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Teens 'lie in' at White House to push for stronger gun control
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A group of teenagers who say they are desperate for some action on gun control staged a silent "lie-in" outside the White House Monday, in the wake of the deadly Florida school shooting last week.
The event was organized over Facebook by a group called Teens for Gun Reform, which listed their intentions in a post: "By doing this, we will make a statement on the atrocities which have been committed due to the lack of gun control, and send a powerful message to our government that they must take action now."
Dozens of students assuming the pose of corpses lay on the sidewalk in view of the White House, with their arms crossed over the chests.
The somber protests lasted only a few minutes "in order to symbolize how quickly someone, such as the Parkland [Florida] shooter, is able to purchase a gun in America," organizers wrote, alluding to Nikolas Cruz, who, according to court documents, confessed to firing on unarmed students and teachers with a legally purchased AR-15 rifle.
The Valentine's Day rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 dead and 15 wounded.
"We must stand together in solidarity as the younger generations, and show our legislators that we demand reform in order to feel safer in our classrooms," the group declared on Facebook.
The D.C. area group is part of a groundswell of students across the country challenging politicians they argue have failed to make schools a safe haven from gun violence. They are organizing rallies and a national walkouts demanding stronger gun laws.
Students from the Florida high school are planning a massive rally against school and gun violence called "March for Our Lives" in Washington D.C. on March 24.
Smaller rallies and protests are being organized in cities around the U.S.
"We're going to have, in every major city, somewhere that people all across the country can go to," Brendan Duff, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School told NPR.
He said students "want to feel engaged, and they want to work they're doing something to help. And this is it."
The Women's March youth branch, EMPOWER, is also organizing a national school walk out on March 14, the one month anniversary of the Florida shooting. CNN says the rallies are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in every time zone and last for 17 minutes — one for each victim who lost their life in the massacre.
Meanwhile, the White House says President Trump will host a listening session with high school students and teachers on Wednesday and meet with state local security officials on Thursday.
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Trump's attorney general says 'evil' Charlottesville car-ramming fits domestic terror definition
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By TJH
ABC News(WASHINGTON) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the incident of a man ramming his car into a crowd of demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, that left a young woman dead and sent 19 people to hospitals “does meet the definition of domestic terrorism” in U.S. law.
“It does meet the definition of domestic terrorism in our statute,” Sessions said on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” today. “We are pursuing it in the [Department of Justice] in every way that we can make a case.”
“You can be sure we will charge and advance the investigation towards the most serious charges that can be brought because this is unequivocally an unacceptable evil attack,” he said.
The car-ramming incident occurred shortly after authorities in Charlottesville called off a planned white nationalist rally and ordered crowds to disperse following violent clashes between rallygoers and counterprotesters.
Heather Heyer, 32, who was with a group protesting against the white nationalist gathering, was killed when the car plowed into the crowd.
A 20-year-old Ohio man, James Alex Fields Jr., was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the incident.
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Source:: Politics
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The Latest: US Olympic hockey player says dad has norovirus
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PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) The Latest on the Pyeongchang Olympics (all times local):
11:40 a.m.
Amid precautions to prevent infection at the Pyeongchang Olympics, U.S. hockey defenseman James Wisniewski says his father has norovirus.
Wisniewski says his dad, Jim, who is 62, began feeling the effects of norovirus Saturday and is in quarantine.
Officials have recommended players fist-bump each other rather than shaking hands because norovirus is so contagious.
The local organizing committee had reported 199 confirmed cases of norovirus as of a week ago. At the beginning of the games, thousands of security workers were kept in their rooms because of norovirus concerns at a youth training center where they were staying.
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10:30 a.m.
Gangneung Ice Center has been pretty much filled for most of figure skating, one of the premier events of the Winter Olympics.
Not Monday morning (Sunday evening U.S. time), though. The building that has a capacity of about 12,000 was half-empty when the short dance began. There were sections near mid-ice and also in the end zones that were practically unoccupied.
For most other figure skating events at these games, the arena filled up quickly. But it never had so few people in it for the beginning of a competition.
The top ice dance couples are not scheduled to perform until deep into the 24-duo short dance.
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10:10 a.m.
Ice dancing is underway at the Olympic Games with two-time medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada and France’s Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron the heavy favorites to win gold.
Three American couples have a chance at landing on the podium.
Maia and Alex Shibutani, the siblings who helped the U.S. win team bronze, are making their second Olympic appearance. They’re joined by Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, the reigning national champs, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the latter of whom is competing in his third Olympics.
The short dance is Monday South Korea time (to be broadcast Sunday night in the U.S.) with the free dance wrapping up the competition Tuesday.
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10 a.m.
After a one-day break, Olympic figure skating resumes with the ice dancing short program.
A strong performance from Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir helped Canada win gold in the team competition, but Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France and American siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani could provide serious competition.
Medals are up for grabs in just three events Monday: men’s 500-meter speedskating, men’s large hill team ski jumping, and men’s two-man bobsled.
In the women’s hockey semifinals, the Americans play Finland, while defending champion Canada faces Russia.
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More AP Olympics: https://wintergames.ap.org
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James Woods says he's retiring from film (and selling house)
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Oscar-nominated actor James Woods says he's retiring from the entertainment industry.
The news was included in a press release issued by Woods' real estate agent offering Woods' Rhode Island lake house for sale.
Allen Gammons said Friday that Woods is 70 and wants to relax. He says the actor's brother and mother recently died, and he hopes to spend more time on passions including photography, antiquing and poker.
FILE - In this May 18, 2012 file photo, actor James Woods arrives for the screening of Once Upon a Time in America at the 65th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France. Woods said he is retiring from the entertainment industry. The news was included in a press release issued Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, by Woods' real estate agent offering Woods' Rhode Island lake house for sale. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, File)
Woods is known for his conservative political views. He has said that's made it tough to find work in Hollywood.
Gammons said Woods' decision was not political.
Actress Amber Tamblyn last month said Woods tried to pick her up when she was 16. Woods called a lie on Twitter. Gammons said Woods declined to comment Friday when asked about Tamblyn's accusation.
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Evening Update newsletter: Cannabis tax deal, New York bombing, Site C dam
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Good evening,
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Federal government to give provinces 75 per cent of marijuana tax revenues
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Ottawa will hand over most of its marijuana tax revenue to the provinces under a deal reached Monday between Canada's finance ministers. The deal will see the provinces receive 75 per cent of the excise tax levied on cannabis, with Ottawa retaining 25 per cent to a maximum of $100-million a year. Finance Minister Bill Morneau previously suggested it should be evenly split. Ottawa's initial estimates suggest the total pot of tax revenue from marijuana sales could reach $1-billion per year. (for subscribers)
Globe in New York: Suspect in New York pipe bomb explosion was inspired by Islamic State: officials
A man inspired by the Islamic State group set off a crude pipe bomb strapped to his body Monday in a crowded subway corridor near Times Square. The blast injured the suspect, slightly wounded three others and sent New York commuters fleeing in terror through the smoky passageway. Police say it isn't clear if the bomb, which went off at 7:20 a.m. Monday, was set off intentionally or prematurely. The suspect, a 27-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh living in Brooklyn, was apprehended and taken to hospital. As Joanna Slater reports from New York, one senior intelligence official with the police says there's not a lot that can be done to stop a guy with a coat and a pipe bomb.
B.C. to proceed with Site C hydroelectric dam
Despite earlier denouncing the Site C dam as a "boondoggle", British Columbia Premier John Horgan confirmed Monday the project will continue under his minority NDP government. It is B.C.'s most expensive public infrastructure project with a revised budget of $10.7-billion, up from $8.8-billion, and already $2-billion into construction. Mr. Horgan said in a statement the dam had passed the point of no return and said the top deciding factors were the impact that cancelling the dam would have had on the province's finances and electricity rates.
Gary Mason writes about why the decision on Site C is mainly a matter of politics: "While the party's activist environmental wing will be upset, and possibly disillusioned enough to begin drifting toward the Green party, Premier John Horgan's decision to push ahead with the much-maligned project will be a lot less costly to his government in the long run."
Celebrity chef Mario Batali steps down after sexual-misconduct allegations
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The chef has surrendered oversight of daily operations at his restaurant empire following reports of sexual misconduct over at least 20 years. Media reports suggest the incidents involve at least four women, three of whom worked for Mr. Batali. In a statement, the chef took responsibility, apologized for "any pain, humiliation or discomfort" he caused and said the complaints "match up" with his past behavior.
Harvey Weinstein's ouster has brought forward more stories of misogyny and abuse in cinema and other industries, and renewed focus on old accusations against alleged predators. We take a look at who else is accused of sexual misconduct so far.
Last week, The Globe and Mail hosted a symposium on stopping sexual harassment and came up with a list of recommendations and practical solutions on how to make the Canadian entertainment industry better in a post-Weinstein era.
Morneau advisers urge sweeping changes to cope with looming tech disruption
To prevent Canada's economic growth from falling behind that of other nations, Finance Minister Bill Morneau's expert panel of economic advisers is recommending a modernization of Canada's tax and regulatory system to make them more innovation friendly. In a set of reports scheduled for release this week, the group is warning Canada is ill-prepared for the effects of widespread technological disruption reshaping the global economy. In addition, it is calling for a $15-billion spending surge to retrain workers. The reports come as Mr. Morneau crafts his third budget and likely provide a sense of policy themes he's considering. (for subscribers)
This is the daily Evening Update newsletter, a roundup of the important stories of the day and what everyone is talking about that will be delivered to your inbox every weekday around 5 p.m. ET. If you're reading this online, or if someone forwarded this e-mail to you, you can sign up for Evening Update and all Globe newsletters here. Have feedback? Let us know what you think.
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MARKET WATCH
Canada's main stock index ended the session slightly higher on Monday as a jump in oil prices pushed energy stocks up and some miners also had gains. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index closed up 7.44 points, or 0.05 per cent, at 16,103.51. On Wall Street, the major indexes rose on rising technology and energy stocks, and expectations of a rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve later this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.23 per cent to 24,386.1, the S&P 500 gained 0.32 per cent to 2,659.99 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.51 per cent to 6,875.08.
NEW: We have a new newsletter called Amplify. It will inspire and challenge our readers while highlighting the voices, opinions and insights of women at The Globe and Mail. Amplify will land in your inbox every Saturday morning, with a different guest editor each week – a woman who works at The Globe – highlighting a topic of the author's choice. The topics will vary and will dive deep into issues and events around the world. The newsletter will also highlight Canadian women who are inspiring others. Sign up today.
WHAT'S TRENDING
The majority of people treated in an Ontario emergency room after a suicide attempt are not seen by a psychiatrist within six months, according to a new study. The large-scale study published Monday in the CMAJ highlights the chronic problem in the country's mental-health care system: The people most in need don't get access to the specialists best trained to heal them – even in times of crisis. As Erin Anderssen reports, it is like showing up in an emergency room with a heart attack and not seeing a cardiologist after you leave.
TALKING POINTS
Is fake news okay if the cause is good?
"Like a lot of climate-change research, it's complicated. The issues are complex, and the data are imperfect and conflicting. Polar-bear researchers themselves disagree about what's going on. The polar bears have survived for 100,000 years or so in the harshest climate in the world, so I wouldn't count them out quite yet. But the doomster narrative is wildly popular – even among people who should know better." – Margaret Wente
Trudeau's shiny stars have a lot of scuff marks now
"There are now a lot of scuff marks. Mr. Sajjan isn't hobbled running defence, but he's less valuable in selling the not-quite-as-advertized Liberal defence policy. Ms. Joly is no longer a glamorous representative in Quebec. Mr. Morneau will not be effective setting finance policy if his own Liberals doubt he can do the politics. And Mr. Trudeau is going to have to recruit again in 2018." – Campbell Clark
No, the so-called war on sex does not exist
"It bears asking why we are so quick to defend a culture that is so willing to place ratings over morals. That places men's right to unbridled "courtship" above women's right to not be propositioned – or worse – at every turn. We fear regressing into an anti-freedom, anti-sex society while ignoring that we currently exist in a society that is apathetic to its own toxicity and abuse. For many women the sex they want is ruined by the sex they never asked for. For many men they believe their only known path to sex is through power, or vice versa. And dare we ask how we've arrived at a place where we so easily conflate flirting and abuse, consent and rape, in the first place?" – Imogen Grace
LIVING BETTER
Scientists have been working on a group A strep vaccine for at least 100 years, to no avail. Group A streptococcus causes more than 600 million cases of strep throat worldwide and is responsible for the continuing outbreak in London, Ont., that has claimed nine lives. While infections are generally treated with antibiotics, the ability to prevent outbreaks remains elusive. However, as Wency Leung reports, new findings are edging scientists closer to beating the bug.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Unfounded: 37,272 sexual-assault cases being reviewed, 402 unfounded cases reopened so far
In February, after a 20-month investigation, The Globe found that one in five sexual-assault allegations reported in Canada is dismissed as unfounded. Now, law-enforcement agencies are reviewing more than 37,000 case files as part of a nationwide effort to improve how police handle sexual-assault investigations – an unprecedented overhaul of oversight, training and investigative practices designed to address substantial flaws in the way sexual violence is policed in Canada. But, as Robyn Doolittle reports, for some police services, it's still status quo, and depending on where you are in the country, the change looks different.
In order to get a better picture of sexual-assault case reform, The Globe developed an 18-question survey for 177 police services across Canada. Read more about the methodology here.
The stories that go untold when a small town loses its newspaper
By small-town standards, it was a busy week in Orillia, a town of about 30,000, a couple hours north of Toronto. Important decisions were made, problems debated, city leaders pressed ahead with plans to remodel the downtown, cheering volunteers handed out groceries at a food bank, a hockey game was postponed, officials prepared for the Ontario Winter Games and grieving mothers told their stories at a vigil to raise awareness about the city's drug-overdose crisis. And a local pub held a wake for a newspaper that for 147 years used to chronicle all these events. The Packet and Times was just one of many small Ontario papers axed in the Postmedia deal with Torstar. Marcus Gee spends a week in Orillia telling the stories that won't be told anymore.
Evening Update is written by Jordan Chittley and Omair Quadri. If you'd like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.
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Apple granted patent for fingerprint-reading touchscreen
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Taylor Martin/CNET
The iPhone's home button may not be long for this world.
Apple has been granted a patent for an "interactive display panel with IR diodes" -- a method that would let users activate a device through a virtual home button placed within the touchscreen. The technology, described in a filing made public Tuesday by the US Patent and Trade Office, could replace the physical home button that's traditionally occupied the space below the iPhone's screen. The patent was first spotted by Apple-tracking site AppleInsider.
Ever since Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, the round home button has been a focal point for navigating the gadget. But rumors of its demise began to swirl in 2013, when Apple introduced Touch ID, a fingerprint security sensor that allowed users of its iPhone 5S to bypass typing in a password. The Touch ID sensor is built into the home button today.
That speculation only increased in 2015, when Apple filed a patent application to move the fingerprint sensor beneath the glass of the touchscreen, eliminating the need for a home button.
As Apple marks the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone, the rumor mill is being fed by reports about big hardware changes expected on the next-generation phone many are calling the iPhone 8. The elimination of a physical home button is one of the rumored changes, as is a glass and steel body with a curved edge display; wireless charging; and even using an iris scanner as one way to unlock the device.
Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Does the Mac still matter? Apple execs tell why the MacBook Pro was over four years in the making, and why we should care.
Batteries Not Included: The CNET team shares experiences that remind us why tech stuff is cool.
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SPVM investigating attempted murder in Cote-des-Neiges parking garage
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CTV Montreal
Montreal police are investigating an attempted murder in Cote-des-Neiges that sent a man in his 30's to hospital Saturday evening.
The first 911 calls came in around 4 p.m. Police located a man, conscious, inside of a a parking garage on Cote-des-Neiges and Decelles Ave. He had sustained at least one bullet wound to the upper body, and was transported to hospital.
An SPVM spokesperson said the victim was in surgery, but there is no word on his condition.
Police also said the man was known to authorities in the area.
Forensic investigators will be assessing the scene, and analyzing nearby surveillance footage. A number of witnesses will also be questioned.
No arrests have been made.
Southbound Cote-des-Neiges was temporarily closed to traffic from Queen Mary, but has since re-opened.
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2018 Hall of Fame inductees: Terrell Owens, Ray Lewis get in
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Terrell Owens is finally in the Hall.
The six-time Pro Bowler was one of five men to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018. Joining him in Canton as Modern Era enshrinees will be linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, wide receiver Randy Moss and safety Brian Dawkins, according to multiple reports.
Also voted in from the senior finalist list were Robert Brazile, a linebacker who played from 1975-1984, and former Packers offensive lineman Jerry Kramer (1958-68)
Bobby Beathard, a longtime general manager, was voted in as a "contributor."
Owens, who is second all-time in receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns, wasn't voted in during his first two years of eligibility, ostensibly because of his off-field conduct.
Lewis, Moss, and Urlacher were all voted in in their first year of eligibility, while Dawkins made it in after being a semifinalist in 2017.
Lewis, a 13-time Pro Bowler and two-time winner of the defensive player of the year award, anchored the Ravens' defense for 17 years, leading Baltimore to two Super Bowls. Moss caught 982 passes for 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns in his 14-year career, possessing a unique blend of size and speed. Urlacher is an eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time first team All-Pro player and Dawkins made nine Pro Bowls and five first-team All Pros.
Nine-time Pro Bowl safety John Lynch, who is now the general manager for the 49ers, missed out on the vote this year.
The rest of the 2018 finalists were:
Tony Boselli, tackle, Jacksonville Jaguars
Isaac Bruce, wide receiver, Rams, 49ers
Alan Faneca, guard, Steelers, Jets, Cardinals
Steve Hutchinson, guard, Seahawks, Vikings, Titans
Joe Jacoby, tackle, Washington
Edgerrin James, running back, Colts, Cardinals, Seahawks
Ty Law, cornerback Patriots, Jets, Chiefs, Broncos
John Lynch, safety, Buccaneers, Broncos
Kevin Mawae, center, Seahawks, Jets, Titans
Everson Walls, cornerback, Cowboys, Giants, Browns
A full list of player accomplishments is available .
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Moreland schools collect and donate materials to Texas schools
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Classes in the Moreland School District are lending many helping hands to Texans affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Three schools have focused their classroom lessons and school-wide events on raising money for victims of the destructive hurricane that ravaged the Lone Star State’s southern coast in late August.
A first-grade class at Baker Elementary School has adopted a class at Sue Creech Elementary in Katy, Texas, located just west of Houston. All supplies in the Texas classroom were lost Inc the storm.
Baker Elementary first-grade teacher Jenna Naylor brainstormed with her class how they could help the Sue Creech students. To date they have collected school supplies and gently used books, and sent cards to the students. Additionally, a GoFundMe webpage was created to help rebuild the classroom, and more than $1,400 has been raised thus far.
“It all happened so fast,” said Naylor. “The kids just really wanted to help. What a great lesson in humanity and a teachable moment about helping others.”
Elsewhere in the district, a fourth-grade class has how it can help after staging its classroom to look like it had just been hit by a natural disaster.
Easterbrook Discovery School’s fourth-grade teacher, Royce Agustin, transformed his classroom to simulate the type of destruction hurricanes can bring. He had his students walk through the staged disaster and reflect on their initial reactions. Students saw chairs scattered, desks flipped over and classroom supplies on the floor.
Payne Elementary School asked families to do something a little different when it came to the annual book fair. Families are usually asked to purchase a book and donate it to their child’s classroom, but this year they were asked to purchase a book and donate it to a classroom affected by the hurricane. Books are shipped out to the Friendswood Independent School District and Pasadena Independent School District in Texas.
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WI man arrested in serial toilet clogging, Sheboygan cops say
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The toilets of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, are finally safe.
Sheboygan police arrested a 33-year-old man Monday on suspicion that he’s the vandal who spent the past two years clogging a public toilet more than two dozen times. Repairing clog after clog has drained thousands in taxpayer funds from the city, which is perched on Lake Michigan north of Milwaukee. Police have not named the suspect.
The Memorial Day arrest came following a tip from a citizen, police said.
The villain’s clogging tool was an unconventional one, according to police. He would take a 20-ounce soda bottle and jam it into a women’s toilet at the Deland Community Center in the city. Once he’d lodged a bottle deep in the pipes, the vandal would run-off — leaving behind a messy surprise for the city to clean up.
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In March, the city got desperate enough that police issued a plea for help on Facebook.
“This is very strange … and gross, but that is the reality of life,” the city’s police department wrote at the time, begging for leads or tips.
Police said in March that surveillance cameras suggested a man was to blame. Commenters on Facebook said the city should have installed cameras years ago to catch the culprit and avoid paying to clean up after him.
As of March, the serial clogger had struck three times just this year, according to Joe Kerlin, the city’s parks and forestry superintendent. But the clogger had been even busier in past years, Kerlin told the Sheboygan Press — blocking the same public women’s toilet 14 times in 2017, and 12 the year before.
That substantial tally (29 cloggings — but who’s counting?) only includes incidents since the city began keeping track, Kerlin told the newspaper. And it wasn’t until halfway into 2016 it dawned on authorities that a serial clogger was on the loose. Kerlin estimated that the city has spent between $2,000 and $3,000 dealing with the clogger’s reign of terror.
“A lot of times we can just fish ’em out,” Kerlin told the newspaper, describing the best case scenario. Especially obstinate bottles mean plumbers have to remove the entire toilet.
The case has been passed off to the Sheboygan County District Attorney's Office for charges to be filed, WBAY reports.
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Watch: Robot composer performs its own work
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A four-armed, marimba-playing robot can now write and play its own compositions with aid from artificial intelligence and deep learning.
Researchers fed the robot nearly 5,000 complete songs—from Beethoven to the Beatles to Lady Gaga to Miles Davis—and more than 2 million motifs, riffs, and licks of music. Aside from giving the machine a seed, or the first four measures to use as a starting point, no humans are involved in either the composition or the performance of the music.
The first two compositions are roughly 30 seconds in length. See and hear the robot, named Shimon, play in the videos below.
Doctoral student Mason Bretan is the man behind the machine. He’s worked with Shimon for seven years, enabling it to “listen” to music played by humans and improvise over pre-composed chord progressions. Now Shimon is a solo composer for the first time, generating the melody and harmonic structure on its own.
“Once Shimon learns the four measures we provide, it creates its own sequence of concepts and composes its own piece,” says Bretan, who will receive his doctorate in music technology this summer at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
“Shimon’s compositions represent how music sounds and looks when a robot uses deep neural networks to learn everything it knows about music from millions of human-made segments,” he says.
Bretan says this is the first time a robot has used deep learning to create music. And unlike its days of improvising, when it played monophonically, Shimon is able to play harmonies and chords. It’s also thinking much more like a human musician, focusing less on the next note, as it did before, and more on the overall structure of the composition.
“When we play or listen to music, we don’t think about the next note and only that next note,” says Bretan. “An artist has a bigger idea of what he or she is trying to achieve within the next few measures or later in the piece. Shimon is now coming up with higher-level musical semantics. Rather than thinking note by note, it has a larger idea of what it wants to play as a whole.”
“This is a leap in Shimon’s musical quality because it’s using deep learning to create a more structured and coherent composition,” says Gil Weinberg, Bretan’s advisor, a professor in the School of Music and Shimon’s creator.
“We want to explore whether robots could become musically creative and generate new music that we humans could find beautiful, inspiring, and strange,” he says.
Shimon will create more pieces in the future. As long as the researchers feed it a different seed, the robot will produce something different each time—music that the researchers can’t predict. In the first piece, Bretan fed Shimon a melody comprised of eighth notes. It received a sixteenth note melody the second time, which influenced it to generate faster note sequences.
Bretan acknowledges that he can’t pick out individual songs that Shimon is referencing. He is able to recognize classical chord progression and influences of artists, such as Mozart, for example.
“They sound like a fusion of jazz and classical,” says Bretan, who plays the keyboards and guitar in his free time. “I definitely hear more classical, especially in the harmony. But then I hear chromatic moving steps in the first piece—that’s definitely something you hear in jazz.”
Shimon’s debut as a solo composer appeared in a video clip in the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) keynote and will have its first live performance at the Aspen Ideas Festival.
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
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Gucci's Online Sales More Than Double
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Kering SA’s white-hot Gucci brand kept up its relentless growth pace at the start of the year, with online sales more than doubling in the first quarter.
The Paris-based luxury group’s comparable sales grew 37 percent in the period, according to a statement Tuesday after markets closed. Analysts had expected a 23 percent increase.
Designer Alessandro Michele’s crystal- and flower-coated reboot of Gucci has won over young luxury shoppers. After a more than 70 percent gain in Kering’s shares over the past 12 months, investors have been watching to see how long the Italian label can maintain its rapid growth. The latest results show that this year’s collaborations with hip artists and a runway show in which models carried props like baby dragons continue to resonate with fans.
“We delivered a remarkable performance in the first quarter and are confident that our brands can outperform the market in the remainder of the year through innovation,” Chief Financial Officer Jean-Marc Duplaix said on a call with reporters.
The company has benefited from surging Chinese demand for luxury goods, which has also lifted the fortunes of LVMH and other rivals. Gucci’s online sales gains were led by the U.S., Kering said.
Gucci’s comparable sales rose 49 percent in the latest quarter, while Kering’s Saint Laurent and the division that includes fast-growing Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen also grew by double-digit percentages.
Tougher Comparison
The company cautioned that it faces strong comparison bases in the second half of the year but expects its brands to continue to grow at a fast pace. Still, the company sees its performance beating initial expectations this year, Duplaix said on a call with analysts.
Kering sped up progress toward becoming a luxury-only group this quarter when it announced plans to spin off its shares in German sportswear maker Puma SE. It has also put the skateboarding label Volcom up for sale and moved to unwind its joint venture with Stella McCartney’s fashion brand, selling its 50 percent stake back to its namesake.
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BCHL Today: Salmon Arm streaking while Langley and Chilliwack struggle
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BCHL Today is a (near) daily feature providing news and notes from around the junior A world.
Welcome to the Feb. 3, 2018 edition of BCHL Today, a (near) daily look at what’s going on around the league and the junior A world.
There were seven games on the BCHL schedule, and we start in Trail, where the Langley Rivermen were whomped 8-1 at the Cominco Arena.
Rarely do you see a score like this where at least one player didn’t have a multi-goal game, but the Smoke Eaters spread the scoring around with eight different players putting pucks in the net. Braedon Fleming go the start in the Langley cage, but lasted just 12:44 before getting the hook, after Trail scored twice on nine shots.
Kale Howarth and Tyler Ghirardosi did the damage.
Nic Tallarico took over in the Rivermen net and Trail took just four seconds to beat him on a Jeremy Lucchini snipe. The snowball rolled straight downhill from there. Spencer McLean and Andre Ghantous scored second period goals. A Levi Glasman goal chased Tallarico out of the net 11:40 into period three, with Fleming coming back in.
Fleming surrendered two goals on seven shots in the final 8:20, with Trail’s Connor Welsh (great name!) and Braedon Tuck pulling the trigger.
Connor Marshall scored the lone goal for Langley, a team that seems to be heading south at the wrong time of year. Since coming back from the Christmas break the Rivermen have four wins against eight losses and are in danger of starting the playoffs on the road.
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On the topic of disappointing teams, next up is the Chilliwack Chiefs, who fell 3-2 in Prince George Friday night.
The Spruce Kings generated just 11 shots on the Chilliwack net in this one, but were able to sneak three pucks past Chiefs stopper Mathieu Caron. Patrick Cozzi and Ben Brar had PG up 2-0 through 20 minutes. Liam Watson-Brawn had them up by three late in the second period before Corey Andonovski finally got Chilliwack on the board.
Harrison Blaisdell scored the second Chiefs goal with just 42 seconds left in the game.
I haven’t talked about Chilliwack’s on-ice performance much because, frankly, it’s been depressing. I was hoping for so much more from a team that will host the Royal Bank Cup in just over three months. They will be playing for a national championship, and based on winning percentage they’re only the 11th best team in their own league. Has there been an RBC Cup host that has turned in a weaker regular season?
Look at the Chiefs roster and it shouldn’t be so. Or should it? I wonder, if head coach/general manager Jason Tatarnic could go back and construct this roster all over again, would he still entrust the net to a pair of 17 year olds? The tandem of Mathieu Caron and Daniel Chenard has been far from the only issue with this team, but they also haven’t been part of any solution. Caron can be lights-out one night and shaky the next, and Chenard has been dogged by a lower body injury all season. When he’s played, he’s shown flashes of brilliance, but like Caron it’s been an up-and-down adventure.
Having a 19 or 20 year old goalie to insulate one of the youngsters may have been a better path.
But like I said, Caron and Chenard aren’t the only problem. The lineup has depth but no gamebreakers. The forward and defensive ranks are dotted with Major Junior talents (Adam Berg/Ryan Bowen/Marcus Teskink/Kyle Yewchuk/Bryan Allbee) who’ve underwhelmed.
Tatarnic acquired the AJHL’s scoring leader, PJ Marrocco, earlier this season, and he’s produced a good-but-not-great seven goals and 14 points in 17 games.
Some nights the team puts it all together and looks like the team they were supposed to be, and maybe they’ll flip the switch and be that team in the playoffs. More likely, they’ll be what they are now, a middling fourth-place team heading for an early exit.
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Brock Sawyer is now 0-2 as interim head coach of the Powell River Kings after his team fell 4-3 in overtime to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs Friday night.
The firing of long-time bench boss Kent Lewis seems to have thrown this team for a loop at the worst possible time, and you really have to question the timing of Lewis’ dismissal by the Powell River board. The Kings loss to AV combined with Nanaimo’s 8-5 win over Cowichan Valley has the Clippers even with Powell River in the Island division standings.
There’s a real danger that the team could start the playoffs on the road.
Paul Selleck scored the OT winner for the Bulldogs in Friday’s win, which wouldn’t have gotten to extra time if Powell River’s Andy Stevens hadn’t come through with a game-tying goal with 1:56 left in the third period.
Darren Rizzolo, Keaton Mastrodonato and Bradley Ong also scored for the Dawgs with Carter Turnbull and Josh Coblenz replying for the Kings.
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We bounce over to that Nanaimo/Cowichan game because the score-sheet is so much fun.
Richmond native Joshua Bourne had four goals in 14 games coming into this one, where his hat-trick powered the Clips to victory. Nanaimo actually led 7-2 through two periods on Bourne’s three and singles by Lucas Vanroboys, Jordan Wharrie, Brad Belisle and Preston Brodziak.
The Caps came roaring back, sort of, in the third period.
Cowichan managed eight shots on net in the final frame, and scored on three of them, with David Laroche netting a pair and Troy MacTavish adding a single.
But Nanaimo’s David Melaragni countered with a power play goal at 18:22 to put any Capital comeback hopes to rest.
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Finally, to Salmon Arm where all the Silverbacks do these days is win.
Trevor Adams scored the game winner midway through period three as the BCHL’s hottest team won its seventh straight game. Salmon Arm has 10 wins and a tie in 14 post-Christmas outings. They’re on the verge of leap-frogging West Kelowna for fifth place in the Interior division standings, where they sit just two points back with seven games to play.
I don’t know that Penticton or Vernon or Wenatchee is dreading the idea of facing the Silverbacks in the first round of the playoffs, but Salmon Arm looks like they’ll be a very tough out.
Hudson Schandor had a pair of goals in Friday’s win with Rhett Kingston and Brandon Whistle also scoring. R.J. Murphy had a pair of first period tallies for West K, with Parm Dhaliwal and Chase Stevenson also hitting the score-sheet.
The other two scores from Friday night saw Wenatchee take down the Coquitlam Express by a 7-3 count while the Penticton Vees squeaked out a 3-2 road win in Merritt.
BCHL Today takes Sundays off and returns Monday morning with a look at the rest of the weekend action.
Eric Welsh is the sports editor at the Chilliwack Progress and has been covering junior A hockey in B.C. and Alberta since 2003.
Email [email protected]
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Bournemouth captain Francis signs one-year contact extension
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Bournemouth captain Simon Francis has signed a one-year contract extension to keep him at the Vitality Stadium until the end of 2019-20 season, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
REUTERS: Bournemouth captain Simon Francis has signed a one-year contract extension to keep him at the Vitality Stadium until the end of 2019-20 season, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old defender, who had one year remaining on his previous deal, has made 286 appearances for the Cherries since arriving from Charlton Athletic in 2011.
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"The most important thing was to retain our Premier League status for another year and then once that was achieved it was a chance to sit down and discuss things," Francis told the club website http://www.afcb.co.uk.
"It all happened fairly quickly because negotiations don't take too long when a player wants to stay at the club."
Eddie Howe's Bournemouth finished 12th in the Premier League with 44 points to secure a fourth consecutive campaign in top-flight football.
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris)
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Syrians say militants shoot escapees, air strikes kill civilians as Raqqa battle intensifies
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By Michael Georgy
AIN ISSA, Syria, June 14 (Reuters) - Islamic State militants in Raqqa are passing themselves off as civilians to try to avoid intensifying air strikes and shooting anyone caught trying to escape their Syrian bastion as U.S.-backed coalition forces close in, witnesses said.
At a camp for the displaced in the village of Ain Issa north of the city, people who arrived on Wednesday also said the air strikes supporting an assault by U.S.-backed forces had inflicted widespread destruction as the battle intensified.
United Nations war crimes investigators said the air campaign had killed at least 300 civilians in the city, captured by Islamic State in 2014 in the chaos of Syria's civil war.
The escapees said the air strikes had flattened rows of apartment blocks along a main road but many of them had already been abandoned by residents fleeing Islamic State´s reign of terror and the assault on the town, which began last week.
"The coalition strikes destroyed a four-story apartment building. I saw 10 people trapped underneath," said Abu Hamoud. "They used phosphorus."
Human Rights Watch expressed concern on Wednesday about the use of incendiary white phosphorous weapons by the U.S.-led coalition, saying it endangers civilians when used in populated areas.
The coalition is backing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab militias who spent months moving to surround Raqqa in northern Syria in preparation for the assault to recapture the city.
Hassan Kirfou, said an airstrike hit the mosque where he works just a few hours after he closed it for the night, and two other mosques were hit.
"I saw three dead teenagers on top of each other outside the Nour mosque," he said. "I don´t know why they shot these areas. As far as I know there were only a few Daesh (Islamic State) snipers left there."
Much of the damage from air strikes was inflicted on Seif al-Dawla street, one of the main arteries of the town. "My uncle and two cousins were killed. Their house was destroyed," Kirfou said.
The pressure on Islamic State, which is on the brink of losing the other centre of its self-proclaimed caliphate, the Iraqi city of Mosul, is taking a heavy toll on the group, people who arrived at Ain Issa in the last few days said.
"They have started using microphones to tell people: 'Don´t go to the infidels, stay with Islam'," said Abdul Razak Crais, standing near rows of white tents as people lined up for food.
"They poured gasoline on the cars of anyone who tried to escape then lit a match and burned the vehicles. I saw them haul people out of their cars and shoot them with AK-47s."
The coalition estimates that 3,000-4,000 Islamic State fighters are holed up in Raqqa, the administrative headquarters of Islamic State, which has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on civilians across the globe.
Residents who fled say the militants have been laying landmines on streets, booby trapping houses and digging tunnels in preparation for battle.
"They take over people´s houses and create big holes in their walls so they can move back and forth during fighting," said Thaier Ibrahim.
Others at the camp said militants were hiding weapons and riding cars with civilians to avoid air strikes.
Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of a U.N. Commission of Inquiry, said civilians were now extremely vulnerable: "As the operation is gaining pace very rapidly, civilians are caught up in the city under the oppressive rule of ISIL, while facing extreme danger associated with movement due to excessive air strikes."
About 10,000 civilians have fled to the SDF-run Ain Issa camp about 60 km (40 miles) north of Raqqa with hundreds more arriving each day, Medecins Sans Frontieres has said.
Conditions have deteriorated because of the gruelling summer heat. But people like Mohamed Nahaf took the risk of getting shot to escape Islamic State and a battle for the city that could take months.
"They cut off all roads. We had to pay a smuggler $200 to get us out," he said.
(Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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It’s a shame NPP is defending 998 Jubilee House staff - Cudjoe
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The president of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe, has said that it’s sad that the NPP government which criticised the number of employees at the then Flagstaff House when they were in opposition are strongly defending the staggering 998 staff at the Jubilee House.
His response comes after a report released showed that the Presidency had 998 staffs for the period January 7, 2017, to December 31, 2017.
The breakdown was as follows 9 Ministers of State, 27 presidential staffers, 256 Junior Political Appointees and 706 civil and public servants.
READ ALSO: Samira Bawumia, Dep Education Minister dance to Funny Face’s ‘Cow and Chicken’
This number is some 220 staff more than the 778 employees presented to parliament by the erstwhile John Mahama administration in 2013.
This angered many Ghanaians who called out the Nana Addo administration for their deceit and hypocrisy.
Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, a senior member of the New Patriotic Party and a former Executive Director of policy think tank Danquah Institute (DI) justified the 998 figure, saying that President Akufo-Addo prioritises results over a lean government.
“Akufo-Addo has never put lean government before a government that delivers. I recall in 2006, we were working on a speech and when I mentioned ‘lean government’, he told me to point blankly that our situation in Ghana calls more for a well-resourced government machinery that can deliver,” he wrote on his Facebook Wall.
READ ALSO: 998 Presidential staffers justified - Professor Adei
However, President of IMANI Africa Franklin Cudjoe said this position was hypocritical and sad.
“I think the conversation has to be about whether we have efficient denominator to go on with,” he said on Accra-based Starr FM.
“The sad thing though,” he bemoaned, “is that, the same persons who a while back were chastising previous governments for running a bloated bureaucracy are today defending the same bloated number by suggesting he [President Akufo-Addo] didn’t promise a lean government.”
“…That’s where my disappointed really lies, realizing that we have been double speaking and I don’t think it is fair. So anyhow you look at it my worry and disappointment is in the fact that they haven’t paid fidelity to the fact and it is of course worrying,” he added.
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Saudi Crown Prince MBS 'wants out' of Yemen war
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Leaked emails show Mohammed bin Salman expressing desire to end conflict during talks with former US officials.
Saudi Arabia's crown prince has told two former American officials that he "wants out" of the two-year war he started in Yemen, and that he is not against US rapprochement with Iran, according to leaked emails published by Middle East Eye.
The revelation sheds light on the thinking of Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the 31-year-old heir to the Saudi throne, also known as MBS.
The leaks pertain to discussions he held on the Middle East with Martin Indyk, a former US ambassador to Israel, and Steven Hadley, who served as US national security adviser during George W Bush's presidency.
The conversation took place at least one month before Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar, accusing it of trying to undermine their war in Yemen and for having friendly relations with Iran.
READ MORE: Saudi Arabia 'seeks Iraq's help' to mend ties with Iran
The details of the meeting between MBS and the former American officials were revealed in an email exchange, between Indyk and Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE's ambassador in Washington, DC.
The email exchange was obtained by the GlobalLeaks campaign group, according to Middle East Eye.
MBS's doubts about Decisive Storm further undermines the position of the Yemeni president in exile, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, in whose name the Saudi-led campaign against the Houthis and their allies was launched.
In one email, Otaiba and Indyk can be seen discussing the difference between the young MBS and the elder leadership of Saudi Arabia, with the former describing him as a "pragmatic leader".
The emails also paint a picture of how Otaiba and the UAE leadership view the future Saudi Arabia.
'Emirati imperialism'
The emails further reveal conversations between Otaiba and Elliott Abrams, former Bush administration official and pro-Israel hawk, who describes the UAE's objectives in the region as the "new hegemon" and "Emirati imperialism".
The conflict in Yemen has escalated dramatically since March 2015, when Saudi-led forces launched a military operation against the Iran-allied Houthi fighters.
Since the conflict began, more than 10,000 people have been killed and millions have been driven from their homes.
The Saudi-led operation has been blamed for the spread of cholera in Yemen, where an estimated 500,000 have been reportedly afflicted.
In the exchange, Indyk was quoted as telling Otaiba that MBS made it "quite clear" to him and Hadley that "he is OK with the US engaging Iran as long as it is co-ordinated [sic] in advance and the objectives are clear."
Indyk was contacted by Middle East Eye and presented with the substance of his email exchange with Otaiba. He refused to comment.
Otaiba did not reply to Middle East Eye's request for comment.
Hadley said: "I cannot comment on what was a private conversation."
The revelations come a day after Qasim al-Araji, Iraq's interior minister, reportedly said that both Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and MBS had asked Baghdad to act as an intermediary and help mend relations between Riyadh and Tehran.
On July 30, MBS met Muqtada al-Sadr during the influential Iraqi Shia leader's rare visit to Saudi Arabia.
Sadr's diplomacy
Sadr, an anti-American figure, commands a large following among the urban poor of Baghdad and the southern cities, including Saraya al-Salam, or Peace Brigades armed group.
He is now seen as a nationalist who has repeatedly called for protests against corruption in the Iraqi government, and his supporters have staged huge protests in Baghdad calling for electoral reform.
Speaking on Sunday, Saad Jawad, a political science professor at the London School of Economics, termed the Saudi-Iraqi diplomatic moves "odd".
"If Saudi Arabia is [in a dispute] with Qatar about Qatar's relationship with Iran ... how could they ask the Iraqis to amend their relations with Iran?
"The Saudis know very well that Iraq is a little bit biased in [its] relations with the Iranians, and they are under the influence of the Iranians."
Jawad said Saudi Arabia could have asked a more neutral broker such as Kuwait or Oman, both of which have "good relations" with Iran.
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Chargers aren't giving any hints about how they'll approach NFL draft
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"We're trying to win here and we want to win with the right people," Telesco said. "And I think if you have the right people, they can handle adversity. And if things get tough, a lot of times the guys who don't have the character you want are the first guys to go south on you. You can't rely on them, and you need people you can rely on.
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Start colon cancer screening at 45, not 50, American Cancer Society urges
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Most people should start screening tests for colon and rectal cancers at age 45, rather than waiting for age 50, as long recommended, the American Cancer Society said Wednesday.
The group said that the initial test does not have to be a colonoscopy, a procedure that typically requires a day off from work and an often-unpleasant bowel cleansing routine. Instead, it could be one of several other tests, including home stool tests available by prescription.
Other expert groups still recommend starting at age 50. That’s the stance of the influential U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which last reviewed the issue in 2016.
But the shift by the cancer society is based on new information about the rise in colon and rectal cancer among younger adults, said Andrew Wolf, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Virginia. He led the group writing the new recommendations.
Colon and rectal cancers have increased 51% among adults under age 50 since 1994, the cancer society said.
“We don’t know why it’s going on,” Wolf said, noting that suspects include obesity and poor diet. “But it’s increasingly clear that it is happening.”
Meanwhile, cases and deaths have fallen in older adults, at least partly due to screening, which can lead to the detection and removal of polyps before they become cancerous.
Most of the nation’s 140,000 annual cases and 50,000 deaths from colon and rectal cancer still occur among people over age 55. But the share of cases involving younger adults has risen to 29% for rectal cancer and 17% for colon cancer, a recent study showed.
While few trials have looked at screening 45-year-olds, new statistical models reviewed by the cancer society showed that the younger group should benefit nearly as much as slightly older adults do, Wolf said. But because the evidence is not as strong, the society said its recommendation for screening at 45 was “qualified.”
That means that “we hope that doctors will look at this and at least start discussions of colorectal cancer screening with their 45-year-old patients,” Wolf said.
It could be a complicated discussion. Not only do major groups now differ on starting ages, they also differ on how strongly they recommend various tests.
A group representing three professional societies of gastroenterologists said in 2017 that African Americans should start screening at 45, because they are at increased risk, but that others should wait until age 50. It also said the best tests are colonoscopies every 10 years or a test called FIT (fecal immunochemical testing) to check for blood in the stool every year.
The group gave lower rankings to other screening strategies, including CT scans every five years or a stool test that checks for both blood and DNA changes every three years.
By contrast, the cancer society said the tests are equally acceptable – though worrisome results on any test other than a colonoscopy need to be followed up with a colonoscopy.
“We do know that a lot of folks have distinct preferences when offered a choice,” Wolf said. “The best colorectal screening test is the one that gets done.”
While the overall costs and benefits of earlier screening remain unclear, the message that screening is important and can come in many forms is crucial, said David Weinberg, chairman of medicine at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia.
“The bottom line is that if you regularly participate in colon cancer screening, you have a reduced risk of getting and dying from colon cancer,” said Weinberg, who was not involved in the cancer society guidelines.
The qualified endorsement of screening at age 45 is reasonable and “will lead to a lot of discussion and investigation,” said Douglas Rex, a professor of medicine at Indiana University. He was lead author on the differing recommendations from the gastroenterology groups.
What happens now will be partly up to insurers. Some will not cover testing in younger patients right away, Wolf said. And some will cover stool testing, but refuse to cover follow-up colonoscopies for those with abnormal results, he said.
The out-of-pocket cost for a colonoscopy can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. A DNA stool test can cost several hundred dollars, but a yearly stool test for blood alone can cost as little as $20, Rex said.
Colonoscopy also carries risks, including bowel perforation and complications from anesthesia. The risks rise with age. That’s one reason the cancer society and preventive services task force recommend screening be considered on a case by case basis after age 75 and stopped after age 85.
The new recommendations apply to people at average risk for colon and rectal cancer. Those at higher risk, because of their personal or family history, may be urged to get screening earlier or more often.
© 2018 USATODAY.COM
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Lava flows out of Mount Etna in Sicily
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Lava continues to flow out of Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Observatory Etneo spotted the lava at an altitude of about 3,000 meters above sea level.
This drone footage offers a closeup view of lava flowing from the volcano.
In early March, Mount Etna erupted, spewing magma into the air and injuring 10 people, including a BBC television crew and scientist.
Etna's eruptions, often visible from far away, are reminders to those living or hiking on its slopes that the volcano is quite active.
Mount Etna is the highest point in Italy south of the Alps and one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
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SC directs Shahabuddin to be shifted to Tihar Jail
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court today directed Bihar’s Siwan jail to shift Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin to Tihar Central Jail for a free and fair trial.
The SC bench comprised of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Amitava Roy said that its order be communicated to the Bihar Home Secretary forthwith.
The apex court also directed that no special privileges be extended to Shahabuddin in the course of his shifting.
The order was pronounced by Justice Misra on a plea filed by Asha Ranjan, wife of slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan.
The apex court asked the Patna High Court to decide in four months some of the matters relating to the cases against Shahabuddin pending before it.
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Oosthuizen OK but not his eight-iron after hitting tree root
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Aug 11, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Louis Oosthuizen tees off on the third hole during the second round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - Louis Oosthuizen looked in trouble after swinging down onto a tree root with an approach shot at the second hole but the South African shook off the injury scare as a momentary jolt and said it did not impair him during the PGA Championship third round.
Oosthuizen, who shook his right arm in discomfort after hitting the shot with his back against a tree, walked down the fairway with a physio working on him.
The 2010 British Open champion parred the hole and went on to register a level-par 71 for a five-under 208 total that left him two shots behind leader Kevin Kisner going into Sunday's final round.
"It's fine. It wasn't hurting at all. I didn't feel like it was painful or anything. It was just it got tight really quickly," he told reporters.
"I could feel it all over. I thought it would be good to get the physio and release it. He just did a proper release of it. There was no pain. I could hit my shots, no worries."
More worrisome for Oosthuizen was the condition of his eight-iron.
"I was going pretty steep on it. Took a big chunk out of it. Bent my eight-iron properly," said Oosthuizen, who had to go with his seven-iron instead on two approach shots in the closing holes including the 16th, which he bogeyed.
Oosthuizen tried to bend the club back but to no avail.
"I tried to fix it, but obviously I'm not good at that," he said. "I got it to the club and they tried to fix it, but it was just right in the hozzle where the shaft goes in. Ping is already building me a new one and getting it to me."
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Montreal Canadiens give Al Montoya extension, can expose goalie for expansion
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The Montreal Canadiens have signed backup goalie Al Montoya to a two-year extension, the team announced Monday.
The deal is worth an average of $1.065 million per season, a source told ESPN.com.
By extending Montoya, who would have been an unrestricted free agent July 1, the Canadiens now have a goalie they can expose in the June expansion draft.
Al Montoya gets an extension, and the Canadiens get a goalie they can expose in the expansion draft. Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Neither of Montreal's minor league goalie prospects, Charlie Lindgren and Zach Fucale, are eligible per expansion draft rules. So the Canadiens needed to either find a goalie who met the requirements or extend Montoya. Canadiens star goalie Carey Price, who has a no-movement clause, is not eligible for the expansion draft, either.
All NHL teams must expose at least four players that meet requirements for the Las Vegas expansion franchise: one goalie, one defenseman and two forwards.
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Julianne Hough takes a cruise with her high school besties
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There's nothing like reconnecting with old friends. And there's definitely nothing like doing it on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!
Actress and "Dancing with the Stars" judge Julianne Hough, 29, is 11 years out of high school ... and a few days into a mini reunion with her OG crew from Utah.
"It only took 11 years to make this happen," Hough captioned a photo of herself posing with five other women. "But my high school besties and I finally went on a girls trip."
She added a few hashtags, some decipherable, some clearly inside jokes: #kristyisthenewestishy #11yearsinthemaking #isheswiththefishes #imonaboat #cruisenobooze.
Hough was raised Mormon, hence the "no booze" rule. But it looks like this group is having plenty of fun either way.
Mormons gettin' "high" on a boat!! H⚡️GH #highfitnessmccall @highfittnessmccall A post shared by Julianne Hough (@juleshough) on Aug 12, 2017 at 12:13pm PDT
No surprise that this dancing queen attended a fitness class on her vacation!
Last night in the library... 📖 Before the silent disco 💙❤️💚 A post shared by Julianne Hough (@juleshough) on Aug 13, 2017 at 10:08am PDT
It's the second big trip this summer for Hough, who honeymooned with new husband Brooks Laich last month on a private island in the Seychelles and on safari in Kenya.
Brunchin' with my huzzzbin' 😍 #honeymoon A post shared by Julianne Hough (@juleshough) on Jul 17, 2017 at 2:19am PDT
They even celebrated her birthday while abroad.
Hats off to my beautiful wife @juliannehough - wishing you the happiest of birthdays! You are the best part of every day, happy bday, ï¸B! pic.twitter.com/I7OuLTv66w — Brooks Laich (@brookslaich) July 20, 2017
It's great to see post-marriage Hough is still making time for her girls ... and chasing adventure all summer long!
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This tax bill will punish many senior citizens | Letter
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Taxes, taxes, taxes. Why aren't seniors mentioned in the ongoing tax-reform debate? A group of us are wondering why not. We've come to a conclusion: We will pay almost double what we now pay if these proposals are passed.
One senior who gets a $25,000 pension and $10,000 from Social Security now pays taxes on $14,000, or roughly $1,400, at the 10 percent rate with deductions for the elderly and only a portion of Social Security being taxed.
The new proposal allows a $12,000 deduction and leaves $23,000 to be taxed at 12 percent, or a tax bill of $2,760. That's a $1,360 increase.
Tell me what senior can afford this, when some pay that amount for rent.
Retirement is supposed to the golden years. It seems to me these years will be tarnished by our government. They earn mega bucks and don't seem to care about seniors who voted them in.
Erma Gohn
Bethlehem
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Seahawks show it all in 48-17 preseason opening win over Charger - SWX Right Now-Sports for Spokane, CdA, Tri-Cities, WA
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CARSON, Calif. -- Philip Rivers' sharp throw found Antonio Gates in the middle of the end zone, and StubHub Center shook with cheers from fans who were thrilled to see this familiar teamwork in a brand-new setting.
Although the rest of this preseason opener belonged to the Seattle Seahawks, at least the Los Angeles Chargers opened their new home with a classic San Diego connection.
Rivers threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Gates on the opening drive of the Chargers' first preseason game since relocation, but the Seahawks' backups otherwise dominated a 48-17 victory Sunday night.
The Chargers had 21,054 fans in their tidy new home for the first game of a three-year residency at 27,000-seat StubHub Center. The team moved 111 miles north into a stadium built for soccer, yet providing an undeniably intimate NFL experience for fans.
"The atmosphere was great," Gates said. "I really wasn't expecting a full house. I assumed that Seattle would bring their fans, and we would have some Los Angeles fans that would be there to support us. I was more anxious to see what we were about as a team."
Rivers and his first-team offense were excellent, marching 75 yards in 13 plays capped by Gates' TD catch. Although many things are changing for the Chargers this season in LA, they've still got Rivers and Gates going into their 14th year as teammates.
"You're talking about countless hours and hard work and practicing with anticipation of certain looks," Gates said. "The balance we had that first drive, it was great to get off to the right start."
The rest of the night was more impressive for Seattle. The Chargers' revamped defense clearly has work to do under new coordinator Gus Bradley after giving up 459 yards to the Seahawks, whose reserves mostly got off to a stellar start.
"Really good first night for us in a lot of ways," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "It started off with the defense not getting off the field the way we like to see them do. After that, I think we played pretty good football, save one play or so."
Russell Wilson led the Seahawks to a field goal in his only drive with Seattle's first-team offense. The rest of Seattle's 34-point first half was a showcase for its backup defense, which forced three turnovers, and a solid second-team offense led by Trevone Boykin, who passed for 189 yards.
"He did beautifully," Carroll said. "Threw the ball really well. Moved well, made some plays with his feet. Just was in really good command of what was going on."
Terence Garvin returned a tipped interception 37 yards for a Seattle TD, and Chris Carson cashed in a 1-yard TD run after LA's Kellen Clemens fumbled a handoff with Andre Williams.
Clemens threw a 74-yard TD strike to speedy Travis Benjamin, but Rivers' backup also had two interceptions on deflected passes.
"We turned the ball over and put our defense in poor positions early," Anthony Lynn said after his first game as the Chargers' new coach. "I thought we started well. I didn't like it when the (second-stringers) came in. We stopped playing Charger football."
COZY CONFINES: StubHub Center appears to fulfill the Chargers' promise to provide a unique place to watch football. The smallest stadium in the NFL has exceptional sight lines and remarkable closeness to the field -- and the Chargers Cannon is really loud when the home team scores.
"From a player's perspective, you want to have that home-field advantage type of feel," said LaDainian Tomlinson, the Chargers Hall of Famer and a special assistant to owner Dean Spanos. "The kind of Seattle feeling that they have, the 12th Man, trying to feel something similar for this place, I think it would be a success for everyone if that could happen."
BENNETT SITS: Defensive lineman Michael Bennett remained seated on the Seahawks' bench with a towel on his head during the national anthem. The Pro Bowler said he plans to sit all season. "I just wanted to be able to use my platform to be able to continue to speak over injustice," he said.
INJURIES
Chargers: Linebacker Denzel Perryman left the field on a cart after Los Angeles' first defensive series with a left ankle injury. The Chargers were crushed by injuries in each of the past two seasons, and Perryman is expected to call the plays as their starting middle linebacker this fall. He returned to the sideline in the second half on crutches with his foot in a walking boot. "I'm not sure how bad it is right now," Lynn said.
Seahawks: Safety Jordan Simone sprained his left knee on a kickoff return. Receiver Paul Richardson sprained his shoulder.
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Scorpion loose on Virgin train from London to Edinburgh causes delays
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A train was briefly delayed when a scorpion was found scurrying the floors of a carriage.
The pet arachnid escaped from an ice cream container on the London to Edinburgh Virgin Trains East Coast service.
Rail passengers were held up for eight minutes at Peterborough station when transport police boarded.
British journalist Harry Horton live-tweeted the episode and later said he first noticed something strange when seated passengers started standing up and retreating.
“There was something going on at the end of the carriage and I couldn’t quite see what it was, said Mr Horton.
There is a scorpion on board our train so we've had to evacuate the carriage. The police are getting on at the next station to assess. — Harry Horton (@harry_horton) January 1, 2017
“A lot of the passengers were up on their feet. All of a sudden a couple came down to my end [and] they said there’s a scorpion on the loose.”
The Washington DC-based reporter said he and around 20 others had to evacuate the carriage on Sunday and that a guard asked if there “are any vets on board the train to help out”.
The scorpion was apparently returned to the container but the female owner, in a rush to get to Newwark-on-Trent, gave up the desert-dwelling predator to police.
“We weren't quite clear why she had [it],” said Mr Horton.
“The police basically said to her, you're either getting off here with your scorpion or we're taking your scorpion from you.”
Now the guard is asking if there are any vets on board the train to help out. — Harry Horton (@harry_horton) January 1, 2017
After an eight minute delay at Peterborough, British Transport Police have "dealt with an exotic animal that found its way onto the train". — Harry Horton (@harry_horton) January 1, 2017
Scorpion is off the train, but it's loving owner must get to Newark so the two have parted ways. Passengers can relax once more. — Harry Horton (@harry_horton) January 1, 2017
“In the end, she decided to give up the scorpion and give it to the police.”
A British Transport Police spokesman said: “We were called at 2.56pm to a Virgin train from King's Cross to Edinburgh and we met the train at Peterborough.
”A scorpion had escaped from a passenger's bag, but it had been recaptured quickly and put in an ice cream box.
“We have taken the scorpion to an exotic pet rescue in Peterborough.”
The rail network has experienced major delays, cancellations and complete service shut downs across the Christmas period largely thanks to Southern rail strikes.
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Leach strikes again after Trump's weekend Tweet-storm
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A Pennsylvania state senator known for crafting memorable, insulting descriptions of President Donald Trump has struck again.
Daylin Leach, who represents parts of Delaware and Montgomery counties, took to Twitter late Monday morning to respond with customary biting sarcasm to an earlier Tweet – preceded by a series of posts over the weekend – by the president.
The senator, who may or may not own a copy of The Oxford Dictionary of Zoology, returned to the animal world for inspiration to craft his presidential takedown.
Trump began his latest tweetstorm early Saturday afternoon, directing his barbs at Special Counsel Robert Mueller (and the probe on Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election) as well as former FBI officials James Comey and Andrew McCabe.
On Sunday the presidential storm continued, with a refocus on McCabe and Mueller.
Then, early Monday morning, a pithy summary of his charges.
Leach had heard enough, and weighed in to offer the president a real example of "conflict of interest."
For the etymology buffs out there, using "toad-woppet" would appear to be Leach's way of doubling down on his Trump snub.
Toad, of course, is a mainstream insult to denote somebody who is stupid, foolish, rude or otherwise undesirable (according to the Urban Dictionary.)
A woppet, if Google is to be trusted, is a Victorian English word with Melbourne roots to describe an idiot or fool.
Leach has minted a number of memorable insults to heap scorn and shame on the president and administration-folk.
sdafadsfasdfadsfadsfadsf
And, of course, the granddaddy of them all:
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These coat hook spy cameras could be watching your every move
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(NEWS10) – Police are warning the public about coat hooks that have cameras hidden inside of them.
The coat hooks are sold online as “home security devices” and can be purchased for less than $20 on Amazon and at Walmart.
Police say the devices have the camera mounted behind the hook and a very small hole in the top portion of the coat hook for the lens of the camera. The cameras take video of the unsuspecting victims.
The warning comes after police in Florida reported three separate incidents of the spy hooks being found in women’s bathrooms.
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Person In Custody Following Explosion At Port Authority Bus Terminal
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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — One person is in custody after an improvised pipe bomb exploded during the morning rush Monday near the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
The device was apparently being carried by a suspect when it exploded prematurely. That suspect was injured and is in custody.
The suspect has only been identified as a man in his 20s, possibly from Brooklyn, CBS2’s Reena Roy reported. Sources close to the investigation said the suspect had a second device on him, CBS2 reported.
Heavily armed NYPD units could be seen patrolling the streets outside the terminal on 42nd Street at 8th Avenue.
Bomb-sniffing K-9 units and counterterrorism officers were also brought in to survey the scene. The normally busy area was empty after police evacuated the scene.
The NYPD is responding to reports of an explosion of unknown origin at 42nd Street and 8th Ave, #Manhattan. The A, C and E line are being evacuated at this time. Info is preliminary, more when available. pic.twitter.com/7vpNT97iLC — NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 11, 2017
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said on Twitter that the mayor has briefed on the incident.
The Mayor has been briefed on the incident in Midtown. The NYPD, FDNY and first responders are on the scene. — NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) December 11, 2017
No other serious injuries have been reported.
As a result of the incident, 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, N, Q, R, W and 7 trains are bypassing 42 Street.
Police Activity: expect traffic/transit delays and emergency personnel near W 42nd St btwn 8th & 9th Ave. Consider alt routes. — NYCEM – Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) December 11, 2017
1, 2, 3, A, C, E, N, Q, R, W and 7 train are bypassing 42 St. See https://t.co/vhZQ2kZ2vb for full details. — NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) December 11, 2017
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Did corruption allegations in construction of Andhra’s capital city lead to BJP-TDP trust deficit?
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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu has accused the Centre of not doing enough for the state. Naidu who is also the chief of the Telugu Desam Party, withdrew from the NDA and even moved a no-confidence motion agains the BJP in Parliament.
Another allegation made by him was that he was not given an audience by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for nearly one year. The BJP is however livid at these allegations and says that Naidu is trying to paint a picture as though the Centre has done nothing for Andhra Pradesh.
One of the major issues for the trust-deficit to build up were the allegations of corruption in the building of AP's capital city Amaravati. There were allegations galore and this had upset the PM, a source told OneIndia.
Naidu was repeatedly told to take a cheque of Rs 9,500 crore, but he has refused it. The source said that Naidu has not given the Centre any clarity on the projects and the costing with an intention of trying to build a false impression that the Centre is blind towards the state.
The PM was also upset that despite an amount of Rs 2,500 crore being sanctioned to build the AP state assembly and government offices, work has not started. There was never any clarity given on the status of these projects by Naidu, the source also said.
While the BJP has been making a strong pitch about the sanction of funds, it still has its task cut-out in Andhra Pradesh. BJP's national general secretary, Ram Madhav would be heading to AP to take stock of the situation. During his visit to the state, he would speak with the local leaders and ask them to drive across the point about how the much the Centre has sanctioned for the state.
The BJP also feels that it is in with a better chance in the state with the TDP walking out. Now it would be able to contest on more seats and a victory in many is certain, the party feels. Earlier due to coalition compulsions, the party was unable to contest on more seats. There was also this feeling within the BJP that Naidu was not allowing the party to grow.
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Your Handmaid's Tale Refresher Ahead of Season 2's Return to Gilead
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Offred/June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss)
June has been through it, y'all. When we first met her in season one, we watched as she and husband Luke attempted to evade capture with their daughter Hannah. As we all know, they were not successful and June was separated from her husband (who she believed to be dead) and their child and enslaved as a Handmaid in the home of Commander Fred Waterford. Under Gilead's totalitarian Christian theonomic government, and in response to worldwide infertility, June and fertile women like her were subjugated into sexual slavery, where they were raped regularly to provide babies for the barren wives of the power-hungry leaders.
Waterford's wife Serena Joy, desperate for a child, suggests that June, now referred to as Offred, have sex with Nick, Waterford's driver who's also a spy for Gilead. They sleep together, as Serena Joy watches, and in the season finale, we learned that June was indeed pregnant. After June manipulated Waterford to taking her back to Jezebels, an underground brothel, where she discovered her friend Moira had been forced into servitude, Serena Joy grew jealous and retaliated by taking June to the home where Hannah was being kept. After proving her daughter was alive, but refusing to let her make any contact, Serena Joy told June that Hannah would be cared for as long as the unborn child was.
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Athens Prosecutor orders financial audit of UNICEF Greek chapter for irregularities
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The Athens Public Prosecutor’s Office has ordered an investigation into the United Nations Children Aid Organisation’s National Chapter in Greece after allegations of financial irregularities surfaced.
Following a formal letter of request by UNICEF’s newly appointed head in Greece, Sofia Tzitzikou who, after assuming her post, demanded a financial audit of the Greek branch, the Greek judicial authorities said they would launch an official probe into the group’s finances.
The investigation will be headed by Prosecutor Mouzakis. According to daily Kathimerini, UNICEF officials said the organization planned to resume its operations in the country following a radical reform of the Greece-based committee. Decisions are to be finalized over the next couple of months.
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Will apprise nation of my differences with Nawaz after Avenfield verdict: Nisar
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Chaudhry Nisar and Nawaz Sharif. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD: Chaudhry Nisar, who recently parted ways with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on Wednesday said he will apprise the nation of his differences with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif after the Avenfield reference verdict is announced.
“I will tell all regarding my differences with Mian Sb after the verdict on Friday,” Nisar said while addressing the media in Islamabad.
The former interior minister questioned the division between PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and “unnamed party spokespersons”.
“On one hand the party president says it’s not their policy to confront institutions but party spokespersons say otherwise,” he said.
Stating that PML-N workers are confused, Nisar asked, “Who is running the party and is its president?”
The former interior minister once again questioned which statement of his ‘hurt’ former premier Nawaz.
“If Mian Sb was hurt because of my comments against his confrontation of institutions, then tell me if I was wrong,” he said.
Explaining his stance, Nisar said, “I wanted to clarify as dangerous topics were being discussed within the party.”
“I was not invited to party meetings which is why I could not convey my stance,” he continued.
“A dangerous statement was also issued regarding the Mumbai attacks and it was anti-state,” he asserted.
Regarding his electoral campaign, Nisar said, “I have received a warm response so far and will be contesting from four constituencies.”
Speaking about the arrest of PML-N leader Qamar-ul-Islam Raja, who he will face in NA-59 (Rawalpindi-III) poll contest, Nisar said, "I was the first to condemn his arrest."
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Phagwara flare-up: Market shut again, traders stage sit-in
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The protest on Tuesday. The protest on Tuesday.
Phagwara administration’s attempts to defuse tensions between Dalits and Hindu outfits in the town took a hit on Tuesday as a shop in one of the biggest markets in the area, Bansawala Bazaar, was allegedly forced to shut down by people of Valmiki community. The shop, Muni Book Depot, is owned by one Raman Malhotra.
Soon after, Phagwara mayor, local politicians, shopkeepers and people belonging to the General Category Manch began an indefinite dharna demanding arrest of Dalit leaders, including Jarnail Nangal of Lok Insaaf Party and Harbhjan Suman of Ambedkar Sena Mool Niwasi, who they claim were behind the clashes in the town 10 days ago. They also demanded the suspension of Kapurthala SP Sandip Sharma, Phagwara SP P S Bhadhal and ADC Phagwara, Babita Klare.
After Malhotra was made to close his shop, tempers ran high among the shopkeepers of Bansawala Bazaar and entire market was shut in protest by shopkeepers. They all sat on on dharna at the entrance to the Bazaar on main Banga road close to Phagwara City police station. Later, they were also joined by Phagwara Mayor Arun Khosla (BJP), SAD leader and Senior Deputy Mayor Surinder Singh Walia and others. Local Congress leaders also joined the dharna. Khosla said the dharna would continue till the time two leaders — Harbhjan Suman and Jarnail Nangal of Dalit community — are not arrested.
“Harbhajan Suman, the president of Ambedkar Sena Mool Niwasi, who had put up posters of renaming Gol Chowk of Phagwara as ‘Samvidhan Chowk’ on April 13 that led to clash between Dalits and leaders of Hindu organisations as well as Jarnail Nangal, another Dalit leader must be arrested otherwise not only dharna will continue, but also entire market will remain closed in Phagwara,” said mayor.
“These two leaders have been booked under FIR number 77 and 78 registered on April 14, but till date they are moving freely and SSP and DC are receiving memorandum from Jarnail Nagal personally who is instigating the Dalit smaj,” said Vijay Sharma, president of Phagwara unit of General Smaj Manch, adding that these two were responsible for all clashes in Phagwara earlier too. He added: “We will not talk to SSP, SP and ADC (Phagwara) because one sided action is being taken by them.”
On Monday, Kapurthala police had withdrawan the names of seven persons of Dalit community from the FIR which was registered against 33 persons by name and several unidentified persons on April 14. SSP Kapurthala could not be reached for a comment. Even the presence of paramilitary force could not stop the people gathering in large numbers at Banga road. Nearly 2000 security personnel, including Punjab Police, BSF, Rapid Action Force, have been deployed in Phagwara since April 14.
CM nod for renaming roundabout that triggered row
Around a dozen Congress leaders from Phagwara have resigned from their posts following Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s decision to rename Gol Chowk as ‘Savindhan Chowk’. Amarinder announced the decision after meeting a delegation of Dalit Samaj on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, those who resigned from their posts in protest included Sunil Prashar, District Congress General Secretary, Satbir Singh Sabi, Councillor Jatinder, his brother Vinod, who is also Congress leader, Suman Lata and Sarjivan Sharma, both district women wing leaders, Sukhbir Walia, Youth Congress leader and a few others. Parashar said that they will boycott the District Congress president Joginder Mann politically and socially for his role in getting the name change approved by CM. He also announced that the matter will be taken up in court. Mann had met with CM on Tuesday along with several Dalit leaders and got the approval for renaming the chowk. Phagwara BJP Mayor also announced that Corporation will not pass a resolution to change the name of Gol Chowk.
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JD.Com Inc (ADR) (JD) Stock Comes Back to Earth Despite Q2 Beat
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From a fundamental standpoint, JD.Com Inc(ADR) (NASDAQ: JD ) seemed to do everything right in its second quarter. JD.com posted impressive growth and a nice beat relative to Wall Street consensus … but investors are selling off JD stock in Monday’s early trading regardless.
It’s not hard to see why.
JD stock isn’t cheap, trading at over 100 times 2017 analyst estimates. It may just be that the second quarter was good, but not good enough, given an 80% year-to-date run in shares.
But for investors willing to take on the risks here relative to both valuation and China’s economy, JD shares might be worth considering on this morning’s pullback.
JD.com’s Second-Quarter Earnings
All told, JD.com’s Q2 looks reasonably strong. Revenue of $13.75 billion rose nearly 42% year-over-year, with growth more than three points better than Wall Street analysts expected. Non-GAAP EPS of 10 cents beat consensus by a pair of pennies.
Below the headlines, the news looks good as well. GMV (gross market value) from direct online sales increased 44% year-over-year. The company’s marketplace business — similar to that of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN ) in the U.S. — saw GMV rise 50%.
One investor concern might be that expenses rose nearly in lockstep with earnings, with a 63% jump in marketing expense outpacing revenue. Operating margins remain relatively narrow, with Q2’s non-GAAP margin at just 0.6%, down from 0.8% the year before.
But that shouldn’t necessarily be a surprise.
Like Amazon, JD.com is spending money at the moment to create a base of future business. Unlike Amazon, JD.com has a larger competitor in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE: BABA ) from whom it’s trying to take market share. That requires intensive marketing and fulfillment spend – and likely drove some of the margin weakness in the quarter.
Still, that spend is working, given the impressive growth on the top line. And that makes the pre-market decline in JD stock somewhat surprising.
JD Stock Looks Solid Long-Term
All told, Q2 looks like good news for JD … even if investors aren’t necessarily reacting that way. Free cash flow in the quarter was almost $3 billion, and over $2.4 billion excluding its JD Finance business, which is being sold to a group of outside investors. Trailing 12-month free cash flow of more than $4 billion implies a much more reasonable 16x P/FCF multiple.
And the story here continues to play out.
JD’s logistics network, a major pillar of its efforts to take share from Alibaba, continues to grow. JD.com continues to build out its high-end business, as it invested in luxury e-commerce business Farfetch and rolled out JD Luxury Express to offer “personalized service” for wealthy clients. On the end, a partnership with Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT ) continues to drive growth.
The early morning pullback in JD stock looks more like a case of expectations being too high than the results not being good enough. 42% revenue growth and a 59% increase in non-GAAP net income certainly shows the growth story remains on track. Investors might be selling JD stock this morning, but it seems likely they’ll come back some time soon.
JD shares aren’t cheap — but after a quarter like Q2, they probably shouldn’t be.
As of this writing, Vince Martin did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
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London Irish conquer Cardiff to take top spot
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London Irish moved to the top of Pool Four of the Anglo-Welsh Cup competition following a 42-21 bonus-point victory over Cardiff Blues at the Arms Park.
However, Irish might still not qualify as they have completed their fixtures and will have to hope both Leicester and Newcastle lose their remaining matches if they are to progress to the semi-finals.
Ofisa Treviranus scored two tries for Irish with Alex Lewington, Tom Fowlie, Joe Cokanasiga and Arno Botha also crossing. James Marshall converted all six.
Ofisa Treviranus dotted down for London Irish (Adam Davy/PA)
Aled Summerhill, Corey Domachowski and Seb Davies scored Blues’ tries, all of which Steven Shingler converted but this was their fourth defeat in the competition and they finished pointless.
Irish suffered an early blow when their captain Mike Coman was helped off with a leg injury after only two minutes.
But they soon overcame this setback to take the lead when Lewington collected a well-judged cross-field kick from Brophy Clews to score the opening try.
Blues responded with their first try as Ryan Edwards latched onto a kick ahead before providing the scoring pass for Summerhill.
Shingler converted for the scores to be level at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Irish regained the lead when drives from Franco van der Merwe and David Paice softened up the home defence for Treviranus to crash over.
The visitors’ pack became the dominant force so it was against the run of play when Blues scored next.
An excellent break from Garyn Smith tore Irish apart before he handed on to number eight Davies, who showed remarkable pace to hold off the attention of wing Joe Cokanasiga to cross.
Five minutes before half-time, Botha burst from a maul 20 metres out to score Irish’s third try and give them a deserved 21-14 lead at the interval.
Six minutes after the restart, Irish picked up their bonus point when the hosts failed to stop Treviranus as he powered away from a five-metre scrum to score his second try.
Irish sealed victory when Botha ran 50 metres to set up a try for Fowlie before Domachowski rewarded a spirited Blues by scoring their third.
But Irish had the final say when Cokanasiga scored their sixth try with the final move of the match.
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Amazon issues refund for counterfeit eclipse glasses
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Amazon says it is taking action against potentially counterfeit solar eclipse glasses. The company said that it contacted and issued refunds to some customers who purchased glasses on Amazon that "may not comply with industry standards." Amazon has also removed a few listings for glasses on its website "out of an abundance of caution." It did not name any of those listings in its statement. To safely view the solar eclipse August 21, you'll need a special pair of ultra-dark sunglasses . There has been enormous demand for those kinds of glasses, which prevent the permanent eye damage that the sun's rays could cause. But that demand has been followed by reports that knockoff eclipse glasses — which may not provide adequate protection — have flooded the market. The American Astronomical Society said last week that it updated its safety advice "in response to alarming reports" of unsafe glasses selling online. The organization says buyers should be skeptical of glasses even if they're stamped with an ISO seal, which has been used in the past to indicate which glasses comply with standards set by the International Organization for Standardization. To help tamp down on fraud, the AAS posted a list of verified vendors and websites where those eclipse glasses are sold. Written by Jackie Wattles for CNN. The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2017 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money. Checkout Don't Waste Your Money for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
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How Melania Trump Is Recognizing Michelle Obama & Hillary Clinton At The State Dinner
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If it wasn't for the recent thawing of relations between Melania Trump and her White House predecessors at Barbara Bush's funeral, you might not have believed this. Melania's plans for the state dinner will recognize former first ladies by including both Michelle Obama's vegetables and Hillary Clinton's china — and some of Laura Bush's china will make an appearance, too.
The statement from the White House makes very clear that these choices are Melania's. "The Office of the First Lady has prepared the following details, all carefully selected by First Lady Melania Trump, to complement and pay homage to the long-standing friendship between the United States and France," it reads, meaning that the first lady herself has taken a bipartisan approach to hosting — even if that's not represented in the guest list. No congressional Democrats were included.
But when it comes to the food, Obama's greens are welcome. The menu features the "best of America’s cuisines and traditions, with nuances of French influences." The greens show up in the first course which includes "Young Variegated Lettuces... from the White House kitchen garden." White House-sourced ingredients also show up in the main course's "Carolina Gold Rice Jambalaya" which is "spiced with herbs from the South Lawn."
And the china is a mash-up of Clinton's china with some of Bush's mixed in. "The color scheme is cream and gold and the china settings consist of the Clinton china for the baseplate, along with both Bush (43) and Clinton china for the dinner service," the White House statement reads. Clinton's china has a yellow outer circle and gold edging. The Bush china is very conservative presidential with golden eagles, gold edging, and patterns in green.
"The First Lady chose the Bush china with the green color palette to complement the spring green and white flowers that will be featured in the State Dining Room," the White House statement read. No explicit reasoning for the Clinton china choice was given — even though arguably the bulk of the china used will be hers, given the choice of the baseplate.
As for the flower arrangements, the Cross Hall is already full of branches of cherry blossom, "all grown in the United States." Melania uploaded photos to Twitter showing her walking through the area with her team. What's not made a social media appearance yet are the "2,500 stems of white sweet peas and nearly 1,000 stems of white lilac" that will be featured in the dining room. Perhaps that's because not all are grown in the USA. It's a California and Dutch mix.
The guests of honor have already arrived. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte arrived Monday and began their active itinerary. The couple, together with the Trumps, planted a tree in the White House lawn. It's a European sessile oak that comes from Belleau Woods, northeast of Paris, where Americans fought and died during World War I.
Later on the two couples boarded Marine One and took in the sights of Washington, D.C., en route to Mount Vernon, George Washington's historic home on the Potomac River. They had dinner there, which Trump called "really fantastic" before returning to the White House.
Macron expressed his thoughts on the visit upon landing yesterday at the military air field upon landing near D.C. “This is a great honor and I think a very important state visit given the moment of our current environment,” Macron said.
Other famous French guests include Christine Lagarde, who heads the International Monetary Fund and was a top French government official under a previous center-right government.
All will enjoy Melania's preparations, the great locally sourced food, and the Bush and Clinton china.
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The CAP's Annual Report Highlights Progress in Diagnostic Medicine to Improve Patient Health
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Newswise — Northfield, IL—People are healthier today because of advances in pathology and laboratory medicine. Whether you have a tissue sample examined in a biopsy or get routine blood work, you can trust the expertise behind your results, according to the College of American Pathologists (CAP), which released its 2017 Annual Report.
CAP 2017 Annual Report
"Pathologists run our laboratories and examine our tissue under a microscope; because of them, we can get back to living and doing the things we love," said CAP President R. Bruce Williams, MD, FCAP. "This report highlights what we’ve accomplished to help our pathologist members keep their skills sharp, develop resources for cancer reporting, and protect their practices and patients.”
Among the achievements and milestones outlined in the annual report:
The CAP released a record number of cancer protocols, which provide guidance for collecting essential data for complete reporting on malignant tumors.
More than 20,000 laboratories enrolled in proficiency testing (PT) programs, which helps ensure that no matter where you are in the world, you can count on the quality of your laboratory results.
More than 8,000 laboratories worldwide are CAP accredited, demonstrating a commitment to the most stringent worldwide inspection processes in laboratory quality
We developed a registry for pathologists to improve practice performance and optimize potential for reimbursement incentives.
Total CAP membership remained strong with close to 18,000 members, with 97% of newly board-certified pathologists becoming CAP Fellows.
The CAP offered 505 live and online education courses and physicians completed more than 58,000 continuing medical education (CME) activities.
More than 900 underserved women received free cervical and breast cancer screenings at 13 See, Test & Treat programs through CAP Foundation program grants.
The annual report also includes stories of CAP pathologist members who are collaborating with clinical partners to guide the most effective care for their patients You can access the annual report here.
About the College of American Pathologists
As the world's largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. For more information, read the CAP Annual Report at cap.org.
SEE ORIGINAL STUDY
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Post-earnings reads on Achushnet
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D.A. Davidson lowers its rating on Acushnet (NASDAQ:GOLF) to Neutral from a Buy rating following the golf ball manufacturer's 8% drop in quarterly revenue.
Forward View sticks with a Hold rating on Acushnet and drops its price target to $13 after taking in the Q2 numbers. "Acushnet blamed much of 2Q’s U.S. declines on the weather, but the structural factors cannot be ignored. The company’s retail partners are clearly suffering weakness, and no sporting goods manufacturer wants to see such a reduction in distribution points," notes Forward View.
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Calls for criminal investigation into death of lion
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The RSPCA is investigating a zoo previously dubbed ‘Britain’s worst’ after it emerged a lion was fatally poisoned by contaminated meat.
The animal charity raised concerns over the welfare of animals at South Lakes Safari Zoo in Cumbria, and said it has demanded an ‘urgent’ inspection.
It is the latest in a long line of controversies surrounding the zoo, where a zookeeper was mauled to death in 2013 and nearly 500 animals died between 2013 and 2016.
The RSPCA is investigating a zoo previously dubbed ‘Britain’s worst’ after it emerged that Nero the lion was fatally poisoned by contaminated meat (pictured: A lion at the zoo)
The death of a four-year-old African lion, called Nero, last summer was ‘almost certainly’ a result of it being poisoned by contaminated meat, a BBC documentary found.
News of the tragic death had not been made public.
Local MP John Woodcock, who has campaigned for tighter regulation of zoos, said the ‘suspicious circumstances around Nero’s alarming death surely merit a criminal investigation’.
And he said other ‘distressing revelations’ in the programme underlined the deficiency of the current system by which zoos are regulated and inspected.
In 2013, 24-year-old zookeeper Sarah McClay was mauled to death by a tiger at South Lakes Safari Zoo as she cleaned its enclosure. The zoo was later fined £255,000 for failing to ensure the door was working properly
The eye-opening documentary Trouble at the Zoo, which airs next week, focuses on the overhaul of the beleaguered zoo under its new management team, which took over last May.
It shows the result of a post-mortem into the death of the African lion which revealed he had been poisoned with barbiturates, a central nervous system depressant which can only be administered by vets, and is thought to have come from his food supply.
The BBC2 programme, which was filmed between April and September last year and airs next Thursday at 9pm, will also show the zoo accepting ‘freebies’ from local supermarkets, to supplement the £10,000 it spends on fresh produce every month.
Yet among some of the trolley-loads they were accepting were cakes and mouldy fruit, which new animal director Andreas Kaufmann warned could have ‘killed’ the animals.
The documentary also shows that two red panda cubs died shortly after the zoo came under the new management, after their mother struggled to rear them.
In 2013, 24-year-old zookeeper Sarah McClay was mauled to death by a tiger at South Lakes Safari Zoo as she cleaned its enclosure. The zoo was later fined £255,000 for failing to ensure the door was working properly.
A staggering number of animals also died at the zoo under the management of millionaire David Gill, who was barred from renewing his licence last year.
The tiger enclosure at South Lakes Wild Animal Park near Dalton in Furness, Cumbria, where 24 year old female zoo keeper Sarah McClay died after being mauled by a tiger in 2013
The horrific death register showed 486 animals had died between January 2013 and September 2016, including a monkey whose decomposed body was found behind a radiator and a jaguar put to sleep after it chewed off one of its paws.
The Captive Animals’ Protection Society (Caps), which also inspected South Lakes, has previously said the zoo was one of the worst it had seen.
The RSPCA said last night that it continued to have ‘concerns’ about conditions at the zoo, despite recent reports of improvements.
A spokesman said: ‘We are deeply concerned to hear about new revelations relating to the sad death of Nero the lion at the zoo and as a result, we will be investigating this further.
John Woodcock, Labour MP for Barrow and Furness, said: ‘The bottom line is that anyone who held senior a role at the time so many animals died of neglect at South Lakes under David Gill should not be allowed to carry on operating this or any other British zoo'
‘Despite new management and some reported improvements in welfare at the zoo last year, the RSPCA continues to have concerns about conditions there.
‘Worryingly, a planned inspection of the zoo by Barrow Borough Council, which is responsible for issuing its licence, has been postponed.
'We continue to have concerns that the running of this zoo is having an impact on the welfare of the animals and recently wrote to the Chief Executive of the council urging him to carry out this inspection jointly with the RSPCA as a matter of urgency.’
Mr Woodcock, Labour MP for Barrow and Furness, said: ‘These latest distressing revelations occurred under the nominally new management at the zoo and underline why the government must overhaul the whole inspection regime which is allowing this to happen.
‘The suspicious circumstances around Nero’s alarming death surely merit a criminal investigation; if the police are not already involved I will be asking the documentary makers to submit any evidence they have.
‘The bottom line is that anyone who held senior a role at the time so many animals died of neglect at South Lakes under David Gill should not be allowed to carry on operating this or any other British zoo.
‘That’s why Labour’s zoo inquiry in parliament is examining the case for a ‘fit and proper persons’ test to ensure that the people we entrust with the care of animals are appropriate to hold that responsibility.’
A spokesperson for the zoo said: 'Nero was a firm favourite with both visitors and Animal carers alike and he is deeply missed'
A recent post on the zoo’s Facebook page revealed that Cumbria Zoo Company has recently signed an eight-year lease for the zoo. However, three directors have resigned in the last six months.
A statement from Cumbria Zoo said: ‘Safari Zoo were deeply saddened by the loss of our African Lion “Nero”, despite intensive care for 4 days and 4 nights from both the veterinary and animal care departments Nero sadly passed away. Results that followed indicated that Nero’s collapse was as a result of barbiturate poisoning.
‘Although we cannot determine 100 per cent where the contamination came from, it is essential to try to ensure it does not happen again, barbiturates can only be administered by a vet and could have come from Nero’s food supply.
‘Safari Zoo has an ongoing contract with a meat supplier to only deliver meat that has not received veterinary attention in any way.
‘Nero was a firm favourite with both visitors and Animal carers alike and he is deeply missed.’
The zoo receives meat from a local abattoir, but has an understanding with the supplier that they must only get animals that have been shot, rather than drugged.
However, it would appear that a piece of contaminated meat was included in a delivery to the zoo last summer.
David Armitage, animal manager, said: ‘Vets send their dead animals to the abattoirs. Meat for our animals is supposed to come from animals that have been shot, so there would be no barbiturates in the system.
‘Sometimes one accidentally slips through the net. It looks as if this is what happened on this occasion.
‘The only other explanation is that a visitor threw barbiturates into the enclosure, which is unlikely.’
Trouble at the Zoo, airs next Thursday [8 Feb] at 9pm on BBC2.
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Senate passes Russia sanctions package
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The Senate has voted overwhelmingly to approve new sanctions against Russia to punish Moscow for meddling in the 2016 election and its aggression in other parts of the world.
The chamber passed the bipartisan sanctions legislation 97-2. The measure has been attached to a bill imposing penalties on Iran that the Senate is currently debating and also has strong support.
Lawmakers are taking action against Russia in the absence of a forceful response from President Donald Trump. The president has sought to improve relations with Moscow and rejected the implication that Russian hacking of Democratic emails tipped the election his way.
But Trump's secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, says he agrees with members of Congress who want Russia held accountable for its meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
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DeKuyper Creme De Menthe White - Liqueur
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Star Wars tweet leaves fans dreaming of 'Last Jedi' trailer
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Lucasfilm
So, anyone ready for a new "Last Jedi" trailer?
It's been a while, and fans are ready. So ready, in fact, that they're seeing hints that one might be arriving Tuesday morning. But in true Star Wars form, these might not be the droids fans are looking for.
Here's the tweet that started it all, from "Good Morning America," the ABC morning show.
Alright, see you tomorrow! Make it a great day! pic.twitter.com/I2qUsG6qUO — Good Morning America (@GMA) August 14, 2017
Needless to say, ABC is owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group, and Disney owns Lucasfilm, the studio that created Star Wars. So some fans took the simple GIF to mean that a "Last Jedi" trailer was coming Tuesday morning and would be aired on "GMA."
Me deciphering GMA's tweet: pic.twitter.com/q93FJprSXu — Kristen The Porg (@kristenkbates) August 14, 2017
New Episode VIII trailer?? — Tafari Tano (@TafariTano) August 14, 2017
Wait! What is your hidden message here?! 😱 pic.twitter.com/TWTCQ4NqFN — Fedde (@FeddeCampo) August 14, 2017
You don't say, see you tomorrow to 3.7M followers teasing Star Wars without it being a message. Has to be intentional. — Ƭhe ƒuƬuriƬion (@TheFuturition) August 14, 2017
But some fans, especially those who'd been burned before, took a clearer-headed view. "GMA" has promised big Star Wars news in the past, then offered up news about the Force For Change charity -- a good cause, but not what footage-starved fans were hungry for.
Star Wars fans: OMG GMA IS GOING TO SHOW A TRAILER! OMG! IT IS HAPPENING!
Me: Maybe. In October. — Magnús (@GeekFurious) August 14, 2017
If anything it's most likely Force Friday or Force for Change related. Not trailer related — Star Wars Junkman (@StarWarsJunk) August 14, 2017
And then Jeff D. Lowe, social-media producer for "Good Morning America," essentially froze fans' dreams in Carbonite with this tweet.
@ManaByte As GMA's social person and (as you can tell by my profile) a HUGE fan, I promise you nothing is being alluded to in the GIF lol — Jeff D Lowe (@JeffDLowe) August 14, 2017
Some fans weren't happy with what they saw as a deliberate tease, but Lowe says using Star Wars images in show tweets is common and has no deeper meaning.
We post GIFs from Disney properties every single day. That specific gif AND copy has been tweeted from GMA at 9AM numerous times this year. — Jeff D Lowe (@JeffDLowe) August 14, 2017
Nothing about a Star Wars trailer announcement, that is...
Same for tmrw RE: Avengers content if I post a Captain America gif or something — Jeff D Lowe (@JeffDLowe) August 14, 2017
And here's one excellent theory: GMA is just using the Force on Grandma.
I think I say this every year now GMA stuff is to remind my grandma, who sees a movie a year, to choose STAR WARS. https://t.co/U7OItMNIBC — Collin Llewellyn (@collinllewellyn) August 14, 2017
"The Last Jedi" opens Dec. 15, and no one knows when the next trailer will be released. Not even Grandma.
Star Wars at 40: Celebrate the many ways the Force-filled sci-fi saga has impacted our lives.
Logging Out: A look at death in the digital age.
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In its upcoming season, Broad City will bleep Donald Trump’s name
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On the last season of Broad City – still the best comedy you’re not watching – leads Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson made it a point to showcase their love for Hillary Clinton, who even made a cameo appearance on an episode in which Ilana decides to join her campaign.
But, as times have quickly changed, the show is taking a unique approach to acknowledging the Trump presidency — by not acknowledging it, sort of. Any time the president’s is mentioned in dialogue, it will be bleeped out.
“We wrote being like, ‘Here we go! Hillary for president!’ ” Glazer said to USA Today. But after “this game-show host became president of our country, we rewrote a lot.”
One particular episode’s theme revolves around the idea that “a witch is really just a woman who’s in touch with her womanhood.”
Glazer said, “Ilana’s ‘powers’ are decreasing during the current administration because it’s just so hard to (orgasm) when you know so many people are in such danger. So Ilana works through her Trump-related (hang-up) and it’s wild.”
But, she added, “There’s no airtime for this orange (person). We bleep his name the whole season.”
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Minor tweak or major overhaul
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Big change could be on the way for one of the world's largest free trade zones, writes Megan Lampinen
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) rewrote trading strategies for automotive companies across the US, Canada and Mexico. At the time of its launch it offered the promise of job creation, restored profitability for companies and lower vehicle prices for consumers. However, over the years Canada and the US have seen a massive outsourcing of vehicle production and jobs to lower-cost Mexico. Addressing this imbalance was one of the key platforms of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign….
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BRIEF-Razor Energy Corp announces strategic light oil asset acquisition for $9.6 mln
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April 20 Razor Energy Corp
* Razor Energy Corp announces strategic light oil asset acquisition in the kaybob area of west central Alberta and $18 million equity financing
* Deal for cash consideration of $9.6 million
* Acquisition will be funded with Razor's cash reserves and through proceeds of prospectus offering Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
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School officials: Teenager shot bus window with a...
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - School officials in Rhode Island say a teenager has been arrested for shooting the window of an elementary school bus with a pellet gun.
WPRO-AM reports that the shooting happened Monday afternoon in North Kingstown.
Superintendent Philip Auger says no one was injured, but some children were hit with safety glass from the broken window.
Auger emailed parents Monday night to say the person responsible was arrested.
He says the bus was bringing students home from Fishing Cove Elementary School.
After the shooting, the bus driver pulled away, checked on the students and called police. Students were taken home on another bus.
Auger says the school department is cooperating with police.
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Information from: WPRO-AM, http://www.630wpro.com/
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Sorry, Everyone. There's Some Iron Fist in Luke Cage Season 2.
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I regret to inform you that Marvel is at it again. They’ve decided that audiences just haven’t had enough of super-doofus Iron Fist, and are finding a way to insert the character into season 2 of Luke Cage. So if you haven’t had enough of Danny Frickin’ Rand telling people he’s the “Immortal Iron Fist” over and over again, you are in luck!
Marvel and Netflix’s Iron Fist focused on Danny Rand (Finn Jones), the heir to a vast fortune who also has super powers that make his fist glow gold. I guess he has some other powers too, but honestly, I don’t care what they are because the character is just an annoying jerk who won’t shut up about being the Immortal Iron Fist, the Protector of K’un-Lun, and so on.
The first season of Iron Fist certainly has its defenders, but most seem to agree that the show was weak sauce. Danny sort of worked in smaller doses in The Defenders, but again, it seems that most agree the Iron Fist moments were among the low-points of the much-hyped superhero team-up. But Marvel is committed to finding some sort of way to make the character work, gosh darn it, so they’ve brought him aboard Luke Cage season 2. EW has the first official image showing Danny and Luke Cage. Here it is!
There are no details yet about just what Danny’s role will be in the show, but you can tell from that image he’s probably saying more stupid stuff and getting on everyone’s nerves. Ugh, shut up, Danny. Of course, there is precedent for all of this. In the comics that inspired these Netflix shows, Luke and Danny are actually BFFs. The pair appear in the comic series Power Man & Iron Fist, where they’ve worked together as “Heroes for Hire.”
The Defenders touched on some of this by featuring scenes pairing up Mike Colter‘s Luke Cage and Finn Jones’ Danny Rand. These scenes mostly worked, primarily because Colter is just so damn charismatic that he helps balance out Jones’ less-than-stellar performance. Of course, since Luke Cage is Luke Cage’s show, Danny’s involvement there will probably be minimal. Unless, that is, season 2 is going the full “Heroes for Hire” route. Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker hasn’t confirmed that yet, but he did acknowledge the possibility in the past, saying:
We’re not treating it as a one-off, and I’m confident people will dig the show, but, trust me, like season two, I’ve got a few ideas. But we really won’t get ready until Netflix sees the viewership, and hopefully the subscriptions that will come from this show, and then they’ll say, ‘Let’s get into it.’
Marvel’s Luke Cage will hit Netflix sometime in 2018.
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Aproveche las ventajas de las compras en línea y evite que se conviertan en una pesadilla
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Nikki Haley Blasts U.N. Human Rights Office for ‘Unfair Bias' Against Israel in Latest Report
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U.S Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has blasted a new U.N. report that attacks Israeli actions in the Middle East, in what she says is the latest sign of the U.N.’s “unfair bias” in how it handles the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The report, from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, was submitted in response to a resolution by the Human Rights Council — a body which Haley has repeatedly criticized for its own anti-Israel bias and the questionable human rights record of some of its members.
The report, titled, “Ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,” evaluates Israel’s compliance with a number of U.N. resolutions and reports, including demands to deconstruct its security barrier on the West Bank, which has been credited with massively reducing terrorist attacks.
The report adds:
The High Commissioner notes the repeated failure to comply with the calls for accountability made by the entire human rights system and urges Israel to conduct prompt, impartial and independent investigations of all alleged violations of international human rights law and all allegations of international crimes. Furthermore, the High Commissioner calls upon Israel to ensure that all victims have access to remedies and reparation.
The report also notes previous recommendations, including an anti-Israel boycott call for “investigations of the activities of companies and financial institutions profiting from Israeli settlements, and for such practices to be ended and for reparation to be provided to Palestinians affected.”
Haley took issue with the report’s focus on Israel, noting that it “brushed over” terror attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups attacking Israel, and ignored the human rights abuses of other countries.
“This report is just the latest example of the Human Rights Council singling out Israel rather than focusing on the world’s actual human rights abusers,” she said in a statement.
“Not only does it undermine the credibility of the Human Rights Council on human rights issues, but it once again highlights the unfair bias of the UN when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” she said.
Haley also took issue with the recommendation that the U.N. General Assembly ask the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on Israel, something her office says is out of the purview of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon also condemned the report, saying, “This obsession with Israel has crossed all lines.” Danon accused the office of offering to “advise and support” efforts to create what he called a “blacklist” database of companies working in the region so that the international community could threaten a boycott.
The latest report comes a week after Haley visited the Human Rights Council’s headquarters in Geneva and warned that the U.S. could leave the council if it didn’t reform its voting and bias against America’s ally in the Middle East.
The same week, Breitbart News reported on an upcoming report by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and submitted in the name of Secretary General Antonio Guterres, blaming Israeli settlements for a host of Palestinian grievances for everything from excessive use of force to building parks in the West Bank so as to “entrench” Israel’s presence.
Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY
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IND vs AUS: Virat Kohli's wicket will be huge for Australia in the whole series, says Tim Paine
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Ranchi: There was a time not in the distant past when Tim Paine was looking to call time on his cricketing career but a contract with Tasmania state side and selection in the Australian T20 squad change things for him.
"It's a turnaround. I was looking to probably retire and accept a job with Kookaburra company. Then I had the opportunity to stay with Tasmania for another couple of years. Then I got picked to play in the T20Is in Sri Lanka and another opportunity here. It's turned around pretty quickly and I am grateful for that," Paine said at the pre-match media conference.
Paine, who has featured in four Tests and 26 ODIs for Australia, said he has no regrets despite not being picked earlier.
"It would not be easy to do that. I have been lucky to have played some Tests for Australia. For me, to sit back and be bitter about what happened would be pretty silly, even before getting back into the T20Is," said Paine.
He may not have had a great international career but he is happy with he has achieved.
"I am really proud of what I have achieved in cricket. I don't look at what might have been. I am happy with what's happened so far and hopeful that it will continue for another few years."
At 32, Paine does not want to look too far ahead, when asked about if he has any target in mind.
"First and foremost, it's to do well tomorrow night. I know it's a bit of a cliche but someone my age and my position, it would be foolish to look too far ahead," said Paine.
"I just have to keep reminding myself to do well in a new series, and then when I head home to Australia I hope to start the Shield season and the JLT Cup really well. Not looking too far ahead."
On tomorrow game, Paine said that rival skipper Virat Kohli will be the most important player in the opposition line-up.
"Obviously, he is a really good player. Not many teams had much success against him. He will be a huge wicket tomorrow night and in the whole series," Paine said.
"We had a brief chat about him in the team meeting last night. I don't want to get into the details. We certainly have got a couple of plans, we will see how it goes."
Australia will have to do something special to stop India who are fresh from a dominating 4-1 series win in the ODIs.
"India are playing some really good cricket. They are high on confidence. We are going to come out firing tomorrow night," he said.
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Winona LaDuke at CMC Edwards Feb 21
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Renowned indigenous activist and leader Winona LaDuke comes to CMC in Edwards on February 21st. Click here for more information and tickets.
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State insurance regulators recover $2.7 million for consumers
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HARTFORD — Insurance regulators recovered $2.7 million for Connecticut consumers and collected $1.3 million in fines from insurance carriers in the first half of 2017. This $4 million compares to $7.5 million the state Department of Insurance recouped in 2016…
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McLaren's latest tech experiments in search for speed
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McLaren arrived at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix determined to evaluate several key areas of its MCL33 as it bids to unlock the full potential of this year’s car.
Progress for McLaren has been slow going this year, as the team has struggled to understand an issue that doesn’t translate the performance it is seeing on its simulation data (CFD/windtunnel) to what it is experiencing on track.
In recent races, this has led the Woking-based outfit to experiment with different aerodynamic configurations during free practice sessions as it tries to work out where it is missing performance.
McLaren MCL33 front wing Austrian GP (Spain version inset) Illustration by: Giorgio Piola
A prototype front wing was the centrepiece of its experiments in Austria, with numerous changes made in order to feel out exactly where its current weaknesses lie.
The wing had several key changes:
The archway that ordinary transitions steeply in the outer portion of the wing was reduced significantly, leaving just a gentle upturn on the leading edge of the wing.
The strakes on the underside of the wing were retracted as they could no longer extend as far forward.
A fully-enclosed hole was used in the outer section of the wing to feed the underside of the wing, in lieu of the edge slot that has been usually favoured (highlighted in yellow).
A taller footplate arc was present (blue arrow).
The tip of the first flap had an upward curvature to it, rather than a downward one – altering the rotation of the Y250 vortex shed below (red arrow).
McLaren Front brake duct detail on the car of Fernando Alonso,MCL33 Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Along with testing other revised 3D printed parts, such as the brake ducts (above), the team also mounted more pressure sensors, kiel probe arrays and sprayed the MCL33 with copious amounts of flo-viz paint as it hoped to understand with more clarity where things were going wrong.
McLaren MCL33 of Fernando Alonso, barge board detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola
While the new parts may not be the answer to all the team’s problems, the vast range of experiments (as shown above) should at least help the team understand what it needs – and fast-track the right modifications to move up the grid.
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Mums behind Carpool Karaoke-style video with their Down's syndrome children say response has been 'overwhelming'
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Mums of children with Down's syndrome have made a heartwarming Carpool Karaoke-style video to show they “wouldn’t change a thing” about their kids.
The children also feature in the viral video, which was made for World Down’s syndrome Day on March 21.
The idea for the video, which features the song A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, came from Coventry mum Becky Carless, whose four-year-old son Archie has Down’s syndrome.
The video has been watched by more than 650,000 people and even brought tears to Carpool Karaoke inventor James Corden.
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Rep. Patterson: Gas Tax Hike proposal may “not stay dead” in the Legislature
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MADISON COUNTY, Ala. - Alabama Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon told reporters last week, the gas tax hike legislation was essentially dead for the rest of the legislative session.
Now, local lawmakers believe the controversial bill could be revived.
The town hall meeting Monday night was originally scheduled when the gas tax hike was rapidly moving through the Alabama House of Representatives. They decided to still hold it, in case it comes back up.
Rep. Jim Patterson thinks that could be sooner than you think.
The current proposal, declared dead by the speaker, would raise the gas tax by 4 cents this year and another 2 cents in 2019.
With the prospect of a federal infrastructure spending plan, advocated by the Trump administration, Rep. Jim Patterson believes you'll see this come up again.
"I think we’ll have a special session and I think it’s important to be out talking to people about where they want the money spent so we get that massive infrastructure comes, then we can take advantage of it," said Rep. Patterson (R-Meridianville).
Patterson said, under the President's proposal, states would pay for 10% of the project, the federal government, the other 90%.
It's a great bargain for the states.
The only problem - right now - Alabama doesn't have enough money for their 10% share.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in the state that wouldn’t agree if we’re going to get 90 - 10, we’ve got to come up with the 10, we’ve got to come up with a way to do it," said Patterson.
The details of the deal is where there's controversy.
The current proposal uses the 1967 model for fund distribution, among the counties, that would give each county an equal 10 million dollars.
That would be a huge disadvantage for the populous areas like Madison County.
“A lot of Alabama has changed since 1967, that formula needs to be restructured," said Rep. Patterson.
WHNT News 19 made several attempts to reach out to Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon's office, about the possibility of seeing this gas tax legislation back on the docket, or the likelihood of a special session called.
So far, no one has returned our messages.
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BRIEF-Pulse Oil Corp Announces Increased Production And Strategic Land Acquisition
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Dec 11 (Reuters) - Pulse Oil Corp:
* PULSE OIL CORP. ANNOUNCES INCREASED PRODUCTION AND STRATEGIC LAND ACQUISITION
* PULSE OIL - CURRENT DAILY PRODUCTION HAS INCREASED FROM ABOUT 70 BOE/D TO OVER 300 BOE/D
* PULSE OIL CORP - EXPECTS THE MATURE, LONG-LIFE WELLS TO FURTHER STABILIZE, SETTLE IN AFTER INITIAL FLUSH PRODUCTION AT RATES OF ABOUT 250 BOE/D Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
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Man says ‘best mistake I’ve ever made’ led to $100K lottery jackpot
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FLINT, Mich. – A Mid-Michigan man said it was the “best mistake I’ve ever made,” and it led to him winning $100,000, according to WNEM.
The Tuscola County man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, matched the Fantasy 5 numbers drawn Thursday to win the Fantasy 5 jackpot.
He bought his winning ticket at Worth’s Party Store, located at 4730 East Main Street in Millington.
“I usually play 04-14-28-30-31, but I accidentally picked 29 instead of 28,” said the player. “Rather than starting over with a new slip, I just decided to go ahead and play those numbers and I’m so glad I did.
The lucky player claimed his prize on Tuesday.
“Winning the jackpot was all because of a simple mistake, but it’s definitely the best mistake I’ve ever made.”
He said he plans to use the money to pay down his mortgage.
“I can’t tell you how it feels to win the jackpot. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” the player said.
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نائب يلدريم: تركيا حدّدت طبيعة وموعد خطواتها للتعامل مع “إقليم شمال العراق”
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Give 7,700 crore for Mumbai's Muslim wards, says Owaisi
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Mumbai : Coming down heavily on the BJP-Sena government, both in centre as well as in corporation, Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM party president, on Sunday alleged that the ruling party’s have failed to facilitate the Muslim citizens of the city. The party will be contesting from 50 seats across the city for the civic polls.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party’s chief demanded an allocation of funds upto Rs7.700 crore to be made for developing the city’s Muslim wards. “Muslims represent around 21 per cent of total populations of wards in BMC. If the budget of BMC is Rs 37,000 crore, Rs 7700 crore should have been allotted for development of muslims,” Owasi said. Addressing a public rally in Byculla, Owaisi said, “Despite having a budget of Rs 37, 000 crore for this year, the civic body has failed to use the funds appropriately. Many schools and hospitals in Mumbai are in poor condition. The government has fooled us by making huge promises and failing to fullfil them.”
Taking a dig at the Samajwadi Party, Owaisi quipped saying that the party’s group leader in the civic body, Rais Shaikh, has failed to develop his constituency (Govandi) despite being in power for 10 years. “The infrastructual condition of Govandi is in a sad state. The councillor has even failed to address issues of common people and is expecting to win from byculla constituency for the upcoming polls. The party has always claimed to be a secular political party, however, its councillors have failed to perform their duties.”
Seeking to strike a chord with the muslim voters for the upcoming civic polls, Assauddin owaisi, commented on the controversial shivaji maharaj memorial project, Owaisi said that the planners have forgot to acknowledge the sacrifices of Muslims who contibuted to Shivaji’s most of the victories. Owaisi said,”We do not oppose spending of Rs 3600 crore for construction or a memorial. But while PM was talking about the great deeds of Shivaji, why did he forgot to mention the Muslims who were a part of his army,” Owaisi added.
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Views sought on Southsea seafront flood defence plans
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Image copyright Portsmouth City Council Image caption An artist's impression of how the planned defences could look at Long Curtain Moat
People are being asked for their views on a planned £114.5m scheme to replace sea defences in Southsea.
Portsmouth City Council wants to renew the existing defences between Old Portsmouth and Eastney, which are up to 100 years old in some places.
The authority said about 8,077 homes and 704 businesses are at risk of flooding without new defences.
If the scheme is approved, work could start in 2019 and would be phased along the seafront, according to the council.
Image copyright Portsmouth City Council Image caption Southsea Common could be fully pedestrianised under the plans, which have gone out for consultation
The council said the defences on the 2.8-mile (4.5km) stretch of seafront are likely to fail within 10 years.
Temporary repairs have been made to plug holes and shore up several collapses in sections of the sea wall.
Work could feature a combination of higher vertical sea walls and some sloped stepped areas with wider promenades, the council said.
It estimated the last section would be completed by 2026.
The consultation on the scheme, which is being partly funded by a £5.9m grant from central government, runs until 5 August.
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Musings on Linux and Open Sourc…
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Download The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary READ ONLINE
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Tacoma lineman back from Oregon visit, waiting for first offer
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Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln athlete Giovonni White is looking for his first college offer, but plenty of teams are interested. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound offensive guard has started for Lincoln high school...
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Saudis Seek 30 Solar, Wind Projects in $50 Billion Pledge
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Saudi Arabia will develop 30 solar and wind projects over the next 10 years as part of the kingdom's $50 billion program to boost power generation and cut its oil consumption. The world's biggest exporter of crude oil will produce 10 percent of its power from renewables by 2023, Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said Monday at a conference in Riyadh.
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Govt plans to use artificial intelligence to weed out shell firms
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The (MCA) is planning to scrutinise functioning to weed out While there will not be any investigation, the registrar of will use to keep a close eye on the numbers report.
The ministry has so far identified or taken action against dormant companies, those that have not filed statutory returns.
“We will use to alert us if any suspicious activity takes place in a company,” a source in the know of the matter said. After the first alert, investigating agencies will be put on the job, officials said. Another official said misappropriation or diversion of funds could be established by tracking the flow of money in a balance sheet.
If this move is executed, thousands of unlisted registered with RoCs will be under watch on lines similar to the oversight by the (SEBI) of listed
The ministry has also identified another 225,000 that have not filed statutory returns. Notices have been issued to them.
Under the Act, 2013, can be struck off the register if they do not file financial returns for a continuous period of three years.
In the first phase, 226,000 were struck off the rolls. Of these, bank details of 168,000 firms were received by the ministry and 73,000 were found to have deposited Rs 240 billion in banks in the post-demonetisation period. Bank details of 58,000 have not been revealed yet.
Sixty-eight are being probed, including 19 by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
Some of the have moved court and have succeeded in getting their names registered again.
The ministry is also probing through its investigating arm the Rs 130 billion fraud at allegedly perpetrated by and group
The SFIO is probing 107 and seven limited liability partnerships (LLPs) belonging to Nirav Modi’s Firestar Diamond Group and Choksi’s Gitanjali Group.
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Youthful A's rotation key to club's success in 2017
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MESA, Ariz. (AP) A key to the Oakland Athletics' young and relatively inexperienced starting rotation will be to consistently get the ball to the bullpen with a lead or a tie.
If that happens, a number of late-inning specialists figure to be able to close out games on a regular basis.
"It'll be fun but it will also be something that is going to have some people step up, including myself," No. 1 starter Sonny Gray said on reporting day for Oakland's pitchers and catchers. "If we can go out there with that light-hearted, young, having fun mentality. The good thing about having a bunch of young guys is we can make it as much fun as we want."
The A's aren't highly thought of as contenders this season after a second straight last-place finish in the AL West. For that to change, Oakland will need to get better results out of a projected starting rotation whose ace, Gray, had a down year in 2016, going 5-11 with a 5.69 ERA. He was an All-Star in 2015 and had 28 wins combined in 2014 and 2015. Other potential starters include Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea, Jharel Cotton, Andrew Triggs and Jesse Hahn.
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"Expectations aren't really high for any of these guys," Gray said. "For any of us, really. We can just go out there and do our thing and hopefully by the end of it, put together something pretty cool."
Catcher Stephen Vogt said it's frustrating that people don't give the A's more credit.
"We know how good we can be if we're healthy and our guys pitch the way they're capable of," Vogt said. "I think this lineup is going to put up a lot of runs. You try not to pay attention to everybody kind of counting you out, but at the same time, when no one's even talking about you that's when you can really sneak up on some people and ruin some other teams' seasons."
Graveman's 10 wins and 186 innings led the staff in 2016.
"I set some goals last year and I met them," Graveman said. "I think I'm going to set some higher goals this year. For me that's huge, to write them down in spring training. Make every start, I think that's huge."
Manaea made 24 starts last season and after some early struggles, finished with a 3.86 ERA. Cotton came to the A's in a trade with the Dodgers involving Rich Hill and Josh Reddick last season. Triggs went 1-1 in six starts and debuted last season.
"There's a lot of young guys with not very much experience, but a lot of them got their feet wet last year," Vogt said. "They had a full offseason to prepare for what's in front of them."
Gray could get the chance to face top competition in games that matter next month in the World Baseball Classic. He would join Team USA in the second round in San Diego.
"It lines up just really well," Gray said. "The fact that you get to potentially put on the jersey again is a cool feeling. Something I've done in the past and I've really enjoyed."
Gray's bullpen session schedule will be altered slightly for the WBC, he said, but it's "nothing too crazy."
NOTES: Newly acquired reliever Santiago Casilla has yet to report to spring training and may miss his scheduled physical on Wednesday due to issues with his international visa. ... A smiling Andrew Lambo, back with the A's as a non-roster camp invitee, said he's ready to play again after beating testicular cancer last year. He's been cancer-free for seven months. ... C Josh Phegley is running and ready to participate fully in workouts, he said, after being limited last season by left knee surgery and setbacks. But manager Bob Melvin said he might ease Phegley into early spring drills. ... Ps Chris Bassitt and Felix Doubront are throwing after recovering from last year's elbow surgeries. "They'll definitely be in the mix later on this season," Melvin said.
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Basketball Australia hires Brondello as Opals head coach
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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Sandy Brondello has been hired as head coach of the Australian Opals in a deal that will allow the three-time Olympic medalist to combine her international duties with her coaching role at Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.
Basketball Australia announced the deal Tuesday, saying the signing marked the start of the road to the Olympics at Tokyo in 2020.
Brondello, who started her international playing career as a teenager and played 302 games for the Australian women’s team, has four seasons of experience as a head coach in the WNBA and led the Mercury to the championship in 2014, when she was voted the league’s coach of the year.
She will start with the Opals on May 1, two days before the squad gathers in Phoenix for a camp.
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Ohio man turns in $14,000 found on side of road
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WORTHINGTON, Ohio (AP) An Ohio man says he was trying to set a good example for his children when he turned in $14,000 he found on the side of the road.
WBNS-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2oGSCeU ) Jake Bowers found the money April 8 as he drove his family to a park in Worthington, a Columbus suburb.
Bowers said when he initially saw the bag on the roadside, he thought it might contain someone's laptop. Instead, it was filled with $100 bills.
Bowers took the bag to the Worthington police station, and it was returned to its owner.
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A police report says the owner had taken the cash to a car dealer but left without buying a vehicle. He told police he must have left it on top of his car and driven off.
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Rent-free luxury at Echelon in the Fulton River District
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Echelon is a pet-friendly, full-amenity, boutique apartment tower in the Fulton River District, directly across the street from Jewel-Osco, adjacent to a park, and a short walk from restaurants, nightlife and CTA trains. Studios at Echelon are fully rented, but will be available late in May and in mid-June, starting at $1,953 a month.
Start the conversation, or Read more at YoChicago.
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Dallas Cowboys: Jerry Jones says Taco Charlton will be "great player"
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Taco Charlton hasn’t made much of an impact through his first four NFL games.
The Dallas Cowboys’ first-round pick out of Michigan has registered just three tackles, including one tackle for loss, and been credited with one quarterback pressure by the coaching staff in 101 snaps.
That’s not the sort of production the Cowboys were hoping for when they used the 28th overall pick on Charlton to bolster their pass rush. Charlton is the first to say it, too.
”I’m not satisfied, definitely not,” Charlton said. “Right now, the biggest thing is working in the role I’m given. I’m used to playing 60, 70 plays last year, so getting in a rhythm faster is probably the biggest thing, biggest factor for me.”
The Cowboys like to use a rotation along their defensive line to keep guys fresher. That’s why Charlton is averaging about 25 snaps a game. But Charlton and the Cowboys aren’t down on themselves yet.
Charlton recently saw Kobe Bryant’s Muse documentary on Showtime, which chronicled Bryant’s struggles as a rookie. Bryant, of course, went on to have one of the best careers in the history of the NBA.
“I just try to keep my head down and keep working,” Charlton said. “It’s only four games in and we have 12 more regular-season games. My plan is to be effective more and more.
“I’m not the most paitent guy, I want the process to hurry up.”
So do the Cowboys and their coaching staff.
“The production has got to get better, the overall production,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “And he’s getting good looks, enough looks. Now it is time as the season goes, the production has to come at that position. But he is working hard at it at practice and it’s just a matter of time.”
Owner Jerry Jones echoed those thoughts and remains high on Charlton. He recalled an old Tom Landry mantra that you shouldn’t judge defensive lineman until their third season. Defensive linemen typically take longer to develop than other positions.
Of course, as Jones said, the game has changed over the years, but the Cowboys aren’t about to give up on Charlton. Jones pointed to Charlton’s versatility and length as being effective both as an end and interior player going forward.
“He’s got a natural gift that he uses well,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “He’s extremely young. I think when he puts his techniques and gets a feel for the way you have to play this game, I think he’s going to be a great player for us.
“I really do.”
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Super Falcons Set For First Ever WAFU Cup
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The Nigeria Football Federation have called up 35 Players to the Super Falcons Camp as preparation for the first ever Female Edition of the West African Union Cup gets underway.
The 2018 WAFU Cup will be hosted by Cote d’Ivoire from 10 February to 24.
It will be recalled that the Football Federation just announced Thomas Dennerby as the new coach of the Super Falcons.
The Super Falcons have won the African Women Cup of Nations a record eight times.
All players are expected to be at Serob Legacy Hotel, Wuye, Abuja on Thursday with their international passports.
GOALKEEPERS: Onyinyechukwu Okeke (Inneh Queens); Rita Akarekoh (Delta Queens); Chioma Nwankwo (Nasarawa Amazons); Chiamaka Nnadozie (Rivers Angels); Oluwaseun Bello (Police Machine)
DEFENDERS: Ayomide Ojo (Police Machine); Kemi Famuditi (Confluence Queens); Glory Ogbonna (Ibom Angels); Opeyemi Aiyeniberu (Sunshine Queens); Mary Ologbosere (Rivers Angels); Sarah Ilodubah (Osun Babes); Joy Jegede (Delta Queens); Lilian Tule (Bayelsa Queens); Uju Okafor (Delta Queens)
MIDFIELDERS: Osas Igbinovia (Bayelsa Queens); Ihuoma Onyebuchi (Sunshine Queens); Oluwakemi Toriola (Police Machine); Ogechi Ukwuoma (Delta Queens); Folashade Ijamilusi (WAFA League); Peace Efih (Inneh Queens)
FORWARDS: Mary Anjor (Osun Babes); Mercy Amanze (Rivers Angels); Juliet Sunday (Sunshine Queens); Aminat Yakubu (Bayelsa Queens); Chinaza Uchendu (Rivers Angels); Rasheedat Ajibade (FC Robo Queens); Anam Imo (Nasarawa Amazons); Mariam Aluko (Confluence Queens); Rofiat Suleiman (Rivers Angels); Gift Monday (FC Robo Queens); Alice Ogebe (Rivers Angels); Precious Edewor (Ibom Angels); Chioma Wogu (Rivers Angels)
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Siemens to shut Danish wind blade factory, lay off 430 people
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COPENHAGEN: Siemens will close a factory making blades for wind turbines in Engesvang in Denmark and cut 430 jobs, as it is unable to expand the site to meet demand for bigger blades, the company said on Wednesday.
Siemens will instead focus on production of blades for wind turbines at two other plants in Denmark, spokesman Rasmus Windfeld said.
After the job cuts, Siemens will employ around 6,500 people in Denmark, which is more than the company employed a year ago, he said.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; editing by Susan Thomas)
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2 state solution optional? Palestinians puzzled by US view
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RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — A Palestinian official says the goal of establishing a state of Palestine alongside Israel enjoys broad international support, expressing surprise at a Trump administration suggestion that a peace deal may not come in the form of a two-state solution.
Husam Zomlot, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, says the “two-state solution is not something we just came up with.”
Zomlot spoke ahead of a White House meeting on Wednesday between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A White House official has said that it’s up to Israelis and Palestinians to decide what peace will entail, and that peace, not a two-state solution, is the goal.
Zomlot says it’s not clear if the comments signal a shift from long-standing U.S. policy of supporting a two-state deal.
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Ex-soldier who bit off man's ear 'only meant to shock' victim
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Image copyright Wales News Service
A former soldier who bit someone's ear off while dressed as Colonel Gaddafi said he only meant to shock the man.
Gwynant Jones was in The Academy bar in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, when Geraint Jones, 25, approached him from behind and bit him on 31 October 2015.
Swansea Crown Court heard Mr Jones did not intend to bite his ear off and said it happened when he was pulled away.
Mr Jones, of Aberystwyth, has admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm but denies it was done with intent.
He said: "When I approached him, my intention was to bite his ear. It's a horrible thing to do but it was not my intention to bite it off.
"My intention was to bite his ear in order to shock him."
Prosecutor Ian Wright said: "He approached from behind and placed his hands on his shoulder before biting his left ear - ripping the lower section off."
Jurors were told Mr Jones's ear lobe was found on the floor by a barman, but it could not be reattached.
Image copyright Dyfed-Powys police Image caption CCTV of a man in fancy dress on the night of the alleged attack was shown to the jury
James Hartson, defending, said: "Before this incident, he is not a man who is known for being violent.
"He has described what he did as disgusting and reprehensible, he is not for a moment excusing his behaviour."
The court heard Jones had been in the army but left the forces to take up history and politics studies.
"He has worked in some of the most dangerous and hostile places in the world," added Mr Hartson.
Mr Jones, a mobile app designer from Machynlleth, Powys, said: "All I can remember is being at the bar and then suddenly feeling a lot of pain.
"I leaned forward and I think that's when my ear must have ripped off and I saw lots of blood."
The trial continues.
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Window closing for Republican stealth assault on U.S. regulations
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WASHINGTON The clock began running out this week on a strategy that has provided U.S. Republicans in Congress with their only notable legislative successes this year: aggressive use of an obscure U.S. law known as the Congressional Review Act (CRA).
On his 75th day in power, President Donald Trump has yet to offer any major legislation or win passage of a bill he favors, but House of Representatives Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has notched numerous small-scale victories with his strategy.
Vice President Mike Pence told business leaders at the White House on Tuesday that Trump would sign more CRA resolutions soon and roll back an "avalanche of red tape" from the administration of President Barack Obama, a Democrat.
Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, McCarthy has led Congress in churning out 13 resolutions under the CRA killing Obama-era regulations, most of concern to business interests.
Trump has signed 11 of these into law, not only rolling back the rules they targeted but also barring agencies from writing "substantially similar" regulations in the future.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Tuesday the number of resolutions signed over two months showed Trump is "vastly different" from past presidents in rolling back regulations.
On Monday Trump signed a CRA resolution repealing broadband privacy protections. He has also signed resolutions killing rules meant to expand background checks for mentally ill gun purchasers, change public school assessments, and reduce coal waste runoff into streams.
Last Friday was the deadline for introducing any new CRA resolutions on regulations enacted by Obama's administration. Now Republicans must complete voting on resolutions already in the legislative pipeline by mid-May.
Democrats assail the reversals as harming the environment, education and checks on Wall Street, with many saying the regulations were killed in order to please big-money lobbyists.
Representative Louise Slaughter, the senior Democrat on the Rules Committee that sends resolutions to the House floor for votes, said in an interview "of course it benefits the lobbyists."
But she said fumbles around healthcare and tax reform also pushed CRA resolutions to the fore.
"Partly I think it’s because they don’t have anything else to do," she said about Republicans' eagerness. "Other than that I think it's just another 'take that Obama.'"
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
McCarthy, a Californian and the No. 2 House Republican, saw the CRA's potential before the election. Written in 1996 and successfully used only once before 2017, the law was originally meant to restore the balance of power between Congress and the federal bureaucracy. But lobbyists and lawmakers recognized it could be used as a policy weapon, if the stars aligned.
Under the law, resolutions only need simple majorities in each chamber to go on for the president's signature. So one party must control both the legislative and executive branches for it to work. The law sets a short time span for introducing disapproval resolutions: 60 legislative days after a regulation is finalized, meaning it can only be used right after a president of an opposing party leaves office.
The stars aligned on Nov. 8, when Republicans captured the White House, Senate and House. For weeks Republican lawmakers bombarded McCarthy with lists of regulations to repeal and lobbying groups laid plans. The first disapproval resolutions were introduced on Jan. 30.
Right after the election, McCarthy told his party to "go through each regulation on our priority list," he said.
"If you look at Article One of the Constitution, this isn’t the role of these agencies. The agencies have become too big," McCarthy said in an interview with Reuters.
The first resolutions sailed through, primarily because Republicans had opposed the regulations long before they were finalized. McCarthy said so many lawmakers objected to the stream pollution rule that wiping it off the books was easy.
Even though the CRA effort is winding down, McCarthy's brief campaign showed that aggressive use of the law could succeed, and provided Republicans with some modest, but needed successes in a time when they are struggling with larger matters.
"After years of talk about cutting red tape, it is now actually happening," House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Tuesday. "We are reversing the Obama administration’s most recent and last regulatory onslaught."
(Additional reporting by David Shepardson and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Grant McCool)
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Air New Zealand feels Shane Jones' wrath over axed regional air links
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Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has given a blunt warning to Air New Zealand to stop shutting down its regional air links.
The extraordinary censure from the NZ First MP came during last Friday's announcement that the Government was stumping up $1.75 million towards the $4.75m cost of building a new terminal at Bay of Islands Airport near Kerikeri.
Striding towards Air NZ's regional affairs manager, Ian Collier, Jones said ''terminal'' was a fitting word for the warning he was about to deliver.
''Don't keep closing down regional air links. And take that message to your supervisors.''
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Later, Jones conceded he wasn't the shareholding minister for Air New Zealand but said he was speaking out as someone born and raised in the provinces.
''They've just ditched Kapiti, Kaitaia is gone with the wind ... While Air New Zealand has become very skilled at moving people around our major metropolitan areas, I think it is quite irresponsible of them to continue to degrade their provincial connectivity.''
As a champion for the regions he was ''absolutely'' within his rights to challenge Air New Zealand, which was still Crown-owned to a significant degree, he said.
''It might ruffle a few governance feathers but I'm not here to stroke the peacock. I'm here to get the mahi done.''
Collier said he didn't want to comment on Jones' reprimand straight away.
In 2015, Air NZ axed its twice-daily flights to Kaitaia and a number of other regional centres. Earlier this month the airline announced it was also ending flights to Kapiti Coast.
At the same time, however, it has boosted aircraft size and flights to Kerikeri.
Jones' Bay of Islands Airport announcement last Friday was part of the latest tranche of funding delivered by the Government's Provincial Growth Fund.
Also announced was $5m for wharf upgrades at Paihia, Russell and Opua.
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Tom Brady wins the 2017 AP NFL MVP award
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Tom Brady has added to his greatest-of-all-time resume by winning his third AP NFL MVP award for the 2017 season. This ties him up with Jim Brown, Brett Favre and Johnny Unitas — Peyton Manning is the only player with more at five.
The announcement was made on Saturday night before Super Bowl LII, and Brady could not attend because of his preparation for the big game on Sunday. Although Brady only has three MVP awards, he has five Super Bowl wins in seven appearances, including four Super Bowl MVP awards.
Brady’s season was tightly contested with Todd Gurley and Carson Wentz before he went down with an ACL injury. Gurley had a phenomenal season, but Brady at the age of 40 years old was just too impressive.
Brady received 40 votes, Gurley received eight votes, and Gurley received two votes.
Brady threw for 4,577 yards and 32 touchdowns, while only throwing eight interceptions.He also pulled his team to a 13-3 overall record during the season, even though the defense started off with below average performances. His season was spectacular, and bringing this team to another Super Bowl is just a testament to Brady’s greatness this season.
Brady is heading into his eight Super Bowl and could possibly win his fifth Super Bowl MVP award, all of this will build this incredible career. He is also the oldest to win the award.
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Starting lineup for the Bank of America 500
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CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Kyle Larson has been in Chase Elliott‘s shoes.
Not too long ago, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver went 98 starts in NASCAR’s premier series without a trip to victory lane.
Then came start No. 99.
In August 2016 at Michigan International Speedway, a late restart with eight laps to go saw Larson get the jump on Elliott. Larson wound up celebrating with his steering wheel thrust out the window and Elliott was left lamenting, “I hate to let my guys down like that.”
It has become a common refrain from the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
More than a year later, Larson now has five Cup wins. After a crushing second-place finish to Kyle Busch last week at Dover, Elliott sits at 70 Cup starts and zero wins.
“(Elliott) has probably ran second as many times as I did before the first win and been close just as often as I have, maybe even in some cases more often,” Larson said Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Larson finished second four times before his triumph. Elliott has had to settle for second five times. Two of those have been to Larson at Michigan.
“I put myself in a lot of positions to win throughout the first two-and-a-half years of my NASCAR career and I seem to kind of choke, I guess, late in the races,” Larson said. “But in each of those losses I had, I learned something from each of them and I became calmer at each of them.”
For Elliott, who is in the second round of the Cup playoffs, there’s far less, “I hate to let my guys down like that.”
The second-year driver is shouldering more of the responsibility.
“I appreciate my team and their efforts today,” Elliott said on Sunday. “The pit stops were great and they kept us in the ballgame. I didn’t.”
Larson has noticed the change.
“He seems extremely mature so I’m sure he’s dealing with it fine,” Larson said. “So far this year, he has dealt with all the close finishes way better than he had last year. I think that is a case of him learning from each of those losses and just becoming calmer and more mature. He will win, and when he wins one, he is going to win a lot, similar to kind of what I did this year.”
But before the start of the playoffs, Elliott disagreed with the notion that his reaction to close losses has “evolved.”
“The circumstances have been different,” Elliott said the week before the playoff opener and an encumbered second-place finish. “When a race didn’t end the way that I wanted it to end because it’s something that I did, I’m going to take a lot of blame, I’m just going to own up to my mistakes. I’m going to be frustrated with the fact that I know I didn’t do my job correctly. When it’s out of my hands, I can’t do anything about it, those are the days you just have to recognize I couldn’t do anything about it.
“But the ones that frustrate me the most are the ones I know I could have done something different to fix it.”
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Greek PM says debt relief is a condition for more austerity
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras waits to welcome European Council President Donald Tusk at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, April 5, 2017. REUTERS/Michalis Karagiannis
ATHENS Greece will implement additional austerity measures agreed with its official creditors on condition of further debt relief that will enable the country to be included in the ECB's bond buying scheme, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Sunday.
Athens struck a deal with its international creditors at Friday's meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Malta on key elements of a reform package that could unlock bailout funds for the country to help it repay maturing debt in July.
"Medium-term debt relief measures, able to include us in (the ECB's) quantitative easing, and a fiscal path that will not be unattainable, is the condition for us to implement the measures we decided," Tsipras told his leftist Syriza party's central committee.
Athens agreed to take measures that will cut government spending on pensions by 1.0 percent of economic output in 2019, a year after its current 86 billion euro (74 billion pound) bailout programme expires.
It also committed to tax reforms in 2020 to generate additional revenue equal to another 1 percent of gross domestic product, mainly by lowering the current income tax exemption threshold.
To make the deal more palatable for Greece the lenders agreed that if budget savings targets are exceeded, Athens will be allowed to implement relief measures to boost the economy.
"What was decided in Malta ... renders the horizon for the country's exit from supervision visible," Tsipras said, in a bid to drum up support for the difficult measures his lawmakers will need to legislate.
"After Malta, the road opens for specifying measures on debt relief. This will send a clear message that the crisis is behind us," he said.
Greece is aiming for a budget surplus before debt servicing outlays of 3.5 percent of GDP in 2018, a level it will have to maintain thereafter over the "medium term".
There is no agreement yet on what exactly "medium term" means as euro zone ministers did not discuss this during Friday's meeting.
Tsipras said the compromise reached in Malta would enable his government to also legislate relief measures to tackle poverty, unemployment and build a "social state".
"I am certain that the difficult decisions we took ... are ones that in a few years, when we look back at the crucial dilemmas we faced, we will be sure we did the right thing," Tsipras said.
(Writing by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Stephen Powell)
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Scientists call for global and local control and management of mercury
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Element mercury (Hg), liquid form. Credit: Wikipedia. Mercury is a complex, multifaceted contaminant which can take many different forms. It is poisonous to humans and wildlife and damaging to the environment. Currently, around two thirds of the mercury entering the environment comes from current or legacy human sources including mining, industrial activities, coal combustion and incinerators, with the remaining originating from natural sources. A special issue addressing the most up-to-date science on the fate and effects of mercury has now been published in Springer's journal Ambio.
Methylmercury is the most toxic form of mercury. The main exposure route for methylmercury to humans and wildlife is through the consumption of fish and shellfish. Exposure to inorganic mercury also occurs through industrial and mining processes and religious and ethnic practices. Mercury exposure can impair the health of humans and wildlife by damaging neurological, developmental and reproductive functions, and negatively affecting the immune and renal system. Therefore, the global health risks to humans and wildlife that result from exposure to this toxin are significant, especially in populations that depend on fish for subsistence.
In this special issue, scientists call for global and local efforts to control and manage mercury pollution. Four main questions are addressed:
i) How is the global mercury cycle changing in response to perturbations such as climate change?
ii) How is the cycling and bioaccumulation of mercury changing in specific places in response to perturbations like climate change or urbanization?
iii) What is the relative risk of mercury exposure to human and wildlife health in the context of other risks/stressors?
iv) How can scientific knowledge contribute to the implementation and effectiveness evaluation of the global treaty on mercury, known as the Minamata Convention?
Scientific understanding of the transport and fate of mercury in the environment and risk to human and wildlife health has increased markedly in recent years. The international treaty to control and mitigate mercury emissions and releases to limit exposure, the Minamata Convention, has been ratified by 84 nations and entered into force. Therefore it is timely to translate and synthesize the science of mercury for policymakers so that decisions made under the Convention and other regional and national efforts are based on the most rigorous scientific understanding.
This special issue represents the latest results from international mercury science and policy communities and will provide a basis in the coming years for developing policy to minimize environmental effects and exposure to this contaminant.
Explore further: Study tracks methylmercury in seafood
More information: Celia Y. Chen et al, Integrating mercury research and policy in a changing world, Ambio (2018). DOI: 10.1007/s13280-017-1010-y
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NJ Transit Rush-Hour Delays Mount at N.Y. Penn
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As rail passengers steel themselves for a grueling commute this summer, NJ Transit disclosed that fewer than half of its trains arrived into New York Penn Station on time during the morning rush hour in May.
NJ Transit’s executive director Steven Santoro said he believes it is the lowest peak-hour on-time rail performance posted by the transit...
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Louisiana man admits misusing Trump's Social Security number
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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana private investigator pleaded guilty today to misusing President Donald Trump's Social Security number in repeated attempts to access the president's federal tax information before his election last year.
Jordan Hamlett, 32, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine after his guilty plea in federal court.
Authorities have said Hamlett failed in his attempts to get Trump's tax information through a U.S. Department of Education financial aid website.
Trump has refused to release his tax returns, bucking an American tradition honored by every president since Jimmy Carter.
A court document accompanying Hamlett's plea agreement says he used Trump's Social Security number and other personal information to open an online application for federal student aid on Sept. 13, 2016. After obtaining a username and password, he tried to use an Internal Revenue Service data retrieval tool to obtain Trump's tax information, the document says.
"The defendant made six separate attempts to obtain the federal tax information from IRS servers, but he was unsuccessful," says the document. It doesn't specify how much of Trump's tax information could have been retrieved with the online tool.
Hamlett, a Lafayette resident, was indicted in November 2016. His trial had been scheduled to start this week, but the judge originally assigned to the case died on Saturday after a brief illness. U.S. District Court Judge John deGravelles, who inherited the case, didn't immediately schedule Hamlett's sentencing hearing.
Defense attorney Michael Fiser had argued Hamlett didn't have any "intent to deceive" and simply tried "out of sheer curiosity" to discover whether Trump's tax information could be accessed through the government website.
After Hamlett's guilty plea, Fiser said his client "still has a long road ahead" as he awaits sentencing.
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Dine 909: Girl Scout Cookie season is in full swing
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What’s your favorite Girl Scout Cookie? The answer probably depends on where you live.
The Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council, which covers most of the Inland Empire, gets its cookies from ABC Bakers.
Little Brownie Bakers supplies the East Region of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, which covers the west end of the Inland Empire — basically Fontana and points west.
ABC Bakers’ lineup consists of Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Shortbread, Thin Mints, Girl Scout S’mores, Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lot and Trios.
Little Brownie Bakers offers: Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, Trefoils, Thin Mints, Girl Scout S’mores, Savannah Smiles and Toffee-tastic.
Some of the cookies are similar, but go by different names: Caramel deLites/Samoas, Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs, Do-si-dos/Peanut Butter Sandwich and Shortbread/Trefoils.
And just to confuse you further, the two versions of Girl Scout S’mores — introduced last year — are very different.
ABC Bakers’ version is a square graham cookie, dipped first in a creme icing and then again in a chocolaty coating. Little Brownie Bakers’ version is a sandwich cookie — chocolate and marshmallowy filling sandwiched between two graham cookies.
ABC Bakers’ Lemonades, Girl Scout S’mores, Peanut Butter Patties, Thanks-A-Lot and Thin Mints are vegan, and its Trios are gluten-free and made without artificial flavors. None of its cookies have preservatives or artificial colors. Lemonades, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Shortbread and Trios are made without high fructose corn syrup.
None of Little Brownie Bakers’ cookies are made with high fructose corn syrup. All its cookies are also free of artificial colors and partially hydrogenated oils. Do-si-dos, Girl Scout S’mores and Toffee-tastic are also made without artificial flavors. Its Thin Mints are vegan and the Toffee-tastic cookies are gluten-free.
The cookies cost $5 per box, except for the Toffee-tastic and Little Brownie Bakers’ Girl Scout S’mores, which cost $6. Sales end for Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council on March 18 and for Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles on March 11.
MOD opening
The Inland Empire’s newest MOD Pizza is opening in the Day Creek Marketplace — 12270 Base Line, Suite 150, Rancho Cucamonga — on March 2.
Prior to the grand opening, however, the location is hosting special Bridge Day training events from noon-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, and Thursday, March 1.
During the Bridge Day events, customers receive 50 percent off their purchase; proceeds will benefit the chain’s Bridge Fund, which helps employees in times of emergency, such as natural disasters, hardship or major life-altering unforeseen circumstances.
The grand opening will be held at noon Friday, March 2. The first 52 customers in line will receive a free pizza or salad, and the day’s proceeds will benefit Generosity Feeds, a national organization dedicated to fighting childhood hunger.
The Los Osos High School marching band will perform for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Another Dickey’s
The Shops at University Park in San Bernardino — already home to Jamba Juice, Jimmy John’s and Wayback Burgers — has become home to another eatery.
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit opened last week in the center, which is just across from the Cal State San Bernardino campus.
Dickey’s is at 1725 W. Northpark Blvd., Unit A1.
Gelato anniversary
Happy belated first anniversary and — finally — official grand opening to our friends at Italicus Gelato in Temecula.
The authentic dessert shop — its owner and gelato chef are both from Italy — hosted the ceremony earlier this month.
Italicus is in the food court of the Promenade Mall, 40820 Winchester Road.
Fermented food fun
Fermented food fans will find fun at the Cultured Food Festival this weekend at the Highland Springs Ranch & Inn, 10600 Highland Springs Ave., Cherry Valley.
The event will feature live music, a fermented food court, workshops on how to make your own fermented foods and beverages, and fermented beverage sampling.
The festival runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 24 and 25. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 65 and older and students 13-17 years old and free for children 12 and younger.
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Soccer-Barca's Busquets blames tactics, fitness for Paris nightmare
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Feb 14 (Reuters) - Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has criticised their tactical and physical frailties after a 4-0 thrashing at Paris St Germain in the last 16 left them on the brink of their earliest Champions League exit in a decade.
The five-times European champions were crushed in every aspect of the first-leg clash by Unai Emery's side, suffering their heaviest defeat in Europe since 2013 and under coach Luis Enrique, who appeared ruffled in front of the media.
"They (PSG) played much better than us and they overwhelmed us physically," Busquets told Catalan television network TV3.
"They pressed us harder, they were much better tactically than us, they had a plan and executed it how they wanted to and they were the better team".
The midfielder also appeared to criticise the team's preparation for the game, adding: "We expected something else but that's what can happen. We hope to be able to turn things around at the Nou Camp but I can't lie, it's very difficult."
Luis Enrique cut an uneasy figure in an interview with TV3 which he cut short, saying: "Stop looking for more reasons. This is my responsibility and I hope you use the same tone now we have lost as when we win."
In his news conference, Luis Enrique said his side were utterly outplayed although he rejected suggestions he had not prepared his players properly for the high pressing game PSG carried out to perfection.
"We weren't surprised at all, we had spoken about their pressing before the game but that doesn't mean you can overcome it. We lost so many individual duels. PSG played as we expected and played at their best and we did not," he said.
"It's pretty simple. Our opponents were better than us with and without the ball. They won battles, they were more effective and the result clearly reflects what happened. I don't think I have to give a huge explanation to Barca fans."
Luis Enrique gave midfielder Andres Iniesta his first start for a month after his recovery from an ankle injury alongside Busquets who had also only recently returned from a layoff while Gerard Pique had just come back after a muscle injury.
"We had players that had just recovered but I don't want to individualise, now is not the time. I have every confidence in my players, it's time to talk about coaches and I assume full responsibility for this as always," added Luis Enrique.
"The players are the same ones that have won on other days." (Reporting by Richard Martin in Barcelona; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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EU's Moscovici hopes for Greek deal by end of May
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WASHINGTON European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici said on Thursday he hoped a deal between international lenders and Greece that would allow new loan disbursements would materialise by the end of May.
Euro zone finance ministers reached a political agreement with Athens two weeks ago in Malta on what reforms Greece must implement to secure new cheap loans and teams of technical experts were to iron out the details as soon as possible.
But two weeks have passed and the experts have not yet gone to Greece.
"We need to translate that (the political deal) into a technical agreement. I hope the teams will be able to return to Athens in the days to come and we can have a solution by the end of May. That is the timetable," Moscovici said.
(Reporting By Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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List: Nye County school menu
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Nye County School District elementary menu for the week of Feb. 5 – Feb. 9:
Las Vegas Review-Journal Nye County schools released its menu for the upcoming week.
Nye County School District elementary menu for the week of Feb. 5 – Feb. 9:
BREAKFAST
Assorted fruit juice and choice of milk offered with each meal.
Monday — TEACHER IN-SERVICE DAY – NO SCHOOL;
Tuesday —- Cereal, French toast sticks, fresh fruit;
Wednesday —- Cereal, Nutri-grain bar, fruit cocktail;
Thursday — Cereal, pancake on a stick, fresh fruit;
Friday – Cereal, yogurt, peaches.
LUNCH
Salad bar, fruit juice and choice of milk offered with each meal.
Monday – TEACHER IN-SERVICE DAY – NO SCHOOL;
Tuesday – Bean and cheese burrito, pineapple chunks;
Wednesday – Rib patty sandwich, cookie, fresh fruit;
Thursday – Hamburger, peaches;
Friday – Pepperoni pizza, fresh fruit.
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Buenos Aires Open men's singles round 1 results
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'They have a crazy connection:' New couple The Weeknd and Selena Gomez are said to be 'falling for each other' after weeks of dating Weeknd vibes
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'90s dance party: HACK the Planet
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Event time: 9pm - 2:30am
Join Subspace for a journey into the electronic music and visuals of the 90's and 00's, jamming only the most essential beats from a time when 56k was super fast and 512 megs or RAM was way too much! No secrets flyers or bad directions to a warehouse in the middle of nowhere, just come down and party like it's 1992!
The local club anything serves over 50 different local beers and spirits from local distilleries including Absinthe!
×
Price: No cover!
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BRIEF--Bank Uralsib FY 2016 net profit down at RUB 2.13 bln
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Australia shares poised to fall after Fed rate hike, oil prices dip, NZ flat
June 15 Australian shares are expected to open lower on Thursday, mirroring a dip in Wall Street after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates and crude oil prices slumped to their lowest close in seven months. A slide in the technology sector weighed on the Nasdaq and S&P 500 as investors worried about the pace of economic growth after the rate increase and weaker-than-expected inflation data. Crude oil prices fell nearly 4 percent, hit by an unexpec
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BRIEF-Invl Baltic Farmland Says FY 2017 Net Profit Of Invl Baltic Farmland, AB Group And Company EUR 885 Thousand
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March 19 (Reuters) - INVL BALTIC FARMLAND AB:
* SAYS FY 2017 NET PROFIT OF INVL BALTIC FARMLAND, AB GROUP AND COMPANY EUR 885 THOUSAND
* SAYS REVENUE WAS EUR 575 THOUSAND FOR PERIOD OF 2017
* SAYS BOARD PROPOSES DIVIDEND PER SHARE OF EUR 0.15 FOR 2017 Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom)
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C.J. McCollum Signed With Chinese Shoe Company Li-Ning
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Getty Image
Not everyone can be Kevin Durant, i.e. kicking back while the Big 3 sneaker companies – Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour – all clamor to sign you to an nine-figure shoe deal. Yet there are plenty of other opportunities out there for professional athletes who are on the up and up but who may not quite be on the same superstar marketability echelon.
For instance, Klay Thompson made headlines earlier this summer when he signed a 10-year deal to remain with Chinese shoe company Anta for a reported $80 million (despite previous signs that he was less than thrilled with their products). Now, another Chinese company has staged a coup by signing Blazers guard C.J. McCollum.
McCollum announced his partnership with Li-Ning via Instagram on Friday.
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BRIEF-China Resources Phoenix Healthcare updates on banking facility of HKD800 million
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BRIEF-Aap Implantate announces public share buyback offer
* TO PURCHASE UP TO 2.25 MILLION SHARES OF COMPANY BY MEANS OF VOLUNTARY PUBLIC SHARE BUYBACK OFFER AGAINST CASH PAYMENT OF EUR 1.52 PER NO-PAR VALUE SHARE FOR MAX TOTAL PURCHASE PRICE OF UP TO EUR 3.5 MILLION Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom)
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Sports can't heal Toronto - but they can help
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You certainly could have forgiven the Toronto Maple Leafs if they didn't really feel like playing a hockey game Monday night. And fans inside the arena were in anything but a festive mood.
But the players were on the ice and there wasn't an empty seat in the house.
Really, what else could they do?
Toronto is, thankfully, new to this — new to the type of gut-wrenching, random attacks like Monday's that leave behind a mountain of questions and a deep well of pain.
A Maple Leaf or Raptor win won't fill that void or erase that loss. Nothing will.
No playoff victory will bring back the 10 people tragically killed or the 15 others seriously injured when a man drove a van onto a busy sidewalk in the city's north end.
But in the wake of Monday's attack, the biggest gathering of Torontonians wasn't at a church or a synagogue or even at city hall. It was at the Air Canada Centre for the Leafs' game.
'Play our hearts out for this city'
The crowd's mood seemed raw and reflective of what had happened in their city.
Before Game 6 of Toronto's playoff series against the Boston Bruins, there was a moment of silence. During the national anthem, a tremendous display of unity was made as the anthem performer stopped singing and allowed the voice of the crowd to take over, filling the building.
"We are going to play our hearts out for this city for these great fans," Leafs defenceman Ron Hainsey said in a recorded message played on the video board before the game, which the Leafs went on to win 3-1.
The players, some of whom grew up here, were clearly affected by the day's events and seemed eager to play whatever small part they could in what will be a long, slow healing process.
"It's such a tragedy and it's terrible," said winger Connor Brown, a Toronto native. "You see all the people come together in a moment of silence before the game, and to kind of unite a city after something like that is special. But it was a tough day."
A role to play
Sports have often been part of a city's healing process in the wake of tragedy. After the 9/11 attacks, baseball played a role in New York City's recovery as the Yankees went on an emotional run to the 2001 World Series.
"They were all clapping. They were clapping for baseball," former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani wrote at the time. "These were all sports fans. It really got their minds off of, 'Are we going to be attacked again? Are we going to come out of this?' It gave them a sense that life goes on."
After the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, the city's sports teams were front and centre. The Bruins played the first game after the attack, and a video of the crowd singing the national anthem quickly went viral.
A few days later, during a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park honouring first responders, beloved Red Sox slugger David Ortiz famously told the crowd "This is our f------ city... and nobody [is] going to dictate our freedom."
Leafs coach Mike Babcock knows his team didn't save any lives Monday night, but he's aware that the team is an integral part of Toronto's fabric and has a role to play.
"It was our job to do what we could here tonight," Babcock said after his team's 3-1 victory. "It's so important that we rally around these people, help 'em, do everything we can. We have a fantastic city."
And then Babcock paused. He lives here too. This was something he, or any member of Toronto's professional sports community, could relate to.
"You know, I was just thinking, I live in Yorkville and I walk around all of the time," he said. "You're just out here enjoying a beautiful day in Toronto."
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RPT-EXCLUSIVE-Inside edge: Trump advisor Icahn's big bet against biofuels credits
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(Repeats for additional clients with no changes to text)
By Chris Prentice and Jarrett Renshaw
April 12 Billionaire investor Carl Icahn's oil refining company, CVR Energy, made a massive bet in 2016 that prices for U.S. government biofuels credits would fall - just before Icahn started advising President Donald Trump on regulations driving that market.
The size and specifics of the gamble - involving $186 million worth of biofuels credits the company said it needed at the end of 2016 to satisfy regulatory requirements - have not been previously reported by the media.
The credit system is designed to encourage the mixing of renewable fuels, such as ethanol, into gasoline or diesel. The government awards the biofuels credits to firms that produce such blends - and requires firms that don’t, such as CVR, to buy the credits from their competitors.
Icahn's firm positioned itself to slash those regulatory costs by tens of millions of dollars if biofuels credit prices declined, according to a Reuters review of CVR filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and interviews with two brokers involved in the firm’s trading of biofuels credits.
Last year, in a counterintuitive trading strategy, Icahn’s refining firm postponed buying biofuels credits and instead sold millions of them – a bet that it could buy the credits it would need later at lower prices, according to the two brokers and CVR’s year-end SEC filing.
That strategy looked prescient, starting in December, as prices for biofuels credits fell in response to a series of political events tied to the election of Trump. These included his appointment of Icahn - a vocal critic of biofuels credit mandates - as an unpaid “special advisor to the President” on regulatory issues.
In February, biofuels credit prices fell again after the famed activist investor proposed policy changes to the White House that would free certain refiners - including CVR - from their obligation to buy the credits.
Icahn, who owns an 82-percent stake in CVR Energy, did not respond to repeated phone calls and emails seeking comment. He has said previously that his advocacy on biofuels regulation is not self-serving because it would benefit a broad swath of the U.S. refining industry, including some of CVR's competitors.
Spokespeople for CVR and the Trump administration declined to comment. White House spokeswoman Kelly Love has said previously that Icahn was acting as a private individual in pushing biofuels policy changes and that his “special advisor” appointment was not a formal job in the administration.
CVR has not publicly disclosed the number of credits it sold to other firms or the prices paid, and Reuters was unable to determine the specific amounts.
At year end, after the credit sales, CVR estimated it needed credits worth $186 million to meet its regulatory obligations, according an SEC filing reviewed by Reuters.
The credits may end up costing CVR much less, however, because market prices for renewable fuel credits have since dived.
Last year, when CVR was unloading credits, they sold for an average of 77 cents - and peaked at more than $1, according to prices compiled by Oil Price Information Service.
But prices dropped to about 53 cents by March 31. Biofuels credits traded at 55 cents on Tuesday.
For a graphic detailing how CVR played the volatile biofuels credit market, see: tmsnrt.rs/2p5LNT9.
CVR isn’t assured of big savings. The amount of money the firm is ultimately forced to spend on biofuels credits depends on their price when it decides to purchase them.
But CVR’s credit sell-off last year gave the firm two potentially lucrative options: It could have purchased enough new credits - after prices plummeted early this year - to meet government mandates before March 31; or it could have delayed the required purchases for one more year, as allowed by law, in the hopes that credit prices would fall even further.
CVR declined to comment on which of those options the company chose.
CONFLICTING INTERESTS
Icahn’s policy recommendations to Trump, if enacted, would likely further undermine the value of the credits by reducing demand from refiners such as CVR, which do not have the facilities needed to blend ethanol into gasoline, credit brokers and industry experts said.
Some Democratic lawmakers and biofuels advocates have argued that Icahn's policy recommendations to the Republican administration create a conflict of interest with his investments.
Icahn should not be advising Trump on policy changes that move markets in which Icahn is "speculating deeply," said Brooke Coleman, executive director of the Advanced Biofuels Business Council, a trade group that represents producers of renewable fuels and opposes Icahn’s policy recommendations.
"What he's saying would allow him to make more money," Coleman said. "He's in a position to perpetually put uncertainty out in the marketplace."
Richard Painter - a law professor at the University of Minnesota and the chief White House ethics lawyer for former President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007 - believes that Icahn’s unique access to the White House and influence on policy creates a conflict even though, as an informal advisor, he isn’t getting a government paycheck.
“We don’t give out knighthoods in the United States. If you have a title, that means you have a job,” Painter said.
Some experts, however, argue that Icahn avoided a conflict of interest by not taking a paid government position.
“He’s free to give his advice. People do that all the time. The rulemaker is free to take their advice or not,” said Charles Elson, a finance professor at the University of Delaware. “That’s as old as Washington.”
ICAHN TARGETS “ABSURD” MANDATE
The credits were created under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, initially enacted in 2005 under the administration of George W. Bush.
The law aimed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependence on foreign oil, while giving a boost to rural economies that grow corn for ethanol production.
The credits create a financial penalty for refiners – such as Icahn’s CVR – that don’t have the blending facilities needed to create an ethanol-gasoline mix.
Icahn has called the requirement "absurd" and “insane” because it punishes some refiners for failing to do something that they have no ability to do.
Icahn’s proposal to the White House would shift the burden of blending ethanol and other biofuels - or buying credits - to a variety of firms with blending facilities, such as integrated oil firms, traders, fuel distributors and retailers.
The full details of Icahn's proposal have not been made public. White House sources have previously told Reuters that the administration is considering the policy change but is concerned about a potential backlash from the ethanol industry.
MARKET-MOVING POLITICS
Icahn’s policy proposal is one of several political events that drove down prices in the biofuels credit markets.
Prices tanked on December 7 after Trump appointed Scott Pruitt - a critic of biofuels regulation - to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, which implements those rules.
Credit values declined even faster after December 22, with the naming of Icahn as an advisor on regulation.
On February 27, news broke that Trump – after being advised by Icahn – would be preparing an executive order on biofuels regulation.
The next trading day, biofuels credit prices dropped to an intraday low of 30 cents.
(Editing by Richard Valdmanis, Simon Webb and Brian Thevenot)
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FFA state leaders visit Blair School
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Four Oklahoma Future Farmers of America leaders discussed how their participation in the organization has prepared them for leadership roles during an hour presentation Thursday at Blair School.
All four are freshmen or sophomores at Oklahoma State University.
Ridge Hughbanks, state president of FFA, said he started going to FFA events to be around friends. His family grows wheat and alfalfa and has a cow-calf operation in Alva. He said he wasn’t aware of the 34 development programs offered through FFA but started competing in a dairy food category on a whim.
He said he learned to judge delicacies in cheese and milk and along the way met some people who became his best friends.
“It’s so much more than showing pigs and judging livestock,” he said.
He discovered he could participate in the state FFA convention chorus and got further involved.
Hughbanks emphasized taking pride in their local FFA. “And if it’s not something you’re proud of, do something to make it something you can be proud of,” he said. “Leadership is seeing a problem and caring enough to change it.”
Susan Franco, a 10th-grade student at Blair High School, said she’s actively involved by participating in Quiz Bowl and judging animals from cows to goats.
Ditto for fellow sophomore Dex Coucher who said he works a lot in the school barn and in a shop in the ag building.
Other speakers at the event included Altus High School alumna Emilie James, who serves as the Southwest Area Vice President of FFA, Kade Killough of Stillwater who serves as Central Area Vice President of FFA and Truit Taylor of South Coffeeville, Oklahoma who serves as state secretary.
http://www.altustimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Blair-ffa-1.jpg Rick Carpenter | Altus Times
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BRIEF-Bisas Tekstil Q1 net profit shrinks to 481,892 lira
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UPDATE 3-Nestle takes food price rises in its stride
ZURICH, Aug 9 Nestle expects pressure from the rising price of ingredients for its products such as chocolate bars, coffee and soup to ease, helping it meet its target for increasing sales despite tough markets.
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Ambien maker: Racism not a known side effect
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The manufacturers of Ambien issued a tweet in response to Roseanne Barr's claim that the popular sedative was to blame for her racist tweet.
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Will North Korea's Kim meet with Japanese PM Abe?
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Japan is hoping to capitalize on the recent outbreak of diplomacy in Northeast Asia by arranging a face-to-face meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, although analysts suggest the Japanese leader has far fewer bargaining chips with which to entice the regime in Pyongyang to the bargaining table.
Abe announced that he would be keen to hold direct talks with Kim during a telephone conversation with South Korean President Moon Jae-in late last week.
The Japanese leader has been one of the staunchest supporters of the international community taking a hard line against Pyongyang's development of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles, but he has apparently recognized that Japan is being left behind as both Seoul and Washington engage with Kim.
Read more: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe warns North Korea talks could be ploy
Both Moon and Trump have agreed to meet Kim, with a summit that brings together the two Korean leaders penciled in for before the end of April. The talks between Kim and Trump are considered slightly more difficult to arrange, in part because of the unpredictability of both leaders, although there are suggestions that discussions are underway to hold the meeting in Sweden or Finland.
Read more: Sweden and North Korea end talks ahead of possible Trump-Kim summit
Abducted citizens
And while Japan is inevitably concerned about the North's nuclear and missile programs, it is likely that Abe's main area of focus will be the question of Japanese citizens who were abducted by the North in order to train future agents that would be infiltrated into Japanese society. Officially, Tokyo has evidence of less than 20 Japanese who have been kidnapped, although rights groups here have a list of more than 100 people who have gone missing in mysterious circumstances and they believe may well have been snatched by North Koreans.
"Both men are deeply unpredictable, but it does appear that the Trump-Kim meeting could happen and Japan does not want to be left out of the conversation," said Robert Dujarric, a professor of international relations at the Japan campus of Temple University.
"But, in reality, there is not too much for Japan and North Korea to discuss because Japan has little to offer the North in exchange for the release of the abductees – or even information on them – and there would appear to be little advantage for Kim to meet Abe," he told DW.
"Kim's priority is talking with the US and South Korea because those are the countries that he is facing militarily and diplomatically, which makes Japan far less important. Meeting Trump will be something of a victory for Kim because it will bestow legitimacy on a regime that has until now been seen as a global pariah and put him at the level of an international statesman," he said.
"Japan, on the other hands, just wants something from the North and they are unlikely to want to spend time talking about the abductees."
Read more: German BND spy agency: North Korean rockets can hit Europe
Watch video 00:51 North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump to meet
Abductees' tragic tale
"The story of those who were abducted is tragic, but there is, in truth, not a lot that can be done if the North does not want to cooperate," Dujarric said.
The only possible leverage that could be applied, believes Yoichi Shimada, a professor of international relations at Fukui Prefectural University, is an offer to relax unilateral sanctions that Tokyo has imposed on the North specifically over the question of the abductees.
"I spoke to Abe on this very issue about a year ago and he said to me at the time that he would only go to a summit in North Korea if they guaranteed that they would allow the abductees to leave on the plane with him when it was over," Shimada told DW. "I see no reason why he would have changed his mind on this matter since then."
"The abductees are an extremely important issue for Abe personally and for Japan as a nation," he said. "There is no point on going to talks if they are merely going to be about procedures or trivial things."
Shimada concedes, however, that North Korea "despises" Japan and that convincing Kim to take part in talks will be difficult.
Read more: North Korea stays silent on Donald Trump meeting with Kim Jong Un
Watch video 00:17 South Korea says North ready for denuclearization talks
Strictest sanctions
"The only thing that Japan has is the strictest sanctions in the world, which go far beyond the United Nations Security Council sanctions," Shimada said. "If the North is aware that relaxing those sanctions is on the table for discussion, then it is possible that they might agree to talk."
The last time leaders of the two nations met in person was in 2004, when the then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi flew to Pyongyang for talks with Kim's late father, Kim Jong il, and managed to secure the release of a handful of Japanese abductees.
The situation has changed dramatically in the intervening 14 years, however, with bilateral relations icy. But if the North Korean leadership is genuinely interested in re-engaging with the international community – a big "if," analysts emphasize – then they will need to have a working relationship with Tokyo.
"Naturally, Kim is presently focused on his planned meeting with Trump," Shimada noted. "But if the preliminary talks between the US and North Korea make reference to the abductees issue and the US can insist that they are part of any future agreement, then it might happen."
Read more: Japan 'ghost ships' drifting from desperate North Korea
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