, no casualty has been reported so far but documents were gutted.After preliminary investigation, fire officials said that the fire might have started at the server room due to a short circuit.The fire department, however, has begun a probe to determine the exact reason behind the fire.The cooling off process is currently underway.(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha,Image: File picture of fire incident)
Sikh devotees praise Bihar for successfully hosting Prakash Parv

Patna, Jan 7 (TheBIharPost/IBNS): The week-long Prakash Parv has finally come to a close in PatnaaEurothe place where the 10th Guru of the Sikh, Guru Govind Singh was born and spent his early childhood.





(Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563941 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563941 173O212O198O32)

The function was organized to commemorate the 350th birth anniversaryof the 10th Sikh guru.Now that the function is over, around 500,000 Sikh devotes who reachedhere from India and abroad are returning to their homes with memoriesof their lovely moments spent in Patna.But, majority said they were leaving the city with heavy heart, somuch affinity they were able to develop with the city during theirshort stay owing to the kind of hospitality and love offered by thestate government and the people of the state.Quite many appeared turning emotional while leaving the Patna railwayjunction and were heard saying Big Thank You to Bihar. There wereothers who were heard shouting slogans like Nitish Kumar Zindabadand Bihar Zindabad. They said the kind of arrangements made for themand treatments given was unbelievable, had never expected for that.I never saw such arrangements and treatments in my whole life time.The entire arrangements from fooding to lodging deserve praise. Inever encountered any problems despite such a big crowd. We cantexpect such arrangements even in my own Punjab, exclaimed NishaSingh.Im feeling something special after reaching the city. What impressedme a lot was the behavior of the people who were ever ready to help uswith a big smile. I will be missing them a lot, said Kirtan SinghKhalsa, a resident from California.My entire perception about Bihar has undergone a complete change. Before I came here, I felt the people of the state are poor andbackward, says Simran Singh Khalsa from USA.I just cant explain my feelings about Patna. Dil khush ho gaya. Igot overwhelmed to see the massive arrangements and reading greetingsabout Prakash Parv. I sent photographs of the events to my relativeswho failed to reach here, says Gurdeep Kaur from Haryana.Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Punjab chief minister PrakashSingh Badal and former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarindra Singhhave heaped praises on the Bihar government for the magnificentarrangements.Guru Gobind Singh was born on December 22, 1666, to ninth Sikh Guru,Guru Tegh Bahadur, and Mata Gujri. He was anointed the supreme leaderof the Sikhs at the age of nine, becoming the last of the Sikh Gurus.On the site of the house in which the 10th Sikh Guru was born andwhere he spent his early childhood, now stands the sacred HarimandirSahib one of the five most honoured seats of religious authority forSikhs.The Gurudwara was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the first Maharajaof the Sikh empire in remembrance of the Guru at his birth place.
Prime Minister of Portugal calls on President Mukherjee

New Delhi, Jan 7 : Portugese Prime Minister Antonio Costa called on President of India Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Saturday.





(Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563942 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563942 173O212O198O32)

Welcoming the Portuguese Prime Minister to India, the President said India attaches great value to its historical bonds with Portugal spanning over 500 years.India and Portugal share core values of democracy, pluralism, multiculturalism and rule of law.The two countries built on many commonalities and have developed a broad programme of mutually beneficial co-operation,Mukherjee said.The President said Prime Minister Antonios visit takes place at a time when relations between India and Portugal are in an excellent state. In trade and investment, scientific research, education, culture and security, our success is substantial.There is much promise and potential for building on our friendship and strengthening our 21st century partnership.Both the countries seek to strengthen their collaboration in areas where they have synergies including defence, maritime cooperation and oceanography and partnerships in third countries.Trade and investment ties between India and Portugal have much scope for improvement. Bilateral trade is of the order of USD 700 million.It needs to be energised and the trade basket diversified. The President also praised the 70,000 strong Indian Diaspora in Portugal for playing an important role in strengthening India-Portugal relations.The Portuguese Prime Minister reciprocated the Presidents sentiments and said he was honoured to pay a state visit to India as the first Portuguese Prime Minister of Indian origin.He said the two countries share history and common values. There is need to strengthen and modernize the United Nations.Therefore, Portugal supports the inclusion of countries like India in the UN Security Council. Only a strong UN can deal with challenges like terrorism, climate change etc.He said there is need to do much more than has been done in the past as far as bilateral relations concerned. Portugal is keen to strengthen relations with India.
Heavy snowfall: Omar Abdullah criticises state government

Srinagar, Jan 7 : Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference Working President Omar Abdullah on Saturday took a dig at the government for failing to address people's problems after heavy snowfall.





(Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563942 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 07 January 2017, 1667563942 173O212O198O32)

Replying to few tweets, Omar ridiculed the government for what he said being busy in the stadium, while referring to a function organized at Indoor stadium to commemorate the first death anniversary of former state Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.The government is busy in the stadium so please wait for them to finish before they start addressing peoples problems. Aap kataar main hain (You are in queue), Omar wrote on Twitter while responding to a tweet.In another tweet, Omar said that the government has given ample proof of its completely callous attitude towards the problems of the people.Earlier Omar tweeted, 1st death anniversary of Mufti Mohd Sayeed today. His untimely death last year left a void in the politics of the state.
Shooter at Fort Lauderdale airport had no Canadian connection

Toronto, Jan 8 : A gunman, who had opened fire in the baggage claim area at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Friday just before 1 p.m, killing five people and wounding several before being taken into custody, had no Canadian connection, media reports said.





(Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563945 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563945 173O212O198O32)

The suspect did not fly from Canada and was not on a Canadian flight. We understand from officials he was on a flight originating in Anchorage, transiting through Minneapolis and landing in Ft. Lauderdale. There is no Canadian connection, a statement from the embassy said CP24 reports said.Canadian embassy in Washington had also confirmed that Fort Lauderdale airport shooter, identified as Esteban Santiago, had no connection with Canada.Air Canada also confirmed they did not carry any passengers with a checked gun to Florida.Canadian government officials were trying to find out if any Canadians were among the casualties of a mass shooting Friday in the baggage area of the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said in an email that passengers on the airlines departing flights were safely evacuated on the tarmac. Passengers on flights arriving from Montreal and Toronto were being held off gate while the terminal remained closed.Air Canada implemented a rebooking policy for passengers travelling to and from Fort Lauderdale on Friday and Saturday, Fitzpatrick said.Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport is operational Saturday. Travellers are requested to check with their airlines and to follow the airports social media accounts for more detailed information.(Reported by Asha Bajaj, Image of Esteban Santiago: Instagram)
Work mode on! Priyanka Chopra has a 'working snow day' in NYC

New Delhi , Jan. 8 : After having a gala time celebrating New Year's Eve in India with her family and friends, Global icon Priyanka Chopra has her work mode on.





(Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563947 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/bollywood-news.php  (Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563947 173O212O198O32)

The 'workoholic' actress, who is in New York, has already begun shooting the second half of ABC's thriller series 'Quantico 2'.PeeCee took to her Instagram account to give us a glimpse of her 'working snow day' as she posted a picture of herself enjoying snowfall in between busy schedule."Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes #winterishere #nyc #WorkingSnowDay," read her post.On the work front, the 34-year-old is all set to make her Hollywood debut with Baywatch alongside Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.
Tim Staton has his garage back and Williamson Street has gained a new niche retailer aimed at families looking for an alternative way to cart around their young children, groceries and other packages.

Think of The Cargo Bike Shop as a dealership for two-wheeled, eco-friendly versions of the minivan.

For the past two years, Staton has been selling cargo bikes through word of mouth and online out of his garage on Woodland Circle just off of North Sherman Avenue. Late last month he quietly opened a retail shop that shares space with Cafe Domestique in the 1400 block Williamson Street.

Staton is leasing the first floor from Commonwealth Development and subleasing the coffee house space to Dan Coppola, whom he has known for 15 years and worked with at Trek Travel.

Coppolas love of coffee and bikes and Statons drive to have his own business have merged to create a unique space on one of the states most iconic streets and in the epicenter of Wisconsins biking culture.

I like having (Dan) in here because it brings a lot of people in and I get good coffee every day, Staton said. I love this neighborhood. It made a lot of sense for us.

But sales for Staton arent limited to the neighborhood, city or even the state.

The bikes, which can typically carry one adult and up to three children, can range in price from $1,300 to nearly $6,000 with some equipped with electric motors. Brands include Bullitt from Denmark, WorkCycle from Holland and Xtracycle in Oakland, California.

With virtually no competition, Staton has sold bikes to customers in Illinois, Iowa, Minneapolis, Wausau and Milwaukee. Staton also repairs cargo and conventional bikes in his shop, located in a 1927 building that decades ago was home to a meat market and is next door to Batch Bakehouse and near the Ace Hardware store.

Companies like Burley and Thule make trailers designed to be pulled behind a regular bicycle and Adams makes a Trail-A-Bike that is pulled behind a bike but allows children to pedal along. Staton, however, says a cargo bike is designed and built to handle extra weight and torque, improves communication between the adult and child, is more visible and has a two-legged kickstand.

Theyre just designed for having wiggling, live cargo that you dont want to fall out, Staton said. Its the second car for a lot of my customers.

Madison has long been considered one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country. It includes miles of trails, routes and paths, bike shops that cater to the beginner, commuter, traveler and competitive cyclists and bike companies like Saris and Pacific Cycle with Trek based in Waterloo to the east. Major biking events include Bike to Work Week, Ride the Drive and Ironman Wisconsin.

For Staton, his entry into cargo bikes came out of necessity and practicality.

Staton, 39, grew up in the village of Oregon, where his father Steve was a middle school principal and mother Anne was the director of community education and the aquatics director for the school district.

After high school Tim went to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where he also worked in a bike shop. After graduating, he was hired by Trek in 2001 to work in logistics but left the company in 2006 to get his MBA in entrepreneurship at UW-Madison. In 2008 he took a marketing job with Pacific Cycle, worked at Planet Propaganda for two years and then in 2012 joined Saris.

A short time later, Statons wife, Ryann, now an art director at Sonic Foundry, gave birth to their daughter, Lark, who is now 4 years old. The addition changed the 20-mile commute for Tim, who wanted a more efficient mode of transportation than the Burley trailer he was using to haul his daughter to and from daycare.

Thats when he contacted a former client from his days at Trek who was selling imported cargo bikes in the Pacific Northwest. When it arrived and he began riding the Bullitt around Madison, Staton was inundated with looks and questions from fellow bikers.

I started talking to people and the general consensus was mind blowin and that bike exists and I want one, Staton said. It never struck me that when I bought the bike Id be selling them but Ive always wanted my own business.

In the fall of 2014 Staton quit his job at Saris and began selling cargo bikes out of his garage while doing some consulting on the side. By the summer of 2015 he was convinced he could make a go of it full time.

Now, just more than two years from selling his first cargo bike, Staton has a storefront and a unique Madison business with room to grow.

Theres growth in the urban development of the city and theres a decent amount of folks who just dont want to go by car or be tied to a car, Staton said. These are so much more efficient in a city.

Sales lagging at Willy Street Co-op

Sales at Willy Street Co-ops newest location on the citys North Side are meeting budget and the co-op, with three locations, now has more than 34,400 members, according to a report from Anya Firszt in the January issue of the co-ops Reader.

But sales are down slightly at the grocery co-ops other locations on Williamson Street and in Middleton through the first six months of fiscal year 2017, Firszt reported.

In the 2015 fiscal year the co-op had sales of $41.5 million, a 3 percent increase over 2014, but lost $317,000. In fiscal year 2016 that ended July 3rd sales topped $45 million, a 9 percent increase over 2015, and led to a $300,000 profit.

Firszt also highlighted some new amenities coming to the co-ops stores. Willy East will be adding a rotisserie oven with hot case merchandisers added to the deli departments at both Willy East and Willy West. The produce section at Willy West will also be updated with new shelving and lighting while Willy North is getting a new refrigerated case for repacked bulk items and refrigerated bakery. Outdoor seating will be added to the North Side store this spring, Firszt reported.

A big trip to the Big Show for UW-Madison students

A group of 32 students with eyes on careers in retail will descend on New York City this week for the National Retail Federations annual trade show.

The trip will include visits to the Doneger Group, a fashion merchandising and marketing company; Macys corporate offices, Kohls design office and Trunk Clubs New York Clubhouse, according to the fall newsletter of the Kohls Center for Retailing at UW-Madison.

Speakers and presenters at the conference will include fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff, Rachel Shechtman, founder of STORY; Heidi ONeill, president of direct to consumer at Nike and Karen Katz, president and CEO of Neiman Marcus Group.
President of Rwanda to arrive on three-day visit to India

New Delhi , Jan. 8 : President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, will visit India from January 9 to 11.





(Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563948 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563948 173O212O198O32)

Kagame will arrive at Ahmedabad Air port on January 9 and will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Vibrant Gujarat Convention Centre.On January 10, he will attend the inauguration of Vibrant Gujarat Summit by the Prime Minister at Mahatma Mandir Exhibition cum Convention Centre.The President will then attend a meeting with senior officials.On January 11, he will attend the the National Seminar for Seminar for Investors.
Pakistan considering plan for uniform prayer timings for all religions

Islamabad [Pakistan], Jan. 8 : Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif-led government has said it is planning to introduce uniform prayer timings for all religious sects across the country.





(Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563949 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563949 173O212O198O32)

Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Saturday that he would get in touch with the Chief Ministers of all the four provinces to introduce "Nizam-e-Salat", reports the Express Tribune.Detailing the decision, Yousaf said the provincial governments will notify a local timetable, at least at the district-level in their respective provinces, for prayer timings.These timetables will be formulated according to the local time-zones across Pakistan.Earlier in May 2015, the government introduced the system for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). However, the decision has hardly been implemented in spirit.The minister stressed that the government had consulted the MeT office and religious leaders of Ahle Hadith, Hanafi (both Deobandi and Barelvi) and Ahle Tashee- before notifying uniform prayer timings for the ICT.The same pattern will be adopted for a countrywide plan in order to promote uniformity and unity, he said.Implementing 'Nizam-e-Salat', Yousaf said, will be the responsibility of the provincial authorities and his ministry has so far been receiving a positive response from them in this connection.He did not set a deadline to implement uniform prayer timings but said this is the government's priority.
Trump hails the UK as long time ally, special

Washington, Jan 8 : US President-elect Donald Trump has hailed the United Kingdom as special and a long time ally.





(Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563950 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563950 173O212O198O32)

Trump, whos scheduled to meet UK Prime Minister Theresa May, said hes looking forward to the meeting.I look very much forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime U.S. ally, is very special! his tweet read.Trump will take oath as the 45th President of the United States of America on Jan 20.images: Verified Twitter accounts of the individuals
Sushma Swaraj assures assistance to ailing South African girl's family

New Delhi, , Jan. 8 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has come to the rescue of a South African couple seeking an extension of their tourist visa for treatment of their daughter suffering from cerebral palsy and severe disability.





(Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563951 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php  (Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563951 173O212O198O32)

"Please do not worry. We will extend your visa as per medical advice," Swaraj re-tweeted.The family, which is presently in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad city for the treatment, need six months time as their tourist visa is about to expire.After a thorough assessment, they came to know that the girl's condition is very bad. Her hip joint is dislocated and requires at least five to six months rehabilitation along with intensive physiotherapy.The family, which arrived in India on January 4 this year, has along with the doctor appealed to the External Affairs Ministry to grant them an extension for six months to enable the girl achieve vital progress in her treatment.Swaraj has assured the family that enough time will be provided to them for treatment of their daughter.
Don't get pleasure seeing rift in any party: Rajnath Singh

Ranchi (Jharkhand) , Jan. 8 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday asserted that the BJP-led government at the Centre does not get pleasure by seeing feud in any party or family.





(Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563951 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php  (Posted on 08 January 2017, 1667563951 173O212O198O32)

"We don't get happiness by seeing feud in any party or family," Rajnath said.Rajnath's remark comes amid the ongoing power tussle in the Samajwadi Party which refuse to die down.In wake of the growing feud between the two warring factions of the Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh earlier in the day categorically stated that he was still the party president while his son Akhilesh Yadav is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.Mulayam, who put forth his views before the media here lashed out at his cousin and Akhilesh loyalist Ramgopal Yadav.He said that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's uncle and mentor Ramgopal Yadav having been expelled from the party for six years cannot call the convention.He also stated that Shivpal Yadav is the president of Samajwadi Party's Uttar Pradesh unit.According to sources, Mulayam will on Monday urge the Election Commission to check the authenticity and legality of papers submitted by Ramgopal.The Akhilesh Yadav camp yesterday submitted affidavits signed by party legislators and office bearers to the Election Commission, in a bid to buttress its claim over the Samajwadi Party's 'cycle' symbol ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.Ramgopal yesterday said that the relevant documents, brought in "seven cartons with more than 1.5 lakh pages", were submitted to the poll panel to assert Akhilesh's right over the party name and symbol.He said that he submitted affidavits of 4,716 delegates of the total 5,731, indicating overwhelming support for Akhilesh.The Election Commission had given both sides time till January 9 to submit proof of their legislative support.
The Bone Folders' Guild isn't your typical book club. They don't get together to discuss books  they make them.

"We make artists' books which is book as art," co-founder Nancee Killoran said. "The idea is to make (the book) into art that makes sense."

Artists' books may or may not contain text like the typical find at a Barnes & Noble. It all depends on what the artist is hoping to convey.

These books are not just vessels for text because the text has to work into the form of the book, Killoran said.

"It's understood better if you look at it as sculpture," co-founder Katherine Engen said. "People don't seem to be able to wrap their head around an artist's book."

The group of bookmaking enthusiasts came together for the first time on Feb. 2, 2001  the birthday of James Joyce who is a favorite author of Killoran's  and is celebrating 15 years with a show at Overture Center for the Arts.

For their anniversary, guild members created a variety of works based on the theme of "15" for their gallery display which will be shown until Mar. 5.

The group's namesake is the bone folder  a small tool used in paper arts to fold paper, according to Killoran.

"(Bone folders) were originally made from cow bones, but now Martha Stewart has them and they're made out of Teflon or plastic," she added.

The guild, comprised of roughly 15 members, has participated in a variety of community events including nearly 10 years of working with the Wisconsin Book Festival, according to Killoran.

In 2005, for instance, guild members created 60 blank books which were sent to libraries in the South Central Library System as part of their Sixty Books project.

Those books were available to library patrons to do with as they pleased and the results were remarkable.

Engen said one of the books included a story from a man who served in the army that he had never told anyone.

All of the books were filled with stories, work by artists and scribbling done by children.

"I think (Sixty Books) was our biggest project," Killoran said. "The books circulated for a year and then at the next year's book Wisconsin Book Festival we showed them all. They were fabulous."

Each member made five blank books for the project, but the opportunity to exhibit at Overture Center offered members a bit more flexibility in their work.

The guild's previous gallery show at Overture Center was in 2010.

Engen made 15 hands  from casting her hands and her husband's hands  that hold 15 books.

One of those books is made from acrylic glass and features images of a polar bear accompanying a poem by her husband on the bear.

"There is a polar bear image on the back of the book (and the front) to give it a three dimensional look when you look at it," she said.

Also in the realm of wintry work, Killoran made a long narrow book with a 15-line poem titled "Polar Vortex".

A contribution for the gallery from another member is an exquisite corpse book  a book divided into three so readers are able to flip one of the three sections to make a new image.

Everything in the book is based on 15 with things such as the 15th verse in the Bible, said Killoran.

Or the 15th president and anything else the artist was curious about, Engen added.

Another book on display is made from tracings of each member's hand while a different work involves crowns seated on mirrors with different "queen of" phrases around them describing each member's strengths.

"I'm the queen of making dreams come true," Engen said.

"I'm the queen of circumstance," Killoran added.

Understanding circumstance is one of the ways in which the guild has stayed strong for so many years.

Members are asked to do what they can for big projects such as the gallery display at Overture Center. Members were given the choice to take on whatever sized project they wished.

Everyone pitches in if they can and no one is stuck with all of the work, Engen said, in the same way members bring their ideas and unique expertise to meetings to teach other members new paper making or book making techniques.

"We've made books out of a juice carton," Killoran said. "Someone will learn a technique, come in (to the meeting), bring the stuff with them and share it with us."

The guild has met in all sorts of places over the years, but has recently been meeting in the Sequoya Library.

What better place for bookmakers to meet than a library?

Killoran said that even after all this time the meetings continue to cultivate "lovely discussions" and friendship.

"It's always a collaboration and we're all friends," she said. "And no one says 'you're not good enough'."

While the guild doesn't hold classes outside of special occasions such as the "Make & Take a Book" event coming up at Overture Center, they encourage non-members to attend a meeting.

Anyone who wants to come is welcome to come and show us what they've got, Killoran said.

She sees Madison's Bone Folders' Guild as pioneers in promoting book arts in the area since the creation of the guild seemingly sparked similar endeavors in Milwaukee and (for a time) Fort Atkinson.

"(Book making) gets your brain going," she said. "How will this work as a piece of art?"

Examining how their ideas would transition into tangible art is what the members were confronted with in May when they were told their work would be shown at Overture Center.

Killoran said she already had some concepts in mind before their gallery entry was approved.

"It's interesting when you're making books and you try to make the content of the book and the structure somehow work together," she said. "You don't always know how it's going to turn out."

Guild members had the option to make their portions of the exhibit as simple or as difficult as they wished, but assembling the pieces for the gallery was a large task nonetheless.

But the opportunity to show their wares was one worth the work.

"This has been a fun project to work on," Engen said. "It was a very big project, but very rewarding."
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy and windy. High near 75F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Windy with periods of thunderstorms late. Low 59F. Winds SSE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Higher wind gusts possible.
Two Madison women were arrested after one of them allegedly shot into another vehicle in a pursuit that started on the Beltline late Saturday night, the Dane County Sheriffs Office said.

Kenya L. Lemons, 21, and Jasmine A. Reynolds, 22, were arrested after a Madison woman called 911 to report being followed by the women, one of whom displayed a gun. The call came in at about 11:30 p.m., Lt. Gordon Bahler said.

The caller knew Lemons, whom she accused of vandalizing her car and burglarizing her home that day, Bahler said.

The caller stayed on the phone with dispatchers as she tried to get away from the women. The women followed the caller from the Beltline to the Interstate. The caller got off on Highway 151, where she reported being shot at by Lemons, police said.

The caller continued on 151 and exited onto Main Street in Sun Prairie, where she reported being shot at again, Bahler said.

The suspects vehicle was located in the parking lot of Woodmans Foods in Sun Prairie. The store was put on lockdown and evacuated while Dane County Sheriffs deputies, the Sun Prairie Police Department, and other police units searched for the suspects for almost an hour, police said.

There were no shots fired at Woodmans, Bahler said. No one was injured during the incident and there was no damage to property.

Lemons was arrested on charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and three counts of misdemeanor bail jumping. Reynolds, who drove the vehicle, was arrested for first-degree recklessly endangering safety party to a crime, a probation violation, and a warrant for failure to appear.

Additional charges could come from the Madison Police Department, which is investigating the vandalism and burglary charges, Bahler said.
New Delhi: Regulator Sebi has sought detailed explanations from some listed Tata firms on alleged violations of corporate governance and insider trading norms flagged by ousted directors Cyrus Mistry and Nusli Wadia.



The fresh queries have been raised by the capital markets watchdog following receipt of letters from Mistry, who was ousted as Chairman of over $100 billion conglomerate, as also from Wadia who has also been removed as independent director from various Tata firms.



The regulator has asked some listed Tata firms to provide specific details and explanation on allegations levelled by Mistry and Wadia, even as an ongoing scrutiny is underway which was initiated soon after a bitter boardroom battle broke out at the conglomerate following ouster of former chairman, a senior official said.



However, the ongoing scrutiny, including of the details submitted by various listed Tata companies in reply to clarifications sought through stock exchanges, has not shown so far any serious violation of prescribed listing rules, he said, while adding it is yet to be completed and nothing can be said conclusively about the outcome at the moment.



Incidentally, Sebi last week came out with a detailed guidance note for evaluation of boards of listed companies including the role of independent directors in order to provide more clarity for stakeholders.



While the regulator did not mention any particular instance or company, it said the guidance note has been prepared to "guide listed entities by elaborating various aspects of board evaluation that may help them to improve the evaluation process, derive the best possible benefit and achieve the objective of the entire process".



Ever since Mistry's sudden removal as Tata Sons Chairman on October 24, allegations have been rife in the air. Since then, Mistry and Wadia have got out of boards of various Tata companies, while a process has now been initiated for the former Chairman's ouster even as Director of Tata Sons, where Mistry family has over 18 per cent stake.



Stocks of various Tata companies took a severe beating in the days after the boardroom battle broke out in the open, but have somehow stabilised since then.



Soon after his sacking, Mistry had written a scathing letter to the board of Tata Sons, the holding company of various Tata firms, raising various issues including that the conglomerate might have had Rs 1.18 lakh crore in writedowns because of some unprofitable businesses.



The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has been keeping a close watch on the developments related to the group and has already carried out a preliminary inquiry into the allegations.



Wadia, a prominent businessman who has been associated with Tatas for decades, wrote to Sebi flagging alleged instances that violated corporate governance and insider trading regulations with regard to some listed group firms.



Wadia has been removed as independent director from the boards of Tata Chemicals, Tata Steel and Tata Motors. Mistry too has quit the boards of various Tata firms.



Last month, Mistry moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) alleging oppression and mismanagement of minority interest at Tata Sons, a charge which the holding entity has contested.


NHRC report says 16 tribal women were raped by Chhattisgarh Police in 2015.Yet no action or FIR registration: Bhupesh Baghel,Congress pic.twitter.com/JfVUePGP0Y  ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2017

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has found in its probe that at least 16 women were raped and sexually and physically assaulted by the state police personnel in Chhattisgarh.The Commission is further awaiting to record the statements of 20 other victims who, it is alleged, also suffered similar abuse.It has issued a notice to the Government of Chhattisgarh to explain why it should not recommend interim monetary relief of Rs 37 lakh to them. This includes, Rs.3 lakh each to eight victims of rape, Rs. 2 lakh each to six victims of sexual assault and Rs. 50,000/- each to two victims of physical assault.The Commission said that human rights of the victims have been grossly violated by the security personnel of the Government of Chhattisgarh for which the State Government is vicariously liable.The Commission, after careful consideration of the material on record, found that there are in total 34 victims.It also found that the grave allegations of physical as well as rape/sexual assault committed by security personnel of Government of Chhattisgarh, made in the FIRs, were reiterated before the NHRC Team, which conducted spot investigation and/or before the Magistrate.Almost all the victims in these incidents, covered under the three FIRs, are tribals.However, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has not been invoked in any of the cases. As a result of this, the due monetary relief under the SC/ST (PoA) Act has not been paid to the victims.Therefore, the Commission has directed its DIG (Investigation) to depute a team of officials from the Investigation Division and Law Division to record the statements of 15 victims whose statements were not recorded either by the NHRC Team or by the Magistrate and submit the same to the Commission within one month.The Additional Director General of Police (CID), Government of Chhattisgarh has also been directed to ensure that SC/ST (PoA) Act is invoked in all the cases the victims belonged to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes.The Chief Secretary, Government of Chhattisgarh has been directed to ensure that monetary relief, if any, under the SC/ST (PoA) Act is paid to the victims at the earliest.The Commission has also made it clear that the above directions are of interim nature and a final view will be taken in respect of other victims and also with regard to other issues involved in this matter in due course of time.It may be recalled that the Commission initiated suo motu proceedings on the basis of news report published in the Indian Express dated 2nd November 2015 under the caption "Bijapur: "Policemen raped women, indulged in loot".It was reported that women from five villages Pegdapalli, Chinnagelur, Peddagelur, Gundam and Burgicheru had alleged that State Police personnel had sexually harassed and assaulted more than 40 of them and gang raped at least two in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. It was also reported that belongings of many villagers were destroyed, stolen or scattered by the forces passing through the villages.Considering the gravity of the allegations and brutality of sexual violence upon hapless women, the matter was considered by the Full Bench of the Commission on the 22nd February,2016.The NHRC Team submitted its inquiry report which was sent to the Chief Secretary and DGP, Government of Chhattisgarh for their response to the findings and recommendations contained therein.
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The best thing state leaders can do for Wisconsins rural economy this year is commit more attention and resources to high-speed internet.

That message came through loud and clear during the fall election campaign, when dozens of candidates for the statehouse from across south-central Wisconsin met with the State Journal editorial board, seeking our endorsement. Voters were stressing the need for faster digital connections so local businesses could sell products around the globe, so schoolchildren could do their homework, and so farmers could operate high-tech equipment, the candidates told us.

Republicans and Democrats alike said they were committed to the effort. Now its time for them to deliver.

Gov. Scott Walker recently proposed increasing funding for faster internet, called broadband, by $35.5 million. That would be on top of $16.5 million already committed. The state money will help encourage private investment and maximize $570 million from the federal Connect America Fund II thats supposed to bring high-speed connections to 230,000 homes and small businesses across mostly rural areas of Wisconsin.

Broadband allows fast internet browsing, online commerce and video streaming that businesses need to sell products, and students need to access modern educational tools.

For example, some school districts offer students access to online sites from home that track and challenge each student in reading and math, adjusting the lessons to their abilities. Teachers get instant reports on each childs online activities and performance.

AT&T, CenturyLink and Frontier have secured federal dollars to help improve and provide fast internet to large swaths of the state. The companies also are investing money of their own. AT&T told State Journal business editor Larry Avila last week it invested about $835 million in Wisconsin between 2013 to 2015 for communications infrastructure.

Increasingly, companies are extending broadband to remote areas using wireless technology and existing cellphone towers.

Its not just a rural issue. Parts of Dane County still have weak and unreliable internet. And Madison officials are trying to provide fiber-optic internet service to more low-income residents.

President-elect Donald Trump has talked about rebuilding Americas roads, bridges and other infrastructure. He should add broadband to the list.

Rural voters, especially in Wisconsin, were key to helping Trump win the White House. If the Republican president-elect truly wants to help rural economies and promote job growth, keeping the Connect America Fund going strong will be key. So will including broadband in any federal building plan.

Gov. Walker rejected millions of dollars in federal funding for broadband years ago. That was a mistake.

But with Republicans running Washington, the governor appears much more inclined to accept federal help.

Thats good. This shouldnt be a partisan issue. Wisconsin needs strong digital connections across the state to succeed in the global marketplace and to keep and attract more young people in smaller towns and cities.
New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will release here on Monday the Congress manifesto for the February 4 elections to the 117-member Punjab assembly.



The Congress has already released names of 77 candidates for the electoral fray.
New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said the Modi governments demonetisation decision is intended to create a new normal", and despite short-term inconvieniences, it would change the spending pattern of Indians for the better.



Analysing the rationale behind the decision in a seven-point Facebook post titled 'Demonetisation  A look back at the last two months', Jaitley said the Modi Government had absolute clarity from day one that it would move against the shadow economy and black money The demonetisation of high denominational currency notes was the big step in the same direction.



He added that the the period of pain and inconveniences is getting over and the economic activity is being restored.



"When 86 per cent of a country's currency, constituting 12.2 per cent of its GDP, is squeezed out of the market and sought to be replaced by a new currency, there would obviously be significant consequences of that decision," he said, adding that the queues outside the banks have disappeared and remonetisation has moved ahead.



India continues to suffer being a hugely tax non-compliant society. Expenditure required for poverty eradication, national security and economic development have to be compromised with on account of tax non-compliances Tax evasion has been considered as neither unethical nor immoral Several Governments have allowed this normal to continue Jaitley said. The demonetisation puts a premium on honesty and penalises dishonest conduct.



The Finance Minister further said demonetisation required both courage and stamina. "The implementation of the decision carried pain. It can lead to short-term criticism and inconveniences. Drop in economic activity on account of the currency squeeze during the remonetisation period would have a transient impact on the economy."



"The fact that large quantum of high denominational currency has been deposited with the banks does not render this money to be legitimate cash. Black money does not change its colour merely because it is deposited in bank. On the contrary, it loses its anonymity and can now be identified with its owner," he said.



The comments follow reports about an estimated 97 per cent of junked notes getting deposited in bank accounts, thus casting doubts on the effectiveness of demonetisation move in checking the black money menace.



The Revenue Department, he said, would be entitled to tax this money. "In any case, the amendment to the Income Tax Act itself provides that the said money, if voluntarily declared or if involuntarily detected, would be liable for differential and high rates of taxation and penalty," he said.



Taking on the Opposition, Jaitley said, There was no social unrest while implementing such a major decision The opposition disrupted a full Session of Parliament It is a tragedy that a national party like the Congress decided to adopt a political position, opposing both technology, change and reforms. It sided with black money friendly status quo.



The difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi was clear  the Prime Minister was thinking of the next generation while Rahul Gandhi was only looking at how to disrupt the next Session of Parliament, Jaitley said.
Kolkata: With two of its MPs, Tapas Pal and Sudip Bandopadhyay, arrested by the CBI in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam, shifted to Bhubaneswar, the Trinamool Congress has decided to hold a protest rally in the Odisha capital on Monday.



"We cannot be cowed down by threats and vendetta politics.



The Centre is pursuing vendetta politics against the state government and TMC leaders. But our party will not bow its head irrespective of attacks on our party," party secretary general Partha Chatterjee told reporters before leaving for Bhubaneswar to meet Sudip Bandopadhyay.



To show solidarity with Bandyopadhyay, top TMC leaders like Partha Chatterjee, general secretary Subrata Bakshi, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Manish Gupta today went to Bhubaneswar to meet the leader.



"Tomorrow we will take out a protest rally at Bhubaneswar railway station. We want to expose the BJP before people of this country. We want to tell people that here is a fascist party like BJP, which can stoop so low to pursue its agenda of vendetta politics," Chatterjee said.



Stung by Bandyopadhyay's arrest, a furious Mamata Banerjee accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using central agencies like the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income-Tax department against his political rivals who were raising their voice against demonetisation.
Shillong: Meghalaya legislator Julius Kitbok Dorphang, who had been hiding for 11 days after being accused of raping 14-year-old girl but was eventually arrested late on Friday from Assam's Guwahati, was sent to five days police custody by a court on Saturday.



The Court of District and Session Judge, Ehboklang Kharumnuid on Saturday sent the 53-year-old Independent legislator to police remand.



Police have already intimated Assembly Speaker Abu Taher Mondal about the arrest.



Dorphang, a chairman of the outlawed secessionist outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council had surrendered in 2007. He had successfully contested the Assembly elections in 2013 and was supporting the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance government.



In fact, he is the first sitting legislator in Meghalaya to be arrested for his involvement in such heinous crime.



"After a gap of nearly 11 days, we finally nabbed him (Dorphang) from an Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) in Guwahati at around 11:00 pm in connection with the alleged rape case against a minor girl," Shillong city police chief Vivek Syiem told journalists here.



Meghalaya Police have registered a case against the Independent legislator under sections of the Indian Penal Code, the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, and the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act.



Syiem said that police had requested to the court to add a more rigorous section of the Pocso Act against Dorphang.



He said police registered a case against Dorphang at the Laitumkhrah police station here on December 24, but the legislator was found to be "absconding" since December 27.



On Thursday, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) has lodged a four fresh FIRs against Dorhphang in the sexual assault case and one of the FIRs pertaining to an allegation of rape by Dorphang in a place in a resort in Ri Bhoi district has been forwarded to police there.



On January 4, a local court issued a non-bailable warrant against Dorphang after he failed to appear before the investigating officer, probing the case.



Two civil society groups, including the powerful women's group Civil Society Women's Organisation, had demanded the resignation of Home Minister H.D.R. Lyngdoh after his son's guest house was used for sexual exploitation while asking the Speaker to take action against Dorphang.



Police have already arrested six persons, including three women pimps and a waitress at the guest house.




Tirupati: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made in India.



Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit.



To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of smartphones.



For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas tailor-made for the blind.



For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible.



The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen. In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to compensate for the loss of sight.



The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas.



According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world."



Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world.



On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the 'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement.



Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources."



This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang, as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back.



According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can also 'visualise' maps.



For people who have partial vision NATMO makes maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their low vision.



01081056








Mumbai: Choreographer-director Remo D'Souza describes his journey in Bollywood as a roller coaster ride, saying that the tough journey keeps him grounded and empathetic towards others.



Coming from Bengaluru, raised in a middle-class family, Remo went through a long struggle before making it big in the Bollywood dance scene.



"It (his journey) was a roller coaster ride and certainly not an easy one. But I am thankful to Almighty that in one lifetime I have seen both the extreme side, the good and the bad. So I take my success humbly and work hard to continue. My success is the result of my struggle," Remo told IANS.



Remo has come out with his personal mobile app called RD's World which will help many budding dancers and choreographers to connect with him apart from his personal updates.



Talking about his app, Remo said: "There are three interesting features - one is my merchandise that will be coming in two months, direct video audition that they (budding dancers) can send me and I will judge them and choreograph a new song. Every month I will be releasing a new song that budding choreographers can choreograph and send it to me. That is the chore job of a choreographer that we all do."



Remo says he wants to give an easy and smooth path to Bollywood to budding dancers with his app.



He said: "Back in days, there were no phone videos and I used to go after every director for an opportunity; there are days when I used to dance 10 to 12 times on the same music to different people just to get a chance. I know how it feels. Now that I have a platform, why not make their journey a little easy?"



So what are you looking for?



"When I know about the talent of a dancer, I also have to understand if our creative sensibility matches while working together. In a creative job, that is very important. According to that potential, I will take them in my team as assistant, actor, dancer," said the National Award winning choreographer.






Amritsar: Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday blamed Congress for the rise of terrorism during the 80s in Punjab and said it was the alliance forged between the SAD and BJP which provided a healing touch to the people of the state.



The Congress fought the 1984 elections on the plank of communalism, Jaitley alleged, adding that the party pitted the people of Punjab against one another.



"The state's public was made to suffer for 10 to 12 years, thousands were killed and living a normal life had become impossible," he said at a gathering here.



"After terrorism came to an end in the state, the Akali-BJP government was formed under the leadership of Prakash Singh Badal. We had forged a social alliance, not a political one," he added. Jaitley said the alliance worked towards healing the wounds of the people and brought back normalcy to the state.



The Finance Minister also listed out the NDA government's achievements, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decisions had made the country proud.



"By conducting surgical strikes across the LoC, PM Modi did what the previous governments had failed to do", he said.



Jaitley also termed the demonetisation measure as "an attack on 70 years of corruption".



Jaitley also launched an attack on Amarinder Singh, saying the Punjab Congress chief indulged only in vendetta politics after the Congress came to power in the state.



"The Congress got a readymade peaceful environment but failed to achieve anything remarkable. During its 5 years of rule, it only indulged in political vendetta and Amarinder Singh even put Badal behind the bars," he said.



Jaitley said Amarinder had claimed that Badal had amassed huge assets, but was unable to prove it. "Instead, his (Amarinder's) name cropped up in foreign accounts," he alleged.



Jaitley said Badal has worked hard for the development of the state after coming to power in 2007.



"During the last almost 3 years of the NDA regime at the Centre, Punjab has got AIIMS, IIM, IIT and dozens of central educational institutions. The state has got a makeover with developed villages and cities and a dense network of highways," he said.



"Amritsar has been chosen as smart city. I have been around the world but have never seen such a city. The facelift which the state government has provided to Amritsar is breathtaking," he added. .


New Delhi: The Congress will hold a day-long national convention, "Jan Vedna Sammelan", here on January 11 to discuss the problems faced by the people across the country post demonetisation.



The convention will be held at Talkatora stadium.



"The convention will see the participation of all the national, regional leaders and office-bearers of the Congress party. To implement the programme we have also made an implementation committee at the state level," senior party spokesman C.P. Joshitold reporters.



"We will highlight every decision of the government which is neither in favour of the country nor the citizens," he added.
Lucknow: Despite talks of alliance with SP in Uttar Pradesh, Congress on Sunday said it was going ahead with preparations for fielding candidates in all 403 assembly seats in the state.



"We are in the process of selecting candidates for all the seats," UP PCC chief Raj Babbar said in Lucknow.



He said all the names will be recommended to the Central Election Committee of Congress by Monday.



So far candidates have been selected for the first three phases of the UP polls.



Babbar has not been in favour of any alliance with SP, though senior Congress leader and incharge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad is not averse to such a tie-up.



Meanwhile, senior SP leader Ramgopal Yadav refused to reveal his cards, saying he had not spoken to SP President Akhilesh Yadav and was not in a position to make any comment.



Akhilesh has been saying that the SP will get majority on its own and in case of an alliance, they will get over 300 seats.



Talks of a possible alliance with Congress had hit the roadblock when Mulayam Singh Yadav ruled out a tie-up with any party and favoured only merger of parties with SP.



But, with Akhilesh gaining the upper hand in the power game in Samajwadi Party, Congress seems to be moving closer to an alliance with the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh to keep Muslim-Yadav equation intact.
Patna: RJD national president Lalu Prasad on Sunday said he has no complaint over not being allotted a seat on the dais during a Prakash Parv event in Patna, though a top leader of his party and the Congress party had expressed displeasure over the matter.



"Why should I have any grievance? It was a spectacular arrangement for the 350th Prakash Parv celebration that brought good name to Bihar from across the globe," he told reporters in Patna.



Prasad said there are people who would always point out drawbacks and shortcomings in any such mega programme. "People always perform puja by sitting on the floor. Is puja performed by sitting on the chair?... And that was the 'Guru ka darbar'," he said.



RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Bihar Congress chief and education minister Ashok Choudhary, both constituents of the grand alliance government in Bihar, had on Friday resented Prasad not being given a seat on the dais alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.



Former Union minister Lalu Prasad and his two minister-sons - Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav - sat on the floor in the VIP enclosure, with others.



Kumar, Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan and Governor Ram Nath Kovind shared the dais with the Prime Minister at the concluding function of the 350th Prakash Parv to celebrate the birth anniversary of 10th Guru Govind Singh on January 5.



"This (Lalu Prasad not accommodated on the dais) has not gone down well with the people. Lalu Prasad was made to sit on the ground. Everybody praised Nitish Kumar for making grand arrangements. Was RJD not the part of the management for preparations and arrangements made for the prakash parva celebrations?" Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had said expressing his anger a day after the function.

Asked about Singh's comment, Prasad said it was the leader's "personal opinion" on a particular issue. Choudhary, the Bihar Congress chief, said, "It is Lalu Prasad's magnanimity and his reply is a big riposte to the petty politics being played by the opposition parties".



Asked on Sakshi Maharaj's controversial remark on population boom, the RJD chief said the BJP leader is "always involved in communalising society" and he should be arrested under Goonda Act and sent to jail.



"Sakshi Maharaj is a very bad person. He is not a saint. He is a vagabond person. He should be arrested under Goonda Act and sent to jail...He always tries to communalise society," Prasad said.



"Those with four wives and 40 children are responsible for the population boom in the country. Hindus are not responsible for the increase in population," Maharaj, BJP MP from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh, had said while addressing a "saint sammelan" in Meerut on January 6.



In reply to a query whether he also demands change in the date for presentation of Union budget keeping in mind the elections in five states, RJD leader said, "People are demanding a change in the date for presentation of the budget. But they will not change it."




Bethany Lutheran Videos at Each Live Worship Service

Such is the contrast between the Bible of the old and the Bible of the new theologies. That there are compromise systems between the twoor at any rate attempts at a compromise  is certainly true; but it is impossible to effect a compromise between systems fundamentally and essentially at variance. This is a case of either  or, Delitzsch was right when he maintained that a deep chasm existed between the old and the new theology, and this chasm exists because there is a chasm between the Bible of the old and the Bible of the new theologies. In one word, the Scriptures of the one is the Bible without God; the Scriptures of the other is the Bible of and with God.

The Bible Of The Old And The Bible Of The New Theology. By Rev. Professor George H. Schodde, Ph. D., Columbus, O. in Loy, ed. The Columbus Theological Magazine. Vol. 18, 1898. LutheranLibrary.org
Amid the ongoing power tussle in the ruling family of Uttar Pradesh, Samajawdi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday asserted that there was "no dispute" in the party.Mulayam along with Shivpal Yadav this morning met party workers at the SP headquarters in the city.When asked about the ongoing tussle within the family and party, Mulayam said, "hamari party me koi vivad nahi hai" (There is no dispute in our party).He later along with Shivpal left for New Delhi, where he is likely to visit Election Commission for staking claim on the party's 'cycle' symbol.The Mulayam camp is likely to submit its set of affidavits on Monday, the deadline set by the EC for both the sides to submit documents before it decides on which side to be allotted the 'cycle' symbol after the split in SP was formalised on January 3.On Saturday, the Akhilesh faction submitted to the EC affidavits which it claimed to have signatures of "90 per cent" of legislators and delegates, including over 200 of the 229 MLAs.On reports that Mulayam got his room locked at the party office and put up his and Shivpal's name plates, SP state chief (Akhilesh faction) Naresh Uttam said, "their name plates were never removed".To another question, he said," Akhileshji is our national president and we will contest polls under him. He was made president at the national convention."
Nokia has finally made a comeback with its first Android smartphone called Nokia 6, thanks to HMD Global. The brand Nokia decided to keep the launch low-profile and announced the same on HMD Global website.The Nokia N6 smartphone features a unibody metal body along with fingerprint scanner. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat operating system and comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD 2.5D Gorilla Glass display. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory.It is a dual-SIM smartphone powered by a 3,000mAh battery, which is non-removable. On the camera front, there is a 16MP f/2.0 camera with PDAF along with dual-LED Flash. On the front, there is an 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera. Nokia has paid attention on the audio front and has provides Dolby Atmos powered dual amplifier speakers.Nokia 6 will be available exclusively in China through JD.com. Available in early 2017, Nokia 6 is 1699 CNY, which roughly translates to Rs 16,990. There is no word on the availability and price of the Nokia 6 smartphone in India.China is the largest and most competitive smartphone market in the world. It is no coincidence that we have chosen to bring our first Android device to China with a long-term partner," said Nestor Xu, Vice President Greater China, HMD Global.
Lahore: At least 15 people were killed and 24 others injured on Sunday in two separate road accidents in Pakistan's Punjab province, police said.



A car-van collision on Grand Trunk Road in Sohawa near Jhelum killed at least 11 people while injuring four others

who were shifted to a local hospital. The incident occurred after the car's tyre burst and it crashed into the van, The Express Tribune reported.



In another incident, four people were killed and 20 others wounded after an 'over speeding' bus collided with a

trailer near Yousuf Wala near Sahiwal.



Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif while expressing grief over the loss of precious lives ordered an inquiry into

the incident.



He condoled the deaths of those killed and expressed his sympathies with the relatives of the victims.
Fort Lauderdale: The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travellers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida appears to have travelled there specifically to carry out the attack, authorities have said, but they do not know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.



Authorities said during a news conference on Saturday that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with the cooperative suspect, 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska.



Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.



FBI Agent George Piro said Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska.



"Indications are that he came here to carry out this horrific attack," Piro said. "We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack."



Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiago's motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said.



In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the US government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, a law enforcement official said.



Santiago had not been placed on the US no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, Piro said.



The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.



Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota with his wife for a cruise when he heard three quick cracks, like a firecracker. Then came more cracks, and "I knew it was more than just a firecracker," he said.



Making sure his wife was outside, Lea helped evacuate some older women who had fallen, he said. Then he saw the shooter.



"He was just kind of randomly shooting people," he said. "If you were in his path, you were going to get shot. He was walking and shooting."



Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, he said. When he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.
As Barack Obama prepares to leave office on January 20, here are nine things his presidency may be remembered for:If historians were to write only one thing about Barack Hussein Obama, they would likely note that -- 143 years after slavery was abolished -- a young Illinois senator became the first black president of the United States.Obama, just 47 at his 2009 inauguration, harnessed magisterial oratory to rally a diverse electoral coalition behind a message of "hope and change." Barack Obama meets with Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House. (Photo Credit: Reuters)In office, Obama sometimes struggled to turn that poetry into the prose of governance. Racial tensions -- underscored by police shootings of unarmed black men and conspiracy theories about his birthplace -- persisted.But the very fact of his election confirmed monumental changes in American society.Obama's first term in office was dominated by economic freefall.A real estate crisis spawned a financial meltdown that torpedoed Wall Street banks and lenders, and was metastasizing into an economic crisis of global proportions. U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with former U.S. President George W. Bush (Reuters)Outgoing president George W. Bush and the Federal Reserve had kicked off the government's first panicked efforts at containment, but Obama faced down ideological opposition to large fiscal stimulus, extending government spending by $831 billion and providing ballast to the economy.As he leaves office, the political and social aftershocks of that financial cataclysm are still being felt, but the economy has added jobs for 75 straight months."Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden."With those words on May 2, 2011, Obama exorcised the anger and frustration of millions of Americans -- that the most powerful country on earth could not hold the man accountable for the 9/11 attacks.The risky special forces operation was also illustrative of Obama's controversial drone-and-raid approach to counterterrorism. As he leaves office, Al-Qaeda offshoots and affiliates remain potent, but their leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been decimated."It's one of the few regrets of my presidency -- that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better," Obama said in his final State of the Union address.From the moment Obama was elected, Republics in Congress vowed to oppose him tooth and nail.Efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and enact gun controls -- even after the massacre of young students at Sandy Hook, the emotional nadir of his presidency -- would fall victim to partisan rancor.For more than two decades, the United States had rolled out sanctions and covert actions to prevent arch foe Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Obama tried a different tack, engaging in secret talks with the Islamic Republic.That gambit ultimately yielded a deal that saw Iran halt its sprint toward a nuclear weapon, in return for substantial sanctions relief and a dollop of international legitimacy.The pact would strain US relations with Iran's enemies Israel and Saudi Arabia, but prevented a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and defused tensions between Iran and the United States that have simmered since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.No international crisis tested Obama's foreign policy or his high bar for US military intervention like Syria.Even when Bashar al-Assad defied Obama's red line on chemical weapons use and killed countless thousands of civilians -- along with Russian and Iranian forces -- the man who came to office on an anti-war ticket rejected calls to step in.Syria will likely be in crisis for years to come.Critics will long argue about whether Obama's policy was sensible and to what degree his decision damaged America's reputation, allowed the Islamic State group to grow, fueled an immigration flow that destabilized Europe and allowed Russia and Iran to extend influence in the region.After the climate skepticism of Bush, Obama's eight years in office resulted in a tidal wave of environmental legislation, protecting marine ecosystems, curbing carbon emissions and boosting renewable energy.In a bid to engrain environmentalism into America's body politic, Obama hiked Alaskan glaciers, snorkeled at Midway Island and rushed through ratification of the Paris Climate Accord.But Obama's environmental agenda is likely to come under sustained assault from his successor, putting the durability of that legacy into question.Democrats had tried and failed for decades to provide Americans with universal health care. Obama wasn't quite able to do that but he extended insurance coverage to tens of millions of citizens who previously had none.Republicans decried the "Obamacare" plan as socialism incarnate, at one point claiming it would even create "death panels." But they failed to stop it from passing. They may yet have a crack at repealing it under Donald Trump's watch.Obama's trip to Cuba may be remembered in the same way as Richard Nixon's visit to China, but in truth it was the capstone of a much broader effort to improve US relations with Latin America.Resurgent left wing populists in the region had rekindled past memories of "yanqui imperialism" -- US-led coups, death squads and heavy-handed intervention.Barely 100 days after Obama took office, he told regional leaders at a Summit of the Americas that the United States had changed. The approach was to deny leaders like Hugo Chavez any excuses for sideshow anti-Americanism.He shook Chavez's hand, met Nicaraguan firebrand Daniel Ortega and visited the tomb of a popular Salvadoran priest killed by US-linked death squads.Obama alluded to "mistakes" in a coup that installed dictator Augusto Pinochet in Chile, released documents about involvement in Argentina's dirty war and, of course, visited Havana.
Hambantota: Sri Lankan police used tear gas and water cannons on Saturday to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing demonstrators protesting against a planned investment zone supported by China.



Hospital authorities said at least 21 people were injured in the protests. According to police, 52 demonstrators were arrested.



Protesters say that the government of President Maithripala Sirisena is trying to evict thousands of families to provide 15,000 acres (6,070 hectares) of land in the projected industrial zone for Chinese investors.



The zone is in the southern district of Hambantota, where China has already built a $1.5 billion port and airport, part of President Sirisena's ambitious $50 billion development project to revive the economy.



The government has denied the protesters' claim and says opposition is driven by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's political ambitions.



Rajapaksa, who is trying to make a political comeback, has publicly criticized the plan, saying it will deprive people of agricultural land.



At Saturday's opening of the investment zone, Chinese ambassador Yi Xianlang struck an upbeat note.



"This is the moment for China to help other countries who need investments," the Chinese envoy to Sri Lanka told the launching ceremony. "No force can stop the cooperation from China to Sri Lanka."



He also said the investment zone would be the most important economic project of this government and "if everything goes well", China would invest $5 billion during the next three to five years and create 100,000 jobs.



Sirisena's government is already in the final phase of discussion with China Merchants Port Holdings Company Ltd to develop the China-built port, granting them 80 percent stake on a 99-year lease for $1.12 billion.



China's interest in the port may reflect its ambition to build a "Maritime Silk Route" to the oil-rich Middle East and onwards to Europe.



That makes some countries, including India and the United States, nervous with Sri Lanka's proximity to shipping lanes through which much of the world's trade passes en route to China and Japan.



The port was built with Chinese loans and contractors in 2010 under Rajapaksa, as part of efforts to develop the country's infrastructure after ending a 26-year war in 2009.
After visiting Lynchburgs weekly Monument Terrace Troop Rally, Joseph Joe Hines, stopped into The Briar Patch in Amherst, where his campaign hoped to rally supporters for a meet-and-greet luncheon.

The independent conservative running for Senate District 22 special election this week sat at empty reserved tables with a reporter and talked to patrons when he could.

Despite the challenges of running as an independent, Hines highlights potentialpositive outcomes. The engineering economic development consultant said people in the district have party fatigue and believes he has a path to victory.

The fascinating thing about being an independent that would be a balance of power between the two positions is it would significantly elevate the voice of the district to a very high level and elevate the voice of rural Virginia to a very high level, Hines, 48, said.

Hines, Lynchburg attorney and Republican Mark Peake and Democrat and former Fluvanna County sheriff Ryant Washington are running for the seat Rep. Tom Garrett, R-5th, won in 2011 with 58 percent of the vote against Lynchburg Democrat Bert Dodson.

The three-way special election will be held Tuesday in the district that includes eastern Lynchburg and Appomattox and Amherst counties and stretches to Goochland County.

Before resignations from Garrett and Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th, in their moves to Congress, the state Senate was split 21-19 in Republican favor. McEachins likely successor is Del. Jennifer McClellen, D-Richmond, who faces Libertarian Corey Fauconier.

If Hines and McClellan win, the state Senate would be split 20 Republicans, 19 Democrats and one independent. Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam is the chambers tie-breaking vote.

If a Democrat or Republican wins, the respective party would pick committee members and chairs, significantly controlling which bills reach Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

I hear people talk about control, Hines said. In my opinion its not about control, its about public service. Its about doing whats in the best interest of the citizens first and foremost among anything else.

While Hines said hed like to take a look at campaign finance reform, he didnt take a position when referring to what he called an echo economy involving Virginia campaigns and lobbyists.

Theres a sub-economy that revolves around the legislature that I find fascinating, Hines said.

Hines grew up on a family farm in the Rice area of Prince Edward County where he now lives, he said. Prior to the November general election, he voted in Glen Allen, where he owns a townhouse.

Hines is director of economic development and a principal at the Timmons Group, an engineering consulting firm based in the Richmond area.

Growing up, he worked for his fathers surveying firm Ralph P. Hines & Associates and believes he surveyed every locality in the 22nd district except for Goochland County before graduating high school.

When asked about the genesis of his candidacy, Hines said someone with a party affiliation asked him to run and that it was not a Democrat. When pressed on who it was, Hines refused to answer any more questions regarding his original backer. Since he began his candidacy, he said, hes gained support from both sides of the aisle.

According to campaign finance reports covering the period ending Dec. 29, Hines raised $10,675 and made a personal loan to the campaign of $50,000. He entered last week with $51,868 in his war chest. His largest donation of $2,000 came from MEB General Contractors Inc.

Since his announcement, Hines has labeled himself an independent conservative. When asked what the word conservative means to him, he described his investment strategy.

To me, being conservative is being responsible with your money and not spending money you dont have, Hines said. Does it generate long-term revenue opportunities for the taxpayers or for the tax base?

Broadband infrastructure investments, he said, will create economic opportunity and draw millenials back to their rural roots.

Hines didnt take firm positions on any social issues, such as gay rights or abortion during an interview and a candidates forum.

Hines referred to his conservativism in saying too many legislators are focused on getting bills passed so they have an accomplishment to run on in the next election.

That should not be a metric of success for a public servant, is how many bills and laws they get passed. To me its how many effective bills and laws they get passed and how many ineffective bills and laws get pulled off the books is what should be a good measure of success.
While campaigning door-to-door in Lynchburgs Diamond Hill neighborhood, Ryant Washington came to an intersection where roads met at an unusual angle and the house numbers didnt add up.

The Democratic nominee for Senate District 22 recalled his early days as a deputy in Fluvanna County, where he eventually would win four terms as sheriff.

We didnt have road names. We had rural routes, country road numbers and that was it. If people didnt have a mailbox up, you were in trouble. You had to really know the community to know where people live, said Washington, a Buckingham County native. ... If you take me to the country, I can get you anywhere. I can remember exactly where I need to turn and where I need to go.

Washington, 48, took a leave of absence as enforcement policy adviser for the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for the brief campaign to replace Rep. Tom Garrett, R-5th District, who was sworn into Congress on Tuesday.

Washington, Lynchburg attorney and Republican Mark Peake and engineering consultant and independent Joe Hines all seek the seat Garrett won in 2011 with 58 percent of the vote against Lynchburg Democrat Bert Dodson. The three-way special election will be held Tuesday.

In multiple interviews, Washington pivoted his answers toward building relationships.

In the 25,000-person Fluvanna County, Washington said he sometimes ran into people he or his officers recently had arrested at one of a few diners. He ate with some, he said. Washington also described making a bag lunch and eating in public areas accessible to the public. He refers to an office as a space.

My office is wherever I can go, so it could be right here, Washington said of the table near the front of Market at Main in Lynchburg. ... Theres a saying, you gotta meet people where they are sometimes. Were meeting wherever you are, is where the office is for the day.

Washington entered law enforcement in 1990 and worked for the Fluvanna County Sheriffs Office and Virginia State Police before serving as Fluvanna County Sheriff for 14 years starting in 1999. He won four terms as an independent, traditional for the rural county, he said. His wife, Camilla Washington, is chairwoman of the Fluvanna County School Board.

Although his campaign manager Jasper Hendricks only met the candidate about a month ago, he reflexively calls Washington by his former title, sheriff.

I travel with him a lot, and whenever we go to places and people see him and they know him, thats the first thing that they say, sheriff, so its kind of stuck with me, said Hendricks, who is from Farmville but is a traveled Democratic campaign hand. He recently worked on a ballot initiative in California.

In 2014, McAuliffe appointed Washington to a newly created position within ABC after agents arrested a University of Virginia student in Charlottesville, mistaking sparkling water for illegally purchased alcohol.

Washington, also a member of McAuliffes 2013 gubernatorial transition team, pushed backed against questions the governor had anointed his candidacy. Were Washington to win, Democrats would take control of the state Senate, which would be split 20-20 between the two parties. Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam is responsible for breaking tie votes in the Virginia Senate.

McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy could not be reached for comment on any role McAuliffe may have played in Washingtons campaign.

The mindset that the governor just asked me is really not the issue or the facts, said Washington, who defeated Lynchburg Democratic Chairwoman Katie Webb Cyphert in a Dec. 3 caucus. The facts are Im an independent person, make decisions on my own and at the end of the day, I dont get into that kind of stuff because, again, its a diversion from the issues.

McAuliffes Common Good VA political action committee put $5,000 into Washingtons campaign. For comparison, Sen. Steve Newman, R-Bedford County, contributed $25,000 through his PAC to Peake.

Over the reporting period ending Dec. 29, Washingtons finance reports show he has raised $192,658, including a $61,499 in-kind contribution from the Democratic Party of Virginia leaving him with a war chest of $58,832 going into the final two weeks of the short campaign. Several Democratic state senators made flat $5,000 donations, but Washington also raised $31,711 through 1,015 donations of less than $100.

While the district leans heavily in Republican favor, the independent Hines branding himself a conservative could split votes between he and Peake, a conservative Republican. Washingtons platform focuses on education and workforce development. He generally highlights broader ideas, not detailed policy points.

At the end of the day, its really about whos going to be able to convince the people, Washington said. You could put five people on, but at the end of the day, people are going to pick one candidate.
BEDFORD  When one of Central Virginias most closely watched criminal trials in years opens in Bedford County, so will an old legal can of worms: how the often confusing case law on Virginias death penalty affects the sentencing if jurors return a guilty verdict.

Prosecutors want the option kept on the table to put Lloyd Lee Michael Welch Jr. to death if he is convicted in the murders of Sheila and Katherine Lyon, two young sisters who disappeared en route to a Maryland shopping mall in 1975.

But the legal defense for Welch, a former carnival worker with ties to Bedford County, cried foul in legal papers filed months ahead of the trial.

First his lawyers called for Virginias death penalty to be declared unconstitutional. His attorneys also said even if it stands, the punishment cannot be used on Welch due to the legal status of the death penalty in Virginia at the time the alleged crimes were committed.

Welch, 60, faces two charges of first-degree murder in a trial scheduled to begin April 18 in Bedford County Circuit Court.

He is accused of abducting the sisters on or around March 25, 1975 and eventually killing them and disposing of their bodies in Bedford County. The bodies have never been found.

Welch also was indicted in December on an unrelated charge of rape involving a 6-year-old girl in northern Virginia in 1996. That indictment charged him with rape, aggravated sexual battery, indecent liberties and object sexual penetration.

While he faces prosecution in Prince William County on those charges, the murder charges are still pending in Central Virginia.

Lawyers in Bedford County have spent hours in recent months making arguments before Judge James Updike Jr., who will preside over the April trial, on pre-trial motions affecting the proceedings.

Welchs lawyer in the murder case who filed the motion to strike the death penalty, Aaron Houchens, of Moneta, did not return a call seeking comment.

The judge already has ruled out declaring the death penalty unconstitutional, but signaled he would consider a motion saying it could not be used in the Welch case.

Both sides will argue over Supreme Court rulings and Virginia case law on capital punishment, reviving hotly contested legal issues.

At its core the defense says the death penalty was unconstitutional throughout the United States at the time of the alleged offenses.

They pointed in court papers to a 1972 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Furman v. Georgia, and a later state decision, Huggins v. Commonwealth, which applied the high court decision to the state statute.

Due to these decisions, Virginias death penalty statute from March to April 1975 when the alleged offenses took place was unconstitutional, they argued.

Virginia later in 1975 amended state law to align it with the court decisions, reinstating the death penalty, but that was effective after the alleged crimes, they said. Using it retroactively, Welchs lawyers argued, would be unconstitutional as ex post facto law.

Based on the legal status of Virginias death penalty at the time of the Lyon sisters vanishing, the maximum penalty the defendant is eligible to receive is life imprisonment if convicted, Welchs attorneys said in their motion to strike the death penalty.

Responding in court filings, the commonwealth argued the statute which outlawed the crime was still in place and enforceable at the time of the alleged offenses.

Calling up their own case law, prosecutors cited two cases regarding the death penalty in which courts upheld the punishment.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbert v. Florida (1977) that while that state made changes to its death penalty statute between the time of a murder and the trial, the changes were procedural and ameliorative so did not trigger the prohibition on ex post facto laws.

In Smith v. Commonwealth (1978), the Virginia Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for a defendant convicted of capital murder after rape, when challenged in a similar manner to Welchs motion.

Pre-trial motions will continue to be heard in Circuit Court ahead of Welchs trial scheduled in April, some of which could change the evidence jurors hear and the penalties if Welch is convicted.

Bedford County Commonwealths Attorney Wes Nance, the lead prosecutor, said he could not comment on the case before trial.

Court records show the next step before trial is a hearing on pre-trial motions Jan. 24 at 9 a.m.
All presidents, including Donald Trump after Jan. 20, rely on the National Security Council (NSC) to help them make difficult decisions about U.S. foreign and national security policy. When a new president takes office, the character of the NSC will change to reflect his priorities. Its especially so when the new chief executive represents a different political party.

Trumps selection of his national security team suggests he desires competent, experienced people heading the departments of State, Defense and Homeland Security. His choice for national security adviser has extensive experience in military intelligence, and he has named former Indiana Sen. Dan Coates as his selection of director of National Intelligence, a key NSC post.

Critics express concern that three of Trumps choices are senior military men that suggest hard-line policies against adversaries like Russia and China. The doubters say two other choices are, like Trump, billionaires who could put business and financial considerations ahead of the nations security interests.

Rex Tillerson, current president of Exxon-Mobile Corp., Gen. James Mattis, former top commander of U.S. forces in South Asia, and Gen. John Kelly, former commander of U.S. forces in the Western Hemisphere, are the key members of Trumps team. Tillerson is slated to be secretary of State, Mattis will head the department of Defense, and Jones will be in charge of the Homeland Security department. They are exceptionally experienced, successful leaders in their professions.

Senate confirmation hearings for NSC selections will give the public a clearer view of their strengths and alleged weaknesses to fill these important cabinet positions. What seems apparent is that Trump intends to pursue a harder line in foreign and national defense policy than did Barack Obama, who preferred not to use, or threaten to use, military force to support his diplomacy.

A major question that remains unknown until after Jan. 20 is this: How will he use his national security team to advance U.S. national interests with our adversaries, Russia, China, Iran and perhaps Turkey?

Regarding Russias Vladimir Putin, will President Trump persuade him that Ukraine and the Baltic States cannot be subverted without triggering a confrontation with the United States? Will Tillerson, who has dealt with Putin as a businessman, convince him that Russia risks war if he attempts to turn Estonia or Ukraine into client states?

Similarly, will Irans Ayatollah Khomeini be persuaded by Trump and Defense Secretary Mattis that the U.S. fleet in the Persian Gulf will fire on the next Iranian ship that interferes with its transiting in international waters? Will U.S. forces oppose Irans Revolutionary Guards blatant efforts to undermine Americas allies in Iraq and Syria?

As for China, will Trump persuade Chinas Xi Jinping that North Koreas nuclear threats will not be tolerated, that its development of an IBM threatens Japan and South Korea and the U.S. will trigger a military response? To the south, will Mattis be authorized to sail an aircraft carrier through international waters in the South China Sea in defiance of Chinas claims of sovereignty and its harassment of U.S. ships?

In the Western Hemisphere, especially in Central America, will Jones, as Homeland Security secretary, be instructed by the president to put a stop to the flow of illegal immigrants across the Mexican border, and to deal more effectively with massive drug smuggling that affects national security?

Finally, will Trump confront Turkeys Recep Erdogan who is becoming an autocrat in this key NATO country? Erdogan recently joined Vladimir Putin in brokering a peace settlement in Syria without U.S. participation. He has the capability to threaten Europe, especially Germany, by turning loose additional thousands of Syrian refugees that cannot be accommodated in Turkey. Will Trump threaten sanctions and loss of security guarantees if Erdogan persists in his pro-Russia anti-U.S. policies?

These are momentous foreign policy decisions that face the Trump administration on Jan. 20. Few doubt that the new president will follow a more robust foreign policy than did Barack Obama. Still, the key questions remain: How much tougher will Trump be, especially on Russia, and when would he employ military power to back up his new diplomacy?

Nuechterlein is a political scientist and author who lives near Charlottesville. Contact him at nuechtd@cstone.net.
Every Lynchburg vote on Tuesday matters

Do you vote at First Christian, Fairview Christian, Memorial Christian, First Presbyterian, Rivermont Presbyterian, St. Pauls Episcopal, Jubilee, Lynchburg Public Library, R.S. Payne, Bedford Hills or Sandusky Middle School? If so, you are part of Virginia Senate District 22 and are eligible to vote Jan. 10 in the special election for a new State Senator.

Because of redistricting after the 2010 Census, residents who vote in the other six city precincts, Heritage United Methodist, Moose Lodge, Vines Center, Sheffield Elementary, Elks Lodge or Linkhorne Middle School, will not participate in this special election because they are in Virginia Senate District 23. Although redistricting, which takes place every 10 years, is supposed to maintain communities of interest, Lynchburg has now been split into two Virginia Senate districts and two House of Delegate districts, so that in some elections our small city must print four different ballots.

While these changes can be confusing for Lynchburg voters, they also present a real challenge for Joseph Hines, Mark Peake and Ryant Washington, the three candidates hoping to arrive in Richmond as a new state senator. Since Senate District 22 combines a fragment of one city, Lynchburg, with eight largely rural counties, these candidates must introduce themselves to potential constituents spread throughout a wide geographical area and within the short time frame of a special election.

If the interests of Lynchburg residents are going to be represented in the next Virginia Senate, our voters must turn out in significant numbers. The nonpartisan League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any political candidate or party. For almost 100 years it has encouraged informed and active participation of citizens in government, and the Lynchburg League urges every eligible voter to cast a ballot Jan. 10 and make the citys voice count.

In the longer term, the LWV supports OneVirginia2021 in its effort to promote nonpartisan redistricting reform. There will once again be several fair redistricting bills introduced in the upcoming legislative session. Please let your returning and newly elected representatives in Richmond know that these bills should no longer be allowed to disappear in unrecorded subcommittee votes, as has been the case year after year. And remind your friends and neighbors in District 22 that turnout will determine the outcome in this special election: Every Lynchburg vote on Tuesday matters.

KAY OLVERA

President

League of Women Voters of Lynchburg

Peake for Virginia Senate

Mark Peake is a friend of mine. I know him in business, in social circles and as a candidate for the Virginia Senate from the 22nd District. The upcoming election is Tuesday, Jan. 10.

His business involvement in Central Virginia gives him a personal understanding of the needs of small business. He wants to make Virginia an easy state in which to do business. His service on the Commonwealth Transportation Board gives him a unique understanding of the issues Virginia faces in improving roads and transportation modes needed in the commonwealth.

He and his wife Lila have five children. She is a full-time nurse. His everyday lifestyle provides the experience needed to understand how necessary it is to have good jobs available in a business-friendly state. Please vote Tuesday and cast your vote for Mark Peake, a man of integrity, compassion and honor.

FRANK GOODWIN

Lynchburg
There's a baptism scene in "Silence" that speaks volumes. Set in 17th-century Japan, during a period of persecution of Christians by the ruling shogunate, the film centers on a Catholic Portuguese missionary (Andrew Garfield) who has been smuggled into the country, where he has been taken in by peasant converts. As the Jesuit priest Rodrigues christens an impoverished Christian couple's baby, the mother turns to the padre, as they call him, inquiring whether her baby is now in "paradise."

No, no, he corrects her, with a smile less patronizing than patiently tolerant of her theological naivete (evidence of the cultural divide that runs, like a deep chasm, throughout this long, philosophically thorny and sometimes brutally violent film). Paradise is the reward that God is preparing for the faithful in the afterlife.

For many of that young mother's fellow underground Christians - forced to practice their version of an imported religion in secret - that afterlife will come sooner than expected. As Martin Scorsese's ambitious yet frustrating adaptation of Shusaku Endo's 1966 book makes clear, potential torture and death await those Christians who refuse to publicly renounce their faith by stepping on an image of Jesus.

Slow drowning on a crucifix planted in a rising tide, being burned alive on a pyre, summary decapitation, and bleeding to death while hanging, upside down, over a pit - these are among the fates imposed on Christians by Inoue, the samurai-turned-inquisitor who runs the ruthless, often gruesome campaign of religious oppression.

"Silence," to its credit, does not show us this savagery gratuitously, using it rather to further the argument that is the film's true subject. The struggle between apostasy and martyrdom - not when one's own death is at stake, but when one's actions determine the fates of others - is the sharp spearhead of "Silence," whose title refers to the uncommunicativeness of God in the face of prayer and human suffering. Oddly, God eventually speaks to Rodrigues, quite literally, although it's open to speculation whether that voice is coming from the deity or from inside Rodrigues' own head.

That moment comes late in the film, after the padre and several of his flock have been taken prisoner by Inoue, whose cartoonish portrayal of coldbloodedness, by Issei Ogata, borders on caricature. (A second missionary, played by Adam Driver, has already been violently dispatched. That's a shame. Driver's performance is richer and deeper than that of Garfield, whose boyish good looks and impossibly lush coiffure undercut his efforts, even under a scraggly beard and mud-caked skin, to convincingly render spiritual agony.)

At the point that God speaks to Rodrigues, the Jesuit is being confronted with a conundrum, one that lends the film an urgency that it previously struggled to maintain. (Scorsese wouldn't have weakened his film one bit by trimming a half-hour or more of sluggishly redundant footage.)

The conundrum is one that has nothing to do with Rodrigues' decision whether to lay down his life, but with his reluctance to apostatize, even in the face of others' deaths. In an effort to force the priest to renounce his faith, Inoue and his interpreter (the excellent Tadanobu Asano) line several Japanese Christians over the pit - ones who have already apostatized, it should be noted - merely to put pressure on Rodrigues. If the priest recants, the peasants live; if he doesn't, they die.

Rodrigues' former Jesuit mentor Father Ferreira, a missionary who had apostatized years earlier and now lives as a secular Japanese scholar, makes an 11th-hour appearance (in the Qui-Gon Jinn-esque form of Liam Neeson) to talk his young protege into recanting. But it's the lives that hang in the balance, and not Ferreira's words, that lend the talky film drama.

Which of these things, the film asks - in a screenplay co-written by Scorsese and Jay Cocks - is more Christian, in the original sense of "Christ-like": To steadfastly maintain one's faith, even if it means that others will die because of your actions? Or to renounce Jesus publicly, while holding true to him in your heart? As Ferreira says, "There are some things more important than the judgment of the Church."

That's an argument with which Scorsese seems to agree. It sure takes him long enough to drive that point home - putting the film's audience through its own kind of torture - but the morale of his story is ultimately both tough and nuanced.
Psychology of crime

This leaves us with the elusive search to connect the human mind to behaviour, and the challenge to make such search as scientific as possible. Nevertheless, crime cannot be properly understood, prevented or managed without a good understanding of the mind of the offender  alongside conditions.

Last weeks trial in the US over the mass murder of nine black members of an historic church in South Carolina raised the crucial, trial-bending question of why the accused (now convicted), Dylann Roof, committed this hideous hate crime? Against opposing conclusions, he strongly denied that he is insane, crazy. He said he did it to create a race war. Why  the driving motive for committing a crime and deciding a verdict has long been a crucial trial question. It is mens rea reflecting the psychological state of the offender, especially at the time of the offence. In his paper, The Mental Element in Crime, at the Seventh Commonwealth Magistrates Conference in Cyprus, Judge Petrus Artemis, provided a list of such psychological conditions  from with intent, maliciously, corruptly, knowingly, to recklessly. The unravelling of the criminal mind has played intriguing parts in court-room trials, detective movies and even in psychometric testing for employment. Who did it and why? Motivation, the chances or fear of being caught, the perception of opportunity, stigmatised self-esteem, etc are some of the driving, personalised psychological conditions towards crime. You may be surprised to know how much the search for peer respect leads to gang violence.

Then, pulling towards crime are peer pressures, a breakdown of civic norms, alienation, criminogenic family or community conditions, inequality and failures in education system, ineffective deterrence, unfair social or economic deprivation, etc.

However, there is the scientifically- challenging question of why, in the face of one or more of these factors, not everyone commits a crime.

This is where, for example, the view that poverty causes crime can have short-comings. All in all, there are push factors for crime, and there are pull factors for crime. Some conditions create upward conditions, other conditions facilitate and invite crime. Hence I look forward to making the time to researching the minds (attitudes, motives, values etc) of our convicted prisoners, and school drop-outs, young criminals and the facilitating conditions..

Criminology, too, has its challenges of definition and research, starting from the early 1974 definition as the study of the processes of making laws, breaking laws and reacting towards the breaking of laws. It is now also a study of criminals and the relevant institutions and agencies that deal with crime and criminal justice  a study of people, institutions and conditions. From all this emerged a wide range of research and books  The Psychology of Crime (Feldman, 1993); The Psychology of Criminal Conduct (Andrews and Bonta, 1994); The Social Psychology of Crime (Canter and Alison, 2000): The Psychology of the Legal System (Wrightsman et al, 2008) etc. And, further, if you wish for a reality check on whether or not justice is blind, read the early Law: The Science of Inefficiency by Wm Seagle and Errors of Justice by Brian Forst.

Several reputable universities have specialised Centres of Criminology  most of which contain a strong psychological component. In my short stay at Oxford University Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, I witnessed the significant extent to which psychological research assisted in developing criminal justice policies  from eyewitness testimony, policing, trial by jury to sentencing.

Hence, I was fortunate and grateful to UWI for agreeing to my proposal to establish both a Psychological Research Centre and a related Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice.

And for the University of Trinidad and Tobago for establishing the Institute of Criminology and Public Safety. The purpose of todays column is to help promote the view that in order to understand, prevent, manage and solve crime, the disciplines of crimi n o l o g y and psyc h o l o g y are quite u s e f u l par tner s in application.
Trump: 'I'll Very, Very, Very

Probably Do It Again'
(Newser)  A 57-year-old convicted killer serving a life sentence in California became the first US inmate to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery, the prisoner's attorneys confirmed Friday. The AP reports prison officials agreed in 2015 to pay for the surgery for Shiloh Heavenly Quine, who was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and robbery for ransom and has no possibility of parole. "For too long, institutions have ignored doctors and casually dismissed medically necessary and life-saving care for transgender people just because of who we are," said Kris Hayashi, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, which represents Quine. Hayashi said the surgery fulfills a landmark legal settlement and is a victory for "all transgender people who have ever been denied the medical care we need."

Quine's case led the state to become the first to set standards for transgender inmates to apply to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery. Her case prompted a federal magistrate to provide transgender female inmates housed in men's facilities with items such as nightgowns, scarves, and necklaces. Quine previously wrote that her presence in the men's prison creates "confusion and mixed emotions from the males that go from romantic thoughts to disgust and explosive turmoil reactions." She will be moved to a women's prison following the operation. California was legally required to pay for the operation, corrections spokesperson Terry Thornton said. "The Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution requires that prisons provide inmates with medically necessary treatment for medical and mental health conditions, including inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria," Thornton said. (Read more sex reassignment surgery stories.)
(Newser)  Dan and Janice Kovacs and their two children were passing through airport security when the gunfire erupted. They were shoelesswith wallets, passports, and carry-on items on a conveyer beltwhen they sprang into the masses running to safety, reports the AP. Now they're among stranded travelers at Fort Lauderdale trying to recover what the airport says are 25,000 pieces of luggage, cellphones, and other belongings separated from their owners during Friday's shooting rampage. "We have no IDs, we have no passports, no money," Janice, 39, said Saturday, wearing borrowed sandals. "We just had to leave our stuff and run. All our stuff is being processed. We might not even get that until Monday," she said. The shooting Friday, which killed five and wounded six, also stranded about 12,000 travelers, some kept on planes for seven hours while the airport was on lockdown.

The Florida Highway Patrol sent computer-equipped buses to the airport Saturday to issue temporary ID cards to help travelers get out of state and even abroad. "We are doing what we can to help," Sgt. Mark Wysocki said. Gov. Rick Scott said cruise ship companies were asked to accept travelers with provisional IDs. Airport spokesman Greg Meyer said most bags won't be available until Monday. The airport hired an outside firm to collect discarded bags and sort them by where they were found so they can be identified. Those with lost luggage were told to call a toll-free number. Larry Edwards, a retired electric lineman, said he and wife Joy won't be able to get home to Columbus, Ohio, until Monday and pointed to the clothes they had put on Friday morning. "All we have is this and our smelly selves," he says. (The shooting suspect could face the death penalty.)
(Newser)  The Limited is a mall staple no longer, abruptly announcing that all its remaining 250 locations would close Sunday, reports the Washington Post, resulting in about 4,000 job losses. Per a statement on the retailer's website: "We're sad to say that all The Limited stores nationwide have officially closed their doors. But this isn't goodbye," as the company's website will continue to operate. It's a stark turnaround for a chain that "was on fire" two decades ago, notes CNN, with a peak of more than 750 stores. But the writing was on the wall, notes the Post, over a holiday shopping season that saw discounts of up to 80% and a sudden no-returns policy. The major culprit driving The Limited's demise, one retail consultant says, is that shoppers are "looking for really fast fashion, for things that are hyper-relevant to whats going on in fashion right nowand as inexpensive as possible." (Macy's also announced layoffs after a miserable holiday season.)
(Newser)  The owner of a weekly Western New York newspaper says a man bought hundreds of copies in an unsuccessful effort to keep people from reading about his drunken-driving arrest. State police arrested Joseph Talbot on Dec. 29 in Wayne County and charged him with driving while intoxicated, reports the AP. Police also charged him with refusing to be fingerprinted or photographed. They say he told troopers he didn't want his mugshot in the newspaper, the Times of Wayne County, which notes that he referred to their "fine publication" as "that rag." He further called the arresting trooper an "a--hole" who was ruining his life.

The 12,000-circulation Times says it obtained a mugshot from the county jail, and printed the mugshot and a story on New Year's Eve and published them online. The story might have ended there, but, as the paper tells it: "Talbot was, of course, embarrassed and was hoping to keep people from seeing the story. So.he decided to follow our delivery trucks and buy out all the Times from newsstands in Newark." This prompted publisher Ron Holdraker to go out armed with hundreds of copies and replenish the outlets Talbot bought out. In all, he says, Talbot bought nearly 1,000 copies at $1.25 apiece. Unfortunately, his extraordinary efforts to go unnoticed have since gone viral. (Read more strange stuff stories.)
(Newser)  With less than two weeks on the clock, President Obama doesn't hesitate about whether ObamaCare will survive once he turns the keys over to Donald Trump: "I think it will," he tells ABC News' George Stephanopolous. "It may be called something else. If in fact the Republicans make some modifications ... and relabel it as TrumpCare, I'm fine with that." "I'm skeptical that they can do it, mainly because for seven years now, including when we first tried to pass health care, I said to them, 'OK, if this doesn't work, tell me what does.'" He concedes that "it is true theoretically that all that progress can be undone, and suddenly 20 million people or more don't have health insurance." But "I think Republicans now are recognizing that ...may not be what the American people, including even Trump voters, are looking for." Highlights from the interview, via ABC News and the Washington Post:

On his relationship with Trump: He says the two "are sort of opposites in some ways," pegging himself as a "policy wonk," while Trump, he says, "has not spent a lot of time sweating the details." They have confidence in common. "It's probably a prerequisite for the job, or at least you have to have enough craziness to think that you can do the job."

He says the two "are sort of opposites in some ways," pegging himself as a "policy wonk," while Trump, he says, "has not spent a lot of time sweating the details." They have confidence in common. "It's probably a prerequisite for the job, or at least you have to have enough craziness to think that you can do the job." His advice for Trump: "The main thing that I've tried to transmit is that there's a difference between governing and campaigning, so that what he has to appreciate is as soon as you walk into this office after you've been sworn in, you're now in charge of the largest organization on Earth."

"The main thing that I've tried to transmit is that there's a difference between governing and campaigning, so that what he has to appreciate is as soon as you walk into this office after you've been sworn in, you're now in charge of the largest organization on Earth." On the soon-to-be tweeter-in-chief: "The day that he is the president of the United States, there are world capitals and financial markets and people all around the world who take really seriously what he says, and in a way that's just not true before you're actually sworn in as president."

"The day that he is the president of the United States, there are world capitals and financial markets and people all around the world who take really seriously what he says, and in a way that's just not true before you're actually sworn in as president." On Americans who look up to Vladimir Putin: "We have to remind ourselves were on the same team. Vladimir Putins not on our team. If we get to a point where people in this country feel more affinity with a leader who is an adversary and view the United States and our way of life as a threat to him, then were gonna have bigger problems than just cyberhacking."

"We have to remind ourselves were on the same team. Vladimir Putins not on our team. If we get to a point where people in this country feel more affinity with a leader who is an adversary and view the United States and our way of life as a threat to him, then were gonna have bigger problems than just cyberhacking." On whether he underestimated Putin: "I dont think I underestimated him, but I think that I underestimated the degree to which, in this new information age, it is possible for misinformation, for cyberhacking and so forth, to have an impact on our open societies, our open systems, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices."

(Read more President Obama stories.)
(Newser)  Grace Packer disappeared at age 14 from her Pennsylvania home last July, her dismembered body was found near a dam in Luzerne County on Halloween, and on Sunday her 41-year-old adoptive mother, Sara Packer, and Packer's 44-year-old boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan, were charged in her horrific death, reports Philly.com. "This was a sexual fantasy that was shared between Jacob Sullivan and Sara Packer, and Grace Packer was the object of that rape-murder fantasy," says Bucks County DA Matthew Weintraub, per the AP. "The hours and the days leading up to her murder were probably the most horrible and traumatic that any person should ever have had to experience." A break in the case finally came on December 30, when Packer and Sullivan unsuccessfully attempted suicide via prescription drug overdose; while hospitalized, Sullivan began confessing. "I'm sorry for what I did," he said in court Sunday. "It was wrong."

Per court documents, the couple planned Grace's murder since the previous fall. On July 8, they took her from one rental house to another in Quakertown, where Sullivan raped Grace as her mother watched. The pair drugged Grace, tied her up, and left her to die in the "extremely hot" attic. Upon finding her alive the next morning, Sullivan told police he strangled her; the couple then packed her body in cat litter for months. Then, panicked after a police visit in mid-October, they used a bow saw to dismember Grace's body, and dumped it in a rural area. Sara Packer was charged with child endangerment and impeding the investigation in November; authorities say she continued to cash Grace's Social Security checks all the while. Of Grace, Weintraub says, "She never had a chance with these people. The question is, 'Who will speak for Grace Packer, this forgotten child?' and the answer is, 'We will. ... We are not done.'" (Read more child murder stories.)
(Newser)  SeaWorld San Diego is ending its long-running killer whale show after years of outcry and falling attendance prompted it to renounce theatrical orca displays and its breeding program, the AP reports. The show that featured killer whales cavorting with trainers and leaping high out of the Shamu Stadium pool will have its final performances on Sunday. This summer, the park will unveil a new attraction in the revamped pool. Orca Encounter is being billed as an educational experience that will show how killer whales eat, communicate, and navigate. The animals will still receive cues from trainers, however. As the San Diego Union-Tribune describes it, the main difference will be the loss of the "Cirque du Soleil-like moves" the whales are known for doing, as well as other theatrical elements like fountains and dramatic music. A new backdrop will also show a scene similar to the whales' natural environment, including artificial trees, cliffs, and waterfalls.

SeaWorld has seen attendance fall since the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which chronicled the life of Tilikum, an orca that killed a SeaWorld trainer during a performance in Orlando in 2010, criticized conditions of captive orcas, implying that confinement made them more aggressive. The movie's director has told CBS that the new orca show was designed to make the audience feel better, not the animals. "The trainers aren't safe, and the whales aren't happy," Gabriela Cowperthwaite said. "They're still just doing manic circles around concrete swimming pools." In the new show, "You will still see a whale leaping out of the water," Al Garver, a former orca trainer and vice president of zoological operations, acknowledged to the San Diego Union-Tribune. "We want to be able to demonstrate behaviors people would see in the wild." He acknowledged the sense of mourning some are associating with the end of the Shamu shows may be "a little overblown." SeaWorld parks in Orlando and San Antonio will end their Shamu shows by 2019. Tilikum died recently at SeaWorld Orlando. (Read more SeaWorld stories.)
(Newser)  In what the AP calls "the clearest sign yet he is planning to take a position" in father-in-law Donald Trump's administration, Jared Kushner is taking steps to move away from his New York real estate business. Kushner's lawyer says the husband of Ivanka Trump has looked into stepping down as CEO of the Kushner Companies and has also spoken to federal officials about resolving any other potential conflicts of interest. "Mr. Kushner is committed to complying with federal ethics laws and we have been consulting with the Office of Government Ethics regarding the steps he would take," the lawyer says. "Although plans are not finalized, Mr. Kushner would resign from his position at Kushner Companies and divest substantial assets in accordance with federal guidelines."

As the AP notes, there are other hurdles Kushner would need to overcome. A federal anti-nepotism law, for example, prohibits officials from appointing relative to government positions, but Kushner has been working with lawyers about arguing such a law doesn't apply in this case. Some of Trump's advisers argue that it only applies to Cabinet positions, not positions within the White House. If that's found to be true, it would also be good news for Ivanka, who has been expected to get a West Wing role of her own. The New York Times, which first reported Kushner's latest moves, notes that the Federal Ethics Office could be overwhelmed with Trump's Cabinet and White House appointees, many of whom will need to be looked at for potential conflicts of interest thanks to their business ties. In the meantime, Jared and Ivanka have found a $5.5 million DC abode to live in once Trump takes office, and it's just blocks away from where the Obamas will be living for two years post-presidency, per the Washington Post. (Read more Jared Kushner stories.)
Microsoft seems to have a good start this New Year, along with the company's announcement of the sooner release of its Surface Pro 5. The company, being known for its superb products and services in the computer world, is now planning to release the new Surface Pro this first quarter of the year.

According from Indian Express, the newest Surface Pro 5 comes with other perks such as an Ultra HD Display, along with a stylus which is a magnetic charging one. Such innovation is being manufactured by a Taiwanese-known company Pegatron Technology. The company is said to be a strong workforce of manufacturers which produce a variety of technological products such as computers, tablets, and many others.

Pegatron Technology is not only prominent because of such products. It became more known because of its important role in building up the Surface Studios of Microsoft, as well as other products under the Surface Pros. Now, what are the new things to discover with this Surface Pro 5?

From a report at First Post, it is said that Surface Pro 5's stylus need no wires for charging once it reaches battery shutdown because of its magnetic charging feature. It's wireless and all it takes to be charged is through putting the stylus on the Surface Pro 5.

Further reports, particularly from Digitimes, tell that Microsoft listed Quanta Computer as one of the manufacturers of the Surface Pro 5. By far, these are just the information being disseminated by Microsoft as of this moment. So whether changes may take place or not for this newest offering of Microsoft, confirmation about possible alterations or improvements for this is still vague.

Technology has indeed raised its bars to the next level. In this fast-pacing world, who knows what will happen in the future. Aside from that, chances of more competitive marketing will surely sprout because of the emergence and selling of manufacturers around the globe. What's important today is to make sure of choosing the right device that will be very beneficial in everything one has to do in everyday.
The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574.
New Delhi:

Aurobindo Pharma on Saturday said it has inked a pact to acquire Portugals Generis Farmaceutica SA from Magnum Capital Partners for a consideration of 135 million euros (around Rs 969 crore).

The company has inked a binding agreement through its wholly-owned subsidiary Agile Pharma BV Netherlands to acquire Generis Farmaceutica for a total consideration of 135 million euros, Aurobindo Pharma said in a statement.

Generis produces and sells pharma products in Portugal.

The acquisition of Generis, by leveraging its strong portfolio and unrivalled brand recognition will allow us to establish ourselves as the top generics player in the Portuguese market, Aurobindo SVP European Operations V Muralidharan said.

The combined entity will benefit from a robust pipeline covering all major molecules coming off patent in the next five years, he added.

This acquisition coupled with our past acquisition activity underlines our commitment to focus on growth initiatives in European markets and will be a a key driver of growth for the future, Muralidharan said.

Closing of the transaction, however, is conditional on obtaining necessary approvals from the Portuguese authorities.

The acquisition deal includes the Generiss manufacturing facility in Amadora, Portugal which has a capacity to produce 1.2 billion tablets/capsules/sachets annually.

Generis CEO Paulo Lilaia said the company would benefit immensely from Aurobindos vertical integration and strong product pipeline.

Our large portfolio along with our unmatched commercial presence in Portugal will allow Aurobindo to consolidate its market position in Portugal, he added.

With the latest acquisition, Aurobindo will now have a portfolio of 271 products in the European nation.

The Hyderabad-based firm has been steadily expanding its European footprint since 2006. In 2014 it has acquired Actaviss commercial operations in seven Western European countries.
New Delhi:

As Apple plans to setup its manufacturing factory in Bengaluru, Indians have started getting super excited with rumours of Made in India iPhone 8 prices going down.

Iphone company recently confirmed the news and suggested that they might come up with a manufacturing facility in the country and would even set up Apple stores in India.

The company plans to commence manufacturing at the Indian factory as soon as April means an Indian-made iPhone for the first time ever and the idea sure seems exciting.

However, reports suggest Apple is not going to manufacture all gadgets initially but will restrict itself to a couple of gadgets and slowly increase the production.

Apple has constantly been in talks with the Modi government, urging them to provide tax breaks and incentives. Tim Cooks visit to India and his meeting with PM Narendra Modi sparked off a series of rumours regarding Apple setting up stores in the country.

Apple currently pays over 12 percent of manufacturing and production costs on iPhones and other Apple devices as import taxes and duties.

With a Made in India iPhone, these costs might be eliminated, leading to a much cheaper device for Indians. Not only will the iPhone get relatively cheaper and at par with its international pricing, it will also mean better service and repairs through local Apple stores in the country.

Till date, Apple sold iPhones and other Apple gadgets in India through its licensed re-sellers and distributors.

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New Delhi :

Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Sunday said that RBIs refusal to accept Rs 1000 and old Rs 500 notes after December 30 is a major breach of trust, and he has also asked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to reveal the value of scrapped currency bills deposited in banks till that date.

The demonetisation policy has already inflicted tremendous hardship on people of India and has taken a heavy toll on our economy. It was expected that the difficulties arising due to the policy would come to an end on December 30 but clearly this has not been the case, he said.

Patel, the political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, said it is surprising that there has been no information since December 12 on the total value of demonetised currency notes deposited in banks.

For the sake of transparency and accountability, I request you to kindly pass necessary directives to make public at the earliest this critical piece of information, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on November 8 gave a solemn commitment to people that demonetised currency notes could be deposited at specified RBI counters till March 31 this year.

It has been reported that the Reserve Bank of India is now refusing to accept specified bank notes unless the depositor was outside India between November 8 and December 30 last year. This constitutes major breach of trust on behalf of the government, the Congress leader alleged.

It will hurt the vulnerable section of the society, especially those who took the Prime Ministers commitment on face value, he said.

The Congress leader said it is surprising that NRIs have been allowed to deposit demonetised currency notes only in five out of the 20 regional offices RBI has in the country.

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New Delhi:

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday attended Bhartiya Janata Partys Vijay Sankalp Yatra Rally in Amritsar, Punjab. Jaitley attacked Congress from the podium and said that they failed to do any development work in the state.

Jaitley also mentioned that Congress has so far only indulged into vendetta politics and blame game. Finance Minister also hailed BJPs guts to take strong decisions like surgical strikes and demonetisation.

It is because of the Congress that different groups in Punjab were instigated to stand against each other. From 2002-2007, did Congress do a single thing for Punjab? They only indulged in vendetta politics and blame-game, said Jaitley.

Jaitley also mentioned that in their time Congress did nothing but lately there has been a surge in number of Central Govt's educational institutions in Punjab.

No govt had the guts to cross LoC for country's security or make such a huge attack on black money and corruption, said Jaitley.

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New Delhi:

The duty of a judge is to sustain judicial balance and not to cause trauma to adjudication process, the Supreme Court has ruled while setting aside an order of the Hyderabad High Court directing the police not to arrest three accused in a riots case.

A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra also said courts should oust unscrupulous litigants from invoking the inherent jurisdiction of the court at the drop of a hat to file an application for quashing of an FIR or investigation.

The court allowed an appeal filed by the Telangana government in which it had said that whether the high court, while refusing to exercise its inherent powers under Section 482 of CrPC, can restrain the probe agency from arresting the accused persons during the course of probe.

The bench also comprising Justice Amitava Roy said that while entertaining petitions under Article 226 of the Constitution or Section 482 of CrPC, a high court should exercise judicial restraint.

It is the duty of a judge to sustain the judicial balance and not to think of an order which can cause trauma to the process of adjudication. It should be borne in mind that the culture of adjudication is stabilised when intellectual discipline is maintained and further when such discipline constantly keeps guard on the mind, the bench said.

The courts should oust and obstruct unscrupulous litigants from invoking the inherent jurisdiction of the court at the drop of a hat to file an application for quashing of launching an FIR or investigation and then seek relief by an interim order. It is the obligation of the court to keep such unprincipled and unethical litigants at bay, the court said.

What needs to be stated here is that the states where Section 438 CrPC has not been deleted and kept on the statute book, the high court should be well advised that while entertaining petitions under Article 226 of the Constitution or Section 482 CrPC, exercise judicial restraint, it said.

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New Delhi:

Mulayam Singh Yadav addressed press conference in New Delhi on Sunday. Mulayam Singh Yadav spoke on the ongoing family feud in Samajwadi Party.

Questioning the legality of the convention which ousted him as president and appointed his son Akhilesh in his place, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday asserted he was still the party chief.

He claimed the special national convention called by his cousin Ramgopal Yadav on January 1 in Lucknow was illegal as he as party president had already expelled him from the party on December 30.

I am the national president of Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav is (only) the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Shivpal Yadav is still the president of Samajwadi Partys Uttar Pradesh unit, Mulayam, who is locked in a bitter feud with Akhilesh-Ramgopal camp for control over the party, told reporters in New Delhi.

Ramgopal Yadav was expelled from the party for six years on 30 December, 2016. Therefore the partys national convention called by him on 1 January, 2017 was illegal, he asserted.

Ramgopal, who has been backing Akhilesh in the internecine fued in the party, had convened the meeting in his capacity as SP general secretary.

Sources say that Mulayam is very much sure to prove that he is National president of SP. He has complete plan to contest the election. To mobilise the muslims in favour he may project Azam Khan as a muslim CM face in UP.

Mulayam is likely to visit Election Commission on Monday to stake claim over the partys name and election symbol cycle. Monday is the deadline set by the EC for both the sides to submit documents before it decides which faction has the genuine claim over the two.

On Saturday, the Akhilesh faction submitted to the EC affidavits claimed to have been signed by 90 per cent of legislators and delegates, including over 200 of the 229 MLAs backing the Chief Minister.

Here are excerpts from the press conference:

# I am Samajwadi party chief and Akhilesh Yadav is the Chief Minister UP, Shivpal Yadav is the state President

# There are no chances of compromise in Samajwadi party

# Shivpal is state President at present

# I am National President of the party

# Ram Gopal expelled on Dec 30. National convention called by Ram Gopal on Jan 1. Hence, making Akhilesh Samajwadi Party chief illegal

# Ram Gopal has no right to call Convention

(With PTI inputs)

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Bengaluru:

Seeking to give a greater momentum to their strategic relationship, India and France on Sunday discussed a wide spectrum of issues, including defence and terrorism, with the French side saying the bilateral ties should move forward with the speed of a Rafale fighter jet.

During the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault in Bengaluru, both leaders had considerable discussions on international terrorism of which the two countries are victims.

I spoke about different aspects of our partnership,

Ayrault told reporters here on the sidelines of a function after his meeting with Modi, who was here to attend the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the Centres outreach programme for overseas Indians.

The French minister, who began his three-day visit to India from here, said: We spoke about defence because India needs to protect itself. Therefore, defence is an important area. I also shared with him concerns about terrorism and how we are together in fighting it.

Noting that India has various defence needs, for example Rafale, he said, It needs submarines, it needs helicopters. So we did discuss all of these.

In September last year, India had inked a Euro 7.87 billion (about Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and equipped with latest missiles that will give the IAF greater potency over arch rival Pakistan.

In his media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swaroop said Ayrault and Modi reaffirmed close strategic partnerships between the two countries and deliberated upon several issues including bilateral relations in defence and international terrorism.

The PM of India today welcomed the French Foreign Affairs Minister on his first visit to India. Both sides reaffirmed close strategic partnerships between India and France, which will be seen as a further fillip for the closure of Rafale deal, he said on the sidelines of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, now on in Bengaluru.

The French Minister said the bilateral ties should now move forward with a speed of Rafale, according to Swarup. Swaroop also said both the leaders had a comprehensive drill on bilateral relations in defence and Modi reiterated upon Make In India slogan in defence.

The two leaders discussed about the cooperation in civil energy with specific reference to Jaitapur nuclear plant, he said.

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New Delhi:

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday defended demonetisation policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a Facebook post.



The Narendra Modi Government had absolute clarity from day one that it would move against the shadow economy and black money, FM Jaitley wrote in his article.

Read the full article here:

Demonetisation  A look back at the last two months



Two months have passed since the Prime Minister announced the decision that high denominational currency notes would cease to be a legal tender. Subsequently those notes have been demonetised. When 86% of a countrys currency constituting 12.2% of its GDP, is squeezed out of the market and sought to be replaced by a new currency, there would obviously be significant consequences of that decision. Now that the queues outside the banks have disappeared and the remonetisation has moved ahead, it would be worthwhile to analyse the rationale behind the decision and its impact.



1. Steps against Black Money



The Narendra Modi Government had absolute clarity from day one that it would move against the shadow economy and black money. Its first decision was to constitute SIT under the directions of the Supreme Court. The Prime Minister had proposed to the G-20 at Brisbane that international cooperation in sharing information with regard to base erosion and profit shifting should be expedited. The arrangement with the United States furthered this object.

The NDA Government completed its agreement with Switzerland that w.e.f. 2019, details of assets held by Indian citizens in Switzerland and vice versa would be provided to each other. Since 1996, the Double Taxation Avoidance Treaty with Mauritius was being renegotiated. The treaty effectively incentivised round-tripping. It was renegotiated. Similar treaties with Cyprus and Singapore have also been renegotiated. The Black Money Law dealing with illegal assets outside India opened a window for disclosure with 60% tax and provides a ten year imprisonment.



The Income Declaration Scheme (IDS) 2016 was highly successful with a 45% tax. The PAN card requirement for cash transaction beyond rupees two lakhs put hurdles on expenditure through black money. The Benami law legislated in 1988 and never implemented. It was amended and has been put into action. The GST, which is scheduled to be implemented this year, will provide for better indirect tax administration and being a more efficient law will check tax evasion. The demonetisation of high denominational currency notes was the big step in the same direction.



2. The new normal



In the year 2015-16, 3.7 crore assesses of the total population of over 125 crores, filed income tax returns. Out of these, 99 lakhs declared income below Rs.2.5 lakhs and paid no taxes; 1.95 crores declared income less than Rs.5 lakhs; 52 lakhs declared income between Rs.5 to10 lakhs, and only 24 lakhs declared income above Rs.10 lakhs. No better evidence is required to substantiate that both in the matter of direct and indirect taxes India continues to suffer being a hugely tax non-compliant society.



Expenditure required for poverty eradication, national security and economic development have to be compromised with on account of tax non-compliances. For seven decades the Indian normal has been to undertake transactions partly in cash and partly in cheque. Pucca and Kachha accounts are a part of the business language.

Tax evasion has been considered as neither unethical nor immoral. It was just a way of life. Several Governments have allowed this normal to continue even though this compromised with larger public interest. The Prime Ministers decision is intended to create a new normal. It seeks to change the expenditure pattern of India and Indians. It is obviously disruptive. All reforms are disruptive. They change the retrograde status quo. The demonetisation puts a premium on honesty and penalises dishonest conduct.



3. The adverse consequences of Cash



Paper currency is a zero interest anonymous bearer bond. It has no name or history attached to it. Crime can take place with or without cash but excessive cash as a medium of exchange is favoured by the underground economy. It results in non-compliance in the matters of tax payments which creates an unjust enrichment in favour of the evader as against the poor and the deprived. Mountains of cash money reach tax havens through the hawala route from the original paper currency.

Cash facilitates real time untraceable payments. Cash is the medium which funds bribery, corruption, counterfeit currency and terrorism. Ethical and developed societies aided by technology have consistently moved towards banking and digital transactions as against the excessive use of cash. Paper currency opens the doors for many vices. When Governments are able to collect more tax from tax evaders, they are in a better position to collect less tax from everyone else. Reducing cash may not eliminate crime and terrorism but it can inflict serious blow on them. States have shown that the stores of cash do not disappear on their own till Governments take active steps to reduce the quantum of paper currency.



4. The magnitude of the decision



The Prime Ministers decision to replace the high denominational currency and eventually demonetise it required both courage and stamina. The implementation of the decision carried pain. It can lead to short term criticism and inconveniences. Drop in economic activity on account of the currency squeeze during the remonetisation period would have a transient impact on the economy. The decision involves high level of secrecy and printing substantial amounts of paper currency, distribution through banks, post offices, banking mitras and ATMs.



The fact that large quantum of high denominational currency has been deposited with the banks does not render this money to be legitimate cash. Black money does not change its colour merely because it is deposited in bank. On the contrary, it loses its anonymity and can now be identified with its owner. The Revenue Department would thus be entitled to tax this money. In any case, the amendment to the Income Tax Act itself provides that the said money, if voluntarily declared or if involuntarily detected, would be liable for differential and high rates of taxation and penalty.



5. The situation today



The period of pain and inconveniences is getting over. Economic activity is being restored. The banks today admittedly have a lot more money available in order to lend for growth. Since this money constitutes low cost deposits with the banks, it is bound to bring down the rate of interest. Both these things have already happened. Lakhs of crores, which were floating in the market as lose currency, have now entered the banking system.

Not only has the money lost is anonymity, its owners, after being taxed, are entitled to put it to more effective uses. The size of the banking transactions and consequently the size of the economy is bound to increase. In the medium and long run, the GDP would be bigger and cleaner. Money entering into the banking system and officially transacted would give an ample scope for higher taxation  both direct and indirect. The Centre and the State Governments would both stand to gain. The economy would also be serviced by both cash and highly digitized transactions.



6. The Opposition



There was no social unrest while implementing such a major decision. All opinion polls conducted by independent media organizations have shown that an overwhelmingly large percentage of people have supported the Governments decision. The opposition disrupted a full Session of Parliament. Their protests have been ineffective. Their exaggerated claims on the disruption of the economy have proved wrong. It is a tragedy that a national party like the Congress decided to adopt a political position, opposing both technology, change and reforms. It sided with black money friendly status quo.



7. The marked difference



There was a marked difference in the approach of the Prime Minister and his opponents. The Prime Minister was being futuristic, and thinking of a more modern, technology driven cleaner economy. He is now speaking of cleaning the political funding systems. His opponents want a cash dominated, cash generating and cash exchange system to continue. The difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi was clear - the Prime Minister was thinking of the next generation while Rahul Gandhi was only looking at how to disrupt the next Session of Parliament.









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New Delhi:

Dibrugarh police on Sunday seized one Pakistani flag which was found hoised in Brahmaputra sapori in Amargori. Police has also seized two black flags from the same location. JIHADI word was printed on the back of the two black flags.

Assam Police stated that it was done by some miscreants who want to disturb the peaceful environment prevailing in the society.

Earlier last month, UP Police had registered a case against a group of 60 people moving in a religious procession on charges of waving Pakistani flag and causing tension in Bisauli area in Badaun district.

Dibrugarh police seizes Pakistani flag with Jihadi message Dibrugarh police seizes Pakistani flag with Jihadi message Dibrugarh police seizes Pakistani flag with Jihadi message Dibrugarh police seizes Pakistani flag with Jihadi message

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New Delhi:

The Central Information Commission has directed Delhi University to allow inspection of records related to all the students who had passed BA degree in 1978, the year in which, according to the University, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also cleared the examination.

The Commission rejected the contention of the Central Public Information Officer of the University that it was a third party personal information, saying it finds neither merit nor legality in it.

It directed the university to facilitate inspection of relevant register where complete information about result of all students who passed in Bachelor of Arts, in year 1978 along with roll number, names of the students, fathers name and marks obtained as available with the University and provide certified copy of the extract of relevant pages from the register, free of cost....

RTI applicant Neeraj had sought to know from the University the total number of students who appeared in Bachelor of Arts, Year 1978, besides result of all students who appeared in the examination along with their roll number, name of the students with fathers name, marks and result pass or failed.

Denying the information, the Central Public Information Officer of the University had responded that the information requested is treated as personal information of the students concerned, the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest.

Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu, however, said, With regard to question whether disclosure of such identification related information causes invasion of privacy, or is that unwarranted invasion of privacy, the PIO has not put forward any evidence or explained possibility to show that disclosure of degree related information infringes the privacy or causes unwarranted invasion of privacy.

During the hearing before the Commission, CPIO Meenakshi Sahay said there are 2,00,000 students in this years BA programme, and unless the subject of BA programme is specified, it will be difficult to give the information sought such as the number of students appeared, failed, passed, etc in the year 1978.

She also said 1978 results were not in digitised form.

Neeraj said it is the past practice of Delhi University to publish such results on the notice board and at times in newspapers also, which means the information sought was available with the public authority and was published or put in public domain without any limitations mentioned by the CPIO.

The issue of 1978 DU degree records cropped up after Aam Aadmi Party raised questions about the degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a controversy.

We have checked our records and it has been authenticated that Prime Minister Narendra Modis degree is authentic. He cleared the examination in 1978 and was awarded the degree in 1979, Delhi University Registrar Tarun Das had said last year after the row erupted.

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New Delhi:

Twitter is buzzing with news alerts from India and rest of the world. Here are the latest updates from the micro-blogging site in one scroll:

11:24PM

# Petrol pumps defer decision not to accept credit, debit cards for fuel purchase till January 13- PTI

10:30PM

# Left parties to contest upcoming assembly elections in 5 states independently: CPI(M)- PTI

9:31PM

# We are not charging any transaction fee on card payment from Monday: ICICI

8:57PM

# Earthquake tremors of magnitude 4.5 felt in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab

8:51PM

# ND Tiwari, former chief minister UP, appeals Mulayam Singh Yadav to pass over reigns to Akhilesh Yadav

8:37PM

# Jerusalem truck attacker was Islamic State group 'supporter': Netanyahu - AFP

8:13PM

# From tonight we will not be accepting any credit or debit card of any bank: Anurag Narain, President, Delhi Petrol Dealers Association- ANI

7:59PM

# We can't afford extra 1% service charge that will be levied by HDFC, Axis, ICICI Bank as service charge- Pres of All India Petroleum Dealers-ANI

7:55PM

# Bhubaneswar: Met Sudip Bandyopadhyay as friend today. We have our protest meeting on 10Jan. CBI has been misused by govt: Partha Chatterjee

7:42PM

# At least five killed after car bomb explodes near government checkpoint outside of Damascus - AP

7:24PM

# Vijaywada: DRI Hyderabad seized 1335 kgs of Marijuana worth Rs 1.34cr from a DCM van on 7 Jan. 1 person arrested

6:36PM

# Man allegedly sets house on fire after killing his father in Delhi's Madhu Vihar

6:30PM

# Hyderabad police arrest a person for molesting a 13-year-old girl in SR Nagar area, register case under section 7 and 8 of POCSO act



06:11PM

# Manipur: Gamnom village chief and a villager found murdered in Tengnoupal today, after being kidnapped by suspected militants on January 6- ANI

06:10PM

# Mulayam Singh Yadav calls National Convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav invalid

05:57PM

# Mulayam Singh Yadav addresses a press conference in Delhi- ANI

05:36PM

# Im ready to give resignation letter, Shivpal is ready to step back from contesting elections: Amar Singh

05:29PM

Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday will demand from EC to check authenticity and legality of papers submitted by Ram Gopal Yadav- ANI

05:22PM

# People close to Mulayam Singh Yadav are not letting him think freely for the last 1,2 years; giving him wrong information: Ramgopal Yadav on SP feud- ANI

05:20PM

# Ram Gopal Yadav angry on Amar Singhs comments that signatures of support are forged; says false people always talk false

05:16PM

# Real SP submitted proofs with affidavits to Election Commission, sent it to Mulayam Singh Yadav too but he didn't receive: Ramgopal Yadav

05:00PM

# Petrol pumps using HDFC POS Machines won't accept payments through credit,debit cards as HDFC decides to levy 1 % charge for every sale- ANI

4:56PM

# TMC delegation reached CBI office in Bhubaneswar to meet party leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, arrested in a chit fund case- ANI

04:38PM

# People in Chennai protest demanding ban on Jallikattu- ANI

04:31PM

# Banks shall obtain & link PAN or Form No. 60 (where PAN is unavailable) in all bank accounts by 28 Feb: Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)

03:56PM

# We had 8000 delegates at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas this year, which is the maximum till now: MEA spokesperson Vikas Swaroop#

03:42PM

# No government had guts to cross LoC for country's security or make such a huge attack on black money and corruption: Arun Jaitley in Amritsar- ANI

03:33PM

# In their time Congress did nothing but lately there has been a surge in number of Central Govt's educational institutions in Punjab: Jaitley -ANI

03:30PM

# HM laying the foundation stone of a Housing Project for CISF personnel in Ranchi. He also inaugurated the Eastern Sector HQ building - ANI

03:30PM

# We also need to be mindful of cyber-terrorism. Hacking is also a big threat. CISF should develop competence against these threats: HM - ANI

03:30PM

# Left Wing Extremism has taken a big hit after demonetisation. LWE problem can be resolved through sustained efforts in few years: HM - ANI

03:29PM

# From 2002-2007 did Congress do a single thing for Punjab? They only indulged in vendetta politics and blame-game: Arun Jaitley in Amritsar - ANI

03:27PM

# Violence has no place in a democracy. LWE groups should abjure violence: Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Ranchi - ANI

03:27PM

# HM reviewed the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) situation in Jharkhand at a meeting in Ranchi. CM Jharkhand also present in the meeting - ANI

3:26PM

# It is because of the Congress that different groups in Punjab were instigated to stand against each other: Arun Jaitley in Amritsar - ANI

03:25PM

# Arun Jaitley speaking at BJP's Vijay Sankalp Yatra Rally in Amritsar, Punjab - ANI

03:00PM

# University of Kashmir exams scheduled to be held on 9 & 10 Jan postponed in view of continuous heavy snowfall. News dates to be notified soon - ANI

02:38PM

# Madhya Pradesh: CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan speaking at Prakash Party celebrations in Jabalpur- ANI

01:48PM

# No opponent was pitched against him till now, he had easy wins. Now I am there to fight: Retd Gen JJ Singh, SAD on Capt Amarinder Singh

01:47PM

# A suicide bomber blew up a car at Baghdad's main vegetable market killing at least 11 and wounding dozens: AFP

01:44PM

# PM Modi visits exhibitions at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Bengaluru - ANI

01:37PM

# The signatures of support are forged and hence their authenticity is doubtful: Amar Singh on Ramgopal Yadav's meet with EC - ANI

01:31PM

# Numbers of MLAs supporting you matters when a Govt has to be formed, not for party symbol: Amar Singh SP Feud - ANI

01:22PM

# Chhattisgarh: Collision between truck and car leaves 5 dead and 5 critically injured in Dhamtari; injured admitted to hospital for treatment - ANI

01:19PM

# CBDT has directed banks, Co-operative Banks & Post offices to report cash deposits during 1st April,2016 to 9th November 2016 - ANI

01:06PM

# Lucknow: Nameplates of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav restored at SP party HQ. Office has now been locked - ANI

12: 53PM

# GST, to be implemented this year, will provide for better indirect tax administration & will be an efficient law against tax evasion-FM Jaitley - ANI

12:33PM

# Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan felicitates International Junior Hockey players in Delhi - ANI

12:31PM

# Mulayam Singh Yadav arrives in Delhi - ANI

12: 29PM

# NDA Government has entered into agreements with the US, Switzerland, Mauritius, Cyprus & Singapore to curb black money: FM Arun Jaitley - ANI

12:28PM

# Graft, black money is making our politics, society hollow. Unfortunate that there are some "political worshippers black money: PM Modi - PTI

12: 25PM

# One dead due to intense cold weather in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla - ANI

12:17PM

# Indian diaspora has made invaluable contribution to our economy; We want to change brain drain to brain gain: PM Modi - PTI

12:15PM

# More money with banks is bound to bring down the rate of interest: Arun Jaitley - ANI

11:56AM

# Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh to meet Election Commission on Monday at 12.45 pm - ANI

11:35AM

# I will say it with full confidence that the 21st century belongs to India: PM Narendra Modi at Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas - ANI

11:34AM

# I thank overseas Indian community for their support in fight against black money & corruption: PM Modi against Demonetisation - ANI

11:31AM

# Uttarakhand: ITBP rescue five people after a vehicle fell 300 metres into a gorge on Mussoorie- Dhanaulti road. Three injured - ANI

11: 31AM

# For me FDI not only stands for Foreign Direct investment but also for First Developed India: PM Modi at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas - ANI

11:22AM

# Uttarakhand: ITBP rescue five people after a vehicle fell 300 metres into a gorge on Mussoorie- Dhanaulti road. Three injured -ANI

11:21AM

# I would again encourage all PIO Card holders to convert their PIO Cards to OCI Cards: PM Modi at Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas

11:21AM

# BSP release 4th list of 101 candidates

11:08AM

# Remittance of close to sixty nine billion dollars annually by overseas Indians makes an invaluable contribution to the Indian economy: PM -ANI

11:07AM

# We want to turn 'brain-drain' into 'brain-gain' and your support in this is very important: PM at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas - ANI

11:06AM

# The period of pain and inconveniences is getting over. Economic activity is being restored: FM Arun Jaitley aginst Demonetisation - ANI

11:05AM

# Indian diaspora is our valuable partner in India's journey of development: PM at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas - ANI

11:04AM

# For my govt and for me personally engagement with overseas Indian community has been a priority: PM at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas - ANI

11:03AM

# Black money law dealing with illegal assets outside India opened window for disclosure with 60% tax & provides a ten year imprisonment: FM - ANI

11:03AM

# The Indian diaspora represents the best of Indian culture, ethos and values: PM at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Bengaluru - ANI

11:02AM





10:54AM

# 10 Tamil Nadu fisherman arrested by Srilankan navy - ANI



10:43

# Bihar: JDU leader Mukesh Singh shot dead by unknown assailants in Patna district's Barh -ANI

10:41AM

# Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal undertakes cleanliness check drive in Delhi's Saket area - ANI

10:11AM

# Lucknow hit and run case: The accused were drunk, two arrested and car has also been seized, says ManzilSaini, SSP - ANI



10:07AM

# Four dead and four injured after a car hits a night shelter in Lucknow's Dalibagh -ANI

9:34AM

# Under construction building collapses in Bengaluru near Accenture campus. More details awaited - ANI



9:08AM

# Will demit office on May 29, 2018 when I complete two years in Puducherry: Lt Governor Kiran Bedi



8:19AM

# Lucknow hit and run: Two of the accused have been arrested by Police and three are absconding - ANI

8:13AM

#Four dead and four injured after a car hits a night shelter in Lucknow's Dalibagh- ANI



7:58AM

#PM Narendra Modi to speak at inauguration of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Bengaluru today - ANI



7:40AM

# 10 Indian fishermen apprehended by Srilankan Navy at Palk Strait - ANI

7:05AM

# Delhi: 7 international flights delayed and 1 cancelled. 2 domestic flights delayed and 1 cancelled due to fog - ANI

6:40AM

# Delhi: 41 trains delayed,14 rescheduled and 5 cancelled due to fog - ANI

6:20AM

# Portugal's former president Mario Soares, seen as father of country's modern-day democracy, dies at age 92 - AFP

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Urban Development Ministry has approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allow it to continue the advertisement campaign under the central flagship programme Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) as the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in five states with the announcement of poll dates.

In a letter to ECI Senior Principal Secretary R K Srivastava, Joint Secretary in Urban Development Ministry and SBM Mission Director Praveen Prakash has requested for a No Objection Certificate to carry on the advertisements under the SBM which aims for a clean India by October 2019.

The copy of the letter was also marked to Election Commissioners O P Rawat and A K Joti.

Urban Development Ministry has been running various communication campaigns under the mission in all states on television, radio, print media and outdoor media such as hoarding and posters through Directorate of Advertising and Publicity (DAVP).

Currently, the ministry is running two major campaigns the Asli Tarraki aimed at behaviour change to stop open defecation and advertisements to make people aware of and participate in Swachh Survekshan, a survey which began on January 4 to rank 500 cities across the country on cleanliness.

Given the recent announcements of Assembly elections in 5 states, the DAVP would like an NOC from the office of the Election Commission, in order to continue to run these advertisements on TV, radio, outdoor etc as per the ongoing approved schedule.

Since these advertisement are a part of our ongoing campaign and have been running on public domain for the past many months, we would like to request you to kindly issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to allow DAVP to continue to run these campaigns in all the states, on behalf of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), Prakash said.

Given the time-bound nature of the mission to reach its goal, he said it is necessary for the nodal ministry, Urban Development Ministry, to carry out extensive multimedia communication campaigns targeted towards changing citizens behaviour away from the prevalent practice of open defecation and unsafe waste management.

Model Code of Conduct came into effect in five states

Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipurfrom January 4, the day Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi announced the poll schedule.

The high-stakes assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases between February 11 and March 8, while Punjab and Goa will go to polls together on February 4, Uttarakhand on February 15 and Manipur in two phases on March 4 and 8, with counting to be held on March 11.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday released the fourth and final list of 101 candidates for the assembly seats in the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh.

The party has now declared 401 nominees out of 403 seats, bringing the number of Muslim aspirants fighting elections on BSP ticket to a total of 90 in the four lists.

While BSPs first list of 100 candidates released on Thursday contained names of 36 Muslim candidates, Fridays list had names of 22 aspirants from the community that accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the states electorate. Saturdays list has 21 Muslim names. The final list had just 11 Muslim candidates.

The party has already shortlisted names of candidates for all the 403 seats, BSP supremo Mayawati had told a press conference earlier. Giving caste-wise details of the shortlisted candidates, she had said that apart from Muslim tickets, 87 tickets will be given to Dalits and 106 to OBCs.

Of the 113 tickets earmarked for upper castes, Brahmins will get 66, Kshatriyas 36 and Kayasthas, Vaishyas and Punjabi 11, she had said.

The BSP chief had said she had finalised the names of candidates long ago and there will be no change in it.

Divided Muslim votes translate to gains for BJP, while a consolidation will change the poll arithmetic as minorities play a crucial role in at least 125 of 403 constituencies.

Also read | Video: Mayawati says 'Samajwadi Jungleraaj' has to end, claims BSP will return to power in assembly polls

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Lucknow:

Amid the ongoing power tussle in the ruling family of Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday asserted that there was no dispute in the party.



Mulayam along with Shivpal Yadav this morning met party workers at the SP headquarters in Lucknow.



When asked about the ongoing tussle within the family and party, Mulayam said, hamari party me koi vivad nahi hai (There is no dispute in our party).



He later along with Shivpal left for New Delhi, where he is likely to visit Election Commission for staking claim on the partys cycle symbol.



The Mulayam camp is likely to submit its set of affidavits on Monday, the deadline set by the EC for both the sides to submit documents before it decides on which side to be allotted the cycle symbol after the split in SP was formalised on January 3.



On Saturday, the Akhilesh faction submitted to the EC affidavits which it claimed to have signatures of 90 per cent of legislators and delegates, including over 200 of the 229 MLAs.



On reports that Mulayam got his room locked at the party office and put up his and Shivpals name plates, SP state chief (Akhilesh faction) Naresh Uttam said, their name plates were never removed.



To another question, he said, Akhileshji is our national president and we will contest polls under him. He was made president at national convention.

Also read:

Mulayam, Akhilesh factions likely to fight UP elections separately as talks fail

I am no hurdle in Akhilesh Yadav's path, says Amar Singh as Samajwadi Party feud continues



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New Delhi:

Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani expired on Sunday. He was 82 years old. Rafsanjani was a dominant figure in the Iran's politics since the 1980s.

Earlier in the day, Rafsanjani was taken to hospital on Sunday with a heart condition.

Rafsanjani was said to be still an influential figure in Iran. He headed the Expediency Council, a body which is intended to resolve disputes between the parliament and the Guardian Council.

He served as president from 1989 to 1997 but lost to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he contested again in 2005.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Guadalajara:

The Mexican authorities have arrested the alleged gunman who shot and wounded an official from the US consulate in the western city of Guadalajara, prosecutors told on Sunday.

A special unit detained the attacker of the consular official, the Jalisco state prosecutors office said on Twitter.

The suspect was handed over to the federal attorney generals office, the state authorities said, without providing details about the arrest or a possible motive for the attack.

The FBI had offered $20,000 for information about the shooters identity.

The unidentified consular official was driving out of a shopping centers garage on Friday evening when a man wearing a black wig and a blue nurse uniform, who had been waiting outside, fired at the car, according to surveillance camera footage.

A US government official said the American is a vice consultant Jaliscos state attorney general, Eduardo Almaguer, said the consular official interviews visa applicants.

Guadalajara and the rest of the state have been hit by violence perpetrated by the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel in recent years.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
African jihadist group Boko Haram literally trains boy soldiers to rape women

The world at large is in a horrific predicament. Terrorist organizations all over the world are growing every single day and the results of this are the stuff of nightmares. While ISIS is certainly the most well known of the current terrorist groups plaguing the earth, the African jihadis known as Boko Haram deserve to be exposed for their twisted nature as well.

In an upsetting report, it has now been revealed that the young soldiers that are recruited by Boko Haram are being taught to rape women.

In an article published by The Daily Beast, Philip Obaji Jr. discusses his time spent with young militants working with Boko Haram in the northern part of Nigeria. A 15-year-old referred to as Ahmed broke down how he was abducted from his home and forced to join the evil terrorist organization. Obaji Jr. reports, For the next two days, the young boys, most of whom were about Ahmeds age, watched as their commanders raped women and young girls abducted in earlier raids. The lesson for the boys was clear: They were learning to subdue a struggling victim during sexual assault.

It is a horrific story that is guaranteed to upset everyone who reads it, but these kinds of events have been increasingly common outside of the United States. In countries that refuse to acknowledge the dangers of allowing radical Islamic extremism to run rampant, groups like Boko Haram have managed to take over completely. They force the young to join their ranks and terrorize everyone who dares stand up to them. They do whatever they want  which seems to include raping innocent women.

Stories like this perfectly express why we should take the threat of Islam much more seriously than we currently are. While Boko Haram has yet to make its way to the United States, these horrific events will only gain traction if there are not proper repercussions. After so many attacks from radical Islam, one has to wonder what will be the breaking point. At what point will the powers that be come together and put a stop to these acts of terrorism?

There is no possible way to excuse the actions of these twisted monsters. There is nothing that can possibly make it acceptable to teach children how to rape women. Yet, that is what is happening here. Its time to take a stand, avoid political correctness and do whatever we can to put an end to this madness.

Sources:

Breitbart.com

Metro.co.uk

TheDailyBeast.com

Submit a correction >>
New data suggest Agent Orange causing horrific third generation birth defects Vietnam vets are passing to their grandkids

Whats the Agent Orange curse? True story: As veterans of the Vietnam war die off from cancer and other diseases and disorders they got from the incredibly toxic defoliant Agent Orange, the nightmare is not over, because research is revealing their children and grandchildren, who were never exposed to the pesticide, have birth defects that were passed on through their parents and grandparents affected genes. Thats the Agent Orange curse, and it can cause much more detriment than cancer, as if that werent enough, including heart disease, fibromyalgia, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, spinal problems, autism, and birth defects like missing limbs, extra limbs, malformed limbs, speech difficulties, cleft lip palate, crooked fingers and webbed toes. Sadly, the US government is trying to cover it all up, waiting for the vets to die off, thinking the whole chronic nightmare will fade away, but its not fading at all.

Vietnam vets believe billions of dollars lie at the heart of why their claims have gone unexamined by the US government and Veterans Affairs

First of all, compensating veterans for all their health problems inflicted by the haphazard spreading of and treading through toxic pesticides in Vietnam costs tens of billions of dollars a year, but now were talking about compensating the vets kids and grandkids, who are grown up or growing up with horrific medical conditions that arent going away or getting any better. If the link between Agent Orange and their childrens conditions is proven by science, were talking billions more.

How does the VA ignore all these legitimate claims? Answer: the nefarious Dr. Orange

For decades now, the VA and the military have relied on one chemical-industry shills assessment of whether Agent Orange caused health detriment to our veterans. A man by the name of Alvin L. Young headed up a government sanctioned plan to destroy evidence of any connection between aircrafts that spread agent orange and veterans sicknesses, and to ward off journalists that ask questions through their investigations.

Young functions as a consultant and an expert on herbicides who guides the stance of the military and U.S. Department of Veterans in their mass denial of benefits and compensation to the thousands of suffering soldiers, and now their children and grandchildren too. Agent Orange herbicides were so destructive they could burn down brush and foliage where the enemy was hiding, and the U.S. even dumped the poison into rivers, streams, and waterways to infect the food and drinking water, knowing good and well the toxic effects of the orange nightmare that contains the lethal chemical dioxin. Young, nicknamed by Vietnam veterans as Dr. Orange, even developed a plan to destroy Agent Orange a decade later.

Youngs claim for decades? Few veterans were exposed and the doses were too small to harm them. He has said on record that some vets are just freeloaders who are making up ailments to cash in on the VAs compensation program. The VA repeatedly cites Youngs work as if it is the be-all end-all scientific conclusion to every case brought to them, saving the government millions, if not billions of dollars, while all these soldiers, their kids, and their grandkids suffer and go broke trying to pay their medical care bills.

Now, frustrated veterans, top government officials and respected scientists contend that Youngs self-labeled investigations are without merit, omit key facts, and worse yet, were funded by none other than Monsanto Co. and Dow Chemical Co.the actual manufacturers of agent orange. Alvin Young is nothing more than a huckster and a shill whos regurgitating research lies to save corporations from getting sued. Even prominent experts on dioxin from NIH say his talk about dioxin is in no way accurate. Young is not even qualified to make conclusions about human health effects.

An emeritus professor at Columbia University and an Agent Orange researcher says Young and the VA repeatedly clash with any concerted effort to study health effects from agent orange exposure and they even try to keep studies from being conducted, and have been doing so ever since the sick and dying soldiers returned from the Vietnam War. The color orange runs through the veins of Vietnam Vets like poison. Veterans now believe that the birth defects can even skip a generation, passing over their children but then affecting their grandchildren.

Now, here comes the rub: What pesticide ingredients do you think are in conventional food today?

GMO food delivers a small amount of Agent Orange ingredients into your blood and mutates your cells over time. How long that mutation of cells takes to overwhelm one of your vital organs, or strangulate your lungs or your brain is just a matter of how much of it you eat, how often, and for how long. Glyphosate is now regularly sprayed on conventional crops like wheat and sugar cane as a drying agent. Glyphosate, which makes up about 50% of the Roundup herbicide, has been proven through vigorous laboratory research to cause horrific tumors and other cancers in laboratory animals.

Most genetically engineered foods like corn, soy, and canola contain some of the same herbicide ingredients as agent orange, namely glyphosate and dioxin. Do you and your children eat agent orange corn and soy? These popular GM foods are made and sprayed by Monsanto and Dow Chemical, dont you know?

Sources:

Pilotonline.com

Propublica.org

PilotOnline.com

NaturalNews.com

GMOEvidence.com

Submit a correction >>
5 Iranian pilgrims killed in Iraq hotel fire

Turkey,Religion,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

Tehran, Jan 8 (IANS) At least five pilgrims died in a fire that erupted in a hotel in the Iraqi city of Karbala, Iranian authorities confirmed on Sunday.

All five victims, who died in the Qasr al-Mola hotel fire, were from Khorasan Razavi province of Iran and had arrived in the Shia Muslim holy city for pilgrimage, IRNA news agency reported.

A total of 108 Iranian Shia pilgrims were staying at the hotel but many of them were out when the fire erupted on Saturday evening, a senior official said.

He added that the pilgrims came to Iraq through an illegal travel agency and they had been lodged in a hotel which was not safe.

--IANS

ksk/dg
Iran to receive 1st commercial plane from Airbus

Turkey,Business/Economy, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

Tehran, Jan 8 (IANS) Iran will receive the first commercial plane purchased from civil aircraft manufacturer Airbus, authorities here said on Sunday.

The plane, an A321 class, was officially registered under Iran Air ownership on Saturday, CEO Farhad Parvaresh said.

The plane will arrive and will be operated by an Iran Air team who have been attending Airbus flight operations training courses in France for months, said Parvaresh.

"Iran Air has made necessary arrangements for the incoming A321 to be used for domestic flights, nevertheless it could also be used for international flights if required," he said.

According to reports, this would be Iran's first brand-new plane in over 37 years. The country's current fleet is comprised of planes purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

All post-1979 purchases that were made with a variety of providers involved second-hand planes.

In December, Iran sealed a contract with Airbus to buy 100 aircraft worth over $18 billion.

Parvaresh said that Iran Air will receive seven or eight planes from Airbus in 2017. He hoped that the delivery would be made in due time.

In January 2016, Iran signed a preliminary agreement with Airbus to purchase 106 commercial planes. However, the agreement waited for the US Treasury Department's go-ahead license which was issued in November.

In December, Iran Air also finalised an agreement with Boeing to purchase 80 commercial planes.

The agreement envisages the purchase of 50 twin-jet narrow-body Boeing 737 planes and 30 long-range wide-body 777 aircraft with a total value of $16.6 billion.

The planes by Boeing would be delivered to Iran within 10 years, Parvaresh said, adding that the first deliveries are expected in 2018.

--IANS

ksk/vt
Nepal government tables constitution amendment bill

Nepal,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

Kathmandu, Jan 8 (IANS) Ignoring opposition protests, the Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'-led government in Nepal on Sunday tabled a constitution amendment bill in Parliament aimed at assuaging Madhes-based parties and communities who have been agitating since the statute was promulgated in September 2015.

Law Minister Ajaya Shankar Nayak introduced the bill on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi amidst vociferous protests from members of nine opposition parties, including the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists-Leninists), which oppose the amending measure.

Opposition lawmakers chanted slogans but could not stop Nayak as Speaker Onsari Gharti ruled that in Nidhi's absence, Nayak would table the bill related to elections.

The opposition parties had agreed to a brief sitting to allow the government to table the election bill but did not consent to its continued proceeding.

Immediately after the announcement, Nayak first presented the bill related to the election but did not leave the rostrum. Even as opposition lawmakers were chanting slogans against Nayak, Gharti allowed the Minister to introduce the constitution amendment bill too.

Opposition lawmakers were up in arms against the move but could not approach the Speaker's podium due to tight security.

Both Speaker Gharti and Minister Nayak belong to the Prachanda's CPN (Maoist Centre) party.

"Speaker Onsari Gharti set an unprecedented parliamentary practice by allowing the ruling parties to table the bill. We will continue our protests," said CPN-UML leader Bam Dev Gautam.

The bill is an attempt by the Prachanda-led government to address the demands of agitating Madhes-based political parties who have been calling for changes in constitutional provisions like citizenship, language, making the constitution more inclusive and provincial demarcation.

Since the bill was registered in Parliament on November 29, the main opposition parties have been calling it as "anti-national" and obstructing proceedings.

Nepal's Supreme Court last week held that the constitution amendment process is the prerogative of Parliament and any changes in the constitution through the parliamentary process is valid.

But the government is struggling to secure the required two-thirds support for the bill to secure parliamentary approval as the ruling coalition, comprising the CPN (Maoist Centre), the Nepali Congress and the Madhes-based parties, falls short of the required numbers.

In a tweet afterwards, Gharti said she had tried her best for over a month to seek a way out through consensus and had resumed proceedings within established norms and practices.

--IANS

giri/sm/vd/dg
Japan's diplomats to leave S. Korea over sex slaves statue

South Korea,Politics, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

null

Seoul/Tokyo, Jan 8 (IANS) Japan's top diplomats in South Korea will return home this week in protest of a new statue recently set up in Busan to commemorate Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery, sources said on Sunday.

Japan's Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine plans to leave for Tokyo on Monday morning, and the Consul General in Busan, Yasuhiro Morimoto, will also return on the same day, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Last week, Japan decided to temporarily call in its top diplomats in South Korea, in protest against the statue installed last month by a civic group in front of its Consulate General building in the port city of Busan.

Tokyo also announced a halt to the ongoing negotiations on a currency swap agreement between the two countries and the postponement of a high-level cooperation meeting.

Japan's wartime enslavement of women in front-line brothels has been a major source of a long-standing diplomatic rift between Seoul and Tokyo.

Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II.

--IANS

ksk/vt

null
Sri Lanka hails Chinese investment in economic zone

Sri Lanka,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Diplomacy,Business/Economy, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

Colombo, Jan 8 (IANS) Sri Lanka has hailed China's intention to invest over $5 billion in a new economic zone in the south of the island country.

Chinese ambassador Yi Xianliang on Saturday said in Hambantota that this was a great opportunity for Sri Lanka as more than 50 Chinese investors were keen on investing in the southern development project, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said China would invest about $5 billion in the new economic zone within the next three to five years, which could also help create 100,000 jobs especially for the people of Hambantota and the south.

"With all this, no negative force can stop the corporation between China and Sri Lanka and no one can stop the strong friendship between our two peoples," the ambassador said.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appreciated China's investment in the southern economic zone and also thanked China Merchants Holdings for helping develop the Hambantota Port.

"No one can stop us from establishing a new Sri Lanka so that our youth will benefit. Like Malaysia, Singapore and China, we will also be proudly developed," Wickremesinghe said.

--IANS

ksk/mr
Digital economy to create 400 mn jobs in China

China,Technology,Business/Economy, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

Beijing, Jan 8 (IANS) China's digital economy is predicted to create over 400 million jobs by 2035, a report has revealed.

Internet-based economy could be worth $16 trillion by then, according to a Boston Consulting Group report, released at a new economy summit sponsored by Alibaba Group on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Alibaba, China's biggest online trader, is expected to generate over 100 million of those jobs, according to the report, with 30 million jobs created last year.

As jobs are created, digital technology like cloud computing and artificial intelligence will replace more and more manpower, the report said.

Meanwhile, 20 per cent of the world's population will become self-employed or freelance via the Internet in the next decade, Alibaba Vice President Gao Hongbing said at the summit.

The digital economy will surpass the manufacturing sector in scale and account for a quarter of the world's economy, Gao added.

--IANS

ksk/vt
Mexico arrests suspect in shooting of US official

Mexico,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Mon, 09 Jan 2017 IANS

Mexico City, Jan 9 (IANS) A man suspected of shooting and wounding a US consular agent in Mexico's Guadalajara city has been arrested, Mexican officials said.

The state prosecutor's office (FGE) said on Twitter on Sunday that "Special Forces of the FGE arrested the consular agent's attacker," and handed him over to the federal Attorney General's Office (PGR), Xinhua news agency reported.

According to local media, the man arrested is a 31-year-old US citizen of Indian descent named Zafar Zia, who has been living in Guadalajara since November.

As part of the arrest, the daily Reforma reported, officials also seized a .38-caliber pistol, small amounts of marijuana and a Honda with California license plates.

The motive for the shooting was a disagreement over a visa procedure, the daily said, though officials have yet to confirm any details.

The consular agent was shot on Friday as he was driving out of a building in the city's central Vallarta Norte district.

Video footage released on Saturday by the US embassy in Mexico showed the suspect waiting on the sidewalk for the agent to leave the building in his car before firing from a few meters away, and breaking a window.

Following the attack, US officials offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the identification of the suspect, who appears in the video wearing hospital-style blue scrubs, a wig and sunglasses.

--IANS

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Nana Akufo-Addo presidency got off to a rocky start Saturday after he was accused of plagiarising portions of inauguration speeches of two former American presidents.Akufo-Addo was sworn as the 54th president of Ghana, a country described as the gold standard for democracy in Africa taking over from John Dramani Mahama. But the new presidents inauguration was blighted by the accusation of directly lifting from Bill Clintons 1993 and George Bushs 2001 presidential inaugural speeches.In his speech, Bush said: I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character.Akufo-Addo said: I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building your communities and our nation. Let us work until the work is done. Akufo-Addo also took a portion from Clintons January 20, 1993, speech. Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Americans have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us, said Clinton in his speech at the time.Ghanas president Saturday speech read thus: Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Ghanaians have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us.This is not the first time West African presidents would be accused of plagiarising American presidents speeches.In September 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari came under fire from critics after admitting part of his Change Begins With Me speech was copied from US President Barack Obamas 2008 victory speech. His aides put the blame on an unnamed overzealous speech writer.Buharis speech read in part We must resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country for so long. Let us summon a new spirit of responsibility, spirit of service, of patriotism and sacrifice. Let us all resolve to pitch in and work hard and look after, not only ourselves but one another.Obama had in different parts of his 2008 victory speech said: Lets resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so longSo let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.
During the last presidential electioneering, General Muhammad Buhari (Rtrd, now President) must have scored a significant political point through his promise to terminate the Boko Haram insurgency within one year of his take-over. Probably desperate to actualize this highly ambitious electoral promise, the Presidency declared in December 2015 that the Boko Haram insurgents had been defeated.As if to quickly declare the Presidency a Liar Entity, the Movement struck rather brazenly in the same month killing 20 in a mosque bombing in Adamawa on 21st December 2015 and terminating the lives of 16 in an inferno in Kimba, Borno on Christmas day. Early in the new year, and specifically on 8th January 2016, a Boko Haram suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at a mosque in Kolofata, Far North Cameroon, killing 2 and injuring one, repeating same in another mosque after five days (13th January, 2016) in Kouyape, also Far North Cameroon, killing 12 and injuring one, and recording yet another one at another mosque after another five days (18th January, 2016), killing four. From 13th February, 2016 till date there have been multiple Boko Haram attacks in Borno and its environs including the one in which worshippers were forced into a mosque and shot, leaving several fatalities and casualties including Nigerias Armys most gallant commander, Muhammed Abu Ali a lieutenant colonel, Major D.S Erasmus, Lt. Col. K. Yusuf and several senior officers who were killed by the insurgents between September 25 and December, 2016.Although the Nigerian troops gave the insurgents a hard fight and killed a good number of them, the perturbing question is, why have Nigerian soldiers continued to fall at the feet of the trigger-active insurgents who have been blissfully declared defeated and whose defeat had even been publicly celebrated by the Presidency one year ago.To what extent can the Presidencys self-proclaimed victory against Boko Haram be true? The purpose of this discourse is not to argue for or against the presidential claim whose invalidity is as clear as the sunlight in broad daytime. Hakeem Onapajo, a South Africa-based political scientist and post-doctoral fellow at the University of Zululand, has recently fulfilled that in a scholarly appraisal. The purpose of this discourse is rather to offer a situational analysis and expose the missing link that has rendered unattainable the laudable presidential promise of defeating Boko Haram within one year!The present analysis conjectures that Nigeria does not know the enemy she is fighting. It also conjectures that Nigeria has not been sensitive enough to the Boko Haram ideology and recruitment strategies. Again, it conjectures that Nigerias counter-terrorist strategy is essentially military, a kind of fire-for-fire approach, and neither sufficiently ideological nor adequately orientational. There again is a grossly unstrategic approach to intelligence, on the part of the Nigerian troops. I shall engage critically with these four conjectures through some theoretical explanations with a view to demonstrating that firearms, (which have been Nigerias only ammunition) alone cannot defeat Boko Haram who, at times, prove more militarily sophisticated and battle-strategic than the Nigerian troops. Before approaching such an engagement, it should be noted that Boko Haramism is not a strange phenomenon. It is rather a sub-set of a global trend as there across the world now is a growing concern over the emerging dimensions of what is now characterized as a new globalized Islam, as a result of the Muslim clamour and search for a New Ummah. Consequently, the concern became obvious as the attention of the contemporary world began to shift gradually to the Muslim world since the unprecedented attacks of September 11, 2001 to which the media has connected several events and incidents of bombings in various parts of the world. Such a shift of pendulum in the attention of the world has culminated in the intensification of research and reporting on Islam especially with regard to its propagation and expansion. Consequently, scholars and researchers on the subject zoomed unto the Middle East and South Asian countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan both of which have been portrayed as operation bases for professional terrorists and potential bombers. The eventual killing of Al-Qaeda leader, Osamah Bin Laden by the United States Special Forces during an early morning raid on a military settlement in Abottabad, Pakistan, on May 1, 2011, later aggravated the negative image that had been created for Pakistan.In the aftermath of all that, there has been a sustained interest among scholars from various disciplines on the nature of expansionist and revivalist activities of the Muslims with a view to exposing extremist elements or extremist potentialities that are capable of propelling the likelihood of such unprecedented attacks on the super power. The perspectives offered by various notable scholars of Muslim Politics, though appreciably critical of the general concept of Political Islam, do not really mark a total departure from the central concept. In fact, it could be inferred from their views that it is in a bid to pursue the Political Islam agenda that Muslim activists, at times, find themselves caught in the web of what is often tagged as Extremist Islam or Islamic Extremism, as will also be demonstrated later in this discourse.Consequently, there is an emerging concern over the continued radicalization and militarization of Islam in some parts of the Muslim world. Although there have been different interpretations of this scenario by various scholars, there is little evidence of complacency on the part of the Muslim, in the face of external aggression the like of which spurs them into reacting radically. Such an experience, which is fast becoming a new trend, has contributed in no small measure in promoting the arguably erroneous perception that Islamic extremism and Extremist Islam are inseparable allies and products of Islamic revivalist efforts. The growing concern has culminated in the emergence of a sophisticated body of scholarship in various fields where research interests are inclusive of the ideological concepts of revivalism, extremism, militancy, terrorism, extremism and related others. Boko Haram may be accurately located in such an ideological context as will be demonstrated in the following lines.The relevance of the word ideology to any discourse on Boko Haram lies in the conception of the idea of ideology as related to commitment to designing a programme for the purpose of improving the human condition, through a struggle that requires the recruitment of followers and partisans committed to the realization of the target. In what later turned out to be a template for subsequent ideological programmes, there was not to be an appeal to the general public but the key actors were to be chosen with care. It is obvious that the Boko Haram Movement of Nigeria, like such other notable Islamic groups as the Jamaat Islamiyya of Egypt, the Jama Islamiyya of Indonesia, has kept faithfully to this principle.A careful look at the style and mode of operations of the Movement may also provide some insight into its ideology. Its repeated unveiled claims that its members have been sent on training in various parts of the Muslim world, such as Algeria, Mauritania, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, have been described as an indication that the Movement modeled itself after notable Militant Islamic groups like the Taliban which the group has always acknowledged as though it is their source of inspiration. Such claims provide some clues for the Federal security operatives in Nigeria.The central theme of Boko Haram message was that Islam is averse to Western secular education. In a similar token, the group maintains that evangelism, which is being deceitfully given the colouring of Western education, is Islamically unacceptable. It may be reiterated here that this particular anti-Western education stance can not be regarded as an initiative of the Boko Haram leader, Muhammad Yusuf, given the fact that literature is replete with information concerning the apprehension of Northern Nigerian Islamic scholars who had been unrepentantly critical of Western education, which they saw as a potential instrument for possible conversion of their unsuspecting children and wards to Christianity. It may however be acknowledge for the record, albeit arguably, that this age-long practice was what Boko Haram exploited and deceitfully presented as the nucleus of its ideology.As time progressed, illiterates and jobless youths flocked around Muhammad Yusuf to embrace his doctrines. Some of the educated ones among his followers were said to have torn off their certificates in demonstration of their total commitment to the path of Yusuf. Yusufs claim was that their mission was to fight the satanic system and enthrone the Shariah in the country. However, the group was able to attract to itself few members of some of the most influential families in Maiduguri, such as Maikanti Indimi and Bana Mulima. According to Muhammad Murtada who wrote in 2010, it was Yusufs persistent attack on anything western that made him a hero and role model, as he was believed to have been using his Islamic knowledge to justify his mission to his followers. Evidence abound in research that people are attracted to a movement owing to their subscription to such social forces with potential to stimulate a break-out in rebellion against the system as being experienced in the Boko Haram case.As recently pointed out by Henry Borom, the unrepentant nature of Boko Haram Movement suggests the somewhat rewarding nature of the outcome of their recruitment strategy where established members are charged with the responsibility of recruiting others by seeking to identify those who are most likely to agree to act, if asked, and to further the cause. This way, the leadership of the Movement charges its rational prospectors with the use of intelligence to find likely targets after which recruiters provide further information and deploy inducements to persuade recruits to say yes. This strategy, which relies on social bonds and relationships, has been a source of strength to the Movement, especially with regard to its ever-expanding recruitment networks. It would be an appreciable counter-terrorist strategy for the Presidency to investigate the specific attractions that have prompted recruits to continue to join the Boko Haram insurgents.For instance, a top military officer who is regarded as having deep knowledge of the North-East operations against Boko Haram seemed to have exposed the deficient nature of the intelligence and counter-intelligence capacity of the Nigerian troops where he revealed (as published in Premium Times of November 7, 2016) that Boko Haram attacked the very night immediately after one officer and 49 soldiers were withdrawn from Mallam Fatori in the morning and that suggests that they possibly had advance information of the troops reduction in number. The military source confirmed that Boko Haram seems to have good strategists who study our modus operandi and cause them to adjust accordingly. The Nigerian military may need to reappraise its approach to counter-insurgency operations.What the above revelation by a top military officer says directly is very clear. However, what it says indirectly is loaded and voluminous in the estimation of scholars of terrorism and counter-terrorism. For instance, Boko Harams capacity for advanced collection and sophisticated use of operational intelligence in a manner capable of wrecking havoc that will subsequently inflict mass casualties. It was the hybridized strategic intelligence of Boko Haram that influenced its operational decision to strike without delay. How the insurgents were able access useful security reports on the Federal troops and, at the same time, create a security umbrella that concealed the development and shielded the operation from exposure at any stage, is good operational intelligence! Their performance in this regard is analogous to a flight hijackers operational knowledge that the best time to storm the cockpit is 10 to 15 minutes after takeoff by which time the cockpit is normally opened for the first time and an action or counter-action must not be a minute late!Besides, despite the centrality of the role of identity in terrorism and radicalization, as evident in literature, Nigerians cannot claim to really have any clue as to who is involved in Boko Haram strategizing or any idea of how the insurgents see themselves. Such a strategic investigation has the potential to provide insights into the issue of religious identity of the membership of a religious extremist group in a pluralistic setting like Nigeria. Gaining access to details of what the Movement has as group identity which may include shared experiences, attitudes, beliefs and interests of in-group members, may provide further insights into the possible ways of engaging with such a group which is allegedly committed to the achievement of a collectively professed aim to rid Nigeria of its corrupt and abusive government and institute religious purity. Nigerians will appreciate some updates on new discoveries by the Nigerian troops about Boko Haram as a way of assuring the citizenry that it is all under control. The security implications of such an undertaking are psychologically assuring rather than counter-productive.Social scientists have proffered four explanations to the group identity question namely depersonalization, social cohesion, conformity and obedience, as well as bipolar worldview. The depersonalization dimension may be explained by the fact that the Boko Haram insurgents may see themselves as interchangeable members of an organization and are therefore motivated to make uppermost in their hearts the interests and goals of the organization. As regards the social cohesion dimension, it may be explained by the collective identity shared by members of the group as such identity binds them together and promotes positive relationships and the spirit of togetherness. The conformity and obedience factor concerns the need for an unrestricted identification with terrorist organizations through an unrestricted identification with the norms that guide the members behaviour.Concerning bipolar worldview in connection with the insurgents, it is interesting to note that they nurse disdain against and develop negative feelings about people outside their group, as a result of the motivation they derive from their unrepentant identification with their group. The implication of this in the estimation of terrorists is that the world is divided between us and them. They see themselves as bastions of the values and interests of an ethnic or religious community. It is theoretically predictable that the self-identification of terrorists as members of a much larger community will help them to fulfill their avowed goals. This may be an explanation for the unrepentant nature of Boko Haram and a competently designed systematic national counter-ideological orientation may prove efficacious in this regard.The Boko Haram Movement is generally situated within the broad area of fundamentalism which scholars have identified as the most marginal of the dominant streams of Islamic thinking in contemporary Nigeria. They associate it with anti-system movements that express aversion to the established political authorities, which are regarded as being grossly secular. These movements are not only opposed to the government but also to established religious elites whom they perceive as lethargic. According to David Chalk, the fundamentalists cite the dysfunctional conditions of the secular Nigerian state as a reason to challenge current moral and political order through religion.Their aim is a society guided by the rules and principles of Islam, and they are willing to suffer, struggle and actively embrace martyrdom to achieve this end. Whether Boko Haram insurgents are sincere or deceitful in such a claim, does not invalidate the perception that this is a good indoctrination that has been working to their favour, for sometime now and there may be need for Nigeria to urgently design counter-actions along that line.In a recent study, David argues that a states inability to fulfill its obligations to the citizenry constitutes an enabling environment for terrorism. He adds that the responsibilities of a state comprise adequate discharge of political good and social welfare to its citizens and effective territorial control given its monopoly of the use of force and argues that the states failure to discharge these responsibilities may pave way for various forms of politically motivated violence including terrorism Describing a failed state as one that is unable to discharge specific roles that are regarded as functions of a properly functioning state, he rationalizes that the failed state thesis has potential to enhance our understanding of conflicts in the country as occasioned by the rebellion of the so called terrorist or extremist group. From another direction, the strength of the Boko Haram insurgents may be explained through the concept of cosmic war which concerns period of suffering, injustice, and trials in which the truly faithful will prevail. This period of trial and suffering is not the end but rather navigates a path to a new era of justice which things are put in a proper shape. Cosmic war normally invites individuals to participate in something greater than themselves and to give their lives to the ultimate cause. There are two ways out of a cosmic war namely total victory or defeat, or redirecting the theology by offering interpretations of the faith that contradict the apocalyptic imaginings of cosmic war and its need for violence.However, this explanation offers indications that the factors that potentially work against the interest of militant groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS may be favourable to the goals of Boko Haram Movement in Nigeria, because, Total victoryis difficult to realize given that militant Islamic movements that aim to establish or reestablish the faith in social and political realms do not operate on a unified front; there are Shia and Sunni groups fighting for these goals such as the Lebanese Shia Hizbullah and Sunni Al-Qaeda. However, Sunnis and Shias have different understandings of what political and religious leadership should look like. Moreover, within these sects there are groups that are fighting for different goals, such as the Sunni Hamas, which has Islamic and nationalistic goals for Palestine, and Al-Qaeda, which has pan-Islamic, post-nationalistic goals. In other words, these movements concepts of total victory are not unified in practice.The above is untrue of the Boko Haram Movement.Wanderlust for revivalism thesis is another considerable explanation with potential to expose the essence of the Boko Haram operations. This may be situated, to an extent, into the redirection of theology argument, advanced earlier in this discourse. The term jihad, which literally means struggle or strive, is at the centre of it all. Most Muslims are able to distinguish between the greater jihad, which implies a spiritual struggle to overcome temptations and live a pious life, and the lesser jihad, which is the physical struggle in defence of the faith, which involves the use of force. However, militant Islamists like Al-Qaeda, and now Boko Haram, emphasise the lesser jihad but there is a room to challenge their interpretation and reemphasise the priority of the greater jihad. This is where there is another challenge to Nigeria in her counter-terrorist drive.It should be underscored that it was the September 11, 2011 experience that prompted the United States to pay attention to the age-long portrayal of Islam as under attack and the call on Muslims to rise and defend their religion with their lives. It should equally be underscored that the contemporary leaders of Militant Islamic movements like Shaykh Abdullah Azzam, Osama bin Laden, and Ayman al-Zawahiri were not the originators of this line of interpreting Islam. Rather, their ideology has its roots in the writings of mid-twentieth-century Muslim revivalists like Hassan Al-Banna of Egypt, Abu Alala Al-Mawdudi of South Asia, Sayyid Qutb of Egypt and Abd al-Salam al-Faraj also of Egypt.These individuals enjoined Muslims to disregard alien ideologies and embrace Islam as a total way of life, socially, spiritually, politically, and economically. These activists describe Islamic societies as being in a state of crisis caused by the penetration of Western, secular ideologies  particularly Capitalism and Marxism  and the failure of Muslim political and religious leadership to direct society in the right path of Islamthe path of Islam requires Muslim societies and their leaders to return to Islam, and look within their faith for the template to live a rightly guided life as individuals, societies, and nations. In the Nigerian context, this may not necessarily mean the need for the enthronement of Shariah at all levels and strata. It may just simply mean justice and equity.It is instructive to point out that although Hassan al-Banna is regarded by most scholars as the founder of modern day Islamic revivalism of which militant Islam is an offshoot, his vision for redirecting the Egyptian society to the right Islamic path was not built on violence but the concept of grass-roots revival that would, in turn, transform society and eventually the government. (p. 191). However, Mawdudi, who in his own struggle, also argued that Muslim society was under threat and had become an appendage of the West, emphasized that the only way out was to restore its strength by returning to Islam.Consequently, Qutb derived inspirations from the works of both Al-Banna and Al-Mawdudi. Qutb did not hide his disdain for the dominance of the secular ideologies of Capitalism and Communism and thought it appropriate to navigating way for the enthronement of an Islamic ideology that would not only replace the secular ideologies of Capitalism and Communism, but would surpass their moral bankruptcy and provide a true and complete way of life. It was pursuant to the realization of their dream and vision that the Muslim Brotherhood collaborated with Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Free Officers movement to overthrow the king and enthrone a republic in Egypt.Qutb and other members of the Muslim Brotherhood saw that development as signaling the time for the pursuit of the revivalist ideology using the machinery of the government but did not find a cooperative ally in Nasr who rejected their idea. Today, the Al-Qaeda ideology appears as a kind of replication of the arguments pursued by Banna, Mawdudi, Qutb, and Faraj. However, given that the essence of alluding to these various groups in this discourse is merely to expose the interplay of various variables in Boko Haram insurgency, specific details of the core principles and ideological orientations guiding the Boko Haram thought and operations in Nigeria and its environs shall be a subject of another article. There appears to be lack of rigour in some of Nigerias actions against the insurgents given the media inaccuracies or other form of inexactitude that informed such actions. Given the Governments actions, in several notable instances, based on conflicting information, the false or multiple claims of responsibility for attacks, and official censorship and disinformation, it shall be of great value for the Defence Headquarters to be more sensitive and meticulous in its handling of its various sources of information. This admonitory thinking by the present writer is based on the inspiration derived from Oftedal who recently wrote that, Boko Haram appears not to have issued any comprehensive ideological declaration stating its objectives and strategies. A manifesto exists signed by Boko Haram, but most experts believe it is a falsification. However, the group has released several shorter statements in which they have claimed responsibility for attacks, issued threats or reacted to public criticisms from powerful Nigerian figures. The groups leader has released other statements in videos or audio-clips on YouTube. In addition, local and international media have been able to interview some of Boko Harams leaders. Several recordings of sermons by the founder Muhammed Yusuf are available on DVDs circulated in Nigeria, as well as on You Tube. These primary sources are important for identifying some of Boko Harams most central ideas and objectives.Several sectors have to collaborate with the Armed Forces if the Boko Haram defeat must materialize. Prominent among them are the media, the religious institutions, and most importantly, the education sector whose intervention may take the form of what I call anti-insurgency curriculum conceptual and design principles for ultimate translation to an anti-extremist curriculum for Nigerian senior secondary schools. But, do we really have an attentive government? Rufai (Ph.D. Curriculum and Pedagogy, Ph.D. History and Security Studies) is Ag. Dean, Faculty of Education, Sokoto State University, Nigeria.
In commemoration of the 1,000th day of the abduction of schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, President Muha...

In commemoration of the 1,000th day of the abduction of schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, President Muhammadu Buhari has restated the commitment of the Federal Government to securing the release of the student kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents.TheSpecial Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, stated this in a press statement on Sunday.He said: We are grateful to God that on this landmark day, we are not completely in the depths of despair, but buoyed with hope that our daughters will yet rejoin their families and loved ones.Three of them have been recovered by our diligent military, while the freedom of 21 others was secured through engagement with their captors. We are hopeful that many more will still return as soon as practicable, he added.He also reiterated that the government would not spare any effort to reunite the girls with their families.I salute the fortitude of the distraught parents. As a parent also, I identify with their plight. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and today, it is 1,000 days. The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts. But hope remains constant, eternal, and we believe our pains will be assuaged. Our hopes will not be shattered, and our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to, the President stated.He commended all who have been in the vanguard for the recovery of the girls, both nationally and internationally, adding: Someday soon, we will all rejoice together. Our intelligence and security forces are unrelenting, and whatever it takes, we remain resolute.Chibok community, Nigeria, and, indeed, the world, will yet rise in brotherhood, to welcome our remaining girls back home. We trust God for that eventuality. He said
Some Christians on Saturday described the appointment of Pastor Joseph Obayemi, as the Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (...

Some Christians on Saturday described the appointment of Pastor Joseph Obayemi, as the Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Nigeria, by Pastor Enoch Adeboye, as one based on Godly intuition.They expressed their views in interviews in Abuja. However, Pastor Adeboye, remains the General Overseer (GO) of the RCCG Worldwide, while Obayemi would head the church in Nigeria. Mr Godswill Iredia, an RCCG member, called on Christians not to see the appointment of Obayemi, as a sentimental one, but as one that would glorify God.Iredia, however, noted that there were pastors from other Nigerian tribes currently holding senior positions in the RCCG in other countries outside Nigeria. On insinuations that only one tribe was fit to hold positions of authority in the RCCG, we have pastors outside the country that are from other tribes, who hold top positions in the church.According to him, Pastor Agu Irukwu is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Head of the Executive Council of the RCCG in the UK. He is also a Special Assistant to the RCCG General Overseer, a Member of RCCGs World Advisory Council, Regional Pastor of RCCG England, and Chairman of the RCCGs Regional Board in the UK.Irukwu also serves as Senior Pastor of Jesus House for All the Nations, a London Parish of the RCCG established in April 1994. He is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Head of the Executive Council of the RCCG in the UK, which acts in a supervisory capacity over the 600 parishes in Britain. Miss Keturah Sankey, also an RCCG member, said she would miss Pastor Adeboye because he may no longer be as visible as he was when he was RCCG General Overseer and Head of the church in Nigeria.Sankey noted that Adeboye would now concentrate on supervising the RCCGs activities in the 192 countries where the church had branches and parishes worldwide. I will miss Daddy Adeboye but because the God of Elijah is the God of Elisha, nothing is spoilt; the Church of God is marching on. Our GO has only retired as GO for the RCCG in Nigeria; there are branches and parishes in 192 countries of the world; he is still the GO of the RCCG worldwide, she said.Mr Kayode Ajiga, another church member, said that Adeboye would always remain a rare gem and be in a class among his peers, adding that he was in charge of money, but he used it to build the church. Ajiga noted that it was a good thing that he comfortably handed over to one of his sons, to continue from where he stopped.
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered a multinational Global Satellite Mobile services, GSM, provider, MTN Communications Li...

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered a multinational Global Satellite Mobile services, GSM, provider, MTN Communications Limited to temporarily forfeit to the Federal Government, the sum of N8billion in its account number 0012005379 domicile in Ecobank Nigeria Plc, suspected to be proceed of unlawful activity.Trial judge in the matter, Judge Abdulaziz Anka also another account number 1013607079 containing billions of Naira domicile in Skye Bank, whose owner has not file any paper before the court to contest ownership, to be forfeited to go the Federal Government.
The year 2017 was only a few minutes away on December 31,2016 when Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye began to reel out his prophesies for the ...

The year 2017 was only a few minutes away on December 31,2016 when Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye began to reel out his prophesies for the new year at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Camp in Ogun State.It would be a year of many surprises, the widely respected General Overseer of the church said among other prophesies.One hundred and sixty eighty hours after,the man named in 2008 by the American magazine Newsweek as one of the 50 most influential across the globe, delivered one of such surprises himself:he quit as head of the biggest Pentecostal church in Nigeria.But he continues to hold sway as General Overseer of the RCCG Worldwide.This is already generating a debate among RCCG members and non-members alike.The bone of contention is the place of General Overseer RCCG Worldwide in the constitution of the Church. The constitution makes provision for only one General Overseer.Succeeding him is Pastor Joshua Obayemi,who until now ,was Special Assistant to the General Overseer (SATGO) on Finance.Adeboye described the new GO as an experienced administrator who has been prepared for years by God for the task.Obayemi,he explained ,was part of the missions Salary Review Committee and a member of the churchs In-Land Mission, which represented RCCG at Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) activities across the country.There was pin drop silence in the auditorium as Pastor Adeboye announced the change of guards to hundreds of ministers of the church who had gathered for their Annual Thanksgiving at Shimawa, Ogun State.Among the participating ministers was Vice President Yemi Oshinbajo.Also appointed were Pastor Johnson Odesola, as the new church secretary and Pastor Joseph Adeyokunnu, as the new treasurer.Pastor Adeboye who turns 75 in March said his exit was on account of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) of Nigeria National Code of Governance 2015 stipulations. The code, which has been undergoing public hearings since last year, came up with radical regulations for Not For Profit Organisations (NFPOs).Section nine of the code entitled position of the leader or founder stipulates that whoever leads a charitable organisation shall not occupy the position for more than ten years or after attainment of 70 years.Religious leaders, particularly in the church, have kicked against the provision among others. They protested as the public hearing in Lagos, stating the provision was targeted at them.The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) under its immediate past president,Biship Ayo Oritshejafor vehemently resisted the proposal under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.It is not yet clear how other church leaders who are directly affected by the proposal will handle the situation.In this category are: Pastor William Kumuyi of Deeper Life, Dr. Mike Okonkwo of TREM, Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide, and Biship Oritshejafor of Word of Life Bible Church.However, a highly placed source in FRCN yesterday faulted the announcement of Obayemi as Adeboyes successor.Asked to elaborate, the source said: when youre talking about governance code, you know we have nomination committee, which says you cannot nominate your successor, he (Adeboye) has breached that now.Hes not supposed to nominate his successor. But, we agree now that maybe the church already has agreed on their successor.So remuneration committee- you cannot determine your own salary, even your work place, then you now have audit committee- you cannot audit yourself. So if you are General Overseer of Redeemed, for instance, and you are in charge of these three governance positions. You know the way Redeemed is structured from the start, it is a church that the Audit committee is headed by G.O, the remuneration and nomination committee is headed by G.O.He is the one that audits people; he is the one that appoints people; and he is the one that determines salaries.So the act says that if you have occupied this governance position and you have been there for more 20 years or you have attained 70 years of age you can no longer do that. You can be chairman board of trustees; so you now become the spiritual leader but you cant be somebody who will be responsible for operations.When we held a private meeting with all the General Overseers, the big ones in Victoria Island it was made very clear to them that you will need to separate these things.You said God called you, we cannot say God did not call you. So you are a spiritual leader but God did not say you should also be the accountant because you are operating in a country where there is a law.Adeboye was given a national honour by the late President Umaru Yar Adua.Asked why he accepted the honour then ,Adeboye said:God said I should not refuse it, that it is not about me, it is about my church.And on his rating by Newsweek,he said: Suddenly, they said they listed 50 most powerful people in the world, and they mentioned your General Overseer. I said God, what is it now? I want to sit in my own corner and do my own thing quietly. But He said it is about me and my church. They said I am number 49.Apparently reacting to the deluge of questions raised by RCCG members and non-members alike over the new dispensation in the church,Adeboyes son/special assistant,Pastor Leke Adeboye, issued a clarification to the effect that the elder Adeboye remains the General Overseer of RCCG Worldwide.He advised all members of RCCG to understand this new structure and go about their service to God and humanity in holiness and soul winning.He also appealed to members to educate people around them and not spread inaccurate information.A further clarification came from Pastor Odesola who,in a memo RCCG/PERS/JFO/AD/MEMO/07/01/2017 and entitled New Structure in RCCG Nigeria,said: Kindly be informed that this new structure is peculiar to Nigeria alone,as Pastor E.A.Adeboye ,Daddy G.O.remains the Spiritual Leader and Global Missioner of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.Adeboye was born on March 2, 1942, at Ifewara, Osun State.He read Mathematics at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, and later got a PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Lagos.Thereafter ,he worked as a lecturer in Mathematics at the universities of Lagos and Ilorin, before going into full time priesthood in 1984.After joining the RCCG in 1973, he began working to translate the sermons of its then Pastor and founder, Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, from Yoruba into English.In 1981, Adeboye was appointed General Overseer of the church ,succeeding Akindayomi, who had died the previous year.In his first three years as head of the church,Pastor Adeboye combined his spiritual assignment with his teaching job,but finally gave up his university position to preach full-time.In his 36 years in charge of the RCCG,Adeboye transformed it into a phenomenon, becoming Nigerias biggest, with branches globally in about 190 countries, including more than 14,000 in Nigeria.Adeboye had said his aim was to put a church within five minutes of every person on earth. He married Adenike, now 68 in 1967.
New Ghanaian president, Nana Akufo-Addo, has begun his administration on a rather embarrassing note after being caught plagiarising form...

New Ghanaian president, Nana Akufo-Addo, has begun his administration on a rather embarrassing note after being caught plagiarising former American presidents during his inaugural speech on Saturday.Mr. Akufo-Addo, 72, was sworn in alongside his Vice-President, Mahamudu Bawumia, at the Independence Square in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, promising not to let the people of Ghana down.Vigilant citizens quickly spotted stark similarities in excerpts of his speech and those delivered by two ex-presidents of the United States decades ago.The two American presidents, Bill Clinton and George Bush, delivered their inaugural speeches in 1993 and 2001, respectively.Mr. Akufo-Addo first lifted a portion of Mr. Bushs January 20, 2001 speech where he said: I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character.The new Ghanaian president said: I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character, without attribution.Similarly, he also used quotes from Mr. Clintons speech delivered on January, 20, 1993.Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Americans have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us, Mr. Clinton said at the time.Mr. Akufo-Addo then carefully tweaked the speech to read: Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Ghanaians have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us.A composite video showing how Messrs. Bush and Clinton read their respective speeches and how Mr. Akufo-Addo plagiarised it had since gone viral on the Internet, marking the latest embarrassment for West African leaders.Mr. Akufo-Addos communications director, Eugene Arhin, had since apologised for the speech, describing it as complete oversight and never deliberate.I unreservedly apologise for the non-acknowledgement of this quote to the original author, Mr. Arhin added.The scandal came five months after President Muhammadu Buhari apologised for plagiarising President Barack Obamas 2008 inaugural speech.Mr. Buhari, while launching the Change Begins with Me campaign to rein in immoral behaviours of Nigerians, said: We must resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country for so long. Let us summon a new spirit of responsibility, spirit of service, of patriotism and sacrifice. Let us all resolve to pitch in and work hard and look after, not only ourselves but one another.A THISDAY Newspapers columnist, Adeola Akinremi, quickly identified instances of plagiarism of Mr. Obamas speech in which he said: Lets resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other. Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, its that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.Following heavy backlash from Nigerians, Mr. Buhari said an overzealous official responsible for the speech will be sanctioned, but theres no evidence that this was ever done.
HADDON TWP. -- It's been nearly 15 months since the body of 3-year-old Brendan Creato was discovered draped over a rock in a stream that feeds into the Cooper River.

The grisly Oct. 13, 2015 discovery, made mere hours after father David "D.J." Creato reported the boy missing, was the first development in a series of events that saw the Haddon Township man charged with first-degree murder and second-degree child endangerment.

At his last court appearance in June, Creato attorney Richard J. Fuschino Jr. said his client rejected a 35-year plea deal and would fight the charges at trial, which is scheduled to begin Monday.

Fuschino did not respond to a request for comment Friday. Creato, who pleaded not guilty, has been held on $750,000 bail since January. If convicted, he faces a life sentence.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office, which argues Creato killed his son so he could continue a relationship with a 17-year-old girlfriend who disliked children, declined to comment on the case.

Here's what we know about the boy's disappearance and Creato's personal life as well as a number of unknowns ahead of the trial:

We know:

- Brendan spent the night of Oct. 12 at his dad's Haddon Township apartment. The boy's grandmother dropped him off and Creato put him to bed shortly after. He was reported missing in a 6 a.m. 9-1-1 call and found by authorities nearly three hours later. According to the prosecutor's office, Brendan wasn't sexually assaulted and there were no signs of forced entry at the apartment. In his 9-1-1 call, Creato is heard saying, "I don't know if he wandered out or what happened. I don't know where he is. The door was locked. I guess he unlocked it and left."

Samantha Denoto, the mother of 3-year-old Brendan Creato, leaves the Camden County Hall of Justice after the arraignment of David "D.J." Creato, Brendan's father. (Tim Hawk | For NJ.com)

- Brendan's presence played a role in the occasionally rocky relationship Creato had with a 17-year-old college student whom, authorities claim, had a dislike for children as allegedly evidenced by text messages saying as much. In an interview played during the June court hearing, Creato tells investigators that the two had broken up over his continued contact with his son and the boy's mother.

- The girlfriend, identified in news reports as Julia "Julie" Stensky, was with Creato as recently as the day before Brendan went missing, at which point she returned to college in New York. The two met via an online dating app in June 2015 and they often visited the area near the Cooper River where Brendan's body was found. According to the prosecutor's office, Creato accessed one of Stensky's social media accounts during the early morning hours of the day his son disappeared, as he was jealous of a classmate she was talking to.

- How Creato reacted to learning that his son was dead. A taped interview with investigators showed Creato reacting with shock and shouting "No!" when he was informed. However, authorities -- who already knew the boy was dead -- implored him to tell them anything he may have been withholding.

- Superior Court Judge John T. Kelley sided with prosecutors, who argued Fuschino's motion to dismiss the charges was "absurd." Fuschino attempted to argue that Creato was read a "Miranda-like soliloquy" during his first interview with law enforcement the day his son's body was found, thus evidence gathered then should be suppressed. It won't be, and portions of that interview was ruled admissible at trial. Fuschino also attempted to dismiss the case on the grounds that the grand jury who indicted his client having heard an "expertized" medical opinion from Camden County Medical Examiner Dr. Gerald "Buck" Feigin of what claimed Brendan's life.

We don't know:

- How Brendan left his father's apartment. Did he open the door on his own and walk the half-mile down to the Cooper River? Was he taken? Is Creato somehow responsible? According to the prosecutor's office, the clean socks the boy had on when he was found means his body was placed where it was discovered.

- Why Brendan's body -- pants half down and partially wet from the river water -- was quickly removed from the scene in the woods. Some called to question that decision, including Fuschino and outside medical and forensic professionals who said such a move may have tainted the scene and affected any evidence that could have been collected there by the county medical examiner.

David "D.J." Creato Jr., 23, appears at a conference hearing at the Camden County Hall of Justice., Creato is charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment in the death of his 3-year-old son Brendan. (Tim Hawk | For NJ.com)

- What killed Brendan? "Homicidal violence" that could have been caused by drowning, strangulation or blunt neck trauma, according to the prosecutor's office. That conclusion was reached after three autopsies and a toxicology test failed to find a more specific cause of death.

- Will Stensky -- who in a since-deleted blog post said she may be part of a homicide investigation -- be called to testify? Will Creato take the stand and what could his defense strategy be? What about Brendan's mother, Samatha Denoto, will she take the stand? What other cards could the prosecutor's office have up its sleeve? The prosecutor's office issued a blanket statement during Creato's arraignment back in January that made it clear the office would not comment on the case outside of court proceedings.

- What the results of Creato's polygraph test were. In a statement made during the Oct. 13 interview with police, Creato said, "yes, absolutely," when asked by prosecutor's office Detective Michael Roads if he was willing to take a lie detector test.

Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The Millville native killed in Friday's shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was reportedly in town celebrating his birthday before departing on a 16-day cruise.

Terry Andres, pictured with this wife, was among those killed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Jan. 6, 2017. (photo courtesy Facebook)

ABC affiliate WPLG Local 10 reports that Terry Andres was at the airport with his wife, Ann Andrews, when shots rang out. She was not injured in the gunfire that claimed the lives of five other travelers.

The couple had flown from Virginia Beach, Virginia, to the Fort Lauderdale airport. Andres was retrieving a luggage cart when he was shot and killed near terminal 2, according to the report.

He was going to celebrate his 63rd birthday, which was coming later this month.

Terry Andres was a 1972 graduate of Millville High School. He worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, in Virginia, and volunteered with the Oceana Volunteer Fire Department, which on its Facebook page asked readers to keep his family "in your thoughts and prayers."

The Press of Atlantic City adds that Andres was a upbeat grandfather who seldom missed a high school reunion in his native Holly City.

Alleged gunman and U.S. military veteran Esteban Santiago, 26, was severely affected by a tour of duty in Iraq, his aunt who lives in Union City told NJ Advance Media.

Santiago, who was also originally from New Jersey, has been charged with performing an act of violence at an airport -- a penalty punishable by death.

"Indications are that he came here to carry out this horrific attack," George Piro, special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami field office, said during a press conference.

Santiago, who was carrying a military identification card at the time of the shooting, had been living in Alaska and in November 2016 sought help from the FBI, claiming he was being forced to fight for the terrorist organization ISIS.

Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
DEPTFORD TWP. -- Rowan College of Gloucester County transformed its campus for two days as KotoriCon returned for another year of cosplaying and anime fun on Friday and Saturday.

RCGC hosted the 8th annual "KotoriCon" anime convention sponsored by the RCGC Japanese Anime Guild. Attendees of the event, which has sold out the past five years, got to experience a new twist on things as the 2017 convention's crime theme was introduced.

The convention included an array of musical performances, sketch comedy, voice-actor appearances and much more to keep fans and participants having fun. Guests were also treated to fan favorite exhibitions, which included arcade games, karaoke, and game shows.

All funds raised by the student-run event were donated to selected charities, this year's including the KotoriCon Endowment. The foundation scholarship provides a $500 award annually to a RCGC student who demonstrates a commitment to the spirit of volunteerism, community service and leadership.

Other charities include Pets for Vets, Doctors without Borders, Liberty in North Korea (LINK), Seabrook Buddhist Temple, Child's Play and Indochinese-American Council.

Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Welcome to nonleaguedaily.coms news provision, your go-to source for all non league updates, rumours, interviews, and much more besides.

Founded by a team with a genuine passion for the world of non league football, nonleaguedaily.com understands exactly what supporters of the so-called lower leagues are looking for. You want the high-quality reporting, in-depth analysis, and match reporting that matches that is more commonly found in the journalism for the top flights, but with the focus firmly fixed on the national leagues.

We understand that your passion, interest, and dedication is constant, and we believe you need a news service that matches that commitment with its own dedication and thoroughness  so thats what you can expect from our site.

The latest non league news, as and when it happens

Conventionally, non league news has always travelled fairly slowly, especially when compared to the instantaneous, constant breaking news cycles found in the upper leagues. Tales are told on terraces, rumours passed between pub patrons and circled between supporters at the latest game, often forced to remain somewhat local initially before word eventually spreads to other locales.

For us, this slow spread may be fairly organic in nature, but it simply isnt compatible with the modern football environment. Its also not conducive to the current fast-paced, always-available media landscape, nor the way that people tend to consume news nowadays. Thats why we have put together a non league news source that fans can turn to for the latest updates, as and when they happen, and as and when you want to read them. Non-league news now is the only acceptable speed at Betting.co.uk.

We update our non-league football news coverage constantly, bringing you all the latest developments and seeking to spread the word as quickly and accurately as possible. So if youre wondering whats happening both with your local team and with the lower leagues as a whole, you can visit us for non league news now, and be confident the stories you find are completely up to date.

News reported by passionate fans

Our efforts to bring you the very best non league football news are undeniably a professional concern, and one that we take seriously. We are  if youll excuse the uncharacteristic tooting of our own horns  good at what we do, and we know that the efforts we make in this regard are one of the reasons our site has enjoyed such success thus far.

However, everyone who writes for us also shares our readers enthusiasm for non league football. Were not just churning out content in the hopes of cashing in on a professional dream; were here because we want to be, and will always be dedicated and committed to non league football as an entity and thriving in the experience of being able to talk about our favourite subject whenever we can. We create non-league news now that is written by genuine fans and enthusiasts, for fans. We know what you want to know and what matters most to an ardent non league supporter, and we always ensure that focusing on these elements is our guiding principle as we seek to solidify our status as an online non league paper fans can always rely on.

When compiling non league news, we think with the mind of a fan first and foremost. We cover the angles and stories that we find compelling and that we know our fellow non league enthusiasts also care about. News doesnt have to be dry and formulaic, in our opinion. When its written by people who are genuinely as fascinated by the stories they are reporting on as their readership will be, we believe news can be interesting, compelling, and even have a sense of personality and humour.

News content written with passion and expertise

We believe that thanks to our dedication, insightfulness, and commitment to our subject matter of non league today, we are offering the best of both worlds to those searching for an online non league paper. We give you the professional approach we feel is appropriate for news about one of the most intriguing aspects of UK football; an aspect that we genuinely feel does not receive the interest and plaudits that it should be generating. Nevertheless, we dont let that professionalism take over everything we do: we remain committed fans, nurturing our own personal interest in non league football and ensuring every word we compose is infused with a sense of passion and dedication that enhances the posts we create.

Its therefore obvious that our non-league content today isnt ever going to be dry, basic, or put together by a tired staff writer who has never heard of any team below the Championship before they rush off to the pub for the evening. Our writers are genuine experts: were covering non league football because we want to, because we believe in it, and because its where our strengths lie. The result is informed content that capitalises on our deep knowledge of the history, as well as the present-day realities, of non league football in the UK.

Beyond news: the nonleaguedaily.com interview series

One of our goals with nonleaguedaily.com is to not just dryly report the news from an outsiders perspective, effectively regurgitating press releases that are devoid of genuinely illuminating information. We also go right to the source of the stories: the managers and club insiders who have direct experience, and often influence, on the sport and how it is managed.

We regularly conduct interviews as part of our news provision, asking the questions that are on everyones lips and providing the best possible view into the non league world. We have reporters pitchside at matches, microphone to hand and plentiful questions ready to be asked. The end result for you, the reader, is the kind of information and close-up looks into the non league world that just cant be found anywhere else.

As our commitment to providing interesting interviews amply demonstrates, we want to be involved in breaking the stories that everyone then talks about, rather than following along and focusing solely on what everyone already knows. If youre looking for leading content that you cant find anywhere else, and that goes right to the centre of the non league world, then you can turn to nonleaguedaily.com for all the benefits of a conventional non league paper, but in electronic, easily-accessed form.

A host of other content to enjoy alongside the non league today

Our focus on providing non league news will always be maintained: we consider this aspect the most important of what we do, and it will always be the recipient of our time, dedication, and interest. Well be here, a consistent and trustworthy news portal, for as long as non league football news exists.

With that said, when you have read up on the latest goings-on, were here with further content for you to enjoy. Naturally, given our partnership with leading brand Betting.co.uk, we provide guidelines for those interested in the world of sports betting. Well help you find the best UK bookmaker with our plentiful coverage of existing brands; ideal if youre looking to put your newfound knowledge, courtesy of us, about non league to use and place a few bets.

Furthermore, we also provide highlights of all the latest UK betting offers, so you can ensure youre achieving the best value with all the latest betting deals whenever youre betting on the latest non league matches. Youll find all of this coverage is as consistent and reliable as our non league news provision,

Non league features and deep dives

Returning to the world of non league football, we also provide a range of feature content that goes deeper and further into the non league world than ever before. Less instantaneously topical but still hugely relevant to the modern game, our features are the dream deep dives that we feel non league fans deserve. Were always striving to do better, offer more, and ensure that non league fans can enjoy the same wealth of content as followers of the top tiers, so you can expect top-flight content with the same commitment and dedication as found throughout the upper echelons of the sport.

So whether youre looking to find the most recent non league football news, seeking a new bookmaker for your non league bets, or hoping to delve deep into a niche non league-related topic, nonleaguedaily.com is always going to be worth a visit.

Return to nonleaguedaily.com for all your non league news needs

Weve told you what you can expect from nonleaguedaily.coms news; now we need to put our confidence where our promises are, make sure we deliver on those promises, and establish trust as an online non league paper you can trust. We look forward to welcoming you back to our news section and showcasing the best we have to offer, from exciting new non league interviews to cutting-edge news to transfer speculation. If you want to truly have your finger on the non league pulse, then nonleaguedaily.com is always going to be here for you.
Although it is currently expanding on multiple Western markets, including the US, ZTE seems to be profoundly affected by a drop in its market share in China, industry sources revealing that over 3,000 employees will be soon laid off.

4 Reviews

ZTE is one of the Chinese brands with a significant presence in the US and Europe, but this seems this is not enough to help the company maintain all its current staff. Due to a loss of popularity in its home market and, according to an exclusive report by Reuters, "US trade sanctions that could severely disrupt its supply chain," ZTE is forced to let go around 3,000 employees.

The report mentioned above also reveals that insiders familiar with the matter say ZTE "is axing about 5 percent of its 60,000 global workforce." In China, things are even worse, with cuts that a senior executive of the company revealed to be "beyond 20 percent." According to a ZTE local manager, he has been informed that 10 percent of its staff must go by the end of the month.

ZTE is currently the fourth smartphone vendor in the US, with a market share of 10 percent. However, the US Commerce Department announced a ban on exports by US companies to ZTE for breaking the sanctions on sales to Iran. The ban has not come into effect yet, but if this happens, ZTE's supply chain will take a massive blow.
Snow is one of those points of discussion that has no middle ground. It seems you either love it or you hate it. Im in the love it category. One of the things I love about a new snowfall is how quiet it seems in the timber and how quietly you can move. It is also a great time to teach someone new to the outdoors to see how life in the wilds goes on. In the old days, this was known as reading sign.

I really enjoy seeing what I can decipher from tracks and markings left in the snow. It is very easy to see where animals move. Im hunting this weekend during the late anterless season, and the snow will make determining the movement and routine of deer much easier.

Snow is a great medium for preserving an animals footprint. It is easy to see the tracks and study them. With a little practice you can tell a raccoons tracks from a skunks or a coyote from a bobcat. I have a grandson now, and Im looking forward to teaching him things like this.

A few years back, I was mentoring a young man, and we were tracking rabbits in thick timber. The snow made it easy to follow the different trails. We found a spot where coyote tracks crossed the rabbit tracks and began paralleling the path of the rabbit. I could almost see the light bulb go off in my mentee when he realized that the coyote was hunting the rabbit.

After a few more minutes, we found where the coyote had launched its attack on the rabbit. Signs in the snow showed an explosive but brief footrace. The coyote was the victor. It was a good lesson.

A friend of mine recently sent me a picture that told another story in the snow. A rabbit was crossing a meadow on my friends property. There was no sign of alarm or quickening of pace with the rabbit, but its trail was obliterated with a lot of displaced snow. Examination of the marks in the snow told the story of a hawk dropping out of the sky and pouncing on the rabbit, then flying off. You could see the point of impact and marks of wing feathers as the hawk got airborne again. The rabbits trail ended and the rest of the snow was undisturbed. It was nature in its purest form. Enjoy the snow while it lasts.

Savage AR

This is the time of year when firearms manufacturers leak out a little bit about the new products, they will unveil at the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor and Trade show (SHOT). SHOT is the biggest show on hunting and shooting products in the world. It will be held in Las Vegas on Jan. 17-20. Savage Arms just sent out a press release saying they would introduce four new AR-style rifles for 2017  a first for Savage.

Known in the shooting world as Modern Sporting Rifles (MSR), the AR-style rifle has become one of the most popular rifles in history. Savage offers their rifles in AR-10 and AR-15 models. According to Savage, these rifles will offer greater performance, expanded caliber choices and modern designs, plus a full suite of custom upgrades packaged as standard features.

The news release went on to say, the new MSR 10 Hunter and MSR 10 Long Range answer the call for performance-driven, purpose-built modern sporting rifles aimed at big game hunting and long-range shooting. Both are available in 308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor chamberings. The 308 Winchester is a fine all-around choice for big game, not to mention a top traditional pick of long-range shooters. A relative newcomer, the 6.5 Creedmoor is a long-range performer developed for target shooting but ideal in hunting applications as well. Both models are built on compact, lightweight frames and feature adjustable gas blocks, plus the MSR 10 Long Range is equipped with a non-reciprocating side charging handle.

The Savage AR-15 platform rifles, the new MSR 15 Patrol and MSR 15 Recon are chambered in 223 Wylde, which enhances out-of-the-box accuracy and allows safe, reliable function with both 223 Rem. and 5.56x45mm ammunition.

All Savage MSRs offer button-rifled barrels with 5R rifling and a Melonite QPQ finish. To get more information on these new rifles, go to savagearms.com/msr.

Alaska Hunting

If you are planning a big game hunt to Alaska, here is some information you need to know.

Almost all fees associated with Alaska sport fishing, hunting and trapping licenses and tags increased Jan. 1. The Alaska State Legislature modified hunting regulations and permit fee schedules via the passage of House Bill 137.

Changes under the new law are not limited to just permit fee increases. Alaska residents under the age of 18 will not be required to purchase hunting or fishing licenses or state waterfowl or king salmon stamps. Basically, the price increases will subsidize resident Alaskans at the expense of non-residents.

For example, fees for some of the non-resident big game hunting permits now looks like this:

Basic Hunting Permit 2016 was $85 2017  $160

Black Bear Permit 2016 was $225 2017  $450

Grizzly Bear Permit 2016 was $500 2017  $1000

Muskox Permit 2016 was $1100 2017  $2200

I think this will backfire on Alaska just like permit fee increases backfired on Colorado a couple of years ago. As a result of their price hikes, Colorado cant get enough out of state hunters to come and hunt black bears. Have you noticed all the stories about black bears causing problems in neighborhoods? It is a direct link.

I think Alaska will see a drop in total sales of permits, which directly fund state fish and wildlife management and conservation efforts. Fewer permit sales also reduces federal Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson aid dollars ... and that is millions of dollars in Alaska.
More than 220 individual schools and school districts from across the state have received special certificates from Secretary of State John Gale recognizing their efforts to honor military veterans. Participants included preschool, elementary, middle and high school students of public and nonpublic schools.

I have actively encouraged schools to honor veterans for eight years, by hosting programs and speakers on or near Veterans Day, but I believe this is the largest number of schools that my office has ever recognized at one time, said Gale.

In addition to performances by school groups, the variety of programs included breakfasts and luncheons for veterans and their families, special displays featuring photos of veterans, flag retirement ceremonies and the presentation of quilts to military members or relatives.

Gale said the value of such programs is that they have a lasting impact, both on veterans and the students who take part.

Some of the unique activities that schools reported to Sec. Gale included:

 A soldier who recently returned from Afghanistan and presented Central Elementary School in McCook with a flag that he carried aboard the Blackhawk helicopter on which he served.

 A video featuring 8th graders at Ainsworth Schools who had adopted local veterans and did special projects for them throughout the year.

I applaud the students, educators and staff members who work so hard to put these events together, Gale added. It reinforces the importance of community ties and civic engagement in a way that is very interactive and hands-on.

List of area participating schools are: Arthur County: Arthur County Schools; Brown County: Ainsworth Community Schools; Cherry County: Valentine Community School; Custer County: Arnold Public Schools, Broken Bow Public Schools; Dakota County: Covington Elementary, Homer Community School, South Sioux City Middle School; Dawson County: Gothenberg Public Schools, Lexington High School, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller Public Schools; Deuel County: South Platte Public Schools; Dundy County: Dundy County Stratton High School; Frontier County: Eustice-Farnam Public Schools, Maywood Public Schools, Medicine Valley Public Schools; Furnas County: Arapahoe Public Schools, Southern Valley Elementary; Garfield County: Burwell Public Schools; Grant County: Hyannis Area Schools; Hayes County: Hayes Center Schools; Hooker County: Mullen Public Schools; Keith County: Prairie View Public Schools; Lincoln County: Eisenhower Elementary School, Hershey Public Schools, Jefferson Elementary School, Maxwell Public Schools; Logan County: Stapleton Public Schools; McPherson County: McPherson County Schools; Perkins County: Perkins County Schools; Phelps County: Bertrand Public Schools, Loomis Public School; Red Willow County: Central Elementary School, McCook Elementary School, McCook Junior High.
Man accused had previously contended he was being secretly controlled by CIA

PENUELAS, Puerto Rico (AP)  The brother of a man accused of killing five people at a Florida airport questioned Saturday why his brother was allowed to keep his gun after U.S. authorities knew hed become increasingly paranoid and was hearing voices.

Esteban Santiago, 26, had trouble controlling his anger after serving in Iraq and told his brother that he felt he was being chased and controlled by the CIA through secret online messages. When he told agents at an FBI field office his paranoid thoughts in November, he was evaluated for four days, then released without any follow-up medication or therapy.

The FBI failed there, Bryan Santiago told The Associated Press. Were not talking about someone who emerged from anonymity to do something like this.

Speaking in Spanish outside his familys house in Penuelas, the brother said: The federal government already knew about this for months, they had been evaluating him for a while, but they didnt do anything.

Bryan Santiago said he noted that his brother was behaving differently when he returned from Iraq.

He sometimes couldnt control his anger, he said. You could tell something had changed.

Bryan Santiago said that when he went to visit his brother in Alaska last August, he said Santiago told him he was hearing voices and felt he was being chased.

Authorities in Alaska on Saturday defended their interactions with Esteban Santiago. FBI Special Agent in Charge Marlin Ritzman told a news conference that Santiago broke no laws when he walked into the Anchorage FBI office making disjointed comments about mind control. He characterized Santiago as a walk-in complaint, which he said offices around the country receive daily.

Anchorage police were called to the office by the agency and took Santiago to a mental health facility, Police Chief Chris Tolley said.

Santiago, who believed he was being influenced by the so-called Islamic State, had left a gun and his newborn child in his vehicle when he went to the FBI office. Police held the gun until Santiago was released and contacted him about picking up the weapon, which he did on Dec. 8, Tolley said.

Authorities would not confirm whether he used the same gun Friday. There is speculation that it is the same gun. I have not received confirmation that it, in fact, is that gun, Tolley said.

In recent years, Esteban Santiago  a new dad  had been living in Anchorage. But there were signs of trouble.

He was charged in a domestic violence case in January 2016, damaging a door when he forced his way into a bathroom at his girlfriends Anchorage home. The woman told officers he yelled at her to leave, choked her and smacked her on the side of the head, according to charging documents.

A month later, municipal prosecutors said he violated the conditions of his release when officers found him at her home during a routine check. He told police he had lived there since he was released from custody the previous month. His Anchorage attorney, Max Holmquist, declined to discuss his client.

Tolley detailed other complaints of physical disturbances last year involving Santiago but said officers either found no probable cause for arrest or were told by the city prosecutor not to arrest him.

Bryan Santiago said his brother had requested psychological help but barely received any.

I told him to go to church or to seek professional help, he said.

Family members have said Esteban Santiago changed after serving a yearlong tour in Iraq. He was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was 2, his brother said. He grew up in Penuelas before joining the Guard in 2007.

He deployed in 2010 as part of the Puerto Rico National Guard, spending a year with an engineering battalion, according to Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.

Esteban Santiagos mother wiped tears from her eyes as she stood inside a screen door Saturday. She said her son had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode near two friends while serving in Iraq.

Alaska National Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead told The New York Times that two soldiers in Santiagos company had died during his stint in Iraq.

Former neighbor Ursula Candelario in Penuelas recalled seeing Esteban Santiago grow up and said people used to salute him after he joined the Guard. He was very peaceful, very educated, very serious, she said. Were in shock. I couldnt believe it.

Since returning from Iraq, Santiago served in the Army Reserves and the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage, Olmstead told AP. He was serving as a combat engineer in the Guard before his discharge for unsatisfactory performance. His military rank upon discharge was E3, private first class, and he worked one weekend a month with an additional 15 days of training yearly, Olmstead said.

She would not elaborate on his discharge. The Pentagon said he went AWOL several times and was demoted and discharged.

While it is unclear if Esteban Santiago had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, as many as one in five veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan develop the affliction each year, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A 2014 Veterans Affairs study found that almost 30 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who sought treatment at VA hospitals were diagnosed with PTSD symptoms.

His uncle and aunt in New Jersey were trying to make sense of what they were hearing about Santiago. FBI agents arrived at their house to question them on Friday.

Maria Ruiz told The Record newspaper that her nephew had recently become a father to a son and was struggling.

It was like he lost his mind, she said in Spanish of his return from Iraq. He said he saw things.

Santiago was flying from Anchorage on a Delta flight and had checked only one piece of luggage, which contained the gun.

Sen.-elect Nelson Cruz, who knew the family and represents the town where they live in Puerto Rico, said he had been talking regularly with Bryan Santiago since the shooting.

Theyre very humble and very Christian people, Cruz said. They want to tell the families of the victims that theyre extremely saddened and extremely upset by what happened.
This week we reset Civility in the Classroom at Steel City Academy in Gary.

It was the perfect time because once a quarter, Steel City does a week called Gear in Flame.

The Gear courses are chances for students to catch up on missing or behind assignments. The Flame courses are led by community partners who come in to the school and teach the kids something totally different. An example this week was a board game course.

Civility in the Classroom (CITC) was held all day Tuesday and half of Friday. We have two teachers and classes taking the course, led by Duane Krambeck and Joshua Moore.

Tuesday was spent getting buy in from the students. We presented what the course is and how it will look. Then we had the students draw/write what the program is on posters (attached) and then do a "mic drop," activity, where they had to explain CITC in 30 seconds to the class.

It went swimmingly. Students got it quickly.

For reader's purposes, here is my mic drop:

"Civility in the Classroom gives students a set of real-world experiences that allows them to think about the world beyond their classrooms and neighborhoods. It gives students the mental skills for after high school, when they will encounter people of other backgrounds, races and values. It teaches students how to recognize injustices within a larger system and empowers them to be the voices to disable those systems. CITC is creating a generation of informed leaders who are politically active and civically engaged."

BOOM!

We then spent time creating a classroom contract to establish the classroom a safe space.

The afternoon was spent on news literacy, a favorite subject of mine personally, so I led the lessons.

We are using the lesson plans from Facing History and Ourselves called Facing Ferguson: News Literacy in a digital age.

The students seemed to get really into it. They have a lot of great activities and videos that spur discussion. And it did.

The students are ninth graders so they had heard a bit about Michael Brown and Ferguson but didn't have the details. This lesson allowed them to do a deep dive.

I asked the students if they would be more likely to look for news now, and got a few yeses! Exciting for a newspaper reporter.

On Friday, we had a party and asked the students some questions for a future Byline podcast about the program.

One question I asked for me, because I needed to know, was whether the students would sign up for a program like CITC if they didn't have to take it.

The answers warmed my heart.

Everyone said yes and had great reasons for it, including that they want to gain the skills to stand up for themselves and their people in a positive way. They want to learn how to leverage their strengths to help the world become a better place and they see the value in this program.

Put that one in the win column!

LIGHTHOUSE

Meanwhile, over at Lighthouse College Prep Academy, we are very excited to announce that CITC has turned into an actual class.

Right now, CITC is being taught during advisory, or homeroom. It's a short time to have real discussions, but we are making it work.

But this class is five days a week for 90 minutes. We are going to be able to really get into it in there. The students are also juniors and seniors so it's an older crowd.

We are so excited for this. Thank you to Erica Young and Susie Choi for pushing this in their school. Thanks to the teacher, Michael Carson, for taking it on.

Stay tuned!
VALPARAISO  HealthLinc, a federally qualified health center with locations around Northwest Indiana, is set to move into a new headquarters.

HealthLinc is moving its corporate headquarters this month from Eastporte Center in Valparaiso, 951 Transport Drive, to the building currently owned by the Visiting Nurse Association of Porter County, 2401 Valley Drive. The move comes as HealthLinc has experienced significant growth over the past four years, in part due to the increased funding for federally qualified health centers under the Affordable Care.

We expect our rapid growth to continue, stated HealthLinc CEO Beth Wrobel. The corporate headquarters is currently operating out of two separate buildings, which has presented challenges.

As a condition of purchase, a portion of the VNA operations will remain in the building until they can find a space that fits their needs.

HealthLinc moved into its current building in 2012, but outgrew that space within three years and earlier this year had to move the financial department to a secondary building located in the same Eastport Center area. The health center wanted to bring all of its corporate functions back under one roof.
The past finally caught up with hundreds convicted of serious traffic offenses in Lake Station City Court.

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles recently announced it has imposed sanctions, including the suspension of driver's licenses, on approximately 700 drivers for serious violations that, in some cases, occurred as long as eight years ago.

This belated reckoning is the result of a long-running failure in the Lake Station City Court to report convictions of OWI (Operating a vehicle While Intoxicated), reckless driving and other traffic violations to state officials between 2008 and 2014.

LaPorte County Prosecutor John Espar, who oversaw a state police investigation, called it a "general and widespread failure" of the court's legal duty.

But no one will pay the price for justice delayed.

Espar concluded in a report made public last week that although it was clear Miranda Brakley was the city court clerk who was responsible for not sending the reports, there is no evidence she or anyone else committed bribery, official misconduct or was a ghost employee under current state law.

He said the General Assembly changed the legal definition of official misconduct in 2011 to decriminalize a public official's failure to perform official duties, and any of Brakley's failures to report convictions to the BMV prior to 2011 now are beyond the state's five-year statute of limitations.

A Times computer-assisted probe of court records suggests hundreds of other Lake Station City Court traffic convictions before Brakley was hired in 2008, and after she was terminated in June 2012, may not have been sent to the BMV, either.

The Times also found those charged in Lake Station City Court were more likely to have their drunken driving charges reduced by the county prosecutor than in OWI cases handled during the same period by the county courts in Crown Point.

Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter said more offenders now are being convicted of OWI in line with his promise last summer that he would tighten up enforcement of drunken driving prosecutions.

Ghost convictions haunt court

Scrutiny of Lake Station City Court began after the March 25, 2016, arrest of Randolph L. Randy Palmateer, business manager for the Northwestern Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council, by Hammond police at a sobriety checkpoint.

The Lake County prosecutor's office originally charged Palmateer with OWI, then let him plead guilty to the reduced charge of reckless driving six weeks later.

This outcome flew in the face of Carter's policy of getting tough with repeat offenders, since it was the second time Palmateer avoided an OWI conviction in five years.

Carter said he didn't know Palmateer had received a similar plea-agreement reduction in Lake Station City Court in 2011, because his staff was misled. They found no 2011 conviction for Palmateer, because the city court never reported it to the BMV, as required by state law.

Carter found other OWI cases that weren't transmitted downstate from Lake Station and called in state police and Espar last spring to determine if a crime was committed, and who was responsible for hundreds of violators not having penalties assessed against them.

State police investigators questioned numerous witnesses, including former and current city judges, clerks and deputy clerks, BMV representatives and technicians of the county's court database of traffic violation records.

Espar stated in his final report as a special prosecutor there was no evidence bribes were solicited or received for Brakley's squirreling the convictions away in the court's file.

He also said that although she failed to submit convictions to the BMV as her job required, "Under current law, whether good, bad or indifferent, a public servant my not be prosecuted for official misconduct, based exclusively upon a general failure to perform a statutory duty."

Nine of 10 cases not reported to BMV

The Times also obtained electronic records of all OWI cases heard in city court for a wider time period, starting with 2007, the final year of former city Judge Kristina Kantar, and ending in 2015, the final year of former city Judge Christopher Anderson, who now is Lake Station mayor.

The Times' computer-assisted analysis of those court records found 1,269 OWI cases were filed in Lake Station City Court between 2007 to 2015.

Of those, some 1,076 cases ended in a conviction, dismissal or some other court-ordered resolution.

And of those 1,076 disposed cases, only 112  10.4 percent  appear to have been referred downstate to the BMV, according to court records.

In a year-by-year breakdown, it also is unclear whether any of the 186 cases were sent downstate in 2007, the year before Brakley took over as city court clerk.

Only 11 of 134 cases in Lake Station were transmitted to the BMV in 2008, Brakley's first year as court clerk; only 38 of 176 in 2009; only 10 of 111 in 2010; and none of the 104 cases in 2011, according to court data provided to The Times.

Anderson fired Brakley in June 2012 when only 29 of 136 cases were sent downstate. In the following three years, only 24 of 229 cases were reported to the BMV.

"The job wasn't getting done," Anderson said recently.

"I've said before, you can make the argument I was in charge of the court so pass the blame to me if you wish, but state law says the clerk is legally responsible for sending those convictions down."

Anderson argued Brakley, a clerk of that city's court from 2008 until her termination in 2012, had both the training and responsibility for transmitting convictions and driving restrictions to the BMV over that period and failed to do so.

Brakley and Thomas Vanes, her defense attorney, declined to comment last week on the special prosecutor's report, but Vanes earlier last year questioned whether instructions for transmission of orders were ever given to the staff.

No one noticed the records problem

Anderson acknowledges the records-transmission process requires more transparency and supervision.

Anderson said he didn't have time to personally oversee the court's clerical duties since he only served part time as a city judge.

He said at the time Brakley was his clerk, he was concentrating on more serious suspicions that she was stealing public funds.

He instigated an investigation that eventually led to her conviction in U.S. District Court in Hammond last year for stealing about $16,000 from Lake Station City Court. She repaid the money and served a term of probation.

"There was so many other things happening at the time I terminated her, it didn't cross my mind to double-check to see if (records transmission) part of the job was being done," Anderson said.

Anderson said he now hopes to improve record-handling by putting in place internal controls that assure no one person is responsible for such key duties.

BMV officials have said they don't independently monitor the disposition of thousands of traffic charges in courts across Indiana's 92 counties, so they were unaware of the unreported Lake Station cases.

Dennis Buterbaugh, executive director of communications for the BMV, said approximately 700 Lake Station court records and orders from between 2008 and 2014 finally arrived last June.

"BMV applied the appropriate action to the records based on the offense. It took BMV Records Management a couple of weeks to process the orders. Some were suspensions applied back in June," Buterbaugh said.

Drunken driving conviction rates

The Times survey of Lake Station's OWI cases between 2007 and 2015 found that only 275 of 1,076 disposed cases  25.6 percent  resulted in some form of operating while intoxicated conviction.

By comparison, Lake Station's OWI conviction rate was smaller than that found in previous Times studies of similar cases filed in the Lake Superior Courts in Crown Point, where at least 36 percent of the cases ended in OWI pleas or convictions.

More than 74 percent of the Lake Station court cases  801  ended with guilty pleas or convictions to lesser charges; specifically, in 649 of those cases, the prosecutor's office agreed to let the offenders plead guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving.

Anderson said city and town courts handle only minor drunken driving cases  the kind most likely to be reduced to reckless driving, while Superior Court cases typically have more aggravating factors that discourage lenient plea bargains.

Carter said veteran supervisors in his office ensure the same policies and practices in Superior Courts also are used in Lake County's 10 municipal courts.

He said reductions will be considered only in cases where the evidence of intoxication and impairment is weak.

MADD supports tighter OWI enforcement

Lael Hill, spokeswoman for Indiana's Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said, "MADD believes that all who are charged with DUI/DWI offenses should be prosecuted as charged, rather than be allowed to negotiate to a lesser offense, especially a non-alcohol-related offense.

"MADD advocates for a system in Indiana that will administer progressively more severe sanctions to deter offenders who have not been detected and reduce recidivism of those who have been detected. We would gladly support those initiatives, as it will undeniably save lives," she said.

Carter acknowledged last summer too many OWI cases were being reduced. He pledged to begin directing his staff of attorneys to insist on guilty pleas to OWI charges or take their cases to trial.

Vanes, who has served as a Lowell town judge and a deputy prosecutor in addition to his defense practice, said, "I've seen it. The lawyers in his office are a little tight about keeping to their guidelines. They are just not going to budge."

Anderson said, "When I used to be a deputy prosecutor, they tried do away with reductions to reckless driving. What happened was everyone set their cases for trial. We had a backlog of cases that clogged up the court."

Carter said, "There are a few attorneys who stall in the hope the policy may change. Most of them are accepting the (OWI) plea, and it hasn't clogged up the courts with a lot of trials. I don't think we've had an OWI trial requested yet."
VALPARAISO  School officials have begun replenishing the district's rainy day fund after it took a hit from state funding cuts in previous years.

The Valparaiso Community Schools board last month approved transferring $3.15 million to the rainy day fund, which allows schools and other government agencies to save unused tax dollars for future use.

The board on Dec. 15 approved transferring $1.65 million from the general fund, which can be used for almost any school cost. It also approved the transfer of $1.5 million, which was collected as a part of a local property tax increase approved by a local voter referendum.

School financial adviser Karl Cender told the board said the move helps restore the fund that was depleted six years ago when the state cut education funding.

The transfer puts the school district's rainy day fund balance at $5 million, said Superintendent E. Ric Frataccia.

Frataccia said the district is committed to saving money for unexpected uses in the future.

Voters in Center Township approved two tax hikes  one to fund improvements to the schools, and one that could be spent on things like teacher salaries and developing curriculum.

The referendum money set aside last month is money dedicated to curriculum improvement, said board member Mark Massel.

He said that money, although placed in the rainy day fund, must still be used for its intended purpose.

Much of the district's rainy day fund was depleted after the state cut the district's 2011 general fund budget by almost $2 million.

Massel said because school funding in Indiana is in large part tied to the sales tax, when there is a downturn in the economy, the schools could face another financial crisis.

"The one thing we can guarantee in the future is there will be another downturn in the economy at some point in time, he said.

The reduction was part of $4.2 million in operating revenue cuts the state made to the district's general fund from 2010 to 2012.

Gradual spending cuts begun in 2010, but the school district had to scramble in 2012 to cut $3.2 million from its budget when officials realized previous cuts were not aggressive enough.
VALPARAISO  The four clock faces at the top of the Porter County Courthouse are working after years of sitting idle.

The improvement excites Porter County Commissioner Jeff Good, R-Center, not just because passersby will now be able look up and see the time.

The fix, he said, is symbolic of something much bigger  improvement.

The commissioners set out a year ago with an ambitious plan to revamp the way maintenance is handled within and outside of the 18 buildings owned by county government. Years of relying nearly exclusively on costly outside help was ditched in favor of putting a few professional tradesmen on the county payroll in hope of saving money and improving response times for all but the most technical work.

The risk already has paid off, according to Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South.

"We're doing more with the same dollars," she said.

Matthew Stechly, who took over a year ago as facilities director, produced a lengthy list of projects and improvements that already have been accomplished.

At the heart of the effort is a new online work order system that for the first time brings maintenance requests to a centralized location to be addressed, he said. The various departments had been taking it upon themselves to report problems in different ways or simply hire someone to do the work and then send the county the bill.

"The biggest win of all is efficiency," Stechly said.

All but 11 of the 281 work orders during the final three months of the year were handled in-house, he said.

Having a thorough list of work orders allows the county to recognize patterns to aid in maintenance, Good said.

"Now we are able to have the data to make those decisions," he said.

The Porter County Council agreed in March to hire the three new maintenance employees at $60,000 a year each.

Stechly initially requested four new maintenance employees, but the number was reduced to three by council members, who voiced concern about having had bad experiences in the past when relying too heavily either on employees or contractors for maintenance needs.

The three new employees include a plumber, electrician and heating/air conditioning specialist. There are now 17 employees in the department, including the three techs, three groundskeepers, two part-time people and a janitorial staff.

In addition to saving on the cost of labor, the in-house approach has eliminated the mark-up cost on materials, Stechly said.

The improvements also have made equipment run more efficiently, which will lead to even greater savings, Good said.

Blaney believes the improved maintenance around the county also helps with employee morale.

"They're feeling better about working here," she said.
PORTAGE  Portage's nonprofit economic development group, PEDCO, received a tough blow at the end of 2015.

The city's Redevelopment Commission stopped funding the agency in 2016, instead hiring its own economic development director.

The commission had provided $81,000 to PEDCO in 2015, about two-thirds of the organization's budget.

A year later, the nonprofit group has been renamed and rebranded. It's now the Portage Economic Development Corp. It is gaining a full board membership, attracting partners and working closely with the city.

Andy Maletta, hired by the city last year as its economic development director, also is serving as the executive director of the Portage EDC. The city is back to helping fund the agency, providing $40,000 to its budget for this year.

"It took us a good part of the year to work on developing the relationship. We went on a retreat to talk about how we would function and how it would be funded," Maletta said. "We came out with a new name, new vision, new mission statement and new roles."

"It is really important to have a separate economic development corporation," said Diane Thalmann, board president and economic development manager at NIPSCO.

Thalmann said a nonprofit organization can provide services that a city economic development department cannot.

For instance, many businesses looking for a community in which to locate, come into town under a veil of secrecy. They would rather initially deal with a nonprofit agency than the government agency. The EDC also provides a continuity when government administrations change, she said.

Thalmann and Maletta said the plan is for the two groups to work together. The EDC may be the initial contact with a developer or site locator and can walk them through that part of the process, turning it over to the city's department when it is time to go through the city's planning and approval process. It makes the process more seamless, they said.

"The process sends a real positive message that this community works together," Thalmann said.

Shesaid the group will also work with existing businesses in the city on retention and expansion efforts. Another goal is working on workforce development.

"The No. 1 thing companies are looking for is the workforce," she said, adding if a community doesn't have readily available and appropriately trained individuals, a developer or company could move on. To that end, the EDC will be working with both the local schools and postsecondary universities and colleges to make sure training is available.

They also will continue to sponsor programs such as the Manufacturing 360 day which took several hundred high school students through six local businesses to learn what they do and what skills are needed to fill those jobs.

Thalmann said the group will continue to work on partnerships with industrial Realtors, the state and site selectors as well as local businesses and educators. She said they also will be forming active committees to pursue some of the group's goals.
The American Heart Association in Northwest Indiana is kicking off the second year of the Little Hats, Big Hearts campaign by collecting knitted or crocheted red baby hats. This year, the campaign is being sponsored locally by Bosak Auto Group.

Little Hats, Big Hearts launched in 2014 collecting hundreds of hats in the first year. The program has now expanded to 33 states with a collection of thousands. The program raises awareness of heart disease, the No. 1 killer of Americans, and congenital heart defects, the most common type of birth defect in the country.

Hats will be collected from now through the end of February and can be dropped off at your local Bosak Auto Group location. Volunteers are encouraged to visit www.heart.org/LittleHatsBigHearts for adorable hat patterns and more information about the initiative and drop off locations throughout Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.

Last year we collected 1,000 hats from knitters and crocheters in the region and were hoping that in our second year we can be just as successful and spread awareness that is going to help the smallest hearts in our community, said Erin Crawford, American Heart Association Corporate events director.

The American Heart Association is looking for hats in both newborn and preemie sizes made of yarn that is red, cotton or acrylic, medium to heavy weight, and machine washable and dryable. Donations of yarn also are accepted.

Accompanied by volunteer MaryAnn Hansen and her 14-month-old granddaughter Quinn, the American Heart Association will distribute the hats to babies born in participating hospitals throughout the Northwest Indiana region throughout February, American Heart Month.

Send hats or yarn donations to Indianas Little Hats Big Hearts distribution office: American Heart Association, C/O: Amber Conniff  Little Hats Big Hearts for Northwest Indiana, 6500 Technology Center Drive, suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46278

Drop hats or yarn donations off at: Bosak Honda, Highland; Bosak Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Merrillville; Bosak Honda, Michigan City; Bosak Kia, Burns Harbor; and Bosak Chevrolet, Burns Harbor.

To learn more about the program here in Northwest Indiana, call 219-765-0127 or visit www.heart.org/LittleHatsBigHearts
EAST CHICAGO  Weeks after learning 18 of 43 homes tested by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the USS Lead Superfund site produced high lead levels in the water, residents say they are not willing to take the city at its word that the drinking water is safe.

Residents during a community meeting Saturday insisted they push the city and the EPA for water filters and bottled water for all residents living on toxic soil until the extent of contamination in aging lead service lines can be researched.

East Chicago Councilwoman Christine Vasquez, D-4th, was one of two council members in attendance Saturday. She said East Chicagos water complies with EPA standards, and the lead likely came from services just outside or even inside homes, not from the citys water mains.

(The city says) our water is clean in East Chicago. We have areas that are affected by this, of course, but we dont want to instill the fear in all the residents that you cant drink the water, you cant cook with the water, you cant bathe, Vasquez said.

She suggested residents take precautionary measures, such as installing a water filter and running cold water for several minutes before showering.

But Andrea Jurado, 46, said the EPA advised her mother, whose drinking water produced elevated levels during recent testing, not to brush her teeth in the bathroom.

Its one thing that city officials are saying that the water is safe but if EPA is telling you cant do anything with that water, how safe can it be? Jurado said, noting EPA provided her mother with a water filter for the kitchen faucet.

Similar concerns were raised Saturday by residents living elsewhere in East Chicago, which, like many older cities, are grappling with aging lead service lines.

EPA conducted the testing last year as part of a pilot program as the agency cleaned properties in the middle and eastern parts of the Calumet neighborhood where high levels of lead and arsenic contaminants were found in the soil.

The EPA used a type "sequential testing," where water is tested at various points along the city's water pipeline to determine whether digging may cause lead particles from old pipes to enter the water supply. The city nor the EPA plans to conduct further such water testing, officials have said.

About 1,000 homes are in the Superfund site, designated in 2009 by the EPA, including rental units in the public West Calumet Housing Complex. The complex was built in the early 1970s on the footprint of a lead smelter operation, whereas many of the homes in the eastern portion of the Superfund site were built before 1939.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management advised the city back in September to change its corrosion control blend to further prevent lead from leaching into the into customer service lines, according to documents regarding the citys August petition to increase its water rates with the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor.

Debbie Chizewer, one of the attorneys at Northwestern University Pritzker Law Schools Environmental Law Clinic working on behalf of residents, told residents Saturday to keep pressure on the city to use appropriate anti-corrosive treatment and to ensure the treatment's effectiveness is routinely tested.

Chizewer said she is researching options for further water testing in the Superfund site.

Lake County Councilwoman Christine Cid, D-East Chicago, also attended Saturday's meeting. She offered to help residents with bottle water drive, saying they shouldnt wait for local, state or federal officials to do so.

Other issues raised Saturday include lowered home values in the Superfund site and ensuring children with lead poisoning receive medical treatment.
GARY  City officials said their biggest issue they face with the former Gary Sanitary Landfill is the sandy material that was placed on the site when it was closed and finding the money to replace the material.

The city recently responded to a letter from state officials that indicated various violations have taken place at the closed landfill over the past few years.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management's notice of violation regarding the closed Gary Sanitary Landfill at 1900 Burr St. is based on inspections done on July 31, 2014, and Sept. 2, 2015. The notice was sent to the city on Aug. 3 of last year.

The state has sent a proposed order that, if agreed upon by Gary officials, would call for the city to pay a penalty of $6,375. The order also calls for the city to remove material state officials say has been improperly dumped at the closed site and repair of a leachate collection system so that two of the pumps at the J-Pit lift station are fully operational. Leachate is the contaminated water that comes out of a landfill, but city officials said there is no indication that the leachate is migrating from the landfill to the J-Pit area.

Brenda Scott-Henry, director of the city's Department of Environmental and Green Urbanism Affairs, said some of the issues raised, including removal of recyclable material dumped at the site, have taken place. City officials said both lift stations in the area, including the Colfax Lift Station cited in the report, are "operational and working properly to transport GSL leachate to the Gary Sanitary District for treatment."

In addition, city spokeswoman LaLosa Burns said the city has maintenance contracts in place and a spare pump in reserve to ensure continued operation of the lift station.

Ryan Clem, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, also said results from monthly sampling of discharge from the J-Pit "have not show the need for additional action to address the discharge."

City officials noted though they also are evaluating some design improvement options to the Colfax Lift Station for this year.

The report also said the vegetation on the covering of the landfill is not being maintained, or controlled, properly with some patches of barren ground and other areas of excess vegetation.

Scott-Henry said the materials used to cover the landfill after it stopped accepting waste in 1997 consisted mostly of sand. She said clay should have been used, which is standard at other such sites. She said lack of funding has hampered the city from correcting the problem. City officials are expected to discuss the issue further with state officials this year.

The closed landfill is across the street from the J-Pit, a 114-acre abandoned sand mine at 1700-2100 Colfax St. The J-Pit was a major focus of a report issued two years ago by the Hoosier Environmental Council. According to the council's report, the abandoned sand mine represented "a five-decade legacy of prevarication and broken promises, beginning with the original promise that the sand mine would be turned into a sportsman's club only to be later slated for a waste dump."

The pit was to be gradually filled in under a contract between Gary and Beemsterboer Slag Corp. The HEC report of two years ago said residents reported seeing noncompliant fill being dumped with no effective oversight by authorities. A feasibility study funded by revenue generated from the J-Pit is currently in draft form.

Scott-Henry said the city did not agree with the report and said she would like to speak with representatives of the Hoosier Environmental Council about the J-Pit situation.
CEDAR LAKE  The Hanover Community School Corp. board accepted grant money and a loan as well as approved repair and paving quotes during its final meeting of 2016.

The board accepted the $30,000 grant, and a $220,000 loan from the Common School Loan program. The loan can be used for technology purposes and carries a 1 percent rate. Last year, the corporation used a loan from the same program to buy computers for middle and elementary schools.

The board also approved a payment of $55,000 to St. John Paving for work at St. John Elementary School. Roof repair also recently was completed at Hanover Central Highs west gym, and a repair payment of $16,000 from Korellis Roofing was approved.
IU Northwest celebrates Jan. 19

GARY  At 6 p.m. Jan. 19, IU Northwest welcomes Joy DeGruy, acclaimed researcher, educator and presenter to its Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium stage in the Savannah Center. DeGruy is the author of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: Americas Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing. To learn more about DeGruy, visit www.joydegruy.com. Contact Tierra Jackson at 219-980-6596 or jacksoti@iun.edu.

Breakfast Saturday

GARY  The 38th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast is at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Genesis Convention Center. The winner of the Martin Luther King Drum Major award is announced at breakfast. Eight candidates have been nominated for the award this year. Tickets, if still available, are $35 a person. Contact attorney Clorius L. Lay at 219-712-1494 for further information.

Annual candlelight march

HAMMOND  Dream with a Purpose is the theme to the Annual MLK Candlelight March to be held at 6:45 a.m. Monday at Hammond City Hall, with lineup beginning at 6:30 and concludes at the Hammond Civic Center, where the festivities continue at the annual indoor celebration service. For more information, contact Owana Miller at 219-853-6358, ext. 2.

PNW honors rights leader

Purdue University Northwest will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a variety of activities throughout the month at the Hammond and Westville campuses. All the Valuing Our Shared Humanity events are free and open to the public.

The PNW Westville Campus will host the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration Breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Monday in the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex Great Hall. Doors open at 7:45 a.m. Reservations are not required. The mornings theme will be We Shall Overcome.

The keynote speaker will be Garrard McClendon, assistant professor and researcher at Chicago State University. A noted Chicago-area television personality, he is host of the PBS program, CounterPoint, and earned an Emmy Award for "Off 63rd with Garrard McClendon. He also directed the anti-violence film, "Forgiving Cain. The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority invites guests to bring new or gently used hats, gloves, socks, scarves, coats, sweaters and other seasonal wraps for donation to local families in need.

Following the celebration breakfast, PNW students of Teachers Networking Together on the Westville campus will lead activities from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Michigan City Public Library, 100 E 4th St., for children ages 3-8. There will be books, crafts, building blocks and dramatic play activities focusing on King's life.

The Civil Rights Movement through Art collection, featuring pieces from the collection of Margaret Burroughs, co-founder of the Ebony Museum of Chicago, now the DuSable Museum of African American History, will be on display from Tuesday to Jan. 31. The collection will be displayed on the Hammond Campus in the third floor display case of the Student Union & Library and on the Westville campus in the first floor display case of the Library-Student-Faculty Building.

A Peace Jam Workshop and Competition, Using Hip Hop to Unite, is scheduled Jan. 24. The event invites PNW students and middle and high school students participating in the Hammond campuss Upward Bound and Educational Talent Search programs and the Westville campuss College Bound Educational Talent Search program to explore how hip hop may be used to unite people across lines that sometime divide, such as race, gender, ethnicity and national origins.

The workshop begins at 1 p.m., in DSAC Room 1115, Westville and at 6 p.m. on the Hammond campus in Alumni Hall on the third floor of the Student Union & Library. The public is invited to watch.

The PNW Hammond campus will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. convocation at 11 a.m. Jan. 26 in the Student Union & Librarys Alumni Hall. Its theme, A New Perspective of Dr. Kings Birth of a New Nation Address: Ensuring that Human Rights are Respected, focuses on the sermon King delivered April 7, 1957, at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

Valparaiso University events

VALPARAISO  VU's 27th annual MLK celebration is Monday. There will be a daylong program with lectures, presentation, interactive discussions with participants able to choose one of four tracks on the theme of justice. The keynote speaker that day is Cornel West.

Other events at VU include:

Young Aspiring Artists Artwork Exhibition reception and award ceremony, 5-6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Harre Union.

Law School Lecture featuring professor Angela Onwuachi-Willig, UC-Berkeley, 45 p.m., Thursday, Wesemann Hall.

Community Conversations featuring readings of speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., noon  1 p.m., Friday, various locations throughout Valparaiso.

Screening of the documentary 13th, the Journey from Shackles to Prison Bars," 25 p.m., Saturday, Neils Science Center Classroom 234.

The Law Schools annual Talk to a Lawyer event, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday, Wesemann Hall.

Mock Trial: Dress Code or Islamophobia, 5:30 p.m., Jan. 19, Wesemann Hall.
The American Red Cross has a severe winter blood shortage and is issuing an emergency call for blood and platelet donors to make a donation appointment now and help save patient lives.

Hectic holiday schedules for many regular blood donors contributed to about 37,000 fewer donations in November and December than what was needed. Snowstorms and severe weather also have impacted donations. Nearly 100 blood drives were forced to cancel in December, resulting in more than 3,100 blood donations going uncollected.

Blood and platelet donations are critically needed in the coming days so that patients can continue to receive the lifesaving treatments they are counting on, said Rodney Wilson, communications manager for Red Cross Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region. We encourage donors to invite a family member or friend to donate with them to help meet patient needs. Right now, blood and platelet donations are being distributed to hospitals faster than they are coming in.

Call 800-733-2767 to schedule an appointment.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

8 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, Our Lady of Grace, 3005 Condit St., Highland

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, Army National Guard - Valparaiso, 1502 Linwood Ave., Valparaiso

Noon to 6 p.m. Monday, St. Paul Catholic Church, 1855 W. Harrison Blvd., Valparaiso

Noon to 5 p.m. Monday, Merrillville Blood Donation Center, 791 E. 83rd Ave., Merrillville

Noon to 6 p.m. Monday, First Church of God, 2020 E. Lincolnway, LaPorte

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Stifel, Nicolaus and Co., Inc., 10550 Broadway, Crown Point

2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, St. Bridget Church, 107 Main St., Hobart

2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, United Methodist Church, 202 W. Church St., Hebron

2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Crown Point Community Library, 122 N. Main St., Crown Point

8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Kouts High School, 302 E. College Ave., Kouts

1:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Kouts High School, 302 E. College Ave., Kouts

11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, Kingsbury Elementary School, 802 W. County Road 400 South, LaPorte

1 to 7 p.m. Friday, Town Hall - Municipal Building, 170 S. Grace St., Wheatfield

Noon to 5 p.m. Friday, Hammond Academy of Science and Technology, 33 Muenich Court, Hammond

8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, First Presbyterian Church, 218 S. Court St., Crown Point

1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Jan. 16, St. John Kanty, 7012 North 600 East, Rolling Prairie

1 to 7 p.m. Jan. 16, St. Teresa of Avila, 1604 Lincolnway, Valparaiso

1 to 6 p.m. Jan. 16, St. John Township Community Center, 1515 Lincoln Highway, Schererville

Noon to 5 p.m. Jan. 16, Merrillville Blood Donation Center, 791 E. 83rd Ave., Merrillville

8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 17, Washington Township High School, 381 E. Ind. 2, Valparaiso

1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17, Valparaiso Nazarene Church, 2702 Glendale Ave., Valparaiso

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 17, Michiana Hematology Oncology, 1668 S. U.S. 421, Westville

7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 17, Kankakee Valley High School, 3923 W. Ind. 10, Wheatfield

1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 18, First Christian Church, 1507 Glendale Blvd., Valparaiso

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 19, Purdue University Northwest - Westville Campus, Library Student Faculty Building Room 144, 1401 S. U.S. 421, Westville

Noon to 4 p.m. Jan. 19, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, 1100 N. Mineral Springs Road, Porter

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 20, LaPorte High School, 602 F St., LaPorte

2 to 6 p.m. Jan. 20, LaPorte High School, 602 F St., LaPorte

8 a.m.to noon Jan. 21, Merrillville Blood Donation Center, 791 E. 83rd Ave., Merrillville
VALPARAISO  The Porter County Community Foundation awarded grants from its Community Fund to several nonprofit organizations.

The Family & Youth Services Bureau was awarded a grant that provided the necessary funds to have a new roof installed on its downtown Valparaiso building.

The Independent Cat Society is a nonprofit, cage-less, no-kill cat shelter that has promoted the welfare of all animals, especially cats, since 1976. In conjunction with the Trap, Neuter, Return Community Cat Clinic and local Porter County veterinarians, the funds from the grant will help spay or neuter 100 cats or dogs.

Porter County Association for Handicapped Children and Adults received funds to help make a difference and improve their clients daily lives. With the funds, it can purchase custom devices necessary for individual clients that Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance wont cover. This equipment will help children and adults enjoy everyday activities with their families in a more inclusive manner.

Porter-Starke used the funds to support its InSHAPE program that is designed to improve the physical health and wellness of people with mental illness. Participants met weekly, developed individual fitness plans, exercised, and learned about nutrition & healthy eating. The YMCA partnered with Porter-Starke to help make this nationally-recognized program possible.

Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation received funds to bring a real-life storytelling event to Northwest Indianas Memorial Opera House, which was selected as the host site for all of Chicagoland. The performance, This is My Brave, is part of a national campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues.

The Knights of Columbus Bike Project, founded by Mark Siminiski, received funds to purchase parts that will help repair donated bikes. These bikes are restored and then given away through various organizations to kids who may have only dreamed of having their own bike.

The Portage Resale shop needed new furnaces for its building, which still had its original systems from the 1960s. With the community fund grant, the new heating system is in place allowing the organization to heat the building more efficiently and expand their work into areas of the building that were previously unusable.

The Kouts Volunteer Fire Department received a grant to purchase eight new nozzles for the department. Replacing the equipment will enhance delivery of water in an emergency situation and creates uniformity of the nozzles on all five trucks. The grant also enabled firefighters to purchase a hose washer and two adapter valves.

The flooring in the activity and dining room of St. Agnes Adult Day Service Center was original to the building and had cracked and lifted after 19 years of wear and tear, resulting in a safety hazard for their clients and visitors. The new flooring is a non-slip surface that is level, and was purposefully chosen in a neutral color, allowing all participants to feel comfortable when entering the room.
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Eric Holcomb was riding the whirlwind in 2016. On the day I finally caught up with the incoming 51st governor of Indiana for a road trip, it began with a mellow cruise up Interstate 65 for a job announcement in Merrillville.

It ended with a 100-mph beeline in an Indiana State Police Chevy Tahoe down U.S. 31 as Kokomo laid in tatters following a rare August tornado.

Holcomb began the year as a third-place U.S. Senate candidate followed by a series of right time/right place scenarios that thrust him into the governors office. When Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann resigned, Gov. Mike Pence found in Holcomb a lieutenant governor who could patch the GOP together following the divisive social issues of 2015.

By early July, Pence was being courted by Donald Trump for the presidential ticket. I asked Holcomb: When did the notion sink in that he might end up on the national ticket?

Never did I throughout the whole process count the chickens before they hatched, Holcomb explained. And I waited until I heard Donald Trump utter Mike Pences name before I believed it."

On July 14, the day Pence flew out to New Jersey after a series of dinners, breakfasts and speeches with Trump in Indiana. That night, Trump seemed to waver.

At about 10:54 a.m. July 15, Trump tweeted he had chosen the governor, about 66 minutes before Pence would have to withdraw his gubernatorial nomination.

Thats when I believed it, Holcomb admitted.

What commenced was a crazy week in Cleveland at the Republican National Convention, where Holcomb and U.S. Reps. Todd Rokita and Susan Brooks twisted arms in hotel alcoves to replace Pence. There would be 22 votes on the Republican Central Committee, and it took 12 to win.

Holcomb and wife Janet took a couple days to assess.

Then we made a decision to move forward, and we were all in, he said. We knew there was a lot of support from all corners of the state, and we could put together a fast campaign, which would be required."

Holcomb would win on the second ballot, drawing the vote of Dan Dumezich, who was committed to Rokita on the first ballot. He would get $1.25 million of Pences $7 million war chest, and he and campaign manager Mike OBrien built a pay-as-you-go effort with a 100 percent burn rate.

It was like building the airplane in flight, Holcomb explained. It was kind of a bumpy ride. It was tough to land.

Through it all, he was campaigning, doing the lieutenant governors job and filling in for the governor, like that tornadic day in Kokomo.

The WTHR/Howey Politics Indiana polls showed Holcomb trailing Democrat John Gregg by 5 percent in September, 2 percent in October and tied on Nov. 3. Pollster Gene Ulm told me the presidential race would pull in the next governor.

Holcomb watched a Trump/Pence super cell build up. Trump would defeat Hillary Clinton in Indiana by 19 percent. Holcomb won by 6 percent.

Being on the ground every day, Holcomb observed, For any perceived flaw that Trump might have, Hillary was not trusted, and so it was always a comparison."

The other thing he noticed was Trump/Pence yard signs were getting ripped off, not by Democrats but by other Trumpers.

There was a black market for Trump signs, Holcomb observed.

Holcomb has dismounted the tornado with his signature cowboy boots still intact. He has Republican super majorities in the General Assembly and will hammer out a long-term road plan.

Holcomb also intends to confront the drug epidemic of meth, heroin and opioids badgering the state. He intends to avoid the social issues that hobbled Pence.

The winds will continue flowing out of Trump World.

Pence views states as innovation centers; Holcomb is ready to innovate.

The new governor is prepared to ride the coming storms once again.
Marc Chase Editor Marc Chase is a veteran investigative reporter, columnist and editor of more than two decades. He currently leads The Times news staff as local news editor. He can be reached at 219-933-3327. Follow Marc Chase Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Lake County prosecutor Bernard Carter vowed last summer his office would apply a heavier hand to drunken driving prosecutions going forward.

Now the prosecutor's office has a prime opportunity to put its money where its mouth is.

The alleged drunken driving case of yet another Region public official is at the center of this chance to prove the system is no longer soft on a crime that jeopardizes lives.

On July 19, Munster town councilman John Reed crashed his 2011 BMW into the back of another car while the vehicles were northbound on Calumet Avenue in Hammond.

Police reports indicate two people in the car struck by Reed's vehicle suffered undisclosed injuries.

Reed slurred his speech, wasn't able to fully perform aspects of a walking sobriety test and ultimately agreed to an official alcohol breath test back at the Hammond police station, a police report in the matter states.

Councilman Reed blew a .13 on the alcohol breath test  nearly twice the legally intoxicated level of .08.

Three misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated followed, and the case remains pending in Hammond City Court with a Feb. 13 hearing date.

An unrelated case in the same Hammond courtroom led to Prosecutor Carter's promise to crack down harder on drunken driving cases, which in recent years have been routinely pleaded down to lesser reckless driving counts in about 60 percent of the cases.

At nearly the exact time Reed rear-ended another vehicle and registered as legally intoxicated on the breath test, Carter promised his office would pursue drunken driving pleas or convictions, not lesser reckless driving pleas, in a majority of cases going forward.

The prosecutor did this after controversy swirled around a Hammond City Court drunken driving case involving Region union official Randy Palmateer.

Palmateer, business manager of the Northwest Indiana Building and Trades Council and a staunch ally of many local Democrats, was charged with drunken driving after failing field sobriety tests during a Hammond safety checkpoint in March 2016.

But within six weeks  light-speed for a court system usually grinding in slow gridlock  Palmateer's case quickly was pleaded down to misdemeanor reckless driving. It was the second time in about five years Palmateer had received such a deal, the first coming in Lake Station City Court in 2011.

Though Palmateer's 2011 drunken driving case was heard in Lake Station court, the alleged offense actually occurred in Crown Point and was later transferred to Lake Station. In almost identical fashion, Palmateer's 2011 charge was pleaded down to misdemeanor reckless driving.

Numerous people from the public  and some public officials  cried foul that Palmateer was afforded a reckless driving plea in 2016 after already receiving such a deal in 2011.

Prosecutor Carter even told us his department's policy generally didn't offer such plea deals to repeat offenders.

Carter blamed bureaucratic blunders by the Lake Station City Court clerk, and a breakdown in communication in his office, for the 2016 deal afforded Palmateer. You can read more about those blunders in Times reporter Bill Dolan's article in today's paper.

The fact remains that Carter has an opportunity to show the Region, in a very public way, he's serious about a tougher stance on drunken driving cases as he promised in the wake of Palmateer's repeat offenses and plea deals.

Reed is a Republican, not a member of the county's major party of power. But it matters not.

He's an elected official, who most would agree should be held to a higher standard. Even Reed agreed with that premise when I contacted him about the case last week.

Reed said he's not looking for any special deals. Carter has promised he won't provide them.

So now we must wait to see what happens in a case in which a Munster councilman tested well above the legal blood-alcohol concentration following an accident that, according to police, caused injuries.

Unfortunately, the bell can't be unrung on the handling of Palmateer's cases. And Lake County Council members and commissioners rewarded Palmateer by reinstating him as their representative on a powerful Region board, rather than appropriately showing him the door in the wake of his embarrassments.

But the new year and a new case offers an opportunity to do what's right.

Party label, likability and political allegiances are irrelevant.

It's time for Carter to prove it.
Protecting taxpayer dollars and repairing the foundering reputation of some Region government institutions are more important than political allegiances.

It's a simple message every Northwest Indiana resident should be delivering to political leaders, some of whom perennially just don't seem to get it.

The Lake County Democratic Party, in particular, is at an important crossroads at which a change in leadership is likely imminent in 2017.

The destructive consequences of each and every county taxpayer and political leader not pushing for a change in direction for the county's majority party of power are clear.

For generations, political allegiances in some Region government bodies have contributed to a climate in which more than 60 public officials or their connected contractors have been convicted for felony crimes against taxpayers.

It's why the Lake County Democratic Party has a chairman, who also happens to be county Sheriff John Buncich, under federal indictment for allegedly accepting bribes in a towing contract scheme related to the sheriff's office.

Misplaced allegiances, a sickness really, are why Democratic Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington is feeling little to no party pressure to resign his post after pleading guilty last month to battering his wife.

The potential crossroads for a new direction for the county's party of power comes in the likelihood that Buncich will be forcibly removed from his government office in 2017  if he doesn't resign of his own volition.

If he is convicted or pleads guilty in 2017 of the felony bribery charges, Indiana law will automatically revoke his position as sheriff.

It would seem, at that point, his party chairmanship would be untenable as well.

Now Lake County Democratic Party members must be pushing for a new direction.

In 2016, we were disheartened to learn of some new names being bandied about in political circles as potential future party chairmen.

One of those names, Michael Pannos, surfaced when Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. suggested he would like to see Pannos take the party's reins at some point.

Pannos was central to the corrupt East Chicago administration of former Mayor Robert Pastrick. Pannos was central to a civil lawsuit, which he settled out of court in 2014, that was filed by the Indiana attorney general's office in the last decade.

The lawsuit accused Pannos and his business of enriching themselves with millions of East Chicago taxpayer revenues siphoned to his private company with little taxpayer benefit to show for it.

If this is the type of leader top party officials turn to for potential leadership, our Region is doomed to continue experiencing a cycle of corruption that's long plagued Northwest Indiana's political reputation.

Talk of Pannos being a future party leader has died down. But who else will be considered as Buncich's successor?

With one voice, all Region residents and officials, Republican and Democrat, should be demanding a strong county Democratic Party leader bent on quashing corruption at its root.

This leader should not be a current officeholder like past chairmen. It must be someone who can focus on cleaning house and promoting candidates who stand for responsible government.

It must be someone who can apply the right pressure to oust or force resignations of officials who've admitted to crimes or otherwise sullied the reputations of their offices.

Republican officials, leaders and voters in Lake County should be part of the chorus. The Democratic Party continues holding majorities in county and municipal government offices and therefore holds sway over all people within its borders.

It's time for a healthy vetting and thorough considerations of the next Democratic party leader in Lake County, and the state party should be applying pressure as well.

If the Lake County Democratic Party truly concerns itself with the needs and well being of constituents, it will get serious about selecting a future chairman who won't become the next criminally indicted politico.
BEIRUT  A car bomb ripped through a busy commercial district in a rebel-held Syrian town along the Turkish border Saturday, killing nearly 50 in a huge explosion that damaged buildings and left rescuers scrambling to find survivors amid the wreckage, opposition activists said.

Rescuers and doctors said the explosion was so large there were nearly 100 wounded and burned. Over 50 wounded were transported to the Turkish border town of Kilis for treatment, as local hospitals couldn't cope.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Locals said a rigged tanker caused the explosion and blamed Islamic State militants, who have carried out attacks in the town before. The militant group has been increasingly pressed in Syria and Iraq, and has escalated its attacks against Turkey  which backs Syrian opposition fighters in a campaign against the group in northern Syria.

Azaz, only a couple of miles from the Turkish border, is a key town on a route used by opposition fighters moving between Syria and Turkey, and is a hub for anti-government activists as well as many displaced from the recent fighting in Aleppo city. Activists say its pre-war population of 30,000 has swelled.

It is also sandwiched between rival groups, including Kurdish fighters to the west and Turkey-backed opposition groups to the east. Islamic State militants, who have tried to advance on the key border town before have been pushed back farther east in recent months in the Turkey-backed offensive.

The bomb went off early Saturday afternoon outside a local courthouse and security headquarters operated by the opposition fighters who control the town, resident and activist Saif Alnajdi told The Associated Press from Azaz.

"It hit the busiest part of the town," Alnajdi said, referring to the administrative part of town.

A medical worker speaking to a local media outfit, al-Jisr, said many charred bodies, and body parts mixed with bones and mud, were piled up in local hospitals.

Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, said at least 48 people were killed, including 14 fighters and guards to the local courthouse. He said the explosion was caused by a rigged water or fuel tanker, which explained the large blast and high death toll. The activist-operated local Azaz Media center and Shabha Press put the death toll at 60, adding that search and rescue operations continued for hours after the explosion.

Alnajdi said rescue workers were still working to identify and remove the bodies from the area, suggesting that the death toll was not final. He said some of the severely wounded were transported across the border into the Turkish town of Kilis for treatment. The Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency said 53 wounded Syrians were brought to Kilis' local hospital for treatment, including five in critical condition, transferred to Gaziantep. The agency said one later died.

Media activist Baha al-Halabi, based in Aleppo province and who gathered information from Azaz residents, said witnesses reported many unidentified bodies. Footage shared online showed a large plume of black smoke rising above the chaotic street with the sound of gunfire in the background as onlookers gathered around the site. In one instance, a father ran away from the scene, carrying his child to safety.

The court house and the security headquarters were damaged, as well as the Red Crescent and municipality offices, according to activists in the area.

Many rebels and civilians who were pushed out of Aleppo city during a massive government offensive late last year have resettled in Azaz. Syrian Kurdish forces control territory to the west of Azaz, and have often tried advancing toward the town, causing friction with Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition fighters. To the east, opposition fighters backed by Turkey have been pushing back Islamic State extremists, gaining territory and advancing on the IS-stronghold town of al-Bab, further east. Turkey considers Syria Kurdish factions there terrorists, linked to a local group it is battling at home.

A nationwide week-long cease-fire has mostly held across most of Syria after Russia and Turkey, who support opposite sides of the conflict, reached an agreement late December. It is set to pave the way for peace talks between Assad's government and the opposition in Kazakhstan later this month. The Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked group Fatah al-Sham Front are not included in the deal, according to the Syrian government.
A 7-month-old baby boy is dead after being taken to a Brooklyn hospital unconscious early Saturday morning, according to the city police department.

Police say they received a call before 7 a.m. of possible neglect at NYU Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn.

A 25-year-old woman had brought the unconscious baby boy, Dameen Mohammed, into the emergency room, according to the city police department, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Sources told NY1 he had bruises all over his back.

Sources also told NY1 that the boy's mother brought the infant to the grandmother's home in Brooklyn, who sources said had primary care of the child.

The medical examiner has not yet determined the child's cause of death.

No arrests have been made, and police are investigating.

The boy lived on Elie Court in the Heartland Village neighborhood of Staten Island, according to police.

Neighbors NY1 spoke to said they did not know the family well, but they said they saw the parents with two children  the boy and a young girl  and they believed there was suspicious activity inside and outside the home.

"The little one we didn't see, because the little one was in a car seat," said one woman who did not want her face shown on camera. "Obviously it was an infant in the car seat, and they were constantly in and out. There was a lot of traffic, there was smoking outside."

The Administration for Children's Services said they are investigating the incident.

The agency has been under intense scrutiny lately due to several high-profile deaths of children.
Sen. Charles Schumer is urging federal authorities to audit railroad agencies to make sure they are testing train engineers for sleep apnea.

"We need the NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] to do a full investigation of all our railroads, here in New York and around the country, and let us know who's doing the right thing and who's not when it comes to safety and then force the others to get with it," New York's senior senator said.

Wednesday morning, more than 100 people suffered minor injuries when a when a Long Island Rail Road train crashed into a bumper block at Brooklyn's Atlantic Terminal.

Investigators said the engineer said he does not remember the train crashing and is undergoing tests for the disorder.

They are also looking into the backgrounds of the train cars and the crew.

The operators of the trains in the 2013 Metro-North derailment in the Bronx and last September's New Jersey Transit crash in Hoboken were both suffering from undiagnosed sleep apnea.

Schumer said the testing could ultimately save lives, and that riders deserve to know whether the federally recommended tests are being done.

Schumer also said he wants inward-facing cameras.

Four people died in the 2013 crash, and one woman died in last September's New Jersey Transit crash.

Some passengers NY1 spoke to said it is about time lessons are learned from previous accidents. Some even had safety suggestions of their own.

"It should be limited to the amount of hours they can drive," one man said at Penn Station. "When it's overtime, they drive more hours. They should be checked out to make sure they can still drive."

"Everyone should pass some type of physical examination and sleep apnea, and any type of narcolepsy or anything should be taken into account for your job," one woman said. "You have people lives in your hands."

Schumer said the NTSB has already called for safety testing but it has not been done.

"The fact that it wasn't done on the LIRR when we saw what happened in Spuyten Duyvil, when we saw what happened in New York City subways is outrageous," Schumer said. "Why didn't the whole MTA test everyone for sleep apnea?"

Schumer said the next steps are to get the NTSB to complete a review of railroad systems  not only in New York but across the country  and give each one a safety report card so that all railroads are being held to the same improved standards.
PHILADELPHIA  A movement to pressure and isolate Israel was dealt a setback on Saturday when the Modern Language Association, one of the United States largest scholarly groups, took a step toward rejecting an academic boycott of Israeli institutions.

After two hours of contentious debate and procedural jockeying at its annual meeting here, the groups delegate assembly voted 113 to 79 against a resolution endorsing a boycott, which had cited what it called Israels systematic denial of the academic freedom and educational rights of Palestinians.

Instead, the delegate council voted 101 to 93 to support a parallel measure urging the association to refrain from endorsing the boycott on the grounds that it runs counter to the groups mission of promoting teaching, research and scholarly exchange.

The anti-boycott measure will be submitted to the groups nearly 24,000 members after review by its executive council. In 2014, a more limited censure of Israel lost among the broader membership, which failed to reach a quorum.
LOS ANGELES  Golden Globes Weekend is in full dizzying swing here in Hollywood, and on Saturday the Bagger found herself invited, for the first time, to the It Girl Luncheon held by W Magazines editor-at-large, Lynn Hirschberg, on the sun-dappled patio of A.O.C., the West Hollywood restaurant.

And verily the lunch was chock-a-block with many an it girl  Amber Heard, Laura Mulleavy of the art-fashion label Rodarte, Thandie Newton, Tracee Ellis Ross, Lily Collins. It was a sea of flawless skin, diaphanous dresses, wasp waists, and carb aversion: the Bagger was one of only three at her table of 18 to not order the salad.

I always wanted to be an it girl, and I never was, Ms. Hirschberg said at the lunchs outset. But now I get to choose them.

The Bagger sat between the actresses Aja Naomi King and Eiza Gonzalez, bonding over photos of our dogs. Popping by to say hello, Ms. Hirschberg noted the Baggers absence from W Magazines annual party at the Chateau Marmont by saying, You didnt make it, but Barbra Streisand did.
The Russians may have very well gotten involved, several people said. They added that kind of interference should be combated. But many assumed that foreign actors had long tried to play favorites in American elections, and that the United States had done the same in other countries elections. Even if the Russians did do it  which some were more willing to concede than others  what difference did it make? People did not need the Russians to make up their minds about Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Trumps election opponent. Blaming her loss on the Russians was, as one Trump supporter here said, just being sore losers.

Image Paul Emenes: As long as Donald J. Trump wasnt involved, it doesnt change the way I view him. Credit... William Widmer for The New York Times

I dont think the Russians posed as big a problem to the Clintons as the Clintons posed to themselves, said Paul Emenes, 49, while he sold ribs, shoulders and chops at a frigid outdoor farmers market in Covington. Russian hacking was concerning, sure, Mr. Emenes said. He added that, as long as Mr. Trump was not involved himself, it doesnt change the way I view him.

Tina Gunaldo, 44, taking blankets off the citrus trees in her Mandeville, La., front yard after the previous nights frost, had a similar attitude.

Trump is Trump, she said. Do I think hes going to become more of a friend to Russia because of this? No I dont. I think  I hope  his focus will be on making America great again.

Ms. Gunaldo would not reveal whom she voted for, but she did say Mr. Trumps slogan resonated with her. It apparently resonated quite widely in this parish, which he won by more than 50 points. But it was a quiet support, she said. She knew of only one yard in the whole subdivision with a sign.

That yard belonged to Thurston Yates Sr.

I dont believe it, Mr. Yates, 78, said flatly of the intelligence report. He was standing in the yard under his Make America Great Again flag, which he bought at a gun show several months ago. Why would Putin even want Trump?
MEXICO CITY  An official working at the United States consulate in Guadalajara, the second-largest city in Mexico, was shot and wounded on Friday evening by a young man who stalked him in the parking lot of a shopping mall and then fired as he drove out.

The State Department official, who was not identified, was in stable condition after the shooting, a spokeswoman from the United States Embassy in Mexico City said on Saturday. Neither embassy officials nor the Mexican attorney generals office commented on a possible motive.

Guadalajara is the capital of Jalisco, the headquarters of the New Generation Jalisco cartel, an organized crime gang that has carried out violent attacks on the Mexican military and police over the past two years. But residents of the city have rarely been a focus of cartel violence.
More than 130 artists and critics have signed a petition calling for cultural institutions to close on Friday, Jan. 20, the day of President-elect Donald J. Trumps inauguration.

Cindy Sherman, Richard Serra, Louise Lawler, Joan Jonas and Julie Mehretu were among the art stars signing the invitation for a J20 Art Strike, which urges museums, galleries, concert halls, art schools and nonprofit institutions to close to protest the normalization of Trumpism, according to a statement. It is not a strike against art, theater or any other cultural form. It is an invitation to motivate these activities anew, to reimagine these spaces as places where resistant forms of thinking, seeing, feeling and acting can be produced.

Ms. Jonas, who represented the United States at the 2015 Venice Biennale, said in an interview that she hoped people would attend protests on Jan. 20. Im interested in action and protest and people expressing their feelings about this situation that were in, she said. Im concerned about minorities, immigrants, corruption and security.

Cultural institutions around the country are still mulling their moves, with some, including the Museum of Modern Art, MoMA PS1 and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma) pledging to maintain their regular hours that day. Our entire program and mission, every day, is an expression of inclusion and appreciation of every culture, Miranda Carroll, Lacmas director of communications, wrote in an email.
More than 50 luminaries from the performing arts and politics, as well as other public figures, will gather on Jan. 29 to read Elie Wiesels masterpiece Night at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan.

The event, which is presented by the museum and the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene, is meant to honor both International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan. 27) and the life of Mr. Wiesel, the Nobel laureate and prolific chronicler of the Holocaust who died last July, at 87.

The participants include the violinist Itzhak Perlman and the Broadway actor Joel Grey, known for his star turn as the M.C. in stage and film versions of the musical Cabaret. Sheldon Harnick, the celebrated lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof, and Jessica Hecht, who was in the musicals recent Broadway revival as the matron, Golde, will be there.

Other readers include the Frasier star David Hyde Pierce, the broadcast news personality Geraldo Rivera and the former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman  with his wife, Hadassah, who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors.
By doing so, Waymo is positioning itself as a mega-supplier to the industry, and a turnkey solution to transforming conventional cars into driverless models.

In the past, industry analysts were doubtful that automakers would work closely with tech companies, which were perceived as potential competitors in their core business of making and selling new vehicles.

The auto industry has to date expressed a collective wariness to allow players like Alphabet too close to the data generated by todays car platform, Adam Jonas, a Morgan Stanley analyst, said in a recent research report.

The collaboration between Waymo and Fiat Chrysler has broken new ground and whetted the interest of other automakers. Last month, Honda said it was in talks with Waymo to integrate its self-driving technology into Honda vehicles.

Other automakers, however, are choosing to keep their self-driving research private. G.M., for example, has acquired outside tech companies to bolster its own engineering teams, and it recently announced plans to manufacture self-driving versions of its new all-electric Chevrolet Bolt at a plant in suburban Detroit.

Ford Motor is also pressing ahead with efforts to introduce a new fully autonomous vehicle by 2021, and other carmakers are on similar paths, although some of their efforts are focused only on adding driver-assist features that control some of a vehicles functions, rather than developing cars that do not require a human driver to operate.

Hanging over the industry is the potential for new federal regulations addressing whether a self-driving car needs a steering wheel and pedals to operate on public roads. While the Obama administration has consistently supported the move toward autonomous cars, it is not clear whether President-elect Donald J. Trump will adopt similar policies.
Conchita Cruz and Brendan Simard Kelly were married Jan. 7 at Plymouth Congregational Church in Miami.

Ms. Cruz, 30, is keeping her name. She is a founder and a director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project at the Urban Justice Center in New York. She graduated with honors from Brown University and received a law degree from Yale.

She is the daughter of Conchita Cruz and Hector E. Cruz of Coral Gables, Fla. The brides parents retired as the owners of Sunshine School Uniforms in Miami.

Mr. Kelly, who is 33 and works in Washington, is the director of field mobilization for the Alliance for Retired Americans, an affiliate of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. that represents union retirees throughout the country. He graduated from Rutgers.
They read like descriptions of props from the script of a Hollywood heist caper, with promises to ward off attacks on all six sides from the usual suspects: hammer, crowbar, drill, blowtorch, nitroglycerin. That is the language of the brochures and websites of the citys safe dealers, a small but longstanding industry that manages fears in and around the diamond district not only of disasters like fires or explosions, but also of hypothetical supervillains.

When a safe is breached, word travels quickly. What happened? Whose safe was it? How did they get in?

Those were the sorts of questions raised last week after a team of burglars broke into a jewelers office on West 36th Street on New Years Eve. The crime was widely reported for its scope  the thieves made off with $6 million in diamonds and other gems  and its brazen timing, occurring as the ball dropped six blocks away in a neighborhood teeming with police officers. Surveillance video showing two people hitting a sixth-floor door with hammers was taken immediately after midnight, the police said, when the sound of cheers would have most likely drowned out any banging.
He was not her type. He was too old for her. She would never give him her number.

And then she did. And he called her. And they fell in love.

He called three times a day for a week before she finally answered. Alena Kastsiuk picked up the phone that May morning in 2011 only to yell at him for waking her.

How about sushi? he responded. Ms. Kastsiuk, a waitress who had worked other low-paying jobs, had little money for such luxuries. Her refrigerator was empty, so she agreed.

The sushi date lasted five and a half hours. Although he was almost twice her age, Ms. Kastsiuk, a film directing major from Belarus struggling to find her way into New Yorks film industry, discovered much in common with the Russian pianist across from her. The pianist, Vladimir Spitsberg, had arrived in New York State more than 20 years earlier, worked as a digital media arts instructor at Touro College in Manhattan and played with his band, Gypsy Fun Trio, at a Russian restaurant and piano bar in Midtown Manhattan.
Kampala, Uganda  Everyone agrees that South Sudan stands on the brink of an all-out ethnic civil war, as Yasmin Sooka, of the United Nations Human Rights Council, put it. But there is no consensus on how to move forward.

The debate in the Security Council mirrors an earlier one in the African Unions five-person Commission of Inquiry set up after mass violence erupted in South Sudan in December 2013. Led by Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria, commission members came from the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, the Unions office on Women, Peace and Security, and academia. I was one of the two academics. The commission spent over a year meeting diverse sectors of government and society, including President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, and his former vice president and rival, Riek Machar, a Nuer.

As in the African Union commission, the two sides in the Security Council disagreed on whether to take a judicial approach of sanctions and indictments or a political approach of power-sharing and reform. Favored by Western countries, the judicial approach presumes a victor or outside intervention as in the Nuremberg trials. Claiming that this would exacerbate the civil war, Russia and China call for a power-sharing arrangement. Neither the judicial nor the political alternative is without complications.

The Security Council discussion on accountability for violence in South Sudan was limited to South Sudanese involved in the killing, ignoring members of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (Unmiss) who were charged with responsibility to protect civilians but failed to prevent violence. Under pressure, the secretary general dismissed the Kenyan head of Unmiss forces but not the Norwegian head of the overall mission. The United Nations seemed to have learned little from the genocide in Rwanda and the Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian war.
The marauding forces of ISIS were finally driven last November from Nimrud, Iraqs priceless trove of Middle East history and relics situated south of Mosul. They left behind a barbaric pile of rubble after more than a year of systematically tearing apart the ancient palaces, temples and cultural treasures of what had been the capital of the Assyrian empire nearly three millenniums ago.

With ISIS gone, looters have now descended on the broken remains, gleaning the scorched earth for valuable fragments. No one is protecting the ancient grounds, despite a warning from United Nations inspectors that looters are further obliterating one of the most important archaeological sites of Mesopotamia.

Nimrud is not alone: The terrorists commitment to stamping out history and creating a fanatical caliphate has destroyed dozens of other irreplaceable sites.
WASHINGTON  I first heard about Col. Yosef Alon, a dashing Israeli diplomat, while working as a reporter in New York almost a decade ago. Colonel Alon was fatally shot in July 1973 as he got out of a car at his home in Chevy Chase, Md., after returning from a party with his wife. The F.B.I. never solved the case.

At the time, I was curious about why the F.B.I. had not found Colonel Alons killers. The cold case was extraordinary: No Israeli official had ever before been assassinated in the United States. It was, at that point, the largest investigation the bureau had ever conducted.

I eventually published a lengthy article in 2007 about the F.B.I. investigation into the death of Colonel Alon, a military attache assigned to the Israeli Embassy in Washington. It revealed new details about the C.I.A.s belief that Palestinian terrorists had carried out the operation.

Acting on a hunch, I sent a copy to a man who might have known something about the murder: Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the Venezuelan terrorist and Muslim convert better known as Carlos the Jackal. He was not hard to find. He was in a French prison, serving a life sentence for killing two French security agents in 1975.
He learned thriftiness from his parents, who grew up during the Depression. Upon becoming a United States attorney in 1981, he had only $750 in the bank, records show. Friends joke that even after he attained the comfortable life of a senator decades later, he refused to replace an aging car or the outdated kitchen countertops at his home in Mobile.

It was an environment that fostered Mr. Sessionss belief in frugality and self-reliance, bounded by a strict  if much disputed  code of what was and was not fair.

It also bred, even early on, a skeptics eye toward elites. His parents were longtime Republicans in a state that had been run by Democrats since Reconstruction. In high school, as racial politics laid the foundation for the eventual Republican takeover of the South, Mr. Sessions was fascinated by Phyllis Schlaflys book A Choice Not an Echo, a catechism on the split between the Republican Party establishment and its right wing. The book enjoined true conservatives to topple the partys kingmakers and compromisers, presaging the rise of the Tea Party and Mr. Trump  and now, Mr. Sessions himself.

Unpopular ideas did not faze him, even as a schoolboy. His mother told one reporter, That boy could argue with a signpost. His high school yearbook photo bore the caption: He is a host of debaters in himself.

Alabamas economic struggles helped define his political priorities. As a young man, he watched timber imports eat into local logging jobs, cheaper foreign steel hasten the closing of Birmingham mills, and immigrants take jobs in the fields and chicken processing plants. Most economists say those changes were largely unavoidable as the United States shifted from an economy based on manual labor to one rooted in services and knowledge. But Mr. Sessions saw a threat to the hard-working families he had grown up with, former aides said.

To Alabama voters, weary of decades of Democratic back-scratching and scandals, Mr. Sessions seemed a breath of fresh air when he emerged on the political scene in 1994, after 12 years as the top federal prosecutor in Mobile. As the states attorney general, his first elective post, he slashed staff, pay, travel, cars and supplies. Republican leaders hoped he would come to the rescue of the former governor, Guy Hunt, who was removed from office after a 1993 ethics conviction. Instead, Mr. Sessions asked a federal appeals court to uphold the conviction.

The business-dominated establishment wing of Alabamas Republican Party is closer to the states senior senator, Richard C. Shelby. Mr. Sessionss political base included rural and suburban working-class and evangelical white voters  the same constituencies that proved crucial to Mr. Trumps success in November. Sessions had a Trump movement before there was a Trump, Professor Flynt, of Auburn University, said.
RIO DE JANEIRO  Brazils government is struggling to cope with overcrowded and violent prisons that have seen nearly 100 inmates killed within a week, with many beheaded and dismembered.

This is one of the most serious crises that Michel Temer, the president of Brazil, has faced since assuming power last year after the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff.

Critics have described the Temer administrations response as inadequate and called the refusal by all spheres of government to accept responsibility as absurd.

This is a challenge to civilization, said Jose Moises, a professor of political science at the University of Sao Paulo. It was not a good response.
DUBLIN  An assembly of Irish citizens convened by Parliament is considering changes to one of the most divisive policies in the country: the near-total ban on abortions, which has been enshrined in Irelands Constitution since 1983.

The group, a 100-member Citizens Assembly led by Mary Laffoy, a Supreme Court judge, does not have the power to change the law. But its mandate from Parliament  to examine the full range of medical, legal and ethical issues surrounding abortion  suggests a willingness to revisit the ban, one of the most stringent in the Western world.

Over the last three months, the assembly has received more than 13,500 comments from the public  more than 1,000 of which have been published online so far. It pored over these submissions at the Grand Hotel Malahide over the weekend, along with testimony from experts, and is scheduled to issue a report later this year.

Abortion was already illegal in Ireland before 1983, but the Eighth Amendment gave the right to life of the unborn equal status to the right to life of the mother under the Constitution. The amendment was enacted through a voter referendum, and can be altered  or abandoned  only via another referendum.
LONDON  In a deeply embarrassing episode revealed on Sunday, a senior employee of the Israeli Embassy in Britain was recorded plotting to take down senior British politicians critical of Israel and calling Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson an idiot who has become minister of foreign affairs without any responsibilities.

The Israeli ambassador, Mark Regev, offered a formal apology on Friday, according to a statement from the Israeli Embassy. The embassy also said that the employee, Shai Masot, who described himself as a former major in the Israeli Army now working as a political officer, would soon leave his job.

Mr. Masot made the comment in October, in footage filmed in a London restaurant and obtained by the newspaper The Mail on Sunday. The recording was made by an Al Jazeera reporter acting undercover, who called himself Robin and who described himself as working for a political group called Labour Friends of Israel, which rejected any connection to him.

The conversation involved Mr. Masot and Maria Strizzolo, an aide to Robert Halfon, an education minister and former political director of Conservative Friends of Israel.
As the dust settles on Russian interference in the United States election, journalists are confronting an aspect that has received less scrutiny than the hacking itself but poses its own thorny questions: Moscows ability to steer Western media coverage by doling out hacked documents.

Reporters have always relied on sources who provide critical information for self-interested reasons. The duty, tricky but familiar, is to publicize information that serves the public interest without falling prey to the sources agenda.

But in this case, the source was Russias military intelligence agency, the G.R.U.  operating through shadowy fronts who worked to mask that fact  and its agenda was to undermine the American presidential election.

By releasing documents that would tarnish Hillary Clinton and other American political figures, but whose news value compelled coverage, Moscow exploited the very openness that is the basis of a free press. Its tactics have evolved with each such operation, some of which are still unfolding.
LONDON  Prime Minister Theresa May, who has for many weeks evaded debate over how Britain will exit from the European Union with the phrase Brexit means Brexit, promises more clarity in a speech later this month.

She is expected to speak two months before she intends to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, formally beginning a two-year negotiation with Brussels on leaving the European Union, and just after the Supreme Court rules on whether Parliament must approve that invocation.

The Supreme Court, the United Kingdoms highest court of appeal in civil cases, is expected to rule against the government and require that Parliament have a say. A short bill has already been prepared, however, and no one expects lawmakers of either house to oppose the result of the June Brexit referendum at this stage.

So Mrs. May will speak. But what will she say, especially when she insists that she does not want to give away her bargaining position with Brussels too early? And how will she calm down the fervid, angry and partisan atmosphere around the whole topic  both in the country at large and, more important, in her own Conservative government?
Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president of Iran and a founder of the Islamic republic, who navigated the opaque shoals of his countrys theocracy as one of its most enduring, wiliest and wealthiest leaders, died on Sunday in Tehran. He was 82.

His death was announced by Iranian state television.

As his career seesawed through periods of revolutionary zeal and confrontation with powerful conservative rivals, he was portrayed as a Machiavellian and often ruthless player in the power struggles among Irans elite factions, protected by his close association with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the revolutionary leader who overthrew the shah in 1979.

Known as a pragmatist and centrist inclined toward economic liberalism and political authoritarianism, Mr. Rafsanjani was accused by critics of corruption in amassing his fortune and of a readiness for harsh tactics to deal with dissent at home and abroad.

Argentina has accused Mr. Rafsanjani and other senior Iranian figures of complicity in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, in which 85 people died. In 1997, a German court concluded that the highest levels of Irans political leadership had ordered the killing five years earlier of four exiled Iranian Kurdish dissidents in Berlin. The events added weight to American assertions that Iran was a sponsor of terrorism. Mr. Rafsanjani was president from 1989 to 1997.
JERUSALEM  A Palestinian driver plowed a truck into a group of Israeli soldiers as they were getting off a bus in Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon, killing four and injuring 17 others, according to the police and witnesses.

The police called the episode an act of terrorism. Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, said the attacker had been shot, and the police released images showing the trucks windshield riddled with bullet holes.

The dead included three female soldiers and one male soldier, the Israeli military confirmed. Several people were hospitalized, some with critical injuries.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the scene of the attack and said the perpetrator was by all indications a supporter of the Islamic State.
The California Attorney Generals Office announced on Tuesday it would no longer appeal a 2015 ruling removing the entire Orange County District Attorney from the sentencing phase for the Seal Beach salon murderer.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals determined local prosecutors couldnt be trusted to provide a fair trial, due to a perceived conflict of interest between the OCDA and the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Both departments have been embroiled in a scandal revolving around the use of jailhouse informants.

The removal of the OCDA meant the state had to step in for the sentencing phase for the gunman, who has already pleaded guilty. The state appealed Goethals decision, but in November an appellate court panel upheld Goethals ruling, determining a conflict of interest existed between the OCDA and OCSD and that there was systemic misconduct on the part of the OCDA.

The move by the state to no longer appeal the decision at least paves a way forward in the case, which has been unfortunately held up far longer than it would have been under normal circumstances. This delay has only meant protracted suffering for the many affected by the shooters actions and a persistent lack of closure. For the sake of the families, at the very least the sentencing phase will get underway sooner than later.

Meanwhile, also this past week, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced he was reinstating the position of chief assistant district attorney to assist in day-to-day management of the department, a key recommendation made in Dec. 2015 by Rackauckas Informant Policies and Practices Evaluation Committee.

A few managers expressed the hope that a CADA would bring more structure to the management of the office which in turn would help avoid future issues such as the current jailhouse informant issues, the committee wrote.

Rackauckas rejected the recommendation. Considering his repeated public statements affirming the integrity of his department, we are glad he has finally come on board with the suggestion.

Its disappointing that the county still finds itself in this position in 2017. Theres sure to be more to come, but at least progress is being made.
Irvine-based Passco Cos. has acquired Marisol at Viera, a 282-unit luxury multifamily property in Melbourne, Fla., for $50.2 million. The apartment community is in Viera, a high-end 22,000-acre master planned community on the east coast of Florida. Marisol at Viera features two poolside bars and outdoor kitchens, a private club and amenities deck, a clubroom and TV lounge, a 6,500-square-foot dog park with outdoor grooming station, and electric car charging stations. The seller, Pollack Shores, and the buyer were represented by Ken Delvillar and Jay Ballard at Cushman & Wakefield. Chris Black of KeyBank Real Estate Capitals Commercial Mortgage Group arranged financing for Passco through Fannie Mae. Marisol at Viera is Passcos third acquisition in Florida this year, bringing the firms total multifamily acquisitions for 2016 to over $500 million, a benchmark the firm has reached for the first time since its inception roughly 18 years ago.

The CPT Group has purchased a 14,208-square-foot headquarters at 50 Corporate Park in Irvine for $5.35 million. Principal Chuck Hardy of Lee & Associates Orange represented the buyer and John Collins of Lee & Associates Newport Beach represented the seller, North Tustin Investment Group. CPT, which specializes in class action settlement administration, plans to occupy its new headquarters in the first quarter of the year.

Seattle-based Nordstrom will relocate its Rack store to Long Beach Exchange, or LBX, in Long Beach from Lakewood Center. The 28,000-square-foot store will open in spring 2018. The redeveloped property is owned by Burnham Ward Properties LLC, an affiliate of Burnham USA Equities in Newport Beach. Nordstrom will join anchors Whole Foods 365, a variety of dining and fitness offerings, and several other undisclosed national retail tenants. Bryon Ward, a partner at Burnham, told city planning commissioners the company plans to build a food-focused shopping center that will also serve as a venue for farmers markets and other events. LBX will include 266,000 square feet of new construction on 27 acres of land near the Long Beach-Lakewood city line, southwest of where Carson Street meets Lakewood Boulevard.

People in Real Estate

The California Apartment Association has named Matthew Buck its new executive in Orange County. Buck began his new role Jan. 3. With three years of experience at CAA, he previously served as vice president of public affairs for CAA Inland Empire. Buck is an Irvine resident.

Craig Kirkpatrick has been named president of the board of directors of the Apartment Association of Orange County for 2017. Kirkpatrick is the CEO of San Clemente based Multi-Units Management.

Reza Jahangiri, CEO of American Advisors Group, will serve National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association as co-chair of its 2017 board of directors.

Milestones

Irvine-based TRI Pointe Homes has received the Builder of the Year Award by Builder and Developer magazine, a management resource for professional homebuilders nationwide. The award is the magazines highest yearly honor and is voted on by its readers.

Staff writer Andrew Edwards contributed to this report.

The real estate briefs are compiled by contributing writer Karen Levin and edited by Samantha Gowen. Send related items to sgowen@scng.com
BAKER  Authorities have captured two people they believe shot at California Highway Patrol officers, prompting a standoff that shut down a Mojave Desert freeway for hours.

The CHP says a man and woman were found at daybreak Saturday in an abandoned vehicle near Interstate 15 after authorities answered a report of trespassers on the property.

Officer Adam Carmichall says the couple surrendered peacefully but six guns were found in the car.

The highway between Southern California and Las Vegas was closed Friday morning when two CHP officers tried to stop a speeding car. Authorities say the driver shot at them before the car stopped on a median.

It was surrounded for hours but later found to be empty.

After an unsuccessful search, the CHP reopened the interstate Friday afternoon.
NEW YORK  Like many governors, New Yorks Andrew Cuomo wasnt known for granting clemency. Until last week.

In a single day, the Democrat pardoned 101 people convicted as teenagers of nonviolent crimes and granted clemency to a dozen other people  including a chance at parole for a onetime revolutionary involved in a Brinks armored-car holdup that led to the deaths of two police officers and a security guard.

Cuomo set out in 2015 to systematize and ramp up consideration of clemency bids, including by enlisting volunteer lawyers to help people apply. The pardon program for former 16- and 17-year-old convicts, in itself, is ultimately expected to aid over 10,000 people.

But his controversial decision to commute ex-radical Judith Clarks sentence may test the openness to reprieves in New York, a state experts have considered one of the most guarded with clemency.

The governor wanted to make sure we created a sustainable system, and he also wanted to use his power to grant clemency for good, said his top lawyer, Alphonso David. Clarks case, he said, shows the governors commitment to granting clemency to individuals who have shown the possibility of rehabilitation.

Cuomo said Clark, the getaway driver in the 1981 heist in suburban Rockland County, became a repentant, impressive and community-spirited prisoner. She helped found an HIV/AIDS education program and has done other charitable work behind bars while serving 35 years so far, longer than some co-defendants.

But to some law enforcement officials and relatives of slain Nyack police officers Waverly Brown and Edward OGrady and Brinks guard Peter Paige, Clarks prison record doesnt justify a reprieve for a member of a murderous group of radicals aiming for armed revolution, even if the 67-year-old Clark has since disavowed those views.

When the governor of the state speaks about this woman as being impressive, where is the compassion for our side? says John Hanchar, OGradys nephew and now a police officer himself in nearby Clarkstown.

Hanchar was among hundreds of people at a protest this week over Cuomos decision to commute Clarks 75-years-to-life sentence to 35 years to life. The change makes her eligible for a parole board hearing now instead of in 2056. No hearing date has been set.

The debate over Clarks case reflects the complexity of granting clemency, a power the nations founders enshrined in the Constitution. Without pardons, justice would be too sanguinary and cruel, Alexander Hamilton later wrote in The Federalist Papers.

But the power has sometimes proven explosive. Governors and presidents have faced criticism for granting clemency to relatives, political allies and notorious figures.

And governors became warier of giving convicts breaks after a powerful 1988 presidential campaign ad spotlighted Willie Horton, a convicted killer who raped a woman while on a weekend furlough program that Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis had supported as Massachusetts governor. Fears that clemency could backfire were echoed when Maurice Clemmons, an Arkansas inmate paroled after his sentence was commuted by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican, went on to kill four police officers near Seattle in 2009.

Comprehensive, state-by-state statistics on clemency decisions arent readily available. But only 15 states both regularly review pardon applications and grant more than 30 percent of them, according to research done by Margaret Love, who served as U.S. pardon attorney under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

States vary in how much clemency discretion the governor has. Regardless, his or her inclinations can play a big role in how often its granted.

Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown, for instance, has pardoned 854 people and commuted two sentences since 2011, while Republican predecessor Arnold Schwarzenegger granted 15 pardons and 10 commutations in just over seven years, according to the states governors office. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, refuses to grant pardons altogether, saying it undermines jurors and courts decisions.

Pardons generally restore civil rights and can clear records that keep people from certain jobs or licenses; pardons often come after people have completed their punishments. Clemency can also include commutations, which reduce sentences being served but dont erase convictions.

The cases range from the very easy to the very difficult  the bar fight when you were 17, and now youre 48 and you need clearance for a federal job, thats very easy, says former Maryland Gov. Bob Erlich, a Republican who estimates he granted hundreds of pardons and dozens of commutations during his four years.

The commutation cases are difficult, by definition, generally involving violent crimes and long sentences, said Erlich, who now leads a clemency project and clinic at Catholic University in Washington.

New Yorks Cuomo, who took office in 2011, granted eight pardons and three commutations before this year. Clemency has generally been rare in New York in the last decade, though former Gov. David Paterson in 2010 pardoned 34 people, many facing deportation because of drug crimes.
President-elect Donald Trump nominated former Indiana Senator Dan Coats as U.S. director of national intelligence, giving the retired Republican lawmaker oversight of the spy agencies that have drawn skepticism from Trump.

Dan has clearly demonstrated the deep subject matter expertise and sound judgment required to lead our intelligence community, Trump said Saturday in a statement. He will provide unwavering leadership that the entire intelligence community can respect, and will spearhead my administrations ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm.

Coats, 73, probably would face close questioning by both Republicans and Democrats about how he views the intelligence communitys conclusions that Russia hacked Democratic Party computer systems in order to meddle in the U.S. presidential campaign, which Trump has repeatedly questioned.

Coats and Trump have offered differing views on Russia. During and after his successful presidential campaign, Trump has expressed admiration for Putin as a strong leader and predicted they can work together on issues such as fighting Islamic State terrorists  a theme he returned to on Saturday.

Coats, meanwhile, was among several U.S. officials who landed on a Kremlin blacklist in 2014, banning them from entry into Russia, for opposing Russias seizure of Crimea.

While Im disappointed that I wont be able to go on vacation with my family in Siberia this summer, I am honored to be on this list, Coats tweeted March 20, 2014. At that time, Coats had co-sponsored a Senate resolution condemning Russias annexation of Crimea and urging sanctions.

There are many reasons to love the choice of Dan Coats for DNI, including that he is steely-eyed about the fact that Putin is no friend, Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska and member of the Senate Judiciary and Armed Services committees, said on Twitter Jan. 5.

Having served as a senator, ambassador and lobbyist, Coats is a known quantity in Washington. As the director of national intelligence, he would oversee coordination of 17 intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, tasked with tracking everything from terrorist operations to foreign military maneuvers.

If confirmed by the Senate, Coats will join a team expected to include retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser, Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo as CIA chief and former Gen. James Mattis at the Pentagon.

If confirmed, I will ensure our national security decision-makers have every piece of information they need to protect the American people from the threats facing our nation, Coats said. There is no higher priority than keeping America safe, and I will utilize every tool at my disposal to make that happen.
If Orange County is purportedly such a poor place to do business, how did four local master-planned communities end up on a list of the 20 fastest-selling projects in the nation?

Yes, RCLCO consultancys annual Top 20 list for 2016 had four developments from Orange County. The entire states of Texas and Florida, both often cited as pro-business locales, had four each on the list.

Nothing is easy in our business, but Orange County is one of the easier places to build in the state, says Emile Haddad, chief executive of FivePoint Communities, which is overseeing the development of the Great Park Neighborhoods. Orange County is the best market in California, maybe the nation.

FivePoints Great Park project in Irvine was ranked No. 8 on the Top 20 list with 530 homes sold last year vs. 282 a year ago, an increase of 88 percent.

Tops in the nation was the Irvine Co.s homebuilding activities at Irvine Ranch in northern Irvine. This project sold 1,989 homes last year vs. 1,674 a year ago, an increase of 19 percent. In 2015, Irvine Ranch was No. 2. Last year it topped runner-up The Villages in Ocala, Fla., which had been the national champ for 14 years.

Also from Orange County in the Top 20: Rancho Mission Viejo in south Orange County, ranked 14th. It sold 458 homes last year vs. 302 in 2014, an increase of 52 percent. Baker Ranch in Lake Forest ranked 17th, selling 443 homes last year vs. 355 in 2014, an increase of 25 percent.

The success of these four developments reflects economic strength and global desirability. Orange County is enjoying its strongest job-creation period since the turn of the century. Local developers, as a group, are selling new homes at the fastest pace in nine years.

This Top 20 list is a stunning example of local success.

Orange Countys four honored communities sold a total of 3,420 homes last year. Thats a one-year increase of 807 sales, or 31 percent. Compare that to the nations 16 other top-selling projects combined: 10,312 homes sold last year  down 50 homes in a year.

The burst of local homebuilding helps more than house hunters and homebuilders. Orange Countys construction employment, for example, has boomed: up 5,500 jobs in a year to 95,800 in November. That was the ninth-largest gain among the nations 358 metro regions.

Optimistic Haddad is a stark contrast to many local business leaders who often complain about the countys business climate. When taking a global view of places to live, it should be a sin to complain about Orange County, he said.

Haddad thinks many critics bring out-of-area bias to discussions of the county and the states business climate.

You have to understand California values; they are higher values than elsewhere, Haddad says. Because you will do better here than just about anywhere else.

One persistent challenge for the local economy has been high housing costs. Even the recent quick building pace by developers failed to make much of a dent. Why? New home prices have run one-third higher than the overall Orange County median selling price over the last five years.

Haddad is keenly aware of the affordability challenge and the tug-of-war between warring pro- and anti- growth factions. The veteran builder says it will take frank discussions among all stakeholders  industry, government and the populace  to create workable solutions.

He firmly believes high-density developments are a key part of significantly lowering housing costs, but acceptance of smaller units to be closer to all things a community brings? I dont think Orange County is there yet.

Contact the writer: jlansner@scng.com
Mindy Daffron couldnt believe what she saw.

The street around the corner was packed with first responders: firefighters, police and paramedics. In the midst of it all, she saw Layla Hosseini, then 11 years old, slumped on the curb outside her Laguna Niguel home.

Ten minutes earlier, Hosseini had been working on an art project at Daffrons home. The girl was in fifth grade with Daffrons son, Tyler, and the two were making a present for their teacher.

The children wanted to go to an art supply store, and Daffron had sent Hosseini home to check with her mother to make sure it was OK. When Hosseini didnt come back, Daffron sent Tyler to check on the holdup.

In minutes, Tyler was back in a panic.

I think her mom just died, Daffron remembers Tyler saying. I will never forget that scene. All the neighbors were standing outside and Layla, her brother and father were standing in shock in front of the house. I felt like I needed to go over to her.

When Daffron reached Hosseini, the girl was numb. She told Daffron she had gone up to her mothers room after calling from the hallway. When there was no answer, Hosseini went into her room and found her lying on her bed. Her body was cold and her color blueish.

Layla called her father, who dialed 9-1-1, she told Daffron. Her mother had died from natural causes.

The Feb. 2, 2009, tragedy is a blur, said Hosseini, now 19, except for memories of Daffron providing comfort.

I felt frozen, like I didnt know what was going on, said Hosseini. I was in denial. All the neighbors came out and there were firetrucks and ambulances all over the street. Mindy came over. She was like an angel.

While Hosseini remembers comfort, Daffron remembers feeling helpless and inadequate. She put Hosseini and her brother into the car and just started driving them away from the chaotic scene.

At a gas station, Daffron made a call to a friend who had been a chaplain at the Orange County Sheriffs Department. She told her what happened and told her she didnt know what to do.

Just be there and listen, her friend said. Let them talk.

It gave me a little relief that I didnt have to say something to fix them, Daffron said. They talked about how their mom always cooked for them. I wanted to tell them I could do all those things for them, but I knew it wasnt realistic. No one could fill the void of the loss of their mother.

When Daffron got them back to their house, a Trauma Intervention Program, or TIP, volunteer approached her with stuffed animals for both children.

Daffron felt instant relief.

She was there to help them and she wasnt connected to their pain, Daffron said. You could tell she was also comfortable with the authorities and knew what to do.

Taking the plunge as a volunteer

Daffron looked into getting into the program.

The Orange County chapter, founded in 1995, is part of the national trauma intervention organization. About 100 volunteers respond to traumatic incidents at the request of police, fire and hospital personnel to support people emotionally traumatized.

Volunteers are trained to work three 12-hour shifts a month with a commitment of at least one year.

Through 55 hours of training, volunteers learn emotional first-aid skills  how to listen and what to say to victims of traumatic events and their families in the first few hours after a tragedy. They assist family members and friends following a natural or unexpected death; victims of violent crime including rape, assault, robbery, or burglary; victims of fire; disoriented or lonely elderly persons; people involved in motor vehicle accidents; people who are distraught and seeking immediate support; and survivors of suicide.

Daffron, the wife of pastor Ryan Daffron of Edge Church in Laguna Niguel, knew she would likely encounter other tragedies after Hosseinis and wanted to learn the correct steps to handle such crises.

She signed up for the training and committed to a year of volunteering.

Being a Christian, I believe God created us to love one another, she said. TIP provides that opportunity to meet people who are hurting that I would never be able to meet and help.

During her first year, she was sent to comfort a woman whose husband had died from a brain aneurism. It was midnight at Hoag Hospital. The woman was alone in the waiting room.

Her phone wasnt working and she had no one she could contact, Daffron said. Seeing this woman without anyone broke my heart. I never wanted anyone to have to experience that kind of loneliness.

Above and beyond

Daffron, 46, is now a TIP crisis team manager. In November, she was recognized with Fairhaven Memorial Services Oliver Halsell Care Award, presented for people whose kindness and dedication to serving others is inspirational.

Daffron maintains relationships with Orange County first responder agencies and briefs first responders before their shifts on how and when to involve TIP volunteers. She coordinates volunteers for daily incidents and is on call and responds for more traumatic events.

Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi knows Daffron well. He has been at some of the countys worst tragedies with her. He has watched her listen to victims and console family members.

When Anthony Parnell, a teen from Las Vegas, drowned after falling into a blowhole in rocks at Thousand Steps beach in Laguna in February 2015, Daffron was there to help his family negotiate days of uncertainty. She coordinated hotel rooms and food for them to stay near the beach until OC Lifeguards retrieved his body. After the recovery, she helped the family navigate the next steps.

Of all the TIP volunteers I know, Mindy is by far the best, Concialdi said. Shes an outstanding listener. She has so much experience, and shes able to negotiate with everyone involved.

Dedicated to helping others

Growing up in Glendale, Daffron knew she wanted to help others. Trips with her youth church group to help the poor in Mexico and inner-city children in Los Angeles proved eye-opening.

Daffron attended Azusa Pacific University with plans of being a teacher in the inner city. An internship after college in Philadelphia showed her more inner-city plight. She came back to California and took a job at a low-income school in Pomona.

I was overwhelmed with how much of a need there was in kids beyond academic, she said. I lost interest in helping them with academics and wanted to help with their abuse and neglect.

After Daffron and her husband moved to Aliso Viejo, her husband became pastor at Coast Hills Church. They founded Edge Church three years ago.

Giving back and getting a second mom

Hosseini met Daffron when she became friends with Daffrons son, spending time in the Daffron home. Hosseini, the youngest of eight children, immediately felt close to Daffron. Soon, she went to church weekly with the family.

Ive never met anyone like her, Hosseini said. I never met anyone else other than my mom who showed me so much love. When my mom died, I needed another mom and Mindy became that. She was with me every day. She got me a journal to write my thoughts. It gave me an outlet. It was hard to talk with my family about what happened.

At 16, Hosseini decided she wanted to give back to others and trained to be a TIP volunteer. But during training she realized she wasnt ready. At 18, she tried again.

I felt like I had a calling, she said. It makes me really happy to comfort someone during their worst time. Just to make that connection with someone.

Seeing Hosseini in the program fills Daffron with pride. I admire her for being able to help others that are experiencing similar pain and trauma that she experienced when her mom died, Daffron said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini
Ever so briefly during the 2016 presidential campaign, Peter Ackerman and his band of reformers believed their time had come. Those hopes proved fleeting, but Ackerman and his rebels are in for the long haul. Despite apocalyptic predictions by those whod lost their heads over the Trump phenomenon, Ackerman knows there are other elections in Americas future. He just wants them conducted differently.

A billionaire financier who has taken aim at the two major political parties stranglehold on the U.S. election process, Ackerman has long maintained that the first step in fixing Washingtons dysfunctional politics would be painless: opening up the presidential debates to a qualified independent. The barrier, as he and his allies see it, is the Commission on Presidential Debates, which they believe exists mainly to protect the existing Democratic-Republican duopoly.

The 2016 presidential general election certainly made the case that changing business-as-usual might be a good thing. With two historically unpopular nominees waging mostly negative campaigns in a country in which 43 percent of voters prefer to remain unaligned, surely this was the year that the CPD would be shamed into opening up the debates to a qualified independent candidate.

It didnt happen, as those who watched the nasty and singularly unenlightening presidential debates will remember. Targeting the Commission on Presidential Debates, however, seems like going after the Girl Scouts. Chartered in 1987 as a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., the commission was designed to ensure that the major presidential candidates actually face each other in debates. The CPD has now sponsored debates in the last eight presidential elections  all without using taxpayers money. Its an obvious success story, right? Well, maybe.

The first televised presidential debates took place between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Many people believe the 1960 debates started a trend, but this isnt what happened. They were sporadic. No debates in 1964, 1968 or 1972, and then disorder in 1980, when Jimmy Carter abruptly pulled out of the first debate after the League of Women Voters invited independent candidate John Anderson to join the incumbent president and Ronald Reagan in Baltimore. The Leagues criterion was 15 percent support in the polls, and Anderson, a moderate former Republican congressman, just made the threshold.

Carter looked wimpy for not showing up that night and got his clock cleaned by Reagan in a subsequent debate held without Anderson. In 1984, Reagan debated Walter Mondale  but he could have skipped it and still won  and about that time two studies found that debates increased voter awareness of the candidates and issues, and recommended that the two parties adopt a mechanism that would make them a permanent feature of presidential campaigns.

Democratic Party Chairman Paul Kirk and Republican counterpart Frank Fahrenkopf embraced the report and brought the commission into existence. This sounds like the very definition of good government  if youre a devotee of the two-party system. The commission insists its nonpartisan, but really, its bipartisan, the word Fox News anchorman Chris Wallace used inadvertently at the outset of the Las Vegas debate between Hillary and The Donald. You remember, that dignified event at which Clinton called Trump a racist and he salted the crowd with women who said Bill Clinton had sexually assaulted them.

Its a stretch to blame the debate commission for this behavior, but its instructive to recall that the most substantive presidential debates in recent political history took place when Ross Perot was admitted as a third-party candidate who stressed fiscal probity in government. If Ross Perot is not in those debates, [Congress] never would have balanced the budget, former Rep. Chris Shays noted at a small strategizing lunch last week hosted by Peter Ackerman.

Its also instructive to recall that Perot hadnt met the debate commissions threshold when he was invited to debate Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush  the Texas billionaire was still below 15 percent in the polls. He was only invited to the 1992 debates at the request of the Bush and Clinton campaigns, which feared a backlash if they didnt open up the process, noted Kansas independent Greg Orman. The upshot  and its not unintentional  is that the 15 percent rule locks out anyone but the nominees of the two major parties.

For the most part, members of the debate commission believe that a viable national candidate should be able to reach 15 percent and that those blaming the commission for the lousy choice this year are looking at the wrong culprit. If ever there were a political environment where an independent candidate could emerge and get traction, 2016 was the perfect storm, Mike McCurry said Friday morning. The truth is that independents will have to get serious, get organized and mobilize if they want to advance a third candidate in a national campaign, and they failed to do that in 2016.

McCurry, a former White House press secretary for Bill Clinton, is being polite here. There was an obvious two-word rebuttal to the duopolys critics last year and that those words are Gary and Johnson. He was the Libertarian candidate who didnt know the word Aleppo, couldnt name a world leader he admired, and acted as though running for president was a lark.

The rebuttal to Gary Johnson is Jesse Ventura, who hadnt broken double digits when he was allowed into Minnesotas 1998 gubernatorial debates. Ventura ended up winning the election in a three-man race. It seems inconceivable that Johnson and his running mate, respected former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, could have pulled that off; but a big part of the Libertarian Partys problem was that their ticket was upside down.

A presidential election is a tough way to challenge the duopoly anyway. Greg Orman has a better idea: elect a handful of independent-minded men and women to the U.S. Senate. Because the Republican edge in the Senate is narrow, six or seven truly independent senators would have enormous clout. Although Orman lost his 2014 bid, hes busily recruiting other Senate candidates across the country.

There are four basic theories on challenging the duopoly. The Ackerman-Orman approach  electing independents  is one. Forming a true third political party is the second. Another emphasis is tweaking election rules in ways that produce more responsible candidates. These efforts range from Californias jungle primaries to ranked choice voting  recently adopted in Maine  in which voters rank their top three candidates in order. If no candidate gets 50 percent of the vote, the candidate with the least first choice votes is eliminated.

The fourth approach is simply encouraging (or shaming) elected officials to behave better once in office. The main effort in this regard is the No Labels movement headed by Nancy Jacobson. For the most part, these groups have been polite, if a tad condescending toward the others. Thats changing. The 2016 election tended to concentrate the minds of would-be reformers.

The political reform community is divided between those who want to create higher-functioning Democrats and Republicans and those who want to create a new source of supply by breaking down barriers that the duopoly has erected, says Orman. As our political culture has continued to erode, those groups seem to be moving closer together in support of fundamental change.

When Ackerman ran into Jacobson at a No Labels function recently, he put it this way. Nancy, I think my way is the most effective, but you could prove me wrong and make me the happiest man in the world.

Carl M. Cannon is executive editor and Washington Bureau chief of RealClearPolitics.
Have California Democrats made it legal for minors to engage in prostitution? The truth still stands: They have.

Two weeks ago, I published an op-ed exposing this misguided new law, and people across the country have responded with outrage over this destructive liberal social experiment. It also triggered a backlash of denial from Democratic politicians, progressive activists and so-called media fact-checkers. Even the O.C. Register editorial page jumped on the bandwagon. As readers can see, the deniers have it wrong.

Heres the language of Senate Bill 1322, which became state law on January 1:

Existing law makes it a crime to solicit or engage in any act of prostitution. Existing law makes it a crime to loiter in any public place with the intent to commit prostitution. This bill would make the above provisions inapplicable to a child under 18 years of age who is alleged to have engaged in conduct that would, if committed by an adult, violate the above provisions.

Until a few days ago, it was against the law in California for a minor to solicit or engage in prostitution. Now, its not. Anyone claiming otherwise is fooling themselves.

The California Democrats who supported SB1322 may have intended to help minors trapped in prostitution, but they fail to grasp the negative unintended consequences of an intrinsically flawed law that treats the justice system as the problem while enabling destructive behavior. Theyre compounding that error with a disinformation campaign to conceal the stark reality of their new law.

SB1322s supporters point out that it is still illegal for the purchasers, the johns, to have sex with an underage prostitute. Of course, that is true  and entirely beside the point. Depraved individuals seeking to pay for sex with minors will still be breaking the law. But SB1322 removes a critical obstacle by making one side of that transaction legal and places vulnerable children in greater danger.

Minors enmeshed in prostitution are victims who need our help to escape a tragic, degrading life. Logical solutions would include increasing penalties for johns and pimps, intensifying law enforcement activity and bolstering rehabilitative services. Instead, SB1322 empowers pimps and predators to expand their exploitation. Ask yourself which is more valuable to a pimp: a prostitute who can be arrested or one who cant? Who do underage prostitutes fear more: the police or their pimps? Pimps will now instruct minor prostitutes to simply walk away from police. Cops can only send their information to county social services agencies or take them into temporary custody in cases of imminent physical danger. Even then, these exploited minors are free to walk out the door and back onto the streets the next day.

Removing underage prostitutes from the juvenile delinquency courts jurisdiction deprives law enforcement of indispensable tools for keeping juvenile prostitutes off the street, in rehabilitation and away from their pimps control. The California juvenile delinquency systems purpose is rehabilitation over punishment, which is why juvenile records are usually sealed for most crimes, including prostitution.

SB1322 is not just wrong, it is immoral. Theres no love or compassion in making it legal for children to sell themselves for sex. I wrote my op-ed as an ordinary Californian expressing outrage over a misguided law that will harm those its intended to help. I felt more needed to be said. Now more needs to be done. I am drafting legislation to repeal SB1322 and give back to law enforcement and our justice system these vital tools for combating child prostitution. Dont be fooled by desperate spin from Democratic politicians and their media enablers. I encourage every Californian, regardless of political affiliation, to join me in protecting Californias youth from this terrible law.

Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach, represents the 72nd Assembly District.
SANTA ANA  Dani Morrison kneels on the asphalt, offering the man in the wheelchair a homemade sandwich and a tumbler of cold water. She addresses him as Parker, but its unclear if that is his first or last name.

He is a homeless transient Morrison has encountered near her neighborhood  behind Target, in front of a liquor store, on the bicycle trail where she meets him on this day. Always, as Morrison sees it, vulnerable.

The bike trail is semi-secluded from neighboring buildings by bushes, and she worries that someone might bother him.

His face, hands, swollen bare feet and clothes are streaked with grime. His speech is slow and his voice soft amid the rhythmic bump of cars jolting over the railroad tracks a few hundred feet away on Bristol Street.

Morrison and her husband drove a few blocks over from their Columbine Avenue home, hoping to persuade Parker to let them take him to a shelter. She even called a county supervisors office to make sure Parker would be allowed in.

The deep faith in God and love for their brethren that Morrison and her husband, Guy, have shared for decades led them to take in nine foster children, runaway teens and struggling young adults, along with raising their three children.

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Now, at 59, Morrison steers her concern toward homeless people on the street. With health problems, she is medically retired from her job as a registered nurse.

Parker converses with Morrison for about 10 minutes, but never opens his eyes. She leans in closer.

Im really trying to get you some help, Morrison tells Parker, holding forth the plate of sandwiches for him to take what he wants. When I crawl into my bed at night, I think of you behind Target.

The Morrisons leave after Parker declines to go with them. They go back again later, with the same result.

If Parker had opened his eyes to look at Morrison, hed have seen her striking countenance: kindness in a pair of soft brown eyes looking out from a face disfigured by cancer.

Her looks scare young children. Dogs bark at her. Adults stare.

Some people mistake Morrison for a homeless person, like the man outside a Trader Joes who told her he didnt have any money to give her.

If Parker had looked at her, hed have seen the pink T-shirt with the red hearts and the telltale words purposely worn to explain herself to strangers.

Not contagious. Cancer recovery. Jesus is my joy.

Morrison must press a finger against the hole in the tube in her throat in order to speak. Her voice comes out raspy and slightly distorted. But her message is clear.

If in my disfigured state I can still express the heart of God to people, that is what I want to do until I can do it no longer.

Suffering and gratitude

A little over three years ago, doctors told Morrison she had little chance of survival, even with chemotherapy and radiation.

Her jaw had been torturing her for months. It was so bad, she cried with the pain and needed to take ibuprofen to do her job as a per-diem lactation specialist at Kaiser Permanentes Anaheim medical center, helping new mothers breastfeed.

She saw 10 dentists, gastroenterologists and ear, nose and throat doctors (none of them Kaiser-affiliated) who variously told Morrison that she needed a root canal, or a mouth guard to stop grinding her teeth, or a test for acid reflux.

The correct diagnosis came in September 2013, just weeks after full health benefits kicked in from a new part-time position at the Kaiser hospital in Irvine: stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma that manifested in a tumor engulfing her palate, sinuses, nose, cheeks, pituitary gland and upper jaw and teeth.

Morrison says she put her life in Jesus hands and pursued treatment  surgery to remove the tumor, and radiation and chemotherapy that destroyed her sense of smell and taste and worsened an existing hearing deficiency.

She has had a tracheostomy to assist her breathing and a gastrostomy so she can nourish herself with liquid fed through a tube. Her tear ducts no longer function, so she routinely dabs at her eyes with a tissue.

Morrison also underwent three reconstructive surgeries, 12 to 14 hours each. The first two attempts to refashion her jaw, using a bone from her leg and then a bone from her rib, failed because of infection. The third, engineered with a bone from her hip, has held up after a successfully treated minor infection.

She doesnt blame any of her dental or medical providers for missing the diagnosis or for the infections that followed her surgeries. Shes gone back to visit them, hoping theyll learn from her to better serve future patients.

Morrison expresses gratitude to Kaiser for her health care and extended benefits, and to her family, friends, co-workers and members of her church, The Vineyard at The River, in Irvine. She attends two cancer support groups to encourage others.

Still, the onetime vivacious brunette who was homecoming queen in her native Ohio cried over what happened to her. She once told her husband she felt like The Elephant Man, the demeaning freak show title given to Englishman Joseph Merrick because of his severe facial deformities.

He said to me, Dani, you are so beautiful to me. And he wrote me a poem called Delicate Flower.

She cried again, but for a different reason: the beauty of his words.

The Morrisons have been married 33 years, living in the same house for all that time. Guy Morrison was born again in the 1990s, before his wife, who found her faith after a depression that followed the birth of her third child.

When she was young, Morrison says, she liked to party and had selfish ways. Today, she exults in what she calls the deep joy of just being alive. Morrison says shes been in remission since 2014 but can no longer work as a pediatric nurse or take in foster children. She hopes other families will open their homes to the children she calls orphans.

Finances arent a worry: A long-term disability policy she invested in provides 70 percent of her wages; Guy Morrison continues to work as a physical therapist and chiropractor.

Morrisons work now, she says, is whatever God ordains. She lives by the creed of St. Francis of Assisi.

Now I believe I have a wonderful job through the Lord  whomever I encounter, just to love them.

Words and action

Morrisions outreach to homeless people has mostly involved bringing food, water, blankets and comforting words to those living near her neighborhood.

I dont go looking for them, she says. But if she sees someone in distress, Morrison is compelled to stop and try to help.

One time at a shopping center, a woman who clearly suffered from mental illness had taken off her clothes and climbed on top of a van. Then she started running around in circles. Police came; a crowd gathered.

The woman threw rocks at the police. Morrison asked the officers if she could assist them somehow. They declined her offer. She tried to educate onlookers who watched and laughed. This is not funny, she told them. This is sad.

Back in October, Morrison attended a forum in Santa Ana that county Supervisor Andrew Do held to discuss the homeless crisis and what action local authorities were taking. Morrison sat in the audience and took notes. Later this week, she plans to meet with one of Dos assistants for further discussion on what she can do to help.

As for Parker, the homeless man on the bike trail, Morrison has not given up hope. She continues to talk to him about getting off the street.

She became a nurse because she was drawn to take care of others, especially children. But now that I am  she pauses to find the right word, marred and handicapped, I have more compassion for people who are handicapped.

Morrison passes her hand gently over a photocopy of a picture she took of Parker.

I have a greater awareness of people. I think I will for as long as I live.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7793 or twalker@ocregister.com or on Twitter @TellTheresa
RT, a state-run Russian television network that broadcasts around the world in English, was implicated in a recently declassified U.S. intelligence report that accused the Russia government of meddling in the U.S. presidential election to tip the vote in favor of Donald Trump.

The Russians are accused of hacking the email systems of the Democratic National Committee and conducting a widespread disinformation campaign that included the propagation of fake news stories on the internet and airwaves.

RTs coverage of Hillary Clinton throughout the U.S. presidential campaign was consistently negative and focused on her leaked emails and accused her of corruption, poor physical and mental health and ties to Islamic extremism, the declassified intelligence report said.

Q. What is RT?

A. RT, formerly called Russia Today, was founded in 2005 as part of state-owned news agency RIA Novosti. The network describes itself on its website as the first Russian 24/7 English-language news channel which brings the Russian view on global news. President Vladimir Putin said the network was created to break the Anglo-Saxon monopoly on the global information streams.

Though the network is owned and operated by the Russian government, its executives say their journalists are independent. But two anchors who quit during live broadcasts say the network is a propaganda outlet.

In the United States, RT America is broadcast by cable companies in some cities, is carried by Dish, the satellite television provider, and can be found free online. Larry King, the former CNN host, and Ed Schultz, a former MSNBC host, have programs on the network.

Q. Did RT influence the U.S. election?

A. The role of RT in the Kremlins effort to influence the election is covered in more detail than any other part of Russias campaign in the report, released Friday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

According to the report, the network aggressively uses the internet and social media to conduct strategic messaging for the Russian government. RT videos receive more than 1 million views a day on YouTube, according to the report, and the networks programming was aimed at undermining viewers trust of U.S. democratic procedures.

The reports assessment of RT is an awkward development for Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trumps nominee for national security adviser. Flynn has appeared repeatedly on RTs news programs, and in December 2015 the network paid him to give a speech in Russia and attend a lavish anniversary party, where he sat next to Putin. Flynn since has defended that speech, insisting that RT is no different from CNN or MSNBC.

Trump also appeared on Kings program, Politicking, during the campaign.

On Friday, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT, posted a message to Twitter that mocked the U.S. report.

Aaa, the CIA report is out! she wrote. Laughter of the year! Intro to my show from 6 years ago is the main evidence of Russias influence at US elections. This is not a joke!

Q. Has RT been accused of disinformation before?

A. Analysts say Russia lacks the economic and military power to combat NATO, the European Union or the United States directly. The country has instead invested in weaponized information, using hacking, propaganda and other means to sow doubt and division in other countries. The goal is to weaken cohesion among Western allies, stir discord in their domestic politics and blunt opposition to Russia.

Last year, Swedish authorities said they traced to Russia a disinformation campaign when Sweden was considering cooperating militarily with NATO.

They accused Russian intelligence agents of using a variety of means to spread misinformation. We mean everything from internet trolls to propaganda and misinformation spread by media companies like RT and Sputnik, Wilhelm Unge, a spokesman for the Swedish Security Service, said during a speech to that agency last year.

In 2014, Russian news media produced multiple theories about the destruction of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, blaming the CIA and Ukrainian fighter pilots who had mistaken the airliner for the Russian presidential aircraft. Separate Dutch and Ukranian inquiries concluded Russian-backed insurgents had accidentally shot down the plane with a missile they got from Russia.

That same year, two RT America anchors quit during live broadcasts to protest the networks coverage of Russias invasion and occupation of Crimea. Personally, I cannot be part of a network funded by the Russian government, which whitewashes the actions of Putin, said Liz Wahl, one of the anchors. The other was Abby Martin, who said before quitting, What Russia did was wrong.

It is not clear how many people RT and Sputnik reach. The numbers released by the Broadcasters Audience Research Board in Britain for the week of the Brexit vote in late June, a week of particularly heavy TV watching nationwide, for example, showed it had 926,000 viewers, or 1.57 percent of the audience.
Among the worst

Re: How do you assess Obamas legacy? [Opinion, Jan. 3]: Its become clear that President Obama is very concerned about his place in history, and his actions in office will define that legacy.

His administration has given us inedible school lunches, unaffordable insurance and made police lives unimportant. It has weakened our military, emboldened our enemies and angered and confused our allies, and has turned our borders into sieves. Obama has increased the national debt by nearly $7 trillion dollars while rendering the middle class nearly obsolete and polarizing us racially. And we cant forget the scandals like Benghazi, Fast and Furious and the IRS.

As time passes and hyperbole recedes, academics will eventually conclude that Obama is among our five worst presidents: Pierce, Buchanan, Harding, Carter and William Harrison, who served only one month in office.

 Johnny Knox, San Juan Capistrano

Divider not a uniter

Obamas legacy may be judged more by his omissions than by his accomplishments. As our first African American president, he could have been the first mentor since Abraham Lincoln to guide our people into closing the racial divide in America. Instead he tolerated contempt for law and order, often looking aside from murder, drugs and the breakup of black families in the inner cities. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been appalled at the rise of disorder in urban America. Peaceful family life is the goal of every American. Obamas family is the perfect role model for all of us. But he squandered that opportunity by not encouraging minorities to emulate his success.

 Richard Stegemeier, Anaheim

Obama saved the GOP

The most remarkable legacy of Barack Obama may be that he almost single-handedly put the Republican Party back on its feet. After the election of 2008, the prospects for the GOP seemed bleak: With the Democrats in solid control of Congress and a charismatic young president in the White House, many on both sides of the political aisle anticipated that the GOP would be locked into minority status for at least a generation.

Instead, a mere two years later, Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives. Obama succeeded in getting himself re-elected but Democrats fortunes continued to slide and the Republicans retook the Senate two years later. The finale: Obama is being succeeded by Donald Trump. Nationally, 33 out of 50 states have Republican governors and 68 out of 99 state legislative houses have GOP majorities; 25 states have both a Republican governor and a Republican-majority legislature.

For the Democratic Party, Barack Obama has been the biggest disaster since the ineptitude of James Buchanan led to the election of Abraham Lincoln and 70 years of Republican dominance in national politics.

 Jay Peterson, Santa Ana

Unfit then, unfit now

A community organizer had no training to lead the world  especially such a leftish, liberal and social ideologue. Good leadership means listening to others, evaluating the input and making decisions. He would never listen to others and showed no willingness to alter his deep feelings that he was right about everything. Good leaders will admit a wrong or alter something that later you find works better. He could do neither.

He left our world in dismal shape and all we see is the far left liberals screaming lies that Trump is bad and not admitting fault of their leader.

 Cyn Thacker, Buena Park

World made worse

Obamas legacy was trumped by Republican victories throughout America. His legacy is one of dishonesty, divisiveness and destruction, the world over. After promising everything to everyone, he failed miserably and repeatedly, even throughout his final weeks. His calumny was condemned even by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat.

Obama has offended our closest allies and embraced our bitterest enemies. He has no legacy in the usual, honorable sense of the word. Obama has rather an ignominy, a disgrace, a disreputable stain forever attached to his name for all the damage he has caused not just America, but the world to suffer.

 John Jaeger, Irvine

And another thing

After reading others assessments of President Obamas legacy, I would like to add two more: Attempting to close Gitmo and the exchanging of Bowe Bergdahl for Gitmo detainees. Two more terrible decisions  dangers to the U.S. and the world.

 Bobbe Mootchnik, Huntington Beach

Obama didnt disappoint

Re: Obamas not so glorious legacy [Opinion, Jan. 1]: Columnist Joel Kotkins gloomy review of President Obamas tenure in office came as no surprise. Now that he is down to a handful of days left in office, I have a few things Id like to say about the way the president has conducted himself these past eight years.

The first time I met then-Senator Obama was in June, 2007. He was attending a breakfast meeting with Orange County Democrats, and I was picked to be his wing man for the morning. For 45 minutes, I whispered into his ear little tidbits about each person he was about to meet. He was all business, but I could tell there was something special about the man. Months later, when he gave his breakthrough speech in Iowa during that states first-in-the-nation caucus in 2008, I knew I was backing a winner.

Just before he went to Denver to accept my partys nomination for president, Obama made another stop in Orange County. This time it was at the Balboa Bay Club. Having been one of a handful of supporters who helped raise $1.2 million that day, I was anxious to see him again.

When it was my turn to have my picture taken with Obama, he greeted me with that big smile of his and said, Hey, I remember you. You helped me a year ago. I was floored. About the only thing I could say was, I remember you, too. We both laughed as the cameras zoomed in on us.

As I stepped away, I turned back and said, Were counting on you. Obama looked at me and replied, I wont let you down. And you know what? He didnt.

I have voted in every presidential election since 1972. I was happy when Jimmy Carter won four years later. I was thrilled when Bill Clinton was elected in 1992, and re-elected in 1996. But I was proud to have voted for Barack Obama twice.

Its not every day you get to stand next to a truly remarkable person. I always will cherish the two times I stood, literally, inches from Barack Obama. The night 300 of us gathered in Laguna to celebrate his 2009 inauguration, I read my letter to the crowd that Newsweek Magazine had published weeks before. I dont know if Art Linkletter would have agreed, but here is what I said:

Barack Obamas victory was as significant as George Washington becoming Americas first president, Abraham Lincoln holding the country together during the Civil War or Franklin D. Roosevelt taking office during the depths of the Great Depression. The lasting legacy of Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt is that they governed wisely. I have every expectation that a soon-to-be President Obama will do the same.

He did. I am sorry Joel Kotkin doesnt feel the same way I do.

 Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach

History will be kind

History will treat President Barack Obama well. Like John F. Kennedy, Mr. Obama will be remembered and appreciated for some stirring moments of oratory. But unlike President Kennedy, who served as the countrys chief executive for just a thousand days, Mr. Obama has had the benefit of eight years in office.

During Mr. Obamas two terms, 22 million Americans have gained health insurance, and pre-existing conditions will no longer disqualify an individual from health care coverage.

Further, Mr. Obama is the most environmentally conscious and proactive of all our nations commanders in chief (apologies to T. Roosevelt).

The presidency of Barack Obama has aided Americans in maintaining and improving their health through the Affordable Care Act; and, the entire earth is better off because of Mr. Obamas actions on behalf of the environment. This president is the actual embodiment of the best and the brightest. May his light inspire us, eternally.

 Ben Miles, Huntington Beach
SEOUL, South Korea  A South Korean Buddhist monk is in critical condition after setting himself on fire to protest the countrys settlement with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves, officials said Sunday.

The 64-year-old monk suffered third-degree burns across his body and serious damage to vital organs. Hes unconscious and unable to breathe on his own, said an official from the Seoul National University Hospital, who didnt want to be named citing office rules.

The man set himself ablaze late Saturday during a large rally in Seoul calling for the ouster of impeached President Park Geun-hye, police said. In his notebook, the man called Park a traitor over her governments 2015 agreement with Japan that sought to settle a long-standing row over South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japans World War II military, police said.

Under the agreement, Japan pledged to fund a Seoul-based foundation that was set up to help support the victims. South Korea, in exchange, vowed to refrain from criticizing Japan over the issue and try to resolve the Japanese grievance over a bronze statue representing wartime sex slaves in front of its embassy in Seoul.

The agreement has so far come short of bringing a closure to the emotional issue. The deal continues to be criticized in South Korea because it was reached without approval from victims, and students have been holding sit-in protests next to the Seoul statue for more than a year over fears that the government might try to remove it.

On Friday, the Japanese government reacted angrily to the placing of a similar statue in front of its consulate in the city of Busan, announcing a recall of its ambassador to South Korea and suspension of economic talks.

At the time of the sex slave deal, Seoul said there were 46 surviving South Korean victims.
BEIJING  A few months after Lu Qiumei gave birth to her daughter in 2012, officials visited her home and told her she was required to be fitted with an intrauterine device.

For more than three decades, this was national policy in China. The IUD was the governments most important tool for limiting couples to one child, and almost all new mothers were required to get one.

Lu considered the demand invasive and potentially harmful to her health. Still, like hundreds of millions of Chinese women, she had one put in.

Now, a year after abandoning the one-child policy, the government is hoping to make it up to Lu and millions of women like her  by removing their IUDs for free. But the offer, made without an apology, has provoked outrage.

We shouldnt even have had this in the first place, and now the government wants to use it as a form of state benefit for people, Lu, 36, said. Its like they are slapping themselves in the face.

While IUDs elsewhere can often be removed with the tug of their strings in a doctors office, surgery is usually needed in China because most devices are designed or altered to be more difficult to extract.

But many Chinese women have chafed at the thought of the governments getting involved, yet again, in their private lives. And for many mothers, the offer has come too late for them to consider having a second child.

China began demanding that women be fitted with an intrauterine device after they had one child, and sterilized after they had two, in the early 1980s. From 1980-2014, according to official statistics, 324 million Chinese women were fitted with IUDs.

Last year, confronting an aging population and a shrinking workforce, President Xi Jinping relegated the one-child policy to the Communist Partys scrap heap of discarded dogma  pivoting from punishing couples for having a second child to encouraging them to get on with reproducing.

To that end, the government said 18 million women would be eligible for the free removal of IUDs in the next three years so they could bear a second child.
The elected members of Edenderry Town Council and Offaly County Council met with Deputy Barry Cowen TD in relation to Ofalia House on Monday, February 24.

The elected members of Edenderry Town Council and Offaly County Council met with Deputy Barry Cowen TD in relation to Ofalia House on Monday, February 24.

This meeting was organised by the members of Edenderry Town Council in order to get the support from the area Councilors and local TDs in relation to concerns regarding the lack of funding for proposed works required at Ofalia House following a recent HIQA report.

According to the Town Council, HIQA have stated the need for additional en suite bathrooms as part of upgrade works at Ofalia House.

The need for reassurance for the families of those residing in Ofalia House and those people using the services provided there such as respite and day care facilities; together with the need for certainty about the future of Ofalia House was stressed to Deputy Cowen by the members present. The need for a development plan for the future of Ofalia House was also requested.

The members expressed fears that the capacity for beds will be reduced further by the HSE. Ofalia House has a 47 bed capacity however 27 people currently reside here together with one respite bed and one palliative care bed available.

The embargo on recruiting staff within the public sector was also discussed as it is felt that this is also creating difficulties within the service.

Deputy Cowen stated that he shares the fears and concerns of the community in relation to this matter. He agreed to raise a parliamentary question in the Dail in relation to same in order to seek clarification from Minister Reilly into the funding required for this work. He also agreed to seek a commitment to be given in relation to the long term future of Ofalia House.
By Press Trust of India: Washington, Jan 8 (PTI) Scientists have discovered a 52-million-year-old fossil of a berry that may help understand the evolution of the economically important plant family that includes potatoes, peppers and tomatoes.

Tomatillos, ground cherries and husk tomatoes - members of the physalis genus - are unusual because they have papery, lantern-like husks, known to botanists as inflated calyces that grow after fertilisation to extend around their fleshy, often edible berries.

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They are a small portion of the nightshade family, which includes many commercially, scientifically and culturally valuable plants among its more than 2,400 living species.

This entire family has had a notably poor fossil record, limited to tiny seeds and wood with little diagnostic value that drastically limited understanding of when and where it evolved.

The researchers from Pennsylvania State University in the US examined two fossil lantern fruit collected in an area in Argentina that was temperate rainforest when the plants grew, 52 million years ago.

These are the only physalis fossils found among more than 6,000 fossils collected from this remote area and they preserve very delicate features such as the papery husk and the berry itself.

The fossil site was part of terminal Gondwana, the ancient supercontinent comprised of the adjacent landmasses of South America, Antarctica and Australia during a warm period of Earth history, just before their final separation.

"These astonishing, extremely rare specimens of physalis fruits are the only two fossils known of the entire nightshade family that preserve enough information to be assigned to a genus within the family," said Peter Wilf, professor at Pennsylvania State University in the US.

"We exhaustively analysed every detail of these fossils in comparison with all potential living relatives and there is no question that they represent the worlds first physalis fossils and the first fossil fruits of the nightshade family," said Wilf.

"Physalis sits near the tips of the nightshade familys evolutionary tree, meaning that the nightshades as a whole, contrary to what was thought, are far older than 52 million years," he said.

Typically, researchers look for fossilised fruits or flowers as their first choice in identifying ancient plants.

Since the fruits of the nightshade family are very delicate and largely come from herbaceous plants with low biomass, they have little potential to fossilise.

The leaves and flowers are also unknown from the fossil record. This presents a problem for understanding when and where the group evolved and limits the use of fossils to calibrate molecular divergence dating of these plants.

Molecular dates calibrated with previous fossils had placed the entire nightshade family at 35 to 51 million year ago and the tomatillo group, to which the 52 million year old fossils belong, at only 9 to 11 million years ago.

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The research was published in the journal Science. PTI MHN MHN

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Varanasi, Jan 8 (PTI) A seven-member team of experts from Mumbais Tata Memorial Hospital, entrusted with functioning and construction work of a cancer centre in BHU, today said the institute would start functioning in the next six months and the overall construction will take 30 months.

The prime minister had on December 22, 2016 laid foundation stone for Madan Mohan Malaviya cancer centre and a super speciality hospital on a visit to his Lok Sabha constituency here.

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A seven-member team of experts under the leadership of KS Sharma, academic director at Tata Memorial Hospital was sent for atwo day visit to BHU, which culminated yesterday.

The team surveyed the proposed construction site here at BHUs-Sunder Bagia.

The buildings construction work will be completed in 30 months, said Sharma.

The cancer centre, being set up at a cost of around Rs 600 crore, will be beneficial in giving treatment to cancer patients from UP and its Eastern region ?Purvanchal and also the patients fromBihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh as well as Nepal.

The team held meetings with the BHUs Institute Of Medical Sciences Director VK Shukla and Sir Sunder Lal Hospitals Medical Superintended OP Upadhyay.

The team also met expert doctors of the city and sought their suggestions in this regard.

Sharma said that an effort is being made to startgiving treatment to cancer patients in the coming six months and also run its OPD services within 6-12 months here in BHU.

He also asserted that all the facilities that are being provided at Mumbais Tata MemorialHospital will be given to cancer patients here in Varanasi. PTI COR ARK

--- ENDS ---
Fusion Medical Staffing had been in its new northwest Omaha offices only months before a business surge had the locally grown firm spilling out the door in search of more space.

It so happened that neighbor Ellie Mae, a growing California-based mortgage technology company that came to town a few years ago, had an eye on a bigger spot elsewhere on the North Park business campus.

The two companies arent alone in expanding operations at North Park. Indeed, Ellie Mae will be sharing its next building with another newcomer. And a handful of other firms also signed leases in recent months, joining the 70-acre campus that contains eight multistory office structures and a retail section near 120th and Blondo Streets.

The resurgence of North Park  whose office occupancy jumped, mostly in the last year, from a low 60 percent in 2013 to essentially full today  makes it a shining star of the 2016 local commercial real estate market.

Go back to four years ago, North Park was dead, Jeffrey Wyatt, of Colliers International, said of the site then struggling with ownership structure problems. Its fabulous to see that space filled up and to see people going to work.

Filling empty office space is seen as good news and a barometer of a communitys economic health, typically equating to more jobs and stepped-up commerce. But the turnaround of North Park is key in another way, as it could signal broader changes in the 2017 Omaha area office market.

Commercial real estate brokers say North Parks full house further limits the amount of bigger, ready-to-move-in places for growing or new-to-town firms that want to lease offices near the popular suburban West Dodge corridor. Consequently, many industry experts foresee more new construction and a renewed focus on downtown, which took a major hit last year when Conagra shrank its workforce and relocated its Fortune 500 corporate flag to Chicago.

Companies that previously wouldnt consider downtown may be forced to, said Steve Sheppard of CBRE/Mega Commercial Real Estate. Fortunately there are several great options in the Central Business District.

The situation also could prompt firms in need of large blocks of space to consider less-traveled corridors with higher office vacancies, in effect spreading more business activity beyond the West Dodge Road core to areas such as Bellevue and northeast Omaha.

Or, said J.P. Raynor of Investors Realty, firms might delay pulling the trigger on a move until construction costs go down or availability presents itself in their desired market.

Among other year-end highlights of the local office market:

 The overall office vacancy rate for the Omaha area improved to 10.9 percent from nearly 12 percent earlier in the year. The weakest point in the past six years was 13.2 percent in early 2010. While bustling offices are a positive sign, a declining vacancy rate also has that potential downside: reduced options for companies seeking to expand or relocate to the city.

 Some areas of the city had particularly noticeable swings in vacancy rates. Downtown took a turn for the worse, going from about an 8 percent vacancy rate earlier in the year to nearly 14 percent at the end of 2016 (due largely to changes at Conagras campus). Compare that with the northwest area submarket (which includes North Park) shifting from a 16 percent vacancy rate early in the year to todays 4.2 percent.

 The year ended with a positive amount of office space leased, or a net absorption of about 230,000 square feet, according to Xceligent, a national service that tracks commercial real estate trends. Thats near the average 250,000 square feet of the past several years. Sheppard said that with no meaningful new construction slated to come on line this year, demand is outpacing supply. One result is increased rents, which he already has started to see.

To be sure, some new construction of leaseable office space is on the horizon and a few mixed-use developments are underway. But commercial brokers interviewed said they dont foresee sizable chunks of new office construction, especially in west Omaha, to be available for business until after 2017.

Among the upcoming structures is developer Ron Cizeks West Dodge Hills office building near 181st Street and Burke Streets. Ground work has started, and Cizek expects the 150,000-square-foot building to start to rise this spring and be completed in 2018.

The 14-acre site has room for a second building. Cizek bought the land and started his project without having secured any tenants. While such speculative building is a risk, Cizek is confident hell fill the space. We do the Kevin Costner deal: Build it and they will come.

Cizek said that in his experience, most companies dont like waiting three or so years to plan out a newly constructed home. He said the time for bringing a new office building to the market was right, noting an overall vacancy rate in his dozen office buildings of below 5 percent.

Barry Zoob of Colliers International called 2016 remarkable, given a year-end positive lease absorption even after the few Conagra buildings and other office space went back on the market.

He anticipates brisk transaction activity this year, and said he knows of a half-dozen entities putting out feelers for office space of between 20,000 and 125,000 square feet.

At this moment in time, Omaha is really a hot place to be, Zoob said. Culturally its changing with things happening at our zoo, and this great study on the riverfront. The buzz is positive.

He and other brokers point out Omahas prosperous health care climate. To name a few projects: multimillions in investment is rising at the University of Nebraska Medical Center; Childrens Hospital & Medical Center is growing its campus near 84th and Dodge; and Methodist Health Systems just announced a future corporate headquarters to be built near 168th and Pacific Streets.

Ryan Ellis of P.J. Morgan Real Estate says his firms leasing activity reflects greater confidence by medical professionals expanding or launching practices.

The home health care industry, individual specialized practices  theres growth and movement there again, he said.

Ellis foresees more interest in space for startup businesses, noting a recent plug by AOL co-founder Steve Case. Case chose Omaha and Lincoln to kick off in October his Rise of the Rest tour, an effort to support startup ecosystems. Cases blog more recently predicted a shift that would put Omaha in prime position for venture capital dollars.

Growth is slated this year at the Mastercraft, the north downtown complex that houses many startup and tech firms. An old 10,000-square-foot warehouse is to be converted to innovative office space that features giant shipping containers (used for such things as conference rooms or patios), said Ellis, whose firm handles the leasing.

Elsewhere downtown, potential tenants continue to tour about 200,000 square feet of available space at the Conagra riverfront campus, said P.J. Morgan, who is leading the search for tenants. Weve seen some pretty positive responses and interest.

The renovated Rail and Commerce Building on downtowns 10th Street corridor near Mason Street is projected to be done by June. A new two-story parking garage has been built on the west side.

Warren Distribution will be moving to that former mail terminal along with Boyd Jones Construction and its subsidiary, Bluestem Energy Solutions, said Walt Peffer of the Morgan firm. Another floor is available for startup businesses and a restaurant.

When Warren relocates, Peffer said, its existing headquarters near the Old Market will be available for lease, adding more inventory to be filled downtown.

Many brokers say downtowns urban appeal has grown especially for millennials and workers in creative fields, but parking remains an obstacle for many companies seeking to move or expand.

Conversely, the availability of employee parking was a plus when leaders of Fusion Medical Staffing toured the North Park campus, whose first office structure opened in 1986.

By Fusions mid-2016 move there, ownership structure and foreclosure struggles at the office park had been resolved to the point that tenants again were interested in the campus, which offers about 700,000 square feet of office space, said David Barton of CBRE/Mega.

An occupancy rate that had plummeted after CSG Systems moved out in mid-2012 was on the rise. More than 200,000 square feet of office space has been leased just since the start of 2016, said Barton.

Sam Wageman, Fusion president, said the parks proximity to West Dodge Road and competitive lease rates helped cinch the decision to move into the companys current 28,000-square-foot home. Within months, the firm of about 150 on-site employees outgrew the digs, thanks, Wageman said, to a robust medical industry and a company culture that put the firm among top finishers in the Omaha Chambers survey of best places to work.

Fusions move sets off the move by Ellie Mae to a North Park space twice its current 10,000 square foot size. The renovation of the new space is expected to be a $1 million project.

Sheppard, who has represented a few North Park tenants, called the office parks resurgence amazing.

It speaks to the overall health of our local economy, and the demand for buildings with high parking ratios, he said.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a wily political survivor and multimillionaire mogul who remained among the ruling elite despite moderate views, died Sunday, state TV reported. He was 82.

Iranian media reported he suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized north of Tehran, where doctors performed CPR in vain for nearly an hour and a half before declaring him dead.

A female newscaster's voice quivered as she read the news.

She said Rafsanjani, "after a life full of restless efforts in the path of Islam and revolution, had departed for lofty heaven."

Rafsanjani's mix of sly wit and reputation for cunning moves both in politics and business earned him a host of nicknames such as Akbar Shah, or Great King, during a life that touched every major event in Iranian affairs since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

His presence whether directly or through back channels was felt in many forms. He was a steady leader in the turbulent years after the overthrow of the U.S.-backed shah, a veteran warrior in the country's internal political battles and a covert go-between in intrigue such as the Iran-Contra arms deals in the 1980s.

He also was handed an unexpected political resurgence in his later years.

The surprise presidential election in 2013 of Rafsanjani's political soul mate, Hassan Rouhani, gave the former president an insider role in reform-minded efforts that included Rouhani's push for direct nuclear talks with Washington. World powers and Iran ultimately struck a deal to limit the country's nuclear enrichment in exchange for the lifting of some economic sanctions.

While Rafsanjani was blocked from the 2013 ballot by Iran's election overseers presumably worried about boosting his already wide-ranging influence the former leader embraced Rouhani's success.

"Now I can easily die since people are able to decide their fate by themselves," he reportedly said last March.

However, Rouhani now faces a crucial presidential election in May which will serve as a referendum on the deal and thawing relations with the West. Rafsanjani was sharply critical of a move by Iran's constitutional watchdog to block moderates, including Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the Islamic Republic's founder, from running for a top clerical body in elections last year.

Rafsanjani was a close aide of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's and served as president from 1989 to 1997 during a period of significant changes in Iran. At the time, the country was struggling to rebuild its economy after a devastating 1980-88 war with Iraq, while also cautiously allowing some wider freedoms, as seen in Iran's highly regarded film and media industry.

He also oversaw key developments in Iran's nuclear program by negotiating deals with Russia to build an energy-producing reactor in Bushehr, which finally went into service in 2011 after long delays. Behind the scenes, he directed the secret purchase of technology and equipment from Pakistan and elsewhere.

Rafsanjani managed to remain within the ruling theocracy after leaving office, but any dreams of taking on a higher-profile role collapsed with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009 and the intense crackdown that followed. Rafsanjani's harsh criticism of Ahmadinejad branded him as a dissenter in the eyes of many conservatives.

In a sign of his waning powers, Rafsanjani's stance cost him his position as one of the Friday prayer leaders at Tehran University, a highly influential position that often is the forum for significant policy statements.

But some analysts believe that Rafsanjani was kept within the ruling fold as a potential mediator with America and its allies in the standoff over Iran's nuclear program. His past stature as a trusted Khomeini ally also offered him political protection. Rafsanjani was a top commander in the war with Iraq and played a key role in convincing Khomeini to accept a cease-fire after years of crippling stalemate.

Nearly 25 years later, Rafsanjani tried to revive his credentials among a new generation of reformers by recounting proposals he made to Khomeini in the late 1980s to consider outreach to the United States, still seen by hard-liners as the "Great Satan."

His image, however, also had darker undertones. He was named by prosecutors in Argentina among Iranian officials suspected of links to a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Some Iranian reformers accused him of involvement in the slaying of liberals and dissidents during his presidency  charges that were never pursued by Iranian authorities.

"The title of Islamic Republic is not just a formality," he said in 2009 in the chaos after Ahmadinejad's re-election.

"Rest assured, if one of those two aspects is damaged we will lose our revolution. If it loses its Islamic aspect, we will go astray. If it loses its republican aspect, (the Islamic Republic) will not be realized. Based on the reasons that I have offered, without people and their vote there would be no Islamic system."

Rafsanjani, a portly man with only sparse and wispy chin hairs in contrast to the full beards worn by most Islamic clerics in Iran, first met Khomeini in the Shiite seminaries of Qom in the 1950s and later became a key figure in the Islamic uprising that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979.

His smooth-skinned visage gave him another nickname that also fit his ruthless image: The Shark.

He was elected as head of Iran's parliament in 1980 and served until 1989, when he was elected for the first of two four-year terms as president.

Here, Rafsanjani began to build his multilayered and sometimes contradictory political nature: A supporter of free enterprise, a relative pragmatist toward foreign affairs and an unforgiving leader who showed no mercy to any challenges to his authority.

Rafsanjani took a dim view of state control of the economy, even in the turbulent years after the Islamic Revolution, and encouraged private businesses, development of Tehran's stock market and ways to boost Iranian exports. His priority was to rebuild the country after eight years of bloody war with Iraq that killed an estimated 1 million people.

He built roads and connected villages to electrical, telephone and water networks for the first time, earning the title of Commander of Reconstruction by his supporters.

There were certain self-interests at play, as well.

Rafsanjani was assumed to be the head of a family-run pistachio business, which grew to become one of Iran's largest exporters and provided the financial foundation for a business empire that would eventually include construction companies, an auto assembly plant, vast real estate holdings and a private airline. In 2003, he was listed among Iran's "millionaire mullahs" by Forbes magazine.

His economic policies won him praise from Iran's elite and merchant classes, but brought bitterness from struggling workers seeking greater state handouts. Rafsanjani also faced warnings from the ruling theocracy about pushing too far. None of his reforms dared to undercut the vast power of the Revolutionary Guard which Rafsanjani briefly commanded, and which controls every key defense and strategic program.

Rafsanjani's complex legacy also was shaped by the times.

He took over the presidency in a critical time of transition just after the death of Khomeini. He tried to make overtures for better ties with the U.S. after the American-led invasion of Kuwait in 1991 to drive out Iraqi forces, arguing that Iran paid too high a price for its diplomatic freeze with Washington.

But he could not overcome opposition from Iranian hard-liners and failed to win the backing of Khomeini's successor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for bold foreign policy moves. He also angered the West by strengthening Iran's ties to armed groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah.

"One of the wrong things we did, in the revolutionary atmosphere, was constantly to make enemies," he said in a 1987 interview. "We pushed those who could have been neutral into hostility."

Rafsanjani was born in 1934 in the village of Bahraman in southeastern Iran's pistachio-growing region of Rafsanjan. His father, too, was a pistachio farmer with a growing business that would later be expanded into a colossal enterprise.

Rafsanjani was jailed for several years under the shah. He then helped organize the network of mullahs that became Khomeini's revolutionary underground. In 1965, he is reputed to have provided the handgun for the assassination of Iran's prime minister, Hassan Ali Mansoor.

Only months after the revolution, Rafsanjani was shot once in the stomach by gunmen from one of the groups vying for power amid the political turmoil. He was not seriously wounded and neither was his wife, who jumped in front to shield him from the attack.

"Great men of history do not die," Khomeini said in announcing that Rafsanjani had survived.

In 1980, Rafsanjani was appointed head of the new parliament, or majlis, and was often regarded as the second-most-powerful man in the country. Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, the republic's first president, who was forced into exile in 1981 during a power struggle, described Rafsanjani in Machiavellian terms.

"He's a man with a marked taste for power," he said in a 1989 interview with The Associated Press from his exile in France. "He's a political animal."

Bani-Sadr said Rafsanjani also used to play the role of court jester to amuse Khomeini.

"He's a man who makes people laugh," Bani-Sadr said. "It's a great art. He makes Khomeini laugh. He uses this to gain his objectives ... He's not brilliant as an organizer and he doesn't have too many original ideas, but he's a manipulator and he's intelligent."

During the 1980s, Rafsanjani used his links with Lebanese Shiite extremists to help secure the release of Western hostages in Lebanon and was a key middleman identified as "Raf" in Pentagon documents in the secret Iran-Contra dealings to funnel U.S. arms to Iran in exchange for money used to fund Nicaraguan rebels.

Although Rafsanjani was seen by Washington as a potential ice breaker in relations, his views were far from solidly pro-Western and displayed conflicted positions.

Shortly after becoming president in 1989, he urged Palestinians to kill Westerners to retaliate for Israel's attacks in the occupied territories.

"It is not hard to kill Americans or Frenchmen," he said.

In February 1994, Rafsanjani survived a second assassination attempt. A lone gunman fired at him as he was speaking to mark the 15th anniversary of the revolution. Unhurt and unshaken, Rafsanjani calmed a crowd of thousands and continued his speech.

The Iran-Contra fallout is an often-told tale about the dangers of crossing Rafsanjani.

After word was leaked to a Beirut magazine about Rafsanjani's involvement, he ordered the arrest of the source, a senior adviser to the ruling clerics named Mehdi Hashemi, for treason and other charges. Hashemi and others were executed in September 1987.

After leaving the presidency, Rafsanjani's main forum was his spot as one of the Friday prayer leaders. His sermons could run for more than two hours and were delivered without notes. In 1999 amid the first major pro-reform unrest at Tehran University he praised the use of force to put down the protests.

A decade later, however, he was dismayed at the brutal crackdown against opposition groups and others claiming Ahmadinejad won re-election in June 2009 through vote rigging sanctioned by the ruling theocracy.

Khamenei decided to throw his backing behind Ahmadinejad, effectively snubbing Rafsanjani and his complaints. Later, Rafsanjani fell short on efforts to mobilize enough moderate clerics in the Assembly of Experts the only group with the power to dismiss the supreme leader to force possible concessions from Khamenei on the postelection clampdowns.

Rafsanjani was forced out of the post in 2011, but remained as head of the Expediency Council, an advisory body that mediates disputes between the parliament and the Guardian Council, a watchdog group controlled by hard-line clerics.

In January 2012, a court sentenced Rafsanjani's daughter, Faezeh Hashemi, to six months in prison on charges of criticizing the ruling system.

In 2013, Iran's election watchdog rejected his nomination for the presidential campaign, hinting at his age.

In 2015, a court sentenced his younger son, Mahdi, to a 10-year prison term over embezzlement and security charges.

Rafsanjani is survived by his wife, Effat Marashi, and five children.

Copyright 2017, the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Jan 8 (PTI) Maratha leader and BJP-backed MLC Vinayak Mete, sulking for some time over being sidelined, today called on Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, the bickering ally of ruling BJP, at latters residence here.

Mete, founder chairman of pro-Maratha Shivsangram Sanghatna from Beed district, had supported the BJP against Sena in 2014 Assembly elections.

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When contacted, he told PTI that nothing should be read into his visit.

"My visit to Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree (Thackerays residence in suburban Bandra) was to apprise him about various issues related to Maratha community seeking reservation in jobs. I also gave more details to him about the proposed Shivaji Maharaj memorial, which is going to be largest one in the world," Mete said.

Mete has been in sulk since last year over his non-induction in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government.

The MLC had last month accused the BJP of turning the foundation laying of Shivaji memorial in Arabian sea into a "party event to derive a political mileage", a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ceremony.

Mete heads the Chhatrapati Shivaji Smarak Samiti which is overseeing the execution of the ambitious project, coming up off Mumbai coast.

He was former ally of Sharad Pawar-led NCP.

Metes visit came at a time when much-awaited civic elections, including to high-stake Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), are round the corner.

The State Election Commission has already called for a press conference tomorrow afternoon.

However, Mete stressed his meeting with Thackeray was strictly in the context of the memorial project and issues concerning Maratha community.

"There is nothing to read more about in such visit. I have worked with BJP as per our earlier arrangement, but Shiv Sena being an ally of Mahayuti in Maharashtra, I am also of the opinion of BJP-Shiv Sena should form alliance ahead of civic polls," he said.

When asked about Metes visit, Sena spokesperson and senior leader Neelam Gorhe said, "Vinayak Mete is a senior leader and our leader Uddhav Thackeray also know him for some time. There is nothing new or unusual that leaders are visiting Matoshree." PTI ND NSK NSK PTP

--- ENDS ---
Another incident of man carrying corpse, 2 officials suspended

India

oi-PTI

Angul, Jan 8: Two health officials were suspended in Odisha's Angul district in connection with an incident in which a man had to carry the body of his 5-year-old daughter on shoulder from a government hospital after she died at the medical facility.

The sub-divisional medical officer (SDMO) and senior medical officer have been placed under suspension by the state health department in connection with the incident that took place at Pallahara hospital in Angul, district collector Anil Samal said today.

A staff nurse of the hospital was also suspended yesterday for alleged dereliction of duty, while a junior hospital manager had been placed under suspension and a security guard deployed at the hospital had been disengaged earlier, the SDMO said.

The incident, akin to the episode involving a tribal man Dana Majhi who had to carry his wife's body on shoulder for 10 km from a government hospital at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district last year after failing to get a hearse, took place on Tuesday.

The action by the health department came after the incident, which went viral on social media and local news channels, triggered widespread criticism. The man, identified as Gati Dhibar of Pechamundi village said he had requested the hospital authorities for help to take his daughter's body from the hospital to the native place, about 15 km away but failed to get any help.

The minor girl died allegedly while undergoing treatment at the healthcare facility on Tuesday. The incident took place despite the state government last year launching 'Mahaprayan' scheme for providing facilities at district headquarters hospital and medical colleges to carry bodies of patients after death from the hospital to their home.

PTI
BJP dividing people in UP on communal lines: Congress MP

India

oi-PTI

Kochi, Jan 8: Congress leader KC Venugopal today said the controversial remarks made by BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, was against the recent Supreme Court judgement banning seeking votes in the name of religion.

Accusing the BJP of dividing people on communal lines, Venugopal, who is also Congress Deputy Chief Whip in Lok Sabha, urged the Election Commission of India to take action against the MP from Unnao and the BJP. He alleged that Maharaj's statement was part of saffron force's "political game" in Uttar Pradesh, which goes to polls. A day after the BJP distanced itself from Maharaj's statement, Venugopal alleged that it was a "double speak" being practiced by Amit Shah-led party and if they had belief in an element of ethics in their politics, Sakshi Maharaj would have been out of the party by now.

"They (BJP) will say that they are committed for inclusive growth of the country. But in reality.... You can see contradiction in what they preach and practice. They sow seeds of hatred in the minds of people during elections and divide them for polarising votes," he said here.

Citing the Apex Court verdict holding that elections to the state legislatures or the Parliament must be secular and any appeal in the name of religion, caste, community and language, is impermissible under the Representation of People Act, 1951, Venugopal said action should be taken against Sakshi Maharaj and the BJP for violating the Model Code of Conduct and the Court order.

"It is a violation of Model Code of Conduct. It should be dealt with firmly and effectively to ensure a free and fair poll in Uttar Pradesh," he said. "Strong action should be taken against all persons and parties violating the law," he added.

Maharaj was yesterday booked for allegedly hurting religious feelings after he indirectly blamed Muslims for the population growth in the country that sparked a controversy, days after Supreme Court outlawed seeking votes in the name of religion or caste.

PTI
BJP will face its 'triple talaq' in UP: CPI

India

oi-PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 7: Accusing BJP of indulging in communal polarisation in view of the forthcoming assembly elections in five states, CPI(M) on Saturday said the poll results in Uttar Pradesh would be a "triple talaq" to the saffron party by the people against its communal policies.

Addressing a public meeting here on the sidelines of the ongoing three-day Central Committee meeting of CPI(M), its General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the BJP-led NDA had faced people's "talaq" in earlier assembly polls in Bihar and New Delhi and urged all secular forces to come united to ensure defeat of the saffron party and its partners in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. He alleged that BJP and RSS have started raking up communal issues in Uttar Pradesh despite the recent Supreme Court judgement, which said religion cannot be used for making an appeal in elections. "As part of the communal polarisation, BJP-RSS have once again picked up the campaign for uniform civil code and triple talaq," he said.

"The worst vote bank politics in this country is played by the RSS and BJP...that's to consolidate the communal Hindu vote bank. And that's why they have started campaign against triple talaq," he said. "After Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, there were assembly elections. In Delhi election, only three of you (BJP) have won out of total 70 seats. That was the government's first talaq," he said.

"Next came the Bihar election...the BJP president said if Modi and BJP defeated, there would be crackers burst in Pakistan. So you have to elect BJP government in Bihar. But you know what had happened. The election result was the second talaq for Modi," he said. Yechury said, "BJP and RSS would realise the real meaning of triple talaq when the Uttar Pradesh results come out. It is our duty, as the people of our country, for all the secular forces to unite to ensure that BJP and the communal forces will face their triple talaq in Uttar Pradesh...and that will be the real meaning of their triple talaq campaign," he said.

Criticising the BJP National Executive's claim today that the demonetisation had been successful in its results, Yechury said they were trying to mislead through their propaganda machinery not bringing into the fore the actual problems being faced by cores of people due to the withdrawal of high value currencies.

PTI
Man rapes 8-year-old to use her blood for removing obstacles to his marriage

FATWA issued against PM Modi over demonetisation

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

The Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Mosque in Kolkata has issued a Fatwa against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over inconvenience faced by people due to demonetisation, said reports.

Maulana Nurur Rehman Barkati reportedly said that he would offer a reward of Rs 25 lakh to anyone who will "cut off Prime Minister Modi's beard, shave his head and smear him with black ink".

He made this remark during a joint conference by the All India Majlis-e-Sura and All India Minority Forum in Kolkata. TMC MP Idris Ali was also present at the meeting, said reports.

Barkati reportedly said that Modi was 'bluffing' people and causing grave inconvenience due to demonetisation, adding that no one want him to continue as PM.

Meanwhile, BJP National Secretary Sidharth Nath Singh has slammed Barkati and demanded his arrest.

The country faced a major cash crunch after the prime minister, on November 8, announced that old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 would cease to be legal tenders. Since then, new series of Rs 500 adn Rs 2,000 notes were issued. Banks and ATMs across the country witness massive queues over the last couple of months due to this move.

OneIndia News
Goa: MGP to field candidate against Parsekar in Mandrem constituency

India

oi-PTI

Panaji, Jan 8: The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, which recently split with the ruling BJP in Goa, has decided to field a candidate against state Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar in Mandrem constituency.

The party had recently withdrawn support to the BJP-led state government following differences with Parsekar. MGP president Dipak Dhavalikar said Mandrem had been a bastion of the party till a few years back, and exuded confidence it would regain its hold over the constituency.

He said the MGP parliamentary committee would meet to formally approve alliance with GSM and Shiv Sena on Monday.

"We will be fielding our candidate on MGP ticket against Parsekar to defeat him. We will get Mandrem constituency in seat-sharing as a part of alliance with Goa Suraksha Manch and Shiv Sena," Dhavalikar told reporters.

"Only after the parliamentary committee meeting, the announcement about the alliance would be made," he said.

The MGP president claimed that the alliance has already been finalised and announcement is just a formality. The MGP, GSM and Sena leaders will also meet later on Monday afternoon to decide on seat-sharing. They have already in-principle decided that MGP will contest on 22 seats, GSM on 8 and Sena on 5 seats. Dhavalikar said that Independent legislator Naresh Sawal, who had resigned as MLA recently, would formally join the MGP tomorrow.

PTI
5-year-old dies after being attacked by pack of dogs in MP

MP govt to honour farmers who repay loans on time

India

oi-PTI

Bhopal, Jan 8 Cooperatives Department of Madhya Pradesh government would honour farmers who are repaying the loans on time, a state Minister said today.

"The officials were told to prepare the list of farmers who are repaying their loans on time. Such farmers would be honoured on special occasions or during other programmes," Minister of State for Cooperatives (Independent Charge) Vishwas Sarang told PTI here.

"This will encourage other farmers to repay their loans on time," he added. Sarang said he has also asked officials in a meeting of 'innovation wing' of the department to run a campaign to enrol the eligible farmers with the credit cooperative societies.

He said the possibilities of forming the cooperative societies in other sectors too should be explored. The minister also directed officials to form tourism and e-rickshaw cooperative societies.

PTI
NHRC issues notice to Chhattisgarh govt over cops raping tribal women

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Chhattisgarh government over alleged rape, sexual and physical assault on 16 women by the police, said reports.

The NHRC has asked the state as to why it should not recommend interim monetary relief of Rs 37 lakh to the victims. The proposed relief includes Rs 3 lakh each to eight rape victims, Rs 2 lakh each to six victims of sexual assault and Rs 50,000 each to two victims of physical assault, said an NHRC statement.

The incident reportedly took place in 2015, after which women from five villages had accused the state police of sexually harassing them.

Almost all the victims are tribals and hail from Bastar region of the state, said reports.

Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel questioned the state government's inaction over the incident.

NHRC report says 16 tribal women were raped by Chhattisgarh Police in 2015.Yet no action or FIR registration: Bhupesh Baghel,Congress pic.twitter.com/JfVUePGP0Y  ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2017

(With agency inputs)

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Story first published: Sunday, January 8, 2017, 15:27 [IST]
BJP has upped the ante on the Bihar CM raising questions over the security of Siwan jail where Shahabuddin has been lodged presently.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Former RJD MP Md. Shahabuddin's jail 'selfies' has come as a major embarrassment for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. BJP has upped the ante on the Bihar CM raising questions over the security of Siwan jail where Shahabuddin has been lodged presently. The don's "selfies" in a new look has gone viral on social media.

"Pictures of Shahabuddin in new look clicked inside the Siwan jail has raised questions over the state govt and Siwan jail security. How did the mobile phone reach Shahabuddin inside the jail ? Does Shahabuddin still meet his associates inside the jail freely? ", questioned Sushil Modi, senior BJP leader.

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It is to be noted that the former RJD MP's name has figured in the murder case of Siwan journalist Rajdev Ranjan with Ranjan's wife Asha Ranjan alleging her husband was eliminated at the orders of Shahabuddin.

THREAT CALLS

Incidentally, last week Asha Ranjan has received a threatening call from Dubai asking her to withdraw the case she has filed against Shahabuddin in the Supreme Court for transferring Rajdev Ranjan's murder case to Delhi.

"The police has still not been able to trace the caller who threatened Asha Ranjan to withdraw case against Shahabuddin. It appears that despite being inside the jail, Shahabuddin is still so powerful that he is dominating the Bihar govt" said BJP leader Sushil Modi.

The "selfies" of Shahabuddin which has gone viral shows him wearing a jeans and coat with his head shaven and moustaches trimmed. Police has promised investigations into the Shahbuddin jail 'selfies'.

Also read:

RJD strongman Shahabuddin's jail-selfie goes viral, sends cops into a tizzy

--- ENDS ---
For beneficiaries of EWS flat a gift from PM Modi like none other

PM asks diaspora to take Indian citizen card soon

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Bengaluru, Jan 8 Lauding the deep and emotional attachment Persons of Indian Origin in Girmitiya countries have for their motherland, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday told PIOs to obtain Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards by June 30.

"We have extended the deadline to convert PIO cards into OCI cards to June 30 from December 31, without penalty," Modi told the Indian diaspora at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations here.

"We have also set up special immigration counters at New Delhi and Bengaluru airports since January 1 for OCI card holders. Similar counters will be opened at more airports in the country," said Modi in his inaugural address at the event.

Girmityas are the fourth or fifth generation of descendents of indentured Indian labourers who during the 19th century went to Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa and the Caribbean islands to work on agricultural fields and settled down in these countries.

Acknowledging the difficulties faced by the PIOs in getting the OCI cards, the Prime Minister said his government was working on new procedures to facilitate the descendants of Girmitiyas in Mauritius become eligible for OCI cards.

"We are committed to addressing similar difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean states," said Modi on the occasion.

Noting that about three crore people of Indian origin were living across the world, Modi said they were not only respected for their numbers, but also for the contributions they have made to societies they live in.

"The NRIs and PIOs have made outstanding contributions in their chosen fields. They are role models for immigrants from other backgrounds and countries. They take with them our values and culture wherever they go," Modi said.

Observing that it was special for him to connect with the diaspora, which made India proud on the world stage, the Prime Minister said the government was doing everything possible to deepen the outreach with NRIs and PIOs.

"Overseas Indians have also made invaluable contribution to the Indian economy, including 69-billion dollar-worth remittances in 2016. We are strengthening processes at our embassies and consulates to facilitate their easier travel to India," said Modi.

Asserting that the diaspora represented the best of Indian culture, ethos and values, Modi said the welfare, security and safety of all Indians abroad was his government's top priority.

"Efforts are also being made to provide maximum facilitation and ensure least inconvenience to even Indian citizens seeking economic opportunities abroad," added Modi.

IANS
Prabhu orders probe into beating of disabled man by RPF personnel

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Bhubaneswar, Jan 8: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday directed the RPF to probe into the incident of force's personnel mercilessly beating up a disabled man at Balasore railway station in Odisha.

The Railway Protection Force's (RPF) Director General has been directed to probe into the matter, he said in a tweet, in wake of a video surfacing showing three RPF personnel and another man are seen kicking a disabled man with crutches, who is lying on the ground.

The man was pulled out from a Guwahati-bound train at the railway station on January 3 morning on charges of mobile phone theft, but the incident only came to light on Sunday.

Superintendent of Police, Railway, Sanjay Kaushal said that efforts are on trace the disabled man to register his complaint and assured action against the RPF staff if they are found guilty.

IANS
TMC MP Tapas Pal's bail plea rejected for second time

India

oi-PTI

Bhubaneswar, Jan 7: The Special Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court in Bhubaneswar today rejected the bail petition of TMC MP Tapas Pal for the second time. Pal, arrested for his alleged involvement in the Rose Valley chit fund scam, is now lodged at Jharpada jail here after completion of his remand period with the CBI.

The SCJM court, designated as the CBI court, had yesterday reserved judgement on Pal's bail petition. Judge P K Mishra today rejected the bail petition even as the TMC MP's lawyer argued that his client was unwell and therefore, required bail. They had also offered to cooperate with the investigation.

The CBI counsel told the court that Pal did not cooperate with the investigating agency during his remand period. The CBI lawyer also pointed out that the MP kept sleeping most of the time and complained about his health. Therefore, the agency could not extract facts from him.

Pal was arrested by the CBI from Kolkata on December 30 last year and was produced in a court in Bhubaneswar on the following day. The parliamentarian, while working as a director of the Rose Valley Group in 2010, had allegedly appointed his relatives at different positions in the Group.

Rose Valley had allegedly collected Rs 450 crore from its investors in Odisha, a charge sheet filed by the CBI in January 2016 had said. Earlier in the day, Pal was taken to Capital Hospital for a health check-up and sent to Jharpada Special Jail. Another TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay is also in the CBI custody after the court remanded him in six days' custody.

PTI

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Story first published: Sunday, January 8, 2017, 7:44 [IST]
PM Modi to visit Himachal Pradesh on Oct 5; to launch various projects and inaugurate AIIMS Bilaspur

Himachal was valued less on strength, more on Parliament seats before: PM Modi

Tourists stranded in higher reaches of Himachal due to snowfall

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Shimla, Jan 8: Popular tourist destinations Shimla, Manali, Chamba and Dalhousie remained cut off from the rest of Himachal Pradesh for the second consecutive day on Sunday due to heavy snowfall. The supply of essential commodities and transportation was hampered on Sunday.

The electricity supply has been disrupted in Manali since Friday night due to snapping of transmission lines. Even the water supply was affected due to bursting of pipes.

Connectivity on the Chandigarh-Manali national highway snapped near Kullu, some 40 km before Manali, since a large stretch of the highway is under a thick blanket of snow, a government official told IANS.

Shimla, which experienced 53 cm of snowfall, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday. Traffic bound for the state capital from Chandigarh remain disrupted near Shogi, about 15 km from here. Rail traffic on the Kalka-Shimla line also remained hampered.

Picturesque Dalhousie and Chamba towns were cut off from the rest of the country due to heavy snowfall near Banikhet which is located on Pathankot-Chamba national highway.

The Kinnaur and other towns in Shimla district such as Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Kumarsain, Kharapathar, Rohru and Chopal are also cut off due to heavy snow, the official said.

A government spokesperson told IANS that no state-run bus has been plying in upper Shimla since Saturday morning as a large number of vehicles were stuck between Kufri and Narkanda. According to him, work is on to clear snow from the national highways and major roads in the state. Other hill stations such as Chail, Kasauli and McLeodganj also experienced snowfall.

Rain lashed lower areas of the state such as Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi, pulling down temperatures.

"The entire belt in Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Shimla, Kullu and Chamba district witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall during the past 24 hours," a weatherman said.

The government has warned tourists not to venture into the high hills as chances of road cave-ins and landslides are high. The Met department forecast that western disturbances -- storm systems originating from the Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region -- would start withdrawing on Monday.

IANS
At least 23 people die in cold snap across Europe

International

oi-PTI

Warsaw, Jan 7: A cold wave across Europe has left at least 23 dead in the past two days, including several migrants and homeless people, authorities said today, with the frigid temperatures expected to continue through the weekend.

Russia meanwhile celebrated the coldest Orthodox Christmas in 120 years, and even Istanbul was covered with a blanket of snow. Ten of the latest victims of the cold perished in Poland where temperatures were as low as minus 14 degrees Celsius (seven degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday. "Seven people died on Friday in what was the deadliest day this winter," said spokeswoman Bozena Wysocka from the Polish government centre for security (RCB). "We recorded three other victims the previous day," she said. "This takes to 53 the number of hypothermia victims since November 1." In Italy in the past 48 hours the cold has been blamed for seven deaths, including five homeless people, two of them Polish nationals, authorities said.

There was heavy snowfall in central Italy and also in the southeast where the airports at Bari and Brindisi as well as in Sicily were closed Saturday morning. Prague's emergency services reported three deaths -- two homeless people and a parking lot guard -- overnight in the Czech capital, the coldest night so far this winter. Temperatures in Moscow fell to minus 30 degrees overnight and to minus 24 in Saint Petersburg where police found the body of a man who had died of hypothermia.

And in Bulgaria on Friday the frozen bodies of two Iraqi migrants were discovered by villagers in a mountain forest in the southeast of the country near the border with Turkey. Authorities expect the toll to rise as weather conditions are set to remain unchanged this weekend.

The heavy snowstorms reached Turkey, paralysing its biggest city Istanbul where almost 65 centimetres (25 inches) of snow fell, forcing hundreds of flights to be cancelled today. Coastguards also ordered a halt to shipping traffic in both directions through the Bosphorus Strait -- one of the world's busiest sea thoroughfares -- and the municipal ferry service between the European and Asian sides of the city was suspended.

Greece likewise has seen fierce cold weather over the past week. In the north near the Turkish frontier a 20-year-old Afghan migrant died of the cold on Tuesday. With more than 60,000 mainly Syrian refugees on its territory, Greece has moved many migrants to prefabricated houses and heated tents.

PTI
China's Environment Minister feels 'guilty' over rising pollution

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Beijing, Jan 8 China's Environment Minister says he feels "guilty" for having failed to curb the deadly air pollution in major cities which claims over a million lives every year.

Chen Jining said he was guilty and wanted to reprimand himself, Xinhua news agency reported. The minister said that since the beginning of this season's winter, heavy air pollution in various places in China disrupted production activities and caused people immense problems. The public felt anxious about the smog, he said.

Recently, Beijing and about two dozen north China cities were shrouded in a thick blanket of smog, prompting the authorities to issue a red alert -- the highest of the four-tier air pollution warnings. So much so that residents of Beijing temporarily fled the city to celebrate New Year.

In the past few years, the Chinese government has taken several steps to contain air pollution -- an offshoot of unbridled industrialisation, coal-fired power plants and ever-increasing number of cars. Though the measures have been effective, gray skies and smothering smog time and again have reminded the authorities that a lot still needs to be done. Chen said analysis of vehicular statistics showed emissions added to the rising pollution in big cities.

He said the Environment Ministry was evaluating emergency plans of 20 cities aimed at dealing with heavy air pollution and hoped to improve their ability to respond to situations. The cities include Beijing and Tianjin besides 18 other cities in Hebei and surrounding provinces. Inspections had found some cities had failed to take effective measures following alerts, or their measures were impracticable, Chen said.

The minister vowed to take concrete steps and employ more stringent and effective measures to deal with outstanding environmental problems and improve environmental quality. Many top officials in provincial governments have been sacked for failing to contain pollution. In 2015, China shut down some 17,000 polluting units in the country.

IANS
Panicked passengers running across tarmac

Passengers run as they evacuate from Terminal 1 at Fort Lauderdale International Airport. An Army veteran who complained that the government was controlling his mind drew a gun from his checked luggage on arrival at the Fort Lauderdale airport and opened fire in the baggage claim area. PTI

Law enforcement officers arrived at the crime scene

Law enforcement personnel arrived in an armored car outside Fort Lauderdale International Airport, where a gunman opened fire in the baggage claim area at the airport Friday, killing several people and wounding others before being taken into custody in an attack. PTI

Bystanders lay low outside the airport

Police forced bystanders to take cover at Fort Lauderdale airport, after a shooter opened fire inside a terminal. PTI

People trying to save themselves

People were seen on the floor trying to cover themselves inside the terminal where a gunman opened fire. PTI

About Fort Lauderdale Shooting Suspect:

The 26-year-old suspect Esteban Ruiz Santiago was arrested by police shortly after the shooting began at the airport's baggage claim area. Relatives of the man who police say opened fire Friday killing several people and wounding others at a Florida airport report he had a history of mental health issues. PTI
Indo-US cooperation has foiled several terror plots, says top US official

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Jan 8: Describing the counter-terrorism cooperation between India and the US under the eight years of Obama Administration as 'incredibly successful', a top US official has said this has not only 'diminished the threat' of terrorism in the two countries, but also foiled several terror plots.

"I can tell you quite definitively that due to our partnerships, several terrorism plots were foiled. Indian lives and American lives were saved because of this partnership," said Peter Lavoy, Senior Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, White House.

"So it's a very significant development and I think, it can continue," Lavoy told PTI.

On India not becoming a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group under the watch of US President Barack Obama, Lavoy expressed hope that it would be granted membership of the elite group 'not before too long' as work is in progress.

"So, are we disappointed that India has not become a member (of NSG) so far? Yes, probably. But we also recognise that the NSG has to work through the procedures and its own other standings on how to consider non-NPT membership into the NSG. So, that's not a trivial issue. But we would hope that there India would be granted membership not before too long," he said answering a question on India being unable to become a member of NSG mainly due to the opposition from China.

He said that under the Obama Administration, which took over the reins of the country a few months after 26/11, counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries have reached a new height in the last eight years.

"I think, the partnership with India, in combating terrorism has really been incredibly successful," he said, adding that the two countries now have dialogues on counter- terrorism at multiple levels.

Lavoy said the US remains concerned about al-Qaeda, though the outfit's activities in the Af-Pak region have been significantly disrupted because of continuous efforts.

"We (also) remain concerned about Islamic State. This is something that President Obama has talked about in his state of the union and other addresses on the threat that both of these groups pose to the United States. And we would continue to take steps to counter them. We expect that those policies would continue. This is bipartisan in the vital interest to the United States," he said, adding that cooperation on counter-terrorism issues "diminished the threat" to the two countries and is of incredible importance.

"I would highlight that US-India consultations about terrorist threats not only that are against India or the United States but throughout the region is an important hallmark and feature of our new and expanded counter-terrorism cooperation," Lavoy said.

He also said the US does think that "any regional dialogue between India, Pakistan for including Afghanistan and others to counter terrorism would be desirable...Terrorism is a threat to all of us and no country will be safe, unless terrorism is irradiated in every other country, especially in the neighbourhood," Lavoy said.

PTI
Jerusalem truck attacker was IS supporter: Netanyahu

International

oi-PTI

Jerusalem, Jan 8 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a Palestinian who rammed a truck into a group of soldiers on Sunday and killed four of them was a supporter of the Islamic State group.

"We know the identity of the assailant, who according to all indications supported IS," Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office that provided no details on what led to the finding.

UZM
Yemen: 18 dead in skirmish between government forces, rebels

International

oi-PTI

Aden, Jan 7: Yemeni government forces attacked rebel positions on the Red Sea coast on Sunday sparking clashes in which seven soldiers, including a general, and 11 rebels were killed, loyalist military sources said.

The assault on the coastal district of Dhubab, just 30 kilometres north of the Bab al-Mandab strait linking the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, came after the government sent reinforcements from its headquarters in Aden.

The general was killed by rebel sniper fire, the military sources said. The government and its allies in a Saudi-led coalition recaptured the strait in October 2015. But the rebels still control nearly all of Yemen's Red Sea coast to the north, posing what the coalition says is a threat to international shipping.

In September and October, two US warships and a United Arab Emirates vessel contracted to the coalition were targeted by missile fire from rebel-held territory. The loyalist offensive failed to dislodge the rebels from their positions as they put up fierce resistance, leaving many wounded on both sides, the commander said.

The Yemeni conflict has killed more than 7,000 people since the coalition's military intervention began in March 2015, according to the United Nations.

PTI
According to a party release, candidates for the two remaining seats will be announced once the Election Commission decides about their reservation status.

By Santosh Chaubey: Out of 403, the BSP has announced its 401 candidates for the 2017 assembly polls and according to Mayawati, the upper caste candidates are still the largest block of the candidates with 111 tickets given to them. According to a party release, candidates for the two remaining seats will be announced once the Election Commission decides about their reservation status.

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There are 106 OBC candidates in the list. Muslims form the third largest block with 97 tickets given while, as in the previous assembly polls, Dalits remain under the hundred zone with 88 candidates in the fray. The party had given tickets to 89 Dalits in 2007 polls while the figure stood at 88 in the 2012 polls.

In 2012 assembly polls, the BSP had given tickets to the 117 upper caste candidates, 113 to the OBCs candidates and 85 to the Muslims candidates.

In 2007 assembly polls, the party break-up for its candidates was 139 tickets to the upper caste candidates, 110 tickets to the OBCs and 61 tickets to the Muslim candidates.

The trend since 2007, when India's most populous state got it first government to complete full five years in office in Mayawati's BSP, shows the rising prominence of Muslims in the BSP caste calculations.

Also read: Mayawati says BJP misusing state machinery to malign BSP, dares PM to reveal his party's bank details

Some months ago Mayawati had announced that her party would field around 100 Muslim candidates this time. In fact, Muslims are the only block of candidates that have seen consistent rise in the BSP's votebank arithmetic since the 2007 assembly polls.

The number of tickets given to the OBC and Dalit candidates have remain more or less static since 2007 as the numbers say but the upper caste candidates have seen the biggest decline in their numbers, from as high as 139 in 2007 to 113 now.

The trend shows the BSP's rising optimism with the Muslim voters and the declining priority when it comes to the upper caste population segments. The Muslim candidates have seen a whopping rise of 60 per cent from 2007 to 2017 while the number of upper caste candidates has come down by 20 per cent in the same period.

Also read: Mayawati hoping time-tested formula of wooing Brahmin dalits, Muslims helps BSP win UP polls

--- ENDS ---
OK! Magazine 04 Nov 2022

Fans believe Nick Cannon and Alyssa Scott are having twins after they confirmed they're expecting another child together.
Many farmers have died either due to heart attack or have committed suicide seeing the failure of crops. The youth of Chennai have come together to extend their support to the farmers by staging hunger strike for a day.

By Pramod Madhav: Hundreds of Chennai youths came together to show their solidarity towards farmers who are under deep trouble due to failed monsoon and water scarcity. Failed monsoon and unavailability of Cauvery water on time have damaged crops in the Delta basin and have put farmers in a difficult situation.

Failure of crops have led to the deaths of several farmers in this region. While many died of heart attack, several committed suicide.The drought has caused deaths of nearly 5 to 6 farmers every day. The overall number of farmer deaths has crossed 144 till now.

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Seeing the plight of the farmers, youth in Chennai have come forward to express solidarity. On Sunday, hundreds of youths gathered near Chepauk stadium and staged a hunger strike.

Many of the youths were seen sitting in the extreme weather to protest against the farmer deaths. They stated that they wanted to experience, what farmers went through each day of their lives.

All you need to know about farmers of Cheenai The major districts affected due to drought is Thanjavur, Madurai, Thirupur, Erode and Salem. The death toll is still increasing and this reason has brought us together. We are holding a 'one day' hunger strike and trying to collect a fund which we wish to provide to the family of affected farmers, said Yugashree, a student. The interesting fact is that, the group was brought together through social media, where in an NGO called, 'Makkal Pathai', called for the hunger strike and was overwhelmed to see the response. Nadiya, a lawyer by profession attended the event and stated that she came to show her support to the farmers of the state. It is our mandatory duty to support our farmers.Without them we can not live as without food we can not survive. Nadiya wished that the state government would take action as soon as possible to save them. The Cauvery delta region, considered to be as the food bowl of the South has suffered unimaginable loss this season without Cauvery water. Even after repeated orders by the Supreme Court, acquired amount of water was not released. The state government under Jayalalithaa hoped that the monsoon would bring the required water but that failed as well. Farmers are dying everyday and we are only enriching ourselves and not worried about them. They are really suffering a lot. We are punctual about our work and punctual to eat our food on time but don not think about the present status of the farmers who are cultivating it, vented out Merlin, a college goer. The only effort now left to save the battered farmers is for the state is to announce the delta region as a drought struck region, provide relief fund to the farmers and waive off their loans. But for unknown reasons, the state is yet to decide on the matter. Until then, the count shall only keep rising.

ALSO READ: Ground Report: After drought, now demonetisation brings jitters to Marathwada farmers

Tamil Nadu farmers urge government to declare state drought affected

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) A womens rights body has welcomed the findings of NHRC probe indicting Chhattisgarh police in the rape and assault of 16 women, and urged the human rights body to ensure criminal prosecution of the accused.

They also sought "clear and unambiguous guidelines" for conducting anti-Maoist operations.

In a press statement, the Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) called the findings "the tip of the iceberg".

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"The cases where FIRs have been filed may be only the tip of the iceberg. Reports of sexual violence by security forces continue to come in from other villages in the Bastar belt where search and combing operations were carried out."

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had yesterday sent a notice to the Chhattisgarh government over the alleged rape, sexual and physical assault of 16 women by the state police personnel, and observed that the government was "vicariously liable" for it.

According to NHRC, of the total 34 victims mentioned in the FIRs, the commission could record the statements of only 14 victims and the statement of 20 victims are yet to be recorded.

WSS expressed hope that the NHRC probe would put an end to the "reign of terror" unleashed by police and security forces.

"The NHRC order is an explicit acknowledgement of grievous rights abuses, and gives us reason to hope not only of justice for the violated women, but an end to the reign of terror created by the police and security forces in the name of anti-Maoist operations," the press statement said.

WSS has also submitted a report to NHRC on Bastar police and IG SRP Kalluri for launching "an all-out vendetta" against Adivasi leaders, human rights activists, lawyers, academics and journalists "to ensure that there are no witnesses to the gross violations of the human rights of Adivasi citizens in the war against Maoists in Bastar". PTI JC SMN

--- ENDS ---
Upworthy 11 May 2022

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Papua New Guinea Opposition Leader Don Polye has called on the Government to remove the asylum seekers at the Manus detention centre and relocate them somewhere outside of PNG. Mr Polye said the recent bashing up of two asylum seekers in Manus by the police has done so much damage to the reputation of the country.It has gone viral and has brought international shame with action that is not acceptable under international human rights laws. I call on the Prime Minister to remove the centre and the people and relocate them somewhere.This centre has brought a lot of negative criticism internationally, he said. Mr Polye commended four regional police training colleges to be established in the four regions with a full 12 months training to allow policemen and women to know the laws well including those on human rights. The six month basic police training currently offered at the Bomana police training college was not sufficient to learn the laws of the country and the UN International laws on human rights and conventions, he said.Mr Polye said continuous police brutality on the citizens is unacceptable and against the human rights law. He said commissioned officers should be better trained as lawyers and administrative officers from a recognised institution like the University of PNG. He said the current six months training should be increased to one year or more so that young officers are better trained to handle issues and use reasonable force with respect for human rights. He said although there are better policemen and women in the force, a handful of rogue officers have been tarnishing its reputation. He said the recent decision by the police hierarchy to put a stop to the recruitment of new policemen and women is good as stringent recruitment processes should take place. Post Courier/ONE PNG


Main Stream Propaganda of Record

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The U.S. government has now generated numerous news stories and released multiple "reports" aimed at persuading us that Vladimir Putin is to blame for Donald Trump becoming president. U.S. media has dutifully informed us that the case has been made. What has been made is the case for writing your own news coverage. The "reports" from the "intelligence community" are no lengthier than the New York Times and Washington Post articles about them. Why not just read the reports and cut out the middle-person?

The New York Times calls the latest report "damning and surprisingly detailed" before later admitting in the same "news" article that the report "contained no information about how the agencies had collected their data or had come to their conclusions." A quick glance at the report itself would have made clear to you that it did not pretend to present a shred of evidence that Russia hacked emails or served as a source for WikiLeaks. Yet Congresswoman Barbara Lee declared the evidence in this evidence-free report "overwhelming." What should progressives believe, the best Congresswoman we've got or our own lying eyes?

Supposedly the evidence has been made public and is overwhelming, but try to find it and you'll come up dry. Ask why, and you'll be told that of course the evidence cannot be made public as that would risk revealing how the U.S. government came upon the information. Yet the same government feeds the U.S. media with the story that it intercepted communications of top Russian officials just after the U.S. election celebrating Trump's victory. Did that story not run that risk? The U.S. government feeds the U.S. media (specifically the "free" press of the Washington Post whose owner makes more money from the CIA than from the Washington Post) that Russia has hacked Vermont's electrical supply, and -- because this was a claim that could be checked by an independent party -- the secret methods of the CIA quickly turned out to be these: they had simply made the thing up.

If you read the "reports" that the U.S. government releases, and understand that the term "assess" is a synonym for "to claim without evidence," it will very quickly become clear that reports on Russians' motives for their alleged crimes (as well as for their non-criminal public actions, such as running a television network) are purely guesses. It also becomes clear that the U.S. government is not even claiming to have any evidence that Russia was a source for WikiLeaks. And, with a bit of help, it should become evident to anyone that the U.S. government is not claiming to have any actual evidence of the Russian government hacking Democratic emails.

Even the NSA will commit only to "moderate" confidence in what millions of Democrats will now stake their lives (and potentially everybody else's) on. Former top NSA expert on this stuff William Binney swears the claims are utter nonsense. IP addresses produced as supposed evidence turn out in at least many cases to have nothing to do with Russia at all, much less the Russian government.

When the "17 intelligence organizations" put their collective multi-billion-dollar brains together and report on anything that's publicly available, they tend to get it wrong. The facts about Russia's television network in this latest "report" misidentify personnel, describe old programs as new ones, and screw up dates by failing to recognize that in some parts of the world people list the day before the month. Yet we are supposed to believe that anything they say about topics not publicly available must be true -- despite having proved false over and over again for decades.

WikiLeaks, which never claimed Iraq had WMDs, never alleged Gadaffi was about to commit a massacre, never sent missiles from drones into a single wedding or hospital, never concocted tales of babies taken from incubators, never screwed up its claims re chemical weapons attacks or the shooting down of airplanes, and in fact has never, as far as we know, tried to lie to us at all, says Russia was not its source. Julian Assange clearly does not think Russia used someone else to pass information to him. He could be wrong. But Craig Murray, a diplomat with a stellar reputation for honesty, claims to know at least one source and to place them in either the NSA or the Democratic Party.

Of course, having a plausible alternative account is not necessary to recognize that the U.S. government has no evidence to support its account. But the fact is that Murray's and numerous other scenarios are perfectly plausible. One ought to await evidence before declaring one of them fact. But we can go ahead and declare the CIA's story less and less likely with each passing day. NSA whistleblowers like Binney believe that if this story were true the NSA would have evidence of it. It is safe to assume that if the NSA had evidence of it, some outline of that evidence would have been made public by now, rather than all the fluff, nonsense, and incompetent false attributions of IP addresses to Russia, etc.

As each new perfumed pig of a report is released in Friday evening news dumps, we can advance ever closer to declaring that, while the Russian government has indeed done far worse things, it did not do this.

In fact, the latest report doesn't just produce no evidence of hacking and providing to WikiLeaks. It also tries to change the subject to things Russia openly and publicly did, that nobody disputes, but that the "intelligence" agencies still manage to screw up all the details on. I once, no kidding, invited a former CIA agent to speak at an event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and the guy was late because he was unable to find it.

The accusations against Russia in the latest "overwhelming" report include: favoring proposals to work with Russia over proposals to build hostility (shocking!), and running a television network that many people in the United States choose to watch (the outrage! how capitalistic!). And the television network is accused of cheering for Trump's election -- as if the British media wouldn't have cheered for Clinton's -- as if the U.S. media doesn't cheer for election winners abroad all the time. This network, RT, is also accused of covering third-party candidates, fracking, Occupy, vote suppression, flaws in the U.S. election system, and other forbidden topics.

Well why do you think people watch it? If the U.S. media gave good time to third-party candidates, would people have to turn elsewhere to learn about them? If the U.S. media could be trusted not to claim a U.S. government report was "damning" in the same article that would later admit it was devoid of evidence, would people in the U.S. search for alternative sources of information? If the U.S. media allowed honest reporting on Occupy or fracking, if it opened itself up to a wide range of points of view and debate, if it allowed serious criticism of U.S. government policies supported by both big parties, would people despise it the way they do? Would people cheer when a fascist buffoon like Trump denounces the media? Isn't the U.S. media's awfulness, combined with the incredible free airtime it gave Trump, a fair target of blame for his becoming president?

When I go on RT and suggest that the United States should end all its wars, and that Russia should too, I'm invited back on. The last U.S. network to have me on was MSNBC, and I opposed U.S. warmaking and was never heard from again. Perhaps most people watching U.S. media don't quite realize that there are no antiwar voices allowed, no voices that actually want to abolish war. Yet most people feel there is something missing, on this and most topics. There's lots of supposed debate on U.S. media, yet a dim -- or glaring -- awareness among viewers and readers that the debate is severely limited.

Here's an example close-to-hand: Whoever revealed to the U.S. public additional evidence that the Democratic Party had slanted its primary against Bernie Sanders did us all a favor. Those who still wanted to vote for Hillary Clinton (which was clearly most if not all the people who did before) could still do so. But anyone who approved of Hillary Clinton's disastrous decades-long record and yet objected to the unfair primary could choose not to vote for her. An informed public is a more democratic one, not less. Whoever informed us aided our democracy. They didn't damage it. And whoever informed us was not themselves responsible for rigging the primary against Sanders. That was the Democratic Party. But this point of view is neither permitted in the U.S. media nor consciously missed, because the topic has been focused on whodunit rather than what-did-they-do.

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From Sputnik



President Obama

(Image by jurvetson) Details DMCA



US ruling power is in deep trouble because there are growing signs that the mass of citizens are no longer beholden to the supposed authority residing in Washington.



Once the legitimacy of would-be authorities begins to collapse in the eyes of the people, then profound political change is in the offing, as history shows us through countless empires that came and went -- often ignominiously.



The so-called American Deep State comprising the military-intelligence apparatus and its operatives in the political and media establishment has put its credibility on the line over allegations of Russian interference in the US elections.





As a New York Times report put it: "What's the big deal? asks Trump's supporters on Russian hacking report."

Among ordinary voters far removed from the Washington Beltway Bubble the consensus is one of derision towards the once-revered US intelligence community.

"Sore losers," "sour grapes," "crybabies" and "absurd" were just some of the disbelieving responses from ordinary folks about claims that Russian agents directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin had tipped the US November election in favor of Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton.

"I don't believe the [US] intel report," said one man in Louisiana. "Why is everybody so afraid of Russia? I'm not against Putin."

Another man, a retired US air force officer, added: "From the parts of the [US intel] report I've seen it seems silly."



President-elect Trump, once again, seems more in tune with the real, pressing concerns of common citizens. He emerged from his so-called "briefing" by US intelligence chiefs last Friday and pointedly refused to join the Washington blowhards accusing Russia of "an act of war." Trump in fact followed up with a comment that it was only a "stupid" person would not want to have good relations with Russia.

This was not the response that the spooks wanted from Trump. The CIA and their surrogates in the Obama administration, Congress and the media were building up the US intel report like a witch-hunt against anyone who dares to dissent from the allegations of Russian cyber interference. Unlike warmongering Congress members such as John McCain and Lyndsey Graham, Trump has not jumped on the bandwagon to demonize Russia.

And the thing is that people beyond the thrall of the Deep State centered in Washington appear to agree with Trump. At a time of immense social challenges from poverty, unemployment, financial indebtedness, deteriorating infrastructure and public services, and so on, a US policy of hostility towards Russia seems like an alien distraction. A contemptible waste of priority and resources, not to say a reckless drumbeat to war between nuclear powers.





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It's a reprint from NewsBred.

It's a fervent hope that the cap on Rs 24,000 withdrawal a week on individual bank accounts stays until mid-2017. If the limit is lifted, all those bank accounts bulging with submission of black money will be emptied in no time. The pre-demonetization black money will return, albeit in the form of new 500 and 2000 currency!!!

Sure, a time will come when the limit on withdrawal would have to go. After all, government can't deny people their own money forever. It would be a disincentive against earning and spending more. In a way, it would encourage people to hoard cash, which in turn would result in bad books of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) by way of "missing" currency.

However, as of now, this limit stipulation must stay. And that's because the issue in question is the "existing" black money. Not the "future" black money. The priority is to cleanse the existing clogged drain. As for black money in future, new mechanisms could be put in place. For example, allowing the automatic deduction by banks on any withdrawn amount. We could be wiser for future. As of now, the existing stink must go.

We all are aware how opposition political parties, mainstream media and academia have raised heavens on the "pains of demonetization inflicted on the poor." Images are manipulated, like-minded "experts" are invited on TV debate shows, stories of people dying in queues have multiplied without any basis. Farmers' plight, trucks off road, no fresh sowing are kind of news that have been planted without basis. The food prices have actually gone down, the trucks are doing just fine and no mandi is closed. These propagandist mouthpieces, whose only interest is to hurt the nation so as to benefit themselves, haven't bothered to inform as to why there are no riots and no violence, leave alone any mass disquiet in the country in the wake of demonetization. Or why despite the unpopular move BJP seems to be winning every civic election in sight.

Such forces desperately want the limit on Rs 24,000 withdrawal to go. The idea is for the cash to be available for political parties to benefit and influence voters like they used to do in the past. The unearthed money of Mayawati and the "chit-funded" Mamata's goons are just a tip of the iceberg. The rantings of Rahul Gandhi or the "fixed pari-war" of Yadavs are offshoots of this existential dilemma. They claim to speak for the poor of the country when all they have done in their various tenures in offices is to keep them poor and deprived. All they rely on is people's short memory. And the "minority fear" that a Hindu-majority Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) apparently evokes.

The arguments in defence of cash-limit withdrawal are weak. If only 24 lakhs tax-payers in the country show an income of Rs 10 lakhs or more in a year, the average comes to less than Rs 1 lakh a month, which the cash-withdrawal-limit of Rs 24,000 a week fulfills adequately. That the statistics of only 24 lakh taxpayers with income of over Rs 10 lakhs per year is a cruel joke is lost on all opponents of demonetization.

So the cash-withdrawal limit of Rs 24,000 per week must stay. At least until the bulging accounts are thoroughly scrutinized by the investigating agencies. The war has just begun. Those entrenched vested interests bent upon weakening the fibre of this country won't go away in a hurry. They are amidst us in the form of political parties, media and academia working as proxy for their masters. Find them, recognize them, and neutralize them. That's the mantra for all those who want a Strong India.
BITCOIN.JPG

This 2013 file photo shows bitcoin tokens in Sandy, Utah.

(AP Photo/File)

By Leonid Bershidsky

Bitcoin is worth more than $1,000 for the first time since 2013, when it crossed that line very briefly. If one considers it a currency -- which is open to debate -- it would be the best-performing one in the world in the last 12 months: It has gained more than 150 percent against the U.S. dollar. That's a Donald Trump-like phenomenon in finance. It shows a rising demand for an alternative to traditional money.

Despite its rising price and profile, bitcoin is still something of a toy currency. It has rarely logged more than 300,000 daily transactions, significantly fewer than Croatia's national clearing system registers in that country's currency, the kuna. The number of merchants accepting bitcoin is growing, but it's still extremely challenging to use it as a principle currency, wherever you live. For practical purposes, it's useful mostly to people seeking to bypass their country's currency restrictions, as some Chinese and, for example, Venezuelans do. According to Coin Dance, last year the average weekly bitcoin trading volume quadrupled in Venezuela. Bitcoin trading volumes in Chinese yuan -- the currency responsible for 97 percent of all bitcoin trading -- are double what they were a year ago, according to CryptoCompare.

At this point, however, the rally is not just about breaking out of restrictive markets. Speculators are driving up the value of the cryptocurrency because, for the first time in its history, it's looking like a reliable safe haven investment.

Political troubles in the U.S. and Europe have clearly shown market players that old models are no longer reliable predictors. When rules go out the window and established systems tremble, Bitcoin, despite its spotty history of costly glitches, scams and criminal uses, looks like a suitable safe haven. Its decentralized nature means it's not part of any system: the number of bitcoins in circulation is driven entirely by mathematics. That makes it Trump-safe, Brexit-safe, oil-safe -- whatever danger you fear, Bitcoin has no direct exposure to it, unlike, for example, gold. The virtual currency's value rests, in the final analysis, on nothing but the faith of the community that supports it.

The faith can be relatively easy to undermine, of course. In 2013, bitcoin plummeted from its high because of a December move by the People's Bank of China, which banned mainland banks from dealing in the cryptocurrency. At the time, it looked like a harbinger of restrictive policies by other central banks. Three years have passed, however, and no crackdown materialized. On the contrary, central banks are exploring bitcoin's blockchain technology for minting digital currencies of their own. And it's possible that this year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will finally approve the first bitcoin exchange traded fund, proposed by the Winklevoss twin brothers, American internet entrepreneurs and Harvard classmates of Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg whom they sued for stealing their social-networking idea.

The SEC has held up the ETF's registration for two years already. In October, it called for more feedback. That it hasn't turned down the fund outright despite strong doubts about bitcoin as an asset is a source of hope to the digital currency community. If the SEC gives its approval, people will be able to trade bitcoins through their broker rather than through potentially unreliable cryptocurrency exchanges.

In short, there appears to be no threat to bitcoin from regulators, and it's impervious to all other external threats. As for internal ones, the community chooses to dismiss them as growing pains. So what if the system gets hacked and money gets stolen? That is rare and anyhow not altogether unexpected on the digital frontier.

For Chinese people in particular, the virtual currency is one of the few possible hedges against the renminbi's devaluation. Trading volumes in other currencies are also on the rise, but bitcoin would sink like lead if Chinese speculators lost interest. While the yuan loses value -- and it lost 6.5 percent last year, making it the fourth worst-performing emerging markets currency -- and while regulators appear benign, there's no stopping the bitcoin rally.

(c) 2017, Bloomberg View

Leonid Bershidsky is a Bloomberg View columnist based in Berlin.
By Kathleen Parker

WASHINGTON -- First, a history refresher: For the past nine years, a smattering of Americans, most recently led by our now president-elect, have insisted that Barack Obama is a Muslim born in Kenya.

For years, Donald Trump was unrelenting in his insistence that Obama prove beyond existing proof that he was born in Hawaii and not in the African country of his biological father. That Obama said he is a Christian wasn't enough to persuade Trump's followers, who apparently know a Christian when they see one.

Further, there is no logical basis for assuming that a young boy briefly raised in a given country -- say, Indonesia -- necessarily would adopt the dominant religion of that country. He might, however, observe that though people worship in different ways, we're all essentially the same. Never mind the cruel and absurd assumption that being a Muslim means that one is, ipso facto, a "bad person."

Respecting others despite differences is, generally speaking, the hallmark of an enlightened soul, as well as a desirable disposition in a leader. Yet, those who sided with Trump interpreted Obama's gentle touch toward the world's 1.6 billion Muslims as evidence of a hidden agenda to advance Islam in America -- notwithstanding Obama's rather robust drone operations, which eliminated quite a few bad actors who happened to be, or said they were, Muslims.

Noteworthy is that these same Obama doubters weren't bestirred to suspicion when then-President George W. Bush visited a mosque immediately after 9/11. Nor, thus far, have they expressed any concern about Trump's cavalier denial of Russia's cyberattack on the U.S.

Given this history and recent evidence, isn't it about time Trump be declared a Russian spy?

No, I don't really think he's a spy because, unlike the man himself, I'm not given to crazy ideas. But what's with this double standard? Under similar circumstances, how long do you think it would have taken for Obama to be called a traitor for defending a country that tried to thwart our democratic electoral process?

Seconds.

How surreal to realize that the man who soon will become president was long committed to a rumor soaked in paranoia and propagated by conspiracy theorists whose pursuit of truth stops at the point where facts and willful ignorance collide.

How perfectly terrifying.

And now? What is so obviously a conspiracy of Russian leadership, hackers and spies, Trump dismisses as lousy intelligence. And he "knows" this how? Why would he do such a thing? Is it that he's so thin-skinned he can't tolerate anyone thinking that he might have benefited from the cyberattack? Or is it that he knew about it in advance and doesn't want to be found out? This is how conspiracy theories get started. Then again, sometimes a conspiracy is just a conspiracy -- and a fool is just a fool.

Consider what we know: Our best intelligence indicates that Russia was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee. Trump, who has long expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin (once a KGB agent, always a KGB agent), has his doubts.

Obviously, he wants to preserve the narrative that he won fair and square. And, clearly, claims of Russian interference would muss his ego. But is that it? Ego and narrative?

Consider further: Trump would rather make common cause with our fiercest geopolitical adversary (hat tip Mitt Romney) than take the word of our best people. Moreover, he has said he won't receive daily security briefings and plans to drastically reduce our security agencies.

Pray tell, whose side is this man on? When was the last time you had to ask that question about a president-elect?

On Friday, Trump met with real American spies and others who attempted to explain things to him, leaving open the question: Can Trump learn?

On Thursday, James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the agency is "now even more resolute," and that Trump is damaging American intelligence (not to be confused with the absence thereof, to wit, Trump). To top things off, former CIA Director James Woolsey quit Trump's transition team Thursday in protest against being bypassed.

In sum, when the president-elect persists in a state of denial, siding with the enemy against his own country's best interests, one is forced to consider that Trump himself poses a threat to national security.

In Russia, they'd just call it treason.

Kathleen Parker's email address is kathleenparkerwashpost.com.

(c) 2017, Washington Post Writers Group
By Press Trust of India: Bhopal, Jan 7 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inspected a government run bull mother farm here and lauded the upkeep of cattle, especially cows and their scientific breeding.

Chouhan sought details over the different breeds of cows at the farm of MP State Livestock and Poultry Development Cooperation (MPSLPDC) yesterday, a release said today.

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He evinced keen interest in process of insemination adapted to produce high breed cattle at the farm, it added.

The Chief Minister was apprised on the modern techniques being used for the disposal of farm waste and cow dung which Chouhan appreciated.

Chouhan praised MPSLPDC director Dr HBS Bhadoria saying that the farm was being run on the lines of modernised ones at Punjab and Haryana states, the release added. PTI LAL DK

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Public records plan: I don't believe Gov. Brown's plan to add another level of bureaucracy to the already large governmental bureaucracy would be helpful for promoting transparency in government ("Kate Brown's public records reform plan faces questions about independence, politics," Dec. 23).

For the governor to appoint someone to ensure the governor's transparency is not the most cost effective, reliable or productive way. At best, it would add another level of government to an already cumbersome structure for accessing government records. At worst, it would be putting the chickens in charge of the chicken coop.

Yes, suing the government for records that already belong to the public is an expense that journalists, judicial watch organizations and individual citizens can rarely afford. To add another level of bureaucracy to the mix is also expensive.

Since Gov. Brown is rightly concerned about transparency in government, perhaps she could simply encourage her staff and administration to promptly hand over public documents to the public. What a novel place for public records to be.

Perhaps this, rather than the governor's present plan, could be in the governor's words, "The beginning of a conversation."

Russ Kuiken, Beaverton

Elliott State Forest: The Elliott State Forest is named after the first state forester, Francis Elliott. It has the only significant old-growth trees left on state-owned forest land. At its December meeting, the Oregon Land Board, whose members are the governor, state treasurer and secretary of state, gave us another chance to keep the forest from being sold. This forest land is the largest contiguous coastal forest in Oregon, is home to important endangered indicator species and provides many ecosystem services.

The next Oregon Land Board meeting is on Feb. 14. The reason given for considering selling this forest is economic.

We could decouple the forest from the Common School Fund and pursue the possibility of getting paid for the carbon this vast forest sequesters via carbon offset credits. For example, Microsoft bought 35,000 carbon offset credits from a Nisqually land trust on 520 acres of a forest preserve near Mt. Rainier. This is the equivalent of taking 5,000 cars off the road. These were certified by a California regulatory program.

Western Oregon has some of the best forests in the world for carbon sequestration. The Elliott State Forest is more than 80,000 acres. The Elliott should be a part of this win-win strategy for Oregonians' long term health. Carbon released from logging is the second biggest contributor to global warming in Oregon. Rather than logging the Elliott, let's get paid for letting it grow.

Pam Driscoll, Dexter
Screen Shot 2017-01-06 at 8.59.12 PM.png

A screen shot of the digital brochure that was printed for former Mayor Charlie Hales.

(Screen shot)

Former Mayor Charlie Hales apparently decided to give himself and Portland a going-away present: A brochure that tells all of us how lucky we were to have him as our mayor.

Under the headline "We all live here together," the brochure, which was printed at taxpayers' expense and directs people to Hales' personal website, highlights statistics from Hales' just-ended mayoral term. Among other things, the brochure boasts that during Hales' term, $800 million was diverted from urban renewal programs to fund public safety, parks and other services; that annual street repaving went from 35 miles a year to more than 100 miles a year; and that Portland voters passed a gas tax for the first time.

What's missing is accuracy. And context. And credit. Consider the urban renewal claim. That "$800 million" refers to the property value that was returned to tax rolls - not, as he claims, the amount "diverted" to fund police, firefighters and other city services. In fact, as The Oregonian/OregonLive's Brad Schmidt reported at the time, the changes to the urban renewal program were projected to deliver only another $61 million more to the city's general fund, with nearly all of it coming after 2030.

Editorial Agenda 2017

Boost student success

Get Oregon's financial house in order

Help our homeless

Honor our diverse values

Make Portland a city that works

Expand access to public records

________________________

Read more about the editorial board's priorities for Oregon.

And then take a second look at that repaving statistic. The city's not "repaving" 100 miles of road a year, as the brochure claims. It's maintaining 100 miles, most of which comes through less durable fog and crack sealing.

And the gas tax? Credit for that hard-fought win belongs more with Commissioner Steve Novick, who headed the transportation bureau, than with Hales. Voters' approval also came in spite of all that Hales and Novick had done in the preceding two years to torch the community's patience and goodwill with a series of severely flawed street-fee proposals.

Hales even attempts to market his term as one of police reform breakthroughs. He notes that use of force incidents by police dropped in half from 2010 to 2015, even though he did not become mayor until 2013. His crowing also ignores the many ways in which Hales bombed as a police commissioner. He failed to put his chief of police on leave after the chief accidentally shot his friend and was the target of a criminal investigation. He failed to notify anyone about the shooting accident or initiate a personnel review as police procedures call for. And he failed to show interest or leadership when conflicts jeopardized progress in achieving key police reforms demanded by the federal settlement. Instead, he spent his time challenging the authority of the federal judge overseeing the settlement - twice - in a move that can only be chalked up to ego.

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom.

Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Mark Katches, John Maher and Len Reed.

To respond to this editorial:

Post your comment below, submit

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If you have questions about the opinion section, contact Laura Gunderson, editorial and commentary editor, at 503-221-8378 or lgunderson@oregonian.com.

The brochure is just more preening and it glosses over the reality of Portland's ongoing homelessness crisis, the affordable housing shortage, deep mistrust of the police and concern over the sustainability of the city's spending. While Hales' name and website adorn the brochure's cover, he relegates acknowledgments to his fellow city commissioners and his staff on the back. Never mind that several of the initiatives noted in the brochure were championed by his colleagues, not him.

It's still unclear how much the brochures cost taxpayers. Brian Worley, who was Hales' spokesman, said the office authorized the expenditure as it has for other "citizen outreach information material." A spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Finance said the city does not appear to have received the bills yet. Meanwhile, Hales posted the digital version for downloading off his website and had been handing out the brochures before leaving on an extended sailing trip.

This isn't the first time Hales tapped city funds to pay for his own self-aggrandizement. Back in 2015 shortly before Hales announced he was running for re-election - until reality hit and he dropped out - Hales used $4,293 of taxpayer money to produce a 20-page pamphlet that purports to summarize Hales' accomplishments.

Despite the exaggerations and inaccuracies, we did find one data point in the brochure that appropriately sums up Hales' legacy. It's right on the cover in red letters: "Charlie Hales, Mayor of Portland

2013-2016."

One term and out.

- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board
1trump.JPG

In this Dec. 15, 2016, file photo, President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Hershey, Pa.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump's disregard for the truth: President-elect Donald Trump this week cited Julian Assange in supporting his rejection of U.S. intelligence agencies findings on the Russian cyberattack of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign. That makes sense; a man who has little regard for the truth using another man who has little regard for the truth as his informant. And to think this information came from an interview of Julian Assange by Sean Hannity, the Fox News talking head who once called for Assange's arrest. Recall, too, that Hannity was Mr. Trump's most loyal "news" reporter.

We are experiencing the opening battles in a new kind of war, a cyber war, with Russia as our primary adversary. Yet, our president-elect chooses to ignore the intelligence from various U.S. agencies and praises the leader of the country that has attacked us. What are we, the people, to make of Mr. Trump's decision to reject his own intelligence community and hold in esteem the leader of our foe? One can only wonder how long Mr. Trump can hold office under these circumstances.

Bob Harris, Albany

Buckle up, America: Remember how the Republicans spent the last eight years blaming President Obama for the size of the deficit? Trump hasn't even taken office, but they are already willing to add a trillion dollars to the debt. "Caucus OK with hike in deficit" (The Oregonian, 1/6/2017). The Bush administration turned the Clinton balanced budget into the largest deficit in history, and then the Republicans refused to help Obama do anything about it. Now they promise to undo everything Obama managed to achieve. Buckle up, America, They're not going to just drive the economy into the ditch, this time they're going to drive it off the cliff.

Don Tofte, Northwest Portland
Imagine a time, maybe not too long from now, when most city folk don't own a car. It's so normal that many teens don't even bother getting a driver's license.

Oh, there are still plenty of cars around. Perhaps more than there are today.

When people want to go somewhere, they might order up a car service like Uber or Lyft, only without a driver. Or they might use a car-sharing service, grabbing a ride for just a couple hours. Maybe they'd hop on a bus. Then light rail. Then a rental bike.

Imagine what this might mean for carmakers.

"If you take these all into consideration this is a pretty tragic picture for auto manufacturers," said Jorg Lamparter, chief executive of Moovel Group, a subsidiary of the German industry titan Daimler.

When Daimler imagines this future, Lamparter says, it thinks about apps, about self-driving cars, about electric vehicles. And it thinks about Portland.

"It's a place where we can perfectly test and develop our products," Lamparter said by phone from Moovel's main office in Germany.

Daimler bought GlobeSherpa in 2015 and folded the tiny Portland startup best known for TriMet's ticketing app into Moovel, which has a portfolio of other apps for planning and paying for transportation in urban areas.

GlobeSherpa had 27 employees at the time of its sale; Moovel now employs 80 in Portland and is in the process of closing its office in Austin and moving that work to its new office in Old Town. When complete, the Portland workforce will number nearly 120.

Most of us depend mightily on our cars, yet they sit idle nearly all the time - in the garage at home or a parking lot at work. Meanwhile, we spend thousands of dollars a year on gas, insurance, maintenance and loan payments.

Meet Moovel

What

: Daimler subsidiary that creates transportation apps, including TriMet's ticketing app

Locations

: Portland and Austin (soon to be closed)

Employees

: 80 in Portland; 120 in Portland after Austin closure

Founded

: 2015, when Daimler bought Portland startup GlobeSherpa and combined it with Austin-based RideScout

Leadership

: Moovel North America CEO Nat Parker, who founded GlobeSherpa, and international Moovel Group CEO Jorg Lamparter

Daimler is considering the possibility that as transportation options proliferate, city dwellers might consider cheaper alternatives - paying for cars only when needed, using a ride-hailing service like Uber or a car-sharing service like Daimler's car2go. Maybe they'd use public transport sometimes or borrow a bike for short trips.

Moovel's Portland employees are dreaming up and designing new iterations of its mobile technology such as RideTap, app technology for urban transportation.

Designed to enable multipurpose apps for urban travelers, RideTap offers multiple options for any given trip. Software designers can build in the ability to summon a Lyft ride, locate a nearby car2go vehicle, or plot a public transit ride. Users can weigh the options and choose the fastest, or most affordable, option for each trip.

Lamparter said that Daimler hopes the apps will enable travelers to choose the most efficient options for getting around. But just as importantly, tracking which options travelers select will teach the maker of Mercedes-Benz and Smart cars what they want.

"They all give us access to customers and users who do not use their own cars," he said. "They all provide us information about people living in urban areas."

Daimler already has a substantial Portland presence, at the former Freightliner site on Swan Island. Daimler Trucks North America employs 1,000 at its new riverfront headquarters there, plus more than 500 at a nearby Western Star truck factory.

Freightliner aside, though, Portland doesn't have much heritage in the auto industry. So the Rose City, 5,300 miles from Stuttgart, might seem like an unlikely choice for Daimler's bet on the market's future.

It doesn't seem strange to Portland transportation consultant Adrian Pearmine, who focuses on "smart cities" and connected vehicles for the engineering and planning firm DKS Associates.

"We're becoming a small, little transportation innovation cluster," Pearmine said.

That started with TriMet, he said, which published its bus and rail arrival information in an open format that became the industry standard after Google adopted it. The agency continued its technological embrace with services like GlobeSherpa's ticketing app. Meanwhile, other companies - like Jaguar Land Rover - opened Portland outposts to explore transportation technology.

(Matt Jones, the Jaguar executive who opened the company's Portland lab, is now Moovel's chief product officer.)

And Portland has the full array of urban transportation options: Cars, bikes, buses, light rail, streetcars and car-sharing services. That makes the city a natural destination for Daimler, according to Pearmine, who said he likes Moovel's approach.

"The thing I like about the way that Daimler is coming at it is it's not all-in on the autonomous vehicle and it's not all-in on one single ride-sharing solution," Pearmine said. Rather, Daimler and Moovel are exploring a number of alternatives, he said, giving them the leeway to change course as technology evolves.

And it may not be evolving quite as fast as some people think, according to Jennifer Dill, professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University.

For example, Dill said, young people today do seem more likely to take transit or use a car-sharing service. But she said it's not yet clear whether that represents a cultural shift, or if it's simply that young people aren't as rushed and don't have as much money to spend on cars. As they grow up, perhaps, their travel habits may look more like their parents.'

And Dill said it could be that transportation technologies reinforce old transportation patterns rather than introduce new ones. If you can take a self-driving car, and work on your laptop while riding, perhaps you would be more likely to live in the suburbs and endure a longer - but more productive - commute.

Even with 120 employees in Portland, Moovel still represents a relatively tiny outlay for Daimler, which reported more than $150 billion in revenue last year. So it's more like Moovel is hedging Daimler's bets, rather than remaking the company.

GlobeSherpa founder Nat Parker now runs Moovel's Portland office. He said it's his job to inject a bit of startup fervor and imagination into a larger company that longs for some original thinking.

"There is a petting zoo aspect to it," Parker said. "They're kind of fascinated with our colorful feathers."

Parker said that operating within Daimler, but as a subsidiary in an office halfway around the world, gives Moovel the opportunity to see the industry from an outsider's perspective. And he said the growth of the Portland outpost over the past 18 months shows the parent company values that insight.

"Daimler has essentially said: We want you to focus on innovation, growth, and change, and we're willing to invest significant resources," Parker said.

Correction: This article has been corrected to note that RideTap is a software development kit enabling other transportation apps, but not a standalone app itself.

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699
Comic-Con International 2016 - Preview Night

Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn costume from 'Suicide Squad' displayed at Comic-Con International 2016 preview night on July 20, 2016 in San Diego, California.

(Matt Cowan/Getty Images)

When it comes to visiting PornHub, Oregonians like to keep it short, according to the site's year-end report.

At 9 minutes and 27 seconds, visitors from the great Beaver State claim the shortest average session on the adult site. It's a full 12 seconds less than the next shortest: Utah.

Mississippian visitors spend an average of 11 minutes and 8 seconds during a digital trip to PornHub, more than any other state. The data comes from the company's year-end report.

PornHub also tracked search terms whose popularity surged in 2016. And although some seem to correlate with the release of new movies and emerging technologies -- "Star Wars," "Harley Quinn" and "VR" -- others are just plain weird. (Think "magic mirror car," "Skyrim" and "Minecraft.")

In fact, Harley Quinn -- one of the leading anti-heroes in last summer's "Suicide Squad" -- topped the list of fictional characters users searched for the most at 10 million total queries. Batman was a way distant second with 3 million searches.

In addition to time on site and search terms, the company also tracked declines in traffic over the holidays. Once again, Oregon sits near the top of the pack even if it isn't top dog.

On Dec. 24, PornHub reports Oregonians abandoned the site in droves -- it saw a 16 percent drop in traffic from within our borders, the third highest in the U.S.

On Thanksgiving, PornHub traffic from Oregon dropped 18 percent, a tie for second highest with Virginia.

In Arkansas, however, hardly anyone puts the porn on pause just because a holiday is on the horizon. Traffic there dipped a mere 1 percent on Thanksgiving.

PornHub has also published the most popular search terms and most-viewed categories from around the country, which might best be left behind this link.

The site touts 60 million visits per day and 87.8 billion video views per year on its stats page. The full report is on PornHub's insights page, which if nothing else also provides a strange look at the rest of the world's porn habits.

--Eder Campuzano

503.221.4344

@edercampuzano

ecampuzano@oregonian.com
By Press Trust of India: Ranchi, Jan 8 (PTI) Jharkhand government has given the go-ahead to setting up of a CISF central training school here to cater to the training requirement of the large number of units of the force located in the state.

A central training school (CTS) would come up in Ranchi with Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das agreeing to provide a 100 acre land following a request of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), according to an official release.

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CISF Director General G O P Singh had made the request to the state government in his speech at the inaugural programme of the forces Eastern Sector Headquarters and residential complex which was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Chief Minister has agreed to the request, the release said. PTI PVR NN KIS

--- ENDS ---
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Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
By Press Trust of India: Balasore (Odisha), Jan 8 (PTI) A video clip showing a differently-abled man being kicked by uniformed men at Balasore station in Odisha has prompted Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to order a probe into the incident.

"The RPF DG (Director General) directed to investigate matter," the Railway Minister tweeted after the clip of the act shown by local news channels went viral.

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The clip, taken from a mobile phone, showed the unidentified armed police personnel kicking the differently-abled man, evoking sharp criticism from different sections of society.

While locals alleged that the man was assaulted by RPF personnel on January 3 on a platform, officials of the central force dismissed the charge and said they had no information about the incident, adding that no complaint in this regard had been received.

It was alleged that the man, who has lost one leg, was thrashed for allegedly stealing a mobile phone of a passenger of a Guwahati-bound train.

However, both RPF and Government Railway Police (GRP) of Balasore said they had no knowledge about any such incident.

A senior GRP official said, on condition of anonymity, that the inspector in-charge has been asked to ascertain whether any such person had been beaten up, trace him and register his complaint.

"If any such incident has taken place, action will be taken against those involved, he said. PTI COR SKN SUS BSA LNS

--- ENDS ---
Bakus Self Storage has signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer to serve the Midland community.

Bakus Self Storage at 6812 N. Saginaw Road will offer U-Haul trucks, trailers, towing equipment, support rental items and in-store pick-up for boxes.
The Obamas just finished their last Hawaiian vacation as the first family. Their 16-day winter vacation included a luau at a friend's house, dinner at local restaurants and a visit to the Center on US-Asia-Pacific Relations.

According to toptenrealestatedeals.com, "the President and his family's location of choice has been the once sleepy area of Kailua Bay on the windward side of the island. From 2008 to 2011, the home they rented was Plantation Estate at Paradise Point, located on a jut of land at the far end of the long crescent of Kailua beach."
So it was 29 years ago, on March 28, 1988, that a Hollywood icon entertained an audience at Braden Auditorium in Normal and said she "couldn't get a library card here" because she wasn't "Normal" enough.

Word got back to the Normal Public Library.

Officials there, in turn, decided that actress Debbie Reynolds was indeed "Normal" enough and they sent her a library card.

Reynolds, as we all know, passed away last week at age 84, one day after her daughter, actress and writer Carrie Fisher.

So we checked it out to see if Reynolds ever also checked anything out at NPL, after she got her card. Appears, no, say library folk.

But a longtime NPL staffer now retired from the stacks, Ruthie Cobb, recalls the library got a thank-you note from Reynolds, not only for the library card but also the kind declaration ... only normal in Normal.

2017 off to half-baked start? To be born on Jan. 1 and become the year's first baby somewhere is cool and quirky enough.

But just what are the odds here?

First baby born Jan. 1 at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Normal  Daniel Baker, son of Trisha and Steve Baker.

First baby born Jan. 1 at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington  Emerson Baker, daughter of Erin and Nicholas Baker of Bloomington.

First baby born Jan. 1 at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Lincoln  Landon Baker, son of Monica and Cody Baker.

Only 10 more and we could have delivered a baker's dozen.

Police beat: On TV and at the movies, police work usually is always dramatic, life-or-death, excitement. A recent check of the police blotter shows there are the lighter moments  and, in this first example, some really stupid behavior.

 Someone called to report that a female motorist was driving down Veterans Parkway in Bloomington. According to police reports, while sitting at a light, she had her laptop mounted atop the steering wheel and "was typing away."

 A woman called Illinois State Police in a rural stretch of Logan County to report that there were eight to 10 cows in our yard and that she had gone out and looked and they are not our cows.

 In Gibson City, a Ford County police deputy responded to multiple 911 calls from a rural residence. The cause? Small children trying to call Santa Claus on their moms cell phone.

B-N is No. 1: Of all of Americas 268 metropolitan areas, we have the shortest commute time in America.

That fact emerged in figures recently released by the Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Each work day, we take only 11.3 minutes to get to work.

Think about it  when compared with Chicago (32.6 minutes each way), in just one year, we save 5,538 minutes NOT commuting as Chicagoans do. Thats 92 hours  or nearly four entire days  we dont spend getting to work, like Chicagoans.

Is it any wonder America is getting big and fat? In large metro areas, people sit in their cars or trains, idling, choking, waiting, doing nothing but building their blood pressures.

Not in B-N.

We can be out of the car and already in a Chilis or Applebees, enjoying extra appetizers.

Off now on her biggest trip yet: Every town has those names that become well-known because they're associated with a business  in B-N, Clay Dooley, Brad Barker, Sam Leman, Jeffrey Alan instantly come to mind  and in the midst of the recent holidays, one other quietly flashed among the headlines.

Suzanne Davis, better known as Suzi Davis Travel, passed.

It was 50 years ago, in 1967, that Davis opened a new era for Bloomington-Normal; she introduced the travel and tour company," organized the first WJBC Great Escapes and later worked with McLean County Bank on its Vacation Inspired Savings Account (thats where the word VISA came from, later sold from McLean County Bank to the credit card company) travel programs.

As one lifelong B-N resident, Van Baker, notes, And just how many times was her agency mentioned after a traveling call at ISU games?

Of Lexington, Suzi Davis was 77.

Irony of ironie$: So the state is going back to sending out license plate sticker renewals.

You been keeping track of that developing saga?

A year ago, Secretary of State Jesse White said his department couldnt afford to spend $450,000 a month on postage to send out reminders. So they quit sending them out and not only did the state save nearly half a million dollars a month in postage, by the end of fiscal 2016, it also had brought in an EXTRA $10 million in late fees. Those were from motorists who, because they hadnt gotten a notice, forgot to renew their plates.

As one Springfield observer musingly put it the other day, At least one guy in Springfield knows how to raise and make money  even if by accident.
Registration is open for the ILLINOIS PORK EXPO, which will be Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at the Prairie Capital Convention Center, Springfield.

Online or on-site registration is available, with a discount before Jan. 13. Visit www.ilpork.com. IPPA members will receive free admission.

STATION 710 SALON, 710 McGregor St., Bloomington, is celebrating 15 years of business. A Roaring '20s-themed party will serve as a fundraiser for Pet Central Helps. Tickets are $50 at 309-827-2710. Festivities will be 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at Reality on Monroe, 111 E. Monroe St., Bloomington.

DUFFY-PILS MEMORIAL HOME, Chenoa, will hold an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday (today) to show off its renovated chapel.
BLOOMINGTON  Two very different tours in Afghanistan have made Calvin Rueb confident of his fellow Army National Guard troops and humbled by his family.

Eight days before Christmas, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Rueb returned home to Bloomington where he lives with his fiancee, Ashley Campbell, and their dog, Cooper.

After joining the 233rd Military Police Company in Springfield, Rueb was first deployed in August 2010. He was stationed in Paktika, a southeastern province of Afghanistan.

Our job was to assist Afghan uniformed police, said Rueb. We were basically their big brother."

Just three months in, a friend was hit by an enemy wearing a suicide vest.

Two insurgents were dressed as Afghan uniformed police. Their first vest went off, then they waited for first responders to react, and then they sent off the second vest, said Rueb. My buddy fully recovered and is still in the Army. He saved a lot of other people.

After returning home from his first tour in 2011, Rueb met Campbell, and the couple moved to Bloomington.

Rueb was studying law enforcement at Illinois State University when he learned of an upcoming nine-month volunteer mission in Afghanistan.

They wanted people who would volunteer instead of 'voluntold,' said Rueb.

After learning that many first-time troops from his company were signing up for the mission, Rueb put his name down.

I decided if theyre dropping everything and going, I wouldnt feel comfortable sending them without me being there, he said.

Rueb was selected for the mission and that same passion for leadership earned him a Bronze Star medal.

In January 2016, Rueb completed mobilization training at Fort Bliss, Texas, and was then sent to Kabul, Afghanistan.

This tour, he said, had a different feel.

For the mission, his group had the task of transporting and protecting military generals, U.S. and foreign dignitaries and distinguished guests.

During his first tour, he rode in armored vehicles with "giant turrets and automatic grenade launchers." For the second security mission, the vehicles were armored but non-tactical.

It was a little nerve-wracking knowing if we got hit it was going to hurt, he said. At the same time, we were confident in our training.

Rueb said another difference between his two tours was the larger amount of media coverage. He said the incident with the suicide vests made the news in 2010, but not much else.

"During my last deployment, there were press everywhere. If anything would happen around Kabul, it would be put on full blast," he said.

One morning during Rueb's recent tour, Campbell woke and rolled over to check her phone. A news notification told her that an Afghan agency had been hit by a vehicle-born improvised explosive device.

I started freaking out, she said.

Rueb was not involved in the the attack, but he couldnt immediately respond to Campbells calls and messages.

It was great having better access to internet and messages this time around, but it was almost a double-edged sword, said Rueb.

After nine months in the desert, Rueb was sent home. On Dec. 17, he flew into the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington where the terminal was packed with family and friends.

It was surreal being at the airport and seeing him for the first time, said Campbell.

Rueb said the support from his family and friends has been overwhelming and humbling.

I hear stories about how poorly Vietnam soldiers were treated when they got home, and Im glad society has gotten past that. I hope it continues to get better for those who serve after me.

Now back in Bloomington, Rueb hopes to join the Bloomington Police Department and earn a degree in law enforcement.

To future soldiers, Rueb said, Listen to those that have been there and done that. Even when times get tough, keep your heads up. Theres always a light at the end of the tunnel.
SPRINGFIELD  Time is running out for the 99th Illinois General Assembly to do what it has failed to do so far throughout its two-year term: pass a comprehensive state budget that will earn the signature of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Lawmakers return to Springfield on Monday for a two-day lame-duck session. Thats traditionally a time when outgoing legislators can help push through controversial measures, such as a temporary income tax increase that was approved in 2011 and has since been partially rolled back.

Its widely acknowledged that it will take a combination of spending cuts and tax increases to begin stabilizing the states shaky finances. Rauner also has insisted throughout the first two years of his term that any long-term budget deal include policy changes he says would boost economic growth and restore confidence in the states political system.

Whether lawmakers in both parties and both chambers of the General Assembly can forge a compromise that meets all those requirements remains uncertain.

Rauner acknowledged during an unrelated appearance in Carbondale on Friday that he has been briefed on discussions between Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, about a possible budget deal thats in the works.

Im heartened by that, Rauner said of the talks. Im optimistic that Democrats and Republicans are negotiating in good faith to come up with changes to our system so its not broken anymore.

The governor said it would be premature for him to comment on specifics because a lot of the detail is still in flux.

Representatives for Cullerton and Radogno declined to comment on the discussions, which first were reported Thursday by the Capitol Fax blog.

The components being discussed include an income tax increase, a short-term property tax freeze, changes to the states workers compensation laws and public pension systems, and term limits for legislative leaders, according to the Capitol Fax report.

Also being discussed is a new proposal to overhaul the way Illinois funds elementary and secondary education, an issue lawmakers have been working on for several years without success.

There is bipartisan agreement that Illinois relies too heavily on local property taxes to fund schools and does a poor job of directing state money to the school districts that need it most.

A commission that Rauner convened is working to produce a proposal before its Feb. 1 deadline, but other discussions are taking place on the sidelines.

State Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, a member of the commission and a leading voice for his caucus on education funding, couldnt say whether a new school funding reform plan might be introduced during the lame-duck session.

Im not certain that were there yet, but were closer today than we were yesterday, Barickman said Friday of a bipartisan agreement on school funding. I continue to sense that the majority of the people involved in this have a sincere desire to fix this.

Past reform efforts have run aground due to the political difficulty of passing a plan that shifts money from some districts to others and the cost of trying to prevent any district from losing out under a new funding formula.

Passing an education funding bill during the lame-duck is perhaps less pressing because, unlike higher education, social services and other state operations, elementary and secondary schools are funded through June. The stopgap deal that was funding other operations expired when the calendar turned to 2017.
Hip-hop heads rejoice, your proclivities are now codified in university texts. A professor at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Georgia will be teaching a class titled "OutKast and the Rise of the Hip-Hop South."

This upper-level English course will explore "ideas about the South and southernness seep into other Southern writers," Professor Regina Bradley told news outlet Savannah Now.

"My areas of interest are African-American literature and popular culture," said Bradley. "I try to find ways to connect those. Often, students get most of their information, their outlook from how they engage in popular culture. Their final project is doing a paper that's 12-15 pagesfor what I call a 'nerdy hip-hop review. They'll take an album of their choice  preferably an Outkast album  and give a discussion of the themes and what they hear."

Bradley was a Nasir Jones fellow Harvard University's Hiphop Archive & Research Institute. She intends for her class to make connections between pop culture and political expression like #BlackLivesMatter.

Big Boi himself has given the course his blessing. After sharing an article about it on Facebook, he posted "I am originally from Savannah, and I remember Armstrong, so that is just super dope."

Header photo via Benjamin Lozovsky/BFA.com
An active member of Dads Against Discrimination (DADS) has written an open letter proposing that the Family Courts in New Jersey should be reformed. Bruce Eden, who heads this state's DADS chapter, wants to see changes in the system in light of President-elect Donald Trump's agenda to rid the country of corruption.

Eden wrote that Family Courts in New Jersey "have done nothing but harm families and children, financially, emotionally and psychologically," according to Daily Record. He cited that judges and lawyers in the state's courts are after money more than service to families.

Among his proposals, Eden wants a reform of child custody and child support policies, as well as a stricter punishment for domestic violence and child abuse. In most cases, the New Jersey Family Court decides upon a "he said-she said" situation and not actual facts.

Eden also wants lawyers' fees to have a cap at $25,000 and restrictions to what lawyers can demand on behalf of their client's wishes. He cites that some of these lawyers have in fact been draining families financially and emotionally or have played it "fast and loose" with the system.

This isn't the first time that the dad advocate has voiced his concerns regarding the cracks in the system. In September, he also penned an open letter that was published in numerous dailies, including the Cincinnati.

In it, he pointed out the bureaucracy in the system. "People think that child-support enforcement benefits children, but it doesn't," he said.

Eden breaks down what actually happens when fathers pay child support that must be collected by welfare agencies. He cited that most of it goes to the government and does not reach the intended, specifically the mother and the children, right away or in the full amount.

What do you think of this dad's advocacy and the flaws in the system? Sound off in the comments below!
By Press Trust of India: Bangkok, Jan 8 (PTI) At least 10 crocodiles were on the loose from an open zoo after floodwater inundated a national reserve in Thailands southern province.

Muang district municipal officials, who oversee the Tha Lad Zoo yesterday warned residents living around the Somdet Phra Srinagarindra 84 Public Park, to take extra caution for fear the reptiles might be hungry and attack people, the Bangkok Post reported.

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The zoo houses more than 10 crocodiles, some measuring up to five metres each, rare bird species and other animals.

Municipal staff were racing against time to evacuate animals from the flood-hit zoo as unseasonal storms continued to lash southern Thailand and northern Malaysia.

The municipality had asked electricity to cut off power at the public park as the water level increased.

An official confirmed that all the crocodiles were missing from the zoo.

Municipal workers in boats were patrolling. The park in hopes of locating the animals and keeping them away from populated areas, but the task was complicated by rising water levels.

There were reports that local residents shot dead two other crocodiles on the loose from a private farm in Muang district two days ago during the flooding. PTI AJR ASK AJR

--- ENDS ---
Arielle Noa Charmas recently sparked a serious debate when she shared her experience when she traveled with her baby. According to Charmas, a Delta Airlines flight attendant told her to the leave First Class cabin of the plane and move to the Economy class as her little baby started crying. The internet has been flooding with various opinions after the social media celebrity shared the incident.

The news broke out when the fashion blogger posted about the incident on her Instagram account, telling her 1 million followers and fans of how she was treated by the Delta Airlines, as per Huffington Post. The New Yorker informed that her baby was quite sleepy and crying.

Charmas also shared the reason why she and her husband bought First Class plane tickets and that was to give them enough room to manage everything for the baby girl. However, a flight attendant came to the couple, requesting her to take her baby to the Economy class. It was revealed that many passengers were complaining about the crying baby and the fuss she was creating.

In her very detailed post on the photo-sharing application, Charmas expressed her distraught emotions. She stated that it was her first time flying with her baby and she was already anxious. According to her, people in the First Class were giving her stares as soon as she entered with her crying child.

Charmas then told her followers that one can't just tell their crying baby to stop. She also mentioned how she could not help but cry and feel more anxious after the stewardess asked her to change seats.

Various reactions have surfaced due to the said incident, as informed by Us Weekly. Some openly supported the fashion blogger, saying that she had paid for the flight and hence should be allowed to use the space as she desired.

Others, on the other hand, argued that everyone in the First Class had paid a hefty sum as she did and they deserved a peaceful flight. People also commented on the airlines having better policies regarding such sensitive issues, such as a "kid's class."

Responding to that, the well-known entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson said that they would love to have a separate Children's class, with nannies and all other required child care necessities. However, Branson revealed they are still having some discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority. The authority believed that if a separate children class is formed, there will be a lot of mismanagement in cases of an emergency.
A man from new Hampshire, who was recently fired from work because he opted to be present during his son's birth, has now been flooded with job offers. Lamar Austin, who worked for private security group Salerno Protective Services, was supposed to be on-call during his trial period for work with the company. However, he failed to be present for his weekend shift as his wife Lindsay has gone on labor beginning Friday evening.

Austin's case got mileage from the media not only because of the labor issue but because his son Cainin was the State of New Hampshire's first born for 2017. While he got a text message saying he was fired from work, Austin said he may have lost something but gained something better.

"I don't think they should have to be worrying about financial issues right now; it should be a joyful time for them," Sara Persechino, former town board member and paid family leave advocate said, before adding, "I don't think anyone should ever have to choose between their family and their job." Persechino has spearheaded the launching of a fundraising campaign for Austin's family with GoFundMe.

Independent said the International brotherhood of Electrical Workers offered an apprenticeship opportunity for Austin. He also received three employment opportunities. Lindsay Austin, his wife, said it was hard to accept that her husband got fired. However, she said she was thankful for all the blessings they have received after the incident.

Concord Monitor featured Austin's story and this got a lot of support from the community including the legislature. Lindsay said she hopes that a law will be passed so that other men who are providing for their families no longer have to experience the same in the future.

Senator Dan Feltes said Senate Bill 416, which was introduced during the last session of the legislature, aims to offer working arrangements that are flexible to address similar situations. However, The Sun revealed New Hampshire does not offer much legal protection to workers since employees are legally allowed to dismiss their workers anytime.

Meanwhile, the GoFundMe campaign for Austin has already raised $2,000 and the amount is expected to help the family during this time. As for Austin's employer, they refused to comment on his case.
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Without a doubt, Steve Jobs' finest professional moment and finest keynote was delivered in 2007 when he introduced the revolutionary iPhone to the world. The iPhone eventually catapulted Apple to being the top tech company on the planet and by doing so, defeated his long-time rival Microsoft. What a day, what a time; an event that will never be forgotten by anyone who witnessed it on the morning of January 9, 2007.

Steve Jobs: "This is a day I've been looking forward to for two and a half years. Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that  changes everything. And Apple has been  well first of all, one's very fortunate if you get to just work on one of these in your career. Apple's been very fortunate. It's been able to introduce a few of these into the world. In 1984 we introduced the Macintosh. It didn't just change Apple; it changed the whole computer industry.

In 2001 we introduced the first iPod. And, it just didn't change the way we all listen to music  it changed the entire music industry.

Well, today, we're introducing three revolutionary products of this class. The first one is a wide screen iPod with touch controls. The second: is a revolutionary mobile phone. And the third: is a breakthrough internet communications device.

So three things: a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough internet communications device. An iPod  a phone  and an internet communicator. An iPod, a phone  are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device! And we are calling it: iPhone. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone. " And reinvent the phone they did.





On January 9, 2007, Apple caused a sensation when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. This fully touchscreen and connected mobile phone brought about the dawn of the smartphone age, as this new kind of device quickly became an everyday essential. The full keynote presentation is noted below.

Apple's first iPhone sent shockwaves through the tech world with its 3.5-inch touchscreen (320  480 pixels) with multitouch technology, its 2-Megapixel onboard camera and its 16GB built-in memory. As well as rocking Edge, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, the device also came loaded with its own highly intuitive operating system, initially called "iPhone OS," and with access to a host of handy applications (the Safari web browser, an email app, weather, Google Maps, YouTube, etc.).

Later this year Apple will introduce a special anniversary iPhone with a new design form factor that supports an all-new OLED display and many other features that could once again set sales records worldwide. Many fans have put off buying the iPhone 7 so as to not miss out on this anniversary model.

It's so hard to believe that in the blink of an eye a decade has flown by and that we won't being seeing the late Steve Jobs introducing their new anniversary model later this year. I remember the day vividly when Steve introduced the iPhone and it was such a special moment in time. The energy in the auditorium that day was absolutely crackling. The buzz of seeing Apple's first smartphone being unveiled was electrifying. Were you one of the lucky ones to have witnessed that historic event? If so, tell us what you were thinking as it unfolded in our comment section below.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
And yet, sometimes they must. So one of the most beautiful love stories in recent memory comes to an end. The press must say goodbye to the love of its life: President and Michelle Obama. The gushing love and admiration, credit for all that is good and virtually nothing but a few missteps and minor flubs being attributed to President Obama.

Like all romances, they had their tough times. When Obama told them not to get their news from FOX, they quickly reminded him to keep out of their business. At times, when reporters breached protocol by suggesting Obama might be wrong or even deserve some blame, he was quick with a tongue-lashing. But on the whole, reconciliation and love always followed.

Michelle got no negative press that Im aware of. First time a First Lady went through unscathed in my memory. Laura Bush had her moments. Even Barbara Bush back in the day. We wont even discuss Hillary or Nancy. But Michelle? Ive seen the Blessed Mother receive less adoration in a Catholic rosary service.

But, like all things, this must end. Im sure the love affair will continue, but it will be packaged differently. It will have to be. He wont be president. But as some on the Left dream of a Michelle presidency, and others hope that the Obamas can become the First Family emeritus, they will still have to work to maintain the headline level that their romance has enjoyed these last 8 years. Sniff.


The Golden Door

Some Brief Remarks Delivered at a Forum on Immigration & Deportation at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach

8 January 2017

James Ishmael Ford

I am here to address the spirituality that informs our liberal religious community and why it calls us to engage and actively the immigration debate in this country.

First, a small prologue.

Back in 2010 I traveled from Rhode Island, where I was serving as minister of the First Unitarian Church of Providence, to Arizona. I was there to protest some noxious legislation under consideration, SB 1070, the so-called show me your papers law. Id previously served there at the Valley UU Church in Chandler, and joined them in a mass demonstration witnessing against the many levels of violation of human dignity and human rights SB 1070 represented.

While severely modified both in process and later through court challenge, nonetheless it became law. The pursuit of undocumented immigrants continues unabated. In fact today the American people, well, the barely right number in a handful of the right states, along with a small assist from Vladimir Putin and his spy network, have elected someone to the American presidency who has made stopping the immigration of Mexicans and Muslims to this country his number one priority.

Of course Mr Trump was capitalizing on fear, the common denominator of the immigrant debate. The American-born are afraid of many things. Threats to jobs, real and mostly, imagined, the drain on social services, real and mostly imagined, national security focused on terrorism, again real but mostly imagined. And on the other side, for the immigrants, mostly those who have come without documentation, but also many who are documented, fear of deportation, or even worse, particularly having some members of their families deported while others remain haunts them day and night. Fear runs deep. Fear is the common currency of our immigration debate. Fear, the great divider.

But, lets look at those immigrants, whether here legally or not.

Two anecdotes, one I read about, one I witnessed. Both point.

In November of 2007, Manuel Jesus Cordova Soberanes, crossed that most dangerous and unforgiving border in Arizona in search of work, the great motivator for almost all immigrants  for a chance to lift his family out of grinding poverty, poverty few on this side of the border can imagine. A bricklayer, he believed he could get work in Tucson. It was evening and the desert heat was turning bitter cold. He had been walking for two days and was some fifty miles from the city when he came across the van, crashed some three-hundred feet beneath a forest service road.

Dawn Tomko, the driver, was dead. However her nine-year old child Christopher was still alive, if in shock. Manuel pulled him out of the wreck, took the worn sweater off his back, covered the boy, and then built a fire. Something he had not dared to do before for fear of discovery, something he now desperately wanted. The man and the boy huddled through the night. The next day Manuel waved down some hunters who called for help. The day after that he was deported back to Mexico. You want the face of illegal immigration? Its Manuel Soberanes.

And, second, even more briefly, back to my trip to Arizona. At the march I saw an elderly woman holding a handmade sign with the words the face of an illegal immigrant and the pictures below of her child, a young United States marine. Mother and son, they are the real and vastly more common faces of immigration, whether with documents or not.

I chose two examples drawing on immigration from south of our border. I could just as easily have drawn on Muslim immigrants to illustrate this larger point about who is coming here. Now, I am not pretending everyone crossing the border is an angel. The vast majority, however, are simply looking for something better. Freedom. Possibility. Here we call that the American dream. Too often betrayed in practice, but nonetheless, always, always the dream. Im not even here to argue there should be no borders. Thats a messy and complicated issue. I am here to talk about the spirituality that informs our engagement with these questions.

Im here to talk about the spirituality at the heart of why Unitarian Universalists in particular should be involved in this issue. Heres the deal. Heres the secret. Here is the truth at the heart of our mission as a spiritual community.

We find it within the first and seventh principles, the great discovery of contemporary Unitarian Universalism, and our gift to world spirituality. Its nothing new, but held up in a particular and important way. The individual is precious beyond words, each of us unique, each of us passing, each of us precious. And. We are not merely connected to each other and the world in some abstract idea sort of way; we are bound up within a web of intimacy that is reality, nothing less.

And seeing it as our living truth sings hope and possibility, and most of all, of healing for all broken hearts. Its that important. And, specifically as we see those yearning to come to this country flawed as it is, but also holding up a dream of human dignity that is too rare in this world, we see who it is we must stand with.

You know the words, engraved at the base of that statue. Give me your tired, your poor,/your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,/the wretched refuse of your teeming shore./Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,/I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

I stand here before you to bear witness to the truth of our radical interdependence, the wisdom of our hearts, the North Star guiding all our actions.

This is the secret that beats in every heart, the antidote to fear. This is the golden door opening to hope for all.

It is this: We are all of us, family. And were all called to action knowing that. Were all family. No exceptions.

Amen.
As national imprisonment rates continue to fall, so too does crime, according to data collected by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Between 2010 and 2015, the national imprisonment rate declined 8.4 percent while property and violent crime rates fell a combined 14.6 percent. During this time period, 31 states saw reductions in both crime and imprisonment. This includes California, which experienced a sharp 25.2 percent reduction in imprisonment rates along with a 1.1 percent reduction in property and violent crime rates.

The lack of a consistent relationship between the crime and imprisonment trends reinforces the findings of the National Research Council and others that the imprisonment rate in many states and the nation as a whole has long since passed the point of diminishing public safety returns, Pews fact sheet on the data explains.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the United States closed out 2015 with the lowest prison population since 2005, with just over 1.5 million prisoners. Of those in state prisons, just over half, 53 percent, were serving sentences for violent offenses as of yearend 2014, the last year for which data is available. In federal prisons, nearly half are serving time for drug offenses.

Nationwide, crime remains at historic lows. As Pew notes, even after a significant uptick, the violent crime rate at the end of 2015 remained half of what it was in 1991. The national property crime rate has similarly declined more than 50 percent since 1991.

That Californias experience is in line with that of the rest of the country is significant given the range of reforms the state has pursued in recent years.

In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court found the state prison system overcrowded and unable to provide for adequate medical and mental health services, and ordered California to reduce its prison population. State lawmakers passed AB109, known as realignment, to comply with this request, shifting responsibility for non-serious offenders to county jails.

Though crime slightly increased in 2012, theres no evidence AB109 was particularly responsible for it, and crime then proceeded to fall to all-time lows throughout the state in 2013 and 2014.

In 2012, voters approved Proposition 36, which reformed three strikes laws, requiring a life sentence for a third strike be reserved for serious crimes. In 2014, voters approved Proposition 47. Prop. 47 reduced a handful of offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, contributing to population declines in not only state prison but also county jails.

In 2015, crime increased statewide, both in raw numbers and overall rate. Still, both remain a far cry from what they were in every preceding decade. According to data from the California Department of Justice, the violent crime rate in 2015 stood at 426 per 100,000 people; the number was 439.3 in 2010 and 526.9 in 2005.

Similar patterns hold for property offenses in California, which is notable considering nonviolent offenses are what have been most impacted by reforms. In 2015, the property crime rate stood at 2,620.4 per 100,000; it was 2,630.1 in 2010 and 3,321 in 2005.

As tempting a solution as incarceration is, we have to keep in mind that incarceration is a costly venture that generally fails to bring long-lasting benefits.

Despite a budget greater than $10 billion, the states correction system has generally failed to correct.

Weve experimented enough with mass incarceration for more than enough time to learn that longer-term investments in crime prevention and rehabilitation are needed.
One person was found dead and a police officer was injured after a fire broke out in a two-story Fontana home on Saturday, according to officials.

The fire was reported 12:15 p.m. at a 2,000-square-foot home in the 11000 block of Teak Lane, according to San Bernardino County fire officials.

Firefighters were finishing up work on the blaze around 1:20 p.m., said Capt. Dan Nelson.

He said a Fontana police officer was the first person to arrive and was overwhelmed by smoke and heat when he tried to enter the home to rescue a person reported trapped inside.

The officer was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation before being taken to a nearby hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening, according to a Fire Department news release.

Firefighters soon found a deceased person on the second story of the home, Nelson said. He said the persons age and gender were not known.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Staff writer John M. Blodgett contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9693, agroves@scng.com or @AlexDGroves on Twitter.
Slash landing fees at ONT to increase profits

Re: 2016 was milestone year for Ontario airport, one might say hopes are flying high for 2017 [News, Dec. 31]: In the article, chief marketing officer Dan Adamus stated, maybe price isnt the driver, but instead it is Ontario International Airports friendliness.

I suggest that price is the main driver. ONT is less than 25 minutes from our home. We stopped using ONT years ago. Ticket prices were considerably higher than at Los Angeles International Airport and at John Wayne Airport.

The extra commute time to LAX and SNA was worth the price differential. The reason for the higher ticket prices was the cost to the airlines to land at ONT, the most expensive airport in Southern California.

Instead of spending a lot of money on an already nice airport, lower the landing fees and make ONT the cheapest airport for airlines. The increase in the volume of flights and passenger traffic will increase ONTs profit and the businesses inside the airport will reap the benefit, too.

 J.O. Pete Wright, Redlands

Involved parents are key to schools success

I continue to read different articles on Oxford Preparatory Academy and every single one seems to end with how Oxford has historically been one of the top-scoring schools.

This seems to imply that Oxford is simply superior to all other schools. While the scores are impressive, we need to realize that its not simply Oxfords superiority, talent, teachers or magic.

The teachers alone, no matter how talented and dedicated, do not create top scores. Top scores come from students with top parents who support their childs school and its teachers. Parents who value education and expect the best from their children, parents who care and volunteer at the school and know whats going on.

Parents who listen to their children read, who see that they go to school every day unless theyre ill, who help with their homework and follow through on monitoring how their child is doing in class.

Parents who help with the school plays, art fairs, orchestra, band and sports. Parents expectations and commitment to their childs education canand domake a difference.

When you get this type of parent and put them all together in one school, you get results that make a school look really impressive.

Think of how great all of our schools would look if all of our schools had parents like Oxford Prep parents.

 Rose Ann Hammond, Chino

Hacking should have you worried

Donald Trump and many Inland Republicans are trying to denounce reports of hacking because they know it makes Trumps election illegitimate. Not only does he lose the popular vote by 3 million but he needed help from his buddy in Russia. Sure, theres no proof that the vote count would have changed, but the people saw fake news and information generated by Russia that influenced public opinion. No matter how many ways his people try to spin it, he is beholden to Putin, and that should have every American fearful. Oh, and how about that wall he wants our tax dollars to build? I thought Mexico was going to pay. More wool pulled over his followers eyes.

 Mike Romero, Lake Elsinore

History will be kind to Obama

Re: How do you assess Obamas legacy? [Opinion, Jan. 3]: I believe the legacy of President Barack Obama will be very positive, especially considering the obstacles, personal and political, he has faced. He is bright, dedicated, well-educated, concerned, family-oriented and effective. He has provided a national health plan which had been inspired by the GOP and proven successful by Republican Gov. Mitt Romney in Massachusetts. We have been the last major nation in the world to provide a national health care system. He has provided executive leadership despite a nonfunctional congress, and his positive rating of 56 percent towers above that of Congress.

As a politician and a human being, Obama has overcome the most destructive forms of vilification from racists, birthers and extreme right-wingers of any president in a century. He has generally ignored the slings and arrows and he has maintained a positive demeanor.

He has brought troops home from the misadventure in Iraq precipitated by neocons and refused to succumb to the siren song of militarists who would seek ongoing confrontation by demanding many more boots on the ground. We are wearing down ISIS and on the threshold of recapturing their last major stronghold in Iraq. He has gained the respect of most of the major nations in the world and their cooperation through the UN and NATO, managing to avoid possible military involvement with Iran. He has encouraged minorities and those of all religions to serve as full participants in the opportunities provided in the United States.

President Obama has a seen a stabilized economy with minimum inflation over the years of his administration, which has benefited seniors and those on limited incomes. World terrorism is an ongoing concern, of course.

He has overcome a strong recession that he inherited, and he has improved the employment statistics in the U.S. He has been a faithful steward of our natural resources and environment, and he recognizes the danger of global warming. History will treat him well.

 John F. Mc Grew, Riverside

How do we prevent STDs?

Re: End the war on sex  another prohibition fail [Opinion, Jan. 4]: I have no problem if they wish to make prostitution legal since it might slow down the pimps kidnapping young girls and forcing them into it. It also might bring in tax money if they can find a way to require those in the profession to pay their share.

Here are my concerns for those who patronize prostitutes: How will they be sure that the girls and boys are STD-free? How will the city, state and feds be sure they report their entire earnings for tax purposes?

As it is, there are more than one class of those in that profession. Most, but not all, of the girls on the streets are into drugs, some are forced to do it and some are college girls just making some extra money.

Then you have the higher-class call girls, and you will not find them on the streetsthose, I am sure, take very good care of themselves and get STD checkups often and screen their clients.

Then you have mistresses who are sometimes considered kept women, and the very wealthy own them and support them without the wife knowing most times.

Now, back to the main issues: STDs and reporting full income. Till government figures that out, youd best be careful of those on the street or you might catch something you end up passing on to family.

Can the Erotic Service Providers Legal Education Research Project assure those who buy prostitutes services that those girls are free of STDs?

This is a case of buyer beware!

 Jon Fleischer, Hemet

Put more bite in drug laws

Re: Time to rethink the failed war on drugs [Opinion, Jan. 1]: Having successfully participated in turning California into a marijuana haven, the Press-Enterprise has re-trained its editorial sights on other drugs. In his recent column, Sal Rodrigues suggests dissolving the DEA and redirecting its multibillion-dollar budget to harm reduction and treatment. He fails to suggest what constitutes harm reduction or how to attract victims of heroin addiction to treatment centers. It has been widely reported that heroin deaths among young people in America are rising steadily. Dismantling the DEA, with all of its shortcomings, will only signal to drug peddlers that the door has opened wide, and the number of victims will rise exponentially. Putting more bite in the law  and pressing for better control of prescription drugs  can be accomplished if the people demand it. Thats where our efforts should be focused.

 Ken Cable, Canyon Lake

Bad first move, Congess

The new Congress wasted no time on its top priorities, like holding a vote to place the independent Office of Congressional Ethics under the House Ethics Committee, effectively putting the watchdogs leash in the hands of those it is supposed to be watching. Clearly, that was the most important issue for the new Congress, demanding the highest priority and the greatest urgency.

 Bill Seckler, Corona
Dara Singh's immense presence not only made him stand out inside the wrestling ring but also made him a force to reckon with on screen.

By Mail Today: There came a time when Dara Singh's photograph in his Hanuman avatar was placed in temples across Umargaon.

Dara Singh's immense presence not only made him stand out inside the wrestling ring but also made him a force to reckon with on screen

The year 1970 saw the completion of the magnum opus in the history of Indian cinema by the showman of the industry, Raj Kapoor - Mera Naam Joker.

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Back in 1965, actor-director Raj Kapoor had called Dara one evening and said, 'You are playing a ring master in my new film, Mera Naam Joker. We start shooting next week.'

Dara had replied, 'Of course, I am.'

No questions were asked thereafter; rather, no questions were expected from either of the men. The reason was the close relationship between the Kapoors and Dara Singh; commercial transactions between them was considered taboo.

Dara rarely attended film parties, and those that he went to, were always with his wife. Surjit however, was very excited and decided to look her best for the big event. A Raj Kapoor party was something nobody missed, she said to herself. And then there's that phirangi in the film, who people say is crazy about my husband, she thought. On the assigned day, she spent hours at a beauty salon getting her hair done in a bouffant, dressed with great care, and with a fully made-up face, emerged from the bedroom. Dara pulled on his coat and turned to his wife, 'What are you doing here? Go dress up. We have to leave in ten minutes.'

'Dress up? But I am dressed up,' Surjit said, startled.

Also Read:With acid attack survivors as superheroes, this digital comic book is winning hearts all over

'What! This is dressed up or over dressed up?' Dara exclaimed looking at his wife's hair. 'That hairstyle is something I am sick of. All day I shoot with the heroines' sprayed and smelly bouffonts sticking into my face, and now at home too? No way, and while you are at it, get rid of the makeup too. It doesn't suit you. You look the best without any make up.'

The actorcum-wrester as Hanuman.Photo: Mail Today

Surjit was in a state of shock. She pulled out the painful pins from her bouffant and with much difficulty plaited her stiff hair into a long braid. She then peered nervously into the mirror - her husband was right, she did look beautiful. At last, she was happy and accompanied Dara to the party. But after reaching there, and meeting with other guests, Surjit's tears threatened to make a comeback when she saw her husband dancing a never-ending slow dance with the Russian leading lady. She thought to herself, It's been forty-five minutes and they are still stuck to each other. Two of the industry's popular leading men, Joy Mukherjee and Biswajit were seated beside her, but she hardly noticed them. However, sensing her anguish and discomfort, Joy Mukherjee said to her in jest, 'Come, Bhabhiji, we too will dance. Let's show them.'

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That brought a shy smile to her face but she declined the offer.

Deedara Aka Dara Singh By Seema Sonik Alimchand, Westland; Rs 499. Photo: Mail Today

The 1986 was another significant year in Dara Singh's life. A role in Subhash Ghai's superhit film, Karma, was followed by his karmic calling - to essay the role of Lord Hanuman in Ramayan, the first mythological series on Indian television.

Prem Sagar recalls, 'In 1942 when my father was 24-year-old, he was thrown out of his affluent family home in Lahore, because he rejected the dowry system. He was reduced to selling newspapers and cleaning trucks, but he also used to write newspaper articles. One day he met a seer and he foretold that dad would become a famous filmmaker and in the 1980s, he'd leave films and make Ramayan. How wondrous is it that in 1940 a sadhu had predicted the making of Ramayan.'

Dara Singh got a call one evening, 'Dara, you are playing Hanuman in my new TV serial.'

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'Sagar Saab, I am almost sixty, cast a younger guy.' 'You are Hanuman. You are the best.'

There came a time when Dara Singh's photograph in his Hanuman avatar was placed in temples across Umargaon, and one even had a Dara idol in it!

--- ENDS ---
The online ad for Green Light District  a pot shop in a brick office building 5 miles from Disneyland  was clear: Anyone 21 years and older was welcome to buy weed with only a valid ID.

During a visit to the unlicensed Anaheim dispensary Tuesday, a worker behind tinted glass in the lobby did ask to see a doctors recommendation for medical marijuana. But when I told him I didnt have one, he said my drivers license verifying I was over 21 was fine so long as I still signed a form stating under penalty of perjury that I was a legitimate medical marijuana patient.

I declined, reminding him I was not in fact a patient. So he declined to let me into the locked shop, where a steady stream of visitors was greeted by dance music and a distinct herbal smell.

Green Light District in Anaheim. Mr Nice Guy in Downtown Los Angeles. Smoking Loud Society in Highland. Theyre among the dozens of pot shops throughout California advertising that, since voters legalized recreational marijuana under Proposition 64 two months ago, theyll now sell cannabis without the doctors recommendations that have been required under the states medical marijuana law for 20 years.

Many of these shops are billing themselves as being compliant or friendly with Prop. 64, which made it legal as of Nov. 9 for Californians 21 and older to consume marijuana in private, carry an ounce of weed and grow six pot plants per home.

However, Prop. 64 also makes it clear that businesses cant start selling recreational cannabis until the state establishes a licensing system, which is expected to take until Jan. 1, 2018.

Of course, some dispensaries sold weed to just about anyone long before Prop. 64 passed. But the legalization law seems to have made these shady players even more brazen. A search on Weedmaps.com turned up many shops that now openly state theyll sell everything from infused gummy candies to concentrated waxes after verifying only the buyers age, not his or her medical status.

I think that theyve gotten more emboldened, said James Wolak, captain of the Narcotics Bureau for the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. People feel like now that its legal, anything goes. And thats just not the case.

Despite a spike in reports of illegal sales since the legalization measure passed in November, Wolak acknowledged its been tough for law enforcement to encourage prosecutions against people who are quick to note the broad protections afforded to medical marijuana providers under California law.

Thats angering above-board marijuana retailers and others in the industry who are paying taxes, licensing fees, security and more to legally sell medical marijuana while they wait for the state to permit legal recreational sales.

Are we going through this licensing process as a charade? asked Aaron Herzberg, who hopes to one day expand the clientele at two licensed medical dispensaries owned by his company, Calcann Holdings, in Santa Ana.

(The illegal retailers) are making a mockery of the entire effort the state is going through to try to legalize cannabis.

Weve got to make it possible for licensed businesses to have a fighting chance or the whole things going to fail.

RISKY BUSINESS

Ever since Californians approved the first, largest and most relaxed medical marijuana program in the nation two decades ago, people looking to make money in the industry have grown accustomed to testing the waters.

Because cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, these entrepreneurs always face raids that can crush their business or land them in prison. But protections for collectives in Californias medical marijuana law mean cities are often stuck taking unlicensed pot retailers to civil court to shut them down  if they can even tell whos actually running them. Often, by the time that process has played out, savvy owners have moved on, opening in a different location or under a new name so the city is forced to start all over again.

Wolak said its a bit like playing a game of whack-a-mole, with new shops popping up every time authorities manage to shut one down.

Dispensaries have always been operating in a legal gray area, so they are probably comfortable taking a risk, said David Pullman, a Bay Area criminal defense attorney who specializes in representing people accused of drug crimes. Stoners sure do love to push the envelope, though.

Owners of Cannaclub 30 dispensary in Compton didnt respond to phone calls or emails to discuss their policy. But a handwritten sign on the shops door features pictures of dancing cannabis flowers and the news that only shoppers 18 to 20 years old need a valid doctors recommendation.

Worker Justin Perez acknowledged that his shop, Elevated Dreams Collective in Santa Ana, is trying to tap into the new buzz from Prop. 64 that says anyone 21 and over is allowed to smoke. But he said the rules for shops are hard to explain.

He initially said anyone 21 and over could come into the unlicensed 17th Street shop, but only if they were with someone who had a doctors recommendation. Moments later, he added that if a potential customer arrives without a referral, they send them to a doctor they work with who helps patients.

When reminded that his shops Weedmaps ad stated at the time that a recommendation wasnt needed for anyone 21 and older, he said, Does it? Maybe Weedmaps changed that. Well have to look into that.

A spokesman for Weedmaps confirmed that only dispensaries can update their pages.

A woman who identified herself as a volunteer for Dankology 35 Cap in San Bernardino blamed confusion over her shops policy on a Weedmaps page that needed updates.

Though the dispensarys online ad said, Dank is now Prop 64 friendly! 21+ just ID required, the volunteer insisted everyone needs a valid doctors recommendation to shop at the San Bernardino spot before quickly hanging up the phone.

ENFORCEMENT IN LIMBO

Legal operators, among others, wonder if police will go after the illegal sellers.

While operating an unlicensed medical marijuana dispensary has been a civil issue, selling cannabis to people who dont have a doctors recommendations is a criminal act  albeit a less risky one than it was two months ago.

Prop. 64 reduced penalties for just about every marijuana-related crime, including downgrading selling cannabis without a license from a felony, which carried up to a four-year prison sentence, to a misdemeanor, with a possible maximum sentence of six months in jail, a $500 fine or both.

Sgt. Daron Wyatt with the Anaheim Police Department said they sent undercover officers into a local shop on two recent occasions to see if workers would sell cannabis without a recommendation, but both times the shop passed the test.

Since even medical marijuana dispensaries arent allowed in Anaheim, Wyatt said police are still working to shut that shop down, though he declined to name the store due to the ongoing investigation.

Shops caught breaking the law could disqualify themselves from actually getting a permit when they do become available, Pullman pointed out. But theres also a paragraph in the legalization measure that ensures entrepreneurs in the recreational market cant be turned down for business licenses simply because they have even felony convictions for controlled substances.

I doubt many law enforcement agencies would care to risk the bad PR and bust these dispensaries over what will soon be legal, Pullman predicted. Then again, consider a liquor store or bar selling alcohol without a permit.

Wolak said they do plan to run operations where they send minors in to try to buy cannabis and catch bad players, the way they do at liquor stores and bars. But he said those compliance checks will likely pick up once shops are licensed and all regulations are in place.

If the state hopes to get any sort of handle on the industry before recreational sales are rolled out next year, Herzberg said he thinks they need to be drawing a line in the sand now.

Californias 20-year-old medical marijuana market is already so massive that Herzberg said the scenario isnt the same as what Colorado, Washington and other states that previously legalized recreational cannabis have faced.

The problem is that we have a multibillion-dollar criminal enterprises here, he said.

Sophisticated entrepreneurs own multiple shops throughout the state and grow their own supply in defiance of local bans, Herzberg said. Many, he added, even have a designated fall guy who will take the rap if authorities do crack down so that the business can still continue.

Though cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, the Obama Administration has said it would let states carry out their own legalization plans so long as they enforce regulations aimed at preventing sales to minors, money laundering and other criminal offenses.

But that all could change after Jan. 20, when President-elect Donald Trump takes office and aims to bring Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions  who has been a staunch marijuana opponent  along with him.

With the new Trump Administration coming in with Jeff Sessions, my feeling is that marijuana is going to be under greater scrutiny, Herzberg said. California is not in compliance and is absolutely at risk of being raided.

The states new Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation is well aware that eliminating unlicensed retailers is one of biggest challenges it faces over the coming years, spokeswoman Veronica Harms.

Once a licensing structure is in place, she said her agency will work with local authorities to enforce cannabis laws. But until then, Harms noted the state doesnt have jurisdiction over rogue shops, with that responsibility still squarely on local law enforcement.

SHOPPERS BEWARE

As for adults who buy weed from these unscrupulous shops, Pullman said they have very little to worry about.

Buying marijuana was never illegal and possession of up to an ounce is now totally legal for those over 21, he said.

But if customers who dont have doctors recommendations for marijuana sign forms  like the one I was handed at Green Light District in Anaheim  swearing that they do, Pullman said they could face prosecution for fraud and perjury.

They would have to prove that you knew somehow that there was a legal connotation to what you were signing and most people can just play dumb about that, Pullman said.

The words under penalty of perjury are a bit of a giveaway, he noted, giving more zealous prosecutors something to work with.

Still, he said, I think it would be very difficult to prosecute and very unlikely that they would go after the buyer.

For those who arent willing to take that gamble, the only ways to legally get cannabis in California now without a doctors recommendation are to either wait until their homegrown supply is ready or to be given an ounce (or less) from another adult.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7963 or bstaggs@ocregister.comTwitter: @JournoBrooke
In mid-January 1886, a good-sized rainstorm blew through California.

At a time when roads were mostly dirt and the telegraph was the up-to-date long-distance communication device, a rainstorm took on characteristics of an epic event, even if it didnt cause quite as much damage and flooding as well-remembered storms in 1872, 1916, 1936 and 1969.

According to the Jan. 21, 1886, Riverside Press & Horticulturist, a Jan. 19 storm isolated Riverside because of damaged roads. The bridges over the Santa Ana River from Riverside to Colton and from Riverside to west Riverside were temporarily impassible when their approaches were damaged.

Elsewhere, the railroad and wagon bridges over Lytle Creek washed out. Because of damaged telegraph lines, a telegram being sent from Riverside to San Francisco had to go by way of Yuma, Ariz., and Denver.

There was an immense landslide in the Cajon Pass, which blocked the rail line in that area. Rail lines heading north from Los Angeles also washed out. All rail traffic between Southern California and the rest of the state stopped.

Despite the problems caused by the rain, newspapers had a way of finding some levity in the situation.

On Jan. 23, the San Diego Union reported a story from Elsinore regarding the rainstorm.

It said that Mr. R.W. Poindexter of San Diego was visiting Elsinore and that on Jan. 19 he wanted to take the 10:25 p.m. southbound express train to San Diego.

According to the Union, Elsinore did not have a train station at that time. As Poindexter made his way to the open siding next to the railroad tracks, a torrential rain and high winds buffeted him.

The only place for Poindexter to get out of the weather while waiting for the train was a saloon keepers tent, which was pitched next to the train track. The tent leaked so much it was only a little better inside than being outside.

A moment after Poindexter entered the tent, the wind lifted a shelter of boards that had been placed over the tent. The boards flew over to the other side of the track. More ropes had to be attached to hold the tent in place.

After all of that, the train for which Poindexter had been waiting didnt even come.

The Riverside Press & Horticulturist reported a humorous, tongue-in-cheek story about the same storm. A recently arrived tourist at the Glenwood Hotel in Riverside was awaiting his turn to play a game called Jumbo.

He began amusing himself by reading from a descriptive pamphlet on Riverside and Southern California. After being struck by the phrase a land of sunshine and flowers, he turned to Glenwood owner Frank Miller for an explanation of the obvious lack of sunshine in Riverside.

Miller replied, That is an old edition, to the accompanying sound of the falling rain.

In another part of the same edition, the Press & Horticulturalist said, Our Eastern visitors, who think the sun shines perpetually in California, are a little disappointed. They could stand a noreaster for a week at a time in the East, but a few days rain here is just awful.

Used to the issues with rain, our ancestors patched up the transportation and communication systems soon enough, and things returned to normal.

At least until the next epic rain.

If you have an idea for a future Back in the Day column about a local historic person, place or event, contact Steve Lech and Kim Jarrell Johnson at backinthedaype@gmail.com.
RIVERSIDE-BASED CONTRACTOR AMONG FIRST TO INSTALL RENEWABLE ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS IN HOMES

When people think of renewable energy storage, they may think of large-scale systems such as hydroelectric dams or solar plants that capture heat from the sun and store the energy in water, molten salts or other fluids.

But batteries are the most ubiquitous and consumer-friendly form of renewable energy storage  and now, theyre starting to be installed in homes (with or without solar panels) to not only be used in the event of blackouts, but to reduce monthly utility bills by up to 25 percent. This new solution is due to a shift in utility regulations in the summer of 2014 which allowed for battery backups.

Thats the word from Joseph Flournoy, who two years ago founded his own company, Energy Renovation Center, that since December has been installing in homes a new AC battery product made by Enphase Energy Inc. of Petaluma, Calif. Josephs company is part of Renovate Americas network of home improvement contractors who are approved to offer HERO Program financing to customers.

In November, Enphases system became the first in North America to receive UL 9540 certification  a stamp of approval from Underwriters Laboratories, a global safety science organization, the company said in a news release.

Basically, its like a savings account, Flournoy said of the Enphase energy storage system, which helps lower utility demand. For example, during peak usage times, a homeowner can use power stored in the battery rather than on the electrical grid, reducing usage and therefore the monthly electric bill as well.

When used in conjunction with solar panels, homeowners who purchase an Enphase system can deduct 30 percent of the cost of installing it as part of the federal solar tax credit, said Flournoy, whose Riverside-based company specializes in solar, HVAC, windows and roofs.

Flournoy expects the new Enphase renewable energy storage system to further fuel the growth of his general contracting company, which last year worked on more than 300 homes in Riverside and surrounding counties

Flournoy said the HERO Program accounts for about 85 percent of his business.

For me, its been huge, Flournoy said.

Since 2011, the HERO Program, the nations leading provider of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing, has been partnering with municipalities to offer innovative financing to homeowners for energy-efficient, renewable energy and water-saving home improvement projects.

The HERO Program allows homeowners to make energy- and water-saving improvements to their homes with no money upfront and to pay for them over time through voluntary assessments to their property tax bill.

Since its inception, HERO has financed $2.09 billion in home energy and efficiency improvements in 86,500 homes. A total of 442 communities within 49 of Californias 58 counties have adopted HERO.

Flournoy said that in addition to allowing homeowners to afford a vast array of home improvements  from solar panels to artificial turf to double-paned windows  HERO has other big plusses.

I love the fact that HERO has its own compliance department, which not only protects us but also homeowners, he said. And unlike banks, which only are interested in the financing side of transactions, the professionals at HERO really have a deep understand of the contracting business, which makes the process go a lot smoother.




An Islamic cleric, numerologist and philosopher whose prediction on USA and Ghana Elections was accurate, Sheikh Ustaz Sham-una Jibril has explained why he did not attend Nana Addo inauguration.



I want to bring to the attention of the world, my viewers and followers that some NPP supporters have decided to print t-shirts with my photograph to congratulate me for a perfect prediction on the December 7, election. Due to this, I have decided to excuse myself from the inauguration



Lastly I want to reaffirm my status that I dont belong or work for any political party as I said in my previous articles. Allah Knows Best he told Peacefmonline.com



Nana Addo was today sworn in as President and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as Vice President of the 4th Republic of Ghana.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Vice President of policy think thank, IMANI Ghana has lashed out at the outgoing Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, describing him as the worst performing Speaker in the countrys history.



Kofi Bentil speaking on GHOne Television on Friday, said past Speakers held the executive to account by forcing them to answer questions, but Doe Adjahos extreme partisanship ensured that the minority were prevented from critically assessing government policies.



The Speakers job is to help the minority hold the majority to account, but Doe Adjaho actively undermined that, Kofi Bentil added.



The Speaker was so terrible and indeed proved his critics right. He played the partisan role and ended up doing the NDCs bidding, he stressed.



Kofi Bentil said Doe Adjaho superintendent over a parliament that members allegedly took bribes before passing bills and approving loans brought to the House by the executive.



We heard rumours of MPs receiving bribes before approving loans and pushing for bills to be passed. It was so shameful because he always considered his party first, he alleged.



If you compared the past Speakers, including Peter Ala Adjetey, DF Annan and Sekyi-Hughes, one will not be wrong to say he fell short of the standards these people set.



Doe Adjaho ridiculed himself and the position he occupied as well, Kofi Bentil stressed.



It was in this direction that he advised the incoming Speaker, Prof. Mike Ocquaye to eschew partisanship and consider the interest of the nation at all times.

Source: asempanews









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Former President Jerry John Rawlings has extend an olive branch to the Accra Mayor two days after he humiliated him in public. Observing the dissolution of Ghana's sixth Parliament on January 6 midnight, the former leader walked to Alfred Oko Vanderpuiye to reconcile with him.



Former President Rawlings embarrassed the now Ablekuma South MP when the two met in the house whiles attending former President John Mahama's last State of the Nation Address in the house.



The whole episode started when the former Accra Mayor attempted to talk to the former President when he was walking on the red carpet.



In the video that went viral on social media, Former President Rawlings was seen trying to tell the then mayor to stop interfering with his movement on the carpet.



Watch video of that embarrassing incident below:









This caused the now MP to stay off the former President. The mayor has since been the subject of public ridicule.



However, the former President who was at the first sitting of the 7th Parliament of Ghana went to approach the MP who was seated on the floor and apologised to the MP.



It is still not clear what was discussed by the two but they were seen on national TV greeting one another after the chat.



Below is the video of Mr Rawlings sitting beside the MP and attembting to patch up with him:





Source: Adomonline.com









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On his Facebook wall, he is described as a messenger of God sent to restore beauty to the church. A man endowed with secrets of divine wisdom for gloriousness. He is a model for every Christian.



He is known for speaking his mind; that is, what God has told him about some political personalities, however, unpalatable it may be.



Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi is his name and he is never one to shy away from making the headlines.



The leader and founder of Glorious Wave Ministry has made yet another shocking remark regarding the New Patriotic Party (NPPs) landmark victory in the just gone-by December polls.



He strongly believes there is something suspiciously wrong with the 2016 electoral results.



Thirteen (13) minutes into a lengthy interview on prophecies and how the general public should perceive them and his (Prophet Kobis) outlook on Ghanas future, the Glorious Wave Chapel General Overseer dropped a bombshell.



Stopping short of saying the NPP won the 2016 elections under dubious means and the results inappropriately called for the partys Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, he told Fiifi Banson on Kasapa FMs Anopa Kasapa, that something is wrong somewhere and asserted the tampering of the Electoral Commission (ECs) electronic transmission devices needed thorough investigation.



It would be recalled that hours after voting ended in last Decembers general polls, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Charlotte Osei, blamed the delay in officially declaring the results of the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections to the breakdown of its electronic transmission devices.



Consequently, the EC was forced to call off the electronic transmission of results to the national collation centre from the constituency collation centres upon noticing that the process had been compromised.



The EC Boss, at a press conference, indicated that the commission had decided to go by the manual system.



We agreed to make use of manual and electronic results transmission system and have reason to believe that it has been compromised and hence halted it, she stated.



Then comes another startling disclosure by the same electoral body. This time barely a week AFTER the declaration of the results.



A Deputy Chairperson of the Commission, Georgina Opoku Amankwaa, told GTV in an interview that its electronic transmission of figures were tampered with leading to a delay in the release of presidential results. According to her, the figures kept changing anytime they were keyed into the system. They therefore had to completely abandon the electronic transmission system.



Alluding to the Charlotte Osei press conference in particular, Prophet Badu Kobi wondered why no one seems interested in getting to the bottom of the matter.



Errm, for methere is something wrong somewherespiritually, God opened the way for the NPP to win the elections, but natural means (physically)



..see, the EC head made quite a remarkable statement and till date no statesman has thought it wise to investigate. Not former President Rawlings nor ex-President Kufuor. Even Nana Addo who touts himself as incorruptible and frowns on corruption, has not touched on the issue, same as President Mahama and Busumuru Kofi Annan; it baffles me.



That the EC Madam claims some of their equipment were tampered with and she said this publicly to the hearing of everyone on national television, yet no one deems it necessary to ask questions about it. I cannot understand this, he shook his head clearly bemused.



Asked by the host if he feels something went wrong, the man of God intoned; something is wrong somewhere.



Pressed further by the host if the something wrong somewhere was what led to Nana Addo being declared eventual winner of the polls, Prophet Kobi responded; I insist that in this particular election (2016) something is wrong somewhere!



VIDEO BELOW...





Thieves and Beef With Mac Manu



Clearly unhappy that certain ills that occasioned the elections have still not been addressed, the out-spoken man of God repeated his claims at the tail end of the interview saying there is something wrong with Ghanas Election 2016 and if the truth fails to come out or is suppressed.



See if something belongs to you, you claim it through rightful means, I repeat.if you possess what belongs to you through legitimate means, blessings shall be your portion; but if you use any underhand methods, the consequences thereof shall follow you and that is what most people dont want me to harp on.I repeat there is something wrong with Ghanas elections and if it is not rectified, in the near future, some will resort to winning elections through technological means, through hacking and fair or foul means, and that is bad.



Elections are about people casting their vote so no government should attempt using devious and guileful ways to upend that. Secondly, no political party must call elections when the constitutionally mandated body hasnt done so; it is wrong! It is illegal! You know, Im saying this openly without any fear whatsoever, the NPP started with an illegality (calling the elections). Why should you declare yourself the winner?



EC is the mandated body to do so, thus give the EC the leeway to operate. And to do so (call an election) under the cover of darkness, its only thieves who do thatso I have a beef with Mac Manu. He claims the NPP used technology; which technology?"



He should call our bluff and showcase that so-called technology.It is about time we speak the truth at all times, irrespective of the repercussions. Some politicians want to rule over us but they are far from being honest, he sniggered.

Source: Nana Kwadwo Asante/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.

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Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary of the United States Bureau of African Affairs says the bilateral relationship between Africa, and Ghana, will continue to be strong under the new Trump administration.



She said United States policy towards Africa enjoyed great support from both Democrats and Republicans and will remain so under a Trump administration.



Responding to concerns of a potential change in the US policy towards Africa under the in-coming Trump administration, Madam Thomas-Greenfield told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that it was unlikely to be change in policy toward Africa.



We have a had a strong bi-partisan support for Africa and for Ghana, Our relationships have not been developed because of a particular party, she said, adding that the relationship has remained strong through the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations and was expected to grow and get stronger under the new administration.



She also reiterated the support of the bipartisan Congress in the US and its support for and the policies pursued so far.



Zoning in on Ghana, Assistant Secretary Thomas-Greenfield said her country has always had a strong bilateral relationship with Ghana regardless of the party in power, having worked with the Kuffour, Mills and Mahama administrations over the years.



I know the relationship is going extend with Ghanas new president, and we look forward to having a positive, strong bilateral relationship with him, she said.



She noted that Ghana has benefitted from several US initiatives including support from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, with a new MCC compact about to be implemented to help build the capacity of Ghanas electricity sector to provide clean and cheap electricity to the people and the private sector.



Ghana also received support to the tune seven million dollars ($7mllion) for preparations towards the 2016 elections -the relationship is one that is extraordinarily close, she said.



Madam Thomas-Greenfield paid glowing tribute to Ghana for her democratic credentials as displayed during and after the elections.



She commended former President Mahama for his leadership and commitment to democracy in respecting the results of the election and calling on his supporters to do same.



I was really proud to be a part of a process which was so extraordinarily well organised and transparent.



She said the election of a president from outside of the ruling party and the smooth and peaceful transfer of power was a testament to Ghanas matured democracy.



The whole world was watching Ghana on December 7th, and again, Ghana showed the world the stuff that you are made of, Assistant Secretary Thomas-Greenfield said.





Source: GNA









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Head of the United States delegation to Ghanas Presidential inauguration, Madam Linda Thomas-Greenfield, says Ghana should recognise and honour the extraordinary work of the Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Charlotte Osei.



She told the GNA in an interview that although the Commissioner has come under serious pressure during the electoral process, she had remained strong and ensured a successful and transparent election.



Madam Thomas-Greenfield, US Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of African Affairs, who led a team of election observers to Ghana during the elections and also represented President Barack Obama at the Inauguration of President Akufo-Addo, commended Mrs Osei for fortitude under pressure.



She was battered by both parties because she was doing the right thing and she stayed strong and stood against tremendous pressure from all sides and I think Ghana ought to commend her Madam Thomas-Greenfield said.



She said the Commissioner carried what was an almost impossible task of ensuring a free and transparent election, and did it with tremendous professionalism, and thus deserved accolades for her efforts.



We all pressured her, every single one of us. We all called her: Charlotte, whats going on? And she stood strong. I think she deserves to be recognised by your country, she stated.



The Electoral Commissioner was heavily criticised for some of the decisions she took in the build-up to and during the electoral process, but was able to organise and deliver a successful election.



I think Charlotte did prove everybody wrong. She proved that, not just because she is a woman, but because she is a professional, that she could do the job. I dont think gender matters in this case. However I do think that we should work harder, to provide opportunities for women to show their stuff at these senior levels she reiterated.



She said we will soon get to a point where it will have women as President and Vice President, seeing as the country has some amazing professionals and in light of the fact that more and more women were stepping up to positions of authority across Africa.



I do believe that women rule differently than men, that women are more sensitive to the needs of people. Africa, as we saw with President Sirleaf in Liberia, is ready for another female president.

Source: GNA









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When that icon of the Non-Aligned Movement, Fidel Castro, passed away recently, he was remembered fondly by an older generation of Cubans. Among them were people who had been illiterate adults when the revolution occurred in 1959. Two years later, when the government declared 'the year of education', the illiteracy rate fell from around 40 per cent to less than 4 per cent. Cuba went from being a poor country with low levels of rural literacy to universal literacy. It did this with few economic resources and without the steel frame of a permanent, well-functioning bureaucracy. Moreover, some of Cuba's best educated people had fled and it was faced with a shortage of trained teachers and educators.

I invoke Cuba's experience with radical change in order to put into context a plan like demonetisation. What might we learn from other government-led plans that were actually successful in bringing about change in a short time? How did Cuba manage to eradicate illiteracy, especially adult illiteracy, so quickly? The secret was societal mobilisation. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary, literate people, from schoolchildren to teachers and workers, were motivated to act. Urban people, who otherwise had little contact with rural areas, learnt first-hand about the lives of their poor compatriots. Unlike many other initiatives of the Cuban government that relied on force or fear and did not leave an enduring legacy, this initiative called upon the idealism of its people to change the country forever. Reflecting on the literacy campaign 55 years later, it is clear that for many Cubans, this act alone gave Castro's government life-long legitimacy. The political payoff of such an initiative is incalculable.

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The Government of India has never mobilised the energies of its people to do something equivalent after Independence, although there is no shortage of movements in civil society, like the JP movement. After the success of the national movement in achieving Independence, the presumption was that the job of nation-building was done, rather than just begun. The idealism of India's population, and of its youth in particular, has never been tapped by the government for a larger social purpose. For the most part, the Indian state has been content at preserving the status quo. When the state machinery has used mobilisation to tackle an important problem like population, the efforts have done more harm than good. The use of terror and repression during the Emergency arguably set back population control by many years.

This brings me to a second point of comparison with the Cuban experience. The very fact that rural people who were already adults at the time of the revolution are alive today speaks to Cuba's extraordinary record in raising life expectancy. According to the World Bank, life expectancy in Cuba went up from 64 years in 1960 to 79 years today, equal to that of the United States. Unicef reports that Cuba's under-5 mortality rate went from 47 in 1963 to 5.5 in 2015, a rate lower than the United States. For a relatively poor country, this is no mean feat. However, the raising of life expectancy and the lowering of child mortality resulted from very different mechanisms than the reduction of illiteracy. It involved institution-building over a long period of time. This was not the kind of result that could be obtained by a campaign of mass mobilisation. It involved more equitable access to health, the provision of good primary healthcare, and the training of a large cadre of medical professionals.

So here we have the example of two success stories but two very different paths to achieve them. One was obtained through mass mobilisation and nationalist energy; the other through institution-building and bureaucratic organisation. Both were achieved with very few resources: the Cuban government was never flush with funds.

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What then can we learn from the Cuban example? India achieved Independence more than a decade before the Cuban revolution. At the time of Independence, India was a lot poorer than Cuba was at the time of the revolution. However, in terms of what we have been able to do in the past seven decades to improve the quality of the lives of poor people, the contrast between Cuba and India could not be greater. We are justifiably proud of having shrugged off anaemic rates of economic growth for the last three decades. But high rates of GDP growth have done little for India's abysmal human development record. We are last among BRIC countries, and at par with Central American states that have been wracked with internal violence and dysfunctional governments.

What is to be done about it? How can India become a global superpower with one of the poorest, least well-educated populations on the planet, where the average adult has only five-and-a-half years of schooling? Education and health outcomes cannot be altered through one campaign; there has to be systematic bureaucratic transformation that makes a long-term difference. However, much like the cleanliness campaign, Swachh Bharat, it is possible to kickstart long-term bureaucratic changes in education and health with successful public mobilisation. But such a mobilisation must be accompanied by bureaucratic reform, otherwise it will come to naught.

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This is where the current anti-corruption campaign through demonetisation falls short. People are putting up with the inconvenience of standing in queues, losing wages and falling sales because they want an end to petty corruption. If, at the end of the process, they do not see any payoff in terms of a palpable reduction in corruption, we might expect a backlash. Although seen primarily as a middle-class issue, petty corruption actually affects the poor more than any other segment of the population. It is safe to say that any politician who can significantly reduce the forms of corruption to which citizens are exposed on a daily basis will have bought the kind of political legitimacy that Castro obtained from his literacy campaign. Reducing corruption has the backing of all segments of the population, even some of those very bureaucrats who benefit from the system of corruption in their work lives.

Corruption cannot be tackled solely through public mobilisation, as the Aam Aadmi Party has discovered, nor solely through bureaucratic and political reform, but needs to combine all of those elements. Anti-corruption reform needs to mobilise the widespread anger against corruption in the population with real changes in bureaucratic incentives to make corruption too risky for individuals. But it also fundamentally needs changes in the conduct of politicians and of political parties. Without that, the good intentions of even a surprise programme like demonetisation can be undercut by corruption among those responsible for implementing the programme.

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When bureaucratically entrenched systems of corruption exist, where the problem lies not with a few bad apples, but where everybody shares in the spoils, then it is not enough simply to increase surveillance and conduct surprise raids. More often than not, this ends up implicating lower-level bureaucrats rather than their bosses who oversee the whole system. Punishing lower-level employees by suspending or transferring them does little to alter the structure of rent collection.

It is a truism that reforming the bureaucracy must begin with incentives in the form of high wages. But unless that is accompanied with stronger disincentives, bureaucrats have little to fear by accepting bribes. A transfer to a punishment post may be a terrible thing but it is only temporary, and can be reversed in due time by the payment of an appropriate bribe to a political overlord. There is no fear of imprisonment, little fear of public shaming and damage to reputations, and very little danger of losing one's job. Judicial convictions for systematic corruption are rare, and seldom involve the heads of bureaucratic departments. Moreover, no party in a corrupt transaction has an incentive to report a bribe. This is where social mobilisation is important.

Attacking bureaucratic corruption leaves untouched the thorny question of political corruption. As long as political parties consider it acceptable for ministers to make demands of money from bureaucrats at the time of elections, or auction prized bureaucratic posts to the highest bidder, it is hard to blame the bureaucracy for corruption. The rot really begins with parties expecting that candidates who are given tickets for elections should pay for them. Naturally, once such candidates are elected, they use their newfound political power to earn back what they have paid. Even 'result-oriented' regimes tolerate corruption among their ministers as long as they get things done. The problem, of course, is that political corruption unleashes bureaucratic corruption because once it is deemed acceptable to squeeze bureaucrats for money, no actor in the system has an incentive to stop picking the public's pocket. Political leaders can initiate vigorous anti-corruption campaigns only by stopping their own demands for payments from the bureaucracy.

One answer to political and bureaucratic corruption is to increase the power of investigating agencies. This, however, merely increases the discretionary and arbitrary power of those conducting the raids. As in Xi's China, anti-corruption campaigns can become a mechanism to weed out enemies and jail competitors. Another problem that arises with this solution is that it increases the chance that the enforcers themselves become corrupt, because no one is watching them.

Anti-corruption vigilance has to be exercised by those who are subject to extractive rents on a daily basis, and not just by the vigilance department. Ultimately, anti-corruption measures will only succeed by making corruption morally reprehensible, and that is where social mobilisation is critical. However, if people see political elites benefiting from corruption while mouthing anti-corruption slogans, it will make the population even more cynical and despairing than it is today. In this regard, leadership has to come from the top and the bottom. No anti-corruption effort will succeed if it is limited to a top-down exercise, one that relies largely on repression and control, rather than involving the people in a central way.

Will 2017 be India's year of the war on corruption? Is demonetisation the right instrument to achieve this goal? Will the sacrifice of common people for the past two months result in tangible change in their daily lives? It seems very unlikely unless demonetisation is the first step in a far-reaching transformation in the functioning of political parties and bureaucracies. There are much harder challenges ahead before the common person can live a life free of demands for corrupt payments.

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A 27-year-old Australian man has been found dead in a resort swimming pool at the popular tourist destination of Ubud, Bali. Police do not suspect foul play.

Vasco Rodrigues, who is reportedly from Sydney, was on holiday in Bali with his girlfriend at the time. His girlfriend, 35-year-old Miroslava Kubeckova, told Indonesian police that Rodrigues went for a swim after breakfast in the morning, at which point she returned to the hotel room.

When she returned to the area approximately 90 minutes later, she found Rodrigues dead at the bottom of the swimming pool. He was pronounced dead at a local healthcare clinic.

Well keep you updated on this as information becomes available.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

Photo: Supplied.
For those of you New South Welshmen who are lucky enough to only just be coming back from your Chrissie break, its not all sunshine and rainbows. Hot air blasting from Australias centre will turn the state into a big ol furnace for the week.

Sydney will be spared the worst of it  with temps remaining between the high twenties and mid-thirties for the majority of the week. Which is still pretty hot, tbh. So youre not totally off the hook.

But if youre in Western Sydney youre probably not loving it right now. It hit highs of 36 degrees on Sunday, and will reach 38 degrees on Monday, 35 on Tuesday and 38 degrees again on Wednesday.

If you live up in the northwest of the state  and were praying for you  itll hit 45 degrees by Friday. 45 degrees. That, by my estimation, is far too hot and possibly even illegal.

This is all feeling like a repeat of 2016  we hit a similar heatwave around the same time last year. Stay hydrated, folks.

Source: News.com.au.

Photo: Along Came Polly.
Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley has confirmed shell pay back the entirety of the travel expenses she claimed on a 2015 trip to the Gold Coast, during which she bought an $795,000 investment property on a whim.

In a statement, Ley apologised for the whole deal. She also said shed foot any penalties associated with the erroneous claims, for which she has received a fair whack of criticism from the federal Opposition.

Ley claims that travelling to the Gold Coast, ostensibly to attend an event at a breast cancer clinic, was within the rules provided.

However, she says I have always sought to apply higher standards for myself with the taxpayers cash, and while attending an auction was not the reason for my visit to Queensland or the Gold Coast, I completely understand this changed the context of the travel undertaken.



The distinction between public and private business should be as clear as possible when dealing with taxpayers money.

I have spoken to the Prime Minister and he agrees that this claim does not meet the high standards he expects of Ministers. I apologise for the error of judgement.

For those keeping track at home, the Australian taxpayer contributed a full $3,125 to Leys travel and accommodation expenses for the trip.

Thats not all, though  Ley also identified two other accommodation claims from 2014 and 2015, and a separate flight expense claim from 2015, all three of which shes pledged to refund.

Remember that backlash from the Opposition? Yeah, dont expect that to let up now shes copped to these expenses. Interesting times, friends.

Source: The Hon. Sussan Ley, MP / ABC.

Photo: Michael Dodge / Getty.
We now know where One Nation draws the line, and apparently its here.

Overnight, the party dumped Queensland state election candidate Shan Ju Lin, who had been pre-selected to contest the seat of Bundamba, over homophobic posts that she made on her official Facebook page.

Earlier this week, Lin made a post linking to a news article about two gay men who were accused and later cleared of sex crimes. In it, she wrote that gays should be treated as patients and abnormal sex leads to abnormal crimes.

Party leader Pauline Hanson initially chose to suspend Lin when contacted by a journalist about her Facebook post, saying:

I was informed of Miss Lins comments last night and immediately suspended her as the endorsed candidate. Her comments are totally out of touch with my views and those of the party.

After her suspension, Lin continued to make denigrating comments on Facebook, and last night, the party executive informed her that she had been dumped as a candidate. Per the Courier Mail, she was told:

These are not the views shared by Pauline Hansons One Nation, nor the views of your fellow candidates and the general public. Pauline Hanson has instructed me to inform you, effective immediately, you are no longer the endorsed candidate in the seat of Bundamba for Pauline Hansons One Nation.

It is understood that Lin is currently in Taiwan, but she has made a statement to supporters via Facebook saying: No matter what happened, I will continue to hold the values that we are holding.

In a 2016 radio interview, Pauline Hanson said that she would support the result of a popular vote on same-sex marriage, but until then, gay and lesbian people who want to get married should move to a country where its legal.

What a fascinating time to be alive.

Source: Courier Mail.

Photo: Facebook.
A trainee heart surgeon has been fined $800 by Brisbane Magistrates Court after he was caught secretly filming naked men in a shower block at South Bank Parklands.

26-year-old Duy Tran Le, a German national, had been in Australia on a months holiday to celebrate his recent graduation from medical school before flying home to begin his training in a cardiology unit.

A trainee doctor has been fined $850 after filming men showering at South Bank Parklands yesterday. https://t.co/sMZNTkAidT #7News pic.twitter.com/uyHbYaJ7vU  7 News Queensland (@7NewsQueensland) January 7, 2017

Le filmed seven men in the space of three hours by holding his iPhone over the wall of a neighbouring shower cubicle. The men were apparently unaware, but a security guard noticed and contacted police.

Police found the videos on his phone and he was charged with seven counts of recording in breach of privacy.

Acting Magistrate Jason Schubert noted that these were disgusting offences, involving a serious breach of the privacy of other adult males, adding I can only assume the offending was for sexual gratification purposes.

Les lawyer Kate MacArthur told the court that her client had a promising career ahead of him as a surgeon, and that a conviction might jeopardise his future prospects.

The court agreed, and after he pleaded guilty, he was released with a fine and no conviction recorded. Le is due to return to Germany on January 12.

Source: News Corp.

Photo: Glenn Hunt / Getty.
DAVIS LAMA 2 ART.jpg

The author with the Dalai Lama (Photo courtesy of Joyce Davis)

By Joyce M. Davis

U.S. intelligence officials seem confident Russia meddled in U.S. elections to ensure Donald Trump's victory.

Joyce M. Davis (PennLive file)

But the U.S. has been trying to influence elections around the world for decades, including inside Russia.

In the days of the Cold War, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty broadcast into Russia and its satellites to undermine the Communist system from within.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the merged Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty continued its work, using not only radio but the web and social media to influence elections and sway public opinion in places such as Belarus, Ukraine, Iran and the countries of Central Asia.

I supervised such broadcasts from Prague for several years and was proud to do so, realizing we were reaching millions of people around the world who trusted American voices and depended on us for reliable information.

Without these broadcasts from professional journalists supported by the U.S. government, people living under dictatorial regimes would have no access to reliable, independent information.

So what's different about U.S. meddling and Russian meddling?

Plenty.

U.S. International Broadcasting, through Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Marti and Radio Free Asia, is commissioned to broadcast truth and accurate information into closed societies in their native languages. It is not supposed to broadcast lies to undermine fair elections and mislead unsuspecting voters.

As part of the senior executive team at RFE/RL, we took great pains to ensure the information broadcast around the world was based on facts - regularly translating and critiquing programming, and holding reporters accountable for lapses in fairness and judgment.

Granted, U.S. International Broadcasting has had a checkered past and has even been accused of spreading misinformation and supporting espionage.

But its mission has always been to promote the free flow of information to help people break the shackles of tyranny and oppression.

That is not Russia's goal, as millions of people who once lived under its thumb will attest.

Under the deft leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russia is now mastering the art of modern misinformation through cyber espionage and spreading phony news. These tactics are likely to intensify, especially as they believe they have been so successful in the U.S. Presidential election.

It's not surprising that Putin would try to beat the U.S. at its own information game. We should have seen it coming.

In 2008, he began experimenting with cyber war, attacking Georgia computers before Russia's invasion in 2008.

Then, in 2012, Putin moved against U.S. international broadcasting. He closed offices of Radio Svoboda (Liberty) in Moscow and his supporters branded the reporters who worked there as "traitors" and "Jews".

Putin hates independent media almost as much as Donald Trump. Except in Russia, honest reporting is a true blood sport. Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, known for her opposition to Putin policies and his war in Chechnya, was murdered in the elevator of her apartment building in 2006. She was one of a long line of Russian journalists in Russia who tried to be independent and ended up dead.

So there is nothing surprising about Putin's efforts to replicate what the U.S. has done so successfully through its media - influence public opinion and political thought around the world.

What is surprising is that so many American leaders --and the next U.S. President -- are not outraged at Russia's attempts to dupe the American people.

It is truly surprising that so many American leaders are now are defending Putin. If there was one thing that once united Americans of all colors and political stripes, it was our opposition to Putin's global brutality, which is well known and well documented.

Americans - and much of the world -- responded in unified opposition to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and to the invasion of Georgia. Americans were united in wanting to protect the peoples of Central Europe and Central Asia from the threat of Russian domination.

But now that the Russian bear has planted its big claws firmly into American politics, good, patriotic Americans seem ready to side with Putin over a dozen unified voices of intelligence officials.

While some Americans may not fear Putin attempts to undermine American democracy, it is terrifying millions of people around the world. And they are right to fear American acquiescence to Russian hegemony.

It was not that long ago when Russian tanks rolled into Kiev, Tbilisi and Prague. Once Putin has a friend in the White House, he may decide it's time for his tanks to roll again.

Joyce M. Davis is Director of Communication for the City of Harrisburg and president of the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg. She was Associate Director of Broadcasting for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from 2003-2008.
In this Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017 photo, a shipyard worker walks to his car at the end of the workday at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. With President-elect Donald Trump demanding more ships, the Navy is proposing the biggest shipbuilding boom since the end of the Cold War to meet threats from a resurgent Russia and saber-rattling China. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Idris Ali claims he has been receiving threat calls for being vocal against demonetisation policies of the Central government.

By Manogya Loiwal : TMC MP Idris Ali has filed a complaint with the police claiming that he has received threat calls from unknown numbers.

Idris claims he has been receiving such calls for being vocal against demonetisation policies of the Central government.

The alleged threat came from a person claiming to be from Dubai but was speaking in Bengali. The caller told Idris that we would be killed because he is supporting the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

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HERE'S WHAT HE SAID "I have received an open threat of getting killed. Someone from the BJP may be behind this," the TMC MP said. He did not say that he is a BJP supporter but it is likely that he is a Saffron party supporter, he said. Yesterday a press conference was held at the press club where Imam of Tipu Sultan gave a Fatwa against PM Narendra Modi and said in favour of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. "Today, I received a threat call and the caller told me that since I am supporting Mamata Banerjee so I will be killed," he said. "After a while, I made someone else call back on the number and on answering, the caller introduced himself as Bidut Banerjee," Idris Ali said. According to Idris, Bidut said he is from Dubai but, he is a Bengali and his family stays in Hridaypur, close to Barasat in North 24 Parganas. Idris claims that he would not deter even if he gets repeated calls instead, he would work harder to ensure his support to TMC and party chief Mamata Banerjee.

ALSO READ | TMC-BJP clashes across Bengal over MP Sudip Bandhopadhyay's arrest in Rose Valley chit fund scam

Venomous bites: Trinamool embarrassed by MP Idris Ali's double whammy on Modi-Pathankot and CPM

TMC vs BJP in West Bengal: PM Modi's posters pulled down in Asansol

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Jan 8 (PTI) Maharashtra Government has filed an FIR against Cambata Aviation and Bird Worldwide Flight Service which has leased the formers equipment for not cooperating with officials to seize the equipment as directed by court, to pay dues of employees.

The case was filed last night against the company, a government official said today.

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State Labour Minister Sambhaji Patil-Nilangekar had already initiated a legal action to seize Cambatas equipment because the company has delayed its response to settle dues of its employees, as per an official communication.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier directed Cambata to settle the dues of its employees and warned of stringent action in case of delay.

The action was taken after the company ceased operations in Mumbai early last year, leaving over 1,000 employees in the lurch.

"As per the FIR, Cambata Aviation was sent a notice on October 26, 2016 by the Mumbai suburban district administration to deposit an amount of Rs 4,45,14,633 within a period of 30 days failing which further notices were sent to them.

"Later, on December 22, 2016, another notice was sent informing them about the seizure but the company failed to cooperate following which the FIR was filed," it stated.

Earlier in August, the company had written to its employees not to report to work after it lost its ground handling contract to its competitors Celebi and Bird Worldwide Flight Service (BWFS).

Of around 2,100 employees, about 722 were absorbed by the rival companies. Rest are still waiting for their salaries and provident funds.

The minister said, "This is the first FIR in the matter and we have decided to take stringent action if the company refuses to cooperate. The equipment owned by Cambata Aviation are now being used by Bird Worldwide Flight Service by changing the stickers on the equipment and BWFS has now refused to let the officials identify the equipment. They are going against the law."

The employees had met Nilangekar seeking help. following which he took meetings to resolve the issue. The CM had also intervened in the matter to speed up the process and appropriate action was taken as per the labour laws, stated the communication.

"However, the company failed to act on the notices and requested for more time to look for investors to pay the employees. They had also mentioned selling their equipment to settle the dues but nothing has been done so far and the government initiated the action of seizing the equipment," it stated.

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Started in 1967, Cambata Aviation used to provide ground support services to British Overseas Airways Corporation and Swissair. PTI ND NSK

--- ENDS ---
Photo: Kelly Bracken

There's a scene in the original "Back to the Future" set in 1955 where Christopher Lloyd's Doc Brown character asks Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly to prove he's from the future by telling him who is the president in 1985. When Marty responds Reagan, Doc Brown incredulously exclaims, "the actor?!" That's the way I would have responded in 1986 if you had told me that Donald Trump would someday be president. But barring the success of the Left's Hail Mary vote recounts, the billionaire real estate developer will next month be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. We won't know if that's a good or bad thing for years to come.

One thing that is clear even before Trump takes office is that he and his administration could be very supportive of law enforcement, certainly much more supportive than his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton would have been. From her campaign rhetoric, Clinton probably would have continued the Obama administration's posture toward officers, praising your bravery on one hand but attacking you for being brutal, racist, and militaristic on the other. Clinton showed absolute disdain if not contempt for officers during her campaign, cozying up to anti-police activists and declining to even talk to the Fraternal Order of Police about their endorsement.

Trump, for all of his flaws and his mistakes on the campaign trail, seems to support law enforcement officers. A year ago he spoke in front of officers in the Northeast about his support for a federal death penalty for cop killers. He also actively sought the FOP's endorsement and received it. "[Trump's] made a real commitment to America's law enforcement, and we're proud to make a commitment to him and his campaign by endorsing his candidacy," National FOP President Chuck Canterbury told Politico.

Speeches and endorsements are not the only sign that Trump has a fondness for law enforcement officers. It was not uncommon to see him chatting with, posing with, and even laughing with officers on the campaign trail. This is in marked contrast to the many stories about Hillary Clinton's often prickly attitude toward law enforcement and even her Secret Service protection detail during and after her years in the White House.

The campaign trail is often a showcase for what the candidate wants the public to see, so any symbolism from the campaign cannot be trusted. But Trump has continued his embrace of law enforcement after he was declared president-elect and no longer had to worry so much about putting on a good show. In the middle of his transition to the White House he has taken time to call the families of two fallen officers and express his condolences. It will likely be difficult for Trump to continue this practice once he is in office, but it's been appreciated by many law enforcement officers and families.

The Obama administration was often at odds with rank-and-file officers. On more than one occasion President Obama criticized officers in controversial incidents long before those incidents were investigated. In addition, Obama and his attorneys general used his Justice Department to punish local law enforcement agencies when racially charged incidents occurred in their jurisdictions and to force them to reform their use-of-force policies beyond the legal standard of justification. Such actions had a chilling effect on proactive police work and new use-of-force policies could endanger officers.

We don't know how the Trump administration will handle a "Ferguson" on its watch. But we have to hope that it will not fan the flames and will not rush to judgment based on early news reports.

What we do know is that Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama has been named as attorney general for the new administration. If Sessions' nomination is approved by Congress, then the focus of the DOJ will likely turn from policing the police to promoting law and order. Obviously, bad police agencies should be investigated and reformed, but under the Obama administration agencies were guilty until proven innocent and forced into consent decrees that were not always justified. This should end in the Trump administration.

Fondness for officers and new DOJ policies aside, the greatest benefit that law enforcement officers can expect from a Trump administration is that the U.S. Supreme Court will not swing wide left. A Hillary Clinton administration had the potential for creating a liberal-bias Court that would have been a nightmare for law enforcement, as it dismantled laws that protect officers. That bullet has now been dodged.
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If you are curious how to spot Trumps Russian hack lies for yourself, Rachel Maddow tells you how. Just two ingredients are required: First, you need the declassified version of The Office of the Director of National Intelligence report available to literally everybody who wants to read it (here) and Donald Trumps own words.

As Maddow said, this report taught us all a great deal about what the Russians did to influence our election this past year and why they did it. Specifically, a 2011 grudge against Hillary Clinton.

What we learned todayis that our new president will flat out lie to us. To our faces. And even put it in writing. Even when we can check for ourselves and see for ourselves that he is blatantly lying about a really big thing. He apparently will just bracingly lie to us even about really important national security stuff. And we learned that today if we didnt believe it before.

Watch courtesy of MSNBC:



It is important to observe, as Maddow points out, that the conclusions of this report are identical in every way to the classified version of the report that Donald Trump was given. It says so on every page at the top:

This report is a declassified version of a highly classified assessment; its conclusions are identical to those in the highly classified assessment but this version does not include the full supporting information on key elements of the influence campaign.

Right after Trump came out of that briefing, Maddow says,

He put out a written statement about what he learned in the briefing. And he blatantly, and overtly, bluntly, simply lied about what is in this report. Right before this report got publicly released so we could check ourselves and see that he was lying. I have to say I dont get weirded out by a lot of stuff in the news but this puts a shiver down my spine.

Here is the second piece of evidence you require for your detective work: Trumps statement.

I had a constructive meeting and conversation with the leaders of the Intelligence Community this afternoon. I have tremendous respect for the work and service done by the men and women of this community to our great nation.



While Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organizations including the Democrat National Committee, there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines. There were attempts to hack the Republican National Committee, but the RNC had strong hacking defenses and the hackers were unsuccessful.



Whether it is our government, organizations, associations or businesses we need to aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks. I will appoint a team to give me a plan within 90 days of taking office. The methods, tools and tactics we use to keep America safe should not be a public discussion that will benefit those who seek to do us harm. Two weeks from today I will take the oath of office and Americas safety and security will be my number one priority.

The important line here is this: There was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election.

Which is not at all what the report says. Certainly, Trump must know we can read this report for ourselves, yet he came out of his meeting and told a bald-faced lie. This is what the report says (emphasis added):

We did not make an assessment of the impact that Russian activities had on the outcome of the 2016 election. The US Intelligence Community is charged with monitoring and assessing the intentions, capabilities, and actions of foreign actors; it does not analyze US political processes or US public opinion.

The New York Times, by the way, does not mention this lie in their coverage of Trumps statement. Yet, as Maddow shows, Donald Trump stated very publicly that the report we can all read says something it does not, in fact, say.

So, our president-elect is lying to us, concludes Maddow, and thats a big lie. And yes, Trump also lied about Russia attempting to hack the RNC. It did not. The report does not conclude that, and in fact states,

Russia collected on some Republican-affiliated targets but did not conduct a comparable disclosure campaign.

As Maddow says, Trump thinks were idiots or didnt realize wed be able to immediately fact-check his statements. We cant know Trumps motivations because he has yet to speak even a word of the truth on any subject. All that matters is that he lied, and about something that directly affects our national security for the benefit of his Russian friends.
Delhi Police have registered an FIR after receiving a complaint from DCW against a German woman's landlord who allegedly molested her.

By Ajay Kumar: After receiving complaint from the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), Delhi Police on Saturday have registered an FIR against a person accused of molesting a German woman in his house in the upscale Haus Khas last year.

Accused Amit Yadav had allegedly committed the crime on November 30, 2016. The victim was a tenant in his house. She lodged a complaint with Swati Maliwal, DCW chairperson on December 5, 2016. She approached the DCW following the suggestion of her friends.

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Read more: German national files molestation case against landlord in Delhi

"After the complaint received from DCW, we have registered a First Information Report (FIR) in this matter and investigation is currently underway. Delhi Police have contacted the victim who is currently staying in Germany. She has asked to join the probe. Her statement under section 164 CrPC will be recorded whenever she arrives in India," said additional DCP of south district Chinmoy Biswal. The victim left the country a day after she was molested by the accused, police said.

The victim claimed in her statement to DCW that the accused had molested her after she returned from washroom that is connected to the bedroom of Yadav.

When she came out of the washroom, Yadav pushed her on the bed and tried to kiss her. When she resisted his attempts, he tried to overpower her. During this moment, his eight-year-old son came inside the bedroom and she escaped from his clutches, the victim alleged in her complaint to the DCW.

--- ENDS ---
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) pounced after Trumps incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus said that he doesnt think Trump wants to meddle with Social Security and Medicare. Sanders showed in a statement that if Republicans move to mess with the beloved programs they will have a Bernie Sanders problem.

During an interview on CBSs Face The Nation, Priebus said, I dont think President-elect Trump wants to meddle with Medicare or Social Security. He made a promise in the campaign that that was something that he didnt want to do. But what he wants to do is grow the economy, help shore up Medicare and Social Security for future generations. And if we can get three to five, 6% growth, well do that. And well explode the economy, and bring jobs back, and make trade more fair across the world, lower rates for everyone, and I think hopefully get businesses going again so people can put more money in their pocket.

Sen Sanders said that Priebuss remarks were not good enough, At a time when the Republican leadership is working overtime to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, the statement by Mr. Priebus is just not good enough. Mr. Trump must make it clear to the American people that he will keep the promises he made during the campaign and veto any legislation that cuts Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Sanders is about to put Republicans to the test. The Senator from Vermont has a vote scheduled for Tuesday on a budget amendment that would prevent the Senate from breaking Trumps campaign promise not to cut Social Security and Medicare.

Priebuss half-answer to the question was not good enough. It is clear that the Republican Congressional leadership and the president-elects administration are planning large changes and cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

Donald Trump may soon be the president, but if he tries to cut Social Security and Medicare he will make an immediate enemy in populist force of nature Bernie Sanders.
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Mitch McConnells refusal to provide a time frame or specifics on Obamacare replacement suggests that Republicans may deliver on those death panels that they spent years warning the American people about.

Video:

https://youtu.be/6_UTBFf9mqs

Transcript via Face The Nation:



JOHN DICKERSON: So can you give me a sense of what rapidly means? Are we talking

MITCH MCCONNELL: Very quickly.

JOHN DICKERSON: Months? Days?

MITCH MCCONNELL: Quickly.

JOHN DICKERSON: All right. But its going to be repealed by the end of this week, you think?

MITCH MCCONNELL: The first step will be taken in the Senate by the end of this week, yes. And then itll go over to the House.

JOHN DICKERSON: On replacing it, if I haveif Im covered now as part of Obamacare, am I going to be covered by the replacement?

MITCH MCCONNELL: Well, what you need to understand is that there are 25 million Americans who arent covered now. If the idea behind Obamacare was to get everyone covered, thats one of the many failures. In addition to premiums going up, co-payments going up, deductibles going up. And many Americans who actually did get insurance when they did not have it before, have really bad insurance that they have to pay for and the deductibles are so high that its really not worth much to them. So it is chaotic. The status quo is simply unacceptable. And at the risk of being repetitious, if Hillary Clinton had been elected, wed be revisiting Obamacare.

Notice that the Senate Majority Leader did not provide one single detail about who his replacement plan would cover. McConnells refusal to state that people who currently have health insurance would be covered under the new system was an unspoken no. Everyone that has health insurance under the ACA, including Medicaid expansion, are not going to be covered by the Republican replacement.

The death panel that the GOP warned America about before the ACA was passed is becoming a reality as Republicans are repealing Obamacare and replacing it with something that will leave nearly 30 million Americans with no or less health care than they currently have now.

The death panel is upon us, and its members are composed of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and every Republican who votes to take health care away from tens of millions of Americans.
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During an interview on ABCs This Week, President Obama showed respect and reverence for the White House that has been completely lacking in the egocentric approach of Donald Trump.

Video:



ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos

Transcript via ABCs This Week:



STEPHANOPOULOS: This part of the White House is so iconic.

OBAMA: Its my favorite, yeah. This walk. Itit doesnt matter what time of day it is, in some ways I feel more attached to this walk even than the Oval Office.

STEPHANOPOULOS: I believe it.

OBAMA: Yeah. Theres something about these steps and thinking about everybody whos walked here and all the business thats been done here.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And business gets done on this walk.

OBAMA: Yes, exactly. And even when you go up this ramp, and you think about FDR wheeling himself up, you know, got a little cigarette holder in his mouth, and it, that, that awe that you feel, that reverence that you feel for the place never entirely leaves.

Americans should want a president who understands and properly respects the White House and its history. Instead, Trump has suggested that he may not live in the White House full time. Trump wants to be back in New York as often as possible. Trump isnt moving his wife and son to the White House. His daughter will occupy the office of the first lady.

Never has Donald Trump demonstrated an ounce of respect for the White House and what it means to the country.

A person can learn a lot about how a president views the American people and their own role in leading the country based on their appreciation for the institutions associated with the presidency.

Trump has shown the traits of a man who is more interested in the status of the presidency and the power that comes with being president than showing humility and respect towards the responsibilities that he has been a given.

Obama respects the White House and the American people.

Trump has shown no respect for the White House, which hints of a president who may show little respect for the American people.
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The following post, written by The Rev. Robert A. Franek, is a part of Politicus Policy Discussion, in which writers draw moral connections between real lives and public policy.

I have never liked the pro-choice vs. pro-life framing of the abortion debate. No one is really pro-abortion. Often times a more accurate framing would be pro-birth since that seems to be the reality in the Grand Old Party these days. Once a life passes through the birth canal its value, at least by social welfare policy measures, decreases dramatically.

The mother is often blamed with no regard to the horrors of rape or incest. Little is said of the lack of accessible and affordable birth control options  and no this is not the public paying for others promiscuity  this is womens healthcare and birth control is used for far more than pregnancy prevention. Less is said about age appropriate sex education, which is badly needed, especially for some men in Congress who not only think a womans body can prevent pregnancy by rape but also that a uterine exam is possible by swallowing a camera. Yes, we need basic biology well beyond pubescence years. And when it comes to policy we need to stop having ill-informed men making decisions for well-informed women.

It is time for the party of life to live up to their convictions and stop the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and continue to fund the life affirming services provided by Planned Parenthood such as cancer screenings, testing for sexually transmitted infections, and providing birth control.

Perhaps Congressional Republicans need a reminder that not every person in the world is born with a golden or silver spoon in their mouth and that not every family always makes the best choices because too often there are no best choices only bad and worse. Personal responsibility as the party often likes to tout will never be enough to overcome social structural and systemic systems like poverty and racism. And the best decisions cannot be made when access to affordable healthcare is geographically impossible.

It is perhaps beyond obvious to anyone whose has been to the clinic, hospital, or pharmacy that discount coupons dont come in the Sunday paper. But somehow this idea that healthcare is a good that can be shopped around for like clothes or a car persists. Well, there is medial tourism, but I doubt that one who can barely afford groceries and rent is going to be able to fly to India to save money on hip surgery.

The party that claims to value human life at every stage, well at least every stage from conception to birth, must realize that voting away some 30 million peoples health insurance will result in premature death for many and cost the healthcare system more in emergency room care and more expensive treatment of conditions the could have been identified in routine clinic visits but now require more extensive treatment.

Additionally, simply the stress placed on individuals and families because they have lost access to healthcare including doctor visits, hospitalization, and medicine will take its toll in worsening health and lost productivity. In short, everyone loses.

Some years ago one of the late night comedians did a street walk and asked if people liked Obamacare. The answer was nearly a universal no and all the GOP talking points were citied. However, when these same people were asked if they liked the Affordable Care Act and its many popular provisions the same people who said they did not like Obamacare were ecstatic about the Affordable Care Act.

It would seem then that the dislike for Obamacare is more about the public believing the messaging of the Republicans, whose goal has been to delegitimize the entire presidency of Barack Obama than it is about the major provisions of the bill.

All would agree improvements need to be made, but the passage of the Affordable Care Act was a testament of the perfect not impeding the start of something good.

Even after seven years of decrying the Affordable Care Act, Congressional Republicans still have no alternative plan of their own. And now the party of fiscal responsibility seeks to hide from the public the increased costs to taxpayers of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, while whatever replacement remains uncertain in both provisions and effective date.

It is time the party who fights so hard for life and despite the racist sentiment still shouts, all lives matter start living up to these words. Or we can confidently say only rich lobbied interest lives matter. Even the expectant mother will begin wonder how much the party of life cares for the life growing in her.
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Trumps incoming chief of staff, Reince Priebus, did everything he could to point the finger at the DNC but was eventually forced to admit that Russia was responsible for the hacking and election meddling during an interview on Fox News Sunday.

Video:

Fox News Sundays Chris Wallace asked if Trump accpets that the Russians were behind the hacking campaign. Trumps incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus answered, Well sure. Hes not denying that entities in Russia were behind this particular hacking campaign.

Priebus went on to blame the DNC for the hacking by calling them sitting ducks. Wallace followed up by asking him who he blamed more, Russia or the DNC? Priebus danced around while Wallace had push, and push, and push before Trumps incoming chief of staff would say the word Russia.

The exchange in the video above demonstrates why Trumps Russia problem is not going to go away. The president-elect has constantly cast doubts on Russia being behind the hacking while trying to blame the DNC.

The part of the story that Trump and Priebus keep leaving out is that the RNC was also hacked by Russia. The New York Times reported that Russia also hacked the RNC, but chose not to release the data. The Republican talking point that the RNC didnt get hacked is a lie. The RNC got hacked, but the Russians only released the DNC hack, because they wanted Trump to win.

Priebuss messy answer when pushed was a sign of an incoming administration that has a ticking time bomb of a scandal on its hands, and no clue how to defuse it. Trumps incoming chief of staff tried to cast blame on the DNC while not admitting that the hack was directed by the Russian government, not elements, but the government of a hostile foreign actor.

The Russia scandal is a lingering black cloud of the incoming Trump administration, and Priebus flop of answer failed to address doubts about the legitimacy of Trumps presidency.
By Karishma Kuenzang: Ever imagined what the weather of the city you live in would sound like if the humidity was converted into notes and rests? Well, locals in Goa got a taste of this unusual musical composition recently at the first edition of an eight-day arts festival--the Serendipity Arts Festival.

The projects were brought together by design professors, students and researchers from the Science Gallery of Bengaluru in collaboration with biopharmaceutical company Biocon, Department of Information Technology, among others.

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Other exhibits that combined science and art included the 'Whose Weather Is It Anyway' project by artists Sharath Chandra Ram, Jatin Vidyarthi and Catalina Alzate. For this, weather conditions were recorded near the Goa airport for two weeks, mapped out in a graph, and then converted into music. The work was inspired by NASA's NOAA satellite, which sends weather information back in audio files.

Also Read: Go Goa gone: Is the dream of cashless state really feasible or just an inconvenience?

There was something to calm the nerves too - five minutes in the 'Earth Pod' by Akshaya Narsimhan and Prithu Ton Hazarika. Visitors walked into a huge egg-shaped structure as they entered the premises, which cut off the vision. One was then surrounded by calming gurgling sounds, reminiscent of Goa beaches.

The festival was curated by 14 leading experts from across visual, culinary and performing arts, and was spread over 40 events across eight venues in Panaji.

--- ENDS ---
Though the clock is falling back, fun is still springing up all around the Lowcountry. Immerse yourself in Scottish heritage at the Charleston Scottish Games and Highland Gathering, head to Summerville for the Timrod Library's 125th birthday, or spend a night with friends celebrating Charleston Beer Week. Read moreMy Charleston Weekend: Beer, Bagpipes, and a Birthday Bash
Sports Reporter

Derrek Asberry is sports reporter with the Post and Courier. He joined the newsroom in March 2016, after three years at the Aiken Standard where he covered the Savannah River Site. He enjoys New York Yankee baseball and poker.
The development firm over the prospective Woven project in West Greenville has altered their plans for the site in response to fierce opposition from the surrounding community and procedural setbacks. Read moreNew plans for West Greenville's embattled Woven project emerge with persistent opposition
Rochester author CJ Fosdick has a new book coming out.

Her newest book, "The Accidental Stranger," tells the story of a woman raising a toddler in a remote Wyoming home. She is convinced she is being watched as objects go missing in her home. When she accidentally shoots a grizzled thief, she is thrown into further turmoil by the man's green eyes. Is the man she trying to save a stranger or her son's father?

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Fosdick has been a freelance writer for more than 30 years, writing stories for local and national publications, including the Post Bulletin and Rochester Women.

Her novel series debuted in 2015 with "The Accidental Wife" and was voted a Golden Quill finalist for Best First Novel and a top ten finisher for Best Author and Best Romance by a Preditors & Editors poll in 2015.

Her book, which was released on Friday, costs $17.99 and is available at Amazon and The Wild Rose Press. Digital copies can be obtained at B&N, Nook, Bookstand, Kobo and iTunes for $5.99. The book is published by The WildRose Press.
Forty-five students from Minnesota are headed to Washington, D.C., to attend the Jan. 20 inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump. Among those chosen are Erica Dettinger, 17, from Olmsted County; Cole Ignaszewski, 19, from Steele County; and Rachel Meany, 17, from Mower County.

 Erica is the daughter of Barb and Rich Dettinger, of Rochester. She said that as soon as she heard about the trip last March she " wanted to be a part of it. I've always wanted to go to Washington D.C., to visit all of the incredible monuments and museums there, and the opportunity to also be present at the inauguration of the president of the United States is very unique."

Erica is a senior at Lourdes High School and part of the Creative Clovers club in the Olmsted County 4-H program.

 Cole is the son of Tim and Tracy Ignaszewski and has been in 4-H " as long as I could be," he said. He was a Cloverbud before he became a 4-H member in third grade. He showed sheep and swine and then participated in the shop project for the past three years. His mom and grandfather, Allen Nelson  a farmer in Steele County  both grew up in 4-H.

His mom, Tracy, is one of 11 adults making the trip. She is the 4-H program coordinator in Steele County. She also had to apply to go and like Cole, she thinks, "It's a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to see an inauguration."

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Last summer, the 4-H'ers who applied were asked, "Would whomever was elected sway your decision to go?"

Absolutely not, Cole said. "It's a historic event. You can't let your views affect you when you're asked to do something like this."

"It'll be so cool to take in all the history," Cole said.

Cole attends Iowa State University in Ames, and is majoring in mechanical engineering

 Rachel is the daughter of Lyn and Mark Meany, of Rose Creek. She attends Southland Senior High School in Adams. When Rachel heard about the trip from her 4-H program coordinator, she knew she wanted to participate, although her mom did push her to fill out the application.

The interview process was, "kind of intense," she said. Before her mom drives her to the airport for the trip, she is performing in a Dorian choral concert at Luther College along with three other students from her school.

This is the first time Minnesota 4-H has participated in an inauguration trip, said Jacquie Lonning, state program director, citizenship and leadership, University of Minnesota Extension 4-H Center for Youth Development. The group will watch the inauguration from the National Mall. A few of the students will be selected to watch from a closer area.

Brian McNeill, extension educator, 4-H Youth Development, is accompanying the group. He and five adult volunteers and six 4-H Extension staff members will accompany the Minnesota 4-H'ers.

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They will join more than 500 4-H members from "30 or more states."

The group leaves early Jan. 17 from the Twin Cities MSP airport and returns four days later. They will stay at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Md.

While there, the participants will attend workshops and lectures about the history of the presidency, the democratic process, citizenship and other topics as well as visiting historical sites, the Smithsonian museums, and the Inaugural Day events.

In preparation for the trip, the students had to complete monthly online courses. After they return, their work isn't over. They will share their experiences with other members by giving presentations and completing projects.

As Cole said, "It's going to be a great experience."
By Press Trust of India: Ranchi, Jan 8 (PTI) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the government was getting success in controlling the Maoists and their extremism would end in the country.

"The government is getting success in controlling the Maoists," he said, adding the incidents of extremism could be compared over the years.

"When I took over, I told you so and now also (I say) that Maoist and extremism will come to an end in the country," he said after inauguration of Eastern Sector Headquarters of CISF.

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The Union Minister said he has asked ultra outfit Peoples Liberation Front of India (PLFI) to shun the path of violence and opt for dialogue, adding, "I tell them (PLFI) that exploitation of the poor and extortion wont do."

PLFI is a breakaway faction of CPI(Maoist).

Condemning incidents of killings, exploitation and extortion by the naxalites, Singh stressed the need for dialogue, saying solutions could be found even for the most difficult problems. PTI PVR NN KIS

--- ENDS ---
I got a call on my cell phone from the Quinnipiac University Poll on Thursday evening. The questions were numerous and intrusive. I may have made a mistake in choosing to respond, but I stuck with the call because I wanted to hear what was being asked and because I thought I might come away with something of interest for Power Line readers. I asked whether the poll was being conducted for the use of a third party and was assured that it was not.

The list of questions was lengthy and the questions themselves were not exactly fine-tuned. I begged off on a few because I felt I could not answer them as phrased. I was most struck by the number of questions asked. It took about 20 minutes to get through the questions, and I did not have to agonize over the answers to respond appropriately.

One of the questions had to do with how frequently I take calls on our land line. The Quinnipiac team must have gotten its hands on a list of cell phone numbers or incorporated this as a standard question.

Most of the questions had to do with attitudes toward Obama and Trump. A few of the questions were directed to support for Israel and attitude toward the UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel. I dont recall any regarding Russian influence on the election, although one or more questions explored approval/disapproval of Trumps attitude to Russia. I would (will) be interested in the poll results myself even if some of the questions seemed maddeningly imprecise or presumptuous regarding alleged facts.

After she completed the questions I asked the pollster what percentage of people whom she reaches answer the poll questions. She responded in terms of the calls made that evening. She said she had made 50 calls and that I was the second person who had responded to her questions.
Early indications are that Esteban Santiago, the former National Guard soldier who murdered five people and wounded six others at the Ft. Lauderdale airport, was mentally ill. At one point, he claimed to be hearing voices and made bizarre representations at the FBI office in Anchorage. He flew all the way from Anchorage to Ft. Lauderdale, apparently for the sole purpose of shooting people at the airport. Why he would do this (as opposed to shooting people in Alaska, for example) is unknown. There is probably no good answer.

As happens so often when murder is committed with a firearm, much of the commentary is politically-motivated and silly. The New York Timess Manny Fernandez focused on the fact that Santiago legally checked a pistol in his baggage, and retrieved it when he arrived in Ft. Lauderdale: Should guns be allowed in airlines checked baggage?

According to the TSA, passengers at the nations airports are allowed to transport unloaded guns in their checked baggage. The firearms must be kept in a locked hard-sided container, and gun owners must declare firearms and any ammunition to airline representatives when checking the bags at ticket counters.

But baggage claim areas are, to my knowledge, always unsecured. I am not aware of any airport where one has to pass through a metal detector to get into baggage claim. So if someone wants to shoot people in the baggage claim area in an airport, he doesnt have to check a gun in his luggage and pull it off the carousel. He can walk right in with it, just as he can walk into a shopping mall or a restaurant.

This case does raise a more serious question, however. Santiago legally possessed a firearm, even though it should have been obvious that he was mentally ill:

In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said. He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day, FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said. Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child. On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldnt say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack. U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a higher standard than having an evaluation.

Federal law (18 U.S.C.  922(d)(4), (g)(4)) bars ownership or possession of firearms by anyone who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to any mental institution. By any normal assessment, pretty much all the people who carry out mass shootings are mentally ill, but very few satisfy that high standard.

Currently, there is a vigorous debate going on as to whether the prohibition based on mental illness should be broadened. Most mentally ill people are not a threat to themselves or others, and civil rights advocates argue that a person should not be stripped of his constitutional rights merely because, for example, he has sought treatment for a mental or emotional disorder.

Gun control advocates argue plausibly that some homicides (not just mass shootings) could be prevented if the high bar of legal adjudication or commitment is lowered. I think they are probably right. For my part, I would be willing to see the standard for mental illness lowered, if a plausible alternative can be developed that is not overbroad, and procedures are built in to ensure that the constitutional right to bear arms is not arbitrarily infringed.
Editors note: This story is taken from Ragan Communications distance-learning portal Ragan Training. The site contains hundreds of hours of case studies, video presentations and interactive courses.

Several years ago, when Dominos pizza relaunched its intranet, the worldwide company set up a wiki, forums and a blog to allow people at its franchises to pose questions and offer each other tips.

Everyone in the stores started sharing all this information back and forth, getting new ideas, says Stacie Barrett, manager of internal communications. We also discovered there were some big holes. People didnt understand why we were doing what we were doing up at the mother ship, which is not a good sign.

The realization was just one step in a process that prompted Dominos to transform its intranet into a more powerful, interactive tool for its global team. In a new Ragan Training session, Lessons learned: How Dominos tackled its intranet transformation, Barrett offers a behind-the-scenes peek and a few lessons from the pizzamakers journey.
Three years after the National Health Act was signed into law in 2014, the much anticipated benefits are yet to be felt by Nigerians.

The bill took 10 years to become law. But while the Federal Government is still clarifying its operational guidelines, millions of Nigerians are suffering under the burden of out-of-pocket expenses on healthcare, a problem that was to be largely addressed by the Act.

Removing the burden will be a key relief for many, especially with the majority of Nigerians groaning under the nations economic recession.

Michael Joseph, a taxi driver, recounts sadly how his wife lost their baby four days after giving birth at home.

I was unable to register my wife for antenatal services. In fact, we can barely survive ever since I had an accident eight months ago, he told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr. Joseph might have been spared his ordeal, had the National Health Act become functional.

A critical component of the law is the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund. According to the Act, this fund will be financed from one per cent of the Federal Governments Consolidated Revenue Fund, international donors grant and other sources. It is surprising however that the law has no guidelines for the administration of the fund.

Waheed Abass, the Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, told PREMIUM TIMES that there was no appropriation for the basic health care fund in the 2015 and 2016 budgets, and there was high level of uncertainty it would be included in the 2017 budget.

The basic health care fund wasnt in the 2015 budget; we missed the 2015 budget. In 2016, we have no excuse. It was the last administration that signed that bill into law. They (present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari) have to go through it, even at the national level to be convinced this is the right way to go. The fact that the former administration signed some bills doesnt mean that this present administration will be fully informed and be ready to fully implement them.

But it is an Act of Nigeria. We are talking of billions of naira, so the government has to be convinced. I believe the basic health care fund is the best that could happen to Nigeria and practitioners in the health sector need to do more to make sure that the legislators and state governors, local government chairmen do more.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, told PREMIUM TIMES discussions are ongoing with respect to the one per cent consolidated revenue to finance the fund.

When we came on board in 2015, the budget was already passed, we couldnt do anything about it. None of us could touch the 2016 budget, it was prepared before we came on board. But for 2017, we are looking into the implementation.

The National Council on Health in September developed the guidelines for administration, disbursement and fund management of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund which will be presented at the Federal Executive Council meeting in January 2017.

So we already have a guideline for disbursing it and we are looking for money even outside our budget, to start implementing it. We are looking for money to start the pilot in three states and implement the provision, Mr. Adewole said.

However, while the government is still working the politics of the basic health care fund, Nigerians are feeling the pangs of funding their health care from their meagre resources.

A new mother, Salome Ajekwe, said she struggled to get N1,500 to register for antenatal services at a primary health care centre in Abuja, and N3,000 to be delivered of her baby at the facility.

For Aisha Ibrahim, her fear is that her child may not receive immunisation. There was vaccine stockout at the Kunchigoro primary healthcare centre on the day she took the child there and she could not raise money to go back the following week to check if the vaccine was available or go to another centre.

Talatu Sule, a mother of two children, aged 4 and 6 years, begs around the Central Business District of Abuja. The four-year-old daughter was coughing and also running temperature. For Mrs. Sule, going to a healthcare centre was out of the question because she would have to pay for the prescribed drugs, when she did not even have money to feed herself and the children, talk less of buying drugs.

Investigations revealed that at primary healthcare centres, adult patients pay N500 for medical consultations while children pay N300. Child delivery at the PHC costs from N3,000 to N5,000.

Unfortunately, the law which could have helped a many of the poor Nigerians is yet to be implemented two years after it was signed.

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The scarcity of kerosene, used by millions of largely poor Nigerians for cooking, has hit major cities causing huge increase in price.

The situation has also caused some residents to turn to alternatives such as firewood and cooking gas.

Three of the most affected cities are Kaduna and Zaria in Kaduna State and Calabar in Cross River State.

In Kaduna, none of the filling stations visited by PREMIUM TIMES in the state capital on Saturday had kerosene (DPK) for sale.

In one of the stations, the attendants said the scarcity began on January 2 as they got no supply from Lagos and Kaduna Refinery.

We have no supply of DPK since the 2nd of this month. The one you see our vendors selling they bought since Christmas, the attendant said.

In Calabar, the scarcity has led to an increase in price to between N350 and N400 per litre from less than N300 per litre.

A News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, survey on Sunday showed that the product was not available in any filling station in the Cross River capital and its suburbs.

However, the product was available only in surface tanks in parts of the city, where dealers sold it at N350 per litre.

The survey revealed also that the itinerant retailers sold the commodity between N380 and N400 per litre, depending on the area.

Grace Nja, who resides in Ikot Efanga area of the city, said that she bought the product at N280 at a filling station early last week.

Ms. Nja alleged that petrol product marketers in the state sold their consignments wholly to some middlemen from neighbouring states, instead of the consumers within the state.

I went to buy kerosene and I saw some women from outside the state carrying big cans and buying the product in large quantity.

So, they are the ones that buy up the entire supply in the state, she said.

Another resident, Elizabeth Sunday, decried the situation and described it as greed on the part of the product marketers.

This is bad for us the poor people of this country. I am a widow and I dont have money to buy gas cooker.

Now the price of kerosene is out of my reach and it is hard to feed nowadays.

My appeal is that government should do something to change the situation in the interest of the masses, she said

Ekpenyong Lazarus, a resident of Akamkpa in Akamkpa Local Government Area, said that the product sold for N400 per litre in the area.

That is only when you are able to find it at all, he added.

CONSUMERS TURN TO ALTERNATIVES

In Kaduna, the kerosene scarcity has led to a 30 per cent increase in price of cooking gas.

At the popular gas vendor station on Ali Akilu Road Kaduna, a seller attributed the price hike to the scarcity of kerosene.

From yesterday, we started noticing more people coming to buy gas. And because of the sudden demand, some of us started to increase the prices and yet people are buying.

Before this morning to be precise, we used to refill the 12kg cylinder for N3,500, but now some people refill it for N4,200. So it goes for all the other cylinders, the trader told PREMIUM TIMES.

Ummi Dalhat, a mother and resident of Unguwan Dosa in Kaduna, said she was unlucky to get caught up in the Saturday cooking gas price rise.

It is unfortunate that my cooking gas finished yesterday and I sent for refill this morning. When I was told about the rise, I had no option than to buy. Who knows what it will cost tomorrow?

Maryam Malam, a bean cake (akara) seller at Unguwan Yero, Kaduna, said that the kerosene scarcity has led to a reduction in the volume of firewood sold per price.

I bought N100 firewood this afternoon and the quantity has reduced because everybody around is buying, the akara seller who uses firewood for her cooking said.

Chibuzor Clement, a cooking gas stove seller at the Gumi Market told PREMIUM TIMES that he had sold six stove at the time our reporter visited his shop on Saturday.

Normally, I sell one or two, and some days none. You know the economy is hard on people now. But because of this sudden lack of kerosene, people who can afford the small cooking gas stove are buying it as an alternative. And some are buying electric stove. But you cannot guarantee (electricity) light.

The cooking gas stove goes for between N4000 and N6000, depending on the size and refilling it (with gas) will cost you about N1700, before the hike I am hearing about, Mr. Clement said.

OIL UNIONS, OFFICIALS SPEAK

In its reaction to the scarcity, the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Saturday said there was no drop of kerosene in the private and NNPC depots in Lagos.

Rotimi Benjamin, National Chairman of Surface Tank Kerosene Peddlers (SUTAKEP) branch of NUPENG told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the product was last brought to the depot on December 27, 2016.

He urged the government to come to the aid of the masses who could not afford cooking gas, by supplying kerosene to the depots so that it would be available in filling stations.

A member of NUPENG in Kaduna, Abdullahi Kaka, told PREMIUM TIMES that the product was not available even at the refinery depot in Kaduna.

Dealers used to come to the depot in KRPC to buy the product which basically is transported from Lagos, and some dealers used to buy it direct. But for weeks now, we do not have new supplies. I hope the authorities involved will quickly come to the rescue of Nigerians, Mr. Kaka said.

In Calabar, Esue Obi, Chairman, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Calabar Depot, attributed the scarcity to lack of supply.

As I speak, there is no kerosene in Calabar depot and all the tank farms in the state, Akwa Ibom and Rivers. Those having the product now travelled to Lagos to buy it.

So, when they add the cost of transportation and other sundry expenses, the price must be high; that is the situation now.

Importers are complaining of lack of foreign exchange. So, we dont know when the product will be available, Mr. Esue said.

When contacted, Ndu Ughamadu, Group General Manager, Public Affairs, NNPC said most marketers have refused to import kerosene due to the scarcity of dollars and the fluctuating crude oil prices.

He said NNPC had no control over marketers as that is responsibility of PPPRA and DPR.

He said NNPC Mega stations sell at controlled price, but refused to give the exact official price

Kerosene was, however, not available at NNPC Mega station, Mando, Kaduna as at the time of this report.
New Ghanaian president, Nana Akufo-Addo, has begun his administration on a rather embarrassing note after being caught plagiarising former American presidents during his inaugural speech on Saturday.

Mr. Akufo-Addo, 72, was sworn in alongside his Vice-President, Mahamudu Bawumia, at the Independence Square in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, promising not to let the people of Ghana down.

Vigilant citizens quickly spotted stark similarities in excerpts of his speech and those delivered by two ex-presidents of the United States decades ago.

The two American presidents, Bill Clinton and George Bush, delivered their inaugural speeches in 1993 and 2001, respectively.

Mr. Akufo-Addo first lifted a portion of Mr. Bushs January 20, 2001 speech where he said: I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character.

The new Ghanaian president said: I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character, without attribution.

Similarly, he also used quotes from Mr. Clintons speech delivered on January, 20, 1993.

Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Americans have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us, Mr. Clinton said at the time.

Mr. Akufo-Addo then carefully tweaked the speech to read: Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Ghanaians have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us.

A composite video showing how Messrs. Bush and Clinton read their respective speeches and how Mr. Akufo-Addo plagiarised it had since gone viral on the Internet, marking the latest embarrassment for West African leaders.

Mr. Akufo-Addos communications director, Eugene Arhin, had since apologised for the speech, describing it as complete oversight and never deliberate.

I unreservedly apologise for the non-acknowledgement of this quote to the original author, Mr. Arhin added.

The scandal came five months after President Muhammadu Buhari apologised for plagiarising President Barack Obamas 2008 inaugural speech.

Mr. Buhari, while launching the Change Begins with Me campaign to rein in immoral behaviours of Nigerians, said: We must resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country for so long. Let us summon a new spirit of responsibility, spirit of service, of patriotism and sacrifice. Let us all resolve to pitch in and work hard and look after, not only ourselves but one another.

A THISDAY Newspapers columnist, Adeola Akinremi, quickly identified instances of plagiarism of Mr. Obamas speech in which he said: Lets resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other. Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, its that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

Following heavy backlash from Nigerians, Mr. Buhari said an overzealous official responsible for the speech will be sanctioned, but theres no evidence that this was ever done.
Scores of police officers have gathered at the Unity Fountain, venue of the rally organised by the Bring Back Our Girls group, BBOG, to mark 1000 days since the abduction of over 200 girls by the Boko Haram from Chibok, Borno State.

At least 195 of the girls are still missing and believed to be with the terror group, while others have either escaped, been released or freed by soldiers.

The rally was scheduled to begin by 3 p.m. on Sunday. Some of the organisers were already at the venue by then but the rally did not start on time.

It is unclear whether the police officers, estimated at almost 200, gathered to provide security for the group or to prevent them from proceeding with the protest to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The police had in September tried to prevent the BBOG from holding its rally with officials saying the rally was illegal despite evidence of a police permit presented by the organisers.

The police would later retract its statement after criticisms by Nigerians including Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka.

Details later .

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The poster of Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab featuring Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan is here and it is all kinds of, well, you decide.

By India Today Web Desk: It has been just three months since Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan graced us with his film MSG: The Warrior Lion Heart where the rockstar baba took up arms to fight aliens in the past, present and future.

Now MSG i.e Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is back with the poster of his next venture Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab.

Some of u have really been smart!! Yes,U r right! Unveiling the new poster of #HindKaNapakKoJawab ???MSG?????is back pic.twitter.com/aaLkgcUS3I Dr.GURMEET RAM RAHIM (@Gurmeetramrahim) January 7, 2017

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The poster features Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh sporting a moustache inspired by 20th-century surrealist painter Salvador Dali. Armed with a gun and donning an Indian military outfit, MSG Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will be seen decimating Pakistanis at the border in his new film.

MOVIE REVIEW | MSG: The Warrior Lion Heart

ALSO SEE: 10 pictures of rockstar baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh you should not miss

ALSO WATCH: Made a movie for the society, says Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had earlier said that his new film Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab will be an answer to those who were asking the Indian Army to prove the surgical strikes. To put things in context, the authenticity of the claims of 'surgical strike' being conducted by the Indian Army on terrorist outposts in PoK (Pak-occupied Kashmir) on September 28 was challenged by many on social media, along with politicians from AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) and the INC (Indian National Congress).

In the title Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab, the word 'Napak' is apparently a wordplay on Pakistan with the words Pak meaning 'pious' in Urdu and therefore, Napak meaning 'not pious'. Incidentally, Urdu is the national language of Pakistan.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had also said that he hoped to complete Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab in 25 days only.

The nationalistic spirit and patriotic fervour of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's earlier films is expected to be toned up in Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab and the movie has already generated "unprecedented buzz" and "laudable response" from Guruji's fans, according to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

#HindKaNapakKoJawab ???Unprecedented buzz & laudable response from all of you!! Stay connected for many more updates! Dr.GURMEET RAM RAHIM (@Gurmeetramrahim) January 7, 2017

--- ENDS ---
The Bring Back Our Girls group, BBOG, on Sunday described the inability of government to ensure the return of abducted Chibok girls as a monumental failure on the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Speaking during a protest organised to mark the 1000th day since the abduction of over 200 girls from their secondary school in Chibok, the groups leader, Obi Ezekwesili, said it was unimaginable that the girls would remain with their captors, in a country with a known leadership, this long.

We never imagined that it would last more than 30 days. Then 60 days came, then two years and today. The saddest occurrence in the history of our country.

We have had two governments and yet we have 195 girls who are yet to be released from terrorists, 1000 days after they were abducted.

We had said 500 days after they were abducted that 500 days was too long for citizens to wait for their daughters to be rescued. Today is 500 days times two. You can imagine how much of a monumental failure it is that 195 of our Chibok girls are still in terrorists captivity, she said.

In its official statement on Sunday, the group restated its earlier claim that the government had relaxed in its commitment toward the return of the girls.

It also compared the response of the Buhari administration to the plight of abducted citizens to that of the previous Goodluck Jonathan administration.

As with the Jonathan administration, the Buhari administrations response to issues about the Chibok girls is representative of its handling of other issues  insecurity, welfare of internally displaced persons, military welfare, corruption and poor governance, the group said.

President Buhari had in an earlier statement on Sunday restated his administrations commitment to the release of the abducted girls. The administration has been able to secure the release of 21 of the girls through negotiation with Boko Haram, while another one was recently freed by soldiers.

The BBOG began its campaign for the return of Chibok girls two weeks after they were abducted on April 14, 2014.

Police officers had attempted to stop the group from protesting on Sunday, creating a barricade close to the Aso Villa gate, where the group had encamped during its last protest.

Consequently, the group stopped at the three-arm zone junction and continued its program.

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The family of Grace Onaiwu Omoigui, the 82-year old retired magistrate killed by armed robbers, has thanked Nigerians who gathered in Lagos and Benin to celebrate its murdered matriarch.

Speaking Saturday at a Thanksgiving Service that drew the curtain on the seven-day funeral ceremony of Mrs. Omoigui, her daughter, Ifueko Okauru, said the support by family, friends, well-wishers and sympathizers showed that their mother did not die in vain.

The Service held at Saint Pauls Catholic Church on Airport Road, Benin, shortly after a reception for guests who attended the funeral events.

In her vote of thanks on behalf of the Omoigui family, Mrs Okauru said her family would implement a programme in the church that would benefit members in line with the seriousness Mrs. Omoigui attached to her service there while alive.

She added that the family would engage the parish priest and the church leaders as soon as the funeral activities were concluded.

At the church, the Parish Priest, Paul Enow, led all in attendance on songs of praise and prayer for the forgiveness of the sins of the departed Mrs Omoigui and the repose of her soul.

He also prayed for members of her family and everyone in the congregation before offering holy communion to those who filed out to receive it.



Before the Thanksgiving Service, family members, neighbours, friends and well-wishers had gathered at the SIO Events Centre, also in Benin, to continue the celebration of the life and times of Mrs Omoigui.



Family members had clarified days ago that they were not mourning the death of their matriarch, but instead, celebrating her good deeds and exemplary life of service to humanity.



And the reception was indeed a celebration. The hall was filled to capacity and there was more than enough food and drinks for all.

There were dances by Mrs. Omoiguis children, grandchildren and other members of the society. There were also songs and tributes in abundance.



Dignitaries at the event include the Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Justine Okonoboh, who came in the company of some serving and former lawmakers of the state assembly; the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Babatunde Fowler; the Executive Chairman of Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Oseni Elamah; former Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General of Edo State, Osagie Obayuwana; and the Osuma of Benin Kingdom, Moses Ozigbo-Esere.

A retired teacher, lawyer, magistrate and lover of music, Mama G, as she is fondly called by family members, died in a Lagos hospital on November 19, 2016, from gunshot wounds she suffered during an attack by dare devil armed robbers in Benin City, on October 24, 2016.





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Ireti Akinsola, the Best Graduating Student of the 2015/2017 set at Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State, has spoken about how she achieved the feat.

She also said the current national economic recession is an opportunity for the country to develop its other sectors.

Ms. Akinsola, a Geology graduate with CGPA of 4.89, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos that the over-reliance on oil had greatly affected other sectors of the economy such as the solid minerals.

I think this recession should have taught us a big lesson not to put all our eggs in one basket. It is time for us to wake up to the challenge.

We need to develop other sectors that can equally earn us what we are deriving from oil if not more, especially our solid minerals.

Nigeria has abundant mineral resources that can earn us equivalent of what we are earning from oil if not more than that.

We are talking about diversification and its just mere mentioning, no real efforts geared towards making sure that the economy is self-sufficient through additional earnings from solid minerals, she said.

Ms. Akinsola said that Geology was what she intended to study right from outset due to her inquisitiveness about the earth.

I did not study geology by accident, it is what I have passion for and a deliberate choice right from time.

Maybe, that also contributed to my success during my school days. I have prayed and wished that I will one day be the best student in my era and God granted it.

The strategy I employed to be best graduating student is not farfetched, I always make sure that I ask questions, submit assignments and make more use of the library.

It wasnt easy attaining such a height, especially during field works; we are expected to write five pages of our field reports. I also combine my studies with other social activities, she said.

Ms. Akinsola, however said that the findings from her undergraduate project work which was the Assessment of the Impact on Lead Deposits in Ewekoro and Environment was not cheering.

The findings from my project is not encouraging, the findings revealed that there are dangerous high deposit of lead in Ewekoro which has an adverse environmental impact.

The lead deposit is caused by the high traffic of articulated vehicles carrying cement products that ply the route on daily basis.

The solution to this is for the government to provide rail lines to the industrial community for transportation of the goods instead of land transportation.

The Ewekoro community are suffering from environmental degradation due the high deposit of lead, this calls for government intervention, she said.

(NAN)

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The United States on Saturday warned its citizens against visiting the Gambia.

It told those there to consider leaving the country, citing the risk of unrest as President Yahya Jammeh digs in despite losing an election.

The US Department of State warns US citizens against travel to The Gambia because of the potential for civil unrest and violence in the near future, the statement said.

It said the supreme court hearing on January 10 of Mr Jammehs challenge to the result that elected his rival Adama Barrow was a potential flashpoint for violence.

US citizens should consider departing on commercial flights and other transportation, the statement said.

Mr. Jammeh has vowed to remain in power despite losing to Mr. Barrow.

Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari is currently leading ECOWAS mediation to get Mr. Jammeh to quit by January 19 when Mr. Barrow was scheduled to be sworn in.

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By Press Trust of India: Kolkata/New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) The Imam of a Kolkata mosque today issued a fatwa against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of "bluffing" the people through demonetisation, evoking a sharp reaction from BJP which demanded his arrest.

Syed Mohammad Nurur Rahman Barkati, the Shahi Imam of Kolkatas Tipu Sultan Masjid, said, "Everyday people are harassed and facing problem due to demonetisation."

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"Modi is bluffing the society and the innocent people of the country through demonetisation and nobody wants him to continue as the Prime Minister," he said during a joint conference by the All India Majlis-e-Sura and All India Minority Forum here.

Slamming the fatwa, BJP National Secretary Sidharth Nath Singh, who is in-charge of partys West Bengal affairs, said in Delhi, "We demand that Mamata Banerjee immediately order his arrest. The fatwa against our Prime Minister is highly condemnable. TMC MP Idris Ali was sitting next to him when he issued the fatwa."

Warning of protets if the state government did not take any action against the imam, Singh said, "This is not an issue between BJP and TMC. This is an insult of the Prime Minister by a religious leader considered close to the Chief Minister."

Earlier Barkati alleged, "People who keep beard are mostly religious like maulanas, sadhus, sufis, sikh gurus.. But Modi keeping beard is bhondami (bluffing). I have no hesitation in saying that he (Modi) is bluffing the country. He (Modi) has lost all his credentials as the Prime Minister."

Terming Modi "communal" and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a figure of "communal harmony", he claimed that most of the people in the country now want Banerjee to be the Prime Minister of the country.

Last month Barkati had issued a fatwa against BJP state president Dilip Ghosh for his comments against Banerjee. PTI SCH SUS KR NSD AKK AKK

--- ENDS ---
The Pinelands Preservation Alliance is challenging the way the Pinelands Commission has set up a new vote on the South Jersey Gas pipeline.

A resolution passed at the commissions December meeting, creating a review and public comment period followed by a vote of commissioners, is unlawful rulemaking, PPA Executive Director Carleton Montgomery said in a letter sent to the commission last week.

The Commission failed to provide any notice that it would consider or adopt such a decision making process, even failing to include the item in the agenda, Montgomery wrote. After the Commission discussed the matter in closed session, the staff described the resolution in open session, but provided no copies or summaries of the proposed procedure either to the Commissioners themselves or to the public.

The commission needs to first go through the public process of amending its rulebook, called the Comprehensive Management Plan, before any vote should be taken, PPA Assistant Executive Director Jaclyn Rhoads said.

She said the alliance is giving the commission a week from receipt of the letter to change its approach or it will file papers in Appellate Court.

But Helene Chudzik of the state Attorney Generals Office, which represents the commission, has said the process is a legal option for the commission.

South Jersey Gas wants to build the 22-mile-long pipeline from Maurice River Township to the B.L. England plant in Beesleys Point, Upper Township, so it can convert the plant from coal and oil to natural gas and keep the facility open.

In 2015, the Pinelands Commissions executive director, Nancy Wittenberg, unilaterally decided the S.J. Gas application met CMP rules for private applications, but in a November 2016 decision, a state Appellate Court judge said she did not have the authority to do so.

The judge said any private development that seeks municipal pre-emption  removing oversight by affected municipalities, as the pipeline did  must be voted on by commissioners.

The CMP does not include rules on how to handle the situation, which had not come up until recently.

At least three pending applications are covered by the resolution, Montgomery said. There is an application for a pipeline in the northern part of the Pinelands reserve by New Jersey Natural Gas, and an application by Atlantic City Electric for power line upgrades.

Their position seems to be their rules dont cover this situation, Montgomery said. If thats your view, you have to make a new rule.

In addition, Rhoads said four of the 15 commissioners are new to the board and never heard the testimony in the 2013 public hearings on the application, which then came in as a public development following different rules. Public hearings take testimony from all sides, she said, and cover all the issues in depth.

She said a new application should have a new public hearing process.

The commissioners first said they would hold their regular Jan. 13 meeting and add a Jan. 24 meeting for pipeline comment, but later decided to cancel the Jan. 13 meeting and move the location of the Jan. 24 meeting.

Rhoads and Jeff Tittel, of New Jersey Sierra Club, have both said they felt the confusion over meeting times and places was purposeful, with some commissioners and staff members trying to limit the publics ability to comment.

But longtime Commissioner Candace Ashmun, who voted against the pipeline when commissioners narrowly defeated it in January 2014, said commissioners were only doing the best they can.

I think it was pretty innocent, said Ashmun of the decision not to hold a regular commission meeting Jan. 13. It was done by the chair (Sean Earlen). I dont have any suspicions.

She said the chairman is allowed to change meeting dates and times, as long as there is enough time to get proper notice of the change out to the public.

Earlen, the Burlington County representative, had voted in favor of the pipeline in 2014.
By Indo-Asian News Service: Following the demonetisation of high-value currency announced on November 8, India's Income Tax Department has detected undisclosed income of over Rs 4,807 crore and seized new notes worth Rs 112 crore, an official source here said on Sunday.

Since the demonetisation intended to eliminate black money, counterfeit currency and terror financing, the tax authorities carried out 1,138 search, survey and enquiry operations and have issued 5,184 notices to various entities on charges of tax evasion and currency dealing through hawala channels, the source said.

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The total undisclosed income admitted or detected till January 5 is over Rs 4,807 crore, he added.

According to the official, cash and jewellery worth over Rs 609.39 crore has been seized during the same period, while the new currency seized is valued at more than Rs 112 crore.

On Decmber 16, the I-T Department had announced it had uncovered concealed income to the tune of Rs 2,600 crore and had seized a total of Rs 393 crore involving nearly 300 cases.

Also read: Income Tax Department asks banks to report pre-demonetisation cash deposits

Briefing reporters here, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Sushil Chandra said: "We have conducted searches and seizures in about 291 cases, carried out surveys in 295 cases.

"We have seized currency notes over Rs 316 crore in raids, including Rs 80 crore in new notes. Besides, jewellery of Rs 76 crore has also been seized making for a total seizure of Rs 393 crore."

Also read: Demonetisation cuts terror attacks by 60 per cent in Kashmir, hawala business by 50 per cent

The head of India's Income Tax Department also said that 3,000 notices have been issued on the basis of their analysis of deposits made since demonetisation was announced last month.

Meanwhile, describing the currency deposited with banks following demonetisation as money that has lost its earlier "anonymity", Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said such deposits do not automatically become legitimate, and can now be identified with the owner for taxation purposes.

"Black money does not change its colour merely because it is deposited in bank. On the contrary, it loses its anonymity and can now be identified with its owner," Jaitley wrote in a Facebook post titled "Demonetisation -- A look back at the last two months".

Also read: Arun Jaitley: Money has lost anonymity post demonetisation

--- ENDS ---
Gina Maguires grandfather began coming around more frequently after his wife and Maguires grandmother, Herta Rose Heidel, died more than 10 years ago.

During their visits at Maguires home in Barnegat, she began scribbling down his stories of growing up poor in Brooklyn, the atrocities of World War II, and how he fell in love with a German girl.

Years later, Maguire, a Stockton University adjunct professor and program assistant at the Center on Successful Aging, was at the schools Holocaust center for the Echos of Reflections, event listening to others talk about how important it was to preserve such history.

Then, she had an epiphany.

I sort of clicked  thats my grandfather. I had all these stories and wanted to do something with it, but all I had was a pile of loose-leaf paper, she said. Thats when I talk to Maryann.

Maryann McLoughlin is an assistant supervisor for Stockton Universitys Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center, as well as the director of the Writing as Witness Project, which is supported by the center. Since its inception in 2004, the project has helped capture the stories of Holocaust survivors, soldiers, and rescuers, among others.

Together, with Macguire writing and McLoughlin editing, they are putting forth their latest book about Maguires grandfather titled, It was Fate  A War, A Massacre, A Romance: The World War II Memoirs of Nick Venturella. The book, which is in its final editing phase, is slated for release this summer.

The book  I would almost call it a dramedy  there are points in it that are very, very funny and theres points of it that are devastating. But it all ends well, it ends happily, Maguire said.

Using a combination of interviews with Maguire, letters, photographs, newspapers and other mementos Venturella held onto, the book spans the years from his early life growing up poor in Brooklyn, to his service, his eventual marriage to Heidel and his death in 2008.

Venturella tried to enlist at the age of 18 but was rejected twice. Undeterred, Maguires grandfather simply removed the stamp declaring him unfit for service to enlist.

Not long after, he landed on the beaches of France; he recalled to Maguire in one of their talks that he first mistook the sand as clay because the beach was soaked with blood.

The book captures Venturellas letters home to his family and his attempt to shield them from the horrors he witnessed in the aftermath of the Gardelegen Massacre. In 1945, when Nazi forces knew the American soldiers were closing in on them, they forced over 1,000 people from the Dora-Mittelbau concentration camp into a large barn.

The barn was doused with gasoline and set on fire; those who attempted to escape were shot. A then 19-year-old Venturella and his battalion helped bury those who perished in the farm while rescuing others.

Maguire also interviewed some of her grandfathers army mates, who said they were haunted by the smell. Her grandfather couldnt forget it either.

Maguire recalled how thoughtful he would become when she brought up the Gardelegen Massacre and how he would lean back in his chair, remembering, drumming his fingers together.

When he did talk about these things, you could see when the stories were bothering him, she said.

The adjunct professor, who has a 19-year-old son of her own, said writing about what her grandfather witnessed at that age was emotional.

Although Venturellas story is one of fighting in the war, its also about falling in love as well and fighting to bring his young bride back to America.

The first process was to prove my grandmother wasnt a Nazi, she said. That wasnt that hard to prove because her father had been imprisoned for speaking out against Hitler.

Venturella went through an arduous process to marry Heidel, but through all his hard work, he was able to bring his wife and toddler, Maguires father, home to the U.S. in 1948.

But Maguire said Heidel was tenacious too. When faced with the thought of never seeing her family in Germany again, she taught herself how to make jewelry and saved up enough money to bring her entire family home. After that, Maguire said, the family went every other year for a month at a time, a tradition that extended down to her great-grandchildren.

One of the hardest parts of putting her grandfathers story hasnt just been the emotional journey, but the secret shes been keeping.

I havent told my family about it, Maguire said of the book. I want to surprise them with the book. They know I have the stories, they know I have the letters, the memorabilia  but thats all they know. Its hard not to say something because I spend a lot of time with my family.

Venturellas tenacity, and love for his wife, is sure to resonate with readers as well, said McLoughlin.

We have World War II stories, but they dont include this kind of romance, which I think is very special and will be touching to readers too, she said.
U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Robert Menendez are calling for a federal review of all passenger railroads implementation of sleep apnea testing of engineers and inward facing cameras in the wake of major accidents in Hoboken and Brooklyn.

The two Democratic senators from New Jersey, as well as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sent a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board asking that a comprehensive report be submitted to Congress identifying railroads that have been slow to act on the testing and cameras.

Booker and Menendez sit on subcommittees that deal with rail safety and mass transit, respectively.

While we are aware that youre supportive of both of these safety initiatives, we remain concerned about railroads unacceptably slow progress at implementing these recommendations, the letter stated. Recently the FRA issued safety advisories on both of these issues, and that was an important step, but weve continued to hear reports of very little progress being made by railroads in actually implementing these initiatives.

In September, a New Jersey Transit train failed to slow down while approaching its destination in Hoboken, Hudson County, and slammed into the terminal. The accident killed one person and injured more than 100.

In November, a lawyer for the trains engineer revealed to several media outlets that his client had been diagnosed recently with severe sleep apnea, which may have been the reason for the crash. The engineer, Thomas Gallagher, told investigators he had no memory of the crash, according to reports.

On Wednesday a Long Island Rail Road train crashed into the Atlantic Terminal in New York, injuring 103 people. The investigation into that crash is ongoing.

The letter did not reprimand NJ Transit or Long Island Rail Road specifically. Rather, it pointed out several accidents across the country during the past 15 years as reason for the expedited implementation of the two safety measures.

Whats even more concerning than the slow progress railroads are making, is an apparent growing trend of railroads pledging to implement sleep apnea testing and inward cameras only after a derailment has occurred on their system, the letter said. Passenger railroads should be able to heed the lessons of other passenger railroads, and each of them should be taking steps to implement these two important provisions as quickly as possible.
A lot has been made of Gov. Chris Christies desire to allow municipalities to post their legal notices on their own websites rather than in the local newspaper.

The governors primary motive, at least what hes telling the public, is that he thinks the municipalities will save money by posting to their own websites. Most newspaper publishers would disagree with that notion and Im no exception.

But before I get into that debate, lets first consider what this issue should be about: governmental transparency. The current legislation was put into place to prevent municipalities from using paid legal notices as leverage to force newspapers to cover them favorably, as well as to make sure the public has access to information. As a result, you can find all public legal notices in your local newspaper, in one place. I know that many of our readers browse the printed public legal notices on a regular basis. In addition, all newspapers in the state post their public legal notices to NJPublicnotices.com, a website maintained by the New Jersey Press Association. Those notices are both searchable and translatable into many different languages.

If public legal notices were only placed on the individual municipalitys website, not only would you have to find that website and figure out how to navigate through it, but youd also have to do the same thing with every other municipalitys individual website to try to find what you may be interested in.

The new proposed legislation did add a provision that would allow a third party to consolidate those legal notices. That addition to the original proposed legislation makes one wonder if they already have someone in mind to do that. However, thats already being done at no additional charge to any municipality on NJPublicnotices.com.

Another concern that all citizens should have is the accuracy and timeliness of public legal notices that would be handled by each municipality and posted on their sites. There was no provision in the proposed legislation for any means to police what those municipalities are doing. Today, many small municipalities in our coverage area dont have the staff or the secure websites to handle posting their own public notices. Thats where the governor claims that the bill is permissive. In other words, municipalities dont have to post their own public notices, they can continue to use the local newspaper. OK, but again, that speaks to the lack of transparency that would occur if that were the case. How many public notices do you think would inadvertently not be posted when they should have been? Thats not to say that municipalities arent honest but, simply put, theyre just not set up to maintain the volume of public legal notices that are required by law.

Now, back to the issue of saving money. First, the figures used by the governor just arent accurate. On a recent radio program he challenged the Newark Star Ledger to produce their books! Im not sure if theyd be willing to do that but I would be. I have nothing to hide from our governor. The fact is that 70 percent of the public notices that we publish today are from foreclosure notices and are typically reimbursed to the sheriffs department by a third party, like a bank or mortgage company that foreclosed on the home in the first place. Thats not money that municipalities will save. Were really only talking about 30 percent of our total legal notices revenue stream.

It was estimated by the League of Municipalities that the average municipality spends approximately $7,100 per year with their local newspaper for publishing public notices. I believe that number to be fairly accurate. If you take that figure and multiply it by the 565 municipalities in New Jersey, the total comes to a little over $4 million, not the $80 million figure that the governor cites. Im not sure where he got that number and he hasnt provided the source. He may be considering all public notices, including the 70 percent that get reimbursed. Even then, the number just seems too high. But the bottom line is that most municipalities would not save money. In fact, it may cost them more than they currently spend.

In addition, the rate that newspapers can charge for public notices is fixed by state statute. For The Press of Atlantic City, its only 42 cents per line. For example, a 30 line public notice posting would only cost a municipality $12.60. Those rates were established by state statute in 1983 and have not changed in 33 years. For most municipalities that would need to add staff to handle public notices, the cost to them would far exceed the $7,100 average annual expense that they have today for publishing public legal notices in their local newspaper and on NJPublicnotices.com.

The proposed legislation that failed last month did so because many legislators were concerned about the governmental transparency issue as well as the accuracy of the figures coming from the governors office. In addition, many didnt understand why this legislation had been put on a fast track through the Legislature without having more dialogue with the New Jersey Press Association, as well as more accurate data from which to make an informed vote. It was proposed in mid-December and was voted on Dec. 19. Finally, the executive committee of the New Jersey Press Association, of which Im a member, had proposed a significant compromise that would have maintained the transparency issue and would have cut the cost to local municipalities by 50 percent. However, the governor and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto said that they would not agree to any compromise. That statement also made some legislators wonder if there was some other motivation behind this legislation, as the compromise seemed to accomplish all objectives, maintaining transparency and cutting the cost to local municipalities.

It was suggested by several legislators that members from the New Jersey Press Association form a joint task force with a representative from the Legislature and together, come up with an amended bill that cuts the cost to local municipalities, protects the public and minimizes any further job losses to the newspapers in New Jersey. That would need to be done before the next voting session in January if the bill is resubmitted.

That suggestion is exactly what the NJPA wanted from the beginning but wasnt given the time or opportunity to do. I, for one, remain hopeful that Gov. Christie, Speaker Prieto and Senate President Stephen Sweeney give the NJPA the opportunity to do just that. The result would benefit all concerned.

Press of Atlantic City Publisher Mark Blums email address is mblum@pressofac.com.
NEW YORK, Jan. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC welcomed the rejection today by the Modern Language Association (MLA) of a resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions. The proposed measure was defeated by a vote of 113 to 79 at the MLA convention in Philadelphia.

"The MLA has firmly repudiated those who try to exploit American colleges and universities to delegitimize the State of Israel," said AJC CEO David Harris. "The MLA today has sent a message to the entire academic community that American and Israeli campuses benefit greatly from academic cooperation and that boycotting Israel, the only democratic nation in the region, and a country which has been seeking peace with its neighbors since its rebirth in 1948, will not be tolerated because it does not in any way advance peace."

Efforts to engage academic associations in supporting punitive measures against Israel are led by the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement.

In June 2014, the full MLA membership rejected a measure to boycott Israel that was narrowly endorsed at its convention six months earlier.

Two leading academic associations, the American Association of Universities and the American Association of University Professors, have long opposed the BDS movement.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


LONDON, Jan. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Puri gained critical acclaim for his well known character roles across the Indian Subcontinent, The UK and Hollywood for films such as Charlie Wilson's War, East is East, The Hundred-Foot Journey, and Bollywood blockbusters like Ardh Satya (Half Truth), Aakrosh (Angry) etc, reports Nugen Media Productions PR team. His journey across various realms of cinema created a living legend who could put life into the most dreary of characters through his own personification of the roles he donned during a career spanning 44 years, and over 300 films.

Om Puri at the Teaser launch of the feature "Solar Eclipse Depth of Darkness" at Dubai International Film Festival 8th December 2016

A highly versatile actor, Mr. Om Puri was awarded India's 4th highest civilian honor 'Padma Shri' and UK's 'Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), the first Indian actor to be thus honored.

Puri was one of the rare bastions of India-Pakistan friendship, at times against the individual political interests of both countries. To his mind, the two countries were nothing but 'The same people separated by the same language'. He played significant roles in quite a few Pakistani films, the last of which was 'Actor in Law'. His role as Pakistan's General Zia-Ul-Haq in the hit film Charlie Wilson's War was specially note-worthy.

Mr. Puri's last Hollywood film 'Solar Eclipse-Depth of Darkness' is a highly anticipated period drama, due for release in 2017. He plays the role of the first Director of Intelligence Bureau of independent India, tasked with saving the life of Mahatma Gandhi, who was assassinated on 30th January, 1948. His last public appearance was during the launch of the teaser of the film at the Dubai Film Festival on the 8th of December, 2016.

Actors and politicians across the world mourned this tragic ending of such a gifted talent. A great actor and human being, Puri shall be remembered through the magic he created in cinema. R.I.P.

Nugen Media Productions PR & News Team - Gaurav Mohindra, [email protected]; +971-553464125

Related Links

Wikipedia

IMDB

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BqzA2VzFGE

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com/.

SOURCE Nugen Media Productions LLC
Iranian media reported earlier Sunday that Rafsanjani was taken to a hospital north of Tehran because of a heart condition. State television broke into programming to announce his death.

By AP: Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a wily political survivor and multimillionaire mogul who remained among the ruling elite despite moderate views, died Sunday, state TV reported. He was 82.

Iranian media reported earlier Sunday that he was taken to a hospital north of Tehran because of a heart condition. State television broke into programming to announce his death.

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Rafsanjani's mix of sly wit and reputation for cunning moves - both in politics and business - earned him a host of nicknames such as Akbar Shah, or Great King, during a life that touched every major event in Iranian affairs since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

His presence - whether directly or through back channels - was felt in many forms. He was a steady leader in Iran's turbulent years after overthrowing the U.S.-backed shah, a veteran warrior in the country's internal political battles and a covert go-between in intrigue such as the Iran-Contra arms deals in the 1980s.

He also was handed an unexpected political resurgence in his later years.

The surprise presidential election in 2013 of Rafsanjani's political soul mate, Hassan Rouhani, gave the former president an insider role in reform-minded efforts that included Rouhani's push for direct nuclear talks with Washington.

Rouhani's victory was also another example of Rafsanjani's remarkable political luck. Rafsanjani was blocked from the ballot by Iran's election overseers - presumably worried about boosting his already wide-ranging influence. But, in the end, many liberals turned to Rouhani as an indirect vote for Rafsanjani.

It came after years of dwindling influence. Another presidential comeback bid was snuffed out by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's surprise victory in 2005 elections, which left Rafsanjani and his powerful clan as fierce critics of Ahmadinejad.

Also read:

Double whammy for Pakistan; Iran fires mortars into Balochistan

--- ENDS ---
London, Jan 3 : A British man has been killed fighting the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Syria, according to officials.

Ryan Lock, 20, from Chichester, West Sussex, travelled to join Kurdish forces known as the YPG in August 2016.

The YPG told the BBC that he was killed on December 21 in Jaeber village in the battle for the Syrian city of Raqqa.

The letter offered condolences to Lock's family, saying his loss had "affected us deeply".

His family said Lock, a chef who had no military experience, was a "very caring and loving boy".
Nay Pyi Taw, Jan 4 : The armed attacks in Myanmar's Maungtaw region were carried out by an extremist group linked with Rohingya Solidarity Organisation which operates in Rakhine state, investigators said on Wednesday.

Myanmar's investigation commission, citing confession of three arrested men, said 12 persons infiltrated into Maungtaw and conducted terrorist training arranged by Havid Tuhar-led Aqa Mul Mujahidin group about five months ago.

After the October 9 attacks, Havid posted propaganda videos calling for the launch of wars in Maungtaw, Xinhua news agency reported.

Th October attacks in the state were different from previous ones in the area.

These attacks were more complicated as they were conspired systematically by terrorists having connection with overseas organisations, and jeopardised the sovereignty of the state.

According to confession of the arrested suspects, some people and organisations from abroad are providing financial aid to the attackers, with the intention of igniting riots and conflicts in the country.

Regarding the external allegations, the commission made special investigation into the accusation and concluded that there were no cases of genocide, religious persecution, rape and torture in the region.

The report said the situation in Maungtaw was gradually returning to normal.

Nine policemen and five soldiers were killed in the October 9 attacks on three border posts in Kyikanpyin, Kotankauk and Ngakhuya in the state. The attacks were followed by some sporadic clashes.

Myanmar government formed a 13-member investigation commission, led by Vice President U Myint Swe, on December 2 to probe the incident.

The commission visited Maungtaw from December 11 to 13, inspecting and investigating in the 10 villages and four security camps where the attacks occurred.

It also allowed the media to access the northern Rakhine state to refute the rumours.

The commission is tasked to formally report to the President by January 31.

A dusk-to-dawn curfew is being imposed in Maungtaw since October 10.
Chennai, Jan 5 : Veteran filmmaker P. Vasu has returned to Tamil filmdom after a gap of five years with horror-comedy "Shivalinga", an eponymous remake of his own Kannada film. He says helming a remake can be very challenging.

"There's a misconception that remakes are easy to make. People assume that remakes work by merely reprising the same set of scenes in a different language with different actors. But remakes can be quite challenging. Sometimes, a remake requires more effort than the original," Vasu told IANS.

His "Shivalinga" stars Raghava Lawrence and Ritika Singh, and it's gearing up for January 26 release.

Talking about the film, he said: "I have made enough changes in the script to suit the sensibility of Tamil audiences. Even though the core remains the same, we've made the Tamil version even more entertaining by bringing in Vadivelu."

Vasu's son Sakthi has played a pivotal role in the film.

Explaining the changes he made in the remake, Vasu said: "In the original, my son's role was underplayed as he shared the screen space with superstar Shivrajkumar. When Lawrence saw the film, he insisted that I extend my son's role as he felt it would work wonders in the Tamil version. He also suggested that we make the film on a grander scale," he said.

The 62-year-old is all praise for his heroine Ritika Singh, who made a stunning acting debut with last year's sports-drama "Irudhi Suttru".

"She is not the regular heroine. I can assure that her performance will be much talked about. Since she's a wonderful performer, I had a bigger responsibility of using her talent wisely," he added.

In the film, a pigeon plays a special role.

"When you watch the film, you will realise the importance of the pigeon's character. We had to obtain special permission from Animal Welfare Board to shoot scenes with the bird," Vasu said.

Lawrence, for the first time in his career, will be seen as a police officer.
Tokyo, Jan 6 : Japan on Friday recalled two top diplomats from South Korea over a controversial statue erected outside its consulate in Busan city, a media report said.

Tokyo would also halt talks with Seoul on a planned currency swap and delay high-level economic dialogue as part of its "initial" response to the statue, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told in a press briefing on Friday.

The statue was erected by a civil group in December and represents "comfort women" -- women who were forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II, CNN reported.

"The fact that the girls' statue was set up has an unfavourable influence on relations between Japan and South Korea, and it is extremely regrettable," Suga said.

The temporary recall involves the Japanese Ambassador to South Korea and the Consulate General of Japan in Busan.

In response, South Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing regret over Japan's decision.

"Our government stresses once again that even if there are difficult issues between the two countries, both governments, based on trust, need to continuously develop the relationship," the statement said.
London, Jan 6 : British Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Donald Trump in the spring following preparatory meetings between key staff from 10 Downing Street and the US President-elect's team, the media reported.

According to a report in the Independent on Friday, May's joint chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill travelled to the US in December to build links with Trump's team ahead of his inauguration on January 20.

"The Prime Minister suggested it would be a good idea for key staff from both teams to meet. President-elect Trump agreed this would be useful," Downing Street said.

"We are pleased to have been able to make that happen and the Prime Minister looks forward to visiting the new President in the spring."

Earlier, May praised Trump as "very easy to talk to", despite having criticised him during the US elections.

The British Prime Minister's compliment formed part of her drive to strengthen ties with the new administration, after a rocky start in which she and other senior Tories tried to move on from previous derogatory comments.

Speaking during a visit to Bahrain, May had said: "He is somebody who very much values the relationship he has with Britain."

During his campaign, when Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the US and claimed parts of London were no-go areas for the police, May as Home Secretary had said that she thinks "he does not understand Britain".
Washington, Jan 8 : The Iraq war veteran who killed five persons at the Fort Lauderdale airport in the US state of Florida "came specifically to carry out this horrific attack", authorities have said.

Esteban Santiago, 26, cooperated with investigators during an interview that lasted several hours overnight, Xinhua news agency quoted George Piro, special agent in charge of the FBI office in Miami, told the media on Saturday.

"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack," the Federal Bureau of Investigation official said.

According to the official, the suspect landed at the airport with the intention of carrying out the deadly attack.

The investigators were probing whether mental illness played a role in the latest shooting rampage on January 6 that also left eight persons injured.

The FBI has not ruled out terrorism, Piro said, noting it was too early to draw a conclusion. "We continue to look at all avenues, all motives."

The suspect, who flew into the airport on Friday afternoon, went to the baggage claim and started firing indiscriminately.

After a round of shooting, Santiago dropped the handgun, lay ground, faced down, spread eagle and waited for being arrested with no resistance, witnesses said.

Aviation passengers in the US, if declared, are allowed to transport unloaded guns and ammunition in their checked baggage, according to the US Transportation Security Administration.

The attack immediately raised alarm over US aviation security, which has already been tightened since 9/11 attacks.

Santiago spent nine years of service in the National Guard which included one 10-month tour of Iraq, the US military confirmed.

His last military assignment was in Alaska where he served as a member of the Alaska Army National Guard until August when he was discharged for unsatisfactory performance.

His relatives said he had a history of mental health problems especially after returning from Iraq and received psychological treatment last year.

"Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn't feeling too good," his uncle Hernan Rivera told the media.
New Delhi, Jan 8 : In a city known as a gastronomical heaven with so many multi-cuisine outlets, it is difficult to find delightful fine diners hinging on the concept of comfort foods. There are a couple of them that now offer such heartening fare, and adding to the lot is the newly-launched Capital Kitchen that has replaced Kafe Fontana at the poolside of the Taj Palace Hotel.

The all-day diner is a confluence of cuisines from across the globe. Its culinary concept is based on the central theme of comfort foods with a menu that invokes a sense of nostalgia and timelessness.

"It has always been our endeavour to be innovative, keeping up with the changing times. We needed a completely new face to the all-day dining offering here. Thus was born Capital Kitchen," Marketing Director Nikita Das told IANS.

"The objective of the new space is to make the restaurant very unpretentious and comfortable with flavourful recipes made from fresh produce and served home-style," she added.

According to the Executive Sous Chef Amit Rana, the primary differentiator of the place is that it breaks away from the traditional hoteliering food and service philosophy.

Rana had visited various parts of the city to get the authentic flavours of street food.

"It was a nice exposure to Delhi's street culinary delights. The city is an eye-opener as it reflects the basic ingredients of food, cooked with the right methodology," Rana told IANS.

The new restaurant is elegant and classy with hues of bronze and copper coupled with burnished brown. With its additional outdoor seating arrangement at the poolside, you can plan a romantic evening of great food and stunning ambience -- if the weather permits.

I started my meal with roma tomato soup that was served with goat cheese crostini and chopped basil. The taste of the broth would have been absolutely perfect without the use of truffle oil that sabotaged the essential tang of the tomato soup.

This was followed by the restaurant's signatures -- cobb salad, fish and chips, lobster roll, chicken bunny chow, and lamprais.

Every dish was an absolute delight to partake of and what one should not miss is the Sri Lankan delicacy lamprais that consists of a large potion of rice, meat and sambol chilli sauce, served on a banana leaf.

The restaurant in reality has a pretty good variety of cuisines with best from everywhere. There was also the very British fried and battered fish and hot chips.

What stood apart among the signature dishes was the traditional South African fare of chicken bunny chow -- a hollowed-out half bread loaf filled with aromatic chicken curry; a wholesome of bun, full of chicken -- that is tasty and extremely filling.

This was followed by the northern Italian rice dish -- wild mushroom risotto. I was hesitant to try the risotto, owing to how it looked but this interesting mixture of ceps and field mushrooms, carnaroli rice, parmesan cheese and truffle tasted nice.

Also tried A RGW fiery chicken, which was not up to scratch, another dish with the unique but unpleasant flavour of truffle oil. For those who enjoy its aroma, it should be a thumbs up.

Dilli Ka Khana: Now was the time to taste the heavenly chole bhature, which is undoubtedly one of the most popular, mouth-watering, spicy and delicious Punjabi recipes.

Saved for the last were the best desserts ever. The last course had scrumptious bites of doodh jalebi, seasonal fruit crumble, nostalgic ice cream sundae, and chocolate indulgence, un minuto la tiramisu.

However, the clear winner was the nostalgic ice cream sundae with its mouth watering ingredients of vanila, chocolate, strawberry ice creams topped with crunchy granola, nuts, fresh seasonal berries and fudge sauce.

Capital Kitchen also boasts of a distinctive bar that will showcase the creative translation of the expat liquid chef Joel Scholtens, the aroma of fresh ingredients, and the smooth harmony of mixing them together -- innovative presentations that invoke all the senses.

Each signature cocktail represents the passion, knowledge and respect for the art of mixology. In addition, cold pressed juices made from fresh produce of organic ingredients are also available for the fitness and health enthusiasts.

FAQs:

Where: Taj Palace Hotel, Sardar Patel Marg

Timings: 24 hours

Meal for two: Rs 4,000 (exclusive of taxes)

(The writer's visit was at the invitation of Capital Kitchen. Mudita Girotra can be contacted at mudita.g@ians.in)
Mumbai, Jan 8 : Bollywood Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has urged parents to teach their sons how to respect women.

Asked about the recent Bengaluru mass molestation, Shah Rukh said: "It is completely wrong. I feel mothers and fathers should teach their sons how to respect women."

SRK spoke to media on Saturday at the Archana Kochhar Show, where he walked as a showstopper. The charity event was held to raise funds for free heart surgeries for 100 children at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital & Medical Research Institute.

"All women as daughters or mothers are close to my heart. It's high time we realise and make sure that they are the most respected people on the planet. They are god's creations. Irrespective of their field, they should be respected," he said.

Bollywood celebrities like Salim Khan, Shekhar Kapur, Akshay Kumar and Farhan Akhtar had earlier strongly condemned the incident that took place during the New Year celebration in Bengaluru.
Washington, Jan 8 : Author Monica Crowley, the US President-elect Donald Trump's pick for a top national security communications role, has been accused of plagiarizing large sections of her 2012 book.

According to CNN, the review of Crowley's June 2012 book, "What The (Bleep) Just Happened", found upwards of 50 examples of plagiarism from numerous sources including copying with minor changes of news articles, other columnists, think tanks and Wikipedia.

The New York Times bestseller contains no notes or bibliography.

Crowley, a syndicated radio host, columnist and, until recently, a Fox News contributor, will serve as Trump's senior director of strategic communications for the National Security Council.

Trump's transition team is standing by Crowley, the report said.

"Monica's exceptional insight and thoughtful work on how to turn this country around is exactly why she will be serving in the administration," a statement from a transition spokesperson said.

Crowley has been accused of plagiarism before.

In 1999, Slate magazine reported that a column by Crowley in the Wall Street Journal mirrored a 1988 article in Commentary, the neoconservative magazine.

The author denied the charge then, saying, "I did not, nor would I ever, use material from a source without citing it."
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) Lt Governor Anil Baijal today emphasised putting in place an implementable parking policy for the national capital at the earliest after he conducted an on-ground reality check of cleanliness status in south Delhis Saket area.

Baijals visit, the first by him after assuming office, comes at a time when thousands of sanitation workers of EDMC are on an indefinite strike demanding payment of their salaries due for three months (October-December).

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Vowing to conduct regular inspections, Baijal said keeping the city and its public spaces clean and ensuring organised parking will be among his priorities.

The LGs inspection is considered to be a part of strict implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission in Delhi.

"The Lt Governor emphasised on having an implementable parking policy at the earliest in the capital with active participation of all stakeholders like DDA, Transport Department, PWD, municipal corporations and police," an official said.

Baijal has also directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to beautify the area and open spaces under flyovers across the city.

The LG has appointed South MCD commissioner as the nodal officer for coordination between various agencies in his jurisdiction for cleanliness and waste disposal-related issues.

After the inspection, Baijal held a meeting with the officers of Delhi Police, DDA, MCD and other agencies concerned and also emphasised on proper solid waste management, removal of garbage and debris from pavements and public spaces.

"LG also directed that the concerned agencies will ensure complete removal of malba from public spaces before releasing payment to the contractors of civil works. This should be a built-in condition of the contracts. In case the contractors concerned do not remove the malba/solid waste, the same would be removed at his risk and cost," a statement issued by the LG office said.

The inspection included visit to BRT corridor, Press Enclave Road, Aurobindo Marg to Ring Road, (Safdarjung Hospital to RK Puram areas) and Outer Ring Road (at Munirka).

After taking charge as the Delhi LG on December 31, Baijal had said he would put in his best efforts on improving law and order situation, women safety, traffic congestion, besides strengthening infrastructure and civic amenities in the city.

"Delhi is a megapolis which has several problems like women safety, law and order, huge population, infrastructure, civic agencies and congestion. We all know about these problems. We will work with elected government to solve them," he had said. PTI BUN ABA KIS

--- ENDS ---
New York, Jan 8 : Symptoms of agitation among patients with dementia can be managed safely by using tablet computers, a new study has found.

The study, published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, builds upon previous studies demonstrating that art, music, and other similar therapies can effectively reduce symptoms of dementia without medication.

By using tablet devices to employ these therapies, however, patients and providers also benefit from a computer's inherent flexibility, the study noted.

"Tablet use as a nonpharmacologic intervention for agitation in older adults, including those with severe dementia, appears to be feasible, safe, and of potential utility," said Ipsit Vahia from McLean Hospital, Massachusetts, US.

"We know that art therapy can work, music therapy can work. The tablet, however, gives you the option of switching from one app to another easily, modifying the therapy seamlessly to suit the individual. You do not need to invest in new equipment or infrastructure," Vahia added.

The use of tablet is safe for every patient, regardless of the severity of their dementia, according to the study that noted that the use of tablets significantly reduced symptoms of agitation among patients with milder forms of dementia.

Citing an example of a Romanian-speaking patient, Vahia explained, "We started showing him Romanian video clips on YouTube, and his behaviour changed dramatically and instantaneously. His mood improved. He became more interactive. He and his medical support team also started using a translation app so that staff could ask him simple questions in Romanian, facilitating increased interaction."
Tokyo, Jan 8 : Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has indicated he will urge South Korea to remove statues symbolising those referred to as "comfort women".

In an NHK TV programme on Sunday, Abe referred to the statue of a seated girl that was installed in front of the Japanese Consulate General in the South Korean port city of Busan last month.

He indicated he would call for its removal, along with another in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.

Abe said both governments have confirmed that a 2015 bilateral agreement resolved the "comfort women" -- women who were forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II -- issue finally and irreversibly.

He said Japan has been sincerely carrying out its obligations under the agreement and has contributed $8.5 million dollars, to a South Korean foundation supporting former comfort women.

Abe said South Korea needs to fulfil its own obligations. He said honouring the agreement is a matter of national credibility, even if the government changes.
Panaji, Jan 8 : An Indian tourist and a German national have been bitten apparently by sea snakes, locally called 'hichan', or some sea creature while swimming off Goa's popular Calangute beach, a lifeguard agency and a hospital told IANS on Sunday.

The two incidents occurred off Calangute beach on Tuesday but were not reported to the police.

"On Tuesday (January 3) afternoon, an Indian tourist was bitten by a hichan. These sea snakes appear close to the shore during winter and some of them are aggressive and sometimes attack," lifeguard Amit, who was on duty at the Calangute-Candolim beach stretch, told IANS.

"We gave him first-aid to treat the bite after pulling him out from the sea," Amit said, adding that lifeguards have also sighted several sea snakes or hichans off the beach over the past few days.

The incident was also confirmed by Prabhakar Pandey, General Manager of the Drishti Beach Management Services, which has been appointed by the Goa Tourism Ministry for lifeguard services on the popularly frequented beaches of the state's 105-km long coastline.

On the same day, German tourist Clare Arni was also bitten by a sea creature, possibly a big fish.

Clare, who was administered 28 stitches to sew up the bite wound on her leg, was swimming beyond the breakers at Calangute beach when the attack took place.

"Clare was admitted to our hospital as an OPD (Out Patient Department) case. It was clearly a wound resulting from a bite by a big fish. She was given the required suturing and medication and later discharged from the hospital as she had to leave for Bengaluru urgently," a spokesperson for Bosio Hospital in Calangute said.

Speaking to IANS Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar confirmed the incidents.

"Both incidents were brought to my notice and I immediately took up the issue with the Drishti Beach Management Services to think of some measures to ensure safety of tourists swimming on Calangute-Candolim beach. It is a tourist safety issue," Parulekar said.
Ankara, Jan 8 : Turkish police on Sunday confirmed the identity of the suspect who attacked the crowded nightclub on the New Year's Eve in Istanbul as an Uzbek national.

Abdulkadir Masharipov arrived in Istanbul from the central Anatolian province of Konya on December 15, 2016, Hurriyet Daily News reported, citing the police as saying.

He was part of an Islamic State (IS) cell in Konya that consists of Uzbeks. They continued to provide logistical support to Masharipov, who was also known as "Ebu Muhammed Horasani".

The attacker remains on the run after escaping the Reina nightclub despite the massive deployment of police to prevent attacks targeting New Year's celebrations.

Masharipov is accused of killing 39 people and injuring 65 others at the club on January 1, although some eyewitnesses said that there were more attackers than one.

According to the investigation carried out by Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was determined that Masharipov has been in Turkey since 2011, Hurriyet Daily News added.

Earlier on Thursday, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said that the shooter was probably Uyghur, a Turkic-speaking ethnic group that inhabits the far west of China, bordering Central Asian republics.

On the other hand, government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus said on the same day that the suspect probably came from Kyrgyzstan, although he did not specify his nationality.
Damascus, Jan 8 : The Islamic State (IS) terror group has withdrawn some 150 fighters in the last 48 hours from the province of Raqqa, its stronghold in Syria, in order to send them to other fronts.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Sunday, the fighters left the city with 20 vehicles loaded with weapons and headed to eastern Syria, Efe news reported.

Meanwhile, a local IS commander was killed in airstrikes carried out by the US-led international coalition in the village of Qusairat Sheikh al-Juma'a, south of Raqqa, the NGO said in a separate statement.
Kathmandu, Jan 8 : Ignoring opposition protests, the Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'-led government in Nepal on Sunday tabled a constitution amendment bill in Parliament aimed at assuaging Madhes-based parties and communities who have been agitating since the statute was promulgated in September 2015.

Law Minister Ajaya Shankar Nayak introduced the bill on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi amidst vociferous protests from members of nine opposition parties, including the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists-Leninists), which oppose the amending measure.

Opposition lawmakers chanted slogans but could not stop Nayak as Speaker Onsari Gharti ruled that in Nidhi's absence, Nayak would table the bill related to elections.

The opposition parties had agreed to a brief sitting to allow the government to table the election bill but did not consent to its continued proceeding.

Immediately after the announcement, Nayak first presented the bill related to the election but did not leave the rostrum. Even as opposition lawmakers were chanting slogans against Nayak, Gharti allowed the Minister to introduce the constitution amendment bill too.

Opposition lawmakers were up in arms against the move but could not approach the Speaker's podium due to tight security.

Both Speaker Gharti and Minister Nayak belong to the Prachanda's CPN (Maoist Centre) party.

"Speaker Onsari Gharti set an unprecedented parliamentary practice by allowing the ruling parties to table the bill. We will continue our protests," said CPN-UML leader Bam Dev Gautam.

The bill is an attempt by the Prachanda-led government to address the demands of agitating Madhes-based political parties who have been calling for changes in constitutional provisions like citizenship, language, making the constitution more inclusive and provincial demarcation.

Since the bill was registered in Parliament on November 29, the main opposition parties have been calling it as "anti-national" and obstructing proceedings.

Nepal's Supreme Court last week held that the constitution amendment process is the prerogative of Parliament and any changes in the constitution through the parliamentary process is valid.

But the government is struggling to secure the required two-thirds support for the bill to secure parliamentary approval as the ruling coalition, comprising the CPN (Maoist Centre), the Nepali Congress and the Madhes-based parties, falls short of the required numbers.

In a tweet afterwards, Gharti said she had tried her best for over a month to seek a way out through consensus and had resumed proceedings within established norms and practices.
Ranchi, Jan 8 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said demonetisation has dealt a blow to terrorism and Left-Wing Extremism in the country.

Inaugurating the Eastern Sector Headquarters of CISF and Residential Complex here, he said many people don't want the poor and tribal people to prosper but misguide and exploit them.

Appealing to the Maoists to quit violence, he said "the government is ready to have a dialogue".

Singh said cyber terrorism is a challenge for the whole world and special preparation is needed to deal with it. The security forces need technical upgradation to deal with this challenge, he added.

The Home Minister said the Indian economy is the fastest developing economy in the world and that India would be among the top three economies of the world in the next 15 years.

Observing that the CISF has "a multi-dimensional role", he said that at present there are 1.45 lakh CISF troopers in the nation and very soon 35,000 more will be recruited.
New Delhi, Jan 8 : A Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Ranjit Singh Nikra on Sunday joined the Congress in Punjab ahead of the February 4 elections to the 117-member assembly.

Nikra, a national political advisor in the Akali Dal and Director of Punjab Agro Food Grain Corporation, has been appointed as Chairman of the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Congress's state unit.

Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh welcomed Nikra, who hails from Patiala, to the party fold, saying this was "another shot in the arm for the Congress and a sign of the total collapse of SAD".
New Delhi, Jan 8 : As part of the drive to unearth black money, the government has asked banks to obtain the permanent account number (PAN) or Form 60 if PAN is not available, from all bank account holders by February 28, 2017, an official statement said on Sunday.

"Income Tax Rules have been amended to provide that bank shall obtain and link PAN or Form No 60 (where PAN is not available) in all existing bank accounts, other than Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (BSBDA), by February 28, 2017, if not already done," a Finance Ministry statement here said.

The ministry advised persons with bank accounts who have not submitted PAN or Form No 60 to submit the same to the bank by February 28, 2017.

This rule, however, will not apply to the BSBDA, which are zero balance savings accounts, including the Jandhan accounts designed to promote financial inclusion, the statement said.

The Reserve Bank of India had, last month, mandated that no withdrawal shall be allowed from the accounts having substantial credit balance or deposits if PAN or Form 60 is not provided in respect of such accounts.

"It has also been provided under the new rules that person who is required to obtain PAN or Form No.60 shall record the PAN/Form No.60 in all the documents and quote the same in all the reports submitted to the Income Tax Department," the statement added.

The ministry also said that banks and post offices had been mandated to submit information in respect of cash deposits from April 1, 2016 to November 8, 2016 in accounts where the cash deposits during the period November 9, 2016 to December 30, 2016 exceeds the specified limits.

The move aims to analyse the banking transactions carried out in months before the demonetisation decision was announced on November 8. On that day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes were no longer legal tender. Citizens were given up to December 30 to deposit the demonetised currency in banks.
New Delhi, Jan 8 : President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday condoled the death of former Portuguese President Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares.

In a message to his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Mukherjee extended his "heartfelt condolences on behalf of the government and people of India", said a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique.

Mukherjee said that Soares will long be remembered as the founding father of democracy in Portugal and as a world figure, deeply appreciated for his contribution to human rights and world peace.

"We, in India, recall his central role in the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Portugal and India in 1974.

I would request you to please convey my deepest sympathies to the bereaved family of President Mario Soares and to the Government and people of Portugal at the loss of this respected leader," he added.

Soares died in Lisbon at the age of 92, it was announced on Sunday.

He was admitted to a hospital in Lisbon two weeks ago where he died on Saturday of respiratory complications, Xinhua news agency reported.

Prime Minister from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, he served as President from 1986 to 1996.
The lifeless bodies of the two villagers were found at the ground of Nungkam Satang Village in Tengoupal District.

By Manogya Loiwal : In a shocking incident, miscreants shot dead two persons in Tengnoupal District,Manipur today. According to reports received from the police the duo has been identified as Otkhomang Gangte (57) village chief of N Gamnom Village and Tipao Haokip ( 51) of the same Village.

The lifeless bodies of the two villagers were found at the ground of Nungkam Satang Village in Tengoupal District.

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Village Chief Otkhomang Gangte was shot in his head while Tipao Haokip was shot in his back.

The reports further said, they were kidnapped by some armed militants at gun point on January 6 from their respective residences.

A team of Moreh Police rushed to the spot to pick up the bodies.

With inputs from Jit Ningomba

ALSO READ: Manipur unrest: Had centre acted on time things would not have escalated, says CM Ibobi singh

Manipur unrest: Had centre acted on time things would not have escalated, says CM Ibobi singh

Manipur: Internet services suspended in West Imphal following chaos

--- ENDS ---
Jerusalem, Jan 8 : Four people were killed and 13 others injured here on Sunday when a truck ploughed into pedestrians in a busy shopping area.

Xinhua news agency quoted Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri as saying that the incident -- which took place in Armon Hanatziv, a popular promenade that overlooks East Jerusalem's Old City -- was a "terrorist attack", although the investigation has yet to be concluded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu however said the perpetrator of the attack was an apparent adherent of the Islamic State.

Palestinian media identified the perpetrator as Fadi al-Qanbar from East Jerusalem's Jabel Mukaber neighbourhood.

At noon, the assailant drove his truck into pedestrians, killing four soldiers, three of them women, and wounding 15 more, Samri said.

Israel's Channel 2 TV news broadcast security camera footage showing the truck driving at high speed off the road and ploughing into the crowd. The truck is seen reversing quickly, apparently attempting to drive over more people, before the driver was shot dead by soldiers.

Addressing a press conference at the site, Netanyahu said: "We know the identity of the attacker, and all signs suggest that he was an Islamic State supporter."

"This is part of the same pattern inspired by Islamic State that we saw first in France, then in Germany and now in Jerusalem," he said.

"This is part of the same ongoing battle against this global scourge of the new terrorism," he said, calling for a global action against these attacks.

Israeli security forces took several "punitive measures", including closing all the exits and entries of Jabel Mukaber.

Interior Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Israel will not transfer the body of the attacker to his family. Israel has been withholding bodies of dozens of attackers and suspects as a measure the authorities say aims to "deter" more attacks.

The attack was one of the deadliest amidst a more than year-long wave of violence. Last June, two gunmen killed four persons at a trendy recreation compound in Tel Aviv.

An ongoing wave of violence in the West Bank and Israel has claimed the lives of at least 235 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since September 2015.

Israeli leaders accuse the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest, while the Palestinians say it is the result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to more than five million Palestinians, where they wish to establish their state.
ISA International Sign Expo 2017 is selling out its tradeshow floor, more than three months before the event opens. ISA International Sign Expo 2017 will be held April 19-22 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

ISA Sign Expo is the largest annual event for the sign, graphics and visual communications industry, bringing together print, digital signs and everything in between. The tradeshow floor at the Mandalay Bay will include more than 210,000 square feet of booth space and include nearly 600 exhibitors. It is expected to draw more than 20,000 attendees. Interested exhibitors may be placed on a waiting list should any additional tradeshow floor space open up.

ISA International Sign Expo 2017 will include popular returning events, including:



Game Changer sessions, which bring together leading thinkers to share game changing business strategies and ideas;

Popular networking events, including the ISA Rocks: The Industry Party; invitation-only targeted receptions; and the business-building ISA Networking Reception for National and Custom Sign Companies; and

Leading educational events on topics designed to help sign, graphics and visual communications companies exploit new ideas, streamline business operations and target weaknesses.

Registration for ISA International Sign Expo 2017 is open at http://www.signexpo.org.

About ISA

The International Sign Association (ISA) represents manufacturers, suppliers, and users of on-premise signs and sign products from the United States and 60 countries around the world. ISA and its Affiliated Associations work to support, promote, and improve the worldwide sign and visual communications industry, which employs more than 200,000 American workers and has an economic impact of $37.5 billion.
Once a piece of deadwood is removed from the targeted tree, it will be chipped up and recycled. Removing deadwood is important to keep your property, and more importantly, your family safe.

Deadwood was at the center of Giroud Tree and Lawn's agenda in a video and full length blog article revolving around the dangers of deadwood in trees. According to the company, deadwood is a dead branch section of branch, still connected to the tree. Homeowners can identify deadwood by looking for areas of a tree that have little or no foliage. Once the leaves are off the tree, an ISA Certified Arborist will be able to detect other warning signs.

The video features Giroud Crew Leader, Billy Santry, who has been with the company for over 27 years. With him are Tree Climbers, Raffy Diaz and Jim Fairfield. In it, the crew works together to remove deadwood safely and efficiently.

The point of the article and video is to make people aware of the dangers that lurk right in their own backyard, says ISA Certified Arborist and Giroud Tree and Lawn President, Lou Giroud. Its pretty easy for clients to spot deadwood when there are bare spots on their trees, but once winter hits, its a whole new ballgame. It takes a trained eye to catch dangerous limbs, making it important to schedule an appointment with a professional.

The blog article explains a variety of reasons why removing deadwood from healthy trees is important:

1. Liability  Deadwood will fall at some point, leaving anything in the falling branch's path susceptible to being damaged or destroyed. This includes lawn damage, property damage, and even personal injury.

2. Declining Tree Health  Once deadwood falls from the tree, the internal structure of the tree is exposed, also known as the heartwood. This exposed heartwood may become susceptible to disease or a number of invasive insects. Giroud claims that once infested with disease or insects, the tree will struggle to stay healthy, but without the proper tree care it may die, leading to a costly tree removal.

Anyone curious about deadwood removal or wanting to set up a free consultation should visit Giroud Tree and Lawns website or call 215-682-7704.

About Giroud Tree and Lawn

Giroud Tree and Lawn specializes in tree service, tree removal and lawn care programs that make customers love doing business with the company since 1974. Serving Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties, the company offers professional tree and lawn evaluation, tree pruning, tree removal, insect and disease control, fertilizing, stump removal and traditional and 100% organic lawn programs to keep lawns healthy and green. Giroud Arborists are certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and have the knowledge and experience required to properly diagnose, treat and maintain trees and lawn health. The company is Accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has been awarded the Angie's List Super Service Award every year since 2005. The Giroud Treework for Charity program donates free tree care services to parks, historical sites and other non-profit organizations located in the Companys service area. For more information, visit the company website at http://www.giroudtree.com or call 215-682-7704.
STABIL, a the leading manufacturer of traction footwear for over 25 years, and the National Park Foundation have partnered to inspire greater participation in conversation of Americas national parks.

For the next four years, STABIL has committed to donate 10 percent of product sales to national parks vendors. Participating national parks vendors and select retailers will also be promoted on the brands website and across STABILs social media channels.

We believe this is going to be a fantastic partnership, said STABIL president, John Milburn. STABIL and the National Park Foundation are both committed to encouraging people to get outside and safely explore this countrys wild places. STABIL is built on a promise to manufacture and operate right here in the United States, and the National Park Foundation is doing incredible work to preserve and protect Americas most significant outdoor landscapes. We are thrilled to work alongside an organization that shares our ethos, and we look forward to supporting and investing in their efforts with the continued success of our products.

STABIL offers the best ice cleats and traction footwear products on the market, emphasizing quality, safety, and durability in all of their products. Its extensive selection of products fits the needs of hikers, runners, outdoor workers, and more.

STABIL products are available for purchase online at stabilgear.com and at select retailers nationwide.

###

About STABIL

STABIL, based in Biddeford, Maine is home to functional and innovative cleats, designed to provide excellent traction on ice, snow, and uneven terrain. They offer an extensive selection of products to fit the needs of hikers, runners, outdoor workers, and more. STABIL products are manufactured in the United States and all of their products are high quality and built to last. For more information, please visit stabilgear.com or email info(at)stabilgear(dot)com

About National Park Foundation:

As the official nonprofit partner if the National Park service, the National Park Foundation focuses on promoting programs and projects that protect landscapes, wilderness, historical sites, and places of cultural significance. To learn more visit: nationalparks.org.

Media contact: Maddy McLean, Junior Publicist, People Making Good, 802.448.5508
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
The BJP government in Haryana has come under severe pressure owing to a number of allegations of corruption in recent times.

By Siddhartha Rai: While the Narendra Modi-led Union government claims to have considerably speeded up road construction compared to the previous Congress regime led by Manmohan Singh, in BJP-ruled Haryana, the Manohar Lal Khattar dispensation is lagging behind the Congress government of his predecessor, Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

BJP government under pressure

Union minister Nitin Gadkari had claimed last year to have accelerated the pace of road construction to an all-time high of 20km a day. He had also promised to increase it to 25km. Moreover, the BJP government in Haryana has come under severe pressure owing to a number of allegations of corruption in recent times.

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READ: Haryana state govt employees in a fix as Khattar govt makes e-transactions compulsory

RTI claims otherwise

According to information furnished in an RTI reply by Haryana's Public Works Department (PWD), the state has got only around 70 km of new road length between 2014 and October 2016. As Khattar took over the CM's office in October 2014, the length of roads built by the BJP dispensation is even shorter.

On the contrary, the RTI reply said, during the last two years of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government, the PWD department was able to lay nearly 270 km of road length. Between 2012 and 2014, Haryana got 269 km of new roads. Between 2014 and October 2016, the reference period of the RTI, the BJP government was able to add a mere 71.65 km.

Moreover, 11 districts of Haryana never received an inch of new roads in the BJP dispensation between January 2015 and October 2016.

READ: SYL canal row: Punjab to ask Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan to pay royalty for using its water

BJP claims Congress left roads in dilapidated condition

The PWD ministry, however, told Mail Today that the past two and a half years had been spent by the government in patching up and repairing old roads which the "Congress had left in a dilapidated condition".

A close aide of PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh said, "The minister himself accepts that no new roads have been built. But he had also declared in the very beginning that new roads were not the focus, but repairing the old ones, which the last government had left in a pretty bad shape.

Blueprints to be made public in March

"On the contrary, we have drawn up a blueprint of new roads which will be built now and the list would be made public in March this year."

Looking at the statistics, between 2012 and 2013, 74 km of new roads were constructed, while in the next year another 195 km of roads were built. These were the last two years of the Congress rule in the state before the 2014 assembly elections.

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BJP made 13.65 km of new roads in 2016

Now look at the BJP period. In 2014-15 only 38 km of road length was added, while in the next year, 2015-16, a mere 20 km was added to Haryana roads. In 2016, till October last year, the BJP government made 13.65 km of new roads.

Meanwhile, the length of roads built in individual districts is even more appalling. For example, between January 2015 and October 2016, 0.24 km was constructed in Bhiwani, 2.35 in Gurugram when most of the state's revenue comes from the Millennium City, 1.2 km in Jhajjar and 1.2 km in Sonepat. RTI activist Harinder Dhingra told Mail Today that while the government had "promised the sky of development" it was "no better than the previous Hooda regime". "Ultimately the state is suffering and along with it the people," he said.

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Much of Western Illinois gets new state representatives in Springfield next week, a mixed-party trio already networking among themselves, other legislators and regional economic development folks, among others.

Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, and Daniel Swanson, R-Alpha, all elected in November, will be sworn in as freshmen members of the 100th General Assembly on Wednesday. They represent the 71st, 72nd and 74th districts, respectively, and as newcomers will be thrown into a quandary not of their making: Illinois is starting a new year without a budget, just as it did a year ago.

It's uncertain when there will be one, given the stalemate between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and a Democratic legislature led by longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan. Meanwhile, state debt continues to climb, with higher education and social services among entities struggling with revenue losses.

"We know what we signed up for, and we're going to own it, and we're willing to work together," said Ms. McCombie, 44, who until recently was the mayor of Savanna.

"The losers are all of us out in the voting land," Mr. Swanson said, noting the uncertainty of such items as emergency services. "There are no winners."

"The immediate thing is to stop the bleeding," Mr. Halpin said.

Mr. Halpin, 37, a Rock Island attorney, is replacing retiring Democrat Pat Verschoore, of Milan, in a district that's long elected Democrats. Mr. Swanson, 57, an Alpha farmer and 23-year Army veteran, replaces retiring Republican Dan Moffitt, of Gilroy, in a solidly Republican district.

Ms. McCombie represents part of a GOP gain in the House. She defeated incumbent Democrat Mike Smiddy, of Hillsdale, one of four seats Republicans picked up to take away Speaker Madigan's "super majority" in the House. That loss might change the head-butting dynamics a bit. That's assuming Mr. Madigan is re-elected to his leadership post, likely a safe bet.

But all three of the region's newcomers say they want to contribute to a culture of communication, and they profess independence from party expectations, despite perceptions to the contrary felt by many about the legislature, partly fostered by the huge campaign contributions from party PACs.

After Thanksgiving, new legislators went through four days of training and orientation in Springfield, learning about the legislative process and meeting their staffs, Mr. Swanson said. It was a chance for newcomers to talk, he said.

"That's one thing we weren't afraid to do, as the freshman class  to talk," Mr. Swanson said. "We haven't been ingrained in that 'don't talk to the other side.' You know, you've got to reach across the aisle."

"I think communication is key," Mr. Halpin said, noting that as an attorney he knows that opposing sides can "settle portions of a dispute before you go to trial. And I don't think the public sphere should be any different. You have to be professional and keep those lines of communication open. ... You can't really make it personal at the end of the day."

"No, you can't," Ms. McCombie said. "And I think if you treat people with respect and are truthful and honest, you're way ahead of the ballgame. I'm not gong to say we're always going to agree, because we're not."

The three met on Thursday with local officials at Renew Moline, one of several recent occasions to network on economic development issues, and Mr. Halpin and Ms. McCombie lingered behind to chat after a photo session. (Mr. Swanson had been interviewed at length earlier.) The bipartisan pair showed an easy rapport with each other, sometimes even completing each other's sentences in agreement on the principles of working together for common interests  regional economic development being foremost  and remaining civil through inevitable disagreements.

"I see my job, I'm not answerable to any one person," Mr. Halpin said, with quick agreement from Ms. McCombie.

"It's the will of the voters, and what's best for the state of Illinois, and honestly no one party has the 100 percent track record on truth, justice and ..."

"And there will be times we're going to have to vote against our party," Ms. McCombie piped in. "We're going to have to vote for things that we don't necessarily, personally feel is necessarily right either. Right or wrong, we're their voice, so we have to represent them. As the mayor, I've had to do that; I've voted for things I didn't necessarily want to, just because it was better. That's a hard vote, but that's what you sign up for, that's our responsibility."

Mr. Swanson agreed that he will "vote my conscience, for my district," He noted that "for the most part, when I'm out visiting with constituents, (Gov.) Rauner has a lot of support in the 74th District. Some districts it may not be quite as much. In the 74th, It's 'governor, hold your ground.' What we've been doing for over 20 years hasn't been working, so it's time for a change."

Among touchstones important to all three, the Rock Island Arsenal is foremost. The island is in Mr. Halpin's 72nd District, but has employees and crucial economic impact for all three districts. The three have met there on a few occasions, and Mr. Swanson, who served three years of active duty at the Arsenal, arranged a tour late last year, including relative Senate newcomer Chuck Weaver, R-Peoria.

"Neil Anderson was going to attend, but he had a fire call, so he couldn't make it," Mr. Swanson said of the Rock Island Republican state senator and Moline firefighter, serving in his first term.

The tour highlighted "a lot of the history, and some of the operations stuff, how massively they reach out to the world in providing services," Mr. Swanson said.

"We talked about trying to bring business in. The Arsenal has space available for offices or some small business to move in. TACCOM moving out opened up some office space. If you're looking for a business that requires security and requires close fire protection, everything's right there at the Arsenal."

"We agree on economic development for our region," Ms. McCombie said.

Illinois and its government don't seem to top many popularity polls these days, but Ms. McCombie said there are a lot of good things, too, and even rancor in the legislature gets overplayed at the expense of agreements that do get accomplished.

"We live here because we love it," she said. "We make our livings here and we raise our families here. Why? Because we can."

She added: "For me, I'm not going to say I'm going to fix the state of Illinois, but I'm certainly going to fight for my district and I'm going to fight for Mike's district and I'm going to fight for Dan's district and Brian Stewart's (R-Freeport) and Tom Demmer's (R-Dixon), those that touch me. And I think if we can concentrate on what's good here and build what we've got, the rest will come."

"There are challenges, but I feel as if we have to stay optimistic," Mr. Halpin said. "Especially as a legislator, once you give up, then you've lost. You have to stay engaged, you have to believe and emphasize the good things about the state and meet the challenges head on."
SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has asserted that he is the president of the party and Akhilesh Yadav is the UP Chief Minister.

By India Today Web Desk: In a fresh move, Mulayam Singh Yadav has asserted his authority over the Samajwadi Party saying that he is still the president of the party.

Mulayam Singh Yadav has been keeping low ever since Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was 'elected' as the national president of the Samajwadi Party at the national convention, whose validity is questioned by the old guard.

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MULAYAM SPEAKS: THINGS TO KNOW In his first press conference after the controversial national convention of the Samajwadi Party on the New Year day, Mulayam Singh Yadav declared that he was still the president of the party. Mulayam Singh Yadav said, "I am Samajwadi Party president, Akhilesh Yadav is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Shivpal Yadav is the state president of the Samajwadi Party." The Samajwadi Party founder said that Ram Gopal Yadav was not a member of the party as he had been expelled for six years. Mulayam Singh Yadav also said that the national convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav was unconstitutional. "Ram Gopal Yadav had been expelled for six years, he was not authorised to call the national convention of the Samajwadi Party," Mulayam Singh Yadav said. Mulayam Singh's assertion follows two days of hectic parleys between the two warring factions in Yadav family and the Samajwadi Party. UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has staked his claim over the party saying that majority of the MLAs, MPs and party office-bearers are with him. Akhilesh Yadav camp has even submitted volumes of documents to the Election Commission to keep poll symbol of the Samajwadi Party for the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. On the other hand, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh are scheduled to present their case before the poll panel tomorrow afternoon. Amar Singh was present in the press conference standing right behind Mulayam Singh Yadav, when the latter stated that he was still the SP chief.

WATCH THE VIDEO

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TVs Jade Robran will join the On-Air team at Adelaide FIVEaa on Afternoons.

15 years as a journalist, most recently with the Seven Network in Melbourne covering the AFL Grand Final, Melbourne Cup Carnival, Australian Open and as a correspondent with Sunrise; Jade will join FIVEaa from January 30.

Jade said This is a dream job and to be coming home to Adelaide, its more than the perfect fit. I love to talk to people. Ive made a profession out of it for the past 15 or so years and now to get to do it with such a beautiful audience, I couldnt be happier. We are going to have a lot of fun on this show I want the program to feel like their show. Well make it and grow it together. Nothing is off limits with me. I want to know what makes people tick.

Craig Munn, FIVEaa Program Director said Were thrilled to have a talent like Jade join the FIVEaa on air team and know she will bring her own experience and passion for South Australia to the afternoon program. Jade will be a strong addition to an already exceptional line up for 2017.

On returning home to South Australia Jade said Im so proud to be a South Aussie and during my time working in Sydney and Melbourne, Ive always sung its praises. The people are the friendliest in the country, the food and wine is the best par absolutely none. I have family in Whyalla and the Riverland and I cant wait to get back to my childhood and show my kids what a great place we live in.

Prior to joining the Seven Network, Jade was a correspondent for the Today Show with Channel 9.
Qatar satellite company EshailSat has announced that its Al Rafidain TV channel is now available on Eshail-1 satellite located at the 25.5 degrees East hotspot covering the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The Iraqi satellite TV channel further adds to the line-up of niche Arabic TV content currently broadcasting via Eshail-1. It showcases Iraqi political, economic, cultural and social identity with a goal to advocate unity among Iraqis, broadcasting programmes that are said to reject intolerance, fight sectarianism and racism, while highlighting the history and tradition of the Iraqi civilisation.We are delighted that Al Rafidain TV Channel has chosen Eshail-1 satellite to reach customers across MENA, said EshailSats president and CEO, Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari. This is a testament to our commitment in promoting Arabic content across the region. With one satellite in operation and a second satellite scheduled for launch in 2017 and a new teleport, we believe that we have the optimum solution for broadcasters and viewers in the MENA region.
The New York Times, January 6, 2017

By Zahra Nader and Mujib Mashal

KABUL, Afghanistan  The teenage girl had barely survived an attempted mob lynching in Kabul. The police responded by forcing her to undergo a virginity examination.

An unproved accusation of adultery had sent the mob chasing the girl and the young man she had been linked to, and the crowd set fire to the car in which the two were found last July in west Kabul. They barely escaped, but the police seemed more concerned about the mobs accusation. They chased her down and arrested her hours later.

Since there was suspicion of sexual relationship, the police sent the girl to forensic medical for virginity test, Fraidoon Obaidi, chief of the Kabul Police Criminal Investigation Department, said after her arrest.

That was months after President Ashraf Ghani had promised rights activists that forensic virginity tests  an invasive examination to check whether the hymen is intact  would be abolished as an official procedure. And it was years after studies and human rights groups had discredited the practice entirely, finding it invalid and tantamount to sexual abuse.



The examination table where female virginity tests are carried out. Many are ordered by police officials upon suspicion of adultery. (Photo: Andrew Quilty/The New York Times) The examination table where female virginity tests are carried out. Many are ordered by police officials upon suspicion of adultery. (Photo: Andrew Quilty/The New York Times)

But the reality is that despite all that, and years of efforts to enact protections for Afghan women and girls, the examinations are still being ordered by officials, compounding the trauma for women who in many cases have been raped or otherwise abused.

The main forensic medical center in Kabul, which also processes cases from other provinces, conducted 42 virginity tests in the first half of 2016, about the same pace as the year before, when it conducted about 80, according to medical records there. The overall number of such tests is certainly higher, given that official records across the country are difficult to track down. One police substation in Kabul sent 26 cases of moral crimes  which include rape cases  to forensic medicine in 2015, and most involved virginity tests.

Asked for comment, President Ghanis office sent a statement saying: The virginity test has been banned. However, its a long-lasting practice used wrongly by law enforcement authorities, especially police. It said that early in 2016, to eliminate the practice entirely, the government asked for a full study of the practice and the socio-psychological impact of this practice on women who go through this.

The statement acknowledged, though, that such tests still happen: However wrong, it is going to take some time to entirely be stopped and removed. But we are determined to change this practice.

The procedures resilience, though, shows a broader problem that a recent report by the United States Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, known as Sigar, expressed concern about. The United States has spent $1 billion on legal reform in Afghanistan, yet the countrys justice sector still remains profoundly biased against women, the report said.

In addition to that spending, the United States added $1 billion for programs in which the advancement of Afghan women was a central point. But many prominent women interviewed for that report said the efforts missed a key component: the support of Afghan men.

Historically, efforts to alter the status of women in a deeply male-dominated culture have drawn strong adverse reactions. That is reflected in widespread and aggressive criticism that working Afghan women say they face, and also in the perception that over all, basic support of womens rights has dropped in recent years.

These programs have raised the expectations of women, but they have left men behind, Adela Raz, Afghanistans deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, was quoted as saying in the Sigar report. This has created tension between genders, because men think as women become more aware, they will cut ties with tradition and the families.

A study by Afghanistans human rights commission found the continuing virginity tests so routine that the justice system was still regularly ordering female victims of domestic abuse who had sought protection in womens shelters to go through the procedure. The commission called the examinations violence against women.

The circumstances of virginity test are never humane, said Soraya Sobhrang, a commissioner at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. In conducting virginity tests, no one asks for the consent of the victim or the suspect  99 percent of the virginity tests are conducted by force and without considerations of its legality.

Virginity tests in Kabul are usually conducted in a small room at the citys main forensic center that looks more like a storage space than an examination facility. A narrow bed is tucked against the wall; several old computers and monitors are stored under it. The window is covered by a black cloth.

Khalil Ahmad Pashtoonyar, the governments deputy director of forensic medicine, insisted that the center never forces women to undergo the examination. If a woman refuses, he said, the facility just sends the file back to the police stating that the subject did not consent.

But that does not speak to the continued pressure within families for women to remain obedient. That culture and tradition is so ingrained that the forensic center gets many cases that have not been forwarded to them by the police.

Newly married couples have arrived at the center after their weddings when the husbands suspected their wives had not been virgins, doctors said. Parents have also brought in young girls who may have damaged hymens so the forensic center can issue a certificate documenting the girls purity for some future husband.

Fear of social devastation has also given rise to underground businesses that promise to repair hymens  for as much $1,500, a large sum in Afghanistan.

In an interview with The New York Times, one woman, who was afraid to allow her name to be used, described how she and her mother had sought the repair procedure to hide from her fiance that she had previously had sex. It is a big deal in Afghanistan, she said. If your hymen is broken, it is finished  you fall into hell.

But the cost was too high, and the woman decided she had to tell her fiance. He called off the engagement and demanded that her family repay everything he had spent on her, she said.

Some women are put through the tests several times.

One girl in northern Jowzjan Province who had run away with a young man was arrested and sent to the hospital for an examination, which showed that her hymen had been damaged, said Humaira Qarizada, the manager of the aid group Women for Afghan Women in Jowzjan. The girl was sentenced to three months in prison, Ms. Qarizada said, but that was not the end of it.

Soon she was released when a second test in the same hospital revealed that she was still a virgin, Ms. Qarizada said.

For the girl who survived the mob attack in Kabul last July and was arrested and ordered to be examined, the test at the forensic medical center showed that her hymen was still intact, according to records at the center seen by The Times.

Still, she was held for 40 days at the childrens detention center, according to her father. (The Times is not using his name because his daughter, who is a minor, could be identifiable.)

He said that the public shame of the mobs accusation forced him to send her away to stay with family in a different province.

On the day she left, he said, the girl wrote him a letter expressing regret, but insisting: I have done nothing wrong.
Russia's propaganda masters didn't expect Trump to win. State media outlets praised him every which way and painted him as a good friend to Russia, unofficially backed by the Kremlin. But the idea was that Trump would be cheated of his victory in yet another example of how great a role Putin plays on the world stage and how unscrupulous the American elite is.
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother Shivpal Yadav are in New Delhi as they prepare to present their case before the Election Commission to stake claim on the party's poll symbol.

By India Today Web Desk: After two days of hectic efforts to call a truce between the warring factions of the Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav are in New Delhi today.

The two leaders will hold consultations before they go to the Election Commission on Monday to present their case.

Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh will meet the Election Commission in order to stake claim on the poll symbol of the Samajwadi Party.

FIGHT FOR SAMAJWADI PARTY POLL SYMBOL: THINGS TO KNOW Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav today left Lucknow for New Delhi to put up their case before the Election Commission, which had asked both the factions to submit the proofs of support to their respective claims. However, in an interesting remark before leaving Lucknow, Mulayam Singh said that 'there are no differences in the party'. Though, he did not elaborate whether he spoke on the behalf of the party faction led by UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh will accompany Mulayam Singh Yadav, when he goes to the Election Commission on Monday. Earlier on Saturday, the Akhilesh Yadav faction met the Election Commissioner Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi. Akhilesh Yadav camp was represented by Ram Gopal Yadav, Surendra Nagar and Sunil Sajan at the Election Commission. They submitted an affidavit mentioning the Samajwadi Party leaders supporting Akhilesh Yadav faction. In Lucknow, hectic parleys were held in both the camps. The Mulayam Singh supporters went into a huddle on Saturday after Shivpal met Akhilesh on Friday night.

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Back in November we teased out some photos of a brand-new American pistol by a brand-new American company: The H9 by Hudson Manufacturing. Since then Hudson has been slowly leaking and rolling out more pictures and information through both their webpage and their social media channels, but never giving up the entire ghost. On Monday, January 9th (a fitting day for a pistol with a 9 in the name), the Hudson Mfg webpage will go live, giving you all the goods.

But you don't have to wait until thenyou get a sneak peak at the full reveal. Today RECOIL is pleased to share with you some exclusive photos of the final production model of the H9. We've also included some photos of prototype testing to go along with them.

We'll show you more during (and after) SHOT Show 2017.

[Click on Any Image to Start Gallery View]



This coming Monday, be sure to head over to the Hudson Mfg webpage here. But of course, we're not done yetin our upcoming issue (RECOIL #29) we'll have a full featured review and breakdown of the H9 and the creators behind it. We've seen everything that went into the design and production of the pistol, and shot it for ourselves. Stay tuned.

Hudson Mfg will also be exhibiting at the 2017 SHOT Show in Las Vegas (booth 1118), and is a sponsor at Industry Day at the Range.

In the meantime, you can follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

More about Hudson Mfg, in their own words:

Headquartered in Temple, TX, Hudson Mfg. is a veteran and woman run small business producing the new and innovative Hudson H9 pistol. The flagship product, the Hudson H9, is a unique and original design combining the features and benefits of some of the most successful products in the firearms industry. Hudson Mfg. is a company comprised of passionate and experienced subject matter experts from across the firearms industry.

What is the NSSF SHOT Show?

The NSSF SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show) and Conference is an annual event held by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Typically attended by thousands of people from all 50 states and over a hundred countries, it is (quite rightfully) described as the world's premier exposition of combined firearms, ammunition, law enforcement, cutlery, outdoor apparel, optics, and related products and services.

Imagine the Worlds' Fair, but packed with everything from mini-guns and every breed of body armor, bows and boots; from eye pro and ear pro to optics and ordnance, socks to swordsyou get the idea. If you'd like to see a sampling of the companies who will be showing at this year's SHOT, there's a live map right here, though it doesn't reflect the organizations set up elsewhere, in hotel suites, etc

View imagery from our coverage of last year's SHOT Show here; 2015's is right here.

SHOT 2017 Schedule

January 15  Special invite-only events; Veterans Training Fund/Wishes for Warriors at The Ranch, SIG Sauer Range Day, and others

January 16  Media on the Range, Boulder City Rifle & Pistol Club

January 17  20, 2016

Sands Expo and Convention Center

Las Vegas, Nevada

Hours

Tuesday, January 17 8:30 a.m.  5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 18 8:30 a.m.  5:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 19 8:30 a.m.  5:30 p.m.

Friday, January 20 8:30 a.m.  4:00 p.m.
The Pydhonie police in south Mumbai has arrested three people in connection with the murder of an elderly man.

By Saurabh Vaktania: The Pydhonie police in south Mumbai have claimed to solve the murder case of a 72-year-old man and arrested three people including the sister-in-law of the deceased.

The victim Iqbal Darvesh used to live alone at his Sai Manzil residence in Masjid Bandar and was found dead on Saturday night.

Iqbal was the elder son of Jenabai Darvesh famously known as Jenabai Daruwali. She was Mumbai's first lady don.

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Iqbal owned a salon and a hotel in south Mumbai while his sons are married and stay in different parts of Mumbai.

Iqbal's burial was done on Sunday afternoon.

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED The incident came to light when a salon staff had gone to Iqbal's residence on Saturday to inquire why the senior citizen did not visit the salon in the morning. On reaching the spot, police officials found the TV switched on while Iqbal was lying dead. According to the cops, Iqbal's legs were tied and a cloth was stuffed into his mouth and a gold ring and Rs 15,000 belonging to the elderly man were missing. After speaking to Iqbal's friends and relatives the police came to know that Iqbal's sister-in-law Rahat used to visit him often. The police said that there was some tension within the family and Iqbal had divorced Rahat's sister few years back. The police team received a tip off about Rahat Pathan's (24) whereabouts and laid a trap to nab her. The cops also arrested two others - Muzzamil Sheikh (26) and Mustafa Khan (28). "We have arrested three accused in the case. They have confessed to the murder. However, there are others involved in the murder, who are yet to be arrested," said DCP Dyaneshwar Chavan. All the three accused were produced in the Killa court and further investigation is underway. Police have learnt Rahat was arrested in robbery case few years back as well. Iqbal had helped bail her out of jail. According to sources, initial prove reveals that the motive behind the murder was robbery. However, the cops are not ruling out the possibility of internal personal dispute within the family.

ALSO READ | Business man murdered over love affair in Mumbai's Santacruz

Delhi police solves murder case of Defence Colony elderly

--- ENDS ---
While many colleges sent out welcome letters to incoming students in the past few weeks, none have gained as much attention as the welcome that students from the University of Chicago received.
Cycle, the symbol of Samajwadi Party, faces the threat of being frozen before the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls if the Election Commission is not able to decide which of the two factions of the party commands majority in the organisation.

After the split in the party last week, the factions led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh had approached the Commission staking claim over the party and the symbol.

Both the sides had also submitted some documents to further their claim and the Commission has given them time till Monday to provide signed affidavits of legislators and office bearers to claim control over the partys name and symbol.

The side which has the support of majority (50 per cent plus 1) members of Parliament, legislative assembly and council and delegates will gain an upper hand in the fight to control the party founded 25 years ago.

The Commission, sources said, will have to decide on who commands the majority in SP before January 17 when the notification for the first phase of assembly polls is issued.

The election for phase one is on February 2.

With the notification, the process of filing nominations will begin. Candidates from Mulayam and Akhilesh camps cannot fight election on cycle symbol at the same time, therefore, the EC will have to take a call on the issue before that date.

No feud in our party: Mulayam Amid the ongoing power tussle in the ruling family of Uttar Pradesh, Samajawdi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday asserted that there was 'no dispute' in the party. Mulayam, along with Shivpal Yadav, on Sunday morning met party workers at the SP headquarters in Lucknow. When asked about the ongoing tussle within the family and party, Mulayam said, "Hamari party me koi vivad nahi hai (There is no dispute in our party)." He later, along with Shivpal, left for New Delhi, where he is likely to visit Election Commission for staking claim on the party's 'cycle' symbol. The Mulayam camp is likely to submit its set of affidavits on Monday, the deadline set by the EC for both the sides to submit documents before it decides on which side to be allotted the cycle symbol after the split in SP was formalised on January 3. On Saturday, the Akhilesh faction submitted to the EC affidavits which it claimed to have signatures of 90 per cent of legislators and delegates, including over 200 of the 229 MLAs. On reports that Mulayam got his room locked at the party office and put up his and Shivpal's name plates, SP state chief (Akhilesh faction) Naresh Uttam said, "Their name plates were never removed." To another question, he said, "Akhileshji is our national president and we will contest polls under him. He was made president at national convention."

These will be days of fast-paced developments. January 17 is still far...yes, if both sides claim support of equal number of legislators and office bearers and EC is unable to take a final decision, an interim order can be passed ... freezing the symbol is one such option available, a source said.

Another source said if the two sides are willing to settle issue fast, EC can arrive at a conclusion before January 17.

According to the sources, if elections are imminent, then the poll body does not have the time to verify the legislative majority of both factions. In such a situation, it can pass an interim order asking both sides to pick a new party name and symbol.

This happened in the case of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, a recognised state party in 2011. Both factions laid claim to the symbol chair.

The poll panel had then approved Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) with the symbol cup and saucer for one group led by Trivender Singh Pawar and Jantantrik Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and kite as the new name and symbol for the faction led by Diwakar Bhatt.
At least four soldiers were killed as a truck rammed into a group of soldiers on a promenade in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of East Jerusalem.

The Times of Israel quoted Police chief Roni Alsheich as calling the incident a vehicular terror attack.

The incident happened when the soldiers were getting off a bus at the promenade.

Police said the driver of the truck accelerated as he rammed into the group.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted as saying by news agencies that the attacker was an Islamic State 'supporter'.

According to the Magen David Adom rescue service, the four soldiers who died were in their 20s and included three women and one man.

At least 15 people were injured in the incident.

Israeli Police confirmed that the driver of the truck had been neutralised and his identity is being investigated.

IMAGE: Israeli security forces work at the scene of a truck ramming incident in Jerusalem on Sunday. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the Indian diaspora to first develop India by investing and contributing its expertise in the land of its origin.

"To me, FDI means First Develop India through Foreign Direct Investment, whose norms have been fully liberalised for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and made on par with domestic firms for availing same benefits," Modi said.

Modi exhorted the diaspora to participate in the government's flagship programmes like Digital India, Make In India, Start-up India, Swacch Bharat and Namami Gange for the country's all-round development.

Asserting that engaging with the overseas Indian community was a priority area for him, the Prime Minister said the government was trying to convert 'brain drain' into 'brain gain' by inviting the diaspora to contribute towards making India strong and self-reliant.

For young Indians seeking jobs abroad, Modi said his government would soon launch a skill development programme. "We will shortly launch a skill development programme, the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana, targeted at Indian youth seeking overseas employment" he said.

Modi also appealed to all persons of Indian origin living the world over to convert their PIO cards into Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card at the earliest.

"We are working on new procedures to ensure all descendants of Indians, especially their fourth and fifth generations living in Fiji, Suriname, Guyana and Caribbean states to become eligible for OCI cards," Modi said.

Clarifying that the government does not see the colour of the passport but the blood ties, the Prime Minister said the PIO card superseded the individual's passport as far as his or her ties to India were concerned. "We don't see the colour of the passport but the blood ties", Modi said to huge applause.

Modi urged the diaspora to avail of the six-month extension to surrender banned notes till June 30. "We have made arrangements at airports for NRIs to declare on arrival the old notes they are carrying and submit them to the RBI in exchange for new notes or crediting them to their bank accounts," he said.
Amid brewing differences with the Congress-led government, Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi has announced that she would demit office in May next year on completion of two years.

"I will demit office on May 29, 2018, when I complete two years in Puducherry," Bedi told ANI.

The Lieutenant Governor's statement comes days after the Congress MLAs sought Centre's intervention complaining Bedi's style of functioning in the backdrop of her cancelling a circular issued by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.

Earlier on Thursday, Bedi declared a circular issued by Narayanasamy, banning the use of social media applications such as Facebook and WhatsApp for official communication, as 'null and void', stating that such an order falls in contravention of guidelines and rules and policies.

'If Puducherry has to be a progressive UT, it cannot be retrograde in communications. Hence @CM_ Puducherry's order stands cancelled:@PMOIndia (sic),' she tweeted.

The notification issued by the chief minister on December 2 last year directed all government employees to desist from using social media for official works, stating that the server of these multinational companies is based outside the country.

The circular also noted that any foreign country can get the official communication and upload the documents therein.

The BJP leader and former IPS officer was appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry in May last year.
The Prime Minister appreciated the proactive approach of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help those in distress.

By Kritika Banerjee: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address at the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Bengaluru, recognised the proactive approach of Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in assuring help to those in distress.

"Sushma Swaraj has been proactive and prompt in reaching out to distressed Indians abroad using social media," the Prime Minister told the gathering.

Barely few hours before the pat from the Prime Minister came, Sushma Swaraj was busy replying to a tweet that informed her about "1500 Indians stuck at Istanbul airport for past 30 hours".

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Due to heavy snow, more than 500 flights to and from Istanbul had been cancelled, and as one tweet alleged the "Turkish airport authorities were not cooperating".

Please extend all help to Indians stranded in Istanbul. https://t.co/szbuHJnNJt Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 8, 2017

The minister, as always, was prompt in her response. "Please extend all help to Indians stranded in Istanbul," she tweeted.

ALSO READ: Hyderabad: MBA degree holder sentenced to 300 lashes in Saudi Arabia, kin seek Sushma's help

ALSO WATCH

THE GUARDIAN ANGEL

Since taking charge as the External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj has been the go-to person for Indians stranded abroad as well as for foreigners who are either stuck in India or want to visit the country but cannot do so due to various issues.

I have asked for a report from Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/08JD6SjJW6 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 6, 2017

A few days ago, a resident of Ghana who was in India for his daughter's treatment, wrote to Swaraj requesting extension of visa for his wife and daughter. SushmaSwaraj once again played the guardian angel to the family, and wrote, "Please do not worry. We will extend your visa as per medical advice".

Please do not worry. We will extend your visa as per medical advice. https://t.co/2jD7Kv5ObF Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 8, 2017

The minister had won people's hearts when she responded to the safety concerns raised by the convenor of a Pakistan-based peace forum whose members were in India to perform at a youth festival in Chandigarh. Assuring safe return, Swaraj had said, "There are no borders for daughters. They belong to all".

Earlir, Swaraj played a pivotal role in bringing Geeta, the speech and hearing impaired girl who had crossed over to Pakistan when she was seven or eight year old, back to India in 2015.

Geeta will be back in India soon. We have located her family. She will be handed over to them only after the DNA test.#Geeta Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) October 15, 2015

ALSO READ:

No borders for daughters: When Sushma reached out to scared Pakistani girls in India

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41 Indian sailors stranded in leaking ships in UAE, Sushma Swaraj assures help

PRAISE FROM OPPOSITION

The External Affairs Minister's work has earned her praise from the Opposition as well. "As a minister, her response has been outstanding," Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) Baijayant Panda had said in Lok Sabha a few months ago.

Some friends have also offered their kidneys for my transplant. I have no words to express my deep sense of gratitude towards them. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 17, 2016

During the same session, Aam Aadmi Party's Bhagwant Mann also lauded her efforts. "Recently, 13 people of my constituency were made slaves in Saudi Arabia. I went to meet External Affairs Ministry officials who acted immediately. As a result, all these people and eight others were saved and finally returned safely," the AAP leader had said.

At a time when Parliament has turned into a fierce battleground between the government and the Opposition, this rare display of encouragement had prompted Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to say: "There is no question, but only thanks".

(with inputs from IANS)

ALSO READ:

India to bring back 10,000 workers from Saudi Arabia: Sushma Swaraj

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I want to help Sushma Swaraj: AIIMS flooded with kidney donation offers

ALSO WATCH

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By Press Trust of India: Kathmandu, Jan 8 (PTI) In a historic verdict, Nepals apex court today ordered the removal of the countrys anti-corruption head from his post, saying that he did not meet qualifications required to hold the powerful post.

The Supreme Court verdict removing Lok Man Singh Karki from the top position said he did not meet qualifications required to hold the position of the Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, the Himalayan Times reported.

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Karki was appointed to the position in May 2013 by the then Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi-led interim council of ministers for a tenure of six years.

In response to a number of writ petitions filed by advocate Om Prakash Aryal, a full bench of justices Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Kumar Sinha gave the historic verdict .

Aryal in his writ had argued that Karki did not possess all the qualifications required for the position as provisioned in the Interim Constitution, which was in effect during the time of his appointment.

The verdict has observed that Karki failed to meet the criteria as mentioned in Articles 119.5c and 119.5e of the Constitution.

"All activities related to his appointment including the Constitutional Councils decision on May 5, 2013 to recommend Karki, who did not have qualifications as mentioned in the Constitution, for the position of the Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the oath that the Chief Justice administered on him on May 8, 2013 have been quashed by this order of certiorari," the verdict read.

"Now, a mandamus order has also been issued in the name of the Constitutional Council and the Presidents Office among the defendants to appoint a person meeting constitutional qualifications to the position of the Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority," it said.

The Court has explained that Karki did not have high moral standards as he was proved guilty of suppressing the 2006 Peoples Movement by the investigation commission led by former justice Krishna Jung Rayamajhi. His experience in civil service was also not sufficient to hold the top position.

Likewise, his experience in accounting, revenue, engineering, law, development and research was also not sufficient to hold the top position, the court observed, as his service in the palace could not be counted for the same, the report said.

Leaders of civil society and political parties, as well as media had been questioning the Constitutional Councils decision to appoint Karki to the top post since the day of his appointment. PTI AJR ASK AJR

--- ENDS ---
A look back on all of our reporting of the Delphi murders since 2017
On January 7, 1977, a short and humble text appeared in the pages of some of the largest Western newspapers, including The New York Times and Le Monde. Written in Prague, Czechoslovakia a few days earlier, it was read out and discussed in the original Czech that day on the airwaves of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America. Both broadcasters were officially banned in communist Czechoslovakia at the time -- as was the text itself, which circulated in samizdat or self-published form only. The authors and the 242 original signatories called the text Charter 77, and their demands were modest: that the government respect human rights as stipulated in the countrys own constitution and in international agreements like the 1975 Helsinki Accords, and that citizens be free from persecution and fear of persecution for expressing their opinions.



The governments response was swift and brutal. Those associated with the charter were called traitors and imperial agents; many of them were imprisoned, dismissed from their jobs or university studies, spied on, and threatened. Over the next 12 years, the Charter 77 dissidents wrote thousands more pages describing the kind of society they wanted to live in, and they gathered more signatures, all at great personal cost.



Finally, in 1989, the Velvet Revolution brought a peaceful end to the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. One of the brightest luminaries of the Charter 77 movement, playwright Vaclav Havel, served as the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of an independent Czech Republic.



Although most of the leaders and signatories of Charter 77 were men, women participated at every level of the movement, and not just as errand runners and menial helpers (although they managed those less glamorous tasks as well). In some ways, the culture of Charter 77 reflected the prevailing attitudes and assumptions about men and women in Czechoslovakia at the time; in other ways, it was very progressive and explicitly egalitarian.



This project profiles three of the women who signed Charter 77, and two women who have been influenced by the movement to affect change in their own countries, but it is a tribute to them all.
The United States plans to send 300 Marines to the southern Afghan Province of Helmand to help train and advise local security forces.

Brigadier General Roger Turner told journalists on January 8 that it will be the first Marine deployment to Helmand since 2014 when the United States announced the end of its combat role in Afghanistan.

Turner said Washington viewed the Helmand deployment as "a high-risk mission."

The Pentagons decision was swiftly welcomed by Afghan officials. "The U.S. deployment is important. This will increase our capacity in fighting terrorism," Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish said.

The AFP news agency quoted Rasul Zazai, an Afghan National Army spokesman in Helmand, as saying: "We really need air support in Helmand. I hope they support our air force, since we don't have enough air power in Helmand."

Local officials estimate the Taliban controls 85 percent of the poppy-growing province, up from just 20 percent a year ago.

The Taliban issued a statement the same day describing the new deployment, which will be made sometime this spring, as one of the "final failed efforts" by outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama.

U.S. and NATO-led forces formally ended their combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014 but thousands of troops remain in the country, where they train and assist Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations against groups like Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters
By Press Trust of India: From Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Jan 8 (PTI) In a historic verdict, Nepals apex court today ordered the removal of the countrys anti-corruption head from his post, saying that he did not meet qualifications required to hold the powerful post.

"The Supreme Court has concluded that he (Lok Man Singh Karki) is not qualified for the position and annulled his appointment," said Biswaraj Poudel, the court spokesman.

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The Supreme Court verdict said Lok Man Singh Karki did not meet qualifications required to hold the position of the Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority.

Karki was appointed to the position in May, 2013 by the then Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi-led interim council of ministers for a tenure of six years.

In response to a number of writ petitions filed by advocate Om Prakash Aryal, a full bench of justices Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Kumar Sinha gave the historic verdict .

Aryal in his writ had argued that Karki did not possess all the qualifications required for the position as provisioned in the Interim Constitution, which was in effect during the time of his appointment.

The verdict has observed that Karki failed to meet the criteria as mentioned in Articles 119.5c and 119.5e of the Constitution.

"All activities related to his appointment including the Constitutional Councils decision on May 5, 2013 to recommend Karki, who did not have qualifications as mentioned in the Constitution, for the position of the Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the oath that the Chief Justice administered on him on May 8, 2013 have been quashed by this order of certiorari," the verdict read.

"Now, a mandamus order has also been issued in the name of the Constitutional Council and the Presidents Office among the defendants to appoint a person meeting constitutional qualifications to the position of the Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority," it said.

The Court has explained that Karki did not have high moral standards as he was proved guilty of suppressing the 2006 Peoples Movement by the investigation commission led by former justice Krishna Jung Rayamajhi. His experience in civil service was also not sufficient to hold the top position.

Likewise, his experience in accounting, revenue, engineering, law, development and research was also not sufficient to hold the top position, the court observed, as his service in the palace could not be counted for the same, the report said.

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Leaders of civil society and political parties, as well as media had been questioning the Constitutional Councils decision to appoint Karki to the top post since the day of his appointment. PTI AJR/SBP ASK UZM

--- ENDS ---
The commander of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hossein Salami, warned protesters that October 29 would be their last day of taking to the streets.

"Do not come to the streets! Today is the last day of the riots," Salami was quoted as saying by state media.



Iran has been gripped by protests triggered by the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of Tehrans morality police.



Since Aminis death on September 16, thousands have been demonstrating across the country against the clerical establishment.



Protests were reported on October 29 at several universities across the country where students chanted, Death to the dictator, and, Woman, life, freedom.



Iran has blamed its foreign enemies and their agents for the unrest.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) posted videos on Twitter showing protests at several universities. One of the protests showed people holding hands in a large circle and chanting: "If we don't unite, we will be killed one by one."

HRANA said 272 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of October 28, including 39 minors. Some 34 members of the security force have also been killed and nearly 14,000 people have been arrested, it said.

The Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights also posted a video of a protest at a university campus and said that in the city of Arak state security forces fired tear gas as mourners gathered for the funeral of Mehrshad Shahidinejad, a young aspiring chef who reportedly was killed after being arrested during a protest.

The IRGC warning on October 29 came as the United Nations expressed "increasing concern" about reports of deaths in the antiestablishment protests in Iran.

"We condemn all incidents that have resulted in death or serious injury to protesters and reiterate that security forces must avoid all unnecessary or disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York on October 28.

Those responsible must be held to account, he said, adding that the UN was urging Tehran to address the legitimate grievances of the population, including with respect to womens rights.

The United Nations urged the Iranian government in Tehran to respect human rights, noting that the crisis can and should be brought under control through dialogue.

In a separate statement, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also expressed concern about "rising fatalities and injuries" to protesters in Iran.

"Its essential that unfettered access to health care is provided to those in need, [including] the appropriate use of medical vehicles, facilities & the ability of health workers to help patients," WHO chief Tedros said on Twitter on October 28.

Protesters clashed again with security forces on October 28 in Zahedan, a city in southeastern Iran were dozens of people were killed in clashes four weeks ago during anti-government protests.

Activists posted videos on social media showing protesters in the city calling for the death of "dictator" Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and against the Basij militia, which has played a major role in a crackdown on the demonstrations.

The United States and Albania will hold an informal UN Security Council gathering on November 3 that will focus on the protests in Iran, according to a note outlining the event seen by Reuters. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and Iranian-born actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi are set to address the gathering.

"The meeting will highlight the ongoing repression of women and girls and members of religious and ethnic minority groups in Iran," the note said. "It will identify opportunities to promote credible, independent investigations into the Iranian government's human rights violations and abuses."

Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, is also due to address the meeting, which can be attended by other UN member states and rights groups.

"The meeting will underscore ongoing unlawful use of force against protesters and the Iranian regime's pursuit of human rights defenders and dissidents abroad to abduct or assassinate them in contravention of international law," read the note about the planned meeting.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a dominant figure in the country's politics for decades, has died from heart failure, state media report. He was 82.

Iranian media said on January 8 that Rafsanjani had been admitted to the Shohadaa hospital in northern Tehran because of a heart condition.

State TV later announced that "unfortunately, the doctors' effort was not successful and he passed away."

Rafsanjani's body was later transferred to the Jamaran prayer hall, where politicians and religious figures gathered to pay their last respects.

The government announced three days of mourning, and a funeral was expected to be held on January 10.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful figure, said political differences never overshadowed decades of "friendship" with Rafsanjani.

President Hassan Rohani wrote on Twitter, "The soul of the great man of the [Islamic] Revolution, symbol of patience and resistance, has gone to Heaven."

Rafsanjani was regarded as a "pragmatic conservative," open to improving ties to the West.

He headed the Expediency Council, a body that is intended to resolve disputes between the parliament and the Guardians Council -- an unelected constitutional watchdog.

Rafsanjani was also a member of the Assembly of Experts -- Iran's top clerical body, charged with appointing, and if required dismissing, the country's supreme leader.

He served as president from 1989 to 1997. During his two terms in office, he consistently tried to promote reforms, a free-market position domestically, and supported a moderate position internationally.

However, Rafsanjani was accused by some Iranian reformers of involvement in the killing of liberals and dissidents during his presidency -- charges he denied.

He was also named by prosecutors in Argentina among the Iranian officials suspected of links to a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.

Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that Rafsanjani was at least "aware" if not involved in "many human rights tragedies," including the slaying of the dissidents in Iran.

"Therefore, his human rights records are by no means positive," Ebadi said.

However, Ebadi pointed out that Rafsanjani "came closer to people" later in his political career and "started to say things that people wanted to hear."

Government Critic

Rafsanjani ran again for president in 2005, but lost to Mahmud Ahmadinejad, the then relatively little-known mayor of Tehran. After the election defeat, Rafsanjani became openly critical of the president.

After Ahmadinejads reelection in the disputed 2009 vote, Rafsanjani came under pressure by hard-liners after calling for the immediate release of political prisoners and freedom of the press.

The electoral dispute led to eight months of violent street protests.

Some of the members of Rafsanjani's family have also made the headlines.

Rafsanjanis daughter Faezeh was arrested in 2012 on charges of "antigovernment propaganda" during the 2009 vote. She spent six months in prison, a sentence seen as aimed at Rafsanjani.

His son Mehdi was also arrested in 2012 and sentenced to 10 years on corruption and security charges.

Rafsanjani sought to run for the 2013 presidential election but Iran's election overseers rejected his candidacy, citing his advanced age.

Rafsanjani delivered crucial support for the eventual winner, Rohani, a moderate with whom he had a warm rapport.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, the BBC, and dpa
Iraqi forces battling the Islamic State (IS) militants in Mosul say they have reached the eastern bank of the Tigris River, a major step in a U.S.-backed offensive to retake the city from IS.



Units of Iraq's elite Counterterrorism Service (CTS) have fought their way to the eastern bank of the Tigris, spokesman Sabah al-Numan said on January 8.

CTS forces already control the Tigris to Mosuls south, but IS still controls the city's entire western half.



CTS forces also clashed with IS fighters near a historic site in eastern Mosul, Iraqi Army officer Abdelwahab al-Saadi said.



"This morning CTS troops advanced in two directions towards the Baladiyat and Sukkar districts," Saadi said on January 8.



The CTS is part of a 100,000-strong force backed by U.S. air power of Iraqi troops, Kurdish fighters, and Shi'ite militias fighting to drive IS out of Mosul.



The offensive to recapture Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, was launched on October 17.



Mosul is the last major urban center in Iraq still controlled by IS, which seized around a third of the country in 2014.

The Iraqi forces' advances in Mosul come as IS claimed responsibility for attacks on two Baghdad markets that killed at least 20 people.



A car-bomb blast killed 13 people and injured around 50 at a vegetable market in the Jamila district on January 8, police said.



Just hours later, seven people were killed and some 12 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at another market in the Baladiyat district, officials said.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
Russia launched more kamikaze drones on infrastructure and civilian targets in southeastern Ukraine, officials said on November 4, as extensive damage to the power grid left millions of Ukrainians without electricity, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to accuse Moscow of "energy terrorism."

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Valentyn Reznichenko, the governor of the Dnipropetrovskov region, said the Ukrainian military destroyed eight Iranian Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones in the region's southern Nikopol district.

"Our air defense did a great job this night. Eight enemy Shaheds downed," Reznichenko wrote on Telegram. It was the second day in a row that Nikopol was targeted by Russian drones.

Reznichenko said Russian troops also pounded four settlements in the same district -- Myrivska, Chervonogrigorivska, Marganetska, and Nikopolska -- with Grad rockets and artillery fire, damaging a gas pipeline and a power line and destroying residential buildings.

Russian troops regularly bombard the Dnipropetrovsk region, one of Ukraine's steelmaking hubs, with various types of weapons.

Moscow denies its attacks on civilians in Ukraine.

Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on November 3 that millions of Ukrainians were temporarily without power due to the Russian attacks.

"Tonight, about 4.5 million consumers have been temporarily disconnected from energy consumption," Zelenskiy said. "The very fact that Russia is resorting to energy terrorism shows the weakness of our enemy. They cannot beat Ukraine on the battlefield, so they try to break our people this way."

Russia has been targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure and other civilian buildings with missile, drone, and artillery attacks for several weeks amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has driven Russian troops out of the northeast and pushed them back in the east and southeast.

Over the past days, however, despite heavy fighting, there has been no significant change on the ground on the eastern and southern Ukraine fronts, with preparations building for a fight over the southern city of Kherson.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accused Moscow of forcibly deporting Ukrainian citizens from Kherson to Russia.

"The Russian occupation administration has begun mass forced relocation of residents of the left bank [of the Dnieper River] of the Kherson regionto the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea or the Russian Federation," the ministry said in a statement on November 3.

Similar deportations are also being carried out by Russia in the Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions, as well as in Crimea, the ministry said.

Russia in September proclaimed to have seized the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, and Donetsk following referendums condemned by Kyiv and the West as shams.

Volodymyr Saldo, the Russia-appointed head of Kherson, announced on October 31 an expansion of what Russia has called the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens. Saldo said he was moving people further into the region or to Russia because of the risks of a "massive missile attack."

Just three days earlier, the Russian-installed officials announced that the evacuation process in Kherson region had ended.

Kyiv reiterated on November 3 that it saw the move as a "deportation." It also said reports continue to circulate about the alleged mining of the Nova Kakhovska hydroelectric power plant by Russian troops.

Zelenskiy previously said that Ukraine suspects Russia has mined the dam and units of the power plant on the Dnieper River, and that if it were blown up, more than 80 settlements, including Kherson, would be in danger of flooding.

The Foreign Ministry statement also accused Russian troops of looting industrial, cultural, educational, and medical institutions, as well as private houses and apartments.

Russian forces also removed roadblocks in Kherson. The head of the Kherson regional military administration, Yaroslav Yanushevich, believes that they did this to create the illusion that Russian forces have left the city.

WATCH: Near Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk region, Ukrainian forces often rely on artillery from the 1970s and '80s. The front line there is one of the most hotly contested areas. The soldiers say that although the Soviet-era weaponry is old, it is still very effective.

It was also reported that the Russian flag was removed from the Kherson regional administration building. The head of the joint coordination press center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, Natalya Humenyuk, said that this could be a provocation.

The loss of Kherson, which Russian troops captured in March in the early days of the war, would signal a significant retreat.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, asked to comment on the battlefield situation in southern Ukraine, said he believes Ukrainian forces in the Kherson region have the capacity to retake the territory on the west side of the Dnieper River and Kherson city from Russian troops.

With reporting by Reuters
A Russian political activist serving a 2 1/2-year sentence for participating in illegal demonstrations has been located after not being heard from for more than one month.

Ildar Dadin has telephoned his wife, Anastasia Zotova and reported that he is being held in penal colony No. 5 in Altai Krai, Zotova reported on social media on January 8.

In November, Dadin issued an open letter complaining of torture and other abuse at the prison in Karelia where he'd formerly been incarcerated.

Authorities announced on December 5 that he would be transferred but refused to say where. From that time, Dadin had no contact with his relatives or lawyers.

Dadin has been listed as a political prisoner by Russia's Memorial human rights organization. A social-media campaign and a series of protests were held to urge the authorities to reveal Dadin's whereabouts.

Dadin told Zotova that he was in good health and that he was in transit the entire month.

Valery Maksimenko, deputy director of the FSIN federal corrections service, told Moskovsky Komsomolets that Dadin arrived at the Altai prison on January 7. He said Dadin had no injuries and had "an excellent appetite."

Based on reporting by TASS and Moskovsky Komsomolets
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump accepts the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia tried to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, his incoming chief of staff says.



Reince Priebus, the former Republican National Committee chairman, said on January 8 that Trump "accepts the fact that Russia and other entities engaged in cyberattacks" against the country.



Trump has repeatedly dismissed claims that Moscow meddled in the election on his behalf, saying that those charges are the product of his political opponents trying to undermine his election victory.



Meanwhile, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham urged Trump to punish Russia for trying to interfere in the election, as U.S. intelligence agencies allege.



"He's going to be the defender of the free world here pretty soon," Graham, a frequent Trump critic, told NBC's Meet The Press broadcast on January 8.

''All I'm asking him is to acknowledge that Russia interfered, and push back. It could be Iran next time. It could be China."



U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking campaign to influence the presidential election and help Trump.



A declassified report, released on January 6 by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said the effort aimed to help Trump by discrediting his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
The incident occurred at Madhu Vihar locality in east Delhi in the afternoon where Rahul Mata, in his 30s, killed his father R.P. Mata, a retired financial sector employee, by stabbing him several times with a knife, police said.

By Anuj Mishra: A man here on Sunday stabbed his father to death, attacked his mother and set afire the kitchen gas cylinder which exploded leaving injured 13 people, including 11 police personnel who had reached the spot.

The incident occurred at Madhu Vihar locality in east Delhi in the afternoon where Rahul Mata, in his 30s, killed his father R.P. Mata, a retired financial sector employee, by stabbing him several times with a knife, police said.

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Rahul then attacked his mother, Renu Mata, with the same knife when she tried to save her husband.

He also threatened neighbours and security guards of the housing society when they reached his flat, hearing the commotion.

Responding to a call made at around 2.30 p.m., a police team reached the fourth floor residence in Ajanta Apartments after which Rahul locked himself up in the kitchen and set the cooking gas cylinder on fire.

The cylinder exploded injuring 11 policemen, Rahul and his neighbour.

"As soon as the police team reached his flat, Rahul locked himself in the kitchen and opened the cylinder's knob to release the gas. He set the cylinder on fire when the police team tried to break open the door," Deputy Commissioner of Police Omvir Singh told IANS.

"Despite their injuries, my officers acted bravely and overpowered him. Had they (the policemen) not caught him, he would have killed other persons," the official said.

ACCUSED'S CRIMINAL PAST

Rahul Matta, who went on a killing spree, was in merchant navy. However, he has a criminal background.

In 2016, he molested a woman in east Delhi and spend four days in Tihar Jail. His father, who drove a cab in Canada, decided to oust him property after residents of apartment claimed that he used to stalk and harass women. The father even published an advertisement in a newspaper, announcing that he has disowned him from the property.

On social media, Rahul presented himself as an upright merchant navy personnel, mentioning all 'good qualities and integrity' that one must possess. But his random posts gives an insight into a dangerous mind. He posted online article about wrongful conviction, US inmates on death row and how wrong prosecution can ruin someone's life.

With inputs from IANS

--- ENDS ---
A state trooper was injured Saturday when a pickup truck struck his police cruiser while it was stopped in the snow on the right shoulder of northbound Interstate 95 in Chesterfield County, according to Virginia State Police.

The marked state police car with blue lights flashing had stopped to assist a disabled Chevrolet Tahoe at mile marker 61 at 6:30 p.m. when a Toyota pickup truck ran off the road and struck it in the rear. The police car was pushed into the Tahoe.
Update 12:15 p.m.: Chesterfield County police said Jacob Harris was located safe and uninjured in Midlothian.

Earlier: Chesterfield County police are searching for Jacob Harris, 16, who was last seen Saturday morning.

Harris, of the 12600 block of Paget Court, is described as a bi-racial male, 6-feet tall, with black hair, brown eyes and a light complexion. He was wearing dark colored glasses, a gauge earring and a lime green hoodie.

Harris was last seen near the Midlothian Campus of John Tyler Community College, which is in the 800 block of Charter Colony Parkway. There have been other reported sightings in the Queensmill and Walton Park neighborhoods.

Police say Harris is without his necessary medications.
Brenda Bickerstaff-Stanley, of Rockville, a watercolorist whose colorful landscapes and florals appeared in the October 2015 On the Edge exhibit at For Arts Sake Gallery, died Thursday at age 70.

She began painting when she was 16 and was greatly influenced by her mother, who inspired her first painting experiences. I still remember painting together and learning to paint true to yourself, Mrs. Bickerstaff-Stanley said in a statement on her website.

After graduating from Douglas S. Freeman High School in Henrico County, she worked as a computer operator for 11 years before returning to school at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College as a math-science major. She had planned to pursue a medical career at the Medical College of Virginia.

During her years at Reynolds, she took electives in art that changed everything.

I just had a change in interest, she said in a 1992 Times-Dispatch interview. She began painting full time in the late 1970s and sold a few prints on her own. She exhibited her work for the first time in 1983 at the Urbanna Oyster Festival, where she sold three paintings for about $30 each.

I was so pleased that someone wanted my work. I was hooked immediately, she recalled in the interview.

In a 1991 art review, Richmond Times-Dispatch critic Robert Merritt wrote, When she paints flowers, in larger-than-life close-ups or greenhouse composition, some of the color is so delicate that it almost blends with the whiteness of the paper.

And when she wanders into the woods, that same lightness is there, with the pure white of the paper glimpsing through the trees and brightening the scene.

Mrs. Bickerstaff-Stanley followed in Cezannes footsteps, painting in Provence, France, at the base of Mont Sainte-Victoire. She also had sketched and painted in such places as South Africa; Namibia; Venice, Italy; Aix-en-Provence in southern France; and Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

Her work appeared in juried exhibitions from The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., to the Adirondacks National show.

Over the years, she attended more shows, including Arts in the Park, Arts Around the Lake, the Virginia Interior Design Show, The Bizarre Bazaar, Crossroads Art Center, the VCUarts Anderson Gallery, the For Arts Sake Gallery and Studio, Gallery Flux, The Little Gallery on Smith Mountain Lake, and the art gallery at The Henry Clay Inn in Ashland.

Her paintings, which ran from $30 up to several thousand dollars, had hung in the Christian/Brydon Gallery and the Trillium Gallery in Urbanna, as well as at such businesses as NationsBank and Philip Morris.

She had been an artist in residence at The Hermitage at Cedarfield and Lakewood and an instructor at For Arts Sake Gallery, the Rockville Library and the Hanover Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as at local, national and international workshops. She also had taught continuing education classes at St. Catherines School in Richmond.

However, her favorite time was with brush in hand.

Putting an image on the canvas is the reason behind it, she said in the Times-Dispatch interview. The end result is important, but if you didnt enjoy getting there ... it would defeat the purpose.

I love to paint. You have to. If you dont, it shows in your work.

Her husband, Dennis D. Stanley, said she recently lost the use of her right hand and was learning to paint with her left hand.

In addition to her husband, survivors include two sons, Robert Stanley and Christopher Stanley; a sister, Janet Dykes; three brothers, James Henry Bickerstaff III, John Wayne Bickerstaff and Kenneth Michael Bickerstaff; and a grandson, all of the Richmond area.
Sandra G. Treadway, Librarian of Virginia, is a scholar and steward of an institution  created by the General Assembly in 1823  that holds priceless records and reminders of Virginias history, culture and government.

A New Jersey native, she moved to Virginia to pursue graduate studies in history at the University of Virginia and fell in love with the state.

Treadway, who lives in western Henrico County, has been Librarian of Virginia since July 2007. She had been its deputy director since February 1996. She has been affiliated with the Library in a variety of roles since 1978. Treadway initially intended to stay for two or three years, but once I discovered how rich its collections were and that so many of them still had not been mined by researchers, I was hooked.

Treadway was an adjunct professor in the Department of History at Virginia Commonwealth University from 1980 to 1987. She previously was an instructor in the Department of History at Virginia Tech and a teaching assistant and part-time instructor in the Department of History at U.Va.

Among her array of professional activities, which include research, writing and talks, she has edited or co-edited a number of books.

I have done the most work in the field of womens history and enjoy it immensely, she says. The history of women in Virginia is still not as well-known as it deserves to be.

QUESTION: The Library of Virginia is a treasure trove of Virginia history and experience  manuscripts, maps, films, newspapers, music, family histories and so much more. Can you briefly give us a sense of the collections scope?

ANSWER: The Librarys collections are indeed a treasure trove  and are so vast that those of us who have worked here for decades still discover things we never knew we had. We have more than 1.9 million items in print and on microfilm. Most of these are published works about Virginia history and culture, but included in this number are all surviving issues of hundreds of Virginia newspapers from the 18th century to the present.

Many items in our printed collection probably no longer exist anywhere else, such as the pamphlets and brochures we have that were issued by a local church or school documenting that institutions history. Our archives holds more than 121 million manuscript items, among them the records of every Virginia governor since Patrick Henry.

In addition to state government records, the collection includes letters, diaries and other manuscripts documenting the lives of ordinary Virginians from all walks of life. Our Special Collections department contains 53,000 rare books, among which are several volumes once held in the Library of Virginias colonial Council. In addition to our physical holdings, the Library manages more than 44 million digital images and electronic records. Public access to our digital collections is through our Virginia Memory portal at http://www.virginiamemory.com.

QUESTION: Tell us about a couple of your favorite treasures from the Librarys collection.

ANSWER: This is one of the most difficult questions I am ever asked. We have many iconic items that have great significance to the history of our state and nation. Take, for example, the journal of the Virginia convention that met from May through early July 1776. The journals pages document some of the most momentous decisions ever made by Virginias leaders, including the instruction to the states representatives in the Continental Congress to introduce a declaration of independence and the conventions ratification of Virginias first state constitution.

I still get goosebumps every time I see the original bill for Thomas Jeffersons Statue for Religious Freedom (1785) and the copy of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution that Congress sent to Virginia in 1789 listing 12 amendments (only 10 of which were ultimately ratified by the states).

As important as these items are, I am always moved when I read documents that convey the voices of ordinary Virginians. One of my favorites is the 1819 petition to the House of Delegates by a young African-American woman named Judith Hope.

About to be freed from slavery, Hope wrote to ask permission to remain in Virginia after her emancipation, which would have violated state law. Her petition describes in her own words how bitter her freedom would be if it caused her to part from those she loved and the only home she had ever known.

QUESTION: What might surprise readers about the scope of the Librarys mission?

ANSWER: People are often surprised to learn that the Library has responsibilities that extend far beyond its own collections. We work very closely with public libraries across the state, providing training, technical assistance and continuing education for Virginias local libraries, and we administer important state and federal funding programs that benefit libraries.

We also oversee a statewide records management program, working with state agencies and localities to establish retention requirements for official records, offering records management training, and monitoring compliance with the Virginia Public Records Act. Through the Virginia Circuit Court Records Program, the Library provides assistance and professional advice to circuit court clerks on conservation, preservation, storage and reformatting of original records of historical value held in their offices.

We also oversee the State Art Collection, which includes the portraits and other artwork that hang in the state Capitol building and the Executive Mansion.

QUESTION: State budget issues will be front and center as the General Assembly convenes Wednesday. In October, the governor accepted $633,171 in budget cuts that the Library offered to address the current revenue shortfall. How has that affected the staffing and services of the Library?

ANSWER: All executive branch agencies were asked this fall to do their part in reducing spending to keep the commonwealths budget in balance. Having experienced several other reductions in our state funding since the recession of 2008, the Library had no option but to cut the size of our staff.

Until now, we had done everything possible to avoid eliminating staff positions that directly serve patrons in our reading rooms, but many of our recent cuts had to come from public service areas. As a result of this most recent cut, we no longer have sufficient staff to keep the research rooms open six days a week (as the Library has done since the 1940s). In November, the Library reduced its hours for researchers to four days a week, Tuesday through Friday.

QUESTION: In the same vein, the governor proposed last month to restore $219,429 to the Library budget, or about one-third of the funding that was cut. How would you expect to use those funds, if the General Assembly chooses to restore them, to further the mission of the Library?

ANSWER: Much of the Librarys printed and manuscript collections contain rare or unique items that are only found here, which is why researchers from across the state and the nation visit us. Limiting our hours means that our collections are less accessible to the public  especially eliminating Saturday hours, which is a problem for citizens who work during the week.

Improving the publics access to our collections and our staff expertise is the first thing we would want to correct should funding be restored. We are also concerned about some behind-the-scenes areas that are extremely short-staffed, which has diminished our ability to process and digitize more of our collections for the publics use. How to meet the publics desire to use collections inside the Librarys research rooms while also securing the resources needed to make more of our holdings available electronically is our most pressing challenge in carrying out our mission.

QUESTION: What types of events can the public take part in at the Library?

ANSWER: The Library offers a variety of programs for the public. These include book talks and signings by Virginia authors and those who write about Virginia history; workshops on using the Librarys collections, especially in the area of genealogy; once-a-month Transcribe-a-thons for volunteers interested in helping to create modern transcriptions of historic documents; and special interest programs, such as the Fry-Jefferson Society gatherings that highlight aspects of our outstanding Map Collection and the annual Virginia Women in History event honoring women of accomplishment from Virginias past and present.

Our signature event is our Literary Festival in October featuring authors whose works have been nominated for one of the Librarys prestigious Literary Awards. The two-day festival concludes each year with a gala awards dinner held in the Librarys grand lobby.
The RPF personnel brutally thrashed the physically challenged man alleging that he tried to steal a mobile phone.

By Manogya Loiwal : In a shocking incident that came to light today, a disabled man was assaulted in public glare by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel in Bhubaneswar.

In Bhubaneswar's Balasore station, a physically challenged man- sweeper by profession- was brutally thrashed by the RPF alleging that he tried to steal the mobile phone of one of the passengers in a Guwahati-bound train. He was left bleeding and unattended.

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The RPF victimised the man over the alleged theft even though no written complaint was filed in the matter. According to the onlookers, the disabled man denied stealing any mobile phone but, the RPF personnel chose to ignore his plea.

ALSO READ | Uttar Pradesh: Dalit man dies of hunger, differently-abled wife fighting for life

"We have been assigned the case. If found guilty actions will be taken," Pratap Chandra Behera, IIC, Government Railway Police (GRP), Balasore, said.

A common man also joined the RPF personnel while they were mercilessly thrashing the differently-abled. Many people stopped by to witness the incident but, no-one opposed to it or voiced out.

Outraged by the RPF's unsympathetic approach, Jayanta Das, a social activist took the initiative to bring justice to the victim. Das not only filed a written complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) but also took to twitter to bring it to the notice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu.

ALSO READ | Tripura to provide home-based formal education for differently-abled children

Terming this activity a nuisance while speaking exclusively to India Today, Das said, "This is sheer violation of Articles 14 and 21 of our constitution. Just because he is poor and can't take his own stand the police does not have the right to beat him black and blue. I have a filed a criminal case demanding the arrest and dismissal of those uniformed offenders. I also want the railway police to identify the victim and pay him a compensation of Rs 3 lakh for the mental agony he has suffered along with a written apology to the Commission."

The Human Rights Commission has not taken any action so far.

Sharing his agony against this cruel incident, Subrata Mukherjee, Human Rights activist and senior advocate of Calcutta High Court, said, "This is a crime against nation. A person has the right to live life with dignity. Whatever the cops have done is unfortunate and I believe this is a deliberate act. As per section 162 and section 166 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), disobey of law by the public servant is a penal offense. Unfortunately, the law is not implemented properly in our country. The offenders should be sued."

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With inputs from Mohammad Wasim in Bhubaneshwar

ALSO READ | 51 differently-abled couples to tie nuptial knot

WATCH | Differently abled man brutally thrashed by railway cops in Odisha

--- ENDS ---
The sun came out Saturday afternoon, clearing up clouds and melting the snow, but cold temperatures created dangerous ice, leading to a fatal crash in Greene County.

Virginia State Police said a vehicle traveling downhill on Preddy Creek Road came through a sharp curve, ran off the road and overturned in the creek at about noon Saturday.

Moments later, police said a passing vehicle came upon the scene of the crash and helped the driver and passenger get out of the crashed vehicle. Both were taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center with minor injuries.

After the first crash, a 2010 Cadillac SRX traveling downhill on Preddy Creek Road came through the same curve, lost control and struck the second drivers parked vehicle, a 2008 Saab 9-3. The Cadillac SUV then ran off the road and overturned into the creek, which is about 4 to 5 feet deep.

The Cadillac SUV's driver was taken to the U.Va. hospital, where he died. State police identified him as Ryan S. Spencer, 40, of Rochelle.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
A new restaurant chain is coming to Roanoke this year.

Dallas-based Which Wich Superior Sandwiches is set to open in a space in Towers Shopping Center next to Present Thyme. The spot is about 1,700 square feet and will have seating for about 44 people, according to franchisee Nisha Patel.

Patel, who lives in the Lynchburg area, has been a fan of the chain for a while. It's a fast casual restaurant that offers various types of sub sandwiches, as its name suggests. Everything is made to order.

Patel said one of the most creative aspects of the restaurant is the way customers place their orders. When you enter the shop, you can decide which type of sandwich you want, such as turkey or beef. Then you grab a bag and a marker and make notes of how you want it made and include details about size and toppings, of which there are more than 40.

The cashier takes your bag and prepares your meal. It's designed to be a little more creative than having set menu items, such as a standard No. 1 combo, that many restaurants offer.

There is no table service, but you can dine in. The chain has almost a dozen locations in Virginia right now and more than 400 total restaurants. The nearest is in Charlottesville.

The company is looking to open more Virginia locations, according to franchise development manager AJ Schuler. He said he believes it will do well in the Roanoke market and thinks the quality of the food and ordering style will resonate with people.

Which Wich is under construction. Patel expects it to open in February.
The Tamil Nadu petroleum dealers have decided not to accept card payments as banks will now levy 1 per cent merchant discount rate.

By Pramod Madhav: The Tamil Nadu petroleum dealers have decided not to accept credit or debit cards as banks will now levy 1 per cent merchant discount rate. The banks are also not settling the transactions on time, which has forced the petroleum dealers association to take the decision.

The outfit holds 4,800 petrol bunks outlets in its association.

The association said that they have received sudden intimation from the bankers regarding the existing agreements and on their recent decision to levy merchant discount rate and taxes on all transactions.

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ALSO READ | Some banks begin levying MDR charges on debit card payments

The petroleum dealers' association has stated that they do not have any scope to absorb the charges.

Furthermore, the banks are delaying the settlements, which has complicated the situation.

Press release from the petroleum dealers Press release from the petroleum dealers

"The reconciliation of swipes to amount being credited to our accounts is causing a lot of trouble and the dealer community is incurring losses to a large extent," said KP Murali, president of the association.

Hence, the petrol bunks have decided not to accept credit/debit card from January 9, 2017.

ALSO READ | Petrol pumps act as temporary ATMs, will dispense cash upto Rs 2000

--- ENDS ---
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Call 281-422-8302 or email sunnews@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun.

Happy Birthday Wishes
Experts say sometimes photo editing software apps store pictures in their database as users permit them to do so while installing the software without reading the terms and conditions.

By Chayyanika Nigam: Gurugram resident Mehak Gupta is just 14 but has already managed to stamp sizeable digital footprints. The teenager, who studies at a prestigious private school, feels she is not as beautiful as her female friends and has downloaded nearly half-a-dozen photo editing applications on her smartphone.

Every time Mehak clicks a selfie, she uses an app to beautify it, unaware of the dangers that lurk in the fine print.

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She, like most smartphone users, just scrolls through software's terms of service and clicks accept, though studies show that many mobile apps have risky behaviours and hidden actions that could put a client's security at risk.

Also read: India Today Investigation: Jamtara emerges as the biggest den of digital crime

Mehak is among the vulnerable consumers of such programmes that store a person's pictures and other private information at the point of activation.

"I just wanted to look pretty, but now I am going to delete all the apps," she told Mail Today. "My elder brother, who is an engineer, warned me several times about this but I didn't take him seriously."

Such vulnerable targets aren't even aware of the risks and so no complaints are registered with the authorities. However, Delhi Police has recently started cyber awareness orientation programmes in schools to educate kids about such dangers. One such session will be held on January 11 in Dwarka with 800 students likely to participate.

According to senior police officials, children are often left exposed to these perils and pitfalls of the digital world without any protection from their parents.

CYBER AWARENESS DRIVE STARTED IN SCHOOLS

The popularity of downloadable mobile apps in recent years is becoming a top privacy issue among consumers, especially as people are increasingly spending more time using cellphone applications than they are browsing the mobile web. So, it's important to read through the privacy policies and understand why they're requesting access to certain personal data.

Experts say these apps are storing your pictures in their database as you have permitted them to do so while installing the software without reading the terms and conditions. Apps downloaded from anywhere other than trusted stores can be potential risk, as these stores often do not verify the applications for security, privacy and malware issues.

"I have never read the T&C and currently have three photo-editing apps on my phone," said 16-year-old Gunnjan Goyal, a student. "I edit almost all my pictures to beautify them and at times I take photos using these apps and they get stored in the app folder."

NEW MALWARE EFFECTS 90 PER CENT ANDROID DEVICES: REPORT

Last year, US-based software security firm Trend Micro published a report saying 90 per cent of all Android devices are affected by a new family of malware called Godless. This malware operates by rooting the operating system without the user's knowledge so it can assume control over the phone and install unwanted apps on the phone.

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"The government of India must focus on the privacy laws for consumers and also make IT laws and consumer laws more strong," said cyber expert Pawan Duggal.

Cops say almost everyone who uses a smartphone has at least one photo-editing app. Women, in particular, are addicted to such software.

"I am comfortable in sharing my pictures only with my close friends, so how can I allow any app operator to store them," said 24-year-old Payal Pasricha, a bank employee. "It's my mistake that I haven't cared about reading the terms and conditions."

Cyber experts and the city police's cyber cell believe that data privacy is a key concern right now and it's only going to become more important and complex.

"These public apps are not the immediate harm-causing agencies. We ourselves have to be very cautious as many service providers are into data selling," said Surendra Kumar, deputy commissioner of police, south-west district.

--- ENDS ---

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Ray J dropped his newest single this week, a track titled "How Did I Know." The track is pulled from his current release Raydemption and finds Ray looking back on his last year, including his new found life as a married man.

"Now I got a wife that will kill me, man," the R&B star sings on the track. "You know I'm a new man / Look at the ring on my left hand / I got out in Thailand / I'm doing deals with the white man."

He also made headlines recently when he signed on to appear on the newest edition of Celebrity Big Brother. TMZ has reported that the rapper will receive $1 million to do the show.

Ray J expressed his heartache over the death of Whitney Houston on the most recent episode of the show. He also spoke out his relationship with his famous ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Entertainment News
Australia will on Monday release November numbers for building approvals, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic action.

Building approvals are expected to rise 4.5 percent on month and fall 5.7 percent on year after tumbling 12.6 percent on month and 24.9 percent on year in October.

Australia also will see December results for job advertisements from ANZ, as well as the Performance of Construction Index from AiG. In November, job ads advanced 1.7 percent on month, while the construction index had a score of 46.6.

The Philippines will provide November numbers for imports, exports and trade balance. In October, imports were worth $6.92 billion and exports were at $4.76 billion for a trade deficit of $2.16 billion.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Jan 7 (PTI) The city police today registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in connection with the death of the acclaimed actor Om Puri.

Puri (66), known for his roles in several landmark films such as "Ardha Satya", "City of Joy" and "Aakrosh", died of a massive heart attack at his apartment in Lokandwala Complex in suburban Andheri yesterday.

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He had also sustained an injury, caused apparently when he collapsed to the floor after the heart attack.

Since he was alone at his house at the time of death and sustained an injury, Oshiwara police registered an ADR as per routine procedure, a senior police officer said.

As of now there was nothing suspicious about the actors death, the officer added. PTI DC KRK KJ

--- ENDS ---
Actor Hrithik Roshan, known for his dancing skills, couldn't resist shaking a leg with a fan here.

Hrithik, who was here to promote his forthcoming film "Kaabil", tweeted a video in which he can be seen dancing with a fan.





"Dubai, you were fun and fantastic as usual. The crowd had so much energy, couldn't resist shaking a leg," he captioned the six-second-long clipping that he shared on Saturday.



The next day, the actor thanked the people of Dubai.



He tweeted: "Such a pleasure to be here and connect with all of the Arab world! Marhabba beautiful people."



"Kaabil", directed by Sanjay Gupta, also stars Yami Gautam and Ronit Roy. It is set to release on January 25.
By Press Trust of India: Varanasi, Jan 8 (PTI) Eight persons were today arrested and 65 litres of illicit liquor was seized during different raids conducted at various places across the city, police said.

Police conducted raids in Nagwa area in Lanka police station area and arrested one person identified as Ashok Kumar with nearly 20 litres of illegal liquor here, said police.

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In another incident, a police raid was conducted near Bakhani crossing in Rohaniya police station area in which Raju (21) was arrested and nearly 20 litres of illegal liquor was seized from his possession, they said.

Police also conducted a raid in Adampur police station area and arrested one person identified as Rajesh near the Kashi Railway Station here.

Nearly 10 litres of illegal liquor was seized form his possession, they said

Police also arrested two persons in Lohata police station area and seized illegal liquor from them. The arrested men have been identified as Sanjay Kumar and Shivam, both resident of Varanasi, they said.

A raid was conducted in Phoolpur police station area, where police arrested three persons with 15 litres of illegal liquor.

The arrested men have been identified as Om Prakash and Gulal native of Varanasi and Jitendra, native of Ghazipur, they said.

According to a press release from SSP office, police seized nearly 65 litres of illegal liquor in its raid at various places in the city.

Also it conducted a vehicle checking drive and removed black films from nearly 15 vehicles. PTI CORR KJ

--- ENDS ---
Simply changing your eating schedule like taking the last meal of the day by the mid-afternoon can help burn fat and lose weight, suggests new research.

The study that tested early time-restricted feeding (eTRF) on humans found that this meal-timing strategy reduced swings in hunger and altered fat and carbohydrate burning patterns, which may help with losing weight.



With eTRF, people eat their last meal by the mid-afternoon and do not eat again until breakfast the next morning.



"Eating only during a much smaller window of time than people are typically used to may help with weight loss," said one of the researchers Courtney Peterson, Associate Professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham in the US.



The human body has an internal clock, and many aspects of metabolism are at their optimal functioning in the morning.



Therefore, eating in alignment with the body's circadian clock by eating earlier in the day may positively influence health.



Previous animal studies showed that early time-restricted feeding helped rodents burn more fat.





During the current study, Peterson and her colleagues followed a small group of men and women with excess weight over four days of eating between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., and four days of eating between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.



Researchers then tested the impact of the meal timing strategy on calories burned, fat burned and appetite.



Participants tried both eating schedules, ate the same number of calories both times and completed all testing under supervision.



Researchers found that, although eTRF did not affect how many total calories participants burned, it reduced daily hunger swings and increased fat burning during several hours at night.



It also improved metabolic flexibility, which is the body's ability to switch between burning carbohydrates and burning fats.



Whether early time-restricted feeding helps with long-term weight loss or improves other aspects of health is still unknown.



Because the study involved only a small number of participants, a larger, more comprehensive study will need to take place to confirm the finding, Peterson said.



The results were presented recently at the annual meeting of The Obesity Society held in New Orleans, Louisiana.
At least five persons, including four members of a family, were killed on Sunday when a Kolkata bound Indo-Bangladesh Maitree Express collided with a car, the media reported.

According to a police official, the accident took place around 10 a.m. in Gazipur district, near Dhaka, news agency reported.





The car got stalled on the tracks while it was passing an unmanned level crossing and collided with the Indo-Bangladesh Friendship Express from Dhaka, the official added. Earlier media reports said it was a mini-bus that the train smashed into.



Despite severe damage to the train, none of the hundreds of passengers it was carrying on board was injured, according to the official. Rail service in parts of Bangladesh remained suspended due to the accident.



Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rates in train accidents.



There are many unmanned level crossings along the Bangladesh Railway across the country, where most of the railway tracks are in a dilapidated condition. These often cause accidents, media reports said.
Depressed over the sudden death of their son in school, a couple committed suicide in Guntur town of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

Chandrasekhar and Navina ended their lives by hanging at their house in Pattabhipuram in the town. The couple was suspected to have committed suicide on Saturday night.



They were depressed since the death of their only son in the school in November. Vamshi Krishna, a student of ninth standard, died in Sri Chaitanya Techno School on November 22.





The boy, who was staying in school hostel, was suffering from fever for three days. The parents had alleged that the school management did not inform them about his ill-health.



Vamshi's parents and student organisations had staged a sit-in infront of the school along with his body, demanding justice.



Student groups said Vamshi's parents had been asking the authorities to take action against the school management for their negligence, which led to their son's death.



They alleged that no action was taken against the management of the corporate school.
Traffic to popular tourist destinations Shimla, Manali, Chamba and Dalhousie that were cut off from the rest of Himachal Pradesh after snowfall were restored on Sunday after two days, officials said.

The supply of essential commodities and transportation of struck tourists has started normalising.



Even the electricity and water supply to Shimla and Manali has been restored partially.



Major roads including the Shimla-Manali and Shimla-Chandigarh national highways have been opened for vehicular traffic, said an official statement quoting Public Works Engineer-in-Chief A.K. Kohli.



Apart from this, popular tourist places of Kufri and Dalhousie have also been restored to traffic. More than 70 major roads have been opened by the department, he said.





Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has directed the authorities to restore traffic on major roads on priority and link roads at the earliest.



Shimla, which experienced 53 cm of snowfall, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.4 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature was 6.9 degrees.



Kalpa in Kinnaur district saw a low of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, while it was 6.8 degrees in Dharamsala.



However, Kinnaur district and towns in Shimla district like Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Kumarsain, Kharapathar, Rohru and Chopal are still cut off due to heavy snow, an official said.



A government spokesperson told media that no state-run bus has been plying in upper Shimla since Saturday morning as a large number of vehicles were stuck between Kufri and Narkanda.



According to him, work is on to clear snow and the traffic is likely to be restored by Monday evening.



Other hill stations such as Chail, Kasauli and McLeodganj also experienced snowfall.



Rain lashed lower areas of the state in the past 24 hours such as Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi, pulling down temperatures.



"The entire belt in Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Shimla, Kullu and Chamba district witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall during the past 24 hours," a weatherman said.



The government has warned tourists not to venture into the high hills as chances of road cave-ins and landslides are high.



The Met department forecast that western disturbances -- storm systems originating from the Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region -- would start withdrawing on Monday.
More than 500 loaded trucks and oil tankers were on Sunday escorted into Manipur capital Imphal from Assam by state and central paramilitary forces, beating a Naga-imposed blockade.

The 511 trucks loaded with fuel and other consumer items, building materials and medicines were escorted over 220-km throughout the mountainous National Highway-37 from Silchar district in Assam to Imphal.



Officials said that 531 more loaded trucks and oil tankers will be escorted similarly in the next trip.





A report aid supporters of Naga blockade in Manipur torched a truck loaded with rice bags near Kotland along the national highway on Sunday morning, but no arrest was made.



The United Naga Council imposed the indefinite economic blockade of the state on November 1 last year to protest the Manipur government's plan to create two new districts in the state.



The UNC claimed several "lands of the Nagas" -- where they have been traditionally the inhabitants -- would be usurped by the new districts.



Meanwhile, prices of consumer and other items have increased considerably, with traders maintaining that transporters are demanding extra fares since supply vehicles remain stranded for days at Jiribam district headquarters while waiting for armed escorts.



The Manipur government had requested the Centre to intervene and facilitate tripartite talks to end the blockade, but there is no response as yet from New Delhi.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said Indians abroad facing problems can tweet to the respective embassy and tag her in the tweet, adding that she will personally monitor the missions' responses.

The minister, who has been known for reaching out to citizens through Twitter, said a 'new pattern' is being adopted.



"We are adopting a new pattern here. Pl (please) tweet your problem to the concerned Indian Embassy/authority and endorse the same to @sushmaswaraj.





"I will monitor their response to your tweets personally," she said in a series of tweets.



The External Affairs Ministry had recently launched a 'Twitter Seva' to enable timely, transparent and large-scale response to citizens' tweets in real time.



The Twitter Seva service will be supported by 198 Twitter accounts of Indian missions abroad and 29 regional passport offices.
The Central Information Commission has slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on Delhi University's Central Public Information Officer for rejecting an RTI application seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's graduation degree.

The Chief Information Commission, M. Sridhar Acharyulu, in a recent order, pulled up CPIO Meenakshi Sahay of Delhi University and said the rejections reminded him of the saying "penny wise, pound foolish".



The commission was hearing a plea filed by Delhi-based lawyer Mohammad Irsad, whose RTI query seeking inspection of Modi's degree was rejected on the ground that the Indian Postal Order (IPO) was not marked in favour of the Registrar of the university.



The commission, directing the "public authority" to recover an amount of Rs 25,000 from the salary payable to Sahay, said that after hearing the story that thousands of rupees had been spent in a legal battle for a postal order of Rs 10, "the proverb 'penny wise, pound foolish' has to be rewritten as 'rupee wise and thousand foolish' ".





Sahay in her defence argued that there was no malice in rejecting the RTI application and that she had to follow the policies laid down by the university.



The commission did not find any merit or justification in her argument, stating that the fee was not a material factor to throw out an RTI request.



It said it was "vexed with non response" from the CPIO to a number of its notices and thus found it a fit case to impose penalty.



Calling the CPIO's action "pathetic", the commissioner said in the order that "such a simple request for information has been dragged to the level of second appeal, building heaps of documents with multiple files".



The commission also slammed Delhi University for "spending huge amounts of money and consuming precious time of public servants", including the commission.



It also asked the "public authority", without defining it, to facilitate sufficient training to the entire staff, including the CPIO, in the matter of RTI law so that they do not reject applications in a routine manner without application of mind.



The commission recommended that officials be provided with the latest books on the RTI Act as well as classic text books on administrative law. It suggested they should also be given the books "Right to Know" by late professor S.P. Sathe and "Five-point Someone: What Not To Do At IIT" by Chetan Bhagat.
Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday said he remains the party President and Akhilesh Yadav was only the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

"I am the National President of SP and Akhilesh is the Chief Minister of UP," Mulayam Singh told the media here.



He added that the decision taken by Akhilesh supporters to replace him by the Chief Minister as the party chief was null and void.



Akhilesh Yadav continued to be the Chief Minister, he added, in a matter-of-fact statement that he did not recognize his son as the party boss that he (Akhilesh) claims to be.





Mulayam Singh also said Ram Gopal Yadav had been expelled from the Samajwadi Party and hence he had no right to call the national convention where Akhilesh Yadav replaced him (Mulayam) as the party chief.



On January 1, the Akhilesh faction dislodged Mulayam Singh as the party President and designated the former Chief Minister and ex-Defence Minister as the "marg darshak" (mentor).



Since then, both factions of the Samajwadi Party have approached the Election Commission to claim the election symbol "cycle" ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.



Ram Gopal Yadav, a Rajya Sabha member, has emerged as a key strategist for Akhilesh Yadav in what has turned an initial family squabble into a full-fledged political battle in Uttar Praesh.
he Iraq war veteran who killed five persons at the Fort Lauderdale airport in the US state of Florida "came specifically to carry out this horrific attack", authorities have said.

Esteban Santiago, 26, cooperated with investigators during an interview that lasted several hours overnight, Xinhua news agency quoted George Piro, special agent in charge of the FBI office in Miami, told the media on Saturday.



"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack," the Federal Bureau of Investigation official said.



According to the official, the suspect landed at the airport with the intention of carrying out the deadly attack.



The investigators were probing whether mental illness played a role in the latest shooting rampage on January 6 that also left eight persons injured.



The FBI has not ruled out terrorism, Piro said, noting it was too early to draw a conclusion. "We continue to look at all avenues, all motives."



The suspect, who flew into the airport on Friday afternoon, went to the baggage claim and started firing indiscriminately.



After a round of shooting, Santiago dropped the handgun, lay ground, faced down, spread eagle and waited for being arrested with no resistance, witnesses said.

Aviation passengers in the US, if declared, are allowed to transport unloaded guns and ammunition in their checked baggage, according to the US Transportation Security Administration.



The attack immediately raised alarm over US aviation security, which has already been tightened since 9/11 attacks.



Santiago spent nine years of service in the National Guard which included one 10-month tour of Iraq, the US military confirmed.



His last military assignment was in Alaska where he served as a member of the Alaska Army National Guard until August when he was discharged for unsatisfactory performance.



His relatives said he had a history of mental health problems especially after returning from Iraq and received psychological treatment last year.



"Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn't feeling too good," his uncle Hernan Rivera told the media.
Chinese Coast Guard vessels on Sunday patrolled the disputed waters of the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, a move certain to rile up Japan.

Three China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels conducted a patrol in the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands, news agency reported. Japan calls the islands Senkaku.





China conducts such patrols on a regular basis, the State Oceanic Administration said.



Tensions have been rising between traditional foes China and Japan since 2012 over the disputed islands in the East China Sea.



Over the years, China has become increasingly aggressive in seas, asserting its claims over the South China Sea and patrolling its ships in Indian Ocean and East China Sea.



Recently, its only aircraft carrier -- flanked by warships -- sailed into the contested South China Sea.
Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa today welcomed India to invest in his country, saying it would be received with "open arms".

By Press Trust of India: Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa today welcomed India to invest in his country, saying it would be received with "open arms" as he fondly spoke of his Indian origin.

Highlighting that Portugal has a "classical position" to access key worldwide markets and is in central zone connecting UK and other European countries, he said, adding it was always open to FDI and "it is a country open to the world."

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"... We also have excellent ties with the US and Canada. We have connectivity both to Africa and Latin America. We have direct flights to 121 cities across the world. We welcome you to invest in our country," he said, while addressing the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.

Costa said, "I can assure you that Portugal is an open country that will receive you with open arms if you have ideas to invest in Portugal, work or study or simply for living. Portugal is always open to FDI...," he said.

ALSO READ | Who is Antonio Costa?

Costa, who is of Indian origin from Goa, said he would love to go to Goa, where his father spent his childhood. "I like to go to Goa where my father spent his childhood. I call upon this vibrant Indian diaspora to help promote cordial ties with Portugal and India."

Costa said the India origin community is well integrated in Portugal. "... their contribution to the Portuguese society is highly valued and, at the same time, I believe these Portuguese Indians are contributing their mite to Indian society as well," he said.

"Maybe it is not by chance that I am the first person of Indian origin to lead the European country," he said as the Chief Guest at the three-day event here which is Centres outreach programme to overseas Indian community.

ALSO READ | India, Portugal sign MoU on defence cooperation, six other pacts

He said ability to interact with people of other origin, culture or religion is part of Portuguese DNA and it is the duty of the diaspora to not only preserve their ties but also strengthen ties with India and the country where they live.

Portuguese and India had centuries old relationship on historical, cultural and personal ties, he said, adding, by this visit he wanted to renew this relationship "to address present and future challenges", besides extending ties and strategic partnership in new areas of cooperation.

ALSO READ | Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Calling for investment, PM Modi says FDI stands for First Develop India

--- ENDS ---

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Salina Central's Katelyn Rupe sets new course record in 5A state win

Sophomore Katelyn Rupe came in first and set the new course record at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence last weekend.
Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi is urging American Samoa to sign up as a member in the Pacific Island Forum.

Having just returned from the inauguration ceremony of the Territory, he said American Samoa continues to hold close ties with U.S. - one of the most powerful nations in the world.

However he dismissed calls to have the Territory join Samoa again as one nation. He said they would gain nothing from becoming one again with Samoa.

Samoa, he said, has its own self interest in the relationship between the nations because American Samoas benefit also benefit Samoa.

Tuilaepa made reference to the Pacific Island Leaders Forum to be held in Apia this year encouraging American Samoa to be a member.

It would be nice to have them apply to be a member by then, he explained.

At the moment, there are 18 islands including New Caledonia and Tahiti that are members and if we have American Samoa included, that would make it 19.

The importance of having the numbers is so the world can hear us when it comes to critical issues concerning peace and the economy.

Tuilaepa said it would be another milestone if American Samoa ends up becoming independent.

He pointed out that it would make Samoas voice louder in the United Nations circles.
Democracy wont come cheap in Los Angeles in 2017. Voters from Boyle Heights to Eagle Rock will likely vote twice  after two earlier elections last year  to fill a single seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, with the final ballots costing county taxpayers more than $1.3 million to cast and count.

Welcome to the latest installment of the ongoing California soap opera known as special elections.

This episode begins with former Sen. Barbara Boxers decision to retire in 2016, leading to the election of Sen. Kamala Harris. When she gave up her post as state attorney general, Gov. Jerry Brown chose Los Angeles Rep. Xavier Becerra as her replacement.

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And to fill Becerras seat, Brown must call a special election in the 34th Congressional District. Well get to the timing of that election in a moment.

The common sense meaning of the word special is to describe something that, at the very least, is unusual. But there have been 50 special legislative or congressional elections in California in the last decade, according to state records. Thirteen contests were held in 2013  more than any single year for almost the last quarter-century.

While the elections themselves are no longer special, the costs to conduct them are almost always a surprise to the counties that must pay for them.

Meet the first 11 candidates who entered the race to replace Rep. Xavier Becerra 

Dean Logan, the registrar of voters for Los Angeles County, said his $1.3-million estimate for the election to replace Becerra doesnt factor in what happens if the winner is a sitting legislator.

The congressional contest could result in a legislative vacancy, which starts the whole process over again, he said.

In all, Logans office conducted 23 special elections from 2008 to 2015. The total cost: $22.7 million.

And that brings us back to the timing of Becerras resignation from Congress. The veteran Democratic congressman chose to remain in his current job until confirmed by the Legislature, going so far as to take the oath of office last week on Capitol Hill, though approval by Democrats in Sacramento is all but a done deal.

That late action means, thanks to the timeline set out in California election law, the primary in this congressional special election cant be consolidated with a scheduled countywide election on March 7. And with a dozen declared candidates, the likely runoff to replace Becerra may miss the chance to be conducted at the same time as Los Angeles May 16 city election.

And then theres this: Special elections have some of the lowest voter participation rates in California history. Two years ago, a special election for a state Senate seat in the high desert north of Los Angeles saw just 6.2% of eligible voters cast ballots.

Even so, efforts to change things have fizzled. In 2014, a proposal to allow the governor to fill most vacancies by appointment failed to win over legislators  some of whom had won special elections. In 2015, lawmakers rejected a plan to require the state to pay for special elections.

And so the saga continues. It will be worth watching just how many of the 306,631 voters in Becerras congressional district show up to select his replacement this winter and spring. After all, theyre paying for it.

john.myers@latimes.com

Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast

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Updates on California politics
30 million Indians abroad are valued not just for strength in numbers but respected for contributions to India and countries where they live, said PM Modi.

By India Today Web Desk: The 14th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas - 2017 billed as the largest convergence of Indian diaspora, began in the country's IT hub on Saturday with the spotlight on the role of youth in transforming the society and India's potential to play the role of a 'Vishwa Guru' again.

HERE ARE THE UPDATES:

I thank overseas Indian community for their support in fight against black money and corruption: PM Modi

We wish to establish closer ties with the young overseas Indians: PM Modi

I would encourage all PIO card holders to convert their PIO cards to OCI cards: PM Modi

For those workers who seek economic opportunities abroad, our effort is to provide maximum facilitation and ensure least inconvenience: PM

Will launch skill development program - Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojna for Indian youth who seek employment overseas: PM Modi

Sushma Swaraj has been proactive and prompt in reaching out to distressed Indians abroad using social media: PM Modi

Security of all Indians abroad is our top priority: PM Modi

Directed embassies to be pro-active towards needs and problems of Indian community abroad: PM Modi

As a result of our outreach, there has been a strong vigour amongst the diaspora to connect with the nation: PM

Indian diaspora is our valuable partner in India's journey of development: PM

Want to convert brain drain into brain gain: PM

30 million Indians abroad are valued not just for strength in numbers but respected for contributions to India and countries where they live: PM

The Indian diaspora represents the best of Indian culture, ethos and values: PM at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Bengaluru

Prime Minister Modi addresses Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Government will bring culprits to book, assures Karnataka CM in wake of Bengaluru molestation case

"Recent issues are being viewed very seriously and the government will take these culprits to book. Effective steps are being taken to increase the rate of conviction," said Siddaramaiah in the wake of the Bengaluru "mass molestation case"

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah addresses the gathering

Union Minister Ananth Kumar delivers the welcome address at PBD in Bengaluru

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Launched by the Vajpayee government in 2003, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is an annual event to step up India's engagement with its diaspora and the congregation of NRIs and persons of Indian origin. The government decided to make it a biennial event last year.

January 9 is the main day of PBD as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the "greatest Pravasi", returned to India from South Africa and led India's freedom struggle.

YOUTH PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS

The 'Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas' was inaugurated as part of the PBD - 2017 with an aim to connect with the youth, the new generation of Pravasis growing up all over the world.

Watch the video Also read: BJP national executive: PM Modi calls for consensus on transparent political funding

Also read: Modi must go, let Advani, Jaitley or Rajnath head government, says Mamata

--- ENDS ---
In the two years since the Rev. Kadri Webb arrived in Oceanside from his native Baltimore, hes been plenty active in the community in his role as senior pastor at St. John Missionary Baptist Church.

There have been partnerships with neighboring churches to provide people in need with food, distributing holiday gifts to children and donating to local charities, along with other outreach work.

Hes also recently joined the board of Interfaith Community Services, a non-profit collective of faith communities that offer programs for people who are homeless or low-income. And, St. John was awarded the NAACP Religious Service & Activism Award a few months ago.

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This actually took our ministry by surprise. We didnt apply and I dont know that we were nominated, he said of the award. We have a great partnership with the North County NAACP and somehow they had been watching our work in the community. While we are humbled and appreciative, any accolades we receive are not for St. John; this is all to the glory of almighty God.

Webb, 33, has a bachelors degree in psychology and masters in divinity from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Virginia Union University. He took some time to discuss his work at St. John, with Interfaith Community Services and about how, for him, activism and faith work together.

Q: What appealed to you about taking the position with St. John?

A: St. John is a great group of people. It is those precious people that appealed to me taking the faith step to adjust my life and relocate so that I could fulfill my call and serve as a conduit of empowerment for their lives. They are most certainly worth it.

Q: What kind of involvement does St. John have with the surrounding community?

A: St. John partners with our neighbors at Shiloh (Church of God in Christ) to do a monthly food distribution. We participate in Toys for Tots and Angel Tree. We host an annual community giveaway. We have ministries that are totally dedicated to outreach and have year-round activities and initiatives. We make donations to Interfaith, Brother Bennos (Center), Bread of Life (Rescue Mission), and other organizations of that kind. This is central to our aim as a church to reach sinners, teach saints and make disciples. We cannot proselytize persons while ignoring their most practical needs. We cant hand people tracts and invite them to church when they are hungry and need a meal. I am a firm believer that addressing these types of concerns helps us to be fishers of men.  The point is simple  preaching must be partnered with praxis. So, we must also show Jesus to people who need him by way of good deeds. After all, Jesus spent his life supplementing his preaching ministry with good deeds.

Q: How were you introduced to Interfaith Community Services?

A: Several of the members of St. John volunteer at Interfaith several times a week and I had heard considerable buzz about the great work they do and how great it would be for me to get involved since I have a passion for outreach and community work.

Q: Why did you want to work with Interfaith in this capacity?

A: I believe in Interfaiths work. Interfaith has a cadre of empowerment initiatives and that is what my life is dedicated to  empowering others.

What I love about Oceanside ...

Oceanside is a culturally rich picturesque town that is simply beautiful. And nothing beats the ocean, so I am glad to be here.

Q: How does your faith inform what you choose to do in the community?

A: Central to my faith is the word of God and Jesus sets an example of community work for us in the word. Just as we have modern-day issues of equality, there were issues of equality in times of antiquity between the Jews and the Gentiles, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and so on. Just as there is civil unrest in areas of the world today, there was unrest back then that Jesus addressed when he said  blessed are the peacemakers. Just as there are health concerns today, there were back then when Jesus, who heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds, went about helping people to get well versus refusing them access to affordable healthcare. Just as there were issues of judgment back then, when Jesus said judge not, that you be not judged, there are issues of judgment today with ex-convicts, unwed mothers, substance abusers and other socially afflicted persons. So Jesus paradigm presented in scripture guides me.

Q: What is the NAACP Religious Service & Activism Award?

A: The NAACP Religious Service & Activism Award recognizes those who exemplify the mission of the North San Diego County NAACP, but who also articulate a commitment of giving of oneself to benefit others with no expectation of recognition or acknowledgement.

Q: Why did St. John receive this award?

A: I believe that St. John received this award due to its impact in the community. One of the things I have tried to really drive under my leadership is ministry outside of the four walls of the church. If we properly minister to those outside of the four walls, then we will have no problem filling inside the four walls. So, I believe that the past two years has yielded a church that has regained its place as a pillar in the community, a place of practical empowerment and a partner that other organizations can count on to advance positive change for all people.

Q: What does it mean to you to be recognized by the NAACP in this way?

A: It means quite a bit. I was touched. It means that we are on the right track, and it means that people around us are feeling the touch of God by means of his church.

Q: Do you consider yourself an activist?

A: Its semantics because many of us dont describe ourselves this way. Its just what we do. But I would suppose so. My life is dedicated to advancing others lives.

Q: What does activism mean to you?

A: Activism is creating positive change. The interesting caveat, however, is that sometimes the positive is created by way of the pastors prophetic voice. We must speak truth to power if we are really going to see change in our communities and ultimately our world.

Q: How do religious service and activism fit together, in your opinion?

A: It is quite simple: our example, Jesus Christ, was an activist. These two domains are not mutually exclusive if you read the biblical text. Jesus spent his entire earthly ministry with one purpose in mind  to seek and save that which is lost  and I believe that is activism by definition, a positive change.

Q: Whats been challenging about this kind of service and activism work?

A: The challenge is teaching that service must be a priority because it is foundational to anything else we do. The church is all about evangelism and converting the lost but we cannot do so, as I previously stated, while ignoring the pains of people and becoming a privatized community. The church loses its fervor and flavor by failing to establish service as a priority.

Q: Whats been rewarding about it?

A: There is nothing more rewarding than seeing someones life change, than watching someone who hasnt smiled for weeks turn that frown upside down, witnessing tears well up in someones eyes because you took a little bit of time to grab them some groceries, or seeing someone lift their head up and begin to regain their self esteem because you bought them some clothes. It makes the Christian heart flutter.

Q: What have you learned about yourself as a result of this work?

A: Ive learned what I am truly made of. The pastoral work has its tests and challenges. Often times, we dont know our own strength. There is such a thing as a lived faith experience. There are some things that I have preached that I know as personal experience because Ive been there. I know God is real.

Q: What is the best advice youve ever received?

A: My pastor always reminded me to never be a bigger distraction than the distraction. Distractions are inevitable but what separates the good from the great is how we manage and steward our attention.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: Because pastors are consistently forced to engage with people of all walks of life on an interpersonal level, most people are shocked when they see my extreme introversion. I often hear, Pastor, I never knew you were so quiet. Much of my time outside of the pulpit is spent in silence. I am a raging introvert. It is times of solitude and quietness that recharge me to minister and step into the necessary extroversion of pastoral ministry.

Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: My ideal weekend begins with retail therapy, a great meal with some live jazz, and a visit to the beach to watch the sunset, followed by a great movie. And, of course, the weekend wouldnt be complete without church. I firmly believe in seeking first the Kingdom of God. I have peace when I put first things first, so my personal value is to give the Lord what is due him and that is church on Sunday. Thats the high point of the weekend.

Email: lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @lisadeaderick
The past few years have seen San Diego make a considerable push to help the homeless, but the increasing numbers of people on the street suggest the effort may be losing ground.

High rent, low vacancies and a shortage of federal housing vouchers are among the frustrations of those working to, if not end homelessness, halt its increase and start reversing it.

Even modest progress can be expensive, but less so than the alternative, officials say.

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You have to be optimistic to work in this business, said Rick Gentry, president and CEO of the San Diego Housing Commission. But the problem is a continuing problem. Regardless of what the numbers may indicate, its an area that has to be addressed by the city. And if the numbers are up despite our best efforts, then what would they be if we did nothing at all?

The countys overall homeless population is 8,742, a 2.8 percent increase from last year, according to a count taken each January. The unsheltered homeless population downtown San Diego was more than 800 in the count, a 26 percent increase.

Yet there is reason to be hopeful, Gentry said, noting that several projects are being developed that will increase the number of housing units for homeless downtown.

In other hopeful signs, the latest vacancy rate has slightly increased and officials have begun reaching out to landlords to persuade them to rent to homeless people.

The 25 Cities initiative in downtown and North County also has created a more coordinated system of searching for housing and services for housing veterans the chronically homeless, and federal legislators are pushing for reforms to bring more dollars to the county to help the homeless.

There is hope, and I think we are making progress, said Todd Henderson, director of the San Diego County Housing and Community Development. But its a daunting task.

Greg Anglea, executive director of Interfaith Community Services in Escondido and a leader in North Countys 25 Cities initiative, said progress needs to be measured incrementally.

Take it day by day, family by family, he said.

Grim numbers, brighter outlook

Looking at the big picture, Anglea said he is encouraged at the new collaborative way municipalities and agencies are addressing homelessness. On a personal level, he said it is discouraging when families are turned away because no housing is available for them.

On one hand, the numbers are grim when considering how out of reach certain goals seem.

In 2009, the Obama administration set a goal to end veteran homelessness by the end of 2015 and to end chronic homelessness  defined as someone with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for a year or homeless four times in three years  by the end of 2016.

San Diego County is losing ground on both fronts.

This years count of people on the street and in shelters found 1,381 homeless veterans in the county, an increase of 5.7 percent from last year, and 1,249 chronically homeless people, an 8 percent increase.

It doesnt look so bad in the larger context.

San Diego Countys homeless population has not been steadily growing, but in fact is down 3.1 percent compared to 2011.

Also of note, ending the problem in the county does not mean finding new permanent homes for 8,700 people. Of those counted as homeless this year, about half already were in shelters, including many designed to help people become self-sufficient and move on to permanent housing. Beside emergency shelters and programs for people in recovery, transitional housing programs offer places to live for one or two years while interim programs, such as one with 134 beds in San Diego run by People Assisting the Homeless, offer shelter for one or two months.

Permanent housing

In a strive for more permanent solutions, the San Diego Housing Commission last November launched the three-year Housing First, San Diego plan that provides permanent housing for people on the street, giving them a stable environment where they can work on correcting the underlining causes of their homelessness.

Part of the plan includes spending $30 million over three years to acquire permanent housing or to convert transitional housing into permanent housing.

The commission recently made its first award of the $30 million to a project on Imperial Avenue, which will provide about 50 housing units for the homeless, Gentry said.

The commission-owned Hotel Churchill in downtown San Diego also is being renovated and will use housing vouchers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for 72 low-income studios, including 56 specifically for veterans. The $17 million project is expected to open next summer.

The commission already has distributed 725 of 1,500 HUD housing vouchers, which require tenants to pay no more than one-third of their income, including Social Security or other benefits, for rent. It also is investing $15 million from the federal Moving to Work rental assistance program to buy residential property for homeless housing and has dedicated 25 commission-owned affordable rental units for homeless housing.

The commission also owns the Hotel Sanford at 5th and A streets downtown, a 130-unit building where 30 vouchers have helped house homeless people. Another 17 units for homeless people with mental problems will be available following the rehabilitation of the commission-owned Hotel Metro.

In other activities downtown, the Alpha Project is building Alpha Square, which will have 203 units for low and very-low income people downtown, and the 17-story Celadon building opened downtown last month and will provide low-income units for 250 people, including 100 who will use HUD vouchers.

Lack of vacancies

While all those units will help, the lack of vacancies continues to be a frustration for agencies trying to find homes for the homeless.

The latest vacancy rates from the San Diego County Apartment Association shows some improvement, with the regional vacancy rate at 4.1 percent in April, up from 2.3 percent last fall.

Attorney Tom Theisen, president of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, said a lack of affordable housing was the top problem faced last year by him and other organizers in the downtown 25 Cities initiative last year.

When I addressed the San Diego County Apartment Associations Legislative Steering Committee, I was interrupted before I finished my presentation and told (with all the best intentions) that I was a dreamer to expect to house the homeless because the vacancy rate in San Diego is effectively zero, Theisen wrote in an email.

Since meeting with people from 25 Cities in December, the San Diego Apartment Association has been reaching out to landlords to encourage them to rent to homeless people with vouchers, said Molly Kirkland, the groups director of public affairs.

Representatives of 25 Cities set up a booth in April at the Apartment Associations Education Conference and Expo, where they came away with a list of apartment owners interested in working with them, she said.

The association also encouraged landlords to consider renting to homeless people in emails that said vouchers mean reliable rent checks and taking in the people is a way of helping the community.

We want to help, Kirkland said/ We are part of the community, and our property owners are in the community.

Kirkland said the association also has tried to help landlords by relaying to housing authorities their complaint that city and county inspectors can take two months before they OK a unit for vouchers, which can be discouraging for property owners.

Jeff Davis, executive vice president and chief operating office for the San Diego Housing Commission, and Henderson at the county Department of Housing and Community Development, also said efforts are being made to persuade landlords to rent to homeless people although they may have bad credit and even a past of substance abuse and legal problems.

Incentives for the landlords include reliable rent vouchers, well-behaved tenants motivated to stay eligible for the hard-to-acquire voucher program, and annual inspections of units from the city or county, they said.

Davis and Henderson said the city and county could use more HUD vouchers. Henderson said county residents wait up to 10 years go get one of the 15,000 low-income vouchers, which include 1,500 specifically for the homeless.

On another front, Reps. Scott Peters, Susan Davis and Juan Vargas are trying to change the formula used by the federal government to determine the amount of funding and vouchers that awarded to municipalities.

The three wrote to HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan in 2013 and new HUD Secretary Julian Castro last September.

Since 1994, HUDs funding formula has been based on geographic codes used for Community Development Block Grants rather than on population numbers.

Peters said that resulted in San Diego being 17th or 18th in the nation in HUD funding. A federal report released in October said San Diego ranks fifth among U.S. metropolitan areas for number of homeless people behind New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Seattle.

I spoke to the secretary personally last week, he said Thursday from Washington, D.C. I said, Weve been working on this for some time, and Id like you to take a look at it. We havent gotten a response yet. He indicated he would get back to us.
For the second day, demonstrators angry about Mexicos gasoline price hike took over Tijuanas El Chaparral Port of Entry for several hours during a peaceful if boisterous protest that ended after U.S. authorities blocked traffic to the port at the request of Mexican officials

The angry crowd at the U.S. border joined protesters across Mexico who have been speaking out since the New Years Day gas price increase of close to 20 percent that has come as President Enrique Pena Nieto has moved to deregulate the countrys energy industry.

It is a price rise that is too high, that we cant afford, said Jahaira Montano, a 30-year-old Tijuana elementary school teacher holding up a sign. We hope the government really pays attention, and supports the people rather than filling the pockets of politicians.

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Elsewhere in Tijuana, gasoline trucks from the Mexican state-owned oil company Pemex could be seen making deliveries to gas stations across the city, and residents were once again able to fill their tanks. On Saturday, police broke up a protest that since last Monday had blocked access to the regions main gas distribution and storage facility.

At El Chaparral on Sunday, protesters arrived at about noon to take over the inspection lanes. They waved flags and signs, while drivers signaled support with honks and thumbs up sign. For several hours, there were no Mexican customs inspectors in sight.

A statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that at around 5:30 p.m., at the request of Mexican officials in response to protesters disruption of their inbound operations, the California Highway Patrol diverted highway traffic heading into Mexico through El Chaparral.

All travelers wanting to enter Mexico in a vehicle must do so through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry until further notice, the CBP statement said. A CBP official said that by 7:30 p.m., the Mexican facility was re-opened for southbound vehicle traffic.

Mexican officials had made the same request on Saturday after protesters commandeered the inspection lanes, and traffic was diverted for about four hours.

1 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | Jesus Navaro waving at car passing through. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | Protestors stood into the USA side signaling cars passing by. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | Marco Antonio Salas Garcia sitting on the car waving to cars passing by. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | Several hundred protestors came out to support. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | Several hundred protestors came out to support. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | Oscar holding an anti-Pea Nieto sign. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | Several hundred protestors came out to support. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | Leticia on the right holding up a sign as cars pass through the border. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | Lady holding up a sign Pea out. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | Several hundred protestors came out to support. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | El Chaparral border crossing into Tijuana Mexico was disrupted a second day by protesters. Cars entering into Mexico were allowed through. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | El Chaparral border crossing into Tijuana Mexico was disrupted a second day by protesters. Cars entering into Mexico were allowed through with out officials present. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 13 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 8th, 2017: | A SAT official passing by the protest area. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Before traffic was shut down Sunday, protesters were waving vehicles through as they shouted Fuera Pena Out with Pena.

The protests and shouting continued into the afternoon as long as traffic flowed into the port.

This story updates earlier versions filed throughout the day.

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Continuing unrest over gasoline price hikes in Mexico flared up at the Tijuana border crossing Saturday night as a large protest prompted U.S. authorities to block access into Mexico from San Ysidro for nearly four hours.

Southbound Interstates 5 and 805 began to reopen to motorists wanting to cross the border about 9:15 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

The demonstration at Tijuanas El Chaparral port of entry was among several held throughout Mexico Saturday  including a protest that turned violent outside a Rosarito Beach gasoline distribution center.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials and the California Highway Patrol began diverting southbound I-5 and I-805 traffic about 5:30 p.m. to support the government of Mexicos inbound (vehicle inspection) operation, said Customs spokesman Ralph DeSio.

Motorists were diverted onto state Route 905, and those wanting to enter Mexico were directed to the port of entry at Otay Mesa.

San Diego police noted 45 minutes later that southbound traffic on I-805 had backed up to Main Street in Chula Vista.

Pedestrians were still allowed to cross south.

Traffic going north from Mexico into the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry remained open and was being processed as usual, an official said.

Protesters had taken over inspection lanes of El Chaparral earlier in the afternoon.

1 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. A large police force stood their ground. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Several formed a human chain. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Police officials came out to speak to the protesters. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Police officials came out to speak to the protesters. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. A protester on horseback among the crowd. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Over 100 protesters lined up in front of a police force. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Police charged the protestors, many were arrested. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Police charged the protestors. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Police charged the protestors. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Police charged the protestors, many were arrested. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Police charged the protestors, many were arrested. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Police charged the protestors, many were arrested. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Police charged the protestors, many were arrested. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Many arrested. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Many arrested. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 20 Tijuana Baja California, Mexico, January 7th, 2017: | Protesters are met by police presence in Rosarito. Many arrested and taken away in police vans. A bloody man is taken away. | (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Tijuana resident Mario Osuna said videos of the demonstration on Facebook showed several hundred protesters had swarmed Mexican customs officials at El Chaparral and were waving southbound travelers through without having to stop for vehicle inspections or to pay taxes on purchases made in the U.S.

Osuna said the protesters were not blocking cars.

The situation down here is kind of getting out of control, said Osuna, who works in online marketing and sales.

The protest was organized on Facebook by a Baja California student group, said demonstrator Israel Castellon, 30, a law student. He objected to President Enrique Pena Nietos move to deregulate the countrys energy sector, causing the gasoline price increase.

Pena Nieto is not my president. He has carried out stupid reforms that have been harmful to citizens and benefited politicians or those from the privileged classes, Castellon said. Those who have been hurt are those who have the least.

At 8:30 p.m., about three-dozen protesters who remained left the ghostly quiet port of entry. They sang the Mexican national anthem and chanted in Spanish: The people united shall never be defeated. They promised to return Sunday.

On Wednesday in Arizona, similar protests led Mexican authorities to close the border crossing at Nogales, Sonora, for southbound traffic.

Such hard border closures are rare and usually stem from officer-involved shootings, as was the case twice in 2014, or bomb scares.

In 2013, about 300 teachers from Tijuana protesting federal educational reforms blocked several northbound traffic lanes at San Ysidro for about an hour.

Also Saturday, in northern Rosarito Beach, a five-day protest outside the regions main storage facility turned violent when a man drove a truck into a group of officers posted nearby.

Video showed a small yellow pickup driving straight into the line of riot police, then backing up and speeding off.

Eight officers were injured, two of them seriously, said Pedro Hernandez, commissioner for the Federal Police in Baja California. Hours after the early morning incident, hundreds of state, federal and local police descended on demonstrators who since Monday had been blocking access to the facility.

The final push to re-open the access road started at 4 p.m. and was over in 15 minutes as police with riot shields moved in on the demonstration of several hundred people. By days end, several dozen suspects were under arrest, though authorities did not immediately provide exact figures and did not say if any were injured.

By the time police moved in, nearly all of the regions gas stations were forced to close their pumps. Tijuanas Association of Gas Station Owners reported that 95 percent of the stations had no gasoline to sell.

We have taken back control of the avenue, and that was important, said Enrique Mendez, a state official, who had been at the scene since 3 a.m. People have a right to demonstrate peacefully  but citizens who need gasoline in their cars to get to school and their jobs also have rights.

Protests have broken out across Mexico this week following a gasoline price hike that went into effect on Jan. 1.

Gov. Francisco Vega de la Madrid plans to seek the lowering of prices in Baja California, a move that he said is key to maintaining the regions economy and preventing large numbers of consumers from crossing the border to buy less expensive gasoline in California.

The Baja California Human Rights Commission said it was looking into alleged aggressions by police against three journalists covering the Rosarito Beach demonstration earlier in the day, including a correspondent for the Mexico City newspaper El Universal, a correspondent for the website Animal Politico and a photographer for the Tijuana newspaper Frontera.

Several of the suspects in custody resisted arrest. I wasnt doing anything, said Eleazar Dominguez, 37, a resident of Spring Valley who said he had just been watching the unfolding events when he was taken into custody.

Largely peaceful protests against the fuel price increases continued elsewhere in Mexico Saturday, and looting seen earlier in the week largely subsided. But nervousness remained.

Officials in Veracruz, one of the states hardest-hit by the looting on Wednesday and Thursday, said some neighborhood groups had begun to form patrols of residents armed with staves or machetes to ward off looters.

Veracruz Gov. Miguel Angel Yunes Linares said 532 people had been detained in his state alone and that social rumors of further looting  apparently unfounded  had caused an artificial psychosis.

He said that in the northern part of the state, given this psychosis, the neighbors decided to arm themselves with staves, machetes, creating the impression that there were armed groups of criminals.

Yunes Linares said the government was trying to convince residents to stop such patrolling.

The Interior Department reported a total of more than 1,500 people have been detained for looting or disturbances nationwide since protests began early in the week.

It is unclear how many have been charged. Hundreds of stores were looted, mainly on Wednesday and Thursday. Police protection of stores has been stepped up since.

The federal police reported continued protests, and some highway blockages, on Saturday.

Thousands of people marched down main avenues in the western city of Guadalajara Saturday to protest the increases, which are part of a government effort to deregulate fuel prices.

Despite persistent rumors that political interests might have egged on the looters to smear the gas-hike protesters, Yunes Linares said there was no evidence that political parties were involved. He said authorities were investigating whether criminal gangs had taken part.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related

Gas price protest leads to shortages at Tijuana stations
Worried about what the presidential election results would mean for immigrant families, Diego Robles showed up at Kearny High School on Nov. 9 expecting the news to dominate classroom discussions.

To his surprise, it never came up.

None of my teachers even mentioned the election, he said at an education symposium at the University of San Diego last week on fostering safe learning environments and civil dialogue in the post-election era.

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Students from other San Diego high schools shared similar experiences at the university forum, underscoring the discomfort some teachers have broaching volatile issues that can incite heated debates and strong emotions.

The quickly arranged conference assembled students, educators, legal experts and others on Thursday to discuss how schools can address concerns raised by President-elect Donald Trump over his calls to deport unauthorized immigrants and keep Muslims from certain parts of the world out of the U.S.

Schools reassure anxious college students after election.

Mica Pollock, a professor of education at UC San Diego and the author of books on race talk in schools, kicked off the conference as keynote speaker.

In the short term, she said the conversation is the first step toward launching a support network for educators in San Diego. In the longer haul, Pollock said its work against explicit hate speech launched after the election.

In a recent article published in the Washington Post, Pollock referenced several reports documenting a rise in hate speech. Among them: a catalog by Southern Poverty Law Center of more than 700 post-election incidents by Nov. 16, with 40 percent of the incidents on K-12 or higher education campuses (an updated report has found at least 200 additional incidents). Teachers have reported thousands of additional incidents on Teaching Tolerance, a project of the law center.

We need civil discussion and dialogue more than ever, said Pollock, the director of UCSDs Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment and Teaching Excellence. As educators we are in this incredibly powerful position Talk in schools is not just talk, its action. It shapes peoples lives.

David Loy, legal director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties; Steve Dinkin, president of the National Conflict Resolution Center; and Fayaz Nawabi of the Council on American Islamic Relations were among the speakers at the conference. But it was students who candidly recounted recent incidents of hate speech on their campuses that moved the audience to give them a standing ovation.

A Point Loma High School student said the usually chill campus has changed in recent months, and that disparaging comments about LGBT students have become more commonplace. A Madison High School student said one classmate asked her if she packed her bags after the election, while another dangled an ID card and lamented that shed be gone after Trumps Jan. 20 inauguration.

Students said because so many families have a mixed immigration status that fear about deportation is consuming many of them. Casual jokes, even those that are made without malice, dont help, said Robles, who is the student body vice president at Kearny.

Someone said, Ill visit you in Mexico after Jan. 20, he recalled. Immigration should be taken seriously. Its not a joke.

Since Trumps victory, school districts up and down the state  including the San Diego Unified and Chula Vista Elementary school districts  have passed resolutions and held events designed to reassure families that campuses will serve as safe spaces.

But some educators say they are still unclear how to address these political issues in the classroom.

I had students sobbing in the classroom. said Rebecca McRae, who teaches fourth- and fifth-graders at Clay Elementary School. These are young children and some of the things they are talking about are delicate. A lot of teachers dont know what to say in some of these situations. I think (direction) needs to come from the top, from the district.

Francisco Escobedo, superintendent of the Chula Vista elementary district, attended the conference  participating in break-out sessions and listing to panel discussions. Hes planning to issue a second post-election letter to parents in advance of the inauguration.

Escobedo said its important to steer clear of anything that could be construed as partisan politics when writing to the community to avoid marginalizing anyones beliefs. But he said speaking up for civility, tolerance and compassion should not be mistaken for a disparaging the president-elect or for making a political statement.

My worry is that theres a real divide among families and among staff, he said.

Although students from several high schools in San Diego said their teachers have avoided classroom conversations about the election results, one campus has taken on the issue head-on.

The day after the election, Principal Carmen Garcia visited every classroom at San Diego High School to discuss Trumps victory or any concerns that students had. She also invited students to an open-mic session with teachers and staff.

We need to be able to empower students to distribute the leadership and say that hate will not be allowed on our campus, said Garcia.

To ensure their safety, Garcia marched alongside her students who walked off campus to protest Trump in November, even after she urged them to stay at school and consider other ways of expressing their views.

San Diego Unified is planning a series of campus meetings on President Barack Obamas programs that defer deportation action for some unauthorized immigrants, said Superintendent Cindy Marten, who sat on a panel at the conference.

Marten said the district is promoting the facts to families to counter fears that are the result of rumor and speculation. At the same time, Marten said teachers are doing their part in the classroom, where literacy lessons have evolved past decoding letters on a page to making sense of a tweet and how to make meaning of text by considering the author, the point of view and the facts.

The first session on Deferred Action of Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, will be at Lincoln High School this week.

maureen.magee@sduniontribune.com

Twitter:@MaureenMagee
Supplies for the first North County Homeless Veterans Stand Down, set for later this month, poured in by the carload Saturday at a clothing drive in Escondido.

Volunteers had collected about 1 ton of items, mostly in boxes and big plastic bags, from a steady stream of vehicles by the time it ended in the courtyard outside Escondido City Hall.

Weve got to support our troops and our veterans, said Doug Clark, an Escondido Rotary Club member who helped organize the drive.

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Stand down is a military term for period of rest and rehabilitation for troops who have been in combat. In civilian life, its a break from the daily battle that homelessness can be. Stand Down participants are offered food, showers, temporary shelter, clean clothes including new socks and underwear, haircuts, counseling, legal assistance, and access to medical, dental and psychiatric care.

Its not a handout, its a hand up, said Matt Foster, a retired Marine master sergeant and chairman of VFW Post 1513 in Escondido. Hes helping to organize the North County event to get veterans off the street.

We want them to be productive members of society again, Foster said. We treat them like humans, give them respect.

The North County San Diego Homeless Veterans Stand Down will be Jan. 27 through 29 at Green Oak Ranch, a 65-year-old, 142-acre retreat in Vista with room for about 250 veterans and family members.

San Diego has held its annual veterans Stand Down for more than 25 years, starting with about 200 veterans and in recent years serving more than 1,000 at Veterans Village on Pacific Highway.

However, some longtime North County volunteers at the event decided San Diego was just too far for a lot of people to go, especially the homeless, and it was time start a separate Stand Down closer to home.

Volunteers have begun combing North County streets and parks looking for homeless vets and passing out informational cards letting them know about the event, Foster said.

The three-day Stand Down will cost about $125,000 in grants and donations, he said. The largest single donation was $50,000 from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, contributed by Supervisor Bill Horn.

Its hard to pin down exactly how many homeless people there are in North County, and how many of those are veterans, but a few statistics are available.

A regional task force found that more than 850 homeless veterans used the various assistance programs available in Escondido, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista and Encinitas last year, said Greg Anglea, executive director of Interfaith Community Services.

Interfaith alone, which is the largest provider of services for the homeless in North County, helped more than 220 veterans find permanent housing last year, Anglea said.

Affordable housing can be difficult to find for anyone in San Diego County, where rents are high, vacancies are low and wages are stagnant.

We see people paying almost all their money for rent, Anglea said. Those people are often one step away from homelessness.

Sobriety is often another barrier for the homeless, he said, and the area needs more programs to help them get sober and stay that way.

For a lot of people, finding work is a real barrier, and for someone who is homeless, that becomes much more difficult, he said. We can pay for training, and help in other ways.

Homeless veterans who get into transitional housing have a much better shot at training programs for jobs such as truck driving and solar panel installation, Anglea said.

Those that get in do really well, he added.

More information about the Stand Down, including ways to volunteer or donate, is available at ncstanddown.org.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
Dave Roberts had aspirations bigger than his suburban district when he became a county supervisor four years ago. He was the first new member on the Board of Supervisors in 20 years, the only Democrat elected to a countywide office, and he held a seat that had the potential to be a path to higher office.

His potential for a larger role in the county and beyond was cut short in November, when he lost a close re-election bid to then-Encinitas Mayor Kristin Gaspar after becoming embroiled in a scandal.

Affable, civil, and eager to make friends, he took leadership positions in national and state organizations, and visited nearly every community group, ribbon cutting, and neighborhood meeting he could. His Flickr photo account has more than 2,500 photographs of him going about his work across the county over the last four years. The White House, by comparison, posted nearly 1,800 photos to Flickr over the same time period.

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With the gift for working a crowd and a prolific presence on social media, he built a network of allies and had a vision of holding a statewide office sometime after he left county government.

He loves to go into a room and people tell him that its good to see him and they like to see him. Its like a loop. He gets that reward and he does it again, said Roberts predecessor on the board, Pamela Slater-Price, who was one of his most prominent campaign supporters.

He explained what type of work the often-overlooked county government does, while seeking to improve mental healthcare services, the foster care system, and programs for homeless people, said Francine Busby, the head of the county Democratic Party, and one of Roberts constituents.

She said other politicians could learn something from Roberts. They should spend more time with people, listening and connecting with them, Busby said.

Robert generously gave his and his staffs time and attention to the cities within the North County-based district, and took the extra step to open up a field office in Escondido, making county government more accessible to constituents, Escondido Mayor Sam Abed said.

You know, hes a moderate Democrat, and I think for Republicans and for conservatives, we always enjoy a good working relationship with moderate Democrats, said Abed, a Republican who also ran against Roberts but lost in the June primary. Hes a good example of that, we worked well together.

Roberts was an advocate for non-profit organizations that do important work in the district, said Gaspar, the incoming supervisor who defeated Roberts in the general election.

Through the neighborhood reinvestment program he was able to support many of the worthy organizations in our community, she said.

Roberts did not agree to an interview for this story. But in a statement he read in December at his last board meeting he thanked his constituents, his family, his staff, county employees, and the four other supervisors for their support during his term.

Weve partnered together on various projects over the last four years and have been very successful, he said to his colleagues.

He noted his work with other supervisors to help foster children, veterans, domestic violence victims, improve mental health care services, and address HIV and AIDS issues. Supporters said he sought to help the most vulnerable of citizens, fulfilling a major part of county governments responsibilities.

He focused attention on these issues that have not received the attention they needed and deserved, Busby said.

And as he often did while campaigning, or discussing his appreciation for public service, he showed an appreciation for the influence of his office.

Its amazing what a bit of compassion and a few phone calls can accomplish. That and teamwork, Roberts said in the statement.

Roberts, 56, quickly established a well-regarded reputation but midway through his first term turmoil in his office burst into a public scandal, ultimately destroying his hopes for a second term and possibly higher office.

He should have won re-election with 60 percent, easily, as a moderate Democrat, said Abed, who entered the race after the scandal emerged and was soon followed by Gaspar.

If we didnt have term limits and corruption in office, he would have stayed for 25 years, Abed said.

Roberts sunny bayside office at the County Administration Center became embroiled in controversy after four women staffers abruptly quit in disgust in spring of 2015. They leveled a series of allegations, including many that were backed up by public records and an investigation by the countys lawyers. The women accused their former boss of using his county staff to assist his re-election campaign on government time, having an overly friendly relationship with a favorite employee, and offering one of his staffers a raise and promotion if she would lie about problems in the office.

After three of the accusers prepared to sue, supervisors settled the matter for $310,000, a decision they made after county attorneys said Roberts explanations were so inconsistent that he would not have been a credible courtroom witness. Roberts said he did nothing more egregious than hire bad people, and said that there was a conspiracy to discredit him.

Not surprisingly, Gaspar and Abed focused their campaigns largely on matters of character in public office.

I know, I live in his district, I received negative mailers nearly daily for weeks, Busby said, referring to the general election campaign by the Gaspar camp. I think his opponent spent enormous amounts on a campaign to undermine him, and focus on the issues he had with his personnel.

Despite the attacks, it looked like Roberts might still win re-election. He narrowly led in the initially tally on election night, but was slowly overtaken by Gaspar during a 20-day count of remaining ballots. Roberts lost in the general election with 49.72 percent to Gaspars 50.28 percent, a margin of 1,272 votes.

It was the first time an incumbent supervisor was tossed out of office by voters since 1986 when Paul Eckert was defeated after a prostitution-related scandal.

In a race that close every factor, from capricious variables like the weather, to more controllable ones like an on-point campaign mailer, can be the difference. But Gaspar, Abed and Slater-Price all said Roberts could have potentially recovered from his scandals and earned a second term regardless of other circumstances working against him.

Roberts should have spent more time working on public policy, said Abed, noting his opponent was a player in several worthwhile issues, but didnt have any signature accomplishments.

I dont really remember anything substantial on a policy level, he said.

Gaspar said Roberts attitude might have hindered any chance to rebound. He didnt turn the scandal into a learning opportunity, but rather denied that he did anything wrong. Voters will forgive transgressions, but you have to be contrite first, Gaspar said.

People are not looking for perfect people in this world, they are looking for people who acknowledge their mistakes and how they will learn from the mistakes that they made, she said. The supervisor never took ownership of the issue, or personal responsibility. He could have recovered, but he denied responsibility.

Slater-Price concurred.

That lays at his doorstep, no one elses, she said. He cant blame anyone else. He should have gone straight to those women and said Im sorry, this is on me, and what can I do to make it right?

Its not clear what Roberts will do next. He has given no hints to any upcoming appointments to a government commission, or plans to re-enter politics. A former healthcare executive in the Defense Department, he hasnt hinted at a new career either, or indicate how he plans to earn a paycheck now that hell no longer receive his annual $153,000 county salary.

Roberts has said that hell remain an advocate. But with his days as a counter supervisor behind him, he has not said how.

Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841
Its a dark, shadowy world of young, insecure teens lured into a world of drugs, booze and feigned love, then intimidated into prostitution.

Child sex trafficking is one of the fastest-growing industries across America  by some estimates, ensnaring tens of thousands of minors each year nationally, and as many as 8,000 in the San Diego region.

With roughly 460,000 missing-children reports to the FBI, law enforcement is hard-pressed to trace every child, especially runaways where the level of danger is unclear.

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That gap in resources is being filled, increasingly in recent years, by private investigators and non-profit agencies offering to find, rescue and provide social services to missing children at risk for sex trafficking or already enmeshed in it.

Some officers simply decide its a runaway, its a troubled kid, and they dont pursue it as actively, said Bill Garcia, a San Diego private investigator who has taken part in scores of searches for missing, at-risk children. Thats why parents reach out to investigators. They want action now.

Joseph Travers, president of the 1,400-member California Association of Licensed Investigators, is one who has branched out into recovering missing girls, some of whom were duped or threatened into the commercial sex trade.

Two years ago in Oceanside, he launched Saved in America, a non-profit with ex-Navy SEALS, retired special operations agents and law officers as volunteers to track at-risk runaways.

He says they have helped recover 24 girls in as many months.

If we can stop the girls at the runaway part, well put a big dent in the sex trafficking part, Travers said. Every sexually exploited child was first a runaway. Not every runaway becomes sexually exploited.

Many runaway girls are unhappy at home, emotionally insecure and susceptible to the attentions of a young man who professes love but may be recruiting prostitutes. Pimps and traffickers groom a girl by getting her hooked on booze or drugs and giving her food and shelter, but then start demanding repayment. The girl may be bullied, beaten, even tattooed with her pimps name, and expected to have sex with six to a dozen customers a day.

Travers said few parents can afford to hire a licensed investigator, at $900 or so a day, to go after their runaway child, especially if she does it repeatedly.

Saved in American operates on donations and does not charge for its investigative service. Travers said his crew is skilled in deep dives into Internet sex-trafficking sites and scrutinizing a girls social media posts to come up with a pretty good idea of where to find her.

She may be trapped at a street gang members home, set up in motel, or sent out on the circuit for prostitution at various cities around the country.

Saved in America operatives will travel to that location, set up a surveillance until they lay eyes on the teen, then notify local police where to find her, Travers said.

One ex-Navy Seal working with Travers got on the trail of a missing teen and found a social media photo of her with other people at a sushi bar. Within two hours, Travers said, he narrowed down the location to a particular sushi spot in San Francisco. A bartender there cooperated by sending a copy of their credit card tab, confirming the girl was there. Authorities were notified and she was reunited with family.

One of Travers crew also helped Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies pick up two runaway girls being driven to Compton early last year after theyd spent a month on the streets.

She was gone five weeks, said the Newport Beach mother of one of the girls. If we had not found her, I think things would not have gone well for her. Was she being cultivated (for prostitution)? Thats possibly what was happening.

San Diego County Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Stephan said she understands the anguish of a parent whose child is missing.

Sometimes in a police investigation, a third party can be beneficial, said Stephan, a nationally recognized expert in human- trafficking cases. I do see room for these agencies, especially for cases that arent criminal, before law enforcement is involved  provided they do it right.

Travers said Saved in Americas volunteers are licensed investigators, but many hold other jobs. They search online sex trade sites such as Backpage.com as well as sites posting flyers on missing children, to see if there are potential local cases. Travers may then contact parents or guardians to offer his services.

Other non-profits have sprung up around the country with a similar mission to assist in the rescue of sex-trafficking victims, especially those under age 18.

Jeff Keith founded The Guardian Group in Bend, Ore., in 2010 and spent the next two years developing its operations. It also offers training sessions for first responders and the hospitality industry on how to recognize signs that someone may be held for sex or labor trafficking and what to do about it.

Keith said he got the idea for his nonprofit after getting involved in rescuing a dozen girls from a brothel in India while on a Christian mission trip.

We had a home built for them, Keith said. That was 10 years ago. I couldnt get it out of my system, thinking, if its happening overseas, its happening here. And it is, at an alarming rate.

Some other non-profits working to rescue sex-trade victims include The Exodus Road, founded by a missionary couple on assignment in Thailand two years ago and now based in Colorado. The groups website says with a global staff of 30, it has worked with local law agencies to gain more than 700 victim rescues.

In Indiana, Tom Lauth, founder of Lauth Investigations, said his company has worked trafficking cases since before the word trafficking ever came around.

Typically, he said, law enforcement turned their backs on trafficking victims they viewed simply as prostitutes.

He said many times a girl is recruited by a friend who introduces her to a trafficker or pimp.

Police say she left on her own. Parents dont know what to do. They call police repeatedly. Then they call an investigator, Lauth said.

Sex trafficking is defined under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 as the the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act. Force, fear or coercion is often used to gain control of the victim.

The U.S. State Department has estimated there are more than 17,000 human trafficking victims in America, mostly women and girls held in the sex trade.

The FBI rates San Diego as one of the nations 13 largest hubs for sex trafficking, in part because of its location near the Mexican border and as a jumping-off point to high-trafficking nations in Southeast Asia.

A widely-quoted 2015 study conducted by Point Loma Nazarene University and the University of San Diego estimated there are between 3,400 and 8,000 sex-trafficking victims in the San Diego region, bringing in annual revenue estimated at $810 million. Gangs were involved in 80 percent of local sex trafficking and pimping.

Some law agencies are grateful for the extra private eyes and ears dedicated to bringing home runaways or tracing girls  and some boys -- who are enslaved into the sex trade and need help returning to a normal life.

Kids are some of the most vulnerable members of our society, said San Diego police Capt. Brian Ahearn, who until recently oversaw sex crimes investigations. I could understand a family would want to use any asset they could to rescue a child. Law enforcement respects and recognizes that.

FBI Special Agent Todd Hammond, with the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, said every trafficking case they work is handled as a high priority. Rescued victims get referrals to social services, shelters or medical aid.

Sheriffs Lt. Christina Bavencoff, who also works with the local task force, said, I wouldnt tell private investigators to stay away. All hands on deck.

In October, the task force took part in nationwide sex trafficking raids, netting three victims and more than 20 pimp arrests in San Diego County.

Hammond said a frustration for investigators is that there are few shelters open to rescued minors who may try to run away again to rejoin their pimp.

The Newport Beach mother whose daughter was recovered in Compton said she hired a private investigator when she felt her local police werent doing enough. The 16-year-old girl vanished last January after telling her brother she was going for a bike ride.

I got frustrated with the police, how they treat runaway cases, the mother said. We got leads that the police were not following up.

Her paid investigator suggested getting additional help from Travers free Saved in America service.

They figured out the teen was with another girl with a troubled past in sex trafficking. Through social media and traced phone calls, they picked up the girls trail in a car headed for Compton. The investigators and deputies found the car and chased down the girls and their companions.

Both girls have since been receiving rehabilitation treatment and schooling at separate, out-of-state academic facilities.

The 15-year-olds mother encouraged parents to be aware of dangers their children may face on the streets.

For a runaway or a missing person, you need to bring as many resources as you can to it, she said. I was surprised that there are organizations like this. Everyone was supportive.
In the article regarding an Oceanside pot shop ballot measure (Advocates plan initiative to allow medical marijuana dispensaries in Oceanside, Jan. 1), the reporter forgot to mention that any patient or caregiver can exchange medicinal marijuana already under state law.

Therefore, the city of Oceanside doesnt need marijuana storefronts for patients to receive their pot, but store owners/marijuana profiteers do need marijuana storefronts to make money, lots of money.

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Lets keep pot profiteering out of Oceanside and let the authentic compassionate caregivers continue to provide patients with medicinal marijuana, if thats their real intent.

Scott D. Preece

Oceanside

Minimum wage is not just for beginners

Steven Quinn (Rise in minimum wage to be absorbed by middle class, Jan. 5) repeats a common conservative mantra: The minimum wage was never intended to be a living wage. Its supposed to be for students and beginners in the workforce and not a life achievement.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 introduced the concept of a minimum wage for full-time, adult workers into our business world in response to the exploitation of workers that was taking place in our new and rapidly growing Industrial Age. It also set other limits for students and trainees.

As to the claim that a minimum wage job should never be a life achievement, tell that to the Goodwill Industries.

G. Jordan

El Cajon

Gun violence numbers show we are failing

I see that we have set still another record in the U.S. for killings by gunfire.

This is hardly a surprise since the National Rifle Association, along with a complicit Republican Congress, has made such murders so easy.

Police officers, bystanders and children in America are at far greater risk from hotheads, terrorists and mentally disturbed individuals than those in any other developed nation in the world.

We have allowed America to become a major disgrace as well as more dangerous to innocents just to add profits to an industry that was once considered reputable. Please tell me why we tolerate this.

Sam Kelly

San Marcos

U.S. is right in opposing settlements in Israel

Charles Krauthammers deluded assertion (Knife in Israels back, Dec. 31) that Israeli settlements are not a significant obstacle to peace is at odds with every American administration since Lyndon Johnsons, including Republicans Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and both Bushes.

In 1991, George H.W. Bushs secretary of state, James Baker said: Every time I have gone to Israel in connection with the peace process I have been met with the announcement of new settlement activity. This does violate United States policy.

It is the first thing that Arabs  Arab governments  and the first thing that Palestinians in the territories  whose situation is really quite desperate  raise when we talk to them.

I dont think there is any greater obstacle to peace than settlement activity that continues not only unabated but at an advanced pace.

Steve Gelb

Rancho Penasquitos

What is the cost of all these new state laws?

I share reader Robert Petersons concerns (Not happy to ring in the new California laws, Jan. 1) over all the new laws passed by our hyperactive Legislature, and applaud the U-T for its summary of each. Id like to ask two questions.

First, how many, if any, existing laws were repealed as outmoded, redundant, irrelevant in 2017 or otherwise no longer needed? I can guess the answer.

More importantly, has anyone calculated the estimated cost of each measure, as is required on citizen initiatives?

Some of them have obvious costs to cities and counties, e.g., the law enforcement-related measures require enhanced enforcement efforts, and some mandate new actions by local governments.

William Bradshaw

Mission Beach

State still uses plastic bags despite ban

After California banned single-use plastic bags, I was thrilled that oceans would no longer be polluted by these. Ive been using cloth bags for years, as has most of Europe.

Later, I stopped at Ralphs. Behold, there were plastic bags at checkout. I was told they were thicker, reusable bags. Whether theyre reusable or not, theyre still plastic. I went to Sprouts and Frys and saw more of them.

I was told people were stealing these bags at the stores. I began thinking and wondered why stores are using the thicker/reusable plastic bags. I was told repeatedly that people were complaining about not having plastic bags.

I am disappointed and disgusted with people who are so selfish, cheap and who whine about something that impacts the world so deeply.

San Diego needs to get a grip and pay attention to what the rest of California has been doing for years and grow up.

Sali Weiss

San Diego

Theres room for both comics in the paper

Regarding Mallard is mockery, La Cucaracha is mean (Jan. 1): In case youre counting the votes for and against these two comics, my vote is to retain both.

I dont always relate to them, but I appreciate the opinion of the cartoonists who create them. One reader wrote he felt La Cucaracha was mean. I disagree. La Cucaracha is a cartoon-viewpoint created by Lalo Alcaraz that focuses on Latino culture and politics.

Im Caucasian, so Alcaraz isnt speaking for me, but hes sharing his (valid) views with me and others. Alcaraz is an American cartoonist. I am an American reader.

I want to understand his viewpoint and what better medium is there to humor me and educate me at the same time?

Remember the Doonesbury comic wars? I have read that comic since its inception and have never tired of Garry Trudeaus tongue-in-cheek commentary on our society. Educational. Enlightening.

Ramona Roesner

Poway

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Police investigation has revealed that actor Om Puri was intoxicated at the time of his death.

By Mustafa Shaikh: New details have emerged after Mumbai Police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) for actor Om Puri's demise on Friday (January 6).

The Oshiwara Police which is handling the investigation in Om Puri's death spoke to the actor's driver and producer Khalid Kidwai, who were the last to see the deceased icon.

ALSO READ: Mumbai Police registers Accidental Death Report for Om Puri's death

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ALSO READ: Om Puri was suffering in his last years, says Naseeruddin Shah

ALSO WATCH: Om Puri passes away at 66 due to heart attack

Om Puri's dead body was discovered with an injury on his head and it is suspected that he might have fell. The initial cause for Om Puri's death was said to be an heart attack but according to the preliminary postmortem report, Om did not die of 'natural causes'.

Om Puri's close friend and film producer Khalid Kidwai told police that the actor had consumed alcohol the night before his death.

"Puri sir had consumed alcohol. He also wanted to meet his son Ishaan but it didn't happen. He was emotional during the evening but I dont think there is anything suspicious about his death," said Kidwai.

The police also interrogated Om Puri's wife Nandita Puri but she reportedly did not reveal anything that would need further investigation.

--- ENDS ---
Philip J. Bonas opinion piece on smart growth (To tackle development issues, San Diego must become city of Great Villages, Jan. 6) will fall short in convincing neighborhoods to embrace increased density.

That is not because the concept of smart growth, including its subsets of pedestrian and transit-oriented development, is wrong, its because no one has ever come up with a viable plan to finance the needed infrastructure to bring already-overtaxed systems and services up to current standards, much less to service a significantly expanded number of dwelling units.

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The underlying concept is sound, but you have to identify the money that will develop the infrastructure needed to produce truly livable Great Villages. Merely renaming the concept of City of Villages to Great Villages is not enough. Wheres the beef?

Keith Behner

Point Loma

* * *

The concept of a City of Villages and Great Villages is just that, a concept. Yes, our children need a place to live. What about our childrens children? Does growth have a finite limit, and if so where does it stop? At the present time, it will be very difficult to get residents out of their automobiles because the alternatives are not up to the task.

After reading articles by Bona and others in the development community, residents should be somewhat skeptical of the motives. How many of the proponents of growth have given up their autos and use public transportation, walk or bike? The writers of these pro-growth policies should state how they get around and I would not get the impression they are well-meaning hypocrites.

Jim McGurk

Middletown

People dont get the economy has changed

Dan Albee from Escondido (Tired of people looking for free handouts, Jan. 5), could you please tell me more about post-college affordable living in this century?

As someone with two degrees and almost 15 years of customer service experience who struggled for months just to get a part-time minimum wage job, I dont think Albee gets it. Students who can barely afford to go to school live in their cars and pursue degrees to better their lives, only to be slapped with a letter that says, Congratulations on your achievement. Now you have to pay out $40,000-plus, including interest, over the course of the rest of your life. Good luck finding a job and a place to live that isnt your parents house!

Now I work two jobs (one full-time, the other part-time) upwards of 60 hours a week. I may be able to pay my loans off in 20 years at this rate.

Crystal Deniz

El Cajon

Mission Valley isnt perfect for stadium

There are, and always have been, two main problems with the site in Mission Valley now occupied by the stadium. Access and the next-door tank farm.

The tanker traffic in and out of the fuel farm is constant on the two roads north of the stadium  the main access to the stadium for vehicles.

Who wants to live or work next door to a huge fire opportunity just waiting to happen? Did they build the new fire station too far away or too close to be effective? The entire Friars Road-Interstate 15-Interstate 8 area and the trolley are vulnerable. The river area would ignite like a match.

Unless the tank farm is moved away and more roads built, the best use of the land is a big parking lot.

Elizabeth Lunn

Serra Mesa

Think hard about climate law changes

Much profit would be gained if housing projects no longer required sewage systems. Problem is people would object to the smell and what they stepped in.

The same could be said for abandoning global warming efforts. The immediate impacts would be less onerous but in the long run far more tragic.

Frank Hafner

Coronado

Foreign leaders will play Trump like a fiddle

Donald Trump is correct in saying that Vladimir Putin is a smart man. He is much smarter than Trump.

Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu are playing to Trumps thin-skinned ego and making a fool of him at our expense. Downplaying CIA and FBI blame on the Russian hacking is not only disgraceful but dangerous to our future world relations.

Bob Kerber

Oceanside

Some see failures, but others see successes

The Rick McKee political cartoon (Trump is going to ruin all my foreign policy achievements! Jan. 3) has it all wrong. The image shows Barack Obama looking at Iraq, Brexit, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, China, Israel, Syria, ISIS and North Korea.

The implication is that these are all Obama failures. Instead, these can all be seen as Obamas successes, to wit: Obama has wisely not engaged U.S. military in any of these countries.

He has avoided nuclear proliferation in the Gulf states with the Iran agreement. How could he have influenced the U.K.s Brexit decision? We are not in a trade war or military confrontation with China.

Israels Benjamin Netanyahu brazenly provoked Obama by going to the U.S. Congress over Obamas decision to negotiate with Iran, and Obama faced him off.

In my opinion, all these have been successes, not failures.

Howard Holter

Murrieta

Not seeing concern for people in ACA battle

I read in the paper about the battle over the Affordable Care Act in the new Congress, more importantly, about the anticipated negative impact on the American people.

Republicans want to make sure that Democrats own Obamacare. Democrats want to make sure the fallout resulting from congressional actions in the coming days/weeks lands on Republicans. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer says Republicans will make America sick again. Donald Trump advised Republicans in Congress to make certain the Dems own the failed Obamacare disaster.

And yet not a word about the people affected by changes to their health care. Only more ugly political posturing, without any apparent concern for doing the right thing for the American people.

This is what our democracy has become. Reality will be a memory, facts will be in short supply. Hang on. Its going to be a, sadly, wild ride.

Larry Farrington

Temecula

Rockettes have higher standards than Clintons

I find it horribly depressing that in the matter of inaugurating Donald J. Trump as president of the United States, some Radio City Rockettes are demonstrating more moral fiber than the entire Democratic leadership, starting with Hillary and Bill Clinton.

Ron Bonn

Tierrasanta

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One week before Kevin Faulconer has a big mayoral moment, it seemed everybody  again  was talking about whether hes running for governor next year.

The latest round of speculation was triggered by a Politico article on Wednesday that Faulconer has quietly started discussing a potential run for governor with advisers and prospective donors.

On that day, some of the mayors aides may well have been working on Faulconers State of the City address for this coming Thursday, when he certainly will have a lot of positive things to say amid times that arent so as good as during his previous addresses.

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Budget cuts loom, homelessness remains a big problem and, of course, theres the imminent doom of a Chargers relocation to Los Angeles  or possibly another reprieve with a delay on that decision.

Politico noted Faulconer last year pledged to finish his four-year term if re-elected, which he was in June. But that promise did little to stop speculation, as some California Republican leaders and political analysts continued to talk up his prospects. That certainly has boosted Faulconers stature, but evidence that hes actively making moves toward a run in 2018 could cause him problems back home and not just because of his pledge.

The general appraisal is that Faulconer has gotten off to a good start since his 2014 election and seeks to work across the partisan aisle to achieve consensus. But city finances were rebounding when he took office and he was able to substantially restore some services cut during the recession. Thats changed, though not drastically. Still, its easier to work with council members when you can give them something rather than take something away.

Among Politicos sources was former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who himself unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2002. A man of considerable means, Riordan would be one of those potential donors. He met with Faulconer but was cool to his request for support.

I dont know him well enough to make that decision, said Riordan. He noted that he has contributed $14,000 to state Treasurer John Chiangs gubernatorial campaign but added that he may or may not endorse him.

Riordan told Politico that Faulconer did not ask him to pledge financial support in their meeting, while suggesting financing was the subtext. He also sounded a bit annoyed at every Tom, Dick and Kevin coming to him with his hand out.

Its one of the horrors of being wealthy and well known, Riordan said. Everybody and their brother, the presidents of colleges and politicians, everybody wants to talk to you, get advice from you, which translates into get money from you.

Should Faulconer take the plunge, perhaps he wouldnt mind being a nuisance in return for a $14,000 non-endorsement from the likes of Riordan.

The mayors political consultant, Jason Roe, downplayed the report, saying it overstates Faulconers interest, according to City News Service. There also was an interesting discrepancy. Riordan told Politico Faulconer visited him in Los Angeles in December; Roe said it was four months ago, and the discussion was focused on a state ballot measure.

I dont know that (Faulconer has) ever had an interest other than people around the state keep promoting it,' Roe told City News Service. In a solid year, weve had one real conversation about it, which was six weeks ago, and it was more like what do you think? as opposed should I do this?

Speaking of problems 

Officials across the region have taken heat for the relentless homeless problem, and none more than Faulconer. The citys ticketing of the homeless was protested this past week by advocates for those living on the street.

They brought their case to City Hall and the mayor. A petition with more than 1,000 signatures was submitted to the mayors office Tuesday urging a halt to such actions against the homeless.

Among the petition leaders was Steph Johnson, a musician who has organized a choir of homeless people. Some of the folks who had been camping outside the church where the choir rehearses were cited by police last month, triggering criticism of the citys policies.

Stacie Spector, the mayors senior adviser on housing solutions, acknowledged the support for the homeless, suggesting positive action was on its way.

This is a growing concern that we share and city staff are working diligently every day to ensure services and beds are made available to homeless individuals, Spector said in a statement in response to the petition. Mayor Faulconer has made addressing homelessness a top priority and plans to discuss solutions at next weeks State of the City address.

In with the new and not so new

Monday is swearing-in day at the County Administration Center. Former Encinitas Mayor Kristin Gaspar will take the oath at a ceremony scheduled for 9 a.m. Its pretty much for show, as she was actually sworn in late last month after defeating incumbent Dave Roberts in November.

Joining her will be Greg Cox and Dianne Jacob, who we tend to forget were re-elected in the June primary without much of a fuss.

Cox ran unopposed and Jacob vanquished her most threatening opponent before a real campaign took shape  state Sen. Joel Anderson was gearing up to take her on but backed down.

Gaspar had two high-profile opponents: Escondido Mayor Sam Abed and Roberts.

Cox and Jacob will be the last two supervisors first elected before term limits enacted, having served some two decades. The other two long-timers, Ron Roberts and Bill Horn, are termed out in 2018.

Gaspar will suddenly be the senior member if she wins re-election in 2020.

Tweet of the Week

Goes to Ricky Young (@RickyWhy), Watchdog editor for the Union-Tribune, on Friday.

Blackfish down
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Jan 8 (PTI) Affected by the cash crunch following demonetisation, BSH Household Appliances, part of Germanys diversified group Bosch, has witnessed a 15-25 per cent drop in sales, a top company official said.

"It (demonetisation) has had an impact in the last 10 weeks and that has been a reduction in sales from our stores to the end user. It was somewhere between 15-25 per cent in the last two months," BSH Household Appliances Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Gunjan Srivastava told PTI.

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The government on November 8 banned the old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes worth around Rs 20.51 trillion to control black money and counterfeit currency.

Noting that it is a temporary blip, Srivastava said he expects the situation to normalise by March.

"We see this as a temporary blip till the monetary situation corrects itself and then the growth will be back to normal. The bigger cities are recovering faster but in smaller cities we still see an impact of 15-25 per cent. My anticipation is by March we should be back to normal," he said.

For the last couple of years, BSH Household Appliances has been growing at 40-50 per cent year on year, and it aims to enter new categories and segments over the next two years.

"We will enter new categories and we will also expand into newer segments of the categories in which we are already present," he said.

The company, which sells its products through e-commerce portals like Amazon, Flipkart and Pepperfry, said the share of online sales is likely to increase to double digits in the next three to four years.

"The digital aspect of consumers is increasing. E-commerce is part of the purchase cycle and purchase behaviour of the consumer. The customer is buying online or is doing research or comparing online.

"Currently the contribution is small in low single digit but we do see it increasing because of the trend which we see picking up and in the coming years, in three to four years, it might be in double digits," he said.

It also has 75 branded stores and plans to take the number to 200 in the next two or three years. PTI DS RSY ABM JM BAS

--- ENDS ---
From all the talk Ive heard about Pollo Campero, I could only surmise that it is the very best fried chicken in Central America..perhaps the world. The family owned chain has 350+ franchises included about 70 in the USand Ive heard people remember it with eyes tearing and mouths watering. According to the empire, its the chicken you cant campero.

I like that. Clever.

There are many legends about their specialty  the fried chicken. The first is, that the aroma from the boxes of chicken on flights from El Salvadors airport (an insanely busy Pollo Campero restaurant) to the U.S. are so ridiculously overpowering that headquarters is working on a special insulted box for transportation.

Another rumor (which more than one taxi driver in Belize City has told me) is that the management of the chain came to Belize City to see if they could expand into our country. They went around tasting the most popular fry chicken spots in the city (its called fry chicken) and announced that Belize had no need for Pollo Campero. We were doing fine on our own.

Apparently when relatives visit Guatemala, the only request they get from those in the US is not coffee or beautiful fabric butyou guessed itPollo Campero.

NOW IS MY CHANCE TO TASTE THIS WONDER OF THE WORLD, THIS LOVE OF LATIN AMERICA, THIS CULT-INDUCING CHICKEN.

On the eighth day, He invented Pollo Campero.

I have tasted fried chicken around Belize trying to find my favorite of the favorite. I went to Li Chees for a greasy bag & Friendship for very rude service and very tasty chicken, I ate at Dawns in Placencia, Ive eaten Lilys in San Pedro (my favorite on Ambergris) and I crowned Syds Friday Fry Chicken special the best in Belize.

Here is Lilys.

I was ready to taste Guatemalas best  measured by the insane popular demand. I first went to the chain in the middle of Antigua  Saturday afternoon at about 3pm, not your standard lunch or dinner hour. The line was out the door.

Its just up the street from Antiguas beautiful and very popular Central Park  the hub of the town.

I then went to the larger outlet near my B&B on the edge of the center and tried to order at the register. The attendant told me to take a seat. I was confused. Was I not allowed to order? I had been scolded for taking a photo at the counter.

That chicken is not baking under a red light  I bet it is all served in under 4 minutes.

I sat down and realized that the greeter at the door (Hola, Welcome to Pollo Campero) was really a host. A maitre d. Armed with an elaborate headset, a computer slung around his hips and a cleanly pressed dress shirt and pants, he already knew that I wanted a table for one. The attendant has radioed him.

But how did he recognize me?

I joined the 40 or so people waiting for a table. Things moved quickly and I was escorted to the dining area resplendent with a fountain and about 100 booths and table.

WHAT AN OPERATION! This place is making bank! The owner is said to be a billionaire and I can EASILY see why.

One of about 30 waiters came to give me a menu and then take my order. Oh I was ready to love it. I WANTED TO LOVE IT.

Soon my two piece, fries, drink and dinner roll arrived. I dug right in.

Andthe fries were good but not MacDonalds crisp, the sweet tea, excellent, the dinner roll was a bit dry and the chicken.ummmdecent. It tastes like some sort of citrus and heavily of black pepper. My least favorite spice in the world. And the meat tasted unseasoned.

The ketchup was my favorite part  slightly sweeta slight taste of all spiceor is it cloves? Very very tasty.

Clearly all of Central America is right and I am wrong but Im not a big fan. PLUS, the price was about $6US or Q42.75. That aint cheap. Minimum wage here is about Q80-85 per day. Thats a crazy ratio!

So its just not my taste. What I did notice is that this empire is SO SMARTLY RUN. The technology, service (waiters and waitresses!), the speed, the uniformity, THE SPEEDsuper impressive.

Sighi didnt leave wanting more chicken, I left wishing I had invented it.
The two were supposedly involved in a conversation while the other contestants were busy.

By India Today Web Desk: That Bani J has been a favourite of Salman's is really no secret. This act of his, however, has reiterated people's belief about the two's equation.

Needless to say, Salman was extremely disgusted by Om Swami's act of throwing his own urine on Bani J. Soon enough, however, Salman was disappointed in Bani for not wearing the mic and breaking a few rules of the house, even after Swami Om's exit. In a slightly rude tone, when Salman told Bani that she lost the captaincy, thanks to her immature behaviour, Bani became aggressive when replying to Salman.

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Despite Bani's aggression, however, Salman maintained his calm and called her "sweetheart", advising her to not give importance to people like Swami Om. But there was more to the conversation all of saw in the episode.

As it turns out, Salman and Bani's conversation did not end there. According to Bollywood Life, before wrapping up the shoot, Salman tried to have another conversation with Bani, away from the cameras. Salman supposedly explained to Bani what he meant earlier about the Swami Om fiasco. He even told her that her aggression was justified, and added that she should now be strong and not let anything affect her.

Reportedly, Manu Punjabi tried to interrupt Salman and Bani during this conversation, which obviously didn't go down well with Salman, who told Manu that he is talking to Bani, not him.

Getting a bit too touchy, are we, Salman?

--- ENDS ---
Health authorities in the Riverina region issued a health warning for people in lieu of the fivefold increase in the number of Ross River fever incidents reported this year. New South Wales Health authorities recommended people to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes to avoid Ross River fever.

Tracey Oakman, Director at NSW Public Health Organization, informed that December 2016 recorded 34 cases of the viral infection in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District, which was about five times the average number of cases recorded in the same time in previous years, Shepparton News reported.

It was also said that people holidaying in the region have also contracted the disease during their stay and some others were diagnosed after they went back home and were not included in the latest figures.

"If we've got holiday makers that have been bitten and gone home, they'll be recorded as having the virus from the postcode that they're living in," Tracey Oakman informed. "The highest number of notifications have been in the 45- to 65-year-old age group and then the next age group most commonly notified is the 25- to 44-year-old age group," she added.

Health officials declared that the city of Griffith has been the epicenter of the viral outbreak. The city recorded seven more cases in the region in the last month alone.

The Ross River Fever outbreaks are directly related to the mosquito population in the local area, which is known to increase considerably after rainfall. However, health officials are baffled as the mosquitoes continue to flourish even months after the rainfall season, ABC News reported.

"That's really concerning because we don't normally see such a high level of Ross River virus in December. We normally get higher cases in February, March and April, the tail end of summer. Seeing them this early is a real concern," Tracey Oakman said.

She also said that the latest numbers are concerning and extreme caution is recommended to the people residing in the area. People are also advised to use non-poisonous mosquito repellents and to dress in loosely fitting long clothing to avoid mosquito bites and Ross River fever.
The recently captured SOFIA telescope images of Jupiter's atmosphere provide information regarding its temperature and composition. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a NASA's flying observatory, which uses a modified Boeing 747 airplane previously used by Pan American World Airways.

SOFIA is a joint venture of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, which was launched in 2010, and employs an airborne 2.5-meter diameter telescope to capture images of celestial bodies, which cannot be observed with the help of even the highest ground-based telescopes. SOFIA flies above the infrared-blocking water vapor layer of the Earth's atmosphere, which allows it to track the changes in Jupiter's atmosphere.

Leigh N. Fletcher at the University of Leicester combined the data obtained from the SOFIA telescope with the Faint Object Infrared Camera (FORCAST) and revealed that the southern hemisphere of Jupiter is slowly cooling down. The infrared images also indicate that the belt structure that is present around the center of the planet is cold and is surrounded by belts of warmer, sinking gas, WIRED reported.

These results of the study published in Icarus scientific journal show that the SOFIA telescope images are at par with the quality of space images that were only achieved by spacecraft in the past.

"These SOFIA observations will fill the gap in the wavelength coverage of current and future space-based observatories and provide spatial and temporal context for them," Fletcher said.

SOFIA infrared images also allow scientists to study details that usually remain hidden in visible light. In this particular case, astronomers made use of the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA telescope to study the concentration of the ortho- and para-hydrogen content in Jupiter's atmosphere, Yahoo reported.

The present knowledge of Jupiter's atmosphere is mostly based on the information sent from spacecraft such as the Voyager 1, Galileo and Cassini. The SOFIA telescope images will further help in enhancing human understanding of Jupiter's atmosphere.
Im going to miss President Barack Obama in the White House.

There. Ive said it. Before half of you spit out your coffee or explode into a hysterical frenzy, consider that you still have your guns. He didnt take them away, as many misled by the gun lobby feared.

Despite doom-and-gloom prophecies, Obama didnt ruin Americas economy. Rather, after inheriting the worst recession in 75 years, Obama steered Congress to take measured, decisive actions to shore up the faltering automobile sector, deal with some of the power of the big banks and use $800 billion in a stimulus package for tax relief, education initiatives and much-needed investments in research and infrastructure. The strategy worked and kept a real depression at bay.

Want evidence? Wheres the stock market  hovering now around a robust and mind-numbing 20,000 or stuck around 8,000 like it was when he took office eight years ago? How many people would have predicted such a bullish market eight years ago?

As much as many dont want to admit it, a lot more rich people got richer under Barack Obama as corporate profits and private pocketbooks soared. Consumer confidence is near an all-time high. And while unemployment went way up at the beginning of his terms in office due to the recession, unemployment rates are again low and job openings are at a 15-year high. Some 10.7 million jobs were created during Obamas tenure.

To fail to give Obama a good share of the credit for engineering the country out of an economic fiasco is simply a disservice.

Under Barack Obamas tenure, society has changed, too. Same-sex couples now can marry. Gay soldiers are serving honorably in the military. Students are paying cheaper rates for college loans. The country is less dependent on foreign oil. Americas greenhouse gas emissions are down. Americas fighting fleet  her away team on the seas  is stronger than ever, Secretary of Navy Ray Mabus recently told me.

Has he been the best president ever? Yes to some. No to others. Certainly there are challenges that havent been fixed or addressed. While the federal deficit, or borrowing, went down significantly, the debt rose too much, just like it has with every other president since the 1970s. Home ownership rates are lower than they have been in decades, again a hangover from the recession. Wages of most Americans are lower than they should be as buying power for workers has only inched up. The nations poverty rate remains too high and too many Americans remain on food stamps. About a fifth of South Carolinians, for example, receive food assistance for one reason or another.

But some 20 million people across the country now have health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act, a signature achievement under Barack Obama. Like anything out of Washington, its not perfect, but health cares rising costs slowed and Americans are healthier. Will it remain the same? Probably not, but Im glad for the nation that something major was done instead of a whole lot of nothing like in past years, which only allowed health costs to go up and up and up.

Taken as a whole, President Obamas leadership and vision helped America get off its knees. But whats perhaps most amazing is how he kept the nation moving forward in a political and media environment saturated with real hate and vitriol. Its sad to say in 2017, but too many people, unfortunately, are blinded by the color of Obamas skin, not the caliber and breadth of his accomplishments to improve America.

And how did Barack Obama respond  with rants and pettiness? Nope. Did he have any scandals? Nope. He remained true to his emotional and psychological core  a solid family man helping to raise two daughters and steer a country toward continued success. In fact, despite more pressures than just about anyone can imagine, Obama consistently displayed the dignity and composure of a real leader and highlighted the depth of character that Americans expect of a president.

Ill miss Barack Obama for leadership that restored hope for millions of Americans. But Ill miss him more for his example of undaunted courage and the steadiness of his guiding hand. Thank you, Mr. President, for your service.

Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh has again given a fresh spin to the ongoing Samajwadi Party feud between father Mulayam Singh Yadav and Chief Minister son Akhilesh Yadav. Amar Singh raised doubts over the kind of support Akhilesh Yadav has claimed within the party.

By India Today Web Desk: The Samajwadi Party feud took an interesting turn one more time today with Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh saying that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav faction misled the Election Commission.

A day after Akhilesh Yadav's camp submitted an affidavit to the Election Commission claiming support of majority of the legislators and Samajwadi Party office-bearers, Amar Singh contested their claim.

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READ| Mulayam says 'no dispute in party', to meet Election Commission

SAMAJWADI FEUD: AMAR SINGH GIVES FRESH TWIST Amar Singh has said that the signatures of support submitted to the Election Commission by Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav on the behalf of Akhilesh Yadav faction are forged. Amar Singh said that the authenticity of the signatures claimed to have been obtained by the Akhilesh Yadav camp was doubtful. Amar Singh has given a fresh twist to Samajwadi Party's internal feud in which Akhilesh Yadav camp has looked a clear winner by show of strength of MLAs and MPs. Amar Singh said, "The numbers of MLAs supporting you matters when a government has to be formed, not for (claiming) party symbol." Amar Singh argued that proving majority of support is not a pre-condition for staking claim over party's poll symbol- 'bicycle'. Ram Gopal Yadav had met the Election Commission yesterday to submit affidavit and relevant documents to prove that majority within the Samajwadi Party supported Akhilesh Yadav. In another interesting development, nameplates of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Singh were put back at the Samajwadi Party headquarters in Lucknow. The nameplate of Shivpal Yadav had been removed from the party office after Akhilesh Yadav camp elected him as the president of Samajwadi Party in a national convention on January 1. Mulayam Singh, later, called the national convention unconstitutional.

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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) A host of foreign leaders including Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of several countries will converge at Gandhi Nagar to attend the eighth edition of four-day-long Vibrant Gujarat summit beginning Tuesday.

Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault have already confirmed their participation at the biennial Summit.

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The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, which started in 2003, is aimed at attracting investment in Gujarat and is considered as an important event which is attended by top Indian industrialists besides representatives from many other countries.

The central focus of the upcoming Summit is Sustainable Economic and Social Development.

"It will bring together heads of state and government, ministers, leaders from the corporate world, senior policy makers, heads of international institutions and academia from around the world to further the cause of development and to promote cooperation," said the organisers.

The Kenyan President will be in India on a three-day visit beginning Tuesday during which he will also hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi besides attending the Summit at Gandhinagar.

He is expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee while Vice President Hamid Ansari, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar are likely to call on Kenyatta during his stay here.

Rwanda President Kagame will arrive in Ahmedabad tomorrow and will depart from there Wednesday. He will have a bilateral meeting with Modi in Gandhinagar and will address a select gathering of CEOs of top companies.

Portuguese Prime Minister Costa, who arrived here yesterday on a seven-day visit, will attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit on its inaugural session.

The Serbian Prime Minister will arrive in Ahmedabad tomorrow and will hold a bilateral meeting with Modi on range of bilateral and regional issues at the Mahatma Mandir Exhibition cum Convention Centre, the venue of the summit.

Vucic will also visit Mumbai during his four day visit.

Israels Agriculture MinisterUri Arielwill also attend the Vibrant Gujarat summit. He will arrive tomorrow on a four- day India trip. Israels participation in Vibrant Gujarat will also include a country Seminar on doubling farmers income via Indo-Israeli agricultural cooperation.

Speaking on the upcoming visit by Minister Uri Ariel, Israels Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said, "India and Israels relations today, marking the beginning of the 25th year of our diplomatic relations, are stronger and more visible than ever before."

"The second visit of the Minister of Agriculture within a year proves that Israel is committed to being Indias technological partner in agriculture, water and every other field of mutual interest," he said. PTI MPB RT

--- ENDS ---

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Shah Rukh Khan condemned the Bengaluru molestation and urged parents of young boys to teach their sons to respect women.

By Press Trust of India: Amid widespread outrage over the molestation incident in Bengaluru on New Year eve, superstar Shah Rukh Khan has also condemned it, saying parents must treat their sons in a way that they learn to respect women.

ALSO READ | Bengaluru shame: Anushka and Malaika's powerful messages show what is wrong with society

ALSO READ | Bengaluru mass molestation - Aamir to Varun, B-Town is angry, sad and disappointed

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ALSO WATCH | Akshay Kumar's angry, emotional video message on Bengaluru molestation

The New Year revelry turned into a nightmare for several women who were allegedly molested despite huge police presence at a large gathering on December 31 in Bengaluru's downtown region, sparking nationwide outrage.

When asked about it, Shah Rukh told reporters, "The feeling is exactly the same as other celebrities have said. I think its completely wrong. We all, mothers and fathers, have to treat our sons in a way that they learn to respect women from an early age."

The 51-year-old actor was speaking at a special fashion show of designer Archana Kochhar here last night.

About women empowerment issues, Shah Rukh said women should be treated with utmost respect, whether they are working professionals or housewives.

"I think women are close to my heart, my daughter is close to my heart, mother is close to my heart, all girls are close to my heart. I think it is high time we realise that and make sure they are the most respected people on the planet," he asserted.

"If they were not there, we wouldn't be here. Working women, housewives, every women who is there in the world should be respected," the actor stressed.

On New Years eve, several women were allegedly molested and groped on MG Road and Brigade Road where the revellers had gathered, despite the presence of more than 1,500 police personnel, an incident that led to a national outrage. ALSO WATCH | Bengaluru mass molestation: A victim recounts the ordeal

--- ENDS ---
A nectar-loving bat from the southwestern United States and Mexico whose population was tanking has made a remarkable comeback nearly 30 years in the making, and some of the credit goes to an unusual source: tequila producers.

Once endangered and down to fewer than 1,000 bats in 1988, the lesser long-nosed bat is now some 200,000 strong, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

The agency now thinks the bat, whose range runs from southern Mexico up to southern New Mexico and Arizona, no longer needs to be protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and has proposed taking it off that list of struggling animals.

How did the down-and-almost-out bat finally bounce back? With help from multiple sources north and south of the U.S. border. Across decades, citizen-scientists in Arizona kept watch on the animals and provided valuable information on the timing of their migrations, while U.S. federal agencies protected the bats' roosts and hunting areas, most of which were on protected lands.

RELATED: Video Provides 360-Degree View of Largest Bat Colony

Meanwhile, tequila producers in Mexico have given a boost to the bats, after changing the way they harvest the key ingredient in their popular spirit, the blue agave (Agave tequilana).

The blue agave plant spends its life building up sugar and gearing up to blossom, just one time, creating giant stalks  clear-as-day invitations for top pollinators like the lesser long-nosed bat. In turn, the bat dines on the nectar and then pollinates other blue agave in its travels. The agave, for its part, dies after flowering.

The trouble was, tequila producers were harvesting the blue agave just before it flowered, when sugar levels were at their best. For new plants, they used the clones that sprout at the agave's base.

Because the agave plants never bloomed, they never became food for the nectar-hungry bat. The agave are part of a "nectar corridor" the bats use when migrating from southern Mexico to northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. The blooming times of agave, saguaro and giant cacti keep the bats supplied with nectar continuously throughout migration.

Over time, bat researchers like Rodrigo Medellin, from the University of New Mexico, worked to convince the producers that it might be best to let the flowering happen instead of replanting from clones.

"[Agave producers] were losing all genetic diversity, and with it all resistance to any disease that would come along," Medellin told the National Resources Defense Council.

Once farmers began to use a portion of their land for flowering blue agave, the hungry bats swooped in, which aided their recovery. "[The fields are] full of food and bats are visiting. It's nothing short of historic,'' Medellin told National Geographic in September 2016. "This is the way things were done six generations ago."

What's more, some savvy producers have even begun marketing "bat-friendly" tequila. As for the bats behind the marketing strategy? They were removed from Mexico's own endangered species list in 2015.

WATCH VIDEO: Why You Shouldn't Be Scared Of Vampire Bats
Senate to meet visiting French senators for greater parliamentary, diplomatic ties

The Senate will welcome four members of the French Senate led by Senator Gerard Miquel who will visit the country from January 6 to 9 as part of efforts to advance cooperation and friendship between the Philippines and France.

Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, along with members of the Philippine-France Parliamentary Friendship Association, will meet the delegation from the France-Southeast Asia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group on January 9 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City. Miquel, who is President of the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, will be joined by French Senators Bernard Saugey, Jean-Claude Lenoir and Simon Sutour.

Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon, Senator Loren Legarda, who is the head of the Philippine-France Parliamentary Friendship Association, and Senators Cynthia Villar, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Joseph Victor Ejercito are also expected to join their French counterparts during the occasion.

Pimentel said he hopes the meeting would reinvigorate and end the long hiatus in official inter-parliamentary cooperation and exchanges between the Senate of the French Republic, and the Senate of the Philippines.

He said the presence of parliamentary friendship associations in both chambers will help sustain this inter-parliamentary cooperation, exchange of best practices, advance parliamentary diplomacy and increase people-to-people contacts.

During their four-day visit, the French delegation is also set to meet with Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena.

The French lawmakers are visiting three countries in Southeast Asia namely Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines.
By India Today Web Desk: Rock On 2 co-stars Farhan Akhtar and Shraddha Kapoor's off screen chemistry was the talk of the town. In fact, stories were even doing the rounds that Shraddha had packed her bags and moved in with her rumoured beau, only to be dragged back home by her livid father Shakti Kapoor. Shakti rubbished the reports, but that had little effect.

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ALSO READ: Shraddha moves in with Farhan, daaku daddy Shakti forces her to leave?

Now, Shraddha Kapoor herself slammed gossip mongers for going "overboard." Denying her relationship with Farhan, the OK Jaanu actor said, "I think this time it went little overboard. When you are writing something that is false and presenting it as a fact without confirming... I feel it's extremely wrong."

"For just the sake of gossips, tabloids cant take such liberties. You can't say something has happened when nothing of this sort has happened," she added.

Shraddha said that she is usually unfazed by rumours surrounding her but this time, it "painted an incorrect picture" about her father. "The link-up rumours have not affected me at all, but this time it did as it involved my family. If you paint a wrong picture and involve family, it's not fair," she said.

The actor added that she would like her work to be spoken about and not her rumoured affairs. Shraddha will be seen next in OK Jaanu with Aditya Roy Kapur. The film will hit screens on January 13.

(With inputs from PTI)

ALSO WATCH: Rock On 2's Farhan-Shraddha-Arjun in an EXCLUSIVE interview

--- ENDS ---
Two people were killed in vehicle crashes in the East Bay on Sunday and dozens of other traffic collisions were reported across the region as heavy rains flooded roadways.

In Oakland, rescue divers were dispatched to the estuary near Oakland International Airport around 8:30 a.m. after a taxicab was seen in the water. They found the body of the driver, 57-year-old Jarnail Singh of San Leandro, in the submerged vehicle. He was believed to be the only person in the cab, which was identified on the side as belonging to Raj Cab of San Leandro.
Tim Smith tried to outrun the floodwaters in Petaluma on Sunday and lost. But at least he lived to tell the tale.

Smith, 69, is homeless and was sleeping in his car near the Corona Road overpass of Highway 101 when he woke up to find danger slopping toward his wheels from the surging Petaluma River. That was around 9:30 a.m.

I said, Uh-oh, Id better try to get out of there, he said. Smith fired up his red Honda CRV and headed away from what had been an empty stretch of pavement and weeds when he parked there, but within minutes the water was up to the seats. Hed only gone a couple of hundred yards.

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I though it might get shallower, but I guess not, Smith said. Passersby saw him in the water, called emergency services, and firefighters soon paddled out in a blue inflatable raft.

They hauled Smith out through the drivers side window with only a bag containing his laptop and a few small belongings.

Thats crazy man, Smith marveled at his escape from potential drowning. Ive lived here 25 years and havent experienced anything like this before.

Smith said he lost his lodging six months ago, has slept at times at the overpass and was saving money to get a place in Nevada County. He called his Honda his tiny house on wheels.

I hope the car is not totally lost, Smith said. His clothes and books, including volumes by D.H. Lawrence and Noam Chomsky, were in the Honda.

 I rescued my laptop, at least, Smith said.

His next move, while waiting for the waters to recede enough to reclaim his car?

I dont have a clue, Smith said. I guess Ill go over to my sisters and see if theyll put me up until the rain stops.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Chronicle staff writer Kevin Fagan contributed to this report.

Demian Bulwa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dbulwa@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @demianbulwa
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Blocks away from the fire-gutted Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland sits a tiny, two-bedroom in-law unit with mildewed walls and no heat, perched atop a rickety garage. Water pools beneath chipped bathroom tiles, and mold forms spiderweb patterns amid the dog posters and Baby-Sitters Club books in an otherwise tidy girls bedroom.

Home to a family of three, its among many illegal dwellings that have existed for years in the Fruitvale district, becoming more prevalent as rents escalate and a perennial housing shortage squeezes out the poor.

Right now people are really desperate. Theyre living on the edge of homelessness, said City Councilman Noel Gallo, who represents Fruitvale. Hes hoping that last months Ghost Ship fire, which prompted an outcry over the hazardous living conditions of many artist warehouses, will also spotlight other forms of shoddy housing.

Gallo recently visited the two-bedroom in-law unit with the family of three, on a quiet block of 29th Avenue where the houses are wide and weather-beaten. Many of them conceal similarly makeshift granny flats, sheds or garages, where low-income families live in the shadows.

Paper snowflakes and Christmas stockings lined the walls of the in-law unit, where Clyde  a stay-at-home mom who declined to give her last name  stood bundled in a knit cap, sweatshirt and scarf. Clyde described her familys six years in their home as an ongoing struggle. She and her 10-year-old daughter both have asthma, which is exacerbated by mold, the woman said. And the cold air, she said, makes her back muscles ache.

I have to heat the house with the (gas) stove, she said. I get up an hour before my daughter every day and turn it on.

Despite those discomforts and health complications, Clyde had always been reluctant to leave the $900-a-month unit, which is cheaper than most other rentals in the gradually gentrifying neighborhood. But now her family has no choice: Their landlord evicted them in September, and they have until mid-January to vacate.

Were left in the middle of the ocean with nothing, she said, fighting tears.

Leah Millis/The Chronicle

Many other families face the same quandary, said Jesse Newmark, an attorney at the immigrant-focused law nonprofit Centro Legal de la Raza. He said the problem of substandard housing is particularly widespread in Fruitvale, where some tenants are stymied not only by their lack of income, but also by their immigration status. Low-cost housing is a scarce commodity in the booming Bay Area, and the options are narrower for people who lack a credit score and a Social Security number or who are inhibited by language barriers.

Tenants are in a difficult position  they dont want to call city inspectors because theyre afraid the inspectors might red-tag their units, and then theyre afraid of landlord retaliation, Newmark said.

A landlords response to complaints can be hard to predict, said Martina Cucullu Lim, Centro Legal de la Razas tenants rights program director. Some evict their tenants, ostensibly to bring the building up to code, she said. Others threaten to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

We had a client who received multiple letters claiming ICE was tracking him, Lim said. Those letters all coincided with requests for repairs.

Such threats are familiar to Maria Estrada, a 55-year-old hotel worker from Mexico who rents a converted garage in East Oakland with her daughter and infant grandson.

It was advertised as a two-bedroom apartment, said Estrada, who pays almost $800 a month for what turned out to be a small storage space with a bed, closet and toilet. She and her daughter moved there in fall 2015 because they could not find anything cheaper. In September, the landlord tried to evict them, saying that if they did not leave he would report Estradas daughter, who has no documentation, to immigration authorities.

Estrada has been fighting the landlord in court while searching for better housing. She said that somebody shut off the garage boiler on New Years Eve, and her home has been without hot water since then.

We cant find another place because everything else requires such a big deposit, she said.

Fear of displacement or deportation silences many tenants, Newmark said, even when they are subjected to cockroaches, plumbing leaks or faulty wiring  issues that are particularly common in dwellings that were never meant to house people in the first place. And with the high price of real estate, landlords have little trouble renting illegally converted garages and sheds, or homes that are subdivided  without permits.

We had this one case of a rundown, five-bedroom house being rented out to 30 people, Lim said. There was no heat, there was no functioning kitchen, and the landlord had not made any repairs in 20 years.

Gallo saw several such arrangements while driving through his district on a recent weekday. On Fruitvale Avenue, he found a man and woman living in a garage with a shabby curtain and no door. On Prentiss Place, he found a battered camper parked in a junkyard, surrounded by scrap wood and discarded household appliances. Neighbors said it housed a family with three children.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Even on my block, Im seeing people add (non-permitted units) to their homes so they can rent them out, Gallo said. Or theyll allow someone to park a trailer in their backyard and live in it.

Solving the problem will be a delicate balancing act, requiring city officials to address the whole constellation of factors that have made Oakland a crucible for low-income tenants, said Laura Lane, director of the housing practice at the East Bay Community Law Center. Lane is representing Estrada in the eviction lawsuit brought by her landlord.

So far, officials do not have a unified approach. Gallo is pushing the city to beef up its code enforcement and to convert empty, blighted properties into new housing. Lane and Lim are advocating higher relocation payments for displaced tenants  Oakland currently offers two times the monthly rent for a unit of comparable size, plus $200 for moving costs.

Clyde said she got more than the minimum requirement  about $5,000  but that it wont be sufficient to get her into another apartment in Fruitvale.

I looked, but the rents for a two-bedroom were between $1,600 and $2,000, she said, noting that some proprietors dont ask for credit scores, which makes her suspicious.

Ive come to question those places, she said. I dont want to go through the same thing again.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
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Residents of a Novato trailer park were told to shelter in place after a few feet of water blocked the entrance to the community.

Novato police told residents of the RV Park to stay put Sunday morning after Armstrong Avenue flooded.

It appeared a drainage issue was to blame, said John Cheney, who lives at the trailer park.

My goodness, were going to be stuck here a couple of days, he said. Thank god I'm a prepper and I got plenty of food, water and vodka.

Cheney, who has lived there six years, said hed never seen the area flood like that before.

Several cars were parked along the roadway, stranded with water rising at least halfway up the tires. The order to shelter in place was issued first thing in the morning and remained in effect early in the afternoon.

Resident Carla Owen kept her eye on the flooded roadway as she did laundry at the shared facility.

She said she hadnt gotten much sleep with the storm rocking her RV through the night, but wanted to get her clothes clean and dry as quickly as possible.

This is just crazy, she said. Im afraid if the electricity goes out Ill have six loads of wet laundry.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jennajourno
SACRAMENTO  Newly sworn-in state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, plans to introduce legislation Monday requiring all new construction in the state to include solar panels.

The bill expands on a San Francisco city ordinance Wiener wrote while on the Board of Supervisors that requires solar panels to be put on new construction within the city, including residential and some commercial buildings. The city ordinance was passed last year and applies to any project that receives building permits after Jan. 1.

San Francisco was the first major city in the country to require that solar panels be installed on new buildings and homes. California already requires 15 percent of the roof area on residential homes and small and midsize commercial buildings with 10 floors or less to be solar ready, meaning the area must be free of shade and other obstructions.

Wieners bill, like the San Francisco ordinance its modeled after, would require builders to install solar panels on 15 percent of roofs. The solar could either be purchased by builders or a third party could own and maintain it. Wiener said current law ensuring new buildings are solar ready isnt enough.

We figured if you are going to make it solar ready, just put the panels on and start out with solar energy integrated into the building, Wiener said. People are frustrated with the slow pace of moving toward renewable energy, and people have a sense of urgency that we dont have time to waste. We need to move away from a carbon-based economy.

While the San Francisco ordinance passed unanimously, Wieners bill is likely to encounter resistance in Sacramentos Capitol. California builders say the states fees and others costs for building homes are already high. And the cost of adding solar will probably be passed along to buyers in a state with skyrocketing housing prices. And that could price some people  particularly in low-income areas  out of the housing market, warned critics, who declined to speak on the record about the proposal until the bills language is made public.

The average home in California costs $440,000, which is 2 times the national average of $180,000, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office, which released a report in 2015 on the states high cost for housing.

Wiener said he doesnt see the cost of solar being a deterrent.

Its not a significant cost, he said. It either pays for itself over time or you dont even have to own the panels. You can have a third party come in and own and maintain the panels. Thats why we got little pushback from the development community in San Francisco.

Three other cities also require solar on new buildings, including Lancaster, Sebastopol and Santa Monica. Lancaster, which is located in the western Mojave Desert in Los Angeles County, was the first city in the state to require solar on new construction in 2013.

I think we can simultaneously build great housing that is environmentally responsible, said Todd David, executive director of San Francisco Housing Action Coalition. David previously worked as political director for Wieners Senate campaign.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez
Thousands of people throughout the Bay Area and beyond were without power Sunday as a series of storms brought wind and rain throughout Northern California, downing power lines in some places.

By 1 p.m., power outages were affecting more than 45,000 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers in the Bay Area, said spokesman Paul Doherty. That was double the number of people affected in the morning. The outages were largely due to high winds causing trees, branches and other debris to fly into power lines.
A man was arrested Saturday in connection with both Berkeleys first slaying of the year and a stabbing in the city, police said.

Pablo Gomez Jr., 24, of North Hollywood was taken into custody in Burbank just before 1:30 p.m., Berkeley police said.

Berkeley investigators said they believe Gomez was behind not only the gruesome scene where the body of an unidentified person was discovered, but also the stabbing of a woman who was found about a mile and a half away, north of the UC Berkeley campus.

Officers spotted the seriously wounded woman on the 2600 block of Ridge Road at about 11:42 a.m. Friday, police said.

She was taken to a hospital, where she was reported to be in stable condition.

During the investigation, officers were led to a residence on the 2400 block of Ashby Avenue, where they found a body.

It was clear that based on the evidence found at the scene, a violent crime had occurred there, police said in a statement. It wasnt until much later that the body of an as yet unidentified person was discovered.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Investigators had identified Gomez as a suspect by the end of the night and believed he may have shaved his head to alter his appearance. The arrest in Burbank was more than 350 miles away.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
It became a soap opera on ice.

The Chronicles front page from Jan. 7, 1994, covers the assault on ice-skating star Nancy Kerrigan that turned into a media frenzy.

U.S. national champion figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, a 1992 Olympic bronze medalist and one of the favorites to win the gold medal at next months Winter Olympics, was attacked by a man wielding a blunt object after practice yesterday at the U.S. Olympic trials, the story read.

At first, mystery surrounded the attack, but it became clear that U.S. skater Tonya Hardings ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, helped plan the assault at the Detroit arena. Gillooly and Hardings bodyguard, Shawn Eckhardt, hired hit man Shane Stant to break Kerrigans leg so she couldnt compete at the Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

The attack left Kerrigan injured, but resolute in her goal of winning gold. She was granted a spot on the U.S. team, alongside Harding, despite not finishing in the trials.

With media attention mounting and the Olympics just weeks away, the rivalry between Kerrigan and Harding took center stage. Media coverage across the U.S. and abroad focused on the skaters, the crime and what would happen with medals on the line.

In Norway, Kerrigan skated magnificently, but Ukraines Oksana Baiul took gold in a disputed decision. Harding came in eighth and a month after the Olympics pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the crime and was subsequently thrown out of the U.S. Figure Skating Association. The men involved in the knee-bashing all served prison time.

A president mourns: A photo on the front page shows Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton walking together at the White House before they headed back to Arkansas for the funeral for the presidents mother, Virginia Kelley.

Take to the skies: A story near the bottom of the front page looks at a special breed of Bay Area commuter. From the story: An elite group of Bay Area workers have found a way to escape both the regions high housing costs and grueling commutes: They fly to work. From the Sacramento Valley to the Central Coast, from Sonoma, Modesto, the Sierra foothills, Lake Tahoe and elsewhere in the state, people are leaving their cars at home and soaring above traffic in Cessnas, Pipers and other small airplanes.

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspapers history.

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.

Chronicle Covers is a yearlong project highlighting one classic Chronicle newspaper page from our archive every day for 366 days. Library director Bill Van Niekerken and producers Kimberly Chua, Alexandra Irving and Jillian Sullivan contributed to the project. Tim ORourke is the executive producer and editor of SFChronicle.com. Email: torourke@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TimothyORourke

(Click to enlarge)




The waters of the Merced River began to rise early Saturday as a hard rain fell in the hauntingly empty Yosemite National Park, where workers scrambled to secure equipment and batten down the hatches in expectation of the worst storm and flooding in two decades.

The snow was melting fast, and water was puddling ominously on Yosemite roads Saturday morning, forcing park workers to rush around collecting pylons, traffic cones and anything else not bolted to the ground.

Were picking up everything thats potentially going to float away, said one soaked worker as he drove around in a National Park Service pickup truck, its lights flashing as warm rain pattered down.

As Yosemite officials prepared for monsoon-like rains, 385 tourists and campers were evacuated from hotels and campgrounds Friday. The storm, dubbed a Pineapple Express because of the warm air moving in from the Pacific Ocean, is expected to cause the river to rise 7 feet or more above flood stage by 10 a.m. Sunday.

Red Cross shelters have been set up outside the park.

Weve been planning this for several days and our plans are in place, said park spokesman Scott Gediman.

Several hundred concessionaires and park employees remained in the valley Saturday, despite an order for all nonessential workers to clear out. Some were beginning to regret their decision as the day wore on.

Im definitely worried. This is incredible, Stephanie Saavedra, a night auditor for Yosemite concessionaire Aramark, said as she stood in the driving rain at Sentinel Bridge, watching both the swelling Merced and the spectacular white cascade of Yosemite Falls.

I thought about leaving, but my family is in Palo Alto, which is quite a drive, and I had a fake sense of security because it didnt rain yesterday, said Saavedra, who lives at Highland Court, employee housing that wasnt evacuated because it sits on high ground. I was told by the other employees that were not really in trouble until Upper Yosemite Falls begins to shoot straight out.

The signature falls, which drop thousands of feet, was not shooting out Saturday, but it was definitely widening its arc. The pool below the falls was brimming even before the heaviest part of the storm had hit Saturday.

Meanwhile, white rivulets of water, where waterfalls never were before, streamed down from a thousand places on the 3,000-foot-tall granite cliffs surrounding the boxed-in valley. Some snaked sideways along cracks, and others leaped off precipices, spraying into the abyss, in a rare and, given the circumstances, somewhat frightening display of waterworks.

Down in the valley, what was brilliant white snow Friday had turned into transparent, fast-melting slush by Saturday afternoon.

The Upper and Lower Pines campgrounds will be the first to flood, if the situation unfolds as it did in 1997, when what was known as the storm of the century blasted Yosemite on New Years Day, causing the worst flood in more than 40 years.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Legend has it the Indians who lived in the valley before Europeans arrived called such a flood a cleansing of the valley.

The river peaked at about 23 feet that year  flood stage is 10 feet  taking out power lines and sewers and washing out bridges and roads, leaving 1,400 employees and 875 visitors trapped for more than two days. The park, which sustained $176 million in damage, remained closed until March that year.

The flood helped inspire the Merced Wild and Scenic River Plan, which called for the removal of riverside development, including campgrounds, and the shoring up of roads.

On Saturday afternoon, a lone coyote loped across a road and nosed around a meadow below Yosemite Falls, searching, perhaps, for a safe place as the river continued its inexorable rise. Everyone else who remained was on high alert, preparing as best they could for the worst.

This is definitely a rare experience, Saavedra said as she rushed back to her car, water splattering off her umbrella.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @pfimrite
Officials said the Signature Bridge, which was supposed to be completed by April 2017, is now expected to be operational by August 2017.

By Varun Bidhuri: The Signature Bridge at Wazirabad will not see the light of the day by April 2017 - its deadline. This is the second deadline it will miss. This time, the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation has attributed the delay to 'cash crunch due to demonetisation'.

The bridge, supposed to be completed by April 2017, is now expected to be operational by August 2017, officials said. The project, conceptualised in 2004, was halted several times due to several reasons.

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CONSTRUCTION DELAYED DUE TO CASH CRUNCH, SAY OFFICIALS

Shashi Bansal, DTTDC chief engineer, told Mail Today, "Due to cash crunch, we had lost 50 per cent of the labour force who moved out of Delhi in November and December."

Bansal added, "In these projects, labourers depend on cash payments and we were finding it difficult to pay daily or weekly wages." He, however, said that from this month, the situation is creeping towards normalcy.

Also read: Kejriwal to hold a meeting on infrastructure projects tomorrow

A senior PWD official said, "The Signature Bridge was originally scheduled to be completed by 2008. The project has already been delayed by seven years and almost one-fourth of the work remains to be done."

Initially, the project was delayed due to forest clearance and financial issues with the contractors. However, sources said that the Chinese firm from which the material was being sourced was the bigger issue.

"The project cost went up after construction was stalled due to the rocky surface beneath the river. Engineers had to procure special Korean-made boring machines for drilling the surface. The bow-shaped, cable-supported steel bridge - modelled on the London Bridge - is being built as a tourist spot in collaboration with Gammon India Ltd and two firms from Italy and Brazil," said the PWD official.

The work revision copy of the preliminary estimate of Signature bridge, which is with Mail Today, reveals that initially, Rs 459 crore was issued for construction of the bridge.

The tender was invited based on the approved concept design and the lowest quoted amount of Rs 845 crore. A preliminary estimate taking the quoted rate of the tender was reframed for Rs 993 crore and submitted to the PWD. Later, Rs 887.29 crore was accorded in 2008.

--- ENDS ---
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Imagine that you are a small child eating from a bag of potato chips near a window and wall that has cracked paint. You are curious. You see the paint chips and decide to compare it to the potato chip. You pick it up and take a bite. The top layer of the chip is recent paint and not very yummy but the under layers taste sweet like candy!

Do you continue eating the potato chip or the paint chip? Or both?

In Oakland every year, the Alameda County Healthy Homes Department sees children who chose the sweet lead-based paint chips.

Or have crawled among the paint crumbs and dust found in their home, housing built before 1978 when the federal government banned the use of lead in house paint. These children have become lead poisoned, and their lives as well as their parents lives will be forever changed.

Oakland has thousands of lead-poisoned children. The cause is old housing with crumbling lead-based paint, not lead-tainted water as in Flint, Mich.

A report released last month by Reuters showed that 7.57 percent of 500 children sampled in Oaklands Fruitvale district had elevated levels of lead in their blood  higher than the 5 percent of children lead-poisoned in Flint. Before that report, whispers about potential lead poisoning in Oakland were dismissed as an East Coast phenomenon or a crisis contained to Flint. In our city by the bay, you are more likely to hear or read in news stories about how gentrification is fueling the high price of housing and creating the situation that resulted in the tragic Ghost Ship fire (which also happened in the Fruitvale district).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once stated that a child is lead-poisoned when his or her blood lead level is 5 micrograms per deciliter. Today, the centers say there is no safe level of exposure. Last month, our department was asked to help a hospitalized child whose blood lead level was 72 micrograms per deciliter.

Half of the tragedy in Oakland is that so many are living in lead-tainted housing. The other half of the tragedy is that once the child is treated and the home made lead safe through our staff working with parents and the landlord, there is the permanent neurological damage that will impact the entire community for a lifetime.

As we learned from the Flint tragedy, lead poisoning can occur when drinking water is delivered through aging lead pipes. Lead exposure also can come from wall paint and products such as car batteries, gasoline, solder, stained glass, crystal vessels, ammunition, ceramic glazes, jewelry, toys and in some cosmetics and traditional medicines.

Lead is a neurotoxin, which damages organs, bones and brain cells. It is estimated by the World Health Organization to account for 9.8 percent of the global burden of idiopathic intellectual disability, 4 percent of the global burden of ischemic heart disease, and 5 percent of the global burden of stroke. Thus many lead-poisoning cases do not end with treating the patient to reduce the amount of lead in the body, discovering the source and preventing further exposure. Instead, there is often the need to place the child in special education, physical therapy and social services programs.

Parents of lead-poisoned children may need to undergo counseling to manage the stress of navigating their children through these programs and to address feelings of guilt. The stress and guilt have been known to contribute to divorces in families with lead-poisoned children as well as child abandonment. And adults who have been lead poisoned as children have been linked to aggressive and criminal behavior impacting the mental health and criminal justice system.

A 2009 study by Elise Gould at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington concluded:

Even under the most conservative analysis, every dollar spent on controlling lead hazards would return at least $17 in improved health outcomes, increased IQ, higher lifetime earnings, increased tax revenue, less spending on special education and reduced criminal activity.

Identifying lead-tainted properties is difficult. Landlords are not running to our door to say they have lead hazards, and tenants are not in a hurry to blow the whistle and risk a retaliatory eviction.

Lead poisoning is preventable, but only if everyone remains constant in their efforts to protect themselves from lead exposures.

Larry Brooks is the director of operations for the Alameda County Healthy Homes Department, which includes the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. @LawrenceWBrooks To comment, submit your letter to the editor at http://bit.ly/SFChronicleletters.

A prescription for children poisoned by lead

42 percent of Oaklands housing was built before World War II  before paint containing lead was banned.

59 percent of city households reside in rentals.

The result: 5,000 cases of lead-poisoned children in Alameda County over the past 10 years, and lost income and contributions to society when those children become adults.

Source: Alameda County Healthy Homes Department and City of Oakland Planning, Building and Neighborhood Preservation

How to save lives while improving communities

Here are a few prevention strategies for every city or county:

Offer universal blood-lead testing for high-risk communities. Typically, the first sign of lead poisoning is when the child is diagnosed with a learning disability. If your community doesnt have such a program, then write, email, or call your city council members and school board trustees and lobby for one.

I nspect buildings for lead hazards and abate them before children are poisoned. The c ity of Oakland is considering a routine rental inspection program that could help relieve tenants of the burden of telling on their landlords about lead hazards and numerous other health and safety issues. Federal funding for lead abatement, however, is scarce and prospects for new grants are dim.

Ensure that contractors, tradespeople and do-it-yourselfers become certified by the Environmental Protection Agency to renovate, repair and paint buildings with lead hazards.

Require that any work that disturbs lead paint  sanding, for example  is done so as not to poison the buildings occupants, neighbors and workers.

Contribute to charitable organizations that can in turn offer community grants for lead-poisoning prevention and abatement.

Contact your legislator and encourage him or her to support new legislation that would seek remediation funds from the companies that continued to make lead-based paint after its hazards were known. A 2013 Santa Clara Superior Court case that resulted in an order for paint manufacturers to create a $1.1 billion fund for lead-abatement efforts in communities throughout California remains mired in the state a ppeals c ourt process.

Learn about policy prescriptions and sign the National Center for Healthy Housings petition for its Find It Fix It Fund It campaign at nchh.org and spread the word about it with #FindFixFund. We need to tell Congress we must stop poisoning our children.

 Larry Brooks
California leaders are sending a strong message to Washington by hiring former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder as outside legal counsel. The states legislative leadership is declaring its determination to fight to preserve Californias policies against any incursions from Washington.

Mr. Holder and his team will serve as outside counsel to the Legislature, advising us in our efforts to resist any attempts to roll back the progress California has made, state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon and state Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said in a joint Jan. 4 statement.

Holder was the attorney general for the Obama administration from 2009 to 2015. Currently, hes a partner in the law firm Covington & Burling LLP, a global law firm in Washington, D.C.

With the hire, Californias leaders are clearly positioning themselves for an adversarial relationship with President-elect Donald Trump. Gov. Jerry Brown and the states legislative leaders have promised to strongly defend Californias policies on climate change, immigration and womens rights, among other issues.

California voters, who overwhelmingly chose Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in the November election, made it clear that they believe in those policies.

The obvious criticism  and its already been made by Republicans in the state Legislature  is that California already has legal defense in the form of an attorney general. Its true, and California is fortunate that Browns pick for the position, Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles, has decades worth of experience with federal policies.

But while it may be unusual for the state to bring on outside counsel, its not unprecedented.

What is unprecedented is the predicament California currently finds itself in, with an incoming president who rejects the policies on which California prides itself and has no track record of compromising with political opponents.

While much remains unknown about the challenges of the next four years, one thing thats not in doubt is the legal complexity of defending policies on issues like climate change and immigration. Making initial preparations for these challenges by hiring expert outside legal counsel may prove to be a wise investment for California.
One of Donald Trumps first decisions on taking office will be filling an empty seat on the Supreme Court. His pick will generate endless commentary, predictions and a showdown Senate confirmation vote. But its nothing close to a summary of the next presidents potential to remake the courts.

There are more than 100 district and circuit court judgeships vacant or soon to be emptied by retirement. While the Supreme Court takes on some 65 cases per year, trial judges and appeals courts do the heavy lifting, issuing thousands of rulings. In legal terms, its where the action is and where legal trends emerge.

Its no mystery why nearly one in eight federal bench slots is empty. Republicans have refused to vote on dozens of President Obamas nominees in another instance of the bitter dysfunction that separates the two parties. Both parties know the stakes in appointing judges with lifetime tenure who can overturn or uphold controversial laws.

The vacancies are nearly double the amount that Obama inherited from George W. Bush. The unfilled posts have created a logjam, delaying cases and frustrating lawyers, judges and the public. But theyre also producing a political windfall for Republicans, who now control the White House, which originates the nominees, and the Senate, which confirms the names. Remaking the federal judiciary is within the partys grasp as never before, offering the chance to erase the Democrats last citadel of power.

Recent presidencies including Bill Clinton, along with Obama, have produced a clear edge in the number of Democratic appointments on the federal bench. Obama used his picks to diversify the courts by race, gender and sexual orientation in a slow and steady shift in the courtrooms. Over the last two years, that direction has come to a screeching halt as Republicans dug in against the White House.

But this freeze wont last long. With so many judicial jobs to fill, plus future retirements, Trump has a chance to flip the makeup of the court to a majority of Republican appointees. Voting rights, immigration, abortion and gun rights would all get a much different reception before a Trump-picked judge or appeals panel. Thats a major reason why conservative judicial groups are joining the Trump transition team to devise legal strategy and sift through candidates.

The incoming president wont have an entirely free hand. By Senate custom, court nominees must pass muster with home state senators. In Californias case this process is especially weighty. The federal appeals court in San Francisco has four vacancies, and six district judgeships are empty across the state. Conservatives have long sought to move the Ninth Circuit appeals court, famed for its liberal rulings, to the right.

Given this blue slip process of vetting, the states senators, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, can block a White House nomination. There wasnt much trouble during Obamas eight years in office, but that tradition could be tested now that the president and two senators are from different parties. During the Bush administration, the differences were negotiated  a method that could be followed or rejected by the freewheeling Trump. Though he took a hardline stance in line with conservative doctrine during his campaign, he hasnt said much since winning the presidency. His strident views might be softening with the realization that he lost the popular vote by 2.9 million votes nationally and an even larger margin, more than 4.25 million, in California.

Most legal scholars regard the home-state veto power as sacrosanct, a proviso designed to prevent any president from overwhelming the courts with personal picks who are unqualified or a bad match for the bench. But its an unwritten rule that might be kicked over by Republican leaders, the same group that bucked tradition by refusing to consider Obamas Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, to replace Antonin Scalia, who died in February.

The Supreme Court seat will be Trumps prime-time moment to signal his direction on the judiciary. But its only the start of a years-long push to remake the federal courtrooms.
SACRAMENTO  A 57-year-old convicted killer serving a life sentence in California became the first U.S. inmate to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery, the prisoners attorneys confirmed Friday.

California prison officials agreed in August 2015 to pay for the surgery for Shiloh Heavenly Quine, who was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery for ransom and has no possibility of parole.

For too long, institutions have ignored doctors and casually dismissed medically necessary and lifesaving care for transgender people just because of who we are, said Kris Hayashi, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, which represents Quine and other transgender inmates.

Quines case led the state to become the first to set standards for transgender inmates to apply to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery. Her case prompted a federal magistrate to provide transgender female inmates housed in mens facilities with items such as nightgowns, scarves and necklaces.

Quine previously wrote that her presence in the mens prison creates confusion and mixed emotions from the males that go from romantic thoughts to disgust and explosive turmoil reactions. She will be moved to a womens prison after the operation, which was performed at a hospital in San Francisco, her attorneys said.

The daughter of Quines victim said she objects to inmates getting taxpayer-funded surgery that is not readily available to noncriminals, regardless of the cost.

My dad begged for his life, said Farida Baig, who tried unsuccessfully to block Quines surgery through the courts. It just made me dizzy and sick. Im helping pay for his surgery; I live in California.

Quine and an accomplice kidnapped and fatally shot 33-year-old Shahid Ali Baig, a father of three, in downtown Los Angeles in February 1980, stealing $80 and his car during a drug- and alcohol-fueled rampage.

California was legally required to pay for the operation, corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.

The Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution requires that prisons provide inmates with medically necessary treatment for medical and mental health conditions, including inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria, Thornton said in a written statement.

Corrections officials fought for years to avoid paying for sex-reassignment surgeries. In one high-profile case, the state paroled Michelle-Lael Norsworthy in 2015, just one day before a federal appeals court was to hear her request for state-funded surgery.

Joyce Hayhoe, a spokeswoman for the federal court-appointed official who controls Californias prison medical care, said the cost of sex-reassignment surgeries could approach $100,000, including procedures and medications before and after the operation. The Transgender Law Center said that figure is exaggerated.

A portion of the states expense will generally be reimbursed by the federal government, sometimes up to 95 percent, Hayhoe said.

Since the state approved its policy, officials have received 64 other inmate requests for sex-reassignment surgeries, and four have been approved.

For Quine, the procedure marks the end of a years-long quest. She says in court documents that she has thought of herself as female since age 9. But she was raised in the 1970s to be a real man, and went on to marry and divorce two women and father two daughters.
A Florida mother is crediting a stranger with protecting her during the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting on Friday.

Annika Dean said she was in the baggage claim area when shooting suspect Esteban Santiago allegedly opened fire on the crowd, leaving five people dead and six injured.

Dean, a teacher and a mother of two, told the Today show that with no place to run, she hid behind a luggage cart. That was when she said a man shielded her with his body during the shooting.

"I immediately ducked behind a Smart Cart and I just laid there," Dean said in her interview. "There wasn't really anywhere to hide. I couldn't have escaped, I couldn't have run, and I was there maybe 30 seconds and an older gentleman laid on top of me and said, 'I will protect you.'"

Both Dean and the man survived.

Dean identified the man as Tony Bartosiewicz, a retired electrician from Rochester, N.Y. Bartosiewicz and his wife, Jennifer Cleeton, were on their way to a cruise. Cleeton was in a different part of baggage claim when when the shooting happened.

His daughter, Jenny Miller of Denver spoke with the Sun Sentinel and said that Bartosiewicz was "shaken up" by the incident when he reached her by phone. The story of his heroics, however, didn't seem to surprise Miller, who mentioned that her father had once saved her from drowning in a pool when she was younger.

"That's the kind of person he is," Miller said. "He would do something like this without thinking."

Dean wrote about the incident in a Facebook post on Friday, writing, "His willingness to shield me brought me instant comfort in a completely terrifying situation."

Dean told the Today show that she thanked Bartosiewicz repeatedly on Friday, and was grateful that he protected her during the shooting.

"I thanked him many times throughout the day," Dean said in her interview. "Really grateful that he was willing to put himself at risk to shield my body.

"I was praying to God the entire time that my children wouldn't lose their mother, or have a seriously injured mother. The gunman was walking around and he was shooting people near me and I thought I might be one of his victims. I'm grateful for a man that shielded me."
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  The Iraq War veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida was charged Saturday and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. Authorities dont know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Santiago was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death  which carries a maximum punishment of execution  and weapons charges.

Todays charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors, U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

Authorities said during a news conference that they have interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with the cooperative suspect, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska. Flights resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.

Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a Walther 9mm semiautomatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska. He had two magazines with him and emptied both of them, firing about 15 rounds, before he was arrested, the complaint said.

We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. Were pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack, FBI Agent George Piro said.

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiagos motive, and its too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

On that day, Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.

On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldnt say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.

Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being demoted for unsatisfactory performance. Bryan Santiago said Saturday that his brother had requested psychological help but received little assistance. Esteban Santiago said in August that he was hearing voices.

How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for only four days, and then give him his weapon back? Bryan Santiago said.

His mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the family home in Puerto Rico. The only thing she said was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode next to two of his friends when he was around 18 years old while serving in Iraq.
The tourists were denied food and water and were compelled to spend the night in cars along with their children.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Winter holidays turned out to be a nightmare for some tourists in Shimla on the weekend as many could not get accommodation.

They were denied food and water and were compelled to spend the night in cars along with their children.

"Those who could not get accommodation also failed to get food. I watched women asking for water and food," said a tourist, Ravinder Kumar from Punjab.

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Tourists also failed to get hotel rooms in nearby towns like Shoghi, Kandaghat, Chail and Solan. Those who were lucky to get a shelter were virtually looted by the hoteliers.

"We were six people and could just manage a single room for which we were charged Rs 8000. This is a loot," said Ram, a tourist from Delhi.

Parts of Shimla remained without power, water and supply of essential items. Heavy snowfall has disrupted power supply as trees and power poles got uprooted.

SNOWFALL CHOKES HIMACHAL PRADESH

As many as three dozen trees got uprooted in Shimla, some of those fell on houses and power lines.

Heavy snowfall has blocked more than 500 roads in Himachal Pradesh and two people have died in Chamba and Kangra due to the harsh weather.

The Hindustan-Tibet Road (NH-22) besides Manali-Rohtang road was blocked at some places and traffic remained suspended in many parts of Himachal.

More than 300 tourists were stranded in many parts of Shimla as they could not move out from their hotels following the heavy snowfall.

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Bengaluru, Jan 8 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today urged NRIs around the globe to join hands with the state government for the growth of Assam which, along with the entire North East, can become the new growth engine of not only of the country but for the whole of Asia. "Future growth of India can come through its North East by Acting Eastwards to Southeast Asia and East Asia and the government would soon set up an Act East Department to explore the opportunities lying across the border in the international neighbourhood," Sonowal said at the Chief Ministers Session at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru. This would help in strengthening business, communication, investment, and cultural relations, he said.

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Assam is going through massive transformation - in every sector from infrastructure to reforms, land policy, investment, good governance, connectivity, social security and welfare, he said.

"Assam is rapidly emerging as a strategic base for foreign and domestic investors to tap its vast potential. Assams location in combination with its rich natural resources and skilled manpower provide a natural backdrop for promising business", an official release quoted the Chief Minister said as saying.

Sonowal said that in terms of connectivity, industrial infrastructure, natural resources and policy initiatives, Assam has a very promising and investor-friendly environment.

Assam is connected to all major cities of the country through East-West corridor, air and rail network. The state has highest number of airport density in the country with international airport at Guwahati, he said.

The waterway through the river Brahmaputra provides access to sea ports of Kolkata and Bangladesh while the proposed Trans Asian Railway and Trans Asian Highway will further improve connectivity with most of the BIMSTEC and ASEAN nations, the Chief Minister pointed out.

Sonowal later met several NRI entrepreneurs and representatives of foreign companies and sought their cooperation for industrial growth of the state.

NRI Delegates and representatives of companies from countries like US, UK, Canada, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Malaysia, China, Kenya, Mauritius, West Indies, and France took part in the discussion. PTI DG NN MR

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LISBON, Portugal (AP)  Striker Jonas scored in his return from a long injury layoff to help Benfica defeat Vitoria Guimaraes 2-0 and extend its Portuguese league lead on Saturday.

Jonas and Konstantinos Mitroglou scored in the first half to give the defending champions an important away victory.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) Ahead of the Union Budget 2017-18, the Steel Ministry has sought reduction in import duty on both coking coal and nickel -- vital components of steel making -- a move that may revive the sector, a top official said.

In an interview to PTI, Steel Secretary Aruna Sharma said the dependence on imports is particularly heavy on nickel, coking coal and gas.

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"What we are discussing is whether there is need to take a re-look at their custom and import duties. This is still under discussions. Lets see how it moves out during the Budget," the Secretary said.

The Steel Ministry, in its recommendations to the Finance Ministry, has sought bringing down the import duty on coking, coal, nickel and gas, Sharma said.

While the import duty on nickel is five per cent, in the case of coking coal, it is 2.5 per cent now.

Sharma also said that in the future, the requirement of gas will increase in the manufacturing of pellets and added, "Like what the Prime Minister has said, tomorrows economy is going to be gas-based."

Pellets are small balls of iron ore used in steel making.

To bring down the imports of coking coal, Sharma said that her Ministry was is discussions with the Coal Ministry to invest in washeries.

"There are two ways of tackling imports. One is to replace the imports with a better alternative fuel. So, we are in discussions with Coal Ministry to invest in washeries and the Coal Ministry has agreed to invest in them so the coking coal imports will come down by nearly 30 per cent which is a very good sign for the coming years," she said.

India has to heavily depend on import of coking coal, as the domestic quality has higher ash content which is unsuitable for the steel industry with present technology.

Asserting the need to go for electric-based or gas-based steel production, she said that "pellet making can easily shift to the gas-based thing if it is guaranteed at affordable prices."

"Now, with the Paris Convention, it is mandatory that we must bring down the carbon footprints. So, that is another alternative we are working on," she said.

Indian Steel Association (ISA), the industry body representing primary steel producers, has also urged the government to reduce import duty to zero on all the raw materials used for steel making.

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Sanak Mishra, Secretary General of ISA said, they have also requested the government to reduce railway freight for the steel industry.

SAIL, Indias largest steel maker, had recently said there is a need to develop indigenous sources of coking coal to meet requirements as the recent rise in the price of metallurgical coal was putting pressure on its operations. PTI SID JM

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Washington, Jan 8 (PTI) US President-elect Donald Trump today said he is looking forward to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May in the spring, praising the UK as a "very special" ally.

"I look very much forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime US ally, is very special!," Trump tweeted.

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Trump gave no details of the proposed meeting but both sides have now confirmed it will go ahead.

The meeting is expected to take place at the White House after the January 20 inauguration of the new American President and before Mays deadline to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to trigger Britains official exit negotiations from the European Union (EU).

After Trump won the US election in November, May was behind 10 other world leaders that he spoke to.

Negotiating a favourable trade deal with the US will be crucial as Britain leaves the European Union and tries to forge a new place in the global economy.

May, like her predecessor David Cameron, has previously expressed concern about Trumps stance on immigration, saying in December 2015 that his suggestion that Muslims should not be allowed to enter the US was, "divisive, unhelpful and wrong".

But she went on to welcome his election unreservedly.

Last week, it emerged that May?s two closest aides, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, had visited Washington to pave the way for a meeting between the May and Trump later this year. PTI NSA

--- ENDS ---
American intelligence officials on Friday briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election in order to help him win the White House.

By AP: U.S. intelligence officials are convinced that Russia meddled in the presidential race. But that has not changed President-elect Donald Trump's call for warmer relations with Moscow.Trump declared in a series of tweets on Saturday that "only 'stupid' people or fools" would come to a different conclusion.

Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing,' he stated from Trump Tower, adding, 'We have enough problems without yet another one'. American intelligence officials on Friday briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election in order to help him win the White House. An unclassified version of the report explicitly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a 'clear preference' for Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton.

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All you need to know about what Trump said: Trump has repeatedly sought to downplay the allegations, alarming some who see a pattern of skepticism directed at U.S. intelligence agencies and a willingness to embrace Putin. There has been no official comment from Moscow on the report, which was released as Russia observed Orthodox Christmas. But Alexei Pushkov, an influential member of the upper house of parliament, said on Twitter that 'all the accusations against Russia are based on 'confidence' and suppositions. The USA in the same way was confident about Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction. Margarita Simonyan, the editor of government-funded satellite TV channel RT who is frequently mentioned in the U.S. report, said in a blog post: 'Dear CIA: what you have written here is a complete fail.' During the election, Trump praised the Russian strongman as a decisive leader, and argued that the two countries would benefit from a better working relationship, though attempts by the Obama administration at a 'Russian reset' have proved unsuccessful. At the same time, intelligence officials believe that Russia is not done intruding in U.S. politics and policy making. Immediately after the November 8 election, Russia began a 'spear-phishing' campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting U.S. government employees and think tanks that specialize in national security, defense and foreign policy, the unclassified version of the report said. The report said Russian government provided hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. The website's founder, Julian Assange, has denied that it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted that the emails could have been passed through middlemen. Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid 'trolls' to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. Moreover, intelligence officials believe that Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumb print on future elections in the United States and allied nations. The public report was minus classified details that intelligence officials shared with President Barack Obama on Thursday. In an interview Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion that Russia had intruded in the election on his behalf. Trump released a one-page statement that did not address whether Russia sought to meddle. Instead, he said, 'there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election' and that there 'was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines.' Intelligence officials have never made that claim. And the report stated that the Department of Homeland Security did not think that the systems that were targeted or compromised by Russian actors were 'involved in vote tallying.' Trump has said he will appoint a team within three months of taking office to develop a plan to 'aggressively combat and stop cyber attacks.' On Saturday, he said he wanted retired Sen. Dan Coats to be national intelligence director, describing the former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee as the right person to lead the new administration's 'ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm.' Coats, in a statement released by Trump's transition team, said, 'There is no higher priority than keeping America safe, and I will utilize every tool at my disposal to make that happen.'

ALSO READ: Taking on Russia: Britain, US sending fighter jets, troops to Poland

Putin's stand on US Russia dispute: I always knew he was very smart, says Trump

--- ENDS ---
* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati received the 2022 Adepi Award

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1 Consular official attacked: Mexican prosecutors said Saturday they are searching for a gunman who opened fire on an official of the U.S. consulate in the western city of Guadalajara. The Attorney Generals Office said the unidentified official was wounded in the attack Friday. Surveillance video shows the gunman following the official in a parking garage. The attacker doesnt appear to try to approach the official but instead waits for him to exit the parking garage in his vehicle and fires a round into the cars windshield. The consulate said on its Facebook page that the FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information on the attacker.

2 Security crackdown: Turkey has dismissed more than 8,000 civil servants for alleged ties to terror organizations, in the latest purge under a state of emergency imposed after a failed July 15 coup attempt. The dismissals were announced on the governments Official Gazette late Friday. They include 2,687 police officers, 1,699 Justice Ministry employees and 631 academics. They join more than 100,000 people already suspended or dismissed from their jobs. Turkeys crackdown was begun to root out followers of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. The government says he orchestrated the coup attempt that killed nearly 270 people; Gulen denies involvement.
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On January 6, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reports that this supporter of the main opposition, Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) who has been serving a sentence in Gohardasht Prison in the city of Karaj, was transferred on Wednesday January 4 to an unknown location and there is no information of his whereabouts ever since.

The NCRI reported the suspicious move on the morning of Wednesday, January 4, when Iranian regime authorities failed to return Mr. Moezzi to his ward after a family visit.

After visiting his two daughters in Camp Ashraf, the Iraqi place of residence for the PMOI members at that time, Mr. Moezzi was arrested in 2008 and sentenced to two years in prison.

It was not his first time in prison, Mr. Moezzi was held behind bars as a political prisoner during the 1980s. He was also arrested in 2011 and sentenced to four years in prison. He was sentenced to an extra year in prison in December 2015, despite the fact that his term had been finished. Although he suffers from various illnesses Mr. Moezzi has repeatedly been placed in solitary confinement and under torture.

The Friends of a Free Iran in the European Parliament which enjoys the support of over 300 MEPs from different political groups. Gerard Deprez, MEP and President of Friends of a Free Iran in European Parliament (FOFI) calls on the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, and the UN Special Rapporteur for the Human Rights Situation in Iran, Asma Jahangir, to take urgent action and demand the immediate release of Mr. Moezzi and to ensure his safety.

Ali Moezzis daughters are members of the PMOI, actively opposing the Iranian regime. The authorities told Mr. Moezzi that they intend to bring new charges against him to prevent his release after the end of his sentence. further, Agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) told him that they will torture him to death and wont allow him to leave the prison alive. There is reason to believe Moezzi faces imminent threat.

Mr. Moezzis daughter, Hejrat, in a public plea in 2015, detailed her fathers harassment and the slew of charges being brought against him. She said, Over the last seven years, my father has been charged not once, but four times. Each time, he has refused his participation in the trials citing their lack of legitimacy and due process. Each time, henchmen beat him and forced him to court. Disregarding the fact that he was near the end of his term, they sentenced him to an additional year of prison. The charges are ongoing Due to my fathers resistance and bravery, these courts will likely still arbitrarily prolong his sentenceIn May 2015, a group of thugs beat him so hard against an iron railing that his forehead split

On January 6, 2017 the NCRI also published an article about The Italian Committee of Parliamentarians and Citizens for a Free Iran who learned that Ali Moezzi, supporter of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), was suddenly transferred to an unknown location. Its believed that he faces imminent threat, there is no available information of his whereabouts from that moment.

Moezzi, an agricultural engineer who is 65 years old has recently been released from the hospital where he had surgery for cancer. The president, Achille Totaro  member of the Italian Parliament, he co-president, Hon. Carlo Ciccioli, the co-president, Hon.Elisabetta Zamparutti and the Coordinator, Dr. Antonio Stango ask the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur for the Human Rights Situation in Iran to take urgent action in this regard, calling the Iranian regime to unconditionally free Ali Moezzi and ensure that his life and safety be respected.

The British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom (BPCIF) also warns of a serious threat to the life of political prisoner Ali Moezzi following reports that the Iranian regimes Ministry of Intelligence and Security has taken him to an unknown location outside the prison.

An article in the BPCIF published January 6 reports that Mr. Moezzi has not returned to his prison ward after his last visit with family members on January 4, 2017. Prison guards have told other political prisoners in his ward that he has been transferred from the prison but that they are unaware of his whereabouts.

The Iranian authorities are cracking down on political prisoners, activists, dissidents, and dual citizens in Iran. Mr Moezzis case is another example of this. Earlier this week, the authorities were forced to release the Iranian activist and writer, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, following domestic and international pressure in support of her and her husband Arash Sadeghi, who is also prisoner of conscience, and who staged a 71-day hunger strike in protest against her sentence. As well, the British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, arrested by the Revolutionary Guards at Tehran International Airport last year, is currently serving a five-year sentence for unspecified charges. Together these cases show serious flaws of the Iranian Judiciary.

Mr Moezzis disappearance reminds of the of tens of thousands of political prisoners who disappeared in Iran in 1988, who were later executed by the authorities despite finishing their sentences.

The British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom (BPCIF), urges the British government, relevant UN bodies, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran Ms. Asma Jahangir, and international NGOs to take urgent action in support of this call and pressure the Tehran regime to heed international concerns and its obligations.

It must be made it clear to the Iranian authorities by the British government, that their treatment of political prisoners and unjust inprisonment of dual citizens will only isolate Tehran further on the international scene, and make relations impossible.

Canadian Friends of Democratic Iran has called for urgent action to free Iranian political prisoner Ali Moezzi who reportedly was taken to an unknown location on January 4, following a scheduled family visit, as reported in an article by the NCRI.

The Iranian authorities have said they had taken Mr. Moezzi to outside of the prison but they were unaware about his situation, the Canadian NGO said in a letter to Zeid Raad Al Hussein, The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Our NGO has followed with great concern the state of human dignity in Iran for past several years We have great concerns about the Iranian authorities treatment of and trumped up charges against political prisoners. The Iranian regime is known to have made new charges against political prisoners whose sentences were over and were supposed to be released. The prime example of such extra-judicial killing and mass executions was the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988 by Khomeinis fatwa while many of those prisoners either had completed their sentences or were serving their sentences. The reports from Mr. Moezzis family and political prisoners in Gohardasht prison where Mr. Moezzi was being held are alarming, the letter added.

The letter signed by David Kilgour, co-chair of Canadian Friends of Democratic Iran, urged OHCHR to take urgent action and to demand that the Iranian authorities release Mr. Moezzi immediately and to relieve his family and us from this anxiety.

The Iranian Resistance calls on all international human rights organizations, especially the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Special Rapporteur for the Human Rights Situation in Iran to take urgent action on Mr. Moezzis behalf.

Ali Moezzi is a political prisoner and supporter of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) currently detained in hall At around 10 am Tehran time, on January 4, while returning to ward he was transferred by unknown individuals to an unknown location, and there is no information of his whereabouts ever since.

At the same time, political prisoner Saleh Kohandel, was summoned by prison authorities.On the verge of being released, authorities threatened not to release him after his sentence is completed. The authorities said that if he is released, he will not be permitted to be seen in public and will be arrested if he fails to abide.

Arrested in early 2007 for supporting the PMOI, Kohandel, 51, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars. Two of his relatives, Mahdiyeh and Akbar Madadzadeh, were murdered in the massacre of Camp Ashraf residents (PMOI members) by Iraqi forces in April 2011.

According to the Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, forging new judicial cases after a prisoners time behind bars comes to an end is a known practice of the Iranian regime to refrain from releasing political prisoners.
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John Constantino, vice president and office manager for Clove Auto Body, Port Richmond, is being honored with a Louis R. Miller Award. (Photo courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce/Steve White)

By Joyce Venezia Suss

for the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In 1994, John Constantino left behind a career on Wall Street and returned to Staten Island to take over the family business after the premature death of his father. In the process, he also became an active leader and supportive colleague to other Staten Island business owners.

Constantino, vice president and office manager for Clove Auto Body in Port Richmond, said he took over "the management of a business I had no prior knowledge of, learning the industry processes and technical requirements, building relationships and creating a sustainable, thriving business that had been successful for over a quarter of a century."

Constantino has also given generously of his time and talents on Staten Island. For instance, he partnered with the United Cerebral Palsy organization to repair its handicapped-accessible vans, and has participated in various other economic development initiatives aimed at improving the economy of Staten Island.

The St. George resident is being honored with a Louis R. Miller Leadership Award in the Established category. The awards -- co-sponsored by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the Staten Island Advance -- are presented in honor of Louis Miller, a businessman and West Brighton resident who was also a community leader.

"John's ethical conduct and integrity have served as a role model for his colleagues, competitors and friends," said Jeff Henick, CEO of Stop & Stor, who nominated Constantino for the award. "John quickly acquired the skills and established the contacts required to maintain the existence of the business."

Henick also noted that Constantino "has faced and addressed other challenges, such as the practice of steering, which is the disproportionate concentration of work with a few auto body shops by certain insurance companies. John has led the challenge to this unfair practice through his participation in the Staten Island Auto Body Guild."

Recipients of the Louis R. Miller Awards are recognized as effective business leaders, and for their outstanding contributions to the local community. Awards are given out in four categories: Emerging, Established, Master, and Not-For-Profit. The honorees will be recognized during the annual Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Awards Breakfast on Feb. 15.

Below, Constantino shares more about his goals, job, and life:

Past occupations: Corporate bond clerk at Salomon Brothers; manager for The First Boston Corporation.

Community involvement: BUCKS Business Network for more than 10 years, including president for two years; Staten Island Chamber of Commerce for nearly 25 years; Bay View Tower board of directors; SIEDC ambassador; Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island; Mayor Bloomberg's Vision of Staten island Committee; and the North Shore Development Corridor Committee.

Some life goals: Improving the quality of life in my community; being a respected and successful member of the Staten Island business world; building and sustaining loving and supportive relationships with family and friends; and enjoying the benefits of living so close to New York City.

The best part of my job: Seeing the expression of relief and happiness on the faces of our customers when they see their cars looking as good as new after we have repaired the damage. I truly enjoy the feeling of satisfying our customers and exceeding their expectations.

The most difficult part of my job: Dealing with frustration on the part of our customers when their expectations aren't met due to circumstances we have no control over. I try very hard to foresee and avoid these delays through my industry contacts and careful scheduling, but there are some rare occasions when a customer's expectations are not fulfilled. In these cases, I take extra time to understand and address their concerns while trying to do everything in my power to resolve them.
SINCE THE RAPTURE OCCURS BEFORE THE FUTURE 7 YR TREATY IS SIGNED, I WONT BE AROUND TO HAVE THE ACTUAL TREATY SIGNING. BUT UNTIL THEN THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO THE BEGININGS OF THE ISRAELI / ARAB PEACE PROCESS. AND AS CLOSE TO THE 7 YEAR SIGNING THAT WE GET BEFORE THE RAPTURE OF THE SAVED TO HEAVEN. UNTIL WE MEET JESUS IN THE CLOUDS BODILY, AND COME TO EARTH 7 YRS LATER.
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Department store giant David Jones has submitted its plans for a boutique store at Fortitude Valley's trendy James Street precinct, the second such store in Australia.

The plans were submitted to Brisbane City Council late last month.

An artists' impression of the new David Jones James Street boutique submitted to Brisbane City Council.

The material change of use application would see the former Space furniture shop converted into the boutique David Jones store.

Planned to open "early" in 2017, David Jones James Street would include 1437 square metres of floor space over four levels.
Mahatma Ghandi famously said that the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.

Australia, while a democratic and economically prosperous nation, still is home to many vulnerable people.

Perhaps the most stinging of David Leyonhjelm's remarks were his thoughts on what it means to 'be poor', and his view is not a positive one. Credit:Jessica Hromas

This week, the Turnbull Government has restricted access to the aged pension for 300,000 older Australians as part of a tightening of the assets test.

According to AAP, about 330,000 Australians have had their pension decreased and about 90,000 have lost it entirely.
What is it about Russia that winds everyone up so much? Why all the anger, the endless barrage of alarmist rhetoric and ruthless drive to isolate a great power with a vast arsenal of nuclear weapons?

From left to right, hyperventilating pundits and politicians warn that the Bear is on the prowl and that Vladimir Putin is the saboteur of American democracy. As a result, they have spread exaggerations about the Russian threat, which have fuelled hatred and sowed misunderstanding.

I am no Putin apologist. The thuggish Russian leader commands near-absolute political dominance at home. Nor do I defend the Russian-backed rebels who badly mishandled the MH17 Ukraine plane-crash controversy in 2014.

My point is that there is nothing peculiar or pathological in Russia's behaviour: it is protecting legitimate security interests in the Baltics and the Middle East and its objectives are limited. Any Western politician or propagandist who claims otherwise is either ignorant or suffering from Russiaphobia.
It is only human to wonder how you will fare as you get older. Will your health hold up? Will your trajectory through old age resemble that of others you know  older members of your family, perhaps, or others you know? How will you feel if you can no longer manage in your own home? When the day comes on which you must finally accept that you can no longer live independently, how will it be for you?

For some older Australians, managing alone  shopping, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, looking after the house  becomes a burden, and when they enter a nursing home the lifting of that burden comes as a relief. For others though, the loss of independence is a heavy blow. As they enter the nursing home portal and see the room set aside for them reality sinks in, and their mood darkens. From the expanse of their own home with its familiar rooms and belongings, their world has suddenly reduced to this small, alien space. Life henceforth will be lived among strangers. And in those straitened circumstances, they are quite likely to be coping with other blows to their mental wellbeing: their own illnesses or chronic conditions, the loss or mental decline of a partner or of friends.

Credit:Fairfax

It is hardly surprising that they may need help to cope mentally with an environment designed specifically to help them in other ways. Rod McKay of the NSW Institute of Psychiatry estimates that at least 30,000 residents of nursing homes are currently suffering depression. It is a large number, but as the population ages in coming decades, it is going to get larger.

How strange then, and how outrageous, that, as we report today, Medicare rules do not allow residents of aged care facilities to be treated by a GP with the most suitable therapy for mental health issues. Services which people living independently can obtain under the Medicare Better Access program are denied to nursing home residents.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has called on the Turnbull government to immediately suspend Centrelink's controversial automated debt recovery program, describing it as a "toxic mix of incompetence and cruelty" that has ruined Christmas for vulnerable Australians.

Mr Shorten, who is on summer holidays until the end of the week, has not previously commented on the project, which the government estimates will add an extra $4.5 billion to the budget. The automated system has been accused of miscalculating bills and sending debt notices to people who do not owe.

Stories have mounted in recent weeks of Australians  including asylum seekers and people with disabilities  who say they have been sent inaccurate debt notices.

Fairfax Media has spoken to one man who says he was sent an inaccurate debt notice for a period in which he was off work recovering from invasive brain surgery.
Donald Trump "will do everything in his power" to halt the refugee deal between Australia and the US, according to a hardline Texan congressman who is confident no resettlements will ever take place from Manus Island or Nauru.

More than two months after the agreement between outgoing President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was announced, slow progress on applications and lengthy security vetting by the US Department of Homeland Security is raising fear among those held in the Australian offshore immigration detention centres, ahead of Mr Trump's inauguration on January 20.

Texas Republican Brian Babin, a prominent critic of Mr Obama's refugee resettlement policies, called the one-off Australian deal "madness" and said the incoming administration would overturn it.

A member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, the two-term representative of Texas's 36th congressional district said Mr Trump would block any of the planned resettlements facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees because of risks to the safety and security of America's citizens.
Dumped One Nation candidate Shan Ju Lin has hit out at the party's hierarchy over her disendorsement as a candidate in the wake of inflammatory statements she made on social media.

Just last month, Ms Lin was unveiled as One Nation's candidate for the Ipswich-based seat of Bundamba, currently held by ex-Labor minister Jo-Ann Miller, at the upcoming Queensland state election.

Former One Nation candidate Shan Ju Lin. Credit:Facebook

But One Nation leader Pauline Hanson moved to have Ms Lin dumped from the party's ticket following the candidate's comment that gay people "should be treated as patients".

It was among a series of anti-LGBTI posts the ex-candidate made on Ms Lin's publicly viewable Facebook page.
Embattled Health Minister Sussan Ley has admitted she made an "error of judgment" by charging taxpayers for a trip to the Gold Coast in which she bought a $795,000 apartment and will repay the cost of four taxpayer-funded trips.

Ms Ley's decision followed a conversation with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in which he said she had not met the standards he expects of ministers.

Ms Ley had come under intense pressure to provide a full explanation of the May 2015 trip or resign from the ministry since it was revealed on Friday. Government records show Ms Ley has frequently visited the Gold Coast on taxpayer-funded trips over recent years.

Ms Ley originally said the apartment purchase, made after a health announcement in Brisbane, was "not planned nor anticipated" and that she had ministerial duties to fulfil on the Gold Coast. That claim was questioned after subsequent revelations that her partner owns a business near the unit and that it was purchased from a Liberal donor.
Sussan Ley's mea culpa for slugging the taxpayer for a work trip to the Gold Coast when she bought a Main Beach apartment just doesn't cut it.

It is hopelessly inadequate, internally inconsistent, and will not be the end of the matter.

It's inadequate because it does not address Friday's assertion by her office that she bought the $795,000 apartment on a whim, in between meetings with patients about access to new medicines, after travelling to Brisbane to make an announcement on health policy.

If the purchase was "neither planned nor anticipated", as her office maintained, how did she find herself at the auction during a visit she would charge to the taxpayer?
My wife is 58 and plans to retire from full-time work at the end of 2017. As I am five years' younger, I want to join my wife in retirement by the end of 2020, or when we have reached our superannuation target of $1.6 million combined, which we are likely to reach by late 2020. Our plans are based on the following assumptions. Superannuation $1.6 million, no housing debt, annual living expenses at 2016 rates of $78,500, allowing for CPI or 3 per cent a year and investment return of 7 per cent annually. I have also allowed for $100,000 towards replacing both our cars during retirement and a reduction in living expenses of $15,000 at age 76, when my wife will be 81, to reflect a slowing down in lifestyle. These assumptions result in us running out of money when I am 85 and my wife is 91. However, I note that you often use 5 per cent return on investment to determine income whereas I have used 7 per cent. To achieve our retirement goals using 5 per cent would require a starting balance of $2.1m, which I am confident we could attain if I was to continue working until I was 60. However I have a high stress job and am keen to retire whenever finances allow. My question is whether or not you feel 7 per cent is appropriate to use for these calculations also if our assumptions are valid. G.M.

Different strokes for different folks, as they used to say! I use an admittedly conservative 5 per cent that allows for potential financial crises.

You don't have to retire to go on holidays to distant places like Montenegro.

For example, the 10-year average return for 69 super funds investing solely in Australian Share Funds, to the end of October, is 4.78 per cent compound, according to research from Superratings Ltd. For the 112 "default" options measured, mostly balanced funds, the mean is 5.13 per cent compound over 10 years, which, of course, includes the global financial crisis.

You might find your retirement age at 60 is a little young if you plan to maintain your high level of expenditure. Also, by 2020, the "transfer balance cap" of $1.6 million, which is subject to indexation, though in units of $100,000, will hopefully have risen. Keep working and take your wife on distant four-week holidays each year. You cannot have too much in savings for retirement.
Victim Yehya Amoud. Judge Syme said Dowidar was at Hamzy's house on the day of the shooting but "declined to drive the car himself", possibly because he had already been caught driving while disqualified. Dowidar told police shortly after the shooting that his four-wheel-drive "wasn't being driven" on the day and it was "home all day". Former Brothers For Life senior member Mohammed Hamzy. "This was clearly false and he knew it to be false," Judge Syme said.

Months later, Dowidar reported the Lexus stolen and it was found burnt out. A witness told Dowidar's judge-alone trial the 4WD had to be destroyed as the gang was "concerned about it being bugged" by police after it was seized for forensic examination, Judge Syme said. In a scathing assessment, Judge Syme said Dowidar continued to "avoid responsibility" for his crimes and had "little respect" for the court or his own family. His "misguided loyalty to a violent person such as Mr Hamzy is not in his own or the community's best interests", she said. His lack of remorse or "acceptance of even the slightest responsibility" was "immature and self-defeating" and meant his prospects of rehabilitation in prison were "only hopeful".

He had "not been offence-free" since the crimes and was caught driving while disqualified again in 2015. Judge Syme said while the replica pistol could not be fired it was "a good imitation, according to evidence before the court" and could be used to threaten people. She said corrective services should try to ensure Dowidar was "not housed with other Brothers for Life members" in jail. A jury found Hamzy guilty of manslaughter last year over the death of Mr Amoud. Judge Syme said there was "no sensible explanation" for Dowidar attending Hamzy's trial when he had been ordered not to associate with Brothers for Life members.

Dowidar had already been sentenced for drug possession and driving while disqualified at the time of the shooting. Judge Syme said Dowidar had been "extended considerable leniency by the courts" in the past but had not taken advantage of it and was "not entitled to any leniency for this offence". At the time of his arrest in November 2013, Dowidar's solicitor cast his client as a boy from a middle-class Belmore home, with a clean criminal record save for a few driving offences. He had worked for Google through a contractor for five years, during which time the tech giant regularly topped the list of best places to work and had become known for its beanbag-filled meeting rooms, ping-pong tables and free cafeteria. His contract ended in May 2013. Judge Syme said his employment was "terminated at about the time his criminal offending escalated dramatically".

At Dowidar's bail hearing following his November 2013 arrest, Magistrate Elaine Truscott remarked he appeared to be "living a double life". Dowidar was one of 10 senior Brothers For Life members arrested during simultaneous raids across Sydney aimed at breaking up the group and ending a spate of shootings across the city. Picked up with Dowidar was Hamzy, the leader of the group's Bankstown chapter, who was also known as also known as "Little Crazy" of "LC". Throughout Hamzy's three-week trial the jury gained a small insight into the world of the now-defunct but once incredibly violent Brothers for Life gang. The street gang operated outside the law, bound by loyalties to each other.

But when the long-time friends fell out, or rivalries arose, there were ways to take the law into their own hands. Hamzy was sentenced last October to 11 and a half years behind bars with a non-parole period of eight and a half years. with Ava Benny-Morrison and Nick Ralston WHO WERE BROTHERS FOR LIFE The violent street gang "Brothers for Life" first came to the attention of the NSW police in 2008, when convicted murderer Bassam Hamzy was caught running a sophisticated drug supply network while in Lithgow jail.

Hamzy, who had been in custody since March 1999 for a series of crimes including drug supply, murder and conspiracy to murder, was able to make 19,523 calls using a mobile phone hidden in his cell to direct the drug deals between Sydney and Melbourne. It was during this time that the BFL "banner" as police called it, began to appear. Most of those who associated themselves with it were direct relatives of Hamzy and police believe the name was intended as a "show of support" and "loyalty" to their imprisoned "brother". A violent, internal feud within the gang erupted in 2013 resulting in a string of tit-for-tat shootings between the group's Blacktown and Bankstown chapters. The head of Blacktown chapter was Farhad Qaumi, nicknamed "The Afghan", was appointed as the BFL's "general" in 2012 by Bassam Hamzy. Hamzy's cousin, Mohammed Hamzy who was known as Little Crazy or LC was the head of the Bankstown Chapter.
A man was stabbed and another beaten unconscious in a violent fight near Darling Harbour in Sydney overnight, police say.

One of the injured men has been arrested over the confrontation, which occurred near the intersections of Bathurst and Day streets in the CBD about 11.30pm on Sunday.

A passerby called triple zero at that time to report seeing a man being attacked on the median strip near the Western Distributor.
Long-awaited changes to the state's planning laws will mean councils will determine fewer development applications, but will be responsible for more regularly and clearly devising planning controls for local areas.

The changes are being presented by the state government as another means to increase the supply of housing, particularly in Sydney.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes and Greater Sydney Commission chief Lucy Turnbull at a conference on urban planning in November Credit:Brook Mitchell

Other proposals include requiring councils and state planning agencies to develop community participation plans, closing loopholes allowing developers to add size to buildings once they are already approved, and simplifying council codes determining the height and shape of local developments.

"We are not after headlong development of any kind," said the Planning Minister, Rob Stokes. "But we also need to provide more homes," Mr Stokes said, citing Treasury figures that there was under-supply of about 100,000 homes in NSW.
The effectiveness of laws banning political donations from property developers and the alcohol, gambling and tobacco industries will be reviewed but Premier Mike Baird says his government "does not intend" to overturn them.

The decision to review the effectiveness of the bans is contained in the government's response to the recommendations of a parliamentary committee released three days before Christmas.

Mr Baird has been looking at how to improve election funding laws following Operation Spicer, the Independent Commission Against Corruption's inquiry into Liberal party fundraising before the 2011 election.

An expert panel commissioned by Mr Baird, chaired by businesswoman Kerry Schott, recommended in 2014 that the donor bans remain in place "for the time being" pending the outcome of a High Court challenge by former Newcastle lord mayor Jeff McCloy and the introduction of donations caps for local government elections.
The state's devastating spate of drowning deaths has continued after a 30-year-old man died while snorkelling on the NSW Central Coast on Sunday.

Emergency services were called to Gravelly Beach, near Soldier's Beach, at about 1pm on Sunday afternoon following reports a man had become unresponsive in the water.

The man's panicked family raised the alarm after pulling the unconscious 30-year-old from the water; however, he could not be revived, police said Sunday.

Nineteen people have drowned since Christmas, including 23-month-old twins who drowned in a backyard pool.

In December, the chief executive of the Royal Life Saving Society, Justin Scarr, told Fairfax Media that the state-wide spike in drowning deaths was unprecedented.
It attached a certificate from the Commonwealth child support agency which said $78,844 was "due and payable" as at March 11, 2015.

The NSW Law Society wrote to solicitor Terrance Anthony Sullivan last year and asked him to explain why he had "not attended to payment of any outstanding child support".

Lawyer Terrance Anthony Sullivan was suspended from practice until he answers questions about his child support obligations. Credit:Sydney Morning Herald

A Sydney lawyer who failed to answer questions about almost $80,000 in allegedly unpaid child support has been found guilty of professional misconduct and suspended from practice.

A departure prohibition order had been issued against Mr Sullivan to stop him leaving the country while the debt was outstanding, according to a letter from the federal Human Services Minister.

A complaint about allegedly unpaid child support was referred to the society by the Legal Services Commissioner last year. An earlier complaint had been made in 2012.

Mr Sullivan had told the society after the first complaint that he intended to apply for a reassessment of the payments, as it appeared the income attributed to him was greater than his "actual earnings".

He had tax returns outstanding for three years between 2009 and 2012 and said he would "advise once such returns had been lodged with the Australian Taxation Office", the Law Society said.

In a letter sent in March last year, the society asked Mr Sullivan whether he had lodged his outstanding tax returns and applied for a reassessment of any payments owed by him.
In the final days of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, a recurring talking point from his supporters was that electing the reality TV star would avert war with Russia.

During the election, he insisted on his desire to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin on issues such as Syria and the fight against Islamic State.

Donald Trump will be tempted to continue to blame China for America's ills. Credit:AP

He has made no such marquee promises where Asian leaders are concerned.

In fact, he seems to have a more provocative approach to leaders of Asian nations, whether they are long-term allies or rivals.
Senior Republicans are giving Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt that he'll make Moscow pay a price for hacking the 2016 US presidential campaign, yet the president-elect may face a rift with members of his own party if policies against Russia don't change.

In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he and Senator John McCain of Arizona plan to introduce legislation for tougher sanctions against Russia, hitting the country in the financial and energy sectors "where they're the weakest."

Graham also said he supports a permanent US military training presence in Ukraine, Georgia and the Baltic states, according to a transcript provided by the network.

"We're going to give President Trump an opportunity to make Russia pay a price for interfering in our election so it will deter others in the future," Graham said. "I hope he will take advantage of it."
London: Prime Minister Theresa May is setting out her vision for "the shared society", declaring that government has a duty to intervene and correct "burning injustices" in modern Britain.

Mrs May says that government should not just "get out of the way" and insists there is "more to life than individualism and self-interest".

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May talks to Peter Cheasman during a visit to Thames Reach Employment Academy Centre, in southeast London. Credit:AP

In an article in The Sunday Telegraph, Mrs May gives the most detailed insight into her social reform agenda since she took office and shows a deliberate attempt to break from her Tory predecessors.

Former prime minister David Cameron's "big society", which focused on getting charities to help tackle inequality, and Margaret Thatcher's claim that there is "no such thing as society" are both rejected. In its place, the Prime Minister outlines an unashamed pitch for why governments should intervene in markets that are not giving consumers the best deal.
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PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Raphael Boasman traveled to Aruba this weekend to participate in the Justitiele Vierpartij Overleg (JVO) Judicial Four Party Consultation on January 10th. The consultation is held twice a year on one of the countries of the Kingdom (St. Maarten, Aruba, Curacao, Holland).

Boasman said the meeting is crucial for the continued strengthening of the maintenance of law enforcement and evaluation of kingdom laws as they relate to the justice sector. Among the topic up for discussion are (but not limited to) the police organization in general, regulation pertaining to the protection and privacy of DNA profiles, evaluation of regulation of migrants, the penitentiary system, and combating human trafficking.

To see improvement in any of these areas, the Minister stressed, proper cooperation between the four countries is vital. These discussions are not always easy, he said, but they are important in realizing where we want to be in terms of the justice system, he said.

As for whats important for St. Maarten at the consultation, the Minister said all topics are important and St. Maarten will make its contribution, however, he said one thing must be clear: All of us want to address the crime situation on St. Maarten and prevent any escalation. But in doing so we have to be careful not to label St. Maarten as a haven for criminals or criminal activities.

This hurts our country and discourages the people who want to come here. On top of that, it may encourage people who we dont want, to come here as well. We need to tone down the rhetoric from within our Ministry as well. The level of cooperation between the countries, through sharing of information and otherwise, should increase not just on paper but in action. We must assist each other when and where needed and we must avoid getting into squabbles about who is in control. We should be able to help each other not fight each other, the Minister said.
Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city.

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Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea
(Special envoy)







Johannesburg, January 7, 2017 (SPS) - President of the Republic , Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, and his accompanying delegation met Saturday in Johannesburg by the political parties in South Africa in the second day of the working visit by the presidential delegation to South Africa.

The presidential delegation was received at the headquarters of the ANC by Secretary General of the party, Gwede Mantashe, and member of Executive Committee, Edna Molewa. It was also received at the headquarters of the South African Communist Party by its Secretary General, Blade Nzimande.

The talks dealt with the historical relations between the Polisario Front to these parties, and the latest developments of the Saharawi issue. The two parties expressed their support and for the struggle of the Saharawi people and their right to self-determination.

The presidential delegation was also received by President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Sdumo Dlamini, who in turn confirmed the support for the right of Sahrawi people in self-determination and independence and the willingness of his organization to support civil society to achieve this goal.

Finally the presidential delegation met with South African movement of solidarity with the Saharawi people, where the movement expressed unconditional solidarity with the Saharawi people in their legitimate struggle for self-determination and independence.

President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, arrived in Johannesburg Friday morning as part of a working visit to South Africa at the invitation of his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma.

The President of the Republic is accompanied during this visit by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, Minister of Cooperation, Boulahi Sid, Secretary of State for Security and Documentation, Brahim Mohamed Mahmoud, Secretary-General of Nnational Union of Saharawi Women, Fatma Elmehdi, PAP Vice-President, Soueilma Beirouk, and Counselor to the Presidency of the Republic, Abdati Breika. (SPS)

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(Special envoy)







Johannesburg, January 8, 2017 (SPS) - The African National Congress (ANC) reiterated Saturday unwavering support for the just cause of the Sahrawi people, during a meeting with the President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, and his accompanying delegation, at the party headquarters in Johannesburg.

The party's Secretary-General, Gwede Mantashe, affirmed in a statement following the meeting, that "the African continent will never be free as long as a country is occupied by another African country, a gross violation of the Constitutive Act of the African Union."

regarding Morocco's request to join the African Union, Mr. Mantashe explained "Morocco cannot be admitted unless they comply with the Charter of the African Union," demanding Morocco to withdraw from Western Sahara and abide by the resolutions of international legitimacy, calling to allow the Saharawi people to exercise their right to self-determination and independence.



Mr. Mantashe called for the launch of an international campaign to protect the natural resources of the Saharawi people and boycotting Moroccan and foreign companies operating in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.

President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, arrived Friday morning in Johannesburg as part of a working visit to South Africa at the invitation of his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma.

The President of the Republic is accompanied during this visit by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, Minister of Cooperation, Boulahi Sid, Secretary of State for Security and Documentation, Brahim Mohamed Mahmoud, Secretary-General of Nnational Union of Saharawi Women, Fatma Elmehdi, PAP Vice-President, Soueilma Beirouk, and Counselor to the Presidency of the Republic, Abdati Breika. (SPS)

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El-Aaiun (occupied territories), Jan 8, 2017 (SPS) - Moroccan forces "violently" intervened Saturday to disperse a peaceful manifestation in the occupied city of El-Aaiun by the Coordination of Unemployed Sahrawi Graduates to denounce the illegal plundering of Western Sahara resources.

The demonstrators chanted slogans and raised banners against the policies of poverty and marginalization carried out by the Moroccan regime against the Sahrawis and its illegal plundering of the wealth of their country.

Moroccan military forces besieged the demonstration site before intervening against the peaceful demonstrators, leaving several wounded among them. (SPS)

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The saga of Martha Moxleys murder has been told in newspapers and magazines, fictional novels, several true crime books (including one by a disgraced police detective), a USA cable flick, the transcript of the trial that declared Michael Skakel guilty of the crime and in Robert Kennedy Jr.s recent book presenting an alternate narrative of events of 41 years ago.

Given the Cain-and-Abel backstory between brothers Michael and Tommy Skakel, it might as well be staged in the form of an opera.

The latest renditions are dueling narratives by seven Connecticut Supreme Court justices who delivered a decision Dec. 30 that could send Skakel back to prison after three years in purgatory leashed to a monitoring device at a relatives home in Bedford, N.Y., free from prison but not from presumed guilt.

The real drama in this new telling is in the footnotes of the 69-page majority decision written by Judge Peter Zarella and the 61-page dissent by Judges Richard Palmer and Andrew McDonald. Though the law says Skakel should pick up in prison where he left off after 11 years in on his 20-year-to-life sentence, my read between the judges legalese is that he may never return to the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown. The purpose of this process is not to determine guilt, but whether defense attorney Mickey Sherman did an adequate job of defending Skakel.

Skakels team requested a reconsideration of the decision Friday, as they should have. Zarella, chief architect of the ruling, delivered it just hours before leaving the court Dec. 30. The remaining judges on the panel are technically left deadlocked at 3-3.

The two sides are so entrenched in their views that they turn on each other in the paperwork, slinging insults in a verbal dodgeball game between seven judges in black robes.

The majority expresses its displeasure with my characterization of its analysis of the alibi issue as transparently one sided and unfair, Palmer writes.

The dissenters continue that The majority goes to great lengths to try to rationalize Shermans indefensible failure and question the basic fairness and objectivity of the majoritys analysis and conclusion.

The majority hold their best jabs for the footnotes, reserved by academics for a special brand of cynicism: The dissent attempts to distract the reader ... while at the same time misstating the majoritys views.

Given such broadsides, its hard to imagine any of the judges changing their vote. A tie wont go to the felon, so Skakels fate could be determined by a stranger. Skakels team wants a reconsideration to be made after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy appoints a new judge. That will almost certainly be Eric Coleman, a popular Democratic state senator from Bloomfield who submitted his resignation last week so he would be eligible for the new post.

Justice Dennis Eveleigh was added to what had been a six-member panel back in March, eliminating the possibility of a deadlock. While the panel could deny Skakels request, the timing of Zarellas stroke-of-midnight decision makes a hasty call of the new petition unlikely.

The dissenters 61-page argument about Shermans incompetence can be shorthanded to these two issues: His decision not to focus on Tommy Skakel instead of tutor Ken Littleton as a more likely murder suspect; and his failure to summon a witness who might have provided an alibi for Michael Skakel.

The other Skakel

The three judges use the word compelling to describe the argument that Tommy could have killed Martha.

They seem unable to resist the catnip to play detective as they circle around Tommys behavior in the days around Oct. 30, 1975. Tommy himself reportedly described leaving Martha with her pants around her knees after they engaged in sexual activity, the way her body was found on Halloween.

They also point to Tommys history of mental instability and violence.

Its hard to blame the judges for being drawn into the mystery. Tommy, after all, started creating false alibis before Marthas body was even found.

The dissenters ignore the Gitano Bryant premise Kennedy embraced in his book about two other men committing the murder, while the majority disregard it by simply noting Bryant also had a reputation for deceit.

The alibi

The starring role in the dissents script seems to belong to Denis Ossorio, a 75-year-old former Greenwich resident and psychologist who lives just over the New York line. They deem Shermans decision not to track him down baffling, as he is the only non-member of the family by some accounts who could have placed Michael 20 minutes from the crime scene watching Monty Python on television. Ossorio has said he never came forward with the dubious explanation that he never paid much attention to the case.

On Friday, the Skakel teams latest motion includes sarcasm of its own, opining that contacting Ossorio would have cost only 14 presses of phone buttons by Sherman.

The tenuous timeline

The majority opinion does not obsess over Ossorio, pointing out that he would only have been able to provide a partial alibi for Michael. And a partial alibi is no alibi at all.

My issue with the alibi  as with a lot of theories about the case  is that it is based on an unreliable timeline. The state has clung to the theory that the murder occurred between 9:30-10 p.m., but the Connecticut medical examiner in 2002 testified Martha could have died as late as 5:30 the following morning.

The truth

Of course, proving Sherman was negligent is not the same as proving Skakel is innocent.

That wont really matter in the near future. It is possible Skakel will be hustled back to prison, only to be paroled when he becomes eligible after a few months. Or another Supreme Court vote could swing the other way, starting the path to a new trial that would be another generation in the making.

The lesson for judges accustomed to getting the last word is this: There are no last words in matters related to the death of Martha Moxley.

John Breunig is editorial page editor of The Advocate and Greenwich Time. John.breunig@scni.com; 203-964-2281; twitter.com/johnbreunig.
On 3-5 October 2017 Kyiv is going to host the Space and Future Forum to network international experts and youth, many of whom will also participate at the first CosmoHack in the world. Joinfo provides media coverage of the Forum, and some of its topics were already discussed ...
I want to echo the important themes from Brian Grissler, CEO of Stamford Hospital, in his recently published set of articles.

I have been a volunteer leader with Stamford Hospital since 2009 and am privileged to be the current chairman of our board of directors. Over the past 10 years, health care has changed substantially, but one thing has remained constant  the significant role that hospitals play in our communities. Stamford Hospital takes its role as a steward of health in our community very seriously. Over the years, we have partnered with countless organizations to offer services and programming throughout our community, including to our most vulnerable citizens. Last year, we provided more than $59 million worth of uncompensated care for services that we provided.
T ributes have been paid to an amazing dad and loving granddad who died after allegedly being attacked in a flat blocks stairwell in south London.

Carl OBrien, 55, died in hospital on December 23, nearly three weeks after an assault in the early hours of the morning in Sutton.

A Justgiving page set up to raise money for his one-year-old granddaughter has already received almost 2,000 in donations.

In an emotional tribute, his daughter Lonnie OBrien told of her father's popularity in his community.

She said: I couldn't walk down the road with Dad without someone knowing him, even when we have been abroad.

'Very popular': His family and friends were left with the tragic news just before Christmas / Met Police

My dad was an altruistic person who would not hesitate in helping anyone out. My dad had an infectious laugh at mostly inappropriate moments. [He] was a hardworking man, who was self-employed but always managed to pop by for a cup of tea.

In a Facebook post which has been shared over 100 times, she added: My dad has been there for me my whole life and I have always been so proud to have him as my dad.

I would like to personally appeal to anyone with information to please come forward. No one should have to go through this.

The attack happened in the early hours of Saturday, December 3. Police were called to a south London hospital shortly before midnight on the same day by a relative of the man.

Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake said: "Very sorry to hear of the death of Wallington resident Carl O'Brien. My condolences to his family."

The Justgiving page, set up by a family friend, reads: "The fundraising is for his beloved granddaughter Lily Grace Aoife Parker, to contribute towards her future as her proud grandfather Carl would have done.

"Doesn't matter how big or small the donation, even a share of this page would be fantastic.

"Carl will be greatly missed by his family and hundreds of friends, may he rest in peace."

A 26-year-old man was arrested and charged with GBH in connection with the investigation. He is due in court on January 11.
A graphic designer has told how he was mugged by five armed thugs who threatened to stab him with a kitchen knife next to a park in east London on Christmas Day.

Adam Beck, 35, was violently robbed as he made his way to a friends house in Mile End to celebrate the Christmas festivities late in the afternoon.

Mr Beck, originally from Toronto, Canada, told the Standard he was approached by five men who produced a large kitchen knife and threatened to shank him in the leg.

He said he was surrounded by the group and forced to hand over his phone, wallet and a bag of alcoholic drinks during the robbery in Upper North Street at about 5.30pm.

Mr Beck was robbed as he walked near to Bartletts Park, Mile End / Daniel Lynch

Mr Beck, who lives nearby, told the Standard: I was walking down Upper North Street when I became aware of group of men behind me, who were trying to get my attention and referenced what I was wearing.

For some reason, I decided to turn around and engage. They asked for a light, they asked for the time and suddenly I realised what was happening. I started to try and reason with them.

One of them produced a knife and said, I have a knife, I will shank you with it. It was a large kitchen knife with a six-inch blade.

Once, Id seen the knife my brain went into just take all of my stuff mode. It was a moment of realisation. I thought, I dont want to become a statistic.

Nothing I had on me was worth getting stabbed over. It was all over in about 30 seconds.

Mr Beck said the suspects fled and he rushed to his friends house where he reported the attack to the police.

He added: I was in shock afterwards. Mile End isnt the safest place but you still dont expect that sort of thing to happen to you at that time of day.

Scotland Yard confirmed it was investigating the incident.

A Met Police spokesman said: "Police were called to reports of a robbery believed to have taken place between 5.20pm and 5.35pm on Sunday, December 25, involving five suspects in Upper North Street.

"A 35-year-old man reported having a phone and his wallet stolen. The victim reported being threatened with a knife. Officers from Tower Hamlets borough are investigating."

Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 or on Twitter via @Metcc or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
D onald Trump has said he is "very much" looking forward to meeting Theresa May in the coming months as he described Britain as a "very special" ally.

The US President-elect and the Prime Minister will meet in Washington in the spring, following preparatory meetings by her closest advisers over the Christmas period.

He wrote on Twitter: "I look very much forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime U.S. ally, is very special!"

Mr Trump's warm words will be welcomed by Downing Street after so much of the spotlight falling on his relationship with former Ukip leader Nigel Farage.

US meeting: Prime Minister Theresa May / PA

After a turbulent week Whitehall may also find comfort in the president-elect's signal that the "special relationship" between the US and the UK will be maintained under his administration.

A date for the meeting is yet to be revealed, but it is expected to come within weeks of Mr Trump's inauguration on January 20.

The relative proximity of the occasions may be perceived as another boon for the Prime Minister, after she was pipped to speaking with the tycoon following his election by the leaders of nearly a dozen countries.

The pair are understood to have spoken twice since his victory in November, with the PM suggesting key staff from both teams meet during their second call.

Mrs May's joint chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill travelled to the US in December to build links with the president-elect's team.

The Prime Minister's relationship with the White House is seen as key as Britain prepares to leave the EU and redefines its position in the world.


F oreign Secretary Boris Johnson has arrived in New York for talks with key members of Donald Trump's team.

The Foreign Office said the ex-London Mayor has flown to the US to meet the President-elect's aides for talks about UK-US relations.

It comes ahead of Prime Minister Theresa Mays visit with the billionaire businessman was announced to be happening in the spring of this year.

Just hours ago on Sunday Mrs May labelled the US President-elect's controversial comments about groping women as "unacceptable".

Boris Johnson is to have talks with members of Mr Trump's team. / AP

The Foreign Secretary was expected to meet Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and the president-elect's strategist Steve Bannon in New York.

A spokesman said: "Following the successful meeting last month between the Prime Minister's chiefs of staff and President-elect Donald Trump's team, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is undertaking a short visit to the US for meetings with close advisers to the president-elect and senior Congressional leaders.

"The discussions will be focused on UK-US relations and other foreign policy matters."
T he Queen has made her first public appearance of the calendar year after suffering illness over the Christmas period.

Wearing royal blue, the monarch arrived at St Mary Magdalene Church, close to her Sandringham estate on Sunday morning.

She had missed her regular appearances on Christmas Day and New Year's Day because of the lingering respiratory illness.

The Queen was greeted by a small crowd of people as she was driven the short distance to the church in a burgundy Bentley, accompanied by Philip, who also suffered illness over Christmas.

The Queen at Sandringham - in pictures 1 /8 The Queen at Sandringham - in pictures Her Majesty as she arrives at Sandringham Getty Images The Queen being driven to the service REUTERS Her Majesty in the back of her car Rex Features The Queen gets out of a Bentley at St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham Getty Images Michael Middleton, James Middleton and Carol Middleton arrive at the service PA Pippa Middleton, Michael Middleton, James Middleton at the service Rex Features

One man told the BBC: We saw her very close up. We have been waiting the past three weeks to know she has attended. It is very nice to see her and of course, Prince Philip too.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also attended the service after walking the short distance from the house to the church but there was no sign of Prince George or Princess Charlotte.

Although she has missed the church services, and has not been in seen in public for several weeks the monarch has carried out other duties.

On form: Her Majesty the Queen alongside Prince Phillip on Sunday / Rex Features

She presented Ray Wheaton, her Page of the Chambers, with the insignia of a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, the court circular recorded.

Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh had been forced to delay their journey from Buckingham Palace to their Norfolk estate in the days before Christmas after she fell ill.
()



http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/22/new-citizens-can-now-skip-pledge-to-bear-arms-and-/

New citizens can now skip oath to defend the U.S.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Tuesday that it will no longer require incoming U.S. citizens to declare that they will bear arms on behalf of the United States, as stipulated in the Oath of Allegiance.

USCIS said new citizens may exclude phrases for reasons related to religious training or if they have a conscientious objection, including the phrase, I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law.

It it not required to belong to a specific church or religion, follow a particular theology or belief, or to have had religious training in order to qualify for the exemption, USCIS said, the Washington Examiner first reported.

USCIS said it is accepting feedback on the policy change through Aug. 4.

The current naturalization oath reads as follows:

I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.

---------------------------------

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/06/25/obama-invites-18-7-million-immigrants-avoid-oath-allegiance-pledge-defend-america/

Obama Invites 18.7 Million Immigrants to Avoid Oath of Allegiance, Pledge to Defend America

Its not only illegal aliens who are escaping enforcement of the nations immigration laws.

Under the Obama administrations expansive interpretation of executive authority, legal immigrants seeking citizenship through the nations Naturalization process are now exempt from a key part of the Oath of Allegiance.

Immigrants seeking to become citizens no longer have to pledge to bear arms on behalf of the United States. They can opt out of that part of the Oath. Nor do they have to cite any specific religious belief that forbids them to perform military service.

According to the Naturalization Fact Sheet on the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) website, In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, the nation welcomed 729,995 Legal Permanent Residents into full citizenship.

Over the past decade 6.6 million have been naturalized through a process that ends with the Oath of Allegiance.

In the decade 1980-1990, the average number completing Naturalization was only 220,000 annually, but from 1990 to 2000 that number jumped to over 500,000 annually.

1,050,399 new citizens were welcomed in the year 2008.

18.7 million immigrants are eligible to eventually become citizens, and 8.8 million already meet the 5-year residency requirement.

The pledge to help defend America was good enough for the 6.6 million immigrants naturalized since 2005 and good enough for the over 15 million naturalized since 1980, but Obamas appointees at the USCIS think that is too much to ask of the 18.7 million estimated legal immigrants eligible today for eventual naturalization or the 750,000 who will be naturalized in the coming year.

This radical change was announced a year ago, in July of 2015. Congress did not enact the change in new legislation. There was no congressional debate, no filibuster in the US Senate, and no sit-in in the House to demand that a bill to repeal the USCIS action be brought to a vote.

No, this radical change was implemented while Congress slept. Like other Obama actions to undermine our immigration laws, the Republican-controlled Congress has not used its constitutional powers to reverse the administrative action. Thank God many states are stepping up to fill that void.

This week, the US Supreme Court let stand a federal district court ruling invalidating Obamas unconstitutional DAPA amnesty.

By a 4-4 tie vote, the Supreme Court declined to review the Circuit Courts ruling upholding the Houston district court decision. Therefore, it is now the law and Obamas DAPA amnesty is voided. If Justice Scalia were still alive and participating in the case, it would have been a 5-4 ruling because the swing vote, Associate Justice Kennedy, voted with Justices Alito, Roberts and Thomas.

Where was Congress? Why did it take a lawsuit by the Governors and Attorneys General of 26 states to overturn Obamas unconstitutional actions?

Its true that other Presidents have made changes in the Naturalization process by administrative decree and without congressional approval. In 2002, in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attack, President George Bush by executive order expedited the naturalization process for 89,000 immigrants serving in the armed forces. While many will agree with Bushs action and even applaud, that change should have been done by act of Congress, not a presidential executive order.

In fact, most Americans will think it extremely odd that the USCIS action with regard to the Oath of Allegiance is not illegal. But the fact is, unelected bureaucrats at the USCIS can change the wording of the Oath without approval of the peoples representatives in Congress. Strange as it sounds, the law as it stands today allows USCIS bureaucrats great leeway in managing the Naturalization process, so Obamas actions will not be challenged in federal court.

Yet, in view of Obamas actions, why doesnt Congress change the law and take control of the Oath of Allegiance? So far, there is no indication that the Republican leadership will do so. If they wont even bar Islamic terrorists from the refugee program, why should we expect them to protect the Oath of Allegiance? Some members of Congress will grumble, make speeches and issue press releases, but the Republican leadership will do nothing.

Such is the state of the nation as we approach this 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Some Americans see great irony in the British declaring their independence from the tyranny of Brussels while Americans quietly accept the new tyranny of Washington, DC.
Steam rises from the chicken tikka masala waiting to be dished up from the buffet table in the corner of the cafeteria at Bryan East Campus.

Its a late Friday morning in December, and behind the table is Bhupinder Singh -- clad in a black shirt and pants, a black "Bryan Health" cap and disposable gloves -- ready to spoon the Indian entree onto plates or into styrofoam containers.

Its not long before a line of Bryan employees and hospital visitors begins to form. Many say hello to Singh, calling him by name.

Since June, Fridays have become Singhs day in the cafeteria. This is when he prepares his chicken tikka masala -- served with white rice and curried cauliflower -- that once satisfied diners at his restaurant in downtown Lincoln.

The dish has become the popular must-eat at the cafeteria, which offers a slew of amazing dishes since its $1.6 million, yearlong renovation was completed in January 2016.

We used to use a 20-pound chicken batch, said Bryan executive chef Nazim Khan. But by noon it would be gone. Now we use a 40-pound batch. We usually can make it to 1:30 now.

Usually.

The Friday offering has created quite a following here, and employees and guests really look forward to the meal, said Brad Colee, a Bryan spokesman. Its become very popular for everyone.

Singh said he cant explain why his chicken tikka masala is so popular. The entree also was a customer favorite at Sher-E-Punjab, the Indian restaurant he ran at 16th and Q streets for 12 years. Theres no secret ingredient, he said, unless you count love.

If you do something from the heart than its always good, Singh said.

Part of the dishs appeal may have something to do with the amiable, always-smiling 59-year-old Singh.

He came to the U.S. from India in 1985, first living in California before moving to New York, where he learned how to cook. He moved in 1987 to Omaha, where he worked at an Indian restaurant before leaving in 1992 for Denver to co-own and operate an eatery.

Singh returned to Nebraska in 1995 and worked at The Oven in Lincoln before opening Sher-E-Punjab in 2002. The restaurant became known for its naan -- he often receives requests for it at Bryan, but the cafeteria doesnt have a clay oven (yet) -- and the chicken tikka masala with its rich, creamy sauce.

He began working at Bryan in March 2015 after selling his restaurant the previous fall. When he started, he discovered people already knew him, either recognizing him from the restaurant or from when he tended to his wife, Parmjit, at the hospital 10 years earlier as she recovered from a stroke.

Before they asked about me, they asked about my wife and how she was doing, Singh said of the Bryan employees. They remember that time and how hard it was for my family  I would go to the hospital. Then I would work 16 hours. I would go home, take a shower, and go to the hospital again.

His wifes health is part of the reason hes at Bryan, which provides him health insurance. Parmjit suffered another stroke in October and is under hospital care again.

The long, tiring hours also drove him to sell the restaurant. Its not uncommon in the industry, especially among small, locally owned restaurants. Travis Green, owner and executive chef of Dish, sold his restaurant last summer after 11 years, saying he wanted more time with his family.

It became too much work, Singh said of Sher-E-Punjab.

At Bryan, Singh is part of a team led by Khan, who came on board in May 2015 after two-plus years as executive chef of a convention center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Khan has retooled the menu at the renovated cafeteria, which includes pizza, burrito, deli, rotisserie, rice plate and noodle bowl stations. Meals generally cost around $5.

Were trying to get away from that hospital food stigma, Khan said.

Singh, for one, agrees with Khans direction. The two of them, after all, came together to offer Singhs signature dish on Fridays.

I make it from my heart with love, Singh said. Thats my secret. I never get mad when Im cooking. I put all of my problems aside.

For which Bryan employees and hospital visitors have been thankful and appreciative.
Don Walton Political reporter/columnist Don Walton covers politics and the Legislature along with writing a weekly column. Follow Don Walton Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

It wasn't a good week for George Norris.

The organized takeover of legislative leadership positions, which included the purge of some established leaders and committee chairpersons, resulted in what Sen. Bob Krist bluntly described as a partisan assumption of power that changed the character of the nonpartisan legislature.

"This is now a partisan legislature," Krist bluntly declared in assessing the results.

Krist was one of the victims of a well-organized and successful sweep that handed all but one committee chairmanship to a senator who is a Republican while denying leadership positions to a few Republicans who had strayed from the pack.

The sweep cost Krist, a Republican, the chairmanship of the Legislative Council's executive board.

Sens. Burke Harr and Sue Crawford, both Democrats, were stripped of their committee chairmanships during the leadership elections.

While some senators who are Republicans readily embraced Krist's description of what transpired, Sen. Bill Kintner says that conclusion distorts what really happened.

It was a conservative takeover, not a partisan takeover, he argues, a victory for ideology, not party.

Sen. Mike Groene, a leader of the successful effort, offered a similar assessment during last Friday's legislative debate that preceded final approval of a far more balanced assignment of committee memberships.

"Finally, this body represents the mindset of the state as a whole," Groene said.

The leadership decisions were made with "no contact with a Republican Party official," he said, and independent from the governor's office or any lobbyists.

The Legislature always has acted in a partisan manner when it enters into redistricting decisions, particularly in the creation of U.S. House of Representatives districts. But on other issues, it has generally held true to its nonpartisan nature.

Although it always counts a majority of members who are Republicans, at least in the modern era, the Legislature has not hesitated to override the vetoes of Republican governors. Gov. Pete Ricketts has experienced that, as did former Gov. Dave Heineman on occasion.

In the wake of last week's events, it will be particularly interesting to see what happens on that front this year.

Norris championed creation of Nebraska's unique nonpartisan, one-house legislature, arguing for a legislative body separated from the dominance of political parties and free from the tyranny of Senate-House conference committees that control power and often make decisions behind the scenes.

The one-house system remains intact and probably secure simply because moving back to a two-house system would increase the cost of government and that's not exactly a winning argument.

Whether the nonpartisan nature of the Legislature has been compromised -- or even destroyed -- at least for this session and by this year's crop of state senators is subject to argument.

Kintner makes an absolutely reasonable argument and his contention has merit. While that should be weighed into the equation, it's hard to argue with Krist's bottom-line assessment of the result, at least for this year.

When personal qualities, including leadership and experience, are trumped by political considerations and senators vote more as a bloc than as independent individuals, what Kintner has described is a different path to the same destination.

If it quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.

If it looks like an elephant, it's probably an elephant.

* * *

Gov. Pete Ricketts delivered his State of the State address in the legislative chamber early Saturday afternoon, but there was hardly anyone there.

Ricketts was rehearsing delivery of a speech that appeared destined to be reduced in length before he stands before the Legislature on Thursday morning.

Following his Thursday appearance, the governor will embark on a fly-around tour of the state, carrying his message to Norfolk, Grand Island, North Platte, Scottsbluff and South Sioux City.

Ricketts already has signaled his intention to slash the state budget in the face of declining revenue estimates while proposing property tax and income tax reductions.

Best guess would be that the income tax cuts would be tied to some kind of trigger that would make them effective only when revenue, or anticipated revenue, recovers.

A look at the composition of the Legislature's new Revenue Committee, chaired by Sen. Jim Smith, suggests a proposed tax cut package is going to reach the floor for debate.

On the budget side, the governor's recommendations are awaited with a mixture of anticipation, anxiety and some dread, perhaps especially at the University of Nebraska.

Thursday will set the stage for an approaching battle that will engage virtually every major interest group in the state.

* * *

Finishing up:

* When some senators argue that the realigned Legislature is more representative of the state, the more accurate argument is that it may better represent adults who vote rather than all Nebraskans. Voter registration figures: 583,021 Republicans; 370,027 Democrats; 246,839 non-partisans.

* Jeremy Nordquist, former Omaha state senator and the chief-of-staff for former Rep. Brad Ashford during his single term in Washington, is now chief-of-staff for newly-elected Arizona Rep. Tom O'Halleran. Like Ashford, O'Halleran is a former state legislator.

* Still hanging in the air is speculation that triumphant senators might want to push even further and try to reduce the number of votes required to end a legislative filibuster from 33 to 30. That would be the nuclear option and its fallout would poison the rest of the session.

* Clemson or 'Bama? Could be epic.
In the days following the mostly unexpected elections of leadership in the Legislature, the contentious selection of committee members and the dramatic floor speeches, many are still trying to sort out what happened.

And why.

And then how to get the business of the people of Nebraska completed in the next 87 working days without more session-numbing distractions?

Some say the fire that burned down the committee chairmanships of moderate and progressive senators was lit by revenge for earlier actions taken in district caucus meetings.

The senators meet as three caucuses, two with 16 members and one with 17, aligned with the First, Second and Third Nebraska congressional districts.

Bridges were burned when District 1 senators met in their caucus, Sen. Lydia Brasch of Bancroft said last week, and she, a senior member and conservative Republican, was denied a seat on the Legislature's Executive Board. That vote, she said, was partisan and arranged in secrecy.

"I was extremely disappointed because I had waited patiently," Brasch said.

Earlier, Sen. John Murante, also a conservative Republican, had been removed from his two-year Executive Board seat by District 2 members, and replaced by a more moderate Republican.

After those actions, some senators said, a meeting was called of perhaps 20 to 29 conservative senators to decide the chairpersons they would elect, by a bloc vote.

Some of those conservative senators deny such a meeting.

Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus called the bloc voting by conservative senators a "massive bombardment," without too much consideration given to the consequences.

Half of the standing committee chairs last year were moderate to progressive senators; four of them were Democrats. This year, only one Democrat, a freshman senator, got a chairmanship. The rest were conservative Republicans and a Libertarian.

Schumacher, a moderate Republican, said the work of committees will be diminished. And he blames it on term limits.

"We're in new territory here," he said.

With term limits, only six senators have six years of experience this session. Thirty-four of 49 have two years or less, and half of those only a few days of legislative time. Three committees have chairs with no legislative experience.

What experience brings with it, Schumacher said, is the tendency to proceed with some caution, realizing that every action has a reaction.

With term limits, the history and traditions of the Legislature have become less clear.

"We lack that historical knowledge," said Sen. Curt Friesen of Henderson, a conservative.

All senators know, he said, is that when they walk through the door, they have only four years, or eight years at the most, to get done what they came to do.

Senators may be elected in a nonpartisan race, but the Legislature has been partisan for decades, he said.

But Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion argued the changes in the Legislature last week were not caused by partisanship.

"This is an ideological battle. This is not a partisan battle," he said.

It's the ideology of conservative versus moderates or progressives, he said. It's not about party. It's not about the good of the institution. It's about moving the state forward where conservatives want it to go, with a general agreement that less government's better than more government.

"We've been working on this for five or more years trying to get the balance back," Kintner said. "Some are going to win, some are going to lose. I'm not going to lose anymore. I'm going to win."

He acknowledged there are people in his district that disagree with him. "I totally understand there's different opinions," he said.

Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte says finally the legislative body as a whole represents the mindset of Nebraskans as a whole, as shown by statewide votes that follow a certain philosophy.

"This chamber should follow that majority philosophy. And it did this year with the chairman votes," he said.

Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks said conservatives may feel they are following the will of the majority with an all-conservative slate of leadership.

"But that doesn't mean that my constituents need to be silenced. ... Our voices are important," she said.

If the decision is there should only be one way of thinking, that's too bad, she said.

She and others have hope that things will settle down as the session progresses.

Schumacher compared the opening of the Legislature to animals being in "rut," in which they paw, prance, bang heads, and curl lips.

"It'll pass," he said, and senators will work together and put the Mickey Mouse business aside.

Omaha Sen. Burke Harr, who lost his Business and Labor Committee chairmanship in the shuffle, on Wednesday called the first day of the Legislature "the day the music died."

By Friday he was saying lawmaking is a long game, and no one should get too excited about one day.

"We're going to go forward and we're going to try to find a way to work together," he said.

It's easy to kill legislation. It's harder to pass it, he said. It takes mutual respect.

The focus of the Legislature hasn't changed, he said. It's still about balancing the budget, finding solutions for the Department of Corrections and finding ways to stimulate the state's economy so that one sector doesn't weigh it down.

Those are nonpartisan issues, he said.

The beauty of the institution, said Pansing Brooks, is working in coalitions with people of all parties, or all political ideologies.

"I have friendships in that body on both sides of the aisle," she said. "That is something valuable. We know there are states where (people from different parties) aren't even talking to each other."

On Friday, Brasch urged the people of Nebraska to keep watching.

"Second house, you are the salvation of our state," she said.
CHRISTOPHER, Ill.  Coal has been this county, says Tom Vaughn, a lifelong resident of Southern Illinois and a Franklin County board member, before rattling off a brief history of the industrys local prominence. Decades ago, he says, the county supported seven mines, then just one and then zero, before one eventually reopened.

We were a single industry, he says. Everything depended on the fact that these guys had good-paying jobs.

Just to the southeast is Saline County, the states top coal producer, where 1,090 coal industry jobs were lost in the last five years  the seventh-most of any U.S. county, according to recent data from S&P Global.

Though union mine jobs have disappeared over the years, Proud Union Home signs still dot the yards of retirees, hinting at Southern Illinois legacy as a formerly reliable stronghold for Democratic-voting coal families. But, even among some traditional Democrats, the coal industrys struggles helped draw area votes to Donald Trump and other Republican candidates on Nov. 8. (Although Hillary Clinton carried Illinois, Trump handily won Franklin and Saline counties  along with most of the counties outside of Chicago.)

Im shocked, cause Ive never known anything but Democrats here, Vaughn said.

But now, given Trumps pro-coal rhetoric, many people across the region express optimism about the incoming administration and newfound hope for the coal industry, which has faced years of challenges and cutbacks.

They see some hopeful signs.

Hamilton County Coal, an underground mining operation near Dahlgren, added 30 jobs this month, citing an uptick in the market, according to general manager Ezra French. The mine, owned by Alliance Resource Partners, had laid off about 200 workers in early 2016.

Harrisburgs Dale Fowler, a Republican state senator-elect who ousted a long-time Democratic incumbent, says the new jobs at the Hamilton County mine are just one sign of newfound industry optimism.

I have a lot of constituents in coal, Fowler said. The orders of equipment and parts have really started to increase [since the election].

Trump, industry supporters say, will be able to help coal by undoing President Barack Obamas policies such as the proposed Clean Power Plan, which could extend the lifespan of coal-fired power plants endangered by the plans targeted limits on carbon dioxide emissions, thereby propping up demand for the fuel source.

But there are skeptics, including some coal industry insiders, who say the momentum of market forces and technology will be tough to overcome.

The real culprit here is not necessarily EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] regulations, said Steve Earle, the vice president of the United Mine Workers of America district that encompasses Illinois, at a recent meeting about threatened benefits for coal retirees. What were competing with is low natural gas prices.

On the campaign trail, Trump made contradictory promises about restoring coal while also promoting the same oil and gas extraction largely responsible for undercutting coal in the first place. And since being elected, Trump has picked cabinet members who largely represent oil and gas interests  not coal.

When you put oil executives in charge of our energy policy, what direction do you think were going to go? said Gary Bartolotti, a retired coal miner and the mayor of Christopher, when asked about a potential rebound for coal. I dont in the foreseeable future see coal coming back like it was in the 80s and 90s around here.

While natural gas from the fracking boom has wreaked havoc on coal in recent years, automation is a key factor in the longer-term decay of coal jobs.

Phil Gonet, president of the Illinois Coal Association, said the state produced 62 million tons of coal in 1990 and employed about 10,000 people in the industry. By 2014, though, he said, coal employment plummeted to about 4,500 workers statewide, while overall production budged only slightly, to 58 million tons.

We produced about the same amount of coal as we did in 1990, with about half the people, he says.

And in 2015, Gonet said, more than 57 percent of Illinois coal production came from a handful of mines that use longwall mining, a highly mechanized technique that removes large sections of coal at a time.

The increasing use of mechanization means that even if the industry were to recover, there would be fewer jobs to be had.

Some area residents say that the conflicting post-election outlooks for the coal industry may breathe new life into the tug-of-war between those trying to move beyond coal as the regions economic base and those seeking to double down on the resource.

Thats a fear, said Georgia de la Garza, a local activist following coal issues. Our communities cannot survive on the coal paycheck anymore. ... They need to look elsewhere.

Back in Franklin County, Vaughn said finding ways to offset lost coal revenue was the biggest challenge for elected officials such as he.

The new coal mine for a while in Southern Illinois seemed to be prisons, said Vaughn, noting the high number of them in the region. You cant run an economy on incarceration.

Lately, Vaughn has come to support the idea of a state severance tax on coal production as an achievable step in the right direction. He said the measure would direct money back to coal-producing areas, generating revenue for infrastructure improvements which, in turn, may entice other industries to relocate to the area.

Illinois, the fourth-largest producer of domestic coal in 2015, is one of just three coal-producing states without a severance tax in place according to the Community Futures Initiative, a group advocating for the tax. The group points to the states fiscal woes and says a 5-percent severance tax would provide badly needed revenue. Besides infrastructure, they say that money would also support job training efforts and environmental cleanup costs associated with resource extraction.

But group member Pam Richart said that advocates were still building political support for the tax and that it was unclear when it might surface in the Legislature. If it does, the tax is sure to face stiff resistance from the states coal industry.

It would make us less able to compete in the global market that we play in, said Gonet, adding that Illinois coal producers already faced disadvantages compared with neighbors in Kentucky and Indiana, where he said mine permitting was easier and worker compensation costs were lower.

With or without a severance tax, a lasting turnaround for the region wont be an easy fix, said Bartolotti, the coal miner turned mayor.

He noted that questions about how to attract a resilient set of diverse industries spiraled into national  not just regional  policy discussions about economics, trade and competitiveness. Bartolotti thinks coal can still be a valuable contributor to Southern Illinois economy, but other industries will also be needed to provide lift.

I still believe coal can be a part of it but not the only solution, he said.
There is no villain in this tale.

Its about the harsh reality that settles into the lives of some of our neighbors. Theyre the people who fall into the cracks of society. Poor but not destitute. Lacking in resources but not quite homeless. They live, and breathe and survive  and sometimes die  just outside our views.

This story starts with the death of a grandmother.

Edward Elric moved in with his grandmother when he was 12. Now 28, Elric had been diagnosed with a variety of ailments when he was 7. He has fibromyalgia, major depressive disorder, anxiety and other issues that have made him functionally disabled since he was a child. In June, his grandmother died. Within a couple of months, her home in OFallon, Mo., ended up in foreclosure.

Elric needed a place to live.

He turned to a good friend, Ashton Phillips, who had a modular home in Imperial.

Phillips is 23. He bought the home at Quiet Forest Drive out of foreclosure in 2014. For awhile he lived in it or rented to various tenants, most of them friends.

One of them skipped out on rent and utility payments last year, including separate payments for water with the Jefferson County Water District No. 3 and sewer service with the Northeast Public Sewer District.

Both districts let Phillips know that his tenant wasnt making payments.

I had to kick her out, he says.

Then, he sued her in small claims court. Jefferson County Court records show that Phillips was awarded $2,710 on Nov. 2. Phillips said he hasnt been able to collect.

In the meantime, Elric moved in.

He started paying the water bill. He never got a sewer bill.

But in November, he received a notice from the sewer district that there was an unpaid bill of more than $900 on the house, and if it wasnt paid, the water would also be turned off.

Since Nov. 17, Elric has been living in the home, with his dog, three cats and a roommate, with no water.

I called the sewer company and begged them, Elric told me. Please let me open a new account. They wouldnt let me.

The bill belonged to the previous tenant, the one Phillips had sued.

But that doesnt matter, said Bob Hembrock, executive director of the sewer district.

On Friday, when I spoke to him, he was in the process of writing a letter to the Missouri attorney generals office, responding to a consumer complaint Elric had filed about the sewer company shutting off his water. Hembrock said that the ordinances in the sewer district hold the owner and tenant jointly reliable for unpaid sewer bills. When sewer service is to be disconnected for nonpayment, the sewer district has an agreement with the water district to simply turn the water off. Its a lot easier than having to dig up sewer connections, Hembrook said.

We did try as much as we could to help Mr. Elric, Hembrook said. My statement to him was that his problem wasnt with us, it was with his landlord.

Elric doesnt see things that way.

Phillips, barely squeaking by himself, offers the modular home to him for only $100 a month plus utility payments, just so he can keep a roof over his head.

This isnt the first time residents of a mobile home have faced such a dilemma in the Northeast Public Sewer District. In 2014, residents of 200 homes in Brookside Mobile Home Park faced eviction because their landlord hadnt paid a $90,000 sewer bill. The clinic at St. Louis University School of Law sued to protect the rights of the residents to not be punished for their landlords failure to pay the bill. Eventually he paid the bill before sewer service was cut off to the park.

On Wednesday, Elric and his friends cobbled together enough money to get the water turned back on. They paid the sewer district about $800. They owed the water district an additional $113, which included $50 for a reconnect fee. Both the water district and sewer district confirmed they had turned the water back on. But on Friday, Elric told me he still had no water.

The winters first cold snap had settled in and the pipes in the poorly insulated modular home were frozen. The bill is paid. The water is on. But there is still not a drop to drink.

Weve had a space heater on the pipe all day, he said, but nothing.
ST. LOUIS  Presiding at the pulpit Saturday night was Marc Lamont Hill.

He wasnt speaking at a church, but what he gave was a sermon  and the crowd reacted.

Hill is an activist and Morehouse College professor who frequents CNN, BET News and other outlets as a political commentator. Hes also written a few books, including one that focused in part on Ferguson.

During his time at the podium during the state Martin Luther King Jr. kick-off celebration, he challenged the audience of about 150 people, including a congressman, a few state officials, the St. Louis mayor and police chief. Hill wasnt messing around.

To celebrate the life of the famed civil rights activist, its important to ask hard questions, he said.

The point of resistance is to make people uncomfortable, he said.

That was in reference to a multitude of things, from what King taught back in the 1960s to the actions of Angela Sutherlin, who took a knee during the national anthem she was supposed to be singing before Hill took the stage. Afterward, she sang whats known as the black American national anthem, Lift Evry Voice and Sing.

It roused the audience. No one was quite sure what was happening, and an organizer of the event was quick to apologize and sing the nations song herself.

But discomfort in the form of civil disobedience was part of Kings mission, Hill pointed out, commending Sutherlins actions.

Dont worry about being unpopular, he said.

Saturday was Hills second trip to Missouri in a matter of months. This past fall, he moderated a discussion at University of Missouri-Columbia about the long-term effects on the campus climate after a series of protests in November 2015 centered on issues of race.

He moderated a panel during the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration as well. The members ranged from Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, to an area social worker.

The panel was new to the celebration, which is organized by a commission of people who are appointed by the governor. Saturday was the 31st annual such event, which is hosted by Harris-Stowe State University.

As in years past, the commission granted two awards, including a distinguished public service award to St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and another award to a growing social justice activist group, HandsUp United.
COLUMBIA, Mo.  Todd Graves, a former U.S. attorney and the brother of U.S. Rep. Sam Graves of northwest Missouri, is the new chairman of the Missouri Republican Party.

The Republican State Committee elected Graves, the choice of Gov.-elect Eric Greitens, on Saturday as the party's new statewide chief.

Graves has served as western Missouri's top federal prosecutor and lately has been an attorney with a Kansas City law firm. In 2000, he was the unsuccessful GOP nominee for state treasurer.

Graves succeeds John Hancock of St. Louis County, who announced in November that he would step down after two years as chairman.

Hancock urged the committee to work to get the Legislature to make Missouri a "closed primary" state in which only people who declare their allegiance to a party can vote in that party's primary.

Political independents who don't sign up with a party would be barred from taking part. Now a registered voter can take part in any primary the voter chooses.

Hancock also said he was happy to leave the state GOP in better shape than when he took over as chairman. When he started, he said, ''we were divided personally and ideologically" and in "dire, massive debt."

In the November election, he noted, the party made Missouri history when it won seven statewide races on the same day - plus six of eight U.S. House seats and super-majorities in both houses of the Legislature.

"Together - with outstanding candidates who ran outstanding campaigns - we have achieved heights never imagined by those who have come before," he said.
The first flight from Scott Field left on Sept. 2, 1917, 30 years before there was an Air Force branch of the military. Aviation was still a baby and Scotts presence as a longtime fixture in St. Clair County was uncertain with World War I winding down.

But that would be a short-lived concern, with the U.S. government in 1919 purchasing the flight field, which was then a leased 624 acres. Today, Scott Air Force Base is the largest employer in the Metro East and oversees military missions around the world.

We are the hub for Department of Defense transportation, said Col. Laura Lenderman, the 375th Air Mobility Wing and Installation Commander. If you see it on the news, whether its a natural disaster, a combat operation or some sort of humanitarian relief, theres a 100 percent chance that someone from Scott Air Force Base was involved.

On Friday, Scott kicked off a series of events celebrating the bases centennial with remarks by Gov. Bruce Rauner and Air Force senior leaders along with music and fireworks. In June, the base will host an open house and airshow  its first in five years  featuring the Air Force Thunderbirds.

Scott Field came to life during World War I, when Secretary of War Newton Baker sought an expanded role for aviation. Business and political leaders in the St. Louis region wanted the Midwest to be chosen as the site for one of the new flying fields and offered up the land 25 miles southeast of downtown St. Louis, according to a history of the base compiled by Scott personnel.

On June 14, 1917, the U.S. War Department agreed to lease the Metro East land. Congress appropriated $10 million for construction of Scott Field, putting 2,000 people to work to construct 60 buildings, lay a mile-long railroad spur and level off an airfield with a 1,600-foot landing circle. All within 60 days.

Construction was underway when the government announced the new airfield would be named after Corporal Frank Scott, the first enlisted service member killed in an aviation crash. In 1919, with World War I over, Scott Field was purchased by the War Department. By 1939, Scotts primary mission was serving as a communications training location. Within 20 years, it had graduated more than 150,000 communication operators and maintenance personnel.

During World War II, Scotts Radio and Communications School opened and produced, as its slogan professed, the best damned radio operators in the world!

The U.S. Air Force became a separate arm of the military on Sept. 17, 1947, and four months later Scott Field became Scott Air Force Base. While Scotts primary mission remained technical training, the bases aeromedical evacuation mission continued to grow. By 1964, Scott became responsible for all aeromedical transportation within the U.S., and by 1975, the base was responsible for worldwide patient movement. In 1998, MidAmerica Airport opened next to Scott Air Force Base.

Today, Scott is the fourth-oldest continuously active base in the Air Force. With 13,000 employees, it is the sixth-largest employer in the St. Louis region. It is the only base named in honor of an enlisted member.

Lenderman said those serving at Scott were proud to be a part of the bases 100-year celebration.

We ushered in the age of flight, she said, pointing to the bases opening 14 years after the Wright brothers made history in Kitty Hawk, N.C., and three years after the first commercial flight. Weve helped change the way people think of travel and transportation and executing the nations wars. To be part of that legacy is pretty special.
BEATRICE -- Archived newspapers are portals to the past that give glimpses into history before the days of printed photographs when artists were heavily relied upon as storytellers.

A new exhibit at the Homestead National Monument of America installed Friday features art and articles from 1880s eastern United States publications that illustrate westward expansion.

Several of the fixtures that line the walls of the Education Center boast intricate pictorial wood engravings that were transferred onto the newspaper pages of the era.

The illustrations show scenes of Native Americans' and homesteaders' lives of the time, including hunting excursions and onslaughts of prairie fires, wind storms, floods and blizzards.

"The pieces show how westward expansion was interpreted by easterners," said Homestead museum technician Robin Matty. "They're so detailed. Some are just the images. I almost like those better because it leaves it up to interpretation."

Several of the framed pages are from Harper's Weekly first published in 1857 in New York City.

"The exhibit, on loan from the South Dakota State Historical Society, uses illustrated newspapers to present how the Dakotas and the events in the west were depicted to the American public," the press release of the exhibit reads.

The exhibit, called "The Way They Saw Us," will be on display through July.

"The 25 framed images will give visitors an idea of what methods of advertising were used to encourage people to head westward," the release reads. "They also depict the struggles settlers faced in the Dakotas. It was through these works that the idea of the 'American Wild West' was born."

Homestead staff said they believe this to be the first time the collection has traveled outside of its home in South Dakota.

"Historic newspapers are an invaluable resource for historians," said park Superintendent Mark Engler. "This collection does a great job of highlighting not only the historical but also the artistic value of newspapers."
The St. Louis city school district, under the leadership of Superintendent Kelvin Adams and with the support of a state-appointed three-member administrative board, is nearly ready to take a well-earned bow.

This week, Missouris top education officials are expected to restore full accreditation to the district. It will be the result of years of hard work by the Special Administrative Board, Adams, teachers, students, parents and civic supporters. Full accreditation is mostly a symbolic victory, but that does not dim its significance. It will boost morale, engender greater community pride and support and set a performance baseline that will enable the district to aim even higher.

St. Louis Public Schools lost accreditation from the Missouri State Board of Education in 2007 because of poor academic performance and ineffective governance. The district was $25 million in debt, had burned through six superintendents over four years and was mired in failure. The 2006 graduation rate was roughly 55 percent; the dropout rate nearly 19 percent and more than 60 percent of 10th graders scored below basic in math on state standardized tests.

When the state stripped the district of accreditation, it created the SAB, which restored order, stabilized finances and helped oversee staff reductions and school closings while providing opportunities for community input.

The elected school board remains in place but has no administrative authority over the district. The SAB also hired Adams in 2008, and wisely has allowed him to manage the districts day-to-day operations without the meddling that the elected board was famous for.

Adams focused effort on the lowest-achieving schools, mostly attended by children from unstable housing situations and deep poverty. He sent them extra help, including additional nurses, counselors, social workers, reading and math specialists. The turnaround was significant: 46 of the districts 71 schools improved in academics and attendance in 2015 compared with two previous years.

The district has also partnered with charter schools, tried pilot schools, gender-based classrooms, Saturday school classes and a selective-admission medical high school. Not all of the initiatives have worked, but thats not for lack of effort.

Adams and the SAB have refused to give up on the district. They did not forget that Job One is creating the best educational opportunities possible for more than 23,000 students. Even with its overall low performance, the district has always had some of the best schools in the state, such as Metro Academic and Classical High School, a selective magnet school.

Full accreditation will give Adams more opportunity to try innovative classroom techniques instead of constantly striving for higher testing scores. It will also help parents and students hold their heads a little higher, sending a signal that poverty and skin color need not be indicators of educational failure.
Wireless roaming charges are outrageous, to hear travelers like Karen Pliskin talk about them. And she ought to know.

On a weekend visit to Vancouver, B.C., the San Francisco-based anthropologist did everything she could to avoid international roaming charges, declining to make calls or send text messages. The following month, she found an extra $30 on her Verizon wireless bill. It turned out that the apps on her phone had quietly drained expensive roaming bandwidth. After that experience, she started turning her phone off when she crossed the border.

What can we do about these charges? she asks.

A lot, actually. The National Consumers League recently asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate roaming fees charged by American phone companies. An NCL analysis of the market for roaming services found that a significant portion of the more than 73 million Americans who travel abroad annually may be at risk of incurring higher-than-expected charges on their wireless phone bills, thanks to these fees.

Even consumers who are careful and try to limit their mobile-data use can come home to a surprise bill, says John Breyault, an NCL vice president of public policy.

The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, a trade group for the wireless industry, says it has already taken significant steps to end bill shock. The wireless industry provides consumers with a host of consumer-friendly protections and service offerings to ensure that they can travel abroad without unexpected international roaming charges, says Brian Josef, a vice president of regulatory affairs for the trade group The marketplace is working for consumers.

Its hard to know how much American travelers pay annually in roaming fees. But we know what wireless carriers are earning, and its a lot. Revenue from global roaming services is expected to reach $90 billion a year by 2018, according to a recent estimate by Juniper Research, a research and analytical services company based in Britain. A study by the IT consultancy firm Ovum predicts that by 2019, mobile data, the same kind that ensnared Pliskin, will account for more than half of all global roaming revenue.

Roaming fees are a rich source of profit for wireless carriers. A study by professional-services company KPMG, cited by the NCL in its petition, noted that international mobile roaming fees should be only 10 to 20 percent higher than non-roaming fees, based on the actual cost of providing the service. In fact, they cost more than five times as much, on average.

The only certain method of avoiding these fees: Dont bring your phone. Your cellular carrier cant ding your phone if it doesnt make the trip with you.

For most travelers, thats an impractical solution. But you have two other choices: buying a SIM card  or a smart card that allows you to use a local carrier  or skipping the expensive cellular plan and relying on local hotspots. Both require a little technical know-how.

On an iPhone like Pliskins, you must switch to Airplane mode and turn on WiFi. But a few careless swipes can mean your phone will start roaming, incurring fees. Buying and installing a SIM card isnt difficult, but some smartphones dont accept outside cards (in geek-speak, theyre locked). The NCL study suggested that wireless companies would rather keep their customers in the dark about SIM card options, noting that it found no instances where U.S. carriers attempted to educate their subscribers about those alternatives.

There are numerous other options for communicating while abroad. They include using WiFi-based calling and messaging apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts or Viber for calls and texting or Apples iMessage for messaging.
Rustic castles along the Rhine, charming towns on the Main River, stair-step locks on a 106-mile-long canal, a music concert in Vienna and the imposing Budapest Parliament building on the Danube are among the many highlights of a recent 15-day river cruise through Central Europe, a new destination for me.

Traveling through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Hungary, home base was the Gefjon, a year-old longship from the Viking Cruises fleet that offers all the comforts of a five-star hotel, including exceptional customer service at every level.

The 95 cabins on the 443-foot-long Gefjon are outside cabins, so all passengers aboard have a front-row seat to observe cargo ships, kayakers, pleasure boats and swans on the water or sprawling towns, abandoned castles and abundant wildflowers on shore. Another plus: Vikings river cruises call for casual clothing, which makes packing easy.

The lounge, which features large windows, is the gathering place for cooking demonstrations, music concerts, history lectures and special tastings of Viennese coffee or Dutch gin. Toasting new friends with Mozart chocolate liqueur at the well-stocked bar, reading on the shaded top deck and relaxing in a rocking chair on the bow of the ship also help fill any leisure hours.

The food is extraordinary, with many tempting choices at every meal. Open seating is the policy in the dining room, and most often I was table-hopping with my longtime friend Steve Woolf, artistic director at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. After all, Steves vacation plans inspired me to book this river cruise.

At each stop, local guides eager to share information on the history of their hometowns and the many UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the region lead the daily walking tours and shore excursions. A gentle walkers category caters to those of us unaccustomed to strolling over cobblestones, which come in several configurations. (The flatter, the better!)

Winnowed down from dozens of memorable moments, here are 14 peak experiences.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands  In a city with 165 canals  some that are 400 years old  it makes sense to hop on a boat, rather than a bus, to get to know the city. I did that on my pre-cruise extension visit. I then toured the Anne Frank House and Museum and the Van Gogh Museum. I also sought out Dutch pancakes, brown bread and cheese and other tasty Dutch specialties.

Cologne, Germany  Growing up in St. Louis with the ever-present aroma of brewing hops, of course I signed up for the Beer Culture Dinner. The excursion included stops at three brew houses to taste Kolsch, the signature beer of Cologne, and dinner at Brauhaus zur Malzmuhle, a popular local place established in 1858. We feasted on tender, slow-cooked pigs knuckle served with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Delicious!

Vineyards  Cruising along the Main River, the terraced vineyards on shore reminded me of the German families that settled Augusta and Hermann, Missouris wine-growing region. Generally I favor hearty zinfandels, but I am now a convert to the pleasures of Silvaner, a crisp, dry white wine from the vineyards along the Main. (The rivers name rhymes with Rhine.)

Miltenberg, Germany  This lovely small town boasts wonderful clothing shops and specialty stores. I bought black licorice from Ellen and Bernd Ulshofer at the candy store they opened as a retirement project. Then I joined new friends from the Gefjon for pretzels, beer and apple strudel at Zum Reisen (Inn of the Giant), which opened in 1411.

Locks  The Main-Danube canal, initially imagined by Charlemagne in the 8th century and finally completed in 1992  stretches 106 miles and features 16 locks, with a total elevation change of 574 feet. After the first few times the Gefjon passed through a lock, I quit running outside to watch, but I never stopped finding the experience fascinating, especially in the deepest locks, when the longship snuggled between tall concrete walls.

Wurzburg, Germany  Going rogue one morning, I skipped the walking tour and took a taxi to the center of town to explore on my own. An open plaza surrounded by department stores was filled with market booths where vendors sold fresh produce, baskets, ceramics, hats, wooden toys, linen socks, bolts of colorful fabric and much more.

Glassblower  Karl Ittig, a master glassblower who says he knew Dale Chihuly when he was a hippie, came aboard the Gefjon one morning to demonstrate his art. A rapt audience listened as this charming, funny and exceptionally skilled man talked about his familys history  he is a sixth-generation glassblower  and his love for his work. (See www.glaskunst.de/index.php/en/)

Franconian countryside  In the mood to taste more signature beers and dip yet another pretzel in savory mustard, I opted for a day trip out of Bamberg, Germany. A bus took us to Memmelsdorf, a town that boasts 145,000 people and 63 breweries. At Drei Kronen (Three Crowns), a pub and guest house, the brewmaster talked to us about his Rauchbier, a smoked beer, and a lighter wheat beer made with hops from Oregon. Prost!

Nuremberg, Germany  Steve headed out on the popular World War II excursion here, while I went in search of the citys famous gingerbread cookies and signature sausages. In the market square, I spied Birkenstock sandals in their natural habitat. And not far from a sushi food truck, I found Michael Bellair, a brewmaster selling beer ice cream crafted from his dark beer and mascarpone cheese. I settled in for the boozy ice cream treat on a stick and never made it to the towns famous Toy Museum.

Regensburg, Germany  This particular medieval city is the oldest city along the Danube  which is not now and likely never was any shade of blue  and it also is the hometown of Pope Benedict XVI. I stopped at the historic Alte Wurstkuche by the river, said to be the oldest continuously open public restaurant in the world. It first opened in 1146, serving dockworkers, sailors and staff from a nearby cathedral. Today, the restaurant serves 6,000 grilled sausages a day.

Salzburg, Austria  Some 500,000 people travel each year to Salzburg to tour sites made famous in the movie The Sound of Music, but I made the day trip to spend time in the foothills of the Alps. I enjoyed seeing Mozarts house (well, one of them) and was thrilled when I happened upon a lively parade. A kind Austrian gentleman standing nearby explained that Salzburg was celebrating its 200th anniversary as part of Austria.

Melk, Austria  Step into the massive library in the 900-year-old Melk Abbey, and you learn it is just one of a dozen libraries in the massive Baroque building that houses more than 100,000 books, many of them written by hand. Step into the gift shop, and you can buy apricot liqueur made by the Benedictine monks.

Vienna, Austria  With its elegant palaces, elaborate government buildings and green spaces galore, this world-class capital city feeds the soul. Under Viennas spell, I attended a music concert. I stood in a crowd six people deep at the Belvedere Palace to admire Gustav Klimts The Kiss. And I bought a small bag of Mozartkugel, chocolate candy introduced in 1890 that is filled with pistachio and almond marzipan and nougat.

Budapest, Hungary  The excursion to Lazar Lovaspark, 21 miles outside of Budapest, promises horsemanship demonstrations, a carriage ride and time to mingle with Hungarian farm animals. The afternoon delivers all that plus a glass of Hungarian fruit brandy and a savory scone.

If you go, your peak experiences may well differ from mine. On the Grand European Tour, in addition to the free walking tour every morning, Viking offers more than two dozen optional excursions. To customize your cruise, a concierge on board will help you seek out iconic restaurants, yarn shops, church organs, art galleries or historic cemeteries.

Or course, its not possible to go everywhere and see everything, and thats not a good idea anyway. One of the great joys of a river cruise is relaxing on board with a fresh-baked cookie and cup of tea from the snack station, whiling away an afternoon after a busy morning. Seasickness is not a concern, as you dont feel the boat move.

Viking now has 45 vessels cruising on rivers in Europe, Russia, Asia and Egypt, with a choice of 31 different itineraries. If you favor ocean cruises, Viking is in that business as well. Travel & Leisure magazine readers named Viking as Best Ocean Cruise Line in 2016. When that honor was first announced during my river cruise in July, the captain of the Gefjon promptly scheduled a cocktail party to celebrate.

At the party, though I was already sipping a glass of wine, I happily accepted a flute of champagne. Why not? Any once-in-a-lifetime trip is all about celebrating.

IF YOU GO

Departures: The 15-day Grand European Tour, which includes four countries, is offered from April 3 through Nov. 4. Some trips start in Amsterdam and others depart from Budapest.

Cost: Rates range from $4,899 to $19,799 for double occupancy, with eight categories of cabins. Airfare is not included, but free airfare is offered from some cities for some trips. Viking makes special offers available all the time. Watch the website, sign up for the emails or call the cruise line and ask.

Shore excursions: A dozen guided walking tours are provided free, with additional options available for a fee in each port of call. Travelers also may explore on their own.

Trip extensions: Before or after the cruise, trip extensions are available in Amsterdam ($699-$799) or Prague ($899-$1,049). I went to Amsterdam for the extension, which allowed time to explore that wonderful city and shake off jet lag.
Lincoln Police arrested a 27-year-old man Saturday night after a seven-hour standoff near 31st and Holdrege streets.

Nicholas Hogan was taken into custody on suspected misdemeanor domestic assault, police said.

Police were called to the scene just after 11 a.m. Saturday for a medical emergency, Capt. Bob Farber said. When officers arrived, a woman ran out of the house, he added.

According to a probable cause affidavit for his arrest, the woman had blood on her face and was yelling that Hogan had guns.

The document says that the woman and Hogan began to fight when he was drinking alcohol and that he punched her in the face several times.

The situation later became a standoff when Hogan allegedly refused to come out of the home. Police secured the area and police closed Holdrege Street from 30th to 33rd streets.

A mobile command unit and about a dozen police cars were at the scene, along with police K-9 units. An officer spoke with Hogan on the phone, who denied hitting the woman. Negotiators were eventually able to get Hogan to leave the house.

He had a loaded .40-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol in his sweatshirt, the document says.

By 6:18 p.m. Saturday, the situation was resolved and Hogan was arrested, although police remained at the home, located in the 1500 block of 31st Street, more than an hour later on a search warrant.
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 50th Consumer Electronics Show (CES) took place in Las Vegas January 5th. Last night around 400 top media and leading global electronic brands came together to celebrate each others' triumphs at the IDG 2016-2017 Global Top Brands awarding ceremony. Due to its remarkable performance in 2016, Coolpad was the recipient of 3 awards from the International Data Group (IDG). "Global Smartphone Brands Top 15", "Global Smart Connected Devices Top 20", "Cool Changer S1- The Best Overall Performing Smartphone of 2016".

Founded in 1993, Coolpad has been focusing on development of smart connected devices. As one of the earliest brands in smartphone industry, Coolpad invented "Dual SIM Dual Standby" technology, "Dual Space" technology for information security and more than 10000 other patents. As the winner of "The Best Overall Performing Smartphone of 2016", the new Coolpad flagship Cool Changer S1 particularly excels at Hifimusic and gaming performance through deep cooperation with Harman Kardon and some top game companies.

"Smartphone Industry is changing and evolving rapidly, Coolpad is adapting the changes and tagging itself as a global brand with 'technology' and 'fashion'. Popular Triple SIM Triple Standby smartphone Coolpad Mega 3 in India and the dual display smartphone which will be launched soon are examples of our unique advantage in R&D," said Du Jinbiao, CEO of Coolpad Global Sales and Services. "We are also cooperating across the industry with technology leading brands like Harman Kardon. Only good products will gain a reputation and benefit the brand."

They are targeting 27 million in sales, globally in 2017. Apart from the top award winning Coolpad Changer S1, Coolpad has presented other newly launched models including dual camera phone Cool 1, Coolpad Note 5, CoolpadConjr, Coolpad Torino and Coolpad Catalyst at CES 2017.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/coolpad-receives-3-idg-awards-at-ces-2017-300387403.html

SOURCE IDG China
Monsanto logo is displayed on a screen where the stock is traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S. on May 9, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

By P.J. Huffstutter

Chicago (Reuters) - U.S. seeds and agrochemicals company Monsanto Co (NYSE: MON), which is in the process of being bought by Germany's Bayer AG for $66 billion, swung to a quarterly profit, helped by higher demand from South America.

Sales of soybean seeds and traits jumped 37 percent as more farmers in South America sowed the company's genetically modified soybean seed Intacta RR2 Pro.

But how Monsanto is navigating through a souring U.S. agricultural market has been closely watched by Bayer's investors, who have backed the German pharmaceutical conglomerates bid to acquire the worlds largest seed company.

Monsanto shareholders voted in December to approve a sweetened $128-per-share offer from Bayer that, if approved by regulators, would create a company commanding more than a quarter of the world market for seeds and pesticides and be the largest-ever cash takeover of a U.S. company.

Both companies have filed notice of the merger plan to U.S. antitrust officials and plan to submit similar documents to the European Union by the end of March, Chief Executive Officer Hugh Grant told analysts on a conference call on Thursday for Monsanto's first fiscal 2017 quarterly results.

Bayer and Monsanto executives have repeatedly said they are confident the deal will pass regulatory muster, a necessary step in order to close the sale as expected in late 2017. Bayer has said it is committed to divest up to $1.6 billion of its portfolio to win approval.

Still, some farm groups, rival seed companies and U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns about the Monsanto-Bayer deal, saying it could raise prices and reduce choices for farmers.

While Grant did not discuss what business units or assets might be sold off to appease regulators, he did tell analysts on Thursday that "where overlaps do exist, Bayer anticipates and is committed to undertake a certain level of divestitures as required by regulatory agencies."

Increased research and development spending by the combined companies and plans to develop a global seeds and biotechnology hub in St. Louis fuel hopes regulators will not block the deal, which was agreed in September, Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant told Reuters.

Grant also told analysts that he and Chief Technology Officer Robb Fraley have been taking an active role in talking to farmers about the proposed deal, as well as talking to "key policymakers and politicians" to assuage concerns.

Monsanto announced Thursday it had recently signed an agreement with Japanese trading firm Mitsui & Co. to sell its Latitude wheat and barley fungicide seed treatment business for $140 million - and expects to receive an EBIT benefit of approximately $85 million in that business segment in the second quarter.

Monsanto told Reuters that the agreement is part of ongoing restructuring efforts, and not tied to the Bayer deal.

Net profit attributable to Monsanto was $29 million, or 7 cents per share, in the first quarter ended Nov. 30, compared with a loss of $253 million, or 56 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items, the company earned 21 cents per share. Net sales rose more than 19 percent to $2.65 billion.

Monsanto shares were up 51 cents at $105.57 per share in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Additional reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru.; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Bernadette Baum)
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (C) exits One World Trade Center following a meeting in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., January 6, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

By Ginger Gibson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two senior Republican senators urged President-elect Donald Trump to punish Russia in response to U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that President Vladimir Putin personally directed efforts aimed at influencing the outcome of the November election.

In a joint appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain said evidence was conclusive that Putin sought to influence the election - a point that Trump has refuted repeatedly by arguing it might be impossible to tell who was responsible.

"In a couple weeks, Donald Trump will be the defender of the free world and democracy," Graham said. "You should let everybody know in America, Republicans and Democrats, that you're going to make Russia pay a price for trying to interfere."

Both senators said they remain unsure if they will support Trump's pick for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE: XOM) Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson, who has been criticized for his close ties to Putin. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Wednesday to consider Tillerson's nomination.

Three U.S. intelligence agencies released a joint report on Friday that concluded that Putin directed efforts to help Trump's electoral chances by discrediting his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Hackers penetrated the Democratic National Committee's email server and separately stole emails from John Podesta, who chaired Clinton's campaign. The emails were then posted online and used to embarrass Clinton, including by Trump who frequently used the content as political ammunition.

Russia was trying to undermine public faith in the democratic process, damage Clinton, making it harder for her to win and harm her presidency if she did, the unclassified report said.

McCain said he supports continued investigations into the hacks.

"We need to come to grips with it and get to the bottom of it and overall come up with a strategy in this new form of warfare that can basically harm our economy, harm our elections, harm our national security," he said.

Trump, whose views on Russia are out of step with his party, has repeatedly dismissed claims that the Russians were trying to help him, arguing that the charges against Russia are the product of his political opponents trying to undermine his victory.

On Friday, after receiving his intelligence briefing, Trump did not squarely address whether he was told of the agencies' belief Russia carried out the hacking.

Instead, he said: "Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organizations" including the DNC.

On Saturday, Trump wrote on Twitter that having a better relationship with Russia is a "good thing."

"Only 'stupid' people or fools, would think that is bad!" he tweeted. "We have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!"

(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Mary Milliken)
DAKAR (Reuters) - The United States warned its citizens against visiting the tourist destination of Gambia on Saturday, and told those there to considering leaving, citing the risk of unrest as President Yahya Jammeh digs in despite losing an election.

"The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to The Gambia because of the potential for civil unrest and violence in the near future," the statement on its website said. It said the supreme court hearing on Jan. 10 of Jammeh's challenge to the result that elected his rival Adama Barrow was a potential flashpoint for violence.

"U.S. citizens should consider departing on commercial flights and other transportation," the statement said.

(Reporting by Tim Cocks; Editing by Alison Williams)
Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed on Sunday has said that they will once again stage sit-in if necessary.

While talking to media at the airport, Sheikh Rasheed said that judiciary is like Wall of China in front of corruption.

He pronounced that a grand alliance of opposition would have been formed if Zardari had not overpowered Bilawal.

The AML chief predicted that Panama case result will be declared in January.

Besides lambasting the government, Sheikh Rasheed also criticized Ayaz Sadiq and said that no assembly can run and work properly while having a speaker like him.
Many Americans gasp when they see Donald Trump mockingly put the word "intelligence" in quotes when referring to the U.S. intelligence community; it seems heretical to challenge the wisdom and expertise of institutions charged with safeguarding their security and freedoms.

As a Russian, I just shrug: I have never believed a word coming from my country's intelligence services. This cultural gap is shrinking, though. Western societies are turning into low-trust ones, after the post-Communist, Eastern European model.

Two decades ago, Francis Fukuyama, the man who also blithely declared that history was ending and a liberal democratic paradise was at hand, connected trust with prosperity. He argued that societies with more trust among their members, such as the U.S., Japan and Germany, did better than those with a smaller radius of trust that rarely goes far beyond the family, such as China, Italy, France or Korea.

Economic evidence hasn't quite borne that out, but at least it can be said that a more trustful society is more comfortable to live in, primarily because you don't have to jump through hoops to prove the purity of your intentions.

Communism destroyed trust in every country it touched. An all-controlling, mistrustful state set the tone for social interaction and practically invited people to fight it or cheat it. Trust nested in families and small communities of people who knew each other well, but even inside these units there was sometimes a snitch. This annihilation of trust has outlasted communism.

Many researchers who have studied the phenomenon have concluded that this has to do with economic development: If institutions and interpersonal relationships fail to deliver well-being, they don't merit much trust. But if people and institutions are not trusted, there's no incentive for them to deliver.

Parts of the former Soviet sphere are caught in this vicious circle. Ukraine, where only volunteer organizations, the military and the church are trusted by more than half the population, has had major difficulties reforming because the government is seen as essentially self-seeking. Low-trust environments are ill-suited for boisterous democracy: It quickly descends into infighting and paralysis. This is not just a post-Communist phenomenon: Italians and Greeks, whose trust in their governments is as low or lower than in Eastern Europe, know it well.

As a result, low-trust countries often readily submit to strong-handed rule. An authoritarian like Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't care much about building trust: He can rule by other methods, such as stoking resentments against perceived external enemies.

As in Ukraine, Americans have a lot of trust in the military; the only two other institutions enjoying majority trust are small business and the police. Trust in the media, schools, the health care and justice systems, not to mention the presidency and Congress, is dismally low. There's less trust in some key institutions than in Russia, one of the world's most distrustful societies.

I think the high correlations between economic well-being and trust levels have led researchers to oversimplify the problem and to suggest that the forces of mistrust can be thrown into reverse by lowering inequality. People are not Pavlov's dogs, and they don't just respond to economic stimuli. They also trust an institution because over time, it takes care to build a reputation for reliability. That's easy for a successful military to do -- but hard for a media establishment that follows the government line too closely or takes too much care to be politically correct or an intelligence community that reacts too obviously to political signals and makes grave mistakes, as U.S. intelligence did before the Iraq war. It's a matter of working consciously to build trust.

While in Eastern Europe, mistrust is universal and outcomes are relatively predictable, in the West the relative trustfulness of the elite has created the potential for jarring surprises. Trump and Brexiters won because they didn't roll their eyes at a distrustful mass audience -- they learned to think like that audience and see institutions through its eyes.

Three different outcomes are possible. One is a version of Putin, Orban or Kaczynski: Ignore the mistrust, use the institutions to push an agenda and keep people in check. Trump may harbor such plans, though American institutional checks and balances are designed to resist usurpers. Another is relative chaos, something the U.K. Brexiters seem to have created in a country whose institutions seemed too strong to allow it. Ukraine occupies a more extreme point on that continuum. No country has successfully walked the third, most difficult path yet and the one that is an imperative for the West -- that of rebuilding universal trustworthiness in its major institutions. As Fukuyama pointed out, it's far easier to destroy trust than to rebuild it.
Iran's ex-President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a dominant figure in the country's politics since the 1980s, has died at the age of 82, media say.

Ayatollah Rafsanjani was admitted to a hospital in northern Tehran on Sunday after having an acute heart attack.

Born on August 25, 1934, the influential Iranian politician and writer was the fourth president of the Islamic Republic, serving from 1989 to 1997.

Rafsanjani was the head of the Assembly of Experts from 2007 to 2011. The influential cleric was elected chairman of the Iranian parliament in 1980 and served until 1989. He assumed office as the Chairman of the Expediency Council in 1989.

Although Mr Rafsanjani was part of the religious establishment, he was regarded as a "pragmatic conservative" open to improving ties to the West.

His final role was head of the Expediency Council, which tries to resolve disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council, but his power had now waned.

It was the 12-member council, a dominant force in Iran that interprets the constitution, that had disqualified Mr Rafsanjani after he entered the race for the 2013 presidential election as a reformist candidate.

Mr Rafsanjani denounced the move as "ignorant", saying: "I don't think the country could have been run worse."

He then gave his support to the victorious candidate, Hassan Rouhani, who ran on the slogan "moderation and prudence" and attracted the suspicion of hardliners.

The two men were said to have had a warm relationship and Mr Rouhani was seen at Tehran's Shohada Hospital shortly before the death was announced. A crowd reportedly gathered at the hospital after the announcement.

After his defeat in 2005, Mr Rafsanjani became openly critical of President Ahmadinejad.

In 2009, he sided with reformers who disputed that year's elections, although the hardline Mr Ahmadinejad won a second term.

Mr Rafsanjani was among those calling for the release of political prisoners and greater political freedoms for parties prepared to work within the constitution.

The state-run Irinn network announced on Sunday that Mr Rafsanjani had "passed away after a lifetime of fighting and constant efforts in line with fulfilling the goals of Islam and the revolution".
Tomorrow, on Monday, the Lincoln City Council will vote on whether to approve of the proposed Costco at 14th and Pine Lake Rd.

Two council members are prohibited from voting due to conflicts of interest. In order for Costco to be approved, at least four of the remaining five remaining council members must vote in favor.

This location has been highly contested primarily due to one reason: student safety.

Im a father of five children, with ages ranging from 2 to 9. There is nothing in the world I care about more than their safety and well-being. The proposed Costco is practically in my back yard and my five children will be attending Scott Middle School and Southwest High. Yet, I see little impact for the new Costco on my childrens safety. Why?

In late November, the Lancaster County Planning Commission recommended the rezoning of the cornfield on Pine Lake Road from agricultural to commercial. City Council still needs to approve this, but the development of this plot of land into something commercial is inevitable.

The anti-Costco crowd argues that Costco is more dangerous than a cornfield. However, this argument is misguided. The relevant safety argument isnt whether Costco is more dangerous than a cornfield; its whether Costco is more dangerous than the alternative commercial use. If you want an idea of what an alternative commercial use might be, look no further than 50 feet to the South on Pine Lake Road. There, youll find a massive strip-mall filled with a hodge-podge of businesses with all sorts of operating hours. If Costco doesnt come to the cornfield, do we really think that a similar strip mall will increase student safety? I dont think so for a few reasons.

First, Costco has very reasonable operating hours when it comes to student safety (M-F: 10am-8:30pm; Sat: 9:30am-6pm; Sun: 10am-6pm). For example, during school days Costco opens well after school begins. Hence, the morning drop-off will be unaffected by Costco. The same would not be true if another strip mall were to pop up here. Next, consider the impact to student safety after school. An analysis of when Costco is busiest (simply Google Omaha Costco and enjoy the Google-provided analytics), shows that Costco operates at 1/3 capacity at 3pm on weekdays. Costco is busiest and operates near peak capacity on Saturdays and Sundays.

To summarize, the relevant safety argument is not Costco vs. cornfield, its Costco vs. alternative commercial use. Given that this land will eventually be developed, we want a business that is least busy immediately before/after school. Given Costcos operating hours, its hard to imagine a store that would be more ideal for student safety. Further, Ive been especially impressed that Costco incorporated feedback from neighbors and introduced a sidewalk to the North of the proposed property allowing students to completely bypass the traffic.

Below is a quick summary of why I think Costco is the best commercial use for this land.

Costco is a fantastic employer. A simple query of Glassdoor.com shows that 81% of Costco employees would recommend it to a friend. Thats substantially higher than other major retailers: Sams Club (54%), Walmart (56%), and Target (63%). Why are Costco employees so fanatical? One reason is that Costco pays higher than its competitors. For example, cashiers at Costco make $12.47/hr. This is higher than its competitors: Sams ($9.97), Walmart ($9.16), and Target (9.04). If youve ever walked into a Costco, youll notice a substantial difference in the demeanor of its employees relative to other retailers. For many, Costco is a career, not a job.

Costco is great for consumers. A simple Google query or yelp search of customer satisfaction clearly confirms (Costco has an average rating of 4.5/5 in Omaha compared to 3.7/5 for Sams). Another objective data point to consider is product prices. A query of GasBuddy.com reveals that the two Costco locations have the lowest gas prices out of the entire city of Omaha. I dont have equivalent objective data sources for groceries, clothing, kitchen gadgets, toys, etc., but my personal experience is that Costco provides the best value of any retailer Ive visited. This increased competition is precisely what consumers need.

Finally, Costco is a great neighbor. It has voluntarily held two meetings over the past months to solicit neighborhood feedback. I attended both of these meetings and was impressed how responsive Costco was to our concerns. They immediately implemented a sidewalk to the North of the property for increased safety. They also incorporated features in their parking lot to virtually eliminate through traffic through my neighborhood.

If you havent already done so, please take a few minutes today to contact the five City Council members who will be voting tomorrow. clamm@lincoln.ne.gov, jcamp@lincoln.ne.gov, ceskridge@lincoln.ne.gov, lgaylorbaird@lincoln.ne.gov, tfellers@lincoln.ne.gov.
Blow to tyre exports from a US determination By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

Sri Lankas tyre exports to the United States got a severe blow this week following the US Commerce Departments final affirmative determination against the island in the anti dumping duty investigation on market-distorting effects caused by injurious dumping and unfair subsidisation of imports.

The US Department took the decision on Wednesday January 4 after inquiring into indepth petitions filed by US tyre manufacturers including the Titan Tyre Corporation seeking redress from the dumping of certain new pneumatic off-the road tyres from India and Sri Lanka.

According to the fact sheet issued by US International Trade Administration, the US department found evidence to show that India and Sri Lanka subsidised the import (export to the US) of certain types of tyres.

Sri Lankas Commerce Department officials confirmed the US ruling but declined to make any comment.

Meanwhile several local tyre exporters are learnt to have urged the government including the Export Development Board, the Treasury and the Central Bank as well as the Sri Lankan Embassy in the US to intervene into this matter to remedy the situation.

In the Sri Lanka countervailing Duty investigation (CVD), the US Commerce Department calculated a final subsidy rate of 2.18 per cent for mandatory respondent Colombo-based Camso Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd and it has established a subsidy rate of 2.18 percent for all other producers/exporters in Sri Lanka.

US tyre manufacturers have alleged that imports of certain new pneumatic off-the-road tyres are sold at less than fair value in US and are subsidised by the governments of India and Sri Lanka.

This is for the first time that anti-dumping investigations from US have launched a probe into tyres coming from Sri Lanka, local exporters said adding that this determination will be a black mark for Sri Lankas achievement of the worlds number one producer of solid tyres

Anti-Dumping Duty is imposed by a counter as a trade barrier under the multilateral WTO regime and varies from product to product and from country to country. Usually countries initiate anti-dumping probes to check if domestic industry has been hurt because of a surge in below-cost imports, they pointed out

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is scheduled to make its preliminary determinations on February 17, 2017 and the order will be issued on February 24.
Committee named to probe BOC-Seylan deal By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s):

A 3-member committee to ascertain the circumstances in which the state-owned Bank of Ceylon (BOC) had sold its 7.5 per cent stake in Seylan Bank has been appointed by the Ministry of Public Enterprises Development.

Kabir Hashim, the minister in charge of this Ministry told the Business Times that he has appointed this committee to take necessary action as the Prime Minister has asked to carry out a comprehensive investigation. The transaction was cancelled on the directive of the PM on the grounds that strategic stakes held in banks are not for sale.

Priyantha Mayadunne, Additional Secretary of the Ministry, H. R. H. Swarnatilleke, CFO of the Ministry and an independent lawyer were appointed, the Minister said. I requested this committee for a report in 14 days.

Separately the ministry has asked the BOC board of directors to submit all reports regarding the decision taken by them to sell the Seylan stake.

The government has also initiated an investigation through the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Mr. Hashim said as this transaction was illegal. It has flouted the Ministry of Public Enterprises direction. Therefore its illegal. Thats why we informed the police. Meanwhile BOC board sources say they were unaware of any circular requiring the ministry permission to sell what they called was a non-strategic stake.
In-a-flurry Nimal Siripala flags off work on BIA runway By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s):

Airport and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva was firing shots at almost everyone (in sight) when delivering his speech at Fridays ceremony held to commence construction work on the resurfacing of the runway at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).

The minister said that the construction of the runway was an important work that would be of national service for future generations, as he flagged off the trucks awaiting to proceed to the site amidst chanting of pirith.

He noted that this work would ensure the BIA could provide increased facilities to the departing overseas workers from Sri Lanka who generate an annual income of around US$6 billion.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) at Mattala could serve as an emergency landing site for flights and even A380 aircraft and they would be able to put this Southern airport to good use in future. The BIA is closed during the day time (8.30 am to 4.30 pm) for runway repair work for three months ending April 6.

Minister De Silva noted that most people were unaware of the reasons for delays in the implementation of the construction of the second terminal building that is expected to commence work by April this year to cater to the eight million passengers calling at the BIA.

We have done everything but I have to argue with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), he said insisting that the delay was in the implementation of the project despite the loan having been obtained as well. In fact he went on to state that this was mainly due to the conditions placed by Japan according to the regulations that they have to follow.

He noted that the Treasury was looking to them for earnings and asserted that a fair share is being spent on employee salaries and to pay off the loans for Mattala airport as well.

Minister De Silva pointed out that most unions were quick to launch a protest prior to receiving their bonus payment and later claimed they (unions) were responsible for gaining increased bonuses for the workers.

However, the minister, shouting into the microphone, said that it was he who had fought with the Treasury to ensure that the workers are paid more than the planned

Rs. 13,500 bonus pay.

The agitated minister went on to state that he had not voted for the President at the last election but had joined the government since it was a national government and believed that those who had not previously supported the current head of state were the ones actually working hard.

In fact, he pointedly told his deputy minister that even he was able to work with him and that the deputy had no issues either on this front.

He called on the airport staff and other relevant and related agencies to carry out monitoring of the work at the airport to ensure the standards were maintained and that responsible persons should be present to assist when required.

Obstacles hamper 2.5 mln arrivals in 2017 Sri Lanka is unlikely to achieve its target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals in 2017 due to two key obstacles. Tourism Minister John Amaratunga told the Business Times on Thursday that the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) part closure and SriLankan Airlines pulling out of key destinations in Europe were obstacles as a result of which Im not sure whether we will be able to achieve the 2.5 million tourist arrival target. He noted that people were interested in visiting the country and hoped that the obstacles would not pose a problem. But if things were normal it would not be impossible, in achieving this target, the minister explained. The government set a target of 2.2 million visitor arrivals for 2016 which that fell short by about 200,000. Commenting on this he said, we always aim high and added that this was the highest figure Sri Lanka has achieved so far. Minister Amaratunga said that the government was embarking on a destination promotional campaign but due to the strict state procedures they were unable to get it off the ground. However, he explained that there would be a digital, airline, foreign and a list of promotional work that has been identified. The minister also noted that in view of the concerns expressed by the private sector regarding their participation on the boards of the respective tourism institutions, these nominees would not be held responsible in future for the implementation of the decisions made. On the other hand, government officials would be tasked with the responsibility to ensure that the decisions made by the boards would be implemented accordingly. Meanwhile, the government is preparing to issue a gazette notification stating that no private company could employ a tour guide without a valid license. This is being done to curb the growing trend of Chinese tour guides operating in Sri Lanka without being registered.
Major crisis in Sri Lankan plantations due to ban on weedicides View(s):

The Planters Association of Ceylon (PA), faced with devastating crop losses in excess of Rs. 15 billion in 2016, is urging the Government to immediately provide a rational and effective solution to the management of chemical weeding in the estate sector in a commercially viable manner.

Since the Government imposed its blanket ban of glyphosate-based weedicides in May 2015, agricultural productivity  particularly in the estate sector  has been slowly collapsing.

Commenting on the unprecedented dangers facing his industry, PA Media Convener, Roshan Rajadurai warned  in a media statement  that if an alternative chemical weedicide capable of matching up to the commercially viability of glyphosate was not presented by the Government on an urgent basis, the quality and productivity of Sri Lankan tea would be irreversibly compromised as a result of deteriorating ground conditions.

Unfortunately, the situation is becoming extremely dire for the estate sector. We have already been faced with some of the worst weather conditions in recent memory  from droughts to deluge within a single year  and of course there are many other serious systemic challenges to grapple with.

While we are doing our best to engage with stakeholders and work to build a new collective vision for the industry, we can no longer ignore the extremely detrimental impacts that the ban is having on our industry. Time and again we have called on the Government to at least give us an alternative to glyphosate and unfortunately there has been no response whatsoever. In the meantime, more estates are becoming overrun with weeds and this will only continue unless the Government responds to reason immediately, Mr. Rajadurai stated.

He added that while the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) had long ago adopted comprehensively integrated weed management systems and techniques  comprising of biological, cultural, manual and chemical weeding techniques  on par if not better than international agricultural and plantation best practices, chemical-based weedicides have remained a necessity throughout.

However, given the extremely stringent controls placed on Sri Lankan tea, which must strict maintain compliance with FSC, Rainforest Alliance, and ETP standards on labour practices agricultural techniques, fertilisers and chemical usage, Mr. Rajadurai firmly reiterated the point that the estate sector exercises extreme caution in the application of such chemicals during all phases of production.

He explained how the immediate effects of the Governments policy to ban glyphosate-based weedicides and its failure to provide any alternative, was ultimately being felt by the estate workers whom such policies were supposedly created to benefit.

The overgrowth of weeds in the estates only makes it more difficult for our employees to simply traverse one section of the plantation to another, let alone harvest and maintain the tea bushes. Increased undergrowth also created an environment with more snakes and other predators. At every level the glyphosate ban is ban totally counter-productive and we once again call on all policy makers to let sense prevail and a clear, rational alternative be provided immediately,

he stated.
Without having to secure a criminal conviction, or even charge someone with a crime, law enforcement agencies have seized cash, cars, even bank accounts, from tens of thousands of innocent Americans.

Empowered by civil forfeiture, the federal government can confiscate someones property if they merely suspect its linked to criminal activity. Yet despite popular outrage, the Obama administration refused to meaningfully curb the program.

Now Sen. Ben Sasse, as a new member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, can play an important role to end this abusive practice.

On January 10, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin its hearings to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions as the next Attorney General. This hearing is an important opportunity to learn more about Sen. Sessions views on civil forfeiture and the need for reform.

For starters, it is vital to know if Sessions will continue widely lauded limitations on a federal forfeiture program called equitable sharing. Under this program, state and local law enforcement agencies can team up with federal authorities to forfeit property in exchange for up to 80% of the proceeds. As The Washington Post revealed in a blockbuster expose on the program, law enforcement agencies seized $2.5 billion in cash from nearly 62,000 people. Incredibly, all of those cash seizures were conducted without search warrants or indictments.

Partly in response to the Posts reporting and a growing public outcry, in January 2015, then Attorney General Eric Holder sharply curtailed adoptions, one of the most abusive types of equitable sharing. Although this policy change did not apply to joint task forces (which were responsible for more than 80% of the nations forfeiture proceeds received from the Department of Justice), it was an important first step to rein in equitable sharing. The new administration should expand on these reforms.

Most Justice Department forfeitures are done civilly (87%), with no right to an attorney. Of those, 88% were administrative, or done without any court supervision. In order to strengthen procedural protections the DUE PROCESS Act would have provided property owners with a right to an attorney in administrative forfeitures, raised the standard of proof to forfeit property and required an annual audit to bolster transparency and accountability. The bill would also have required the government to prove that owners knew of alleged criminal conduct with their property, which would have restored the presumption of innocence. Despite an overwhelming bipartisan consensus around civil-forfeiture reform, the DUE PROCESS Act did not receive a vote in 2016.

In the coming session, we urge Sen. Sasse to codify the modest Holder reforms and work with Attorney General-designate Sessions to craft comprehensive legislation that would protect the property rights of the innocent, without jeopardizing public safety.

Unlike so many other political issues, opposition to civil forfeiture cuts across party lines. In a historic first, the national Republican and Democratic Party platforms both called for reform. One recent poll by YouGov and the Cato Institute found that 84% of Americans oppose confiscating property without a criminal conviction.

Many of Sen. Sasses colleagues in the Republican Party have been instrumental in overhauling the practice. Conservative heavy-hitters like Grover Norquist, the Heritage Foundation, Right on Crime and FreedomWorks have worked with the Institute for Justice to pass major reforms in Florida, Maryland, Montana and New Mexicoall states that either voted for Donald Trump or are led by Republican governors.

In fact, Nebraska has been a national leader on this issue. Last year, the state passed landmark legislation that abolished civil forfeiture entirely and strictly limited equitable sharing.

Even high-ranking law enforcement officials have turned against the practice. Most notably, Brad Cates and John Yoder, who both headed the Justice Departments Asset Forfeiture Office during the Reagan Administration, slammed civil forfeiture: The program began with good intentions but now, having failed in both purpose and execution, it should be abolished.

Civil forfeiture is one of the greatest threats to private property facing the nation today. Effective reform can both protect property rights and free law enforcement to focus on its core mission, rather than generating revenue for cash-strapped agencies. We hope that Sen. Sasse and the next Attorney General will be committed to developing lasting solutions to this problem.
Micro scale Urubokke businessmen receive loans under Citi  CCC project View(s):

Under the Citi  CCC Rural Economic Empowerment Programme, Hatton National Bank provided loan facilities to a group of micro scale businessmen in the Urubokke area of the Matara district to commence new businesses as well as for expansion of existing businesses.

A total of 37 entrepreneurs, who were earlier trained by the Citi  CCC Rural Economic Empowerment Programme on identifying commercially viable business and preparation of business plans for commencing new businesses or expansion of existing businesses as well as on ways and means of sourcing finances from the formal financial sector, were awarded loans by HNB Urubokke branch, which is set up as a Gemi Pubuduwa branch to cater to the micro scale entrepreneurs, according to a CCC media release.

Among them were 17 female entrepreneurs, who are engaged in micro scale food processing, running tea and spice nurseries and grocery shops in their locality. Male entrepreneurs are mainly engaged in tea and cinnamon cultivation and collection of tea leaves and cinnamon quills.

Urubokke is the nearest town for the remote villages on the southern Sri Lanka namely Beralapanathara, Morawaka, Waralla, Bengamuwa, Gomawila coming under Pasgoda DS Division of the Matara District. Majority of the villagers are engaged in smallholder tea cultivation and cinnamon cultivation.

Further, many of them are engaged in businesses such as micro scale food processing, running tea and spice nurseries, grocery shops, and collection of tea leaves and cinnamon quill.

Chandra D. Vithanage, CCCs Senior Assistant Secretary General, in his opening remarks, highlighted that providing micro finance is nothing new as there are over 25 commercial banks and many microfinance institutes offering loans. However, this Citi-CCC Rural Economic Empowerment Programme offers much more than micro finance by focusing on providing an integrated package of services including providing capacity development, technical know-how, business development services and exposure to best practices business management in order to make their chosen business commercially viable, which will help them to access financial services from the formal system.

Jude Fernando, Assistant General Manager  SME and Development Finance of HNB, noted that the HNB has been supporting the rural entrepreneurs through Gemi Pubuduwa programme for nearly two decades and is privileged to partner with Citi- CCC Rural Economic Empowerment programme, which was funded by Citibank and implemented by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Ravin Basnayake, Citi Country Officer, Citibank Sri Lanka stated that the CSR programmes of Citibank globally is aimed at nurturing rural micro scale businesses so that they could grow and contribute to the national economy of the respective countries. In line with Citi Banks global programmes, it was decided to implement this programme for economic empowerment of rural entrepreneurs, who have no adequate access to finance and technology, in a few remote villages of Sri Lanka.
Pannipitiya Private Hospital gets OHSAS 18001:2007 Quality Certification View(s):

Pannipitiya Private Hospital, said to be one of Sri Lankas top rated hospitals, has received the international OHSAS 18001:2007 Quality Certification.

This certification was presented to hospital Chairman and Managing Director Dr. (Engineer) Ananda Kuruppuarachchi by President Maithripala Sirisena at the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Pannipitiya Private Hospital held at Hotel Grand Monarch, Thalawathugoda, Pannipitiya recently.

Germany-based RoyalCert International Registrars, an Independent Assessment and Certification Body, presented the OHSAS 18001:2007 Quality Certification to the hospital. Special emphasis had been placed in the measures taken by the hospital to strengthen the security of its patients and staff members in presenting the OHSAS 18001:2007 Quality Certification to Pannipitiya Private Hospital.

The highest standards that exist at the Pannipitiya Private Hospital have once again being proved in no uncertain terms with this international quality certification. This renowned quality certification would be a huge strength to the hospital which for almost two decades has won the trust of the people, to forge ahead in a successful journey in the future, said Dr. Kuruppuarachchi.

Pannipitiya Private Hospital is the first hospital in Sri Lanka to get all its functions accredited with ISO 9001-2008 Standards, and for its high quality services has also obtained several local as well as foreign standard certifications under its name previously.
SLs new development paradigm: Factory jobs vs desk jobs in 2020 By Manosh Kulasena View(s): View(s):

According to the economic development plans declared by the government, it is clear that industrialisation has been identified as a catalyst to propel Sri Lankas economic development.

Industrialisation would be an appropriate development strategy for Sri Lanka due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean and high investment in public infrastructure. It would attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and new technology to the country while increasing government tax revenue, export earnings, etc

Moreover, one of the imperative benefits of industrialisation would be the creation of new employment opportunities. Specifically more job openings for blue collar jobs such as plant and machine operators, technicians, assembly and packing line labourers and other labour related jobs. The government intends to achieve its ambitious plan of creating one million jobs primarily by developing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in different parts of the country. In order to execute industrialisation plans, the government is currently assessing an economic partnership with India and bilateral trade agreements with China and Singapore. A similar approach was taken by the Premadasa government in encouraging the establishment of small scale garment factories in rural areas. This was an effective solution to curtail unemployment which prevailed during that era.

Due to changes in aspirations of the Sri Lankan labour force, could the government generate jobs for local youth via industrialisation? The purpose of this article is to question the suitability of industrialisation as a strategy to create employment opportunities for the current Sri Lankan labour force. Even though this is a premature question, it is important to assess the impact and likelihood of possible outcomes to take preventive actions.

If the government is able to attract FDI and set up SEZs, it will certainly create new job opportunities, particularly unskilled and skilled blue-collar jobs. But it begs the question as to whether the present youth labour force is willing to undertake in large numbers blue-collar jobs in factories.

Facets of the Sri Lankan labour

market

The unemployment rate is one of the key macroeconomic factors to measure economic performance in any country. Sri Lanka is experiencing a downward trend in unemployment rate over the years and currently remains at 4.6 per cent as per Sri Lankan labour force statistics (Q216 bulletin). Liberalization of trade policies, commencement of industrial zones, and provision of free education up to state universities, gradual increase in female workforce and surge in foreign employment opportunities for both blue- and white-collar jobs could be identified as some of the significant contributors to reduce unemployment rate over the decades.

However, the unemployment rate among youth is still at a higher level despite the decline in the overall unemployment rate. This is a chronic social issue prevailing in the country, which needs to be managed by the government in participation with the private sector.

Shift from blue-collar to white-collar

One would define white-collar jobs as highly professional careers whereas another would refer it to any clerical and administrative functions. In this article, the writer uses the term white-collar jobs to describe any job other than blue-collar jobs at factories.

Local labour participation has been shifting from the agriculture sector to industrial and service sector over several years. The service sector provides the majority of employment opportunities and growing at a steady rate. Looking at the Sri Lankan labour force, it is evident that current job seekers are in pursuit of white (desk jobs) and pink-collar (work associated with women) jobs over blue collar jobs. Further analysis of unemployment by education level portrays that unemployment is highest among who possess education qualification A/L and above. This could be one of the reasons to generate a higher supply for white-collar jobs.

The above mentioned trend is not an unexpected outcome. This trend is a result of several socio economic factors prevailing over a period of time. Higher earning potential, other benefits, job security, career growth, healthy and safe working environment and social recognition are some of the popular merits of white- collar jobs compared to blue-collar jobs. In todays rapid digitalisation era, Millennials and Generation Z would prefer to sit in front of a computer in an office environment, instead of working in a steaming, noisy factory.

There is an excess supply for white-collar positions such as clerks and clerical support services, shop assistants, administration/sales assistants, customer service, etc. Even though, Sri Lankan job seekers aspire to move in to the service sector, there is an unfulfilled demand in the service sector due to lack of essential skills such as English and IT. The current education system has been battling to improve soft skills of students which are vital to fulfill future employment opportunities, which is another key topic to be discussed but beyond the scope of this article.

When the government formulates strategies to combat youth unemployment by setting up SEZs, it might not be able to deliver expected results due to above trends in local labour markets.

Shortage of local skilled labour

At present the Sri Lankan industrial sector is struggling to source skilled labour predominantly due to the migration of skilled workers overseas for higher wages and growth prospects. Firstly, after obtaining the required vocational qualification/certification from Sri Lanka, blue-collar workers migrate overseas for greener pastures similar to white-collar migrants. Foreign workers remittances play a pivotal role as the largest foreign exchange earner in the country. Secondly, as explained, the gradual shift towards office jobs would create a labour shortage. On the labour demand side, employers are also unable to provide higher wages to attract blue-collar workers due to cost pressures.

At present, the foreign employment sector mainly consists of unskilled workers and housemaids but there is plenty of demand for skilled labour which is yet to be capitalized by Sri Lanka. The Government has recognized this opportunity and certain programmes have been already initiated to enhance skilled labour migration. Nevertheless, higher migration of labour will create further pressure on the availability local labour.

The shortage of skilled labour will be further aggravated when the proposed factories are built in Sri Lanka. There will be a higher demand for blue-collar jobs in newly built factories. This vacuum in the local blue-collar job market will open windows to low cost immigrant labour from countries such as India and China. This aspect is visible when observing some of the ongoing construction projects in Sri Lanka. Similarly in future, such immigrant workers will be employed by foreign investors to operate their plants flawlessly at a lower cost. Evidently, they would require government clearance to deploy foreign workers in Sri Lanka. At some point due to the shortage of local workers, the government might not be able to decline such a request at the outset to facilitate smoother operations of SEZs.

In the midst of these possible scenarios, local youth unemployment rate will remain an unaddressed issue due to the mismatch between industrialized job demand and local labour market supply.

Conclusion

The governments economic development plans for industrialization has over-shadowed the growth prospects in the service sector. Being the largest contributor to the national GDP, there is further potential to make the service sector more vibrant and export oriented. Policy makers should attempt to link the dots between higher youth unemployment with the potential growth of the service sector. A well-crafted, export-oriented service sector will be one of the key tools to resolve youth unemployment and fuel export sector growth.

Sri Lanka cannot be a factory for the world like China or India due to limitations in its inherent structures. But Sri Lanka could position itself as a reliable service partner by leveraging on strategic service sectors such as tourism, information and communication technology, business process outsourcing, financial services, health care services, construction services, higher education services, etc. However, we rarely notice that policy makers formulate and implement nationwide strategic plans to create job opportunities in the service segment in partnership with local and foreign private sector.

(The writer is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK) and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and holds B.Sc. Accounting (special) degree awarded by University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He can be reached via manoshstar@gmail.com)
Contemptuously rejecting the path cut by venal politicians View(s):

From the reports of the Disappearances Commission in the 1990s to the findings of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (2011) to the most recent report of the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation (2017), it has been a long and undeniably hopeless ride for Sri Lankas victims.

Throughout that process, which has also been littered by many other commission reports of greater or lesser importance, the overriding message was simple; heed the call of Sri Lankas people from all four corners of the country asking for justice and for recognition of the atrocities that they have suffered as human beings.

Instruments for political purposes

But the single greatest national tragedy is that without exception, all these efforts (regardless of the genuineness or otherwise of the individuals contributing therein) have been cynically premised from the very start itself to serve as instruments for political purposes, to be discarded when these purposes have been served.

More than twenty years ago, Chandrika Kumaratungas Disappearances Commissions were perhaps the most hopeful initiatives, ushered in with goodwill in the dawn of a new era of equity, equality and constitutional governance that was promised. Alas, the crippling lack of an enlightened political leadership soon put paid to that dream. Adding insult to injury, the Commissions themselves were sought to be used as political instruments to settle scores with enemies of the previous regime.

In the final result, their reports prepared under Presidential Warrant were not even published in full. Parts of the findings even today remain blocked to public scrutiny, unsurprisingly so since they name perpetrators in uniform and in positions of political power, some of whom are very much still in public life.

The downward spiral of the judiciary

The Kumaratunga Presidency was marked not only by the grievous failure of the Disappearances Commissions but also by the crippling politicization of Sri Lankas Supreme Court which commended its downward spiral during that time, even as the countrys senior public intellectuals in law remained complicit and silent.

Let no one mistake the matter; it is precisely as a result of that degeneration that Sri Lankas legal systems attracted scrutiny, leading the country to ultimately confront the current call for international justice. It was a shameful indictment on a justice institution which counts among the oldest in South Asia and once ranked distinguished jurists among its members.

The next singular marker on this list, the LLRC, was conceived by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to get the pesky international community calling for accountability in respect of atrocities committed in the Wanni during the closing days of the ethnic conflict, off his back. Many of the LLRCs excellent recommendations were disregarded in the same cavalier manner as its predecessors.

Time for pleasantries over

And brought into being on a similar rationale as the LLRC, (in other words, to divert international pressure plainly and simply), the Unity Governments Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation which came out with its report this week, is now being contemptuously attacked by prominent Ministers. It seems, and unequivocally so, that hypocritical pleasantries and the time for sheathing the sword is now over.

Certainly the coyness on the part of both President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to publicly endorse the effort, even if not agree with all the recommendations therein should not be seen as accidental. Clearly this was an initiative that was useful while it lasted to divert the attention of international actors. Now with the near advent of an isolationist and exceptionally maverick US President to the White House, that pressure is not expected to impact in quite the same way.

And confronted by ultra-nationalist forces under the Rajapaksa banner in the South, it does not need a remarkable cerebral effort to predict what will happen next. Barring the proverbial miracle, Sri Lankas political leadership, commonly referred to disingenuously as a Unity Government, though increasingly lacking the core elements of actual unity, will take the easy way out to indulge in the outrageous minimum of a few selected trials (if at all), while leaving graver system failures of justice unresolved.

No reason to expect outrage

There is little to prevent such an eventuality. By itself, there is faltering public ownership of the outcomes. Only the naive would expect a storm of public outrage by an indifferent South which has, apart from selective consultations with selected actors, been largely ignored in both the transitional justice discussions and the constitutional reforms.

On its own part, the North has been rendered sullen if not resentful at the preferential and selective handling of transitional justice priorities. In any event, a stuttering Office of Missing Persons and a Victims and Witnesses Protection Authority which includes members accused with good reason of terrorizing witnesses during the Rajapaksa years are scarce factors for compelling confidence.

And to cap it all, the Government still has not reneged on its astonishing proposal of a draconian counter-terror law that will catch up citizens in its iron grip. So it may be fairly said that the year has begun un-propitiously for those yearning for change.

Need for a commonsensical counter-balance

But labeling every discussion with an ethnic tag, as some hardliners in the North (and their diaspora supporters) prefer to, only aggravates the matter. The ethnic dimension in hard cases has been borne out in several studies co-authored by this columnist, including the more frequently cited The Judicial Mind in Sri Lanka (2014) as well as Habeas Corpus in Sri Lanka; Theory and Practice of the Great Writ in Extraordinary Times (2010). That does not need to be particularly reiterated.

Yet confining the countrys post-war crisis of justice to an ethnic dimension alone is unforgivably blinkered. The New Year must surely see deep reflections on the need for justice by Sri Lankas grass roots communities. These must provide a commonsensical counter-balance to tired rhetoric in conference halls and funded donor projects as well as confound utopian dreams of nationalistic hardliners.

For most of the past two years, the transitional justice industry which flourishes in Colombo, in conjunction with a constitutional reform process which is looking as much a pipe dream as everything else, has successfully diverted attention away from pressing systemic reforms. That has to change. Without that collective intervention, we will only tread the same hopeless path, viciously cut by venal politicians over and over again.
Proposed CJC Act: Those found guilty to be stripped of their civic rights for up to seven years

Establishment of Criminal Justice Commissions

(1) Whenever the President is of opinion 

(a) that, within a specified period, there have been committed, before or after the date of commencement of this Act, -

(i) offence and/or actionable wrongs in relation to the awarding or receiving of government or public tenders, contracts of whatsoever nature including infrastructure projects of a public nature or of national importance

(ii) offences and/or actionable wrongs in relation to currency of foreign exchange of such a scale and nature as to endanger the national economy or interest, or

(iii) offences and/or actionable wrongs in relation to the administration of the Central Bank, public body, local body, local authority or any incorporated company in which the Government of Sri Lanka own or controls 30% or more of the issued share capital (iv) offences and/or actionable wrongs in relation to corruption or any fraudulent act, misuse or abuse of power in relation to the Central Bank, public body, Provincial Council, local authority or any incorporated company in which the Government of Sri Lanka own or controls 30% or more of the issued share capital

(b) that the practice and procedure of the ordinary courts are inadequate to administer justice for the purpose of securing the trial and punishment of the persons who committed such offences and/or actionable wrongs and for the recovery of the proceeds thereof, the President may, by warrant under the Public Seal of the Republic of Sri Lanka, establish a Criminal Justice Commission (hereinafter referred to as Commission) consisting of such members, each of whom shall be a judge of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeal, or retired judge of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeal or an Attorney at Law with not less than 30 years practice since admission to the Bar as shall be specified in the warrant. A warrant issued under subsection (i) may relate to any period whatsoever including any period before the date of commencement of this Act.

Every warrant issued under this Law shall 

(a) set out the name of the member or each of the members of the Commission;

(b) where a Commission consists of more than one member, specify the member who is to be the Chairman of the Commission,

(c) contain the terms of reference of the Commission;

(d) require the rendering of such reports, including interim reports, as to the Commission may appear fit. A Commission established under this Act shall be deemed to be a superior court of record.

Subject to the other provisions of the Act, the terms of reference of a Commission shall be 

To inquire and determine whether any person or persons and if so what persons were or were not guilty of such offences and/or actionable wrong; and

to deal with the person so found guilty or not guilty in the manner prescribed by this Act. Where a warrant establishing a Commission is issued by the President under the preceding provisions of this section in consequence of his opinion, under such provisions, expressed in the warrant, such opinion and such warrant shall be final and conclusive and shall not be called in to question in any court or tribunal, whether by way of action, application in revision, appeal, writ or otherwise.

Appointment of members of a Commission Where any member of a Commission dies, or resigns, or desires to be discharged from the performance of his duties in respect of the whole or part of an inquiry, or refuses or becomes unable to act, the President may appoint a new member in his place for the whole or any part of such inquiry.

At any inquiry before a Commission, the determination of any question before the Commission shall be according to the opinion of the majority of the members of the Commission.

An inquiry by a Commission under this Act shall be commenced and held, with due regard to the interests of justice, as expeditiously as possible, and accordingly the Commission- (a) may, where any pleader appearing for any person desires to address the Commission upon any question or matter, limit the duration of the address, and in such event require the address to be submitted in writing;

(b) may commence, or continue with, the inquiry notwithstanding that the pleader appearing for any person is absent or desires to withdraw from the case, or such person desires time to make a change of pleaders;

(c) may commence, or continue with, the inquiry in the absence of any person-

(i) if the Commission is satisfied that such person is evading arrest, or absconding, or feigning illness; or

(ii) with his consent; and

(d) shall take all such other steps as it may consider necessary for the purpose of enabling the inquiry to be expeditiously held. Powers of a Commission

A Commission shall have the following powers:-

(a) To procure and receive all such evidence and to examine all such persons as witnesses, as the Commission may think it necessary or desirable to procure or examine;

(b) To require the evidence of any witness to be given on oath or affirmation, such oath or affirmation to be that which could be required of the witness if he were giving evidence in  a court of law, and to administer or cause to be administered by an officer authorised in that behalf of the Commission an oath or affirmation to every such witness;

(c) to summon any person residing in Sri Lanka to attend any sitting of the Commission to give evidence or produce any document or other thing in his possession and to examine him as a witness or require him to produce any document or other thing in his possession; (d) notwithstanding any of the provisions of the Evidence Ordinance or of any other written law, to admit any evidence which might be inadmissible in civil or criminal proceedings;

(e) to regulate the admission of the public to the inquiry before the Commission;

(f) to regulate the admission of the Press to such inquiry;

(g) to exclude the public from the inquiry or any part thereof;

(h) to exclude the Press from the inquiry or any part thereof; (i) to require by written order the manager of any bank in Sri Lanka to produce, as specified in the order, any book or document or the bank containing entries relating to the account of any such person specified in the order as the Commission considers necessary, or to furnish, as so specified, certified copies of such entries; (j) to prohibit by written order the manager of any bank in Ceylon from permitting or allowing the withdrawal of any funds standing to the credit of any account in that bank of any such person specified in the order as the Commission considers necessary, except any such reasonable withdrawal of such funds as may, from time to time, be approved in writing by the Commissions; (k) to require by written order the Commissioner of Inland Revenue or the Controller of Exchange to furnish, as specified in the order, all information available to any such officer relating to the affairs of any such person specified in the order as the Commission considers necessary, and to produce or furnish, as to specified any document or a certified copy of any document relating to such person which is in the possession or under the control of any such officer;

(l) to require by written order the Controller of Immigration and Emigration to impound the passport and other travel documents of any such person as shall be specified in the order, being a person whose evidence may be necessary at any inquiry before the Commission, until such time as such order is revoked by the Commission by a subsequent written order, if any, issued to such Controller; (m) to require by written order any such police officer as shall be specified in the order, whether by name or by office, to take all such steps as may be necessary to prevent the departure from Sri Lanka of any such person as shall be so specified, being a person whose evidence may be necessary at any inquiry before the Commission, until such time as such order is revoked by the Commission by a subsequent written order, if any, issued to such officer;

(n) to require by written order the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka or officer (within the meaning of the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act No. 25 of 1991) or operator of any other licensed entity under the said Act as shall be specified in the order, whether by name or by office, to produce, as so specified, any record from a telecommunication system containing entries relating to any message (within the meaning of that Act), including any telex message, text message, electronic record or other communication which is in the possession or under the control of any such authority or officer as the Commission considers necessary, or to furnish, as so specified, certified copies of such records. (o) To require by written order to any authority or a person working there under to produce any recording of sound, pictures, visuals or anything of such nature or any contemporaneous recording reproduction thereof, which is in the possession or under the control of any such authority of officer as the Commission considers necessary, or to furnish, as so specified, certified copies of such records.

(p) To recommend that any person whose conduct, is the subject of inquiry under this law or who is in any way implicated or concerned in the matter under inquiry, be awarded such sum of money as, in the opinion of the commission, may have been reasonably incurred by such person as costs and expenses in connection with the inquiry. In this paragraph, costs and expenses includes the costs or representation by an attorney at-law, and travelling and other expenses incidental to the inquiry or consequential upon that attendance of such person at the inquiry. (q) The Commission shall have power to call for representations from the public relating to matters within the scope of its terms of reference, whether expressly specified therein or not, and to inquire into and report upon any such representations. Procedure and practice before a Commission

(1) The proceedings at any inquiry before a Commission shall be free from the formalities and technicalities of the rules of procedure and evidence ordinarily or normally applicable to a court of law and may be conducted by the Commission in any manner not inconsistent with the principles of natural justice, which to the Commission may seem best adapted to elicit proof concerning the matters that are being investigated. Tender of pardon

The Attorney-General may, at any time before or after the commencement of any inquiry before a Commission but before the conclusion of such inquiry, with a view to obtaining at such inquiry the evidence of any person, tender a pardon to such person, on the condition of his making a full and true disclosure of the whole of the circumstances within his knowledge relating to any offences which are the subject of such inquiry: Provided, however, that if the person who has accepted such tender has not complied with the condition on which the tender was made, a finding concerning such person for the offence in respect of which the pardon was so tendered may be made by the Commission at such inquiry.

Power of Commission to deal with persons found guilty or not guilty of offences and/or actionable wrongs Where, at the conclusion of any inquiry before a Commission under this Act, the Commission is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that an offence has been committed and/or on a balance of probability that such person has committed an actionable wrong, having regard to the proceedings and upon consideration of the matters before it at such inquiry, that any person has committed any offence and/or actionable wrong which has been the subject of such inquiry, the Commission shall make a finding that he is guilty of such offence and/or actionable wrong and shall sentence him to any punishment, other than death or impose liability, to which he might have been sentenced if he had been tried and convicted by the Supreme Court.

Where the Commission finds a person guilty of any offence and/or actionable wrong, and the value of the proceeds of such offence and/or actionable crime can be assessed, the Commission shall, in addition to the imposing on that person any other punishment, order him to pay as a penalty, within such time as may be specified in the order, a sum which is equal to the amount of such assessment or is, in the opinion of the Commission, the value of that proceeds.

Where Commission finds any person guilty of an offence and/or actionable wrong under, it shall, in addition to any other penalty that it imposed under this Act, impose a fine of not less than the amount which the Commission has found to have been acquired by committing the offence and/or actionable wrong or by the proceeds of the same or converted to property by such offence and/or actionable wrong, or by the proceeds of such offence and/or actionable wrong, and not more than three times such amount.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any other provision of this Act, where the Commission finds a person guilty of an offence and/or actionable wrong, the Commission may in lieu of imposing a penalty or fine under preceding Section, make order that any moveable or immovable property found to have been acquired by the commission of an offence and/or actionable wrong or proceeds thereof, be forfeited to the State free from all encumbrances: Provided however that, in determining whether an order of forfeiture should be made, the Commission shall be entitled to take into consideration whether such an order is likely to prejudice the rights of a bona fide purchaser for value of any person who has acquired, for value a bona fide interest in such property. Imposition of civic disabilities

(1) Where a commission finds at the inquiry and reports to the President that any person has been guilty of any act of political victimization, misuse or abuse of power, corrupt or any fraudulent act, in relation to any court or tribunal or any public body or in relation to the administration of any law or the administration of justice, the commission shall recommend whether such person should be made subject to civic disability, and the President shall cause such findings to be published in the Gazette as soon as possible, and direct that such report be published. (2) Parliament may upon a Resolution duly passed by not less than two thirds of the whole number of members (including those not present) voting in its favour-

(a) Impose civil liability on such person for a period not exceeding seven years, and

(b) Expel such person from Parliament, if he is a member of Parliament

(3) Any report, finding, order, determination, ruling or recommendation made by a commission under this law, shall be final and conclusive and shall not be called in to question in any court or tribunal by way of writ or otherwise.

(4) For the purpose of this section civil disability, shall mean the disqualification of a person-

(i) from being an elector and from voting at any election of the President of the Republic, or to any election of a member of the National State Assembly (sic) or any local authority;

(ii) from being nominated as a candidate at any-such election;

(iii) from being elected or appointed as the President of the Republic or from being elected as a member of the National State Assembly (sic) or of any local authority, and from sitting and voting as such member and

Note: The clauses relating to the National State Assembly has been lifted from the Criminal Justice Commission Act of 1983 which now stands repealed.

(iv) from holding office, and from being employed as a public officer. Special provisions applicable to sentences

imposed by the Commission

Every sentence imposed by a commission under the provisions of this Act upon any person shall be deemed to be a sentence imposed by the High Court after trial under the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, and accordingly the provisions of chapter XXIV and chapter XXVI of that Code shall, mutatis mutandis, apply in respect of such sentence.

Application of chapter XVII of Criminal Procedure Code

The Minister of Justice may, by Order published in the Gazette, declare that such of the provisions of Chapter XVII of the Criminal Procedure Code as are specified in the Order shall, mutatis mutandis, apply for the purpose of enabling a Commission to charge persons for offences punishable by the Commission in like manner and to the same extent as they apply in the case of charges under that Code.

Findings and sentences under this

Act to be final and conclusive Any finding made, or sentence imposed by a Commission under this Act shall be final and conclusive, and shall not be called in to question in any court or tribunal, whether by way of action, application in revision, appeal, writ or otherwise.

No court shall, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, have power or jurisdiction to make any order at any state whatsoever and in any manner-

(1) Staying; suspending or prohibiting the holding of any proceeding before or by any commission established by warrant issued by the President in the exercise or purported exercise of the powers vested in the President under section 2 (1) or the making; of any order, finding, report, determination, ruling or recommendation by any such commission;

(ii) Setting aside or varying any order, finding, report, determination, ruling or recommendation of any such commission:

No court shall grant an order staying the proceedings of any commission on the ground that any matter which is the subject of inquiry before the commission is the same matter or substantially the same matter which, whether directly or indirectly, arises or is likely to arise for consideration or determination in any proceedings before any court. Effect of this Act notwithstanding inconsistencies

27. The Provisions of this Act and any warrant issued under the provisions of this Act shall be so interpreted and given full force and effect in order that the Commission shall have full authority and power and jurisdiction to inquire into the conduct of any President, Minister or other public officer including 

(a) the misuse or abuse of power, interference, fraud, corruption or nepotism,

(b) any political victimization of any person,

(c) any irregularity-

(i) in the awarding or receipt of any Government tender or contract

(ii) in the making of any appointment or transfer of any person,

(iii) in granting of any promotion to any person,

(iv) in the termination of the service of any person.
The Unity Governments two years of disappointing economic performance View(s):

M uch was expected of the Unity Governments two year regime but too little achieved. There have been improvements in governance but economic policies have been uncertain, confusing and ineffective.

Economic Performance

The economic performance in the last two years has been disappointing. Compared with an annual average economic growth of 6.4 percent in 2010-15, the last two years annual average economic growth is likely to be about 4.5 percent. Economic growth slipped to 4.7 percent in 2015 and is expected to be around 4.5 percent in 2016. The economy grew by only 4 percent in the first nine months of last year.

Slow growth

This slower growth is not in itself the problem as the earlier higher growth was achieved largely through foreign funded large infrastructure development that created a huge foreign debt problem. The fall in growth in the last two years is partly the repercussions of the bad economic management of the previous regime, especially its amassing of a large public and foreign debt and high foreign debt servicing costs.

Failure

What is disappointing however is that the unity government aggravated the economic difficulties and brought the economy to the brink of a foreign exchange crisis by early 2016. The fiscal policies in 2015 and inappropriate monetary and tariff policies resulted in a sharp increase in imports and a massive trade deficit that contributed to a serious balance of payments problem.

The reckless budgets of 2015 and 2016 increased aggregate demand through its fiscal imprudence and inappropriate monetary policies and brought the countrys external finances to a critical position. Policy corrections in early 2016 have corrected this situation to ensure more macroeconomic stability.

Economic policy

Political motivations rather than economic imperatives have guided most of the unity governments economic policies. It was only after facing a serious balance of payments problem that policies were put in place to stabilise the economy. The pains of such adjustment are serious economic challenges to the government this year.

Policy uncertainty

There is considerable uncertainty in economic policies of the government. Retraction of announced economic policies, withdrawal of several announced policies and contradictory stances on such issues as privatisation of state enterprises has eroded confidence in the governments economic policies.

Investor confidence

Inability to implement announced policies has contributed towards a lack of confidence in the governments capacity to implement economic policies. Statements on policies such as imposing a capital gains tax on share transactions that was ultimately not implemented and government intervention to reverse share transactions in the share market have eroded foreign investor confidence.

Owing to these reasons private investment is low and foreign direct investment that was expected to flow has not materialised. In fact foreign direct investments that are crucial for economic growth and export expansion have declined in the last two years.

Political confusion

Political factors account for much of the inappropriate economic policies. The prevailing political controversy within the coalition has resulted in a lack of policy cohesion that is one of the biggest obstacles to the pursuance of pragmatic economic policies.

Confused economic policies have lead to economic instability and low growth. What one section of the government proposes the other opposes and consequently there is much confusion and policy uncertainty and instability.

Economic consensus

There has not been a consensus on economic policy in the two years of the unity governments regime. If the economy is to progress in 2017 and beyond, it is vital that the two main parties reach a consensus on economic policy and implement it together. However achieving such a consensus is getting more difficult.

No policy coherence

The cost of the lack of policy coherence is very significant. It gives adverse signals to all potential investors, both domestic and foreign. Without an agreed policy framework that is conducive for investment the economic weaknesses would continue. The political costs of not reaching a consensus would also be substantial. The continuation of the government with discontent from within would result in political, economic and administrative dysfunction.

Fiscal consolidation

One of the few right steps the government has taken is the commitment to bring down the fiscal deficit. Fiscal consolidation must be achieved this year and continued in the next few years to achieve economic stability.

Political gains

Undoubtedly the regime change two years ago brought about important beneficial changes. The democratic revolution conferred a number of significant benefits that restored the democratic character of the polity. The rule of law, independence of the judiciary and law and order freedom of expression and press freedom were restored. These are substantial political gains that could contribute much to the development of the country in many different ways.

Communal violence

However, there has been a resurgence of communal tensions and ethnic violence in several parts of the country, particularly in the North and East. These are not in the interest of national reconciliation and ethnic harmony that are vital for economic development. Strong measures to curb ethnic disturbances have been lacking. Unless the government takes firm measures to arrest communal violence, the economy will face irrecoverable setbacks.

New resolve needed

Time is running out. Unless the government is able to achieve a political and economic consensus and work together as a united front, as they did to win the elections, the countrys economic future is bleak. It is better to have a consensus on some of the key economic policy issues and be resolved to implement them, than have a vast canvas of economic policies that are not agreed on by the two main parties.

Policies for investment

The government must adopt economic policies that stabilises the economy and provides incentives for investment and growth. The government must arrive at an economic consensus based on clear, well thought out economic policies rather than adopt policies for immediate and short run political gains.

A new cohesion

It may be in the national interest for those who are not in agreement with the core policies to leave the coalition instead of being in it and opposing it from within and being a stumbling block to economic reforms and pragmatic economic policies.

In any case the tenure of the President is secure for the next three years and parliament cannot be dissolved for two and a half years. This provides a basis for adopting even unpopular but correct economic policies. It is the economys performance that would matter most at the next election.
Udayangas 16 bank accounts frozen: Total balance Rs. 225 million View(s):

Colombos Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne has directed that the bank accounts in Sri Lanka of Udayanga Weeratunga, former Ambassador to Russia, be frozen.

The move follows an application to Court made by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), which gave details of the account numbers and the balances remaining in each one of them.

Mr. Weeratunga had 14 different accounts in the Commercial Bank and two in the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC). The total amount of US dollars remaining in these accounts, according to the FCID application, is US$ 1,579,340.66, i.e. US$ 1.5 million (about Rs. 222 million). The Sri Lanka rupee balance in all these accounts, the FCID has said, is Rs 3,042,072.75, i.e. Rs. 3 Million.

The FCID application also said that Mr. Weeratunga is one of the suspects in the procurement of MiG-27 fighter jets for the Sri Lanka Air Force in 2006. This case is now under investigation. The probe extended to a number of countries including Ukraine, Hong Kong and Singapore. After failing to reach him for questioning, the FCID obtained a court order and urged the France-based Interpol Headquarters to issue a Red Notice on him. Such a red notice, circulated to member countries of the Interpol, leads to the person named being placed in the data base of immigration counters thus making the person liable for arrest in any country.

However, the Interpol issued only a Blue or B series notice. These notices are also called enquiry notices and may be issued in order to have someones identity verified; to obtain particulars of a persons criminal record; to locate someone who is missing or is an identified or unidentified international criminal or is wanted for a violation of ordinary criminal law and whose extradition may be requested. This notice is the result of Interpol revising its procedures for the issuance of different notices. Red Notices are now issued only after a person is convicted and the member country is seeking his or her arrest. Interpol has also introduced a system where member countries are fined for providing inaccurate information.

As a result of the Blue Notice, the FCID was informed recently that Mr. Weeratunga had arrived in a West Asian country.

Mr. Weeratungas relatives have challenged the FCID court request for a Red Notice in the Supreme Court. It is now pending before the SC.

President tells SLFP ministers to tone down criticism of UNP

President Maithripala Sirisena was speaking to a group of United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday December 30.

He reminisced about the days when the SLFP was in power (together with coalition partners) and the UNP in the opposition. Flags, cutouts and even posters of UNPers were removed by SLFP supporters at the grassroots level.

There was no such thing now, he noted. He said even cutouts and posters of the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa were being openly displayed in different areas. No one had opposed such moves.

However, Sirisena noted that two or three SLFP members had gone beyond their limits in directing criticism against the UNP. That it has happened on the SLFP side is not something to be happy about. He told SLFP ministers to be vary of this.

The other side of the issue played out at the UNP Working Committee meeting at the party headquarters Siri Kotha in Kotte. UNP leader, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, complained that he had heard from party branches that their cutouts and decorations had been destroyed or damaged by SLFP supporters. Even some MPs were being harassed in village areas when they engage in party politics.

The answer to such situation is not to berate others but to work hard to deliver what was promised, said Mr. Wickremesinghe.

Legal eagle avoids minister

A legal eagle, known well for his role in defending state activity, was conspicuous by his absence at the weekly conference chaired by a controversial minister.

The reason  the Minister cast all civility aside and insulted him at a conference. Even the other participants were aghast.

Mangala to meet Boris

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will fly to Britain this week for a meeting with his counterpart Boris Johnson. The visit comes in the backdrop of a controversy over whether foreign judges should serve on tribunals probing alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka.

Britain was one of the countries that supported the inclusion of foreign judges. It was uncertain if Minister Samaraweera was to ask for a war crimes tribunal for military excesses by UK troops in Iraq. British PM Theresa May has rejected such a tribunal.

Though former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who heads reconciliation efforts, received a report from a committee this week calling for the inclusion of foreign judges, it was shot down by SLFP Minister Mahinda Amaraweera on the orders of President Sirisena. Speaking on behalf of the President, he told the media that there would be no foreign judges in the inquiry mechanism.

Ex-chief giving commands again

The one-time strong man in uniform has stirred a hornets nest after he began giving orders to higher commands to appoint persons of his choice to higher positions in the Forces.

In one instance where he gave three names, a source close to a higher command said, others who were considered held more qualifications and better track records.

Major changes in Army

A series of top level changes in the Sri Lanka Army has been effected in the New Year.

Major General N.J. Welgama has relinquished office as Military Secretary and has been posted to Army Headquarters.

He is succeeded by Major General P.W.B. Jayasundera. Until now, he was the Master General Ordinance (MGO).

Appointed as the new MGO is Major General S.D.T. Liyanage who was earlier attached to Army Headquarters.

Other changes of senior officers have also been announced.
UNP, SLFP need to come to the centre View(s):

President Maithripala Sirisena must be wondering what on earth happened to the time that has so swiftly gone by since his surprise election victory exactly two years ago. He now finds two-fifths of his term is already over, with precious little to show for it. He assumed the high office he holds under exceptional circumstances. He brought with him some fellow travellers disgruntled for the indifferent treatment in the old Mahinda Rajapaksa regime, but Mr. Sirisena rode to power and place essentially with the support of his hitherto political arch rival, the UNP.

The minorities and a minute breakaway faction of the then ruling party, the SLFP, pushed him over the bar to clinch the crown. Yet, he seems to have acquired for himself only a crown of thorns.

President Sirisenas Administration has been plagued by dissension from within the Government and within his own party. So much so, he is unable to face the people at an election in so short a time since becoming Head of State and Head of Government. This is an unprecedented situation probably comparable only to the 1960 elections when the UNP lost a snap poll only a few months after its win, and in 1971, when the SLFP-led United Front Government faced a bloody youth uprising less than a year after a thumping electoral victory.

This weeks public spectacle surrounding the refusal by the Minister to accept the Local Government Delimitation Committee Report, the President delaying the signing of the controversial Hambantota Port agreement with the Chinese, the public embarrassment the Government faced over the foundation stone laying ceremony for a car assembly plant, and last but not least, the rejection by the President of the Task Force recommendation for a foreign judge to sit on a virtual war crimes tribunal, was the epitome of a dysfunctional Government at work.

All this commotion has given the Joint Opposition a sniff at returning to public office, something many still feel is far too premature to happen despite ongoing bungling of statecraft by the dis-united Government in office.

This experiment in National Government borne out of special circumstances that was primarily aimed at ousting a political dictator in the making, has gone awry. The bickering is now intensifying and the President no less is complaining the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing; he is, no doubt, referring to himself as the left hand.

Last week, his frustration spilled over when he appointed one of his economic advisers to counsel him on the Hambantota port cum industrial zone project  a veritable port city in the South. He seemed convinced by a complaint from the Ports Minister who has said that he has been left out of the decision-making process over a crucial project under his very nose.

Sections of the Government have worked on the blind side as a rugby scrum-half would do, with the Chinese Ambassador on the Concession Agreements for the port and the industrial zone, while the Ports Minister was possibly distracted with another project  putting up a massive Christmas tree on Galle Face Green. There was no edification coming even at a news conference as to what these concessions were as the two Ministers baulked at the assembled media corps and walked away without giving the answers.

Coming as they did one after the other, the public being misled to believe that the world famous German car manufacturer, Volkswagon was opening a plant in Sri Lanka showed how desperate the Government was for at last, some good news for the people that foreign investments are a coming and jobs for the jobless are a coming. That VW was in deep, deep trouble but was still investing in Sri Lanka seemed too good to be true. Now, the Government has been forced to backtrack on the claim that foreign investors of repute from the West are here. Even then, this project was something that was mooted during the Rajapaksa era only to have been stalled due to micro competitors, which is one case of abuse of power and corruption during that time.

The people are therefore, left with few options. The classic local idiom, which is now considered sexist and therefore politically incorrect was that the choice is between a woman with a cold and a woman with a cough. What is their future? Do they go with the present or return to the past? This Government lost its credibility very early in its tenure with the Central Bank bond scandal, which continues unresolved to this date. While the States anti-corruption units are pursuing previous holders of public office for misusing official vehicles, the new players have invested their monies won from the bond scam in commercial banks.

It is not that these happenings are unknown to the masses as well. Out in the countryside, at least south of Polonnaruwa, there is a groundswell of public opinion developing against this fledgling Government.

The Governments own hierarchy is now speaking out against its own team. One Minister (who says hes fit to be the President himself) finds this Government to be run by a clique. He is not incorrect. The President is complaining that his partner, the UNP, is pulling down his party (SLFP) cut-outs in the provinces and permitting his arch-rival (SLFP dissidents) cut-outs to remain standing.

On the foreign front, Sri Lanka had regained the friendship of the West, but abandoned the Non Aligned Movement, capitulated to China and kept India guessing, All the effort put into a hard fought battle (in ousting a potential dictator) is coming to naught. In fact, the bad old days of not so long ago seem even preferable to the present confusion and become mixed signals to some who were in the vanguard of those battles then.

Politicians in power must exude confidence, but unless they do so with an understanding of actual realities on the ground, all will be lost. Unless the President and the Prime Minister speak with one voice, and act together, the country might see a replay of the Dudley Senanayake-J.R. Jayewardene syndrome that divided the UNP of yesteryear. The left of centre SLFP and the right of centre UNP must both come to the Centre.

A moribund Administration will have to be activated if any development plan is to work, and the people must not lose trust in their Government leaders. People must not be made to prefer the very system that they detested not so long ago. All will be lost if that happens.
APPRECIATION: Judge Christie Weeramantry View(s):

Judge Christie Weeramantry

World renowned Sri Lankan legal luminary stood for world peace and justice

It is with great sadness that I learned of the demise of Judge Christie Weeramantry, a friend and a mentor. In his passing, the international community has lost a towering legal mind who served as an exceptional judge, eminent jurist, and outstanding professor, with boundless dedication, utmost humility, and commitment for nearly seven decades. Above all, he was a phenomenal human being. We shall indeed miss his noble service.

My association with Judge Weeramantry dates back to his first visit to the United States in April 1969 on a lecture tour of North American universities. At the time he was a shining star on the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. From then onwards, I have continued to marvel at the depth and breadth of his scholarship and was immensely enriched by his friendship and guidance.

It is astonishing that a man who had a long career as a Judge both in Sri Lanka and on the World Court, a professor, and active in public affairs should have published so many volumes expounding the intricacies of law, ethics, philosophy, religion, and the environment: None more important than his singular contribution in pointing out the danger to civilisation resulting from unbridled scientific and technological advances, and creating an awareness of the extent to which modern technology is undermining basic human rights. He saw as he puts it the importance for the human future of these two all-important forces  human rights and technology  being harnessed to move in unison rather than independently of each other.

He is a jurist who had the heart of a poet and the mind of a scientist. A pacifist and humanist who constantly struggled for global peace and justice, Judge Weeramantry has created an enduring legacy that is to be universally valued.

It is good to know that Judge Weeramantry could be comforted by the thoughts of his many friends around the world, as expressed in the felicitation volume that has been completed.

Nandasiri (Nandi) Jasentuliyana

President Emeritus, International Institute of Space Law, Former Deputy Director General, United Nations, and Director, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Lanka bids farewell to a distinguished jurist

The demise of Sri Lankabhimanya Christopher Gregory Weeramantry, judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ, 1991 to 2000) and judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka (1967 to 1972) on January 5, deprives Sri Lanka of a distinguished jurist.

In the ICJ, he presided as Vice-President over several important cases before the Court, including on the illegality of the use and threatened use of nuclear weapons as well as on sustainable development and on the scope of equity in international law.

Combining a reputed judicial career with academia, he was The Sir Hayden Starke Professor of law from 1972-1991 at Monash University and served as Visiting Professor at many universities across the world. Author of more than thirty books on topics as diverse as cross-cultural understanding and education, Islamic jurisprudence, intergenerational equity, law and scientific advancement and apartheid, his contributions include Tread Lightly on the Earth: Religion, Environment and the Human Future where he explored the teachings of the five great religions to argue that humanity must cease to exploit the environment for short-term gain and The Lords Prayer; Bridge to a Better World where he shows the manner in which over a hundred principles of international human rights law are embedded in the religious prayer.

The many awards conferred on him include the UNESCO Peace Education Prize in 2006, the Right Livelihood Award (alternative Nobel Prize) in 2007, Sri Lankabhimanya; the Highest National Honour of Sri Lanka in 2007 and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in 2008. He established the Weeramantry International Centre for Peace Education and Research in 2001.

(Please see also ST 2 )

Final rites of Judge Weeramantry today

Internationally renowned Sri Lankan Jurist C.G. Weeramantry who passed away on Thursday at the age of 90, will be laid to rest at Borella cemetery this afternoon, his family said. He was a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 1991 to 2000 and its Vice President from 1997 to 2000.

The viewing today will be from 11 am to 3 pm, at A.F. Raymonds and thereafter, burial at the Borella RC section.

A memorial service in his honour was held at St.Marys Church, Bambalapitiya, last evening.

Meanwhile, in a condolence message, President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Geoffrey Alagaratnam P.C., said, At this time in our nations history, Judge Weeramantrys firm belief in a world order and peace without borders, based on this inalienable dignity and equality of all is a fundamental with momentous relevance. Are we in Sri Lanka up to it?
CEB in emergency power purchases to offset hydro-power shortfall View(s):

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is to go in for emergency power purchases to overcome probable shortfall in hydro-power generation, said Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy, Dr B.M.S. Batagoda.

He told the Sunday Times that, as an immediate measure, the CEB would start purchasing power from three private power plants, by offering them annual contracts effective from next month. The CEB will purchase 225 MW from these companies.

Sri Lankas requirement of power during peak hours is 2,300 MW and, with a drought forecast this year, hydro-power generation is expected to fall drastically.

Dr Batagoda said that, in view of high thermal-power usage, they expect the Treasury to back them, failing which, the CEB would have to consider a revision in tariffs.

In 2016, there was a drop in hydro-power generation by 13% over 2015, when 70% of electricity was hydro-power generated.

Meanwhile, the CEB also has called for bids to provide 60 MW from five different locations for a six-month period.

At a meeting held with the private sector, the CEB sought their assistance to purchase power supplies from their plants to the main grid.

The government expects to purchase some 100 MW from the private sector.

This is in addition to a decision to purchase two separate power plants of 300 MW each, for which the tender is due to be awarded on February 17.

The Government intends to invest US$ 600 million in the project, which will come as a Build, Operate & Transfer (BOT) system.
One of the most ghastly oddities about the Commander-in-Chief-elect is his ongoing bromance with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.

Our view of Putin tends toward that of Sen. John McCain, who in December called Putin a thug and a murderer and a killer and a KGB agent.

Theres ample cause for McCain to use the harsh adjectives. Putin jails his political opponents. He is widely believed to have ordered the assassination of critics and Russian journalists. He ordered the invasion of Crimea.

But the president-elect likes Putins style. When he was questioned about Putins record on The Morning Joe, Donald Trump said, Well, I think that our country does plenty of killing, too, Joe. And later, "I've always felt fine about Putin. He's a strong leader. He's a powerful leader."

Trumps admiration is no sudden thing. As long ago as 2007 Trump told Larry King, I mean this guy has done  whether you like him or dont like him  hes doing a great job of rebuilding the image of Russia and also rebuilding Russian period.

In 2013 Trump wondered whether Putin would come to the Miss Universe Pageant (which Trump owns) in Moscow. If so, will he become my best friend? Trump tweeted.

Most recently, Trump was impressed that Putin made no response when the Obama administration expelled Russian spies and announced sanction in retaliation for hacking of the Democratic Central Committee.

Great move on delay (by V. Putin) I always knew he was very smart! Trump tweeted.

Trump, of course, has repeatedly cast doubt on the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia was behind the hacking. It could also be lots of other people. It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, OK? he said in September.

In October 2015 Trump was similarly dismissive of evidence that Russian forces shot down a civilian aircraft over Eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board. It may have been their weapon, but they didnt use it, they didnt fire it, they even said the other side fired it to blame them. I mean to be honest with you, youll probably never know, Trump said.

Various investigators have concluded that the Russian government helped deploy the Buk or SA-11 missile for Russian-backed separatists.

Putin also has tossed compliments toward Trump, referring to him as bright person in June. In December after Putin said, "Hes a really brilliant and talented person, without any doubt, according to a translation by Interfax.

Americas last two presidents started their terms with hopes of positive engagement with Russias strongman. President George W. Bush said he had looked into his soul. The Obama administration tried to push the reset button

Eventually both administrations saw Putin for what he is. How long will it take Trump to take off the rose-colored glasses? Will he ever?
Clashes erupt as Govt. launches southern development projects View(s):

From Sandun Jayawardana in Hambantota

The launch of the Governments ambitious development projects in the Hambantota district yesterday was marred by violent clashes between rival groups and police, leaving at least 22 people injured. The disturbances took place as the Government was marking the inauguration of the Sri Lanka-China Logistics and Industrial Zone within the Ruhunu Economic Development Area.

A heavy security presence was in place around the ceremony venue and beyond. However, several hundred protesters managed to break through the numerous security barricades and attempted to force their way to the

Mirijjawila Board of Investment (BOI) Zone venue where the ceremony was being held. The demonstrators, including Buddhist monks, attempted to stage a sit-in on the main road close to the venue. As police tried to clear them, a violent clash arose between protestors and groups of people who were inside the venue. Both sides threw rocks and other missiles at each other. From inside the venue, some people made their way to the road. Police and Special Task Force (STF) personnel had difficulty in keeping the rival groups apart.

While a court order had been issued on Friday barring protests in the area, those who took part were of the opinion that it did not apply to them as the court order was specific to certain individuals. Several politicians were seen among the protestors as well as the group against them. Even as chaos erupted outside, the ceremony began under the patronage of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Various Ministers took the stage to make their speeches even as police moved in to disperse the protestors with tear gas and water cannon. The Sunday Times team saw at least three injured people, including an STF officer.

Clashes between police and protestors continued even after the ceremony ended. Protestors set tyres on fire and placed makeshift barricades along the Hambantota main road towards Ambalantota town. Sporadic clashes between riot police and protestors continued late into last afternoon, with police and STF personnel moving in gradually to push protestors away from the town. A number of vehicles parked along the side of the road next to the venue were damaged after being struck by rocks.

Addressing the gathering, Chinas Ambassador Yi Xianliang said he believed the industrial zone would be the most important project for the Sri Lankan Government, the country and the people of Hambantota. He said China hoped to invest about US$ 5 billion in the Hambantota industrial zone in the next 3-5 years if everything is ok. This would lead to the creation of an estimated 100,000 jobs, he added.

Mr. Yi conceded that there were people in Sri Lanka who were concerned about adverse impacts, particularly environmental impacts, from Chinese projects. He requested the managers of Chinese projects in Sri Lanka to strictly follow the countrys environmental laws and respect international commitments.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said the Government had no option but to enter into an economic agreement with the Chinese regarding the Hambantota Port and the industrial zone as Sri Lanka faced the crisis of a colossal debt burden. Otherwise both the baby and the mother were in danger of dying, he quipped.

The only way to save the project was to industrialize the area but the Government lacked the funds needed to open some 1500-2500 factories needed to industrialise the region.

He insisted that while the Chinese had estimated that they would need some 15,000 acres for the industrial zone, it did not mean that the Government would set aside all the lands for China. It would be open for other investors also.
Construction industry faces worker crisis amidst the boom By Chrishanthi Christopher BOI chief says builders seek approval to import labour force from neighbouring countries View(s): View(s):

Large scale development projects in post war Sri Lanka have taken the construction industry by surprise, but job vacancies for construction workers are going a begging.

The building industry, a sector that contributes almost 10 per cent to the countrys GDP is seeking workers from neighbouring countries to fill in these vacancies, the Board of Investment (BOI) said.

BOI Chairman, Upul Jayasuriya said many companies have requested to bring in Indian, Nepalese, Bangladeshi and Chinese workers to work in their construction sites.

The BOI estimates that some Rs.6, 500 billion worth construction projects during the next three years would require around a million workers.

However, Sri Lanka, at present has only around 600,000 workers, a shortfall of about 100,000 workers and many projects are being done with a minimum work force.

The Sunday Times learns that even the Port City development project has many vacancies for skilled and unskilled labour that have not been filled.

Several hotel projects, apartment and high rising building projects are compounding the problem, Mr. Jayasuriya said.

Mr. Jayasuriya said the Governments good intention of providing jobs, through this development projects has not produced the desired result because youth are not interested in such jobs.

They seem to prefer to take up unskilled jobs as three wheeler drivers or security personnel. The demand for workers in the hotel sector and the garment industry are also on the rise with around 20,000 job vacancies existing in these sectors, he said.

Chamber of Construction Industry, President, Dr. Surath Wickamasinghe said the paucity of workers has slowed down the progress of building projects.

The Rs. 1.4 billion Water Front project under construction needs around 2600 workers but there is only a workforce of around 600. This is a huge problem, he said.

Mr. Wickramasinghe said the BOI had received many requests seeking permission to get workers from the Phillippines, India, Bangladesh, China and Nepal.

He said the BOI had granted approval to import workers for some ongoing projects, on the condition that the companies would be responsible for sending them back once the project was completed.

Mr. Wickramasinghe said the attitudes of the youth had to be changed by giving them vocational training in order to make them productive and useful citizens to the country. On the other hand there were 1.3 million three wheelers in the country and 95 per cent of them were manned by youth. Regulating the importation of three wheelers could be one way to steer youth towards seeking employment in the construction industry.

Sanken Construction (Pvt) Ltd. Managing Director, Ranjith Gunatilake said the industry sector had developed substantially in the past seven years and the demand for labour had suddenly spiked.

He believes the 30-year war and zero development during that phase had made people complacent and lethargic and not wanting to do hard work. This was forcing the industry to look for overseas labour. However, Mr. Gunatilake said, there was lot of red tape in bringing foreign labour down, as there is no provision in the Bureau of Foreign Employment Act to import labour. They can only export labour, he said.

He also said it was imperative to change the attitudes of workers and inculcate discipline at work. If the workers put in at least 30 per cent productive labour we can achieve a lot. They have no discipline while at work, he charged.

In addition, there are calls from industry experts to regulate the industry by introducing safety measures at construction sites. There should be rules against workers from using mobile phones during work hours in addition to making it compulsory to wear helmets at construction sites.

There is no regulatory body to monitor the prevention of accidents and provide compensation if any. We are talking to the government and relevant authorities on this matter, he said.

Meanwhile, Controller General, Immigration and Emigration, M.N.Ranasinghe when contacted said that resident visas from three months to one year is being granted to overseas workers on a BOI recommendation. It is the responsibility of the BOI companies to check the qualifications and suitability of workers and send them back when the period is over.

Construction Industry Development Authority, (CIDA) Director Development, Sumada Amarasekera said that the industry can emulate the Home Guard Service model that developed into a nation-building force. It could be taken up as a model to build up a work force for the construction industry. He suggested state jobs for construction workers with a pension and other perks.

Others in the industry have suggested recruiting schoolleavers and giving them a training in the construction fieldand attracting women to the workforce by training them as electricians and plumbers.
Italian tyre giant distances itself from big Horana project View(s):

By Namini Wijedasa

An Italian company that was reported to be investing in a US$ 75 million (Rs 11 billion) tyre production plant in Sri Lanka under the Board of Investment (BOI) has distanced itself from the project. Marangoni is only involved indirectly in the possible US$75 million investment in Sri Lanka, the company says in a statement on its official website. What has been discussed is only a hypothetical transfer of technology to a Sri Lanka-based investor as part of a possible joint venture with a Sri Lanka-based investor. The investor is Ceylon Steel Corporation, owned by controversial UAE-based Sri Lankan businessman Nandana Lokuvithana. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday laid the foundation stone to build what was painted as Sri Lankas largest integrated tyre manufacturing plant at Wagawatte in Horana.

It was reported that Rigid Tyre Corporation (Pvt) Ltd (Marangoni of Italy) was the investor for the project which would create more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs. A statement from Rigid Tyre Corporation said the plant would manufacture a whole gamut of products from radials for light and heavy vehicles to off-the-road tyres. However, there is still no joint venture formed with Marangoni to set up the factory, authoritative sources told the Sunday Times. Neither has the BOI agreement for the project been signed.

Contrary to what was reported in several recent articles, the possible 75 million dollar investment in Sri Lanka only involves Marangoni indirectly, the Italian firm said. The news, in fact, does not refer to the industrial tyre segment but rather to a hypothetical transfer of technology to a Sri Lanka-based investorCeylon Steel Corporationdiscussed as part of a possible joint venture in the passenger car tyre sector.

Ceylon Steel Corporation (CSC) is owned by Mr Lokuvithana. Marangoni has been operating its own industrial tyre manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka since 2008. But six years later, the company suspended passenger car tyre production in Europe and has now begun negotiations to sell its production plants to CSC.

The Marangoni plant in Sri Lanka was opened when production capacity at its original Rovereto site in Italy was no longer sufficient. The location of the plant has allowed the company to exploit the possibility to enter and supply its products to new international markets, the statement said.

Cabinet approved the allocation of a massive 100 acres of land in Wagawatta for the project on a proposal by Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama. With Marangonis clarification this week, it becomes unclear where the US$ 75 million pledged to the venture will be sourced from. The BOI is to grant a decade-long tax holiday to the investor.
Lesters and Sumitras abode of 47 years sold without their knowledge By Chris Kamalendran View(s): View(s):

Nonagenarian and internationally acclaimed film director Lester James Peries and his wife Sumitra Peries days at the residence they have occupied for more than 47 years may be numbered after its owner sold it to a property developer without their knowledge.

The couple had been living in the house on Lester James Peries Mawatha (formerly Dickmans Road) since 1969 as tenants.

Last October we received a letter from a leading legal firm, saying that the property has been sold to a developer . We were asked to pay the rent to the new owner. However, we were not informed of the transaction till it was completed and now our future in this house seems uncertain, said Ms. Peries, award-winning film maker and Sri Lankas former ambassador to France.

The Peiris once owned a property at Kotte but it was sold and a large portion of the money was invested in the film industry.

My husband is now 97 and we are not in a position to move to a new property. We also do not have any other property, she added.

Dickmans Road was named Dr. Lester James Pieris Mawatha in 2011 by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) in recognition of Dr. Peries contribution to the Sinhala film industry. Last month, his internationally renowned film Rekawa marked 60 years of its premiere.
SL wants written assurance of ban on bottom trawling, India not ready View(s):

By Damith Wickremasekera

Sri Lanka has sought written assurances from India that its fishermen were moving away from the destructive illegal fishing practice of bottom trawling in Sri Lankas territorial waters.This assurance must be given if India wants Sri Lanka to consider the return of the poaching Indian vessels already detained here. But the Indian delegation, at recent bi-lateral talks, refused to agree.

Instead, the Indian side said it would put the Sri Lankan proposal to the next Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting scheduled for April 6. The issue came up at last Mondays JWG meeting in Colombo. The Sri Lankan delegation was led by Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera and the Indian delegation by Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh.

Minister Amaraweera said Sri Lanka was informed that bottom trawling equipment on 87 Indian vessels had been removed and the vessels modified for deep sea fishing. Assurances were given that Indias fishing harbours would no longer issue permits for vessels with bottom trawling equipment. The minister said Sri Lanka had wanted written assurances on a ban on bottom trawling when the JWG met again on April 6. The Indian side declined to give any written assurance but agreed to consider the request during the next round of talks.

Minister Amaraweera said the government, in turn was willing to consider releasing some of the vessels detained, but also wanted an assurance that the same vessels should not return to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has currently detained 142 Indian vessels and is holding 52 Indian fishermen in custody for poaching.

The Sunday Times learns that during the discussions the Indian delegation had given priority to securing the release of the detained fishermen and the vessels. A joint media statement issued after the meeting said India assured Sri Lanka that bottom trawling would be phased out in a gradual time-bound manner within a  practicable time frame. This would be done keeping in mind the capacity building of the fishermen who had to be diversified into deep sea fishing and other coastal fisheries activities including mariculture, pearl farming and seaweed culture.

The Sri Lankan side was briefed about the measures already instituted including the decision to construct a new fishing harbour at Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, and the capacity building programme for Indian fishermen on deep sea fishing in Chennai and Kochi,  it said. Following the Ministerial meeting on Monday, a directive was issued by the Sri Lanka Government after consultation with the Attorney General to release 51 Indian fishermen who were custody.

Two days after the high-level JWG meeting, 10 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy for poaching north of the Delft islet. They were to be released according to an understanding reached at the ministerial meeting. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadus new Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to send a firm message to Sri Lanka against continuing arrests of fishermen and secure the release of vessels that were seized while engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
SLFP wants executive presidency retained and Sirisena to contest View(s):

By our Political Editor

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) wants to retain the executive presidency and has decided that Maithripala Sirisena should be the partys candidate at the 2020 presidential election. The unanimous decision came at a meeting of SLFP ministers just after last Tuesdays weekly ministerial session. It was summoned by President Sirisena to brief them on his plans for 2017. He completes his second year in office today and will begin his third from tomorrow.

The main focus at the meeting, held at the Presidential Secretariat, was on the proposed new Constitution. A string of policy decisions for the SLFP were made and are now awaiting formal endorsement by the partys Central Committee.It was decided that devolution of power should be only through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and there will be no merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces  a demand by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). Though in the Opposition, this is the basis on which the TNA extended support to the Government.

The SLFP ministers have also decided that they will not be in favour of any new constitutional provision that requires a referendum. They would only favour those requiring a two thirds majority in Parliament.The immediate outcome of the SLFP policy decisions was the indefinite postponement of a debate in Parliament on a new Constitution. It was to be held for three days beginning tomorrow.

Minister Duminda Dissanayake, who is also the General Secretary of the SLFP, proposed that the existing provisions in the Constitution with regard to the presidency be retained. Pointing out that President Sirisena may sometimes not like it, he proposed that Mr. Sirisena be the next presidential candidate. But the President remained silent.

The abolition of the executive presidency was the magnet that attracted different political parties and civil society groups to campaign for ousting Mahinda Rajapaksa at the last presidential election. The late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera gave leadership to this campaign that saw Mr. Sirisena emerging victorious.

Please see Political Commentary for more details)
Does Sri Lanka need a new constitution? View(s):

By Yoshitha Fernando

The cost of living, cost of development and various other costs are what everyone talks about today in Sri Lanka. Basic survival has become a heavy burden on the average citizen. Eking out a meagre living in very trying circumstances in a country recovering from a close to three decade war on terror is no mean feat. And so, the politicians have decided everything will be hunky dory with a new constitution.

Why the powers that be figure reinventing the wheel as it were, will end the struggle for all of the average citizens of this country is a mystery. Why is there a need for a new constitution? Cannot the existing one be amended, just the parts that seem to ruffle the feathers of a few and give or take executive powers from the position of presidency and hand them over to the provincial councils if that is what is really needed? Why spend money, time, energy and resources consulting experts and all sorts of foreign specialists who seem to want something extraordinary for Sri Lanka, even more than what they are experiencing in their own systems? Is it out of the goodness of their hearts, one wonders.

Globalisation has lost its appeal, democracy as we know it, is on a downward spiral and nationalism under benevolent dictators is gradually becoming the norm in the world today. People in many nations have taken a stand and demanded an end to mass corruption by a few in power. There is a call for developing strict social norms, enhancing customs and traditions, enforcing less working hours and more family time, working towards establishing sustainable energy sources, establishing wholesome education systems with more playtime for children, environmental conscientiousness and developing traditional trades, arts, crafts, cuisines and all that is indigenous, preserving resources etc. in many societies across the globe.

But for Sri Lanka, the experts promote regression, i.e. devolution of power to the minorities, facing a national problem, who apparently require more privileges than the majority for peace and reconciliation. Segregation of land based on ethnicity and religion is how this objective is expected to be achieved.

The majority is expected to share their portion of the country with all and allow privileges to the minorities in selected areas so as not to be deemed racists. And the best way to go about it, according to all the experts from developed Western countries and their local counterparts selling this concept to our powers that be, is to have a spanking new constitution with federalism. It is apparently needed in order to enable peace and reconciliation and alleviate the distrust which was deemed the cause for terror during a 27 year period. However, it is noted that the people ran away from their liberator to live amongst the racist majority for safety or even from the country itself to get away from the wrath of the self-effacing freedom fighters or terrorists. Therefore, how segregating people based on ethnicity brings about peace and reconciliation is beyond this writers comprehension.

There is a need to amend the redundant aspects of the existing constitution, i.e.

have an electoral system of electing citizens representatives from the smallest administrative sections of the country in order that all segments of society are represented in parliament. Efficient, uncorrupt, independent representatives will then be voted in by the relevant constituents

do away with many layers of elected officials of Pradeshiya Sabhas, Village Councils, Town Councils, Municipal Councils, Provincial Councils etc.

enhance the administrative services with professionals who are knowledgeable, dedicated and efficient to carry out the required work.

develop national policies for relevant aspects of governance and for resources with strict timelines, key process indicators, bound by law, which are strictly enforced.

The country has been running very well for almost a year without some layers of bureaucracy/elected officials and there is no reason why this cannot continue, albeit with a more structured system.

We survived spineless leadership in the face of terror which prolonged armed treason and rampant crime reigning supreme with the spoils of war shared on all sides, while the average citizen was scarred for life or dead trying to outrun the terror. We voted out the almighty power that ruled with an iron fist, in spite of threats of abductions, torture, intimidation and even death and disappearances of dissidents. We persisted for over 2,600 years and will survive beyond 2,600 years more with or without our fair weather friends who are trying to manipulate us towards a future of instability in order to control our resilient people and this region for economic gains, our strategic location and to use our many resources to their advantage.

The whims of various Western dictates, which appear to be feeling slighted by this tiny inconsequential island eradicating terrorism when they cannot fathom how to in spite of all their pretensions, it seems, is a ransom of a new constitution or else it is indicated that without their investments and with their sanctions, our country is expected to wither away.

Stop wasting our precious assets on a new constitution to appease these few, as ulterior motives which will adversely affect all our citizens will never allow for successful implementation. The people of this country will rise united to make a change for the better, against all adversity. A glance back at our recent history for evidence of that probability reiterates the power of the vote, even though it only seems to have changed one set of talking heads to another set, without a lot of action to show for it, this time.

We are a unitary and sovereign state and will embrace our diversities within it with pride not leaving room for discrimination between races, religions, castes or languages. Writing in black and white to keep our people segregated based on intangible differences will not unite, but divide us by law.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel. We need a few strategic amendments to the existing constitution. Our values should remain steadfast while we continuously improve ourselves for sustainable progression. We should not allow our values to be changed to assuage those rapacious few with various ulterior motives.
Young talent to shine at Cockrell Fringe Festival View(s):

Authors, poets, artists, musicians, fashion designers and performing artistes will be performing live at the Cockrell Fringe Festival which unfolds in Galle on January 13 and 14.

Author Dom Mee founded the event supported by poet Grace Wickremasinghe. Workshops will be held in drawing, graphic design, poetry and acclaimed writer Prof. Neluka Silva will be sharing her knowledge on writing short stories. Grace and American poet Sophia Deady will hold a special workshop on Performance Poetry.

Topless Baker Don Kevin Ketagoda will be joined by Jayai Senanayake and Dush Ratnayakewho will be speaking about their passion for food while Baghya Denishious and Meliza Leitch will be passing on their tips for the gym.

Sri Lanakan artist Yanti Rajap Lebbe after three decades away celebrates her return home to Galle with an exhibition of her paintings of Galle Fort.

Many young writers and poets will be using the Cockrell Fringe to launch their work: Sachinee Seneviratne her collection Losing Sleep, Grace Wickremasinghe Closure, Chamindra Warusawitharane Lost Voyages, Biman KasunWimalaratne Shakespeare on Cocaine, Imanthi Perera Ink Theory, Nadeesha Paulis Water in my Grave a selection of Sri Lankan horror stories.

Some big names are coming along for book signing and to help the young writers. Chris Mcivor, OBE The World is Elsewhere, Dom Mee Kiting The Hurricane and Amazon best seller Mark Time, Going Commando, Going All The Way, Going Around The Bend.

The final night event will be an open mic night for performers coming from all over Sri Lanka including comedian Shuhaib Ali, beatboxer Frizzybeat, Shehan x, Rapper Arinze, Emmanuel Eze with DJ Sajeewa.

The event is sponsored by Kew Villas in partnership with MERCMARINE Training.

The event starts 9 a.m. and continues till late at the MERCMARINE Training centre opposite Hall De Galle at the old gate entrance of Galle Fort.
F-35 could be cancelled or cut back in huge political fight in January and February. National Reviews urges Trump to Cancel F35



Mike Fredenburg at the National Review urges Trump to cancel the F35. 



His arguments are

* negotiating a better price on incomplete, crippled fighters will not save taxpayers any money in the long run  because the prices being negotiated between Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon are prices designed to fool the public about the F-35s true costs. Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon both know that any discount or price reduction negotiated in public will quickly be made up on the back-end

* fatal mistakes made during the conceptual design process well over 20 years ago, the F-35 will forever be crippled by intractable weight and heat issues that ensure that the program will never deliver a reliable, cost-effective fighter.

* on Wednesday, when Inside Defense exposed the fact that the Navys F-35C model has design defects that can cause pilots to suffer disorientation and severe pain when undergoing carrier catapult launches. As it stands, Navy pilots have determined the F-35C is not operationally suitable for carrier launches. New design changes to the F-35C will be required that could take years  and even our carriers may need to be modified to fix the problem. This issue has been known about for years, but until now it has been concealed from the public.

* The F-35s severe, ongoing problems with weight have resulted in indefensible decisions affecting plane safety, reliability, and durability  the most egregious example being the removal of hundreds of pounds of equipment designed to keep pilots from dying in fiery explosions. Some of the safety equipment removed includes the fuel tanks ballistic liner, critical fueldraulic fuses, the flammable coolant shut-off valve, and the dry bay fire-extinguishing unit. The unprecedented and pervasive presence of flammable hydraulic fluid, flammable coolants, and fuel throughout the plane makes the F-35 a flying tinderbox. But without these risky weight-reduction measures, the F-35 will not be able to meet even its bare-minimum contractually mandated range goals.

* A DOT&E memo said that on battlefield F-35s are not an asset. In fact, Americas new fighters will actually have to be protected in combat. Because of numerous performance deficiencies and limited weapons capacity, the so-called operationally capable F-35 will need support to locate and avoid threats, acquire targets, and engage enemy aircraft.

* In order to protect the F-35 from cancellation, the Pentagon has lowered key performance requirements and helped Lockheed cheat so that it could continue the charade that the F-35 will actually meet its bare-minimum threshold ranges.

* the published $32,000-per-flying-hour cost is a made-up number; its real cost per flying hour will likely be closer to the $62,000 of the much less complex F-22. Its truly dismal sustained-sortie-generation rate of one sortie (mission) every three or four days means that, as is the case with our F-22 pilots, F-35 pilots will only get a fraction of the 30 to 40 hours of stick-time (actual flying time) per month necessary to gain and maintain fighter-combat mastery.







The F-35 joint strike fighter program could be terminated after the Donald Trump administration takes office, the Air Forces top civilian leader said Jan. 6. Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James indicated that the top Air Force, Navy and Marine brass will try to defend the program but the president can cancel or cutback the program.







Stealth not certain, especially with stolen stealth secrets



In 2015, Col Michael W. Pietrucha, USAF, wrote a 24 page article in Air and Space Power Journal,"The Comanche and the Albatross: About Our Neck Was Hung" . He argues why the F35 must be cancelled now.



The F35 is based on a belief that radar low observability will remain effective against future air defense threats. Although true for the F-117 against Iraqs Kari system in 1991, stealthiness is unlikely to remain so against an adversary that has two decades to prepare for US stealth fighters, which have much higher infrared, visual, and emitter signatures than did the F-117.



Outside China and Russia, no massive threat from an advanced integrated air defense system exists. Moreover, China is a poor example of a threat to cite if someone is trying to justify a short-ranged fighter with limited payload flown from island bases within range of overwhelming missile attack. Losses of US aircraft have mainly been helicopters since the Vietnam war and fixed wing losses were not shotdown.



Only Russia and China can pose the kind of antiaccess, area denial (A2AD) environment that justifies a massive investment in stealth.



These facts make the risk calculation involved with prioritizing stealth over performance, range, and weapons loadout inherently suspectand the F-35 might well be the first modern fighter to have substantially less performance than its predecessors.



Col Michael W. Pietrucha Proposal

 maintain a limited number of F-35As (those already purchased) as a replacement for the capabilities lost upon retirement of the F-117;

 create a modernized Tactical Air Force fleet consisting of a high-low mix of modernized legacy fighters, light attack aircraft, and multipurpose jet trainer / attack aircraft;

 recover some sunk cost of the F-35 program by using advanced systems to modernize older fighters, in effect fielding fifth-generation systems in fourth-generation airframes;

 restore the Air Forces SEAD/EW (Suppression of Enemy Air. Defences - Electronic warfare) fighters and crews;

 expand the services global reach capabilities by providing deployable Tactical Air Force assets that can operate from short, rough airstrips on a logistical shoestring

 increase the number of absorbable cockpits to the point where the Air Force can augment the inventory of fighter/attack aviators to meet requirements;

 invest in affordable, exportable light combat aircraft derived from Air Education and Training Commands T-X program;

 allow the Air Guard to maintain its position as the operational reserve and relief valve for experienced fighter/attack aviators while recapitalizing its portion of the CAF; and

 build a Tactical Air force that can meet the nations demands for air-power capabilities even in the face of increasing fuel costs and decreasing budget



The Gap would not be that big if the F35 were cancelled



It would take close to 2030 to field fixed F35s in large numbers.



China currently only has about 600 modern aircraft and is still many years from sorting out the ability to make competitive jet aircraft engines. Russia also has budget problems and will not ramp up its jet fighters to large numbers that would threaten the US.



SOURCES National Review, National defense magazine
Mr. Jay Ambroses op-ed displays talented writing with a disregard for facts both creative and disconnected from reality ("The three letters that point to an enemy within," Dec. 30). He describes the Environmental Protection Agency as an evil equal to the Empire in Star Wars or the government in the Hunger Games. He writes that Mr. Scott Pruitt is a savior akin to Princess Leia and the Terminator combined into one superhero.

Unfortunately Mr. Ambroses hyperbole denies the value the EPA is to our country; it protects our citizens and helps our companies create great products while keeping our rivers and air clean. Companies often experience conflicts between maximizing profits versus protecting its workers and our country. Most companies cooperate with the EPA, protect our country and earn a profit. Too many move to China where they can legally pollute. Others attack the EPA via lobbing Congress or funding public relations experts and commentators like Mr. Ambrose.

While Mr. Ambrose has authored numerous articles about religion, he didnt incorporate primary Christian values, such honesty, charity and civility, into this work. If he had, he would be supporting functional solutions to our environmental challenges. He could have addressed global warming in a non-partisan and economy friendly manner, perhaps via the carbon fee and rebate proposal which puts a fee on oil, coal and gas but then rebates all that money to our citizens so that they can invest in energy savings. This proposal protects our planet, protects poor and middle class families and grows the economy for everyone. Solutions like this deserve our support.

Patrick Payne, Lincoln
I am skeptical about allowing for-profit energy suppliers compete with our public power system. The report (" Study looks at state's power ", Dec. 28, 2016) doesn't provide much detail. Who builds and maintains transmission lines? How much control would the consumer have in this relationship? I recall a tale of caution coming from an employee of an Alcoa plant in Washington state, where a large electrical supplier cut them off because they could sell their energy for more in another market.

With 35 states' ratepayers coughing up more and our lower cost position, it's not hard to imagine the upward pressure on price we could experience. I prefer that our Legislature examine the potential for investment in renewables, in partnership with the public power system that has served us well for many years. I also would like to remind rural Nebraskans that private investors were not interested in your power needs until after the transmission grid was built by the public.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A group of Syracuse residents early Sunday morning grabbed a man who had just shot another man, took away his gun and held him down until police could arrest the man, according to Syracuse police.

Police responded to a shooting call at approximately 3 a.m. Sunday at a home on the 200 block of Delhi Street.

Officers found a 21-year-old man had been shot in the chest, police said. The man was taken to Upstate University Hospital by American Medical Response Ambulance; authorities currently believe his injuries are non-life-threatening, officers said.

Police soon learned the shooting suspect was still inside the residence. A group of people were holding the man down so he couldn't get away and had taken his weapon from him, police said.

Tyriek Spann

The Syracuse Police said the civilians' actions led to the quick arrest of Tyriek Spann, 20, of 1219 James St.

Spann entered the home with a 9-mm handgun to rob the people there, police said. Spann fired one shot, hitting the 21-year-old man. The other residents grabbed him and held him down, officers said.

Spann's weapon was reported stolen in December, police said.

Spann was charged with second-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, first-degree robbery, and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, all felonies. He was also charged with second-degree menacing, a misdemeanor.

Spann is currently being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center.

The Syracuse Police Department asks anyone with information on the incident to call (315) 442-5222, or use the "SPD Tips" app.
Uber

In this Dec. 16, 2014, file photo a man leaves the headquarters of Uber in San Francisco.

(Eric Risberg | The Associated Press)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will reveal his plan for bringing ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft to Upstate New York on Monday.

The governor is expected to reveal his proposal during one of his regional State of the State addresses in Buffalo, The Poughkeepsie Journal reported.

Cuomo's plan would have the state oversee Uber and Lyft, rather than local governments, which oversee and permit taxis. The state could then audit the companies to make sure they are complying with all laws and regulations.

Uber and Lyft currently operate in New York City under the city's taxi laws.

The companies would also be required to tack on a 2.5 percent surcharge to all fares to contribute to The Black Car Fund, which covers drivers who are injured on the job.

"It defies logic that ride-sharing isn't available to New Yorkers who live outside of New York City," Cuomo said in a statement on Saturday. "My message is Upstate New York matters and it's not right or fair that Upstate doesn't have this new innovation that spurs the economy, can save money and save lives."

Further details on the plan were not released, but are expected to be revealed on Monday. Uber and Lyft have sought a change in state law so that they can take out "pooled" insurance coverage for their drivers which covers them only when they are working for the company.

That became a contentious issue for lawmakers trying to expand Uber last summer, and ultimately led to the bill's demise.

The Upstate Transportation Association issued a response to Cuomo's plan ahead of Monday's speech, calling on the governor to let the companies operate in Upstate NY under the same level of oversight as they do in New York City. Drivers in New York City are subjected to fingerprinting, but Uber officials have opposed such regulation in Upstate NY.

"Any disparities between upstate and downstate ridesharing rules could create chaos and lead to years of self-inflicted regulatory problems across New York's transportation industry," UTA president John Tomassi said in the statement. "State lawmakers and city councils have specifically called for fingerprint background checks in any ridesharing bill because they believe upstate passengers should be just as safe as those downstate."

Uber has been lobbying across the state for the opportunity to expand its reach. The company has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on lobbying efforts, including offering free rides to Bills players, giving out free ice cream and linking Upstate NY app users to a petition calling for the service's expansion.
ROCHESTER -- A man was remanded to the Monroe County Jail after he pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges on Friday, in connection with the killing in November of Canisius College student Victoria Brooks.

Patrick D. Brooks, 37, pleaded before Monroe County Judge Vincent Dinolfo on Friday in connection with the killings of the Canisius College student and her mother, Christie Brooks.

First look at Patrick Brooks, man charged for stabbing his wife and daughter to death on Wellington Ave the day after Thanksgiving @13WHAM pic.twitter.com/jjYJTbGw3y  Justin Carter (@JustinCarterTV) January 6, 2017

Brooks had been married to Christie Brooks, although there had been a divorce begun in 2015.

Victoria Brooks, 18, a freshman at Canisius, was home for a holiday break and celebrating her mother's 35th birthday on Thanksgiving day.

Family members found her body, and that of her mother, in an upstairs bedroom at their Wellington Avenue home in Rochester at about 7 a.m. on Nov. 25, according to authorities. Both had been shot to death.

Elizabeth Chapman, Victoria Brooks's grandmother, could not be reached at her Rochester home on Friday.

Canisius College issued a statement Friday on the case.

"Canisius College continues to extend its thoughts and prayers to the family of Victoria and Christie Brooks," said Terri L. Mangione, vice president for student affairs. "We share their profound sorrow and loss. We hope this begins a process that will bring closure to this horrible tragedy and, when completed, will provide the family with peace."

Patrick Brooks had been in custody since Nov. 26 on state parole violation charges linked to his release from state prison on Sept. 20, on a 2015 conviction for grand larceny.

Brooks served a prison term in 2014 on robbery and weapons charges, according to the Monroe County District Attorney's office.

Brooks was indicted last week and the indictment was made public in court on Friday afternoon.

The Rochester Police Department's Major Crimes Squad handled the investigation.

A pre-trial hearing in the case is scheduled to take place before Judge Dinolfo on Thursday.

Christie Brooks worked in customer service at a Wal-Mart store in Rochester. She had filed for divorce in November 2015. The couple had married in 2002, according to filings with the Monroe County Clerk's office.

(c)2017 The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.)

Visit The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.) at www.buffalonews.com

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Across the west, it seems as if the left has been routed. In Poland the right-wing Law and Justice party, after winning an overall majority in the 2015 elections, has attempted to challenge liberal values, attack independent institutions, intimidate the media, and erode civil liberties. In Hungary, prime minister Viktor Orban has claimed to support illiberal democracy and has also attempted to cajole independent institutions and ride rough shod over civil liberties. Coupled with the rise of Marine le Pen in France and the election of Donald Trump in America, the west appears to be lurching to the right.

But it isnt that simple.

The notion of what is left and right has morphed in recent years, with many supposedly right-wing parties adopting a traditionally left-wing attitude to welfare and state intervention whilst shunning immigrants and criticising globalisation.

The Law and Justice party in Poland is a good example of this. The journalist Remi Adekoya, writing in an opinion piece for the Guardian, asserts that "while PiS [the Law and Justice party] is strongly rightwing on social issues, its economic approach can be described as leftist. It emphasises the need to tackle inequality and propagates strong welfare policies."

Right-wing parties increasingly seek to champion the rights of workers. Right-wing parties have become ever more protectionist and against free trade in their attempt to protect individual workers from the worst globalisation has to offer. The right appears to be taking up a fight, something which used to be the territory of the left. Donald Trumps talk of tariffs and his attempt to bully and intimidate corporations in order to keep jobs in America are not what we might expect from a candidate running on the right. But this is nothing new.

For some, it seems as if the left has given up the fight for working people. Since the neoliberal revolution in the 80s, the left has increasingly espoused globalisation, free markets, and high immigration. Adopting some of the key tenets of Reaganomics whilst claiming to offer an alternative, has perhaps made the lefts promises ring hollow. Globalisation and immigration, while certainly broadly positive for the economy, affect low-skilled workers significantly more than high-skilled workers. According to research conducted by the Bank of England, immigration depresses wages slightly overall but has a greater negative impact on workers in the semi/unskilled services occupational group. The left has so far had little to say about trying to minimise this depression of income.

The Labour party has certainly become more critical of neoliberalism with the election of Jeremy Corbyn, but it is still losing votes to right-wing parties among working class voters over issues like immigration. UKIP, a party which is staunchly anti-immigration, has taken a large proportion of the working class vote. Labour under Blair ushered in an era of mass immigration, and Jeremy Corbyn, perhaps the antithesis of Tony Blair, has continued to support this policy. The party is more concerned with building an open society with liberal social values than protecting income and maintaining social stability. The values of openness and multiculturalism have become tainted with a sense that they are coupled with elitism and wealth. Perhaps then, this is why we see a rejection of liberal values among disenfranchised and unrepresented voters.

Those on the left who asked, perhaps reasonably, how a billionaire like Donald Trump could champion the poor failed to see this blatant contradiction for what it was  evidence that the left has failed to provide an alternative to globalisation and has lost touch with its core base of voters. According to Pew Research, a polling organisation, college graduates backed Clinton by a 9% margin, while voters without college degrees voted for Trump by an 8% margin. This is more than double the difference in the 2012 election between Obama and Mitt Romney. The Republican candidate was able to gain the support of low-skilled workers in key states that have suffered from globalisation such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It was these states that decided the election  their combined electoral college votes would have seen the election shift in Clintons favour.

So what is the future for the left? Should it turn away from liberal social values? Should it turn against immigration and globalisation and pursue the protectionist policies that made Trump so popular in the 'rust belt' states? In my view, that would be a violation of the open values so essential for a liberal democracy. Instead, the left should seek to lessen the damage of globalisation and immigration to workers and the poorest in society. It has been suggested by some that the Government could couple high immigration with increased investment in the areas affected to try to lessen the economic impact. The Government could also pursue policies which raise low skilled wages, such as a higher minimum wage.

If the left wants to fight back against the rise of the right wing in Europe and America, it must reclaim its legitimacy. It needs to start listening to the poorer voters, the very people it claims to fight for.
A child in Detroit died within hours of having tonsillectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the tonsils.

The mother's child, Sonia Gambrell, said that she was actually nervous to send her daughter in for surgery. They even pushed the surgery off for years but eventually in December, decided to bring the child to the hospital for the operation.

"We went to the appointment I had been running from for 9 years," Gambrell said.

Now, Gambrell wants to sue Detroit Medical Center, which owns Children's Hospital of Michigan, where 9-year-old Anyialah Greer underwent the procedure on Dec. 8 before she suffered from cardiac arrest.

A Common Childhood Procedure

Tonsillectomy is one of the most common childhood procedures with 530,000 operations done per year.

It used to be a common procedure to treat tonsillitis, the infection and inflammation of the tonsils. Today, it is often performed for sleep-disordered breathing although it may still be resorted to when tonsillitis does not respond to other treatments and occurs frequently.

Anyialah was having her tonsils removed to prevent her from snoring. Doctors said that it was medically necessary. The procedure was supposed to take only 40 minutes but it took far longer before the operation was over, two hours.

The child was discharged from the hospital soon after but she was not feeling good when she got home. Her mother said that after being discharged, Anyialah was in and out of sleep.

Prescribed With Painkiller Oxycodone

The doctor prescribed the painkiller oxycodone for Anyialah but Gambrell had difficulty finding a pharmacy that would fill the prescription because of government regulations that monitor and limit narcotic supplies in a bid to prevent and fight opioid abuse.

They eventually went to St. John's Hospital but the pharmacy there would not also give them oxycodone because Anyialah was not a patient at the hospital.

The child eventually died just a few hours after the surgery.

Possible Causes Of Death

Autopsy reports are not yet on hand and would not yet be available for several weeks but the medical report suggests that an obstructed airway, anesthesia complications or undetected heart conditions may have possibly left the child at risk.

Wrongfully Discharged

Gambrell claimed that Bianca Siegel, the ear, nose, and throat specialist who conducted the surgery, wrongfully discharged her daughter because the child was not in stable condition after the surgery.

The family hired James Harrington IV, of the Fieger Law of Southfield who specializes in medical malpractice, to represent them. The lawyer said that under the federal law, people can't be discharged unless they are in stable condition.

"I don't know how she could be considered stable when she died just hours after discharge," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, every single person who looked at this kid has to answer questions."

Hospital Issues Statement

The Children's Hospital has issued a statement on the untimely passing of Anyialah.

"We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Anyialah. We take the care and service we provide to our patients very seriously and we are here to support the family during this difficult time," the Children's Hospital said.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A once-endangered bat species crucial for the pollination of plants used in tequila production has made its comeback, according to wildlife officials.

On Jan. 5, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed taking the lesser long-nosed bat off the endangered species list  potentially the first bat ever taken out of the countrys threatened as well as endangered species list. Mexico delisted this bat in 2015.

Bat Population Revived

"Many entities in both the [United States] and Mexico have worked tirelessly toward recovery, said Jim deVos, assistant director at Arizona Game and Fish departments wildlife management. This announcement stands as testimony that dedicated efforts and sound management practices can lead to recovery of endangered species."

Rebuilding a healthy population of these bats has taken about three decades of conservation work by American and Mexican scientists and volunteers, as well as tequila makers in Mexico, federal officials added.

Fewer than a thousand lesser long-nosed bats were known to exist in 14 roosts in the region. Today, there are around 200,000 of these flying mammals as well as more roost sites, from Mexico to southern Arizona and New Mexico.

These bats subsist on the nectar of flowering plants found in the desert, from cactuses to agaves.

They were once on the brink of extinction because of habitat destruction, wildlife managers noted. Some Mexican roosting areas, for instance, were wiped out to target rabies-carrying vampire bats, while rapid development became a factor in the destruction of the remaining ones.

Toast To Tequila

Mexican tequila producers play an instrumental role in recovering the bat populations, incorporating further harvesting and cultivation standards relating to these key pollinators of agave, a key ingredient of the liquor. Theres also such a thing as bat-friendly tequila now.

The nations tequilas are mandated by law to be 100 percent made from agave, while their U.S. counterparts are allowed to be blended or made from a combination of agave and other sweetening and flavoring chemicals.

In the United States, the bats also roost and forage on agave and cactus plants, usually on public properties where measures aim to control human interference, such as abandoned mines and caves.

In southern Arizona, locals have tracked the bats nighttime use of hummingbird feeders, which offer biologists greater insight into their migration and other behaviors. Here they catch bats and attach radio transmitters assisting in identifying roost sites.

Other recovery initiatives include changing attitudes toward bats through education, and scientists are studying climate changes potential effects on the so-called nectar trail  composed of agaves, cacti, and other blooming plants that the bats consume. The bats exhibit such flexibility to adapt to changing environments.

The FWS is accepting public comment on the proposed delisting through March 7 and will produce its final decision afterward.

Bats are social creatures that live up to 30 years, settling in such huge colonies that they use vocalizations to communicate in a manner similar to those observed in dolphins, monkeys, and other mammals. A recent study that analyzed almost 15,000 sounds coming from 22 Egyptian fruit bats probed bat language.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The shooting rampage at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport  which left five people dead  has shaken America. In the midst of this nightmare unfolding for unsuspecting travelers, there was an unsung hero  the MacBook Pro.

For the unfamiliar, on Friday, Jan. 6, 26-year-old Esteban Santiago pulled out a gun from his checked-in luggage and suddenly opened fire on innocent people who were collecting their luggage from Fort Lauderdale airport's baggage claim area. Santiago  who was later arrested  wounded eight people and killed five.

However, even as this terrifying incident unfolded, a 37-year-old man managed to miraculously escape by the skin of his teeth all thanks to his Apple laptop. Steve Frappier was one of the many unsuspecting travelers who had a narrow escape as his MacBook Pro shielded him from a bullet.

Steve was traveling to Atlanta to attend an educational conference. He was carrying his school-issued laptop in his backpack for his conference work, unaware of how the device would be a lifesaver for him during this journey.

MacBook Pro The Hero

The horrifying incident has left a deep impact on Frappier and he recounted how passengers were caught unaware when the firing began. Reports have shared that nearly 13 people were shot before they could get out of the baggage counter.

Frappier, who miraculously survived the ordeal, revealed to CNN that he was wearing the backpack, which contained the laptop and some other stuff.

"I was wearing a backpack on both shoulders, and when we went to the floor, I dropped and the backpack was still on my back," shared Frappier.

As the bullets had started flying in the air, he too became an unwanted target. However, Frappier could take respite in the fact that the bullet missed its mark. The gunman had set his shoulders as the target but missed it.

Frappier could feel something hit his back but did not know at the time what had transpired. When the firing was over, he sneaked over to the men's rest room and removed the backpack. To his surprise, Frappier found a 9mm bullet lodged into his laptop bag.

"Later when I gave my backpack over to the FBI for investigation they found the bullet in the pocket of my backpack," he shared, adding that "the backpack saved my life."

Investigators believe that the bullet probably passed through a slight opening, hitting the MacBook Pro's display first and then made its way through the aluminium chassis and battery of the Apple laptop. It finally exited via the device's side intake vents.

Frappier credits the MacBook Pro for giving him a new lease of life.

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Russia has demanded Apple and Google to take down the app of LinkedIn, the professional social networking website that was blocked in the country last year, from local app stores.

The move mirrors China's request for Apple to remove apps by The New York Times from the country's App Store.

LinkedIn Taken Down From App Stores In Russia

Smartphones users in Russia, whether they are using iOS or Android devices, will no longer be able to download the LinkedIn app after the country's government demanded Apple and Google to remove the app from the Russian versions of the App Store and the Google Play Store.

According to a report by The New York Times, the demand of Russia to take down LinkedIn from the country's app stores places Apple and Google in a difficult position, as both of them push for free speech and an open internet, but are being asked to be agents of censorship for the government.

The removal of the app from app stores, along with the previous blocking of the website, will not be enough to completely cut off access to LinkedIn's content from within Russia, due to the presence of other methods such as using a VPN. However, the move sends a signal that countries such as Russia and China have the power to demand major tech companies such as Apple and Google to take down apps.

Why Was LinkedIn Blocked In Russia?

LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, was blocked in Russia after a court ruling claimed that the professional social networking website violated the country's data laws.

According to the data laws of Russia, websites could only store and process personal information of its citizens within Russian servers. LinkedIn, which had more than 6 million users in the country, did not meet this requirement. According to a spokesperson for Roskomnadzor, the regulatory watchdog for communications and IT, LinkedIn did not respond to requests for the relocation of the professional social network's servers to Russia.

As such, it was ruled that internet service providers in Russia should block public access to the LinkedIn website.

LinkedIn is considered to be the biggest service to have so far been affected by Russia's data laws. However, while the data localization requirements of Russia can be considered as aggressive, the country is just one of 13 countries which implement some form of such a law. The United States is one of these countries, as the government requires partners of the Department of Defense to store their data on local servers.

Growing Tension Between Russia And The United States

The removal of LinkedIn's apps in the app stores of Apple and Google in Russia will likely contribute to the growing tension between the country and the United States.

Just as 2016 was drawing to a close, the United States government officially accused Russia of interfering with the 2016 presidential election through a series of hacking attacks that had the Democratic National Committee as one of its targets. The outgoing Obama administration issued sanctions against two Russian intelligence agencies and expulsions against 35 suspected Russian intelligence operatives.

The Russian government, however, decided not to retaliate against the sanctions and expulsions, with President Vladimir Putin saying that the country will instead plan the restoration of relations between the two governments once the Trump administration is seated.

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The British Red Cross has said that the overcrowding in UK hospital emergency rooms has already become a humanitarian crisis and urged the government to allot more budget to provide social care for the elderly and the sick.

The country's National Health Service (NHS) was once described as the "closest thing the English have to a religion," as it provided free care for many Britons from cradle to the grave but it has been facing unprecedented strain in recent years, which unnecessarily puts lives at risk. Three patients recently died at a Worcestershire hospital.

NHS Winter Crisis

The constrained budget along with an ageing population and medical needs that become increasingly complex have left many hospitals struggling particularly during the winter season in recent years.

Shortage In Hospital Beds

Patients are being left to wait on trolleys sometimes for days due to shortage of hospital beds.

John Freeman, whose wife is recovering from stroke, said that his wife spent 38 hours on a trolley at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

"My wife was stuck on a trolley right next to the fire doors in a corridor and she couldn't get any sleep because of all the trolleys banging into the fire door going in and out," he said. "This is going back to the dark ages almost."

Red Cross Helps Address Hospital Crowding

Red Cross claims that cuts to social-care funding mean that some patients cannot be discharged because there is no available support. It has sent volunteers in several areas of the country to help patients go home and free up some of the hospital beds. It also offered "support at home" to help ease the pressure on hospitals.

The volunteers visit trusts to find out the social care needs that the patients would have when they are discharged. They then visit the patients at home to assist them with tasks, which include doing shopping and collecting prescriptions.

Unaddressed Needs Of The Elderly

British Red Cross chief executive Mike Adamson said that the charity has seen people being sent to their homes without clothes, some are not washed because there are no carers to help, and some even suffered falls and are not found for days.

Adamson said that not receiving the care that they need and deserve would only prompt people to return to the hospitals again.

Crisis Not At A Level Of Humanitarian Crisis

The NHS rejected Red Cross' description. Health service managers and government supporters also said that the charity is exaggerating the scale of the problem.

Keith Willett, NHS England's Director for Acute Care, said that demand is at its highest levels and that staff members are under unprecedented pressure but he does not think that the service is at a level of a humanitarian crisis.

"On the international scale of a humanitarian crisis, I don't think the NHS is at that point. Clearly, demand is at the highest level ever," Willett said. "But also our planning is probably more comprehensive than it has ever been."

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The human body is a very complex system of organs that work together for the survival of the human being. Sometimes, though, it can play strange little tricks on humans just to show what it is capable of.

Such is the case of a 16-year-old girl in Japan who underwent an emergency appendectomy for her acute appendicitis.

However, during the said operation, doctors noticed a large growth on her ovary, which turned out to be a strange formation: it looked to be part of a brain covered by thin skull bone and matted clumps of hair.

The surgery to remove what is called a "teratoma" on the girl's ovary took place three months after the appendectomy. Upon closer examination of the 10 cm cyst, the doctors discovered that the tiny piece of brain matter was actually an undeveloped cerebellum that was covered by a thin skull bone.

Also inside the growth was a lump of hair. Despite the odd findings, the girl did not report any distressing symptoms associated with the teratoma; she was able to recover quickly.

What Are Mature Ovarian Cystic Teratomas?

Mature ovarian cystic teratomas are benign growths in the ovaries. These growths occur when an immature egg in the ovary "rebels" and starts creating different body parts.

Since an egg in the ovaries is just one of the two components needed to begin creating a human life, the egg cell's solo activities tend to create incomplete body parts such as hair, teeth, muscle, and other malformed parts of the body. It is uncommon, however, to see formed body parts such as those seen in the case of the mini cerebellum found in the girl's cyst.

Another such case of more mature structures found in teratomas is yet another incident in Japan. The tumor found in a virgin 25-year-old woman had formed into a doll-like structure with a head, trunk, and extremities.

The doll-like growth had important bodily structures such as a brain, one ear, eyes with eyelashes, a jaw, intestines, bones, blood vessels, spinal bones, and spinal nerves, though its spine was deformed. This example is seen as one that shows the egg cell apparently attempting to create a child on its own.

Teratomas And Anti-NMDA-receptor Encephalitis

A possible syndrome resulting from teratomas is the Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor Encephalitis, which can cause psychiatric symptoms such as auditory hallucinations. The syndrome usually begins with symptoms such as nausea, fever, and headache, which will gradually lead to a spectrum of psychiatric symptoms. In many cases, the removal of the cyst and additional treatment give patients a high likelihood of a good recovery.

In the case of the 16-year-old girl from Japan, the doctors did not report seeing any symptoms of encephalitis associated with teratomas.

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Nokia 6 Marks The Iconic Brand's Smartphone Comeback | TechTree.com

For decades, Nokia stood testament for Finland's industrial design and manufacturing expertise. However, the Finnish company sold its devices division to Microsoft in 2014 and Nokia brand started fading out in the consumer market. After the software-giant wrote off its $7.6 billion deal, a Finnish company HMD Global, run by ex-Nokia employees, acquired the rights to use Nokia branding on its phones last year. Without wasting much time, the company has already showcased its first smartphone called the Nokia 6.







These new Nokia smartphones will be built by the Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn. According to HMD, the manufacturer has tried its best to live up to the Nokia's robust build quality. Each Nokia 6 is carved out of a solid block aluminium. The metal milling process takes almost an hour. Then, add another ten hours for competing two separate anodising processes. The Nokia 6 features a 5.5-inch Full HD curved glass screen. The display features a polariser layer to deliver better sunlight readability. The handset is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 430 chipset. It has 4 GB RAM and Adreno 505 GPU to handle the gaming. You also get 64 GB internal storage and a microSD card slot.







In the photography department, you get a 16-megapixel camera. For selfies, there's an 8-megapixel front-facing snapper. other features include 4G LTE, dual-SIM support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS, fingerprint sensor, and 3000 mAh battery. On the software side of the things, you get Android 7.0 (Nougat). The phone supports Dolby Atmos audio.







If you are already thinking of buying this handset, the bad news is that the Nokia 6 will only be released in China. HMD Global is planning to use the highly competitive Chinese market with over 552 million smartphone users, as a test bed for its first Nokia branded smartphone. In China, the phone will be available in the first half of 2017 for 1699 yuan (approx Rs 16,740). According to an Indian e-commerce website, the Nokia 6 might go for Rs 20,000 in the grey market.





TAGS: Nokia, Android
New Nokia 6 Android smartphone with Snapdragon 430 SoC, 16/8 MP camera, 5.5 Inch screen and 4GB RAM now available for $246 (Rs.16,000)

The king is back and with a style. Nokia today launched its first Android smartphone called Nokia 6. If you have been putting off your smartphone buying for the launch of Nokia smartphone, Nokia 6 is just made to order for you. The 5.5 inch Nokia 6 is a budget range Android smartphone which runs on Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

Announcing the launch of Nokia 6, HMD Global, the Finnish company that owns the rights to use Nokias brand on mobile phones, said that it will be sold to Chinese buyers for 1,699 yuan ($246/Rs.16000).

Nokia 6 Specifications

Nokia has made a lucrative smartphone for its buyers keeping in mind the price constraints and at the same time bringing the top of the line specs to Nokia 6. The Nokia 6 is powered by octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor and it comes with 4GB of RAM. The phone packs 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. As for the creative souls out there, Nokia 6 will have a 16-megapixel rear shooter and an 8-megapixel front shooter for selfies.

The Nokia 6 will run on Android 7.0 Nougat and is powered by a 3000mAh nonremovable battery. It measures 154.00 x 75.80 x 7.85 (height x width x thickness).

The Nokia 6 will support dual SIM (GSM + CDMA and GSM + GSM). For connectivity, the Nokia 6 will have 3G/4G GPS, Wi-Fi including Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth. Sensors on the phone include Compass Magnetometer, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, and Gyroscope.



The decision by HMD to launch its first Android smartphone into China is a reflection of the desire to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world it is a strategically important market, HMD said in a statement.

KEY SPECS Display 5.50-inch Processor octa-core Front Camera 8-megapixel Resolution 10801920 pixels RAM 4GB OS Android 7.0 Storage 64GB Rear Camera 16-megapixel Battery Capacity 3000mAh

For the uninitiated, Nokia was once the king in the mobile world with 9 mobile users out of 10 owning a Nokia mobile. Nokia missed the bus when it chose to rely on Microsofts Windows Phone operating system for it Lumia range as the world was increasingly moving towards Android smartphones and Apples iPhone. Though it had its trusted group of buyers who would swear by Nokia quality for ruggedness and battery life, slowly and steadily it went into decline before completely selling off the Lumia business to Microsoft. Nokia 6 is Nokias Android comeback vehicle and it is also readying for launch of its flagship Nokia E1 and D1.

Also Read: Leaked images show Nokia P Flagship with 6GB RAM, 23MP Camera and Snapdragon 835
1877: The chemical laboratory at the University of Nebraska was formally opened.

Butler County voted for bonds to aid the Omaha and Republican Valley branch of the Union Pacific Railroad.

1887: A bill was introduced in the Legislature to create a normal school at Broken Bow.

1897: The stockyards bill was sent to a committee of farmers in the state Senate.

1907: William Jennings Bryan presented the city a deed for 10 acres of land to be used for a park. He also recommended that land along Antelope Creek be acquired for a park.

The University of Nebraska joined the newly formed Missouri Valley Conference along with the universities of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Washington of St. Louis.

1917: The Legislature discussed building a new Capitol.

Each house of the Legislature introduced resolutions calling for an investigation of a critical boxcar shortage.

1927: A fire at the City Auditorium at 13th and M streets caused $7,500 damage. Another at a paint store at 1527 O St. caused $22,000.

1937: The Nebraska Sheriffs Association chose John Harr of Clay Center as president.

Lancaster County commissioners estimated county expenditures for 1937 at $1,749,600.

1947: The Lincoln Teachers Association voted to ask the Board of Education for a $250 pay raise and a new salary scale and classification system.

Gov. Val Peterson of Elgin was inaugurated for the first of his three terms as governor.

1957: Gov. Victor Anderson said he would ask President Dwight D. Eisenhower to expand federal drought programs to aid Nebraska farmers, hurt by the worst dry spells since the 1930s.

A fire destroyed Holy Trinity Episcopal Church at 1200 J St.

A bill to impose a 2 percent sales tax was introduced in the Legislature.

1967: The Lancaster County Board announced a 10-year, $10.4 million road improvement plan. It included 147.2 miles of paving.

Ground was broken for major projects as part of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine's $16 million building program.

The City Council approved negotiations for federal aid in establishing a wilderness park southwest of Lincoln.

1977: About one acre in nine planted to wheat in 21 western Nebraska counties suffered wind damage, according to state Soil Conservation Service officials. The agency said 77,750 acres already had been damaged.

1987: Esther Parker of Lincoln received The Lincoln Star's Good Neighbor Award for driving friends to grocery stores and church meetings. She also volunteered at the Tabitha Nursing Home.

The state collected $413.9 million in net general-fund tax receipts during the first six months of fiscal 1986-87, 3.8 percent more than the projected $498.6 million, the Nebraska Revenue Department reported.

1997: A 24-hour-long hearing regarding whether Bennet fourth-grade teacher Linda Marsh should be fired divided the school and town. Testimony from students and parents heaped praise upon Marsh, while fellow teachers and administrators described her as a disruptive influence. Marsh, a 21-year veteran teacher, resigned shortly thereafter.

Sen. Chuck Hagel was sworn in as Nebraska's first Republican senator in nearly two decades.

2007: The Nebraska episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition featuring the Kenneth Machacek and Teresa Fullerton families of Lincoln was aired.

Critics complain that the city did a poor job of coping with the latest snow storm and clearing city streets. Days later streets were bumpy with thick layers of ice that made it difficult for motorists to stay in their lanes.
Over 50 percent of the Ebola outbreaks in the last decade have occurred in the last five years as floods and droughts become common. | Read More
GONZALES - The city of Gonzales will use a new federal grant to come up with a design plan spelling out the necessary infrastructure it would take to support a train stop for a proposed passenger rail line.

The Southern Rail Commission awarded a $50,000 grant of federal monies in December to Gonzales. The city will also put up another $50,000 for the design work, said City Engineer Jackie Baumann.

The rail commission, appointed by the governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to support rail initiatives in the southeastern U.S., has identified Gonzales as one of the stops along a proposed commuter rail line between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

With the grant funding, the New Orleans firm of Sizeler Thompson Brown Architects will provide Gonzales with a design of work to be done in phases, of "all the components we'll need for this to be an operational train stop," Baumann said last week.

With the thought of such a train stop in mind, Gonzales purchased property in 2015 on North Bouillion Avenue, near existing railroad tracks in the oldest part of Gonzales.

It's this open field  an unused building on the property has been turned to other uses by the city  that the architect will be studying at this point, Baumann said.

"Do we need sidewalks? A water line extension? They are going to develop a scope" of what would be needed for a future train station, she said.

+2 Group trumpets potential Gonzales train station in hopes of winning support for commuter rail GONZALES  A field shaded by oak trees and crape myrtles may end up being the first physical

Gonzales Mayor Barney Arceneaux said he is looking to integrate the plan for a railroad stop into the city's master plan developed by the Center for Planning Excellence. The city adopted that plan in 2015.

The grant recently awarded to Gonzales is part of $2.5 million of federal money provided in December by the Southern Rail Commission to 11 communities in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi for station-area planning and construction projects.

Baton Rouge received $250,000 of that to develop plans for a train station at the former location of Entergy, near the corner of Government and 14th streets.

A majority of the East Baton Rouge Metro Council agreed in August to invest $250,000 of local matching funds for the new station.

The Southern Rail Commission's goal is to bring back passenger rail travel between Orlando and New Orleans, which existed until 2005. As part of that concept, proponents envisioned a commuter leg between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

State and local officials are also more generally interested in creating a commuter line between the Capital City and New Orleans, which could include Gonzales as a stop. That $260 million commuter train has been discussed in recent years in Louisiana, but federal money would likely be necessary to kick off such a project. A feasibility study also estimated the service would need an operating subsidy, at least in its first year.

If the train stop in Gonzales comes to pass, "it's going to take some time, but we just need to get ahead of the project" to be prepared, Baumann said.
RACINE COUNTY  The local ABC affiliate is back on the air for DirecTV subscribers.

Hearst, the parent company of WISN-TV (Channel 12), apparently reached a deal with the satellite company to restore service for WISN and 30 other television stations across the country.

We regret the inconvenience to DirecTV subscribers and are indebted to them and all of our advertisers for their support, Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb said in a statement posted on WISNs website Saturday.

No details of the agreement were immediately available Saturday.

Because of a contract dispute, a blackout went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1. Subscribers in the Milwaukee market, which includes all of Racine County and eight other counties, received an error message from DirecTV explaining the situation when they switched to the channel.

That affected access to shows such as Modern Family and The Bachelor.
Update, 7 p.m. Sunday

Tyler Wheeler's father posted on Facebook that his son remained in good condition throughout the day Sunday.

Around 2:30 p.m., Tyler Wheeler, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries agent who was shot multiple times Saturday while making a traffic stop, was able to nod in response to family questions and squeeze their hands, wrote his father, Darren Wheeler, on Facebook. He also could open his swollen eyes a little, Darren Wheeler added.

None of Tyler Wheeler's teeth were broken in the shooting, his father wrote, and if all remains as planned, his son will have surgery Monday to repair his broken jaw.

Darren Wheeler ended his note writing, "Prayers are working."

Update, 10 a.m. Sunday

Tyler Wheeler is now listed in stable condition at LSU Health Shreveport Trauma Center, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries posted on Facebook Sunday morning.

"We are encouraged by the hospital updates that say he is in stable condition and responsive to commands," the post said.

Original story

Two Monroe residents were arrested Saturday in the shooting of a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agent, according to Louisiana State Police.

Read more: Doctor 'very positive' about condition of Wildlife and Fisheries agent shot 5 times, father says

Amethyst Baird, 31, was booked into the Ouachita Correctional Center on one count of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer.

Jeremy Gullette, 34, was booked on one count of accessory after the fact to attempted first-degree murder, State Police said in a news release.

Tyler Wheeler, 25, of the LDWF enforcement division, was shot five times during a traffic stop early Saturday morning, including once in the jaw and once in the temple.

I am very proud of the hard work and persistence of investigators to quickly identify and arrest these suspects, said State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson in the news release. We continue to pray for Agent Wheeler as he recovers from this senseless assault.

Early Sunday morning, Wheeler's father, Darren Wheeler, wrote on Facebook that his son's vitals "are still good and stable. He is still following commands when asked every hour."

Wheeler was airlifted to LSU Health Shreveport Trauma Center for treatment at about 4 a.m. Saturday after he was shot during a traffic stop on U.S. 165 in Morehouse Parish.

On Saturday, Darren Wheeler posted on Facebook that a doctor feels "very positive" about his son's condition.

Doctors are working to determine how much one of Tyler Wheeler's lungs was damaged, Darren Wheeler wrote. The lung "may have been hit by the bullet or trauma from the bullet" resulting in it becoming partially deflated, he added.

Wheeler, of Monroe, has been an LDWF agent for over two years. He is married with one child.
January's New Years resolutions are already fading away, but there's still a lot to be said for looking at ourselves with fresh eyes, and not
After a tumultuous year in which Denham Springs ousted its police chief and captain, newly appointed Chief J. Shannon Womack said officer recruitment and retention, and community outreach are among his top priorities moving forward.

Womack, whom the City Council appointed as police chief Dec. 13 on the recommendation of Mayor Gerard Landry, had filled the position on an interim basis since April. Womack replaces former Chief Scott Jones, who was fired April 7 over the departments handling of a domestic abuse case involving a city councilman.

Denham Springs council on 4-1 vote appoints new police chief DENHAM SPRINGS  The Denham Springs City Council on a 4-1 vote Tuesday approved the selectio

Landry said Womack stood out among the five finalists  four internal applicants and one former Denham Springs officer  interviewed for the job, in part because of Womacks service as interim chief.

When he first took over, it was shortly before the shootings in Baton Rouge, and he was able to quickly assimilate everyone to go to 24-hour shifts, seven days a week, to make sure we had protection, Landry said. And during the flood, he was by my side from can to cant. Thats something thats kind of hard to forget. And those are the qualities you want in a good leader.

Denham Springs police station repairs close to complete after flood damage DENHAM SPRINGS  Provisional Police Chief Shannon Womack doesnt have a formal desk in his o

Womack will lead a department often divided by political loyalties, internal role divisions and rivalries.

The department of 29 sworn officers has lost more than two dozen officers and recruits over the past four years, including seven resignations and one retirement since Womack became interim chief in May. Some have moved on to other agencies with better pay or benefits, while others left to avoid transfers or role changes they didnt like.

Regardless of politics or feeling like you owe somebody something, we need everybody here, Womack said. Everybody here has worth. Ive got some great guys. Ive got some real talent here. Weve just got to get everybody on the same page.  And thats going to be the biggest challenge.

Focusing on what his officers want from their careers, offering more opportunities for professional development and rotating assignments to special divisions are some of Womacks goals for improving retention.

We cant get so wrapped up in our day-to-day that we dont still know what our guys are about, Womack said. Were a small department. Theres absolutely no reason for me not to know where everybody wants to be in five years, in 10 years or at the end of their careers, what their interests are and what we can do to try to help them get there.

Womack also wants to improve community outreach by expanding the reserve program from 12 officers to 18-20 and re-establishing the Police Explorers program, a division of the Boy Scouts that helps teenagers learn what its like to be an officer.

Strengthening those pathways into service is important to the 48-year-old Watson native, who grew up dreaming about becoming a cop and joined the Explorers program as a teen because it was the closest you were going to get to being the police at 15, 16 years old.

Womack joined the Denham Springs Police Department as a cadet in 1985, the year before he graduated from Live Oak High School, and couldnt wait to trade his white cadet shirt for the gray uniform shirt of a reserve officer at midnight on his 18th birthday  the earliest age allowed into the reserves at the time.

He was hired on full time in 1989 and served in the patrol division, working his way up to sergeant and shift supervisor before being promoted to lieutenant two years ago and to captain in April.

I walked through that door at 15 years old and havent walked out since, he said.

Womacks long-term plans for the department include upgrading in-unit cameras and laptops, exploring less-lethal weapons options and body cameras, and ensuring the department has a plan in place for continuity of operations during disasters.

He also wants to trade out the departments old portable radios for 700-megahertz versions that will improve interoperability with other agencies  a lesson learned from the August flood.

We had a tremendous outpouring of support form agencies across the state and nation, Womack said. But we were using an older system that doesnt work well with the standard radios. So Ive got my guys on these old-fashioned radios, and theyre all sending help with the new radios, and they wont talk to each other.

The upgrade probably will cost $50,000 to $75,000  an amount Womack hopes to offset, at least in part, through grants.

Womack also has vowed to improve transparency, organize a neighborhood watch program and strengthen relationships with civic and religious groups.

Womack and his wife, Dee, who works as a communications officer within the department, live in Watson with 16-year-old daughter Carson; 10-year-old granddaughter Madison; their German shepherd, Sam, and Stormy the chinchilla, rescued from Petco during the August flood.
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During her hard-fought election campaign, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome repeatedly promised to shake up the Baton Rouge Police Department and replace Chief Carl Dabadie Jr., moves the newly inaugurated Democrat argued are necessary to transform the department's culture from the top down.

But bringing in a new top cop to succeed Dabadie  a career city policeman who's helmed the department since 2013  could be complicated, not least because the mayor lacks the power to summarily dismiss the police chief, a position protected by civil service law.

Because Dabadie's position is protected, he can only be fired or demoted for cause. Absent a voluntary agreement to retire or step down, a mayor must show that a police chief committed misconduct, refused orders or violated policies.

+5 BR mayor-elect Sharon Weston Broome launches search to replace police chief, CAO Mayor-President-Elect Sharon Weston Broome said Thursday that she has started searching for replacements for two longtime fixtures of outgoing Mayor-President Kip Holden's administration.

The police civil service system  which is enshrined in state law  as well as a strong police union historically adept at throwing around its weight potentially place constraints on Broome's ability to overhaul the department.

The civil service protections offered to the chief make Baton Rouge unusual among large police departments nationally, according to experts interviewed for this story. In most larger city departments, mayors generally have the power to hire and fire police chiefs at will.

That's the case in New Orleans, where police Superintendent Michael Harrison serves at the pleasure of the mayor. In recent years, state legislators have also moved to strip civil service protections from police chiefs in several municipalities, including in Hammond, Scott and Broussard, said Robert S. Lawrence, the state examiner of the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board.

Neither side would discuss details of exit negotiations between Dabadie and the new mayor. For her part, Broome indicated she is hopeful she will have successful enough discussions with Dabadie  who she has credited as an "honorable man"  that the civil service questions will not turn into a public battle.

"Undoubtedly, civil service is a part of the equation and there are other parts of the equation involved," Broome said. "But I remain optimistic that as the chief and I have continued conversations, we will end up on the same page."

The national search for a new chief that Broome has promised would be a dramatic departure for BRPD as well: Going back decades, every Baton Rouge police chief has come from the capital region, with almost all rising from within the BRPD ranks.

The majority of medium- to large-sized police departments across the country at least consider out-of-state candidates before selecting a police chief, said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, whose organization has consulted on numerous police chief searches.

"Selecting a police chief is the most important appointment a mayor can make," Wexler said. "With the changes in policing, that appointment really takes on enormous significance. You want to actively recruit the best and the brightest, and that can be from inside and from outside."

Maria Haberfeld, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, cautioned that numerous potential pitfalls await any new chief in Baton Rouge set on pushing significant change  not least of which is likely the city's police union. Disagreements with the union played a key role in toppling Dabadie's predecessor, Dwayne White, and Haberfeld said antagonizing the rank-and-file can make a chief's job untenable.

While both BRPD union representatives and Broome have said they are committed to working with each other, they have not met since the new mayor was elected in December. The union endorsed two different Republicans running against Broome.

+11 How realistic are mayoral candidates' plans for BRPD? The Baton Rouge Police Department is one of the most frequent topics on the mayoral campaign

They also already have different philosophies on some aspects of policing. For example, Broome has indicated she is open to more civilian oversight of police. And Broome said she intends to search far and wide for the next chief, while the union would prefer that the next chief come from within BRPD's ranks.

"I can't tell you that a candidate from outside wouldn't be successful, but I think the probability of having success increases if they'd come from within because they're emotionally invested in the city and they understand our system," said Sgt. Bryan Taylor, president of the Baton Rouge Union of Police.

Taylor said the union doesn't intend to dictate who's selected as chief, but he pointed toward Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Sheriff David Clarke Jr.  an outspoken and colorful lawman who gained national notoriety while stumping for President-Elect Donald Trump  as an example of a potentially attractive outside candidate for the department.

The union fought to defeat a number of policy proposals at the Metro Council in recent months, including a controversial residency requirement and a community advisory board for BRPD. Taylor said the nationally accredited department is already a top-flight agency, but added the union would be open to working on specific proposed changes.

Another potential challenge facing any new appointee is that the current civil service system gives Baton Rouge police chiefs little latitude to pick top lieutenants or move promising young officers up the ranks. Promotions are based almost solely on seniority, something about which Dabadie and past chiefs have frequently complained.

State law allows for leadership to hand-pick deputy chiefs, but funding constraints mean that Baton Rouge has so far created only one such position.

The result, Haberfeld said, is that chiefs have less leeway to remake the department and change the culture than some might imagine.

"No matter how many reforms you institute, you're going to run into problems," Haberfeld said. "It's not like a private company when you can bring in someone from outside and get rid of people. In policing, it's much more complicated."

Taylor, the union leader, acknowledged that the seniority based system had limitations and said chiefs should have more flexibility to pick their own inner circle of commanders. But Taylor said the current system also ensures all officers are treated fairly and guards against what he called a "good ol' boy" system that prevails at some sheriff's departments, where all employees are hired at-will.

Broome said she should have a "significant update" by the end of January on her search to replace the chief. She said she's reaching out to people across the country, soliciting information from trade groups and looking for a reform-minded chief willing to make community policing a priority.

She hopes for a leader willing to make "courageous and bold steps toward transforming the police department." She said she expects to help sell the idea of leading BRPD to candidates who she finds exciting and to make the case for them to come here.

"There are a lot of leaders who are attracted, sometimes, to a challenge," Broome said. She said the public safety transition committee co-chaired by state Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, is studying salary levels and whether a future chief would need to earn more money. Dabadie earned $147,000 in 2016.

+3 'A delicate line': BR police chief thrust into spotlight amid shooting tragedies When Carl Dabadie Jr. got the call all police chiefs dread, he was deep in the throes of one

Once a sporadically discussed topic at the Baton Rouge Metro Council, wholesale policy changes at the police department became a major issue in the fall elections after the July 5 fatal shooting of Alton Sterling by a city policeman sparked days of demonstrations and placed the city under national scrutiny. That shooting is under federal investigation, but some residents and civic leaders argued that it showed the need for change at the department.

Those calls for change also became a regular pledge during Broome's campaign. In her first news conference after the election, Broome announced the launch of a search for Dabadie's replacement.

For Dabadie, there are personal stakes even beyond keeping his job. Through a government retirement program that lets cops and other public workers earn retirement pay while still working, he stands to lose up to $370,000 in additional compensation if he retires before maxing out his contributions to a deferred retirement plan in July 2019. But it appears unlikely that Broome is willing to wait anywhere near that long before bringing in her own choice to head the department.

Dabadie, in an interview just before the New Year, declined to comment on his future plans other than saying he planned to meet with Broome to work toward a resolution to the situation.

But if Dabadie and Broome cannot reach a deal, it would not be the first time that a disagreement between the BRPD chief and the mayor-president boiled over into a public back-and-forth.

Dabadie rose to lead BRPD following a bitter controversy between former Mayor-President Kip Holden and Holden's previous chief, Dwayne White, in 2013. Holden quickly soured on White and fired him for alleged insubordination. White also did not get along with the union.

White hired a lawyer and planned to appeal his termination to the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service board, as he was also protected by civil service classifications that say the mayor-president cannot fire or demote the police chief without cause. But White walked away before he went through the full appeal process, saying he would not want to work with Holden even if the case turned out in his favor.

When Holden hired Dabadie as his next chief, Dabadie took on a more reserved demeanor than his predecessor. Fellow law enforcement officers and political leaders generally get along with the career Baton Rouge lawman.

Both State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson and East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore, III consider him to be a close personal friend and a trusted coworker. Edmonson pointed to drops in crime during Dabadie's time as chief, calling him outstanding at his job.

"If I were to look for a chief to replace Chief Dabadie, I would look for someone with all of his qualities, both personally and professionally," Moore said.
After more than two years as a wanted man, 21-year-old Plug Lanaute was in jail Saturday in connection with a 2014 double murder in Baton Rouge.

Plug Lanaute, 21, was booked just before noon on Saturday on two counts of first-degree and one count of armed robbery.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office received information that Lanaute was in California, according to spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks. She said that authorities in California arrested Lanaute after coordinating with the Louisiana State Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit.

It wasn't clear Saturday how long Lanaute had been in California. Booking records at Parish Prison listed his address as 8511 Rush Ave. in Baton Rouge.

Lanaute's two alleged partners, both of St. Gabriel, were arrested in November 2014. Charles Lanaute and Darrius Miller were charged with second-degree murder and armed robbery.

According to the affidavit for Plug Lanaute's arrest, the three men went to a Gardere Lane apartment to sell marijuana on May 18, 2014. Investigators say Plug Lanaute and Miller then went to another apartment upstairs, robbing the residents and shooting two men.

Orok Ironbar Jr., 32, died of gunshot wounds at the scene while Russell Celestine, 31, died later in the hospital, according to the report.

Investigators say Charles Lanaute told them after his arrest that he saw Plug Lanaute shoot one of the victims. The Advocate has previously reported that Charles and Plug Lanaute are cousins.
Gov. John Bel Edwards is urging Congress to keep Medicaid expansion as it edges closer toward a repeal of the federal Affordable Care Act.

More than 374,000 Louisiana residents have enrolled in Medicaid since the expansion took effect in July. Edwards, a Democrat, has often noted his executive order expanding eligibility for the health care program as one of his most significant actions since taking office last January.

"Given its success in Louisiana and across the country, I strongly believe that any health care plan Congress considers must retain expansion to ensure access to coverage for the millions of working Americans who need it most," Edwards wrote in a letter to U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who had requested input from governors.

Bolstered by the elections of Donald Trump as president and GOP-dominated U.S. House and Senate chambers, Republicans have set out to dismantle President Barack Obama's signature health care law, which made expansion possible to cover thousands of mostly working poor Louisiana residents.

Adults who make below 138 percent of the federal poverty level  about $33,500 a year for a family of four or $16,200 for a single adult  are among the newly eligible population.

Louisiana road to Medicaid expansion long, winding but finally here Against all odds, Louisiana has become the 31st state  perhaps more noteworthy, the first s

Previously, childless adults were not eligible for Medicaid in Louisiana, and the income restrictions for people with children were tighter.

"Louisiana faces the dual challenges of being a state with some of the highest numbers of low-income working people who also experience the poorest health outcomes in the nation," Edwards wrote in his letter to the GOP leader. "Providing health coverage and access is the first step toward better disease management that will result in a healthier workforce and improve health outcomes for people."

"The evidence is clear that Medicaid expansion has already been life-changing, and life saving, for thousands of Louisianians," he added.

Stats provided by the Louisiana Department of Health show that among the newly-enrolled population, 58 cases of breast cancer and 45 cases of colon cancer have been detected, with those people now obtaining treatment. Additionally, 47,425 adults have sought preventive care and 852 have been newly-diagnosed with diabetes and are now being treated.

Congress, entering a new term this week, has set out to repeal the federal health care law, commonly referred to as Obamacare, and replace it with health care system that has yet to be fully identified.

In his letter to GOP leaders, Edwards urges them to "make stability a top priority."

"With an issue as important as health care, it is imperative tha we get it right and avoid unintended consequences, even if it takes time," he wrote. "There is just too much at state."

The Washington Times reported last month that the House GOP leaders planned to seek input from the nation's governors as they navigate those efforts.

Working as a team, with your help and creative ideas, we can achieve our mutual goal of putting patients first, McCarthy wrote in a letter asking state officials to weigh in by the end of this week.

The Sacramento Bee further reports that the letter extended an invitation to all governors and insurance commissioners from every state to discuss health care ideas with Congressional leaders sometime early this year.

Read Edwards' entire letter here.
The old story about the Three Wise Monkeys perhaps explains why state Sen. Eric LaFleur passed on a U.S. Senate run and might pass on a state treasurer candidacy later this year.

Seems a lot of hearing no evil, seeing no evil, and speaking no evil has occurred for years, even decades, in Evangeline Parish, particularly in the parish seat of Ville Platte. Turns out that the citys police and parish deputies regularly locked up people and hid the key for days without charging them of any crime, well past both constitutional and state statutory standards.

This unconstitutional and illegal practice caught the attention of the wider world when the U.S. Department of Justice investigated the matter. But around this corner of Acadiana, law enforcement and those associated with it knew it as an open secret.

And they now all play dumb about it. Ville Platte Police Chief Neal Lartigue, in office since 2007, said he had no idea the practice violated the Fourth Amendment. By implication, nor did any of his officers, who he said engaged in what he called customary behavior of long standing. Sheriff Eddie Soileau, in office since 2008, literally was mute on the matter, refusing to comment on the practice.

By law, all Peace Officer Standards and Training Council certified officers  by definition including all elected law enforcement officials  undergo at least 8 hours of continuing education each calendar year on legal issues and optional matters. These agency heads also deal with questions of legal arrests and detentions on a daily basis, interact with their officers (who in many cases also must undergo POST training), and surely read law enforcement literature that addresses this issue. It is inconceivable that these veteran elected officials did not know something taught in a basic American Government or Introduction to Criminal Justice college course.

That others who dealt with these law enforcement agencies on a regular basis did not know also defies belief. Alex Chapman, Jr., the parish public defender, said he had no inkling of the widespread nature of the activity  around 900 such incidents over a recent three-year period  since authorities would not book the victims. But his clientele under arrest surely would have talked to him about what they undoubtedly knew from their own experiences as witnesses rounded up without notice or legitimate cause or from knowing others who had been.

Then theres LaFleur, who not only serves as a legislator for the area but also works as a municipal bond attorney and as Ville Plattes city attorney. Before his 17-year stint representing his hometown, he prosecuted felonies in Orleans Parish. His words of wisdom on this matter consisted of I think, in large part, they didn't know that they had a problem and, I just don't see it as widespread as maybe the report would make it sound, figuring sloppy record-keeping explained most of the questionable detentions.

So LaFleurs asking us to believe that in all those years involved with the city as an attorney and representing it in the Legislature he never heard of or at least considered as a problem something he surely knew was unconstitutional and illegal? Really?

LaFleur might have been the Democrats best hope to win the U.S. Senate seat that went to Republican John Kennedy. Recent talk has abounded that term limits on LaFleurs present spot could vault him into the race to replace Kennedy as treasurer. Just as the roles of Lartigue and Soileau need further investigation in this matter, LaFleur  especially if he takes the plunge for treasurer  will need to explain further his actions regarding this controversy.
Regarding your recent article, "In Evangeline Parish arrest scandal, civil liberties took back seat to decades of tradition": If you live in rural America, as I have for a substantial part of my life, you quickly learn that everyone in these communities knows what everyone else is doing.

Yet, based on the story, not a single person knew that the local sheriff and police were in effect imprisoning people because  they felt like it. Except for one FBI agent. Hundreds of times over three years, this was done. Yet, in a parish with a population of 33,000, no one knew or thought there was a problem. Remarkable.

The Ville Platte police chief did not know there was a constitutional problem. Likewise, the local state senator and Ville Platte city attorney. Same for the parish's public defender. I guess it was just a little misunderstanding or, perhaps, ignorance of the law.

The U.S. Justice Department investigation report, under the heading The Path Forward, suggests reform is required and specifies policy development, training, data collection and community outreach. Heres the question that your article does not answer: Why are these police and sheriffs office officials and officers not under arrest?

William Scott

professional engineer

Harahan
Somewhat like Brigadoon, the village of Broadway musical fame that reemerges for a short time every century or so, you have to drive down a misty road off the main highway to reach the once-idyllic town of Saint Joseph.

Isolated along the Mississippi River in northeast Louisiana, quaint antebellum homes line a market green that was built in 1843. Before last months discovery that nearly a quarter of the town had tap water laced with unsafe levels of lead, the last time St. Joseph was noticed was when Ulysses S. Grant crossed the river on his way to capturing Vicksburg.

This reemergence, however, brings an ominous warning of yet another long-ignored expense for Louisiana taxpayers.

St. Josephs water has run brownish out of the tap for years, as it has in as many as 400 Louisiana towns, raising all sorts of safety concerns. All these towns are small, impoverished, predominantly minority, and cant afford to maintain the infrastructure needed to deliver water, safe and pure.

The only difference with these other towns is that St. Joseph has attracted more attention, the former four-term mayor, Edward Brown, said on his last day in office.

Since the December tests discovered lead, state taxpayers are giving every person in St. Joseph three liters of water per day and an $8 million makeover for the 90-year-old water system.

Cecile Evans recalls that a generation ago her hometown was where farmers came on Saturday do some shopping and catch a movie. Nowadays, the theater is gone and much of the main street is pock-marked with boarded-up shops.

The standard of living took a nose dive when farming became corporate and mechanized. St. Josephs median household income in 2015 was $16,923 as compared to $54,774 in Baton Rouge and $51,939 nationwide, according to the Census Bureau.

Without a tax base, towns like St. Joseph routinely delay spending on maintenance, a practice that is now coming back to haunt them, says Lady Carlson, a Together Louisiana advocate who helped bring St. Josephs plight to the Legislatures attention and now is focusing on the water problems in the other forgotten communities.

We have trouble getting people from Baton Rouge and New Orleans to go to places like Lake Providence. Its too far away. Its in the hinterlands. So they just get ignored, Carlson said. Together Louisiana, a coalition of clergy and community groups, entered the fray last year at the request of the Episcopal Church.

Archdeacon Bette J. Kauffman, of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana, had been driving down from Monroe over the years to officiate at the 160-year-old church, which now only attracts 20 or so parishioners each Sunday. She started sending young volunteers to work in the town.

And thats where the matter would have stayed if one of Kaufmans volunteers hadnt lost his temper a year ago this week. Wanting a morning shower, a bleary-eyed Garrett Boyte turned the tap on in the 175-year-old rectory and only a rusty mud came out.

Boyte was told the water was safe  manganese and iron caused the discoloration. You see what it does to the bathtub and you know you dont want to put that in your body, he said.

An Oak Grove native who is studying for the priesthood at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., Boyte posted a video of muddy-water that got picked up by the NowThis social media news platform.

This all happened as the Flint water crisis came to a head. In Michigan, the jugs of discolored water from aging pipes evolved into lead readings and an emergency declaration by President Barack Obama in January 2016. Boytes images went viral.

But St. Josephs problem is not isolated. Doing the math on his fingers, Boyte last calculated that repairing the infrastructure will cost taxpayers about $2.4 billion if one accepts that 300 other Louisiana towns  the low end of the estimate  need similar repairs.

People are not going to send their hard-earned money to some Podunk town theyve never heard of before, Boyte said. That worries me.

Jan Moller, head of the Louisiana Budget Project, sees little choice.

Years and years of deferred maintenance have left Louisiana public colleges needing $1.6 billion in repairs, while highways and bridges need another $12.7 billion to catch up.

But this problem trumps them all.

Its one thing if its a library needing a coat of paint. Its quite another if the water is not safe, Moller said. Theres probably no greater obligation of government than to make to make sure children are not poisoned by drinking the water.
Go to 60th Street in Franklin, just south of Oakwood Road, and youll find a patch of farmland and a bridge over the Root River, which for the moment is covered in snow and ice.

The area is nondescript. It looks no different than countless other scenes throughout Wisconsin.

But in the coming years, if all goes according to plan, the spot will be the focal point of a change that will have repercussions throughout Racine County  repercussions that will be good or bad, depending upon ones perspective.

That part of the Root is where a pipe will deposit treated wastewater from the City of Waukesha, which will then wind through the eastern part of Racine County, into the City of Racine and eventually Lake Michigan.

But the fight isnt over for opponents of that plan, approved last summer as part of the City of Waukeshas successful push for Lake Michigan water. An appeal will be heard later this year, and legal action could follow after that.

We believe that a mistake was made by approving the diversion, David Ullrich, executive director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, told more than a dozen Great Lakes-area journalists on Friday. To allow that to stand would be harmful ... in the long term.

Full speed ahead

Under the plan approved last June by a Great Lakes governing body, Waukesha will divert an average of 8.2 million gallons of Lake Michigan water per day, returning all of the water to the lake via the Root.

Speaking at a workshop organized by the Montana-based Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources, Ullrich declined to get into specifics about possible next steps. But he took issue with the diversion approval and how the governing body, called the Great Lakes Compact Council, proceeded.

The argument is really about whether or not the process, the substance and the standards were flawed enough to basically undermine the decision, Ullrich said Friday afternoon at Racine City Hall, 730 Washington Ave.

The compact, which is made up of representatives from all eight Great Lakes states, will hear oral arguments as part of an appeal later this year. Ullrich said that could come in March. If the council denies the appeal, the issue could wind up in federal district court, he said.

But for Waukesha, its full speed ahead, said Dan Duchniak, general manager of the Waukesha Water Utility. The city has hired engineering consultants and is in the infancy stages of design. Construction is still at least a few years away.

We dont anticipate construction beginning  actual shovels in the ground  until 2019, Duchniak said earlier Friday during a presentation at the utility, 115 Delafield St., Waukesha.

We are very confident in the process that was utilized, both from the state perspective and from the regional body perspective, he added. We are confident that theyve done everything responsibly and that the decision was made in an open, transparent forum with all the information available to everyone.

The city is working on getting funding and updating project costs, as an earlier $206 million estimate was based on 2010 dollars. Theres also the matter of getting an extension on a court order dictating Waukesha comply by 2018 with federal and state water standards (problems with radium were a driving force in the citys quest for lake water).

Theres a penalty per day, per well thats not in compliance, Duchniak said. Those penalties can be significant.

Everyones aware that were trying to address this for the long term, so Im fairly confident that were going to be able to get an extension. Its just a matter of figuring out how long that extension needs to be.

My people are afraid

After a tour of Waukeshas water treatment plant, where officials laid out in detail how water is treated and cleaned before it is discharged, Duchniak argued that clean water will flow down the Root and improve, not harm, the river.

It will lower concentrations of phosphorous and suspended solids, he said, adding the water will flow away from popular North Beach after its emptied into the lake.

The base flow in the Root River has declined over the years due to development, due to land changes, said John Skalbeck, a University of Wisconsin-Parkside professor of geosciences. You can think about this (Waukesha) return flow as an artificial remedy to that base flow problem.

Those in Racine, though, will have to see it to believe it. Mayor John Dickert questioned who will monitor the treated wastewater and pay for the monitoring, saying the city has a lot at stake if the river is ultimately harmed.

Anyone can argue all they want, Dickert said at City Hall as the workshop concluded. All I know is my people are afraid.
As the Trump era dawns, Republican lawmakers up in Washington are tackling the long-promised repeal of the Affordable Care Act with a remarkable sense of urgency, even though there's nothing like a consensus on what would replace it, and their repeal-first-replace-later strategy would surely send a vast swath of the economy into chaos.

If only they approached a more existential threat to the country  and more immediately, to coastal Louisiana  with such urgency.

Even after eight years under an administration that made curtailing climate change and the sea level rise it invariably produces a top priority, the situation is becoming ever more dire. And no place in America is more vulnerable to the threat than Louisiana's disappearing coast.

That's a key take-away from the state's newly released Coastal Master Plan, the first update since 2012.

Strikingly, the plan's worst-case scenario five years ago, human-caused sea level rise of 1.48 feet by 2065, is now listed as the most optimistic prediction. And while scientists acknowledge that a list of other factors contribute to coastal land loss, sea level rise has gotten their attention as the main culprit.

Those projections translate into a higher cost to save what can be saved, from an original estimate of $50 billion to a current projection of $92 billion, according to a Tulane University study.

And they translate into less hope that land loss can be stopped or reversed. Unlike previous versions, the draft plan no longer projects that the state will be building more land than it's losing by 2065. Under the worst-case scenario, 2,800 square miles of coast could disappear in the next 40 years, and roughly 27,000 buildings may need to be floodproofed, elevated or bought out. And that's assuming the state does everything else right.

When we put those (sea level) forecasts into the models, theres less we can accomplish, said Bren Haase, head of planning and research at the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, to the Lens' Bob Marshall.

The new report, which will have to be adopted by the Legislature, comes at a time when those who are focused on climate change are alarmed over the incoming Trump administration's blase attitude toward the threat.

Donald Trump has dismissed the idea of human-caused climate change as a hoax, although he's also occasionally backed off that characterization. He's promised to roll back climate efforts that President Barack Obama enacted under executive order and to pull out of the Paris climate agreement aimed at reducing the worldwide output of greenhouse gases. Key cabinet appointees view government efforts to curtail the problem with hostility, deeming them anti-business, particularly when it comes to the fossil fuel industry that provides so many jobs and holds so much sway in Louisiana.

You'd think the people representing the area, mostly Republicans who wholeheartedly backed the new president, might be at least a little bit conflicted over the situation. If so, they're not showing it. They're too busy cheering the incoming administration on.

The thinking behind that attitude, though, is as shortsighted as the sentiment behind a quick repeal of the Affordable Care Act, with only a vague promise that what eventually replaces it will be cheaper and better and will include everything people like about the plan and nothing they don't.

Which isn't to say the attitude couldn't hurt the state in the nearer term. Louisiana lawmakers routinely push for federal help in attacking coastal loss. Climate change also affects the price tag of the National Flood Insurance Program, which is up for reauthorization this year.

It's clear from the new report, as it has been for a long time, that Louisiana needs help from the rest of the country to meet challenges brought on by climate change. It would sure help if the state's congressional delegation made a priority of tackling the forces  even the politically inconvenient ones  that endanger it in the first place.
Several members of the Jefferson Parish School Board said Monday they should have been better informed about the parish school systems effort
James Gill: Tensions hit new high in New Orleans' Criminal District Court, with no truce in sight
Baptist Care Australia has got the green-light to redevelop its aged care facility in Red Hill, ending a four-year battle with neighbours.

The original application was lodged with ACT planning in 2010, and was twice rejected before Baptist Care took it to the ACT tribunal.

Melissa Bennett represented the neighbours who opposed the developmen. Credit:Karleen Minney

The case travelled to the ACT Supreme Court, before ending back at the tribunal, which said last month the plans could go ahead - albeit with some changes made in the intervening period.

The 22,600 square metre block is on Hicks Street, and shares a border with St Bede's Primary School. It was developed in the 1960s as Morling Lodge, an aged care site with 18 independent living units and a nursing home for 105 residents.
The Listies 6D. Written and directed by and starring: Richard Higgins and Matt Kelly. The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. January 12 at 2pm, January 13 and 14 at 10.30am and 2pm. Tickets $27.50, family of four $100. theq.net.au or 6285 6290.

Matt Kelly has found fame and fortune as one half of the children's comedy duo The Listies with co-writer and fellow performer Richard Higgins. But Kelly got his start as a performer in Canberra - more on that soon.

Matt Kelly, left, and Richard Higgins, with moustache, performing as The Listies. Credit:Prudence Upton and Sydney Opera House

Bringing a show to the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre is a bit of a homecoming for Kelly, who still has extended family in Canberra. It's the duo's first time at the Q and their first time in the ACT region since a show at the Canberra Theatre a couple of years ago and Kelly is looking forward to coming back.

They'll be performing The Listies 6D - "It's twice as good as 3D," Kelly says.
RACINE  Union Pacific has temporarily repaired part of the railroad crossing at DeKoven Avenue, a spokesperson has confirmed.

According to Calli Hite, Union Pacifics director of corporate communications, repair crews did some asphalt repairs last week at the problematic crossing because they were already there to replace a broken rail. The process is called cold patching, because it can be done in cold temperatures, but isnt employed very often.

This is a temporary solution, which is why is it not broadly used, Hite said.

Hite added that Union Pacific has been in touch with the city and plans to do a full repair at both the Washington Avenue and DeKoven crossings in the spring. At the beginning of summer 2016, Union Pacific representatives told city Public Works Commissioner Mark Yehlen that those two projects would be completed during that construction season.

Weve received a number of complaints, particularly after we told people it was going to be fixed (last) summer, Yehlen said. People were understandably expecting to see some work, and so were we.

Yehlen confirmed that Union Pacific has contacted him recently, nearly immediately after the publication of a Journal Times report in which he said that the railroad company was not returning calls from his office. Adrian Guerrero, a public affairs manager for the company, contacted Yehlen and told him to reach out to him if he ever needed anything.

He was going to contact track maintenance people to make sure it got done as soon as possible, Yehlen said.

Yehlen correctly assumed that the recent repairs to the DeKoven crossing were merely temporary.

I strongly suspect that this is going to only be temporary repairs to get them to the construction season, he said.

That said, Yehlen is happy that the lines of communication between Union Pacific and the city have re-opened and at least some work is getting done.

Theyre two months late, more like six months late, he said. At the same time, Im not going to complain about it.
Coastal holiday homes close to Sydney and Melbourne are bouncing back after years of zero or sluggish growth following the global financial crisis.

Holiday homes on Victoria's famed Great Ocean Road and beachside dwellings on NSW's coast have all been boosted by the wealth effect of surging prices in inner-city property markets.

Interest in holiday home properties on the NSW and Victorian coasts is on the rise after years of stagnation. Credit:Paul Harris

Australian Property Monitors data shows prices in Sydney's summer sanctuary for the rich and famous, Palm Beach, rose 3.5 per cent over the year, with median values creeping up to $2.2 million this year.

Prices in Hawks Nest, further north of Sydney, a holiday favourite of former prime minister John Howard, have remained flat, but First National director John Rumble said traditional North Shore buyers were coming back into the market.
While traditional names of black South Africans tend to be carefully chosen for meaning, Noah says, many had English names often plucked at random by their parents, from the news of the time, leading to more than a few Mussolinis.

We meet this Hitler whipping a shanty-town crowd into an appreciative frenzy for his hip-hop moves, Noah  the South African comic and host of the US late night The Daily Show  lets us in on the explanation, yet another difference between black South Africa and the Western world.

Of all the lines in Trevor Noah's new memoir, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, that's one of his most arresting. Hitler, dance? Everyone knows he was partial to a victory jig, but a dancer?

And given the historically poor education given to anyone other than privileged whites, many didn't appreciate Hitler for what he was, other than someone who the whites needed black help to fight. In other words, someone tough.

"If you want your kid to be tough, you name your kid Hitler," Noah writes. "There's a good chance you've got an uncle named Hitler. It's just a thing."

Noah's book is one of those random choices for a summer reading list that ends up being the surprise delight, the most treasured of an otherwise carefully chosen-by-recommendation list. It's equal parts revealing, sad, funny, and extraordinary  his mother was shot in the head by her husband and lived; he was locked up on car theft charges, and now is one of the world's most successful comedians. It is a rare memoir by someone not yet 40 which is worth reading.

There is one aside which caused me to dog-ear the page, and I never dog-ear pages of hardcover books; a casually included comparison to part of his early life as a hustler, mainly of pirated music, but if it paid, selling anything would do.

It's this: "Hustling is to work what surfing the Internet is to reading. If you add up how much you read in a year on the Internet  tweets, Facebook posts, lists  you've read the equivalent of a shit ton of books, but in fact you've read no books in a year."
Previously the data was matched by human beings, who would check with beneficiaries and their employers to verify what had happened. By taking better account of all the possible circumstances, they were more accurate. But of course they were slower and, being human, expensive.

This is a complicated process. For someone relying on Centrelink but also occasionally finding part-time or casual work, income will vary widely from week to week. One fortnight's income, extrapolated out to an annual figure, may look substantial; but the Centrelink client may earn nothing for the next six weeks or more.

By trawling through the files of Centrelink clients, and matching their records with income reported to the Australian Taxation Office, the computers found - or thought they had found - thousands of instances of overpayment.

For the Turnbull government these days, ineptitude comes in many forms, success in few. One of the latest examples where its performance has baffled the dwindling number of its supporters and brought smiles to the faces of its opponents is the decision to let Centrelink's computers loose on Australia's least wealthy and most vulnerable citizens in the weeks before Christmas.

The new system was introduced in July and since then, with the relentlessness and absence of tact which computers achieve without effort, has been sending letters of demand. According to the government, up to 20,000 letters are now sent each week, where previously 20,000 were sent in a year. Cue cries of genuine distress, against a background of carols, tinsel and fake snow, from dismayed welfare recipients.

We do not question the need for governments to keep their spending under control, to ensure scarce resources are spent only where they are needed, and that welfare recipients receive only the payments to which the rules entitle them. Without a doubt, some of those who received the letters of demand will have been paid too much and will quite rightly be expected to repay it.

But by no means all the recipients of the letters are in that position. Credible reports suggest very few are. An agile government might realise this, and act quickly to  if not rectify the situation, at least mitigate the damage the computer's obvious mistakes are doing to its reputation for competence. Malcolm Turnbull's ministers, however, are not known for their agility.



They have ploughed on regardless. Christian Porter, the Social Security Minister, who with the Treasurer, Scott Morrison, announced the system in July, has said the government will stick by the computer, even if the process does upset a minority of people. The Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, told the ABC he made no apology for "making sure that those who didn't need it, who got it, pay the money back".

But for the government that is precisely the problem: it cannot make sure that those who didn't need the money pay it back, because it does not know who needed it and who did not. The computer's assessments are not accurate enough to tell it. The opposition, meanwhile, believes it does know, and has been gleefully wheeling out victim after victim of the government's holiday-season callousness.
Robert Crawford Cheltenham The media are missing the point about Sussan Ley's taxpayer-funded trip to Brisbane. Why did she need to go there to make an announcement about Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme changes? She could have done that from a TV studio anywhere. Perhaps it was in a marginal electorate, in which case we are paying for party political travel.



Colin Simpson Menai As an age pensioner, I am sick of reading about how the politicians we Australians have elected choose to devise ways to get money back from Centrelink recipients, while at the same time gorging themselves from the money trough that their jobs provide.



Maybe it's time for all of this to be changed. History shows that other countries have done this via revolutions. One speculates if it is now time for Australian politicians to review their entitlements, and for a better and fairer system to be implemented.



Karen Eldridge Leichhardt I can imagine buying a $200 pair of shoes "on impulse", but a $795,000 apartment? Carolyn Wills Cremorne

I wonder if Sussan Ley has managed to negatively gear her new apartment yet  you know, like on an impulse.



Justin Brash Surry Hills We seem to have two-tier system for those that receive money from the public purse. Those that require help from Centrelink, who are vilified, threatened with prison and debt collectors and trashed by politicians, certain media groups and shock jocks, and politicians who think that the taxpayer should pay for their extravagant life style. We see the Minister for Heath able to bill us more than $4000 for air fares and accommodation for herself and spouse, why? We are constantly told by the Treasurer we are living beyond our means yet these parasites continue to flout the rules concerning travel expenses. It's time that these entitlements were reined in or stopped. If politicians want to gain the respect of the voter then they should use the cheapest form of travel and accommodation and every three months publish an itemised account of their expenses.

Will Ley receive a letter to ask her to refund the taxpayer these outrageous travel claims or face being sacked? Of course not, because they all do it. Robert Pallister Punchbowl "The Minister met with patients on the Gold Coast; however, because of patient confidentiality and sensitivity reasons she does not intend to provide any more information on this meeting."

Bronwyn Bishop lives!



Harry Williamson Federal I suspect Sussan Ley has just negatively geared her career. Bill Carpenter Bowral

What about pursuing large corporations over tax? Governments should make no apology for pursuing people's debts 'in the interest of the taxpayers' but they should apologise for pursuing people who have no payable debts. (No apology for debt clawback, says Joyce", January 7). Christian Porter says that the government will persist with this new Centrelink system even if it upsets a minority of people. He is not referring to people who are criminals but to some of the most vulnerable people in the country who are wrestling with a system which has been said to be a debacle on many levels. I don't suppose that this is the time to suggest that 'in the interest of taxpayers' the government pursues a few large corporations that are not paying taxes?



Lyn Savage Coogee Joyce had no qualms wasting an estimated $25.6 million of taxpayers money to move the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to his electorate. Yet he has the audacity to claim he is protecting taxpayers when he defends the government's atrocious data (mis)matching and debt collecting program.

Samantha Chung Newtown As a former assistant commissioner of taxation in the Australian Tax Office, allow me to ask a question. Of course, the misuse of the tax office data by Centrelink is reprehensible, but how is it that the ATO could allow this to happen? Making more than 3000 tax officers redundant might have contributed to it, as might the lack of vision of the commissioner and the other private sector cronies now common in the office. If so, it makes the ATO culpable in this disaster too.



John Passant Kambah (ACT) No apology for the Centrelink debt clawback, eh, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce? No problem, Joyce, as long as you don't mind us not apologising when we boot out your government at the next federal election.

Bruce Stafford Tascott

Short-stays: end unit residents' suffering Before and after it initiated a review of short-term holiday letting there have been consistent requests to the NSW government asking it to amend the state's strata legislation to give owners corporations the unequivocal power to adopt by-laws banning Airbnb-type uses within their own specific residential developments, provided a majority of individual owners agree. Jimmy Thomson's article ("Vandalism, dirty tricks, dodgy laws as Airbnb fight gets nasty", January 7-8). provides yet further, and forcefully compelling evidence, why this should have already happened and why it is critical for it to happen as soon as practicable . One reason why the government would refuse such a request would be if it had too many members who owned residential investment properties that were presently being used for such financially rewarding but socially unacceptable uses. But that couldn't possibly be the case, could it? Harvey Sanders Paddington

Jimmy Thomson does not exaggerate. Those who live in residential strata are cranky and suffering.



In our complex, over the break, the partying, loud music and yahooing in the pool from just one apartment meant sleepless nights for so many more. Our building manager checked the apartment on the internet and there it was, advertised for nightly lettings.



The occupants took no notice of his requests to cut back on the noise and to think of others. But they did offer the reassurance, "We'll be gone in two days' time". What can we expect next?



John Hutchinson Waterloo Too-busy Morrison Keith Hardie (Letters, January 7-8) bemoans the fact that Scott Morrison usually doesn't reply to letters. Like Hardie, I too am an elector in Morrison's seat of Cook and have long ago given up on ever receiving a reply from our local member.



Morrison is presumably provided with paid staff to work in his electorate office. If he doesn't reply to letters from his electors one can only wonder how they fill their day. Crosswords? Knitting? Tiddlywinks?



James Prior Sylvania Waters The art of trumping

After reading the weekend SMH, I am convinced that Donald Trump should change his surname to "Trumputin" ("Putin's team seen toasting Trump win", "Trump's Russian bromance", "Trump and the post-truth world", January 7-8) The new name can then be used as a verb, for example instead of saying "I will trump you" one can say "I will trumputin you". Or it can be used as a noun, for example, by saying "we are living in an age of "trumputinism" or "I am opposed to "trumputinism, and hopefully, sooner rather than later, we will be living in a post-trumputin world". Geoffrey Williamson Woollahra Violence begets violence

That the Ultimate Fighting Championship can take place in modern Australia demeans our standing as a civilised nation ("Brutal sport leaves tragic legacy", January 7-8). What hope is there of ever ending the scourge of domestic violence when some 56,000 people in one of our greatest cities will pay to watch an appalling spectacle that has every appearance of a legally sanctioned incitement to violence.



Bernard Weaver Gymea Mindless driving There are already thousands of driverless cars on the roads, particularly on freeways ("Driverless cars: if a robot is given a choice, who will die in a car crash?", January 7-8). Tasks such as lane changing and overtaking trucks at 110km/h-plus on cruise control are no longer top of mind when even the person at the wheel is concentrating on GPS, WiFi music, hands-free mobiles and other mind-sapping distractions. The actions quickly become virtual random decisions. When people can't even remember their credit card passwords at a supermarket checkout, what chance do they have of becoming the default option driver when the computer declares, "Error in updating, please renew your interest in living."

John Ward Bangor Man of character Min English (Letters, January 7-8) should indeed be proud of her father, Jon. I had a colleague who was a member of Jon's school rock band at Cabramatta High School. He told me how the band continued as a part-time group long after Gentleman Jon had left to become famous. Jon used to come back and join them for a few weeks every Christmas holidays. They had no trouble getting gigs with Jon in the band. I asked my friend how they split the fees. Equal shares to each band member. Truly "Gentleman Jon". Graham Tucker Kiama Life's like that

Denis Wolff (Letters, January 7-8) reminded me of an unfortunate but ironic event at a pensioners' Christmas party where I was playing piano accompanying my late dad on sax. One old chap suffered a heart attack so the music stopped while attempts were made to revive him. After the man was taken away by ambulance, we noticed the next tune up was Enjoy yourself (It's later than you think). We didn't play it. Peter Cowan Mount Keira Can't hear  if only Not since Trainwreck has a dud movie been more aptly named (Letters, January 7-8). All you want to do for the duration of La La Land is close your eyes, put your fingers in your ears, and sing loudly "La La La La". Alicia Dawson Balmain

Stupid is as stupid does is the lesson George Fishman (Letters, January 7-8) thinks Malcolm Roberts is self-evidently not a "village idiot" because he has two university degrees, while New Zealand MP Kelvin Davis is because he merely has a teaching diploma.



Perhaps he thinks there is some sort of sliding scale of village idiocy that can be applied to people simply by looking at their tertiary qualifications.



I think George needs to reflect carefully on that exquisitely perceptive aphorism, stupid is as stupid does.



Michael Hinchey New Lambton George Fishman, I am reminded of a quote by the late, great Groucho Marx: "He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot."



John Collins Loftus Thank you, George Fishman, for pointing out that you can have two degrees and still be the village idiot. Anthony Malivanek Bray Park

Hunting for bug game Given that Nick Jarvis is serving up a native species, won't he need a hunting licence ("Cockroach canapes," January 7-8)?



Dave Horsfall North Gosford A blank line!!!! Since exclamation marks are nearly always edited out in these pages (Postscript, January 7-8), I would not object to you putting my name under a blank line. Meredith Williams Dee Why
Viola Davis at the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards in LA on Sunday. Credit:Getty Images

Ryan Seacrest struck again when speaking to Viola Davis, who is up for best supporting actress for her role in Fences.

"What colour is this?" he asked.

"Yellow," she told him.

Riveting stuff.

In other news, she also revealed that her speech scene in the critically acclaimed Broadway show-turned-film took almost two dozen takes but she had plenty of practice.

"We did 114 performances in New York, so there's good rehearsal, and we performed in Pittsburgh. But that one speech that I did, I did 23 times," she said.

"We had to get different angles, different shots. I remember at one point I was like, 'I'm tired' and Denzel [Washington] was like, 'We gotta keep going.'"
Rox Subramany was a struggling Sydney mother and proud Catholic Church employee whose lifelong commitment to her faith had never wavered.

In her own words: "I live my life with God's help and direction."

Rox Subramany, with her 10-year-old daughter: "I felt unsafe. I thought I was going to be physically attacked." Credit:Wolter Peeters

Yet when she reached out to church superiors in her own hour of need and complained of how she had fallen victim to violent, workplace bullying, not only was she abruptly terminated by email, she was stripped of her much cherished, voluntary duties as a baptism co-ordinator.

In her termination letter, which made no reference to her bullying claims, she was advised the decision was not a reflection of her "individual performance" but more an outcome that addressed "challenges" raised through an internal audit result and the arrival of a new priest.
An Ipswich man has been charged after a woman was sexually assaulted in her home on Sunday morning.

Police will allege the 46-year-old man entered a home at Brassall and sexually assaulted a young woman who had been sleeping, just before 9am.

A woman was sexually assaulted in her Ipswich home on Sunday. Credit:Glenn Hunt

The man fled from the address and was arrested a short time later.

He has been charged with a string of offences including sexual assault, assault occasioning bodily harm and torture.
Police are searching for a man armed with a gun after a robbery on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday morning.

The man threatened a staff member with a gun at a Currimundi pizza business about 1.30am, before fleeing with cash.

Police are investigating an armed robbery at Currimundi and want to speak to this man. Credit:Queensland Police Service

Detectives have released an image of a man who could assist with their ongoing investigation into the incident on Nicklin Way.

He is described as about 180-185 centimetres tall with a woollen jumper over his head and wearing a navy blue t-shirt and shorts. The man spoke with an Australian accent and a deep voice.
RACINE  In an ongoing effort to bring an inclusive playground to its school grounds, the Wadewitz Elementary School community will host a fundraising pasta dinner on Jan. 26.

According to Wadewitz Principal Chad Chapin, the school has been planning fundraisers for the new playground since last spring. The playground will be considered inclusive because it will more completely accommodate children with special needs, which comprise a significant population at Wadewitz, 2700 Yout St., Chapin said.

We have a high population of special ed students at this school and that includes students with physical limitations and some with cognitive disabilities, Chapin said. We want those students to have the same access as all of the students at our school.

Thus far, Chapin said the school has raised about $2,500 through two bake sales and a penny drive. The project could cost anywhere between $100,000 and $200,000, so the pasta dinner represents Wadewitzs attempts to ramp up its fundraising efforts.

Our approach is to see what sort of support we get within the first few months to see what a realistic goal might be, Chapin said. Within a few months I think well determine a goal and a specific version of the playground.

Tickets for the dinner, which will run from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26, are available for $10 at Wadewitz. Tickets will be available for $12 at the door of the event, which will take place at Infusinos Banquet Hall, 3201 Rapids Drive.

Chapin added that Racine Unified is supportive of the schools efforts and has helped the school set up a fundraising website, which went live Friday. Chapin is encouraging donations from across the community, since the playground will serve more than just Wadewitz students.

Were promoting this not just as playground for Wadewitz but as a playground for our community, Chapin said. This is something that can be used beyond the school hours.
Police who raided a home in Melbourne's north-west discovered they were in the lair of a grinch who had stolen some wildly expensive Christmas gifts.

Moonee Valley detectives executed a warrant at a house in Strathmore on Christmas Eve and discovered a stash of items they believe to have been stolen, including two monogrammed wallets and a handbag.

One of the stolen monogrammed wallets.

All three items are from luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton and the wallets are monogrammed with the initials A.D.A. and M.M.A.

The handbag sells for about $1700 and the wallets  unmonogrammed  go for about $1200
Next time you are stuck in heavy traffic on Melbourne's freeways, you might want to think twice before changing lanes to get ahead.

New research by VicRoads reveals the crash rate on Melbourne's freeway network surges sixfold in the peak, and many of the collisions are caused by our compulsive lane-changing habits.

While Melbourne drivers have no hang-ups about weaving in front of other vehicles to try and inch ahead, we are less generous when others seek to do the same to us. It's a selfish instinct that increases congestion and the likelihood of a crash, the research suggests.

VicRoads has studied the correlation between crashes and lane-changing behaviour on Melbourne's busiest freeway, the Monash.
The Andrews government could face further humiliation if lawyers for the teenagers locked up at Barwon Prison launch a fresh legal bid to remove their clients from the maximum-security facility.

Last month, Victoria's highest court ordered the state remove the children held at Barwon Prison because it deemed an adult jail was not suitable for the needs of children.

However, the teenagers will remain at the facility because the Andrews government reclassified the prison's Grevillea unit as a youth justice centre.

Seven more teenagers were moved to the reclassified Grevillea unit and Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre on Saturday after fresh rioting at the Parkville youth detention centre.
A Perth fisherman has warned other anglers to think twice before they dump their discarded fish hooks on the ground after his dog swallowed one at a popular Hillarys fishing spot.

Mike Diamond's dog Dude had to be sedated to have the hook - which also had four inches of fishing line attached - removed from the back of his throat after a regular fishing trip before Christmas turned into an emergency trip to the vet.

The hook lodged into the back of Dude's throat.

"My dog runs around on the rocks while I fish as he has done for the past ten years, he's never eaten any baits," Mr Diamond said.

"But this day, he came off the rocks and sat behind a colleague and I and started coughing and dry reaching.
An out-of-control blaze with flames up to six metres high in Upper Swan on Monday morning has been downgraded to a 'watch and act.'

The blaze started near the far eastern end of Copley Road about 7pm on Sunday.

Just after 12pm Monday, DFES downgraded the fire threat to 'watch and act.' As of 6pm Monday, the fire was contained but not controlled.

The watch and act warning applies for people in an area bounded from the intersection of Warbrook Road and Great Northern Highway, east to the Avon River, Wooroloo Brook, south to Connemara Drive East, west to Campersic Road, Camargue Drive, the Swan River and the intersection of Great Northern Highway and West Swan Road and east of Great Northern Highway, in Upper Swan and Brigadoon.
Dedicated drug and alcohol rehabilitation prisons have been proposed in a "radical" drug plan by West Australian Labor ahead of the March state election.

The plan also includes two new treatment centres in regional WA, an additional $2 million per year into existing treatment facilities, fast-tracked guardianship and administration applications, and increased roadside alcohol and drug testing.

WA Labor leader Mark McGowan said the state had the highest methamphetamine use in the country, with one in 25 people using the drug.

WA Labor leader Mark McGowan said the state had the highest methamphetamine use in the country, with one in 25 people using the drug.

"Rehabilitation prisons is a radical measure, it has never been done in Western Australia," he told reporters on Sunday.
Baghdad: Suicide bombs at two marketplaces in Baghdad, one of them claimed by Islamic State, killed at least 20 people on Sunday, police and medics said, the latest in a spate of militant attacks in the Iraqi capital that have left dozens dead.

In the first blast, the attacker drove an explosives-rigged car into a large vegetable market in the mainly Shi'ite district of Jamila, and detonated it after security forces opened fire to try to stop the vehicle, police sources said.

Citizens inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in Sadr City. Credit:AP

A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest blew himself up a few hours later at a market in the mostly Shi'ite Baladiyat district.

The first blast killed 13, and the second blast killed seven people. More than 50 were wounded.
Last week, video footage was released from a Dec. 19 incident involving a vehicle going over a retaining wall of the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee and plunging to the ground, killing Christopher Weber, the driver of the truck.

Its horrific to see and think about. What would be even worse is if this happened again.

The reality is that, if issues are not addressed, this could happen again all too easily.

A letter written last month to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation from state Reps. Christine Sinicki and Jonathan Brostoff, both D-Milwaukee, state Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, stated that many constituents have expressed concerns about the bridge.

The Hoan Bridge underwent reconstruction in 2014 and 2015. Since it reopened, people have expressed concerns that retaining walls are not high enough.

We have many constituents who drive over the Hoan Bridge as part of their daily commute, the letter from lawmakers stated. Some have remarked that the retaining walls seem too short to effectively restrain tall passenger vehicles like the truck Christopher Weber was driving. In fact, we recently heard from one constituent who noticed skid marks and bent guardrails on portions of the bridge, suggesting that other vehicles have come perilously close to tipping over the edge as well. It is concerning to think that these factors could combine someday to produce a larger accident, possibly sending multiple vehicles over the retaining wall.

Considering the gusting winds, slick ice and speeding drivers, another accident appears inevitable. The DOT should move quickly to address the issue of guardrails and retaining walls.

In the meantime, it should also address plowing concerns.

The letter also states: Our understanding is that the ramps of snow created by plowing toward the bridges outer walls may have contributed to the accident  by creating a gradient up the sides of the bridge.

To address this concern, lawmakers recommended that snowplows be directed to remove snow from the Hoan Bridge altogether when possible.

These issues need to be addressed  the sooner, the better.

The state has a road funding problem, but safety cannot be sacrificed.
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 08/01/2017 (2126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 38-year-old man died on Sunday morning after he was struck by a semi on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Steinbach RCMP were called to the scene of the fatal collision, about three kilometres east of Highway 12, around 6:10 a.m.

Police said a 42-year-old female driver was driving westbound in a pickup truck pulling a trailer, when she stopped to assist the man, whose own vehicle was stuck in the north ditch of the highway. Police indicated in a release on Sunday afternoon that most of the pickup truck and trailer was blocking the driving lane as the man approached the womans truck to speak with her at her passenger side window.

GRANT BURR | THE CARILLON The westbound lanes of the Trans-Canada Highway about three kilometres east of Highway 12 were closed on Sunday morning after fatal collision that claimed the life of a 38-year-old man.

Early investigation has found an westbound semi with dual trailers tried to take evasive action and avoid hitting the pickup truck by steering to the shoulder of the road. The semi-truck struck the rear of the pickup truck and the male who was standing beside the pickup. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The female driver, a RM of Ste Anne resident, was not hurt. The semi driver, a 70-year-old Quebec man and his 38-year-old male passenger were also uninjured.

A RCMP forensic collision reconstructionist and the RCMP criminal crash investigative team are assisting with the ongoing investigation.

UPDATE: Corrects eastbound traffic references to westbound.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/01/2017 (2127 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 45-year-old man was found dead inside his home east of Anola on Saturday morning, several hours after police closed a section of Highway 15 on Friday night.

Police emergency response team units could be seen leaving the City of Winnipeg and driving into the RM of Springfield around 9:15 p.m.

Police said in a release on Saturday afternoon that a report had been received of a man with firearms uttering threats to his family and police. The man was alone inside his home at the time, police said.

GRANT BURR | THE CARILLON RCMP police units gather on Airport Road, east of Anola, around midnight on Friday in response to a nearby report of a man uttering threats. A 45-year-old man was later found dead in his home, following a long standoff with police.

Oakbank RCMP along with the RCMP Emergency Response Team secured the area surrounding the home. The incident closed a short portion of Highway 15 for several hours from late Friday night to mid-morning on Saturday between Marsh Road and Queens Valley Road, just west of the highways intersection with Provincial Road 302.

Officers on scene at the road closure around midnight told The Carillon the incident remained a fluid situation.

Police said in the release they were able to enter the home on Saturday, where the man was found dead. The cause of death was not identified.

The investigation has been turned over to the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, which investigates all incidents involving police in which a death occurs.
On Friday, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain attended Pascua Militar, the traditional Epiphany Day celebrations at the Royal Palace in Madrid. Heres a look at what Letizia wore

The dress code for this event requires a long gown (but not a hat). Letizia wore a gorgeous dress with embroidered appliques.

Heres another good look at the patterns on the sleeves and down the sides of the gown.

Letizias jewelry for the event was, as per usual, a pair of bright earrings. She selected earrings by Coolook, a Spanish jewelry company that has quickly become one of her favorite brands.

Heres a close-up of the earrings. Theyre the brands Sarin earrings, made of amethyst and labradorite set in gold-plated silver. They retail for 143 euros.

Photo Credits: JUAN MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images, Borja Benito  Pool/Getty Images








ROSARITO, MexicoA week of protests in Mexico has devolved into looting, vandalism, and violence after a double-digit increase in gas prices that landed with a bang as the New Year began.

On Saturday, hundreds of protestors descended on the border dividing San Diego from Mexico, taking control of Mexican Customs and forcing a southbound border shutdown lasting several hours. Thousands of Mexicans returning home from California were forced to turn back toward the U.S. and seek out alternative border crossing points. And that was neither the worst nor the end of it.

These increasingly violent protests did not begin because of The Wall that U.S.-President-Elect Donald Trump will ask Congress to fund (for now), but they will certainly have an impact on the border he says he wants to defend. And the more he pressures Mexico economically, the worse its going to get.

Through the week, roads across Mexico were blocked by protesters and burning tires, thousands of businesses were ransacked, upward of 1500 peopleamong them, police officers were arrested, and at least five people were killed as furious citizens took to the streets following the more than 20 percent price gas hike.

The Mexican government has for years maintained artificially low gas prices in Mexico thanks to massive subsidies that are absorbed by the state, but as of this year that all changes. The cost of fuel will finally be adjusted to conform to real market value. The surge in gas prices is the just first major sign of changes to come, but certainly the most tangible so far.

And Mexicans, clearly, are not happy.

Dozens of videos have appeared online showing mass looting across the country in response to the gasolinazo, as the gas price surge is calledfrom Sinaloa and neighboring Puebla and Mexico State, all the way to the southernmost state of Chiapas, which shares its border with Guatemala.

In Chiapas, a mob of protesters freed half a dozenlikely Central Americanmigrants who were being held at a detention center on Wednesday. The demonstrators then set the immigration control center on fire before ransacking nearby stores.

In Veracruz, Governor Miguel Angel Yunes tried desperately to call for order at a local shopping center on Thursday, after a restive mob pillaged multiple businesses. He offered would-be thieves coupons for 500 pesos, roughly $23, to buy food if they desisted.

Veracruzanos are not thieves, he reminded the people of his state, the second most impacted by this weeks unrest. I am as upset as you are about the gasolinazo issue, but this is not the way to demonstrate.

In Mexico State, where the highest number of violent looting incidents have been reported, protesters reportedly tried to set a gas station on fire on Tuesday, hurling Molotov cocktails and shouting blow it up already.

On Wednesday, police officers in the state were caught on video filling up patrol cars with ransacked merchandise. Four officers have been fired and arrested as a result. But store owners armed themselves with sticks and metal rods in preparation for looters who still may come.

The Mexico City Chamber of Commerce blamed protesters for millions of dollars of revenue lost in the capital earlier in the week after roughly 20,000 businesses shuttered due to fear of violence. And upward of 9,000 police officers have been deployed just in Mexico City to quell this weeks chaotic protests.

Despite dozens of altercations and incidents, many of the protestsheld outside gas stations, rundown refineries, municipal buildings, and on highways and in city squares in at least 19 states across the countryhave been peaceful. Others, which began peacefully, are now turning for the worst, as tensions between authorities and citizens peak.

***

The president has called the gasolinazo, as the price increase is known, a necessary measure, but thousands of demonstrators in Mexico have resoundingly rejected the price increase, calling for renewed subsidies and slashed gas prices.

South of the California border, dozens of protesters in Rosarito managed to seize control of nearly a dozen tanker trucks this week, which they used to block access to the roads used by employees of Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemexthe historically state-owned oil monopolyto access the citys large energy plant. Roughly 200 protesters stationed at the beach town entrance since Monday peacefully demonstrated and collected signatures during the week.

But this weekend, those peaceful protests took a turn for the worse, as more than half a dozen federal police officers and protesters were run over by a demonstrator, who rammed his pickup into a small crowd of anti-riot police Saturday as protestors hurled large rocks at the authorities. Several journalists covering the disruption were beaten by authorities and arrested as a helicopter flew overhead searching for the fugitive demonstrator.

When I spoke to the protesters on Thursday, prior to the violence, they emphatically said they wanted to demonstrate pacifically, and were completely opposed to the looting and violence seen across the country.

We had seized 10 gas tankers, but then we had a talk with the employees at Pemex and returned almost all of them due to safety concerns, said a young part-time grocery clerk named Jonathan standing in front of two hijacked Pemex refueling trucks earlier in the week. Etched in the tankers dusty sides were slurs directed at the Mexican president and loosely scrawled anarchist symbols.

By Thursday, those demonstrators had returned all but two of the tankers to Pemex as a peace offering.

We kept the empty gas trucks, but gave the rest back because we didnt want anyone going near the full tankers smoking a cigarette, or something, said Jonathan. Its too dangerous.

This same group of demonstrators spread their message throughout the week by seizing toll booths on the nearby highways connecting Rosarito to Tijuana and the rest of Baja California, taking over the facilities and allowing dozens of vehicles to pass through for free.

About a dozen cars full of people [would] block the toll road, and when the window attendants saw us coming they let us take over. They lent us their chairs because we are being peaceful and not disrupting anything, the protester said, adding that they gave back one of the toll booths after some people lost focus of the objective and starting drag racing.

Lucia Vazquez, a retiree who volunteered to collect signatures, said on Thursday that a few thousand people had signed their petition, which they hoped would put pressure on the federal government.

They say that the economy is different here and that we dont have any poor people. But we do, and this affects us all. The cost of everything is going to go upfood, public transportationand it hits us the hardest in the north of the country, Vazquez said.

The plan to completely free up fuel prices in Mexico will continue in phases across the country from north to south throughout the year, until finally reaching the market rate in December of this year.

But the steep price increase will impact the poorest harder than anyone. The cost of one gallon of gasoline in Mexico is now just 65 cents less than Mexicos newly increased minimum wage, which is now 80 pesosor about $3.75 for a full days work.

So, for some Mexicans this means that they can work all day and then be forced to chose between buying a gallon of gasoline or a gallon of milk, with not enough left over for a half-dozen eggs in either scenario.

The situation in Mexico overall is dire, but fuel prices are the drop that makes the glass overflow.

To make things worse, the Mexican peso fell to a new historic low this week, surpassing its previous record low set in November following the victory of incoming President Donald Trump, whose every utterance it seems causes flurries of economic panic in Mexico.

Trump has repeatedly insisted he will use remittances to build a big, beautiful border wall, pull out of NAFTA, and punish U.S. companies looking to send jobs to Mexico by imposing hefty tariffs, putting billions of dollars in cross-border trade at risk.

Still, the ripple effect of actions taken this week by even common folk in Mexico are having a profound impact.

Because of the demonstrators I spoke to in Rosarito, blocking access to the main Pemex distribution plant, at least 25 gas stations in the neighboring city of Tijuana, which shares its border with San Diego, were without fuel on Thursday. By Friday, the number of closed stations had climbed above 120. And by this weekend, Rosarito and Tijuana were without gas as cars began to line up at some closed stations, hoping to be the first in line when fuel eventually comes in.

The violence unfolding this weekend came as authorities attempted, unsuccessfully, to free up the roads used by Pemex, so tankers could resupply gas stations in Tijuana and Rosarito.

In the state capitol, protesters also controlled Mexicalis refuelling stations this week, freezing fuel distribution in cities across northern Baja.

Retired Americans living in beach towns throughout Baja shared their tips for finding gas on social media, and residents in Tijuana begged their friends for info on open gas stations, hoping to have enough gas to make it to work, or the border. Similar conversations unfolded in cities all over Mexico.

All along the northern border, hundreds with dual citizenship opted to go for gas runs in the United States, driving across the line wheredespite the crippling exchange ratetheir dollars would stretch just a bit further. On Facebook, thousands in Mexico shared tips on which gas stations were closed, which streets to avoid, and estimated wait times at gas stations that remained open.

Still, many were left homebound.

* * *

Its not just the fuel prices. Sweeping fuel shortages threatened to cripple the economy in dozens of Mexican cities in the last week of 2016. These were attributed to everything from widespread, organized criminal fuel theft, to breaks in the supply chain, increased demand, and the measures taken following energy reforms ushered in by President Enrique Pena Nieto, who pushed to privatize Mexicos historically State-ownedyet crippled and deterioratingenergy industry.

Oil theft enriches Mexicos criminal cartels and lone wolf gas thieves to the tune of $1 billion a year, but this week people across Mexico accused the government, not the gangs, of ripping them off.

The president shied away from the thought that his controversial energy reform was responsible for the gas prices, instead blaming an almost 60 percent global increase in petroleum costs for the steep hike.

For those wondering why an oil-rich country would be affected by global rates, Mexico now imports more than 60 percent of its fuel, after having allowed its refineries to severely deteriorate through years of unwillingness to increase spending for infrastructure in the oil sector.

Pemex released a graphic, on New Years Eve prior to the price adjustment justifying Mexicos lack of functioning refineries, claiming that it is more convenient to bring gasoline from where it is cheaper, to save resources. The real problem, they claimed, lies with the lack of storage facilities and transportation.This dysfunctional system, which has been artificially propped up with massive government subsidies, is now finally coming into the public eye as a result of the changes brought in by the reform. That is inarguable.

Trying to maintain the artificial price of gasoline would have forced us to cut social programs, raise taxes, or increase the countrys foreign debt, placing the stability of the entire economy at risk, President Enrique Pena Nieto said Thursday night, addressing the nation.

But, as one follows the bouncing ball back around, Mexican Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade explains that continuing gas subsidies would have cost the government $9.3 billion in 2017, an increase from the nearly $5 billion spent last year.

But, still, nowhere near the damage seen in recent years. As the barrel price of oil soared in 2012 to nearly double todays value, so too did subsidies in Mexico, which came to a whopping 223 hundred billion pesos in 2012more than $17 billion when adjusted to todays exchange rate.

While unwilling to acknowledge his administrations role in the price surge, or stoically defend his revolutionary energy reformwhich few would argue was unnecessarythe president coyly blamed rising global oil prices, apparently as a way to mitigate the severe criticism leveled against him.

What would you have done? the president asked the country, meekly, in his evening address, in what quickly became a national meme and trending topic.

* * *

Unlike other crises seen in recent years such as the months of fiery protests that erupted following the mass disappearance and almost certain execution of 43 teaching students in Guerrero in 2014, this may be the most important period of civil unrest in recent memory in terms of economic impact.

In front of a road blocked with seized fuel tankers in Baja, protesters who claimed no political affiliation handed me a leaflet explaining their discontent, in days before the conflict with authorities. It was printed by Mexicos Communist Party.

Down with the powerful monopolies! the pamphlet read, ironically protesting the side effects of Mexicos attempt to do away with its historic energy monopoly by calling for a return to the same state-monopolistic practices that led to the current crisis.

One similarly ironic sign of things to come in 2017, following Republican populist Donald Trumps surge toward the White House, is the renewed rise in Mexico of leftist populist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has lost two presidential elections since 2006 but is now favored to win the 2018 elections and become the next leader of the Mexican people81 percent of whom believe Donald Trump is a direct threat to Mexico.

Lopez Obrador famously held up an upside down photograph during the 2012 presidential debates in a gaffe that made him the butt of instant ridicule.

But there was nothing amusing about the photograph, which showed now-President Enrique Pena Nieto seated with Mexicos favorite villain, former President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, whose family has been caught moving hundreds of millions of dollars through Swiss bank accounts after pilfering them from the country.

In February, Pena Nieto appointed Salinass brother-in-law, Jose Antonio Gonzalez, to be the director of Pemex.

Its the world, upside down, the twice-failed presidential hopeful quipped of the upside down photograph. Look.
TIJUANA.-Mexican authorities have arrested a man believed to be responsible for the non-fatal shooting a U.S. consulate employee in Guadalajara, Mexicos second largest city after the capital.

The shooting of the officially unnamed U.S. State Department employee this Saturday was caught by nearby security cameras, which showed the gunman waiting for the official on the sidewalk near an upscale shopping center, before shooting the consulate employee at close range as he exited an underground parking structure in a black vehicle.

Security footage recorded just prior to the shooting showed the officialwho has been identified only by local media as Christopher Ashcraftvalidating his parking lot ticket while carrying a gym bag. Moments later, he is followed by the shooter, who appears to be disguised in a nurses uniform.

The U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara said the F.B.I. was offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the suspected shooter of the consulate employee, who state authorities have now turned over to federal authorities.

The suspect, at the time of his arrest Sunday, had in his possession a .38-caliber pistol and a wig.

A spokesperson at the Jalisco state prosecutors office confirmed that the suspect is a 31-year-old naturalized American from India named Zafar Zia, suggesting the shooting may have been related to a dispute over a visa. State authorities denied any link to organized crime.

Jalisco is one of the more than a dozen states in Mexico for which the State Department has issued travel warnings, alerting U.S. citizens of areas impacted by organized crime to avoid. In Jalisco, intercity travel after hours is strictly prohibited for U.S. government personnel.

Wedged between two cartel hotbeds, Zacatecas and embattled Michoacan, violence is far from uncommon in the region, but a brazen daytime shooting involving foreigners in Mexico is certainly a rarity.

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I want to thank the Government of Mexico for their swift and decisive arrest of a suspect in the heinous attack against our Foreign Service Officer colleague, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement Sunday.

The consular official is recovering in a Guadalajara hospital.
JERUSALEMThe relative calm of recent months in this tensest of cities was shattered just after midday Sunday by a major vehicular attack that left four Israeli soldiers dead and over a dozen injured on a picturesque promenade overlooking some of the worlds holiest sites.

The man behind the wheel of the truck, reportedly a Palestinian father of four from East Jerusalem, was shot dead at the scene.

Even in the context of a new wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence that began in late 2015, this attack stands out for its lethality with the death toll potentially set to climb.

But the choice of weapon, a heavy flatbed truck, as well as the perpetrators reported allegianceto the so-called Islamic State, or ISISimmediately brought to mind recent attacks in Berlin and Nice.

A terror tactic now so well-known globally had apparently come back to the city where it first made its name.

The victims of the attack were part of a larger group of some 300 cadets from the Israeli armys officer training course out on an educational day trip to the capital. The location, the Goldman Promenade in the Armon HaNatziv neighborhood, is popular with joggers, dog walkers, and tourists for its sweeping vistas of Jerusalem below: the walls of the Old City, the golden Dome of the Rock mosque, the white graves of the Mount of Olives.

The cadets were disembarking from their tour bus and gathering on the promenade sidewalk when the truck jumped a curb and ran into them at speed. As multiple eyewitnesses told The Daily Beast, the soldiers present realized it wasnt an innocent traffic accident when the truck kept driving, and then it tried to reverse, even after plowing through the group.

An alert soldier and civilian security guard were the ones who, in local terminology, neutralized the driver before he had time to cause further carnage.

Questions are now being asked in certain circles about how many of these future officers ran away from the incident in fear, as seen in security camera footage released afterwards.

A short distance from the scene even two hours after the attack some three dozen of these soldiers/eyewitnesses were still milling about, still clearly in shocklikely awaiting a fuller debriefing.

Nationalist firebrands are already drawing a connection between the (non)response and the well-publicized conviction last week of an Israeli soldier on manslaughter charges for shooting dead a disabled Palestinian terrorist (a connection the army has rejected out of hand).

At the scene of the attack, in a drama replayed uncountable times in Israel over the decades, a large mix of reporters, emergency personnel, and heavily armed police were all attempting to do their respective jobs.

For all that, the area was relatively somber and quietin contrast to the immediate aftermath of the attack when, according to Daniel Katzerstin, head of a first-responder EMT unit, it was chaos. People were screaming and crying, soldiers and civilians were hugging, he said. We had to treat patients, to set up a triage center, to get the hundreds of people in the [promenade] plaza away from the scene so the police could secure it. Some of dead and injured, in fact, had to be rescued from underneath the trucks tires.

Under the promenade, the pines of Jerusalems Peace Forest fan out under the ridge. Less than 200 meters from the scene of the attack sits the entrance to the headquarters of the United Nations Middle East Peace mission, in the old British High Commissioners compound. The Hebrew name Armon HaNatziv is taken from this relic of British rule: the Commissioners Palace.

Not unusually for Jerusalem, this neighborhood, predominantly Jewish, sits adjacent to Jabal Mukaber, a Palestinian neighborhood that has sent out its fair share of terrorist attackers during this recent wave of violenceincluding todays truck driver.

* * *

Fadi Qunbar, 28, made for an unlikely attacker. According to Gal Berger, the veteran Palestinian Affairs correspondent for Voice of Israel Radio, Qunbar didnt belong to any of the militant Palestinian factions and had no prior security background. Indeed, according to Berger, Qunbar wasnt even that religious, which is a common refrain among future ISIS sympathizers. Evidence actually linking him to the group has not yet surfaced, however.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the promenade later in the day, seemed to confirm the initial reports, saying this is part of the same pattern inspired by ISIS that we saw first in France, then in Germany and now in Jerusalem.

Yet as a terror tactic, Jerusalem has known vehicular attacks dating back to at least 2008. Indeed, in the fall of 2014, several such attacks in short succession led to what was termed in militant Palestinian circles the ramming Intifada, replete with a catchy Hamas-inspired song on social media. The tactic was revivedsome might say perfectedduring this last wave of violence, with some two dozen vehicle attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank since 2015.

As a result, the physical topography of Jerusalem has changed in the last year, with concrete barriers and bollards sprouting up at every bus stop and light rail stationlocations that prior to today were the preferred site of such attacks.

The Goldman Promenade, sadly, had no such protection, although that will likely change as well.

Even in Israel, even in Jerusalem, completely preventing such attacks is a near impossibility. There was no prior warning, Roni Alsheich, Israels National Police commissioner, told reporters at the scene. The attacker doesnt need more than two to three seconds of opportunity to find a target to attack, and this is what happened here.

* * *

As of this writing, Israels security cabinet has hurriedly assembled to formulate a response. Its unlikely that they will come up with anything that has not been tried before: sealing off Jabal Mukaber, whose inhabitants are Israeli residents of Jerusalem and can therefore travel and work freely in Israel (unlike their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank); not returning Qunbars body for burial; demolishing the family home.

The fear after all such attacks is that it could potentially mark the start of a wider escalation, with copycats taking inspiration from todays heavy death toll. Theres no doubt, however, that politically the attack comes at an extremely sensitive time.

The UN Security Council resolution passed last month condemning illegal Israeli construction in the Occupied Territories does, in theory, apply to the site of todays attack; Armon HaNatziv falls right on the eastern side of the 1949 Armistice Line.

Secretary of State John Kerry and other foreign ministers are set to meet in Paris next weekend to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace and the best way forward, a meeting Israel will boycott.

And President-Elect Donald Trump has signaled his intention to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem possibly to a site not far from the attackleading to warnings from the Palestinians, Arab capitals, and the Obama administration of an explosion in Jerusalem and beyond.
The new ISIS terror weapon is fire.

This is a quick option for anyone intending to join the just terror campaign, says the latest issue of the ISIS magazine Rumiyah.

This tactic requires neither guns such as were used in San Bernadino and Orlando nor vehicles such as were used in other attacks.

With some simple and readily accessible materials (i.e. flammables), one can easily terrorize an entire nation, the magazine advises.

Issue #5 of Rumiyah has flames on the cover and a Just Terror Tactics section that has in the past called for mass shootings and the use of vehicles to mow down pedestrians. A lengthy article begins with a tribute to the brothers inspired by a previous issue of Rumiyah to employ vehicles at Ohio State and in Berlin. It then proceeds to detail an added method to murder innocents.

ARSON ATTACKS, the headline reads.

The article advises, Throughout history and until the present day, incendiary attacks have played a significant role in modern and guerrilla warfare, as well as in lone wolf terrorism. Such attacks have been behind the destruction of towns, neighborhoods, and public, private, and governmental property, while likewise claiming numerous lives.

The article claims that a jihadi was responsible for a fire in Losino-Petrovsky in Russia that destroyed a three-story furniture factory and a chemical plant next to it.

[The jihadi] taught the despicable Crusaders a lesson on just how destructive an operation of such simplicity can be, successfully, the article says. The fire was initiated on the ground floor, where it subsequently spread to the remaining floors and the [n]eighboring buildings and continued to burn for three whole days, causing great financial losses for the Russian Crusaders.

The article continues, Arson, as it applies to the just terror mujahid, is to initiate fires by using flammables to destroy the property of the Crusaders and, in some cases, kill several of them, sending them from the fire of this world to the inferno of Hellfire. All that is required of the mujahid is to acquire the flammable he wishes to use, select his target, and determine the best time for execution.

The article notes, Because many flammables are a part of everyday living, arson attacks are extremely difficult to prevent. Indeed, no more than a large container of gasoline (petrol) is needed for a successful attack. Of course, the gasoline can be acquired from any local gas station, where it is filled into the container. This procedure should not arouse any suspicion, as it is quite common to follow, especially when obtaining gas for a lawnmower, amongst other reasons.

In a section headed Claiming Responsibility for the Attack, the article suggests carrying along a spray paint canister or thick permanent marker and writing therewith some words on a wall or on the ground near the target declaring that the attack was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State. 

Also, one may prepare a simple message on a piece of paper declaring the same and briefly explain his motive or include other words that will taunt and enrage the disbelievers. The article says. The paper can then be taped to a brick and then thrown through the window of an occupied property close to the scene of the attack.

The article emphasizes, Arson attacks should in no way be belittled. They cause great economic destruction and emotional havoc and can be repeated very easily. Even if such attacks do not always result in the killing of the enemies, Allah has promised to reward the mujahid for simply harming and enraging them. 

Allah does not allow the reward of good doers to be lost, the article ends by saying.

The article offers a photo of the Dallas Baptist Church. ISIS is not likely bothered that Pastor Robert Jeffries of this Texas megachurch once denounced homosexuality as filthy degrading beyond description or that he termed Catholicism Satanic. But Jeffries has also denounced Islam as an evil, evil religion that promotes pedophilia.

A popular Crusader gathering place waiting to be burned down, reads the caption of the photo of the church.

The article further features a photo of a raging structural fire being battled by members of the Fire Department of New York, who are actual good-doers and the very opposite of ISIS murderers. The blaze is almost certainly one in Lower Manhattan in March 2015 that was the result not of arson but of a gas explosion attributed to an illegal and uninspected connection made by a landlord.

An off-duty FDNY firefighter named Mike Shepherd happened to be eating lunch around the corner at the time of the blast. He had also been off-duty on Sept. 11, 2001, and on that morning he had hurried down to the Twin Towers, where he joined in saving lives. He at one point pulled off his shirt to clean the wound of an injured firefighter, revealing the big S tattooed on his chest, which seemed to one person he rescued during the second towers collapse to stand not for Shepherd, but for Superman.

Fourteen years later, Shepherd had come from Brooklyn to Manhattan to answer a hankering for corned beef and cabbage. He had just stepped outside the eatery to take a photo for a tourist couple when he heard the explosion. He did not hesitate for even a heartbeat before he scrambled around the corner and raced up to the burning building. He clambered up the fire escape on the front amidst flames and suffocating smoke.

You got to get down, the fire is getting big! people called from the street below.

Nobody could have been more different from a death-dealing jihadi than Mike Shepherd as he climbed from floor to floor, checking to ensure nobody was trapped inside, risking his own life just on the chance he might be able to save somebody else. He continued until he reached the top floor and only then descended.

He was not a lone wolf, but a lone angel.

Sirens filled the air as other angels raced to the scene, all of them rushing to risk their own lives to save others. The first of them were arriving just as Shepherd returned to the sidewalk. The building collapsed eight minutes later. The one next to it collapsed two minutes after that.

On Sunday, Shepherd got a call informing him that the ISIS magazine seemed to have used a photo of the 2015 fire and of his fellow firefighters battling it. Shepherd spoke of a dear friend and FDNY legend, Capt. Patrick Brown, who died in the 9/11 attack. Shepherd recalled earlier days when Brown would talk to him about the essentials of being a firefighter.

You arent afraid, you got compassion, you got kindness, Shepherd said.

And therein are the makings of the best kind of angels, who stand ready to face anything, including the latest evil from ISIS.
A Pennsylvania man and woman raped and dismembered the womans adoptive daughter as part of a disturbed fantasy, police said this weekend. Then the couple collected the teenagers Social Security payments for months, profiting off her death.

14-year-old Grace Packer went missing from her Abington, Pennsylvania home in July. Her adoptive mother Sara Packer told police that Grace had stolen $300 and run away. But the adoptive mothers sob story didnt add up, police said. After hunters found Graces head and torso in the woods on Halloween, investigators narrowed their focus on Sara. And when she and her boyfriend overdosed as part of a failed suicide pact on December 30, the boyfriend allegedly told hospital workers that he and Sara had committed the sickening murder together.

Jacob Sullivan, 44, and Sarah Packer, 41, were arrested Saturday on a litany of charges including homicide, rape, and abuse of a corpse. The pair had allegedly planned the crime for nearly a year.

"This was a sexual fantasy that was shared between Jacob Sullivan and Sara Packer, and Grace Packer was the object of that rape-murder fantasy," Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub told media Sunday morning.

The pair finally carried out their plot on July 8, a charging document for Sullivan alleges. That evening, Grace had fallen asleep in the couples car on the way to their home. Once they arrived at the house, the couple allegedly beat the teenager and took her to a third-floor attic. There, Sullivan allegedly raped Grace while Sara watched.

Then the pair allegedly attempted to murder the child. Earlier that day, Sara had purchased multiple medications at a local Target, credit card records included in Sullivans charging document show. After Sullivans assault, Sara allegedly fed Grace the medications, telling her it would ease the pain of the attack. When Grace vomited the pills, the couple made her take them again.

Following this, she was bound, gagged, and left to die in a cedar closet in [the] 3rd floor attic, the charging document alleges. Jacob Sullivan described the attic as extremely hot.

The couple abandoned the home and the girl, allegedly expecting to find Grace dead from the effects from the assault, the drugging, and the excessive heat, police charge. Instead, when they returned to the attic at three in the morning, they found Grace alive and conscious.

Sullivan allegedly strangled her to death with his hands. It was more physical and took much longer than he expected, he allegedly confessed to police.

It took two days for Sara to report Grace missing. On July 11, she told police that Grace had disappeared after an argument, taking $300 with her. She described Grace as a troubled child with behavioral disorders, who would act out if she did not get her way, and sometimes left the home for days at a time. Their latest argument had been begun when Grace asked to visit a friends house, Sara told police. When pressed, she could not provide the friends name.

But while Sara was describing her daughter as a troubled runaway, the girl was really dead in the attic, police say. After Graces murder, Sara and Sullivan allegedly packed her body in cat litter to disguise the smell.

Police added Graces information to a missing persons database. But her mother was unusually uncooperative, refusing to return multiple calls from investigators. Sara was also a prolific Facebook user, so frequent that she will sometimes post about insignificant or minor incidents in her life, such as having a migraine headache, a charging document reads. But Sara never posted anything about her daughter being missing.

She also allegedly continued to collect thousands of dollars in disability benefits from her missing daughter.

"After they murdered her, they maintained the pretense of Grace being alive so that they could continue to profit off of her existence," Weintraub the district attorney alleged on Sunday.

Police discovered that, while Sara had enrolled Graces younger brother in a new school that summer, she had made no effort to enroll Grace. It was as though she knew her daughter would never return.

The lack of information led police to revisit Saras home for a follow-up investigation October. They did not discover the horrific scene hidden in the attic, but their visit was enough to make Sara and Sullivan nervous. Saras credit card records show that she purchased a bow saw several days after police visited the home.

Then on Halloween, hunters discovered Graces head and torso in a wooded area. She had not been buried. Cadaver dogs later found her arms and legs. Investigators concluded that she had been killed and stored elsewhere. Her wounds showed the marks of a bow saw, and were full of cat litter.

Inconsistencies continued to appear in Saras testimonies. She allegedly went months without providing information requested by police, and gave conflicting information regarding her daughters disappearance. She was charged with child endangerment and obstructing an investigation in November.

Meanwhile, Graces birth mother had followed the search for her daughter, horrified as it became apparent that Sara was actively impeding the search for Graces killer.

"Shes never going to get to see her sweet 16," Graces biological mother Rose Hunsicker told NBC10 in December, after Sara was charged with obstructing the investigation. "Shes never going to get to see anything."

Hunsicker lost custody of Grace in 2004, and expressed deep reservations with her daughters adoptive parents, calling them evil people. David Packer, Saras husband at the time of Graces adoption, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child in 2011.

"How dare they act like better parents than I am," Hunsicker told the station in December, questioning how the Packers ever obtained custody of her child. They caused "the horrible death of a little girl that never should have [happened]," she alleged.

Sara left jail on bail on December 23. She was still not charged with her daughters murder, but police appeared be moving in on her and Sullivan. So on December 30, Sara and Sullivan agreed to enter a suicide pact, police allege. Sullivan left a note for his children, proclaiming his innocence and denouncing the growing allegations against him.

Dear babies, he wrote in a letter obtained by police. I love you all so much. You are the only people that I have always been able to count on. Im sorry that I am taking the cowards way out, but I dont have any strength left in me. People want to judge and lie and break me down. They have. I cant exist with Sara in jail and those fucking lying pigs and the whore media have made it impossible for us to live.

A woman who lived with Sara and Sullivan called 911 that day to report that the pair had overdosed.

"There's are a lot of reasons he would do this, a transcript of her call reads. We're  uh God  we're  I don't know if you have watched the news lately  our  someone we were involved with was recently  It's a big mess, It's a big mess and I don't really know how to explain it  but  oh my God."

Sara and Sullivan were taken to a hospital, where both survived and Sullivan told authorities he wished to confess to the killing. He and Sara had planned for nearly a year to rape and kill Grace, he told police. He admitted to dismembering the girl in a bathtub and driving with Sara to dump the remains in the woods in October.

He and Sara have been charged with murder. The investigation into Graces death is still ongoing.

"This is one of the most shocking stunning motives I've ever heard of in my career as a prosecutor, Weintraub said. It was a cold blooded crime that was calculated and planned with deadly detail.
Wisconsin conservationists and UW-Madison researchers say they are bracing for potentially big changes in environmental policy after Donald J. Trump is sworn in as president with Republican Congressional majorities at his side.

It seems like climate science is going to be targeted, said Michael Notaro, associate director of the universitys Center for Climatic Research, which receives about 90 percent of its roughly $3 million budget from federal sources. We are very vulnerable, and from our standpoint we see climate change research as something very critical that has big impacts on the state and the globe.

In addition to about 20 scientists whose research into the complex mechanics of climate change is funded by three federal agencies, there are dozens of others working on ways to slow the release of greenhouse gases through things like better batteries and alternative fuels.

And there is even more research into issues such as the ways human health and drinking water will be affected and how farmers, foresters, wildlife managers and others can best adapt so that changes in climate dont undermine their work, said Dan Vimont, CCR director.

Climate change is so broad it affects a very wide set of disciplines, Vimont said, adding that he is concerned by political efforts to cast doubt on climate science.

My concern is when science isnt used to inform the public policy in this country, Vimont said. The thermometers dont care about who is in office.

EPA backstop threatened

Another Trump-related concern in Wisconsin is whether the EPA will continue to push the state to fix dozens of deficiencies in its protection of lakes and streams, and do more for rural residents whose drinking water has been polluted for years by animal waste.

The EPA is no longer going to be a backstop for us, and not just on water issues, but air issues as well, and I think thats really problematic in terms of people not having clean water or fit air to breathe, said Bill Davis, who directs the Wisconsin chapter of the Sierra Club.

But attorneys at the Madison-based environmental law firm Midwest Environmental Advocates said it may take time for Trumps EPA to reverse course. For years, the agency has been documenting the legal and scientific basis for its complaints.

Still, more effort may be needed from Wisconsin residents to keep the EPA focused on the problems here, said Kimberlee Wright, executive director of MEA, which has filed petitions that prompted federal scrutiny of the state.

This is where the power of people standing together is important, Wright said. Clean water is too important to families to accept politically motivated decisions that put our childrens health and futures at risk.

Changes at EPA

Any new president replaces thousands of political appointees  top agency officials who serve throughout government at the pleasure of the White House.

So its likely Trump will replace Robert Kaplan, the interim regional administrator of the EPA Chicago office who last summer sent a team of investigators to review water pollution permit files in the state Department of Natural Resources office in Madison, said Tressie Kamp, an MEA attorney.

Kaplan also spearheaded months of public discussions that resulted in detailed recommendations for keeping dairy manure out of water as well as a plan for supplying emergency water to Kewaunee County, where one-third of test wells have been tainted with hazardous bacteria from animal waste.

If the pattern from previous changes in administration is repeated, many other career employees in the EPA will also depart rather than carry out the stark policy changes expected from Trump and his choice for EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, who has fought environmental regulation and denied climate science as Oklahoma attorney general, Kamp said.

To the extent it takes time to bring in new workers and get them up to speed, EPA will be less effective in pressing for change in Wisconsin, Kamp said.

If things go the way they did at Wisconsins DNR in 2011 after Republican Scott Walker was elected governor and he appointed DNR critic Cathy Stepp to run the agency, remaining EPA employees could try to resist orders from Washington to relax regulatory efforts, said Kamp, one of several MEA lawyers who challenge the DNR in court.

In time, if the new EPA fails to follow through in Wisconsin, MEA and others will go to court armed with all the documentation federal lawyers and scientists have created, Kamp said.

Some analysis indicates it could prove to be difficult to eliminate the EPA, but short of that Trump has promised to undo EPA rules aimed at putting in place new limits on greenhouse gases and extending protection of surface water, and he has said hell free coal mines and oil drillers from water-protection restrictions.

Republican members of Congress could renew previous efforts to cut EPA funding and pass laws to prevent new pollution regulations based on advances in understanding of how pollutants affect human health or the environment.

Climate research at risk

Notaro said he is hoping the president-elects inconsistency in policy statements will result in funding being spared, but the UW-Madison CCRs 12 scientists will seek other sources to finance their research if the government cuts off the money after current three-year grants expire.

Between CCR and the universitys departments of oceanic and atmospheric sciences and geosciences, there are about 20 scientists who regularly conduct research on the complex ways air, land, water and living beings are interacting and greenhouse gases rapidly accumulate, said Steve Ackerman, who directs the universities Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies.

Professors in chemistry, public health, geology, life sciences, economics, engineering and other fields are doing research that is related to preventing climate change or helping people adapt to it. Researchers in climate-related fields receive money from the federal Interior and Energy departments, the CCRs Vimont said. Trumps choice to head Interior, Ryan Zinke, has denied that the scientific consensus is settled, while his pick for Energy, Rick Perry, has repeatedly questioned it.

Vimont said his own research focuses on how the El Nino weather system operates. Its important to agriculture, human health and other areas because the system affects drought conditions in California, hydrology in the Southwest and Alaska snow pack that is a vital reservoir of drinking water.

His studies arent long-range climate change research, but climate science is a vital contributor of data for his studies, and his studies provide more information for climate scientists who are constantly refining their calculations, Vimont said.

Federal grants are usually for three years, so UW-Madison climate scientists will have time to seek private money to continue their work if Trump ends funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Notaro said.

Climate science has had many practical applications in Wisconsin, said Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies director Paul Robbins.

In Wisconsin, scientists are creating models predicting trends in extreme rain events for particular parts of the state so that farmers can take steps to prevent erosion and phosphorus pollution of lakes, and municipal managers can design storm sewer systems that dont pollute, Robbins said.
Imagine Lisbon in 1502, during the height of Portugals golden age of exploration.

The port is bustling with activity as the empires latest crowning achievement is unveileda massive new ship that is the finest the seafaring nation has ever built. Clocking in at 118 feet long, 111 feet tall, and 400 tons, the Flor de la Mar was the largest vessel in the fleet.

From the very first nail that was hammered into the very first board, the Portuguese carrack (or ocean-bound ship) was destined for India to serve the glory of god and countryby conquering and plundering the land of gold and spices that had so enthralled the West.
About half an hour before recess, the 25 students of Dana Campos fifth and sixth grade combo class move their chairsmost of them grumblinginto an uneven circle at the front of the room. There were 13 girls and 12 boys, and by Dana Campos estimate, a good portion of them are here in the country illegally.

This was back before Christmas, and I (the former teacher known as Mr. Nale) had dropped in one morning to watch her teach. She and I were partners once, teaching a class like thisbut largertogether for three years. She is a genius with kids and I wanted to see how she was doing.

The kids are grumbling partly because they are waiting for recess and partly because the circle means it is time for the daily class meeting. The class meeting is a new idea in teaching, meant to create community by establishing an equal dialogue. Which is to say that for a little while they lose their status. Smart kids and dumb kids, tough kids and nerds (sometimes referred to in this class as macheteros), the glamorous girls and the ones not allowed to wear lipstickfor a little while each day everyones voice carries the same weight. Its part of the rules.

To talk during Ms. Campo's meetings, a kid raises a hand and is given a ball  a foam replica of Earth  that allows her or him to speak. Only one student is allowed to talk at a time, no one interrupts, and while he or she is talking, everyone else in the circle is supposed to pay attention. This means more than no fistfights in the aisle; it means looking at the speaker. Listening. One other rule: no names. Complaints are made generally, not aimed at particular students, although most everyone in the room, including Ms. Campo, knows who is who.

The issue of the day is bullying. There is some small amount of sneering around the circle at the announcement of the topic. Three boys in particularJoshua, Angel, and JesusI can tell from long experience are probably bullies themselves. And Angel is probably the leader.

Ms. Campo asks her class the question: how does it feel to be bullied? It is quiet for a moment. Kids look at each other, look away, then a sixth grader raises his hand. Embarrassed, he says. It makes you feel bad, and embarrassed. Like, they ruin your whole day.

Heads nod all around the circle, and the three boysAngel, Jesus, and Joshuagrin in a predatory way at the first kid for acting like a punk. My friend Dana, who has been at this 13 years, stares them down. I have known Ms. Campo a long time and try to remember if we have ever talked about why kids named Angel and Jesus are always the worst troublemakers in the class. Not always always, of course, but a wild skewing of probability.

What about outside of school? Ms. Campo asks her circle. Has anybody seen bullying outside of school?

A kid named Fernando says he sees it on the highway when his mom is driving him to school. A fifth grader says she has an uncle who gets drunk and bullies everybody. She hates it when he starts to drink, and with time I think she will probably grow to hating the uncle himself.

Angel, Jesus, and Joshua continue to smirk, but now one kid after another is raising his and her hand, and the tormenters of Ms. Campos class begin to notice the change in mood, the kids feeling braver for having confessed to being afraid. Hearing that they arent in it alone.

The tiniest kid in Ms. Campos class is a beautiful little girl named Bee-Bee (for Veronica), who could easily be three years younger than the others. She sits in the chair beside Ms. Campo, quiet and shy, listening. When Bee-Bee first came into Danas class, she spoke so rarely, so softly that my old friend wondered if the girl had a speech impairment. She raises her hand nowsurprising in itselfand says, On the news.

And almost like a signal, more kids begin jump into it now, and when Ms. Campo asks how it makes them feel to see and hear adults shouting at each other on televisionbullying each othermore hands go up all at once, and the damage that Donald Trump did to get himself elected President begins to show up. A whole room full of kidsall but one Hispanicafraid of deportation.

A sixth grader says her grandparents warn her not to attract attention. A fifth grader says Donald Trump wants to deport everybody, and then Bee-Bee, the smallest child in the class, raises her hand again. Her voice is shaky now, soft and timid. She says, My mom was deported, and the room goes quiet again.

She dropped me off at school and didnt come to pick me up. It got late and then my aunt came and got me, and told me theyd taken her away. She holds back as long as she can and then begins to sob. Dana puts an arm around the child, then both arms, and holds onto her while she tries to stop crying. From what Dana knows, Veronica's mother had a visitors visa that expired and she hadnt had the money to apply for a residency card. Then some unknown patriotkeep in mind this could be some old family grudge or a neighbor who didnt like her looks, anyone at all, but it is probably something personalturned her in.

Another girl begins to cry too. Then more. Me, Im watching Angel. Seeing how public opinion is going, he puts his hands in his face and pretends to cry too. The kid shows every sign of a career in politics. Meanwhile, the talking ball goes back and forth around the circle, Ms. Campo continues to comfort Veronica, and now everyone has something to say about bullies. Suddenly its a real conversation, kids open up and show real opinions.

Angel looks up from time to time to see if Ms. Campo has noticed he is crying too, and his two friendswhod thought Angel was making a joke of it at firstJoshua and Jesus put their faces in their hands and pretend to cry too. And maybe this is progress, and maybe it isnt. I promise you that Angel, Jesus, and Joshua have not just changed who they are, but there are 22 other kids in the room, and maybe they have glimpsed something about strength in numbers, maybe they have learned something about standing up for themselves from the tiniest, shyest kid in the class.
This past Thursday was the 76th birthday of Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary animation artist whos long been regarded as Japans answer to Walt Disneya reputation only bolstered by the fandom of Pixar chief John Lasseter, who for decades has sung Miyazakis praises.

Though revered as a titan in cinephile and anime circles, however, the 76-year-old writer/directors renown amongst mainstream American moviegoers is still scant, in part because much of his early-career outputmade with his production company Studio Ghiblinever received proper stateside releases, from the The Force Awakens-inspiring Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) to the peerlessly charming fables My Neighbor Totoro (1988) and Kikis Delivery Service (1989). That changed, however, in 1999, with the Miramax-distributed Princess Mononoke, a landmark in modern animation that fully opened the worlds eyes to Miyazakis greatnessand, on the eve of its 20th anniversary re-release, remains as timely, and timeless, as ever.

Beginning Monday, January 9th, Americans will be able to (re-)experience Princess Mononoke (in select markets) as it was meant to be seen: on the big screen, where its larger-than-life power and beauty can be properly appreciated. It is, in short, a classic of the form, a sprawling adventure that melds eco-consciousness and spirituality with violence, romance, humor and complex characterizations and emotion. Miyazakis film was something of a continuation of Nausicaas themes and tones, albeit bolstered by animation that combined hand-drawn work with early-CGI effects to produce images that are breathtaking in their fluidity and power. Miyazakis big-eyed facial designs are simple and yet powerfully expressive, which is also true of his figures swift, precise, exhilarating movements. Rare is the scene that doesnt boast some stunning sight or moment at which to marvel, be it an arrow cutting through the air to decapitate a samurai, or a towering translucent Forest Spirit walking slowly, surreally through his woodland home.

Though its the first of his films to feature graphic bloodshed, Princess Mononokewhich for its Fathom Events re-release will be presented in its (surprisingly stellar) dubbed-in-English versionis as remarkable for its contemplative qualities as its combat mayhem.

Set in an ancient era, Mononokes convoluted story begins with a young prince, Ashitaka (Billy Crudup), saving his rural village from a rampaging boar god who, after eating a ball of iron, was transformed into a red tentacle-covered demon. His right arm infected with the demons fatal curse (which gives the limb extraordinary power), Ashitaka ventures West to investigate the true source of this trouble. There, he comes upon Irontown, run by Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver), a ruthless industrialist whose desire to mine the region of its subterranean iron involves cutting down its acres of treesa plan thats angered the ancient spirits of the forest, including Boar God Okkoto (Keith David) and Wolf God Moro (Gillian Anderson), who cares for her adopted human daughter San (Claire Danes), the woodland-warrior princess of Mononokes title.

Thus begins a rollicking, rambling saga in which Ashitaka winds up in the middle of Eboshis clash with the Gods (and San, who inevitably finds herself caught between two worlds). That scenario is further complicated by Eboshis war with a rival samurai clan as well as her entanglement with mercenary monk Jiko-bo (Billy Bob Thornton), who provides her with men and, in return, demands that she procure the head of the Forest Spirita creature that appears as a smiling multi-antlered elk by day, and a shining-amphibian colossus by nightwhich Japans emperor believes will grant immortality. If Princess Mononoke is intricately plotted, however, its never muddled, instead layering its conflicts upon each other with a meticulousness thats mirrored by its visuals. In both the characters physicality and the plots progression, theres a sense of constant, assured purpose; one can feel Miyazaki orchestrating the proceedings with the utmost confidence.

The same goes for his films impossible-to-miss message, which concerns mankinds relationship to natureparticularly, the perilous consequences of raping the land of its natural resources in service of modern progress. Princess Mononokes plea to protect the environment felt ahead of its time in 1999, and it remains striking in its forcefulness. Nonetheless, what truly bolsters Miyazakis tale is its refusal to paint this dynamic in simple black-and-white terms. Eboshis deforestation quest may make her the nominal villain, but like San, shes cast as a strong, fiercely independent and capable feminist woman. And moreover, her actions are undertaken in order to provide a better future for her peoplewhich include rescued prostitutes and shunned lepers, both of whom shes mercifully taken under her wing. Meanwhile, the endangered forest gods are far from a wholly cheery bunch: Moro and Okkoto routinely express their desire to not only defeat their human oppressors, but to crunch their skulls between their mighty teeth. Cheery anthropomorphic Disney critters they are not.

Princess Mononoke soon comes to play like a lament, largely because it recognizes that no easy solutions exist for its central conflict. Such maturity extends to its blending of kid-oriented fantasy and more adult-skewing romance (between Ashitaka and San), sexuality (i.e. the aforementioned prostitutes and their playful lusting after Ashitaka), horror (a creepy tribe of apes), and brutality, the last of which comes in curt, concussive bursts. Even more than in his other endeavorsincluding later masterpieces Spirited Away (2001) and Howls Moving Castle (2004)Miyazaki here strikes an ideal balance between the worlds of children and grown-ups, a middle ground where amazing beasts and adorable bobble-headed tree spirits (their shaking noggins producing a weird clicking sound) co-exist alongside men and women torn between their thorny responsibilities to Mother Earth and fellow humans.

Concluding on a note of rebirth and tentative hopefulness, Princess Mononoke accepts that two seemingly opposing things can be true at once, all while promoting the notion that the only constructive way forward is through understanding, communication and collaboration. Whether with regards to the environment, politics or the oft-difficult process of dealing with those unlike ourselves, its a lesson thats as vital now as it was upon the films release twenty years agoand one that ultimately helps make Miyazakis period-piece adventure a crowning achievement of both breathtaking style and slyly progressive storytelling.
In the new luxe catalogue raisonne from Yale University Press showcasing the work of artist Richard Diebenkorn, there is something for anyone who cares at all for visual art. Painting, drawing, etching, portraiture, landscape, still life, representation, and abstractionin a long, peripatetic career stretching across the last half of the last century, he did it all and did it well.

Although he was exceedingly proficient as a technician, Diebenkorn always wanted you to see the oil paint, the charcoal, the gouachehe never lets you forget that you are staring at a made object, be it painting or drawing. That may sound like a simpleminded thing to say about an artist, but think of the artists, and not just realists, who subvert or disguise the act of putting paint on canvas or charcoal on paper. Even in the representational workwhether it be his monumental California landscapes, the thousands of nude studies, or the intimate still lifes of cutlery, vegetables, and fruitDiebenkorn reminds us at every turn that these hills, scissors, arms, and chairs are constructed of paint or pencil. And not just constructed but constructed joyfully. If his work is about anything, its about the sheer pleasure of seeing and rendering whats seen, with an accent on the rendering.

There is no through line in Diebenkorns career. He began in abstraction, then enjoyed a productive spell as a figurative artist, then returned to abstraction with the dazzling Ocean Park paintings for which he is probably best known. Even his disparate influencesMatisse, Pollockbecome consonant when joined in his work. But if there is no apparent logic to his path, there is surely inevitability. He would not have been the realist he was without the abstracts he painted first, and the Ocean Park paintings would be unthinkable had he not spent those years spent on landscapes. Everything he did informed what came next. Geometry hovers over the early, wilder abstracts, while the mid-period landscapes and nudes threaten at every turn to abandon natural form for something abstract, and all of it, somehow, winds up in a beautiful, exact tension in the Ocean Park period, each one of which is like some magic trick where the magician shows you how he does the trick even as hes doing it, and you still wind up mystified.

The Ocean Park paintings to me always look like thinking with paint. Theres not a story to the thinking, because there is no beginning or end to these works, or if there is a story, its recursive. You dont know where he started, or exactly how he wound up where he did in any particular image. But there on the surface of the painting, everything, past and present, lingers and exists with equal force. You can see the change in one direction, or where one color partially obscures another laid down previously, but then a former color or shape or line asserts itself elsewhere on the painting plane to obscure any hint of progress or development. And somehow all this maneuveringthe overpainting, the lines that peter out and then reassert themselvesall exists democratically across the face of the images intricate geometry, shimmering in equal measure. The Ocean Parks are the greatest argument for second-guessing that Ive ever seen.

The biggest surprise in this enormous four-volume undertaking, ably edited and annotated by Jane Livingston and Andrea Liguori, are the thousands of drawings included in the three volumes of images (the first volume is devoted to essays and analysis by the likes of John Elderfield and Ruth Fine). The second surprise is that Diebenkorn never gave up figurative drawing, even late in life. The human figure possessed his imagination throughout his life. But again, this somehow makes sense in retrospect: an artist obsessed with synthesizing all of what he knew in his major work, whatever its style, was not surprisingly concerned with pursuing the same images that obsessed him early and late. The drawingsand man, that cat could draware likewise a testament to fun, to the sheer enjoyment of drawing that sizzles even in the juvenile drawings of cowboys and action figures included in this collection.

Richard Diebenkorn: The Catalogue Raisonne is a monumental testament to the printers art. Few books of any kind are made with this kind of meticulous care. Any faneven a casual fanwould covet this gorgeous, slipcased edition. And yet, all these pages combined are not equal to even one of the Ocean Park paintings. Because there is simply nothing to compare to standing in front of one of Diebenkorns paintings and drinking it in. Not even the best reproduction can compete with the physical thing there on the wall.

Perhaps thats because the paintings themselves are so much about the thrill of seeing, a thrill that time and again they capture and make immortal. To see an actual Diebenkorn, no matter how often you may have seen it before, is like seeing something new and wonderfulsomething so vivid and electric that its almost alivefor the first time. Not that Im not over the moon at owning this collection. Original Diebenkorns are pretty scarce around my house. So while I wait for my next fix, this collection will salve my yearning very nicely indeed.
President-elect Donald Trumps top advisers on Sunday blamed the victim in light of an intelligence report suggesting that the Russian government conducted a hacking campaign in order to help elect Trump and damage Hillary Clintons chances.

Ultimately, Trumps surrogates could not explain why Trump has not directly condemned Russia for the hack of the Democratic National Committee. Earlier this week, the president-elect issued a vague statement downplaying Russias impact on the election. He blamed Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people for cyberattacks, and vowed to aggressively combat and stop hacking activities.

Reince Priebus, Trumps incoming White House chief of staff, said the president-elect accepts the conclusion that Russia was behind the cyberattacks that targeted the DNC and Clintons campaign chairman John Podesta, but blamed the DNC for its alleged lack of cybersecurity.

Hes not denying that entities in Russia were behind this particular hacking campaign, Priebus said on Fox News Sunday. He added that the Russian government has the primary responsibility for the hacks.

But we also have a problem when we have a major political institution that allows foreign governments into their system with hardly any defenses or training, Priebus, the outgoing chairman of the Republican National Committee, said, calling the DNC a sitting duck.

Kellyanne Conway, who will be a counselor to the president in the new White House, also deflected by making a false claim about the intelligence community's assessment.

Mr. Clapper in his testimony made very clear on Thursday under oath that any attempt, any aspiration to influence our elections failed, Conway said on CNN's State of the Union, referring to James Clapper, the director of national intelligence. We're talking about this because we had embarrassing leaks from the DNC emails.

Clapper did not say this. He told members of Congress on Thursday that it was not possible for the intelligence community to assess what specific electoral effect the Russian intervention might have had.

Later in the interview, Conway contradicted herself, acknowledging that the WikiLeaks documents, which were allegedly stolen from the DNC by the Russians, did have an effect on the campaign.

It was quite embarrassing to watch her closest advisers question her judgment and question whether she would ever find her voice, Conway said. But she added that polling showed for some time that Clinton was not viewed as trustworthy by the American public, and that has nothing to do with Moscow.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina senator and former GOP presidential candidate, said it was a mistake for some Republicans to celebrate the WikiLeaks revelations.

To those who are gleeful about it, youre a political hack; youre not a Republican, youre not a patriot, Graham said on Meet the Press. If this is not about us, then Ill never know what will be about us. Because when one party is compromised, all of us are compromised.

Graham said he and Sen. John McCain will soon introduce new sanctions targeting Russias economy and its energy sector.

Were going to give President Trump an opportunity to make Russia pay a price for interfering in our elections so it will deter others in the future, Graham added. I hope he will take advantage of it.

Grahams Republican colleague, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, predicted that Trump would be a president who acts firmly against Russias interests.

The best way to look at the president-elects attitude toward the Russians is look at the incoming national security leaders: General Mattis, General Kelly, Congressman Pompeo, Senator Coatsnone of these are people who are in any way conflicted about the view that the Russians are not our friends and are a big problem, McConnell said.

The intelligence communitys unclassified report, which was released on Friday, contained strong-worded language about Russian President Vladimir Putins involvement and intentions. But it did not back up its claims with new evidence.

We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the report says. Russias goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.

The FBI and CIA said it has high confidence in those findings, while the NSA has moderate confidence. Both Trump and President Barack Obama were briefed on a top-secret version of the report.

Susan Hennessey, a former NSA official, told The Daily Beast that the unclassified report leaves big looming unanswered questions, including the ones no one really wants to askthat is, whether an American citizen who may have been connected to the Trump campaign had knowledge of or participated in the operation. There is currently no evidence of such a connection, but Graham said on Meet the Press that he believes there is an ongoing investigation into those potential links, adding: I dont want to speak for them.

Last month, the Obama administration announced a series of sanctions against Russia in response to the cyberattacks. Many Democrats and a substantial number of Republicans, like Graham and McCain, are now considering legislation to impose additional sanctions against Russia.

Yes, it would great if Russia were an ally. It's not realistic, Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on CNNs State of the Union Sunday morning. The Russians in my view have a very malign purpose around the world, and one we need to fight back tooth and nail.
Widely seen as both the father of the modern American way of warfare and its most formidable practitioner, Ulysses S. Grant remains an enigma more than 150 years after the guns of the Civil War fell silent. More than 200 biographies of Grant have been published since his death in 1885, including two major recent scholarly biographies and a flurry of other works since 2000. Virtually every month, a serious book on the Civil War is published, and most of them make at least a modest attempt to take the measure of the most famous man from Point Pleasant, Ohio.

What made U.S. Grant tick? What explains his remarkable strategic insight into the war that took more American lives than all the conflicts weve fought in since the beginning of the 20th century combined? Why did the Great General and Savior of the Union turn out to be such a mediocre president?

The truth, I think, is that we really do not know, and probably never will.
The arts world took a brief holiday break here in the Brazos Valley, but with the new year the schedule is picking up.

Navasota Theatre Alliance already has held auditions for its first production of its new season, Neil Simons Chapter Two. The play will run Feb. 17 through March 5 and will be directed by Jane Brewer, who guided last seasons Dracula in Dixie. Tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and older and students and $7 for children. They are available online at navasotatheatre.org.

If you never have been to this outstanding community theatre, this will be the perfect first experience.

Auditions were held early last month for StageCenters upcoming production of Larry Shues hilarious comedy The Foreigner, directed by StageCenter veteran Leah Fletcher. The Foreigner will run Feb. 9 through Feb. 25 in Downtown Bryan.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and students. All tickets for Thursday performances are $10. Tickets Are available at www.stagecenter.net.

Youve missed the chance to audition for those two shows, but there still is a chance to tryout for The Theatre Companys next production, Fiddler on the Roof. The beloved musical was the most chosen production for this season by Theatre Company audiences last spring. It will run Feb. 17 through March 5.

Fiddler on the Roof will mark Adrienne Dobsons first true appearance as director at The Theatre Company. She very ably stepped in to guide Novembers presentation of Stephen Sondheims Sweeney Todd after longtime artistic director Randy Wilson fell ill. This time, though, she is in charge from the very beginning and I am sure she will do an outstanding job.

Auditions for Fiddler will be Jan. 15 and 16 at The Theatre Company, behind JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts in Bryans Tejas Center. Auditions begin at 7 p.m. On Jan. 15, people wishing to audition for the musical should come prepared to perform a selection from any Broadway musical, except Fiddler on the Roof. A piano accompanist will be available. Those wishing to have her play for them should arrive a few minutes early to go over their selection. Prerecorded accompaniment also is permitted. Men and women of all ages are needed.

Available parts include Tevye, a dairyman; Golde, his wife; daughters Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze and Bielke; Yente the matchmaker; Motel the tailor; Perchik, a student; Lazar Wolf the butcher; Mordcha the innkeeper; the rabbi and Mendel, his son; Avram the bookseller; Nachum, a beggar; Grandma Tzeitel, who appears in a dream; Fruma-Sarah, the butchers wife who also appears in a dream; the constable, a Russian official; Fyedka, a young Russian; Shaindel, Motels mother; the fiddler; and numerous villagers of all ages.

The second night of auditions is for callbacks to let Dobson see how well people do in specific roles.

Theatre Company auditions always are a lot of fun, with an encouraging atmosphere.

Dobson said, This is a beautiful show, focusing on family and community, and I hope you all will join me on this adventure.

Boots & BBQ

Monday is the last day to RSVP for the Arts Councils Boots & BBQ, a casual afternoon of art in College Station. Location of the event will be provided with ticket purchase.

Tickets are $35 per person, which includes barbecue pulled pork sandwiches, sides and desert by Hans Hammond and friends, as well as two drink tickets, Patrons also will receive door prize tickets.

Local artists will show their recent works, some of which will be for sale. Artists include Hufreesh Chopra, Ashton Hall and Adriana De Luna of the Arts Councils Navasota Artists In Residence; Cindy Gomez of Living Water Pottery; Jane Metz who focuses on fine sporting, dog and Aggie art; Jay Schaan of Metal Fantasies; and Patsy Supak, who specializes in Texas landscapes and old barns.

Musical artist will be the Christopher Crow Band. On his Facebook page, Crow says, Blues is what speaks to me the loudest so, while I try to cover a wide variety of styles/genres there is always a touch of blues, leaving my style grey.

Band members include Christopher Crow on vocals and guitar, Tyler Gescheidle on drums, Michael Keels on bass, and Kat Pinchuk on vocals and keyboard.

The Facebook page lists the bands influences as Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Black Keys, Ray LaMontagne, Adele, Citizen Cope, John Mayer, and so many more.

To order tickets, call 979-696-2787 or go online to acbv.org/bootsbbq.

Price-less

Terry Price, who is well-known in this area and throughout Texas and the nation for his spot-on tributes to Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, will be performing two shows as a fundraiser for StageCenter in Downtown Bryan. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 at StageCenter, 201-B W. 26th St. in Downtown Bryan, above Mr. Gs Pizza.

Tickets are only $30 each or two for $50. They are available online until they are gone at www.stagecenter.net. What a perfect way to kick off the new year. Price and his band will perform hits by the legends of rockabilly .

Overtures

 Wednesday  Encore performance of the Metropolitan Operas presentation of Giuseppe Verdis Nabucco, starring Placido Domingo, Cinemark Movies 18, 1401 Earl Rudder Freeway S., College Station, 6:30 p.m.

 Jan. 18  Spanish Brass, a joint concert by presented by Concerts on Carter Creek and Friends of Chamber Music, 7 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 1100 Carter Creek Parkway in Bryan. Free.

 Jan. 21  Texas Guitar Quartet. Festival Concert Hall, Round Top Festival Institute in Roundtop, 3 p.m. $25 for adults, $10 for students. (festivalhill.org)

 Every Sunday  Open mics and poetry slams sponsored by Mic Check Poetry, 8:30 p.m. Revolution Cafe in Downtown Bryan, (miccheckpoetry.com)

Items for Sundays Arts Watch column must be received by noon Tuesday. Send them to robert.borden@theeagle.com.
Love old or unusual movies but never know when theyre on? Here are several I recommend:

Days Of Heaven (1978): This is visually the most beautiful movie Ive ever seen. Story-wise, its nothing that special: A young man (Richard Gere, in one of his first starring roles), gets into trouble in Chicago and then flees to the countryside with his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) and young sister (Linda Manz). The trio become migrant farm workers and begin working the fields of a lonely farmer (Sam Shepard). Whats special about this movie is the incredible cinematography by Nestor Almendros, who won an Oscar for the film. Maverick director Terrence Malick spent two years in Alberta, filming only at the magic hour (right before sunset) to get images of transcendent beauty. Add achingly appropriate use of music by Camille Saint-Saens and youve got the movie equivalent of poetry. Sit back and let the lush images of Days Of Heaven wash over you. Sadly, legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler shot about half of the film, but did not share in the Academy Award.  Turner Classic Movies, 11 p.m. Wednesday.

In The Heat Of The Night (1967): Its pretty impressive when you think of the movies this one beat out to win the Best Picture Oscar: The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, Guess Whos Coming to Dinner and Dr. Dolittle. It tells the steamy and racially charged story of a northern black detective (Sidney Poitier) and a traditional Southern white police chief (Rod Steiger) attempting to solve a baffling and dangerous murder case. The perennially underrated Norman Jewison directed and Steiger won a deserved Best Actor Oscar for his fascinating performance. The onscreen chemistry between Steiger and Poitier make the movie.  Turner Classic Movies, 7 p.m. Saturday.

Hail, Caesar! (2016) While this is not a great movie, Joel and Ethan Coens love letter to the studio era is colorful, charming and funny. Its great cast features George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Josh Brolin, Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson and other big names. But its newcomer Alden Ehrenreich who steals the show as an Aw, Shucks singing cowboy actor. He has star quality in spades. (In fact, hes set to play young Han Solo in an upcoming film.) The look and feel of the movie is glorious, even if its plot meanders a bit too much. If you love Old Hollywood, you need to see this one.  HBO, 10:40 a.m. Monday.

49th Parallel (1941): The title refers to the longest undefended border in the world, between the United States and Canada. This rousing film tells the story of a group of German U-boat sailors who escape their bombed boat and proceed to escape Canada and enter the U.S. Basically a propaganda film, the episodic stories it tells as the Germans encounter the brave and honest Canadians are really about how the war is going to be won by the sheer goodness of the people of the free countries. Its corny but it really works and features Lawrence Olivier and Leslie Howard. Howard, by the way, makes his first entrance 88 minutes into the movie, which has to be the latest entrance Ive ever seen for the top-billed actor.  Now available on Amazon Instant Video.

Trivia Question #667: Speaking of late entrances, can you think of a film in which the lead actress, who won an Oscar for her role, doesnt appear until 33 minute into the movie?

Answer to Trivia Question #665: Actress Ann Sotherns grandfather invented the modern submarine, believe it or not.

Bryan native Ray Ivey is a writer and movie fan in Hollywood, Calif. He would love to hear from you at rayivey@ca.rr.com.
Every American, Republican, Democrat or independent, should be appalled and concerned about the Russian hacking of Democratic Party computers, whatever the purpose.

Most likely the Russians were trying to affect the outcome of America's Nov. 8 presidential election. An intelligence report made public on Friday says that is the case, the Russians wanted to help Donald Trump win the election.

If so, they failed in that effort. Oh, Trump did win, but not because of Russian "help." By all accounts, the election was fair and the results clear. In less than two weeks, the winner of that election, Donald J. Trump, will be sworn in as our 45th president.

But what if the Russians had been trying to help Hillary Clinton? Would the foreign interference have been any less troubling? Absolutely not.

One of the hallmarks of our democracy is the right and the ability to elect those who would lead us in fair and free elections. Those elections, obviously, aren't without drama and tension, but there is little evidence of wholesale tampering with the outcome. Despite continuing protests by anti-Trump Americans, Trump won fair and square. He didn't need the help of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Friday's report indicates the Russians have been hacking into America's political assets for some time, without our knowledge. If they can do that, what else are they hacking? Are any secrets safe?

How many Americans have been the victims of hacks into banks and stores with which they do business? Are those hacks meant to prove that the hackers can do so, or are they meant to cause harm to our personal information? Either way, it is troubling.

Many medical organizations have our personal health information available online. Our doctors can review it and we can access it by providing an appropriate user name and password. The system seems safe, but is it really? Can bad actors learn all of our medical information?

And is it just the Russians we have to worry about. Are other unfriendly -- or friendly? -- nations hacking into our political and governmental accounts? Are we hacking into their's?

The question becomes whether there is any way to keep governments and people from hacking into our internet accounts. The internet and the worldwide web are marvelous tools of modern life, but we must find a way to keep our information safe, at whatever level.

Another concern of this whole matter is President-elect Trump's oft-broadcast refusal to accept the information provided by America's numerous intelligence agencies showing that Russia, indeed, was behind the Democratic Party hacks. It is certainly understandable to be skeptical about intelligence agency conclusions, but to do so publicly and so often causes many of us to doubt those who work so hard day-in and day-out to keep us safe. Americans must have trust in our intelligence services to do their job well and completely. Without that trust, we'd be afraid to leave our homes every day.

As president, Trump must learn that people, not only in America but around the world, listen to what he says and Tweets. He must learn to moderate his speech and actions, to think long and hard before speaking or Tweeting.

After being briefed Friday morning, Trump said the meeting with intelligence officials was "constructive," but he stopped short of agreeing with their conclusion. He did pledge that his administration will develop a plan within its first 90 days to "aggressively combat and stop cyber attacks." That is encouraging and we urge him to follow through on that pledge.

We need to continue to investigate the Russian hacks to learn how they were done and what we can do to prevent them in the future. No matter who was or who might be hacked.
70 staff proposed for each local unit

The Local Level Restructuring Commission (LLRC) has proposed 70 staff in each village and municipal council, suggesting that it would require at least 50,000 staffers to carry out administrative works at the local level in new set-up.
Around Burlington: When doctors and lawyers squared off on a diamond
Army truck tips over injuring 29 personnel

Twenty nine Nepal Army personnel were injured in a road accident after their truck tipped over at Shyaukharka along the Bhimdutta Highway on Sunday.
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NORWALK  Less than a decade after being installed, a $2 million co-generation system sits idle in the boiler room of Norwalk High School.

Officials arent sure when or why the system  an engine that generated electricity and diverted the resulting heat to warm the schools swimming pool  went offline.

At this point, theyre focused on bringing it back into operation and hope to learn how to do that through an assessment.

Were working with Eversource, said Michael Barbis, chairman of the Norwalk Board of Educations Facilities Committee. Weve got some funding from the state that should be able to be enough to put it back into service.

Barbis, who was elected to the school board in 2011, described the non-functioning co-generation system as another example of another mess the current Board of Ed inherited.

He said the school district received $115,000 in Alliance District capital funds to fix it.

In February 2006, the Norwalk Common Council authorized the appropriation of $1.92 million for the Norwalk High School co-generation project and the issuance of municipal bonds to pay for the project. The system was installed amid other improvements to the school.

Bill Hodel, Norwalk Public Schools director of facilities, said the co-generation system stopped working before he joined the district. He and other officials hope to learn whats wrong with it through Eversource Energys broader assessment of mechanical systems at Norwalk and Brien McMahon High schools. The assessment will list deficiencies, he said.

That is probably going to take place in the next couple of months, Hodel said. Were going to take that survey and address each piece of equipment accordingly.

Alan Lo, the citys building and facilities manager, said a 12-cylinder, natural gas-powered engine powers the co-generation system.

The waste heat from the engine is used to heat pool water as well as heat the building, Lo said. As part of the installation, there was a two-year maintenance service agreement with a contractor.

Lo said the engine has a typical life span of seven years before requiring a major overhaul. Regular maintenance is required given that the engine is designed to run at 85 percent of the day, he added.

You do need to service it, just like a car, Lo said.

The system was installed as part of a broader overhaul and expansion of city schools launched under Mayor Alex Knopp. He said the system was the first co-generation project in an educational facility in Connecticut.

We were trying to take advantage of the changes in energy prices and take a more comprehensive approach to energy at the municipal facilities, Knopp said. I heard after I left office that there was a lack of leadership  both in the city and in the school system  to pursue it as enthusiastically as I had wanted and there were problems.
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'No Pants Subway Ride' 2016 surprises no one
Norwalks Grand List has been stuck at about $12 billion since 2008 (see the citys 2015-16 Operating Budget). About 90 percent represents residential properties, 5 percent by Merritt7 and the major public utilities, 5 percent for all other commercial properties. No other similarly situated community in Connecticut has been similarly stagnant.

The nation has undergone its longest economic expansion and by far its most vigorous housing boom. Yet for the first time in its post-war history Norwalk stands still.

The citys operating budget doesnt discuss this unprecedented stagnation. Yet with city outlays rising about 3 percent yearly amidst fairly unchanged state aid, the cost of city expenses has risen about 30 percent. Those costs are ultimately imposed on city property owners further depressing the Grand List. The 2018 scheduled Property Revaluation will remind city taxpayers on the relationship between ever-rising city budgets and stagnant property values, as is well illustrated by Bridgeport  our states largest city with a Grand List half of Norwalks and astonishingly high property tax rates.

The citys Democratic leadership seem indifferent to nearly a decades stagnant Grand List. Witness the recent Charter Commission, convened after a decade of troubling Grand List stagnation, just recommending extending the mayors term. Reflecting either appalling ignorance of basic governance or studied indifference to the needs of our citizens. Or both.

Consider vigorous efforts to deny re-election to a well-appreciated Board of Education chair in order to regain complete control of a BOE typically staffed by members without basic professional skill sets. Consider the councils approval of an unprecedented dumbing down of senior city positions from small towns without professional search. Reportedly no other well functioning city in the states modern history has so flagrantly dumbed down its City Hall, nor elected a former police chief as its mayor. Even Bridgeport does better.

What happens next? Norwalk, surrounded by well-managed wealthy towns with among the nations best public schools, is especially vulnerable to economic downturns. Add Connecticuts deteriorating economy and exodus of firms, jobs and even its population. Our state stands last in private jobs creation since 1995  just 25,000 new jobs. After several historic tax hikes state Democratic leaders are pursuing beggar thy neighbor policies of giving a half-billion taxpayer funds to major employers simply to remain here.

Come the next national recession our city faces a triple whammy: an ever more sharply deteriorating state economy, substantially higher property taxes to fund its ever increasing city budget and declining, not just stagnant, property values. With its overpaid city employees averaging 6 figures, dozens and dozens of $150k administrators and seemingly appalling ignorance of basic management skills by its elected , Norwalk is in real danger of becoming widely known as a failing city, one avoided by newcomers seeking homes. One avoided by new businesses fearing ever higher punitive taxes. And one where experienced and capable citizens avoid volunteering for public service considering such efforts without value given the citys leadership capabilities and competence.

Decades ago the citys once prosperous and devoted small business owners often articulated the challenge of avoiding a Bridgeport solution. Spending was kept in check along with vigorous efforts to hire the best available talent for the citys top positions.

Unless the population rallies with competent and experienced new leadership, the Bridgeport solution  a City of No Hope  seems inescapable.

Peter I. Berman is a resident of Norwalk.
Badis protest in Kailali demanding support

The Badi community in Kailali demonstrated on Saturday against the governments failure to implement the agreement signed with them eight years ago.
CENTRAL CITY  For almost 29 years, Sgt. Patrick Benson and Trooper Linda Schulze of the Nebraska State Patrol have witnessed both the good and the bad and impacted a lot of lives in the Central City area.

When Schulze pulled over a car, a person in the vehicle sometimes recognized her from a class long ago. You were my DARE teacher, Schulze heard from the former student, whos now an adult with two or three kids.

Markers along the highway pay tribute to people who died in car accidents. Much of the time, Benson remembers both the accident and the individuals who lost their lives.

On the brighter side, Benson hears from parents who believe his advice straightened out their sons teenage years.

Benson and Schulze, who both retired last week, worked together in the State Patrols Central City duty station since February of 1988. They were the only employees in the two-person station.

Benson supervised six troopers in Troop Cs seven-county area north of Interstate 80. The State Patrol refers to the district as the St. Paul-Sargent area, or as the North Country.

Benson, a State Patrol employee since 1984, retired Thursday  which was his 54th birthday. Schulze, whos three months younger, officially ended her 30-year State Patrol career on Saturday.

Benson has lived in Central City since late 1987. When he and his wife, Janelle, moved to Central City, they had 1-year-old Becky. She was later joined by two brothers, Zac and Aaron.

Benson and his wife now have seven grandchildren, with three on the way, Benson remembers a Realtor telling him Central City is a great place to raise a family.

Thirty years later, I can tell you: Its a great place to raise your kids.

Schulze and her husband of 26 years, Tim, live near Hordville. They have a 23-year-old son, Caleb, and a daughter, Morgan, whos a senior at Nebraska Christian School in Central City.

When State Patrol officers spend a long time in the same community, You get to be pretty well-known, Benson said. When he stops to get pop at Pump and Pantry in the morning, the coffee group knows you, he said.

Sometimes it takes a long time to get through the grocery store, because you end up talking with everybody and everybody asks questions, he said. When you work in smaller communities, you answer a lot of law enforcement-related questions whether youre working or not.

Benson appreciates the cooperation hes received from sheriffs departments and police in the seven counties.

If youre called to a domestic disturbance or a physical dispute, those are the type of calls you want to have several officers at, Benson said. We band together to help each other with those.

Because troopers work different shifts and because of days off, there is sometimes only one Highway Patrol officer on duty in the seven counties.

The best part of the job, Benson says, is just being able to help people.

He always appreciated receiving a thank you from a parent after helping a college kid who blew a tire or got sideswiped by a truck on his way to school. He didnt think much about it at the time. He was just doing his job, he said.

And then you get a letter from a parent whos thankful that you were there to help them. Both Benson and Schulze have changed many tires over the years.

Hes also been approached by parents years after hed had an encounter with their sons.

Maybe the son had been caught with a small amount of marijuana six years earlier. The son is now a lieutenant in the National Guard and he really turned his life around because of you, the parent tells him.

In those situations, Benson tells young people marijuana is a threshold drug. He told the young person how youre going down the wrong road and you need to really evaluate who youre hanging out with, the decisions youre making.

Some people dont listen to the advice.

Its what they want to do, Benson said. But other people are on the bubble.

They might go one way or the other. And you try to influence them positively.

The worst parts of life in the traffic division are fatal accidents and death.

Im tired of dead bodies, Benson said.

He wishes more people took driving seriously.

Its such a huge responsibility and so many take it for granted, he said.

Fatalities are never pleasant, Schulze said. But bad news is slightly easier if it comes from someone you know personally.

Schulze doesnt care what kind of training youve had. Theres no easy way to inform a person that somebody they cherish more than anybody in the world just got killed in a crash, she said.

Over the last three decades, Benson has spent a lot of time on Highways 30, 281 and 81. But Highway 30 has been my bread and butter, said the Hildreth native.

Bensons father, John, used to be general manager of KHAS-TV. Patrick started his State Patrol career in Ogallala. He worked in Central City earlier in his career before being promoted to sergeant. He also spent two and a half years in the drug division, working undercover.

On Monday, Benson will start his new job  chief deputy in the Merrick County Sheriffs Office.

An Elk Creek native, Schulze worked in Sidney as a young trooper.

She doesnt know what shell do down the road. But for now, shes going to clean every cupboard, closet and nook and cranny in her house. It needs it, she said.

Being a trooper is an excellent career, Schulze said. Its a good profession.

The work is different every day.

You can go from extremely dull to extremely exciting in a matter of seconds, she said.

Schulze has enjoyed getting to know the people in the communities on a very personal level. There are excellent, wonderful people in all the communities shes served as part of her job.

She and Benson also pointed out that support for law enforcement is strong in Nebraska.

On Christmas Eve day, 11 State Patrol officers had lunch at the Grand Island Hy-Vee. One of the customers stepped up and paid their bill, a gesture that was appreciated by the officers.
When Dorie Pearl Budde received her masters degree in social work at Texas Sate University in San Marcos on Dec. 17, her mother, Sandy Budde, presented her with a beautiful watch.

That marked the second time the watch had been given as a graduation gift.

The first time was almost a century ago.

The watch was originally given to Dories great-grandmother, Pearl Reisdorff, in 1917 when she graduated from the eighth grade.

The timepieces journey of nearly 100 years connects four generations of women from the same family.

While Dorie said she was close to her great-grandma, the watch was never a subject of conversation.

Id seen it after she died, but it was in poor condition, she said, lending even more surprise to the benign machinations of her mother in getting the watch back in gift-giving condition.

The scheme worked. Dorie was both pleased and very surprised.

The story, like the watch, connects family.

Each successive woman in the Pearl Reisdorff lineage  her daughter, Betty Kidder; her granddaughter, Sandy Budde; and now her great-granddaughter, Dorie Budde  went further than her own mother in education.

I found the watch when I was going through some of my grandmothers belongings, Sandy said. It was in a wooden box in a dresser. I remembered playing with it when I was a kid, sitting on my grandmothers bed.

More memories flooded back to Sandy, especially her grandmothers excitement that Dories middle name would be Pearl.

So she hatched a plan to surprise her daughter with the watch as a graduation gift, the second time the watch had fulfilled that role.

More than benign subterfuge was needed to pull off this improbable plan. Sandy would need the expert hands of a jeweler skilled in making the old and precious new and workable again.

The watch was broken and very dirty. I figured we could get it cleaned, but didnt know if it could be fixed.

She found just the expert in Lincoln: David Wolfe at the Time Shoppe, who was able to restore the watch and get it running again.

Rescued, restored

Pearl Reisdorff was born in 1905 in the rough and tumble of a grading camp near Oakland, Neb. Grading camps were home to road and railroad workers who lived in tents. Although Pearls family had a house in Omaha, they lived in the camps when her father was working.

Eventually, she lived full time in Omaha, where she graduated from the eighth grade.

Back then, graduating from eighth grade was quite an accomplishment for my grandmother, Sandy said.

The watch meant something, too, as Pearl kept it until her death in 1991, even though it had long ceased working and was essentially out of sight for 30 years.

Sandy found the watch when she moved her own mother (Betty Kidder Struthers) to Tiffany Square Care Center and, in the process, decided to go through some items marked Grandma.

There she rescued the watch  an American Standard, which later became Bulova, originally purchased for $12.50  and gave it to Wolfe to work his magic. It now resides with Dorie, three generations later.

Reminders of the past

Dorie has decided to wear the watch sparingly, a nod to both its sentimental value and physiology.

(Pearl) had very tiny wrists, and it doesnt fit real well on mine.

Nonetheless, Dorie appreciates having a part of her great-grandmothers history close.

I have other jewelry from the special women in my family, aunts and grandmothers. I like having one little piece from each of them.

Dorie, who lives in San Antonio and works for the U.S. Air Force as a domestic violence victim advocate, earned her bachelors degree in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2002.

She worked full time and raised her son while going to graduate school at Texas State, which included practicum placements outside classroom time.

It was crazy, she said, although meeting the challenge is something she also inherited from Pearl Reisdorffs bloodline.

A strong work ethic has always been instilled in me. All the women in my family were and are hard workers, she said.

Dorie is now studying for her state licensing exam in social work and hopes eventually to sit for the clinical social work licensing exam in Texas.

All the while, shell have a 100-year-old watch not only to give her the time, but also to remind her of the Pearl Residorff line of women and their values that she carries.

George Ayoub can be reached at ayoubcolumns@gmail.com or via Twitter @georgeayoub.
Book martyrs

Today the space for our libraries is ill-managed, ruined, or permanently gone
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Linkedin Juliana Harsianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 7 2017

Two European brands, Arethe Stockholm and Les Fables, introduce a capsule wardrobe fashion concept that allows shoppers to make prudent purchases and avoid waste.

Fashion wear and accessories are offered by small shops and chain stores at various malls in major cities, with a wide variety of ever-changing collections and attractive discounts, tempting buyers to return for more purchases of the vogue products.

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The government has pushed up the value-added tax (PPN) on cigarettes to 9.1 percent this year as part of its gradual effort to increase the rate to 10 percent, a number that already applies to other consumer goods.

The raised tax, which is up from 8.7 percent last year, has been effective since Jan. 1, according to Finance Ministerial Regulation No. 174/PMK 03/2016.

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Linkedin Indra Budiari and Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, January 7 2017

Evicted residents of Bukit Duri in South Jakarta remain optimistic in their quest for justice following a court ruling declaring their evictions between Sept. 29 and Oct. 2 last year as legally flawed.

The Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) ruled on Thursday that the three warning letters issued by the citys Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) prior to the evictions were illegal and ordered the city administration to compensate the affected residents for their losses.

Vera Soemarwi, the legal representative of Bukit Duri residents, said Friday that her clients welcomed the ruling, saying that it was a step forward in their quest for justice.

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Committee to study Metro rail in Kathmandu valley

The government has formed a high-level committee to conduct a study on the modality for operating Metro rail service in Kathmandu valley.
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Linkedin Kelli Kennedy and Curt Anderson (Associated Press) Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  Sun, January 8, 2017

The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida was charged Saturday and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. Authorities don't know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Santiago was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death  which carries a maximum punishment of execution  and weapons charges.

"Today's charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors," US Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

Authorities said during a news conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with the cooperative suspect, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska. Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.

Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska. He had two magazines with him and emptied both of them, firing about 15 rounds, before he was arrested, the complaint said.

"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack," FBI Agent George Piro said.

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiago's motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the US government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

"He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day," FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.

On that day, Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.

On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldn't say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.

Santiago had not been placed on the US no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.

The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.

Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota with his wife for a cruise when he heard three quick cracks, like a firecracker. Then came more cracks, and "I knew it was more than just a firecracker," he said.

Making sure his wife was outside, Lea helped evacuate some older women who had fallen, he said. Then he saw the shooter.

"He was just kind of randomly shooting people," he said. "If you were in his path, you were going to get shot. He was walking and shooting."

Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, he said. When he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.

By that time, a deputy had arrived and grabbed the shooter. Lea put his foot on the gun to secure it.

Lea went to help the injured and a woman from Iowa asked about her husband, who she described. Lea saw a man who fit his description behind a row of chairs, motionless, shot in the head and lying in a pool of blood, he said. The man, Michael Oehme, was identified as one of the dead victims on Saturday.

Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being demoted for unsatisfactory performance. Bryan Santiago said Saturday that his brother had requested psychological help but received little assistance. Esteban Santiago said in August that he was hearing voices.

"How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for only four days, and then give him his weapon back?" Bryan Santiago said.

His mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the family home in Puerto Rico, wiping tears from her eyes. The only thing she said was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode next to two of his friends when he was around 18 years old while serving in Iraq.

Santiago will make his first court appearance Monday.

It is legal for airline passengers to travel with guns and ammunition as long as the firearms are put in a checked bag  not a carry-on  and are unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container. Guns must be declared to the airline at check-in.

Despite his mental evaluation, US Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a high standard.

Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Anchorage aboard a Delta flight Thursday night, checking only one piece of luggage  his gun.

___

Anderson reported from Miami. Associated Press writers Tamara Lush in Pembroke Pines, Florida; Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report. (**)
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Linkedin Sarah El Deeb (Associated Press) Beirut  Sun, January 8, 2017

A car bomb ripped through a busy commercial district in a rebel-held Syrian town along the Turkish border Saturday, killing nearly 50 in a huge explosion that damaged buildings and left rescuers scrambling to find survivors amid the wreckage, opposition activists said.

Rescuers and doctors said the explosion was so large there were nearly 100 wounded and burned. Over 50 wounded were transported to the Turkish border town of Kilis for treatment, as local hospitals couldn't cope.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Locals said a rigged tanker caused the explosion and blamed Islamic State militants, who have carried out attacks in the town before. The militant group has been increasingly pressed in Syria and Iraq, and has escalated its attacks against Turkey  which backs Syrian opposition fighters in a campaign against the group in northern Syria.

Azaz, only a couple of miles from the Turkish border, is a key town on a route used by opposition fighters moving between Syria and Turkey, and is a hub for anti-government activists as well as many displaced from the recent fighting in Aleppo city. Activists say its pre-war population of 30,000 has swelled.

It is also sandwiched between rival groups, including Kurdish fighters to the west and Turkey-backed opposition groups to the east. Islamic State militants, who have tried to advance on the key border town before have been pushed back farther east in recent months in the Turkey-backed offensive.

The bomb went off early Saturday afternoon outside a local courthouse and security headquarters operated by the opposition fighters who control the town, resident and activist Saif Alnajdi told The Associated Press from Azaz.

"It hit the busiest part of the town," Alnajdi said, referring to the administrative part of town.

A medical worker speaking to a local media outfit, al-Jisr, said many charred bodies, and body parts mixed with bones and mud, were piled up in local hospitals.

Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, said at least 48 people were killed, including 14 fighters and guards to the local courthouse. He said the explosion was caused by a rigged water or fuel tanker, which explained the large blast and high death toll. The activist-operated local Azaz Media center and Shabha Press put the death toll at 60, adding that search and rescue operations continued for hours after the explosion.

Alnajdi said rescue workers were still working to identify and remove the bodies from the area, suggesting that the death toll was not final. He said some of the severely wounded were transported across the border into the Turkish town of Kilis for treatment. The Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency said 53 wounded Syrians were brought to Kilis' local hospital for treatment, including five in critical condition, transferred to Gaziantep. The agency said one later died.

Media activist Baha al-Halabi, based in Aleppo province and who gathered information from Azaz residents, said witnesses reported many unidentified bodies. Footage shared online showed a large plume of black smoke rising above the chaotic street with the sound of gunfire in the background as onlookers gathered around the site. In one instance, a father ran away from the scene, carrying his child to safety.

The court house and the security headquarters were damaged, as well as the Red Crescent and municipality offices, according to activists in the area.

Many rebels and civilians who were pushed out of Aleppo city during a massive government offensive late last year have resettled in Azaz. Syrian Kurdish forces control territory to the west of Azaz, and have often tried advancing toward the town, causing friction with Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition fighters. To the east, opposition fighters backed by Turkey have been pushing back Islamic State extremists, gaining territory and advancing on the IS-stronghold town of al-Bab, further east. Turkey considers Syria Kurdish factions there terrorists, linked to a local group it is battling at home.

A nationwide week-long cease-fire has mostly held across most of Syria after Russia and Turkey, who support opposite sides of the conflict, reached an agreement late December. It is set to pave the way for peace talks between Assad's government and the opposition in Kazakhstan later this month. The Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked group Fatah al-Sham Front are not included in the deal, according to the Syrian government.

___

Associated press writer Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed to this report. (**)
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Linkedin Danica Coto (Associated Press) Panuelas, Puerto Rico  Sun, January 8, 2017

The brother of a man accused of killing five people at a Florida airport questioned Saturday why his brother was allowed to keep his gun after US authorities knew he'd become increasingly paranoid and was hearing voices.

Esteban Santiago, 26, had trouble controlling his anger after serving in Iraq and told his brother that he felt he was being chased and controlled by the CIA through secret online messages. When he told agents at an FBI field office his paranoid thoughts in November, he was evaluated for four days, then released without any follow-up medication or therapy.

"The FBI failed there," Bryan Santiago told The Associated Press. "We're not talking about someone who emerged from anonymity to do something like this."

Speaking in Spanish outside his family's house in Penuelas, the brother said: "The federal government already knew about this for months, they had been evaluating him for a while, but they didn't do anything."

Bryan Santiago said he noted that his brother was behaving differently when he returned from Iraq.

"He sometimes couldn't control his anger," he said. "You could tell something had changed."

Bryan Santiago said that when he went to visit his brother in Alaska last August, he said Santiago told him he was hearing voices and felt he was being chased.

Authorities in Alaska on Saturday defended their interactions with Esteban Santiago. FBI Special Agent in Charge Marlin Ritzman told a news conference that Santiago broke no laws when he walked into the Anchorage FBI office "making disjointed comments about mind control." He characterized Santiago as a "walk-in complaint," which he said offices around the country receive daily.

Anchorage police were called to the office by the agency, told Santiago he was having "terroristic thoughts" and believed he was being influenced by the so-called Islamic State group and was taken to a mental health facility, city Police Chief Chris Tolley said. Santiago had left a gun and his newborn child in his vehicle when he went to the FBI office. Police held the gun until Santiago was released and contacted him about picking up the weapon, which he did on Dec. 8, Tolley said.

Authorities would not confirm whether he used the same gun Friday. "There is speculation that it is the same gun. I have not received confirmation that it, in fact, is that gun," Tolley said.

In recent years, Esteban Santiago  a new dad  had been living in Anchorage. But there were signs of trouble.

He was charged in a domestic violence case in January 2016, damaging a door when he forced his way into a bathroom at his girlfriend's Anchorage home. The woman told officers he yelled at her to leave, choked her and smacked her on the side of the head, according to charging documents.

A month later, municipal prosecutors said he violated the conditions of his release when officers found him at her home during a routine check. He told police he had lived there since he was released from custody the previous month. His Anchorage attorney, Max Holmquist, declined to discuss his client.

Tolley detailed other complaints of physical disturbances last year involving Santiago but said officers either found no probable cause for arrest or were told by the city prosecutor not to arrest him.

Bryan Santiago said his brother had requested psychological help but barely received any.

"I told him to go to church or to seek professional help," he said.

Family members have said Esteban Santiago changed after serving a yearlong tour in Iraq. He was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was 2, his brother said. He grew up in Penuelas before joining the Guard in 2007.

He deployed in 2010 as part of the Puerto Rico National Guard, spending a year with an engineering battalion, according to Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.

Esteban Santiago's mother wiped tears from her eyes as she stood inside a screen door Saturday. She said her son had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode near two friends while serving in Iraq.

Alaska National Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead told The New York Times that two soldiers in Santiago's company had died during his stint in Iraq.

Former neighbor Ursula Candelario in Penuelas recalled seeing Esteban Santiago grow up and said people used to salute him after he joined the Guard. "He was very peaceful, very educated, very serious," she said. "We're in shock. I couldn't believe it."

Since returning from Iraq, Santiago served in the Army Reserves and the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage, Olmstead told AP. He was serving as a combat engineer in the Guard before his discharge for "unsatisfactory performance." His military rank upon discharge was E3, private 1st class, and he worked one weekend a month with an additional 15 days of training yearly, Olmstead said.

She would not elaborate on his discharge. The Pentagon said he went AWOL several times and was demoted and discharged.

While it is unclear if Esteban Santiago had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, as many as one in five veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan develop the affliction each year, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. A 2014 Veterans Affairs study found that almost 30 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who sought treatment at VA hospitals were diagnosed with PTSD symptoms.

His uncle and aunt in New Jersey were trying to make sense of what they were hearing about Santiago. FBI agents arrived at their house to question them on Friday.

Maria Ruiz told The Record newspaper that her nephew had recently become a father to a son and was struggling.

"It was like he lost his mind," she said in Spanish of his return from Iraq. "He said he saw things."

Santiago was flying from Anchorage on a Delta flight and had checked only one piece of luggage, which contained the gun.

Sen.-elect Nelson Cruz, who knew the family and represents the town where they live in Puerto Rico, said he had been talking regularly with Bryan Santiago since the shooting.

"They're very humble and very Christian people," Cruz said. "They want to tell the families of the victims that they're extremely saddened and extremely upset by what happened."

___

Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Rachel D'Oro and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; Jason Dearen in Gainesville, Florida and Lolita C. Baldor and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to show Santiago served in the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage, not Fairbanks, per new information from the Guard. (**)
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Linkedin Fachrul Sidiq (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 8, 2017

Logically delivering and defending arguments are necessary skills that gubernatorial hopefuls must acquire to lead Jakarta, experts have suggested.

Hamdi Muluk, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia (UI), expects the upcoming debate, which will be organized by the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) next Friday, to become a kind of battleground stage where each candidate will try to show to the public how they will use their logic and critical thinking to defend the programs they are promoting.

We need leaders who can debate because once they are elected, they will have to defend their programs in front of the City Council, he said during a discussion on the election on Saturday.

He said the candidates passion and fluency in delivering ideas and arguments during the debate could reflect how polished and experienced they were in dealing with problems.

Hikmahanto Juwana, an expert in law from UI, said that despite the fact that there were three candidate pairs competing in the election, the debate organizers should allocate a certain portion of time for each candidate to face off head-to-head with other candidates to enhance the audiences judgment in comparing the candidates quality and competence.

The KPU Jakarta has scheduled three debates for the election, with the first one slated for Jan. 13. The debate will be broadcast live on three television stations, namely TV One, NET TV and Jawa Pos TV. (evi)
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Pekalongan, Central Java  Sun, January 8, 2017

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has reminded all of the people in Indonesia that diversity is a gift from God that they should always be grateful for.

Speaking in Pekalongan, Central Java, on Sunday during Maulid Nabi, a commemoration of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, the President said that diversity could even become a source of power if all Indonesian people could maintain their unity.

Rasulullah [Prophet Muhammad] has given an example in engaging in politics. He once made a political contract with all elements and components of society through the Madinah Charter, which aimed to maintain their unity. Islam pays respect to the diversity of ethnic and social groups, said Jokowi at the Kanzus Sholawat Building in Pekalongan.

Indonesia has more than 700 ethnic groups with 1,100 local languages and this shows the diversity. The diversity is a gift from God we have always to be grateful for. We have 34 provinces and 516 regencies and cities. Lets maintain our unity. We need unity. NKRI Harga Mati! [The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia is undisputed], the President said.

Showing loyalty  Hundreds of students of Islamic boarding schools listen attentively to President Joko Jokowi Widodos remarks during the Maulid Nabi celebration in Pekalongan, Central Java, on Jan. 8 while they display red-and-white banners emblazoned with the message: NKRI Harga Mati (The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia is Undisputed). (JP/Suherdjoko)

Jokowi said that social media had now become an intangible enemy. Everyone now has a mobile phone through which all information is available.

Some information is true, but some other is false. There is information containing accurate facts, but some other information spreads slander. There is truthful information, but some of it is defamatory. The world [of information] opens very wide. Information must be selected. Otherwise it will divide us, said Jokowi during the event, which was hosted by Habib Muhammad Luthfi bin Yahya, a noted ulema from Pekalongan. (ebf)
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Linkedin Kelli Kennedy (Associated Press) Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  Sun, January 8, 2017

The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida appears to have traveled there specifically to carry out the attack, authorities said Saturday, but they don't know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Authorities said during a news conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with the cooperative suspect, 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska. Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.

FBI Agent George Piro said Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska.

"Indications are that he came here to carry out this horrific attack," Piro said. "We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack."

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiago's motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the US government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

"He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day," FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.

Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.

On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldn't say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.

US Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a higher standard than having an evaluation.

Santiago had not been placed on the US no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.

The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.

Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota with his wife for a cruise when he heard three quick cracks, like a firecracker. Then came more cracks, and "I knew it was more than just a firecracker," he said.

Making sure his wife was outside, Lea helped evacuate some older women who had fallen, he said. Then he saw the shooter.

"He was just kind of randomly shooting people," he said. "If you were in his path, you were going to get shot. He was walking and shooting."

Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, he said. When he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.

By that time, a deputy had arrived and grabbed the shooter. Lea put his foot on the gun to secure it.

Lea went to help the injured and a woman from Iowa asked about her husband, who she described. Lea saw a man who fit his description behind a row of chairs, motionless, shot in the head and lying in a pool of blood, he said. The man, Michael Oehme, was identified as one of the dead victims on Saturday.

Bruce Hugon, who had flown in from Indianapolis for a vacation, was at the baggage carousel when he heard four or five pops and saw everyone drop to the ground. He said a woman next to him tried to get up and was shot in the head.

"The guy must have been standing over me at one point. I could smell the gunpowder," he said. "I thought I was about to feel a piercing pain or nothing at all because I would have been dead."

Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being demoted for unsatisfactory performance. Bryan Santiago said Saturday that his brother had requested psychological help but received little assistance. Esteban Santiago said in August that he was hearing voices.

"How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for only four days, and then give him his weapon back?" Bryan Santiago said.

His mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the family home in Puerto Rico, wiping tears from her eyes. The only thing she said was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode next to two of his friends when he was around 18 years old while serving in Iraq.

Santiago, who is in federal custody, will face federal charges and is expected to appear in court Monday, Piro said.

It is legal for airline passengers to travel with guns and ammunition as long as the firearms are put in a checked bag  not a carry-on  and are unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container. Guns must be declared to the airline at check-in.

Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Anchorage aboard a Delta flight Thursday night, checking only one piece of luggage  his gun, said Jesse Davis, police chief at the Anchorage airport.

___

Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in Miami; Tamara Lush in Pembroke Pines, Florida; Lolita C. Baldor and Eric Tucker in Washington; Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; David Koenig in Dallas; and Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report. (**)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 8, 2017

President Joko Jokowi Widodo departed on Sunday for a two-day work visit to Central Java. The President and his entourage departed for the province on board the Indonesia-1 presidential airplane from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta at around 8:30 a.m., the Presidential Office said in a press statement on Sunday.

As soon as they arrive in Semarang, President Jokowi will straightaway depart for Pekalongan City via a Super Puma helicopter belonging to the Indonesian Air Force. In Pekalongan, the President is scheduled to attend the celebration of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, or Maulid Nabi, together with local Islamic leader Habib M. Lutfi Bin Yahya at Kanzus Sholawat Building.

President Jokowi is also scheduled to hand over a number of social assistance programs, such as the Hope Family Program (PKH) and complimentary feeding program, to its beneficiaries in Pekalongan.

Closing his visit in Pekalongan on Sunday, President Jokowi will depart for the Nusantara Fishery Port in North Pekalongan district, where he will witness the extending of fishing boats to local fishermen.

On the second day of his visit, the President and his entourage will attend several events in Pekalongan and Batang regencies.

(Read also: Jokowi praised for Minahasa visit)

Health Minister Nila Moeloek and several presidential officials are accompanying President Jokowi in the visit, including Presidential Secretariat head Darmansjah Djumala, Presidential Military Secretary Air Vice Marshal Trisno Hendradi, Presidential Security Force commander Maj. Gen. Bambang Suswantono, Presidential special staff member Ari Dwipayana and Presidential Secretariat Protocol Bureau head Ari Setiawan. (ebf)
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Linkedin Gillian Wong (Associated Press) Beijing  Sun, January 8, 2017

An official with President-elect Donald Trump's transition team said Saturday that neither Trump nor transition officials would be meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who stopped in the US during her trip to the Americas.

Still, Tsai's trip will be scrutinized by Beijing for any signs that Trump's team will risk its ire by further engaging with the self-ruled island that China considers its territory.

Tsai, who departed Taipei on Saturday, pledged to bolster Taiwan's international profile as she set off on a trip to reinforce relations with diplomatic allies in Central America, a task that has taken on new urgency as Beijing ramps up efforts to diplomatically isolate Taipei.

Speaking to reporters before her departure, Tsai said the visits to Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador would "show the international society that Taiwan is a capable and responsible partner for cooperation."

She transited through Houston, a stop that will irk Beijing, which has urged Washington to prevent Tsai from landing in the US to "refrain from sending any wrong signal to the Taiwanese independence forces."

Beijing regards the self-governing island as part of China and officials complained after Trump last month breached diplomatic protocol by speaking by phone with the Taiwanese leader. Trump raised further concerns in Beijing when he questioned a US policy that since 1979 has recognized Beijing as China's government and maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan.

US lawmakers often meet with Taiwanese presidents when they transit through the US  most recently in June, when Tsai met in Miami with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.

Trump transition spokeswoman Jessica Ditto said in an email Saturday that the president-elect would not be meeting with the Taiwanese leader while she is in the US, nor will members of his transition team.

Trump sounded unaware of the potential trip when he was asked about it on New Year's Eve.

"Nobody's ever mentioned that to me," he told reporters. "I'm not meeting with anybody until after Jan. 20, because it's a little bit inappropriate from a protocol standpoint. But we'll see."

Tsai is likely to keep the US stops low-key to avoid further inflaming tensions with China, which has been angered by her refusal to endorse Beijing's concept that Taiwan and the mainland are part of a single Chinese nation.

Beijing says failing to endorse the one-China principle would destabilize relations and hurt peace in the region. In late December, in what Beijing called routine exercises, China's first and only aircraft carrier and a fleet of warships sailed past Taiwan's south, prompting Taipei to deploy fighter jets to monitor the fleet.

"I'm confident that both Taiwan and the US want this transit to be low profile," said Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "There is nothing to be gained by irritating Beijing."

In Central America, Tsai will focus on strengthening ties with allies to fend off Beijing's efforts to draw governments away from Taipei and further diminish its global presence. Beijing and Taipei have competed for allies for much of the nearly seven decades since the end of China's civil war in 1949, when the defeated Nationalist government fled across the Taiwan Strait.

Tsai, who is leading a delegation of 120 people, will meet with most of the four countries' leaders and attend the inauguration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. She said she would also interact with the heads of state of other countries at the inauguration.

Beijing has intervened to prevent the island's participation in international forums and established diplomatic relations with former Taipei allies Gambia and Sao Tome and Principe. The moves have been seen as effectively abandoning the unspoken diplomatic truce that lasted eight years under Tsai's China-friendly predecessor. Just 21 countries and governments, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, now have official ties with Taipei.

Observers were watching to see if any of the four Central American nations might defect despite Tsai's efforts, but say stronger US support under Trump's administration would help balance future diplomatic losses.

"We should expect that in the Trump administration the US would be more vociferous and emphatic about Taiwan's participation in international organizations," said Ross Feingold, a Taipei-based senior adviser at D.C. International Advisory, a consulting firm whose chief executive has been consulted by the Trump transition team.

Although the US does not challenge China's claim to sovereignty over Taiwan, Washington remains Taiwan's main source of weapons, with $14 billion in approved arms sales since 2009, and is bound by law to consider threats to the island's security a matter of "grave concern."

If Beijing aggressively pursues existing Taipei allies, leveraging its growing economic, military and political clout, the competition could prove too expensive for Taipei and prompt Tsai to seek even deeper ties with the US.

"She may think now that it's America or bust," said Sean King, a Taipei-based senior vice president at consulting firm Park Strategies. "She's probably going to lose these peripheral countries eventually anyway, so why not go for the gusto and get as close to the US while she can?"

___

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report. (**)
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Linkedin Sinan Salaheddin (Associated Press) Baghdad  Sun, January 8, 2017

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim commenced a two-day visit to Iraq Saturday, the first since the two governments quarreled over the presence of unauthorized Turkish troops in northern Iraq, straining relations between the two neighbors fighting the Islamic State group.

Meanwhile, Iraqi government troops made fresh progress in their push against IS inside the northern city of Mosul, dislodging militants from new areas and for the first time reaching the nearest point to Tigris river that divides the city since the operation began in mid-October.

The presence of some 500 Turkish troops in the Bashiqa region, northeast of the IS-held city of Mosul, has stirred tension with Baghdad since late last year. Iraq has demanded their withdrawal, saying they are there without permission and are in "blatant violation" of Iraqi sovereignty. Turkey says the troops were invited by local Iraqi authorities and has ignored the calls.

Shortly after Yildirim arrival, the Turkish Ambassador to Baghdad, Faruk Kaymakci, said on his Twitter accounts that "We hope that his visit will open a new chapter in Turkey-Iraq relations."

But emerging from an hours-long meeting in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone area, both sides seemed still far from resolving that issue.

Iraqi Prime Minister Hiader al-Abadi said in a joint press conference the Turkish delegation "stressed that this issue will be resolved in a proper way within the (coming) short period."

For his part, Yildirim said the presence of the Turkish troops "wasn't born out of pleasure but rather out of need."

"Iraq's sovereignty is very important for us, we will not allow or be involved in any attempt or move to hurt its sovereignty," Yildirim added.

Both sides also said they had discussed the fight against IS, and the Kurdish Turkish separatist group known as the PKK, which has used Iraqi territory to launch attacks inside Turkey and target water supplies to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

The issue has led to a war of words between the two nations' leaders as Iraqi government troops launched a massive military operation to recapture Mosul on Oct. 17. Ankara has insisted that its forces should take part in retaking the city, but Baghdad has refused.

The issue of the Turkish forces in Bashiqa grew into a rare and bitter public feud last year between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

At one point, Erdogan gave a speech telling al-Abadi to "know his place," and adding, "you are not at my level, you are not my equivalent, you are not of the same quality as me."

Al-Abadi responded by mocking Erdogan's use of a video messaging app during Turkey's failed coup last year.

An Iraqi court later issued an arrest warrant against the former governor of Ninevah province, of which Mosul is the capital, Atheel al-Nujaifi, accusing him of facilitating the entry of the Turkish forces. The troops have trained Sunni fighters loyal to al-Nujaifi and Kurdish forces loyal to Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani  who both have sought greater power away from the Shiite-led central government in Baghdad.

Turkey has also deepened its involvement in the war in neighboring Syria, where its forces and allied Syrian opposition fighters are battling both IS extremists and US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces. Last month, Russia, which backs the Syrian government, and Turkey, a strong supporter of Syria's moderate opposition, brokered the current shaky cease-fire, which came into effect on Dec. 30.

Also Saturday, Iraqi troops pushed deeper into eastern Mosul, entering four neighborhoods, according to the operation's commander Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah. He said in a statement that the troops had "liberated" the neighborhoods of Rifaq, Atibaa 1st and Atibaa 2nd, as well as Ghufran along the Tigris river, but didn't elaborate on whether pockets of resistance still remained.

Yar Allah also announced the capture of the Salam and Shafaa hospitals in the Wahda neighborhood as well as a 186-building residential complex in the northern Hadbaa neighborhood.

Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul fell to IS in the summer of 2014 as the militants swept over much of the country's north and central areas. If successful, the retaking of the city would be the biggest blow yet to IS. Mosul is the largest remaining city in the self-declared IS "caliphate" spanning Iraq and Syria.

Elsewhere, Turkish fighter jets struck 11 Kurdish militant targets around Qandil in northern Iraq Friday, according to Turkey's military.

F-16s and F-4s pounded rebel positions, shelters and ammunition depots belonging to the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party, the military said in a written statement.

The PKK, which has been fighting an insurgency since 1984, resumed attacks in Turkey after a fragile peace process with the government collapsed in 2015. The group is considered a terror organization by Turkey and its western allies.

___

Associated Press writers Zeynep Bilginsoy and Michael Corder in Istanbul and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report. (**)
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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi and Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post)  Mon, January 9 2017

Police and election authorities are under pressure following another reported incident of violence against the campaign of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama and his running mate Djarot Syaiful Hidayat a month before voting day.

The West Jakarta District Court last month sentenced a man to two months in jail with a four-month probation for disrupting Ahoks campaign. That verdict, apparently, did not deter others from disrupting Ahok-Djarot campaign events.

In separate incidents last Friday, people claiming to be locals protested against Ahok and Djarot, who were on campaign visits in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, and Jelambar, West Jakarta, respectively.

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Linkedin Winda A.Charmila and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 9 2017

Immigration officers conducted a raid over the weekend in West Jakarta, as part of heightened efforts to bust illegal foreign workers.

Almost 100 foreign prostitutes were arrested in West Jakarta in the first week of January after immigration officers raided nightclubs, karaoke bars and boarding houses.

The recent raid, which resulted in the detention of 20 prostitutes, 15 of whom were Vietnamese, 3 Thai and 2 Chinese, came after the government announced that it would set up a task force to improve surveillance on foreign workers.

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Linkedin Novan Iman Santosa and Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 9, 2017

Barely recovering from the row that led to the suspension of military cooperation between Indonesia and Australia, a fresh problem emerged over the weekend that could put the relationship between the two neighbors to another test.

An insensitive prank that happened on Friday at the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Melbourne has drawn the ire of the Indonesian government, which soon called for the Australian government to launch an investigation into the incident.

On Friday, a Caucasian suspect, according to the ministry spokesman, broke into the Indonesian mission by scaling a wall more than 2.5 meters high from an adjoining apartment building complex and hoisted a Papuan Morning Star flag on the premises, which is a symbol of the Papuan independence movement,

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi strongly urged the Australian government to respond to the intrusion, calling it a criminal act that cannot be tolerated.

The Australian authorities must hastily conclude the investigation and legally process the perpetrator who trespassed the KJRI in Melbourne, she said in a statement on Saturday.

The incident was caught on camera by an individual who stood outside the gate of the Indonesian office building. The action was carried out at 12:52 p.m. local time, when most Indonesian staffers were away for Friday prayers.

The Papuan independence movement recently hit an impasse after its efforts to seek legitimacy through the Melanesian Spearhead Group floundered.

The separatist movement, however, has found support among groups of Australians.

Retno underscored Australias responsibility to protect the premises of Indonesias consulate in accordance with the 1961 UN Convention on diplomatic relations.

Article 22 paragraph 2 of the 1961 Vienna Convention, as it is commonly known, states that the receiving state is under special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the consulate against intrusion or damage and to prevent disturbance of the peace or impairment of its dignity.

Retno also contacted her Australian counterpart, Julie Bishop, on Saturday, to make sure Australia would carry out an investigation and punish the perpetrator.

Indonesian Ambassador to Australia Nadjib Riphat Kesoema was also instructed by the minister to maintain communications with the government and the Australian authorities to ensure the protection of all of Indonesias consulates and government staffers in the country.

Meanwhile, Indonesias head of the Melbourne consulate, Dewi Wahab, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that the Australian Federal Police had stepped up their protection over the KJRI premises and are currently investigating potential perpetrators.

We are still waiting for updates from them, Dewi said.

The incident happened on the back of a fresh spat between the two neighbors, precipitated by the discovery of offensive teaching material at an Australian military academy which, among other things, mocked Indonesias state ideology, Pancasila, and suggested support for Papuan independence.

As a result, Indonesia suspended its defense cooperation with Australia as the latters top brass scrambled to rectify the problem.

Tensions further rose after Australian media mocked Indonesian Military commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo for publicly shaming the Australian military over the incident, despite revelations that the matter had already been dealt with discreetly.

Several Australian media outlets even called out Gatot as acting out to follow his ambition to run in the 2019 Presidential election, a speculation rebuffed by both Gatot and President Joko Jokowi Widodo.
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Linkedin Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 9, 2017

The Indonesian government has stepped up its supervisory measures to help boost infrastructure spending at the regional level in a push to accelerate economic growth.

Under the 2017 State Budget Law, all regional administrations are required to earmark at least 25 percent of their budget to build infrastructure, with optimal disbursement seen as the key to help Southeast Asias biggest economy expand by 5.1 percent this year.

As the new arrangement comes into force, the central government has set a target for fund disbursement within the four periods of the year to enable proper spending, according to the Finance Ministrys regional fiscal balance director general, Boediarso Teguh Widodo.

Phase one, for instance, may end in April and the regions must disburse the [targeted] funds within the designated period, he said. This is to ensure their discipline in budgeting and disbursing with clear output.

Regional administrations were required to submit monthly reports to indicate their spending progress, Boediarso said, adding that failure to meet the quarterly targets or the overall annual 25 percent allocation would incur punishment, namely the delay or reduction of general transfer funds to the regional administrations by between 5 percent and 50 percent.

Indonesia has increased its budget for building toll roads, seaports, airports and other means to enhance connectivity in the sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands in the past few years.

Infrastructure development is a hallmark of the presidency of Joko Jokowi Widodo, who has made an ambitious pledge to create Rp 4.7 quadrillion (US$352.08 billion) worth of facilities by 2019, 40 percent of which are to be funded by the state budget.

National expenditure for infrastructure was raised by 22 percent to Rp 387.3 trillion this year to make sure economic recovery was on track after falling to the slowest pace in six years in 2015.

Some of that money will be channeled to the regional level, mostly through general transfer funds, which along with village funds, stands at Rp 764.9 trillion this year, 1.45 percent lower than last years target.

Slow budget disbursement has always been an issue from one year to another. In 2015 nearly 67 percent of 542 regions nationwide failed to spend 25 percent of their budget to spur infrastructure development, focusing mostly on routine spending, such as on salaries for civil servants, according to data from the Finance Ministry.

Since mid-2016, the government has flexed its muscle again in regions with snail-paced spending by converting the general transfer funds stored in bank accounts into government debt papers (SBN).

This was triggered by the high amount of undisbursed funds totaling more than Rp 100 trillion found in state-owned lenders and regional development banks (BPD) in 2015.

The move has been considered effective, as according to the ministrys assessment the funds in the regional government banks accounts continued to decline to between Rp 85 trillion and Rp 87 trillion by the end of 2016, Boediarso claimed.

As regions mostly rely on routine expenditures, the administrations still have issues over fiscal management capacity despite the central governments support of regional autonomy.

An economist with the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), Imaduddin Abdullah, said that half of the regional governments still had low indexes of fiscal capacity, while disbursement of village funds also barely met the 100 percent target.

There should be a monitoring system at the village level [for infrastructure spending], Imaduddin said.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also highlights the urgency of providing regional administrations with legal resources to fully exploit their revenue potential, allowing them to improve fiscal management and budgeting through greater technical assistance from central government.

This would the lighten the fiscal burden on the central government, while also increasing autonomy and accountability at the local level, the group wrote in its Indonesian economic surveys last year.
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Linkedin Winda A.Charmila and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 9, 2017

Immigration officers conducted a raid over the weekend in West Jakarta, as part of heightened efforts to bust illegal foreign workers.

Almost 100 foreign prostitutes were arrested in West Jakarta in the first week of January after immigration officers raided nightclubs, karaoke bars and boarding houses.

The recent raid, which resulted in the detention of 20 prostitutes, 15 of whom were Vietnamese, 3 Thai and 2 Chinese, came after the government announced that it would set up a task force to improve surveillance on foreign workers.

All of them entered Indonesia using tourism visas and have been here for one or two months, said Benget Steven, West Jakarta Immigration Offices head of law enforcement on Sunday.

The raid was organized by the Foreigner Oversight Team (Timpora) under immigration offices, Benget added.

Data from the Law and Human Rights Ministrys Directorate General of Immigration revealed that in 2016, 7,787 foreigners, 1,837 of whom were Chinese, were punished for violating immigration regulations.

On New Years Eve, the immigration office detained 76 Chinese prostitutes at nightclubs in West Jakarta.

The ministrys directorate general of immigration spokesperson Agung Sampurno said Sunday that during the Dec. 31 raid, officers netted 92 passports, but only 76 people were arrested. The rest managed to escape.

During the raid, immigration officers seized passports, condoms and money amounting to Rp 16 million (US$1,200). Out of the 76 people, one has been released because she has a working permit as a therapist from the Manpower Ministry.

The other prostitutes will have to face a maximum of 5 years in prison and pay fines up to Rp 500 million. They could also be deported and banned from entering Indonesia.

Some of the prostitutes, Agung continued, were invited to Jakarta for New Years Eve. On average, the price of their service cost between Rp 1.5 million to Rp 5 million.

Timpora was assisted by the Military Police (POM TNI).

Our departments support one another. Assistance can come from the Indonesian Military [TNI], police officers or related ministries, Agung said.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said Friday that the new task force was aimed at ensuring that there would be no hidden agenda, such as illegal work, acts of terror or involvement in the illegal drug trade.

The Houses Commission IX overseeing health and manpower welcomed the monitoring agency and encouraged a second agency under a coordinating ministry.

Because the Law and Human Rights Ministry and its immigration directorate general only focus on the countrys border gates, illegal workers are now working for mining and infrastructure projects in the forests, said commission chairman Dede Yusuf Macan Effendi of the Democratic Party on Sunday.

The agency should cooperate with the National Police, State Intelligence Agency, National Counterterrorism Agency, Manpower Ministry and local authorities as well.

Commission deputy chairman Saleh Partaonan Daulay said the government should ensure the additional agency would not overlap with the existing agency. If both agencies are going to be relatively the same, its better to just strengthen immigrations Timpora rather than establish a new agency, said the National Mandate Party (PAN) politician.

He also recommended that the ministry consider the budget because there was no way it could execute this plan without financial support. The government should discuss and consult with us [first], Saleh added.
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Pekalongan, Central Java  Mon, January 9, 2017

Amid the increased spread of fake news on the internet, President Joko Jokowi Widodo said on Sunday that social media has become a visible danger.

During a commemoration of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad in Pekalongan, Central Java, Jokowi said that the spread of fake news would lead to the disintegration of the country into its various tribes, races and religions.

The danger to the nations unity, he said, came from the cellular phones from which everyone can access information these days.

There is fake information and trusted information. There are slanders; there are truths. Some are instigators while others not. The Information Age is very open. We should filter the information or it will tear apart our unity, he said.

Indonesia, with 129 million active social media users, has seen a growing intensity of disinformation on the internet in recent months, including the latest fake news item about an influx of millions of Chinese workers into Indonesia, which Jokowi said was meant to fan antiChina sentiments.

Jokowi declared war on fake news and hoaxes during a year-end Cabinet meeting, during which he ordered government agencies to improve coordination in handling issues related to the internet and social media.

After blocking at least 11 websites containing fake news and hate speech, the government has moved to expedite the establishment of an integrated national agency to control the spread of disinformation in cyberspace, which is considered a serious threat to national security.

The agency is expected to commence operations this month. It would be tasked with monitoring national cyber activities, including expediting the process of sorting online information and identifying what is accurate and what is fake.

The tough competition in the Jakarta gubernatorial election was another trigger for the spreading of fake news.

Sectarian comments have been thrown at candidates on social media as they battle to win the February election.

Jokowi said every citizen should treasure diversity in the country as a source of strength.

Prophet Muhammad gave us examples in the art of politics. He made a political contract called the Madinah Charter in which all agreed for unity. Islam respects diversity of races and groups, he said in front of the thousands of people who attended the commemoration.

Indonesia has more than 700 tribes with 1,100 local languages. It is Gods blessing. We have 34 provinces and 516 regencies and municipalities. Lets keep our unity, he added.

The President came with Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian, Armys chief of staff Gen. Mulyono and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.

Hosting the event was Muhammad Luthfi bin Yahya, a charismatic Muslim cleric from Pekalongan. Several Muslim clerics from other countries were also present.

We should uphold Indonesian Islam. We should show unity not only here, but also to the world, said Jokowi.

Muhammad Luthfi reminded Muslims that the countrys strength is in its unity.

Here the President, the TNI chief and the police chief, along with the clerics, cannot be separated. This is a symbol of unity that cannot be compromised, he said.

Ganjar said the public should not get caught on the information generated by the fake news.

Hoaxes are lies, slanders. They trigger people to comment. Lets leave that. Indonesia should unite to be strong and win, he said.

In Pekalongan, Jokowi also visited a fishing village in North Pekalongan to deliver five fishing boats.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 9 2017

The Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh has secured the release of an Indonesian man who had been on death row in Saudi Arabia for alleged murder, the Foreign Ministry revealed.

The man, identified as Syarif Hidayat Anang, was arrested by Saudi authorities in 2013 on allegations of being complicit in the murder of another Indonesian citizen, Enah Nurhasan.

He was detained alongside three Saudi citizens in Ahsa, in the countrys east, according to a statement by the ministrys directorate for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad.

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Linkedin Fachrul Sidiq, Agnes Anya, and Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 9 2017

The three tickets competing in Jakartas gubernatorial election have been gearing up for the first of the highly anticipated official debates this week, which experts believe will play a significant role in influencing voters, especially undecided ones.

The first of the three debates will be held at the Bidakara Hotel in South Jakarta on the evening of Jan. 13 and televised by national stations.

Observers said they expect the debate would attract massive attention even at the national level. The three candidates, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama and Anies Baswedan, have shown distinctive styles during their separate campaigns so having the three together on the same stage to challenge each others ideas would likely be highly interesting.

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Archived Results for Sunday, January 8th, 2017

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Dr KC serves 3-week ultimatum to govt to implement deals

Dr Govinda KC, a senior orthopaedic surgeon at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), served a three-week ultimatum to the government on Saturday to implement the agreements signed with in December.
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Govt considers offering KUKLs shares to public

The government is considering on floating shares of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), the sole drinking water supplier in the Kathmandu Valley, to the public to raise a portion of funds required to complete the second phase of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.
Govt set to table bill today, oppn refuses to budge

Confusion continues to loom over tabling of the constitution amendment bill with the governing coalition saying it will take the bill to Parliament on Sunday and the opposition bloc maintaining its earlier stance that it will block it from entering the House.
Chinas giant cow farms leave neighbours up milk creek

CHINA: Giant piles of black manure towering over cornfields, while rancid-smelling effluent from thousands of cows spills onto the land  this is the price of a glass of milk in China today.

Chineseenvironmentpollutionland

By AFP

Saturday 7 January 2017, 11:00AM

Gannan county farmer Ren Xiangjun says pollution from a neighbouring dairy farm is affecting his land. Photo: AFP

Large-scale dairy farms have boomed in the Asian giant, as its near 1.4 billion consumers overcame centuries of cultural reluctance to embrace the white fluid.

An economic boom and government backing transformed dairy into a $40-billion-a-year industry, shifting production away from small-scale producers towards massive megafarms with up to 10,000 cattle  and a lot more waste.

The smell of the manure... in the summer its very intense, said Ren Xiangjun, a farmer in Gannan county.

Pointing at a stream of green water escaping from under a grey brick wall at the giant farm owned by agro-conglomerate Feihe International, he added: You can see how it flows right out of the farm.

Dodging packets of animal medicine and syringes littered nearby, he explained: The rubbish left after injections is just thrown here. My land is directly affected.

When the Feihe farm opened in 2012 in the grassy hills of the northern province of Heilongjiang it said it had 10,000 cows.

In Daxing village next door, a woman also surnamed Ren said: You can see the manure piled up like a mountain. There are no advantages for us. There is just pollution and noise.

The dairy industry in China has posted average yearly growth rates over 12 per cent since 2000, due to rising wealth and desire for the health benefits of calcium.

The ruling Communist party fanned the expansion, with former Premier Wen Jiabao in 2006 expressing a dream that Chinese children should enjoy a daily 0.5 kilograms of dairy products.

But a 2008 scandal over baby formula tainted with the industrial chemical melamine saw six children killed and more than 300,000 others affected, shaking confidence in the industry.

The crisis was blamed on small-scale farmers using chemicals to inflate the protein content of their milk as they scrambled to meet demand.

The Chinese government responded by demanding the creation of large-scale milk production units.

They thought if we have scale farms they are easier to regulate and inspect, said David Mahon, founder of a Beijing-based investment firm specialising in dairy.

There are large scale farms in other countries, such as New Zealand, but rarely with more than 3,000 cows at a single facility.

By 2014 China boasted 56 farms with 10,000 cows or more, according to state media  80% of the global total  creating a string of pollution problems in several provinces.

Estimates say that just 3,500 cows can produce 100,000 tonnes of fluid waste and effluent a year. Chinese farms are required to process it into fertiliser, but regulations are often flouted.

There are some areas of China that its better to visit in winter, because of the small hills of effluent. Once it thaws its unbearable, said Mahon.

China is learning about dairy farming and the lack of experience has resulted in such things.

In Gannan residents alleged that local officials profited from the farm and took no action against polluters. Reporters were not able to verify the claims and local food officials could not be reached for comment.

But attitudes may be starting to shift. The vice-head of Chinas state-backed Dairy Association, Yang Liguo was cited in 2014 as saying The bigger the scale, the bigger the environmental, pollution and biosecurity problems.

Mahon said there had been a genuine rethink in Beijing and the Chinese government was looking more and more to 350 head farms.

Packing more animals together increases the risk of illnesses such as brucellosis, which can spread to humans and cause arthritis.

Feihe employee Wang Dali, who once mucked out cowsheds at the farm in Gannan, contracted brucellosis in 2012, leaving him unable to work, and now suffers near-constant pain in his joints.

He blames his infection on poor sanitation.

The cows were packed very close together, he said, estimating each had about 12 square metres. There was no way to treat the manure. We dug a big hole close to the facility... now it has piled up like a mountain.

Feihe denied the residents allegations, with a woman who answered the phone at its Gannan office saying: These things are impossible.

Dismounting from a tractor a stones throw from the manure piles in Daxing, one farmer said: The pollution hasnt been cleaned up well. Of course it has an impact.

Pointing to corn stalks growing beside syringes, he added: We dont eat these ourselves. We sell them to the market.
Give the gift of happiness this year

We all know that times have not always been happy in recent years. I found some old news articles recently which made me decide what I would write about for this holiday issue:



By Jason Jellison

Sunday 8 January 2017, 10:00AM

Giving is about more than just presents. Photo: Shane Karp

From The New York Times: Bids to Halt Financial Crisis, Reshape Landscape of Wall St and from The Washington Post: Bush Enacts Historic Financial Rescue.

Finally, from The Wall Street Journal: Bailout Plan Rejected, Markets Plunge, Forcing New Scramble to Solve Crisis.

These headlines, of course, are from the bad old days of 2008. Im sure this is a year that many of my readers will never forget.

It was the year that ultimately began paving the path for incoming President Trump and a host of back to home movements across Europe and the Western world... but did you ever ask yourself how we got into that mess?

Many of my readers would answer that question differently. Some would blame President George W Bush for the economic fiasco of 2008.

Still, the more politically astute among my readers might actually blame former President Bill Clinton for the crisis, as he was the one who signed off on removing the Glass-Steagall Act that was installed to prevent another depressio, but Clintons actions arguably set the stage for yet another depression. Still others might lay the blame in places I cant think of.

However, in reality, there is only one actor who was to blame for our financial woes and he has a name: Desire. While it is all too tempting to play the blame game in our current economic malaise, the reality is that almost all of us had a hand in getting to our present circumstances.

Simply put, we failed to control our desires and the politicians of yore kept the party going until we passed out dead drunk.

The cold, hard reality is that most of us spent money we didnt have, borrowed still more and then couldnt give it back... all just to pay in cash for foolish pleasures.

But, I am pleased this holiday season to say that there is another way. His Majesty the late Bhumibol Adulyadej spent many years developing a philosophy that allows us to avoid all of this heartache again.

It is called the Sufficiency Economic Philosophy and I am going to teach you about it as a gift for the holidays.

Lets talk basic economics. Most Western countries in which we have been raised operate on what some economists call a Utility-Maximizing model.

If that sounds complicated, its really not. Basically, we have been taught that living well means living within our means.

In other words, if we make $40,000 (B1.44 million) a year, then we can spend and invest $40,000 a year. This is deeply flawed thinking.

The problem with a maximizing model is that, even if we stay within our budget, we generally dont constrain our desires.

So, we go and take out six-year loans on a $40,000 car when a $4,000 (B144,042) used one would do just as well.

We also go and take out 30-year mortgages on homes that are at the very top end of what we can afford, or we go out and spend lavishly on dinners and passing pleasures... meanwhile, the debt slowly grows.

Finally, the good times end and hard times arrive. Now, our income goes down, but weve saved very little, subsequently shared very little with the poor, and now become the poor ourselves.

Thats all too often the fate of this Western economic philosophy.

However, His Majesty created the Sufficiency Economic Philosophy to resolve this problem.

It works very simply, but most academics forget to talk about the key driver of the plan. Desire.

The first step is to always consider and moderate your desires. Sure, wed all love to have the Cadillac but, considering I only drive three months of the year, do I really need one?

The key is moderating your desires and thinking about every purchase before you make it.

Luxuries are fine as long as they are occasional and paid for. The second step is to live somewhat below your means. As my friend once said, there is no magic, sorcery, or wizardry here.

If you routinely spend less than you earn you will now be in a Utility-Minimizing model and watch the money pile up. No fancy stocks are needed. No financial gurus are required.

All that is needed is the ability to think ahead and curb your desires.

The next step is sharing  this is an alien concept for many of my fellow Americans.

We traditionally are taught to mainly attend to our own financial well-being. Some of us might give money at church or temple but whats missing here is everyday sharing.

Its the little things you do that come back to benefit you.

Theres an old American saying What goes around comes around.

Somewhat like Karma, when you consistently do well onto others, the world will do well onto you. There are spiritual reasons for this, but there is also good, old-fashioned gossip. People talk and when you help people out who need a hand it comes back to you.

Finally, the last step is one that actually has to exist from early on. That step is called sincerity.

Saving money is good, but not if done for the wrong reasons. Giving money is good, but not if done for the wrong reasons.

Saving and giving has to be done because you want to do it, not because you want to get something in return.

Again, this comes down to controlling desire and, without this, the plan does not work.

Perhaps this sounds folksy or simple but I can tell you this: My world has changed immeasurably ever since I went over to this philosophy.

My health has improved, my happiness has improved and my academic career has rocketed out of sight.

The holidays are upon us and we all want to be happy. This year, all of you who read this series have been given a powerful gift, free of any charge.

It is up to you if you want to use it or not. But win, lose, or draw, there are two words that I wish to share with all of you.

Happy Holidays.

All About Buddhism is a monthly column in The Phuket News where I take readers on my exotic journey into Thai Buddhism and debunk a number of myths about Buddhism. If you have any specific queries, or ideas for articles, please let us know. Email editor1@classactmedia.co.th, and we will do our best to accommodate your interests.
Japanese city tags dementia sufferers with barcodes

JAPAN: A Japanese city has introduced a novel way to keep track of senior citizens with dementia who are prone to getting lost  tagging their fingers and toes with scan-able barcodes.

healthtechnology

By AFP

Sunday 8 January 2017, 11:00AM

Nail stickers with QR codes that can help identify dementia patients when they get lost are now being offered to elderly people in the city of Iruma in Saitama Prefecture. Photo: Jiji National/AFP

A company in Iruma, north of Tokyo, developed tiny nail stickers, each of which carries a unique identity number to help concerned families find missing loved ones, according to the citys social welfare office.

The adhesive QR-coded seals for nails  part of a free service launched this month and a first in Japan  measure just one centimetre in size.

Being able to attach the seals on nails is a great advantage, a city worker said.

There are already ID stickers for clothes or shoes but dementia patients are not always wearing those items.

If an elderly person becomes disorientated, police will find the local city hall, its telephone number and the wearers ID all embedded in the QR code.

The chips remain attached for an average of two weeks  even if they get wet  the official said, citing recent trials.

Japan is grappling with a rapidly ageing population with senior citizens expected to make up a whopping 40 per cent of the population around 2060.

Last month, Japanese police started offering noodle discounts at local restaurants to elderly citizens who agreed to hand in their driving licences.

The offer followed a series of deadly accidents involving elderly drivers  a growing problem in a country where 4.8 million people aged 75 or older hold a licence.
Phuket Law: Avoiding property pitfalls

PHUKET: As a general matter, real estate in Thailand can be an excellent investment. However, horror stories are not rare enough. But if you adhere to our nine points, such tragedy can be avoided. Here are our final key points to beware:

propertylandconstruction

By Jerrold Kippen

Sunday 8 January 2017, 11:00AM

Building permits do not equal ownership

You may hear someone tell you that having their name in a building permit means they own that building Hopefully, that mistaken person will not be you.

Although foreigners generally cannot own land in Thailand, they can own structures such as villas. In the past it was quite common for real-estate developments marketing to foreigners to sell them ownership of a villa by promising a building permit in their name. Whether or not this was for tax planning purposes (selling a building permit incurs no real estate transfer taxes for the seller) or not we can only speculate. What is certain is that buying a building permit gets you nothing. (For details, see here.)

Your name in the building permit means nothing more than you have government approval to build an approved structure, at a given location, during a given period of time. Although it is less common, we still find sellers, including developers, selling building permits.

When it comes to building permits, dont be fooled.

Document the money you bring into Thailand correctly

When investing in real estate in Thailand it is very important that you document the transfers properly. This process begins when you are sending the money. So you should be sure to understand all the requirements before you send your first transfer.

You will need to obtain the proper relevant documentation of the transfer from the receiving bank in Thailand. What that documentation is will depend on the amount transferred and its purpose.

Once obtained these documents should be saved in a secure location. If you are a foreigner buying ownership of condominium unit in your own name, you will need these correctly detailed documents (for every purchase price transfer) to complete the purchase. And if and when you sell your condominium unit or villa, you will need them in order to send the money back out of Thailand.

Document your money transfers.

Pay your taxes

If it goes without saying, dont say it. True, but in Thailand for some reason many people seem to think paying the correct taxes is not a serious issue.

They are wrong. If you do not pay your taxes, for example income taxes from rental that was (or that should have been earned as detailed above) your property or your companys property can be seized and sold.

We have mentioned most of the relevant taxes above with links to our other articles detailing them. However, one we have not and that is the all too common decision to under-declare the sale price of real estate to the authorities at the time of purchase. Besides the fact at this is criminal tax fraud, it is also commercially stupid because whether the property is owned by a company or a real person, you will almost certainly incur far greater tax liability on resale that what you save if you agree to illicitly under-declare your purchase price not to mention the tax authorities could go after you for the under-declaration (and, if necessary, your property) while you own your property.

Pay your taxes.

Use arbitration

Finally, no one entering any agreement or contract, including those investing in real estate, expects or wants the deal to go bad and end up in a dispute. The fact is that it does happen and probably more often than you think. If that happens to you, and particularly if you are a foreigner, you almost certainly will be far better off  EVEN IF YOU LOSE  settling your dispute by legally binding arbitration than doing so in a Thai court.

By better off we mean the process will be quicker, less costly, documents and proceedings can be in English and the decision will be enforceable worldwide. (For detailed explanations, click here, here, here, here and here.)

However, because binding arbitration requires the agreement of the parties, and because agreement about anything is unlikely once parties start to fight, you should be sure to include a well-drafted arbitration clause in you real estate investment contract(s).

Stay out of Thai Courts, use arbitration.

This is the final installment of the Dos and donts of real estate in Thailand. For the other articles in this series, see:

 Running the real estate gauntlet: The Dos and Donts of real estate in Thailand (Click here.)

 Pitfalls of diligence and leases (Click here.)

 Home-ownership nominees  The naked truth (Click here.)

DUENSING KIPPEN is an international law firm specialising in business transaction and dispute resolution matters, with offices in Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand and affiliated offices in 45 other countries. Visit them at: duensingkippen.com
Phuket Opinion: On the right track

PHUKET: The recent announcement that the government will allow hemp to be grown in six northern provinces is another welcome sign of fledgling drug law reform in the Kingdom.

opiniondrugscrimepoliceculture

By The Phuket News

Sunday 8 January 2017, 09:00AM

Police display the 600kg of seized marijuana at their Chumphon headquarters last month. Photo: Amnart Thongdee / Bangkok Post

The Bangkok Post reported that Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) Secretary-General Sirinya Sitdhichai said the proposal was part of a policy to relax the laws on narcotics so that three types of plants and methamphetamine can be used for medical purposes.

Furthermore, Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya recently said the government planned to take into account the public health dimension in its effort to curb the use of ya bah (methamphetamine).

This change of tact in Thailands previously hard-line, zero-tolerance approach to illicit drugs comes on the back of growing international recognition of the failure of the war on drugs approach that many countries, strongly influenced by US policy-makers, have taken to tackle the drug market.

An ever-growing mountain of evidence suggests that treating drug use as a criminal problem does nothing to curb drug use, it merely turns drug users into criminals, filling jail systems with non-violent prisoners convicted of minor drug offences. In 2015 in Thailand, of the prison population of 325,361 inmates, 230,074 (70.7%) were imprisoned on drug-related offences.

Consider the cost to the country of incarcerating this many people and imagine if the same amount of money was spent on harm reduction, drug education and addiction treatment. De-criminalising drug use is an important step in removing its social stigma and making it easier for drug users to access treatment.

The full legalisation of soft drugs such as marijuana and kratom, which have been used for centuries with low levels of negative health-effects, would combat the drug issue in two ways. Firstly, it frees up government resources to focus improving public health outcomes for drug users and secondly it can be a significant source of tax revenue with which to fund such harm reduction measures.

It is refreshing to see major government figures such as ONCB Sec-Gen Sirinya and Justice Minister Paiboon championing these reforms. From a purely scientific point of view, changes in policy like these are a no-brainer, but they continue to be politically costly for those who espouse them. Lets hope that these initiatives continue to gather momentum and result in meaningful drug law reforms that reduce the negative social effects of drug addiction.
Govt to bear treatment expenses of injured passengers of Udayapur accident

The government will be providing the expenses for the treatment of the passengers injured in the Friday's Bolero jeep accident at Ganhunbari of Hardeni  3, Udayapur along the Siddhicharan highway.
Interwoven issues and complexities

Mishandling of politics can extend Nepals transition phase and deteriorate its ties with neighbours
Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Sunday welcomed India to invest in his country, saying it would be received with "open arms" as he fondly spoke of his Indian origin.

Highlighting that Portugal has a "classical position" to access key worldwide markets and is in central zone connecting UK and other European countries, he said, adding it was always open to FDI and "it is a country open to the world."

" We also have excellent ties with the US and Canada.

We have connectivity both to Africa and Latin America. We have direct flights to 121 cities across the world. We welcome you to invest in our country," he said, while addressing the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.

Costa said, "I can assure you that Portugal is an open country that will receive you with open arms if you have ideas to invest in Portugal, work or study or simply for living.

Portugal is always open to FDI," he said.

Costa, who is of Indian origin from Goa, said he would love to go to Goa, where his father spent his childhood. "I like to go to Goa where my father spent his childhood. I call upon this vibrant Indian diaspora to help promote cordial ties with Portugal and India."

Costa said the India origin community is well integrated in Portugal. " their contribution to the Portuguese society is highly valued and, at the same time, I believe these Portuguese Indians are contributing their mite to Indian society as well," he said.

"Maybe it is not by chance that I am the first person of Indian origin to lead the European country," he said as the Chief Guest at the three-day event here which is Centre's outreach programme to overseas Indian community.

He said ability to interact with people of other origin, culture or religion is part of Portuguese DNA and it is the duty of the diaspora to not only preserve their ties but also strengthen ties with India and the country where they live.

Portuguese and India had centuries old relationship on historical, cultural and personal ties, he said, adding, by this visit he wanted to renew this relationship "to address present and future challenges", besides extending ties and strategic partnership in new areas of cooperation.
The CPI-M, in its ongoing Politburo and Central Committee meeting here, on Saturday decided to launch a nationwide movement demanding freedom for cash withdrawal, said party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Addressing a public meeting of party workers and sympathisers, he said that demonetisation has ruined millions of people, while the BJP national executive, held in Delhi has claimed it was a success.

"If they claim it as a success, then remove the restrictions on withdrawal of money that are in force now. We are going to go forward to launch a nationwide movement demanding the clamp on withdrawals be removed. What's being done is the money that we deposited in to our accounts in banks and lying in banks are ours and we are not allowed to handle it. This has to change and for that we will launch the protest," said Yechury.

He contended that the demonetisation process has been counterproductive and it has ruined the economy very badly.

"During the 2014 Lok sabha election campaign, Modi said 90 per cent of the black money is parked abroad. And now with the Swiss government giving a list of Indians who have parked their money, Modi has done nothing on it, but the end result of demonetisation after two months, with time till March 31 to change the demonetised currencies, I fear that banks will have more currencies than they have printed. This will ultimately see that black money will become white and counterfeit will turn legal currencies," said Yechury.

The state capital witnessed the holding of the first-ever Central Committee meeting with all but one of the 16 politburo members and 90 central committee members attending.

Yechury also called the statement made by the BJP leadership that the growth rate has not been affected on account of demonetisation as nothing but a fraud.

"They say that the growth rate is close to 7.5 per cent, but here they have played a fraud as they have calculated this is by taking only the first six months of the present fiscal and they have left out the months of October, November and December and hence they say that growth has not been affected," he said.

He also attacked Modi for stating that with banks now flush with money they are going to launch welfare schemes.

"The money that's now lying in the banks is the money of the people and not the government's. Millions of lives have been ruined through this demonetisation and even the NREGA programme has been affected due to shortage of funds. Modi behaves like a pickpocket, who has picked the pockets of the people first, and now says he will come out with welfare schemes," said Yechury.

The four day party meeting ends on Sunday.
Last week I went to one of the best exhibitions of this year Living Lightly. The organisers showed the music, food, jewellery, clothes, art and living of 15 pastoral communities in India: the sheep nomads from Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh, the camel herders of Gujarat and Rajasthan among them. In that one hour I learnt a great deal about the communities of people and animals that inhabit India. Did you know that there are black sheep in India and nine breeds of camel? The Banni buffalo, the Kankrej cow, the Kacchi goat and the Sindhi horse are simply unique. The government has done absolutely nothing to conserve these animals in fact, each one of them is simply seen as meat. It is generations of these pastoral communities that have kept our heritage animals alive.

Let me tell you about the Kharai camel. It is almost extinct, as are most camels in India because the camel communities are now stopping their gypsy way of life and settling down to other professions. They sell these camels to a gang of butchers from the Uttar Pradesh district of Baghpat each one of whom has over 90 cases on him and is a multimillionaire from killing. This gang comes from one village. They pose as agriculturists and go to camel haats like Pushkar where they flash fake cards, pay the local SDM or the Haat magistrate and take away the camels. These are loaded into trucks, 16 at a time, and then taken to Bangladesh via Kishenganj in Bihar and Malda in West Bengal. I have rescued over 2000 so far, but that is out of 50,000 that are going every year.

Anyway, let me come back to the Kharai camels. They are reared by the Fakirani Jat and Rabari communities. While the Rabaris are still in Kachch, the Fakirani Jats are now on the move and have come to Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Bhavanagar in search of the ever receding mangroves. Camels are supposed to be the animals of the desert, their broad flat padded feet at home on the hot sand, their ability to do without water, legendary. But this unique breed from the arid lands of Kachchh is equally at home in the desert or ocean.

Native to the coastal areas of South Gujarat, close to the mangrove belts, these camels eat saline mangrove plants and swim long distances in the ocean. In the monsoon they travel more than 3 kilometers through the waters to reach th small mangrove islands (called bets) in the creeks along the coast . They stay here for 2-3 months, drinking fresh water from the depressions in the land made by the rain. In summer and winter they swim out to nearer bets to graze, and return every few days to drink fresh water from ponds, wells or cattle troughs. An adult needs about 20- 40 litres a day.

The hair is smooth, long and soft, which the herders make into rugs and shawls (I saw some at the exhibition really beautiful). It has a very short chest pad, thin legs, a thin neck, an elegant rounded backside and a short tail. It is either brown white in colour or black.

While the Kharai is less affected by skin disease than the entirely terrestrial breeds, these camels often suffer from arthritis, gastrointestinal problems and trypanosomiasis caused by small protozoan parasites. Government provides no veterinary help, or any kind of preventive care like vaccinations, to the herders. Despite a wealth of traditional knowledge (I also brought a thick book from the exhibition, called Plants Used in Animal Care, compiled by Dr. Nitya S Ghotge and Dr. Sagari R Ramdas) the Kharai camel breeders now need professional veterinary help.

The pastoralists need help to continue rearing animals. The first step has been taken by the NGO Sahjeevan who has brought them together to make a Camel Breeders Association. Since their uses as cart pullers and ploughers is almost over, maybe we should look at camel milk to better their lives.

The Kharai breeders are families that have done this for generations. They live very simply along the coast, in houses called Pakkhas made of grasses that need to be rebuilt annually. Most of them are illiterate and their main food is bajra and camel milk. They use their camel wool themselves, since there is no one to help them design and market their products.

A few of them grow bajra, guar phalli and millets on drylands, during the monsoon. Most of them are indebted to moneylenders and pay off their loans by selling young camels. Gujarat is in the process of industrialising its coast and these unnecessary industries, which have come up on land given to them at throwaway prices, often block the grazing routes. The Gujarat forest department is equally stupid in its attitude: chemical industries can throw their acids into the mangroves, but camels are not allowed to graze there in case they eat all the mangroves. But they are no threat as their numbers are so low. So the herders have to feed their camels stealthily, often bribing forest rangers. All this has taken a toll and so the younger generation is leaving for more stable work. Some have shifted to buffalo grazing. If we are going to preserve the Kharai breed, we will have to preserve the mangrove habitat. Not go for misplaced development plans like building ports every few thousand yards simply to benefit the construction lobby. We dont need the ports. We certainly need the camel.

We need to do a few things for the community: give health services for the camels. Establish a market for camel milk and camel wool. Let the camels go into the mangrove grazing grounds easily. Establish a conservation programme for the Kharai camel in partnership with the communities. You can help by buying a camel wool shawl this winter, or by offering to market their products, many of which are truly beautiful  the mojri shoes made of naturally died camels, their embroideries and weaves like ajrakh.

It was only in 2015 that the camel was recognised as a special breed by ICAR. Each camel has been counted by Sahjeevan, and there are only 3,665 kharai camels left and 79 breeders. Quickly learn about them so that you dont miss this miraculous animal.
Whether or not Vladimir Putin has his back to the wall, Thursdays de-classified assessment by the USAs National Security Adviser, CIA, and FBI is the severest indictment yet of Russias interference in the US elections. Exactly a fortnight ahead of the ceremonial inaugural, the findings, embedded in a concerted collation of empirical evidence and not international suspicions, cannot but embarrass Mr Donald Trump and the team that he has put in place. The findings will almost certainly hang over the head of the incoming administration. Ergo, the timing of the long-awaited report is crucial; any essay towards mending of fences by the former Cold War warriors must seem a contrived exercise in geostrategy.

The subtext of the report does suggest that a shared opposition to Hillary Clinton is the trans-Atlantic thread that binds the Kremlin with the Oval Office. Indeed, the leadership afforded by Mr Trump to the four-year renewal of democracy must now be open to question, if the core of the report is any indication ~ We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russias goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary [Hillary] Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.

In the net, US constitutional development is under a cloud, if not suitably debunked. Markedly, for the past 48 hours both the Kremlin and Trump Towers in New York have been muted in their response to the startling data in verily the public domain. The report has suitably binned the contention of the President-elect's transition team that Russia did not prefer him in the 2016 election, as well as Trumps insistence that the culprits behind the hacks of Democratic political figures are fundamentally unknowable. Never before has the US intelligence apparatus publicly assessed a foreign power that is said to have interfered in an election for the benefit of an incoming President. Americas new team and its leader have now been jolted at the threshold, indeed a double whammy.

The concert of Intelligence powers have furnished a report that serves to reinforce Barack Obama's cache of sanctions, most importantly the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats in retaliation against the cyber-attacks on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Hillarys campaign in an attempt to influence the election in favour of the Republican candidate. As Mr Trump steps into the White House, it is the quadrilateral equation in foreign policy that will be on test ~ Americas relations with Russia, China, and Taiwan. Arguably, the President is on a sticky wicket. The international contours were clearer during the years of the Cold War.
Iraq car bomb kills 11 in Baghdad

A car bomb in Iraq has struck a market in eastern Baghdad, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens more.
India has a lesson to draw from China. Not perhaps in terms of blending ideology with market economy but in the critical, though not innocuous, segment of conservation of wild life and the natural environment in the greater canvas of things. Given the steadily rising graph in jungle crime, the rather ineffective forest authorities in India, not to forget the insensitive Railways, could well take a leaf out of Beijings book. China will ban the lucrative domestic ivory trade by the end of this year.

The bold decision, which is essentially intended to rein in the poachers, has promptly been hailed by wildlife enthusiasts as a game-changer for Africas elephants. This is great news that will shut down the worlds largest market for elephant ivory, was the immediate response of Aili Kang, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Asia. This will help ensure that elephants have a fighting chance to beat extinction. That risk in India is dangerously real. Implicit in this weeks announcement in China is the overriding anxiety to accord precedence to wild life over the enormous spin-off from poaching as a commercial enterprise. Sad to reflect, the forest authorities in India have been a mute witness to the almost willful reversal of priorities. African ivory is highly sought after in China where its possession is regarded as a status symbol and prices for a kilogram can be as high as $1,100.

In a word, neighhbouring China has saved the elephant, and it stands to reason to question why the authorities in this country can be so impervious to their plight, as often as not mortal. The menace has over the past few years assumed endemic proportions and not merely in the jungles of North Bengal and Kaziranga.

Beijings initiative towards the preservation of wild life has been duly underlined by the official Xinhua news agency ~ China will gradually stop the processing and sale of ivories for commercial purposes by the end of 2017, is the robust signal of intent to contain a proliferating crime. The announcement follows Beijings move in March last year to widen a ban on imports of ivory and ivory products acquired before 1975 in the face of pressure to restrict a trade that sees thousands of elephants slaughtered every year. Beyond the home-grown ivory enterprise, the message has been addressed no less to those engaged in the international trade in ivory. Conservationists estimate that more than 20,000 elephants were killed across the world for their ivory last year, with similar tolls in previous years.

An estimated 415,000 of the animals still remain, going by the data furnished by WWF. Does India have a comprehensive elephant census? It is direly imperative for the forest authorities to initiate assertive action, instead of tinkering with enquiry commissions on poaching and elephant deaths.
The Opposition sees next months polls to five states as a mini general election and a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move, while the BJP hopes that the fight against black money may enlarge its voter base. Voters in Punjab, UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur amounting to 20 per cent of the countrys population will exercise their franchise.

So what is at stake for the players in these states? The BJP is a major stake-holder except in Manipur where it is yet to open its account. The party has not declared any chief ministerial candidate for any of the states. The BJP is ruling in Punjab and Goa while the Congress is ruling Uttarakhand and Manipur. The Samajwadi Party rules UP.

The polls will be the first political test after the demonetisation. The BJP had won 72 of the 80 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in UP. There will be a four-cornered contest between the SP, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the BJP and the Congress.

The BJP hopes that the Modi magic may continue. Moreover more legislators from UP means more Rajya Sabha MPs where the party is in a minority. Thirdly the BJP is on an expansion mode and wants to add the votes of OBCs, Dalits and the poor. A win in UP will be a morale booster for Modi when he makes a bid for his second term in 2019. A defeat will embolden the opposition to take on Modi inside and outside parliament. In Punjab the BJP-Akali Dal coalition is bidding for a third term facing severe anti-incumbency.

The Congress is surging forward under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh, who is fighting his last battle. The new entrant AAP is a worry. Law and order, drugs, corruption and scams are the main issues. In Goa too the BJP faces antiincumbency, fight with the RSS and lack of local leadership. In Uttarakhand the fight is between the BJP and the Congress as the two had alternated in power since 2000. The BJP has no chief ministerial face while the Congress has declared Harish Rawat as its chief ministerial candidate.

As for the Congress, the party is trying to revive after its humiliating defeat in 2014. A win in any of the states will be a morale booster for party vice-president Rahul Gandhi who is poised to take over the party soon. Its biggest disadvantage is its lack of local leadership and lack of organisation. The Congress is making efforts to revive in UP where it had its last chief minister in 1989. The partys efforts for an alliance with SP or RLD have not been successful so far. It is hoping to get back the Brahmin, Muslim and Dalit votes, its core constituency at one time.

The Congress is bidding for power for a second time in Uttarakhand facing anti-incumbency. There is public sympathy for the Congress after it was dismissed and the court restored the Harish Rawat government last year. A loss in Uttarakhand means the number of Congress ruled states will shrink further.

The Congress is in a threeway battle in Punjab and Goa where it is trying to wrest power from BJP-SAD alliance and BJP-MGP alliance respectively.

The young party, AAP, is the new entrant in both states. Although Congress has a brute majority in Manipur where it has 50 of the 60 MLAs, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh is facing major administrative challenges as the blockade in the tiny state continues. The BJP had been making efforts to destabilise the Congress government for some time.

The BSP is poised to return to power in UP but it needs some plus votes apart from those of the Dalits. For this, the BSP supremo Mayawati has been wooing the Muslims. The party currently has 80 MLAs in UP. In 2012, the BSP secured 4.28 per cent of votes in the Punjab polls but failed to win a single seat. In the Uttarakhand assembly, the BSP has three members.

The Samajwadi Party is fighting for its survival. The SP won a handsome 224 seats in the 2012 poll while the BJP is looking to improve the 42 per cent vote share it got in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The SPs core voters are Muslims and Yadavs. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has emerged victor in the ongoing family feud by taking over the party forcibly from his father Mulayam Singh. A result favouring Akhilesh would establish him not only in UP but also in the country. Mulayam will fade away if he does not patch up,with his son. A rout will result in a clear split.

The AAP is looking to enter states like Punjab and Goa as an alternative to the BJP and Congress. Though it started well in Punjab and Goa, it is losing ground because of lack of local leadership. It got four MPs in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The AAP has declared Elvis Gomes as its CM candidate in Goa. A win in the coastal state will help AAP to establish its support base beyond North India.

The SAD is bidding for power for the third time facing strong anti-incumbency. The SAD-BJP combine is on a weak wicket fighting an emerging Congress and the AAP. Ageing Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal is fighting his last battle. March 11 will reveal the fate of all these parties when the results are announced.
At least five persons, including four members of a family, were killed on Sunday when a Kolkata bound Indo-Bangladesh Maitree Express collided with a car, the media reported.

According to a police official, the accident took place around 10 am in Gazipur district, near Dhaka, Xinhua news agency reported.

The car got stalled on the tracks while it was passing an unmanned level crossing and collided with the Indo-Bangladesh Friendship Express from Dhaka, the official added. Earlier media reports said it was a mini-bus that the train smashed into.

Despite severe damage to the train, none of the hundreds of passengers it was carrying on board was injured, according to the official. Rail service in parts of Bangladesh remained suspended due to the accident.

Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rates in train accidents.

There are many unmanned level crossings along the Bangladesh Railway across the country, where most of the railway tracks are in a dilapidated condition. These often cause accidents, media reports said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called on South Korea to remove a statue of a "comfort woman" which has reignited a diplomatic row over Tokyo's wartime sex slavery.

Tensions spiked on Friday when Tokyo recalled its ambassador over the statue which was placed outside its consulate in Busan last month, symbolising women forced to work in Japanese military brothels mostly during World War II.

Japan argues it is against a 2015 agreement between the neighbours meant to put an end to the hugely emotional and decades-long "comfort women" issue with a Japanese apology and payment of money.

"Japan has already paid one billion yen ( 8.6 million) as we sincerely fulfilled our obligation. I think it's now South Korea's turn to show sincerity in an unwavering manner," Abe said in a programme aired Sunday on public broadcaster NHK.

The plight of the women has marred relations for decades but the governments of Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye reached an agreement in late 2015 to finally resolve it.

Under that accord, which both countries described as "final and irreversible," Japan offered an apology and a one-billion yen payment to surviving Korean comfort women.

South Korea is expected to have a new administration following the impeachment of Park but Abe demanded the accord be honoured.

"It is a matter of national credibility to implement (the agreement) even if the government changes," he said.

Critics of the accord say the deal did not go far enough in holding Japan responsible for wartime abuses during its 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.

Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia including China, were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.

The statue in Busan was initially removed by local authorities after South Korean activists placed it in front of the Japanese consulate in the southern port city.

But after the Japanese defence minister paid homage at Yasukuni Shrine last month -a spot where senior convicted war criminals are honoured -Seoul allowed the activists to put the statue back up.


remaining of

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Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech before traveling to visit Central American allies including a U.S. transit, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taouyuan, Taiwan. Tsai pledged to bolster Taiwan's presence on the international stage on her visit four Central American allies on a trip that includes U.S. transits and looks set to raise China's ire. (Central News Agency via AP)
Parliament postponed after passing condolence motion

The Legislature-Parliament meeting on Sunday afternoon has been postponed for 3 pm later today.
Reacting strongly to comments made by filmstar Chiranjeevi's brother Nagababu at an event, maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma called him "incompetent".



In a series of tweets, Varma explained how Nagababu was responsible for the loss of Chiranjeevi's party Prajarajyam.



Naga Babu Saaar whole state knows what kind of wrong advise u gave ur great brother for prajarajyam and made him lose  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 7, 2017

"The whole state knows what kind of wrong advice you gave your great brother for Prajarajyam and made him lose. Before advising me what to do, please question yourself what kind of great career you have had in your entire life," Varma tweeted on Saturday.



Naga Babu Saaar u don't have 0.1 greatness as ur great brother and that's why ur great brother doesn't make just meaningless noises like u  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 7, 2017

"You don't have 0.1 per cent of greatness of your brother and that's why your great brother doesn't make meaningless noises like you. Because you don't understand English, please ask some educated friend to translate my tweets in Telugu," Verma wrote.



Naga Babu Saaaaar because u can't understand English please ask some educated friend to translate my tweets in telugu  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 7, 2017

Varma requested Chiranjeevi to not take his brother along for any events in the future.



"I know he is your brother and you love him, but in future please don't take him to such prestigious events as he will spoil them," he added.



The 'Rakht Charitra' director retaliated after Nagababu, at the pre-release event of Chiranjeevi's forthcoming Telugu outing 'Khaidi No 150',spoke against Verma.



In his speech, Nagababu questioned Varma's remarks about Chiranjeevi and his film "Khaidi No 150".



"There's this gentleman who is passing unwanted comments about my brother and his film. He used to make great films once but not anymore. He should focus on making good films instead of wasting time on commenting about my brother," Nagababu said.



He went on to say that Varma is using Chiranjeevi's popularity to earn personal mileage.


Amid intense slugfest over the 'cycle' symbol, the Akhilesh Yadav faction submitted affidavits before the Election Commission, claiming to have the signatures of 90 percent legislators and delegates, including over 200 of the 229 MLAs and 56 of 68 MLCs.

The Mulayam camp is likely to submit its set of affidavits on Monday.

The Akhilesh faction's documents were submitted by his loyalist uncle Ramgopal in copies of seven as asked by the poll panel.

He claimed that the papers number over 1.5 lakh pages and carry signatures of over 200 MLAs, 56 of the 68 MLCs, 15 of the 24 MPs and nearly 4600 of over 5000 delegates of Samajwadi Party supporting Akhilesh.

"90 percent of the legislators and delegates are with Akhilesh Yadav. Therefore, it is crystal clear that we are the real SP. We should be given the cycle symbol and considered the real SP," he told reporters after handing over documents.

He claimed a set was sent to Mulayam Singh Yadav at his Delhi residence, but he refused to acknowledge the receipt. "Now, it will be sent to his Lucknow address," Ramgopal said.

Mulayam, on the other hand, met his younger brother Shivpal Yadav, senior party leaders Azam Khan and Ambika Chowdhury, Assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey and some others at this residence. SP treasurer and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Seth also met Akhilesh as his residence.

Chowdhury, while emerging from Mulayam's residence, said, "All will be well. SP will remain one."

In Etawah, Mulayam's brother Abhayram Yadav hailed Shivpal and blamed "stubborn Akhilesh" for the ongoing crisis within the family and party.

"Akhilesh is stubborn. Shivpal used to take him to school and take care of him," he said when reporters asked him about the issue.
A man allegedly divorced his wife by uttering 'talaq' three times after she refused to give him a packet of beedis, said Haryana police.

The woman, in her complaint, alleged that Shahid beat her up and divorced her on December 23 when she did not give him the packet of beedis.

When Shahid asked his children about the packet, they told him that their mother had kept it. When she denied keeping it, he uttered 'talaq' and kicked her out of the house.

After the incident, the woman filed a complaint with the district police.
PM to seek work plan from VC nominees before appointment

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the ex-officio chancellor of Kathmandu University will seek detailed work plans from each of the five nominees vying for the post vice-chancellor before picking one.
Home should never be far away. Safety of Indian diaspora is of utmost important to us, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Reassuring the Non-resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) that his government was committed to the welfare and safety of all Indian nationals living abroad, he said, Whether it is on loss of their passports, need for legal advice, medical assistance, shelter, or even transportation of mortal remains to India, I have directed all Indian embassies to be proactive. Sushmaji (External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj) has been proactive and prompt in reaching out to distressed Indians through social media too.

Hum passport ka colour nahi, khoon ka rishta dekhte hai. (we don't see the colour of the passport but our blood relation). We help all. We have evacuated 150 from South Sudan and thousands in Yemen. In the last two years, 2014-2016, we facilitated the repatriation of over ninety thousand Indian nationals from nearly 54 countries. Through the Indian Community Welfare Fund, we have assisted more than eighty thousand Indian nationals abroad who were in contingency situations, said Modi.

Announcing a new scheme  Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana  a soft skills development programme for young Indians seeking overseas employment, Modi said, The unskilled workers will be trained in softskills to get better wages abroad as we want them to go well trained and feel secure. We have streamlined systems to safeguard immigration of Indian workers. About six lakh emigrants have been granted emigration clearance online for overseas employment through registered recruitment agents.

Online registration of foreign employers on e-Migrate portal has been made mandatory. e-Migrate and MADAD platforms address the grievances and petitions of Indian migrant workers to curb illegal recruitment agent menace in India, provision for prosecution sanctions by the CBI or state police against illegal agents and increase in bank guarantee by recruiting agent from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 50 lakh have been made.

The deadline to avail OCI card without penalty has been extended to June 30, 2017, and special immigration counters have been set up at Delhi and Bengaluru airports to begin with. Starting with Mauritius, we will soon ensure descendants of Girmitiyas are eligible for OCI cards. Similar difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Carribean states will be addressed, said Modi.

The prime minister, who began his speech condoling the passing away of former President and Prime Minister of Portugal Mario Soares, welcomed the current Prime Minister Dr Antonio Costa and Vice President of Surinam Michael Ashwin Adhin, both persons of Indian origin.

What binds us all together is 'Bharatiyata' (Indianness), said Modi hailing the Indian diaspora for its achievement on foreign soil. There are 30 million Indians abroad. Around 69 billion dollars is remitted annually by overseas Indians. But they are valued not for their large numbers but their valued contribution to diverse fields. They best represent the Indian cultural ethos and are role model for other immigrant communities. There is new energy among the diaspora to connect with India's social and economic transformation. It is not brain drain but brain gain.

Nearly seven lakh Indian students are pursuing academic programs abroad. The soon-to-be-launched Visiting Adjunct Joint Research Faculty (VAJRA) scheme will enable NRI and overseas scientific community to participate and contribute to research and development in India. Under the scheme, an overseas Indian can work for one to three months in an institution in India, said Modi.

Elaborating on the recent initiatives to engage the global Indian, Modi said, We want the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Delhi to emerge as a symbol of global migration, achievements and aspirations of the diaspora. We have launched Know India Programme, where young NRIs can visit India to reconnect with their roots, the Bharat Ko Jaaniye quiz that saw 5,000 NRI youths last year and hopes to reach out to 50,000 to foster stronger bond. FDI is fully liberalised. A second definition to FDI is First Develop India. Investments made by PIOs will now be deemed as domestic investment at par with that of resident Indians. We encourage PIOs to invest in our flagship programmes like Namami Gange, Swachch Bharat, Digital and Startup India. 
President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday morning 3 Teves addressed at his residence in Jerusalem, a meeting of Israels ambassadors to European countries. Before the meeting, the President was updated by Israels Ambassador to Turkey Eitan Naeh who was attending the meeting, regarding the Israelis caught up in the terror attack in Turkey.

This is a complex and turbulent time for the State of Israel, but not only for the State of Israel, began the President and went on to speak about the attack which had taken place in Turkey the night before. Last night, Turkey endured yet another terror attack. I send from here my sympathies and wishes for better days, to the families who have lost their sons and daughters, and to the Turkish people after another disaster which has befallen them.

He continued, The world around us is unsettled and shifting  axes are taking shape; some on a diplomatic level are more comfortable for Israel, like the Sunni axis, and some are hostile and dangerous, like the Syrian-Hezbollah-Iran axis. In the wider sense these changes are not just regional, the shock-waves occurring in the Middle East impact more than metaphorically, but significantly on Europe: as waves of refugees, as terror attacks, and Jihadists, which rove from here to there, and from there to here. As a result of these developments, and other important other progressions of globalization, western democracy is enduring change. The term defensive democracy seems accurate in relation to the election results in the US, Brexit, and the strengthening of the populist, national and nationalist and other movements in many countries in Europe. The political agenda for the continent in 2017 is certain to be far from boring for us  and certainly not for you. None more than you know the significance each of these elements for the State of Israel; on what occurs here, on its relations with the West, with the whole world.

He added, Our sovereign power preserves our independence and defends our interests, and will continue to stand forever as the highest priority for the State of Israel. Yet military strength and erecting high walls will never suffice in safeguarding our sovereignty and security. The strength of the State of Israel is drawn from its first days, and the combination of military and diplomatic strength, the integration of industry and technology, of human resources and the ability to build ties. And today  perhaps more than ever  professional diplomacy is a central and crucial component to preserving Israels national and international resilience. I stress these elements in Israels foreign policy, specifically against the background of UNSC Resolution 2334. In professional terms Resolution 2334 which was adopted against Israel is soft power; tanks, jets, and missiles were not launched against us and yet the decision harms the legitimacy of the State of Israel. Resolution 2334 and the speech by the Secretary of State place Israel in the dock. In a world where countries use soft power such as sanctions and slurs in order to influence and shape global policy, soft power also represents a real challenge for the State of Israel. If we will not be sure of our strength and the justness of our path, and in our ability to convince that we act justly, with respect, fairness, and with morality with all the residents of this land, we will be stuck forever in this war. The adoption of the Resolution proves that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not only a central issue in your day to day work behind the scenes, but is on the worlds stage and we cannot look the other way in the hope it disappears. At the same time, the Resolution exposes the central point of contention between Israel and the international community.

The President went on to say, The existence of a clear disagreement between Israel and the international community on the question of the 1967 borders, is sacred to the resolution of the conflict. The international community still sees the 1967 borders as sacred to the solution of the conflict, while within the Israeli Jewish consensus, there are perhaps none who see a return to the 1967 borders as realistic. There are those who would enlarge or narrow, but the majority of the public knows what would not be accepted. This is a genuine, deep, and even sometimes difficult disagreement between Israel and the international community, yet it needs to be clear and open, and we have the duty to address and explain it. And the job of making our views understood rests greatly on you. More than ever we need you.

The President concluded by thanking the ambassadors for their important work for the State of Israel, In no small way thanks to your work, there is no doubt of Israels great achievements in the fields of science and technology, of our military and intelligence strength, and economic capability.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Mark Neiman, GPO)
An Army veteran who complained that the government was controlling his mind drew a gun from his checked luggage on arrival at the Fort Lauderdale airport and opened fire in the baggage claim area Friday, killing five people and wounding eight, authorities said.

He was taken into custody after throwing his empty weapon down and lying spread-eagle on the ground, one witness said.

People started kind of screaming and trying to get out of any door they could or hide under the chairs, the witness, Mark Lea, told MSNBC. He just kind of continued coming in, just randomly shooting at people, no rhyme or reason to it.

The gunman was identified as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago of Anchorage, Alaska, who served in Iraq with the National Guard but was demoted and discharged last year for unsatisfactory performance. His brother said he had been receiving psychological treatment recently.

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Santiago had walked into the FBI office in Anchorage in November to say that the U.S. government was controlling his mind and making him watch Islamic State videos.

Agents questioned an agitated and disjointed-sounding Santiago and then called police, who took him for a mental health evaluation, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.

FBI agent George Piro, who is in charge of the Miami field office, confirmed that Santiago had come into the Anchorage office and said he clearly indicated at the time that he was not intent on hurting anyone.

Authorities said the motive for the attack was under investigation. Shortly after the shooting, and before details of Santiagos mental health became public, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida said that it remained to be seen whether it was terrorism or the work of someone who is mentally deranged.

Piro said authorities are looking at leads in several states and have not ruled out terrorism. Were looking at every angle, including the terrorism angle, he said

Santiago, who is in federal custody, will face federal charges and is expected to appear in court Monday, Piro said.

One witness said the attacker gunned down his victims without a word and kept shooting until he ran out of ammunition for his handgun, sending panicked travelers running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand.

Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.

Bruce Hugon, who had flown in from Indianapolis for a vacation, was at the baggage carousel when he heard four or five pops and saw everyone drop down on the ground. He said a woman next to him tried to get up and was shot in the head.

The guy must have been standing over me at one point. I could smell the gunpowder, he said. I thought I was about to feel a piercing pain or nothing at all because I would have been dead.

It is legal for airline passengers to travel with guns and ammunition as long as the firearms are put in a checked bag  not a carry-on  and are unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container. Guns must be declared to the airline at check-in.

Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Anchorage aboard a Delta flight Thursday night, checking only one piece of luggage  his gun, said Jesse Davis, police chief at the Anchorage airport.

At Fort Lauderdale, after he claimed his bag, he went into the bathroom and loaded the gun and started shooting. We dont know why, said Chip LaMarca, a Broward County commissioner who was briefed by investigators.

The bloodshed is likely to raise questions of whether aviation safety officials need to change the rules.

The attack also exposed another weak point in airport security: While travelers have to take off their shoes, put their carry-on luggage through X-ray machines and pass through metal detectors to reach the gates, many other sections of airports, such as ticket counters and baggage claim areas, are more lightly secured and more vulnerable to attack.

In 2013, a gunman with a grudge against the Transportation Security Administration shot and killed one of the agencys screeners and wounded three others during a rampage at Los Angeles International Airport. Last November, an airline worker was shot and killed near an employee parking lot at Oklahoma Citys airport, and in 2015 a machete-wielding man was shot to death after he attacked federal security officers at the New Orleans airport.

The fact is that wherever there are crowds, such as at our airports, we remain vulnerable to these types of attacks, Nelson said.

The Fort Lauderdale gunman said nothing as he went up and down the carousels of the baggage claim, shooting through luggage to get at people that were hiding, according to Lea. The killer went through about three magazines before running out of ammunition, Lea said.

He threw the gun down and laid spread-eagle on the ground until the officer came up to him, Lea said.

The gunman was arrested unharmed, with no shots fired by law enforcement officers, and was being questioned by the FBI, Sheriff Scott Israel said.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said 30 to 40 people were injured  scrapes, bruises and broken bones  after the shooting.

The condition of the wounded was not disclosed. At least one of the victims was seen lying in a pool of blood with what appeared to be a head wound.

The airport was shut down, with incoming flights diverted and outgoing flights held on the ground. Airport Director Mark Gale said it will try to reopen at 5 a.m. Saturday but urged travelers to check with their individual airlines on flight status. He said 10,000 of the airports stranded travelers were being bused overnight to the citys spacious Port Everglades cruise ship terminal.

President Barack Obama was briefed by his Homeland Security adviser, the White House said. President-elect Donald Trump said that it is a disgraceful situation thats happening in our country and throughout the world and that it was too soon to say whether it was a terrorist attack.

Santiagos brother, Bryan, told the AP that his brother had been receiving psychological treatment in Alaska. He said Santiagos girlfriend alerted the family to the situation in recent months. Bryan Santiago said that he didnt know what his brother was being treated for and that they never talked about it.

He said Esteban Santiago was born in New Jersey and moved to Puerto Rico when he was 2. He was sent to Iraq in 2010 and spent a year there with the 130th Engineer Battalion, according to Puerto Rico National Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen. He later joined the Alaska National Guard.

The Pentagon said Santiago had gone AWOL several times during his stint with the Alaska National Guard and was demoted  from specialist to private first class  and given a general discharge, which is lower than an honorable discharge.

John Schilcher told Fox News he came up to the baggage claim and heard the first gunshot as he picked up his bag off a carousel.

The person next to me fell to the ground and then I started hearing other pops. And as this happened, other people started falling and you could hear it and smell it, and people on either side of me were going down and I just dropped to the ground, said Schilcher, who was there with his wife and mother-in-law. The firing just went on and on.

I was down on the floor. When we finally looked up there was a policeman standing over me, he said. Thats when I assumed it was safe.

(AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a hidden campaign to influence Americas presidential election in favor of Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, U.S. intelligence agencies declared Friday in the governments first formal allegation supporting sensational claims that Trump and his supporters have staunchly resisted.

The intelligence report, an unclassified version of a more-detailed classified account given earlier to Trump, the White House and congressional leaders, withheld the governments evidence to back up its assertions.

Trump, in a brief interview with The Associated Press, said he learned a lot from his discussions with intelligence officials, but declined to say whether he accepted their assertion that Russia had meddled in the election on his behalf.

It was a really great meeting, I really like those people a lot, said Trump, who has challenged the intelligence community since winning the election. I learned a lot and I think they did also.

Trump would not detail what evidence he was presented with, saying only that he learned a lot of confidential things. Because Trump is not yet president, he is legally constrained from revealing classified information.

In an earlier written statement, Trump said it was clear Russian email hacking did not deliver him the presidency.

The unclassified version of the intelligence report was the most detailed public account to date of Russian efforts to interfere with the U.S. political process, with actions that included hacking into the email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and individual Democrats like Hillary Clintons campaign chairman John Podesta. Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid trolls to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. There was no suggestion that Russia affected actual vote counting or tampered with ballot machines. President Barack Obama requested the report last month and wanted it completed before inauguration day.

The report, for the first time, explicitly tied Putin to the hackings, called it the boldest effort yet to influence a U.S. election, and said the Russian government provided emails to WikiLeaks  something the websites founder, Julian Assange, has repeatedly denied. The intelligence agencies also said Russia will continue to try to influence future events in the U.S. and worldwide, particularly among U.S. allies.

Since Election Day, the intelligence agencies said, Russia has launched a spear-phishing campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting U.S. government employees and think tanks that specialize in national security, defense and foreign policy.

The report lacked details about how the U.S. learned what it said it knows, such as any intercepted conversations or electronic messages among Russian leaders, including Putin, or about specific hacker techniques or digital tools the U.S. may have traced back to Russia in its investigations.

Exactly how the U.S. monitors its adversaries in cyberspace is a closely guarded secret, since revealing such details could help foreign governments further obscure their activities.

The unclassified version included footnotes acknowledging that it does not include the full supporting information on key elements of the influence campaign. It said its conclusions were identical to the classified version, which was more detailed.

The unclassified report said the Russian effort was both political and personal.

Russias goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton and harm her electability and potential presidency, it said. We further assess Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.

Putin most likely wanted to discredit Clinton because he blames her for inciting mass protests against his regime in late 2011 and early 2012, and because he resents her for disparaging comments she has made about him, the report said.

The report was released shortly after intelligence officials finished briefing Trump  a move probably intended to bolster the intelligence findings against pushback from the president-elect.

Trump could use the lack of supporting details in the public version to fuel his dismissiveness of the findings, even though he has now been briefed on the classified portion.

Trump has been dismissive of the intelligence agencies claims of Russias involvement for months, long before he saw the classified information Friday.

Just hours before he was briefed, Trump dismissed the assessment and told The New York Times the focus on Russias involvement is a political witch hunt by adversaries. They got beaten very badly in the election, Trump said. They are very embarrassed about it. To some extent, its a witch hunt. They just focus on this.

After finally seeing the intelligence behind the claims of the outgoing Obama administration, Trump released a one-page statement that did not address whether Russia sought to meddle. Instead, he said, there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election.

The top U.S. intelligence official, James Clapper, told Congress on Thursday that intelligence agencies had no way of gauging what influence this meddling had in the outcome of the election. It was unclear Friday what evidence Trump had to support his claims.

Trump acknowledged in his statement that Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to hack U.S. networks, including the Democratic National Committees.

He said, as did the intelligence report, that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines.

Trump said that as president he would appoint a team to develop a plan to aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks.

Still, by late Friday Trump was blaming the victim. Gross negligence by the Democratic National Committee allowed hacking to take place, he wrote on Twitter. The Republican National Committee had strong defense!

As Trump met in New York with intelligence officials, Congress tallied the Electoral College votes, officially confirming his November victory.

Before the intelligence agencies completed their assessment, Obama announced sanctions against Russia late last year. Trump has not said whether he will undo them once he takes office.

(AP)
Acharya is affiliated to the University of Ottawa, Canada.
The man police say opened fire with a gun from his checked baggage at a Florida airport had a history of mental health issues  some of which followed his military service in Iraq  and was receiving psychological treatment at his home in Alaska, his relatives said Friday after the deadly shooting.

Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasnt feeling too good, his uncle, Hernan Rivera, told The Record newspaper.

Esteban Santiago, 26, deployed in 2010 as part of the Puerto Rico National Guard, spending a year with an engineering battalion, according to Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.

In recent years, Santiago had been living in Anchorage, Alaska, his brother, Bryan Santiago, told The Associated Press from Puerto Rico. Bryan Santiago said his brothers girlfriend had recently called the family to alert them to his treatment.

In November, Esteban told FBI agents in Alaska that the government was controlling his mind and was forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, a law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke Friday on condition of anonymity.

The FBI agents notified the police after the interview with Esteban Santiago, who took him in for a mental health evaluation.

Bryan Santiago said his brother never spoke to him directly about his medical issues.

We have not talked for the past three weeks, Bryan Santiago said. Thats a bit unusual  Im in shock. He was a serious person  He was a normal person.

Esteban Santiago was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was 2, his brother said. He grew up in the southern coastal town of Penuelas before joining the Guard in 2007.

Since returning from Iraq, Santiago served in the Army Reserves and the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage. He was serving as a combat engineer in the Guard before his discharge for unsatisfactory performance, said Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead, a spokeswoman. His military rank upon discharge was E3, private 1st class, and he worked one weekend a month with an additional 15 days of training yearly, Olmstead said.

She would not elaborate on his discharge, but the Pentagon said hed gone AWOL several times and was demoted and discharged.

Still, hed had some successes during his military career, being awarded a number of medals and commendations including the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

His uncle and aunt in New Jersey were trying to make sense of what they were hearing about Santiago after his arrest at the Fort Lauderdale airport. FBI agents arrived at their house to question them, and reporters swarmed around.

Maria Ruiz told The Record that her nephew had recently become a father and was struggling.

It was like he lost his mind, she said in Spanish of his return from Iraq. He said he saw things.

Santiago was flying from Anchorage on a Delta flight and had checked only one piece of luggage, which contained the gun.

Santiago was charged in a domestic violence case in January 2016, damaging a door when he forced his way into a bathroom at his girlfriends Anchorage home. The woman told officers he yelled at her to leave, strangled her and smacked her on the side of the head, according to charging documents.

A month later municipal prosecutors said he violated the conditions of his release when officers found him at her home during a routine check. He told police he had lived there since he was released from custody the previous month. His Anchorage attorney, Max Holmquist, declined to discuss his client.

Law enforcement officers were at the girlfriends home Friday afternoon, and officers guarding the property outside told a reporter who approached the home to step away.

(AP)
President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that only stupid people or fools would dismiss closer ties with Russia, and he seemed unswayed after his classified briefing on an intelligence report that accused Moscow of meddling on his behalf in the election that catapulted him to power.

Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing, Trump said in a series of tweets.

He added, We have enough problems without yet another one, and said Russians would respect us far more under his administration than they do with Barack Obama in the White House.

Trump repeatedly has questioned the assessment by American intelligence agencies that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election, and a classified report presented to him Friday seemed to have little changed his thinking.

The report explicitly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a clear preference for Republican Trump in his race against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

But Trump tweeted that with the many global issues confronting the United States, it doesnt need testy ties with Russia on the list. Only stupid people, or fools, would think that it is bad to have a good relationship, he said, and suggested his approach might allow the adversaries to work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!

Even as intelligences officials looked back in their reports on the election, they also made a troublesome prediction: Russia isnt done intruding in U.S. politics and policymaking.

Immediately after the Nov. 8 election, Russia began a spear-phishing campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting U.S. government employees and think tanks that specialize in national security, defense and foreign policy, the report said.

The report was the most detailed public account to date of Russian efforts to hack the email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and individual Democrats, among them Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta.

The unclassified version said Russian government provided emails to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks even though the websites founder, Julian Assange, has denied that it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted that the emails could have been passed through middlemen.

Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid trolls to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. Moreover, intelligence officials believe that Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumbprint on future elections in the United States and allied nations.

The public report was minus classified details that intelligence officials shared with President Barack Obama on Thursday.

In a brief interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Trump said he learned a lot from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion that Russia had intruded in the election on his behalf.

After finally seeing the intelligence behind the claims of the outgoing Obama administration, Trump released a one-page statement that did not address whether Russia sought to meddle. Instead, he said, there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election and that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines.

Intelligence officials have never made that claim. And the report stated that the Department of Homeland Security did not think that the systems that were targeted or compromised by Russian actors were involved in vote tallying.

The report released publicly lacked details about how the U.S. learned what it said it knows, such as any intercepted conversations or electronic messages among Russian leaders, including Putin, or about specific hacker techniques or digital tools the U.S. may have traced back to Russia in its investigations. Exactly how the U.S. monitors its adversaries in cyberspace is a closely guarded secret. Revealing such details could help foreign governments further obscure their activities.

The unclassified version included footnotes acknowledging that it does not include the full supporting information on key elements of the influence campaign. It said its conclusions were identical to the classified version, which was more detailed.

The unclassified report said the Russian effort was both political and personal.

Russias goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton and harm her electability and potential presidency, it said. We further assess Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.

Putin most likely wanted to discredit Clinton because he blames her for inciting mass protests against his regime in late 2011 and early 2012, and because he resents her for disparaging comments she has made about him, the report said.

Before the intelligence agencies completed their assessment, Obama announced sanctions against Russia. Trump has not said whether he will undo them once he takes office, but lawmakers are calling for more punitive measures against Russia and have little to no appetite to roll back any current sanctions.

Trump said he would appoint a team within three months of taking office to develop a plan to aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks.

On Saturday, he said he wanted retired Sen. Dan Coats to be national intelligence director, describing the former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee as the right person to lead the new administrations ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm.

Coats, in a statement released by Trumps transition team, said: There is no higher priority than keeping America safe, and I will utilize every tool at my disposal to make that happen.

(AP)
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

Home construction is up, both locally and across the nation. Locally, many contractors are building homes to spec for Orthodox Jewish families, with dual ovens, dual sinks, Pesach kitchens and even built-in Sukkah breakfast nooks. But what happens if one of these contractors also builds it on Shabbos?

The Shulchan Aruch (OC 244:3) writes that if a house was built on Shabbos, it is proper never to enter it for as long as it stands. This is true whether the house was built by Jews or by gentiles upon the instruction of Jews.

The Mishna Brurah (244:21) adds that this applies not just for the Jewish family that the home was built for, but for any Jewish person.

Of course, this ruling is not just limited to houses  it also includes buildings.

In halachic terminology, the byproduct of work performed on Shabbos is called, Maaseh Shabbos. There are two types of Maaseh Shabbos  those byproducts of Shabbos violation that were created by Jews and those that were created by gentiles.

BACKGROUND AND REASONS

The Talmud (Ksuvos 34a) records a debate regarding Maaseh Shabbos created by a Jew. Rav Acha and Ravina argue as to whether Maaseh Shabbos is forbidden by Torah law or by Rabbinic law. The final halacha is that it is forbidden only by Rabbinic law.

What is the reason for the prohibition? One reason is that it is a means to prevent future or further Shabbos violation. Another reason is that the prohibition will serve to further our appreciation of the gift that is Shabbos.

To better understand this, an analogy may be in order. The United States of America, the State of Israel, and every nation in the world has a flag that its citizens respect and venerate. The nation of Israel also has such a flag, the oldest of any other group or nation. That flag is Shabbos, described in the Torah as an Os  a sign. The prohibition of Maaseh Shabbos serves to imbue the Jewish nation with veneration and respect for the Os that is Shabbos.

The Gemorah (ibid, Chulin 15a, and Bava Kamma 71a) further records a debate between the Tannaim as to the parameters of the prohibition. The two categories under discussion are:

1] when Shabbos was violated by accident  BShogeg and

2] when it was violated intentionally  BMaizid.

The three views are found below:

Rabbi Meir is of the opinion that when Shabbos is violated unintentionally  BShogeg there is no prohibition placed on what was cooked or made. However, when Shabbos is violated on purpose  BMaizid one may not benefit from that which was done until Motzei Shabbos  Saturday night.

Rabbi Yehudah is of the opinion that one may never benefit from a Shabbos violation on Shabbos itself and one must wait until Moztei Shabbos even if it was done unintentionally  BShogaig. If it was done on purpose, however, the person who did it can never use it. It is forbidden FOREVER.

Rabbi Yochanan HaSandlar states that BShogaig, others may eat of it on Motzei Shabbos, but never for the Shabbos violator. BMaizid, however, it is forbidden forever for everyone  neither he nor Acherim  others.

FINAL HALACHA

In accordance with which of the above opinions do the Rishonim rule?

The Rambam, Rif and the Shulchan Aruch rule like Rabbi Yehudah. For the Shabbos violator the Maaseh Shabbos is forbidden forever and for everyone else it only becomes permitted on Saturday night.

Tosfos and the Vilna Gaon, however, rule more leniently. They rule like Rabbi Meir who permits everything on Saturday night and does not forbid it at all if it was done BShogaig. None of the Rishonim rule in accordance with Rabbi Yochanan HaSandlar, however.

How does the Mishna Brurah, which is generally considered to be the final word in halacha, rule? He rules (318:7) that when it is ltzorech  when necessary, one may rely upon the Vilna Gaon when the Shabbos was violated BShogaig. What about when it was violated on purpose? The Mishna Brurah does not state that one can rely on the Vilna Gaons opinion in such a case. The clear indication is that in cases of intentional Shabbos violation, the Mishna Brurah rules stringently.

BACK TO THE HOUSE

Getting back to the ruling regarding the building of a house, it seems that the Shulchan Aruch is advocating a much stronger position. The Shulchans recommendation is to follow neither Rabbi Yehudah or Rabbi Meir mentioned above. Why is that the case?

The rationale for this much stronger prohibition lies in the fact that a house is considered to be very, very public  befarhesia. Otherwise it would not be as stringent. Clearly we see, how seriously we must take the violation of Shabbos through another party when it is so public and permanent an item.

Although it is proper not to live in such a house or use it, it would be permitted to derive benefit from the house by selling it, according to the Mishna Brurah.

The Poskim have written, however, that if the Jew contracted with the gentile not to work on Shabbos and made every effort to stop him from doing so, then he should not be punished by the fact that the gentile did it against his instruction. (See Piskei Teshuvos note 244).

How long does the recommended prohibition remain in effect? It seems that it is as long as the work on that house was not redone, one should avoid buying it or renting it. It seems, however, that other than within the sharp memory of various members of a Jewish community, no records are kept as to which homes were built for Jews on Shabbos.

The author can be reached at [email protected]
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

Saddam Hussein claimed that he was the reincarnation of Nevuchadnezzar. Yirmiyahu warned the nation of Israel about Nevuchadnezzar. What is Asarah BTeives all about?

Oh and by the way, in New York the fast begins at 5:51 AM and ends at 5:31 PM.

Chazal tell us that on the 10th of Teives, Nevuchadnetzar, the evil king of Bavel began the siege against Yerushalayim during the time of the first Beis HaMikdash. This siege continued for three years until the walls were finally breached on the ninth day of Tamuz. This day, the 9th of Tamuz, was later changed to be commemorated on the 17th of Tammuz, when the walls were breached during the time of the second Beis HaMikdash.

The truth is that there are also two other fast days in Teives, but they are are only observed by the very meticulous. On the 8th of Teives Talmai the King had the Torah translated into Greek. It was a day that Chazal describe as painful as the day of the Chait HaEgel. On the 8th of Teives we mourn the loss of Ezra and Nechemia who brought Klal Yisroel back from galus Bavel and helped rebuild a nation.

ENTIRE COMMUNITY

But it is the entire community who fasts on Asarah BTeives.

All fasts other than Yom Kippur and Tishah BAv begin at alos hashachar (dawn). If one had in mind that one was going to rise before dawn to eat, one may do so. However, dawn is generally very early in the summer months so sometimes this is not so practical. In regard to rising before dawn, there is a difference between men and women. Men may only eat more than a kbayah of mezonos if they began more than 30 minutes before dawn. Otherwise, they may only eat less than a kbayah (2.2 fluid ounces of the food) (MB 89:27). Women have no such restriction, according to Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, ztl (Note in Ishei Yisrael 13:71).

WHO SHOULD FAST?

All healthy adults should fast, including women (SA OC 550:1). A girl who is 12 years or older must fast, as must a boy who is 13 years of age or older. The minhag of some women to avoid fasting during the three fasts is incorrect and should be discontinued, as it is against Shulchan Aruch.

The Mishnah Berurah (550:5) rules that children who have reached the age of chinuch for mourning should only eat simple foods so that they can participate in the mourning. A sick person should not fast (MB 550:4, 5) even if he is not dangerously ill  a choleh shyesh bo sakanah. In other words, as long as he or she is noticeably sick, there is no need to fast.

Nonetheless, that person should not engage in extravagant eating but should only eat moderately.

A pregnant or nursing woman does not have to fast (OC SA 554:5) on the three fasts; only on the fourth, Tishah BAv. Although the Rema writes that it is the custom for a pregnant woman who has no difficulties fasting to fast, it seems from the statistical data available in Israel that they, too, should opt for the leniency of the Shulchan Aruch and not fast.

ACCIDENTALLY ATE

If one accidentally ate or drank on the fast day, one must continue to fast for the rest of the day (SA OC 568:1). If one made a berachah on something and remembered after the berachah was recited that it is a fast day, that person should taste a little bit so that he will not have made a berachah lvatalah.

SHOWERING

Showering is permitted on the three fast days because Klal Yisrael did not accept it upon themselves to avoid this.

The Mishnah Berurah (550:6), however, writes that a baal nefesh should be stringent and avoid showering in hot water during a fast day.

Thus, showering in non-hot water would be completely permitted. It is also completely permitted to wash ones face, hands and feet in hot water.

ADDITIONS IN TEFILLAH

In Shacharis one recites Avinu Malkeinu and the Selichos for that fast day. In Minchah, one adds the special Aneinu tefillah and Avinu Malkeinu again. If Aneinu was not inserted, the Shemoneh Esreh is not repeated. If someone is not fasting, the Aneinu is not recited.

If someone is not davening with a minyan, the 13 Attributes of Selichos (Hashem Hashem) are not said (see MB 565:13).

During the last blessing of the Minchah Shemoneh Esreh the Sim Shalom paragraph is recited instead of the Shalom Rav paragraph.

DIFFERENT THAN OTHER FASTS

Rav Yoseph Karo (Bais Yoseph 550) cites the view of the Avudraham that the fast of Asara bTaives is different than all of the other fasts. How so? If Asarah bTaives were to fall on Shabbos (which it doesnt), it would not be pushed off to another day. It would have to be observed on the Shabbos itself.

Why would this be the case?

The Avudraham explains that it is on account of a verse found in Sefer Yechezkel (24:2), On that very day.. which equates this fast to Yom Kippur. Rav Karo states that he does not know from where the Avudraham derived this. Rav Karo further notes that the tenth of Taives will at times fall on a Friday, but none of the other fasts ever do. In Shulchan Aruch itself (550) Rav Karo rules that none of the four fasts set aside Shabbos (This is also the view of the Rambam Hilchos Taanis 5:5 and Rashi in Megillah 5a Aval Zman.), but we will deal with the view of the Avudraham in this essay.

UNDERSTANDING THE RATIONALE

We must also try to understand why it is, according to the Avudraham, that Asrah BTaives is different than the other fasts, and why the Avudraham chose to state this difference regarding Shabbos when he himself writes that it never actually falls on Shabbos!

Also, notwithstanding that the fast appears in Tanach  at the end of the day, it is a Rabbinic enactment. Oneg Shabbos, enjoying ourselves on the Shabbos, is according to most Poskim  a Torah obligation!

Why then would Asarah bTaives set Shabbos aside?

FOUR POSSIBILITIES

A look at the great commentaries reveals that there are four approaches to understanding the Avudrahams unique perspective on Asarah bTaives. Not all of the commentaries were addressing the Avudraham himself, but they certainly did address the notion of how Asarah BTaives may be unique. Lets explore them.

YAAROS DVASH

Asarah BTaives marks the siege on the holy city of Yerushalayim that ultimately led to its destruction, the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash and the exile of Klal Yisroel.

From the Yaaros Dvash (written by Rav Yonasan Eibeschutz in Volume I Drush #2 for Tisha BAv) we see that the seeds to three tragedies, the destruction of Yerushalayim, the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, and the exile, all lie within Asarah BTaives. Each of these different tragedies in and of themselves would be enough to mourn about. Imagine then  all three of them combined! This is why Asarah BTeives would be different.

BNAI YISSASCHAR

Beginnings are very stringent  even more so than the end-result. Aside from the fact that Asrah BTaives is the seed to three tragedies, the fact that it is the beginning of the loss of the Bais HaMikdash is a reason to mourn.

The Bnai Yissaschar (14:1) proves this point from the fact that we mourn the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash on the ninth of Av  not the tenth of Av  even though the majority of it burned on the tenth.

CHSAM SOFER

Another explanation to the Avudraham is found in the Chsam Sofer (Toras Moshe on Zayin Adar). He writes that all the other fasts commemorate a terrible tragedy that the nation of Israel incurred.

Not so the fast of the Asarah BTaives.

The Chsam Sofer writes that Asarah bTaives is the one fast that we have to help prevent a tragedy from occurring. It gives us an opportunity to determine whether the state of being without the Bais HaMikdash will continue. This type of fast is actually a beneficial one  where we have within our hands to rectify an error. When we are given such an opportunity it is a joy  an Oneg. That being the case, we can well understand why the Avudraham writes that if it were to fall on Shabbos we would still fast  it is a joy.

MINCHAS CHINUCH AND RAV CHAIM SOLOVEITCHIK

There is a third possibility in how to understand the Avudraham. Rav Yoseph Babad (1801-1874), author of the Minchas Chinuch, explains (301:7) that the nature of all of the fasts is that they can be celebrated in the general month in which the fast had occurred.

We find this idea expressed even earlier by the Ritvah (Rosh HaShana 18b), that the Neviim were already aware of the future destruction that would happen a second time and therefore ordained the fasts as approximate  in other words they may be observed in other days of that month, such as the Sunday following Shabbos if need be.

While the Minchas Chinuch does not state this, the Avudraham may rule that this is not the case, in regard to Asarah BTaives. Regarding Asarah bTaives, the verse in Sefer Yechezkel (24:2), On that very day.. changes it for Asarah BTaives. Asarah bTaives must remain on the day that it was originally ordained.

Rav Chaim Soloveitchik in fact proposes this very understanding in the words of an earlier authority that he quotes (Chiddushei HaGraZ Stencils p. 27 #44). One can possibly attempt to place Rav Soloveitchiks words in the Avudraham, but the actual reading may be somewhat difficult. Curiously, Rav Chaim writes that he is explaining the words of the BaHaG, but the BahaG does not actually discuss the issue at all.

Both according to the Minchas Chinuch and Rav Chaim Soloveitchik one can make the following observation:

In general, fast days would normally not set aside Shabbos were it not for the fact that they could be celebrated on another day in that month.

PROOF TO THE AVUDRAHAM

Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (Ohr Sameach Hilchos Taanis 5:6) tries to bring proof to the position of the Avudraham from a passage in the Talmud tractate of Eiruvin 40b. The Talmud poses the question of whether someone who is observing a private fast on a Friday finishes the fast until the stars come out on Friday night well into Shabbos. Rav Meir Simcha points out that the Talmud could have posed the same question in regard to a regular public fast. The only regular public fast that falls on a Friday is the 10th of Taives.

Yet, for some reason, the Talmud chose not to ask that question regarding the 10th of Taives. The answer must be, reasons Rav Meir Simcha, that it is too obvious that one would be obligated to complete the fast for the 10th of Taives. Why? Because the 10th of Taives would even push aside Shabbos itself! It would thus certainly require the faster to complete the fast until the stars come out on Friday night of Shabbos!

PROOF TO RAV MEIR SIMCHA

Backing up Rav Meir Simcha is the notion that the Shulchan Aruch OC 288:5 rules regarding when one fasts on account of a bad dream that one may fast on Shabbos. Thus, the Shulchan Aruch rules in (249:4) that one certainly does fast until the stars come out on Friday night  it is a Kal vachomer argument!

It is interesting to note that the Biur Halacha in 249:4 states that Rav Karos position (but not the final halacha for Ashkenazim) seems to indicate that he would only rule in this manner for a fast of a bad dream but not for the 10th of Taives. However, numerous Sefardic authorities disagree with his reading of Rav Karo (See Yechaveh Daas Volume I #80).

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, of course, the halacha is not like the Avudraham. However, we can still derive remarkable insight and inspiration from all four of the explanations to his words. We should contemplate the words of the Yaaros Dvash that Asarah BTaives encompasses all three tragedies.

We can be inspired from the fact that, according to both the Yaaros Dvash and the Bnei Yissasschar, beginnings do matter and they matter enormously. They carry within them messages of tremendous import.

The idea that the Chsam Sofer presents of Asarah BTeives being unique in that it is an opportunity to change the course of our future is also something that should be welcomed. Finally, one can also learn much from the opinions of the Minchas Chinuch and Rav Soloveitchiks that the fast days are indeed very weighty, and at least according to their view, they would even set aside the Shabbos itself were it not for other factors.

We should utilize all of these explanations to help add vitality to our observance of the fast days in general and Asarah BTaives specifically.

The author can be reached at [email protected]
2:11PM IL: [VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Following is an update on the wounded from the truck ramming attack in the Armon HaNatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem.

It is confirmed that four adults in their twenties were killed in the attack including three males and one female. 15 persons sustained physical injuries with one arriving at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in very serious condition. Four others are listed in moderate condition (3 in Hadassah Ein Kerem & 1 in Shaare Zedek). A number of victims are being treated for hysteria as well.

Firemen had to use hydraulic equipment to lift the truck up from on top of some of the victims. MDA Deputy Jerusalem Commander Avi Chovav told Channel 2 News unfortunately, for some of the victims, there was nothing that could be done.

Police have placed a gag order on reporting details of the investigation into the attack. Shaare Zedek Hospital has launched an emergency information number which is: 1-255-125.

Police Chief Roni Alsheich tells the media there is a gag order on the investigation but he does confirm the terrorist was a Jerusalem resident.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Media Resource Group)
The residents of Gaza are dancing on the streets in response to the latest terrorist attack in Israel. A truck rammed into a group of people in the Armon HaNatziv area of Jerusalem, killing four and leaving about fifteen wounded, some in serious and very serious condition.

Police Chief Roni Alsheich arrived on the scene and confirmed a gag order has been placed on the investigation, but limited information is release. What we know is the terrorist, who was killed on the scene, was a jailed in the past in Israel and was a 28-year-old resident of Jabil Mukhaber, which is adjacent to the site of the attack. Other details are barred from publication at this time as per the gag order. He did have a blue (Israeli) identity card.

In an amazing related event, it is reported that Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat was detained on Highway 6 while responding back to the capital upon hearing of the attack because he was speeding. We are not able to ascertain just how long he was detained.

Photo below of terrorist YSVZ.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
A 35-year-old man affiliated with the Yerushalmi faction of the litvish community is in custody, arrested on suspicion of being behind the recent shaming campaign against chareidi soldiers. The campaign posted photos of chardakim, current and former soldiers on social media.

The suspect was taken into custody on Thursday 7 Teves with Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan reporting this was the result of efforts from a joint campaign of inter-office agencies.

Ben-Dahan and others have been working hard to protect chareidi soldiers who too often come under attack by chareidim unwilling to accept the notion of chareidim serving in the nations military.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Israel last week has suspended funding to the United Nations to the tune of $6 million in response to the Security Council passing Resolution 2334.

Israel contributes approximately $40 million annually to the UN and in response to the resolution declaring settlements illegal, with Israel explaining this is the sum that is allocated to four committees which address Palestinian issues.

It is unreasonable for Israel to fund bodies that operate against us at the UN, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement.

We seek to stop the practice where the UN is used solely as a forum for unending attacks against Israel.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The following is via Miami Herald:

When news broke that there had been a deadly shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Aiport hours before the Jewish Sabbath Friday, Rabbi Schneur Kaplan rushed to the airport with an offer for those who observe: a place to pray and a place to stay.

Shabbos is coming but thank God we are safe, he said in a Facebook Live post from Terminal 1. We have put out a post if anyone is stranded in the airport and needs a place for Shabbos we are going to meet at the baggage claim in Terminal 1 as soon as they allow us to move around. Right now they are not letting us move anywhere.

[Im] working with the Red Cross to give out water and just to give people hugs and give them strength, the rabbi said in a Facebook Live video. Just spoke with a woman who was anxious to get home because she wants to light Shabbos candles, but thank God we are safe and God willing we will be able to clear the airport in a few moments and let us all go home.
Yeshiva World News regrets to inform of the passing of Rabbi Yosef Strassfeld, a close talmid of Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky , and the Rosh Yeshiva and founder of Yeshiva Ohr Simcha of Englewood, New Jersey.

Rabbi Strassfeld zl was known for his warmth, dedication, and close relationship with every talmid. He became a lifelong Rebbe for the hundreds of bochurim who have learned in Yeshiva over the years, many of whom spoke to him on a weekly basis. He built a staff and Yeshiva ruach to mirror his magnetic connection to his talmidim and be focused on all areas of their development.

Rav Strassfeld passed away after an illness. He had temporarily recovered but fell ill again.

The Levaya will take place at the Yeshiva in Englewood, located at 101 W Forest Ave.

The Kevura will be in Lakewood.

Boruch Dayan HaEmes
S Korea monk self immolates in WW2 Japan sex slavery protest

A Buddhist monk is critically ill after setting himself on fire in protest at South Korea's deal with Japan over its sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War Two.
Israels prime minister says the Palestinian terrorist in todays deadly Jerusalem truck ramming was a supporter of ISIS.

Speaking at the scene of the attack, Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker has been identified and according to all the signs he was a supporter of the Islamic State.

He says there definitely could be a connection between Sundays attack, which killed four Israeli soldiers, and recent attacks in France and Germany.

Netanyahu says Israel has blockaded Jabel Mukaber, the east Jerusalem neighborhood where the truck driver lived, and is planning other measures to prevent similar attacks.

(AP)
Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the Russians have given virtually zero support to the United States in fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

Carter tells NBCs Meet the Press that Russia had promised to help fight extremists and help end the Syrian civil war. He says Moscow could have done that by urging Syrian President Bashar Assad to step aside and build a new government involving opposition leaders.

Carter says that the Russian instead doubled down on the Syrian civil war.

The Pentagon chief also was asked about the allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election. Carter says President-elect Donald Trump should consider a range of options.

(AP)
Johnson speaks to State Board of Education as lawsuit over his powers awaits resolution



State Superintendent Mark Johnson just before making opening remarks at a Jan. 5, 2017 meeting of the North Carolina State Board of Education. (CJ photo by Kari Travis)

North Carolina's public schools are in serious trouble, says the incoming superintendent, who expressed a sense of urgency in fixing the system.new school Superintendent Mark Johnson said Thursday during a meeting of the State Board of Education Johnson is barely settled into his office at the Department of Public Instruction yet is at the center of political controversy because of House Bill 17 , which among other matters strips the SBE of some administrative power and gives it to Johnson.Portions of the legislation may be illegal; the state Constitution empowers the SBE to govern the state superintendent and the DPI. The board has filed a lawsuit , which was scheduled to be heard by three Superior Court judges on Friday. But a notice sent late Thursday by SBE attorneys Bob Orr and Drew Erteschik announced that the hearing is postponed. No alternative court dates were given.A temporary restraining order filed in December by Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens to block HB 17 will remain in place for the time being, Orr and Erteschik said.SBE board member and North Carolina Lieutenant Gov. Dan Forest , who presided over the Senate during the passage of HB 17, publicly opposes the board's decision to sue the state.Thursday, Johnson recited a litany of problems surrounding the state's public schools.The state's approach to education is outdated and burdened by convoluted teaching standards, which need an overhaul, he said. Standardized testing methods don't work either. Policies must be overhauled.Johnson's sense of urgency is driven by first-hand experience with struggling students, he told board members in his kickoff statement.He cited his time spent as a science teacher at West Charlotte High School.Education is the only form of escape for underprivileged students, he said, and low-performing schools create a major roadblock for that escape.Ultimately, the Department of Public Instruction must take ownership of its issues.Johnson stated.Innovation is the only way to bring the public education up to 2017 standards, and the SBE must be open to aggressive action - for the sake of students and teachers.Johnson said.he said.The board addressed a handful of committee items Thursday before heading into closed session to discuss legal matters.SBE Chair Bill Cobey told public attendees - and members of the media - the board would immediately adjourn after coming back into public session. He recommended that people not wait around.
Sri Lanka protest over Chinese investment turns ugly

Several people have been injured in southern Sri Lanka during a protest against allowing China to build a port and industrial zone.
Swaziland is endowed with the wisdom of associating itself with the global village in all aspects but more importantly with the United nations and many relevant international institutions such the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for international trade, together with AGOA of the United States , The African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) and the EPAS of the European Union, COMESA embracing the Eastern and Southern African trading countries and the Southern African Customs Union(SACU).



The global relations networks the country has embraced financially are; The World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African Development Bank (ADfB).

Our association with these international organisations, has made it possible for all products we produce to have international market access in some places with reduced tariffs and in others without duty at all.

Other agreements allow us to have a preferred price for the goods we produce that are better than the world market prices.



This has made it possible for some foreign direct investors (FDI) to come and invest in Swaziland because those goods produced in Swaziland enjoy duty free and preferred prices.

This is one of the characteristics that the country enjoys by being members and signatory to international market and trade blocks like AGOA, ACP-EU, EPAS COMESA, etc.

We produce many goods like beef, timber, textiles and apparel, of course there is room for many other products which we have not yet taken advantage of.



With all the goods we are producing for export, the IMF and World Bank look at all member states economies with a view of advising the governments, and assess their economic status from time to time.

This is based on the international benchmarking of the global economies formula that categorises Swaziland as a middle income country. In short, their analysis is that as a country, we are better than many other states in the region, in Africa and even globally.

Basically, we should not be having the kind of poverty and levels of unemployment we have if the resources that this country is able to produce are distributed fairly, targeted at the correct priorities, sensitive to fiscal prudence and discipline.



When asked what it is that we are not doing right, they say among other things the wealth our economy is able to generate is skewedly distributed, where the majority, together with people-focused priorities, receive a pittance of the budget and few and non-priority projects are given the lions share.
MBABANE  Extremely heavy rains that fell in Mbabane and other parts of country on Friday caused damage estimated at over E2 million at a company situated at the Sidwashini Industrial Sites.



Nzalo Engineering Workshop was crushed by a 20 metre long wall, damaging equipment worth over E2 million in the process. This included property, like vehicle engine parts, belonging to clients.

The wall is about three metres high.



The spine-chilling incident, which is a rude welcome to the new year for the workshop owner, occurred on Friday night at a place affectionately known as KaNoyana next to Bling Tyre Shop.

Nzalo Engineering Investments is owned by Isaiah Msibi, who resides at Fonteyn in Mbabane. The two-year-old business has five personnel on its payroll, apart from the owner.

It is believed that the wall belonging to Bling Tyre Shop fell over the workshops roofing which in turn fell over the E2 million worth of engineering machinery.



When the Times SUNDAY team arrived at the scene, the workshops employees and people from neighbouring businesses were found trying to remove some of the remains of the roofing from the damaged building.

However, their efforts were fruitless. It was during that time when a bulldozer was provided by the owner of the premises. For three hours, it tried but still there was no sight of the buried equipment which included car parts and the heavy plant material.



According to the workshop owner, a skimming machine, milling machine, washing machine (for washing serviced tools), lathe machine, presser machine, machine attachments, sand and blast machine, compressor and a welding machine were some of the equipment that were not spared from the damage.



The visibly stressed businessman said he only got to know about the accident in the morning (yesterday) after he was called by his neighbour in the workplace.

We were also set to open today as we have a lot of work to do since our clientele has grown tremendously over the past two years. With that said, it is clear that I will be swimming in debt because of the damaged material belonging to my customers.



He added, I am so traumatised by this, I just dont know what to do particularly because this was my sole income generator. However, since this was caused by a wall belonging to Bling Tyre Shop, I am sure they will have to compensate me in one way or the other. They are a big company judging by their car rental business, plus, they are not renting out the premises unlike me.
Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years.
MANZINI  A suspected case of a rare incurable disease called Chikungunya, which is caused by a mosquito bite, was identified in Manzini by an expatriate doctor about a month ago in one patient who later died.

However, it is uncertain if the patient died of this rare disease.



The symptoms of Chikungunya include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, rash, ulcers all over the body and peeling of the skin.

The name Chikungunya is derived from the Makonde word meaning that which bends in reference to the stooped posture developed as a result of the arthritic symptoms of the disease.

Dr Kazi Arif Uddin (51) from Welcare Medicine (Pty) Limited, known as House Call Doctor, who had diagnosed the man in Manzini with Chikungunya, is of the opinion that the disease is curable.



People at risk of contracting the disease are those who travel to Africa, parts of Central and South America and islands in the Indian Ocean, Western and South Pacific and the Caribbean.

It is a mystery how the Swazi man, in his 50s, might have contracted the disease as he had only travelled to California in the United States and was on transit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates about three months ago.

These countries are presumed free from Chikungunya.



It can be said though that the World Health Organisation (WHO) says there is no cure for Chikungunya, a disease which was first detected in 1952 in Africa following an outbreak on the Mokonde Plateau.

This is a border area between Mozambique and Tanzania.

In Swahili this means the illness of the bended walker.



The virus is spread to humans by the bite of an infected female Aedes species mosquito  Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus.

These mosquitoes can be found biting throughout daylight hours, though there may be peaks of activity in the early morning and late afternoon.

Both species are found biting outdoors but Aedes aegypti will also readily feed indoors.



According to WHO, after the bite of an infected mosquito, onset of illness occurs usually between four and eight days but can range from 2 to 12 days.

In its recent communique to medical practitioners and member states, the WHO further advised that it was sometimes uneasy to detect Chikungunya because it shared some clinical signs with dengue - and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common.
Thori villages long wait for electricity over

After a decade-long endeavour, Thori, a remote village in Parsa district, has finally been electrified.
Beaver County preparing for robust Election Day turnout

As the Nov. 8 midterm election approaches, nearly 114,000 people are registered to vote in Beaver County.
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Penuelas, Puerto Rico

The brother of a man accused of killing five people at a Florida airport questioned Saturday why his brother was allowed to keep his gun after U.S. authorities knew he'd become increasingly paranoid and was hearing voices.

Esteban Santiago, 26, had trouble controlling his anger after serving in Iraq and told his brother that he felt he was being chased and controlled by the CIA through secret online messages. When he told agents at an FBI field office his paranoid thoughts in November, he was evaluated for four days, then released without any follow-up medication or therapy.

"The FBI failed there," Bryan Santiago told The Associated Press. "We're not talking about someone who emerged from anonymity to do something like this."

Speaking in Spanish outside his family's house in Penuelas, the brother said: "The federal government already knew about this for months, they had been evaluating him for a while, but they didn't do anything."

In recent years, Esteban Santiago  a new dad  had been living in Anchorage, Alaska. But there were signs of trouble.

Esteban told FBI agents in Alaska that the government was forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, a law enforcement official said Friday. The official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The FBI office in Alaska, which declined to comment ahead of a Saturday news conference, interviewed Esteban Santiago and then notified police, who took him in for a mental health evaluation.

Also, he was charged in a domestic violence case in January 2016, damaging a door when he forced his way into a bathroom at his girlfriend's Anchorage home. The woman told officers he yelled at her to leave, choked her and smacked her on the side of the head, according to charging documents.

A month later, municipal prosecutors said he violated the conditions of his release when officers found him at her home during a routine check. He told police he had lived there since he was released from custody the previous month. His Anchorage attorney, Max Holmquist, declined to discuss his client.

Bryan Santiago said his brother had requested psychological help but barely received any.

"I told him to go to church or to seek professional help," he said.

Family members have said Esteban Santiago changed after serving a yearlong tour in Iraq. He was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was 2, his brother said. He grew up in Penuelas before joining the Guard in 2007.

He deployed in 2010 as part of the Puerto Rico National Guard, spending a year with an engineering battalion, according to Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.

Esteban Santiago's mother wiped tears from her eyes as she stood inside a screen door Saturday. She said her son had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode near two friends while serving in Iraq.

Alaska National Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead told The New York Times that two soldiers in Santiago's company had died during his stint in Iraq.

Former neighbor Ursula Candelario in Penuelas recalled seeing Esteban Santiago grow up and said people used to salute him after he joined the Guard. "He was very peaceful, very educated, very serious," she said. "We're in shock. I couldn't believe it."

Since returning from Iraq, Santiago served in the Army Reserves and the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage, Olmstead said. He was serving as a combat engineer in the Guard before his discharge for "unsatisfactory performance."
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Istanbul

The once bustling Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is astonishingly quiet. The shops and restaurants in the city's trendy Istiklal Street are all but empty of foreign customers and the hotels in the upscale Nisantasi district are nearly deserted.

Turkey's economy is suffering in the face of a string of extremist attacks  including the nightclub massacre of New Year's revelers, most of them foreigners  and uncertainty following the failed coup in July against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that saw more than 270 people killed.

Tourism, a key component of the economy as well as a substantial foreign currency earner, has taken a hit  not least because Russian visitors have stayed away in the wake of a diplomatic spat over Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane in November 2015.

"2016 was a lost year for Turkish tourism," said Cetin Gurcun, secretary general of Turkey's travel agency association, TURSAB.

"It is impossible for Turkey to give up on tourism, but the most important priority of the sector is security," Gurcun added. "The first thing a tourist looks for when choosing a destination is peace and safety. Only then do they research service quality and price."

There was a time when tourism in Turkey was red hot, climbing from 10.5 million visitors in 2000 to 36.2 million people in 2015, making it the sixth-most visited destination in the world. The sector earned $31.5 billion in 2015. But that all came to a halt last year, with a 30 percent drop in visitors, from 34.8 million in the January-November period in 2015 to a little over 24 million for the same period in 2016.

Yasemin Pirinccioglu, general manager of the VIP Event travel agency, said that foreigners who had visited before were still returning. "But the people who are planning to come for the first time to Turkey, they're postponing their trips," she said.

Natalia Dubaltsava from war-ravaged eastern Ukraine is among those who come to Istanbul regularly.

"We make trips here anyway," she said. "There is unrest in the world. It's a fact. People say the same about our city, Dnepropetrovsk. We are close to the front line, but it is calm there. Life is life. We decided to go anyway."

Because of the economic downturn, the Turkish Lira hit a record low in the first week of 2017, trading around 3.60 per U.S. dollar.

Analysts expect it to weaken further in coming months.

While the weaker currency could have some beneficial economic effects  making it cheaper to visit or invest in Turkey and helping the country's exports  the drop makes the country poorer overall and less able to pay its debts.

The security concerns are obvious in the economic data. In the third quarter of last year, the drop in tourism was the main cause for a 7 percent year-on-year decrease in the sale of goods and services.
Albany

For all the Cuomo critics out there, I have a question: Would you prefer Hillary Clinton in the governor's mansion?

I know, I know. For some of you, that's like asking if you'd prefer cyanide in your coffee or arsenic. It's a hypothetical you'd rather not ponder.

I bring this up only because there's honest-to-goodness speculation that Hillary might challenge Bill de Blasio and run for mayor of New York. The speculation misses an obvious point: Hillary doesn't live in the city.

More Information Contact opinion columnist Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse

Though she has been known to carpet bag, Hillary is not now eligible to be mayor. But as a resident of the lovely little hamlet of Chappaqua in Westchester County, she is eligible to run for governor.

So whaddaya think?

Oh, I know it isn't going to happen. After years of trotting the globe as Secretary of State, and even more years of plotting a return to that big house on Pennsylvania Avenue, I'm guessing Hillary would find Albany to be a terrible humiliation, only slightly better than returning to Little Rock.

Once the kids have seen the Champs-Elysees, they're not going to be impressed by Lark Street. Once they've rubbed elbows with kings and queens, they'll want nothing to do with the grubby denizens of the Legislature.

In short, we're beneath her. We're a town with only three or four decent Chinese restaurants.

Nor do I think it should happen. C'mon, we knew even before the presidential race that it was long past time for the Clinton family to step off the stage. The Democrats need fresh blood and, more importantly, fresh ideas and approaches.

In case you still doubt it, let me just remind you of something: Hillary lost to Donald Trump. Trump! The greasy guy from "The Apprentice"!!

Still, Hillary as governor is fun to consider, if only for what it would mean for the current governor. And it really is no less fantastical than the notion of her running for mayor.

With all those flat A's, Hillary has always sounded more Buffalo than Queens. And she has, of course, won statewide before. Twice. Three times, if you count the presidential race.

Imagine Andrew Cuomo's face when Hillary delivered the news of her impending candidacy. It would be delicious payback, I'd imagine, for Cuomo's somewhat tepid support during her race against Trump  revenge served with more ice than a January sidewalk in Plattsburgh.

Just as Hillary blocked Cuomo from running for president in 2016, she could keep him from running for governor again in 2018. Because she would certainly beat him. Handily.

For all her many faults, Clinton remains popular in New York. Or at least more popular than Cuomo, which is all that matters in this scenario.

In the presidential election, Hillary got 59 percent of the vote statewide against the well-known New Yorker who's going to be our next president. In the last governor's race, Cuomo managed just 54 percent against a guy nobody had ever heard of.

Anybody remember his name? Was it Asteroid? No, that's not right. It was Astoria. Bob Astoria. I'm sure of it.

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In any event, Hillary would be a shoo-in. Without national security at stake, nobody would care that Anthony Weiner reads her emails. Thick-skinned New Yorkers wouldn't mind being called deplorables.

Most importantly, Vladimir Putin wouldn't bother to tip the election against her. Albany? It's like Siberia. Let her have it, he'd say.

Once elected, there would be some positives to Hillary Clinton as governor. She'd be the first female to occupy the office, for one. And she would undoubtedly have some ambitious plans for the land that comprises Donald J. Trump State Park.

A lovely place for a landfill, perhaps? Or a nuclear power plant?

Having the Clintons in town would be exciting for folks in Albany, too. The city would finally have some star power. Lena Dunham might come for a visit, and we could all gossip about our latest Bill sightings.

Hey, I just saw the former president ducking into DeCarlo's!

Alas, this is all just fantasy. The next governor's race will be utterly predictable: Cuomo will slaughter some hapless Republican lamb, then hold the carcass up so that voters in Des Moines can get a good look.

Meanwhile, vast swaths of upstate New York will continue to slide deeper into the economic abyss. The moving trucks will keep flowing over the state line, headed to somewhere, anywhere, else.

If Hillary Clinton won't save us, who will?
Albany

Jeffrey Shepherd thought becoming an Uber driver in New York City would be his ride to prosperity.

Instead, he claims he was driven into poverty.

After making somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,200 to $1,500 a week when he began driving, things changed: Lease payments on his Toyota, lower fares, gas costs and market saturation left the Long Island man with profits that, in some cases, worked out to be below the minimum wage despite working 40-plus hours a week.

"I lost (my job) because they repossessed the car because I couldn't make the payments anymore," Shepherd said. "There was just not enough work being that the taxi (market) was saturated."

While the concept of drivers pocketing cash for using their personal vehicles to ferry riders in their spare time seems simple, a more complex reality will be examined as state lawmakers once again ponder the expansion of ride-hailing services outside of New York City in the 2017 legislative session. The challenges involve stories like Shepherd's (complex in its own right), differences between the New York City taxi market and the upstate industry, and labor classifications that the state makes on only case-by-case bases.

As the taxi industry, backed in large part by drivers of New York City's famous yellow cabs, pressures lawmakers to vote against legalization of ride-hailing upstate and in the city's suburbs, they have raised a stink over what they see as a lack of basic labor protections afforded to drivers who pick up fares through platforms like those provided by Uber and Lyft. In damning rhetoric, they say Uber drivers ultimately earn low wages in New York City because of a glut of drivers that also forces full-time cabbies off the roads due to vehicle oversaturation.

"The bottom line is Uber destroys full-time work and replaces it with part-time poverty wages," New York Taxi Workers Alliance Executive Director Bhairavi Desai said during a recent visit to the Capitol with city cabbies. "The governor that supported the fight for (a $15 minimum wage) would undermine everything he's promised to workers in this state. This is absolutely not job creation. This is job destruction."

Uber and Lyft, however, offer vehement defenses of their operations. Their main contention is that their platforms are designed to provide drivers with extra income on top of their existing salaries from other work.

"Nearly 90 percent of drivers say the main reason they use Uber is because they love being their own boss," Uber spokeswoman Alix Anfang said. "Drivers use Uber on their own terms; they control their use of the app along with where and when they drive."

The central issue in this debate  though it's just one piece of a larger battle over the expansion of ride-hailing  is the way in which drivers for ride-hailing companies are classified by regulators. The companies say they employ independent contractors, a class of workers who generally set their own hours and do not receive certain employment benefits, most notably the ability to collect unemployment.

Some drivers say they are simply employees of the companies, which would afford them more traditional benefits.

Playing mediator is the state Department of Labor, which takes painstaking steps to avoid classifying an entire group of drivers  who number in the tens of thousands statewide  as one or the other. Rather, the department considers individual cases and bases classification decisions on evidence presented by the business and the worker.

Courts have stepped in to make determinations in very limited cases, which Desai's Taxi Workers Alliance has sought to amplify when they can. Shepherd, who also has driven traditional cabs on Long Island, in December became the third former Uber driver deemed to be an employee by the courts, making him eligible for unemployment benefits.

Still, the courts have created a patchwork of case law on the subject in New York and elsewhere, but there has yet to be a ruling that makes sweeping change to the way ride-hailing drivers are classified.

As ride-hailing's titans engage in a concerted effort to clear their regulatory hurdles in New York, they have honed their argument to a simple point: Though they take a cut of fares, their platforms are a way to supplement their drivers' main sources of income, something drivers relish as much as being able to set their own hours.

Lyft's economic impact report for 2017 shows that drivers nationally made $100 million on tips  an option unique to Lyft passengers  on top of $1.5 billion in total earnings in 2016.

There also are those ride-hailing supporters who are quick to point out that the way in which ride-hailing works in New York City, where Shepherd drove, is much different than the way it works elsewhere in the country.

In the city, Uber, Lyft and others operate legally because they are considered to be "black car" services, a specific type of transportation regulated by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. In turn, the TLC requires special licensing and that drivers operate under specific statutes.

Under TLC regulations, companies are not able to purchase group insurance policies for independent drivers, so drivers are required to purchase their own commercial insurance policies. Uber and Lyft provide this type of insurance for drivers elsewhere in the country, and would likely do so elsewhere in the state depending on new statutory requirements.

At an estimated $4,000 per year on the low end, that insurance cost eats into drivers' profits.

So do pricey car payments in some cases: The TLC does not license vehicles that are seven or more model years old, and renting a TLC vehicle directly from Uber runs a minimum of $300.

The black-car designation does afford some benefits. For example, drivers are entitled to workers' compensation benefits through the New York Black Car Operators' Injury Compensation Fund.

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There also is an Independent Drivers Guild affiliated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers that Uber recognized in 2016, making it the first such group of drivers to be recognized by the company. The guild has already scored a $1 raise on the minimum Uber fare rate, and is pressing for Uber to add a tipping option in 2017.

"Having that voice with the company is crucial," said Independent Drivers Guild spokeswoman Moira Muntz.

She believes lawmakers should require Uber to commit to recognizing representation for upstate drivers. "It gives drivers the power to continually make those changes, and that is something that was hard-fought," she said. " ... There are over 45,000, nearly 50,000, Uber drivers in the city, all of whom are represented by the guild that can help give upstate drivers more power and clout to make workplace policy changes if they are joining up with that big group on shared concerns."

The complex debate over whether drivers deserve employment benefits afforded to workers in a number of other industries apparently has not been lost on state lawmakers, who are said to have debated this point as they consider legislation to allow ride-hailing to expand.

Legislative language appears to have shifted slightly in recent months when it comes to defining what a driver is, though it does not explicitly bestow a specific labor classification on drivers. Legislation debated during the 2016 session defined a driver as someone who uses a personal vehicle to provide a ride connected through a digital network controlled by a transportation network company  the elaborate legislative definition of a ride-hailing service.

A more recent bill discussed in December was authored by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration. It defined a driver as someone who uses a transportation network company (TNC) vehicle to provide a ride connected through a digital network.

However, no bill has yet explicitly sought to answer the question of whether drivers are employees or independent contractors.

"The question of whether drivers are independent or employees continues to be sorted out by the courts," Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, a Democrat who has sponsors ride-hailing legislation, said. "That said, the TNC's have a significant responsibility to assure the safety of passengers, drivers and the communities they serve. That is why the Assembly continues to insist on a "workers compensation-like" fund to protect drivers. It is why we also set minimum statewide insurance requirements on the TNC's, as well as the drivers and owners of the vehicles used to provide the services."

Disappointed Uber driver Shepherd views legislation that more clearly seeks to address the employee-employer relationship as a positive.

"I definitely think that would be one step toward the right direction of improving business," he said. "There are other things that could be fixed, (but) that's one major thing."

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
Albany

Two companies that operated a manufacturing plant blamed for polluting water supplies in Hoosick Falls are seeking dismissal of a federal class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of the residents affected by the contamination.

The lawsuit, filed 11 months ago in U.S. District Court in Albany, seeks unspecified damages and long-term medical monitoring for current and former village residents who have high concentrations of a toxic chemical in their bodies, and also saw the value of their properties plummet as a result of the pollution.

Attorneys for Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International contend the elevated levels of perfluorinated chemicals in the bloodstreams of the residents is a case of exposure, not injury, and that New York laws don't obligate the companies to pay for a medical monitoring program. The companies also are challenging whether they're responsible for the decline in property values in and around Hoosick Falls. The state owns the groundwater, they said, and the man-made manufacturing chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, did not cause any structural damage when it flowed through water pipes.

"If you had kidney cancer, then you have a physical injury," Sheila L. Birnbaum, an attorney for Saint-Gobain, argued at a recent hearing in Albany before U.S. District Senior Judge Lawrence E. Kahn.

"The courts would be overwhelmed with cases in which people say I have been exposed to a harmful chemical and, therefore, I have cellular changes and I'm entitled to medical monitoring," said Birnbaum, a New York City attorney often referred to as the "Queen of Torts" for her work in mass-tort litigation involving lawsuits filed against corporations. "If we allow this case in this instance, not only will the federal court be making new law that is contrary to New York law, but it would be opening the floodgates (to) thousands and thousands and thousands, millions of plaintiffs who have been exposed, (but) who have no present injury."

The federal lawsuit involves more than 20 attorneys from multiple law firms. In recent months, a tangle of legal arguments were filed as the companies seek an outright dismissal of the case. The plaintiffs' attorneys have countered that the chemicals in the bloodstreams of the residents constitute an injury and the pollution of their wells was an invasion of their right to clean drinking water.

"There is nothing more relevant to an invasion than drinking water entering into your home, into your pipes and coming out of the taps that you drink to sustain your life," Robin L. Greenwald, an attorney with Weitz & Luxemberg, one of the law firms leading the case, argued on behalf of the plaintiffs. "There's an invasion of your property with a chemical that is not yours."

Kahn, a former state Supreme Court justice who was appointed a federal judge in 1996, recently instructed both sides to stop filing legal arguments, saying he has enough information to decide the key pre-trial issues on injury and diminution of property values. Attorneys on both sides have argued that prior rulings by New York's Court of Appeals, which lay the foundation for the state laws that apply in the federal case, break in their favor. It will be up to Kahn to decide who's right.

The case is the region's largest class-action lawsuit on record involving environmental pollution. In Hoosick Falls, where several banks suspended property financing and declined to issue mortgages last year, the litigation represents a potential recovery for thousands of property owners who believe the values of their homes and businesses were diminished by the stigma caused by the pollution.

"Plaintiffs don't allege that PFOA caused any physical or structural damage to their wells, pipes, taps or showerheads and because they failed to plead any physical injury to their property, they cannot state a claim under New York law," Elissa J. Preheim, an attorney for Honeywell, said in the recent hearing. She characterized the contaminated water as "a public resource held by the state."

In October, attorneys for the plaintiffs  potentially several thousand residents of Hoosick Falls  filed an amended federal complaint expanding their injury claim. That filing came after the state Health Department announced a blood-sampling program found many residents have PFOA in their bodies at levels more than 30 times the national average.

The plaintiffs' attorneys contend the accumulation of PFOA in the bodies of their clients, including children, will take years to dissipate and has increased the risks of serious diseases, including certain types of cancer. In addition to damages, the plaintiffs want the companies to pay for long-term biomonitoring that could provide early screening for some of the illnesses that have been linked to PFOA exposure.

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Stephen G. Schwarz, an attorney for the plaintiffs, argued at the recent hearing that any disease someone develops from PFOA exposure is "a consequence of injury, not the injury itself."

Schwarz said the ''toxic invasion'' of PFOA puts the plaintiffs at increased risk of future illness. "That's what the remedy of medical monitoring is intended to do, to provide them with screening and early diagnosis and treatment."

The suit does not make a claim for bodily injuries but the state Health Department is examining assertions made by village residents that their community has elevated rates of cancer and other illnesses. PFOA exposure has been linked to increased health effects, including testicular and kidney cancer and thyroid disease.

Fourteen people, including two children exposed to PFOA in their drinking water for their entire lives, are listed as the plaintiffs in the class-action suit. They represent several thousand people who own property in and around Hoosick Falls or have consumed the contaminated water for a period of years.

Several of the named plaintiffs have levels of PFOA in their bodies significantly higher than the national average. They include Charles Carr, a homeowner whose private well had a PFOA level of 390 parts per trillion when it was tested last year, far above the advisory level of 70 ppt for a drinking water source established recently by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Last spring, Carr gave a blood sample at the Hoosick Falls Armory with hundreds of other residents. The Health Department, which conducted the testing, later told him that he had PFOA in his system at a level of 186 parts per billion. The national average is 5 parts per billion and the median level among the Hoosick Falls residents whose blood was tested for PFOA was 64 parts per billion.

blyons@timesunion.com  518-454-5547  @brendan_lyonstu
TMLP says it wont accept LLRC report

The Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) has said that it cannot accept the proposed demarcation of the local boundaries, claiming that the final draft submitted by the Local Level Restructuring Commission (LLRC) on Friday is incomplete and biased against Madhes.
THE ISSUE:

A new plan would cover tuition for most at SUNY and CUNY colleges and universities.

THE STAKES:

Big gaps in the program must be closed if this plan is to deliver on the promise of helping thousands of New York students.

More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a good idea: Make public college affordable for most New Yorkers. But there are gaps that must be filled in before it can be called an excellent plan.

The proposed Excelsior Scholarship would cover tuition costs, averaging about $6,400 annually, for full-time SUNY and CUNY students whose families earn less than $125,000. It is inspired by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who made college affordability a central theme of his presidential campaign last year.

In no way does the Cuomo plan make college free for all. While it helps cover a big chunk of college costs, reducing what many students have to borrow, it still would leave a lot of families struggling to pay for room and board, books and fees, which can total more than twice what the scholarship would provide.

The plan also is flawed in that it would deduct from the scholarship any state Tuition Assistance Program and federal Pell funds a student already receives. As a result, while it would assist students solidly in the middle class, it would be of little or no aid to students from families that now qualify for those grants  that is, at the lower end of the income scale.

And by being available only to full-time students, a provision intended to encourage on-time graduation, it won't help working students who can only attend college part-time.

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Its biggest shortcoming, though, is that it ignores the 490,000 students attending more than 100 private colleges and universities in the state. Middle-class parents often sacrifice to send their children to private colleges, lured by their rich historical or religious traditions, often with the promise of smaller classes and campus communities. Many private colleges put together financial aid packages that make them more competitive with the cost of attending a state school, but Mr. Cuomo's new tuition plan will unquestionably siphon off some students at a time when many private institutions are struggling to survive.

To help them, the state could make Excelsior Scholarships available to all New York's middle class students. Or it could simply raise TAP to levels that more realistically reflect the cost of college today. Not only would this help sustain the private colleges, it would also support communities where they are located.

And there's this: The plan, estimated to cost $167 million annually, addresses only one end of the educational spectrum. Our colleges and universities already devote too many resources to remedial education, making up for gaps in the K-12 public school program. Better preparing more students for college would save money and enable more students to complete their degrees on time.

So as the governor and state Legislature develop a new budget, they need to revisit the issue of whether schools are adequately funded, particularly those in needier urban and rural districts. They need, too, to look at whether more money needs to go to programs and strategies like Pre-K and community schools, which seek to address social issues that hinder learning.

Mr. Cuomo is right: College is increasingly a necessary step to success in our society, so making college education more affordable is the right thing to do. His idea is a good first draft; now it's up to him and the Legislature to polish it.
The Chairman of the Templemore Thurles Municipal District Council, Councillor Joe Bourke has outlined the tremendous work undertaken in Clonmore village over a number of years, with more than 135,000 having been raised from a population of about 500 people.

Speaking at an historic meeting of the Municipal District in the local community hall, Cllr Bourke (pictured) expressed his pride in what has been achieved in his village and with the extension to the national school due to be open in the new year at a cost of more than 400,000, the community is in a very good place.

Cllr Bourke outlined the work done to the community centre, the playground, tarmac in the village, stone walls and many other improvements.

There was a huge amount of fundraising undertaken here in the community and a lot of voluntary work. Everyone played their part and there is great community spirit here in Clonmore, said Cllr Bourke after he had formally welcomed the council members to the village.

Cllr Bourke had tabled two Notice of Motions for the meeting calling on the council to make sure the dangerous junction between the Clonmore road and the Rathdowney road is made safe. He also called on the council to do something about the prevention of speeding in the village which has been ongoing for some time, suggesting that speed ramps might be the solution to the problem.

These problems need to be tended to as soon as possible and I would really appreciate if we could move these forward now before something serious happens, Cllr Bourke said.

District Engineer Mr Ruairi Boland said that road markings and signage will be up-graded in the village of Clonmore while flashing school warning signs will also be erected in the coming weeks - these, he said, should make a big impact.

Councillors John Hogan and Eddie Moran supported Cllr Bourkes motions and thanked the District for deciding to hold the Christmas meeting in the village - it was, they said, very important that the council would visit local communities and honour them by holding their meetings there.

District Manager Mr Matt Shortt said that if the council ever lost its community ethos, they could ' pack our bags'. He pointed out that the members of the the Templemore Thurles Municipal District had supported 170 community based grants and while it is relatively small money being granted to each group, it is vital funding to those groups and organisations which undertake such vital work in their communities.

The council can never underestimate the value of the those grants to small community groups and I think the members are to be credited with approving those grants which are so vital. It's small money, but it is crucial and they really make that money go a long way as can be seen right here in Clonmore, Mr Shortt said.

To mark the historic visit to the village of Clonmore, the Chairman presented Mr Shortt with a copy of the recently published Clonmore Through the Ages book which was launched just before Christmas.
Villagers demonstrate in Khotang

The residents of Mahuregadhi village in Khotang obstructed Mid-hill Highway on Saturday after the Local Level Restructuring Commission (LLRC) submitted its report to the government, proposing to split Mahuregadhi from a village council.
THE ANALYSIS OF DR. EVANS REVEALS A STUNNING GLIMPSE AT URBAN CORE CONFLICT AMID ONE OF THE BLOODIEST YEARS IN KANSAS CITY HISTORY!!!

Dr. Ernest Evans: The 2016 Crime Situation in Kansas City, Missouri

is a respected crime expert and his studies have been featured in a great many news and academic publications. Today our blog community is blessed with his thought-provoking analysis of the recent uptick in local crime along with an comprehensive breakdown of Kansas City, MO homicide statistics.Accordingly . . .Here's the word from one of the most brilliant denizens of our blog community and leader in crime research . . . The image selection choice here belongs to TKC but thewords andresearch & data are the work of Dr. Evans. Checkit:In the years since 2014 crime patterns in KCMO have generally, in two key respects, followed national trends. First, there has been a steady increase in crime since the summer of 2014. According to FBI statistics, homicides in the US fell 6% in the first six months of 2014--but rose 5% in the last six months of 2014. Again according to FBI statistics, homicides nationally increased about 12% in 2015. And, a story in the Wall Street Journal in late December 2016 reported that in 16 of the nation's 20 biggest cities homicides increased in 2016.KCMO followed these national crime trends. In the first eight months of 2014 there were 41 homicides in KCMO--but in the last four months of the calendar year there were also 41 homicides--for a yearly total of 82 homicides. In 2015 there was a yearly total of 112 homicides, and in 2016 there were 125 homicides.The second way in which KCMO followed national crime trends is that the increase in crime was disproportionately in the nation's black neighborhoods. Of the 12% homicide increase nationally in 2015, 70% of the increase was because of additional black homicide victims. In Chicago in 2016 homicides went from 484 in 2015 to 765 in 2016--of that increase of 281 victims 215 were black men, women and children and 66 were white/Asian/Hispanic men, women and children.In KCMO in 2014 there were 51 black homicides and 31 homicides for other races. In 2015 there were 81 black homicides and 31 for other races, and in 2016 there were 99 black homicides and 26 for other races. So, in 2015 and 2016 the number of black homicides in KCMO increased significantly, while homicides of other races basically remained stationary.A variety of explanations have been put forward to explain this large increase in violence in the US since the summer of 2014. Experts point to the easy availability of guns in the US, the lack of job opportunities for young people, particularly young black people, in our society, the breakdown of the family structure, etc. All of these explanations account for part of the increase, but it must be acknowledged that a big part of the increase is what is called--named after the tragic shooting by a white officer of a young black man in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014.In contemporary American society police officers are required to do, on a daily basis, a most un-PC thing: Use force against black people. And, as any veteran cop can tell you, there is no such thing as a "nice take down"--they all look terrible on camera. Given that painful reality, if police officers are to have the morale and motivation to do their jobs in black neighborhoods they must have the confidence that if accused of racist misconduct they will get due process and some degree of fair media coverage. When they lack such confidence, out of sheer self-survival they abandon their duties in black neighborhoods. Nature abhors a vacuum--so the gangs and the criminal elements take over the streets in these neighborhoods and violence explodes. This appears to be what has been happening in most of the nation's black neighborhoods since the Ferguson tragedy in 2014.In conclusion, it is time to end the polarized debate in America over police relations with the black community. The current polarized debate is hurting all parties concerned--crime is exploding in black neighborhoods; and there has been a sharp increase in the number of police officers shot and killed in the line of duty. (63 cops were shot and killed in the line of duty in 2016 compared to 39 in 2015.)What we as a nation must do on this most emotional issue is do what has become difficult in recent years here in America: Agree to a reasonable compromise. On the one hand officers who abuse their power must be held accountable, but on the other hand in the adjudication of such cases the accused cops have to be given due process and fair media coverage. If we do not soon come to such a compromise agreement, there is every sign that the increase in violence we have witnessed since the summer of 2014 will continue.#######
The latest meeting between the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers to find more common ground vis-a-vis ongoing negotiations to resolve the long-standing Cyprus issue again proved fruitless

The latest meeting between the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers to find more common ground vis-a-vis ongoing negotiations to resolve the long-standing Cyprus issue again proved fruitless, with the Greek minister, Nikos Kotzias, saying the two sides failed to even reach any progress over related issues.

Kotzias met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in New York City this week.

Meanwhile, the Greek FM has separate contacts in the US metropolis with representatives of various Greek-American, Cypriot-American and Jewish groups, as well as holding a meeting with new UNSG Antonio Guterres.

Kotzias repeated Athens' position on abolishing the guarantor clauses still linked with the establishment and existence of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as the removal of all occupation forces from the east Mediterranean island -- beginning with Turkish occupation forces.

The Greek minister also had brief contacts with retired US Lt.-Gen. Michael Flynn, who has been tapped by US President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the new National Security Advisor in his coming administration, as well as Reince Priebus, selected as the coming White House Chief of Staff.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report




Cyprus president Nicos Anastasiades has reaffirmed that European states do not need guarantor powers or armies, adding that he has travelled to Geneva well prepared and determined.

Cyprus president Nicos Anastasiades has reaffirmed that European states do not need guarantor powers or armies, adding that he has travelled to Geneva well prepared and determined.

He was making statements on board his flight on the way to the Swiss city from Cyprus. President Anastasiades and his delegation arrived in Geneva at 1145 hours local time (1245 Cyprus time) where on Monday he is set to hold talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.

In his statements President Anastasiades told journalists accompanying him that we are going (to Geneva) well prepared, always taking as a given our will and desire to reach a solution of the Cyprus problem, on the basis of principles and values allowing us to build a modern, European state, a state which will respect Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots concerns, will respect in general its citizens.

And such a state, he added, certainly does not need guarantors nor troops to supposedly protect what is commonly accepted by all modern states and we cannot continue to be the only case where a state needs third countries to guarantee it.

Replying to a question President Anastasiades said that what I want to hope for is that after decades of negotiations, what has been lacking in the past may now prevail, that is to say the good will of the Turkish side adding that it is the first time since the invasion that Turkey will be the Republic of Cyprus interlocutor, particularly as regards the important matters of security and troops.

Recognised state

Asked whether UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has replied to a letter he sent him in which he states the President will be representing the Republic of Cyprus in the conference on Cyprus on January 12 he replied that no-one need reply. The Republic of Cyprus, he pointed out, is a recognised state, member state of the UN, recognised member state of the EU, trilateral alliances and cooperation do not take place with the Greek Cypriot community but with the state, our participation in various international organisations does not take place under our identity as a community, but as a state.

Therefore, we do not need to prove to anyone who we are, he added.

Asked about the agenda of talks he will have with Mustafa Akinci, he said it will be finalised tonight during their meeting.

Asked to express his own view as to what it would mean if Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan does not go to Geneva, President Anastasiades said that what matters is for there to be willingness on the part of Turkey, and it can be expressed by anyone.

Replying to another question he made it clear that the dialogue is Cyprus led. UN Security Council members, he added, will be in the area, the EU will be present, there will be consultations by various parties, not in the form of arbitration, but in order for things to move toward the right direction.

Asked what will be the content of a telephone conversation with Guterres later on tonight he said that the UN Secretary General has spoken to all the protagonists of the present phase, including Greeces Prime Minister and Turkeys President and the Foreign Ministers of the two countries and therefore he thinks that it will be a telephone call of encouragement and about the determination which should be shown by all parties involved.

Source: CNA

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report




A critical week of Cyprus negotiations is beginning on Sunday night with a meeting between President Nicos Anstasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci at 8pm (Cyprus time).

Anastasiades and Akinci are set to discuss the programs for their upcoming meetings to be held from January 9 to 11 with their negotiating teams.

President Anastasiades and Akinci have been accompanied by their negotiating team sand the leaders of their respective political party leaders.

After the preparatory meeting tonight, negotiations will begin on Monday at 8:45am Geneva time (9:45am Cyprus time).

The two leaders will be welcomed by the General Directors of the UN in Geneva Michael Miller on Monday morning.

A conference on Cyprus will begin on January 12, where the issue of the approximately 56-year-old issue of security and guarantees will be discussed with the guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey, and the UK).

SigmaLive English will be following events in Geneva as they unfold, with crucial week set to guide the future of the negotiations process restarted in May 2015.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report




Wont support charter revision proposal: MJF-L

The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik (MJF-L) has said it will not support the constitution amendment bill in its current form.
Tourexpi, turizm haberleri, Reiseburos, tourism news, noticias de turismo, Tourismus Nachrichten,  , travel tourism news, international tourism news, Urlaub, urlaub in der turkei,  , holidays in Turkey,   , global tourism news, dunya turizm, dunya turizm haberleri, Seyahat Acentas,

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The Omani Products Exhibition (Opex) Organising Committee consisting of Ithraa, Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) recently met to discuss plans for future international Opex shows.



The meeting was held last week at PEIEs head office, said a statement.



Ayman Al Hasani, head of Opex Committee, said: Oman manufactures a range of high-end products which are in demand internationally.



Recently, Opex has been to Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, the UAE, Qatar and Iran, all key growth markets for the sultanate. And its clear from exhibition feedback that Oman-made products are valued by international businesses, retailers and consumers, he said.



Were delighted with how well the Opex shows have been received in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). We always knew there was a need for a large international Omani products initiative but its success has clearly exceeded expectations.



The committee head puts the success of Opex squarely down to the calibre of participating Omani companies, said a statement.



The turnout weve had in each of the cities is clearly the result of the quality of companies exhibiting and the products on offer, explained Al Hasani.



Nasima Al Balushi, Ithraas director general and Opex committee member, said: Key to any successful local enterprise development campaign is the attitude that SMEs are the countrys backbone and that Oman must do whatever it can to help them prosper.



In this regard, international events like ours are important to our local business community. And we look forward to developing the Opex initiative in 2017, helping it deliver bigger and better results for Omans business community, she concluded.  TradeArabia News Service
Google announced today (January 8) that Lino Cattaruzzi has joined its business in the Mena region to lead its operations as its new managing director.



Cattaruzzi comes with over twenty years of experience in the tech industry where he previously led the Google business in Mexico as country director and before that Argentina. Cattaruzzi also spearheaded the global Sales Strategy team for Online Media Solutions at Googles headquarters in California; and was in charge of the Online Sales Organization for Germany, Switzerland and Austria while based out of Dublin.





Cattaruzzi said: After eight years at Google, I am excited to start a new challenge within the company and look forward to working with some very talented Googlers here in the Dubai office. I find the Mena region to be truly fascinating and believe there is a lot more to be done in unlocking its digital potential. Since Google established its presence in Mena eight years ago, a significant effort went in successfully boosting the wide adoption of digital across large and small businesses in Mena.



In his new role, Lino will lead the efforts to enable local business partners scale growth online and engage with consumers, as well as help the wider digital ecosystem through scalable programs and initiatives.



Before joining Google, Lino held several managerial positions at AOL Latin America, including being president for Latin America and its subsidiary in Argentina.  TradeArabia News Service
Exploring the beauty of Sydney, Australia can be quite exhausting after a full day, and with an array of restaurants and food haunts scattered all over this beautiful city, it takes time to choose where to eat. But what if you're on a tight budget and wants to eat inexpensively but don't want to skimp on quality?

There are actually some affordable restaurants that serve delicious meals in Sydney. Forget the Quay, Sepia and Rockpool Bar & Grill-your bank account will not thank you if you dine in these places. Here are some of the best cheap restaurants in Sydney that you should check out:

At Kings Lane Sandwiches, they make giant-sized sandwiches fit for a King with budget-friendly prices. Their sandwiches can stack up to eight to 10 centimeters high, so if you're hungry enough you can devour this alone, but it can also be shared with friends or family. Try the popular chicken schnitzel with herb mayo and lettuce or the poached chicken with celeriac coleslaw, or if you want you can make your own combo sandwiches fit for your taste.

Dumplings and Beer. Make sure you look very carefully when you seek this snack bar in Potts Point, as the place is literally cupboard-sized. The cramped space may be inconvenient, but their dumplings are to die for. Set a schedule when you decide to eat at this place as it gets full easily, but if you do manage to get a seat, try their famous pork barbecue buns. There are only 4 other dumpling flavors, so make sure you try them all. As for the bill, you needn't worry. Their prices are as small as their restaurant space.

Located on 20 Campbell Street, Haymarket, Chat Thai is the best food haunt in Sydney to try South-East Asian cuisine. You always see people lining up just to get bite, and why shouldn't they? You don't need to go to Thailand just to order a delectable Pad Thai, sizzling satays and grilled prawns. Just join the patiently hungry customers and wait for your seat and indulge on their delicious food-without depleting all your cash!

Chicken Institute in Surry hills would make you forget about KFC. This is fried chicken on another level. The restaurant is Korean, and we know how Koreans take their food seriously. There are several fried chicken flavors to choose from, but the most popular is their original recipe. Partner it with Australian craft beer or a smooth, frothy coconut and honeycomb milkshake, and all your stress for the day will melt away. Their bibimbap is also a star-if you're looking for a fun, veggie dish, that is. The place can get easily crowded due to the food excellence and its affordability, so make sure you book early!

Another interesting food haunt in Surry Hills, Bodega offers a mouthwatering tapas-style menu. Take a bite of their specialties: kingfish ceviche on grilled garlic sourdough or Bodega "fish fingers", and you would definitely come back! Their menu doesn't require you to spend over 50 bucks, with most dishes you can avail at less than 20 AUD! Their wine list is also extensive, and we all know tapas and wine are the perfect combination. Don't think twice in venturing in this place, your stomach will thank you for real.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
When it comes to spending a vacation in a foreign country, the quality of a temporary home can make or break the vibes of the trip. A good hotel by itself is relatively challenging to come by. Given the definition of a 4-star hotel, the challenge of seeking such a place offering less than $50 a night sets the bar higher.

But why book for April? Some of these locations have the most pleasant climate in this time of the year. This is considering that some countries have a very limited seasonal window that is tolerable. Hence, here are the 4-star hotel destinations filtered under these two main conditions - cheap quality accommodations and good weather:

Cairo, Egypt

Being a desert country, Egypt has a relatively limited seasonal window that is deemed pleasant. April proved to be the best month, with temperatures not exceeding beyond 28 degrees Celsius during its hottest days. In the middle of May, Cairo gets uncomfortably sweltering.

The average price of a 4-star hotel in Cairo is only $38 per night for two persons. When it comes to safety, Cairo is still relatively secure. Previous safety tips strictly forbid tourists from venturing Northern Sinai and the country's outskirts.

Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Since 2015, Sharm el-Sheikh was one of the many places in Egypt that foreign consulates warned about in light of the related incidents of violence following the collapse of the Northern Sinai Governorate. Hopefully, in 2017, the stigma will erode enough to welcome its visitors back. As of April 2017, Sharm el-Sheikh's 4-star hotels have dropped their nightly lodging fee at bottom $27 (the cheapest rate in the list).

Phuket, Thailand

The renowned 5-star hotel called Indigo Pearl charges only $121 per night. Its 4-star hotels are nearly 5 times cheaper, entailing an average price of $41 per couple. Being a tropical country, Thailand's hottest temperature in April could spike up to 33 degrees Celsius. That daytime temperature at the beach is actually not bad.

Mexico City, Mexico

Despite its underrated reputation as a tourist spot, Mexico is one of the best places to visit in April. Daytime temperatures do not exceed 27 degrees Celsius. During this month, Mexico City is relatively dry. Its 4-star hotels only cost an average of $41 per night for a couple.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Gatwick Airport has enjoyed a record breaking 2016, thanks to fans of the hit HBO TV series "Game of Thrones." But it's not only the HBO series' that helped the airport, as it also got some royal assistance with Prince Harry's constant trip to Toronto.

According to the Express report, 43 million passengers had passed through Gatwick Airport in 2016, which is up by three million compared to 2015. December provided a big increase, gaining 15 percent compared to the same month in 2015.

A big reason for the uptick is due to the number of fans who are going to Belfast, where the set of "Game of Thrones" is located. Almost 400,000 more passengers flew to the Belfast International compared to 2015, an increase of 83 percent.

A spokesperson for Gatwick told the Express that "the 'Game of Thrones effect is well and truly established." But it's not only Belfast that contributed to the increase, long-haul flights, particularly to Toronto, Canada, also contributed to the increase.

The report attributes the increase to Prince Harry's trips to Toronto to see his girlfriend Meghan Markle. People traveling for the holidays were inspired by the prince's travels, as the airport saw 191,124 passengers traveling to Toronto in 2016.

The Evening Standard adds that Dublin and New York also saw an increase in passengers traveling to these cities. Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate was happy with the milestones and the figures. He said that the achievement is "an impressive conclusion" to the year the airport celebrated its 80th anniversary.

The Gatwick Airport expects Barbados, Jamaica, Dubai, Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, and Vancouver to be the top destinations for long-haul flights this 2017. Take a tour of the airport's new gate rooms in the video below. In other news, Season 7 of "Game of Thrones" is going the extra mile to set-up a grand finale.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Windy with periods of thunderstorms this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 79F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 46F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
"Avengers: Infinity War" sets the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the ultimate battle for the many superheroes based on the Marvel Comics. The film will also be having a sequel titled "Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2" however, the title is not yet confirmed and will be premiering on May 3, 2019.

This month starts the shooting of "Avengers: Infinity War" and it has been confirmed to begin filming in Atlanta, Georgia, and The United Kingdom. It was reported on Movieweb that the film will also be starting productions back to back with the unconfirmed title "Avengers" part 4 and is expected to last until the year ends. The directors of the film Joe and Anthony Russo have been quite busy since they have been doing pre-production whilst searching for possible filming locations.

This is not the first time Marvel will be shooting at both Atlanta and The United Kingdom, and in fact, they have been producing films in both locations plenty of times. In addition, the Marvel film "Black Panther" will also start its productions at the same time in Pinewood Atlanta Studious in Atlanta on January 15, 2017. This only means that there will be two massive film productions shooting at the same time as per Comic Book. The superhero character T'Challa / Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) first appeared in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" who is believed to be joining the casts of "Avengers: Infinity War."

The details of the film's production in both Georgia and the U.K are still vague, and we might get some answers as soon as the production starts on the 23rd of this January. Marvel has not yet confirmed the complete set of characters that will appear in the film, however, one thing is for sure they will be facing one of the strongest beings in the Marvel Universe, Thanos the Mad Titan. The omnipotent villain Thanos will be played by Josh Brolin and his goal is to collect the Infinity Stones, which he will be using to bring destruction in the universe.

Watch the video below for the 7 things that need to happen in the film, and subscribe for more updates!

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Tribune News Serive

Bathinda, January 7

Intensifying their protest against the management of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), contractual employees of Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) today took out a protest march from the plant to Thermal Colony, passing through the Road over Bridged, situated near the plant.

The employees have been protesting against the decision taken by the government and the PSPCL to close the state-run thermal plants and reduce the strength of the employees.

The employees also staged a protest in front the GNDTPs Chief Engineer office. The local tehsildar reached the protest venue and assured the protesters of a meeting with the Chief Engineer. They also submitted their demands in writing to the tehsildar.

The protesters claimed that the Chief Engineer also assured that all expelled employees would be adjusted in other departments of the plant.

They alleged that the decision taken by the PSPCL management to shut down the plants would render contractual employees jobless.

Various departments of Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant are expelling employees as all four units of the plant are being shut down, said the protesters.

Deepak Kumar, vice-president, Contractual GNDTP Workers Union, said, We got assurance that all expelled employees would be adjusted in other departments of the plant, but we have no faith till we get work.
Patiala: Manjot Singh, an alumnus of DAV Public School, Bhupindra Road, Patiala, proved his caliber at the international level by securing second rank to enroll himself in doctorate in Physics from the NAPLOS University, Italy. He got awarded with 100 per cent scholarship. Manjot always remained consistent in his efforts and received various scholarships. Taking inspirations from his mentors, he wants to work with a view to handle demanding and leading roles in the field of nanotechnology with higher research pursuits. Principal SR Prabhakar congratulated him and his parents. He said "The institution feels proud to have nurtured this brilliant student and be a part of his success journey."

NSS camp

The annual NSS camp is going on at Government Mohindra College, Patiala. The camp began on January 2 and is scheduled to conclude on January 8.The students under the supervision of programme officer Dr Swinder Singh Rekhi cleaned roads, lawns, play grounds and drains inside and outside the college campus. College principal Dr Sukhbir Singh Thind in his message inspired the students to join Swachh Bharat Campaign launched by the Centre. In the second session of the camp, Sukhwinder Singh from Blood Bank, Government Rajindra Hospital Patiala, interacted with the students on need and importance of blood donation. He told the students to take active part in blood donation camps and consider it as a part of their social responsibility. Singh termed blood donors as unsung heroes of the Nation. Satnam Jassal, Satnam Sam,Inderjeet Singh,Manisha and Manpreet Kaur were among the volunteers who presented cultural items in the final session.  TNS
Vivek Katju

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi considered Indias options in the wake of the Uri terrorist attack on September 18 last year. As part of this process, he probed the working of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960. Following a meeting on September 26, government sources informed the media that Modi told officials that blood and water cannot flow together.

In order to give a concrete meaning to the PMs message to Pakistan, it was decided that India would only engage in Indus Waters Commission established under the IWT in an atmosphere free of terror. Modi also decided to set up a task force to recommend ways for the full utilisation of the waters assigned to India in the treaty and instructed it to work with a sense of urgency.

Around the time Modi was considering ways to use water as an aggressive instrument against Pakistan, a path no former Prime Minister has walked, Indian officials were in intense contact with the World Bank over Pakistans fresh attempts to use the IWT to virtually sabotage the Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project (KHEP) in Kashmir. Pakistans negative approach to KHEP is in keeping with its constant policy to deny Indias legitimate rights on the non-consumptive use of waters of western rivers  the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus  whose waters have been assigned to Pakistan. This also exposes the true nature of Pakistans commitment to the Kashmir cause.

Indias current firm stand on the manner to resolve the current India-Pakistan differences on KHEP is entirely correct. However, Pakistans obduracy and the World Banks bizarre handling of this matter jeopardises the treaty itself. No wonder, the US was compelled to take the unprecedented step of making the lame-duck Secretary of State John Kerry interrupt his Christmas holidays to call Ishaq Dar, the powerful Pakistan finance minister, and counsel that Pakistan should sensibly handle the issue.

KHEP is a run-off-the river project to produce 330 MW of power by diverting a part of the water of the Kishanganga to the Jhelum. As it has done with every project on the western rivers, Pakistan complained that KHEP violated the treaty. Apart from technical issues regarding its design aspects, Pakistan asserted that waters of one river could not be diverted to another and that India could not reduce the reservoir below the dead storage level for draw-down flushing purposes. Broadly, under the IWT, technical objections are dealt by a neutral expert if the countries cannot resolve them bilaterally while disputes that require treaty interpretation or a consideration of other legal issues are handled by a Court of Arbitration. In this instance, Pakistan proposed in 2010 that a court be constituted to go into the two basic issues; India agreed.

The Court of Arbitration gave its final award in December 2013. It allowed the Kishanganga waters to be diverted, provided India ensured that a minimum of 9 cumecs of water continued to be discharged into the river. At the same time, it upheld Pakistans plea on the water level to be maintained while the reservoirs are flushed. This does not make a great impact on the project.

Pakistan now wants that a similar court be established to go into the technical issues which the bilateral Indus Waters Commission has been unable to resolve with regard to KHEP. To this, it has added similar technical issues concerning the Ratle Hydroelectric Plant on the Chenab. India approached the World Bank for the appointment of a neutral expert to examine and pronounce on these technical issues. In doing so, India completely adhered to the IWT, both substantively and procedurally. On the other hand, Pakistan has acted outside the treaty in its demand for the arbitration court.

Strangely, the World Bank, which is obliged to act in these issues, complicated matters by an adventurous disregard of clear treaty provisions. It decided to address the technical differences on KHEP through the simultaneous invocation of both the neutral expert and the arbitration court methods. This was simply unsustainable, hence India protested. Realising its mistake, it paused the proceedings and appointed Ian Solomon, former US executive director of the bank, to consult with India and Pakistan to amicably resolve the neutral expert/ arbitration court question.

Solomon held talks with Indian officials in Delhi on January 5-6. India made it clear that Pakistans case to set up a court of arbitration was simply wrong in terms of the treaty and the sequence of events of both countries approaching the World Bank regarding their difference. It stressed that it would not give up its demand of a neutral expert. Solomon will now consult with Pakistan. Meanwhile, India will go ahead with the projects. Pakistan wants an arbitration court, for its rulings will impact on all hydel projects on the western rivers in future. This is not tenable in matters relating to technical differences.

Speaking in Punjab in November last year, Modi announced the governments intention to use all waters of the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej  the eastern rivers whose entire waters are assigned to India  in the IWT. This signalled one more intent of taking a purposeful attitude on the water issue. The present stand on the neutral expert is another signal to Pakistan that it cannot prevent India from abandoning treaty-consistent projects.

This was so in the past when India did not wish to invoke the IWTs differences and dispute resolution mechanisms. This approach was a consequence of the general policy of not involving third parties in India-Pakistan matters. It is seen in the Tulbul Navigation Project which was put in the cold storage in 1987 and still remains unresolved. The Manmohan Singh government did well to break the inhibition to allow the resolutions mechanisms of the treaty to operate. This yielded good results in the Baghlihar project and has enabled KHEP to proceed.

The IWT is extremely generous to Pakistan. It assigns more than 80 per cent of the waters of the six rivers to it. It was meant to calm Pakistans fears and turn it towards the road of peace and cooperation. In this it has failed. Having got the assurance of good Indian behaviour on the water issue, it has persisted in its hostility to India. It has, in recent years, gone further to blame India for its water crisis which actually is a consequence of gross mismanagement of water resources and a rising population. It is therefore in its interest to adhere to the IWT and not provoke India. It is doing just the opposite in the hope that its friends, especially China, will help it.

On his part, Modi must not let outside powers like the US give Pakistan a face-saver. That has always proved counterproductive for India.

The writer is a former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs
Rajindar Sachar

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has for the last six months kept up the refrain of simultaneously holding the Lok Sabha elections with the state Assembly polls. He has dwelt on the supposed advantages that would flow from implementing this measure. As was to be expected, a number of newspapers and persons are debating this matter.

It is unfortunate that the Election Commission of India and the Niti Aayog should have gone along with this suggestion without even the minimum constitutional requirement of a public debate, seminars and, more unforgivably, without discussions of the matter with other major political parties and state governments. The present life of the Lok Sabha expires in May 2019.

Modi's repeated emphasis on simultaneous polls is actuated by the realisation that the mood of exhilaration that he was able to create in the 2014 parliamentary poll is fast diminishing.

From 2004 to 2014 of the UPA regime so many scandals, both financial and administrative, were exposed. So much so that people were sick of the good-but-not-visible Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, dominated as he was by the Gandhi family. Also, the exposure by the Supreme Court of the telecom and coal scandals made the BJP's task easier.

By itself, the BJP under the leadership of any other than Modi (helped fully by the RSS) may not have done that well. However, Modi had created such an illusion of a strong and honest government in Gujarat that people were willing to ignore or even forget one of the worst periods under him, that is the state-supported mass slaughter of Muslims in 2001.

Such was the communal passion aroused by the RSS that people already disgusted with corruption and the inefficiency of the UPA government, heightened by the split amongst the various political parties, that Modi romped home with an overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha. He emerged as the winner with just 31 per cent of votes and was, of course, greatly helped by corporate funding. That illusion has now been broken and even ardent supporters of Modi now do not place a hundred per cent bet on him winning the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. That is why the effort of Modi is to work out a strategy so as to keep his rivals caught up with the assembly polls. This would ensure that they do not to put a combined pressure on him in the Lok Sabha elections.

This strategy is not constitutionally possible. After the Emergency, the Constitution (44th Amendment) has provided in Article 83 and Article 172 that the Lok Sabha and state legislatures shall continue for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and no longer.

Therefore, the factual situation at present is that it is constitutionally not possible to hold simultaneous polls in May 2019 because it would require to extend the term of state assemblies of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (by five months), Mizoram (by six months) and Karnataka (by 12 months). This is not constitutionally possible. Of course, the terms of the state assemblies of Haryana and Maharashtra (by 5 five months), Jharkhand (by seven months) could be curtailed as these states have BJP governments. However, the Delhi government which has a term of eight months would not agree to this.

Punjab and Uttar Pradesh must go to polls in the next two months. Obviously, no one can expect Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Kerala (all states where opposition parties are in power) to agree because the terms of their assemblies are up to 2021. Assam can go to polls in 2019, even though elections are due in 2021, as it is a BJP-ruled state. However, will Modi agree to curtail the term of the assembly in a state where the BJP has come to power for the first time. Non-BJP states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, whose terms expire by2021, will never agree to curtail the period of their terms. The Central government, whose term would expire by 2019, cannot continue thereafter without holding fresh elections due in May 2019. However, if Modi is so keen on holding simultaneous polls even in some states, he can hold those by dissolving the Parliament in 2017 and then holding simultaneous polls by. He could, at same time, also dissolve the state assemblies in BJP-ruled states whose terms are not yet over, as mentioned above. If Modi is not willing to do so, then why is he trying cover his government's failure by conjuring up these illusory and undemocratic solutions?

A greater principle of democracy is involved in holding simultaneous polls of the Parliament and state assemblies, unless by fortuitous circumstances the five-year period of both happens to coincide. This contrived situation, brought up by Modi time and again, has very dangerous implications and is impermissible because it is against the basic structure of our Constitution.

According to the Supreme Court of India Article 1(1), India is a Union of States which means a federation of States. Our Constitution specifically provides the exclusive list-I, given in the seventh schedule, empowering the Central government which alone can legislate on certain subjects given in the list. States alone can legislate on subjects enumerated in list-II, the Parliament cannot. The state list includes important subjects like agriculture, law and order --- on which only states can legislate and the Centre has no jurisdiction. Both, the Centre and the states, can legislate on subjects of list III.

Obviously, voters have different priorities when voting for the state assemblies and for the Parliament. In Delhi Laws Act, the Supreme Court (1951) specifically held: "The state legislature under our Constitution is not a delegate of the Union Parliament. Both legislatures derive powers from the same Constitution. Within its appointed sphere, the state legislature has plenary powers".

Modi wants to deny this strategic advantage to the states and weaken decentralisation which is the core of our constitutional jurisprudence. In the USA, a rather extreme position prevails. Law and medical degrees of one state are not recognised in the rest of the states. They have separate laws for polls for the president, the Senate, the House of Representatives and for various states. Of course, this is an extreme example borne possibly out of the US history, marked by the civil war. We wisely did not go so far because of the distinction between the varying priorities of the Centre and the states. The sooner Modi relinquishes this idea of simultaneous polls, the better it is. This distorts the voters sentiment that the government should be close to the people of the area concerned.

The writer is a former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court
Meeting on the eve of the assembly elections in five states, the BJP national executive was designed primarily to be a we-are-going-to-be-doing-well morale-boosting exercise. To that extent the conclave in New Delhi last weekend served its purpose. Notwithstanding the large-scale disruption in the economy caused by the November 8 demonetisation, the party's top leadership is inclined to play on the front foot. At the Delhi meeting, the party president, Amit Shah, appropriated for his party the pro-poor plank that once belonged to the Congress. Applauding the Prime Minister's activist leadership, the BJP president argued that the government was determined to make a decisive change in the lives of the poor and the disadvantaged.

Predictably, the Prime Minister and his government received a ringing endorsement from the party for their performance. Such an organised praise had become rather necessary in the wake of demonetisation; the party's rank and file activists do not share the official enthusiasm and confidence. The party had to be made to be seen standing solidly behind the government. Besides the "note-bandi", the surgical strikes against terror camps along the Line of Control came in for applause and approval. And, again, predictably, the Opposition was castigated for being anti-poor and anti-democracy. Such demonstrations of support and approval are familiar chores that any ruling party has to organise from time to time. The cheer-leading at the national executive was as per the customary protocol.

For all its public show of confidence and conviction, the BJP leadership cannot be unaware of the dire necessity for the party to perform reasonably well in the five states, especially Uttar Pradesh. Given the fact that the BJP had won as many as 73 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in 2014, any failure to win the commensurate number of assembly seats in 2017 would naturally be seen as a reflection on the government and the Prime Minister. The party is in a bind. It will have to depend on Narendra Modi's charisma and popularity to win in the states. The dependence on the Prime Minister has now been elevated as an inspired electoral strategy, but it also carries with it grave risks for the government and the leadership.
Sonepat

Prof (Dr) KK Saini, Director-Principal, Hindu College of Engineering, Sonepat, has been honoured with the coveted Cosmic  Lifetime Research Excellence Award for contribution in the field of electronics and communication engineering. He received the award at the third international conference on the Advancements in Engineering, Technology and Management (AETM-2017) held at Bangkok in Thailand on January 6. OC

2 motorcycle thieves held

The police have arrested two motorcycle thieves. They have been identified as Sarwar of Bhalaswa Dairy in Delhi and Salman of Gayaspur village in Sonepat district. Six stolen motorcycles have been recovered from their possession. OC

Ambala

Thieves decamp with jewellery

Thieves broke into a house in the Naraingarh segment of the district and decamped with nearly 50 gm gold and nearly 600 gm silver. Mange Ram Sharma, owner of the house, said he was away to Jalandhar when the incident took place. OC
Chandigarh, January 8

The state government has decided to delegate more powers to hospitals in the districts for the management of funds for the purchase of medicines, medical consumables, equipment and their upkeep to ensure smooth healthcare services.

Giving details about the revision of powers, Health Minister Anil Vij said the Civil Surgeon and the DHFWS would be responsible for proper utilisation of funds. The authorities that had been delegated power at various levels would approve utilisation of funds on the recommendations of the purchase committees.

All purchases would be ratified by the respective Swasthya Kalyan Samitis (SKSs) before the purchase or at a later date.

Purchases valuing more than Rs 20 lakh would be referred to the DGHS or Mission Director, National Health Mission (State Health Society), depending on the origin of funds.

He said consumption-based purchase would be encouraged over demand-based purchase. The facility would keep one months stock as buffer at all times and this should be procured from warehouse or purchased. It would be compulsory to enter all items on the essential medicine list on online portal.

Minor civil repairs up to Rs 2 lakh per instance with quotations could be carried out with approval of the committee constituted for the purpose by the chairperson, SKS. All cases of major repairs, renovations and upgrade would be referred to the state every six months.  TNS
Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, January 8

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Kirpal Singh Badungar today said only youths from Haryana would be appointed in Haryanas gurdwaras and no appointment would be made from Punjab.

He was at Panjokhra Sahib gurdwara here to inaugurate the computerised system to distribute karah prasad and lay the foundation stone of a langar hall.

Talking to mediapersons, the SGPC chief said, We will check how many persons from Punjab are appointed here and will make sure that all appointments are made from Haryana so that they get ample opportunities.

Badungar said, We used to get complaints that persons who come from outside to visit Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar dont get rooms to stay. For the convenience of devotees, all inns will be made online. It is being done on a war footing and devotees will soon be able to book their rooms online.

Publication of Guru Granth Sahib used to be done from Shri Guru Granth Sahib Bhawan in Ambala in the past. We have decided to revive the building and restart publishing, he said.

Efforts are being made to make the Miri Piri institute of medical science and research in Shahabad functional, he added. He did not announce any new project for the state.

About the implementation of original Nanakshahi calendar, Badungar said, The Nanakshahi calendar was implemented, but several amendments had been made over the last few years. If the Sikh sangat expresses its desire, the SGPC will give it a thought and re-implement the original calendar.

The SGPC chief said, The importance of festivals and reasons behind celebrations are more important than the dates. Children celebrate festivals these days, but they are not being taught the reasons and real stories behind the festivals.

The SGPC has decided to educate children in this regard. Seminars are being organised in SGPC-run educational institutes, he added. The original Nanakshahi calendar was implemented during Badungars first term in 2003.

The SGPC chief said, The prime reason behind the demand for Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee is political and not religious. Its leaders are trying to gain political benefits. A case regarding its formation is pending in the Supreme Court and we will wait for the decision.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 8

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said the PDP-BJP coalitions Agenda of Alliance, having solution to all problems, was decided by former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and was necessary for bringing Kashmir out of difficult situation.

She said the Agenda of Alliance covered various issues, like revocation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, power, talks at different levels and friendly relations with Pakistan. It contained solutions to the various issues confronting the state.

The Chief Minister was speaking on the occasion of release of English and Urdu publications of Sheeraza, journals of the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, by Governor NN Vohra at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre here today.

Education Minister Naeem Akhter, Minister for Finance and Culture Haseeb A Drabu and noted Kashmiri litterateur and Jnanpeeth awardee Rehman Rahi were present on the occasion. Ministers, legislators and family members of Mehbooba, including her sister Rubaiya Sayeed and brother Tassaduq, also attended the event which marked the first death anniversary of Mufti Sayeed.

Paying tributes to her father, Mehboob said Mufti was for developing good relations with Pakistan for which he had been impressing upon the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to dismantle the barriers between the two neighbouring countries. She said it was only then Vajpayee initiated the process of talks with Pakistan and dialogue was held at different levels and the roads were opened. There was a change in the situation, Mehbooba added.

Saying Mufti was worried about the sufferings of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, she said, he believed in democracy and was for nurturing democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking on the occasion, Akhter recalled his association with Mufti for over the past three decades in different capacities. He said Mufti was always trying to find a way through a complex situation.he was talking, breathing and thinking about Kashmir.

Haseeb Drabu recalled Muftis political calibre and efforts at different levels to bring Kashmir out of the crisis and put it on the track of peace and development. Minister for Social Welfare and the Peoples Conference chief Sajjad Lone, an ally of the BJP, also paid tributes to the former Chief Minister.

In his remarks, secretary, J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Aziz Hajni said Mufti had also a great vision for culturally uniting all three regions of the state for overall development. The academy followed the practice of publishing special numbers (literary journals) on the former Chief Ministers as also the presidents of the academy, he said, adding that such numbers had been published for Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, GM Sadiq and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in the past.

Rubaiya Sayeed breaks down

Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of Mufti Sayeed and Mehboobas younger sister, who was invited to speak on the occasion, broke down as she recalled her father. He (Mufti) was like a Chinar tree under whose shades we all grew up, Rubaiya said with tears in her eyes. That is how we feel a year after him, she said and returned to her seat.
Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 8

The Pradesh Congress Committees (PCC) senior vice-president, Sham Lal Sharma, today alleged that the BJP-PDP government had turned out to be a complete failure on all fronts.

Most parts of Jammu were reeling under acute shortage of water, power and ration supply but the government had not taken any effective steps to solve the problem, he said.

Addressing a monthly meeting of the Block Congress Committee of Akhnoor, Sham Lal Sharma said authorities were not paying attention to these burning problems faced by the common man.

He also expressed his anguish over the harsh attitude of the government towards daily wagers who were on strike since the past few months. He urged the government to intervene into their pending issues and redress them.

He further said since the Aadhaar card had been termed as a bonafide document, the requirement of the same had now become all the more important. There is a good percentage of people to whom the Aadhaar card has not been issued due to which they are facing a lot of difficulties, he said.

Accusing the BJP of indulging in double speak on the issue of West Pakistan refugees, Sharma said the party which had promised to provide citizenship rights to the refugees before elections was now providing only identity cards to them.

The BJP had completely surrendered before the PDP and was lacking courage to put forth the genuine problems of people of Jammu in front of the government. It was more interested in remaining in the government for the sake of enjoyment of power, Sharma added.
Lucknow, January 8

The Aam Aadmi Party has said it would "actively campaign" against the Bharatiya Janata Party for assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, although it will not enter the fray.

AAP spokesman Vaibhav Maheshwari said the party would begin their campaign in Uttar Pradish after elections in Punjab and Goa  where the party is a contender  to expose BJP, "which has betrayed the country and which is the biggest devil in national politics".

He said a tour programme of the state would be drawn up later.

The BJP hopes to ride on the central governments decision to invalidate old banknotes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 in a major shake up to the countrys financial system  a move AAP has called a scam  to win the mammoth UP elections.

Maheshwari called the partys campaign in Uttar Pradesh a new kind of politics that will see the party putting its energy and money into elections in which its stands to gain nothing in terms of seats.

"This move is to ensure that Uttar Pradesh is not made to pay heavily in case of a wrong decision by the people as the state politics make a big impact on national politics, with the next Lok Sabha polls scheduled two years hence.

"We have to caution people as to how can a party which has proved to be a failure at the national level be a good option in the politically crucial state," he said.

Punjab and Goa will vote on February 4.

Elections for 400 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases, with the first phase on February 11.  PTI
Bengaluru, January 8

The deadline for converting PIO (People of Indian Origin) cards into OCI (Overseas Indian Citizens) cards has been extended till June 30. Converting within this period will not attract any penalty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today in his address to the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru. The earlier deadline for the conversion was December 30.

From January 1, beginning with Delhi and Bengaluru, we have set up special counters at immigration points for OCI cardholders. We want it to become a symbol of global migration, achievements and aspirations of the diaspora," he said.

He said the government was working to put in place procedures for making descendants of the indentured labour living in Fiji and other countries eligible for OCI cards. "Starting with Mauritius, we are working to put in place procedures so that descendants of Girmitiyas could become eligible for OCI cards. We remain committed to addressing similar difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States," he said.

Girmityas are descendents of indentured Indian labourers who were brought to Fiji to work on sugarcane plantations in mid-1800s.

Observing that there are over 30 million overseas Indians living abroad, he said they were not just respected for their numbers, but for the contributions they have made to societies they live in.

Talking about brain drain, he said the government was taking steps to convert brain drain into brain gain. "When people spoke of brain drain, it was believed that the brighter people went abroad seeking employment opportunities...but I was asking people that whoever are left behind in India, are they dumb? It is our endeavour to convert that brain drain into brain gain," he said.

Castigating the opponents of demonetisation, he took a swipe at those calling the government's move "anti-people", saying these were "political worshippers" of graft and black money which had adversely impacted the economy and polity.

"It is unfortunate that some rajnaitik poojari (political worshippers) of black money are calling our efforts anti-people," he said.

"...You might have noticed and heard that we have taken up a big fight. Black money and corruption are making our polity, society and administration hollow gradually," he said at the three-day event, which is being billed as the largest ever.

Emphasising the role played by overseas Indians in the country's development, the PM said they had made an "invaluable contribution" to the Indian economy by investing about $69 billion.

Indian-origin Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa, was the chief guest at the convention, which was attended by the Chief Ministers of several states, including Siddaramaiah of Karnataka, partner to the event, and Central ministers.  PTI
The battle of Tra Binh Dong was between the South Koreans and North Vietnamese.Several counties supported the South Vietnamese government. The USA, Korea, and Australia provided the most foreign troops in combat.South Korea provided the 2nd largest force to support South Vietnam. Approximately 320,000 military personnel suffered 5099 KIA and 10,962 Wounded.The Republic of Korea, ROK (pronounced Rocks), recruited and trained independently and effectively. I am told that American commanders hoped for a 10 to 1 kill ration and some Korean units exceeded that goal with 25 to 1. They sometimes won battles outnumbered 4 to 1.Conclusion: I do not understand Asian battlefield techniques.I added some reference links:The Korean Movie Sunny (2008) is about the Vietnam experience and also the TV series Decendance of the Sun.https://beaufortcountynow.com/addon/videos&videoid=FNEHoNJ_vswhttps://beaufortcountynow.com/addon/videos&videoid=J2qgaWSgyC8
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 8

In what could be the last step before indigenous artillery gun Dhanush is ready for induction, the Army has been carrying out user-validation trials in the Himalayas.

The exercise is being conducted under the aegis of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps and the Leh-based 14 Corps. The 15 Corps is tasked to face Pakistan while the 14 Corps is dual-tasked to face Pakistan as well as China.

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A total of six guns are being tested-fired in snow and in conditions where temperatures are presently hovering at minus 10 degrees.

A production-level prototype is being tested and this is supposed to be the last lap of trials before the Ordnance Factory Board starts it bulk production. The guns are doing well, but results in a tabulated form are awaited, sources said.

Dhanush 155 MM/45 calibre gun is based on the 1980s Bofors FH-77B/39 Calibre artillery gun design and aided by the transfer of technology (ToT) clause signed with the Swedish company.

The ordnance board, an organisation under the Ministry of Defence, first unveiled the Indian version of the gun in February 2014 and handed it over to the Army for intensive tests. These were successfully conducted.

The first three guns of the production-level prototype underwent four-month trial from June to September. Three more other guns were to be added and the entire lot will be tested in high-altitude winter conditions.

The Indian version has several improvements to make Dhanush compatible with todays modern communication techniques. The Armys Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan, drawn in 1999, aims to acquire 2,800-3,000 155 mm/52-calibre guns of all kinds and 155 mm/39-calibre lightweight howitzers by 2027.

India has partially broken the Bofors jinx and cleared, in November 2016, a deal to get 145 ultra-light howitzers for US$737 million (Rs 5,023.65 cr). In a way, this was the first new 155 MM artillery guns since March 1986 when 410 pieces of the Swedish company Bofors FH-77B 155mm/39 calibre howitzers were purchased for Rs 1,500 crore.
Lucknow, January 8

Five labourers were killed and as many others injured when a speeding car rammed into a night shelter housing 35 daily wagers in Dalibag locality in Hazratganj area here in the wee hours of Sunday.

The two occupants of the carAyush Kumar Rawat, son of a former SP MLA, and Nikhil Arora were allegedly drunk and have been arrested, police said.

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The incident took place at about 2 am when 35 labourers were sleeping inside the night shelter and the car rammed into it. The car was allegedly being driven at a high speed when the accident happened.

Two of the accused, who were drunk, have been arrested and the car has also been seized, SSP, Manzil Saini said.

While four labourers died on the spot, one died during treatment at Trauma centre here.

The victims were identified as Prithviraj, Abdul Kalam, Gokaran, Devraj and one unidentified  all aged between 30 and 37 years.

All the victims were daily wage earners from eastern Uttar Pradesh.  PTI
New Delhi, January 8

Questioning the legality of the convention which ousted him as president and appointed his son Akhilesh in his place, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday asserted he was still the party chief.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

He claimed the special national convention called by his cousin Ramgopal Yadav on January 1 in Lucknow was "illegal" as he as party president had already expelled him from the party on December 30.

I am the national president of Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav is (only) the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Shivpal Yadav is still the president of Samajwadi Party's Uttar Pradesh unit," Mulayam, who is locked in a bitter feud with Akhilesh-Ramgopal camp for control over the party, told reporters here.

"Ramgopal Yadav was expelled from the party for six years on 30 December, 2016. Therefore the party's national convention called by him on 1 January, 2017 was illegal," he asserted.

Shivpal Yadav and MP Amar Singh were present along Mulayam at the media briefing.

Ramgopal, who has been backing Akhilesh in the internecine feud in the party, had convened the meeting in his capacity as SP general secretary.

Mulayam is likely to visit Election Commission tomorrow to stake claim over the party's name and election symbol 'cycle'.

Tomorrow is the deadline set by the EC for both the sides to submit documents before it decides which faction has the genuine claim over the two.

Yesterday, the Akhilesh faction submitted to the EC affidavits claimed to have been signed by 90 per cent of legislators and delegates, including over 200 of the 229 MLAs backing the Chief Minister.

Ramgopal rules out patch-up

Meanwhile, Ramgopal ruled out any rapprochement between the two factions of UP's ruling party, saying "4-6 people have misled Netaji (Mulayam) into believing he enjoys the support of 200 MLAs. They stand exposed now."

He, however, maintained that Mulayam was made the party patron at the national convention which appointed Akhilesh as the new SP chief. "Netaji's nameplate is still there at the Delhi party office," Ramgopal, who has stood by Akhilesh in the internecine family feud, said.

Earlier in the day, when Mulayam reached Delhi from Lucknow, some of his supporters were heard raising slogans against his son Akhilesh.

Some of the supporters claimed that Mulayam later told them at his residence that though he may not have the numbers, Akhilesh is still his son and the supporters should desist from raising slogans against him.

Mulayam's reported remarks, however, could not be confirmed by any senior leader of his camp.  TNS/Agencies
Lucknow, January 8

Amid the ongoing power tussle in the ruling family of Uttar Pradesh, Samajawdi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday asserted that there was no dispute in the party.

Mulayam along with Shivpal Yadav this morning met party workers at the SP headquarters here.

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When asked about the ongoing tussle within the family and party, Mulayam said, hamari party me koi vivad nahi hai (There is no dispute in our party).

He later along with Shivpal left for New Delhi, where he is likely to visit Election Commission for staking claim on the partys cycle symbol.

The Mulayam camp is likely to submit its set of affidavits tomorrow, the deadline set by the EC for both the sides to submit documents before it decides on which side to be allotted the cycle symbol after the split in SP was formalised on January 3.

Yesterday, the Akhilesh faction submitted to the EC affidavits which it claimed to have signatures of 90 per cent of legislators and delegates, including over 200 of the 229 MLAs.

On reports that Mulayam got his room locked at the party office and put up his and Shivpals name plates, SP state chief (Akhilesh faction) Naresh Uttam said, their name plates were never removed.

To another question, he said, Akhileshji is our national president and we will contest polls under him. He was made president at national convention.  PTI
Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, January 8

The Mumbai police have questioned two men who were employed with actor Om Puri who was found dead on Friday.

The two, the actors domestic help and driver, were called for questioning by the Oshiwara police after the post-mortem report conducted at Cooper Hospital said the cause of death was unknown, the police said. We are still waiting for the final post-mortem report from the JJ Hospital which is examining the viscera, Inspector Subhash Khanvilkar of the Oshiwara police station said.

The samples were being tested by the Kalina Forensic laboratory and its report was due soon, Khanvilkar added. The initial post-mortem report indicated that the actor had died of a heart attack.

Puris driver Ram Mishra told the police that he dropped his boss home late Thursday night from a party and was to pick him up the next morning. When he rang Puris door-bell on Friday morning, there was no response. With the help of neighbours, who called the police, the door was opened and Puri was found lying slumped in the kitchen. He had hit his head and there was blood on the floor, the police said.

Some half-eaten food was also found on the kitchen table. Initially, it was assumed that the actor was having dinner when he felt uneasy and got up for a glass of water. However, he collapsed and hit his head, the police said. Om Puri, who was estranged from his wife, was living alone at the time of his death.
Bengaluru, January 8

Castigating the opponents of demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday those terming the government's move as anti-people were the "political worshippers" of graft and black money which were making the economy, polity and society hollow.

"Friends you know we have undertaken a big responsibility in fighting black money and corruption... Black money and corruption have gradually made our polity, economy, society and the country hollow.

"It is unfortunate that there are some political worshippers (rajnaitik pujari) of black money who term our actions against it as anti-people," Modi said at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention here.

"It is very saddening to see some black money supporters maligning the moves against corruption," he said while thanking the Indian diaspora for supporting the government's steps against corruption and black money.

Emphasising the role played by overseas Indians in the country's development, the Prime Minister said they have made an "invaluable contribution" to the Indian economy by investing over 69 billion US dollars.

"For me, FDI has two definitions  one is 'Foreign Direct Investment' and the other is 'First Develop India'," he said, asserting that "I can say with full confidence that 21st century belong to India."

Referring to the earlier trend of brain drain, he said "we want to change brain drain to brain gain" and added that the government will soon launch a skill development programme 'Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojna' for the Indian youth seeking employment abroad.

Welcoming the efforts of Indian diaspora to strengthen the country's partnership with the overseas Indian community, Modi said "we don't see the colour of the passports, but the relations written by blood which matter the most." Encouraging all PIO Card holders to convert their PIO Cards into OCI Cards, Modi said: "we have extended the deadline for PIO card conversions to OCI from 31 December 2016, until June 30, 2017, without any penalty".

He also spoke about the various measures for welfare and safety of Indians abroad, from carrying out evacuation of Indians in distress to other steps taken by his government in last two years, specifically mentioning the efforts of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in this regard.

He also said that starting with Mauritius, his government was working to put in place procedures so that descendants of various Indian communities could become eligible for OCI cards, by addressing the difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States.  PTI
Our Correspondent

Jaipur, January 8

Vice Chancellor of University of Rajasthan JP Singhal, whose appointment to the post was challenged in the High Court, tendered his resignation on Sunday after serving for 16 months.

His resignation was accepted by Rajasthan Governor and university Chancellor Kalyan Singh, officials said.

The V-C charge is handed over to Jaipur Divisional Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh, a Raj Bhawan spokesman said.

The resignation came a day before a hearing scheduled in the Rajasthan High Court on the controversial appointment of Singhal, who was appointed as V-C of the university in August 2015.

Last week the Rajasthan High Court had slammed the appointment of Singhal as V-C of University of Rajasthan. The court had observed that a person who could not even be appointed as an assistant professor could not be the V-C of any university even for a day.
New Delhi, January 8

Seeking to analyse the banking transactions in months before the demonetisation, the Income Tax Department has asked banks to report cash deposits in savings accounts between April 1 to November 9, 2016.

Banks have also been directed to ask the account holders, who did not furnished PAN (Permanent Account Number) or Form 60 (for those without PAN) at the time of opening bank account, to do so by February 28.

Money lost anonymity "The fact that large quantum of high value notes have been deposited with banks does not render this money legitimate. Black money doesnt change colour merely because it is deposited in bank. But, it loses its anonymity and can now be identified with its owner." Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister



As per a notification, the banks, cooperative banks and post offices will have to report to the tax department all cash deposits between April 1 to November 9, 2016, the day when the demonetisation was effected by junking old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

Bank officials will also have to document PAN or declaration of Form 60 received from account holders and maintain all records for transactions under Rule 114B of the Income Tax Act. Rule 114B lists various transactions for which quoting PAN is mandatory.

It said that persons who have not quoted PAN, or did not furnish Form 60 at the time of opening accounts, will have to provide the same by February 28. Form 60 is a declaration form filed by an individual without PAN.

Following the demonetisation move, the tax department had earlier asked banks and post offices to report to it all deposits above Rs 2.5 lakh in savings accounts and more than Rs 12.5 lakh in current accounts made between November 10 and December 30, 2016.

Cash deposits exceeding Rs 50,000 in a single day also had to be reported.

With an estimated about Rs 15 lakh crore in junked currency notes coming back into the banking system after demonetisation, the department has started analysing the bank deposit trends.  PTI

Rajkot bank under lens over Rs 871-cr deposits

The Income Tax department has detected discrepancies in transactions of a Rajkot-based cooperative bank where Rs 871 crore were deposited using old notes of Rs 500/1,000

Over 4,500 new accounts were opened and more than 60 having the same mobile number initiated, making it one of the biggest cases of black fund generation after November 8

I-T detects Rs 4,807 cr black income
Washington, January 8

Hailing counter-terrorism cooperation between India and the US under the eight years of Obama Administration as incredibly successful, a top US official has said this has not only diminished the threat of terrorism in the two countries, but also foiled a number of terror plots that saved several Indian and American lives.

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I can tell you quite definitively that due to our partnerships, several terrorism plots were foiled. Indian lives and American lives were saved because of this partnership, said Peter Lavoy, Senior Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, White House.

So its a very significant development and I think, it can continue, Lavoy told PTI. He, however, did not elaborate on the terror plots that were foiled.

He said that under the Obama Administration, which took over the reins of the country a few months after 26/11, counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries have reached a new height in the last eight years.

I think, the partnership with India, in combating terrorism has really been incredibly successful, he said, adding that the two countries now have dialogues on counter- terrorism at multiple levels.

On India not becoming a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) under the watch of US President Barack Obama, Lavoy expressed hope that it would be granted membership of the elite group not before too long as work is in progress.

So, are we disappointed that India has not become a member (of NSG) so far? Yes, probably. But we also recognise that the NSG has to work through the procedures and its own other standings on how to consider non-NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) membership into the NSG.

So, thats not a trivial issue. But we would hope that there India would be granted membership not before too long, he said answering a question on India being unable to become a member of NSG mainly due to the opposition from China.

Lavoy said the US remains concerned about al-Qaeda, though the outfits activities in the Af-Pak region have been significantly disrupted because of continuous efforts.

We (also) remain concerned about ISIL. This is something that President Obama has talked about in his State of the Union and other addresses on the threat that both of these groups pose to the United States.

And we would continue to take steps to counter them. We expect that those policies would continue. This is bipartisan in the vital interest to the United States, he said, adding that cooperation on counter-terrorism issues diminished the threat to the two countries and is of incredible importance.

I would highlight that US-India consultations about terrorist threats not only that are against India or the United States but throughout the region is an important hallmark and feature of our new and expanded counter-terrorism cooperation, Lavoy said days before Donald Trumps inauguration as US president.

He also said the US does think that any regional dialogue between India, Pakistan for including Afghanistan and others to counter terrorism would be desirable.

Terrorism is a threat to all of us and no country will be safe, unless terrorism is irradiated in every other country, especially in the neighbourhood, Lavoy said.  PTI
Jabalpur, January 8

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Sunday lauded Guru Gobind Singhs contribution in protecting Hindus, and that of the Sikh community in nation-building and safeguarding the countrys frontiers.

When Guru Gobind Singh was nine-years-old he asked his father Guru Tegh Bahadur to protect Hindus from the then ruler, Shah said addressing the Sikh community at the Shivaji ground here on the 350th birth anniversary celebration of Guru Gobind Singh observed as Prakash Parv.

The BJP chief said There are very few persons in history who inspired their father to fight for a social cause.

Shah touched upon various historical facts related to Guru Gobind Singh in his speech and praised the role of Sikh community in making the country self sufficient in food grains and protecting the borders of the country.

He said that maximum number of Sikhs have sacrificed their life for the country.

The BJP president said the Central government has decided to observe Prakash Parva across the country and is committed to spread the message of the religious leader and to renovate the places associated with him.  PTI
Rameswaram (TN), January 8

Sri Lanka arrested 10 Indian fishermen who strayed into its waters on Sunday morning.

Four of the fishermen belonged to Tamil Nadus Rameswaram while the rest were from the states Jegadapattinam in Pudukottai district, an official from the fisheries department said.

Their boats were also impounded.

The fishermen from Rameswaram were detained near the disputed Katchatheevu Island on Sunday morning. The others were fishing in Neduntheevu.

Indian fishermen are frequently detained by Sri Lanka for having strayed into their waters.

Sri Lanka has argued that bottom trawling by Indian fishermen has caused extensive damage to their marine ecosystem.

Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Fishermen's Association General Secretary NJ Bose said has warned of protests if the central government failed to solve the problem.

A 34-year-old Tamil Nadu fisherman was injured when he was allegedly attacked by the Lankan navy for fishing off Neduntheevu.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 5 urging him to take up the issue at the "highest diplomatic level".
Jupinderjit Singh & Praful Chander Nagpal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 8

Four Akali supporters were injured and a police Gypsy damaged when the cavalcade of Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal was stoned near Kandhwala Hazir Khan village in his constituency, Jalalabad, late this evening. Sukhbir escaped unhurt. The official vehicle of SP (Special Branch), Amarjit Singh Motwani, was damaged. A case has been registered against 20 persons.

The incident has raised security concerns ahead of the February 4 Assembly elections. Home Secretary KBS Sidhu, while seeking a report on the incident, warned: No one will be allowed to create a law and order problem during the election process.

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In the past few days, at least three Akali leaders  Rajya Sabha member Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Sikander Maluka and MLA Ravinder Singh Brahmpura  have faced hostile crowds. Before the poll code came into force, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwals cavalcade too was attacked. Ketan Baliram Patil, SSP, Fazilka, said just as Sukhbir finished addressing a rally in the village, some persons sought a meeting with him. Owing to paucity of time, he could not meet all of them. Some of them started throwing stones at the cavalcade, but we took charge of the situation.

Charan Singh, chairman of the local market committee, claimed a group of disgruntled youths wanted to meet the Deputy CM. I took along a few of them. It seems that was not enough. As soon as the Deputy CM left, the youths picked up stones being used to lay a road and flung these at the cavalcade. Blaming AAP, he claimed Bhagwant Mann had been provoking voters to target the Akalis. Sukhjinder Singh, chairman, Arniawala Block Samiti, named a few local AAP workers. Among the injured was former sarpanch of Mammukhera village Parminder Singh.
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 7

Balbir Singh, a former ardasia (priest) at the Golden Temple, has expressed his desire to contest the elections against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from the Lambi Assembly constituency.

He uploaded a video on social network, which went viral as well, seeking advice from the Sikh community on the matter. He said he wanted to challenge Badal and his coterie that had failed miserably to curb the repeated incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib.

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Through the video, I have sought the opinion of my Sikh brethren on my crusade against the Badals. I will wait for two days to get their response before furnishing requisite formalities to contest the elections, he said, adding that the Badals had already been excommunicated by the Panth for their undue interference in religious matters.

Balbir Singh shot into the limelight after he refused to offer a siropa (robe of honour) to both Deputy CM Sukbir Badal and CM Parkash Singh Badal during their visits to the Golden Temple.

The SGPC had transferred him to Machhiwara, but he never joined his new assignment. He kept visiting the Golden Temple, but as a devotee. He was reinstated by newly appointed SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar on December 12.
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 8

Former PM Manmohan Singh will unveil the Congress manifesto for Punjab at the party headquarters here tomorrow in the presence of state leaders, including PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh.

The manifesto, which Congress leaders are describing as unique, will promise sops for several sections, mainly farmers, the poor and the homeless, girl students, youth and Scheduled Castes.

A major promise will be houses for the homeless across rural and urban sections. A job for one person per household is another tall promise the Congress is likely to make. Also on cards is tuition and hostel fee waiver right up to the doctorate level for girls from economically weaker sections.

For farmers, the manifesto will hold a greater promise given party vice-president Rahul Gandhis involvement on the issue of loan waiver and revised MSP for farm produce.

With Punjab farmers dues running into some Rs60,000 crore, the Congress is expected to promise a loan waiver.

Speaking to The Tribune today, chairperson of the Congress manifesto panel Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said: The manifesto will not be a routine text of promises. We have explained therein how we will fulfill these promises. In fact, the finer points of the manifesto were earlier discussed with Dr Manmohan Singh and we explained to him the details of financial inflows and outflows. Our manifesto is a genuine document of the partys intent.

Screening panel meets again

The Congress screening committee, headed by Ashok Gehlot, met again in Delhi today to discuss 40 pending seats. The Tribune has learnt 18 seats have been sealed and discussions on the remaining will continue ahead of the central election committees meeting on January 10.
Jitendra K Shrivastava

Tribune News Service

Patna, January 8

Sikh devotees, who visited Patna to attend the week-long Prakash Parv, have purchased silver coins worth Rs 28 lakh so far to keep as souvenirs.

To mark the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh, silver coins had been issued. These coins became a prized possession for the pilgrims as they will serve as a milestone for the historical occasion.

The 10 gram silver coins are available for Rs 700 at the office of Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib Ji.

Daljeet Singh, who manages the coin sales, said: Sikh pilgrims have been purchasing the coins rapidly to mark the occasion of Guru Gobind Singhs 350th birth anniversary. They want to keep it as a souvenir. We are committed to facilitate the coin sales as per the demands.

Patiala-based Dr KS Ahluwalia, who served devotees for free at a medical camp during Prakash Parv, said: Since we paid our visits to the Guru on his 350th anniversary celebrations, we purchased silver coins to enliven our memory.

He also praised the way Bihar CM Nitish Kumar arranged the function.

India Post had also released postage stamps to mark the occasion which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Washington, January 8

Scientists have discovered a 52-million-year-old fossil of a berry that may help understand the evolution of the economically important plant family that includes potatoes, peppers and tomatoes.

Tomatillos, ground cherries and husk tomatoes - members of the physalis genus - are unusual because they have papery, lantern-like husks, known to botanists as inflated calyces that grow after fertilisation to extend around their fleshy, often edible berries.

They are a small portion of the nightshade family, which includes many commercially, scientifically and culturally valuable plants among its more than 2,400 living species.

This entire family has had a notably poor fossil record, limited to tiny seeds and wood with little diagnostic value that drastically limited understanding of when and where it evolved.

The researchers from Pennsylvania State University in the US examined two fossil lantern fruit collected in an area in Argentina that was temperate rainforest when the plants grew, 52 million years ago.

These are the only physalis fossils found among more than 6,000 fossils collected from this remote area and they preserve very delicate features such as the papery husk and the berry itself.

The fossil site was part of terminal Gondwana, the ancient supercontinent comprised of the adjacent landmasses of South America, Antarctica and Australia during a warm period of Earth history, just before their final separation.

These astonishing, extremely rare specimens of physalis fruits are the only two fossils known of the entire nightshade family that preserve enough information to be assigned to a genus within the family, said Peter Wilf, professor at Pennsylvania State University in the US.

We exhaustively analysed every detail of these fossils in comparison with all potential living relatives and there is no question that they represent the worlds first physalis fossils and the first fossil fruits of the nightshade family, said Wilf.

Physalis sits near the tips of the nightshade familys evolutionary tree, meaning that the nightshades as a whole, contrary to what was thought, are far older than 52 million years, he said.

Typically, researchers look for fossilised fruits or flowers as their first choice in identifying ancient plants.

Since the fruits of the nightshade family are very delicate and largely come from herbaceous plants with low biomass, they have little potential to fossilise.

The leaves and flowers are also unknown from the fossil record. This presents a problem for understanding when and where the group evolved and limits the use of fossils to calibrate molecular divergence dating of these plants.

Molecular dates calibrated with previous fossils had placed the entire nightshade family at 35 to 51 million years ago and the tomatillo group, to which the 52 million year old fossils belong, at only 9 to 11 million years ago. The research was published in the journal Science.  PTI
THE full text of Mr. Tilak's speech on self-government resolution at the Indian National Congress will doubtless have been read by all with great interest. There are two points in it to which we desire to call attrition. Firstly, Mr. Tilak, as a Hindu of Hindus, explains why the terms of settlement between Hindus and Mahomedans should not be regarded as amounting to a sacrifice on the part of Hindus. The present, he explains, is a "triangular fight" and the rights for which we have been fighting are to be got "from a powerful bureaucracy, an unwilling bureaucracy." He further explains that he does not care if the authority now exercised by the bureaucracy passes into the hands of the Mahomedans or to any section of the Indian community. What is important is that in a fight with a third party we should stand united in race.
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 8

Three-time Haridwar city constituency MLA Madan Kaushik has started reaching out to voters. He is confident of making it to the state Assembly from the seat for the record 4th time.

Kaushik has been holding party workers meeting and addressing public meetings at various colonies for past fortnight even before the election code of conduct came into effect.

Kaushik at his camp office today directed Assembly party in charge Vikas Tiwari to ensure all booth agents and party workers assigned booth duty reach out to voters in their areas to apprise them about development works done by the BJP-led Central government and him.

He said the launch of a LPG pipeline and a compressed natural gas pipeline were his major achievements. Haridwar would be one of the few cities across the country and first in Uttarakhand to have both these facilities.

He added that streetlights and sewer lines had been built and roads recarpeted in all major colonies in his segment through his MLA LAD fund.Funds under the Amrit yojana of the Central government have been sanctioned for Haridwar city for the renovation of Ganga ghats, beautification of public parks and laying drainage, added Kaushik, a former Urban Development Minister.

Meanwhile, Congress women wing district general secretary Kalawati Batra today joined the BJP in Kaushiks presence. The MLA welcomed Kalawati into the party and said that this proves that both people Congress workers were liking the BJPs ideology and good governance.

The BJP youth wing, Ranipur division, announced its divisional working committee. BJYM Ranipur president Alok Chauhan said a new working committee had been formed after detailed discussions and consultations with senior party leaders and Ranipur-BHEL legislator Aadesh Chauhan.

The working committee comprises seven vice-presidents Varun Vashisth, Pankaj Chauhan, Kailash Bhandari, Shashi Bhushan, Naman Shikaula, Rahula Chaudhari and Dinesh Prajapti. Other office-bearers are Prince Lohat and Kshitij Gautam general secretary; Ankur Paliwal treasurer; Harish Saini assistant treasurer; Mohit Jha, Rishabh, Vikas, Vikram, Gopal, Bhagat Singh, Himanshu, Sachin, Pravesh Kumar secretaries and Varun divisional in charge.
Sandeep Rawat

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 8

The Haridwar city Assembly constituency has been a BJP bastion since the first Assembly elections in the state in 2002.

In 2002, BJPs Madan Kaushik won the seat defeating Congress candidate Paras Kumar Jain by 12,000 votes. He again won the seat in the 2007 elections defeating Congress leader Purushottam Sharma by a record margin of 28,000 votes.

Kaushik made a hat-trick of wins in the 2012 elections when he defeated former municipal chairperson and Congress candidate Satpal Brahmachari by 8,500 votes. He has a good support among youths, slum dwellers, traders, party workers and common voters. He is quite hopeful of getting the ticket and winning the Assembly elections from the constituency for the fourth time.

Notably, in the previous two Assembly elections, there was no other ticket claimant in the BJP against Madan Kaushik, which speaks of his political stature and influence in the constituency. However, this time former BJP district president Om Prakash Jamdagni, who is close to Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, has staked his claim for the ticket from the constituency. Interestingly, Kaushik has been at loggerheads with Nishank since the 2014 parliamentary elections when the party fielded the former Chief Minister from the Haridwar constituency ignoring his claim to the ticket. Nishank won the election by a record margin of 1.76 lakh votes.

Kaushik had to face embarrassment during the 2009 parliamentary elections when initially the BJP declared his candidature from Haridwar but later fielded Swami Yatindranand under pressure from the saint community. Swami Yatindranand lost the election to Harish Rawat.

The Congress is again banking on old hands such as Satpal Brahmachari, Purushottam Sharma and Sanjay Paliwal.

Kaushik, who is known for his election and booth strategies, had started organising mega conventions for women, youths and Diwali milan six months ago, which saw mass participation. All those who attended Diwali milan were presented with sweets while Kaushik invited 10,000 local persons to his daughters marriage last year.

A confident Kaushik says he has tried his best in all three tenures to live up to the expectations of the people. I have always worked for connecting colonies with the main sewer line, recarpeting of roads, street-lighting, renovation of Ganga ghats and optimum utilisation of legislators fund. I ensured that development work dont get halted despite the state governments bias. Soon, Haridwar residents will be the first in Uttarakhand to get piped natural gas supply, as already 70 per cent work of laying the PNG and CNG lines has been completed. Union Minister for Petroleum Dharmendra Pradhan had inaugurated the project in December last year. Also, the upgrade of municipal committee to municipal corporation, a multi-sports complex and a mini stadium have been constructed due to my efforts, claims Kaushik.

He adds the saints-dominated Bhoopatwala, Sapt Rishi, Dudhadhari, Har-ki-Pauri, Neel Dhara to Mayapur, Devpura, Awas Vikas, Gobindpuri and Khanna Nagar have become city hubs with best of the civic and infrastructure facilities in place.

However, opposition parties claim that the Kaushik magic has faded this time. He has been winning through booth management, money and muscle power and due to factionalism in opposition parties.

Senior women Congress leader Santosh Chauhan says Haridwar city reported a large number of dengue and chikunguniya cases due to lack of sanitation, cleanliness and non-functional blood cell separator component.

Samajwadi Party leader Dr Rajendra Parashar says Kaushik during his tenure as Urban Development Minister failed to bring any urban development project while the Maha Kumbh budget alone was Rs 655 crore in 2010.

Social activist JP Badoni says that Kaushik had been Urban Development Minister but he could not solve the two-decade old sewer choking problem at the busiest commercial hub of Chandracharya chowk and Bhagat Singh chowk that links the BHEL township and suburban Jwalapur.

Kaushik says that the Union Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Ministry has sanctioned a proposal under the central-aided schemes Amrit and Namami Gange and the work on it will start after the elections.

Archana Ohri, a resident of Mayapur, says drains are not being cleaned and garbage not disposed of regularly in the world famous pilgrim city. Local resident Inder Mohan Barthwal says Kaushik during his three tenures as MLA could not fulfil the demands of public libraries and a community hall.
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 8

A communal harmony programme was held under the aegis of the Tyagi Samaj Kalyan Samiti, at Sector-1 Communtiy Centre, BHEL, today. The programme was inaugurated with the lighting of traditional lamp by the chief guest, MP KC Tyagi. He said despite technological developments in the country, social malpractices were still prevalent which needed to be eradicated to make India a superpower in the real sense.

India gave the whole world knowledge of the Vedas yet even in the 21st century, we have not been able to fully abolish many social malpractices, such as female foeticide, dowry, discrimination on grounds of caste, creed and gender, etc, he added.

World Council of Arya Samaj representative Maya Prakash Tyagi said moral values needed to be emphasised as the younger generation was fast getting diverted from it, which was a result of the western influence.

Dr Rajendra Tyagi, Dr Yogesh Tyagi, Tyagi Samaj Kalyan Samiti president Dr Gajendra Singh Tyagi, secretary Dev Dutt Tyagi, Uttarakhand Bar Council ex-chairperson Subash Tyagi and Professor Ishwar Bharadwaj were present on the occasion.

Represenatives of Tyagi Samaj Kalyan Samiti, Roorkee, Tyagi Brahman Samaj, Gaziabad, Tyagi Samaj Kalyan Samiti, Rishikesh, and Tyagi Samaj Kalyan Samiti, Dehradoon, also attended the function.
Beirut, January 7

A massive tanker truck bomb ripped through a market by a courthouse in the rebel-held Syrian town of Azaz today, killing 48 persons and wounding dozens near the Turkish border.

The attack appeared to be the deadliest yet in the town in northern Aleppo province, which has been regularly hit by bombings targeting rebels and civilians.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 14 rebels were among the dead, but most of those killed were civilians, including five religious judges belonging to various rebel factions.

Video from the scene showed huge clouds of smoke rising from a street filled with debris and twisted metal, which bulldozers were working to clear. Raging fires were burning in several vehicles, and the fire brigade was battling to put them out with a giant water tanker and hoses.

Azaz has been repeatedly struck by bomb attacks, including in November when rebels said 25 people-civilians and opposition fighters-were killed in a car bombing of a rebel headquarters. The rebels accused the Islamic State group of being behind that attack.  AFP
Kathmandu, January 8

The Nepal Government today tabled the Constitution amendment Bill in Parliament to address the demands of agitating Madhesi parties amid protests by the main opposition CPN-UML and other fringe parties.

The Bill was registered at the Parliament Secretariat on November 29, 2016, but the coalition government led by Prime Minister Prachanda could not table it owing to the continuous obstruction of the House by the nine-party alliance led by opposition CPN-UML. The Opposition parties had claimed that the Bill was against national interest and should be withdrawn.

The Bill aims to accommodate the demands of the agitating Madhesi and ethnic groups that include citizenship and boundary demarcation issues among others. Re-demarcation of the provincial boundary and citizenship issue are the two major demands put forth by the Madhesis.

Anti-graft chief removed

The Nepal SC ordered the removal of the anti-graft head, Lok Man Singh Karki, from his post, saying that is not qualified for the position.  PTI
Islamabad, January 7

Pakistans controversial military courts which had sentenced 161 militants to death were wound up today, two years after they were set up for speedy trial of hardcore terrorists following the deadly Taliban attack on an army school that killed nearly 150 children.

The courts were established through an amendment in the Constitution after the horrendous attack in Peshawar on December 16, 2014. The move generated heated debate as the courts were billed by rights activists as violation of basic human rights as enshrined in the Constitution of the country and international charters.

However, they were allowed to function after the Supreme Court upheld as valid the 21st constitutional amendment and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2015, enacted by Parliament in 2015.

The amendment ensured that the courts will end after two years through insertion of the sunset clause.

There was no formal statement either from the government or the military announcing the end of the extraordinary powers for trial of civilians by the military, as they are deemed to end after a fixed time period of two years.  PTI
Washington, January 7

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an effort to help Republican Donald Trumps electoral chances by discrediting Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign, US intelligence agencies said in an assessment.

Russias objectives were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate former Secretary of State Clinton, make it harder for her to win and harm her presidency if she did, an unclassified report released on Friday by the top US intelligence agency said.

We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the report said. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments.

Russian authorities, which have previously denied interfering in the US elections, offered no immediate comment on the report on Saturday, and the reaction of the countrys media was low-key.

Reports of Russian interference in the already divisive election have roiled Washington, even as the US Congress on Friday certified Trumps victory in the Electoral College.  Reuters
Karachi, January 7

In a setback for Hindu and other minority communities in Pakistan, the Sindh Governor today sent back to provincial Assembly for reconsideration a recently passed Minorities Bill that criminalises forced conversions.

The ailing Governor, Justice (retd) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, sent back Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities) Bill without ratifying it. Please reconsider the legislation. The Assembly needs to take note of the letters written by the Council of Islamic Ideology, MQM parliamentary leader Sardar Ahmed, as well as the protest by religious parties, which either called for the Bills withdrawal or proposed amendments to it, Siddiqui wrote to the Sindh Assembly Secretariat.

The Pakistan Hindu Council had earlier expressed concern that if the Bill was amended or abrogated under pressure from extremist religious parties, it will increase the sense of insecurity among non-Muslims.

Minority Hindu lawmaker and the patron-in-chief of the council, Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, had said that they were not against the conversion of religion as a result of deep study or preaching, but their concerns were only linked to forced conversions. Why only minor Hindu girls in Sindh are changing religion, Vankwani said.  PTI
CANNONBALL, N.D.  News of a Christmas Day blizzard that would engulf the camp of about 1,000 protesters in less than 12 hours had many on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation preparing for temperatures lower than they had ever experienced.

The wind was beginning to pick up as Tushka Hill, a member of the Fort Sill Apache tribe who lives in Seminole County, Oklahoma, climbed on top of his yurt and handed heavy sandbags to another volunteer. They had to fix a tear in the small, round hut before the sun set and the biting winds started sweeping across the snow-covered hills. The night before, temperatures hovered around 0 degrees, and the next few days were not going to be much warmer.

Hill had arrived at the Sacred Stone camp the day before to volunteer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, which was helping coordinate efforts to protest and demonstrate against the Dakota Access Pipeline. While construction on the pipeline was halted in December when the Army Corps of Engineers declined to approve an easement that would allow the proposed pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe, hundreds of protesters dug in and vowed to stay.
Kaylee Terhune had no idea her dad was in town, or even in the Western Hemisphere, until a few hours after his body was found in a Tulsa hotel room in early February. Her family told her it was suicide.

I never thought, even though Im 26, that I would lose my dad at this age, Terhune said. I actually quit my nursing job because I got so overwhelmed with all of it. He was never that person. He was always living more than everyone else. We never had any idea.

Bernard Terhune III was one of at least 103 people who died by suicide in Tulsa last year, according to data compiled by the state Medical Examiners Office. That number exceeds Tulsas 82 reported homicides, which set a new record for the city and became a hot topic in the community. In 2015, Tulsa recorded 125 cases of suicide.

The 44-year-old businessman, who had been living in Belgium for work the past few years, returned to Tulsa because he wanted to die in his own country.

He left behind letters for his children, co-workers and even hotel staff in an attempt to explain his actions and offer an apology. He stated he thought he had dementia, and he felt the need to protect his loved ones from his mental decline.

The explanation blindsided his family. Bernard was never diagnosed with the degenerative disorder, nor did he tell anyone he felt something was wrong.

It has since become clear that Terhune was depressed, which can cause dementia-like symptoms. Files and Internet searches found on his computer in Belgium outlined his plans to kill himself. The idea appeared to begin forming in November 2015, though the death of his own father a month later may have expedited the process.

Those left behind

Nearly a year after her fathers suicide, Kaylee Terhune still cant help wondering if she could have prevented this outcome. If she had put less pressure on him, if she had paid more attention to the warning signs, maybe he would still be here.

Her younger sister, Madison Terhune, remembers not answering a text from him the day before it happened.

Obviously he wanted to tell me something, the 22-year-old said. His mother and I were the only people he tried to contact that day.

They have mostly learned to quiet those thoughts and understand that they werent responsible for their fathers death.

Although Kaylee and Madison Terhune grew closer to their stepmother, who was raising Bernards 2-year-old son, they have noticed strained relationships among other family members unable to cope with his loss. One relative is convinced Bernard is still alive. Another focused on assigning blame.

I dont blame anyone, Kaylee Terhune said. It was Dads decision. I think a big part of it was weakness, and he didnt want to be perceived as weak. He was the most headstrong person Ive ever met. I was never able to change his mind on anything.

Although the suicide rates in Tulsa are among the highest in the country, experts believe minimal public education on mental health has limited discussions regarding suicide and is responsible for a litany of misconceptions and anxieties standing in the way of alleviating the crisis.

There is still a great deal of shame around mental illness and fear of talking about suicide, said University of Tulsa President Dr. Gerard Clancy. Oftentimes, family and friends blame themselves after a suicide.

Clancy  who leads the Tulsa Regional Mental Health Plan, a 10-year effort focusing on mental health improvements  said the biologically driven Major Depressive Disorder is the biggest risk factor for suicide. Regardless, family and friends of suicide victims continue to blame themselves, leading to an inaccurate shame that causes them to withdraw and refrain from talking openly, he said.

Eighty-five of the years suicide victims were men. Nationally, men die by suicide at nearly four times the rate of women, though women attempt suicide three times more often than men, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Clancy said this statistic is driven by the manner in which men and women attempt suicide. Women are more likely to overdose, he said, while men more commonly use a firearm, a tactic that is much more effective. Of the 58 people who died by self-inflicted gunshot wounds in Tulsa last year, only eight were women.

Local suicide victims were primarily men in the 30-39 age range, with 20 recorded. The victims also included 11 men between 40-49 and 14 in their 50s. Across the country, the rate of suicide is highest in middle-aged men.

This is a new national trend, Clancy said. Middle-aged men are the only group whose life-expectancy is worsening in America, and it is driven by suicide and alcoholism.

Other victims include two men in their 90s and six teens, four of whom were 15.

Most were white, making up 88 percent of the years total, whereas minority groups hovered around 3 percent each. The racial makeup of the city, which is predominantly white, is likely the biggest explanation for the gap.

Difficult subject

Whatever the case, the topic of suicide is seldom discussed. Many with thoughts of self-harm keep those feelings to themselves for fear of being judged or misunderstood, said Tricia Mason, a licensed grief counselor.

I grew up in the 60s, and back then people didnt say the word cancer, Mason said. Theyd whisper it or call it the Big C. Now we treat it as a disease and we need to help people through it, take care of it.

Suicide is the same way. Its a mental health issue. Its not a moral issue. If people could talk about it, then people who commit suicide would be more likely not to because they can be more open.

Twice a month, Mason leads the Survivors of Suicide support group for family and friends of victims. The meetings are held at the Mental Health Association Oklahomas Tulsa location near 21st Street and Boulder Avenue.

Many who attend the meetings are too uncomfortable telling their stories or joining in on the discussion. Some keep the truth about what happened to their loved one from other family members out of embarrassment.

Charmaine Rice, a 45-year-old Tulsa transplant who spent five years in the 1990s as a Navy hospital corpsman, has been a Survivors of Suicide regular for two years. When news surfaced that Rices younger half-brother David, who also served in the Navy, killed himself in Cambodia not long after taking a secret plane ride there in 2014, the manner of death affected her family in different ways.

Rice said her mother originally became so ashamed of her sons suicide that she was afraid to tell people how David died. She called the act dishonorable and argued against allowing military honors at his funeral, but eventually relented.

Her stepdad  Davids biological father  busied himself with piecing together any information that could help explain what went wrong. Rice joined him at first but stopped after realizing there would be no satisfying answer.

David had his issues, namely heroin addiction and a habit of day drinking. The problems worsened in 2013 when he began talking about having thoughts of suicide, prompting him to move back in with their mother in Louisiana. Rice said he stopped using drugs and talked like he wanted to get his life back on track.

In February 2014, their mother dropped him off at an airport so he could fly to the East Coast and resume classes he had been taking at a Naval submarine school. Instead, he flew to Cambodia.

Were never going to know if he was meaning to go there to die or if he was trying to go over there to restart his life in some way thinking if everything else was different, hed feel different, Rice said.

Over time, Rices stepfather took a step back from his fruitless search. The last time she visited his home in Arizona, she said she noticed that pictures of David were gone. The only time he came up in conversation, her stepfather told her he didnt raise him to be a quitter.

It just makes me sad that my dad feels that way, Rice said. I dont think that people who commit suicide just quit. Things were so bad, so intensely, that that is the legitimate way they saw to stop that pain.

I would hope that my dad will get to a place where he can once again have those pictures. I know he hasnt thrown them out. Hes just not displaying them right now.

She has seen progress when visiting her mother, who now has a shrine displaying Davids Boy Scouts ribbons and other accolades. She thought the shrine was weird at first, but took it as a sign that things can get better.

Finding help

Since her brothers death, Rice struggled finding anyone who wasnt uncomfortable in talking about David until she began attending the Survivors of Suicide, mostly because she is living away from family and friends who knew him.

Mason, the counselor, said the meetings offer people a chance to talk about their loved ones without fear of judgment.

Mason said she believes a lack of funding for mental health treatment, especially in Oklahoma, is partly responsible for high suicide rates. The state ranks ninth in the country for suicides, and more than twice as many Oklahomans annually die by suicide than homicide, data shows.

Karin Price, coordinator for the Mental Health Oklahoma Associations SunBridge counseling program, said signs to watch out for that someone may be considering suicide include major behavioral changes, giving away prized possessions or showing a sudden interest in firearms. These cues could appear around the time of a loss of employment, a significant breakup or a diagnosis of a terminal illness.

Price encourages people to seek out QPR training  which stands for question, persuade and refer  to learn how best to talk with someone exhibiting suicidal tendencies and help save his or her life.

Every life is important, Price said, If were down to one, thats still too many for Tulsa in something that can be prevented. Cancer cant always be prevented. Diabetes cant always be prevented. But suicide can be prevented, and it would be great if we can get to the point where we have none.
A Princes Town homeowner says he believes a water leak is to blame for a landslip affecting their home.

He tells our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh that his investigations reveal that it' a WASA leak, and although he's made numerous reports to the authority, they continue to ignore his complaints.
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
Computers at the University of Alberta in Canada were installed with malware which was intended to collect the school's passwords. The incident happened late last year but the breach was only shared to the community on Thursday.

Edmonton Journal reported that the malware put over 3,000 students, faculty and staff at risk. The investigation led to charges against a student.

Apparently, the student installed the malware on 300 computers in 20 classrooms and laboratories in the Library Knowledge Commons, Computing Science Centre and in the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science. The main target was to get University of Alberta's primary identification password, which is known as the campus computing ID.

Gordie Mah, the school's chief information security officer, explained that the campus computing ID can be used as the gateway to the university's email service. This could play a vital role in disclosing unauthorized personal or financial information.

It was only because the malware requires the user to be physically present at the machine that the spread of the installment was not as exponential. Mah added that there has not been a data breach as big as this at the school in recent years.

Students, faculty and staff were urged to change their passwords and not to open attachments or links from suspicious emails. The University of Alberta detected the malware last Nov. 22.

On Nov. 23, 3,304 people were notified that their passwords may be at risk. Yibin Xu, 19, is facing multiple cyber-attack charges.

According to Global News, there was no indication that the passwords were used. The school has confirmed that its Information Services and Technology (IST) unit have set up controls against the malware to make sure that its computer systems are secure.

Last November, another Canadian college, Carleton University, was hit with a ransomware attack. The hackers demanded a payment of bitcoins in order for the school to be able to access its computer network.
According to claimant Tran Chi N., on September 1, 2014, he signed an employment contract with Yamaha Vietnam for a term of 36 months(September 1, 2014-August 31, 2017), for the position of head of sales, with a wage of VND46 million ($2,060) per month. The role entails the management of employees, business development and sales.

On October 28, 2015 N. received Decision no. 28 by Yamaha Vietnam on terminating his contract. Two days later, the company issued Document no. 3011 on terminating the employer-employee relationship with N. The document stated that because of the market and demand. in order to restructure the company, the sales office needed to be dissolved. According to Article 10(36) of the 2012 Labour Code and Decree 05/2015/ND-CP, the company was terminatingthe contract and noticing the employee 30 days in advance.

The employee claims that on January 1, 2016 Yamaha Vietnam signed a contract with a new employee for his position and continued to post recruitment notices, so it must have a demand for employees in its sales departmentwhich effectively means Yamahas reason for terminating his contract was false. He said that Yamaha unilaterally terminated his contract, which goes against employment regulations.

The tribunal said that N. should have sued right after receiving the notice, but the claimants representative asserted that the client was shocked and did not know the law so he did not sue until a while afterwards.

At the moment, the Hanoi Peoples Court is waiting for Yamaha Vietnam to submit its company charter as an additional piece of evidence.

Last October, a group of seven employees sued ANZ Vietnam, asking for proper compensation when the bank unilaterally terminated their employment contracts.
Tai Chi: The Daoist Martial Art of Winning Without Fighting

It is said that during the Southern Song Dynasty (11271279), in the twelfth century, a man called Zhang Sanfeng () walked the earth. Adept in Shaolin kung fu and incomparably skilled in other styles of martial arts, Zhang had the heart for self-cultivation and had his sights set on the
Syrian state media say a car bomb blast in a government-held area outside the capital Damascus has killed at least five people and wounded 15 others.



The incident occurred near Sasa, southwest of the capital.



The al-Qaida linked Fatah al-Sham Front claimed responsibility for the attack.



The blast coincides with a fragile, nationwide cease-fire brokered in late December by Syrian government ally Russia and Turkey. That truce excluded jihadists from Islamic State and the al-Qaida affiliate Fateh al-Sham, known previously as al-Nusra Front.



On Saturday, a huge explosion ripped through the center of a rebel-held border town in northern Syria, killing more than 40 people, many of them civilians displaced by months of conflict that devastated large parts of the nearby city of Aleppo.



Monitors said the blast, most likely from a tanker truck bomb, was detonated in the town of Azaz, outside a courthouse and security offices staffed by opposition fighters seeking to topple the Damascus government. A nearby marketplace lay in ruins.



There was no immediate claim of responsibility for that attack.
Pakistans former army chief Raheel Sharif is said to have been appointed first commander-in-chief of a new counterterrorism coalition of 39 Islamic countries led by Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities announced the proposed Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, the IMAFT, in December 2015 to fight Islamic State and other terrorist groups. It will have its headquarters in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday confirmed Sharifs appointment to lead IMAFT. But Sharif and Saudi officials both have since neither confirmed nor denied it.

"I do not know the details. This was finalized only two or three days ago, so I will not comment much on this, Asif told the private GEO TV.

"Definitely our government's consent must have been part of this," he replied when asked if the decision was made in Riyadh or Islamabad.

Countries such as Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and several African nations are part of the proposed military coalition.

But Shiite Muslim Iran and its allies Syria and Iraq, are not included nor have they supported the alliance.

Islamabad maintains close ties with both Riyadh and Tehran and has long struggled to strike a balance in relations with the two countries.

Iran shares a long border with Pakistan, while Saudi Arabia hosts hundreds of thousands of Pakistani expatriate workers and has often provided oil to Islamabad at deferred payments and extended financial assistance to help the country overcome economic challenges.

Sharif retired in November when his three-year term as the chief of Pakistans powerful military ended. Under his leadership, the army launched counterterrorism operations against the Pakistani Taliban and their foreign allies two years ago, leading to a significant reduction in militant violence in the country.

Sharif became highly popular for launching the offenses, prompting public demands for the government to extend his tenure.But his reported decision to join a foreign military coalition has led to severe criticism in Pakistan.

While hardline Shiite groups have opposed Sharifs decision, Sunni hardliners have welcomed it as an honor for Pakistan.

Many former army officers, journalists, analysts and politicians on social media have also heavily criticized the general for the decision, with some calling it unfortunate while other termed it against national security of Pakistan.
It was supposed to be a coordinated demonstration, but when they came to set fire to his tent, Ghebrekristos Tesfay and his friends resisted.

They did this out of sadness, and told us we must be united together, said Tesfay, an Eritrean, of the attempts by other refugees in Moria camp on the Greek Island of Lesvos to protest the conditions they were living in.

But the last time the tents were burnt we got nothing, so we fought back, he said.

Having struggled with a migrant and refugee population that numbers well over 60,000, the Greek government pledged 2017 would see an improvement in living conditions.

For those like Tesfay, who must endure the everyday desperation of life in the dysfunctional "hot spot" refugee camps of Greece, such improvements can not come soon enough.

IN PICTURES: Life in "hot spot" refugee camps



Heart of the system

During the past year many refugees and migrants have had to endure grim conditions as they remain trapped within Greek borders in the wake of other European countries closing theirs.

Some of the toughest conditions are endured by those living in the countrys so-called "hot spots."

The Greek islands of Lesvos, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos have been the first point of arrival in Europe for the million-plus refugees that have arrived in Greece from Turkey.

The first of five "hot spots" established in these islands, Moria was opened in October 2015 for the reception, identification and processing of refugees.

Tesfay has been in Moria for a two and a half months, but some of his friends have been here since March.

That was when a deal was struck between the European Union and Turkey that limited movement from the islands to the Greek mainland, pending asylum approval, a deal that came as the number of refugee arrivals to Greece plunged.

The centers were designed to allow a quick asylum process and short stay, but since then the requirements of the deal changed and around 15,000 refugees are stuck on the islands, nearly twice the number that can be housed.

Its like a prison here, said Tesfay, whose homeland is a brutal dictatorship, and we need our voices heard.

Tense situation

In November, the two deaths in a gas-stove explosion in Moria prompted riots amid ongoing complaints about living conditions in the camp.

Flare-ups of violence have been frequent among desperate residents trapped in poor conditions and uncertain of their fates, another element of the EU-Turkey deal involves potential deportation back to Turkey.

At Vial, a "hot spot" on Chios, Nigerian Emmanuel Ewemade described his mounting frustration having been stuck on the island for eight months.

All we are told is wait, wait wait, he said, adding that fights are a common occurrence in Vial.This is not a good place to stay, and everyone is angry.

An assessment by the U.N. body tasked with aiding refugees said congestion coupled with substandard conditions in the hot spots represents a major risk for protection and security, in turn increasing the risk of violence and exploitation.

Not Greece alone

At the close of 2016, Greek Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas said conditions were improving for refugees and vowed to address the situation in the coming months.

However, his claim that no refugees were living in the cold was starkly contradicted this weekend by images of snow covered tents in Moria camp.

Some argue the European Union must play a greater role in improving the situation for refugees in Greece.

About 7,000 people have been resettled legally from Greece in other EU nations. The EU-Turkey deal calls for 63,300 people on the mainland to be resettled.

Additionally, the European Asylum Support Office told VOA it is now looking to drastically increase its presence in the islands to help speed up applications, but is having to recruit more personnel.

Meanwhile, the refugee burden may increase. In December the European Commission recommended the partial reintroduction of the Dublin regulations for Greece, which state refugees and migrants must apply for protection at the first EU country they arrive in. This means that, as of March, some refugees could be sent back to Greece from other EU countries.

This is the hypocrisy and the irony, claimed Eva Cosse of Human Rights Watch. The EU wants to resume Dublin returns [of refugees] to Greece, but conditions in Greece are already poor because of the EUs policies, she added.

In Moria, even if things do speed up, there is no guarantee Tesfays asylum application will be accepted. But though he is desperate to remain in Europe, the thing he yearns for most is clarity.

If they make a decision its good, whether they reject or accept me, he explained. Its the staying here with no solution that is not fair.
Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died Sunday at the age of 82 after suffering a heart attack.

State television interrupted programming to announce the death, saying it came "after a life full of restless efforts in the path of Islam and revolution."

Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was earlier seen as a top adviser to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Analysts say he also played a key role in choosing Khomeini's successor, after the founder's death in 1989.

Rafsanjani's presidency saw the country seeking to rebuild its economy from the ruinous 1980-1988 war with neighboring Iraq. It was also marked by a series of cautious reforms which saw wider freedoms emerge, particularly in the country's tightly controlled media.

By 2002, however, Rafsanjani's political fortunes had plummeted, as conservatives mounted and sustained criticism of his reformist outreach efforts toward the West. He lost a post-presidential bid that year for a seat in parliament, and in 2005 was soundly defeated in a bid for a second presidential term by conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Four years later, at the height of a massive government crackdown on demonstrators protesting presidential election results, he delivered a speech calling for greater personal freedoms. Analysts and pundits say that 2009 address further alienated him from conservatives and military commanders.

Rafsanjani was denied a third attempt at the presidency in 2013 when Iran's all-powerful Guardian Council barred him from the ballot, a disqualification widely seen as an official rebuke of his reformist efforts.

However, his political protege, Hassan Rouhani, won the presidency and assigned Rafsanjani to oversee planning for direct nuclear talks with the United States.

Rouhani praised Rafsanjani, saying Monday the former leader had more wishes for the country and that up until his death he showed people the right path.

"We are all hopeful to continue his path," Rouhani said.

Rafsanjani also headed Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, an administrative body that advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The semiofficial FARS news agency says Rafsanjani will be buried on Tuesday in a state funeral. Schools, offices and other government operations will be closed in the run-up to the ceremony.

Last year his daughter Faezeh Hashemi, a former member of parliament and seasoned political activist, drew fierce criticism in public circles for meeting with leaders of Irans Bahai religious community. It sparked a debate on religious persecution in Iran.

The controversy began when Faezeh appeared in a picture with Fariba Kamalabadi, her former cellmate at Tehrans Evin prison and a Bahai activist.

Faezeh had spent six months in Evin for protesting the 2009 presidential election results. She later defiantly described her imprisonment as the best time of my life because it had opened another world to her.

A year earlier, Rafsanjani's son, Mehdi Hashemi, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was convicted of bribery and embezzlement.
1 This camp is on the northern coast of Lesvos and is usually a brief transit point for refugees before being taken elsewhere in the island. However, these arrivals had to stay overnight amid reports that Moria camp was full.
Mario Soares, Portugals former president and the founder of the countrys Socialist party, has died. He was 92.

Portugal has declared three days of national mourning starting Monday. His funeral will be held Tuesday.

In 1976, he became Portugals first post-coup prime minister and helped guide his country from dictatorship to parliamentary democracy and a place in the European Union.

In 1986, Soares became the countrys first civilian president in 60 years.

Soares was one of the rare political leaders who had real stature in both Europe and the world, said new U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is also a former Portuguese prime minister.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Soares was a great European and the decisive figure for Portuguese democracy.

French President Francois Hollande said Portugals democracy has lost one of its heroes; Europe, one of its great leaders; and France, a faithful friend.

European Parliament head Martin Schulz said Soares was an inspiration who advanced freedom, equality and dignity.
Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari said his government is not resting in its efforts to find the remaining Chibok girls that are still held captive by the militant group Boko Haram.

Marking the 1,000th day of the girls' abduction, President Buhari wrote on Twitter Sunday that, I am hopeful that soon, Chibok community, Nigeria, and, indeed, the world, will welcome the remaining girls back home.



President Buhari also commended the country's security agencies for their role in rescuing some of the girls.

I salute our security agencies whose efforts have resulted in the return of some of the girls, as well as thousands of other captives. I also salute all who have been in the vanguards of the quest to the recovery of the girls, nationally and internationally, he said.

An activist group campaigning for the return of the girls, Bring Back Our Girls, started one week of activities to mark the 1,000 days of the girls' abduction.

In his interview with the Hausa Service, the public relations officer of the group Dr. Eman Shehu said, in addition to major cities in Nigeria, events will be held in other cities around the world including New York and Washington.

Last week, Nigerian soldiers found one of the lost Chibok girls.

An army spokesman said that a girl identified as one of the 200 kidnapped from the northeastern town of Chibok in April, 2014 was found Thursday, wandering in the forest near Boko Haram's territory.

The mass kidnapping nearly three years ago drew international outrage, but despite the attention, few of the girls have been heard from since.

In October, the government negotiated the release of more than 20 girls, and several others have escaped. Most remain missing.
U.S. President Barack Obama said following a U.S. intelligence conclusion that Russia meddled in the November presidential election that a similar thing could happen again, and that it is important for Congress and President-election Donald Trump to make sure such influence is "minimized."

A declassified version of the intelligence report released Friday said Russian President Vladimir Putin "ordered an influence campaign" on the election with a preference for Trump over his challenger Hillary Clinton.

Obama told ABC News in an interview broadcast Sunday he ordered the assessment "to make sure that we understand this is something that Putin has been doing for quite some time in Europe, initially in the former satellite states where there are a lot of Russian speakers, but increasingly in Western democracies."

The president, whose second term ends January 20, added that he underestimated how much it is possible for misinformation and hacking to impact open societies and "insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways that I think are accelerating."

Obama said more time and resources need to be used on cyber security, and that he hopes the situation is not seen in a partisan way.

"One of the things that I am concerned about is the degree to which we've seen a lot of commentary lately where there were, there are Republicans or pundits or cable commentators who seemed to have more confidence in Vladimir Putin than fellow Americans because those fellow Americans were Democrats," he said. "That cannot be."

The U.S. intelligence community concluded Russia hacked thousands of emails of Clinton campaign chief John Podesta, which were released by WikiLeaks. The report made no assessment that the leaks changed the outcome of the election, a point Trump has noted in a string of Twitter comments since he was briefed about it on Friday.

"Intelligence stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results," Trump said. "Voting machines not touched!"

He said, "Gross negligence by the Democratic National Committee allowed hacking to take place. The Republican National Committee had strong defense! Only reason the hacking of the poorly defended DNC is discussed is that the loss by the Dems was so big that they are totally embarrassed!"

Trump's pick for White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, told Fox News in a Sunday interview that Trump accepts Russia was responsible for the hacking. Priebus repeatedly criticized the DNC's cyber security efforts, saying it left a "wide open door" for a foreign government to access its systems.

Obama has had one face-to-face meeting with Trump, shortly after the election, and has talked with him several times. He said Sunday they have spoken about trust in the U.S. intelligence agencies.

"When I talked to him about -- our intelligence agencies, what I've said to him is that there are going to be times where you've got raw intelligence that comes in and in my experience, over eight years, the intelligence community is pretty good about saying, 'Look, we can't say for certain what this means.'"

But Obama added, "There are going to be times where the only way you can make a good decision is if you have confidence that the process is working. And the people that you put in charge are giving you their very best assessments."

Obama said he also has talked to Trump about his penchant for tweeting an array of taunts and messages on Twitter.

"I've said to him, and I think others have said to him that the day that he is the president of the United States, there are world capitals and financial markets and people all around the world who take really seriously what he says, and in a way that's just not true before you're actually sworn in as president," Obama said.
The dusty desert city of Khuzdar in southwestern Pakistan has no hospital and no commercial flights into its tiny airport, but government officials who visited recently spoke in glowing terms of its future as a hub of commerce.

Pakistans new army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, was among a flock of dignitaries who descended upon Khuzdar, a city of 400,000, to tout the benefits of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for the southwestern province of Baluchistan.

How much the $57 billion network of energy projects, roads and a deep-water port linking western China with Pakistans southwestern coast will benefit ordinary Pakistanis has been debated in recent months, with critics saying Chinese banks and companies will gain most.

Official assurances

Pakistani officials, however, assured students, officials and citizens at a seminar in Khuzdar that CPEC would bring new prosperity to Pakistans largest, least-populous and poverty-plagued province.

Baluchistan unfortunately had been neglected in the past, for a host of reasons, but not anymore, Bajwa told the gathering at Khuzdars Baluchistan University of Engineering and Technology.

The head of the army is one of the most powerful positions in Pakistan, where the military not only controls security but also operates a vast business empire and often dictates key areas of foreign policy.

Students in the audience were skeptical about whether CPEC would benefit the province.

Rich reserves

Baluchistan, which has rich reserves of natural gas, copper and gold, has long complained that the national government takes far more from the province than it gives back. Anger over this has contributed to a long-running ethnic separatist rebellion.

A study late last year by the Applied Economics Research Centre (AERC) estimated CPEC would create 700,000 jobs in Pakistan, and a Chinese newspaper recently placed the number at more than 2 million. But in Khuzdar, questions about how many jobs would come to Baluchistan from CPEC went unanswered.

I want to know what share Baluchistan will get and what the other provinces will get and on what basis? a female student asked during a question-and-answer session.

Wheres the gas?

Concerns over how much Baluchistan will benefit were even voiced by a national official, Minister for Ports and Shipping Hasil Khan Bizenjo.

We just want to make sure that under CPEC the same thing does not happen to us as 1952, when gas was found in Baluchistan and yet in 2017 there is no gas in Khuzdar, said Bizenjo, originally from Baluchistan and a speaker at the conference.

Other speakers, however, envisioned Khuzdar as a center of trade and industry.

Baluchistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri said that Khuzdar would be one of 29 Special Economic Zones under CPEC that would greatly benefit the people of the city.

Khuzdar does not connect the provincial capital, Quetta, to the port city of Gwadar, but state representatives at the conference highlighted its significance as the second-largest city in the province and a potential transit point between Quetta and Karachi, Pakistans biggest city and economic hub.

We believe that Khuzdar has the ability to attract a great deal of local and foreign investment, said Anwar Ul-Haq Kakar, a spokesman for the Baluchistan government.

The Khuzdar universitys vice chancellor, Mohammad Amin, said he hoped CPEC could bring investment and jobs, because the citys location  four hours drive from Quetta  had made it difficult to attract even faculty at the school.

No one is coming because there is no infrastructure here as yet, Amin said of the university. We will offer any PhD who accepts a job here a brand new Toyota Corolla and a 100 percent pay increase.
Queen Elizabeth II has attended church near her rural Sandringham estate, after missing the previous two Sundays due to ill health.



The 90-year-old British monarch was applauded by well-wishers as she arrived by car at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of London. It was her first public appearance in several weeks.



Dressed in royal blue, the queen attended the service with her husband Prince Philip, 95, and other members of the royal family including grandson Prince William and his wife Kate.



The queen is a regular churchgoer, but missed the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades due to what Buckingham Palace said was a heavy cold.



She also did not attend on New Year's Day as she continued to recover.



The queen - Britain's longest-reigning monarch - has generally been in good health in recent years, although she has cut down on travel and public appearances as she enters her 10th decade.
Saudi Arabia hopes its plan to bring 1.3 million more women into the workforce by 2030 will be given a lift from ride-hailing apps Uber and Dubai-based rival Careem.

The cars, which the government says should only be driven by Saudi men, offer women, who are banned from driving in the conservative Muslim country, an alternative to chauffeurs, male relatives or the shabby taxi system.

Ride-hailing apps have come under scrutiny from governments and regulators because they disrupt traditional taxi businesses. But Saudi Arabia courted Uber and Careem to support its Vision 2030 economic reform plan.

With a budget squeezed by lower oil prices, the plan aims to draw workers away from government jobs by creating 450,000 private sector positions by 2020. Uber and Careem say they will create up to 200,000 jobs for Saudi men in the next two years.

By offering women a cheaper way to get to work, it should also help meet the plans goal of increasing the female workforce by 5 percentage points in the next five years to 28 percent.

This is the next best thing to women being able to drive, because you are in control of your time, no more wasteful waiting around, said Marwa Afandi, a 36-year-old marketing executive.

With Uber and Careem easily expected to employ more than the 65,000 nationals who work for state oil giant Saudi Aramco, the kingdom has invested in both companies. Saudis sovereign wealth fund put $3.5 billion into Uber in June 2016, while state-controlled Saudi Telecom Co announced December 18 it bought 10 percent of Careem for $100 million.

The percentage of Careem captains who are Saudi has jumped from effectively zero to 60 percent in the last 12 months, and we aim to employ 70,000 Saudis by end 2017, said Abdulla Elyas, co-founder of Careem.

Socially acceptable

Women account for around 80 percent of Uber and Careems passengers, the companies say.

In a country where they (women) cannot get behind the wheel, we are offering both the women and the government a win-win solution, said Zeid Hreish, Ubers general manager in Saudi.

A personal driver offers the most cache for middle- and upper-class women. But they cost as much as 3,000 riyals ($800) a month, or around 20 percent of the average monthly household income, so women are looking for cheaper options.

Some wealthier Saudi women have never used the countrys taxi system because it is not seen as acceptable for them to travel in the older vehicles that are often used. Uber and Careem require their drivers to use cars that are less than 3 years old. Uber works with financing companies in Saudi Arabia to help its drivers buy cars.

The use of the app for booking a car also allows a passenger to select a particular driver, and some believe that the use of smartphone technology brings a better class of driver.

There is little difference in price between a journey with Uber or Careem and a local taxi company, but the taxi industry says it caters to a different market  road-side taxi hailers are usually lower income men who do not own smartphones.

Careem, however, is developing a subsidized rides program for low-income working Saudi women with the Ministry of Labor.

Evolving attitudes

The high female engagement with such apps also reflects how social attitudes are evolving in the conservative kingdom.

Traditional social norms dictate local women cannot interact with men to which they are not related. However, the ride-hailing scenario has jumped ahead of such restrictions, aided by a zero tolerance policy for driver complaints operated by Uber and Careem.

I am comfortable in the car with the driver because we are getting a professional service from a company where the driver will be held accountable for any complaints made against him, said Alia Shayef, a 42-year-old banker living in Jeddah.

But some riders and drivers remain uneasy about the mixing of genders. An 18-year-old university student in Riyadh said that her father has forbidden her to use those apps. And a Careem driver admitted he does not take female riders to avoid any risk of complaint.

The proliferation of ride-sharing services has also done little to take away womens desire to drive. Some are concerned that it has made it even less likely that the government will ever allow women to get behind the wheel.

Jobs for men

The state investment is partly aimed at bolstering the employment of local men at a time of rising unemployment. The Ministry of Transportation in November said Uber and Careem must limit the jobs to Saudi nationals although legal non-Saudi drivers may continue to work for the companies.

Working for a globally recognized company such as Uber is a draw for tech-savvy Saudis, helping some overcome the stigma of being a driver.

Uber is a trend and people want to follow it, and be a part of the digital revolution, said Abdulelah Bassyoni, founder and managing director of Saudi-based digital consultancy Brain Technology.

Despite this, both Careem and Uber say most drivers work part time, keeping government jobs because of the perceived security and benefits.


Many of U.S. President-elect Donald Trumps Cabinet choices are scheduled to appear at Senate confirmation hearings in the coming week, even though some have not yet completed a required ethics review intended to ensure they will face no conflicts of interest after becoming part of the government.

Walter Shaub, director of the nonpartisan Office of Government Ethics, has written to Senate leaders complaining that several of the very wealthy nominees have not filed documents, including financial disclosure reports, that are required for anyone being considered for a Cabinet post.

The Senate must vote to confirm a presidents nominees for Cabinet-level jobs, and a key task is identifying whether a conflict of interest may arise if a candidate must choose between the requirements of government service and personal activities and business.

How will nominees avoid conflicts?

Prospective Cabinet secretaries are expected to explain how they would avoid such conflicts, often by selling off personal assets or stepping down from executive duties in a business.

Trump Nominees Interactive Map Click here for a look at Trump's nominees for Cabinet and other leadership posts.

In normal practice, the Senate committees that review an incoming presidents Cabinet nomination would delay voting on a candidates fitness for office until the ethics documentation and review is complete.

Shaub did not indicate which of Trumps nominees have unfinished paperwork, but said the lack of disclosure on those matters has left some nominees with potentially unknown or unresolved ethics issues in the days leading up to their hearings.

Trumps nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, and his pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, are among six proposed Cabinet secretaries whose qualifications will be reviewed Wednesday. Sessions hearing begins Tuesday, but will continue into Wednesday.

Also appearing before Senate committees on the same day are Trumps choices to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, secretary of transportation, secretary of homeland security and secretary of defense.

Trump announced early

Shaubs letter to Senate leaders, obtained by news agencies Saturday, noted that Trump announced his nominees before their conflict-of-interest status was reviewed by his office, breaking a tradition in which a newly elected president waits for approval by the ethics office before identifying his nominees.

Trumps haste in announcing his candidates put pressure on the schedule for confirmation hearings and complicated the effort to evaluate the nominees, Shaub said.

Apart from the confirmation hearings, Trump has said he will meet with reporters Wednesday in his first news conference since July, which could draw attention away from the Senate proceedings.

A simple majority vote of 51 senators is needed to confirm a Cabinet nominee. Because Republicans hold 52 seats in the Senate, any disagreement in their ranks could result in the new administration having to depend on support from Democrats to gain approval of one or more of Trumps choices.
As a handful of students gathered to learn a new language at the Microsoft store in New York City, a different set of students gathered a world away in Nigeria to embark on a similar journey.

The language in both cases is coding, and Microsoft executives are making it a global cause.

Coding is a universal language, said Dona Sarkar, principal product manager at Microsoft. Coding is the language of solving problems.

Code can be taught to the young

Every online website and mobile application is coded using various programming languages, such as Java or C++, the basic principles of which can be taught to someone as young as 4 years old.

The students in New York were getting their first crack at coding by using the popular Minecraft video game as a framework.

By stringing together virtual blocks of built-in code for basic commands such as move forward and turn left, they could program and then watch their characters advance on-screen.

Its very rare that a new literacy comes along in our lifetime, Sarkar said. It absolutely can be democratized.

Free workshops, tutorials, efforts abroad

To that end, Microsoft has partnered with nonprofit Code.org to offer free in-store workshops and online tutorials.

The company is also building on efforts abroad, providing 25 aspiring entrepreneurs in Lagos, Nigeria, with computer hardware, along with technical and business training to get their startup ideas up and running.

Sarkar spearheaded the new initiative in Nigeria as part of Microsofts Windows Insiders Program. Entrepreneurs take part in a six-month fellowship, starting this month, which ideally will culminate by June in a viable product or service with paying customers.

People are a lot more motivated to code once they have a specific idea of what theyre trying to do, Sarkar said.

Many of our entrepreneurs arent technical, she added. But that doesnt mean they dont know what problems exist in Nigeria and they dont have a solution to fix it.

Among those solutions are startups like OneTrack, which offers personal security products for children, such as a backpacks outfitted with mobile tracking functionality.

Even Microsoft learns

The cultural exchange proved to be illuminating, even when it wasnt.

We were coding one night ... working on prototypes, Sarkar said. The lights go out. We all stop like, Oh, my gosh, the lights are out. Now what? No one notices. They (the coders) just keep typing. To them, its a way of life.

The experience was a real-life snapshot of the daily infrastructure hurdles that exist for some Microsoft users around the world. It provided invaluable feedback for executives on the ways in which product offerings can be further improved.

One of the things that we are actively focusing on now is, how can we have a better off-line experience for our products, Sarkar said. We cant just build for the environments we know.

For us, its about learning. When we say, empower every person on the planet, we truly mean empower every person on the planet, she said.
The Taliban has dismissed American plans to send 300 troops to Afghanistans southern Helmand province as nothing but solely to lend morale to embattled Afghan forces in hopes they hold out until spring.

The insurgents have captured most of the districts in Helmand since NATO ended its combat mission, and most U.S. forces withdrew from the largest poppy-growing Afghan province in 2014.

With the help of U.S. air power and military advisers on the ground, the Afghan government has been able in recent months to maintain control over the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, which remains under attack from the Taliban.

Taliban advances

The Islamist insurgency has made advances despite the large presence of U.S.-led foreign forces and the arrival of a few hundred troops will not prevent their march, said a Taliban statement Sunday.

It went on to assert that such actions are the final failed efforts of (outgoing President Barack) Obama.

The U.S. Marine Corps announced last week it will deploy a task force of 300 personnel to the restive province later this year as part of NATOs advisory mission in the country.

The Marine Corps has an operational history in Afghanistan, particularly in Helmand Province and will assist in preserving gains made together with the Afghans, it said.

The announcement came amid fears that battlefield advances in 2016 have enabled the Taliban to stage major operations in the coming summer fighting season.

The U.S. maintains roughly 8,500 forces in Afghanistan under NATOs train-and-advisory mission. The troops are also tasked with conducting independent counterterrorism operations against militants linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State.

US committed to Afghanistan

But the future of the U.S. military mission is unclear because President-elect Donald Trump has said almost nothing about operations in Afghanistan, which has become Americas longest war.

A senior American diplomat, however, assured Afghan leaders during a visit to Kabul on Saturday that Washington is committed to their countrys peace, prosperity and security.

Our commitment to Afghanistan does not end on January 20 (when Trump will take oath of office), quite the contrary it will only deepen and that the strategic importance of this relationship is evident to all, said Thomas Shannon, under secretary of state for political affairs.
U.S. authorities are continuing to look for a motive behind Friday's deadly shooting at a Florida airport amid reports from relatives of suspected gunman Esteban Santiago that he was mentally traumatized by his 11 months of fighting in the U.S. war in Iraq.

Santiago was charged Saturday with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death. If convicted of the charge, Santiago could face the death penalty or possibly life in prison for the attack that killed five people. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Florida on Monday.

"Not everyone has the same reaction when they return from war," his brother, Bryan Santiago, told CNN. "Some are better, and some, not so much."

According to their mother, Esteban Santiago, now 26, said that he was significantly affected when he saw a bomb explode next to two of his friends while he served in Iraq during most of 2010 and early 2011.

Bryan Santiago also said his brother requested psychological help but received little assistance late last year after walking into a local Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Anchorage, Alaska in an agitated state. He made incoherent statements and told agents he had been hearing voices directing him to join the terrorist group Islamic State.

Santiago was carrying a pistol magazine loaded with bullets at the time, but said he had left his gun in his vehicle.

As is their practice, the FBI agents took his weapon.

Santiago was taken for a mental health evaluation and investigated, but authorities found no wrongdoing. They returned his gun to him in December, but it is not clear if that pistol was used in the airport shootings, in which Santiago is accused of killing five people and wounding another six.

"How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for only four days, and then give him his weapon back?" Bryan Santiago said.

His uncle, Hernan Rivera, said, "Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn't feeling too good."

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told NBC's "Meet the Press" show on Sunday that the country has not done enough to help veterans traumatized by war when they return home.

"We keep learning more about how to deal with this kind of illness," Carter said. "We're gonna learn more and we have to do more absolutely." He described post-traumatic stress disorder as "the so-called invisible wounds of war ... something we do take seriously and we have to take seriously."

But FBI officials have not ruled out a terrorism connection and say they do not know what motivated the shooter's barrage of gunfire in a baggage claim area at the Fort Lauderdale international airport. The gunman retrieved his weapon from checked luggage after a flight from Alaska.

Lead FBI investigator George Piro said Saturday, "We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack." Piro is the FBI agent who interrogated Saddam Hussein after the former Iraqi leader was captured by U.S. forces in 2003.

On Saturday, officials said at a news conference that Santiago traveled "specifically" to Fort Lauderdale to carry out the attack but do not know why he targeted the Florida city, a prime tourist destination. Authorities questioned him for several hours, until early Saturday, and said he was cooperating with investigators.
Senior army commanders in Yemen said Saturday that government forces had liberated a key, rebel-held coastal district from Iran-backed Houthi rebels during a military offensive to protect vital Red Sea shipping lanes from rebel artillery and missiles.

There were conflicting reports late Saturday on casualties, with multiple regional news reports quoting military sources as saying about 20 combatants had been killed in the fighting that began Friday in Dhubab district. However, it was not clear whether government forces or rebel fighters bore the brunt of the losses.

"We have liberated almost all of Dhubab and Al-Wazyia regions," General Fadhel Hassan, commander of the government's regional forces, told the Dubai-based Gulf News.

Hassan said the Sunni force had been aided by airstrikes from the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which has been battling Shi'ite Houthis on behalf of Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi and his internationally recognized government for nearly two years.

Hassan linked Saturday's advances to a new shipment of modern arms from the Saudi-led coalition.

For its part, the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency in Aden, seized by rebels two years ago, offered a significantly different account of Saturday's combat.

The agency described the government force at Dhubab as a unit of "U.S.-backed, Saudi-paid mercenaries" and said dozens in the government force had been killed and wounded when Houthi forces "foiled" the advance.

There have been no independent reports clarifying the outcome of Saturday's fighting.

The Saudi-led coalition of regional Sunni governments has been fighting on behalf of Hadi since March 2015.

The coalition joined the fray a year after Houthi rebels, alleging years of discrimination by the Sana'a government, launched a rebellion aimed at wresting power from Hadi. The United Nations says more than 10,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since the outbreak of fighting in September 2014.
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JERUSALEM  At the center of the Israel Museums newest art exhibit stands an imposing, life-size marble figure of Jesus Christ. The sculpture, titled Christ Before the Peoples Court, would not be out of place in a church in Rome.

Yet in this depiction, the Christian savior wears a Jewish skullcap.

The sculpture, created by Russian Jewish artist Mark Antokolsky in 1876, is part of a collection of more than 150 artworks by 40 Jewish and Israeli artists who have used Christian imagery to challenge long-held taboos in both communities. It showcases the evolving attitudes of Jewish, Zionist and Israeli artists toward a figure whose place in Jewish history has been negotiated and reinterpreted over more than two millennia.

It is a risky statement for an Israeli museum.

Throughout history, Jews have traditionally shunned Jesus and his gospel. And while the Holy Land might be his accepted birthplace, for Jews in the modern state of Israel there is often resistance to learning about or even acknowledging Christianity. This stems mainly from a fear of centuries old anti-Semitism, especially in Europe, where the crucifixion of Jesus was used as an excuse to persecute Jews.

We are talking about a 2,000-year-old tension between Judaism and Christianity and the fact that anti-Semitism grew in Christian thought and theology, said the exhibitions curator, Amitai Mendelsohn.

Mendelsohn said he was surprised at just how many Jewish artists throughout history, and today in Israel, have used Jesus and Christian themes as inspirations for their work.

It is a delicate subject for Jews everywhere, including in Israel, but artists by nature are attracted to something that is forbidden for them, he said.

Ziva Amishai-Maisels, a professor emeritus at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem who specializes in Christian imagery in Jewish art, said that religious Jews, who might be opposed to such depictions, would probably stay away from the exhibition.

Some of the works, though, could offend pious Christians, she said. They might feel the images are sacrilegious, but the wall texts are explanatory enough  if they read them, it should calm them down.

While some of the older works by European Jews challenge Christian anti-Semitism or look at how Jesus Jewish roots could act as a bridge between the two religions, more contemporary pieces explore Jesus as an anti-establishment figure, who suffered at not being understood.

Ronit Steinberg, an art historian from Jerusalems Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, said the appeal for Jewish artists in depicting Christ has changed over the years, but all are tied together by a common thread.

In the 19th century, the main issue was the Jewish artist feeling emancipated, and it was important for those artists to connect with their surrounding and the time. For Israeli artists, its also a kind of emancipation from the heavy Jewishness of their country, she said.

Theres the Yellow Crucifixion, a 1943 Marc Chagall painting showing Jesus Christ as a Jew. Hued in yellow, perhaps representing the star the Nazis forced Jews to wear, Jesus is strung from a cross wrapped in a Jewish prayer shawl and phylacteries.

Perhaps the best-known contemporary artwork on display is Adi Nes depiction of Leonardo da Vincis Last Supper, which substitutes Israeli soldiers for the apostles.

Nes photograph sold at Sothebys for $250,000, the highest an Israeli photograph has ever fetched. And the image has become a cultural icon for Israelis, suggesting perhaps that Christian themes are becoming more acceptable in Jewish culture.
With the Midterm Elections less than one week away: What do you consider the top issues that you will be voting on to be corrected by your better representation?

Education Crime Big Government getting Bigger Biden /Democrat controlled Spike in Energy Cost Inflation created by Legislation of Majority in Power Gender Reassignment Corrupted Bureaucratic /Service (DOJ, FBI, etc.) Institutions Abortion Discredited Legacy Media Ending the Corruption of Dishonest Politicians Corruptive Influence of Social Media Wide Open Southern Border
Baylor Universitys Center for Healthy Living, in partnership with the Waco Family Medicine Residency Program, is offering free health and fitness assessments to the general public.

Assessments will include a physician screening, a blood panel, body composition and bone density screening, an exercise test to determine cardiovascular fitness and pulmonary function, and an evaluation of flexibility and musculoskeletal fitness.

After the evaluation, participants will receive a personal and confidential report about their current health and fitness and an exercise plan designed to address their fitness goals.

Appointments are available for Tuesday mornings this spring on Jan. 31; Feb. 7, 21 and 28; March 21 and 28; and April 4, 11 and 18.

For appointments and more information, email FitCheck@baylor.edu.

Broadway Rocks!

The Waco Symphony Orchestra will present Broadway Rocks!, featuring stars of the Broadway stage, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Waco Hall, 624 Speight Ave.

Performers Christiane Noll, Rob Evan and LaKisha Jones will perform selections from Jersey Boys, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Lion King, Mamma Mia, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera and others.

Ticket prices range from $20 to $50.

For tickets, visit www.wacosymphony.com.

Rotary Club of Waco

The Rotary Club of Waco will meet at noon Monday at the Lions Den, 1716 N. 42nd St.

Curtis Cleveland, vice president of marketing for Central Texas Iron Works, will present Central Texas Iron Works  Yesterday and Today.

Cost is $10 for a catered lunch.

For more information, call 776-2115.

Genealogy lunch

Waco-McLennan County Library will present The Beatitudes of a Genealogist, a brown-bag lunch genealogy session from noon to 1 p.m. Monday at the West Waco Library and Genealogy Center, 5301 Bosque Blvd.

Family historian Patti Huff Smith will share her eight beatitudes for a successful genealogy journey.

Guests will need to provide their own lunch.

For more information, call| 750-5945 or visit www.wacolibrary.org.

Meals on Wheels volunteers

Meals on Wheels is in need of volunteers to deliver lunches from its office at 501 W. Waco Drive.

Meal delivery routes take only one hour, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., and help older adults in the community to remain independent and in their own homes.

Monetary donations also are needed. A $10 donation provides lunch for a day.

For more information, visit www.mealsandwheelswaco.org.

Father-Daughter event

The Pavilion at the Carleen Bright Arboretum, 1 Pavilion Way in Woodway, will host a Sweet Memories Father-Daughter Dance from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Feb. 3.

Attire is semiformal for the event, which will include a dinner, a dance and an ice cream float bar.

Daughters must be ages 4 or older.

Cost is $25 per person, and reservations are required.

For reservations, call 399-9204.

Submit items for Briefly in printed or typed form to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302; or email to goingson@wacotrib.com.
Mazzios Italian Eatery is the latest pizza establishment to bite the dust on Hewitt Drive, reportedly closing on Christmas Eve, according to sources who have seen the quitting-business sign on the door.

Its closing follows the demise of Papa Murphys, a take-home-and-heat pizza place formerly operating at 208 Hewitt Drive.

Justin Duty, part of the Duty family that has operated the Poppa Rollos pizzeria at 703 N. Valley Mills Drive for decades, opened his own Poppa Rollos in Westrock Centre on Hewitt Drive in May 2015. Duty said by phone he has noticed the departure of Mazzios and Papa Murphys and does not know quite what to make of the situation.

We started busy and have stayed busy, said Duty, commenting on the neighborhoods acceptance of his Poppa Rollos, which features the same menu as the original. I knew we would cannibalize some of our existing customers, but we have not pulled away as many as I thought we would.

Still, he said, I think were doing a good job, and those people coming through the front door obviously are coming from somewhere.

He said he has pondered the possibility that his restaurant pulled sufficient numbers away from Mazzios and Papa Murphys to affect their viability.

The explosion of new restaurants of every stripe the past two years means everyone has to hustle a little harder, Duty said.

Wacos second Poppa Rollos is doing so well that Duty has secured an option on about 1,300 square feet of additional lease space adjacent to his restaurant, if it becomes vacant. He now does business in about 5,000 square feet and already needs more dining space to accommodate larger groups.

Duty also signed a lease on the former 3 Spoons Yogurt spot in Westrock, where he will open Sprinkles Frozen Yogurt and Smoothies near the end of January.

Cake store opening

A new sweet shop called Nothing Bundt Cakes held its grand opening Thursday at Central Texas Marketplace, where it occupies space next to Charming Charlie.

Local franchisees are John and Samantha Tran, from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, who plan to relocate to Waco, Samantha Tran said in an interview.

My husband went to Baylor, so it was natural for us to come back here, Tran said. Wonderful things are happening in Waco right now.

She said business has been good since the shops soft opening a few weeks ago, and customers have been warm and welcoming.

Weve been so busy, we have not had time to breathe, Tran said. Its been fun getting to know the locals.

Nothing Bundt Cakes was founded in 1997 and has grown to more than 250 franchised locations, Tran said, adding her shop employs about 20 and is still hiring.

A news release from Nothing Bundt Cakes said each shop offers a wide range of cake flavors and sizes, from bite-sized cakes to tiered cakes that serve up to 30 people.

Staples survey

Staples, the office supply giant, conducted a survey of small businesses to gauge their views with the arrival of 2017. It found that:

85 percent of American small-business owners surveyed are optimistic about the small-business climate in the new year.

67 percent plan to hire employees, and 72 percent plan to increase staff compensation in 2017.

97 percent plan to increase investment in their companies this year.

91 percent would be likely to encourage their children to start their own business.

93 percent think running their own business is the best kind of job satisfaction there is.

67 percent think business tax reform should be the Trump administrations top policy priority this year.

Staples surveyed 502 U.S. small-business owners who employ up to 10 full-time staffers between Dec. 14 and Dec. 21.

Weve been a small-business champion for more than 30 years, and are pleased that small-business owners are hopeful and confident as we head into the new year, Frank P. Bifulco Jr., executive vice president for global marketing at Staples, said in a prepared statement.

We conducted the survey to better understand the pulse of small-business owners and to further identify those priority product and service areas in which we can help our customers achieve success in 2017.

Gas prices rise

Relief from rising gas prices remains elusive, as the AAA Texas auto club reported Thursday that the statewide average for a gallon of regular unleaded increased another 5 cents during the previous week, to $2.16 a gallon. That is 41 cents more than Texas motorists were paying at this time last year.

Drivers across the nation paid the highest gas prices on New Years Day since 2014, according to AAA, which said, Market watchers are focused on whether OPEC, along with partnering countries, will stick to their six-month promise to cut 1.8 million barrels of crude per day.

Despite the increase, Texas remains one of the 10 least expensive states in which to buy gasoline, said Doug Shupe, AAA Texas director of public affairs.

Patrick DeHaan, an analyst with GasBuddy.com, said gas prices in 2017 may create sticker shock and could be the highest in three years.

He predicted motorists nationwide will shell out $52 billion more for gasoline during the course of the year than they did in 2016. Making that increase more aggravating, he said, is the fact that motorists saved $39 billion on fuel in 2016 versus 2015.

He said later this winter and in the spring, when refineries are converting from producing so-called winter blend gasoline to gasoline to be burned in warmer weather, motorists around the country could see prices increase 35 to 60 cents per gallon.

DeHaan even suggested that the nations 20 largest cities again will see gasoline prices surge past $3 a gallon.

New nursing facility

A new skilled nursing facility has opened at 2430 Marketplace Drive called The Brazos of Waco, which so far has filled 14 of its 123 available beds.

Wed love for people to take a tour, administrator Maureen Collins said.

The facility operates near the Arbor House assisted and independent living center at 2418 Marketplace Drive and the Mens Wearhouse shop at Central Texas Marketplace, which is bounded by Interstate 35, West Loop 340 and Bagby Avenue.

Collins said The Brazos of Waco accepts Medicare, Medicaid and private pay, and offers both short-term and long-term rehabilitation services.

Maryland-based Fundamental Clinical and Operational Services built the facility. It reportedly operates 34 rehab centers in Texas and plans to open six others.

Also near Central Texas Marketplace, Dallas-based Emerald Waco Investments is developing 30 acres to create a village that includes units offering assisted living, independent living and skilled nursing care on 18 acres. The balance of 12 acres is being offered for retail development.

Magnolia Realty move

The Magnolia name made famous by Chip and Joanna Gaines continues to show up at different locations around Greater Waco.

Magnolia Realty, previously based in the Extraco Financial Group building at 7305 Bosque Blvd., relocated two weeks ago to 816 Lake Air Drive, said Lacey Shillito, office concierge. She said about 25 agents are affiliated with Magnolia Realty in Waco, with another 25 working in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

Meanwhile, the city of Waco has issued a building permit for remodeling of space at 7305 Bosque Blvd. for use by Magnolia Homes.

A newsletter by the local office of the Associated General Contractors of America places the estimated value of the work at $160,000.

Chip and Joanna Gaines probably are best known for their popular Fixer Upper show on HGTV and Magnolia Market at the Silos at South Sixth Street and Webster Avenue.

The couple last year acquired the former Elite Cafe building on Wacos traffic circle and will remodel it this year into a breakfast-centric diner.
Not long after Ryan Holt became a Waco police officer some 21 years ago, he began to command attention, first as a forceful advocate for police raises, then as a technology whiz and a spokesman for the department.

Now hes about to command the Waco Police Department itself, and he hopes to move it into a new era with lessons hes learned about developing strategy and building relationships.

Holt, 45, an assistant chief since 2008, takes office as police chief on Sunday, with an official swearing-in ceremony at 2 p.m. Thursday at Knox Hall at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

In an extensive interview Friday, Holt discussed the challenges of growth and of dealing with mental health and racial tensions, and recounted lessons learned from disasters such as the Twin Peaks shootout and the West Fertilizer Co. explosion.

Holt has been known for years for his skills in analyzing crime trends, and he hopes to build on that approach with the recent hire of two new data analysts. But he said effective policing has to come from the heart, not just a spreadsheet.

When people talk about community policing, Waco PD has been doing that for 20 years, he said. The key to making it successful is for our police officers to know the people in our community. When people dont know each other, misunderstandings and stereotypes get in the way. Our legitimacy comes from the community, and were not going to be successful very long if we dont establish long-term relationships and be able to talk about hard issues.

Holt is the permanent replacement for Chief Brent Stroman, who retired in July 2016 and was his longtime mentor.

Theres no one that made more thoughtful decisions than Brent Stroman, Holt said. It was like an eight-year master class working for Brent Stroman.

Holt was chosen with the help of a consultant in a nationwide search, and City Manager Dale Fisseler has said he stood out in a field of 83 applicants.

Interim Chief Frank Gentsch, who is returning to his role as assistant chief, said he has watched Holt demonstrate leadership in the past two decades. For example, Holt handled the complexities of relocating the police headquarters to Hillcrest Tower a few years ago, he said.

Hes very knowledgeable and a confident supervisor who is dedicated to the department and the citizens of Waco. Ryan brings a lot of technical and operational expertise to the position as hes worked in every division of this department. I think the city and department are very fortunate that hell be serving us as the new chief.

Early in his career, when he served as spokesman for the Waco Police Association, Holt was unafraid to be a squeaky wheel on behalf of his fellow officers.

In July 2000, when City Manager Kathy Rice began to back away from a three-year plan to give an 8 percent raise each year, Holt denounced the decision in the press, then went straight to the council and successfully made a case for the raises.

Holt said the raises paid off in recruitment and retention of police officers, though he would have taken a more diplomatic approach in retrospect.

We were kind of a bull in a china closet, he said. We probably could have gotten to the same point with a little less confrontation. . . . As an executive officer, it gives me significant insight to have been through that and to have represented the association that many years ago. You try to make decisions based not only on whats good for the agency, but take into account whats good for your officers.

Al Melis, who was police chief from 2000 to 2007, saw Holts leadership potential early on.

I thought he was going places, Melis said. He impressed me with the ability to talk to a crowd and really connect with them. . . . I think hes going to be a great chief.

Melis made Holt his go-to person when it came to modernizing the departments technology.

He could cut through to what was necessary, what was a must-have and what was just a bright, shiny thing we didnt need, said Melis, now in his second career as an ordained Episcopal deacon in Waco.

Growth of the city

In the interview Friday, Holt said one of his challenges is how to keep up with the growth of the city without losing the relationships between officers and communities. He said that means working smarter  using data to help prevent crime and guide the deployment of officers.

The department has 247 sworn officers, including 135 on patrol, but the force can get stretched thin, especially on certain time-consuming calls.

The No. 1 issue we face from an operational standpoint is mental health issues, in terms of what it does to resource allocation, he said.

State and federal cutbacks to mental health services over the years have increased the number of incidents involving the mentally ill, including threats of suicide or harm to others. Its not unusual to have one or two mental health crisis calls on a given day, requiring an average of more than seven hours of police time. That deprives a lean staff of time for other investigations and patrols, Holt said.

He said he will work with the Texas Police Chiefs Association to seek more state help in handling and preventing mental illness episodes, while continuing to train officers in how to deal with the mentally ill.

I think officers in general are more savvy than in the past, he said of the mental health encounters. They try to solve issues now when they can by using non-law enforcement means. I see officers are a lot more apt to extend compassion to mental health consumers.

Also in the interview, Holt acknowledged the nationwide tensions between minority communities and police.

Holt said he plans to continue Stromans commitment to meet regularly with minority leaders, such as black pastors and NAACP officials, and he will encourage beat officers to get to know their neighborhoods.

Holt said hes betting that those relationships can prevent the type of social unrest seen in Baltimore, Baton Rouge and Ferguson, Missouri, after black men died at the hands of police officers.

You know, I hope were different, he said. I hope we are establishing the relationships so people know were coming from the right place, a good heart. Humans make mistakes on both sides of the law. Its imperative that in critical incidents people know were going to get to the truth, sometimes we have to have time to get to the truth.

At times, the truth is that officers have to use deadly force. Thats always a tragedy. No officer starts the day wanting to use deadly force. It takes a tremendous toll on an officer and their families. . . . On the other side, any family, regardless how hardened the criminal was, they were still someones father, brother or mother, or sister. Theyre still a human being.

Holt said he also wants to assure victims and witnesses that they shouldnt hesitate to call police because of their immigration status.

Our standpoint at the Waco Police Department has been when theres a victim of crime, we dont care about their status. We are going to investigate the crime and provide resources to victims.

Likewise, Holt said crime suspects will continue to be investigated based on their violation of state laws, not their federal immigration status.

What happens after the local arrest is really on the judicial system, he said. We prefer to address crimes in our own community.

The Waco Police Department has not been involved in the program, formerly known as Secure Communities, in which police automatically alert federal officials to possible immigration cases.

Holt said relationships are also key to preparing for major disasters that are beyond the capacity of any one agency to handle. That was driven home in the West Fertilizer Co. explosion that killed 15 people. Holt said Waco police sent a SWAT team to help evacuate the surrounding neighborhood.

The deadly shootout at Twin Peaks restaurant on May 17, 2015, was another incident that stretched police officials thinking about preparing for the worst, Holt said.

You had a lawlessness that manifested itself into a shootout in a crowded shopping center in a mid-sized city in America, and police saved a lot of lives that day, Holt said.

Paradigm shift

We did everything we could, given the information we had and the environment we were operating in at the time. What you have to understand is, that was a paradigm shift for law enforcement in America. Just like the Branch Davidian standoff was a paradigm shift in how law enforcement negotiates.

There had never been two organized groups who were willing to have a shootout in a public place and put as many lives in danger as happened at Twin Peaks. . . . If you had said youre going to have 250 people start shooting at each other, people would have said, That will never happen. Now we can say, that may really happen. So our planning for any major event has changed because of that.

Holt said hes prepared to weather criticism and take hard questions as police chief. But he said the public should never doubt that the police are ready and able to service and protect.

Our community gets a fantastic value for their money, he said. We have really good people working for us, and they belong to our community.
The Cove, a nonprofit teen nurturing center working in conjunction with Waco ISD to serve students experiencing homelessness, has only been open for 45 days.

But in that time, volunteers have helped more than 20 students obtain resources to get back on their feet and find stable places to sleep.

It has helped three seniors either graduate or get accepted to local colleges, and it has come just shy of reaching its overall sustainable fundraising goal of $300,000.

Those who run The Cove anticipate enrollment to double in its second semester, but as much as its initial success can be measured in numbers, it also is measured by the relationship growth and trust formed between the students and volunteers, Teri Holtkamp, The Coves executive director, said.

Overall, Waco ISD has about 1,600 students classified as homeless or unaccompanied youth, those who dont have an official legal guardian and often bounce from one location to another for shelter. The Cove is targeted to help more than 280 enrolled in Waco ISD high schools, more than 90 of whom are unaccompanied youth.

The center is not set up to shelter students overnight. But from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, students vetted by Waco ISD can have access to hot showers and laundry facilities, snacks and a family-style dinner, as well as counseling, medical and hair-cutting services, case management and more.

When the doors first opened, it was a pinch-me moment. Weve needed it for so long, and its nothing that could just come together overnight, Waco ISDs homeless liaison, Cheryl Pooler, said. It took a really long time to really help the community understand what our students needed. There was a thought, and I get it, that these kids have somewhere to go, theyre just not living at home because they just dont like the rules or theyre fighting with their parents. Thats not the case; home is not a safe place. Home doesnt even exist for some of our kids because parents have been incarcerated or just gone. Its a different story with all of our kids, but home is not there.

Before September, Rachel Freeman wasnt in school and was bouncing around from place to place in South Texas, after experiencing tragedy and hardship during her earlier high school years. She re-enrolled into school in September at Waco High and she also has just landed a new position at Freebirds World Burrito.

Pick yourself up

No matter how hard it is, life gets better, Freeman said. You just got to pick yourself up, because nobody else is going to.

Underneath that tough facade, Freeman knows a strong support system with The Cove has helped bring her to where she is now.

In 2015, Freemans uncle and grandmother both passed away while she was living in Bastrop. Time spent with her aunt during that period wasnt stable. She ultimately landed in a rehab center, recovering from a cocaine addiction, she said.

A bit guarded about her past, she was willing to share a little of her journey Thursday afternoon after school, hoping to show others in similar circumstances that hope does exist.

During her first week of school, a woman approached her about The Cove, but Freeman had no desire to find out just what kind of support the nonprofit group could give, she said.

I just wanted to come to school and go home, that was all, she said.

She was living with a friend who invited her up from Port Arthur, the city she fled to shortly after her three-month stint in rehab ended, she said. But a heart-to-heart encounter with another woman directly connected to The Cove would eventually change her mind, Freeman said.

I was struggling with stuff from my past, and she said she wanted to learn more about me and told me about The Cove, Freeman said. My first day here was a Thursday, and Ill never forget it. Thats when I met my mom (volunteer Toni McGinty). It was fun, the people were really nice, and I liked that we played pingpong. She beat me, like, 19 times.

With that memory in mind, The Cove has become something she looks forward to every time she goes to school, and the relief she gets from speaking to her Cove support system of volunteers throughout the week keeps her healthy coping mechanisms in place, she said.

Wednesday, Freeman found out she was accepted to McLennan Community College.

Theres people here that help me stay on the right track, you know? They want me to do better, Freeman said. If I had not been here, I would have never applied to college or have benefits. I would have never applied for college or a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Here, the doc helped me apply. I just got accepted to MCC, and its kind of a big step. I want to be a counselor for drug and alcohol abuse.

Mama T

As Holtkamp, often referred to as Mama T or just Momma, waited for Freeman and other students to arrive Thursday, the phone in her office rang.

On the other end, a Waco ISD teacher called to check on two boys who attended The Cove for the first time Wednesday, and she asked whether the two were expected to show up again. Holtkamp answered yes, and then the teacher asked if The Cove can help the boys find a solid place to sleep, other than in the van that sits in a Subway parking lot somewhere in the city. Wind chills were expected to hit 16 degrees Thursday, and the teacher didnt know if the boys would be warm enough.

Immediately, Holtkamp said she would step in to find a place, or if the boys werent willing to find shelter, make sure they had enough blankets and clothes to stay warm. By the middle of Thursdays time at The Cove, someone had donated a small, plug-in heater for the boys van. At least they would have that, if anything, Holtkamp said.

Before The Cove, Holtkamp served as the citys homeless administrator for 13 years and has a background in early childhood education.

But those little successes are an everyday occurrence when it comes to what The Cove assists with on a regular basis, she said.

Throughout the holiday season, the gravity of what The Cove was accomplishing hit home, Holtkamp said. Volunteers hosted a Christmas party, with each student receiving his or her own personalized stocking and a blanket and singing Christmas carols around the long dining table meant for those everyday family meals most of them dont get to have otherwise.

During that time, Holtkamp bought an Elf on the Shelf, a little stuffed elf that has become a tradition in homes across the country. The elf is hidden around a house, often meant to watch whether young children have been naughty or nice for Santa, but for The Cove students, this kind of tradition was a first.

I wrapped him in a baby blanket one day and put him next to the ketchup bottle in the refrigerator, and the kids were like, They cant find him, they cant find him. Finally, I said, OK, hes in the kitchen, and they still couldnt find him, Holtkamp said. Finally, I said its in one of the appliances, and two of the girls said, Whats an appliance? Rather than gasping, I was able to say, thats a stove, or the microwave or dishwasher. Finally, one of them screams and laughs because she sees him down on the bottom.

I dont know how many appliances they have in their house.

But The Cove doesnt want to be the answer for everything, Holtkamp said. The purpose is to help unite these students with other local resources through partnerships with other entities, she said. Freeman is a perfect example of that, she said.

No strings attached

With Cove students often in survival mode and with sometimes sharp tongues and attitudes for defense, getting them to trust volunteers in the beginning is the biggest obstacle, Holtkamp said. Most Cove students find it hard to believe a place exists just for them with no strings or hidden agendas attached, she said.

Building that trust also comes down to an ability to listen, volunteers dedicated to making long-lasting impressions and lots of small gestures of love, Holtkamp and Pooler said.

The first young lady, and I guess it was the third night she came, she said, Im just coming because the case manager seems nice and she wont leave me alone, so Im just coming really to get her off my case,  Holtkamp said.

She was just as hard-core as you could get, and I just said, Im glad youre here, you know? She said: Well, nobody does this stuff for nothing, and I know that. I dont know what yall want yet. This is the same kid who, when she opened up her stocking, she was blown away. She has been the one to me who has done a complete turnaround, and in a letter she wrote to The Cove about 10 days in, she said she never thought shed be anywhere where people truly cared.

The Cove has experienced its own teachable moments, with constant re-evaluation to make sure it is serving the needs of its students in a way that opens them up to new experiences and opportunities, Holtkamp said.

When one of the students came to her and pleaded for Holtkamp not to take in any more students during the year, she had to step back and realize how much the family atmosphere meant to its students.

I said to her: This is a big world. Its the whole reason I put the world map on my (office) wall, because theres more than just Waco, Texas, and you really owe it to yourself and everybody around you to try and experience as much as that gift as you can,  Holtkamp said. We decided one of the ways wed do that is through certain networking things and icebreakers, and thats how weve gotten to know each other, and thats how we introduce a new student.

As The Cove prepares for more students to come in during the next semester, representatives are looking for more volunteers to help with students and additional funding. They also want to find a way for students to have housing of some kind, through a host-home model or transitional housing for unaccompanied youth, Pooler said.

And as much as theyre in survival mode, the students are resilient. Thats exactly what Freeman is, said McGinty, Freemans favorite volunteer. When The Cove can get a child to open up and begin to hope again, thats where the success lies, McGinty said.

She lights a fire when she comes in here, and we just hit it off, McGinty said. I dont want to speak for her, but you generally know when people care about you and care about your future and making you the best you that you can be, and its just uplifting. . . . She just turned 19 in December, but as an 18-year-old who had been out of school in high school and had a terrible experience, to go enroll herself in school is incredible.
LAST WEEK: John Fulbright left college to join the U.S. Army. Sent to Italy in 1944, he served with the Corps of Engineers, supporting the infantry.

John Fulbright turned 21 in Italy during World War II while serving as platoon commander with the 109th Combat Engineer Battalion of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division.

Arriving at the Anzio beachhead soon after the Allied breakout in late May 1944, the 34th advanced north, up the western coast to Rome and on to Civitavecchia, Leghorn and Pisa. The soldiers spent the winter of 1944 in the mountains north of Florence.

Now 93, Fulbright remembers the journey well.

A lot of times it was mud and snow and it was hard to keep anything open, he said, referring to the roads, trails and bridges the men strived to keep passable for vital supplies to get through. The Germans had built a pretty substantial defensive. . . . The weather was the biggest thing, though. Most of the time you slept in your boots so they wouldnt freeze.

Published accounts note the Italy invasion was among the most grueling 20 months of the war; its referred to as the forgotten front, although tens of thousands of troops on both sides were killed or listed as missing, hundreds of thousands were wounded and thousands of civilians lost their lives.

In addition to the cold mountain weather, troops faced other dangers, including frequent artillery shelling and landmines such as the German S-mine, nicknamed the Bouncing Betty. Fulbright himself received a very minor injury from an artillery shell.

Wartime  no time to be scared

There are people who served in the military who really had hair-raising experiences and did valiant, valiant things  brave things, he said. A lot of things happen but you dont have time to be scared.

Once while traveling in a jeep, German troops opened fire on Fulbright and his driver. We had no idea where, exactly, they were, he said. We bailed out and ended up ditching the jeep. German machine guns had a very distinct sound, he added.

Combat engineering units had about the same rate of casualties as the infantry, Fulbright said. We had a lot of guys killed, mostly clearing mines.

The 109th traveled nearly the entire way up western Italy, including to Milan shortly after Italian dictator and Nazi ally Benito Mussolini was captured. Fulbright arrived soon after Mussolini and his mistress were executed and saw the gruesome aftermath: They were hanging at this filling station . . . upside down, he said.

With Italy no longer a threat and the war in Europe winding down, most men of the 34th were eligible to return stateside. Fulbright was transferred to the 313th Combat Engineer Battalion of the 88th Infantry Division. He was promoted to first lieutenant and served a year as company commander in Italy before returning stateside in May 1946.

Despite his love of all things Aggie, Fulbright decided to enter law school after doing some court-martial work in Italy. He enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and met his future wife, Anna Janicek. They wed in October 1949.

After completing law school, the couple moved to Waco in 1951, where he launched his career. They also built the home in which they still live.

Longtime Waco attorney

Fulbright practiced civil law with two other attorneys before forming a partnership with Charles Koehne. He worked with the firm for the rest of his career, retiring at the ripe old age of 75, he said.

He and Anna have seven children, the first and last girls, with five boys in the middle. All went to Texas A&M except the oldest daughter, who couldnt get in, as the university didnt go coed until 1963.

The Fulbright children would eventually provide the couple 17 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren over the course of their now 67-year marriage.

Today, Fulbright has mixed feelings about wars in the Middle East and other locations. Although he said he was glad to serve, todays fighting is very different than what was experienced during World War II.

We were attacked, and we were fighting both the Germans and the Japanese, Fulbright said. It was very organized.

In the Middle East and elsewhere today, there is no defined enemy, organization or purpose, he noted. No one in uniform, he pointed out.

And although Fulbright doesnt agree with the concept of war in general, World War II was a provocation that men such as he believed the United States was left with little alternative but to join the fight.

I wouldnt want to do it again, but I wouldnt have missed it, he said.

Voices of Valor, featuring stories about Central Texas veterans, publishes every Sunday in the Waco Trib. To suggest a story about a Central Texas veteran, email voicesofvalor@wacotrib.com. Voices of Valor is proudly sponsored by Johnson Roofing.
Aside from some hard feelings on both the left and right, the sun has finally set on our divisive presidential election and a new day is about to begin when security analysts and global strategists try to construct a blueprint of what American foreign policy under President-elect Trump might look like. Will a stream of forceful if sometimes confusing tweets be enough to do the job? Hardly!

We all need to think more seriously as to where our country is headed. Presumably, President Trump will quickly discover this on the job.

Come Jan. 20, Trump will raise his right hand and swear to faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will to the best of his ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. While I leave much of this to constitutional experts to deal with in case Mr. Trump bends the law, shreds the Constitution or deploys any tactics that undermine our long-standing traditions, the focus of many will be our relations with the rest of the world.

Three key areas involving foreign policy will require Mr. Trumps immediate attention, each of which Ill deal with in a series of columns before and after his inauguration. This way, I can present my argument to readers in a simple, concise and digestible format. While there are three main topics (Middle East, China and Russia) I believe Mr. Trump will have to address immediately, this week I address the Middle East; next week will be about China; and well conclude this series with Russia.

Given furor recently over Israel, Syria and Turkey, the Middle East must take the lead. Its not as though the entire region is lacking in conflicts. It now must add another in the person of Trump himself, clearly a foreign policy novice, no matter how well-intentioned he might be.

While pundits inside the Washington Beltway fear that Mr. Trump will pursue an isolationist foreign policy, current events on the ground  Syrian civil war, Yemens upheavals and Iraqs ongoing sectarian violence, just for starters  may end up shaping his policies toward the region. But dont assume for a second that Mr. Trumps approach is a furtherance of President Obamas seeming semi-detachment of the United States from Middle East problems.

Indeed, those who lamented Uncle Sams relative lack of meddling in Mideast statecraft may finally get their wish.

On the Syrian front, for instance, I predict Mr. Trump will coordinate with the Syrian regime (an effort facilitated by Russia) to deal with Islamic State terrorism. The United States will adopt a stance far removed from that of the Obama administration. Mr. Trumps objective is to restore calm through restoration of the Assad regime as the latter now calls Trump a natural ally for fighting terrorists.

Call it another instance of strange bedfellows. After all, some argue that confronting Hitler in World War II made strange allies of Josef Stalin and the Allies.

As to the Iran deal, Mr. Trump needs to understand that ditching the admittedly controversial deal the West reached with Iran would free Iran from any restrictions vis-a-vis uranium enrichment. One thing is sure: If Trump moves forward with his campaign rhetoric, Russia and China will not support any re-implementation of sanctions. That in itself may start to show cracks in the Trump administration approach to global affairs, including his supposed friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

After all, the two could easily end up on different sides in one of the most politically provocative foreign policy issues of the 2016 presidential campaign. Such are the dilemmas that arise in actual foreign policy.

Conversely, Mr. Trump could wait and see the outcome of Irans upcoming presidential election. Will Iranian President Hassan Rouhani be re-elected? Or will a hardliner ascend to power? I do not see how Russia and China will relinquish their newly found access to the Middle East through Iran. Complicating the picture further: Western companies lining up to enter the Iranian markets will be furious and might hinder Trump administration efforts if and when it becomes clear that entry into Iran is suddenly being sabotaged by the American president.

As to Iraq and Yemens ongoing turmoil, its very hard to ascertain where Mr. Trump stands given his limited understanding of cores issues there. I am hopeful members of his cabinet will advise him well, so long as they do not pursue a militarized U.S. foreign policy, given how some retired military brass have been nominated to cabinet positions. Note: To defeat Islamic State terrorism, Mr. Trump must understand that without the cooperation of Iran and Russia, his efforts are doomed.

Another wild card: How Trumps fierce support of Israel and settlements in the Palestinian West Bank complicate prospects for peace in the Middle East. Complication rests not only with Trumps policy toward these settlements but also on the outcome of the investigation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and if hes charged with corruption. Theres also the possibility of emergence of another intifada or uprising by Palestinians.

General sentiment in the region about the United States is negative, regardless of who occupies the White House. There are, however, those in the Middle East who see a silver lining in that at least Mr. Trump has spoken openly about his animosity toward Muslims, thus bolstering campaigns to portray the West as the enemy. Whether this will hinder Mr. Trumps foreign policy toward the Middle East remains to be seen, but expect plenty of tumult in coming years.

David Oualaalou is a global affairs analyst, author and professor. A former international security analyst in Washington, D.C., he is a professor of political science at Texas A&M University  Commerce. He is author of More Than a Handshake: The Ambiguous Foreign Policy of the United States Toward the Muslim World. He lives in Hewitt.
Several writers in the Waco Tribune-Herald blame our Founding Fathers for Donald Trumps election as president. Blaming our Founding Fathers for this is wrong and, given Congress certification of the Electoral College vote on Friday, worthy of more careful review.

Americas anti-democratic Electoral College chose Trump for president over Hillary Clinton, but the American people chose Clinton over Trump by 2.9 million votes  a clear 2.1 percent margin. The Republican talking-point response to the American people: Get over it.

The Founding Fathers who wrote the U.S. Constitution did not cause the greatest political tragedy in American history.

First, Trump may not have won had all the votes cast in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin been counted. Reportedly, 75,335 votes in two strongly Democratic counties in Michigan were never counted  seven times the statewide difference of only 10,704 votes.

Second, hundreds of thousands  perhaps millions  of Americans were denied their legal and constitutional right to vote under the new Jim Crow laws. Republican legislatures in several states worked in concert with the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council to use the photo ID scam to disenfranchise poor and minority voters. Texas was among them.

Third, the Framers of the Constitution did not create the Electoral College practice that thwarted democracy in this election. The great irony in this election is that the Electoral College ended up causing the very event it was designed to prevent  the election of an unfit and unqualified person to become president.

In opposing direct elections at the Constitutional Convention, Elbridge Gerry said,

The people do not (lack) virtue, but are the dupes of pretended patriots. In Massachusetts, it has been confirmed by experience that they are daily misled into the most baneful measures and opinions by the false reports circulated by designing men, and which no one on the spot can refute.

James Madisons notes further record Gerrys thoughts as follows:

He was not clear that the people ought to act directly even in the choice of electors, being too little informed of personal characters in large districts, and liable to deceptions.

Gerrys greatest fear at the 1787 Convention is exactly what happened in this election.

Writers to the Trib argue that the Framers created the Electoral College to give undue, anti-democratic political power to voters in small states over those in large states. James Wilson  along with Madison the most educated and informed scholar at the Convention  made the following point concerning majority rule:

The majority of people wherever found ought in all questions to govern the minority. If the interior Country should acquire this majority, it will not only have the right, but will avail themselves of it whether we will or no. Further, if numbers be not a proper rule, why is not some better rule pointed out.

Use of winner-take-all elections by states with partisan-pledged electors evolved years later as a mutation to the electoral system created by the Framers. Americas seventh president, Andrew Jackson, is chiefly responsible. But he did it in response to the infamous corrupt bargain that made John Quincy Adams president four years earlier. After the presidential election of 1824, winner-take-all elections with partisan-pledged electors became the norm. But its not in the Constitution and was not proposed at the 1787 Convention in Philadelphia. It is clearly contrary to the intent of the Framers.

The 2016 presidential election is irrefutable evidence that Americas government has failed. We had a good run. The government that will result from this is anti-democratic, corrupt, incompetent and dangerous. A character-challenged individual with bad temperament, a child-like personality, no experience, no qualifications, disturbing conflicts of interest and disturbing connections to Americas greatest adversary in the world is about to become our president.

This election has placed the worlds greatest nuclear arsenal in the hands of someone with no government experience, one who is calling for a new nuclear-arms race following a half-century of difficult negotiations with our adversaries to move the world toward nuclear disarmament. The existing world order based upon treaties and alliances like NATO is now in jeopardy. When no country in the world, including America, can believe what the president of the United States says, the trust that forms the foundation for international diplomacy, treaties and alliances does not exist.

It is ironic that this election appears to have made German Prime Minister Angela Merkel by default the de facto leader of the free world. America has been severely weakened. Instead of a new world order, Americas anti-democratic election has given birth to the new world disorder.

The Framers of the Constitution would be horrified to see Donald Trump become president. They would be horrified to see how the Electoral College operates today using winner-take-all elections with partisan-pledged electors. This is like having the people vote for president, then spinning a roulette wheel to see who won.

Congressman Bill Flores says, The American people have spoken. They did. And they said they wanted Hillary Clinton to be president. There is no defending this anti-democratic and unjust election. It is just wrong, and we need to reform our elections.

Most Americans are not nearly as upset that Hillary Clinton lost as they are that Trump won. We will soon have a spoiled, petulant president who would be expelled from elementary school for his daily anti-social conduct.

Heres the appropriate response to the Republican talking point, Get over it. Good, patriotic Americans will not get over it. Is this what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote the U.S. Constitution? Is this what the Greatest Generation fought for during the dark days of World War II?

As Martin Luther King said, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. America needs a democratic reform movement to update our Constitution, implement new voting rights laws and make America good again.

Charles Reed is a military veteran, has a degree in political science and history, is a retired federal servant and former mayor of Waco.
The stealth Republican move Monday night to weaken the ethics oversight office in the House of Representatives is a good reminder that the U.S. Constitution provides only limited protections when a single party rules. But the swift rollback of the plan on Tuesday is also a good reminder that the Constitution does have an oversight mechanism built in: the press.

When one party controls the legislature and presidency, the Fourth Estate isnt just a metaphor. Its a necessity for functioning free government.

The Office of Congressional Ethics wouldnt be anomalous in northern Europe, where many countries have independent ombudsman offices that oversee government ethics. But its a fairly unusual entity in U.S. terms. It was created in 2008, not by a law requiring a presidential signature but in a resolution passed by the House itself, under Democratic leadership.

The office is under the control of an eight-member board of directors, who are private citizens. It cant subpoena and it cant punish. Its power comes from its twin mandates of efficiency and publicity. It must complete its two-stage review process relatively quickly, by Washington standards (30 days and 45 days, respectively). And it must make public the recommendations it makes to the House Ethics Committee. It can also refer cases to the Department of Justice.

In short, the ethics office is designed to ensure that an independent, nonpartisan entity makes a public judgment when there are allegations of ethical violations by House members. If that task sounds familiar, it should: Its also part of the essential function of a free and independent press that takes the job of in-depth investigations seriously.

In essence, the cuts would have taken away the offices independence by giving the House Ethics Committee power to block investigations and by barring the office from investigating anonymous reports or referring investigations to federal prosecutors without first getting permission from the committee.

The proposed cuts, which were initially approved by the Republican conference, can only be explained by the existence of a single party majority in both houses of Congress and soon in the White House.

True, the office supervises only the House. But House Republicans didnt take this step when they formed a majority in 2010, or at any time since.

The difference now is that the Republican House is about to start passing major legislation that is going to become law, which wasnt the case as long as the Democrat Barack Obama was president. That legislative process is going to involve some heavy-duty lobbying by representatives of major regulated industries. And its a lot easier to streamline the passage of legislation if members of Congress dont have to worry about an ethics office looking over their shoulders.

Whats more, House Republicans are clearly feeling empowered by the Republican ascendancy across the branches. Democrats can make objections, to be sure. But the bully pulpit of the presidency, in particular, will only be occupied by a Republican.

All this starkly points to the reality that when the president and Congress come from the same party, the checks and balances contained in the Constitution have a far more limited effect than when there is partisan opposition across the branches.

When James Madison generated his constitutional design, he aspired to block the effects of political parties from the federal government. In the words of the historian Richard Hofstadter, Madison sought to produce a constitution against parties.

That didnt work out, as Madison himself learned in the first Congress. Eventually Madison embraced partisanship and became the founder of the Republican Party, which was arrayed against Alexander Hamiltons Federalist Party. But the United States was left with a system that attributed an unrealistic interest in balancing to a Congress controlled by the same party as the president, or vice versa.

Yet there is an all-important constitutional provision that does assure some oversight even when the president and Congress come from the same party: Madisons First Amendment, specifically its guarantee of freedom of the press.

According to a later attribution by the writer Thomas Carlyle, it was the great English political thinker and parliamentarian Edmund Burke who first referred to the press as the Fourth Estate alongside  and perhaps more important than  the Commons, Lords and Clergy represented in Parliament. If the attribution is accurate, then the notion arose around the time Madison was drafting the First Amendment.

The basic idea is that a free press has an essential constitutional job: It oversees the branches of government, even when they arent checking each other.

For this to work, the press doesnt have to be objective. It can have a political bent. Newspapers were partisan in Madisons age. The Gazette of the United States was identified with the Federalist Party, and Madison helped create and then wrote for the competing National Gazette to express the Republican point of view.

The point is that a newspaper, even a partisan newspaper, keeps publishing even when the party it supports isnt in power. The House Republicans can gut the ethics office, but they cant gut the national news media.

Investigating members of Congress isnt always easy. In its infinite wisdom, Congress hasnt extended the Freedom of Information Act to itself. Identifying backroom deals and directions of lobbyist influence is hard work.

But its also work that is absolutely crucial to the functioning of democratic government in the years ahead. In this way, the Constitution doesnt just permit a free press: It requires it.

Thats the difference between one-party political dominance, which the United States will soon have, and one-party rule, which we know from Russia, Egypt, Turkey and the like.

Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg View columnist. He is a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard University and was a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. His books include Cool War: The Future of Global Competition and Divided by God: Americas Church-State Problem  and What We Should Do About It.
If one issue today demonstrates how ideology must ultimately bend to hard realities, its the controversy over Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Few situations sum up the Obama administrations foreign policy failures as well as its standing aside last month while the United Nations Security Council formally branded Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem a flagrant violation under international law.

By failing to exercise our veto power in the United Nations, we not only undermined our most valuable ally in the Middle East, we further complicated the situation on the ground in the West Bank, one that defies easy resolution, now more than ever.

Yes, the United States has long pressed, under presidents Democratic and Republican, the idea of a two-state solution allowing Palestinians true autonomy over at least part of the West Bank  a position that underlines last months UN resolution. But the fact is that, even as Palestinians claim the land as theirs, some 400,000 Israelis now live in about 150 settlements across the West Bank, often tightly snaking around Palestinian communities themselves totaling 2.5 million people. Another 200,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem.

Look at a map of where Israeli settlements have developed and grown in the West Bank, then take stock of where Palestinian communities are. Then try to imagine carving out a Palestinian state without disrupting some long-established settlements. And these Israeli settlements arent just tents and huts but Israeli desert neighborhoods as developed as any you might find in, say, Phoenix and Tucson, complete with Hebrew University of Jerusalems Mount Scopus campus.

While one could argue that Israeli authorities erred through the decades in permitting Israeli settlements to evolve on land viewed as crucial in any peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, the fact also remains that the Palestinians have done very little to indicate they have any interest in being a peaceful neighbor. They celebrate martyrs who are no more than terrorists. They encourage corrupt leadership seemingly intent on sabotaging solutions. They have bred hate in their school children.

Is the notion of a two-state solution even viable today? Not given current political dynamics, including a hardline Israeli administration and the Trump administrations making it clear that it backs the Israeli settlements. If Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are ever to find peace, it will require not only a new plan and strategy but grassroots leadership on both sides with a firm commitment to peace, tolerance and co-existence. And that may require another generation to blossom  if ever.
Health Minister Sussan Ley is facing fresh calls to resign after revelations she has taken 27 taxpayer-funded flights in and out of the Gold Coast over recent years, including over two consecutive years during the New Year's Eve period.

Ms Ley has come under fire for purchasing an $800,000 apartment on a 2015 taxpayer-funded trip to the Gold Coast, where her partner owns a bin-cleaning business.

Ms Ley will on Monday morning take questions about the affair from reporters in Albury, in her electorate, at her first press conference since the scandal broke last week.

While maintaining the property purchase was not planned and that she had official business on the Gold Coast, Ms Ley on Sunday apologised for her "error of judgment" and agreed to repay the money for four trips to the Gold Coast.
Jerusalem: A Palestinian driver intentionally rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers on Sunday, killing four and wounding a dozen on a picture-postcard promenade overlooking Jerusalem's Old City and a park called the "Peace Forest."

The dead - all 20 years old - and the wounded were part of a large group of officer cadets who were getting an educational tour.

Israeli officials quickly labelled the truck-ramming a terrorist attack and said the driver was from a nearby East Jerusalem suburb.

The Islamist militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, applauded the "heroic operation" but did not take responsibility for it.
S&P 500 3,719.89 DOW 32,001.25 QQQ 260.49 Harnessing Neuroplasticity Allows You to Actually Change the Way You Think. Here's How. A Potential Fintech Unicorn (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss Mr. Wonderful's DeFi Comeback (Ad) Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise Bank of England makes biggest interest rate hike in 30 years Mr. Wonderful's DeFi Comeback (Ad) UN agency: No evidence seen for Moscow's 'dirty bomb' claim How major US stock indexes fared Thursday 11/3/2022

S&P 500 3,719.89 DOW 32,001.25 QQQ 260.49 Harnessing Neuroplasticity Allows You to Actually Change the Way You Think. Here's How. A Potential Fintech Unicorn (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss Mr. Wonderful's DeFi Comeback (Ad) Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise Bank of England makes biggest interest rate hike in 30 years Mr. Wonderful's DeFi Comeback (Ad) UN agency: No evidence seen for Moscow's 'dirty bomb' claim How major US stock indexes fared Thursday 11/3/2022

S&P 500 3,719.89 DOW 32,001.25 QQQ 260.49 Harnessing Neuroplasticity Allows You to Actually Change the Way You Think. Here's How. A Potential Fintech Unicorn (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss Mr. Wonderful's DeFi Comeback (Ad) Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise Bank of England makes biggest interest rate hike in 30 years Mr. Wonderful's DeFi Comeback (Ad) UN agency: No evidence seen for Moscow's 'dirty bomb' claim How major US stock indexes fared Thursday 11/3/2022
by Adrian Gibson

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go

So make the best of this test, and dont ask why

Its not a question, but a lesson learned in time

Its something unpredictable, but in the end is right,

I hope you had the time of your life 

Time Of Your Life, by Green Day

Today, I write that dreaded parting column.

This is so difficult to write and whatever version ends up being published has gone through many deletions and re-writes. I have been thinking about this for weeks and pondering upon what I would say to the loyal readers of this column who have devotedly read my columns for 12 years. Teary eyed, I say thank you, thank you so very much.

I have sought to write this column on several occasions but always found an excuse or some fanciful reason not to face the music. Finally, I had to just do it.

A few weeks ago, I accepted the Free National Movements (FNM) nomination to run as its standard bearer in my hometown, Long Island. My acceptance of that nomination, and subsequent ratification, has led to the decision - in all fairness to myself, my readers and The Tribune - to temporarily lay my pen down and suspend my weekly column. This decision does not come easily: it comes with a bit of trepidation, but it is the right thing to do at this time.

I grew up at The Tribune. Though in college, I was embraced by The Tribune, trained as a reporter and worked the news desk. Before returning to college, then managing editor John Marquis, publisher Eileen Carron and then news editor Paco Nunez concluded that I was a keeper, resulting in me becoming The Tribunes youngest columnist at 20. Then began the column A Young Mans View. As one who always read Nikki Kellys columns, I initially insisted that my column be laid out much like hers and in that request - and in many others that came in the years after - I am grateful to The Tribune for obliging me.

Now 32, whenever I review some of my earlier columns, I could see my growth and maturation over the years. Thankfully, I also had people like Sir Arthur Foulkes (a great adviser and reference point) and even Nikki Kelly herself offered advice (publicly and privately). Notably, Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis - then a first term MP - sent me a note once offering advice about a coarse reference I made in an earlier column. He indicated that he was an avid reader and, whilst nothing in that particular column mentioned him, his tasteful chiding of me was much appreciated and memorable. Ive thanked him over the years.

It has been a wonderful journey to have been exposed to so many people and so many aspects of the life and times of the Bahamas via the vehicle that The Tribune provided me. Mrs Carron, the Iron Lady, has become another mother to me over the years. I have called upon her for personal and professional advice, she donned her lawyers garb after years of shelving it and assisted in presenting me to the Bahamas Bar when I was called. I am honoured to know such a great Bahamian woman. Our many conversations over the years have been enlightening and will undoubtedly endure.

Today, I smile about my pursuits as a reporter at The Tribune. From interviews in bathrooms to 3am calls from sources to meeting contacts at clandestine locations for documents to developing story ideas and pursuing them with the hopes of striking gold  it was great! I loved it.

I love writing this column. I have written well over a thousand columns over the years, including supplements and sometimes twice weekly. This has been a much cherished part of my life. Whilst the door wont be closed on a possible return to writing a column, I have decided to politically enlist with the FNM to serve the interests of my people in Long Island. I am uncertain that my readers would be reasonably persuaded that I can write a column with the same candid, undeterred fervour and fearlessness whilst pursuing political office. I certainly would not want my column to be viewed as a self-serving tool. That has never been the intent and I do not want to tarnish the Young Mans View brand.

Home is where the heart is. I could not ignore the call of my people. I could not turn down an opportunity to serve the interests of the people of Long Island.

As I enter shark-infested political waters, I state here unequivocally that I intend to remain true to myself. I am a man of conviction and I can assure my readers and all those who have come to know me over the years that I will unbendingly stand by my principles and core beliefs, that being an ethical and honest servant of the peoples interest will be a key driving factor in all I do and that much of the approach and dedication I brought to researching and writing this column will be translated to my new life as a politician (wow, I still flinch at being referred to as a politician).

There are many issues that our country faces. I have articulated many of those issues and proposed solutions over the years in these very pages. I am sincerely hopeful that my involvement in the political firmament will foster change and service-oriented governance that focuses upon the issues as opposed to personalities and foolish political barbs and self-serving political horse-trading. Our country is on the brink of socioeconomic upheaval. We are one major natural decision or global recession away from near economic collapse. Our society has been a volatile powder keg and we are seeing the emergence of a generation who are unconcerned about life, who would kill, rob or maim another human being for as little as $250.

We must stem the tide or lose any semblance of what The Bahamas use to be and the potential of what it could be. Given all that, I have decided to no longer stand on the sideline and now enter the political arena. Honestly, it is a major sacrifice but one that will hopefully result in a better country for my seven-year-old son, my future children and the future of many Bahamians yet unborn. I will certainly commit myself to working hard and doing my endeavouring best to attaining a country where national service, educational parity and opportunities, decent healthcare, functional utilities, effective and service-oriented law enforcement, societal amity and so on, become the norm as opposed to the exception.

In the interest of focusing upon the campaign in Long Island, I am also taking a leave of absence from the firm Callenders & Co effective immediately. I thank my learned senior Frederick Smith QC for his abiding support and the opportunity to work closely with him over the years.

The time required to write a column and to practice law can be all consuming and intense. To mount an effective people-oriented campaign whilst actively doing both would be near impossible and unfair to those to whom I owe my best.

Thank you to all those at The Tribune - news colleagues and friends. I am pleased to be a part of such a great family.

Most importantly, I say a special thanks to the readers of this column. Thank you for following this column over the years from the Friday edition to the Saturday Big T to the Thursday paper. Thank you for your emails, calls, compliments and input over the years. Ive hardly missed a week, writing on vacation or during special occasions to ensure that when you open the papers you are not disappointed. I will miss writing for you.

This is both an ending and a new beginning.

As I enter the next chapter of my life, I say to the people of Long Island that your native son is coming home and reporting for duty.

For 12 years, I had the time of my life. It has been a 12 year blast  and it may return.

Elton John sings that sorry seems to be the hardest word but, in all truth, it is goodbye. And so, to my readers, I say goodbye ... for now.

First published in the The Tribune under the byline, Young Man's View, here

View Adrian Gibson's archive here
By Os Hillman Jan. 08, 2019 | 09:28 AM

As Davids enemies were increasing and he was fleeing the city from his son Absolom who was seeking to take his throne, a man named Shimei began heaving rocks and cursing him as he passed by. Cursing the king was against the law, so David had every right to cut off the mans head  as his generals were encouraging him to do. Here we see the difference between Saul and David in their response to those who would seek to do them harm. This is the defining difference between a leader who seeks to lead through a vertical dimension with God versus a horizontal fix-it mode. God knew David as a man after His own heart. Yet, David was a murderer, adulterer, and had failed in many areas of his life. But one thing separated this leader from all the rest: He had a heart that sought to please God and be in His will. When David blew it, he repented.





What is the purpose God desires to accomplish with the estranged relationship you may have with someone? Has He brought this affront to find out what is in your heart today? Will you seek revenge and solve the problem yourself? Or will you find the grace to allow God to carry out vengeance in His time if it is needed? When I learned this lesson to stay vertical with God and avoid the trap of fixing things in my own energies, it was a day of freedom. No longer was it my problem. We must examine our own heart in these matters. But if we are clean, then this affront is for character building. It is the only way God builds the deepest level of character in His saints.





A.W. Tozer tells us, It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply. God actually rises up storms of conflict in relationships at times in order to accomplish that deeper work in our character. We cannot love our enemies in our own strength. This is graduate-level grace. Are you willing to enter this school? Are you willing to take the test? If you pass, you can expect to be elevated to a new level in the Kingdom. For He brings us through these tests as preparation for greater use in the Kingdom. You must pass the test first.

Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today.  2 Samuel 16:11-12

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By The Associated Press

Jan. 07, 2017 | FRANKFORT, KY

By The Associated Press Jan. 07, 2017 | 05:41 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

Women would be barred from getting an abortion in Kentucky after 20 weeks of pregnancy under a bill that has cleared the state legislature.



The state House gave final passage to the bill on Saturday. It now heads to Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, who has said he will sign it. The bill contains an emergency clause, meaning it is effective immediately.



The bill bans all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, unless the mother's life is in danger. The "life of the mother" exception does not include mental illness. The bill contains no exceptions for rape or incest.



Supporters say the bill is necessary because at 20 weeks a fetus can feel pain. Opponents say that is not supported by medical evidence and say it places more barriers on women's reproductive rights.



The bill also creates a "litigation fund" to help pay for the state to defend the bill against legal challenges.




Advertisement

By West Kentucky Star Staff

Jan. 07, 2017 | LOUISVILLE, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 07, 2017 | 08:39 PM | LOUISVILLE, KY

Kentucky's religious community is rallying behind the abortion ban passed by the Kentucky House Saturday evening, and expected to be passed by the Senate and signed into law by Governor Matt Bevin.



The Kentucky Southern Baptist Convention released the following statement following the news of the bill's passage in the State House:



"Kentucky Baptist Convention Executive Director Paul Chitwood issued the following statement after final passage of two important prolife bills on Saturday:



Kentucky Baptists have been working, hoping, and praying for this day for a very long time. I thank God for House Speaker Jeff Hoover, Senate President Robert Stivers, Governor Matt Bevin, and every Kentucky lawmaker who courageously used their influence and vote on behalf of the voiceless and vulnerable to see that abortion is banned after a conceived child is 20 weeks old.



The first responsibility of government is to provide security for its citizens and today that promise is being fulfilled to babies who, in most cases, could survive outside of the womb.



A close friend of mine is the adopted father of a happy, healthy three-year-old whose biological mother chose not to have him killed after seeing him in her womb through the technology of an ultrasound. I never think of him without also thinking about the Texas lawmakers who helped give him and untold thousands of other children a better chance of survival by passing ultrasound legislation in that state five years ago.



While every Kentucky mother considering an abortion may not make the same decision, she will at least now have the same opportunity and babies will have a better chance at life. At a minimum, a required ultrasound will help ensure a mother understands the abortion procedure, its risks and consequences."



The bill is expected to be sent to the Senate either Sunday or Monday and expected to be passed. From there it will go to Governor Matt Bevin (R) who is expected to sign the measure into law.




Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world
John Lopez uses the landscape, wildlife, and history of his South Dakota home as inspiration for his sculptures.During the time of Manifest Destiny and westward expansion, pioneers had to make do with their own grit, guts, and gumption to survive. The wilderness is a tough place to live, even under the best of circumstances.Its this sort of history that South Dakota artist John Lopez uses as inspiration for his beautiful and iconic work. John doesnt use paint or ink to create his masterpieces. Instead, he scours scrapyards and farms for discarded equipmentbut its what he creates from that metal that truly hearkens back to the roots of his ancestors Wild West.The resulting works seem to have a life to them that other art just doesnt possess.Telling the story of life on the prairie is incomplete without the bison, the main resource of generations of Native peoples who called this region their home. The Grand River once knew vast herds of bison, unconfined by fences, as it now knows cattle and sheep that are moved from pasture to pasture by ranchers on horseback.Sculptor John Lopez is a product of a place. His peoples ranches are scattered along the Grand River in northwestern South Dakotanot far from where Sitting Bull was born and died.Not far from where thousands of buffalo were killed during the westward expansion of settlers and gold miners. In the bone yards of Tyrannosaurus rex and grizzly bears. Since farmers and ranchers populated this chunk of reservation land, real cowboys have been roping and branding and sheering and haying and harvesting.Johns own forte lies in gentling colts and perfecting their bloodlinesand he started his celebration of them by sculpting in clay. Capturing every nuance, every muscle, in this land where business is still conducted over a cup of coffee and neighboring is a way of life.Somehow that way of lifewhere times seems to have stood stillhas seen the transition from horsepower to vehicles. The rusted carcasses of discarded equipment stand testament to generations of labor. And the man who knows blood lines has picked through them, choosing the elements of the pastthe actual implements that plowed the soil or cut the grain or dug the dinosaurand created the curve of a jaw, the twitch of a tail, the power of a shoulder.Join John on a tour of kitchens and scrap piles, barns and grain elevators, cemeteries and workshopshosted by the people of the prairie. Meet Uncle Geno and brother-in-law Stuart, and scrap collectors from near and far. Listen carefully. Theres a story in the wind.
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Xaar has built a new 3D centre in Nottingham, UK. The new facility, which opens this month will deliver 3D printing services and equipment to OEMs, material suppliers and end users. Xaar is also delighted to announce its new 3D team, headed up by Professor Neil Hopkinson. The expansion of Xaars 3D business is a key part of the Companys 2020 strategic vision.



Professor Hopkinson, the original inventor of the transformational High Speed Sintering technology (HSS), joined Xaar in March 2016 to develop the Companys 3D business. HSS uses inkjet printheads and infrared

heaters to manufacture products layer by layer from polymer powder materials at much higher speeds than other additive manufacturing processes. This technology is therefore of interest to companies looking to use 3D in volume manufacturing.

Since joining Xaar, Neil has been building his 3D team and earlier this year appointed project managers and 3D engineers who are now based at the Xaar 3D Centre. The team in Nottingham will focus on development of materials and applications with an impressive range of global brand partners. In addition, Neils team has this month been expanded to include an experienced group of talented engineers working in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Xaar Copenhagen team will provide design and process development expertise to help the companys partners commercialise HSS equipment, enhancing Xaars ability to secure further revenues in this fast growing sector.

I am delighted to confirm our investment in the Xaar 3D Centre in Nottingham and our 3D team including the new group in Copenhagen, says Neil Hopkinson. As we build our business in 3D it is vital that we have the in-house expertise to support our partners. The addition of the team in Denmark further extends our capability.

Xaar

www.xaar.co.uk
This hike will cover the Mallard Creek Trail, Huckleberry Trail and the Live Oak Trail. Total distance will be approximately one-mile and will bring us through new trail extensions, pine woods, live oak ecosystems and along the Pamlico River. Meet in the last parking lot.Discover the amazing habits and adaptations that our native birds of prey share. We will discuss our large bald eagle, the tiny screech owl and so many more in between. Meet at the visitor center for a fun and eye opening experience.Learn how to make artwork out of the beautiful long leaf pine needles like the Native Americans long ago. Meet at the park visitor center and practice the basic techniques to start making a basket. All materials will be provided. This program is for ages 16 and older. Please call the park office to register as space is limited.Did you know that fire plays an important role in the ecosystem at Goose Creek? This presentation covers why we burn, how we burn and some of the equipment we use to incorporate fire into the landscape. Meet at the visitor center.Take a short walk down to Mallard Creek and check out our new proposed trail extension. Meet in the last parking lot.Vanessa FischerGoose Greek State Park2190 Camp Leach RoadWashington, NC 27889Phone:
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 08/01/2017 (2126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man who took his own life in a stand-off with RCMP Friday night near Anola was not frequently seen in the community, neighbours said.

RCMP were sent to the rural residential home after they received a report that a man with guns had uttered threats to his family and police. The home was just off Highway 15, about six kilometres east of Anola.

The man had secured himself in his home and was alone, RCMP said. Police entered the home Saturday morning and found the 45-year-old mans body.

I used to see him cutting wood, said one person who lived within viewing distance of the house.

When people move out here, some of them come by and introduce themselves, and others keep to themselves. The family, that had at least one child, kept to themselves, he said. The neighbour said he would not even be able to identify family members because he only saw them at a distance.

The neighbour said he came home Friday night and saw flashing police lights around the house, and heard police talking through a megaphone but couldnt make out what they said. It was probably too late already, he said.

Mounties from the Oakbank detachment and the RCMP emergency response team set up outside the home and blocked off the area, including Highway 15, after about 9 p.m.

RCMP refused further comment Sunday. The investigation has been handed over to the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/01/2017 (2127 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police made a dramatic entry into a North End home Saturday as part of a major weapons investigation into the selling of stolen explosives on the black market, the Free Press has learned.

Officers with the tactical support team used a stun grenade as they executed a search warrant at the College Avenue home just after 9 a.m. The officers used their specialized Gurkha tactical armoured rescue vehicle, more commonly known as ARV1.

At least two people, a man and a woman, were home at the time and taken into custody for questioning.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Police investigate home at 840 College Ave. after surrounding it early Saturday morning and taking individuals into custody.

Police have not released any information about the incident, which occurred near Arlington Street in the 800 block of College. They only asked the public to avoid the area for several hours and said details would be forthcoming at a later time.

However, a justice source told the Free Press the case involves sticks of dynamite that have somehow made their way from mines in northern Manitoba to the streets of Winnipeg.

A single stick has been selling for $1,000, the source said.

More than a dozen separate explosives have apparently been sold in recent months and are currently unaccounted for, raising plenty of alarm among investigators.

One stick could take down three houses, the source said.

These types of investigations are rare in Winnipeg. The most recent occurred in April 2014 when a longtime Hells Angels associate was caught with a massive stash of explosives hidden on his property.

Samuel Thorsteinson claimed he was using the dangerous material to blow up beaver dams and not to intimidate criminal rivals. He was given a two-year-less-a-day conditional sentence after pleading guilty in 2015 to possessing explosives.

The Crown admitted the joint recommendation was far less than the lengthy penitentiary sentence such a crime warrants, especially considering Thorsteinsons criminal past. But they said the plea bargain had to be made to protect the identity of the informant who led them to Thorsteinson.

Police found 45 kilograms of emulsion-based explosives under a trailer on Thorsteinsons five-acre property in the RM of Springfield. The materials were put into Gatorade bottles, court was told. Investigators found 90 metres of detonator cord nearby. All of the explosives were fresh, usable and able to explode, the Crown said.

Thorsteinson told court about a black rice crop he claimed to be producing near Sherridon, located in the northwest corner of Manitoba. He said he was selling the crop to Russia but had run into problems with potential flooding caused by beaver dams.

Thats where the explosives come in, Thorsteinson claimed. Hed been using the illegally acquired explosives  he didnt say how or where he got them from  to blow up the dams and protect his rice crops.

Queens Bench Justice Chris Martin was skeptical of the unusual explanation but said Ill accept it as is in the absence of any other information provided by lawyers.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 08/01/2017 (2126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You almost have to feel sorry for Julian Assange. Shut in at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London without access to sunlight, the founder of WikiLeaks is reduced to self-parody these days.

Here is a man dedicated to radical transparency, yet he refuses to go to Sweden despite an arrest warrant in connection with allegations of sexual assault. His organization retweets the U.S. president-elect, who once called for him to be put to death. He spreads the innuendo Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer, was murdered this summer because he was the real source of the emails WikiLeaks published in the run-up to Novembers election. Now, he tells Fox Newss Sean Hannity its the U.S. media that is deeply dishonest.

This is the proper context to evaluate Assanges claim, repeated by Donald Trump and his supporters, Russia was not the source for the emails of leading Democrats distributed by WikiLeaks.

KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaks on the balcony of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London last year.

We all know the U.S. intelligence community is standing by its judgment Russia hacked the Democrats emails and distributed them to influence the election. While its worrisome Trump would dismiss this judgment out of hand, this misses the main point. Sometimes the spies get it wrong, like the slam-dunk conclusion Saddam Hussein was concealing Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

The real issue is Assange. The founder of WikiLeaks has a history of saying paranoid nonsense. This is particularly true of Assanges view of Hillary Clinton. His delusions have led him to justify the interference in our elections as an act of holding his nemesis accountable to the public.

Bill Keller, the former New York Times executive editor, captured Assanges penchant for dark fantasy in a 2011 essay that described him casually telling a group of journalists from the Guardian former Stasi agents were destroying East German archives of the secret police. A German reporter from Der Spiegel, John Goetz, was incredulous. Thats utter nonsense, he said. Some former Stasi personnel were hired as security guards in the office, but the records were well-protected, Keller recounts him as saying.

In this sense, WikiLeakss promotion of the John Grisham-esque yarn Rich was murdered on orders from Clintons network is in keeping with a pattern. Both Richs family and the D.C. police have dismissed this as a conspiracy theory. That, however, did not stop WikiLeaks from raising a US$20,000 reward to find his real killers.

Add to this Assanges approach to Russia. Its well-known his short-lived talk show, which once aired a respectful interview with the leader of the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, was distributed by Russian state television. WikiLeaks has also never published sensitive documents from Russian government sources comparable with the U.S. State Department cables it began publishing in 2010, or the emails of leading Democrats last year.

When an Italian journalist asked him last month why WikiLeaks hasnt published the Kremlins secrets, Assanges answer was telling. In Russia, there are many vibrant publications, online blogs, and Kremlin critics such as (Alexey) Navalny are part of that spectrum, he said.

There are also newspapers like Novaya Gazeta, in which different parts of society in Moscow are permitted to critique each other, and it is tolerated, generally, because it isnt a big TV channel that might have a mass popular effect  its audience is educated people in Moscow. So my interpretation is that in Russia there are competitors to WikiLeaks, and no WikiLeaks staff speak Russian, so for a strong culture which has its own language, you have to be seen as a local player.

This is bizarre for a few reasons. To start, Assanges description of the press environment in Russia has a curious omission. Why no mention of the journalists and opposition figures who have been killed or forced into exile? Assange gives the impression the Russian government is just as vulnerable to mass disclosures of its secrets as the U.S. government has been. Thats absurd, even if its also true some oppositional press is tolerated there.

Also, WikiLeaks once did have a Russian-speaking associate. His name is Yisrael Shamir, and, former WikiLeaks staffer James Ball says, he worked closely with the organization when it began distributing the U.S. State Department cables. Shamir is a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This is all a pity. A decade ago, when Assange founded WikiLeaks, it was a very different organization. As Raffi Khatchadourian reported in a 2010 New Yorker profile, Assange told potential collaborators in 2006, Our primary targets are those highly oppressive regimes in China, Russia and Central Eurasia, but we also expect to be of assistance to those in the West who wish to reveal illegal or immoral behaviour in their own governments and corporations.

For a while, WikiLeaks followed this creed. The first document published, but not verified, was an internal memo purporting to show how Somalias Islamic Courts Union intended to murder members of the transitional government there. It published the emails of University of East Anglia climate scientists discussing manipulation of climate change data. In its early years, WikiLeaks published information damaging to the U.S. No government or entity or political side appeared to be immune from the organizations anonymous whistleblowers.

Today, WikiLeakss actions discredit its original mission. Does anyone believe Assange when he darkly implies he received the DNC emails from a whistleblower? Even if you arent persuaded Russia was behind it, there is a preponderance of public evidence the email account of Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta, was hacked, such as the email that asked him to give his password in a phishing scam. Assange himself is not even sticking to his old story: he told Hannity a 14-year-old could have hacked Podestas emails. Good to know.

In short, the founder of a site meant to expose the falsehoods of governments and large institutions has been gaslighting us. Just look at the WikiLeaks statement on the emails right before the election: To withhold the publication of such information until after the election would have been to favour one of the candidates above the publics right to know, it said.

Thats precious. WikiLeaks did favour a candidate in the election simply by publishing the emails. The candidate it aided, Trump, is so hostile to the publics right know he wont even release his tax returns.

In less than two weeks, he will be in charge of an intelligence community that asserts with high confidence the emails WikiLeaks made public were stolen by Russian government hackers. Assange, of course, denies it, and Trump seems to believe him. Sad! Bloomberg
STEWARTVILLE, Minn.  Barbara Fischer of Stewartville is a single mother to 14 children. Ten of them are adopted children with significant disabilities.

Yet it was her youngest daughter and probably her last adopted child, Arianna, who asked the most wondrous questions. Soon after bringing her home, the then-7-year-old child scanned the night sky and asked, Whats that? It was the moon. She had never seen it before.

Arianna had never seen a can of pop before. Never been exposed to food except what she had seen on television. Arriving at their Stewartville home for the first time, Fischer opened the garage door to park the van. Arianna wanted to know if the garage was their home.

Arianna had spent the past five years of her young life in a San Diego hospital ward, largely shut off and isolated from most childhood experiences. Her birth mom had given her up, unable to care for a child with such intensive medical needs.

Arianna suffers from a neuromuscular disease similar to childhood Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrigs disease. She is fed through a feeding tube and uses a ventilator much of the day to help her breathe.

And no family wanted to adopt her, until Barbara Fischer came along. Ariannas life was about to open up.

Fischer wasnt bringing Arianna to an empty home. She was bringing her to meet her new brother, Alexander James, AJ for short. AJ is nine and the ninth of Fischers adopted children. Like Arianna, he suffers from a terminal disorder. AJ has Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, a disease that prevents his skin from properly anchoring to his body. Angry red welts, some of them incurred since birth, cover AJs body.

Its hard to imagine how one mother could care for one such medically-involved child, much less two. But Fischer had this idea. She believed adopting Arianna and pairing her with AJ would not only lessen the isolation of both these physically fragile children. She believed they could gain strength from each other, socially and psychologically.

It worked out better than she could have imagined.

Medically vulnerable children such as Arianna and AJ are often forced to live lives of social isolation and separation from their peers. Fischer wanted AJ and Arianna not only to be brother and sister to each other but to connect. To be friends. To help them realize that they were not alone in dealing with their life-threatening conditions.

You cant know when you add a child to your home, whos going to click, Fischer said. But its been the best match of all my kids.

When you ask Fischer what its like to raise two children with such intensive medical needs, the answer she gives surprises.

Its kind of the icing on the cake, she said.

But then you have to consider it from Fischers perspective. When Fischer was a kid, her dream was to have her own orphanage. And for much of her adult life, Fischer has taken in children that nobody else wanted.

Before AJ and Arianna, many of Fischers adopted children were kids whose lives had been scarred by pre-natal substance abuse, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and other mental health issues. They were kids who repeatedly cycled through the foster care system.

Some had been rejected by earlier adoptive parents because raising them, they discovered, was too hard. One daughter had been placed in nearly 10 foster homes before being adopted by Fischer.

I have been called a saint many times, Fischer added. And I tell people in reality Im a little bit insane to do what Ive done. It is my passion. Thats all I can say.

Yet raising such children taught Fischer some hard lessons. A loving parent and stable home is no guarantee of breaking the chains of dysfunction that can run through generations of families.

Once Fischer had entertained visions of Christmas gatherings when her children, all grown into adulthood, would settle around the dinner table, one big happy family. But that never really happened. Many of her grown adopted children, now off on their own, continue to struggle with mental illness and homelessness, living on societys margins.

It doesnt fix it. It does not fix it, Fischer said. Does it help? I sure hope so, because otherwise I wasted a lot of years. They at least know that they have somebody in their lives and theyre not alone.

And in comparison to raising an emotionally troubled child, Ari and AJ have been a piece of cake, Fischer said. They have been a joy.

The support system built by Fischer for AJ and Arianna also includes her daughter, Joy Bartelt, and her husband, who are paid by the state to help care for them.

Growing up, Bartelt recalls the times her mom would sit her down and explain that they were adopting another child. Yet, whatever resistance she might feel towards the idea would melt away when she was told what these children had been through.

They went through the background story, and then my heart just kind of softened toward them, Bartelt said. It made me think, I want to take this kid, and I want to keep them safe.

Fischer begins her day tending to the extensive medical needs of Arianna and AJ. A three-ringed notebook contains page after page of tasks that Fischer does each morning to get Arianna ready for the day. Because Arianna has trouble breathing and coughing on her own, Fischer uses a suction device to clean her lungs of phlegm, sending a catheter through a tracheostomy tube in her wind passage.

When she is done with Arianna and settles her in her wheelchair with the help of a mechanical arm, its AJs turn. She wraps the 9-year-old in vaseline-covered bandages from foot to neck almost like a mummy. Lacking the roots to hold his layers of skin together, AJ is at risk of his skin sloughing off from a hard bump. The wrapping helps protect him.

Hes always dealing with wounds and always at risk of getting hurt, Fischer said.

Yet the childrens personalities shine through these grim tasks. Arianna, frankly, is hilarious. She talks about the Nutcracker, her favorite ballet. She constantly teases her mom, saying a 1-to-10 pain scale doesnt capture how annoying she can be. When Fischer teases back, saying, Im going to fly you out the window, Arianna jousts back from her bed, You want a knuckle sandwich?

Momma, Momma, let me tell my stories, Arianna says as Fischer performs her morning routine of tasks around her bed.

As she had hoped, Fischers two youngest children jell. They are 9-year-olds who connect through their knowledge of lifes fragility. They understand each other in ways no one else could. When one goes into the operating room for a procedure, the other joins them, holding hands. They play Princess together. AJ will put a dress over Ariannas clothing and adorn her in jewelry. He asks about her medical care at times, so he can help care for her.

These two are the closest of all my kids, Fischer said.

But they also live with a reality that underscores the precariousness of life. A blood infection could end AJs life. Arianna will continue to lose muscle strength. A cold or pneumonia could be life-threatening. But Fischer doesnt spend her time focusing on that reality. She focuses on living.

Ari wants to be a ballerina, Fischer said. So we talk about how shell get that opportunity some day. Not right now, but it will be later. And we joke around that then Ill dance with her. She just think thats absolutely hilarious.

I have been called a saint many times. And I tell people in reality Im a little bit insane to do what Ive done. It is my passion. Thats all I can say. Barbara Fischer When Barbara Fischer was a kid, her dream was to have her own orphanage. And for much of her adult life, she has taken in children that nobody else wanted.
My father came to America in 1911 from Scotland. He was a salesman. My mother died in 1929 when I was just a baby. He persuaded his sister who lived in Scotland to come over here and take care of us. At that time he had lost his business besides losing his wife. It must have really been tough. He was just a very sound person who figured out that you had to keep going.

Our neighborhood was ethnic. We had Irish and Polish and Italian and Syrians. It was a really neat neighborhood. Kids played real well together and people got along. There was a Jewish family, a black family. Everyone got along fine. Everybody was in the same boat.

On Nov. 3 1951, I met my wife. I was on a blind date with another woman. And I just fell in love with her. Love at first sight. A few weeks after that I got a letter from the Navy that they wanted me to come and help them out.

In December I went in the Navy. I volunteered for submarine school. I saw her twice in little over two years. You try to keep in contact with each other as much as you can. We wrote letters, called once in awhile. We just thought about each other all the time. It was hard being apart, but it wasnt hard because you were kinda together. You love each other. Its hard, but if you love somebody youre willing to give up certain things for them.

We have 17 pounds of letters.

When I got back I got out of the Navy and I went to school. I decided to go into teaching. So I got a degree in history.

One of the things I was always trying to figure out was a better way to teach history. Because I knew a lot of people thought it was just memorization of names and dates. And I was trying to get them to think about how they could use history. History gives you the opportunity to learn how to use evidence, to learn how to think around problems and solve problems and understand things. Why do we do the kinds of things we do, and why do we keep doing them over and over again? Why cant we figure out how to be better without them?

History is fun because you can read other peoples mail.

I used to teach immigration history, about the nativism like we experienced in this election this year, the angry white people. That is what it was like in the 1900s. Or in the 1870s. The Irish came over in 1845 and 1820s. They were treated very terribly. Many people considered the Irish less than human. It was worse for the Italians. The Irish could speak English, kind of. The Italians were people of color and they were different. Many people thought the southern eastern Europeans were a lower form of human.

This is a very racist society. We have to work at getting it less racist. Its very deeply racist. Part of the reason is that its good to have somebody thats less than you. You can blame things on them. It gives you a sense of power over a certain group of people. Even if youre a dumb jerk and youre white, youre better off than the brilliant black person.

Fortunately thats changed some. Unfortunately a lot of people are just ignorant. Its hard for them to break out of that ignorance. And some people dont get help because they come from friends and family that are also ignorant. They dont get to know other people. Or even read about them. If they know each other than they would know theyre just like each other.

History repeats itself. It happens all the time. In my lifetime Ive seen this happen many times.

Life isnt simple. Its very complex. And the relationships between people is very complex.

Some people like cars, new cars, other people like new houses, we like new faces: My wife and I have eight children. One died at birth. Selma did most of it. She was just a great mother. The more you have the easier it gets. Youre dealing with a lot of them. They work with each other, too.

You learn, yourself, how to be a better parent. You have to be less selfish. Thats part of being married, too, which is hard to give up some of that stuff, because were all self-centered to a degree. Some more than others. And that leads to conflicts. The good of the child is the most important thing.

We didnt do as much as fathers do today, or at least what most fathers do or many fathers do, or rather should do. I never saw a baby born like fathers do today. They wouldnt let you. You couldnt be in the birthing room. I think if you see that baby born it makes you more connected to that baby.

Our daughter, Mary, died. She was 41. Great mother. She had finally finished college just about three years before she died. She had melanoma. And that was really hard on everybody. She was just a great mother. Really tough. When she got the disease she tried everything, but there wasnt a cure.

I lost both brothers. Yeah, its hard. Time helps a lot. You pray a lot. You talk to a lot of other people. And you get very close to a lot of other people so that you kinda support each other. You try to be a better person. You try to be more positive.

I believe well all be together again sometime  which sounds hokey to some people. But I really think there is a God. I think theres a beginning and end of life and then a beginning of another life. And I think that will be better. Its hard to believe that it will be, but it will be better. I dont want to get there too soon.

Im a very optimistic person. And I think Ive always been a very optimistic person  which pisses my wife off sometimes. I keep thinking everything is going to be better. And its not sometimes.

Dont take things too seriously. Relax. Take a breath. Step back.
Adventure:

1. An undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks.

2. An exciting or remarkable experience.

With those two definitions in mind, I have had many adventures, and hope to have many more. Mostly of the second definition.

When our granddaughters were small, I started a picture book for each of them of things we had done together. The youngest one, about 6 at the time, said those were pictures of our adventures. And they, indeed, were of the exciting and remarkable kind.

Last September, my husband, Jim, and I took our yearly trip to Alabama to visit family on my mothers side. This time, instead of the long and tedious drive, we decided to fly. Despite the hassle of packing differently and having to check through security (which can be an adventure in itself) I love the experience of flying.

I relish being high above the clouds and getting an occasional glimpse of the beauty far below. Actually, even the clouds are beautiful on a bright sunny day, as they appear ever so white. I captured a few great photos flying back from Alabama, which I have printed and framed along with the captions: I am at my best when I climb to new heights and Set your goals high, and always do your best to achieve them. The latter is a picture of snow white clouds with brilliant blue sky above them.

The flight to Birmingham was uneventful, which is always a good thing. We were much more rested than when we had driven. As we prepared to return home, I was looking forward to the flight back to Minneapolis and on into La Crosse. We were scheduled to arrive in La Crosse about 9 p.m., where our son was going to pick us up.

About halfway to Minneapolis, we were told the flight would be a bit longer due to weather conditions. No worries. We had plenty of time in between flights. We arrived in Minneapolis, had a leisurely and great meal, and boarded the plane to La Crosse on time  thats when the adventure began.

There was such a fierce thunderstorm with torrential rain and wind that the plane shook as it sat at the gate waiting for the storm to pass. The storm refused, and it wasnt until close to midnight that we were finally able to take off in, what the pilot announced, would be a short window of opportunity between severe storms. I still felt safe and secure. Then as we were bouncing around in the pitch black sky, with lightening flashing right outside our window, I patted Jims leg and said, I dont like this very much.

We were starting our descent into La Crosse with still a lot of turbulence shaking the plane, when we suddenly started to ascend. I foolishly thought we would just cruise around a bit and wait. Not so. The captain said he was sorry but we had to go back to Minneapolis.

I still wasnt overly concerned. I had been in touch with our son by text, and he was tracking our flight on his phone. When he thought there was a break in the storm, he headed for the airport. But when he arrived, he saw the tower and runway lights had been turned off. Fortunately, he could quickly track the plane again with his phone, and saw it was headed back for Minneapolis.

It was when we deplaned at the Minneapolis airport that the adventure became more of a nightmare. This was about 1 a.m. on a Thursday, and we were told we could not get another plane into La Crosse until Saturday morning. There had been so any planes diverted that night due to the storms, that everything was backed up. All hotels and rental cars had already been taken.

Fortunately, there were enterprising people with us who suggested we take a shuttle from the airport early the next morning to La Crosse. The reservations were made and we prepared, as best we could, to spend the rest of the night in the airport.

It is the first time I have seen people sleeping on mats on the floor in an airport. There were not any mats available for us, and while we did see one that someone had vacated, I just couldnt bring myself to lie down on it. And trying to stretch out in those seats with armrests is impossible.

We finally did get our shuttle early the next morning, and despite a bit of a delay in Rochester, we finally got back to the La Crosse airport, where our son met us and took us home. Home and our bed had never looked so good.

There were some people (not in our group) who had complained that the plane could have landed in La Crosse and that they could even see the runway lights. Perhaps they werent familiar with the words wind shear.

I remember seeing a television movie, based on a true and harrowing story, about a flight going into the Dallas-Fort Worth airport during a thunderstorm in August 1985. It encountered a microburst wind shear and crashed, resulting in the deaths of 136 people of the 152 on board. Since the horrific crash, the FAA mandated that all commercial aircraft must have onboard wind shear detection systems.

One of the passengers in our group that traveled by shuttle to La Crosse the following day told me she had thanked the captain of our plane after we landed back in Minneapolis. I thought that was a very thoughtful thing to do. She said he thanked her and said that made his day.

I will always remember that night and how it could have ended much differently. And, yes, I can look back on it as one of our adventures in life one tthat contains a part of each of the definitions at the beginning of this story: unknown risks and a remarkable experience.
I lay among friends, huddled and cold in our sleeping bags. We listened to the lashing wind and the drums and prayer chants coming from the sacred fire, and we reflected on why we, four Iraq War veterans, were here.

Police floodlights shone from the drill site of the Dakota Access Pipeline, scheduled to cross under the Missouri River, the water source for millions of people.

Members of the Standing Rock Sioux, concerned not only about polluted water but also the desecration of sacred sites, began resisting the pipeline in 2014. In mid-2016, finally, these water protectors gained major support.

Over 200 tribal nations pledged solidarity. Thousands of non-natives traveled to North Dakota to stand on the front lines. Then, as images of police violence against protectors got increasingly disturbing, some 4,000 veterans  including me  joined the resistance in early December.

Why had so many veterans taken up the cause of the Native Americans and environmentalists at Standing Rock?

My own reasons are rooted in western Pennsylvanias coal country, where I grew up. There, I rode my bicycle on trails crossing abandoned strip mines. Bulldozers had left precarious shale formations and streams ran orange with iron runoff.

When a sanitation corporation threatened to open a landfill at a reclaimed mine near homes in our community, residents finally resisted. At age 15, I joined the fight to stop the dump, gaining a deeper appreciation for the wildlife  and water  of my region.

Good jobs are scarce in my hometown, so military service is something nearly every boy  and now girl  considers. My grandfathers both served, along with several uncles.

Back home, the military is sacrosanct. But I wasnt especially proud of my five years in the Army, two of which were spent in Iraq.

My job as a radar operator, like so many military specializations, got privatized, so I found myself tasked out for other duties. I guarded poor Iraqis while they filled thousands of sandbags for the contractor Kellogg, Brown, and Root, only to see those sandbags rot in the sun as they sat unused.

I also loaded caskets onto cargo planes  an image often hidden from the American public. And I escorted high-ranking officers on unnecessary trouble-provoking missions (how else could one earn the Combat Infantry Badge?).

Like many post-9/11 veterans, I left the military seeking redemption. Perhaps thats why, after I saw those images of police violence against water protectors, I went to Standing Rock.

There, instead of helping military contractors make money, I felt like I was finally serving the people.

While we were there, on Dec. 4, the Army Corps of Engineers finally denied the pipeline company its permit to drill under the river. Police pulled back, and the water protectors celebrated.

The indigenous community had worked months for this ruling. They sacrificed the most. But I like to think the result was also influenced by the prospect of police tear-gassing and firing rubber bullets at unarmed veterans.

A ceremony followed where Wesley Clark Jr., key organizer of the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock campaign, offered an apology to Native Americans on behalf of the military, citing decades of broken treaties and violence. Five hundred of us went to our knees.

I hope to participate in a forgiveness ceremony one day in Iraq, in the spirit of Standing Rock.
It is hard to say goodbye after a weekend when family and friends have gathered for a special celebration.

How good it was to be together. Now, how difficult to say goodbye and return to the routines of life without the presence of the others in the living room, at the kitchen table or outside on the deck.

Its really not all that bad for the most part because we may have already made plans to get together again for the next time in the not-too-distant future. So, the goodbye is more like Aufwiedersehenuntil I see you again.

However, such is not the case in the throes of death. Our immediate sensation is that of being torn aparta relationship severed. We certainly feel this with family and friends, but also with personalities, celebrities and leaders whose voice or music or opinions or face we will no longer see or hear in concert, on TV, over the radio or at a rally.

We say, I will miss her so much! Or, The world will not be the same without him. Or, My world is changing around me and I dont like it. Or, I feel like I have lost a part of me.

There is a rip in the fabric of our world when one of the threads unravels and no longer continues to weave its way throughout the garment we wear into tomorrow. We try to assuage our soul by thinking, Ill never forget. But we really do forget for all practical purposes until something sparks a memorylike a record playing or a re-run movie or a program airs or a book is written or someone mentions the individual in conversation.

The parade of life goes on despite all those who have fallen by the wayside and are no longer in step with us. While this is a hope-filled image, it is also a somber thought. We may now have to pick up the mantel to provide for others what we had relied on the fallen to provide for us. Plus, we may have to look for others to whom we can open our mind and hearts for their gifts to us, realizing that they too may fall before we do and our hearts will be saddened yet again.

This is beyond somber to sobering. Life gives rise to death. It is the biological clock in every organism that will tick its tock one last time, unable to go on forever because it is subject to the second law of thermodynamics: Entropythe unraveling of order into chaos, the ultimate biological chaos being death.

Carl Sagan, renowned astrophysicist, consigned himself to the physical laws of nature and accepted himself as a simple, singular blip on the digital screen of the universe. However, religions of the world have never been content with the mere physical realities of life. They perceive the spiritual dynamics (intuitive and intangible) that underlie even the physical dynamics (logical and tangible).

Confucianism, as well as most nativist religions, constructs a concept of the spirits of ancestors that live on around us and beyond us. Hinduism proposes a cyclical system of reincarnation, wherein the soul never dies but migrates through existence over and over again until it experiences release into nirvana/heaven.

Christianity and Islam believe in a real resurrection after death in which God on the Day of Judgment brings the original intention in creation back into a final order of moral justice measured with mercy while heaven or hell hang in the balance for every individual who has lived.

All of these ways of coping with deaths goodbye is an extension of the courage and the imagination of the human spirit to strive against the darkness of the grave for a ray of sunshine that validates in some measure the expression of a human life during its brief moments on the stage.

However one chooses to believe, it is a momentous act of faith upon which to build the edifice of ones life. For when all is said and done, the only evidence of a life we have is the stark reminder of the grave, burrowed under the surface of this interstellar speck of dust hurtling through space on a trajectory about which we have no compelling clue.

So, we feel constrained to remember, hopeful that others will remember us in turn; and that somehow, we will all be graciously remembered within this grand mystery of life itself by the one who imagined it all in the first place.

(Mark J. Molldrem is a writer, community volunteer, and daily host of Joy in the Morning on WBEV. He lives in Beaver Dam with his wife, Shirley. WordPowerSolutions@gmail.com)
After "running the table" to get the playoffs, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are poised for another run to the Super Bowl.
The latest educational offering from the University of Wisconsin is a new course called The Problem of Whiteness. They may as well have called the course The Resegregation of America.

The policies of the progressive liberal agenda, aided by President Barack Obama and the liberal university elites, has moved the civil rights agenda back 40 years. The 1970s ushered in desegregation while the 2010s has been spent undoing this work and creating intentional wedges among people of class and people of color. They are resegregating our society. Why else would anyone need safe spaces?

Desegregation came as of the result of a Supreme Court case famously known as Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. It prohibited states from establishing separate schools for blacks and whites. The court decided the practice violated the equal protection clause of the United States Constitution and ended the practice of separate, but equal.

As a result of the Brown case, cities across the nation began busing kids across jurisdictions to integrate black children into white schools. Eventually, programs were developed that would encourage black families to buy or build homes in white neighborhoods.

Social engineering is normally something folks frown upon, but desegregation was moderately successful. The argument can be made it was nothing more than a social experiment, but at the same time, people who did not commonly live together were now doing so. A white kid with a black friend became more of a norm than an oddity and vice versa.

On the other hand, schools across the nation began developing quota systems to make sure they were complying with the Brown ruling. It has led to affirmative action policies that lawfully allow universities to racially profile students to ensure they are not discriminating against classes of people. If college is about advancing our society as a whole, shouldnt college applications be colorblind? Therein lies the problem that continues to grow within the university community. It is the built-in assumption that black people need special handling for them to succeed. It is the problem of whiteness.

Thousands of foreign students enter the university system every year. Many of them do not speak English well enough to get through an average day, let alone a college textbook, yet we do not develop programs that reserve them seats over other students who are equally qualified to sit in that chair. If skin color is a determining factor in a successful education, then why do we not establish quotas for ethnicities other than black or Hispanic?

The whiteness of these liberal elites, and what they are teaching, is developing a mentality of entitlement based on race alone. It is a thought process that tells people of color that without their help, they alone cannot succeed. This is not how we win the human race. We succeed by knowing that if we do our best, opportunity will avail itself. Instead, our schools are creating safe spaces. This sends the message that it is actually dangerous to our society as a whole. The very idea that is not safe for anyone to mingle with people who share diversity in opinion, or diversity in skin tone, is more harmful than it is safe.

Safe spaces are segregating our students into classes of color. Rather than sit in the diverse setting of a coffee house engaging in conversation, they are now sitting apart from each other listening to only one message. The one message everyone in this safe space is learning is that their thoughts alone are more privileged than the person with whom they may disagree.

A society that openly discusses and challenges diverse thought is a society that will foster open minds more than the artificial utopian society segregation and race entitlement ever will. We eventually grew as a nation when people of all colors challenged the racial divide that grew out of the Civil War. That happened because we were integrating and learning from each other.

The University of Wisconsin issued a statement claiming that their new course is not designed to offend. They claim the course is a challenge and response to racism of all kinds. Yet the course isnt called The Problem of Racism.

It might be time for the Legislature to look at the curriculum as a whole and determine if our dollars should be spent desegregating or resegregating our society. The university would probably be segregated from more tax dollars.
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NextEra Energy, Inc. is the largest electric utility holding company in the US. It operates a network of power generation and distribution facilities that include fossil-fuel-generated and green energy. As of mid-2022, the company was capable of generating 58 GW of electricity with nearly 60% of the load produced by green sources including wind and solar. In their view, going green isnt an option, its the solution. NextEra Energy has been recognized multiple times as a leader in clean energy and ESG practices and was ranked the #1 electric and gas utility on the Forbes list of Most Admired Companies.

The company is the result of several mergers that begin with FPL Group. FPL Group is now a subsidiary of NextEra Energy and the third-largest provider of electricity in the US servicing nearly half of Florida. FPL and its affiliates are the single largest provider of renewable energy generated from wind and sun. The group changed its name in 2010 following a decision to shift focus onto renewable energy sources.

Today, NextEra Energy, Inc through its subsidiary FPL serves about 12 million people in eastern and southwestern Florida. The company employs nearly 14,900 people who service 5.8 million accounts. The company is in business to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity to retail and wholesale clients. Electricity is generated through wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas, and coal-fired facilities.

The company is also engaged in the construction and operation of new facilities, specifically renewable power generation, storage, and delivery facilities, and can offer custom solutions tailored to any need. Offerings include tailored services to assist businesses with their transition to clean energy.

NextEra Energy also owns and operates 7 nuclear power stations in Florida, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin generating power for the wholesale market.

Unlike other companies that are targeting net-zero emissions, NextEra Energy has a plan to reach real zero and is investing heavily to reach that goal by 2045. The company had invested nearly $50 billion in green energy infrastructure and initiatives by mid-2022. The plan is to first work on reducing its own emissions and then take its knowledge and expertise to the world.
Conservative critics of higher education in Wisconsin have opened a new chapter of their long-running complaints about institutions such as UW-Madison, scrutinizing specific university courses and even a class reading they consider biased or inappropriate.

The shift is yet another sign of the divide between an increasingly conservative state government and a university system that houses programs, research and courses that some Republicans view as frivolous and liberally biased at best and hostile indoctrination at worst.

It could also foreshadow new legislation that seeks to correct what many Republicans see as a lack of intellectual diversity on college campuses, by pushing institutions to invite more conservative speakers and hire more right-leaning faculty.

How, exactly, the Legislature would accomplish that goal remains to be seen, but the issue could emerge soon as lawmakers craft the state budget this spring and summer.

To proponents of academic freedom on and off campus, the push from state Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, and others to seek out bias in the operations of the university  and to use the prospect of budget cuts as a means to push for changes, as Nass has  is a troubling overreach.

If youre using the power of the purse to police certain courses, youre really putting yourself in the position of managing the university in a way that I think elected officials should avoid, said Donald Moynihan, director of UW-Madisons La Follette School of Public Affairs.

Republicans have countered that they are speaking on behalf of their constituents, and say universities have drifted far to the left of mainstream opinion.

If we cant comment on these issues, why are they coming to the taxpayers and saying, You have to fund it? said Mike Mikalsen, a spokesman for Nass.

Calling out bias or meddling in curriculum?

Long a critic of the University of Wisconsin System, Nass has made headlines over the past six months by deriding programs and curriculum at UW-Madison.

In July he raised concerns about a reading in a sociology course that explored the sexual preferences of men using gay dating apps, calling the essay offensive.

In December he and Rep. David Murphy, R-Greenville, criticized a course on white identity and racism titled The Problem of Whiteness.

And last week Nass told his colleagues that a program in which students discuss masculinity amounted to the university declaring a war on men.

Theyre preaching, theyre not teaching, Mikalsen said of UW-Madison.

In each case Nass has invoked the UW Systems funding and called for lawmakers to reform the university.

UW officials are requesting $42.5 million in new funding in the 2017-19 state budget, after recent budgets have slashed its share of public money.

While Republicans and Democrats have long sought to reshape universities through their governing boards and other means, the extent to which Nass has delved into the specific details of courses and readings is new and troubling, said Hans-Joerg Tiede, associate secretary for the Department of Academic Freedom, Tenure and Governance at the American Association of University Professors.

Democrats, faculty and others have joined in that criticism.

The crux of the problem is Republican legislators, believing they can micromanage, attack free speech and use the budget as blackmail whenever the university espouses ideas that are even remotely challenging to conservative orthodoxy, said Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison. We are going down a very dangerous road when Republicans try to dictate what our university offers in terms of learning opportunities.

UW-Madison officials have responded that the classes Nass has taken issue with are voluntary, and that having courses that explore controversial viewpoints is an important part of the open exchange of ideas in higher education.

A universitys commitment to academic freedom and free speech is a commitment that allows all ideas to be presented and discussed, Chancellor Rebecca Blank wrote in a blog post Sunday. Ideas should be dismissed only after research and debate proves them inadequate, rather than being dismissed out of hand without debate because they challenge perceived wisdom or offend current beliefs.

Intellectual diversity could be topic in budget

Asked what message Nass wants to convey by drawing attention to courses and materials he finds objectionable, Mikalsen said he wants to show the tremendous lack of balance in how professors and administrators present ideas.

That has long been a Republican criticism of academic institutions, which many regard as ivory towers where overwhelmingly liberal faculty present conservative ideas unfairly or not at all.

In September Assembly Republicans identified ideological diversity as one of their priorities for the next session, writing that they planned to challenge UW to ensure diverse perspectives are present and protected in our classrooms and faculty lounges.

Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, who last year called for UW institutions to invite more conservative speakers, has indicated that he wants to see the Systems funding tied to the variety of voices on campus, as part of a package of performance metrics that Gov. Scott Walker said could determine new funding for universities.

He would like to see a metric that advances free speech and intellectual diversity when it comes to the diversity of professors and speaker invitations, said Kit Beyer, a spokeswoman for Vos, who did not elaborate on how that diversity would be measured.

Without knowing more specifics about Vos idea, a spokesman for UW-Madison declined to respond to it.

Moynihan said he supports having more conservative speakers on campus, and noted that his department has brought in right-leaning intellectuals as well as Republican lawmakers  including Vos and Murphy  to speak with classes and the public in the past.

But, Moynihan said, a checked-box approach that calls for hiring or inviting a certain numbers right-leaning people raised problems  starting with the question of whether legislators can or should spell out in law what makes someone conservative or liberal.

It would be impossible, Moynihan said. Would you start looking at peoples voting registrations, or who they had donated money to? The degree to which this would be government intrusiveness on peoples lives would be mind-boggling.

Murphy, the chairman of the Assemblys Committee on Colleges and Universities, said lawmakers want to feel as if both sides of some of the stories are being told at UW institutions.

I dont want to micromanage anything at the university, but I think lots of legislators feel like they would like to see a more diverse opinion at the university, Murphy said. Still, he acknowledged the $64,000 question was how the Legislature could act on that concern.

Im not the kind of person that wants to sit around and keep some kind of a scorecard on these things, Murphy said.
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Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision LLC, 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, 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, Olympus Systems Corporation, 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, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., 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, T.A. Cook, TXF LLC, Tambourine, 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 AG, 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, Zestgroup, 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.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Pfizer: AH Robins LLC, AHP Holdings B.V., AHP Manufacturing B.V., Agouron Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alacer, Alpharma Holdings LLC, Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alpharma Specialty Pharma LLC, Alpharma USHP LLC, American Food Industries LLC, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Angiosyn, Array BioPharma, Ayerst-Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, BIND Therapeutics Inc., BINESA 2002 S.L., Bamboo Therapeutics, Bamboo Therapeutics Inc., Baxter International - Marketed Vaccines, BioRexis, Bioren, Bioren LLC, Blue Whale Re Ltd., C.E. Commercial Holdings C.V., C.E. Commercial Investments C.V., C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., CICL Corporation, COC I Corporation, Catapult Genetics, Coley Pharmaceutical GmbH, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Coley Pharmaceutical Group Inc., Continental Pharma Inc., Covx, Covx Technologies Ireland Limited, Cyanamid Inter-American Corporation, Cyanamid de Argentina S.A., Cyanamid de Colombia S.A., Distribuidora Mercantil Centro Americana S.A., Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., Esperion LUV Development Inc., Esperion Therapeutics, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals Inc., Farminova Produtos Farmaceuticos de Inovacao Lda., Farmogene Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Ferrosan A/S, Ferrosan International A/S, Ferrosan S.R.L., FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Foldrx Pharmaceuticals, Fort Dodge Manufatura Ltda., G. D. Searle & Co. Limited, G. D. Searle International Capital LLC, G. D. Searle LLC, GI Europe Inc., GI Japan Inc., GenTrac Inc., Genetics Institute LLC, Greenstone LLC, Haptogen Limited, Hospira, Hospira (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd., Hospira Adelaide Pty Ltd, Hospira Aseptic Services Limited, Hospira Australia Pty Ltd, Hospira Benelux BVBA, Hospira Chile Limitada, Hospira Deutschland GmbH, Hospira Enterprises B.V., Hospira France SAS, Hospira Healthcare B.V., Hospira Healthcare Corporation, Hospira Healthcare India Private Limited, Hospira Holdings (S.A.) Pty Ltd, Hospira Inc., Hospira Invicta S.A., Hospira Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, Hospira Ireland Sales Limited, Hospira Japan G.K., Hospira Limited, Hospira Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hospira NZ Limited, Hospira Nordic AB, Hospira Philippines Inc., Hospira Portugal LDA, Hospira Produtos Hospitalares Ltda., Hospira Pte. Ltd., Hospira Pty Limited, Hospira Puerto Rico LLC, Hospira Singapore Pte Ltd, Hospira UK Limited, Hospira Worldwide LLC, Hospira Zagreb d.o.o., ICAgen, Idun Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Santa Agape S.A., InnoPharma, InnoPharma Inc., International Affiliated Corporation LLC, JMI-Daniels Pharmaceuticals Inc., John Wyeth & Brother Limited, Kiinteisto oy Espoon Pellavaniementie 14, King Pharmaceuticals Holdings LLC, King Pharmaceuticals LLC, King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development LLC, Korea Pharma Holding Company Limited, Laboratoires Pfizer S.A., Laboratorios Parke Davis S.L., Laboratorios Pfizer Ltda., Laboratorios Wyeth LLC, Laboratorios Wyeth S.A., Laboratorios Pfizer Lda., MTG Divestitures LLC, Mayne Pharma IP Holdings (Euro) Pty Ltd, Medivation, Medivation Field Solutions LLC, Medivation LLC, Medivation Neurology LLC, Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, Medivation Services LLC, Medivation Technologies LLC, Meridian Medical Technologies Inc., Meridian Medical Technologies Limited, Monarch Pharmaceuticals LLC, Neusentis Limited, NextWave Pharmaceuticals, NextWave Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, P-D Co. LLC, PAH USA IN8 LLC, PF Americas Holding C.V., PF Asia Manufacturing B.V., PF PR Holdings C.V., PF PRISM C.V., PF PRISM Holdings S.a.r.l., PF Prism S.a.r.l., PFE Holdings G.K., PFE PHAC Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Pfizer Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Wyeth Holdings LLC, PFE Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) LLC, PHILCO Holdings S.a r.l., PHIVCO Corp., PHIVCO Holdco S.a r.l., PHIVCO Luxembourg S.a r.l., PN Mexico LLC, PT. Pfizer Parke Davis, Parke Davis & Company LLC, Parke Davis Limited, Parke Davis Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Parke-Davis Manufacturing Corp., Parkedale Pharmaceuticals Inc., Peak Enterprises LLC, Pfizer, Pfizer (China) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Pfizer (Perth) Pty Limited, Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, Pfizer (Wuhan) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer AB, Pfizer AG, Pfizer AS, Pfizer Africa & Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Veterinarian Products & Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer Anti-Infectives AB, Pfizer ApS, Pfizer Asia Manufacturing Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Pfizer Atlantic Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Australia Holdings B.V., Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Pfizer Australia Investments Pty. Ltd., Pfizer Australia Pty Limited, Pfizer B.V., Pfizer BH D.o.o., Pfizer Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer Biofarmaceutica Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Pfizer Biologics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Pfizer Biologics Ireland Holdings Limited, Pfizer Biotech Corporation, Pfizer Bolivia S.A., Pfizer Canada Inc., Pfizer CentreSource Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Chile S.A., Pfizer Cia. Ltda., Pfizer Colombia Spinco I LLC, Pfizer Commercial Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Commercial Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Commercial TRAE Trading Kft., Pfizer Consumer Healthcare AB, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare GmbH, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Ltd., Pfizer Consumer Manufacturing Italy S.r.l., Pfizer Corporation, Pfizer Corporation Austria Gesellschaft m.b.H., Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Pfizer Croatia d.o.o., Pfizer Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Development LP, Pfizer Development Services (UK) Limited, Pfizer Domestic Ventures Limited, Pfizer Dominicana S.R.L, Pfizer ESP Pty Ltd, Pfizer East India B.V., Pfizer Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer Egypt S.A.E., Pfizer Enterprise Holdings B.V., Pfizer Enterprises LLC, Pfizer Enterprises SARL, Pfizer Europe Finance B.V., Pfizer Export B.V., Pfizer Export Company, Pfizer Export Holding Company B.V, Pfizer Finance Share Service (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Financial Services N.V./S.A., Pfizer France International Investments, Pfizer Free Zone Panama S. de R.L., Pfizer GEP S.L., Pfizer Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer Global Supply Japan Inc., Pfizer Global Trading, Pfizer Group Luxembourg Sarl, Pfizer Gulf FZ-LLC, Pfizer H.C.P. Corporation, Pfizer HK Service Company Limited, Pfizer Health AB, Pfizer Health Solutions Inc., Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, Pfizer Hellas A.E., Pfizer Himalaya Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Holding France, Pfizer Holding Ventures, Pfizer Holdings Corporation, Pfizer Holdings Europe Unlimited Company, Pfizer Holdings G.K., Pfizer Holdings International Corporation, Pfizer Holdings International Luxembourg (PHIL) Sarl, Pfizer Holdings North America SARL, Pfizer Hungary Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Inc., Pfizer Innovations AB, Pfizer Innovations LLC, Pfizer Innovative Supply Point International BVBA, Pfizer International LLC, Pfizer International Markets Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer International Operations, Pfizer International S. de R.L., Pfizer International Trading (Shanghai) Limited, Pfizer Investment Capital Unlimited Company, Pfizer Investment Co. Ltd., Pfizer Investment Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Ireland Investments Limited, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 1 LLC, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 2 LLC, Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Ireland Ventures Unlimited Company, Pfizer Italia S.r.l., Pfizer Italy Group Holding S.r.l., Pfizer Japan Inc., Pfizer LLC, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Limited, Pfizer Laboratories Limited, Pfizer Laboratories PFE (Pty) Ltd, Pfizer Leasing Ireland Limited, Pfizer Leasing UK Limited, Pfizer Limitada, Pfizer Limited, Pfizer Luxco Holdings SARL, Pfizer Luxembourg Global Holdings S.a r.l., Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer MAP Holding Inc., Pfizer Manufacturing Austria G.m.b.H., Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizer Manufacturing Holdings LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Manufacturing LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Services, Pfizer Medical Technology Group (Belgium) N.V., Pfizer Medicamentos Genericos e Participacoes Ltda., Pfizer Mexico Luxco SARL, Pfizer Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pfizer Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Animal Health and Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer New Zealand Limited, Pfizer Norge AS, Pfizer North American Holdings Inc., Pfizer OTC B.V., Pfizer Overseas LLC, Pfizer Oy, Pfizer PFE ApS, Pfizer PFE AsiaPac Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Pty Ltd, Pfizer PFE B.V., Pfizer PFE Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Belgium SPRL, Pfizer PFE Brazil Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE CIA. Ltda., Pfizer PFE Chile Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Colombia Holding Corp., Pfizer PFE Colombia S.A.S, Pfizer PFE Commercial Holdings LLC, Pfizer PFE Croatia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer PFE Finland Oy, Pfizer PFE France, Pfizer PFE Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Ireland Pharmaceuticals Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco 2 S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Pfizer PFE Limited, Pfizer PFE Luxembourg S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Mexico Holding 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE Netherlands Holding 1 C.V., Pfizer PFE New Zealand, Pfizer PFE New Zealand Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Norway Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE PILSA Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Peru Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Peru S.R.L., Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer PFE Private Limited, Pfizer PFE S.R.L, Pfizer PFE Service Company Holding Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer PFE Singapore Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Singapore Pte. Ltd., Pfizer PFE Spain B.V., Pfizer PFE Spain Holding S.L., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding 2 S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Switzerland GmbH, Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 2 B.V., Pfizer PFE UK Holding 4 LP, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 1 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 2 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 4 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 5 LLC, Pfizer PFE spol. s r.o., Pfizer PFE Ilaclar Anonim Sirketi, Pfizer Pakistan Limited, Pfizer Parke Davis (Thailand) Ltd., Pfizer Parke Davis Inc., Pfizer Parke Davis Sdn. Bhd., Pfizer Pharm Algerie, Pfizer Pharma GmbH, Pfizer Pharma PFE GmbH, Pfizer Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceutical Trading Limited Liability Company (a/k/a Pfizer Kft. or Pfizer LLC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Global B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea Limited, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Pfizer Pigments Inc., Pfizer Polska Sp. z.o.o., Pfizer Private Limited, Pfizer Production LLC, Pfizer Products Inc., Pfizer Products India Private Limited, Pfizer Research (NC) Inc., Pfizer Romania SRL, Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A. (Belgium), Pfizer S.A. de C.V., Pfizer S.A.S., Pfizer S.G.P.S. Lda., Pfizer S.L., Pfizer S.R.L., Pfizer SRB d.o.o., Pfizer Saidal Manufacturing, Pfizer Sante Familiale, Pfizer Saudi Limited, Pfizer Seiyaku K.K., Pfizer Service Company BVBA, Pfizer Service Company Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Services 1, Pfizer Services LLC, Pfizer Shared Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Shareholdings Intermediate SARL, Pfizer Singapore Holding Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Spain Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Specialties Limited, Pfizer Strategic Investment Holdings LLC, Pfizer Sweden Partnership KB, Pfizer TRAE Holdings Kft., Pfizer Trading Polska sp.z.o.o., Pfizer Transactions Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Transactions LLC, Pfizer Transactions Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer Transport LLC, Pfizer Ukraine LLC, Pfizer Vaccines LLC, Pfizer Venezuela S.A., Pfizer Venture Investments LLC, Pfizer Ventures LLC, Pfizer Worldwide Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Zona Franca S.A., Pfizer spol. s r.o., Pharmacia, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn S.A. de C.V., Pharmacia Brasil Ltda., Pharmacia Hepar LLC, Pharmacia Holding AB, Pharmacia Inter-American LLC, Pharmacia International B.V., Pharmacia LLC, Pharmacia Limited, Pharmacia Nostrum S.A., Pharmacia South Africa (Pty) Ltd, PowderJect Research Limited, PowderMed, Purepac Pharmaceutical Holdings LLC, Redvax, Renrall LLC, Rinat Neuroscience, Rinat Neuroscience Corp., Roerig Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Roerig S.A., Sao Cristovao Participacoes Ltda., Searle Laboratorios Lda., Serenex, Servicios P&U S. de R.L. de C.V., Shiley LLC, Sinergis Farma-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Site Realty Inc., Solinor LLC, Sugen LLC, Tabor LLC, The Pfizer Incubator LLC, Therachon, Thiakis Limited, Treerly Health Co. Ltd, US Oral Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Upjohn Laboratorios Lda., Vesteralens Naturprodukter A/S, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AB, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AS, Vesteralens Naturprodukter OY, Vicuron Holdings LLC, Vinci Farma S.A., W-L LLC, Warner Lambert, Warner Lambert Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Warner Lambert del Uruguay S.A., Warner-Lambert (Thailand) Limited, Warner-Lambert Company AG, Warner-Lambert Company LLC, Warner-Lambert Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Warner-Lambert S.A., Whitehall International Inc., Whitehall Laboratories Inc., Wyeth (Thailand) Ltd., Wyeth AB, Wyeth Australia Pty. Limited, Wyeth Ayerst Inc., Wyeth Ayerst S.a r.l., Wyeth Biopharma, Wyeth Canada ULC, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare LLC, Wyeth Europa Limited, Wyeth Farma S.A., Wyeth Holdings LLC, Wyeth Industria Farmaceutica Ltda., Wyeth KFT., Wyeth LLC, Wyeth Lederle S.r.l., Wyeth Lederle Vaccines S.A., Wyeth Pakistan Limited, Wyeth Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Company, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Limited, Wyeth Puerto Rico Inc., Wyeth S.A.S, Wyeth Subsidiary Illinois Corporation, Wyeth Whitehall Export GmbH, Wyeth Whitehall SARL, Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) Limited, Wyeth-Ayerst International LLC, and Wyeth-Ayerst Promotions Limited.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.: 2235158 Alberta Limited, A.J. Amer Agency, AHC Digital LLC, AIX Limited, AJG Coal LLC, AJG Financial Services LLC, AJG Meadows LLC, AJG North America ULC, AJG RCF LLC, AJGRMS of Louisiana LLC, ARM RE Ltda., AVIATION INSURANCE SERVICES, AVRECO, Ace IRM Insurance Broking Group, Acumus Holdings Limited, Acumus Interco Limited, Acumus Ltd, Adams & Associates International, Adaptive Marketing LLC, Adco General Corporation, Advanced Benefit Advisors, Aequus Trade Credit, Affinity Marketing Group, Ahrold Fay Rosenberg, Aires Consulting Group, Alesco Risk Management Services Limited, Alize Limited, Allied Claims Administration Inc., Alternative Market Specialists, Altman & Cronin Benefit Consultants, American Freedom Carriers Inc., American Security Services Corp., American Wholesalers Underwriting Ltd, Andrew-Anthony Insurance Agency, Anthony Hodges Consulting Limited, Antrobus Investments Limited, AquaSurance, Argentis, Argentis Financial Group Limited, Argentis Financial Management Limited, Argus Benefits, Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle, Artex (SAC) Limited, Artex Cedar Hill, Artex Corporate Services (Malta) Limited, Artex Corporate Services Limited, Artex Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Artex Holdings (Malta) Limited, Artex Insurance (Guernsey) PCC Limited, Artex Insurance (Tennessee) PCCIC Inc., Artex Insurance Brokers (Malta) PCC Limited, Artex Insurance ICC Limited, Artex Intermediaries Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Bermuda) Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Cayman) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Gibraltar) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Guernsey) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (International) Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Malta) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (UK) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions Inc., Arthur J Gallagher (Norway) Holdings AS, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AUS) Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Bermuda) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Illinois), Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Insurance Brokers of California Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher (Aus) Pty Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (Bermuda) Holding Partnership, Arthur J. Gallagher (Life Solutions) Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (U.S.) LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher (UK) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Asesoria S.A.C., Arthur J. Gallagher Australasia Holdings Pty Ltd., Arthur J. Gallagher Brokerage & Risk Management Services LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Broking (NZ) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Financial Services Professionals Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Group Quebec ULC, Arthur J. Gallagher Holdings (UK) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Latin America LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Management (Bermuda) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Real Estate Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services (Hawaii) Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services of Utah Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher School Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Service Company LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Services (UK) Ltd, Ashmore & Associates Insurance Agency, Atlantic Risk Management Corp., Atrex Insurance (Cayman) SPC Limited, Avantek Pty Ltd, Axe Insurance PCC Limited, BIS Insurance Services, Baker - Tillys employment benefits solutions, Ballard Benefit Works, Bankers Financial Benefits, Barmore Insurance Agency, Behnke & Co. Inc., Bellisle Pty Ltd, Belmont Associates Consultants, Belmont Insurance Holdings Limited, Belmont International, Belmont International Limited, Benefit Development Group, Benefit Management Group, BenefitLink Resource Group, Benefits Planning & Insurance Agency, Benefits Unlimited, Bennett & Shade Co., Bergvall Marine, Bergvall Marine A.S., Besselman & Little Agency, Big Savings Insurance Agency Inc., Blenheim Park Ltd, Blenheim Park Services Limited, Blue Holdings Pty Ltd, Blue Horizon Insurance Services, Blue Water Benefits, BluePeak Advisors, Blueleaf Consulting Pty Ltd., Bluewater Incorporated Cell Insurance Company, Bollinger Inc., Bollinger Insurance Services Inc., Bowen Miclette Britt & Merry of Arkansas Inc., Brendis & Brendis, Brim AB, Broker Benefit Services, Brokerage Professionals, Brown Hobbs & McMurray Insurance, Bultman/Bell Associates Inc., Burkwald & Associates, Burns-Fazzi Brock & Associates, Bushong Insurance Associates, C&B Consulting Group, CGM Gallagher Insruance Brokers (Trinidad & Tobago) Limited, CJM Solutions Inc., CMA Solutions LLC, Cairnstone Financial, California Insurance Center, Capital Bauer Insurance Agency, Capitol Benefits Group, Capsicum CRLA LLP, Capsicum Re Brasil Participacoes Ltda, Capsicum Re Latin America Corretora De Resseguros Ltda, Capsicum Reinsurance Brokers Bermuda Limited, Capsicum Reinsurance Brokers Miami Inc., Carefree Marketing Inc., Carpenter Cammack & Associates, Cashan & Co., Castle Insurance Associates, Centennial Insurance Agency, Charity First Insurance Services Inc., Charles Allen Agency, Charter Lakes Insurance Agency, Chris Schroeder Insurance, Christie-Phoenix, Cintran Claims Canada Limited, Classic Insurance Services, Cleaveland Insurance Group, Cohen & Lord Insurance Brokers, Cohn Financial Group, Coleman Group Holdings Limited, Coleman Holdings Limited, College and University Scholastic Excess Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Commercial Insurance Brokers, Complete Benefit Alliance, Complete Financial Balance, Complete Financial Balance Pty Ltd, Consolidated Casualty Specialties LLC, Construction Risk Solutions, Contego Underwriting Limited, Contego Underwriting Ltd, Continental Excess & Surplus, Convergence Risk Services Ltd, Copper Mountain Assurance Inc., Cornwall & Stevens Co., Corporate Benefit Advisors, Corporate Life Consultants, Countrywide Accident Assistance Limited, Coverdell & Company Inc., Coverdell Canada Corporation, Cowles and Connell, Craig M. Ferguson & Co., Crist Elliott Machette Insurance Services, Crombie Lockwood (NZ) Limited, Davis-Poston & Associates, Denman Consulting Services, Detlefs Johnson & Partners, DiBrina Group, Dickinson & Associates, Discount Development Services L.L.C., Discovery Benefit Solutions, Dodson-Bateman & Co., Donald P. Pipino Co. Ltd., E. S. Susanin Inc., EHE Holdings LLC, EHS Holdings Limited, Elantis Premium Funding (NZ) Limited, Elantis Premium Funding Limited, Elite Benefits Insurance Marketing Services, Employee Benefits Analysis Corp., Employee Benefits of The Carolinas, Encore Insurance & Bonding, Everett James, Evolution Risk Services Limited, Evolution Technology Services Limited, Evolution Underwriting Group, Evolution Underwriting Group Limited, Evolution Underwriting Limited, Excel Insurance Services, FYI Direct Canada Corporation, FYI Direct LLC, Farallone Pacific Insurance Services, Fenchurch Faris Limited, Fidelity Benefits & Insurance Services, Financial Profiles Inc., Finergy Solutions Pty Ltd, First Agency, First Iowa Insurance Agency, First Premium Inc., First Premium Insurance Group, Fish & Schulkamp, Fishermans Insurance Services, Foley Healthcare Limited, Fortress Financial Solutions Pty Ltd, Fortress Insurance LLC, Foundation Strategies, Fox Lawson & Associates, Franklin-Case Agency LLC, Fraser MacAndrew Ryan Limited, Friary Intermediate Limited, Fuller & O'Brien, G.S. Chapman & Associates Insurance Brokers, G.S. Levine Insurance Services, GBS (Australia) Holdings Pty Ltd, GBS Administrators Inc., GBS Insurance and Financial Services Inc., GBS Retirement Services Inc., GBS Specialty Markets LLC, GGB Finance 1 Limited, GGB Finance 2 Limited, GGB Finance 3 Limited, GGB Finance 4 Limited, GPL Assurance, GPL Assurance Inc., Gabor Insurance Services, Gale Smith & Co. 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ONALASKA/ROCKFORD, Ill.  Andreas Dahl of Onalaska and formerly of Rockford peacefully passed at Onalaska Care Center Saturday, Jan. 3, 2017.

He was born Feb. 3, 1921, in Halden, Norway, to Dr. M. Andreas Dahl and Solveig (Haug) Dahl. As a young man, he endured the Nazi occupation of his homeland, actively participating in the resistance movement until he was discovered. He and his fiance, Gunvor Fjeldstad of Halden, escaped to Sweden as refugees and were married there in 1945. They had an enviable marriage of total devotion and joy for 71 years.

With the Norwegian dental schools closed during the war, he looked to follow his dream of becoming a dentist when the war ended. He had the opportunity to attend Northwestern University in Chicago, with a small group of Norwegian students invited by this prestigious dental school after the war. With few resources, family or friends in the U.S., they persevered and he was eternally proud of his graduation with Omicron Kappa Upsilon honors. They returned to Norway so Andreas could complete civil service for the state as a public health dentist. Following this, he returned to Northwestern to teach and later volunteer to serve in the U.S. Army Dental Corps, rising to the level of Captain during his time stationed in Germany.

He started a private practice in Rockford, upon their return. During the over 30 years of private practice, he was dedicated to ethical, quality dental care, and served as president of the Winnebago County Dental Society of the American Dental Association. He loved dentistry and was proud to be a third-generation dentist. He was a great professional role model and an excellent businessman, and inspired a number of young people to pursue this profession.

In addition to being devoted to his family and career, he thoroughly enjoyed his association with the Tebala Temple Shriners Association. He was instrumental in the Tebala Horse Patrols timely acquisition of a new facility, and loved caring for his horses, trail riding and performing in parades and drill events with his fellow Shriners. He served as president of the International Shrine Horse Patrols. When he retired from his dental practice at 62, he and Gunvor retired to Florida, for 20 years, where they devoted much of their time to volunteering for organizations like hospice, then moved to Onalaska, to be closer to family and quality health care.

Andreas is survived by his wife, Gunvor; and two daughters, Dr. Eva Dahl (Barry Blomquist) of Onalaska, and Dr. Carol Dahl (Scott Cairns) of Seattle. He was preceded in death by a son, Andreas, who died shortly after birth. His grandchildren are Erik, Bjorn, and Christina Blomquist, and Kristin and Ian Cairns.

There will be no services per his wishes. Memorials can be made to the Gundersen Lutheran Hospice Program. The family is very grateful for the care he received from Gundersen Lutheran over the years, and the kindness and compassion of the staff of Laurel Manor, Onalaska Care Center, and Hospice.

Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home of Onalaska is assisting the family. Online condolences may be submitted at www.schumacher-kish.com.




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Woonsocket residents, from left, William Doe, Richard Monteiro, Chuck ONeil, and Leslie Mayer, take to the microphone to voice their opinions on the proposal to sell water to the proposed Invenergy power plant in Burrillville during a Woonsocket City Council public hearing at Woonsocket High School Friday night.
A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took
When John Medinger was in the Wisconsin Assembly, a fellow representative told him something that stuck with him.

It takes black and white keys to play the piano and make beautiful music, he quoted the late Rep. Marcia Coggs as saying. I never forgot that.

The 68-year-old former state representative, former mayor and current community volunteer will receive the 2017 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Leader Award on Jan. 16 for his lifelong commitment to social justice.

Past award-winners James Parker, Thomas Harris and Tony Yang, all of whom have known Medinger for many years, gladly welcomed Medinger to their ranks.

Issues of social and racial justice are the basis upon which this award is made, and John has a career devoted to those issues, Parker said.

Parker, who taught Medinger American history at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in the late 1960s during the Vietnam War and civil rights movement, remembers being impressed by Medingers earnestness and devotion to the topic.

He was a delight to have in that class, and let me tell you it was an outstanding class of young people, Parker said.

Medinger never lost that earnestness, according to Yang, who met him in 1990 on a field trip to Madison as a junior in high school, when Medinger represented La Crosse in the Assembly.

I came to this country in 1987, so I had only lived in this country for three years, Yang said. It was eye-opening for me, and I got to see somebody who was representing this community . He loves talking to students. He would come out and he would greet us and hed be very down to earth, talking to us and listening to us.

Whether co-chairing a fundraising committee to building a Hmong Cultural Community Center building, supporting an anti-racism task force on the city level or helping campaign for Thai Vue, the first Hmong member of the La Crosse School Board, Medinger honors MLKs legacy by putting actions behind words of unity.

I think John represents what this award is all about. He did so many things and he still does a lot of things. I think his leadership in race relations, social justice and human rights issues in this city makes the city much more of a welcoming place for everybody, Yang said.

Harris, who started La Crosses local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People with the help of Medinger, among others, remembers being struck by how willing Medinger is to help people, supporting the social justice efforts of those less influential than a former mayor.

We have a lot of people from all kinds of backgrounds, including a lot of white people who are very serious and very passionate about those kinds of things, too, Harris said. He helps take things to another level.

What makes Medinger special is the way he stuck to his roots, according to Parker.

People often lose sight of their roots and their place in how they were brought up and the values from their family and community as they aspire to other heights. John has never lost track of who he is and his responsibility to his community and his family, he said. I think thats pretty impressive.

Medinger became an activist in 1960 at the age of 12, following in the footsteps of his parents, Donald and Audrey.

We were union, Catholic and Democrat, and I handed out campaign literature for John Kennedy in 1960, Medinger said. Thats really when I started in this business of being socially aware.

As a youngster, Medinger hawked papers on the corner by the Hollywood Theatre in downtown La Crosse, paying close attention to what news he was selling.I saw this budding civil rights movement and I really lived that vicariously, Medinger said. It just seemed like it was something very important with this issue of equality.

A youthful idealist, Medinger believed that racism, war and poverty would be eliminated in a short time back then.

And then along came 1968, he said.

After the assassination of MLK and Bobby Kennedy, and the escalation of the was in Vietnam, he might have lost his idealism, but he became committed to non-violence and equality. In 1972, after receiving a masters degree in education from UW-L, Medinger joined the anti-poverty group Volunteers in Service to America as a way to serve his country without violence.

VISTA took him to Virginia, which he described as an interesting area with a long history of institutional racism.

Two weeks after leaving La Crosse, I was living with an African-American couple  Jim and Lucille Matthews  and their six children, Medinger said. This was a baptism by immersion.

It was a wonderful experience, but something of a shock for 24-year-old Medinger, who had only known one African-American by name before leaving college.

It was a time when I really grew up a lot and experienced a lot of history and racism. I spent, almost exclusively, my time with African-Americans, Medinger said. It really got me more engaged in this area of social and, down the line a bit more, economic inequality.

While he had grown to love Virginia and still is in contact with some of the people he knew there, he returned to La Crosse to put his newfound perspective to work in his hometown.

He was true to that rudder that he established in 1968 and 1969, Parker said.

Medinger put that clarity of purpose to work in La Crosse, first during his eight terms in the Assembly from 1976 to 1992, then from 1993 to 1996 during his time as a staff member for then-U.S. Senator Russ Feingold. In 1996, Medinger ran for mayor of La Crosse, an office he held until 2001.

During his time as mayor, Medinger said, he was dedicated to serving all of La Crosses residents, especially those who needed a hand up to reach equality.

The mayor can set the tone for the community, answering What kind of community are you? I wanted to be a community of inclusivity, he said. I want you to be able to call it home no matter who you are, where you come from or what your sexuality is.

While he left public office in 2001, Medinger continues to work to help minorities, now as a member of U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwins staff and in his private life.

I just feel I have an obligation to serve others, Medinger said. I dont know if it comes from my religious background, my family background or just being inspired by people like Martin Luther King Jr. It just doesnt seem right that so many folks get left behind.

He wants to do his small part to make the world better, he said, even if its one person at a time.

People often lose sight of their roots and their place in how they were brought up and the values from their family and community as they aspire to other heights. John has never lost track of who he is and his responsibility to his community and his family. James Parker
A young woman was killed during a brutal attack by her former boyfriend and his transgender lover, according to police in the United Kingdom.

Stratford-upon-Avon police said that they have arrested 21-year-old Jack Williams and 23-year-old Kayleigh Woods, after being accused of killing 20-year-old Bethany Hill.

Williams and Woods, who is transgender, were charged with murder. According to the police investigation, Williams and Hill were in a sexual relationship for some time.

At some point, they broke up, and Williams began a sexual relationship with Woods. All three lived in the same home on Hertford Road.

One night, Williams and Woods tied the arms and legs of Hill, and slit her throat. The two did it for their sexual pleasure. They then watched as Hill died.

A neighbor called police after hearing a commotion. Police officers who arrived at the scene, found Hill dead in a pool of blood in the bathroom of the home.

The suspects denied the allegations, saying the Hill committed suicide.
People are angry after a migrant from Afghanistan, was allowed to enter the United Kingdom, despite being convicted of beheading his landlord in the Netherlands.

34-year-old Jamshid Piruz of Crawley, used a hammer to attack two police officer as they investigated a burglary.

PC Jessica Chick and PC Stewart Young, both of the Sussex Police, suffered injuries as a result of the hammer attack. Young was taken to hospital after suffering severe head injuries.

Luckily, she later recovered. In court, Piruz claimed that stress caused him to attack the police officers.

The suspect said that he was confused and under stress because he could not get used to vehicles driving on another side of the road.

Piruz was charged with attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent. He was booked into jail, where he is being held without bail.

Piruz has been convicted of murder in connection with the beheading of his landlord when he lived in the Netherlands. He was able enter the United Kingdom, as he was a permanent resident of the Netherlands.

Piruz was also accused of assaulting workers at the Gatwick airport.
Christina and Jeremy Ferguson with their son

By: Chan Yuan WorldWideWeirdNews.com

(Scroll down for video) A police officer in under investigation after his son shot his wife.

The officeras two-year-old son of North Carolina, accidentally shot his 30-year-old mother at their home on Wednesday night.

Authorities said that Jeremy Fergusons son found his fathers weapon in a bag that was closed with a zipper, and accidentally fired it. The bullet hit his mother, Christina Ferguson, in the buttocks.

The boy found the gun, which was not Fergusons service weapon, in the laundry room of his house.

Christina was taken to the Carolina Health System Union, where she has since been discharged in good condition.

The Waxhaw police chief said that Ferguson has been with the department for a year and he was a agood officer.a

Ferguson has been placed on administrative leave as the Waxhaw Police Department conducts its own internal investigation, which will determine if any charges will be filed.
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Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month.
WASHINGTON (TNS)  Republicans in Congress are beginning the search to find money to help President-elect Donald Trump fulfill one of his biggest campaign promises: to build a wall along the Mexican border to slow illegal immigration.

Trump is expected to ask Congress to provide the initial funding for the project, estimated to cost between $12 billion and $38 billion.

Once construction begins, Trump has said, he will demand reimbursement from the Mexican government, even though Mexican officials have said they wont pay.

Trump promised Friday that he would force Mexico to fund the wall.

The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later! he posted on Twitter.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox responded: Trump may ask whoever he wants, but still neither myself nor Mexico are going to pay for his racist monument. Another promise he cant keep.

Republicans Friday were trying to figure out how to provide initial support for the wall, despite opposition from Democrats and resistance from budget conservatives in their own party.

Im not sure anyone believed the government of Mexico was going to write a giant check to the federal registry, but there are other ways to ensure Mexico does pay for the border buildout, said Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., chairman of the Republican Policy Committee. There are broad conversations about fulfilling all of Mr. Trumps campaign promises.

An aide to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., said there have been no new talks with the Trump transition team on the border issue. But Trumps transition team acknowledged that Trump would seek help from Congress.

Obviously a centerpiece of Donald Trumps successful campaign was, Im going to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it, adviser Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News. That hasnt changed, but Congress is examining ways to have the wall paid for through their auspices and Mr. Trump is making the point that he will have Mexico pay it back.

During the campaign, Trump suggested that if Mexico did not agree to pay for the wall, the U.S. might impose a fee on financial remittances sent home by Mexicans working in the U.S. illegally. Such action would surely be opposed by the financial services industry.

The president-elect has also suggested the U.S. could try to pressure Mexico by reducing or slowing the process through which Mexicans get travel cards and visitors visas.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, parent agency of the Border Patrol, has budgeted $175 million for procurement, construction and improvements. But even if that money is diverted to the wall, it wouldnt be nearly enough.Congressional Republicans noted that President George W. Bush signed a 2006 law that authorizes construction of a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico. It was passed by a Republican-led Congress, with support from Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., who is now the Senate minority leader. The law did not provide funding.

Trump has estimated that a wall would cost up to $12 billion to build. It could be more than triple that, $38 billion, according to an analysis published by MIT Technology Review. Thats equal to the entire annual budget for the Department of Homeland Security.The difference depends on the type of the fencing  double or single layer, for example  and how much of the border the wall would cover.

Republicans said one scenario would be to link new border funds to a must-pass bill to keep the government running past April 28.

Such a legislative maneuver would force Democrats, who mostly oppose border funding absent broader immigration law changes, to join the vote or run the risk of a government shutdown.

But the strategy could backfire if Republican deficit hawks raise concerns about adding to the debt load. It is unclear whether Trump will propose offsetting any wall-construction costs with spending cuts elsewhere.

A spokeswoman for the House Appropriations Committee said the Trump team has not submitted a funding request for the wall.

The chairman and the committee have no interest in threatening a shutdown, the spokeswoman said. The committee has not received any request from the Trump team or leadership on this issue. If and when a proposal is received, we will take a careful look at it.
ABIDJAN- Ivory Coast's president said a deal was reached Saturday to end a two-day army mutiny that renewed security concerns in the world's top cocoa producer and Africa's fastest-growing economy.

President Alassane Ouattara made the announcement during a cabinet meeting Saturday evening. Earlier in the day, his defense minister, Alain-Richard Donwahi, led a delegation to negotiate with disgruntled soldiers in the country's second-largest city, Bouake, where the mutiny that saw troops shooting their weapons began Friday morning.

But in an early sign not everyone was on board, mutineers in Bouake fired Kalashnikov rifles and other weapons again after Ouattara's announcement, trapping Donwahi in the home of a local official along with other members of his delegation and journalists.

The group was finally able to leave just before 10 p.m., said one of the hostages, Aboubacar Al Syddick, a journalist for the local newspaper L'Intelligent d'Abidjan. The defense ministry then released a statement denying Donwahi had been held against his will, saying he was merely continuing negotiations.
A 31-year-old Pakistani man has been indicted in Germany for his involvement in an attempt to assassinate Reinhold Robbe, a member of the Social Democratic Party and former president of the German-Israeli Society, a body responsible for strengthening relations between the two nations, German media reported.

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The Pakistani, Sayed Mustafa, was living in the German city of Bremen and worked as a technician at the German Aerospace Center. He was reportedly recruited by Iranian intelligence services and was tasked with following known, outspoken Israel supporters in Germany.

Robbe and Merkel (Photo: Gettyimages)

The indictment claimed that Mustafa was part of a wider operation to follow Israel supporters and scout out targets who had warm relations with Israel in Germany, France, and other European nations.

Mustafa and other operatives were to receive orders to assassinate these targets should Israel strike the Iranian nuclear facilities.

Another target was allegedly an Israeli-French professor who teaches at the Paris School of Business.

The indictment further claimed that the Pakistani was in direct contact with his Iranian handlers, sending them PowerPoint presentations with the details of the people he and his cell were following.

Mustafa was arrested in July on suspicion of spying, and has been known to German intelligence services as a suspected Iranian agent since at least 2015.

The Germans reported that Mustafa wasn't the most sophisticated of Iranian agents, and the people he recruited to help follow and select targets seemed to be amateurs. German authorities reported that it was easy to spot and capture them.
Five former IDF chiefs gave their support to incumbent Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot on Saturday evening in the wake of the incitement against him following the conviction of Sgt. Elor Azaria.

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Lt. Gen (res.) Benny Gantz, Lt. Gen (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi, Lt. Gen (res.) Dan Halutz, Lt. Gen (res.) Moshe Ya'alon and Lt. Gen (res.) Shaul Mofaz came together at Yedioth Ahronoth's Rishon Lezion offices to express their firm and unequivocal support of the IDF, its chief Eisenkot, and the military judicial system.

The incitement against the IDF did not begin last week, but it did go up a notch when Azaria supporters protesting outside the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv called out "Gadi, Gadi, beware. Rabin's looking for a friend," inciting to murder of the IDF chief and threatening the lives of the judges and prosecutor in the trial.

The former IDF chiefs: Ya'alon, Halutz, Mofaz, Ashkenazi and Gantz (Photo: Tomeriko)

"We're allowing a small minority to take over and shout," says Lt. Gen. (res.) Benny Gantz. "We have to stop shouting and start thinking. How did we get to a situation in which Eisenkot or the judges need security against Jews? We have a strong, serious and firm IDF chief. I'm not worried about him, I'm worried about the country. The society needs to know which voices it chooses to listen to. Reality is complex and we have to deal with it. Leaders must create the discourse, not follow it."

In a letter Gantz sent to his successor Eisenkot over the weekend, he wrote: "You are the one who sets the norms, and you are the one who ensures they are followed, despite all difficulties and complexities. You're doing the right thing! It's important to emphasize and remember that while we defend ourselves, we must not lose our character as a society."

Gantz's predecessor, Lt. Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi, described the current climate as "a dangerous crossing of a red line."

"I support the freedom of expression and opinion," Ashkenazi said, "and I can understand the disagreements on the Azaria trial and expressing solidarity with the family's pain. What I cannot understand or accept is attacks against the judicial system, the commanders of the IDF and the threats on the IDF chief. I call on everyone: Stop attacking the IDF and the chief of staff."

The former IDF chiefs: Ya'alon, Halutz, Gantz, Mofaz and Ashkenazi (Photo: Tomeriko)

Lt. Gen. (res.) Dan Halutz criticized the Israeli political leadership, which he believes is not doing its job. "The government needs to be worried by a situation in which the military is the one responsible for protecting its values. That is the leadership's role. Only when there is a vacuum, it is filled. Fortunately, it is filled by commanders such as IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Those who call to harm him should read his resume and see all he has done for the good of the people of Israel, including all of those calling for violence."

Lt. Gen. (res.) Moshe Ya'alon, who was the defense minister when Azaria shot dead a neutralized terrorist in Hebron, said: "The IDF is the State of Israel's protective shield and the uniting element that brings together the most important elements of our existence here. We must not harm our own protective force and we must not allow those who put their own interests ahead of the good of the nation harm it."

Ya'alon harshly criticized public figures that have been attacking the IDF, saying "The IDF, with Eisenkot at its head, is a moral and determined army. That is why I was the first to defend it, to defend us. It was my duty as the defense minister and my way as a fighter and commander my entire life. At a time when cynical politicians target the IDF and its commander in a way that brings to this muddy atmosphere we've been seeing recently, Lt. Gen. Eisenkot deserves every praise and support."

IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot (Photo: Yair Sagi)

Lt. Gen. (res.) Shaul Mofaz stressed the importance of the five former IDF chiefs coming together. "We came here to support the IDF chief, the army, and its values. Beyond the rules of engagement, (the Hebron shooting) raises the question of who are we, what are our values and how do we protect them. The decision of the court must be respected. Anyone who is seeking for immediate pardon (for Azaria) is trying to gain political capital. The politicians tainted the process and it's a shame such a circus was created from this incident."

Regarding those who incite against Eisenkot, Mofaz asserted that "We must bring to justice anyone who has threatened the IDF chief and the judges. This situation is unacceptable."

Lt. Gen (res.) Ehud Barak, who is currently abroad and could not attend the meeting, has lent his support nevertheless. "I am with the IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot and with you, whole-heartedly, from the other side of the world."

Demonstrations in support of Azaria continued on Saturday night when several dozens of protesters arrived at the President's Residence in Jerusalem and held an illegal rally. During that rally, they blocked the road and ignored repeat instructions from the police. Seven of the protesters were arrested for disturbing the peace.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly recorded negotiating on the phone with Yedioth Ahronoth owner Arnon Mozes on mutual benefits, according to reports on local media on Sunday morning.

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The recording, which was obtained by the police, establishes the suspicions against the prime minister, Haaretz reports. The investigaton is referred to as "the 2000 Case.'

The paper quotes a close associate who spoke to Netanyahu after he was questioned for the second time on Thursday and said the prime minister was surprised by the evidence against him.

Yedioth publisher Arnon Mozes and Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photos: AFP, Alex Kolomoiksy)

While Haaretz didn't name the businessman Netanyahu spoke with, Channel 2 identified him as Yedioth Ahronoth owner and publisher Arnon "Noni" Mozes, who also owns Ynet and Ynetnews.

According to the report, Mozes had a long conversation with Netanyahu regarding a deal that would aid Yedioth Ahronoth in the print market in return for a more favorable coverage of the prime minister in the paper.

Journalist Guy Peleg reported on Sunday afternoon that "The recording was recorded by Ari Harow, who was the prime minister's chief of staff. The recording was recorded at theequest of Benjamin Netanyahu and with his knowledge. This recording was caught by investigators during Ari Harow's other investigations, in which they caught his cellular phone, as well as documents and personal computers of his. And one more thing: a law enforcement individual we spoke to over the last hour tells us of the content of the conversation: it is a disqusting conversation, a conversation of give and take, in which on the one hand Yedioth Ahronoh publisher Noni Mozes promises positive coverage and on the other hand the prime minister says 'I will take care of you regarding the Israel Hayom Bill'."

Mozes was also reportedly questioned under caution regarding the suspicions.

Netanyahu told Likud ministers on Sunday morning that "now that I know what this is about, I can say with confidencenothing's going to come of it, because there is nothing to it."

He dismissed the investigation as the result of "inappropriate and incessant pressure by elements in the media on law enforcement authorities" and advised his "friends in the opposition not to celebrate, because there's nothing to celebrate."

Netanyahu was questioned twice last week by the Israel Police on two separate issues. The central line of inquiry has not yet been made public, but the secondary one features Hollywood businessman Arnon Milchan prominently.

Channel 10 reported on Saturday evening that Netanyahu spoke to US Secretary of State John Kerry three times in 2014 to ask him to sort out a problem with Milchan's work visa. According to Channel 10, the visa issue was indeed handled.

Netanyahu is under investigation for, inter alia, accepting illicit gifts from the Hollywood mogul. Channel 2 journalist Amnon Abramovitch reported on Thursday that Netanyahu has received hundreds of thousands of shekels worth of cigars and pink champagne from the businessman.

Abramovitch stated that Milchan had been providing the cigars to Netanyahu for 7 to 8 years, though those close to the prime minister claim that the gifts were not intended as bribes.

On Friday, Netanyahu's lawyer, Yaakov Weinroth, spoke to the press , insisting there is no substance to allegations the prime minister improperly accepted gifts.

Weinroth added that there is "no scrap of crime" in someone giving his friend cigars as a gift. He explained that he was unable to directly address the content of the questioning, as it constitutes part of an ongoing police investigation.

Opposition MK Shelly Yachimovich (Zionist Union) commented on the investigation at a cultural event in Tel Aviv on Saturday that the prime minister will soon have to suspend himself from his duties. "This is abhorrent corruption," she said.

Referring to Netanyahu's predecessor in the premiership, the parliamentarian continued, "Netanyahu had a 'sugar daddy' who regularly provided him with valuable perks, just like the Talansky envelopes in the Olmert affair." Ehud Olmert was sentenced to eight months in prison last year for accepting cash bribes in envelopes from businessman Moshe Talansky.

Yachimovich added on her Facebook page that the ruling in Olmert's case stated that in determining if a bribe had taken place, "the court wanted to clearly know whether money or something worth money exchanged hands. It did. Olmert's in prison."
A video showing an employee at the Israeli Embassy in London saying he wishes to "take down" various British parliamentarians considered to be against Israel caused outrage in the United Kingdom over the weekend, The Guardian reported.

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The Israeli Embassy in the UK was quick to issue an apology, with Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev personally apologizing to Deputy Foreign Minister Alan Duncan, who was one of the parliamentarians "targeted" by the employee.

Another prominent Conservative named by the Israeli Embassy worker was Crispin Blunt, chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee and a vocal Palestinian supporter.

X

Embassy spokesperson said "the Embassy views these statements as completely unacceptable."

The video, recorded by an Al-Jazeera reporter posing as a pro-Israel advocate, shows embassy employee Shai Masot speaking to Maria Strizzolo, a civil servant who was formerly an aide to Conservative Minister Robert Halfon.

Israeli diplomat caught on Al-Jazeera hidden camera

Strizzolo, discussing with Masot how to discredit MPs says in the video: Well, you know, if you look hard enough, Im sure that there is something that theyre trying to hide. Later she adds: A little scandal, maybe."

Strizzolo boasts that she helped her boss, MP Robert Halfon, secure a promotion when he was appointed the education minister. Masot asks her whether she could also achieve the opposite effect. Can I give you some MPs that I would suggest you would take down? he asks, without elaborating what that entailed.

Masot adds that she knew which MPs he was referring to, and when Strizzolo asks for clarification, he replies "the deputy foreign minister."

I thought we had, you know, neutralized him just a little bit, no? Strizzolo asks. Masot answers: No.

Foreign Minister Boris Johnson (Photo: EPA)

Masot is also heard in the video calling British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson "an idiot."

Masot's business card says he is a senior political officer at the embassy who, according to his LinkedIn page, has worked there since November 2014. He describes his role at the embassy as being the chief point of contact between the embassy and MPs and liaising with ministers and officials at the Foreign Office. He was also a major in the IDF between 2004 and 2011.

The Al-Jazeera reporter pretended to be a pro-Israel activist from June to November of last year and recorded conversations that include a wide range of pro-Israel activists, British politicians and Israeli embassy staff.

The recordings form the basis of four half-hour documentaries that al-Jazeera is to broadcast starting January 15.
The American Modern Language Association (MLA) has rejected a proposal to boycott Israeli academic institutions by a 60 percent majority.

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After the rejection of the Israeli boycott proposal, a new proposal calling for a rejection of any and all boycotts was accepted. The pro-Israel proposal stated that MLA only deals with research, books, and languages  not politics.

The vote took place at an MLA meeting in Philadelphia. MLA is one of the largest language associations in the United States and is considered an authority on American English language spelling and grammar. There are 24,000 members in the association, including some of the US's top linguistic specialists.

Anti-Israel boycotters

Following the vote, Prof. Tzvi Zigler  head of the The Committee of University Heads in Israel, a forum to combat academic boycotts  said "boycott attempts (against Israeli universities) have failed by and large due to the immense efforts of The Committee of University Heads in Israel vis-a-vis our counterparts abroad."

"In regards to the MLA decision, the fight was conducted within the Association itself, led by Prof. Neslon from the University of Illinois, and Prof. Berman from Stanford University. They were assisted by various Jewish organizations, along with The Committee of University Heads in Israel," Professor Zigler continued.

Zigler added that "we view the overt and covert boycott efforts with increasing amounts of worry. These boycott efforts primarily hurt young researchers who are just starting out, primarily researchers in the Humanities and the Social Sciences. We at the committee are continuing to fight energetically against boycotts, especially when they run contrary to the principals of the academic community."

This victory comes at the heels of a victory at the American Anthropological Association , when a vote to boycott Israel was narrowly averted.
DUBAI- Saudi Arabia says the man who planned a suicide bombing in July outside of the mosque where the Prophet Muhammad is buried is one of the two extremists killed in a shootout with police in Riyadh.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said Taie bin Salem bin Yaslam al-Saya'ari was killed Saturday by police in the capital's northern Yasmeen neighborhood.

The July 4 bombing outside of the Medina mosque killed four Saudi security force members and wounded five.

Millions of Muslims from around the world visit the mosque every year as part of their pilgrimage to Mecca.
MOSCOW- A report by U.S. security services blaming Russia for meddling in the U.S. presidential race has brought stinging rejoinders from Russian politicians and news media.

Alexei Pushkov, a member of the upper house of parliament's defense and security committee, said on Twitter that "all the accusations against Russia are based on 'confidence' and suppositions. The USA in the same way was confident about (Iraqi leader Saddam) Hussein having weapons of mass destruction."

In another tweet on Saturday, Pushkov suggested that President "Obama is alarmed: Republicans trust Putin more than Democrats."

Margarita Simonyan, the editor of government-funded satellite TV channel RT that is frequently mentioned in the U.S. report, said in a blog post: "Dear CIA: what you have written here is a complete fail."
Four IDF soldiersthree women and a man in their 20swere murdered and 17 wounded when a Palestinian truck driver deliberately rammed into pedestrians on a popular promenade overlooking the walled Old City of Jerusalem on Sunday.

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Moment of the attack

X

The truck, which has Israeli license plates stolen from a private vehicle, sped towards pedestrians waiting at a bus stop and hit them deliberately, police said.

"The terrorist came from the direction of Alar Street. He noticed a group of people coming off a bus that stopped along the promenade. As far as we know, he sped up and hit them," said Jerusalem District Police spokeswoman Galit Ziv.

Photo: AFP

The terrorist was shot and neutralized by several armed civilians and two soldiers who were on the scene.

Palestinian sources identified the terrorist as Fadi Ahmad Al-Qunbar, a released prisoner from Jabel Mukaber, a neighborhood in east Jerusalem that borders East Talpiot. IDF troops raided the terrorist's house shortly after the attack.

Photo: AFP

Speaking at the scene of the attack, Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh said there was no prior intelligence regarding the terrorist's intention to carry out his attack. He said no additional details can be revealed about the terrorist at this moment as the investigation is still ongoing.

Alsheikh told reporters he could not rule out that the Palestinian was motivated by a truck ramming attack in a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people last month, including an Israeli woman.

"It is certainly possible to be influenced by watching TV but it is difficult to get into the head of every individual to determine what prompted him, but there is no doubt that these things do have an effect," Alsheikh told reporters.

Photo: AFP

A driver who witnessed the incident said on the radio the truck ploughed into a group of soldiers, and that they fired on the driver, who reversed direction and ran over them again.

Photo: Gil Yohanan

"They shot him, until they neutralized him," said the bus driver, who gave his name only as Moshe.

Photo: AFP

A tour guide who was at the scene said, "I saw a truck speeding... people ran for cover, yelling 'terror attack'... it lasted about a minute and a half until the terrorist was neutralized ... I was treating the wounded, trying to strengthen them and praying."

Photo: AFP

Magen David Adom paramedics treated and evacuated 17 wounded to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Karem and Mount Scopus and to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center. Among them, three in serious condition, one in moderate-to-serious condition and nine were lightly hurt.

Photo: Alex Kolomoisky

Three of the wounded had to be extracted from under the track using a crane.

Photo: Amit Shabi

Eitan Rond, the tour guide of the group that was hit by the truck, claimed the soldiers at the scene were not quick to open fire at the terrorist because of the conviction of Sgt. Elor Azaria, who shot dead a neutralized terrorist in Hebron.

"I have no doubt this was part of the reason," he said. "Over the last two and a half weeks, soldiers were told in the army to be careful. It pains me to say this but some of the more serious injuries here were caused when the truck drove in reverse. A few seconds less of dawdling and perhaps the situation would've been better."

Eitan Rond (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Rond recounted the attack, "In a fraction of a second I saw a truck speeding towards us. It sent me flying back. After rolling on the grass a few times, for a minute there I thought it was an accident. And then I saw the truck driving in reverse. I saw that I still had my gun. I ran to stand in front of the truck and started emptying my magazine at the terrorists. He drove in reverse, running over the wounded."

Rond said there were soldiers at the scene that opened fire at the terrorist.

The Security Cabinet was set to convene on Sunday afternoon for an emergency meeting following the attack.

Hamas praised the attack, trying to get #TruckIntifada trending on Twitter and handing out sweets in Gaza to celebrate it.

"This truck attack shows that any attempt to put a stop to the resistance will fail," Hamas's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, wrote on Twitter.

Sweets in Gaza to celebrate the attack

Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif Qanou called it a "heroic" act and encouraged other Palestinians to do the same and "escalate the resistance." Qanou says Sunday's attack proves the wave of Palestinian violence has not ended, despite a recent lull. He says "it may be quiet, it may linger, but it will never end."
BREMERHAVEN - The US military on Sunday vowed to increase the scope and complexity of its European training exercises to deter Russian aggression, as more US tanks, trucks and other equipment arrived in Germany for a big buildup on NATO's eastern flank.

"Let me be clear: This is one part of our efforts to deter Russian aggression, ensure the territorial integrity of our allies and maintain a Europe that is whole, free, prosperous, and at peace," US Air Force Lieutenant General Tim Ray, deputy commander of US European Command, said in prepared remarks.

Ray underscored the United States' "rock-solid commitment to Europe" in the northern German port of Bremerhaven, where he marked the arrival in recent days of some 2,800 pieces of military equipment that will be used by nearly 4,000 US troops in exercises in NATO states near Russia.
HELENA  Dozens of Montana legislators, the governor and several top staff members often use personal email accounts to discuss government business, a practice criticized nationwide for circumventing public disclosure and threatening security.

The recent presidential election put unprecedented focus on the use of personal email by government officials. Less attention has been paid to the practice in Montana even though it is widespread.

Until 2015, only legislative leaders were offered emails at mt.gov. About one-third of legislators continue to use personal accounts as their primary or sole legislative email. A records request released last year showed that Gov. Steve Bullock and several top staff members use personal accounts to conduct some state business. Montana has no plan to retain emails from personal accounts even if they contain discussions of state business. State policy also does not require employees or elected leaders to use government accounts exclusively. Similarly, other forms of personal electronic communication  such as texting and social media messaging  are not retained even though many elected leaders say they use the tools on the job.

Some officials, including the governors chief legal counsel and former Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, said it is unclear whether state law requires the disclosure of any personal emails, texts and other electronic messages. Legislators have yet to finalize rules about their own emails but some have suggested few should ever be released to the public. New Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, whose constitutional duties include records management, said the law is simple but a solution is not.

Open government advocates and historians argue electronic communications are public records and their preservation is increasingly important.

The statute is clear on its face, so I dont think the legal issue is unsettled, at all, said Mike Meloy, a Helena attorney and expert on open government laws who volunteers with the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline. The medium is irrelevant. A text is public electronic information just as certainly as email or a letter if it relates to official business.

Digital communication has become a common way state leaders discuss public business, so Meloy said it is essential that these messages are retained and released so the public can understand how their elected leaders reached decisions. As it stands now, many governments, including Montana, are undermining the publics right to know by not having a clear management plan for personal emails that qualify as public records, said Adam Marshall, an attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Unless someone knows a non-governmental account is being used or everyone is copying their official accounts on everything, these records arent in government systems and will not always be searched in response to records requests, he said.

Although Montana has had email retention guidelines since 2002, they do not mention personal accounts. In a story last week, Lee Montana Newspapers reported that the state often fails to follow email retention rules and the archives, which is the final destination for the most important files, do not have the technological capability to accept digital records.

Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, said legislators are looking for solutions, although only one related bill had been discussed in the first week of the session.

This is an issue when youve got systemic issues throughout state government of not archiving emails and state law is being violated, Knudsen said. Its premature to say what the answer is yet.

Many states have improved their policies for retaining emails, often after costly lawsuits or a scandal drove the bureaucratic issue into the public spotlight.

Without policies and retention practices in place, Meloy said the public is at the mercy of the user to follow state law in keeping and releasing records.

These issues first drew attention in Montana in 2015.

When Angela McLean said she was stepping down as lieutenant governor, many wondered why. It was the second time in three years a lieutenant governor had left office, but Bullock declined to provide a complete explanation.

Reporters requested copies of emails sent between Bullock, McLean and top staff members from their mt.gov accounts. Some of the released messages from Bullock had the email address redacted because it was his personal account. Lee Newspapers, among others, circled back to the governors attorney, Andy Huff, to request emails from the personal account that were about public business.

Huff said he did not think those emails had to be disclosed to the public, but weeks later Bullock agreed to release them anyway, excluding some deemed to be purely personal.

During the two-year period, about three-quarters of the 116 emails Bullock sent from his private account went to the private emails of staffers or other public employees, such as Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian. Additionally, public employees used personal accounts to send more than 150 emails to Bullocks personal account.

These messages effectively circumvented normal public disclosure. Only 15 percent of the emails released in May included a recipient with a government email account, which would have made them discoverable in routine records requests.

The personal emails illustrated the internal tensions leading up to McLeans departure. Bullock and his staff also used private email to discuss policy proposals, environmental impact statements for the Otter Creek coal development, and to plan a media-response strategy for the discovery of unapproved genetically modified wheat at a Montana State University research facility.

In one exchange, then-Chief of Staff for the Secretary of State, Eric Stern, sent a message from his personal account to the public account of McLean. At one point, she asked, Hear anything good? and he replied, whats your personal email? The rest of the conversation is unknown because it presumably continued in two personal accounts outside the scope of the records request. Similar transitions from public accounts to personal ones can be seen in other emails that were released.

Bullock Spokesman Tim Crowe said the governor did not have anything more to say about the emails than he did months ago and declined an interview request. He said the release did not lead to policy changes in the office nor any review of how often personal accounts were used. Crowe said Huff was willing to discuss the matter, but was too busy to make an appointment now.

In May, the governors staff described the use of personal email accounts as a matter of logistics" and that it was sometimes easier to reach Bullock that way when traveling or on the weekend. Nearly two-thirds of the emails sent or received by Bullocks private accounts were sent between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Staff also confirmed that the governor uses a personal cellphone with access to both his work and personal email accounts.

The governors use of a personal account appears to be occasional, but some Montana leaders use private email to conduct all of their state business.

Dozens of legislators do not have a government email account. Some that do say they still use their personal email for some public business.

There is limited guidance for legislators about how to handle emails and even less about other forms of electronic communications.

It doesnt seem like the protocols and the laws are very clear on some of it, Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, said. I think something needs to be done to make sure the public records requests coming are legitimate...Some of the requests were seeing are coming from these politically motivated organizations out of Washington D.C. and theyre being used more as a tool of harassment.

Last year, the Campaign for Accountability, a national watchdog and advocacy organization, requested emails sent by Fielder about public lands issues and the American Lands Council. She had become CEO of the council a few months earlier. The previous CEO, Utah legislator Ken Ivory, had left the post amid public scrutiny about how he used his state email account to lobby for council issues and to urge counties to buy memberships  issues exposed by a similar records request for emails made by the Campaign for Accountability.

The groups request for Fielders emails, submitted in February, still has not been fulfilled.

The delay highlights two challenges of completing records requests that involve personal accounts.

First, it is unclear to whom such requests should be submitted and who has the responsibility to fulfill them. The Legislative Services Division has taken on the responsibility informally, but staff there cannot handle requests involving personal accounts. Those must be completed by the legislators themselves, on their own time and without pay, although the division offers technical and legal assistance. State law also does not set a timeline for how long government officials have to turn over records.

Why arent they concerned about Hillary Clintons emails? Why are they concerned about mine? Fielder asked. I dont think their motives are pure in any sense of the word."

Legislative Services Director Susan Fox said the requirements of state law can be difficult to determine, in large part, because Montanas open government law and constitutional mandate for the right to know is so strong.

In many states, much of the communication between legislators are held in private or are confidential until a bill is introduced, she said. We have a district court opinion that says thats not the case in Montana. We dont have anywhere to look for guidance because by and large we are one of the most open Legislatures in the country.

Debby Barrett, a Dillon Republican, used a personal account all 16 years she served in the Legislature. Only in the last two years did she also use state email because of her role as Senate President.

She said she used state email to speak with legislative staff and legislators and the personal account for everyone else, including constituents and lobbyists. Despite having a state account, many messages and official statements she sent to members of the press came from her personal email.

Barrett is among a group of legislators who have argued that few, if any, of their emails should be public record, regardless of whether its a personal or government account.

The executive branch can make a decision every day on their own and its official business. Its important people can see those records, said Barrett, whose final term just ended. For a legislator to have official business, that has to be in a committee or a place they can make a decision to affect their constituents. Its not an official record what a constituent writes to you. I can talk to anybody, but I cant make a decision on my own as a legislator. I have to take that to a committee or to the floor. That is the difference.

Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso, D- Butte, disagreed.

It seems pretty black and white, he said. Other than messages from your family or about hobbies with friends, it seems to me that everything else is public. If youre talking to a constituent or a lobbyist, it should be public. I err on the side that everythings public and go backward from there.

The legal counsel and expert staff at the Legislative Service Division told legislators at a November training that some details remain unsettled, but the intent of the law and constitution is clear.

Whether an email constitutes public information depends on the information, not the format or where it resides, reads a new manual with email guidelines for legislators.

Other governments, from local to federal, use a variety of tactics to retain emails of public importance for the time periods required by law.

One of the simplest potential solutions: Require public employees use state-managed emails accounts for public business. Although some legislative leaders said the policy was worth considering, they also expressed concerns about convenience, reliability and security.

Certainly, for citizen legislators it makes sense they use their own devices, said Stapleton, who had served as a legislator.

He noted that until recently email could not easily be accessed from anywhere with web browsers or with cell phones. And because legislators only spend 90 days a year in Helena for the session  and the bulk of the rest of their time back home in their communities  he said it often is just easiest to use an email personal account that blends personal, business and legislative use.

Legislators say they frequently receive incredible volumes of emails and have trouble keeping up with it all. In 2015, the 150 legislators reviewed almost 1,200 bills, dozens of which led constituents and lobbyists to flood their inboxes with opinions.

I dont get 100 messages on my desk. I get 100 emails, said Knudsen, who has used a personal email account since joining the Legislature in 2011 for the ease for my constituents getting ahold of me.

State accounts have an inbox limit of 250 megabytes, but archival storage, which can be automated with a simple settings change, stores up to 20 gigabytes. It would take 2 million emails to fill an archive that large, based on the average size of a text-only email of 10 kilobytes. Previous Legislatures have scaled back or shot down funding requests from IT officials to expand storage servers.

Sesso, who also works for Butte-Silver Bow, said legislators must work closely with IT professionals to solve technical challenges like storage space. He said he once used a state-managed email but stopped, in part, because of the states storage limits. He suggested to the reporter, however, he might switch back after learning more about the public records challenges of private emails. His online profile for the current legislative session lists a state account.

Stapleton agreed state computer systems are not the cats meow.
The top Republican and Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on Sunday cast doubt on whether Russia can become an ally of the United States, an idea President-elect Donald Trump has embraced.

Republican Devin Nunes, chairman of the committee, said on "Fox News Sunday" he would like to see a US-Russia friendship but does not know if it is possible.

Adam Schiff, the committee's ranking Democrat, said on CNN it would be great if Russia could be an ally, but, "It's not realistic and we need to be clear eyed and sober about just what the Russians are about."
The evacuation of the illegal outpost of Amona once again came up upon an obstacle during a recent meeting between government officials and representatives from the outpost that descended into shouting.

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The meeting, held a few days ago at the Prime Minister's Office, included PMO Bureau Chief Yoav Horowitz, Education Minister Naftali Bennett's bureau chief Tal Gan-Zvi, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked's bureau chief Yair Hirsh, Binyamin Regional Council Head Avi Roeh and representatives of Amona.

Horowitz (L) and Netanyahu (Photos: AFP, Tal Shahar)

As the meeting went on, the discussion became more and more aggressive. At some point, Horowitz reportedly lashed out at the settlers' representatives and said, "We've been working on this night and day.The prime minister has dedicated 60% of his time to Amona. He and his entire staff are dealing with this for most of their day. You should bow down before Netanyahu for saving the settlement."

Representatives of Amona responded in turn. "If the state won't stand by its commitment and we find out you've deceived us, all our friends are going to come to Amona and we're going to blow it up. Is that what Netanyahu wants? For all of us to blow up in Amona?"

Gan-Zvi, for his part, stressed that "The only way we might be able to make some progress if a task force will be assigned." He also demanded that the prime minister pressure Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai to expedite matters. Representing Netanyahu, Horowitz responded that the prime minister's sway is limited in that regard.

Amona's evacuation was postponed by Supreme Court President Miriam Naor for the beginning of February after its residents agreed to a peaceful evacuation. The current stress and anxiety among the settlers is derived from the fact that despite having reached agreements to take care of the needs of the evacuated settlers, there have not been developments toward this end on the ground. In addition, Plot 38the main plot on which new settler buildings were supposed to be builtfell through due to legal issues.

In an internal document made public on Ynet for the first time, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit explicitly stated that the plot cannot be built on. "As events develped, the decision to approve a plan to have 12 housing units on Plot 38 was based on the understanding that it is considered abandoned property. The factual evidence regarding this was found to be fundamentally different. As such, the Israeli Civil Administration should decide whether to keep the plan as is or cancel it,' wrote Mandelblit.

The ramifications of this finding is that with the evacuation looming a month away, currently there is not a single piece of land upon which the state could set up housing units. Amona activists are responding to this reality by calling on young settlers to be prepared to flood the outpost if thir demands are not met and push comes to shove.
Visiting the site of the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem's East Talpiot on Sunday a few hours after the incident that killed four and wounded 17, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the attacker was connected to ISIS.

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Netanyahu came to the scene with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and was briefed by the Israel Police's Jerusalem District Commander Yoram Halevy, Netanyahu announced, "We know the identity of the terrorist, and according to all the signs, he was a supporter of ISIS." The terrorist has been identified as Fadi Ahmad Al-Qunbar, a 28-year-old

Lieberman and Netanyahu visit the site of the attack. (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Netanyahu said that Israel has blockaded Jabel Mukaber, the east Jerusalem neighborhood where Al-Qunbar lived, and is planning other measures to prevent similar attacks.

He added, "We know that there's a chain of attacks here, and there could definitely be a connection between them, from the ramming attack in Nice, France, to the ramming attack in Berlin, and now Jerusalem. We are fighting against this affliction, and we will overcome it."

Netanyahu and Lieberman expressed their condolences to the families of the casualties and wishes for recovery to those wounded. Lieberman attributed a motive to the attack: "It is clear that this horrible terrorist attack is not for any other reason rather than just one reason: Because we are Jews, and we live here in the State of Israel.

Moment of the attack

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"There was no other reason for this, and you don't need to look for any justificationnot Jewish settlements and not negotiations, but simply a terrorist attack, inspired by ISIS. We saw this in France, we saw it now in Berlin, and unfortunately, we saw it today in Jerusalem. We will fight this terrorism with all the tools at our disposal, and I am certain that there will be results and that we will triumph."

(Photo: Gil Yohanan)

President Reuven Rivlin spoke before taking off for a state visit to Georgia, saying, "My heart remains in Israel, and it is a heavy heart indeed." He sent his condolences and best wishes as well and promised to visit the families on his return.

(Photo: Gil Yohanan)

The IDF rejected claims that soldiers hesitated to fire at the terrorist in fear that they would be put on trial, thus following in the footsteps of Sgt. Elor Azaria, who was convicted last week of manslaughter after shooting a neutralized terrorist.

Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan responded to the attack attack, ordering Israel Police not to return the terrorist's body. "This is a particularly heinous, painful and serious crime that could lead to copycats. We will not allow the vile terrorist and his family to have a funeral that would grant him the respect that would encourage other attackers," said Erdan.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced the names of the four soldiers killed in Sunday's vehicular terrorist attack. They are 2nd Lt. Yael Yakutiel (20) from Givatayim, whose rank was posthumously elevated to Lt.; Cadet Shir Hajaj (22) from Ma'ale Adumim, whose rank was posthumously elevated to Lt.; Cadet Shira Tzur (20) from Haifa, whose rank was posthumously elevated to 2nd Lt.; and Cadet Erez Orbach (20) from Alon Shvut, whose rank was posthumously elevated to 2nd Lt. All their families have been informed of their deaths.

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Orbach, the eldest of six children, graduated from the Neveh Shmuel Yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Efrat. The settlement issued a statement, saying, "He will be remembered for his constant smile and his willingness to assist and volunteer for any good cause."

The scene of the attack. Clockwise from top left: Erez Orbach, Shira Tzur, Shir Hajaj, Yael Yakutiel (Photo: AFP)

Yael Yakutiel

A friend of Yael Yekutiel, who was also killed in the attack, said that Yael "had the biggest heart there was. A person full of light and happines, people like that just don't exist. Everything she did, she did for others."

Shira Tzur

"Our Shira was so full of life," said a family friend. "We'll always remember her smiling and thinking of the next challege." They expressed their condolences to Shira's family, saying, "We all fee; Shira's pain. Shira's smile and song will not be stopped."

Erez Orbach

Orbach, the eldest of six children, graduated from the Neveh Shmuel Yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Efrat. The settlement issued a statement, saying, "He will be remembered for his constant smile and his willingness to assist and volunteer for any good cause."

Rabbi Yaakov Fisher, who heads the yeshiva Erez studied in, remembered the person he was. "Erez was a guy full of wiilpower and motivation, very determined, but inside he was tender, gentle and sensitive, with principles and and values, who was beloved by all. Due to his health issues and a low profile score, he had to fight to enlist in the army. He was incredibly happy when he learned he got into the army. But that wasn't enough for him, so he kept fighting to go officers' course."

Shir Hajaj

Merav Hajaj lost her daughter in the attack. "We stood by the door and prayed for them not to come," she said, adding that "She was a flower, the love of my life. This girl, we has such high hopes for her. Her determination, her willpower, they don't make them like that."

Shir's father Herzl wished to deliver a message to Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Paraphrasing a common slogan among Elor Azaria supporters, who have dubbed him "Our boy," the senior Hajaj told reporters, "They are all of our kids. We send them to the army, and we know they might not return. But to tell you that I believed it would happen to me? Never."

US State Department condemns attack

The US Department of State has admonished the terrorist attack. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms today's horrific vehicular attack by a terrorist in Jerusalem. There is absolutely no justification for these brutal and senseless attacks. We condemn the glorification of terrorism now or at any time and call on all to send a clear message that terrorism must never be tolerated. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the four Israeli soldiers who were killed, and we hope for a full and fast recovery of those injured," the department's statement reads.

Emergency personnel evacuate injured (Photo: Gil Yohanann)

One of the cadets who opened fire on the terrorist recalled the minutes from the event. "We were on patrol, standing at an observation post in Jerusalem. We heard a boom, and when we turned around we saw a truck driving onto the sidewalk and hitting several cadets. At first we thought it was an accident, but after seeing that the driver wasn't stopping , we realized it was a terrorist attack. We ran toward the truck, I loaded my rifle with a magazine and began shooting."

Photo: AFP

The attack

Nationalistic right-wing group Lehava, a Hebrew acronym standing for "the Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land," staged a protest at East Talpiot. Police dispersed them and took two activists into custody for allegedly blocking the street.
The sister of Fadi Ahmad Al-Qunbar, who carried out the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem on Sunday that killed four and wounded 17, welcomed the news of her brother's act of terrorism later in the day.

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After learning of her 28-year-old brother's having slain one officer and three cadets in the IDF officers' training course in East Talpiot, also known as Armon Hanatziv, in the capital, Al-Qunbar's sister commented, "Praise be to God that he became a martyr. It's the most beautiful martyrdom."

Fadi Al-Qunbar

His sister said that following the attack, police forces arrived at the family's home. "We realized he did it when we saw a picture of his truck on Facebook," she said. "The police told us what he did and removed us from the house." She relayed that the police took down the names of all the family members.

Terrorist's family watches footage of his attack

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Al-Qunbar's sister added that her brother was a devout religious man who was married with four children.

Responding to claims that he was affiliated to a terrorist group, she said, "He didn't belong to any group or political movement. He carried out the attack on his own.





Soldiers shortly after the attack (Photo: AFP)

His sister said that following the attack, police forces arrived at the family's home. "We realized he did it when we saw a picture of his truck on Facebook," she said. "The police told us what he did and removed us from the house." She relayed that the police took down the names of all the family members.

The truck used in the attack (Photo: AFP)

So far, nine suspects have been arrested on suspicion of being linked to the attack. Five of them are family members of Al-Qunbar. A preliminary investigation found that he had not been arrested or served jail time for any security offenses. His personal belongings are currently being examined to see whether he was affiliated with international terrorist group ISIS.

Al-Qunbar's sister added that her brother was a devout religious man who was married with four children.

Soldiers comforting one another at the scene of the attack (Photo: AFP)

Visiting the scene of the attack on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "according to all the signs, he was a supporter of ISIS."

Responding to claims that he was affiliated to a terrorist group, she said, "He didn't belong to any group or political movement. He carried out the attack on his own. Praise the Lord for him becoming a shahid. It is the most beautiful kind of saintly death."

Hamas praised the attack, trying to get #TruckIntifada trending on Twitter and handing out sweets in Gaza to celebrate it.

Distributing sweets in Gaza after the attack

"This truck attack shows that any attempt to put a stop to the resistance will fail," Hamas's military wing wrote on Twitter.

Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif Qanou called it a "heroic" act and encouraged other Palestinians to do the same and "escalate the resistance." Qanou says Sunday's attack proves the wave of Palestinian violence has not ended, despite a recent lull. He says "it may be quiet, it may linger, but it will never end."
Chonmipem Horam `Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent`- Victor Hugo Can you imagine a life void of music? Absolutely NOT! Whether you admit it or not, music permeates our daily life, weaving its beauty and emotion through our thoughts, activities and memories. Music is harmony and music is beauty. Music has the quality of expressing the inexpressible. One cannot approach music with ones own peculiar likes, dislikes or tastes, which are all a part of ones own conditioning. Music is something both extraordinarily complex and incredibly simple at the same time.Roots of World Music day World Music Day also known as Fete de la Musique, was a music festival that began in France in 1982.The idea was conceived by French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang in 1981. Since then June 21st has been celebrated every year as World Music Day. Today, it has spread to Argentina, Australia, Britain, Luxemburg, Germany, Switzerland, Costa Rica, China, India, Lebanon, Pakistan and many other countries. On this day, the musicians perform for free in open areas. Free concerts are organized in parks, museums, train stations, castles etc. This is done to promote music, making all genres of music accessible to the public. It gives an opportunity to communicate and share special bond through music. The term World Music includes traditional as well as non-western music. It is folk music of any culture, created and played by indigenous people. It is a classical form of music accompanied by traditional ethnic instruments, some prominent forms are  Japanese Koto music, India raga music, Tibetan chants and South African `township music`. Genres India, being a land of unity in diversity with various cultures, traditions, art forms, every region has its own unique musical form. While there are various genres, Indian classical music has been divided into North Indian tradition known as Hindustani music and Carnatic music belonging to South India. But apart from these, there are varied forms such as  Bhangra, Bhajans or devotional, Ghazals and Qawwalis, Indi-pop, Folk, Tribal, Film songs, Remixes, Fusion. While, Bhangra is a dance oriented folk music, Bhavageete (literally `devotional song`) is a form of expressionist poetry and light music. Qawwali is a Sufi form of devotional music based on Hindustani classical. And in the West, we have Metal, Punk, Rock, Hip-Hop, Hard Rock, alternative, Experimental, Country, Disco, Funk, Classical, Progressive, Trance, Techno, Ska, Reggae music. Trance Music was developed in early quarters of 20th century and is generally played in club houses and dance floors. Indigenous Country Music born of the US is in form of folk, Celtic, church, gospels and tribal music, while, Pop Music is both classical and folk. Reggae is a music genre developed in late 1960`s. Its lyrics deal with faith, love, sexuality, relationships, injustice etc. Hip-hop is both a cultural movement and genre of music developed in New York City in 1970`s by African Americans and Latin Americans.The good, the bad and the ugly Music is an important form of communication. Its a reflection of society in a particular time and place. Music needs no boundaries, it bonds us irrespective of who we are, and where are we from. Not only its a source of entertainment but it also acts as a medium to convey messages, of how things are, and what lies ahead in the future. Michael Jackson`s song `Heal the world sounds beautiful as well as inspiring as it echoes noble thoughts. There`s A Place In Your Heart, And I Know That It Is Love, And This Place Could Be Much Brighter Than Tomorrow, And If You Really Try You`ll Find There`s No Need To Cry,In This Place You`ll Feel There`s No Hurt Or Sorrow There Are Ways To Get There If You Care Enough For The Living Make A Little Space, Make A Better Place... Heal The World, Make It A Better Place, For You And For Me And The Entire Human Race There Are People Dying, If You Care Enough For The Living, Make A Better Place For You And For Me If You Want To Know Why There`s A Love That Cannot Lie Love Is Strong, It Only Cares For Joyful Giving If We Try, We Shall See In This Bliss We Cannot Feel, Fear Or Dread We Stop Existing And Start Living Then It Feels That Always Love`s Enough For Us Growing So Make A Better World Make A Better World... And The Dream We Were Conceived In, Will Reveal A Joyful Face And The World We Once Believed In Will Shine Again In Grace Then Why Do We Keep Strangling Life Wound This Earth, Crucify Its Soul Though It`s Plain To See, This World Is Heavenly Be God`s Glow We Could Fly So High Let Our Spirits Never Die In My Heart, I Feel You Are All My Brothers Create A World With No Fear Together We`ll Cry Happy Tears See The Nations Turn their Swords Into Plowshares We Could Really Get There If You Cared Enough for The Living Make A Little Space, To Make A Better Place... You And For Me Music also grants us the freedom of expression. Like in late 1980`s and 90`s, young black Americans coming out of the Civil Rights Movement used this to show the limitation of the movement. It used Hip-hop to voice their issues. It lets them the world to be noticed. But inspite of all these social impacts, there have been negative aspects as well. Some of the most popular songs in Hip-hop genre have negatively influenced violence, drugs, alcohol, sex and disrespect for authorities, which is detrimental to the lives and education of the youngsters.Festivals There are many World Music festivals and jazz/folk/roots/new age crossover events. The Ariano Folkfestival is the biggest World Music festival in southern Italy, is held in mid August. The California World Music Festival is held each July at Nevada County Fairgrounds. The World Sacred Music Festival is held annually in Olympia, Washington State. FloydFest in Floyd, Virginia, USA. The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance in Trumansburg, New York, USA. Rainforest World Music Festival is another world music festival held in Malaysia. Stern Grove festival is a San Francisco celebration of musical and cultural diversity. The Starwood Festival in New York has been held in July every year since 1981.
Judge refuses to release 4 accused of beating disabled youth: CHICAGO  A Chicago judge refused to allow four black people caught on cellphone footage taunting and beating a mentally disabled white man to post bail and leave jail, saying they are accused of such terrible actions that they are a danger to society. The beating was captured on cellphone video by one of the assailants and has since been viewed millions of times on social media. The graphic footage shows the suspects taunting the victim with profanities against white people and President-elect Donald Trump.

Blast in Syrian town on Turkish border kills nearly 50: BEIRUT  A car bomb ripped through a busy commercial district in a rebel-held Syrian town along the Turkish border Saturday, killing nearly 50 in a huge explosion that damaged buildings and left rescuers scrambling to find survivors amid the wreckage, opposition activists said. Rescuers and doctors said the explosion was so large there were nearly 100 wounded and burned. Over 50 wounded were transported to the Turkish border town of Kilis for treatment, as local hospitals couldnt cope. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Ivory Coast president says deal reached to end army mutiny: ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast  Ivory Coasts president Alassane Ouattara said a deal was reached Saturday to end a two-day army mutiny that renewed security concerns in the worlds top cocoa producer and Africas fastest-growing economy. In his announcement, Ouattara said he was willing to take into account soldiers demands for more money and an improvement in their living and working conditions, but he criticized the mutineers tactics. Ivory Coast is no stranger to mutinies, having experienced about 10 since 1990, according to Maggie Dwyer, an expert on mutinies in West Africa at the University of Edinburgh. If your soldiers are coming to the streets for pay, there are probably deeper tensions within the military structure, and those often go unaddressed, she said.

US takes backseat in Syria peace efforts: WASHINGTON  Stung by years of failure to stop Syrias bloodshed, the United States is now just a bystander to the civil war as President Barack Obamas tenure ends. Secretary of State John Kerry still is speaking sporadically with Russian, Turkish and Arab foreign ministers about cease-fire efforts, and there are occasional consultations with the opposition. But less than two weeks before Donald Trumps presidency begins, the Obama administration no longer is even claiming to play the leading part in the peace mediation that it spearheaded unsuccessfully for years. Formal contacts with Russia and others in Geneva, the main meeting point for the U.S.-led diplomacy, have ended.
Believe it or not, Americans like Obamacare. They just dont know they like Obamacare.

That is, the law known as Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act is relatively unpopular. But most of the things that this disreputable law does are incredibly popular.

Consider the prohibition on denying insurance coverage due to preexisting conditions. Seven in 10 Americans, including 6 in 10 Republicans, support this provision, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

What about allowing young adults to stay on parents plans until age 26; eliminating out-of-pocket costs for preventive care; providing subsidies to low- and moderate-income Americans to help them purchase coverage; and helping states expand Medicaid to cover more uninsured low-income adults?

At least 80 percent of Americans are fans of every one of these provisions. Among Republicans only, at least two-thirds are, too.

The only major component that a majority of Americans dont like is the individual mandate  that is, the requirement that nearly all Americans sign up for insurance or pay a fine.

But as is often pointed out, you need this unpopular provision to preserve the popular one about preexisting conditions. Without a mandate, only increasingly sick people will buy coverage, sending insurance markets into a death spiral.

Other polls document similar support for most of the ACAs core components, despite antipathy toward the law itself. Theres an entire subgenre of journalism about people who benefit from Obamacare but still oppose the law and/or support Donald Trump, who promised to repeal it. These stories often find Obamacare beneficiaries who dont realize theyre Obamacare beneficiaries.

Of course, the public confusion is understandable. Some elected officials dont seem to know what the law does, either.

What we really need is to get insurance de-linked from employment and allow me, if Im an individual employer, a business of one, you need to let me pool together easily with large groups so Im a pool of thousands if not millions of people so I dont get this problem of jacking up my rates when I get sick, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said on Morning Joe.

This pooling of risk and barring of rate hikes once people get sick are exactly what the Obamacare exchanges do.

All of which is to say that Obamacare does not have a policy problem. It has a branding problem.

Thanks to years of Republican fearmongering and (frankly) journalistic malpractice, voters have little idea what Obamacare is. All they know is that its bad, and partisan, and a failure. The law itself has become a vessel for everything people dislike about the U.S. health-care system, including and especially problems that long predated the law: high prices, complexity, opacity, uncertainty.

Americans dont even recognize Obamacares one inarguable accomplishment: the precipitous decline in the uninsured rate.

The share of Americans who lack health insurance has nearly halved since the Affordable Care Act passed and now stands at an all-time low of 8.9 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet a recent Economist/YouGov poll found that only a little more than a third of Americans believe the rate has declined.

To the extent that Americans understand anything factual about Obamacare, it seems to be the laws shortcomings, disappointments and holes  many of which could be plugged if Republicans were willing to work on improving it.

For example, insurers have sharply raised prices and pulled out of many state exchanges in part because enrollees have proved sicker and more expensive than expected. This problem could be remedied through some combination of a stronger individual mandate, more generous subsidies and extended risk corridors and reinsurance.

If you care about preserving the law, there are two silver linings to all this.

First, many Republican politicians realize  even if they wont publicly acknowledge  that theyll be in big trouble with voters if they mess with the laws core components. Even top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway promised that no one who currently has insurance will lose it, something impossible under any of the repeal plans on the table.

Second, if indeed Obamacares most pressing problem is branding, the law couldnt hope for a more gifted brand rehabber than the next president.

Trump may have little interest in policy, experts, numbers, details. But he is undoubtedly a marketing genius. One possible outcome of the current repeal-and-replace free-for-all is that congressional Republicans decide to keep essentially the existing system in place, with some reforms, improvements and hole-plugging, and Trump slaps a shiny new name on the whole thing.

Welcome to the revolutionary, gold-plated Trumpcare. Has a nice ring to it, dont you think?
For someone who is an introvert and a loner of sorts, friends come in as angels to make life blissful. Times will change for sure but what will remain constant for another 69860000 million years is the special bond between friends. <br><br> And thanks to FBI mean Facebook for helping people re-connect with long lost friends. The letters FB occupy a very special place in my heart for it also means FRIENDS and BONDING to me. <br><br> I feel so proud of myself for deriving such a beautiful full form for FBI think I must fix up an appointment with Mark and suggest him to change FACEBOOK to FRIENDS & BONDING.wondering who Mark is? Mark Zuckerburg is the brain behind such a genius networking website <i>yaar</i><br><br> Theres none to laugh at my poor jokelet me keep it to myself<br><br> Jokes apart, with the help of FB, I have been able to virtually bridge the geographical distances between me and my friends, who are spread across the globe. I feel like thanking Mark a zillion times for creating such an incredible platform that helps people catch-up with old pals and even make new ones. What a genius he is! <br><br> A lot of controversies do surround Facebook for its credibility and its influence on people at largeand many have become FB addicts. Moreover, there are many, who refrain from getting hooked to social networking sites fearing they would becomes addicts. <br><br> However, I would beg to differ. In a way yes FACEBOOK has influenced regular users great deal and we tend to spend most of our times clinging onto our accounts to update the latest on our personal and even professional front. But that holds true for any other habit that becomes a part of our lifestyle. It is entirely up to us to ensure we dont go overboard! Isnt it? <br><br> I have least complaints about FACEBOOK and I believe its nothing less a boon to people who have friends far and wide; it is faster, easier and undeniably one of the cheapest mediums of constant communication. Of course, nothing brings bigger happiness than catching up with pals in person. But considering a busy schedule and the helpless physical separation one can do little but succumb to the inevitable. In such a scenario FB comes in handy. <br><br> Now let me shift the focus to friendsguess I have said too much about Facebookdoes that show how addicted I am to FBNo..Not allMay be! <br><br> I dont feel the need to celebrate friendship on the day that is solely dedicated to them and which falls on the first Sunday in the month of August. Friends are forever and eternal. What is more important than tying a friendship band and buying goodies for friends is that one needs to keep up the special bond through thick and thin. So to flood `Happy Friendship Day` messages on your friends FACEBOOK wall seems like a dud idea! Oh noNot againFB again finds a mention here.<br><br> Back to friends.there is this friend of mine who keeps posting weird status messages- My tummy feels sicksomething is cooking inside it.Have been visiting the loo regularly since morning. On reading his message I get to know he needs to visit a doc for sure.There is another crazy friend who keeps posting his love at first sight messages he might have posted 59478573 thousand times earlier. And like always I know he has yet again fallen in loveonly to fall in love once again the next day! <br><br> Recently, I viewed pictures of my school friends baby and those made me wonder and realize how old I have turned! But I was happy to see my darling friend put on oodles of weight, yet looking as pretty as ever before. I could even feel her baby in my arms. Oh what a wonderful feeling it was. <br><br> It has been months I have moved out of my cityyet I have traveled far and wideand even to the UKthere is where another friend of mine staysand I could see myself virtually traveling to the English countryside after seeing pictures posted by him on FB.<br><br> Virtual phones calls and traveling is cheaper, isnt itat least they dont burn a hole in your pocket! That is one of the reasons why I love FB.FB literally helps me save money that seldom manages to come to my handsit hardly does<br><br> Whateverif you think despite I having said I am not going to talk about FACEBOOKI ended up discussing it.I think I owe a lot to it for it has given me a wider horizon to get instantly connected to my friends who are very special. But one question that I need to ask myself is whether I am really a FB addict?I guess I amand I dont mind being oneas long as I am able to be in constant touch with my buddies.and btw are you too a FB crazy person like me? Let me clarify- here by FB I meant FRIENDS & BONDING! <br><br> What did you think?
NAACP officials have already been arrested in an anti-Jeff Sessions protest. The Alabama senators confirmation battle as attorney general is sure to generate lots of heat and very little light. He will likely prevail, but not before his name is dragged through the gutter in an execrable exercise in contemporary racial politics.

At least Sessions is familiar with how this works. He went through the experience in 1986 when his nomination to a federal judgeship was rejected by a U.S. Senate committee on spurious grounds.

The outcome of that kangaroo trial is practically the first sentence in every article and petition opposing Sessions, and has become an endless warrant for calling him a racist, usually without his accusers even seriously trying to back up their allegations. Didnt the Senate reject Sessions for racial insensitivity in 1986? What else is there to know?

The legend of the 1986 hearings lives on every time a media organization or a Democrat refers to Sessions speaking favorably of the KKK. The Sessions statement came in the course of an investigation into a hideous Klan murder of a black man whose throat was slit and corpse hung from a tree.

Barry Kowalski was a trial lawyer from the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department at the time. He recalled in 1986 Senate testimony that he was explaining to Sessions how it was difficult to nail down what the Klansmen were doing one night because they had smoked marijuana and their memories were fuzzy. It was then that Sessions said he used to support the Klan until he learned they smoked pot.

It never pays to try to explain a joke to people who are humorless out of professional obligation, but the point of the mordant comment was that Sessions was referring to the very least of the Klans sins. In his Senate testimony, Sessions compared it to saying he opposed Pol Pot for wearing alligator shoes. This is how the line was understood by rational human beings who heard it at the time.

Kowalski told the committee that prosecutors working such a gruesome case sometimes resort to operating-room humor, and that is what I considered it to be. The only person who professed to take the line as a serious endorsement of the non-pot-smoking Klan was Sessions main accuser, a black prosecutor in his office, Thomas Figures, whose credibility should be in doubt based on this tendentious testimony alone. (Figures was indicted in 1992 for bribing a witness and died in 2015.)

Besides Figures, the other main witness against Sessions was yet another DOJ lawyer, Gerald Hebert, who testified that Sessions said racially insensitive things, although these conversations were ambiguous, as well.

Hebert nonetheless praised Sessions performance. I have prosecuted cases that are highly sensitive and very controversial and, quite frankly, unpopular in the Southern District, he said. And yet I have needed Mr. Sessions help in those cases and he has provided that help every step of the way. He deemed Sessions a man of his word.

Another DOJ lawyer, Daniel Bell, called Sessions quite helpful in a difficult civil-rights prosecution. Larry Thompson, a black prosecutor based in Atlanta, said Sessions was extraordinarily solicitous of his work, and they roomed together while traveling.

This is not the portrait of a racist, and if Sessions harbored the views attributed to him by his critics, they would presumably have had some concrete evidence of it over the past 30 years of his public life. Usually, what his detractors say is that he considers the Voting Rights Act overly intrusive  but so does a majority of the United States Supreme Court.

The characteristic line after an experience like Sessions had in 1986 is, Where do I go to get my reputation back? The answer is that you dont get it back. The charge of racism is too powerful and convenient for the left ever to recant, as Sessions will soon learn, once again.
Our beloved Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had to take a bitter pill due to the actions of his not-so-equally diligent subordinates who committed a blunder in the list of most-wanted terrorists given to Pakistan. <BR><BR> Mr. Chidambaram usually loves bombarding poor reporters with his intelligence, poise and sheer professionalism, however, this time he was at the receiving end. <BR><BR> Mr Chidambaram has put up a brave face before media despite being upset with the blunder committed by the investigating agencies, which function under his Ministry. What seems to have annoyed him is Pakistans rejection of the most-wanted terrorists list, saying India must first ascertain the veracity of its claim. <BR><BR> It is not very often that you find PC, as he is endearingly addressed by friends in media, on the back foot. On the contrary, our Home Minister, who is a qualified lawyer and an excellent orator, loves to hit back at the reporters who try to be smart while making comments about his ministry or asking questions on internal security. <BR><BR> PC, whose performance as the Union Home Minister has earned him the tag of being the best of all those who had served the ministry, usually comes with full rehearsal and proper statistics to back his claims. <BR><BR> Mr. Chidambaram, who is known for his habit of going into the minutest details of things, has undoubtedly made India safer than before and a heightened security mechanism, improved coordination among various agencies and decline in terrorist activities are a firm pointer to this. <BR><BR> There remains no doubt on his integrity and his determination to make India competent, strong and capable of tackling any threat to its internal security and empowering our investigating agencies to be able to foil any terrorist designs without much collateral damage. <BR><BR> So, one wonders why the Home Minister faltered this time and why such a blunder in sending the names of two of the fifty most wanted terrorists to Pakistan without proper verification occurred, when the men in question were actually in Maharashtra. <BR><BR> Is this a systemic failure or this is the way government ministries function in India? <BR><BR> Whatever one says, this has undoubtedly made India a laughing stock in front of the whole world and given Pakistan a tool to sharpen its attack on New Delhi on the pretext of the error committed by the Home Ministry. <BR><BR> The government of India has been exchanging several important dossiers with Pakistan, supposedly containing the list of persons wanted in either of the countries, and has been trying to garner international support to put more pressure on Islamabad to fulfil its commitment on war on terror. <BR><BR> Indias effort in getting Pakistan to assume its responsibility in failing to contain terror operators have assumed significance in the wake of increased US pressure on it after the Abbottabad raid and Osama bin Ladens killing in a covert CIA operation. <BR><BR> At this juncture, a blunder on Indias part in sending unverified details of wanted persons, is likely to jeopardise its diplomatic hobnobbing effort in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. <BR><BR> The Home Ministers guilt admission has also exposed to the world, the casual attitude of our investigating agencies, or the sluggishness on part of the Home Ministry in such a sensitive matter. <BR><BR> However, the Home Ministers statement taking full responsibility came only after a second error was identified and reported by media. Otherwise, Chidambaram had first blamed the Intelligence Bureau for the lapse when the first case was reported. <BR><BR> Taking corrective measures, the government has announced that a revised list will now be sent to Pakistan and the CBI has identified and suspended some scapegoats to shift the blame from Chidambaram. <BR><BR> Like always, those sitting at the highest echelons of our society and enjoying a VVIP status have been spared of being accountable for their sins and once again, the juniors have sacrificed themselves for saving their masters. <BR><BR> The intense media reporting of the matter has left every Indian ashamed and lamenting about the lack of seriousness and incapability of our investigating agencies, which should have shown extra restraint in preparing such a sensitive list. <BR><BR> And after two blunders, can the Home Minister or anyone, give a guarantee of sorts that something similar will not happen in future? If God forbid, another goof-up occurs, will this not amount to India losing its claim that Pakistan continues to provide a safe haven to terror operator? <BR><BR> It seems that we have coined the term systemic failure to shirk our responsibilities for failing in sensitive matters. Is it not time that our leaders and various government agencies be extra cautious while dealing with the matters related to countrys pride and security? <BR><BR> The terror list goof-up is surely a lesson for our workaholic, competent and honest Home Minister, who appears to be fully dedicated to his job. If he remains careful and ensures that his ministry and various agencies stick to minutest details, it would be a face saver for the ruling UPA government, which is microscopically observed by an unrelenting Opposition and an unruly neighbour.
A man walked into my office. Why are you setting up the debate to favor one side? he wanted to know.

The question took me by surprise. It was September 2003, and I had just sent out a press release announcing a debate on the topic of religion in the public square. The first participant was Dan Barker of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, an organization demanding the removal of a religious monument from a city park; the second was Francis J. Manion, senior counsel with the American Center for Law & Justice, who was representing the La Crosse Eagles Club in an attempt to keep the monument where it was; the third was Scott Moore, a philosophy professor from Baylor University who specializes in civic religion.

I had invited three participants because the issue had become polarized in our community, and I have found that once that happens people tend to stop listening to nuances. When a third viewpoint is introduced, people are more likely to stop reacting and actually think about what is being said. Thats when learning can take place.

Barker and Manion were representing opposing sides in a well-defined controversy. Moores role was to get people to stop booing and cheering and start thinking about the situation more broadly and more deeply.

But some people, like the man standing in my office, did not think there could be more than two sides to the issue. Therefore he assumed I had stacked the deck, and he supposed that because Moore was from a Baptist university, the deck was stacked in favor of those who supported the monument.

About an hour later I received an angry email. The sender was concerned about the third person in the debate and assumed that since Moore was a philosophy professor, he must be a liberal who would be favoring the atheists.

Sometimes you just cant win. The debate was still a couple days away and yet people were so intent on finding bias that they could not even wait for the speakers to open their mouths before crying foul.

This is what I have observed over the years: Those who are quick to make charges of bias are often more biased than the people or organizations about which they are complaining.

I believe that is especially true today when complaints of media bias are so prevalent.

To be biased means, literally, to be slanted, to be inclined toward one side or another.

To be biased is not the same as being intentionally deceptive. Fake news, for example, is not biased, it is just false. Nor is it biased to take a strong but defensible position on an issue. Bias results from blindness to certain facts or evidence, whether due to extreme passion, ideology, laziness, ineptitude or gullibility. A biased person either doesnt listen to all the evidence, or listens to all of it without distinction. Being non-biased requires the consistent use of reasonable, reliable criteria to distinguish the true from the false.

Occasionally I bring a suggestion to the La Crosse Tribune editorial board. Here is what typically happens. I mention something Ive heard or read somewhere during the course of the week. Another member of the editorial board will ask, Are you sure thats right? Where did you hear that? Obvious questions, sure, but time and again Im surprised to find I dont have a good answer. I was just repeating what someone had told me, taking the statements at face value.

That is what many of us do all the time. Someone tells us something. If it fits in with the sorts of things we tend to believe, and it makes for interesting conversation, we repeat it. If it makes us comfortable, we accept it. If it makes us uncomfortable, we reject it.

Journalists are trained differently. They are taught that if something makes them uncomfortable, question it. And if it makes them comfortable, question it even more.

The journalists I have known over the years have been, on the whole, much less subject to bias than the average person. They tend to listen before passing judgment, to seek out counter evidence, to check claims for accuracy. That would just make sense, because journalists have to make claims in a public form, subjecting themselves and their viewpoints to scrutiny in a way that most of us never have to do.

I am not saying journalists are altogether without bias. Everybody has preferences, favored perceptions, and inclinations to believe some things and disbelieve others. But on the whole, my experience has been that journalists do a much better job than the average person of fairly and dispassionately evaluating evidence.

Indiscriminate charges of media bias undermine confidence in the institution of journalism, which does more harm to reputable organizations than disreputable ones.

Moreover, by conflating all sources of information into a single category (the biased media), it casts suspicion on the reliable  expert testimony, independent research, peer-reviewed journals  as well as the unreliable  social media, amateur blogs, paid advertising.

Sound journalism is integral to a healthy, properly functioning democracy.

Unless we want to live in a world with nothing but propaganda, it would serve us well to think carefully before claiming that the media is more biased than the people who consume it.
Conceal carry was enacted more than five years ago. Carrying a firearm for personal protection is currently legal in many state-owned office buildings, local government buildings, movie theaters, grocery stores, banks, restaurants and, yes, on University of Wisconsin campuses.

Cara Henney (Jan. 4 Tribune) suggests the "run, hide, fight" method, something taught in every firearms training class I have taken, and then advocates taking away the ability to "fight" should it become necessary. Leaving only "run and hide," which history shows doesn't work.

She states, "a university is not a place for fear," and in the next sentence, "only escalate the fear we all feel."

What is Henney afraid of, the law-abiding citizens sitting next to her? The past has shown us there is no need to fear those law-abiding citizens who choose to exercise their right to carry.

The Wisconsin Idea, which holds that university research should be applied to solve problems and improve health, quality of life, the environment and agriculture for all citizens of the state, does not conflict with the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose. We can have both.

Let's uphold the Wisconsin Idea by not forcing students to choose between their right to seek an education and their right to self-defense. I urge all who "care for the safety of our students" to not only write or call your representative but, all our state legislators, and urge them to expand campus carry to include the buildings.
A Fiat Chrysler worker is seen on the production line at the FCA Sterling Stamping Plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan

Fiat Chrysler announced it was creating 2,000 jobs in the United States, coming as President-elect Donald Trump has been publicly scolding automakers for investing in Mexico.

The American-Italian firm will invest $1 billion by 2020 in two of its factories in the Midwestern states of Michigan and Ohio, where the new jobs will be based, the company said in a statement coming on the eve of the Detroit auto show.

The Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Michigan will produce the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, as well as the Ram heavy duty truck which is currently produced in Mexico, the company said on Sunday.

The Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio will build a new Jeep pickup truck.

"FCA US is further demonstrating its commitment to strengthening its US manufacturing base," it said, adding that it has created 25,000 jobs in the country since 2009.

Trump, who campaigned on promises of creating industrial jobs in the American heartland, took to Twitter this past week to blast automakers with operations or plans to build plants in Mexico.

He slammed General Motors for making some of its Chevy Cruze models south of the border, and Toyota, which is building a new plant there.

On Tuesday, US automaker Ford announced it was scrapping construction of a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico to instead invest in the United States and create 700 jobs, citing a "vote of confidence" in the economic agenda of the incoming president.

Fiat Chrysler so far has escaped Trump's Twitter wrath, but it's due to start importing Jeep Compass models from Mexico as soon as this month.

The company was rebuilt in 2009 after its predecessor the Chrysler Group went bankrupt and required a federal bailout to stay in business. It has three manufacturing sites in Mexico -- in Toluca, Ramos Arizpe and Saltillo -- where it produces pickups as well as the Fiat Fremont and the Fiat 500.

Other auto groups have preemptively said they will be flexible in the new era of American politics.

Story continues

"We are pragmatic, we will adapt to any situation," said the chief of the Renault-Nissan alliance, Carlos Ghosn, speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

In December, American air conditioner manufacturer Carrier backed off a planned transfer of 1,000 jobs to the Mexico, after a deal with Trump -- and for $7 million in tax cuts.

Mexico's relatively low wages, its proximity to the US market and the free trade deals the country has with 46 countries make it attractive to foreign investors.

The main pact is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that Mexico enacted with the United States and Canada in 1994.

During the campaign Trump relentlessly attacked NAFTA, promising to renegotiate or withdraw from the agreement all together.
Reports that the gunman in a mass shooting at a Florida airport pulled his weapon from a checked bag before opening fire are raising questions about how someone could possibly transport a weapon on a commercial flight and use it against fellow travellers.

Iraq war vet Esteban Santiago, 26, is charged in the attack that killed five people in Fort Lauderdale, and according to FBI special agent George Piro, he appears to have followed federal rules when he checked his firearm in his baggage.

That's because transporting firearms and ammunition in checked baggage isn't illegal in the United States. Nor is it is illegal in Canada, as long as the items are declared at check-in, properly packaged and meet the requirements of the airline, according to Canadian Air Transport Security Authority rules.

However, Friday's attack has some suggesting those rules should be re-evaluated.

"I think we need to take a hard look at the security around baggage claim areas, and not just leave it at that," said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat who represents the area surrounding the airport, following the shooting. "There are many unsecure areas in facilities that the public travels."

In the United States, officials confiscated more than 2,600 firearms from travellers in 2015. But unlike in the case of the Florida shooting, those weapons were intercepted in carry-on bags.

"What went wrong yesterday ... is that baggage claim is the softest of soft targets. I mean an elementary school is harder to get into than a baggage claim at an airport," Chris Grollnek, a former law enforcement officer who specializes in security issues, told The Associated Press.

Rifles, shotguns OK in checked bags in Canada

Here at home, individual airlines have their own regulations around the transport of firearms and ammunition.

Air Canada prohibits certain firearms from being transported on its flights. But hunting rifles, shotguns and certain kinds of handguns are acceptable in checked baggage for passengers 18 years of age or older, provided the weapons are declared and packed separately from ammunition.

Story continues

The airline also requires the firearms to be unloaded, secured with a trigger-locking device, and packed in a special non-transparent case. Ammunition is limited to five kilograms per passenger and must be in a separate locked case.

WestJet has similar rules, but doesn't require hunting rifles or shotguns to be locked.

"We're already pretty restrictive," says Christian Leuprecht, political science professor at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont.

To own firearms, Canadians must have a possession and acquisition licence (PAL) in one of three categories  for "general", restricted and prohibited weapons. To get the licence, they must pass a firearms safety course. The one licence allows for the possession of a firearm and purchase of ammunition.

A separate authority to transport (ATT) is required for restricted and prohibited weapons.

Danger upon pick-up?

But should those items be accessible to passengers picking up their checked luggage in baggage claim areas?

Former NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton put the problem plainly following Friday's shooting.

"Once the individual is off the plane and retrieves his baggage, and if he intends to use that weapon in an airport environment, then the weapon is immediately available to him or her, as was potentially the case in this incident."

To Leuprecht, that possibility could prompt a rethink from the UN body that regulates international air travel.

"I'm sure that the International Civil Aviation Organization is going to look at whether, for instance, in arrivals areas we need to do something different ... instead of unloading guns with regular luggage," he said, "or whether people perhaps will now need to fetch their guns at a special place in the airport, so they can't just do what this person did."

But the fact that Canadians and Americans regularly transport guns without incident on a daily basis, he said, proves the regulations usually work.

"I'm not sure that people transporting guns and taking them out at the baggage area and then shooting things up is really the overriding and greatest security concern that we have or should have at airports," he said.

Greater security could come with costs

Besides, Leuprecht said, designated gun check-in and pick-up areas might sound like a good idea, but it would likely come down to who would pay to keep them staffed.

The cost of screening in Canada is built into ticket prices paid for by the flying public. More security, he said, will cost more money.

"It's kind of like an insurance premium. It depends on how much we want to pay in order for the level and nature of security that we want."

Regardless, he said, an all-out ban on packing firearms in checked-luggage likely isn't the answer.

"Telling people not to travel with guns is unlikely to prevent tragedies at airports."

Correction : A previous version of the story included a quote that stated separate licences are required to purchase firearms and ammunition. In fact, only a single licence is required.(Jan 08, 2017 4:10 PM)
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - At least three people were killed and 11 others injured when an explosion ripped a small restaurant popular with soldiers in the Somali capital on Saturday evening, police and local officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Al Shabaab militants have launched similar attacks in the past in a campaign to topple the Western-backed government. "A bomb that was planted in the tea shop exploded," Abdifatah Omar, the spokesman for Mogadishu's mayor, told Reuters. Police said the dead and injured included soldiers. "The death toll may rise for some of the injuries are serious. We believe the al Shabaab planted the bomb," said Ahmed Nur, a police officer. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Abdirahman Hussein; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Alison Williams)
Releases from NASA, NASA's Galex, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, HubbleSite, Spitzer, Cassini, ESO, ESA, NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory, Royal Astronomical Society, NRAO, Astronomy Picture of the Day, Harvard-Smithsonian Center For Astrophysics, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Gemini Observatory, Subaru Telescope, W. M. Keck Observatory, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, JPL-Caltech, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, ICRAR, etc
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
HMD Global is the new Finnish company that acquired the rights to sell Nokia-branded phones from Microsoft. And the first of those phones just launched in China.

Its called the Nokia 6, and its a $245 phone with an interesting mix of premium and mid-range hardware. The phone will only available from Chinese online retailer JD.com at launch, but its just the first of many Nokia phones we expect from HMD in the coming years.

The smartphone features a 5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, which all sound like the kind of features youd expect from a top-tier phone. But the $245 price tag makes more sense when you take the processor into account: the Nokia 6 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core chip instead of a more powerful 600 series or 800 series processor.

Other features look pretty good on paper though, including an aluminum case, a 16MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus, an 8MP front camera, a 3,000 mAh battery, a fingerprint sensor, microSD card slot, dual SIM support, stereo speakers, and Android 7.0 software.

via HMD and /r/Android
The Department of Basic Education has hit out at the DAs claim that weaker pupils were deliberately removed from the schooling system to keep the overall matric pass rate up.

What makes this claim disappointing is that the department has in fact done the exact opposite by progressing learners who have failed the Further Education and Training phase more than once, it said in a statement on Saturday.

So in essence we have pushed an additional 65 673 learners through the system who sat for the November examinations, this at the risk of a drop in the percentage.

The progressed learner policy contradicts [DA MP Gavin Daviss] claims sharply.

High dropout rate

Davis said on Friday that close analysis of the 2016 matric results reveals a very high dropout rate, leading to speculation that some learners may have been culled to inflate the matric pass rate.

He said the true matric pass rate could be only 40.2% if weaker pupils who may have been removed from the system are counted.

According to the departments figures, 1 100 877 pupils enrolled for Grade 10 in 2014, but only 610 178 wrote Grade 12 in 2016, he said in a statement.

Davis said this meant that 44.6% of pupils either dropped out of the system or remained stuck in Grade 10 and 11.

But we need to remember that it is possible for a school, district or province to push up their pass rate simply by ensuring that fewer weaker learners write the matric exams, claimed Davis.

Possibilities

The department said the claim did not take into consideration any number of possibilities.

If learners in 2014 failed Grade 10 they would not be reflected in the 2016 cohort of Grade 12s; if they failed Grade 11 they would not be there; if they left the system and went to attend a TVET college they would not be there. The explanations are quite frankly endless.

The department said it is aware of the situation regarding learner dropout rates and that it loses approximately 30% of learners between Grade 10 and 12.

The reasons vary from social-economic reasons, youth criminality, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, death, attending alternative education institutions, employment, as well as dropping out due to the frustration of continued grade repetition.

News24
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This story has been published on: 2022-11-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

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In discussions about an upcoming family trip to Hawaii, Brock Warner told his mother what would make it perfect.

"He literally said 'The only thing that would make this better is if Elvis jumped out and sang songs with me,'" Jody Warner said.

Having already funded and organized the trip for 17-year-old Warner, who suffers from a liver disease, Make-A-Wish Montana added an extra wrinkle to Warner's "Aloha" farewell party on Saturday at Bones Arcade in Billings.

As family and friends gathered to start the party, Make-A-Wish Montana board member Adam Tunning made an announcement.

"We have a special guest from Graceland," he said, as local Elvis impersonator Joey Traywick strutted into the room in full costume.

Running through some of Presley's greatest hitsincluding a particularly appropriate version of "Blue Hawaii"Traywick and Warner had the whole room dancing, singing and pounding on tables.

Asked by Tunning what he would look forward to the most about his tropical trip, Warner didn't hesitate to express his excitement at the prospect of leaving a cold, snowy Billings behind. "Warm weather," he said.

Warner suffers from Alpha-1 antitripsyn liver disease, which affects the liver's production of certain proteins and can lead to lung problems, said his father Kirk Warner.

Between surgery, medical appointments and moves across state lines, Brock Warner suggested that Elvis Presley has been a good friend of late. Putting an old record on at night in his room, Warner said it brings him joy to imagine himself in the shoes of the iconic musician playing for a sold-out crowd.

Warner said he has long been a fan of vintage clothing and music, but what makes Elvis stand out to him especially is the way in which his music and performances seem to straddle genres in a distinct style.

"When they said 'a guest from Graceland,' my mind went blank," Warner said. "Honestly, I just love his music."
YEREVAN.  Violations at the elections are always attributed to the winner. Thats the situation in the political field of any country, said Vahram Baghdasaryan, the head of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, in an interview with Armenian News -NEWS.am, commenting on Serzh Sargsyans statement about conducting flawless elections in 2017.

When asked, how the Republican Party is going to carry out flawless elections, when there were constantly registered falsifications during its ruling period, Baghdasaryan said: After the constitutional reforms, we carried only local elections, during which there was no discontent. You know, that the losers do not always take their defeat, and that they always have excuses. We have tried to eliminate all shortcomings in the new Electoral Code and did it, collaborating with the opposition, civil society representatives and consulting with international organizations. However, apart from this beautiful law, we also need a political will, said Baghdasaryan.

He also appealed to all opposition parties to appoint members of the commission in all constituencies and proxies to make it possible to control the election process with observers at the proper level.
Putin urges to evacuate civilians living in Kherson from the war zone

Iran parliament speaker to visit Armenia

Ruling force MP: Canada is opening embassy in Armenia because we are one of worlds most democratic countries

Girl with Armenian roots ends up in Vladimir orphanage

Erdogan says he has agreed with Putin to supply grain to needy countries for free

Armenia President, UK envoy agree to continue cooperation, close contacts

Armenia FM receives EU Monitoring Capacity

Spanish MPs don't approve agreement with Baku as a sign of solidarity with Armenia

Japan says North Korea may go ahead with nuclear test

Armenia government to allocate about $5M to Karabakh refugees support program

Belarusian border service: Border guards intercepts Ukrainian training drone

President appoints Ruben Vardanyan as Karabakh Minister of State

US embassy expresses concern about human rights violation in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan continues muscle play on Iran border

Ibrahim Kalin says Turkey will become an important gas center one way or another

Biden: We're gonna free Iran

Reuters: G7 countries and Australia agrees on fixed price for Russian oil

World oil prices dropping

Wizz Air to launch new flights between Venice, Yerevan

EU assesses Armenia, Azerbaijan border commissions meeting in Brussels as constructive

Artsakh President convenes enlarged working consultation

Envoy: China supports Armenians

Azerbaijan MOD disseminates disinformation, Armenia army did not fire

Armenia ruling party recounts congress voting results

Quake jolts Turkey

Newspaper: Armenia PM once again manipulates topic of negotiations, Karabakh conflict

Newspaper: Studies underway on Armenia MPs business involvement

US wants to prevent Germany, other allies from working together with China

Protests turn violent in Iran's Alborz Province

Portugal is considering abandoning golden visa scheme

Biden and Erdogan to meet at G-20 summit

NATO supports normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and welcomes EU efforts

Bank of England raises interest rates by largest amount since 1989

Scholz says Berlin must change its attitude toward China

Cavusoglu and Stoltenberg disagree over Sweden's and Finland's fulfillment of commitments

Turkish Vice President to visit Azerbaijan and occupied Shushi

Britain buys 250 million pounds worth of oil from Azerbaijan from July 2021 to June 2022

Yair Lapid congratulates Benjamin Netanyahu on winning election

Armenian MOD: Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense spreads another disinformation

ENISA: War in Ukraine, geopolitics fuel cyberattacks

Armenian MFA: Yerevan and Baku agree to speed up work on agreeing procedure of Commissions' activities

Zelenskyy will not participate in G20 summit if Putin participates in it

WP: Man who attacked Pelosi's husband was in the U.S. illegally

At Upper Lars, 30 cars are allowed through per day instead of previous 300: What are authorities doing?

Bloomberg: Turkey unlikely to sign Sweden's bid for NATO membership before the end of the year

Military servicemen in Armenia to be attested: Discussion at parliamentary standing committee

IEA calls for urgent action on gas shortages in Europe

French Senate to consider resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory

Papikyan: The final number of dead will be published after the identification is complete

Armen Grigoryan presents to Patrushev consequences of Azerbaijani aggression

Indonesia reveals its own kamikaze drones

UN: Russia resumes participation in inspection of ships in Black Sea

Grigoryan: Armenia interested in using communication routes through Azerbaijan

Investigative Committee: 10 officers charged in Armenia

FT: Azerbaijan demands EU funding and long-term contracts for gas supplies

Security Council Secretary: Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenian territory

US becomes 2nd largest gas supplier to EU

Russian Defense Ministry reports release of 107 Russian servicemen from Ukrainian captivity

How U.S supports Azerbaijan in 20 years by suspending 907th Amendment?

Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will receive less funds in 2023 than in previous two years

German government urges its citizens to leave Iran

Armenian MFA: Unblocking infrastructures is one of the main directions of talks

Armenia MFA: We expect positive results in relations with Turkey in near future

Armenia to open diplomatic representations in several countries in 2023: Uruguay among them

Former Pakistani Prime Minister injured in shooting of election motorcade

Russian MFA: Great Britain transferred underwater drones to Ukraine

Armenia FM: International community has sent very clear signal to Azerbaijan

Prime Minister receives Arin Karapet, Swedish MP

Dollar, euro drop in Armenia

Armenia FM: In few days there will be meeting between me, Bayramov, Blinken in Washington

IRNA: Iran's IRGC eliminated a group that was planning attacks on government agencies

Lawcoster 'Pobeda' to resume flights to Armenia at end of this year

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: One cannot despair, struggle must continue

Deputy FM: Armenia can make some progress in simplifying visa regime with EU

Turkey says Russia assures not to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

CSTO deputy chief: Armenia-Azerbaijan escalation, confrontation risk remains

Armenian MFA: Cautious optimism in restoration of diplomatic relations with Hungary

Uzbekistan refuses to resume operation of Mir cards in country

Belarus Council: If Poland unleashes aggression, war will spread throughout Eastern Europe

Peskov: It is up to the Ministry of Defense to increase the term of military service

Valerie Boyer: Corrupt, racist Azerbaijan is attacking Armenia borders, seeking to continue ethnic cleansing, genocide

Meeting of CIS Security Councils chiefs kicks off in Moscow

Charles III travels with teddy bear and toilet seat

EU plans to finance programs in Armenia for AMD 55 billion 747 mln

Economy minister: Armenia and Iran are making efforts to jointly sell goods to third countries

Azerbaijani Armed Forces practice capturing borders during exercises on border with Iran

Storm in Philippines leaves 150 people killed

Inflation in Turkey is up to 85.51% in October

Armenia economy minister on Central Bank: First they said increase would be 4%t, then 1%, then 6%

Borrell thanks UN and Turkey for facilitating Russia's return to the grain deal

Foreign direct investments in Armenia last year totals AMD 129.2bln

Minister: Examination of Armenian soldiers' bodies continues

Jaguar station wagon from Elizabeth II fleet to be sold at auction

IMF plans to provide more than $165 million to Armenia

Marukyan: Baku says Karabakh Armenians should either stay on Azerbaijan terms or leave for 3rd country

Minister of Economy: Armenia's role in Eurasian Economic Union grows

Biden says U.S. troops will stay in Europe for a long time

Vahan Hunanyan: Yerevan and Tehran have no disagreements on most issues

Armenia, Russia to collaborate in information security

Artsakh State Minister: There are many principal disagreements with Armenian authorities
YEREVAN.  There will be positive changes in the economic life in 2017, ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MP and businessman Hakob Hakobyan told Armenian News- NEWS.am.

I believe there will be a positive change in our country, said Hakobyan. But we all shall help the Prime Minister. (). Each and every one of us needs to work well in our place.

During the meetings with him [i.e. PM Karen Karapetyan], he, unlike many, urged that the businessmen be honest with him and voice the shortcomings.

Hakobyan added that, during this talk he complained to Karapetyan about the work by the inspection agencies and the monopolies in Armenia, and expressed a conviction that the respective measures will be taken.

At the end of 2017, you will ask me what steps the Prime Minister has taken to bring the country out of this situation, noted the RPA MP and businessman. [And] Im convinced, I will say with facts what occurred.
YEREVAN.  The April events have confirmed the inability of the Azerbaijani party to serve as a negotiating partner, writes the political analyst Masis Masis Mailian (who is currently appointed as Karanakh ambassador) in his article published in Analyticon.

As the analyst stressed, by starting a new armed aggression Azerbaijan not only broke the negotiation process and violated its international obligations but also tried to denounce the tripartite Ceasefire Agreement and the Agreement on strengthening the cease-fire signed by defense heads of NKR, Azerbaijan, and Armenia in 1994-1995. The notes about the denunciation of earlier adopted documents have been spread by the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the OSCE, April 11, 2016 and the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN, 14 April 2016. Thus, the authorities in Baku tried to refuse the documents, which were signed by the official representatives of the NKR leadership on equal bases with Azerbaijan.

The OSCE co-chairing countries promptly and firmly reacted to the actions of the Azerbaijani authorities. The mediating countries noted, that 1994 Ceasefire Agreement and the following agreement adopted to strengthen the ceasefire regime in Nagorno-Karabakh adopted in 1995 still constitute the reconciliation basis in the conflict zone. The UN Secretary-General urged all the parties involved to fully respect the ceasefire agreement, said Masis Mailian

According to Mailian, in spite of this, the legal base of the ceasefire remains questionable unless the official Baku withdraws its notes, or the Foreign Ministry or the President of Azerbaijan make an official statement about their commitment to the previous agreements.

If before April war there was prevailing neither peace nor war situation in the region, the withdrawal of Azerbaijan from the ceasefire means, that they declare a war to the parties of the agreement, Artsakh and Armenia. The international mediators must urgently restore the legal base of the agreement, without which the discussion of the settlement has no meaning, said the analyst.

According to him, the UN Secretary-General and mediating countries should be consistent in the issue of the legal basis of the agreement and should get Azerbaijan to restore the contact line of the opposing forces as of May 1994, (status quo post bellum), when the Ceasefire Agreement was signed and the cease-fire line was confirmed. The implementation of this recommendation can be an effective measure of deterrence and a certain guarantee for hostilities not to resume.
In an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Armenia, Judith Farnwoth, told about the consequences of UKs departure from the European Union, expectations in connection with US President Donald Trumps election, preconditions for deepening the Armenian-British political and economic cooperation, as well as the British and Scottish New Year traditions.

How do you see the future of the United Kingdom after BREXIT?

I think the most important point is that Britain has voted to leave the European Union; were not leaving Europe. We are not planning to step off the world stage. We will remain a close ally, partner and a friend with our European Union colleagues. We want to have as closest as possible economic relations with them and continue to work with them on a range of common challenges such as security issues. We have also other friends around the worldin North America, in the Commonwealth and other important countriesand weve still been a member of the United Nations, the OSCE, Council of Europe. So, we want to continue to play a meaningful role globally.

As far as the negotiations of our departure from the EUof course, they havent started yet and as they dowe expect some economic adjustment as the markets get used to the new rules of engagement. But we think we are going to approach from the position of strength and resilience because we are the worlds fifth economy, second fastest growing major economy in the world last year, sixth best country as a place for doing business. So, we think we are well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities, as well as face the challenges of leaving the European Union. So we will see what the details are. We are confident that we can make the very best of it. We ourselves want to maintain very strong relationships with the EU.

What are your expectations from the election of Donald Trump as a President of the United State?

We look forward to maintaining our strong bilateral relationship. We expect that to continue at the initiative of the Trump administration. The US and UK have a very long history of strong partnership. We are resilient partners and allies and we have a very strong track record of advancing our shared interests and tackling challenges together. We believe that the relationship between the US and UK is based on shared values shared interests, shared convictions and shared commitment to freedom, democracy and enterprise. We expect that to continue.

How would you assess the recent level of cooperation between Armenia and UK and the programs implemented in 2016?

I think we have achieved a lot this year. We think it has been a very productive year in the bilateral relationship. When I arrived here just over a year agoit was the end of 2015I stated that I wanted us to continue our work with civil society, which we consider as very important. But I also wanted to do more to see how we could strengthen our partnership and cooperation with the [Armenian] Government and parliament, particularly as Armenia faces some important political and economic reforms.

You may be aware that the UK Government along with our German, American, EU and UNDP colleagues are contributing to a project to help Armenia implement the new Electoral Code. We think its really important. We welcome the fact that the New Electoral Code was achieved on the basis of consensus between the Government, parliament and civil society. And we think if it is implemented effectively, it will be an important way of raising the quality of and popular confidence in the elections next year. We think thats crucial.

Also on the political side, weve been developing our dialogue with the [Armenian] Ministry of Justice and other agencies to see if we can identify ways in which we can share the UK experience of combating corruption as the Government launches refreshed anti-corruption strategy because we do have a lot of experience in that and we see this interest of the Armenian side in learning about that. And we also talked with the Ministry of Justice on work planning with them and with the Human Rights Defenders Office, civil society and media representatives to send a delegation to the UK in February next year to see how the UK developed its anti-discrimination and domestic violence laws and to see how they are actually implemented.

On the economic side, again we are talking closely with parts of Government in Armenia. In very practical terms, British business is already active in a lot of sectors of Armenia, from banking with HSBCmaybe the biggest examplebut also things like construction and retail and pharmaceuticals. Another area where were looking to develop economic cooperation is on the development of sustainable tourism in Armenia because we think that the scope for tourism here is absolutely fantastic: youve got so much to offer in terms of culture, heritage and beautiful countryside. Our economic cooperation is aimed [not only] at helping the Armenian authorities create an environment which makes Armenia more attractive for investors but also working with British businesses to identify specific opportunities for them.

Could you please tell about the British traditions of celebrating New Year? Are they similar to the Armenian ones?

For most British people actually the Christmas Day is the focal point of the holiday season. I think, like Armenians, we eat a lot and probably too much on that time of year. For most British people the traditional Christmas dinner is turkey or goose, lots of roast vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, Christmas pudding (its got lots of dried fruit and brandy in it). For many families it is important to listen to the Queens speech: she makes a speech every year at 3 oclock in the afternoon. And, of course, thats the main day we exchange gifts.

Christmas is for family and New Year is for friends. Usually people will have music parties in the evening. Most people will wait for midnight when we have massive firework displays. And we all sing the song Auld Lang Syne, which is actually a Scottish song: it means time gone by. Of all the people in the UK, its probably Scottish who celebrate New Year with the most fun fair, I would say. They actually call it Hogmanay. Edinburgh is always the best place to celebrate the New Year. I think many of the elements of British tradition are similar in Armenia as well. But the big difference is that in Armenia the chances of having a white Christmas are a lot higher than they are in the UK.
Mexican authorities detained more than 1,500 people in Mexico in the wake of a wave of lootings and protests across the country in response to a double-digit hike in gasoline prices, Svoboda reported.

So far six people have been killed and business leaders estimate that more than 1,000 shops and companies have been looted or vandalized this week as others closed over fears of being robbed.

Pena Nietos government hiked gasoline prices by 20 percent on the first day of 2017 and all hell broke loose, he insists that the move responds to international prices and not a result of his neoliberal reforms.

The head of Mexico urged citizens to stop demonstrations, explaining price increase with need of rescue of the Mexican economy.
On Thursday, China announced that it would sink at least $361 billion into renewables by 2020, key to the country's transition away from polluting coal power

China's overseas investment in renewable energy projects jumped last year by 60 percent to a record $32 billion (30 billion euros), marking its leadership in the global market for clean energy, a report said Friday.

In 2016, China finalised 11 foreign deals worth more than a billion dollars each, and is expected to pick up the pace this year, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

On Thursday, China announced that it would sink at least $361 billion into renewables by 2020, key to the country's transition away from polluting coal power.

"Renewable energy will be the pillar for China's energy structure transition," said Li Yangzhe, deputy head of the National Energy Administration, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Overseas investments last year ranged from lithium battery makers in Australia and Chile to an electricity distribution deal in Brazil and the building of a solar cell factory in Vietnam.

China now owns five of the six largest solar module manufacturing firms in the world, according to the report.

On the domestic front, the world's second largest economy had already emerged as a renewables powerhouse, outstripping the United States.

China poured more than $100 billion in domestic renewable energywind, solar, hydroand related sectors in 2015, more than double the US investment, according Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

"The US is already slipping well behind China in the race to secure a larger share of the booming clean energy market," said IEEFA director Tim Buckley.

"With the incoming (US) administration talking up coal and gas, prospective domestic policy changes don't bode well," he said in a statement.

'Hard to compete'

US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to restore America's flagging coal industry, and has appointed several fossil fuel executives and lobbyists to key posts in his administration.

China's emerging dominance of the clean energy sector also extends to jobs.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that China holds 3.5 million of the 8.1 million renewable energy jobs globally, compared to less than 800,000 in the United States.

China's National Energy Administration said the nation's renewables sector would generate at least 13 million jobs by 2020.

Ulf Moslener, a professor at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, agreed that China has emerged as "the world leader on renewable energy," with clear advantages over rich-nation competitors such as the United States and Germany.

"Standard solar modules are no long rocket science," he told AFP. "It will be really hard to compete with China on the cost side."

The same applies to wind energy.

But US and European entrepreneurs "should still have an advantage" when it comes to high tech, he added, pointing to thin-film solar, and cutting-edge engineering services as examples.

In 2016, China boosted its overseas influence by establishing the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank.

It is also funnelling billions into the New Development Bank, set up by the BRICS nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

All the bank's initial loans were for renewable energy projects.

Add in its established overseas investment banks, and "China is clearly building the financial capacity to drive global mergers and acquisitions," the IEEFA report concluded.

In 2015, China overtook the United States as the largest market for electric vehicles, and today two Chinese firmsBYD Auto and battery maker CATLare challenging US firm Tesla for leadership of the sector.

 2017 AFP
Mayfield Robotics chief executive Michael Beebe unveils the Kuri robot at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, on January 6, 2017

Professor Einstein rolls his eyes, sticks out his tongue, and can give a simple explanation of the theory of relativity. With his lifelike rubbery "skin" and bushy mustache, he can almost make you forget he's a robot.

The Einstein robot is among dozens roaming the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that can be your companion, educator or babysit your children.

While robots have been around for years, advances in technology and artificial intelligence have allowed developers to give them traits that enable the devices to be seen as members of the family.

"We make robots that have personality and come to life," said Andy Rifkin, chief technology officer of Hanson Robotics, the Hong Kong-based firm which is bringing the $299 Einstein robot to consumers this year.

Einstein is the first commercial product from Hanson, which became known for producing humanoid robots like the flirtatious "Sophia," which has life-like facial and eye expressions and can converse through cloud-based artificial intelligence.

Einstein, which is knee-high and responds to voice commands, can help kids with their homework, play games and answer questions about math and science.

"This is different from other robots," said Rifkin, who noted that the "emotional bond" can be an important element in helping kids learn.

Most other robots at CES look like the mechanical objects people expect from science fiction, but many have personality too.

Chinese company Baidu displays a new "Little Fish" home assistant unit at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, on January 5, 2017

Kuri, a knee-high rolling robot set to hit the US market, is touted as a home companion which can entertain kids and allow users to monitor their homes through a smartphone application.

'Spark of life

"You have to make an effort to give a robot personality and character, otherwise it's too cold," said Mayfield Robotics chief executive Michael Beebe.

"Kuri adds a spark of life to the home. The joy of incorporating a robot in the home is unique and magical."

Mayfield, a 40-person California startup owned by German conglomerate Bosch, plans to deliver Kuri by December for $699 to US consumers.

Kuri learns to recognize family members and can notify its owners through a smartphone when a child arrives home.

Kuri "speaks only robot"meaning beeps and bloops, according to Beebebut also offers a range of emotional expressions by rolling her head and moving her eyes. She can also play music to recorded sound, which Beebe uses to tell the robot to tell his dog to get off the couch.

AvatarMind, a robotics firm with offices in China and California, used CES to showcase its soon-to-be-released iPal "social robot" which can play games, converse in natural language, sing songs and monitor home security.

Buddy, the companion robot from Blue Frog, on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, on January 5, 2017

A little taller than one meter (3.5 feet), iPal can self-navigate and use its arms while singing or dancing.

CEO John Ostrem said the robotwhich is being released in China early this year and in the US later in the yearcan act as a companion for children or the elderly, and could be used as an assistant for commercial applications for information in shopping malls or hospitals.

Ostrem said that "an interesting application is for children with special needs," because it can allow a therapist to care for numerous children with the help of the robot.

Chinese startup Roobo meanwhile announced the global launch of its tabletop PuddingBeanQ robot, designed for early child education.

The voice-activated robot with a rudimentary electronic face can tell stories and teach children about music, or help learn a second language.

Chen Yi, the vice president of Roobo, said the voice system is better for young children than using a tablet or smartphone.

"Parents do not want their children using a smartphone or tablet because of the screen," he said, adding that the robot's screen filters out harmful blue light.

A smartphone is placed next to Remia smart alarm clock for kids which offers a night tracke and a storytelleron display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, on January 5, 2017

Moving chessmen

Also at the show was a chess-playing robotone which picks up the pieces and moves themfrom Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute.

The robot can also pour perfect cups of coffee.

Japan's Softbank Robotics meanwhile announced a partnership that will allow its humanoid robot Pepper to travel onboard SNCF trains in France to assist travelers.

Beebe said consumers are ready for these kinds of robots in homes and business.

"As a kid we've always wanted to have a robot and now we have one," he said.

Hanson Robotics founder David Hanson said these new robots are delivering new kinds of human-computer experiences.

"We've always used animated movies and fiction and these are good for kids," Hanson said.

"With a robot we can add more dimension to the interaction. This is a new, natural way to interact with our computers."

 2017 AFP
- The Nigerian army has spoken out regarding accusations that it killed 2000 pro-Biafrans

- Colonel Sagir Musa says the army has not committed any such atrocities in its dealings within the Southeast

- The army chief said the claims are a failed attempt at detracting from the the military's progress between 2015 and 2016

Following allegations by the Campaign for Democracy (CD) over mass killing of Igbo Youths by the military, the 82 Division, Nigerian Army has responded, saying it is all a failed propaganda.

Biafra Massacre! Army reveals truth about 2000 IPOB, MASSOB killed

According to Daily Post, the allegation, which was contained in a statement issued by the Publicity Secretary, CD in Onitsha, Anambra state, claimed that No fewer than 2000 Igbo Youths had been killed by the Nigerian Army under the guise of Rules of Engagement.

Similarly, there was also report claiming that Amnesty International indicted Nigerian Security Forces in the killing of No Fewer Than 150 Peaceful Pro Biafra Protesters in the South Eastern part of Nigeria with different captions in the media.

Reacting, Colonel Sagir Musa, Deputy Director Army Public Relations, in a statement said the accusations arose from the encounter between the Nigerian Army and the MASSOB/IPOB protesters between August 2015 and August 2016.

All these have been severally thoroughly refuted in many media platforms by the Nigerian Army and it is the same position that this rejoinder has soundly adopted.

Biafra Massacre! Army reveals truth about 2000 IPOB, MASSOB killed

READ ALSO: Like Southern Kaduna, Senate should investigate IPOB, MASSOB killings - CSO

For emphasis and clarity, the Nigerian Army as an accountable, morally and professionally sound organization had variously through its Human Rights Desk at the Army Headquarters, painstakingly investigated allegations of rights violations and the results indicated specifically that this claim is false, malicious and should therefore be ignored for the sake of Nigeria.

Instructively, the Nigerian Army under its constitutional authorization to aid Civil Authority and Military Aid to Civil Power must continue to act in the best interest of the nation (in collaboration with other security agencies) to de-escalate violence and checkmate security threats across the nation. This task must be done, despite the sordid propaganda and possible politicization of the issue by ill meaning Nigerians.

Finally, looking at the recurrent posture of this allegation, the 82 Division Nigerian Army wishes to state that relevant authority/ies in the South East are at liberty to set up an inquiry in to this accusation with the view to getting to the roots and end of this obnoxious and unfounded claim, he stated.

Source: Legit.ng
Windows Insider

Microsoft Taps Azure To Elevate Windows Advanced Threat Protection

Traditional antivirus software can't meet the threats aimed at enterprise networks and that's the mindset Microsoft took with the creation of Windows Defender ATP.

The problem with antivirus software is that it's imperfect. In the cat-and-mouse game between cybercriminals and those tasked with defending enterprise networks and individual PCs, the bad guys have an insurmountable advantage: They only have to succeed once, whereas the good guys have to block every attempt.

That reality is the main reason I don't put a lot of stock in test results of antivirus software like those from AV-Test, an independent German organization that has been publishing comparisons of antivirus programs for as long as I can remember.

Over the past six months or so, Windows-based antivirus software has blocked roughly 98 percent of what AV-Test calls its "zero day" tests and nearly (but not quite) 100 percent of known, "in the wild" samples. That sounds impressive until you realize that those lofty numbers are actually a best-case scenario, using fully patched PCs in a controlled environment. If your organization allows a single PC that isn't fully patched onto the network, all bets are off. And, of course, the most persistent and skilled attackers, often sponsored by a nation-state, have skills and resources far beyond the average hacker.

So it's no wonder that many security experts recommend that enterprise managers adopt a more aggressive posture and assume that even with careful training and deployment of the best security infrastructure, some attackers will break through. When (not if) that happens, the goal shifts to response: detecting breaches, investigating how they occurred, remediating compromised machines and shoring up defenses so the attackers can't reuse that technique.

That doesn't mean traditional antivirus software is obsolete, of course. But those programs are only one small part of a multi-layered security strategy. If you want to see where the real innovation is happening, check out the cloud-based Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection service (Windows Defender ATP), which Microsoft announced in March 2016 and is now rolling out to enterprise customers worldwide after an extended preview.

Windows Defender ATP is a quintessential Microsoft product, starting with the branding confusion that seems to be required for any new Windows product. Although it shares part of its name with Windows Defender, the new service has little in common with the anti-malware software included for free with Windows 10. Instead, in a design that's typical of nearly everything from Microsoft these days, it's a cloud service based on Azure.

Joining a PC to Windows Defender ATP requires the Pro, Education or Enterprise edition, an Azure Active Directory account and a license for the Windows Defender ATP service. The configuration process enables a collection of what Microsoft calls "endpoint behavioral sensors," which keep track of activities on each device, such as registry calls, process and file activity, and network communications. That data is stored in a private, isolated cloud repository dedicated to your organization and isn't shared with other Windows Defender ATP subscribers. Microsoft published details about Windows Defender ATP on the Windows IT Center. A separate report on data storage and privacy policies is also available here.

The true value of Windows Defender ATP comes from the analytics that Microsoft provides, using the security graph that's built from services like the SmartScreen URL reputation service and the Microsoft MaliciousSoftware Removal Tool. In addition, the Windows Defender ATP security insights draw on threat intelligence from groups inside Microsoft and from partners like FireEye. Collectively, that mass of specific data makes it possible to identify the timeline of an attack, as well as the tools and techniques that the attackers used to slip past traditional defenses. The knowledge base even includes specific information about "actor details and intent context," which can literally name the perpetrators of an attack based on the techniques they used.

It's all presented in a well-organized portal that should look familiar to anyone who's ever managed an Azure account. You can get alerts of suspicious activity, see active threats, and filter the list to show threats that have and haven't been remediated.

Ironically, many of the companies that could benefit from Windows Defender ATP might ignore it because of the name. But those who understand that this is more than traditional antivirus software should take a closer look.
A plane crash in southern Chile killed four people Sunday, according to local officials.

The accident occurred near the Laquecahue airfield in the Bio Bio region at approximately 1700 GMT.

Four passengers -- a woman and three men -- died after the plane had a troubled landing, said Humberto Toro, the governor of Arauco, noting the region's high winds.

It was not clear if the pilot was killed.

The aircraft, which was owned by a private company, was flying the Mocha Island-Tirua route about 720 kilometers (445 miles) south of Santiago, the official told a Chilean television network.

Investigations into the incident's cause are underway.
AFP News

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was recovering in hospital Friday after a gunman shot him in the leg, with his supporters vowing the assassination attempt will not derail his "long march" bid to return to power. The attack on his convoy, apparently by a lone gunman, killed one man and wounded at least 10, significantly raising the stakes in a political crisis that has gripped the South Asian nation since Khan's ousting in April. Khan "was stable and he was doing fine" at Shaukat Khanum hospital in the eastern city of Lahore, his doctor Faisal Sultan told AFP Friday. Seemi Bokhari, a lawmaker with Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, said after visiting Khan the former premier was in high spirits. "The doctors are allowing him to move ... He is feeling perfectly well and he will soon be discharged," she told AFP. The 70-year-old former international cricket star had been leading a campaign convoy of thousands since last week from Lahore to the capital Islamabad when he was attacked. Khan suffered at least one bullet wound to his right leg when a gunmen sprayed pistol fire at his modified container truck as it drove slowly through a thick crowd in Wazirabad, around 170 kilometres (105 miles) east of Islamabad. "Everyone who was standing in the very front row got hit," former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, who was standing behind Khan, told AFP. Senior aide Raoof Hasan said it was "an attempt to kill him, to assassinate him". Chaudhry said party officials would meet later Friday to discuss the immediate fate of Khan's campaign march. "The real freedom long march will continue and the movement for people's rights will remain until an announcement on the general elections," he tweeted. - Threats - Party officials also called for supporters to stage rallies and marches across the country after Friday afternoon prayers, the most important of the week. Protesters lit fires and blocked roads in several cities late Thursday as news of Khan's shooting spread. His campaign truck has become a crime scene for now, cordoned off and guarded by commandos as forensic experts comb the area. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said Thursday the attacker had been taken into custody. Officials shared an apparent confession video that was circulating online. "I did it because (Khan) was misleading the public," says a dishevelled man in the leaked video, shown with his hands tied behind his back in what appears to be a police station. He says he was angry with the procession for making a racket during the call to prayer that summons Muslims to the mosque five times a day. Pervaiz Elahi, the chief minister of Punjab, said officers who leaked the video would be disciplined. Pakistan has been grappling with Islamist militancy for decades, with right-wing religious groups having huge sway over the population. It has been no stranger to assassination attempts during decades of political instability, and the powerful military has led the country several times. Pakistan's first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was shot dead at a rally in Rawalpindi in 1951. Another former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was killed in 2007 when a huge bomb detonated near her vehicle as she greeted supporters in the city of Rawalpindi. - Kicked from power - Khan was booted from office in April by a no-confidence vote after defections by some of his coalition partners, but he retains huge support. He was voted into power in 2018 on an anti-corruption platform by an electorate tired of dynastic politics, but his mishandling of the economy -- and falling out with a military accused of helping his rise -- sealed his fate. Since then, he has railed against the establishment and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government, which he says was imposed on Pakistan by a "conspiracy" involving the United States. Khan and Shehbaz have for months traded bitter accusations of corruption and incompetence, raising the political temperature in a nation that is frequently at boiling point. Khan has repeatedly told supporters he was prepared to die for the country, and aides have long warned of unspecified threats made on his life. The attack drew international condemnation including from the United States, which had uneasy relations with Khan when he was in power. "Violence has no place in politics, and we call on all parties to refrain from violence, harassment and intimidation," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. sjd/fox/ecl/pbt/dhc
AFP News

Zhang Yao recalls the moment he realised something had gone deeply wrong at the Chinese mega-factory where he and hundreds of thousands of other workers assembled iPhones and other high-end electronics. In early October, supervisors suddenly warned him that 3,000 colleagues had been taken into quarantine after someone tested positive for Covid-19 at the factory. "They told us not to take our masks off," Zhang, speaking under a pseudonym for fear of retaliation, told AFP by telephone. What followed was a weeks-long ordeal including food shortages and the ever-present fear of infection, before he finally escaped on Tuesday. Zhang's employer, Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn, has said it faces a "protracted battle" against infections and imposed a "closed loop" bubble around its sprawling campus in central China's Zhengzhou city. Local authorities locked down the area surrounding the major Apple supplier's factory on Wednesday, but not before reports emerged of employees fleeing on foot and a lack of adequate medical care at the plant. China is the last major economy committed to a zero-Covid strategy, persisting with snap lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines in a bid to stamp out emerging outbreaks. But new variants have tested officials' ability to snuff out flare-ups and dragged down economic activity with the threat of sudden disruptions. - Desperation - Multiple workers have recounted scenes of chaos and increasing disorganisation at Foxconn's complex of workshops and dormitories, which form a city-within-a-city near Zhengzhou's airport. Zhang told AFP that "positive tests and double lines (on antigen tests) had become a common sight" in his workshop before he left. "Of course we were scared, it was so close to us." "People with fevers are not guaranteed to receive medicine," another Foxconn worker, a 30-year-old man who also asked to remain anonymous, told AFP. "We are drowning," he said. Those who decided to stop working were not offered meals at their dormitories, Zhang said, adding that some were able to survive on personal stockpiles of instant noodles. Kai, a worker at in the complex who gave an interview to state-owned Sanlian Lifeweek, told the magazine Foxconn's "closed loop" involved cordoning off paths between dormitory compounds and the factory, and complained he was left to his own devices after being thrown in quarantine. TikTok videos geolocated by AFP showed mounds of uncollected rubbish outside buildings in late October, while employees in N95 masks squeezed onto packed shuttle buses taking them from dormitories to their work stations. A 27-year-old woman working at Foxconn, who asked not to be named, told AFP a roommate who tested positive for Covid was sent back to her dormitory on Thursday morning, crying, after she decided to hand in her notice while in quarantine. "Now the three of us are living in the same room: one a confirmed case and two of us testing positive on the rapid test, still waiting for our nucleic acid test results," the worker told AFP. Many became so desperate by the end of last month that they attempted to walk back to their hometowns to get around Covid transport curbs. As videos of people dragging their suitcases down motorways and struggling up hills spread on Chinese social media, the authorities rushed in to do damage control. The Zhengzhou city government on Sunday said it had arranged for special buses to take employees back to their hometowns. Surrounding Henan province has officially reported a spike of more than 600 Covid cases since the start of this week. - Distrust - When Zhang finally attempted to leave the Foxconn campus on Tuesday, he found the company had set up obstacle after obstacle. "There were people with loudspeakers advertising the latest Foxconn policy, saying that each day there would be a 400 yuan ($55) bonus," Zhang told AFP. A crowd of employees gathered at a pick-up point in front of empty buses but were not let on. People in hazmat suits, known colloquially as "big whites" in China, claimed they had been sent by the city government. "They tried to persuade people to stay in Zhengzhou... and avoid going home," Zhang said. "But when we asked to see their work ID, they had nothing to show us, so we suspected they were actually from Foxconn." Foxconn pointed to the local government's lockdown orders from Wednesday when asked by AFP if it attempted to stop employees from leaving, without giving any further response. The company had on Sunday said it was "providing employees with complimentary three meals a day" and cooperating with the government to provide transport home. Eventually, the crowd of unhappy workers who had gathered decided to take matters into their own hands and walked over seven kilometres on foot to the nearest highway entry ramp. There, more people claiming to be government officials pleaded with the employees to wait for the bus. The crowd had no choice as the road was blocked. Buses eventually arrived at five in the afternoon -- nearly nine hours after Zhang had begun his attempt to secure transport. "They were trying to grind us down," he said. Back in his hometown, Zhang is now waiting out the home quarantine period required by the local government. "All I feel is, I've finally left Zhengzhou," he told AFP. bur-tjx/oho/je/mca/cwl
Singapore is the third leading financial centre of the world after London and New York, as per the Global Financial Centres Index.

Singapore is known for its low tax rates, minimum bureaucracy, flexible immigration laws, skilled human resources, and of course, an extremely strategic location in the region.

It makes a lot of commercial sense to consider Singapore for incorporating a new company. But first, it is important to understand the rules involved.

1. Any individual (foreign or local) above 18 years of age can get a company incorporated in Singapore.

2. The name of the company to be incorporated in Singapore must be approved prior to incorporation. This approval must be from the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority, Singapore (ACRA). All you have to do is fill in the required application form and pay a fee of S$15.

It normally takes about an hour for the naming approval process to be completed. The necessary checks are done to ensure that the proposed name is neither identical nor too similar to any pre-existing entitys name, does not violate any trademarks, is not obscene and is not already reserved by someone else.

Upon getting the green light, this approval remains valid for 60 days before incorporation.

3. It is mandatory that there is at least one Singaporean or Singapore permanent resident as a director in the companys Board of Directors. None of the directors must have ever been bankrupt or convicted. Even a non-shareholder can be a director.

4. A privately limited company incorporated in Singapore must have a minimum of one shareholder and a maximum of 50. 100% foreign or local shareholding is allowed.

5. Within six months of incorporation, it is mandatory that the company appoints a qualified Company Secretary who is a Singapore resident. In the event that the company has only one shareholder/sole director  he/she cannot be appointed as Company Secretary.

Story continues

6. The minimum share capital required is S$1. There is no maximum limit imposed  shares can be issued or transferred any time after incorporation.

7. The company must have a Singapore address as its registered office address. However, it must NOT be a Post Office Box Number.

8. Singapore law forbids a foreign person or company to carry out the incorporation process; only a Singapore-based professional firm is allowed to do it.

9. There is no need for a Special Singapore Visa to incorporate or run the company in Singapore. In fact, you can even operate it from outside Singapore and visit the company any time on a visitor visa.

10. If you decide to stay in Singapore on a permanent basis, then there is a need to obtain a work permit or employment pass.

11. In the absence of the people who are incorporating the company, all paperwork formalities can be completed by the professional firm that has been hired. Even the opening of a corporate bank account is possible without the need for you to be physically present.





Source: PIxabay

12. ACRA would require the following information for incorporation:

Approved Name of the Company

Brief Description of Business Activities & Copy of Companys Memorandum and Articles of Association

Particulars of Directors and Shareholders

Registered Address

Company Secretary Particulars

Foreigners to Singapore must also enclose a copy of passport, permanent overseas residential address proof, and other Know-Your-Client information.

Singaporean or permanent resident to submit a copy of his/her Singapore identity card.

If a shareholder happens to be a company, then a copy of its incorporation certificate and constitution is also to be submitted.

In the event that an educational institute is to be set up, prior approval of the Ministry of Education is also required.

13. After completion of statutory formalities and payment of registration charges of S$300, it normally takes one business day for ACRA to issue the Incorporation Certificate.

The Incorporation Certificate is issued through email to the given email address. And for a hard copy of the Incorporation Certificate, a fee of S$50 must be paid.

The Government of Singapore has created an organized structure for incorporating a company. It has ensured that entrepreneurs have a hassle-free experience. This is why the tiny island nation is a favorite of businesses and investors across the globe.

(By Heena Dhir)

Related Articles

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran's former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died Sunday after a decades-long career in the ruling elite, where his moderate views were not always welcome but his cunning guided him through revolution, war and the country's turbulent politics.

The political survivor's life spanned the trials of Iran's modern history, from serving as a close aide to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during the 1979 Islamic Revolution to acting as a go-between in the Iran-Contra deal. He helped found Iran's contested nuclear program, but later backed the accord with world powers to limit it in exchange for sanctions relief.

Rafsanjani, who showed ruthlessness while in power but later pushed for reforms, died Sunday after suffering a heart attack, state media reported. He was 82.

Iranian media said he was hospitalized north of Tehran earlier Sunday, where doctors performed CPR in vain for nearly an hour and a half before declaring him dead.

A female state newscaster's voice quivered as she read the news. Rafsanjani, "after a life full of restless efforts in the path of Islam and revolution, had departed for lofty heaven," she said.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Rafsanjani an "old friend and comrade" and said his loss is "difficult and life-decreasing." The government announced three days of mourning, and a funeral was expected to be held on Tuesday.

Rafsanjani served as president from 1989 to 1997, during a period of significant changes in Iran. At the time, the country was struggling to rebuild its economy after a devastating 1980s war with Iraq, while also cautiously allowing some wider freedoms, as seen in Iran's highly regarded film and media industry.

He also oversaw key developments in Iran's nuclear program by negotiating deals with Russia to build an energy-producing reactor in Bushehr, which finally went into service in 2011 after long delays. Behind the scenes, he directed the secret purchase of technology and equipment from Pakistan and elsewhere.

Story continues

In an interview published in October, Rafsanjani acknowledged the 1980-1988 war with Iraq, which killed some 1 million people, led Iran to consider seeking nuclear weapons.

"Our basic doctrine was always for a peaceful nuclear application, but it never left our mind that if one day we should be threatened and it was imperative, we should be able to go down the other path," he said. "But we never went."

The cleric managed to remain within Iran's ruling theocracy after leaving office, but an attempt to return to the presidency in 2005 was dashed by the electoral victory of the more hard-line Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Rafsanjani was later branded a dissenter by many conservatives for his harsh criticism of the crackdown that followed Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009.

But after years of waning influence, Rafsanjani was handed an unexpected political resurgence with the 2013 victory of a fellow moderate, Hassan Rouhani, giving him an insider role in efforts that would culminate in the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Some analysts believe Rafsanjani was kept within the ruling fold as a potential mediator with America and its allies in the standoff over Iran's nuclear program. His past stature as a trusted Khomeini ally also offered him political protection. Rafsanjani was a top commander in the war with Iraq and played a key role in convincing Khomeini to accept a cease-fire after years of crippling stalemate.

His image, however, also had darker undertones. He was named by prosecutors in Argentina among Iranian officials suspected of links to a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Some Iranian reformers accused him of involvement in the slaying of liberals and dissidents during his presidency  charges that he denied and that were never pursued by Iranian authorities.

"The title of Islamic Republic is not just a formality," he said in 2009 in the chaos after Ahmadinejad's re-election.

"Rest assured, if one of those two aspects is damaged we will lose our revolution. If it loses its Islamic aspect, we will go astray. If it loses its republican aspect, (the Islamic Republic) will not be realized. Based on the reasons that I have offered, without people and their vote there would be no Islamic system."

Rafsanjani  a portly man with only sparse and wispy chin hairs in contrast to the full beards worn by most Islamic clerics in Iran  first met Khomeini in the Shiite seminaries of Qom in the 1950s and later became a key figure in the Islamic uprising that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979.

He was elected as head of Iran's parliament in 1980 and served until 1989, when he was elected for the first of two four-year terms as president.

Here, Rafsanjani began to build his multilayered  and sometimes contradictory  political nature: A supporter of free enterprise, a relative pragmatist toward foreign affairs and an unforgiving leader who showed no mercy to any challenges to his authority.

Rafsanjani took a dim view of state control of the economy, even in the turbulent years after the Islamic Revolution, and he encouraged private businesses, development of Tehran's stock market and ways to boost Iranian exports.

He built roads and connected villages to electrical, telephone and water networks for the first time, earning the title of Commander of Reconstruction by his supporters.

There were certain self-interests at play as well.

Rafsanjani was assumed to be the head of a family-run pistachio business, which grew to become one of Iran's largest exporters and provided the financial foundation for a business empire that would eventually include construction companies, an auto assembly plant, vast real estate holdings and a private airline. In 2003, he was listed among Iran's "millionaire mullahs" by Forbes magazine.

His economic policies won him praise from Iran's elite and merchant classes, but brought bitterness from struggling workers seeking greater state handouts. Rafsanjani also faced warnings from the ruling theocracy about pushing too far. None of his reforms dared to undercut the vast power of the Revolutionary Guard  which Rafsanjani briefly commanded, and which controls every key defense and strategic program.

Rafsanjani's complex legacy also was shaped by the times.

He took over the presidency in a critical time of transition just after the death of Khomeini. He tried to make overtures for better ties with the U.S. after the American-led invasion of Kuwait in 1991 to drive out Iraqi forces, arguing that Iran paid too high a price for its diplomatic freeze with Washington.

But he could not overcome opposition from Iranian hard-liners and failed to win the backing of Khomeini's successor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for bold foreign policy moves. He also angered the West by strengthening Iran's ties to armed groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah.

"One of the wrong things we did, in the revolutionary atmosphere, was constantly to make enemies," he said in a 1987 interview. "We pushed those who could have been neutral into hostility."

Rafsanjani was born in 1934 in the village of Bahraman in southeastern Iran's pistachio-growing region of Rafsanjan.

He was jailed for several years under the shah. He then helped organize the network of mullahs that became Khomeini's revolutionary underground. In 1965, he is reputed to have provided the handgun for the assassination of Iran's prime minister, Hassan Ali Mansoor.

Only months after the revolution, Rafsanjani was shot once in the stomach by gunmen from one of the groups vying for power amid the political turmoil. He was not seriously wounded  and neither was his wife, who jumped in front to shield him from the attack.

"Great men of history do not die," Khomeini said in announcing that Rafsanjani had survived.

During the 1980s, he used his links with Lebanese Shiite extremists to help secure the release of Western hostages in Lebanon and was a key middleman  identified as "Raf" in Pentagon documents  in the secret Iran-Contra dealings to funnel U.S. arms to Iran in exchange for money used to fund Nicaraguan rebels.

Although Rafsanjani was seen by Washington as a potential ice breaker, his views were far from solidly pro-Western and displayed conflicted positions.

Shortly after becoming president in 1989, he hinted that Palestinians should kill Westerners to retaliate for Israeli actions in the occupied territories.

"It is not hard to kill Americans or Frenchmen," he said.

In February 1994, Rafsanjani survived a second assassination attempt. A lone gunman fired at him as he was speaking to mark the 15th anniversary of the revolution. Unhurt and unshaken, Rafsanjani calmed a crowd of thousands and continued his speech.

The Iran-Contra fallout is an often-told tale about the dangers of crossing Rafsanjani.

After word was leaked to a Beirut magazine about Rafsanjani's involvement, he ordered the arrest of the source, a senior adviser to the ruling clerics named Mehdi Hashemi, for treason and other charges. Hashemi and others were executed in September 1987.

Later, however, he was dismayed at the brutal crackdown against opposition groups and others claiming Ahmadinejad won re-election in June 2009 through vote rigging sanctioned by the ruling theocracy.

Khamenei decided to throw his backing behind Ahmadinejad, effectively snubbing Rafsanjani and his complaints. Later, Rafsanjani fell short on efforts to mobilize enough moderate clerics in the Assembly of Experts  the only group with the power to dismiss the supreme leader  to force possible concessions from Khamenei on the postelection clampdowns.

Rafsanjani was forced out of the post in 2011, but remained as head of the Expediency Council, an advisory body that mediates disputes between the parliament and the Guardian Council, a watchdog group controlled by hard-line clerics.

However, his family did not escape so easily. In January 2012, a court sentenced Rafsanjani's daughter, Faezeh Hashemi, to six months in prison on charges of criticizing the ruling system. A court in 2015 sentenced his younger son, Mahdi, to a 10-year prison term over embezzlement and security charges.

Rafsanjani is survived by his wife, Effat Marashi, and five children.

On Sunday night, Rouhani and others visited the hospital to see Rafsanjani one final time before his body was taken to a mosque ahead of burial.

"He was a revolutionary and freedom-seeking cleric who stuck up for the peoples' votes," said Saeed Karimi, a supporter outside the hospital. "It is such a pity that the nation has lost a political leader and guide."

___

Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell and Adam Schreck in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. Biographical material in this story was written by former AP staffer Brian Murphy.
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While this weekend will bring a torrent of rains to Central and Northern California, Los Angeles will be hit with a torrent of another kind: road closures.

According to City News Wire, Vice President Joe Biden will be attending a fundraiser on Sunday for Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti's re-election campaign. The event will be held at the Beverly Hills home of Harbor Freight Tools executive Allan Mutchnik and his wife Nicole.

But wait! It doesn't stop there. The Golden Globes will occur Sunday night -- also in Beverly Hills. The event will have its own road closures -- confined to only two streets, but much more well-trafficked.

The LAPD and Beverly Hills PD state the following areas should be avoided at the following times:

SUNDAY, JANUARY 8 --

6:00 a.m. to Midnight

Santa Monica Boulevard will be closed to all traffic from Century Park West to Wilshire Boulevard

Wilshire Boulevard will be narrowed to two lanes of traffic each for westbound and eastbound traffic

3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The area around Pershing Dr. between Westchester Parkway and Imperial Highway

The area around Imperial Highway between Vista Del Mar & North Sepulveda Boulevard

The area around Wilshire Boulevard between South Sepulveda Boulevard & Malcolm Ave.

The area around Lindbrook Dr. / Hilgard Ave. between Westwood Boulevard & Le Conte Ave.

5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The area around Hilgard Ave. between Weyburn Ave. & Sunset Boulevard (Westwood Village)

The area around Sunset Boulevard between Hilgard Ave. & Alta Dr. (City of Beverly Hills)

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The area around Sunset Boulevard between Alta Dr. (City of Beverly Hills) & Hilgard Ave.

The area around Hilgard Ave. / Malcolm Ave. between Sunset Boulevard & Lindbrook Dr.

MONDAY, JANUARY 9 --

8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

The area around Hilgard Ave. / Lindbrook Ave. between Le Conte Ave. & Westwood Boulevard

The area around Wilshire Boulevard between Malcolm Ave. & South Sepulveda Boulevard

The area around Imperial Highway between North Sepulveda Boulevard & Vista Del Mar

The area around Pershing Dr. between Imperial Highway & Westchester Parkway from

Metro bus routes along Santa Monica Boulevard through Century City will be affected.

Basically, do everything you can to avoid driving through west Beverly Hills, Century City, and Holmby Hills.
AFP News

Pope Francis warned in Bahrain on Friday that "opposing blocs" and global divisions have put humanity on a "delicate precipice", a veiled reference to the Ukraine war. "We are living at a time when humanity, connected as never before, appears much more divided than united," he said during a speech to religious leaders in the Gulf kingdom. "We continue to find ourselves on the brink of a delicate precipice and we do not want to fall." Francis, who has made religious dialogue a pillar of his papacy, was speaking on the first full day of his trip to the tiny island state, where he arrived on Thursday afternoon. His visit comes with the Ukraine war in its ninth month, and tensions growing on the Korean Peninsula. In his speech on Friday, Francis warned that "a few potentates are caught up in a resolute struggle for partisan interests, reviving obsolete rhetoric, redesigning spheres of influence and opposing blocs." "Instead of cultivating our surroundings, we are playing instead with fire, missiles and bombs, weapons that bring sorrow and death, covering our common home with ashes and hatred," he said. Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo's prestigious Al-Azhar mosque and centre of Sunni learning, also addressed the gathering. Tayeb warned that "market economics, monopolisation of resources, greed and arms sales to the Third World" were "manufacturing victims of war". Ahead of the pope's speech, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who met Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in September, told journalists that there had been "a few small signs" of progress in negotiations with Moscow. "All peace initiatives are good. What's important is that we carry them out together and that they're not exploited for other goals," he said. The pontiff's 39th international trip since taking office comes three years after he signed a Muslim-Christian manifesto for peace in the United Arab Emirates during the first papal visit to the Gulf region, where Islam was born. The pope's visit to Bahrain has been shadowed by accusations of rights abuses, particularly against Shiites in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, allegations Manama rejects. On Thursday the pontiff criticised use of the death penalty and urged nations to respect human rights. cmk/par/ho/it
Just six months in office, President Duterte has made his mark in the regions political landscape with his independent foreign policy that sees the country veering away from long-time ally United States and closer to China and Russia.

Duterte has traveled to nine countries as president, first to Laos for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit last September.

In the first two months of his six-year term, he made headlines here and abroad after his verbal attacks against US President Barack Obama, United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon and the European Union for their calling his attention to reports of rising cases of human rights violations in the conduct of his war on drugs.

He called for an end to the annual Balikatan exercises with the US and the withdrawal of US Special Forces in Mindanao.

The 71-year-old Chief Executive has openly voiced his admiration for Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who in turn signified their intention to meet him.

In October, Xi warmly received Duterte in Beijing.

More than $24 billion in investment pledges and aid accompanied Duterte on his return to the country.

After Duterte called the US leader a son of a b***h upon his departure for the ASEAN summit last September, Obamas team cancelled a meeting between the two leaders.

A foul-mouthed outburst cost the new leader of Washingtons key Pacific ally a chance to meet President Obama in Laos, an international news organization said in a report after Duterte lashed out at Obama.

Described by the foreign press as anti-American, Dutertes decision to move closer to Beijing came at a time of the so-called US pivot to Asia.

In his China visit, Duterte made good his promise to avoid discussing with his host the July ruling of an international tribunal invalidating Chinas massive claim in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea.

Story continues

It was also in his Beijing visit that Duterte announced the countrys divorce from the US.

In this venue I announce my separation from the United States ... both in military and economics also, Duterte said, prompting his communications and economics teams to go into damage control mode.

Duterte also visited Cambodia, Indonesia, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore.

In his trips, Duterte moved for stronger ties with ASEAN leaders, and called for support for the Philippines chairmanship in 2017.

Duterte said a strong partnership among ASEAN countries should be anchored on the basic tenets of sovereign equality, non-interference and peaceful settlements of disputes.

He also rallied the ASEAN members to work together in suppressing the proliferation of illegal drugs.

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the Presidents trips amplified the administrations message that the nation is back in business.

It was a very fruitful series of trips as the Philippines has now opened more opportunities for trade and investment to a market of 1.8 billion people across the ASEAN region, Abella said.

He reiterated the administrations desire for a closer integration in Asia through regional economic rebalancing and diversifying our foreign economic relations.

What are the prospects for 2017? Our chairmanship of the ASEAN summit will be a perfect opportunity for the Philippine government to forge more partnerships with our neighboring countries, he said in a press briefing in Malacanang.

Outrage

While delivering a message of friendship and cooperation during his foreign trips, Duterte had also provoked global outrage for many of his pronouncements.

He drew flak for comparing his drug war with the Holocaust under Adolf Hitlers Nazi Germany.

Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there are three million drug addicts. Id be happy to slaughter them, he said.

At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have (me). You know my victims, I would like (them) to be all criminals, to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition, he said in one of his ramblings.

Duterte said he wanted to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation.

After triggering outrage from the Jewish communities in the Philippines and abroad, Duterte offered apologies  saying he did not intend to offend the Jewish community and that he only wanted to rebut critics of his vicious campaign against illegal drugs.

In September, the President also cursed the EU for calling for an investigation into allegations of state-sanctioned summary executions in his administration.

He described the EU as hypocrites for having the gall to condemn him despite their own record of abuses in their former colonies.

Duterte lashed out at the UN after special rapporteur Agnes Callamard said he has encouraged the summary execution of drug personalities. He launched his counter-attack, describing the UN experts as stupid.

Not contented, Duterte also threatened to pull out of the UN  only to retract his statement by saying he was just joking.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights commissioner Zeid Raad Al Hussein also drew expletives from Duterte after the UN official wanted him investigated for admitting he had personally killed criminals when he was still mayor.

In his speech in Pampanga recently, Duterte noted that the Philippines contributes to the organization and in effect pays for the salaries of officials, since the country is one of UNs member states.

You are just an employee there. Got it? You are just employees of an office there whose subsidy comes from the pocket of the member states. And you do not have that authority to be  you strut around as if youre also a sovereign idiot. Sabi ko nga bugok kayo, Duterte said.

Dutertes foul mouth was never a secret and spared no one. The former mayor made a slur against Pope Francis after he was trapped in heavy traffic while in Manila during the popes visit.

Funding suspended

Citing concerns over human rights issues, the US-led Millennium Challenge Corp. suspended some $433-million in a second grant it was set to give to the Philippines.

While in Singapore, Duterte said the Philippines should not be affected by the MCCs move because the government can survive without the aid.

Well be glad to do so. May I also suggest they start packing. Pack your things, and leave me maybe in six months, he said.

We will not go hungry without the American aid. We are not that desperate. We can always get it from China and Russia. We can always borrow from China and Russia, Duterte added.

Perhaps it was this gung-ho attitude that landed him on Forbes magazines list of the most powerful people in the world.

In including Duterte in the list, Forbes cited his tough stance on illegal drugs and criminality and his tendency to say what he thinks no matter how raw.

The Philippine leader ranked 70th among 74 persons in the list. The ranking was according to influence, the financial resources they control, the extent of their power in multiple spheres and how active they are in using that power.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, described by Duterte as his idol, ranked as the worlds most powerful person for the fourth consecutive year. US president-elect Donald Trump came in second, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping ranking third and fourth, respectively. The leader of the worlds 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, Pope Francis, ranked fifth in the list.

Malacanang welcomed Dutertes inclusion in the list and assured the public that he would continue to use his power for the good of the country.

Also, Duterte was dubbed by Time magazine as the most googled person in the country this year.

In his Christmas message, Duterte said peace remains one of his main thrusts in governance. We, in the government, are walking the extra mile to offer the olive branch of peace to all, he said.

Duterte vowed that every Filipino, especially the poor, the downtrodden and marginalized, would not be forgotten.

As your President, I will bring food on the table; create more job opportunities and make our people feel safer and more comfortable, Duterte said.
2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #1

Posted on 8 January 2017 by John Hartz

Story of the Week... La Nina Update... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...

Story of the Week...

In this visualization of the Earth's oceans, distinctive white lines trace the flow of surface currents around the world. (NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)

Intense future climate change could have a far different impact on the world than current models predict, suggests a thought-provoking new study just out in the journal Science Advances. If atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations were to double in the future, it finds, a major ocean current  one that helps regulate climate and weather patterns all over the world  could collapse. And that could paint a very different picture of the future than what weve assumed so far.

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, or AMOC, is often described as a large oceanic conveyor belt. Its a system of water currents that transports warm water northward from the Atlantic toward the Arctic, contributing to the mild climate conditions found in places like Western Europe. In the Northern Atlantic, the northward flowing surface water eventually cools and sinks down toward the bottom of the ocean, and another current brings that cooler water back down south again. The whole process is part of a much larger system of overturning currents that circulates all over the world, from pole to pole.

But some scientists have begun to worry that the AMOC isnt accurately represented in current climate models. They say that many models portray the current as being more stable than real-life observations suggest it actually is. Recent studies have suggested that the AMOC is weakening, although theres some scientific debate about how much of this has been caused by human activities and how much by natural variations.

Scientists say the global ocean circulation may be more vulnerable to shutdown than we thought by Chelsea Harvey, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Jan 4, 2017

More reading:

The underestimated danger of a breakdown of the Gulf Stream System by Stefan Rahmstorf, Real Climate , Jan 4, 2017

The Atlantic Ocean and an Actual Debate in Climate Science by Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, Jan 7, 2017

La Nina Update...

One year ago, the central and eastern parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean were pulsing with heat, a result of one of the most intense El Nino events on record. One year later, La Nina has been relatively quiet, and she does not seem to be staying for long.

La Nina is the cool sister pattern to El Nino. While El Nino knocks down the easterly trade winds and sloshes warm water from the western Pacific to the Americas, La Nina pulls up cool water from the depths of the eastern Pacific, energizes the easterlies, and pushes the warm water back toward Asia. Regions that often get drenched with rain and snow during El Nino often go dry during La Nina events, and vice versa, as atmospheric circulation and jet streams shift with the changing heat and moisture supply from the vast Pacific Ocean.

The maps above compare sea surface height anomalies in the Pacific Ocean as observed by NASA scientists on November 4, 2016, near the peak of the current La Nina, and on January 18, 2016, near the peak of last winters El Nino. The measurements were made by altimeters on the Jason-2 and Jason-3 satellites, and show averaged sea surface height anomalies. Shades of red indicate areas where the ocean stood higher than the normal sea level; surface height is a good proxy for temperatures because warmer water expands to fill more volume. Shades of blue show where sea level and temperatures were lower than average (water contraction). Normal sea-level conditions appear in white.

In a report issued in December 2016, the NOAA Climate Prediction Center described the latest La Nina as weak and likely changing to neutral conditions in early 2017. La Nina conditionswith surface water temperatures at least 0.5 Celsius below normal in the central and eastern Pacific (the Nino 3.4 region from 170 to 120 West longitude)began to surface in July and August 2016. During last years El Nino, surface water temperatures were as much as 2.5C above the 1981-2010 norm. During the current La Nina, temperatures have not dropped more than 1 degree below normal.

Last years Nino was huge in area, duration, and magnitude, said Bill Patzert, a climatologist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. My take is that because it lasted so long and covered such a large area, it damped the return of strong trade winds needed for a healthy Nina. Note the strong positive heat content north of the equatorthe entire tropical Pacific between Central America and Hawaiithat lingered into the fall.

Muted La Nina Follows Potent El Nino, NASA's Earth Observatory, Jan 6, 2017

Toon of the Week...

Coming Soon on SkS...

Global Warming: Global Hoax? (Adam Levy)

(Adam Levy) Conservative media can't stop denying there was no global warming 'pause' (Dana)

(Dana) Global weirding Episode 8 (Katharine Hayhoe)

(Katharine Hayhoe) Guest Post (John Abraham)

(John Abraham) Press complaints process is exercise in futility for scientists (Phil Williamson & Terry Sloan)

(Phil Williamson & Terry Sloan) 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #2 (John Hartz)

(John Hartz) 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Waming Digest #2 (John Hartz)

Poster of the Week...

SkS Week in Review...

97 Hours of Consensus...

Raymond Pierrehumbert's bio page & Quote source

High resolution JPEG (1024 pixels wide)
California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada recently passed laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. Arkansas, Florida and North Dakota enacted medical marijuana initiatives, bringing the total of states (and the District of Columbia) that allow some form of marijuana use to 33.

What does this trend mean for entrepreneurs thinking of entering the cannabis industry?

National prohibitions against interstate cannabis commerce and federal banking and drug laws are keeping big companies at bay, which opens the door for small businesses and startups to establish dispensaries, retail stores, cultivators, processing, manufacturing and testing facilities.

Marijuana Business Laws By State

To prosper, entrepreneurs must know the laws that govern their states use of the substance. To be safe, they should also confer with an attorney to ensure they are in compliance with the law.

Here is a state-by-state breakdown showing which states have passed laws governing some form of marijuana use and, where applicable, what businesses are allowed to do regarding its growth, production and sale.

States that Allow Medical Marijuana Use

Alaska

Alaska was one of the earliest states to pass a ballot initiative allowing medical use of marijuana. Voters approved Measure 8 in 1998. The law went into effect the following year.

Its passage removed criminal penalties for the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess written documentation from their physician advising that they might benefit from the medical use of marijuana.

Alaskas online application for a marijuana business license became available on February 24, 2016. On January 22, 2016, the State adopted final cannabis industry regulations, which began enforcement on February 21, 2016.

Arizona

Arizona passed Proposition 203 in 2010 by the slim margin of 50.13 percent of voters. It allows registered qualifying patients to obtain marijuana from a registered nonprofit dispensary and to possess and use medical marijuana to treat the condition.

Patients must have a physicians written certification that they have been diagnosed with a debilitating condition and that they would likely receive benefit from marijuana.

The Arizona Department of Health Services recently awarded 31 new medical cannabis licenses for dispensaries. Currently, there are 94 operating in the state, along with another five that have received licenses but are not yet up and running, bringing the total of licensed dispensaries to 130.

Arkansas

Arkansas enacted a measure, Issue 6, on November 8, 2016, that allows seriously ill patients to use and obtain medical marijuana with their doctors approval.

The amendment will establish between four and eight cultivation facility licenses and up to 40 dispensaries, all of which it will regulate under the auspices of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division. The law prohibits cultivation.

As of now, the state has 120 days to adopt rules concerning the licensing and regulation of dispensaries and cultivation facilities and will begin accepting applications on June 1, 2017.

California

On November 5, 1996, California became the first state in the United States to legalize medical marijuana when the voters passed Proposition 215 by 56 percent.

Governor Jerry Brown signed the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA) into law on October 9, 2015. It establishes a framework for future medical marijuana regulations and a statewide licensing program for growing, manufacturing, transportation, distribution, testing and retail dispensing of medical marijuana. State licenses are not currently available.

See Also: The Ultimate Guide to Using your Business iPhone for Voip Calls

State licenses are not currently available.

Colorado

On November 7, 2000, Colorado voters approved Amendment 20, which amended the State Constitution to allow the use of marijuana in the state for approved patients with written medical consent. (See Colorados entry under recreational use to view business opportunities.)

Connecticut

In June 2012, Governor Daniel Malloy signed into law a medical marijuana program for his state, following a 21-13 vote in the Senate.

Connecticut has nine medical marijuana dispensaries. The state is not accepting new applications at this time.

Delaware

In May 2011, Governor Jack Markell signed legislation allowing patients 18 and older with certain serious or debilitating conditions to use cannabis, and possess up to six ounces

The state has one dispensary (called a Compassion Center), in Wilmington, but is not currently accepting applications for new businesses.

Florida

On November 8, 2016, Florida passed legislation allowing residents to apply to open Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTC). These entities can acquire, cultivate, process and distribute or administer marijuana and related products, such as food, aerosols and ointments.

It remains to be determined whether or not regulators will allow stand-alone, specialized businesses for retailing, cultivation, delivery services, edibles or topicals.

Hawaii

In 2000, Hawaii passed SB 862 HD1, making it the first state to legalize medical cannabis via the legislature, as opposed to a voter initiative.

The legislature amended the law in 2013 with two bills that took effect in January 2015, House Bill 668 and Senate Bill 642. HB 668 moves the medical marijuana program from the Department of Public Safety to the Department of Health and establishes a Medical Marijuana Registry special fund.

Registered medical cannabis patients and caregivers may possess up to three ounces of usable cannabis and cultivate up to seven plants (three mature, four immature).

The bills made no provision for the commercial sale of marijuana, however.

Illinois

In 2013, The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act (HB 1) was enacted to create a temporary statewide distribution program for qualifying patients.

HB 1 allows patients to obtain up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis every two weeks from one of the 60 dispensing organizations that will be supplied by 22 cultivation centers.

The state closed the licensing period in September 2014 for opening a medical marijuana dispensary and growing or cultivating medical marijuana legally. Cultivators are allowed to create medical marijuana/cannabis edibles and extractions and other marijuana-infused products.

Iowa

In 2014, the Iowa legislature passed SF 2360, the Medical Cannabidiol Act, which allows licensed neurologists to certify patients with intractable epilepsy to use cannabidiol (CBD) products with three percent or less THC content.

The law does not allow other types of physicians to write qualifying recommendations, nor does it allow for patients with any other conditions to obtain legal protections or marijuana businesses to be licensed to operate.

No plans are currently in place to license commercial dispensaries.

Louisiana

Although there is an approved legislation (SB 271) that allows 10 pharmacies to distribute medical cannabis and only one cultivation center to exist, they arent viable options for would-be business owners due to the severe limitations imposed by the regulations.

Maine

On November 2, 1999, Maine legalized medical marijuana when 62 percent of the population voted yes on Question 2. (See the provisions for starting a business under Maines listing regarding recreational use.)

Maryland

Maryland closed medical marijuana business applications on November 6, 2015, but continues to move toward licensing cultivators and dispensaries.

Senate Bill 923 and House Bill 881, signed into law by Governor Martin OMalley on April 14, 2014, changed the medical marijuana program being implemented by the Natalie M. LaPrade Medical Marijuana Commission.

The new regulations have provisions now for how to:

Open a medical marijuana dispensary;

Start a marijuana cultivation business and grow medical marijuana legally;

Start a processing facility.

Massachusetts

In 2012, Massachusetts legalized medical marijuana when voters passed Question 3 by 60 percent. (See the states entry under the recreational use category to learn about business opportunities.)

Michigan

Under the new regulations (HB 4209, HB 4210, HB 4287), signed by Gov. Rick Snyder on September 20, 2016, Michigan will be open for medical marijuana businesses soon.

The regulations contain stipulations for dispensaries, cultivators, processors, testing facilities and transporters.

The state has 360 days from the effective date until prospective businesses can begin applying, which is no later than September 15, 2017.

Minnesota

On May 29, 2014, Gov. Mark Dayton signed a bipartisan medical marijuana proposal that was crafted by a House and Senate conference committee, making Minnesota the 22nd state to exempt some of the very sick and their caregivers from penalties for using marijuana with a doctors certification.

No provisions were made to license commercial dispensaries.

Missouri

Missouri passed HB 2238 in 2014, which creates a legal right for certain patients to obtain, possess and use hemp extracts in limited circumstances.

Only patients with a seizure disorder and a recommendation from a neurologist are eligible to get a hemp registration card, which entitles them to access and legal protections.

Qualified patients can purchase hemp extracts from two state-regulated Cannabidiol oil care centers.

The law also allows the Department of Agriculture to license and regulate growers of cannabis plants to produce the oil to make sure they conform to the CBD and THC stipulations.

Montana

Under the new regulations, enacted as of November 8, 2016, Montana is currently open for medical marijuana businesses.

The regulations of this measure have provisions for medical marijuana dispensaries, manufacturers, cultivators and testing facilities.

Nevada

Nevada legalized medical marijuana on November 7, 2000, when 65 percent of the populace voted yes on Question 9. (See the states listing under recreational use to view business opportunities.)

New Jersey

New Jersey signed the medical marijuana program into law in 2010, but implementation has been slow. Currently, it serves little more than 5,000 patients through five operational treatment centers.

The state is not actively licensing any medical marijuana businesses at this time.

New Mexico

When the state reopens its program to applicants, it will have provisions for medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivators, product manufacturers, delivery services and testing facilities.

Currently, the state is not issuing marijuana business licenses.

New York

On July 5, 2014, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a limited medical marijuana bill into law.

The bill gives the state and Department of Health 18 months to enact regulations and install a patient and business infrastructure to allow the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana to qualifying patients.

Registered organizations (RO) are companies  either for- or not-for-profit agencies  that the state will license to produce and dispense medical marijuana.

The state will permit no more than five ROs, which can operate four dispensaries each.

North Dakota

On November 8, 2016, the state legalized medical marijuana when voters passed Measure 5 by 64 percent.

The regulations of this measure have provisions for nonprofit dispensaries (also known as Compassionate Care Centers), which will cultivate a limited amount of medical cannabis and dispense it to enrolled patients.

Applicants will pay a $5,000 non-refundable application fee and if approved, a $25,000 licensing fee.

Ohio

Under new regulations, enacted as of September 8, 2016, Ohio is ready to welcome medical marijuana businesses.

The regulations of this measure have provisions for dispensaries, cultivation facilities, processors and testing facilities.

At present, the state has not indicated when it will open the application period to entrepreneurs.

Oregon

Oregon established the Medical Marijuana Act by Ballot Measure 67, a citizens initiative, in November 1998. It modified state law to allow the cultivation, possession and use of marijuana by prescription for patients with certain medical conditions.

In 2013, Oregon House Bill 3460 became law, allowing registered medical marijuana dispensaries. The legislation went into effect on March 1, 2014.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania enacted regulations on April 17, 2016, that include provisions for dispensaries, cultivators and product manufacturers.

The state will open applications beginning January 17, 2017. All permit applications will be accepted from February 20, 2017, until March 20, 2017.

There will be a capital requirement for each type of business. An applicant for a grower/processor permit must provide an affidavit that the applicant has at least $2 million in capital, $500,000 of which must be on deposit with one or more financial institutions.

An applicant for a dispensary permit shall provide an affidavit that the applicant has at least $150,000 on deposit with one or more financial institutions.

Rhode Island

Under emergency regulations, enacted as of October 25, 2016, Rhode Island will accept applications for medical marijuana cultivation businesses until April 30, 2017.

Under the Act (R.I. Gen. Laws  42-35-2.10), the Department of Business Regulations (DBR) will be responsible for licensing would be entrepreneurs.

There will be a $5,000 non-refundable fee at the time of application. License fees range from $20,000 to $80,000 depending on the class of license issued.

Vermont

When the state reopens its program to applicants, it will have provisions for medical marijuana dispensaries, which may acquire, possess, cultivate, transport, sell and dispense marijuana and related products and supplies to enrolled patients and their caregivers.

Currently, the state is not issuing marijuana business licenses.

Virginia

On February 26, 2015, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed HB 1445 into law. This measure will provide an affirmative defense to patients who have intractable epilepsy (and, for minors, their parents or legal guardians) for the possession of marijuana extracts that contain at least 15 percent of either cannabidiol (CBD) or THC-A and no more than 5 percent THC.

By merely providing an affirmative defense, the law has no provisions for any marijuana business.

Washington

The Cannabis Patient Protection Act  SB 5052 integrates the medical market with the regulated recreational market.

Under the act, the Department of Health adopted rules for a medical marijuana authorization database, training and certification of medical marijuana stores, consultants and product compliance.

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. licensed a very limited number of dispensaries and cultivation centers in 2013 and 2014. There is no system presently in place to permit the issuance of additional licenses.

Wisconsin

Gov. Scott Walker signed a very limited medical cannabis bill (A.B. 726) into law. It exempts a distinct class of individuals from criminal penalties for the use and possession of cannabidiol in a form without a psychoactive effect.

There are no stipulations for any businesses to open around this very limited law.

States that Allow Recreational Marijuana Use

Alaska

On November 4, 2014, Alaskans passed Measure 2, which institutes a system to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol through the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

Adults age 21 and older may possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants (with no more than three being mature) for personal use.

The measure also includes provisions for businesses to grow, test and sell marijuana and paraphernalia to persons over age 21.

California

Proposition 64, also known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, passed on November 8, 2016, legalized the sale and distribution of cannabis by individuals and commercial businesses. Licenses will be issued for cultivation and business establishment beginning in 2018.

The regulations of this measure have provisions for retail marijuana stores, product manufacturers, cultivators, testing facilities and distributors.

Colorado

Colorado Amendment 64 legalized the sale and possession of marijuana for non-medical uses on November 6, 2012, including private cultivation of up to six marijuana plants, with no more than three being mature. The state also lets business owners open a medical or retail marijuana dispensary.

Business owners must be current residents living in the state for at least two years before applying for a license.

Maine

Under the new regulations, enacted as of November 8, 2016, Maine will be opening its doors to recreational marijuana businesses.

The regulations of this measure have provisions for marijuana stores, social clubs and cultivation, product manufacturing and testing facilities.

As of right now, the state has yet to establish an application process.

Massachusetts

Under the new regulations, enacted as of November 8, 2016, Massachusetts became the first state on the east coast to be open to recreational marijuana businesses.

The rules of this measure, which went into effect December 15, 2016, have provisions for marijuana stores, product manufacturers, cultivators and testing facilities.

The state has yet to establish an application process but is mandated to begin accepting applications no later than October 1, 2017.

Nevada

Under the new regulations, enacted as of November 8, 2016, Nevada will be open for recreational marijuana businesses.

The tenants of this measure, which will become effective January 1, 2017, have provisions for retail stores, product manufacturers, cultivators, testing facilities and distributors.

The state has yet to indicate when it will open the licensing period but is required to establish the rules and licensing procedures by January 1, 2018.

Also, under the new law, only businesses that already have medical marijuana certificates will be allowed to apply for recreational licenses for the first 18 months the program is open.

Oregon

On July 1, 2015, Measure 91 legalized the possession and cultivation of marijuana by adults 21 and older for recreational use.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission allows dispensaries, retail stores, cultivators and manufacturing businesses to operate legally within the state.

There will be a $250 non-refundable fee at the time of application. The initial license fee is $4,750.

Washington

Marijuana was legalized by Washington Initiative 502 in 2012. The law requires state licenses from all sellers, distributors, cultivators and producers of marijuana.

States with No Medical or Recreational Marijuana Use Laws

States that currently prohibit marijuana use include:

Alabama

Georgia

Idaho

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Mississippi

Nebraska

New Hampshire

North Carolina

Oklahoma

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

West Virginia

Wyoming

Information used in preparing this guide came from the following sources:

Governing.com, an online resource covering politics, policy and management for state and local government leaders;

Green Rush Consulting, a marijuana business consulting firm;

Greenzipp, a medical and recreational marijuana consulting firm;

NORML, an advocacy organization supporting legalization of marijuana;

ProCon.org, a site that addresses controversial topics;

Wikipedia: Legality of cannabis by U.S. jurisdiction.
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...
In this photo taken Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, and provided by Creusot Infos, police officers investigate at the scene of a bus crash near Charolles, central France, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. Four Portuguese tourists were killed and some 20 others injured today when their bus crashed off a highway in central France. (Creusot Infos via AP) FRANCE OUT

PARIS (AP)  A bus has skidded off a slippery road in eastern France, killing four Portuguese passengers and leaving more than a dozen injured.

The accident early Sunday in the Saone-et-Loire region, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) southeast of Paris, occurred on a stretch of Route 79 where multiple fatal accidents have occurred. It has been nicknamed the "road of death."

Prosecutor Karine Malara said that no other vehicle was involved. The bus, which was reportedly heading for Switzerland, broke through the guard rail and rolled onto its side.

In March of last year, all 12 passengers of a minibus carrying Portuguese from Switzerland back home for the Easter vacation were killed on another section of Route 79.
An Airbus A321 with the description "The Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran" below the tail fin is parked at the Airbus facility in Hamburg Finkenwerder, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

PARIS/DUBAI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Airbus AIR.PA said on Sunday Iran's state airline IranAir had accepted its first new jet, marking a key step in opening up trade under a nuclear sanctions deal between Iran and major powers.

The Airbus A321 jetliner has been painted in IranAir livery and is expected to be delivered later this week.

"The technical acceptance has been done with formal delivery still to be done," a spokesman for the European planemaker said.

Iranian regulators said the aircraft had been placed on the country's aircraft register, indicating IranAir had taken ownership of the aircraft: the first of around 200 Western aircraft ordered since sanctions were lifted.

"The registration has been done, and the delivery should be by the end of the week," Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, told Reuters by telephone.

The 189-seat jet was assembled in Hamburg, Germany. From there, it is expected to be transferred to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, for a formal handover on Wednesday.

IranAir Chairman Farhad Parvaresh told state news agency IRNA there would be an official ceremony to mark the arrival of the Airbus jetliner in Tehran later this week.

IranAir has ordered 100 passenger jets from Airbus and 80 from its U.S. rival Boeing BA.N under the nuclear deal, which called for the lifting of most international sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear activities.

Boeing also agreed last year to arrange the leasing of a further 29 aircraft.

IranAir is also negotiating a final agreement with European turbo-prop maker ATR. The company, joint-owned by Airbus and Italy's Leonardo LDOF.MI, has provisionally agreed to supply 20 of its 70-seat regional planes with options for a further 20.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher and Dubai newsroom; Editing by GV De Clercq and Mark Potter)
These long winter nights have been the traditional time in many cultures for families to gather around the hearth and tell the traditional tales that have been handed down over generations.

But storyteller and author Joe Hayes most often has been seen in Santa Fe through the long light of summer, telling tall tales and Hispanic folk stories on the grounds of the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian  this coming season will mark 35 years that he has been entertaining audiences there.

Hes also spent a lot of time in New Mexico schools bending the ear of young people with tales of tortillas and rattlesnakes and much more, all grounded in the Southwest.

Cinco Puntos Press recently released Grandpas Hal-la-loo-ya Hambone!, the latest in more than 20 books Hayes has produced for kids. This one brings us to lean days of few crops and even less money, reminiscent of the Great Depression, when a hambone, used sparingly and repeatedly, might be the only way to flavor a familys meal of beans.

When Grandpas false teeth fall down the well, the hambone plays a key role in retrieving them.

If reading the book aloud doesnt do the trick for you or the kids, you can always go to YouTube. Hayes spent all last summer recording more than 100 of his stories on video and posting them at www.youtube.com/user/joehayesstoryteller.

How did it all get started? I just blundered into it, Hayes, now 71, said of his storytelling. I began by telling stories to my children.

He actually got his start in the job market as a teacher (he majored in English in college), but also worked in mineral exploration.

Both of my brothers are scientists, Hayes said. There was an emphasis on science in my family. But language also fascinated me.

Born in Pennsylvania, but with a good portion of his time growing up in Benson, Ariz., Hayes said he completely identifies himself as a son of the Southwest.

I was fascinated by the Hispanic culture  well, we called it Mexican then, he said. I hung around a lot of guys who were Mexican. I was interested in their traditions.

After hunting minerals around Tucson, he decided he needed a degree in geology. But when he went to the University of Arizona placement office, he saw a lot of teaching jobs, and the Los Alamos superintendent was recruiting. So 40 years ago, Hayes came to Los Alamos to teach, but also sometimes told stories in his English class and went across the street to tell stories to the elementary school kids.

People began calling and asking him to tell tales to various groups, until Hayes began to think that, just maybe, he might be able to make a living at it.

It really helped that I came to New Mexico, he said. It had a really strong traditional culture  although it was pretty diluted by the 70s  I always liked folklore and, like so many people of my generation, I was influenced by folk music, people like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.

So he thumbed through the library card catalogs to find some books about storytelling and learned about the tradition, plus discovered many Hispanic folk tales that were gathered and published by Aurelio Espinosa and Juan Rael, both working in academia.

Almost 100 percent of those tales had their roots in Spain, Hayes said, although some details may have been adapted to suit specific circumstances in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado  a coyote substituted for a fox or a tortilla for an omelet, for example.

One interesting detail, he added, is that while Pueblo people adopted many of the Spanish tales into their repertoire, the exchange didnt go both ways  Spanish settlers didnt appear to incorporate Pueblo tales into their storytelling.

Those Spanish folktales were his initial specialty, although about 10 years ago he expanded into tall tales, such as one told in his latest book.

Tall tales are the classic American story, Hayes said, explaining they popped up all across the frontier as the Europeans headed West. It was an important part of the humor, especially if you told a made-up experience about yourself.

Whether it was people traveling in wagon trains or cowboys on roundups or residents in isolated areas, people had to find a way to entertain themselves in the evening after the chores were done, he noted.

Will the traditional stories last?

Hayes notes that social media is leading to people talking a lot about themselves, with even verbal storytelling often focused on people describing their actual experiences to others.

But he often finds teachers and parents telling him that they heard his stories when they were kids, and wanted to have their students or children share that experience in turn. That to me is very satisfying, Hayes said.
A rugged piece of northern New Mexico wilderness provides a connection between President-elect Donald Trumps pick for secretary of state and other high-profile members of past Republican administrations.

Think Do a good turn daily and Be prepared and youre on the right track.

Trump nominee and Exxon Mobil head Rex Tillerson, along with former Secretary of State Robert Gates and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld all tramped hills and trails as Boy Scouts at the Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron.

Tillerson and Gates are also former national presidents of the Boy Scouts of America  Tillerson from 2010-12 and Gates from 2014-16. Those two and Rumsfeld all have received the Scouts national Silver Buffalo award for outstanding service to youth.

Rumsfeld, 84, first discovered New Mexico when he served at Philmont as a scout ranger or guide in the late 1940s. He later bought several properties in Taos and has a home there.

Gates, 73, was head of the CIA in the 1990s and served as Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011, serving under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He and Tillerson, 64, are friends and both were Eagle Scouts back in the day.

Trump decided on Tillerson as his nominee for Secretary of State after being prodded by Gates and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, according to the Wall Street Journal. Exxon Mobil is a client of a international consulting firm run by Gates and Rice.

Gates said Exxon is only one of many clients of ours and that he recommended Tillerson because of a personal relationship rooted in leadership roles they both held in the Boy Scouts of America, the newspaper reported.

In a blog titled Walk the Walk with Bob Mazucca, a Boy Scout executive from when Tillerson was president of the organization, Mazucca writes about walking backcountry camps at Philmont Scout Ranch with Tillerson.

A request for comment from Philmont on Tillersons time there resulted in a statement from the Boy Scouts that said Tillermans service includes upholding the long-standing traditions of character and good citizenship that are essential to Scoutings mission.

Gates visited Philmont as a teenager.

When he was 13, Gates went to the Boy Scouts National Junior Leader Training Program at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, says a 2014 Esquire magazine article.

It was the only formal management course Ive ever had in my life, he says. Can you imagine a better experience for learning leadership?' the article said.

Its fitting that Tillerson, as head of a huge energy company that is the sixth largest in the world in revenue, would have camped at Philmont.

Another leader in the oil business, Waite Phillips of Oklahoma, acquired a 300,000-acre northern New Mexico ranch in 1922, and in 1938 he offered more than 35,000 acres to the Boy Scouts to create Philmont. Phillips eventually donated a total of more than 127,000 of the 140,000 acres of the current scout ranch.

Tillerson, because of Exxons operations in Russia and his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is expected to face harsh scrutiny during Senate confirmation hearings. Hes also catching flak from the religious right because under his leadership, the Boy Scouts embraced allowing boys identifying as gay to become members.

Rumsfelds love affair with northern New Mexico that started at Philmont was not wholly reciprocated. A 2007 Journal North article recounts when Rumsfeld, in the midst of the war in Iraq, was burned in effigy in Taos.

Trumps prospective Cabinet is in fact well populated with Eagle Scouts  former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama also earned the honor. No word on whether either made it to Philmont.
Images of bombed-out buildings in Aleppo, overloaded refugee boats and the weary faces of people in tent camps tell stories of desperation.

Nearly 97,000 of those desperate people overcame the physical and bureaucratic challenges to come to the United States between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 last year.

Of those, 411 landed in Albuquerque, where they hope to start a new life, and most importantly, find a place where they can feel safe.

People who have never seen war, or people being killed like I have  the suffering  they dont understand why we come here, said Olivier Kamndon.

He and his wife, their eight children and a grandchild arrived in late October. Speaking in French  he has just started to learn English  he tells of a seven-year saga.

In 2009, they fled the Central African Republic after a violent coup. They spent more than two months walking 1,000 kilometers across country from the capital Bangui to Chad. Along the way they had to forage for food, dodge encounters with snakes and face the ever present danger of militias. He saw dozens of men, women and children shot. Sometimes soldiers just threw the bodies in the river. Once, when he tried to rescue some small children from the military, they attacked him. He showed scars on his back.

When his wife or one of the children was too exhausted to walk, he carried them. He said he prayed to God for their safety.

When they reached Chad, they lived in a camp. Local security forces, and some from neighboring Sudan, would threaten them and demand money. It took five years before he and his family were approved for refugee status.

I just wanted to be somewhere safe and peaceful, Kamndon said. In America, there is peace.

He was a trader in his home country and is taking English classes several times a week so he can find a job.

Hard transition

Mohammed and his wife, Sumayah Ibrahim, and their four children arrived here three months ago. They are from Aleppo.

There was fighting and bombing everywhere, they said but they were reluctant to go into greater detail or be photographed.

For them, the approval process took five months. They worry for family members who are still in Syria. Border crossings into Turkey and Jordan have become too dangerous for them to escape, they said.

The family was among 46 Syrian refugees resettled in New Mexico in 2016.

Khadija Abdel Al Alwan, who lived in Syria until the fighting escalated, arrived in Albuquerque in October with her husband and nine children. They had flown from Lebanon to Germany to New York City, and from there made their way to Albuquerque.

Lutheran Family Services set them up with a home and furniture and other services, but Al Alwan said that they still struggle to pay rent for the modest home in the International District. Neither she nor her husband can speak English and neither have found a job to support themselves.

In Syria, Al Alwan said she tended to some cows in her hometown of Idlib while her husband worked at a stone factory in Lebanon.

Alwan said the war intensified in 2012. Fighters surrounding Idlib launched missiles into the city, and residents were left with no electricity, gas or running water. Al Alwan said her family paid $500 to have water delivered to them in a truck. And every time there was an explosion nearby, the family would have to move.

The situation there is very difficult. We couldnt live there, Al Alwan said through a translator at her home on Texas SE last week.

In 2013 they moved to Lebanon, where Al Alwan said she was happiest. But a few years later, the Lebanese government said the family couldnt stay there and that they would have to apply to be resettled through the United Nations. A lottery system landed them in the United States, Al Alwan said.

Her father died just 10 days before they left for America. Al Alwan said he was sick, and because her family in Syria was surrounded by fighting, they couldnt get him to the hospital. He died at home.

Now her nine children go to school in Albuquerque and are slowly adjusting. But the transition has been hard, and Al Alwan said if it was possible she would move back to Lebanon to be closer to her family. She talks to them regularly via an internet calling service.

They cant travel, they cant move, its dangerous for them, she said. They dont go far. They stay together in the same place.

Fleeing terrorism

The U.S. State Departments Refugee Processing Centers website showed from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016, 411 of the 96,875 refugees who came to the U.S. were resettled in New Mexico. Albuquerque was their destination.

Getting this far requires enormous patience, perseverance and luck, said Jim Gannon, executive director of Catholic Charities of New Mexico. Its extremely hard and difficult.

It can take up to several years to be approved for refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The process includes extensive background checks, validation procedures and screenings. If they are referred for settlement in the U.S., the final step involves an interview with a representative from the Department of Homeland Security before they can travel. At this point, their application can be denied and there is no appeal process.

The refugee population is the most vetted to get into the U.S. If you were going to be a terrorist, this would not the avenue that you would take. The people we serve are fleeing the same terrorism we are afraid of, said Tarrie Burnett, program director of Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains.

Catholic Charities and Lutheran Family Services are the two organizations contracted by the federal government to work with refugees in New Mexico. The U.S. State Department collaborates with national placement networks who work with agencies such as Catholic Charities at the local level to review refugee cases and match the particular needs of each incoming refugee with the resources available in a local community. If a refugee has relatives in the United States, he or she is likely to be resettled near or with them.

Gannon said historically there have been some flaws with coordination and some critics have said that the system is overtaxed because of the number of refugees and the dependence on local resources to provide support services. He said Canada has a system that offers much more comprehensive support to refugees.

Local support

Once they arrive in Albuquerque, refugees face new challenges. Language and transportation are the biggest. Services funded under the U.S. State Departments Reception and Placement program include meeting refugees on their arrival, getting them housing, cultural orientation and help with getting employment. The program allots $1,000 per person, which can be spent on things like deposit for an apartment, rent, clothing and other necessities.

We try to get donations of materials and personal hygiene items to avoid using their money for daily necessities, so they can have it for rent and the major items, Gannon said. The federal government also requires that the state Department of Health provide refugees with a health screening within 90 days of their arrival.

We review their medical history, including chronic health conditions that may have been identified before entering the country. We also check them for infectious diseases such as HIV, STD, TB, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, said department spokesman Paul Rhien.

Catholic Charities and Lutheran Family Services assign a case manager to each refugee family or individual. The case manager helps them enroll in programs administered by the state Human Services Department that they may be eligible for, such as Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which provides cash assistance for clothing, utilities and housing costs, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps).

The Resettlement and Placement program support only lasts for three months. After that, about 25 percent of those who arrive are eligible for another program that provides limited services focused on getting them employed for a few more months. Lutheran Family Services also offers some case management for up to five years, but no material assistance.

Understanding the many require-ments of assistance programs is especially difficult because they are often communicated in English or Spanish, and most refugees dont speak either language, said Celia Yapita, program director for Catholic Charities center for refugee settlement and support.

Transportation is another big challenge. Navigating the citys bus system to get to the required locations to sign up for services or take English classes can be intimidating and take hours.

Folks have to go through a very steep learning curve very quickly, Gannon said. The expectations are very high for people who have gone through harrowing experiences. Some of the worst known to mankind.

Beating the odds

Claudia Adame has heard many horror stories from the refugee families she met through outreach work for her church, New Beginnings Church of God at Carlisle and Montgomery. One woman told Adame her husband was threatened and killed by the Taliban. She and her teenage boys escaped that night.

Adame said the woman is still grieving over the loss of her husband and misses her friends and country.

These are very lonely people, Adame said.

Despite all the odds, the refugees persevere. Frozan Popal, 22, her mother and four siblings arrived in October 2015. They had been living in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she attended school and learned English. As the situation became more dangerous, they moved to Peshawar, Pakistan. Life was hard there, Popal said, but her ability with languages proved useful. She taught Pashto, the local language, Dari, her language, and English to preschoolers.

When they came to Albuquerque, Lutheran Family Services helped the family settle in an apartment. They also helped Popal and her sister write resumes to find employment.

Popal works for Lutheran Family Services as an interpreter for new refugees. She obtained a drivers license, bought a car and earned a Certified Nursing Assistant qualification. She works on Sundays at an assisted living facility. Shes also studying for an associate degree at Central New Mexico Community College. One day, she hopes, the family can get their own house.

At first it was really hard, she said. But I love living here. Its my country. I love it and I hope nothing bad happens and all is peace.

Journal Staff Writer Nicole Perez contributed to this report.
Much of the news about the University of New Mexico in recent months is troubling, but most troubling of all is the vilification of a good and honorable man and UNMs dedicated president, Bob Frank.

In his relatively brief time as head of UNM, Frank tackled some of the universitys most challenging goals, including: integrating the Health Sciences Centers governance structure into that of the university as a whole (a campus equivalent of world war); reassessing UNMs central information technologies services operations; resolving the U.S. Dept. of Justice concerns about UNMs sexual harassment/sexual violence policies and procedures; raising student retention rates; raising the six-year graduation rate of undergraduates; advancing UNM in the face of multi-million-dollar decreases in state budget allocations; increasing UNMs fundraising effectiveness; and engaging UNM more fully with local, state and national constituencies (as evidenced in the launch of Innovate ABQ).

Frank is the first to acknowledge that all accomplishments in these and other areas are the result of a team effort, but it takes an extraordinary leader in todays academic environment to effectively harness the energies of hard-working, dedicated, strong-willed university administrators, faculty and staff to achieve major goals and move the institution forward on behalf of students and other stakeholders.

President Frank also would be the first to note that the nimble decision-making needed in todays university cannot always be accomplished by the collaborative, often painfully slow, process that most university stakeholders, especially faculty, cherish.

So what thanks does Frank receive for his leadership in advancing UNM?

Apparently a Board of Regents turned Star Chamber that  after Frank had publicly announced he would not seek a second term as UNM president  initiates, receives and discusses a personnel evaluation of him in his absence and without having given him a copy of the report!

Human resource professionals, including the reports author, as well as others who respect fair dealing in the workplace will inevitably cringe at such behavior by the Regents.

Did any adult involved with UNM really think a president could accomplish difficult goals like those mentioned above without leaving even some hard-working, dedicated, strong-willed university constituents disgruntled and unhappy?

Those who hold power or autonomy in any organization  especially the fiercest Lobos and their allies  rarely give it up cheerfully.

As Dr. Frank reportedly said when confronted with negative comments from the secret report, the work in his office was fast paced, and at times intense and stressful. How could it be otherwise in the 21st century, given UNMs purported mission and goals?

The Albuquerque Journal and other respected media also tackle a difficult job when trying to report on academic institutions. Even well-meaning and experienced journalists who regularly cover universities cannot always get answers to the very questions that most fully explain events.

As a result, journalists rarely can assess the motives of anonymous sources and those who leak documents, particularly documents including personnel evaluations.

Among the questions not directly asked or answered by the recent reports in the Journal and elsewhere: Who wanted to smear, singe and take retribution against the record and distinguished reputation of a loyal son of New Mexico and generous, effective president of his alma mater?

UNM has now failed four consecutive times to retain a newly hired university president longer than five years. How do this Board of Regents and other political leaders statewide and on campus expect to attract a visionary, innovative, risk-taking and effective leader like Bob Frank in the future when they treat a leader of his caliber so shabbily?

Terry Hynes, of Sarasota, Fla., also is a dean emerita with the University of Florida and a professor emerita with California State University, Fullerton.
Gov. Susana Martinez is continuing the good fight against the states chronically high DWI rate with a package of common-sense proposals the Legislature should seriously consider.

To the states credit, we are making progress after years as among the nations worst. In 2015, for example, New Mexico had 122 alcohol-related fatalities, the lowest tally in 36 years.

Still, the state has a significantly higher rate of drunken-driving deaths per capita than the nation as a whole. And instances of DWI offenders being arrested for the sixth, eighth, even 11th time still occur with shocking regularity.

Every time we read of a drunken driver killing multiple victims, were reminded that we need to do more to address this persistent scourge.

Martinez is proposing to further toughen penalties for all DWIs  an effort that too often has died in Democrat-run Senate committees before ever making it to a vote. But these proposals go beyond the penalty phase and propose some ways to improve the system.

Among her proposals is a bill that would allow police officers to testify at DWI hearings via video conference. Thats a sensible proposal. Remember, that as recently as 2014, 1,920 of 3,853 DWI cases in Albuquerque, or about 50 percent, were dismissed, often because officers were unavailable to attend a hearing in person, according to a report by the Administrative Office of the Courts.

When recently retired APD officer Lou Golson was recuperating after being shot four times during a traffic stop in January 2015, he had 180 pending DWI cases in Metropolitan Court. Because he was physically unable to appear in court, more than 140 of those cases were dismissed. Using new technologies, like video-conferencing, can help curtail such dismissals. Its one thing to be acquitted on the merits of a case. It is quite another to simply beat the process.

Other Martinez proposals worthy of consideration are using felony DWI convictions to enhance the prison sentences of habitual offenders, and prosecuting people who knowingly lend their vehicles to people whose licenses are revoked because of a DWI conviction.

Its changes like these, along with aggressive public education campaigns, that have contributed to our improved DWI statistics. They deserve fair hearings and floor votes in the upcoming session.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

WASHINGTON  Add the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the list of contentious issues the U.S. House and Senate are grappling with in the early days of the 115th Congress.

And count New Mexicos own lawmakers as among those at least somewhat divided on the issue. All three House members were critical of last months U.N. resolution condemning Israels settlements policy, but the states senators voiced support for the Obama administrations position that allowed the condemnation to go forward.

After fiery speeches from both sides of the aisle on Thursday, the House voted 342-80 to condemn the United Nations Security Council for its official criticism of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem  even though the U.S. did not oppose it.

Obamas representative at the U.N., Samantha Power, raised her hand to abstain from the Security Councils vote on Dec. 23, allowing its condemnation of the Israeli settlements to gain formal approval. The abstention  instead of a veto  angered Israel and many in Congress, who characterized it as a slap in the face of Americas longtime ally in the Middle East, and damaging to U.S.-Israeli relations.

The Israeli government went further and accused the Obama administration of engineering the entire vote  a charge the U.S. denies.

This marked a staggering change in U.S. policy at the United Nations, where both Democrat and Republican administrations of the past have swiftly vetoed one-sided, anti-Israel resolutions, said Rep. Steve Pearce, the New Mexico delegations lone Republican.

Democratic Reps. Ben Ray Lujan and Michelle Lujan Grisham also supported the Republican-led rebuke of the U.N. in Congress last week, as did 107 additional House Democrats.

The special relationship the United States has with Israel means we have a critical role to play in the negotiation of a lasting peace settlement, and we must remain firm in our commitment to the safety and security of Israel, Lujan said.

A similar bipartisan resolution to reprimand the U.N. has been introduced in the Senate.

A spokesman for Lujan Grisham, who has announced a campaign for governor of New Mexico in 2018, said her vote illustrated her continued support for Americas bond with Israel.

She also co-sponsored a resolution that reaffirms Americas commitment to work with Israelis and Palestinians to create the conditions for successful final-status peace negotiations, spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said.

The U.N. resolution was approved 14-0 last month with only the U.S. abstaining. It demands that Israel immediately cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and says the settlements are a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

Israels U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, said after the vote that he was confident that U.S. President-elect Donald Trumps administration would take a different approach.

I have no doubt that the new U.S. administration  will usher in a new era in terms of the U.N.s relationship with Israel, he said.

The Anti-Defamation League, which works to fight anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, expressed outrage at the U.N. vote. The league said Thursday that the House action sends an important signal about the deep bench of support in Congress for Israel and for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights called the U.N. resolution consistent with fifty years of stated bipartisan U.S. opposition to Israeli settlements and recapitulates the international communitys long-standing consensus on this issue. The pro-Palestinian group also noted that the resolution does not threaten to sanction Israel if it refuses to comply.

Udall, Heinrich

While New Mexicos Democratic House members voted to rebuke the U.N. on Thursday, and both of the states Democratic senators affirmed their support for Israel and a two-state solution to peace last week, the senators also said Obama had little choice but to direct his representative to abstain.

Sen. Tom Udall, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations Committees, told the Journal he will continue to support the billions of dollars in aid the U.S. sends to Israel for its defense, but that he understands and respects the Obama administrations decision.

Violence against Israel by Palestinians must stop, and Israel must recognize that settlement growth is a barrier to peace, Udall said. These principles have been a key tenet of U.S. policy for decades under both Republican and Democratic presidents, and I understand and respect the president and Secretary (John) Kerrys actions at the United Nations.

Israel contends that by declaring the settlements illegal, the U.N. has given Palestinians and terror groups like Hamas a major concession without requiring anything in return.

As Republicans criticized Obama for the U.N. abstention, Democrats said the president deserved credit for engineering last years new, long-term security agreement that gives Israel $38 billion in U.S. military aid, including $5 billion for missile defenses.

Eitan Levon, Israels consul general in Houston, who represents the nations interests in a six-state region including New Mexico and Texas, said the U.N.s action was counter to long-standing policy and does not recognize a consistent refusal by the Palestinians to accept the Jewish state.

This (peace) must be negotiated directly between the parties, so in doing so, the Security Council actually rewards the Palestinian strategy of avoiding negotiations and compromise, which is very important from our point of view, Levon said. The settlement is one issue  but we need to sit at the table together. We are ready to speak on any subject.

I believe the true problem is that we are not at all accepted in the region.

Israeli and Palestinian leaders have not met for peace talks since U.S.-sponsored negotiations collapsed in May 2014.

Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld of Congregation Albert, Albuquerques largest synagogue, declined to comment on the U.N. resolution or congressional action last week.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., assigned blame for continued Israeli-Palestinian conflict to both sides. But he said aggressive encroachment of Israeli territories in the Palestinian-held West Bank gave the U.N. little choice but to condemn it.

For decades, presidents from both parties have recognized the necessity of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Heinrich said. Standing in the way of peace is the incitement of violence and terror by Palestinians. Holding us back from a final resolution to conflict is the construction of Israeli settlements deep in the West Bank. These destructive actions must come to an end.

This is the reality that was outlined and condemned in the U.N. Security resolution, Heinrich added. We know that we need a different outcome and that the administrations hand was forced by these events to try and break the cycle of conflict in pursuit of a two-state solution.

Simmering tensions

Obama and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu have long endured a frosty relationship, and Pearce said the U.S. president put personal vendettas before the survival of our strongest ally, threatening their security in an already tumultuous region in directing the U.N. abstention.

Meanwhile, late last week Republicans  who now control the House, Senate and, soon, the White House  were considering putting together a legislative proposal to slash funding at the U.N., where the United States currently foots 22 percent of the annual bill.

I am eager to continue working to reinforce our relationship with Israel and ensure they do not doubt our support, Pearce said.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

ANIMAS  The moon sets behind the Chiricahua Mountains, blackening the desert night.

Its the kind of dark sky that is precious hard to find in the modern world, where city lights illuminate far beyond their urban limits and make it hard to see the stars. Its a darkness that lures astrophotographers.

There is a collection of about 20 sheds just off Highway 9 in the Bootheel, among the cattle ranches and rocky mountain ranges. They dont look like much.

But inside are high-powered telescopes, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, capable of taking pictures of the universe: moons, stars, comets and planets in galaxies far, far away.

This sort of astronomy ranch with remote observatories captures a growing market made possible by the digital age and astronomy equipment that has become commercially available, at least to affluent enthusiasts who can afford it.

At home in Ann Arbor, Mich., Stanley Watson remotely controls one of the sheds of Dark Sky New Mexico from his computer.

The University of Michigan professor of molecular and behavioral neuroscience  and amateur astrophotographer  presses a button and the weathertight roof of his shed in Animas begins to roll back on wheels, exposing three large telescopes to the sky. One begins to tilt up on its mount as Watson, 73, directs it to find the North Star.

Animas is not so high that you are very cold or have fierce weather, he said by phone. The air has a nice, smooth flow and the stars dont twinkle too much, making for a crisp image.

A photographic art

Astrophotography is the art and science of taking photographs of the universe. The best locations for it boast true darkness, calm weather and some altitude.

The best astrophotographers know a lot about astronomy, sensitive telescopic equipment and the highly technical process of taking exposures over time that will be stacked and melded to create a single photograph.

And they tend to have patience.

Ive had pictures take over a year to acquire because I got half of the data I needed and then the Earth moved and I had to wait until the Earth swung back around, said Bernard Miller, a Phoenix-based computer science engineer who keeps a telescope at Dark Sky New Mexico. Usually it takes anywhere from a week to a month or two, just depending on the weather.

Its incredible when you see whats out there, he said. It never ceases to amaze me.

The director of strategic initiatives at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Michael Hensley, and two Boston-based investors recently took over Dark Sky New Mexico from the previous owners, who began setting up the site several years ago.

About a dozen astrophotographers keep their telescopes on site for a monthly lease fee of $200 per pier, the concrete pads or block towers on which each telescope is mounted. Dark Sky owns the infrastructure; the astrophotographers own their telescopes and on-site computer equipment  the usual business model for remote observatories at astronomy ranches.

The astrophotographers themselves rarely visit, Hensley said, except for once or twice a year to calibrate their telescopes; occasionally one will handle the telescope maintenance for the others. Hensley and an on-site manager handle the building maintenance.

The seeing is good in NM

Its not clear how many commercial remote observatories exist in the U.S. or Southwest, although there are at least two others in New Mexico that advertise online: New Mexico Skies near Cloudcroft and Deep Sky West in Rowe.

Astrophotographers who locate their telescopes remotely fall somewhere on the spectrum between backyard hobbyists and professional astronomers whose observatories are located in the very best spots on Earth for sky viewing.

But the seeing, as astrophotographers say, is very good around New Mexico and attracts astrophotographers from all over the country and the world.

Astrophotographers from Korea have two telescopes at Dark Sky; others from England, Sweden, Qatar and Hong Kong keep telescopes at New Mexico Skies, a higher-end site in Mayhill near Cloudcroft.

Dennis diCicco, a Boston-based astrophotographer and former senior editor of Sky & Telescope magazine, shares three telescopes in Mayhill with friends. New Mexico Skies provides extensive on-site machine and software support services, and pricing starts at $1,200 per month, said owner Lynn Rice.

The telescopes mounted at Dark Sky New Mexico and New Mexico Skies can run anywhere from $10,000 to $250,000 apiece  well beyond the reach of many wallets.

Security has not been an issue, Hensley said. Remote as the spot is, the area is frequently patrolled by Border Patrol; the observatories are locked; and the telescopes themselves are mounted to concrete and not easy to move.

DiCicco, a lifelong enthusiast who still builds his own telescopes, said its possible to be an enthusiast even without deep pockets. Like diCicco, some amateur astrophotographers share telescopes cooperatively to ease costs. Then, there is always the joy of viewing the stars directly.

You can still enjoy astronomy on the cheap, he said. Today you can have a very good telescope for a very modest price, and if you just want to put it in the car and drive out to a dark spot, you can have a ball.

In New Mexico, the deepest dark sky is never far away.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

The killing of 10-year-old Victoria Martens while her mother allegedly watched. Three children shot and killed in Four Hills. A man found decapitated outside a northeast Albuquerque Walmart. These gruesome murders made for a string of shocking headlines in 2016.

But they were just a few of the 61 killings throughout the city last year, a number that marks a 32 percent jump from the year prior and the highest figure in 20 years.

The citys violent crime rate has risen each year since 2007. And four double homicides last year, and the triple murder of three young children in Four Hills, contributed to an increase of 15 killings from the year before  from 46 to 61.

In an interview with the Journal on Friday, homicide Sergeant Elizabeth Thomson said the high number, as well as the brutal nature of so many of the murders, is cause for concern for her and her detectives.

Weve seen some horrific murders in 2016, she said. Its been a rough year overall.

The recent spike in murders in Albuquerque is at odds with a national trend of low murder rates in the majority of American cities, according to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice that provided crime projections for 2016.

While a couple of large cities have seen a huge jump in murders, overall violent crimes across the country remain near a 30-year low, according to the study.

Chicago had more than 750 homicides, according to the Chicago Tribune, and Baltimore had more than 300, according to the Baltimore Sun.

In El Paso, a city with a slightly higher population than Albuquerque, there were only 18 homicides in 2016.

While this years total number of murders is the highest its been since 1996, it doesnt reflect a murder rate because it doesnt factor in population growth in Albuquerque.

Its not possible to accurately calculate 2016s murder rate because the citys estimated population isnt yet available for 2016. But, calculating the 2016 rate using 2015s estimated population results in a rate of 10.9 murders per 100,000. That would make it the highest per capita murder rate since 2002, when the rate was slightly higher at 11.2, according to Journal calculations based on FBI crime data. The murder rates in 2009, 2005 and 2003 were more than 10 but less than 10.9.

A rough summer

A significant portion of 2016s killings  41 percent  remain unsolved, according to data kept by the Journal. That 59 percent clearance rate is the first dip in recent years for the Albuquerque Police Departments homicide unit, which usually maintains a clearance rate of around 80 percent, well above the national average.

Sgt. Thomson said that, while many of the murders havent been cleared yet, she is confident her seven-member detective team will be able to clear most of them in the upcoming months. She said the increased number of murders in 2016 affected the clearance rate.

The summer was rough; we had seven in July and seven in August, those were heavy months and it puts a strain on the detectives, she said. We are close on a lot of them.

Thomson said the most notable trends she found were the increases in murders stemming from fights or drug activity. Seventeen murders were the results of fights and 11 were connected in some way to drugs or drug dealing. Two thirds of the murders involved guns, an increase from previous years, according to Thomson.

Several victims were homeless, including Clifford Miller, whose decapitated and mutilated body was found outside the Walmart near Menual and Wyoming NE in mid-December.

And murder-suicides skyrocketed last year.

There are some years where we dont see any murder-suicides, or we see one, Thomson said. Last year, we had eight people who were murdered as part of murder-suicide. That is a very disturbing trend to me.

But perhaps the most defining feature of the year was a total of six young children who were tragically killed at the hands of family members or in acts of domestic violence, sending repeated shock waves through the city as the year wore on.

Motives and other details of many of the less high-profile killings havent been reported and arent publicly known.

Thats because, in 2016, the department, along with the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, did not provide basic information to the public about several murders, especially for those that remain unsolved.

Thomson said they withhold information from the public so that when detectives are interviewing a suspect they can be sure the person has first-hand knowledge of the crime and didnt just see it on television or read it in the paper.

Shocking deaths

Some of the details that were released on the citys worst crimes  those involving the death of children  shocked the city and made national news.

The brutal murder and dismemberment of 10-year-old Victoria Martens in August was one of the most gruesome crimes Albuquerque has seen.

Police say Victoria was drugged, raped and either strangled or stabbed to death and dismembered by her mothers boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales, and his cousin Jessica Kelley. Victorias mother, Michelle Martens, looked on and made no move to stop them, according to police.

All three are charged with murder and other charges.

Four days after Victorias death, another young girl was found dead. Nhi Nguyen, 11, was shot and killed by her stepfather Trinh Tran Van, who also shot and killed his wife Cam Thi To in their Northwest Albuquerque apartment before turning the gun on himself.

In late February, 1-year-old Jayden Dayea was beaten to death by his mothers boyfriend, according to police.

In early December, three more children were killed when police say their mothers ex-boyfriend broke into her house and waited for the family to return. Then, police say suspect George Daniel Wechsler shot all four of them, killing the children and critically injuring their mother before killing himself.

Elijah Mascarenas, 5, Olivia Mascarenas, 6, and Ian Mascarenas, 9, were buried Monday.

Thomson said that the number of children killed last year is not unusual, but the manner of their deaths was often more shocking than in years past.

The trend isnt that there were more children killed, she said. The trend is that we had more murders where the nature of them is more horrific. Victoria is one of those, and then the three children killed in one incident  it weighs heavier on everyone.

Fight for more officers

The rising property crime and violent crime rates have not gone unnoticed.

In an interview Friday, Mayor Richard Berry said he hopes to bring the police force back up and is fighting for return to work legislation in the legislative session to get more officers on the streets.

There are a lot of things we can do holistically to fight crime, he said. There are some things we can do within the city and some things we need the Legislature to do to help us get more officers in the field.

Thomson said that its up to police to build good relationships within the community so people feel comfortable reaching out to officers in times of need. But, she said, murder is unlike any other crime that officers deal with.

Murder is very different from other crimes that people experience in our city, she said. It is a symptom of things going wrong in peoples lives.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  While investigators try to figure out the motive of an Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida, the suspected gunman was charged and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death  which carries a maximum punishment of execution  and weapons charges.

Santiago told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. Authorities dont know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Todays charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors, U.S Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

Authorities said during a news conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with a cooperative Santiago, who is a former National Guard soldier from Alaska. Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.

FBI Agent George Piro said Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska.

Indications are that he came here to carry out this horrific attack, Piro said. We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. Were pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack.

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiagos motive, and its too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day, FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.

Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.

On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldnt say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.

U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a higher standard than having an evaluation.

Santiago had not been placed on the U.S. no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.

The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.

Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota with his wife for a cruise when he heard three quick cracks, like a firecracker. Then came more cracks, and I knew it was more than just a firecracker, he said.

Making sure his wife was outside, Lea helped evacuate some older women who had fallen, he said. Then he saw the shooter.

He was just kind of randomly shooting people, he said. If you were in his path, you were going to get shot. He was walking and shooting.

Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, he said. When he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.

By that time, a deputy had arrived and grabbed the shooter. Lea put his foot on the gun to secure it.

Lea went to help the injured and a woman from Iowa asked about her husband, who she described. Lea saw a man who fit his description behind a row of chairs, motionless, shot in the head and lying in a pool of blood, he said. The man, Michael Oehme, was identified as one of the dead victims on Saturday.

Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being demoted for unsatisfactory performance. Bryan Santiago said Saturday that his brother had requested psychological help but received little assistance. Esteban Santiago said in August that he was hearing voices.

How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for only four days, and then give him his weapon back? Bryan Santiago said.

His mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the family home in Puerto Rico, wiping tears from her eyes. The only thing she said was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode next to two of his friends when he was around 18 years old while serving in Iraq.

Santiago, who is in federal custody with no bail, will face federal charges and is expected to appear in court Monday, Piro said.

It is legal for airline passengers to travel with guns and ammunition as long as the firearms are put in a checked bag  not a carry-on  and are unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container. Guns must be declared to the airline at check-in.

Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Anchorage aboard a Delta flight Thursday night, checking only one piece of luggage  his gun, said Jesse Davis, police chief at the Anchorage airport.

___

Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in Miami; Tamara Lush in Pembroke Pines, Florida; Lolita C. Baldor and Eric Tucker in Washington; Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; David Koenig in Dallas; and Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report.
Gilbert Lovato and his getaway driver, Audrey Hapke, were averaging at least one armed holdup per day in recent weeks, police say.

They repeatedly hit local fast food joints throughout Albuquerque, including Twisters, Churchs Chicken and McDonalds, and made off with thousands of dollars over a months time, according to court records.

Police, who had been on the case for weeks, say they finally caught up with the pair Saturday night after they fled yet another robbery, this time at a Village Inn.

Lovato, 38, was shot and killed by undercover detectives who pulled the pair over.

Hapke, 35, who police said was driving the getaway car, was not harmed in the shooting and was booked into the county jail Sunday on a no-bond hold. Shes facing 17 counts of armed robbery and 17 counts of conspiracy to commit robbery.

According to the criminal complaint filed against Hapke, she told detectives she had been Lovatos getaway driver during numerous recent armed robberies, including the robberies of three Starbucks, a McDonalds, a Churchs Chicken, a Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Village Inn. But she couldnt remember details about the robberies.

Lovato had repeatedly been captured on surveillance footage robbing the stores.

And he usually followed the same routine: He wrapped his gun in a scarf, gauze, or cloth and pointed it toward the cashier, grabbed tip jars and cash register money and sometimes made off with hundreds of dollars.

The holidays didnt deter him  he robbed a Village Inn and a Starbucks on Christmas Day, according to the complaint.

Starbucks, it seems, was his most frequent target. Officers say he robbed five of the companys cafes during the three-week period between Dec. 16 and Jan. 6. And he was also suspected of robbing a Wells Fargo branch during that time.

Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Fred Duran said detectives had been investigating the robberies for weeks, and witnesses and victims regularly described the robber in the same way.

The suspect has very thick glasses, and that is something that stuck out with the witnesses that have been able to talk about the armed robberies, said Celina Espinoza, a police spokeswoman. He also had a tattoo on his neck and facial hair, according to the complaint.

Witnesses frequently said they saw the man jump into a waiting black Nissan Versa with front end damage.

Friday night, officers received a tip that the black Versa was near University and Menaul and undercover detectives spotted it at the Motel 6, Duran said.

Detectives watched Lovato and Hapke get in the car and eventually drive to a nearby Village Inn, which they say Lovato walked into and robbed.

Undercover detectives followed them from the Village Inn and pulled them over near Carlisle and Comanche at about 11:30 p.m..

During the time they contacted these individuals there was an altercation that led to gunfire, Duran said. Officers did fire their weapons.

Albuquerque police officials held a news conference Sunday afternoon to release information about the suspects but didnt provide many details about the shooting.

They said they couldnt say if Lovato had a weapon, nor could they explain why officers felt threatened.

It also wasnt clear if Lovato was in the car when he was shot. He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.

Our investigation is still ongoing, and we are less than 24 hours in, Duran said.

Neither Espinoza nor Duran said if a weapon was found at the scene. Nor would they confirm details about the officer or officers who shot Lovato.

We do have three on paid standard leave, but that doesnt mean that all three fired their weapons, Espinoza said. We have to do forensic tests to see who fired.

Both Lovato and Hapke are convicted felons. Lovato was released from jail a week ago after spending a night in custody on a drug charge, according to court and jail records.

In 1998, Lovato pleaded guilty to felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and in 2009, he pleaded guilty to felony tampering with evidence.

He pleaded guilty to felony possession of heroin in 2010, and he has faced numerous other drug charges over the years.

Hapke pleaded guilty to felony burglary in a 2002 case, and she pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit robbery in a 2012 case.

Duran said multiple agencies are investigating the shooting, as is standard when officers open fire.

APD is undergoing court-enforced reforms after a 16-month Department of Justice investigation found in 2014 that the department violated citizens civil rights through the use of force.

Officers were involved in 42 shootings from 2010 to 2014, 28 of them fatal. Last year, officers opened fire seven times and were involved in five fatal shootings.

ad 101328677-03
Heavy snowfall and below-freezing temperatures have continued to sweep the European continent, causing more than a dozen deaths, grounding planes and crippling ferries in Italy and Turkey.

At least 10 people have died in the cold that has gripped Poland in recent days, including seven men aged 41 and 66 who died on Friday, authorities said.

Temperatures in Poland dropped below minus 20C (minus 4F) on Saturday, and weather forecasters said they would sink more overnight.

A man also died on Saturday in Belgium when his truck slid off a highway.

In Italy, sub-freezing temperatures were blamed for the deaths of half a dozen homeless people.

Heavy snow and high winds resulted in re-routed flights, delayed ferries, cancelled trains and closed roads, media reported.

With no indications of a let-up, some schools in southern Italy were ordered not to open on Monday because a metre of snow had already buried some areas, the ANSA news agency reported.

The chill did not spare sunny Rome. The fountains in St Peter's Square froze overnight and dripped icicles instead.

Temperatures dropped to minus 7C (19F) in Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki, and minus 10C (14F) was expected on Sunday, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

Several Greek islands, otherwise known for their sunny and warm weather, were blanketed in snow.

Roads were closed temporarily across large swathes of northern Greece due to snow and ice.

Heavy snow also crippled Istanbul, and national carrier Turkish Airlines cancelled more than 650 flights.

A vendor selling traditional Turkish simit (bread) waits for customers during snowfall in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul today. Pic: AP

The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that even the Bosporus Strait - which runs through Istanbul and is one of Europe's busiest shipping lanes - was closed and ferry service halted.

Turkey's private Dogan news agency reported that one of the main highways in Istanbul practically turned into a car park after drivers deserted their cars on Friday night to walk home rather than battle the gusting snow and slippery roads.

Two delivery men whose truck was parked on a side street made the best of the situation, engaging in a snowball fight in between pushing their loads through mounds of snow that built up at the roadside.

A kingfisher sits after catching a fish from the Dal Lake in Srinagar, in Indian controlled Kashmir, today. Pic: AP

In northern Europe, where residents are accustomed to sub-zero temperatures and snowy winters, police in Denmark warned about icy and slippery roads after dozens of minor traffic accidents.

Temperatures in Latvia were forecast to drop to minus 30C (minus 22F) late on Saturday, the Baltic News Agency said.

AP
Hi

I am new to VC++/MFC but have C++ background.

I am using addpage() of CPropertySheet class to add new tabs. My problem is that on click of a radiobutton control all tab pages should be disable except one.



How to solve it?



Vivek



This is how I've done it when the need arises.

"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson



"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons



"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles





"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson



"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons



"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles



VS2008 unicode mfc project. Heavy use of CString variables. Other than the HMI display of text to the user, all other text is english. So, I might have something like this:



CString stmp;

stmp.Format(_T("%s"), _T("192.168.0"));



displaying in the debugger: stmp.m_pszData ---- 192.168.0





other times, I'll get what I guess is the unicode version --- 



Anyone seen this weird behavior? I can run the program multiple times, and it seems like the debugger's presentation can change. I've not found the pattern yet.

Charlie Gilley

<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...



"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. BF, 1759



%S instead?

"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson



"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons



"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles





Charlie Gilley

<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...



"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. BF, 1759



Hi,



I am sure this is right but I am having a hell of time debugging a multithreading application



When executing the same code/functions each thread has its own set of registers and local



Variables



Thanks







This is what makes multithreaded programming such a joy...

If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.



--Winston Churchill





Clearly there will be multiple threads yes, that's the point.

What do you want to know?









I don't really see the issue with out of order execution. That should be something addressed in your code with barriers/fences, locks, semaphores, mutexes, or whatever else you use.







The visual studio thread window I know has the ability to freeze a thread

Regardless I'll down load the

Extension



Let me explain the nature of the problem



I'm writting a debugger for another platform

The way I Interrupt the program and show the user the code is by overlaying the instruction which causes a interrupt and allows me to get control

I quickly put back the instruction that was overlayed

However the interrupt gives me control

This all fine when the "Debugged" program is single thread

However in a multi thread program in which other programs use he same code

I get a operation exception

The way I coded this was the as soon as I overlay the instruction I do a Restevent which cause an event to be non- signaled this will cause the other programs to Wait or WaitForSingleEvent until I have chance to put the instruction back and then I do a SetEvent to let execution of the program to the other threads trying to execute it



Something is obviously not working out right in this timing



In Visual Sudio I can observe how QUICKLY the windows dispatcher switches from thread to thread



Thanks







The other threads won't stop until they hit a lock point. So let me imagine they are in the section of code you overlayed. They will see your overlay (which is an interrupt opcode I guess .. you transposed the real opcode out to a hold memory somewhere). However interrupts will be disabled because you are in the IRQ routine already so it then continues thru to next opcode.



I can imagine if that is the scheme you end up with two equally bad situations

1.) the other threads pull an illegal opcode if your transpose isn't the same length as the replaced opcode

2.) they pass thru the overlay missing the held opcode (they saw the interrupt request which was ignored). So anything could happen the thread missed an entire opcode.



If that is what you are doing there is no fix, you either can't have the threads going thru the same code or you need to stop the threads immediately the other threads even advancing one opcode can be fatal much less allowing them to run to next lock point.



This goes back to what I was getting at originally you need to stop the system totally in some schemes. Some processors like Arm and many microcontrollers can do that under system control for hardware debugging. The Raspberry PI which uses an ARM6/7/8 could do that for example. I fear your current schema needs a full hardware debugging setup if I understand it correctly.



Edit: Assuming above is correct I gave this a bit of thought and there is possibly a way to do this on a normal non stepable processor. You have the stacks of the threads and that contains the Program Counter for each thread. So overlay the other threads as well this time with a relative branch instruction to there current position ... get it ... will deadloop them to exactly where they are ... meeting the requirement they don't move even one opcode forward You don't need the event stuff at all it's just a repeat of what you do to the active thread in the interrupt overlaying a different instruction into non active threads. Just make sure you put back the opcodes in reverse order (incase two threads are in the exact same place) from within an interrupt when you want to release it back.

In vino veritas



modified 10-Jan-17 0:55am.







this is the emulator



The Hercules System/370, ESA/390, and z/Architecture Emulator[^]



I overlay two bytes of code (causing it to pause) right before I overlay the code I do a ResetEvent which will cause a manual Event to be NON-signaled the threads right behind this will stop on the WaitForSingleObject



I have code to determine the Work unit executing code in CSA (common storage) it is only for that code that I do a ResetEvent and then memcpy



Once the emulated code that I overlayed (cuasing it to interrupt and pause)



I put back the legal opcode via memcpy right after I do a SetEvent for the other workunits executing the common storage to proceed (as it is now okay) and bypass the overlaying logic



I will paste the relevant code shortly as it is late (have to get to sleep)



I wanted to give you a feel (of what I doing) as you have been so verrrrrry helpful







Read the documentation

SetEvent function (Windows)[^]

Quote => The state of an auto-reset event object remains signaled until a single waiting thread is released, at which time the system automatically sets the state to nonsignaled. If no threads are waiting, the event object's state remains signaled.

In vino veritas





before pasting the code let me Clarify NON-signaled would mean a thread executing WaitForSingleObject is suspended



I am still running into problems where other threads are executing the overlayed code



here is the code Initiallly the event is created signaled



C++ sysblk.single_thread = CreateEvent(NULL,TRUE,FALSE, " WaitThread" );



/* this block of code checks if the address where the code is executing is within the address looking to be traced and is the address space correct the GET_WU function checks the the task or thread within the address space so GET_WU returns a 64 bit value 32 bits for a address space 32 for the task this is UNIQUE */



C++ if (sysblk.debug_init == 0 ) { if (sysblk.asid != 0 ) { if ((shouldstep == 1 ) && (regs- > CR_LHL( 4 ) == sysblk.asid)) { sysblk.debug_init = 1 ; regs- > should_step = 1 ; sysblk.hercgui_break = 1 ; sysblk.hercgui_initbreak = 0 ; sysblk.debug_wu.D = ARCH_DEP(GET_WU)(regs); if (IsDebuggerPresent()) { sprintf(buf, " CPU%4.4X: WU Being Debugged ASCB=%4X,TCB/SRB=%4X

" ,regs- > cpuad,sysblk.debug_wu.F.H.F,sysblk.debug_wu.F.L.F); OutputDebugString(buf); } } else shouldstep = 0 ; }





/* the next piece of code checks after the user has examined the code and I have restored the correct instruction I want to let it execute and not over lay stop ia is the instruction address */

// Hercmd is a from end Windows MFC/C++ I have written to display the information



C++ if (regs- > psw.ia.D == sysblk.debug_ia.D) { wu_ptr.D = ARCH_DEP(GET_WU)(regs); if (wu_ptr.D == sysblk.debug_wu.D) { sysblk.debug_ia.D = 0 ; if (IsDebuggerPresent()) { ARCH_DEP(vfetchc)(buf1, 5 ,regs- > psw.ia.D, 0X00 ,regs); sprintf(buf, " CPU%4.4X: inst being executed=%s At address %8X

" ,buf1,regs- > psw.ia.D); OutputDebugString(buf); } return ; } }



/* this is the code where I check if other threads are execting the same code and the address or instruction has been overlayed to genarate a pause so I WaitForSingleObject */





C++ if (regs- > psw.ia.D == sysblk.debug_ia.D) { wu_ptr.D = ARCH_DEP(GET_WU)(regs); if (wu_ptr.D != sysblk.debug_wu.D) { regs- > cpustate = CPUSTATE_STOPPED; dwWaitResult = WaitForSingleObject(sysblk.single_thread,INFINITE); if (dwWaitResult == - 1 ) errcd = GetLastError(); if (IsDebuggerPresent()) { ARCH_DEP(vfetchc)(buf1, 4 ,regs- > psw.ia.D, 0X00 ,regs); FETCH_FW(INST,buf1); sprintf(buf, " CPU%4.4X: WU Was Held ASCB=%4X TCB/SRB=%4X, AT instruction address %8X inst=%04X

" ,regs- > cpuad,wu_ptr.F.H.F,wu_ptr.F.L.F,regs- > psw.ia.D,INST); OutputDebugString(buf); } return ; } else return ; }



// this where I overlay the insruction to stop the CORRECT task



C++ if ((wu_ptr.D = ARCH_DEP(GET_WU)(regs)) == sysblk.debug_wu.D && shouldstep == 1 ) { ResetEvent(sysblk.single_thread); ip = regs- > ip < regs- > aip ? regs- > inst : regs- > ip; ARCH_DEP(display_inst) (regs, ip); sysblk.debug_inst_count++; sysblk.stop_ip = regs- > ip < regs- > aip ? regs- > inst : regs- > ip; if (sysblk.debug_overlay[ 0 ] == 0x00 ) { ip = regs- > ip < regs- > aip ? regs- > inst : regs- > ip; sysblk.debug_ip = ip; memcpy(( void *)&sysblk.debug_overlay[ 0 ],( void *)ip, 2 ); memcpy(( char *)&sysblk.savereg15,( char *)s- > gr[ 15 ], 8 ); memcpy(( char *)&sysblk.savereg14,( char *)s- > gr[ 14 ], 8 ); sysblk.debug_ia.D = regs- > psw.ia.D; memcpy(( void *)s- > gr[ 15 ].F.L.F,( void *)&sysblk.pause_rtn, 4 ); memcpy(( void *)ip,( void *)&BASSM, 2 ); sysblk.hercgui_debug = 1 ; } regs- > is_debugging = 1 ; if (IsDebuggerPresent()) { sprintf(buf, " CPU%4.4X: Inst Modified For ASCB=%4X TCB/SRB=%4X

" ,regs- > cpuad,wu_ptr.F.H.F,wu_ptr.F.L.F); OutputDebugString(buf); } }



// This the code after the emulated instruction that I overlayed has executed I put back the 1st two bytes of the instruction and do a SetEvent as now other threads can proceed



if ((regs->gr[15].F.L.F == sysblk.pause_rtn) && (( void *)sysblk.pause_rtn != NULL)) { memcpy(sysblk.stop_ip,&sysblk.debug_overlay[0], 2 ); memcpy(( char *)s->gr[15],( char *)&sysblk.savereg15, 8 ); memcpy(( char *)s->gr[14],( char *)&sysblk.savereg14, 8 ); sysblk.debug_overlay[0] = 0x00 ; sysblk.debug_overlay[1] = 0x00 ; sysblk.hercgui_is_debugging = 0 ; regs->bypass_debug = 1 ; regs->is_debugging = 0 ; regs->should_step = 0 ; SetEvent(sysblk.single_thread); wu_ptr.D = ARCH_DEP(GET_WU)(regs); if (IsDebuggerPresent()) { sprintf(buf, " CPU%4.4X: SetEvent for ASCB=%4X TBC/SRB=%4X

" ,regs->cpuad,wu_ptr.F.H.F,wu_ptr.F.L.F); OutputDebugString(buf); } }







This is one of those situations it would be nice to have a .NET managed thread so you can pull a threadstate enumeration on all the threads, something we can't do on raw win32 threads

In vino veritas







Thanks





In vino veritas





The Visual Studio Thread windows I know has the ability to freeze threads



Regardless I'll download the extension



Let me explain the nature of the problem



I'll writing an a debugger for another platform (working with an emulator )



I am modifying the emulated "C" code



the way interrupt the "debugged" code/program



is by overlaying the instruction which gives me control and shows the user the code



I quickly put back the over laid instruction



this works well when the user is debugging a Single Threaded program



however in a multiThreaded programs other threads or tasks executing the same code



get a operation exception before I put the code back



The way I coded this was as soon as I overlay the instruction I do a



ResetEvent which cause a Event to be non-signaled and stop the other threads/tasks



from executing this code until I have a chance



to put back the instruction I then do a SetEvent



to let the other threads/tasks execute the code



Something is obviously not working out right in this timing



In Visual Studio I can observe how QUICKLY The Windows dispatcher



Switches from thread to thread



Thanks for your help


I created program where when user checks checkbox edit text is enabled, but when I check any of checkboxes nothing happens!!!



Java @Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super .onCreate(savedInstanceState); setContentView(R.layout.activity_main); editText2 = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.editText_symbols); editText3 = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.editText_numbers); editText4 = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.editText_lowercase); editText5 = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.editText_uppercase); editText2.setEnabled(false); editText3.setEnabled(false); editText4.setEnabled(false); editText5.setEnabled(false); } public void checkCheckBox(View view) { boolean checked = (((CheckBox)view).isChecked()); switch (view.getId()) { case R.id.checkBox_uppercase: if (checked) editText2.setEnabled(true); else editText2.setEnabled(false); break ; case R.id.checkBox_lowercase: if (checked) editText3.setEnabled(true); else editText3.setEnabled(false); break ; case R.id.checkBox_numbers: if (checked) editText4.setEnabled(true); else editText4.setEnabled(false); break ; case R.id.checkBox_symbols: if (checked) editText5.setEnabled(true); else editText5.setEnabled(false); break ; } }



Pavlex4 wrote: nothing happens

Maybe because this is not C#?

Speed of sound - 1100 ft/sec

Speed of light - 186,000 mi/sec

Speed of stupid - instantaneous.



How to do this in Java Android Development?



C# var _pass = new string ( Enumerable.Repeat(_chars, _len) .Select(s => s[_rnd.Next(s.Length)]) .ToArray());



modified 8-Jan-17 10:38am.





Second, learn C#.

Then translate the one to the other.



We are not here to do your work for you. And since you are clearly trying to get by without thinking for yourself - your other questions are clear evidence of that - I for one am not prepared to do any more for you. Pull your finger out, learn your subject(s) and start thinking.

Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...





This space for rent







What it really does is make a string from _len random characters from _chars , so just implement that however makes the most sense. Which in Java is probably this:

char[] temp = new char[_len]; for ( int i = 0 ; i < temp.length; i++) temp[i] = _chars[_rnd.nextInt(_chars.length)]; String _pass = String .valueOf(temp);



1.- When I use the Visual Studio debugger, if the form is large I can not see the code below. How to hide the form?

2.- I have read that I can stop the execution in the debugger (F9) and that I can press Interrupt, Modify a line and Continue. But he will not let me interrupt. How is made? Because now I have to stop the execution and start again.



Thanks







I have never needed to interrupt a debugging session....ever. Not to say that someone out there doesn't need to do this. I just isolate the code that needs to be debugged, and set breakpoints there, or start from the beginning of the code path, if I need to broaden my scope.



What I do is set a breakpoint close to where the action that I want to observe is going to take place and then run the application. use F10 to advance line by line, and F11 to step into methods. If you need to observe a collection or object variable then just right click on the variable and select Quick Watch...



Go to Youtube and search for .net VS debugging tips and how to videos, if you think that would help you learn more about this.



Edit: You can also use "Run to cursor" if you want to skip sections of code and not have to debug the code line by line. Just place your cursor somewhere further in the code path, and then right click and select run to cursor. I use this a lot to jump over loops or to skip larger areas of code that I don't need to see.



You can also drag the yellow arrow on the left side of the code viewer to a desired code path that has already executed, and repeat "most" code execution again, if needed. This is not good for all scenarios because variables and values can change during the first pass of the code execution. I use this sometimes when debugging Unit Tests, and I want to run the test again without stepping out of the debugger instance.



Also, look into conditional expressions when debugging as well - where applicable.



modified 8-Jan-17 3:36am.





But what I have asked is that I have read that you can press F9 and for debugging. Then "Interrupt" is pressed, the line of code is modified and "Continue" is pressed. However "Interrupt" is disabled. That's why I have to stop and restart every time and so for years.



On the other hand, to see the hidden code below the form, do I need two monitors? Then it does not serve me because it is not practical and it would be easier an option, which does not exist, to hide the form.



I stay as I was uninformed.



Thanks for your effort, does anyone have more information? I am finding many bugs to Microsoft with so many years, so many resources and so many smart people. A little comment. In the latest version of "Visual Studio" the only difference is that it is called 2015, the rest is the same.



And if you read my blog about Windows 10 you'd be surprised at the number of glitches, apart from being a spyware program in its entirety.



Congratulations to all of you. I have taken note of a great sentence that I have been given:



"It is a question of being in the right place and at the right time to do what is right."



Regequion wrote: And if you read my blog Well, we probably would if it was not so well hidden.



As Slacker007 said, use another monitor. If that isn't available, try re-sizing if available. I believe what you're looking for is Edit and Continue. You need to enable it in Tools > Options > Debugging > Edit and Continue. More information can be found here. Best of luck!



I have many functions that employ some global variables that are common to all such functions, such as the language variable, to display error messages in the proper language.



I want to make various compiled dlls which in turn employs those functions. If those variables are in a global structure, when I create a main that uses the dll, in the main i have to define that structure or include the same .cs and, in that way, there are two different copies of that structure with the same name. That produces the error CS0433.



I can define a structure in the dll and in the Main I can use it, making a copy of the Main variables to the dll structure. But then if on the Main changes one of the variables, The dll does not have the updated value, I have to do it with every dll I use. Now you think the problem is bigger if there is more than one dll. That is impractical.



I continue with the problem not solved and raised in:

Https://www.codeproject.com/Forums/1649/Csharp.aspx?fid=1649&df=90&mpp=25&sort=Position&spc=Relaxed&view=Normal&fr=51#xx0xx



Can anyone make a practical example? Thank you.



Regequion wrote: Can anyone make a practical example Most unlikely since what you are trying to do does not make sense. As I told you before in your original question, you need to rethink your design. If a DLL requires special parameters supplied by the main program then you need to add a method to the DLL to receive those parameters and use them to produce whatever customised results are required. There is no reason why you should ever require two versions of the same source module or structure to make this work.







Focusing and exposing this topic is difficult.



1.- I have some functions in .cs files that I use in both Main and functions .cs and DLLs. These functions use a structure with some variables of general use. In order to compile those functions for the Main or if I want to create a dll, the structure must exist for functions such as in a .cs file. Imagine that in the cs the structure is called Name_Common.Cls_Common.StCommon



2.- When using Main, I need to add the definition of that structure of the same .cs That already produces the mentioned error of ambiguity. But if I want with an alias to refer to the structure of the dlls, I have to enter the variables every time from Main in each structure of each dll, being in Main with alias: using Name_Common_Main = Dll.Name_Common for the first dll. But, and for the second dll? I can not add another using or if? And those variables, when they are not global, when they change their value will not be updated.



I'm stuck, mentally and by software. How do people do?



need a DLL in the first place. Will this DLL be used by other applications, or is it specific only to this one? If the latter, then you probably do not need to separate out the methods it provides.



As to the rest, I still cannot quite grasp what it is that you are trying to achieve. Using a structure to pass data between classes or methods does not need to be over complicated. It is just a matter of providing all the right information in the right place at the right time. As to variables changing during the lifecycle of an application, this can easily be captured by the use of events and delegates.





Point number 1, what do I need it for... Already, written !!

Item Number 2, it is a question of being at the right time and in the right place to do what is right... It's already written !!



It's what I needed!! thank you very much !!



Hi, can someone please point me to a tutorial on unit testing MVC controller code that implements dependency injection, Repository and Unit of Work design patterns.



In particular I would like to learn how to do Mocking.



Thanks



modified 7-Jan-17 22:03pm.



Liagapi wrote: can someone please point me to That is what Google was created for.







I have seen tutorials on unit testing MVC controller methods but they were lacking what I'm looking for. None of them were using Dependency Injection or Mocking.



modified 8-Jan-17 3:37am.


According to finextra.com, London-based analysis firm Oakhall estimates the total annual cost of card fraud to issuers at an alarming $31 billion. The 2014 Target breach alone cost U.S. credit unions approximately $30 million, which, according to PYMNTS.com, equates to approximately $45,000 per credit union.

While advanced detection and mitigation technologies can help credit unions reduce their exposure to fraud, educating employees and members on security measures they can take is just as important.

What Employees Need to Know

Employees should be educated on all types of fraud, know how to recognize fraud  and understand what steps to take in response, said John Buzzard, CO-OPs fraud expert. Increasingly, credit unions need to have basic knowledge of a variety of fraud and scam techniques in order to better protect the enterprise.

Buzzard adds that employees should be well versed in new, more secure payment technologies, from EMV chip cards and digital wallets to MasterCards MasterPass, Visa Checkout, and smartphone apps for card controls and alerts. Branch employees and call center agents should be able to demonstrate these products to members and explain why they are secure, he said.

Buzzard also advises credit unions to teach employees how to properly monitor ATM security, including how to conduct visual inspections in compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Council guidelines. ATMs should be upgraded to the latest ATM technology available from the vendor, including  but not limited to  EMV technology, he said.

Communicate with Caution

And as a best practice, Buzzard recommends maintaining a conservative approach to any disclosures regarding internal fraud detection tactics. Assume that fraudsters are reading your marketing materials, and keep private any details that could put members at risk, he said.

What Members Need to Know

Buzzard notes that members can easily open the door to fraud if they are not using their payment cards in a secure manner. And the most effective way for members to secure their cards, he adds, is by employing a mobile app for card controls and alerts that allows them to monitor, authorize and restrict card usage in very exacting ways.

If consumers arent engaged and actively aware of their balances, they are leaving themselves unnecessarily vulnerable, he said. There are many options in the marketplace that can increase a members awareness of  and control over  account security, including CO-OPs CardNav mobile app.

And when members use their cards at the point of sale, they should know that the less information they provide, the better. Chip-enabled and tokenized payments are more secure because they rely on encryption as a means of authentication, he said.

Avoid Suspicious ATMs

According to Buzzard, members should be advised to pay close attention to their surroundings whenever they use an ATM. They should only use machines located in safe, secure and well-lit areas, and if they encounter a POS or ATM that somehow makes them uneasy, it is best to conduct the transaction elsewhere, he said.

Protecting Online and Mobile Transactions

Online and mobile transactions can be fraught with risk as well, which is why, Buzzard says, it is so important to vary login IDs and passwords.

Using the same credentials repeatedly can put all accounts in jeopardy, he said, adding that members should change their login IDs at least every month or quarter, and use e-commerce solutions such as Visa Checkout and MasterCard MasterPass to increase security.

Members should never purchase online or by phone from a retailer they dont recognize, and they shouldnt click on links embedded in unsolicited e-mails or pop-up ads, either, he said. If an offer is of interest, they should access the merchants website directly from a browser. Any offers that are valid will be available on the site itself, and it is risky to click on e-mail and pop-up links.

Expect Authentication to Be Long and Involved

While these measures will go a long way toward safeguarding data in cyberspace, Buzzard emphasizes that there is no substitute for a secure, multi-step authentication process.

The more complicated the authentication process is, the more protection the member receives, he said, noting that members should be instructed on how to keep their personal information secure across online and mobile channels. Buzzard adds that consumers should be encouraged to always use a virus protection program on every computing device to further protect personal information from spyware and malware attacks because today, more than ever, consumers are under siege by cybercriminals in their own homes and offices.

Keeping staff and members educated on security may take time, funds and resources, but these investments are well worth it, he said. Information is powerful in the fight against fraud  and an educated, vigilant credit union community is always a safer one.




Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





U.S. Embassy statement on the apprehension of Guy Philippe

The U.S. Embassy welcomes the January 5 arrest https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19720-haiti-flash-arrest-of-senator-guy-philippe.html by the Haitian National Police of Guy Philippe, a wanted fugitive, and we praise them for their professionalism in carrying out the arrest. Mr. Philippe has been transferred https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19721-haiti-flash-senator-guy-philippe-extradited-to-the-usa.html to the custody of the United States. The United States and the Government of Haiti have long-standing cooperation on judicial and law enforcement matters, and we look forward to continuing our cooperation in the future.



There would be many other criminals elected deputies and senators

"I am happy and sad," said Pierre Esperance, Executive Director of the RNDDH who decried the election of Philippe. "I am pleased to see that people like Guy Philippe who are trying to get immunity to enter parliament, will not have the chance to do so. This is a small step in the fight against corruption and impunity in the country. But he is not alone. There are many others like him, bandits, criminals, drug traffickers, who have been elected deputies and senators..." but he refrains from citing names...



Uruguay satisfied

The Uruguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed on Friday the publication of the final results of the presidential elections of 20 November in Haiti, which led to the election of Jovenel Moise. Uruguay "congratulates the Haitian people for their participation in the process" and expresses "its satisfaction with this important step on the way to building a strong democracy" and the strengthening of national institutions in Haiti.



Reaction of Jean Henry Ceant

Jean Henry Ceant, former presidential candidate of the party "Renmen Ayiti", believes that the arrest of Guy Philippe can not have been possible without the direct involvement of the de facto President of the Republic, Jocelerme Privert and the Chief of Police Michel-Ange Gedeon they can not say that they are not aware of what has just happened [...] I think that the population must stand up to say its word [...]"



BNE in Benin

On Thursday, January 5, 2017, a delegation from the National Bureau of Ethnology (BNE) composed of anthropologists, dancers, ethnologists and drummers participated in a cultural exchange mission as part of the celebration of the National Day of Vodou in Benin and also of the 2017 edition of "here and elsewhere 3rd way" of the laboratory of contemporary arts. This mission is also part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the BNE. This exchange is initiated by Silvana Virchaux, president of the laboratory of contemporary arts and carried by Erol Josue, Director General of the BNE, artist and houngan.



Panama wishes success to Jovenel Moise

The Government of the Republic of Panama congratulates the elected President of Haiti, Jovenel Moise, and wishes him success in his mandate starting on 7 February, as well as in all the programs to be undertaken with his team.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Most primary roads, a fifth of secondary roads, are cleared

N.C. Department of Transportation crews cleared 75 percent of interstate and primary routes in the division that includes Henderson County although icy spots remained. Through Saturday afternoon, the crews had cleared 20 percent of secondary roads. Meanwhile, state officials issued strong warnings about black ice after overnight lows that are forecast to fall into the single digits.

Related Stories

"Driving conditions are still hazardous, Gov. Roy Cooper said during an update on the winter storm Helena on Saturday afternoon. Please stay off the roads or you may put yourself, your family, first responders or others at risk.

Slush and moisture will re-freeze as a result of the rapidly falling temperatures, which will create black ice and other treacherous driving conditions.

State Highway Patrol troopers have responded to nearly 1,500 calls for service and more than 700 vehicle collisions since midnight, up from the 460 calls for service and 260 wrecks reported this morning, the state Emergency Response Team reported. Those mostly involve property damage and no fatalities.

Cooper also encouraged North Carolinians to stay home and stay warm due the wind chill that is expected to be between minus-5 and minus-15 degrees late Saturday night and early Sunday morning in western portions of the state. During the same time period, the wind chill in other parts of the state is forecasted to be between 0 and 5 degrees.

As of 4:30 p.m., approximately 9,274 households were without power, down from 25,000 customers earlier today.

Emergency Management, the State Highway Patrol and the North Carolina National Guard are currently operating a search and rescue mission to assist local first responders in locating two lost hikers in Haywood County.

An NCDOT official for Division 14 repeated the black ice warning.

Although weve made a lot of progress on removing snow and ice from the roads, we encourage people to stay off the roads because conditions will worsen as temperatures drop, Division 14 maintenance engineer Ralph Cannady said. If you must travel, slow down and be aware of black ice.

In the greater Asheville area, Division 13  Buncombe, Burke, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford and Yancey counties  Interstate 40 and I-26 were 90 percent clear as of 2 p.m. In addition, the primary roads were 50 percent clear with 15 percent of secondary roads earning that status. Across those seven counties, crews dispensed 2,495 tons of sand as well as 4,750 tons of a salt and sand mixture.

The northern mountains of Division 11  Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties  had 100 percent of its primary routes scraped by Saturday afternoon. Nearly 65 percent of secondary and 21 percent of unpaved roads were scraped. Early estimates predict that 95 percent of primary, 80 percent of secondary paved and 20 percent of unpaved roads in the division will be clear by Sunday afternoon.

Across the state, NCDOT crews applied nearly 3 million gallons of salt brine on major routes in advance of the storm. More than 2,500 NCDOT employees and 1,600 NCDOT vehicles are part of the effort to plow and de-ice roads. These efforts will be halted Saturday evening and resume Sunday when temperatures rise. In temperatures below 20 degrees, chemical treatments on roads become ineffective. NCDOT crews have laid sand and staging equipment in areas with historical issues.

If you must travel, the North Carolina Highway Patrol recommends following these safety tips:

 Reduce your speed. Driving at the regular speed limit will reduce your ability to control the car if you begin to slide.

 Leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles. Bridges and overpasses accumulate ice first. Approach them with extreme caution and do not apply your brakes while on the bridge.

 If you do begin to slide, take your foot off the gas and turn the steering wheel in the direction of the slide. Do not apply the brakes as that will cause further loss of control of the car.

 Those using gas-powered generators and other fuel-burning appliances should not run them indoors or in other areas with poor ventilation because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Real-time weather and road conditions and shelter openings, as well as winter safety tips, can be found on the free ReadyNC mobile app or online at www.readync.org website.
Siwan/Patna : Jailed RJD leader Mohammad Shahabuddin has created yet another controversy with his purported selfie showing his changed look inside Siwan prison going viral on the social media.

In the wake of the controversy, the Siwan district administration has conducted raids inside the jail.

Officer in-charge of Muffasil police station Vinay Pratap Singh today confirmed the raids inside Siwan jail and said three mobile phones, four sim cards and two mobile batteries were seized.

He, however, did not divulge if anything was seized from the cell of the controversial RJD leader.

Siwan jail officials denied that a selfie was clicked by Shahabuddin and said some well-wisher who might have come to meet him could have taken the photo and posted it on the social media.

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said that the matter should be investigated to find out when and where the pictures were clicked, and appropriate action taken if found that they were clicked within the jail premises.

Shahabuddin, a four-time RJD MP from Siwan, is currently lodged in Siwan jail after the Supreme Court cancelled his bail granted by the Patna High Court in connection with the killing of the prime witness in the murder of two brothers by pouring acid on them.

Notorious and known for muscle-flexing, Shahabuddin is facing over 36 cases, including of murder and kidnapping.

Meanwhile, RJD spokesman Ashok Sinha told PTI that he could not confirm the veracity of the information.

The Grand Alliance government in Bihar, in which the RJD is a major constituent, does not compromise on any law-and-order issue, he claimed.

Source : TOI
Colombo : Sri Lanka police fired teargas to disperse hundreds of people protesting the launch Saturday of a special industrial zone in the island`s south that hopes to attract billions of dollars in Chinese investment.

Protesters pelted government supporters with stones and police retaliated with teargas and water cannon at the launch, which was also attended by the prime minister and the Chinese ambassador, a police official told AFP.

Authorities said about 25 people were hurt in the skirmishes, including 12 police.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and ambassador Yi Xianliang said the zone in Hambantota, 240 kilometres (150 miles) south of Colombo, will generate thousands of jobs and bring in about $5 billion in Chinese investment.

But residents are afraid they will loose their land to the project, which is situated adjacent to a loss-making $1.4 billion harbour that Colombo hopes to turn into a joint venture with a Chinese company.

The port has already proved controversial in itself with hundreds of temporary dock workers going on strike in December demanding that they be absorbed into the main port-owning company ahead of any sale to the Chinese.

The government denies residents will lose any land to the new industrial zone, saying 95 percent of the area allocated for the project is state-owned and the remainder will be bought from private owners. They say there will be no forced acquisitions.

In the next two to five years, if everything is OK, there will be about $5 billion of (Chinese) investments in this zone, ambassador Yi said at the launch, adding that 100,000 jobs could be created.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said creating the special area for Chinese investors was aimed at making the debt-burdened Hambantota port viable.

The Hambantota port was going to sink us (Sri Lanka), but we are now trying to leverage it to create new economic activity and boost growth, Wickremesinghe said.

The government, which came to power in 2015, has been trying to renegotiate the terms of its $8-billion Chinese debt, which includes the construction costs of the Hambantota port as well as a nearby international airport which is used by only one airline.

The former administration relied heavily on China to build ports, highways and railways as Western nations shunned it over its dismal human rights record.

Source : Zee News
Germany : Pakistan born Shams ul-Haq even described how he was barely questioned when he gave a fake name to access a camp in Berlin.

The journalist migrated to Germany 26 years ago as an unaccompanied underage asylum seeker but decided to throw himself back into the world of refugees to see what was really going on.

Mr Haq reported his expose in German publication Morgen Post. He said: I did not shave for five days and didnt sleep for two, got an old pair of trouser out of the basement, and then I looked like an asylum seeker.

In Berlin I went to the Lageso, where thousands of people had been waiting in the cold at night to take a number. When it was finally my turn, I gave them a fake name, told a story about where I came from, and said that I needed asylum.

No, nobody asked me much, and no one checked anything that I told them.

He went on to stay in camps in Potsdam and Eisenhuttenstadt, Germany, using 10 different identities.

In some places the journalist had his fingerprints taken  but the identities were never matched up.

He said: The system does not work and I know employees from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees or from the Federal Criminal Police Office, who tell me that it has not worked so far.

In my case, no-one noticed any of my double registrations, although I had my fingerprints registered in some cases.

Mr ul-Haq stayed in the infamous Tempelhof Airport hangar where sex assault among refugees have been rife and conditions widely criticised.

He said: This is the largest refugee home in Germany, and there is an incredible amount of problems.

In my opinion, nobody can be expected to live there. Earlier on, the lights were switched on at night, so you could hardly sleep.

At least this is different now. Then the toilets. They stink, and I find that they can hardly be used. Many people dont like the food, and there was also sexual abuse among the refugees.

In addition, many people from different countries live together, which leads to conflicts and struggles.

The worst thing is that people have nothing to do. They hang around all day without any occupation. Some of them get into mischief.

Refugee camps are a breeding ground for salafists and terrorists. Sometimes it is said that Germany was importing terrorists. When in fact we breed them ourselves.

There are appeals from Salafists. They shave off their beards and offer help to relief organisations.

I noticed that myself. Then they talk to the refugees, invite them to dinner, and take them to a mosque marked by Salafists. In Berlin, for example, this is the Al-Nur-Mosque in Neukolln. This is how refugees fall in the wrong hands.

The now German citizen, Mr ul-Haq, was shown pictures of people as they posed with weapons in Syria.

One, he claims, told him of how he fought for al-Nusra in Syria.

However, home-grown jihadis are being created as the German government struggles to place the refugees.

Mr ul-Haq described boredom as a factor in radicalisation as migrants become disenchanted with Germany.

He said they become targets as their anger at the living situation increases.

The reporter said: During dinner they sit in the accommodation, the food does not taste nice, they are bored, and they are annoyed because the asylum procedure lasts so long. Then someone incites them and says that the Germans are all infidels. Then a dangerous dynamic can develop.

Improvements could be made, small changes, the journalist claims, which would vastly improve the lives of the migrant such as social activities.

He said there do exist camps in which people are happy and do not wish to travel to problematic mosques.

He said: A year ago nobody believed me when I told them what was going on. But I think the taxpayers have a right to know.

It is a good thing that Germany was so compassionate and accepted them. But some abuse this generosity and I believe it is right to educate people about it.

I consider the number of refugees who are problematic, to be very small. But there will be more. And there will be more if the conditions in the accommodations do not improve.

Source : Express UK
Upal Kohli | HENB | Karachi : In a bizarre setback for religious freedom, the Sindh governor, under pressure from Islamic hardliners, yesterday called off a bill that criminalises forced religious conversions.

In fact, the governor returned the bill on the advice of the Sindh chief minister no less. The chief minister reportedly told the governor that the government wanted certain changes in the language of the bill, The News International reported. The protection of minorities bill was passed by the Sindh Assembly unanimously in November 2016.

The Civil rights activists in Pakistan  which is not a secular state but an Islamic one  said that incidents of abduction and forced conversion of underage Hindu girls were on the rise and therefore such a bill was essential. But the religious right, including the Council of Islamic Ideology, called the bill unconstitutional and un-Islamic and said it was against Sharia, or Islamic law.

In Pakistan there are around 3.2 million Hindus out of 195 million total population, most of which reside in the province of Sindh. These 1.6% Hindus in Pakistan are facing an existential threat under the onslaught of Radical Islam. The Human Rights crusaders and a section of liberal Muslim groups wanted to enact an anti conversion bill so that the living fossil Hindus in Pakistan cannot be shown as some objects in the museum very soon.

The Islamic zealots, including several political parties, opposed the bill because it says no one under the age of 18 can convert to Islam even out of their free will. Essentially, the provision in the bill also wanted to ensure that no underage person would be coerced or brainwashed to convert.

Those opposing the bill also said this provision is against the teachings of Islam and violates the Pakistani Constitution as Pakistan is virtually an Islamic country.

According to the bill, those who attempt forced conversions would get seven years in jail and those who facilitate them would get five year behind bars. The bill also said that adults considering changing their religion must be provided a safe house to live in for 21 days, to ensure they are making the decision to convert without anyones coercion.

When talk began last month about repealing the bill or watering down its provisions, several non-Muslims and civil rights activists cautioned against such a move, saying it would show Pakistan in a bad light.

The main issue faced by our community is forced conversions as the kidnapped girls ultimately submit to the key demand of the kidnappers  convert and marry a Muslim, said Pakistani Parliamentarian Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the patron of the Pakistan Hindu Council, to the media last month. There is currently no law regarding Hindu marriage, as a result, our marriages are not registered anywhere, said the lawmaker whos a member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N).

In December last year, Asad Iqbal Butt, provincial vice chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that reservations of religious scholars were nothing but arm-twisting tactics which they use whenever a progressive step is taken. He said the government should not bow to the religious might and stand firm on its decision to pass the bill without a review. The bill is fine as it is.

Now, it is very much clear that Islamists in Pakistan are opposing anti conversion bill in Sindh legislature only to keep alive the provisions of forced conversion in Islam.

Source : Hindu Existence
Abuja (AFP) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said Sunday he was hopeful the remaining 195 Chibok schoolgirls will be rescued, as he marked 1,000 days since the mass abduction by Boko Haram that drew global attention to the jihadist insurgency.

Buhari said his government was committed to finding the rest of the more than 200 schoolgirls who were abducted almost three years ago from the northeastern town of Chibok.

Only two dozen have been found or rescued since they were seized in April 2014, some of whom had babies in captivity.

"We are hopeful that many more will still return," Buhari said. "The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts.

"Our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to."

A member of "Bring Back Our Girls" movement carries placard to press for the release of the missing Chibok schoolgirls in Lagos, on April 14, 2016

In the capital Abuja, Bring Back Our Girls campaigners were preparing to march to the presidential villa later Sunday.

"We just can't forget the 195 of them that are still there," Aisha Yesufu, a representative of the group, told AFP.

"We have to look and bring them back home," Yesufu said.

"They are citizens. If president Buhari's daughter was taken, would he just stand back? They are as Nigerian as his own daughter."

Intense criticism

Last week, the Nigerian army said it had rescued another Chibok girl, Rakiya Abubakar, along with her six-month-old baby. Another two schoolgirls have been found in the past year by troops.

In October, 21 Chibok girls were released by Boko Haram after negotiations with the Nigerian government brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government.

The release was hailed as a breakthrough that would lead to the recovery of remaining girls in captivity.

At the time, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said the government was hoping to secure the release of 83 other girls, but there has been no update on those negotiations.

Despite winning back swathes of territory from Boko Haram jihadists, Buhari has faced intense criticism for failing to recover the young captives, who became the defining symbol of Boko Haram's brutal campaign to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in the country.

Nigeria has recently trumpeted a major victory in its battle against Boko Haram, claiming in late December that its army has routed the jihadists from their Sambisa forest stronghold in Borno state.

But Boko Haram still poses a threat to the war-torn region, launching sporadic raids on remote villages in Nigeria and deadly attacks on soldiers in neighbouring Chad and Niger.
BouakA (Ivory Coast) (AFP) - Ivory Coast soldiers on Sunday ended a two-day mutiny in the second city Bouake and other key areas after reaching a deal on their demands for pay rises, housing and faster promotion.

"There has been no firing since Saturday night," a local journalist in Bouake said. "Traffic has resumed this morning and the shops have reopened."

One of the leaders of the mutiny in the world's top cocoa producer said he was "happy with the turn of events" after soldiers returned to their barracks.

"All we are asking is for the president to be attentive to the living conditions of soldiers," he said on condition of anonymity.

Unrest in Ivory Coast

The west African country was rocked by two days of unrest after soldiers seized control of Bouake's streets early Friday, firing rocket-launchers and terrifying residents, in a mutiny that spread to other cities including the economic capital Abidjan.

In Abidjan -- a bustling seaport that is home to the presidency and parliament -- national television reported that shots had been fired at the Akouedo barracks in the east of the city on Saturday.

The soldiers had detained Defence Minister Alain Richard Donwahi for two hours on Saturday in a tense standoff over their demands, firing Kalashnikovs and heavy weapons around the home of a senior local official where Donwahi was meeting with the soldiers' representatives.

Soldiers stand guard at a road black in the Plateau business district of Abidjan on January 7, 2017, as shots were heard inside a nearby military camp according to local media

On Sunday, Abidjan's central Plateau area where several government offices and leading businesses are located, was calm.

"Life is back to normal," a resident said.

The same was true for the northern city of Korhogo and Man in the west. A Man resident, who identified himself as Jean, said: "The soldiers have returned to their barracks."

'Many problems to resolve'

President Alassane Ouattara announced on Saturday evening that an agreement had been reached.

In a brief televised address he said it took into account "the demands relating to bonuses and improving the living conditions of soldiers".

Lieutenant-colonel Issiaka Ouattara (C), also known as Wattao, flanked by soldiers, arrives at the deputy prefect's residence in Bouake for talks with the deputy prefect and Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi on January 7, 2017

"Having given my agreement, I ask all soldiers to go back to their barracks to allow decisions to be carried out calmly," he added, without giving details of the accord.

Donwahi, who returned to Abidjan on Saturday night, said all bonus arrears would be paid.

"We are aware that there are many problems to resolve... I can assure you that we will keep our commitments but they too should keep theirs," he said.

Politically motivated?

Bouake, which is home to 1.5 million people, was the capital of a rebellion which erupted in 2002 in a failed attempt to oust then president Laurent Gbagbo.

Twelve years later, a similar dispute over pay by rebels-turned-soldiers erupted in Bouake which spread to Abidjan and briefly brought the country to a standstill.

People wait on January 7, 2017, fifteen kilometres from Bouake where soldiers protesting their pay seized control of Ivory Coast's second city

The government had then agreed to a deal that provided amnesty for the mutineers and a financial settlement.

A Bouake resident said on Sunday he had had enough.

"We no longer want this situation in Bouake," said Adama Coulibaly, a teacher. "We are tired of these actions of the soldiers. I can't wait for President Ouattara to find a definitive solution to their problems."

Added computer scientist Seraphin Kouadio: "We no longer want the sound of boots in Bouake."

Some analysts said the mutiny could be a pressure tactic on Ouattara and politically motivated.

Issiaka Ouattara (C), spokesperson of mutinous soldiers speaks to journalists after he negotiated with Ivory Coast's defence minister (unseen) on January 7, 2017 in Bouake

"One of the things to ascertain is whether there has been a political manipulation. We are waiting for the nomination of the vice president and the prime minister... are the former rebel leaders behind this?" one said.

"At present everybody is thinking about Guillaume Soro," the expert said, referring to one of the leaders of the 2002 rebellion which sliced the former French colony into the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south and triggered years of unrest.

Rebel forces had then backed Ouattara, the current president who took office in April 2011 after a bloody post-electoral showdown with Gbagbo that left 3,000 people dead.

But some soldiers denied that they had been manipulated, arguing that it was "a family matter".

"You can equip the army but if the men are not motivated it won't serve any purpose," said one, adding that Ouattara was the troops' "spiritual father".

A retired soldier said the problem was that senior officers earned disproportionately high salaries.
Accra, Jan. 7, GNA - The Speaker is the first officer of the House. He/She is one of the three great officers of State and he/she ranks third in the official order of precedence after the President and Vice-President.

The office of Speaker was first created in Ghana, then the Gold Coast, in 1949 when the Governor ceased to be ex-officio President of the Legislative Council.

The creation of this office marked a significant step in the history of colonial legislature. In 1951 the legislature, under the 1950 Constitution, elected its first Ghanaian Speaker, the first African to preside over a British Colonial Legislature.

The Speaker's ruling cannot be challenged except on a substantive motion.

Behind the scenes the Speaker can exercise moderating influence on both the Majority and Minority to reach consensus in certain matters. In the heat of debates he/she can cool passions.

It has been said that the Speaker can encourage the downhearted Members; he/she can discourage the over-confident, he/she can offer hope - and suggest outlets - to the frustrated.

The Speaker must not display any trace of partiality; he/she must handle the House with tact, firmness, and fairness. He must be unusually patient even under provocation.

Two Deputies assist the Speaker.

The Speaker also has an administrative role; he/she is the Chairman of the Parliamentary Service Board and has the over-all responsibility for the administration and management of the Service, which is the employer of all permanent staff.

The Speaker is elected from within or outside Parliament at the beginning of a new Parliament and holds office during the life of that Parliament.

In order to ensure his independence and authority, his salary, allowances, and pension are paid from the Consolidated Fund.

The following are the past Speakers of Parliament.

First Republic:

Sir Emmanuel Charles Quist, Kt., OBE - Mar 1951- Dec 1957

Hon. Justice Augustus Molade Akiwumi - Feb 1958 - June 1960

Hon. Joseph Richard Asiedu - July 1960 - June 1965

Hon. Kofi Asante Ofori-Atta - June 10, 1965 - Feb 22, 1966

Second Republic

Hon. Justice Nii Amaa Ollenu - Oct 1969 - Dec 1971

Third Republic

Hon. Justice Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph - Sept 24, 1979 - Dec.1981

Fourth Republic

Hon. Justice Daniel Francis Annan - Jan 7, 1993 - 1996

Hon. Justice Daniel Francis Annan- re-elected in 1997 for another four years

Hon. Peter Ala Adjetey - 2001- 2005

Hon. Ebenezer Sakyi Hughes - 2005-2009

The Rt. Honourable Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo from 2009 - 2013

The Rt Honourable Edward Korbly Doe Adjaho from 2013 - 2017

Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye, the newly elected Speaker of Parliament of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic - 2017 -

GNA

By Francis Ameyibor, GNA
Ghana's 5th President of the 4th Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Saturday, January 7, 2017, called on all Ghanaians to be optimistic about the future, and unite for the development of the country.

He said his assumption of office will spell the beginning of a new era of economic transformation of prosperity for the country.

He reiterated his resolve to protect the public purse, and ensure every Ghanaian has a fair share of the national cake. He issued a stern warning to members of his government to do away with intentions of amassing wealth from public office.

Akufo-Addo also assured that, the country will prioritize science and technology to ensure that the country's development targets are met.



By: citifmonline.com/Ghana
Abidjan (AFP) - Shots rang out at a military base in Abidjan on Saturday as a mutiny by disgruntled troops appeared to spread to Ivory Coast's economic capital despite government efforts to defuse the crisis.

The widening unrest came after troops seized control of Bouake, the country's second city, firing rocket launchers in the streets in an angry protest over pay.

Bouake was the headquarters of an armed rebellion that broke out in 2002 and split Ivory Coast in two until 2011.

"Shots were heard here in Abidjan at the Akouedo military base," a newsflash on national television said Saturday, referring to a camp in the northern sector of the city.

Troops closed off a large junction near the Akouedo base, leaving all roads leading to the camp gridlocked with traffic and hampering access to several neighbouring districts.

Unrest in Ivory Coast

The unrest erupted in the early hours of Friday morning with troops demanding hefty pay rises, and the protests quickly spread to other cities, including Man in the west.

In an attempt to defuse the crisis, Ivory Coast's defence minister headed to Bouake.

"We are going to talk with our men, hear their complaints and find solutions to this situation that is understandable but regrettable," Alain-Richard Donwahi said in a televised address before his departure.

The rattle of automatic gunfire, which raged throughout Friday night, could still be heard on Saturday morning along with the sound of heavy weapons fire, Bouake residents and an AFP correspondent said.

"We heard shooting all through the night," one resident told AFP by phone.

Disgruntled former rebels

Lieutenant-colonel Issiaka Ouattara (C), also known as Wattao, flanked by soldiers, arrives at the deputy prefect's residence in Bouake for talks with the deputy prefect and Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi on January 7, 2017

Similar protests erupted in several central and northern towns throughout the day and by Saturday morning, the unrest had also spread to Man, witnesses and a military source said.

"I went out of my house at 7:00 am when I heard the first shots," a local resident called Jean told AFP, saying that within an hour, the firing had "intensified."

"The military is now parading through the streets in vehicles," he said, with a military source confirming the unrest had hit the city shortly after dawn on Saturday.

There were also protests in the central towns of Daloa and Daoukro as well as Korhogo in the north, where angry troops demanded salary hikes although witnesses said they had largely disappeared from the streets by Friday evening.

Speaking to AFP on Friday, a military official said the unrest was spearheaded by former rebel fighters now integrated into the army who were demanding bonuses of five million CFA francs ($8,000, 7,600 euros) each plus a house.

Troops wary

A convoy of UN Blue Helmet peacekeepers is parked at the entrance of Ivory Coast's second city of Bouake on January 6, 2017, where soldiers demanding more pay and housing rose up earlier in the day

"We are emerging from a crisis and our army is being rebuilt," the defence minister said.

"Things are not moving as quickly as we hoped but they are moving none the less."

However troops expressed wariness over Donwahi's intentions, with one telling AFP; "we believe they are getting ready to do something against us."

"If he wants to come to negotiate, there won't be any problems. But if they want to attack us, we are ready for that too," he added.

President Alassane Ouattara, who is currently in Ghana for the swearing in of that country's new president, was expected to return to Abidjan, the economic capital, by the end of the day for a cabinet meeting.

Friday's unrest saw troops breaking in to Bouake's main weapons depot, arming themselves with rocket-launchers and other weapons mounted on pickup trucks, a military source said.

Troops then attacked all seven police posts, manned strategic junctions and put up barricades in the town centre, an AFP correspondent said.

An ongoing issue

People wait on January 7, 2017, fifteen kilometres from Bouake where soldiers protesting their pay seized control of Ivory Coast's second city

A similar dispute by rebels-turned-soldiers erupted in Bouake in November 2014 which spread to Abidjan and briefly brought the country to a standstill.

The nearly 9,000 strikers, who joined the army between 2009 and 2011, were demanding full payment of back pay and promotions.

Bouake was the capital of a rebellion which erupted in 2002 in a failed attempt to oust then president Laurent Gbagbo, who remained in power.

The effective partitioning of the country between a rebel-held north and a loyalist south sparked a decade of clashes and crises.

Rebel forces generally backed Ouattara, the current president who took office in April 2011 after a bloody post-electoral showdown which ended with Gbagbo's arrest.

Gbagbo was turned over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where his trial began in January last year for crimes against humanity.
07.01.2017 LISTEN

God is going to send down angles to stop the terrorist attacks on Ghana. The angels would defend Ghana just like they came down to vote for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-AddoOwusu Bempah.

OWUSU BEMPAHS MYSTERIOUS GOD, ANGELS AND GHANAIAN POLITICS

Whether Owusu Bempah was speaking under the heavy influence of drugs or alcohol, or a combination of these two, is difficult to tell.

It is even more difficult to tell whether he spoke under the influence of what these latter-day hypocritical Pentecostals and charismatics call anointing.

Nevertheless, in the absence of any convincing interpretation alternative beyond what we may deem fundamentally as the glaring fact of rhetorical signification pertaining to Owusu Bempahs, as it were, we shall forever remain as grudgingly clueless as though his words were borne out of a mouthful conscience of figurative audacity.

For his avowed critics information, Owusu Bempah is indisputably a scheming fraud, a fake, a mountebank, but certainly not dumb.

A street-smart hawker of religious-spiritual wares among other characterizations, the well-known sociopath Owusu Bempah is wide-awake and in full control of his untamed faculties behind which is hidden his frosted glass of political theology and opportunism.

Gradually the divisive cacophony of political theology seems to be usurping the space exclusively reserved for commonsense democracy, which is actually the case we have been witnessing in Ghana at the dawn of the Fourth Republic with the feral likes of Owusu Bempah and their shenanigans running helter-skelter across the political landscape.

Why will angels be involved in elections that is rigged in one way or another in favor of one political party, given that which party is in power has found a way to rig elections in order to hold onto to power?

On which side have the angels and Owusu Bempahs God been in the equation of Ghanas elective democracy?

On the side of the incumbent party which seeks to steal elections in order to hold onto power or the opposition which seeks to steal elections in order to get the incumbent party out of the way?

Perhaps these voting angels are the missing links between Ghanas alleged bloated voters register and the Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) just across from the border, Togo.

Obviously these angels and Owusu Bempahs God were not sleeping during the 2008 and 2012 general elections when Akufo-Addo lost.

Ghanas corrupt and criminal democracy does not deserve the attention-seeking melodramatic acts from scheming fakes, such as Owusu Bempah, as well as from any demonic angels inhabiting his prosthetic head, psychotic visions and dreams.

Drugs meant for innocent men and women and children are stolen on a daily basis and yet these angels and Owusu Bempahs God do absolutely nothing about it.

Counterfeit drugs from China and India flood the Ghanaian market, yet these angels and Owusu Bempahs God do absolutely nothing about this underground market in fake drugs.

Cholera takes away precious lives and yet these angels and Owusu Bempahs God do absolutely nothing about it.

Open defecation is everywhere and yet these angels and Owusu Bempahs Good only appear to enjoy the repulsive stench emanating from it, the open defecation.

For nearly four years the national economy faltered, somersaulted, and almost died, yet these angels and Owusu Bempahs God showed no interest in its revival until Akufo-Addo decided to run for the presidency.

Institutional corruption went haywire and yet these angels and Owusu Bempahs God could not care less.

Children have been studying under trees

Trokosi girls deserve absolute freedom from their ritual servitude but

Educational standards falling

Arson almost everywhere in the wake of the 2012 general elections

Corruption everywherein Akufo-Addos Attorney Generals Office, his Ministry of Foreign Affairs, his Ministry of Justice, and Kufuors and Mahamas Flagstaff House, Parliament and Judiciary

Kalabule everywhere

Superstition, ignorance, and churches mushrooming everywhere

Insults and pornography and open prostitution on radio and television

Armed robbery everywhere

Unmotorable networks of roads everywhere

Dirt everywhere

Social and moral decay everywhere

Poor or bad public services everywhere

Dumsor killed people, almost bankrupted the country, collapsed businesses, created graveyards of unemployed youth

The Ghanaian church has become a den of thieves

Evangelical robbers, thieves and rapistsPolitical robbers, thieves and rapists

And so and so forth.

And all these detrimental social realities have to wait for Akufo-Addo to appear on the political scene before we hope for or even seek their resolution?

What a country of jokers? What a country of dubious, diabolical soothsayers? What were these angels and Owusu Bempahs God waiting for all this while?

Yet, not to be outdone, Owusu Bempah comes up with another bold-faced lie, a dangerous, divisive canard:

When I was in heaven, the angel took me to a location where they opened a curtain, I saw late President Mills alone in a room crying. Then the angel told me that he was not in that palace but God allowed them to bring him there at the time so he could teach me something which was that he never died a natural death

They have provided him with a bowl into which his tears fall anytime he cries. The reason is that they were preventing the tears from falling unto the land because that could cause chaos in Ghana. Ghana would have become a land of desolation. Its an innocent blood which has been sacrificed because of position

The angel opened another curtain, there I saw President Mahama with chains around his neck, waist and legs as well. The chains have been tied to a huge stone. He was sweating and crying profusely as well with a red scarlet tied around his waist as well

OUR TAKE

Late President Mills cried but not Ghanaian children who study under trees every day, not helpless mothers who have to sleep on concrete hospital floors while giving birth, not trokosi girls in need of absolute freedom, not the poor and underperforming national economy, not the child street-hawker who is constantly exposed to the elements, not the poor masses

Then President Mahama in chains but not Ghanaian children who study under trees every day, not helpless mothers who have to sleep on concrete hospital floors while giving birth, not trokosi girls in need of absolute freedom, not the child street-hawker who is constantly exposed to the elements, not the poor masses

Where is the corroborating evidence from Mensa Otabil, Bishop Obinim, Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah, Nicholas Duncan-Williams, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, T.B. Joshua, Rev. Eastwood Anaba, and Bishop Charles Agyinasare, that a deity somewhere did indeed make heaven, angels, and Mills accessible to Owusu Bempah?

And where is the corroborating evidence from Kweku Bonsam?

Akufo-Addo cannot save Ghana and Ghanaians for that matter. In other words, Akufo-Addo is not Ghanas hoped-for savior.

Thus, Ghanaians must accept their choices whatever they are and begin to see themselves as their own saviors, given that Akufo-Addo has already done his bit for the country, for his family, and for his friends.

Ghanaians have to do the rest for themselves by among other things, ignoring the likes of Owusu Bempah and their methodological shenanigans!

We shall return with Part 2.
BouakA (Ivory Coast) (AFP) - Mutinous soldiers were holding Ivory Coast's Defence Minister Alain Richard Donwahi on Saturday, rejecting the terms of a deal announced by President Alassane Ouattara to end their angry pay protest.

"Just after the declaration by President Alassane Ouattara, the soldiers went back in angrily," reported an AFP journalist at the talks between the two sides in Ivory Coast's second city Bouake, which was seized by troops on Friday.

"They have stopped the defence minister and his delegation from leaving the deputy prefect's residence by shooting Kalashnikov rifles and heavy weapons," the correspondent said.
BouakA (Ivory Coast) (AFP) - Mutinous soldiers were holding Ivory Coast's Defence Minister Alain Richard Donwahi on Saturday, rejecting the terms of a deal announced by the president to end their angry pay protest.

"Just after the declaration by President Alassane Ouattara, the soldiers went back in angrily," reported an AFP journalist at the talks between the two sides in Ivory Coast's second city Bouake, which was seized by troops on Friday.

"They have stopped the defence minister and his delegation from leaving the deputy prefect's residence by shooting Kalashnikov rifles and heavy weapons," the correspondent said.

The soldiers are seeking bonuses, pay rises and faster promotion, in an angry protest that had spread since Friday morning to several other towns.

In a televised announcement shortly earlier, Ouattara had announced a deal to "take into account the demands relating to bonuses and improving the living conditions of soldiers", without giving details of the agreement.

His intervention came after tensions sharply escalated in the world's biggest cocoa producer, with shots ringing out at a military base in Abidjan as soldiers put up barricades in the city, a day after troops took over Bouake, firing rocket launchers in the streets and terrifying residents.

Donwahi had gone to Bouake -- cradle of a rebellion that split Ivory Coast in two between 2002 and 2011, sparking a decade of unrest -- in a bid to defuse the crisis.
Abidjan (AFP) - Mutinous soldiers were holding Ivory Coast's Defence Minister Alain Richard Donwahi on Saturday, rejecting the terms of a deal announced by the president to end their mutinous pay protest.

An AFP correspondent reported that soldiers were firing Kalashnikov rifles and heavy weapons outside local government offices in Bouake, blocking the minister and his team from exiting talks to defuse the crisis sparked by troops' takeover of Ivory Coast's second city on Friday.

The standoff came shortly after President Alassane Ouattara announced that the government and mutineers had reached an agreement, with tensions escalating in the world's biggest cocoa producer as the unrest spread to the economic capital Abidjan and several other towns.

Unrest in Ivory Coast

Shots had rung out at a military base in Abidjan on Saturday as soldiers put up barricades in the city, a day after troops took over Bouake where they terrified residents by firing rocket launchers in the streets.

The soldiers are seeking bonuses, pay rises, housing and faster promotion.

Bouake was the headquarters of an armed rebellion that broke out in 2002 and split the west African country in two until 2011, sparking a decade of clashes and crises.

The current mutiny appears to have been spearheaded by former rebel fighters who have now been integrated into the army.

'Panic'

Soldiers stand guard at a road black in the Plateau business district of Abidjan on January 7, 2017, as shots were heard inside a nearby military camp according to local media

Ouattara did not give details of the deal offered to the mutineers, saying in his brief televised announcement that it took into account "the demands relating to bonuses and improving the living conditions of soldiers".

"Having given my agreement, I ask all soldiers to go back to their barracks to allow decisions to be carried out calmly," he added.

Soldiers in Bouake appeared furious after the announcement, with one mutineer saying: "The president must tell us the date we will be paid and the amount we will be given."

In Abidjan -- the bustling commercial hub that is home to the presidency, government and parliament -- national television reported earlier that shots had been fired at the Akouedo barracks in the city's north.

Troops closed off a major junction nearby, leaving the surrounding roads gridlocked and hampering access to several districts.

Issiaka Ouattara (C), spokesperson of mutinous soldiers speaks to journalists after he negotiated with Ivory Coast's defence minister (unseen) on January 7, 2017 in Bouake

"The soldiers stopped at the roundabout in front of the barracks, demanding that drivers do a U-turn. This created a panic," a local journalist told AFP.

"All the shops in the area are closed. The soldiers are wearing balaclavas."

AFP journalists reported that troops had also put up barricades near a fire station in central Abidjan, where a dozen armed soldiers were forcing cars to turn back.

All-night shooting

Lieutenant-colonel Issiaka Ouattara (C), also known as Wattao, flanked by soldiers, arrives at the deputy prefect's residence in Bouake for talks with the deputy prefect and Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi on January 7, 2017

The rattle of automatic gunfire had raged in Bouake into Saturday, with sporadic shooting still heard by the afternoon, AFP journalists said. Schools and businesses remained shut.

The unrest erupted in Bouake in the early hours of Friday when troops broke into a weapons depot, arming themselves with rocket-launchers and other weapons mounted on pickup trucks before attacking police posts, manning strategic junctions and putting up barricades.

Soldiers also took to the streets of Daloa and Daoukro in the country's centre as well as Korhogo and Odienne in the north on Friday. Though the protests there eased, the unrest had spread to Man in the west as well as Abidjan by Saturday.

"Most garrisons in the country where there are ex-rebels have risen up, shooting in the air and looting in some places," a military source said, adding that better-equipped loyalist units, such as the special forces, had not joined the mutiny.

'Emerging from crisis'

A convoy of UN Blue Helmet peacekeepers is parked at the entrance of Ivory Coast's second city of Bouake on January 6, 2017, where soldiers demanding more pay and housing rose up earlier in the day

Donwahi had said in a televised address before heading to Bouake on Saturday that the situation was "understandable but regrettable".

"We are emerging from a crisis and our army is being rebuilt," the defence minister said.

"Things are not moving as quickly as we hoped but they are moving none the less."

A similar dispute over pay by rebels-turned-soldiers erupted in Bouake in November 2014 which spread to Abidjan and briefly brought the country to a standstill.

Bouake was the capital of a rebellion which erupted in 2002 in a failed attempt to oust then president Laurent Gbagbo.

People wait on January 7, 2017, fifteen kilometres from Bouake where soldiers protesting their pay seized control of Ivory Coast's second city

The effective partitioning of the country between a rebel-held north and a loyalist south triggered years of unrest. Rebel forces generally backed Ouattara, the current president who took office in April 2011 after a bloody post-electoral showdown with Gbagbo that left 3,000 people dead.

Gbagbo was arrested and turned over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where his trial began in January last year for crimes against humanity.
By Iddi Yire, GNA

Bunso (E/R), Jan. 7, GNA - Apostle Professor Samuel Asuming-Brempong, the Chairman of the Executive Council of the Great Commission Church International (GCCI) Ghana, has urged Christians to change their attitudes for the better.

"There is no room for laziness in the Lord's vineyard," Apostle Prof. Asuming-Brempong said at the ongoing 26th Annual General Council Meeting of the GCCI at Bunso in the Eastern Region.

"The work of the ministry is to diligently do what the Lord Jesus Christ has called us to do. It means to labour and work hard," he added.

The four-day meeting on the theme: "Imitating Jesus Christ," is being attended by over 120 participants including all members of GCCI Ghana Executive Council and their spouses, trustees, ordained pastors, presiding elders and delegates from Togo and Benin.

"Preach the gospel centered on Jesus Christ. We should not just preach anything but rather the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and we should copy Jesus in everything," Apostle Prof Asuming-Brempong said.

"Take the Bible and learn the passages, then preach them. When we do this, the Lord shall be with us to confirm his word," he added.

Apostle Prof. Asuming-Brempong urged Christian leaders to promote team work at all levels of the church.

He encouraged Christians to seek the Lord diligently and know him.

He noted that the church is in God's hands as a tool to reach the world with the gospel through winning, churching and disciplining the nations for God.

Apostle Prof. Asuming-Brempong said the GCCI last year marked its silver jubilee celebration and expressed gratitude to God for seeing them through.

He commended the GCCI's Board of Trustees, the Apostolic Council, the Executive Council of Ghana, pastors, elders, deacons and church members for their unflinching support to the church over the past two decades.

GNA
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Accra, Jan 07, GNA - Here are remarkable quotations from the Inaugural Speech of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Fifth President of Ghana's Fourth Republic:

1. 'I will protect the public purse.' 'We will provide vision and direction.'

2. 'I ask you to be citizens, not spectators: citizens not subjects.'

3. 'It is time to make sure that there is a true separation of powers in our arms of government.'

4. 'I will not let you, the people of Ghana, down'.

5. 'The change we have voted for has to start with each individual. I ask you to be responsible citizens.'

6. 'It is time to define what being a Ghanaian ought to mean. Being a Ghanaian must mean you sign up to a definable code of conduct.'

7. 'I shall protect the public purse by insisting on value for money in all transactions.'

8. 'I see exciting times ahead, the rule of law will be the underlining tenet of our governance'.

9. 'We should learn and accept that we do not own the land, but hold it in trust for future generations.'

10. 'State coffers are not the spoils for victorious political parties. I promise to protect the public purse'.

11. 'After 60 years of independence, we longer have any excuse for being poor.'

GNA
By Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA

Accra, Jan.7, GNA - Many traders, on Saturday, took advantage of the large crowd that gathered at the Black Star Square for the swearing-in ceremony of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as President, to make brisk business.

They sold various items beautifully designed with the colours of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of Blue, Red and White, but made marginal sales from those in the national colours of Red, Yellow and Green.

The paraphernalia, such as bangles, spectacles, sandals, earrings, hats, smocks, vuvuzelas, scarfs, wall clocks and flags, received great patronage.

Some food vendors also cashed in on the moment selling waakye, kenkey and fried fish, rice and stew, among others, with some branding them as NPP products.

Many photographers from various parts of the country did not miss the out on the trade boom as many NPP supporters and sympathisers, who had dressed in interesting designs and styles, wanted photographic memories for historic purposes.

Madam Kande Amadu from Kumasi, who trades in NPP paraphernalia, told the Ghana News Agency that she arrived, in Accra, on Friday, to secure a place on the pavement for her wares.

She said business had been good despite many people selling similar products.

'On a normal day, I sell between GH200 and GH500 a day, but today I have sold GH1, 000, only in a half-day'.

Kwasi Amoako from Kasoa who sells smocks designed with NPP colours, however, said business had been slow and attributed it to the many people trading in the same products.

He said he sold adults smock at GH70, while that of children were sold between GH10 and GH15, depending on the size.

Gabriel Akono, a photographer from Ashaiman, said a seven inch by five inch picture was GH5, with an A3 sized photograph costing GH15, while an A4 size picture went for GH10.

Most of the photographers printed the pictures within a few minutes and gave them to their patrons, while some designed the pictures in a form of calendar.

Madam Akosua Ampoma, an NPP supporter, from Bonwire in the Ashanti Region, who was wearing an 'Onaapo cloth', told the GNA that she arrived at the ceremonial grounds around 0300 hours in order to secure a comfortable place to sit.

She said she came purposely because of the love she had for Nana Akufo-Addo and the Party and expressed optimism that the Akufo-Addo Government would deliver and rescue Ghanaians from economic deprivation.

According to her, she took photographs so that she could show them to her children in the future.

Most of the party faithful were wearing newly designed NPP clothes, patterned with portraits of President Nana Akufo-Addo and Vice President Alhaji Dr. Bawumia.

GNA
By Iddi Yire, GNA

Bunso (E/R), Jan. 7, GNA - The Men's Ministry of the Great Commission Church International (GCCI) will in April, establish a 'Missions Fund' for the Church.

The proposed fund would be used to support the GCCI's missionaries and evangelists in their line of duty.

Elder Stephen Aglago, an Executive Member of the GCCI National Men's Ministry, in his presentation at the 26th Annual General Council Meeting of the GCCI at Bunso in the Eastern Region, said the fund would be used to help speed up the growth of the Church and to help accelerate the propagation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The four-day meeting under the theme: "Imitating Jesus Christ", is being attended over 120 participants including all members of GCCI Ghana Executive Council and their spouses, all trustees, pastors, presiding elders, and delegates from Togo.

Elder Aglago said the fund would also be used to help needy branches of GCCI with furniture, public address system and musical instruments.

He said in addition, GCCI branches in rural areas would be assisted to purchase lands for their temples projects.

He said investment plans had been put in place to ensure the sustainability of the fund.

Apostle Professor Samuel Asuming-Brempong, GCCI Ghana Executive Council Chairman, lauded the men for the initiative.

He said the GCCI Management would help ensure the sustainability of the 'Missions Fund'.

GNA
A GNA Feature by Gideon Ahenkorah

Accra, Jan 7, GNA - Many rally behind a leader to attain a goal, but only the loyal and reliable ones would be chosen to join the administrative caravan.

But certainly, only those who demonstrated zeal, commitment, loyalty and enthusiasm towards the realisation of the dreams of the elephant would be given the chance to take their administrative seats.

It is quite known that the struggle for political power is dependent on team work which requires hardworking players to play various roles.

However, while playing their assigned roles, some of these players fail to deliver as expected.

Research shows that, some people are naturally team players whilst others can only work alone; and some people can work harder in a team whilst others may work harder when alone.

This perhaps justifies the reason why some of those who swore oaths to support the New Patriotic Party, when in opposition, jumped ship when the party was beset by storms.

The dream to sit on the administrative seat of Ghana would certainly not materialize without the support of some identifiable hardworking party members, who bent backwards to ensure that victory was achieved.

So when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo started enlisting his cabinet ministers, I was not surprised to hear the names of persons like Brigadier General Emmanuel Okyere, Lord Commey, Frema Osei-Opare, Francis Asenso Boakye, Abu Jinapor, Ambassador Hassan Ahmed, Saratu Atta, Joshua Kyeremeh, Kan Dapaah Victor and Clara Napaga Sulemana.

After all, the names sounded familiar as these people have demonstrated high sense of loyalty and hard work towards the Party and deserve commendation.

My Case

It is arguable that membership loyalty may not be the sole factor to determine the competency of members as some people may have the zeal, passion and the enthusiasm to die for the party but may lack the skills to take charge of some sensitive responsibilities.

Ministerial seats require persons with all-round skills and capacity to take charge of very significant duties and the success of every government depends on its various role players.

This indicates that for a government to sustain its power in governance, the employment of very competent leaders for ministerial and other positions is a sine qua non.

It is in vein with this that, I make a humble call on the President Nana Akufo-Addo to make a careful assessment of all his appointees to ascertain their competencies and skills before placing them in charge of various responsibilities.

It is evident that some of the ministers who chaired various administrative duties under successive governments are highly skilled and can equally play useful roles in this new government.

I was so glad when the President said he would be a 'president for all' during the speech he read following the declaration as the President-elect by the Electoral Commission.

This statement indicates that you are willing to practise an all-inclusive government where all Ghanaians will be called on board to contribute their quota to the development of the country.

Congratulations again for attaining the feat as the fifth President of the Fourth Republic of our great nation.

GNA
07.01.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Jan. 7, GNA - Nana Addo Dankwa Akufuo-Addo has been sworn in as President of the Republic of Ghana following his landslide victory in the December 7 presidential election.

The 72-year-old Economist, renowned Lawyer and Politician, Saturday took the Oath of Allegiance and the Presidential Oath administered by Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood at a colourful investiture at the Black Star Square.

The investiture was witnessed by thousands of local and foreign spectators at the Black Star Square and other millions who watched the programme live on television.

The Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, 54, an Economist and a former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, was also sworn in by the Chief Justice at the ceremony.

The milling crowd stretched from the Black Star Square westwards towards the Arts Centre, eastwards towards the Osu Traffic Light and northwards to the Accra International Conference centre and its environs.

The entire area,decorated in the national colours of red, gold and green, also saw the people dressed in colourful blue, white and red, representing the colours of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on whose ticket Nana Akufo-Addo would lead the over 25 million Ghanaians over the next four years.

The vicinity of the Square was resplendent with exciting colours of Ghana's Kente, the main royal cloth for special occasions, coupled with drumming and dancing by jubilant celebrants who sounded Vuvuzelas, tooted horns, and fired crackers to signify their joy of the arrival of the new President and Government.

President Akufo-Addo, in his inaugural speech, re-affirmed his commitment to render selfless service to the nation as he called on his countrymen to change attitudes that were inimical to the growth and development of the nation.

He said the change Ghanaians voted for started with the citizenry, and that it behoved on all and sundry to adopt a participatory and responsible approach to lift Ghana into a truly economically independent nation.

'The change we have voted for has to start with each individual. I ask you to be responsible citizens.

'I ask you to be citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects,' he said, adding, 'I am determined to do all in my power to accomplish the task of the mandate and justify your confidence. I will not let you, the people of Ghana, down.'

President Akufo-Addo, whose speech was interjected by rapturous applauds from the crowd, told Ghanaians that he would strive to restore integrity in public life and would demand accountability and value for money in all transactions.

'I will protect the public purse. We will provide vision and direction,' President Akufo-Addo said.

He said state resources were not the private property of a few that could be used arbitrarily and that public service was not an avenue to making personal profits and advised those who sought such gains to channel their efforts to the private sector.

President Akufo Addo said his government would open the doors of Ghana again to track the needed foreign investments and to give Ghanaians the opportunity for growth, saying 'Ghana is open to business'.

He said his administration would provide 'vision, direction, and shine the light down the path of our entrepreneurs'.

'We rely on a vibrant private sector to spur growth and create jobs. It is time to imagine and dream again. Time to try that business idea; we will reduce taxes to recover the momentum of our economy,' he said.

President Akufuo-Addo highlighted the need for the separation of powers among the arms of government to make each arm truly independent of the other and work in tandem rather than compete for superiority in the interest of Ghana.

'We should move on to deepen our democracy. It is time to make sure there is true separation of powers between the various arms of government. Our Parliament must grow into its proper role as an effective machine for an accountability and oversight of the executive and not be its junior partner,' he said.

The President promised to ensure that his government gave more attention to the harnessing of science and technology to drive development in Ghana, stating that there were an exuberant and young growing population that wanted the best of what the world had to offer, and 'will not settle for third world and developing world standards. We have an adventurous people who are in a hurry for success.'

'I have no doubt that the talents, energy, sense of enterprise and innovation of the Ghanaian can be harnessed to make Ghana the place where dreams come true,' he said.

Foreign dignitaries including Allasane Quattara, the Ivorian President, Helen Johnson Sirleaf, ECOWAS President and Leader of Liberia, and the African Union Chairperson and Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar KeAta took turns to congratulate the President and his vice and urged Ghanaians to give them their maximum cooperation for the advancement of the nation.

Immediate past President John Dramani Mahama and wife, Lordina, Immediate former Vice President Kwesi Amissah Arthur and wife, Matilda, as well as former President Jerry Rawlings and wife, Konadu, took turns to shake hands with President Akufo-Addo, Vice President Bawumia, Speaker of Parliament Professor Mike Oquaye and Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and wife, Nani, guest presidents as well as their representatives climbed the presidential dais to congratulate Nana Akufo-Addo and his vice.

GNA

By Ken Sackey/Benjamin Mensah, GNA
Accra, Jan.7, GNA - Ghanaians on Saturday, at the Black Star Square, displayed creative fashion with the adornment of colourful combinations of the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) colours of blue, red and white.

Some with fitting hats to match carried the symbol of the NPP, the elephant, on their heads.

Another gentleman with his peculiar style hid inside a cloth designed in a form of an elephant this attracted a lot of attention.

Some NPP faithful also painted their bodies with the NPP colours and carried pots with smoke emanating from them on their heads.

They displayed exciting dancing movements to the admiration of the large crowd who had gathered at the Square to witness the investiture of Nana Akufo-Addo as president.

Many NPP youth groups who came from all parts of the country wore the party's T-shirts with various inscriptions including: 'Change has come'', ''Change is Coming' 'Nana Nti'', Hwen Ewuradzi Ennim'' and ''Working for the cause of Ghana'.

Many amongst the jubilant party supporters danced to the popular Barima Sidney's re-mix of ''Mahama Onaapo''song and Charles Kwadwo Fosu alias ''Daddy Lumba'' and Kwabena Kwabena song for NPP's 2016 election campaign.

Charles Akosa Pimpong from Ama Saman, told the Ghana News Agency that God had rewarded Nana Akufo-Addo with the presidency for his patience and tolerance.

He said Nana Akufo-Addo's political opponents over the years have tried to demonise his character with unsubstantiated allegations and God knows that he has not done any of those allegations so at the right time, he has rewarded him for his patience.

Many of the excited spectators blew vuvuzelas and made loud noises, especially when Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia were ushered into the ceremonial ground and before and after they took their Oaths of Office.

GNA

By Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA
By Amadu Kamil Sanah, GNA

Accra, Jan 07, GNA - A section of Ghanaians who listened to the Inaugural Address of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo have hailed his appeal to Ghanaians to revive their patriotic conscience and work with him to make Ghana prosperous and eternally progressive.

Chief Justice Georgina Wood administered the Presidential Oath to the 73-year old iconic lawyer and politician, at the Black Star Square.

Many of them said they were pleased with President Akufo-Addo's pledge to protect the public purse, with the caution that public service was not an avenue for looting money, and promised to support any interventions to ensure financial discipline and make corruption unattractive.

Mr Emmanuel Arthur, from Takoradi in the Western Region, said discipline was one a major means of ensuring the success of every activity.

He expressed the hope that President Akufo-Addo would put his foot down and step on people's toes to ensure that discipline remained the hallmark of his Government.

Mr Arthur noted that the failure of every President and Government depended on the conduct of the appointees and their competence to deliver without fear and favour.

Alhaji Mohammed Iddrisu, from the Upper East Region, said he was confident that President Akufo-Addo would deliver on his campaign promises and the commitments in his inaugural in his Inaugural Speech.

He said President Akufo-Addo was noted for his passion to fight corruption and injustice; therefore, his efforts to tackle and reduce corruption in his government would succeed.

Alhaji Iddrisu said Ghana would continue to be the beacon of hope for Africa and the President's speech had raised the flag of the country even higher.

Mr Kojo Appiah from the Central Region said the speech gave him goose bumps because it brilliantly diagnosed the 'national sickness and prescribed the antidotes in an interesting manner.'

He said irrespective of your political ideology, you could find an issue that would make you feel like supporting the efforts to become a better Ghanaian to build a better nation.

'After nearly 60 years of our independence, our story should have been better, so this is the time for us to use patriotism to drive the development agenda,' he said.

GNA
Accra, Jan. 7, GNA - Many foreign dignitaries including heads of state and representatives of governments attended the inauguration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as President and Vice President respectively of the Republic of Ghana.

The colourful ceremony, which was held at the Black Star Square, saw President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia take the Oath of Allegiance as well as the Presidential and Vice Presidential Oaths.

Among the foreign heads of state who witnessed the grand occasion included President Ali Bongo of Gabon, President Mahamudu Buhari of Nigeria, President Mackey Sal of Senegal and President Denis Sassou Ngueso of Congo Brazzaville.

The rest are President Theodora Ibiang Ngueman of Equitoral Guinea, President Idris Derby of Chad, President Alpha Konary of Guinea, President Patrice Talon of Benin, President Ibrahim Keita of Mali and President Faustin Archange Touadera of Central African Republic.

President Alansane Ouattara of La Cote d'Ivoire, who was the Guest of Honour, said the transparent and peaceful election and the smooth handing over of power demonstrated that Ghanaians had, indeed, opted for democracy and peace.

He said the election, undoubtedly, contributed to the positive image of West Africa and Africa as a whole.

He reiterated his admiration of and pride for President Akufo-Addo and former President John Dramani Mahama for their patriotism, maturity and love for peace.

President Ouattara urged Ghanaians to preserve the current democratic ideals which, he said, were the foundations for sustainable economic development.

'Without democracy there is no peace, without peace there is no sustainable development,' he said.

He said Ghana, just like La Cote d'Ivoire, aspired for economic progress in the near future and to achieve this would need a climate of peace and social cohesion.

President Ouattara appealed to all the political leaders and citizens of Ghana to support President Akufo-Addo to succeed in his endeavour.

He said Ghana had shown solidarity with La Cote d'Ivoire on many occasions and, indeed, Ghana had for many years welcomed thousands of refugees from that country.

In addition, he said, Ghana had contributed large troops to the United Nations operations in La Cote d'Ivoire.

President Ouattara commended former President John Dramani Mahama for his remarkable accomplishment during his tenure as the Chairman of ECOWAS.

He said President Mahama, as the Head of State, had helped to ensure economic and socio-cultural co-operation between the two nations.

He said as the ECOWAS Chair, President Mahama helped to facilitate peace and security in the West African sub-region.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Chairperson of ECOWAS, stated that the smooth handing over of power from one administration to the other marked a historic day in ECOWAS and Africa as a whole.

She said Ghana continued to make the continent proud with the consolidation of the democratic values.

President Johnson Sirleaf said Ghana's political maturity and sense of patriotism had brought positive image to the sub-region and the continent as a whole.

She said ECOWAS, as a region, was the lead in democratic transition and that the region must ensure that there was no roll-back adding; 'ECOWAS is the most respected economic block in the whole of Africa'.

President Johnson Sirleaf commended former President John Dramani Mahama for the free and fair elections as well as the smooth transfer of power which confirmed Ghana's recognition as a bastion of democracy in Africa.

She lauded former President Mahama for strengthening the relations between Ghana and Liberia for the mutual benefit of the two nations.

GNA
Johannesburg (AFP) - The powerful Women's League of South Africa's ruling ANC on Saturday chose outgoing African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as their candidate for party leader.

Battle has been raging within the African National Congress (ANC) to succeed current leader and head of state Jacob Zuma.

Dlamini-Zuma, the president's ex-wife, has maintained good relations with her scandal-hit former husband. She would become the first female leader of the ANC if the wider party endorses her.

The next ANC head will be assured of becoming national president if the ruling party wins parliamentary elections in 2019.

President Zuma is not allowed to run for a third term in office.

"We, as the African National Congress Women's League have come out to call for the African National Congress to elect its first ever woman as president," at a party congress in December 2017, the group said in a statement Saturday.

"We have found Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to be ready to lead the collective leadership of both the African National Congress in 2017, and the Republic in 2019 as the president," it added.

"We have come to the appreciation that nobody will break that glass ceiling but ourselves as women of the African National Congress."

Dlamini-Zuma, 67, had already decided not to seek a second mandate at the African Union, a move that sparked rumours that she would attempt to succeed her ex-husband at the ANC.

Her four years at the head of the AU have given her an international profile which has further boosted her status as an ANC heavyweight.

She has already held a string of ministerial posts under South African presidents, including the foreign affairs portfolio.

Among the other hopefuls to succeed Zuma as party head are South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize.

President Zuma, who came to power in 2009, has faced growing calls to resign over multiple graft scandals and the country's poor economic performance, with unemployment at a 13-year high.

The ANC has held power in South Africa since the end of the apartheid era in 1994.
BouakA (Ivory Coast) (AFP) - Mutinous soldiers released Ivory Coast's Defence Minister Alain Richard Donwahi late Saturday after detaining him for two hours in a tense standoff over pay.

Donwahi, who flew into the west African country's second city Bouake earlier Saturday in a bid to defuse an escalating crisis, was whisked out on a plane from the local airport shortly after his release, an AFP photographer said.

President Alassane Ouattara had announced a deal to end the dispute Saturday evening following talks between Donwahi and the soldiers, who took control of Bouake early Friday.

But angry troops rejected the terms of the agreement, firing Kalashnikov rifles and heavy weapons outside local government offices where they were meeting to block Donwahi and his team from leaving.

Unrest in Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, has been rocked by two days of unrest after soldiers seized control of Bouake's streets early Friday, firing rocket-launchers and terrifying residents, in a mutiny that spread to other cities including the economic capital Abidjan.

The soldiers are seeking bonuses, pay rises, housing and faster promotion.

Bouake was the headquarters of an armed rebellion that broke out in 2002 and split Ivory Coast in two until 2011, sparking a decade of clashes and crises.

The current mutiny appears to have been spearheaded by former rebel fighters who have now been integrated into the army.

Shortly after Donwahi's release, troops lifted the barricades that had blocked entry to Bouake since Friday, and the automatic rifle fire that had rattled all through the previous night and into Saturday fell silent.

Swift departure

Soldiers stand guard at a road black in the Plateau business district of Abidjan on January 7, 2017, as shots were heard inside a nearby military camp according to local media

Neither Donwahi nor the mutineers made any comment as the minister was released. Donwahi and his aides headed straight to the airport and their plane took off immediately, an AFP photographer said.

Ouattara had given no details of the deal offered to the mutineers, saying in a brief televised announcement earlier that it took into account "the demands relating to bonuses and improving the living conditions of soldiers".

"Having given my agreement, I ask all soldiers to go back to their barracks to allow decisions to be carried out calmly," he added.

Issiaka Ouattara (C), spokesperson of mutinous soldiers speaks to journalists after he negotiated with Ivory Coast's defence minister (unseen) on January 7, 2017 in Bouake

In Abidjan, national television reported earlier that shots had been fired at the northern Akouedo barracks, as soldiers put up barricades in the bustling commercial hub that is home to the presidency, government and parliament.

Troops closed off a major junction nearby, leaving the surrounding roads gridlocked, although images broadcast on national television late Saturday showed traffic returning to normal.

'Emerging from crisis'

Lieutenant-colonel Issiaka Ouattara (C), also known as Wattao, flanked by soldiers, arrives at the deputy prefect's residence in Bouake for talks with the deputy prefect and Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi on January 7, 2017

Schools and businesses remained shut Saturday in Bouake, where the unrest erupted early Friday when troops broke into a weapons depot, arming themselves with rocket-launchers and other weapons mounted on pickup trucks before attacking police posts, manning strategic junctions and putting up barricades.

Soldiers also took to the streets of Daloa and Daoukro in the country's centre as well as Korhogo and Odienne in the north on Friday. Though the protests there eased, the unrest had spread to Man in the west as well as Abidjan by Saturday.

"Most garrisons in the country where there are ex-rebels have risen up, shooting in the air and looting in some places," a military source said, adding that better-equipped loyalist units, such as the special forces, had not joined the mutiny.

A convoy of UN Blue Helmet peacekeepers is parked at the entrance of Ivory Coast's second city of Bouake on January 6, 2017, where soldiers demanding more pay and housing rose up earlier in the day

Donwahi had said in a televised address before heading to Bouake on Saturday that the situation was "understandable but regrettable".

"We are emerging from a crisis and our army is being rebuilt," the defence minister said.

"Things are not moving as quickly as we hoped but they are moving none the less."

A similar dispute over pay by rebels-turned-soldiers erupted in Bouake in November 2014 which spread to Abidjan and briefly brought the country to a standstill.

Bouake was the capital of a rebellion which erupted in 2002 in a failed attempt to oust then president Laurent Gbagbo.

People wait on January 7, 2017, fifteen kilometres from Bouake where soldiers protesting their pay seized control of Ivory Coast's second city

The effective partitioning of the country between a rebel-held north and a loyalist south triggered years of unrest. Rebel forces generally backed Ouattara, the current president who took office in April 2011 after a bloody post-electoral showdown with Gbagbo that left 3,000 people dead.

Gbagbo was arrested and turned over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where his trial began in January last year for crimes against humanity.
When Montanans seek their day in our courts, they dont want to wait two years. But that is the time frame for resolving District Court civil cases, and around 13 percent arent resolved in 750 days, according to recent data from the Judicial Branch.

Montanas District Courts are overloaded with increases in cases, led by felonies and civil child protection cases (abuse and neglect). Statewide, felony cases increased from 7,755 filed in 2009 to 10,707 filed in 2015. Child abuse/neglect cases increased from 1,006 in 2009 to 2,321 in 2015 and 2,433 in 2016 data released just last week.

Nowhere is this proliferation of felony and child protection cases more severe than in Yellowstone County. About 21 percent of all Montana felony cases were filed in Yellowstone County in 2015. About 22 percent of all child abuse and neglect cases were filed in Yellowstone County.

In 2016, Yellowstone County courts handled the cases of 626 children in abuse/neglect cases, including 531 new cases and the rest reopened cases. Those childrens cases get top priority in court because children are in danger. They typically take more of the judges time than most other cases because the child welfare and parental rights are at stake.

Criminal cases also must get timely attention because the law requires speedy trial for the accused.

Short 21 judges

Everything else waits longer when courts are understaffed as they now are. An independent study of Montana District Court caseloads for 2015 showed that the state needed 21 additional judges to handle that workload. The need is greatest in Yellowstone County where the study found our six district judges each doing double the work expected by national standards. Yellowstone needs six additional judges.

The Judicial Branch isnt asking the Legislature for 21 judges; the request is much smaller, respecting the fact that many needs are competing for limited funding. At the request of the Montana Supreme Court, Rep. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, has introduced House Bill 44, proposing to add two judges in Yellowstone County, one in Missoula, one in Kalispell and one in Great Falls. The latter three judicial districts are all short two judges.

Help for Billings

Essmanns bill proposes that one Yellowstone County judge and the Missoula judge be appointed to start work Jan. 1, 2018, and that the other three new judges would be elected to six-year terms to start Jan. 1, 2019. Montana law provides a public process for judicial appointments when there is a vacancy or additional judgeship created.

Staggering the start of the judges terms would reduce the cost in the coming biennium. According to the Judicial Branch finance director, the plan proposed in HB44 would cost $549,375 in FY2018 and $1.7 million in FY2019 with all five new judges, clerks and assistants working. The total biennium cost would be nearly $2.3 million.

The critical issue is the impact on the public, Essmann said. Justice delayed is justice denied.

The burgeoning criminal and child protection caseload pushes civil cases aside, Chief Justice Mike McGrath said last week from Helena. Thats the reason we need judges.

The overload is concentrated in the urban counties, McGrath said. He noted that one in five of all Montana District Court cases is filed in Yellowstone County.

Besides legislative approval for spending on operations, the addition of judges will require support in counties that would have to provide office and courtroom space. Yellowstone County's commissioners and finance director have planned on additional court space. Missoula County recently remodeled its courthouse and has a room ready for a new judge.

Fund 5 new judges

Although the magnitude of the judge shortage was documented before the 2015 session, McGrath and lawmakers decided to scrutinize other options before proposing more judges. The Legislature created the Judicial Redistricting Commission, chaired by Yellowstone County Judge Gregory Todd, which researched possibilities for redrawing districts to make better use of judges time. The panel concluded that redistricting wouldnt solve the problem.

Were continually looking for ways to try to be more efficient, McGrath said of the Montana courts. Unfortunately, when judges are handling too-large caseloads, inefficiencies are likely.

All Montanans should have timely access to our courts to resolve serious legal disputes. Its not good policy to keep judges doing twice as much work because there are too few of them.

We call on Montana lawmakers to rally around HB44. Thanks to Essmann for sponsoring this important legislation, which should be approved  along with the necessary appropriation in the state budget bill, House Bill 2.
Betsinefe (Madagascar) (AFP) - The dusty figure is lowered slowly into the ground like a bucket into a well, armed with just a crowbar, a shovel and an old, unreliable headlamp.

In the surrounding countryside, bodies rise and sink from hundreds of holes just wide enough for a man.

Children run between the rubble and the smell of cooking wafts from the makeshift shelters where women crouch over pots.

Guards armed with hunting rifles stand by, turning the settlement of Betsinefe into a threatening scene.

In the world of Madagascan sapphire mining, there are few rules.

Sapphires were first discovered in Madagascar in the late 1990s, and already the Indian Ocean island is one of the world's largest producers of the precious stones.

Its 250-kilometre-long (155-mile) deposit is among the biggest in the world and has sparked a sapphire rush.

Activity at this informal, though not entirely illegal, mine in the southwest of the country was suspended recently by authorities after scuffles broke out between villagers and would-be miners flocking in from the rest of the island.

Malagasy workers from an informal Sapphire mine seep soil through a strainer in the waters of a river looking for gems

Andry Razafindrakoto, a 19-year-old student from the nearest big town of Tulear, was one of the many hoping to make their fortune.

"I came here to mine sapphires because it's difficult to find work in other areas," he told AFP.

When he sold his haul of stones for some four million ariary ($1,200), he bought his own equipment and today manages a small team of nine miners.

'Sometimes we find nothing'

But success stories are rare.

Like most of his fellow miners, Albert Soja does not earn wages for his countless, gruelling trips underground. To make money, he must find and sell stones.

"Of course it's scary, but when you want to succeed, you have to take risks," he said, a woollen beanie pulled tightly on his head despite the suffocating heat.

"Just digging the hole itself takes time, almost two weeks."

"Sometimes we find nothing... it can take months to find something interesting."

A Malagasy sapphire miner rests by his hole during a break on an informal Sapphire mine on the outskirts of Sakaraha, Madagascar

Without sapphires to sell, he depends on the mine "bosses" -- gem shop owners, usually of Sri Lankan origin, in the neighbouring town of Sakaraha -- for a few handfuls of rice or manioc to survive.

"The bosses pay for our food and materials, which helps us hold out. Without their help, we would starve," said Soja.

"After that, we're obliged to sell them the stones we find."

Lucrative trade

Sitting behind his desk in his gem shop in Sakaraha, Sunil W.J. -- as he calls himself -- examined his latest buy of blue and pink and light yellow sapphires under a lamp.

His two "bodyguards" toured the surrounding mines to collect the stones and pay for miners' food.

A man pulls a bucket filled with soil from his mining hole at an informal Sapphire mine

The best finds are sent to Sri Lanka, to be polished, cut and sold, Sunil explained.

Theoretically, the extraction of sapphires is regulated by Madagascar's mining code, which insists on permits and the redistribution of a share of the taxes to benefit local municipalities.

In practice, the industry is largely unregulated, but it is a lucrative trade, said Sunil.

A stone that fetches $300 in Sri Lanka costs him less than a tenth of the price to buy from a miner in Madagascar.

Women cross a river as Malagasy workers from an informal Sapphire mine seep soil through a strainer in the waters of a river looking for gems

On the question of taxes, Sunil was less certain of his figures, but said he paid a 10 percent export tax to authorities in the capital Antananarivo.

"These small sapphire mines are beyond the control of the state, so there are no official statistics," Mines Minister Ying Vah Zafilahy told AFP, vowing industry reform to bring them under formal regulation.

A local elected official in Sakaraha, who asked to remain anonymous, said the municipality was not receiving any taxes or income from the many mining operations underway.

"Some days are better than others, but this business has a future," said Sunil, laughing.
08.01.2017 LISTEN

Recalling a servant of God in the Old Testament, we are reminded that Caleb went to Joshua and said, Give me this mount. He did not ask Joshua to give him his portion in the wonderful plains of Jordan, where there was plenty of water for his cattle, and where he could become rich in a short time. Which is a norm or today's phenomenon

Just as Solomon seeked God's wisdom to help him stay in God whilst serving God's people. Many today have stolen from the flock of Christ and they're shamelessly exploiting them.

Continuing with Caleb he rather said, Give me that mountain. In other words Caleb said, Do not remove this mountain, do not get it out of the way; give it to me, give me a chance to master it, to bring it under, to gain ascendancy! As long as God you will go with me, lead me,and you have spoken it.

He asked for that which challenged him. He asked for that which was difficult to overcome. He said that he wanted to conquer the mountain and overcome every difficulty that came in his way. Because he knows who sent him and His capacity and capability. Do you know Him or you trust in your ego son of God?

How often do we say, Lord I suffered for you, I paid the cost, I went all the way for the gospel, so give me an easy time now. Sadly many think of blessings as abundant wealth and supper show off. Every one else who has not been blessed well enough doesn't suggests you are not doing something or loved less by God. The usual excuse is either you are not tithing or not sowing enough seeds in a so called man of god ( Not my God).

We need to be strengthened in our inner man as regards this calling. Dont indulge in self-pity or look for the tears of other people. Avoid the sympathy of the ones who love you and the temptation of ease at the end of a hard day of work.

Be strong in the Lord. We are called to suffer for the word and the testimony of the Lord. This calls for the strengthening of our inner man. Caleb was a man given to ascendancy. He was a true overcomer. He was willing to work hard, though he was 85 years old.

Knowing truly and very well that the way of God (not this god) is not the way of man. SHALOM.
President Nana Akufo-Addo

08.01.2017 LISTEN

The All-Africa Students Union (AASU) wishes to extend its warmest congratulations to you, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the occasion of your election and subsequent swearing in as the 5th President of the 4th Republic of Ghana.

Your election is tells us the young people of the African continent, that it is very much okay to harbour an ambition and to work tirelessly towards achieving it.

Even more significant and worthy of note, is your resolve to expanding the frontiers of education for the people of Ghana. Your plan for achieving this is bold and worthy of commendation as the educational challenges that face your people and young people across the African continent; require nothing but bold and decisive solutions.

Mr. President, your elevation to this high office comes with many challenges, but the All-Africa Students Union is confident in your ability to perform. This confidence is borne out of your many years in governance and development and your keen respect for human rights and rule of law. This we believe has endowed you with many capabilities with which you can tackle the developmental challenges of your people.

We are confident that your election will bring about developments in Technology, Improvement in the Human Rights, Creation of jobs through the development of Agriculture and ensuring sustainable development of the Ghanaian people.

AASU is also confident in calling upon you to bring your many years of experience in diplomacy to bear in helping to address the security challenges that confront some countries in the ECOWAS sub-region and the continent as whole. Notable among these is the looming political crisis in the Gambia. Mr. President, you will agree with the AASU that a political and diplomatic solution is always better.

Mr. President, AASU and your Republic are bound by our common priority of developing education as the only sure means of building a meaningful 21st century human capital for Africa. We believe that as Ghana has hosted our Secretariat since 1972, we will continue to work together in mutual benefit towards improving education in Ghana and on the entire continent. We remain eternally confident in you.

May I again offer my congratulations as you assume the important and responsible Presidential Office. Please accept my best wishes and the assurances of my highest consideration.

Signed,

*H.E PETER KWASI KODJIE*

*11th Secretary General (Head of Mission)*

*All-Africa Students Union (AASU)*

*Tel: +233242879028 | +233502672146*

*Email: [email protected] *

*Alt Email: [email protected] *

*Skype ID: freekodjie*
There has been roughly a month of introspection after the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) defeat in the 2016 general elections, and the Member of Parliament for the Wa Central constituency, Rashid Pelpuo, believes Ghanaians may have taken John Mahama for granted.

Ghanaians will regret, possibly, for throwing away a pearl like John Mahama, the legislator said in an interview with Citi News' Richard Dela Sky minutes after the expiration of the sixth Parliament of Ghana's fourth Republic in the early hours of January 7.

What followed was the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, taking the oath of office as President, after the seventh parliament had been sworn in.

Nana Akufo-Addo rode on the back of 53.85 percent of the valid votes cast to become Ghanas fifth President under the fourth Republic.

President Mahama, who ran on the ticket of the governing NDC, secured 44.40 of valid votes cast; the worst performance of a sitting President.

Well police NPP government

At least four years in opposition as the Minority in Parliament awaits the NDC MPs, and Mr. Pelpuo assured that he and his fellow MPs  will be working to ensure that we bring out the issues that will make for good governance in Ghana.

The former Minister of Public-Private Partnerships added that, the Minority will also make sure that we police the promises made to the people of Ghana and make sure that they are fulfilled.

If they are not fulfilled, we will question them and establish the truth that politicians cant hoodwink and deceive people in order to gain power.

The Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu

Mr. Pelpuo was however quick to note that, his NDC did not sell empty promises to Ghanaians in the two terms of governance from 2008 to 2012.

We, of course, didn't do that. We made promises and we fulfilled them. We made promises of building infrastructure and closing the infrastructure gap; we have done that. We made promises of providing water, electricity, roads and bridges. We have done them. Let's see what they [the NPP] will also do.

Whatever happens, we know that in the end, we will come back to back to power, Mr. Pelpuo maintained.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Hi Sir,

Let me congratulate you on your impressive accomplishment over the years. My first time of making an attempt to travel to United States of America revealed the household name Nyaho to me. The embassy referred me to the famous Nyaho clinic for medical examinations. I was very impressed about the health facility. However, I watched with stark horror and amazement, the video that pop-up in the run-up to 2016 presidential election in which you cautioned Ghanaians about a bitter lesson under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufu-Addos presidency. I still dont doubt your integrity since there is no smoke without fire. Nevertheless, I think you impugned your hard won reputation by stooping so low.

Sir, my exposure to classical literature during my days at the University Of Cape Coast landed me on Sophocles famous drama Oedipus. An oracle is foretold that Oedipus will kill his own biological father and marry his own mother. Neither Oedipus father: Laius nor his own heroic accomplishment could avert the words of the gods. The final statement of Sophocles drama at Colonus depicted the tragic aspects of human life. Cease now and never, more lift up these lamentations, for all this is determined. The lamentation chapter 3 verse 37 of the Jewish and Christian Old Testament also states that Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? In future, high profile personalities like you must control your tongue.

Sir, I think Ghanaians will rather learn a better lesson rather than a bitter lesson under the presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufu-Addo. In the first place, a change is maximally essential when there is an intricate interplay of human experience. Human experience through the investigation of Lord Acton (1834-1902) revealed that power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely Arrogance of power coupled with stage dancing from President John Mahama and his team infuriated many citizens. A change was inevitable. Ghanaians will learn a better lesson because Akufu-Addos presidency will thoroughly investigate the fraudulent judgement debt payment and thereby save the national treasury. I know the citizen vigilante, Mr. Martin Amidu will not spare President Akufu-Addo if fraudulent judgement debts are not retrieved for mother Ama Ghana.

Sir, I understood your frustration because only few people will stab their relatives at the back especially when they are closed to the presidency. You have to also agree with me that in spite of President John Mahamas strides in the provision of infrastructure, his economic policies staggered Ghanaians under serious financial burdens. High import tariffs while Ghana could not boast of local factories was economically preposterous. What was more nauseating was that as Mahamas government impounded fuel guzzling vehicles through importers inability to pay exorbitant duty and also on the grounds of saving fuel subsidy budget, the same government went about giving out V8 vehicles to his party stalwarts and aficionados. The scenario reminded me of the French colonial policy of assimilation on West Africa, when some people were regarded as citizens whereas others were subjected to indignant and prestation (force labor).

In his inaugural speech, President Akufu-Addo hinted on our constitution. This is an ample testimony that the president is in the known regarding the challenges of the nation. The appointment of the new speaker of parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye gives me hope. Professor, Oquaye is a political scientist, a lawyer, a pastor, a former parliamentarian, high commissioner and minister of state. As a pastor, I hope he and the members of parliament (MPs) will come out with a bill to halt religious capitalism in Ghana.

The famous German Philosopher and economist, Karl Max argued in his work: A Contribution to the Critique of Hegels Philosophy of Rights published in 1844, that religion is the opium of the masses. In the view of Max, capitalists on the icy waters of their own egoistic calculations, use religion to curb labor rebellion and injustices meted out by the bourgeoisie (capitalist class) to the proletariat (working-class). The working class are encouraged to eschew this materialistic world and prepare for eternal blissfulness in the life-here-after. The capitalist class on the other hand busily scramble for material benefits in this world through high proceeds from their companies.

The strongest critic of Karl Max was Max Weber. In 1905, Weber argued in his famous book entitled: The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism that message from the podium rather sparked-off industrial revolution. Workers were admonished against perpetual condemnation at the devils kingdom (Hell). They were encouraged to see their earthly work as a call to serve God. This kind of message led to the springing up of many industries which created Job for the masses.

How are these two divergent philosophies applicable to contemporary Ghana? As indicated in some of my previous articles, the works of early Christian missions were blessings to Ghanaians. In Ghana, the monumental achievements of the Christian missions namely: the Basel mission (Presbyterian Church of Ghana), Wesleyan Mission (Methodist Church), Church of Englands Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (Anglican Church), the Bremen mission (Evangelical Presbyterian Church), Seventh day Adventist mission, Roman catholic mission (Catholic church) through the provision of schools and healthcare facilities which are distributed ubiquitously throughout the country deserve commendation. The contributions made by the Ahamadiyya Moslem mission through the provision of schools and hospitals must equally be praised. Kudos, our dear religious partners in development, but like the proverbial Oliver, we will always ask for more.

The backbone of Ghanas economy had been cocoa. In 1911, Ghana became the leading producer of cocoa. Cocoa occupies second place on the list of Ghanas foreign exchange earnings and constitute about 30% of all the export revenue representing about 57% of overall agricultural export. Cocoa was first introduced into Ghana by the Basel mission before, Tete Quarshie, who himself was a mission trained gold-smith, brought his amelonado cocoa pods into Ghana in 1879 from an Island of Fernando Po, modern Equatorial Guinea. (Nana Yaw Osei: Rev. Professor Martey and the Nation building: Aluta Continua, September 6, 2016, modernghana.com). This means that good churches by appropriate men of GOD are integral part of national development.

However, the activities of the modern churches justify the claim by Karl Max. Pastors behave as if heaven is only meant for their followers. Men of God are now God of men. Their members are encouraged to eschew this materialistic world and follow Christs steps while they drive Range Rovers and other expensive cars as the evidence of Gods blessings in their lives. Their children are sent to schools overseas, they build for-profit universities and other businesses while their followers are encouraged not to be enslaved by their businesses and work at the expense of the kingdom of God. Their followers are inundated with prophesies at every December 31st. They have powers to heal by stepping on the womb of pregnant women. They never preached without Malachi 3:10. Their wives automatically receive divine calls from God to be pastors as the membership increases. They are placed on the payroll of the church. They must be remembered during the annual pastors appreciation day. Those who sing and play instruments are not paid. They must wait for eternal blessings and crowns in heaven. They are also directed to look up to politicians for employment. They must remember to pay tithe on every little gift they receive, albeit unemployment. Those who served the church diligently are denied medical help. They are instructed to fast and pray. Some die out of Ulcer in the process.

A poor farmer from Afram Plains who struggled to look after his daughter at Aburi Girls Senior High School up to University Of Ghana Medical School has no right to suggest a good husband for the daughter. The pastor has the power to impose a punctual member of his church who pays tithe regularly christened as Committed Christian to this innocent lady. Religion is indeed becoming opium of the masses in modern Ghana. It has been a capitalist venture rather than soul saving.

Your Excellency, ambassador Tamakloe, President Akufu-Addos choice of Professor Oquaye as the leader of the legislature means that Ghanaians will learn a better lesson rather than a bitter lesson. There will surely be legislation to compel religious capitalist to help their followers through job creation, provision of schools and hospitals because money meant for God is for his people. The traditional rulers also lord over their people by selling land resources indiscriminately. The proceeds from these resources could remove schools under trees, but they count on the central government for such services. Hmm! As the French philosopher, Denis Diderot (1713-1784) opined man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails (intestines) of the last priest.

World Bank data in 2015, claim that 45.96% of Ghanaians live in the rural areas. Apart from this, almost half of the urban dwellers live in abject poverty. For example, In October 12, 2005 The board of directors of the African Development Fund (ADF) approved a loan of 25 million Units of Account* (US$ 36 million or 330 billion Cedi) to finance the Urban Poverty Reduction Project in Ghana. The project aims at contributing to Ghanas efforts to achieving the Millennium Development Goal that calls for a reduction by half of the proportion of poor living on less than a dollar a day through urban poverty reduction strategies. (Source, African Development Bank, Tunis). This happened in 2005, when the economy was stronger than now per available data.

The data above attest to the fact that many people do not pay tax, albeit many demands on Ghana government. Some portions of the little tax revenue especially from the port are diverted into individual accounts, thereby presenting a huge fiscal deficit for the government. Between 35 and 40% of the national budget is supported by the donor countries which rarely comes. We also do not determine the prices of our commodities at the international market. A fall of the price of cocoa, or gold at the capitalist greed markets has a rippling effect on the economy. Government needs to pay teachers, nurses, doctors, police, soldiers, civil servants and other related workers. President J. A Kufour quickly developed grey hair, social pressure on the late President Mills deteriorated his health. President Mahama developed grey hair quickly. President Akufu-Addo and the Vice president, Dr. Bawumia will definitely feel the pressure. Based on the aforesaid challenges, a competent economic team must be indispensable to create enabling environment for private sector participation. I think Mr. Akufu Addo and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) team will present a better economic alternative policies to resuscitate the sinking economy.

Dear sir, I am convinced President Akufu-Addo will do well. The team he is presenting is almost similar to that of president Kufour of which you were part. Names like Mr. Albert Kan Dapaah, Professor Frimpong-Boateng and Professor Mike Oquaye had already taught Ghanaians a better lesson rather than a bitter lesson as you predicted. These were the same people who pulled Ghana out of IMF in the past. By this letter, I am appealing to you to publicly apologize to your heretofore party member, President Akufu Addo. It is my fervent wish that this letter coupled with Nana Addos resounding victory in last years election will goad you to be remorseful of your actions. God bless you! God bless our homeland Ghana.

Yours Faithfully

Nana Yaw Osei (Padigo), USA

[email protected]
BouakA (Ivory Coast) (AFP) - Ivory Coast's mutinous soldiers withdrew from the streets of the second city Bouake Sunday after the president announced a deal on their demands for bonuses, pay rises, housing and faster promotion.

"There has been no firing since Saturday night," a correspondent in Bouake said. "Traffic has resumed this morning and the shops have reopened."

The world's top cocoa producer was rocked by two days of unrest after soldiers seized control of Bouake's streets early Friday, firing rocket-launchers and terrifying residents, in a mutiny that spread to other cities including the economic capital Abidjan.

Unrest in Ivory Coast

In Abidjan -- a bustling seaport that is home to the presidency and parliament -- national television reported that shots had been fired at the eastern Akouedo barracks on Saturday morning.

On Sunday, Abidjan's central Plateau area where several government offices and leading businesses are located, was calm.

"Life is back to normal," a resident said.

The same was true for the northern city of Korhogo and Man in the west. A Man resident, who identified himself as Jean, said: "The soldiers have returned to their barracks."

Soldiers stand guard at a road black in the Plateau business district of Abidjan on January 7, 2017, as shots were heard inside a nearby military camp according to local media

On Saturday evening President Alassane Ouattara announced an agreement had been reached. In a brief televised address he said it took into account "the demands relating to bonuses and improving the living conditions of soldiers".

'Fed up'

"Having given my agreement, I ask all soldiers to go back to their barracks to allow decisions to be carried out calmly," he added, without giving any details of the accord.

Issiaka Ouattara (C), spokesperson of mutinous soldiers speaks to journalists after he negotiated with Ivory Coast's defence minister (unseen) on January 7, 2017 in Bouake

The soldiers had detained Defence Minister Alain Richard Donwahi on Saturday for two hours in a tense standoff over their demands, firing Kalashnikovs and heavy arms around the home of a senior local official where Donwahi was meeting with the soldiers' representatives.

Shortly after Donwahi's release, troops lifted the barricades that had blocked entry to Bouake and the automatic rifle fire that had rattled all through the previous night and into Saturday fell silent.

Lieutenant-colonel Issiaka Ouattara (C), also known as Wattao, flanked by soldiers, arrives at the deputy prefect's residence in Bouake for talks with the deputy prefect and Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi on January 7, 2017

Bouake was the capital of a rebellion which erupted in 2002 in a failed attempt to oust then president Laurent Gbagbo.

Twelve years later, a similar dispute over pay by rebels-turned-soldiers erupted in Bouake which spread to Abidjan and briefly brought the country to a standstill.

The government had then agreed to a deal that provided amnesty for the mutineers and a financial settlement.

A convoy of UN Blue Helmet peacekeepers is parked at the entrance of Ivory Coast's second city of Bouake on January 6, 2017, where soldiers demanding more pay and housing rose up earlier in the day

A Bouake resident said on Sunday he had had enough.

"We no longer want this situation in Bouake," said Adama Coulibaly, a teacher. "We are tired of these actions of the soldiers. I can't wait for President Ouattara to find a definitive solution to their problems."

Ivory Coast was seen a haven of peace and stability in troubled west Africa until the 2002 rebellion which sliced the former French colony into the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south and triggered years of unrest.

People wait on January 7, 2017, fifteen kilometres from Bouake where soldiers protesting their pay seized control of Ivory Coast's second city

Rebel forces then had backed Ouattara, the current president who took office in April 2011 after a bloody post-electoral showdown with Gbagbo that left 3,000 people dead.

Gbagbo was arrested and turned over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where his trial began in January last year for crimes against humanity.
08.01.2017 LISTEN

By Nana Osei Kyeretwie/Christopher Tetteh/Daniel Ashietey, GNA

Sunyani, Jan. 7, GNA - A cross-section of residents in the Sunyani have called on Ghanaians to support President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to ensure good governance and the holistic development of the country.

They said government under President Akufo-Addo would endeavour to fulfil its campaign promises and all must endeavour to contribute his/her quota as a citizen of the country.

This was made known to the Ghana News Agency on Saturday during the investiture of President Akufo-Addo.

Mr Daniel Yeboah Hiennoh, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Manager of the Presbyterian Educational Unit, said all must complement government's effort in harnessing the socio-economic potentials of Ghanaians to create more jobs in the society.

He said there is the need for 'all of us to be self-disciplined and law-abiding citizens' since those virtues did not promote or encourage corrupt practices.

Mr Hiennoh also called on former President John Dramani Mahama to act as a true statesman and contribute objectively for the good governance of the nation.

Ms Agnes Pomaah, an iced-water seller, reminded the President Akufo-Addo to stick to his promise of building a strong and resilient economy to create avenues for job opportunities to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country.

Mr Thomas Owusu Ansah, a cobbler, said there is the need for government to establish more agro-processing industries, especially in the rural areas to prevent the wastage of foodstuffs in the country.

GNA
Senya Beraku (C/R), Jan. 7, GNA - Brown Baggio Enterprise, a non-governmental organization has presented a number medical equipment's valued at 45,000 Euros to the management of Senya Beraku Health Center.

The items include wheel chairs, beds and a monograph x-ray machine.

Mr Kenneth Assibu Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Organization, said the donation is his company contribution towards the effective running of the center.

Mr Brown, who is currently based in Italy, said 'being a citizen of Senya Traditional Area, I feel it is my cardinal responsibility to make my impact felt on my community and the nation as a whole since the Almighty God has open the way for me to succeed in life'.

He said the cost of the equipment includes its shipment and other freight expenses.

Mr Brown appealed to government to waive taxes on equipment's and other materials meant for charity activities.

He assured the management of the center of more assistance in the coming year and advised them to ensure proper maintenance of the items.

Ms Phideline Kafui Tsey, Awutu- Senya District Public Health Nurse who received the items thanked the donors for their kind gesture, saying the items will be used for their stated purposes.

She appealed to other citizens of the area to emulate the example of Brown Baggio Enterprise to enable the Center provide the required health care service for people in the area.

GNA
08.01.2017 LISTEN

Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realise that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods (Christopher Hitchens).

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: SOME CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES

There appears to be something wrong with Owusu Bempahs mentation profile as he has been living a bold, naked lie all this while.

He is a mental case with no mean standing in the religious-spiritual realm linking Ankaful, Pantang and Accra psychiatric hospitals.

We therefore wonder if he is rationally, pragmatically capable of being the forerunner of President-elect Akufo-Addo, or the hoped-for missing link in the long chain of Darwinian evolution.

The likes of Owusu Bempah should cease their elitist pandering to the ruling class and rather build a critical mass, to wit, joining the poor masses in the trenches and gutters to overthrow social injustice, inequity, and institutional corruption thorough such means as liberation theology, Progressive Christianity, engaged spirituality, compassionate conservatism among others.

The days of armchair pulpit-bullying are gone, gone forever. Furthermore, the idea that heaven is somewhere in the visible skies is as absurd as Owusu Bemaphs illogical, mostly earthly lies.

Why cant the poor and underprivileged also enjoy their heaven right here on earth just as the likes of Owusu Bempah and their political friends and colleagues are already doing, even while they encourage their followers to wait on Christ?

Is heaven only for the rich and the privileged? Bob Marley (Get Up, Stand Up):

But if you know what life is worth

You would look for yours on earth

And now you see the light

Stand up for your right

Is it not high time that we left God alone and take responsibility for our behaviors, actions and inactions, and thoughts?

It is as though God has a religion. Of course, God has no religion! Only humans do!

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR OWUSU BEMPAH

Which heaven did Owusu Bempahs angels come down from to vote for Akufo-Addo?

How many of these angels voted for Akufo-Addo? And how? Were they captured in the bloated voters register?

Were the angels Asantes, Ewes, Gas, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), Burkinabes, Ivorians, or Togolese?

Why did they not vote for the others some of whom were/are also Christians?

Is Akufo-Addo the only chosen one amongst the presidential candidates? Is God now a respecter of persons, if in fact the answer to the latter question is in the affirmative?

Could it be these angels who hacked into the computer systems of the Electoral Commission (EC)?

Is Madam Charlotte Osei, the chairperson of the EC not a Christian, too, reportedly a member of Nicholas Duncan-Williams church Action Chapel International? Didnt Duncan-Williams too see this coming?

Did Madam Osei not see these angels coming down from heaven to vote for Akufo-Addo? And why did she not prevent them from voting in the first place since those angels were not Ghanaians? Did these angels, for the sake of argument, rig the general elections for Akufo-Addo and the NPP?

While Duncan-William reportedly voted for the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), didnt it occur to him and other Christians like him that these angels and Owusu Bempahs God wanted them to vote for Akufo-Addo?

Didnt President Mahamas Assemblies of Gods pastor also see this momentous-setting epoch coming? What happened to their prophetic mandates? Could it be that they were they all sleeping while on duty?

Did those Christian angels also vote for Muslim Bawumia?

Did Owusu Bempahs angels vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton?

Does Owusu Bempahs God prefer Americas Electoral College to the Popular Vote? Or vice versa?

Why did these angels sit by while Justice Adzakumah, a member of Let My Vote Count (LMVCA) permanently lost his left eye so Akufo-Addo and only Akufo-Addo could become Ghanas president?

THE TYPICAL HYPOCRITICAL NATURE OF THE SELF-PROFESSED SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS GHANAIAN

All men of God are corruptProphet Emmanuel Kobi.

The typical self-processed spiritual and religious Ghanaian would have us believe that he truly loves God unconditionally but, not unsurprisingly, he:

Is unpatriotic.

Hates his fellow man.

Allows children to study under trees.

Steals from and impoverishes his fellow Christians.

Votes for and supports corrupt politicians and public office holders who steal from the public purse and thereby makes his and his nation poor.

Detests his nation and engages in open defecation everywhere.

Consistently preaches about heaven in the skies and makes earth hell for those not in his thieving political and evangelical class.

Allows foreigners to steal his natural resources and pollutes his country because of what a few at the top stand to gain at the expense of national development.

Destroys his educational system.

Attends a church that is a den of thieves.

Enslaves virgin girls under a system called ritual servitude.

And so on!

This typical spiritual and religious Ghanaian bribes his God with lies, fake prophecies, and wicked, hypocritical hearts and thinks that that alone constitutes sound scientific, technological knowledge-based platform for industrial development.

In effect, the likes of Owusu Bempah however make it seem as though God lives in a heaven replete with open defecation, institutional corruption, organized crime, galamsey-related population, under-tree schools, schadenfreude political insults, and dubious judgment debts.

In a nutshell, the likes of Owusu Bempah are babies with sharp teeth not babies with brains. Ghana might as well move on without this dangerous cabal of snake-oil salesmen and political theologians.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

This claim that the ECs computer system was hacked into after the 2016 general elections still remains unresolved.

Perhaps it was a hoax, perhaps it was not.

Whatever may have been the nature of this claim, it is still a serious allegation that must be thoroughly investigated by officials with forensic expertise in cyber-attacks and other cybercrimes in order to bring it that needed closure which is required to preserve the functional and operational integrity of the EC and its computerized system.

The EC itself, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Parliament, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), think tanks, the intelligence community, and all the political parties and their leaderships must be involved in this exercise.

For this is a serious matter bordering on national security and the integrity of the state itself. This is the time to put aside partisan politics, egos, and ideological differences to create the space for effectively dealing with an issue that potentially threatens Ghanas budding democracy. This is long overdue.

Perhaps Owusu Bempahs prophetic outlandishness that angels actually came down from heaven to vote for Akufo-Addo signifies something more suspiciously ominous, a prophetic front that could as well have been coded language or cipher for a pre- or post-election operational scheme deemed rather denser than the emotional labyrinth of his orchestrated prophetic magical realism.

This Owusu Bempahs prophetic fabulation could as well have been a diversionary feint covering this hacking thing, among others. These angels voting for Akufo-Addo constitutes an egregious illegality. Most significantly, we do not need dogs and cats in the house, that political house where Christopher Hitchens dogs and cats are kept. We simply cannot overstate this.

What is more, we could be dealing with a mind that could be as diabolically complex as the ambigrams employed in Dan Browns classic novel Angels & Demons, since we still are neither not too sure nor clear as to whether Owusu Bempahs angels are indeed demons or angels.

The experts should find this out for us!

We shall return with Part 3.
Let me use this singular opportunity to convey my sincere good will congratulations to HIS EXCELLENCY NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO ADDO, the president of the REPUBLIC OF GHANA. I am the happiest person today not because you have ascended the highest throne but because Ghana has demonstrated once again to the world that we are rapidly advancing our democratic credentials. Every patriotic citizen should be a proud and happy person for this solidarity, harmony, diversity in strength as well as nationalism against self-centeredness.

Nonetheless, I have ordinarily noticed some critical issues that deserve attention in our quest to advancing our enviable democratic dispensation. My piece is to succinctly point out some of these observations which I believe many legal and political pundits would have noticed too.

Firstly, I observed that incoming members of parliament as it were, were sworn in after the Rt. Hon Speaker was elected. My confusion is that, once they were not sworn in, they were not legally recognized as members of parliament so how could they have exercised any voting Right?

In my view, I think there is a need for amendment of portions of the standing orders and the constitution to create room for theCLERKwho before the election of the speaker acts as the chairperson for proceedings, to swear in the incoming members of parliament before proceeding, to conduct elections on the speaker and his two deputies.

Again, between the time that the new parliament is inaugurated and adjourned and the time that the president elect is to be sworn in, the state technically is naked without a president and that could be dangerous. Fortunately, I was vindicated when the minority leader, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu mentioned same. Something should be done to close that gap. I have the strongest conviction that the seventh Parliament will do something to fill up that I consider a constitutional loophole.

More importantly, I need to raise issues on the swearing in of the vice president elect before the president elect. For now, it is legal because it has been a long standing convention not only in Ghana but other countries. In my ordinary analysis, we should have a second look at it. The President elect should first make his covenant with the state and then, the vice. I say this because; the role of the vice president is more of an assisting role. Also his authority only comes after the authority of the president. Besides, what would happen in any event that the president Elect is unable to take his oath after the vice has been sworn in? Yes I know the vice will be acting as the president while that of his, becomes vacant? In the absence of the president, the vice steps in as explicitly stipulated in article 60of the 1992 constitution. In my understanding, the president is first and the vice is second. Let me put it this way, once there is no head, there is no tail. There should not be any circumstances where we have the tail first and then the head.

There is another issue we should not treat lightly because of the sanctity and the spirit of our national constitution. During the oaths of both the Vice President and the President, certain portions in the oath were replaced. For instance, the VICE PRESIDENT pronounced SOVEREIGNTY" as "INSOVEREIGNTY". Also the president Nana Akufo Addo replaced WELLBEING" for WELFARE" I believe it was not deliberate but believe me, in other jurisdictions, the PRESIDENT would have to retake the oath as in the of USA where President Obama was asked to retake the oath. These are issues people can raise legal queries against in the near future as we grow. We need to meticulously prepare people who are to go through such constitutional mandated events to avoid such a legal murder.

Also, such a state function is very important beyond the investiture but to solidify the commitment to our democratic transition in the face of the citizenry and the world. In my humble view, outgoing Presidents should have the opportunity to give keynote addresses as part of outgoing governments support to the incoming governments. This is more important than the show of gestures and handshakes. The speech of guest speakers should come before that of the number one gentleman of the land. In the recent case, president Nana Akufo Addo spoke and had to sit for a long time waiting for others to deliver their speeches. Per standard protocol, the president should climax the ceremony with his speech and not any other speaker(s).

More so, on the aspect of the speech, the PRESIDENTdelivered a very inspiring and statesmanlike speech. I must thank him for that wonderful and visionary speech. However, there is one thing that would have gone unnoticed but for the inquisitive nature or otherwise the proactive nature of the media. Soon after the speech, it was discovered that the speech was plagiarized from different speeches. In fact, this has brought embarrassment to the nation and I must say, I am very disappointed at the speech writer of the PRESIDENT. The issue has been all over the international media. I think such a crime and intellectual theft is avoidable and those who caused it must be sacked immediately to avoid any future embarrassment of that sort. Such a crime has never happened in the history of Ghana. It is absolutely unprecedented and smacks magnanimous incompetence and national shame.

Another thing that has been conspicuous and consistent is the degree at which political party fanatics display political colours at such events. The colours are not only showcased by these party activists but they use such partisan cloaks to heckle and mock candidates who loss elections. This is not good for such a state function. If care is not taken, such platforms could be reduced to political party programs in the future. To paint such programs truly statutory, certain rules must prevent political parties from such partisan acts.

Those are my observations and suggestions and I stand for any corrections on any of the issues I raised since some issues are legally oriented that I might have misjudged.

I take solace in the fact that we are improving every day and the world is learning from us. Citizens must know that governance is a collective process and not a one man job. Unfortunately, when political parties are in opposition, they see it differently but quick to call for support as soon as they gain power. The NPP boycotted the 2013 Presidential inauguration but today they call on all and sundry for support. I congratulate the NDC and all political parties for contributing greatly to the success of this 2017 presidential investiture.

Political parties should contribute and work in the collective interest of Ghana and not start advocating for it after winning political power. That is the only way we can build a more advanced enviable democratic dispensation in the near future. It is time to work. For me, as a citizen, I am more than enthused to serve mother Ghana. I shall loud government when the need be and constructively criticise when the situation demands. In going forward, tolerance, constructive criticism, peace, unity, nationalism, patriotism and true citizenship are key fundamentals that we must pull together and work with all the time for the love of GOD and NATION BUILDING.

LONG LIVE GHANA.

Denis Andaban

[email protected]

0549734023/0208057227.
- The Nigerian Army has vowed to protect the country

- It warned militants planning attack to be careful

- Citizens were urged to provide information to curb militancy

The Defence Headquarters has responded to threats issued by the Niger Delta Avengers to resume operations of bombing of oil and gas pipeline in the region.

The militant group terrorised the region in 2016 before agreeing to a ceasefire following the appointment of Chief Edwin Clark to negotiate on its behalf.

READ ALSO: Biafra group vows to launch offensive against government

Clark led other Niger Delta leaders to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja but they have accused the president on not following up with the demands presented to him.

The Avengers in a statement on their website on Friday, January 6 launched Operations Walls of Jericho and Hurricane Joshua in the region threatening to continue hostility.

The Punch reports that Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar who is the director of information of Defence Headquarters warned the militants as they would ensure the security and safety of the country.

This is our country and it is the responsibility of all citizens to work for its peaceful well-being and development.

The military and other security agencies will continue to ensure the protection of lives and property of citizens in the Niger Delta or any other part of the country.

Any act of sabotage by any group will not be condoned. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to maintain and protect our critical infrastructure in line with our mandate.

He called on all citizens to provide useful information to security operatives to help in dealing with militancy.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Navy destroys 70,000 of litres of diesel in Rivers

All citizens should cooperate with the military and other security agencies in the area by providing timely information and report any suspicious persons or groups that threaten the economic activities anywhere in the country.

We are not targeting anybody or group. Therefore, there is no need for any group to work against the country, no matter their grievances. Political leaders have embarked on negotiations with the stakeholders.

Source: Legit.ng
- Nigeria is set to establish an Aviation University to focus on research

- The minister of aviation said the country will join countries producing aircraft

Nigeria is targeting the opportunity to join the list of countries producing air crafts as the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is set to establish an Aviation University.

The Nation reports that Hadi Sirika who is the minister of aviation confirmed this plan when he toured the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria, Kaduna State on Saturday, January 7.

READ ALSO: Senate to probe Emirates Airlines for employing 10 Nigerians

He said: The aviation university will be different from NCAT; the university will be fully into research and development and production of higher level management manpower need of the industry.

Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation

The university will go into deep research, with the hope that in the near future, we will be able to manufacture aircraft components, until when we are able to produce the aircraft itself.

Since the technology is available around the world, is no longer a hindrance, it is our own ability and capability to pursue it.

The minister of aviation noted that Brazil and India have joined aircraft producing countries and that Nigeria can do same too.

He said: If such countries could do it, why not Nigeria.

The technology is known, we are not reinventing it; we just put our act together in doing it. So, the university will cater for that, while NCAT will continue to provide the services in the institute.

Sirika said the decentralisation of NCAT by the previous administration would make it difficult for the college to do what it was established to do.

He said: Remember, it was the UNDP that partnered with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Nigerian government to produce this institution.

And it is one of its kind, so why are going to reduce its capacity and capability?. Our own task is to improve, enhance and upgrade the capacity and ability of the college to do more.

READ ALSO: Airlines kick against Abuja Airport closure

But if somebody feels that he has funds to go and establish a facility somewhere to do some kind of training, of course, we will support him.

Capt. Samuel Caulcrick who is the rector of the college identified funding and obsolete facilities as some of the bane to the development of the institution.

Source: Legit.ng
- Reverend Oladimeji (Ladi) Thompson says the Christmas period has been used to celebrate vices

- The pastor accused religious leaders of wanting corruption back

- He said there is another Jesus created by Satan to look like the original

Reverend Oladimeji (Ladi) Thompson who is the founder/Senior Pastor of Lagos-based Living Waters Unlimited Church has said that religious leaders in Nigeria have contributed to the growing corruption in the country.

In an interview with Vanguard, the international co-ordinator of Macedonian Initiative also noted that a lot of immoral and evil things occour during Christmas period as people use the opportunity to engage in unreligious things.

He said: A lot of Nigerians are not aware that theres another Jesus created by Satan to look like the original. So when you are not able to differentiate between the celebrant Jesus Christ and another Jesus, you end up with another spirit and another gospel. Let me give you proof of another Jesus. Find out the time of the year when unwanted pregnancies increase; when bloodshed due to robbery increases; when disappointments increases; when STDs and HIV increase; when envies, jealousies and strife increase. It will coincide with the celebration of Christmas. It is actually not the celebration of Christmas. What you are seeing actually is the budget of another Jesus.

Rev Thompson accuses religious leaders of corruption

READ ALSO: Probe of govt officials: Buhari, AGF hold closed-door meeting

What Im trying to point out is that it is dangerous. Many people die, many get infected with venereal diseases, many get drunk with free alcohol at the same period and end up either disabled or dead. Is that the celebration of Jesus Christ? A lot of young boys borrow guns and go into armed robbery because they cant go to the village with nothing to show. Pressure is on them and so they go into crime.

I am a follower of persons like Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African bishop. I believe the Church should be the light of the world. And once we vacate the role we are supposed to play, the salt can no longer be salt, the light can no longer shine and there will be perpetuation of poverty and shame. If we do our job right, we may end up saving somebodys life at Christmas. Most people are in debt in January. If you celebrate the genuine Jesus properly, you will be in credit in January.

He also spoke about religious leaders in Nigeri insisting that they are the one who want corruption back.

"Lets call a spade a spade. All these public relations churches are doing all over the place is to divert attention away from where the real problem is. Theres a conspiracy between the Church, the Mosque and politics to loot the nation. Offering has hugely dropped in most churches and mosques. Everybody now finds out that the whole of Nigeria is run on corruption money.

READ ALSO: Women hit Abuja market to celebrate victory against Boko Haram

"Let me tell you point blank, people are saying they want corruption back and the people who are leading the chorus are the religious leaders.

Infant mortality rate in Nigeria is second highest. Boko Haram has been suppressed to a point now; they are going to blossom again. It will be like a joke when they start expanding again if corruption does not go. If corruption does not go, if you have relatives and friends in Ghana, start talking to them because that may be your best bet. When we first raised the alarm about Islamism, Boko Haram is coming, bombs are coming, even the places we went to, they said it couldnt be as bad as that. I met a bishop who was preaching prosperity and I told him he was not supposed to be preaching prosperity. He met me in Abuja and said he had cars and money but he could not leave his house to go to the bank to collect his money. And he could not eat the cars in the garage.

Source: Legit.ng
The army brigade in Buni Yadi, Yobe state was on Saturday evening, January 7, attacked by Boko Haram insurgents.

According to Sahara Reporters, Lt. George Okupe, the spokesman of 27 Task Force Brigade, confirmed the attack, adding that the attack was successfully repelled by the troops.

Just in: 5 feared dead as Boko Haram launches surprise attack against army

Okupe said: Buni Yadi came under attack at about 0615pmbut things are under control. Casualty figure of BHTs yet to be confirmed, on locales, none for now likewise own forces. However, details will be relayed to you soon.

But a military source who spoke in confidence said Boko Haram insurgents who Saturday night launched a surprise attack on 27 Task Force Brigade of the Nigerian Army Buni Yadi killing five soldiers, including a captain.

READ ALSO: President Buhari promises return of more chibok girls

The source also noted that the insurgents came from the eastern side of the brigade in large numbers and launched superior firepower on the military formation before they were repelled.

It was gathered that the Captain,who is a medical doctor had just been posted to Buni Yadi.

Another military source disclosed that the insurgents suffered a heavy casualty in the attack as many dead bodies were seen scattered in the bush.

He maintained that troops are still in pursuit of some of the fleeing insurgents.

This is the first time the 27 Task Brigade has suffered a heavy attack from Boko Haram since its relocation from Damaturu to Buni Yadi in 2015.

Buni Yadi, the headquarters of Gujba local government, was taken over by the insurgents for almost a year before it was recaptured by the military in May 2015.

READ ALSO: Boko Haram in trouble as Nigeria acquires new aircraft from Russia

The attack on 27 Task Force Brigade is coming barely two weeks after Nigerian troops on Operation Lafiya Dole had engaged Boko Haram terrorists in an early-morning gun fire which lead to the death of about 15 terrorists.

According to Premium Times, the gun fire started around 6 am on Friday, December 30, 2016 in Borno state and ended by 9 am.

It was reported that the terrorists launched a surprise attack against troops Rann, in northern Borno where soldiers from 3 Battalion and 112 Task Force Battalion are stationed.

Source: Legit.ng
Adamawa state police have confirmed the killing of three police officers after an attack by armed men in Demsa local government area, Premium Times reports.

Othman Abubakar, the Adamawa police spokesperson, also confirmed that two other officers went missing after the attack.

The policemen were among those drafted to secure Kwayine, Gidan Dadi and Karlahi communities after clashes that followed the killing of 47 cattle in the area, Vanguard reports.

READ ALSO: Suspected cultists attack Muslim primary school in Akure, burn head mistress office (photos)

Abubakar, also said that four rifles belonging to the policemen were also missing.

He said: Fulani militia attacked the three villages and we lost three of our gallant MOPOL while two are missing.

We have constituted a high powered search team and by the special grace of God we are going to recover our men. On the side of the civilians, two bodies have so far been recovered.

The spokesman said that the police had succeeded in killing scores of the militias who where however able to escape with their dead ones. Abubakar said more policemen had been drafted to the affected areas.

Meanwhile, Governor Muhammad Bindow has condemned the attack, which occurred less than 24-hours after a government delegation on peace building mission visited the area.

READ ALSO: Police sergeant ingests substances suspected to be poison

The governor in a statement signed by Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, directed security agencies to deploy more personnel to the area.

He described the attack as unfortunate and sad especially coming after recent peace and confidence building efforts.

Bindow while assuring the residents of governments resolve to restore peace to the affected areas saluted the gallantry of the police in confronting the attackers and urged them not to relent until normalcy is fully restored.

Source: Legit.ng
Members of the Bring Back Our Girls Group (BBOG) stormed the federal capital city, on Sunday, January 8.

Photos: Abuja in frenzy as BBOG storms city

The group described the inability of government to ensure the return of abducted Chibok girls as a monumental failure on current administration as led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking during a protest organised to mark the 1000th day since the abduction of over 200 girls from their secondary school in Chibok, the groups leader, Obi Ezekwesili, said it was unimaginable that the girls would remain with their captors, in a country with a known leadership, this long.

READ ALSO: Nigerians are dying - Bakare warns Buhari to reshuffle cabinet

We never imagined that it would last more than 30 days. Then 60 days came, then two years and today. The saddest occurrence in the history of our country.

Photos: Abuja in frenzy as BBOG storms city

We have had two governments and yet we have 195 girls who are yet to be released from terrorists, 1000 days after they were abducted.

We had said 500 days after they were abducted that 500 days was too long for citizens to wait for their daughters to be rescued. Today is 500 days times two. You can imagine how much of a monumental failure it is that 195 of our Chibok girls are still in terrorists captivity, she said.

Photos: Abuja in frenzy as BBOG storms city

In its official statement on Sunday, the group restated its earlier claim that the government had relaxed in its commitment toward the return of the girls.

READ ALSO: Just in: Captain, 4 soldiers dead as Boko Haram launch surprise attack on army

Premium Times reports that it also compared the response of the Buhari administration to the plight of abducted citizens to that of the previous Goodluck Jonathan administration.

As with the Jonathan administration, the Buhari administrations response to issues about the Chibok girls is representative of its handling of other issues  insecurity, welfare of internally displaced persons, military welfare, corruption and poor governance, the group said.

President Buhari had in an earlier statement on Sunday restated his administrations commitment to the release of the abducted girls. The administration has been able to secure the release of 21 of the girls through negotiation with Boko Haram, while another one was recently freed by soldiers.

Photos: Abuja in frenzy as BBOG storms city

The BBOG began its campaign for the return of Chibok girls two weeks after they were abducted on April 14, 2014.

Police officers had attempted to stop the group from protesting on Sunday, creating a barricade close to the Aso Villa gate, where the group had encamped during its last protest.

Consequently, the group stopped at the three-arm zone junction and continued its program.

Source: Legit.ng
- Suspected cultists burnt a section of popular Muslim primary school located in Oke Aro area of Akure, Ondo state

- The cultists burgled the office of the headmistress of the school, carting away with useful documents and then set it ablaze

- Mrs. Ale Ebunoluwa, the headmistress, confirming the attack said huge damage was caused to school properties

A section of popular Muslim primary school located at Isinkan street in Oke Aro area of Akure, Ondo state has been burnt by arsonists suspected to be cultists.

Suspected cultists attack Muslim primary school in Akure, burn head mistress office (photos) Photo credit: SR

Sources say the government-owned school, was invaded around midnight by cultists said to have been terrorizing the neighborhood.

According to Sahara Reporters, the invaders burgled the office of the headmistress of the school, carting away useful documents and electrical appliances after which they set it ablaze.

READ ALSO: Five dead as Nigerian Army, cultists clash in Rivers

Mrs. Ale Ebunoluwa, the headmistress, confirmed the attack to Sahara Reporters, saying huge damage was caused to school properties. She said that residents of the area where the school is located and have children in the school called her attention to the midnight fire attack.

Suspected cultists burn head mistress office (photos) Photo credit: SR

The headmistress said her personal office was burnt along with relevant documents.

I was called at midnight that some hoodlums had attacked and set the school ablaze, while they also destroyed and damaged properties in the office.

I was helpless and quickly called the attention of the board to the incident and I think they also called the police immediately to intervene, but the arsonists had escaped," she said.

Suspected cultists attack Muslim primary school in Akure, burn head mistress office (photos) Photo credit: SR

Mrs Ebunoluwa described the act as barbaric, adding that the government and security agencies have been informed of the development.

It was gathered that before the suspected cultists attacked the school, they had attacked a compound in the area and made away with residents' belongings.

Sources in the area said the cultists are aged between 17 and 28. They are also said to be mostly school drop-outs, who were initiated by gangsters.

Ayomide Adeleye, a resident in the areas said that a cult gang has been using the primary school as a hideout to terrorize the neighbourhood.

Adeleye said the invaders found it easy to attack the school because it has no security arrangement. He further said officials of some security agencies have visited the school and currently investigating the incident.

See more photos as obtained by Sahara Reporters below:

READ ALSO: Bloody Christmas as gunmen kill eight in Rivers community

Source: Legit.ng
Following the confusion trailing the reported resignation of Pastor E A Adeboye as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the cleric was spotted officiating at the Lagos state government annual thanksgiving.

The service which was held on Sunday, January 8, at the Lagos House Ikeja, had in attendance the Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, his wife Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and his wife Mrs. Foluke Adeboye.

Pastor Adeboye in his sermon,said for people to experience a new beginning, they must be willing to follow God completely and serve Him in truth and spirit.

READ ALSO: Pastor Adeboye prays for new appointees

While drawing his text from Exodus 3:1-8, Genesis 18:1-8 and Mark 10:46-52 among others, Pastor Adeboye also admonished Nigerians to leave the camp of the devil and embrace Gods camp, as well as accept the invitation of God.

Speaking at the special Thanksgiving Service to usher in the New Year held at the Lagos House in Ikeja, Governor Ambode thanked spiritual leaders for their ceaseless prayers and wise counsel, while urging Nigerians to continue to pray for the State, the country and leaders in the country, especially to ensure a nation that all would be proud of.

See more photos from the thanksgiving service as obtained by Sahara Reporters:

Reports had filtered in on Saturday, January 7, that Pastor Joseph Obayemi is to become the new National Overseer of the church, a position which was held by Pastor Adeboye.

It was gathered that the pastor actually appointed new officers to take over the reins of affairs in Nigeria while he oversees as the overall head.

Source: Legit.ng
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Sunday, January 8, 2017

Photo courtesy of Yelp

Last November, the ImmigrationProf blog raised the question whether the Trump administration would expand the use of workplace raids in immigrtation enforcement and looked at the raid on La Divina, a taqueria in Buffalo, New York.

NPR ("How Kitchen Raids In Buffalo Sent Shock Waves Through Immigrant Rights Community") follows up on the story and the impacts of the La Divina taqueria raid:

"The morning of Oct. 18, 2016, the employees at La Divina, a taqueria and Mexican grocery in Buffalo, N.Y., were prepping for the lunch crowd  making salsa, grilling chicken and stocking the shelves with Mexican Cokes and Corona beer. Suddenly, agents from Homeland Security Investigations rushed in.

"I heard someone shouting, 'Don't move! Don't move!' It was ICE," says Jose Antonio Ramos, a 29-year-old Mexican cook working illegally, in Spanish. ICE stands for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "I was in shock. I was complying with their orders, but they were mistreating us," he says. "They pointed guns at our heads. They pushed us on the floor and handcuffed us. They brought in dogs."

Beefy federal agents hauled out computers and cash registers while local news crews filmed. The raid of La Divina and three other restaurants under the same owner became one of the nation's biggest immigration worksite actions in recent years.

In all, 14 workers have been charged with civil and criminal immigration violations. Twelve more workers were found to be in the country illegally, but they were released because they didn't meet the government's enforcement priorities. The owner and his two managers are charged with harboring unauthorized immigrants. The federal criminal complaint alleges the trio provided workers with housing and transportation, paid them in cash off the books and avoided income taxes.

"We try to offer authentic street tacos, make it more like a Mexican atmosphere," he says as patrons line up to order ribeye and chorizo tacos.

While Mucino is out on bail and reopening his restaurants one by one, most of his illegal workforce is out of a job and facing deportation. This was the aftermath of the raid despite an ICE statement that they were targeting the abusive employer, not his employees."

KJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2017/01/last-november-the-immigrationprof-blog-raised-the-question-whether-the-trump-administration-would-expand-the-use-of-workpl.html
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar  Three years after Myanmars ruling generals shed their uniforms and propelled the country on an ambitious journey toward democracy, security forces are back on the streets of the former military dictatorship.

A rampage by radical Buddhists in the sprawling city of Mandalay that left two people dead this week spurred the authorities to declare a nighttime curfew, dispatch hundreds of riot police officers and erect razor wire around the Muslim neighborhoods that were attacked.

The violence raised fears that the rioting that has hit provincial towns in the past two years might now spill over into Myanmars most populous and important cities.

It was also yet another in a string of disappointments that have worn away at the euphoria that greeted the end of five dark decades of military rule. Among the most worrisome setbacks are the attacks in western Myanmar on an ethnic minority called the Rohingya, an apparent rollback of some press freedoms and tepid commitments by foreign investors who are crucial to building the nations impoverished economy.
Al Qaeda militants killed 15 soldiers in southern Yemen after seizing them from a public bus on Friday, military officials and witnesses said, in what appeared to be retaliation for an army offensive. The officials said the soldiers had been heading to Sana, the capital, for a vacation from the southern city of Sayoun when militants stopped their bus, pulled them off and shot them to death near Shibam, in the southern province of Hadramawt, officials said. The attack came after clashes near Sayoun, where, the Defense Ministry said, army forces killed at least 25 militants over the past two days. Yemen has been grappling with a number of regional rebellions in addition to the Qaeda insurgency. Its forces have received considerable counterterrorism training and assistance from Washington. The United States has waged a drone campaign against militants suspects in Yemen, killing a number of high-ranking operatives but also scores of civilians, drawing criticism from the Yemeni government and human rights groups.
Often, when we talk about climate change, it seems like a far-off scenario. We talk in terms of saving the planet for future generations and predict disruptive sea level rise within the century. But the effects of climate change are already felt around the world; future changes will only intensify them.

A few days before Christmas, temperatures near the North Pole reached a melting point of around 32 degrees Fahrenheitmore than 40 degrees above average.

Andrew King, a researcher at the University of Melbourne who has examined the links between Arctic melt and climate change, called the warm bout a roughly one in a 200 year event. Translation: the intensity is extremely rare, and very unlikely to have occurred without human-induced climate change. Yet these extremely rare events, scientists say, are becoming the new normal. Some even predict that the ice around the North Pole will disappear in the next two years.

The unprecedented temperatures are a bellwether for how climate change will affect the rest of the world in the next few decades. But theyre also an indication that these changes are happening right now, and affecting weather all over the globe.

The Arctic is a key battleground in climate change research for a number of reasons. One is something called the albedo effect. Its the same logic behind wearing a white t-shirt on a hot day instead of a black one. Dark colors absorb the suns rays, making you hotter when youre wearing black; lighter colors reflect the rays, keeping you cool. Its the same with the earth. If swaths of it are covered in light colorsbecause of ice formations in Antarctica or glaciers in Peruthe rays bounce back into the atmosphere. But when that ice melts, revealing darker earth beneath, the heat is instead absorbed.

So the absence of ice, even without other problems that ice melt causes, will expose the earth to even more heat.

Scientists also worry about Arctic melt because of what exactly is trapped in all of those ice layers. NASA estimates that there are 1.7 trillion metric tons of carbon locked into permafrost (or the permanently frozen ground) in the far Northmore than twice the carbon currently in the atmosphereand that permafrost is melting away, releasing its stored carbon.

But perhaps the biggest effectand the easiest for us non-Arctic dwellers to seeis how the ice melt affects extreme weather events.

A recent report from the experts participating in the Arctic Council found as many as 19 tipping points, or triggers for change, that begin in the Arctic and spread around the globefrom an increase in the albedo effect to changed climate patterns in the monsoon seasons of Asia.

As the saying up north goes, What happens in the Arctic doesnt stay in the Arctic. If the Arctic is the earths air conditioner, climate change is pulling the plugand the whole world will feel the heat.

Of course, sometimes thats an imperfect metaphor. For instance, Arctic melt may mean even chillier weather in other places on the planet. (Thats one of the reasons why global warming was abandoned in favor of the term climate change.) The cold expected in the Arctic this year swung instead to Siberia, where temperatures sank a stunning 60 degrees lower than normal.

This unprecedented warmth could also affect the Gulf Stream, which keeps northwestern Europe comparatively warm during the winter. The Gulf Stream is a jet of warmer water that delivers tropical temperatures to northern Europe; without it, the continent might look more like the high North. But when the Stream is inundated with chilly meltwater, its temperatures drop and its patterns changeplunging the UK and other countries into low temperatures.

Many countries in Europe and North America can also expect more snowpocalypsesextreme winter stormspolar vortices brought on by unusual weather in the Arctic.



Image: Melody Schreiber



We can expect colder weather snaps in winterbut we can also expect longer droughts in summer. This summer, a devastating drought affected an estimated 330 million people in India alone, wreaking havoc upon farms and causing water shortages around the country.

Not having enough water is a huge problembut having too much water is another problem that climate change will exacerbate. Islands and coastlines around the world are already seeing an increase in floods; the UK now predicts major flooding every year.

If all of Greenlands ice were to to melt, sea levels would rise a whopping 23 feet. Even at current temperatures, thats unlikely to happenbut as its ice sheets continue to slide into the ocean, it has already begun contributing to sea level rise. The only question will be how much.

A melting North Pole wont just affect our image of Santa and his elves. Although most people will never see the Arctic, it affects the lives of everyone on the planet. As it melts, it introduces interconnected changes that ripple in a domino effect. And once the ice is gone, it would require massive changes in our environment to form once more.

Top photo by Melody Schreiber

Melody Schreiber is a freelance journalist based in Washington, DC.
End

-- Premier cookware brand PriorityChef unveils its latest offering; a product bundle that contains the 3-Piece Nonstick Frying Pan Set, the 8-Inch Chef Knife, and the 5-Piece Mixing Bowl Set. According to the company's founder Joe Kenny, it's a wonderful gift idea for folks who are into cooking.The company's mission is to provide ergonomic kitchen tools to make the cooking experience enjoyable for everyone. To this end, Mr. Kenny offers this amazing culinary set."First feature on this bundle are the nonstick frying pans," he said. "It is designed for even heating."The 3-Piece Nonstick Frying Pan Set is made of durable stainless steel. Because of its innovative design, these pans will not burn your food. They are also safe for use in ovens and induction stoves, Mr. Kenny explained.Next on the 3-product bundle is the 8-Inch Chef Knife. Fabricated using stainless steel, this knife is razor-sharp, making slicing and dicing very easy and convenient. Designed for precision and balance, this product is a delight to have.The last featured product in this bundle is the 5-Piece Mixing Bowl Set. These nontoxic containers are designed with tight-seal lids to ensure freshness of your snacks or dry ingredients."This wonderful bowl collection is a great addition in your kitchen," Mr. Kenny put forward.When you can't think of a gift for your family or friends, this product bundle is perfect. However, Mr. Kenny added that if this gift set does not meet your expectation, the company will provide a full refund.3-Piece Nonstick Frying Pan Set:http://bit.ly/2dN1OuY ( http://amzn.to/ 2hQc1ps 8-Inch Chef Knife:http://bit.ly/2hiKWOh ( http://amzn.to/ 2hrYTG9 5-Piece Mixing Bowl Set:http://bit.ly/2clt0ia (http://amzn.to/2ih10i7)About PriorityChefPriorityChef is a small, family-run business based in Las Vegas Nevada. With its strong commitment to provide premier cookware products, the company is regarded as one of the most trusted brands in the U.S.You can reach PriorityChef through email at support@priority-chef.com or visit its website at -http://priority-chef.com/
Amman, Jordan (January 2017)  Abdali Mall; the New Beating Heart of Abdali, announced signing a leasing agreement with EAT Group to open four restaurants during 2017.

By: TRACCS jordan

The Agreement

End

--Abdali Mall; the New Beating Heart of Abdali, announced signing a leasing agreement with EAT Group to open four restaurants during 2017.With the presence of both companies' officials, Eng. Marwan Abu Hassan, General Director at Abdali Mall Company & Mr. Hisham Al Zamel, CEO of EAT Restaurant Group signed the agreement that aims to elevate the Mall's visitors experience and give them more dining options.The four new restaurants will occupy 1744 Sqm to include Deertina Market, Azkadenya, Casereccio Pronto, and Mingle by Cafe Social, will offer the visitors unique culinary experience from the various cuisines each restaurant represents."We are excited to announce the addition of these new restaurants to Abdali mall from EAT Restaurant Group; one of the leading Jordanian company in the restaurants sector, and we are certain that it will offer a unique dining experience for the Mall's visitors" said Eng. Marwan Abu Hassan, General Director at Abdali Mall Company, "This partnership will be offering employment opportunities to fulfill the Mall's development role toward the community" said Abu Hassan.Mr. Omar Tabaa the Chairman of Eat Group: "We at EAT Restaurant Group, are delighted to partner up with Abdali Mall, the Kingdom's leading upcoming mall. Abdali Mall is a true experience and we look forward to enhancing the Mall's food and beverage offering to attract tourists and mall goers. We are proud to be a part of this unique destination"
Roundup: US-Saudi non-stop airstrikes destroy Yemen's governorates, drop cluster bombs











SANA'A, Jan. 02 (Saba)  The US-Saudi aggression warplanes continued targeting citizens and infrastructure across the republic's provinces in the past 24 hours.



Residents and officials told Saba on Monday that the air strikes killed six civilians and wounded dozens when the aggression warplanes struck citizens' houses in Sa'adah governorate three times.



The strikes targeted residents' houses in al-Hibal valley in Sakeen district. The brutal strikes reduced the houses to rubble.



Residents said the warplanes also hit the rescuers who hurried to the scene to try to rescue possible survivors from underneath the rubble.



It was the latest in a series of brutal air attacks against Yemeni civilians carried out by the Saudi regime.



Residents and officials appealed to the world to stop Saudi barbaric crimes against the Yemen civilians.



Meanwhile, two civilians were killed in Saudi air strikes at al-Salif intersection in al-Hodeida province.



The air strikes also targeted the coastal area in al-Jabanah area in al-Hodeida province.



Also, five more air raids hit al-Hajelah district and other air raid on Dawar al-Duraihemi area in al-Hawak district in al-Hodeida too.



Furthermore air attack struck al-Khukha district, also in al-Hodeida.



In Sa'ada province, the aggression warplanes waged nine raids on al-Majda'a area in Baqem district and three more raids on Shatha district.



In Marib province, the US-Saudi aggression warplanes waged an air raid on al-Makhdra area in Serwah district.



In Dhalee province, the aggression warplanes launched five air raids on telecommunications network in Murais.



In Amran governorate, four air raids destroyed the telecommunications network in al-Zafen Mount in Thula district.



N Hajja governorate, the warplanes waged three raids on al-Mazraq and al-Naar Mount areas in Harad district.Faj Harad area was also hit by the aggression warplanes in Hajjah province too.



In Shabwa governorate, the US-Saudi warplanes aggression launched three raids on al-Hama and al-Hesn Junction in Osailan district, dropping internationally- banned cluster bombs on the targeted areas.



In Sana'a governorate, the US-backed Saudi aggression warplanes waged two raids on Ramada area in Haraz district and other air raid on Tabat al-Tawelah area in Sa'afan district.



Another hostile air raid hit a residential area in west of Bani Amer district.



In the capital Sana'a, the US-Saudi aggression warplanes hit the National Security building five times in Saref area northwest of the capital.



In Taiz governorate, the US-Saudi aggression warplanes carried out two raids on Maqbanah area and dropped flash bombs on Kahbab Mount.



In Jizan governorate, a Saudi hostile air raid hit Hadenah village in al-Khubah area.







HA-ZaK





SABA

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[02/January/2017]
How humpback whales use marine habitats off the eastern coast of Africa is only partially understood, and that has become a conservation concern as offshore energy exploration expands in the region. However, a new study published in Marine Ecology Progress Series found that humpback whales that were satellite tagged off the coast of Madagascar during peak breeding season are traveling much further in the southwest Indian Ocean than previously thought. This research can help define potentially sensitive areas that should be protected from the disruption of seismic testing or other industrial development that could be destructive to the humpback population and this globally important marine habitat.

For this field research, twenty-three humpback whales were satellite tagged off Madagascar during the height of breeding season, a scientific first.

The study was led by the New England Aquarium's Dr. Salvatore Cerchio, while working with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, in a broad international collaboration with the University of Paris Sud, the Madagascar-based NGO Cetamada, and NOAA's National Marine Mammal Lab in Seattle. The research team sought to examine movements of humpback whales in the southwestern Indian Ocean where they breed and calf during the southern hemisphere's winter months, after migrating from their sub-Antarctic summer feeding waters.

"It's our hope that this work will help us understand more accurately the breeding and migratory behavior of humpback whales in the southwest Indian Ocean," said Dr. Cerchio who is also affiliated with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. "As more development and industry encroaches on their habitat, it will be important for us to know how these potentially sensitive areas should be protected for this vital species."

Among the more significant discoveries was that males and females had different movement patterns. Males were more localized as they seemed to establish preferred areas from which to broadcast their famous songs, while females -- quite unexpectedly -- showed more long distance travel patterns presumably in search of more mates.

Two areas along Madagascar's 900 mile length were also found to be important and possibly distinct breeding habitats. Whales tagged in northeastern waters spent more time on the central east coast, while whales tagged in the southwest frequented the southern coast of the world's fourth largest island. Several whales from the northeast study group swam westward across the Mozambique Channel to near the African mainland where there is also another significant sub-population of wintering humpbacks. This is a movement corridor that was previously unknown.

An historic humpback first was also documented as a male cruising up the east African coast swam all the way to southern Somalia. En route, he crossed the equator making him the first known humpback to do so in the Indian Ocean. Humpback populations are found around the world in both the southern and northern hemispheres feeding during their respective summers in high latitude, cold waters then migrating to tropical waters for the winter to breed and give birth. Humpbacks have been documented crossing the equator in only two other parts of the world. "This was very exciting" added Cerchio, "because there is a highly endangered population of humpback whales in the northern Indian Ocean that is believed to be completely isolated from the Southern Hemisphere populations. That this male from Madagascar crossed into the northern Indian Ocean was very unexpected."

Another impressive long distance traveler was a mother and calf tagged off of Madagascar that swam all the way to Kenyan waters. The movement of individual whales from Madagascar to East Africa suggests there is more to learn about the mixing of regional humpback populations across the southwest Indian Ocean. This has direct relevance to efforts by the International Whaling Commission to more accurately assess the recovery of humpback whales in the region after their depletion by commercial whaling in the 20th Century.

Dr. Laurene Trudelle of the University of Paris Sud noted, "Breeding areas of humpback whales are typically located in coastal habitats and are generally subject to strong human pressures that affect the quality of these breeding habitats." Recently, the southwest Indian Ocean has experienced expanded industrial development with more oil and gas exploration and production, mineral mining, and coastal development. Major processing of mined materials around the central and southern Madagascar coast is occurring, and seismic surveys are increasing throughout the region, which is commonly known to disturb humpback whales and their singing breeding behavior. Trudelle added, "Providing knowledge on the movements and the distribution patterns of humpback whales off Madagascar and more broadly in the southwestern Indian Ocean can be used to assist future management decisions." Dr. Trudelle published a companion paper on the influence of environmental parameters on the tagged whales in Royal Society Open Science, as part of her doctoral dissertation at University of Paris Sud using data from the collaborative study.
Searching for planets around other stars is a tricky business. They're so small and faint that it's hard to spot them. But a possible planet in a nearby stellar system may be betraying its presence in a unique way: by a shadow that is sweeping across the face of a vast pancake-shaped gas-and-dust disk surrounding a young star.

The planet itself is not casting the shadow. But it is doing some heavy lifting by gravitationally pulling on material near the star and warping the inner part of the disk. The twisted, misaligned inner disk is casting its shadow across the surface of the outer disk.

A team of astronomers led by John Debes of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, say this scenario is the most plausible explanation for the shadow they spotted in the stellar system TW Hydrae, located 192 light-years away in the constellation Hydra, also known as the Female Water Snake. The star is roughly 8 million years old and slightly less massive than our sun. The researchers uncovered the phenomenon while analyzing 18 years' worth of archival observations taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

"This is the very first disk where we have so many images over such a long period of time, therefore allowing us to see this interesting effect," Debes said. "That gives us hope that this shadow phenomenon may be fairly common in young stellar systems."

Debes will present his team's results Jan. 7 at the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Grapevine, Texas.

Debes' first clue to the phenomenon was a brightness in the disk that changed with position. Astronomers using Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) first noted this brightness asymmetry in 2005. But they had only one set of observations, and could not make a definitive determination about the nature of the mystery feature.

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Searching the archive, Debes' team put together six images from several different epochs. The observations were made by STIS and by Hubble's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS).

STIS is equipped with a coronagraph that blocks starlight to within about 1 billion miles from the star, allowing Hubble to look as close to the star as Saturn is to our sun. Over time, the structure appeared to move in counterclockwise fashion around the disk, until, in 2016, it was in the same position as it was in images taken in 2000.

This 16-year period puzzled the researchers. They originally thought the feature was part of the disk, but the short period meant that the feature was moving way too fast to be physically in the disk. Under the laws of gravity, disks rotate at glacial speeds. The outermost parts of the TW Hydrae disk would take centuries to complete one rotation.

"The fact that I saw the same motion over 10 billion miles from the star was pretty significant, and told me that I was seeing something that was imprinted on the outer disk rather than something that was happening directly in the disk itself," Debes said. "The best explanation is that the feature is a shadow moving across the surface of the disk."

The research team concluded that whatever was making the shadow must be deep inside the 41-billion-mile-wide disk, so close to the star it cannot be imaged by Hubble or any other present-day telescope. The most likely way to create a shadow is to have an inner disk that is tilted relative to the outer disk. In fact, submillimeter observations of TW Hydrae by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile suggested a possible warp in the inner disk.

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But what causes disks to warp? "The most plausible scenario is the gravitational influence of an unseen planet, which is pulling material out of the plane of the disk and twisting the inner disk," Debes explained. "The misaligned disk is inside the planet's orbit."

Given the relatively short 16-year period of the clocklike moving shadow, the planet is estimated to be about 100 million miles from the star -- about as close as Earth is from the sun. The planet would be roughly the size of Jupiter to have enough gravity to pull the material up out of the plane of the main disk. The planet's gravitational pull causes the disk to wobble, or precess, around the star, giving the shadow its 16-year rotational period.

Recent observations of TW Hydrae by ALMA in Chile add credence to the presence of a planet. ALMA revealed a gap in the disk roughly 9 million miles from TW Hydrae. A gap is significant, because it could be the signature of an unseen planet clearing away a path in the disk.

This new Hubble study offers a unique way to look for planets hiding in the inner part of the disk and probe what is happening very close to the star, which is not reachable in direct imaging by current telescopes. "What is surprising is that we can learn something about an unseen part of the disk by studying the disk's outer region and by measuring the motion, location, and behavior of a shadow," Debes said. "This study shows us that even these large disks, whose inner regions are unobservable, are still dynamic, or changing in detectable ways which we didn't imagine."

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, D.C.
Saturday, January 7, 2017

The United States District Court for the District of Maryland Southern Division (Judge Paul Grimm) disqualified an attorney and his firm for both a former client conflict and a material limitation in the representation of the current client.

Attorney Jonathan Rose represented CytImmune with respect to employee non-compete agreements and other matters while at Katten Muchin. Now at Alston & Bird, he undertook to represent a former employee in litigation adverse CytImmune.

In March 2016, CytImmune filed its complaint against Dr. Paciotti in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. Dr. Paciottis out-of-state attorney retained Rose as local counsel to handle the case. Shortly thereafter, CytImmune notified Rose of its belief that he had a conflict of interest in the case. Rose consulted his firms general counsel, who concluded that no conflict existed.

Dr. Paciotti then removed the case to this Court, Notice of Removal, where CytImmune filed the instant Motion to Disqualify. (record cites deleted)

The court

I am left with the impression that Roses inability to recall the precise details of his prior work for CytImmune placed him squarely between the Scylla of MLRPC 1.9 and the Charybdis of MLRPC 1.7. And if Odysseus could not navigate such treacherous waters, then, respectfully, neither can Rose. And the Rules forbid any such attempt. In light of the apparent constraints that I have observed Defense counsel struggle with, I am persuaded that Rose cannot continue to represent Dr. Paciotti without a significant risk of a materially limited defense. Accordingly, I find that Rose has a conflict of interest in representing Dr. Paciotti. Additionally, MLRPC 1.10(a) imputes Roses conflict to all of the attorneys at Alston. Waiver of the conflict is possible, but only with the informed consent of each affected client. MLRPC 1.7(b); see also MLPRC 1.10(d) (allowing waiver of imputed conflicts according to the requirements enumerated at MLRPC 1.7(b)). CytImmune has made clear that it will not consent to Roses representation of Dr. Paciotti. Pl.s Mem. Supp. Mot. Disqualify 17. Accordingly, both Rose and Alston are disqualified from representing Dr. Paciotti in the remainder of this litigation.

The court did not reach the Rule 3.7 (lawyer as witness) issue

Given the significant divergence between Roses recollection of the legal advice he provided concerning CytImmunes NDA and Marders, I cannot discount the possibility that Rose will be called as a fact witness should the case proceed to trial. The Defense does not appear to disagree but argues that Rose need not be disqualified at this juncture because the conflict contemplated by the Rule is only triggered at trial, which has not yet been scheduled. Def.s Oppn Mot. Disqualify 1820. The Defense cites no case law in support of its position. In any event, because I find Rose disqualified under MLRPC 1.7, I do not find it necessary to resolve the issue.

Bottom line

MLRPC 1.7 exists for the very purpose of ensuring that a litigants claims or defenses are not refracted through the multifaceted prism of an attorneys conflicts. Dr. Paciotti is entitled to a lawyer whose ability to develop a theory of the case is unencumbered by his own uncertainty concerning his representation of a former client. I am persuaded based on how this case has evolved that Rose and the other lawyers at Alston are unable to provide such unfettered counsel.

CytImmunes Motion to Disqualify is GRANTED.

(Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2017/01/the-united-states-district-court-for-the-district-of-maryland-judge-paul-grimm-disqualified-an-attorney-and-his-firm-for-bo.html
Suction cups are getting a facelift. A shower caddy full of shampoo plopping into the bathtub may be an inconvenience in most cases, but failures like this limit the application of suction cups for more exacting purposes. Petra Ditsche, currently at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and her colleagues are changing that. To create prototype suction cups that are capable of glomming onto rough, wet surfaces and staying there, Ditsche has found inspiration in an aptly-named marine creature: the clingfish.

On the rocky shores of Washington State, clingfish maneuver over rocks to prey on limpets -- dime-sized, snail-like invertebrates. A limpet is covered by a shell shield that hides soft organs, which are fair game if the predatory clingfish can pop it off the rock. Yet the clingfish faces its own foe: heavy forces from incoming waves that threaten to slosh it off the rocks as it searches for food. The clingfish, however, has developed a unique system for holding onto rocks by using a suction cup on its underside, which has been derived from pelvic and pectoral fins.

Unlike a typical plastic suction cup, a clingfish disc isn't totally smooth -- the edge of the surface resembles that of a tongue, covered in irregular features. Looking closer, these tiny projections branch out even further, forming a hierarchy of structure. This provides the key to the clingfishes' tenacity: the friction generated from these little hairs allows the suction disc to remain staunch when the edges of typical plastic suction cups would be pulled in, eventually lifting off to break the seal. In a world where clingfish are buffeted by crashing waves, the suction disc allows them to remain in place even when forces 150 times their body weight are applied.

Ditsche and her colleagues are interested in biomimicry, a field that uses nature's solutions, refined in some of the toughest environments, for our own applications. This field of study has given us bullet trains shaped like kingfisher beaks, Velcro inspired by the burrs of plants, and fabric that glides through the water almost as well as shark skin.

Biomimicry is not about creating a one-to-one replica of the original inspiration, Ditsche says. Instead, it requires understanding of the underlying mechanisms so that the technology can be employed in a simplified yet useful manner. Ditsche has focused on replicating both the adaptability of the material to rough surfaces and the high friction at the margins of the suction cup that prevent the cup from being dislodged easily. Initial tests have shown that these biomimetic models have a grip of up to 70,000 Pascals on rough surfaces, equivalent to the pressure of 10 great white sharks stacked upon an office desk.

Ultimately, these super suction cups could be deployed during surgeries to pull tissue out of the way without risk of puncture or for use when climbing wet surfaces. Currently, they are slated to return to the waters where the clingfish that inspired them reside: the Puget Sound in Washington. Here, a population of endangered orca whales is tracked and carefully monitored by researchers. Once field-tested, these suction cups could provide a way to attach tracking tags in a less-invasive manner than current techniques. Bio-inspired design is re-entering the natural world to allow for even more research, taking any splashes in stride.
In Indonesia counter-terrorism forces ended a busy year by raiding two Islamic terrorist hideouts near the capital, killing three of them at one location and capturing several bombs. The other raid led to the arrest of four Islamic terrorists, including a female suicide bomber and the bomb was apparently set to use in an effort to bomb the presidential palace. This last round of raids was part of the annual pre-Christmas effort to prevent attacks on the thousands of Christian churches that have become a familiar part of the Indonesian landscape. Security forces encountered Islamic terrorists 170 times in 2016, versus 85 in 2015. These actions included Islamic terrorist attacks or, most frequently security forces raids or other encounters with Islamic terrorists. In 2016 that led to 33 Islamic terrorists killed.

In addition to the crippling ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) efforts to expand into Indonesia, counter-terror forces managed to cripple MIT (Mujahadeen Indonesia Timur, or Mujahadeen of Eastern Indonesia), the last of the older Islamic terrorist organizations still active in the country. MIT was long led by Santoso (single names are common in this region), who openly allied MIT with ISIL in 2014. In 2016 a series of raids and arrests left Santoso dead and MIT reduced to fewer than ten active members. MIT carried out some attacks in the last few years but has suffered heavy losses in the process. Since 2014 MIT concentrated most of its efforts on recruiting and setting up trained cells of terrorists in other parts of the country. MIT failed because Indonesian counter-terror forces are among the best in the region, most Indonesians are hostile to groups like ISIL and many MIT members left the country to join ISIL in areas like Syria and Libya where ISIL was a less of a disadvantage than in Indonesia.

Indonesia has cooperated in identifying its citizens suspected of going overseas to work with Islamic terrorist organizations. Thus hundreds of Indonesians have been arrested overseas (usually in Turkey) and deported to Indonesia to face prosecution or, at the very least, constant surveillance. This is because many Indonesians remember what happened when several dozen Indonesians who went to fight in with al Qaeda in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Many of these men returned to Indonesia and formed Islamic terrorist groups that, after 2001, carried out several spectacular attacks, including one in 2002 that killed nearly 200 foreign tourists. This resulted in a major counter-terrorism campaign that eventually killed or drove into exile nearly all the active Indonesian Islamic terrorists. There is a real fear that some of those ISIL members returning from Syria will try to emulate what the Afghan veterans did. In 2015 police revealed that they were monitoring returning ISIL men and would act against any suspected of engaging in terrorist activities in Indonesia. Many arrests since then are apparently a result of that surveillance program.

This also led to increased counter-terror activity each year on Java and Sumatra before Christmas. Police make numerous arrests and seized bombs or bomb components intended for attacks on Shia and Christian communities. Christians are ten percent of the population while Shia are less than a half percent of Indonesian Moslems. These minorities are not evenly distributed so there are areas that are all Moslem and easier for Islamic terrorist groups to recruit and survive. The Christian islands used to be almost entirely Christian, but since the 1980s the government has encouraged (with laws, money and land) Moslems from overpopulated areas to move to less populated Christian territories. This has created frictions on islands like Sulawesi that are not entirely religious. Islamic terrorist groups began forming in the late 1990s and concentrated their attacks on non-Moslems, both local and foreign (tourists). Since 2013 small ISIL type (or affiliated) groups gave been appearing and single out Shia Moslems as well as Christians and other non-Moslems (or Moslem sects ISIL does not approve of). Islamic conservatives in the government (especially parliament and the judicial system) deliberately target Christians by accusing them of anti-Islamic acts. These accusations are almost always false but because of the way politics works in democracies with a Moslem majority, such accusations mobilize many Moslems who are willing to demonstrate, often violently, in support of defending Islam.

Despite all this since 2004 Indonesia has been pretty successful in preventing most Islamic terrorist violence. But there are still attempts. Few of these succeed because counter-terror efforts have kept the most competent Islamic terrorists leaders, planners and bomb-builders unable to function. These men are constantly hunted, often caught (and killed or jailed) and many prefer to flee the country and operate elsewhere. Police keep a close watch on Islamic radicals and the increased use of security cameras provides clues not available before. It has become very difficult to be an Islamic terrorist in Indonesia.

Since 2013 Detachment 88 (the primary counter-terror unit) has had a lot of success detecting and arresting Islamic terrorists all over Indonesia. These Islamic radicals are not popular with most Indonesians and the police get plenty of useful tips. Islamic terrorist groups help make themselves targets by carrying out armed robberies and other criminal acts to support their operations. When counter-terrorism efforts wiped out or drove away Jemaah Islamiah (JI, the largest Indonesian terror group) new Islamic radical groups formed, especially in places like Sulawesi Island. Since 2004 the police have been working their way down an increasingly threadbare list of terrorist suspects. Moreover, it's been years since JI has been able to launch a major attack. This is because counter-terrorism forces have created a good intelligence network. Thus threats are quickly detected. Since 2007 attacks against non-Moslems have resulted in a stronger and stronger backlash from the police, and Christians. After 2007 the vigilantes switched tactics and began concentrating on driving Christians into ghettos, and reducing the number of Moslems converting to Christianity. Anti-infidel (non-Moslem) violence remains a growing problem, as Islamic radicals seek an outlet for their aggression that won't land them in prison. All this Islamic radical activity keeps producing new recruits for Islamic terror groups. With little support from mosques or the larger Islamic organizations, these new Islamic terrorists have to resort to crime to fund their operations.

Since the 1990s Sulawesi has been the scene of growing Islamic radicalism and terrorism. Thats because over half the population on the island of Sulawesi is non-Moslem (mostly Christian). In the late 1990s, Islamic militants came along, preaching violence against infidels (non-Moslems). Over a thousand people died before additional police and soldiers eliminated most of the violence. Hundreds of Islamic radicals are still on the island and nearby West Java and are still preaching violence. Christians are a minority nationwide while 87 percent of the population is Moslem. The tensions in Sulawesi are not entirely religious. The Christian areas used to be almost entirely Christian, but over the last three decades the government has encouraged (with laws, money, and land) Moslems from overpopulated areas to move to less populated Christian areas. This has created friction.

Theres another major reason why Islamic terrorism continues. Thats because the government does not want to offend the many Islamic conservatives out there. The Islamic conservative politicians use religion as a tool to get what they want, which often has nothing to do with religion or the infidel (non-Moslem) threat.
Khan Lab School is bringing back the one-room model to teach young students in Mountain View, California.

The school is a laboratory for an experimental kind of learning.

Silicon Valley, known for its technology companies, is also the birthplace of the school.

Twelve-year-old Mishal Junaid loves the Khan Lab Schools untraditional methods.

When I wake up in the morning, I want to wake up, unlike my last school where I want to sleep in and not go to school...

Junaid and her sisters reactions to the school surprise their parents.

The girls father, Junaid Qurashi, told VOA: Our children, they love going to school, to the point that even if they are tired or sick or have the flu, they will not stay home from school. To the point that we worry why kids come home so happy. Are they really learning things?

No homework

Students ages 5 to 15 attend the experimental Khan Lab School. It has no grade levels and no homework. The students are in school from 8:30 in the morning until six oclock at night. And, the school is open all year long, with small breaks here and there.

Nine-year-old Holly Thompson enjoys going there.

"You get to choose what you learn, and it's not just a teacher hands you a worksheet and tells you what to do. You get to set your own goals. You have a schedule. You go to different classes."



The school is the idea of Salman Khan, the founder of Khan Academy  famous for its educational videos. The videos are available on the internet free of charge and have millions of users around the world.

Khan said he started Khan Lab School because he thinks the current education system has problems. He hopes to create a better learning model.

Where I see the future going is somewhat revisiting the past. Theres a lot of really good things about the one-room schoolhouse that you might have had in the rural areas that you still have today in a lot of places where you have mixed-age classrooms...

He said this system lets the older students take responsibility and help younger students. That means the younger children get a lot of help. They get the help of the teacher and the older students.

Personalized learning

Khan said students also learn the study material at their own speed through videos. And, they get more attention through one-on-one discussions with teachers. They also learn by doing projects.

Malika Junaid noted a change in her daughters after they began attending the school. She said that, after six months, they seemed sure of their abilities. They are now not afraid to talk to adults and other students and now they always want to help.

The schools director, Dominic Liechti, said this way of learning better prepares students for the future. He said the duties of a teacher need to change from leading the class to being someone who guides students in their learning, and provides individual support. A teacher is also a life-long learner, he said, not just someone who gives presentations.

Leichti also said the role of students is becoming more creative.

Work in progress

Salman Khan describes his Khan Lab School as a work in progress.

Like a R-and-D lab [research and development lab], the first time that you make the drug or the first time that you make the material, Khan said. Its not scalable yet, but you need to make it the first time and say 'thats a pretty strong material.' And then you can think about how do you make it so that its more affordable and more scalable.

Dominic Liechti says the community in the Mountain View area has been open to this new method to educating students.

Especially in Silicon Valley because thats the culture that you can start something, he said. You can pioneer something, and people join that movement, and I feel that amongst my staff.

Liechti says he has that same feeling amongst his students and members of the community.

Im Alice Bryant.

Elizabeth Lee wrote this story for VOANews.com. Alice Bryant adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

flu - n. the flu, also called influenza, is common disease that is used by a virus. It causes high body temperature, weakness, and breathing problems

grade - n. a level of study that is completed by a student during one year

scalable - adj. easy to make larger or more powerful

pioneer - n. a person who helps create or develop new ideas or methods
Lawyers for convicted killer drunk driver Marco Muzzo are arguing that the family of the three children and grandfather who died at Muzzos hands should not be entitled to more than a third of the damages they are seeking in a $25-million lawsuit.

In a statement of defence for the deadly 2015 car crash in Vaughan, Muzzo and his familys drywall business, which is also being sued, admit liability for the collision but say they want a trial for an assessment of the damages.

They argue that the family of the victims should not be eligible to receive all of the damages they are seeking because Muzzo has already been punished by being imprisoned.

The plaintiffs damages, if any, should be reduced by the amount of any collateral benefits they received or are entitled to, says the brief statement of defence, filed in Superior Court.

The plaintiffs are not entitled at law to recover punitive or exemplary damages in view of Muzzos criminal conviction and lengthy incarceration in a penitentiary arising from his conduct leading to the subject accident.

Their argument would target at least $10 million being claimed by the plaintiffs.

Muzzo, whose family is worth nearly $1.8 billion according to Canadian Business magazine, pleaded guilty last year to several counts of impaired driving causing death and bodily harm and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Daniel Neville-Lake, 9, Harrison, 5, and Milagros, 2, along with their 65-year-old grandfather Gary Neville, were killed in September 2015 when a drunken Muzzo blew through a stop sign and crashed his Jeep Cherokee into the minivan being driven by the childrens grandmother, Neriza Neville.

She was seriously injured along with her mother, Josefina Frias.

Muzzo had been returning home after landing in a private jet from his bachelor party in Miami, court heard after he pleaded guilty.

A toxicologist found that Muzzo would have had between 190 and 245 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood at the time of the collision, nearly three times the legal limit.

He is being sued by the childrens parents, Edward Lake and Jennifer Neville-Lake, as well as by Jennifers mother Neriza Neville, brother Jonathan and sister Josephine.

None of the allegations in the plaintiffs statement of claim have been proven in court. They are requesting that the civil trial be heard by judge and jury. Their new lawyer, Wendy Sokoloff, declined to comment for this article. Muzzos civil lawyer did not return a request for comment for this article.

Muzzos family company Marel Contractors is also being sued. The plaintiffs allege that the company owned Muzzos vehicle.

They also alleged in their statement of claim last year that Marel was negligent by failing to ensure the vehicle was fit to be driven on public roadways, including making sure that the brakes were in proper working order. The defendants denied the negligence allegations in their statement of defence.

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In a muddy trench where the North Market once stood, archeologists Peter Popkin and David Robertson scan for clues about a long-buried structure: shards of ceramic and brick mingled with stone remnants give a hint of an elaborate network of drains built in the early 1830s to serve the butchers who once sold meat on this spot.

This pit  and the rest of this extensive dig at Front and Jarvis Sts., across from St. Lawrence Market  is providing a rare glimpse back in time to the earliest origins of Torontos foodie industry, which has grown over two centuries to become the $17-billion-a-year behemoth it is today, encompassing everything from artisanal butcher shops to grocery giants.

The North Market remains the only piece of property in the entire city that has been used continually for a single function  food retailing  since its inception in 1803, notes Robertson, a partner with ASI.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Toronto was a colonial outpost, scarcely more than a garrison, a small commercial district around what today is Parliament and King Sts., with a population of fewer than 9,000 people. The colonial administrators needed a market zone and chose a spot on the harbour.

Since then, at least five separate market buildings  constructed successively in 1820, 1831, 1851, 1904 and 1968  have occupied the property, once abutting the Lake Ontario shoreline before landfill stretched the city farther south.

All would have been equally important to public life in York at the time, says Popkin, a senior archeologist with Golder Associates, noting that in the markets early period, there was no other place in the city to buy fresh food. Its a living site.

And it will continue to be so  following the demolition last fall of the single-storey farmers market built in 1968, a striking $91.5-million four-storey glass-and-steel, city-owned market building is slated to be constructed at the location. In the meantime, the archeological excavation ordered by the city will unearth and document the past. (The total cost of demolishing the old North Market and excavating the site is pegged at $2.7 million.) A team of up to 10 archeologists and heavy equipment operators will be digging up the site until at least March. It depends on what we find and how much hand excavation we have to do, says Popkin.

The citys heritage interpretation plan, which sets out how the sites history will be preserved, proposes that the ground and mezzanine floors of the new building include interpretive panels, artifacts, images of the previous markets and possibly embedded markers indicating the location of old walls, according to the citys supervisor for archeology, Susan Hughes. We do archeology and its important, but we have to share the findings.

To date, the crew has exposed the massive foundations of three earlier market buildings as well as cellars used by butchers to store their produce, plus a range of artifacts, including sheep and cattle bones bearing saw marks, shards of pottery, meat hooks, clay pipes and a glass bottle produced for J.J. McLaughlin, the Toronto pharmacist who invented Canada Dry ginger ale in the 1890s.

In the construction trailer that serves as the project office, Robertson shows off a triangular shard of earthenware with a pale blue design found earlier this week  in all likelihood, a piece from a bowl or plate. The merchants and farmers were here all day, says Popkin, and they would probably be eating their lunch and dinner. They would have had their own dishes.

This project marks the latest in a remarkable series of major digs. For decades, Toronto was notorious for demolishing heritage structures and allowing recognized archeological sites, such as the original parliament, to languish. That changed after council approved an ambitious archeological management plan in 2004. Since then, downtown projects have included the Georgian row house Bishops Block, on Wellington St., next to the Shangri-La Hotel; Torontos first General Hospital, on the site of what is now the TIFF Bell Lightbox; and the Stanley Barracks, next to the new hotel rising on the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds.

Last year, under a parking lot next to city hall slated to become home to a new $500-million provincial courthouse, a crew led by archeologist Holly Martelle found hundreds of thousands of artifacts from what would have been a dense immigrant enclave. Those discoveries included the foundations of a black church established in the 1840s by African Americans who fled slavery.

All these projects are yielding public exhibits and, in the case of the Stanley Barracks, the preservation of the foundation walls. Infrastructure Ontario, the provincial agency building the courthouse, is working with the city on a commemoration and preservation strategy for the artifacts found under the parking lot.

These recent projects have caught the attention of international archeologists, hundreds of whom are in the city this weekend for the annual Archeological Institute of Americas conference. A public session about major recent digs in Toronto is on the conference agenda.

Historian and archeologist Karolyn Smardz Frost, an adjunct professor at Acadia University who has written extensively about the Underground Railroad and black history in Canada, points out that besides the markets role in the local food industry, it provided a venue where some of Torontos earliest African-American residents established businesses. A number of the citys African-American immigrants had stalls in the market that burned in 1849, she says.

Excavations and historical research conducted to support the dig have revealed how the citys food industry drove engineering innovations related to public health.

In the 1830s, because of a high water table and poor construction, merchants complained to city officials about damp warehouse spaces, flooded cellars and leaks that destroyed their produce. The two-storey quadrangular structure built in 1831  attached to St. Lawrence Hall, then the seat of local government  was fitted with drains feeding into a vaulted main sewer designed to remove standing water and the organic refuse of a busy meat market. Similar infrastructure was found under the Toronto General Hospital site on King West, says Robertson, who worked on that project. They understood the need for cleanliness.

The 1851 market, constructed following a fire that razed many buildings in the area, was a larger I-shaped structure fitted out with covered stalls facing onto Market and Jarvis Sts., east and west of the building.

Half a century later, with city hall set to move to Queen and Bay Sts. and a market redevelopment plan in the works, municipal officials embarked on a fact-finding mission to New York, Philadelphia, Montreal and other metropolitan centres with large wholesale and retail food markets. They returned with news of cutting-edge cold storage facilities with refrigeration provided by cold brine pipe systems that freed up valuable space once used to store lake ice.

The Market Commission recommended that the proposed south market, now St. Lawrence, be fitted with cold storage technology. The north and south buildings  originally linked by an arch that would be removed in 1954  created a critical mass, attracting farmers and merchants from across southern Ontario to establish distribution hubs in the market.

Popkin and Robertson say the North Market reveals the connections between some of the citys other recent archeological projects, where evidence of Torontos early food-related consumer culture  everything from bones to flatware and packaging  has been found in privy pits. The market, Popkin says, is where the food would have originated.

As with other excavations, the archeologists overseeing the dig will have to store the vast majority of the artifacts that arent exhibited. While city council last year adopted a policy to have archeological discoveries found in the city stored or displayed here, the bulk will remain under lock and key, as is the case with some 150,000 historical objects in two city warehouses. The continuing accumulation of such materials has prompted numerous calls for the establishment of a Toronto museum.

A market timeline

1803: Upper Canadas lieutenant-governor, Peter Hunter, designates the site, then on the lakeshore, as a public marketplace.

1820: The first market consisted of a 14-by-11-metre wooden shambles that contained 22 butchers stalls. As the city grew, it quickly outgrew this temporary facility.

1831: Architect James Cooper designed a two-storey brick quadrangle with a triple-arched entrance on the north side. After the founding of the city of Toronto in 1834, the newly established municipality moved into a vacant granary space on the second floor, overlooking King St. One 1833 evaluation claimed the state-of-the-art market had no equal in any other North American city.

1851: As the city began planning a new municipal building in 1844, officials decided to redevelop the market as well. The I-shaped structure contained a 61-metre-long arcade, with shops opening off both sides, as well as other general stores facing onto Front St. According to Popkin, the area around the market became a magnet for taverns, inns and dubious businesses.

1904: Following the recommendations of the 1899 Market Commission, the city completed the south and north markets in 1902 and 1904 respectively. The massive 106-by-44-metre north market, made from brick and stone walls, a glass roof and heavy iron girders, was designed so farmers could drive their wagons directly inside. It had 10 entrances on the east and west sides for wagons, and two at either end so people who want to come into the market can do so without having to thread their way between the various teams, as Toronto Telegram publisher John Ross Robertson observed in 1908. A giant vaulted structure over Front St. linked the two markets, while rail spurs from tracks running along the Esplanade led directly into the south building.

1968: Mayor William Dennison opened the much more modest single-storey farmers market. Just three years later, however, the city threatened to demolish St. Lawrence Market to create a parking garage. A public outcry led the city to shelve those plans, paving the way for the revival of St. Lawrence as a foodie haven.

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BAGHDADA wave of attacks in and around Baghdad on Sunday killed at least 23 people, the latest in a series of assaults blamed on Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

A suicide car bomb ripped through a wholesale market in the sprawling Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City, killing at least seven people and wounding 15, said Brig. Gen. Saad Maan, the Interior Ministry spokesman. He said a member of the security forces spotted the bomber and opened fire but was unable to prevent the attack.

A policeman and two medical officials gave a higher toll, saying 16 people were killed in the attack and another 47 wounded.

At a hospital where victims of the attack had been taken, a body exploded inside a morgue refrigerator. The medics said it appeared to have been a second attacker who was killed by shrapnel from the first explosion.

Daesh claimed the attack, saying it was targeting Shiites. The Sunni extremist group views Iraqs Shiite majority as apostates deserving of death.

Elsewhere in the city, a suicide bomber killed nine shoppers and wounded 16 others at a fruit and vegetable market in a mainly Shiite neighbourhood. Three additional bombings in and around the capital killed seven people and wounded 24 others.

Police and medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

Daesh has carried out a string of bombings in Baghdad over the past week, killing dozens of people. A suicide bomber struck Sadr City last week, killing more than 40 people.

The latest attacks come as Iraqi forces are trying to drive Daesh militants from the northern city of Mosul in a massive operation launched in mid-October. In recent days, troops have pushed closer to the Tigris River, which splits the city in half.

Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, fell to Daesh in the summer of 2014, when the militants swept over much of northern and western Iraq.

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NEWTOWN, PA.A Pennsylvania woman whose dismembered 14-year-old daughters remains were found in the woods last fall has been charged along with her boyfriend with killing the girl in what officials are calling a rape-murder fantasy the couple shared, a prosecutor said Sunday.

The hours and the days leading up to her murder were probably the most horrible and traumatic that any person should ever have had to experience, said Bucks County District Attorney Matthew.

Sara Packer and Jacob Sullivan face nearly two dozen charges including criminal homicide, rape, kidnapping and abuse of a corpse over the July death of Grace, according to online court documents.

Jacob Sullivan was arraigned early Sunday; 41-year-old Packer was to be arraigned Sunday afternoon.

Sullivan, 44, apologized as he was led into court early Sunday, the Intelligencer newspaper reported.

Im sorry for what I did, he told reporters. It was wrong.

Grace, who had been adopted by Sara Packer, was beaten, raped, poisoned and left for dead in a Quakertown attic, Weintraub said.

Sullivan choked the girl to death hours later when he found her still alive, he said.

Investigators say the couple packed Graces body with cat litter to mask decomposition smells and stored it in the attic. Officials allege they dismembered the body in October after being scared by a police visit.

The girls torso was found by two hunters in a Luzerne County park on Oct. 31; K-9 teams found the legs and arms nearby, the criminal complaint said.

Packer had previously been charged with child endangerment and obstruction. Police say she provided misleading information to investigators when reporting that Grace was missing from their Abington home in July.

Authorities say after numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact Packer through August, on Sept. 7 investigators learned Grace and her younger brother had been withdrawn from Abington School District. The investigation later revealed Packer had moved to Quakertown without telling police, and her 12-year-old adopted son, Graces biological brother, had been enrolled in Quakertown School District.

When somebody goes missing, we expect people are going to work with us to try to identify that person, try to identify where she is. That didnt happen, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said last month.

Authorities said Packer kept cashing her daughters monthly $700 Social Security checks, and updated the disability forms in August without mentioning the girls disappearance. It wasnt clear what Graces disability was.

After they murdered her, they maintained the pretense of Grace being alive so that they could continue to profit off of her existence, Weintraub said.

According to a criminal complaint, Sullivan and Packer made a suicide pact and attempted to overdose on prescription pills on Dec. 30. Both were hospitalized after being found by a woman who lived with them.

Prosecutors said Sullivan began confessing to the killing overnight Friday into Saturday to workers at the hospital where he was being treated.

Sullivan was ordered held without bail.

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Oil industry leaders and experts have conflicting opinions about what the policies of U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump could mean for the oil industry.

Low oil prices have hurt profits for leading oil companies in recent years. However, prices are rising again, creating other problems.

Jack Gerard is president of the American Petroleum Institute, a group that represents the oil industry.

Gerard notes that Trump has promised to change regulations and reform taxes. He says that could help energy companies and lead to more oil industry jobs.

Gerard said Americas oil and natural gas industries support 9.8 million jobs. He thinks the industry could create hundreds of thousands of additional jobs if what he called smart regulation was put in place. He says the smart rules would replace ones that appear to duplicate existing measures or are in competition with them.

Other observers say some of Trumps proposed policies and his statements present problems for international oil markets.

Diane Munro is an oil industry expert. In December, she wrote a story for the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, DC. The non-profit group aims to increase understanding of the Gulf States in the United States.

Munro wrote that some of Trumps statements present, in her words, a cauldron of contradictions. For example, Trump has strongly criticized the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. The agreement eases many economic restrictions on Iran in return for limits on its nuclear activities. The president-elect said he would consider canceling the deal.

Munro wrote that Trump also has threatened to ban oil imports from the Middle East, accusing oil producers there of unfairly controlling prices. Statements against the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have been considered unfriendly to Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia, she noted.

Munro added that such statements are likely to cause concern or rattle the oil market. They also might hurt already the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia, which she described as fraying.

Trumps choice for secretary of state called oil-centric

At least one nominee for Trumps cabinet has strong ties to the oil industry. His choice for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, retired as chief executive officer at ExxonMobil earlier this month. Tillerson is to receive a retirement deal valued at $180 million from his former employer.

Gerard praised the nomination as world class. He said Tillersons skills can represent the nation well.

But Munro called the choice oil-centric. She wrote the nomination appears to show the growing influence of Russia on U.S. policy. She said this will create a mixed message for Americas Middle East allies.

Tillerson has good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Under his leadership, ExxonMobil has developed oil projects in Russia and also in the South China Sea, with Vietnam.

Oil prices have been rising since OPEC members announced a deal to reduce production in late November.

OPEC has historically had a difficult time enforcing its agreements, however. It is difficult to predict how the cartels latest move will affect prices this year.

Im Mario Ritter.

Jim Randle reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story



regulation  n. an official rule about how something should be done

duplicate  v. to make something that is basically a copy of something else

contradict  v. to make the opposite argument

cauldron  n. a large pot used to mix things in, often magical potions

cartel  n. a group that fixes prices among members of a group of producers
Canadas sesquicentennial in 2017 provides a historic opportunity to confront the grave injustices and colonial oppression that have defined relationships with the indigenous populations of Canada throughout our history.

Canada at 150 is an open invitation to envision and then inaugurate an authentically holistic Canada that recognizes and accommodates the centrality of indigenous peoples in our history and for the future.

As obvious as this should be in the wake of the devastating findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and much earnest rhetoric and some sporadic actions notwithstanding, there is no evidence that the federal government has any intention to mark our sesquicentennial by systematically confronting in a substantive or comprehensive manner this enduring blight on our history and our standing as a nation.

On the contrary, there is every indication that the federal government views our sesquicentennial as a modern version of Canadas halcyon 1967 centennial celebration.

It is noteworthy that Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada was generally absent in the run up to the sesquicentennial. The leadership is in the hands of Canadian Heritage and Minister Melanie Joly who has been busily hyping 150th Anniversary of Confederation festivities.

On Dec. 31, celebrations were launched with memorable activities and exciting performances held in a total of 19 centres across the country. Canadians are urged to mark this exceptional occasion by discovering Canadas rich cultural, linguistic, and geographic diversity.

And while Canada 150s Pan Canadian Signature Projects includes Indspire, a unique Indigenous-led charity that focuses on supporting Indigenous education, and funded to showcase the Idspire Youth Laureates Cross Canada Tour in highly interactive panel discussions in seven cities, these projects are similar to other celebratory initiatives in that they are theoretical and sterile, neither capable nor intended to address the shameful truth of the matter: a vile legacy of residential schools, broken treaty relationships and obligations, multiple youth suicides, missing and murdered indigenous women, and well documented third world housing, infrastructure and social conditions in many indigenous communities.

To mount sesquicentennial celebrations of an antiseptic mythology, seemingly oblivious to these staggering realities, exacerbates and perpetuates injustice.

While the Canadian governments 2017 initiatives can be best described as academic, Canadas universities, in some cases coincidental with Canadas sesquicentennial and in others as defined sesquicentennial projects, are providing leadership that is a template for what could and should be the governments Canada 150 indigenous agenda.

In view of the cultural genocide identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its 94 calls to action, many Canadian universities have acknowledged these findings as a moral imperative by adopting policies and programs that prioritize reconciliation.

These efforts were recognized in a recent edition of The Atlantic, which lauded Canadian universities for their principled response to the Commissions conclusions and noted the concrete steps that have been taken to overcome systemic obstacles to indigenous higher education.

The tangible and substantive polices and programs that have been adopted by universities include: preferential hiring for indigenous scholars and staff, enhanced scholarships and bursaries for indigenous students, new indigenous-focused courses and degree requirements, creation of indigenous student centres, such as the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, establishment of endowed chairs in indigenous culture, spirituality and reconciliation, and fellowships to financially support indigenous graduate students.

The initiatives taken by Canadas universities, enthusiastically promoted by their association Universities Canada, demonstrate for government that the 150th anniversary of confederation can and should go well beyond the self-congratulatory, exclusionary, collective amnesia that is promulgated by Canadian Heritage.

The governments 1967 centennial redux approach foregoes the unique perspective and opportunity provided by this historic moment in the nations history to fundamentally confront the past and inaugurate an authentically holistic Canada.

Canada at 150 represents a historic opportunity for this adolescent country to finally grow up; to accept responsibility for and address the racism, neglect and indifference that are an enduring malaise in the nations soul.

We can begin by committing to meet our legal, financial and moral obligations to indigenous peoples. We can demand that politicians honour both the letter and the spirit of treaties and court decisions, to expend, as John Ralston Saul urges in The Comeback, the considerable resources required, and to consult and work with indigenous peoples to address substantial deficits in education, housing, health care and opportunities that are the fruits of a sorry history.

This could be a profoundly meaningful and inspiring sesquicentennial challenge that would summon and inspire Canadians of all ages and positions to engage in this grand national project. The potential nobility of a Canada made whole obliges us to settle for nothing less.

Terrence J. Downey is president of St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon.

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As I sat chilling in a tea shop in India, a man ran from store to store yelling he is here. My friend, the shop owner, quickly gathered and dispatched his cash. The local early-warning-system for the tax collector had been activated. The tax auditor was making the rounds.

The first few businesses audited take a hit, but the neighbourhood watch made sure the majority evaded taxes. Conservative estimates suggest that for every rupee collected in taxes in India, at least two rupees remain outstanding. Compare this to $2 evaded for every $10 collected in the U.S.

So, on Nov. 8th, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared all 500 and 1,000 rupee notes non-legal tender in a bid to clamp down on corruption and black money, I rooted for him. People had until Dec. 31st to convert the notes to newly minted 2,000 rupee notes in regulated tranches. Large deposits were flagged and taxed.

The bombshell pronouncement without any public warning  intended to catch cash hoarders before they laundered their loot  effectively took out of circulation 86 per cent of the active currency notes. Dubbed by the government as a surgical strike against crooks, the Indian Supreme Court characterized it as a carpet bombing of the average Indian and ordered the government to alleviate the suffering. Ironically, Modis party had previously attacked the Congress governments attempt to demonetize in 2014 as strongly anti-poor.

Demonetization is a much-lauded policy with long-term benefits for economies, especially if the inevitable short-term fallout is better managed and any inside information abuse is curbed.

For starters, it can result in more disclosed incomes and higher tax capture. Indeed, any number more than the current 1 per cent of Indians paying taxes will be a huge boon. With economists predicting as much as $45 billion (U.S.) in additional taxes, there would be plenty to cover the government deficit and increase spending on education, health, and housing.

The banks are also expected to benefit from the increased liquidity. In fact, in the first week alone, new deposits reached $44 billion (U.S.) and millions of people opened bank accounts.

Digital payment system registrations also increased, possibly contributing to better tracking. Moreover, economic activity should also increase (after the initial slowdown due to uncertainty, panic and poor execution) as people move cash into the formal economy.

Predictably, many including the European Union. welcomed the move in the name of improved transparency and economic growth.

Sadly though, it brought chaos to an economy where more than 85 per cent of wages and 90 per cent of transactions were cash-based. Though the long bank lineups have now diminished in urban areas, dozens of deaths, massive disruption, lost income, cash flow problems and lost jobs have put a damper on the initial enthusiasm on the Indian streets, but many of the hardest hit continue to stand by the prime minister as he connects with their deep frustrations over corruption.

Modi initially appealed for patience and 50 days. His New Years Eve message of short-term pain for long term gain, has resonance with a population that is used to, in Modis words, sacrifice to cleanse the system. Indeed, ritually offering oneself for a greater cause is a dominant virtuous theme in much of the East.

Unfortunately, the pain does not appear to be going away anytime soon. It may get worse before it gets better. The lower consumption is having a domino effect on sales, production and the overall economy. In fact, for the first time in 2016, Indian manufacturing as measured by the purchasing managers index (PMI) contracted in December.

In truth, corruption and tax evasion (arising from bribery, under-reporting, false invoicing etc.) is far from over. At best this policy may only capture a tiny fraction of the illegal funds. The rich, of course, have resources to absorb inconveniences. In fact, many hired the poor to convert their cash and one investigative news outlet pegs the profiteering from leaked inside information at $12 billion.

If Modi was serious, in the words of esteemed economist Jayati Ghosh, he could have taken the most obvious steps  such as taking a strong line on the known illegal accounts held in Swiss banks and tax havens, or ending the ability to hold shares without revealing your identity, or making funding of political parties transparent.

The patriot or fraudster binary coupled with the underlying religious shame and pain theme favours Modi. Though the clear lesson is that simple populist policies sound good in theory, but their execution may not be as smooth and may even backfire on those who can least afford it.

Faisal Kutty is counsel to KSM Law, an associate professor at Valparaiso University Law School in Indiana and an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. @faisalkutty.

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Late in 2016, Prime Minister Trudeau spoke to elementary teachers in Toronto about the importance of education and how his experiences in the classroom shaped his thinking. As a former teacher, he should understand that for long-term impact, teachers lesson plans should focus on how to think rather than what to think. Thats why teachers (and parents) should renew their emphasis on teaching children critical thinking for 2017.

Individual teachers lesson plans dont usually make international news but one in San Francisco calling president-elect Donald Trump a racist and sexist man who became president by pandering to a huge racist and sexist base did just that soon after the U.S. election.

And although it did not directly reference the results of the U.S. election, the Toronto District School Board  Canadas largest  issued a news release entitled Addressing the Recent Incidents of Racism and Hate in our City. It said that school administrators had been instructed to contact the Toronto Police Service to investigate all incidents of hate.

Of course, hate crimes should be reported. School boards must ensure fairness, equity and inclusion and be leaders in empowering communities to challenge bias and promote and celebrate diversity. And the most effective way to do this is to teach students how to think  critically.

Teachers must ensure every classroom is safe and conducive to learning for all students. Lesson plans, however, are a teachers professional description of learning that is to take place in that classroom. According to Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, authors of Understanding by Design, instruction should focus on big ideas and skills so students can transfer learning to other settings. While it is common for teachers to share lesson plans, it is the responsibility of each teacher to think critically about how those lessons are designed and evaluate their appropriateness for their own students.

Critical thinking might be defined as the process of analyzing and evaluating an issue in order to form a judgment. It is much more difficult to do than define and even harder to teach. However, it is an essential skill and necessary for citizens to effectively exercise their rights and responsibilities.

Teaching students to think critically often results in lively debate as they come to realize people think differently. Teachers must model how to disagree productively and empower students to defend their beliefs passionately but respectfully while working toward change.

By focusing on big ideas and skills, teachers empower students to use what they learn beyond school.

As a student, I experienced a masterful example of teaching for critical thinking when I studied the two World Wars in a high school history class. My teacher planned her lessons to enable us to respond to this final exam question: It has been said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Discuss using examples from this course.

Her approach forced us to analyze and evaluate the events we had studied in order to form a judgment about the effects power might have on any leader  a skill that has come in handy on many occasions.

Recently, I wondered how the leader of a revolution to overthrow a dictator might come to be regarded as a dictator himself? I have also been contemplating how the effects of power might be influencing our own governments attitude toward electoral reform and cash  for  access fundraisers.

When in third place, The Liberal Party campaigned on the need for electoral reform and promised that if elected, 2015 would be the last under the first-past-the-post voting system. After they were elected to a majority government under this system, they seemed to backtrack. Might a partys preference for an electoral system be influenced by how much power it has?

When taking power, Prime Minister Trudeau promised his party would   uphold the highest standards of integrity and impartiality both in our public and private affairs. Might being in power affect how a government defines integrity and impartiality?

Thankfully, my teachers believed in the importance of critical thinking and were able to find ways to use their subject matter to encourage it by asking big questions and teaching students the skills that enabled them to think about those questions critically. By doing this, they made sure I had the skills to question the words and actions of any leader  no matter how popular  and act accordingly.

It seems to me that in this fake news and post-truth age, the need to teach critical thinking is only growing in urgency. As a teacher, I hope the Prime Minister agrees.

Catherine Little is a Toronto-based educator and consultant who writes about parenting, education and diversity.

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No city in the country would want to be in Vancouvers shoes right now. The municipality is in the midst of an illicit drug overdose epidemic that killed 128 people in November alone  an average of more than four deaths a day.

Indeed, in the first 11 months of last year, the overdose crisis was responsible for 755 deaths, up 70 per cent from the same period in 2015, with some addicts actually overdosing multiple times a day.

The main culprit for the upswing? Fentanyl. That drug alone, which is 100 times more toxic than morphine, was responsible for 374 overdose deaths between January and October, up 194 per cent over the previous year.

If the fentanyl epidemic resembles earlier drug usage patterns, its only a matter of time until it hits Toronto. Be ready, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson warned Mayor John Tory.

Thats why its so troubling that Ottawa and Queens Park are frustrating the citys efforts to open three safe injection sites by dragging their heels on approval and funding.

Both levels of government need to recognize the looming crisis and act quickly before the epidemic hits Toronto with a vengeance. Toronto Councillor Joe Cressy, chair of Torontos drug strategy panel, says the city needed approval yesterday.

While its true Toronto that got its applications for the three sites into Health Canada only in early December, considering the urgency the holdup is unconscionable and perplexing.

Health Minister Jane Philpott is already on record as publicly supporting supervised injection sites and has also said she would scrap the Harper governments Respect for Communities Act, which created the arduous application process on which Toronto is now awaiting approval.

So why the delay? Cressy says the city has jumped through all the acts required legal hoops, so approval should have been automatic. Further, the city has the support of the public, police, council and health officials to open the sites.

The province doesnt seem to recognize the urgency of the situation, either. A spokesman for Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins told the Star the province was working with the city to review the funding request. But its simple. Toronto needs a one-time grant of $350,000 to build cubicles and a waiting room in each location and $1.8 million in annual operating costs to get them up and running. This is a very small amount to invest to save lives, Tory rightly points out.

Time is of the essence.

While Toronto doesnt track drug overdoses in real time as Vancouver does, there are signs the drug overdose crisis is fast approaching. Between 2004 and 2014 Toronto witnessed a 77-per-cent increase in overdose deaths. And in 2014 alone there was a record 258 overdose deaths.

Just as worrisome is the changing makeup of the citys drug scene. Last year Toronto police seized more than three kilograms of fentanyl, up dramatically from the approximately 350 grams it confiscated the year before. And officers say the drug is turning up more often now as pills disguised as Oxycontin and powder, rather than as fentanyl patches. The danger is that users  addicts and recreational users alike  are unaware when drugs like heroin and cocaine are cut with fentanyl.

The situation is so serious that on Monday Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Torontos acting medical officer of health, will chair the first in a series of monthly meetings aimed at preventing an increase in overdoses. Among those planning to attend the Toronto overdose surveillance and alert partnership are the mayor, paramedics, police, harm-reduction advocates and hospital officials.

The goal is to get ahead of  and if possible to prevent  the kind of overdose epidemic that Vancouver is experiencing. The obvious first step is to get the safe injection sites open. This is not a time for the federal and provincial governments to be dilly-dallying.

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Re: Time to curb CEO pay, Editorial Jan. 4

Time to curb CEO pay, Editorial Jan. 4

Thanks to the Star and to Hugh Mackenzie of the Centre for Policy Alternatives for the mind-boggling news about how much CEOs make while normal working stiffs get the shaft. Again. The suggestion that special tax breaks for proceeds on stock options should end is a good one. Will it be in the next federal budget. Holding your breath?

And isnt it cheerful news that successive federal governments have pressed on with their corporate-friendly plans to put an end to defined benefit pensions for those workers and retirees who managed to bargain and negotiate such security and dignity for their retirement years? Were told nearly half of the top CEOs enjoy defined benefit pensions. And at age 65 theyre getting over a million dollars. Outrageous!

Those retirees under attack by government and employers are told they should opt out of secure pension plans. There is a role for government: act promptly to curtail the outrageous incomes and pensions enjoyed by the corporate elite. Defend the retirement dignity of working Canadians. Stop the attacks on defined benefit pensions.

Bruce Diana Rogers, Lindsay

So very sad that Michael Pearson, CEO of Valeant Pharmaceuticals international has a salary that is 193 times more than the average Canadian. And to think he and his company pride themselves on making millions at the expense of too many vulnerable people addicted to pain killers.

So much talk about restricting opioids/fentanyl but no thought to removing them off the market. Goodness knows that would hurt their profits.

Melanie Kohek, Whitby

When will Premier Wynne realize there is a better way than to try to juggle funds, example, selling the tax payers hydro assets or subsidizing hydro bills with no revenue source to pay for it.

The present such sizable number of corporate elite million and multi million dollar salaries is money withdrawn from the communities without any restriction.

To restore this balance in the community our premier should levy a special tax on million-dollar salaries in order to reduce the extreme distortion in the economy by repatriation.

It may be remembered that a couple of years ago the drop in price of gas produced a notable spurt to the economy due to a improvement in the middle-class community. Similarly a drop in tax would do the same thing, something none of our economists have been capable of doing over eight years.

From the time of invention of steam power followed by the industrial revolution, the government has been looked to by labour for legistrative support re working conditions in their fight with management for humane working conditions.

Kate should be aware present conditions are as dire as any in last 200 years and provide the required leadership If she is looking for election material she wouldnt find much better.

A.H. Coote, Mississauga

We read recently that the hydro CEO Ontario has a base salary of $4 million a year. How does a person deserve a wage like that? It is about time Ontarians had a revolt. Especially when people cannot afford to pay their hydro bills and the CEO is living in the lap of luxury.

Give the lowly retirees and poor families a break. Its about time we have some leaders that know how to run a province. Our incomes do not increase like the taxes.

Rosalie Chidwick, Amaranth

It seems that the worst part of this problem, whereby CEOs earn the average Ontario wage in only two days, could be solved by requiring all companies to pay their CEOs their entire annual salary on Dec. 31 each year.

Patrick Cowan, North York

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Re: Property tax debates are political reality, Jan. 5

Property tax debates are political reality, Jan. 5

As a Toronto taxpayer I am happy that my property taxes are low but as a Toronto resident I am tired of seeing our City and its services failing to meet our needs and the needs of our more vulnerable fellow citizens in particular.

John Torys answer is to demand more money from the federal and provincial governments  though I appreciate their grants to the City, it would not be unreasonable if they said raise more taxes yourself before coming to us.

If I lived outside Toronto I would certainly resent the fact that Toronto appears to be getting away with charging very low property taxes while crying poor and refusing to impose fees on things like vehicle registrations that the province has already approved.

Its time to raise Torontos property taxes.

David S. Crawford, Toronto

Now that we are into a new year it is time to reflect on some of the decisions that our politicians have made in the past year. Our mayor is faced with the need to raise money through the use of tolls on our roadways. Our provincial government seems to support this idea, while not supporting the idea of photo radar.

The question that needs to be asked is: why as a law-biding taxpayer should I have to pay extra for the use of public roads in order to go to work, while others continually break the law by speeding? Their speeding in many cases results in accidents and death costing millions of dollars in insurance claims, police and other emergency responders all of which again impacts on my tax dollars.

I dont object to paying my fair share, even road tolls if there is no other alternative. But it seems ridiculous that those persons who chose to break the law do not pay.

The police are busy trying to cut their budget by reducing the number of police stations and staff commenting that any non-emergency calls will no longer be answered. Clearly that sounds like the end of what is called Community Based Policing.

Its time to take a closer look at how money is spent not just on the police, but all emergency responders.

James Clark, Pickering

John Tory has been providing damaging lip service to his political supporters by refusing to raise property taxes. The fairest form of paying for transit and infrastructure is to reach into your own pocket and pay for what is your own responsibility. Toronto has had its turn at low taxes. Its time to put political bologna aside and man up to the mayors ultimate difficult responsibility  to lead Toronto into a successful financial future as a livable city. And not based on a re-election, I didnt raise taxes, platform.

Bill Steele, Oshawa

True, but the tax is made up of the rate and the value and Toronto has by far the highest values in Ontario. The result is that the average tax is probably the highest, especially when the provincial education tax (PET) is included.

Never heard of the PET? Thats because Mike Harris forbade the city or any other municipality to mention it.

Property taxes are virtually the same as when they were started well over 100 years ago and do a very poor job of capturing ability to pay. That isnt about to change because the people who control the change are largely people who benefit from the current system.

David Vallance, Toronto

A recent online headline included the following sentences: Toronto has the lowest property taxes in Ontario. So how are we going to pay for stuff?

You were asking the wrong question. The correct question is Why should everybody else pay for our stuff?

M.I. Wakefield, Hamilton

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Health workers in Zimbabwe are helping people with mental health problems through a new program. Experts say the treatment could serve as a model for other countries in Africa.

Doctors estimate that about one quarter of Zimbabweans suffer from depression or anxiety. But there are only 12 psychiatrists in the country of 14 million people. Psychiatrists are doctors who treat mental or emotional problems.

The University of Zimbabwe, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Kings College London worked together to create a new kind of treatment.

Dr. Victoria Simms works at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.



We cant possibly go the route of training psychiatrists and psychologists because it would take 15 years. How are we going to provide treatment?



So, doctors created a simple but effective program. They placed wooden seats  which they call Friendship Benches -- outside several health clinics in the city of Harare. Dr. Simms says people were given the chance to meet on the benches for six sessions with health workers. They call these workers grandmother health providers.





So the patient explains what all their problems are and its opening up the mind in the sense of allowing the patient to see that they can do something about their problems.



The Friendship Bench study involved more than 550 patients. After six months, only 14 percent of the patients in the Friendship Bench group said they were still depressed. That compares to 50 percent of those who did not receive treatment. Those who received the treatment were also five times less likely to have suicidal thoughts.

Dr. Dixon Chibanda is with the University of Zimbabwe. He is one of the founders of the Friendship Bench program. He told VOA that the program has many benefits.



Not only a mental health sort of package, but a package that actually improved outcomes of things like hypertension, diabetes and, and adherence to medication for people living with HIV.



Friendship Benches are now placed in 60 clinics in Harare and two other cities.

The Canadian government is helping to pay for the programs expansion through its Grand Challenges Canada aid program.

Researchers say the program could be a model for mental health efforts in poor areas as well as in wealthier countries.

Im John Russell.

Correspondent Henry Ridgwell reported this story from London. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted his report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

depression  n. a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way

anxiety  n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

psychiatrist  n. a doctor who treats mental or emotional disorders; a doctor of psychiatry

psychologist  n. a scientist who specializes in the study and treatment of the mind and behavior; a specialist in psychology

treatment  n. something that deals with a disease, injury, etc., in order to make someone feel better or become healthy again; medical care

patient  n. a person who receives medical care or treatment

benefit  n. a good or helpful result or effect

adhere to  phrasal verb to act in the way that is required by (something, such as a rule, belief, or promise)
Millersburgs population has nearly tripled since 2000 due to an increase in new houses in the area, and more single family homes are on the way thanks to an improving economy.

The small town had more than 100 housing permits issued in 2016, up from 46 in 2015 and 38 in 2014. Twenty years ago, the city had six such permits issued.

And some of the homes currently being built in Millersburg are in subdivisions approved years ago, but development stalled due to the recession.

Regardless, open fields are being replaced with houses in the small town just north of Albany, said Barbara Castillo, city administrator/recorder.

While many of the new residents are great people and assets to the community, That country feeling is going away, Castillo added.

Millersburgs population stood at 651 in 2000, according to U.S. Census figures. In July, it was estimated to be 1,730, according to the Portland State University Population Research Center.

That growth of nearly 166 percent in the time period ranks second in Oregon behind Happy Valley in Clackamas County, which saw its population surge from 4,500 to 18,500, an increase of 310 percent, PSU figures indicate.

Millersburg was incorporated in 1974 to keep Albany from annexing the Wah Chang metal processing plant.

Clayton Wood, the town's outgoing mayor, chuckled about how, with its early industrial roots, Millersburg used to be criticized heavily by the state for having too many companies and not enough residences.

We dont have quite as many people living here as we have working here, but the rate its going, well match that in no time, Wood said.

There are good things and bad things about growth. I think theres room for a lot more people yet, he added.

While Wood acknowledged there are critics of growth, he said many of them had a bit of NIMBY motivation  not in my backyard.

People that come, they want to be the last one in here, and then they try to keep the next one from coming, Wood said.

Developer Ed Perlenfein has lived in Millersburg since 1976 and built a 78-home subdivision west of Millersburg City Park on what used to be his cow pasture.

He said that newcomers who are opposed to growth shouldnt have moved to town in the first place.

The population has been growing. There has to be housing. And Millersburg just happens to be sitting at the right spot at the right time, added Perlenfein, who has been on the Millersburg Planning Commission for 40 years.

Perlenfein said the city is situated along Interstate 5 and is an easy drive for people working anywhere from Salem to Corvallis to Eugene.

Were so close to Albany I can even have a pizza delivered out here. Its convenient, Perlenfein said.

Its also cheaper to buy a new house in Millersburg compared to surrounding communities, in part because its cheaper to build, and the town is known for large lots, he said.

Pam McLagan said that she and her husband Bill McLagan moved to Millersburg about a decade ago because they wanted a newly constructed home with a large lot, so they could have a shop on their property.

The growth, she said, seemed inevitable even a decade ago. We could tell it was all laid out and ready to go and we knew this was going to happen, McLagan added.

Shed like to see more services in Millersburg, which only has the Firehouse Corner Deli & Market selling snacks and other items to locals.

One of the citys goals for the next five years is to create a commercial district for residents. A property behind City Hall was originally earmarked for commercial development, and that is still a possibility, Castillo said.

McLagan and her husband werent sure about a proposed Loves Travel Stop & Country Store for Millersburg, saying they were concerned about impacts to traffic.

Dominique Smalley, who has lived in Millersburg most of her life, and whose grandparents have lived in town for nearly six decades, recalled when there were hardly any houses in the area.

Now there are so many. Its insane, she said, as she shopped at the Firehouse Corner Deli & Market last week.

Still, Millersburg was far better than Albany for her. You still get to have peace and quiet here, Smalley added.

And despite the growth, that remains one of the major selling points for new residents.
The following companies are subsidiares of Ecolab: AO Ecolab, Abednego Environmental Services, Abednego Environmental Services LLC, Abednego Mexico Holdings LLC, Abednego de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Alcide Corp., Anios America S.A., Anios Diffusion SAS, Anios Manufacturing SAS, Aqua Environmental Limited, Bioquell, Bioquell Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Bioquell Global Logistics (Ireland) Ltd., Bioquell Holding SAS, Bioquell Inc., Bioquell Limited, Bioquell SAS, Bioquell Technology (Shenzhen) Ltd., Bioquell Technology Canada Ltd., Bioquell UK Limited, Bro-Tech Limited, CALGON LLC, CID LINES NV, CID Lines, CID Lines Beijing Animal Hygiene Co Ltd., CID Lines France Sarl, CID Lines Iberica SL, CID Lines LLC, CID Lines Mexico S.A. DE C.V., CID Lines R&D NV, CID Lines Sp. z o. o., CORPAK MedSystems, Cascade Water Services, Champion Technologies, Chamtech L.L.C., Chemlawn, Chemstar Corporation, Cirlam BVBA, Copal Holding NV, Copal Invest NV, Cymru Holdings Limited, DERYPOL SA, DMD, E&M Bio-Chemicals LLC, ECOLAB NL 10 B.V., ECOLAB PEST FRANCE SAS, EPN Water Col Ltd., Ecolab (Antigua) Ltd., Ecolab (Aruba) N.V., Ecolab (Barbados) Limited, Ecolab (China) Investment Co. Ltd, Ecolab (Fiji) Pty Limited, Ecolab (GZ) Chemicals Limited, Ecolab (Guam) LLC, Ecolab (Proprietary) Limited, Ecolab (Schweiz) GmbH, Ecolab (St. Lucia) Limited, Ecolab (Taicang) Technology Co. Ltd., Ecolab (Trinidad and Tobago) Unlimited, Ecolab (U.K.) Holdings Limited, Ecolab A.E.B.E., Ecolab AB, Ecolab AU2 Pty Ltd, Ecolab Acquisition LLC, Ecolab ApS, Ecolab Argentina S.R.L., Ecolab Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Ecolab B.V., Ecolab Bahrain S.P.C., Ecolab CDN 2 Co., Ecolab CDN 4 ULC, Ecolab CH 1 GmbH, Ecolab CH 2 GmbH, Ecolab CH 3 GmbH in Liquidation, Ecolab CH 6 GmbH, Ecolab Chemicals Limited, Ecolab Co. Compagnie Ecolab, Ecolab Colombia S. A., Ecolab DE 1 GmbH, Ecolab Deutschland GmbH, Ecolab Digital Center Private Limited, Ecolab EOOD, Ecolab East Africa (Kenya) Limited, Ecolab East Africa (Tanzania) Limited, Ecolab East Africa (Uganda) Limited, Ecolab Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Ecolab Engineering GmbH, Ecolab Europe GmbH, Ecolab Export GmbH, Ecolab FR 1 SAS, Ecolab FR 4 SAS, Ecolab Finance Company Designated Activity Company, Ecolab Food Safety & Hygiene Solutions Private Limited, Ecolab G.K., Ecolab Global Business Services LLC, Ecolab GmbH, Ecolab Gulf FZE, Ecolab HK 1 Limited, Ecolab HK 2 Limited, Ecolab Hispano-Portuguesa S.L., Ecolab Holding Italy S.r.l., Ecolab Holdings (Europe) LLC, Ecolab Holdings Inc., Ecolab Holdings Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., Ecolab Hygiene Kft., Ecolab Hygiene d.o.o., Ecolab International SDN BHD, Ecolab Israel Holdings LLC, Ecolab JVZ Limited, Ecolab Korea Ltd., Ecolab LLC, Ecolab LUX & Co Holdings S.C.A., Ecolab LUX 1 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 2 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 4 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 7 Sarl, Ecolab LUX Sarl, Ecolab Limited, Ecolab Ltd., Ecolab Lux 10 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 12 SCA, Ecolab Lux 13 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 14 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 15 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 16 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 17 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 9 Sarl, Ecolab Lux Partner LLC, Ecolab MT Holdings LLC, Ecolab MT Limited, Ecolab Malta 1 Limited, Ecolab Malta 2 Limited, Ecolab Malta GPS, Ecolab Manufacturing IE Limited, Ecolab Manufacturing Inc., Ecolab Manufacturing UK Limited, Ecolab Maroc Societe a Responsabilite Limitee, Ecolab NL 11 B.V., Ecolab NL 15 BV, Ecolab NL 16 B.V., Ecolab NL 23 B.V., Ecolab NL 3 BV, Ecolab Name Holding Limited, Ecolab New Zealand, Ecolab Peru Holdings S.R.L., Ecolab Pest Deutschland GmbH, Ecolab Philippines Inc., Ecolab Production Belgium B.V., Ecolab Production France SAS, Ecolab Production Italy Srl, Ecolab Production LLC, Ecolab Production Netherlands B.V., Ecolab Production Poland sp. z o.o., Ecolab Pte. Ltd., Ecolab Pty Ltd., Ecolab Quimica Ltda., Ecolab S. de R.L. de C.V., Ecolab S.A., Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Ecolab SAS, Ecolab SIA, Ecolab SNC, Ecolab SRL, Ecolab Sdn Bhd, Ecolab Services Argentina S.R.L., Ecolab Services Malaysia SDN. BHD., Ecolab Services Poland Sp. z o, Ecolab Sociedad Anonima, Ecolab Sp. z o, Ecolab Spain Services S.L.U., Ecolab Temizleme Sistemleri Limited Sirketi, Ecolab U.S. 2 Inc., Ecolab U.S. 6 LLC, Ecolab U.S. 7 LLC, Ecolab US 1 GP, Ecolab USA Inc., Ecolab Viet Nam Company Limited, Ecolab Water Holding LImited, Ecolab a.s., Ecolab d.o.o., Ecolab s.r.l., Ecolab s.r.o., Ecolab y Compania Colectiva de Responsabilidad Limitada, Ecolab-Importacao E. Exportacao Limitada, Ecolabone B.V., Ecolabtwo B.V., Endoclear Equipamentos Medicos Hospitalares Ltda., Enviroflo Engineering Limited, Food Protection Services, GCS Service, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd., GallayTrac Pty. Ltd., Georgia-Pacific - Paper Chemicals Business, Gibson Chemical Industries, Green Harbour Mainland Holdings Ltd, Henkel-Ecolab, Hicopla SL, Holchem Laboratories, Huntington Laboratories, Hydenet SAS, INTERNATIONAL WATER CONSULTANT B.V., Immobiliare R.E.O.P.A. SRL, Instrunet Hospital SLU, Jianghai Environmental Protection Co., Jianghai Environmental Protection Co. Ltd., KATAYAMA NALCO INC., Kay BV, Kay Chemical Company, LHS (UK) Limited, Laboratoires Anios, Laboratoires Anios S.A.S., Laboratoires Anios-Distribution SAS, Les Produits Chimiques ERPAC Inc., Lobster Ink, Lobster Ink Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Lobster International S.A., MOBOTEC AB LLC, Master Chemicals OOO, Meratech Rus Group LLC, Microtek Dominicana S.A., Microtek Italy S.R.L., Microtek Medical B.V., Microtek Medical Holdings, Microtek Medical Holdings Inc., Microtek Medical Inc., Microtek Medical Malta Holding Limited, Microtek Medical Malta Limited, Midland Research Laboratories, NALCO (SHANGHAI) TRADING CO. LTD., NALCO AB, NALCO ACQUISITION ONE, NALCO ACQUISITION TWO LIMITED, NALCO AFRICA (PTY.) LTD., NALCO ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., NALCO BELGIUM B.V., NALCO CHINA HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO COMPANY OOO, NALCO DANMARK APS, NALCO DE MEXICO S. de R. L. de C.V., NALCO DELAWARE COMPANY, NALCO DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, NALCO DUTCH HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO EGYPT LTD., NALCO EGYPT TRADING, NALCO ESPANOLA MANUFACTURING S.L.U., NALCO ESPANOLA S.L., NALCO EUROPE B.V., NALCO FINLAND MANUFACTURING OY, NALCO FINLAND OY, NALCO FRANCE SAS, NALCO FRANCE SNC, NALCO GLOBAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO GLOBAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO HOLDING B.V., NALCO HOLDING COMPANY, NALCO HOLDINGS G.m.b.H., NALCO HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, NALCO HONG KONG LIMITED, NALCO INDUSTRIAL OUTSOURCING COMPANY, NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (NANJING) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (SUZHOU) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (THAILAND) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES CHILE LIMITADA, NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO INVESTMENTS U.K. LIMITED, NALCO ISRAEL INDUSTRIAL SERVICES LTD, NALCO ITALIANA HOLDINGS S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA MANUFACTURING S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA SrL, NALCO KOREA LIMITED, NALCO LIMITED, NALCO MANUFACTURING BETEILIGUNGS GMBH, NALCO MANUFACTURING LTD., NALCO NETHERLANDS B.V., NALCO OSTERREICH Ges m.b.H., NALCO OVERSEAS HOLDING B.V., NALCO PAKISTAN (PRIVATE) LIMITED, NALCO PHILIPPINES INC., NALCO PORTUGUESA (QUIMICA INDUSTRIAL) UNIPESSOAL LDA, NALCO PWS INC., NALCO SAUDI CO. LTD., NALCO TAIWAN CO. LTD., NALCO TWO INC., NALCO U.S. HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO UNIVERSAL HOLDINGS BV, NALCO WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, NALTECH INC., NANOSPECIALTIES LLC, NLC PROCESS AND WATER SERVICES SARL, Nalco (BN) SDN BHD, Nalco (China) Environmental Solution Co. Ltd., Nalco Anadolu Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Nalco Canada ULC, Nalco Company LLC (1), Nalco Contract Operations LLC, Nalco Deutschland Manufacturing GmbH, Nalco Japan G.K., Nalco Libya, Nalco Middle East FZE, Nalco Polska Sp. z o. o., Nalco Production LLC, Nalco Real Estate GmbH, Nalco Schweiz GmbH, Nalco US 1 LLC, Nalco Wastewater Contract Operations Inc., Nalco Water India Private Limited, Nalco Water Pretreatment Solutions LLC, Nalco Worldwide Holdings S.a.r.l./B.V., National Wiper Alliance Inc., Nigiko, Nuova Farmec S.r.l., Oksa Kimya Sanayi A.S., Oy Ecolab AB, PT Ecolab International Indonesia, PT Ecolab Technologies and Services, Purate business - AkzoNobel, Purolite, Purolite (China) Co. Ltd., Purolite (Int.) Ltd, Purolite (Pty) Ltd, Purolite AG, Purolite GmbH, Purolite Ileri Kimyasal Ticaret Ltd, Purolite KK, Purolite LLC, Purolite Ltd, Purolite NZ Limited, Purolite Private Limited, Purolite Pte. Ltd., Purolite Pty Ltd, Purolite S. de R.L. de C.V., Purolite SAS, Purolite SRL, Purolite do Brasil Ltda, Purolite s.r.o., Purolite sp. z o.o., Purolite C Corporation, QazSorbent LLP, Quantum Technical Services LLC, Quimicas Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Quimiproductos S.A. de C.V, RP Adam Ltd, Research Fumigation Co., Royal Pest Solutions, Shield Holdings Limited, Shield Medicare Limited, Soluscope International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Soluscope SAS, Swisher Hygiene, TechTex Holdings Limited, Technical Textile Services Limited, Terminix, Ultrafab, VanBaele Hygiene AG, Wabasha Leasing LLC, Zhe Jiang Purosoft Home Appliances Sale Co Ltd, and vanBaerle Hygiene AG.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Quanta Services: (De) Lazy Q Ranch LLC, 1 Diamond LLC, 1Diamond AS, 618232 Alberta Ltd., 8246408 Canada Inc., Advanced Electric Systems, Advanced Electric Systems LLC, Advanced Utility Testing & Maintenance LLC, Alexander Publications LLC, Allteck GP Ltd., Allteck Limited Partnership, Apprenticeship Programs Inc., Arby Construction, Arcanum Chemicals LLC, Arnett & Burgess Oil Field Construction Limited, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners (Rockies) LLC, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners Ltd., B&N Clearing and Environmental LLC, Banister Pipelines Constructors Corp., Banister Pipelines Constructors GP Ltd., Banister Pipelines Limited Partnership, Brent Woodward Inc., Brink Constructors Inc., Brink Constructors Inc. A Corporation Of South Dakota, Brown Engineering and Testing, CAT SPEC Ltd., CAT-SPEC Limited Partnership, CAT-SPEC Limited Partnership (Regd Name) CAT SPEC Ltd., CAT-Spec Limited Partnership, Canadian Utility Construction Corp., Cat Spec Limited LP, Cat Spec Ltd, Cat Spec Ltd. L.P., Cat Spec Ltd. LP, Cat Spec. Ltd. LP, Cat-Spec Ltd (A Domestic limited Partnership), Cat-Spec Ltd LP, Cat-Spec Ltd., Cat-Spec Ltd. L.P., Cat-Spec Ltd. LP, Cat-Spec Ltd. Limited Partnership, Catalyst Changers Inc., Chatham Electric, Citadel Industrial Services L.P., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd. L.P., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Coe Drilling Pty Ltd., Computapole, Conam Construction Co., Consolidated Power Projects Australia Pty Ltd, Conti Communications Inc., Crux Subsurface Canada Ltd., Crux Subsurface Inc., Cutting Technology - 1 Diamond LLC, DB Utilities Inc., DE Lazy Q Ranch LLC, DNR Pressure Welding Ltd., Dacon Corporation, Dashiell (DE) Corporation (Dashiell Corporation), Dashiell Corporation, Dashiell Corporation DBA Dashiell (DE) Corporation, De Mears Group, De Mears Group Inc., Delaware Quanta Technology LLC, Delaware Underground Construction Co., Didado Utility Company Inc., Digco Utility Construction L.P. Digco Utility Construction Limited Partnership, Dorado Specialty Services L.P., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd. L.P., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Dorado Specialty Services. Ltd. L.P., Driftwood Electrical Contractors, EHV Power ULC, ELITE PIPING & CIVIL L.P., ELITE TURNAROUND SPECIALISTS LTD, Elite Fabrication Ltd. Elite Fabrication LP, Elite Piping & Civil Limited Partnership, Elite Piping & Civil Limited Partnership, Elite Piping & Civil Lp, Elite Piping & Civil Ltd L.P., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd. L.P., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd. Limited Partnership, Elite Piping and Civil L.P., Elite Turnaround Specialists L.p., Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Lp, Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Partnership, Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Partnership, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd Lp, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd., Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. L.P., Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. LP, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. Limited Partnership, Energy Consulting Group LLC, Enscope, Enscope Pty Ltd, FIC GP LLC, Field Personnel Services LLC, First Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC, First Infrastructure Capital GP L.P., Five Points Construction Co., G-Tek, G-Vac, GEM Engineering Co., Grand Electric Inc., Great Lakes Line Builders, Grid Creative Inc., Grid Manufacturing Corporation, Grid Training Corporation, H.L. Chapman Pipeline Construction Inc., Haverfield Aviation, Haverfield Aviation Inc., Haverfield International Incorporated, Heritage Midstream LLC, IM Electric Inc., IUC ILLINOIS LLC, IUC Nebraska LLC, InfraSource Construction LLC, InfraSource Field Services LLC, InfraSource Services LLC, InfraSources Construction LLC, Infraestructura ETP de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V, Infrasource Engineering Company PC, Infrasource Iowa Underground LLC, Infrasource Of Pa LLC, Integracion Tecnologica del Peru SAC, Intermountain Electric Inc., Intermountain Electric Inc. A Corporation of Colorado, IonEarth LLC, Irby Construction Company, Irby Construction Company Inc., Iron Mountain M.J. Electric LLC, Island Mechanical Corporation, J.C.R. Construction Co. Inc., J.C.R. Utility Construction Co., J.W. Didado Electric Inc., J.W. Didado Electric LLC, J.w. Didado Electric, JBT Electric LLC, Kingston Contracting Inc., Lazy Q Ranch LLC, Lazy Q Training Center LLC The Lazy Q Lineman School, Legend Foundation Services, Lex Engineering Ltd., Lindsey Electric L.P., Logical Link, Longfellow Drilling, M. G. Dyess Inc., M. J. ELECTRIC LLC IRON MOUNTAIN, M. J. Electric LLC, M. J. Electric LLC - Iron Mountain, M. J. Electric LLC DBA M. J. Electric Iron Mountain LLC, M.J. Electric LLC DBA M.J. Electric Iron Mountain, M.J. Electric LLC Iron Mountain, MTS Field Services, MTS Field Services (Richmond Co), MTS Quanta LLC, Manuel Bros. Inc., Marathon Construction Services, Mears Canada Corp., Mears Equipment Services LLC, Mears Group Inc., Mears Group Pty Ltd, Mears Installation LLC, Mearsmex S. de R.L. de C.V., Mejia Personnel Services LLC, Mercer Technical Services, Microline Technology Corporation, Mid America Energy Services Inc., NACAP Niugini Ltd., NC Northstar Energy Services Inc, NGI Construction, NGI Construction Inc., NGI Construction Inc. (FN), NLC CA. Inc., NLC FL. Inc. Northwest Lineman Center, NLC ID. Inc. Northwest Lineman College, NLC TX. Inc., NPC Energy Services LLC, Nacap Australia, Nacap PNG Limited, Network Communication Services, North Houston Pole Line L.P., North Houston Pole Line Limited Partnership, North Sky Communications, NorthStar Energy Services Inc., Northern Powerline Constructors Inc., Northstar Energy Solutions LLC, Northwest Lineman Center, Northwest Lineman College, Northwest Lineman Training Center, Northwest Lineman Training Center Inc., Nova Constructors LLC, Nova Constructors LTD, Nova Equipment Leasing LLC, Nova Group Inc, Nova Group Inc (CA), Nova Group Inc., Nova Group Inc. DBA NGI Construction, Nova NextGen Solutions LLC, O. J. Pipelines Canada Corporation, O. J. Pipelines Canada Limited Partnership, O.J. Industrial Maintenance, O.J. Pipelines Canada, One Call Locators Canada Ltd., P.D.G. Electric, PAR Electrical Contractors Inc., PDG Electric Co., Par Internacional S. de R.L. de C.V., Performance Energy Services Guyana Ltd., Performance Energy Services L.L.C., Phasor Engineering Inc., Phoenix North Constructors Inc., Phoenix Power Group Inc., Potelco Inc., Potelco Incorporated, Power Delivery Program Inc., Price Gregory International Inc., Price Gregory Services LLC, Probst Construction Inc., Probst Electric Inc., QEPC, QEPC Power Solutions LLC, QES GP LLC, QP Energy Services LLC, QPS Engineering LLC, QPS Engineering LTD., QPS Engineering PLLC, QPS Environmental, QPS Flint Construction, QPS Flint Tank Services, QPS Global, QPS Global Services, QPS Global Services (Richmond Ci), QPS Professional Services, QPSE, QS Mats, QSI Engineering Inc., QSI Finance (Australia) Pty Ltd., QSI Finance (Cayman) Pvt. Ltd., QSI Finance Canada ULC, QSI Finance GP (US) LLC, QSI Finance I (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., QSI Finance I (US) LP, QSI Finance II (Australia) Pty Ltd., QSI Finance II (Lux) S.a r.l, QSI Finance II (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., QSI Finance III (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance III (Lux) SARL, QSI Finance IV (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance IX (Canada) Limited Partnership, QSI Finance V (US) L.P., QSI Finance VI (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance VII (Canada) Limited Partnership, QSI Finance VIII (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance X (Canada) ULC, QSI Inc., QSN Lux Holdings I SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings II SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings III SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings IV SCSp, QTSL LLC, QUANTA FOUNDATION SERVICES, Quanta APL GP II Ltd., Quanta Asset Management LLC, Quanta Associates L.P., Quanta Aviation Services LLC, Quanta Canada GP ULC, Quanta Canada Holdings III Limited Partnership, Quanta Canada Holdings LP, Quanta Canada III GP Ltd., Quanta Capital GP LLC, Quanta Capital LP L.P., Quanta Capital Solutions Inc., Quanta Cares, Quanta EPC Services, Quanta Electric Power Construction LLC, Quanta Electric Power Construction Management Inc., Quanta Electric Power Services LLC, Quanta Electric Power Services West LLC, Quanta Energized Innovations Ltd., Quanta Energized Services U.S. LLC, Quanta Energized Services of Canada Ltd., Quanta Energy Services LLC, Quanta Environmental Solutions, Quanta Equipment Company LLC, Quanta Government Solutions Inc., Quanta Holdings I (Netherlands) B.V., Quanta Holdings II (Netherlands) B.V., Quanta Infraestructura de Chile SpA, Quanta Infrastructure Services LLC, Quanta Infrastructure Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Quanta Inline Devices LLC, Quanta Inspection Services, Quanta Insurance Company Inc., Quanta International Holdings (US) LLC, Quanta International Holdings II Ltd., Quanta International Holdings Ltd., Quanta International Limited, Quanta Kingsvale LP Ltd., Quanta Lines Pty Ltd., Quanta Maine Services LLC, Quanta Middle East LLC, Quanta Pipeline Services Inc., Quanta Power Australia Pty Ltd, Quanta Power Generation Inc., Quanta Power Inc., Quanta Power Solutions India Private Limited, Quanta Resource Development, Quanta Services Africa (PTY) Ltd., Quanta Services Australia Pty Ltd., Quanta Services Chile SpA, Quanta Services Colombia S.A.S., Quanta Services Costa Rica Ltda., Quanta Services Guatemala Ltda., Quanta Services International Holdings II LP, Quanta Services International Holdings LP, Quanta Services Management Partnership L.P., Quanta Services Netherlands B.V., Quanta Services Panama S. de R.L., Quanta Services Peru S.A.C., Quanta Services Puerto Rico LLC, Quanta Services of Canada Ltd., Quanta Subsurface Canada Ltd., Quanta Subsurface LLC, Quanta Tank Services, Quanta Technology Canada ULC, Quanta Technology LLC, Quanta Technology UK Ltd., Quanta Tecnologia do Brasil Ltda., Quanta Telecom, Quanta Telecom Services, Quanta Telecommunication Services, Quanta Telecommunication Services LLC, Quanta Telecommunications Services LLC, Quanta Underground Services, Quanta Underground Services (Culpeper Co), Quanta Underground Services (Spotsylvania Co), Quanta Underground Services Inc., Quanta Utility Engineering Services Inc., Quanta Utility Installation Company Inc., Quanta Utility Operation LLC, Quanta West LLC, Quantecua Cia. Ltda., R. R. Cassidy Inc., RMS Holdings LLC, RMS Holdings LLC (Delaware), RMS Welding Systems, RMS Welding Systems LLC, Ranger Directional, Realtime Engineers Inc., Realtime Utility Engineers Inc., Redes Andinas de Comunicaciones S.R.L., Riggin & Diggin Line Construction, Rms Welding LLC, Rms Welding Systems LLC, Road Bore Corporation, Ryan Company Inc. The, Ryan Company Inc. of Massachusetts, Ryan Company Inc.(The), Seaward, Seaward Corp, Seaward Corporation, Service EC (DE) Inc., Service Electric Company (DE), Service Electric Company Inc., Service Electric Company of Delaware, Servicios Par Electric S. de R.L. de C.V., Servicios de Infraestructura del Peru S.A.C., Southwest Trenching Company Inc., Specialty Tank Services L.P., Specialty Tank Services LP, Specialty Tank Services Limited Partnership, Specialty Tank Services Limited Partnership, Specialty Tank Services Ltd., Specialty Tank Services Ltd. (LP), Specialty Tank Services Ltd. L.P., Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, Specialty Tank Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold General LLC, Stronghold Holdings (BVI) Limited, Stronghold Inspection L.P., Stronghold Inspection Limited Partnership, Stronghold Inspection Limited Partnership, Stronghold Inspection Lp, Stronghold Inspection Ltd L.P., Stronghold Inspection Ltd., Stronghold Inspection Ltd. L.P., Stronghold Inspection Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Limited Partnership, Stronghold Ltd., Stronghold Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Management Holdings LP, Stronghold Specialty General LLC, Stronghold Specialty Ltd., Stronghold Specialty Ltd., Stronghold Specialty Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Tower Group LP, Stronghold Tower Group Ltd LP, Stronghold Tower Group Ltd., Stronghold Tower Group Ltd. LP, Stronghold VI LLC, Subterra Damage Prevention Specialists Ltd., Summit Line Construction, Sumter Utilities Inc., T. G. Mercer Consulting Services Inc., TA Construction, TC Infrastructure Services Ltd., Taylor Built, Texas Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, The Aspen Utility Company LLC, The ComTran Group Inc., The Hallen Construction Co. Inc., The Massachusetts Ryan Company Inc., The Ryan Company Inc Of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Inc., The Ryan Company Inc. (Massachusetts), The Ryan Company Inc. of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Incorporated of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Of Massachusetts Inc., The Ryan Company of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company of Massachusetts (FN), Tom Allen Construction Company Inc., Tom Allen Construction Company of Delaware, Trans Tech Electric, TurnKey Automation Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Ltd., TurnKey Automation Ltd. Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Ltd. Limited Partnership, TurnKey I&E Ltd., Turnkey Automation Ltd. L.P., Turnkey Automation Ltd. LP., UCC Underground Construction Co. Inc., Ucc - Underground Construction Co., Underground Construction Co. Inc., Underground Construction Co. Inc. (Delaware), Underground Electric Construction Company LLC, Utilco Inc., Utility Fleet Services, Utility Line Management Services Inc., Utility Testing & Maintenance LLC, Utility Training Services Corporation, VALARD Polska sp. Z o.o., Valard, Valard, Valard Construction (Ontario) Ltd., Valard Construction (Quebec) Inc., Valard Construction 2008 Ltd., Valard Construction Australia Pty Ltd, Valard Construction LLC, Valard Equipment (AB) Ltd., Valard Equipment GP Ltd., Valard Equipment Limited Partnership, Valard Geomatics (Ontario) Ltd., Valard Geomatics BC Ltd., Valard Geomatics Ltd., Valard Mechanical Ltd., Valard Norway AS, Valard Sweden AB, Valard Zagreb d. o. o., Wade D. Taylor Inc., West Coast Communications, Winco Helicopters, Winco Inc., Winco Inc. an Oregon Based Corporation, Winco Powerline Services, Winco Powerline Services Inc., Winco Powerline Services Inc., Winco Services Inc., World Fiber Inc., and mmit Line Construction Inc..

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Ally Financial Inc., a digital financial-services company, provides various digital financial products and services to consumer, commercial, and corporate customers primarily in the United States and Canada. It operates through four segments: Automotive Finance Operations, Insurance Operations, Mortgage Finance Operations, and Corporate Finance Operations. The Automotive Finance Operations segment offers automotive financing services, including providing retail installment sales contracts, loans and operating leases, term loans to dealers, financing dealer floorplans and other lines of credit to dealers, warehouse lines to automotive retailers, and fleet financing. It also provides financing services to companies and municipalities for the purchase or lease of vehicles, and vehicle-remarketing services. The Insurance Operations segment offers consumer finance protection and insurance products through the automotive dealer channel, and commercial insurance products directly to dealers. This segment provides vehicle service and maintenance contract, and guaranteed asset protection products; and underwrites commercial insurance coverages, which primarily insure dealers' vehicle inventory. The Mortgage Finance Operations segment manages consumer mortgage loan portfolio that includes bulk purchases of jumbo and low-to-moderate income mortgage loans originated by third parties, as well as direct-to-consumer mortgage offerings. The Corporate Finance Operations segment provides senior secured leveraged cash flow and asset-based loans to middle market companies; leveraged loans; and commercial real estate product to serve companies in the healthcare industry. The company also offers commercial banking products and services. In addition, it provides securities brokerage and investment advisory services. The company was formerly known as GMAC Inc. and changed its name to Ally Financial Inc. in May 2010. Ally Financial Inc. was founded in 1919 and is based in Detroit, Michigan.
- Talanta Awards began its 2017 turf by visiting the lake city of Kisumu on Saturday, January 7

- It was highlighted by Dj Mo, J Blessings, Esther Liana, Ecko Dyda, MC Alphy, Talanta UK director Judy GG and a host of other celebrities

- The program traverses Kenya in search of talented youth and mentoring them till they reach their full potential

A few weeks ago, Talanta awards held it grand finale in Mombasa in a fierce battle between 40 contestants picked from all over Kenya.

The Talanta talent search judges at the grand finale in Mombasa

READ ALSO: Heavy security at the late MP's Eldoret home ahead of his funeral

The goal was to crown three winners at the end of the night before mentoring them to unfurl their full potential.

A young girl in her teens, Gladys, was among the three winners of the night who will get to go on tour abroad showcasing their talent.

Some of the contestants

READ ALSO: Uhuru Kenyatta's kin reveals why he'd never pay tax to Uhuru's government

Meg Waruri who birthed the Talanta Awards programme told TUKO.co.ke that the winner, Gladys, had a story just before her win.

She was a homeless girl who had been contemplating death before the talent search that discovered her.

That notwithstanding, she wowed and stunned the judges in Mombasa emerging as one of the three winners.

The Talanta talent searches are conducted in rural Kenya where the top four contestants qualify for the grand finale and a 3-day boot camp where they interact with directors, judges and top gospel musicians.

Meg Waruri, the brains behind Talanta awards

READ ALSO: Martha Karua throws her weight behind Fred Matiangi amid claims that KSCE results were fake

So far, Talanta awards is in Europe, United States, Africa and the Middle East. The overall winners get to tour these destinations during events.

Have anything to add to this article? Shoot us an e-mail at news@tuko.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke
In 2016 the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) managed to return more than UAH 100 million and to prevent embezzlement of more than UAH 500 million.

This has been reported on NABU's Facebook page.

"During 2016 the NABU managed to return more than UAH 100 million to the accounts of state companies and to prevent the embezzlement of more than UAH 500 million. We continue to work for positive changes to become irreversible," reads a statement.

As Ukrinform reported, the NABU is investigating 13 proceedings into the facts of providing false information in e-declaration.

ish
On Wednesday night, the National Symphony Orchestra ventured out of the Kennedy Center into the wide world of Washington. Well, its musicians ventured all the way to Arena Stage: from one cultural temple to another. But the chamber concert that the orchestras concertmaster, Nurit Bar-Josef, and three colleagues played that night was the official start of the sixth annual iteration of NSO in Your Neighborhood, the community initiative, continuing through Monday, that brings the orchestra to schools, coffee shops, nursing homes and community centers in the city  this year, to venues in Southeast and Southwest.

Diversity and community outreach are two of orchestras biggest watchwords these days as they try to overturn entrenched perceptions of orchestras as a white elitist bastion. In the NSOs case, outreach is a part of the orchestras tradition after several decades of an American Residency program that took the orchestra to some 30 states, from South Dakota to West Virginia. When those grew too expensive, the orchestra, perhaps more sensibly, began cultivating its own back yard  more sensibly because local access bears at least the possibility of some kind of continuity, of creating something more than a one-off experience, which is one of the biggest challenges for all community outreach programs.

In order to have impact, there needs to be consistency, says Warren G. Williams, the NSOs manager of community relations. There are opportunities to build stronger connections if we have more points of contact during the year.

The orchestra, he said, is considering a year-round version of NSO in Your Neighborhood involving chamber concerts with some of the orchestras partners, such as the restaurant/coffee shop Busboys and Poets, where a small group of musicians played as part of a poetry slam last year. We have plans to continue the format of the week-long residency, but expand it so its not in isolation, Williams added.

[NSO treks to West Virginia to serve up classical music.]

A mistake that many observers make in considering such programs is to misconstrue their point as essentially promotional, by saying, erroneously, that they only work to the degree to which they drum up new ticket-buyers for the orchestras core Kennedy Center programming. Those in charge of these programs around the country, including Williams, are aware that their function is more basic and perhaps less quantifiable: simply, in Williamss words, to create a new window for an audience member. Its not always even about changing perceptions of an orchestra, though that is part of the goal: It can be as simple as just getting an orchestra on peoples radar.

So many people have been left out of some of the most beautiful important things in society, Williams says. People have just not been at the table. . . . What were hoping to do is just open it up [and] create an opportunity for people to experience the beauty that orchestras can create. If you experience that beauty, nobody can take that from you.

In addition, and very smartly, the orchestra is also recognizing the interactive potential of the community relationships its developing  the importance of listening as well as giving. Williams says that some of the orchestras new community partners are also serving as focus groups to test ideas not just about the Neighborhood initiative, but about the orchestras programming in general. Is this the right direction? What things matter to people? Williams says, as examples of the kinds of questions that the focus groups might address. This has been a hard nut to crack, and we havent solved it.

These questions certainly surface when it comes to the relatively basic conundrum of figuring out, when your goal is outreach, what to play. Often, the outreach programming seems to consist of watered-down music that, while lighter than standard classical fare, isnt necessarily more appealing if it also isnt very good.

Wednesday nights program consisted of a single work: Claude Bollings Suite for Violin and Jazz Piano Trio, written in the 1970s for Pinchas Zukerman. The goal of the opening concert, Williams says, is to appeal to the broadest audience possible, demonstrating that classical musicians can perform music thats fun for everybody. Im not sure, though, that Bollings suite, beguiling though it may be for aficionados with its easy-listening traversal of a range of dance styles, from gavotte to Slavonic dance to Hora, is that much fun for the uninitiated, who might find in it confirmation of stereotypes about classical music being a long slog to sit through. Still, the playing was delightful; Bar-Josef introduced it all delightfully and conversationally; and the audience broke into appreciative applause between movements and when it was over.


Fake news is a real thing  as evidenced by these wholly invented stories created in Macedonia with the intent of fooling U.S. audiences. But the phrase is now being used as a catch-all insult and has lost its meaning.  (Raphael Satter/AP)

When Jim DeMint wanted to dis a TV interviewers suggestion that Obamacare has merits as well as flaws, the former senator and tea partyer used a handy putdown: You can put all that under the category of fake news.

When conspiracy theorist Alex Jones wanted to deny a CNN report that Ivanka Trump would take over the East Wing offices traditionally occupied by the first lady, he used the same label.

And when a writer for an arch-conservative website needed a putdown for ABCs chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl, he reached for the obvious: fake-news propagandist.

Fake news has a real meaning  deliberately constructed lies, in the form of news articles, meant to mislead the public. For example: The one falsely claiming that Pope Francis had endorsed Donald Trump, or the one alleging without basis that Hillary Clinton would be indicted just before the election.

But though the term hasnt been around long, its meaning already is lost. Faster than you could say Pizzagate, the label has been co-opted to mean any number of completely different things: Liberal claptrap. Or opinion from left-of-center. Or simply anything in the realm of news that the observer doesnt like to hear.

The speed with which the term became polarized and in fact a rhetorical weapon illustrates how efficient the conservative media machine has become, said George Washington University professor Nikki Usher.

As Jeremy Peters wrote in the New York Times: Conservative cable and radio personalities, top Republicans and even Mr. Trump himself . . . have appropriated the term and turned it against any news they see as hostile to their agenda.

So, heres a modest proposal for the truth-based community.

Lets get out the hook and pull that baby off stage. Yes: Simply stop using it.

Instead, call a lie a lie. Call a hoax a hoax. Call a conspiracy theory by its rightful name. After all, fake news is an imprecise expression to begin with.

Fake news means different things to different people, Usher told me. Is it satire? Comedy news? Partisan conspiracy? Partisan journalism? Big mistakes reliable news institutions have made, or hoaxes they fell for?

Whats more, the term is being used to discredit  or at least muddy the waters for  legitimate fact-checking efforts.

Glenn Kessler, who writes The Posts Fact Checker, put it this way: People seem to confuse reporting mistakes by established news organizations with obviously fraudulent news produced by Macedonian teenagers. (BuzzFeed reported in early November that young Macedonians were setting up sites on Facebook devoted to click-baity, pro-Trump deception, and reaping advertising profits.)

Kessler noted that hes often asked by readers to investigate fake news that is nothing more than a correctable error in legitimate journalism.

BuzzFeed, meanwhile, is digging deeper into the rise of deliberate deception in the form of news stories, with the appointment of debunking expert Craig Silverman, formerly of Poynter.org, as its media editor.

Breitbart News  long run by Trumps chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon  took a whack at that move in an article titled, How BuzzFeed Editor Craig Silverman Helped Generate the Fake News Crisis. Its point: That BuzzFeed ginned up the lefts concern over these online lies by reporting on them just before the election when they had actually been around all along. (Breitbart writer Jerome Hudson noted that the Guardian had reported on the Macedonian sites earlier, but BuzzFeeds piece made it go viral.)

Dont get me wrong. Lies in the form of news stories are a real problem, and in need of real attention. That became abundantly clear when a North Carolina man carried his assault rifle into a Washington, D.C., pizzeria recently to self-investigate what hed read on the Internet: made-up nonsense about a nonexistent child prostitution ring involving Hillary Clinton.

We need to find a way to talk about it. Usher, for one, isnt ready to dispense with the term because she thinks it serves a purpose for the politically independent, moderately informed, regular voter . . . who hasnt decamped yet to polarized media  a way to express concern about mistakes, misinformation and conspiracy all at once.

Indeed, all those problems are real, and discussing them important. But putting them all in a blender and slapping on a fuzzy name doesnt move us forward.

Fake news has had its 15 minutes of fame. Lets put this tainted term out of its misery.

For more by Margaret Sullivan visit wapo.st/sullivan
In a World War II prisoner diary acquired by the Library of Congress, George Washington Pearcy kept lists of the foods he ate and the things he wanted to do when he got back to the U.S. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

In September 1944, after two years of suffering in POW camps in the Philippines, U.S. Army Lt. George Washington Pearcy was being transferred to one of Japans hell ships, bound for captivity in the enemys home islands.

Before he left, he entrusted his diary to a fellow prisoner who was staying behind. Pearcy had written the diary on the backs of tin-can labels and other scraps of paper, and he wanted to make sure it survived him.

He gave it to Lt. Robert F. Augur, a friend who had lost a leg in the fighting at Corregidor in 1942 and who kept a small journal of his own.

Pearcy, 29, was killed a few weeks later when the prison ship Arisan Maru was torpedoed by an American submarine. Augur, 34, survived the war, made his way home, and brought his friends diary with him.

Now, almost 75 years later, the Library of Congress has acquired both mens writings and posted them online, along with family correspondence.

Photographs of Army Lt. Robert F. Augur, of Portland, Ore., top and bottom left, and Army Lt. George Washington Pearcy of St. Louis, a set of four at right, at the Library of Congress. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

[WWII diary, papers, recall POW suffering, death and survival.]

The acquisitions tell a grim story of World War II prison life, the anguish of families back home and the determination of two men to preserve for history what they experienced.

Pearcy described fellow POWs, thin as skeletons, eating frogs and snails, and clad in rags, or in nothing at all. He noted the diseases he had  including malaria, chronic diarrhea, and beriberi, the debilitating result of vitamin B1 deficiency.

His life was filled with flies, lice, mosquitoes and death, as he was shuttled among prisoner-of-war camps and prison ships. He made toothpaste out of charcoal and powdered salt. He wore shoes that had no soles. He bathed in the rain and shaved with a knife.

Yet he tried to avoid foul language, read the Bible and made plans for the future.

To pass the time, he kept lists  of people he met, foods he ate, expressions he heard and things he wanted to do when he got home.

Buy record player and start collection, he wrote. Buy complete set of pocket books to read in idle moments and going to and from work . . . Talk to Pop about buying farm . . . Write officers of Bataan Corregidor campaign and ask them to write back experiences  humorous, pathetic, realistic, and must be true.

When George Washington Pearcy was a POW at a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines, he wrote his diary on the backs of can labels and other discarded paper. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Japan attacked U.S. forces in the Philippines at the same time it attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Most American and Filipino soldiers held out until the bastion of Corregidor fell in spring 1942 and its defenders, including Pearcy and Augur, were captured.

[Seventy five years later, twin brothers are reunited on sunken battleship at Pearl Harbor]

In June 1942, Pearcy recorded that he was in Cabanatuan Prison Camp No. 1, north of Manila, and stayed there until Oct. 25.

The detailed pages of his diary begin in October.

I have run an intermittent fever for the last four days, he wrote on the 17th. And it has been coupled with [diarrhea] . . . My legs both of them are stiffening up again  my feet are swelling in the insteps.

The next day, a Sunday, he wrote: It is peculiar to walk right by the church area while the service [is underway] and go either to the urinal or the latrine box and . . . stand or sit and relieve yourself while you listen to the sermon.

The principal thing around here is the constant battle for weight, he wrote. You get sick for a few days and drop 10-15-20 pounds . . . that you can little afford to lose. It takes a long time to gain weight and only a short time to lose it.

Pearcy was a diligent letter writer before the war broke out, and the acquisitions include numerous letters to his parents from the Philippines. The son of a prominent St. Louis attorney, he had a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis, according to the Library of Congress.

The librarys Veterans History Project received the Pearcy papers in December 2015 from relatives, the projects senior reference specialist, Megan Harris, said. It was then the librarys only original POW diary from the Pacific theater, she said.

By itself, its an extraordinary artifact, she said recently.

When the project produced a blog post about the gift last February and mentioned Augurs role, Augurs family heard about it, recognized the connection, and offered his papers, too.

Harris immediately accepted, and the papers of both men were posted this fall.

[Seven hundred feet down, a sunken U-boat is lost no longer]

Before his capture, Augur had been decorated for heroism in the fighting that cost him his left leg. In captivity, he jotted down in a small black book the names and home addresses of comrades, and in some cases their fates.

Next to Pearcys name, he penciled J-abt 9/44, denoting when Pearcy was shipped out for Japan.

Pearcy, for his part, used a pencil and wrote in tiny script on material that included labels of cans that had contained pork and beans, chili con carne or mackerel.

I have just come back from the [camp] hospital, he wrote at one point. It is still a depressing place. The whole area is so contaminated that it smells. And the smell of death is everywhere.

There are human skeletons and people you know are going to die, he wrote. There are little shower houses. . . . These are the death houses or St. Marys wards where people are put to die.

Later in October, he was transferred to Bilibid prison, outside Manila, and from there began a harrowing, 11-day journey by ship to the Davao Penal Colony in the southern Philippines.

All Americans getting filthy, he wrote during the trip. B.O. terrific. Cant wash . . . Perspire . . . Men run around bare footed. Make themselves more prone to infection. Legs puff up. General infections and sores on body get worse.

Aboard the boat on Halloween 1942, he noted:

An officer (Lt. Fitzgerald) died in our lower bay today from heat exhaustion and general exhaustion . . . the men sat around and watched him die . . . Japs drop a small platform . . . through hatch and lift body out. All American troops stood at attention and saluted.

He drew a picture of the ship, the Erie Maru, on the back of a letter he had received from his mother. We have had no word from you since the war started, she had written. We are anxious to have you back and that day cannot come soon enough.

Upon arrival at the penal colony, Pearcy worried about the delivery of his meager belongings: I am afraid that some light handed person will get my musette bag which has my diaries in it, which I have spent so much time on.

Pearcy did not report the kind of Japanese brutality that appears in other POW accounts. He found some guards to be reasonable, although a few were regular sadists, and seem to get pleasure out of making the men as miserable as possible.

He guessed the same kind of men could be found in the American army.

He remained at Davao through 1942 and 1943, and into 1944, much of the time hospitalized with malaria, bronchitis and dysentery. He appears to have returned to Bilibid prison in 1944.

In March 1945, after Augur was freed, he sent the diary to Pearcys parents, Frances and Claude Pearcy, in St. Louis.

He and Pearcy had been buddies, Augur wrote them. Before Pearcy was to board the ship to Japan, George left a few of his papers with me and asked that I try to get them out for him.

Augur warned Pearcys parents that, reading the diaries, they would see that George has had a pretty rough time of it.

He was in poor condition at the time and should never have made the trip, Augur wrote. But the enemy forced him, and many others, to go.

Augur thought Pearcy could make it.

I do hope and pray that you have either already had word from him . . . or will soon have a message telling of his safe arrival, Augur wrote.

Neither Augur nor Pearcys parents knew it, but Pearcy had been dead for five months.

The American submarine crew did not know that the Japanese vessel being targeted had 1,775 POWs, including Pearcy, on board when they sank the ship Oct. 24, 1944, in the South China Sea. Only a handful of men survived.

The Pearcys would not learn their sons fate for seven months.

They continued to write to him via the authorities and send photos, hoping something might get through. They sent a snapshot of their house and a photo of his father smoking a pipe.

On May 25, 1945, Frances Pearcy filled out an official postcard to her son:

We have heard of you from Augur [and others]. All assure us you have what it takes. Keep your chin up. Much love. Mother.

Four weeks later, the War Department wrote the Pearcys that George had been killed by submarine action in the sinking of the ship.

It is with deep regret that I must notify you of this unhappy culmination of the long period of anxiety and suffering you have experienced, the Armys adjutant general wrote.

George Pearcys body was never found.

But in October 1945, two months after World War II ended in the Pacific and a year after their son had perished, the Pearcys received a delayed Imperial Japanese Army postcard from a Philippine prison camp.

Love to both of you, it said. Birthday greetings to Pop. 

It was signed, George W. Pearcy.
Copyright

These pages are copyrighted as they appear by John Z. Guzlowski. All content on these pages is his sole property and cannot be used without his permission.


THE DISTRICT

Arrests made in two slayings from 2016

Two men were arrested Friday in connection with separate killings in Southeast Washington, D.C. police said.

The men were identified as Malik Hough, 21, of Southeast Washington and Thomas Joyner, 28, of Greenbelt, Md.

[Man fatally shot in Southeast is Districts fifth homicide victim in four days]

Hough was charged with second-degree murder in the Dec. 27 shooting death of Herbert Dowtin of Southeast.

About 1:18 p.m. on Dec. 27, police discovered Dowtin in the 800 block of Xenia Street SE. Authorities said the 22-year-old was shot multiple times. Dowtin was taken to a hospital, where he died.

[Two men slain in two days in shooting and stabbing in the District]

Joyner was charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with the Sept. 6 fatal shooting of 35-year-old Joe Cook.

Cook, of Southeast Washington, was discovered by officers about 1:54 p.m. in the 2500 block of Elvans Road SE. D.C. police said Cook was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The 35-year-old was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Authorities did not release any additional information about the arrests.

 Victoria St. Martin

2 killed, 1 injuredin accident in NE

Two people were killed and another critically injured in a car crash in Northeast Washington early Saturday morning, according to D.C. police.

The incident on New York Avenue NE near Bladensburg Road was reported about 3:30 a.m. Shortly before noon Saturday, the outbound lane of New York Avenue remained closed, according to Margarita Mikhaylova, a police spokeswoman.

 Susan Svrluga

MARYLAND

Body found in car overturned in pond

A man was found dead Saturday inside a car partially submerged in a pond in Bowie Saturday morning by the Prince Georges County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.

Firefighters found a 2003 Honda Accord overturned in a retention pond near the off-ramp of eastbound Route 50 by Route 197 in Bowie about 8 a.m., said spokesman Mark Brady, with the passenger area partially underwater.

Ibrahim Sow, 29, of Bowie, the driver of the car, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Medical Examiners Office, according to the Maryland State Police, College Park Barrack.

The incident apparently happened overnight, Brady said, because water had begun to freeze around the car.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation by police, but preliminary findings by a crash team suggested that driver impairment may have contributed. No other vehicles were involved in the collision.

 Susan Svrluga

Man fatally shot in struggle with police

A man was killed and two police officers were hospitalized after a shooting Saturday at a home in Elkridge, Md.

Howard County Police said they received a 911 call around 8:52 a.m. from a woman who reported that her estranged husband was at her home in the 6300 block of Woodland Forest Drive. Three small children also were at the residence.

Police said dispatchers reported that the woman was screaming for help as the man broke into her home. The woman then dropped the phone, they said.

Officers arrived at the scene and found that the rear glass door of the home was shattered. Police said when they entered they were confronted by a man who engaged them in a violent encounter. Officials said the man allegedly strangled one officer and struggled with two others before he was shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two officers were transported to local hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening. The woman and her children were not injured, authorities said.

Police did not identify the man, nor did they say who fired the fatal shot.

 Lori Aratani

VIRGINIA

Driver injured after dump truck overturns

A dump truck overturned Saturday on Interstate 495 in Fairfax County, according to Virginia State Police, and its driver was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

The truck was traveling eastbound near the Van Dorn exit shortly after noon when an equipment failure occurred and the driver, a 43-year-old man from Upper Marlboro, Md., lost control. The truck flipped over onto its side.

 Susan Svrluga
It took Montgomery firefighters 11 days to totally extinguish last month's fire at the county's Dickerson, Md., incinerator unit, which started when an 85-foot high mound of trash ignited. (Montgomery County fire dept.)

The December trash fire that smoldered for nearly two weeks inside Montgomery Countys waste incinerator was the latest in a series of problems that have plagued the plant, keeping it either completely or partially out of service for nearly a third of 2016, according to records and interviews.

The 20-year-old Resource Recovery Facility in rural Dickerson, Md., is operated for the county by a private company and can burn up to 689,000 tons of commercial and residential waste annually. Three industrial furnaces heat the waste and help convert it to electricity.

Records show 105 days of unscheduled outages between March and October of last year. Shutdowns last month and in July forced the county to find other destinations for about 55,000 tons of trash, officials said. The plant was fully in operation for just nine days in September and October.

For several months in 2016 the facility stored trash in excess of its 12,000-ton design limit, according to the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority. The independent state agency issues bonds to finance construction of waste disposal sites and contracts with the private operator of the facility, New Jersey-based Covanta.

At the time of the December fire, 12,900 tons were awaiting incineration.





Joey Neuhoff, regional vice president for Covanta, said the volume in excess of 12,000 tons did not violate its state permit, which covers only the amount of waste the plant can accept annually and how long it can be stored before processing.

But Neuhoff said no one at the company is pleased about the situation. He attributed the problems to an unusually high volume of waste and a shortage of key spare parts.

When a plant reaches middle age, parts start to fail, and you need to keep critical spares available, Neuhoff said. We didnt have a good critical spare inventory.

Although no official cause for the December fire has been identified, Neuhoff said the plants operational difficulties were not a factor. Firefighters responded to smaller blazes at the facility in July and October.

County Council president Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda) has scheduled a Feb. 2 hearing on the fire and the plants operations. In an interview, he expressed skepticism about the idea that the fire and operational problems were unrelated.

It has a smell to it, said Berliner, who chairs the councils transportation and environment committee. The hearing will be before that committee and the councils public safety committee.

Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein says there are three possible ways a fire can erupt when dealing with mass amounts of solid waste: ignition of fireplace ashes or other hot trash, sparks from a decaying battery, or spontaneous combustion of organic material.

Montgomerys Department of Environmental Protection is conducting an investigation of the plants problems and expects to have a report ready for the hearing, director Lisa Feldt said.

Tim Firestine, the countys chief administrative officer, suggested in an interview that it may be time for Montgomery to step in and oversee incinerator operations.

Although not directly criticizing the state waste disposal authority, Firestine said: We have to look at how we unwind that. Maybe we need a direct relationship.

The Dec. 8 fire involved a tower of trash eight stories high and 200 feet wide. It filled the 30-foot-deep storage pit where waste awaits incineration and extended another 55 feet into the air.

Smoke from the blaze prompted the county to warn residents living within a mile of the plant to stay indoors or leave the area if they had asthma or other lung or heart issues.

Feldt said the Maryland Department of Environment is testing air and water samples from the fire for toxins. The water firefighters used to quell the blaze was routed to a storage pond until tests show if pre-treatment is needed before it is discharged into the Potomac River.

Fire personnel spent 11 days extinguishing the fire. After it was put out, Local 1664 of the International Association of Firefighters filed a complaint with Maryland Occupational Safety and Health, charging that the county did not make an adequate evaluation of the hazards at the site and left firefighters without proper protective gear as they worked.

Jeff Buddle, local president, said a half-dozen first responders had to seek medical treatment. One has lost time from work because of illness. We definitely think it was directly related to the incident, Buddle said.

The state agency has started an investigation, but a spokeswoman said she could not comment on an active case.

Goldstein said the fire department took care of providing the right equipment and adequate information about decontamination.

The plant was approved by the council in 1987, after 15 years of debate over the countys mounting trash problems.

It opened in 1996, following rounds of litigation brought by neighbors who objected to the addition of an incinerator to a community that was already home to a power plant  currently owned by NRG Energy  and the countys leaf-composting operation.

Jane Hunter, who can see the waste plants 275-foot smoke stack about two miles from her front door, said that when the wind blows in a certain direction, she smells the garbage. Beeping and other noise from trucks offloading trash is frequent.

The fire should never have happened, said Hunter, 74, who still grows corn soybeans and wheat on about 1,000 acres. Its absolutely inexcusable.
Patty Henrys late father, Mike Humphrey , grew up in Pawnee City. Thats a small town in southeastern Nebraska, but Patty said that whenever people asked where he was from, Mike wouldnt answer with a small town in southeastern Nebraska, but with Pawnee City.

He said if its your home town, you should be proud of it whether anyone knew exactly where that town was located, wrote Patty, of Leesburg, Va.

Patty said Mike was proud of something else, too. When he was in first grade, he always stood a little taller when the entire class sang that well-known patriotic song that begins, Mike Humphrey, tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing!

Patty said her fathers big sister must have set him straight eventually.

I like that story, it being a classier version of the lyrical misapprehension that bedeviled me when I was young: that the 1975 song You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate began I believe in mail call. Wear your bra, you sexy thing.

Sometimes, confusion over names can result in mildly humorous incidents. Take the case of Paul Kirk of Leesburg. Paul is an air traffic controller, and though he shares his name with a former senator from Massachusetts, it was the similar pronunciation of a colleagues name that prompted him to answer my recent call for anecdotes.

The fun started when Paul Cook came to work, he wrote. The two Pauls  Kirk and Cook  often worked the same shift. Back in the 1980s, if someone wanted to phone you, they rang the supervisors desk, who, if you were working, would tell the caller youd call back.

If you were on break, the supe would page you, and you would come back and take the call, Paul wrote. The audio quality of the paging system was not the best, leading to all manner of confusion.

Wrote Paul: The one I remember best: I was paged back for a call and had a woman on the phone telling me the plans for the afternoon.

I replied, Who is this? 

The woman responded, You dont recognize your own mothers voice?

Richard Coorsh pronounces his last name Korsh. In 1993, while walking away from the checkout desk at a Dallas hotel where he had stayed, he overheard one of the clerks say to the other, Did you hear that guys last name?

Richard, of the Alexandria portion of Fairfax County, said he resisted turning around and telling them he was not, as they obviously thought, related to David Koresh, the Branch Davidian leader who had just died.

Richard Snyders episode of mistaken identity did not involve his name, but the name of his physician, Stephen Izzi. The medical man had provided a referral for a specialist, and when Richard went to his appointment, he wrote in the name of the referring doctor as Dr. IZZI.

Wrote Richard: The receptionist called me up front and asked me, Your doctor is 1221?

Seeing the misunderstanding, I just replied, Yes, and his partner is C3PO. 

Craig Lilly of Oakton, Va., is a student of what he calls name gender inversion, which is what happens when you reverse his first and last names.

Craig Lilly is a perfectly fine guys name, but Lilly Craig is an equally fine ladys name, he wrote. For my entire life Ive had people call and ask for Miss Craig, or file things under my first name instead of my last. Im sure a lot of the confusion comes when someone is reading a form Ive filled out that says last name first and they think Im a doofus because I put my first name first.

At least Craig doesnt suffer from name gender ambiguity, as does his wife, Leslie  along with myriad people with names such as Terry or Pat.

Finally, let me share a story from Richard J. Nicholson of Gaithersburg, Md. For several years, RJ  for that is what he goes by  worked with a man who looked exactly like Jack Nicholson.

On a business trip to San Francisco, RJ made reservations for the pair at a fancy restaurant. When they arrived, the staff practically fell over themselves. We thought it was you, Mr. Nicholson, said the maitre d. Somehow, the R got left off the reservation, and it read J. Nicholson.

Wrote RJ: The result was we got a free dinner, many adult beverages, the attention of many of the more attractive women in the room. And yes, in the years that followed, we exploited this case of mistaken identity to the limit. . . . Best of all, we never lied. People just assumed.

Twitter: @johnkelly

For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.
The Prince William County School Board, in an unusual special meeting last week, approved a $21.4 million deal with the Board of County Supervisors to create more class space for students.

School Board members voted 5 to 3 late Wednesday in favor of the proposal written by supervisors Peter K. Candland (R-Gainesville) and Frank J. Principi (D-Woodbridge). It says the supervisors will provide the money to the School Board in exchange for the School Boards approval of design changes to plans for Prince Williams 13th high school, scheduled to open in 2021 in the western part of the county.

The design changes would make room for 500 additional students at the high school, pushing its capacity to more than 2,500, county government and school officials said.

Supervisors are expected to allocate up to $10.7 million on Tuesday for the modifications.

They also are expected to vote to provide another $10.7 million  totaling the promised $21.4 million  to the School Board for capital projects in Prince Williams eastern end. The School Board would determine how that money would be spent, Candland said. For example, it could be used to buy land for schools, build new schools or add on to existing buildings.

The arrangement between the two boards would mean more educational space for students on both sides of the county, Candland said. School Board members voting in favor of the pact underscored this notion, as well.

But two School Board members who represent portions of eastern Prince William, Lillie G. Jessie (Occoquan) and Loree Y. Williams (Woodbridge), expressed reservations about the supervisors proposal.

Theres a lot of missing pieces, Williams said, despite the fact that Candland, Principi and three other supervisors in the eight-member body sent a letter to School Board members, assuring them of the sincerity of the offer.

Jessie, Williams and School Board Chairman Ryan Sawyers (At Large) cast the votes against the financial deal.

Sawyers maintained it was illegal for the supervisors to provide money to the school system unless it came with no strings attached, and he initially resisted even participating in the special meeting, saying it wasnt properly called.

The session was held immediately after the School Boards regular Wednesday meeting. The chairman left the board chambers as members Alyson A. Satterwhite (Gainesville), William J. Deutsch (Coles) and Shawn L. Brann (Brentsville) tried to get the special meeting started.

Lawyers for the School Board and supervisors agreed that the funding package was legal, however, and that the special meeting was deemed legally called, so Satterwhite was allowed to gavel it to order in the absence of Sawyers and Jessie, the vice chairman, who also left the dais for a brief period.

Before discussion about the funding began, all board members had returned to their seats.

Williams unsuccessfully moved to delay a decision on the money. Justin David Wilk (Potomac) voted in favor, and the deciding fifth vote for the $21.4 million deal was cast by Diane L. Raulston (Neabsco).

Raulston initially expressed skepticism about the deal. But, after the meeting, she said she couldnt turn down extra resources.

Its money, she said. All school divisions in this country need money.

Contacted the day after the vote, Candland said he expected the School Board to eventually approve the funding agreement. But he said drama surrounding the special meeting made him nervous.

I was happily surprised that that passed, he said of the deal.

The supervisors plan to appropriate the $10.7 million for the countys eastern end Tuesday, according to Candland, meaning the School Board can quickly spend the money instead of waiting for the next fiscal year, which wont begin until July.

He also said he and Principi, who arent known for agreeing on many issues, crafted their proposal specifically so it wouldnt favor one side of the county over another, or benefit one political party to the others detriment.
A 50-year-old man told police Wednesday in the Mount Vernon area of Fairfax County that he had been robbed the night before. He said the delay in reporting the crime occurred because of what was taken: his phone.

The robbery last week by two men and a woman in the 8400 block of Frye Road helped demonstrate that the start of a new year has apparently done little to diminish the allure of phones as a target for crime.

In another Fairfax incident, a man was delivering food on Audubon Avenue in the Hybla Valley area about 10 p.m. Tuesday when three male teenagers came up from behind, police said.

One sprayed something in his face, and the others took cash and his wallet. In addition, police said, the robbers took food and at least one more thing: a cellphone.

In a third Fairfax incident, a teenager took a phone Thursday morning from a woman who had met him in the Mount Vernon area, near Pole Road and Del Norte Court, to sell it, police said.

A similar incident was reported in Arlington about six hours before the start of the new year.

Police said a man in his 20s took a phone about 6 p.m. on New Years Eve in the 500 block of N. Pollard Street, where it had been arranged to sell the device.
Scores of friends and supporters of slain actress and yoga teacher Tricia McCauley held a candlelight vigil on Dec. 27. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Shortly before 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 17, Adrian Duane Johnson walked into a CVS pharmacy in Columbia Heights. Police said he grabbed four Oral B Pro electric toothbrushes, retailing for $217.98 total, and refused to pay.

The 29-year-old was arrested and detained for three days, then released to await court hearings and possibly a trial. He was homeless and had a string of convictions for shoplifting, typically spending no more than 10 to 15 days in jail at a time.

Johnson has now been charged with killing Tricia Lynn McCauley, a 46-year-old yoga instructor and popular stage actress who disappeared in the District on her way to Christmas dinner Dec. 25. Her friends have complained that the justice system failed by shielding Johnson from serious penalties in a lifetime of crime.

He was free on Christmas despite having been arrested six times on theft-related charges in the District and Maryland since May. He was convicted in two cases and awaiting trial in the others. Court records show he repeatedly failed to show up for hearings and probation meetings. There were two warrants out for his arrest  one issued in August in Prince Georges County and another from 2014 in Montgomery County. The low-level nature of the charges  both involving theft  meant that he could not be extradited from the District.

[Second-chance law for young criminals put violent offenders on streets]

Tricia Lynn McCauley, 46, of Washington, D.C.was found dead December 27, 2016.

The seemingly minor nature of most of Johnsons arrests triggered few if any alarms among those examining his record, which, while lengthy, lacked the typical indicators hinting at a potential for violence. In a system struggling to hold repeat violent offenders accountable, Johnson, who court records show was repeatedly screened for mental illness, barely registered among defendants accused of far more serious crimes.

Although officials call Johnsons case an outlier, it has focused new attention on more quickly recognizing and dealing with low-level offenders who repeatedly violate the terms of pretrial and post-conviction release.

His most serious conviction came in June for assaulting a police officer, but that too was a misdemeanor. It earned him one of his longest jail terms  35 days. In September he was charged with his only felony  assault and robbery  but the case was dropped when the victim did not cooperate.

Only at a Dec. 20 court hearing did Johnsons entangled relationship with the criminal justice system start to stand out. But even then, according to police and court officials, there was little chance of Johnson being further detained.

David Benowitz, a criminal defense lawyer in the District who is not involved in Johnsons case, said the justice system is not designed to handle people with serious mental health issues whose crimes are at the low end of the spectrum. He noted that with Mr. Johnsons prior record of theft-related offenses . . . I dont see that any judge would have taken that as a red flag that he would have been a physical danger to anybody.

Cliff Keenan, director of the Districts Pretrial Services Agency, responsible for monitoring Johnson in his pending criminal cases, said that when tragic events such as this one occur, they underscore the need for all members of our criminal justice system to continue working closely together as we carry out our respective missions.

He added: Collectively, we share the communitys concerns regarding public safety and want to reiterate our commitment to collaboratively administering a system that prioritizes public safety and fairly administers justice.

[Yoga instructor, actress disappears Christmas Day, found dead in car]

Detaining Johnson would have meant keeping him jailed until trial, possibly an additional 60 days, on suspicion of committing an offense that has a maximum penalty of 180 days but typically carries a sentence of one to two weeks.

No judge was going to give this guy any significant jail time, Benowitz said. There is a gap in the system for people with mental health issues who constantly get involved with the courts in minor ways.

Authorities started to take note of Johnsons record after his Dec. 17 arrest at the Columbia Heights CVS. The judge at his initial appearance deemed him a risk of flight, enabling officials to detain him for three days.

On Dec. 20, Johnson was brought before Magistrate Judge Sherry M. Trafford in D.C. Superior Court for a hearing to determine whether he should be held pending his trial.

Prosecutors had a problem.

It appears we  I dont have a witness, at this point, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kamilah House told Trafford, according to a transcript of the hearing.

Trafford understood the importance. Ms. House has asked for an opportunity to see if that witness is going to get here today. Thats an indication to me that the government would seek continued detention.

Authorities confirmed that the witness who failed to show was a D.C. police officer. Dustin Sternbeck, a police spokesman, said the officer was notified the previous day and indicated he was unable to attend. The officer had a conflict, Sternbeck said. He declined to elaborate.

The detention hearing could not continue without a witness and the three-day hold on Johnson expired that day. House tried once more to locate a witness but failed.

The judge had no other option but to free Johnson. Officials discussed putting him under the most strict level of supervision, which typically requires home confinement monitored by GPS.

But Johnsons attorney, Donna Beasley, said she wanted her client screened for Mental Health Court, which wasnt possible under the strict supervision program. And Johnson had no fixed address, making it difficult to verify that he stayed confined to a home. Beasley did not respond to a request for comment.

Trafford appeared reluctant.

I think the problem is hes not complied with any conditions of release, she said. He hasnt complied with probation. He hasnt reported for evaluation. . . . He just hasnt reported at all. . . . I think theres substantial concern.

Trafford put Johnson on GPS monitoring, ordered him to stay away from the Columbia Heights CVS and told him to report the next day to a nearby office to be fitted with an ankle bracelet that would track his movements.

Johnson did not show up.

Keenan, the pretrial services director, said authorities followed standard protocol, which allows defendants to self-report for the device He said that his agency has previously been trying to secure space in the courthouse so that GPS devices can be attached immediately after a hearing, if deemed necessary.

When a defendant fails to report for GPS fitting, Keenan said the agency notifies the court no later then the next business day. Keenan said what happens next  such as an arrest warrant or another court hearing  would likely depend upon the specific circumstances presented, such as the nature of the charge as well as the defendants record.

Johnson had a hearing scheduled last week on an alleged release infraction in an unrelated case, and authorities said its possible the various issues were consolidated. He is now set to appear in court Friday on the murder charge.
D.C. police are investigating a crash early Saturday that killed two men, authorities said Sunday.

Police are trying to determine why a black Mercedes-Benz the men were riding in veered off New York Avenue NE, and struck a guardrail, killing Tyrone Tyrell Waters, 23, and Michael Waters, 34, both of Southeast. Both men were thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the crash occurred about 3:15 a.m. in the 3600 block of New York Avenue Northeast as the Mercedes was headed toward the Maryland line. Authorities said the driver apparently lost control and the vehicle jumped onto a grass-covered island before slamming into a guardrail.

The driver, identified only as a man, climbed from the vehicle under his own power before being taken to a hospital in critical condition. Its unknown if the victims were related.

The crash is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call 202-727-9099 or submit anonymous tips by texting 50411.
From food recalls to Zika, health care issues were among the most popular online searches in 2016. Montanans increased their knowledge of antibiotic resistant superbugs, contributed to the social media firestorm following a spike in the cost of Epi-Pens, and advanced the global effort to erase the stigma of mental illness and improve access to suicide prevention and addiction services.

Montanans care about their health, and the health of their communities. The Montana Hospital Association continues its commitment to ensuring every Montanan has access to health care and health care coverage in the new year.

The Montana Legislature and Congress have the privilege of adopting public policy solutions that have a direct impact on improving the lives of their neighbors. As our elected leaders move forward with the debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act, it is imperative that they take into consideration the impact of their actions on the millions of Americans who have benefited from the monumental health law.

The ACA enabled 2.2 million new customers and 6.6 million returning customers to obtain coverage through the health insurance exchange during the 2016 open enrollment period. More than 52,000 Montanans actively selected an individual plan for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2017. Millions nationwide were automatically renewed.

In addition, more than 60,000 Montanans have obtained coverage through Medicaid. This coverage expansion has contributed to a drop in the uninsured rate in our state from about 20 percent in 2012 (one of the highest in the nation) to 7.4 percent in 2016.

The impact of the coverage expansion on individual lives is undeniable. Newly-insured Montanans now have improved access to primary care providers. Many are benefiting from preventive health measures and are addressing previously unmet medical needs, including chronic conditions that cripple their ability to work.

Health coverage is key to ensuring Montanans have access to the care they need. MHA believes healthier communities result in a more viable economy, a more efficient and effective health care delivery system and, over time, will lead to a long-term slowdown in health care spending growth.

If Congress decides to reconsider the ACA and move forward with strategies to eliminate health coverage gains or health care access, rural and frontier America may lose more than its local safety-net services.

Our communities already face challenges of an aging population, a higher percentage of low-income residents, and persistent shortages of physicians and other health care professionals. Lack of health coverage for rural residents and support for rural health care providers can exacerbate these threats and also lead to a loss in jobs, and eventually, to boards on the windows of local businesses and homes.

It is imperative that the Montana Legislature and Congress ensure the number of Montanans covered by some insurance plan does not diminish under efforts to repeal or replace the ACA. MHAs members are community-driven organizations whose mission is to serve the health care needs of their friends and neighbors. We ask our elected leaders to ensure we can continue to fulfill our mission to make Montana a Top 10 Healthy State that provides viable opportunities for current and future generations.
Disclosure: Some links on this page are monetized by the Skimlinks, Amazon, Rakuten Advertising, and eBay, affiliate programs. All prices are subject to change, and this article only reflects the prices available at time of publication.

Over the past few days Ive published nearly 100 articles, 29 videos, and more photos than I care to count while covering the latest tech on display at the Consumer Electronics Show.

As in previous years, I did most of this with the help of just a few tools: a laptop, a smartphone, and a camera. But I brought a new phone, a new laptop, and a newish camera with me this year, So how did everything stack up?

Another important concern is to pack light, because when I leave my hotel room in the morning, whatevers in my backpack is what Ill have to lug around all day, sometimes until after midnight.

While my backpack wasnt quite as light as I would have liked it to be, stuffing it with an Acer Aspire S13 laptop and charger, a Canon PowerShot SX50 camera, and various odds and ends (including snacks, water, and my jacket, when Im working indoors) didnt give me any serious back pain. So that was a win.

The Aspire S13 is about half a pound heavier than the Samsung Series 9 notebook Ive used to cover CES in previous years, but I didnt really notice the difference. And since the laptop gets up to 7 hours of battery life, I was able to leave the spare 1 pound battery Id been using with the Series 9 at home. I did keep a laptop charger with me at all times though, just to be on the safe side.

Last week Id speculated that I might use the Canon camera just for shooting video, while using my Nexus 5X smartphone for still photos. I ended up actually using both cameras over the course of the week. I suspect youd have a hard time telling which pictures posted to Liliputing came from which camera.

I did find that the Nexus 5X was better at quickly focusing on a specific area in a close-up shot, and I had an easier time adjusting the lighting settings. But the reason I didnt use the phone as my exclusive camera is that it takes two hands to get those focus and lighting settings set up: one to hold the phone, and the other to interact with the touchscreen controls.

So if I want to take a photo of an item Im holding in one hand, Ive only got the spare hand to operate the camera. The PowerShot SX50 was generally easier to use this way.

All videos were shot using the Canon camera. Thats because the camera has optical image stabilization and an SD card reader, making it easy to shoot videos that dont bounce up and down too much and to quickly transfer them to a computer without a USB cable.

I usually also carry around a pad of paper and a pen to jot notes about the items Ive seen. My handwriting is so bad that even I can barely read it, but these notes usually help jog my memory when I get a chance to sit down and write about the products Ive photographed. But I accidentally left my paper and pad at an event early in the week.

Rather than look for a replacement, I decided to just take notes on my phone. Text input is a bit slower this way, and I generally have to look at the screen while typing, which means I may not be able to look at the person Im speaking to. But the upside is that I could actually decipher words that Id written.

And thats about it for the gear I used.

I also brought a Tascam DR-40 digital audio recorder in case I wanted to do any on-the-spot interviews for the LPX Podcast, but it stayed in my bag the whole time. So did the RAVPower 6,700 mAh portable battery. Its not that my Nexus 5X was able to last a full day without charging. Its just that I usually had an opportunity to charge it while sitting down to write a few times a day.

Speaking of the Nexus 5X, this is also the first month that Ive been a Google Fi customers. The service worked pretty well in Las Vegas. I connected to WiFi whenever possible in order to save data, but I was able to get a decent data signal whenever WiFi was unavailable. And I had no problems tethering my laptop to my phone. Thats how I covered the Asus press conference in real-time: my phone was acting as a modem.

The only issue I had with Fi was relate to voice, rather than data. Twice I attempted to make calls while walking from one location in Las Vegas to another,and had the calls drop on me. I suspect this might have had something to do with Fi trying to switch between cellular and WiFi networks, but I cant be certain.

So while data is pretty reliable, Im less convinced about the voice service. But since I use my phone primarily for data, I can live with the occasional voice glitch as long as it stays occasional.

And finally, Im happy to report that Im heading home without any sign of the annual CES flu or any other maladies. I got a flu shot in October, which may have helped. I thought I felt a sore throat coming on when I arrived, so Ive been sucking a few Cold-Eeeze lozenges a day and drinking lots of fluids to stay on the safe side. And in addition to using a travel humidifier whenever Im in my hotel room, I followed Allans advise and picked up a cheap saline nasal spray which I squirt before bed.

Im exhausted but relatively healthy.
Delanie Gallagher shakes hands with classmate Michael Gallaway using her new robotic prosthesis as Dylan Day watches at Gateway Science Academy in St. Louis. (CRISTINA M. FLETES/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The soon-to-be 11-year-old left the Washington University School of Medicine lab with an instruction manual for her new robotic arm: Dont get it wet. Turn it off when not in use. Change the two nine-volt batteries.

But for a girl who has adapted to life with a left arm that ends just past her elbow, theres no instruction manual for how to incorporate this new technology into her day. That will be up to her to figure out.

And researchers at the biomaterials laboratory will be trying to figure it out, too.

Delanie Gallagher of Spanish Lake, Mo., is the first of 10 children whom researchers plan to enroll in a study to determine how to develop a prosthetic that is useful for children born with all or part of a limb missing or whose limb is missing through trauma or surgery.

Most end up living without a prosthetic because it lacks function and only gets in the way. Of the more than 540,000 Americans living with upper-limb amputations, only about 20 percent use a prosthetic.

Delanies new arm incorporates myoelectric technology  sensors that detect when muscles in the stump contract and signal parts in the prosthetic to move. Prosthetics with this technology typically cost from $25,000 to $50,000, too expensive for fast-growing children.

The Washington University lab created a hard plastic arm using a 3-D printer at a cost of just a few hundred dollars. The myoelectric technology was kept simple enough to keep the prosthetic low-cost and lightweight, with one sensor that signals the hand to either open or close, or the wrist to turn.

Nick Thompson, a scientist in the lab, hopes the simple route will make arm prostheses more accessible and useful to children.

Tons of people are doing this now, but they are reaching for the fruit high in the tree, trying to develop something with the most functionality that is the closest you can get to your biological limb, Thompson said. We are going the opposite. We are looking for something quick that can be made and modified quickly. That is our goal.

But the big question is how useful it will be. Delanie is proof of how children overcome. She had difficulty thinking of something that she cant already do.

What does she hope her new prosthetic will help her do?

I dont know, Delanie said. I dont know what I can do.

Rosy Pink Petunia

Delanies mother, Janet Gallagher, remembered when Delanie was a baby and got her first prosthetic to help her crawl. She just dragged it along, Gallagher said. It was quickly tossed aside.

Delanie has had two other prostheses, used only to help her steady and steer her bike, hold up a fishing pole or brace her bow and arrow.

It didnt help her, Gallagher said. She could do better without it.

Using her stump, Delanie figured out how to color, use scissors, tie her shoes, braid her hair, make a ponytail and play the piano.

On a recent day at school at the Gateway Science Academy, she needed no help. She carried her books in a shoulder bag rather than a backpack. She held a pencil sharpener in the crook of her elbow as she turned her pencil.

She played with a piece of clay, molding it into a flower between her stump and hand. She twirled her hair with her stump and raised it high when the teacher sought answers from the class.

At lunch, Delanie ripped open bags with her teeth and braced her Capri Sun against her body so she could stab it with a straw.

When the English teacher read a book aloud, no one batted an eye at a quote by a character who lost part of her leg from a land mine: Every day, I wished I had it back.

Delanies fifth-grade classmates say they are excited about her new robotic arm, but they are used to how she is. Its going to be cool, but she does so much without it, her best friend, Georgia Collier, said. Its going to be different.

Gallagher said Delanie sometimes worries about her future. She wonders how she will drive a car, whether she will be able to take care of children.

As she enters her preteen years, shes figuring out new things, such as how to hold a blow dryer, put on makeup and curl her hair.

Delanie definitely likes how the new arm looks. She asked that it be pink, engraved with her initials. She named it Rosy Pink Petunia Gallagher.

Charles Goldfarb, an orthopedic surgeon at St. Louis Childrens Hospital who cares for children with amputated limbs, said a prosthetic can have social benefits.

Can we help her do more things a little similar to her peers? Goldfarb said. That may become more important as she gets older. A teenager wants to be like any other teenager, he said.

Sydney syndrome

The Minimally Invasive Surgery Biomaterials Lab opened on the universitys medical campus just over three years ago. Its focus was using a 3-D printer to create and test bioabsorbable surgical mesh.

In 2014, the lab learned of three engineering students whose senior project involved using a 3-D printer to create a prosthetic for 13-year-old Sydney Kendall, who had lost her arm six years earlier in a boating accident.

That sparked the start of the labs work with prosthetic arms. We asked, Can we take this up and improve what the students have worked on?  Thompson said.

A wire in the arm the students created for Sydney was connected to a sensor in her shoulder. Shrugging her shoulder caused the hand to open or close. The wire was cumbersome, she told the scientists, and difficult to use.

So the lab made Sydney a prosthetic whose socket contained a myoelectric sensor that could move the hand and wrist. She found that it needed a stronger grip and was heavy. They refined it again, printing her another last spring. The process offered promise.

It justified to do this type of study on pediatric patients, Thompson said. Thats where we are now.

Scientists hope a study of more children will give them feedback on how to overcome what they refer to as Sydney syndrome  the prosthetic sitting in a drawer collecting dust.

Participants will complete questionnaires three months, six months and a year after getting their prostheses.

Now we feel we have a design that is of high enough utility to try on multiple patients to see if theres any benefit from using them, Thompson said. The patients will tell us what directions we need to go in to make it better.

 St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Blythe Bernhard contributed to this report.
IRAQ

Forces move to cross Tigris River in Mosul

Iraqi special forces on Saturday closed in on the Tigris River, which runs through central Mosul, advancing in parallel with other troops and forcing the Islamic State to retreat in its last major stronghold in the country.

The Islamic State has been driven out of more than half the areas it held east of the Tigris but is still in control of western zones. It will be harder for the extremists to defend Mosul once Iraqi forces reach the river.

Baghdad meanwhile said it had come to an agreement with Turkey over a demand for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from an area close to Mosul as the two regional powers sought to improve ties following a year-long spat over the military deployment.

In a visit to Iraq, Turkeys prime minister did not say that a deal had been reached but that the issue had been discussed and would be resolved.

 Reuters

Visitors climb out of the steaming water of an outdoor pool at Szechenyi Thermal Bath in Budapest on Saturday. The complex, one of the largest in Europe, has drawn bathers to Hungary since 1913. (Bea Kallos/European Pressphoto Agency)

MEXICO

Video shows shooting of U.S. consular officer

A U.S. consular officer in Guadalajara was shot in his car Friday evening, and the FBI is offering a $20,000 reward.

Surveillance video released by the Consulate General in Guadalajara showed a man in a purple shirt, dark pants and white shoes waiting near a garage Friday evening as a black vehicle pulled up to the exit gate. In the video, the man in the purple shirt points a gun at the driver and fires once, then runs away. The car lurches forward, then stops.

The State Department confirmed the shooting but did not share additional details.

The wounded consular official is Christopher Ashcraft, according to a friend who spoke to The Post on condition of anonymity to discuss the case. Ashcraft is recovering well at a hospital in Guadalajara and plans to return to the United States.

 Amy B Wang, Joshua Partlow

Ivory Coast president says deal reached to end mutiny: Ivory Coasts president said a deal was reached Saturday to end a two-day army mutiny that renewed security concerns in the worlds top cocoa producer and Africas fastest-growing economy. President Alassane Ouattara made the announcement during a cabinet meeting Saturday evening. Earlier in the day, his defense minister, Alain-Richard Donwahi, led a delegation to negotiate with disgruntled soldiers in the countrys second-largest city, Bouake. But mutineers again opened fire with Kalashnikov rifles and other weapons after Ouattaras announcement, trapping Donwahi in the home of a local official along with journalists and other members of his delegation. The group was finally able to leave just before 10 p.m.

Islamist extremists suspected in bombing in Somalia: A bombing at a restaurant in the Somali capital of Mogadishu killed three people and injured more than 16, a Somali police officer said. The bomb is believed to have been concealed in the restaurant, a venue in Hodan district often frequented by government soldiers, Capt. Mohamed Hussein said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but suspicion centered on the Islamist extremist group al-Shabab, which has waged war against the Somali government.

Ethnic Albanians want Macedonia declared bilingual: Three ethnic Albanian political parties in Macedonia adopted a joint platform that calls for a larger say in the countrys affairs in return for their support in forming a coalition government. The platform approved by the three parties, which hold minor positions in the countrys parliament, demands that the constitution define Macedonia as a bilingual country in which Albanian and Macedonian are recognized as official languages. The parties also request a parliamentary resolution condemning the past persecution of the Albanian minority, especially from 1912 to 1956.

Taiwans president lands in U.S., but wont see Trump: An official with President-elect Donald Trumps transition team said neither Trump nor transition officials would meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who passed through Houston during her trip to Latin America. China urged Washington to prevent Tsai from landing in the United States to refrain from sending any wrong signal to the Taiwanese independence forces. Beijing complained last month after Trump breached diplomatic protocol by speaking over the phone with the Taiwanese leader.

 From news services
INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL trade in ivory was banned in 1989, but that did not stop the slaughter of elephants and the poaching of their tusks. In Africa, more than 100,000 elephants were killed in the past decade. Driving the illicit trade was demand from China, so the countrys decision to shut down its domestic market  the worlds largest  is a significant development that hopefully will help prevent extinction of this magnificent animal.

Environmentalists and wildlife advocates characterized Chinas Dec. 30 announcement that it will ban all commerce in ivory by the end of 2017 as a game-changer. Chinese President Xi Jinping had made a joint pledge with President Obama in September 2015 to enact nearly complete bans on the import and export of ivory, but Chinas lack of action, as the United States finalized regulations last June, had become a matter of concern. With the African elephant population in drastic decline  the most recent Great Elephant Census attributed a drop of about 30 percent from 2007 to 2014 to poaching  the need for urgency was clear.

Over recent years, many global entities have taken a crack at trying to solve this problem, said Patrick Bergin, chief executive of African Wildlife Foundation, reeling off a list that included Interpol, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Clinton Global Initiative and the European Union. But, he said, China, as the worlds largest consumer of ivory, always held the key. Ivory is a status symbol in China, and the countrys booming economy helped fuel the illicit trade.

There has been speculation about what finally prompted action from Chinese leaders, who long had argued that conservationists were exaggerating the countrys role. Whether it bowed to mounting international pressure; sought to curry favor with African countries, where it hopes to expand its influence; hoped to usurp the United States as a leader on environmental issues; or just wanted to do the right thing matters less than the result. Whats important is that there be effective enforcement in shutting down the market. The governments announcement of a relatively fast timetable is an encouraging sign. Hopefully that will spur Hong Kong, also a significant marketplace for ivory, to speed its five-year plan to implement a ban, and prompt other countries, notably Thailand and the Philippines, to rethink whether they want to continue to play a role in the destruction of this species.

Elephants face other threats, notably a loss of habitat in the face of increasing development and demographic changes. But stopping the senseless slaughter so that there can be more trinkets in the world is an essential  and long-overdue  step.
A LITTLE OVER a year ago, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) announced he would close dozens of drivers license offices  many in poor and minority areas  ostensibly to save money. Nearly all of Alabamas majority African American counties were to be hit. This rightly prompted a national outcry. Alabama is one of the states that unnecessarily requires people to present picture IDs to vote. Making it harder for people in minority communities to get drivers licenses only enhanced the potential suppressive impact on minority voter turnout.

After Mr. Bentley hastily announced a partial and inadequate reversal, the story did not get much subsequent national news coverage. Luckily, the federal government did not forget. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced recently it had struck an agreement with Alabama officials to expand the hours that drivers license services will be available across the state. The agency found that the license office closures hit African American residents harder than others, running afoul of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which forbids discrimination in state programs that take federal money.

Although Alabama did not concur with this assessment, it nevertheless agreed to ramp up drivers license services, sharply increasing the hours officials will be available to process license applications in various parts of the state. Some offices that were open only once a month will now see people two or three times a month  still not much, but an improvement for working people who may not have flexible schedules.

Even if one accepts Alabama officials insistence that they scaled back license services because of a strapped state treasury, not in order to discriminate, federal intervention should never have been required. Alabamas leaders should have been able to figure out how to fund the basic functions of government. If they could not do that, they should have been more careful to avoid cutting the budget in a way that was sure to have disproportionate effects on African Americans. It was not hard to see how the selective license office closures would exacerbate the negative effects of another bad policy  voter ID. For that matter, the state should never have required voter ID in the first place, since voter impersonation is a practically nonexistent problem in the United States.

Just as states can and should push back against federal overreach, careful and conscientious enforcement of federal law is necessary to protect Americans when their state governments betray its letter and spirit. This is an essential element of American federalism that has safeguarded people, particularly minorities, from abuse.
REPUBLICANS LAST week kicked off their dominance of Washington by vowing to push through an unpopular and unwise unraveling of the Affordable Care Act, an imperfect law that nevertheless has done much good. Scaling back the policy is the first order of business, Vice President-elect Mike Pence promised after a strategy meeting on Capitol Hill. At the same time, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) pledged that Republicans would not pull the rug out from under people currently benefiting from the plan.

How can Republicans keep both promises? Better not to ask them. They seem to have no clue.

Following last years election, Republicans first floated the idea of repeal and delay  that is, formally canceling large pieces of the law while delaying the phaseout for perhaps several years, giving Congress time to pass a replacement. At first blush, this sounds reasonable (if wrongheaded). It is in fact unworkable.

The ACA depends on private insurers participating in competitive state insurance marketplaces. Without government incentives, and with no reason to believe that their time and effort will pay off under a nebulous new policy down the road, insurers will not continue serving markets that are in any case set to disappear. To avoid a repeal-and-delay disaster, Republicans would have to pour money into Obamacare, a move they ardently opposed when the goal was fixing the program rather than tearing it down. Bottom line: Without a replacement plan passed and in place at the time of repeal, policy uncertainty will drive insurers to quit the markets and desert their patients.

Despite agitating for repeal for the past half-decade, Republicans have failed to unite around any Obamacare alternative, and they do not appear close now. Detailed proposals that have circulated among Republicans over the past several years would almost certainly result in a much skimpier system  covering fewer Americans and degrading the quality of coverage for low-income and sick people who manage to buy it.

Republicans are bumping into some awkward facts, where ideology cannot repeal basic logic. There is no health-care reform that will lower premiums, cut deductibles and increase choice all at the same time, despite President-elect Donald Trumps rhetoric.

Moreover, an insurance-based health-care system requires pooling many people together so that premiums from healthy people offset the costs of treating the sick  and keep costs reasonable for everyone. Fiddling with regulations that compel people to buy insurance, allowing insurers more room to discriminate against older or sicker people, reducing benefits requirements  all of these could give insurers more opportunity to welcome healthy people and deter the sick, to the benefit of their pocketbooks but the detriment of society as a whole.

GOP leaders are right that health-care costs must be reined in. But they are wrong that market forces will be enough to drive efficiency: Patients  and even doctors and hospitals  often lack critical information and expertise to make appropriate cost-saving decisions. Government must press reforms in how health care is delivered and how the costs and benefits of treatments are evaluated. At some point, people cannot have subsidized access to treatments that are unnecessary or if cheaper ones are just as good.

To a degree, the Affordable Care Act reflects these principles. The GOP alternative proposals floated so far do not. The only way for Mr. Ryan to keep his promise is for Republicans to shore up the system, not engage in repeal and . . . whatever.
Republicans are vowing to press ahead with confirmation hearings this week for Donald Trumps Cabinet nominees despite the concerns of a federal watchdog that their complex backgrounds are slowing required ethics reviews.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Sunday that there are no plans to alter a packed confirmation calendar, but he vowed that no nominee will earn an up-or-down vote until the requisite background checks are completed by the FBI and a federal ethics office.

The Democrats are really frustrated that they lost the election, he told CBSs Face the Nation, adding that he was in a similar situation eight years ago when President Obama took office.

What did we do? We confirmed seven Cabinet appointments the day President Obama was sworn in. We didnt like most of them, either. But he won the election, McConnell said. So all of these little procedural complaints are related to their frustration at having not only lost the White House, but having lost the Senate. I understand that. But we need to, sort of, grow up here and get past that.

McConnell was responding to concerns expressed by Walter M. Shaub Jr., director of the Office of Government Ethics, who said in a letter released Friday that the current confirmation calendar is putting undue pressure on his office to rush through these important reviews.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Shaub, appointed in 2013 to lead the executive branchs ethics office, warned that there are some unresolved ethics issues for nominees set to appear on Capitol Hill this week, adding that he was unaware of any Cabinet pick sitting for a confirmation hearing before completing an OGE review.

[Ethics official warns against confirmations before reviews are complete]

But Senate Republicans strongly disputed Shaub, noting that at least some hearings have been held before the OGE completed reviewing a nominees past.

Take the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, for example. The panel requires a nominee to complete a questionnaire  part of which is released publicly, while a portion containing personal information remains private. The committee also requires that a nominee undergo an ethics review by the OGE and an FBI criminal background check.

In January 2001, the committee held a confirmation hearing for Roderick Paige, George W. Bushs choice to lead the Education Department, eight days before the OGE completed its review, aides said. That month, the committee met with Elaine Chao, tapped to serve as Bushs labor secretary, five days before the OGE sent its findings to Capitol Hill.

[Trumps nominees]

This year, Chao, who is also McConnells wife, is nominated to serve as Trumps transportation secretary, and her ethics and FBI background checks have been completed ahead of her hearing, scheduled for Wednesday with the Senate Commerce Committee, aides said. Her hearing will occur amid a flurry of other televised meetings with Trump nominees, including attorney general pick Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), set to meet with the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, and secretary of state pick Rex Tillerson, set to appear before the Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.

Elaine Chao, Trumps choice to serve as transportation secretary, photographed on Nov. 21, 2016, at Trump Tower in New York. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

All of Sessionss paperwork is completed, including the FBI background check, according to Senate aides. Tillerson turned in his ethics report a few days after being nominated but is awaiting the results of an FBI check, said those aides, who are not authorized to speak publicly about the reviews.

Betsy DeVos, Trumps choice for education secretary, has yet to submit her ethics report, but her FBI check is completed ahead of her Wednesday hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, aides said. Paperwork for retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, also has been completed ahead of his Wednesday hearing.

On Thursday, the Senate Banking Committee will meet with Ben Carson, Trumps choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, while the Senate Commerce Committee will meet with Wilbur Ross, Trumps choice to lead the Commerce Department. Both nominees are still undergoing ethics and FBI reviews, aides said.

[Everything you want to know about the Trump Cabinet confirmation hearings]

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday again faulted Republicans for the confirmation schedule.

No administration, Republican or Democrat, has tried to do what these Republicans are trying to do with their nominees, Schumer said in a statement. Rather than ensuring that nominees are thoroughly vetted and will remove themselves from conflicts of interests, Senate Republicans are trying to ram them through as quickly as possible.

He added: Until these nominees have fully cooperated with the ethics review process, the hearings and confirmation schedule should not be rushed.

A former general counsel and acting director of the Office of Government Ethics, Don W. Fox, said his former agency should not be faulted for slowing down the confirmation of Trumps Cabinet.

I would not fault OGE at all for this circumstance, he said. There is no lack of sophistication there among the staff on complex financial arrangements. But it is a small agency, and the laws are exacting.

As a result, cooperation and communication with the agency are required, Fox said. Given the number of wealthy nominees and reports of a lack of communication between the ethics office and Trumps team, its not surprising that this is where we are, he added.

Tom Hamburger contributed to this report.
President-Elect Donald Trump has alarmed lawmakers over his public skepticism of a U.S. intelligence report last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign to sway the presidential election. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Republican leaders in Congress on Sunday defended President-elect Donald Trumps desire to pursue better relations with Russia, but they cast strong doubt on whether his administration would succeed given the failed efforts of previous presidents.

Trump has alarmed lawmakers over his public skepticism of a U.S. intelligence report last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign to sway the presidential election in Trumps favor. His aides reiterated Trumps contention that Democrats were pursuing a political witch hunt to sow doubts about his victory.

Reince Priebus, who is slated to become Trumps White House chief of staff, said on CBSs Face the Nation that it is indisputable that the rollout of the report is politically motivated to discredit Trump.

GOP congressional leaders have generally accepted the intelligence communitys findings, and they sought Sunday to deflect attention from Trumps stance toward Russia by emphasizing that his professed goal of improving the United States ability to work with Moscow is in line with the approach taken by his predecessors.

Its not unusual for a new president to want to get along with Russia, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Face the Nation. But he added: My suspicion is that his hopes will be dashed pretty quickly. Russia is a big adversary and they demonstrated it by trying to mess around in our elections.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he understands why Trump would want to be buddies with Putin, saying it was no different from President Obama and former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

But Nunes, a member of Trumps transition team, said on Fox News Sunday that he has cautioned this administration to be careful with Putin, because I think he is a bad actor. It is true wed like to be friends with Russia, but Im just not sure its possible.

Bush said early in his presidency that he found Putin trustworthy after he had stared into his eyes to get a sense of his soul. Bush traveled to Russia seven times, more visits than to any other country, but his efforts to court Moscow ended disastrously when Russia invaded Georgia.

The Obama administration announced a reset with Moscow in 2009, hoping to have better success wooing then-President Dmitry Medvedev. But that effort quickly unraveled in the wake of Moscows harboring of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, Russias military incursions into Ukraine and its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Obama traveled to Moscow only once in eight years, canceling a bilateral meeting there in 2013, and he met with Putin only in informal settings on the sidelines of multilateral summits.

Last month, Obama announced punitive actions against Russia for its cyberhacking of the Democratic and Republican parties during the election. He said the United States would expel 35 Russian diplomats and close two Russian compounds. Putin, anticipating a shift of U.S. policy under Trump, said he would not retaliate by expelling any U.S. officials.

Obama has said his administration might take additional actions before he leaves office Jan. 20, including potential covert cyberattacks on Russian institutions.

In an interview that aired Sunday, Obama said he did not misjudge the threat from Putin, even though he had dismissed Republican Mitt Romneys contention during the 2012 campaign that Russia was the United States biggest geopolitical threat.

I dont think I underestimated him, Obama said on ABC Newss This Week, but I think that I underestimated the degree to which, in this new information age, it is possible for misinformation, for cyberhacking and so forth, to have an impact on our open societies, our open systems, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways that I think are accelerating.

The report, released Friday from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said Russian operatives hacked into the emails of Democratic Party officials and released them publicly to harm Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and, ultimately, help Trump.

On Saturday, Trump touted Russia as a potential ally, saying only stupid people, or fools think improving relations is a bad thing.

When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and . . . both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD! Trump tweeted.

Several of Trumps top picks for high-level jobs, including ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson, who has been nominated for secretary of state, and Michael Flynn, named as Trumps national security adviser, have ties to Russia. Tillerson advocated against economic sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe on Russia after the invasion of the Crimea region of Ukraine, while Flynn dined with Putin at a lavish banquet last year thrown by the Russian state television network.

But Trump allies noted that other Trump selections have been more hawkish on Russia, including Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), named to take over the Central Intelligence Agency, and former senator Daniel Coats (R-Ind.), chosen as the director of national intelligence.

These are clear-eyed people who understand fully that the Russians are not our friends, McConnell said.
On Friday morning, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted.

The first one went like this: Wow, the ratings are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger got swamped (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT. So much for . . .

It was quickly followed by this: being a movie star-and that was season 1 compared to season 14. Now compare him to my season 1. But who cares, he supported Kasich & Hillary.

The reaction was utterly predictable. Democrats  and even some Republicans  wondered why Trump was fixated on the ratings for The Celebrity Apprentice on the day that he was set to receive a briefing from intelligence officials about the depth and breadth of Russian hacking during the 2016 election. It was the height of irresponsibility, they tweeted!

Heres the thing: We know  or should know  by now that this is a feature, not a glitch, of Trumps personality. In fact, the tweets above provide a nice window into understanding how he thinks about himself, his looming presidency and the world.

For Trump, it is all about eyeballs. Attention. Buzz. Chatter. Appearances.

During the campaign, the metric that Trump kept coming back to was that he had the biggest crowds of any candidate.

We go to Oklahoma, we have 25,000 people, he said in August. We had 21,000 people in Dallas, we had 35,000 people in Mobile, Alabama. We get these massive crowds. Look, if [Hillary Clinton] had 500 people, I would be surprised.

In October, he sounded the same note: No matter where we go, we have these massive crowds. We just left one that was 11,000 . . . Its been amazing, the receptivity. Theres never been anything like this in this country.

And again just days ago, he tweeted: Hillary and the Dems were never going to beat the PASSION of my voters. They saw what was happening in the last two weeks before the . . .

Ditto Trumps views on the importance of TV ratings. He uses ratings as scientific proof of his immense relevance  in debates, on Saturday Night Live, at WrestleMania and, well, pretty much everywhere else. Ratings  bad ones  also serve as his go-to put-down tool. Everyone from Megyn Kelly to MSNBC to The View to Arsenio Hall has been judged by Trump as bad/stupid because of allegedly poor ratings. (The Trump Twitter Archive is invaluable for this sort of searching.) As Jacob Brogan put it in a Slate piece last year:

Trump cares about ratings a lot. He cares about ratings because the value of a thing, in his mind, is entirely a function of its ordinal positioning. Hes always talking numbers, one way or another. During one recent campaign stop, he counted up every reference that Hillary Clinton made to him in her Democratic National Convention address  22 in all. He also routinely talks polling data  mostly when the numbers are in his favor, but sometimes even when theyre not.

Yup. Ratings make the man. If people watch, you win.

Trumps focus on the appearance of things carries over to how he has gone about picking his Cabinet. This, from a hugely insightful Washington Post story published late last year: Donald Trump believes that those who aspire to the most visible spots in his administration should not just be able to do the job, but also look the part . . . Given Trumps own background as a master brander and showman who ran beauty pageants as a sideline, it was probably inevitable that he would be looking beyond their resumes for a certain aesthetic in his supporting players.

Remember that Trump  like all of us  is a product of his environment. That environment for him is the meat grinder of New York City business and media  and, more recently, reality TV. How you come off in those venues often matters far more than what you say. The key is not, necessarily, to be the smartest or the best looking; its to be the one everyone is talking about. If you are the center of attention, youve won. Nothing else matters. Crowds, ratings  thats the measure of a man.

No one should be shocked that this appearances first, second and only view is coming with Trump as he prepares to become the 44th man to be U.S. president. At 70, this is who he is. He has spent a lifetime measuring his success through numbers  not always correct numbers, mind you, but numbers nonetheless. Perception is Trumps reality. In that way, he is perfect for our modern political system. And he knows it.
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn will have the ear of President-elect Donald Trump as an adviser focused on cutting government regulations. But Icahn also stands to benefit if his advice is taken: It could make the energy companies and others in which he has a stake more profitable.

Trumps daughter Ivanka, whos a major figure in her fathers business, has been present at transition meetings and is expected to continue to counsel him at the White House. So, too, is her husband, Jared Kushner, who has a web of business interests of his own that could be affected by Trump administration policy.

And another Trump intimate  his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski  is making no secret of his desire to profit on his continuing closeness to Trump, setting up a new lobbying firm with an office just a block from the White House.

With confirmation hearings set to start for Trumps Cabinet, ethics experts are voicing alarm about several other confidants of the president-elect  dubbed the shadow Cabinet by one  who might not be subject to such scrutiny and could face a tangle of potential conflicts between their personal interests and those of the public.

His lawyer said this weekend that Kushner is preparing to resign from his position overseeing his familys real estate empire and to divest substantial assets if he takes a role in Trumps White House.

Trump advisers Stephen Bannon and Jared Kushner make their way to Carrier Corporation in Indianapolis, Ind., in December. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

In other cases, its unclear whether the usual safeguards of public disclosure and divestment will come into play to prevent those serving the president from profiting personally from their work. The concerns have been amplified by the fact that they will be reporting to a Republican president who has been slow to address the potential conflicts stemming from his own real estate holdings and other business interests.

Some of the advisory roles Trump has set up or is openly contemplating fall into very murky territory, said Norman Eisen, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer under President Obama.

Richard W. Painter, who held the same position as Eisen under President George W. Bush and now sits with him on the board of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said it poses an enormous risk to have a shadow Cabinet.

Trump transition officials did not respond to requests for comment. An attorney for Icahn said he will follow the law as he always has, while Kushners attorney said he is consulting with the Office of Government Ethics regarding the steps he would take.

The appointment of Icahn  whom Trump praised as someone who is innately able to predict the future, especially having to do with finances and economies  has drawn the sharpest criticism. Painter said Icahns status as an unpaid adviser is disingenuous.

The billionaire investor made his name on Wall Street as one of the most successful corporate raiders of the 1980s, including making nearly $500 million from his stake in Trans World Airlines. As an investor in Trumps hotels, he has clashed with the president-elect over business deals in the past but also provided financing at critical moments to keep Trump afloat. Icahn ranks among the 50 richest people in the world, according to Forbes.

In the wee hours after Election Day, as supporters celebrated Trumps victory in a ballroom at the New York Hilton in Midtown Manhattan, Icahn ducked out of the festivities. He was tracking the initial plunge in financial markets over Trumps upset win and decided to make a bet.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

I couldnt put more than $1 billion to work, Icahn told Bloomberg TV the day after the election. The world was going into a panic for no reason. I think Donald coming in is a good thing for the economy, not a bad thing.

Trumps presidency also stands to be particularly good for Icahn. He has long railed against regulation from Washington, most recently in the energy sector. Now he is being tasked by Trump to help him slash government regulations in the newly created role of special adviser for regulatory reform.

Trumps transition team emphasized that the title comes with no official duties and no salary  and is therefore not subject to federal disclosure requirements or conflict of interest laws. In an interview on CNBC, Icahn said that he will simply be talking to Donald as Ive talked before.

The confirmation process is designed in part to air potential conflicts. For example, Trumps incoming commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, who made a fortune in the steel industry, will likely be asked to explain how he will oversee a department that has significant oversight of that sector.

While White House staff members do not face confirmation hearings as Cabinet secretaries do, they must file disclosure forms revealing their finances. They also have to divest assets that create conflicts of interest or abide by rules requiring them to recuse themselves from decisions that could affect those assets.

Icahns role is so nebulous that it is difficult to tell how it should be categorized. The nature of his work could make him a de facto government employee  subject to disclosure requirements and conflict of interest laws  even if he is not paid.

Is it in the public interest for him to take that position and for us to not know what hes doing? said James Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University.

Watchdog groups have raised concerns about how much influence Icahn might wield over rolling back regulations that could benefit him personally. In the CNBC interview, he expounded at length over what he deemed insane rules dictating how much ethanol refineries should blend into gasoline. Shares of CVR Energy, a petroleum refinery in which he holds a significant stake, have almost doubled in price since the election.

In addition, it is unclear whether Icahns position could provide him special access to political intelligence. Legislation passed in 2012 prohibits members of Congress and certain positions within the executive branch from trading based on nonpublic political information.

Democrats are already questioning whether Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), Trumps nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, violated that law by trading health-care stocks during the crafting of the Affordable Care Act.

Trumps unusual willingness to intervene in the business decisions of individual companies could also create greater potential for conflicts of interest. On Thursday, Trump criticized Toyota for building cars in Mexico and selling them in the United States, sending the companys stock plunging.

The fear would be that he could be privy to knowledge that could affect the market in some ways or different corporations he has a stake in or against, said Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. He could make a move before the rest of America knows about it.

In an email, Jesse Lynn, general counsel of Icahn Enterprises, said Icahns title was not intended to formalize his role in the new Trump administration but to acknowledge the long-standing relationship among two New York dealmakers.

Jan Baran, a campaign and elections lawyer at Wiley Rein, said conflict of interest laws only cover information that has the potential to affect a specific company, not a broad industry. And he said that many presidents often have a coterie of unofficial advisers, many of whom lack real power.

It kind of reminds me of Peter the Great when he was the czar of Russia in the late 1600s and early 1700s, Baran said. He didnt have much in the way of money that he could give to anybody, so he started giving blue ribbons. This might be Trumps version of a blue ribbon.

Trump has not made formal announcements about the role his daughter and son-in-law will play in the administration. But those around him have suggested that Ivanka Trump could be involved in policies affecting working mothers, while Kushners portfolio could include advising the president on foreign policy, particularly the Middle East.

What would happen to their business interests remains unclear. Ivanka Trump has played a leading role in her fathers business and has a clothing line. Kushner has a web of business interests of his own, focused heavily on real estate development.

Though Kushners company is focused primarily on development in New York and New Jersey, it has often relied on foreign investment, and its earnings could be influenced by Trump administration trade and foreign relations policies.

Kushners lawyer, WilmerHale partner Jamie Gorelick, said Saturday that Kushner would recuse himself from matters that would have a direct impact on his remaining financial interests and abide by other federal ethics rules.

A federal anti-nepotism statute enacted in 1967 could also complicate the fate of the couple, who recently purchased a house in Washington. The law, which came about after President John F. Kennedy named his brother as attorney general, forbids public officials from hiring family members in agencies or offices they oversee.

Theres some disagreement among lawyers as to whether appointments to White House positions are exempt  Hillary Clintons role in the health-care reform proposal during her husbands presidency is cited by those who take that view. Gorelick declined to comment on that matter.

But both Eisen and Painter say they counseled their respective presidents to avoid appointing relatives to administration positions. Painter argued that the ideal solution  if Trump wants to put his daughter and son-in-law in positions of influence  would be to ask Congress to amend the anti-nepotism law and give them formal roles.

Lewandowski remains in regular touch with the president-elect and is expected to continue to do so when Trump enters the Oval Office.

There is a long tradition in Washington of lobbyists trading on their access to powerful figures, but ethics experts were taken aback by how bluntly Lewandowski pitched his new lobbying shop. A news release issued by the firm, Avenue Strategies, touted its location just a block from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue and quoted Lewandowski saying, I will always be President-elect Trumps biggest supporter.

Weve been overly desensitized to shock, but we should be shocked, Eisen said.

How did Trump not repudiate that announcement? Eisen asked. I think he should repudiate it. I doubt he will.

Chico Harlan contributed to this report.
The ritual goes like this: If youre approaching the god Balaji with an appeal, walk in a circle around the temple 11 times and leave an offering of tulsi leaves at his feet. Should your wish be granted, come back and do it 108 times.

We call him Visa Balaji, said Madhu Vadlamani, 25. He is famous for granting visas.

Vadlamani and her husband of just three days, Revanth Chilakamarri, 29, were but two of thousands of worshipers orbiting the Visa Balaji temple near here one recent morning. Years ago, the incarnation of Vishnu had blessed them both with student visas to the United States. Though they had grown up just seven lanes apart, they met in America and fell in love.

The two software developers had returned to the temple that morning to appeal to Balaji, in hopes of renewing their American sojourn with a new visa  the H-1B.

For the new political order taking shape in Washington, however, H-1Bs arent quite welcome. Amid promises of sweeping changes to immigration policy, President-elect Donald Trump and his choice for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), have tabbed the program for a major overhaul, and might even scrap it altogether. In the House, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is on the same wavelength.

The visas bring nearly 100,000 highly skilled contract workers, mostly in tech and mostly from India, to the United States every year. Most stay for multiple years, and some eventually get green cards. According to federal guidelines, H-1Bs are intended to fill positions for which American workers with the requisite skills cant be found. Whether the program always does that is intensely debated by industry lobbyists and politicians, and companies are not legally required to ensure that result.

Trump has described H-1Bs as a cheap labor program subject to widespread, rampant abuse. Sessions co-sponsored legislation last year with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) to effectively gut the program; Issa, a congressman with Trumps ear, released a statement Wednesday saying he was reintroducing similar legislation called the Protect and Grow American Jobs Act.

Sessions probably will give at least a glimpse of his plans regarding the program at his confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Sessions and Issas legislation primarily targets large outsourcing companies, such as Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services, that receive the vast majority of H-1B visas and use them to deploy workers to American companies seeking to cut costs. In 2015, the top 10 recipients of H-1B visas were outsourcing firms. As recently as 2013, the Justice Department, which Sessions stands to take over, settled with Infosys for $34 million in a visa fraud case.

Logically speaking, Im worried, said Vadlamani, who until recently worked for Deloitte in Orlando. But being Indian, I believe that if it is in my karma, then I will get the visa. If not, there are more and more jobs these days at good companies here.

But if Vadlamani is circumspect about her prospects should the visa program be restricted, politicians and business executives in her home town are bullish. Not only is employment booming in Hyderabad, they say, but should the United States move against H-1Bs, their economy stands to gain.

The H-1B program provides American companies with cheap, temporary contractors who often work longer hours than Americans and take on the monotonous programming jobs Americans scorn. Proponents of the program argue that foreign workers increase innovation at American companies as well as contribute to local economies. A few Indians who came on work visas have even gone on to become heads of important American companies.

1 of 74 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Heres what President-elect Donald Trump has been doing since the election View Photos He has been holding interviews and meetings as he prepares to transition into the White House. Caption He has been holding interviews and meetings as he prepares to enter the White House. Jan. 19, 2017 President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, visit the Lincoln Memorial before the Make America Great Again concert. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Meanwhile, Indias growth as a global tech hub has been hampered as tens of thousands of workers have left.

Over the past decade, though, cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore have slowly but surely gained prominence. At first, Hyderabad was mostly a base for outsourcing companies servicing American clients, but now it is home to the biggest offices of Apple, Google, Microsoft and Facebook outside the United States. Amazon, Dell, Uber and others have major operations there. All have huge campuses in a part of the city officially known as Cyberabad.

Cyberabads existence is the result of investments in education and infrastructure made by N. Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, where Hyderabad was located until the state was bifurcated in 2014. A network of dozens of information-technology institutes trained a generation of engineers and software developers to work back-end jobs for American companies.

For that generation, getting an H-1B was the holy grail. Even though the work in America could be dull, being there provided a chance to engage with an invigorating culture of innovation that just wasnt present in India yet. And of course, working abroad meant a huge increase in income and prestige.

But the H-1B cap meant that the bulk of Indian tech workers stayed back. The current cap  not just from India  is 65,000, plus another 20,000 who have graduated from American universities with advanced degrees, down from almost double that at the beginning of the 2000s.

Among those who do get the visas, most ultimately return to settle and work in India. In Hyderabad, many of those returnees are confident that their city can compete with Silicon Valley for Indias brightest young minds.

K.T. Rama Rao, the son of the current chief minister, was one of them. Now hes the minister for information technology in his fathers government. He pointed to Apple as an example of how Hyderabad could absorb the thousands of workers in a potential future with far fewer H-1Bs  or without them altogether.

Apple is already moving their maps division here, and theyre doing that because were producing more G.I.S. talent than anyone else in the world, he claimed in an interview, referring to geographic information systems. Ideally, a president of the United States would have a balanced perspective on business, but if he wants tech firms to stay, he should create better job readiness in the U.S.

Rao said that legislation targeting big Indian outsourcing companies would wean them away from their dependency on servicing American companies. Without the visa program, they would have to engage in new lines of work that created value in Hyderabad and not abroad, he said.

Amit Jain, now the president of Uber India, is another returnee who used to be on an H-1B. He said that the influx of American companies, as well as a growing indigenous start-up culture, could offer what Indians used to seek in the United States closer to home.

We definitely have a more robust ecosystem here now, he said. Were seeing plenty of hiring in the future.

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It is a quintessentially British scene: watching the annual Wimbledon tournament while munching on British strawberries and cream.

But farmers here are warning that fruits and vegetables  including their beloved strawberries  could be left to rot in the fields this summer because Eastern Europeans are reluctant to work on British farms following the Brexit vote.

Britains immigration policy will be one of the central themes of the upcoming Brexit negotiations, which are expected to last up to two years. And many industries that rely on foreign labor  from construction to cleaning  are anxious about continued access to migrant workers after Britain leaves the European Union.

But the agricultural industry says it is already struggling with a worker deficit.

A recent survey by the National Farmers Union (NFU), an industry lobbying group, found that 47 percent of the companies that provide agricultural labor said they did not have enough workers to meet demand between June and September of last year.

Signs advertise pound sterling prices for peaches and strawberries on a fruit stall at Walthamstow market in London. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg)

Britains horticulture sector is hugely reliant on its 80,000 seasonal workforce, the vast majority of whom come from Eastern Europe. The industry is calling on the government to introduce temporary work visas for foreign workers from countries outside the E.U., such as Ukraine or Bosnia.

Every strawberry at Wimbledon last year was picked by an Eastern European. If we dont want shortages going forward, we need to get a new visa scheme sorted now, said John Hardman, director of HOPS Labor Solutions, one of Britains largest recruiters of migrant farm labor.

Speaking from an airport in Romania, where he recruits many of the 12,000 seasonal workers his company helps to bring over from Eastern Europe, Hardman said that Britain is becoming a harder sell because of the devalued currency and perceptions of xenophobia.

After the vote last summer, there was a spike in anti-immigrant assaults, and recruiters say such reports spread quickly in migrant communities.

Its enough to have a few people that have bad experiences, and they put it on Facebook or Twitter, and its enough to push so many people away, said Estera Amesz, co-founder of AG Recruitment, a British agency that brings in agricultural workers from the E.U. She said the firms Romania office has seen a 40 percent drop in the number of people inquiring about jobs on British farms over last year at this time.

Helen Whately, a British politician who chairs the all-party parliamentary group for fruit and vegetable farming, said during a recent parliamentary debate on the subject that Britain risks losing out on foreign labor because foreigners are feeling a lot less welcome and because of the weaker pound  it is about 11 percent down on the euro since the June 23 referendum.

They do not have to come and work in the U.K., Whately said. They are in demand across the whole European Union.

Some say that more should be done to hire local workers, including increasing wages. But farmers say Britons cannot be enticed to pick plums and potatoes. Not only is the work tough and low-paying, but also the jobs are temporary, and moving from farm to farm is an unappealing lifestyle for those wanting to plant roots in a community.

Britain has previously offered temporary visas for seasonal agricultural workers, but it scrapped the program three years ago after Bulgarians and Romanians were given full access to the countrys labor market.

When asked whether the government would consider introducing a new work visa for seasonal agricultural work, the Home Office said in a statement that Britain needs a fair and controlled immigration policy and that is exactly what this government will deliver.

The statement continued: We are determined to get the best deal for the U.K. in our negotiations to leave the E.U., not least for our world-leading food and farming industry which is a key part of our nations economic success.

Andrea Leadsom, Britains environment secretary, recently suggested that the government will work with farmers to ensure there arent any shortfalls.

She told a farming conference in Oxford last week that access to labor was very much an important part of our current discussions  and were committed to working with you to make sure you have the right people with the right skills.

But she didnt spell out any details. And farmers say that a solution needs to be found well before the negotiations that will precede Britains withdrawal from the E.U.

We have had Polish staff who have been coming for a long time, some 18 years, but they are not sure if they will continue coming back next season, said Ali Capper, who runs an apple and hops farm in Englands West Midlands.

Capper, who is also the head of NFUs horticulture and potatoes board, said that European migrants want long-term certainty and that if they dont come this year, theres a real possibility that we will have crops rotting in the field.

Laurence Olins, chairman of British Summer Fruits, an industry association, said some farmers are already pushing the pause button on expansion and investments in new technology.

People are now not planting apples because of worries over who will pick them, he added.

Not all Eastern Europeans have been dissuaded. Daniela Dragomir, a 33-year-old from Romania who has worked on British farms for seven seasons, says she is keen to return to the U.K. I like England. I like the system of English people, she said.

But she said that friends are less enthusiastic and that some have deep concerns.

Some people dont want [to return] because of the impression that English people dont want Romanians and Bulgarians to work for them.

Chris Chinn, an asparagus grower whose farm employs up to 1,000 seasonal workers, said that his farm is recruiting staff for springtime picking and that there is certainly a little bit more of a challenge to find the right people.

The government has so much to think about at the moment, and perhaps 80,000 seasonal workers isnt at the top of the list, he said. But it has the potential to be catastrophic for our industry. If we dont have staff, we cant harvest those crops.

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A Palestinian driver intentionally rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers Sunday, killing four and wounding a dozen on a picture-postcard promenade overlooking Jerusalems Old City and a park called the Peace Forest.

The assault occurred just blocks from the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem and down the street from the United Nations headquarters.

The dead soldiers  three women and one man, all in their early 20s  were part of a large group of officer cadets who were getting an educational tour.

Israeli officials quickly labeled the truck-ramming a terrorist attack and said the driver was from a nearby East Jerusalem neighborhood.

The Islamist militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, applauded the heroic operation but did not assert responsibility for it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, visits the site of a vehicle-ramming attack in Jerusalem that killed four soldiers and wounded a dozen others. (Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the scene several hours after the attack, said the assailant showed all the signs he was a supporter of the Islamic State militant group.

It was one of the deadliest attacks in more than a year of stabbings, shootings and vehicular assaults by Palestinians. It comes just a week before a planned conference in Paris that seeks to push Israelis and Palestinians to restart their stalled peace talks.

[A new kind of terrorism in Israel]

Leah Schreiber, a tour guide escorting the soldiers, said she saw the truck accelerate and jump the curb, plowing into uniformed troops who had just exited their bus.

It took a few seconds to understand what was happening, Schreiber said. That this was a terror attack.

Graphic surveillance video from the scene shows a large white Mercedes-Benz truck careening into the soldiers and then rapidly backing up in circles, running over the wounded, as the soldiers fled.

Eitan Rod, an armed tour guide, told Israels Army Radio that he was chatting with several officers when he saw the truck roaring toward him. He dived onto the grass.

I saw the truck start to reverse and then I already understood that this was not an accident, he said. I felt that my pistol was still on me, so I ran up to him and started emptying my clip. He went in reverse and again drove over the injured.

Rod told Israeli television that he wondered why army officers at the scene did not immediately open fire. He blamed Israeli military authorities, who last week convicted a soldier of manslaughter in the killing of an unarmed Palestinian assailant in Hebron as he lay wounded.

Israeli army spokesmen, however, countered the claim of hesitancy by releasing a video of a soldier describing how he fired his rifle at the driver, who was shot dead in his truck.

Chen Lendi Sharon, a paramedic with the Magen David Adom emergency service, said he arrived at a chaotic scene, with wounded soldiers trapped under the truck.

Police chief Roni Alsheich said there was no warning before the attack.

You dont need more than two to three seconds to find a terrorist target. The soldiers at the scene reacted immediately and killed the attacker, he said.

Rescue workers said three women and a man were killed in the attack. Israel later identified them as Lt. Erez Orbach, Lt. Shira Tzur, Lt. Shir Hajaj and Lt. Yael Yekutiel.

In a statement, Netanyahu described the attack as part of the same pattern inspired by Islamic State, by ISIS, that we saw first in France, then in Germany and now in Jerusalem, referring to rampages by truck drivers at the seaside corniche in Nice in July and the Berlin Christmas market last month.

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, asserted responsibility for the attacks in France and Germany, declaring that its soldiers were responding to its call to target nations fighting the group in Iraq and Syria.

Netanyahu did not immediately offer any evidence that the Jerusalem attack was inspired by the Islamic State or that the assailant was a supporter of the group.

There have been many similar attacks by Palestinians that have been inspired by nationalistic, religious and personal motives, and not the Islamic State, according to Israeli security officials.

Israels deputy foreign minister, Tzipi Hotovely, said the Sunday attack was driven by the upcoming Paris conference.

The world has received a clear answer from the Palestinians to the peace conference coming up in Paris: more terror, Hotovely said in a statement.

Palestinian leaders have stressed that they support the conference as a way to avoid violence  not stoke it  by seeking a peaceful resolution through international diplomacy and renewed talks with Israel.

Arab-language news media identified the truck driver as Fadi al-Kanbar from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber. Israeli TV reports said Kanbar was in his 20s and married with children.

In Washington, Mark Toner, deputy spokesman at the State Department, said: There is absolutely no justification for these brutal and senseless attacks. We condemn the glorification of terrorism now or at any time and call on all to send a clear message that terrorism must never be tolerated.

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Former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the most influential figures in Iran since the Islamic revolution and a driving force for reform, has died at the age of 82 after suffering an apparent heart attack, state media reported Sunday.

Though his power had waned since he served two terms as president from 1989 to 1997, Rafsanjani retained significant clout on the Assembly of Experts that will choose a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is 77 and has been treated for prostate cancer. Rafsanjanis absence also could have an impact on presidential elections in May, when President Hassan Rouhani, who is considered a pragmatist, will seek reelection.

Rouhani, a protege of Rafsanjani, reportedly rushed to the hospital in Tehran where Rafsanjani was taken Sunday morning. He was seen leaving in tears.

As president, Rafsanjani developed a reputation for being ruthless and brutal, and his critics charged he had a hand in the murder of numerous dissidents. Argentine prosecutors suspected Rafsanjani was among Iranian officials involved in the bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires in 1994 that killed 85 people. But in later years, he became known as a champion of reformists who were otherwise marginalized from power.

His death leaves a huge vacuum among moderate Iranians who seek reforms in the countrys political life and economic and cultural openings to the West. His funeral will be held Tuesday, and analysts will be looking for clues to whether marginalized reformists will be galvanized to unite or hard-liners will consolidate their power.

Its a loss for the pragmatist and reformist camp, said Barbara Slavin, acting director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council. How big a loss depends on when Khamenei dies, and where Iran is. It depends on where relations stand with the United States and the international community, whether were back to a period of hostility or whether the nuclear deal survives and theres a kind of detente with the U.S. And we wont know that until our own new president takes office and puts his policies into effect.

Rafsanjani was one of the founding fathers of Irans Islamic republic and an aide to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 revolution. He was involved in the secret negotiations between Iran and the United States in the 1980s that led to the Iran-contra scandal. Those talks were one of several Rafsanjani efforts to find a way to mend relations with Washington ruptured by the prolonged holding of hostages in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

Rafsanjani also had a hand in founding Irans nuclear program. But he supported Rouhanis negotiations with six world powers to scale back the capability to build nuclear weapons, in exchange for the easing of international sanctions that shackled Irans economy. As recently as last month, he was appealing to international investors, assuring them of the financial protections that they found lacking.

State-run television announced that Rafsanjani had died after a lifetime of fighting and constant efforts in line with fulfilling the goals of Islam and the revolution.

During his life, Rafsanjani was a controversial figure. As president, he was reviled by many Iranians, who considered him corrupt because of suspicions that he had used his position to enrich his family. He and his intelligence services were also implicated in the assassinations of dissidents in Iran and Europe, as well as in terrorist attacks on civilians.

Although Rafsanjani has long been identified as a pragmatist, he was an integral part of the Islamic republics security apparatus, one which tortured dissidents, conducted foreign assassinations and terrorist attacks, and helped cover the Iranian nuclear program in a shroud of secrecy while soliciting foreign assistance and material, said Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran analyst with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

But in the eyes of many reformists, Rafsanjani redeemed himself when he supported the Green Movement after the 2009 election that was contested by protesters demanding the removal of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Since 2009, he was the center of gravity for reformist and moderate forces, said Hadi Ghaemi, head of the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Now, in a way, they have lost their godfather.

Rafsanjani played a key role in Rouhanis election, even leading Rouhani into parliament by the hand the first time he visited as president. Rouhani is often mentioned as a potential successor to become supreme leader once Khamenei dies. But the assumption was that Rafsanjani would be alive to help make that happen.

His chances of winning this power struggle without Rafsanjani pulling for him in the background is now reduced, said Trita Parsi, head of the National Iranian American Council.

Rafsanjani was born in 1934 to a family of farmers in central Iran and studied theology in Qom with Khomeini. During the 1960s and 1970s, he took part in the Islamic student movement opposing Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, leading to Rafsanjanis imprisonment several times.

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Photo credit: Mark Wallheiserundefined

From Esquire

In other news from Camp Runamuck, if you're wondering if the morning's healthcare tantrum might be meant to distract the country from something else, you will be interested to know that, perhaps as recently as Thursday, the president-elect was due to be deposed in a lawsuit he has brought against a chef. Per The New York Daily News:

Trump filed a $10 million breach-of-contract suit last year after Andres pulled out of a deal to open a Spanish-themed restaurant at the Trump International Hotel in D.C. The deposition, which will take place at Trump Tower, could last up to seven hours, according ABC News. Andres backed out after Trump called Mexican immigrants "rapists" that were "bringing drugs" and "bringing crime" into the U.S. during his June 2015 presidential announcement. Settlement talks have stalled in a similar case involving chef Geoffrey Zakarian, who also withdrew from opening a restaurant in the converted post office.

As long as he's got his eye on the ball. I can't wait for the day he sues China for trying to curtail his First Amendment right to be a fool.

Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook page.

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Sean Penn was every bit the formidable champion of human rights and social action Saturday night at the Haiti Rising Gala benefiting J/P Haitian Relief Organization held at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Come on, man, these people are dying over here, said Penn, a cigarette tucked behind his ear, appealing to the ballroom filled with movie stars and business entrepreneurs bidding on luxury auction prizes. We need your help.

In addition to Penn, the event, which raised a record-breaking $37 million, was co-hosted by Bryan Lourd and Sean and Alexandra Parker, and presented by Lynne and Marc Benioff. Also in the crowd were Pamela Anderson, Jeffrey Tambor, Ed Norton, Nick Jonas, Patricia Arquette, Leonardo DiCaprio (who donated $125,000 dollars in exchange for custom artwork by Ed Ruscha), and Courtney Love, who bid $50,000 for Madonnas Rebel Heart tour dress.

Paul Farmer, founding director and chief strategist of Partners in Health, was honored with the Garry Shandling Humanitarian Award, named for the legendary comedian who, upon his recent death, left $1 million to J/P HRO.

Bill Maher emceed the fundraiser, praising Penn as truly a man of action, whether you need someone to show up with a rowboat in a flood or interview El Chapo.

Founded by Penn in the wake of the 2010 earthquake that ravaged Haiti, J/P HRO has worked to provide emergency medical care, food and shelter, and other essential aid to the Caribbean nation, which suffered another devastating blow in 2016 when Hurricane Matthew pummeled the southern half of the country. What began as 30 Americans has since grown to a full-time staff of 130 Haitians working tirelessly to restore what was ruined, as well as build toward a brighter, stronger tomorrow, which includes the implementation of a large-scale reforestation project.

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Manaus (Brazil) (AFP) - At least four inmates were killed Sunday in a facility in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, sending the number of violent prison fatalities over 100 in just one week.

Much of the violence, which includes several massacres with decapitations and disemboweling, has been among rival drug gangs in vastly overcrowded facilities.

On Sunday four inmates were killed in as yet unclear circumstances in a Manaus prison, state public safety officials there said.

Deadly prison riots have intensified in Brazil since a truce broke down in July between the country's two largest drug gangs, the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command (CV).

The country was hit Friday by a grisly prison massacre at the Monte Cristo Farm Penitentiary (PAMC) in Roraima state that left 31 dead.

That unrest came days after jailed gang members killed 56 rivals in a 17-hour bloodbath at a prison in Manaus.

PAMC, the largest prison in the state, was also hit by deadly violence in October, when fighting between rival gangs killed 10 inmates.

At the time, the prison held 1,400 inmates -- double its capacity.

The states of northern Brazil, which border top cocaine producers Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, are battle zones in the drug trade.

Prisons there -- and throughout Brazil -- are often under the de facto control of drug gangs, whose turf wars on the outside are also fought out among inmates.

Overcrowding exacerbates the problem, activists say.

Brazil's inmate population has been swollen by efforts to crack down on a violent and lucrative drug trade.

The country's jails hold 622,000 inmates -- mostly young black men -- according to a 2014 justice ministry report, which found that 50 percent more capacity was needed.
The Israeli Cabinet approved administrative detentions for Islamic State group sympathizers Sunday in the way of a deadly truck attack that left four Israeli soldiers, three women and one man, dead and 17 others injured.

An alleged ISIS sympathizer drove a flat-bed truck into a group of conscripts getting off a bus in Jerusalem Sunday afternoon. Authorities labeled the deaths of Lt. Yael Yekutiel, 20, Shir Hajaj, 20, Shira Tzur, 20, and Erez Averbuch, 20, a mass casualty event. Two other cadets were seriously injured, the Israeli army said.

The attacker was identified as Fadi al-Qanbar of East Jerusalem, who was shot to death by security personnel.

We know the identity of the attacker, and according to all the signs, he is a supporter of Islamic State, Netanyahu said.

He said the attacker likely was inspired by recent truck attacks in Europe.

In addition to approving administrative detention for ISIS sympathizers, the Cabinet ordered the attackers home destroyed and rejected family reunification requests filed for relatives in Gaza and the West Bank, the Jerusalem Post reported. Ministers also decided against handing over al-Qanbars body for burial.

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman rejected the notion the incident was incited by the presence of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying it was the mere fact that Jews live in Israel.

The United Nations has denounced Israels use of administrative detention, calling it egregious. Administrative detention has been used to keep Palestinians in prison after having served their sentences. It involves a judicial proceeding in which a judge examines classified evidence. There is no trial.

Israel currently is holding 46 ISIS-associated prisoners, about 0.1 percent of all prisoners and 0.3 percent of security prisoners, those associated with such groups as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, +972 reported. Some of the ISIS-related prisoners are said to have fought in Syria or were captured en route.

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PARIS (AP)  A bus has skidded off a slippery road in eastern France, killing four Portuguese passengers and leaving more than a dozen injured.

The accident early Sunday in the Saone-et-Loire region, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) southeast of Paris, occurred on a stretch of Route 79 where multiple fatal accidents have occurred. It has been nicknamed the "road of death."

Prosecutor Karine Malara said that no other vehicle was involved. The bus, which was reportedly heading for Switzerland, broke through the guard rail and rolled onto its side.

In March of last year, all 12 passengers of a minibus carrying Portuguese from Switzerland back home for the Easter vacation were killed on another section of Route 79.
In just two weeks, Donald Trump is going to come face to face with the reality of serving in the office he managed to win in the November election. And while he may face some rude awakenings with regard to the demands -- and limits -- of the job, he wont be the only one coming to grips with unpleasant facts.

Sooner or later, Trumps voters are going to learn that a lot of the president-elects campaign promises are not going to be kept, either because Congress wont allow it or because they were never really feasible in the first place.

Related: Air Force to Trump: Sorry, but the F-18 Cant Replace the F-35

The list of unlikely things Trump said he would do is a long one, but here are a few of the most high-profile campaign trail promises he made that he has either already backtracked on or will almost certainly be forced to abandon.

1. Build a wall and make Mexico pay for it

This was Trumps go-to promise from the very beginning of the Republican primaries. Not only would he build a giant wall across the entire border between the United States and Mexico, he would also use his superior business skills to get the Mexican government to foot the bill.

Trumps wall promise began to crumble before the campaign was even over, as he reluctantly admitted that the wall would actually be more of a fence in many places and that in others it would make sense to simply allow natural barriers to do the work.

On Friday, though, news broke that the Trump team plans to ask Congress to appropriate funds for the walls construction, meaning that U.S. taxpayer dollars -- not pesos from Mexico City -- will be paying for it. Trump erupted on Twitter, writing The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later!

People who have been following Trump in the campaign have a pretty good idea by now what to expect when the president-elect promises something will happen later. (See: Tax returns, release of.)

Story continues

Related: Heres What Americans Want Most to Hear from President Trump

2. Mass deportations

The anti-immigrant animus of Trumps base of support was evident early and consistently throughout his campaign. Trump regularly fanned its flames with the promise of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

He suggested the formation of a deportation force and repeatedly made vows such as this, from September 2015: I will get them out so fast that your head would spin, long before I even can start the wall," Trump said. "They will be out of here. You know we have tremendous problems of crime."

At the time, he said he believed all of the undocumented immigrants could be out of the country within 18 months to two years.

This is never going to happen. Multiple experts have pointed out that it would require tens of thousands of deportations a day, every day, for two years. Even respecting only the most basic due process rights of prospective deportees would make this utterly impossible. And logistics aside, its not likely the American people would countenance the wholesale rounding up and incarceration of families on suspicion of being undocumented.

3. Congressional term limits

This one was never going to happen either. First of all, the Supreme Court has ruled Congressional term limits unconstitutional, meaning that creating them would require a constitutional amendment. And unless Trump calls a constitutional convention, which hasnt happened since 1787, that amendment would have to go through Congress. Trump is simply not going to get members of Congress to pass a law that puts them out of a job.

Related: Trump Wants a Much Bigger Navy: Heres How Much Itll Cost

I would say we have term limits now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters after Trump was chosen as the next president. Theyre called elections. And it will not be on the agenda in the Senate.

4. Lock her up!

Throughout the campaign, Trump regularly called Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton a criminal and suggested that she would face investigation by law enforcement if he were elected president. This led to the fantasy among many his supporters of seeing Clinton in a prison jumpsuit, and loud chants of Lock her up! Lock her up! at Trump rallies.

It didnt take long for Trump to let his supporters down on this one. Within days of winning the election, he made it plain that he had no interest in pursuing Clinton for the vast array of crimes he accused her of during the campaign.

5. Drain the swamp

Trump promised to root out crony capitalism and to diminish the influence of Wall Street on Washington once he entered the White House. At his rallies, he promised to drain the swamp, a phrase that entered his supporters repertoire of rally chants, along with Build the wall! and Lock her up!

But from the look of Trumps cabinet nominations and his set of close advisers, all those people in Make America Great Again hats may as well have spent their time chanting Goldman Sachs! Goldman Sachs!

Trump has hired billionaires, campaign donors and current and former Wall Street bankers to staff his administration, leading to many jokes about how his version of draining the swamp looks more like gentrifying it with a better class of alligators.

That Trump cant and wont keep his campaign promises really ought not to surprise anybody, given the vast amount of evidence that was presented during the campaign about his willingness to back out of deals, abandon partners and stiff creditors. But it probably will nonetheless.

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Some people, including me, love to study the ins and outs of investments. Fortunately for those who don't, investing for retirement can be remarkably simple. If you're looking for a simple yet first-class investment plan, this article is for you.

See Also: Best Funds for Dividends Other Than Vanguard Dividend Growth

Index funds--funds that track an investment benchmark rather than trying to beat it--aren't perfect. But unless you're an investment hobbyist or you work with an adviser, there's simply no reason not to invest in them. That said, there are thousands to choose from. This article will tell you which index funds to own and how much to invest in each.

The numbers don't lie: Over the past ten years, less than 30% of U.S. actively managed stock funds outmatched their benchmark indexes. What's more, it's devilishly tricky to pick funds that will outperform index funds. You certainly can't do it by looking at past returns.

Why is it so hard for actively managed funds to beat their benchmarks? Professionals, virtually all of whom strive to beat an index, dominate the investment world nowadays. They obviously can't all be winners. And the statistics are quite clear: Funds, on average, trail their benchmarks by precisely the amount of their expense ratios. Actively managed domestic funds, on average, charge 1.2% annually; you can buy index funds charging a small fraction of that price.

What's even more important is that index funds, in my view, are easier to stick with, and that can boost your returns in the long run. Actively managed funds, by definition, don't track an index precisely, so even the best actively managed funds have periods when they trail their benchmark, often by a large amount. Investors tend to jump from active funds with recent punk returns to funds that have been hot lately. That path guarantees lousy long-term returns. Statistics compiled by Morningstar show that investor fund returns, on the whole, trail those of the funds they invest in by 1.3% annually. Index funds, meanwhile, should always deliver their index's returns, minus their generally tiny expense ratios, so there's less temptation to fund-hop.

Story continues

Vanguard is the best shop for index funds. Founder Jack Bogle first popularized index fund investing, launching Vanguard's Standard & Poor's 500-stock index fund in 1976. The firm is owned by its fund shareholders, meaning it's essentially a nonprofit. Consequently, its fees are among the industry's lowest. Unlike most competitors, moreover, it has long been committed to low fees. That means fees are unlikely to rise when investors aren't paying attention.

Below are the six index funds I recommend, as well as the percentages of each you should own. For each, I've listed the symbol and annual expense ratio for the exchange-traded version of the fund. You can get the same low expense ratio by investing in the Admiral share class of the corresponding traditional mutual fund, which generally requires a high initial minimum investment. The Investor shares cost a bit more.

Put 30% of your investment dollars in Vanguard 500 ETF (symbol VOO), which invests mainly in stocks of large U.S. companies but also has about 15% of its assets in midsize stocks. The ETF costs just 0.05% annually. Standard & Poor's 500-stock index is a capitalization-weighted index, meaning the stocks with largest market values (share price times number of shares outstanding) are the largest holdings in the index. So, Apple (AAPL), with a market cap of $622 billion, is the biggest holding in the index at over 3% of assets.

Midsize stocks have achieved better risk-adjusted returns than either large- or small-cap stocks since 1926. Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF (IVOO) charges 0.15% annually. The index has an average market capitalization of about $4.2 billion. S&P excludes some financially troubled companies from this index, which has given it a small advantage over other mid-cap indexes. Invest 10% of your assets here.

Small-cap stocks are inherently riskier than larger stocks, but, over the long term, they've produced the best returns. Put 10% of your portfolio in Vanguard S&P Small Cap 600 ETF (VIOO). The average stock in the index has a market cap of about $1.3 billion. S&P's winnowing out of financially weak companies has provided this index a noticeable edge over its competitors.

Foreign stocks have stunk in recent years, but history tells us that over time they'll bounce back. Put 15% of assets in Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets Index ETF (VEA), which charges just 0.09% annually to invest in foreign developed markets, mainly in Europe and Japan.

Fans of emerging markets, and I include myself as one, have had their patience tested in recent years. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets Index ETF (VWO) returned a meager annualized 1.6% over the past five years. And that includes a 12.2% gain in 2016. But over the long haul, patience will be rewarded. Put 10% of your investment money here. The ETF charges 0.15% annually.

For bonds, look to Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH), which charges just 0.07% annually. The average credit quality of its bonds is single-A. Should rates rise by one percentage point, the fund's price should drop by less than 3%. This is a very conservative fund that I think will be appropriate in the coming years. Put 25% of your investments here.

This 75% stock, 25% bond mix is a good one for investors 15 or more years from retirement. Remember to rebalance every year or so if the market's action gets your initial investment allocation out of whack. When you're within 15 years of retirement, trim your stock ETFs by five percentage points and add that cash to the bond ETF. Repeat that maneuver every five years, until you have about 60% in stocks and 40% in bonds, which is a good allocation for the early and middle years of retirement.

Steve Goldberg is an investment adviser in the Washington, D.C., area.

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Paris (AFP) - With France's presidential election less than four months away, political parties have been urged to practise "digital hygiene" to avoid cyberattacks, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Sunday.

He said in an interview after US intelligence Friday accused Russia of being behind hacking attacks on Hillary Clinton's election campaign, Le Drian said France's digital security service had detected no "signs of operations aimed at destabilising the French elections."

However, he told the Journal du Dimanche weekly, such operations "cannot be ruled out".

The minister said officials of France's main political parties met with the digital security service in October to learn how to detect and prevent hacking attacks.

"It's up to them now to apply rigorously what the experts call digital hygiene," Le Drian said.

"You have to accept that in principle every email that is sent can be pirated and made public with the aim of destabilisation," he said.

Asked whether he believed that Russia was behind attacks on the US Democratic Party, he said: "If there was an action to influence or manipulate the US presidential election... (that was) carried out by a state government it would be intolerable interference."

The defence minister also said that external cyber attacks targeting the French military double each year, adding that France blocked 24,000 of them in 2016.

Asked whether France was safe from such attacks, Le Drian replied: "Obviously not, one mustn't be naive."

The minister said that his security services had warded off attacks aimed at "tarnishing the image of the ministry, strategic attacks -- harassment, surveillance, espionage -- and even attempts to disrupt our drone systems."

Le Drian added: "France reserves the right to respond by all means it deems appropriate. That could be through the cyber arsenal at our disposal but also by conventional means. All would depend on the effects of the attack."

At Le Drian's initiative, France is setting up a command for cyber operations, CYBERCOM, which will employ 2,600 "digital fighters" by 2019.
Theres no love lost between Alec Baldwin and the President-Elect hes been mocking on SNL since before the 2016 Presidential election that delivered Donald Trumps surprise electoral college victory. Baldwin has of course continued to portray Trump on Saturday Night Live even after the election. And Trump has of course continued to critique the portrayal harshly, almost like it bothers him a lot even though he says it doesnt. Thats not to say Trump is thin-skinned of course, but making fun of him does tend to get a reaction. Which is why people continue to do it.

Like Alec Baldwin, who is probably going to make another appearance on SNL when the show returns January 14, a week before the Inauguration. So it is that, perhaps to get back into the mood, he posted a new selfie to his Instagram yesterday, in which he wears one of Trumps signature Make America Great Again (#MAGA) hats but with the text in Russian instead of English. The hats sell for thirty bucks at the Gorky Park website.

Instagram Photo

Baldwin is of course referencing the purported role Vladimir Putin and Russian intelligence services played in the email hackings of the DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign, and subsequent dissemination of hacked emails via Wikileaks. Multiple U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies have concluded Russia was  essentially  behind the hack in an attempt to influence the election and assist a Trump victory. Trump, who openly asked Russia and Wikileaks to hack the Clinton campaign during the election, has denied any Russian involvement and has publicly called into question the integrity of said U.S. intelligence services.

Ironically, Trump has been too busy dismissing the accusations against Russia to let Baldins Instagram post get under his skin. Well see if he remains as chill when SNL returns.

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Viola Davis On Donald Trump's America: "I Feel It's Bigger Than Him"

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Governator Bows Before President-Elect In 'Celebrity Apprentice' Ratings - But Why?

Arnold Schwarzenegger Responds To Donald Trump's 'Celebrity Apprentice' Ratings Takedown
Alexis Bledel revealed *exactly* what she knows about the possibility of more Gilmore Girls installments

Unless youve been living under a rock for the past few months, you know all about the latest installment of the classic television series Gilmore Girls on Netflix (and even then you probably knew all about it if the rock you were under had decent wifi). The show was a nostalgia trip for fans of the original, with the cast reuniting for the further adventures of our favorite mother/daughter duo from Stars Hollow. And now the question has become: will there be more installments of Gilmore Girls in the future? Star Alexis Bledel dishes on whether we can expect to return to Stars Hollow any time soon.

In a recent interview the Television Critics Association, Alexis Bledel was officially supposed to be promoting her new show on Netflix, The Handmaids Tale. But she ended up holding an impromptu conference on the future of Gilmore Girls and its beloved characters, most notably Lorelei and Rory. Bledel was enthusiastic about the whole filming experience, and spoke fondly about reuniting with the actors some for the first time in years.

It's like this town was constructed entirely in a snow globe. A video posted by Gilmore girls (@gilmoregirls) on Dec 25, 2016 at 8:17am PST

But the real question at the forefront of everyones mind: Was this a one-off endeavor, or are more installments on the way from Netflix? As far as Alexis Bledel knows, not for a while (or maybe not at all). According to The Hollywood Reporter, nobody has discussed further filming with the actress.

I think most of us are just wanting to tell a good story and I think that came together in A Year in the Life. The only thing I can say about a future installment of the show is it would be about the story and certainly the timing.

That being said, Bledel was quick to add that should the story and timing work out (and doubtless the involvement of the rest of the original cast), she would be delighted to find out what happens next in Rorys life  especially considering the twist at the end of the revival. But until the stars align (or Netflix signs a new deal with the shows creators), it looks like Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life will serve as a standalone revival of the beloved series.
The alleged Florida airport gunman had several run-ins with law enforcement over the last year. Police Chief Chris Tolley in Anchorage, Alaska, detailed the encounters with Esteban Santiago at a news conference Saturday.

Jan. 11, 2016: Physical disturbance reported, arrest warrant for criminal mischief issued for Santiago.

Feb. 23: Santiago arrested, found in violation of terms of his release at an address he was restricted from being at.

March 18: Physical disturbance reported. Officers could not establish probable cause for an arrest. Tolley did not provide further details.

Oct. 15: Domestic violence/physical disturbance reported. Officers investigated but a prosecutor did not authorize an arrest. Tolley did not provide further details.

Oct. 21: Allegation of strangulation reported. Investigating officers established no probable cause for an arrest.

Nov. 7: Police called to Anchorage FBI office for a "mental health crisis" involving a man having disjointed thoughts, Tolley said. Investigating agents told officers Santiago arrived asking for help, was having "terroristic thoughts" and believed he was being influenced by the Islamic State. He was admitted to a mental health facility. A gun, found in Santiago's vehicle outside the office, along with his newborn child, was held by police for safe keeping, Tolley said.

Nov. 17: A letter was sent to Santiago about picking up his gun.

Nov. 30: Santiago tried to retrieve his gun, at which time the Anchorage FBI was notified and contacted Santiago at the police station. Santiago did not leave with the gun, Tolley said. He provided no details as to why, except that matters were "re-coordinated" with the FBI.

Dec. 8: The gun was released to Santiago.

Jan. 6: Authorities say Santiago opened fire at the Florida airport, killing five. They have not said whether the gun used was the same he retrieved a month earlier.
WASHINGTON  According to some reports, America's fifth-generation stealth aircraft doesn't excel at dogfighting.

But fortunately, the F-35 Lightning II is not built for dogfighting.

While some analysts have argued that the air-to-air-combat capabilities of the F-35A won't match some of its peer aircraft, pilots who spoke to Business Insider pointed out that the US's fifth-generation fighter is designed in such a way that dogfighting may be an afterthought.

"If you were to engage an F-35 in say, a visual dogfight capability," US Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus began, "the capabilities of the F-35 are absolutely eye-watering compared to a fourth-generation fighter."

"The airplane has unbelievable maneuvering characteristics that make it completely undefeatable in an air-to-air environment," said Pleus, who has 153 flight hours in the F-35A and is the director of the F-35 integration office.

"So if it's a long-range contact, you'll never see me and you'll die, and if it's within visual-range contact you'll see me and you're gonna die and you're gonna die very quickly."

Pleus, a former commander of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base and a command pilot with just north of 2,200 flight hours, F-35 "is leaps and bounds ahead of anything else in the world today."

"The best thing about flying against an F-35, from the F-35 perspective is, you never knew I was there," US Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, director of the F-35 integration office, told Business Insider.

"You literally would never know I'm there,"

"I flew the F-35 against other fourth-generation platforms and we killed them and they never even saw us."

-----

"As a pilot, dogfighting is fun, but it doesn't get the job done," US Air Force Maj. Will "D-Rail" Andreotta, commander of the F-35A Lightning II Heritage Flight Team, told Business Insider.

"If I'm dogfighting I'm not bombing my target. I'm not getting my job done, and what I'm probably doing is wasting gas and wasting time."

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Andreotta, a pilot in the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base who has flown both the F-16 and F-35, says the F-35A's unprecedented situational awareness and stealth gives him "the utmost confidence that this plane will operate perfectly" in a dogfight with fourth-generation aircraft.

F-35 and F-16

"I have stealth, so I've fought against F-16s and I've never gotten into a dogfight yet. You can't fight what you can't see, and if F-16s can't see me then I'm never going to get into a dogfight with them."

What's more, Andreotta says, the US Air Force's F-16s and F-35s work well together.

"The F-16s, F-35s, F-22s, no matter what the aircraft, they all bring something to the fight, they're all different and they all are great compliments to each other. We just all have different capabilities that we can use to get the job done."

"The F-16s and fourth generation are really benefitting from all the information we are able to pull in and send to them," Andreotta said. "I can take information that I'm getting from the F-35 and push it out to other aircraft that don't have the capabilities that I have. That's huge. I would have killed for that when I was flying an F-16."

"I think if you talk to any fourth-generation pilot that has flown with the F-35 they'll rave about the information they're getting from us, and we're not even at the point where we are sending out all the information."

NOW WATCH: This is how pilots train to fly America's most expensive fighter jets





More From Business Insider


Ariel Winter has become more confident with her curves. Just recently, the actress showed off her bum in a new photo taken while she was vacationing in Bora Bora.

In the pic posted on her Instagram account, the 18-year-old actress can be seen wearing a white two-piece swimsuit. She is joined by her friend, Jessie Berg, in the snap. The two are on board a boat and are basking under the sun.

Just a day ago, Winter also shared a photo of herself wearing a more conservative one-piece swimsuit. According to the Daily Mail, Winter was also joined by her Modern Family co-star Nolan Gould, as well as their two other guy friends, on the trip.

Winter plays the role of Alex Dunphy in the hit ABC TV sitcom. She has been part of the show since its premiere on Sept. 23, 2009. Alex is the smartest child of Claire (Julie Bowen) and Phil (Ty Burrell). She has an older sister named Haley (Sarah Hyland) and a younger brother named Luke (Gould). Just recently, Alex went off to college so she had to be away from her family. However, she reunites with them whenever there are special occasions.

In the upcoming episode of Modern Family Season 8, titled Sarge & Pea, Alex will get a visit from her Uncle Cam (Eric Stonestreet) at the coffee shop she is working at. While there, Cam and Haley will cross paths with an anonymous parent who caused a commotion during Lily's (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) school recital. Cam will confront the parent, making a scene that could possibly cause Alex to lose her job.

Modern Family Season 8, episode 11 will air on ABC on Jan. 11 at 8:30 p.m. EST.

Ariel Winter

Photo: REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

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Google self-driving car

It was barely two years ago that self-driving car companies were putting forth a Utopian vision of driverless cars whizzing through streets allowing passengers to sleep in steering-wheel-less cars.

That concept was particularly embodied by Google's "Koala" car  a simplistic pod without a steering wheel, brakes, or a gas pedal  that drove a blind passenger on public roads in Austin in 2015.

Lyft co-founder John Zimmer boldly declared in September car ownership will "all but end" in cities in just 5 years with the advent of the autonomous car fleets Lyft is developing. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the company will have a fully self-driving car road ready in 2018, and is currently installing hardware in its cars as part of that aim.

Ford also plans to roll out a fleet of fully self-driving cars in 2021 that come without a steering wheel, brake or gas pedals. Baidu, a Chinese internet company, plans to use its self-driving cars for a public shuttle service in 2018 and to mass produce the cars in 2021.

So the list is fairly lengthy when it comes to companies looking to produce completely autonomous cars, some without driver controls altogether, within the next 5 years.

But at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Toyota pushed back on the idea that we are just a few years off from an autonomous reality.

"I need to make it perfectly clear, [full autonomy is] a wonderful, wonderful goal. But none of us in the automobile or IT industries are close to achieving true Level 5 autonomy. We are not even close," Gill Pratt, the CEO of the Toyota Research Institute, said at CES. Level 5 is an industry term for cars that are fully autonomous and do not require human supervision.

toyota concept car ces

Pratt's comments aren't particularly surprising when considering Toyota's self-driving efforts. When the Toyota Research Institute was formed in 2015, Toyota said the aim was to roll out cars with semi-autonomous features in 2020. The TRI's ultimate goal is to build a car incapable of causing a crash, but the Japanese automaker has always operated on a more conservative timeline.

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But Pratt's comments are more surprising when considering the industry at large. Pratt isn't just saying Toyota can't achieve full autonomy in the next 5 years, but that no one can.

Nissan also thinks full autonomy is still ways off. Maarten Sierhuis, Nissan's head of research and development, told Wired that fully self-driving cars aren't going to happen in the next 5 to 10 years.

Google's self-driving car company, Waymo, is still committed to Level 5 full autonomy where a car doesn't require any human supervision whatsoever. However, the company recently ditched its efforts to have a self-driving car without driver controls because of the regulatory environment.

Tesla autopilot

When it comes down to it, self-driving car companies are starting to pull back on grandiose visions for self-driving cars either because the tech isn't ready or the regulatory environment won't support it.

There have already been real-world examples of these challenges. Tesla experienced its first known fatality while Autopilot was activated because the system couldn't see a white trailer against a brightly lit sky. Tesla has since updated Autopilot, saying it could have potentially prevented the accident from occurring.

The accident, which is still under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drew criticism from Consumer Reports, which called on Tesla to disable Autopilot.

Autopilot isn't a fully autonomous system, but it highlights a real tension in the industry: should automakers release autonomous systems before they're fully ready? Should regular human drivers be expected to monitor them effectively? If the answer is no, then when can we say the tech is ready enough, and can we really expect that level of confidence in 5 years?

Even if the tech is ready, it's unlikely the government will support its entry in a mere 5 years. The federal government has released guidelines for self-driving cars, but has been tepid about making a concrete plan for their arrival.

uber self-driving car

This isn't to say self-driving tech is a bad thing  autonomous systems will cut down on the number of traffic fatalities. Around 33,000 people die in traffic-related accidents every year and it's not a number we should be taking as lightly.

Using tech to make cars safer is a good thing. But overpromising on the tech's capabilities has very real consequences. When Autopilot was first released, there were countless videos of people misusing the system, like shaving instead of monitoring the car. It's possible that the man who died when Tesla's Autopilot system failed was watching "Harry Potter."

But automakers are catching on to these risks and reacting accordingly. Toyota is exploring AI that can keep a driver engaged while autonomy is still in its relative infancy. Nissan is exploring using call centers so humans can remotely intervene when self-driving cars fail. Google is keeping driver controls.

Following the fatal Autopilot accident, Tesla installed a warning system that will sound if a driver's hands aren't on the wheel. If a driver ignores the warning, Autopilot will shut down. Tesla has also been more careful about how it markets Autopilot, such as removing a Chinese term for "self-driving" from its China website in August.

The fact that automakers are being more realistic about the state of autonomous tech and considering the right way to introduce it to drivers to should be seen as a good thing.

This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.

NOW WATCH: We got a ride in a self-driving Uber  here's what it was like





More From Business Insider


CHENNAI, India (AP)  Roberto Bautista Agut beat Russia's Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 to win the Chennai Open on Sunday.

The second-seeded Spaniard never looked in trouble as he fired winners from the baseline to dash Medvedev's hopes in his maiden final.

Agut, a finalist here in 2013, had looked untroubled throughout much of the tournament and proved too good for Medvedev.

The lanky Russian served powerfully and came up with some blistering forehands but Agut's efficiency carried the day.

The first set saw Agut step up the pressure when it mattered to break the Medvedev serve. He held serve comfortably in the ninth game to take the set.

The second set went with serve until the ninth game when Agut secured the vital break with some big shots from the baseline. The Spaniard then served out the match for his fifth career ATP title.

"I am happy to start the year with a tournament win. I played well throughout," said Agut. "My aim is to keep improving and enter the top 10."
With less than two weeks remaining in his eight-year administration, President Barack Obama will be under heavy pressure from public advocacy groups to grant high-profile pardon decisions. But Obama has not been shy about granting pardons and commuting prison sentences, particularly as a lame duck president.

Obama pardoned 78 people and commuted the sentences of 153 others Dec. 19, further cementing his legacy as the most generous grantor of clemency in modern presidential history.

The Department of Justice official website says Obama has granted 148 presidential pardons in his time in office, a number that exceeds the combined total of the last six presidents. In 2016, he pardoned 82 federal inmates, more than his seven previous years combined. Most of the pardons have been for drug offenders.

Obama waited until December 2010, to grant his first pardons, giving nine people clemency. He followed that with 13 in 2011, 30 in 2013, 12 in 2014 and two in 2015 for a total of 66 pardons in seven years.

He has also been generous with commuting sentences. Obama waited until November 2011, 34 months after taking office, to make his first commutation. It went to Eugenia Marie Jennings, a then-34-year-old Missouri woman who had served 10 years of a 22-year prison sentence for distributing crack cocaine. She had reportedly sold crack twice to support her three children, exchanging the drug for clothing. In 2011, Jennings was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy.

Obama would make up for his relatively slow start, shortening the sentences of 1,177 people, of which 395 were life sentences. After Jennings in 2011, Obama waited until December 2013 to commute the sentences of eight other people. In 2014, Obama commuted 12 and later sharply increased the number to 163 for 2015. But 2016 saw the most pronounced surge, with Obama commuting 992 sentences, which included a one-day total of 214 on Aug. 3.

The acts of clemency have been part of Obamas broad hopes to reduce the prison population, which has been burdened by what he described as unjust and outdated prison sentences.

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We need Congress to pass meaningful federal sentencing reform that will allow us to more effectively use taxpayer dollars to protect the public, Obama wrote in a Facebook post Aug. 3.

Obama's commutations are in contrast to his predecessor. During George W. Bush's eight years in office, he granted only 11. In fact, the last five presidents combined commuted the sentences of just 117 people, less than a tenth of Obama's total so far.

But Obama has been less receptive to full pardons, and while he has outdone his predecessors, there are still tens of thousands of prisoners who have applied for clemency.

Obama has also been reluctant to pardon more renowned criminals, mostly limiting his list to little-known blue-collar offenders who carry what is perceived to be unnecessarily stiff sentences. It's possible that Obama may prefer to leave office quietly, having seen how previous presidents were vilified for their controversial pardons.

Gerald Ford pardoned predecessor Richard Nixon in September 1974, raising questions of an arranged deal. The action ultimately played a key role in Fords defeat in the 1976 election. In his final weeks in office, George H.W. Bush caused a stir when he pardoned former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger on Christmas Eve for his role in the Iran-Contra Scandal, which had taken place when Bush, a former CIA director, was vice-president. Hours before leaving office, Bill Clinton pardoned fugitive money man Marc Rich, who was married to a wealthy Democratic donor, prompting Clinton to explain his reasoning in a New York Times op-ed essay.

While Obama has shown leniency for drug offenders, its still somewhat unclear how he feels about those who have compromised national security. The big question ahead of Jan. 20 is whether Obama will grant clemency to famed NSA leaker Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, a former Army private and transgender woman who leaked military secrets to the website WikiLeaks in July 2013.

A full presidential pardon for either Snowden or Manning, or both, would be viewed as highly provocative despite strong appeals from notable organizations. Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union, among many other human rights groups, have pushed for clemency for Snowden and Manning, and the two both have more than 100,000 signatures in separate petitions to the White House.

Manning, 29, may have a stronger chance for a pardon or commutation than Snowden. Serving a 35-year sentence, Manning has been imprisoned for more than six years, which is more than any whistleblower has served for providing information to a reporter. She has also been subjected to poor treatment in prison and attempted suicide twice, her lawyer has said.

There are other factors in play for Obama to potentially pardon Manning. She suffered from gender dysphoria while serving in Iraq, there have been no reprisals or deaths due to Mannings leaks and she has sought contrition.

"I am not asking for a pardon of my conviction," Manning wrote in a letter to Obama in November. "I understand that the various collateral consequences of the court-martial conviction will stay on my record forever. The sole relief I am asking for is to be released from military prison after serving six years of confinement as a person who did not intend to harm the interests of the United States or harm any service members."

The case for Snowden is a bit more muddled. Snowden, who has gained celebrity status after a documentary and a recent film by Oliver Stone, had revealed the U.S. government collected telephone metadata, ultimately leading to corrective reform in November 2015. Former attorney general Eric Holder said the 33-year-old had done a public service.

But Snowden received temporary asylum in Russia, a country with a strained diplomatic relationship with the Obama administration, as he awaits permanent asylum. A House Intelligence Committee report concluded in December that while in Moscow, Snowden had, and continues to have, contact with Russian intelligence services, a revelation that comes after Russia reportedly hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee during a presidential election year. In short, Snowden didnt do himself any favors by fleeing to China and then Russia.

But what may hurt Snowden the most is that he hasnt stood trial. Obama provided a lengthy explanation on Snowden in an interview with German weekly magazine Der Spiegel in November.

I can't pardon somebody who hasn't gone before a court and presented themselves, so that's not something that I would comment on at this point. I think that Mr. Snowden raised some legitimate concerns, the president said. How he did it was something that did not follow the procedures and practices of our intelligence community. If everybody took the approach that I make my own decisions about these issues, then it would be very hard to have an organized government or any kind of national security system.

At the point at which Mr. Snowden wants to present himself before the legal authorities and make his arguments or have his lawyers make his arguments, then I think those issues come into play. Until that time, what I've tried to suggest  both to the American people, but also to the world  is that we do have to balance this issue of privacy and security. Those who pretend that there's no balance that has to be struck and think we can take a 100-percent absolutist approach to protecting privacy don't recognize that governments are going to be under an enormous burden to prevent the kinds of terrorist acts that not only harm individuals, but also can distort our society and our politics in very dangerous ways.

And those who think that security is the only thing and don't care about privacy also have it wrong.

If Obama were to pardon or commute Snowden or Manning, it may seem reasonable for him to do it hours or minutes before he leaves office. But in an interview with Politico last week, Mark Osler, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, cast doubt that Obama would make a bold last-minute pardon or commutation.

I think hes going to announce a lot of names in the next few weeks. I dont think any of them will be these big-name figures, he said. This administration does have an aversion to high-profile cases generally.
Bindi Irwin has introduced boyfriend Chandler Powell to one of her favorite tropical treats!

The 18-year-old Dancing With the Stars alum took to Instagram on Friday, revealing Powell tried lychee for the first time while the two were on a picnic date.

WATCH: Bindi Irwin Pens Heartfelt Message for Boyfriend Chandler Powell on His 20th Birthday

In a sweet video, Irwin adorably teaches her beau how to properly eat the fruit, warning him to be careful of the pit.

"We have a whole bag of lychees here," she exclaimed. "Don't forget there's a seed in the middle. What do you think?"

Hesitant to bite into it at first, Powell, 20, ended up giving lychee a raving review. "That is so good," he said. "Oh, that's good! They're really good."

"Isn't it awesome?" Irwin added. "They're the best, I love lychee. Congratulations on your very first lychee."

As if that weren't cute enough, Irwin's caption for the video melted our hearts even more.

WATCH: Bindi Irwin Pens Emotional Goodbye Message to Boyfriend Chandler Powell as He Heads Back to Florida

"You make me so happy @ChandlerPowell," she gushed. "I love our dinner picnics and I'm so excited you had your first lychee! #AustralianChandler."

You make me so happy @ChandlerPowell  I love our dinner picnics and I'm so excited you had your first lychee! #AustralianChandler A video posted by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin) on Jan 6, 2017 at 3:56pm PST

Powell re-posted the video, thanking Irwin for "the most amazing dinner picnic" and introducing him to his "very first lychees" in his caption.

Sweetest. Couple. Ever!

The adorable duo first met in November 2013 while Powell was visiting the Australia Zoo, and have been dating long-distance ever since. Earlier this month, they rang in the New Year in Tasmania, later taking to Instagram to share a few pics from their brief time together.

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"2016 will be one I remember for the rest of my life," Powell, who lives in Florida, wrote alongside a snap of himself cuddled up to Irwin. "Thank you for making it so incredible. I can't wait to make 2017 even more memorable with you."

WATCH: Bindi Irwin Reveals 'Defining Moment' She Knew Chandler Powell Was the One

Related Articles
Sen. Bob Corker criticized the United Nations December resolution condemning Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory as a flagrant violation under international law. In a tweet late Saturday, the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused the international organization of anti-Israel bias.

The GOP senators comment was a response to a report by the Weekly Standard (TWS) which claimed Corker was endangering a bipartisan Senate measure seeking to censure the U.N. over its December Israel resolution. The measure, the report said, also warned the current administration under President Barack Obama against any further anti-Israel action in its last few days.

Corker dismissed the report saying: Fake news from @weeklystandard. Committee has not even met publicly yet and no one has attempted to pass resolution on Senate floor.

Instead of sending a message with a toothless resolution, we should inflict real pain on U.N. for anti-Israel bias, the senator said in a following tweet.

The report, however, quoted Corker saying the alleged Senate measure was too weak to be effective.

We have talked to many leaders in the pro-Israel community and they know that resolutions have no impact on anti-Semitism and are superficial ways of addressing the issue, Corker reportedly told TWS. We are hoping to introduce and pass legislation that will impact the U.N. in a negative way if it continues to pursue anti-Semitic measures.

The U.S., Israels closest ally, abstained from voting in the December resolution, breaking away from Washingtons tradition of using its veto power to protect the country from negative action in international forums. The decision also put a toll on President Obamas already contentious relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The U.S. House of Representatives also condemned the U.N. resolution and criticized Obamas decision to refrain from voting. House Speaker Paul Ryan said last week he was stunned the U.S. would allow the U.N. to condemn Israel.

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Do not be fooled. This U.N. Security Council resolution was not about settlements, and it certainly was not about peace, Ryan reportedly said. It was about one thing and one thing only: Israels right to exist as a Jewish Democratic state.

Meanwhile, Israels U.N. mission announced Friday it will cut $6 million, which it said was allocated to anti-Israel bodies, out of its over $40 million contribution the U.N.s regular budget.

It is unreasonable for Israel to fund bodies that operate against us at the U.N. The U.N. must end the absurd reality in which it supports bodies whose sole intent is to spread incitement and anti-Israel propaganda, Israels Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon reportedly said.

Related Articles
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson has arrived in the United States to meet close advisers to President-elect Donald Trump and senior Congressional leaders to discuss ties between the countries. Last June's vote to leave the European Union has left Britain facing some of the most complicated negotiations since World War Two, with the country keen to deepen ties with the United States and other nations to show that Brexit will not diminish its standing in the world. Johnson's visit, which was not flagged in advance, is part of Prime Minister Theresa May's strategy to improve relations with Trump's team after the president-elect irritated the government by saying that outspoken anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage would be a good choice for Britain's ambassador to Washington. May's two most senior aides made a secret trip to the United States last month. "Following the successful meeting last month between the Prime Minister's chiefs of staff and President-elect Donald Trump's team, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is undertaking a short visit to the U.S. for meetings with close advisers to the president-elect and senior Congressional leaders," a spokesman for Britain's foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday. "The discussions will be focused on UK-U.S. relations and other foreign policy matters." May had told Sky News earlier in the day that she was sure that Britain and the United States would build on their close ties and that their "special relationship" would endure despite describing some of his comments about women as "unacceptable". (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and David Goodman)
Zander Lehmann is a zero-to-60 peak TV success story.

The creator of Hulus Casual was working in his first TV staff writing job, on MTVs The Shannara Chronicles, when he sold the script to Lionsgate TV for the offbeat comedy revolving around the romantic misadventures of a brother and sister. In whirlwind fashion, the baby writer had a project on its feet with Jason Reitman, who made Casual his first TV pilot directing gig.

Casual, a favorite of critics, is just one example of a show that would probably never have seen the light of day but for the voracious demand for original series that has erupted in the past few years, driven largely by streaming services.

On Saturday, Lehmann made the trek to the TV Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena, Calif., to talk up the third season of Casual, which begins shooting Jan. 30 and bows in May. The long odds against his show making it beyond episode three, let alone to season three, are not lost on him.

Its really surreal, Lehmann told Variety. Three years ago I was 26 and an assistant.

Casual provided him with on-the-job training for becoming a showrunner, a role he splits with fellow exec producers Helen Estabrook and Liz Tigelaar.

Figuring out how to divide up the duties, how to delegate and defer, and generally who fit in what place took some time, but the show has found its groove. That was evident from the playful rapport and thoughtful dissection of the characters psyches offered on the TCA stage by stars Michaela Watkins, Tommy Dewey, Tara Lynne Barr, and Nyasha Hatendi.

A year ago I realized I was living in fantasy anyway and now its all house money, Lehmann said of his good fortune with Casual. Now were just trying to take wild swings when we can and if it all goes away, Ive still been here three seasons longer than anybody in my position deserves to get.

One of those wild swings includes an episode in season three penned by co-stars Watkins and Dewey. Im glad theyre getting the chance to put their voices and their names on a script, he said. It should be hilarious.

Story continues

Another aspect of Casual that Lehmann is justifiably proud of is the shows track record in hiring women directors, including first-time TV helmers. Lehmann, Estabrook and Tigelaar make a list every year of indie films that have impressed them, and they make a push to hire those directors. This year, nine of Casuals 13 segs will be helmed by femmes, including Gillian Robespierre, Amy York Rubin, Lake Bell, and Carrie Brownstein.

Its going to give us such a good vision and such a good look, he said. The idea of having journeyman directors who are going to get your standard wide shot, your master and move on  thats not how our show can survive. We have to be visually interesting.

Lehmann is also starting to spread his wings beyond Casual. He has a feature script, The Beautiful Game, at Focus Features. And hes developing an hourlong TV project for Lionsgate with a fellow Casual writer. But he has no intention of handing off his firstborn.

 Casual is so much of my voice  its hard to imagine really stepping away until the show has finished its run, he said.

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It probably wont come as a surprise to most people, but mass murderer Charles Manson is not a model prisoner. The 82-year-old has had more than 100 violations since he was imprisoned in 1971, People Magazine wrote in an exclusive report Friday.

Mansons name was brought to the forefront once more when he was hospitalized in Bakersfield for gastrointestinal bleeding Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Manson, who orchestrated the death of seven people in 1969, has been incarcerated at Californias Corcoran State Prison since 1989. The slayings were apart of his twisted plan to start a race war, which he named Helter Skelter, after the Beatles song.

Among his violations were being caught with a weapon; three contraband cell phones; he refused to give a urine sample for a random drug test and he threatened prison staff.

He threw hot coffee on a guard and spit on a guards face, retired Los Angeles County prosecutor Stephen Kay told People Magazine. He was a nasty prisoner.

Worst of all was the way he treated the female guards. He never had any respect for women, Kay explained. Women were to be used.

Manson apparently kept a blade in his shoe to fashion voodoo dolls. He said his main activity was making those dolls, Kay said about the killer. He was making little dolls, but they were like voodoo dolls of people, and he would stick needles in them hoping to injure the live person the doll was fashioned after.

Manson did not get along with other inmates. He was taken out of the general prison population after he got into a religious argument with another inmate and the prisoner set him on fire.

He has a lot of scarring on his upper body, Kay said about the aftermath of the altercation. He was at risk of being severely injured.

The infamous cult leader was denied parole 12 times. He spent time behind bars at San Quentin, Vacaville and Corcoran.

Charles Manson

Photo: REUTERS/CDCR/Handout

Story continues

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella

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The CWs in-the-works 70s-set Charmed reboot will not have any ties to the original, beloved CW series  at least not at this time, the networks top exec said on Sunday.

CW president Mark Pedowitz told reporters at the Television Critics Assoc. winter press tour that, At this point, it is a self-contained, self-sustained show. There is the power of three element in there, but at this time, it is a very standalone show.

RELATEDThe CW Renews The Flash, Supernatural, Crazy Ex and 4 Others

Set nearly four decades before the original series, the quasi-prequel revolves around three witches who are brought together to fight evil in a small New England town (Read descriptions of the three new characters here). This is, of course, a stark contrast to the leading ladies of the original series, all of whom were blood-related sisters.It was also set in then-present day San Francisco.

Three of the four original cast members threw some subtle shade at the project on social media last week, with Rose McGowan posting a cast photo with the caption, Irreplaceable and Holly Marie Combs simply saying, We wish them well.

Curiously, Pedowitz is not ruling out an appearance by one of the original stars, telling reporters, Well see what happens as the series goes on.

Jane the Virgin EP Jennie Snyder Urman is shepherding the project, which is currently just at the pilot-script stage.

Launch Gallery: <i>Charmed</i>: An Oral History

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Chrissy Metz at the 17th Annual AFI Awards. (Photo: Getty Images)

[Note: An earlier version of this story, below, discussed how Chrissy Metz, as announced, would wear a Christian Siriano dress to the 74th Golden Globe Awards. But despite the designer creating two gown options for the This Is Us star, Metz showed up in a purple velvet creation by Nathan Paul, which she told Glamour was a last-minute change of heart. It spoke to me, she said.]

When youre a breakout star attending your first Golden Globes ceremony  and when youre up for an award as well  the pressures on to choose the right thing to wear. Even more so if you dont fit into the cookie-cutter world of sample-size fashion.

But luckily, This Is Us actress Chrissy Metz, 36, has an ace up her sleeve, thanks to help from designer Christian Siriano.

Metz, whos nominated for her role as Kate in the NBC dramedy, teamed up with the Project Runway alumnus to get fashionably fabulous for her big night. She invited E! News to the final fitting, jokingly telling the network that she prayed to the heavens and got really lucky to end up working with him.

Siriano felt the vibes too. It was really exciting because she left it to be open to anything, he said.

Ever the overachiever, Siriano didnt design just one dress for Metz for the awards ceremony on Sunday night. Metz modeled two gorgeous gowns  both totally different and totally stunning.

He described the first gown, a flowing crimson dress with intricate beading, as classic and elegant. The second look, a one-shoulder turquoise number with a glorious flowing drape over her shoulder, was maybe a little bit more fashion, so we get the best of both words.

Siriano has emerged as a champion for designing clothes for women of all sizes, not only dressing comedian Leslie Jones for the Ghostbusters premiere last summer but also showing that all bodies are deserving of high-end designer duds in one of the most diverse, inclusive New York Fashion Week shows to date.

I like the idea that theres coverage, but its still sexy and still glamorous, Siriano told E! as Metz modeled the turquoise gown. Its all about the different poses you can do with the dress. Ive done a lot of red carpets. I usually know what works.

So no matter which dress Metz chooses to wear to the awards show, we already know that shell be all kinds of fierce.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Bogota (AFP) - Peace talks between Colombia and the ELN rebels will resume next week after the group asked to postpone them in November, the government said Sunday.

Negotiations with the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) have stalled even as the government begins implementing a peace deal with the larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

"The resumption of talks to fix the date for installing the public roundtable will take place next Thursday, January 12 in Quito, Ecuador," the government's chief negotiator with the ELN, Juan Camilo Restrepo, said in a statement from Bogota.

He will head a special commission that will meet with ELN representatives to "seek formulas of understanding that will lead to the start of a public roundtable for talks," the statement added.

The government of President Juan Manuel Santos -- who won this year's Nobel Peace Prize -- was scheduled to launch open talks with the ELN in October after secret negotiations began almost three years ago in Quito.

But the talks broke down before they could start after the rebels failed to release an ex-congressman they took hostage in April. The ELN -- whose fighters the government estimates at 1,500 -- also demanded the government pardon two guerrillas.

The government said in late November that the rebels had asked for closed-door consultations set to begin next week over launching open talks.

Colombia is seeking an agreement with the ELN to achieve "complete peace" after sealing its historic deal with the FARC in November to end five decades of conflict.

Founded in 1964, the ELN is the last leftist guerrilla group involved in messy, multi-sided violence that has killed more than 260,000 people.
This is the coolest tote bag ever, AND it raises money for Planned Parenthood

When House Speaker Paul Ryan announced on Thursday that the GOP plans to repeal all federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the public responded appropriately: with indignant p. Were not really into self-pity but sometimes it really does feel like life is unfair when it comes to womens healthcare. The stunning appearance of Halleys Comet only occurs every 75 years. Meanwhile, every 16 months House Republicans attempt to defund Planned Parenthood. BUT there is good news. Power and Light Press have a super cute tote bag that also supports Planned Parenthood, so you can buy yourself a post-holiday gift and support the organization.

According to the non-profit itself, 2.5 million Americans depend on their services each year, and the majority of its federal funding is used for services that almost everyone would deem necessary.

You guys are amazing, and the last 48 hours have been insane. Thanks to all of you, we will be making a donation of $20k to Planned Parenthood today, to support them in keeping healthcare services accessible and affordable to all women. THANK YOU ALL for making it happen! The bags will continue to be for sale, and we will continue to make donations on a monthly basis.  Bags will go into production next week and orders will be shipped ASAP! But definitely not for a couple weeks. A photo posted by Power and Light Press (@powerandlightpress) on Dec 31, 2016 at 1:13pm PST

The tote bag flaunts all the services provided to women at their clinics. It reads:

I Went to Planned Parenthood And All I Got Was A Breast Exam, A Pap Smear, Physical Exam, STD Testing And Treatment, Information And Counseling About My Sexual And Reproductive Health, Cancer Screenings, A Pregnancy Test, Prenatal Services, And Access To Affordable Birth Control.

Riffing off of the I did __ and all I got was this lousy T-shirt shirts, this bag is more than just a play on lame souvenirs. The tote not only emphasizes the broad range of vital services that Planned Parenthood offers with its design, but it also raises money for the cause. All proceeds of every purchase of the bag are donated directly to the organization, so if you want to support the cause this is a good way to do it.

Story continues

Not sure I've ever had my paws in proximity to this much cash, but THIS feels like the right way to ring in the new year. Thanks to all you beautiful people who made this happen. I am fucking floored. #plannedparenthood #wewontgoback #standwithplannedparenthood A photo posted by Power and Light Press (@powerandlightpress) on Dec 31, 2016 at 8:52pm PST

The bag (costing a humble $15), originally went on sale a week ago, ominously before Ryan threatened to defund Planned Parenthood. The creators of the bag, Power and Light Press, originally stated that all donations would be matched by donors for the first few days of its sale. Then the bag went viral and it quickly raised $20k which was dutifully donated to Planned Parenthood.

The tote bags are still on sale on the companys website, though as you could probably guess, theyre a little backed up right now. Possibly the best part of buying one  besides supporting Planned Parenthood of course, is that theyre made in an all-woman owned screenprinting shop in Portland, Oregon. If this isnt the most woman-supporting tote bag in the world, were not sure what is.
Back in 2015, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted a rule that obliged all public companies to disclose the ratio of the compensation of their chief executive officers compared to the median pay of their employees.

The rule provides companies with substantial flexibility in determining the pay ratio, while remaining true to the statutory requirements, SEC Chair Mary Jo White said at the time.

While the new regulation was announced 17 months ago, it only came into force on the first day of 2017. Companies will be required to provide disclosure of their pay ratios for their first fiscal year beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2017, the press release read.

The Specifics

As explained by the SEC, the new rule does not apply to smaller reporting companies, emerging growth companies, foreign private issuers, MJDS filers, or registered investment companies. The rule does provide transition periods for new companies, companies engaging in business combinations or acquisitions, and companies that cease to be smaller reporting companies or emerging growth companies.

See more from Benzinga

 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to deliver a swift victory over the Islamic State, and has long ridiculed as weak and halfhearted the Obama administrations effort against the terror group.

Of all of Trumps extravagant and vague campaign rhetoric, from doubling economic growth to resuscitating the coal industry to making Mexico pay for a border wall, his promise to quickly crush the Islamic State could be the biggest stretch of all.

Current and former military officers say Trump could make good on his promises of quickly defeating the Islamic State only if he sent in an overwhelming force of U.S. ground troops, a politically risky option that could plunge the United States into another fraught, open-ended occupation in the Middle East.

Though Trump campaigned on the idea of reducing U.S. commitments overseas, such a ground force has surprising traction inside the administration: Michael Flynn, tapped for national security advisor, has openly flirted with the idea.

The retired U.S. Army general and intelligence officer has suggested wider military action is required to tackle what he deems an existential threat, one he compares to the adversaries America faced in World War II and the Cold War.

The sad fact is that we have to put troops on the ground. We wont succeed against this enemy with airstrikes alone, Flynn told Der Spiegel in 2015.

After he was forced out as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 and before joining the Trump team, Flynn drafted a plan that called for sending U.S. forces into the Syrian city of Raqqa, the last territorial bastion of the Islamic State, sources familiar with the proposal told Foreign Policy.

The details of that blueprint remain unclear. But in the 2015 interview with Der Spiegel, the retired general suggested a multinational occupation of Syria by the United States, Russia, and other powers  resembling the international peacekeeping force that deployed to the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Story continues

We can learn some lessons from the Balkans. Strategically, I envision a breakup of the Middle East crisis area into sectors in the way we did back then, with certain nations taking responsibility for these sectors, Flynn said, adding: The United States could take one sector, Russia as well and the Europeans another one. The Arabs must be involved in that sort of military operation, as well, and must be part of every sector.

Since Trumps upset victory in November, Flynn hasnt indicated if he still favors a major escalation of the U.S. military presence in Iraq and Syria. The Trump transition team did not respond to FP queries on the issue.

And its unclear whether Flynn would be able to convince the next president, who campaigned on a platform that promised no more nation building, that such a bold and high-risk approach is needed.

Trump himself has sent mixed signals on sending troops into the fight. In July, he said he would have very few troops on the ground. But in March, Trump said he would heed the advice of senior military officers to decide how many troops would be required, saying, Im hearing numbers of 20,000 to 30,000. He later backed off those numbers but has kept up pledges to defeat the Islamic State soundly and quickly.

If Trump chooses to send in thousands of U.S. troops, he would likely find support from some of his biggest critics in the Republican Party. In late 2015, Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who have never shied away from breaking ranks with Trump on a host of issues, urged dispatching up to 20,000 troops to act as advisors to help turn the tide against the Islamic State.

U.S. commanders and diplomats tend to be wary of any proposal for a large American contingent swooping in to spearhead a ground battle, because it would require permanent bases, with a foreign occupation force again policing Arab cities and towns. The eight-year U.S. occupation of Iraq proved an unmitigated disaster, fueling an insurgency that eventually gave rise to the Islamic State. American military commanders and diplomats came away vowing to avoid a repeat of that experience.

Without a large U.S. combat force, rolling back Islamic State militants from territory they seized in 2014 has proven to be a slog. American warplanes dropped 24,000 bombs in Iraq and Syria in 2016, while special operations forces bolstered Iraqi troops and Kurdish fighters that often lack the equipment or the training to move at a fast pace.

Still, despite the frustrations of the slow-moving campaign, the Islamic State has lost more than half the territory it captured two years ago, and American commanders claim to have killed as many as 50,000 Islamic State fighters. The group is struggling to fend off a major assault led by Iraqi Army forces in Mosul that has steadily tightened the noose around Islamic State fighters there since October. U.S. and Iraqi officers say its only a matter of time  perhaps within a month before the militants are forced out of Mosul. That will set the stage for a pivotal battle against the Islamic State, which will aim to knock the group out of its last urban stronghold  Raqqa in eastern Syria.

President Barack Obama has long walked a tightrope on the role of U.S. troops in the fight against the Islamic State, insisting that no American combat troops would be sent to Iraq or Syria. But time and again he has expanded the U.S. military contingent in Iraq, putting advisors in harms way and sending artillery units to lend firepower to the fight. He has deployed hundreds of special operations forces to carry out pinprick raids on Islamic State leadership, and to embed on the front lines with Kurdish and Iraqi government forces.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon acknowledged that there were 450 U.S. troops in and around Mosul mentoring Iraqi forces, a doubling of the U.S. bootprint in the fight launched in October to liberate the city. That comes on top of the 300 additional troops Obama approved for deployment to Syria in December, bringing the American contingent there to around 500 commandos. There are a total of about 6,000 U.S. troops now deployed in Iraq as advisors.

That gradualist approach has riled critics.

If we had done that from the get-go we would have gotten to the point we are at now in six to eight months  not two years, said Steve Bucci, a former U.S. Army special operations officer. The delay allowed an extremist super virus to spread, said Bucci, now a nonresident fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

For all of Trumps quick-victory rhetoric, its precisely that incremental approach thats likely to continue  unless he opts for drastic action involving tens of thousands of ground forces.

The low-hanging fruit has been picked, said Peter Mansoor, Gen. David Petraeuss deputy during the surge in Iraq in 2007-2008 and now an Ohio State history professor.

The Obama administration already has sent in military advisors, it has ramped up airstrikes, loosened the rules of engagement, supported the Kurds, and gone after the Islamic States financial assets, Mansoor told FP.

All those things are working. Theyre working slowly, but theyre working.

Once he enters the White House on Jan. 20, Trump will face the same challenge that has vexed the Obama administration  finding a partner on the ground that can battle the Islamic State and secure and hold territory without alienating the local Sunni population.

The primary obstacle since the beginning of the U.S. campaign has been identifying adequate ground forces who can fight [the Islamic State] without U.S. forces on the ground, said Jennifer Cafarella of the Institute for the Study of War. But given the time and resources necessary to build a credible ground force that can retake a city, its unclear that its possible to defeat ISIS with a partner strategy.

Any forces entering Raqqa would be in for a hard, close-quarters urban fight, the kind that has vexed U.S.-trained Iraq commandos in Ramadi, Fallujah, and now Mosul. When 10,000 U.S. Marines led by Gen. James Mattis  now Trumps nominee for defense secretary  stormed Fallujah in November 2004, they suffered 95 killed and about 450 wounded in weeks of brutal house-to-house fighting. Once the United States pulled out of Iraq in 2011, Islamic State militants seized it back in 2014.

Cafarella points out that the butchers bill in eastern Aleppo was even worse. The Iranian-led forces took thousands of casualties in and around the city, she said.

But Trump is wary of partners. Trump said he doesnt trust the mainly Kurdish, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces pushing toward Raqqa, and few believe there are enough fighters in their ranks to force the Islamic State out of the city. Its unlikely Trump will jeopardize his newfound friendship with Vladimir Putin to support rebels in northern Syria that he doesnt trust anyway, Mansoor said.

That could mean outsourcing Raqqa to other forces, such as Russian aircraft, Iranian militias, and Syrian troops, though that would likely mean an unpalatable civilian carnage. Instead of a small U.S.-armed rebel force moving on the city, its much more likely that Russian and Iranian-backed fighters will isolate the city and starve it out, like a medieval siege, Mansoor said.

That happened in Aleppo. Russian and Syrian aircraft reduced eastern Aleppo to rubble throughout 2016; only in December did the last rebels and civilians clamber onto government buses, headed for camps.

Perhaps more worrisome for the Trump administration, battlefield victories over the Islamic State wont be the endgame. Even if the United States succeeds in crushing the group in its urban strongholds in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State will still hold the Euphrates river valley. And Islamic State veterans and those inspired by the group can always fall back on guerrilla and terrorist tactics.

The groups propagandists have for months pushed the idea of leaving the urban strongholds and returning to its desert roots. While the Islamic State and its affiliates have lost territory in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Nigeria, and Afghanistan over the past year, the extremists have managed to carry out or inspire violent attacks from Baghdad to Brussels  and Jakarta to Orlando, Florida.

Theres been some success on the military side, but I think theres been much less success in dealing with some of the more serious grievances that have provided an opportunity for ISIS to operate, said Seth Jones, a former senior advisor to U.S. special operations forces and now a fellow at the Rand Corp.

The issue is particularly acute in Iraq, where a mostly Shiite army is fighting to liberate the Sunni city of Mosul, just as it has in Fallujah and Ramadi. The Shiite-led government in Baghdad has done little to alleviate the concerns of disaffected Sunnis  the very issue that helped drive some Sunnis into the arms of al Qaeda and the Islamic State in the first place. And the groups ability to recover from battlefield defeats to inspire terror attacks on civilians remains an ever-present threat, whatever happens in Mosul or Raqqa.

ISIS has been defeated a lot of times, said Michael Knights, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The question isnt whether you defeat ISIS, its whether you let ISIS come back in three years time.

Photo credit: DREW ANGERER/Getty Images
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Texas Governor Greg Abbott met with the president of Taiwan on Sunday during a stopover in Houston that was sure to pique Chinese leaders already upset by her conversation with President-elect Donald Trump. It is not unusual for U.S. lawmakers to meet with Taiwanese leaders when they pass through the country, but tensions are high this winter after Trump, who like Cruz and Abbott is a Republican, spoke to Tsai Ing-wen last month. The telephone conversation broke with decades of precedent and cast doubt on his incoming administration's commitment to Beijing's "one China" policy. Cruz, who represents Texas, said some members of Congress had received a letter from the Chinese consulate asking them not to meet with Tsai during her stopovers. "The Peoples Republic of China needs to understand that in America we make decisions about meeting with visitors for ourselves," Cruz said in a statement. "This is not about the PRC. This is about the U.S. relationship with Taiwan, an ally we are legally bound to defend." China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, who it thinks wants to push for the formal independence of Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing regards as a renegade province, ineligible for state-to-state relations. The United States, which switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, has acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only "one China" and that Taiwan is part of it." Tsai scheduled stopovers in San Francisco and Houston on her way to visit allies in Central America, including Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador. Beijing had urged the United States not to let her into the country. Cruz said he and the Taiwanese leader discussed upgrading bilateral relations and furthering economic cooperation between their countries, including increased access to Taiwanese markets that will benefit Texas ranchers, farmers and small businesses. Abbott said in a Twitter post that he also met with Tsai on Sunday and that they discussed expanding trade and economic opportunities. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Julia Harte; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
Nicosia (AFP) - Greek and Turkish residents of the divided island of Cyprus gathered Sunday for a "Countdown to Peace" concert on the eve of UN-sponsored reunification talks between their rival leaders.

The east Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.

The concert was organised by four media outlets, two from each side of the divided island, and was held in a covered market on the Turkish side of north Nicosia.

It came ahead of talks on Monday between Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and his Greek Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades, which is being billed as a historic opportunity to reunite the island.

But the outcome is far from certain and both men, who have already held more than 18 months of negotiations, with each admitting in the run-up to the talks that key issues still need to be thrashed out.

"We are here to bring people together, to bring Cypriots together, to show that we can do it, we can live, have fun, organise events together," said Marilena Evangelou, chief editor of the online edition of the Greek Cypriot daily Politis.

"We are ready. So we send a message to our leaders, to the whole world, that we, the people of this island, we can live together," she added.

Cenk Mutluyakali, chief editor of the Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yeniduzen, said the concert was symbolic of the efforts to bring the two communities back together.

"Music and all types of art forms do not have limits, barricades, religions, they're a universal language that represent multiculturalism and multi-believing. That's what we need in Cyprus," he said.

Around them musicians from both sides of the divide took to the stage to perform songs including The Beatles's "Come Together" to The Police's "Roxanne".

Behind the swaying crowd was a banner that read "Countdown to Peace".

Story continues

The United Nations is hoping rival Cypriot leaders will overcome the thorny issues and reach a deal in Switzerland, but not everyone is upbeat.

"I'm not very optimistic because I think it will depend on the support of Turkey," said Ismail, a 27-year-old Turkish Cypriot civil engineer.

Nine years after the island was divided in 1974, Turkish Cypriot leaders declared a breakaway state in the north only recognised by Ankara and where Turkey now deploys tens of thousands of troops.

Their presence is one of the main issues on the table, with Anastasiades wanting the Turkish troops to leave the island and Akinci demanding a continued Turkish military presence.

"We are closer than ever to an agreement," said Greek Cypriot biologist Elena Kamilari, 31.

Sunday's concert was one of several bi-communal events that have taken place in the past few weeks to support the peace process.
NICOSIA (AFP) - Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied the northern third of the Mediterranean island in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.

Here are key dates:

1974

July 15: Greek Cypriot members of the National Guard overthrow president Archbishop Makarios in a coup sponsored by Greece, where a military junta has been in power since 1967.

July 20: Turkey, invoking a 1959 agreement with Greece and Cyprus's former colonial master Britain, invades the north of the island to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority.

July 23: The fall of both the regime in Athens and the collapse of the coup in Nicosia leads to the restoration of president Makarios.

July 30: Turkey, Greece and Britain meet in Geneva and set up a "security zone" manned by UN troops, recognising the existence of two autonomous administrations on Cyprus.

August: The Turkish army advances further to control 37 percent of the island.

1975

February 13: Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash proclaims a separate state and becomes its president.

1977

January: Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders agree on the principle of a federal but bicommunal state.

August 3: Makarios dies of a heart attack, interrupting the negotiations.

1983

November: Proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which to this day is recognised only by Turkey.

1996

June-October: Deadly intercommunal violence in the buffer zone.

2002

November 11: A UN peace plan is sent to leaders of both sides.

2003

April: Although overall talks are bogged down, Greek and Turkish Cypriot authorities allow people from each community to cross the Green Line.

2004

April 24: In referendums, Greek Cypriots reject the UN plan by a large majority while Turkish Cypriots strongly approve it.

May 1: Despite being divided, Cyprus joins the European Union.

August 23: Formal trade between the two entities resumes after 30 years.

2005

October 4: The EU opens membership talks with Turkey. Membership talks have since stalled over the Cyprus question and unwillingness by the bloc to open its doors to a large Muslim-majority country.

Story continues

2008

September 3: Greek Cypriot president Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat launch intensive talks under UN auspices after four years of deadlock.

2010

May 26: UN-sponsored talks resume in Nicosia, between Christofias and new Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, a nationalist.

2012

July 1: Cyprus takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union. Stalled negotiations are suspended by the Turkish Cypriots. The Greek Cypriot side does not push towards resuming the talks as it is caught up in a severe financial crisis.

2013

May 30: Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, elected in February, and Eroglu meet for dinner at the invitation of the United Nations, in the first meeting at this level in more than a year.

A new meeting takes place in November devoted to the peace negotiations, which have been deadlocked for 19 months.

2014

February 11: Anastasiades and Eroglu pledge to work towards reaching an agreement to end the island's division.

October 7: Greek Cypriots say they will not attend UN-led peace talks in protest at Turkish moves to undermine the divided island's search for energy.

2015

May 15: Peace talks resume with a meeting between Anastasiades and newly elected Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.

2016

January 21: The rival leaders say a peace deal is possible in 2016.

November 7 to 11: Anastasiades and Akinci discuss the key issue of territorial adjustments as part of UN-backed peace talks in Switzerland but fail to agree.

2017

January 9: The two leaders resume talks in Geneva, with main points of contentions still unresolved.
Dallas Stars plane photo tweeted by Brittany Ludwig of KSDK News.

The Dallas Stars team plane had to make an emergency landing in St. Louis Downtown Airport because smoke was detected in the cockpit shortly after takeoff, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.

The Stars Boeing 737 plane took off at 11:52 a.m. local time in St. Louis en-route for Los Angeles where Dallas will play the Los Angeles Kings Monday night. According to the News-Democrat, less than five minutes into the flight, the plane had to turn around in order to land.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey contest now]

There were 50 passengers on the plane and nobody was hurt. A team spokesman described the problem as an electrical issue. The News-Democrat reported that there was no fire on the plane.

The Stars said that lunch was brought the to players in the airport as they waited over three-and-a-half hours for a new plane. The team is currently on its way to Los Angeles. The Stars were in St. Louis because of a game at the Blues on Sunday.

      

Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

MORE FROM YAHOO SPORTS




The most powerful telescope that has been orbiting Mars for over 10 years now sent back a striking image two months ago. Actually, it was four separate photographs, of which two were selected to be made into one composite image, but the result is still spectacular.

PIA21260_hires

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

The two exposures used in the image, both taken on Nov. 20, 2016 by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, were processed to ensure that details on both Earth and the moon are visible. Since the moon is much darker than Earth, it would have been barely visible if the two bodies were shown at the same scale of brightness.

The composite image retains the correct position and relative size of Earth and the moon. The moon appears closer to Earth in the image than it actually is, because the observation was planned for a time when the two bodies were almost aligned, as seen from Mars.

The landmass seen in the middle of Earth is Australia, as seen from a distance of about 127 million miles (205 million kilometers), which is how far Mars was when the images were captured. The reddish parts on top and top-left of Earth correspond with Southeast Asia, while the bright portion at bottom-left is Antarctica. The other bright patches are clouds.

The HiRISE camera takes pictures in three wavelength bands: infrared, red and blue-green, which correspond with red, green and blue respectively in this image. That explains why landmasses, with their green vegetation, appear red.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been studying Mars since 2006, using HiRISE and five other instruments.

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Queen Elizabeth was expected to miss church services Sunday as she continued to battle a heavy cold that has kept her indoors for weeks. Her illness has sparked questions about whether she might step down from the throne or if her illness might be more serious than Buckingham Palace has told the public.

Queen Elizabeth has been sick since before Christmas. Her cold saw her miss church services on Christmas Day and New Year's Day for the first time in decades. A palace statement last week said: The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold.

Her eventual death is expected to stroke debate about the future of the monarchy, but apart from the public ramifications associated with the passing of the queen, Elizabeth is also the mother of four children and has an extensive extended family whose lives are also expected to change in the event of her death or abdication.

Queen Elizabeth's only daughter, Princess Anne, said this week her mother was feeling "better," while Buckingham Palace declined to comment on whether the 90-year-old royal would attend Sunday church services.

Elizabeth never expected to become queen as a child. But after her uncle, Edward VIII, turned down the crown in 1936, her father became king, setting her on the path toward the throne. Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, in November 1947, and they quickly began a family. Within three years of their wedding, Elizabeth gave birth to Charles and Anne. She later had Andrew and Edward as queen.

She became the queen with her father's passing in 1952, requiring her to go on a six-month coronation tour that saw her leave her children at home. A public debate over whether she was a good queen and mother soon began in the British tabloids as nannies took care of the children.

A lot was made of the fact that when she greeted her children she shook hands with them and said not now, which she was doing in her public persona as queen because she had to greet all these people who had come to meet them," Sally Bedell Smith, author of "Elizabeth the Queen: The Woman Behind the Throne," has said.

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Her children have hinted that she was a tough mother. Shes been a fantastic grandmother to Beatrice and Eugenie and probably revels in that more than being a mother, to some extent, always interested and concerned for what the girls are up to, Prince Andrew has said of his mother's relationship with his daughters.

Others have argued that Elizabeth was a doting mother who simply had the tough task of balancing her parental duties and the demand of the crown. "It simply isn't true that she neglected Prince Charles," Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, a royal lady-in-waiting, has said. "People of my background did have nannies, but I stayed at Sandringham a lot during those early years, and she wasn't at all chilly with him. She used to come to picnics where he was the center of attention - she adored him. The idea of her being a cool mother is nonsense."

Now that Elizabeth's children are grown, only one is slated to take the throne. Prince Charles is her oldest son and first in line to take the crown. He had two sons, William and Harry, with Diana, princess of Wales.

If Charles couldn't take the throne for whatever reason, his sibling aren't next in line. William, Charles' oldest child, would then become king with his wife, Kate Middleton, by his side. Their son, Prince George of Cambridge, is third in line for the throne.

Prince Andrew was the third child of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh and the first royal baby born to a reigning monarch in 103 years. Prince Edward is known as the Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn. He married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999 and had two children, Lady Louise, born in 2003 and James, Viscount Severn, born in 2007. Princess Anne's title is the Princess Royal. She uses the surname Mountbatten-Windsor and was married twice.

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If for nothing else, you have to admire Vice-President Joe Bidens timing because if the predicted rain doesnt cause problems for todays Golden Globes, the final BidenJam certainly could.

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Though he has shown up at the Oscars in 2016 and other Hollywood events over the years, the outgoing VP isnt officially set to appear at the Jimmy Fallon hosted HFPA shindig this afternoon. Instead Biden is in Los Angeles this afternoon and overnight for a fundraiser for the re-election efforts of Mayor Eric Garcetti  though we have heard rumors the VP may make an aftershow appearance with some Tinseltown buddies.

With not many donors or supporters in Hollywood for the incoming administration, its doubtful well see many PencePileUps in the next four years but Sunday and Monday may be full of traffic snarls in and around LAX, Beverly Hills and Westwood (see full list of road closures below)  especially if you are on your way to the high security Globes for 5 PM.

A big cash magnet for the Democrats and individual candidates over the past 8-years, Biden flies into town on Air Force Two at around 3 PM Sunday to head over to the Beverly Hills home of Harbor Freight Tools exec Allan Mutchnik. With tickets going from $250 for the cheap seats to $10,000 for co-hosts, the event is being called a salute to Biden.

eric garcetti oct 29 2015

I can say without equivocation that working with Joe makes the future as bright as his famous smile. I mean it when I tell people that I love this guy, said Garcetti in the invite for the fundraiser. We all look forward to seeing Vice President Biden again over the coming months and years, he added of the man that the LA Mayor made no secret of his thwarted wish to have seen as last years Democratic Presidential nominee. Despite the urging of a number of Hollywood supporters for him to take on Hillary Clinton, Biden announced in late October 2015 that he had decided not to pursue another run for the White House.

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Here are the road closures announced by the LAPD and the Secret Service for today and tomorrow around Beverly Hills and other areas  dont say you havent been warned for getting to the Beverly Hills Hilton and Mondays morning commute:

Sunday, January 8, 2017

The area around Pershing Dr. between Westchester Parkway and Imperial Highway from 3:00 p.m.  5:00 p.m.

The area around Imperial Highway between Vista Del Mar & North Sepulveda Boulevard from 3:00 p.m.  5:00 p.m.

The area around Wilshire Boulevard between South Sepulveda Boulevard & Malcolm Ave. from 3:00 p.m.  5:00 p.m.

The area around Lindbrook Dr. / Hilgard Ave. between Westwood Boulevard & Le Conte Ave. from 3:00 p.m.  5:00 p.m.

The area around Hilgard Ave. between Weyburn Ave. & Sunset Boulevard (Westwood Village) from 5:00 p.m.  7:00 p.m.

The area around Sunset Boulevard between Hilgard Ave. & Alta Dr. (City of Beverly Hills) from 5:00 p.m.  7:00 p.m.

The area around Sunset Boulevard between Alta Dr. (City of Beverly Hills) & Hilgard Ave. from 7:00 p.m.  8:30 p.m.

The area around Hilgard Ave. / Malcolm Ave. between Sunset Boulevard & Lindbrook Dr. from 7:00 p.m.  8:30 p.m.

Monday, January 9, 2017

The area around Hilgard Ave. / Lindbrook Ave. between Le Conte Ave. & Westwood Boulevard from 8:30 a.m.  10:00 a.m.

The area around Wilshire Boulevard between Malcolm Ave. & South Sepulveda Boulevard from 8:30a.m.  10:00 a.m.

The area around Imperial Highway between North Sepulveda Boulevard & Vista Del Mar from 8:30 a.m.  10:00 a.m.

The area around Pershing Dr. between Imperial Highway & Westchester Parkway from 8:30 a.m.  10:00 a.m.

Road Closures (no bus routes impacted by the hard closures)

Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, Ca (residents and hotel guests only) Closed between Le Conte Ave. & Weyburn Ave. (W Hotel, Westwood Village)

*Sunday, January 8 at 12:00 p.m. through Monday, January 9 at 10:00 a.m.

Malcolm Avenue, Los Angeles, Ca (residents only / no large trucks) Closed between Le Conte Ave. & Weyburn Ave. (behind W Hotel, Westwood)

*Sunday, January 8 at 2:00 p.m. through Monday, January 9, at 10:00 a.m.

Palm Drive, Beverly Hills, Ca (private residence / residents and event guests only) Closed south of Sunset Boulevard and north of Elevado Avenue

*Sunday, January 8 from 2:00 p.m. through 8:00 p.m.

After flying out of LAX on Monday, Biden heads to San Francisco to give a speech about efforts to cure cancer at the Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. He heads to Detroit after that for more speeches and events before going over to Chicago to join President Barack Obama at his farewell address to the nation on January 10.

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Nearly one year after her husbands death, Iman is celebrating what would have been her husbands 70th birthday.

On Sunday, the former supermodel took to Instagram to share a drawing of a young David Bowie in honor of his birthday on Jan. 8.

Jan 8th #ForeverLove #BowieForever, Iman, 61, captioned the photo.

In the days leading up to the one year anniversary of Bowies death and birthday, Iman shared tributes to her late husband. On Jan. 10, 2016, the music legend died after battling liver cancer.

Last September, Iman opened up publicly for the first time when she attended New York Fashion Week wearing a necklace with the name David on it.

Its just been a tough year, but Im holding up, she said, adding that she would wear the necklace until my death.

RELATED VIDEO: Iman Honors Late Husband David Bowie on Their 24th Anniversary

The model and the rocker married in Tuscany after two years together. In 2000, they welcomed their daughter, Alexandria Lexi Zahra Jones.

His widow and Lexi have remained largely out of the public eye since his death. In February, Iman was photographed for the first time since the the news of the music icons death broke when she stepped out in New York City to walk the dog they raised together; then, just days later, she took to social media to express her love & gratitude for the outpouring of support she received.

In April, just three months after losing her husband, Iman announced on Instagram her mother, Maryan Baadi, had also died.




PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A longtime congressman set to start a 10-year prison term this month has petitioned a U.S. appeals court to let him remain free while he appeals his racketeering conviction.

Former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, a Philadelphia Democrat, said he expects to win a new trial over errors during his five-defendant trial this year, including the dismissal of a holdout juror.

Fattah also argues his case could be overturned in keeping with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that narrowed the legal definition of bribery in overturning the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. The court said there was no evidence McDonnell did anything more than meet with a businessman who had given him gifts.

However, the trial judge in Fattah's case noted that Fattah had sought an ambassadorship for a friend who gave him money and put his girlfriend on the payroll in a "low-show" job. U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle, in denying Fattah's request to remain free pending appeal, also noted that 13 other counts don't involve bribery.

Fattah, 60, was convicted in June of using more than $600,000 in government grants and nonprofit funds on personal and campaign expenses. Four friends or former aides were convicted of related charges.

Bartle dismissed the holdout juror after his clerk, on the first day of deliberations, heard the man say that he would cause a deadlock "no matter what." Other jurors then told the judge he was refusing to deliberate.

"While district courts possess a great deal of discretion in managing the conduct of a trial and in addressing legitimate juror misconduct, the record here establishes a substantial question regarding the court's action," Fattah's lawyers wrote in a Dec. 30 motion.

A juror's refusal to deliberate, bias toward one side, or intent to ignore the law are all grounds for dismissal, courts have found. The newly constituted panel in Fattah's case convicted him days later on all counts, and all four co-defendants on at least some counts.

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Fattah's 11 terms in Congress include a stint on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

He ran into financial problems when he ran for mayor of Philadelphia in 2007 just as the city passed strict new campaign finance limits. As he struggled amid a strong primary field, he took an illegal $1 million loan from a friend. He then used federal grants and funds from nonprofit groups run by his former aides to pay some of it back, the jury found.

Fattah resigned after the June conviction. His son, Chaka Fattah Jr., is serving a five-year term in an overlapping bank fraud case at a federal prison in Milan, Michigan.

Federal prosecutors oppose his motion to remain free.
(FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.)  While investigators try to figure out the motive of an Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida, the suspected gunman was charged and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death  which carries a maximum punishment of execution  and weapons charges.

Santiago told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. Authorities dont know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Todays charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors, U.S Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

Authorities said during a news conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with a cooperative Santiago, who is a former National Guard soldier from Alaska. Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.

FBI Agent George Piro said Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska.

Indications are that he came here to carry out this horrific attack, Piro said. We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. Were pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack.

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiagos motive, and its too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

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He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day, FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.

Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.

On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldnt say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.

U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a higher standard than having an evaluation.

Santiago had not been placed on the U.S. no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.

Meanwhile, on its website, TMZ posted video footage that it says shows the initial seconds of the deadly shooting. The 20-second recording shows a man walking through the baggage claim area at the Fort Lauderdale airport. The man then pulls a handgun from his waistband, starts firing and runs.

TMZ does not say where it obtained the video, although it appears to be from a surveillance camera.

The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.

Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota with his wife for a cruise when he heard three quick cracks, like a firecracker. Then came more cracks, and I knew it was more than just a firecracker, he said.

Making sure his wife was outside, Lea helped evacuate some older women who had fallen, he said. Then he saw the shooter.

He was just kind of randomly shooting people, he said. If you were in his path, you were going to get shot. He was walking and shooting.

Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, he said. When he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.

By that time, a deputy had arrived and grabbed the shooter. Lea put his foot on the gun to secure it.

Lea went to help the injured and a woman from Iowa asked about her husband, who she described. Lea saw a man who fit his description behind a row of chairs, motionless, shot in the head and lying in a pool of blood, he said. The man, Michael Oehme, was identified as one of the dead victims on Saturday.

Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being demoted for unsatisfactory performance. Bryan Santiago said Saturday that his brother had requested psychological help but received little assistance. Esteban Santiago said in August that he was hearing voices.

How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for only four days, and then give him his weapon back? Bryan Santiago said.

His mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the family home in Puerto Rico, wiping tears from her eyes. The only thing she said was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode next to two of his friends when he was around 18 years old while serving in Iraq.

Santiago, who is in federal custody with no bail, will face federal charges and is expected to appear in court Monday, Piro said.

It is legal for airline passengers to travel with guns and ammunition as long as the firearms are put in a checked bag  not a carry-on  and are unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container. Guns must be declared to the airline at check-in.

Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Anchorage aboard a Delta flight Thursday night, checking only one piece of luggage  his gun, said Jesse Davis, police chief at the Anchorage airport.

___

Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in Miami; Tamara Lush in Pembroke Pines, Florida; Lolita C. Baldor and Eric Tucker in Washington; Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; David Koenig in Dallas; and Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report.
Betsinefe (Madagascar) (AFP) - The dusty figure is lowered slowly into the ground like a bucket into a well, armed with just a crowbar, a shovel and an old, unreliable headlamp.

In the surrounding countryside, bodies rise and sink from hundreds of holes just wide enough for a man.

Children run between the rubble and the smell of cooking wafts from the makeshift shelters where women crouch over pots.

Guards armed with hunting rifles stand by, turning the settlement of Betsinefe into a threatening scene.

In the world of Madagascan sapphire mining, there are few rules.

Sapphires were first discovered in Madagascar in the late 1990s, and already the Indian Ocean island is one of the world's largest producers of the precious stones.

Its 250-kilometre-long (155-mile) deposit is among the biggest in the world and has sparked a sapphire rush.

Activity at this informal, though not entirely illegal, mine in the southwest of the country was suspended recently by authorities after scuffles broke out between villagers and would-be miners flocking in from the rest of the island.

Andry Razafindrakoto, a 19-year-old student from the nearest big town of Tulear, was one of the many hoping to make their fortune.

"I came here to mine sapphires because it's difficult to find work in other areas," he told AFP.

When he sold his haul of stones for some four million ariary ($1,200), he bought his own equipment and today manages a small team of nine miners.

- 'Sometimes we find nothing' -

But success stories are rare.

Like most of his fellow miners, Albert Soja does not earn wages for his countless, gruelling trips underground. To make money, he must find and sell stones.

"Of course it's scary, but when you want to succeed, you have to take risks," he said, a woollen beanie pulled tightly on his head despite the suffocating heat.

"Just digging the hole itself takes time, almost two weeks."

"Sometimes we find nothing... it can take months to find something interesting."

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Without sapphires to sell, he depends on the mine "bosses" -- gem shop owners, usually of Sri Lankan origin, in the neighbouring town of Sakaraha -- for a few handfuls of rice or manioc to survive.

"The bosses pay for our food and materials, which helps us hold out. Without their help, we would starve," said Soja.

"After that, we're obliged to sell them the stones we find."

- Lucrative trade -

Sitting behind his desk in his gem shop in Sakaraha, Sunil W.J. -- as he calls himself -- examined his latest buy of blue and pink and light yellow sapphires under a lamp.

His two "bodyguards" toured the surrounding mines to collect the stones and pay for miners' food.

The best finds are sent to Sri Lanka, to be polished, cut and sold, Sunil explained.

Theoretically, the extraction of sapphires is regulated by Madagascar's mining code, which insists on permits and the redistribution of a share of the taxes to benefit local municipalities.

In practice, the industry is largely unregulated, but it is a lucrative trade, said Sunil.

A stone that fetches $300 in Sri Lanka costs him less than a tenth of the price to buy from a miner in Madagascar.

On the question of taxes, Sunil was less certain of his figures, but said he paid a 10 percent export tax to authorities in the capital Antananarivo.

"These small sapphire mines are beyond the control of the state, so there are no official statistics," Mines Minister Ying Vah Zafilahy told AFP, vowing industry reform to bring them under formal regulation.

A local elected official in Sakaraha, who asked to remain anonymous, said the municipality was not receiving any taxes or income from the many mining operations underway.

"Some days are better than others, but this business has a future," said Sunil, laughing.
Berlin (AFP) - Germany threatened on Sunday to end development aid to countries that refuse to take back rejected asylum seekers, a response to failings which kept the suspected Berlin attacker from being deported.

"Those who do not cooperate sufficiently cannot hope to benefit from our development aid," Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told Der Spiegel in an interview published this weekend.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ARD public television on Sunday that he "fully supports this idea".

The warning was aimed in particular at Tunisia -- the home nation of Anis Amri, who was suspected of ploughing a lorry into a Berlin Christmas market last month in an attack that killed 12 people -- and at north African nations in general.

Germany rejected Amri's asylum application last June, but Tunis intially denied he was a Tunisian citizen, blocking him from being sent home. A new Tunisian travel document for the 24-year-old only arrived two days after the slaughter in Berlin.

Several thousand citizens of north African nations, including those with almost no chance of obtaining asylum in Germany, are similarly lacking papers to return home.

The Christmas market attack has pushed the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel to consider how to improve the system.

Authorities are considering more routinely placing failed asylum seekers viewed as dangerous Islamists in detention ahead of their deportation.

"I will make very concrete proposals to expand the possibility of placing in detention people classified as dangerous before their expulsion," Justice Minister Heiko Maas said Sunday, adding this would apply to failed asylum seekers whose countries were delaying taking them back.

Maas and de Maiziere are to meet Tuesday to discuss the proposals, which may also include the question of expanding video surveillance in a country where privacy is fiercely protected.
The Jenner ladies got their fill of sushi and fun over the weekend.

On Saturday night, Kendall Jenner met up with Caitlyn Jenner for dinner at L.A. hot-spot Nobu in Malibu, California. The duo was seen leaving the Japanese restaurant before hopping into their separate vehicles.

Kendall, 21, wore an all-black ensemble, including black leather pants which she accessorized with a hat. Meanwhile, Caitlyn, 67, wore an orange-and-black midi dress with a black jacket and matching pumps.

Just a few weeks ago, the Jenners spent time together at Kris Jenners annual holiday party. While there, Caitlyn snapped a photo with Kendall and Caitlyns other daughter with Kris, 19-year-old Kylie.

RELATED VIDEO: Caitlyn Jenner Is Trying to Be a Good Mom to Kim Kardashian West After Robbery

And two weeks ago, Caitlyn and Kylie had their own one-on-one time, as they went to Jay Lenos garage to check out some old-fashioned cars together.

Took Kylie today to the best garage in America. Thank you Jay! #jaylenosgarage, Caitlyn wrote in the Instagram post with her youngest daughter.




Jimmy Fallons cold open at Sunday nights Golden Globes chased all the lights that shine.

The host of this years 74th annual Golden Globes ceremony parodied the opening scene from hit musical La La Land, which led all features with seven total nominations including best musical or comedy motion picture.

Directed by Damien Chazelle, La La Land opens with a show-stopping number in the middle of a Los Angeles freeway set to the original song Another Day of Sun. Stars like Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams, Sarah Paulson, Courtney B. Vance, Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Rami Malek, and Kit Harrington joined Fallon for the Golden Globes-themed number, which also featured an appearance from some of the Stranger Things kids  including star Millie Bobby Brown, who showed off her rapping skills.

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Speaking to EW about the scene, Chazelle  who is nominated on Sunday night for Best Director  explained he was inspired by two basic concepts before conceptualizing the sequence.

First, I always wanted to do a shot where you go from car to car with each radio playing a radically different kind of music. I wanted it to feel like a city bustling with music, like in Mean Streets or Taxi Driver or Rear Window. Youre hearing Italian opera coming from one apartment window and Frankie Valli from another and jazz from another. But this is Los Angeles. The cacophony of sounds is coming out of cars. And I loved the idea of presenting the soundscape of the city that way, he said. And then the second idea was using that soundscape to build into an opening musical number and having a fantastical musical number arise out of a bunch of realistic city sounds. That was something I got from Love Me Tonight, the 1932 Rouben Mamoulian film, which opens with the sounds of Paris in the morning  theres a shoemaker and a street sweeper  and those sounds build up rhythmically and cascade into a number.

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Following this number, Fallon transitioned into another pre-taped bit, again parodying La La Land: This time, he sat at a piano and sang an alternate version of the movies City of Stars, which became Room Full of Stars. Ryan Reynolds and Tina Fey  his onetime Weekend Update co-host and a former Golden Globes host herself  showed up for cameos, as well as Justin Timberlake, who came in for a dance sequence  and a pep talk.

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Just go out there and be yourself, Timberlake told Fallon before impersonating the Tonight Show host.

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The Golden Globes air Sunday night beginning at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
A recent study on coral reefs predicted the rate and pattern of their bleaching around the world in the coming 100 years or so, data from which can be used to better target measures aimed at protecting the unique marine ecosystems. Another study, published Friday, goes in the opposite direction by studying the impact a warming climate had on the Great Barrier Reef during the Last Interglacial period over 125,000 years ago.

Published in the journal Global and Planetary Change, the study led by researchers from the University of Sydney found the natural wonder off Australias east coast almost drowned and died at the time. The Last Interglacial was marked by higher temperatures, which led to melting of glaciers and polar ice sheets, raising sea levels. While both the temperatures and sea levels then were higher than they are now, scientists consider it a significant comparative period because Earth might head in that direction if carbon emissions dont reduce soon.

The researchers studied a reef layer older and deeper than the current shallow and exposed one we see to arrive at their conclusions. And to study the deeper layer, they used some specimens collected in the 1970s, as well as some cored samples taken directly from the reef in 2015.

Coral

Photo: University of Sydney

The research paper, titled The evolution of the Great Barrier Reef during the Last Interglacial Period, found that the reef began growing once again after sea levels stabilized, a testimony to its resilience. However, the modern-day shallow reef is the last layer of a much thicker reef system, and it grew on top of the previous layer. But the current human-induced climate change and pollution threatens its existence.

In combination with climate change predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and in the absence of improvements to reef management and human impacts, sea-level pressures could tip the reef over the edge, potentially drowning it for good, Belinda Dechnik from the university, who was also lead author of the study, said in a statement.

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As many African women spend much of their spare time in hair salons, Ivory Coast's chief librarian, also a woman, came up with a brainwave scheme to help them read and learn to read.

Crammed on shelves between hair extensions, untangling creams and straightening lotions, a total 23 hair salons now offer customers a range of books on loan from the National Library.

"Libraries are practically non-existent in our suburbs and the ones that do exist get very few visitors, and rarely women," said chief librarian Chantal Adjiman, who launched the project in 2012.

With little time on their hands between work and childcare, most women simply do not have the opportunity to seek out books.

So the library decided it was best to take books to one of their "regular meeting-places".

"Ivorian women are charmers," said Adjiman. "They can spend more than an hour and a half in a hair salon."

At the National Library building, where 1,750 books have been set aside for the hair salons, staff pack novels, children's books and also essays about women's or children's rights into boxes.

- 'I come here just to read' -

Outside one of the hair salons, located in a market, a young woman sits reading on a bench oblivious to the noise or the banter of the traders nearby.

"I've got no money to buy books so I often come here just to read," she said.

Inside the salon, where a woman under a hood hair dryer thumbs a novel, owner Benedicte Ouguehi says the presence of the books has attracted new customers.

Even hairdressers working out in the open come by the salon to borrow books for their clients, she adds.

In Abidjan's well-heeled district of Cocody, 66-year-old salon owner Justine Inagohi says she immediately agreed to sign onto the scheme.

"Women gossip under the dryers, I'd rather they did something more educational," she said.

Inagohi has even set up a reading corner for children, used both by children accompanying their mothers and those who live in her own building.

The presence of the books, whether they be for children or for adults, gives women who cannot read and write the incentive to learn, and even men are beginning to turn up in women's hair salons to borrow them, said librarian Adjiman.

"Ivorians love reading but have no access to books," she said.
The Handmaids Tale is especially relevant to the politics of this country now, EP/writer Bruce Miller told TV critics during a panel on the new Hulu series at TCA.

The drama series, based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, is the story of life in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what formerly was part of the United States, plagued by environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime in which women are property of the state; Elisabeth Moss stars as Offred, a Handmaid in the Commander Waterfords (Joseph Fiennes) household, one of the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as part of a campaign to repopulate. It debuts April 26, three months into Donald Trumps presidency.

I was writing pilot during the primaries, during all those debates, Miller said. So we were, of course, mindful of that. He described the series as a thriller.

Prescient, for sure, chimed in Fiennes, noting in particular current politics, sexual politics, the toxicity of the planet, and human population issues.

Samira Wiley, who plays Offreds best friend Moira in the series, called it particularly relevant to the social climate now, especially for women in the United States. Specifically women and their bodies, and who has control of that. Do we, or does someone else have control over that?

Miller drew parallels between the book and the series and puritan times in this country. He described Gilead as based on a perverse misreading of Old Testament law and codes.

They arent Christians. I think we deal with it the same way they deal with it in the book. In the pilot and the next two episodes theyre tearing down churches that are of different sects. This country has a reputation of being a place where people came for religious freedom, but the puritans who came liked their religious freedoms but nobody elses, he said. They branded Quakers and sent them out of the state.

Story continues

Related stories

'Batman & Bill': Marc Nobleman's Crusade To Unearth Uncredited Creator Of DC Superhero - TCA

Hulu's 'Harlots' Offers A "Whore's Eye View" Of Georgian London - TCA

New 'Handmaid's Tale' Trailer Treks Deep Into Dark Future - TCA
Korolyov (Russia) (AFP) - When Galina Balashova designed her first space habitation module for Soviet cosmonauts, she drew a landscape on its interior wall, something that could remind them of home.

An architect by training and an artist at heart, Balashova went on to spend three decades designing the interior of the Soyuz and other Soviet spaceships, making sure the crafts were not just metal carcasses stuffed with equipment, but also living spaces.

Beginning in 1963 over just one weekend, she sketched the interior of the Soyuz craft at home after Sergei Korolyov, the father of the Soviet space programme, asked that the ship be made habitable.

Engineers had fitted out the module with two giant boxes of instruments, but Korolyov had rejected the design and decided to get outside help.

"They didn't understand what a living space is, they don't use spatial thinking but think in terms of instruments," said Balashova, now in her 80s.

"Over the weekend, I thought of how to place the instruments, designing a sort of cupboard on one side and a sort of sofa on the other, where they could nap" -- a ubiquitous setup in Soviet households.

After Korolyov approved her sketch, which included the landscape drawing on the wall, she also had to provide the actual watercolour painting that would go up into space.

Since Korolyov had approved the design with a landscape drawing, the engineers "always asked for one" on subsequent modules. "Nine of (the paintings) went to space," laughed Balashova.

Despite that, Balashova says she was not allowed to put her name under her work, complaining that her bosses took the credit.

- 'Floor and ceiling' in space -

Balashova still lives in her tiny apartment in Korolyov, a town outside Moscow that is home to Russia's space mission control and named after the space travel visionary.

Sitting in her living room, Balashova spreads out her watercolour space designs on the table, their airy pastels in odd contrast with the militaristic nature of the programme during the space race era.

Story continues

"At first I wanted to create a space for microgravity that would not have a floor or ceiling," she said.

But the futuristic vision was discarded for practical reasons.

"Humans train on Earth and they are used to the concepts of top and bottom."

Cosmonaut Pyotr Klimuk, who travelled to space as part of the Soyuz and Salyut programmes, agreed that it was important for colours and other elements of the Soyuz interior to create a "cosy" atmosphere.

In the orbit module "certain elements were painted certain colours and special fabric was used", he said.

"Delicate colours are better" and no matter the microgravity, the human eye "still believes there is a floor and ceiling", like on Earth, he said.

Colours were especially important in Balashova's work on the 1975 US-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz project, which would be seen by millions around the world and needed to fit in additional photo and video equipment.

"My bosses wanted a red sofa but red showed up as black on film," she said.

She struggled through four versions of the craft before finding a solution "when suddenly things were human-scale and there was harmony", she said.

The resulting orbital module had a green sofa and velcro belts with which cosmonauts attached themselves, and even a folding table where they ate and signed the documents marking the symbolic joint flight.

When visiting the module, American astronaut Vance Brand praised its "very convenient setup".

- Treated 'like a servant' -

Balashova still sits in a chair upholstered with the same green fabric she used to cover the Soyuz sofa.

That too was a product of experimentation. Initial attempts to use velcro on the furniture led to cosmonauts "losing their jersey pants" on it, she giggled.

Her flat is filled with books and watercolour portraits of family, with almost no sign that she influenced the look of generations of Soviet spaceships.

She says her engineering bosses didn't value her work, looking down on her as an artist and a woman -- one of the few working in the Soviet space industry and the only female in a creative position in Korolyov's team.

"I was alone working with only men, and they treated me like a servant."

After she retired, her drawings spent over a decade gathering dust under her bed.

Balashova now lives on a pension of 18,000 rubles ($297, 287 euros) a month.

"I never wanted to go to space," she admitted. But as an architect, she found the work interesting, she said, and found her inspiration in constantly striving for harmony in her designs.

"When I got it, I felt goosebumps down my back," she said.
Nicosia (AFP) - Rival Cypriot leaders hold UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva from Monday billed as a historic opportunity to end decades of division on the island but the outcome is far from certain.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and his Greek Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades have held more than 18 months of negotiations in the run-up to the crunch talks but both men acknowledge that key issues remain to be thrashed out.

The United Nations has pulled out all the stops to get a deal over the line, eyeing the best chance of a settlement in more than a decade.

"It is a real possibility that 2017 will be the year when the Cypriots, themselves, freely decide to turn the page of history," UN envoy Espen Barth Eide said in a New Year's message.

But some analysts believe that Geneva is a disaster waiting to happen because of the deep divisions between the two sides on core issues such as property, territorial adjustments and security.

"I will be surprised if there is a comprehensive agreement given the difficulties," Andreas Theophanous, head of the Cyprus Centre for European and International Affairs, told AFP.

Leaving for the talks on Sunday, the Turkish Cypriot leader told reporters that they marked a "crossroads" and it was vital to "achieve positive results and not just meet up".

"We are not at a point where Geneva will mark the final conclusion. We need to be cautious," Akinci said.

"We are not pessimistic but we shouldn't assume everything is done and dusted. We are expecting a tough week."

As he left the island, Anastasiades, who heads the island's internationally recognised government, tweeted that he was heading to the talks "with hope, confidence and unity."

- 'Significant differences' -

But earlier this week, he too struck a note of caution, warning of "significant differences on substantive issues fundamental to a Cyprus solution".

Story continues

The island has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.

Nine years later, Turkish Cypriot leaders declared a breakaway state in the north which is recognised only by Ankara.

The years of communal violence, which culminated in the Turkish invasion, saw tens of thousands from both sides flee their homes -- and they remain displaced to this day.

It has always been agreed that some of the territory currently controlled by the Turkish Cypriots will be ceded to Greek Cypriot control in any peace deal.

Just how much and which land they should give up has hampered four decades of peace talks.

The issue is vital because any deal the two leaders reach will have to be put to the vote in their respective communities.

In 2004, a majority of Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of a UN reunification plan but it was overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots.

The two sides have undertaken to provide maps on Wednesday of their proposals for the internal boundaries of a future bizonal federation.

If that goes to plan, they will be joined from Thursday by the leaders of the island's three guarantor powers -- former colonial ruler Britain, Greece and Turkey.

"I expect neither a success nor a failure but the beginning of a series of final round talks under the participation of the guarantor powers with 'observers' invited from the EU and Security Council," said Hubert Faustmann, professor of history and political science at the University of Nicosia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed in a phone call on Saturday that the Geneva talks were a "real opportunity" to end the island's division.

But there are differences over future security arrangements with Anastasiades wanting the tens of thousands of Turkish troops on the island to leave but Akinci demanding a continued Turkish military presence.

Akinci also insists on a rotating presidency for the future federation -- a proposal unpopular among Greek Cypriots.

Analyst Theophanous said the most likely outcome of the Geneva talks would be an agreement to continue negotiations in Nicosia.

"It will be an ongoing process but this has been going on for so many years," he said.
HELSINKI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - HMD Global, the Finnish company that owns the rights to use Nokia's brand on mobile phones, announced on Sunday its first smartphone, targeted for Chinese users with a price of 1,699 yuan ($246).

The launch marks the first new smartphone carrying the iconic handset name since 2014 when Nokia Oyj chose to sell its entire handset unit to Microsoft.

The new device, Nokia 6, runs on Google's Android platform and is manufactured by Foxconn. It will be sold exclusively in China through online retailer JD.com, HMD said.

"The decision by HMD to launch its first Android smartphone into China is a reflection of the desire to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world... it is a strategically important market," HMD said in a statement.

Nokia was once the world's dominant cellphone maker but missed the shift to smartphones, and then chose Microsoft's Windows operating system for its "Lumia" range.

After the 2014 deal, Microsoft continued selling cheaper basic phones under Nokia's name and Lumia smartphones under its own name, but last year, it largely abandoned both businesses.

HMD in December took over the Nokia feature phones business and struck a licensing deal that gave it sole use of the Nokia brand on all phones and tablets for the next decade.

It will pay Nokia royalties for the brand and patents, but Nokia has no direct investment in HMD. Nokia Oyj is currently focused on telecom network equipment business and technology patents.

HMD CEO Arto Nummela, who was once responsible for Nokia's sales and product development, told Reuters last month that HMD aims to be one of the key competitive players in the smartphone business where it faces tough competition from Apple, Samsung and dozens of other players.

HMD launched some new Nokia basic phones last month. It said on Sunday it was looking to launch more new products in the first half of the year.

($1 = 6.9176 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl and Eric Auchard)
- By Ben Reynolds





Published Jan. 8, 2017 by Bob Ciura

The collapse in oil and gas prices from 2014 to 2016 caused a great deal of turmoil in the energy sector. The hardest-hit companies were those engaged in exploration and production. These companies need a high commodity price to generate cash flow.

By contrast, midstream companies like Holly Energy Partners (HEP) saw a much milder downturn. Holly Energy does not explore and drill for oil; instead, it stores and transports it through pipelines and terminals.
The Hollyweed sign artist says his art wasnt vandalism

Although the first prank of 2017 happened in Los Angeles, it made national headlines when residents of Hollywood woke up to find the iconic Hollywood sign changed to Hollyweed. Well, the person responsible for the makeover, who goes by the name Jesus Hands, is now claiming that this was art, not vandalism. (We wonder what he thinks of all the delightful Hollyweed memes that have popped up all over the Internet.)

The Hollywood Reporter spoke to the artist about his work.

And his responses were pretty fascinating.

In all it's glory. #hollyweed A photo posted by Zach Fernandez (@jesushands) on Jan 1, 2017 at 10:59am PST

1. He did it out of love and a certain peace from within.

Hands said that he felt 2016 was a tough year. So he wanted 2017 to be about personal growth. Inspired by similar stunts from the past, he considered what he was doing to be art.

He said, It was honestly just a work of art, but it becomes so much more because of peoples interpretations of it. Pot art. Thats what it is.

The Iconic Hollywood Sign Gets Changed To Read "Hollyweed"

2. He actually cleaned up the area around the sign.

The whole work took a few hours, and he found it to be a very spiritual experience. And, in the creation process, he even took the time to beautify the area.

He explained, I noticed there was garbage all over the place. So much litter. I left the area cleaner than I found it..

3. He does not fear legal repercussions.

Jesus Hands believes that what he was doing was expressing himself.

He said, Its all freedom of expression, right? Freedom of speech. In all reality, there was no vandalism.

The Iconic Hollywood Sign Gets Changed To Read "Hollyweed"

4. He believes in the message.

He said what he was doing was much more than a joke. It was spreading a beautiful message that people can connect with and remember for a long time.

Its about connecting people. Theres a message to be had, the artist said. The message is peace and love, and look how contagious that is. And when someone looks up there, and I brought a good memory in their heart, thats what makes it  look at it. Thats my sign right there.

Well, hes definitely started the new year off with a bang. We will be interested to see what happens next to Jesus Hands  not to mention the Hollywood sign.
Los Angeles (AFP) - Millions of television viewers will tune in on Sunday to watch the Golden Globe Awards, one of Hollywood's biggest and glitziest affairs that sets many movies on the path to Oscars glory.

But few are likely to know who actually decides on the winners.

This year, the voters include a Russian former body-builder turned actor, an ex-Miss Universe from South Africa and an ex-engineer from Egypt.

They are all members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a somewhat opaque group of about 90 journalists -- and one of the most exclusive and secretive clubs in Tinseltown.

Though some members of the HFPA work for well-respected foreign media outlets, many are freelancers employed by obscure publications.

Founded in 1943 by a small group of foreign journalists seeking more access to the showbiz world, the association over the years has mushroomed into a formidable institution.

Still, the Globes -- which honor the best in film and television -- have repeatedly been dismissed by some as a publicity tool for Hollywood studios who wine and dine HFPA members year-round with an eye towards awards night.

But the sheer magnitude of the event -- and the momentum it can create for some films ahead of the all-important Oscars -- has upped its credibility.

"It used to be considered a joke in Hollywood," said Howard Suber, who has taught film at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for 51 years.

"It ceased being a joke when it became a show with good ratings and every manager, publicist, producer, studio exec saw that it was another way to advertise their goods," he explained.

"It's still considered an inside joke in terms of who these people are, but it's treated seriously because it's on television," he added.

- Who belongs to the HFPA? -

Becoming a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is not that simple.

Any foreign journalist seeking entry must be sponsored by two members, and a newcomer's application can be rejected if one member of the association vetoes it.

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Once admitted, members have to produce six articles a year to maintain active status, all the while gaining unfettered access to press conferences and special events.

Several major media outlets, including France's Le Monde, The Times of London and the New Zealand Herald, have complained in the past of being shut out.

- Past scandals -

The association has also been embroiled in a number of scandals.

In 2011, outgoing publicist Michael Russell filed a lawsuit alleging he had been sacked for denouncing shady practices within the association.

In his suit, which was settled for an undisclosed amount, Russell claimed that "HFPA members abuse their positions and engage in unethical and potentially unlawful deals and arrangements which amount to a 'payola' scheme."

The group's former president Philip Berk, who has been with the HFPA for decades, in 2014 took a voluntary leave of absence after fellow members became upset over what was written about them in a memoir he published.

One of the most memorable scandals to rock the HFPA came in 1982 when Pia Zadora accepted a Golden Globe for her performance in "Butterfly" before a gobsmacked Hollywood.

Just weeks before, Zadora's then-husband, billionaire businessman Meshulam Riklis, had invited members on an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas for a private screening of his wife's film.

HFPA members denied that the junket had influenced their decision.

Even Ricky Gervais, who has hosted the show four times including last year, has poked fun at the association and insinuated that the studios can influence the voters.

"The Golden Globes are to the Oscars what Kim Kardashian is to Kate Middleton. Bit louder, bit trashier, bit drunker, and more easily bought," he told the audience in 2012.

- 'Wizard of Oz' -

In recent years, the organization has embarked on a course toward more respectability and sought to attract younger members. It has also earned accolades for its charity work.

Current president Lorenzo Soria, who has been with the HFPA since 1989, said four new members were admitted last year, including two who work for publications in China.

Soria, who spoke briefly with AFP, said the shrinking pool of foreign correspondents worldwide made it harder to recruit new members.

"Keep in mind that ... not many publications can afford to have correspondents the way they did in the past," said the Argentina-born Italian journalist.

A Globes victory can help cast the spotlight on films that might otherwise be overlooked for the Oscars, which take place in late February.

"The Academy is pretty mainstream in its taste when it comes to foreign films," said Fredell Pogodin, a publicist who specializes in foreign-language and documentary films.

"That's not always the case with the HFPA members. I find their choices very often more interesting than the Academy's."

Still, some say the association has a long way to go before achieving the credibility of the Oscars.

"They are the Wizard of Oz," said Suber.

"They hide behind this curtain and everyone believes that they are really powerful. But then you pull the curtain back and what you see is a little old man with a microphone."
(Adds quotes, details)

PARIS/DUBAI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Airbus said on Sunday Iran's state airline IranAir had accepted its first new jet, marking a key step in opening up trade under a nuclear sanctions deal between Iran and major powers.

The Airbus A321 jetliner has been painted in IranAir livery and is expected to be delivered later this week.

"The technical acceptance has been done with formal delivery still to be done," a spokesman for the European planemaker said.

Iranian regulators said the aircraft had been placed on the country's aircraft register, indicating IranAir had taken ownership of the aircraft: the first of around 200 Western aircraft ordered since sanctions were lifted.

"The registration has been done, and the delivery should be by the end of the week," Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, told Reuters by telephone.

The 189-seat jet was assembled in Hamburg, Germany. From there, it is expected to be transferred to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, for a formal handover on Wednesday.

IranAir Chairman Farhad Parvaresh told state news agency IRNA there would be an official ceremony to mark the arrival of the Airbus jetliner in Tehran later this week.

IranAir has ordered 100 passenger jets from Airbus and 80 from its U.S. rival Boeing under the nuclear deal, which called for the lifting of most international sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear activities.

Boeing also agreed last year to arrange the leasing of a further 29 aircraft.

IranAir is also negotiating a final agreement with European turbo-prop maker ATR. The company, joint-owned by Airbus and Italy's Leonardo, has provisionally agreed to supply 20 of its 70-seat regional planes with options for a further 20.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher and Dubai newsroom; Editing by GV De Clercq and Mark Potter)
Arbil (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi forces battling jihadists in Mosul reached the Tigris River that divides the city Sunday, a key step and a first since the launch of a huge operation in mid-October.

The Islamic State group was on the back foot in Mosul after a week of significant gains for Iraqi forces but pressed a deadly campaign of bombings in Baghdad, where two more attacks killed 18 people.

Elite Counter-Terrorism Forces (CTS) took control of the eastern end of the southernmost bridge in Mosul, a morale-booster in a 12-week-old operation that has encountered many difficulties.

CTS forces "reached the Tigris River from the eastern (side) of the fourth bridge," Sabah al-Noman told AFP. The news was also confirmed by Iraqi army Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir Yarallah.

Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces launched an offensive on October 17 to retake Mosul, the last major urban centre in Iraq still controlled by the group that seized around a third of the country in 2014.

Several areas around the city, Iraq's second largest, were swiftly reconquered, but the elite forces that pushed into the streets of Mosul itself have faced stiffer than expected resistance.

In late December, the federal advance inside the city had slowed to a crawl but a fresh coordination effort between CTS and other forces gave fresh impetus to the operation.

Iraqi forces, backed by increased support from the US-led coalition that has carried out the bulk of air strikes against IS and deployed military advisers on the ground, made rapid progress in the first week of 2017.

Their push to the banks of the Tigris River on Sunday marks a symbolic and tactical victory for the Iraqi forces but they have much work left to do to take full control of Mosul's eastern side.

Having eyes on the river should further complicate IS's already reduced ability to resupply the eastern front with fighters and weapons from the west bank, which it still firmly controls.

Story continues

Commanders had predicted when the operation, Iraq's largest in years, was launched nearly three months ago that the eastern side of the city would be easier to retake.

- Baghdad bombings -

But die-hard jihadist fighters, estimated at around 5,000 to 7,000 before the start of the offensive, fought back with sniper fire, booby-traps and a seemingly endless supply of suicide car bombs.

The continued presence in the city of hundreds of thousands of civilians -- either forced to stay by IS or reluctant to leave their homes for crowded and cold displacement camps -- has impeded the federal advance.

Baghdad and partnering aid organisations had predicted an exodus of civilians in the first weeks of the operation but the flux of fleeing Mosul residents was more limited than expected.

According to the United Nations, more than 135,000 people have been displaced since the start of the operation to retake Mosul, a significant proportion of them from outlying areas.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had promised that his forces would rid Iraq of IS by the end of 2016 but later said that eliminating the jihadists would take several more months.

The western bank of the city is slightly smaller than the east but more densely-populated and includes neighbourhoods that are seen as bastions of support for the Islamic State group.

The jihadists, vastly outnumbered and outgunned in Mosul by federal forces and their allies, have launched a number of diversionary attacks over the past three months.

They also appear to have ramped up suicide bomb attacks in the capital, where at least 18 people were killed in two separate blasts near markets on Sunday.

The first attack struck the main wholesale vegetable market in Baghdad, which lies in the frequently-targeted, overwhelmingly Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City.

"A soldier at the gate of Jamila market opened fire on a suicide car bomb after noticing a suspect vehicle but the terrorist blew up his car," interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said.

At least 12 people died in the explosion while another six Iraqis were killed in a second attack at a market in the Baladiyat area, security and hospital officials said.

The explosions were the latest in a string of attacks that have left close to 100 people dead since New Year's Eve.
By Stephen Kalin and Ahmed Rasheed MOSUL, Iraq/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi special forces battling Islamic State reached the eastern bank of the Tigris river in Mosul on Sunday for the first time in a three-month, U.S-backed offensive to capture the city from the militants, who still control its entire western half. The group also claimed one of two attacks at two Baghdad markets in which 20 people were killed, the latest in a recent spate of bombings, tactics to which Islamic State is resorting as it comes under growing pressure in Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq. Units of Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) have fought their way to the eastern bank of the Tigris, spokesman Sabah al-Numan said. It was the first time Iraqi forces in the city itself have reached the river, which bisects Mosul, since the offensive to drive out Islamic State was launched in October. Iraqi forces already control the Tigris to Mosul's south. The CTS has spearheaded advances inside Mosul and is part of a 100,000-strong force backed by U.S. air power of Iraqi troops, Kurdish fighters and Shi'ite militias fighting the militants. After a period of stuttering advances in Mosul, Iraqi forces have gained momentum in a new push since around the start of the year. CTS forces also clashed with Islamic State fighters near a historic site in eastern Mosul, an officer said, in a bid to drive them out of more neighbourhoods. "This morning CTS troops advanced in two directions towards the Baladiyat and Sukkar districts," Lt.General Abdelwahab al-Saadi said. "During the advance, Daesh (Islamic State) tried to confront us from the historic hill," he said, apparently referring to a hill located near the ruins of the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh, east of the river and inside Mosul. Saadi said Iraqi forces and warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition "dealt with" IS fighters positioned on the hill, and dozens were killed. ISLAMIC STATE ATTACKS In Baghdad, a suicide attacker killed 13 people when he drove an explosives-rigged car into vegetable market in the mainly Shi'ite Muslim eastern Jamila district, and detonated it, police said. Islamic State claimed the attack in an online statement, saying it had targeted a "gathering of Shi'ites." A few hours later, a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest blew himself up at a market in another mostly Shi'ite district, Baladiyat, killing seven, according to police and medical sources. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. More than 80 people have been killed in just over a week in attacks in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities. Iraq's Kurdish regional government said in a statement on Sunday that Kurdish and coalition forces killed an Islamic State figure in a joint operation near the city of Kirkuk on Jan. 5. The operation took place in Hawija, it said. Islamic State have a smaller presence in the area. (Additional reporting by Isabel Coles; Writing by John Davison; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
PureWow

There was a small royal family reunion last night and theres a brand-new portrait to prove it. Yesterday evening, King Charles and and Queen Consort Camilla hosted a reception dinner to celebrate the sporting athletes who won the gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2020 Tokyo and 2022 Beijing Winter Games. ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty Images And other royal family members decided to join in on the party: Prince Edward (the Earl of Wessex), Princess Anne (the Princess Royal and Charless sist
London (AFP) - The Israeli embassy in London sought Sunday to head off a diplomatic storm with London, apologising after one of its staff was caught on camera threatening to "take down" a British government minister.

The Mail on Sunday newspaper posted the footage showing the embassy's senior political officer Shai Masot telling an undercover reporter from Al-Jazeera television: "I want to take down... the Deputy Foreign Minister (Alan Duncan)."

Duncan, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's second-in-command, and a long-time critic of Israel, was "doing a lot of problems," he added.

Duncan once described Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory as a "stain on the face of the globe", calling them an "act of theft".

"Occupation, annexation, illegality, negligence, complicity - this is a wicked cocktail which brings shame on Israel," he told the BBC in 2014.

Masot also called Johnson an "idiot" and mocked "crazy" opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his "weirdo" supporters.

The embassy issued an immediate apology, saying it "rejects the remarks concerning minister Duncan, which are completely unacceptable".

"The comments were made by a junior embassy employee who is not an Israeli diplomat, and who will be ending his term of employment with the embassy shortly," it added.

Ambassador Mark Regev apologised personally to Duncan on Friday, according to the embassy.

Britain's Foreign Office confirmed it had received an apology, and that it now considered "the matter closed".

- 'A little scandal?' -

The incident comes amid an Israeli diplomatic offensive against countries which backed a UN resolution last month demanding a halt to settlement building on Palestinian land.

All 15 members of the UN Security Council, including permanent member Britain, voted in favour of the resolution except for the United States which abstained, sparking Israeli fury.

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It was not immediately clear if Masot's comments were linked to the resolution.

Conservative chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Crispin Blunt told the Mail on Sunday the comments were "outrageous".

The footage was recorded at a restaurant opposite the Israeli embassy in London's upmarket Kensington district, during a meeting attended by Maria Strizzolo, senior aide to Conservative Education Minister Robert Halfon.

Strizzolo spoke of her influence in helping Halfon become a minister, prompting Masot to ask her: "Can you do the opposite stuff as well?"

However, Strizzolo said Duncan would be "impossible to rebuff" due to having powerful "friends", but then suggested "a little scandal, maybe?"

Strizzolo told the newspaper that she was speaking to Masot as a friend and that the conversation had been "tongue-in-cheek and gossipy", adding: "Any suggestion that I ... could exert the type of influence you are suggesting is risible."
LONDON (Reuters) - The Israeli ambassador in London has apologized after a member of his staff was caught on camera saying he wanted to "take down" British Foreign Office Minister Alan Duncan, a high-profile UK government supporter of a Palestinian state. Shai Masot, a senior political officer at the embassy, was secretly filmed discussing British lawmakers by broadcaster Al Jazeera. The footage was obtained by the Mail on Sunday. "The Embassy of Israel rejects the remarks concerning Minister Duncan, which are completely unacceptable; the comments were made by a junior embassy employee who is not an Israeli diplomat, and who will be ending his term of employment with the embassy shortly," a spokesman said in a statement. Masot was talking to Maria Strizzolo, who was previously an aide to another minister, and an undercover reporter, the Mail on Sunday said. He said Strizzolo knew "what MPs (lawmakers) I want to take down". "Can I give you some MPs (lawmakers) that I would suggest you would take down?," he said to her. When pressed on who he meant, he said: "The deputy foreign minister." He didn't specify what he meant by "take down", although in the context of the conversation it could describe engineering a political downfall. He also discussed British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, saying he was "solid" on Israel, but adding: "You know he is an idiot?" The embassy said Ambassador Mark Regev had spoken to Duncan on Friday, apologized for the comments and made clear that the embassy considered the remarks to be completely unacceptable. A spokesman for the British Foreign office confirmed the Israeli ambassador had apologized, and said it was clear the comments did not reflect the views of the embassy or the government of Israel. "The UK has a strong relationship with Israel and we consider the matter closed," the spokesman said. (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Mark Potter)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli police made seven arrests overnight following an unruly protest against the manslaughter conviction of a soldier for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian assailant, police said on Sunday.

Those detained are accused of public order offences during a demonstration outside the Jerusalem residence of President Reuven Rivlin following a reconciliation rally in Tel Aviv.

An eighth person was arrested on charges of seeking to disrupt Saturday's rally in the commercial capital.

Another was detained on suspicion of taking part in a hate campaign against armed forces chief of staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot, who ordered the prosecution of Sergeant Elor Azaria that angered many on the Israeli right.

"During the night dozens of demonstrators arrived opposite the president's residence where they wanted to carry out an illegal protest in support of the soldier Elor Azaria," a police statement said.

"Some of them blocked the road and refused to obey police instructions. Seven demonstrators were arrested for breach of public order."

Since a military court found Azaria guilty on Wednesday, there has been a wave of public protest and threats against officials involved in the prosecution of the 20-year-old French-Israeli infantryman.

After the verdict was read out, protesters scuffled with police outside military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Radio and television channels broadcast recordings of the demonstrators chanting that the chief of staff should beware unless he wanted to share the fate of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by a Jewish extremist in 1995.

"Gadi, Gadi be careful, Rabin is looking for a friend," they shouted.

Saturday's unity rally, convened after a moving Facebook appeal by reserve Captain Ziv Shilon, was held in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square.

Azaria's conviction has deeply divided Israeli public opinion between those who believe he was wrongly tried and those who say the conviction was the right and proper consequence of his actions.

Right-wing politicians -- including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- have already called for Azaria to be pardoned, even though he has yet to be sentenced and his lawyers say he may appeal.

He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Rome (AFP) - The head of Italy's populist Five Star movement (M5S) said Sunday he wants to abandon a eurosceptic alliance in the European Parliament with Britain's UKIP party, which will leave the legislature after Brexit.

Beppe Grillo proposed, in a blog posting, that his anti-euro party instead align itself with a pro-EU group, drawing shock from supporters who have until Monday to vote on the question.

"The recent European developments, like Brexit, have led us to rethink the nature of the EFDD (Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy) group," Grillo wrote, referring to its parliamentary grouping led by ex-UKIP head Nigel Farage.

"To remain a member of the EFDD is to face the next two-and-a-half years without a common political objective," Grillo added.

UKIP is the single largest source of the grouping's members, raising the possibility it could fall apart once British MEPs leave the legislature at the end of their terms in 2019.

There can be no British members of the European parliament once Britain completes its planned exit from the bloc.

The political groupings are important because not only do they provide more political visibility and the possibility of chairing various committees, but also up to 30 million euros ($32 million) in funding during the parliament's five-year term.

Grillo has raised the idea of joining up with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), which supports the common currency and European integration.

If M5S sign up with the ALDE grouping, it would become the third largest political force in the European Parliament, behind the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) and the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), Grillo wrote.

Many Five Star supporters reacted with outrage to the proposal, with one writing on Grillo's blog, "ALDE? Are we ultra-liberals or pro-Made in Italy?"

"If the base chooses to join ALDE there will be an endless haemorrhage of votes," wrote another backer, Alessandro Gasparri.

Story continues

Matteo Salvini, who leads Italy's anti-immigrant, anti-EU Northern League party, called the proposal an "incredible Europeanist about face by Grillo!"

For a little more power in parliament "the five stars are abandoning a eurosceptic group to join ALDE, the group most in favour of a Europe belonging to the euro, banks, lobbies and immigration," he added.

M5S members can cast online ballots on Grillo's proposal until midday (1100 GMT) on Monday.
By Ange Aboa ABIDJAN (Reuters) - The streets of Ivory Coast's second-largest city Bouake were calm and the military presence was gone, residents said on Sunday, after a two-day soldiers' mutiny took over the city before spreading across the country. The mutiny began early on Friday when rogue soldiers demanding bonus pay seized Bouake. Soldiers at military camps in cities and towns across Ivory Coast, including the commercial capital Abidjan, joined the rebellion. A deal was reached between the government and the soldiers late on Saturday. A mutineer close to the negotiations said soldiers had returned to barracks. "We have cleared the corridors everywhere as promised and we have been in barracks since last night," Sergeant Mamadou Kone told Reuters. "All over the country all our men have returned to barracks and wait for their money. The mutiny is over for us." He said the soldiers expect to be paid on Monday under the deal brokered by Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi, raising pressure on a government that faces further unrest if demands are not met. In a sign of tensions, renegade troops on Saturday opened fire outside the house in Bouake where the negotiations took place, temporarily trapping Donwahi, witnesses said. The terms of the final deal were not made public, but sources said that the soldiers demanded 5 million CFA francs ($8,000) each, which for more than 8,000 soldiers could cost tens of billions of CFA francs. Ivory Coast - which has French-speaking West Africa's largest economy - has emerged from a 2002-2011 political crisis as one of the continent's rising economic stars. But years of conflict and a failure to reform its army, made up of former rebel fighters and government soldiers, have left it hobbled by division. The revolt comes two years after a near identical uprising which ended when the government offered mutineers amnesty from punishment and a financial settlement. A repeat of the solution raises the risk soldiers will be encouraged to do it again. Traffic in Bouake, snarled since Friday by roadblocks and barricades, was clear on Sunday, residents said. The gunfire of recent days had stopped. Other cities were also calm, residents said, including Abidjan, where a day earlier loyalist troops were deployed at strategic locations and residents rushed to buy bottled water and other provisions. There was no military on the streets on Sunday. People were seen walking to church, shops were open and traffic moved as normal, a Reuters reporter said. ($1 = 622.7500 CFA francs) (Additional reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly and Joe Bavier in Abidjan; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Mark Potter and Angus MacSwan)
Tokyo (AFP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called on South Korea to remove a statue of a "comfort woman" which has reignited a diplomatic row over Tokyo's wartime sex slavery.

Tensions spiked on Friday when Tokyo recalled its ambassador over the statue which was placed outside its consulate in Busan last month, symbolising women forced to work in Japanese military brothels mostly during World War II.

Japan argues it is against a 2015 agreement between the neighbours meant to put an end to the hugely emotional and decades-long "comfort women" issue with a Japanese apology and payment of money.

"Japan has already paid one billion yen ($8.6 million) as we sincerely fulfilled our obligation. I think it's now South Korea's turn to show sincerity in an unwavering manner," Abe said in a programme aired Sunday on public broadcaster NHK.

The plight of the women has marred relations for decades but the governments of Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye reached an agreement in late 2015 to finally resolve it.

Under that accord, which both countries described as "final and irreversible," Japan offered an apology and a one-billion yen payment to surviving Korean comfort women.

South Korea is expected to have a new administration following the impeachment of Park but Abe demanded the accord be honoured.

"It is a matter of national credibility to implement (the agreement) even if the government changes," he said.

Critics of the accord say the deal did not go far enough in holding Japan responsible for wartime abuses during its 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.

Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia including China, were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.

The statue in Busan was initially removed by local authorities after South Korean activists placed it in front of the Japanese consulate in the southern port city.

But after the Japanese defence minister paid homage at Yasukuni Shrine last month -- a spot where senior convicted war criminals are honoured -- Seoul allowed the activists to put the statue back up.
The day before her birthday, Kate Middleton and her husband Prince William attended a church service with Queen Elizabeth, who had not been previously seen publicly in a month.

The Duchess of Cambridge's mother Carole Middleton, brother James Middleton and sister Pippa Middleton were also in attendance. Reportedly, the Middleton family is in Sandringham to celebrate Kate's 35th birthday on January 9.

THE BEST PHOTOS FROM THE BRITISH ROYALS' CHRISTMAS

As they arrived at St. Mary Magdalene church on the Queens Sandringham estate, the family took the time to stop and talk with locals. Upon seeing the Queen, who has been suffering a "heavy cold," the crowd cheered with delight. This was the 90-year-old monarch's first public appearance since December 9 when she hosted the ambassador of Liberia for a private audience at Buckingham Palace. Her husband Prince Philip was by her side for the service. According to a royal statement, the Queen's cold has subsided and she is doing "better" now.

CLICK FOR FULL GALLERY



Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended the church service Photo: Getty

Although well-wishers only caught a glimpse of Kate, who walked with her husband Prince William, it was clear that she looked effortlessly demure. The mother-of-two wore a recycled dark green wool coat, thought to be from Sportmax, which she previously wore on a visit to Edinburgh in 2016. She accessorized the coat with a grey fur hat, leaving her trademark bouncy brunette curls visible.

THE QUEEN MAKES FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE SINCE ILLNESS

Well-wishers caught a glimpse of Kate Photo: Getty Images

Meanwhile, Pippa Middleton also looked stylish in a fitted brown coat with matching heels and a hat. Kate's sister will walk down the isle this year, with a May wedding date set.

Pippa wore a brown coat and hat Photo: Getty

This coming week, Kate will enjoy a quiet and private birthday with the intent to spend quality time with her family and her two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. On Wednesday, she will go back to performing royal duties when she visits the Early Years Planning Unit at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. Later on in the day she will also visit a Child Bereavement UK Centre in Stratford, London with Prince William.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un turned 33 Sunday, a week after the world's youngest head of state announced his nation was capable of launching Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. This historic achievement was his latest in a five-year legacy of controversial policies and precarious balances of power.

In many ways, Kim appears to face the same daunting task of running the reclusive, authoritarian state as his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, before him. The country's political system is designed in such a way that virtually all power rests with the supreme leader and all three members of the Kim dynasty have been the subject of international criticisms over alleged human rights violations.

Kim Jong Un's position is unique, however. He inherited a system that he had played relatively little part in before. His grandfather founded the state in 1948 and his father had been prepped to rule for nearly two decades before taking power in 1991.

Kim Jong Un is believed to have started his career around 2007 and took power only four years later after his father's death in 2011. Since then, the young leader has overseen the development of the nation's nuclear program, a stabilization of the economy and the execution of a number of high-profile figures within the country's military elite.

"Kim Jong Un's establishment of control has been much more brutal. It has been based on loyalty and respect," Scott Snyder, director of the U.S.-Korea Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations, told International Business Times. "I think he probably grasps the challenges he faces now more than before," he added.

Michael Madden, visiting fellow at the School of Advanced International Studies' U.S.-Korea Institute at John Hopkins University and frequent contributor to the blog 38 North, told International Business Times Kim Jong Un has gradually "professionalized" many areas of the country including the nuclear program. He said Kim Jong Un has opted to scale back the influence of the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD), the political committee whose presence is felt in every aspect of North Korean life, and has been somewhat more transparent in his activities than his father.

Story continues

Whereas Kim Jong Il ran the country through "back channels" like the OGD, Kim Jong Un has revived the official bodies of his government originally mapped out by his grandfather, Madden said. Some hardliners, many of them high-ranking military figures within his father's elite circle, resisted this approach as it put their mostly ceremonial positions at risk. The most notable rebel was believed to have been Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Un's influential uncle, who was executed in 2013 in what many see as a consolidation of power.

"People don't get shot in North Korea because they screw up. They get shot because they lie," Madden said, likening it to getting "whacked" in the Mafia.

With Jang gone, however, threats to Kim Jong Un's power still remain. Madden said the leader's biggest concern was to balance a small, yet emerging private market with state institutions. Kim Jong Un may have taken steps to liberalize and promote economic growth, but anything too radical could present "a physical threat." Snyder said Kim Jong Un's isolationism placed him "on a collision course" in which the rigid, isolationist style of government he inherited prevented him from making the necessary changes to truly maintain the country.

"I think he has the capability to make [his own] decisions. I don't think he can find any decisions that would lead to a more favorable outcome," Snyder said. "He's entrapped in this system where every other alternative to sustain his power and rule has very high costs."

Experts stopped short of predicting what will happen next as Kim Jong Un enters his sixth year of power. The growth experienced under his leadership was vast compared to his father, but even this paled in comparison to other Asian nations and the economic infrastructure remains weak. His achievements in nuclear and ballistic capabilities have brought North Korea far beyond simple theatrics and allowed it to emerge as a real military power, a self-preservation technique that angers foes South Korea and the U.S. and has even drawn criticism from Pyongyang's only ally, China.

It remains to be seen whether Kim Jong Un will depart from the cult of personality that surrounds his father and grandfather and foster more political and economic reforms, or if he will continue to isolate himself and the country through strict authoritarianism.

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Kim Kardashian West and her husband, Kanye West, are easing their way back into the spotlight.

Following the Selfish author's traumatic robbery in Paris, France, and the "Famous" rapper's recent hospitalization, the two steered clear of the public eye at the end of 2016. But after ringing in the New Year, it appears they're ready to take back their star power.

WATCH: Kim Kardashian Finally Returns to Social Media Following Three Months of Silence

Kim, who returned to social media on Tuesday after three months of silence, kept it casual for the Friday night outing, sporting a black-and-red flannel shirt, wide-legged pants and a choker. Kanye also opted for comfort, pairing his gray hoodie over camouflage trousers.

X17online.com

According to an eyewitness, the two were photographed leaving West's office building in Calabasas, California, before heading to Jay Z and Beyonce's home in Holmby Hills around 7 p.m.

"They seemed to be in a good mood," the eyewitness told ET.

WATCH: Kim Kardashian Breaks Silence on Paris Robbery: 'It Makes Me So Upset to Think About It'

Their outing comes just one day after Kim broke her silence on the robbery in Paris in a new promo video for Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Watch below to hear more.

Related Articles
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  A South Korean Buddhist monk is in critical condition after setting himself on fire to protest the country's settlement with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves, officials said Sunday.

The 64-year-old monk suffered third-degree burns across his body and serious damage to vital organs. He's unconscious and unable to breathe on his own, said an official from the Seoul National University Hospital, who didn't want to be named citing office rules.

The man set himself ablaze late Saturday during a large rally in Seoul calling for the ouster of impeached President Park Geun-hye, police said. In his notebook, the man called Park a "traitor" over her government's 2015 agreement with Japan that sought to settle a long-standing row over South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan's World War II military, police said.

Under the agreement, Japan pledged to fund a Seoul-based foundation that was set up to help support the victims. South Korea, in exchange, vowed to refrain from criticizing Japan over the issue and try to resolve the Japanese grievance over a bronze statue representing wartime sex slaves in front of its embassy in Seoul.

The agreement has so far come short of bringing a closure to the emotional issue. The deal continues to be criticized in South Korea because it was reached without approval from victims, and students have been holding sit-in protests next to the Seoul statue for more than a year over fears that the government might try to remove it.

On Friday, the Japanese government reacted angrily to the placing of a similar statue in front of its consulate in the city of Busan, announcing a recall of its ambassador to South Korea and suspension of economic talks.

At the time of the sex slave deal, Seoul said there were 46 surviving South Korean victims.
Just one day before the Golden Globes, celebrities turned out to support Sean Penns Haiti Rising Gala at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Saturday night.

Leonardo DiCaprio made it to the event after red carpet arrivals, and bid on several items, including Julia Roberts and Danny Moders personal 1967 white Land Cruiser. Though he was outbid (it sold for $100,000 to businessman Vivi Nevo), the 42-year-old actor took home a commission from artist Ed Ruscha for a cool $125,000. DiCaprio also donated a piece by Harmony Korine from his personal art collection for the charity auction.

Other celebrity guests in attendance included Diane Kruger, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Lily Collins, Nick Jonas, Joel Edgerton and Jeffrey Tambor, among others.

The event touted that $37 million was committed to benefit the J/P Haitian Relief Organization and their initiatives in Haiti. Along with celebrity contributions, the French government, Parker Foundation and World Bank were also listed as donors.

Tambor provided a very reverent and sweet tribute, praising his late friend and co-star Garry Shandling for his commitment to the cause for Haiti, adding that Shandling left $1 million to Penns organization after he died. As a tribute, the gala awarded its first ever Garry Shandling Humanitarian Award to Haiti-based anthropologist and physician Paul Farmer.

Jonas also donated his time to the event, auctioning off a private acoustic personal concert  including him joining the hosts for dinner  which sold for $80,000.




Sorry, fancy people, the price of lobster is very high, and expected to rise significantly in the near future after a small winter catch and increasing demand from purchasers abroad.

According to the Associated Press, bad weather contributed to a smaller than usual catch in New England and Canada this year. The U.S. does not normally have a big winter catch, but Canada usually sees a better one than this past season. While the supply is smaller than normal this winter, demand is not decreasing. In particular, theres been a lot of demand for lobsters in China, where demand is expected to peak at the end of the month, when people will be celebrating the Chinese New Year on January 28, and many of them will want to celebrate with lobsters.

The Associate Press reports that in the U.S. lobsters were priced at between $9 and $11 per pound back in September. Now lobster has been selling at around $13 a pound and more, and thats likely to rise even more.
Money is short this year. Many agencies are stressed and revenues are down. Please, Legislators, dont take it out on the parks.

We have 55 great state parks. Many are real gems such as Lewis and Clark Caverns (an underground wonderland), Bannack (the best ghost town in America), Makoshika (one of the 10 most underrated parks in America), and Rosebud Battlefield (the largest commitment of American troops to an Indian battle). If you havent been to First Peoples Buffalo Jump or Medicine Rocks you should go; you are in for a real treat. Our park system has nine National Heritage Landmarks and 10 sites on the National Register of Historic Places plus 16 more sites that are eligible. That is more than any state but California. Montanans must and should look on our state parks with pride. They are real jewels.

2.65 million visitors

Outdoor recreation is on the increase. We will close 2016 with more than 2.65 million visitors to our state parks. That is up 42 percent since 2011. Yet our available funding does not reflect that kind of an increase. Our annual operating budget is slightly over $10 million. It is the smallest budget of any state in the Pacific Northwest, except North Dakota, which has only have 13 state parks to our 55. Our staffing is 68 percent of peer states'.

Montana Parks receive no general fund money and no hunting or fishing license fees. Thus, the Parks Division was not asked to cut its budget this year. But funding is simply insufficient. Our largest source of funding ($3.8 million) is from a $6 fee people pay at the same time they register their car in exchange for free visitation to all 55 Montana State Parks, provided they do not opt out. We also receive money from a small coal tax trust fund ($730,000), some help from the bed tax ($1.8 million), motorboat fuel tax ($1.3 million), camping fees and other earned revenue ($2.3 million). We have increased the camping and other fees but earned revenue covers less than 20 percent of our budget.

People expect parks that are clean, well maintained and informative. A recent facility condition inventory found that we have a huge backlog of maintenance and infrastructure needs. Great West Engineering concluded we will need $22.5 million in the next 10 years just to continue providing the present level of service. We have a good reputation to uphold. But if visitation increases by 42 percent in the next 6 years, we simply will not be able to accommodate everyone. Something has to give.

$2 yearly fee increase

We are going to ask the Legislature to increase our annual visitation fee paid by the car registration fee from $6 to $8. Eight dollars for an annual free pass to 55 State Parks does not seem unreasonable. Everyone is given the option to opt out. The people of Montana do love their parks; 77 percent of the people do not opt out.

In addition, we are going to propose a local option. Counties who want more money for parks could put an additional $2 increase in the car registration fee on the ballot in their county. If approved by the voters, 75 percent of the additional revenue collected in that county would stay in that county to help develop and pay for county and city parks.

Finally, Governor Bullocks infrastructure bill will authorize badly needed fire protection in Bannack, a new lighting system for Lewis and Clark Caverns, and improvements at Makoshika. We hope to add more backlog infrastructure projects to that list, all out of our own ending fund balance.

We hope enough people who appreciate the value of our parks in Montana will support this modest request. It will go a long way to meeting the demands of 2.65 million annual visitors. Once we get this funding stabilized, we can work on developing our parks so they are even more accessible, attractive and informative for all Montanans to enjoy.
London (AFP) - London Underground staff have launched a 24-hour strike that threatens to make for a painful Monday commute in the British capital, after talks broke down in a long-running dispute over job losses.

The walk out started at 6:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Sunday and sees the majority of stations within central London shut, while underground services were expected to be severely reduced across the network.

Riders take up to 4.8 million trips on the tube network every day and the strike will put huge pressure on other means of transport such as the bus and rail network.

Transport for London (TFL), the local government body responsible for the transport system in the capital, said normal services were expected to resume by Tuesday morning.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union decided to go ahead with the walk-out after failing to reach an agreement over the closure of ticket offices and staffing reductions.

The RMT said nearly 900 jobs have been axed and promises by London Underground for new hires did not go far enough.

"London Underground has not put forward acceptable proposals to address the staffing and safety issues," RMT general secretary Mick Cash said in a message to union members.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for the cancellation of the strike, the latest in a series of walk outs since 2014 over the dispute.

"This strike is going to be a huge inconvenience to commuters, tourists and TfL staff. There is already a good deal that will ensure station safety and staffing levels across the tube network," he said in a Facebook post.
Maisie Williams is all of us caught in between Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield

Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams found herself in quite the predicament during the annual BAFTA Tea Party in Los Angeles this weekend when she was unexpectedly sandwiched between Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield. And Maisie Williams with Justine Timberlake and Andrew Garfield might be the best picture yet of 2017.

Of course, she Instagrammed the moment, which features her mid-grin walking in between them. Its the perfect combination of cute and happy and awkward among all three of them, and were sure they were just as intimidated at ending up so close to the brave and killer (literally) Arya Stark. We hope they asked for Game of Thrones spoilers.

caught off guard in a handsome sandwich A photo posted by Maisie Williams (@maisie_williams) on Jan 8, 2017 at 10:16am PST

She also posted an adorable pic with on-screen sis/real-life BFF Sophie Turner while wearing the super cute checkered red dress she wore to the tea.

there were never such devoted sisters A photo posted by Maisie Williams (@maisie_williams) on Jan 8, 2017 at 8:01am PST

And this actually isnt the first semi-awkward run-in shes had with Timberlake. Back in April, she talked with Seth Meyers about an embarrassing encounter during their first meeting, which happened on the set of the movie The Book of Love that she starred in alongside Jessica Biel.

It was really cold on set and Jessica had this car to go and sit in and be warm, Williams told Meyers. And she was like, Oh, Maisie come sit in the car. And I was like, You dont want me because I talk for England and it will not be relaxing. She was like, No come on in. So I had this big purple quilted blanket around me and I waddled over to the car and pulled open the door and sort of popped my bum in. I lent back on the seat and he stuffed the rest of the blanket in the car and Im like wriggling around like a little maggot. I sit up and I look around and hes like, Hi, Im Justin.'

Which is honestly such an adorable way to meet JT.

Garfield is nominated for best actor in a drama for his role in Hacksaw Ridge, while Timberlake is up for best original song, Cant Stop The Feeling, for the movie Trolls. Frankly, we can think of much worse men to be sandwiched in between.
A man was filmed on Sunday, January 8, paddleboarding down the Truckee River in downtown Reno, Nevada, as the river neared flood stage.

The city braced for heavy rainfall over the weekend, which added to the already healthy snowpack in the Sierra mountains. Forecasters predicted the river would flood on Sunday, prompting Washoe County officials to declare a state of emergency in the county, reported the Reno Gazette Journal. Credit: Instagram/renoisdirty via Storyful
WASHINGTON (AP)  Republicans on Sunday defended their party against Democratic complaints that Congress is being forced to consider nominees for Donald Trump's administration without completed ethics reviews.

"All of these little procedural complaints are related to their frustration in having not only lost the White House, but having lost the Senate," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

"I understand that," he added, "but we need to sort of grow up here and get past that."

At issue is whether people picked by the president elect  in some cases millionaires and billionaires with complex personal finances  would face conflicts of interest when it comes to overseeing taxpayer spending. The Office of Government Ethics says in some cases the office hasn't received even draft financial disclosure reports for nominees appearing before Congress this week, when the Senate plans to hold at least nine confirmation hearings, beginning Tuesday.

McConnell suggested the complaints amounted to sour grapes from a party that did poorly in the 2016 congressional and presidential elections. The Kentucky Republican noted that Republicans were in the same boat eight years ago when they had to swiftly confirm multiple nominees who he described as "wildly liberal."

But the director of the Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, said the Republican management of the confirmation hearings is unusual considering that that in some cases, the office had not received even initial draft financial disclosure reports from Trump nominees.

"I am not aware of any occasion in the four decades since OGE was established when the Senate held a confirmation hearing before the nominee had completed the ethics review process," wrote Shaub.

Senate committee aides said hearings were held for former Education Secretary Roderick Paige and former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao before they received the same forms in 2001, and that they received the documents days after each of those hearings. Both were confirmed to serve in President George W. Bush's Cabinet.

Story continues

Reince Priebus, Trump's incoming chief of staff, rejected any suggestion that Republicans should slow down. In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Priebus said Democrats "have all the information" they need and should move fast because voters mandated it.

"Change was voted for and change we will get," he said.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the ethics review is aimed at ensuring wealthy Cabinet members work for the American people instead of "their own bottom line, and that they plan to fully comply with the law."

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the Senate plans at least nine confirmation hearings this week, not just on Wednesday.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican prosecutors said Sunday that they have detained a U.S. citizen as the main suspect in the shooting of an official at the U.S. consulate in the western city of Guadalajara.

The federal Attorney General's Office said that "a U.S. citizen was identified and detained for his presumed involvement in the case. This person will be deported to the United States, to determine his legal situation."

The office expressed its "deep dismay at this cowardly attack" and said the victim remained hospitalized in stable condition.

The identity of the suspect was not released, and authorities did not comment on a possible motive for the attack.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement thanking Mexico for the quick arrest.

"On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I want to thank the Government of Mexico for their swift and decisive arrest of a suspect in the heinous attack against our Foreign Service Officer colleague," Kerry said. "My thoughts and prayers remain with this officer and his family during this difficult time. I wish him a speedy recovery."

The U.S. Embassy has not identified the official who was shot in his car Friday in Guadalajara. Local media identified him as Christopher Ashcraft, whose profile on social networking sites listed him as a consular officer in Guadalajara since 2016.

The FBI had offered a $20,000 reward for information on the attacker, and surveillance cameras photos of him had been widely circulated.

Jalisco state is dominated by the hyper-violent Jalisco New Generation cartel. There was no immediate evidence of any cartel link to the attack.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City urged citizens to limit their movements in the Guadalajara area. "They should also take care not to fall into predictable patterns for those movements that are essential," the statement continued. "They should vary the times and routes of their movements."

Story continues

It was unclear if that was a reference to the apparent stalking of the U.S. consular employee by the gunman, and what appeared to be a direct attempt to kill him.

Surveillance video of the attack shows the gunman following the official in a parking garage. The official was dressed in shorts. The attacker doesn't appear to try to approach the official while he is walking, but instead waits for him to exit the parking garage in his vehicle and fires a round into the car's windshield.

U.S. consular employees and other U.S. agents have been attacked in Mexico in the past. The attackers have usually argued the attacks were cases of mistaken identity.
Guadalajara (Mexico) (AFP) - The Mexican authorities have arrested the alleged gunman who shot and wounded an official from the US consulate in the western city of Guadalajara, prosecutors said Sunday.

The official was shot on Friday in a brazen attack by a man wearing a black wig and a blue nurse uniform outside a shopping center's garage in Mexico's second biggest city.

A special unit "detained the attacker of the consular official," the Jalisco state prosecutor's office said on Twitter, without specifying when he was caught or a possible motive for the attack.

The suspect was handed over to the federal attorney general's office, the state authorities said.

The FBI, which is helping in the investigation, had offered $20,000 for information about the shooter's identity.

The consular official was in stable condition on Saturday.

- US embassy urges caution -

The US consulate in Guadalajara posted surveillance camera footage showing the official, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, paying a parking ticket at an automated machine. The gunman is then seen following him.

Another security camera shows the gunman later standing outside the garage. When the official's black car stops at the exit, the shooter raises his gun and opens fire.

A bullet hole is seen on the windshield and the official opens his door before the footage ends.

A US government official said the American is a vice consul.

Jalisco's state attorney general, Eduardo Almaguer, said the consular official interviews visa applicants. On Saturday, he described the shooting as a "direct attack."

US Secretary of State John Kerry thanked the Mexican government for the "swift and decisive arrest of a suspect in the heinous attack against our Foreign Service Officer colleague."

"The safety and security of US citizens and our diplomatic staff overseas are among our highest priorities," Kerry said in a statement, adding that he wished the official a "speedy recovery."

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Guadalajara and the rest of the state have been hit by violence perpetrated by the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel in recent years.

The latest attack prompted the US embassy to issue a security message on Saturday urging US citizens in Guadalajara to "restrict their movements outside their homes and places of work to those truly essential."

"They should also take care not to fall into predictable patterns for those movements that are essential," the message continued. "They should vary the times and routes of their movements."

- Previous attacks -

US officials have faced attacks in Mexico in the past.

In 2010, a consular official, her husband and the spouse of another consular official were killed in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez, which at the time was considered the world's murder capital amid an ultra-violent drug war.

An alleged leader of the Barrio Azteca gang was extradited to the United States, where he was sentenced to life in prison for ordering the murder.

A year later, gunmen from the Zetas drug cartel opened fire on a vehicle of two US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the northern state of San Luis Potosi, killing one of the officers.

In 2012, two US officials -- widely reported to be CIA agents -- and a Mexican marine where wounded when they were shot at by federal police officers as they were driving in the central state of Morelos.

Fourteen officers were charged with using excessive force, with officials citing a case of mistaken identity.

And in a case that caused friction between the US and Mexican governments in 1985, undercover US agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was tortured and killed by the Guadalajara drug cartel.
Bogota (AFP) - The United Nations is investigating more observers for taking part in a New Year's Eve party at which leftist FARC rebels were present, a UN source said Saturday.

The news came just two days after four members of the UN monitoring mission for the Colombian peace process were sacked for dancing with FARC rebels at a New Year's Eve party.

It was not immediately clear how many people were involved in previously unseen footage now being investigated and images on social media apparently of a similar nature, the UN source said.

"It is under investigation. And the UN mission in Colombia will take whatever steps may be necessary. We are totally committed to being impartial," the source told AFP.

UN monitors are overseeing the FARC's disarmament as part of a peace deal the leftist guerrillas signed with the government to end a more than five-decade conflict.

But controversy erupted Thursday when Colombian media broadcast videos of UN monitors, dressed in their pale blue uniform vests, swaying to tropical beats with FARC fighters in their arms at a camp in northern Colombia where the rebels are gathering before laying down their weapons.

The UN said that after investigating the incident, it had decided to "separate" three monitors and their supervisor from its mission.

It said their behavior was "inappropriate" and "does not reflect the mission's values of professionalism and impartiality."

After signing a peace deal with the government in November, the FARC's 5,700 fighters are currently gathering near 26 zones where they are due to demobilize over a period of six months.

The UN has sent 280 monitors to oversee the process, a contingent set to eventually number 450.

Founded in 1964, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is the largest rebel group in a conflict that has claimed more than 260,000 lives.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli police investigating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are looking into a recording of a conversation he had with a long-time enemy over his newspaper providing more favourable coverage to the premier, a report said Sunday.

Police have so far questioned Netanyahu twice in a corruption probe that has looked into whether he unlawfully received gifts from wealthy supporters.

Sunday's report by Channel 2 television said police had a recording of a conversation between the premier and Arnon Moses, owner of the top-selling Yedioth Aharonot daily and its sister news website Ynet.

The newspaper has provided tough coverage of Netanyahu.

The report alleged that the two discussed "a deal that would help Yedioth in return for favourable coverage (of the premier)."

Channel 2 said the essence of the talk between the premier and the publisher was the possibility of downsizing or closing the weekend supplement of competing paper Israel Hayom, which is pro-Netanyahu.

In return, it added, Yedioth would tone down its coverage of Netanyahu.

The report did not say when the conversation took place or if an agreement was reached.

Since the Israel Hayom freesheet was launched in 2007, its circulation has overtaken that of Yedioth.

It is owned by Jewish-American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, a long-time Netanyahu backer.

A Netanyahu spokesman told AFP he had no immediate comment and the police have stated that they will divulge no details of the investigation until it is complete.

Channel 2 has previously reported that police suspect that over the course of seven or eight years Israeli businessman, Hollywood producer and Netanyahu friend Arnon Milchan sent him boxes of expensive cigars with a value of tens of thousands of dollars.

It said police also suspect that Milchan gave Netanyahu's wife Sara pink champagne priced at about $100 a bottle.

A lawyer for Netanyahu said Friday there was "nothing of substance" in the allegations he illegally accepted gifts from rich supporters.
Washington (AFP) - As Barack Obama prepares to leave office on January 20, here are nine things his presidency may be remembered for:

- Making history -

If historians were to write only one thing about Barack Hussein Obama, they would likely note that -- 143 years after slavery was abolished -- a young Illinois senator became the first black president of the United States.

Obama, just 47 at his 2009 inauguration, harnessed magisterial oratory to rally a diverse electoral coalition behind a message of "hope and change."

In office, Obama sometimes struggled to turn that poetry into the prose of governance. Racial tensions -- underscored by police shootings of unarmed black men and conspiracy theories about his birthplace -- persisted.

But the very fact of his election confirmed monumental changes in American society.

- Too big to fail -

Obama's first term in office was dominated by economic freefall.

A real estate crisis spawned a financial meltdown that torpedoed Wall Street banks and lenders, and was metastasizing into an economic crisis of global proportions.

Outgoing president George W. Bush and the Federal Reserve had kicked off the government's first panicked efforts at containment, but Obama faced down ideological opposition to large fiscal stimulus, extending government spending by $831 billion and providing ballast to the economy.

As he leaves office, the political and social aftershocks of that financial cataclysm are still being felt, but the economy has added jobs for 75 straight months.

- 'Justice has been done' -

"Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden."

With those words on May 2, 2011, Obama exorcised the anger and frustration of millions of Americans -- that the most powerful country on earth could not hold the man accountable for the 9/11 attacks.

The risky special forces operation was also illustrative of Obama's controversial drone-and-raid approach to counterterrorism. As he leaves office, Al-Qaeda offshoots and affiliates remain potent, but their leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been decimated.

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- Legislative toil -

"It's one of the few regrets of my presidency -- that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better," Obama said in his final State of the Union address.

From the moment Obama was elected, Republics in Congress vowed to oppose him tooth and nail.

Efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and enact gun controls -- even after the massacre of young students at Sandy Hook, the emotional nadir of his presidency -- would fall victim to partisan rancor.

- A deal with a half-life -

For more than two decades, the United States had rolled out sanctions and covert actions to prevent arch foe Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Obama tried a different tack, engaging in secret talks with the Islamic Republic.

That gambit ultimately yielded a deal that saw Iran halt its sprint toward a nuclear weapon, in return for substantial sanctions relief and a dollop of international legitimacy.

The pact would strain US relations with Iran's enemies Israel and Saudi Arabia, but prevented a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and defused tensions between Iran and the United States that have simmered since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

- No turnabout on Syria -

No international crisis tested Obama's foreign policy or his high bar for US military intervention like Syria.

Even when Bashar al-Assad defied Obama's red line on chemical weapons use and killed countless thousands of civilians -- along with Russian and Iranian forces -- the man who came to office on an anti-war ticket rejected calls to step in.

Syria will likely be in crisis for years to come.

Critics will long argue about whether Obama's policy was sensible and to what degree his decision damaged America's reputation, allowed the Islamic State group to grow, fueled an immigration flow that destabilized Europe and allowed Russia and Iran to extend influence in the region.

- Change the climate -

After the climate skepticism of Bush, Obama's eight years in office resulted in a tidal wave of environmental legislation, protecting marine ecosystems, curbing carbon emissions and boosting renewable energy.

In a bid to engrain environmentalism into America's body politic, Obama hiked Alaskan glaciers, snorkeled at Midway Island and rushed through ratification of the Paris Climate Accord.

But Obama's environmental agenda is likely to come under sustained assault from his successor, putting the durability of that legacy into question.

- A very big deal -

Democrats had tried and failed for decades to provide Americans with universal health care. Obama wasn't quite able to do that but he extended insurance coverage to tens of millions of citizens who previously had none.

Republicans decried the "Obamacare" plan as socialism incarnate, at one point claiming it would even create "death panels." But they failed to stop it from passing. They may yet have a crack at repealing it under Donald Trump's watch.

- Meet the neighbors -

Obama's trip to Cuba may be remembered in the same way as Richard Nixon's visit to China, but in truth it was the capstone of a much broader effort to improve US relations with Latin America.

Resurgent left wing populists in the region had rekindled past memories of "yanqui imperialism" -- US-led coups, death squads and heavy-handed intervention.

Barely 100 days after Obama took office, he told regional leaders at a Summit of the Americas that the United States had changed. The approach was to deny leaders like Hugo Chavez any excuses for sideshow anti-Americanism.

He shook Chavez's hand, met Nicaraguan firebrand Daniel Ortega and visited the tomb of a popular Salvadoran priest killed by US-linked death squads.

Obama alluded to "mistakes" in a coup that installed dictator Augusto Pinochet in Chile, released documents about involvement in Argentina's dirty war and, of course, visited Havana.
Oslo (AFP) - A Norwegian court will on Tuesday examine the state's appeal against a ruling that right-wing extremist and mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik has been treated inhumanely since being jailed for killing 77 people nearly six years ago.

A lower court made waves in April when it found that Breivik's human rights were violated as he was subjected to "inhumane" and "degrading" treatment in prison -- a decision that disturbed many families of the victims, mostly teenagers at a summer island camp.

"We hope that the state wins this new round, that justice digs deeper into the case," said the head of a family support group, Lisbeth Kristine Royneland, whose 18-year-old daughter was shot dead by Breivik in the killing spree on Utoya island.

Breivik is imprisoned in a 30 square-metre (320 square-foot) three-cell complex where he's allowed to play video games and watch television on two sets. The 37-year-old also has a computer without internet access, gym machines, books and newspapers.

But beyond these comfortable material conditions, a district court judge had ruled that security measures took excessive precedence over human rights.

She pointed to the fact that Breivik had been kept isolated from other inmates "in a prison inside a prison", without enough social activities.

The ruling also questioned the many potentially "humiliating" strip searches, the systematic use of handcuffs and other frequent awakenings at night, especially in the early days of his imprisonment.

On July 22, 2011, Breivik carried out two attacks, first killing eight people by detonating a bomb at the foot of a government building in Oslo.

Then, disguised as a policeman, he killed 69 others by opening fire at a Labour Party youth camp on the Utoya island with the teenagers trapped by the freezing waters of the surrounding lake.

The attacks were the worst committed on Norwegian soil since World War II.

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Breivik, a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi who said he killed his victims because they valued multiculturalism, was sentenced in August 2012 to 21 years in prison, a term that can be extended if he is still considered a threat.

- 'Mental vulnerability' -

Some survivors hailed humanity's victory over an inhumane killer in the April ruling against the Norwegian state, but it pained many relatives of the victims and was criticised in the media.

During the lower court's hearing, Breivik repeatedly provoked onlookers by making a Nazi salute and complaining about cold coffee and frozen meals.

The Norwegian press described the ruling as "wrong" and "difficult to digest".

Unsurprisingly, the state appealed.

Attorney General Fredrik Sejersted has insisted that "there is no evidence that Breivik is physically or mentally affected by his prison conditions."

The state maintains that Breivik is not isolated, arguing that he has regular contact with guards and other professionals.

They say his separation from other prisoners is for his own security and that of others.

Breivik's lawyer Oystein Storrvik counters that "the state has not put in place concrete measures to remedy Breivik's mental vulnerability and damage due to prolonged isolation."

Some changes however have been made to his prison conditions in recent months, including replacing a glass wall with a grid during his lawyer's visits and increased contact with guards.

But Storrvik considers these measures to be insufficient and has called for his client to be able to interact with other detainees.

The Oslo Court of Appeals will hear the civil case at Skien prison where Breivik is being held for security reasons. The court will also have to rule on an appeal by Breivik, regarding his inability to freely communicate with the outside world.

On that point, the judge in April ruled in favour of the state, which closely monitors and filters the prisoner's correspondence to prevent him from forming a network capable of carrying out new attacks.

Breivik claims this violates his right to privacy.

The trial is expected to last six days and the date of the appeals court's decision is not yet known.
Chicago (AFP) - Barack Obama travels to Chicago for his farewell speech Tuesday, returning to the town where his meteoric rise to become America's first black president all began.

The third largest US city is also important to his post-presidency: it will be home to the Obama presidential library and foundation.

Obama began his political career in the Windy City, working first as a community organizer in poverty-stricken black neighborhoods, then serving in the state legislature before becoming a US senator from Illinois.

"I came of age, I understood my mission, when I moved to Chicago," Obama said Thursday in a TV interview with Chicago's CBS affiliate.

As a community organizer, he worked in poor neighborhoods, witnessing "frustration and hope," as he put it in his 1995 autobiography "Dreams from My Father."

- Early politics -

Obama wrote of the signs of decay among Chicago's predominantly black neighborhoods, which were "shabbier, the children edgier and less restrained, more middle-class families heading out to the suburbs, the jails bursting with glowering youth."

In the state legislature, he looked for ways to help, including expanding access to health care and reforming law enforcement practices. While still a state senator, he also famously opposed the Iraq war and won the US Senate seat in 2004.

Just four years later, when he made history as the first African-American president, Obama chose Chicago on election night as the place to celebrate that singular moment.

Decades earlier, a young Barack Obama met his wife Michelle when they were both working at a law firm in 1988. They married in 1992 at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. Both of their daughters were born here.

The Obamas lived in a wealthy enclave in Chicago's south side, near the University of Chicago where the president taught law.

- A 'citizen' of Chicago -

His presidential library will be located nearby, which will keep the Obamas tethered to the city.

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"I will always be a citizen of Chicago," the president said in the TV interview.

"I will be investing a huge amount of effort and time and energy to making (the library) a world-class center in a world-class city, to help train the next generation of leaders to bring about social change," Obama said.

And in a presidency with many important moments, two of the most iconic took place here.

It was in Chicago's expansive Grant Park that Obama first spoke publicly after winning the White House for the first time.

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," Obama told a crowd of more than 100,000, some in tears, on that chilly November evening.

Four years later, he made his re-election victory speech at Chicago's McCormick Place convention center.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Although his signature law is in jeopardy, President Barack Obama's work reshaping health care in America is certain to endure in the broad public support for many of its underlying principles, along with conflicts over how to secure them.

The belief that people with medical problems should be able to get health insurance is no longer challenged. The issue seems to be how to guarantee that. The idea that government should help those who can't afford their premiums has gained acceptance. The question is how much, and for what kind of coverage.

"The American people have now set new standards for access to health care based on the Affordable Care Act," former Surgeon General David Satcher says. "I don't believe it will ever be acceptable again to have 50 million people without access to health care."

Obama's influence will continue in other ways, less visible and hardly divisive:

Medicare is shifting to paying for value, not just volume.

The importance of prevention and front-line primary care is more widely recognized.

Doctors and hospitals have computerized their records systems, even if connectivity remains elusive.

The government has opened up massive files of health care billing data, enabling independent analysts to look for patterns of questionable spending.

But conflict is part of Obama's legacy, too. He leaves the country deeply divided about the government's role in health care.

Passed with no Republican votes, the 2010 health care law broke the pattern of major safety net programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which had bipartisan backing. Social Security has stood for more than 80 years; Medicare and Medicaid for more than 50.

"If Medicare had been repealed, stories about Lyndon Johnson would have been different," said Robert Blendon, professor of health policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "A legacy is whether you did something that was sustained." Johnson was the Democratic president who won approval of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.

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Already, the Republican-led Congress, taking its lead from President-elect Donald Trump, has started the process of repealing and replacing the health law.

"Approaches that partisan are difficult to sustain as lasting, permanent features of the health care system," said Mark McClellan, Medicare administrator under Republican President George W. Bush.

Obama also failed to deliver on early promises to cut premiums. From 2009-2016, the amount employees pay in premiums for workplace coverage rose by hundreds of dollars, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. And the average deductible  the annual amount patients pay before insurance kicks in  went from $533 to $1,221, an increase of nearly 130 percent.

The achievements and difficulties of the Obama years are reflected in people such as Karen Rezny.

"I really do credit Obamacare with saving my life," said Rezny, a massage therapist from Austin, Texas.

The health care law, or ACA, enabled her to get better treatment for advanced breast cancer. She was uninsured when diagnosed. Before the law, insurers would have rejected her because of her medical condition. Even with a subsidized premium, Rezny said she still struggles with cost.

"What I would hope is that we would look back and say (Obama) got the ball rolling, and then we continue," said Rezny. "He took health care off the House and Senate floor  out of theoretical talk by people who are guaranteed lifetime health care  and actually allowed the people to experience it and have it."

When the law passed, 48.6 million people were uninsured, according to the government. Through the first six months of last year, that dropped to 28.4 million. While employer coverage also grew as the economy strengthened, experts credit the ACA for most of the progress. The law provides subsidized private insurance along with a Medicaid expansion for low-income people.

"It would have never been done without the focus and insistence of this president that we go big," said Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's first secretary of Health and Human Services.

Obama set his sights high, but execution was a problem. When HealthCare.gov went live in 2013, the computer system quickly froze. It took a high-tech rescue effort to get things working for consumers.

The law's complexity also tripped people up. It uses the income tax system to subsidize premiums. Some HealthCare.gov customers saw their tax refunds reduced because they underestimated their incomes when applying for subsidies. Fines on those who remained uninsured hit people in their 30s trying to get traction in life. Officials in many states were alarmed by rising Medicaid spending.

When Republicans won control of the House in 2010, Obama was effectively blocked from legislating fixes. The administration used regulations to try smooth out the law's rough edges, while successfully fighting off two Supreme Court cases that would have gutted it.

In the face of problems, the White House ceaselessly talked up the benefits of the law. Among the controversial claims was that the law deserved much credit for a historic slowdown in national health care spending from 2009-2013.

"Just nonsense," said Rick Foster, formerly Medicare's chief actuary, in charge of long-range estimates. "Far and away the biggest cause of the slowdown was the Great Recession. That is not to say that the Affordable Care Act didn't have some impact, but I think that was small compared to the effect of the recession and the weak recovery."

History shows that America's social programs got built in stages. Automatic cost-of-living increases weren't part of Social Security originally. Medicare didn't get a prescription benefit for nearly 40 years.

Kris Case of Denver hopes that somehow, something like that can happen with Obama's overhaul. She works in customer relations for a technology company and buys coverage through the Colorado insurance marketplace.

"Think of all the work that has gone into this imperfect thing," said Case, "and to just tear it down to make a point, rather than say it's flawed but we can fix it.

"Just because you need to do the top floor doesn't mean you level the entire complex."
The past year had been tough for Anne Richard, the Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration. Ever since the body of 3-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi washed up on the shores of Turkey in 2015, her office, which processed 84,995 refugee claims last year, has been caught in political crossfire.

Richard says shes been challenged constantly about how her office does its job, from members of Congress and everyday Americans: Why does the U.S. does not welcome persecuted Christians? (It does.) Why wont the government use the word assimilate when talking about resettlement? (Integrate is considered more appropriate; refugees dont have to abandon their culture to be resettled). She has been repeatedly accused of being naive about the true intentions of the 10,000 Syrian refugees her office processed into the country last year; most of them women and children.

I get these letters saying Oh, youre naive, terrorists are going to use this program to infiltrate the United States, Richard said. I dont think Im naive. Im looking at facts. The debate in the United States centers on this question of whether or not people should be afraid of refugees. I think not.

The problem for Richard and her allies is that the next President of the United States, who will effectively run her office when she leaves on January 20, disagrees with that conclusion. President-elect Donald Trump was swept into victory after comparing Syrian refugees to snakes and calling for the banning of Muslims before backtracking. One of his major promises on the campaign trail was to cut admissions for refugees to Syria and institute tougher vetting on those seeking asylum in the U.S., particularly those from areas fighting terrorism. If I win they are going back, Trump said during a primary stop in New Hampshire about the refugees who have already been resettled.

Inside and outside of the State Department, those who handle work around refugee resettlement are worried about the future of their work in the Trump Administration. Many are working to share positive refugee stories with hopes of changing the hearts and minds of skeptics. While questions loom, the work continuesa little over 25,000 refugees have already been admitted to the U.S. since the beginning of the fiscal yearbut on day one of the Trump administration things could change significantly.

For four decades, the U.S. has resettled refugees facing war and persecution into the United States, with countries of origin shifting depending on where conflict arises. According to Gallup, which has been gauging the American publics views on refugee admittance since World War II, American citizens have historically opposed the idea of resettling refugees though in many instances, including in 1979 when Indochinese refugees fled communist South Vietnam, Americans have said refugees would be welcomed in their communities. But the U.S. resettlement program has historically had bipartisan support. While immigration has been a divisive issue, the humanitarian resettlement of refugees has not, Galya Ben-Arieh, the director of the Center for Forced Migration Studies at the Buffett Institute for Global Studies at Northwestern University said via email.

In 2016, fear about whether or not those seeking refuge could pose a threat to national security lingered over discussions about refugees, even as President Obama and officials across the federal government sought to dispel common misconceptions. Having seen so many people walking to Europe, people have this idea that people can just walk into the United States, Richard says. After a slight shift in opinion in the wake of Kurdis death, the majority of the public hardened on refugees after the terror attacks in San Bernardino and Paris, though the attackers were not refugees. In September 2015, the Pew Research Center recorded that about 51% of Americans supported the governments decision to accept more refugees in response to the European migrant crisis. Two months later, a Bloomberg poll found 53% of Americans wanted the U.S. to stop accepting refugees altogether. Governors in 30 states came out and said Syrian refugees were not welcome. Lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed a bill to restrict the number of refugees coming to America from the war-torn country.

Around that time, the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, which houses the refugee admissions program and funds and manages the nine Resettlement Support Centers around world that prepare refugee applications, started playing defense. Richard and others on what she calls a small, but mighty in-house team sought out to explain how the multi-step, months-long process works. They explained how the United Nations refugee agency refers applicants to the U.S., their application is checked by the State Department, the Defense Department, and the U.S. intelligence community even before the Department of Homeland Security conducts an interview.

The office does not have a clear sense of what lays ahead under Trump, aside from statements he made on the campaign trail that signaled the refugee resettlement program would be scaled back under his administration. In a document president-elect Trump released in October outlining his first 100 days, he vowed to suspend immigration from from terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur. In December, Trump surrogate Kellyanne Conway suggested there had been no softening on that position in an interview Fox News. You have countries that harbor, train and export terrorists  ISIS said they would mix and mingle with the Syrian refugees, she said. For all we know they are doing that and that is another problem. We just dont know who lives among us or who is migrating from country to country and what their intentions are.

In fiscal year 2016, the U.S. resettled 84,995 refugeesfive short of the 85,000 person goal President Obama set at the beginning of the year. Ten thousand of those resettled were from Syria, mostly women and children fleeing the ongoing civil war that has ravaged the country. In October, President Obama set a new goal of resettling 110,000 refugees in 2017a number that president-elect Trump can decide to either reduce or ignore. The goal functions as a ceiling that the country cant go over, and Trump can change it once he is president without an act of Congress.

Officials at the non-government organizations that focus on humanitarian aid and refugee resettlement say they are cautiously hopeful that the new administration will continue supporting the worlds vulnerable. The United States is a country of immigrants with a long, proud legacy of providing safe refuge for the worlds most vulnerable fleeing conflict and persecution, said Jennifer Sime, the Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs at the International Rescue Committee. While policy priorities remain to be seen, The International Rescue Committee hopes the new Administration and Congress continue Americas tradition of ensuring the most vulnerable among us have the support and opportunity they need and deserve.

Jen Smyers the director of policy and advocacy for the Immigration and Refugee Program at Church World Service, says the humanitarian organization is hopeful that once president-elect Trump and his cabinet and advisors are fully briefed on the vetting process he will shift his position. In the meantime, Church World Service is working on sharing refugees and volunteers stories through a digital campaign called #GreaterAs1. Theyve also been encourage partners across the country to reach out to local and national officials to share refugee success stories and comment on the impact of their work. The group also plans to have refugee presence at both the confirmation hearing of Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama as well as a womens march planned for after the inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump.

As Richards appointment comes to an end, shes still working to get the word out about refugees. After a young Somali refugee carried out a knife attack at Ohio State University, she penned a letter to the editor to USA Today. The biggest issue that Ive tried to get across is that refugees are not terrorists, she said. They are the victims of terrorists, and victims of war, victims of persecution.
barack obama

President Barack Obama took partial responsibility for years of Democratic losses in governor's mansions and statehouses across the country during his presidency.

During an interview with the president on ABC's "This Week," host George Stephanopoulos pointed out that Democrats lost over 1,000 seats total in state and federal politics over the course of Obama's time in office.

"I take some responsibility on that," Obama said.

The president argued that many voters in the 2010 midterm elections were disenchanted with his presidency due to the slow economic recovery following the 2008 recession, which allowed Republicans to redraw districts more favorably in many states following the 2010 census.

"I think we did a really good job in saving this economy and putting us back on the track of growth. But what that meant is in 2010 there were a lot of folks who were still out of work. There were a lot of folks who had lost their homes or saw their home values plummet, their 401(k)s plummet," Obama said.

He added: "And we were just at the beginnings of a recovery. And the, you know, whoever is president at that point is going to get hit, and his party's going to get hit. That then means that suddenly you've got a redistricting in which a lot of state legislatures are now Republican. They draw lines that give a huge structural advantage in subsequent elections."

But Obama also acknowledged that he was not entirely focused on energizing grassroots voters to support Democrats.

"I think that what is also true is that partly because my docket was really full here, so I couldn't be both chief organizer of the Democratic Party and function as commander-in-chief and president of the United States. We did not begin what I think needs to happen over the long haul, and that is rebuild the Democratic Party at the ground level," Obama said.

The president advised Democrats to campaign in areas without current high levels of support, taking a slight shot at campaigns that focused on maximizing turnout among existing Democratic constituencies instead of attempting to win over new voters.

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"If there's a theme in my public career it's that if ordinary people get involved, then good things happen. So I want to see the Democratic Party move in that direction. And what that means is that we aren't just microtargeting to eke out presidential victories. It means that we're showing up in places where right now we're not winning a lot," Obama said.

While he has publicly avoided current intraparty debates, including the race for the Democratic National Committee chair, Obama has repeatedly said part of his post-presidential mission will be to focus on rebuilding the grassroots Democratic Party.

"We've ceded too much territory," Obama told NPR last month. "One of the big suggestions that I have for Democrats as I leave, and something that, you know, I have some ideas about is, how do we do more of that ground-up building?"

Many Democrats have increasingly acknowledged they plan to focus on building up state parties in the years leading up to the 2020 presidential election.

In an interview with Business Insider, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Peter Buttigieg, a DNC chair candidate, argued that Democrats have focused too much energy on winning the White House alone.

"If you are just focusing on the White House, even when you get the White House, youre going to have a lot of problems, if the other party is dominating the states and Congress," Buttigieg said.

He added: "Look at the monstrous obstructions to getting anything done, even while we had a lock on the White House for eight years, and in the event that we don't get the White House, then youre left with nothing. And thats part of how the party now is finding ourselves at the lowest level of influence weve had in nearly a century."

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Washington (AFP) - After vowing a smooth transition, President Barack Obama and Donald Trump are presiding over one of the most tumultuous transfers of power in US history.

Assassinations notwithstanding, American presidential transitions have generally been peaceful affairs. But that doesn't mean they have been smooth.

Andrew Johnson was effectively barred from attending Ulysses Grant's swearing in. Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt did not speak to each other on inauguration day.

Bill Clinton's staff removed the "W" keys from dozens of White House keyboards before George W. Bush moved in.

But few transitions have been as tempestuous as Obama's passing of the baton to Trump.

When the pair met in the Oval Office a few days after Trump's shock November victory, the tone was cordial enough.

Hailing an "excellent conversation," Obama said "it is important for all of us, regardless of party and regardless of political preferences, to now come together, work together, to deal with the many challenges that we face."

Quite a show of unity for two men who are as different as two politicians can be: Obama, a 55-year-old former law lecturer, is as systematic as Trump, a 70-year-old reality TV mogul, is impulsive.

But Obama's early strategy of flattering his way into Trump's good graces has melted away with each incendiary tweet.

In the span of a few weeks, the president-elect has picked fights with Mexico, China, Toyota, Lockheed Martin, the media, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the cast of "Hamilton."

He has also taken aim at Obama personally.

"Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!" Trump tweeted in late December.

Trump infuriated the White House by offering a running commentary on Obama's final weeks, criticizing his decision not to veto a UN resolution on Israeli settlements and the transfer of prisoners out of Guantanamo Bay prison.

Story continues

"Trump has incinerated the one president at a time rule. His behavior during the transition has been just as erratic as we've come to expect on most matters" said Larry Sabato, head of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

The president-elect has been acting as though he was co-presidentor maybe already president. It's a total break with tradition, said Sabato.

- Red tide -

But it is the scandal over Russian involvement in the election that has put Obama and Trump most sharply at odds.

The White House imposed sanctions on Moscow and released a steady drip of evidence that the Kremlin tried to put its hand on the electoral scale, culminating in an intelligence report that was shocking in its bluntness.

We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the joint CIA, NSA and FBI report read.

We also assess Putin and the Russian Government aspired to help President-elect Trumps election chances.

Fearing that assessment will forever put an asterisk by his historic victory, Trump has lashed out at US intelligence and appeared to sided with Russia in a way that is unthinkable for the White House.

Team Obamas comments about Trump have become increasingly pointed.

In a farewell address, Michelle Obama urged young Americans not to fear the future but fight for it.

"You cannot take your freedom for granted," she said. "You have to do your part to protect and preserve those freedoms."

Don't be afraid. Be focused, be determined, be empowered," she said. "Lead by example, with hope, never fear."

In an interview with his former aide David Axelrod, President Obama himself went as far as suggesting that he could have beaten Trump in the election were he allowed to run for a third term  a remark the president knew would smart.

The outgoing administration has made life more than usually difficult for the incoming administration, said David Clinton an expert in presidential transitions at Baylor University.

Obama may be right. His approval rating is around 55 percent according to Gallup, putting him in the league of Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan as they departed.

Trump's approval rating is 43 percent, according to the Real Clear Politics average, notably low for someone who just won an election.

But that will be of little comfort to Obama with his signature policies -- from curbing emissions to the nuclear deal with Iran -- in such grave danger.

Most of Obamas legacy is dead and gone, or will be in the coming weeks and years, said Sabato.

In a last-ditch bid, Obama has jumped back into the political fray with a series of interviews and speeches aimed at stopping Trump from rolling back landmark health care reforms.

On Tuesday in Chicago, he will deliver a farewell address that is set to focus as much on the future as on the last eight years.

The message for Trump is unlikely to be subtle.
The Obamas had a final farewell bash at the White House, and basically EVERY celeb was there

Whats one more party before the change of hands? After eight long years, the Obama administration is coming to an end. Can you believe it? For years, weve been blown away by the grace and dignity the Obamas have carried, despite the racism theyve faced and the difficulties in bridging the partisan gap. Though his time in office is coming to a close, we cant help but be proud of everything the Obamas have accomplished.

Following First Lady Michelle Obamas final speech honoring the School Counselor of the Year, the Obamas threw one last party to celebrate the end of President Obamas tenure.

From Stephen Spielberg to Meryl Streep, and Nick Jonas to Magic Johnson, pretty much every celebrity you could think of was in attendance.

Though no cell phones were allowed into the event, CNNs Betsy Klein tweeted the arrivals so it was almost like being there. Almost.

In addition to Betsy Kleins tweets, several celebs posted pictures of themselves with their dates for the night, whether it be friends, or in Jordin Sparks case, family.

Getting to take my Dad to the White House...Priceless. Soooo excited! Cheers! *drops mic* A photo posted by Jordin Sparks (@jordinsparks) on Jan 6, 2017 at 5:50pm PST

Though we werent in attendance  the event was held for donors and supporters over the years  the joy from social media posts shared from celebs in attendance was infectious, and reminded us that there is so much to celebrate about the Obamas.

Bout to fly 21 hours to DC to bid farewell to the greatest president in US history. God bless you @Potus  Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) January 5, 2017

And if were not emotional yet, we definitely will be when we see Obamas farewell speech in a few days.
By Parisa Hafezi

ANKARA, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died of a heart attack on Sunday in Tehran, was one of the political titans of post-revolutionary Iran and a friend to moderates who have now lost their chief supporter.

Analysts said his death at the age of 82 was a blow to Iran's pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani ahead of presidential elections in May as he played a key role in Rouhani's landslide election victory in 2013.

A seasoned politician, he headed the Expediency Council, a body which is intended to resolve disputes between the parliament and a hardline watchdog body, the Guardian Council.

"Rafsanjani was a very competent manager and a seasoned politician. He had been involved in politics for over half a century," said a former pro-reform top official on condition of anonymity.

Few politicians have wielded such influence in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah. Rafsanjani was a skilled behind-the-scenes operator in the labyrinthine world of Iranian politics.

The spread of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards' (IRGC) domain into the economy started in the early 1990s under Rafsanjani, who encouraged the IRGC to get involved in construction of the country after the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

"THE WILY POLITICIAN"

The wily Rafsanjani rankled hardliners in the lead-up to election to the assembly and parliament in 2016 by openly criticizing the Guardian Council, the body that vets candidates, for their large-scale disqualification of moderates.

For the Assembly election, Rafsanjani - whose nickname "Kuseh" means both "beardless" and "shark" for his unbearded face - backed a less-conservative bloc of candidates which included Rouhani.

The 88-member Assembly, which serves for eight years, has the authority to appoint and dismiss the country's top authority supreme leader. Rafsanjani led the Assembly from 2007 to 2011.

For many ordinary Iranians, Rafsanjani, born into a wealthy pistachio farming family, has been a figure of suspicion and grudging respect for amassing a vast fortune.

Story continues

He lost a presidential election in 2005 to hardline Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the little-known mayor of Tehran at the time, a defeat that indicated resentment toward Rafsanjani as part of the elite and the perception he served few interests other than his own.

Most analysts viewed Rafsanjani, president from 1989 to 1997, as the second most powerful figure in Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"Rafsanjani was always Iran's second most powerful figure, even under (late founder of the revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah) Khomeini," said political analyst Hamid Farahvashian.

Iran watchers believe that he persuaded Khamenei to back a historic nuclear deal, reached between Iran and six major powers in 2015.

Under the deal Iran accepted to curb its sensitive nuclear programme in exchange for lifting of sanctions that took an enormous toll on Iran's economy. The sanctions were lifted in January 2016.

A relative of Rafsanjani told Reuters that the former president "always believed in the revolution".

"For him, the revolution was above everything. He always thought about this country's interests," the relative told Reuters from Tehran by telephone.

ENDING THE WAR

Rafsanjani will be remembered above all for persuading Khomeini to accept a peace deal to end the bloody Iran-Iraq war, during which one million people died.

Rafsanjani played a key role in the appointment of then-president Khamenei as the Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts in 1989 after Khomeini's death.

Khamenei was an unlikely choice to hold Iran's most powerful post but endured by holding fast to the anti-Western rhetoric of the revolution while empowering the military and neutralising potential rivals in the clerical establishment.

After Khamenei assumed the position of supreme leader, Rafsanjani was elected president for two terms. Rafsanjani consistently tried to promote reforms, a free market position domestically and supported a moderate position internationally.

Many politicians have described Rafsanjani as "a pillar of the revolution", while his pragmatic economic and foreign policies have always appealed to many Iranians.

After the disputed 2009 presidential election, he was slightly sidelined in Iran's complex political system after calling for the immediate release of political prisoners and freedom of the press.

After the election in 2009, when the results of the election ignited eight months of violent street unrest, Rafsanjani and his family came under fierce criticism from hardliners over their support for the opposition movement which lost the vote to hardline president Ahmadinejad.

His daughter Faezeh was arrested in 2012 on charges of "anti-government propaganda" during the 2009 vote. She was jailed for six months. Analysts said the sentence was aimed at pressuring Rafsanjani.

His son Mehdi was also arrested in 2012 upon his return to Iran after an absence of three years. Mehdi was sentenced to 10 years on corruption and security charges.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Stephen Powell)
Panama City (AFP) - Bribes being handed out by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht were an open secret in Panama, Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo said Sunday.

"You had a company where it was an open secret that acts of corruption took place under previous governments," she told RPC radio, asked about the scandal.

"And with what came out late last year, it stopped being a rumor, and it also stopped being an open secret," said de Saint Malo, who is also foreign minister.

The US Justice Department reported in December that Odebrecht had paid bribes worth hundreds of millions of dollars to obtain contracts in nine Latin American countries.

It said the construction company paid more than $59 million in bribes to Panama between 2010 and 2014 to obtain contracts valued at $175 million.

"This is all documented," she said, adding it was indisputable that Panamanian officials and family members of officials were paid commissions in exchange for public contracts.

"The country has the right to know who took this money," she said, arguing that it should be returned to state coffers.

Two sons of former president Ricardo Martinelli have denied Brazilian newspaper reports that they had received $6 million intended as a bribe from Odebrecht for their father.

So far, prosecutors have ordered investigations of Carlos Ho Gonzalez, an official under Martin Torrijos, and Martinelli himself for "alleged illicit enrichment."

Martinelli, who denies the charges, lives in voluntary exile in Miami. The Panamanian government has requested his extradition on allegations of espionage and corruption.

Panama also has said it was barring Odebrecht from bidding for future public tenders, and was seeking to remove the company from projects it was already involved in.

They include a new line of Panama City's metro system, a fourth bridge over the Panama Canal and plan for a hydroelectric dam that would now be scrapped.
Ursala Burns (L) and then-Boeing CEO Jim McNerney (R) listen as U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks at a meeting of his Export Council in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, September 19, 2013. REUTERS/Larry Downing

Ursula Burns officially stepped down as the CEO of Xerox (XRX) last week as the company split in two. Jeff Jacobson has assumed the role of CEO.

Burns departure highlights the lack of diversity in the C suite. There are now no CEOs of Fortune 500 companies who are black women. There are currently only 22 woman CEOs overall, with Indian-born Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi being the only woman of color.

Burns made history in 2009 by becoming the first black woman to head a Fortune 500 company. She originally joined Xerox as an intern in 1980 and will now serve as chairman of the Xerox board.

Xerox spun off Condulent (CDNT), a business services unit, and will refocus on print technology and hardware. The spinoff and CEO departure were originally announced in May.

Today is an historic day for Xerox, Burns said in a statement on January 3. The successful completion of the separation sharpens our market focus and commitment to our customers.

At one point Burns was on Hillary Clintons shortlist of choices for vice president, according to emails stolen from campaign manager John Podesta.
Photo: jazmynewardell via Instagram

Natalie Wardell, 45, in Central Coast, Australia, has a unique problem. People keep confusing her and her oldest daughters, Jazmyne and Tamika, for sisters.

I always have the funniest times with these two! And it's funny when everyone thinks we're triplets ???? #mum&sissie #myBestfriends #citynights A photo posted by  Jazmyne Wardell  (@jazmynewardell) on Mar 6, 2016 at 12:06am PST

People ask if were sisters all the time, and some even think Jazmyne is my mom because shes so tall and Im so short, the mom of three told the Daily Mail.

Though shes twice the age of her oldest daughter  Jazmyne is 21 and Tamika is 19  the trio are still often mistaken for sisters. The three even go clubbing together and to the movies.

I guess its a compliment to me, but people will say things like, You try to copy them, but I mean Ive had long blond hair since I was 15. Its just genetics, says Wardell.

All we need is @montanawardell be 18 and the Wardell girls will be complete ???? #mybestfriends #familyiseverything #mumanddaughters A photo posted by  Jazmyne Wardell  (@jazmynewardell) on Jul 8, 2016 at 12:33am PDT

The tight-knit family also shares a passion for cars. Every weekend as a family we try to go to a car event, said Wardell, who has another teenage daughter, Montana. Two of them are into cars but ones not, which is good for my husband because he doesnt have any sons at all.

Wardell said she met her husband when she stopped to admire his car while out shopping one day. The family attends car events across the country, and Jazmyne is in the process of building her own car.

Mummy Daughter photos ???? A photo posted by  Jazmyne Wardell  (@jazmynewardell) on Jan 6, 2017 at 12:44am PST

Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Philippine police raided an Islamic centre in Manila and briefly detained scores of people as part of heightened security before a major Catholic festival, a spokeswoman said Sunday.

Two men were arrested for illegal drugs during the raid on the Islamic Center in the heart of Manila on Saturday, as authorities warned of possible attacks by Islamic militants when the Feast of the Black Nazarene reaches its peak on Monday.

"This is part of security preparations for the Feast of the Black Nazarene," Chief Inspector Marissa Bruno, spokeswoman for the Manila police, told AFP.

She said 82 other people at the centre had been taken to a police station but were released soon afterwards when it was found they had no warrants outstanding.

Bruno denied that police had targeted the Islamic Center, which includes a mosque, saying that other parts of the city had also been subjected to police operations.

Authorities have been on alert for possible attacks by Islamic militants to disrupt the Black Nazarene event, which is expected to attract millions of Filipinos.

The annual festival sees huge numbers of barefoot devotees crowding to touch a life-size and dark-skinned statue of Jesus that is reputed to have healing powers.

Two people were killed and hundreds injured during the crush of humanity at last year's event.

Security forces have said there is no report of a "direct threat" to the festival this year but they are wary that Muslim extremists may seek revenge for the killing of a pro-Islamic State militant leader last week.

Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, alias "Tokboy", founder and leader of the Ansarul Khilafa Philippines (AKP), was killed by security forces on Thursday.

His group is known to be a supporter of the IS group and has been blamed for various bombings and attacks.

Investigators are still looking into whether the AKP was involved in a bombing in the southern city of Davao in September which killed 15 people gathered in a popular park.

Local Muslim extremists have previously launched attacks on Christian targets, playing on longstanding tensions between the country's Christian majority and the Muslim minority.
VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis is drawing attention to homeless people suffering from both freezing cold and indifference during Europe's frigid weather.

In Italy alone, eight deaths were blamed on the cold, including a man who died in the basement of an unused building in Milan, and another on a street flanking Florence's Arno River. Francis prayed for those who "unfortunately didn't" survive the cold. He also asked God to "warm our hearts so we'll help" the homeless.

The Vatican has distributed to some homeless thermal sleeping bags that protect down to minus 20C (minus 4F). Some Vatican vehicles, their doors unlocked, were left at night outside the Vatican City's high walls, so homeless people could take turns going inside the cars to warm up. Several homeless sleep outside, under Vatican porticoes.
Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis encouraged women attending a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday to feel free to breastfeed their children in the church.

"The ceremony is a little long, someone's crying because he's hungry. That's the way it is," the pontiff said.

"You mothers, go ahead and breastfeed, without fear. Just like the Virgin Mary nursed Jesus," he told worshippers attending an annual ceremony commemorating the baptism of Jesus.

The Argentine pope on Sunday baptised 28 children -- 15 boys and 13 girls.

He has previously voiced his support for breastfeeding, including in public.

The benefits of breastfeeding include providing optimal nutrition and an immune system boost for babies, while helping mothers bond with infants and speeding maternal weight loss after birth.

In many countries around the world, however, women are still widely discouraged from breastfeeding, especially when they are in public.

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.
While the United States holds intelligence hearings about outside meddling in its election, and the president-elect tweets to remind all the losers and enemies that he won, Ghana prepares to peacefully welcome its new president.

On Saturday, sitting president John Mahama will turn over the reigns to Nana Akufo-Addo, whose New Patriotic Party will take over a majority in parliament. Mahama delivered his final State of the Nation Address on Thursday, and encouraged Ghanaians to support his successor.

On the one hand, this is not surprising: Ghana has been a multi-party democracy since the early 1990s. On the other hand, things looked dicey this year.

The last election, in 2012, ended up in the courts. In the run-up to elections this year, held on Dec. 7, there were concerns that the electoral commission, which was under new management, was politicized. Akufo-Addo skipped the presidential debate. The police had identified 5,000 points at which violent conflict could break out. On election day itself, someone tried to hack the electoral commissions website. When Akufo-Addo called on Mahama to concede before official results were delivered, Mahamas camp called Akufo-Addo actions treasonous.

How did Ghana get from there to here?

It was the shared determination of the people of Ghana to maintain their reputation that the country has acquired as committed to peaceful transfer of power, Christopher Fumonyoh, senior associate and regional director for Central and West Africa at the National Democratic Institute, told Foreign Policy.

Those in the opposition who had been critical of the electoral commission acknowledged efforts taken by the body to make sure that elections were free and fair, and to be more open with the public and politicians about electoral processes. In the United States, meanwhile, more than 40 percent of Democrats dont believe Trumps election victory was legitimate, and the president-elect has spent weeks attacking his own countrys intelligence services.

Story continues

Saskia Brechenmacher, an expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who has outlined Ghanas electoral challenges, told FP that Ghanaians had a responsibility not to sully their reputation as a democratic country, a message pushed both by international actors and civil society.

There was widespread awareness, she explained, that Ghana had to do its part once again to serve as a democratic example in Africa. The ruling party did, both by not escalating the situation when opposition supporters started celebrating before the official results were out, and by conceding in the end. (The lopsided margin probably made that concession easier, she noted.)

This is not to say that Ghana is out of the proverbial woods. Mahama made last minute appointments, including a new head of the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice. Brechenmacher noted that this post typically deals  or doesnt  with corruption, a perennial issue in Ghanaian politics.

Akufo-Addo and his party have reportedly said they will review the appointments. But so, too, has Akufo-Addo promised the establishment of a new office, untethered to the executive, to deal with corruption. Whether that will mean a witch hunt for corruption in the outgoing administration is still to be seen.

So, too, is the extent to which Akufo-Addo can deliver on his campaign promises, particularly in terms of job creation and economic rejuvenation. It is one thing to win a mandate; it is quite another to carry it out.

But at least he will have the chance to do that, because, as Fumonyoh said, Ghana is cementing its position as the trailblazer when it comes to peaceful, meaningful transitions and orderly, peaceful transfer of power in Africa.

Photo credit: CRISTINA ALDEHUELA/AFP/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II emerged in public for the first time in nearly one month on Sunday when she attended church with Princess Kate and Prince William.

The royal family  who were joined by Kates mother Carole Middleton, brother James Middleton and sister Pippa Middleton  were spotted smiling and chatting with locals as they arrived at St. Mary Magdalene church on the Queens Sandringham estate. The 90-year-old monarch has been suffering from a heavy cold that had caused her to miss her annual Christmas Day and New Years church services. But it appears that on Sunday she rallied for her first public appearance in nearly one month and her first outing since confirming that she was under the weather.

A simple statement from Buckingham Palace was released Sunday morning confirming her attendance.

While ill, the Queen has been staying indoors, working on her government papers and honoring a trusted long-standing servant with a special award. Last week, in a bid to reassure fans, her daughter Princess Anne said at the New Years Day service that the Queen was getting better.

The Queen had not been seen in public since Dec. 9 when she hosted the ambassador of Liberia for a private audience at Buckingham Palace. She also made an appearance across the realm during her pre-recorded Christmas broadcast and hosted a private pre-Christmas party for her family and diplomats at Buckingham Palace. The Sunday trip also marked her first outing since she was the victim of a Twitter death hoax in late December.

Elizabeth wasnt the only royal who missed out on the Sandringham Christmas walk  William, Kate and their two children Prince George and Princess Charlotte chose to spend their holidays with Kates parents. (George and Charlotte did not attend the church service on Sunday, however.)

The Queens granddaughter Zara Tindall and her family also skipped out on the holiday services in December after she revealed on Christmas Eve that she had suffered a miscarriage. Zara and her husband Mike Tindall were expecting their second child. The couple also made their first appearance since their tragic news on Sunday when they attended a polo match in Australia on Sunday.

The trek to Sandringham on Sunday wasnt a long journey for Will and Kate  their home Anmer Hall is two miles away from the church and sits on the Queens estate. Its a time of celebration for the royal family after a tough holiday season as Kate will celebrate her 35th birthday on Monday.
London (AFP) - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday made her first public appearance for over a month after missing traditional Christmas events due to a heavy cold.

The 90-year-old attended a Sunday church service at her private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, having missed a New Year's Day church service due to an illness that also forced her to delay her Christmas plans.

The world's longest reigning monarch was filmed getting out of a royal car at around 10:55 am (1055 GMT) for the service, accompanied by 95-year-old husband Prince Philip, who was also hit by the bug.

Despite her illness, the queen continued to receive her red boxes containing official papers, and spent Christmas at Sandringham with members of her family, as normal.

However, the royal couple's journey from London to the estate was delayed by a day because of their illnesses.

When she failed to appear on Christmas Day, speculation grew about the queen's health, and a fake report on Twitter that she died prompted news stories in some of the tabloid newspapers.

Fears grew when she missed the traditional New Year's Day service, with Buckingham Palace saying she "does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold."

British newspaper the Daily Mail reported that the monarch had a persistent "hacking cough" and was worried about disturbing other worshippers.

When asked about her mother's health, daughter Princess Anne said she was "better", according to the Daily Mirror.
LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II has attended church near her rural Sandringham estate, after missing the previous two Sundays due to ill health.

The 90-year-old British monarch was applauded by well-wishers as she arrived by car at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of London. It was her first public appearance in several weeks.

Dressed in royal blue, the queen attended the service with her husband Prince Philip, 95, and other members of the royal family including grandson Prince William and his wife Kate.

The queen is a regular churchgoer, but missed the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades due to what Buckingham Palace said was a heavy cold.

She also did not attend on New Year's Day as she continued to recover.

The queen  Britain's longest-reigning monarch  has generally been in good health in recent years, although she has cut down on travel and public appearances as she enters her 10th decade.
Queen Elizabeth just made her first public appearance since her illness, and were glad shes OK!

On the whole, its a pretty sweet gig to be a member of the royal family. But being a monarch must have its downsides as well. For one thing, it can take its toll on your health. Just ask poor Queen Elizabeth II, who missed out on most of the holidays due to a nasty cold. In good news, though, the Queen just made her first public appearance since her illness and were so glad shes feeling better!

Queen Elizabeth made her first public appearance at church, after keeping a low profile and staying in for a full month. She joined her immediate family, Prince William and Princess Kate, for the occasion. Her great-grandkids stayed at home. But it must have been a relief for the queen, who is a regular at church, to get back to her routine. Nothing can keep her down long!

Even a shameful hoax about her.

In addition to this being her first public appearance since December 9th, it served to dispel the rumors that the Queen had passed on. A fake Twitter account posing as the BBC claimed that Queen Elizabeth had passed on December 30th. They even included photoshopped headlines that looked quite real at first. The account has since been suspended, and the perpetrators have been roundly smacked down by the royals-loving Internet.

No, of course were not going to skip the hat.

Members Of The Royal Family Attend St Mary Magdalene Church In Sandringham

Possibly because she missed out on so much holiday merriment, wed like to point out that her Majesty was supporting one kick-ass hat on her first outing. In one of her favorite shades with a distinctly Mad-Hatter bent, this festive fedora makes us even happier to have Britains monarch back out of the sick bed.

Welcome back, Queen Elizabeth!
By Alan Walters SANDRINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Britain's Queen Elizabeth made her first public appearance since before Christmas on Sunday as she recovered from a heavy cold that caused the 90-year-old monarch to miss Christmas and New Year church services. The queen, wearing a vibrant blue coat and hat, arrived with her husband Prince Philip, 95, at St Mary Magdalene church in Sandringham in eastern England, where she traditionally spends the festive period on her country estate. The trip to Sandringham was delayed by a day because both the queen and Philip were laid low by heavy colds, Buckingham Palace had said. Her illness caused her to miss the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades, disappointing a crowd of well-wishers who had turned out to see the royal family. The queen, who is the symbolic head of the Church of England, also missed the New Year service a week later. The palace said she was still recuperating. She resumed official duties on Wednesday when she gave an honour to a member of her staff in a private ceremony. After more than six decades on the throne, the queen has cut back on international tours but still regularly performs official duties around Britain. The palace said last month she would step down as patron of several charities and other organisations to reduce her workload. (This refiled version of the story changes byline.) (Writing by Paul Sandle)
After suffering from a heavy cold through the festive season, Queen Elizabeth II made her first public appearance of 2017 as she attended the morning church service at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, on Sunday.

The queen, 90, missed her regular appearances at the church service on Christmas and New Years Day as she was recuperating from a heavy cold, according to Buckingham Palace. However, concerns were raised about the British monarchs health as rumors of her death swirled.

queen is bacl

Photo: REUTERS/Alan Walter

Wearing royal blue, the queen was accompanied Sunday by her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and members of the public came out to greet the monarch after her time away from the limelight. A man who was present at the church told BBC: We saw her very close up. We have been waiting the past three weeks to know she has attended. It is very nice to see her and of course, Prince Philip too.

Britains longest reigning monarch and Prince Philip had to cancel their plans to travel to the queens estate in Sandringham for Christmas on Dec. 21 because they were both in ill-health, but they made the journey the next day  by helicopter instead of train. The Duke of Edinburgh recovered and attended church on Christmas day with Prince Charles, Prince Harry and other members of the royal family.

The queen, however, stayed indoors to recover fully.

She also went on to miss the New Year's Day church service but Princess Anne, Princess Royal and the queens daughter, said the monarch was feeling better, BBC reported.

Related Articles
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  For the first 40 minutes Saturday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets looked like the team that piled up 16 straight wins during one impressive streak.

Then the third period started, and the Blue Jackets looked like the team that got pounded by Washington in its previous game.

Michael Grabner scored on a breakaway with 17 seconds left, and the New York Rangers rallied for a dramatic 5-4 victory over Columbus that included four unanswered goals  three in the final period.

"When some pucks went in, I thought we got nervous as a team and lost ourselves a little bit," Columbus coach John Tortorella said.

Grabner's shot through Curtis McElhinney's pads after a turnover handed the Blue Jackets their second straight loss after they pulled within one of the NHL record for consecutive wins.

Grabner and Adam Clendening each had two goals and Oscar Lindberg also scored for the Rangers, who moved within a point of the Blue Jackets at the top of the tough Metropolitan Division.

Columbus got goals from Markus Nutivaara, Cam Atkinson, Scott Hartnell and Lukas Sedlak but was badly outplayed by New York in the frenetic third period.

"The way we played in the third, we deserved to at least get a tie game, I think," said Henrik Lundqvist, who had 33 saves for the Rangers. "We pushed for the next goal all the time, had good speed and good energy. It took us a while to get going."

McElhinney, who subbed for Sergei Bobrovsky in the first of back-to-back home games, had 29 saves, but was juked by Grabner on a rush and couldn't stop the game-winner.

The Blue Jackets put together a fast start against the Rangers after their win streak was stopped by a 5-0 loss at Washington on Thursday night.

Nutivaara wound up and rocketed a slap shot past Lundqvist from just inside the blue line at 1:54 of the first. The Blue Jackets got another goal just 10 seconds into a power play when Sam Gagner slid a pass across the mouth of the goal and Atkinson slammed it home for his team-leading 19th goal at 4:37.

Story continues

The Rangers made it 2-1 when Lindberg got his first goal of the season on a rush, lifting the puck over McElhinney's shoulder from the right circle with 14:01 gone in the first.

Gagner got another slick assist less than 2 minutes later when he took the puck away from Kevin Klein deep in the Rangers' zone and passed it out from behind the net to Hartnell, who batted it out of the air and into the goal. That put Columbus up 3-1 at the end of the first.

Columbus extended the lead 3 minutes into the second when Lukas Sedlak carried the puck over the blue line on a rush and juked Lundqvist with a shot between the pads.

The rest of the game was all New York.

Grabner answered just over a minute later with a wrist shot from the right circle on a 2-on-1 rush. Clendening netted his first two goals of the season in the third period, setting up Grabner's dramatic dash.

"I don't want to put it all on (McElhinney), but we do need a couple of saves there," Tortorella said.

The Rangers outshot Columbus 14-6 in the final period.

NOTES: The Rangers lead the NHL in goals with 144. ... New York ended an eight-game home winning streak for Columbus. ... Bobrovsky is expected to play Sunday against Philadelphia. ... New York F Rick Nash (groin) missed his eighth straight game because of a groin injury. Nash is the Blue Jackets' career scoring leader (289 goals, 547 points). ... Rangers D Marc Staal missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury. ... The Blue Jackets' home attendance was up 20 percent in December over last year.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Toronto on Friday.

Blue Jackets: Host Philadelphia on Sunday.

___

Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP)  Missoula has become a refuge for more than 40 men, women and children from war-ravaged lands in Africa and Iraq, more than 30 years after last of some 550 refugees from Southeast Asia, most of them Hmong who supported U.S. efforts in the secret war in Laos, were brought to western Montana.

The International Rescue Committee and volunteers of Soft Landing Missoula stepped in to help after the community offered to help the latest refugees resettle in Montana.

County Commissioner Jean Curtiss said in an email that her office hasn't been in contact with any of the refugees, but she believes community members are doing all they can to welcome the families.

"These refugee families have been through a lot so having a safe and supportive community to relocate (in) is a blessing for them," Curtiss said. "In return the fabric of the Missoula community has been made even more beautiful with the culture, experiences, music and lives of our new neighbors from around the globe."

The move has not been without controversy. Incumbent Ryan Zinke, in his successful run for Montana's seat in the U.S. House, joined a number of Republican lawmakers calling for Syrian refugees to be blocked from entering the United States until screening can be tightened. Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines expressed a similar view, as did Greg Gianforte in his unsuccessful bid to unseat Democratic governor Steve Bullock, the Missoulian reported (https://tinyurl.com/hau86gg).

The majority of the refugees are Congolese, many of whom were born in refugee camps in east Africa after their parents fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Officials say 19 refugees who've arrived in the first three months of the fiscal year puts Missoula behind pace to reach the goal set out in Missoula's "Reception and Placement Abstract" filed in May, but resettlement officials are confident more will be coming.

___

Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com
Remember that hot mugshot guy? He now has a McMansion, a Maserati, and a modeling portfolio, because of course he does

Not that we have a thing for crime, because we absolutely do NOT. But remember our hot felon bae, the one whose mugshot worked every male-desiring woman into a tizzy? Well, hot felon has long since been released from prison, and hes doing quite well for himself. Nine months after his release on weapons charges, Jeremy Meeks is now living large somewhere in California, with (sob) his wife and three kids. (WHHYYYY even the criminals got to be taken?!)

The reformed baddie posted a shirtless (yes, ugh) pic of himself standing in front of a major McMansion on Instagram.

God is good A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Sep 27, 2016 at 4:58pm PDT

He also showed off a slick new Maserati.

Were thinking a cameo in the next Fast and the Furious flick isnt far off. Itll be called Furious 9: Fast and Fiiiiine.

Good to be home A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Nov 2, 2016 at 4:52pm PDT

Meeks, making us weak.

#maseratimeeks A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Sep 21, 2016 at 5:01pm PDT

Hes a family man, and our hearts are liquid.

#squad A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Dec 12, 2016 at 5:03pm PST

And that smile

Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Sep 20, 2016 at 4:59pm PDT

Baes account states that his modeling rep is White Cross Management.

#Happynewyear A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Dec 31, 2016 at 7:45am PST

Hes begun steadily posting modeling shots, to which we say AMEN.

Proud to be a part of the @muzikconnect family. Thank you for this opportunity @jasonahardi A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Dec 20, 2016 at 4:32pm PST

Meeks was arrested in Stockton, California on five weapons charges and one gang charge in the summer of 2014. As part of Operation Ceasefire, a multiagency mission involving the Stockton police gang unit, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Task Force, the operation aimed to crack down on shootings and robberies in the Weston Ranch area of Stockton.

We believe the lesson here is that a pretty face is the most powerful weapon of all. 
By Ginger Gibson

WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Two senior Republican senators urged President-elect Donald Trump to punish Russia in response to U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that President Vladimir Putin personally directed efforts aimed at influencing the outcome of the November election.

In a joint appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain said evidence was conclusive that Putin sought to influence the election - a point that Trump has refuted repeatedly by arguing it might be impossible to tell who was responsible.

"In a couple weeks, Donald Trump will be the defender of the free world and democracy," Graham said. "You should let everybody know in America, Republicans and Democrats, that you're going to make Russia pay a price for trying to interfere."

Both senators said they remain unsure if they will support Trump's pick for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson, who has been criticized for his close ties to Putin. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Wednesday to consider Tillerson's nomination.

Three U.S. intelligence agencies released a joint report on Friday that concluded that Putin directed efforts to help Trump's electoral chances by discrediting his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Hackers penetrated the Democratic National Committee's email server and separately stole emails from John Podesta, who chaired Clinton's campaign. The emails were then posted online and used to embarrass Clinton, including by Trump who frequently used the content as political ammunition.

Russia was trying to undermine public faith in the democratic process, damage Clinton, making it harder for her to win and harm her presidency if she did, the unclassified report said.

McCain said he supports continued investigations into the hacks.

"We need to come to grips with it and get to the bottom of it and overall come up with a strategy in this new form of warfare that can basically harm our economy, harm our elections, harm our national security," he said.

Story continues

Trump, whose views on Russia are out of step with his party, has repeatedly dismissed claims that the Russians were trying to help him, arguing that the charges against Russia are the product of his political opponents trying to undermine his victory.

On Friday, after receiving his intelligence briefing, Trump did not squarely address whether he was told of the agencies' belief Russia carried out the hacking.

Instead, he said: "Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organizations" including the DNC.

On Saturday, Trump wrote on Twitter that having a better relationship with Russia is a "good thing."

"Only 'stupid' people or fools, would think that is bad!" he tweeted. "We have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!"

(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Mary Milliken)
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f339885%2ff2bad6ef-5a55-4c75-8e0e-8c0b5b17d9a4

Here's some help for getting through the winter.

A Chicago-area cafe, Mather's  More Than a Cafe, is offering a cold-weather deal at its three locations that will have anyone hungry for a bargain checking the weather forecast.

If temperatures dips below zero in Chicago over the next two months, thrifty if not freezing residents can get paid to eat a bowl of split-pea soup. If it's a little higher, they'll only have to hand over some spare change.

Whatever the day's temperature forecast, that's the price for a bowl of soup. On Friday, it was a 14-degree high, so soup was a dime and a few pennies (plus tax). The soups will be offered at the day's high temperature through January and February, which sees an average high of 33 degrees.

The result? Cheap, delicious soup.

To make sure the deal was legit, Mashable talked to the restaurant's assistant manager Beth Zoeller, who said the soup promotion has been a delicious way to get through some brutally cold winters over the last few years, even if the restaurant takes a small financial hit.

SEE ALSO: Atmospheric river events will dump 15 feet of snow on California

Zoeller said in the past when the weather has dropped to negative temperatures, they've given back a few pennies to customers. "We're true to our word," she said, adding that some people refused to be paid for the soup, while others took the change.

The restaurant's cream of mushroom, minestrone, cream of broccoli, split-pea and other flavors are all offered at the weather-based price, Zoeller said.

Soup prices are based on the Chicago Tribune weather forecast, so everyone's on the same page on how prices are set.

Although getting paid for some warm soup sounds awesome, Zoeller said she's not so sure it's worth the painfully cold weather. Agreed.
Casablanca (Morocco) (AFP) - As their smartphone screens lit up with ride requests last month, Uber drivers in the Moroccan city of Casablanca must have thought that business was booming.

Instead, they found themselves surrounded by irate local taxi drivers, who forced them from their vehicles and handed them over to the police, the latest in a string of protests in the kingdom against the controversial travel app.

"After the tramway, illegal drivers and now Uber, they are trying to kill us off," said Abdelouahed, who works for a small local taxi firm.

Uber launched in Morocco's economic hub in 2015 but was banned by local authorities after just one month.

It has recently found itself the target of increasingly brash protests organised by owners of Casablanca's famous tomato red cabs.

"When you open Uber on your phone, you see drivers swarming around you like a virus," said Nordine, a fifty-something driver sat on the hood of his taxi.

"And like a virus, you need radical solutions. Trap them."

In one protest last month, dozens of taxi drivers posed as would-be passengers, flooding the app with requests before forcing the Uber drivers from their vehicles, much to the bemusement of onlookers.

The management of taxis in Morocco normally falls to local government. The transport ministry has so far kept quiet as to why Uber continues to operate in the streets of Casablanca.

- 'Illegal and unauthorised' -

"Our position hasn't changed," a senior official from Casablanca's local administration told AFP. "We see (Uber) as an unauthorised and illegal company."

Local media said recently that as many as 30 separate protests against app drivers had been held, ranging from threats, car chases and even ambushes such as the one in December

Uber Morocco director general Meryem Belqziz insisted these were "isolated" incidents.

"There were no injuries. It was more harassment," she told AFP, admitting however that Uber drivers had been "shaken" by some protests.

Story continues

There are now more than 250 taxis working for Uber in Casablanca, Belqziz said, and the app has enjoyed 15,000 unique users in the last three months.

Business has boomed for Uber since it launched in San Francisco in 2011.

But the smartphone app has faced stiff resistance from traditional taxi drivers the world over, as well as bans in some places over safety concerns and questions over legal issues, including taxes.

Uber says it is not a transport company like taxi firms, and that it simply connects drivers with passengers.

While many drivers have been tempted by Uber's model, many more operators of Casablanca's estimated 18,000 taxis continue to denounce the app's "unfair competition", while passengers still heavily rely instead on local ride startups such as Careem and chauffeur.ma.

The recent opening of a new tram line in the city has also siphoned off some of the local drivers' traditional clientele.

"The tram has already eaten up an important part of our market, and things are getting worse with Uber, which operates without constraint," said Abdelouahed.

Belqziz insists that Uber and local taxis can operate side-by-side, but admits her firm's legal status "needs clarifying".

"With every important change you meet resistance, but with time people get used to new modes of consumption," she said.
By Celine Aswad

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia hopes its plan to bring a further 1.3 million women into the workforce by 2030 will be given a lift from ride-hailing apps Uber and Dubai-based rival Careem.

The cars, which the government says should only be driven by Saudi men, offer women, who are banned from driving in the conservative Muslim country, an alternative to being driven to work by chauffeurs, male relatives or the shabby taxi system.

Ride-hailing apps have come under intense scrutiny from governments and regulators across the globe as they disrupt traditional taxi businesses.

But Saudi Arabia courted Uber and Careem, offering state investments, to support its Vision 2030 economic reform plan.

With a budget squeezed by lower oil prices, the plan aims to draw workers away from government jobs by creating 450,000 private sector positions by 2020. Uber and Careem say they will create up to 200,000 jobs for Saudi men in the next two years.

By offering women a way to get to work, it should also help meet the plan's goal of increasing the female workforce by five percentage points in the next five years to 28 percent.

"This is the next best thing to women being able to drive, because you are in control of your time, no more wasteful waiting around, said Marwa Afandi, a 36-year-old marketing executive.

With the workforces of Uber and Careem easily expected to overtake the 65,000 nationals employed by state oil giant Saudi Aramco, the kingdom has invested in both companies.

Saudi's sovereign wealth fund put $3.5 billion into Uber in June 2016 while state-controlled Saudi Telecom Co announced on Dec. 18 it bought 10 percent of Careem for $100 million.

"The percentage of Careem captains who are Saudi has jumped from effectively zero to 60 percent in the last 12 months, and we aim to employ 70,000 Saudis by end 2017," said Abdulla Elyas, co-founder of Careem.

SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE

Women already account for around 80 percent of Uber and Careem's passengers, the companies say.

Story continues

"In a country where they (women) cannot get behind the wheel we are offering both the women and the government a win-win solution," said Zeid Hreish, Uber's general manager in Saudi.

A personal driver offers the most cache for middle- and upper-class women. But as these cost as much as 3,000 riyals (651.47 pounds) a month, around 20 percent of the average monthly household income, women are always looking for cheaper options.

Some wealthier Saudi women have never used the country's existing taxi system because it is not seen as acceptable for them to travel in the older vehicles that are often provided.

Uber and Careem offer an alternative because they require their drivers to use cars that are less than three years old. Uber works with car financing companies in Saudi Arabia to get deals to help its drivers buy newer cars.

The use of the app for booking a car also allows a passenger to select a particular driver and some believe that the use of smart phone technology brings a better class of driver.

There is little difference in price between a journey with Uber or Careem and a local taxi company but the industry does not feel threatened because it caters to a different market - road-side taxi hailers are usually lower income men and do not own smartphones.

"We have very little overlapping demand with Careem and Uber," said an assistant manager at a Jeddah-based limousine company, who wished not to be named.

Careem is however, developing a subsidised rides programme for low-income working Saudi women with the Ministry of Labour.

EVOLVING ATTITUDES

The high female engagement with such apps also reflects how social attitudes are evolving in the conservative kingdom.

Traditional social norms dictate local women cannot interact with men to which they are not related. However, the ride-hailing scenario has jumped ahead of such restrictions, aided by a zero tolerance policy for driver complaints operated by Uber and Careem.

"I am comfortable in the car with the driver because we are getting a professional service from a company where the driver will be held accountable for any complaints made against him," said Alia Shayef, a 42-year-old banker living in Jeddah.

But some riders and drivers remain uneasy about the mixing of genders. An 18 year old university student in Riyadh said that since more Saudis became Uber and Careem drivers her father has forbidden her to use those apps.

A Careem driver also admitted he does not take any female riders to avoid cultural clashes and any risk of complaint.

The proliferation of ride-sharing services has also done little to take away the yearning for women to drive. Some are concerned that it has made it even less likely that the government will ever allow women to get behind a steering wheel.

In June when Uber announced the Saudi wealth fund had invested in its business some Saudi women took to Twitter to unveil their disapproval with the hashtag "Saudi women announce Uber boycott," trending within hours of the news.

JOBS FOR MEN

The state investment is partly aimed at bolstering the employment of local men at a time of rising unemployment.

The Ministry of Transportation in November said Uber and Careem must "limit the jobs to Saudi nationals" although legal non-Saudi drivers may continue to work for the companies.

Working for a globally-recognised company such as Uber is a draw for tech-savvy Saudis, helping some overcome the stigma of being a driver.

Uber is a trend and people want to follow it, and be a part of the digital revolution, said Abdulelah Bassyoni, founder and managing director of Saudi-based digital consultancy Brain Technology.

Despite this, both Careem and Uber say most drivers work part-time, alongside government jobs that they are reluctant to leave cause of the perceived security and benefits.

Nasser, a 30-year-old Riyadh said he was working as an Uber driver to top up his government salary with extra cash.

"It is crazy to think anyone would leave their government position, it is a blessing to have it," he said.

(Editing by David French and Anna Willard)
By Celine Aswad DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia hopes its plan to bring a further 1.3 million women into the workforce by 2030 will be given a lift from ride-hailing apps Uber and Dubai-based rival Careem. The cars, which the government says should only be driven by Saudi men, offer women, who are banned from driving in the conservative Muslim country, an alternative to being driven to work by chauffeurs, male relatives or the shabby taxi system. Ride-hailing apps have come under intense scrutiny from governments and regulators across the globe as they disrupt traditional taxi businesses. But Saudi Arabia courted Uber and Careem, offering state investments, to support its Vision 2030 economic reform plan. With a budget squeezed by lower oil prices, the plan aims to draw workers away from government jobs by creating 450,000 private sector positions by 2020. Uber and Careem say they will create up to 200,000 jobs for Saudi men in the next two years. By offering women a way to get to work, it should also help meet the plan's goal of increasing the female workforce by five percentage points in the next five years to 28 percent. "This is the next best thing to women being able to drive, because you are in control of your time, no more wasteful waiting around, said Marwa Afandi, a 36-year-old marketing executive. With the workforces of Uber and Careem easily expected to overtake the 65,000 nationals employed by state oil giant Saudi Aramco, the kingdom has invested in both companies. Saudi's sovereign wealth fund put $3.5 billion into Uber in June 2016 while state-controlled Saudi Telecom Co announced on Dec. 18 it bought 10 percent of Careem for $100 million. "The percentage of Careem captains who are Saudi has jumped from effectively zero to 60 percent in the last 12 months, and we aim to employ 70,000 Saudis by end 2017," said Abdulla Elyas, co-founder of Careem. SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE Women already account for around 80 percent of Uber and Careem's passengers, the companies say. "In a country where they (women) cannot get behind the wheel we are offering both the women and the government a win-win solution," said Zeid Hreish, Uber's general manager in Saudi. A personal driver offers the most cache for middle- and upper-class women. But as these cost as much as 3,000 riyals (651.47 pounds) a month, around 20 percent of the average monthly household income, women are always looking for cheaper options. Some wealthier Saudi women have never used the country's existing taxi system because it is not seen as acceptable for them to travel in the older vehicles that are often provided. Uber and Careem offer an alternative because they require their drivers to use cars that are less than three years old. Uber works with car financing companies in Saudi Arabia to get deals to help its drivers buy newer cars. The use of the app for booking a car also allows a passenger to select a particular driver and some believe that the use of smart phone technology brings a better class of driver. There is little difference in price between a journey with Uber or Careem and a local taxi company but the industry does not feel threatened because it caters to a different market - road-side taxi hailers are usually lower income men and do not own smartphones. "We have very little overlapping demand with Careem and Uber," said an assistant manager at a Jeddah-based limousine company, who wished not to be named. Careem is however, developing a subsidised rides programme for low-income working Saudi women with the Ministry of Labour. EVOLVING ATTITUDES The high female engagement with such apps also reflects how social attitudes are evolving in the conservative kingdom. Traditional social norms dictate local women cannot interact with men to which they are not related. However, the ride-hailing scenario has jumped ahead of such restrictions, aided by a zero tolerance policy for driver complaints operated by Uber and Careem. "I am comfortable in the car with the driver because we are getting a professional service from a company where the driver will be held accountable for any complaints made against him," said Alia Shayef, a 42-year-old banker living in Jeddah. But some riders and drivers remain uneasy about the mixing of genders. An 18 year old university student in Riyadh said that since more Saudis became Uber and Careem drivers her father has forbidden her to use those apps. A Careem driver also admitted he does not take any female riders to avoid cultural clashes and any risk of complaint. The proliferation of ride-sharing services has also done little to take away the yearning for women to drive. Some are concerned that it has made it even less likely that the government will ever allow women to get behind a steering wheel. In June when Uber announced the Saudi wealth fund had invested in its business some Saudi women took to Twitter to unveil their disapproval with the hashtag "Saudi women announce Uber boycott," trending within hours of the news. JOBS FOR MEN The state investment is partly aimed at bolstering the employment of local men at a time of rising unemployment. The Ministry of Transportation in November said Uber and Careem must "limit the jobs to Saudi nationals" although legal non-Saudi drivers may continue to work for the companies. Working for a globally-recognised company such as Uber is a draw for tech-savvy Saudis, helping some overcome the stigma of being a driver. Uber is a trend and people want to follow it, and be a part of the digital revolution, said Abdulelah Bassyoni, founder and managing director of Saudi-based digital consultancy Brain Technology. Despite this, both Careem and Uber say most drivers work part-time, alongside government jobs that they are reluctant to leave cause of the perceived security and benefits. Nasser, a 30-year-old Riyadh said he was working as an Uber driver to top up his government salary with extra cash. "It is crazy to think anyone would leave their government position, it is a blessing to have it," he said. (Editing by David French and Anna Willard)
The Australian Academy announced the winners of the 6th AACTA International Awards Friday, honoring the best achievements in film excellence from the past year, regardless of geography.

The International Awards were a star-studded affair, with guests and nominees including Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman (wearing Rochas), Dev Patel, Luke Hemsworth, Kenneth Lonergan, Harvey Weinstein, Sacha Baron Cohen and Emma Stone (wearing Gucci).

Ocean Park Standoff (featuring Samantha Ronson, Ethan Thompson and Pete Nappi) opened the Ceremony, which was broadcast in Australia exclusively on Foxtel Saturday. Among those taking the stage at The Avalon Hollywood were host Daniel MacPherson, and presenters Isla Fisher (wearing Monique Lhuillier), Julian McMahon, Alan Dale, Radha Mitchell, Damon Herriman, Luke Bracey and Simon Baker.

The musical "La La Land" added two more awards to its long list of accolades, receiving honors for Best Film and Best Lead Actress for Emma Stone, who is nominated for her role in the film at Sunday nights Golden Globe Awards and the SAG Awards later this month.

Mel Gibson stepped up his Oscars campaign, receiving the award for Best Direction for "Hacksaw Ridge." The win follows an incredible run at AACTAs domestic Awards in Sydney last month, where the film received nine awards, including Best Direction.

"Manchester By The Sea" received two AACTA International awards with director and writer Kenneth Lonergan receiving the award for Best Screenplay and Casey Affleck receiving the award for Best Lead Actor.

The remaining two performance awards went to Australian film "Lion." Dev Patel received the award for Best Supporting Actor while Australian actress Nicole Kidman received the award for Best Supporting Actress.

From historical biopics and dramas to a tribute to the Golden Age of musical films, its wonderful to see such a dynamic mix of international and Australian achievement honored tonight and were delighted to see Australians Nicole Kidman and Mel Gibson honored for Australian films 'Lion' and 'Hacksaw Ridge,' " said AFI/AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella. For the past six years, the voting patterns of the Australian Academys international chapter have often indicated those of the SAG Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and the Oscars. Id like to congratulate all winners and wish them every success throughout the awards season.

Related Articles
Scarlet Rose Stallone, Sophia Rose Stallone, and Sistine Rose Stallone. (Photo: Michael Tran/FilmMagic)

Tonight, Sylvester Stallones three daughters share the duties of Miss Golden Globe: the first time the title (traditionally given to a promising young talent from a famous family) has been bestowed simultaneously on siblings. The Stallone sisters  Sophia, 20, Sistine, 18, and Scarlet, 14  captured the worlds attention at last years Golden Globes ceremony when they walked the red carpet with their father (who took home his first-ever Globe that night for Creed) and mother Jennifer Flavin. Heres a little more info on three young women sharing the stage tonight.

Related: A Gallery of Miss Golden Globe: Looking Back at the Famous, the Obscure, and the Misters

Sistine is the one you might recognize.

Sistine is the only one of her sisters who has actively sought out the spotlight: Following in her mothers footsteps, she has been pursuing a career in modeling since she was 16 and has already appeared in several major magazines and a Dolce & Gabbana runway show. I have dreamed about being a model since I was little girl, she told The Hollywood Reporter for a January feature on the sisters.

None of the girls wants to follow in dads footsteps.

Sophia, the oldest, is a communications major at the University of Southern California and wants to launch her own fashion and makeup line. Scarlet is focusing on junior high school, where she runs track (which her dad likes to brag about on Instagram.) Not even model Sistine is interested in making the switch to movies. Im a horrible actor! she told Teen Vogue last year. However, as children of the digital age, they see the value of getting some Globes attention. I think today its all about digital and social media, and so being recognized is a huge asset, Sophia told THR.

They all have the same middle name because Sly thought it would stop them from fighting.

All the middle names are Rose so they cant battle  like one would be called Lilac and one would be Heather, so its all Sophia Rose, Sistine Rose, and Scarlet Rose, he told People in 2006. Rose is a great name, you cant knock it. You cant get better than Rose  its neutral.

They almost didnt attend last years ceremony.

Thanks to a friends mother, the girls scored last-minute tickets. We were scrambling! Sophia told THR. Scarlet wore my friends old prom dress; I wore my moms vintage gown When their father won, Sistine said, the sisters were all hysterically crying on each other.

Theyve all seen Rocky. A lot.

Every time its on TV [our dad] makes us watch it again, Sistine told THR.
Baghdad (AFP) - Suicide bombings at two Baghdad markets killed at least 18 people on Sunday, the latest attacks to hit the capital as Iraqi forces battle the Islamic State jihadist group in Mosul.

Iraqi forces have pushed IS out of much of the territory the group once held, but a wave of recent bombings have highlighted the danger the jihadists pose to civilians even as they lose ground.

Sunday's first attack took place at Jamila, the main wholesale vegetable market in Baghdad's Sadr City, a vast, mostly Shiite neighbourhood in the northeast of the capital that has been targeted repeatedly.

"A soldier at the gate of Jamila market opened fire on a suicide car bomb after noticing a suspect vehicle but the terrorist blew up his car," interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said.

A police colonel and a medical official said at least 12 people were killed and 39 wounded. Maan said the soldier who opened fire on the attacker was among the wounded.

The second attack saw a suicide bomber detonate explosives at a market in the Baladiyat area of east Baghdad, killing at least six people and wounding at least 16, officials said.

IS issued an online statement claiming the Jamila attack, saying it targeted members of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, whom the jihadists consider heretics.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Baladiyat bombing, but it had the hallmarks of an attack carried out by IS.

- Battle for Mosul -

Another explosive charge went off when the body of the Jamila bomber was at the morgue, the hospital in Sadr City where his remains were brought said in a statement.

The statement said the explosion occurred when an employee moved the remains while searching for identity papers.

It did not cause any damage or injuries, the statement said, but a photograph of the scene sent by a hospital official indicated that the blast had blown a door off its hinges.

IS claimed an attack on January 2 -- also in Sadr City -- when a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives among a crowd of day labourers waiting for work, killing 35 people.

Story continues

The jihadists overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in a swift 2014 offensive that swept through security forces unprepared for the assault.

The number of bombings in the capital declined following the June 2014 offensive, apparently because the jihadists were occupied with holding territory they seized and later defending against government attacks.

Federal forces and units from Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region have since pushed IS back in a series of battles over a period of more than two years.

On October 17, Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to recapture Mosul, the country's last city in which IS still holds significant ground.

Iraqi forces punched into the city from the east, retook a series of neighbourhoods and are now approaching the Tigris River, which divides the city into its eastern and western sides.

The western side, which is the smaller but more densely populated of the two, remains entirely under IS control.

Iraqi forces have also launched an operation to recapture IS-held towns near the Syrian border that along with Mosul and the northern town of Tal Afar are among the last populated areas under jihadist control.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in late December that three months were needed to eliminate IS in the country.

But even if the jihadists no longer openly hold territory, they can still strike at Iraqi civilians and security forces with bombings and hit-and-run attacks.
Earlier in the week, NASA announced its Chandra X-ray Observatory had found thousands of black holes, and released an image of the highest concentration of supermassive black holes ever seen. At the just-concluded 229th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the gigantic objects were in focus again Saturday when researchers announced the discovery of two supermassive black holes relatively close to our own galaxy.

Using NASAs Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), two research teams focused on two different galaxies: IC 3639, which is 170 million light-years away, and NGC 1448, which is only 38 million light-years from Earth. These are much closer than the supermassive black holes seen in the Chandra image, many of which date back to soon after the Big Bang.

These black holes are relatively close to the Milky Way, but they have remained hidden from us until now. Theyre like monsters hiding under your bed, Ady Annuar, a graduate student at Durham University in the United Kingdom, who presented the results at the AAS meeting in Grapevine, Texas, said in a statement.

The two supermassive black holes discovered are at the center of, and power, extremely bright objects  in the same class as quasars and blazars  called active galactic nuclei. These objects are so bright due to the radiation across the full electromagnetic spectrum emitted by particles that become really hot in the regions near the black hole. But they are believed to be surrounded by a doughnut-shaped concentration of thick gas and dust which makes them invisible from certain angles.

IC3639

Photo: ESO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI

Just as we cant see the sun on a cloudy day, we cant directly see how bright these active galactic nuclei really are because of all of the gas and dust surrounding the central engine, Peter Boorman, a graduate student at the University of Southampton in the U. K. who led the IC 3639 study, said in the statement.

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The team led by Annuar studied NGC 1448 and found that the nearby galaxy also has a large population of young stars that are just about 5 million years old (our sun and the solar system are about 5 billion years old), which suggests that the galaxy is producing new stars even as the supermassive black hole at its center is feeding on gas and dust.

NGC1448

Photo: Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey/NASA/JPL-Caltech

It is exciting to use the power of NuSTAR to get important, unique information on these beasts, even in our cosmic backyard where they can be studied in detail, Daniel Stern, NuSTAR project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, said.

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T.I. isnt giving up on the United States once Donald Trump becomes president later this month, he said in an open letter to President Barack Obama published by The New York Times Friday.

For every one of US who has been touched by you and tasked with a choice between finding a way or walking away, I say we can and must do more, the rapper wrote. We cannot afford to live in a prolonged state of grief, but must remember that we have no choice but to dust ourselves off, wipe off our wounds and move beyond this barren state of shock.

This letter is one in a series that T.I. plans to publish. Others will address Trump and America as a whole, the Times reports.

My first purpose is to communicate and share my thoughts and try to be a voice for the people who may be thinking of something to say but, for some reason, may not be able to say it or not have the platform to say it, he told the publication. Using my platform to be a voice for those who cant speak for themselves.

In addition to these letters, T.I. recently released an EP titled Us or Else: Letter to the System, a record he previously told Billboard he felt compelled to make after Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were killed by police officers within a day of each other this past July.

They compelled me to do something  and I didnt know what something was, he said. It was everything from protesting to meeting with the people who I know experienced similar times in history and formulated plans that contributed to the progression of the people. If Im doing that during the day or that night, Im gonna be in the studio, so, quite naturally, it just happened.

T.I. further stressed the importance of taking action in his letter to Obama, where he wrote, we will continue to remain committed to causes that are bigger than ourselves. We will continue to remind ourselves that, Yes, We still can! he concluded, referencing Obamas 2008 campaign slogan.

Read T.I.s full letter here.
Coby Entihar, 14, and his friends werent expecting to save a mans life while they were out shoveling snow in Colorado on Thursday.

Entihar and his brother, Jerry, and their two friends, Rebecca and Marcello, had been out shoveling for the day to make some quick cash when the 14-year-old approached a door and heard something unexpected.

Read: Meet the Mom Who Hiked for 30 Hours in Freezing Temperatures to Save Family in 'Christmas Miracle'

It was the last house we were going to do so I got up and went to the door. I heard someone yelling but it was faint. He told me to come in and break the door down and help, Entihar told InsideEdition.com. I ran back to the truck. My brother called 911.

Entihar said he started asking the man questions and talking to him through the door until an ambulance arrived.

I wanted to make sure he stayed awake. He said he had fallen and been on the ground for 6 days. He looked very pale. He didnt look good at all, Entihar said. I just went into adrenaline mode and I needed to help him.

Once the ambulance arrived EMTs loaded the man on a stretcher, but if it hadnt been for the teens, the man may have been lying there for much longer.

You could clearly see he was in pain, Zach Hill of the LaSalle Fire Department told WUSA.This gentleman had been there for, we're not sure how long, and we don't know how long he would've been there had they not knocked on the door so they had a huge part in getting him help.

First responders rushed the man to the hospital.

Read: Woman Severely Injured After Being Hit By Truck and Plow While Walking to Gym

Entihar and his friends said they then shoveled the man's driveway.

"We wanted to make sure he came back to a clean driveway," Entihar said.

Police confirmed that they did get a call but its unclear how man the elderly man is doing.

Story continues

Watch: Man Is Hailed A Hero For Rescuing Stranded Skier Caught Hanging Off Chairlift

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Thousands of toy eggs washed up on a German beach and the pictures are intense

What could be more enchanting and colorful than a thousand plastic round eggs washing up on to a German shore? Well, probably a lot of things, but a thousand colored plastic eggs washing up this week on the North sea coast on the island of Langeoog and its really a sight to be seen. Each little toy, lining the sand on the beach were greeted by tons of curious German children.

Reports say that police suspect the toy eggs came from a freighter that lost part of its cargo during an intense storm, according to NPR. Now, the eggs have been collected by the residents of Langeoog and everyone seems to be intrigued.



Of course with the happiness of the gifts also come the reality of the trash that washed up on their shoreline. Mayor Uwe Garrels told the Associated Press, At first I thought this was a wonder, because everything was so colorful and so on, but then we realized that this is a huge mess in the end. 

However, giving the grey landscape a little bit of hue was something more personable in each little tiny egg: a special little toy, probably similar to the once semi-banned Kinder eggs. The toys in each of the eggs contained assembly instructions and must to the surprise of everyone, the text was written in Russian and unreadable by the German children. Nevertheless, the mayor, allowed the kindergartners to skip out on school to pick up the toys along the shore. In an interview with NPR, Garrels said, The surprise eggs have found their way to freedom.

Oh, to be a little toy egg.
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, an influential figure in Iranian politics who served as president from 1989 to 1997, has died. He was 82.

Officials continue to investigate the deadly shooting at an airport in Florida that left five travelers dead and six others wounded Friday. Esteban Santiago, a 26-year-old Iraq war veteran, was charged Saturday with three felony crimes and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Were live-blogging the news stories of the day below. All updates are in Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5).

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Tommy Dewey says technology has changed romance  and not always for the better.

I think you can sustain a relationship at a certain volume, so to speak, for a long time just by texting, the costar of Hulus romantic comedy Casual told reporters Saturday at the Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour in Pasadena.

You can be like, Hey, love to see you soon, for like two years, Dewey, formerly of The Mindy Project and CWs The Mountain, added. And its still quasi-romantic. Whereas prior to texting, you had to pick up the phone and have a real human conversation, which is gonna go one way or the other much quicker. So you can kind of keep someone parked at 6 ad infinitum.

Also Read: Emmy Contender and 'SNL' Alum Michaela Watkins on Going Dark in 'Casual': 'It's Tragic' (Video)

A pause, then Dewey asked the crowd in the ballroom: Anyone excited to date me?

Michaela Watkins, who stars in Casual as struggling divorcee Valerie, agreed that technology has made relationships cold, chilly and disaffected.

This show is very relevant  in that way, the 45 year-old former SNL star added. Anybody whos gone to CES in Vegas this week, its very chilly and technical and cold, adding that the characters in Casual are trying to understand what intimacy is.

Nyasha Hatendi, who plays Leon on the show, chimed in to agree.

This brought an objection from 23-year-old Tara Lynne Barr, who plays Watkins daughter Laura on the show. Can I just defend my generation here? she said, to laughter from the crowd. With texting and social media, its cool to be deliberate when you connect with another person.

Casual will be headed into its third season in May on Hulu.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Vincent Kartheiser Joins Hulu's 'Casual'

Jason Reitman's 'Casual' Renewed by Hulu for Season 2

Jason Reitman, 'Casual' Creator Share Real Life Story Behind New Hulu Comedy
Milan (AFP) - Torino have rejected a bid from Arsenal for Italy striker Andrea Belotti believed to be in the region of 65 million euros (55m), the Serie A side said on Sunday.

With 13 goals in 16 appearances in only his second season in Serie A, Belotti -- who celebrates his goals by mimicking a rooster's comb with an open hand to his forehead -- has emerged as the most exciting homegrown striker in Italy in years.

Known as "Il Gallo" (The Rooster), Belotti has reportedly also been watched by Manchester United, prompting Torino president Urbano Cairo to slap on a 100m-euro buy-out clause for clubs outside Italy when he tied the 22-year-old front man to a new deal until 2021 last month.

Arsenal, Torino said, tabled an offer for Belotti in recent weeks only to be told it was far below their asking price.

When asked specifically about an offer from Arsenal, Torino sporting director Gianluca Petrachi told Sky Sport: "Yes, we received the offer but it didn't reflect the true value of the player.

"In any case, he's not going anywhere for the moment. We'll see what happens in the future but we intend on keeping Belotti.

"The (club) president included this significant buy-out clause. I think hes worth more than they have offered."
At least seven police officers were injured when a truck driver rammed police lines at a demonstration over rising gas prices in the Baja California city of Rosarito.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto took to Twitter to condemn the violence at the Rosarito protest. Journalist Eligio Hernandez captured footage of the yellow pickup truck crashing into officers guarding a Pemex facility and later clashes between police and protesters that resulted in more than 40 arrests, according to Mexican news website Animal Politico.

Protesters were blockading Mexicos state-owned oil company Pemexs refinery in Rosarito as part of a week of nationwide demonstrations over the Mexican governments decision to increase the price of gasoline by 20 percent on January 1. NBC San Diego reported that the protests and blockades had led to fuel shortages in Baja California and some Mexican drivers crossing the border to refuel. Credit: Facebook/Eligio Hernandez via Storyful
(Adds McConnell, Obama on Russian efforts to sway election)

By Toni Clarke and Dustin Volz

WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump accepts the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia engaged in cyber attacks during the U.S. presidential election and may take action in response, his incoming chief of staff said on Sunday.

Reince Priebus said Trump believed Russia was behind the intrusions into the Democratic Party organizations, although Priebus did not clarify whether the president-elect agreed that the hacks were directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"He accepts the fact that this particular case was entities in Russia, so that's not the issue," Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday."

It was the first acknowledgment from a senior member of the Republican president-elect's team that Trump had accepted that Russia directed the hacking and subsequent disclosure of Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential election.

Trump had rebuffed allegations that Russia was behind the hacks or was trying to help him win, saying the intrusions could have been carried out by China or a 400-pound hacker on his bed.

With less than two weeks until his Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump has come under increasing pressure from fellow Republicans to accept intelligence community findings on Russian hacking and other attempts by Moscow to influence the Nov. 8 election. A crucial test of Republican support for Trump comes this week with the first confirmation hearings for his Cabinet picks.

A U.S. intelligence report last week said Putin directed a sophisticated influence campaign including cyber attacks to denigrate Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and support Trump.

The report, commissioned by Democratic President Barack Obama in December, concluded vote tallies were not affected by Russian interference, but did not assess whether it influenced the outcome of the vote in other ways.

'ACTION MAY BE TAKEN'

Story continues

After receiving a briefing on Friday from leaders of the U.S. intelligence agencies, Trump did not refer specifically to Russia's role in the presidential campaign.

In a statement, he acknowledged that "Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organizations including the Democrat(ic) National Committee."

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer told Reuters the president-elect's conclusions remained the same and that Priebus' comments were in line with Friday's statement.

Priebus, the former Republican National Committee chairman Trump tapped as White House chief of staff, said Trump planned to order the intelligence community to make recommendations as to what should be done. "Action may be taken," he said, adding there was nothing wrong with trying to have a good relationship with Russia and other countries.

Republican lawmakers pushed back on Sunday on the strategy of cozying up to Putin.

Two senior Republican senators urged Trump to punish Russia in response to U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that Putin personally directed efforts aimed at influencing the election.

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain said evidence was conclusive that Putin sought to influence the election - a point that Trump has refuted.

"In a couple weeks, Donald Trump will be the defender of the free world and democracy," Graham said. "You should let everybody know in America, Republicans and Democrats, that you're going to make Russia pay a price for trying to interfere."

On Saturday, Trump wrote on Twitter that having a better relationship with Russia was a "good thing."

U.S. Representative Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said three U.S. presidents had tried and failed to be friends with Putin.

"I'm just not sure it's possible," Nunes said on the "Fox News Sunday" program. "I've cautioned his administration to be careful with Putin, as he remains a bad actor."

The ranking Democrat on the committee, Adam Schiff, said it was alarming to Democrats and Republicans to hear the president-elect continue to speak in terms of "making nice" with Putin.

"It's not realistic and we need to be clear-eyed and sober about just what the Russians are about," Schiff said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed it was not unusual for a new president to want to get along with the Russians. He added on CBS, however, that the Russians remained a "big adversary, and they demonstrated it by trying to mess around in our election."

Obama, who himself tried to "reset" relations with Russia after he took office in 2009, told NBC he did not think he had underestimated the Russian president.

"But I think that I underestimated the degree to which, in this new information age, it is possible for misinformation for cyber hacking and so forth to have an impact on our open societies, our open systems, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways that I think are accelerating," he said in an interview with "Meet the Press" broadcast on Sunday.

(Additional reporting and writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Caren Bohan and Peter Cooney)
Washington (AFP) - President-elect Donald Trump's transition team on Sunday doubled down on its claim that Democrats allowed their email accounts to be hacked, dismissing an intelligence report on Russian meddling in the US presidential election.

The comments come two days after the Republican president-elect met the country's leading intelligence agency chiefs, who told him that Russian President Vladimir Putin directed a vast cyberattack and leaking campaign aimed at helping install him in the White House.

Although Trump accepted the possibility that Moscow was involved in hacking US targets including the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the president-elect has held fast to his rejection of the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered in the election, and has called the accusations part of a "political witch-hunt" against him.

Trump's senior aide Kellyanne Conway repeated that line on Sunday, telling CNN that "any attempt, any aspiration to influence our elections failed."

"They were not successful in doing that, and it's a very important point," she said of the Russians, blaming Democrats instead for allowing their accounts to be hacked.

"We're talking about this because we had embarrassing leaks from the DNC e-mails," she said. "There were no fireworks in that report because there was no firewall at the DNC."

Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton lost the election "all on her own," Conway added.

"We didn't need WikiLeaks to convince the American people they didn't like her, didn't trust her or find her to be honest," she said of the website that posted the documents.

Conway also repeated Trump's accusation that the White House leaked information about the intelligence before it was shared with Trump on Friday.

"You can't have people in positions of keeping us all safe and knowing classified information or intelligence information, we can't have them leaking to the media," she said.

Story continues

"That should really infuriate Americans today, that people who possess this information are sending it to the media ahead of the president-elect receiving the information."

Trump has made repeated calls to improve relations with Moscow. "Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing," he tweeted on Saturday. "Only 'stupid' people, or fools, would think that it is bad!"

Asked whether that meant Trump would not take action against Russia for hacking, White House chief of staff-designate Reince Priebus told Fox News on Sunday that the president-elect would order the intelligence community to make "recommendations."

"The recommendations will be discussed and actions may be taken," he said. "But I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to have a good relationship with Russia and other countries around the world."
reince priebus

President-elect Donald Trump's incoming chief of staff on Sunday accepted that Russia was behind last year's hacking and leaking of internal emails from top officials at the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign.

In an interview on "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace, Reince Priebus said Trump "accepts the fact that this particular case was entities in Russia" but argued that the DNC should be criticized for the way it handled cybersecurity threats.

"I think he accepts the findings, Chris," Priebus said of Trump. "But here's the thing that everyone needs to understand. When this whole thing started, it started from the Russians 50 years ago. In other words, this is something that's been going on in our elections for many, many years. The Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians  it happens, every election period."

He added: "It started way back in 2015 before either nominee of either party was chosen. And it started, and this is declassified, as a spear-phishing expedition. It just so happens that the DNC had nearly no defenses on their system. And when they were warned multiple times by the FBI, they didn't respond."

Wallace repeatedly pushed Priebus to clarify his position, asking whether Trump still dismissed reports from US intelligence agencies that Russia attempted to tip the scales in Trump's favor.

Priebus said Trump was "not denying that entities in Russia were behind this particular hacking campaign."

"The primary actor is the foreign entity that's perpetrating the crime to begin with  I'm not denying it," Priebus said.

When asked to specify who the foreign actor was, Priebus responded bluntly.

"Russia," he said.

Trump for months has been reluctant to say Russia was the source of the hacks, as US intelligence officials have determined.

Even following a high-profile intelligence meeting on the subject Friday, Trump still hedged his response.

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"While Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organizations including the Democrat National Committee, there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines," Trump said in a statement.

Not everyone in Trump's inner circle was willing to directly acknowledge that Russia was the primary actor behind the cyberintrusions.

Asked whether she believed Russia was behind the hacks, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Sunday that "Russia, China, and others" attempted to infiltrate networks of top American political organizations.

Watch part of the interview below:

NOW WATCH: Take a look inside the executive residence of the White House where the Obamas have lived for the last 8 years





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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A U.S. consular official in the Mexican city of Guadalajara was shot by a gunman but was in stable condition, Mexican authorities said on Saturday, prompting the FBI to offer a reward for information. The victim was attacked on Friday evening in Mexico's second largest city, in the often violent western state of Jalisco, according to Mexico's Attorney General and the U.S. embassy. The official was shot in the chest, said a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. A Mexican security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the victim was named Christopher Ashcraft. The embassy said that it is working closely with Mexican law enforcement on the matter. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of $20,000 for information that helps to identify the shooter. "The safety and security of our employees overseas is among our highest priorities," said an embassy spokesperson who declined to be identified. A video posted online by the consulate in Guadalajara shows the shooter appearing to wait for the official's car to pull up to a car park barrier before shooting directly at the driver and running away. Jalisco is one of the engines of the Mexican economy, but the state's southern border turned into a battleground between rival drug cartels - the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNG) and the Michoacan-based Knights Templar. In May, 2015 JNG gunmen shot down an army helicopter in southwestern Jalisco, claiming the lives of six military personnel. (Reporting by Dave Graham and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Mary Milliken and Himani Sarkar)
KABUL (Reuters) - About 300 U.S. Marines will be sent to Afghanistan's Helmand province to assist Afghan security forces battling Taliban insurgents in intelligence and logistics matters, the unit's commander said over the weekend. The deployment to Helmand will be the Marines' first to the southern province since they left in 2014 as the U.S. declared an end to its combat mission. Since then, Afghan security forces, still backed by Washington in the form of air strikes and hundreds of advisors, have struggled to contain the Taliban advance in Helmand. Brigadier General Roger Turner told reporters on a conference call that the deployment would be part of a regular rotation to replace a U.S. Army unit already training and advising Afghan troops in the province. And although the 300 Marines would mostly be experienced and senior officers who will work on intelligence, logistics, and administration, Turner said they were braced for a dangerous mission. "We're viewing this as a high-risk mission...We're not in any way viewing this as a noncombat mission, or something to take lightly." Tens of thousands of Marines fought fierce battles against the Taliban in Helmand over five years. Nearly 1,000 coalition troops have been killed there since the U.S.-led military intervention in 2001, more than in any other province. In the last two years the Taliban have captured areas that were the site of some of the deadliest battles for the Marines, including Sangin, Marjah and Nowzad, and for much of 2016 they have threatened to take the provincial capital Lashkar Gah. In a statement posted online, Taliban officials ridiculed the Marines' deployment as one of the "final failed efforts" by outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama to stem the violence in Afghanistan. In recent months the U.S. military has also announced rotations of roughly 3,000 Army soldiers to Afghanistan, where about 8,400 American troops conduct both advising missions, as well as "counter terrorism" operations against groups like Islamic State and al Qaeda. A small number of Marines are already in Afghanistan, including around 60 who help to secure the huge air base at Bagram. (Writing by Josh Smith)
London (AFP) - Prime Minister Theresa May insisted on Sunday that Britain will have "control over our borders" after Brexit, suggesting she would be prepared to quit Europe's trading zone to achieve it.

"The referendum vote was a vote for us to... bring control into our immigration system. I'm clear that is part of what we need to deliver," she told Sky News in an interview.

"We will be able to have control over our borders, of our laws."

German leader Angela Merkel has warned Britain will not be able to remain in the EU's single market while "cherry picking" the terms -- including over the free movement of labour.

May on Sunday appeared to suggest she would be willing to quit the trade zone.

"Often people talk in terms of, somehow we're leaving the EU but we still want to keep bits of membership of the EU," she said.

"We're leaving, we're coming out, we're not going to be a member of the EU any longer."

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Sunday said the prospect of a second independence referendum for her nation was not mere bluster if Britain left the single market.

"They will be making a big mistake if they think I am in any way bluffing," she told BBC's Andrew Marr show.

The vote would "give Scotland the opportunity to decide whether it wants to be driven off a hard Brexit cliff by right-wing Tory Brexiteers or whether it wants to take control of its own future," she added.

Experts say a so-called "hard Brexit" would mean Britain withdrawing entirely from Europe's single market and negotiating new trade arrangements in order to impose strict immigration controls.

May has come under increasing pressure to reveal more detailed plans about her Brexit strategy, and promised to do so during a series of speeches in "the coming weeks".

- 'Not muddled at all' -

"When people voted in the referendum on the 23rd of June, they voted to leave the European Union, but they also voted for change and this year, 2017, is the year in which we start to make that happen," she told Sky News.

Story continues

The prime minister, who took power after David Cameron resigned in the wake of the Brexit vote, stressed that Britain could still secure favourable access for businesses trading within the EU, although critics warn that negotiations will be fraught and complex.

"We will be working to get the best possible deal in the trading relationship with the EU," May said.

She also rejected last week's parting shot delivered by Ivan Rogers, Britain's outgoing top EU ambassador, that the government does not have a clear plan.

May said her "thinking on this isn't muddled at all" and accused the previous administration of not preparing a strategy in case of Brexit.

May has promised to activate Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, triggering a two-year period in which Britain will negotiate its departure from the EU, by the end of March.

If no deal is reached, Britain will automatically leave the EU's institutions, with reciprocal tariffs likely placed on businesses in the UK and the EU.

May is due to visit incoming US president Donald Trump in the spring, telling Sky News she was "optimistic and positive" about the future relationship between the two nations.

She also branded Trump's widely-publicised obscene comments about women "unacceptable" but said he had apologised for them.
London (AFP) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson flew to the United States on Sunday for talks with Donald Trump's advisers as London looks to map out the future of its key alliance under the new presidency.

The trip follows Thursday's announcement that British Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Trump this spring following his inauguration as US president on January 20.

Both visits follow a preparatory trip by May's joint chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill last month following Trump's shock victory in November's election.

"Following the successful meeting last month between the Prime Minister's Chiefs of Staff and President-elect Donald Trump's team, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is undertaking a short visit to the US for meetings with close advisers to the President-elect and senior Congressional leaders," a foreign ministry spokesman said.

"The discussions will be focused on UK-US relations and other foreign policy matters."

Johnson is expected to meet Trump's son-in-law and key adviser, Jared Kushner, and incoming White House chief of strategy Steve Bannon in New York.

Britain is on the lookout for trade deals following its June 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, although the relationship between Trump and the UK has not been entirely smooth so far.

Trump has riled London by choosing to ally himself with Nigel Farage -- a key anti-EU campaigner and thorn in the side of May's Conservative government.

Farage was the first British politician to meet Trump after his election and the president-elect has since said Farage would make a good ambassador to the US, a suggestion rejected by Downing Street.

There was also surprise that May waited more than 24 hours after the US election before receiving a phone call from Trump, deemed an unusual length of time by commentators.

During the call the pair reaffirmed the "very special" relationship between the two countries, May's office said at the time.
Sony might have pulled the release date for Uncharted, but fans dont need to fret: Screenwriter Joe Carnahan posted an update on the video game adaptation to social media with a photo of the now-completed script.

Done and Dusted. Now the REAL work begins, he wrote on Instagram. If theres a more monstrously cool action script in Hollywood right now, I wanna read it, cuz this thing is a BEAST.

Amy Hennig, who co-created the Uncharted games, congratulated Carnahan on the milestone. Thanks, Amy!! Hope it makes you proud, he replied.

Thanks, Amy!! Hope it makes you proud! https://t.co/Dd86iy14Um  Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) January 8, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Plans for an adaptation of the acclaimed PlayStation adventure game hit a number of snags on its quest to the silver screen, but Shawn Levy is on board to direct and remains confident in the propertys cinematic potential. The filmmaker confirmed during a November interview with Collider that Uncharted will be his next project and is expected to begin production this year.

I am not messing around, he said. I am so committed to this thing and Im in it on the script level with Joe Carnahan, who knows what hes doing; thats been a really frickin fun collaboration.

In the Uncharted franchise, gamers play as Nathan Drake  more of a wise-cracking tomb raider than Indiana Jones  who embarks on various adventures that involve dodging mercenaries, militia, and billionaire treasure seekers in pursuit of the worlds wonders. The latest installment, Uncharted 4, saw Drake teaming up with his long-lost brother to hunt for mythic pirate treasure.

The film was scheduled for release on June 30, 2017, but the studio hasnt announced a new date.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  The United States will send some 300 Marines to Afghanistan's southern Helmand province to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces, who have been struggling to drive Taliban insurgents out of the opium-rich region.

U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, a spokesman for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, said the Marines will begin deploying this year and will remain in the province for nine months, where they will work with the Afghan army and militarized national police.

"The Marine Corps has a long operational history in Afghanistan, particularly in Helmand Province. Advising and assisting Afghan defense and security forces will assist in preserving gains made together with the Afghans," he said.

The U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014, but thousands of troops remain in the country, where they train and assist Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations.

The Taliban are battling Afghan forces on a number of fronts, and the fighting has been particularly intense in Helmand, where the insurgents have repeatedly assaulted the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, in recent months.

Helmand is the main source of poppies for Afghanistan's thriving opium trade, which is worth an estimated $4 billion a year, much of which funds the insurgency. Provincial officials estimate the Taliban controls 85 percent of the province, up from just 20 percent a year ago.

In northern Afghanistan, meanwhile, a roadside bomb killed two police officers and wounded another three, according to Sakhi Dad Haidari, head of the Badakhshan province's criminal investigation department. The Taliban claimed the attack.

Over the past week, Afghan forces have been carrying out clearing operations in different parts of the province. Haidari said around a dozen insurgents have been killed and wounded.
New York (AFP) - The US oil industry is feeling guarded optimism going into 2017 as it pivots from a brutal two-year slump prompted by crashing crude prices.

As the new year kicks off, industry insiders describe a tentative recovery, with some low-cost drilling basins starting to pick up even while others remain depressed.

The downturn, among the worst since the 1973 Arab oil embargo, led to bankruptcies, layoffs of hundreds of thousands of workers and a significant pause on the American shale boom.

Energy producers have been cheered by the election of Republican Donald Trump, whose cabinet picks include oil industry allies like climate-change skeptic Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency and ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.

"Operators are still being guarded with their money," said Jason McFarland, president of the International Association of Drilling Contractors in Houston.

"But certainly we're seeing a loosening of the grip on investments as the price of oil rises."

- OPEC cuts in question -

Even more important, sentiment got a boost from the November 30 agreement by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut production to address a supply glut that had threatened to push oil prices back to multi-year lows.

After the OPEC deal, "it is meaningfully different in sentiment," said David Pursell, a managing director at the Houston energy investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.

"Before November 30, this was like the Bataan Death March," he said, referring to the grim outlook in the industry.

Now, "People are cautiously optimistic, which is light years from where we were eight weeks ago."

US oil prices, which tumbled to close to $25 a barrel a year ago, closed at $53.99 a barrel on Friday.

Part of the industry's hesitancy is due to skepticism about whether OPEC members and countries outside the cartel, such as Russia, will actually comply with the agreed production cuts.

Story continues

And if the cuts are implemented, there remains the question of what will happen if the agreement is not renewed after its six-month duration.

OPEC appears to be signaling that "high-cost producers should not take for granted that they will receive a free ride to higher production," the International Energy Agency said in a report last month.

"These high-cost producers, who assume that the cuts at the very least guarantee a floor under prices, might think twice before taking the risk of sanctioning new investments."

- US shale comeback? -

Other unknowns that will affect the market include the path of US consumption in the expected fast-growth Trump era; whether Indian demand will stay high; and how the ever-evolving Chinese economy will affect its thirst for petroleum.

Shale is another question mark. The US is expected to see capital investment recover more quickly than other countries that have long-term oil investment cycles.

The rise of American shale production, made possible by technological leaps in drilling and resource recovery, lifted US production to multi-decade highs in 2015 of about 9.6 million barrels per day (bpd), a remarkable 80 percent higher than in 2010.

But that momentum came to a screeching halt amid the industry downturn, and US production fell back to 8.6 million bpd in September 2016.

Recent higher prices have seen that figure creep back up to 8.8 million bpd, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration.

How fast the industry can recover is uncertain.

"We don't have much experience in terms of looking at projects like this in terms of their rapid recovery because we have never really been there before," said Neil Atkinson, head of the oil market division at the IEA.

"The question is how quickly can it respond if people believe higher prices are here to stay," he said about the prospects for increased production. "We don't yet know."

Early indications show a big jump in the rig count in the Permian Basin in West Texas compared with a year ago: the count currently stands at 267 rigs, up from 209 a year ago, according to figures from Baker Hughes.

Each new rig directly employs about 20 people and supports dozens of other workers in related services, IADC's McFarland said.

But activity remains well below year-ago levels in the Eagle Ford Shale region, which crosses much of Texas, and in North Dakota, home to the Bakken Shale. Both were hot growth areas prior to the downturn.

The Permian is appealing because it is low-cost and close to pipelines and other key infrastructure, said Jesse Thompson, a business economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas based in Houston.

"You're hearing about some hiring," Thompson said. "We know the trend of the employment in the industry is turning, there are still some people getting laid off. There are still companies in financial distress.

"This is a transition period."
Washington (AFP) - US Senator Ted Cruz met on Sunday with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen, despite objections from Chinese diplomats.

The Republican from Texas, who lost in the US primary elections to President-elect Donald Trump, said in a statement that the two discussed arms sales, diplomatic exchanges and economic relations during the meeting in Houston.

"Furthering economic cooperation between our two nations must be a priority; increased access to Taiwanese markets will benefit Texas farmers, ranchers and small business owners alike," Cruz said in a statement.

Cruz went through with the meeting despite Chinese opposition: "Shortly before our meeting, the Houston congressional delegation received a curious letter from the Chinese consulate asking members of Congress not to meet with President Tsai, and to uphold the 'One China policy," the senator said.

"The People's Republic of China needs to understand that in America we make decisions about meeting with visitors for ourselves," the Republican continued.

"The Chinese do not give us veto power over those with whom they meet. We will continue to meet with anyone, including the Taiwanese, as we see fit."

The Taiwanese president was transiting in Houston this weekend en route to Central America, and is slated to return to Taipei after a stopover in San Francisco next weekend.

Beijing has asked Washington to bar Tsai from flying through US airspace.

A phone call between Trump and Tsai in December, after the Republican businessman won the presidency, upended decades of diplomatic precedent in which Washington has effectively ignored Taipei in favor of Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold.

Trump himself appeared to have ruled out meeting Tsai this trip, saying it is "a little bit inappropriate" to meet anybody until he takes office January 20.
Holy abs!

This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown gave fans an intimate look inside his preparations for the Golden Globes on Sunday, posting several behind-the-scenes videos to his Instagram account throughout the afternoon.

PHOTOS: See the Stars' Best Red-Carpet Looks at the Golden Globes

A Golden Globe nominee for his sterling performance in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Brown kicked things off with an adorable video of his closet, which he admits is filled with new suits he's had to purchase over the year that he can only wear once.

"I'm like a woman, I have nothing to wear!" he joked, before revealing his dapper Golden Globes look: a tailored blue suit, matching socks and sunglasses.

Brown literally left nothing to the imagination, sharing a time-lapse video of himself in his boxers getting dressed as he put on his fancy new tux in the bedroom, showing off his incredibly buff body. Those arms! Those abs!

RELATED: Sterling K. Brown Reveals the Moment He Felt 'Accepted' in Hollywood

Instagram

The actor also shared video of himself playing with his two young sons, calling them his "two favorite people in the world," as they took a break during Globes prep.

Instagram

Brown and his date, wife and actress Ryan Michelle Bathe (in a shimmery, pink floor-length David Meister gown), also adorably posed for the camera.

RELATED: Sterling K. Brown Reaps the Rewards of 'American Crime Story'

Instagram

Before Brown and his wife took off for the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, where the Globes are taking place, he made sure to get one final "good luck kiss" from his youngest son.

Instagram

It's been a whirlwind 12 months for Brown, who recently signed on for Marvel's anticipated movie, Black Panther. In December, ET spoke with the actor, who recalled the first moment he felt "accepted" by Hollywood.

RELATED: Sterling K. Brown Talks Emotional Storylines on 'This Is Us': 'It's Been Strangely Therapeutic'

"When I walked up on stage at the Emmys and when people stood up, it was a really sort of emotional overwhelming moment. It was like I had been accepted," he confessed, referencing his Emmy win in September. "Like, people I'd been watching for years and appreciated their work for years, like they appreciated me. That was a cool moment."

Story continues

Watch the video below for ET's exclusive interview.

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Victoria Beckham attended London Fashion Week Men's in support of husband David Beckham's new collaboration with Kent & Curwen on Sunday.

Joined by the couple's 17-year-old son, Brooklyn, the 42-year-old fashion designer documented David's grand debut on Instagram while donning a soft, understated cream fringe sweater and matching midi skirt from her own Fall 2017 collection.

#kentandcurwen A photo posted by bb (@brooklynbeckham) on Jan 8, 2017 at 5:52am PST

Matching A photo posted by bb (@brooklynbeckham) on Jan 8, 2017 at 7:56am PST

@kentandcurwen A photo posted by bb (@brooklynbeckham) on Jan 8, 2017 at 5:23am PST

RELATED: David Beckham and Son Brooklyn Rock Matching Rings -- See the Pic!

"#kentandcurwen presentations #LFWM with @brooklynbeckham @davidbeckham," the proud fashionista captioned one shot, alongside a British flag emoji.

#kentandcurwen presentations #LFWM with @brooklynbeckham @davidbeckham  A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Jan 8, 2017 at 5:54am PST

Brooklyn, an aspiring photographer, also posted several snaps from the fashion event, posing alongside both his parents while wearing head-to-toe Kent & Curwen from his father's new collection.

RELATED: Brooklyn Beckham Announces He's Releasing a 'Unique, Authentic and Stylish' Photography Book

While David has been hard at work on his latest venture, Victoria has been gearing up for her limited-edition Spring 2017 collection for Target, set for release this April.

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Washington (AFP) - The White House on Sunday condemned "in the strongest terms" a truck attack in Jerusalem that killed four Israeli soldiers.

"Such cowardly acts can never be justified, and we call on all to send a clear and unequivocal message that terrorism must never be tolerated," said National Security Council spokesman Ned Price in a statement.

A Palestinian rammed a truck into a group of Israeli soldiers visiting a popular tourist spot in Jerusalem on Sunday, killing four and wounding 17 others, authorities there said.

The driver was also killed at the location overlooking holy sites such as the Dome of the Rock and providing one of the most spectacular views of Jerusalem.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms today's horrific terrorist attack in Jerusalem," the White House statement read.

US Vice President Joe Biden took to Twitter to denounce the incident.

"I strongly condemn today's cowardly terrorist attack in Jerusalem and pray for the victims, the wounded, and their families," Biden wrote.

A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks broke out in October 2015, but the violence had greatly subsided in recent months.
HELENA  A jail officer at the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center has pleaded not guilty to assaulting his girlfriend.

The Independent Record reports that Carl Anthony Clary entered the not guilty plea after his Tuesday arrest.

Court documents say his girlfriend reported having "reasonable apprehension of bodily injury" during an argument and said she believed the suspect was going to kill her.

Undersheriff Jason Grimmis says Clary has been placed on paid administrative leave while an investigation into the incident continues.

The 22-year-old jail officer is scheduled for another court hearing next month.
Lucknow: Despite talks of alliance with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Congress on Sunday said it was going ahead with preparations for fielding candidates in all 403 assembly seats in the state.

"We are in the process of selecting candidates for all the seats," UP PCC chief Raj Babbar said. He said all the names will be recommended to the Central Election Committee of Congress by Monday. So far candidates have been selected for the first three phases of the UP polls.

Babbar has not been in favour of any alliance with SP, though senior Congress leader and in-charge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad is not averse to such a tie-up.

Meanwhile, senior SP leader Ramgopal Yadav refused to reveal his cards, saying he had not spoken to SP president Akhilesh Yadav and was not in a position to make any comment.

Akhilesh has been saying that the SP will get majority on its own and in case of an alliance, they will get over 300 seats.

Talks of a possible alliance with Congress had hit the roadblock when Mulayam Singh Yadav ruled out a tie-up with any party and favoured only merger of parties with SP. But, with Akhilesh gaining the upper hand in the power game in Samajwadi Party, Congress seems to be moving closer to an alliance with the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh to keep Muslim-Yadav equation intact.
By Kwasi Kpodo ACCRA (Reuters) - West African leaders are still pursuing mediation to ensure a peaceful transfer of power in Gambia where President Yahya Jammeh refused to accept defeat in an election last month, Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said on Saturday. Sirleaf told reporters after a meeting among regional leaders in Ghana's capital Accra that regional bloc ECOWAS did not yet intend to deploy its standby military force in Gambia. "We are committed to a peaceful mediation and a peaceful transfer of power in the Gambia ... we will continue to pursue that for now," Sirleaf, who chairs the 15-member body, said. Asked if the regional group would deploy a standby force soon, she said "no", adding that ECOWAS was closely monitoring proceedings in Gambia's Supreme Court where Jammeh is challenging the poll result. Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said ECOWAS would hold a meeting on Monday in Abuja to discuss further steps. "There are some disturbing information the (Nigerian) president (Muhammadu Buhari) is hearing which he needs to verify and the Abuja meeting will take a final decision," he said, without elaborating. Buhari has been appointed by ECOWAS as mediator. Jammeh, a former coup leader who has ruled Gambia for 22 years, initially accepted his defeat by opposition figure Adama Barrow in the Dec. 1 election. But a week later reversed his position, vowing to hang onto power despite a wave of regional and international condemnation. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the top U.N. official in West Africa, also attended the closed-door meeting, which was the first official engagement by Ghana's new President Nana Akufo-Addo who was sworn in on Saturday. Diplomats are concerned the impasse over the poll could escalate quickly into violence. The United States warned its citizens on Saturday against visiting Gambia, whose white beaches are a draw for tourists, and told those there to considering leaving. "The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to The Gambia because of the potential for civil unrest and violence in the near future," the statement said. (Additional reporting by Felix Fnuah in Abuja; Editing by Joe Bavier, Tim Cocks and Alison Williams)
Washington (AFP) - Accusations that Russia interfered with the US presidential election by leaking hacked documents via WikiLeaks have put a fresh spotlight on the crusading website's founder Julian Assange.

A report from the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released Friday accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering the operation in which computer hackers stole Democratic Party files and fed them to WikiLeaks.

The website published the internal documents and emails over the weeks ahead of the November 8 election, embarrassing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign and arguably contributing to her defeat -- which US intelligence said was Putin's goal.

Assange, who has made a trade out of publishing purloined secrets of governments and powerful organizations and individuals, has repeatedly insisted that WikiLeaks did not receive the Democratic files from the Russian government, adding that the group publishes anything significant that it receives.

"Nothing in today's declassified ODNI report alters our conclusion that WikiLeaks's US election related source are not state parties," the group said in a Twitter statement late Friday.

Earlier in the week, Assange told Fox News the focus on WikiLeaks's source for the information was a smokescreen for what it contained, and its impact on Clinton's campaign.

"WikiLeaks published true information... The American public read that information, true information, and said, 'we don't like these people.' And then voted accordingly."

But Assange did not rule out that people acting on behalf of Moscow had handed over the documents.

The US intelligence report says Russian military intelligence relayed the material to WikiLeaks via unnamed intermediaries.

"Moscow most likely chose WikiLeaks because of its self-proclaimed reputation for authenticity," it said.

- 'Journalist', 'publisher' -

Story continues

Assange calls himself a journalist and publisher who is doing nothing illegal. Since he took refuge in Ecuador's London embassy four years ago to avoid possible extradition to the United States for espionage -- by Sweden, where he faces sexual assault charges, or by Britain -- he has also called himself a "political prisoner."

But since the organization stunned the world in 2010 by publishing hundreds of thousands of internal diplomatic communications from the US State Department leaked to it by a former US military intelligence analyst, Washington has regarded him as a dangerous menace and maintained the threat of prosecuting him, though no charges have been filed.

In 2010, US Vice President Joe Biden likened Assange to a "high-tech terrorist." And US politicians this week roundly blasted him as irresponsible and an enemy of the country.

In its first decade, WikiLeaks has clearly welcomed secret documents on nearly any matter. The first document it published in December 2006 involved Somalia, and the next year it helped expose corruption by Kenyan leader Daniel Arap Moi.

Since then releases have targeted Peru's oil industry, the Scientology group, the Syrian government, and Swiss and Icelandic banks. But they pale in volume and impact to its disclosures of US-related documents on Guantanamo, the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the Obama administration's trade treaty talks, and the Democratic Party files.

While he did not reply to AFP questions, in recent interviews Assange insisted the group does not have an anti-US bias.

"WikiLeaks is a predominantly English-speaking organization with a website predominantly in English," he told Italian newspaper La Repubblica last month. "We have published more than 800,000 documents about or referencing Russia and President Putin, so we do have quite a bit of coverage, but the majority of our publications come from Western sources, though not always."

- Clinton obsession -

But Assange has shown an extraordinary fixation on US power and Clinton.

"The US is in the business of managing an extended empire," he told Der Spiegel in a 2015 interview.

"An American mindset is being fostered and spread to the rest of the world," he said, pointing to US power in business, trade and the internet.

In February 2016 he authored a strong attack on Clinton on WikiLeaks' website.

"I have had years of experience in dealing with Hillary Clinton and have read thousands of her cables. Hillary lacks judgment and will push the United States into endless, stupid wars which spread terrorism."

And in an interview with Russia's RT television on the eve of the election -- which he still expected Clinton would win -- he described her as "someone who is eaten alive by their ambitions, tormented literally to the point where they become sick as a result of going on with their ambitions."

Nevertheless, Assange has accurately pointed out that mainstream journalistic outlets would themselves have published the Democratic Party documents, had they received them.

"In the end, I think that we have an obligation to report what we can about important people and important events. There's just no question that the email exchanges inside the Democratic Party were newsworthy," Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times, told the paper last month.
Aden (AFP) - At least 68 fighters have been killed in two days of fierce battles between Yemeni forces and Shiite Huthi rebels near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, military officials said Sunday.

Government forces launched an assault Saturday, recapturing the coastal Dhubab district, just 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Bab al-Mandab which links the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Since then at least 55 Huthis have been killed in fighting and 72 others wounded, military and medical sources said.

Clashes since Saturday have also killed 13 loyalists forces, including an army general, Brigadier-General Abdul Aziz al-Majidi, a loyalist commander, told AFP.

They said fighting was still underway Sunday as loyalist forces were trying to retake from the rebels a key military base in the Dhubab region.

Al-Omari base is located in a mountainous region that overlooks the coastal road linking Bab al-Mandab region to Dhubab, and opens the way to rebel-held Hudaida port on the Red Sea.

The Huthis, and allied fighters, on Sunday fired two ballistic missiles that were intercepted by the Saudi-led coalition that backs the Yemen government, a loyalist military source said.

Landmines planted by the rebels had slowed down the advance of government forces, military officials said.

The government and its allies in the Saudi-led coalition recaptured Bab al-Mandab strait in October 2015, pushing the Iran-backed rebels further north.

But the rebels still control nearly all of Yemen's Red Sea coast to the north, posing what the coalition says is a threat to international shipping.

In September and October, two US warships and a United Arab Emirates vessel contracted to the coalition were targeted by missile fire from rebel-held territory.

Pro-government troops seized Dhubab in early October 2015, but the rebels managed to recapture the area in February.

The Yemeni conflict has killed more than 7,000 people since the coalition's military intervention began in March 2015, according to the United Nations.

Also on Sunday, a drone likely carried out by US forces, killed a local Al-Qaeda leader in the central province of Baida, a security source said.
Apple earlier today aired a new iPhone 7 Plus ad that highlights the devices ability to take compelling photos that were previously only possible on high-end DSLR cameras. Titled Take Mine, Apples latest ad focuses on the iPhone 7 Plus ability to deliver a bokeh effect whereby the main focus of a photo remains crisp and clear while the background itself is artificially blurred. The end result is that the subject of a given photo is brought into much sharper focus.

Don't Miss: The perfect case for your Google Pixel or Pixel XL only costs $8

The ad begins with a young woman arriving in Greece and using her iPhone 7 Plus to take a Portrait Mode photo of her grandmother in a cafe. After taking a look at the shot, the grandmother cant believe her eyes and exclaims, What a great photo! Subsequently, other cafe patrons take notice and, being equally impressed, all demand that their photos to be taken as well.

Following that, the woman goes on a whirlwind tour of the village as kids and adults alike all try and convince the young woman to take even more photos with her iPhone 7 Plus. From a local mailman to a local fisherman, the ad is quirky, engaging and memorable. But more importantly, it presents viewers with a clear idea of why the iPhone 7 Plus camera might be something theyd be interested in.

Apples video description reads: Portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus helps you take great portraits by creating a depth-of-field effect that blurs backgrounds and brings faces into beautifully sharp focus. So now, taking a professional-looking portrait is as easy as snapping a photo.

Portrait Mode on the iPhone 7 Plus is certainly impressive but it doesnt appear that the feature will be migrating down to a 4.7-inch iPhone model anytime soon. According to reports from the rumor mill, Portrait Mode will remain a feature exclusive to Apples 5.5-inch iPhone 8 once Apple rolls out its revamped iPhone lineup later this year.

Story continues

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
Google collaborated with Huawei on a third party model of the Daydream View VR headset, which they announced at CES 2017.

Las Vegas -- Google gave attendees of CES 2017 a taste of how it plans to move forward with its virtual reality initiative since the tech giant released its Pixel smartphones and Daydream View VR headsets in October. Several smartphone manufacturers, including Asus and ZTE, announced at CES 2017, intentions to implement the Daydream VR protocol onto its devices.

Google also announced, alongside Huawei CEO Richard Yu at the CES 2017 keynote, that the Chinese manufacturer will release its own take on its Daydream View VR headset. The accessory will be called Huawei View and is be compatible with the Huawei Mate 9 Pro and the Huawei Mate 9 Porsche design.

Huawei View is the first third-party iteration of the Daydream View headset. Showcased at CES 2017, the headset bears a striking resemblance to the Samsung Gear VR headsets.

There are currently no price or availability details for the headset. However, Huawei also announced at CES 2017, U.S. availability of the Mate 9 smartphone, which means the Huawei View should also be coming to the U.S. The Mate 9 is Huaweis first flagship smartphone to launch in the U.S.

In addition to Daydream compatibility for the Huawei Mate 9 Pro and Mate 9 Porsche design, the new Asus ZenFone AR will launch Daydream ready. The ZTE Axon 7 will also be Daydream ready upon updating to Android 7.0 Nougat.

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Istanbul: The attacker who shot dead 39 people on New Year's night at an Istanbul nightclub has been identified as an Uzbek jihadist who belongs to the extremist Islamic State (IS) group, Turkish press reports said.

There had been confusion over the identity of the attacker  who remains on the run  with reports initially suggesting a Kyrgyz national and then a Uighur from China.

But intelligence services and anti-terror police in Istanbul have now identified the man as a 34-year-old Uzbek who is part of a Central Asian IS cell, the Hurriyet Daily and other Turkish newspapers reported.

It said he has the code name of Ebu Muhammed Horasani within the IS extremist group. There was no official confirmation of the report.

The killer slipped into the night after killing 27 foreigners and 12 Turkish nationals at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul just 75 minutes into 2017.

Despite an intense manhunt, he remains on the run, with some reports saying that he is still believed to be in Istanbul.

Turkish police had last week released images of the alleged killer, including a chilling silent video he purportedly took in central Istanbul with a selfie stick.

Uzbekistan clamped down on militant Islam after the fall of the Soviet Union under the secular rule of its long-standing leader Islam Karimov who died in 2016.

IS militants from Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as from Russia's Muslim regions of Dagestan and Chechnya are believed to have played a key role in the triple suicide bombings and gun attack at Istanbul's main airport in June.

The IS extremist group claimed the Istanbul nightclub attack, the first time it has ever clearly claimed a major attack in the country despite being blamed for several strikes including the airport bombings.
News York: US intelligence officials are convinced that Russia meddled in the presidential race. But that hasn't changed President-elect Donald Trump's call for warmer relations with Moscow.

Trump declared in a series of tweets on Saturday that "only 'stupid' people or fools" would come to a different conclusion.

"Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," he stated from Trump Tower, adding: "We have enough problems without yet another one."

Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only "stupid" people, or fools, would think that it is bad! We.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2017

American intelligence officials on Friday briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election in order to help him win the White House. An unclassified version of the report explicitly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a "clear preference" for Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton.

Trump has repeatedly sought to downplay the allegations, alarming some who see a pattern of skepticism directed at US intelligence agencies and a willingness to embrace Putin.

During the election, Trump praised the Russian strongman as a decisive leader, and argued that the two countries would benefit from a better working relationship  though attempts by the Obama administration at a "Russian reset" have proved unsuccessful.

At the same time, intelligence officials believe that Russia isn't done intruding in US politics and policymaking.

Immediately after the 8 November election, Russia began a "spear-phishing" campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting US government employees and think tanks that specialise in national security, defense and foreign policy, the unclassified version of the report said.

The report said Russian government provided hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. The website's founder, Julian Assange, has denied that it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted that the emails could have been passed through middlemen.

Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid "trolls" to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. Moreover, intelligence officials believe that Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumbprint on future elections in the United States and allied nations.

The public report was minus classified details that intelligence officials shared with President Barack Obama on Thursday.

In an interview with The Associated Press after the briefing, Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion that Russia had intruded in the election on his behalf.

Trump released a one-page statement that did not address whether Russia sought to meddle. Instead, he said, "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election" and that there "was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines."

Intelligence officials have never made that claim. And the report stated that the Department of Homeland Security did not think that the systems that were targeted or compromised by Russian actors were "involved in vote tallying."

Trump has said he will appoint a team within three months of taking office to develop a plan to "aggressively combat and stop cyber attacks."

On Saturday, he said he wanted retired Sen. Dan Coats to be national intelligence director, describing the former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee as the right person to lead the new administration's "ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm."

Coats, in a statement released by Trump's transition team, said: "There is no higher priority than keeping America safe, and I will utilize every tool at my disposal to make that happen."
SPRING GREEN  Mike and Jim Ring have remained grounded, although the muscle cars they build for millionaires feel like they can almost fly.

The brothers are treated like rock stars each November when they unveil their latest work in Las Vegas at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show, considered the World Series for their industry. Their work has been on the covers and homepages of countless magazines, and awards are commonplace.

They appeared last week on Jay Lenos Garage for the third time and will return to national television on Feb. 6 when they appear on the Battle of the Builders on the Velocity channel. Thats where theyll compete against eight other car builders and show off a 1969 Camaro they built for a Wisconsin businessman and a 1948 Cadillac that may be their most ambitious and expensive project to date.

But the Rings havent let a little fame go to their heads.

Their Ringbrothers shop along Highway 14 still repairs dings and dents on family vehicles.

The Rings are comfortable hanging out at the I-Diehl Tap in their hometown of Plain and are regulars for lunch at Shifflets Bar & Riverside Grille along the Wisconsin River.

They have spent much of their free time over the last year remodeling an old dairy barn near Barneveld into a man cave and are trying to spend as much time as they can with their father, Clete Ring, who is in his 90s and in failing health.

Deep down, their work, while profitable, is always about creating something special. Not only for their clients, who have high expectations, but also for themselves, where the standards are even greater.

The pressure is trying to build something we want to build but having the owner like it. And thats hard, said Mike Ring, 54. Our goal is to create a brand. Its not about money. Its loving what you do and having fun every day.

In reality, theyve been having fun for over 25 years while building high-powered street cars with big-ticket price tags and stunning designs.

In addition, theyve also created a parts business that generates more than $1 million in annual sales to customers around the world. The parts growth is expected to expand thanks to the addition last fall of a 6,000-square-foot building for a parts warehouse, a manufacturing facility with computer numeric control (CNC) machines that crank out parts from aluminum billet, and a clean area for the assembly of their custom-built cars.

In the last year, one client flew the Rings and their wives on a private jet out of Lone Rock to a party in northern Minnesota, returning them back to Spring Green the same night. Another provided complimentary tickets to the musical Hamilton in New York City. They were front-row seats.

But the glitz that matters most for the Rings has four wheels, turns heads and is a rolling work of art designed to be driven, not permanently stored.

A 1966 Chevrolet Recoil Chevelle built for an Ohio man was named the General Motors Best in Show at SEMA in 2014. A year later they wowed the SEMA crowd with a 1965 carbon fiber wide-body Fastback Mustang dubbed Espionage that included a supercharged 959 horsepower engine built for a Russian businessman who wanted a unique ride to drive around the streets of London.

The brothers pushed the envelope once again in 2016 with three remarkable vehicles. They included a 1965 wide-body convertible Mustang with a 5.8 liter supercharged motor and a T-56 Magnum six-speed transmission. The ride was built for Greg Avra, a Texas businessman, and designed by Gary Ragle, who interned at Mattel and Fisher Price toys and was a lead designer for Mitsubishi and Ford before opening his own design shop in Cincinnati.

The 1969 Camaro, dubbed G-Code, was commissioned by Don Atkinson, who founded Venture Machine & Tool in Onalaska in 1980. Atkinson, 69, has more than a dozen cars in his collection but selected Ringbrothers not only for the quality of their work but also for their location. Atkinson was actively involved in the cars construction, with many of the parts for the car machined at his shop, including the steering wheel that took over 270 hours to design and manufacture.

Atkinson also made weekly trips to Spring Green to check on the progress and provide input on the build that took about 4,000 hours to complete and includes a 416-cubic-inch Chevy motor modified to 1,000 horsepower by Wegner Automotive in Markesan.

Im not a three-piece suit kind of guy and they arent either, Atkinson said of the Rings. Theyre hard workers and theyre dedicated to what they do.

In early December, the car was packed up into a trailer and shipped to California for the filming of an episode of Jay Lenos Garage. Leno, a huge car buff, drove the car with Atkinson in the passengers seat before pulling over and letting Atkinson drive the car for the first time. The 26-minute show on YouTube also included a lengthy interview with the Rings and high praise from Leno.

Just look at the level of craftsmanship here, Leno said as he walked under the 3,953-pound car that had been elevated by a lift in his immaculate garage. I love the fact that it still looks like a 69 Camaro. This is just great.

But the centerpiece of the last year for the Rings has been a 1948 Cadillac built for Wes Rydell who has 68 car dealerships in 11 states and is based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Rings dont want to disclose the cost of the project but it took more than 7,000 hours to complete and used two 1948 Cadillacs, a 2015 Cadillac ATS-V with 20,000 miles and a new 2016 Cadillac ATS-V. The 2015 Cadillac was used for parts that were tested in the 1948 Cadillac and repeatedly installed and removed throughout the build. Once specifications were finalized and fittings set, parts from the 2016 Cadillac replaced the parts from the 2015 vehicle.

Wes didnt want anything messed up and the final assembly needed to look brand new, said Jim Ring, 51. Everything was perfect. Nothing was nicked, cut or scratched. The first car was basically a sacrificial car. The final assembly allowed us to make the car look absolutely perfectly brand new without any marks or anything.

The fastback coupe, called Madam V, named for Wes wife, Vivian, retains all the modern amenities of a $65,000, 2016 Cadillac, including a full-color media control center, a rear-vision camera that displays an image on what looks like a rearview mirror, rain-sensing wipers, OnStar and a 3.6-liter twin turbo engine with 464 horsepower. Additions included a carbon fiber hood that took more than 600 hours to produce, custom side-view mirrors, a roof-mounted 360-degree camera integrated into the satellite radio antenna and custom stainless steel tailpipes.

He loves these cars and loves the styling of them but he wants the reliability of a new car. So marrying those two cars together is kind of what weve done, Jim Ring said. It was a feat. A 48 Cadillac just doesnt sit over the top of a 2016 ATS-V. People think you just cut the body off and shove it over the top but you cant do it that way.

Builds this year wont be as complicated but include a 1969 Dodge Charger for a video game development executive in California and an AMC 1972 Javelin AMX for Prestone Products Corporation. Work on the Javelin, which they purchased from the original owner, began just a few days after Christmas and is a car that they were familiar with growing up in Plain, where their father ran a service station. The finished product will be unveiled at SEMA 2017.

Its tremendously high pressure what we have to come up with because youre only as good as what you come up with that year, Jim Ring said. Budgets get in the way of what we do because some years you have really good budgets and some years youre stuck to a number. This aint a hobby for us. This is how we pay the bills and put my kids through college.
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CHINA Officials in Beijing have announced a new environmental police squad to root out illegal burning, the latest government response to the widespread public anger over Chinas persistent problems with smog.

ISRAEL A Palestinian rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem yesterday, killing four people and wounding 15 others, Israeli police and rescue services said, in one of the deadliest attacks of a more than year-long campaign of violence.

NORTH KOREA marked Kim Jong Uns birthday yesterday in a decidedly low-key manner. Though the young leaders birthday is well-known throughout the country, it has yet to be celebrated with the kind of adulatory festivities that accompany the birthdays of his late grandfather and father.

INDIA forecasts its growth will slow to a three-year low even before the effects of Prime Minister Narendra Modis cash clampdown start to show. Gross domestic product will grow 7.1 percent in the year through March, the Statistics Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

PAKISTAN Police say 13 people have been killed in a head-on collision between a car and a passenger van in the eastern province of Punjab. Police official Naveed Ahmed said yesterday that the cars driver moved into the oncoming lane in an attempt to pass another vehicle and collided with a passenger van near the town of Suhawa. Ahmed said nine people were injured, some of them severely.

SAUDI ARABIA said police killed the man who planned a July attack on one of Islams holiest sites, identifying him as a former scholarship student who abandoned his studies to join the Islamic State group in Syria.

SOUTH KOREA A Buddhist monk is in critical condition after setting himself on fire to protest the countrys settlement with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves.

RUSSIA For hundreds of Muscovites, the fact that the temperature had plunged to minus-27 Celsius was no reason to avoid going for a group bicycle ride. About 500 cyclists, many equipped with fur hats and other nonstandard gear, held a ride of about eight kilometers along the Moscow River yesterday as the capital shivered through a fierce cold snap.

GERMAN federal police say that they found 19 migrants at a highway stop in Bavaria who were suffering from hypothermia after their driver disappeared and left them in the back of an unheated truck for hours. Temperatures were hovering around -20 C (-4 F).
A Chinese-born U.S. nuclear engineer has pleaded guilty to helping a state-controlled Chinese nuclear energy company build reactors in that country using U.S. technology.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Friday that 66-year-old Szuhsiung Allen Ho pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally bypass U.S. regulations on production of nuclear materials outside the United States.

Ho had dual citizenship in China, where he was employed with the China General Nuclear Power Company, and the U.S., where he was owner and president of Delaware-based Energy Technology International.

Ho faces up to 10 years in prison and a USD250,000 fine. He will be sentenced May 17 in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.

Court documents say Ho consulted with the Department of Energy and was told his work fell outside the scope of regulation.
As if it wasnt bad enough getting into a fight with the president-elect over the cost of Air Force One, Boeing Co. is facing problems from the other side of the Pacific.

Beijing is planning to step up scrutiny of U.S. companies in the event that Donald Trump flips from trash-talking the cost of presidential aircraft to taking punitive measures against Chinese exports to the U.S., people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News Friday.

Thats particularly bad news for Boeing because its Chinese business is unusually vulnerable to retaliatory action from the government. The measures could include scaling back government purchases or alternatively, investigations by tax, antitrust or anti-dumping authorities, the people said.

Just eight U.S. companies earned more than USD5 billion in revenue from China in their last fiscal year. Five of them are semiconductor and electronics companies whose products are central to Chinas high-tech manufacturing ambitions. One  Apple Inc.  is a consumer business whose demand is driven by public taste rather than government fiat, while Yum! Brands Inc. has already spun off its China arm into a separate business.

Boeing is in a different (flying) boat. Its biggest customers in the country  Air China Ltd., China Eastern Airlines Corp., and China Southern Airlines Co.  are all state-controlled. Even private carriers such as Hainan Airlines Co. know better than to go against the will of the government by ordering aircraft from a company in Beijings bad books, especially when Airbus SE is offering comparable aircraft.

Theres a catch, though. While Boeing counts highly in the ranks of Chinese revenue earned by U.S. businesses, China isnt such an important part of the planemakers order book. The 292 undelivered aircraft ordered by Chinese airlines and lessors make up just 5.5 percent of Boeings total outstanding orders  and just 4.4 percent of the total at Airbus.

Indias SpiceJet Ltd. is close to finalizing an order for 92 Boeing 737s, people familiar with the matter told Anurag Kotoky and Julie Johnsson of Bloomberg News Friday, about a third the size of China Inc.s entire outstanding order book.

Looked at in those terms, Chinas aviation sector is only a bit more important to Boeing than its biggest customers Southwest Airlines Co. and Ryanair Holdings Plc, and significantly less important to Airbus than InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., known as IndiGo, and AirAsia Bhd.

Thats somewhat cold comfort. Chinas domestic aviation market will still be the worlds biggest within 20 years, according to Boeings 2016-2035 market outlook, outstripping North America and Europe.

The relatively slender nature of Chinese carriers order books doesnt mean theres no demand pending. Rather, its a sign that the countrys airlines are holding fire until Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd., or Comac, starts producing its C919 in competition with the 737 and A320 in a few years.

In that sense, the trade war Boeing needs to fear isnt just around the corner. Its already begun. David Fickling, Bloomberg
When Glen Meier ran for sheriff in 2002, he said he was one of few people who'd stood in each corner of Valley County.

He knew the roads, the landowners and the breadth of the Hi-Line after nearly three decades working for the Montana Department of Livestock as an investigator.

I'd always admired the sheriffs that I'd worked with," Meier said. "And as I was getting to the end of my career, I thought I'd like to do that.

He ran in the election and won. Last week, Meier retired after 14 years as the Valley County Sheriff  the affable public face of county law enforcement through years of case work that was at times grim and other times peculiar.

Meier, 64, handed off his duties to his undersheriff, Vernon Buerkle, on Dec. 27, which ended 42 years in the public sector.

Meier started with the livestock department in 1975. He came to Glasgow in 1978 to work as an investigator for the area. The job gave him close knowledge of the region and its people.

He knew all of eastern Montana," said David Reinhardt, who has been a Valley County commissioner since 1998. "And he knew everyone in Valley County, so he couldnt have been better prepared.

Through Meier's tenure as sheriff, Buerkle was the undersheriff. Buerkle joined the sheriff's office after 21 years with the Glasgow Police Department. The pair oversaw the department together.

Over the years

There were some tough cases during Meier's time as sheriff.

He wasnt in office a year an there was the fatal plane crash where four people were killed, Buerkle said.

A plane crashed in southern Valley County in 2004, killing the Cut Bank pilot, his two sons and one son's fiance. It went down on New Year's Day, and the sheriff's office went out to recover the bodies during a cold winter.

In January 2008, a shooter killed a 37-year-old medical technician outside the Glasgow hospital. The event led to a town-wide lockdown as law enforcement searched for the suspect. The shooter later died in a shootout with police.

The incident brought a spotlight upon Glasgow and thrust Meier's office into the public eye.

He had a natural ability to know how to handle things, said Sherri Turner, a 29-year administrative assistant at the sheriff's office. Turner has worked under five sheriffs in Valley County.

There were oddball cases as well. Buerkle and Meier both recalled one they worked together.

Meier said during his first year in office, a couple from St. Marie called and said they were missing a safe with $54,000 inside.

Vern and I went up there and, of course, working for the state as an investigator in livestock, I was a track man, Meier said.

They eventually matched tire tracks from the scene to a pickup belonging to the suspect, Meier said. After they got permission to search his house, the suspect ran.

Days later, Meier said he couldn't sleep. So he drove up to the suspect's house. This time, he was there.

"I said, 'Jim, I got to talk to you,'" Meier said.

Meier said the suspect confessed to stealing the money, and that the loot was stashed in coffee can inside a chimney flue in Butte. So they went to Butte with the man and recovered $48,000  Meier said the suspect spent $6,000 on a ring for his girlfriend.

Months later, Meier said that the girlfriend died, leaving her assets to the safe robber.

We had a lot of strange things happen," Meier said. "When you go to work in the morning, you dont know when the sun sets where you're going to be.

Retirement

Meier's plan was to attend a retirement party on Dec. 28 and leave for vacation in Arizona the following day, but it didn't work out like that. The night before his party, he'd gone to a storage unit the night before and said he likely slipped on a wet spot.

He said he just remembered waking up on the floor. So he got up and went home.

The next day, he went to the hospital with a headache. Doctors thought he'd had a stroke, so he was flown to Billings. It turned out he'd suffered a small skull fracture.

Meier said it was good news, but the doctor told him, "Boy did you smack the back of your head."

He said of his going-away party, "They went ahead and had it."

On Friday, he was feeling much better and planned to take the Arizona trip. He said he was most proud of the detention facility that was planned and built during his tenure.

Hes the one who got it started and brought it to the commissioners," said Reinhardt. "I really have to give him quite a bit of credit for getting the new jail built.

After a seven-year process, the detention center was finished in 2011. The $3.5 million facility serves five counties in the area.

It will be with this county long after I'm gone," Meier said. "And it showed what a tremendous cooperation that the sheriff, the county attorney  all the elected officials got along and weve done some marvelous, marvelous things.
Kenneth KW Pete Jr. wanted to be a farmer when he was growing up on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, but a trip to Hawaii changed his mind.

He was working on a bachelors degree in agricultural economics from the University of Idaho when he took a course in Hawaiian culture and ecology  and became interested in growing plants in greenhouses. Pete is now employed by the Bureau of Land Management as the tribes student greenhouse manager as he works on a masters degree in environmental science.

Pete shoveled dirt Nov. 2 outside one of the three greenhouses on the Duck Valley reservation. It was just general maintenance to keep the outside, as well as the inside, of the greenhouses looking good and operating smoothly.

Pete, who graduated from Owyhee Combined School in 2009, was one of the students who helped build the first greenhouse there in 2006.

The interest KW had was fostered in that first greenhouse, said Susan Filkins, a BLM natural resource specialist.

In October, Pete and Filkins attended the Intertribal Nursery Council in Buffalo, N.Y., an annual conference open to tribal members and others who work for or with tribal agencies. They gather to share conservation information, preserve ecological knowledge and receive training. The Intertribal Nursery Councils website says it is a Forest Service-managed, tribally guided organization for advancing the interests of native peoples involved with plant production in nurseries.

Pete and Filkins gave a presentation on the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes greenhouse project.

We need more native plants on rangelands, Pete said. They are able to compete with exotics like cheatgrass.

As a graduate student, he traveled with a friend  a masters degree candidate  to Luzon in the Philippines to help indigenous people grow plants in greenhouses.

This is part of our culture, Pete said. We use sagebrush for cultural reasons.

Pete said the Shoshone-Paiute make tea from it and use it to smudge  or bless themselves  and the flowers and seed pods are edible.

Though he has traveled far from the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, he didnt want to be anywhere else Nov. 2.

I think Ill stick around here for now.

Tetona Dunlap
William E. Bill Post

October 2, 1943 - December 19, 2016

TWIN FALLS - William E. Bill Post, LTC retired, left his earthly home to join the Lord's Army on December 19, 2016 surrounded by his family at St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center, Twin Falls.

Bill was born October 2, 1943 in Cardin, Oklahoma. His parents Donald G. and June B. Post brought the family from Missouri to Twin Falls, Idaho in 1953.

Bill attended grade school in Missouri and Twin Falls, Idaho, graduating from Twin Falls High School in 1961. He attained a B.A. degree in Business Administration from the University of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1976.

Bill joined the United States Army in 1962 and had a distinguished 30 year long career. He started his career as a Buck Private, as an Infantryman. He attended Army Airborne training becoming a member of the 82nd Airborne and was also assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. He received training in a number of personal weapons courses, and tested and became a Green Beret. As a Green Beret, Bill deployed to Vietnam for his first tour in 1967. He was selected to attend Officer's Candidate School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. Bill entered Helicopter Pilot School, returning to Vietnam for his second tour as a Cobra helicopter pilot. His third tour of Vietnam was as a Huey helicopter pilot. Bill received a number of awards and citations for his service during his Vietnam deployments.

Bill's career continued with several overseas deployments to Germany and Korea. Once he reached the rank of Major, he attended General and Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He was also deployed to Desert Storm in 1991. Some of his military awards include; Army Legion of Merit, Army Commendation, Army Meritorious Service, Combat Infantry Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, and Army Aviator Badge. He completed his 30 years of active service at Fort Sam Houston Texas and retired in 1992.

Bill returned to Twin Falls, Idaho and started a second career as an over the road truck driver and continued until he retired in 2013.

Bill met Sharon Deagle in 1997 and they were married in 1998. They made their home in Twin Falls until his death.

Bill is survived by his wife, Sharon; his mother, June Post; brother, Rick Post (Christine); sister, Donna Post Webster, and his children Sean, Meagan and Colin Post all of Boise area; 4 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren. His grandson, Ryan Werth, is continuing the Post family tradition of service to their country in the United States Army as an Infantryman and Parachutist. He is also survived by his wife's family, including his mother-in-law, Lucille Deagle; brother-in-law, Steve Deagle (Christine); sister-in-law, Darlena Huber (Doug), and number of nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the medical staff at Saint Luke's Twin Falls for their professional and compassionate care of Bill and his family.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests a donation to the local VFW 2136 Henry D. Lytle Post, or People for Pets-Magic Valley Humane Society, Inc.

Services will be coordinated through Serenity Funeral Chapel at a later date (late spring or early summer) and will include full military honors. A service notice will be posted in the paper at that time. Cremation was under the direction of Serenity Funeral Chapel Life Celebration Center & Cremation Services of Idaho, Twin Falls. Condolences may be shared at www.serenityfuneralchapel.com.
Timothy Church

August 27, 1951 - January 2, 2017

PAUL  Timothy Church, age 65, of Paul, died Monday, Jan. 2, 2017, at Minidoka Memorial Hospital.

Tim was born August 27, 1951, to Donna H. Holder. He grew up in Arizona and Pennsylvania, graduating from Cedar Crest High School, in Pennsylvania.

Shortly after high school, Tim joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served for the next five years. After completing his tour with the Marine Corps, Tim joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to the armored tank division where he proudly and honorably served for the next nine years. He had such a passion and love for his company, country and family. Tim honorably retired from service after 15 years.

After leaving the military Tim returned to Idaho where he rejoined his family and began his new life as a civilian. Tim worked for the Minidoka County Detention Center for 20 years where the same pride and passion that carried him through his military career showed in his civilian career.

After retiring from Minidoka county, he spent his following years doing hobby-related activities and lovingly helping and caring for his mom. Tim's hobbies were guns, reloading, hunting, fishing, camping and riding ATV's with his best friend and brother, Bob. They shared many adventures, thrills and laughs on their excursions.

Tim was a proud father of three children and extremely proud grandpa of five grandchildren.

He is survived by his sons, Timothy Brown of Oregon and Michael Brown of Idaho; his mother Donna H. Holder of Paul; and four brothers, Michael Church of Washington, Robert Church of Rupert, Jerry Church and Donald Church of Paul.

He was preceded in death by his father, Sidney Alvey Church; and step-father, Melvin H. Holder; and an infant daughter, Misty Ann Church.

He was a quiet, loving man with a big heart and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Tuesday, January 10, at the St. Nicholas Catholic Church, 802 F St., in Rupert, with the Rev. Father Gabriel Moralez as celebrant. Recitation of the rosary will begin at 10:30 a.m. prior to the funeral Mass.

Friends may call from 6 until 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, where Tim will be honored for his military service by the Mini-Cassia Veteran's Organization.

Burial will take place at a later date in the Condon St. Joseph's Cemetery in Condon, Oregon.
Special To The Washington Post

For decades, anti-communism united conservatives behind the Republican Party. An otherwise disparate collection of national security hawks, free-market enthusiasts and social traditionalists rallied to the GOP, resolutely committed to checking Soviet influence around the world. All of these constituencies had reason to despise godless, revolution-exporting Bolsheviks. Although Russia no longer subscribes to Marxist-Leninist doctrine, it still presents a threat to the United States, its allies and the liberal world order. Witness its aggression against Ukraine, its intervention in Syria's civil war and its support for extremists across Europe.

In Donald Trump, the GOP nominated the most pro-Russian U.S. presidential candidate since Henry Wallace, whose 1948 bid on the Progressive Party ticket was largely run by communists. Throughout last year's campaign, Trump lavished praise on Russian President (and career KGB agent) Vladimir Putin, attacked NATO and encouraged the Kremlin to hack his Democratic opponent's emails. He even proposed recognizing Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula - the first violent European land grab since World War II - a move that would put the United States in the company of Cuba and North Korea. Since the election, he has openly contradicted the intelligence community's finding that Moscow tampered in our democracy, calling such claims a "political witch-hunt."

In his victory, Trump is bringing other Republicans along with him. GOP attitudes toward Russia began improving dramatically after Trump announced his candidacy: In July 2014, four months after Putin annexed Crimea, only 10 percent of Republicans held a favorable opinion of Russia's president, according to an Economist/YouGov poll. Today, that figure is 37 percent. A recent poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found that, while 65 percent of Americans support a congressional inquiry into Russian election interference, a narrow majority (51 percent ) of Republicans oppose it. And a survey released this past week by HuffPost/YouGov showed that 82 percent of Hillary Clinton voters want to maintain sanctions imposed on Moscow in response to its meddling, while only 16 percent of Trump voters do. Now that Russia has dropped its official atheism and anti-capitalism, claiming to be the protector of traditional values and Christendom, a growing number of American conservatives are receptive to Trump's Russian rapprochement.

Pro-Russian converts on the American right appear to take two forms. The opportunists simply want power and are willing to sacrifice principles in pursuit of it. The ideologues, meanwhile, see Russia as nothing worse than an occasional nuisance, if not a potential ally in the fight against Islamic extremism.

Perhaps the most prominent opportunist is former House speaker Newt Gingrich. In 1994, Gingrich included NATO expansion to Eastern Europe in his "Contract With America." Yet last summer, while rationalizing Trump's unprecedented vow not to defend NATO allies unless they "pay us," Gingrich said of tiny, vulnerable Estonia (one of the few NATO members to meet the alliance's recommended defense budget threshold) that he was "not sure I would risk a nuclear war over some place which is the suburbs of St. Petersburg." This past week, Fox News host Tucker Carlson echoed Gingrich's contempt for U.S. treaty obligations, asking Russian dissident Garry Kasparov why Carlson's military-age son should have to "defend the Baltics." (Perhaps because the sons and daughters of Baltic nations have stood with the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq?)

The need to defend Trump's victory at any cost has induced conservatives to praise a virulently anti-American anarchist, who is probably in cahoots with Russian intelligence, and whose head they once called for. When WikiLeaks' Julian Assange published emails stolen from the Clinton campaign by Russian hackers last fall, a few patriotic Republicans such as Marco Rubio said the party should ignore the blatant attempt to subvert our democracy. But most seized on the correspondence, and earlier hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee, as a political cudgel. Typical of the reaction was Fox Business host Lou Dobbs, who, after Twitter suspended an account acting as a front for Russian dissemination of the documents, decried "leftist fascism." Trump, who had suggested the "death penalty or something" for Assange in 2010 after he released secret U.S. Army logs, now sides with Assange over the U.S. "intelligence" community, as he derisively referred to it on Twitter.

That same year, Fox News host Sean Hannity spoke for most conservatives when he condemned Assange for "waging war against the U.S." On Tuesday, Hannity aired a fawning interview with the Australian in which he credulously nodded along while Assange denied that he had received the stolen Democratic documents from Russia. Former Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, whose emails WikiLeaks published in 2008, even apologized to Assange this past week for speaking ill of him at that time. And Republican Rep. Trent Franks, Ariz., told an interviewer that Russian hackers "merely did what the media should have done" in stealing and exposing Democratic Party communications. Break the law?

Though the opportunists outnumber the ideologues, it's the true believers who could pose the greatest damage to U.S. foreign policy over the long term. Their proposed strategic realignment with Moscow, predicated upon shared opposition to vaguely defined "Islamic terrorism," is seductive but wrong: Far from being a potential partner in the fight against Islamic terrorism, Russia does much to stoke it.

A representative bellwether is former American Conservative Union chairman David Keene, who, writing in the Washington Times, cast doubt on the intelligence community's assessments regarding Russian hacking and favorably quoted right-wing former Czech president Vaclav Klaus (who lost a sinecure at the libertarian Cato Institute for his pro-Putin views ) to the effect that "a nation and its leaders may be detestable without being dangerous." (Like secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson, Klaus has received a state prize from Putin.) "There are new monsters out there and we need to focus on the threats they pose rather than wishing for the return of those already slain," Keene advised, sounding like a Cold War-era leftist accusing conservatives of "red-baiting."

Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Calif., is the perfect embodiment of this ideological makeover. In the late 1980s, he was a rock-ribbed Orange County Republican speechwriter for Ronald Reagan who actually fought the Russians alongside the mujahideen in Afghanistan. Today, Rohrabacher (who praised Russian hacking as "terrific") is Capitol Hill's greatest defender of Putin, whom he portrays as an opponent of radical Islamic terrorism.

Incoming national security adviser Mike Flynn published a book last year listing Russia as a charter member in "an international alliance of evil countries." But he also infamously sat next to Putin at a 2015 Moscow gala for RT, the Kremlin's global disinformation network, a curious invitation for the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency to accept. "We have to begin to understand that this is not an East-West world, folks," he told the audience at the dinner. It's "actually more of a North-South world."

Trump's supporters in the white-nationalist alt-right also venerate Russia as a reactionary regime standing athwart a liberal, cosmopolitan West that promotes feminism and homosexuality. When I interviewed him last year, alt-right leader Richard Spencer gushed about how the "Trump-Putin understanding" presented "a vision of a white world that is not at war."

Some Republicans, such as Sens. John McCain, Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, S.C., are putting principle before party by protesting Trump's coziness with a regime that the GOP's previous nominee, Mitt Romney, rightly labeled America's "number one geopolitical foe." Yet they appear to be losing. This past week, facing pressure from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Ky., the two backed down from their bipartisan push to establish a select committee charged with investigating Russian election interference.

In an interview recorded more than 30 years ago, Russian defector Yuri Bezmenov revealed the KGB's counterintuitive approach to recruiting. "This was my instruction: Try to get into large-circulation, established conservative media. Reach . . . cynical, egocentric people who can look into your eyes with angelic expression and tell you a lie. These are the most recruit-able people, people who lack moral principles, who are either too greedy or suffer from self-importance." Say this for Bezmenov: He knew his mark.
Next to the White House, the most talked-about federal entity in my world of the 50s and 60s was the Justice Department. Few editions of the Washington Afro American newspaper or weekly Jet magazine failed to contain mention of a DOJ action in civil rights enforcement. Bring up the scourge of discrimination, and Justice was there, or so it seemed.

The Justice Departments role in promoting equal justice for all was, and remains, indispensable.

Which draws attention to President-elect Donald Trumps nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., to the position of attorney general of the United States. Confirmation hearings are scheduled for next week.

It was no small moment when NAACP protesters, led by their national president, Cornell Brooks, staged a sit-in and got arrested Tuesday at Sessionss Mobile, Alabama, office. Or when more than 1,100 professors from 170 law schools in 48 states wrote to urge the Senate to reject Sessions.

Charging that Sessions cant be trusted to be the nations chief law enforcement officer for voting rights, Brooks said, We have an attorney general nominee who does not acknowledge the reality of voter suppression while mouthing faith in the myth of voter fraud.

The army of law professors agreed.

We are convinced, they wrote, that Jeff Sessions will not fairly enforce our nations laws and promote justice and equality in the United States.

The focus of their concerns is Sessionss 1986 nomination for a federal judgeship; his rejection by the Senate due in part to his prosecution of black voting rights activists on voter fraud charges when he was a U.S. attorney in Alabama; and his alleged racially insensitive remarks during his tenure there. Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, who as a staff lawyer at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund represented the three voting-rights workers targeted by Sessions, sent a scathing letter to the Senate opposing Sessionss confirmation.

To be sure, Sessions has his defenders, led by Trump, who said his nominee is a world-class legal mind and considered a truly great attorney general and U.S. attorney in the state of Alabama.

Other supporters claim Sessions is being smeared by the left. Former George W. Bush administration deputy attorney general Larry Thompson, an African-American and good friend of Sessions for more than 30 years, said, He doesnt have a racist bone in his body.

Another defender, George Terwilliger III, who served as deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush and has known Sessions for nearly three decades, echoed Thompson: I can say unequivocally theres not a racist bone in the guys body.

But this is not about knowing whats in the mind or body of Jeff Sessions.

What should matter most are his words and deeds as a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, as attorney general of Alabama and as a U.S. senator.

Is Sessions the right person to place in charge of the central agency for enforcement of our federal laws?

If confirmed, the nation will have an attorney general who, as a senator:

- Applauded the Supreme Courts 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, which gutted key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

- Voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

- Voted yes on a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.

- Opposed the repeal of dont ask, dont tell.

- Opposed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

- Voted to ease restrictions on wiretapping of cellphones.

- Voted to abolish a program that helps businesses owned by women and minorities compete for federally funded transportation projects.

- Opposed comprehensive immigration reform and nearly every immigration bill that has come before the Senate over the past two decades, including voting against a Senate resolution affirming that the United States must not bar people from the country because of their religion.

That is the record of an individual who would have the major say in which cases the Justice Department litigated and who was recommended for federal judgeships. This would be the person who determined whether the Justice Departmentwould be driven by ideology and politics palatable to Trump or if the department would follow and uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States.

Whats more, this attorney general wouldnt be flying solo. If confirmed, Sessions will take with him a posse of new presidential appointees, including a deputy attorney general and a collection of assistant attorneys general for civil rights, criminal, national security and tax divisions, to name a few. Ninety-three U.S. attorneys and 94 U.S. marshals, many of them new, would have to call him boss.

Entrust Jeff Sessions to fairly, openly and impartially administer justice and protect the rights of all Americans?

Not if his own public record is any guide.
Special To The Washington Post

What does President-elect Donald Trump really mean when he praises Russian President Vladimir Putin? No one knows yet; perhaps Trump doesnt even know. But its curious, isnt it, that so many of his critics take his flattery to be genuine expressions of his attitude, when everything else about his speech and conduct suggests that he often does not mean what he says.

Thats not quite the same thing as saying hes a liar. If Trump is a liar, he is an unconventional one. His inventions and madcap exaggerations seem intended less to deceive than to scandalize and provoke. When he claimed in 2015, for example, that he had watched as thousands and thousands of Muslims cheered the news of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he must have known that this was an easily refutable claim. He didnt care. Asked to support his statement on ABCs This Week, he didnt cavil or lapse into an obfuscatory defense. He didnt insist, as an ordinary politician would have, that his words were taken out of context or that he meant something different from what was attributed to him. He simply reasserted the claim. It did happen. I saw it. It was on television. I saw it.

There was a lot of talk last year about the term post-truth, Oxford Dictionaries 2016 international word of the year, made popular across the Anglophone world by the Brexit referendum in Britain and the U.S. presidential election. The latter event, particularly as embodied by Trumps campaign, was said to be uniquely bereft of respect for factual truth. Well, maybe; but surely we arent prepared to say that American political culture pre-Trump was characterized by reverence for truth. Long before Trump got here, our political debates teemed with disinformation of every variety: gross hyperbole, calculated non sequiturs, culpable omissions, unfalsifiable accusations, deliberate vagueness, outright lies. It seems wrong to associate only Trump with this allegedly new era of untruth; thousands before him did their part.

What makes Trump different is not that he treats the truth with contempt. What makes him different is that he does so openly, almost gleefully, as if he has discovered the phoniness of a myth that holds everyone else in check.

That myth was a Protestant-evangelical ethic of honesty that defined American political culture from the Second Great Awakening of the 19th century to the Social Gospel of the early 20th century to the Billy Graham crusades of the 1960s and 70s. It was an effort, in one way or another, to make America a Protestant Christian society. Even in our permissive and morally pluralistic culture, the words honesty and integrity are still the most important terms in our political discourse. Almost every campaign speech and political ad will appeal somehow to the ideal of honesty; the candidates words must match his or her actions; rhetoric must match conduct.

We rarely appreciate how American this fixation on honesty is. Other political cultures are not similarly disposed. One example: No high-level married politician in the United States could get away with having an openly discussed relationship with a mistress while still living with his wife, as is frequently done in France. Such a relationship, in American terms, is living evidence that the politicians words are not always the same as his deeds. French voters accept this disjunction in their leaders; most American voters do not. Of course, plenty of American politicians have affairs, but our political culture demands that they pretend they do not and never have.

That Protestant-evangelical ethic has become brittle in recent decades. Trump is the first, or the most important among the first, to snap it. He isnt preoccupied with maintaining a reputation for integrity. He likes to be thought of as honest, but only in the sense that he will say things others wont; he isnt afraid to misstate facts or manufacture his own facts or exaggerate them a hundredfold. He will call others liars and do so with abandon, but he doesnt get too exercised about others calling him a liar. He will say one thing today and another next week, and make only the meagerest effort to pretend he didnt contradict himself. If he wants to do an about-face, he just does one.

Trump perceived, correctly in my view, that political rhetoric in the United States had become empty, a vast collection of platitudes and bogus phrases that no longer bore any real connection to the truth. Everyone else pretended to mean what they said when they didnt; Trump simply dropped the pretense. The result is a post-Christian political discourse of a distinctively American sort: blunt and self-assured and largely free of the obligation to express yourself with sincerity. The new post-Christian discourse uses words, not as vehicles to express thoughts and arguments, but as weaponsas instruments to wrong-foot adversaries and keep them guessing while you seize the advantage.

I find it hard to lament the quickening demise of the old honesty-based political culture. It had become cheap and false. If Trump hadnt snapped it, somebody else would have.
CASPER, Wyo.  They might be teaching a college class for free, but old friends Dave Park and Nick Murdock still think they're coming out ahead.

"It didn't occur to me that it was a big deal," Park, a retired Seventh Judicial District judge, said, laughing. "We thought we were getting a pretty good deal."

"I mean, we probably would pay something to have that experience," said Murdock, a Casper-based attorney who's practiced since the late 1970s.

It might sound like false modesty. But with Park and Murdock, it rings true, reported the Casper Star-Tribune. Murdock gushed about his admiration for his students, many of whom face challenges like working other jobs or raising families but still make it to class, prepared and engaged.

Park talked about how much he enjoys working with his old friend again. They teach their class, which is about politics and the judicial system, from 7 to 10 p.m. on Monday nights. Before that, the two former law partners have dinner and talk.

"We'd been friends for probably 30 or more years, and we did practice together before he went to the district court," Murdock said. "Partners and good friends."

That friendship had frayed when Park became a judge. Judges and attorneys socializing is awkward, Murdock said, so a distance bubbled between them.

Then, around 2000, Murdock's wife, Maggi Murdock, then the dean of UW-Casper, told Murdock that the course needed instructors. They jumped at the idea.

"That's exactly the way to see each other and catch up and kind of have a common endeavor that doesn't get us cross-ways with how judges and lawyers are supposed to socialize," Murdock said.

But they were both worried about conflicts of interest: Park was a sitting judge and worried about taking money from the state. Murdock's wife was a high-ranking official at the University of Wyoming who'd asked them about taking the job.

So they decided to do it for free, "rather than fiddle with any of that," Park said. It wasn't about the money anyway, they insist.

It was about socializing with each other, rebuilding a relationship between old lawyer friends who'd been split by the judge's bench. It was about teaching students, whom Murdock described as admirable and outstanding. Park, who as a judge had recent law school graduates to work with as clerks, missed having younger minds to untangle legal issues with.

Now adjunct professors, they taught the class for several years, bringing in guest speakers that ranged from state lawmakers to Wyoming Supreme Court justices. They shied away from lecturing and instead embraced a seminar-type teaching style, working to bring students into the conversation.

"We don't like to lecture; we like to get involved with students," Park explained. "'What do you think about issues like Bush v. Gore, or the ruling on gay marriage and things like that."

Then the university started using a video system, where the students gathered in a classroom in front of a video camera, and Murdock and Park taught from elsewhere.

Park quickly chafed at the limitations. The video was so grainy that it was difficult to tell how students were reacting to the material. You couldn't see facial expressions or even differentiate gender, Park said. A large part of their motivation for teaching the class was interacting with students. Their ability to do that was now limited.

"That wasn't as rewarding," he lamented.

On top of that, Murdock, who runs a civil litigation firm, was taking a number of cases to trial while also teaching another class at the university's law school.

So after more than five years of teaching, "we sort of fell out of it then," he said.

But about a year ago, Park got in touch with Murdock. What did he think about taking up that class again? The old video software was gone, replaced with a Skype-like program that would show every student's face on a large television screen, like a deck of cards spread out.

"It's like 'Hollywood Squares,'" Park added, laughing about the dated reference.

Still, they felt awkward talking to a TV. They went to Laramie over the summer for lessons on how to teach. They may have been teaching the class for free, but they were treating it like it was their livelihood.

They were ready. But changing university policies kept them in limbo, not knowing whether they'd teach, for the summer. Finally, on the day they were supposed to begin teaching, they got the green light.

So now they go to dinner every Monday night. They eat and talk and plan their lessons. They go to Murdock's downtown office, sit next to each other and look into the faces of students that they've come to admire.

But Murdock's admiration extends beyond the faces on the screen.

"Honestly, I had a great amount of excitement about teaching this class (again)," Murdock said. "I enjoy it for the students, but I also enjoy it because Judge Park is one of the most best-read people I know."

Because they're lawyers and professors, Murdock and Park place an emphasis on books. The textbook they previously used for the class ("an excellent textbook," Murdock declares) wasn't available. So the two of them bought around 30 copies to hand out to their students.

"When we saw that it cost $200 or $300 to buy a textbook, I think that made us more concerned for students in general," Murdock said. "The cost of education is pretty reasonable in Wyoming, but people don't understand that students in Wyoming still struggle."

They try to keep in touch with their former pupils. One student went to law school and worked for Park as a clerk when he was a judge. At the end of this year, after some of their students have graduated, Park and Murdock plan on getting lunch with them and catching up.

"They're just a very, very impressive group of students," Murdock said. "It truly is a privilege to have been able to associate with them and discuss the state of affairs and the history of our judicial system."
By Adam Minter

Chinas promise to shut down its commercial ivory trade by the end of the year is good news for Africas elephants. For the Chinese government, though, it creates a strange problem: What to do with its 40-ton stockpile of ivory, worth about $150 million. Although that may not sound like a lot, how China approaches that hoard may be almost as consequential for conservation as the ban on trade.

Nowhere is demand for ivory higher than in China, where its been used in handicrafts for thousands of years. Much of the trade is regulated, with the government occasionally allowing imports of seized and stockpiled ivory that is sold through a network of authorized workshops and dealers. Collectively, government and legal private stockpiles are now estimated to be worth about $600 million. Black-market supplies, which are sometimes laundered through the official system, may be much larger.

With the ban on trade imminent, though, China is left with two imperfect choices for its ivory.

One is to follow the example of several other governments: Burn it. Since the late 1980s, hundreds of tons of seized and stockpiled ivory have been incinerated or crushed worldwide, often in highly publicized events designed to get the attention of consumers, poachers and conservation groups. Despite the visceral appeal, though, 30 years of burning hasnt appreciably reduced elephant kills or ivory consumption.

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In fact, it may be worsening the problem. Since 2011, there have been at least 25 public cases of ivory destruction, yet prices and poaching have both surged. One 2015 analysis found that of the 2,600 tons of ivory that were illegally exported from Africa between 2002 and 2014, roughly 1,000 tons remains in raw form in private stockpiles, suggesting that buyers were engaged in speculation. Investors were hoarding raw tusks, betting prices would rise, according to one of the researchers.

The high-profile destruction of ivory, in other words, may well act as a marketing campaign for black-market investors hoping to sell high. When Hong Kong destroyed a huge trove of ivory in 2014, it led to an initial price spike of about 10 percent. Similar spikes have been reported elsewhere. Longer term, unless demand is reduced, destroying supply in spectacular fashion seems likely to let dealers set higher prices in an opaque marketand to give poachers a greater incentive to kill.

Those perverse incentives are starting to dawn on activists. Last year, parties to a major treaty on protecting endangered species backed off a proposal that wouldve called for destruction of stockpiles. Even major wildlife advocatessuch as the World Wildlife Fundare calling for stockpiles to be put beyond use while encouraging studies into the perverse impacts of stockpile destruction on consumer behavior.

That leaves China with a second option: Keep the legal stockpile, and maintain a studied ambiguity about its future. That might send a conflicting message when the government is otherwise trying to stand tall for elephants. But in leaving open the possibility that legal trade might resume at some point, it puts black-market traders in a bind: Their stockpiles could be devalued at any moment, making speculation far riskier. A 2000 analysis in the American Economic Review recommended a similar strategy for governments that would otherwise struggle to stem poaching. Its a particularly potent threat in China, where government policy has been known to changeor even reverse without warning.

Such an approach could be combined with public-education efforts to curb demand. A celebrity-oriented campaign against eating shark fins likely contributed to a 25-percent decline in the trade over the past decade, for instance. An effort aimed at stigmatizing ivory could produce similar results, especially if the ban on commercial trade starts to reduce its cache among casual consumers.

Although perhaps less satisfying than a high-profile bonfire, that combination is probably a better long-term bet for squeezing the speculatorsand saving the elephants.

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THE newly formed National Privacy Commission has recommended the filing of criminal charges against Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista for the massive data breach in which the personal data of millions of voters were compromised in March 2016.

The move is a pointed reminder to those entrusted with sensitive data to do all they can to safeguard the privacy of that information and to make sure it does not fall into unauthorized hands.

In what has been described as one of the worlds worst recorded data breaches of a government office, hackers gained access to 16 databases kept in the Comelec website on March 27, 2016, and made these public.

The stolen archive was full of sensitive data, including personal and passport information and fingerprint data, leaving every registered voter in the Philippines susceptible to fraud, identity theft and other risks.

The stolen information included the voter database in the Precinct Finder web application with 75.3-million records and the voter database in the Post Finder web application with 1.38-million records. Also stolen were a firearms ban database, with 896,992 personal data records and 20,485 records of firearms serial numbers, and the Comelec personnel database of 1,267 Comelec officials and employees.

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The voter database in the Precinct Finder application contained each voters complete name, date of birth, gender, civil status, address, precinct number, birthplace, disability, voter identification number, voter registration record number, reason for deletion or deactivation, registration date, and update time.

The voter database in the Post Finder application contained information on each voters verified name, date of birth, gender, civil status, post of registration, passport information, with number and expiry date, taxpayer identification number, e-mail address, mailing address, spouses name, the complete names of the voters mother and father, and the voters addresses in the Philippines and abroad, post or country of registration.

In its decision dated Dec. 28, the Commission said Bautistas willful and intentional disregard of his duties as head of agency was tantamount to gross negligence, and recommended that charges be filed against him for violations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

In his defense, Bautista sought to pass on the responsibility to others in the Comelec, including his fellow commissioners and the IT Department on which he depend ed for expert advice.

The chairman, after exercising the diligence required by law in supervising and monitoring all departments under him is not the collector, processor, and custodian of the database, Bautista said.

He added that as head of agency, he generally trusted the advice and recommendation of the Comelecs IT experts. If those experts were not found liable, why should he be held responsible, he said.

The answer to Bautistas query, however, can be found in Section 22 of the Data Privacy Act itself, which states that the head of each government agency shall be responsible for complying with the security requirements laid out in the law.

One clear sign that Bautista did not take data privacy seriously was his efforts to play down the impact of the website hacking in March 2016.

Then in June last year, Bautistas fellow commissioner called him out for failing to act with urgency on the hacking of the Comelec website.

They said Bautista declined to assume direct control and supervision of the task force created after the incident, asserting that he is constrained by his limited information technology knowledge.

In response, they pointed out that as the commissions chief executive, he is mandated to direct and supervise operations and administration of the poll body, including that of the IT Department.

The lackadaisical attitude towards complying with relevant laws fosters a suspicion of a complete abandon[ment] of the functions and duties of a head of agency. Further, even the National Privacy Commission has aired its complaint of the difficulty as well as slow pace in obtaining documents from the Commission relevant to their investigation, the commissioners wrote.

Now, Bautistas inaction seems to have caught up with him. All too late, he might finally realize that data privacy is a serious business, after all.

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JACKSON, Wyo.  Gap Pucci works with his bare hands when he's feeding and watering, no matter the temperature.

He takes a pair of leather gloves along but drops them on a hay bale or tosses them in the snow while he does tasks that demand dexterity: unlatching pens, scooping grain, scattering feed, reaching in his left pocket for a horse treat or his right pocket for a dog biscuit.

Visitors to Pucci's snug compound usually find the 81-year-old retired outfitter and author outside, using a shovel to clear his walkway and routes to various sheds, pens and corrals. He spends four to five hours a day out in the elements, even in winter, seven days a week. He spends much of the rest of his time writing his third and final memoir, reported the Jackson Hole News and Guide.

"I'm just playing in the snow," he said Dec. 15 as he stuck his shovel into a snowbank. "Trying to get things opened up a little bit."

A massive German shepherd, Nina, "little girl" in Italian, bounded up to greet people.

There's a lot of work to do providing for the dog, a goat named Valentino, six Morgan horses, 25 peacocks, some chickens, a rooster named Freddie and whatever other critters wander by in search of a meal.

"I'm gonna have to get on those roofs pretty soon," Pucci said.

He still climbs a ladder every other day to toss hay bales down off a 15-foot stack.

"My routine doesn't change much," Pucci said, opening up the shack that holds grain for the fowl and half-filling two gallon coffee cans. The building served as a washhouse back in the 1930s for Howard Ballew, the homesteader who originally lived in this little draw up Hoback Canyon. Pucci hand-hammered the horseshoes that decorate the front wall.

Pucci opened the peacock enclosure, brought in the coffee cans and latched the door behind him. As soon as he spread the grain and let himself out, a flock of birds waiting in a nearby tree beat their wings.

"See that?" Pucci said. "Those birds come in and eat with the peacocks. I feed everything. Anything that needs to eat, I feed it."

These days Pucci is a friend to the animals. He seems a lot like St. Francis of Assisi, but for nearly 40 years Pucci was known as a man who could help you kill something. Clients flocked to him from around the U.S.

The outfitter and guide spent six to eight months a year in the Gros Ventre Wilderness, taking clients on pack trips, adventures and hunts. He retired in 2008.

"I used to ride 800 to 1,000 miles a year," Pucci said, watching his horses sprint by the fence. "I don't need to do that anymore. But I miss it."

He invites his visitors inside the log homestead, past wooden skis given to him by Dr. Don MacLeod.

Inside the cabin there are 10,000 or more things to discuss, including the fact that Freddie gets to live inside each winter after nearly freezing to death a couple years ago. The rooster serves as a live alarm clock that won't snooze until he gets a handful of lettuce.

The first thing Pucci wants to talk about is his saddle. He doesn't like to even go in the tack shed anymore, he said: "It's like seeing a ghost."

Back in November, though, Pucci decided to bring his weathered saddle down to the house for some reminiscing. He reckons he put 30,000 to 40,000 miles on that saddle, wearing out the sheepskin until he had to have it relined.

He rummaged through a saddlebag, announcing each item and its purpose.

"Got some rawhide in here, need to fix a bridle or something you'll need that. A little water cup. You always want to carry fire: a little Sterno. I don't smoke. But I never travel without a lighter. Fire will keep you alive. Toilet paper."

At last he found what he was searching for, the mystery item. Eight years ago it was a fist-size navel orange that he shoved in the saddlebag on one of his last rides. He showed off the science experiment with wonder and delight. It had turned greenish-black and shriveled to the size of a clementine.

"I never carried a water bottle," Pucci said. "I knew where all the springs were. But I always had an orange or two."

Near the saddle is a trophy case that holds a photo of a bulky 19-year-old Pucci holding a bodybuilding pose. He was getting ready for the Mr. Pennsylvania contest, where in 1959 he said he won the "tall man's class" at 5-foot-10.

"Either you went to the gym or you got in trouble," Pucci said. "Mom used to say I'd spend more time in the gym than at the dinner table. And I like to eat. I'd crawl in the window to work out. Crazy. Addicted."

Storytelling is an important art form for a cowboy. It's what keeps guests enthralled around the campfire, what keeps them coming back for more adventures with a man they know they can trust with their life.

But what happens when the cowboy has hung up his spurs? Where do the stories go then?

Restless after retirement, one day Pucci got out a legal pad and started writing his tales down.

He published "We Married Adventure," his first book of memoirs, in 2011.

The next book, "We Do the Damndest Things: Jackson Hole Ranch and Outfitter Stories," came out in 2015. Earlier this year the Wyoming State Historical Society honored it "in recognition of outstanding accomplishments and contributions to Wyoming's legacy." The book won a first-place award in the biography or autobiography category.

"When I got this letter I had to sit down, it was such a shock," Pucci said. "I don't know how they got ahold of this."

There was a ceremony held in September in Buffalo, but attending would have meant driving more than 1,000 miles. He would have had to find someone to feed his animals. And it would have meant time away from writing his next book.

The third  and final  memoir is almost finished. Pucci has been scribbling away for years on the book with the working title "Goliath, the Horse That Disappeared: Jackson's Hole Horse and Family Adventures."

The magic happens in Pucci's dining room, on a Persian carpet near the crystal chandelier and dozens of taxidermy mounts.

A hardback wooden captain's chair with just a sheepskin for cushioning faces the picture window where one Christmas Day years ago some bighorn sheep came and gathered around his outdoor nativity scene to see Baby Jesus.

"If you notice things, there's miracles every day in our lives," Pucci said.

Dozens of yellow legal pads cover the floor, organized in a way only the author understands. Two fistfuls of green Bank of Jackson Hole pens lie in wait alongside a paperback dictionary whose crumbled binding is held together with a rubber band.

His friend Jake Nichols comes regularly to collect legal pads, decipher them, type them in and print out a double-spaced copy for Pucci to line edit.

Pucci entertains his guests by reading them a page: how he added electricity and plumbing to the property, his two girls liked to play in the outhouse, elk sometimes ate through the telephone cable and open-range cattle would rub on the electric poles and knock out the power.

"At least it was the beginning of civilization for us," Pucci read, "our own little ranch and the start of Crystal Creek Outfitters. It's a life now forgotten by most. Who would have ever believed that way of living could ever come to end for me and my family? That's why I write these books, to let people know how it was, and how it can never be the same again. Those wild days are gone, sad to say."

His voice wavered a little.

"It brings back memories," Pucci said. "It's good."

Pucci could talk for hours about his days as a bodybuilder and in the Army, about his family members  cousin Lou Bondi invented a version of the Philly cheesesteak, Pucci's dad and uncle hung around with Joe DiMaggio  and, of course, about hunting in the wilderness.

In his living room Pucci is surrounded by tangible memories of the hunting lifestyle. A coyote with a snowshoe hare in its mouth stands in front of the hearth. There are stuffed moose, mule deer, elk, bear, sheep, pine marten, ducks and ermine.

"What you're looking at in this room is a life's work," Pucci said.

Respect for God's creatures was always the way Pucci approached a hunt, he said, and how he advertised the whole backcountry experience to potential clients.

"An adventure wilderness, not a kill," Pucci said. "It's that 24-inch Englemann spruce, it's the sunset. I studied all these animals. When a hunter missed a shot, then I cheered for the animal. You made it through hunting season."

Pucci gestured around his living room with one of his fingertips askew. It was broken back in the wilderness decades ago and never set straight.

"You took care of yourself up there, you didn't run to the clinic," he said. "I took more supplies for the horses than for the people."

Now retired nearly a decade, Pucci's memories still keep him entertained, and he writes his stories so others can experience the bygone era.

"One of the best compliments I've gotten on my books is, 'I feel like I was right there with you,'" Pucci said.

He read from the last page of the book:

"The last time I saw Goliath, that beautiful big powerful horse and family member, was 21 years ago on the sandy banks of Crystal Creek... For those of you who believe, no further explanation is necessary. For those who don't believe, no further explanation is possible."

In December, Pucci was finishing the final story for his book. By spring the manuscript will be edited and polished.

Pucci reads from the text that will grace the back cover:

"Dear folks, this is the third and final book in a series of three, each a sequel to the other. The final journey and roundup of an American Sicilian cowboy's last ride. Staking out a living in the Gros Ventre Mountains. You are now watching the old cowboy ride away. I have run the race, I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith."

Pucci's in good health, he says, although he doesn't have much cartilage left.

"My joints hurt from all those years of physical work," he said, "being bumped off and knocked down."

But he lives alone and climbs 20-foot ladders in below-zero weather without a cellphone, so he doesn't miss an opportunity to make his last wishes known.

"If something happens to me, get this damn book published," Pucci said. "It's all here."
THE TRUE COST OF ALL THAT 'CHEAP' LAOR THAT DESTROYED AMERICA THE BIG SECRET DEMOCRATS DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW: Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute has testified before a Congressional committee that in 2004, 95% of all outstanding warrants for murder in Los Angeles were for illegal aliens; in 2000, 23% of all Los Angeles County jail inmates were illegal aliens and that in 1995, 60% of Los Angeless largest street gang, the 18th Street gang, were illegal aliens.
@PatriciaMazzei @DavidOvalle305 @jayhweaver

On Nov. 7, Esteban Santiago parked at an FBI office in Anchorage, Alaska  leaving his newborn son and his gun in the car  and told agents the CIA was trying to control his mind, pushing him to watch Islamic State terrorist videos.

The feds called local police, who took Santiago into custody and sent him to get a psychiatric evaluation. Santiagos girlfriend picked up the baby. The cops took the gun  and a loaded magazine Santiago carried on him.

He got the gun back 31 days later. Twenty-nine days after that, one-way plane ticket in hand, Santiago hopped on a flight that brought him to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. He picked up a Walther 9mm gun hed checked in as luggage, loaded it in a mens room stall, and shot 11 people, five of them to death.

Santiago shot the first people he encountered, he told investigators who interrogated him. He emptied the two magazines, firing 10-15 bullets, aiming at his victims heads.

On Saturday, Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer charged Santiago, 26, with committing an act of violence in an airport, using a firearm to commit the crime, and causing the death of a person  three federal offenses punishable by death. His first federal court appearance was set for 11 a.m. Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alicia O. Valle.

More here.
BILLINGS  A German renewable energy company is developing Montana wind farms at a whirling pace.

BayWa r.e. announced recently that it had bought the struggling Greycliff Wind Prime project near Big Timber. A week earlier, another BayWa r.e.-related wind farm near Reed Point signed a contract to begin delivering electricity to NorthWestern Energy in 2018.

Combined, the projects will install 41 to 50 wind turbines north of the Yellowstone River with enough power for 30,000 to 40,000 homes. The region is no stranger to wind farm proposals, but construction plans and start-up dates havent materialized before now.

Its about time that a project happened. The wind is there, the power lines are there, said Ryno Stinchfield, of Greycliff Wind Prime, which sold the 25-megawatt Greycliff project to BayWa r.e.

Stinchfields group spent seven years arguing over price with NorthWestern Energy, the states largest regulated utility. Those debates never produced a price Greycliff Wind Prime would accept.

The project seemed all but dead last July when Montanas Public Service Commission set a compromise rate that the wind developers said was too low. The PSC set the price Greycliff could charge NorthWestern Energy at $45.49 per megawatt hour, about 16 percent lower than the price needed to make the wind farm profitable.

However, BayWa r.e. appears capable of making that rate work, Stinchfield said. BayWa r.e. is a large renewable energy company capable of lowering the price it pays for wind turbines by placing large purchase orders.

In the United States, BayWa r.e. is based in San Diego, but its home office is in Germany. According to the company website, it employs 900 people and had roughly $1.3 billion in revenue in 2015. The company did not return queries placed over two weeks.

The second BayWa r.e.-related wind farm site is located 11 miles north of Reed Point. Dubbed the Vivaldi Springtime Wind Project, the 25-to-35 turbine wind farm reached contract terms with NorthWestern shortly before Christmas. It should produce enough power for 19,000 to 30,000 homes, with construction completed by early next year.

The ownership of the project is somewhat mysterious. Vivaldi Wind LLC was an early corporate name associated with the project. State business records show Vivaldi shared a San Diego address with BayWa r.e. However, Vivaldi withdrew its state registration in 2015 and its status as a business entity migrated to WKN Montana LLC last August.

WKN is a BayWa r.e. corporate sibling. NorthWesterns contract for Vivaldi is with WKN Montana. NorthWesterns purchase price for Vivaldi power is $37.65 per megawatt hour, one of the lowest prices for wind energy in the state.

In addition to the BayWa r.e.-related projects, a third wind farm, Crazy Mountain Wind, located 20 minutes east of Big Timber, locked in a power price last month to sell energy to NorthWestern. Crazy Mountain Wind would power up to 29,000 homes.
I'm fond of poems in which we see people working together, helping one another. I've never folded a sail, nor seen anybody fold one, but here I get to watch it happen, and feel it happen, too. Alan Feldman is from Massachusetts and his most recent book is "Immortality" (University of Wisconsin Press, 2015).

Love Poem

The sail is so vast when it's laid out on the driveway.

I stake it with a screwdriver through the shackle

at the tack to stretch it smooth,

pulling on the head and clew. Now it's smooth

as a night's worth of new snow.

My wife, my partner, has been torn from her busy day.

We face each other across the sail's foot

and with my right hand and her left hand

(I'm right handed, she's left handed)

we pull an arm's length of the sail

down over itself, then do this again,

keeping my left hand, and her right hand, towards the foot.

Each fold is easier since the sail grows narrower

near the top. Then we fold towards each other

and I wrap my arms around it, while she holds the bag's mouth open,

the gray bag that will cover it through the winter.

Then I thank her. And the driveway is visible again

as it is in spring, when all the snow has melted.
The election in November of Republican majorities in the House and Senate and a Republican president means the Affordable Care Act is likely to be repealed when the new Congress convenes in January.

But many Montanans, despite significant criticism of the law known as Obamacare, wonder what the future of affordable health care will look like for thousands of people in this state if it goes away.

In an effort to understand community perspective, Senator Jon Tester met with some of those Montanans, along with about 25 healthcare professionals from various facilities, at Missoulas Providence St. Patrick Hospital Saturday afternoon for a Missoula Healthcare Roundtable.

Although Tester, a Democrat, started the discussion with introductions, he quickly turned it over to the participants with a single question: How would a potential partial or full repeal of the ACA impact your community?

For Mineral County, a repeal of the ACA without an immediate similar or better healthcare plan could mean the loss of the countys only hospital, according to Ron Gleason, CEO of Mineral Community Hospital. The hospital treats everyone in Mineral County, which Gleason said has a large low-income and veteran population, and is operating with a minimum staff.

Gleason said the hospital will be closing its assisted living center in February and a repeal of the ACA would mean a loss of even more funding. If Mineral Community Hospital closed, Gleason said there wouldnt be another health center for miles, and much of the population would move or be left without care.

A big problem with Washington, D.C. right now is that they dont understand where we live, Gleason said, as much of the room, including Tester, nodded. They think Buffalo, New York is rural. They dont understand the distance and the time it takes to get to a hospital here if these smaller facilities go away.

While Montanans across the state could be affected by a total or partial repeal of the ACA, the most common topic of discussion at Saturdays roundtable was the impact it could have on rural Montana.

Rural Community Health Centers, which serve more than 100,000 people, could face the loss of 70 percent of their funding. Tester said Lincoln County alone could lose up to $2.5 million a year in asbestos-related disease screening and support.

Ken Burd, a Granite County Hospital board member, said the loss of the ACA would set off a series of unintentional events that would eventually cripple rural America. Rural America, Burd said, depends on blue collar, industrial jobs and recreational outdoor activity, both of which are injury prone. Without affordable emergency care, people will stop working industrial jobs and move away from rural America.

So this would have larger impacts socially and economically than I think people are looking at now, Burd said.

Maria Stoppler, the CEO and director of nursing at the Granite County Medical Center, agreed. When people in rural places cant afford care, they simply stop treating their chronic illnesses until the issues become emergencies and are more difficult to treat.

Human Resources Director at the Western Montana Mental Health Center Karen Harrison jumped into the conversation, adding that when people who cant afford health care are injured, theyll look for other ways to cover the cost. In rural areas, this is usually workers compensation. When an areas rate of workers comp rises, Harrison said, fewer employers choose to locate there and the areas economy is negatively affected.

Still, Tester said, many people think the ACA doesnt, and wont, affect them. Montanas rate of 7 percent uninsured would surely jump if the ACA was repealed, according to Tester, and nearly 152,000 Montanans with pre-existing conditions would be at risk for losing insurance coverage. In addition, 44,000 would lose tax credits that lower the cost of healthcare.

One community member, who wouldnt give his name, said he suffered a heart attack last Friday, and without the ACA, he wouldnt have been able to afford care and probably wouldnt have survived. Now hes worried he wont have insurance if he has another attack.

Still, even with the concern surrounding the loss of the ACA, the group agreed it could be improved.

Mary Jane Nealon, the director of innovation at Partnership Health Center, said the laws worst area concerns the people of the middle class, whose insurance deductibles are increasing, yet they dont qualify for Medicaid or Medicare.

Anybody in healthcare will tell you that the ACA could be better, Nealon said before the room laughed and nodded. But we cant just do away with it.

Community member Rita Agin said her family is middle class, and since the ACA was passed, her insurance rates have nearly tripled. Agin said she has two kids, and the rising rates are crippling her ability to care for her own family.

What about me and my family? Agin asked the group, nearly all of whom nodded with her. I dont want to have to be poor to pay for healthcare.

Tester nodded and said that issue, along with many others, will have to be worked out within the ACA if it isnt repealed. For now, Tester promised to use these stories and concerns to convince Congress to keep the ACA, simply because of the impact its loss would have on the U.S. population as a whole.

Something that concerns me is that people think if we repeal the ACA, our insurance rates will go down, Tester said. Thats not happening. So we need be putting out good information because when people have good information, they make good decisions.
Missoula has made vital progress in recent years on the subject of sexual assault. Following the launch in 2012 of a federal Department of Justice investigation into local handling of rape reports, the Missoula Police Department, Missoula County Attorneys Office and University of Montana dove into groundbreaking process of improving education, prevention and response systems, and emerged as national leaders for best practices.

Now its time to take that progress to the next level  the state level.

This past week saw the convening of a new legislature, and while new lawmakers were still learning the ropes and all priorities pointed to infrastructure and budget bills, the Senate Judiciary Committee began holding hearings on the first of seven proposed bills designed to improve the states sexual assault laws. Each of them warrants serious consideration, and it is heartening to see legislators taking them up early in the session.

The sooner these revisions are approved, the better. Montanas current sexual assault statutes are woefully outdated, inconsistent and long overdue for an update.

The seven proposed bills are the result of a comprehensive legislative review carried out by the Interim Committee on Law and Justice, with the support of Montana Attorney General Tim Fox and assistance from the Montana University System. The bipartisan committee included vice-chair Sen. Diane Sands of Missoula, who is sponsoring two bills on sex crimes: Senate Bills 29 and 30.

SB 29 proposes a number of important revisions to Montanas laws, such as clarifying the definitions of mentally incapacitated and consent. It adjusts the penalties for sexual intercourse without consent, and creates a new category of aggravated sexual assault for crimes involving the use of force.

Under current law, prosecutors must prove that a victim was made to submit by force. SB 29 would amend the definition of consent to mean words or overt actions indicating a freely given agreement to have sexual intercourse or sexual contact. The section goes on to specify that overt actions do not include a current or previous  sexual relationship or the manner of dress of the person involved.

Missoulas county attorney, Montanas attorney general and a host of victims advocates agree that updated definitions are necessary to ensure justice is served.

A few months ago, Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst described current state definitions of consent and incapacitation as archaic, while AG Fox said he would support efforts to bring antiquated statutes more in line with modern knowledge about sex crimes. For example, victims of rape often react by freezing, rendering them unable to physically or verbally resist their attacker. Yet Montana statutes require physical resistance to prove rape. Thats often unrealistic  and impossible if the victim is unconscious or incapacitated, say, by drugs or alcohol.

Sands second bill, SB 30, gives victims under the age of 18 more time to bring their case forward, extending the statute of limitations for prosecution to 20 years.

One of the first sexual assault bills heard by the committee was SD 26, sponsored by another Missoula Democrat and interim committee member, Sen. Sue Malek. This bill would reduce the maximum penalty for sexual assault to five years when the offender is 18 years of age or younger and the victim is 14 years of age or older, so long it is a first offense and no force was used.

Malek is also sponsoring SB 22 to revise the laws regarding the termination of parental rights when the child involved is the result of a rape. Current laws allow for termination of parental rights only if the rapist is convicted; unfortunately, not all such cases are brought to trial and result in conviction; there are a host of reasons why a victim or prosecutor might choose not to pursue a trial. This bill would allow a district court to terminate parental rights if convinced by clear and convincing evidence presented at a fact-finding hearing.

Wilsall Republican Sen. Nels Swandal, a former district judge, is also sponsoring a bill related to juvenile offenders; his SB 17 would revise requirements so that juvenile offenders with no history of prior offenses would not have to register as sex offenders, so long as a court determined that registration is not necessary to protect the public.

Over in the House, Rep. Ellie Hill Smith, D-Missoula, is sponsoring HB 129 to tackle a truly modern challenge: privacy in communications. At least 26 states have outlawed the distribution of sexual explicit pictures and videos without the subjects consent. Montana is not yet one of them. Smiths bill would make it a punishable offense to distribute photos or video of an identifiable person engaged in sexual conduct who has not consented to the creation of that content.

And Helena Rep. Jenny Eck, also a Democrat, is having a bill drafted that would close a loophole in Montanas incest laws that allows children under the age of 18  but over the age of consent (16) to be considered as complicit in an incest conviction as the adult offender.

None of these bills would in any way lessen the burden of proof needed to convict a rapist. They would, however, arm prosecutors and juries with more precise definitions and an updated understanding of the realities of sexual assault. They are the logical extension of the groundbreaking work done on sexual assault response in Missoula, and will help ensure that victims of rape in Montana will receive real justice.
Wyoming could lose thousands of jobs if Congress repeals Obamacare, according to a study released as Republicans begin work to kill the Affordable Care Act.

The Commonwealth Fund and George Washington Universitys Milken School of Public Health estimated that the ACAs repeal would lead to 2.6 million jobs lost across the United States, including 4,000 in Wyoming in 2019.

The job losses would be spread across a range of sectors, including health care, construction, government and finance and insurance.

The study assumes Congress will not replace Obamacare with another health care law. Thus far, Republicans have not settled on an alternative plan.

Between 2019 and 2023, an estimated $109 million in revenue to Wyoming state and local government coffers would be lost, the study found. Nationally, the reduction in local and state tax collections would be $48 billion.

During that same period, $2.9 billion in gross state product would not materialize with the repeal of Obamacare in Wyoming. Nationally, the reduction in gross state product would be $1.5 trillion.

While the ACA is credited by its proponents as helping the lower and middle classes, the effects of repealing the law would reverberate across the whole economy, said the studys lead author, Leighton Ku of George Washington University.

Repealing key parts of the ACA could trigger massive job losses and a slump in consumer and business spending that would affect all sectors of state economies, Ku said in a statement.

Wyoming delegation

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate, under the leadership of Rep. Mike Enzi of Wyoming, took the first step to repeal the health care law through a budget resolution that would eliminate some but not all of the law. A similar measure is beginning in the House. Republicans, who have control of both chambers of Congress and soon the presidency, do not have a replacement plan ready.

On Thursday, Enzis spokesman dismissed the Commonwealth Fund, which worked on the study, as being liberal.

Was Obamacare supposed to be a federal job stimulus program or was it supposed to help people get the health care they need?, said Enzis spokesman, Max DOnofrio, in an email. The sad fact is that Obamacare is not sustainable and we are watching our private insurance market struggle to survive under current law. After more than six years, 28 million people remain uninsured.

Wyomings all-Republican delegation in Washington remains adamant that Obamacare is harmful to the state.

Sen. John Barrasso, the states junior U.S. senator, voted for the budget measure that will begin to undo the ACA, said his spokeswoman, Laura Mengelkamp, in an email.

Sen. Barrasso promised the people of Wyoming that he would work to repeal and replace this broken health law, Mengelkamp said. The best way to help Wyoming families is to give them better access to care at lower costs. Thats exactly what Republicans in Congress are working to do.

Rep. Liz Cheney, the states newest member of Congress, will also support repealing Obamacare in the House, she said in an email sent through her spokeswoman.

The people of Wyoming know Obamacare has been a job killer, she said. It has also raised costs while reducing the quality, choice and availability of care. I look forward to voting to repeal this disastrous policy and putting in place patient-centered reform that puts individuals, their families and their doctors back in charge of health care decisions.

Study

Researchers obtained the estimates by projecting tax credits from 2019 to 2023 that people receive when they purchase insurance on the market places established through Obamacare. They used economic models to estimate business output, tax revenues and new economic activity.

The study projected that in Wyoming, 800 jobs will be lost in health care in 2019, if the repeal is successful. An estimated 600 jobs in construction and real estate will be wiped out, as will 200 jobs in finance and insurance, 300 retail jobs and 100 government jobs.

The laws insurance mandate spurred activity in hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, insurance and other businesses, the study found.

Kim Deti of the Wyoming Department of Health said officials could not verify the government job losses projected in the study. She noted that Congress may unveil another health care program that could provide jobs. All numbers are a moving target at this point, she said.

Wyoming business

In recent years, the greatest growth in hospital and clinic construction has been private facilities, said Josh Carnahan of the Wyoming Construction Coalition.

Theres been projects all over the state: Cheyennes done some, Caspers done some. Laramies done some  But really in Wyoming, the driver for construction has been schools, he said.

Six years ago, when the ACA was enacted, the American Hospital Association agreed to reimbursement cuts from government programs in exchange for more business that would come from other provisions of the legislation  namely the individual mandate and Medicaid expansion, said Neil Hilton, vice president of the Wyoming Hospital Association.

In Wyoming, state lawmakers never grew the Medicaid program. But if Congress nixes the individual mandate, thousands of Wyomingites could drop their insurance, Hilton said.

Its big that hospitals absorbed some cuts without the advantage of putting more paying customers in the mix, he said.

Hilton said the repeal of Obamacare is expected to take several years, and he couldnt say if that would lead to layoffs across Wyomings medical centers.

Hospital officials across the country are in Washington, asking Congress to restore some of the cuts enacted with the ACA, Hilton said.

Or, tap the brakes on this whole repeal thing until some of that has been sorted out, he said.
HELENA  Lawmakers are set to hear two bills this week to help protect consumers who use air ambulance services from ending up with massive bills.

The 2015 Legislature passed a resolution to study the problem after hearing from Montanans, most with health insurance, who were saddled with bills from $50,000 to more than $100,000 after taking air ambulance flights.

That study ended up consuming much of the time of the Economic Affairs Interim Committee, which generated Senate Bill 44, carried by Sen. Gordon Vance, R-Belgrade, and House Bill 73, carried by Rep. Ryan Lynch, D-Butte.

Air ambulances generally fall into three categories: hospital-based services that are a part of the contracts those facilities negotiate with insurance companies and providers; nonprofit operators that are affiliated with hospitals; and for-profit companies that may or may not contract with insurance. The two bills are meant to target the for-profit companies, which are new to the state.

There are 13 air ambulances operating in Montana; about half contract with at least some insurance providers. A sampling of 19 air ambulance bills received by Montanans and reviewed by the interim committee this year shows the average cost per flight on an out-of-network air ambulance was $53,397.

Vance and Lynch say they are carrying the legislation because people in their districts who took flights and later ended up with huge bills, even though they had insurance, called them for help.

They have a job, they want to pay their bills, and want to do the right thing, Lynch said. They just thought they were taken care of and they got balance bills of $50,000, $60,000, $70,000 and they were thinking bankruptcy, tapping their retirement.

The federal government doesnt seem to either have the will or the ability to take care of it, Vance said.

Under Vance's bill, if a person who has health insurance uses an out-of-network air ambulance service, they cannot be billed for the difference between what the ambulance charges and their insurance pays. Insurance companies and ambulance companies have the option to dispute payment amounts to the Montana State Auditor, Securities and Insurance Commissioner, who governs insurance companies, to conduct a review.

Lynchs bill seeks to regulate memberships sold by for-profit air ambulance companies by defining the agreement as an insurance contract. Approximately five ambulances sell memberships in the state.

Companies such as Reach Air Medical Services, which operates in Bozeman and Helena, sell memberships with the promise that the company will not send a bill to consumers with insurance for the difference between the ambulance charge and what their insurance company pays on the claim. A Reach membership is $65 a year for a household.

For-profit air ambulance companies have fought against becoming in-network providers, saying the rates insurance companies pay for flights does not cover the cost of the fight, while some hospital-based services that are covered by insurance, such as HELP Flight run by St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings, say the rate is sufficient.

To sell memberships, an air ambulance would have to be authorized by the commissioner. Companies would have to meet certain requirements such as providing a map of the area they serve and any reciprocity agreements with other companies.

Air ambulances have argued that they are not medical providers but airlines, and therefore are governed by the Airline Deregulation Act, not insurance laws. Last year a North Dakota law that created a priority list hospitals would use when dispatching air ambulance services was struck down by a federal judge who said it violated the ADA. To get on the list, ambulances had to enter into contracts with an insurance company.

Lynch said the two bills wont change much for hospital-based providers. If youre doing the right thing, youre not going to have an issue. If youre not doing the right thing then youre going to have to defend your business practices, he said. The goal of this this was to make sure air service remains in Montana. Its essential. Its a rural state.

Lynch said the bills are an opportunity to accomplish something this session that will help Montanans and may be a possible bipartisan bright spot in a year thats expected to bring bitter battles along party lines over the state budget.

Theres a lot of bad news that comes out of Helena when the Legislature is in session, and with the budget the way it is, theres a lot of this program is going to get cut, this is going to get slashed, Lynch said.

This is a policy piece that is completely outside the scope of the budget that truly impacts every community in Montana every day and this is what the Legislature should be doing. We should be working together, we should be offering solutions that benefit communities and not poking each other in the eye.

House Bill 73 will be heard by the House Business and Labor Committee at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in Room 172 at the Capitol. Senate Bill 44 will be heard at 8 a.m. Tuesday by the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee in Room 303.
HELENA  Dozens of Montana legislators, the governor and several top staff members often use personal email accounts to discuss government business, a practice criticized nationwide for circumventing public disclosure and threatening security.

The recent presidential election put unprecedented focus on the use of personal email by government officials. Less attention has been paid to the practice in Montana even though it is widespread.

Until 2015, only legislative leaders were offered emails at mt.gov. About one-third of legislators continue to use personal accounts as their primary or sole legislative email. A records request released last year showed that Gov. Steve Bullock and several top staff members use personal accounts to conduct some state business.

Montana has no plan to retain emails from personal accounts even if they contain discussions of state business. State policy also does not require employees or elected leaders to use government accounts exclusively. Similarly, other forms of personal electronic communication  such as texting and social media messaging  are not retained even though many elected leaders say they use the tools on the job.

Some officials, including the governors chief legal counsel and former Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, said it is unclear whether state law requires the disclosure of any personal emails, texts and other electronic messages. Legislators have yet to finalize rules about their own emails but some have suggested few should ever be released to the public. New Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, whose constitutional duties include records management, said the law is simple but a solution is not.

Open government advocates and historians argue electronic communications are public records and their preservation is increasingly important.

The statute is clear on its face, so I dont think the legal issue is unsettled, at all, said Mike Meloy, a Helena attorney and expert on open government laws who volunteers with the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline. The medium is irrelevant. A text is public electronic information just as certainly as email or a letter if it relates to official business.

Digital communication has become a common way state leaders discuss public business, so Meloy said it is essential that these messages are retained and released so the public can understand how their elected leaders reached decisions.

As it stands now, many governments, including Montana, are undermining the publics right to know by not having a clear management plan for personal emails that qualify as public records, said Adam Marshall, an attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Unless someone knows a non-governmental account is being used or everyone is copying their official accounts on everything, these records arent in government systems and will not always be searched in response to records requests, he said.

***

Although Montana has had email retention guidelines since 2002, they do not mention personal accounts. In a story last week, Lee Montana Newspapers reported that the state often fails to follow email retention rules and the archives, which is the final destination for the most important files, do not have the technological capability to accept digital records.

Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, said legislators are looking for solutions, although only one related bill had been discussed in the first week of the session.

This is an issue when youve got systemic issues throughout state government of not archiving emails and state law is being violated, Knudsen said. Its premature to say what the answer is yet.

Many states have improved their policies for retaining emails, often after costly lawsuits or a scandal drove the bureaucratic issue into the public spotlight.

Without policies and retention practices in place, Meloy said the public is at the mercy of the user to follow state law in keeping and releasing records.

These issues first drew attention in Montana in 2015.

When Angela McLean said she was stepping down as lieutenant governor, many wondered why. It was the second time in three years Gov. Steve Bullocks No. 2 had left office, but he declined to provide a complete explanation.

Reporters requested copies of emails sent between Bullock, McLean and top staff members from their mt.gov accounts. Some of the released messages from Bullock had the email address redacted because it was his personal account. Lee Newspapers, among others, circled back to the governors attorney, Andy Huff, to request emails from the personal account that were about public business.

Huff said he did not think those emails had to be disclosed to the public, but weeks later Bullock agreed to release them anyway, excluding some deemed to be purely personal.

Over the two-year period, about three-quarters of the 116 emails Bullock sent from his private account went to the private emails of staffers or other public employees, such as Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian. Additionally, public employees used personal accounts to send more than 150 emails to Bullocks personal account.

These messages effectively circumvented normal public disclosure. Only 15 percent of the emails released in May included a recipient with a government email account, which would have made them discoverable in routine records requests.

The personal emails illustrated the internal tensions leading up to McLeans departure. Bullock and his staff also used private email to strategize about policy proposals, to discuss environmental impact statements for the Otter Creek coal development, and to plan a media-response strategy for the discovery of unapproved genetically modified wheat at a Montana State University research facility.

In one exchange, then-Chief of Staff for the Secretary of State, Eric Stern, sent a message from his personal account to the public account of McLean. At one point, she asked, Hear anything good? and he replied, whats your personal email? The rest of the conversation is unknown because it presumably continued in two personal accounts outside the scope of the records request. Similar transitions from public accounts to personal ones can be seen in other emails that were released.

Bullock Spokesman Tim Crowe said the governor did not have anything more to say about the emails than he did months ago and declined an interview request. He said the release did not lead to policy changes in the office nor any review of how often personal accounts were used. Crowe said Huff was willing to discuss the matter, but was too busy to make an appointment now.

***

In May, the governors staff described the use of personal email accounts as a matter of logistics" and that it was sometimes easier to reach Bullock that way when traveling or on the weekend. Nearly two-thirds of the emails sent or received by Bullocks private accounts were sent between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Staff also confirmed that the governor uses a personal cellphone with access to both his work and personal email accounts.

The governors use of a personal account appears to be occasional, but some Montana leaders use private email to conduct all of their state business.

Dozens of legislators do not have a government email account. Some that do say they still use their personal email for some public business.

There is limited guidance for legislators about how to handle emails and even less about other forms of electronic communications.

It doesnt seem like the protocols and the laws are very clear on some of it, Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, said. I think something needs to be done to make sure the public records requests coming are legitimate...Some of the requests were seeing are coming from these politically motivated organizations out of Washington D.C. and theyre being used more as a tool of harassment.

Last year, the Campaign for Accountability, a national watchdog and advocacy organization, requested emails sent by Fielder about public lands issues and the American Lands Council. She had become CEO of the council a few months earlier. The previous CEO, Utah legislator Ken Ivory, had left the post amid public scrutiny about how he used his state email account to lobby for council issues and to urge counties to buy memberships  issues exposed by a similar records request for emails made by the Campaign for Accountability.

The groups request for Fielders emails, submitted in February, still has not been fulfilled.

The delay highlights two challenges of completing records requests that involve personal accounts.

First, it is unclear to whom such requests should be submitted and who has the responsibility to fulfill them. The Legislative Services Division has taken on the responsibility informally, but staff there cannot handle requests involving personal accounts. Those must be completed by the legislators themselves, on their own time and without pay, although the division offers technical and legal assistance. State law also does not set a timeline for how long government officials have to turn over records.

Why arent they concerned about Hillary Clintons emails? Why are they concerned about mine? Fielder asked. I dont think their motives are pure in any sense of the word."

Legislative Services Director Susan Fox said the requirements of state law can be difficult to determine, in large part, because Montanas open government law and constitutional mandate for right to know is so strong.

In many states, much of the communication between legislators are held in private or are confidential until a bill is introduced, she said. We have a district court opinion that says thats not the case in Montana. We dont have anywhere to look for guidance because by and large we are one of the most open legislatures in the country.

Debby Barrett, a Dillon Republican, used a personal account all 16 years she served in the Legislature. Only in the last two years did she also use state email because of her role as Senate President.

She said she used state email to speak with legislative staff and legislators and the personal account for everyone else, including constituents and lobbyists. Despite having a state account, many messages and official statements she sent to members of the press came from her personal email.

Barrett is among a group of legislators who have argued that few, if any, of their emails should be public record, regardless of whether its a personal or government account.

The executive branch can make a decision every day on their own and its official business. Its important people can see those records, said Barrett, whose final term just ended. For a legislator to have official business, that has to be in a committee or a place they can make a decision to affect their constituents. Its not an official record what a constituent writes to you. I can talk to anybody, but I cant make a decision on my own as a legislator. I have to take that to a committee or to the floor. That is the difference.

Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso, D- Butte, disagreed.

It seems pretty black and white, he said. Other than messages from your family or about hobbies with friends, it seems to me that everything else is public. If youre talking to a constituent or a lobbyist, it should be public. I err on the side that everythings public and go backward from there.

The legal counsel and expert staff at the Legislative Service Division told legislators at a November training that some details remain unsettled, but the intent of the law and constitution is clear.

Whether an email constitutes public information depends on the information, not the format or where it resides, reads a new manual with email guidelines for legislators.

***

Other governments, from local to federal, use a variety of tactics to retain emails of public importance for the time periods required by law.

One of the simplest potential solutions: Require public employees to use state-managed emails accounts for public business. Although some legislative leaders said the policy was worth considering, they also expressed concerns about convenience, reliability and security.

Certainly, for citizen legislators it makes sense they use their own devices, said Stapleton, who had served as a legislator.

He noted that until recently email could not easily be accessed from anywhere with web browsers or with cell phones. And because legislators only spend 90 days a year in Helena for the session  and the bulk of the rest of their time back home in their communities  he said it often is just easiest to use an email personal account that blends personal, business and legislative use.

Legislators say they frequently receive incredible volumes of emails and have trouble keeping up with it all. In 2015, the 150 legislators reviewed almost 1,200 bills, dozens of which led constituents and lobbyists to flood their inboxes with opinions.

I dont get 100 messages on my desk. I get 100 emails, said Knudsen, who has used a personal email account since joining the Legislature in 2011 for the ease for my constituents getting hold of me.

State accounts have an inbox limit of 250 megabytes, but archival storage, which can be automated with a simple settings change, stores up to 20 gigabytes. It would take 2 million emails to fill an archive that large, based on the average size of a text-only email of 10 kilobytes. Previous Legislatures have scaled back or shot down funding requests from IT officials to expand storage servers.

Sesso, who also works for Butte-Silver Bow, said legislators must work closely with IT professionals to solve technical challenges like storage space. He said he once used a state-managed email but stopped, in part, because of the states storage limits. He suggested, however, he might switch back after learning more about the public records challenges of private emails. His online profile for the current legislative session lists a state account.

Stapleton agreed state computer systems are not the cats meow.
BUTTE  A woman is on a quest to get Buttes animal control ordinance changed so she can keep her pet mini pig Pumpkin, saying hes clean, potty-trained, and a family member.

Im fighting for my family, pig lovers and for the joy of my (nursing home) residents I take care of (and) for all the pig owners who have pigs in city limits, Nicole Prather said in a letter to Butte-Silver Bows chief executive and commissioners.

The council on Wednesday referred the request to the countys Animal Control Department and its board, but in the meantime, she has been told to find another home for it, and officials are prepared to force the issue.

Department director Ed Randall said Friday that local law prohibits the pig and Prather has been given ample time to get rid of it.

She cant have it, he said.

He said he opposes an ordinance change but would bring the issue to the Animal Services Board and take its recommendation to Chief Executive Dave Palmer.

But Butte has rules and laws, he said, and they will enforce the ones on the books now.

Palmer said Wednesday night the issue had to be looked at by others first, but his initial take was open.

I can see allowing them, but maybe limit the number, he said. Maybe limit the number to one or two.

Mini pigs can differ in size, weighing between 50 to 150 pounds, but they are smaller than traditional farm pigs. Vietnamese potbellied pigs that became popular in the 1980s can get larger.

Prather said she got Pumpkin in September. Hes about 40 pounds now and should only get to 50 to 55 pounds. When outside, she said, hes in a small fenced-in area in her back yard on the Flat.

She said an animal control officer came one day in November saying a neighbor had complained and that pigs are not allowed. Buttes municipal code prohibits swine unless lots are five acres or more.

Prather said an officer returned on Dec. 14 and told her she now had two days to get rid of it. Less than an hour later, she said, the pig was missing from its pen, and it was picked up by animal control.

They said it was running at large, Prather said, but it had never gotten out before.

Randall said it was indeed running loose and his officers did not let it out.

Regardless, Prather said she had to pay $65 to get it out but was challenging a citation in city court.

She not only wants the fine changed, she wants city ordinance changed.

I know 10 people who have pigs that live in city limits, she said.

In her letter to commissioners, she said there were no mini pigs when the ordinance was written. They have been bred since then to be small, independent pets, she said.

They are clean, smart, and quiet; dont sweat; and dont get fleas or bark like dogs, her letter said.

Pigs can be trained like cats to use a litterbox or like dogs to use doggy doors or let you know when they have to go to the bathroom, she wrote.

She noted a famous quote from Winston Churchill in which he said dogs look up to humans, cats look down on us, but pigs treat us as equals.

Prather said she sometimes takes Pumpkin to a nursing home where she works, and the residents adore him as well as a coworkers mini pig.

The residents would rather see the pigs than the cats and dogs people bring in, she wrote.

She said Billings allows mini pigs, so why cant Butte.

Although the Billings Animal Control board recommended in June 2015 to allow miniature swine in city limits under certain conditions, the city council has not acted on it yet, said Kristal Ward, office manager at the animal shelter there.

Prather was scheduled to meet with a reporter and photographer from the Standard at her house Friday morning so they could talk further and get pictures of the pig, but she was not there. Phone messages were left on her voice mail.

But Prather has a picture of a pig on her Facebook page and has a link to a web page asking people to sign a petition to Gov. Steve Bullock and (former) Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Matt Vincent.

The petition seeks to change laws allowing mini pigs or other service animal or emotional service animals within cities in Montana. She said Pumpkin brings life and happiness to her and the nursing home residents.

People say bacon helps depression, she says on the page. Not my fault I like mine uncooked and alive instead of dead and crispy.

She told the Standard earlier this week she had been trying hard to find another home for the pig but had not yet done so.

Randall said Prather is being treated like anyone else.

If they had found 18 dogs at a residence, he said as an example, they would first want to ensure they were OK and not endangered. But they wouldnt expect the owner to find other homes for them immediately.

He said his department gave Prather a few weeks to remove the pig, and even after that, she had yet to do so. He would send an officer to visit the home again soon, he said.

Randall said he understands some people want the pigs allowed, but despite Prathers claims in her letter, These animals do stink, and they are very loud.

We have had an animal control issue in this town for years, and we are finally getting to where its a lot better, he said.

But Butte got a late start with animal control, he said, and as of now, he was not ready to support the requested change.

He noted that many people want dogs allowed in Butte parks other than Skyline, but I dont think as a community we are there yet.

Commissioner Jim Fisher, whose district includes Prathers house, told other council members he had visited with her a few times and thought maybe the ordinance is a little outdated.

The pigs are residential oriented, he said, and, Its not like you are going to have a pig farm.

He said he simply wanted those who look into the issue now to keep an open mind.
Monte Cox is one of if not the most prolific Fighter manager in all of MMA. He even has a team name for the fighters he manages, "Team Extreme"! Monte Cox manages 26 fighters from around America and among them are some of the toughest MMA fighters on the planet at all weight divisions.

Monte Cox is one of if not the most prolific Fighter manager in all of MMA. He even has a team name for the fighters he manages, "Team Extreme"! Monte Cox manages 26 fighters from around America and among them are some of the toughest MMA fighters on the planet at all weight divisions. We had a chance to talk to the leader of "Team Extreme", after the controversial fight that took place at the Universal Above Ground Fighting on July 30th where one of his fighters former UFC Champ, Dave "The Warrior" Menne took on Rob Ferguson. Monte Cox took some time out to clear the air and talk about what happened at the controversial UFC scuffle after party in London at UFC 38, his thoughts on Matt Hughes Controversial victory over Carlos Newton 1, the Controversy for Dave Menne and Rob Ferguson at the UAGF 2, and the controversy surrounding why he dropped Bobby Hoffman as a client?

Like it or leave it controversy seems to like to follow him around

Here is what he had to say.

MMARR: Has there ever been anyone you have managed, that you felt was a bad addition and have had to cut?

MC: ( Chuckles) I have only cut one person ever

MMARR: Who was that?

MC: Bobby Hoffman.

MMARR: What happened with Bobby Hoffman why was he cut?

MC: At one point when he was fighting in Japan, he threatened to kill my wife and kids.

That was the end, I had put up with enough Crap.

MMARR: Why did he threaten your wife and Kids?

MC: He is a psychopath,

MMARR: hmmm

MC: Why does he do anything he does? Why did he beat up his wife? Why was he in Prison before he started Mixed martial Arts? He is a freaken Loon!

MMARR: What was he in Prison for before that?

MC: I dont know. He came right out of Prison and fought his first fight. It is not like MMA made him what he is. It is what he was before hand.

MMARR: I want to talk about the little scuffle in London in the night Club, Anthony Fryklunds name has been connected to that, there have been a lot of rumors, a lot of speculation about what went on there. Can you tell us what you take is on that?

MC: I mean it is almost impossible for me, I was not there, I was in Las Vegas. What I am told is, from the people that I have talked to, is that this friend of Tito (Ortiz) Bo jumped on Pats (Miletich) back when they were all exiting the bar. They were all drunk and he was acting like he was fighting with Pat ( Miletich). Tony (Fryklund) came out Drunk, they were all drinking, and thought someone was attacking Pat (Miletich). So he ripped him off his back in a rear naked (Choke). Pat Miletich turned around and told him "No, No, No" we are just goofing around, and Tony Relaxed, and one of the guys from England blasted Bo and knocked him out.

MMARR: Tito (Ortiz) seems to have a problem with some of the situations that have been going on. What is the Problem? ( Tito has been on the Internet forums and vocal about the subject.)

MC: I dont know. I tried to ask him on the internet. I dont know what his thing is. I know for sure, these are the things that I have been told. Tony is the one that picked Tito off the ground, He has got blood all over his shirt from where he picked Tito up. To make sure that he didnt get kicked or hit anymore. Pat is the one that pushed Lee Murray away and told him to stop and get out of there and to quit. I dont understand why Tito is not thanking him, I was not there. When Everybody is drunk I dont have any idea what is going on. They dont know.

MMARR: So has the situation been squashed with Tito and Team Punishment?

MC: We never saw a situation. I mean the only thing that I know Pat was upset as everyone was painting Tony as being some big Villain. I mean that is ridiculous. I mean there was a bunch of people that were drunk. Who is more at fault, a guy for jumping on Pats back and acting like he is fighting him, or a teammate coming out and seeing that and thinking he is fighting him? I mean that was the thing. Tony did not hit the guy. I asked Tony and I told the UFC, Tony will take a Lie detector test. I told the UFC find your guy. He will take a lie detector test and say he did not hit Bo. If he didnt hit Bo, then I dont want to hear anymore, go after the people that were throwing punches, no one on team Miletich threw a punch.

MMARR: Is it true that Tony Got suspended?

MC: Not True.

MMARR: Not True?

MC: Not True, He has never been suspended.

MMARR: So there is no Merit to that Rumor whatsoever.

MC: Not at all, I mean they have not even interviewed Tony yet, or me, so if they suspend him without even interviewing the person that is involved, then we got to make a call to some attorneys.

MMARR: Speaking of suspensions, Josh Barnett just got suspended, lost his title, and got his fight declared a no contest what do you think about that?

MC: I like Josh a lot. I dont want to rip on him or anything. I do know there is a precedent when Bobby Hoffman tested positive for .Marijuana after beating (Mark) Robinson. They ruled that fight a no contest. That is the only time when that I can. oh when Laverne Clark tested Positive years and Years ago against Fabiano Iha. They ruled that a no contest, so that is the precedent for doing it. You know, so I dont know I am not surprised that they did it, lets just put it that way.

MMARR: What is your take on the fact that he was suspended on top of being a no contest.

MC: Well that is up to the athletic commission, Bobby Hoffman was suspended also.

MMARR: How about the stripping of the Title?

MC: Well if the fight is a no Contest, then how can you have a title? You know what I am saying? When this has happened before, and this does not happen very often, but in every situation the fighter has been suspended and the fight has been declared a no contest. That is what has always happened. So here again it just so happens that this is a little more higher profile person, and he had won the title on it. They really did the same thing. They suspended him, which is the athletic commission, I mean they could do what they want to do, If he is fight is ruled a no contest he cant keep the title.

MMARR: What are your thoughts on steroid use in MMA.

MC: It is difficult to say anything about steroids without everybody jumping on someones back. Jeremy Horn got on the Internet, and Basically said what every big name fighter out there knows, which is yeah there is steroid use in MMA There is no doubt about it. But it has never been illegal to do it, like in Pride they dont even test, they dont care, so it has never been a big deal before. It is something that some people do some people dont. Now that it is illegal I think that everyone should quit using. That is the whole point. Why do you want to risk going out and getting a big win, and get it taken away? Up until that point if it is not specifically illegal. If you are fighting for a living, and this is your job, and the guys you are fighting are juicing, and that is giving them an advantage, I dont blame guys for wanting to juice also. Make it an even playing field. You know what I am saying? That being said, there are guys out there like Matt Hughes and Jens Pulver from our camp, guys who are at the very top of their weight class, who have never juiced a day in their life. So you dont have to juice to be on top. Now every now and again on the Internet someone will say Hughes is a juicer, that is freaking ridiculous. He has never done it and he has no reason to do it. His twin brother hasnt been in a gym in three years and looks almost like him. I mean he is a genetic freak! That is just the truth. He is a freak! Everyone here is always "strong as a farm-boy" or "oh those wrestlers are strong", well this is a wrestling farm-boy. He has always been strong, he has always had endurance, I mean look at the endurance the guy has. He can go five rounds, and that is not typical of a "roider".

He told me, "why would anyone say that?" and I go "You know people are always jealous of the people who are on top". They are going to look for ways to. They cant stand the fact that Matt is so good at what he does. People cant deal with it. You are going to have people that dont like it. No matter who you beat.

MMARR: Speaking of Matt Hughes, he just beat a pretty good fighter in Carlos Newton.

But he beat him in a controversial style the first time out at UFC 34. What did you think of the decision there? Did you think it was a good decision?

MC: What other decision could there be? John McCarthy has to make the call. Gotta be made inside the ring. McCarthy, he comes in, Newton is on his back and is unconscious, No one is disputing that he is taking a nap. He was there for a minute taking a nap. Matt is on one knee, and obviously you cant see his face. You cant tell whether he is out, he is dazed, he is spinning, who knows I dont know.

MMARR: But he said on Pay Per view that he was out!

MC: That is what he thought. He said it was like going through, spinning, spinning, spinning, He didnt know where he was. I mean he was completely out of it, but how many unconscious guys do you see that are sitting on one knee? You know what I am saying? If you are unconscious, you are a noodle, you would be lying face down. It does not make any sense. It is typical of, if Carlos has the choke on and he slams him, and right at impact that Choke nails him and puts him almost out, that is consistent of how it would be. You would be on one knee, you could still have your faculties but barely, you are so close to being just out you know, that you are there, but he doesnt. When McCarthy pushed him, If he is unconscious, he is going to fall over on his face, when you are unconscious everyone lays flat, that is how it goes, it is not like the Mr. Bean stuff where you fall asleep standing.

That is the thing, whether he was out, whether he wasnt out, It does not matter because McCarthy has to make a call. He comes in, he sees Newton unconscious, he sees Matt on one knee. He has got to make a call. He made a call to stop the fight. Maybe had Matt been, facing Big John and he could have seen his face, maybe he would have been able to say "oh these guys are both in trouble" I dont know but he didnt, he had his back to him call it fortunate for us, but John had to make a call.

MMARR: So you admit there was a little bit of luck involved there.

MC: I think that when you have fight like that, that is the closest fight in MMA history. How can it be any closer? Someone has got to get lucky and someone has got to get unlucky. But the thing was, ten seconds later, Matt is jumping up on the cage, Newton is still taking a nap. I dont know, it is one of those things, John had to make a call. John tells me that Matt was not out. He was the only person that was within a foot of him. Jeremy Horn and Pat Miletich told me he wasnt out. I said "was he out?" They said no his eyes were totally open. He wasnt unconscious. His eyes were open but he was out of it, he didnt know where he was or what had happened, but they told me he was not unconscious. I was sitting in the stands so I cant, everyone who gets on the Internet and says that he was out, some of them were watching from television, ten thousand miles away, I dont want to hear what they had to say.

MMARR: I was there live as press ringside, but it was hard for me to tell even.

MC: Right, That is what I am saying, who was the closest person to it? Thats McCarthy, he made a call! I mean if it was the other way around and he ruled Newton the winner would I be upset and stuff. Probably, but what are you going to do? Someone has got to make the call. Hes paid to do it. He has made hundreds of them. In Kuwait (Warriors War), Pele (Jose Landi) hit Matt with a knee and when McCarthy stepped in and stopped it, we went crazy! When he hit him with the knee and he stopped it, I thought he was fine, and I was right on the cage. I was right in his corner! But, he wasnt facing me. He was looking the other way. And when he stopped it "I went Oh my God!!!" when Matt turned around and looked at us, we shut up, because he was completely out of it. He wasnt unconscious.

MMARR: But he would have been done anyway

MC: AHH yeah I mean Pele would have had a free blow on him so it was a great call. I learned a long time ago, that I cant pretend to see better then the guy standing right there. I hear people say Oh "He (Matt Hughes) was unconscious from the Choke, and then he fell." Come on that makes no sense. He put him up on the cage to try to work himself free, but if he couldnt work himself free and he got in trouble, obviously the slam is there. He is not going to wait until he is unconscious to slam him. He knows when he is going unconscious. He told me he took a step back and slammed him. I mean he consciously did that. You cant tell me, If I am holding a guy, a 180 lb guy on my shoulders, and standing there and I go unconscious, I am not going to slam him, my legs are going to collapse. He is going to fall on top of me! That is how people go unconscious. You dont go unconscious by taking a step back and slamming someone so hard you knock him out.

MMARR: You said that John McCarthy had to make a call, and you said it could have gone the other way, if it had gone the other way.

MC: I dont know, from where he was I dont know what other call he could have made, other then the one he made. One guy is clearly unconscious. That guy cant be the winner, I mean he cant be. You cant win when you are sleeping. Matt was still up, he wasnt laying down on his face, he wasnt. He didnt appear to be out. I was at that angle too. I was from behind. So you know at that point, he made a call because he saw one guy out, same as when he made the call with Pele and Matt, he saw a fighter that couldnt defend himself. You got to stop the fight. One guy on the Internet was saying, "He should have stepped back and waited ten seconds to see what happened." Well Come on one guys is unconscious! If Matt would have been OK but he couldnt see, he would have been totally fine.

MMARR: That guy is absolutely ridiculous, I mean when someone gets KOd we dont step back and wait ten seconds, wont even talk about that, but.

MC: I know I am just saying, every single time that someone in boxing, when a guy is out laying on his back the way Newton was the Referee stops it, and stops the fight. That is the way it is done. He did it just like he has done it every other time. The only reason that people complain is because Matt is brutally Honest. He says what he thinks. He got criticized for Newton II, with the last fight be cause he said, "I expected to win a decision." That wasnt saying, "No I was fighting for a decision." Thats saying this Newton is freaking good! "I dont think I can stop him." He gets criticized for that. He is just Honest. He tells you what he thinks. He told me from day one he is going to beat him. He only trained three weeks. I kept saying, "What are you doing? You gotta get back here and train." "Oh I am doing a roofing Job." He trained three weeks for Newton.

MMARR: The second fight?

MC: Yeah.

MMARR: Tim Sylvia will be in the UFC soon he will be taking on Wesley Cabbage, with the size and reach advantage that Sylvia has do you see anyone posing a threat to Sylvia?

MC: Oh Sure, like everyone else, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. We built him up. I have managed him from the beginning. He is 15 - 0 and he has knocked out what, 12 of his 15? If you come and you try to stand up with him, you are going to lose. I mean Maybe Pedro Rizzo could stand up with him. Probably, but anyone else, they dont have the reach and they dont have the power. He has got incredible knees, incredible knees, and they are already head level, so if you stand up with him you are going to get hurt. His Jiu Jitsu is improving. He does it every day of course, like everyone else at the gym. He triangles people, he gets people, but that is not as far along as his stand up.

MMARR: So he can be grounded and pounded?

MC: I dont know about grounded and pounded, because his arms are so stinking long that if you are in his guard, he will hit you. You may not be able to hit him, but he will hit you. I mean he is a FREAK! He is hard to deal with because he is also very coordinated. He is hard to take down. You are going to have to be a good wrestler to take him down. He has a really good sprawl, and when he sprawls his feet are already eight feet behind him! You cant reach him and get him you know

MMARR: That is two of your fighters in a row that you called freaks!!! Matt Hughes and.

MC: I am Loaded with Freaks!!!!!

MMARR: Anthony "The Freak" Fryklund?!?!

MC: Yup! I am loaded with them! I have all kinds of them! That is what happens when you live in Iowa, we must be close to some kind of a Nuclear power plant! We are loaded with guys, Look at Robbie Lawler!!! Robbie Lawler can bench Press Three Hundred and sixty Pounds ten times!!! Who else can do that at a hundred and seventy pounds?

MMARR: Speaking of Robbie he is in the UFC division at 170, Matt Hughes is the king of the Division right now. I dont know if I see anyone beating matt Hughes right away, where does Matt Hughes take it? Does he take it to 185? Or where does Robbie Lawler take it?

MC: Matt does not go anywhere, he stays there as the champion until someone can beat him. Robbie just keeps fighting. Robbie is 20 years old. He has got time to improve. Ask Robbie Lawler if he thinks he can beat Matt Hughes? He just laughs and says, "Not in a million years." But someday you know, it is like a passing of the guard. Miletich was there forever, he left, now Matt took over. Matt could be there, in my opinion, as long as he wants to be there. He has already beaten the two best guys out there. Newton is the second best guy out there at one seventy. No doubt in my mind.

I DONT CARE HOW BAD HE GOT BEAT THIS LAST TIME. He is the second best guy. I think Sakurai is top five, I think Miletich is Top Five, and I think that Trigg is top five. I think those are your top five guys in the world.

MMARR: How about Silva?

MC: Anderson Silva could not make 170.

MMARR: he fought Sakurai at 170

MC: but now look at him. He was 190 the last time, I mean he will have to really, really work to make 170 again. Hes big. That is what people think of Pele "Landi Jons", I went to Pride and watched "Pele" and that dude is 205! That guys is going to have to get an amputation to make 180! Let alone 170. They cant even bring those guys up. They cant make the weight. Anderson Silva maybe. But, you know what? I dont think he is top five.

MMARR: He has got long legs to I think he could get taken down.

MC: He has got things that could cause people problems, there is no doubt about it. But he is built for a wrestler. A Guy like Matt is going to be ten times as strong. You cant have nine-foot long arms, and still have the muscle mass that a Matt Hughes has, with those arms

MMARR: at 170.

MC: right at 170and so I see that fight trying to get to the clinch, slamming him and pushing him into the cage or whatever, and beating the hell out of him. I think Matt beats him worse then Newton.

MMARR: What do you think of the chances of a Matt Hughes type fighter succeeding in a ring, as opposed to a UFC cage?

MC: He is 6 and 0 in Rings.

MMARR: He hasnt faced the same type of competition in the rings.

MC: He has fought good people.

MMARR: Has he fought anyone like Carlos Newton or Hayato Sakurai?

MC: No, I mean, those are the two best guys in the world, next to him. So, no. But he fought Chris Haseman who was 200 pounds (a Unanimous decision Win for Hughes), and he fought Kanehara (Majority Decision Win for Hughes) who has beaten Menne and Horn, and he beat both of them in a ring. I mean the whole cage thing is overrated. I watched the Newton fight, he didnt even use the cage half the time. I mean the only reason a ring would help someone fighting Matt would be because someone could slide out under the ropes and get a stand up. Matt put it on Newton in the middle of the ring. Just like in the cage, I mean he crucified him with the knee on one arm and holding the other, that was not the cage. If he can do that to Newton in the middle then he can do that to anyone. It is a funny story, about a year ago I called the UFC begging for them to put Matt Hughes back in. They said, "I dont know he just lost to Hallman." I said, "you know, what you guys dont understand is, Matt has the potential to be the best fighter out of Miletich Martial arts ever." His Potential is unlimited. No-one is going to wrestle like him, his submissions are really coming along, he passes the guard, he gets to the side, strikes well from the ground, and he is working his butt off on his stand up. This guy is going to become a machine. Joe Silva and Dana White said "Ok, Ok" they gave me some credit, at least I know talent when I see it. Matt was going to quit, because we couldnt get him anything, no one would take him. So finally they go, "would he fight Sakurai?" So I go, "He would fight Sakurai in a minute." Well then Sakurai ended up pulling out of that fight, Then Anderson Silva Pulled out of the (Carlos) Newton fight, so he went from not being able to get anywhere right into a title shot, and took advantage of it. The thing with Matt is he keeps getting better. Look at every fight. He is getting better and better and better and the next fight he is going to get better then that, and it is not a matter of who is out there that can beat him now, it is who can beat him next time?

The guy is phenomenal.

MMARR: Who is out there for him? What are you going to do? You have to find fights for him too.

MC: I dont have to do anything, thank goodness. Zuffa has to do it. I am in a nice position. I sit at home and play on the Internet and they call me and tell me who they want him to fight. I am like, "Whatever." We dont care. Anybody at 170 lbs! I am thinking Sherk is going to beat Radach in the next show. Then he fights Sherk.

MMARR: Do you manage Sherk?

MC: Used to I managed him for his first 20 fights.

MMARR: Do you think Sherk is going to beat Radach?

MC: I think so.

MMARR: What is your take on the Jens Pulver saga? He has had some problems with the UFC, is UFO. Does he have a contract with the UFO longer than one fight?

MC: The UFO only gave out one fight deals. All the reports on Bustamante being offered a three fight deal it is all bullcrap. No one was offered more then a one fight deal through UFO. And the numbers are insane. I know what he was offered because my partner in Japan is one of the matchmakers, so I know the numbers and those are ridiculous. But getting back to Jens, obviously I manage Jens, The UFC had to make a business decision. I know that it sounds like we are skirting the issue but it is not. I mean they have to decide. Our Contract is up, they have got to decide what do you want to pay Jens? They came up with a figure, we didnt like that figure, I mean we thought, seven fights, never losing, beating B.J PennIt was time that he got paid. We didnt care that he was a 155 pounds. We wanted him to be paid like the 170 pounders and the 185 pounders. We never expected for him to be paid like heavyweights, we never asked for that kind of money, never expected it. But, we wanted to be paid like the 170 pounders and like the 185 pounders, we didnt want to be on top, we just wanted to be in there.

MMARR: So what do you think are your chances of getting back into the UFC?

MC: I think we can get him back into the UFC tomorrow. The money has got to change. He is going to go fight, we are going to leave on Saturday (Aug 3rd) he is going to go fight in the UFO, I think he is going to win Impressively, and I think it is going to open up a whole new world for him. K-1 wants him, K-1 is offering really good money. UFO would like to do more then one show, I think they are going to do one more show. I think after he beats Murahama, I think Pride is going to be interested in signing him.

MMARR: How is Pride going to sign a 155 pounder? Are they going to have a new 155 division?

MC: They can do anything! I mean Pride can do anything they want to do. If they want to go out and get Royler (Gracie) for him, or they want to get Uno (Caol) for him or they want to get Sato (Rumina) for him there is all kinds of fights. Pride isnt like the UFC, they dont have all these titles, they just want to make good fights. If they think Jens Pulver is the most exciting fighter or the fighter they want at 155, there is no shortage of good Japanese fighters at one fifty five. So why wouldnt they sign him? It dosnt make any sense that they wouldnt.

MMARR: Were you impressed with Jens Pulvers performance against Robert Emerson?( Emerson was his last first fight since leaving the UFC, he won via three round decision)

MC: Well..

Long Pause

Here is the thing, This just happened last night with Menne. You got Jens Pulver whos just trying to get a warm up fight because he hasnt been in the ring a while. You take Robert Emerson, we didnt know anything about Robert Emerson, other then we were told he was good. We wanted someone good! I mean we didnt want for Jens to get a warm up, we didnt want him to walk in and knock someone out in 30 seconds. If he does that he doesnt do anyone any good. We wanted him to go rounds, so we didnt know anything about Robert Emerson. We dont have video tapes on him, we dont think about him, we just know that he is going to want to stand up. That is what we wanted, so he can get some work. Jens trains right though the fight, I mean Emerson has a chance of a lifetime. He watches tapes on Jens, he grooms himself for this fight, I mean he is ready to go. It is the fight of his life. For Jens, it is just a warm up, just a tune up that is what it is. All the people who saw it say it was exciting, I mean this Emerson kid is tough! He took punches! Jens dropped him with the knee, Jens dropped him with the left hook, I mean scoring wise for the fight, it is not very close, I mean with the knockdowns and stuff he probably had two ten eight rounds. But, the fight is better then the score, the fight is that this guy gets dropped and kept coming, it was amazing, it was great. Jens got tired in the third round, Jens also got kneed in the "nuts" in the second round Pretty bad. (He) Had to take five minutes, and he got really tired. But that is because he didnt train for the fight. If he would have trained like he gets ready for a fight three weeks out, I think he rolls through him, but he cant do that, his fight is ahead of him in the UFO. When you are number one in the world you have to be able to not be at your best and still win. That is what he did. He went out and showed some really nice takedowns. He worked a little bit on his ground and pound in case he needs it. He dropped the kid twice standing. So I was happy.

MMARR: You manage both Dave Menne and Matt Hughes. Both fought in Kuwait (Warriors War 1 Feb, 8 ,2001. ) What would have happened if Hughes would have beat Pele and they would have met in the finals?

MC: Someone would have won sixty Grand.

Laughs

That is one of the rare instances where I asked both of them, "What do you want to do?" Now they have already fought each other once. ( Extreme Challenge 21 Oct, 17, 98. Hughes won a Decision)

MMARR: Did you manage them both at that time? Time (of their fight at Extreme Challenge 21, Oct,17, 98)

MC: No did not manage Hughes, But Laverne Clark fought Menne on my show and I managed both of them.

MMARR: What do you think would have happened if Dave Menne would have fought Matt Hughes at Kuwait.

MC: I dont know. I mean the first time Matt Hughes won pretty handily. Dave was on in Kuwait. I mean he was absolutely on. He beat Carlos Newton, Dropped him, actually had him knocked out with the kick to the head, and he came to when he landed.

MMARR: Yeah it kind of looked like a flash knockdown.

MC: yeah but he was out when he fell, because McCarthy came over right after and said "He was Out" and I go yeah "I know, when he landed he came to". Dave is capable of showing, amazing things I mean you just never know with that guy.

MMARR: That is the knock against him though, he has never been known as being a finisher. I mean even as his manager you must agree to some extent that ..

MC: Yeah but who cares? Do you think his fights are boring? I mean every good fight in my shows all involve Dave Menne. Menne Vs Laverne Clark was amazing. An amazing fight, he finished Laverne. Dave Menne Vs Shonie Carter, both of them had to go to the hospital when it was done, it was probably the best fight I have ever had in my show, and it went to a decision, and I couldnt care less. These people who are caught up in finishes, it is all Jiu Jitsu based. This isnt Jiu Jitsu anymore. Wrestling matches never, I mean you try for pins, If Sanderson (Cael Sanderson) wins eighty percent of his matches by decision does that make him less of a wrestler? It does not matter. I just want exciting fights. That is what I care about. If people argue, "Oh that guy is not exciting", well thats ok, that I can deal with. I mean if they feel that they dont like his style, or whatever then fine! Dont watch him! But when you start arguing that someone is not a finisher, "Oh who cares". Everyone tells me that "Oh that the Aaron Riley Vs Robbie Lawler fight, wasnt that an incredible fight!" No one finished they must both suck!!!

MMARR: No I dont mean that, No one thinks that Dave Menne Sucks.

MC: No, I am saying that if no one finished it must be a terrible fight! So all those fights, like Lawler (Robbie) Vs Riley (Aaron) , (Dave) Menne Vs Shonie (Carter), well how about Shonie and Serra, Well Shonie Finished with a Knockout, well a few seconds more would that have been a crappy fight? Because he didnt finish?

MMARR: But dont you think because he actually finished that fight that it was just that extra bit more exciting?

MC: Oh I think it is great! Certainly! But you know what, that is the stuff that makes Pro-wrestling so appealing to people, wouldnt it be great if every single time you could write the script and finish in dramatic fashion? I think it would be great! But this is the real world it does not happen that way. Dave Menne is not real strong, he doesnt have great punching, he is not an incredible submission guy, he is just a really good fighter. He lets you hit him and he hits you back. He kicks at you, he will take you down, I mean he has got "Pele" (Jose-Landi) in a Knee bar, he goes for everything, I cant remember a fight with Menne , maybe Iha, that was boring, I find him incredibly fun to watch, I never know what the guy is going to do.

MMARR: He got K.Od pretty good against Bustamante.

MC: Yeah he is not going to say anything about it, but ask Zuffa. Everyone at that Connecticut show, everybody got sick. Badly sick. I got sick I lost 12 pounds in 12 hours.

MMARR: Monte Cox lost twelve pound eh?

MC: TWELVE POUNDS! Jeremy Horn and I were the first two in our group to get sick and they all laughed at me. I couldnt sit on the couch for more then five minutes I had to run to the bathroom and vomit. I had to be buried under blankets, and I never get sick. Thats just not something that ever happens. So everyone is laughing at me, Pulver and all those guys, and I am like "Oh my God" I have never had this before, this is awful.

Then Randleman gets it.
LARAMIE (AP)  As Morgan Thrasher considered a new career in the HVAC industry this fall, she found herself drawing on her background in cosmetology.

"It's actually pretty similar to this field, which sounds pretty crazy," she said. "But the more I think about it, the more I can relate."

In her new job as an HVAC technician with Laramie Mechanical and Heating Systems, Thrasher works on heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The company also works with sheet metal on projects ranging from furniture to siding.

Thrasher said she loves working with her hands instead of sitting behind a desk. Like cutting or coloring a person's hair, her work requires precision and problem-solving. She also likes working on different projects every day and interacting with customers.

"I'm more tired now, but life's good," she said.

Thrasher is one of the most recent graduates from Climb Wyoming, and she's part of the first Laramie class to receive training to work in the HVAC industry.

Participants completed six weeks of training lead by Aspen Valley Heating and Air Conditioning, Artech Services and Laramie Mechanical, which introduced them to a variety of skills used in the industry. Other Climb participants have found jobs with Albany County School District No. 1 and the University of Wyoming.

Climb Wyoming, a nonprofit organization that offers intensive job training for low-income single mothers, is designed to prepare them for long-term self-sufficiency in well-paying careers. The program operates six sites around the state and has been in Laramie since 2004.

Climb Wyoming has been honored in recent years by the Wyoming Department of Family Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its work to move families out of poverty.

Laramie Climb Director Katie Hogarty said her office is always doing research to make sure they're offering training for careers that are in demand. Traditionally in Laramie, the program has trained participants to work in offices and as certified nursing assistants. But office jobs aren't as plentiful these days.

"The way the economy is right now, these nontrade jobs are growing and office jobs are stagnant or not as available as they were," Hogarty said.

At the same time, Climb works to find jobs that are a good fit for the interests and strengths of participants. Hogarty said one participant found a job with Aspen Valley about a year-and-a-half ago as a way to apply her creativity, problem-solving skills and customer service ability to a nondesk job.

"She was really successful," Hogarty said. "Without any training, she was ready to go."

The success of that participant inspired Hogarty to pull together a training program using local companies.

Thrasher said she had known about Climb for some time before deciding to apply, in part because she couldn't see herself being content sitting behind a desk. The prospect of HVAC training, however, piqued her interest.

"It was definitely something I could see myself enjoying, so I thought I'd give it a shot," she said.

Josh Brummond, who owns Laramie Mechanical, said he was looking for a new employee earlier in the fall because the company has grown in the past year. The company currently has 12 employees.

"We got to the point where there were a lot of things being left undone, and that's one of the reasons we really targeted Morgan," he said.

During the Climb training, Thrasher's work caught his eye.

"I could tell her attention to detail, and that's what got me interested in hiring her," he said.

Brummond said he prefers to hire employees with no experience or minimal experience, which makes training them easier.

"Finding someone that's trainable and that pays attention is a huge bonus for us," he said.

The HVAC industry is not a traditional field for women. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.7 percent of HVAC installers and mechanics and 4.5 percent of sheet metal workers were women, as of 2015.

The bureau also reports the HVAC industry is expected to grow by 14 percent through 2024, driven by an emphasis on energy efficiency in commercial and residential construction.

Hogarty said the women she works with are ready for their new careers.

"Women are so talented in this area," she said. "They're an untapped resource."

Once a woman is hired, Climb pays the first six weeks of wages while meeting with the employee and the employer to talk about performance, expectations and communication.

In addition to job training, Climb participants also receive training in areas such as parenting, nutrition and relationships. They work on executive functioning skills such as planning, goal-setting, emotional regulation, organization and decision making. These skills can suffer under chronic stress, but they're necessary to be a successful professional.

"If you have experienced trauma or the stress of being a single parent in poverty, it's hard to exercise those executive-functioning skills," Hogarty said.

According to Climb statistics, 46 percent of participants are employed before going through Climb, making about $12,600 a year and usually working in food service or retail. Two years after graduating, 70 percent of graduates are working, making almost $30,000.

In Laramie, 59 percent of single-mother families live below the poverty level. Climb has worked with 242 mothers and 435 children, and families have increased their average income from $11,400 to $22,400.

Hogarty said the Laramie program will conduct another session in the spring. Training will either prepare participants to earn a commercial driver's license or prepare them for light construction with an HVAC component.

"Those are high-paying careers that are in demand," she said.

Thrasher, who has a 14-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter, said she found herself in recent years sometimes working four jobs at a time. She couldn't afford to take her children swimming, let alone on a vacation.

"For a while there, I was to the point where I was just getting up and going through the motions," she said. "I wasn't really looking forward to the future. I wasn't excited about next week or what's going to be happening a month from now  I was more dreading it than anything."

Now, she has a job she likes, where she's appreciated, and maybe a family vacation can be part of future plans.

"It's a pretty awesome place to be," she said.
According to photographer Arron Booth, nighttime photography presents an entirely different perspective of the world in more ways than one.

Since 2008 the Butte native has been traveling throughout Montana and Wyoming capturing detailed images of the night sky, where he has had encounters not only with nebulae and swaths of stars from the Milky Way, but also with the sights and sounds of the wilderness.

Go out and stand in the mountains right now in the pitch dark, [and] your mind plays tricks on you, said Booth, noting that spending hours alone in the woods can lead to some out-of-this world experiences, replete with coyote cries and bumps in the night.

Today Booth exhibits his nighttime images at the Uptown Butte Art Walk, Montana galleries and mom-and-pop establishments. His photos capture things like wilderness landscapes, old barns and isolated country churches beneath images of our galaxy, the northern lights and other light phenomena.

Aside from capturing images of the cosmos, Booth said what he enjoys most about nighttime photography is mastering the skills required.

To create his photos, Booth said, he uses long shutter speeds and high ISOs and sometimes layers multiple exposures to get the effect he wants. The process also involves using photo-enhancing software, which allows Booth to increase the saturation of his images, among other adjustments.

Pretty much youre just pushing your camera to the limit, said Booth.

Butte resident Hayes Novich  who goes by the moniker Hazer Live  says he started dabbling in nighttime photography because he likes the peacefulness of the world at night.

Hazer has been taking photos of festivals and other events in Butte for several years and said he started taking photos of the night sky because it was something to do after crowds started to dwindle.

Hazer added that the Big Sky State boasts some of the most star-saturated skies with its wide-open spaces and sparse population.

Montana has some of the darkest skies in the country, he said.

In one of Hazers images, a lone figure with a headlamp looks over a barn and is met by an immensity of stars. In another, the Mountain Con headframe, backed by the nighttime sky, is illuminated by signage proclaiming the mine is both a mile high and a mile deep.

To some viewers it may seem amazing that detailed images of the Milky Way can appear through the aid of a simple digital camera.

But perhaps more amazing are the implications behind those images.

To find out what those implications are, The Montana Standard spoke with Daniel Reisenfeld, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Montana.

Reisenfeld, who heads a space group at the university that has been involved in several NASA missions, including the Cassini mission to Saturn, said images of the night sky have long been captivating to scientists and artists alike.

He said his own interest in stars and galaxies began in early childhood when he was fascinated by the idea of space exploration and colonization of far-off worlds.

I think that its so vast and so majestic, it challenges our imagination, said Reisenfeld when asked why people find images of space so captivating.

He added that space imagery speaks to the possibilities beyond and all the questions that come up including, of course, the quintessential question: are we alone?

Hazer concurred, noting that many people are unaware of the size and scope of the Milky Way.

Plus, he said, the stars have always been awesome.

As for Booth, he said hes learned a lot about astronomy from his nighttime photography adventures.

Thats looking toward the center of our galaxy, said Booth flipping through a set of images on his phone. (But) when you get toward the outer ring here, thats looking away into deep space.

Booth showed The Standard a photo of St. John the Evangelist, a small white church on Montana Highway 69 near Boulder. The church is framed by an arch of the Milky Way, and Booth pointed to what appears to be a very bright star to the left of the steeple.

Thats the Andromeda galaxy, said Booth Thats the galaxy thats going to collide with us in (a few billion years).

A sobering thought indeed.

And while nighttime photography conjures up questions about the cosmos for some, for others it raises questions about whether the images are real.

The Standard asked both Booth and Reisenfeld if the photos are less authentic because they use photo-enhancing software and capture what the naked eye cant see.

Reisenfeld said scientists used image-enhancing techniques all the time to visualize their discoveries.

He said things exist in space that cant be perceived by the human eye, including in the infrared and ultra violet spectrum. Scientists use software to bring these images into the visual spectrum so that they can study them.

Booth, meanwhile, didnt seem concerned whether viewers think of his images as more or less authentic.

I like just to be a storyteller, he said.

Booths interest in telling stories comes through in one particular photograph.

It depicts a lone figure wearing a cowboy hat who looks out at the night sky.

With the Highlands in the background, the figure hoists what seems to be a lantern over his head, as though hes just illuminated the underbelly of the Milky Way.

He looks a bit like an explorer peering out into a very large world.
Butte artist and photographer Hazer says he has a vision for Butte, and its one that has art at its core.

In December Hazer (whose real name is Hayes Novich) and Austin McGrann opened the Rethink Butte art gallery on Main Street, across the street from the Silver Dollar Saloon and Pekin Noodle Parlor.

According to Hazer, the gallery is part of a larger project aimed at increasing tourism and economic development in Butte.

The first part of the project involved making 36 tourism videos featuring the Mining City, which Hazer created with the aid of $29,000 from a Superfund grant called SARTA.

Hazer said the goal of the videos was to generate excitement about the Mining City. But with the opening of the gallery, he added, hell now have a physical location where he can promote economic development.

He said plans for the gallery include hosting art workshops and displaying work by local artists that everyday people can afford. Currently, the gallery is showcasing art by The Napping Artist (aka Mindy Betchell), Christine Martin, Andy Austin, Trent Curnow, Nick Spiker and Hazer.

Aside from being a venue to showcase art, Hazer said he wants the gallery to be a visitor center for artists  a place where people can research different filming and photography locations as well as attend workshops.

Bottom line, Hazer said, he wants to highlight whats awesome about Butte to creatives and anyone interested in art.

When asked about his motivations for creating the Rethink Butte project, Hazer explained that he thinks Butte has the capacity to one day have a thriving arts scene.

I think Butte has more potential than Bozeman or Missoula, said Hazer.

Although hes an unabashed cheerleader of Butte, Hazer's not originally from the Mining City.

He said he grew up in Twin Bridges, attended Montana State University and took a road trip a few years back to look for places that seemed to be budding culturally.

Through his travels, Hazer said, he started to notice something.

Where there was art, cities were doing better.

Hazer went on to launch an events photography company and shot images throughout Montana until September 2015, when he took the plunge and settled in Butte.

Soon after, Hazer hit the ground running with a mural painting project. Through the project, Hazer said, he and fellow artist Trent Curnow placed graffiti art on more than 20 dumpsters in Butte.

The duo made time-lapse videos of each creation, which Hazer said generated over 35 million views on YouTube combined.

The dumpster videos are now part of a larger project Hazer is calling How its Created.

How It's Created is a guerrilla marketing project that pairs artists with out-of-the-box art projects, and documents the creation of each piece through video, Hazer writes on his website.

For now Butte remains a post-industrial town, but Hazers many projects ask viewers to rethink the future.
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This story was updated on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017, to reflect comments about the incident from the bus depot manager. It was also updated Tuesday, Jan. 10, to correct suspect's first and middle names, include his home town and update his jail status.

---

A man was booked for assault early Sunday morning after he broke a cane hitting an employee at the bus station in the head, police said.

Police say they were called to the bus station at 1324 Harrison Ave. shortly before 4 a.m. and learned that Conrad Michael Bennett, 45, of Browning, had assaulted the male employee with a cane.

Bennett told officers the man had made sexual advances toward him in the restroom. But police say the claim was bogus because they reviewed video at the station and said Bennett never even went into the restroom.

The employee was not seriously injured but had a knot on his head, police said.

Bennett was booked on a felony complaint of assault with a weapon and was jailed with no bond set. He was still in jail as of Tuesday morning.

Terry Reed, who operates the bus depot, said the defendants allegation of a sexual advance is preposterous and that it unfairly casts a bad light on the facility and its employees. He also said the employee who was beaten is a disabled Army veteran who couldnt defend himself.

Reed says Bennett was drunk and disorderly, and had been asked to leave the depot when the trouble started.
It will be all labs all the time for students  at least in one new modern building at Montana Tech.

The $10-million Natural Resources Research Center (NRRC) promises to shed light on what goes on behind closed doors in cryptic laboratories.

Gone are the old-school layouts of labyrinthine hallways, classrooms, and labs that dominate the older buildings on campus, like the science and engineering, Main Hall, and chemistry and biology mainstays.

Gone are any offices, too, in the NRRC.

The 31,000-square-foot, open-concept architectural design allows students to congregate, collaborate, and confer. Huge interior and exterior windows showcase only student labs, where visitors and engineering students of all stripes can see and be seen.

The idea is to have open concepts and visuals, said Joe McClafferty, vice chancellor of Development and University Relations and president of the Montana Tech Foundation, the fundraising arm of the university. It doesnt look like anything else we have on campus.

The versatile spaces, like a Student Project Lab area, allow for more student collaboration for individuals and groups.

You can actually see what theyre doing through the windows, said Amanda Badovinac, Tech marketing and public relations director.

The atrium basically becomes hallway space, McClafferty added.

Even student welders will see the light of day with new equipment and a higher profile.

Doug Abbott, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at Tech, said the new high-tech welding labs will accommodate welding majors from Highlands College, which will keep its 15 traditional welding booths and eight aerospace welding booths on its south campus.

Those (NRRC) labs support the Highlands College welding program, added Abbott. Currently, the north campus has 12 welding engineering majors. Highlands has 27 in machining/welding and six enrolled in aerospace.

Recruiting more students to Tech is high on the list of why the building went up, as Tech officials work hard to keep the tiny engineering college up to date with technology.

In conjunction with the recently revealed renderings of a new $24-million multipurpose building, the Student Success Center, officials want to continue to bolster Techs image and draw students. McClafferty said recently its important that Tech maintain its status in the increasingly competitive world of petroleum and other engineering fields.

We thought it would be a good selling point, said McClafferty, taking in the enticing south-facing vistas from an upstairs birds-eye view.

Rob Smith, Tech construction manager who has worked with Sletten Construction for the past two years on the project, said furniture and lab equipment  some of it cutting edge and technical  will be moved in gradually from the Engineering Lab/Classroom Building, Science and Engineering Building, and Engineering Hall.

Smith said NRRC is a Green Globes building, meaning energy-efficient LED lighting, reflective windows, and a Green Globe sustainability certification.

McClafferty, leading a recent tour, said specialized equipment will be moved in for mechanical, civil, and petroleum engineering majors, including cutting-edge nanoscience, energy, and fluids labs.

Anything the basic engineering students go through, well have in here, he said.

Occupational Safety and Health majors will have lab space and an unconventional climbing area with ladders and harnesses for climbing safety simulations.

Theres nothing like the practice climbing area out there, added McClafferty, who toured several other safety, mining, and engineering colleges to help with site planning.

Another cutting-edge space is a Composite Testing Room upstairs that will enable students and instructors to use renewable woods.

Funding for the NRRC was secured through a $5-million allocation from the 2013 Montana Legislature and a $5-million private match provided by ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, and Anadarko  private companies that make their mark on the campus and in return get an ongoing supply of Tech graduates to feed their industry pipeline.

A few labs will be running the first week of school when spring semester classes start Jan. 9. Bit by bit, labs will start up, but the building will be completely open to students later in spring semester, said Badovinac.

McClafferty anticipates holding a campus open house in February then a public grand opening in March.

Officials envision the atrium and open meeting rooms as a sort of recreation center, too, for students between lab assignments.

Well pretty it up, cracked McClafferty. Well show those kids how fun it can be to be an engineer.
MISSOULA  The election in November of Republican majorities in the House and Senate and a Republican president means the Affordable Care Act is likely to be repealed when the new Congress convenes in January.

But many Montanans, despite significant criticism of the law known as Obamacare, wonder what the future of affordable health care will look like for thousands of people in this state if it goes away.

In an effort to understand community perspective, Senator Jon Tester met with some of those Montanans, along with about 25 healthcare professionals from various facilities, at Missoulas Providence St. Patrick Hospital Saturday afternoon for a Missoula Healthcare Roundtable.

Although Tester, a Democrat, started the discussion with introductions, he quickly turned it over to the participants with a single question: How would a potential partial or full repeal of the ACA impact your community?

For Mineral County, a repeal of the ACA without an immediate similar or better healthcare plan could mean the loss of the countys only hospital, according to Ron Gleason, CEO of Mineral Community Hospital. The hospital treats everyone in Mineral County, which Gleason said has a large low-income and veteran population, and is operating with a minimum staff.

Gleason said the hospital will be closing its assisted living center in February and a repeal of the ACA would mean a loss of even more funding. If Mineral Community Hospital closed, Gleason said there wouldnt be another health center for miles, and much of the population would move or be left without care.

A big problem with Washington, D.C. right now is that they dont understand where we live, Gleason said, as much of the room, including Tester, nodded. They think Buffalo, New York is rural. They dont understand the distance and the time it takes to get to a hospital here if these smaller facilities go away.

While Montanans across the state could be affected by a total or partial repeal of the ACA, the most common topic of discussion at Saturdays roundtable was the impact it could have on rural Montana.

Rural Community Health Centers, which serve more than 100,000 people, could face the loss of 70 percent of their funding. Tester said Lincoln County alone could lose up to $2.5 million a year in asbestos-related disease screening and support.

Ken Burd, a Granite County Hospital board member, said the loss of the ACA would set off a series of unintentional events that would eventually cripple rural America. Rural America, Burd said, depends on blue collar, industrial jobs and recreational outdoor activity, both of which are injury prone. Without affordable emergency care, people will stop working industrial jobs and move away from rural America.

So this would have larger impacts socially and economically than I think people are looking at now, Burd said.

Maria Stoppler, the CEO and director of nursing at the Granite County Medical Center, agreed. When people in rural places cant afford care, they simply stop treating their chronic illnesses until the issues become emergencies and are more difficult to treat.

Human Resources Director at the Western Montana Mental Health Center Karen Harrison jumped into the conversation, adding that when people who cant afford health care are injured, theyll look for other ways to cover the cost. In rural areas, this is usually workers compensation. When an areas rate of workers comp rises, Harrison said, fewer employers choose to locate there and the areas economy is negatively affected.

Still, Tester said, many people think the ACA doesnt, and wont, affect them. Montanas rate of 7 percent uninsured would surely jump if the ACA was repealed, according to Tester, and nearly 152,000 Montanans with pre-existing conditions would be at risk for losing insurance coverage. In addition, 44,000 would lose tax credits that lower the cost of healthcare.

One community member, who wouldnt give his name, said he suffered a heart attack last Friday, and without the ACA, he wouldnt have been able to afford care and probably wouldnt have survived. Now hes worried he wont have insurance if he has another attack.

Still, even with the concern surrounding the loss of the ACA, the group agreed it could be improved.

Mary Jane Nealon, the director of innovation at Partnership Health Center, said the laws worst area concerns the people of the middle class, whose insurance deductibles are increasing, yet they dont qualify for Medicaid or Medicare.

Anybody in healthcare will tell you that the ACA could be better, Nealon said before the room laughed and nodded. But we cant just do away with it.

Community member Rita Agin said her family is middle class, and since the ACA was passed, her insurance rates have nearly tripled. Agin said she has two kids, and the rising rates are crippling her ability to care for her own family.

What about me and my family? Agin asked the group, nearly all of whom nodded with her. I dont want to have to be poor to pay for healthcare.

Tester nodded and said that issue, along with many others, will have to be worked out within the ACA if it isnt repealed. For now, Tester promised to use these stories and concerns to convince Congress to keep the ACA, simply because of the impact its loss would have on the U.S. population as a whole.

Something that concerns me is that people think if we repeal the ACA, our insurance rates will go down, Tester said. Thats not happening. So we need be putting out good information because when people have good information, they make good decisions.
Four promoted

Four employees have been promoted at Brady Martz & Associates in Bismarck.

Lance Rambousek has advanced from manager to senior manager. Rambousek grew up in South Heart, graduated from Dickinson State University with degrees in accounting and business administration and has been with the firm for seven years.

Kristen Foss has moved from senior associate to manager. Originally from Washburn, she holds a bachelor of accountancy degree from the University of North Dakota and began working at Brady Martz in 2011. She is a CPA.

Will Swanson has been promoted from associate to senior associate. Swanson is originally from Jamestown, where he graduated from the University of Jamestown with degrees in accounting and business administration. A certified public accountant, he joined the firm in 2014.

Karen Holman, who had been a senior outsourcing associate, is now outsourcing manager. With Brady Martz for 12 years, she has a bachelors degree in management and marketing from Minot State University and earned the FPC designation through the American Payroll Association.

Klose hired at bank

Lacey Klose has been hired as a consumer loan officer at First Western Bank & Trust in Bismarck.

Klose has more than four years of banking experience and most recently worked at Gate City Bank. She has worked in customer service her entire career.

Widmer joins staff

Alison Widmer recently joined Choice Financial in Bismarck as a frontline customer service representative.

Two appointed

Jeff Ubben and Marcy Ost have been appointed to positions in the state Insurance Department by Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread.

Ubben will serve as deputy insurance commissioner and Ost as executive assistant.

Ubben has been general counsel for the department for the past four years, a role he will retain until a replacement is hired. He is a North Dakota native and earned his law degree from the University of North Dakota in 2006.

Ost has been executive assistant, including fulfilling public information duties, since 2014. A native of Dickinson, she graduated from Dickinson State University.

Weigel promoted

Derek Weigel has been promoted to AVP/business banker at Cornerstone Bank in Bismarck. Weigel joined the bank as a retail manager in 2008 and became a business banker in 2014.

Two work at BAC

Jonathan Ternes has joined Bismarck Aero Center as a certified flight instructor.

After serving in the U.S. Army, Ternes returned to North Dakota to complete his bachelor's degree in aeronautics at the University of North Dakota. He has since worked as a certified flight instructor, a first officer and a chief pilot.

Nicolette Derosier is working full-time at BAC as the office and communications administrator. She started there in 2014 as an evening customer service representative and was a communications intern during the 2016 fall semester. She recently obtained a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Mary.

Eggebrecht advances

Jennifer Eggebrecht has been promoted to financial analyst IV at WBI Energy Inc.

Eggebrecht has worked for WBI Energy for 11 years. She has a degree in accounting and business administration from the University of Mary and is a certified public accountant.
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
Youth pastor Gabriel Kent is mixing his passion with a purpose: He is taking his faith and love for music and creating a worship track.

While Kent began to sing, as well as play the drums near the early age of 4, his faith wasnt always as harmonious as his music.

I wish I could say that my walk with Christ has always been smooth sailing; however, that would be untrue, Kent said. My last two years of high school were pretty rough. I wasnt serious about my walk with God, pushed my family away and engaged in relationships that were not good for me.

But things turned around: Kent went to Trinity Bible College, earning a bachelor's degree in biblical studies, with a minor in music, in 2015. He took a job at Capital Christian Center a year ago in February, working with his father, who is the lead pastor.

While on vacation in Florida this summer, Kent met with Alex Budzelik, one of his old friends from high school. Budzelik works at Sound Mind Studios, a recording studio business in Holly Hill, Fla., where he has worked for the past five years.

The second I saw Gabe again for the first time in six years, it was like no time had passed  we were best friends again," Budzelik said.

He invited Kent to take a look at his studio, and, while there, he recorded his first single, "Worship You," which he released in August, available on multiple online music stores, such as Spotify, iTunes and Google Play. The song was a collaborative writing effort between Kent and his friend, Chad Hammontree.

Afterward he (Budzelik) made an offer that I couldnt refuse  to come back in the fall and record an album, Kent said.

During the week of his return to Florida, a hurricane hit.

Gabe was staying with his family that lived in Florida, but they evacuated and left the state," Budzelik said. "Gabe had to find a way to stay near the studio longer, so he was forced to purchase another plane ticket home. This allowed us to get all of his parts finished, but I believe it gives more meaning to the name he chose for his EP, The Journey.

The EP consists of six original songs, one of them being the single "Worship You." Another vocalist was brought in to sing backup vocals on one of the tracks, and Budzelik played most of the background instrumentals.

Gabe wanted this project to have a country/bluegrass feel, so I was able to play instruments like the banjo, mandolin, steel guitar, various types of keyboards, as well as the more fundamental instruments like drums, bass and guitar, Budzelik said. Gabe is a highly accomplished musician himself, but since he was only in Florida for a certain amount of time, we just agreed that it might be faster if I played the instruments and let him focus on his vocal parts.

Besides having a good beat and musical harmony, the lyrics of the song have a purpose. Some of the songs are geared toward young adults. Others have more of a group worship atmosphere, one that can bring a multitude of people in to praise and revere God.

His lyrics are simple yet powerful in the way he describes his journey in God's will at this age, Budzelik said. This album is musically and lyrically diverse and can reach any audience.

Though the date is not settled, Kent intends to host a release concert at Capital Christian Center, where people may purchase the $10 EP.

I guess the biggest thing I would want people to take away from this album is that God loves them, Kent said. Even though life gets messy and we fail, Jesus still loves us and is with us through it all.
A Cause for Claws Thrift Store (701-751-5828)  Seeks volunteers to sort, test, repair and set up store displays. All profits support a low-cost spay and neuter clinic.

Abused Adult Resource Center (701-222-8370)  Volunteers advocates needed to help answer the crisis calls in the evenings and on weekends. An advocates role is to listen, offer support and give options. Free training provided.

AID Inc. (701-663-2122 or 701-663-1274)  Adults to sort clothing, sort other donations, pricing, cashiering, cleaning, organizing, hanging clothes, sorting, testing and repairing electrical items and other various tasks.

American Cancer Society (701-433-7582)  Volunteer drivers for Road to Recovery Program.

American Red Cross (701-223-6700)  Disaster and Health and Safety Services to teach CPR/first aid courses, aid in disaster response locally and nationwide, training provided. Adults and youth 16 and older.

Arc of Bismarck (701-222-1854)  Work in the thrift store.

Baptist Health Care Center (701-223-3040)  Assist residents with clinic appointments, activities, meals, chapel on Sunday and bingo.

Big Brothers Big Sisters (701-222-0797)  Be a mentor for youth.

Bismarck-Mandan Chapter of SCORE (701-328-5861)  Volunteer management counselors to provide free and confidential mentoring and counseling for those who wish to start a small business. Call or stop by the office at the Bank of North Dakota building on Memorial Highway.

Buckstop Junction/Missouri Valley Historical Society (701-250-8575)  Conduct tours of historic buildings, help with The Shoppe, building or grounds maintenance, general office work, Corn Feed/Old Settlers Day, publicity or adopt a building.

Burleigh County Senior Adult Program (701-255-4648)  Deliver meals to homebound elderly individuals and assist as nutrition servers, gift shop attendants, Wii bowling scorekeeper and answering phones.

Central Dakota Humane Society (701-667-2020)  Provide companionship, exercise and socialization to the dogs and cats; assist with basic animal care; assist with special events.

Charles Hall Youth Services (701-255-2773, ext. 303)  Volunteer mentors needed to commit to supporting, guiding and mentoring at-risk youth. Mentors serve as positive role models, teaching youth healthy and safe ways to have fun and to meet positive academic, career and personal goals. Mentors must be minimum of 21 years of age. Training provided.

CHI St. Alexius Health (701-530-7159)  Deliver mail and flowers, escort patients, help with the gift shop.

CHI St. Alexius Home Health & Hospice (701-530-4500)  Share your time, energy and compassion while enriching your own life and lives of others. Help with a variety of activities such as companionship, errands, respite care, administrative and bereavement support. Volunteers who are a veteran, can play an instrument for music therapy and/or perform pet therapy are particularly needed.

Community Action (701-258-2240)  Help in the donation center and the food pantry.

Cystic Fibrosis Association (701-222-3998)  Help with mailings and fundraising events.

Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch (701-223-7979)  Help in thrift store and perform janitorial duties.

Dakota Zoo (701-223-7543)  Accepting applications for adult volunteers to provide animal conservation programs and animal handling for educational programs. Training provided. Also looking for general volunteers for light building and repair projects. Carpentry, mechanical and fencing skills are a plus but not needed.

Foster Grandparent Program (701-258-5436)  Provide one-on-one assistance to children in schools, Head Start and child care centers. Listen to children read, assist with homework, etc.

Good Samaritan Society (701-323-3274)  Volunteers needed.

Lutheran Social Services Senior Companions (701-838-7800)  Seniors 55 and older who are healthy, active and interested in helping their older neighbors.

Make-A-Wish (701-280-9474)  Help with upcoming special events.

Manchester House (701-223-5600)  Be a mentor for youth. Must be at least 18.

Mandan Golden Age Services (701-663-6528)  Pick up prepared meals at Mandan Senior Center and deliver them to the homes of the elderly.

McLean Family Resource Center (701-462-8643)  Assist with crisis line.

Mental Health America of North Dakota (701-255-3692)  Help with data entry, various office duties.

Neighbors Network Program (701-323-4277)  Volunteers with pickups to help move donated furniture items to clients homes.

New Song Church (701-258-5683)  Janitorial and light maintenance work. For details, email erickson.e.michael@gmail.com.

North Dakota Operation Lifesaver (701-223-6372)  Help spread the message about railroad safety.

Pride Inc. (701-258-7838)  Support people with disabilities in social and recreational activities, especially between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, Monday-Friday, also evenings and weekends. Staff on site to assist at all times.

Public Health Emergency Volunteer Reserve Corps/Medical Reserve Corps (701-328-1334)  Accepting registration of volunteers to assist with public health emergencies. Medical and non-medical volunteers needed. Choose to help only in own county, in the surrounding counties, statewide or anywhere in the U.S. Register at www.ndhealth.gov/EPR/volunteer.

RSVP+ Central North Dakota (701-258-5436)  RSVP+ will connect volunteers of all ages to a variety of volunteer opportunities throughout the community.

Ruth Meiers House (701-222-2108)  Sorting donations, stocking food pantry shelves, dining room servers, childrens learning center aides, baby boutique program assistants and special event help. More information: www.ruthmeiers.org.

St. Vincents Care Center (701-323-1974)  Entertainers for background music for Sunday social events.

Salvation Army (701-223-1889)  Assist with meals, activities and tutoring in the youth program; stock food pantry shelves; light maintenance work.

Sanford Health (701-323-6011)  Greet and assist visitors in the surgical waiting room, deliver flowers, help in the gift shop and Coffee Corner and assist with special projects.

Sanford Health Hospice (701-323-8400)  Volunteers needed to assist terminally ill patients. Assistance commonly includes visiting, reading and taking walks; child care assistance; bereavement support; and administrative/clerical work. Orientation, training and support provided.

Seeds of Hope store (701-222-8370)  Greeters, price clothes, stock and straighten shelves, Diggers Delight and more. Creative people needed for designing gift baskets and store displays.

Tracys Sanctuary House (701-258-5889)  Perform daily housekeeping tasks, answer phones, stock kitchen and food pantry.

Volunteer Care Givers for the Elderly (701-223-9290)  Assist with transportation, yardwork, light housekeeping, respite care, errands and shopping and other companionship activities with the elderly.

Welcome House Inc. (701-391-5184)  Assist with food pantry, kitchen and front desk.
Williston's first mayor, William Denny, did a lot to make it the state's fastest-growing city during the first decade of the 20th century, growing from 763 people in 1900 to 3,124 in 1910 -- a rate of more than 300 percent. Denny was also suspected of being the ringleader of a large horse-rustling organization.

Denny established the first bank in Williston when he arrived in February 1899. He also had a large ranch on which he raised horses and Hereford cattle. He had connections in Montana, where large numbers of horses were brought to his ranch and sold to him at $10 to $30 a head. Because northwestern North Dakota was rapidly filling up with homesteaders, Denny was able to sell the horses to settlers for $150 each. Initially, most Williston residents considered Denny a shrewd businessman.

In June 1904, Denny was elected mayor and went to work to provide electricity and running water for the residents. He ran unopposed for re-election in 1905 -- and later that year, he was arrested, convicted and sentenced to prison for being the fence in a large horse-stealing enterprise in Montana. He appealed to the North Dakota Supreme Court for a retrial, which was granted to him since key pieces of evidence had disappeared. With the major evidence missing, a new trial never occurred, and Denny was set free.

It was in the fall of 1889 that Denny, who was born in 1870, traveled to Montana and found work as a ranch hand on the Diamond G Ranch, which was owned by J.D. "Dad" Williams. Also working for Williams was "Dutch Henry" Jauch/Iauch, who later organized the largest horse stealing operation in eastern Montana.

Williams found Denny to be trustworthy and asked the young man to drive horses to central North Dakota to be sold. On his drives, Denny established friendships in Benson County, and he developed a romantic interest in Kate Huffnail, a schoolteacher in Minnewaukan. He moved to Minnewaukan in 1897 and, in July, went to work for the Benson County State Bank.

After working for a couple of years learning how to operate a bank, Denny began exploring new opportunities. Seeing that the Great Northern Railway had reached Williston in 1898 and that it was about to establish branch lines from there to towns in the northwestern part of the state, he knew that settlers were soon to follow. Williston did not have a bank, and it was ideally located near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers.

In 1898, Denny contacted Charles Hilton Davidson, a wealthy Canadian real estate dealer, and Thomas L. Beisaker, a Fessenden banker who also owned a number of other banks in North Dakota and Minnesota; and the two men agreed to finance the establishment of a bank in Williston. When the Williams County State Bank opened on Feb. 19, 1899, Denny was named cashier and manager. Feeling financially secure, he married Kate on March 8.

With the money Denny was making at the bank, he began purchasing land between Williston and the Montana border on which to raise cattle and horses. His plan was to buy horses brought in from Montana and sell them to the homesteaders who were coming into northwestern North Dakota. Denny also began selling real estate and, in 1903, established the town of Trenton on his property.

On Feb. 3, 1904, Williston was incorporated as a city. Four months later, the newly elected councilmen chose Denny as mayor.

In 1905, Denny was re-elected, and he sent out bids proposals for the construction of city waterworks and an electrical plant. Besides serving as mayor, he was kept busy buying and selling horses. On Oct. 26, law officers from Montana went to Denny's ranch and discovered stolen horses. Denny and Art McGahey, the man who delivered the stolen horses, were arrested. Denny's lawyers pointed out that the lawmen had presented insufficient evidence, and the arrest was rescinded.

Suspicion that Denny was the fence and possibly the kingpin of a large horse-rustling organization surfaced in September when Jack Teal, a Montana lawman, and George Hall, the stock inspector for the Montana Stockmen's Association, arrested a horse thief. When the thief tried to escape, he was shot and killed. Teal and Hall went through the dead man's belongings and discovered a letter that named Denny as the "chief fence" for stolen horses.

This information was corroborated by George Miller, a saloon owner whose establishment recently had been robbed by horse thieves. Miller agreed to work with the lawmen. To make certain the horses had been delivered, he went to the mayor's ranch, posing as Ryan's friend. Denny confirmed to Miller that the horses had arrived and had been sold. Denny also told Miller to tell Ryan to stop visiting his bank because "Montana authorities were breathing down his neck."

Armed with this additional evidence, law officials returned to Denny's ranch in mid-November to arrest him, but he was gone. He had been tipped off and fled to Benson County. He was later located in Church's Ferry and arrested; but the district judge, John Cowan, issued a habeas corpus decree declaring Denny needed to appear in court before he could be detained.

At his trial on Aug. 9, 1906, Denny was found guilty of selling stolen horses and sentenced to three years in prison. However, his lawyers appealed to the North Dakota Supreme Court for a retrial. The letters showing Denny's involvement disappeared before the court met on Oct. 11, 1908, and the court ordered a retrial. Since the prosecution no longer had its most important evidence, the new trial never occurred, and Denny no longer feared conviction.

Though Denny was basically free, he never recovered. He resigned his positions at the bank and as mayor. He died on July 9, 1936.
The oldest retailer in Sonoma County has arrived in downtown St. Helena.

E.R. Sawyer Jewelers opened Dec. 3 at 1343 Main St., previously occupied by Davids Jewelers.

Owners Doug and Ame Van Dyke of Santa Rosa said they want the St. Helena store to be known as a warm, approachable business thats involved in the community and offers amenities such as appraisals and in-house jewelry repair that appeal to locals as much as tourists.

Were approachable  and we carry product thats approachable to all levels, not just an affluent tourist, said Doug Van Dyke. We really are locally minded and locally based.

As for the community involvement, the Van Dykes like to focus on things that involve families, women and children in need, and schools, Ame Van Dyke said.

At the other store (in Santa Rosa) we get 20 requests a day, and we try to fulfill them all in some way, shape or form, she said.

E.R. Sawyer Jewelers was established in downtown Santa Rosa in 1879. Doug Van Dykes family acquired it in 1949, and its now the oldest retailer in Sonoma County.

It survived the earthquakes and the wars and the depressions and all the other ups and downs, he said.

The Van Dykes said jeweler David Clark contacted them about taking over his store in St. Helena. The space already had a use permit for a jewelry store, which allowed the Van Dykes to move in without applying for a new one.

They bought Clarks lease and some of his old equipment, such as display cases and shop equipment, but the merchandise is all theirs  including the line of gold, silver and other metals shaped like anatomically correct leaves of grape varietals such as chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.

We got leaves from some of our friends vineyards, and our goldsmiths duplicated all the veins, Doug Van Dyke said.

Our goal is to have two to three full-time goldsmiths here, the same as we do in Santa Rosa, he added.

Since opening in St. Helena, the Van Dykes have done a lot of watch repairs. The Santa Rosa store is about 60 percent sales and 40 percent repair and custom work, and while its too early to guess what the ratio will be in St. Helena, the Van Dykes expect repair and service to be a major component of their business.

Ame Van Dyke invited people to visit the store.

We have coffee, we have wine, she said. We like people to come in and say hello  its not all about the purchase.
According to the 2010 census there are nearly 11,000 veterans living in Napa County. That doesnt count the estimated thousands of surviving spouses of veterans. Additionally there are an unknown number of spouses and dependent children of veterans.

There are benefits from the federal and state and local governments that may be available to this huge group of people.

Veterans who served during a time of war may be eligible for a pension from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, depending on their assets, income and medical expenses.

The same is true for the surviving spouses, dependent children and dependent parents. The programs are similar for veterans and survivors. Lets explore them:

The Wartime Pension program is designed to help veterans who have very low income or high recurring medical expenses. Initially the VA will only consider the cost of health insurance, supplemental health insurance, in-home care and assisted living/skilled nursing.

To qualify, the veteran had to have served at least one day on active military service during WWII (Dec. 7, 1941 to Dec. 31, 1946), Korea (June 27, 1950 to Jan. 31, 1955), Vietnam (Feb. 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975 for veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period; otherwise Aug. 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975), or any time since Aug. 2, 1990.

The veteran did not need to be at the war, just on active duty. Additionally, the veteran had to have served at least 90 days on active duty (two years if service is after September 1980).

Pension is a needs-based program. In general, the VA will deny an application if the veteran has more than $80,000 in financial assets.

A vet can become eligible for this program after turning 65 or becoming permanently disabled.

The pension program is a two-tiered program. There is a basic pension, which has a maximum payable rate of $1,075 per month. However, if the veteran requires the assistance of others to meet the hazards of his or her daily environment, a higher rate can be paid. This is referred to as Aid and Attendance, and the maximum rate is $1,794. If married, add $300 to the maximum rate.

VA subtracts combined household income adjusted by medical expenses and pays the difference. If the veterans household income is higher than the maximum payable rate, there is no payable benefit.

Surviving spouses may also be eligible for a death pension. The veteran had to have met the requirements above for wartime service. Also, the surviving spouse had to be married to the veteran at the time of the vets death, and cannot have remarried since.

The maximum rates are substantially lower for a surviving spouse. The basic maximum rate is $721, and the higher rate for aid and attendance maxes out at $1,153.

Again, the VA will subtract adjusted income from the maximum payable rate and pay the difference.

The pension program is complicated, to say the least.

The Napa County Veterans Service Office provides an orientation to veterans benefits the second Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. It is held at 650 Imperial Way, and reservations can be made by calling 707-253-4558.

We also feature a monthly program called Vet Connect. We have more than a dozen organizations or businesses that attend, providing information on their services, including VA health care, the Veterans Home at Yountville, Bay Area Legal Aid, Napa Valley College, home health care and more. We even offer free coffee and doughnuts, thanks to the local Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA Post 702).

Most veterans are eligible to have the word veteran put onto their California drivers license. We can do the paperwork for that, and we can also issue a Napa County Veteran ID Card, by appointment at 707-253-4558.

To our veterans: I thank you for your service.
Today, if youre reading this anywhere near Napa County, is it is probably raining very hard on you. So that means the drought is over, right?
"In 2016 , work has been carried out to provide the Arctic with all required supplies, explore it, prepare an aircraft carrier strike group for a long-distance voyage to the Mediterranean Sea and prepare our warships and submarines for missions," Yevmenov said.



Russian Kola Composite Flotilla Commander Vice-Admiral Oleg Golubev said that one of the ships had passed the biggest number of hours at sea, thus, breaking the record.



"The large antisubmarine warfare ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov has set a record, passing 294 days at sea over the year," Golubev said.



 Copyright 2017 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Nearly 40 years ago, a young journalist just out of Stanford University traveled to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North and South Dakota and started a newspaper. That reporter, Bill Grueskin, would run the Dakota Sun for two years, the first step in a news career that would lead him to The Miami Herald, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News.

That was in 1977. Last year, his daughter, Caroline, landed her first newspaper job at The Bismarck Tribune, where she quickly found herself in the middle of covering the protests over a proposed pipeline at Standing Rock, literally retracing many of her fathers early journalistic steps.

Bill Grueskin, a professor of professional practice at Columbia Journalism School, and Caroline, whose mother, Rosalind Resnick, is also a former Miami Herald journalist, sat down recently with Kyle Pope, the editor and publisher of Columbia Journalism Review, to talk about the synchronicity of their careers.

Columbia Journalism Review: Bill, what brought you to North Dakota?

Bill Grueskin: I graduated from Stanford with a degree in classics. And I had done a few journalism jobs or internships, one in Palo Alto, one in Italy at an English-language paper, and Id always found each newsroom had these old guys who would sit around and say, "One day, Im gonna leave this place and go work on a little paper of my own." And I thought, "OK, Im gonna get that out of my system early."

So I called VISTA  the domestic version of the Peace Corps  and said, "Do you ever need someone to start a newspaper or run one?" And they said, "That never happens." Then, a couple weeks later, I got a call from the head of VISTA in Denver, who said theres an Indian reservation that wants somebody to start a newspaper. He said, "Standing Rock." A couple of months later, I got in my Jeep and drove to Standing Rock.

CJR: And the paper was called the Sun?

BG: Yeah, the Dakota Sun. It was eight to 12 tabloid pages and came out every Thursday afternoon.

... When youre running a small paper, theres no disassociation between you and your readers and the impact of your stories. One time I was in the local grocery store and I felt someone hit me in the back. I turned around and I said, Why did you do that? She said, You spelled my grandmothers name wrong in the obituary today, and now I cant put it under the glass on her dresser. I felt terrible. I said, Ill write it again next week, with the spelling correct. It taught me, you know, you have to sweat the small stuff as well as the big stuff.

CJR: When you look back, other than it being a great experience, are you proud of the work? Was it good journalism?

BG: Yeah, I thought it was. I remember there was a livestock program where the government gave a bunch of cattle to local Indians to get them started as ranchers, but they didnt give them the proper infrastructure, and the cattle died during a blizzard. I still have those pictures of dozens of frozen cattle corpses with their hooves up in the air. It was an interesting story because it got at a well-intentioned government program going nowhere, leading to a lot of disappointment among both the tribe and the government.

CJR: Did you have a mental image of what North Dakota must have been like?

Caroline Grueskin: I just think it had this drab color and a lot of snow. I guess being kind of cold and bitter was the picture I had in my mind. I didnt have a clear sense of what life was like for my dad out here.

CJR: You grew up around New York City?

CG: Some combination of Brooklyn, Manhattan, Westchester, N.J. Definitely a city girl. I went to a city prep school, ran around with friends in Manhattan. Pretty different from North Dakota.

CJR: So you graduated from Stanford with a degree in philosophy in 2014. Then what did you do?

CG: I was interested in working on criminal justice reform. And that was how I ended up at the Marshall Project, a nonprofit news site that covers criminal justice. They hired me to be on the business side of the organization. While I was there, I thought that what everyone else was doing seemed way more fun. I wanted to be doing what they were doing.

CJR: So then how did you go from there to North Dakota?

CG: My co-workers let me, on the side, do some reporting, develop a few clips so I could try to find a daily newspaper job. After several months, I decided I should start applying for jobs and found myself out here in North Dakota.

CJR: How did you find this job in Bismarck?

CG: JournalismJobs.com. Literally, I was just scrolling through. I preferred a cops job or a courts job. I saw this one, and North Dakota probably resonated more than some other states Id never visited.

CJR: So, Bill, what was your reaction when you heard that this job had surfaced?

BG: I remember when she was working at The Marshall Project and she and I had lunch one day, and I could tell it was one of those lunches where you can tell theres something on your kids mind, but they wont quite come out with it. Then finally its like, "Dad, theres something I have to tell you." I was like, "Uh oh." And it was, "I want to be a newspaper reporter."

CJR: Caroline, why were you nervous about disclosing this?

CG: I think its a little embarrassing to tell your parents that, actually, you want to do exactly what they do. I felt kind of vulnerable in telling him that.

I was worried hed think it was a stupid idea. I didnt have the experience that most reporters do. I didnt work at the college paper. I didnt have newsroom internships. This was going to be, in some ways, kind of a fight for me to get that job.

CJR: Now youre in a very traditional, local reporting job. Is it what you thought it would be?

CG: Its really, in terms of local reporting, exactly what I wanted. I start the day at the police station. I cover a lot of local crime. Even just today I was covering a house explosion and visiting with neighbors. I love knowing that Im very close to the people I write for.

CJR: Have you had your equivalent of the woman-punching-you-in-the-back story?

CG: Oh, God. I have the Internet equivalent. People take the punch in the back on Facebook, writing about me when they think that I have not been sensitive enough. Or, they think that Ive been biased.

BG: I see the way Caroline gets trolled online. Part of it is because the Standing Rock protests are so divisive. Youre either on one side or youre on the other.

The Bismarck Tribune is very much a straight-up, objective newspaper thats trying to tell the story from both sides  and thats not what a lot of people want to hear. Ive seen Caroline personally targeted on a lot of social media.

CJR: Is the fact that you know your father's reading so carefully in the back of your mind when youre sitting down and typing?

CG: It is a little bit of a safety net knowing that my dad is going to read it. Its really flattering, but it also its just nice to know that someones going to follow you along so closely. Covering the Standing Rock protest has been one of the most challenging things Ive ever done, especially trying to balance the perspectives of people. If I dont get both sides of the story, Ill come in the next day to four angry voicemails and 12 furious emails. Its just been nice to know that hes reading and that he supports me and the efforts that Ive been making.
Petrol pumps across the nation will stop accepting credit and debit cards from Monday in protest against additional charge of upto 1 per cent on card transactions, the All India Petroleum Dealers Association (AIPDA) said on Sunday. In a letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, AIPDA President Ajay Bansal wrote that the HDFC and other banks will start charging 1 per cent on all credit card transactions, and between 0.25 and 1 per cent on all debit card transactions from Monday. "The same will be debited to petroleum dealers' account and net transaction value will be credited to our account... This will lead to financial loses for the dealers," Bansal wrote. He said that the AIPDA has decided to stop accepting payment through credit and debit cards till the decision to levy these additional charges are reversed. However, he added, if any bank is not charging additional MDR and corresponds the same to the association, the petrol pumps having Point of Sale (POS) devices of those banks will keep accepting cards. AIPDA West Bengal unit's General Secretary Saradindu Pal told IANS: "If banks start levying fees, it will cause squeezing of dealers' margin." AIPDA's decision comes at a time when the centre had directed state-run oil companies to offer a 0.75 percent discount on the price of petrol and diesel to consumers paying by cards or mobile wallets to encourage people towards digital payments. "This discount amount was supposed to be reimbursed to the dealers, but is not being executed properly," Pal said. He said dealers have been working on a low margin and demanded raising the dealers' commission to 5 percent from the existing rate of 3 percent taking petrol and diesel together. --IANS bdc/vd ( 301 Words) 2017-01-08-21:50:07 (IANS)
Hrithik, who was here to promote his forthcoming film "Kaabil", tweeted a video in which he can be seen dancing with a fan.

"Dubai, you were fun and fantastic as usual. The crowd had so much energy, couldn't resist shaking a leg," he captioned the six-second-long clipping that he shared on Saturday.

The next day, the actor thanked the people of Dubai.

He tweeted: "Such a pleasure to be here and connect with all of the Arab world! Marhabba beautiful people."

"Kaabil", directed by Sanjay Gupta, also stars Yami Gautam and Ronit Roy. It is set to release on January 25.

--IANS ks/nn/dg

( 130 Words)

2017-01-08-17:48:07 (IANS)
In the midst of a nationwide drive to make India a defection-free state by 2020, a small village in Madhya Pradesh has emerged out to be the ideal for every other village, where from sanitation to security, from nutrition to education, it has made many progress. Situated 20 kilometers far from Narsingh district, Badhuwar village has achieved total sanitation and became an Open Defecation-Free (ODF) village in 2007. The figure is astounding given the fact that the state's capital Bhopal is still struggling to achieve total sanitation. One of the hallmarks of this village is the literacy rate, where each and every villager is able to read and write. With a population of about 2500 people, the village houses close to 55 biogas plants. Apart from that, the village is blessed with efficient school systems and well-equipped hospitals to cater to people. The surrounding of the village has paved roads with well placed sewage systems. Badhuwar is famous for its sweet molasses. Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra, and in many other states molasses are exported. Narsinghpur's share in export of molasses pegs at 20 percent, where more than 60 percent of labourers are employed in sugar factories. Given the fact the villages has achieved progress in other social parameters, the Gram Panchayat of Badhuwar Village has decided to rename it as 'Adarsh village' so that it sets an example to other villages and continue to inspire them. (ANI)
The Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel rescued five people after a vehicle fell 300 meters into a gorge on the Mussoorie-Dhanaulti road in Uttarakhand. According to reports, three people sustained injuries and have been rushed to the hospital for medical aid. (ANI)
Continuing its aggressive posture, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 10 Indian fishermen and confiscated two Indian fishing trawlers for allegedly poaching in the Island nation's territorial waters in two separate incidents at midnight last night. State fisheries department officials said here today that four fishermen hailing from Rameswaram along with a fishing trawler were apprehended by the Naval personnel attached to Sri Lankan North Central Naval Command, when they were allegedly engaged in illegal fishing activities in the sea North of Talaimannar. The arrested fishermen and trawler were handed over to the Directorate of Fisheries at Mannar for onward action. In another instance, the Naval personnel of Sri Lanka's Northern Naval Command arrested six fishermen hailing from Jegadapattinam coastal hamlet in Pudukottai district for allegedly poaching in the sea area north of the Delft Island. The fishermen along with a trawler and two unauthorized fishing nets were handed over to the Fisheries Director at Jaffna for further investigation. Sri Lanka released 51 fishermen hailing from Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai and Thoothukudi districts in Tamil Nadu on January six, following an agreement reached between India and Lanka during the ministerial-level talks held at Colombo. With the arrest of 10 more fishermen, Lanka is holding 20 Indian fishermen and more than 120 Indian fishing trawlers in its custody. Meanwhile, perturbed over the continuous incarceration and unprovoked attacks on fishermen by the Lankan Navy, leaders of fishermen associations in Rameswaram threatened to stage nation-wide protests, if the Centre fails to take steps to protect the lives and livelihood of fishermen. UNI GSM CS 1150 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1098819.Xml
The new terminal, constructed with international standards at the Gannavaram Airport, will be inaugurated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Union Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu on January 12. Krishna District Collector Babu A said the new terminal was constructed at a cost of Rs 137 crore. The construction works of the new terminal began on October 25, 2015 and was completed in the stipulated time. The air passenger rush had increased multifold after Vijayawada city become the capital of the state. There were only two flight services being operated two years ago and new the services have gone up to 24.In order to make the Gannavaram Airport as an International airport, the new terminal was constructed with international standards. Several aviation companies are coming forward to run flights to foreign countries, especially Dubai, Singapore and Malaysia and officials are having negotiations with the companies. Airport sources said that the existing Airport terminal is housed in 3,200 square metres. The newly constructed terminal has come up in sprawling 9,520 square meters. The new terminal consists of two floors in which 500 passengers could be accommodated. There would be 16 checks in counters, baggage conveyor belts and luggage claim enclosures and fitted with sophisticated CCTVs. Over 300 cars could be parked in airport premises, sources added.MORE UNI DP cs 1156 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1098823.Xml
Four labourers were crushed to death when a speeding car crashed into a night shelter in Hazratganj area of the city of Nawabs today. Police sources here said that the accident occurred in Dalibagh area when the car crushed several labourers and poor sleeping in the makeshift shelter. While four died on the spot, eight critically injured were rushed to Trauma centre. Three of the deceased were identified as Abdul Kalam(50), Prithiviraj(50), Gokaran(30). However, mob caught hold of two occupants of the car, who were drunk and handed them over to the police. While one of the accused is son of a former SP MLA, another one is son of an industrialist.UNI MB SDR SV 1154 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1098796.Xml
From the day of its foundation in 1817 as Hindu College, later rechristened as Presidency College in 1855 and Presidency University in 2010, this hallowed institution strode the path as colossus, presenting the world academicians par excellence. This year, 2017, marks the bicentenary of the prestigious Presidency University. The bicentenary provides the occasion for the rejuvenation of Presidency through a new concerted civic initiative enabling it to play a role in the global transformation of university education in the twenty-first century. The Presidency University bicentenary celebrations, which began on January 5, has already seen a registration of more than 1,000 alumni for the Founder's Day programme scheduled on January 20. "For the alumni who have failed to register, there will be a live screening outside the Derozio Hall on the university campus of the Founder's Day event, which will include speeches by President Pranab Mukerjee and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," said secretary of the alumni association Bivas Chaudhuri. The inaugural ceremony on December 6 marked the beginning of the year-long bicentenary celebrations, which began with a musical performance by the university's choir. A laser show at the James Prinsep Memorial received a thumps-up from students. The show threw light on the rich history of the college and how it was accorded the status of university in 2010. Alumnus and chairman of Presidency mentor group Sugata Bose in his speech said the university was looking at an "enabling and non-interfering" role of the state government for the educational institute to flourish. "We want an enabling and non-interfering role of the government for the university to flourish in the coming years," Mr Bose added. Education minister Partha Chatterjee said that state government would continue to extend its full support to the university. The state government has also provided 10 acres of land at Rajarhat for a new campus with all modern facilities. The government had sanctioned a budget of `10 crore for the year-long bicentenary celebrations and Rs 50 crore to renovate the heritage campus on College Street. To begin with, on January 15, a heritage walks from the house of alumnus Swami Vivekananda on Bidhan Sarani to Presidency University and then to Coffee House has been planned as part of the curtain raiser. The walk that will start around 1030 hours, will be flagged off by Swami Purnatmananda, secretary of Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre. Thereafter, a lunch will be hosted by vice-chancellor Anuradha Lo hia at Coffee House for the alumni. The alumni association will also invite other illustrious alumni, including former chief minister Buddhdeb Bhattacharjee, former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chattejee, former state finance minister Asim Dasgupta, poet Shankha Ghosh, former Union minister Satyabrata Mukherjee. Presidency University will host the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2017 on January 16 and 17 along with its bicentenary celebrations. Sessions would include the future of languages, and a tribute to the late Mahasweta Devi. Speakers would include Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Nabaneeta Dev Sen, H. V. Shivaprakash, Amit Chaudhuri and other authors of international. MORE UNI BM SJC -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-1098851.Xml
With the release of the fourth list of 101 party candidates by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati today, the party has become the first to announce list of 401 candidates for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. The lists of all the 401 candidates have been released, except for two reserved seats-- Obra and Dudhi seats in Sonebhadra districts, from where BSP will announce the names very soon. Ms Mayawati released the fourth list following a high-level meeting with the party's senior leaders including the zonal coordinators and other coordinators here at the state party headquarters for the past two days. The candidates in the fourth list are from the Eastern parts of the State which goes to the polls in the sixth and seventh phases of the Elections on March 4 and 8. During the past three days, the BSP had released the three list of 100 candidates each covering the entire western UP and Central UP. There are 403 Assembly seats in the state and BSP will be contesting the polls alone. The third list came out with announcement of all the candidates for important districts like Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Ballia, Mirzapur and Sonebhadra districts. The caste wise third list of the BSP includes 20 Dalits, nine Muslims, and 13 Brahmins. Former Assembly Speaker Sukhdeo Rajbhar has been given ticket from Didarganj in Azamgarh district, while former Legislative Council Chairman Ganesh Shanker Pandey from Paniyara seat in Maharajganj district. Mr Vinay Shanker Tiwari, son of Hari Shanker Tiwari, would be the party candidate from Chillupar seat in Gorakhpur district while former UP minister Ranghnath Mishra would be the candidate from Bhadoi seat. Earlier this week, Ms Mayawati had announced that of the total Assembly seats in UP, the major chunk of 113 seats will go to the upper caste Brahmins, who will be getting the major share of 66 seats, Thakurs 36 and rest 11 will go to Kayasth, Vaishya and others. The Other Backward Castes (OBCs) would get 106 seats, while there would be 97 Muslim candidates in the fray. Dalits will have 87 seats.UNI MB SDR SV 1223 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1098821.Xml
A 62-year-old man died inside the compartment of the Gorakhpur Rapti Sagar Express and the body was found in Amla Railway Station, Government Railway Police sources said. Hariom Gupta resident of Kanpur was taken ill in the compartment all of a sudden yesterday. The railway doctor was informed when the train arrived at Amla station. The doctor attended him declared dead. It was suspected that he died of cardiac arrest. Gupta was accompanied by his driver. The deceased's family members were intimated, the sources added.The body was sent for post-mortem.UNI XC-BDG AE SNU 1504 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-1099003.Xml
Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) entered into an MoU with International Youth Fellowship (IYF), a worldwide youth organisation headquartered in South Korea, for the development of Thane City through Mind Education, an official release by IYC said today.Last year TMC had entered into the ties with the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) of South Korea to adopt its technology to convert Thane into a Smart City. Dr Jae Hong Kim, General Secretary of IYF signed this MoU with Sunil Chavan, Additional Commissioner of TMC in the presence of Sanjeev Jaiswal, Commissioner of TMC. Through this MoU TMC assures the support to IYF's Changed City project.As per MoU, a Mind Education and Vocational Training Centre in Thane will be established. Mr Soo Yeon Kim, National Director, IYF India, Mr Duk Man Yang, Regional Director, IYF Maharashtra, Mr. Min Woo Seo, RegionalDirector, IYF Pune and the overseas volunteers from South Korea, Thailand and South America were among the other delegates present for the MOU signing ceremony.UNI XR VS SDR SNU 1514 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-1098771.Xml
Chief Ministers of four different states inIndia today aggressively campaigned to invite investments,especially in the industrial sector, and offeredconducive atmosphere and ease to do business. Chief Ministers from Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Assam andPuducherry listed the offerings for investment at the 14th PravasiBharatiya Divas here. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh heaped praise on Peopleof Indian Origin settled in different countries saying that they hadcreated an identity outside their homes despite all odds. ''You have expanded your reach beyond your umbilical cord tocreate new opportunities for yourself, your family, your society andyour country. It is not just Indians but India through you lives in200 countries.'' He said Chhattisgarh was a young state but had made remarkableprogress in core sector industries. Now it wants to realise itspotential in non-core and sunrise sectors like It ITeS, Electronics,Manufacturing, Engineering, Food Processing, Logistics andIndustrial infrastructure development. 30,000 professionals andabout one lakh skilled workforce from Chhattisgarh were enteringmarket every year. The state welcomes businesses to leverage its strategic location,from where they can implement growth strategies and manage andintegrate their business operations for the region and beyond. TheState was keen to developing strong business partnership with NRIs,he said. Puducherry Chief Minister Narayanasamy said his State hadreleased the Industrial Policy 2016 which was formulated with thevision to create prosperous State through accelerated industrialgrowth for the overall economic development and better quality oflife of the people of the union territory. His mission was to make Puducherry an international destinationfor investments in industries enabled by high-qualityinfrastructure, connectivity and responsive governance, he said. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said Diaspora from Assamforms an important part of the great Indian Diaspora. NRIs from Assamare now spread all round the globe. They provide valuable servicesin medicine, engineering, hospitability, IT, financial services andother fields. Connected to different parts of the country through East-Westcorridor with air and rail network, Assam has a vibrant industrialbase and is ready to welcome investors. It had over 70 industrialinfrastructure growth centers, export processing industrial parks,food parks, Bamboo Park and integrated industrial infrastructurecentre and estates, he added. He said Assam a accounts for 50 per cent of onshore crude oilproduction within the country and a very high success rate of 70 percent in oil exploration. With reserves of over 1.30 tons of crude,156 billion meter of natural gas, Assam had tremendous potential forindustrialisation, he said.UNI RS MSP CS 1540 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-1099099.Xml
After blocking New Delhi entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as its permanent member and scuttling a proposal at UN to put Pakistan based terrorist Masood Azhar in the black list of designated international terrorists, Beijing was now opposing the Narendra Modi Government's flagship Project Mausam, which was seen as an effective counter to China's idea of reviving the ancient silk route.

Under the Project Mausam, India intends to revive its own ancient maritime routes and cultural linkages with countries in the region.

As the Indian Government approached the UNESCO to get a transnational heritage status for the project, China raised the red flag saying that this will hamper its proposal of reviving the maritime silk route, government sources said.

After the UNESCO accords Project Mausam the heritage status, any other initiative will not be allowed which can interfere with its area of operation.

China on its part, is lobbying for the revival of maritime silk route in order to further intensify its naval activities in the Indian Ocean Region, which is the area of dominance of the Indian Navy.

To counter the idea of silk route, New Delhi mooted the proposal of Project Mausam, a transnational initiative of about 40 countries, including China and Pakistan. UNI MK SHK 1720

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"Please do not worry. We will extend your visa as per medical advice," Swaraj re-tweeted.

The family, which is presently in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad city for the treatment, need six months time as their tourist visa is about to expire.

After a thorough assessment, they came to know that the girl's condition is very bad. Her hip joint is dislocated and requires at least five to six months rehabilitation along with intensive physiotherapy.

The family, which arrived in India on January 4 this year, has along with the doctor appealed to the External Affairs Ministry to grant them an extension for six months to enable the girl achieve vital progress in her treatment.

Swaraj has assured the family that enough time will be provided to them for treatment of their daughter. (ANI)
Dibrugarh superintendent of police Gautam Roy said the three flags were spotted this morning and seized by the police.

He said the flags were hand stitched and involvement of miscreants, with the intention of creating communal tension, is suspected in the incident.

The SP said some of the miscreants have been identified and will be soon arrested.UNI SG AD1830

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The delegation included West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, former state minister Manish Gupta, Chandrima Bhattacharya and party MP Subrata Bakshi.

Chatterjee said the delegation met Bandyopadhyay. "His confidence is at peak.

"The arrest of Bandyopadhyay and Tapas Paul was to terrorise our party. They will not be able to stop us from protesting against the anti-people move of demonetisation," Chatterjee said at the Bhubaneswar airport.

"It is a political vengeance," Chatterjee said at Kolkata airport.

Bandyopadhyay was arrested on January 3 by the Central Bureau of Investigation on charges of involvement in the Rose Valley chit fund scam and sent to six-day custody. Paul is also in CBI custody.

--IANS bdc/lok/mr

( 139 Words)

2017-01-08-19:56:07 (IANS)
Rastiya Lok Dal (RLD) president Chaudhari Ajit Singh today alleged that the wrong policies of the Central government had the farmers troubled and distressed, while it was sympathising with the capitalists. Addressing the 'Adhikar rally' here, Mr Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised that he will bring back the black money from foreign countries, eliminate corruption, and reduce unemployment, but he has forgotten all these promises. He further alleged that Mr Modi gives fake statements, while pointing out that the Centre has waived off loan worth Rs 14,000 crore of the industrialists. He said the remuneration of government employees has been been extended after the Seventh Pay Commission, but the Central government is not ready to waive off the loans of the peasants. UNI XC-JDM MB RJ 2155 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1099656.Xml
The two occupants of the car, who were drunk, have been arrested, senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manjil Saini said here.

The incident took place in Dalibagh area. A Raen Basera (shelter home) located opposite Bahukhandi MLA hostel came under the impact of the speeding car.

Two youths Ayush Rawat and Nikhil Arora were overpowered by the local residents after a good thrashing and handed over to Hazratganj police.

Ayush is the son of a former MLA and stays at Vishal Khand, Gomtinagar, while Nikhil's father is a businessman and he stays in an apartment at Gomtinagar.

According to Mr Saini, at around 0115 hrs, Nikhil, who was heading back home from Dalibagh, mowed down Prithvi Raj, Abdul, Nankau and Gokaran. They died on the spot. Two persons, who were critical, succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.

Additional Superintendent of Lucknow (East) Shivram Yadav said the medical test was conducted and alcohol, beyond permissible limits, was found inside the duo's bloodstreams. The two were booked for culpable homicide, not amounting to murder.UNI MB RJ 2208

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According to a statement by the party, the candidature of Mr Pilarnkar was approved by the Political Affairs Committee of AAP, chaired by its National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Mr Pilarnkar (40) is treasurer of Yugnaik Goa, an organisation of the SC community.

He has participated in a number of agitations in support of legitimate demands of the Scheduled Castes in Goa like reservations in village panchayats and Legislative Assembly and the demand for installation of a statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in Sanvordem.

With this, AAP has announced 37 candidates for the Assembly elections, to be held on February 4. The party has already declared State Convenor and former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes as its Chief Ministerial candidate.UNI AKM NP RJ 2220

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FARGO  North Dakota voters overwhelmingly approved the legalization of medical marijuana, and lawmakers are grappling with launching the program. But patients are about to learn that legalization does not mean insurance will cover the cost.

Major health insurers in North Dakota have said they will not provide coverage for medical marijuana, which voters approved in the November election by a margin of almost 64 percent, citing what they say is inadequate evidence of its effectiveness.

We dont cover it in Minnesota nor will we in North Dakota, said Greg Bury, senior manager for public relations at Medica. We dont believe the efficacy has yet been established.

Medicas policy, Bury said, is to look for evidence-based literature and studies that demonstrate safety, effectiveness and effect on health outcomes."

Thus far, he said, Medica believes that evidence is lacking to justify coverage of medical marijuana.

The positions of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, the states largest private health insurer, and the Sanford Health Plan are similar  reflecting a stance taken by the industry elsewhere in states that allow medical marijuana, including Minnesota.

Because the dispensation of medical marijuana is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, health insurers encounter significant obstacles in providing coverage, said Andrea Dineen, a spokesperson for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota.

Like most health insurance companies across the nation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota does not cover drugs that are not FDA approved, she said in a statement.

To gain FDA approval, Dineen added, drugs must undergo extensive testing to prove safety and effectiveness. This has not occurred for medical marijuana, she said.

Similarly, the Sanford Health Plan does not cover medical marijuana, but a spokeswoman said she couldnt elaborate on the reasons.

The lack of coverage for medical marijuana extends to many public health insurers.

A bill before the North Dakota Legislature, for example, would prohibit coverage for medical marijuana under the states workers compensation program, administered by Workforce Safety & Insurance, or WSI.

WSIs advisory board will review the legislation and decide whether to support or oppose the bill, but the agency has some practical questions about how it would provide coverage, Clare Carlson, WSIs deputy director said.

A number of agencies and organizations in North Dakota have similar questions, Carlson added. There are many details to be addressed before we can effectively manage a program that includes marijuana.

One of those questions, he added, is how to pay for coverage. Currently marijuana is illegal at the federal level, Carlson said. Also, dosages vary greatly and there is no established system to send payment and even a question as to who to pay, he said.

Ray Morgan of Fargo, a leading proponent of North Dakotas medical marijuana program, said he is not surprised to see the states insurers follow other states in not covering the drug.

Ultimately, the problem you have with this is its not recognized by the FDA, he said, though predicted that will change, perhaps in a decade, as more and more states legalize medical marijuana.

Morgan said evidence keeps mounting up that medical marijuana can be used to treat a variety of ailments. To think this is not going to continue is a fools paradise, he said.

In Minnesota, which established its medical marijuana program in 2014, some patients and their families have been unable to afford the cost of medical marijuana provided by eight approved dispensaries around the state, including one in Moorhead, Minn.

Amber Solum of Moorhead, whose teenaged son suffers 45 to 100 epileptic seizures a day, has a prescription for medical marijuana, but her family cant afford the drug.

Its astronomical, she said in October. Its $800 a month, and not covered by insurance.

So far, 5,046 patients have enrolled in Minnesotas medical marijuana program, and 4,097 are considered active patients, according to figures from the Minnesota Department of Health, which oversees the program.

The largest percentage of patients, 42 percent, use marijuana to treat intractable pain, followed by 31 percent for muscle spasms, 18 percent for cancer, 10 percent for seizures and 5 percent for inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohns, the health department reported.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal today hailed the huge victory of BJP in the Faridabad Municipal Corporation elections as a ringing endorsement of the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, especially the demonetisation of high value currency notes. "Coming as it does in the wake of demonetisation, which was raked up by the Opposition as the main poll plank, the BJP victory shows that people of the state, especially Faridabad, stand firmly behind and with the Prime Minister. ''Also, it nails the Opposition propaganda that people were inconvenienced and not happy with the biggest reform, undertaken by the Prime Minister", Mr Lal added.UNI XC RJ 2224 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0292-1099618.Xml
Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Saturday that he would get in touch with the Chief Ministers of all the four provinces to introduce "Nizam-e-Salat", reports the Express Tribune.

Detailing the decision, Yousaf said the provincial governments will notify a local timetable, at least at the district-level in their respective provinces, for prayer timings.

These timetables will be formulated according to the local time-zones across Pakistan.

Earlier in May 2015, the government introduced the system for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). However, the decision has hardly been implemented in spirit.

The minister stressed that the government had consulted the MeT office and religious leaders of Ahle Hadith, Hanafi (both Deobandi and Barelvi) and Ahle Tashee- before notifying uniform prayer timings for the ICT.

The same pattern will be adopted for a countrywide plan in order to promote uniformity and unity, he said.

Implementing 'Nizam-e-Salat', Yousaf said, will be the responsibility of the provincial authorities and his ministry has so far been receiving a positive response from them in this connection.

He did not set a deadline to implement uniform prayer timings but said this is the government's priority. (ANI)
A number of people were trapped under the truck near the Armon Hanatziv promenade, Haaretz daily reported adding that the driver was shot by security personnel.

According to the police, the truck veered from its course along the promenade and ploughed into a group of people getting off a bus.

Police were investigating the incident.

--IANS ksk/dg

( 94 Words)

2017-01-08-17:46:06 (IANS)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under police investigation for suspected corruption, was caught on tape negotiating mutual benefits with an arch-foe, the owner of one of Israel's largest- selling newspapers, Israeli media reported today.The report, which Israeli media outlets described as "an earthquake" that could have implications for Netanyahu's political future, drew no immediate comment from the prime minister or Yedioth Ahronoth daily owner Noni Mozes.Channel Two television said the right-wing leader had offered to limit the circulation of Israel Hayom, a free, pro-Netanyahu daily owned and published by US billionaire and Republican party donor Sheldon Adelson, if Mozes' Yedioth Ahronoth gave the prime minister more favourable coverage.Steps to cut Israel Hayom's market-leading circulation could have financial benefits for Mozes, whose newspaper's advertising revenues have been hit by its free competitor.It was unclear exactly when the reported conversation took place. The Haaretz daily said it occurred several months ago.Netanyahu last week was twice questioned by police in two different cases. The first involved receiving gifts, including expensive cigars and champagne from businessmen, police and the Justice Ministry said. Netanyahu's lawyer said such presents from friends were not illegal.Authorities have not released any details publicly about the second case, reported by Channel 2.That Netanyahu and Mozes would have a dialogue was greeted with close to astonishment by the Israeli media. Netanyahu has openly accused Mozes and Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper of trying to overthrow his leadership through skewed coverage, an allegation they deny.Today, Netanyahu again pointed the finger at the media and said he was being personally hounded."This is wrong, incessant pressure from the media on law enforcement. They release balloons and the hot air comes out of them time after time. That will be the case here too," Netanyahu told Likud ministers before Channel 2 broadcast its report.Mozes could not be reached for comment by Reuters. Yedioth Ahronoth did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the report. Netanyahu's spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.In the past few weeks Netanyahu has lashed out at journalists who have published critical reports about his administration and his alleged ties with wealthy businessmen.Israeli media have reported that in the first case, police questioned Netanyahu about receiving gifts from Israeli Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan over the past few years.A spokeswoman for Milchan's lawyer in Israel did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Netanyahu, 67, will become Israel's longest-serving leader if he stays in office until the end of next year.He and his wife Sara have weathered several scandals over the years, including investigations into the misuse of state funds. They have denied any wrongdoing.Israeli commentators have pointed out that previous Israeli leaders have also been investigated over suspected corruption, with indictments not always forthcoming.Ehud Olmert, who held office from 2006 to 2009, is currently serving 18 months in prison after being convicted of breach of trust and bribery in 2014.REUTERS PS PM1830 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1099371.Xml
Pakistan's recently retired army chief Raheel Sharif has been appointed to lead a new Saudi-military alliance to fight terrorism, Pakistani media have reported.Government officials in Saudi Arabia could not be reached today to confirm the appointment to head the coalition, the founding of which Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced at a sudden midnight press conference in December 2015.Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in an appearance on Pakistan's Geo News channel on Friday that Sharif's appointment had been finalised a few days earlier.A statement carried by Saudi state news agency SPA in December 2015 said the new coalition would have 34 members, though more have joined since then. It also said the coalition would be based in Riyadh to "coordinate and support military operations" against terrorism. Little has been heard of it since then.The states it listed as joining the new coalition included Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and several African nations.It did not include Shi'ite Muslim Iran and its allies Syria and Iraq, leading to speculation that it could become a potential Sunni bloc against Iran, a rival of Sunni Saudi Arabia for influence across the Arab world. Tehran and Riyadh are ranged on opposite sides in proxy conflicts in Syria and Yemen.General Sharif retired last November, the first Pakistani army chief in more than 20 years not to seek an extension to his term like some previous military leaders. REUTERS AKC BL1938 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1099514.Xml
by Peter Mertz

DENVER, the United States, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- America's aerospace industry was abuzz with excitement over a brash start-up company in the western state of Colorado, which declared it would soon offer trans-Pacific and Atlantic flights at supersonic speeds, a revived dream after Concorde.

Founded in 2014, Boom Technology's upcoming supersonic XB jet was designed to fly at Mach 2.2, namely 1,451 mph or about 2,335 km per hour, more than twice as fast as current commercial carriers.

"It's the supersonic revival," Erin Fisher, Boom Technology's head of Flight Control, whose team worked doggedly on a fully-operational test flight before the end of 2017, told Xinhua Tuesday.

Boom's engineers hoped to revive not only a dream but also an industry, which vanished in 2003 when the British-French supersonic Concorde carrier went belly up due mostly to cost overruns and inefficient design.

Concorde's service lasted 27 years before it disappeared into thin air a decade ago. However, people on the ground were not idle.

First, Boom got backing from aviation heavyweights and industrial giants Lockheed and Gulfstream. Then the new Silicon Valley company started recruiting the best and brightest supersonic minds it could find.

By March 2016, 11 of the country's top young aerospace engineers gathered in an airplane hangar just south of downtown Denver at the Centennial airport, in a bid to push Boom down the homestretch of revamping the supersonic industry forever.

Today, Boom's team has jumped to 28 innovative engineers and flight designers, who are building a streamlined supersonic jet that can carry 40 passengers from New York to London in 3.4 hours, and Los Angeles to Beijing in five hours.

"The Atlantic flight would allow the executive to have breakfast with his family, fly to London for a meeting, fly back in time to tuck his kids into bed," Boom said on its website.

While Concorde built only 20 jets in its history, Boom's ambitious initial production target was 1,300 jets. The company has taken orders for more than 30 jets already, and a major British carrier was considering another 170.

By 2023, when commercial flights are scheduled to begin, the company hopes to be in full-assembly mode with employment numbers in the "low thousands," according to Fisher.P "We've been talking to carriers across the world," Fisher said, but declined to comment on Boom's contact with China's three largest airlines -- China Eastern, China Southern, and Air China.

Boom's supersonic jets would be smaller than the 100-seat Concorde, and have been designed using cutting-edge computerized software.

The XB would be built and retro-fitted with new-age materials such as lightweight durable carbon-fiber composites, and its propulsion would come from three smaller and more efficient engines instead of the two blast furnaces Concorde employed.

At 200 million U.S. dollars, the jets would be cheap compared to the 339-million-dollar price tag of Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor. Coupled with dramatic cost reductions in research, design and production, most industry analysts have jumped on board the new wave.

"I have no problem seeing the demand for this airplane," Marty St. George, a JetBlue Airways executive, told Bloomberg.

Of all new improvements made to the flawed Concorde, none compares to the magnitude of Boom engineers using recently developed aeronautical computer design software called Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

The CFD uses numerical analysis and algorithms to solve and analyze fluid flows. The applications are endless and the measurements precise. Young engineers love it because the CFD aeronautics software is a recent development of which they are familiar.

In airplane design, an aerodynamics engineer using a computer could run 1,000 simulated tests a week with tremendous accuracy, whereas 30 years ago, wind tunnel testing allowed only a few tests a week. The time saved in research and development is staggering.

Fisher said Boom had cut costs across the board, from research and development to testing and production, noting that material and engine retrofit expenses had been analyzed and streamlined.

In total, Boom said it was offering a giant, technological leap forward in the aeronautics industry. Moreover, the per passenger cost would be more efficient.

"The ticket cost will be half of what the Concorde charged, around 2,000 dollars per passenger," Fisher said, adding that most of Boom's investors had been American or European.

John Yee, a 95-year-old retired history professor at University of Colorado, said the company has perhaps not realized the potential for business in China.

"Their (the Chinese) business culture -- based on face-to face meetings and personal contact -- is perfect for Boom's supersonic concept," he said.

Yee, also a veteran of the famous Flying Tigers jet fighters squadron during World War II, was sent to the United States in 1944 to learn advanced aviation fighting techniques.

"The idea of crossing the Pacific Ocean in five hours is just mindboggling to someone of my generation," he said.

Patrick McCart, a Denver blogger, echoed Yee's thoughts.

"I cannot believe how many people think that teleconferencing or Skyping is even remotely the same as actually being there," he wrote. "No wonder the robots are going to take over."
BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- More than 57,000 incidents of gun violence happened in the United States in 2016, killing at least 14,000 people and injuring 30,000, according to non-profit corporation Gun Violence Archive.

The following are major shooting cases in the United State under President Barack Obama's eight-year tenure.

-- HOUSTON, July 7, 2016 -- Four police officers were killed and seven others injured as two snipers opened fire during a protest against police shootings across the United States.

-- ORLANDO, June 12, 2016 -- A gunman wielding an assault-type rife and a handgun killed at least 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Obama decried the tragedy as an "act of terror."

-- SAN BERNARDINO, Dec. 2, 2015 -- At least 14 people were killed and 17 others were injured after gunmen opened fire at a social services center in San Bernardino City, Southern California.

-- OREGON, Oct. 2, 2015 -- At least 10 people, including the gunman himself, died in a shooting at a community college in the state of Oregon.

The gunman, identified by U.S. media as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer, opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, about 290 km south of Portland, Oregon's largest city.

-- CHARLESTON, June 17, 2015 -- A white man opened fire during a prayer meeting inside a historic black church in downtown Charleston, killing nine people in an assault that authorities described as a hate crime.

-- CHICAGO, May 26, 2015 -- Twelve people were killed and more than 40 more wounded in shootings in Chicago during Memorial Day.

-- TEXAS, May 17, 2015 -- Nine people were killed and several wounded after a shootout between rival biker gangs in Waco, Texas, with more gangs threatening to descend onto the town after the violence.

-- WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2013 -- A shooting inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard that serves as the headquarters of the Naval Sea System Command killed 13 people, including a suspect later identified by the FBI as 34-year-old navy contractor employee Aaron Alexis.

-- NEWTOWN, Dec. 14, 2012 -- A shooting incident in an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut killed 20 children and six adults.

-- CHICAGO, Aug. 5, 2012 -- At least seven people were killed in a shooting incident at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, in the state of Wisconsin.

-- AURORA, Colorado, July 20, 2012 -- Twelve people were killed and 59 others injured at a Batman movie premier, where a lone, heavily armed gunman burst into a packed theater in a suburb 10 miles east of Denver.

Obama called the act "mindless, evil, senseless." Local police identified the perpetrator as James Holmes, 24.

-- TUSCON, January 9, 2011 -- A gunman opened fire at a public gathering outside a grocery in Tuscon, Arizona, killing six people including a nine-year-old girl and wounding at least 12 others. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was severely injured with a gunshot to the head.

-- FORT HOOD, November 6, 2009 -- U.S. army psychologist Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas, leaving 13 dead and 42 others wounded.

-- BINGHAMTON, April 4, 2009 -- A man shot dead 13 people at a civic center in Binghamton, New York.

-- NORTH CAROLINA, March 30, 2009 -- A heavily-armed gunman shot dead eight people, many of them elderly and sick, in a private-owned nursing home in North Carolina.

-- DEKALB, February 15, 2008 -- A man opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb killing five students and wounding 16 others before laying down his weapon and surrendering.
WELLINGTON, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's new Prime Minister Bill English will visit three European capitals next week in a trip to shore up trade and security links.

English said Thursday that his first overseas trip as the country's leader would take in Brussels, London and Berlin from Jan. 9 to 18.

"This is an opportunity to exchange views on a range of issues facing Europe and the world, and to reaffirm that New Zealand remains a committed friend and partner," English said in a statement.

"The focus of my trip will be to advance New Zealand business and trade opportunities in the region, including starting the negotiations on an FTA (free trade agreement) with the European Union this year."

In Brussels, English would meet with the three presidents of the EU - European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Parliament President Martin Schulz - as well as Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.

In London, English would meet with Prime Minister Theresa May.

"I will be interested to hear Prime Minister May's views on Brexit and will take the opportunity to reaffirm New Zealand's commitment to working towards a high quality trade deal when the UK is in a position to negotiate," English said.

In Berlin, he would meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble.

He would be accompanied by Trade Minister Todd McClay in Brussels and Foreign Minister Murray McCully in London and Berlin.

New Zealand's ruling center-right National Party selected English as its leader last month after the shock resignation of John Key, who had served eight years as Prime Minister.
HANOI, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is striving to boost rice export by improving quality and branding amid continuously plunging volume since 2012.

Vietnam, the world's third biggest exporter of rice, exported an estimated 4.88 million tons of rice in 2016, earning some 2.2 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 25.8 percent in volume and 21.2 percent in value, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on Thursday.

Last year, the country failed to meet the earlier target set by Vietnam Food Association to sell abroad 6.5 million tons of rice, presenting the lowest level in both export volume and value since 2012.

Tran Thanh Nam, MARD deputy minister told local Vietnam News online newspaper on Thursday that in 2017, free trade agreements would help open more markets for Vietnamese rice, but would also bring challenges due to lack of competitiveness, especially in terms of quality and branding positioning, compared to competitors.

Despite attributing the failure of meeting expectations of rice export last year to market difficulties, Nam said, "It was a lesson for enterprises. Previously, we mainly focused on quantity. This should be changed now. Enterprises must establish their own material zones and focus on improving quality of their rice to international standards."

Echoing Nam, Le Van Banh, head of the MARD's Department of Processing and Trade for Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Products and Salt Production, emphasized the importance of developing brands for rice products.

Banh said that it would help raise the competitiveness of Vietnamese rice at home and abroad.

Meanwhile, Pham Thai Binh, director of local rice exporter, said consumers both at home and abroad were becoming more and more willing to pay more for safer products.

To improve the competitiveness of Vietnamese rice, farmers and businesses must join hands to create large-scale rice fields, apply modern farming techniques and mechanize production, Binh proposed.

In order to remove obstacles for local rice traders and help boost rice exports, Vietnamese minister of industry and trade on Wednesday decided to abolish a regulation that capped the maximum number of the national rice exporters at less than 150 and limited areas suitable for building rice processing facilities for exports in 20 localities nationwide.
CROOKSTON, Minn.  A former Grand Forks high school teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a student will not be going to a jury trial in Minnesota, court records show, mirroring a move toward a plea deal in North Dakota on related charges last week.

James Patrick Whalen, 42, faces one felony charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct as a person of authority in Polk County District Court.

He had been scheduled to go to trial before a Polk County jury Jan. 17, but the trial was canceled Friday, court records show. The case is listed as settled; the terms of the settlement were not immediately clear. His next Minnesota court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 26.

A former Grand Forks Central High School teacher, Whalen was charged with four felonies in North Dakota for a related case. He was scheduled to go to a jury trial in Grand Forks on Jan. 24, but reached an agreement with prosecutors last week. A change of plea hearing will be held Jan. 23.

In North Dakota, Whalen faces three counts of corruption of a minor and one count of sexual assault, all Class C felonies. It is unknown which charges Whalen will plead guilty to at the Jan. 23 hearing, or whether any of the charges will be reduced or dismissed.

Whalens attorney, Robert Hoy, did not disclose the nature of the plea deal and said he believed the charges in Minnesota against Whalen would ultimately be dismissed.

Accusations

On March 2, 2016, Whalen was charged with a felony count of engaging in a sexual act with a minor student in rooms at Grand Forks Central High School. Another felony charge accuses him of having sex with her at his Grand Forks home. Interviews with Whalen and the victim also indicated there were other encounters in Whalen's green Ford Expedition -- in which Whalen kept pillows and blankets -- on rural roads in Grand Forks and Polk counties, including near Kellys Slough and the English Coulee, according to court records.

Police searched Whalen's vehicle and iPhone, court records showed. Whalen sent the student a series of text messages "that were inappropriate and sexual in nature," investigators said in court documents.

Whalen resigned March 1 from Grand Forks Public Schools. On March 22, he was charged with sexual assault and an additional corruption of a minor count, both Class C felonies, in a separate but related case. A Grand Forks Police detective advised a Grand Forks Sheriff's Department investigator "there may have been criminal behaviors that occurred in Grand Forks County outside (police) jurisdiction," leading to the additional charges, according to a court document.

Authorities in Polk County, Minn., filed charges against Whalen in July after Grand Forks investigators told the Polk County Sheriff's Office some of the alleged sexual acts took place there.
PHNOM PENH, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had exported 127,460 tons of milled rice to China in 2016, an increase of 9 percent year-on-year, according to a government's report released on Thursday.

The report compiled by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export showed that China is the top buyer of Cambodian rice, followed by France and Poland.

"China is a key market for Cambodian milled rice and we expect to export about 200,000 tons to China in 2017," Agriculture Ministry undersecretary of state Hean Vanhan told Xinhua.

According to the report, Cambodia had sold a total of 542,144 tons of milled rice to 66 countries and regions last year, representing a 0.7 percent rise year-on-year.

Cambodia is an agrarian country with approximately 80 percent of the population being farmers. The Southeast Asian country annually produces over 9 million tons of paddy rice, according to the Agriculture Ministry.
SINGAPORE, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Singapore Changi Airport Group (CAG) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) jointly launched a 50-million-Singapore dollar (34.87 million U.S. dollars) program to enhance technology for airport operations, local media reported on Thursday.

Robotics and automation are the two main aspects that the program will focus on. Cleaning robots will be deployed to clean the airport terminal to increase productivity and manage scarce manpower resources at the airport.

As part of the program, the airport has also installed cameras and sensors at one of the two taxi queues at Terminal Three to track the number of passengers in queue and their estimated waiting times.

According to local media, the CAG will explore the possibility to capture consumer analytics. This is to better understand travelers' habits and preferences, thereby strengthening the airport's lifestyle product offerings.

"We look forward to partnering established companies and enterprising start-ups to develop cutting-edge technologies for the airport," said CAG's chief executive officer Lee Seow Hiang.
HANOI, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam invested more than 134.85 trillion Vietnamese dong (5.93 billion U.S. dollars) into boosting the national power grid capacity in 2016, according to the state-run power group Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) on Thursday.

It was 1.8 percent higher than the figure the group had planned for 2016, Vietnam News Agency quoted EVN as saying.

Last year, EVN put into operation five turbines at northern Lai Chau and Huoi Quang hydro-power plants as well as southern Duyen Hai thermal power plant with combined capacity reaching 2,305 mega watt.

Also, the group completed 297 projects on upgrading and expanding the national grid, including transformer stations and transmission lines which are key to power security in the south, electricity transmission capacity between the north and the south, and electricity supply for capital Hanoi and key northern economic zones.

According to EVN Director Dang Hoang An, in 2016, the group mobilized some 2.96 billion U.S. dollars worth of official development assistance and preferential loans from international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank among others.
GENEVA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- A team of United Nations (UN) human rights experts on Thursday issued a statement saying they backed a United States school district which removed an "offensive" textbook on slavery from classrooms.

The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent said in the statement that the example set by Norwalk School District in the U.S. state of Connecticut should be followed across the United States and other countries.

According to the statement, in a chapter of the textbook, it reads that slaves in Connecticut were often treated like family members, and were "taught to be Christian" and sometimes how to read and write.

The chapter was being studied by pupils aged nine and 10 until district officials removed it on the grounds that its depiction of slavery was inaccurate, simplistic, and offensive.

"The chapter discussing the history of slavery in Connecticut is a distortion of the true nature of enslavement," said human rights expert Ricardo Sunga, who currently heads the expert panel set up by the UN Human Rights Council to study racial discrimination worldwide.

"Enslaved people in Connecticut, like those in the American South before the civil war, were trafficked against their will, had their fundamental right to life, liberty and property taken away from them, faced similar levels of exploitation, and were subjected to the most dehumanizing treatment imaginable," Sunga said.

Students of history need to know that enslaved people were never categorized as family, he added.

The working group also urged other departments of education and school districts in the United States and other countries to review textbooks and other educational materials to see whether they depict slavery accurately, and to remove them from classrooms where appropriate.

The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent was established in 2002 by the Commission on Human Rights, following the World Conference against Racism held in Durban in 2001.
SYDNEY, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The greenback's losses and strong services sector data have rallied the Australian dollar to its highest level in three weeks.

At the Asian open on Friday, the unit was trading at 73.35 U.S. cents, up from the 73.09 U.S. cent close on Thursday. The unit hit an overnight high of 73.56 U.S. cents, its highest level in three weeks.

"The U.S. dollar has been sold aggressively overnight, falling 1.2 percent and breaking the bottom of its recent consolidation range," IG chief market strategist Chris Weston said.

"This has largely been driven by fairly strong buying in the U.S. fixed income market with five and 10-year treasury yields falling six basis points apiece."

The Australian dollar has been climbing over the past 36 hours, expanding its range beyond the November 21 pivot lower to recoup 50 percent of its losses seen during the December fall.

The Aussie's strength was also aided by both local and Chinese service sector data released on Thursday, FXStreet analyst Valeria Bednarik told local media.

The unit is "poised to extend its advance, although much of the upcoming direction will depend on the result of the U.S. employment report to be released early Friday," Bednarik said.

At 1007 local time (AEDT), the Australian dollar was trading at 73.40 U.S. cents.
CANBERRA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Australian winemakers and exporters are hoping for a boost in profits from this week, as tariffs to China are further reduced as a result of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA).

China is already the nation's largest export market for wine, with the export side of the industry now worth almost 375 million U.S. dollars annually, however with the further tariff reductions, China's middle class will be able to access more wines at a cheaper price, something exporters hope will contribute to a bigger bottom line.

Since Chinese wine connoisseurs first developed a taste for premium Australian wine, growth in the wine export business has steadied, but with the tariffs falling to just 5.6 percent from this week, exporter Kandy Xu expects the growth rate to jump yet again.

"In the beginning we exported about two containers per year, but now from last year we export 15 containers," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Friday.

Before ChAFTA, Australian wine was subject to a 14 percent tariff before it hit Chinese shelves, however the Winemakers' Federation's Tony Battaglene said as the tariff rate continues to reduce before hitting zero by 2019, Australian winemakers and exporters can get a real leg up over the competition.

"China's now our biggest market, so this is a great chance to increase our profits," Battaglene told the ABC.

"We've got around 24 percent, 25 percent of their market ahead of France. We're now beating the old world at their game so that's a really good outcome for us."
by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- While U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to get rid of the Islamic State (IS) once and for all, the radical group is already on the run due to increased pressure over the past year, an expert said in an interview with Xinhua.

Trump reiterated promises to defeat the group after the recent deadly attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, which killed 12 and injured dozens more innocent people. The billionaire president-elect has blasted outgoing President Barack Obama for still not having defeated IS in the radicals' Middle East stronghold.

But Wayne White, former deputy director of the State Department's Middle East Intelligence Office, said actually most of the heavy lifting has already been done, and IS appears to be on its way out.

Ongoing U.S. and coalition aerial bombardment, plus U.S.-backed efforts on the ground by Syrian Kurds, Iraqi Kurds, the Iraqi Army, Sunni Arab Iraqi tribes, Iraqi Shi'a militias, and most recently the Turkish Army in one area, have vastly reduced IS' original territory and seriously degraded its combatant forces and cut it off from abroad, White said.

"Once Mosul is cleared -- the only truly large urban area remaining under (IS) control -- the going will be far easier in Iraq," he said.

IS has not been crushed by bombing alone, but also by a host of surrounding opposing forces on the ground. And those forces are almost poised to close in for the kill -- all this with several thousand U.S. advisors and trainers functioning as non-combatants, with only a tiny percentage of them in the frontlines as combat advisors, White said.

While some have questioned whether U.S. boots on the ground will be needed to defeat IS, White said that would speed things up, but not by very much.

"IS clearly can be finished off in Syria (and) Iraq without U.S. combat forces. Such forces would speed up IS' collapse, but not by much since their commitment would take time -- time while IS loses even more ground," White said.

At this late stage of the anti-IS effort in Syria and Iraq, perhaps the most important role Trump and the U.S. military could play would be pressing for the vast Jordanian and Saudi borders along the southern flank of IS' shrunken domain to be as carefully patrolled as possible, White said.

That would mean interdicting IS militants fleeing as the so-called caliphate implodes -- through an area where there are no combatant ground forces pressing inward against it in a pretty solid frontline, White said.

The Jordanians are doing their best to screen their border with Syria, but are burdened with vast numbers of refugees and have a relatively small army. U.S. forces might be of use in aiding Jordan to redouble its border patrols. The Saudis will not accept such U.S. forces, but must be urged to shift more focus from Yemen to their borders with Syria and Iraq as IS folds, White said.

Aside from defeating IS strongholds, a far more difficult job for Trump will be continuing the complex task of minimizing IS-related or inspired domestic terror attacks inside the United States and against U.S. targets internationally, White said.

"This requires intense intelligence gathering and law enforcement efforts to pounce on threats before they descend on the almost limitless numbers of soft targets available," White said.

"That effort could go on for years, and provocative moves like making anti-Muslim statements or adopting anti-Muslim policies could very well increase -- not decrease -- the danger of radicalization and resulting violence," White said.
By Matt Burgess

SYDNEY, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- While the U.S.-centric world questions renewable energy, China is leading the world in clean-power investment, driving the fledgling industry further and leverage future growth as the sane world looks to transition away from fossil fuels.

China's domestic investment in renewable energy lifted to 103 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, outbound investment surged 60 percent year-on-year to 32 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, an Institute for Economics and Financial Analysis report showed Friday.

"This is a massive pivot by the Chinese to capitalise on technology control, industry leadership and to take their position global," the report's author, IEEFA's Australasia director of energy finance studies, Tim Buckley told Xinhua.

China wants to "dominate" these industries in a positive way, Buckley said, deploying technology which is now considered the "best in the world" after years of investment.

"Chinese wind turbines are the best in the world, China produces 50-60 percent of the world's solar modules, they are producing or installing probably half of the world's dams as we speak," Buckley said, adding Chinese hydroelectricity engineers are also world leaders.

China's neighbor India has also showed ambitions on clear energy development.

Its latest national energy plan shows there will be no new coal fired power plants -- other than those already under construction -- over the next decade, which puts up red flags for Australia's coal industry and Adani's recently approved project in Australia's Galilee Basin.

"When China is moving very very aggressively as a world leader, India is looking to replicate that and accelerate that trend as well and become the low cost manufacturer of this industry transformation, America and Australia risk getting left behind," Buckley said.

As agreed at the COP21 Paris climate talks in 2015, the countries involved promised to ensure global warming is limited to a two degree Celsius rise through their respective emissions reductions targets. So, investment in new, clean energy technologies is critical.

Western governments such as Australia and the incoming regime of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump however are still championing fossil fuels.

Trump has named former ExxonMobil Corp. chief Rex Tillerson as his nominee for U.S. Secretary of State, while Australia's ruling lawmakers have backed a 100 billion Australian dollar investment target to expand the local coal industry.

Buckley issued a wake-up-call to the U.S. (and Australia), stating following a mandate to move back to fossil fuels might have some short term opportunity, but it will come at significant cost to jobs, technology and investment in the future.

Buckley says Asia will pivot to renewable energy within the next decade for economic reasons, taking the lowest cost energy source going forward, which is solar.

"It's technology driven, its policy driven, it's unstoppable."

Australia's state governments are now filling the void from the lack of guidance from federal authorities to meet their self-imposed targets, the reduction in the cost of renewable energy is also making it commercially viable.

"The cost of renewables are dropping in double digit declines in cost per megawatt every year," Buckley said.

"The cost of solar is now down to 80 or 90 Australian dollars per megawatt hour, the cost of wind is similar, only a year ago it was 30 percent higher."

Green energy critics however contend the intermittent nature of renewables heightens energy security concerns. Australia's government blamed the intermittent nature of renewable energy for the state-wide blackout in South Australia on Sept. 28 2016 following a violent storm.

Buckley -- like previous statements by former State Grid Corp. chairman Liu Zhenya -- said grid stability is not an issue, there is no technical barrier to the use of renewable energy, it just needs investment to prepare for future energy needs.
GENEVA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urged authorities on Friday to accelerate the relocation of asylum-seekers from the Aegean islands of Samos, Chios and Lesvos to the Greek mainland in light of the poor conditions on many of the islands' reception centers.

"Even with recent efforts to improve matters, conditions at many sites on the islands remain very poor," the UN agency said in a statement.

"The need for better protection will become all the more acute this weekend when temperatures on the islands are expected to drop. We are worried," it added.

According to figures, some 700 individuals including young children are currently living in unheated tents in Samos' Reception and Information Centre.

UNHCR said that together with partners it has been providing much needed relief on the islands of Chios and Lesvos where similar conditions prevail.

According to the agency, asylum-seekers are only allowed to move on to the Greek mainland once they have completed the registration process or in cases of particular vulnerability.

"Slowness in registration or identifying vulnerable individuals and, previously, a shortage of suitable spaces on the mainland have been factors delaying moves," it explained.

"Among other things this has contributed to serious overcrowding of facilities built for far fewer people, and increased protection risks," it added.

Latest International Organization for Migration (IOM) figures revealed that over 173,500 refugees and migrants reached Greek shores last year, down from over 853,000 in 2015.

UNHCR reminded that only 12 percent of the 66,400 migrants to be moved from Greece through the EU relocation mechanism agreed upon in 2016 have left Greek soil or are scheduled to do so.

"UNHCR appeals to EU member states to respect their previous commitments and offer additional spaces without further delay," it concluded. Enditem
NEW YORK, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Oil prices rose on Friday after oil producers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) showed signs of crude output cut, which was stipulated in an agreement to ease global supply glut.

Media reported Friday that Saudi Arabia's state oil producer Saudi Aramco has started talks with customers globally on possible cuts of three percent to seven percent in February crude loadings.

There were also reports saying Kuwait and Abu Dhabi had reduced production in line with the OPEC output cut deal reached in November last year.

The West Texas Intermediate for February Delivery added 0.23 U.S. dollars to settle at 53.99 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for March delivery increased 0.21 dollars to close at 57.10 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange. Enditem
Two Dakota Access Pipeline protesters were arrested for criminal trespass at Turtle Hill on Friday.

Police made the arrests at 3:15 p.m. at the hill, which is located on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land. A number of arrests have been made on the hill as protesters have crossed the Cannonball River to get to a sacred burial site.

This brings the total number of protest-related arrests to 584 since Aug. 10.

Earlier that same day, at 2:45 a.m., about 50 protesters were at Backwater Bridge removing concertina wire from the law enforcement barricade on the north end of the bridge. Protesters disregarded orders from law enforcement to leave the bridge.

"Both actions were a reminder to Dakota Access and North Dakota and the Army Corps of Engineers that we're still here and that Turtle Island is still sacred," said protest organizer Joye Braun.

Braun said the corps is supposed to issue a statement to initiate an environmental impact statement for the 1,172-mile crude oil pipeline, but has yet to do so.

"We need that opinion written," she said. "We need that EIS to be initiated."

The bridge has been a point of contention since law enforcement erected concrete barriers across it, saying it was unsafe after being damaged by fires set during an October clash between police and protesters.

Tribal officials say the bridge's continued closure has caused economic harm to the tribe, has made travel more difficult for local residents and has delayed emergency response to the area.

Friday's action at the bridge "was a reminder, should an emergency happen, this is what's blocking us," Braun said.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation completed testing of the burned sections of the bridge on Dec. 22. Core samples were shipped to an out-of-state lab for structural damage analysis, with results still pending. It could be up to a month before repairs can be made.

Officers eventually withdrew Friday and watched protesters continue to remove the wire. Several carried shields, knives, hatchets and chains, according to a statement by the Morton County Sheriff's Department.

During this incident, the North Dakota Highway Patrol plane was allegedly targeted by a laser and spotlight from the protest camp.

The protesters remained at the bridge until 3:45 a.m. No arrests were made at the site.

Braun said she remained near the bridge with a warm vehicle to make sure no one got too cold. At the camp, people have been checking in on one another to make sure everyone stays warm as subzero temperatures continue.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday "as a matter of urgency" ordered a high-level task force be established to develop "a clear game-changing strategy" to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse involving military and civilian personnel, his spokesman said.

Guterres asked Jane Holl Lute, who was named last year by then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as special coordinator for improving the UN response to such exploitation and abuse and has wide-ranging experience with the organization, to head up the body, said the spokesman, Stephan Dujarric.

Lute was instructed by Guterres "to convene a high-level task force to develop as a matter of urgency, a clear, game-changing strategy to achieve visible and measurable further improvement," Dujarric said.

"The Task Force will use the upcoming Report of the Secretary-General on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation to present the elements of the strategy and the chair is, therefore, charged to consult widely and as appropriate with all stakeholders among (UN) member states, across the UN system, and with other relevant organizations," Dujarric said.

The United Nations has been dogged in recent years by reports of sexual abuse and exploitation, mostly by peacekeepers from various nations, a number in Africa and particularly in the Central African Republic. Those reports include peacekeepers demanding sex from civilians for services or material.

One of the problems the organization faces is that peacekeepers from various nations work with the United Nations in the field and are subject to repatriation to their home country. It hasn't always been known if any guilty soldiers and civilians repatriated did, in fact, face justice and punishment when guilty.

Lute was named special coordinator last February. At the time she headed the Center for Internet Security, an independent, not-for-profit organization for best-practices in cyber security. She has held a series of posts at the world organization, most notably helping in establishment of the Department of Field Services from 2007 to 2008 and also served as deputy chief of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In addition to Lute, the Task Force is to include William Swing, director-general of the International Organization for Migration; Undersecretary-General Atul Khare, Department of Field Support; Assistant Secretary-General Stephen Mathias, Office of Legal Affairs; Director Christian Saunders, Office of the Undersecretary-General of the Department of Management.

Also included are Lt. Gen. Carlos Humberto Loitey, military adviser, Department of Peacekeeping Operations; Alfredo Forti, special consultant to the secretary-general; Nancee Bright, chief of staff, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; and Francesca Marotta, chief, Methodology, Education and Training Section, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Several Nobel Prize-winning economists said Friday that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's economic policies could lead to a deep recession of the U.S. economy, media reported.

Trump's plans for big tax cuts and spending increases pose risks. "It could lead to an explosion of public debt and ultimately cause a serious loss of confidence and a deep recession," Columbia University professor Edmund Phelps was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.

At the annual American Economic Association meeting held in Chicago, Phelps also criticized Trump's singling out of individual companies for abuse and praise, saying such interference could prevent newcomers from entering markets and bringing with them much-needed innovation, the report said.

While other presidents have run big budget deficits in the past, they depended on foreign purchases of U.S. debt to do so. Now, with Trump threatening to renegotiate U.S. trade agreements and shift to an "America First" policy, the willingness of foreigners to keep buying U.S. government securities can't be taken for granted, said Roger Myerson from the University of Chicago.

"There is a broad consensus that the kind of policies that our president-elect has proposed are among the policies that will not work," Columbia University professor Joseph Stiglitz said.

The U.S. interaction with other countries "has to be based on confidence and trust," Stiglitz said. "That's being eroded."

Trump plans to cut taxes on corporations and individuals and invest in infrastructure to boost the U.S. economy after he takes office on Jan. 20. Detailed related policies are unknown.

According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a non-partisan think tank, on the day Trump takes office, debt held by the public will be at a post-World War II era record high of 77 percent of gross domestic product, and it is projected to almost double by 2050.

The deficit, which stands at nearly 600 billion U.S. dollars, will grow to 800 billion dollars in the final fiscal year of Trump's first term and exceed 1 trillion dollars by the end of a hypothetical second term, the committee said.
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The world's third-largest smartphone manufacturer Huawei, not satisfied with just making smartphones, is presenting the concept of an intelligent phone, its business head told Xinhua in an interview Friday.

On the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in the city of Las Vegas in the U.S. state of Nevada this week, Richard Yu, head of Huawei's Consumer Business Group, delivered a keynote speech to put forward Huawei's new concept called the "intelligent phone." This was the second time the CES invited a representative of a Chinese company to give a high-profile keynote speech.

Yu told Xinhua that smartphones which incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) abilities could be considered as "intelligent phones," adding such cellphones could provide computer vision, local decision-making, robotics, air sensors, taste sensors and smart touch to communicate with the outside world.

"These AI-based devices provide a connection between the digital world and the physical world," Yu said. "The future intelligent phone will be like a high-performance robot without arms and legs, a smarter personal assistant."

In 2015, Huawei became the world's third-largest smartphone brand, following Samsung and Apple, with the shipment of 108 million devices.

Huawei has also become the first Chinese cellphone manufacturer to cross the 100 million shipment threshold. In the last year, Huawei sold over 139 million smartphones, a remarkable 29-percent increase compared with 2015.

However, Huawei is not satisfied with third place.

"Now Huawei has sold almost 140 million devices a year, but within two years, this number may increase to 200 million, taking over Apple," Yu said.

Huawei's fast growth was based on its long-term investments in research and development (R&D).

Yu said the company has invested 38 billion U.S. dollars in R&D in the last 10 years. In 2015 alone, Huawei spent 9.2 billion dollars on R&D, making it rank 9th in the world concerning R&D investment, surpassing Apple and Cisco.

"Huawei's R&D investment amount is still growing. In 2017, it may rise to 100 million dollars. With this speed, sooner or later, Huawei will become No. 1 on this," Yu said, adding he was very proud of Huawei's attaching so much importance to R&D.

Gary Shapiro, president of the U.S. Consumer Technology Association, the organizer of the CES, said he was impressed by China's innovation in the consumer technology industry.

He said that China's importance in the global consumer technology industry has been reflected not only by its strong manufacturing ability, but also its increasing engagement in innovation.

"Huawei is such an important growing company, not only in China but globally," said Shapiro. "The keynote platform of CES, which is considered one of the most desirable in the world for any business executive, is appropriate for such an important company to deliver the message we look forward to hearing."

While the intelligent phone remains a concept, Huawei has been testing the idea in its collaboration with Amazon and Google.

Huawei has introduced Amazon's Alexa AI software to its Mate 9 smartphone, the world's first smartphone to be equipped with the intelligent voice service of Alexa.

Yu also announced at the CES 2017 that the Mate 9 phones will be available in the United States starting Jan. 6 for 599 dollars apiece.

"In this industry we need partnerships, we cannot do everything by ourselves ... and we want the best partnerships to bring the best innovation together," Yu said.

Besides the two tycoons Amazon and Google, Huawei is also going to cooperate with Microsoft, Intel and many other companies in different fields.

"To Huawei, 2017 is a pivotal year. We need time to win trust from consumers," Yu said, adding Huawei will unveil more highly intelligent smartphones this year, such as its P10 and P10 Plus with Amazon's Alexa technology and Google's service.

"In the past decades, we humans have witnessed great changes in technology. It is our dream that innovation and the innovated products could push us to move forward rapidly," he said.

"Huawei is much more like a long-distance runner. We focus more on the future instead of making a great fortune overnight," Yu said.
DUBAI, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) first nuclear energy complex is 75 percent complete, said Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) on Saturday.

The government controlled ENEC in Abu Dhabi said that units three and four of the nuclear energy complex are half completed, marking the 75 percent completion of the total complex.

All four units will deliver safe, clean, reliable and efficient nuclear energy to the UAE grid, pending regulatory reviews and licensing, said ENEC in an e-mailed statement.

The Barakah nuclear energy plant, in the UAE's southwestern region Al-Gharbia, is scheduled for completion in 2020, which started contruction in 2012. With four reactors online, the facility will deliver up to a quarter of the electricity needs of the UAE.

The Gulf Arab state, a major oil supplier, aims to save up to 12 million tons in carbon emissions every year through the nuclear plant which will be the first in the Arab world.

ENEC CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi hailed hard work of the construction team, referring to the latest successful achievement of these milestones for units three and four.

He mentioned that as the world's largest nuclear newly-built construction site, the four identical units were being built simultaneously. Units one and two have been completed in 2016 and completed the first safety tests already.
A Yemeni man inspects the damage on a street following clashes between pro-government militants, loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, and Shiite Huthi rebels on November 22, 2016 in the country's third-city Taez. (AFP/Xinhua)

SANAA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 villagers and rescuers were killed in a Saudi-led airstrike on a school and mosque on the western outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Saturday morning, residents and medics said.

Nine villagers were killed in the first airstrike in Bani Yousuf village of al-Haimah al-Kharijyah district at dawn, a medical official told Xinhua, adding that a second strike hit the area minutes later as rescuers were hurrying to help, killing three of them.

This is the latest in a series of airstrikes against Yemeni civilians since the war started in March 2015.

On Jan. 2, the coalition killed six civilians in airstrikes on a residential quarter in Sakeen district of the northern Yemeni province of Saada, according to residents and rescuers.

The coalition has been fighting the dominant Houthi rebels, which have seized control of most of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa since Sept. 2014, to restore power to the expelled but internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi government forces on Saturday freed more areas from the Islamic State (IS) militants in the city of Mosul, bringing the troops closer to the bank of Tigris River for the first time in northern Iraq, the Iraqi military said.

In the eastern front, the elite forces of Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) continued their progress in two routes; the first one was the push further beyond al-Muthanna neighborhood, which was freed the day before in an overnight raid, and recaptured the adjacent neighborhood of al-Rifaq, a statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said.

The heavy clashes with IS militants in al-Rifaq neighborhood left some 20 extremist militants killed and three car bombs destroyed, the statement said.

The second CTS route within the eastern front made a significant progress when they freed the neighborhoods of al-Atibaa and Furqan and took new positions close to the fourth bridge on the Tigris River which bisects the city, killing some 65 militants and destroying a car bomb and a vehicle carrying heavy machine gun, the statement added.

In the southeastern front, the Iraqi federal police and army soldiers recaptured the medical complex, which includes the hospitals of al-Salam and al-Shifaa and college of medicine, while heavy fighting with slow progresses continued in Mosul's southeastern neighborhoods of al-Salam, Palestine, al-Shaimaa, Domiez and Sumer, according to the statement.

The battles on Saturday in southeastern Mosul were covered by the U.S.-led coalition warplanes and Iraqi helicopter gunships, it said, adding that the clashes left dozens of IS militants killed and 10 of their vehicles destroyed.

In the northern front, the army soldiers backed by international aircraft fought sporadic clashes during clearing operation to many of the 168-building residential compound of Hadbaa, which were freed in the advance which occurred for the time on Friday in the northern edges of the eastern side of Mosul, leaving some 26 militants killed, according to the statement.

In southwest of Mosul, the federal police forces repelled an attack by dozens of IS militants on the troops positions at the village of Bakhira, killing some 20 militants and destroying a booby-trapped vehicle and a vehicle carrying heavy machine gun, it said.

The battles in Mosul came as the CTS commandos, army troops and federal police launched on Dec. 29 the second phase of a major offensive to free Mosul. The troops made their new push into several neighborhoods in the eastern side of Mosul, locally known as the left bank of the Tigris River.

Last month, battles in Mosul had been slowed as extremist militants used locals as human shields, resorted to suicide car bombs and made mortar and sniper attacks in stiff resistance.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a recent report that the military operations in Mosul, have pushed some 132,000 civilians to flee their homes in the city and its adjacent districts since the beginning of military offensive in October to reclaim the IS largest stronghold in Iraq.

More than 1.5 million people were trapped in the city of roughly two million population previously. Cold winter worsened the conditions for the displaced people who suffered severe shortages of food and water, while camps and other emergency shelters reached maximum capacity.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Oct. 17 announced a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Since then, Iraqi security forces, backed by international coalition forces, have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
ACCRA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Ghana was kept in high spirits on Saturday by its smooth transfer of presidential power and by the new president's attractive promises.

Ghana's new president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took the oath of office on Saturday in the presence of some 12 African heads of state and other foreign dignitaries.

Akufo-Addo said at the ceremony that his government would reduce taxes to recover momentum of the economy and rely on vibrant private sector to spur growth and create jobs.

The 72-year-old former human rights lawyer took over from John Dramani Mahama who served just one term in office as president.

Speaking to Xinhua during the investiture of the president here on Saturday, respondents of different status indicated they will hold the new administration to its words.

Nii Kwabena Bone, traditional ruler of Osu Alata in the capital, expressed hopes in the local Ga language that the new government would fulfill its promises.

"When Nana Addo was doing his campaign there were a lot of challenges facing Ghanaians that he promised to deal with. So we are all praying that he will do all that he has promised so that there will be peace," he said.

Promises made by the new president included building one factory in each administrative district, constructing an irrigation dam in each village, providing free maternal health care, reducing utility tariffs and petroleum prices.

Naaba Abeka Nonge-Boor Maltinga, the chief of Bolga in the Upper East Region also called for the president not to disappoint Ghanaians.

"We are hopeful that the promises they have made, that is to improve the livelihood of the Ghanaian people, are upheld. We are also expecting that peace and security will be enhanced. We are also hoping that there will be a lot of employment opportunities," the chief said.

Alice Abrokwa, a market woman, also believes the new president will bring about interventions that will alleviate the plights of Ghanaians.

"Because we are tired and that we wish Nana can do better for us, that is why we voted for him. So he shouldn't look back but should try to think higher and about the promises he made to us," she told Xinhua.
BEIRUT, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Ming hailed on Saturday the current stability Lebanon is enjoying, following the election of President Michel Aoun and formation of the new government under Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

He expressed China's support for Lebanon, urging Lebanese authorities to fortify ties between the two nations.

The Chinese official made the remarks during a meeting with President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace, when he conveyed to him a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing the Chinese government's determination to strengthen bilateral relations with Lebanon.

Aoun said during the meeting that "such a cultural exchange would bring the people of the two nations together," according to a statement of the presidential media office.

The Lebanese president said he hoped the cooperation between the two countries could further increase as China has become the biggest trade partner of Lebanon.

Later on Saturday, Zhang met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri.

The Chinese official arrived in Lebanon on Friday on a two-day visit.
TEHRAN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Saturday said the support of Saudi Arabia for terrorists is the source of chaos in the Middle East, Press TV reported.

"Saudi Arabia has created chaos in the region through its organized support for Takfiri and terrorist groups," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi made the remarks reacting to the recent allegations leveled by Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman against Iran.

In an interview with the American magazine Foreign Affairs published on Thursday, Prince Salman accused Iran of creating instability, encouraging terrorism and violating the sovereignty of other nations in the region.

Saudi Arabia is regarded as the "cause of bloody crimes against Arab nations of Syria, Iraq and Yemen," Qasemi said, adding that it has also "committed treason against Muslims, particularly the Arab world and the cause of Palestine" by siding with the Israeli regime.

"Instead of such fruitless blame game, the Saudi statesmen should better move to rectify their approach and attitude and think about the consequences of their destructive policies and measures," Qasemi was quoted as saying.

The Islamic republic and Saudi Arabia have been involved in bitter controversies over the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
MEXICO CITY, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. consular official was shot on Friday in Guadalajara, the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, the country's Prosecutor-General's Office (PGR) said Saturday.

The PGR said in a statement that its personnel was in constant contact with the U.S. embassy and that police investigators had taken "immediate actions" to find those responsible for the attack, which happened at 6:20 p.m. local time.

The report also updated the health condition of the official, who was in a "stable condition", at a private hospital in the Providencia area of the city.

"The state and federal authorities are collaborating to carry out the relevant investigations and provide the needed protection to the official," said the PGR.

According to local media reports, a gunman dressed in hospital scrubs accosted the diplomat as he left a gymnasium in his car in Guadalajara's neighborhood of Vallarta Norte.

The aggressor then shot the official, whose identity has not been revealed, in the left side of the chest and fled, local newspaper Mural reported.

The U.S. embassy in Mexico announced on Twitter that the FBI will provide a reward of 20,000 U.S. dollars for any information leading to the capture of the gunman.

A video provided by the embassy showed the man draw the gun from his right trouser pocket and fire at the official who was driving a black car.

"Upon being informed of the facts, the PGR entered in contact with the victim and began immediate actions to catch those responsible for this tragic event," read the statement.
ALGIERS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Algerian authorities said 20 people were killed Saturday in three traffic accidents in the country.

In the first accident, a bus from the capital Algiers to the southeastern province of Biskra crashed after midnight in the town of Bou Saada, 245 km south of Algiers, leaving 10 passengers dead and 12 others injured.

Later in the day, another accident was reported in the desert province of Ghardaia, where a family of seven members were killed when their car collided with a trailer.

In the eastern province of Mascara, three people were killed when two cars collided, according to local fire fighting department.

Initial investigations show overspeed and fatigue driving are the main causes of the three accidents.

In Algeria, 4,000 to 4,500 people die of traffic accidents annually.

Experts say a driving licence demerit point system is expected to go into force to curb the soaring number of traffic accidents in this North African nation.
ALGIERS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Algeria reaffirmed on Saturday its commitment to supporting peace and stability in Libya through political dialogues.

"We are for inclusive political dialogue bringing together the real Libyan players who decide for the future of their country as part of the political Agreement signed on Dec. 17, 2015 between the different Libyan parties," Abdelkader Messahel, Algerian minister for Maghreb, African Union and Arab League, told reporters after talks with visiting UN special envoy to Libya Martin Kobler.

He noted that he exchanged views with Kobler on the situation in Libya and they discussed the next steps in settling the conflict in the country.

"Hopefully, 2017 will be the year of sustainable peace and stability in neighboring Libya," the minister said.

Messahel urged Libyan warrant parties to support peace talks without foreign interference as the only way to settle the six-year crisis.

For his part, Kobler said that the international community must help the Libyans restore security and stability.

Libya has turned into a battlefield of a civil war among different armed groups, including terrorists, since former leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled and killed in 2011.

In December 2015, a shaky UN-backed peace accord between rival parties in Libya was reached to establish a national unity government led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

The war-torn country is now mostly split between two rival groups, namely the internationally recognized Serraj government, based in the eastern port city of Tobruk, and the Tripoli-based General National Congress supported by Khalifa Haftar.
Photo taken on Jan. 5, 2017 shows a Macy's department-store in downtown area of Chicago, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

CHICAGO, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. department-store chains Macy's has announced its plan to close 68 stores and lay off more than 10,000 employees in 2017 after a disappointing holiday shopping season.

Macy's sales at established stores fell 2.1 percent in November and December compared to the same period in 2015, Macy's said earlier this week.

Macy's chief executive Terry Lundgren said the closures will target stores that are "unproductive or are no longer robust shopping destinations." About 3,900 workers will be laid off when the stores are closed; another 6,200 jobs will be cut.

Macy's said the 68 store closures, which span the United States, are part of the 100 closings it announced in August.

"Of the 68, three were closed by the middle of 2016, 63 will close in the spring and two will be closed by the middle of 2017," Macy's said in its statement.

Photo taken on Jan. 5, 2017 shows the inside of aMacy's department-store in downtown area of Chicago, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

The company intends to opportunistically close approximately 30 additional stores over the next few years as leases or operating covenants expire or sale transactions are completed.

In the past two years, Macy's, the nation's largest department store chain, has seen slowing sales as it battles competition on all fronts and changing shopping patterns.

"Revitalizing the business will not be easy," Neil Saunders, chief executive at retail consultancy Conlumino, told reporters. "Shopping trends are firmly against Macy's, and its brand, while not completely diminished, is most certainly tarnished."

Lundgren said the number of shoppers at its stores continues to decline, but its online business performed well.

He said Macy's, which also owns the Bloomingdale's brand, will save 550 million U.S. dollars this year through the store closures. It also plans to invest 250 million dollars of that into expanding and improving its digital operations and other areas.
LISBON, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Three days of national mourning starting Monday were declared Saturday in Portugal following the death of 92-year old former president Mario Soares, who helped Portugal transition to democracy.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said the former president was a symbol of freedom in a speech from the Belem palace in Lisbon on Saturday.

"Mario Soares was born and was trained to be a fighter, to have a cause for this fight, which was freedom. Freedom in Portugal, freedom in Europe, freedom across the world," Rebelo de Sousa said.

"It was in homage to freedom that he was chased after, arrested and deported, and lived in exile until 1974, and for which he fought during the troubled years of the revolution," Sousa recalled the life of Soares.

Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa, said Mario Soares was irreplaceable and the country would be eternally grateful to him.

"We owe him a lot and we will be eternally grateful. The government will declare three days of national mourning from Monday and a state funeral of honor held for him," he announced.

Another former President, Jorge Sampaio, said his death was a loss for Portugal and for Europe.

"He was a great constructor of democracy," Sampaio said. "What was most surprising was his extraordinary capacity for fighting during 70 years of his life, from a young age until practically a short time ago. He was always in the front line."

Catarina Martins from Portugal's Left Bloc party said Soares was contradictory, but she's still grateful to him.

"He was a man with as many lives as our democracy. Certainly contradictory. And without forgetting, I choose to remember him gratefully as the man who defended the country against the troika."

Soares had a crucial role in the country's transition to democracy after the Carnation Revolution in 1974. He was co-founder of Portugal's Socialist Party and prime minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985.

He served as president between 1986 and 1996.

Soares was admitted to the Red Cross hospital in Lisbon on Dec. 13, 2016. Doctors confirmed his death Saturday.

International figures, including the President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker, have sent their condolences.
DAMASCUS, Jan.7 (Xinhua) -- Calm prevailed the Barada Valley on Saturday, as a truce went into force early morning to give space for further negotiations to settle the situation between the rebels and the government forces in that area northwest of the capital Damascus, a military source told Xinhua.

The truce, which was agreed upon a day earlier and implemented on Saturday morning, aims to give a respite of battles to allow negotiators to conclude an understanding to defuse the explosive situation in that area.

This comes as battles have raged over the past two weeks between the government forces and the rebels, who were accused by the government of cutting off the drinking water from the capital Damascus, as the valley contains Ain al-Fijah springs, the main water source feeding the capital's over five million inhabitants with drinking water.

Previous attempts to reach a truce and understanding between the rebels and the government had failed, which led to a wide-scale military offensive by the Syrian army backed by the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group against the area, with the rebels responding by severing the water from Damascus.

As negotiators were inside the valley Saturday morning, government maintenance workers were on standby in the nearby town of Deir Qanun, some five km from Barada Valley, to start fixing the Ain al-Fijah springs, which sustained damages as a result of the military showdown near that area.

Later in the day, the state TV said the maintenance workers couldn't enter the area, as they were targeted by rebels' snipers in that area, which led to delaying their entry.

Meanwhile, some activists groups said the rebels will allow the workers to enter Barada Valley on Sunday.

Barada wasn't considered by the government to be part of the a Turkish-Russian sponsored ceasefire that went into force on Dec. 30, as the area is largely controlled by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, which is designated as a terrorist group, and thus excluded from any settlement in Syria.

However, the Nusra fighters there have cut off the water from Damascus since Dec. 22, causing a massive water outage, amid recent reports that water poisoning cases started to surface as people have resorted to unclean water.
VALLETTA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The fight against firearms smuggling and trafficking remains a challenge for EU member states and the EU as whole, said Malta's Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela on Saturday.

There is concern regarding such smuggling and trafficking by organized crime groups as well as the presence of improperly deactivated firearms on the market.

A preliminary political agreement on the revision of EU rules on firearms was proposed in December 2016. This agreement is now subject to confirmation and will be put to a vote before being formally approved by the EU Council of Ministers.

Some arms collectors and target shooters, however, are unhappy with this agreement, arguing that it will have a serious impact on legal firearm bearers, but little effect on illegal use of weapons by terrorists and criminals.

The minister said all EU member states are expected to adopt it as their national legislation, but stressed that only certain elements of the Directive will be mandatory.

"We all know that neither organized crime nor terrorism will, at the end of the day, bother with our firearms legislation. What we have undertaken so far is merely an additional effort to make it difficult for such criminals to make use of legitimate firearms," explained the minister.
BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Relations between China and Argentina boasted excellent accomplishments, Argentine expert Gustavo Girado has said, ahead of celebration of 45 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The head of the Asia & Argentina (A&A) consultancy said that "the bilateral relationship of Argentina and China will become one of the two or three most important our country has globally."

"This is even more so with the future protectionist stance that the U.S. is leaning towards with its next president (Donald Trump) and the brutal economic fall of our main partner, Brazil," he told Xinhua in an interview.

"In this scenario of global uncertainty, for Argentina, China is not only a greatly important trading partner, but also a special investor and political partner," Girado said.

The consultant believed that "as a developing economy, China can be the voice of small and medium economies with which it shares global interests, as was shown in the G20, for example."

"For Argentina, China is particularly important as it is our main supplier for capital goods," Girado pointed out. "Argentina's technological matrix is converging with Chinese export platforms, which will lead to better relationships between our business communities and people in the future."

China now stands as Argentina's second-largest trading partner, thanks to an ever more diversified basket of goods and a more balanced commercial partnership.

China is also the largest importer of Argentinean beef, claiming 40 percent of the country's exports.

Equally, China has become a partner for Argentina's most emblematic projects, including hydroelectric and nuclear plants, as well as building railways, clean energy plants and housing.

"Chinese investments in Argentina largely trend positively in this direction, given Argentina's deficiencies in terms of technology, infrastructure, and the financing they require," said the A&A founder.

"Today's scenario would have seemed highly improbable 20 years ago, when there was almost no trade between both countries."

"Today, over 100,000 Chinese people live in Argentina, which has led to increased and easier scientific, technological, cultural and educational exchanges," Girado said.
YANGON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Altogether 23 members of the Klohtoobaw Karen Organization (KKO) splinter group of Saw Hsan Aung have returned to the legal fold, bringing along with them arms and ammunition in Hlaingbwe township in Myanmar's southeastern Kayin state, Myanmar News Agency reported Sunday.

The 23 KKO members, led by Soe Soe, contacted the government forces carrying out area clearance operation and surrendered on Saturday.

Disagreeing with Saw Hsan Aung, the turned-in armed group said they want to live peacefully abandoning armed struggle line, according to the report.

In September last year, 19 clashes occurred between the military and the KKO splinter group in areas of Myaing Gyi Ngu-Mae Thaw Waw in Kayin State as the military combed the areas.

Both sides suffered casualties in then battle.
People on the airport ramp area near terminals 1 and 2 are seen following a shooting incident at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. January 6, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The shooter who killed five at the Fort Lauderdale airport in the U.S. state of Florida was officially charged with federal murder on Saturday.

The suspect, identified as Esteban Santiago, a 26-year-old Iraq war veteran, could face life sentence or death penalty if convicted, though his motive remains unclear.

"Today's charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors," U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

The suspect was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.

Santiago told investigators of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that he bought a one-way ticket to the busy airport for the attack, local media reported.

Santiago went there "specifically to carry out this horrific attack," Miami FBI Special Agent George Piro told reporters earlier Saturday.

Authorities don't know why he chose his target and do not rule out terrorism.

"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack," Piro said.

The suspect was not placed on the U.S. no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.

Santiago flew into the airport at noon on Friday. Upon disembarking, he went to the baggage claim area, picked up his checked luggage, entered a bathroom, took out a pistol from his bag and loaded bullets. He then went out towards a baggage carousel and shot randomly, plunging the crowded terminal into chaos.

After firing 15 rounds, he dropped the handgun, lay on the ground facing down, spread eagle and waited for being arrested with no resistance, several witnessed said.

Aviation passengers in the United States are allowed to transport unloaded guns and ammunition in their checked baggage that are declared, according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The firearms must be kept in a secure container and declared to airline representatives at ticket counters, according to TSA regulations.

Five people were killed and six, instead of eight as earlier reported, were wounded in the attack, while about 40 people were taken to hospitals with bruises or broken bones suffered in the rushed evacuation after the rampage.

Since occurring at a usually-thought unlikely place, the shooting immediately raised alarm over U.S. aviation security, which has already been greatly tightened since 9/11 attacks.

The 26-year-old spent nine years of service in the National Guard including a 10-month tour of Iraq, the U.S. military confirmed. His last military assignment was in Alaska where he served as a member of the Alaska Army National Guard until August when he was discharged for unsatisfactory performance.

In November, Santiago walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

His relatives said he had a history of mental health problems especially after returning from Iraq and received psychological treatment last year. "Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn't feeling too good," his uncle, Hernan Rivera, told The Record newspaper.
BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A shooting on Friday killed five people and injured six others inside the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport in the U.S. state of Florida.

In recent years, deadly shootings have been occurring more frequently in the United States, where over 57,000 incidents of gun violence happened in 2016, killing at least 14,000 people and injuring 30,000.

The following is a chronology of the major shooting incidents recorded in the United States in recent years:

-- HOUSTON, July 7, 2016: Four police officers were killed and seven others injured as two snipers opened fire during a protest against police shootings across the United States.

-- ORLANDO, June 12, 2016: A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun killed at least 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

-- SAN BERNARDINO, Dec. 2, 2015: At least 14 people were killed and 17 others were injured after gunmen opened fire at a social services center in San Bernardino City, Southern California.

-- OREGON, Oct. 2, 2015: At least 10 people, including the gunman himself, died in a shooting at a community college in the state of Oregon.

The gunman, identified by U.S. media as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer, opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, about 290 km south of Portland, Oregon's largest city.

-- CHARLESTON, June 17, 2015: A white man opened fire during a prayer meeting inside a historic black church in downtown Charleston, killing nine people in an assault that authorities described as a hate crime.

-- CHICAGO, May 26, 2015: Twelve people were killed and more than 40 more wounded in shootings in Chicago during Memorial Day.

-- TEXAS, May 17, 2015: Nine people were killed and several wounded after a shootout between rival biker gangs in Waco, Texas, with more gangs threatening to descend onto the town after the violence.

-- WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2013: A shooting inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard that serves as the headquarters of the Naval Sea System Command killed 13 people, including a suspect later identified by the FBI as 34-year-old navy contractor employee Aaron Alexis.

-- NEWTOWN, Dec. 14, 2012: A shooting incident in an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, killed 20 children and six adults.

-- CHICAGO, Aug. 5, 2012: At least seven people were killed in a shooting incident at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, in the state of Wisconsin.

-- AURORA, Colorado, July 20, 2012: Twelve people were killed and 59 others injured at a Batman movie premier, where a lone, heavily armed gunman burst into a packed theater in a suburb 10 miles (16 km) east of Denver.Local police identified the perpetrator as James Holmes, 24.

-- TUSCON, Jan. 9, 2011: A gunman opened fire at a public gathering outside a grocery in Tuscon, Arizona, killing six people including a nine-year-old girl and wounding at least 12 others. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was severely injured with a gunshot to the head.

-- FORT HOOD, Nov. 6, 2009: U.S. army psychologist Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas, leaving 13 dead and 42 others wounded.

-- BINGHAMTON, April 4, 2009: A man shot dead 13 people at a civic center in Binghamton, New York.

-- NORTH CAROLINA, March 30, 2009: A heavily-armed gunman shot dead eight people, many of them elderly and sick, in a private-owned nursing home in North Carolina.

-- DEKALB, Feb. 15, 2008: A man opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, killing five students and wounding 16 others before laying down his weapon and surrendering.
            ,         .
Police say a Grand Forks woman shot by her adult son before he took his own life has died of her injuries. Authorities say 53-year-old Jennifer Harrison died at Altru Hospital days after she was found in her home with multiple gunshot wounds to her torso and head. According to officials, 21-year-old Tyler Harrison shot his mother Wednesday at the home they shared in Grand Forks. Police say he turned the gun on himself and was found dead in their driveway. Officials say the shooting was domestic-related, but that their investigation is continuing.
HAVANA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Carlos Fernandez Gondin, Cuban interior minister and revolution pioneer, died Saturday afternoon at age of 78 due to "complications of a chronic disease," a statement issued by the Council of Ministers said.

The Cuban military official was born in the eastern city of Santiago in July, 1938, and started to participate in Fidel Castro's 26 July Movement at an early age.

He then joined the "Rebel Army" in its Second Front, which was led by current President Raul Castro.

After the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, he assumed different responsibilities with the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and in the Interior Ministry.

In 1961, he participated in the battle of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, a failed U.S.-backed military invasion of Cuba.

Gondin made contribution to Angola's war of independence from the apartheid regime, where thousands of Cuban troops backed different African countries to realize its liberation.

Gondin had reached the rank of Division General and had been a deputy of the unicameral parliament since 1993.

The military official had also been awarded the title of "Hero of the Republic of Cuba" due to his achievements and loyalty to the Revolution and its leaders.

In accordance with his will, the statement said, his body will be cremated and will be interred at the Mausoleum of the Second Eastern Front "Frank Pais," where he'll receive corresponding military honors.

Gondin's death comes less than two months after former Cuban President and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro passed away at the age of 90.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- In Barack Obama's last year in office, the United States dropped an estimated 26,171 bombs in seven countries, which were 3,027 more than the previous year, a new report has revealed.

Most of the bombs were dropped in Iraq and Syria as part of the U.S.-led coalition campaign against the Islamic State terrorist group. Both countries sustained over 12,000 bombs each from the U.S. troops, accounting for over 92 percent of its global total when combined, according to a report conducted by the Council on Foreign Relations.

An additional 1,337 explosives were dropped in Afghanistan, marking a nearly 50 percent increase compared with 2015.

There are currently 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan despite the Obama administration's original plan to withdraw all U.S. troops before leaving office.

The U.S. bombing also increased in Libya, which suffered 496 explosives. Another 34 were dropped in Yemen, 14 in Somalia and three in Pakistan.

Despite the large number of bombs dropped, the United States is not officially at war with any of the seven countries.
BAGHDAD, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed and ten others wounded in a suicide car bomb explosion in eastern the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Sunday, a police source said.

The attack occurred in the morning when a soldier at a checkpoint opened fire on a suspected suicide car bomb and detonated it at a busy intersection near Jamila wholesale vegetable market in Sadr City neighborhood, according to a statement issued by Brigadier Saad Maan, spokesman of Baghdad Operations Command, which is responsible on security of the Iraqi capital.

The massive blast left many nearby shops and stalls destroyed and set fire to several nearby vehicles, the spokesman said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such suicide bombing targeting Iraqi security forces as well as crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across the country.

The attack came as the Iraqi security forces backed by anti-IS international coalition are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS militants from its last major stronghold in and around Mosul.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S., which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.
People gather at the site of a car bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 8, 2017. Up to 11 people were killed and 25 others wounded on Sunday in a suicide car bomb explosion in eastern part of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a police source said. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Up to 11 people were killed and 25 others wounded on Sunday in a suicide car bomb explosion in eastern part of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a police source said.

The attack occurred in the morning when a suicide bomber detonated his car bomb at a checkpoint at a busy intersection Jamila wholesale vegetable market in Sadr City neighborhood, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Earlier, Brigadier Saad Maan, spokesman of Baghdad Operations Command, said in a statement that a soldier at the checkpoint on the site opened fire on a suspected suicide car bomb and detonated it, putting the toll at six killed and ten wounded.

The massive blast left many nearby shops and stalls destroyed and set fire to several nearby vehicles, according to the spokesman whose Command is responsible on security of the Iraqi capital.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such suicide bombing targeting Iraqi security forces as well as crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across the country.

The attack came as the Iraqi security forces backed by anti-IS international coalition are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS militants from its last major stronghold in and around Mosul.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S., which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.
People on the airport ramp area near terminals 1 and 2 are seen following a shooting incident at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. January 6, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A shooting incident that claimed five lives at the Fort Lauderdale airport in the U.S. state of Florida has prompted the suspect's relatives and lawmakers on Saturday to question the government's role in the latest tragedy of the gun-violence-rampant country.

BEING FAILED

Esteban Santiago, a 26-year-old Iraq war veteran, flew into the airport at noon time on Friday. Upon disembarking, he went to the baggage claim, picked up his checked luggage, entered a bathroom, took out a pistol from his bag and loaded bullets. He then went out towards a baggage carousel and shot randomly, sending the crowded terminal into chaos.

After firing 15 rounds, he dropped the handgun, lay aground with the face down and spread eagle to await arrest with no resistance, several witnessed said.

Bryan Santiago, the suspect brother, told the Associated Press (AP) that Esteban had trouble controlling his anger after serving in Iraq and Esteban also felt he was being chased and controlled by the CIA.

The veteran could also "hear voices".

When Esteban Santiago told agents at an FBI field office his paranoid thoughts in November, he was evaluated for four days, and was then released without any follow-up medication or therapy.

"The FBI failed there," Bryan Santiago said, noting that his brother had requested psychological help but barely received any.

"The federal government already knew about this for months, they had been evaluating him for a while, but they didn't do anything."

Signs of trouble also showed when Esteban Santiago was charged in a domestic violence case in Jan. 2016, in which he damaged a door when forcing his way into a bathroom at his girlfriend's Anchorage home and attacking the female.

Anchorage city Police Chief Chris Tolley detailed other complaints of physical disturbances last year involving Esteban Santiago but said officers either found no probable cause for arrest or were told by the city prosecutor not to arrest him.

Esteban Santiago was charged with federal murder crimes on Saturday and could face life sentence or death penalty if convicted, though his motive remains unclear.

AIRPORT SECURITY & GUN CONTROL

Moreover, Esteban Santiago had not been placed on the U.S. no-fly list, authorities said.

Aviation passengers in the United States, if declared, are allowed to transport unloaded guns and ammunition in their checked baggage, according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

However, the firearms must be kept in a security container and declared to airline representatives at ticket counters.

The shooting, since occurring at a usually-thought unlikely place, renewed anxieties about U.S. aviation security, which has already been greatly tightened since 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents the Florida district that includes the airport, said the rules need to be reexamined.

She told the CNN that the incident should prompt close review of "whether or not you should be allowed to check a firearm at all" -- and how passengers should be able to retrieve checked weapons after landing.

Janet King, a Twitter user, wrote, "No guns in airport at all. Ship to destination to be picked up at police station or location away from airport."

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, blamed the government for not taking legislative action to tighten gun laws.

"Political cowardice is the accomplice of every mass shooter," he wrote on Twitter, "The utter silence of Congress in the face of this carnage has become consent."

Related:

Roundup: Florida airport shooter charged with murder, motive unclear

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The shooter who killed five at the Fort Lauderdale airport in the U.S. state of Florida was officially charged with federal murder on Saturday. Full story

Shooting kills multiple people at Florida airport, suspect caught: Police
RIYADH, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia will host a Saudi-Lebanese summit on Monday with the first ever foreign visit of the Lebanese president, Michel Aoun since his election in October 2016, Local news reported on Sunday.

The two-day visit might overcome the rifts that effected years of friendly ties between the two countries.

After his election, Saudi Arabia sent in November a high profiled delegation to meet Aoun and other top officials.

Saudi Arabia stopped its military assistance to arm the Lebanese defense forces in February 2016 because of what the country cited as Lebanese political stances against Saudi Arabia.

The decision includes stop to provide arms worth 3 billion U.S. dollars to the Lebanese army through France , and the remaining unpaid 1 billion dollars assistance to the Lebanese security forces.

The decision was taken as Lebanon didn't condemn the attacks that targeted the Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad and the endless negative statements made by Hezbollah group in Lebanon against Saudi Arabia.
ANKARA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- 32 Islamic State (IS) terrorists were killed and over 327 targets belonging to terrorists were hit in Al-Bab of northern Syria by military operations in last 24 hours, Turkish General Staff stated on Saturday.

According to the Turkish army, 292 IS terrorist targets have been shelled, destroying shelters, defense positions, vehicles and command centers.

Meanwhile, Turkish jets carried out airstrikes in Al-Bab, Bzagah, Suflaniyah and Kabr Al-Mukri regions, destroying 18 buildings, 5 control points, 3 armed-laden vehicles, 2 headquarters and 7 shelters.

A total of 2,817 improvised explosive devices have been destroyed by the Turkish Explosive Ordinance disposal teams since the beginning of the operation on last Aug.24,the military added.

The Turkish Armed Forces launched the Euphrates Shield Operation last August against both IS and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Turkey regards the YPG and the PYD as terrorist organizations due to their links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
NEW DELHI, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Indian police have booked a controversial lawmaker of the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for apparently blaming Muslims for India's population rise.

"A First Information Report has been filed against BJP parliamentarian Sakshi Maharaj at a police station in the northern city of Meerut for his remarks accusing Muslims for the country's population boom," a senior police official said Sunday.

Maharaj had, during an election campaign in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Friday, said: "The population rise is not because of Hindus. Population has risen due to those who support the concept of four wives and 40 children."

India's main opposition Congress party has slammed Maharaj's remarks in Uttar Pradesh that goes to polls next month. "The speech of Sakshi Maharaj based on religion and caste is offensive and it violates the Model Code of Conduct. I feel action should be taken," party leader K.C. Mittal said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has distanced itself from the lawmaker's remarks. "This shouldn't be seen as BJP's stand," Indian minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told the media Saturday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-01-08 16:14:08|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Security force members inspect wreckages at the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia, July 7, 2018. At least 12 people were killed and 17 others injured in twin blasts in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Saturday, police said. (Xinhua/Faisal Isse)

MOGADISHU, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and 12 others injured in twin explosions at a restaurant in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Saturday evening, officials and witnesses confirmed on Sunday.

A security officer told Xinhua that some unknown assailants hurled two grenades at the eatery at Hodan district in Banadir region.

"Four people were killed and 12 others were injured in the explosions at a restaurant in Hodan district. Among the injured are some government officials," said the security officer who did want to be identified.

The busy restaurant is frequented by government officials. Witnesses said many people were at the restaurant at the time of the attack.

The twin explosions were very powerful that could be heard in parts of the capital, said a witness named Hussein Osman.

Mogadishu has recently experienced a series of attacks from insurgents.The Somalia Islamist group of Al-Shabaab, which is fighting to topple the government, claimed responsibility for the latest attack, saying it killed four government soldiers in the attack.
TEHRAN, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran confirmed on Sunday the death of five of its pilgrims in the hotel fire erupted Saturday in the Iraqi city of Karbala, official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday.

In the Qasr al-Mola hotel fire, five pilgrims who were from Iran's Khorasan Razavi Province were killed, Javad Shad, the chief of Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization of Khorasan Razavi told IRNA.

The hotel lacked safety standards, Shad said, adding that two other Iranian pilgrims were injured.

The number of the Iranians staying at the hotel was 108, but many of them were out when the fire erupted, he was quoted as saying.
DAMASCUS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and 15 others wounded Sunday when a car bomb rocked the town of Bait Jin in the countryside of the capital Damascus, state news agency SANA reported.

The car bomb went off in Bait Jin in an intersection close to the town of Saa'sa in the western countryside of Damascus, said SANA, adding that women and children were among the wounded.

SANA accused terrorists who are in control of the town of carrying out such "terrorist acts to thwart the reconciliation efforts" established in several areas in the western countryside of Damascus.

The latest explosion comes as the country is observing a nationwide ceasefire, brokered by Russia and Turkey since last week.
DAMASCUS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A truce in the rebel-held water-rich Barada Valley near Damascus has ended Sunday, with military operations resuming after the rebels thwarted negotiations to defuse the situation in that area, the main water source to Damascus, a military source told Xinhua.

The truce, which was established on Thursday, ended after the failure of the negotiations, as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front fired, for the second day, at the government maintenance workers, who were poising to enter the valley to fix the water pumps feeding the capital with water.

The faltering truce aimed to give a respite of battles to allow negotiators to conclude an understanding to defuse the explosive situation in that area.

This comes as battles have raged over the past two weeks between the government forces and the rebels, who were accused by the government of cutting off the drinking water from the capital Damascus, as the valley contains Ain al-Fijah springs, the main water source feeding the capital's over five million inhabitants with drinking water.

Previous attempts to reach a truce and understanding between the rebels and the government had failed, which led to a wide-scale military offensive by the Syrian army backed by the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group against the area, with the rebels responding by severing the water from Damascus.

As negotiators were inside the valley Saturday morning, government maintenance workers were on standby in the nearby town of Deir Qanun, some 5 km from Barada Valley, to start fixing the Ain al-Fijah springs, which sustained damages as a result of the military showdown near that area.

Later in the day, the state TV said the maintenance workers couldn't enter the area, as they were targeted by rebels' snipers in that area, which led to delaying their entry.

Some activists groups said the rebels will allow the workers to enter Barada Valley on Sunday, but such promises were rendered flat with renewed firing on the workers.

Barada wasn't considered by the government to be part of the a Turkish-Russian sponsored ceasefire that went into force on Dec. 30, as the area is largely controlled by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, which is designated as a terrorist group, and thus excluded from any settlement in Syria.

However, the Nusra fighters there have cut off the water from Damascus since Dec. 22, causing a massive water outage, amid recent reports that water poisoning cases started to surface as people have resorted to unclean water.

Related:

News Analysis: Planned Syria talks waver as uncertainty, distrust eclipse current cease-fire

DAMASCUS, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The second stage of a recent Turkish-Russian understanding about imminent Syrian peace talks in Astana is obscure, as the first step of a cease-fire has been disturbed by military gears and mutual distrust, analysts say. Full story

UN to attend, contribute to Syria talks in Kazakhstan: UN official

GENEVA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The UN Special Envoy for Syria said Thursday that preparations were being made to attend Russian and Turkish-backed peace talks scheduled to take place in the Kazakh capital of Astana later this month. Full story

Arab, EU FMs urge intra-Syria talks, condemn Aleppo attacks
A School boy fetches stagnant water next to railway line at Kibera Slums where Cholera has been reported in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 22, 2015. (Xinhua/John Okoyo)

NAIROBI, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The dusty alleys leading to Korogocho slums located in the eastern edges of the Kenyan capital Nairobi were a beehive of activity on Thursday afternoon as water vendors rushed the commodity to residents.

Known for their agility and stamina, the water vendors defied the scorching afternoon sun to deliver a commodity whose demand has surged in the densely populated slum.

Many households in Korogocho and its adjoining low-income suburbs are now struggling with dry taps occasioned by a water rationing program starting on the first day of this year.

The Nairobi water utility said the rationing program would extend until the onset of long rains season in April due to shrinking water levels in main reservoirs amid the lingering drought.

Residents of the city's slums who eke a living through casual labor and small businesses were among the hardest hit by the water shortage as they are forced to buy water from cartels at exorbitant prices.

Joab Mutuku, a vegetable vendor who live in a shack with his wife and three sons, said purchasing water from vendors has depleted his savings and would undermine his goal of expanding the business.

"Sourcing water from vendors has been financially draining at a time I am expected to pay school fees for my children. Though we are used to water scarcity, the current situation is dire," Mutuku told Xinhua.

The middle-aged man has a stall in the open-air market in Korogocho slums, where on a good day he earns 15 dollars, but purchasing the commodity from vendors consumed a quarter of his daily savings.

"My family is big and am forced to spend about 3 dollars on water since the rationing began. We require more than ten jerry cans daily to meet domestic needs like cooking, washing clothes and flushing the toilet," said Mutuku.

He warned of a looming health crises due to severe water scarcity in a slum village infamous for crime, congestion and pollution.

"The ongoing water rationing should serve as a wakeup call to my neighbors who neglect hygiene. We are likely to experience a spike in water-borne diseases unless we invest in deterrent measures," Mutuku said.

The expansive Korogocho slums are home to an estimated 200,000 people.

In recent years, the national and county governments have pumped massive resources to upgrade critical infrastructure like roads, water and power supply in the informal settlement.

However, poor planning coupled with breakdown of law and order has constrained efforts to connect residents of Korogocho slums with piped water.

Those who spoke to Xinhua said the ongoing water rationing was a harbinger of worsened financial difficulties ahead.

Mary Akoth, a mother of three and a housewife, worried that water rationing would disrupt her daily schedules while eroding her meager savings.

"Since the water rationing began last Sunday, I have been forced to wake up at dawn to look for the commodity in a nearby kiosk where it is sold at exorbitant prices by illegal groups," said Akoth.

She revealed that vendors and cartels that control the water kiosks in Korogocho slums have conspired to hike the cost of the commodity as rationing intensifies.

Akoth spends 2 U.S. dollars every day to obtain water from vendors and informal kiosks. Her biggest worry is the compromised quality of water sourced from informal vendors.

"My neighbor complained of a stomach infection the other day after drinking water bought from vendors. Her children too suffered from a bout of diarrhea but am more careful now to prevent an infection," Akoth told Xinhua.
ANKARA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police have identified the alleged Islamic State (IS) militant who attacked a famous nightclub at the heart of Istanbul as Uzbek national Abdulkadir Masharipov, Turkish Hurriyet News reported on Sunday.

The attacker arrived in Istanbul from the Central Anatolian province of Konya on Dec. 15, 2016 to stage the attack on the New Year's Day.

An IS cell in Konya that consists of Uzbeks continued to provide logistical support to Masharipov, whose code name is "Ebu Muhammed Horasani," according to recent information.

The attacker still remains on the run after escaping the Reina nightclub despite a massive police presence amid worries of an attack targeting New Year's celebrations.

Masharipov is accused of killing 39 people and wounding 65 others at the club, although some eyewitnesses have suggested there were more than one attacker.
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Business as usual, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans took to the streets in central Seoul at a cold night to participate in the 11th weekend candlelit vigil.

Since a scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante, which led to Park's impeachment, emerged in late October, protest rallies have been held every Saturday night.

This year's first demonstration was dedicated to over 300 victims, mostly teenagers, of the Sewol ferry sinking on April 16, 2014.

Survivors and demonstrators expressed grief and sorriness for the deceased, pledging themselves to get down to bedrock after permanently removing the impeached leader from office.

On the other hand, supporters of President Park gathered in the capital city's southern district, marching towards the office of an independent counsel team tasked with investigating solely into the presidential scandal.

Park has been branded by prosecutors as a criminal accomplice, the first for a sitting South Korean president, and the team is seeking to find a smoking gun. The supporters have condemned the investigation as lop-sided.

In the pro-Park march, the participants, largely elderly voters, protested against the impeachment motion that was passed by an overwhelming majority in the parliament on Dec. 9. Rallies for Park's reinstatement have been held since the passage.

According to local media reports, Park's loyalists identified themselves as "patriots" who love their homeland and held a national flag in one hand when marching on the streets.

They held a U.S. flag in the other hand. In the past two Saturdays, the supersized Stars and Stripes was carried by the "patriotic" protestors.

Honoring the U.S. flag and the "blood alliance" between South Korea and the United States had often been found in the past demonstrations.
SHIJIAZHUANG, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Hebei Province, a leading iron and steel producer, pledged on Sunday it will make every effort to achieve the 2013-2017 targets of cutting steel, cement and glass capacity.

Iron and steel capacity will be cut by 32 million tonnes this year, said governor Zhang Qingwei at a session of the provincial legislature on Sunday.

Capacities of coal, cement and flat glass will be reduced by 7.42 million tonnes, 1.1 million tonnes and 5 million weight cases in 2017.

"2017 will be our toughest year in capacity reduction. No matter how difficult it is ,we are determined to succeed," said Zhang.

Hebei produces one fourth of China's iron and steel and has more than half of the ten most polluted cities in the country.

The average PM2.5 density in Hebei dropped 9.1 percent last year and further fall of over 6 percent is required this year.

Hebei's "blue sky" action plan promotes use of electricity and gas instead of coal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (front, in blue suit) visits the scene of a truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem, on Jan. 8, 2017. At least four people were killed and more than 15 others wounded on Sunday as a Palestinian rammed his truck at a group of soldiers in Jerusalem. (Xinhua/JINI/Gil Yohanan)

JERUSALEM, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and ten others injured on Sunday as a Palestinian rammed his truck at a group of soldiers in Jerusalem, said officials.

Police spokesmen said the incident took place at Armon Hanatziv near East Jerusalem, as a truck driver rammed his vehicle at the soldiers.

An ongoing wave of violence in the West Bank and Israel has claimed the lives of at least 235 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since September 2015.

Israeli leaders accused the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest, while the Palestinians say it is the result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to more than five million Palestinians, where they wish to establish their state.

Emergency responders work at the scene of a truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem, on Jan. 8, 2017. At least four people were killed and more than 15 others wounded on Sunday as a Palestinian rammed his truck at a group of soldiers in Jerusalem. (Xinhua/JINI/Gil Yohanan)
TEHRAN, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran will receive the first commercial plane purchased from the France's Airbus by the weekend, Press TV reported on Sunday.

The plane, an A321 class, was officially registered under Iran Air ownership on Saturday, Iran Air CEO Farhad Parvaresh was quoted as saying.

The plane will arrive and will be operated by an Iran Air team who have been attending Airbus flight operations training courses in France for months, said Parvaresh.

"Iran Air has made necessary arrangements for the incoming A321 to be used for domestic flights, nevertheless it could also be used for international flights if required," he was quoted as saying.

According to the report, this would be Iran's first brand-new plane in over 37 years. The country's current fleet is comprised of planes purchased before the 1979 Islamic revolution. All post-1979 purchases that were made with a variety of providers involved second-hand planes.

In December, Iran sealed a contract with and Airbus to buy 100 aircraft worth over 18 billion U.S. dollars.

Parvaresh said that Iran Air will receive seven or eight planes from Airbus in 2017. He hoped that the delivery would be made in due time.

In January 2016, Iran signed a preliminary agreement with Airbus to purchase 106 commercial planes, however, the agreement waited for the U.S. Treasury Department's go-ahead license which was issued in November.

Also in December, Iran Air finalized another agreement with the U.S. Boeing to purchase 80 commercial planes.

The agreement, signed in capital Tehran, envisages the purchase of 50 twinjet narrow-body Boeing 737 planes and 30 long-range wide-body 777 aircraft with a total value of 16.6 billion dollars.

The planes by Boeing would be delivered to Iran within 10 years, Parvaresh said, adding that the first deliveries are expected in 2018.
MANILA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,600 people have been displaced as a tropical depression, locally named Auring, made a landfall in southern Philippine province of Surigao del Norte on Sunday afternoon.

Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, in a statement, said residents in the path of Auring should follow the precautionary measures being implemented by the local authorities.

She said in Caraga Region alone, 402 families or 1,699 individuals have been displaced and have been served in 12 evacuation centers.

Auring has made landfall over Siargao Island in sourthern province of Surigao del Norte, the state weather forecasting agency said.

Packing maximum winds of up to 55 km per hour near the center and gusts of 70 kph, the tropical depression is expected to continue to stay in the country for four more days before it exits by Thursday afternoon.

Authorities have suspended some of the domestic flights, bus operation and sailing of vessels in the areas affected by Auring.
BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's top anti-graft authority has pledged to maintain a tough stance on corruption in 2017 and promote "comprehensively and strictly governing the Party" to go deeper.

Efforts are needed to maintain a sound intra-Party political environment and prepare for the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress to be held this year, according to a communique released after the seventh plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) held from Friday to Sunday.

The communique called for strengthened intra-Party supervision and strict procedures for official selection and promotion, so as to guarantee selection of clean officials for central and local governments.

"Trust cannot take the place of supervision," said the communique, adding that discipline inspection agencies should integrate self-discipline with other forms of supervision, including supervision within the Party and by the society.

Chinese President and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping spoke at the meeting, which was also attended by leaders including Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli.

The plenum also deliberated and passed work rules for discipline inspection organs.

The rules clarify procedures regarding the handling of cases, such as the collection and verification of facts, case filing, case hearing, and how to dispose money and goods involved in the case.

ADHERENCE TO CPC LEADERSHIP

"It is a must to conform with the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, as the core, and maintain solidarity and unity of the Party," said the communique.

To uphold the authority of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core is the basic guarantee for adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, it said.

To strictly govern the CPC, the communique emphasized to strengthen disciplines in intra-Party political life and reinforce supervision within the Party.

NATIONAL SUPERVISORY COMMISSION PLANNED

According to the communique, China will establish a national supervisory commission and push the stipulation of a law on national supervision, as part of efforts to reform the state supervisory system.

China has begun to pilot supervisory system reform in Beijing Municipality and the provinces of Shanxi and Zhejiang.

The pilot work will see the establishment of local supervisory commissions at three levels - provincial, municipal and county - in order to form an integrated supervision system that will be "unified, authoritative and efficient," the communique said.

The new supervisory system will integrate the functions of current supervision authorities, corruption prevention agencies, as well as departments for handling bribery and dereliction of duty cases or the prevention of duty-related crimes under procuratorates at various levels, it said.

Zhuang Deshui, an expert with Peking University, said the new national supervisory commission system will be the key point of this year's anti-corruption drive, and more substantial measures are expected.

GAINING CRUSHING MOMENTUM

"The spread of corruption has been effectively contained and the battle against corruption has gained crushing momentum," Xi said on Friday, calling for strict governance of the CPC systematically, creatively and effectively.

"The objective of ensuring officials do not dare to be corrupt has been basically achieved," Xi said, concluding that a new atmosphere is emerging in the political life within the Party.

Xin Ming, a professor with Party School of the CPC Cenrtal Committee, cited results of a survey as saying that nearly 93 percent of the general public were satisfied with last year's anti-corruption campaigns.

In 2017, efforts should be made to consolidate the crushing momentum on anti-corruption, said the communique, adding that corruption cases at grassroots level will also be dealt with seriously.

Typical cases will be exposed and some confessions of corrupt officials will be made public in order to warn others, it noted.

CPC leadership will be weakened if it isolates itself from the people, and the greatest political achievement of the CPC comes from increasing confidence and trust from the public, said the communique.

Wang Yukai, a professor with Chinese Academy of Governance, said the public are most concerned about corruption at grass-roots level, which directly harms their interests and must be increasingly monitored and dealt with.

He mentioned that a total of 16,487 government staff were punished due to misconduct and embezzlement in poverty relief work between January and November last year.

The communique also vowed to ensure the selection of clean and capable leaders for discipline inspection commissions at all levels.

Gao Bo, deputy head of the disciplinary team in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said while the previous anti-graft work removed corrupt officials, the next step should focus on selecting the right personnel with high moral standards and capability.

Related:

Xi calls for creativity in strict CPC governance

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The anti-corruption battle must go deeper, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday, calling for strict governance of the Communist Party of China (CPC) systematically, creatively and effectively. Full story

China Focus: Creative publicity boosts China's anti-corruption fight

BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A TV documentary jointly produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and the Communist Party of China's (CPC) top anti-corruption watchdog made headlines during the first week of the new year. Full story

Commentary: Strict discipline provides cohesion for CPC governance

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- "China actively advanced strict governance of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and resolutely cracked down on high-ranking and low-level corruption," President Xi Jinping said in his New Year greetings, setting the tone for perfecting CPC governance in the new era.
I have not been updating this blog for years, but Im keeping it around because it has many of my posts from a decade ago! For the moment, heres why you c...

1 year ago
GAZA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, and the Islamic Jihad praised the truck ramming attack in Jerusalem, which killed at least four Israelis and wounded 11 others.

Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokesman in Gaza said in an emailed press statement that the occupation policies won't break "our people's determination to carry on with their resistance."

Hamas didn't claim responsibility for the truck ramming attack, but blessed it in an official leaflet emailed to reporters.

The Islamic Jihad, based in Gaza, didn't claim responsibility for the attack, and said in an emailed press statement that "the attack is a natural reaction to the crimes of the Israeli occupation against our people."

Since October 2015, a wave of tension between Israel and the Palestinians has been going on. Figures show that 348 Palestinians and 46 Israelis were killed since then.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) holds talks with his Madagascan counterpart Beatrice Atallah in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Jan. 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Eric)

ANTANANARIVO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Saturday that China welcomes African countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative.

The initiative was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in hope for common development and common prosperity with countries that identify themselves with this proposal, said Wang at a joint press conference with his Madagascar counterpart.

This proposal is the most important cooperative concept China has offered to the world, as well as the most widely welcomed international public good offered by China, said Wang.

Wang said that cooperation within the framework of the initiative has seen a good start, is experiencing smooth development, has won positive feedbacks from over 100 countries and regions, and has achieved a large amount of early harvest results.

Wang said that the African continent was part of the ancient maritime silk road. If African countries are willing to join Belt and Road construction, China surely welcomes that, he said.

As a matter of fact, said Wang, China has already started to explore cooperation opportunities with a number of African countries, especially those on the eastern coast of Africa and has achieved positive progress in this regard.

With the deepening of cooperation, the African continent will get more development benefits from this cooperation, said Wang.

As Africa's largest island and an important country, Madagascar is geographically nearest to China among African countries. Madagascar had direct links with the ancient maritime silk road in history, which make it a natural extension of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

During his stay in Madagascar, the two countries discussed and studied the possibility of Madagascar joining Belt and Road construction and reached important agreement, said Wang.

He said that the two countries will strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in infrastructure and production capacity, giving full play to Madagascar's advantages in geography and resources, so as to make the island nation a bridge between the African continent and the Belt and Road Initiative.
KHARTOUM, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Sunday the abortion of an operation attempting to smuggle 115 illegal immigrants via human trafficking groups at the border triangle between Sudan, Egypt and Libya.

Sudan's RSF, which belongs to the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), said "we managed to abort a smuggling operation of 115 illegal immigrants, most of them Somalis, Ethiopians and Eritreans."

RSF Commander General Mohamed Hamdan Hametti told reporters on Sunday that the illegal immigrants were headed toward Libya and then to European countries.

He explained that the illegal immigrants would be handed over to Sudanese Police forces in order to finalize the investigation after which they will be deported back to their countries.

Sudan has witnessed an increase in organized groups' activities in the human trafficking and illegal immigration fields.

In October 2014, Sudan hosted an international conference on combating human trafficking and illegal immigration which included the participation of African and European countries.

Khartoum said it is maintaining high-level coordination with Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia from Africa as well as Italy, Spain, France and Britain to face the phenomenon.

Sudan is considered one of the thoroughfares for human trafficking and illegal immigration.

European countries had previously vowed to support Sudan in combating human trafficking after Khartoum asked for logistical air and maritime support to pursue the multi-national human smugglers.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Good news for people with bad memory. HoloLens, a pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses developed and manufactured by Microsoft, can help people find and track objects such as car keys.

HoloLens works by "remembering" what things look like when the person wearing the glasses holds an item up to tiny cameras fitted into the glasses and orders: "Track this object."

Then, whenever that item is in view, the glasses record their locations. When people asked "where are my keys," a tiny screen in the corner of the lens will pop up and suggest where they last saw the keys.

The new device is expected to make life easier for those having trouble finding their everyday objects, especially for the elderly and patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

"Assistive technology like these glasses can enable people with dementia to live independently for longer, reduce stress and enhance their quality of life," Alzheimer's Society head of policy George McNamara told the Daily Mail.

However, to some people, the idea of locating lost things by wearing the AR glasses does not make a lot of sense, as it is inefficient and inconvenient to always wear the smartglasses.

If you drop your keys somewhere without looking at them, the system might not register the new location, and thus could not find them. It is also possible that you even forget about where you have dropped your HoloLens.

But according to tech news website the Verge, what's really interesting about HoloLens isn't the idea of tracking an object in an Internet connected household. What matters more is the smartglasses learning what items matter to you and choosing what to follow, before you worry about losing something, it said.
BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's top anti-graft body on Sunday issued a communique, stressing adherence to centralized and unified leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The communique was issued after the seventh plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), which was held from Friday to Sunday.

"It is a must to conform with the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, as the core, and maintain solidarity and unity of the Party," said the communique.

To uphold the authority of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core is the basic guarantee for adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, it said.

To strictly govern the CPC, the communique emphasized to strengthen disciplines in intra-Party political life and reinforce supervision within the Party.

CPC leadership will be weakened if it isolates itself from the people, and the greatest political achievement of the CPC comes from increasing confidence and trust from the public, said the communique.

"Trust cannot take the place of supervision," said the communique, adding that discipline inspection agencies should integrate self-discipline with other forms of supervision, including supervision within the Party and by the society.

It also strengthened selection and promotion of clean officials, and resolutely deepening strict governance of the CPC.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (R, front) shakes hands with Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang (L, front) during the launch ceremony of a southern economic development zone in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, Jan. 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Yang Meiju)

HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka on Saturday welcomed China's intention to invest over 5 billion U.S. dollars in a new economic zone in the south of the island country.

Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang said at the launch of the southern economic development zone in Hambantota that this was a great opportunity for Sri Lanka, as more than 50 Chinese investors were interested in investing in the southern development project.

He said China would invest about 5 billion U.S. dollars in the new economic zone within the next three to five years, which could also help create 100,000 jobs especially for the people of Hambantota and the south.

"With all this, no negative force can stop the corporation between China and Sri Lanka, and no one can stop the strong friendship between our two peoples," the ambassador said.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appreciated China's investment in the southern economic zone and also thanked China Merchants Holdings for helping develop the Hambantota Port.

"No one can stop us from establishing a new Sri Lanka so that our youth will benefit. Like Malaysia, Singapore and China, we will also be proudly developed," the prime minister said.

He also stressed that the southern development zone would be the most important economic activity for Sri Lanka and the government, particularly for Hambantota people.
PYONGYANG, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Sunday that it will launch an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) "anytime and anywhere" determined by the country's supreme headquarters.

"The U.S. is wholly to blame for pushing the DPRK to have developed ICBM as it has desperately resorted to anachronistic policy hostile toward the DPRK to encroach upon its sovereignty and vital rights," the official KCNA news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.

The unnamed spokesman said that Pyongyang's ICBM program is part of the efforts to bolster its self-defense capability so as to cope with ever growing nuclear war threat from the United States.

The spokesman echoed remarks made by top leader Kim Jong Un in his New Year address that the DPRK will continue to step up self-defense capabilities, the pivot of which is nuclear forces, as long as the U.S. nuclear threat continues and as long as the war games conducted by the United States and its "vassal forces" around the Korean Peninsula are not stopped.

Kim also said that the DPRK is now at the final stage of test-launching an inter-continental ballistic missile.

On Thursday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said qualitative improvement was observed in the DPRK's nuclear and missile capabilities last year. He called for sustained and comprehensive pressure on the DPRK to curb those programs.

Last year, the DPRK had conducted two nuclear tests and several missile tests, including a long-range rocket. The UN Security Council adopted two new resolutions to tighten sanctions on the DPRK in response to its nuclear and missile programs.
CAPE TOWN, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Sunday celebrated its 105th anniversary, vowing to overcome challenges to its unity.

"Today, our Movement faces serious challenges to its unity. Divisive tendencies such as factionalism, gatekeeping and manipulation of internal processes exist at all levels of the ANC, the ANC Leagues, the Alliance and the Mass Democratic Movement," the ANC said in a statement.

These tendencies inhibit its ability to give decisive leadership to society, the party said.

The party held a mass rally in Soweto, Gauteng Province to mark the event, with the participation of thousands of ANC supporters.

"The people have told us that we are too busy fighting each other and we do not pay sufficient attention to their needs. Our own research and interactions with members of the ANC demonstrate clearly that the people abhor the apparent preoccupation with personal gain," the ANC said.

South African people's main priorities are jobs, fighting crime and corruption, and the ANC's task is therefore to grow the economy, create jobs and rigorously fight crime and corruption, the party said.

"Above all, we must commit to the unity of the ANC and the only noble fight that we must engage in is a fight to serve the people and not ourselves!" said the ANC.

Public support for the ANC has dropped considerably these years mainly due to internal fighting and a series of corruption scandals. In the local elections last year, the party lost some major metropolitans to opposition parties such as Pretoria, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay, the greatest setback for the party since it took power in 1994.

"The ANC must unite so that we are able to unite the people against our common enemies -- unemployment, poverty and inequality," the party said.

ANC members must guard against distrust, which breeds disunity and has begun to creep into the party's broader body politic, the ANC said.

The conduct of some elected representatives in Parliament, various legislatures and other platforms illustrate that the various political parties seem to be unable to disagree without such disagreements descending into ugly and immature displays, the party said.

Leaders across the political divide must foster agreement around the need for all South Africans to unite for the sake of our country and our future, the party said.

"We can disagree as South Africans and still engage one another respectfully. The people elect us to represent them and their interests and we must perform these duties with honesty, integrity and mutual respect," said the ANC.
Madagascar's President Hery Rajaonarimampianina (R) meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Jan. 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Wen Hao)

ANTANANARIVO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday met with Madagascar's President Hery Rajaonarimampianina to discuss relations and cooperation between their two countries under the initiative on the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road Initiative).

The Malagasy president said that friendship between Madagascar and China has a long history and that the two peoples are as dear to each other as members of one family. China has offered a lot of selfless assistance to Madagascar for a long time, and many Chinese enterprises have contributed to Madagascar's development, the president said.

Madagascar, as a gateway into Africa, welcomes and supports China's Belt and Road Initiative, and hopes that this initiative will enter Africa through Madagascar, Rajaonarimampianina said, adding that the country is ready to actively take part in the Belt and Road construction and deepen cooperation with China in agriculture, fishery, tourism and other areas under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes. It has won support from over 100 countries and international organizations.

Madagascar will resolutely continue pursuing the one-China policy, and maintain mutual support with China on issues concerning each other's core interests, the president noted, saying China is a most reliable cooperation partner to Madagascar and that Madagascar is fully confident in the prospects of bilateral relations, said the president.

For his part, Wang conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulation to Rajaonarimampianina on Madagascar's achievements yielded over recent years in national reconciliation, political stability and striding on a new path of development.

On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, it is hoped that the two sides will avail themselves of this opportunity to discuss and define the direction of development of bilateral relations and the framework of bilateral cooperation in future, Wang said.

China proposes that both countries seize the two major opportunities for international cooperation respectively brought about by the implementation of the outcome of the 2015 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg and the promotion of international cooperation under Belt and Road Initiative, give full play to their advantages in mutual complementation, and launch mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture, fishery, the processing and manufacturing industries, tourism and regional aviation, Wang said.

Meanwhile, to promote such cooperation, the two sides are expected to strengthen infrastructure construction, human resources development and trade and investment facilitation, he said.

China will practically help Madagascar create jobs, improve the people's livelihood, eliminate poverty and realistically transform the nation's unique advantages in geographical location and natural resources into achievements in development, and help Madagascar accelerate industrialization and agricultural modernization and finally realize independent sustainable development, said Wang, totally approved by Rajaonarimampianina.

Related:

China welcomes Africa to Belt and Road Initiative

ANTANANARIVO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Saturday that China welcomes African countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) holds talks with his Madagascan counterpart Beatrice Atallah in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Jan. 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Eric)

ANTANANARIVO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Saturday that China always regards Africa as priority in its diplomacy.

During his talks with his Malagasy counterpart, Beatrice Atallah, Wang said that he chose Africa as his first overseas visit destination in 2017 by following a nearly three-decade-old diplomatic tradition.

This signifies that China always regards developing countries as the cornerstone of its diplomacy and Africa its priority, said Wang.

He said the year 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Madagascar. For a long time, the two countries have respected and supported each other and treated each other as equals, thus becoming time-tested friends, he said.

At the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced 10 cooperation plans with Africa which are aimed at helping Africa realize industrialization and agricultural modernization, said Wang.

Madagascar had direct links with the ancient maritime silk road, which makes it a natural extension of the 21th Century Maritime Silk Road, said Wang.

China proposes that both sides seize the two major opportunities of implementing the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit and pushing forward international cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, so that they can fully play the role of mutually supplementing each other's development, he said.

Wang said that China would fully take into consideration Madagascar's development needs in the "five major sectors" of agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, travel services and regional aviation, while constructing the "three major pillars" of infrastructure, human resource development and trade and investment facilitation.

China is willing to help Madagascar transform its unique geographic and natural resource advantages into real development results and help accelerate its industrialization and agricultural modernization so as to realize self-reliant sustainable development and benefit its people.

Atallah said Madagascar is honored to host the Chinese foreign minister as the first stop of his African tour.

She said the two countries have witnessed ever deepening exchanges and cooperation, have supported each other in international affairs, and have developed a brotherly friendship since they established diplomatic relations 45 years ago.

She said Madagascar fully agrees with China on focusing cooperation in the "five major sectors" and the "three major pillars" as it has great development needs and potential in these fields.

Madagascar welcomes Chinese enterprises to seek opportunities in the country in the hope that cooperation with China will boost the country's development, said Atallah.

Madagascar backs the Belt and Road Initiative of China and wishes to join it at the earliest time, so as to participate in the global economy, realize industrialization and agricultural modernization, and bring tangible benefits to its people, said Atallah.

She expressed her appreciation of having China as a reliable partner with huge cooperation potential.
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.

David Sher is Co-Founder of AmSher Compassionate Collections and past Chairman of Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, ONB, and CAP.

Let's turn Birmingham around. Click here to sign up for newsletter. There's power in numbers. (Opt out at any time)

I've never met William Muhammad, the newly reappointed member of the Birmingham Water Works Board (BWWB)--so I'm unable to comment on his character.

However, I've known Jefferson County Commissioner David Carrington for many years and can strongly testify that he's not a racist.

In fact, Commissioner Carrington is a poster child for 'inclusiveness.'

When I organized a committee of corporate and political leaders to evaluate local governance, Commissioner Carrington was unrelenting to make sure African-Americans were fairly represented.

As I wrote in a previous column, David's a God-fearing elected official who is not worried about being popular, but what's best for Jefferson County.

So when Mr. Muhammad accused Commissioner Carrington of "a form of racism where whites undertake to regulate the conduct of blacks under their authority..." I was dumbfounded.

The back story

The Birmingham Water Works Board voted recently to terminate its contract with Jefferson County to collect sewer fees.

When the County Commissioners tried to negotiate the contract, the BWWB proposed doubling the fees.

Commissioner Carrington in an effort to get the BWWB to reverse its decision released a very aggressive public statement aimed at the Water Works Board:

"Your 'hostage' strategy is nothing more than 'highway robbery' of the water and sewer rate payers. It will needlessly result in higher water and sewer bills. As such, I call on you to immediately recognize the error of your ways and to expeditiously reverse your decision and 'stand down."

William Muhammad

I'm not going to take sides on the collection of water fees, but I don't see any hint of racism in Commissioner Carrington's high-spirited denunciation. His concern appears to be for the ratepayers-who are both black and white.

Unfortunately, Mr. Mohammad attacked Commissioner Carrington's comments as racist-a response that is much too common among our local politicians.

Making race an issue is unproductive and drives us apart.

We in Birmingham have divided ourselves, our municipalities and our agencies by race.

Mountain Brook is white; the city of Birmingham is black; Vestavia Hills is white; The Birmingham Water Works Board is black; our State Legislature is white. Do I need to go on?

The magnitude of racial sorting is not true of our competing Southern cities. Though we hang a label of 'black' on Birmingham, cities like Nashville, Charlotte, and Louisville have unified county/city governments that do not separate themselves by race.

Black versus white has a history of wrecking our community and we should not tolerate it.

We dream of a Birmingham where our youth can prosper.

It's time we demand that our politicians not lash out at one another with unsubstantiated racial accusations to defend their positions.

When they do, we all lose.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his Argentine counterpart Mauricio Macri who came to Hangzhou to attend the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 3, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Relations between China and Argentina boasted excellent accomplishments, Argentine expert Gustavo Girado has said, ahead of celebration of 45 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The head of the Asia & Argentina (A&A) consultancy said that "the bilateral relationship of Argentina and China will become one of the two or three most important our country has globally."

"This is even more so with the future protectionist stance that the U.S. is leaning towards with its next president (Donald Trump) and the brutal economic fall of our main partner, Brazil," he told Xinhua in an interview.

"In this scenario of global uncertainty, for Argentina, China is not only a greatly important trading partner, but also a special investor and political partner," Girado said.

The consultant believed that "as a developing economy, China can be the voice of small and medium economies with which it shares global interests, as was shown in the G20, for example."

"For Argentina, China is particularly important as it is our main supplier for capital goods," Girado pointed out. "Argentina's technological matrix is converging with Chinese export platforms, which will lead to better relationships between our business communities and people in the future."

Image taken on July 29, 2015 and provided by Electroingenieria S.A. (ELGIN) company shows the arrival of the vessel that transports the first machines for the preliminary construction works of the dams "Nestor Kirchner" and "Jorge Cepernic", in the port of Punta Quilla, Santa Cruz province, 2,810 km away of Buenos Aires city, capital of Argentina. (Xinhua/ELGIN)

China now stands as Argentina's second-largest trading partner, thanks to an ever more diversified basket of goods and a more balanced commercial partnership.

China is also the largest importer of Argentinean beef, claiming 40 percent of the country's exports.

Equally, China has become a partner for Argentina's most emblematic projects, including hydroelectric and nuclear plants, as well as building railways, clean energy plants and housing.

"Chinese investments in Argentina largely trend positively in this direction, given Argentina's deficiencies in terms of technology, infrastructure, and the financing they require," said the A&A founder.

"Today's scenario would have seemed highly improbable 20 years ago, when there was almost no trade between both countries."

"Today, over 100,000 Chinese people live in Argentina, which has led to increased and easier scientific, technological, cultural and educational exchanges," Girado said.
Emergency responders work at the scene of a truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem, Jan. 8, 2017. At least four people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded on Sunday as a Palestinian rammed his truck at a group of soldiers in Jerusalem, said officials. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

JERUSALEM, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the perpetrator of Sunday's truck-ramming attack, which killed four soldiers in Jerusalem, was an apparent adherent of the Islamic State.

Palestinian media identified the perpetrator as Fadi al-Qanbar from East Jerusalem's Jabel Mukaber neighborhood.

Israel's police spokeswoman Luba Samri said that the incident -- which took place in Armon Hanatziv, a popular promenade that overlooks East Jerusalem's Old City -- was a "terrorist attack," although the investigation has yet to be concluded.

At noon, the assailant drove his truck into pedestrians, killing four soldiers, three of them women, and wounding 15 more, Samri said.

Israel's Channel 2 TV news broadcast security camera footage showing the truck driving at high speed off the road and plowing into the crowd. The truck is seen reversing quickly, apparently attempting to drive over more people, before the driver was shot dead by soldiers.

"We know the identity of the attacker, and all signs suggest that he was an Islamic State supporter," Netanyahu said in a press conference at the site of the incident.

"This is part of the same pattern inspired by Islamic State that we saw first in France, then in Germany and now in Jerusalem," he said.

"This is part of the same ongoing battle against this global scourge of the new terrorism," he said, calling for a global action against these attacks.

Israeli security forces took several "punitive measures," including closing all the exits and entries of Jabel Mukaber.

Interior Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Israel will not transfer the body of the attacker to his family. Israel has been withholding bodies of dozens of attackers and suspects as a measure the authorities say aims to "deter" more attacks.

The attack was one of the deadliest amidst a more than yearlong wave of violence. Last June, two gunmen killed four persons at a trendy recreation compound in Tel Aviv.

An ongoing wave of violence in the West Bank and Israel has claimed the lives of at least 235 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since September 2015.

Israeli leaders accuse the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest, while the Palestinians say it is the result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to more than five million Palestinians, where they wish to establish their state.
Afghan Minister of Public Works Mahmuod Baligh (R, front) shakes hands with Vice Chairman of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) Lu Shan (L, front) during a contract signing ceremony witnessed by Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani (C) in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Jan. 8, 2017. Chinese construction firm China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) signed a contract on Sunday to build a key road in central Afghanistan. Afghan Minister of Public Works Mahmuod Baligh and Vice Chairman of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) Lu Shan signed the 205-million-U.S. dollar deal during the ceremony here on Sunday. (Xinhua/Dai He)

KABUL, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese construction firm signed a contract on Sunday to build a key road in central Afghanistan.

Afghan Minister of Public Works Mahmuod Baligh and Vice Chairman of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) Lu Shan signed the 205-million-U.S. dollar deal during a ceremony held in Afghan Presidential Palace which was witnessed by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and other high-ranking officials.

"Launching of Dare-e-Sof and Yakawlang Road project by the Chinese firm will definitely increased Afghan economic growth and it is a significant step for connecting Afghan provinces," Baligh told the ceremony.

The road which goes through more than 37 villages will connect Dare-e-Sof district in northern Samangan province to Yakawlang district of the neighboring central Bamyan province, he said.

The 178-km-road project was the second part of a National North-South Corridor and the first phase of the corridor which connects northern Marzar-i-Sharif city to Yakawlang has already been completed, and the ministry is currently in the process of planning and surveying of the third phase of the corridor, a 550-km road, which connects Bamyan to southern Kandahar province, the minister noted.

"The project will definitely improve the connectivity in the country and the region at large," Baligh said, adding that the project will further bring facilities for local farmers and it will also help the government to exploit a coal mine which is locating along the project.

The project will take some three and half years to complete in the mountainous region.

The project comprises of building of a seven-meter-road, eight big bridges as well as constructing of 194 small bridges, according to Baligh.

Lu told the ceremony that Afghanistan is a friendly neighbor of China and that China had an important role in reconstruction process of Afghanistan.

The project will be financed by the Asian Development Bank.
UN envoy to Libya, Martin Kobler, speaks during a press conference after meeting with Foreign Minister Mohamed of the national reconciliation Libyan government Tahar Siala at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tripoli, capital of Libya, Jan. 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Hamza Turkia)

TRIPOLI, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Martin Kobler, on Sunday met with Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister, Fayez Serraj, and Foreign Minister, Mohamed Sayala, in the capital Tripoli to discuss political issues.

"The political agreement was signed in December 2015. It is time to implement this agreement," Kobler said in a press conference following the meetings.

Kobler also stressed the importance of providing the security and stability for the Libyan people as a priority in 2017.

The UN envoy also stressed the support of the international community to the Libyan people.

Libya has been suffering a political crisis despite the signed UN-sponsored peace agreement. The country is plagued with insecurity and unrest.
by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Excavation works and artifact discoveries have recently flourished in Egypt and China, Tarek Tawfik, general director and head supervisor of the still under-construction Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The discoveries forecast improved cooperation between both countries in the fields of archeological conservation and exhibition, added Tawfik.

"In light of growing distinguished relations between Egypt and China, the GEM will be happy to receive Chinese visitors after its soft opening in early 2018," said Tawfik.

"We also welcome future cooperation with China in this field and we are considering holding various joint artifact exhibitions between the two countries in the near future," he added.

Located some two kilometers north of the Great Pyramid of Giza, on an area of 491,000 square meters, the GEM project was started in 2010 and the museum is expected to be the top museum in the Middle East and the largest in the world in terms of artifacts displayed by "one civilization" - the ancient Egyptian one.

"Other international large museums, like France's Louvre Museum, the British Museum and America's Metropolitan Museum, are larger in area and numbers of featured artifacts but they display a wide range from several civilizations," the museum chief told Xinhua.

Tawfik hailed potential future cooperation with China in relevant fields, stressing that "Both Egyptian and Chinese ancient civilizations started along the banks of great rivers and have many aspects in common."

The idea to establish the GEM was initiated in 2001 due to the inadequate capacity of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo with its packed artifacts, in addition to continuous artifact discoveries nationwide.

Egyptians are currently racing against time for the project's soft opening anticipated in early 2018 and to meet the grand opening schedule before the end of 2022.

The GEM's capacity can accommodate 100,000 artifacts, 50,000 in constant display and another 50,000 in modern storehouses which can be easily accessed for archeological studies and researches.

Among the 50,000 pieces in future display, 30,000 have never been previously exhibited.

"The stored artifacts will also be periodically used in various exhibitions at the GEM to enliven the museum display, and render it increasingly attractive," said the GEM director.

The "GEM star" is slated to be the ancient Egyptian young King Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered in 1922 in western Luxor by British archeologists Howard Carter and George Herbert.

"Only one-third of the tomb's content was showcased at the museum in Tahrir, but the complete set of King Tut's discovered artifacts, over 5,000 pieces, will be displayed for the first time at the GEM soft opening," Tawfik said, noting that they will feature new and interesting perspectives of the king's life including historical, political and social background as well as the fashion of the time.

As for the GEM structure, only a third of the total area of almost half a million square meters will become premises, while the museum display area will be about 45,000 square meters.

The soft opening in early 2018 will be on a 15,000-square-meter area, "which is still larger than the current display area in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir."

The soft opening will start with the "grand staircase" which will transport visitors from the GEM's entrance to the display halls.

Featured in the forefront are some 100 huge artifacts, such as standing statues of pharaohs similar to that of King Ramses II and huge segments of ancient temples.

Also included is a display of King Tut's complete artifacts set.

When work on the GEM project started in 2010, the Conservation Center was established first to receive artifacts from all over the country for restoration, maintenance and display.

"Since the center opened, it received about 40,000 artifacts, 75 percent of which (about 30,000 pieces) have been restored and are ready for display once the showrooms are ready, including over 2,500 artifacts of King Tut's belongings," the GEM project top official told Xinhua.
MOGADISHU, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said on Sunday that they are probing into claims that its troops killed civilians during an ambush by Al-Shabaab on Friday in Barawe region in southern part of the Horn of Africa nation.

AMISOM confirmed that fighting took place after its troops, while on a foot patrol, encountered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) reinforced with an ambush, between Marangway and Jameeko in the outskirt of Barawe town.

"Contrary to media reports, AMISOM is not aware of any civilian casualties caused by its troops in the attack," it said in a brief statement.

It however said it together with relevant Somali government authorities will investigate the incident further and establish a course of action.

During the Friday incident, the AU mission said 25 camels were killed and four injured.

"Unfortunately, livestock that was in the neighborhood was caught in the crossfire as our troops engaged the terrorists. Our forces met with the local administration and livestock owners on Saturday to discuss the matter," it said.

The Al-Shabaab militants have recently increased their attacks against AMISOM and Somali forces in the country, which resulted in the loss of some towns although the militants mainly held those towns briefly.

The AMISOM and Somali forces have also increased air strikes across the Horn of Africa nation, resulting in the killing of several militants.
NICOSIA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- After a week of intense diplomatic activity in Nicosia, Athens, Ankara, London, Brussels and New York, politicians and international diplomats started gathering in Geneva on Sunday for talks aiming to strike a deal on the solution of the Cyprus issue.

The Geneva talks which will be presided over by the United Nations have been convened to culminate 21 months of negotiations between Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.

For the first time they have made unprecedented progress in bridging many of the differences dividing Greek and Turkish Cypriots, leading the United Nations to declare that an agreement was within reach.

But negotiations in Switzerland in November, which were expected to end with an agreement, revealed deep rooted notions that have dissipated most of the optimism.

The two sides are still divided on two main issues- territorial adjustments along with the restoration of properties and security arrangements after a solution.

Turkey occupied in 1974 the northern part of Cyprus amounting to about 37 percent of the island, and at the same time forced out of their homes and properties 170,000 Greek Cypriots. It said it used guarantee rights in response to a coup by then the military rulers of Greece threatening the status quo.

Territory and properties will be discussed between Anastasiades and Akinci in meetings between Jan. 9 and 11 that will peak with the exchange of maps on which each side will mark its demands.

The security issue will be taken up at an international conference on Jan. 12.

Anastasiades and Akinci agreed that this conference, to be presided over by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, will be attended by the two Cypriot communities and the governments of the three countries which were given guarantor rights when Cyprus became independent in 1960 -- Greece, Turkey and Britain -- other parties could be invited at the conference "as needed."

The views of the two sides on the conference and on security are wide apart.

The Turkish side has been insisting that no other parties are needed to be present at the conference, whereas the Greek side says that the Republic of Cyprus must be present as the most interested party, and also the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and the European Union to make sure that arrangements are in line with EU law and custom.

Turkey is also insisting on keeping an unspecified number of Turkish troops in Cyprus after a solution and retain guarantee rights which would give Turkey a right to intervene "to protect the Turkish Cypriots."

But the Greeks say that an agreement which would leave Turkish soldiers on Cypriot soil and give Turkey guarantee rights as before does not stand any chance to be approved in a referendum.

The UN has been trying in back-stage consultations to help strike a compromise.
by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua)-- Greece was gripped on Sunday by a snow front which was the second hitting the country in two weeks, with temperatures plummeting to minus 19 degrees Celsius in some mountainous regions in the north.

No casualties have been reported from the cold snap which sweeps throughout Greece since Friday.

Traffic has been disrupted in national roads in the south for several hours for safety reasons. Motorists were advised to avoid driving if not necessary or use snow chains in many roads while schools will remain closed in the areas most affected by the snow.

Meteorologists forecast that the icy conditions will ease on Monday before a new cold front emerges later this week.

According to the Civil Protection Authority, among the areas hit the hardest were the Greek islands of Skopelos and Alonissos in the western Aegean where a state of emergency was declared.

With up to two meters of snow, villages have been cut off, and there was no electricity or water, as water pipes were frozen and burst, and pumps were unable to function.

Similar problems were reported in suburbs of Thessaloniki port city, as well as the city of Ptolemaida in northern Greece.

The authorities nationwide have opened more shelters to the homeless and reassured to help refugee or migrants.

On Friday, the UN refugee agency UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards made a plea from Geneva, calling on the Greek government and EU officials to do more to move refugees from the Greek islands to the mainland and speed up the EU relocation program launched in late 2015.

About 15,000 refugees and migrants are currently stranded on the Northern Aegean Sea islands out of the 62,500 people stuck in Greece after the closure of the Balkan route to central Europe last February, according to the latest official figures released by the Greek government on Sunday.

Despite efforts to improve their living conditions, the situation in particular amidst harsh weather conditions was difficult, the UNHCR stressed.

Under an EU-Turkey agreement sealed last spring to curb the migration influx into Europe, new arrivals on the Greek islands after March are held in hotspots until their asylum bids are examined.

Those non-eligible for asylum are returned to Turkey, but delays in the assessment of asylum requests have caused overcrowding.
DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian scientists and agricultural experts said on Sunday they planned to meet authorities to discuss about devastating effects of a killer plant scientifically called Parthenium hysterophorus which was fast killing livestock and wild animals.

The scientists said the plant has wreaked havoc in the east African nation's northern tourist regions of Arusha and Kilimanjaro, and Mara region, home to the Serengeti National Park.

Ally Said Mbwana, a research scientist from the Arusha-based Horticultural Research and Training Institute, said the scientists will on Monday meet the Arusha Regional Commissioner, Mrisho Gumbo, to discuss about the devastating plant.

"Parthenium hysterophorus is a silent killer that is going unnoticed," said Mbwana.

He added: "Many households in Arusha have been shrouded by the killer plant as it has a tendency of outgrowing other plants and it is sad to see some people using it to sweep their compounds."

Mbwana said the killer weed was allelopathic hence exudes chemicals into the ground inhibiting growth of surrounding plants including favorable crops and forage grasses.

"It is a serious invasive plant species that needs attention. It has potential to have great negative impacts on agricultural and grazing lands, wildlife, as well as human and animal health," said the scientist.

He said the invasive plant was hard to control due to its allelopathic and fast growing prolific nature, adding that early detection and rapid response were needed in order to control it effectively.

Mbwana said the killer plant was fast spreading into the country because of its closeness to the neighboring country of Kenya.

"The killer weed is now headed to rangelands, authorities in the national parks need to be on alert," he warned.

The killer plant is said to have arrived in Ethiopia in the 1980's, and despite the best efforts of scientists throughout East Africa, it spread to Somalia and Kenya. It likely arrived in Tanzania around the year 2000, although it was not officially identified until 2010.

Charles Bonaventure, Technical Advisor with ECHO East Africa Impact, said the scientists were planning to meet the Arusha Regional Commissioner to find ways of mitigating the effects of the killer plant.

"This is a silent killer which is going unnoticed by a good number of Arusha residents, not all people know about it, which is why we are meeting the regional commissioner in view of raising awareness and seeking ways of stopping its spread," he said.

He said the killer plant has in the recent past claimed dozens of livestock and that as researchers they were worried of its spread.

"What worries us the most is the fact that Parthenium also reduces the biodiversity of grazing land, and this will decrease the ability of the land to support livestock and wild animals that depend on native grasses for grazing," said the expert.

Bonaventure said it was also important to engage fellow researchers and scientists from the government to seek ways of ending the problem.
Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anany is interviewed by Xinhua News Agency during a visit to an archaeological site in Egypt's Delta governorate of Qalyoubiya, 30 km north of Cairo, capital of Egypt, on Jan. 8, 2017. During the visit to a number of archaeological sites in Qalyoubiya, Anany said the government is keen to preserve its ancient treasures that date back centuries ago. Egypt, one of the most ancient civilizations, has been working hard to protect its archaeological heritage and discover the secrets of the archaeology of Pharaohs and other ancient civilizations across the country. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)

QALYOUBIYA, Egypt, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anany said on Sunday that an Egyptian delegation from his ministry is now on an official visit to China to strengthen cooperation in the field of archaeology.

"The Egyptian delegates are now discussing with their Chinese counterparts the preparations for the first Chinese excavations in Egypt," the minister told Xinhua.

In a recent interview, the Egyptian minister of antiquities said Chinese archaeologists are very interested in starting excavations in his archaeologically rich country.

During his visit to a number of archaeological sites in Egypt's Delta governorate of Qalyoubiya, 30 km north of Cairo, Anany said the government is keen to preserve its ancient treasures that date back centuries ago.

Egypt, one of the most ancient civilizations, has been working hard to protect its archaeological heritage and discover the secrets of the archaeology of Pharaohs and other ancient civilizations across the country.

The North African country is also trying to revive its ailing tourism sector which has been suffering an acute recession over the past few years due to political turmoil and relevant security issues.

Egypt netted just 6.1 billion U.S. dollars in tourism revenues in 2015, a drastic downturn from 12.5 billion in 2010, according to the country's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.
ARUSHA, Tanzania, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania has announced a fresh war against pastoralists who are taking livestock into the national parks, saying the vice has been threatening to kill the country's sanctuaries.

Jumanne Maghembe, Tanzania's Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism said on Sunday that Serengeti National Park is among the highly affected parks with livestock grazing in the east African nation.

The Tanzania's oldest and second largest park after Ruaha National Park is also the UNESCO World Heritage Site located in northern Tanzania.

"We're going well with the fight against wildlife poaching, but the remaining serious war is rampant grazing, which threatens our conservation efforts. Reports say that pastoralists have been taking livestock into the protected areas," the minister said.

He said that the government will leave no stone unturned in the new fight against pastoralists, who have been sneaking into the national parks for pastures.

"We are aware of the challenge and we are taking all the necessary measures to ensure that our parks are free from trespassers and encroachers," he said, adding that livestock found inside the park will be confiscated and the owner will be taken to court for further action.

The minister also cited illegal logging and charcoal making as another challenge facing wildlife conservation efforts in Tanzania.

Tanzania's tourism sector brings in 2 billion U.S. dollars per year and contributes 12.2 percent of employment in the east African nation.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council Tanzania Country Report, 90 percent of tourists visiting Tanzania visit national parks, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the spice island of Zanzibar.
MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Sunday recaptured new areas from the Islamic State (IS) militants in the city of Mosul, as the troops reached the eastern bank of Tigris River for the first time in northern Iraq, the Iraqi military said.

In the eastern front, the elite forces of Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) continued their progress in two routes; the first one was advancing to the fourth bridge on the Tigris River, which bisects the city, and capturing the eastern bank for the first time in the battles of Mosul, a statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said.

The battles left some 40 militants killed and two car bombs destroyed, as well as destroying a vehicle carrying heavy machine gun, the statement said.

The second CTS route within the eastern front was advancing toward Baladiyah and Succar neighborhoods amid heavy clashes that resulted in seizing the southern parts of the two neighborhoods, killing 43 extremist militants and destroying a vehicle carrying heavy machine gun, the source said.

In the southeastern front, the Iraqi federal police and army soldiers continued their heavy street-to-street fighting against IS militants in the neighborhoods of al-Salam, Palestine, Domiez and Sumer, recapturing several buildings and killing some 25 militants, according to the statement.

In the northern front, the army soldiers backed by international aircraft fought sporadic clashes during clearing operation to many of the 168-building residential compound of Hadbaa, which were freed in the advance which occurred for the time on Friday in the northern edges of the eastern side of Mosul, the statement said, adding that the clashes left some 10 militants killed and three booby-trapped vehicles destroyed.

In southwest of Mosul, the federal police forces repelled an attack by dozens of IS militants on the troops positions at the village of al-Adhbah, killing 12 militants and destroying two vehicles carrying heavy machine gun, it said.

The battles in Mosul came as the CTS commandos, army troops and federal police launched on Dec. 29 the second phase of a major offensive to free Mosul.

The troops made their new push into several neighborhoods in the eastern side of Mosul, locally known as the left bank of the Tigris River.

Last month, battles in Mosul had been slowed as extremist militants used locals as human shields, resorted to suicide car bombs and made mortar and sniper attacks in stiff resistance.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a recent report that the military operations in Mosul, have pushed about 136,000 civilians to flee their homes in the city and its adjacent districts since the beginning of military offensive in October to reclaim the IS largest stronghold in Iraq.

More than 1.5 million people were trapped in the city of roughly two million population previously. Cold winter worsened the conditions for the displaced people who suffered severe shortages of food and water, while camps and other emergency shelters reached maximum capacity.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Oct. 17 announced a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Since then, Iraqi security forces, backed by international coalition forces, have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
NICOSIA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of the estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities arrived in Geneva on Sunday to continue their reunification negotiations, saying they have the will to reach a settlement to the four-decade-old problem.

But having in mind that the odds are against them after having failed to clinch an agreement in November despite great expectations, they refrained from saying that they are optimistic.

Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades told reporters travelling with him on the flight to Geneva that he was determined and well prepared to work for a solution.

"We have the will and desire for a solution based on principles and values that will allow us to build a modern European State," he said.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci who had planned to travel to Geneva by flying first to Istanbul had to make last minute plans because of bad weather in Turkey that led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

"We travel to Geneva with political will and determination," he said before boarding a special flight form the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus.

He said he was entering the new state of negotiations starting on Monday without being pessimistic but at the same time noting that there is no need for exaggerated expectations.

"We are expecting a difficult week," Akinci said.

The two leaders are expected to tackle the remaining pending internal issues -- making territorial adjustments and deciding which parts of territory Turkish troops occupied in 1974 will be returned to the Greek Cypriot community.

After three days of talks that will culminate in the exchange of maps showing the proposed boundaries they will be joined by the guarantor powers -- Greece, Turkey and Britain in a conference called by the United Nations.

Turkey, which invoked its guarantor rights to mount the 1974 military operation in Cyprus, insists on retaining these rights.

Having suffered what led to thousands of people being killed and a further 1,000 still listed as missing, Greek Cypriots see red at the mere mention of guarantees and intervention rights.

That issue alone will make or break the negotiations, according to analysts.

The United Nations which preside over the talks are trying to find a way out of the deadlock by proposing a transitional period of several years for Turkish troops to be phased out of Cyprus and guarantees to be abolished.
DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania welcomed China's latest decision to ban ivory trade and processing activities, saying the move marked a historic milestone in efforts to save the giant mammals from poaching.

The country's Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Jumanne Maghembe said the move would reduce costs African countries injected in the fight against poaching activities.

China on December 30 announced that it will gradually stop the processing and sales of ivories for commercial purposes by the end of 2017.

"I would like to praise Chinese government's move. It is a great step towards protecting elephants. With the ban decision, automatically, ivory price would decrease and make the business less preferred," Maghembe said.

"The business attracted many people because they were paid handsome amount to find trophies, a situation that increases killing and poaching of elephants," the Minister told Xinhua in a telephone interview.

The minister also reiterated Tanzania's position in protecting elephants, adding other countries should imitate China's decision.

Tanzania wildlife activists also welcome China's decision to ban ivory trade, saying that the move is crucial to revive wildlife protection initiatives in Tanzania and Africa at large.

Pastor Clement Matwiga, Director of Rafiki Wildlife Foundation said China has shown beyond doubt that it is a true friend in relation to African problems including giant mammals poaching.

"I would also like to congratulate Tanzania government to be fore-front in fighting elephant poaching; moreover, I would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt appreciations to Chinese government for announcing to ban ivory trade," Matwiga said.

"This shows how determined China is in protecting Africa's wildlife, they are once again demonstrating to be our true friends," he said.

Shubert Mwarabu, Coordinator of OKOA Tembo wa Tanzania campaign or Rescue Tanzania Elephant, said China's ban on ivory trade is a huge milestone in protecting Tanzania elephant generations.

"The closure of the market will lead to long-term security for our elephants. This is probably the greatest measure that could be taken to reduce elephant poaching," he stressed.

Demand for ivory in Asian countries are often blamed for increasing haunt and killings of elephants in Tanzania.

A government census of 2015 in Tanzania revealed that 60 percent of elephants had been lost over a period of five years.

Tanzania's elephant population is one of the largest in Africa. But according to data released by the government in June 2015, between 2009 and 2014, the population had dropped from 109, 051 to 43,521.
The Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci (3rd L) and the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades (3rd R) hold a meeting in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, Nov. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

NICOSIA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of the estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities arrived in Geneva on Sunday to continue their reunification negotiations, saying they have the will to reach a settlement to the four-decade-old problem.

But having in mind that the odds are against them after having failed to clinch an agreement in November despite great expectations, they refrained from saying that they are optimistic.

Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades told reporters travelling with him on the flight to Geneva that he was determined and well prepared to work for a solution.

"We have the will and desire for a solution based on principles and values that will allow us to build a modern European State," he said.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci who had planned to travel to Geneva by flying first to Istanbul had to make last minute plans because of bad weather in Turkey that led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

"We travel to Geneva with political will and determination," he said before boarding a special flight form the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus.

He said he was entering the new state of negotiations starting on Monday without being pessimistic but at the same time noting that there is no need for exaggerated expectations.

"We are expecting a difficult week," Akinci said.

The two leaders are expected to tackle the remaining pending internal issues -- making territorial adjustments and deciding which parts of territory Turkish troops occupied in 1974 will be returned to the Greek Cypriot community.

After three days of talks that will culminate in the exchange of maps showing the proposed boundaries they will be joined by the guarantor powers -- Greece, Turkey and Britain in a conference called by the United Nations.

Turkey, which invoked its guarantor rights to mount the 1974 military operation in Cyprus, insists on retaining these rights.

Having suffered what led to thousands of people being killed and a further 1,000 still listed as missing, Greek Cypriots see red at the mere mention of guarantees and intervention rights.

That issue alone will make or break the negotiations, according to analysts.

The United Nations which preside over the talks are trying to find a way out of the deadlock by proposing a transitional period of several years for Turkish troops to be phased out of Cyprus and guarantees to be abolished.
MANAMA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Bahrain's interior minister on Sunday admitted security negligence in a prison break on Dec. 31, which killed a policeman and let 10 inmates convicted for terror crimes to escape.

Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa briefed the MPs on the latest security developments, specifically the prison break incident, which he described as a "significant terrorism development."

He said the ministry considers this incident as a terrorist operation against the public security force.

"As the interior minister, it is my duty to accept and respect your criticism and comments, but I hope the negligence does not overcome the efforts of all of the hard working and loyal policemen who work daily to protect Bahrain," he said.

The minister said the investigation has identified and arrested a number of individuals suspected of aiding those who carried out the prison break.

He said the houses of a number of suspects were searched, and police patrols were deployed across the country to protect the public.

The minister said policeman Abdulsalam Saif was shot before he took over his shift and the 10 terrorists escaped from a gate that was left open for a vehicle to enter.

The ministry released names and photographs of the 10 men after the prison attack. The escapees were all convicted in previous terrorist cases with some inmates serving 73 to 79 years imprisonment.
British Prime Minister Theresa May attends a press conference after the second-day's meeting of EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

LONDON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday she will set out her plans for Britain's exit strategy from the European Union over the coming weeks.

May has faced continuous criticism from pro-Europe politicians and remain supporters over her failure to discuss her Brexit strategy, insisting she will not show her negotiating hand in advance.

In her first major television interview of the new year, May also said her government was not suffering from muddled thinking over Brexit.

She was responding to a letter to staff sent by the former British Ambassador to the EU, Sir Ivan Rogers, in which he was critical of the way the government was handling its exit plans.

Rogers' letter was revealed after he announced his resignation in Brussels.

In her interview on Sky news in London, May gave what was interpreted as her strongest hint yet that Britain will leave the EU's single market.

May said: "I'm ambitious for what we can get for the UK in terms of our relationship with the European Union because I also think that's going to be good for the European Union. We're leaving, we're coming out, we're not going to be a member of the EU. Our thinking on this isn't muddled at all."

May has reiterated her view that she will trigger Article 50, the two-year exit process before the end of March.

May told Sky news' politics show Sophy Ridge on Sunday that she does not see the decision between trade and immigration during Brexit talks "as a binary issue."

"We will, outside the European Union, be able to have control of immigration and be able to set our rules for people coming to the UK from member states of the European Union," she said.

"We also, as part of that Brexit deal, will be working to get the best possible deal in the trading relationship with the European Union. Anybody who looks at this question of free movement and trade as a sort of zero-sum game is approaching it in the wrong way."

May said she remains confident Britain will get a good deal on both issues.

Reactions to May's interview were mixed, with Sir Keir Starmer, Labor's Shadow Brexit Secretary, saying May should have been clearer over her plans for Brexit.

"I think now, 10-11 weeks from the triggering of Article 50 and the most important negotiations for a generation, we need more clarity than that, and we haven't got it," said Starmer.

Leading supporters of Britain leaving the EU welcomed May's comments with Conservative MP Steve Baker saying: "This is welcome clarification of a sensible position by the prime minister. We won't be clinging on to bits of EU membership. The best outcome for the UK is an ambitious trade deal plus control over our laws, trade policy and borders. The PM's interview is great news for the UK."

Richard Tice, co-chair of the Leave Means Leave campaign group, said: "We welcome the prime minister's commitment to taking back control of Britain's borders. therefore ending preferential treatment for EU citizens. She is right that issues of trade and immigration are not binary because when Britain leaves the single market and the customs union, though freedom of movement will cease, Britain's ability to trade with the EU and access the single market will continue."

Labour MP and leading supporter of pro-EU Open Britain group, Chuka Umunna, said: "Any trading arrangement outside the single market would erect barriers with our largest trading partner and would be disastrous for the UK economy, jobs and businesses."

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who has called for a second referendum on an eventual Brexit deal, said May's comments suggest she is taking Britain towards what he described as "a disastrous hard Brexit".

Farron commented: "Reckless plans to leave the single market would deal a huge blow to jobs, investment and the public finances, meaning less funding for services like the overstretched NHS."
Syrians receive UN relief aid in the town of Muadamiyeh, countryside of Damascus, capital of Syria, on Jan. 7, 2017. The town of Muadamiyeh witnessed reconciliation between the government and the rebels last year, under which aid convoys must enter the town regularly. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

DAMASCUS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that the next stage of the Syria war after the liberation of Aleppo city won't be easy given the Western continuing support to terrorist groups, state news agency SANA reported.

"The Western powers as well as their tools and agents in the region are carrying on with supporting the terrorist organizations," Assad said.

He also said recapturing the entire Aleppo city from rebel groups represents an "important station toward the victory in the war imposed in Syria."

Assad's remarks came during his meeting with the visiting Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani.

"Syria, with the help from its friends, mainly Iran and Russia, is moving forward in doing whatever it takes to provide the suitable ground to find a solution, through which the Syrians could determine the future of their country without foreign intervention," he told Shamkhani.

For his part, Shamkhani made it clear that his country will spare no effort to support Syria and frustrate any "terrorist scheme and its backers" since counter-terror is a "decisive issue not only for Syria but the entire regional countries."

Iran, the main regional ally of the Syrian government, has recently strengthened its diplomatic engagements with Syria, as Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament's national security commission, visited Damascus last week, and Syrian foreign ministry officials visited Tehran in the same period.

The diplomatic shuttling apparently aims at coordinating stances between the two countries ahead of the Russian-Turkish planned Syria peace talks in Astana later this month.

During his latest visit to Syria, Boroujerdi said that Iran supports the upcoming Syria talks in Astana, which were expected to bring, for the first time, representatives from both the Syrian government and the rebels together, as previous failed talks in Geneva were only between the government and the exiled political opposition.

Experts say high expectations are held for the new talks as the United States will not be part of the supervising team, as the Assad government is still deeming the Western support to the rebels as what is behind the ongoing conflict.

On Sunday, Assad also met with a visiting French delegation including a number of French lawmakers and intellectuals.

During the meeting Assad said that France's current policy is disconnected from the reality about the war in Syria.

He stressed that the policy has helped inflame the situation through support to "terrorist organizations," which, he said, have become a threat, not only to Syria but the Western countries alike.

The French delegation said what they have learnt about Syria contains a great deal of distortions to the truth.

A day earlier, the French delegation arrived in Aleppo on an airplane, the first civilian plane to land at the Aleppo airport in four years.

The rebels in the countryside of Aleppo fired several rockets on the airport after the delegation deplaned, causing a delay in their flight to Damascus.
BRUSSELS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Sunday condemned the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem which killed four Israeli soldiers and wounded 15 more.

"The EU condemns the murder of these four young Israelis, as well as any praise or incitement for terrorist acts," a spokesperson of the European External Action Service (EEAS), or the EU's diplomatic service, said in a statement.

"There can be no justification for such a crime," the spokesperson said, "the EU will continue to work with those who seek peace and denounce those who pursue violence and terror."

Palestinian media identified the perpetrator as Fadi al-Qanbar from East Jerusalem's Jabel Mukaber neighborhood.

Israel's police spokeswoman Luba Samri said that the incident -- which took place in Armon Hanatziv, a popular promenade that overlooks East Jerusalem's Old City -- was a "terrorist attack," although the investigation has yet to be concluded.

At noon, the assailant drove his truck into pedestrians, killing four soldiers, three of them women, and wounding 15 more, Samri said.

The attack was one of the deadliest amidst a more than yearlong wave of violence. Last June, two gunmen killed four persons at a trendy recreation compound in Tel Aviv.

An ongoing wave of violence in the West Bank and Israel has claimed the lives of at least 235 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since September 2015.

Israeli leaders accuse the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest, while the Palestinians say it is the result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to more than five million Palestinians, where they wish to establish their state.
File photo taken on July 21, 2016 shows Donald Trump taking the stage on the last day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States. Former real estate tycoon Donald Trump has been elected the 45th president of the United States after a neck-and-neck race with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Republican leader in the U.S. Senate said on Sunday U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's hope to improve relations with Russia would be "dashed" quickly.

"My suspicion is these hopes will be dashed pretty quickly," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in an interview with CBS.

"The Russians are clearly a big adversary, and they demonstrated it by trying to mess around in our election," he added.

On Saturday, Trump tweeted that "Only 'stupid' people, or fools" do not want a good relationship with Russia.

"When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!" he tweeted.

McConnell on Sunday played down Trump's intention to improve relations with Russia, arguing that former President George W. Bush also had the same hope at the outset of presidency.

"I don't think it is all that unusual for a new president to want to get along with the Russians," said McConnell.

The U.S. intelligence released a report on Friday, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering "an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election" in order to "undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process."

Trump had repeatedly refused to accept the findings that Russia has intervened in the 2016 presidential election. The Russian government has also denied the accusations.
This combination of pictures created on December 30, 2016 shows a file photo taken on December 28, 2016 of US President-elect Donald Trump (L) in Palm Beach, Florida; and a file photo taken on December 23, 2016, of Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking in Moscow. (AFP PHOTO / DON EMMERT AND Natalia KOLESNIKOVA)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Republican leader in the U.S. Senate said on Sunday U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's hope to improve relations with Russia would be "dashed" quickly.

"My suspicion is these hopes will be dashed pretty quickly," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in an interview with CBS.

"The Russians are clearly a big adversary, and they demonstrated it by trying to mess around in our election," he added.

On Saturday, Trump tweeted that "Only 'stupid' people, or fools" do not want a good relationship with Russia.

"When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!" he tweeted.

McConnell on Sunday played down Trump's intention to improve relations with Russia, arguing that former President George W. Bush also had the same hope at the outset of presidency.

"I don't think it is all that unusual for a new president to want to get along with the Russians," said McConnell.

The U.S. intelligence released a report on Friday, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering "an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election" in order to "undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process."

Trump had repeatedly refused to accept the findings that Russia has intervened in the 2016 presidential election. The Russian government has also denied the accusations.
People feed black-headed gulls at the Dianchi Lake in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 7, 2017. Thousands of black-headed gulls living here have attracted residents and tourists to visit. (Xinhua/Yang Zongyou)
Folk artist Kan Zongqin makes rooster-shaped dough modellings in Zaozhuang, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 8, 2017. Kan made a total of 100 rooster-shaped dough figurines to greet the upcoming Chinese lunar new year of Rooster which falls on Jan. 28 this year. (Xinhua/Sun Zhongzhe)
Panday: Social media has tried accused child killer

Panday said social media had already tried his client and felt that as a result of such pre-trial publicity, the mother of two will get a raw deal in prison. Speaking to Sunday Newsday yesterday Panday said: They hurled ugly insults at her and called her all kinds of names as she left the court yesterday (Friday).

She has been tried already on social media. He continued: My duty is to her, to represent her to the best of my ability and whether an accused child murderer, as they are calling her, or white collar criminal, it is the same effort I will put in the matter.. I have been working with her for the past two weeks and in these circumstances, I feel when one balances the adverse effect of pre-trial publicity, my feeling is that we can withstand that and go for a trial as soon as possible. It is our hope that the Director of Public Prosecutions proceeds by way of paper committal that we can have the matter in the assizes as soon as possible. Panday said he advised and expected that McCleans relatives would have visited her yesterday at the Womens Prison, Golden Grove Arouca.

I know they will attempt to see her today (yesterday) and I am awaiting a report from them.

They will keep me updated, he told Sunday Newsday.

On Friday, the court heard that on November 24, at Corosal Road, Whiteland Gasparillo, McLean did murder Jenice, a student of the Whiteland Early Childhood Learning Centre. She was not called upon to plead as the charge is a capital offence.

Before her subsequent arrest, investigators had been looking for her. McLeans photograph was posted on TV6s crime programme Beyond the Tape on the list of Wanted persons and also circulated on social media.

An autopsy on Jenice revealed that death was due to blunt force trauma and was ruled a homicide.

She had sustained injuries to her head and stomach and was rushed to the San Fernando General Hospital where she later died.

While being escorted to court on Friday, McLean was jeered at by a large crowd gathered outside the courthouse and she suffered the same fate when her matter was adjourned and she was being returned to the prisoners holding bay. The angry mob did not spare her with their insults. She will re-appear before a magistrate on February 23.
Peace advocate on gun charge

The imam who heads the Enterprise Mosque in the troubled Enterprise community was remanded in custody on Friday for tracing following his appearance before Magistrate Margaret Alert in the Chaguanas Magistrates Court. Lynch was jointly charged with Andy Doolamsingh, 25, a security guard of Charlieville for possession of a 9 mm pistol and ten rounds of 9 mm ammunition.

Both men were arrested on Tuesday after police officers stopped and searched the vehicle in which they were seated and discovered the loaded pistol.

Both men were represented in court by attorney Shiva Boodoo.

In July 2015, one of Lynchs son Akmal, 22, a security guard was shot and killed while on duty at a construction site in Chaguanas.

Another son Aquiy, 27, who was also on duty was seriously wounded in the attack.

And last year May, Ryan Daewoo Hercules, 39, who provided personal protection for Lynch, and also protected the Enterprise Mosque, was shot and killed at Crown Trace, Enterprise.

Hercules had only moved into the area three months to work as security for Lynch when he met his death.

Lynch has been an advocate for peace in the warring Enterprise community.
Womans home fire-bombed

Residents say the fire-bombing was part of the ongoing turf war in the area.

Marissa Tobas told reporters she was on her way to a christening when she got a call that her home was on fire.

When she returned home she saw her mother trying to flee the burning structure.

Tobas said her mother sustained first degree burns on her back, fingers and feet and was taken to the Port-of- Spain General Hospital for treatment.

I am thanking God to move out of here because I have been begging HDC for a home for the longest while to get out of this. In here not nice. When you coming in the night, its like a scary movie, she said.

Tobas said the war has been on going for four years.

I believe this war aint done, this war now start. I not in the war. I does barely speak to people. Good morning, good evening and good bye because I dont want them to say I siding with the wrong clip.

My children dont even want to come up here, she said.

Police are continuing their investigations.
Artists join forces to make an impact

It is a collective of creative persons, artists in the artistic spheres of music, spoken word, poetry, visual arts, and photography.

I wanted to create a unifying group of all the arts because they are connected, therefore it made sense to connect them, said Mark-Anthony Pierre, co-founder of Indigo Revolt.

The 20-year-old musician, composer, and producer conceptualised the collective in 2015 during the last year of his Bachelors degree in Music at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).

He told Sunday Newsday the idea came about while he was involved in a few dramatic productions at UTT. It made him realise how the lights, music, acting, backdrop design, other artistic aspects needed to be connected.

It helped me to see how everything exists alongside each other, how if a single facet was missing, although you could still have the performance, it would be lacking. Also, being constantly surrounded by persons of various disciplines at UTT, I saw how we needed each other and I wanted to create a space for everyone to work together, he said.

It also occurred to Pierre that musicians have access to other musicians, photographers to other photographers, painters to painters, and so on, but he wanted artists of different fields to have access to each other.

As a member of the local band Undivided, whose music was inspired by the alternative rap genre, Pierre went to his closest friends and bandmates about his idea.

And so Ren? Aleong, Mikhail Alexander, Rakeem Moses and Pierre eventually developed and worked out the collectives operations, goals, logistics, and planned the initial releases in order to introduce the collective.

They recruited another friend and spoken word artist, D?ja Thomas, to help consolidate their schedules and work out the details to make it happen and began releasing new projects in December 2016.

So far, the members of Indigo Revolt include the members of Undivided - Pierre, Aleong, Thomas, Alexander, Moses, Emelia Aleung, and Aaron Smith - as well as photographer Matthew Creese, and spoken word artist, Alexandra Stewart.

In December, Indigo Revolt released four major projects - a mixed tape by Moses, a rapper; an e-book of poetry by Thomas; an EP from Undivided; and an orchestral album of cinematic music by Pierre.

Pierre produced all the music and helped design the e-book, while the photographer provided the cover art for Undivideds EP.

Since those releases, other young artists have been expressing interest in the idea, contacted them to find out more and join.

He hopes to expand the forms of art provided by the collective, including film, painting, graphic de design and more. It saves everyone a lot of time and will eliminate a lot of run around if you have people operating under one roof, when you need people for your projects, said Pierre.

He stressed that being part of the collective did not mean that its members had to be involved in each others projects, nor would it stop its members from freelancing. Instead, he said, it was a way to create opportunities for each other.

When the name and respect of any brand builds, being associated with the brand is a form of advertisement.

When Indigo Revolt constantly puts out high quality projects, the collective would become known for such, and clients would know that any artist associated with it would also be of a high calibre, said Pierre.

Individuals interested in learning more about Indigo Revolt can check their Facebook page or visit www.indigorevolt.net.
Missing girl calls home

She telephoned her mother, Diana Saroop on Friday evening but is resisting calls to return home.

According to the mother, this is the third time that the girl has left the house for days without making contact. Where she is on this occasion continues to elude both her mother and the police who issued a release on Friday seeking the assistance of the public in locating her. The police release said that Mariah was last seen at Salvia Lane in Pleasantville.

She needs discipline, the mother told Sunday Newsday after revealing that she received the phone call from Mariah just after seven oclock the evening before.

The conversation between mother and daughter was short-lived, however, Mariah accusing her mother of seeking to embarrass her by going on television to talk about her. The teenager ended the conversation abruptly while her mother was urging her to return home.

This is the third time she left home for days and never contacted us, Saroop said, suggesting also that her daughter, a student of the Pleasantville Secondary School, is following bad company.

I do not know what they do to make money and I am very concerned about this child, she said, adding that she does not want the police to catch Mariah doing wrong things with her friends. She related an incident over someone elses mobile phone involving Mariah that she had to pay for.

Mariah is the younger of two daughters, according to Saroop.

The elder child works, and has been a straight-forward individual.

In the mothers view, her younger daughter is following the lead of a friend who lives in Salvia Lane, Pleasantville. On two prior occasions, I had to go to that home and practically begged my daughter to return home and she refused, Saroop said.

Saroop said she is a construction worker but at this time she was at home babysitting her sisters four children.

I am diabetic and cannot work so I depend on financial assistance from my mother and my sister for survival, she said. She added that while it is a struggle to provide for her younger daughter, she makes sure that Mariah has everything for school.

I keep warning her that she must get an education and to stop following bad company but she never listens to me, Saroop said.

The childs father who lives in Mayaro and who has been separated from Saroop for some time journeyed to San Fernando yesterday in an effort to speak to Mariah.

The TT Police Service Public Affairs Unit accompanied Saroop to Pleasantville in search of Mariah on January 3, but they could not locate her. When contacted the Mon Repos Police said Saroop did not communicate the information regarding the phone call she received from Mariah on Friday evening to them. They continue to patrol the San Fernando area in search of the teenager.

Earlier yesterday, the TTPS released a new photograph of Mariah as the one sent out the day before was not of her. The Public Affairs Unit said two photographs were given to the police but only one pertained to the missing girl which is the latest released image. No identity was given for the girl in the first issued photograph.
OWTU sets up 14 strike camps

The camps have been set up at Penal/Barrackpore (two), Santa Flora (two), Forest Reserve (two), Trinmar (four), and Point-a-Pierre refinery (four).

The action comes in the wake of hardened positions by both sides in the impasse: Petrotrin, through its president, Fitzroy Harewood, indicating that the company was not prepared to increase its zero-zero- zero offer to the workers for the period 2011-2014, and 2014-2017, and the union adamant that its workers will go on strike today if there was no movement.

The union also revealed that it was receiving support for their struggle from international affiliates including he Trade Union Congress of the United Kingdom and the World Federation of Trade Unions (UKTUC).

The UKTUC, representing some 5.8 million members including many in the off-shore oil and gas industry, points out that the sixyear pay freeze that Petrotrin members are facing is unacceptable and unfair. They agree that the financial difficulties faced by Petrotrin are the fault of the management rather than the workforce and oil workers should not be made to pay the price for that crisis.

The UKTUC letter to the OWTU states further that it has long-standing links with the trade union movement in TT and in particular the OWTU. The UKTUC wished the OWTU success in its struggle for justice. The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) representing 92 million workers in 126 countries worldwide expresses its class solidarity with the workers of Petrotrin, who have decided to go on a strike, defending their right to a wage increase.

WFTU reiterates what the OWTU representatives have pointed out, saying for the past six years, Petrotrin had offered zerozero- zero, denying workers any wage adjustments. The body noted that after 19 hours of negotiations, the employers side didnt show any spirit of compromise.

The Federation added that Petrotrin workers risk life and limb, working in varying dangerous conditions, to guarantee a reliable supply of fuel to the travelling public. The Trinidad and Tobago people know better than anyone that the countrys economy is based on products made possible by the tireless efforts of these workers, the global workers organisation pointed out, calling upon the workers and the simple people of the country to stand by the Petrotrin workers, ignoring the employers appeals to not struggle, pointing out also that wealth belongs to those who produce it.

Another international workers movement, the Industrial Global Union, also wrote to the OWTU expressing solidarity.

The OWTU and Petrotrin will meet today with the Minister of Labour and the Industrial Court in a final bid to avert a strike by oil workers threatened for tomorrow.

In an earlier report the OWTU said it was prepared to call off the strike if Petrotrin made an offer of ten percent for the period 2011- 2014 when the two sides meet at the Industrial Court. The company and the union are negotiating for two periods, 2011-2014 and 2014-2017. The unions president Ancel Roget said Fridays meeting at the Industrial Court was geared at settling matters before any strike actions take place.

However, there was no new offer made and the two sides must meet again today.

Roget said the court should consider settlement at ten percent and if the company offers this amount for the period 2011-2014, then the union will consider that offer and will be prepared to call the strike off. Roget outlined that since the 2014-2017 period is before Minister of Labour Jennifer Baptiste-Primus and is the period for which the union has served strike notice.

Roget emphasized there was no progress at the meeting with the Ministry of Labour, despite the presence of Harewood.

Roget said that at the meeting the Labour Minister advised the company to consider the unions proposal for settlement of the 2011-2014 period and return to the ministry for another meeting which will take place today.

Roget has said in a settlement for 2014-2017 they will not demand any backpay at this moment. He agrees that the retroactive pay, and backpay, can be paid over a prolonged period of time based on a deferred payment option and plan.

OWTU strike camps:

Penal/Barrackpore - 2:

1. Across the street from the

Main entrance to the

compound.

2. A shed outside the Tank Farm.

Santa Flora - 2:

1. Outside the Main Gate to the

Main Office.

2. Drilling and work over Gate

(Industrial Compound).

Forest Reserve - 2:

1. Forest Reserve East Gate.

2. Point Central.

Trinmar - 4:

1. Main Entrance Car Park.

2. Terminal Entrance.

3. Tank Farm Facility.

4. Main Office Gate.

Pointe-a-Pierre Refinery- 4:

1. Pointe-a-Pierre Roundabout.

2. Avenue Entrance.

3. Gasparillo Gate Entrance.

4. Administration Building

Entrance
Yoruba worshippers celebrate Obatala

This year the festival took place yesterday and today on Alberto Street in Woodbrook.

Phillipa Doyle, aka Iretiola Olaosebikan, one of the organisers of the festival and wife of Orisagbemi, explained that the festival was one way to pay homage to the Yoruba deity Obatala.

Some of the stories about Obalata said he was responsible for the creation of humans, that he sparks creativity in humans, is about high ethical and moral values, and favourite colour is white.

She told Sunday Newsday her husband was initiated as a divine messenger in Ileife, Nigeria in 1994.

There, he received the mandate to hold the festival in the Western Hemisphere to which he began celebrating it in Trinidad and Tobago at the same time the festival is celebrated in Nigeria.

Olaosebikan stated that the message of Obatala was about being creative, peaceful, finding harmony, a more positive approach to life, and not being distracted by material things or other things that could take away from being your best self.

This years festival included a service and procession at Ita Oosa, 51 Alberto Street, Woodbrook yesterday, as well as a craft market and family day at Siegert Square, inclusive of a bouncy castle, drummers, a farmers market, various jewellery and fashion displays.

Every year we try to incorporate different things.

One year we had a womens day focussing on womens health.

We would also like to start a library with books you may not find in the library  more ethnic in nature  and a work/study centre that would be open to children where they can get homework assistance, said Olaosebikan.

In addition, three to five young persons were usually presented with a $1,000 donation to assist with their secondary schooling.

This year, the recipients include three young women from the Carib community this year, and two from the Orisha community.
Sour note in pan affairs

There is need for change.

There is need for policies to deal with day to day office matters, he told Sunday Newsday.

Arrindell, who has served on the Keith Diaz-led executive for the past two years, claimed there was no set policy within the organisation to address expenditure.

When is it okay for the president to say, go ahead with this or that in terms of spending money and when it is not okay.

Is it over the $5,000 line, over the $1,000 line, when would we need to get board consent.

There is nothing to show that, he claimed, adding that there also nothing in place to scrutinise the award of contracts.

Speaking in the midst of the raging stand-off between Pan Trinbago and the newly-formed United Players Movement, led by All Stars pannist Dane Gulston, Arrindell stressed the leadership of Pan Trinbago must step down if the organisation were to progress.

At this point in time, given all I have been seeing in the newspapers, the Government has lost confidence in the present executive and then the membership is also asking everyone to step down. So, I think the honourable thing to do is for everyone to step down and allow the organisation to breathe, he said.

I think that people staying there is just stifling the organisation and we would not be able to go anywhere because we need assistance from the government.

And if we not getting the Government to negotiate with the executive, it not making any sense being there. Give somebody else a chance to try and unite everybody and have a united front. A meeting has since been organised by Pan Trinbago for Tuesday at City Hall, Port-of- Spain, to discuss plans for Panorama 2017. A report is also expected to be delivered to its membership at the meeting.

Saying he did not want to speak too much about Pan Trinbagos internal workings, Arrindell claimed that a lot of things have been going on behind the scenes. However, he blamed disrespect on the part of the executive for his decision to abruptly sever ties with the organisation.

Arrindell told Sunday Newsday, he had attended a meeting of the disgruntled pan men at All Stars panyard early last week to discuss the non-payment of monies owed to players among other issues.

Arrindell said he lent solidarity to the group and encouraged other executive members to follow suit because we need to be empathetic. He claimed Diaz subsequently took issue with his decision to lend an ear to the Gulston-led group of players and exhibited a hostile manner to him.

Diaz, he claimed, also stopped answering his cellphone calls and left him out of an executive meeting at the organisations headquarters.

I have been getting reports from people that the president no longer wants to have anything to do with me, Arrindell claimed.

Arrindell said he could not tolerate that level of disrespect and felt he needed to resign.

He said the players needed to be paid for their services.

But part of the problem is that the pan man has no voice, no union and there appears to be a line between the executive and membership, said Arrindell.

Gulston, meanwhile, reiterated his call for the executive to go. He said a fresh election should be called within the next three months.

Pan Trinbago executives serve a period of three years. The last election was held in October 2015. (See page 17)
Diaz doing well after surgery

He is doing good, the source told Sunday Newsday.

He said Diazs surgery was successful so much so that he was now being allowed to accept visits from family members.

Before, he could not see any visitors, the source said, adding that he could not provide further details.

The Pan Trinbago head is currently receiving treatment at the St Clair Medical Centre, Port-of-Spain.

Diaz underwent an angioplasty procedure at a medical facility after suffering a heart attack on Thursday. He reportedly experienced the heart attack during a meeting with officials of the National Carnival Commission.

Diazs bout with illness came amidst mounting calls for his removal as Pan Trinbago president after allegations of corruption were levelled recently against him and members of the executive in relation to the non-payment of monies owed to players for Panorama competitions in 2016.

A meeting to address these concerns has been planned for Tuesday at City Hall, P
A tomb in Surrey for Jit

The tomb, comprising immaculately white tiles and an ornate railing, was unveiled during a simple private ceremony in the Surrey Village cemetery to commemorate the first anniversary of Samaroos death, his wife Balmatie told Sunday Newsday.

The corporation always said they wanted to do it and they felt that it was appropriate to unveil it on the anniversary of his death, she said.

Samaroo, 65, lost an almost decade long battle with Alzheimers Disease at his home in Mausica, DAbadie, on January 7, 2016.

The prolific pan arranger, long hailed as a musical icon, had led the east Port-of- Spain band, BP Renegades, to nine National Panorama titles and was bestowed with the Humming Bird Medal of Merit (Silver) in 1987 as well as the Chaconia Medal (Silver) in 1995 and an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies in 2003 for his contribution to culture and the steelband movement .

Samaroo was also associated with Arima Angel Harps, Deltones and Sangre Grande Cordettes .

Balmatie said she felt some apprehension ahead of the unveiling.

I was feeling worse than I did at his funeral but now I am a little better, she said.

Balmatie said before the event, members of Samaroos family, including his four children, participated in a quiet, religious service at his home.

Samaroos son, Amrit, has followed in his fathers footsteps as the arranger for champion band Super Novas.

Balmatie described her late husband was a nice and loving person.

The truest happiness was his music and passion for the steel pan. With much move, he created music that will live on in our hearts, she said.
Airlines to meet DGCA on panel to check on-time data claims

Delhi,Business/Economy, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) Several domestic airlines on Sunday confirmed that they will approach the aviation regulator to voice their concern over the committee recently constituted by it to look into on-time performance (OTP) parameters.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has set up a committee, headed by Director General B.S. Bhullar, to probe possible discrepancies in on-time data performance of airlines. The committee will submit the corrected data by the end of February.

According to industry sources, senior officials of SpiceJet and Jet Airways will meet the DGCA chief on Tuesday to voice their concern.

Both SpiceJet and Jet Airways have been recording the best OTPs.

--IANS

rv-bc/dg
Security forces escort over 500 loaded trucks into Manipur

Manipur,National,Politics,Defence/Security,Business/Economy, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

Imphal Jan 8 (IANS) More than 500 loaded trucks and oil tankers were on Sunday escorted into Manipur capital Imphal from Assam by state and central paramilitary forces, beating a Naga-imposed blockade.

The 511 trucks loaded with fuel and other consumer items, building materials and medicines were escorted over 220-km throughout the mountainous National Highway-37 from Silchar district in Assam to Imphal.

Officials said that 531 more loaded trucks and oil tankers will be escorted similarly in the next trip.

A report aid supporters of Naga blockade in Manipur torched a truck loaded with rice bags near Kotland along the national highway on Sunday morning, but no arrest was made.

The United Naga Council imposed the indefinite economic blockade of the state on November 1 last year to protest the Manipur government's plan to create two new districts in the state.

The UNC claimed several "lands of the Nagas" -- where they have been traditionally the inhabitants -- would be usurped by the new districts.

Meanwhile, prices of consumer and other items have increased considerably, with traders maintaining that transporters are demanding extra fares since supply vehicles remain stranded for days at Jiribam district headquarters while waiting for armed escorts.

The Manipur government had requested the Centre to intervene and facilitate tripartite talks to end the blockade, but there is no response as yet from New Delhi.

--IANS

il/tsb/vt
Government not muddled over Brexit: UK PM May

United Kingdom,Politics, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

London, Jan 8 (IANS) British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday asserted that her government's thoughts on Brexit were "not muddled at all".

Her comments came in the wake of UK's former ambassador to the European Union (EU) Ivan Rogers criticising Ministers' approach to negotiations, the BBC reported.

May said the government's priority was to get the "best possible deal" and that she would set out more details on her aims "in the coming weeks".

Brexit talks with the EU are expected to begin as early as April.

Ivan stepped down from his ambassador role on January 3, criticising "muddled thinking" among Ministers. He has been replaced by Tim Barrow, UK's former ambassador to Russia.

May said: "Anybody who looks at this question of free movement and trade as a sort of zero-sum game is approaching it in the wrong way.

"I'm ambitious for what we can get for the UK in terms of our relationship with the European Union because I also think that's going to be good for the European Union.

"Our thinking on this isn't muddled at all," she added.

In the June 23 referendum, voters opted by 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent in favour of Britain exiting the EU, the BBC noted.

"We are leaving. We are coming out. We are not going to be a member of the EU any longer," the Prime Minister said.

"So the question is what is the right relationship for the UK to have with the EU when we are outside."

--IANS

ksk/dg
Mulayam claims he is boss, Akhilesh only CM

Delhi,National,Politics, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday said he remains the party President and Akhilesh Yadav was only the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

"I am the National President of SP and Akhilesh is the Chief Minister of UP," Mulayam Singh told the media here.

He added that the decision taken by Akhilesh supporters to replace him by the Chief Minister as the party chief was null and void.

Akhilesh Yadav continued to be the Chief Minister, he added, in a matter-of-fact statement that he did not recognize his son as the party boss that he (Akhilesh) claims to be.

Mulayam Singh also said Ram Gopal Yadav had been expelled from the Samajwadi Party and hence he had no right to call the national convention where Akhilesh Yadav replaced him (Mulayam) as the party chief.

On January 1, the Akhilesh faction dislodged Mulayam Singh as the party President and designated the former Chief Minister and ex-Defence Minister as the "marg darshak" (mentor).

Since then, both factions of the Samajwadi Party have approached the Election Commission to claim the election symbol "cycle" ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Ram Gopal Yadav, a Rajya Sabha member, has emerged as a key strategist for Akhilesh Yadav in what has turned an initial family squabble into a full-fledged political battle in Uttar Praesh.

--IANS

ao/mr/vd
Left Front to go alone in poll-bound states: CPI-M

Kerala,National,Politics, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 8 (IANS) The high-level party meeting of the CPI-M held here has decided to fight the upcoming assembly polls in five states under the banner of the Left Front only, party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Sunday.

Addressing reporters here after the four-day-long meetings, he said that the Communist Party of India-Marxist has decided to get in touch with all the other Left partners and will fight the polls on its own.

"Our objective is to fight the communal forces in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere. To join the Congress and fight the polls in UP is tough because to find the Congress in UP one has to use a magnifying glass," said Yechury.

With regards to fighting the polls in Punjab along with the Aam Aadmi Party, he said that they did have some arrangements in Delhi.

"AAP has to come clear on two issues- what's their view on the new economic policy and on the fight against communal forces. Anyway in Punjab, at the appropriate time, things will be made clear," said Yechury.

Elections in five states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur - are scheduled to be held in February-March.

--IANS

sg/vd
Man kills father, sets gas cylinder afire injuring 11 policemen

Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) A man here on Sunday stabbed his father to death, attacked his mother and set afire the kitchen gas cylinder which exploded leaving injured 13 people, including 11 police personnel who had reached the spot.

The incident occurred at Madhu Vihar locality in east Delhi in the afternoon where Rahul Mata, in his 30s, killed his father R.P. Mata, a retired financial sector employee, by stabbing him several times with a knife, police said.

Rahul then attacked his mother, Renu Mata, with the same knife when she tried to save her husband.

He also threatened neighbours and security guards of the housing society when they reached his flat, hearing the commotion.

Responding to a call made at around 2.30 p.m., a police team reached the fourth floor residence in Ajanta Apartments after which Rahul locked himself up in the kitchen and set the cooking gas cylinder on fire.

The cylinder exploded injuring 11 policemen, Rahul and his neighbour.

"As soon as the police team reached his flat, Rahul locked himself in the kitchen and opened the cylinder's knob to release the gas. He set the cylinder on fire when the police team tried to break open the door," Deputy Commissioner of Police Omvir Singh told IANS.

"Despite their injuries, my officers acted bravely and overpowered him. Had they (the policemen) not caught him, he would have killed other persons," the official said.

--IANS

rak/gsh/dg
Bookworms throng World Book Fair, children's book sees demand

Delhi,National,Art/Culture/Books, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) From Jeff Kinneys Wimpy Kid series to Amar Chitra Katha, the second day of the ongoing World Book Fair saw huge demand for childrens' books from tiny book-worms who thronged the venue in large numbers.

With weather remaining pleasant and not playing a spoilsport like Saturday, the book fair witnessed a large number turning up at the Pragati Maidan. As hours passed by, the crowd which was in a week-end mood kept coming in large numbers.

This year, many of the stalls have focused on children's book giving the kid visitors a reason to rejoice. Accompanied by their parents, the children crowded from one stall to the another looking out for their favourite books.

"I come to book fair every year. Though I have my board exams but spending few hours at book store is worth. It gives readers to pore over variety of books which one cannot find online," Gauri Bharadwaj, a student of Seth Anand Ram Jaipuria School who purchased Devdutt Pattanaik's "Devlok", told IANS.

Aatharv Srivastava, a class 1 student in Viswa Bharti School, was holding a copy of "My First Book of Dough Modelling" as he happily roamed around the stalls saying he is looking for more books on art and crafts and painting books.

Jeff Kinney's book Wimpy Kid series seemed to be the latest favourite among the children while "Game of Thrones" too remained popular. Some classic book series written by author Enid Blyton, John Grisham, Geronimo Stilton still found place in almost all the book stores.

J.K. Rowling's magical creation Harry Potter series is always preferred by all the kids.

"The variety of books that is available here gives children the scope to know a lot and also encourages reading habit. In an era where almost all the kids are more into digital world, book fairs are the only scope to get them physically attached with books. Kids come and they see others of their age reading books or buying some and they are equally motivated to purchase books," Shobit Aggarwal, a resident of East Delhi told IANS.

Aggarwal was here for the first time, accompanied by his son Aanjaney, a class 6 student from Amity School who got a Wimpy Kid book for self.

Hindi fable tales like Amar Chitra Katha, Vikram-Betal, comic series like Chacha Chaudhary, books on Akbar-Birbal also found places in the shelves of book stores.

"We tried to revive the popularity of these age old books through some discounts like buy one and get one free and in just two days we have seen huge sale of the books," said Praveen Bhandari from Partap Publisher and Distributor stall.

Even the international stalls from countries like France, Germany, Spain have focused on the children's book.

Children's Pavillion is another attraction at this year's book fair where a host of activities like drawing competitions, storytelling sessions, skits, author meetings and discussions are being organised. The Pavilion also showcases some of the best of recent publications for children from across the country.

Nearly 800 publishers from across the country and abroad are participated in the Fair, which goes on till January 15.

--IANS

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Man kills father, sets gas cylinder afire; injures 11 policemen

Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) A Delhi resident on Sunday stabbed his father to death, attacked his mother and set afire a gas cylinder, which exploded injuring 13 people, including 11 police personnel who reached the spot.

Of the injured policemen, four Sub-Inspectors -- identified as Nishant, Sanjay, Ansul and Manish -- suffered over 40 per cent burns.

Rahul Mata, in his 30s, fatally stabbed his father R.P. Mata, a retired financial sector employee, at Madhu Vihar locality in east Delhi in the afternoon, police said.

Rahul then attacked his mother Renu Mata with the same knife when she tried to save her husband.

He also threatened neighbours and security guards of the housing society when they reached his flat after hearing the commotion.

Responding to a call made at around 2.30 p.m., a police team reached the fourth floor residence in Ajanta Apartments after which Rahul locked himself in the kitchen and set the cooking gas cylinder on fire.

The cylinder exploded, injuring 11 policemen, Rahul and his neighbour.

"As soon as the police team reached his flat, Rahul locked himself in the kitchen, released the gas from the cylinder and set it afire when police tried to break open the door," Deputy Commissioner of Police Omvir Singh told IANS.

"Despite their injuries, my officers overpowered him. Had they (the policemen) not caught him, he would have killed other persons," the official said.

The official said Nishant's condition is critical while others are out of danger.

Fire officials said eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot and doused the flames within half an hour.

"Other flats were also affected due to the fire," a fire official said.

A police officer told IANS that accused Rahul fought with his father as the latter had disowned him from his property.

"Daily quarrels between the father and the son were in the knowledge of neighbours. Recently, we registered a case under Sections 107 (abetment to wrongdoing) and 150 (hiring of persons to join unlawful assembly) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) against Rahul on his father's complaint," the official said.

--IANS

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Akali leader joins Congress in Punjab

Delhi,National,Politics, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) A Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Ranjit Singh Nikra on Sunday joined the Congress in Punjab ahead of the February 4 elections to the 117-member assembly.

Nikra, a national political advisor in the Akali Dal and Director of Punjab Agro Food Grain Corporation, has been appointed as Chairman of the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Congress's state unit.

Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh welcomed Nikra, who hails from Patiala, to the party fold, saying this was "another shot in the arm for the Congress and a sign of the total collapse of SAD".

--IANS

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Goa casinos cheating government of Rs 4,000 cr tax revenues: Kejriwal

Goa,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

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Panaji, Jan 8 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that Goa's casinos are cheating the state government of Rs 4,000 crore in tax revenues every year, while also alleging that the Congress, BJP as well as Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar are in cahoots with the casino lobby in tourism-oriented states.

"The actual tax collection from the casino industry in Goa should be Rs 4,000 crore. How much does the Goa government get in from the casinos? Rs 200 crore. If government ministers and officers are cheating the government treasury of Rs 4,000 crore, can you imagine how much money they are pocketing," the Aam Aadmi Party convenor said at a public meeting in Mapusa town, located about 10 kms north of the state capital.

"Last time, in 2012, Parrikar had said when the BJP comes to power, all casinos will be done away with. Why did he forget this when he came to power? He must have got a share of the casino revenue spoils. How much money did the BJP get, how much money did the Congress and officials get from the casino industry," he asked.

Goa has five operational offshore casinos parked in the Mandovi river off Panaji and nine onshore casinos housed in the many resorts in the state's coastal areas.

Kejriwal also said that women were being exploited in the state's casinos and promised to ban the industry, once AAP comes to power in the state.

"Women are raped, women are exploited, prostitution, gambling and every kind of crime occurs in these casinos. Goans are tired of casinos. BJP cheated Goans because it is corrupt, Congress is also corrupt. Only an honest party can stop casinos," he said, adding that the AAP does not accept funds from the casino lobby.

--IANS

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Sent from Gmail Mobile

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Demonetisation: Banks asked to obtain PAN from account holders

Delhi,National,Business/Economy, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) As part of the drive to unearth black money, the government has asked banks to obtain the permanent account number (PAN) or Form 60 if PAN is not available, from all bank account holders by February 28, 2017, an official statement said on Sunday.

"Income Tax Rules have been amended to provide that bank shall obtain and link PAN or Form No 60 (where PAN is not available) in all existing bank accounts, other than Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (BSBDA), by February 28, 2017, if not already done," a Finance Ministry statement here said.

The ministry advised persons with bank accounts who have not submitted PAN or Form No 60 to submit the same to the bank by February 28, 2017.

This rule, however, will not apply to the BSBDA, which are zero balance savings accounts, including the Jandhan accounts designed to promote financial inclusion, the statement said.

The Reserve Bank of India had, last month, mandated that no withdrawal shall be allowed from the accounts having substantial credit balance or deposits if PAN or Form 60 is not provided in respect of such accounts.

"It has also been provided under the new rules that person who is required to obtain PAN or Form No.60 shall record the PAN/Form No.60 in all the documents and quote the same in all the reports submitted to the Income Tax Department," the statement added.

The ministry also said that banks and post offices had been mandated to submit information in respect of cash deposits from April 1, 2016 to November 8, 2016 in accounts where the cash deposits during the period November 9, 2016 to December 30, 2016 exceeds the specified limits.

The move aims to analyse the banking transactions carried out in months before the demonetisation decision was announced on November 8. On that day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes were no longer legal tender. Citizens were given up to December 30 to deposit the demonetised currency in banks.

--IANS

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Adapt, improvise, and overcome.

It has been interesting political theater, watching president elect Donald Trump at work during the run-up to taking office. Is he a bull in the china shop, a fox in the hen house, or a creative opportunist trying to create negotiating space for innovation and transformation?

With the Department of Defense, he has taken shots at a Boeing development contract for preliminary designs on a preplacement for Air Force One. Just after stirring things up over Air Force One, he lit a match under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program at Lockheed Martin by asking Boeing to provide pricing for an updated F/A-18 as an alternative to the JSF.

Mr. Trump isnt just taking aim at defense. At various times he has threatened to eliminate entire federal cabinet level organizations, including both the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency. The New York Times published a nifty list of targets in Mr. Trumps sight picture.

Negotiators love to introduce uncertainty. Entrepreneurs try to leverage it. Mr. Trump is both and he is doing both in ways weve never seen in our Government before.

Logisticians make a living understanding, managing and eliminating uncertainty. From trade to borders to tariffs to defense to international trade agreements, Mr. Trump  the negotiator and the entrepreneur  is already bringing a truckload of uncertainty into our world. From his perspective, it is the right thing to do but it looks very different from where we sit.

Much like a logistician introducing disruptive technology, Mr. Trumps challenges to the status quo could be leveraged to advantage.

Its time to hedge our bets. Get nimble if youre not already. Re-establish parallel capability options in the United States, if you shipped it overseas. If you have remained firmly entrenched in the US, relying on exports to reach overseas markets, it might be time to think about connecting with some partners offshore and establishing a ground game.

It looks like were in for an interesting four years. Are you ready to improvise, adapt, and overcome?
Petrol pumps won't accept card payment from Monday: Dealers' association

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi/Kolkata Jan 8 (IANS) Petrol pumps across the nation will stop accepting credit and debit cards from Monday in protest against additional charge of upto 1 per cent on card transactions, the All India Petroleum Dealers Association (AIPDA) said on Sunday.

In a letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, AIPDA President Ajay Bansal wrote that the HDFC and other banks will start charging 1 per cent on all credit card transactions, and between 0.25 and 1 per cent on all debit card transactions from Monday.

"The same will be debited to petroleum dealers' account and net transaction value will be credited to our account... This will lead to financial loses for the dealers," Bansal wrote.

He said that the AIPDA has decided to stop accepting payment through credit and debit cards till the decision to levy these additional charges are reversed.

However, he added, if any bank is not charging additional MDR and corresponds the same to the association, the petrol pumps having Point of Sale (POS) devices of those banks will keep accepting cards.

AIPDA West Bengal unit's General Secretary Saradindu Pal told IANS: "If banks start levying fees, it will cause squeezing of dealers' margin."

AIPDA's decision comes at a time when the centre had directed state-run oil companies to offer a 0.75 percent discount on the price of petrol and diesel to consumers paying by cards or mobile wallets to encourage people towards digital payments.

"This discount amount was supposed to be reimbursed to the dealers, but is not being executed properly," Pal said. He said dealers have been working on a low margin and demanded raising the dealers' commission to 5 percent from the existing rate of 3 percent taking petrol and diesel together.

--IANS

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Need a parking policy for Delhi soon: L-G Baijal

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal on Sunday stressed the need to formulate a parking policy for the city at the earliest, an official said.

"The Parking Policy must be formulated at the earliest with active participation of all stakeholders like the municipal corporations of Delhi, Delhi Development Authority, Transport Department, Public Works Department and Delhi Police," the L-G said.

Baijal said this at a meeting with officers of various departments at the South MCD office after visiting various areas in Saket in south Delhi to conduct a reality check of cleanliness, according to a statement from his office.

The L-G was accompanied by SDMC Commissioner Puneet Goyal, DDA Vice Chairman Uday Pratap Singh and Special Commissioner of Police P. Kamaraj, among others.

Baijal also directed officials to ensure removal of solid waste from pavements and public spaces and ensure its proper disposal.

"The concerned agencies will ensure complete removal of solid waste from public spaces before releasing payment to the contractors of civil works. This should be a built-in condition of the contracts," he said, adding that in case the contractors do not remove it, it would be done at their risk and cost.

He also ordered PWD to beautify open spaces under the flyovers and directed concerned officials to "free up" parks from garbage and parked vehicles to provide proper public spaces to children in the city.

"Keeping the city and its public spaces clean and ensuring organised parking will be amongst my highest priorities," Baijal later tweeted.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia expressed appreciation for the Lt. Governor's involvement in Delhi's problems.

"Thanks sir! Your active involvement, even on Sunday, in Delhi's sanitation, law-order, governance would help Delhi to improve fast," Sisodia tweeted.

--IANS

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Mukherjee condoles death of former Portuguese President Soares

Delhi,National,Diplomacy, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday condoled the death of former Portuguese President Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares.

In a message to his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Mukherjee extended his "heartfelt condolences on behalf of the government and people of India", said a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique.

Mukherjee said that Soares will long be remembered as the founding father of democracy in Portugal and as a world figure, deeply appreciated for his contribution to human rights and world peace.

"We, in India, recall his central role in the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Portugal and India in 1974.

I would request you to please convey my deepest sympathies to the bereaved family of President Mario Soares and to the Government and people of Portugal at the loss of this respected leader," he added.

Soares died in Lisbon at the age of 92, it was announced on Sunday.

He was admitted to a hospital in Lisbon two weeks ago where he died on Saturday of respiratory complications, Xinhua news agency reported.

Prime Minister from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, he served as President from 1986 to 1996.

--IANS

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Change eating schedule to lose your weight

United States,Lifestyle/Fashion,Health/Medicine, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

New York, Jan 8 (IANS) Simply changing your eating schedule like taking the last meal of the day by the mid-afternoon can help burn fat and lose weight, suggests new research.

The study that tested early time-restricted feeding (eTRF) on humans found that this meal-timing strategy reduced swings in hunger and altered fat and carbohydrate burning patterns, which may help with losing weight.

With eTRF, people eat their last meal by the mid-afternoon and do not eat again until breakfast the next morning.

"Eating only during a much smaller window of time than people are typically used to may help with weight loss," said one of the researchers Courtney Peterson, Associate Professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham in the US.

The human body has an internal clock, and many aspects of metabolism are at their optimal functioning in the morning.

Therefore, eating in alignment with the body's circadian clock by eating earlier in the day may positively influence health.

Previous animal studies showed that early time-restricted feeding helped rodents burn more fat.

During the current study, Peterson and her colleagues followed a small group of men and women with excess weight over four days of eating between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., and four days of eating between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Researchers then tested the impact of the meal timing strategy on calories burned, fat burned and appetite.

Participants tried both eating schedules, ate the same number of calories both times and completed all testing under supervision.

Researchers found that, although eTRF did not affect how many total calories participants burned, it reduced daily hunger swings and increased fat burning during several hours at night.

It also improved metabolic flexibility, which is the body's ability to switch between burning carbohydrates and burning fats.

Whether early time-restricted feeding helps with long-term weight loss or improves other aspects of health is still unknown.

Because the study involved only a small number of participants, a larger, more comprehensive study will need to take place to confirm the finding, Peterson said.

The results were presented recently at the annual meeting of The Obesity Society held in New Orleans, Louisiana.

--IANS

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US official shot at in Mexico

Mexico,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

Mexico City, Jan 8 (IANS) A US consular official was shot at in Guadalajara, the capital of Mexican state of Jalisco, the Prosecutor-General's Office (PGR) of Mexico has said.

The PGR said in a statement on Saturday that its personnel was in constant contact with the US embassy and police investigators had taken "immediate actions" to find those responsible for the attack, which happened on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The report also said the official was in a "stable condition" at a hospital.

"The state and federal authorities are collaborating to carry out the relevant investigations and provide the needed protection to the official," said the PGR.

According to local media reports, a gunman dressed in hospital scrubs accosted the diplomat as he left a gymnasium in his car.

The aggressor then shot the official, whose identity has not been revealed, in the left side of the chest and fled, local newspaper Mural reported.

The US embassy in Mexico announced on Twitter that the FBI will provide a reward of $20,000 for any information leading to the capture of the gunman.

A video provided by the embassy showed the man draw the gun from his right trouser pocket and fire at the official who was driving a black car.

"Upon being informed of the facts, the PGR entered in contact with the victim and began immediate actions to catch those responsible for this tragic event," read the statement.

--IANS

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Japan to press S. Korea to remove sex slave statues

Japan,Politics, Sun, 08 Jan 2017 IANS

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Tokyo, Jan 8 (IANS) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has indicated he will urge South Korea to remove statues symbolising those referred to as "comfort women".

In an NHK TV programme on Sunday, Abe referred to the statue of a seated girl that was installed in front of the Japanese Consulate General in the South Korean port city of Busan last month.

He indicated he would call for its removal, along with another in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.

Abe said both governments have confirmed that a 2015 bilateral agreement resolved the "comfort women" -- women who were forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II -- issue finally and irreversibly.

He said Japan has been sincerely carrying out its obligations under the agreement and has contributed $8.5 million dollars, to a South Korean foundation supporting former comfort women.

Abe said South Korea needs to fulfil its own obligations. He said honouring the agreement is a matter of national credibility, even if the government changes.

--IANS

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images(FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.) -- They have become a common sight at many U.S. mass transit hubs since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 -- armed officers, such as National Guard members in camouflage and with weapons visible.



Now in the wake of Fridays mass shooting at a Fort Lauderdale airport that left five people dead and multiple others injured, a national security expert says a consistent, visible presence of armed officers is needed in public areas of the nations airports.



John Cohen, a former counterterrorism coordinator at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and an ABC News contributor, said the Transportation Security Administration, formed in the wake of 9/11, has been focused for the most part on preventing planes from getting hijacked and explosives from being taken onto flights.



These duties are critical, but the shooting in a baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and a shooting incident at Los Angeles International Airport in 2013 that left a TSA officer dead and others injured show the need for a broader approach, Cohen said.



"We need to finally think differently about aviation security," Cohen said. In the U.S. and around the world, "we're facing a growing number of mass casualty attacks from individuals who operate independently" of any organization, "and those people are difficult to detect and stop prior to an attack," he said.



A consistent presence of specially trained, armed officers in public areas of airports such as baggage claim areas and ticket counters could help in two ways, Cohen said.



"It could serve not only as a deterrent but also speed up response times should a situation arise such as the one that occurred in Fort Lauderdale," he said.



Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the Fort Lauderdale shooting was tied to terrorism. But they said Saturday that at this point it appears that suspected gunman Esteban Santiago was acting alone.



Cohen said there are challenges to changing security in the public areas of airports.



The TSA has primary responsibility for aviation security from a federal perspective, he said. But law enforcement and security in public areas of an airport -- the areas open to people who are not ticketed passengers and who have not passed through TSA checkpoints -- are traditionally the responsibility of the local airport authority and local police, Cohen said.



Federal transportation security officials have been hesitant to direct local authorities on how to operate the areas of airports not under the TSA's purview, but local agencies and airport authorities could take the lead on this, he said.



"Local airport authorities should make it a priority to have uniformed law enforcement officers patrolling these nonsecured areas. These officers should be trained to recognize the behaviors of an individual who may be planning or preparing to carry out an attack and should also be trained to respond to a mass casualty attacker or active shooter," he said.



"This is a normal thing for police departments to do," and officers in most local police agencies are already receiving active-shooter training for responding to incidents such as school shootings, he said.



In the Fort Lauderdale shooting, the assailant stopped only after running out of bullets, according to a witness who spoke to Good Morning America Saturday. Cohen said security needs to be in place at airports to stop active-shooter or other similar incidents.



Federal officials could also help by communicating or sharing their security standards with local airport authorities and considering making it mandatory that trained, armed officers patrol the areas of airports not overseen by the TSA, Cohen said.



"If the TSA is not already considering making its security standards mandatory for any public areas of an airport, it should do so," Cohen said.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
List Price 29.99

Temporarily out of stock. We are working hard to be back in stock. Place your order and well email you when we have an estimated delivery date. You wont be charged until the item ships.
Rafsanjani, during a meeting with the families of Iranian political prisoners in 2010. Photo: Mohammad Kazempour/AFP/Getty Images

Former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has died of a heart attack at the age of 82, according to Iranian state media. A wealthy founding member of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Shiite Muslim cleric was, for much of his life, one of the most powerful men in Iran, and though his power had waned in recent years, he had nonetheless become an influential voice for reform within Irans theocracy. His death thus represents a blow to Irans already-beleaguered moderates, and leaves current Iranian president Hassan Rouhani without a key ally ahead of this years presidential election. Like Rouhani, Rafsanjani was also an important supporter of rapprochement with the West, a still contentious issue inside Irans government that is sure to flare up because of this year election, as well as the likely more hawkish incoming policies of President-elect Donald Trump in the U.S.

Rafsanjani was a close aide and advisor to Irans first supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, as well as the top commander of the countrys armed forces during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. After helping end the war, he served as president from 1989 to 1997, a crucial and mostly productive period in the countrys post-revolution and post-war history. The pragmatic, opportunistic, and politically gifted Rafsanjani was also a power broker, and he was reportedly instrumental in selecting Khomeinis successor, Ayatollah Khamenei, as Irans second supreme leader  though, that backfired on Rafsanjani and the two allies later became rivals, diminishing Rafsanjanis power.

In 2005, Rafsanjani sought the presidency once again, but was defeated by the populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in part because Rafsanjani, at that point, was seen as one of the sources of Irans many problems, particularly corruption. Rafsanjani then redeemed himself in the eyes of many Iranians with his subsequent and prominent criticism of President Ahmadinejad, particularly following the disputed 2009 presidential election  at which point Rafsanjani supported the countrys Green Movement reformists, who suffered a brutal crackdown following mass protests against the election results. That public support made Rafsanjani both a target for the countrys conservatives as well as a key ally for the countrys more moderate reformists. He even called for the release of political prisoners and more political freedoms and progressive economic policies within the country.

Somewhere in Tehran my interrogators & other #IRGC minions are dancing tonight. They considered #rafsanjani their main rival & threat. #iran  Jason Rezaian (@jrezaian) January 8, 2017

Khamenei and his conservative supporters subsequently stripped Rafsanjani of even more of his influence, and two of his children were jailed. Denied another chance at running for president in 2013 by Irans mostly hardline Guardian Council, Rafsanjani threw his support behind the like-minded Rouhani, who ultimately won in part because of that support. That victory, and the moderate alliance that made it possible, set in motion a chain of events which led to the landmark nuclear peace deal that Iran signed with the U.S. and other Western powers in 2015. Though Rafsanjani was one of the key architects of Irans nuclear program, he was a staunch supporter of the 2015 peace deal, as well as greater overall political and economic engagement with the West and Irans Arab neighbors.

(Rouhanis above tweet, about Rafsanjanis death, reads: The soul of a giant man of revolution, politics, a symbol of patience and strength, has ascended to skies.)

Irans hardliners are not the only critics of Rafsanjani, however, as some Iranians believe he had used his power and influence to enrich himself and his family members (he died a multimillionaire). In addition, and more troubling, Rafsanjani has also been accused of being involved in, or responsible for, the deaths of many liberals and dissidents both in and outside of Iran before and during his presidency.

Iran's Rouhani is hoping to be reelected in May. Rafsanjani's absence could lead to more infighting between reformists and moderates.  Thomas Erdbrink (@ThomasErdbrink) January 8, 2017

At the time of his death, Rafsanjani was nowhere near as powerful as he once was, but he did head Irans Expediency Council, which acts as an intermediary between Irans parliament and the Guardian Council. In addition, he was a member of the Assembly of Experts, which is responsible for appointing the countrys next supreme leader. Since Ayatollah Khamenei is 77 years old and rumored to be in poor health, the Assembly of Experts may soon play a key role in shaping Irans future, and its likely that Irans moderates had hoped Rafsanjani would once again wield considerable influence in that process. As analyst Farzan Sabet pointed out on Twitter, Rafsanjanis death also represents an important generational shift away from the Iranian leaders who came of age fighting against the Shah before the revolution, to those who grew up during or after.

Two main figures of reform and moderation in #Iran by #Rafsanjanis coffin. Khatami and Zarif. pic.twitter.com/STw2GcQFtm  Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) January 8, 2017

How that shift plays out in Iranian politics remains to be seen, but in the meantime, its likely that Irans hard-liners will be able to take advantage of Rafsanjanis sudden absence, both in regards to the future leadership of Iran and in the ongoing efforts for rapprochement with the West and Arab world. In addition, as Borzou Daragahi notes at Buzzfeed, Rafsanjanis death means that Rouhani is no longer just the president, but the de facto leader of Irans moderates and reformists, which could mean heading toward a new generation of moderate leaders, or  should he lose this years election  an enormous setback for those political forces in the country. Lastly, the lack of a key moderate voice like Rafsanjanis may become particularly important should President-elect Trump and Republican lawmakers soon pursue a more antagonistic foreign policy toward Iran  like cancelling President Obamas nuclear deal and/or passing new or renewed sanctions  and thats a shift which most analysts agree would further empower the more conservative elements of the Iranian regime.
Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on Monday seeking to block one of two bills regarding abortions that were passed in Kentucky. The organization is going after one law that requires abortions providers conduct an ultrasound for a patient and make it a point to display and verbally describe the images to pregnant women. They are also required to try and detect a heartbeat, if possible, though women can ask the volume be turned down or off. Such a legal requirement violates privacy and 1st Amendment rights, the ACLU told the Los Angeles Times. The ACLU is also reviewing a second bill that was signed into law which bans abortions after 20 weeks.

The legal challenge comes immediately after Kentucky governor Matt Bevin, who is pro-life, signed the bills into law on Monday after a rare Saturday legislative meeting when the Kentucky House and Senate passed the two separate bills. The bills have an emergency clause, meaning they took effect immediately after the governor signed them into law.

The 20-week ban is based on the medically unproven idea that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks. Similar to other 20-week bans, such as that in Ohio, there are no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Roe v. Wade protects the right to an abortion before a fetus is fully viable outside the womb, which is at approximately 24 weeks.

Its been less than a week since all three branches of government were taken over by Republicans.

Update, Jan. 9, 2017 9:01 pm.: This post has been updated to reflect the ACLUs lawsuit concerning the ultrasound law. It was previously updated to reflect that the governor signed two abortion-related bills into law.


In January 2016, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IR) agreed to scale back its nuclear facilities in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. During the sanction years, it had dreamed of a stampede of international oil companies returning to Iran and injecting substantial investment of capital into the waning Iranian energy industry. The IR was therefore expecting a quick rejuvenation of its oil and gas industries and an economic bonanza following the end of international sanctions.

National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), The Countrys Economic Engine

It is a fact that Iranian oil output has been at a plateau for some time now, and production has been on the wane year after year. Dropping reservoir pressure and a continuous decline in crude production appear to have been triggered by long periods of technical constraints on operation and by natural aging of the major Iranian oil fields. The lack of regular maintenance and application of new technology and particularly the extensive neglect of the reservoirs in the last several years under sanctions have resulted in further damage to the Iranian oil-producing fields.

Oil production after the Islamic revolution 38 years ago never returned to its previous peak, not because the IR did not want to have production over 6 million barrels per day, but because experienced, well-educated, and properly trained oil workers from all levels in every industry sector were arrested or terminated, and many fled the country. Further, the eight-year war with its neighbor Iraq and naturally poor management with roots in bribery and corruption inevitably caused a drastic drop in oil production.

Nowadays, the U.S. State Department has recognized that the NIOC is an entity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC is notorious for its control of major sectors of Irans economy and its involvement in terrorist activities outside of Iran. Further, it is an industrial empire with political clout that has grown exponentially since the establishment of the clergy regime in Iran. The IRGC is essentially the owner of the most lucrative parts of the Iranian industry including the countrys major source of income, the oil and gas industry. The IRGC operates almost all industrial segments in the country with huge political control and influence over governing groups. The IRGC is the only power structure of the IR that answers to no one and sees itself as the sole defender of the Islamic ideology and the only organization able to protect the so-called Islamic revolution.

Foreign Oil Companies and a History of Corruption

French Total Oil Company has been involved in the Iranian oil industry since 1995, when it signed its first contract with NIOC for offshore activities. Later Total was awarded the development of Phases 2 and 3 of the giant South Pars gas field in 1997, and shortly thereafter Phase 11 was added. But unexpectedly, in 2009 Total was relieved of the ongoing Phase 11 project, and with the start of international sanctions, incomplete petroleum projects that had been in the hands of foreign companies including Phase 11 were awarded in 2012 to domestic companies belonging to the IRGC.

In 2013, Total agreed to pay a 400 million dollar fine to settle a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act case based on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department charges of two incidences of bribery of the IRs Oil Ministry officials. Related: Iran Takes Advantage Of OPEC Cuts To Boost Market Share

According to documents presented in court, Total intermediaries in 1995 paid a $16 million bribe to IRs Oil Ministry officials for a contract to develop offshore Sirri A and E oil and gas fields. Then in 1997, while Namdar Zanganeh was appointed oil minister (first term) by reputedly moderate and reformist clergy President Mohammad Khatami, Total entered another corrupt arrangement with the IRs Oil Ministry. This time, company intermediaries paid a $44 million bribe to gain a contract to develop Phases 2 and 3 of the South Pars gas field. Of course, for that the company was awarded a juicy 40 percent interest in those phases of South Pars. The Phase 11 contract was cancelled because the bribe for that was not delivered to the Oil Ministry.

In another well-published bribery case during Namdar Zanganehs first term as oil minister, Norways Statoil in 2006 acknowledged the payment of bribes in 2002 and 2003 to the IRs Oil Ministry office to secure a development contract for part of the South Pars gas field. Statoil paid fines and disgorgement in the U.S. and Norway totaling $21 million and submitted to a 3-year deferred prosecution agreement.

IRs Oil Ministry in 2010 had a contract with Crescent Petroleum Co. to export natural gas to the UAE, but the agreement was abruptly cancelled after disclosure of corruption involved in the deal.

End of Sanctions- Start of New Iran Petroleum Contracts (IRC)

For years the IRs tactic was to claim that sanctions were not hurting the country, and that the IRs economy under all international pressure was rather stable and functioning well. And with about 80 percent of the regimes income arising from the selling of crude oil, the Oil Ministry and its officials have always been spreading empty rhetoric regarding the satisfactory performance of the Iranian oil industry. The reality is that the international sanctions imposed in 2012 on the IR choked Irans oil production, and lack of investment and application of modern and up-to-date technology has brought the Iranian oil industry into ruin and bankruptcy.

After the IR reached an agreement over its nuclear intentions, a number of international energy companies quickly directed their attention toward the vast amount of Iranian oil and gas reserves. Meanwhile, in an effort to take advantage of this situation to lure energy companies to Iran, the IRs oil officials came up with the proposal of an entirely new set of oil and gas agreements. The Oil Minister Namdar Zanganeh and his associates frequently have requested huge amounts of investment -hundreds of billions of dollars - till the year 2020 in order to revive and activate the Iranian petroleum industry. In order to attract these kinds of investments to the country, the IRs officials often have openly invited foreign companies to participate in the already planned privatization of state-owned companies in Iran.

In November 2015, the Oil Ministry introduced a new model of contract known as IPC. In this new form of contract, NIOC offers very inviting terms, such as full recovery of cost for foreign oil companies and up to 25 year contracts. The IPC model offers 52 oil and gas projects that apparently address investment risks and price fluctuation. The IPC was designed to replace the previous Buyback type contract which did not appeal much to international investors. In Buyback, oil companies usually achieved single digit returns, whereas IPC guarantees that new contracts will deliver returns of at least 20 percent for investors. Therefore, the terms in the IPC are much more generous than the Buyback deals, and unlike the Buyback which merely paid an agreed fee when the contract was completed, the new model apparently can provide oil producers some shares of any fields production under its terms. Therefore, oil companies have the right to book more reserves on their balance sheet. Related: The Oil Supply Glut Is Here To Stay In 2017

The purpose has been to attract oil companies and investors to participate in the renovation of the Iranian oil industry. However, the stampede of oil companies that the IR had hoped for has still not come to fruition. Only a few international oil companies positively (though tentatively) responded.

New Oil And Gas Tentative Contracts

With the lifting of sanctions, the aforementioned Total, Norways DNO, and Royal Dutch Shell each signed nonbinding letters of understanding with the NIOC. This time around, Total teamed up with China Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) and Petropars, an Iranian domestic company, in the form of a joint return for Phase 11 of the South Pars gas field. The agreement is for a 4.8 billion dollar natural gas development project, of which Total owns 50.1 percent, CNPC 30 percent and Petropars 19.9 percent of the deal. This agreement is tentative but may be finalized in early 2017.

The Norwegian operator DNO, which has worked for a long time in the Kurdistan area of Iraq and apparently is well-versed in its regional geology, also signed in mid-November of 2016 a memorandum of understanding with NIOC for the development of the Changulah oil field in western Iran, which straddles the Iran-Iraq border.

The Royal Dutch Shell oil company in early December 2016 signed a memorandum of understanding with NIOC. Shell officials have said it is a nonbinding contract, and details regarding the investment amount are confidential except to further explore areas of potential cooperation. But the IRs Oil Ministry revealed that there are three separate tentative contracts to develop. The most promising new fields include: the Kish gas field in the Persian Gulf, the Yadavaran oil field near the Iraqi border, and the South Azadegan oil field that crosses into Iraq, where it is known as the Majnoon field and has been developed by Shell.

Most importantly the IR is leaning toward its political supporter Russia. The two countries are jointly leading a proxy war against the West in Syria and Yemen. In mid-December 2016, Alexander Novak, the Russian Energy Minister, with a large delegation including officials from Gazprom, Gazprom Naft, and Lukoil visited Tehran and apparently signed a memorandum of understanding for seven oil and gas agreements as well as for the installation of a power station in the south and renovation of a railway in the northeast of the country. Russian investment in Iran is much more geopolitically viable than that of western firms and by far the largest share of Irans petroleum development is in the hands of Russian companies. Russian banks are less constrained than Western financial organizations. Moreover, Moscow considers the IR clergies its major regional ally.

Investors Risks And Opportunities

The IRs constitution clearly mentions that the countrys natural resource reserves cannot be in the hands of outsiders. Therefore, the Oil Ministry requires all foreign oil companies to have an Iranian firm aboard that will be assigned to them by the ministry in the form of a partner. For example, Petropars is a domestic share-holder in the new Total and CNPC contract.

International oil companies planning to make deals with the IR should be wary of the problem of chronic corruption in the governing system of the country. There is a bureaucratic attitude that dominates the business environment in Iran. So long as this corrupt and ill-managed regime is in control, investments in the Iranian oil industry, along with opportunities they might provide, could also be a great risk to prospective investors. Aside from this uncertainty, prospective investors still face the imminent possibility of the return of sanctions for years to come.

By Mansour Kashfi for Oilprice.com

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Royalty GIFs - Find & Share on GIPHY

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Democrats have lost the war, the people and power in all three branches of government; placing the blame everywhere but still can't see the forest for the trees.

Democrat Royalty has left us divided, conquered and wailing at the wall of defeat from self-inflicted wounds, they refuse to accept accountability. From the DNC and Super Delegates betrayals of their former power base to the loss of the Independent voters they will not address. Or is it a bad case of denial and determination to extend their reign by hook or crook? Divide and conquer has failed them finally this time around.

The doubling down of the corporate and neocon wing of the democrat party after the complete destruction from voters' rejection clearly paints the picture for those who question the truth in what has happened. This abstract failure is complete and all the Kings horses and all the Kings men will not be able to put it together again despite the current Royal color of purple donned by all that have lost power to include Soros, Bill and Hilary and throughout their subjects on the losing side of history. They do not except they are no longer the self-appointed Authoritarian Royalty who has lost their power and stature.

au thor i tar i an

adjective, favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom. synonyms: autocratic , dictatorial , despotic , tyrannical , draconian , oppressive , repressive , illiberal , undemocratic ; disciplinarian , domineering, overbearing , iron-fisted , high-handed , peremptory , imperious , strict , rigid , inflexible ; informal bossy

Noun, an authoritarian person. synonyms: autocrat, despot , dictator , tyrant ; disciplinarian , martinet

The Democrat Party has doubled down on all the things resulting in the loss of power in all three branches of government to affect the Supreme Court as well.

As for Chuck Schumer & Co. is a sign that the war party has doubled down on the very reasons that Democrat and Independent voters fled from the Democrat Party nomination after the DNC and Bernie Sanders fiasco and the nomination of the war party where even the neocons and MIC switched parties to support the War Queen of Wall Street.

You would think that losing all three branches of government you would see a sea change not a doubling down on what got us to sum zero.

When Senate Democrats chose their new leader, they selected the favorite senator of K Street and Wall Street, Chuck Schumer, an unparalleled expert at blending policymaking and fundraising. Schumer's new job, Senate Minority Leader, will mostly involve holding together the Democratic majority to filibuster GOP measures in the Senate, along with raising money to stave off further GOP Senate gains in 2018.

Campaign finance data show Schumer as the favorite Senator, in either party, of lobbyists, bankers, and hedge funders. Schumer raised more from lobbyists than any U.S. Senator or senate candidate, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. Schumer's also the top Senate recipient of money ($1.97 million) this election from Wall Street . Schumer was number one among hedge funds and private equity .

Schumer has more former staffers in CRP's revolving-door database than any member of the House and 98 other Senators. Only Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has more.

Schumer's fundraising from lobbyists, bankers, and hedge funders has always been tied to his policymaking in their favor. Episodes throughout his career show how shrewdly Schumer mixes policy and campaign cash. In Schumer's first days in the Senate majority in 2007, while serving as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, he hosted a dinner with the wealthiest hedge fund and private equity moguls. His message to them, in the words of the New York Times , "If you want Washington to work with you, you had better work better with one another."

Translated: You guys need to lobby more and give more to politicians. The industry responded. From $6.3 million in the previous election, executives, employees, partners, and PACs from the industry tripled their giving to $21.1 million the next election, with two-thirds going to Democrats. Hedge fund lobbying exploded at the same time: from less than $1 million the previous year to nearly $7 million the next year.

Credit for Chuck Schumer facts in above comment:

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Reading about the current controversy over the U.S. abstaining on the Security Council's Israeli settlement resolution, it brought a memory back to this writer. First off, a little about this writer if I may. I have been a student of the Nazi era in Germany and of the holocaust since my early 20s. Being a schoolboy in Brooklyn , NYC in the 50s and 60s, I was always close with many Jewish friends. I used to joke that I attended more Bar Mitzvahs than a rabbi. Many times I had seen the tattoos on the arms of my friend's parents or on Jewish merchants in my Brooklyn neighborhood. Perhaps the most harrowing experience was later on in the 80s, sitting in my attic apartment watching the TV film ' Murderers Amongst Us' . This was the story of Simon Wiesenthal in Germany during the Nazi pogroms against the Jews. In one scene, a tragic one to view, Wiesenthal cannot find his aged mother. He runs to the railroad station in search of her, as he knows they are ' deporting' people in cattle cars. He is yelling out her name as the train is leaving the station. Suddenly, he hears her cry from one of the cars: " Simon". As he hears this he sees a German soldier a short distance from him on the platform. Wiesenthal can do nothing, not even cry aloud, as the train leaves. He falls to his knees, soaked in tears... his utter frustration covered in silence! As the scene was unfolding, I took the pad nearby ( I always had a notepad near to where I sat on the living room carpet) and began to write a poem. Actually, my own tears were raining onto the sheet. I finished the poem a minute or two after the scene had ended. I entitled the poem To be a Jew. A year later, upon showing it to a rabbi in Borough Park Brooklyn, he advised me to make a plaque out of it and send it to the Wiesenthal Holocaust Memorial in Los Angeles, California. I had it done by hiring a wood shop to laser engrave the poem onto a wooden plaque, and sent it along. The holocaust memorial accepted it and it is still there, to this day, in their archives.

In Spring of 1988 I was working as the marketing manager for an office supply manufacturer. Each week I would travel to visit one of our sales reps. This June I was traveling to Phoenix on a TWA wide body jet. During the flight many passengers would stand around in an allowable area to stretch our legs. I was standing with this man who looked to be in his late 30s. He was dressed well and said he was an Israeli engineer. We chatted for awhile about this and that and then I asked him about the Palestinian situation. " Well, let me be candid with you Philip. We in Israel look upon the Palestinians as you do your southern blacks. We see them as lowly evolved and really 2nd class, to be honest with you. They breed like rabbits with large families and lots of children. If we don't do something about this soon they will simply overwhelm us. So, we really have no choice, with the lack of land we possess, that we have to drive them into the sea, if only for our own survival... horrible as that may sound to you." He said all this in as matter of fact a way that one could, showing no emotion at all. As with the mobsters in the Godfather films, who said " It's not personal... it's just business."


4th January 1960 -- the Death of Albert Camus | Dorian Cope ...

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On January 4, 1960, Albert Camus died in a car crash at a point when he thought his true work had not even begun. He was 46 years old. He had already written The Stranger, The Fall, and The Plague, among other works. He had won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Yet he felt that in his writing he had to hide behind a mask that stifled him. After all these successes, as well as criticism from the left and right French intelligentsia, he was looking forward to a time when he would be able to speak his own truth without the mask of depersonalization -- to enter a period of creation en liberte.

He was finding a new voice beyond the prison of a classical form he felt he needed to escape. In his briefcase was the uncompleted manuscript of that effort, the autobiographical and posthumously published novel, The First Man, written in a new lyrical and powerfully emotional style. It is a beautiful book.

A true artist, Camus tried to serve both beauty and suffering. Quintessentially a man of his era, he was haunted by the image of the world as a prison, exemplified in his novel, The Plague, the tale of a town cut off from the world by a pestilence, whose residents lack the imagination to foresee. Even as it happens, they remain oblivious, for they "work hard, but solely with the object of getting rich." Bored by their habits, heavily drugging themselves with drink, and watching many movies to distract themselves, they fail to grasp the significance of "the squelchy roundness of a still-warm body" of the plague-bearing rats that emerge from their underworld to die in their streets. "It was as if the earth on which our houses stood were being purged of their secret humors; thrusting up to the surface the abscesses and pus-clots that had been forming in its entrails." To them the plague is "unthinkable," an abstraction, until all their denials are swept aside as the truth emerges from the sewers and their neighbors and families die from the disease. "Stupidity has a way of getting its way;" the narrator, Dr. Rieux, tells us, "as we should see if we were not always so wrapped up in ourselves... plagues and wars take people equally by surprise."

The Plague is often read as a metaphorical depiction of the German occupation of France during World War II. While this is true to the extent that Camus had lived through that experience as a member of the French Resistance and writer and editor of the underground newspaper Combat, his artistry makes it a revelatory read for today, especially for citizens of the United States, the greatest purveyor of the plague of violence in the world. We are all infected with the soul-destroying evil that our leaders have loosed upon the world.

For we live in plague time, and the plague lives in us. Like the inhabitants of the novel's French-Algerian city of Oran, the United States is "peopled with sleep walkers," pseudo-innocents, who are "chiefly aware of what ruffled the normal tenor of their lives or affected their interests." That their own government, no matter what political party is in power (both working for deep-state, elite interests led by the organized criminals of the CIA), is the disseminator of a world-wide plague of virulent violence, must be denied and divorced from consensus reality. These plague-stricken deaths visited on millions around the world -- by Clinton, by the Bushes, by Obama, and potentially by Trump -- must be denied by diverting attention to partisan politics that elicit outrage after outrage by the various factions and their minions. The true plague, the bedrock of a nation continually waging wars against the world, is avoided. Presently, it is the liberals that are "shocked" that Trump was elected President. These are the same people who went silent for the last eight years as Obama ravaged the world and lied about his cruel policies. Their shock over the Trump victory reeks of bad faith, with most of them supporting Hillary Clinton, Obama's presumed heir apparent and a neo-liberal war-monger par excellence. Further "shocks" will follow when Trump leaves office and the latest neo-liberal avatar succeeds him; conservatives will resume their harangues and protestations, just as they have done during Obama's reign. The two war parties will exchange insults as their followers are outraged and the American Empire, built on the disease of violence, will roll along. The plague will rage on and the main-stream corporate media will play along.

For "decent folks must be allowed to sleep at night," says the character Tarrou sarcastically; he is a man who has lost his ability to "sleep well" since he witnessed a man's execution where the "bullets make a hole into which you could thrust your fist." He awakens to the realization that he "had an indirect hand in the deaths of thousands of people." He loses any peace he had and vows to resist the plague in every way he can. "For many years I've been ashamed," he says, "mortally ashamed, of having been, even with the best intentions, even at many removes, a murderer in my turn."

The rats are dying in the streets. They are our rats, diseased by us. They have emerged from the underworld of a nation plagued by its denial. Unconscious evil bubbles up. We are an infected people. Worry and irritation -- "these are not feelings with which to confront plague." But we don't seem ashamed of our complicity in our government's crimes around the world. Camus knew better. He warned us, "It's a wearying business being plague-stricken. But it's still more wearying to refuse to be it. That's why everybody in the world looks so tired; everyone is more or less sick of plague. But that is why some of us, those who want to get the plague out of their systems, feel such desperate weariness."

Yet the fight against the plague must go on. Tarrou puts it thus, "All I maintain is that on this earth there are pestilences and there are victims, and it's up to us, so far as possible, not to join forces with the pestilences. That may sound simple to the point of childishness; I can't judge if it's simple, but I know it's true. You see, I'd heard such quantities of arguments, which very nearly turned my head, and turned other people's heads enough to make them approve of murder; and I'd come to realize that all our troubles spring from our failure to use plain, clear-cut language. So I resolved always to speak -- and to act -- quite clearly, as this was the only way of setting myself on the right track."

Camus, although his life and work were cut short by an absurd automobile accident with an unused train ticket in his pocket, stood with the victims. He was on the right track. He left us a living lesson in integrity in the face of violence.

Refuse it always. If not, you will be destroyed by your own complicity in evil. You will be plagued by your own hand, was his message to us.

On this date of his death, I wish to celebrate such a man, a great artist who tried to heal and "bear witness in favor of those plague-stricken people; so that some memorial of the injustice and outrage done them might endure; and to state quite simply what we learn in time of pestilence: that there are more things to admire in men than to despise."

That is surely true of the victims. Let us hope the supporters of the executioners cure themselves.

(Article changed on January 10, 2017 at 16:00)


Ghosts of U.S. Japanese Interment Camps during WW2. .Never Again.

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On January 5, 2017, nine Democratic senators filed a bill blocking the executive branch from registering people based on religion, race, gender, age, national origin or nationality.

"Contrary to the President-elect's beliefs, America's diversity is not a threat -- it is, in fact, our greatest strength," Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) was quoted by The Hill as saying. He added that "if our incoming President ever attempts to create a discriminatory database of Americans, let this be our warning shot: we will fight him every step of the way and in every way we can."

The partial text of the bill says:

"This Act may be cited as the Protect American Families from Unnecessary Registration and Deportation Act of 2017 or the Protect American Families Act .''

(1) the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, or any other Federal department may not create or implement a law enforcement or national security program that requires, or has the effect of causing, people to register or check in on the basis of religion, race, age, gender, ethnicity, national origin, nationality, or citizenship; and (2) consistent with the prohibition under paragraph (1), no Federal funds may be used to create 16 or implement an immigration registry or check-in program.

Jordain Carney of The Hill recalled that Trump floated a database to track Muslims in the U.S. during the campaign, telling NBC in November 2015, "I would certainly implement that." Asked last month if he was rethinking his proposals to require Muslims to register or to ban them from entering the U.S., Trump told reporters, "You know my plans all along, and I've been proven to be right."

In December 2016, President Obama permanently dismantled the regulatory framework behind the National Security Exit-Entry Registration System (NSEERS). NSEERS was introduced following the 9/11 terror attacks, but was suspended in 2011 after heavy criticism by civil rights organizations. NSEERS required certain non-citizen males over the age of 14 from 25 countries to be registered and fingerprinted. With the sole exception of North Korea, every one of the 25 countries on the NSEERS bulletin was Muslim or Arab.

Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told The Hill Thursday that the legislation from Democrats would stop Trump or other administrations "from infringing on religious liberty by creating an immigration-related religious registry."

Introduced by Senator Corey Booker (D-NJ), the Protect American Families Act is cosponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

The Hill pointed out that the Democrats could face an uphill battle to clear the legislation through the Senate. They'll need 60 votes to pass the legislation, including at least 12 Republicans.

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, Friday urged all Americans "who value religious freedom and oppose all forms of discrimination to contact their state's senators and ask that they support the Protect American Families Act, which would prohibit creation of immigration related registry programs that classify people based on religion, race, age, gender, ethnicity, national origin, or nationality."

The CAIR also urged voters to thank the senators who are co-sponsoring the legislation.

The Protect American Families Act is a preventative measure against president-Elect Donald Trump's pledge to establish a registry of Muslim travelers to America based on their religion and national origin.



"Religious freedom and freedom from discrimination are fundamental rights central to the very idea of being an American," Sen. Booker said. "Forcing people to sign up for a registry based on their religion, race, or national origin does nothing to keep America secure. It does, however, undermine the freedom of religion guaranteed by our Constitution and promote the false notion that people of certain faiths and nationalities are inherently suspect. Our legislation would block Donald Trump and subsequent administrations from infringing on religious liberty by creating an immigration-related religious registry. Throughout our history, the United States has been a beacon of hope for those seeking religious freedom, and has taken significant steps forward to advance civil and human rights. We must ensure this legacy lasts forever into the future."

In a letter to Senator Cory Book, Samer Khalaf, the president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) welcomed the introduction of the bill and said the "ADC takes this opportunity to request your support of the Protect American Families Act and stand against government sanctioned discrimination. The Protect American Families Act will prohibit the institution of a federally-funded registry that is facially discriminatory and targets individuals based on race, national origin, religion, and/or ethnicity."

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The US Coalition reportedly carried out a lethal series of airstrikes over the Idlib countryside, killing and wounding dozens of civilians near the Turkish border-crossing in Syrian Province of Idlib.

On Tuesday's midday at 03:55 PM the B52 warplane have bombarded Sarmada town's outskirts over a prison followed to Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham (JFS), which led to dozens of casualties and injuries amid the civilians and prisoners in addition to mass destruction.

Moreover, the US warplanes have bombarded Sarmada square and killed 12 civilians while carrying out an airstrike over a vehicle followed to JFS.

According to local activists and reports of the Syrian government, the US-led coalition regularly carries out strikes to support ground anti-terror operations in Iraq and Syria, some of which results in civilian casualties.

At the same time, media sources of JFS denied the circulating data talking about the international coalition targeting a prison belonging to JFS, saying that the bombing targeted the major headquarters of the region and contains several branch offices as well as a new-formed police station, which caused the killing of all who were in the headqurters, about 25 members.

Meanwhile, the US military has acknowledged that at least 188 civilians have been killed in US-led strikes in Iraq and Syria since its campaign began against the Islamic State in August 2014.

The coalition airstrikes against Daesh targets, which together resulted in the unintended death of 15 civilians, occurred in the Iraqi cities of Shahid-Yunis As Sab on November 6, Mosul on November 26 and 29, and in Syrian Salahiyah on November 21 and Raqqa on November 26, according to the statement.

To date, based on information available, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve has assessed that, it is more likely than not, at least 188 civilians have been unintentionally killed by coalition strikes since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve. CJTF-OIR regrets the unintentional loss of civilian lives resulting from coalition efforts to defeat ISIL [Daesh] in Iraq and Syria and express our deepest sympathies to the families and others affected by these strikes.

However, the military's overall estimate is far below that of groups monitoring the civilian casualties. Airwars puts the number at 2,100.

The majority of the reports labelled "non-credible" shows an alarming lack of intelligence available to the US-led coalition, believes former Pentagon official Michael Maloof. According to his statement, "the United States is supposed to double check and triple check, make sure that there's no such thing as civilians in harm's way. But, given the reality on the ground there, it's the case."
As the Trump administration continues its twin trademarks of "not having press conferences" and "being at the center of gnarly scandals involving spycraft and hacking," much of the reporting on what's actually happening in the most powerful country on Earth is based on quotes attributed to anonymous government sources  people with something to say but who won't let their names be associated with it.

Not just Trump, either: many administrations have officially leaked government secrets to the press when it suited them (even as they prosecuted whistleblowers who revealed equally classified, but embarrassing and damning secrets to the fullest extent permitted by law)  a favorite tactic of the outgoing Obama administration, the "most transparent in history," which used the Espionage Act against more whistleblowers than all other presidencies in American history combined, and, as its final official act, executed another strategic, deliberate leak.

Sometimes people speak to the press without being named because they fear for their jobs or safety, and then it is a journalist's duty to go to jail, if necessary, to protect that person's identity.

But sometimes, it's is a person's job to talk to the press without being named: they are manipulating the press into publishing official statements, while making the actual officials unaccountable for them. This is anodyne anonymity: the routine practice of insisting that spokespeople, speaking on the record, giving out official positions, not be named. It's how we have arrived at the silent state, through which government officials are able to knowingly lie outright, with fatal consequences for millions of people, without ever paying tha price for it.

In an editorial in Reuters, State Department veteran Peter Van Buren officers advice on how to "think like a spy" about quotes in the press about the Trump administration's plans and views, and the reaction from the rest of government. As the secrecy and obfuscation of the Obama years deepens into perpetual night under Trump, these are essential skills.



For example, is a source in a position to know what they say they know, what intelligence officers call spotting? A story claiming bureaucrats are unhappy with the new president might be legitimately sourced from a contact in the human resources office of a large cabinet agency. But how many people's opinions would that source be in a position to know, beyond cafeteria gossip? Tens out of a workforce of tens of thousands? So if the finished story reads "State Department officials are unhappy with the incoming administration," how credible is such a broad statement? Is it news what a handful of people think? The "position to know" idea scales up sharply when a source says they are privy to important conversations: how would they know the contents of a call the president-elect made to a foreign leader? Only a very few people would be in the room for something like that. Would any be likely leakers? Any article that cites a source who claims to know the "why" behind some action, what was in the head of a decision maker, should be subject to special skepticism. Key officials are generally not in the habit of explaining their true motivations outside a tight inner circle. In your own life, do you?

Commentary: Reading news in the age of Trump? Think like a spy.

[Peter Van Buren/Reuters]

(via Naked Capitalism)





(Image: Electric Company)
This Piece was first published in Counterpunch

General safety and openness, for much of the American public, feels permanent. For most Americans, there is an illusion that our safety, comfort, and freedoms rest on a foundation so large and protected as to be immune to collapse -- at least in our lifetimes. Despite the rise of a kind of fascism, the constant teetering on the brink of economic collapse, the threats to our future by climate change, possibly nuclear weapons, and certainly permanent war, there is a feeling, mainly for those of us with privilege, that the way we live our lives -- safely, comfortably, in many ways thoughtlessly -- is deeply engrained into reality and will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

The structures that sustain our lifestyles, behavior, and even freedoms, are large and complicated structures. In some ways, they have proven rather durable, albeit often in the ugliest ways and at the expense of many. Maybe those structures will outlast those of us alive today. Maybe they won't. The financialized economy, the largely privatized military industrial complex, the fossil fuel industry, the domestic security apparatus, the industrial agriculture industry, and more, could very well be our demise as a civilization. There is no reason to be coy about this.

There has been a great deal of speculation -- as there should be -- about how Trump will handle dissent. Most issues with Trump can only be explained by what the officials he places around himself have to say, since Trump himself has been pathetically unclear on every issue. Rather than the question of what Trump will do when the going gets tough for more and more of us, consider the question of how the culture of the American power- elite and its supporters is poised to handle dissent in a moment of rapid political and social tailspin. There have always been, since the nation's inception, totalitarian mechanisms in place to handle dissent within the free society. Where do these mechanisms stand now? It is safe to assume, for the sake of this discussion, that climate change, economic insecurity, the dangers created by the military such as terroristic blowback, and internal conflict within the American population, to name a few, will, to some degree, begin to dictate the terms on which ordinary Americans live their lives in the near-future. The population is likely -- in both constructive and regressive ways -- to lash out at the power elite and at each other.

As of this moment, how is the power-class likely to respond to such blowback to crises?

Much of the language used and action taken after 9/11 handled American dissent ambiguously (at best) and revealed much about how dissenters are viewed by the power-class. It seems likely that nothing about how dissenters were viewed really changed after 9/11 within the security apparatus and the corporate-governmental world, but rather, it was easier to present that view and act upon it given the rattled state of the American public and the visceral reaction to words like "terrorism," "security," and "threat" at that time.

It is useful to start the analysis of this subject around the time of 9/11 and move closer to the present.

On February, 12th, 2002, the FBI's Domestic Terrorism Section Chief of the Counterterrorism Division, James F. Jarboe, testified before the House Resources Subcommittee on Forest and Forest Health, mostly about what are now dubbed "eco-terrorists." The definition of domestic terrorism was, "the unlawful use, or threatened use, of violence by a group or individual based and operating entirely within the United States (or its territories) without foreign direction, committed against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." Note that the destruction of property constitutes terrorism in this definition.

With a truly brazen stroke of irony, Jarboe went on to say, "Special interest extremists continue to conduct acts of politically motivated violence to force segments of society, including the general public, to change attitudes about issues considered important to their causes. These groups occupy the extreme fringes of animal rights, pro-life, environmental, anti-nuclear, and other movements" (my emphasis). Though many of the crimes cited in this testimony are indeed criminal acts, 1) the relationship between the activists committing them to their role in the "terrorist groups" cited, like Earth First! and the Animal Liberation Front, is at times unclear, and 2) the enormous leap from property destruction to "terrorism," given the word's loaded undertones, especially at the time of the testimony in 2002, is dubiously polemic to say the very least. It feels almost condescending to note to the reader that the "special interests" these groups and activists are opposing fall more cleanly under the definition of "terrorists" than the groups and activists themselves -- not that there was ever a time when we could expect such an observation to be noted in an FBI report. The term "eco-terrorist" has increasingly been used to justify the harassing and monitoring of environmental activists in general.

There have been growing concerns about the monitoring of environmentalist groups by counter-terrorist programs and tactics, particularly since 9/11, up to the present day. Furthermore, the surveillance capabilities of the security apparatus are greater now than when Jarboe testified. A Vice report in 2015 on the FBI's monitoring of environmentalists, mostly during the Keystone XL pipeline protests to the construction of the project's southern leg in Texas, sheds light on the overlap between corporate and government surveillance of what are deemed potential "terrorist" threats. For example, Will Potter, author of Green is the New Red, points out in that piece, "At first, the assessment investigations were justified based on the specter of causing a loss of human life, that eco-terrorists were somehow going to kill innocent people ["] That's never happened. Then the justification became more and more that the FBI was investigating potential property destruction, and increasingly that doesn't happen either." If environmentalists are not threats to human life -- even if they are threats to private property (which they are usually not) -- then surveilling them can only be interpreted as protecting "threats" against big business, not against the population. It is, therefore, safe to assume that environmentalists are not targeted for their violence, but for their dissent.

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The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher,
Lothar Walter Schultze

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire - On Jan. 3, 2017, Lothar Walter Schultze passed peacefully from this world, with his loving family and furry friend Fluffy by his side. He was 96. Walt was born in Berlin, Germany to Walter and Hedwig Kleindienst Schultze. His family immigrated to Ossining, New York in 1925. Walt graduated salutatorian of his class at Ossining High School in 1938. He received his Bachelors of Arts (cum laude) and Masters of Science degrees in Chemistry from SUNY at Albany. Walt got his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in 1955, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Kappa and Pi Gamma Mu honor societies.

Walt lived in Albany New York from 1952 to 1966; Fredonia, New York from 1966 to 2003; and in Queensbury, from 2003 to 2012. He has been living with his daughter and her family in Manchester, New Hampshire for the past five years.

Walt worked as a Project Engineer at the US Rubber Company from 1942 to 1945.

He was a veteran in the US Navy, and received the Medal of Good Conduct, Victory Medal (World War II) and the American Theatre Medal. He worked for the Navy as an Electronics Technician in Washington DC, where he met the love of his life, Barbara Jean Langton. They were married in 1947, and raised three children.

Walt had a long career in the State University System of New York. He was an Associate Professor of Science, and Director of Admissions and Alumni Affairs at SUNY Albany. At SUNY College at Fredonia, he was Director of Institutional Research, Acting Director of the Computer Center(1967 to 1970), and Director of the 3-1-3 Program until he retired in 1984. He also served as Acting Chancellor for the Office of Policy and Analysis, State University of New York, in 1985.

Walt was best known for his volunteerism and selfless service to others, and he received numerous service awards for his contribution to the community. Walt was a member of the Dunkirk Kiwanis, and served as Secretary (1968, 1979 to 1981, 1986 to 1987) and President from 1969 to 1970. He helped organize the annual geranium sales, and was often seen serving at the spaghetti suppers and at the fairground sausage cart. He was a member of the Board of Directors and chaired the Narcotics Advisory Council and Scholarship Committees. From 1972 to 1973, Walt was Lieutenant Governor for the New York District Kiwanis International, the Treasurer of the Southwestern Division from 1974 to 1982, District Chairman of the Planning Committee from 1972 to 1978, and District Chairman of Club Administration from 1979 to 1981.As part of the Past Lieutenant Governors' Council, he was also active in raising scholarship funds for Camp Kiwanis.

He was on the Board of Trustees of the United Way of Northern Chautauqua County from 1980 to 1986, and served as Chairman of the Education Division (1978 to 1982), Chairman of the Annual Campaign (1980) and President (1985). He also worked on the Annual Campaign Advisory Committee and the Personnel Committee, facilitating strategic planning and training sessions for the organization.

Walt was also active in the American Red Cross during the 1970's and 1980's. He was Chapter Chairman for Chautauqua County, and led long-range and strategic planning sessions for the Chautauqua, Buffalo, and NYA Western Divisions. He served on the Advisory Council for the Eastern Operations Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and directed Operational Reviews for chapters up and down the Eastern US. Walt joined the National Headquarters in 1981 and worked on the Convention Organization, Resolutions, Standards, National Red Cross United Way Agreement, Harriman Award Selection, and Team Building Curriculum committees. He conducted Volunteer and Paid-Staff Relations and Team Building training across the country. He was also part of the Chautauqua County contingent who traveled to Charleston South Carolina, after Hurricane Hugo in 1989, to assist homeless families with disaster services.

Walt was on the Board of Directors of the Chautauqua County American Cancer Society from 1972 to 1975. Walt and his wife also spent many years serving meals together for the Chautauqua Rural Ministry Friendly Kitchen, and delivering meals to shut-ins as part of the Dunkirk/Fredonia Meals on Wheels program. Walt served on the Dunkirk Fredonia Meals on Wheels Board of Directors from 1993 to 2003.

Walt was an elder at the United Presbyterian Church of Dunkirk, where he was a Greeter and active on the Finance Committee. Walt was also a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls. In addition, he was a Free Mason in the Grand Lodge of NY, and received his 50-year recognition medal in September 2016.

Walt is predeceased by his wife of 55 years, Barbara Jean Langton Schultze. He leaves three children, Barbara Schultze of Manchester, New Hampshire, Stephen Schultze and his wife Suzanne of Queensbury, and Carl Schultze and his wife Kimberley of Manchester, New Hampshire; six grandchildren, Kalleen, Alyssa, Caitlin, Kevin, Sarah, Ben; and one great-granddaughter, Skylar. Walt also leaves a brother, Helmuth Schultze and his wife Pattie, of Ashville, North Carolina.

A private family ceremony will be held Friday, Jan. 13, 2017 in Poughkeepsie, NY.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Walt's name to the: Manchester NH Easter Seals, Adult Senior Day Program 55 Auburn St, Manchester, NH 03103 ATTN: Courtney Smith, 603-621-3456 or

NY District of KI Foundation - Camp Kiwanis Scholarship Fund 35 East Main St, Westfield, NY 14787 ATTN: Bob Ducato.
GRANVILLE  Seven women chatted over the clink of knitting needles and threw around expressions like yarn over and double decrease.

Youre talking a language that not a lot of people speak, said Jean Roberts, who was working on a pair of socks and mittens.

Roberts is part of a group of knitting enthusiasts that gathers at the Village Yarn Shop in Granville on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. The business stays open from 6 to 8 p.m. those nights for open knitting and crocheting.

And while their fingers were busy knitting and purling, the women are there for more than just a slip stitch session.

Its about the support we give each other, said Kathy Juckett, because everybody has bad times.

In fact, the shop was created out of tragedy, said owner Rebecca Dittmeier, who owns Country Horizon Realty in the same building on East Main Street.

Dittmeier was already part of a knitting group that met every other Tuesday at someones house, but the sudden death of a real estate colleague in February of 2014 sent her looking for sanctuary.

She cleared out a space in her real estate office and designated the area a peaceful station, a decompression station.

I was just so upset, she said. Real estate is a stressful business.

She created a peaceful knitting nook in her office, where five women would meet to knit and relax.

A year ago, she got word that a yarn shop in Dorset, Vermont, was going out of business. She bought up the stores inventory and started the Village Yarn Shop. The women started prepping to yarn bomb the trees in front of the shop.

Thats really a thing, said Mary King, knitting a sweater. You can Google that.

The shop has hosted as many of 25 knitters during its open evenings. As they passed around mocha M&Ms last Tuesday, the women joked that soon the yarn shop will be taking over the entire real estate office.

The group takes inspiration from the Friday Night Knitting Club books, which emphasize that the evening is less about yarn and more about companionship. The women support each other not only in their knitting, but also in their causes.

One member suffered from breast cancer, so the women donated knitted knockers to Glens Falls Hospital for women who had undergone mastectomies.

The group made red, white and blue lap blankets for veterans and donated them to the American Legion Auxiliary.

They even attended a village board meeting to support a knitter who wanted to keep chickens in her backyard.

We try not to talk about religion and politics, said Juckett, who walked into the shop with a bag reading Keep Calm and Carry Yarn.

The women recently welcomed Ashley Lamb, whose last name dictates she should be a natural knitter. Lamb catches flack from her co-workers who say she is too young to knit. The other ladies call her the quicker picker upper because she caught on so quickly.

Its a nice group that makes you feel like you can do anything, Lamb said.

With the words, You and Your Creative Energy Welcome Here, on the wall behind them, the women said knitting  not just at the shop, but anywhere  is often a conversation starter.

I think people who knit seem to be approachable, Juckett said.

But keep one thing in mind, she said.

We cannot stop what we are doing until we finish our row.
Reiki is offered to reduce stress

COSSAYUNA  A Reiki Share will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. today (Jan. 8) at Natures Gate, 214 McDougal Lake Road. Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is gentle, non-invasive, and recipients remain fully clothed.

Reiki practitioners of all levels and lineages and people who have no experience with Reiki are welcome. There is no charge, but please bring non-perishable food or a monetary donation for the Salem food pantry.

For more information, contact Evan Lawrence at 677-5662 or at healthyevan@verizon.net.

Teens give advice for using devices

CORINTH  The Corinth Central School National Honor Society will be at the Corinth Free Library from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday to offer tech help for seniors. Teens will be available to help senior citizens with email and cellphones. The librarys public access computers will be available.

The library will be closed Jan. 16 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Library offering painting course

FORT EDWARD  Fort Edward Free Library will hold painting courses from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 21, Jan. 28, Feb. 4 and Feb. 11 at the library, 23 East St. This introductory course will highlight the foundation necessary to build the skills needed to find pleasure in successful painting. Participants will paint a winters night scene of a hunters cabin in the woods.

The weekly fee is $10 per person. Participants will be provided one 8-by-11-inch blank canvas, flat brush, brush liner and three paints. Instructor is Kathleen Clancy of Timeless Art Oil Paintings and Pet Portraits.

Registration is required, as class size is limited to eight people. Call the library at 747-6743 to register.

Bolton library to hold elections

BOLTON LANDING  Bolton Free Library will hold its election day from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the library, 4922 Lake Shore Drive. Three positions are available. Carole Newell and Kirsten Crist both plan to seek re-election, but Patti Haux is retiring after 20 years as a trustee.

The election results will be announced at 5:30 p.m. during the annual meeting of the board.

Any resident of the town of Bolton who is eligible to vote in town or school elections and is 18 can vote in the election.

Talk to be given on 1777 military

SCHUYLERVILLE  The American Revolution Round Table of the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys will host Brave and Gallant: Black and African-American Military Men at Saratoga, at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at Schuylerville Town Hall, 12 Spring St.

Redcoats, Hessians and Americans fought in the 1777 Battles of Saratoga, and nearly 400 of them were black or African American.

Eric Schnitzer, park ranger and historian at Saratoga National Historical Park, has studied the organization, personnel and material culture of the British and American armed forces of the Northern Campaign of 1777 and has researched, written and drawn on the subject extensively.

There are no fees and no membership requirements, but donations are appreciated to cover related costs. To register, email arrthudsonmohawkvalleys@gmail.com or call 774-5669.
GLENS FALLS  Glens Falls Hospital has introduced a new 3D mammography technology that increases the chance of detecting breast cancer early.

Its still a mamogram, but we call it a better mammogram, said Dr. Christine Rowe-Button, a radiologist with Adirondack Radiology Associates.

The technology, known as tomosynthesis, converts images into a stack of one-millimeter-thin layers, allowing doctors to review the breast tissue one layer at a time, reducing the chance of missing cancer that is behind overlapping tissue.

The technology provides better distinction between dense tissue and cancer, which can appear similar on a traditional mammogram.

The new technology, in addition to increasing the chances of detecting breast cancer early, reduces the need to call patients back for repeat scans, which can increase the cost of care and cause patients to worry, Rowe-Button said.

The hospital is using the new mammography technology for about 85 percent of women that get screened, said Michelle Swartz, operations manager at the The Breast Center at Glens Falls Hospital.

It is used for women that have dense breast tissue, have a history of cancer, or have a mother, daughter or sister with history of breast cancer.

The experience for the patient is basically the same as a traditional mammogram.

You are under compression for a few seconds longer  The experience for the patient is really ultimately the same, Swartz said.

The charge, at this point, is the same as a traditional mammogram, and the goal is to keep it the same, Swartz said.

Thats our hope. Thats our goal, she said.

The technology has been available for a couple of years, including at some hospitals in the Albany area.

Hospital officials and insurance companies have been reviewing followup studies to evaluate it, Swartz said.

After they published some of their statistics from it, we said, Yes, this is something that women of this area need, she said.

Medicare now covers the technology, as do most health insurance companies, she said.

Swartz would not disclose the cost of the new technology because of a confidentiality agreement with the company that sold it.

It was a significant expense, paid from the hospitals capital improvement budget, she said.

Disclosing the cost could hamper the companys negotiations with other hospitals, she explained.
EDINBURGH  State Police are investigating a snowmobile accident in the town of Edinburgh that killed an Edinburgh man.

Police say 37-year-old Jonathan J. Cooper was killed around 8:12 p.m. Saturday. Cooper was reportedly driving his snowmobile on the Great Sacandaga Lake near North Shore Road, when he struck a rock protruding from the lake and was ejected from the snowmobile.

State Police in Mayfield and fire officials from the town of Edinburgh Fire Department made attempts at life-saving efforts, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

The investigation is ongoing and details will be posted on the The Post-Star website as they become available.
The office of our publisher, Terry Coomes, was crowded. Our publisher has a pretty big office, so that says a lot.

It was the first meeting of our expanded editorial board. We now have seven members.

Ive written before about our use of citizen representatives to represent our readers and give us a perspective from outside the newsroom.

Weve been using citizen representatives for about 10 years now. Thats about 30 regular folks who have gotten the opportunity to be part of the decision-making process as we take stands on local issues.

Back in December, I wrote about how well the citizen representatives have done over the years. They had been so good, I wondered if it might be a good idea to expand the editorial board by two more members and give them a year-long term.

From my experience, there were a number of citizen representatives who just took to the job perfectly. Not only did they understand the issues, but they took to the journalism. It has been especially gratifying to see our citizen representatives ask tough questions of sitting members of Congress and other candidates running for office like they had been doing it all their lives.

It is not unusual for me to hear from past citizen representatives. Sometimes they weigh in on issues, sometimes they ask me questions and, once in awhile, they ask if they can serve again.

So back in December, I sent out the call to past citizen representatives asking them if they were interested in coming back and serving for a whole year on our editorial board.

Not only did I hear from those who had served before, but also from some who wanted to serve for the first time (that call will come later this year).

In all, I heard from five former citizen representatives who wanted to come back for more.

After talking it over with our publisher and editorial board staff members, we concluded all would be great choices. We finally decided to make our selection by choosing two names out of a basket.

Chosen were Dan Gealt and George Nelson, both of Queensbury. They join Tim Robinson of Greenwich, who is in the middle of his four-month term.

Gealt was one of our first citizen representatives 10 years ago. When we were short a member after his term expired, we asked him to serve another four months.

Dan is originally from Philadelphia but has lived here for over 40 years. He has an Associate of Science degree from ACC and an engineering degree from RPI. He has worked at several of the local paper mills over the years while also doing consulting work in network and telecommunications engineering.

George Nelson last served just over a year ago. He grew up in South Glens Falls and attended college in the Catskills at Delhi Tech before working in banking out in California for 25 years.

He returned here in 2000 to visit his sister and stayed.

We like the idea of having an editorial board that is not centered entirely in the newspaper world. It allows us to get different perspectives and ideas.

We hope to hear the voices of Dan, George and Tim a lot in the coming months because weve always believed that the newspaper belongs first and foremost to its readers.

This allows them to have a larger voice.

Ken Tingley is the editor of The Post-Star and may be reached via email at tingley@poststar.com. You can read his blog, The Front Page, daily at www.poststar.com or his updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kentingley.
Gov. Andrew Cuomos administration has offered us many opportunities for criticism, and we have taken advantage of them, but one thing we cant call him is lazy.

Low energy he is not.

He demonstrated again this week how quick he is to seize the political momentum by appearing in Queens with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and announcing a first-in-the-nation plan to cover tuition for students attending two-year or four-year state colleges.

The tuition subsidies would be rolled out over three years, eventually applying to students from families earning less than $125,000 a year. The administration has estimated 210,000 students would take advantage of the program, costing the state $163 million a year.

We agree with the immediate reaction of Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, a Manhattan Democrat who leads the Assemblys higher education committee, who wondered how the cost could be so low.

  if its only $163 million, why didnt we do it before? she asked.

The program would cover only tuition, which for students going to college away from home makes up just a third of the cost, or even less, of attendance. Tuition at four-year SUNY schools now is $6,470 a year, while the total cost, including housing, meals, books and fees, falls between $20,000 and $25,000.

So this program would ease, not remove, the burden of paying for higher education, which has grown more necessary and valuable as our economy has become more technologically focused. But for lower-income and middle-income students who live at home and attend community college, their first two years, at least, would be essentially free.

We have not yet heard from the governor how this program would be paid for, although we believe New York can afford it. Since the state budget included almost $1.5 billion in the State and Municipal Facilities Program, essentially a slush fund from which the governor and legislative leaders can withdraw money at their discretion for pet projects, were confident New York can cover tuition for low- and middle-income families without raising taxes.

The good thing about the tuition program, in contrast with the way most of the so-called discretionary funds (another phrase for slush funds) in the budget are spent, is that it will help families statewide.

Discretionary funding is parceled out at lawmakers request, subject to political considerations, and is usually targeted at regional projects. The tuition program would provide a statewide economic stimulus, helping families and state colleges in every region.

We support the governors plan because we believe higher education will become progressively more important to the states economy. As automation takes over a growing share of manufacturing jobs, the job market is being split between low-end service jobs and high-end jobs that require technical training or college degrees, or both. For New York to thrive, it has to stay ahead of other states in training and educating young people.

Offering free tuition is likely to drive applications to SUNY schools, making admission more competitive and leading to the growth of programs and campuses. In this way, the tuition program will also act as an economic stimulus, leading to new construction and job creation.

The challenge, as SUNY Adirondack President Kristine Duffy pointed out, will be for state funding of its colleges to keep pace. Making college easier to afford is half the equation. But for New York to keep up, its colleges must offer excellent academic programs, and that requires a commitment from the state to pay for them.

Subsidizing tuition wont be cheap. But compared with the hundreds of millions the state has thrown into unwieldy undertakings like the Buffalo Billion, or with the more than a billion dollars set aside annually for discretionary funding, the tuition program is a bargain.

Education has to be a top priority in any consideration of economic stimulus and development. Its not the same as rebuilding a bridge or providing cash for an expansion, because we wont see results right away. But in the long term, nothing will benefit the states economy more than opening opportunities for young people to earn degrees and improving the quality of higher education.

Local editorials represent the opinion of The Post-Star editorial board, which consists of Publisher Terry Coomes, Editor Ken Tingley, Projects Editor Will Doolittle, Controller/Operations Director Brian Corcoran and citizen representative Tim Robinson, George Nelson and Dan Gealt.
India's forex reserves increase by USD 6.56 billion to reach USD 531.08 billion for week ended October 28, says RBI.

Australia beat Afghanistan by four runs to keep semifinal hopes alive in T20 World Cup.
General Secretary of GAWU, Mr Edward Kareweh said the proposal has been tabled before successive governments for years but nothing has been done about it.

This proposal has all along been on the drawing board, we have articulated it except that government has done nothing about it," he told Accra-based Citi FM.

"We want the government to indicate or have a policy that a certain percentage of the loan portfolio of banks in the year should go into agriculture.

He bemoaned the fact that despite the numerous banks dotted across the country, they are unwilling to support agriculture in the country.

He posited that Ghanaian banks are among the most profitable in Africa, wondering why they are unable to grant loans to farmers.

READ MORE: Frozen chicken collapsing local poultry industry

He said: Ghanaian banks are among the richest or the most profitable in Africa, why is it that they are still unable to grant loans to agriculture. Why are banks trooping in? why are more banks coming into the economy,
The venue for the event has been cleared up, decorated and ready for the president. A section of the venue has also been decorated with a big banner of all former presidents of Ghana.

Maame Yaa, one of the event planners told Pulse.com.gh that a thanksgiving service will be held at the forecourt of the Ofori Panin Fie after which a diner will be organised for a group of family and friends.

Asked what he expects of Akufo-Addo's presidency, Maame Yaa said: "What I want him to do for the next hundred days is to restructure our economy first and then do what he can do best."

Maa Diana, one of the local women's organisers of the New Patriotic Party in the president hometown of Kyebi said the community is excited about his homecoming.

"Akufo-Addo will perform to our utmost surprise," she said.

Mrs Dina said the president will deliver on his promise to create jobs, citing the president's signature promise of a factory in every district.

She also expressed hope that the president will restore the cancelled teacher training allowance and the nursing training allowance.
NUGS in a congratulatory message pledged its readiness to work closely with Nana Addo's government to make things better for the Ghanaian student.

NUGS however, congratulated John Mahama for his spirit of unionism and patriotism exhibited in maintaining the peace of the country.

Below is the press statement:

NATIONAL UNION OF GHANA STUDENTS

NUGS CONGRATULATES H.E NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO AND VICE

The National Union of Ghana Students congratulates the 5th President of the 4th Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his vice His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for their successful swearing in as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the Head of the Police Service respectively.

NUGS shall continue to work hand in hand with the government for the well-being and welfare of the good students of Ghana and abroad.

We however want to add that NUGS will work hard to make sure that all the good things promised by the new government during the campaign season about making education truly affordable and accessible are fulfilled.

H.E John Dramani Mahama

To the outgoing president and vice, we thank you for your spirit of unionism and patriotism exhibited in maintaining the peace of the country.

Whiles Leaving office, it is our wish that the Almighty protects and guard all your endeavours.

To all and sundry

We also use this opportunity to Congratulate Ghanaians for the exhibition of maturity,protection of our peace and the consolidation of our democracy throughout the electioneering period to the transition and handing over period.

We salute all students and Ghanaians at large.

We end by asking all Ghanaians to put all our arsenals together to support the new government to succeed.

Let us be guided by the proverbial "Cooperation after Competition" to play our active roles "not as spectators, not as subjects but as responsible Citizens"

Congratulations Mr. President and Mr. Vice President.

ALUTA CONTINUA !!! VICTORIA ASCERTA !!

Long live Students

Long live NUGS

Long live Ghana
Amissah-Arthur described his boss as someone who was deeply committed to the transformation of Ghana, adding that he adds touch to class.

In a Facebook post, he said: "President John Mahama was deeply committed to the transformation of Ghana. It was brilliant working with him. He adds a touch of pure class.

"I am profoundly grateful to President Mahama and his government for the opportunity to serve the people of Ghana."

Amissah-Arthur became John Mahama's vice president in 2012 after the shocking demise of president Atta Mills.

Partnering Mahama for the 2012 election, they won a disputed election by 50.7 percent.

They were crushed at the polls in the 2016 elections by more than one million votes in their second term bid.

In the comments, some hailed his service to the country while others felt he could have performed better if he was given room to operate as vice president.

Numan Mutaru said: "I'm not sure you were given the opportunity to serve Ghana, I personally felt you had more to offer if you were given enough space and resources.you still have the chance to b president and of Ghana n we look forward to that. Tnx for your service n God bless you."
Mr Akufo-Addo was sworn-in as president on Saturday, January 7, 2017 by the Chief Justice Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood. The oath of office and allegiance also administered to his vice president Dr Mahamadu Bawumia.

Mr Barrow, who won Gambia's election against Yahya Jammeh, in a congratulatory message expressed hope that Akufo-Addo will continue with "the great works" of President John Mahama.

He also commended President Mahama for his maturity and statesmanship and thanked him for his efforts in improving relations between Banjul and Accra.

Mr Barrow pulled off a stunning victory in Gambia, winning 54.54 percent (263,515 votes) while Jammeh took 36.66 percent (212,099) and third party candidate Mama Kandeh 102,969 votes (17.80 percent).

Jammeh conceded defeat and later changed his mind, citing irregularities. He has also petitioned Gambia's court to overturn the results.